COM0014- Blog #2- Storytelling

In this course, we’ve learned humans have always told stories as stated, just in different ways. Through writing, pictures, voice, and with different reasons. Not only do we love telling fictional stories, we also love to share many of our own stories. I know personally whenever something interesting happens in my day I jump to tell whoever I can. Not only do we love to tell stories though, we love to listen to them. Why else would film be such a high paying industry? By using storytelling, we can capture our audience’s attention.

(One of the first forms of storytelling was cave paintings)

However, just saying a story isn’t enough to really grab someone’s attention. You can’t just vomit out a story and expect someone to get it. You need to be able to write it well. There are different ways you can write a story well but this course has shown us a few ways we can keep the writing clear and concise.

Grammar

Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are obvious but some key ways to tell a story. If Harry Potter was filled with errors and spelling mistakes it would not have done as well as it did. People need to make sure they keep their errors down to a minimum. Nothing turns people off like unprofessional writing.

Tone

Tone can change the entirety of the story. If you’re trying to tell a comedic story but keeping using a dark tone, it won’t go over right, and same for vice versa. In this course we learn a technique that can help us change the tone of our stories. It’s called passive and active voice. You need to be able to use both of them to get the tone you want. Active voice is stating something specifically while passive tends to take a bit longer to get there. For example “The man cooked apple pie,” is active while “the apple pie was cooked by the man,” would be more passive. By picking and choosing when to use each voice will help create your desired tone.

Important Information

Deciding what information is important is also a key point of storytelling. Just filling your audience with unnecessary information will easily bore them. This course has given us another tool to use to help us determine how to portray our information. This tool is called the inverted triangle and is used a lot by reporters or journalists. The key point is that in the first paragraph, use the most important information. For example if you were writing a news article about a 26 year old man in Germany killing a woman behind her car, your first paragraph would stated a man killed a woman. That is the most important information. Then, in the second paragraph, you’d add the additional information. As you add more paragraphs you use the less important details.

While there are lots of tools and suggestions for storytelling, remember you are in charge. You are the one that decides what your story needs but if your main goal is to get an audience then don’t try to stay away from the tips all together. Pick and use what your story needs.

COM0015- Blog 1- Social Media Tools

Social media monitoring is incredibly important in social media marketing. It’s insightful and helps you keep an eye on everything without having to manually find out everything. It shows you trends, analytics, and is needed for businesses. The best way to monitor is by using tools and the internet has a ton!

Monitoring Tools

1. HootSuite

HootSuite is a great tool to use to help monitor your social media. It monitors conversations and most things related to your industry. It’ll monitor anything based on certain keywords you’ve set up, locations, and users.

As well, this tool is shareable. If you have a team or a partner you can share it to then and even assign them a task!

In general it’s very easy and simple to use with an awesome sharing aspect for bigger companies.

2. Google Alerts

This is a very common, main stream one, but it works well. It catches keywords about your business and even your competition then sends them to you. You get constant alerts for each keyword you put in explaining where specifically they found the keyword. It is constantly updating and on the ball about new trends and significance. As well, a big power to this tool is that it’s free. So small businesses just starting out can use it without having to pay.

As well, since it’s so popular, if you get stuck on anything or need help understanding, you can simply look it up! There are many tips and tricks you can find online to help you get your Google alerts set up while there may not be for smaller, less popular monitoring systems

News Sources:

1. Twitter

Twitter is one of the best places to get your news. Why? Because that’s where reporters go.Many reporters from CTV, CBC, and other news sites to to Twitter to find news tips and stories. After all, interesting news is where the people are…and they are on twitter.

However, while saying that, Twitter is not the most reliably. People aren’t forced to fact check everything they say. But, you get a lot of opinions, unprofessional opinions. You get to see what actual people are saying about an event, not what a reporter that has to hold their tongue is saying. It’s definitely a good source of opinionated news.

