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Be Inspired

11 Nov 2010 by

So, as many of you know, I’m a graduate student getting her Masters of Mass Communications, Advertising. This semester I have been ever more absent then normal due to something very exciting – my last semester! As I finalize things for my last 2 classes I’ll share with you a chapter of a book on Communication Technology… a chapter I wrote! About social and new media advertising! Very excited. Am working on getting approval to post my chapter as soon as it is edited and the such. One thing I can share with you now however is my final project. For the compilation of my 2.5 years of grad school I’m doing a final project instead of a thesis. It is one semester instead of 2 and is focused for the professional track that I’m on.

For our final projects we were to pick a non-profit organization and fulfill some need of theirs. My non-profit is Create Now, an arts mentoring program for very at-risk and high-risk kids in Southern California. The majority of these kids are in foster care or group homes, and have undergone many challenges in their lifetimes. To help the organization Jill Gurr, the founder, her AmeriCorps volunteer Laura and I came up with the concept for a talent showcase that would feature some of the kids that Create Now supports. There has been many trials and challenges on the way to getting this event accomplished but after long last it is here! 17 kids will be performing a mix of original and contemporary pieces and there will be music from a featured band, A Welcome Distraction, to cap the evening off. Please considering coming out to support these kids, you’ll be glad you did! Tickets can be found here, and hurry because they are only $12 until Friday at midnight.

FinalInspiredCreateNowPoster


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Social Media FTW

05 Sep 2010 by

I’ve been thinking about writing about the different types of social media and why each provides their own benefit for the last 48 hours. Partially this was drawn out of my own need to express myself and partially it was drawn out of convincing myself that yes, I do need to try out all the various social media tools out there in order to get a feel for what is around.

The first understanding must be that various types of social media satisfy certain needs in our lives. Some examples of this are:

  • Twitter – microblogging at its best. Best uses are to keep in touch with online acquaintances, businesses, celebrities and the latest news.
  • Facebook – social networking in all it’s glory. Best for maintaining personal relationships with friends and acquaintances.
  • LinkedIn – professional social networking. A must in the professional world of social media.
  • YouTube – Social viewing. Watching and discussing online content and short videos.
  • WordPress, Blogger, Blogspot – personal blogging software. Lets you expand on thoughts too long for twitter and facebook.
  • Tumblr, LiveJournal – visual, short blogs. A tool for those who want something in between Twitter and a blog.
  • Niche specific sites – bring together communities based upon a common interest.

The above list is by no means expansive. There are some sites that duplicate others (such as Vimeo being similar to YouTube), however it does give you the gist of what I mean about social networking sites each having a purpose and focusing on fulfilling that purpose. Some sites (such as Facebook) are trying to converge a variety of purposes under one roof. The problem with this is that it is harder to do many things well then do one thing excellently.

Personally I’d rather have applications (such as tweetdeck) that allows me to combine my social media in a way that I want to. For instance when I post this blog I can decide if I want to retweet it on my Facebook and LinkedIn pages.  I like to have this control because I can decide exactly how I want to promote myself across the different media.

All this comes around to me explaining what brought this along. With my final semester of grad school, job hunting, various outside projects, part time job, and life my mind gets a bit cluttered sometimes. And I don’t want to put my clutter here, because this if for my social media related posts, and I don’t want it on my Efficient Creativity blog because that’s for creativity related projects. Hence, I have decided on trying out Tumblr to see how it differs from other blogging software and as yet another tool to add to my toolbag. The link is along the side if you wish to join me on my journey.

Category: social media  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,  One Comment

A Geek Girl’s Guide to San Diego Comic Con 2010

22 Jul 2010 by

Friday begins my second San Diego Comic Con experience and I wanted to share some of my lessons learned last year with all of you. Enjoy!

