Portfolios -- Important or not?

As the semester finally comes to a close, it is a necessity to reflect on the final project. The final project in COM 336 is a very important piece in helping students to market themselves and make moving on after college a lot easier. While this project is a lot of work, it is beneficial to each student in the long-run. The final project that was assigned was to create a webpage that would be used as an online portfolio as well as a way to promote ourselves on other platforms. It is a 3-page site, complete with a bio, contact, and portfolio page. The basic look of the site is rather simple and clean with the ease of customizing it to however you want it to look. The portfolio page included around 10 works that we are proud of from throughout our college career, which can be edited or changed at any time. Designing the website was a unique experience, since it has something is new and different for a lot of people. Before this class, HTML code was something that hadn’t been taught in any other class before. However, some students were more familiar than others (hello, MySpace editing coming in handy once again!) In addition, this was the first time for most, if not all, students have worked in Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver is a program in the Adobe Creative Suite that helps you to create and publish a website on the Internet. The program can be kind of confusing to first-time users, especially if you are not familiar with HTML code and how it works. Otherwise, the program is relatively user-friendly and is helpful to a lot of up-and-coming businesses etc. While a clean HTML template for the website was given, customization and organization of the site was solely up to the student. You could change anything from the color of your footer, to your header picture, even down to your font type or color. You couldn’t do much to change the format of the page (where the text/links sat etc.) but you were able to customize as much as possible. When it came to the organization, you had to place the documents for your portfolio page in the order that made most sense to you. Whether it was visual projects on the top and word documents on the bottom, or even vice versa, it was up to you. The customization and organization of each individual site was necessary to make the site reflective of each student. In addition to the important and vital customization and organization, each student’s social media accounts had to be incorporated into the site. In today’s day and age, if you are not ever-present on each important social media background, especially if you are looking to go into a communications field, you are dead in the water. Social media is a part of everyday life and staying fresh and relevant on each of the important sites just as important. On each site, there were templates included for links to these social media platforms: Blogger, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. These social media sites are the most important for potential employers when looking at a potential employee. While the site itself is used as a promotional tool for potential employers, links to our social media accounts are just as valuable when it comes to marketing yourself to a potential employer. This site will be used to market myself in ways that would have not been possible before the dawn of the internet, as well as a way for employers to see what I am all about so that I may be the one they call for the interview.

Twitter: Social Media, Marketing, or a News Site?

What is Twitter? Twitter is a giant social networking site that is used to connect users with celebrities, professionals, and other social media junkies. The social media hub has been around since 2006, but really began to gain footing in the public eye around 2008 to 2009. In 2015, it was marked as the number 2 most popular social media platform, with the about 320 million active users. It ranges in popularity between people of all ages, usually falling into the number 2 spot behind Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat (depending on the age group.) But you may ask, what exactly do you DO on Twitter? First off, you tweet (also known as microblogging, sending short burst messages out into the world that people may find interesting.)  Tweeting is sending 140 character-long messages out into the universe (it should be longer -- step it up, Twitter!) Tweeting is one of the ways that Twitter is similar to blogging, since you are sharing your own personal content/ideas/thoughts with the universe, but it is entirely different. Blogging is more formal -- the posts are long, tend to be about a serious topic or issue that needs to be addressed, not posted as often. Twitter, however, allows you to post short burst messages a lot more often, keeping users entertained while still providing the content necessary to still be considered “blogging.” Twitter is a lot more user-friendly than any other blog site (Tumblr, Blogger etc.), and keeps users coming back for more with its ease of content-sharing and relevancy. Besides the obvious thing to do, tweeting, you connect with other users based on their content. When it comes to who you follow, you can literally follow anyone! Want to follow Kim Kardashian? Do it. Want to follow your childhood best friend? Also do it! Twitter is similar to Facebook in the sense that you are connecting with the people you want to see. Whether it be friends, family, or other important figures in your life. However, Twitter can be used for something beyond simply connecting with others. What else, you may ask? Marketing.

