When I first began my online digital course, I was scared about writing a blog about me for all to see and react to. But when I saw other people have similar feelings and thoughts about being new to writing in public, I realized it wasn’t so bad to put your story out there. Thanks to my digital course, I learned a lot about the importance of communication and storytelling. Knowing to write more clearly, concisely, and with proper grammar helped me gain the confidence to write and tell a story differently. The most intriguing aspect of this course for me was learning that storytelling is commonly used in digital content to market to people. I believe it because sharing a simple shared interest or experience with your audience/consumer is an excellent way to get their attention. And also, telling a story allows you to become more interested and relatable to your audience; It binds us as we share empathy for one another; as a result, they are more likely to become our customers or reader.
Author: Benn
COM0014 ASSIGNMENT #1: Blog Post #6
One of John Jantsch’s questions in his article called “Do People Know Your Story?” was, “What about your childhood shaped you today?” it got me thinking about what shaped me into the person I am now. My entire childhood was spent with my siblings and friends, and I recall genuinely enjoying it. When I was a kid, my parents weren’t always there for us because of work. My mom had to relocate to Canada for work, and my dad works in another city and only visits us every two weeks. We had to drive 30 minutes to talk to my mom because there was no internet at that time in our area, and having a personal phone was unheard of, so we couldn’t contact them when we needed them. At a young age, I remember doing my laundry, preparing my breakfast and lunch, and leaving and walking to school early in the morning to avoid being late for class. It’s just crazy recalling those days, and I believe that those responsibilities and making decisions at a young age shaped who I am today. Being independent enabled me to self-taught myself in many things, and it also helped me guide others better because I understand how they think and feel when they don’t understand something. I also believe that being self-sufficient helps me cope better with stress, especially in school and work. I don’t blame my parents in any way; I thanked and appreciated all of their efforts to provide a better future for us, and I don’t think I would be where I am now if they weren’t there for us 🙂
COM0014 – Blog #4: B2C Case Study
As we all know, Netflix is the most popular online streaming service for mainstream consumers. They’ve been so successful because they have a fantastic social media management team that keeps their customers informed about their content and values their feedback. Netflix is active on social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. They are constantly aware of trending hashtags on social media and will occasionally share a meme based on their most popular show, as well as movie recommendations. People admired their work and content because of their social media strategy, which emphasized authenticity and interaction with people. I’ve noticed that each social media platform has a slightly different approach. They have similar content on their Instagram and YouTube pages. You’ll find a lot of movies or show clips to promote them or keep people up to date on what’s new. While Twitter has become their primary source of memes, they also use it to promote shows and movies via short clips. And Their Facebook page, which has 81 million followers, has a mix of Instagram and Twitter content.
Overall, viewing Netflix’s social media will prove why they are number one; their social media strategy is superior. They’ve always made it a point to keep people informed about their content and recommend movies to watch, which I think is great as a consumer, and who doesn’t enjoy a little humor in their daily social media posts? I think it’s a fantastic way to connect with people, particularly millennials.
COM0014 – Blog #3: Target Audiences
Surfing through social media is one of my hobbies when I have free time. Creating social networks and simply exploring and discovering new things keeps me away from real life and keeps me from becoming overly stressed. I’ve noticed that social media is used by the majority of people nowadays. Because so many people use it, social media has become the most popular and effective marketing method. According to my research, many successful brands or businesses have two things in common that help them grow their audience. The first is to focus on a specific target audience depending on the product or content you’re promoting. On YouTube, for example, each content creator has a particular target audience in mind. A common interest, age, or gender could all play a role. It could be a guy who does car DIY, so car enthusiasts are their target market. Or a children’s channel aimed at children who enjoy cartoons, nursery rhymes, and children’s songs. Secondly, valuing feedback and always looking for ways to improve is the best way to grow your audience. Using your audience’s feedback to improve your content will make them feel heard and allow you to gain their trust and engagement. Appreciating their feedback will assist you in ensuring that your brand/product meets their expectations and fulfils their needs. My point here is that people who know and value their audience have a significant impact on their brand and can help it grow and succeed in the long run.
