Comm 203 Public Relations Blog

Chapter nine of the book "Careers in Communications" by Shonan Noronha is devoted to the subject of public relations.  I found this chapter to be very interesting, as I have recently been considering this as a possible future career choice.  I am interested in Mass Communications, but have also become fond of Psychology.  My goal was to find a career that could combine both of these areas of study and effectively use them.  Basically, public relations, also known as PR, is the developing and keeping of a positive public image for an organization or person.  PR is the communication between the organization and its public. In addition, public relations has expanded much in the past several years.  Now, research is a major component of this field.  Furthermore, new technologies are making it increasingly easier to do research in the field and anything press-related.  Some important skills that will be helpful in the field of public relations consist of research skills, Internet knowledge, and understand of psychology.  Some skills in this field cannot be learned in school; they must be acquired over a period of practice and application. 
Today, at least 158,000 PR jobs are available and it is continually and rapidly growing.  Because almost all companies can use PR, public relations specialists work in many different setting and companies.  PR firms are almost very popular today.  These companies specialize in public relations and have many different clients at the same time.  There are more than seven hundred PR firms in the country.  Some of these firms are rather large while some only employ a couple of people.  Different jobs in this field include PR director, account supervisor, account executive, PR writer, PR researcher, production supervisor, and PR assistant.  Salaries for these jobs vary, but average salaries are 42, 000 dollars annually.  Some personal characteristics of an individual in public relations are intellect, integrity, perspective, interpersonal skills, empathy, creativity, and initiative.  Basically, anyone in this field must be a people person who has a set of values and ethics.


Source
Noronha, Shonan. Careers in Communications. Fourth. New York, New York: The Mcgraw-Hill     Companies, 2004. 193-218. Print.    

Comm 203 Graphic Novel Blog

Earlier on in the semester of my Intro to Communications and New Media class, I was asked to create a graphic novel.  Although I was excited about the assignment, I had some reservations.  I consider myself to have a fairly good imagination, but was not totally sure of my abilities as a graphic novelist.  Not only did I have to come up with a story line, but I also had to obtain pictures and use only short phrases or quotes to tell the story.  For me, this seemed very overwhelming and challenging.  Basically, I was going to have to tell an entire story through a series of pictures.  However, once I began creating my graphic novel, it became increasingly easier.  What started out as a hard, difficult challenge was turning into a fun, creative way for me to express myself.
When trying to determine a story for my graphic novel, I decided to choose a rather simple and familiar story line, that of the Three Little Pigs.  After changing the setting and characters and keeping the basic story line, I had my very own story.  It was entitled "The Three Little People" and was about three brothers who each decided to build a separate house on the beach.  The first brother built his house quickly without securing it, the second brother built his house solely on appearance, but the third brother took the time to build a safe and secure home.  Then, one day a hurricane approached the beach and left the first two brothers homeless and unsafe.  Fortunately, the third brother generously took his brothers into his safe house until the hurricane passed.  By the end of the story, all three brothers learned the importance of hard work and safety.
The major point of the graphic novel was to use it as a mode of communication.  I was expected to tell an entire story with pictures, a few short captions, and quotes.  The main focal point of the story was the pictures, though.  The captions and quotes were there to guide the story, but the pictures did the actual story telling.  The pictures had to fit together and appear in a way that was aesthetically and visually pleasing to the eye but also organized and appropriately placed.  It was a challenge, but with the assistance of the Comic Life application, it was possible.  Although I retrieved the pictures from many different places, I was able to make them all look similar by using the same effect style.  The effects were helpful in making the graphic novel look professional and pleasing, and it was my job to organize and arrange them to tell the story in a way that was easy for a reader to understand.  Because not all individuals are visual learners, the challenge of a graphic novel is to appeal to all kinds of learners.  Even though pictures are geared to a visual learner, for a graphic novel to be successful, the pictures and their placements must speak to many.  This is also where captions and quotes can be very helpful in guiding a story.
Graphic novels are a very interesting and challenging mode of communication.  They can be fun to make, but also difficult.  For a graphic novel to be successful, it must appeal to many and be understandable.  Applications like Comic Life make it possible for anyone to create and explore the world of graphic novels.  Successfully telling a story mainly by a series of pictures takes much talent and determination.  However, when the work is complete, it is very rewarding.  Graphic novels are great modes of communication that may not be used widely enough.

