Social Media Campaign

I am just about to finish my first semester on the Dixie Sun News staff, and I thought what better way to promote my articles than create a Facebook page?

My banner represents Dixie State University, so people will know which school I am affiliated with when they first access my page.

 Rather than post a selfie for my profile photo, I wanted to have a more professional looking picture to represent who I am.

I also shared the Dixie Sun News logo when I first created my page to establish which newspaper I was writing for specifically. 

When I first began posting, I wasn't really sure which times would reach the majority of my followers so at 11:46 p.m., my first article post was released. Being my first post, I reached over 100 people on Facebook. However, the next time I posted, I decided to share it at around 9 a.m. which produced a lower turnout. Things started to look up though after I posted 20 minutes later because that article reached almost 700 people, and it ended up being my highest rated writing piece. 

Every time after I decided to post about my articles between 9 a.m. to noon, and my numbers stayed pretty much the same. 

I also tried to provide a mix of photos and links for my articles so people know where to go to read it but also an inside look of what they should expect to see.

I tried incorporating hashtags like #DSU and #DixieStateUniversity to gain more traction but it appears the number of views weren't too different from those without the hashtag. I also tried sharing my articles on my personal Facebook page to get more views but pretty much my numbers stayed between 30-50 post clicks.

I started this Facebook page with 0 likes and 0 followers. Today, I have reached 47 likes and 47 followers on my page. While I did  invite a lot of friends and family to like my page, some views and additional likes resulted from my posts being shared. 

Aside from just promoting my articles on Facebook, I used Twitter to direct traffic towards my writing.  I really wish I had spent more time creating Facebook posts alluding to what my articles would be about like I did on Twitter. 

By doing this, it sparks your followers interest for what is to come later on. I also really wish I had taken into consideration working with fellow staff members to increase traffic to my page. We often link to other students' articles on Twitter, and I should've done the same thing for my Facebook page. 

I think one of the major reasons why particular articles gained more attention than others resulted from the connection a specific person had to that story. For example, my highest viewed article was about DSU's dental hygiene clinic, which was shared by a student involved in the program. From that single share, it reached several people who also in the program. In turn, it led them to share that article to reach over 600 Facebook users. Knowing this now, next time I post an article I plan to tag DSU students who may be interested or are invested in the subject matter I write about. I really think that may be the key to expand the number of post views and followers on my page because people may be more inclined to read something that their friends tag them in rather than just seeing a random post linking to an article. 

Overall, I am somewhat dissatisfied with the way my campaign turned out. I know social media management takes a lot of work, but I was hoping to at least gain 100 followers. Although I haven't reached that number, I still continue to market myself through this Facebook page because next semester I will continue to be on the Dixie Sun News staff as the feature editor.

OTM 3

For this week's On the Media, I listened to "We'll Always Have Paris."


It is interesting to hear two very different sides argue for or against the idea of millions of coal jobs. President Donald Trump stated by "canceling this plan" it will create millions of new jobs for Americans. However, energy and environment reporter, Timothy Cama, said the chances of the coal industry making a massive comeback after lifting this plan is very low. The reason for this is due to coal's major competition-- natural gas and other environmental regulations. It is also worth noting that most coal mining jobs were eliminated with the advancements of technology. Despite this, President Trump will still try to lead us to believe that he can and will "cancel the job killing ban."


Good luck with that Pres. Trump. I'll believe it when I see it.


It is quite obvious this decision to abandon the plan will not magically create millions of new jobs for coal miners, and even Robert Murray, founder and chief executive of Murray Energy, doesn't expect significant growth among these jobs either. Also, by leaving this plan, it shows our lack of accountability. More than 100 countries have agreed to follow this plan yet the U.S. is officially backing out. Trump's decision to do this makes our country appear as if we do not care about our world's future nor anyone else's who lives and breathes on Earth.

Sustainability

APP NAME: iVolunteer

Sustainability Definition: Maintain a balance between handling the needs of the less fortunate and those willing to offer assistance without depleting resources.

Needs & Interests:

By age, 35- to 44-year-olds and 45- to 54-year-olds were the most likely to
volunteer (28.9 percent and 28.0 percent, respectively). Volunteer rates were
lowest among 20- to 24-year-olds (18.4 percent).