When it comes to Maria’s Twitter project, it was required to follow the following people: everyone enrolled in COM 336, Maria herself, and three other users -- someone you would never follow, a big organization, and a smaller non-profit. The three that came to mind were Kanye West (why do people still follow him?!), the NHL, and Camp Good Days. For the project, it was required to post tweets related to a specific topic or organization. Camp Good Days is a small non-profit organization that is based out of the WNY area. While they do get a bit of publicity, especially in Rochester (where their headquarters is located), more traffic/information being spread about them is always helpful. The subject of these tweets was to spread the word about the organization, no matter what part of it was being shared. It was easy to tweet important, relatable content about this organization. Whether it was sharing the website, sharing their next event, or even tweeting pictures of their recreational facility, it was easy and fun to do. This project was informative on how Twitter can be an effective marketing tool if being used the correct way. In recent years, Twitter has been a hub for marketing for many companies. According to this article from CIO.com, “At the time of its SEC filing in early November 2013, Twitter had more than 232 million active monthly users, 53 million of which were in the United States. That makes Twitter a potentially powerful marketing tool -- if you know how to use it.” In today’s day and age, social networking sites are the best place to market your brand, product, or company. What is a social networking site? Social networking sites can be described as “any Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile.” Twitter falls into this category, and its usefulness when it comes to marketing is astounding. Twitter is perfect for marketing to the modern consumer. People today are sick and tired of being bombarded with ads. Whether it is a pop-up on your laptop, a 30 second spot during your favorite commercial, or just an ad on the New York Times website while you’re reading the news. It’s annoying, repetitive, and people are sick of it. Twitter is the next best thing, since you can choose whether or not you can view this form of marketing. Honestly, if you’re good at the whole tweeting-as-marketing thing, people won’t even realize you are trying to market to them. For example, a lot of restaurant chains, such as Denny's, Applebee’s, or even Burger King, have fallen into this kind of category. They tweet funny and relatable content about what is trending that gets viewers to their page. If a tweet is funny or interesting, a person is going to show someone else and they will show someone else and so on. Marketing through Twitter is effective and worthwhile for any organization, brand, company, or product. Twitter has also been the home for people to discuss important events happening in the world. In the past 12 months, many shocking, unfortunate events happened in this world. To cope with, share ideas about, and to just voice their opinions on what happens next, many took to Twitter. On January 7th, 2015, 12 people were killed in an attack on the Paris satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. People banded together in support of the people affected by the situation through the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie -- which translates to we are Charlie. Before Twitter, while this event would’ve been a major deal, we were able to see all of the differing opinions on this situation. Some similar situations to this one also includes the Paris bombings and the Black Lives Matter movement. Both of these events & the Charlie Hebdo attack used hashtags as a way to communicate a message, effectively communicating the necessary information and information to get across. When it came to the Paris bombings, the hashtag of #PortOuerverte was used so that individuals could find a safe space to stay during the attacks. When it came to Black Lives Matter, which doubled as the hashtag, it got the movement out into the world and let more people know about it than ever before. Twitter was an effective tool in these situations because it got the message of each movement out, and helped those in need. Twitter is an effective tool to use to communicate ideas and thoughts in these situations.

Molly, Emily, Scott Movie COM 336

Separation: A Topic That Is Hard to Keep Together on Film

One of the first and most important tools communication majors are taught is the importance of communicating a message. This is one of the most basic ways to connect and identify with other human beings. Communicating a message is also a way of sharing your thoughts/fears/ideas/views to others who may or may not understand them otherwise. In addition to those teachings, communication majors are taught the best ways of communicating that message. The most common ways to do so are through writing, photographs, and video. Sometimes these three things can be combined in different ways, but the three listed above are the purest forms of communication today. For this project, video became the medium for projecting a message. Why video, you may ask? With video, you are combining oral communication with visual communication, giving you the best way to communicate your message. Video is an effective way of communicating a message.

