KdreamsReal

“The end of the world for a caterpillar is a butterfly.”

[kstarkadams-blog]

WH4V

War Horses For Veterans on a non-profit organization dedicated to providing equine therapy to military veterans of any branch, age or war affiliation. The farm is located in Stilwell, Kansas and was founded by Patrick Benson who has coined the motto, “horses are the bridge, veterans are their own best therapy.” Currently they offer a three day program in which veterans are forwarded the opportunity to interact with the horses and with each other in a safe, judgment-free environment and to decompress and share stories with one another.

Social media is important to this organization because it allows them to get the word out about their organization without having to pay money for advertising.  In a non-profit organization that is run on donations, the ability to advertise without cost is priceless and allows more money to be put into helping our veterans.  I would not necessarily say that there is a set “norm” or “standard” for social media use in the equine or veteran industries but I do believe that among the younger generations, such as OEF and OIF generation veterans like myself, social media usage is much more prevalent than it is to veterans of past wars such as the Gulf War or Vietnam. For that reason, I feel that the use of social media does not as successfully aid in reaching veterans of pre-Iraq wars and will lessen the amount of older veterans who apply to the program.

WH4V is very well-rounded when it comes to social media accounts but not so much in the usage of them all. Currently they have a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Vimeo and a YouTube channel. They primarily seem to use their Facebook and Instagram accounts more than anything else. Their Fcebook has about 5,600 followers and their IG has about 6,300. Their latest Twitter post was just over a month ago, their last LinkedIn activity was eight months ago and the last video on Vimeo is from quite some time ago.  These accounts have significantly less followers with just over 1,000 on Twitter, 62 on LinkedIn and 0 on Vimeo. Of course, in addition to social media, they also have an official website.

https://warhorsesforveterans.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WarHorsesForVeterans

https://www.instagram.com/wh4vets/

https://twitter.com/WH4Vets

https://www.linkedin.com/company/war-horses-for-veterans

https://vimeo.com/warhorsesforveterans

It seems that their most commonly used method of appealing to people is through their use of imagery. They post many very picturesque photos of the farm and animals and pictures of veterans interacting with one another within that setting. Often the photos are accompanied by some kind of quote such as the most recent Facebook photo of a horse in a round pen, set to black and white tone that reads “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

This group has quite a few connections with people who may generate exposure and who contribute to their cause. Among them are: UFC fighter Cat Zingano, NBC host Megyn Kelly, Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren and professional bull rider Guilherme Marchi. Through these connestions, they have been featured on Today and OAN in interviews with Megan Kelly and Tomi Lahren.

Through their social media outlets and website, their objectives are clearly defined. The content on the sites is effective and engaging and some of the stories from veterans who have attended WH4V will leave you all warm and fuzzy inside. The website contains a small shop with hats and shirts that can be bought to support the cause as well as a donation tab and I clicked through the process and found that it was very simple to complete a transaction, which, through study, is shown to lead to more sales.

The Facebook page currently holds a five star rating based on 58 reviews and here are some of the things people had to say about the organization:

Jeremy Harrell - I am not sure I can accurately put into words what this organization has done in my life. I went out there with a lot of skeletons in my closet and was under the impression that I was this broken man who has nothing left to offer this world. I had very minimal experience with horses and was very apprehensive and nervous as a lot of Veterans are. I had been to a lot of other programs for Vets and this one was gonna be the last one. It was my last ditch effort to find purpose and seek healing. So I went. From the moment I stepped out of the airport the staff was very friendly and welcoming. I could immediately begin feeling the apprehension dissipating. The Hilton Hotel that they put you in is a beautiful hotel and the rooms are second to none. You are really able to tell how much they value the veterans. Arriving at the farm is breath taking. It’s a beautiful farm in very serene and peaceful location right outside of KC. From the moment I met Patrick, Corey, Pat, Andy, and the rest of the staff, I felt at home. They really make you feel like part of the family from day one. Last but not least, you meet the horses. I was very timid at first, but quickly began to loosen up with the guidance and teaching of Patrick Benson. I’ve yet to meet someone as knowledgeable of Horsemanship as he is. I assure I am not getting paid to say that. Its the honest truth. The horses are very good horses for this program. They are laid back and used to people. Not only do you get to learn the basics of horsemanship, you can actually ride which I haven’t found at any other program. Horses have this intuitive and supernatural ability to mirror what you put out in terms of emotions. Being prey animals, they force you to be authentic and dig deep inside in order to be able to work with them. Grooming and riding have a unique ability to calm you and force you to be present in the moment which vets struggle with. This experience inspired to come back to Kentucky and form a Vet Org of my own. I left feeling confident, wanting to serve again, and with a sense of purpose I had longed for since getting out of the Army. I truly urge anyone who may be on the fence of going, to just go. I can assure you that you won’t forget it. Horses and the camaraderie of the staff at Warhorses gave me a new lease on life and there’s no looking back.

