Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Toledo. My sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, volunteers each year at the survivor’s tent. We help setup, teardown and run the tent in the morning as survivors gather to socialize and celebrate the annual run.

This year was my first year volunteering. I woke up at 3 a.m. and drove with a small group of sisters to help at the race. Waking up before the rest of the world is always challenging, especially when you are required to be a functioning human being! We were put to work immediately when we arrived.

The streets of Toledo were packed with runners and supporters as they gathered before the race began. I met a lot of breast cancer survivors and the large groups of their supporters. It was amazing to see such large support systems there for individuals fighting the fight. It touched my heart to hear the stories and see the kindness from each person entering the survivor’s tent.

At the end of the race, myself and other ZTA’s stood on the side of the street to hand carnations to survivors that completed the race. The survivor’s wore pink shirts to help them stand out in the crowd. The survivors were overjoyed with us for volunteering and cheering them on. I had strangers crying to me about how appreciative they were and even received a few hugs.

This race was an amazing experience for me. I was shocked by the support and commemorative crowds of people who gave their time on an early Sunday morning to support the fight against breast cancer. I can't wait to volunteer again next year!

Say Hello to the New "Ello"

Have you heard about Ello yet? Ello is the new, ad-free social network capitalizing on the perception that it is the “anti-Facebook”. Still in beta, this platform is an invite-only site that is quickly growing. As the features continue to be developed, the number of users increases as well. 

Ello wants users to feel more like people and less like data points, allowing anyone to join as long as they follow the basic outlined rules. The rules are basic, including no bestiality, no impersonating of public figures, etc. All you need to join is an invite from a friend and an email address.

Ello does not ask for your name, gender or sexual orientation. If you follow the rules, you are welcome on the platform. Instead of advertising like other social media platforms, Ello will upsell special features to their Ello users to help customize their experience.

Why is this so much more attractive than Facebook? Ello wants users to feel welcome and avoid the biases that often come with a stated name, gender or even sexual orientation. Instead, you are able to customize your profile how you want. You can share what you want to share and you do not have to sit through numerous advertisements in order to do so. 

Ello continues to grow and soon, it could become one of the preferred social media platforms next to Facebook and Twitter. Sounds promising, but I'm not sure I am sold yet. Are you?

It's All About Being Social

After reading “Share This” by CIPR this week, I found one section of our reading intriguing: Social media and employee engagement. As a PR major, we often talk about social media and how companies use it, but we do not always discuss social media and the employee’s role on these platforms.

The book discusses several ways social media can enhance employee engagement:

• Opening up new feedback channels
• Encouraging collaboration across silos
• Horizontal networking by breaking down hierarchies
• Being all encompassing and interactive
• Their approachability, as employees pick and choose what and who to engage with

Within organizations, these few bullet points are great ways for employees to demonstrate engagement. Social media platforms are not only useful within companies, but also externally. The external uses indicated in “Share This” are recruitment purposes, communication, connection and engagement.

Social media is not something done to the employees of an organization, but something done for and with these employees. Building relationships is the top priority and employees will openly share feedback and engage further if the organization is willing to listen and contribute to the building of these relationships. I think more organizations should consider engaging with their employees via social media to enhance horizontal networking and encourage an interactive work environment. 

Listen or Lose Out

We all know the importance of listening. How will you know what people are saying about your organization if you are not taking the time to listen to them? Today, listening is not only important; it is vital. 

Most organizations use online monitoring systems such as Google alerts to keep track of relevant mentions of brands, products, topics and people. If mentioned on any website or social media community, an alert is sent to the organization. Not all of this information will be relevant to specific functions of the organization, but it is vital for them to be monitored.

Listening to your followers on Twitter is practical, but difficult. Listening to your influencers on Twitter by scrolling through your newsfeed is time consuming and inopportune. Organizations utilizing tools such as TweetDeck or Hootsuite can filter the streams and target influencers more quickly and efficiently.