The topics for this project were broad enough to be able to make it your own, but difficult enough so that they could only be portrayed through a film project. This project was split into two parts. The first part of the project was a self-video, void of any topic or restrictions besides the fact that it had to include credits and be 45 seconds long. While this made the project broad and easy to accomplish, the self video would be easier to accomplish if it was grouped with the second part. Part two of this project was a group film with a bit more restrictions. For the project, the class was broken up into 4 teams, each with a different theme. The four themes given by Professor Pabico were: Abstract, Politics, Time, & Separation. Other than being related to the themes, the project was relatively wide open in terms of content. The Abstract group seemed a little perplexed by their topic, but blew their project out of the water. The Politics group were unsure of what direction to take their project in, but picked a topic near and dear to all individuals. The Time group, arguably the easiest topic of the four, struggled to remain in their own category as well as providing content that is fresh and exciting. The final group was separation. The definition of separation is: the action or state of moving or being moved apart. Separation is what happens when your parents are no longer together. Separation is literally going in two different directions. Separation is very easy to identify as well as easy to showcase to someone, especially in a visual communication format. However, how are you able to show and easily identify separation without it being a total cliche?

The first assignment worked on for this project was the self-portrait video. For most of the groups, each member’s self-portrait video would be from a part of their contribution to the group video. However, the difficulty of this idea was remembering to include a depiction of yourself in addition to the depiction of your theme. Depending on the topic, this wouldn’t be a difficult task. Separation was not one of those topics. First off, being the topic of separation makes it unusually difficult to communicate what it is. For separation, you must show people/places/things going in different directions or moving apart. How can you show that while still managing to show aspects of yourself in the video?

As a group, it was decided that the topic of the video, besides the theme of separation, had to be something that allowed us to reflect qualities of each member throughout the video. The exact topic picked for the video, which would also be applied to the group video, would be the topic of your public persona versus your private persona. Specifically, this topic would reflect on the separation of how you act while doing certain behaviors in public versus in private. Some examples of actions reflected in the self-videos as well as the group videos include (but are not limited to): eating, listening to music, looking in the mirror/getting ready, sitting, and sneezing. Recording the self-portrait videos, especially ones that are related to the actual topic/theme of the group video, is a strenuous task. Not only is it necessary for the topic to be reflective of the group’s topic, but it also has to be reflective of the individual. Once filming for the self-portrait video began, it became painfully obvious that it would be awkward, difficult, and long to do. Some of the shots needed were not easily accessible or achievable shots, since most of the filming was required to be captured by each student, who was usually the actor for the scene. In addition, some of the shots became uncomfortable to film since it required filming in a public environment. Some of the topics were easily filmed in public, such as listening to music, but things like eating became a bit more awkward for all to film. However, the group was committed to having these videos completed so they could craft a well-thought-out and well-done group video project.

The group project is where most of the roadblocks in shooting/editing/sharing the video arose. Crafting the self-portrait videos around the subject of the group video seemed like a good idea, since it allowed for more film to be used and finished product to work off of. However, there were also problems that arose from this as well. In some cases, groups had too much/too little film in relation to their group project. Having too much film is ideal, since you can almost always find the shot that you were looking for. Having too little film, however, makes the group have to work with what they have or scramble for more film. Editing film as an individual versus in a group setting is definitely a change as well. Working with multiple people editing one project can be tricky, since you have to incorporate everyone’s ideas and opinions into a 2:45 spot. While sometimes egos must be squashed and ideas compromised, editing as a group can allow for the most cohesive and group-approved assignment. When it comes to sharing the video, other than exporting the video from iMovie being a total pain, it has not been an issue thus far (this will more than likely change.)

Video is an effective way to communicate a complex message, and any other method would not have made sense for this project. This group video project has been a grueling and strenuous process to successfully finish as well be fully satisfied with the end result. Separation is a complex topic, and one that did not reflect into the group dynamic. The subject of separation initially had seemed difficult to portray without being cliche, but it ended up working out in the favor of the group. 

Wikihow: I Did It!

