Best (Digital) Ride Ever.

This semester I had the ride of my life and I think I can pass go and collect my New Media Drivers License. In January I enrolled in a class that at Michigan State University which was taught under the instruction of Derek Mehraban who happens to be the leader of Ingenex Digital Marketing. Initially I enrolled in the course because I was hearing all the talk about new media…. and well I felt a bit pressured to hop on the digital buss to see what all the buzz was about.

This course was very insightful. I have learned more about digital communication and new media than I could have ever imagined. I loved the course  because it was unique unlike any other course that I have taken at MSU.

The highlights of the course included…..

• Blogging. Weekly assignments consisted of blog entries. Through these entries I shared new things I learned while also expressing myself. Blogs are a great way to share any type of information with others. It’s simple and creative.
• Socail Networks. Facebook, Linkedin, Digg and Twitter were also included in the course work. These sites showed me that you can market yourself to one the best audiences…your friends and other individuals that you already associate with in your very own personal networks.
• Google. Google is the best search engine and an even greater company that is beneficial for many other things as well. I became more familiar with the products that Google offers and my life did become that much more simple. The tools such as Gmail, Goggle Calendar and Google Docs are just that great and very user friendly making them love at first sight.

To conclude the course I have a presentation that I plan to share with my fellow New Media Drivers License recipients. The presentation will include,

• my motivation of enrolling this course
• pros and cons about the course
• my new discoveries about online technology, social networks, and other digital tools
• weekly blog entries
• independent study track
• future roads of the New Media Drivers Licence

Are you ready for the best (digital) ride of your life?!

Getting good with Google. Experiments.

In my Getting Good with Google I have focused on Google gadgets that are amazingly cool! However, in my search this week I came across Google Labs. Have you ever wanted to be a lab rat? Ok, probably not but experiments are cool especially when YOU can be a part of the adventure. Google Labs is super sweet because it showcases Google’s latest experiments. The best part of it all is that you can actually join an experiment and upon doing a Google search you will be able to see that feature. I do have some bad news….you can only join one experiment at a time! BUT at least you can say that you have participated in research before….

After I ventured through Google Labs Google In Quotes passed my test with flying colors! This experiment allows you to view and compare quotes of stories linked from Google News. As of now, individuals in the news can be compared on a particular topic. The individuals to compare and the topics can be selected using a drop down menu.

Other features that you will love about this Google gadget are…

• Spin button. This rotates, or spins the qoutes allowing you to compare multiple quotes on a specific topic.
• Country edition. Select a different country to view qoutes of people from around the world.
• Arrows. Arrows allow you to view different quotes from the individual that you select.

I’m sure this experiement will pass your test…test it out!

Getting good with google. Google Search.

This week as I thought about what my google post would be I decided to focus on the Google Search Engine. The Google Search Engine is the most used online search engine. The search engine was developed in 1997 and receives several hundred million search queries everyday. I can believe that the search engine receives a vast amount of search queries because I use Google at least 20 times a day because of the helpful information that it always provides.

Top reasons why Google is the Best Search Engine

• Search results includes snapshots.
• SEO.
• Advanced search option.
• Search not only the web but also blogs, images and news.
• Set preferences. Including  language, # of results to display per page, new window for search results, filtering, and search suggestions.
• I’m feeling lucky. This feature directs you to the first website of search results helping to maximize the google search experience.

My absolute favorite aspect of the Google Search Engine are the Google holiday logos displayed before searching!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2009

Valentine’s Day 2009

Election Day 2008

St. Patricks Day 2008

Independence Day 2007

Earth Day 2007

 

Do you have a favorite Google logo?

Digital PR, now.

Get this book now! The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott , who is a marketing and leadrship speaker, wrote a  book that focuses on how to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, and online media to reach buyers.  

The concepts in the book are simple to master and can be beneficial to many. This book is actually being used for a course on the New Media Drivers License at Michigan State University. The course helps to identify useful online tools for marketing and PR which are free or inexpensive….and of course great for the budget of a college student. Students display their new formed knowledge through a blog just like this one :).

Check out more on marketing with David Meerman Scott.

Check out 1888 Press Release to read my PR, a site for free, yes FREE PR!

I love the book!

• useful in learning new formats of marketing
• easy concepts to understand and master
• valuable source