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.htm

Pain: Without resources, nonprofits simply don’t have the capacity to effectively engage volunteers. Without volunteers, there is only so much a non-profit organization can do to help people. According to the 2015 report, 24.9% of the U.S. population over the age of 16 volunteered at least once in the past year. In 2011, this percentage was 26.8%, and in 2005 it was 28.8%.

http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/2016/03/25/the-u-s-volunteer-rate-is-still-dropping-why/

Sustainable Location we’ve chosen: Salt Lake City, Utah

Do things in the valley/ downtown options; best friends (animal society), The Road Home, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, Humane Society and many more place that are in need of volunteers.

SLCgreen is Salt Lake City planning their sustainability and trying to be “green.” It is comprised of award-winning environmental programs that continue to help us conserve resources, reduce pollution, slow climate change and ensure a healthy, sustainable future for Salt Lake City. http://www.slcgreen.com

Equitable Business

The app will give the ability to bring attention to the volunteer opportunities while being fair and not taking priority over anyone. All the events that are put in the app will be put into it correctly. There also will be an option for those who cannot spend time. There will be donation option where the money can get donated directly to the cause.

Reduce Waste

By enticing people to use this app to record their volunteer hours, this will reduce paper consumption. As a result, this app will promote low waste among users. This can especially be beneficial for students involved with clubs or other extracurriculars that require a documented report of volunteer hours. By integrating this app with schools, teachers and professors can keep updated records of every students’ volunteer hours without printing them out.  This feature would work by allowing the users you follow to share current updates of where the app checks them in for a particular volunteer event. The moment they check in at that specific location, a clock starts to to document how long they’re there. The moment they leave the event, the app’s location services will identify that the volunteer has left and end the timer. The number of hours will then be submitted to the volunteer’s page for their followers to see. By using this interactive feature, it allows people to keep updated on where others are volunteering.

Fuel Consumption

iVolunteer has the opportunity to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced and pumped into the atmosphere. By pinpointing the location of the volunteer and the event site, the app would be able to generate the necessary data to provide estimations for travel (mileage, time, etc.) and map out alternate routes. Whether the transportation involve bicycling, public buses, or carpooling, all will help decrease our carbon footprint. ”Public transportation with its overarching effects on land use, is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 37 million metric tons annually” http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/documents/greenhouse_brochure.pdf

OTM 2

This week I listened to On the Media's "When the Press sues over fake news." I feel as if even before President Donald Trump took office, people were skeptical of the media, since every outlet contains its own agenda. That being said, people are throwing the F-word around as if all media outlets are promoting this idea of "fake" news.
After listening, I think this talk pinpoints the genuine fear that journalists, news reporters, radio show hosts and even regular, every day people are thinking about. Of course those in the media field are terrified because their careers are constantly put in jeopardy. Without faithful readers or viewers, there is no news network or newspaper. With that in mind, trying to claim that any reputable media outlet promotes "fake" news can be incredibly damaging. Jay Seaton, the Daily Sentinel publisher, said the newspaper he works for has suffered subscription losses after a senator deemed the paper "fake" news.
Although President Trump has his reasons for denying certain media outlets as credible (which became especially prevalent after BuzzFeed released the dossier and CNN briefly mentioned its existence) these hasty generalizations are affecting everyone's judgment.
Holding such a high position in the United States, President Trump's beliefs and statements will automatically influence his supporters. I am not saying all Trump supporters believe everything he says without questioning him. Of course, there are some individuals who do, but that is another issue entirely. However, those who question authority, even if they support individuals like Trump, still suffer from their own presumptions.
This is most famously represented by those who agree with Trump's famous tweet, "The fake news media is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people!" The major issue with this argument is that it places all of the focus on the media to diverge attention away from what is actually going on in the world. Rather than address what is newsworthy, these media outlets have to stress the importance of credibility or threaten to start suing those who defame the company.

Automatic Attitudinal Response

After reviewing my OTM post referring to President Donald Trump and the dossier scandal, I was reluctant to examine any bias I had in the post. I was convinced I tried my best to remain objective, but my bias toward BuzzFeed was consuming my ability to stay open-minded.
I mean, who doesn't love those mindless quizzes? Then I thought, who actually visits the site for news? With this automatic attitudinal response, it is no surprise that my post reflected my utter distaste for the website when it comes to reporting the facts.

