Do Not Do Unto Others...

"Do not do unto others as you would they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same." (George Bernard Shaw)

All my life, and most likely for all of your lives, you have been taught to live by the golden rule: Do unto others as you want them to do unto you. I never thought there was fault in that phrase, and I did my best to follow that rule of thumb... Until I read this quote by George Bernard Shaw. After reading his lines a few times over, I wondered why I ever followed the golden rule.

I like sarcasm, and many people do not. I am optimistic, and so many people are pessimistic. I enjoy country music, 80's music, hip hop, and line dances. Packed clubs, rock wall gyms, and bookstores are places I love. But why would I assume that everyone around me holds the same interests or the same communication style? Exactly, I shouldn't.

It is my hope that more people will live by Shaw's rule, than by the golden rule - or at least understand it. Best wishes, and may you not treat others as you wish to be treated.

- Britney Hazleton -

Summer Is Well On Its Way

Summer is well on its way, and blogging for classwork is over. I have many interests and ideas I did not have the chance to discuss during this past semester, and from this point on would like to redirect the topic on this blog. Every week I plan to begin with a quote and what it means to me. I may even discuss how it has lead me in my life or where it makes me want to go. One of my passions is meeting new and interesting people, and I hope that through this new blog topic I can do just that.

So here it goes...

Quote of the Week (July 5 to July 12): "Men become susceptible to ideas, not by discussion and arguments, but by seeing them personified and by loving the person who so embodies them." (Lewis Mumford)

Each one of us as a child, or even as an adult, has at least one person we truly look up to - someone who inspires us. There is no reason set in stone as to why we choose the person [or people] we choose. One thing is certain: we see something in that person we want to see in ourselves. For those lucky and blessed to have a family who always stands beside them, there are siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, and grandparents to put on the list of idols. For a person like me who has immediate family that walks away in a crisis, an idol is not so readily available.

However, looking back on my years growing up in my parents' home, I have so many wonderful memories that now overpower the bad ones. And in glancing back every now and again, I can see that the people I trusted were not to be trusted so naively. Yet Lewis says, no matter how much another person contradicts your ideas, its the people you love who put ideas into you. There are things I learned and thoughts I have that got there in the fashion Mumford describes.

The beauty of this quote though, is that as we grow older, we love and learn with new people... forever gaining new ideas.

Art for Autism

On April 22, 2011, join Zebra Communications and the National Autism Society for "Art for Autism" at the Woodlands Inn and Resort in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The event will be held from 1:00 to 9:00 PM with food and entertainment, as well as the following ten local tattoo businesses:
1. Marc's Tattooing
2. 570 Tattooing Co.
3. Electric City Tattoo Gallery
4. Slingin' Ink
5. Triple6Tattoos
6. Jerry's Tattoo Studio
7. Exotic Body Arts
8. Altered Ego Studios
9. Painted Flesh Tattoo Studio
The mission of the National Autism Society is to educate and empower families affected by autism and other neurological disorders, while advocating on behalf of those who cannot fight for their own rights. Our mission for this event is to offer the National Autism Society help in continuing their efforts. With your support, we can all make a difference. We hope to see you there!


(NOTE: This post is for a FICTIONAL event and will not actually be held.)

Vote for Your Favorite M&M

It seems like every week I learn something new about the M&M brand. This week is certainly no different. When I logged onto Twitter this week, both the Green M&M and the Red M&M had messages out to their fans. This week the M&M brand wanted their followers and customers to vote for their favorite M&M. So many people eat M&Ms, and I love the creative ways they engage their fans.

The interesting part about this voting campaign is how the Red and Green M&M fight about who deserves to win. My favorite post from the Green M&M: "Traffic rules apply today: Green means "Go!" as in, "go and vote for me!" Red means "Stop!" as in, "stop Red from beating me in the vote!"" I would love to meet the people behind these characters. As I read these posts every week I try to picture a work day with the M&Ms.

Since I have no idea who the employees are who act as the M&Ms, I keep visualizing a section of cubicles with Green and Red yelling over them all day. Of course it's all in good fun, but I crack myself up when I picture this. Yes, I'm insane, and you're wondering how I even have the time to dream these things up. I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't. Anyway... back on topic. Friends, get out there and vote for your favorite! The choice is yours: Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, or Blue. Every vote helps. As I'm partial to Green, I hope you'll vote for her. If not, I'd rather not hear of such sad news.

Tweeting to Celebs for our Auction

As the date of the Jewish Family Service Celebrity Auction gets nearer, our time is running out to collect items for auction. So far, we have an autographed Dustin Hoffman photo, Magic Johnson signed basketball, candy baskets from Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City, 4 tickets to Jim Brickman at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, a certificate for 6 weeks of yoga classes for two people at John Heinz Rehab, and Topps 2007 baseball cards to name a few items. About a week ago, a few team members and I came up with an idea. As to how well it will work, I am unsure if it will.

