Tag: Facebook

Fresh Start – where to next?

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Two. Two more classes. Two more summer classes separate me from completing my master’s degree in Emerging Media Studies. My program at Boston University began on Sept. 2, 2015 and it has been a whirlwind ever since. To think that I’m already graduating this Friday, May 13th, is both exciting and daunting! Have I learned everything I needed to learn to secure the kind of job placement I’m hoping for? The answer is no.20160508_234115

But the answer should be no. Why, you ask? Because I’m constantly learning new things every day. And that is precisely why I chose to study emerging media. The only constant in the media world is change…which is also daunting, but oh so very exciting.

Having worked for The Walt Disney Company, I have high expectations for my future workplace. I was and am very proud to have worked for the Mouse and it is still tough to think that I may not return to work there again anytime soon. BUT, for now, Boston is my home. I love it here and feel extremely lucky to call this my city. Soon, though, I will be a free agent, which means it’s time to really put myself out there and find my dream job. Or just a job. “Gotta start somewhere,” as they say, right? Well, kind of…

You see, after losing my Mom to pancreatic cancer and moving to MA to start anew, I decided that life is too short for mediocrity. I don’t want to just work anywhere. And, as corny as it sounds, I want to make a mark on this world we live in. I want to make an impact, a significant difference, wherever I do end up going.

I have more passion than I know what to do with. I love to know things and that will never change. I love to write, listen, create, think, brainstorm, fix things, problem-solve, tweet, snapchat, gram my life away and # EVERYTHING (but really, though). Most of all, I love to EXPLORE.

Before my graduate program, I considered myself a journalist. A writer. A social media enthusiast and a storyteller. But now, I know I’ve evolved way beyond that. I’m still far from an expert in big data analysis, manual coding, social strategy, SPSS, R, data science, HTML, CSS, Qualtrics, survey-making, etc., but I got my hands dirty in all of it. I’ve spent the better part of the last eight months doing a lot of things that once intimidated me. As someone who has never felt good with numbers (hey, how many communications majors actually do?), I never saw myself even touching most of this stuff. But I’m so glad I did.

Now, I just have to find my place — somewhere that I can put all of these skills to good use. I’ve worked for one of the largest, most well-known and respected brands in the world. I’ve also worked for small newspapers and magazine startups. I’ve been coordinating my program’s Facebook and Twitter since October and I love to dive into all things social. I may still be too young to have 10 years of experience in anything, but I am a hard worker.

So…the goal = stay in Boston. Find a job. But not just any job — find a new home. A place that I’m excited to go to day in and day out, because I do believe that exists and I won’t stop or give up until I find it.

If you’re reading this and you’re hiring in the Boston area, please connect with me (rforman@bu.edu)! Or even if you just have some advice to offer, leave or comment or let’s chat over coffee! I’m open to all opportunities, I’m excited and I’m ready to go!

 

 

Status update: Understanding Facebook’s IPO

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Image courtesy of: http://www.opinno.com/

Last week Facebook announced an IPO valued at $5 billion, a record for Internet companies.

But what does it all mean?

Firstly, an IPO stands for Initial Public Offering. It essentially means Facebook is changing its profile from private to public and allowing the public to buy stock in the company and own a piece of the pie.

“When going public you need to produce profits,” said Mikael Bergbrant, Ph.D. candidate in the department of finance in the College of Business. “When you’re a private company, many times you can leave out the possibility of future profits. But once the stockholders start having an input, then they usually want to see the bottom line really start increasing.”

Bergbrant said the impact this will have on the individual user relies on the stockholders.

One benefit of these new developments is the release of Facebook’s once private financial information.

Facebook is said to hold a value between $75 and $100 billion and it generated $3.71 billion in revenue in 2011.

It may surprise you that Zynga (the company responsible for your growing addiction to Words with Friends and all of the games that end in ‘Ville’) made up 12 percent of that 2011 revenue.

So how does all of this affect the 845 million monthly active users?

“If you have new money, you can introduce new applications, new programs,” said Erdem Ucar, who is also a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Business. “There are good things and bad things, but basically they go public because they need to raise funds.”

In the short term, the site will most likely not see many changes. Facebook might implement new site tactics when there is pressure to keep the shareholders happy. They could develop new ways of advertising, like making money off of private user data.