The Internet is an ever-changing environment. Through its many evolutions, the Internet has continuously pushed to become a more friendly environment for users. One of the things to come out of this evolution is the wiki page. The first question you might ask, however, is what is a wiki page? The textbook definition of a wiki is, “A wiki is a Web page that can be viewed and modified by any- body with a Web browser and access to the Internet.” wikiHow is a community-based website that allows users to help other users accomplish tasks, try something new, and read up on something that they were not originally familiar with. It is a website emerging from the Web 2.0 concept, giving users exactly what they were looking for right away. It has become popular in recent years due to the fact that users are easily able to publish their own content onto the Web quite simply. wikiHow allows users around the world to publish something they feel is important as quick as possible with minimal complications. One might ask: If it is that easy to post something onto wikiHow, how is there no duplicates? How is do you think of something that is not already posted onto wikiHow?

Above: an example of a Wikihow Page

Potential wikiHow posts are put through a rigorous screening process before being published onto the Web. While it is a difficult process to get published, it is one of the easiest sites to post original, informative content on the Internet. In addition, it builds upon Web 3.0 concepts with the ability to allow others to edit, comment, and share information to a Wiki page as easily as they are posted. This ability is unique to wiki communities such as wikiHow, and even its bigger counterpart, Wikipedia, and allows for users to connect in ways unknown before the Internet. For example, a wikiHow user originally posted a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Since its original posting, 289 other people have edited and contributed to the improvement of this post. Some modifications to the original post included the different types of chocolate chip cookies (original, vegan, chewy, vegan, oatmeal, banana -- just to name a few) as well as the actual steps of the process and the ingredients needed. The user-friendly and connectedness that a type of forum like wikiHow provides is outstanding and it is a great example of the evolution of the Web today.

Even though wikiHow is a community forum that allows for people to post whatever they want to, it is pretty easy to find a topic that hasn’t already been discussed on this forum. However, if the topic you are trying to write about has an article already posted about it, there are ways to differentiate your article from the one posted. For example, the topic for my own wikiHow project, there was already a similar topic posted onto wikiHow under the title “How to be a Pop-Punk Kid.” While the similar article was already published, I already had an idea on how to specify my topic. Instead of calling my topic “How to be Pop-Punk,” I specified how this topic related to my hometown of Buffalo, NY, making the article able to be published onto the wikiHow forum.

The first project for Web & Social Media Production was to post a wikiHow page on the student’s topic of choice. While this seems like it should be the easiest part of creating a wikiHow page, it certainly is not. It is necessary to check wikiHow to make sure the topic hasn’t already been posted on the site before deciding on a topic. However, if the topic has already been posted about, narrowing it down to a more specific topic might be the best decision. The topic I had originally chosen for my wikiHow page was on “How to be Pop-Punk”, which apparently was already posted onto the site. Since I believed this to be my strongest topic with the most information, I decided to look into how to narrow down this topic. The eventual topic ended up being “How to be Pop-Punk in Buffalo, NY” -- a topic with a lot of information and had yet to be written about on wikiHow. Writing a post for wikiHow is a unique experience that is hard to accomplish, but once you do, it is a gratifying experience. It is difficult in the sense that the article is put through an intense screening process, and if it is not written how wikiHow would like it, then it will not be published.

One way that this happens is all based on the communication of your message. One way this could happen is when you are writing about a topic, it cannot be too promotional or persuasive towards a certain product/brand. For example, if you are discussing the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies again, you cannot say to use TollHouse chocolate chips, but just regular chocolate chips. If an article is too persuasive on one topic, it won’t be posted. Another way an article may not be posted is due to copyrights. For example, in my wikiHow project, I used some of my friends’ photos for my topic since they were better than my own. Despite the fact my friends gave me permission and I did cite them as the owners of the photo, it was not enough. The admins are working with me to gain permission so that my photos may in fact be restored to page.

Above: the first photo, taken by my friend Mariah Howe, restored to my Wikihow page

With these restrictions, you may wonder how exactly you can get your ideas across to the web on your wikiHow page. However, there are many ways around it. You can use some of your own photos, even if they aren’t the best, so long as they help to support your topic and go along with the wikiHow page. In addition, you can use your own words and many other forms of media to help you. For my own wikiHow page, most of the information came solely out of my own thought process. But, I asked my friends to help me along the way. I asked them, “When you think of Buffalo & pop-punk, what comes to mind?” Most of them came up with the same ideas as I did: Pizza, Mighty Taco, going to shows downtown, buying records, love the city. Their ideas helped to solidify my own as well as helped me to improve upon my own work. If you are stuck, you can also use some of the other related wiki pages to help you with your information and to boost your own page.