The idea is to post tweets about the upcoming auction, but pick 2 or 3 celebrities we wish we could obtain items from for each post and add them in. For example "On April 27, 2010 our local JFS will be hosting a celebrity auction and we hope @ChefGuyFieri and @Paula_Deen will donate some signed items for the event." Even if nothing is donated, I feel it would be worth a try. The post will at least come up on their home page under tweets with their name. If we do this continuously up until about 2 weeks before the event, maybe we'll get something. Wish us luck! And if anyone has a better idea, please let me know.

Dress Like the Green M&M

Most often, the Green M&M discusses herself and how fantastic she looks. Over the last week or so, she has been on the search for "green" fans. So those of you who look great in green, suit up and maybe she will tweet about you. This particular man, twitter name OGOchoCinco, appears to have been dressed for St. Patrick's Day; however, the holiday does not matter if you are a Green M&M fan. Show your love for her with a green item or two in your wardrobe.

Guys, put on your green shirts, hats, or sunglasses. Ladies, the sky is the limit. Wear a green dress, skirt, shirt, pair of shoes, or jewelry, or carry a green purse. Though I'm sure if you dress like the Red M&M it wouldn't hurt either. In fact, you may help her out at work. As you should know by now, the Red M&M gets upset with her when she gets all the attention. So ladies and gentlemen, split up and show your M&M spirit and share it with them. Maybe I'll see you in their tweets in the near future.

Special Guest from Times Leader

Last night in class, we had the pleasure of meeting, talking to, and asking questions of Chris Hughes from the Times Leader. He was there to discuss how newspapers are using Social Media in order to survive and thrive. With discussions of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and The Weekender and Times Leader hard copies and websites, I learned a great deal. It truly amazes me that all around people are saying that newspapers are failing and will soon be obsolete when it appears there are ways to keep them around.

Based upon the information given by Chris in class, their use of Facebook and Twitter has truly expanded readership. One interesting fact was that the online editions promote the print editions and the print editions promote the online version of the papers. It seems so simple, and yet, other papers folded when faced with declining readership/subscriber-ship. Does anyone else find it fascinating that social media can make such a remarkable difference in a field that is supposedly doomed?

Green M&M in Forbes for America's Most Loved Spokescreatures

Today on Twitter, the Green M&M was thanking all her fans for voting her to the number one spot on Forbes' list of America's Most Loved Spokescreatures. Her photo, as usual was a stunning portrait. Just one thing... What the heck is a "Spokescreature"? I am guessing that it is similar to a spokesperson, but for characters rather than actual people. Other than the GEICO gecko, the E-Trade babies, and Life Water lizards, and Frosted Flakes' Tony the Tiger, there aren't exactly thousands of "creatures" for spokespeople.

How does Forbes come up with the idea to create such a poll? According to the link provided, they utilized E-Poll Market Research and asked 1,500 survey participants to rank 800 characters (which, by the way, is a way higher number than I thought existed) on 36 characteristics. When looking over the top 10 Most Loved Spokescreatures, many characters came up I hadn't even thought of (i.e. Pillsbury Doughboy). Though weird, this poll and its results are quite interesting. Any thoughts?

Who Knows How to Allow People to Bid for Items Online?

So, remember a couple weeks back when I discussed using our online resources to post images of our items for auction? Well, our client, Jewish Family Service, has software to log in the photos and descriptions; however, we still have no idea how to set up a way for people to bid on the items. I am wondering if we post the photos and caption on the Facebook page if there is a way to do it from there. Is that even possible?

On top of not knowing how to set up a way for viewers to bid, I am wondering if we should post the items and descriptions as we receive them. Or should we just post them once we receive a certain number? Or maybe wait until we have all the items? But then if we wait too long, it leaves less time for viewers to bid. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be more than welcome. And if you know how to set up online bidding, please also let me know how to do so.

The Green M&M Taking a Roadtrip to LA from NY

So for the first time since I began following the Green M&M, her Twitter post did not involve something sexual. Yesterday she informed her fans that she was traveling from New York to Los Angeles for her Red Carpet week. I have to say, despite the snow she discusses (which I'll get to later), road trips are a blast! I mean, the farthest I have ever driven was seven hours away to Derry, New Hampshire, but I always wanted to take a cross-country trip. She seems to be looking for a friend with 4-wheel drive to get her there. Why she is not flying, I do not know.

Maybe she enjoys road trips as much as I do. There's nothing like being stuck in a car for hours with your companion, or yourself for that matter, singing bad karaoke. And I suppose it would be interesting to drive from a place having two feet of snow to a place having sunshine and no snow at all. I hope she posts pictures of her drive across the states, and maybe a few of the Red Carpet scene. All I have to say is, props to the Green M&M for finally discussing something non-sexual. Who else is glad to hear she's taken even the smallest break from being her promiscuous self?

The Green M&M at Fashion Week in Bryant Park

All week the Green M&M has been live at Fashion Week in Bryant Park, New York. As she sees herself as her own sort of fashion icon, she rather enjoyed the experience. She discusses the army of photographers taking her picture, the "glitter and Twitter" of the event, and how being short affords her a view of the backs of people's heads if you do not show up early for a seat. My personal favorite is her discussion of her front-row seat. She speaks of her height being an advantage at a runway show.

