Week 1A: Intro Blog

We all have reasons as to why we make the choices we do. From what we wear each morning, to what we eat for dinner, we do what we do for either conscious or unconscious reasons. These reasons also provide others a glimpse into who we are as individuals. Of course, humans are all connected through different shared experiences, but we all have different ways of how we respond that make each of us unique. The theme I chose for this blog is just one of the many choices that I made today.

The reason why I chose this theme is because it brought me peace in the moment. Like many others, this past year has been difficult on me, but not for the typical reasons. You see, I've been fortunate enough to keep my job through this pandemic, though I have had my hours reduced. On top of working 32 hours a week, I still felt like there is more I should be doing to further my career. This event led to me pursuing my second degree, this one being an AA in Marketing as a full-time student. While this also may be similar to many other stories, I am doing this all with five friends and my partner in the area while my family who I haven't seen in nearly two years, is 2,700 miles away.

I was born in New York City and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA; I also spent some summers in Charleston, SC. This theme reminded me of calmer times surrounded by my family and simply less stressful times. Instead of changing the default picture to something else, I intentionally left it the same due to it reminding me of both my time back east and my newer time here. One of my partner's favorite colors (at least at the moment) is a burnt orange, and I changed the search bar color to match it as well as mesh with the colors from the plants. My partner has been able to help me stay grounded and reconnect with nature by turning our place into a botanical garden, which I appreciate. With his help, I've been able to push through my career change in Marketing, specifically Social Media Marketing.

While social media has been around since 1997 (Six Degrees), the big craze started with Myspace and Facebook. Over time, many platforms have come about, and many have fizzled out. As a Social Media Marketing Coordinator at my company, I assist other businesses in starting their social media from the ground up. I assess their needs and together we discuss which platforms will work best for them. This has allowed me to view social media in two completely unique perspectives. 

For personal use, I believe that Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the best. The reason why many of us have these accounts is because it allows us to connect to our family and friends by sharing bits of our lives. While I may not post on Facebook much for myself, I was able to find out information like a former boss is pregnant, and that she is getting married soon. While Facebook may be there for my formal reasons, I use Twitter to post things that I don't wish for my family to respond to. In fact, the only people I have on my Twitter are those who I approve of, and happen to be my friends. Instagram is quite different however. This is where I go to show people what I may be doing today with a quick story, or where I may show what I am in the middle of baking. Instagram has served as a place for me to show others my passions in hopes to inspire, or impress.

When in comes to businesses, it is all dependent on the goals of the business. If the goal is to get general brand recognition, then Facebook would work well by simply having friends like the page and then spread the word. On here, there are also plenty of tools to be utilized in order to get the ads of the business in front of the eyes of thousands. Should a company want to obtain better-qualified leads in a B2B setting, LinkedIn would work best as it is used for professional connections. For a brand or company whose goal is dependent on transparency, Instagram is great. It allows one to simply upload photos of what is going on/services provided and display it for the masses. Similar to Facebook, paid ads are also an option on Instagram to show off the business. Ultimately, all social media platforms have the ability to contribute to a business's success, but focus should be on the options that further a goal.