Hello IMC World! I hope everyone’s having a good week so far. The snow finally started melting in Morgantown this week, but it looks like we’re going to get some more just in time for the weekend. Oh well. Maybe the snow will fill in some of the potholes on the roads.
This week I started working on a PR plan for my “client” for this semester. Since most of my professional experience has been in PR, I feel a little bit better about this assignment than I have about some of the others. A few weeks ago I had to create a media plan, and I haven’t done anything like that since my undergraduate classes a few years ago—OK, several years ago. It was a little scary! But I got through it just fine, and all the pieces of my IMC campaign are starting to come together—which is exciting!
One of my favorite things about this class is the diversity of the people in it. My classmates are of all different ages, come from across the country, and are from all sorts of professional backgrounds. If I’m struggling with a particular topic, I can look to them for help. Some of the younger students in my class have a lot of knowledge about new technology and are comfortable with emerging media. Honestly, I thought I was pretty technology-savvy, but some of my classmates talk about things I’ve never even heard of! I also have several classmates who have been in the industry a long time, and they offer real-life, practical examples of some of the weekly topics we discuss.
When I tell people that I’m taking all of my IMC courses online, one of the questions I’m often asked is if I feel disconnected from my classmates or my instructor because I’m not in a traditional classroom setting. My answer to that is no—never. In fact, for me the opposite is true. Believe it or not, I was the painfully shy kid—the one who never spoke up in class unless participation was part of my grade. My co-workers nicknamed me “Bernie”—the dead guy from the ’80s movie “Weekend at Bernie’s”—because I never spoke up.
Don’t ask me how I ever ended up in PR. I think it’s because I was really bad at math. Anyway, the IMC virtual classroom setting is great for everyone–even shy weirdos like me. I’m sure most of my classmates would agree with me (classmates, feel free to chime in anytime here …). Instead of getting to know just a few people I’d sit beside in a traditional classroom, I feel like I’ve gotten to know every single person in my class this semester.
Before I sign off here, I want to share with you a new product my classmate Megan wrote about in her discussion post this week. It’s called “Puppy Tweets” and it will be released this fall. According to a CNN article, now your dog will now be able to tweet with you throughout the day with a special dog tag device. I don’t know about you, but I think this is pretty hilarious. I’m thinking Christmas presents for a few of my friends with furry children. You’ve been warned. Thanks, Megan!