My best friends wedding

is one of my favorite Julia Roberts movies, but that's not what I'm referring to.  

My best friend got married earlier this month and she did something really cool that I wanted to share.  The wedding was a small, intimate affair and in an effort to capture the moment, her and her fiance (now husband!) came up with a hashtag for the occasion and encouraged attendees to tag their photos on instagram.  As the matron of honor and self proclaimed social media goddess, I took it upon myself to document as much as possible throughout the weekend and encouraged everyone else to do the same.  The end result was a beautiful album that captured moments the photographer never would have gotten (after all, she's only one person).  I'll post some of my favorites from the day below.  

PS: Follow me on Instagram @J3ssBecause and visit the brides blog at The Sweet Ashley Life





   

The Bride getting ready

You just can't beat McD's sweet tea on a hot summer day in Nashville

Supplies

The Bride and Groom

My favorite ladies

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Let's face it people, social media is a wonderful tool for communication.  Unfortunately, it's also an open forum for voicing your dislikes and poor experiences.  Good business practice tells us that you should never delete a comment from your Facebook page just because you don't like the negative feedback.  Obviously there are exceptions to every rule--for instance if someone is being obscene or trolling your page, but for the most part you just have to roll with the punches and handle the situation to the best of your ability.

Windstream Communications phone services went down today -- are currently still down, actually.  This outage is affecting THOUSANDS of businesses and apparently is not the first time this has happened.  After a client my husband works with contacted him regarding the outage, we began searching for answers, but seeing as how even Windstream itself doesn't have phone access, finding out what was going on was a little difficult.  That's when I decided to check their Facebook page.  There was one simple status update that  read "Currently, there is an outage with long distance which we are working on resolving as soon as possible.  No ETR at the time.  Updates will be provided as they are available." Comments were pouring in about the location of the outages and how they were not simply long distance outages, but phone services all together.  Needless to say, people were not happy.  What I found a little fishy is that as I was scrolling through the comments, the count suddenly went from 83 comments to 7 comments.  No, no, no, Windstream.  Please tell me you are not deleting these comments from your loyal customers?  Comments that are simply asking for answers and updates, none of which were obscene, profane, or troll-like, mind you.

Now I realize that Windstream is probably under a lot of stress at this immediate moment.  The phone lines of a phone company going down is like KFC running out of chicken, but as someone who stood behind the counters at KFC at the tender age of fifeteen, I can tell you that even KFC does indeed run out of chicken from time to time.  The appropriate response, however, is not to ignore your customers and hope they go away, but to politely say "I'm sorry sir (or madam), but the chicken is in the fryer and we will serve you as soon as possible.  Here's a free fountain drink for your wait."

See, Windstream, is that so hard?  You clearly have internet access--after all, you've already made a post some-what acknowledging the issue.  Just let the people know where you stand and don't, I repeat, DON'T delete their comments.

HootSuite Certified (pt 2)

I did a post earlier this week about my HootSuite certification and what it was but I want to talk a little more about what I learned through this process and how it has helped me in my current usage of the dashboard.

As someone who has been a user for close to two years now, I was amazed to find out how much I didn't know about what HootSuite could do for me.  For starters, I've never used any of the analytics they offer--I've always just pulled them from other sources.  I knew that HootSuite offered this option, but I never took the time to figure out how to build the individual reports--a task that seemed daunting and difficult, but after watching the HootSuite University videos, I actually found that they're   quite user-friendly and offer a much more in-depth look at the analytics of each social media outlet.

Finding out how to schedule bulk messages was also something i'm not sure how I ever lived without before. My current internship and the freelance work I do require me to make Facebook and Twitter posts multiple times a day and since I'm never in the same place at the same time, having the ability to schedule posts is what drew me to HootSuite in the first place, but I've been doing it all wrong.  Instead of scheduling each tweet/post separately  you have the option of creating a spreadsheet and uploading that into the dashboard which will then schedule all of these posts for you.  How convenient!  I used it for the first time this week and it cut my schedule time in half!

Lastly, getting a more detailed overview of how geo-tagging works has helped me track certain tweets and subjects more accurately and efficiently.  I'm currently brainstorming a list of hashtags I intend to follow for the various social media accounts I manage.

If you've got some spare time and an interest in social media management I highly suggest becoming familiar with HootSuite or a similar dashboard product.  The basic HootSuite account is free, but they're currently offering a 30-day free trial of HootSuite Pro and HootSuite University.