What makes the Green M&M so crazy and fascinating is her sexuality, and how comfortable she is with it. Not only is she comfortable enough to appear naked in Sports Illustrated, but she is comfortable enough in her sexuality to admit that she enjoys checking out the models... specifically their legs. Just when you thought she couldn't get any sexier, she makes the other M&Ms melt with pleasure by stating the advantages of her vantage point in the front row. Good for you Green! What do you gentlemen, and ladies think?

Using Social Media to gain bids at our auction

So this week my account team met with our clients to verify our plans for the Celebrity Auction we will be hosting for them in April. Among the ideas to come up were that as the items are received by Zebra, we post the photos online for people to see prior to the event. This idea was immediately agreed upon, and from it came another one. On top of posting the photos, we need to find a way to allow people to place bids online beforehand. That way, on the night of the auction, if no one bids higher than the online bidder our item will at least be sold to someone.

Though this seems to be a brilliant idea, no one on our team has any idea how to go about such a thing. I am sure it is simple and will not take much time, but if anyone knows how, please let us know. One idea is to somehow utilize Facebook for this task, and maybe my social media course can help our team out with this dilemma. If you know any better ways to go about this, by all means share your thoughts. In fact, I welcome new ideas.

Using SEO to host a Celebrity Auction for JFS of Wilkes-Barre

Last week I discussed the breakdown of my account team in my current Advanced PR class. This week, I would like to discuss how we will be putting our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) group to work within the account team. On Tuesday, April 27, 2010 the Wilkes-Barre chapter of Jewish Family Service will be having a Celebrity Auction, hosted by Zebra Communications and located in Wilkes University's Henry Student Center Ballroom. In order to prepare for the auction, our 11 student account team must begin to gather items to be auctioned off.

Once we gather these items, our SEO team will be posting photos of the items online. Along with postings of the items, this part of our team will need to patrol the Internet in search of fan bases, collectors, and the like. These target audiences will hopefully be our audience on the day of the event. However, without our PR and Social Media course here at Wilkes, many of these tasks would be daunting to our team. With the help of this course, we can further our reach and make our campaign more successful. After all, the proceeds from this event go to JFS of Wilkes-Barre, and they need a great deal of help this year with so many families in need.

Green M&M Over Sports Illustrated

Yesterday morning the Green M&M used twit pic to upload a picture of her posing in a sexy fashion on a bed of flowers. She haughtily stated that this may be reason enough for newsstands to spontaneously combust. As if her posing in a bed of what appear to be lillies isn't enough, when you click the link, she's right there, larger than life, on top of several Sports Illustrated magazines. She's covering up a good portion of an almost entirely naked blond swimsuit model, but not so much you can't tell what the cover looks like.

So here the Green M&M is again using her sex appeal to draw people in to the M&M brand. She is essentially saying that she's a hotter choice than this month's cover of Sports Illustrated. Oddly enough, she is sexy in this photo. She is laying with her ankles crossed, her eyes half closed, an arm behind her head, and her finger in her mouth. If I saw this poster at a newsstand, I might be tempted to pick it up myself. As far as newsstands spontaneously combusting, it's no wonder with this sexual overload. Look out, or burn up in flames!

SEO in Public Relations

Along with taking a Social Media course at Wilkes this semester, I am also taking Advanced Public Relations. Last semester I took the introduction course to PR, and everything we did was based off of traditional media. In a few short months, social media has taken over and transferred to the Public Relations field. Not only do we need to send media alerts, press releases and feature stories to the local newspapers, but we must also post everything online. Each account team is broken in to sections (i.e. Logistics, Media Relations, etc.). One of the sections, Search Engine Optimization (or SEO), is new this semester. Our professor is learning as she teaches this new type of PR work to us, and my social media class parallels this nicely. The SEO group must patrol the Internet to find out what people are saying about our clients, our upcoming events, and anything else that is related to our account. This portion of the team must also target online fan bases and mailing lists to expand the reach of our campaign. Though this is new, and a little intense, it offers an entirely different outlook on the Public Relations field. Is anyone as excited as me that we have so many more options than we used to?

And the oscar nomination goes to... the Green M&M

The Oscar nominations have been out since February 3rd and the Green M&M is wondering why there is no "Best Actress in an Animated TV Commercial" category. I have to say that I agree with her. The first time I saw the "M&M's Premium Almond" commercial with the Green M&M, I was amazed at how sexy an animated character could be. Just look at the way she makes the Red and Yellow M&M's melt!:

http://bit.ly/cVLMsc

Can you think of any better character to win such an award? I certainly can't. I'm not an M&M, but even I was melting from the heat she was giving off. If anyone agrees or even disagrees, please let me know. But honestly, how can you resist a green M&M talking seductively? The fact that she is chocolate is seductive in and of itself. I think the whole concept just works. Comments?

Winter weather in Northeast PA

I'm wondering if anyone feels the way I do about winter weather in Northeast PA. I hate the cold and the blistering wind, but I could never make it through the holiday season without it. Palm trees and warm weather don't go with Christmas, and yet every winter I'm praying for spring. It doesn't make any sense to me, but whatever. Anyone agree with me?

First Blog Ever

So this is my first blog post ever. In the next few months there will be posts about various aspects of social media.