Jason Larson - This was absolutely spectacular! Very relaxed atmosphere with the perfect amount of structure. They made sure we were comfortable with what we were doing before moving on to others aspects of working with the horses. And the fact that I was able to see old buddies was a plus to say the least. Thank you everyone at warhorses for veterans for an absolute wonderful time! I definitely recommend it to all veterans.

Rick Lopez - Thank you all for an amazing weekend. You are an amazing group of people. If you have not been through a weekend yet, please do it. Take care all.

Andy McCann - Indescribably… all Veterans need to make the time. Beautiful place, feels like a home away from home. First class organization and amazing staff! Thanks again for changing my life.

Tarun Raj - An amazing experience of healing and fun with an incredible group of people behind it. It is an all expenses paid trip for qualifying veterans that will change your life!

You get the point. Veterans attend the farm, it’s like a mini, all inclusive vacation with other veterans and they love it. I looked through probably 100 different posts and browsed the comments on every social media platform the organization is part of and could not find anything negative. I’m sure this is in part because anything negative could easily be deleted by an administrator, but regardless, I’m not sure what anyone could really say badly about people who try to give veterans a free and therapeutic vacation.

https://www.today.com/news/war-horses-veterans-uses-equine-therapy-help-vets-find-footing-t118616

The first step to take in collecting more funding for the organization would be to raise awareness and recruit more followers. Many ways that this could be done would include putting in a small amount of money for some kind of giveaway in which current followers could tag others who would then have to like, follow and share to be entered to win. This seems to be a very effective strategy for a lot of online businesses and organizations. Secondly, implementing a regular weekly or bi-weekly video segment, like shown above, highlighting a veteran who attends the farm would give a little more of a personal appeal. Having a veteran tell their story and then show them interacting with the horses and other veterans and then wrapping up with how the visit benefited them would be a great way to show people what the organization is about and let them see the results and benefits of their donations and contributions first hand. The in-person, social interactions such as War Horses Pint Night is also a great way to bring people together for a cause, raise money and promote not only the organization but the organization’s social media accounts as well.

I would also suggest the organization try to find ways to gear up with other businesses or organizations with similar causes that may already generate more of an income such as Wounded Warriors or The American Quarter Horse Association. Teaming up with other smaller businesses like Reins For Rescues or Horses Helping Heroes could be very beneficial to everyone involved as well. There’s power in numbers, or so they say. Instead of relying on a giveaway from their site alone, joining forces with others to collaborate a larger giveaway with simple rules could cause their following to multiply greatly. Though the followers don’t always stick around after the contest is over, it at least generates exposure and  it is safe to say that some of the followers will indeed stay for the long haul. Also, though it does cost money to design and print flyers or other kinds of ads, having paper forms of advertisement that could be placed in VA hospitals or therapist’s offices is a great way to get the word out the older vets who may not use or navigate social media.

Following these few simple suggestions would undoubtedly help this amazing organization bring in more funds so that they may continue to assist our veterans and give them this small gift as a thank you for their great and selfless service to our country.

 GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS AND GOD BLESS AMERICA! To all who have served, are serving and to those who will serve in the future, I am eternally grateful. Semper Fi.