Comm 203 Academic Major Blog

When entering into college, one of the most important and key points in anyone's journey is to choose a major.  Choosing a major determines the classes one takes and ultimately the career one has after college.  Therefore, it is very important for someone to take an adequate amount of time to really think about all of the many options a college has to offer and decide which one may best fit them.  Personally, I decided early on in high school that I wanted to major in Mass Communications.  Although I did not know exactly how I was going to use this major in my future, I had many ideas and concluded that once I became involved in the Mass Communications program at Shepherd University, I would find my perfect place in the field.  Fortunately, I believe I have.  I am also interested in psychology and realized that Public Relations may be a good place for me to investigate and find a career.   

Overall, Mass Communications has many benefits and reasons for choosing it as a major.  To begin, the field is continually changing, but also continually growing.  Although some aspects of the field are becoming extinct and obsolete, new and different technologies allow for new and different jobs and opportunities.  Another reason to major in Mass Communications is the variety of job opportunities.  There are so many different jobs involving Mass Communications.  For example, jobs such as journalism, public relations, advertising, filmmaking, and many others are included in this major.  It is a good starting point if, like me, one is not totally sure about future possibilities.  In addition, there is room for growth and advancement in many of these jobs.  One may not start off at the top, but with dedication and work, it is possible to advance.  Mass Communications may not be right for everybody, but it is a good place to explore for people with a variety of interests.         

There are a great variety of classes offered at Shepherd University in the Mass Communications major.  Since I have only just begun my journey on this path, I have not really gotten a chance to explore or take too many of these classes.  I have taken a Speech class and a Voice and Diction class and I am currently in the Introductory to Communications and New Media class.  Other classes include History of Film, Narrative Scriptwriting, Organizational Communications, Music Video, Advertising and Imagery, Media Law and Ethics, Computer Mediated Communications, Motion Graphics, and many others.

Ultimately, I hope to gain out of the Mass Communications program the experiences and knowledge to start a job I love. I desire more than just a degree in the field; I want the tools to do something with the degree.  Hopefully, at some point in the near future, I will be able to start a job that I like and eventually advance that career to the perfect job because of my foundation in the Mass Communications department at Shepherd University.  With determination and drive, I feel like this is a very realistic possibility for me.  I am excited to see where my future goes!   

Comm 203 Facebook Blog

Wanna be my friend on Facebook?!  Although there are still some people who do not use Facebook and probably never will, many people do, including myself.  In fact, in any given group of people, those who do not use Facebook are nowadays normally in the minority.  What started out as a way for college students to keep in touch with others has turned into a global phenomenon.  It is truly unbelievable.  Almost all age groups and many cultures and ethnicities are represented on Facebook and it continues to grow.  With so many different and inviting reasons to join Facebook, it really is intriguing and interesting.  Rather than asking why join, it may be easier to ask why not join.  I personally joined Facebook in 2006 and use it for many different things.  I have even successfully persuaded others to use Facebook.  However, others are stubborn and hard to convince!  Although I feel as if those not using Facebook are missing out and will never understand the reasons they protest, some people simply wish to not use it.  
To begin, it is a wonderful way to reconnect with old friends and keep in touch with many people.  The increasing number of members on Facebook allows this to be possible.  It is so easy to comment on someone's status or write on his or her wall.  Another more formal way of keeping in touch with friends is through private chat or private messaging.  The chat allows live, private conversations between two people while the messaging allows private communication between two or more people.  It is always nice to see a new message, wall post, or comment.  Knowing how it makes me feel, I like to try to occasionally reach out to friends through Facebook.  It may just be to say "Hi, haven't spoken to you in a while!", "Wanna hang out sometime?", or even "What was the assignment for comm class?"  it is a fast, easy way to keep in touch with old friends and new friends.
In addition to staying in touch with friends, Facebook has many mind-stimulating games.  I generally find a game I enjoy playing, get bored with it after a while, and move on to another one.  There is such a vast number of different and challenging games to play on Facebook, it is hard to keep up with them all.  However, I always find myself trying out new games, but try not to spend too much time on them.  Some of them are better and more challenging and interesting than others.
A final interesting aspect of Facebook is the option of displaying pictures.  Not only can one have a profile picture, many other pictures can be added too.  Also, people in the picture can be "tagged".  This sends the person a notification that a picture of them has been added to Facebook and others can see who is in the picture.  Friends can comment on these pictures and remanence about fun times.  On top of pictures, videos can be added as well.  Similar to pictures, friends can be "tagged" in videos and display comments.    
Overall, Facebook is a fun, easy way to keep in touch with friends, play games, and add pictures and videos to share with others.  I believe it is even a form of free entertainment.  With so many different aspects of Facebook, it really has something for everyone.  And although some people do not like the idea of Facebook, it is continually growing and expanding.  Updates are constantly being added and it is improving.  It is impossible to say what the future of Facebook will hold!