2. CBC
   CBC is an accredited newspaper, so obviously it’s a good source of news. They update quickly and are on top of most current problems. Their online page is easy to navigate and very accessible
   However, unlike twitter it’s a lot less opinionated. They will state what they have seen, but you won’t be able to see exactly what someone is thinking. However, because it’s classified as news, they make sure to fact check and deem what they are telling is true to current knowledge. So using CBC and Twitter together is a great way of getting news. You get the opinions of the people as well as what is actually happening, not just their biased statement of it.

Using just one tool for social media isn’t worth it. You need to use multiple to be able to get the best experience, as well you should choose the one best for your company. If your company works better with Hootsuite than Google Alerts, use Hootsuite. Don’t feel pressured to follow the mainstream and use what works best for you.

Going to Nova Scotia

Imagine you’re sitting in your house, the sky glowing red and pink as the sun said its fairwell, bright lights reflecting off the calm ocean. Everywhere you turned there was an ocean full of life you couldn’t see, life you couldn’t even imagine. Then you went to sleep, and you saw it all again the next morning. That’s what it was like being in Nova Scotia. 

I stayed in my grandmother’s house and she lived right next to a beach. There was ocean behind her house and in the front. When the tide came in the whole area would be filled, but it would soon leave behind and my family would go clam digging. 

They’d put on their muddy boots and walk where the ocean once was, digging in the sand to find whatever clams they could. Then they would bring them back, clean it off, and make some clams. I, personally, was not a fan of clams so I never ate any of the clams they brought back. 

Afterwards, we would drive down to the dock. It stunk of fish as the boats all lined up, ready to  set sail for the day. However, that wasn’t the only think at the dock. Beside it was a board walk where tons of local artists and businesses set up shop. There were paint shops, gift shops, candy stores that sold salt water taffy, and all kinds of little eateries. It was very homey and definitely gave off an eastern passage vibe. 

However since I wasn’t in Halifax or any of the big cities, there weren’t many big things to do such as checking out clubs or going to casino. Instead, a lot of it was local and had to do with scenery. We went to the beach as often as we could, feeling the fresh white sand beneath our feet and stretching out further than we could see. It felt like an entirely different country compared to the beaches in Ottawa. The ocean was a bright blue and crashed upon the sand, waves coming up to play with the children and even some to play with adults. Dogs walked along the beach, exploring what they could, seashells buried beneath the sand, fish coming as close as they could. It was surreal. 

In the end, it was a nice, relaxing trip. It’s not a place to go adventuring or checking out the city live, but it’s the kind of place to just relax and realize the beauty in the world. 

Storytelling and Narrators: Spice up your Story

When writing a story, it’s hard to be different sometimes. It’s hard to really stand out. You see dozens and dozens of stories told on TV, in comics, books, or even just short stories and you don’t know how to make yours stand out. After all, if there only seven stories to be told it feels almost impossible. However, it’s not. Even if it’s the same old good guy vs bad guy story, people want them. It’s a way to escape reality, you just need to figure out how to make yours stand out and the best way I’ve seen is by changing the narrator. 

At first, some people hear narrator and think of someone like Lemony Snicket who is straight up narrating the story but no, it can even be a character who doesn’t know they’re the narrator.  In most stories, the main character is the narrator, telling their own stories. It’s been done so many times that most people believe that whoever is telling the story is automatically the narrator, even if the story has nothing to do with them. A good example of this would be the show Sherlock. In this show, it’s obvious Sherlock Holmes is the main character, however it is told by Watson. Changing the narrator can help put an extra mystery and can tell an almost completely different way to tell a story. 

Here are three narrators that you could use instead of the main character: 

1.Secondary Character/Best Friend 

As mentioned above, in the show Sherlock, Watson is the narrator even though the show revolves around Sherlock. This is using a secondary character or the ‘best friend’ in some cases as the narrator. By doing so, we get to see Sherlock in a different, more unbiased way. After all, Sherlock Holmes is incredibly cocky in the show so if we saw the story told by his point of view, we’d never see anything wrong with him. We’d be looking at him through rose coloured glasses. However thanks to Watson, we’re able to see all his flaws and mistakes which helps portray Sherlock in a more realistic way. 