[kpmitchell92-blog]

@necsocialmedia What a great idea and cause! My cousin grew up with multiple horses and I often enjoyed riding. There is definitely something therapeutic about caring for another being, especially when that being is so large, yet so docile and gentle. One of my favorite things about horses is how kind their eyes are. Great choice, loved the presentation. 

[kpmitchell92-blog]

Shatterproof

https://phone2action.com/resource/shatterproof/ (Image link)

   @necsocialmedia Shatterproof is a non-profit organization that helps to spread awareness about addiction. Through using their very own Substance use Disorder Treatment Task Force, they have created a new standard for treatment of addiction that is based on proven research. According to the organization website, one of their biggest accomplishments so far has been forming an agreement between sixteen of the leading healthcare payers to stand behind their developed National Principals of care. With less than 10% of Americans receiving adequate treatment for Substance Use Disorder (SUD), this is a huge step in the right direction for advocacy of this cause and achieving better results for patients who are seeking treatment. Shatterproof has also pursued state and federal battles of advocacy in order to provide a platform for families who have been affected by addiction and want their voices to be heard on this topic. In addition to this, fifteen states have been able to pass legislation that has proven to be life-saving in the face of some of the largest problems caused by addiction.

https://www.shatterproof.org/about-task-force (Image link)

     Social media is crucial for organizations like these because it is the fastest way to spread awareness on any topic. Without social media platforms, there would be significantly more financial cost and leg work when it came to spreading information and gaining support. It is also the easiest way to get the message and mission of a non-profit out to the target audience. To figure out what the make-up of a non-profit’s social media following is, there are social media management tools (Like Sprout Social, for example.) that can help these organizations pin-point the demographics of their audience and therefore learn how better reach them. In an article regarding social media marketing by Marissa Garza, a social media maven, she says the norms for non-profits trying to reach an audience is building your own website, and/or creating accounts with Facebook, Twitter, and surprisingly, Pinterest (for retailers). By taking the time to examine which posts are more successful on each site and keeping an eye out on comments and followers, many conclusions can be drawn towards how to make a non-profit more successful.

    Gary Mendell started a foundation called Brian’s Wish in 2012 after he lost his son in October of 2011 to a suicide which was a result of a struggle with addiction. He later renamed the foundation Shatterproof and relaunched as a non-profit organization in late 2013. I was unable to find when the organization website first became up and running, but both their Facebook and Twitter accounts were created in September of 2013. Shortly followed by simultaneous Instagram and Flickr accounts in March of 2014 and finally appearance using a YouTube platform with many informative videos and personal accounts of addiction in November of 2014. Shatterproof has also made use of the job related social media account, Linked in. With their very own website and six active social media accounts, their online presence is quite substantial.

    With several tweets being made every day, the Shatterproof organization’s Twitter account is definitely most utilized over their other social media accounts. They also make multiple daily Facebook posts as well. In fact, all of their social media accounts are posted to regularly with information on on-going fundraisers and events, as well as memorials for individuals who have lost their battle with addiction. In providing these posts for their audience, Shatterproof organization is able to effectively let their audience know what they can do to get involved and what kind of actions they are taking as an organization, as well as, in the case of memorials, circle back to why this should be an important cause in the first place and humanizing individuals who have suffered from and lost their battles with addiction.

    Shatterproof has multiple social commerce strategies that they have implemented into their social media marketing. On their YouTube platform, they have several personal testimonies with individuals explaining how their life has been touched by addiction. This tactic allows for those who don’t know much about the cause or addiction to see how much people are affected on a personal level when it comes to this issue. They also have an accessible blog section on their organizational website with weekly news in substance abuse, personal stories of recovery and informational articles that explain what we as the public can do to help this cause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sCJBeKnQuI (Video link)

    They also have a Shatterproof Store where people can buy accessories and apparel that promotes their organization. They sell stickers and pens in bulk so that people can purchase them for their own personally organized fundraisers through the website and give them away to those who want to represent and promote the cause. As well as everyday wear, like hats and T-shirts, which can be seen below.