HootSuite Certified (pt. 1)

As a requirement for my social media class we were asked to complete a HootSuite certification.  If you're not familiar with HootSuite, it is a social media management systems that allows you to access all of your social media outlets from one dashboard platform.  It's a great asset for individuals or companies who use multiple social media services and want to be able to track and analyze all of the data in one place.  I personally use this to manage many social media accounts and I don't know that I could do my job nearly as efficiently without it.

The certification is made available through HootSuite University, an online service offered through HootSuite to help you get the most out of its use.  In addition to offering the certification, the University offers lecture series covering a multitude of subjects surrounding social media and using it for business.  Once you've passed the certification exam, you are then listed in a database of certified professionals where potential employers can search for you.  It's a great asset for a resume--especially if you're considering a career in social media as I am.

Normally this is a paid service, however HootSuite allowed us to use the service for free as students.  If you're not as fortunate, they're currently offering a 30-day free trial of both HootSuite Pro and HootSuite University.  It only took me a couple of hours to get through most of the University so it is certainly something that could be completed within a 30-day time frame.  You can find all of the information here.

I've officially made it to the big time.

For years I have joked that I'll know I've made it when I get on Perez Hilton's website.  As a pop-culture junkie, there's nothing I love more than some good celebrity gossip and Perez delivers like no other.  Several years ago, during the Britney meltdown (you know, where she shaved her head and tried to break into a car with an umbrella), I was checking Perez's website religiously trying to get as much info as I could on the princess of pop.  As a frequent browser, I noticed that once every week or so Perez would post photos of his fans with an accompanying post.  I thought he deserved to know the lengths of my love for his website so I sent him a photo of myself and 2 of my best friends tailgating at a U of L football game with the caption "Louisville Girls Love Perez".  Alas, I waited and waited, but my photo never appeared.  Oh well, life went on as normal for the next, ohhh 4 years or so, and then BAM! there it is.  Today.

So here are my fifteen minutes of fame.  Enjoy.

Yelp

So I just recently scored my third internship; suffice it to say I feel like a professional intern-er now.  My new position is with Yelp as a Marketing intern.  Before I applied for the position, I was familiar with Yelp, but I wasn't fully aware of all the cool stuff they offered.  

If you've never heard of it, Yelp is an online community committed to providing business reviews from real people.  It's almost like a social network in the sense that you're able to create your own profile, like other peoples reviews by voting them a funny, cool and/or useful, and engage with other users by asking them questions in the "talk" section about anything from what their favorite ice cream in the city is to where they get their taxes done. 

Unlike similar websites, Yelp isn't just for restaurants, its for almost any business you could imagine.  If you can patronize it, it's probably on Yelp.  But it doesn't stop there.  The website provides a list of upcoming events in your city, tells you about new businesses in the area, and features challenges you can join with other users.  It's not just a website either, there's also a mobile app that gives you the ability to access reviews, find nearby deals, check-in places and much more.  

As someone who values word-of-mouth advertising above all else, I really can't sing the praises of Yelp highly enough (and I swear they're not paying me to say that).  If you're not using Yelp, you should at least check it out (here's a link to the Louisville Yelp).  And if you do decide to sign up, add me as a friend (here's a link to my profile).

P.S.--check out my cool Yelp feed that I added to the blog--pretty snazzy, huh?  

Do work, son.

The March IComm meeting hosted an awesome panel of people and I wanted to highlight some of the advice they gave as I thought it was pretty good advice.  I mean, they're pretty successful so it must be good, right?  Joining us, we had Mike Mays, the owner of Heine Brothers’ Coffee, Will Russell, the owner of Why Louisville, Sean Bailey, the Social Media Manager for The Louisville Palace and the creator of Louisville MUSICulture, Stacy Owens from 91.9 WFPK and Louisville Public Media, and Jessica Murr, music blogger and Social Media Manager for Ben Sollee, a nationally-recognized folk musician.  Yeah, that’s a lot of awesome for one room.

While our panelists had many things in common both personally and professionally, the overarching message they relayed was one of making good connections and not being afraid to fail.  Essentially,  ”If you build it, they will come.”, at least according to Will Russell, who is not only the owner of WhyLouisville, but also the founder of Lebowski Fest and PeeWee Over Louisville.  As Will put it, “haters gon’ hate”, but finding your passion is important and chances are your passion is someone else’s passion as well.You can never have too many connections, especially when it comes to the professional world.  Making good connections has played an intricate part in making each of these professionals who they are today.  You never know when you’re going to need help or just a different perspective on something and having an extensive professional network is the best place to start when seeking assistance.