  • Take Snacks – maybe you’ll be waiting in lines, have scheduled events to attend, or have to wait to meet friends for dinner. So bring snacks and water to avoid paying large fees at the con. My favorite picks are the Electrolyte Water and Granola bars from Trader Joe’s. They keep up your energy while allowing you still attempt healthy eating.
  • Business Cards (something with your name and contact information on it)- you never know who you’ll meet. Be prepared, even if it is just so they know who you are when you contact them later.
  • Camera and video may be a pain to carry but there will be things you want to remember.
  • Cash – even in this day and age of debit cards some artists ONLY take cash so be prepared.
  • Comfy shoes – no matter how close to the convention center you stay be prepared to do a lot of walking!
  • Cell phone (and charger) – it is almost impossible to find people without these. And you need the charger in the event that it dies – remember the convention center actually has reception but hotels usually don’t as a rule.
  • If you twitter set up your phone to do it before you leave! My friend and I got free statues cause we could update twitter on the spot.
  • Park EARLY or change your spot late in the day if you are staying overnight. I found $12 parking (overnight) right across from the convention center and was able to move my car there later in the day. This year was the first year they had prepaid parking and I think that was a great idea! We got parking for 2 days for 20 dollars. A HUGE improvement over last year and we know we have a spot waiting for us when we get to San Diego.
  • Use bag check, or if you parked close enough take things to your car. You will inevidently have too much to carry throughout the day.
  • The Hard Rock Hotel is a party hotel. Keep this in mind if know you’ll need your sleep.
  • Dinner reservations! Plan ahead if at all possible. We unfortunately were unable to on Sat. night and paid for it.
  • Talk to everyone! Sure you can read if you’re stuck in lines but isn’t it more fun to meet cool people and make new friends?
  • Pens and Sharpies! Trust me – you will use them. Also having them can make cool people like you.
  • You can’t see everything so relax, accept this and have fun.
  • After con organize and go through everything … add friends on facebook, twitter, and email. Follow through!
  • Don’t forget about the comics! There is so much to see that sometimes the comics and book section gets abandoned. This is a great place to talk to talented people. I even met some cool authors this way.
  • Be prepared but be flexible. Plan but allow things to change.

And one more thing… HAVE FUN! Yes there are crowds, yes there is too much to see but once you accept these things for what they are you can allow yourself to enjoy the experience despite (or maybe even because) of these things.

Hope everyone enjoys Comic Con and if I won’t see you there this year, remember there is always next year!

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Buzz Word: Social

09 Jun 2010 by

“Social” is the current hot buzz word for the tech industry. There is social networking, social online entertainment viewing, social media and even, as Miles Beckett of EQAL said, social shows.

This drastically conflicts with the warnings that many studies have gone to great lengths to prove, namely that if people use too much media and entertainment technology it will result in society becoming anti-social.

While I can get tired of the word “social” being thrown around so much these days I will say I think that technology has allowed us to become more social rather then creating an antisocial subculture. Think about it this way- People tweet to keep in touch with people they are interested in, they use Facebook to plan events with their friend and share online material including pictures, videos and articles. People use YouTube to create and post their own videos and comment on others. People have turned video games into a social environment where they can talk to others while they play. Even TV is slowly becoming an environment where you can connect with other fans (see Fox’s new Glee SuperFan player).

So while the word “social” may be getting a little played out I do think it is an adequate way to explain the current phenomena. We are becoming an even more social world – one in which it is possible to share almost anything at any time.

The question I ask you is – when does the sharing become too much?

Let me know what you think about the social new phenomena by commenting below.

Category: social media  Tags: , , , , , ,  11 Comments

Welcome to AngeliqueToschi.com

03 Jun 2010 by

Hello friends!

So over the years I wondered to myself, why don’t I have a website in order to market myself. I have a blog about creativity (and whatever else I want to write about), I tweet, I facebook, I link in – and yet I haven’t had my very own space on the web… until now.

I have reposted most of my social media and new media communications related posts from Efficient Creativity. I will be continuing to post here on topics such as:

  • New Media
  • Social Media
  • Social Entertainment
  • Career Development
  • The Job Hunt
  • Advertising, Marketing, and PR related topics

This will also be my new home base. If you want to see any of the other sites I participate please look to the “Follow Me” tab on the right side of the screen.

