Goodbye Blog

I feel that it is only appropriate to say goodbye since I said hello just a couple months ago. This blog has been a lot of things to me, but mostly something I do whenever I don't feel like doing my other school work. In my opinion, that's a good thing because it means that I would rather be blogging than doing something else. I hated blogging in the previous classes I have taken here at UD so it looks like this one's the winner. I don't see myself keeping up with this thing after the course is over, but I hope someone will read it and enjoy it.

Summary of THE NOTEBOOK wiki

After all of my revisions to The Notebook article on wikipedia, I can honestly say that I am glad that I'm done. I had the opposite problem with this article that I had with all of the rest. That is, the article on The Notebook has so much information that it was very time consuming to edit any one particular part at once. Even though I have seen the movie 4 times, I was not aware of some of the information that was already on the page when I started. Therefore, I wasn't sure if the info was correct or not. My overall addition to the page has been a couple of fun facts about the actors in the film, many grammatical corrections, and re-writes. None of my contributions were deleted or scrutinized after the completion, which I am very happy about. The biggest lesson I have learned from editing the article is that it's harder to edit an article about something that there is no new or changing information on. In the future, I will be sure to pick articles that I will be able to contribute new and exciting information to.

Wiki Edit #13: The Notebook

Today I finished editing the article about The Notebook. Last week, I had edited the first two portions of the storyline but this week I was able to complete all of the revisions. I definitely think the article reads a bit better now that it doesn't include so many darned commas. You can check out my edits and additions here.

Summary of PRIMANTI BROTHERS wiki

Throughout the course, I have edited the Primanti Brothers article on wikipedia. Once again, I would conclude that my edits have had a positive impact on the page. I would say that the most important thing I did was re-write the page in order for people to read the article more easily. The original author chose very wordy sentences that didn't make very much sense to my friends and I. There were also a few critical spelling mistakes that I was able to fix. Plus, I added fun facts about the place Primanti Brothers holds in the media. Being from the Pittsburgh area myself, I know that the sandwich is popular world wide. However, when I began editing the article I found that the page didn't really reflect its popularity. I wouldn't say that this article was my favorite to edit but it was definitely worth while. I had a great time learning about a tradition that I thought I knew everything about. Again, I would've liked it if more people were actively editing the page but it wasn't too bad at all.

Wiki Edit #12: Primanti Brothers'

In editing the Primanti Brother's article today, I added the year in which they were founded. I also cleaned up the "acclaim" section so that it would be easier to read. In addition, I noted some awards that the restaurant has won locally. You can check out the article and my edits here.

Summary of ARBOR MIST wiki

In the duration of the semester I have edited the Arbor Mist page multiple times. This particular article was difficult to edit because the existing content was very minimal. If I ever had to do this blog project over again, I would be sure to pick articles that already had a substantial amount of material so that it would be easier to find grammatical errors and such. I also found it hard to find more information on Arbor Mist online. Even the Arbor Mist website lacked information that didn't have to do with advertising. I chose the article because it was about one of my favorite products but I don't think I realized that I wouldn't be able to put personal input into page. Although wikipedia is a social media, it is different from a blog because it is less about opinions and more about facts. In addition, no one else seemed to be editing the page because I found mistakes within my own edits on a couple of occasions and no one had bothered to fix them. I think it's much more fulfilling to edit a page that you know many people are reading. In conclusion, this article was a pain in the butt to edit!

Wiki Edit #11: Arbor Mist

Today I corrected a spelling error that I actually made myself and made one grammar correction. I also added the fact that Arbor Mist has screw-off tops to the "Consumption Facts" section.

Summary of CHI OMEGA wiki

Since mid-February I have been editing the Chi Omega article in the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. I feel that my contributions have had a positive impact on the site. Nearly all of my edits have been successful and by 'successful', I mean that no one has deleted them in the span of the course. The one exception to that statement is the time that I edited the page to include a success story about my own chapter of Chi O at the University of Delaware. The story was about raising enough money for the "Make A Wish" foundation to send a little girl to Disney World. However, in my edit I said that she was 4-years old instead of 6, and there was immediate backlash. I can't believe people that don't even go to school here,or anywhere for that matter, know more about my sorority than I do. Not only did she delete my story, but she also left a nice little comment for me about how stupid I was for mistaking her age. Thankfully, all of my other additions the the article which included famous quotes, Chi Omega's six purposes and the organization of the sorority, are still in tact. In fact, just minutes after adding the organization section, someone corrected my spelling. I had no idea it could be done that quickly. In editing the wikipedia article, I have learned a ton of facts about my sorority. All in all, I think that this article helped me to learn the most.