The World Wide Web: What's So Cool About It?

What Do I think of the Web?

In my 20 years on this Earth, the Web has evolved in ways I couldn’t have even imagined. Web 1.0 was what was commonplace during the early years of my life. During the Web 1.0 days, the Internet was static, not exciting or interactive in the slightest. It was used mostly for adults trying to grow their businesses and achieve the status of “being on the Web.” The next step in the evolution of the Web was obviously Web 2.0. The hype of Web 2.0 from Web 1.0 was definitely worth it, since it has provided us with some of the most important creations of our time. Web 2.0 is the internet that most of us are familiar with today. It began its onset during my childhood, and us Millennials were all for it. Web 2.0  is the Web that allowed for things like social media, to Barbie.com, and AIM to all coexist in the same place. It was all about being the involvement of Web users, allowing the common person to post on the Web as easily as they were able to access it. Some of the positives would be the websites and everyday aspects of our life that have come out of Web 2.0. Could you imagine what life would be like without Google? How about even dictionary.com? I certainly would be lost without things like that, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the onset of Web 2.0. However, this is a negative thing at the same time. People have become reliant on the Web every day, which would have never happened if it was not for the onset of Web 2.0. The Web still continues to evolve to this day, and the next step is in the very near future: Web 3.0. Web 3.0 has already begun to show itself through our Web 2.0 platforms. It is a quick, easy connection to the Web, no matter where you are. It is the collection of databases in order to connect to exactly what you are looking for. Examples of Web 3.0 concepts that I have already encountered include Spotify creating a playlist of “new artists to discover” from what you have been listening to. Another example would be suggested followers on Twitter based on what you already see on the website, a similar feature to Facebook’s customized ads. Web 3.0 is taking us in the direction of customization of the Web to each person accessing it. This is a positive thing to some extent, since you will be able to see what you actually wanted to see on the Internet. However, it is also negative since it is just allowing for people to become more and more reliant on the Web as a whole. All in all, the evolution of the Web is a huge development in my lifetime, and it is a great resource we are so lucky to have.

The World Wide Webolution

The year is 2016 and most of the world’s population could not go a day without the Internet. The World Wide Web was introduced to the public in 1991. It was met with little fanfare and honestly, most people did not even know what it was. The beginning stages of the World Wide Web were very basic and boring. Web 1.0, as it is known today, was static, simple, and not very user-friendly. Most of the web was read-only and definitely was not interactive. As more and more people began to enter the confines of the Web, an upgrade was definitely needed. Web 2.0 was Web 1.0’s hyped-up younger brother, a complete 180 from its older counterpart. There were many differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, but the biggest difference was the user-friendliness. Web 2.0 allowed for interactive web pages that kept its users engaged and on the Web for hours. In addition, Web 2.0 led to more communication between users all over the World. Web 2.0 led people to those who were interested in the same ideas. An article in Scientific American exemplified the power of Web 2.0 in relation to science. This is just one little sliver of the impact that Web 2.0 has had on consumer and public consumption of media amongst other things. Web 2.0 has also lead to the creation of social media, another huge catalyst to the public’s consumption of the web and media itself. If it wasn’t for the onset of Web 2.0, the Internet might not have become as an important part of society as it is today. The most recent evolution of the Web is the Web we are coming to know: Web 3.0. Web 3.0 is a concept that has developed out of the depths of Web 2.0, taking user-friendliness to the next level. The evolution of the Web to Web 3.0 has also been inspired by the need for the web to become portable. In the last 10 years or so, we have seen the web transform into something we can take anywhere, at any time. Web 3.0 allows for this to happen. Web 3.0 is a concept that is based solely on the user and its preferences. It is all about the individual, giving the user what they want, when they want. The Web has done its best on evolving with the times and giving the user what it wants and it will continue to evolve with the coming times.