Comm 203 VALS Survey Blog

After taking the VALS survey, my primary result was experiencer and my secondary result was innovator. The primary classification is one's predominant approach to life, while the secondary classification is an emphasis put on the primary approach.  The VALS survey attempts to understand more about consumerism.  According to the Strategic Business Insights website, an experiencer's main means of motivation is through self-expression.  They can become very excited and be hasty about consuming.  On the other hand, experiencers can be fast to back off of items too.  Additionally, they desire change and excitement and things that are new, different, and chancy.  Experiencers can find enjoyment in outdoor recreation and leisure activities and social functions.  Overall, experiencers tend to be devoted consumers, spending much of their income on their interests, such as fashion and social events.  Aesthetics and contemporariness are two very important concepts to experiencers.  I feel that does a rather good job of summing up my consumer tendencies.  I love to shop and receive joy whenever I'm in a mall and must admit that I can be somewhat of an impulsive buyer.  Although there are specific items I really enjoy shopping for, any shopping always puts me in a good mood.  Fortunately, I have never really regretted making any purchases but have been known to make some rash decisions.  Additionally, I love fashion and put much time and effort into being, at least in my own sense, fashionable.  However, I do enjoy new and different or offbeat things.  Generally, I probably spend too much money on shopping and entertainment.     
Furthermore, innovators typically are prosperous, mature and have high self-esteem.  They are natural born leaders and like new ideas.  They are generally aggressive consumers and buy things according to their cultured tastes.  Expression and independence are important to innovators.  They live lives filled with challenge and variety.  Although I am still young and live at home, I feel like this secondary type fits me.  Considering that I am a college student straight out of high school, I have not really had the amount of experiences that someone older has had.  I consider myself successful and have high hopes for my future.  I am very driven and know what I want for myself.  Again, I am an avid consumer and tend to spend a lot of money on certain items.  For example, I have a fascination with sunglasses and think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on a nice pair.  Although I do not need to spend so much money on sunglasses, I have worked for the past several years of my life and because of that have the ability to spend it.  I may not be established yet, but I have a reliable source of income.  I have always earned my money and have an appreciation for it; however, I enjoy spending it.  Whether I am buying clothes, shoes, electronics, or jewelry, I feel like it is my right because I earned that money.  I suppose my logic has always been that money is not useful unless it is spent on something.  And although it may not appear so, I am very good at managing my money incase of an emergency.  I like spending, but understand the importance of investing as well.  I do not want to find myself high and dry one day wondering what happened to all of my money.  Overall, I would agree that the primary type of experiencer and the secondary type of innovator does a fairly good job of describing my consumer tendencies.

Comm 203 Videogame Blog

After reading through "Talking About Videogames" by James Newman, I have gained insight into, what Newman calls, the "myth of the solitary videogame player" (463).  Newman believes that social remoteness in individuals is not a result of videogames, as some believe.  He briefly discusses the key points in his first book that disprove this myth.  The first false assumption is that videogames are a single-person event, when in fact they are not.  Rather, Newman addresses the fact that all videogame consoles are specifically designed to allow several individuals to play.  Some game systems have four controller hook-ups, while others can connect to Wi-Fi to allow players to share their experiences with others all over the world.  The second false assumption appears on page 463; he states, "Second, it utterly refuses to entertain the possibility of the existence of videogames cultures of talk, discussion, sharing, and collaboration".  Similar to films and television, people enjoy discussing different aspects of videogames, whether it be at the office, school, a party, or over dinner.  Magazines, such as Edge, specifically dealing with gaming are even being published.  There truly is an entire press for videogames.  
Before reading this chapter, I always associated social ineptitude and withdrawnness with videogames and I still believe that there is a definite association.  However, videogames do have the capacity to allow players to communicate and work with others to reach some final goal, whether those other players are in the same room or across the country.  On the other hand, I feel some people may use videogames as a way to play a solitary game with no social interaction.  This was not the intent of the game consoles developers, though.  They encourage the interaction and social experiences a game can provide.  On page 464 Newman states, "Importantly, this technical capacity for multiplayer gaming is not left as an under-exploited feature and the majority of contemporary titles offer some form of multiplayer mode that encourages co-operative or competitive collaboration."  From personal experience as a child and even today, I have always used videogames as a social event.  When I was young, my brother, my father, and I would spend time on the weekends playing videogames.  It was a way for the three of us to bond and have fun.  We communicated and worked together.  And even today I still enjoy playing videogames, although I only actually play occasionally.  My favorite thing to do is play online on the X-Box 360 with my brother and friends.  Using the headset to talk to others all over the world always excites me.  Additionally, just the other day I was playing Super Nintendo with a friend and we were able to relax and have fun.  In conclusion, I never really considered videogames before to be a social interaction, although the evidence was always right in front of my face.  I now understand that videogames are a tool to allow social interaction between people in the same room or across the world.   