“We commit cognitive errors all the time,” Babson College professor Elizabeth Thornton said.“We perceive something, and in an instant, we project our mental models, our past experiences, our backgrounds, onto whatever that is–a person, situation, or event. Oftentimes, we get it wrong.” With this in mind, it still is not grounds for throwing objectivity out the window. According to Gwen Moran's article, “How To Be Objective When You’re Emotionally Invested,” it is crucial to pinpoint your weak spots when it comes to certain topics. Essentially, if you find yourself getting defensive or starting an argument over hearing an opinion that differs from yours, your bias can lead you to think irrationally. When you begin to think irrationally, you tend to react with an emotional response rather than a logical response to defend your argument. This is clearly seen in my opening sentence, "I believe BuzzFeed made a terrible mistake by deciding to publish the Trump- Russia dossier to the public." Right away the reader recognizes my feelings against BuzzFeed. Rather than state that heavy opinion, I should've reported what was going on at the time, and then what potential consequences BuzzFeed might have endured as a result.

Another tip Moran mentions is the need to surround yourself with those who have varied opinions from yours. To an extent, I was coddled to believe one thing at home but another thing at school. With these extreme differences present in my daily life, I feel as if it has kept me grounded slightly. Rather than automatically agree with everything I heard, I was fortunate enough to get an idea from both sides. Unfortunately, I see that I did not attempt to visit the other side's thoughts when referencing the Trump sexual assault allegations. I was seeking the first article that proved my opinion, that one woman's claims were false. Using this one source, I neglected to research other women who argued the same allegations because I surrounded myself with the facts I wanted to hear.

Well Informed 2.0: Racism

After reading this Facebook post, I couldn't help but feel disgusted by a man who decided to point out the obvious- an interracial couple were on a date. Rather than elbow his wife to show her something worthwhile, he directed his pure disdain for a race different from his own. At what age do people realize their own racist tendencies? For some, I don't think they ever do.

For the longest time, I truly believed that racism was just a thing of the past. My great grandpa was a racist, and I reasoned that hateful nature was left behind in the previous generations before me. I could not have been more wrong.

I feel as if a little prejudice is engrained in every single one of us, from the way we value a person's walk to how they speak. Can this divisive thinking be fixed? Unfortunately, I do not believe that is humanly possible. However, that does not suggest that we should all give in to our racist thoughts and excuse them. I think the first step is to identify our own prejudice. It's not enough to simply say, "Oh I don't mean to be racist but..." Although people use this as a buffer, it doesn't automatically imply that what they're about to say is in anyway acceptable. It is essentially the same as saying, "Don't take offense or anything but..." Of course, someone is usually going to take offense to whatever that person says even though  that weak disclaimer was used.

Well Informed 2.0: Religion

I remember reading an article not too long ago arguing that our society is continuing to move father away from religious practices.  In a way, I feel as if this is partly true because my friends and I are not religious whatsoever. According to the LDS Newsroom, "In America...the number of those who claim no religious affiliation nearly doubled from 8.2 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2008. Now that number has crept to nearly 20 percent. And among those under 30 years old, disaffiliation jumps to 32 percent." Of course, I know those die-hard religious people are still out there preaching away like my aunt, but overall the majority of individuals I meet around my age are not interested in labels. I would have to admit, I am the exact same way.

Whenever I am asked the dreaded question, "What's your religious affiliation," I want to run away from the conversation as casually as possible. "Do you believe in God?" I don't know. To some, those three words are just too hard to fathom. "Don't you have faith? You're going to hell." Believe me, I have heard all of their lame excuses. Sorry, I don't pretend to know everything and neither should you.

My parents weren't forced to go to church every Sunday, so they figured why not raise their children with the same attitude. I have had varying church experiences, and even joined a youth group for a couple of years. However, I never really felt inclined to choose a particular faith. Although the LDS Newsroom argues that all "human beings are religious by nature," I have never felt this connection to God or any other higher power. The LDS Newsroom also goes on to say, "religion offers a framework by which people find meaning, belonging and identity." I agree this may be the case for many people, but it isn't true for all. I have never had trouble feeling like I do not belong without a religious affiliation. If anything, I feel as if I am able to connect with more people because I don't chain myself down to a set of religious beliefs. To clarify, I am not saying all religious groups exclude themselves, but I have met an array of individuals who use their religious views to assert a superiority over others, which limits their ability to connect with people outside of their beliefs.