Not sure where/how to start networking?  Get to know your professors.  They were students once too and more often than not they’re more than willing to help.  Joining professional groups like YPAL(Young Professional Association of Louisville) and YAP (Young Advertising Professionals) is also a good starting point.  Groups like these exist for the sole purpose of networking and often host happy hours and special events for professionals to get together.  Everyone you meet has the potential of being a new connection, something to keep in mind when making first impressions.

Also, if you're unsure about what this "Icomm" I speak of is, it is a club I belong to at U of L for Communications students.  It's been a great resource for meeting people, networking and hearing from professionals who have been working in fields related to communications.  If you're at U of L I'd highly recommend checking it out...you don't have to be a member to come to the meetings, but it looks good on a resume :) I'd be happy to provide you with more info!

So fresh and so clean

This isn't my normal social media related post, but it falls in line with one of my other favorite things, saving money so I thought i'd pass it along.   

I'm cheap, y'all.  I don't buy anything unless it's on sale and i'll search the internet over trying to find the best possible deals.  When my mother-in-law told me about making your own laundry detergent, I was skeptical.  I'm no Holly Homemaker and my home-ec skills are lacking to say the least, but she assured me it was fool proof and considering the minimal cost I figured the risk was well worth the reward.  The recipe makes five gallons of laundry detergent and costs less than $10.  Yeah, you read that right.  FIVE GALLONS OF LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS.  You can't even buy a box of Tide for less than $10!  My husband and I are on our second batch of this detergent and I can assure you that it gets your clothes just as clean as any of the leading brands and for our family of 2 it will last us anywhere from 6-8 months.  

What you'll need:

• 5 gallon bucket
• large sauce pan
• 1 bar of all purpose soap (can be found at Wal-Mart, Meijer, ect in the laundry aisle)
• 1 cup washing soda (also found in laundry aisle)

Steps:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to boil 
2. Grate bar of soap (we use a cheese grater)
3. Add soap to boiling water and stir until soap is melted
4. Fill bucket with 4 gallons of hot tap water
5. Add melted soap and washing soda to bucket
6. Stir well (3-5 minutes)
7. Cover bucket and allow to set up over night
8. Done!

We leave the bucket sitting in our laundry room and fill old detergent bottles as needed.  Remember to shake/stir occasionally as the soap will sometimes settle to the bottom.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Earlier this week a friend and fellow classmate shared a page for her grandmothers jewelry business, Paparazzi by Pat.  As someone who loves both jewelry and independent women, liking the page was a no-brainer.  Being a new Facebook page, Pat was promoting her page with a contest; for every 25 likes she received, she would choose one of her fans to receive a free piece of jewelry and I just so happened to be the days lucky winner!  Y'all...I'm not kidding when I say I'm fairly certain this is the first thing I've ever won. I consider myself a pretty lucky gal when it comes to my personal life so I just like to imagine the universe is balancing everything out by not letting me win any contests...ever.  Needless to say, I was pumped.  I chose this fabulous bracelet as my prize and received it in the mail today.  Seriously, it's fabulous.  And it'll look great for spring!

My Prize!

Running a contest on social media is a great way to get new followers and/or engage your current fans.  After all, who doesn't love free stuff?!  You can do something as simple as Pat did and draw a name or you can get more indepth and require likes, shares, and comments to be entered for a chance to win.  The possibilities are truly endless.  Your prize doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive either.  If you have a business that sells goods, you can offer a gift card or a free item from your store.  Even something as simple as giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card could do wonders for your page.  Like I said, who doesn't like free stuff?  Especially when the effort to enter is minimal (liking the page, sharing the page, ect).  Determine what you want to accomplish with your contest, choose a prize, decide how long you'll run the contest, inform your fans and you're on your way!  Just remember to always follow the rules set forth by the social media outlet you choose.

Care for a little insight?

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are great tools for any business.  Not only do they offer a means of free advertising, but it can also provide your customers with a sense of community which builds brand loyalty.  But how can you make sure you're getting the most out of your accounts?  This is where analytics come in to play.

If you have a business page for your Facebook account, you have access to Insights which provide you with almost any information you could wish to have about those who like your page and are interacting with you.  Once you decide to delve into your insights you're likely going to feel a bit overwhelmed with all of the information it can provide you with.  The most important information, however, can be accessed fairly easily.

The first thing you'll see when you access the insights page will look something like this:

This page shows your total likes, friends of fans, people talking about this and your weekly total reach.  Though you can't see it in the photo, you can also see all of the posts you've made during the month and the individual statistics for those posts.  