Comm 203 Compare/Contrast Game Blog

While reading through the chapter "What is a Game?" by Simon Egenfeldt-Neilson, Jonas H. Smith, and Susana P. Tosca in A Media Studies Reader, the two perspectives on the constitution of games that were personally most intriguing are Roger Caillois's views and Brian Sutton-Smith's views.  Roger Caillois, a French philosopher, focuses his attention on the sociological approach of play.  He begins by stating his four necessary requirements of play.  On page 154, the requirements of play are stated, " it must be performed voluntarily, is uncertain, unproductive, and consists of make-believe."  Furthermore, he goes on to develop four categories of games.  These categories are competition, chance, imitation, and vertigo.  Competition focuses on skill, an example being chess, while chance deals with randomness and luck, most video games would fall into this category.  Imitation does not focus on winning but rather taking on a different role, for instance adventure video games, and vertigo deals with experiencing pleasure, such as riding a roller coaster.  Finally, it is important to note that according to Caillois, a single game may incorporate more than one of these categories.  The example used in the text is a popular video game entitled Super Monkey Ball.  According to the text, this game includes imitation, competition, and vertigo.  
In addition to Caillois's theory of play, Brain Sutton-Smith, a educationist, suggests some ideas about games as play.  Unlike Caillois who gives four qualities of play, Sutton-Smith never gives a single definition for play.  In fact, he believes because the nature of play varies, the definition must be that it simply is contingent upon the purpose.  One interesting idea he proposes that Caillois never mentions is that games are not a part of all cultures.  The text states on page 159, "Rather games emerge as societies mature and develop more advanced political and social organization."  Basically, the advancement of the games in a society indicate a higher leves of political and social maturity and development.  Similar to Caillois's definition of games, Sutton-Smith believes a game must be voluntary, but goes on to elaborate.  He also says that two opposing forces must follow organization to have some final consequence.  Like Caillois, Sutton-Smith divides games into four categories, including social, solitary, physical, and theoretical.  However, these categories appear to be mutually exclusive.  
Although Caillois and Sutton-Smith have many differing ideas about play and games, they have some similarities, specifically in games.  This could be because they were in different concentrations of study or because Sutton-Smith studied this topic at least twenty years after Caillois.  It is also possible that there is no real reason for the many differences other than the fact that they just disagree.  Overall, each theorist proposed his personal ideas about play and games.

