this blog post could arguably by far be the most important post pertaining to important college issues.

 The most important social issue of college arrives every year at the end of march.  Spring break!  Students plan and talk about what they are going to do during this one week throughout the entire year.  The big moment arrives when the month of March comes.  There are groups of students freaking out about where they are going to go last second.  On the other hand, there are the groups of people who have reserved hotels in October and know exactly what they are doing.  To many other students, where they go is a money dependent decision. 

Traveling great distances can add up financially.  Some financial examples are: plane tickets, hotels, food money, and most importantly, money for drinks (alcohol).  Financial difficulties also depend on the amount of people that the people are traveling with.  The more in the group, the more finances are distributed obviously

Pick your spring break destination carefully and thoughfully though because certain locations can be dangerous.  If you plan on going to Mexico, then you are forced to fly because if you dont have a house to stay in at night, you will most likely be raped or killed.  The drug wars across the Mexican border have also been present but right now, they are in full swing more than ever.

The moral of this is to be safe and have fun!

-Tim

Media as a whole is a rejuvenating cycle by which knew methods come about.  Media started out is the simplest of forms such as news papers and progressed its way to more sophisticated media such as television and radio.  Today in our current world, media has taken a new form abroad on the Internet. 

If you just stop and reflect on history, the ideas within social media have not dissipated but simply rejuvenated.

IN REGARDS TO THE INTERNET: The usual groups of spectators traveling the Internet for information have now given in and became joiners, collectors, critics, and even spectators.  This has forced the Internet to become more diverse and in turn has provided spectators a larger supply of information.

THE WAY I SEE IT: Internet sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Ning, ect., have opened gateways for normal spectators among the Internet to become more interacted with subject matters.  It has integrated people to a whole new level with technology.  A simple website such as Facebook allows groups of people to join and access on easy terms instead of worrying about having to create individual sites for communication. 

The whole idea of  new technologies repeating old media tactics has me wondering.  I specifically wonder what new technology will be invented next in terms of integrating social media closer to the user.  <<This idea has created things such as Ipods.  Something has to replace the Internet someday.  I can’t even imagine…

-Tim

The Bedlam Rivalry between University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University is one of great prestige.  It is well known by sports reporters as well as the fans across the central region of the United States.  But stack the Bedlam rivalry up against the best out there and it is merely just another game. 

People in Oklahoma value the instate rivalry as if it is all that matters.  They argue topics with other fans from everything having to do with the Bedlam swimming meet all the way to the Bedlam football and basketball games of which it is greatest known for. 

WHY Such Importance?

Bedlam being such a big deal to the people of Oklahoma can be traced to many reasons: 

-no professional team until this year in the state (new addition of OKC Thunder)

-the majority of the state attended either OU or OSU

-the state of Oklahoma holds much pride in their sports

But, these issues parallel the same issues of some other states such as North Carolina where one of the most historic rivalries of all time occurs twice a year.  That rivalry is between the University of North Carolina and Duke University and is coined the “Tobacco Road Rivalry.”  These two games of basketball every year single handily hold more important to the United States sports community than every Bedlam sporting game there is. 

Either way, it will always be something important that no one in the country can take away.  It will also always remain important that we beat OU’s ass butt!!

-Tim

1. CONTROLLING YOUR OWN DESTINY

When dealing with different forms of social media, what information is given is 100% up to the creator.  Given the right situations, a person can make their on-line reputation good or bad at an extremely fast pace.

2. INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY

The mechanizing force driving social media is technology.  New advances and gadgets such as hand-held phones and PDA’s have accelerated the field.  These devices allow for simpler RSS feeds, email tracking, and much more.

3. THE SOCIAL ASPECT

The most important part of social media is in itself, the social part.  Social networks from varied degrees have came about such as Twitter and Facebook.  They connect people digitally and make different forms of communication much more compatible.

4. BUSINESS CONTROL

Obviously websites have been around for a while now, but with integrating all aspects of social media, a person can practically control their business from home or a computer.  With most people going digital for their information on businesses these days, this is a huge advantage.

All of these are helpful aspects in trying to gain momentum in social media.  Momentum is very important because it determines how successful you are.  Refer to this interesting blog on momentum for more answers regarding social media: http://www.10e20.com/blog/2008/10/14/the-5-different-forms-of-social-media-news-momentum/

-Tim

HOMEWORK does many things:

-takes away from watching TV

-takes away from talking to friends

-takes away sleep

-takes away fun

-takes away  time to do other HOMEWORK

So as it can be concluded: HOMEWORK basically takes away the loving nature of life!