    This organization has also built many outside relationships with councils and other organizations in order to ease the brutality of this national epidemic. One of those relationship is with the National Safety Council in order to help employers see how much they can save by ensuring that their employees who suffer with addiction are able to get adequate treatment. Through a partnership in independent research with the University of Chicago, they have estimated that per employee, businesses can avoid spending 3,200 dollars per employee who recovers from a substance use disorder.

https://www.shatterproof.org/workplace (Image link)

    Shatterproof also has its very own Substance Use Disorder Treatment Task Force that has been created through relationships with the Founder of the Treatment Research Institute and former deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Strategy. The Task Force is co-chaired by these two individuals and Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof. By creating the National Principals of Care for SUD Treatment, The Task Force has made it’s first big step towards changing the standard treatment for people with SUD.

     While there is little to no feedback from other social media profiles, Shatterproof holds a 4.8 out of 5 star rating, based on over 100 reviews on their Facebook review page. People have made commentary on their unwavering support of such a great cause and how it is an issue that is in desperate need of attention. Many are simply grateful that the Shatterproof organization is standing up and fighting for better policies on both SUD treatment as well as advocating for better training for doctors when it comes to prescribing opiate derived drugs to patients or performing background checks or screening processes for SUD in patients.

Gary Schultz - The more conversation we have around the issues, the stigma and shame will begin to evaporate. There are millions effected by the disease of addiction and opioid addiction. We have to share our stories end not be afraid of being judged.

Eddie Burchell -  We need to come together to end addiction. It’s taking our young people, our future, from our country.

Marlene Groves -  Wonderful Program! Make awareness, NOT JUDGEMENT! You can beat this opiate addiction and get your life back! I've been sober since August 8th, 2008! Almost 10 YEARS! GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

Cathleen Imo -  I am a mom who recently lost my son to an overdose. This organization is making progress on a state and federal level which is so needed. Big Pharma and their marketing need to be STOPPED!

Sally Sams -  As a healthcare professional I feel this is a great spring board to bringing awareness to our nation's rapidly growing opioid addiction crisis. I wish them good luck in spreading the word and hope to participate in future events.

     Healthcare professionals, parents, people who are in recovery, even simply those who have lost friends or family to addiction are all part of their target audience. These comments show that people from all sides of the equation can get behind this cause and show their support for what this non-profit organization is trying to do for the stigma and treatment of patients.

     All in all, this organization is doing a really great job in their social media marketing. They have almost all of the necessary social media accounts that are regularly updated with fundraisers and events. Their organization website is very well organized and extremely informative. It provides a clear message and many external and internal resources for help towards the cause as well as promotional ideas for those that want to get more involved.

     One thing that I might encourage the Shatterproof organization to try is to come up with a challenge similar to the Ice Bucket Challenge. Going viral is one of the best ways to become well known, and quickly. The issue that Shatterproof is pushing is only becoming MORE talked about and that could really propel something like a viral challenge. Another thing that they might consider if they want to reach more people that need help is hosting an anonymous user discussion forum. Many people are afraid to come forward and admit that they have been struggling or that they have a problem. This would allow for more people to come forward and get some answers without feeling completely exposed and vulnerable to the stigma that Shatterproof is trying so hard to eliminate. 

[kpmitchell92-blog]

Social Impact

I’m not quite sure if either being a digital immigrant or a digital native is what caused this journalist to appeal to me. But I will say my abilities as a digital native might have pointed me in the direction of Shereen Bahn. I’m honestly not a big fan of the news or media, but when I researched popular journalists, Shereen Bahn just stuck out to me. I appreciated that fact that she has found her way in a society that is notoriously dominated by men, and that she promotes the empowerment of women as well as the education of young people.  

Bahn has 100,000 followers on her Twitter account, and while this may not be quite as significant as some other journalists or celebrities, it’s still a pretty significant number of followers. As a managing editor of her news organization, I would say that she has quite a bit of influence online. She’s very professional in all of her posts and keeps it relevant to current events, giving her an ability to show that she is knowledgeable and tactful with her social media posts.

In addition to her influence, Shereen Bahn retweets CNBC-TV18’s posts daily and often tweets at the news organization as well. In doing this she is promoting both her online presence, as well as the organization’s. She is also series editor of and spends a lot of her time promoting Young Turks, which is a long running show in India that promotes young entrepreneurs and new ideas. This is also tied to her news organization, once again increasing everyone’s online presence in a positive and professional light.