It will certainly be interesting to see how this affects Mark Zuckerberg, who will now make one dollar every year, and whether he will give up his position as CEO.

(Also posted on The Digital Bullpen – the news site of the USF School of Mass Communications)

Another site to OBSESS over (just what everyone needs)

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So. Just like any other twenty-something, procrastinating female, I spend WAY too much time on Tumblr.  I even have two separate Tumblr pages. One is from when I blogged during my study abroad adventure in Ireland, and the other is just for reblogging eye candy.

This eye candy is anything I see on Tumblr that makes the happy neurons fire in my brain. Clothes, beautiful people, SHOES, stuff that makes me go awwwwwww and everything else over the {double} rainbow.

However, I always encounter a problem. I find so many things on Tumblr and have no way of keeping track of all the things I like (other than reblogging it or saving it to my computer).

Now, thanks to the wonders of the internet, my problems have been solved!

Enter: PINTEREST.

Pinterest is a black hole of everything good in the world and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Pinterest is full of drool-inspiring recipes, amazing outfits you just have to have, DIY (that you can actually do yourself) and landscapes/interior designs that anyone would die for.

The best part of the site is you can like and re-pin whatever you want onto a virtual board. The boards keep track of everything you like! AKA someone finally got smart and indulged my OCD mind.

You can also follow your friend’s pins and make comments on what you find. It is never-ending and therefore never gets old. (Some items are repeated…but if you notice this, it just means you’ve been at the computer for WAY too long and are addicted like everyone else.)

So what are you waiting for? Come join me and start pinning down all of your interests on PINTEREST!

MOJO: mobile journalism

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In the field of journalism, timing is everything. In order to be successful in this career, one must have certain objects with them at all times. As technology changes, so do these items. There are a myriad of resources dedicated to updating the list of items, but there are a few basics.

Some of the essential items include:

  • A backpack large enough to carry everything without making movement cumbersome.
  • A notebook with multiple writing utensils to take notes. Yes, this is still essential. Technology is not always reliable.
  • A laptop, or smartphone, with a working Internet connection. Stories will break at any moment and may need to be sent to editors or posted on blogs immediately.
  • A digital recorder with backup batteries in order to obtain audio clips or notes for a story on the go.
  • A camera and/or video camera to capture footage and allow files to be uploaded to computer.

Websites like Mobile Journalism Tools and the Reynolds Journalism Institute are helpful because they provide in-depth coverage of the above listed items. For example, one can find useful information on camera lenses or tripods.

These sites feature what mobile applications are most useful to journalists. This includes audio editing, file transmission, geolocation, live streaming, microblogging, note-taking, photo editing and video editing applications.

Media Bistro has an article about iPhone applications that revolutionize mobile journalism. One of them is SpotCrime, which allows the user to see what crimes have occurred in certain locations. It also shows the type of crime committed.

The Kindle application can also come in handy. Whether one uses the Kindle, Nook, or iBooks, these apps makes hundreds of thousands of books available for on the go reading and research.

The next featured app is Howcast. This app offers how-to videos on a range of subjects. For example, if there is a social media platform that a journalist is unfamiliar with, they can use this program to learn it.

Next, is the iheart radio app which allows the user to listen to music and live radio broadcasts.

Lastly, the article suggests the HearPlanet app. This app provides information on thousands of landmarks around the world. If a journalist is unaware of a location’s history or purpose, this app remedies just that.

This article provides the Facebook pages every journalist should follow.

Mashable has their own page for what tools they think are essential for the mobile journalist. The article provides information on how Google Voice can substitute for a digital voice recorder. In fact, many of Google’s products can help journalist’s condense their list of items.

Ustream broadcaster allows journalists to upload audio and video in real-time. This can be helpful for breaking news stories.

Reeldirector is a video editing suite that can trim and join clips, add titles and embed sound. This can be helpful for creating montages of interview and key sound bites.

This video speaks to the journalists who use mobile phones to take their notes. It recommends ways to become faster at texting and how it is more efficient than traditional handwriting.

Although, mobile journalism is changing the way journalists report in positive ways, this article speaks of the challenges it creates.