Draft: How to be Pop-Punk in Buffalo, NY

Pop-Punk is a subgenre of the alternative music scene that has held audiences captive since the early 2000s. Starting with bands such as Blink 182, then to bands like Fall Out Boy, and into today with bands such as State Champs, it is a genre that has constantly evolved while also managing to stay the same. You may ask, how does one fit into this friend-loving, hometown-hating scene that is pop-punk, especially in a town filled with so much pride (Buffalo, NY), but here are a few steps on how to succeed in doing so.

1. Like the bands! Especially the local ones! Buffalo, NY is a relatively well-known city in America and it is frequently referenced by many artists (see: Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties, Such Gold) You should always support the nationally touring bands, they travel to Buffalo from all over the country, and they need your support to keep going. However, it’s even better to support the local acts so they can get off the ground and become the next big national touring act. Local pop-punk bands include, but are not limited to: Pentimento, Head North, The Traditional, Well Kept Things, Super American, I Can See Mountains
2. Support the local venues/promoters! Go. To. Every. Show. You. Can. Attend. If you don’t go, the scene will die off and that would be the end of that. There are so many cool venues in the greater Buffalo area that are perfect for pop-punk shows. Some of those venues include (but again, are not limited to): Town Ballroom, the Waiting Room & the Studio at Waiting Room, and Sugar City. If not, suffer through the loss of many, many shows (see: closing of Club Infinity & Xtreme Wheels in 2013)
3. Collect Records! If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past 2 years or so, you’d already know that collecting vinyl records is hip again. It’s a great way for bands to make money off their music again, as well as being a great collector’s piece for die-hard fans. While you can find a lot of the popular records of today at your nearest Urban Outfitters or Hot Topic, there are some great local shops too. These shops, Record Theatre and Black Dots to name a few, also carry rare and used vinyl as well. Record collecting is a very important step in your achievement of pop-punk status.
4. Eat Pizza (and other things too!) Honestly, what food is more associated with pop-punk than pizza? Even though no one is really sure where this started, it is the staple food for the genre. Buffalo is home to some of the best pizza places in the country. You can stop and get your pop-punk pizza fix at any pizza shop in the area while still maintaining your cred. If you decide to skip the pizza, Mighty Taco is a good substitute.
5. Hate (while also simultaneously love) Your Hometown! In any generic pop-punk song you will hear about at least one of three things: girls, friends, and hating your town. Pop-punk is all about getting out of your hometown and hating it for all that its worth. In Buffalo, however, there is a different philosophy: love it with all that you got. People from Buffalo love their hometown, and despite most bands talking about their hatred for their towns, this is a thing Buffalonians just can’t hang with. So go ahead and sing the lyrics, but deep down, Buffalonians could never hate their town.

Tips on being Pop-Punk in Buffalo:

•  Despite the fact that you are going to get hot and sweaty at the show, at least one item of outerwear is needed to survive waiting outside in Buffalo. Acceptable choices are (but are not limited to): beanies, flannels, leather jackets, jean jackets, etc.
• Any “pop-punk" outfit should include at least 3 of the following: a beanie, Vans, skinny jeans, band merch, flannel, etc.
• Everyone knows everyone in the scene, so don’t be alarmed when your now-boyfriend happens to be friends with all of your show friends
• People are overly-friendly in Buffalo, get over it. If you think it is weird that the girl behind you in line is talking to you, leave.
• Tattoos are not only accepted, but encouraged.
• Scream the lyrics as loud as you can, and don’t forget to angrily point your finger at the band.

How to pick a topic for a How-To article

The first major project in Web & Social Media is upon us, and the first question asked was: “What are you going to do your wikiHow page on?” When the Wikihow project was initially introduced, ideas came and went quick. There were so many recipes out there that weren’t on wikiHow, as well as many how-to and DIY projects. However, when it came down to choosing a topic to write 800-1000 words on, it began to be more difficult. Why was it so hard to think of a how-to that someone else hadn’t already thought of/written about as well as be something that would capture the attention of readers around the globe? After a bit of brainstorming as well as scouring wikiHow to make sure the topic hadn’t already been chosen, three topics came to mind.