[kpmitchell92-blog]

“It’s all Fake News”

     According to the ad “5 key takeaways about the State of the News Media in 2016”, the top source of political news for Millennial's is Facebook. This makes a lot of sense as to why people would believe that fake news that is found on Facebook feeds might affect the political views of this particular generation. I certainly believe that there is something to that belief. One thing I like to do is check sources when I read an article, before I take it to heart, but I also know based off many of my personal friends that not everybody does this. While I am pretty much a skeptic overall, many people these days tend to believe pretty much anything they hear, and they will use what they hear for their own personal arguments in the future without first checking the facts.

   Many times, I have heard (sarcastically of course) “Well I read it on the internet, so it must be true; right?”. Part of the reason that I think people find this sarcasm so funny is because some people actually feel that way about what they read on the internet. In one article that was released during the election campaigns, the author claimed that Pope Francis was actually endorsing Donald Trump for president. Snopes later unequivocally proved this to be a fake news article.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pope-francis-donald-trump-endorsement/

    So many of these fake news articles come from websites that publish satirical or fantasy news articles. However, sometimes it’s just hard to tell whether or not that is what you’re reading. It should be worth asking if we even know where the line is when it comes to being too sarcastic, or when wishful or fantasy thinking (once put into text) just becomes an outright lie. There was another article that claimed Hillary Clinton had a 69% disapproval rating among all veterans. Articles like this were continually pushed by biased Facebook pages and no doubt had an effect in swaying people who might not have been sure how they felt.

   Whether or not people were actually swayed by these fake news articles or not, I think the evidence is stacked against the claims that say they were not. Especially when it comes to people who don’t care to do their homework on what they are reading. Fake news articles still circulate, a lot of which are completely random and make me wonder why the author would even want to bother. Others still pertain to Donald Trump. My best advice is to check your sources and know which sites are there to promote satire and fantasy, and always remember that trolls are everywhere.

[kstarkadams-blog]

Them Lips, Tho...

There’s people lying on the floor in the grocery store and their friends are hashtagging planking. There’s people Tebowing  in front of Stonehenge or the Grand Canyon. There’s fourteen drunken frat boys downing spoons of cinnamon on camera and coughing out reddish-brown clouds of “why the hell did I do this?!” We’ve got cops, doctors and teachers alike filling up our news feeds while they do the Harlem Shake and then cool off by getting drenched with  buckets of ice water. Social media challenges have taken the world by storm over the past decade. Some are for charity, some are to raise awareness, some are downright funny and others are just plain dumb.

As far as plain dumb is concerned, allow me to either remind you of or introduce you to the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge also identified as #KylieJennerChallenge. So, seriously… in a world where everyone (except me, maybe) is Keeping Up With the Kardashians, what woman doesn’t want those full, perfect, kiss-worthy, Jenner lips? I know I do. Unfortunately not all of us have loads of cash for Botox and some of us use lip liner as well as Bozo the Clown at the age of five in the midst of an epileptic seizure, so… If someone’s throwing out low-cost suggestions – throw, baby, throw!

Someone threw alright… In 2015, YouTuber Jenna Marbles created a video parody which was titled “Kylie Jenner Lip Tutorial’ in which she jokingly told people that they could get those Kylie lips by placing a shot glass over their lips and sucking and that the suction would, in turn, create those coveted, big, pouty lips. Within months, the video had millions of views.

Vine star and teenage heart throb, Alex Ramos, is credited with the challenge’s claim to viral fame after two Twitter posts:

IM GONNA DO THE #kyliejennerchallenge how long do I have to put my lips in the bottle

https://twitter.com/sorryimalex/status/589274862427975680

and

okay let me rephrase that, do the #kyliejennerchallenge and then show me your #kyliejennerlips

https://twitter.com/sorryimalex/status/589284363524771840

Within two days, Alex’s post had been replied to hundreds of times and the hashtag went from about 2,000 mentions to 164,000 on Twitter. The hashtag had also been used more than 42,00 times on Instagram and 500 times on Vine. 

