Emily's Epiphanies

     I made my first ever podcast this weekend! Our podcast assignment was intended to discuss social media issues and topics. I knew right away after looking at the rubric who I wanted to join me in this podcast. Ruthie Osowski is our Social Media Coordinator for ONU Theatre Arts and, she manages all of our social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. She was also that main person in charge of our social media content during the run of Beauty and the Beast.    We discussed some really interesting topics, including how she got her position with ONU Theatre Arts, what some challenges are as it pertains to social media managing, what her process was like for planning the content in regard to Beauty and the Beast, some of the issues she had to deal with on different social media platforms with B&B content and, her personal take on the differences between running a personal social media account versus a professional social media account.      Ruthie is a year above me but,

     This week in “Essentials of Social Media Marketing”, I read about social media marketing campaigns. I think this is really interesting and is probably the chapter that ties the most to my Arts Administration minor. In Arts Admin, even this semester in Grant Writing, we always talk about the many campaigns and processes run in order to keep a non-profit successful and to promote their work. Next fall, I will be taking Arts Marketing & Audience Development, which will tie even more into the idea of creating, planning, and overseeing a marketing campaign. I believe that is actually the final project for that course. It is cool to have some prior experience learning about a more specific kind of marketing campaign through this class – a social media marketing campaign.      Now, I know that currently I do not use many social media sites for my own personal use. However, I feel like taking this course is preparing me for using social media when it comes to Arts Administration and p

     I haven’t really though much this semester about being away from home. I was experiencing homesickness much earlier in the semester but putting all of my energy into Beauty and the Beast made it easy to forget that I was missing my family. I don’t think I have even had a free moment to think about the fact that I have been gone for almost twelve weeks.      I told my mom a few weeks ago that this semester had been so much easier because I wasn’t as homesick as last year. Unfortunately, this week, it hit me like a wall. I miss being home in my kitchen, which always smells like cinnamon sticks and apples, or cuddling up on the couch with my family to watch Marvel movies or the Mandolorian. I really miss my dog. My mom actually surprised me in my Halloween care package with a pillow that had Gracie’s picture on it. It now sits on my bed every day. I miss getting to cuddle with her on the couch in the mornings and driving up to our favorite walking trail and go for an adventure.     

     Chapter 12 in “Essentials for Social Media Marketing” discusses blogs, vlogs, and podcasts. I found it interesting to read through this chapter and find out more information on how a blog can be used for marketing and targeting audiences. My blog for class (this blog) is more of a personal blog – I write about what I am feeling each week, rather than tailoring my content to a specific audience in order to gain more interactions. However, now that I have gotten used to blogging for personal use, I think it would be an easier transition into blogging with a centralized goal or purpose.      Some of the ways that Chapter 12 suggested for optimizing a blog post was by creating an outline and a catchy title. It also suggests having an intro, a body, and a conclusion. Much of the suggestions for optimizing blog posts reminded me of what I learned in writing seminars on how to write the best essay. I have gotten much more experience with essay writing, especially with scholarship applica

     Many of my friends are much more outgoing that I am in terms of the college party scene. I am certainly not a party girl. I don’t drink alcohol or stay up late (if I wasn’t in rehearsals, I would be in bed by 10:30pm). Many of my friends, however, really enjoy going to parties, staying up late and, spending time with people in the evenings. I’ve never had an interest in going to parties. I was never invited to parties in high school. I have been invited to parties here at ONU but, all of my close friends know that it isn’t really my scene. However, I always appreciate that they extend the invitation – it really shows how much they care about me and want to include me.      This weekend, I worked up the courage and, attended my first college party! Since it was Halloween weekend ( Halloweekend as I have heard so many people call it) and I felt comfortable around the people who were throwing the party, I decided that I could spend an hour or two hanging out with me friends and seei