COM0014 – Blog #2: Storytelling
Throughout the week, I learned that there are many different ways to tell a story and improve our storytelling skills. The best way to get better at storytelling is to write more clearly, concisely, and with proper grammar. By writing content that is simple to read and comprehend, you will be able to capture and maintain your readers’ attention. We also learned to write in the active voice rather than the passive voice to keep our content interesting. By clarifying who is doing what in the sentence, the active voice can help you write more clearly and allow the reader to understand the content. On the other hand, the passive voice can sometimes be too wordy and clunky, making it less direct to the reader.
Another thing we learned is about audience engagement. People who read or listen to you can get more involved if you ask them questions. It could be that you want them to tell you about their own experiences or that you want them to share your own content so that other people can learn about it, too. Engagement starts with your simple question, which could significantly impact the blog algorithms. The more engagement and audience you have, the more likely your content will appear in the Google feed recommended.
COM0014 – Assignment #2: Finding Your Personal Story.
Ben Deluna is one of the most humble individuals you will ever encounter. He is 21 years old and lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He was born in the Philippines and raised there. He was fortunate to have hardworking parents who immigrated to Canada in order to provide a better future for their children. He is the youngest of four siblings, with two sisters and a brother. He has the freedom to take unnecessary risks because he is the youngest, but he was not spoiled in any way.
He is now enrolled as a second-year student at St Lawrence College in Kingston, where he is studying computer system technician. He also interned at Correctional Service of Canada’s IT department, which turned out to be one of his best internship choices because everyone there was friendly and helpful, and he was able to gain valuable experience and skills from them. From being a crying baby to no longer being a child, Ben has seen and experienced a lot in his 21 years on this planet. He had grown up enough to make his own decisions and be self-sufficient.
COM0014 – Blog #1: What I Did On My Vacation
Without a doubt, summer vacation is my favourite season of the year. It allows me to relax, spend time with my family and friends, and try new things.
Last summer, my siblings, niece, and I went to Canada Wonderland. I’m not a huge fan of roller coasters, and to be honest, I wasn’t planning on going, but my niece persuaded me to come and see what a once-in-a-lifetime experience it is. The drive from Kingston to Canada Wonderland took two hours, and I was exhausted when we arrived because I’m not used to long drives and became bored and tired quickly. When we visited Canada Wonderland, it was the weekend and lovely sunny weather, so the crowds were massive. We were glad we bought a fast pass because we never had to wait more than an hour in line for a ride. The Leviathan, behemoth, and Yukon Stricker were the most extensive rides I’ve ever done. These three roller coaster rides were the most thrilling; I experienced a lot of g-forces and felt a little lightheaded on these rides, but it was well worth it. We tried to take advantage of our Fast Pass by riding almost every roller coaster, and it was well worth the extra money, as I heard people say they waited for several hours to get into the Leviathan ride, which is always crowded.
Overall, the trip was a lot of fun, and thanks to my niece, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’d ever made.
Have you ever visited Canada Wonderland? Which of the rides do you consider to be your personal favourite?
I also got an Oculus Quest 2, a Virtual Reality Headset, over the summer, which was a lot of fun. One of my favourite things to do in my spare time is to play video games. And VR headsets are a game-changer, providing an entirely new way to enjoy gaming. I was bored at home and unable to go out due to a COVID restriction, so I decided to try virtual reality (VR), which I had heard was a great way to socialize while playing games. I was utterly blown away by the experience, and it was probably the most immersive thing I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Playing table tennis and fishing in VR were my favourites; it felt like I was fishing and playing table tennis in real life.
Have you tried VR before? What’s your favourite game to play in VR?
If you enjoy gaming, you should give it a shot.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 