The total likes number is the actual number of people who like your page while the friends of fans number represents the number of people connected to your fans--this is important as this is the number of people you could potentially reach through your fans.  For instance, if you ask your fans to share your page with their friends, this is the number of people who could possibly see your page.  

The people talking about this number is the number of people who have interacted with your page; either by liking a status, commenting on your wall/status or shared something you posted.  When someone is talking about you, your page is likely showing up in their friends' news feed; again, free promotion of your company and your page.  

The last number you see is your weekly total reach, or the number of people who have seen any content related to your posts.  As you can see from the example above, they had a reach of almost 4,000 people, but only have 125 page likes, which means that most of their reach came from others interacting with their page or if they had some kind of ad, that would also contribute to this number.  From the graph, you can see which posts had the most interaction by scrolling your mouse over the points on the graph.  

This is only the beginning of the information you can find on your page.  Insights can also provide you with extensive demographic information so that you might know your audience better.  Your online audience may vary extensively or it may be very specific, but knowing this information can help you better determine what kind of content to post for more interaction.  If you're not already familiar with the basics of these insights, consider taking a few hours to look through them.  Once you get past the intimidation factor it's fairly easy to navigate and will certainly help you understand your audience better.  

Kentucky Kicks Ass

Duh, of course Kentucky Kicks Ass!  It's the birthplace of Abe Lincoln, Johnny Depp, George Clooney and myself (yes, I get to include myself here because where else other than my own blog will that ever happen?). I know this, and hopefully you know this, but the guys at Kentucky for Kentucky are trying to get this message out to the world, or at least to the rest of America.  

If you've somehow been living without the internet and don't know who these guys are, I highly recommend you watch this video--it pretty much sums everything up.

If you do, however, know about this movement, you'll understand my excitement when I say I got to hear them speak at U of L tonight.  Not only have they started a campaign that has gained national recognition without anyone asking them to, but they did it solely through social media and free advertising.  

The project started just over a year and a half ago with a Facebook page and good intentions: to re-brand Kentucky.  Let's face it y'all, Kentucky gets a bad wrap.  If I hear "KFC!" or "you're wearin' shoes?!" come out of one more persons mouth when I visit another state, I'm going to do some ass-kicking of my own.  

Anyway, needless to say, the Facebook page grew to more than 1,000 likes and inspired these guys to create a Kickstart campaign to raise funds for a Superbowl commercial about Kentucky.  Unfortunately, the Kickstart campaign didn't quiet raise the $3 million needed for the commercial, but it did stir up some interest from the media and well, you know the rest.  Today, Kentucky for Kentucky is working harder than ever to promote the Bluegrass State and increase our tourism.  After all, who wouldn't want to visit a state that has more bourbon barrels than people?  That sounds pretty kick ass to me!


This is a great example of what social media can do, especially with a good message and a little hard work. I'm excited to see where this campaign goes and hope that the rest of the commonwealth will embrace it the way their supporters have.  If you're not already, make sure to "like" their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter--they've always got some kick ass things to say! 

Infographics

Infographics, by definition, are a visual representation of information or data.  Infographics are a fantastic way to relay large amounts of information in a way that is quickly read. From cars to statistics, there is no limit to the topic of your infographic.  Whether you are creating an infographic yourself, or hiring someone to do it for you, the most important thing to remember is to choose a good topic with information that people want to read about.  This doesn't necessarily mean the information has to be life changing, but it should be interesting and entertaining at the least.

I, personally, am a visual person; especially when it comes to numbers.  Any time numbers can be presented to me visually, i'm much more likely to retain the information.  An infographic can transform something you never thought you understood into something you can finally grasp.  Figuring out the best way to use them for your benefit is the first step.

Recently I found that some folks were turning their resumes into an infographic.  It made total sense to me once I heard it and I was excited to turn my resume into something exciting rather than just another piece of paper in a stack.  I really wasn't sure where to start, but after a quick Google search of "infographic resume builder", I found the website vizualize.me.  From this website, I was able to connect with my LinkedIn account and have it build an infographic for me.  It pulled the information from my profile and I just edited as needed.  Though I still want to try creating my own from "scratch", I was very pleased with my results.  You can check out my infographic resume here:  vizualize.me/jessb57.  What do you think?

Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Let the good times roll!

Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!  For those of you who know me, you know that New Orleans is my absolute favorite place in the entire world (granted, I've only been out of the US once...to Mexico..does that even count?).  My husband and I went there for our honeymoon almost 5 years ago and we've been back pretty much every year since...we even moved to Bay St. Louis, MS for a short stint because we thought it was so close that we'd basically be in the Big Easy.  We were wrong.  Dead wrong.  But we did get to spend a lot of time in NOLA while we were there and it was an experience I'm glad I had.

After My First Parade

Contrary to popular belief, Mardi Gras isn't all beads and debauchery, though that is a huge part of it.  The official Mardi Gras season begins on the feast of the Epiphany and goes through Fat Tuesday, the day before ash Wednesday.  Historically, Fat Tuesday refers to the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the fasting of Lenten begins.

In 2010 I was fortunate enough to experience Mardi Gras in all of its glory.  It was nothing like I expected and exactly what I expected all at the same time.  The parades are all day, every day and don't actually occur on Bourbon Street.  They appear all over town and are presented by different Krewe's (a krewe is basically a club).  Believe it or not, you don't have to bare any skin to get beads--they literally shower you with them as the different floats and performers pass by.  The photo above was taken after only one parade. By the time Fat Tuesday rolled around, I had bags and bags of beads, doubloons and other miscellaneous items from the parades.  I even caught a "coconut" (it wasn't a real coconut--they're not allowedto throw those anymore.  For obvious reasons.) from the Zulu Krewe parade.

A Float going down Canal St.

Mardi Gras was a wonderful experience and definitely something I want to do again, but to experience the true New Orleans you have to visit it when the streets aren't crowded with hundreds of thousands of people. Tour the St. Louis Cathedral, stroll through Jackson Square, eat a beignet from Cafe du Monde, grab a beer and listen to some live jazz on Frenchmen St. and of course finish the night off with a Hurricane and/or Hand Grenade on Bourbon St.  There's never a dull moment in the Crescent City.

"Be who you are and say what you feel...

because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" - Dr. Seuss

Ahh, if only these words were true in every situation.  Unfortunately, when it comes to being yourself online it's sometimes better to show a little restraint.  Your online presence is likely the first impression you'll have on many people, especially when it comes to prospective employers, and you'll want to present yourself in the best light possible.

I clearly remember the day I signed up for MySpace, the first social network I was ever a part of.  It was great.  We got to rank our friends in order, post surveys about ourselves revealing sometimes the most intimate details of our lives and upload all of the embarrassing pictures we wanted.  The best part though, was never thinking twice about any of it.  There was no fear of losing your job over something you posted, worrying about someone tagging you in an unflattering photo or wondering if someone else was using your likeness to catfish.  Ignorance was bliss.

Today, however, the blinders have been removed and most of us have seen first hand how posting something online can have negative effects both personally and professionally.  Managing your online reputation is almost as important as the resume you send in.  After all, once they have your name they're just a Google search away from finding out all the stuff (good and bad) that isn't on that piece of paper.

Who you are online should reflect who you are in "real life"; keeping in mind that not everyone who sees your online self will know you on a personal level.  Keep it real, keep it clean and don't ever post anything you wouldn't want your grandma to see.

A blog about blogs...how original.

Blogging, for some reason, has always terrified me.  Perhaps it's because I'm a very opinionated person who realizes that once you put something into the blogosphere it can (and will) haunt you forever.  I also know, however, that I have a somewhat (ha.) sarcastic sense of humor that is hard to translate into words.  All of that aside, I've come to realize that in my profession, or at least the one I hope to enter into, a blog is a necessity.

Blogging is a great tool.  It allows you to create a persona for yourself and/or your company.  It can provide an inside look into just about anything you can imagine and it can present you with opportunities you may have never gotten before.  On the flip side, it can also mean your demise if not handled correctly. Remember, everyone is "googleable"  and once your name is attached to something (like a blog) it's hard to undo it.

Business and personal blogs will vary in content, but the goal is usually the same.  Here are some helpful tips on business blogging and personal blogging.  Do you have a blog?  If so, I'd love to check it out--leave the url in the comments section!

An answer to one of life's biggest questions...

how to get more likes on your Facebook page.

As I begin to get more involved with managing social media accounts, I constantly find myself wondering how businesses grew their Facebook pages from nothing to thousands of fans.  Unless you have copious amounts of money to spend on advertising or you're an already well known brand/company that people intentionally seek out, how do you make people aware of the fact that you even have a Facebook page?  I've tried the obvious stuff (posting regularly, good content, engaging fans, ect) and it hasn't been unsuccessful, but i'm not seeing the numbers I want to see.