Wiki Edit #10: Chi Omega

In my final edit to the Chi Omega wikipedia article, I added yet another section to the page. I titled the section "Organization" and included basic facts about the way Chi Omega is governed. Here is the section I added :

The fraternity's day to day business activities are overseen by the Executive Council which is comprised of five elected members. Each individual chapter of Chi Omega receives at least one visit per year from a National Consultant who aids in the development of the young women. Futhermore, each chapter gets additional support from Chi Omega alumni, national volunteers, professional staff and resource manuals.

Teamate Comment # 6: Cullenoscopy

I commented on my teamates blog to let him know how thankful I was that he posted "live blogs" during each class. The live blogs contained notes for each class and they were very helpful whenever I missed class or didn't take the best notes. You can check out my comment on Cullen's blog here.

Teamate Comment #5: Jlean's Blog

I commented on Josh's blog posting entitled " From TV Ads to Youtube Anarchy." I agreed completely with what Josh had written in his post about how there's an unknown 'something' that makes some Youtube videos and other 2.0 tech's so intriguing. You can view Josh's blog, and my comment here.

Wiki Edit # 9: Arbor Mist

Because the Arbor Mist article isn't very developed yet, there is no grammatical errors for me to fix. Therefore, I decided to add more information to the page. Specifically, I added information on a new flavor that Arbor Mist has developed for the holiday season that is available for a limited time called "Merry Berry Merlot." You can check out my addition to the article here.

Wiki Edit # 8: Primanti Brothers

Today, my wikipedia edits have been primarily focused on grammar because until today, I hadn't made any grammatical corrections on any of my articles. Consequently, in editing the Primanti Brothers page, I made corrections to the history section based on spelling, punctuation and wording. I actually found a spelling error, which was pretty exciting to me for some reason. They author had spelled the word "utensils" incorrectly. Here is the paragraph before my corrections:

The sandwich is said to have its origins from the city's steel days when blue collar workers needed a hot meal mid-shift but had neither the time nor the untensils. By combining the sides with the sandwich, a Pittsburgh staple was born. Of course, the restaurant offers a slightly humorous take on it, offering the explanation that the Primanti brothers simply forgot the plates and forks one day. According to the restaurant, Lou and Dick Stanley invented the sandwich during the Great Depression. They opened their hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Smallman Street in the Strip District of Pittsburgh and served the late-night and early-morning workers unloading fish, fruits and vegetables.[1] The restaurant has evolved to become a casual neighborhood restaurant with 13 Pittsburgh locations, including those found in PNC Park and Heinz Field, as well as two locations in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.[2]

To see the article after I cleverly edited it, follow this link!

Wiki Edit # 7: The Notebook

While reading through the first couple paragraphs in the article under the section "plot", I noticed that the author had made several grammatical errors. First, he or she added way too many commas in places where they were not necessary. Secondly, the author's use of wording seemed awkward in some spots. Finally, the author capitalized words such as "ferris wheel" even though the word is not a proper noun. I re-wrote the first 2 plot paragraphs in order for the article to flow better. Here is what the 2 paragraphs looked like before I edited the page:

Set in a modern day nursing home, an elderly man named Noah, but called "Duke" (James Garner), begins to read a love story from his notebook, to an elderly woman named Allie, who suffers from Alzheimer's, and who is also really his wife. Before, when the illness had not yet intensified, Allie wrote her love story that she shared with Noah in a notebook, gave it to him, and asked that he read it to her, promising that she will remember when he does.
The year then goes back to 1940, at a carnival. Noah (Ryan Gosling), a country boy who is with his friend Fin (Kevin Connolly), first sees Allie (Rachel McAdams), a seventeen-year-old girl from a wealthy family, who is with her friend Sara (Heather Wahlquist). Noah is immediately smitten with Allie, and continuously asks her out on dates, only to be playfully rejected by her, even hanging off the Ferris Wheel showing that he will let go if she didn’t accept. Soon, they wind up with each other while going to a late night show with Fin and Sara. They both spend extra time with each other that night, and quickly fall in love.

You can see what the article looks like with the adjustments I made by following this link

Sorry!