Comm 203 Learning Styles Blog

After taking the VARK Learning Styles Test and the Soloman and Felder Learning Styles Questionnaire, I have gained much insight about my personal learning style and how to best apply this information while pursuing an education.  A learning style is a preferred way for an individual to gather information, including visually, aurally,linguistically, and kinesthetically.  The VARK Learning Styles Test focuses on these four aspects and scores the test taker on each.  The higher the score, the more useful the style.  According to this test, it is possible to use more than one type of learning efficiently.  On the other hand, the Soloman and Felder Learning Styles Questionnaire uses a sliding scale to determine four different types of learning, including active and reflective, sensing and intuitive, visual and verbal, and sequential and global.
The test score I received for the VARK Learning Styles Test was VAK, meaning I can most effectively learn kinesthetically, visually, and aurally, respectively.  Although, I scored very low in the read/write category.  This basically means that I am best able to learn by actually trying, seeing, or listening and have a harder time reading or writing out directions.  In addition, on the Soloman and Felder Learning Styles Questionnaire I dramatically leaned toward action and visual and only slightly leaned toward intuitive and global.  These results correspond and agree with the VARK Test as well.  It concluded that I can best learn when I can physically try and see and that I enjoy innovation and new concepts and am able to see the big picture but cannot always explain all of the details.  I find these results to be quite accurate.  It has always been easiest for me to learn when I have something physical to use and assist me.  Also, I tend to be very observant and consider myself to be a critical listener.  Often times I am able to grasp new concepts but cannot express the smaller details.
These tests are designed to assist and improve one's ability to learn and understand.  Personally, there are many things I can do to improve my learning abilities.  As far as the highest score I received, kinesthetic according to VARK or action according to Soloman and Felder, I must find a way to physically do something with the information I am given.  For me, when I study I find making note cards the best way to retain the information.  Because I am able to touch and move them to study, I am actively involved in remembering the information.  The next highest score I received was visual or vision.  To best assist me in learning, maps, charts, diagrams, ect. can be used to my advantage.  My personal technique to best learn during a lecture is to use arrows to make connections between things in my notes and color coding of my notes, whether it be with the ink or the highlighter I use.  Finally, I received a rather high score in the aural aspect.  One way to improve learning is to record lectures or information and play it back.  Also, listening closely during a lecture can be very helpful.  This score immediately made sense to me because when I watch Jeopardy, I have to hear Alex read the clue out loud rather than reading it to myself.  Unfortunately this makes me terrible at Jeopardy, regardless if I know the answers, because others have read the clue and have shouted out answers and Alex and I haven't even gotten through the clue yet!
The area that I scored low on according to the VARK Test is the linguistic style.  This means that I should stay away from lengthy written descriptions or notes.  Also, on the Soloman and Felder Questionnaire, I only slightly leaned to the innovation and global side, meaning I was rather balanced in those areas.  I like new ideas and abstract concepts, but am not opposed to seeing how something fits into the real world.  I tend to grasp the big picture first, but following a logical step-by-step process is possible for me as well.  Although I sway to one side, it is not drastic.  Overall, I feel like taking these tests will assist me in everything that I do.  It is especially important now because I am constantly learning new information and having to apply it on tests; however, I will always be learning and can use this information to my advantage later on in my life.    

Comm 203 Career Blog

After glancing through Careers in Communications by Shonan Noronha, the section that I was most interested in was titled Journalism, specifically the section about broadcast journalism.  With so many different and interesting careers in the field of communications, it was difficult to narrow it down; however, I feel like broadcast journalism would be a excellent fit for my personal interests.  Noronha mentions two separate areas for broadcast journalism including radio and television.  I am mainly interested in the television aspect, but would also consider a career in radio.  Noronha also states that their is much competition for a job in this area and it is imperative to start from the bottom.  On page 29, she says, "In radio and in television, beginners often start at small stations outside metropolitan areas and move to metropolitan stations and network stations after gaining substantial experience."  I am ready and willing to start at the bottom and work my way up in a station after I gain some experience.
Another important aspect of broadcast journalism, especially television, is the aspect of editing, which I am exceptionally interested in doing.  Noronha states, " News editors also edit copy submitted by reporters."(28) Since I am interested in reporting and editing, I would love to do my own reports and then edit them as well.  Not only would I be able to do work that I enjoy, I would be involved in making my final reports look the way I intended.
Finally, education is a very important part of becoming a broadcast journalist.  Noronha says, "College radio and TV stations continue to be a major training grounds for aspiring broadcast journalists." (28)  Fortunately, I was approached to be a part of a radio sports talk show on the Shepherd University station.  I am very excited about this endeavor and feel that it will give me crucial experience and education that I must possess in order to be hired when I am finished with college.  Although I am more interested in the television aspect, this radio show may give me new opportunities and experiences that will help me determine my dream career. 

Comm 203 Intro Blog

Hi, I'm Ashley Laspina and am currently a 19 year old Sophomore at Shepherd University.  Originally from the Pittsburgh area, my family moved down to West Virginia when I was in middle school, where I first became excited about media and broadcasting.  I became heavily involved in the morning announcements (doing everything from actual on camera work to behind the scenes works, i.e. teleprompter, sound board, camera operator) and eventually decided that I wanted to make a career out of it one day.  Throughout my years in high school, I remained interested in this field and started trying new things, such as editing video and producing my own videos.  Now that I am in college, I am very excited about gaining the skills I need and eventually finding a career that is right for me.  I am also very interested in psychology and have declared it as my minor.  My ultimate goal would be to find a career in which I can combine these two things or at least use psychology in some way; however, I have not really given this too much thought.  This semester at Shepherd, I am a part of a sports radio show.  I will be doing the weekly sports gossip.  On a lighter note, I love shopping and traveling!  I'm obsessed with football, specifically the Minnesota Vikings.  Also, my biggest achievement in the past year is buying my very first car, a 2008 silver Ford Focus.