Then, just as I was mindlessly scrolling through my tweets the other day, a post appeared to me like manna from heaven.  Twitter user @social_focus tweeted a link to this fbadvance.com blog post on 45 ways to get more likes on Facebook.  Granted, a few of them I've heard of and/or tried, but there were many that I hadn't thought of.  Not only does the post provide great ideas, but it also provides instructions on how to get things like widgets and like boxes for your webpage (for free!).  You're welcome.

Transmedia Storytelling (not to be confused with your average bedtime story)

When we were kids (and by we I mean those born in the late 80's very early 90's), you heard about a new movie or TV show through a TV commercial and not much else.  In today's digital world, however, you are bombarded with new media every day.  Movies, TV shows, video games and many other things are promoted across a number of different platforms.

For example, one of my personal favorites, Dexter, kicked off its fifth season with an ARG (alternate reality gaming).  The ARG began with a hunt on mobile treasure hunt app, SCVNGR and led players to a secret "kill room" at Comic-Con for more clues, which in turn lead to a twitter account for more clues and so on and so forth.  The ARG was highly successful and contributed significantly to Dexter's following on Facebook and Twitter.  This is a wonderful way to not only promote the show, but to create a community for the fans and engage in their every day lives.

Are the days of letting the content speak for itself virtually over?  Is it possible for something to be truly successful without transmedia storytelling?  I'm not sure.  Only time will tell, but I think it's safe to say that it is certainly not something worth overlooking.
















Thanks to digitalbuzzblog for the Dexter info

In case telling everyone where you were wasn't enough...

now you can shoot a video and show them exactly how much fun you're having too!

Twitter introduced a new app today.  It's called Vine and is only available for iPhone and iPad (sorry, not sorry Adroiders). Vine allows users to create short videos that play on a loop (sort of like .gif's, but with sound) and posts them to something similar to your twitter feed.  Instead of just telling someone what you're doing, you can now show them.

I'll admit, I was skeptical at first.  I don't have the patience for videos, my hands are shaky and I get bored easily.  Luckily, Vine videos only last 6 seconds and the way you record is super easy. Like, microwave mac & cheese easy.

I. Love. This. App.  Seriously, I'm already planning out how I'm going to use it on my trip to Chicago in a few weeks...it's going to be revolutionary.  I tried to post one of my own video's, but I couldn't get it to work right so here's a look at the app from the guys over at MobileBurn.  It's available in the app store now..and it's free so there's really no reason to not try it out.  Don't forget to follow me @jecka57!

Just What We Needed...Another Way to Creep on People.

Facebook announced another way to creep on your friends today.  Graph search is a new way to search for just about anything you could hope to find.  Using the information you've already provided them (likes, interests, tagged photos, ect), Facebook can now help you search for things like "Italian restaurants my friends like" or "Photos of me uploaded by *insert friend name here*".  The graph search is currently in beta testing and only a few were given the new feature to test out.

I wasn't one of the lucky chosen ones, but Emily Price over at Mashable was.  Check out how it's working for her here.

Oh, hey. Let's talk about me now.

Hey y'all! I'm Jessica. Twenty-five years old, married to my best friend, mother to three fur-babies (2 dogs & a cat), and a senior at the University of Louisville where I'm studying Communications. I'm starting this blog for a few reasons; mostly because I have to (for my social media class), but also because it's something I know I need to do both personally and professionally.

Me & my husband, Adam.

For my first assignment, I have been asked to introduce myself and talk about my goals. I think I've got the introduction covered (see above), though I'm sure we'll go into more detail in the future (trust me, I love to talk about myself), now lets talk about my goals.

Ultimately, I would like to start my own social media marketing business. Through the internships that I've held and the classes I've taken, I have found that my main area of interest is in social media. As the old saying goes, "choose a job that you love, and you'll never work a day in  our life.", social media is what I love. Working in social media, however, doesn't mean I get to sit on Facebook all day or sort through hundreds of DIY pins on Pinterest (though sometimes I do). It means that I have the opportunity to promote something or someone in a way that has never been done before. I get to introduce people to new things and help build a community that will continue to thrive long after my work is done. Though this profession will be a continuous learning experience, I hope that this class will teach me how to create and successfully execute a social media campaign and give me the information I need to begin a successful career.

My ridiculously cute dogs,
Jackson (left) & Derby (right)

So, like I said, I created this blog because I had to, but it is my intention to grow it beyond something that is simply a class project and make it truly my own.  My own voice, my own opinions, and my own pictures of my ridiculously cute dogs.  Jess Because I Can.