I just wanted to apologize for the halt in my blog postings last week. I was sick as a dog in bed for 4 days straight. I have no idea what was wrong with me, but it wasn't good...I think it was the flu. Anyways, I'm feeling much better now thanks to a jumble of antibiotics and tons of sleep. I'd have to say that the cause of my illness was partially due to grueling 2 a-day Airband practices beginning at 7am. For those of you who don't know, airband is a dance/cheer/everything competition on the last day of Greek Week. Although it sounds like it's no big deal, sororities and fraternities spend hours upon hours practicing for the event which is judged much like a traditional dance competition. My sorority in particular spent a total of 100hrs practicing and those hours definitely paid off in the end because we won first place! This was the first time my sorority won 1st in the 3 years I participated so it was especially exciting for me. Our theme was " Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" You can view a youtube video of our Airband here. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Blogosphere Comment #5: Global Neighbourhoods

While searching through the blogosphere, I came across a post on the Global Neighbourhoods blog. The article, "Home from the Holidays" was about the blogger's recent trip to Maui. Reading through it, I noticed that he was able to include pictures within individual posts. It was nice to actually be able to see what the blogger was talking about, especially because the article contained graphic explanations of his experiences in Maui. I have recently vacationed in Cancun, Mexico in honor of the college tradition known as "Spring Break." My trip was less about sight seeing and more about having fun. However, both my friends and I were in awe of the clear blue waters and picture perfect skies. The view from our hotel room(pictured above) was like something you would see in a movie. If someone were to paint a picture of the landscape, it would look like a movie set rather than something that can be found in this world. One downfall of the trip was having my cell phone and my ipod stolen on the beach :-( I was really upset about it for a while, but with perfect weather, great friends and just a little alcohol...I was able to forget about it. All in all, I'd say my trip was pretty perfect.

Wiki Edit #6: Arbor Mist

I edited the Arbor Mist wikipedia page. I think that since I've begun editing the page, it has developed into a more organized page. I edited it today to include some fun facts about the wine that I came across while researching the brand. I also divided the page into more clear-cut sections, which I think makes it easier for users to find exactly what they are looking for.

Teamate Comment #4: Jleans' Blog

I decided to comment on Jleans blog entitled "Amazon Price Discrimination--Class discussion"as well. A little repetitious but you can check it out!

Teamate Comment #3: Cullenoscopy

Just wanted to note that I commented on Cullen's blog entry entited "My roomate is blogging now!" You can view his blog and my comment at http://cullenoscopy.blogspot.com/index.html

Class Comment # 4, Virginia Tech

In class last Wednesday, we discussed how blogging had an effect on the reporting on the tragedy that happened at VA Tech last week. I realized while watching MTV last week that our classmates were not the only ones discussing the subject. MTV news featured a young student named Cody, who blogged about the days occurences as they happened. It's important to note that VA Tech's website was shut down because of too much traffic last monday night, and Cody's blog was the only way that some students were able to track any updates. In a time like this, its really amazing to see how much the media has evolved to allow more of an "insider view" for the average person.

Cody's blog can be viewed at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1557266/20070416/index.jhtml

Blogosphere Comment #4: "Dana Vanden Heuvel's" weblog

While looking through Dana's blog, I stumbled onto an article entitled " It's 2007, Do you know where your local internet listing is?" I found the article to be very interesting. She ( or he, i really dont know) noticed that often times, when businesses are searched within Google, the results are far from perfect. In fact, she even found that her own website had a flaw...it was linked to another website. After reading the article, I decided to search my father's business on Google to see what the results would entail. To my surprise, there were no results. His business is relatively small, but I can't believe my technologically impaired father hasn't even created a website. The business has grown very fast over the last couple of years, but I can only imagine how much more growth would ensue if he would just make a measily little website. I'm gonna hafta have a little talk with him when I go home.

Wiki Edit #5: Chi Omega

I edited the Wikipedia page about "Chi Omega." Here is what I added:

[edit] Chi Omega Quotes
"Chi O's were ideal partners for all occasions. They were discrete, desirable, tactful, polite and fun. Every mom dreamed of her son coming home with a Chi Omega..." -David Letterman-
" A Chi Omega isn't something you just become...it's something you've always been."

