Entry #11 Final Blog Reflection

At first, I thought the whole blogging experience was completely ridiculous and should have stayed as just one assignment instead of being integrated throughout the whole course. Around the middle of the course I started to like the idea of blogging and being able to write about topics that truly interested me.

One major benefit of blogging is how you can connect with or inspire people you do not even know. Even if you feel like no one cares, someone will always care.

The main challenge is trying to find a topic you really want to talk about. Also, having the motivation for writing about the preset topics created by your instructor.

I learned that writing has a lot of feeling in it. I tend to write the way I talk -- boring and monotone. But with writing you can use whatever tone you desire. I probably still write very monotone but now I know how to use different tones and styles.

For class, blogging is a great assignment. Like I said, I was very skeptical at first but blogging is relaxing in a way. I say keep blogging on.

Entry #10 The NBA Playoffs

This year the NBA is being ridiculed about how there are only two teams dominating the entire association. What people forget is that every year there are teams that dominate and most of the time those teams will dominate for many years in a row. The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are favorites to go the NBA finals for the third straight year. People criticize the NBA for allowing these two teams to destroy their competition by acquiring top notch players and staff. One topic that always comes up is how there is no more "drama" with these games. Since both the Warriors and Cavaliers have not lost a game in the 2017 playoffs people are beginning to claim they are bored. Yet when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were destroying every team in their path nobody said anything about it. Even now if that is brought up it is brought up as a good thing.

I believe people need to stop being so worried about the drama that comes with the games but instead be excited because two amazing teams will once again go against each other in the Finals.

Entry #9 Media Synthesize

After learning more about media and advertisements I noticed that many products are overly sexualized even though there is nothing sexual about the product. In my experience, food seems synonymous with sex because of how often ads are placed with a half-naked supermodel eating a big mac. Often, I witness people jokingly moan when they take a bite out of their food and stating that their food is "better than sex".

I have noticed how many people can look at an advertisement and already believe that they need that product. Especially if the product is on a special sale for a limited time only.

Media is a powerful concept and I believe what makes it so powerful is how well it works on manipulating people.

Entry #8 Networking for the Antisocial

Growing up, I was very antisocial. This put me at a disadvantage because I missed out on opportunities due to my anxiety about having to talk to people. Just recently I decided to push myself to become more social and meet new people in order to advance my communication skills. It is going to take a long time before I am one hundred percent comfortable being around people and speaking up but I know I am ready to start the process.

I advise other antisocial people to face their fears and start speaking up and speaking out. Once you allow yourself to step out of your comfort zone new opportunities almost immediately arise. You can either take baby steps or jump into the deep end. One baby step I recommend is to take a communication class (introduction to communication or interpersonal communication). These classes give you an overall view of the networking world and teach you how to talk to and get to know different types of people. Now, I am even interested into going into a communication and business career because meeting new people is a great feeling. Being able to connect with new people will open your eyes and essentially open your mind to new ventures.

Entry #7 Hashtags

Hashtags are a way to go more in depth through social media. For example, when posting something about Nike and adding the hashtag in front (#Nike) you allow your followers or friends the opportunity to click on the link and search through related posts.

Personally, I tend to not use hashtags unless it is an attempt of being comical. To me, hashtags are used mainly by parents who are trying to keep up with the trends. I will click on hashtags, though, if I am intrigued about a topic that was posted.

On social media sites such as twitter and Instagram, popular hashtags consist of #WomanCrushWednesday, #ManCrushMonday, #______Challenge, #National_____Day, etc. People use these hashtags as a way to show-off their significant others and to celebrate national taco day or national pet day.

Hashtags created a way to get from one topic to a completely different topic in just a few clicks. It created the culture of what I like to call "pop culture researching". If you were to create a hashtag that simply said "#love" it is safe to assume that not many people would click on it. On the other hand, if you were to create a hashtag that said "#LoveFitTea" more people are likely to click on it because you are boasting about a certain brand your audience is interested in. With that, businesses ultimately make money off of the hashtag.

Entry #6 Shoe Differences

The slight and not so slight differences in shoes were somewhat unknown to me until I started working at Nike. Some shoes that many people come in looking for are running shoes but do not know the difference between short distance, distance, and training shoes.

Short distance running shoes: These shoes are built for running short distances or on smoother surfaces. If you use these shoes to run/hike mountains they will wear out faster than normal. The bottom sole of the shoes are very flexible up and down to fit the motion of your feet while running.

Distance running shoes: The difference between short and distance running shoes is very small. Distance shoes are flatter, have a slightly tougher sole, and have two way flexibility soles.

Training shoes: These shoes are specifically for weight, strength and agility training. They can be used for running shoes but only light running like if you were running on a treadmill for ten minutes or so. The soles are very hard and also have free flowing flexibility to conform to any movements during your workout.

Entry #5 Education

Doug Ducey is explaining how higher education is better for Arizona's future. Higher education may or may not get your further in life but it can also slow you down. College and four-year universities are not for everyone. So many people can still be successful with only a few college credits under their belts. Sitting in a classroom and learning about things you do not care about should stick with K-12 education. You should not have to take 2-3 science classes even though you are pursuing a Liberal Arts degree. For a lot of people, only taking business and communication classes are all they need in order to start their own business and become successful.

Ducey also does not put into consideration how much tuition costs and how much it raises every year. Even people who become successful doctors or lawyers still are succumbed to overwhelming student loan debt. They may make more money than the average college graduate but they also rack up a lot more student loans.

Again, college and four-year universities are amazing concepts and I believe anyone who has the willpower to push through all of those years and graduates is awesome. A degree or not, though, should not define who somebody is and how much of an asset they are/can be.