Well, hell… That seems easy enough, right? Jam your lips into a device made for drinking whiskey, such until you pass out and VIOLA! you’ve got yourself some killer lips and are putting plastic surgeons out of business. Oh, wait, you’re not?! Who would have guessed that such a backyard, hillbilly method would have negative side effects?! Well, let’s see…. science says that glass does not bend and under pressure, glass can break. Lips versus broken glass – who do you think is going to win that fight? Here, allow me to drive you to the emergency room to have your lips stitched back onto your face. You wanted bigger lips and now you have no lips. Good going, genius.

Doctor Dendy Englemen, a dermatological surgeon, in an interview with the Washington Post stated that aside from the potential risk of broken glass, this method of “plumping” could also cause pain, swelling, blistering, broken blood vessels and bruising as well as increase potential for scarring and permanent disfigurement.

So, how does this actually work, you ask? When you begin to suck air into the glass to create a vacuum, your blood vessels fill with blood in a process known as vessel engorgement. Maybe it’s just me but that term alone kind of turns me off. Anyhow, during this engorgement process, the soft tissue of your lips is flooded with chemicals and there those chemicals temporarily remain, giving that puffy appearance.

Even after thousands upon thousands of photos and videos had surfaced on social media of lip challenge fails, people still continued to take the risk. This just goes to show how powerful pop culture combined with social media can be. One beautiful woman from one popular television show that was promoted through social media platforms was enough to convince millions of young ladies that the lips they were born with weren’t good enough and that they should resort to sucking on dishes. Sucking. On. Dishes. Say that out loud and tell me how smart that sounds, eh?

Kylie Jenner denied having any part in this lip challenge and claimed that her lips were completely natural and her look was achieved by “over-lining her lips.” A Tweet sent out by Kylie encouraged  young women like her to “be themselves but not be afraid to experiment with their look."  

"Yeah, OK, Kylie. Why don’t you just take all your money and your perfect lips. And face. And hair. And everything. And just… go sit over there somewhere where I don’t have to look at you. Great, thanks.”

Eventually she decided to tell us the truth about the fillers but, uh, we already knew that… Duh. Before? After? We were supposed to believe that hype?Oh, puh-leeeeaaaaseeee. 

Now if you’re wondering, “Kelli, did you ever participate in the #KylieJennerChallenge?” the answer is a very firm “no.” I’m all about some Hollywood lips when I go out but that’s why I have invested in Revlon. I like my lips attached to my face and I prefer not to look like I have a cherry Kool-Aid mustache – even though sometimes that happens anyway because no one has ever really taught me how to use that Revlon. Meh, tuh-may-toe, tuh-mah-toe.

Unsurprisingly, this trend was mostly only popular among teenage girls. Oh, what I would have given to be a high school teacher during this viral trend. I probably would have spent most of my days in the bathroom trying not to pee my pants from laughing so hard. My word to the wise is not to take body modification advice from a teenage boy on Twitter. Or a Jenner. Don’t believe every ridiculous thing you see online. Don’t jam your body parts into anything that goes in a dishwasher. Be happy with who you are and for the love of everything holy, stop trying to keep up with those Kardashians.

[adri10sworld-blog]

#NECViral

[kpmitchell92-blog]

Great post! You are hilarious, and I agree, it's insane how fast a silly video can go viral. And even more insane how many people don't realize that not everything is meant to be taken seriously. Most people truly don't even realize that there could be dangers or risks simply because, well, it's on the internet. What could go wrong? That person did it, so what are the odds that this could hurt me? And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm wishing that I had done the Tide Pod challenge for this assignment. It's another great example of something that probably started out as a parody and ended up with several hospitalizations of teens that somehow didn't know not to eat soap...? Not to mention the fact that in some stores now, you might have to ask a clerk to unlock the laundry detergent and show them your ID in order purchase it. Again, I genuinely enjoyed your post! Keep it up!