[edit] The Purposes of Chi Omega
In 1895, the six purposes of Chi Omega were established in order to preserve and enhance the values of each member. The six purposes are:
1. Friendship 2. High Standards of Personnel 3. Sincere Learning and Creditable Scholarship 4. Participation in Campus Activities 5. Career Developement 6. Community Service

stiuqxela

I was just thinking about our search engine experiment with the word stiuqxela...I'm surprised that although most of us had blogged about the word, only 24 results for yielded @ google.com and www.packers.com was the last result listed. I wonder if every blog entry with the word stiuqxela only counts as one, even if it is listed multiple times within the blog. Therefore, I am gonna conduct a slightly different experiment with this blog entry, and blog the word multiple times to see if stiuqxela yields more results. Here we go...stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela stiuqxela.

Blogosphere Comment #3: Deal Catcher

Since the creators of dealcatchers.com are visiting our classroom this friday, I decided to take a look at the website to see what it was all about. I found the website to be extremely interesting. Instead of searching for hours on individual websites for price cuts and deals, the website allows you to see thousands of deals across different businesses. I found that you could even search for deals within different categories such as "apparrel." Also, the results of a search were listed in alphabetical order, making it much easier to find deals at your favorite stores. I'm interested to see how the creators were able to make a good product out of an excellent idea.

Wiki Edit #4: The Notebook

Today I edited the Wikipedia article about the movie, "The Notebook." I added a few extra facts to the already existing list of fun facts. Here is what I added : Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, the actors who portray Noah and Allie, began dating shortly after the filmed wrapped.
James Garner,Ryan Gosling and Gena Rowlands have all been nominated for Academny Awards.

Class Comment # 3: Fooling Google

In class today we discussed that the word "stiuqxela" does not yeild any results when it is used as a search term on google. I think it is going to be pretty interesting to see how many results stiuqxela gets after all of the students blog about it. I'm thinking there will be at least 300 results. We should have to contest to see who can guess how many...now that would be fun haha.

Vanity Search & Google *BONUS*

Since we have discussed vanity searches in class multiple times, I thought I would give it a go and type my own name in the search blog. Much to my surprise, the very first site listed under the results page was a link to this blog. The second result was a link to a blog that I had done for another class at the University of Delaware, Accounting 208. I'd have to say that this blog is much more enjoyable to maintain. The blog I had to keep for Acct was very standardized and each entry had to be heavily researched, which I believe completely defeats the purpose of a weblog. It was as if each blog entry was a mini-research paper. Oppositely, this blog for BUAD 477 allows students to express class material and other areas of interest in a laid-back manner. I have definately learned more about blogging and class material through this type of communication. In fact, I completely forgot about the other blog I had created just one year ago!

Teamate Comment #2: "Hellertime"

I commented on my teamates blog posting about commercials during March Madness. Here is a link to his blog.

Class Comment # 2 , March 14th

In class today, we spoke about Viacoms $1 billion lawsuit against Google over their "YouTube" technology. While searching the net for more information I ran into this page. The writers of this website pose some very good questions that we didn't come up with in class. For example, they see the fight between the two companies as a matter of "who needs who more?" In other words, if Google really needed Viacom's programs to be included in YouTube, they would be more worried about their pending lawsuit. Instead, Google is acting as though they are indestructable. In the writer's eyes, it is apparent that Google is not worried about losing Viacom's support on YouTube because they will still be successful without them.

Blogosphere Comment #2: Thomas Hawk's Digital Conncetion+Flickr

Recently in class, we talked about the overwhelming popularity of the Google search engine. We also talked about how Flickr is one of the best image search engines on the net. While reading Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection, I found many connections to the topics we have discussed in class. He also believes that Flickr is the ultimate source for images. Interestingly, Thomas adds that Yahoo's image search is down 3% since last year. He believes that this is because they have not yet incorporated Flickr into their image search engine. After taking it upon myself to visit the Flickr site, I agree with Thomas. Flickr really does provide the best images for any given search. Yahoo should definately jump on the bandwagon by adding Flickr images to its search results.

Wiki Edit #3 : Primanti Brothers Restaurant

Since Primanti Brothers first appeared on the scene in my hometown of Greensburg Pa, I have been a huge fan. Many times when I mention to people that I am from the Pittsburgh area, the first thing that they say is "Do you ever eat at Primanti Brothers?" I edited the Wikipedia article to reflect the overwhelming worldwide knowledge of the famous restaurant.