Students stay stressed 24/7 during the college life because of HOMEWORK. 

If you can’t seem to get the stress monkey off your back then try some of the helpful tips on this website: http://www.drpaul.com/behaviour/schoolhomework.html

-Tim

THE WAY I SEE IT: College is a time when most students are turning 21, free from their parents, and in a rebel stake of “screw the world.”  It does not help that most college cities are not even cities.  Rather, they are just towns of merely a few outsiders that aren’t attending the college.  With such low populations, it keeps away big businesses that would normally in a larger city offer entertainment.  Thus, forces the severity of college drinking as the only form of entertainment. 

Obviously these are not issues that are going to change because they haven’t in the past 50 years.  It will be up to parents, high schools, or some pre-college form of instruction to let them know what they are getting into.   Recent studies prove that almost all alcoholics discover their drinking issue while in college.  Think about it-

-Tim

When famous people write a blog, they are usually doing it for their fans, but some people I am sure do it for their own satisfaction.  Sometimes you have to be careful whose blog post you are actually reading.  I read Brittney Spears’ blog once and it took me a few minutes to realize that it was being wrote by her publicist. 

Blogging is a good way for famous people to get their thoughts out on the web.  They like to let their fans get to know them better.  I wonder if Christopher Columbus would have blogged instead of writing diaries?

-Tim

Students spend the most outrageous costs on tuition and what do they have at the end of the road? A DEGREE!

BUT… How much is a degree really worth if there are not jobs available to utilize it?

Many people have put their faith into the new president Barack Obama.  Other people have looked at the election as a failure to American culture.  However you view it, the economy essentially has to eventually go up.  But when will this happen?  College graduates right now are currently taking arguably the hardest hit in the history of our nation.  College tuitions are increasing at alarming rates and when they get out of college, the jobs available are almost similar to those of the great depression.  I would have to guess that right now, income for first year employees is down $10,000 than that of 10 years ago. 

With my major being in the medical field, I am lucky that I do not have to feel the effects to greatly.  My main area of focus with my degree will be with rehabbing patients of all ages and injuries.  Injuries are an issue not affected by the economy, so I am always guaranteed business.

Post-rehab screen shot from the movie "Men of Honor"

Many people probably question why I would take a 4000 level college course then, but public relations doesn’t have to be your profession in order to integrate it into your job.  I have many ideas for how to establish myself in life someday through different ownerships of businesses and my own job.  I have always recognized the importance of boosting revenue and not taking losses.

Today, people go to the Internet to gather their information. 

I have many things I want to do someday, but one is to open a gym.  I have to recognize as a gym owner that people would rather get their information from my website at their home before they trek across the city to my gym. 

My social media class has helped me realize new ideas I can integrate in my websites to help promote (or use public relations) my businesses. 

I posted a forum discussion on my class’s website that was created by our teacher, and instantly I had two responses.  They recommended that I look into using “pipes” as a way to integrate information onto my websites.  I don’t know how I’ve gone so long on-line without coming across these “pipes.”  They are something people who are interested in social media should look into and research. 

When I was about 13 or 14 my friend introduced me to HTML and MySQL.  I also thought that people who understood these complex concepts would be considered nerds.  But now, they are very simple concepts and used by a wide range of people.  What will the knowledge of these topics be like in 20 years?

- Tim

People go to parties each weekend to socialize and drink (aka have fun). 

But drinking alone can get BORING!  A popular way of partying has evolved into playing drinking games.  The most popular games seem to be:

-beer dice

-float the boat

-ass hole

-flip cup

-quarters

-and of course, BEER PONG!

I believe beer pong’s popularity is due to the competitiveness of sports in today’s society.  Inter-twining it with alcohol creates this magical situation for party-goers.  Its popularity is also based on the fact that there is actually a little skill involved and not so much depending on the next card in a deck. 

Beer pong has been popular for decades and I predict it will continue going strong for many years to come!

Beer Pong Rules                                                                Beer Dice Rules

Flip Cup Rules                                                                 Float the Boat

Quarters Rules                                                                 Ass Hole Rules

WARNING: consumption of alcohol is the leading cause of inexplicable rug burns on the forehead.

- Tim