Though, using a secondary character does not always mean you’ll see the main character as unbiased. Every character has their own opinions of the main character and if they’re the one telling the story they’ll be sure to show that as well. 

2. Bystander 

This one is using a complete bystander to tell the story of the main character. This one is generally less biased than using a secondary character but it can easily be seen as less accurate since they were not there to account for everything. An example of this can actually be shown in the Avatar: The Last Airbender tv series. In one of the last episodes, the main character goes to see a play about their own life told by a bystander and though some of the actual events are accurate, many of the conversations and relationships are not. This is called an unreliable narrator, it’s when you cannot trust if what the narrator says is true. Though this can sound intimidating at first or something you wouldn’t want, but it can be intriguing. It means the reader must do some more thinking and try to find any clues you could be hiding. It adds much more mystery to your book. 

3. Antagonist 

The antagonist is personally, one of the hardest ones to do, mainly because they end up turning into the main character. However, while saying that, it’s also one of the most interesting ways to create a story. It leaves a fair bit of the story up to the viewer to figure out and what they want to believe, to figure out who the ‘good guy’ is. It helps show a different side of things. 

Writing a story in itself is tricky. You have to figure out a world, every inch of your characters, the plot, the conflict, but trying to make it stand out adds even more stress. Changing up your narrator is a good way to help spice up your story a bit but only do it if it does aid to your story. If you want to tell the story by the main character because it fits better, then do it. Don’t change your story to spice it up but don’t stick the usual because it’s safer either. In the end, always do what’s best for your story. 

Social Media:

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Art and Intimidation on Social Media

With the rise of social media and its accessibility, artists have been using it to its fullest potential. All social medias have been filled with different kind of artists like knitters, painters, digital art, and crafters. However since social media has grown so much, artists with different kinds of skills have shown up on sites such as Instagram and Tik Tok.  People that create art using only their feet, photographers using only shadows, and even on person who creates art by carving into eggs. Thanks to social media, people are able to show off their hidden talents, however, to those wanting to start they may be intimidated by all the amazing art.  

Here are four tips on how to not to get intimidated on social media: 

1. Do not get jealous 

This is a big one that I see people do too many times, they get jealous. They see people getting clout or fame over artwork that ‘anyone could do’ and that makes you bitter. It’ll affect your artwork and what you do to try and get attention. The best way to not get jealous or bitter of other people doing better is to try and be happy for them. See their success as a possibility that you can get there as well. 

2. Don’t do it for fame 

When people first start out on social media, they think they will immediately get famous from it. However, no matter how good your art or your skill is, chances are you won’t get there right away and if you’re only doing this for the immediate fame then you will want to give it up right away too. The best way to start out on social media is to post it because you want to share. You’ll understand that you might not get famous soon, or famous at all, but you’ll be able to share your art. That’s all you should focus on. 

3. Be willing to have an open mind 

Sometimes when people first start out trying to post their art, they believe they have the best art already. There’s no need to improve, people will love it. Honestly, a lot of time that is false. People need to be willing to learn about social media and be willing to improve their own art to get more attention. You don’t have to drastically change your art to appease to viewers or compromise your own creative value, but you should be willing to keep an open mind about it. 

4. Talk to people 

One of the best things that you can do to feel better about posting on social media is by talking to others that do it too. Talk to big creators and small creators and learn about their story. You’ll see that rarely anyone gets there overnight, and you’ll be able to plan your own way to getting to the top. Plus, you’ll make friends which is always helpful in trying to get more popular! 

The best thing you can do when showing off your art on social media is stay true to yourself. Be open minded but don’t compromise yourself, don’t try and take a fake personality either. You just have to be yourself and eventually, you’ll get there. 

Promotions: 

Facebook: “Art and Intimidation on Social Media,” Check it out here! 

Twitter: Check out my new blog about showing off your art! “Art and Intimidation on Social Media” click here! 

Social Media’s Darkside

In my last post, I talked about how social media changed lives for the better. It brought people business and helped them to pursue their dream. This time, I’d like to bring attention to how social media changes lives for the worst. 