Commenting on Class #1

Today in Buad 477 Toby, the blogger responsible for The Diva Marketing Blog gave a presentation to the class. She spoke about how the media is becoming more of a social media as opposed to one-way. I found the topic to be very interesting. It is amazing to me that the entire world of marketing is revolutionizing as consumers play one of the biggest roles in advertising. The demand side really is supplying itself. One interesting example of this phenomenon is the contest that took place during this years Grammy Awards. People all over the US were able to enter for a chance to sing with Justin Timberlake at the Grammy's by submitting videos of themselves singing. Yahoo Music then posted the videos and allowed anyone to log on and vote for the winner. Robyn Troup was the lucky winner whose fate was decided just moments before she performed on-stage with JT himself. I bet she's grateful for the increase in social media!

Wiki Edit#2 : Arbor Mist

I made an edit to the Wikipedia artice entitled Arbor Mist. Since the article was so short, it was easy to add more facts about one of my favorite products. Here is what I included in the article:

Arbor Mist now makes twelve different varieties of the wine product. These flavors include: Blackberry Merlot, Cranberry Twist White, Merlot, Zinfandel, Island Fruits Pinot Grigio, Melon White Zinfandel, Peach Chardonnay, Sangria Zinfandel, Strawberry White Zinfandel, Tropical Fruits Chardonnay and Orchard Fruits Chardonnay.
Arbor Mist now manufacturers "wine blenders" as well. [2]

I'm not really sure if that outside link is gonna work, but I certainly hope so.

Teamate Comment #1: Cullenoscopy

While reading over Sean's blog, I came across an interesting post entitled "Flogging". The post talks about how Sony used a fake blog in order to promote their new product the PSP. This got me to thinking about how many other companies have used this very same technique. After searching around on the net for some inside scoop on faux blogging, I found another blog that posed an even more interesting question...How soon will it be before companies begin posting fake blogs that are intended to look and and feel fake? Since fake blogging will be outlawed in the coming year, the blogger proposes this as a counter action. Now that I think about it, a fake blog that is intentionally and obviously a marketing campaign doesn't seem like a bad idea. Fake fake blogs would appeal to a younger generation and get people more excited than would say, a commercial. Who knows, maybe by the time I graduate there will be thousands of job openings for those such "fake bloggers."

Blogosphere Comment #1: " Upping the Hackability"

I just read the blog entitled "Upping the Hackability." They spoke about 2 new sodas that are on the market whose recipes are actually being made available for the public. I think that letting the public attempt to create your product is a great promotional idea. Recently, I recieved a "Paula Dean Egg Sandwich Maker" as a gift. For those of you who are not familiar with Paula Dean, she is a food network personality. The fact that I can create what she does in the comfort of my own home is amazing to me. My friends love the product as well! I challenge everyone to think back to their childhood, to the beginning of your life as a consumer. Do you remember the fascination with Betty Crocker's "Easy Bake Oven" and those "play-do spaghetti factories?" The idea of giving the recipes for sodas is just a grown-up way to promote the same imaginations you had as a child. In conclusion, I think that "do it yourself" promotional campaigns spark the creative side in almost everyone.

Wikipedia Edit #1 : Chi Omega

Today I edited the Wikipedia article on the Chi Omega sorority. The site only had brief descriptions of each aspect of what the sorority is all about. Consequently, it was relatively easy to add more information. Furthermore, I embellished on what exactly Chi Omega does for their national philanthropy, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. From my own experience I was able to note what the Chi Omegas at the University of Delaware have done to contribute. The text in green is what I actually wrote. I also added the internal "Make-A-Wish" link.

Chi Omega made the Make-A-Wish Foundation its official philanthropy in 2000. Five years later, the Rho Lambda chapter at the University of Delaware raised over $6500 for the foundation. The Rho Lambda chapter was able to grant the wish of 6 year-old Grace who dreamed of going to Disney World. In the summer of 2006, the chapter was recognized at Chi Omega's national convention for their outstanding philanthropic acheievements.

Introduction 2

This blog was created for a class I am taking at Udel. The class is called Information Technology Applications in Marketing and the class website/blog is http://infotechspring07.blogspot.com. Throughout the course, I will post at least one new post per week. Alex Brown is the professor that is teaching the course. Our class meets on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's from 2:30 until 3:20 pm.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Sophia Pappis and I am a junior at the University of Delaware. My major is marketing and I hope to obtain a career in pharmaceutical/medical sales after graduation. I am also a member of the Chi Omega sorority at UD and I like it a lot. My other interests include the Steelers, t.v, dancing, singing and shopping. My favorite holiday is Valentine's Day and my favorite color is pink. Furthermore, I absolutely hate cold weather, liars and running. Overall, I am a very laid-back girly-girl.