COM0015 – Blog #1 – Tools & Sources

Media Monitoring Tools

As a relative ‘newbie’ to the world of social media monitoring, I have discovered some monitoring tools that I find easy and fun to use without over-complicating the data. The first tool I enjoy using is Mentionlytics. Unfortunately, it’s a paid site, but thanks to free trials, I have been able to play around with it for a while. My favourite aspect of Mentionlytics is its dashboard feature that provides a snapshot of the social media of the brand or company you are monitoring. As such, you get to instantly see metrics such as tone, engagement, mentions, which platforms are most popular, as well as social media success in comparison to competitor brands. Getting to see the overall metrics in one screen is really helpful for understanding the general reception of an organization or company online. Moreover, it allows you to choose if you want to dive deeper into more specific data, or stick to the general data on the first page. In simpler terms, it makes the measuring/monitoring process more personal and customizable. 

Another monitoring tool I enjoy using is Google Alerts. The best part about it is its ease of use. All you have to do is create keywords relating to the topic you want to monitor, and then anytime there is relevant content posted online, Google Alerts consolidates a list of this content into a weekly email that goes directly to your inbox. As such, you don’t have to lift a finger. You simply receive the list of published content, and you can click on any of the articles you find interesting. Personally, I am an avid curler, so I like to use Google Alerts to stay on top of what’s happening in the world of curling without having to follow hundreds of clubs or curling federations. 

News Sources

In terms of news, I like to use LinkedIn because as with Twitter, it allows you to scroll through a variety of sources on one page, choosing which posts to explore further. One reason why I prefer LinkedIn to Twitter though, is that I find the posts tend to generate more professional conversations. For example, for a controversial topic such as the overturning of Roe V. Wade, I saw disagreements on both Twitter and LinkedIn, but the tone of the arguments were much more cordial and fact-based on LinkedIn than on Twitter. (This is just from my experience)

Another source of news that I enjoy is Vox. Vox is a website that covers top news stories worldwide, but in a way that is easy for anyone to understand. I like learning about what’s happening in the world, but if there is an information overload, my brain shuts down. With Vox, everything is explained while avoiding “fluff” as I like to call it, or extra pieces of information or phrasing that doesn’t actually add any context to the story. I find Vox easy to understand, easy to read, and since they cover a wide variety of topics, they make it easy for me to stay on top of current events, without the burden of heavy reading and concentration. 

I’m interested in reading about other tools for monitoring and news consumption are out there!

COM0014 – Blog #1: East Coast Road Trip

Peggy’s Cove, N.S.

Remember last summer when gas prices were blissfully low? I don’t know about you, but I miss those days! Anyway, given the circumstances, my parents and I decided to embark on a road trip to Nova Scotia. We lived in N.S. for 13 years until my dad was posted by the military to Ottawa, so we were excited to get a chance to visit home. 

Since the drive is pretty long, we decided to take overnight pit-stops in Quebec City and Fredericton. It was fun to have mini trips along the way! We did some shopping, ate local food, and just walked around to take in the scenery. We hadn’t been outside of Ottawa since the onset of the pandemic, which I’m sure many of you can relate to, so it was nice to just see a different environment. 

Once we arrived in Nova Scotia, we went straight to our family friend’s house. I hadn’t seen my best friend for 600 days, (yes, we counted!), so being reunited was so heartwarming! My parents were excited to see her parents too because they are good friends and used to be quite the successful trivia team. I should note that I was occassionally on their trivia team too, although I don’t think I was quite as helpful as they might have liked! 

Reunited with my friend, Bailey!

Throughout the rest of our trip we toured around to some of the restaurants and sights that we frequented when we were Bluenosers, (nicknamed after the tall ship on the dime for those who don’t know!), and I hung out a lot with my friends. We’re a simple bunch, and just enjoyed being in each other’s company, whether that meant going to an adventure park or simply playing the 2008 version of Wii Mario Kart while stuffing our faces with pizza. I know it’s ancient now, but I still love my Wii!

One thing I discovered while on my trip were bubble waffles. Instead of having square troughs like traditional waffles, bubble waffles have round, hollow bubbles! They are delicious on their own, but I went to The Portland St Creperie in Dartmouth, and they filled their bubble waffles with icecream! If you want, they will also top your dessert with sauces, sprinkles and even cotton candy. I’m a plainly-paleted gal, so I stuck with the plain icecream, but the loaded waffles were way more Instagram-worthy. Definitely the best summer treat I’ve ever had! 

Bubble waffle deliciousness

When it was time to start the drive home, I was sad. As I’m sure many of you understand, it’s not easy parting ways with close friends, nor departing from amazing vacations. I suppose though that it’s not so bad to be sad to leave a vacation because it means it was that good! It also means that the memories from the vacation will last forever. 

As for the next adventure, I’m heading back to Nova Scotia in less than a month to surprise my friend on her birthday! Hopefully I can keep it a secret until then! 

Let me know in the comments below where your next adventure will take you!