Blog Assignment #4

For Social Media Week, since I already have a website and outright refuse to get a Twitter, I liked ten businesses related to my field of study. Below are the businesses I liked and the comments I left:

1) Peace Corps
“Hi! I'm a Graphic Design major and I plan on serving the Corps for 6 months-1 year after I graduate. I was just wondering if there were any art related ways I could contribute while abroad, such as teaching art classes to the children?”

2) Walt Disney Animation Studios
“What sort of majors and institutions do your animators hail from? Is there a particular grad school you’d recommend attending?”

3) California Institute of the Arts
“Is there any hope of offering an MFA in Character Animation in the future?”

4) Education Abroad Network: Study Australia, Study New Zealand, Study Asia
“Hi! I'm a pre-Graphic Design major at Iowa State. At the Study Abroad fair, I spoke with a representative about universities in Australia (preferably in the Sydney area) that offer Graphic Design programs. She suggested the University of Technology at Sydney, but I'm having issues finding further information on the website. Any help you could offer would be great!”
“Hiya! Any recommendations for which semester would be better for visiting Australia, Spring or Fall, as for weather and opportunities offered?”

5) College of Design @ Iowa State University
“Hi! I know there's been talk of a Digital Media major next year amongst the students, but I've been wondering what the official word on that was?”
“Hi! Are there going to be portfolio advice nights held next semester?”

6) University of Technology, Sydney
“Hi! I'm a pre-Graphic Design major at Iowa State planning on studying abroad at the University of Technology at Sydney, but I'm having issues finding further information on the website. Any help you could offer would be great!”

7) DreamWorks Animation

8) Pixar Animation Studios
“What sort of majors and institutions do your animators hail from? Is there a particular grad school you’d recommend attending?”

9) Warner Bros. Animation

10) Marvel
“What sort of majors and institutions do your illustrators hail from? Is there a particular grad school you’d recommend attending?”

What surprised me about the Twitter Elevator pitch was the advice about articles relating to your business. Personally, I've always seen social media as just that - social. When I have a job I hope to be passionate about it - but I don't want it to take over my life. I don't have Twitter, but if I did I'd hope it would be filled with things about my friends and family, vacations, and well... my social life. Another thing I found surprising was the recurring theme in most of the articles: that Twitter was a more professional tool than Facebook. I - like most people I assume - have always viewed Twitter as a dumpster full of pointless tweets like "I'm eating a taco." But the articles viewed tweeting as 'building a brand'. One of the articles even had statistics for politicians and athletes, among others, using Twitter. When I really sit down and think about it, I guess that all makes sense. However, I still don't plan on getting Twitter... at least for some time. I spend enough time on Facebook as it is, and at this point I don't believe I have a brand to build.