Everyone knows everything now. Not only is it because books, articles, and just experience has become easily accessible, it’s because everyone is posting all about their lives on social media. This wouldn’t necessarily be considered a bad thing, but it can become dangerous. Many people have lost jobs or potential jobs due to social media posts. It just could be a picture of someone inappropriately dressed that cost them their job interview. Things can go wrong within seconds thanks to the easy access social media has on people’s lives. 

This isn’t exactly a rare occurrence either, not in today’s time. There is actually specifically something called cancel culture that has been around for a while but has grown in the last year or so. Many people, celebrities or not, are getting “cancelled” by something they said online. They’ve lost their jobs, friends, and even family sometimes. 

In my own town, something like this happened. I would like to first state that I will not state my own opinion on what occurred, that’s irrelevant at the moment, but am just using the circumstances to highlight how social media can change lives for the worst. In my home town a girl ‘promposed’ to her boyfriend using a very racist sign then posted a picture on Instagram. Once the picture went on social media, it became viral. It got on the news and there was an outrage from it. In response to it, the girl got expelled from her school and lost her acceptance to her university. If she had not placed it on social media, it would have never gotten to the news or school. Whether she deserved it or not is an entirely different story, but it does show that social media has the potential to ruin a person’s life. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/beta.ctvnews.ca/local/ottawa/2020/1/31/1_4792566.html

However, it’s not just cancel culture that acts in ruining someone’s lives nor is it always an arguable way of bestowing justice for those that commit racism, homophobia, or sexism. Sometimes it’s because a company saw a picture of you they weren’t fond of and fired you for it. One example of this is a teacher who lost her job because she posted a picture of herself holding a glass of beer. There was nothing else in the picture, nothing to show that she was drinking at the school or attacking any ideology. All she was doing was holding a glass of beer. The school and administrators deemed it was unprofessional and fired her for it.  

Though Social Media is a very useful way to stay in touch, run a business, and advertise, we must always remember to be careful with it. It is very beneficial and definitely worth the risk, we just need to remember that there is a risk and act accordingly. 

Social Media: 

Twitter: “Social Media and its Darkside” come check it out here

Facebook: “Social Media’s Darkside” click on this link to access my new blog! 

References: 

Teacher Sacked For Posting Picture Of Herself Holding Glass Of Wine and Mug Of Beer on Facebook 

Daily Reporter – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1354515/Teacher-sacked-posting-picture-holding-glass-wine-mug-beer-Facebook.html 

Ottawa-area School Board Investigates Racist ‘promposal’ That Refers To Black People Picking Cotton 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/beta.ctvnews.ca/local/ottawa/2020/1/31/1_4792566.html

Social Media is Changing Lives

Almost every Millenial and Gen Z owns a phone or a computer and with that technology comes a network that creates a whole new world.

Have you ever been spotted by a modelling agency while on the streets or maybe a movie producer saw your local play and decided to hire you on the spot. Probably not. It’s very rare to become famous overnight by some ‘dumb luck’. At least before it was rare. Nowadays, with many people having access to social media, people are posting one small thing then waking up the next morning to find out thousands of people liked it. Things can change within a snap of your fingers thanks to this new way of showing your content.

Many people, teenagers and adults alike have found new full time jobs thanks to social medias like Tik Tok, Facebook, and Instagram. And no, I don’t just mean they found jobs by searching the ‘Now Hiring’ section, I mean their jobs ARE posting on these sites or these sites helped them become self employed.

There are so many artists and creators who started out small, as nobodies, who now make a full living off of what they create thanks to social media platforms. One artist in particular I know is Kittyalyst, an instagram artist. She is a full time student but is using social media to help her sell her art and pay for her schooling. With the help of social media, she has made over 700 art sales on etsy.

Becoming famous and creating your own business has never been easier with the help of social media but don’t let the glam of popularity blind you. Though it can be very helpful, it can also destroy you.

(Social Media’s Dark Side coming soon)