[kpmitchell92-blog]

Tie One on for MS

When searching for a challenge or movement that was similar to the ice-bucket challenge, I knew I wanted to learn about something that was close to me in some shape or form. Once I discovered Tie One on for Multiple Sclerosis, I really liked the simplicity of the gesture in the campaign. While some may not consider this a “challenge”, it is definitely a movement to bring awareness to a disease that many people don’t know much about.

This movement really struck close to home because my mom’s best friend has Multiple Sclerosis, and I’ve watched her health deteriorate for over thirteen years. When I met her, she was a seemingly healthy and normal mother of two. As time has moved forward I’ve watched how she began to use a cane, and then eventually a walker, and now today, she uses a wheelchair. Despite these changes, she remains a happy and upbeat individual and for that I deeply admire her. So, in watching her transition and knowing what a disease like this can do to a person’s livelihood, I was devastated to find out that my own best friend had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as well (As if that isn’t ironic enough, both of their names are Ashley). These two women are some of the strongest and kindest women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and in honor of that I couldn’t think of a better campaign to learn more about.

Tie One on for Multiple Sclerosis began preparing for their kick off in January of 2015, ninety days prior World MS Day when people would be encouraged to perform an act as simple as posting a picture of themselves wearing and orange tie or bow-tie on social media in order to promote awareness of this autoimmune disease. Every year since then on World MS Day, or May 29th, people have made the effort to spread awareness through this action.

In my research I did realize that this campaign was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It was relatively difficult to obtain many details on this campaign, but I suppose that comes with the simplicity of what is being asked. It seems that annually the hashtag, #tie1on4ms, is used and retweeted rather minimally. People that work in the public that choose to take part in this movement are opening up opportunities for people to ask questions and talk about what the disease is and the imminent need to find a cure. A woman named Terri explains her involvement in the campaign and how she opens conversation and spreads awareness by wearing an orange tie at her job and getting other employees to join her in the link below.

http://patienttalk.org/tag/tie-one-on-for-multiple-sclerosis/

Multiple Sclerosis is an auto-immune disease that affects the central nervous system. The immune system attacks healthy tissues that cover nerve fibers, with causes issues with communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The disease fluctuates and comes and goes as it pleases but relies heavily on the detriment of the nerve damage as well as specifically which nerves become damaged. Some people may suffer attacks that leave them unable to walk, while others might suffer from flare ups followed by long time periods of recovery and remission with no new symptoms. As of now, there are only treatments that might be able to help with the coping of symptoms and contributing towards speedy recoveries.

There is a website called If the Tie Fits that sells Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Ties for twenty dollars. This allows for raisings funds as well as awareness, similarly to how the Ice Bucket Challenge did. In fact, this website sells ties and bow-ties of many different colors for many different causes. These ties can be found at the link listed below.

https://www.ifthetiefits.com/store/p98/ms

This website sells ties of all colors, each representing a different movement. This can range from issues such as domestic violence to breast cancer. Each tie or bowtie that is sold sends 100% of net proceeds to the appropriate fundraiser, while at the same time continuing to make a statement and spread awareness towards the chosen campaign.

After doing some extensive research on the promoted support for this campaign, it seems that it is a very small community that is trying to promote awareness on this issue. Some people are even using this hashtag to communicate about stem call research and to gain more information on the progression of the research that is already being done. While it is a small campaign, there are still many people from different areas that are making efforts to get this off the ground within the online community. Regardless of how small or large the movement is, this important thing is that people are taking the time to talk about multiple sclerosis and help more people to realize how many lives this disease affects on a daily basis. Just in doing this assignment I have been able to learn more about the mental, physical and emotional struggles of those who have no choice but to live on with multiple sclerosis every day.

Tie One on for Multiple Sclerosis is still making a meaningful impact where it counts. Those who have information to share are given a platform, and those who are willing to learn have a place to start when it comes to learning about ways to spread awareness. This campaign is like a seed, it can only cause information about this autoimmune disease to grow and spread. As awareness travels amongst the population, there can only be a positive impact. Even though the campaign hasn’t progressed much in three years, I’m interested to see if those pushing the issue will try new approaches to make this movement bigger and better. I think that there are many ways to make this campaign a much bigger deal and make the word go even further. Finding sponsors or people with larger platforms to promote it could be huge for the cause. But I guess we will just have to wait and see.