Thank you for visiting and please enjoy my little piece of the web.

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Streamy Disaster?

12 Apr 2010 by

I know I’ve been rather quiet as of late. Between work and school my mind has been a jumble of schedules, guests, and homework. I have lots of news to give you, videos to link you to, and pictures to upload to show you. Those will have to wait till I get a bit more free time.

Today I wanted to talk to you about something that occurred last night that may have an adverse effect on the web television community. Yesterday the Second Annual Streamy Awards (like the Oscars, but for the web) was streamed live to a large home audience for the first time. Now, I don’t watch many awards shows but due to having some friends in the industry and being interested in the current entertainment trends I decided to tune in.

Now, I want to point out that despite all that occurred throughout the show, which I will detail later, I did watch the entire broadcast. This may be important at a later date.

I will acknowledge that there is always some risk in broadcasting anything live. However, I don’t think the audience (both online and at the theater) was prepared for all the “risks” that they would have to endure throughout the evening. Below are some of the risks that appeared and my take on them:

  • The choice of presenter. He may be famous but was he the correct choice for the audience at hand? The presenter made frequent risque and what some though (as seen through the twitter stream) vulgar jokes. He also continuously insulted the web community and the internet in general. I feel like this undermined the quality of the show and what the Streamy Awards are trying to accomplish which, in my mind, is to legitimize the web as a means of original entertainment.
  • Technical failure. I felt so bad for the Fine Brothers when the tech failed in the middle of their video. They had worked so hard on it and that was one of the main reasons I was watching the awards show. I honestly think that they deserve an apology.
  • Streakers. Okay I’m not sure if this was planned… but it was in poor taste, in my belief. Also, it seemed to prove the lack of maturity that kept getting mentioned throughout the event.
  • Technical failure. They thought they got the tech fixed, they forgot to fast forward the DVD though. And why it took them so long to figure it out I will never know. Also, tech failure at an awards show that is about new media seemed a bit ironic to me. Did anyone else feel this way?
  • EDIT – Also the constant background talking that was audible throughout the stream was unprofessional and irksome as well. I had forgotten about this point until a friend reminded me.
  • In my opinion these things were a list of what can go wrong will go wrong. Also, it seemed like all the things that can NOT happen at other entertainment awards shows did happen here including, constant cussing without beeping, unintentional nudity, and seriously technological failure.

I don’t want to neglect the people and things that I thought were well done.

  • Felicia Day: From her presenting of an award to her acceptance speech she was true class. She showed the rest of the world how it should be done, in my opinion. It also touched me when she said her Streamy was for “All Geek Girls”. Being one myself it made me smile and think of her and just that more amazing. Also, she stated something in her speech that is basically my hypothesis for a paper I’m writing for my entertainment and society class. Which gives it that much more legitimacy in my opinion.
  • The Fine Brothers: Yes the tech failed during their video but they tried to keep things together as much as they could. This was definitely to their credit.
  • Half the presenters: The presenters during the second half of the show (after all the unfortunate events) shrived to put the show back on track through their professionalism.
  • Autotune the News: Their performance during the show was amazing, their acceptance speech in song was even more so. I had only caught a few of their youtube videos before this, now I want to go back and watch everything they’ve ever done.

So were the 2010 Streamy Awards a complete disaster? It depends on who you talk to. To the winners, I’m sure it wasn’t. To the audience, it depends on their view. While there were many cringe worthy moments for me and I thought some of the sketches stretched a bit too long it was nice to see people being recognized for the innovative work they put in for little to no money in an entertainment outlet still in its infancy. I just hope that people do not judge them, and all web entertainment, by the awards show.

Next year, and I hope there will be a next year, I hope the Streamys learn from this year and ensure things run smoother. I also want to say good luck to them, the entertainment world can be harsh and have a long memory when it wants to, hopefully this is not a time when it wants to.

Category: Web TV  Tags: , , , ,  8 Comments