The first idea that had came to mind was a recipe. Professor Pabico had mentioned in class how people had used new and exciting recipes as the basis for their wiki many times in the past. However, the key was to find a recipe you were familiar with that wasn’t already on WikiHow, which is a bit harder than you’d think. The best kind of recipe to start with was a unique family recipe that was handed down. The first that came to mind was pumpkin muffins. A delicious snack, but most people had not heard of this kind of recipe. With the demand for anything pumpkin flavor rising, this recipe was guaranteed to have already been posted onto wikihow. However it wasn’t shown on Wikihow,making it a perfect topic for this project.

The second idea came from the description of the project given by Professor Pabico. She suggested that the topic should be something we cared about, something that interested us as students. The first thing that came to mind was music. In the punk rock and pop-punk scene, there are certain things that you have to do to be considered “part of the scene.” When searching this topic, you can see there were already topics with similar themes on wikiHow. Therefore, the actual topic would have to be narrowed down into a niche. Being from a town that was very much involved in this scene and did things “by the code”, it was natural to make the topic specific to Buffalo, NY.

The third and final idea comes solely from others. After the last two ideas were hashed out, the third and last topic was hard to establish. Three were needed, but the first two were obviously the best. While struggling to find a third topic, a friend suggested doing a funny Wikihow page. “Do something people wouldn’t think of, like how to find a needle in a haystack,” she said. From there, it was decided that would be my third potential topic. While it wouldn’t be easy to write because it is is not a topic with much background, it is a funny and light-hearted topic

Ultimately, any of these 3 topics could end up being the subject of a WikiHow page. However, the easiest to write would be the one on “how to be pop-punk”, since it is one that has the most personal connection as well as information. Writing an article on finding a needle in a haystack would be hysterical, but hard to write. Finally, a recipe would probably be the easiest, since it is the suggestion given in class. All 3 of these potential topics would lead to a fun and exciting project.

Social Media: An Ever-Changing Platform for Change

Social media is an ever-growing platform for people around the world to connect, interact, and share ideas with one another. It has become so large that if you're not involved in any kind of social media, some people may look at you as a little weird or even distanced from society. It has become something far beyond what it was when it came into existence. Social media has even changed drastically since I have become a part of it a mere 8 years ago. At the age of 12, I took my first step into the world of social media. During this time, AIM & Myspace were all the rage. Oh, the days of Myspace layouts and AIM away messages. I wish I could go back there on some days. Social media at that time did not have as much of a civic duty as it does today. When I was 12 almost 10 years ago now, social media was used solely for fun. You over-edited selfies taken on your digital camera for likes and comments, you hoped you could become friends with someone who was “Myspace Famous”, and found your new favorite band in the depths of the Internet. While social media today can be intrusive, cause fights between friends over a generalized tweet and so on, I would much rather take today’s social media. Social media 10 years ago had yet to become a marketing tool, it wasn’t a way to state your political views, and it certainly wasn’t a way to band together in a group of people’s time of need. In recent years, social media has become all of these things and then some. Companies have begun to use social media as a way to further their reach into our society. People use social media to share their opinions to people all over the world, in ways that wouldn’t have been possible 10-15 years ago. Social media, especially in the past 5 years or so, have begun to use it to help a cause. An example of how social media was used in a positive light was in regards to the recent Flint, Michigan water crisis. On Twitter, many of the musicians and bands that I enjoy listening to are posting about this issue and how we, as well as them, are able to help. Currently, artists such as local band Pentimento and Craig Owens are signing onto a music compilation to help raise money for this cause. If these artists didn’t give me enough of a reason to look up to them with their music, the social activism and awareness is another. In the future, social media will continue to be a driving force of change throughout the world. People will be able to band together to help a cause they hold near and dear even more than they already have. Besides that, there are many other aspects of social media that will continue to evolve. For example, I think you will be able to further customize what you see on your social media, eventually allowing yourself to only see and be involved in the things you really do care about. Social media as a whole is an ever-advancing monster, driving both disaster and change, but is a thing that I am so thankful for in my life.