[kpmitchell92-blog]

     I used to see Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant ads ALL THE TIME on my Facebook feed back when I used to scroll through my social media account. This is probably because I always research a hygiene product before I buy it and use it. I do this because I used to make my own before I had my son and went back to school, but now I don’t always have the time to go that route. Now these days I just try to buy organic and natural products with short ingredient lists, so certain words pertaining to these products show up in my google searches often. After seeing the ad for this brand of deodorant so many times I thought that I should check it out and research their product, now it’s my deodorant brand of choice.      When I searched “natural deodorants” on Google, this website was the eighth link listed. Even better, a picture of one of their deodorant sticks showed up in an amazon shopping link underneath a link that said “Shop for natural deodorant on Google”. This shows me that they’ve done a great job in their optimization for search engines and social media websites. One thing that I think this company could capitalize on and optimize in their web presence is the fact that they often use essential oils in their deodorants. With the natural market being so big right now, it would be a great tactic and it would open up a whole new area to show up in when it comes to search engines. Also, they provide a subscription service, which I think if they somehow optimized that, it would be a big help since subscription services are also on the rise. 

[kpmitchell92-blog]

Week 2 - Hail Merry Cups Blog

               About a year ago, I decided to “find myself”. I ended an emotionally abusive five-year relationship with the father of my son. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t looking for a man to fill the void that I had always felt. I wanted to learn more about myself, having not spent too much time doing that throughout my life, as cliché as it sounds, I thought I would date me for a bit.                I started doing research and learning about the things that interest me, doing morning yoga and riding my bike, reading all the books and watching all the documentaries that caught my attention. One of the things I’ve always been intrigued with is the concept of Socrates, “Let food be thy medicine”.  So naturally, I fell into watching a long string of several documentaries that talked about what we can do for our health in terms of dieting.                Eventually I found myself jumping on the bandwagon of veganism. This was something that I always said that I would never be able to do, because I love food so much, but it ended up being a rather adventurous segment of my life. I tried a lot of new things and most of those things weren’t half that bad. But there was one area that I struggled in, and that was sweets. I’ve always had a huge sweet tooth. Most baked goods and candy don’t have the vegan stamp on them, and that pretty much sucked. I started making weekly trips to Whole Foods in search of my new favorite candy.                The first time I saw the Hail Merry cups I loved the artwork on the packaging and I thought it was interesting that they had to be kept cold. I had to try them. Since that point in time, I have fallen off the bandwagon of veganism and I am back to my old dieting habits, but these cups (the lemon ones in particular) have definitely stuck, and are my new favorite go to when I want a sweet treat.                So basically, the vegan movement was what really drew me to this favorite candy. The colorful, attractive yet simplistic design and short ingredient list were simply a plus! While this could also be considered stereotyping, companies will undeniably gear their design, logo, slogan etc. towards specific target audiences in order to make them more likely to buy their product. Typically, products that are going to be geared towards hippies, yogis and vegans, will have a simple “all-natural” looking design, use more wholesome ingredients, and be eco-friendlier.                I can attest to this because most of the products that I buy fall within these descriptions, whether it’s for toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, clothes, or obviously, food. While I don’t define myself through these products or my habits, my hobbies and values definitely reflect in the brands of product that I buy. It’s human nature to fall victim to something that is designed tactfully and specifically meant to entice you.                So by targeting specific audiences and doing research to see what entices them, companies are able to advertise more efficiently and sell more product in a quick manner. Specifically, when it comes to social media, algorithms can play a large part in helping the business to find said target audience or singling an individual out as potential customer for that business. While this product wasn’t brought to my attention on social media, I’m not so sure that I would’ve ever seen or found these if I wasn’t a Whole Foods shopper. And I probably wouldn’t be a Whole Foods shopper if I wasn’t living (or at least trying to live) a certain lifestyle. Either way, I am so pleased to have found these amazing gems, and will probably be a customer for the foreseeable future.

[kpmitchell92-blog]

#HailMerryCups #FreedomToIndulge #SinkYourTeeth #FavoriteCandy #NECSocialMedia