So college is done. All I can think about is how fast it went by. I remember vividly driving down with my parents, moving into the dorms and beginning college. And now I'm leaving, packing up my things and moving home. And looking back, I think I actually learned some things, I know I made some amazing friends, and I even figured out what I wanted to do with my life.
So to all those entering college, a couple little "diddies" (bits of information) for you.
1. You might think that partying every night is amazing because you don't have to worry about your parents....but you might want to actually put some effort into your school work. You'll look back later and wish you had.
2. Travel. Travel. Travel. If you haven't do it. If you have keep doing it. Study abroad, go on as many trips with friends as you can or go places on you own. You learn so much from other people and other cultures and doing it now is the best time to do it.
3. Get involved. If you like something, do it. Whether it is a group in your field of study, a sorority or fraternity or even something like your schools student government, you should try it. Not only is being involved a great way to meet people, but you learn so much about your individual skills and it's a great resume builder.
4. Learn about yourself. This is such an important time to do that. Take new classes, meet people you normally wouldn't and branch out. If you don't, well, you just should.
So there you go. Love college. It's an amazing time and take it for all it is worth!

Response: Dove's Sleeveless Ready Campaign

I don't think you are grumpy, I agree. I don't pay attention to a lot of ads these days, especially one like Dove's doing.
I also agree that maybe focusing on more important issues is more important. There isn't a better way to say it. Even though I'm a student, I've become more aware of what is going on in the world and recognizing that the media is lacking on covering it. Why? An important person in my college career one said, "If we can't stand to see it, then why are we doing it?" And I couldn't agree more.

Is That Sugar-Free?

With the obesity epidemic growing in the U.S. everyday, it is hard to not look at how it is effecting one of, if not the most, influential target group today: children.

Children see thousands of advertisements everyday filled with messages about junk food, sodas and video games. This $11 billion dollar industry is only part of the reason why children are currently one of the most inactive groups of people in America.

Now advertisements are not the only thing to blame in looking at why children are fatter, lazier and overall less healthy than ever before. Cutting of funds for P.E. programs across the country have played a huge part in the epidemic. Without funding for physical education, children have no time during the school day to release energy, boost their metabolism and burn off any calories they may have consumed during the day.

There is also the effect of parents on their children. Kids learn from what they see around them and use what they are provided. If a child's parents lead unhealthy lives and provide their children with unhealthy food, the end result is an unhealthy child.

But a new factor has come into the blame circle, particularly in the past couple of years. Media. Not only are children bombarded with advertisements on TV, the radio and online, but they are also filled with images that promote negative body types as well as media telling children who are at an unhealthy weight that they are simply outcast and not normal.

After looking at these factors, one question needs to be answered. What changes first? There are people who support changing one factor over another. My answer would be to change them all.

Take out junk food and soda from schools, change advertisements and work with companies to develop healthier snack options, provide educational information for parents to help them change habits at home and cut out the negative media. I know it's a lot to ask, but when type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol are problems that 10 year old children are having to deal with, changing four influential factors may not be too much to ask.

Response: Walmart Should Decide What Kind of Company it Wants To Be

After reading this post, and relating it to my personal experiences with retail, legal actions and growing companies that are re-working how they appeal to the public, it is apparent that more than just the specific companies need to change.

How people work and look at business needs to change. I remember being slightly less than forced to work later than my shift, come in on days off and work a little off the clock just so my store met daily requirements. The sad thing is, no one sees that as a negative work habit. Managers see it as over-achieving, doing what needs to get done. Managers above them brush violations aside until someone sues them, and then it's kept hush-hush.

SO Walmart needs to evaluate its company standards. But then so should most retail companies like it. Just because one company is in the spot light for negative practices doesn't mean there aren't other ones hiding in the dark.

Why Don't you Just Call?

So while I am at my job, writing press release after press release, my boss walks over and gives me a new assignment. He wants me to contact a local newspaper and get them to write a story about some of the local real estate agents using our product. I say OK!
But as I pull up their information and begin to write an email, I feel as though someone is watching me. I look up and see my boss with a confused look on his face. He asks with a wiser, more informed tone to his voice, "Why don't you just call them instead?"
Now I understand where he's coming from. A call is personal, and it allows me to connect with the reporter and explain the release I will be sending to them. But then I think, I could explain all that in an email, AND send the press release at the same time. Brilliant!
In the end I got a response within an hour after I had sent out the release, but the best part of the situation was realizing that email can be an efficient way to send out information quickly. Because sometimes a reporter doesn't have the time to answer a phone call like mine, or even more likely, they're not even at their office.

Response - Work is Hard: Tips for your First Job

This post in particular is very interesting to me and makes some good points. As a full time student, most people are surprised to find out that I have been working 40 hours a week since I was 19. But even more surprising is that I've held a job since I was 16 and the idea of work-life balance is just how I live my life.
Knowing nothing different than going to school and working, while trying to be as active in my extra-curricular activities as I can, it always takes me back when I talk to other students who have never had an interview, or worked at all. And while there were times when my friends were out and I was at work till 11pm, looking back on it all I feel very prepared. I enjoy working, but I have learned the hard way that you have to do more than just work.
I enjoyed the advice in this post and the importance of establishing yourself, finding a mentor and learning to balance your life.

Response: PR - Or something like it

In response to Pr - Or something like it, how funny! PR isn't just "working with people" and if you ARE a PR student, you know that. You know that it is about influencing behavior, connecting with audiences, distributing messages and ideas and yes, working with people. But to sum it up as just that, doesn't give Public Relations (as a major or as a career) justice.
PR does so much more and it is important that more people figure out what public relations can do for you, for your company and for your analysis of other messages.
So maybe if you want to work with people, you should look more at retail or customer service, because a job in Public Relations takes a lot more than "Hi, how can I help you?"