Listening is vital. As discussed in “Share This” by CIPR, “PR practitioners must therefore ensure that they have invested the time in identifying which significant media influencers to their organization’s objectives are among them, and ensure that they have the skills, knowledge and systems in place to effectively listen and potentially engage with them in this dynamic medium” (Pg. 135). If organizations do not listen, they could potentially miss out on important conversations about their brand.

Ireland: the land of Saints and Scholars

This past summer, I studied abroad in Galway, Ireland. It's hard for me to summarize everything this incredible experience taught me, but I would like to share some of the things I learned very quickly in Galway. As a featured blogger for the study abroad organization I went through, I shared these tips with other students considering studying abroad. For anyone considering visiting or studying in Galway, here are a few tips and tricks to help you become more comfortable and settled into your new environment:

1. Not everyone is nice. I know, I was shocked too. Don’t fall for the stereotypical Irish persona and believe that everyone in the streets of Galway and everyone you meet in Ireland is going to be nice and easy to converse with. This was hard for me because I wanted everyone to be nice and welcoming. The fact is, you are a “tourist” and you probably won’t be greeted with open arms and smiles by everyone.

2. Take your rain jacket and umbrella everywhere. The forecast may say there is 0% chance of rain for the day, but that could easily and quickly change. Don’t get caught downtown without a rain jacket or umbrella because a fifteen to twenty minute walk back to your house in the pouring down rain is not a fun situation to get stuck in. Stay on the safe side and bring one, even if it is a gorgeous sunny day outside when you’re leaving.

3. Bring comfortable shoes. The absolute most important thing you need to pack is comfortable shoes. I am not exaggerating when I say that you spend all day walking. Galway is an easy city to navigate and not many people take a taxi because they don’t want to spend the money. You walk everywhere, everyday. Bring comfortable shoes that won’t give you awful blisters like I got after my first week there. You can wait to buy cheap rain boots there, so don’t worry about packing the extra weight. Just make sure you pack a comfortable pair of shoes or plenty of band aids for the blisters you will acquire.

4. Learn some of the slang ahead of time. There is plenty of slang you will hear on a daily basis in Galway. If you are not at least familiar with it, you will have a difficult time conversing with the locals or even ordering food or drink at a restaurant or pub. Don’t use the stereotypical phrases like “top of the morning to you” or try to imitate the accents because it is offensive and really makes people mad. If anything, be familiar with phrases like these:

• Cheers/Sláinte: You can say cheers or sláinte (pronounced slancha) when having a drink at a pub, thanking a waiter for your meal, saying goodbye to someone or to express that it was nice talking with someone. Don’t overdo it, but you will hear “cheers” a lot to express gratitude or wish good health for someone. Don’t assume it always has to do with clinking glasses.
• Do you sign local? Someone might ask if “you sign local”. They are asking if you are a local or if you are on holiday. It is often difficult to understand if their accent is stronger and can be confusing if you’re not familiar with the phrase.
• Craic: Craic (pronounced crack) means fun. If someone asks you if you’re interested in some craic, it’s okay to say yes! They are not trying to sell you drugs; they are asking you if you’d like to have some fun. If someone asks “what’s the craic”, it is similar to “what’s up” or “what’s new”. It’s okay to have some craic while in Galway!
• Lift vs. Ride: Do not ask someone to give you a “ride” or thank them for the “ride”. This means something much more suggestive in Ireland. You may say “thanks for the lift” or “could you give me a lift” instead. Remember this and avoid any uncomfortable situations!

5. Always be aware of your surroundings. I know you’ve heard this too many times, but take this seriously. Galway is a fairly safe city, but it is important to always be aware and pay attention to the people around you. Keep an eye on your bag/wallet, never set your drink down, do not let anyone buy you a drink when you haven’t seen where it has been, stick with a buddy when walking around town in the evening and don’t set your bag/purse down anywhere. It is easy for people to take advantage of “naive Americans” when you allow them to. Be smart and make good choices.

Although this is a short list of tips and tricks, there is plenty about Galway that is diverse and somewhat unexpected. I look back very fondly on my time in Galway. I miss this amazing place and all of the wonderful people I met while studying there. Galway will always have a piece of my heart and I hope I can return someday.