#GCWeb18

Peter is another filmmaker that I follow on YouTube. He has a different story that I find fascinating. He started in commercial filmmaking and then after a few years, he moved to YouTube. He has amassed a massive following his YouTube debut back in 2016. He now has 2.2 million subscribers, and each video has about 4 million views.

He usually produces education videos on filmmaking. He shows his perspective on how he would approach a certain challenge or obstacle. His take on filmmaking is a different one; many times, he shows us the best way to get the best shots with only what we have. Other times, he shows us what the power of friendships and money can get you. He often collaborates with other filmmakers to create films, or he works with sponsors.

His personality is very interesting to me too. He is a very outgoing and a loving person. Many times, when he is walking through a town or city he is visiting, he will say hello to strangers, or he will strike up conversations with anyone. He loves coffee almost more than he loves his family. He is reluctant to show his family on his vlogs. He likes to keep work and personal separate. I have a lot of respect for him because of that. I do not like to combine work and personal life.

One of my favorite videos was when Peter met up with another YouTuber I follow, MKBHD. They collaborated, answered questions and showed off their gear. It was a fun video and one that I have watched a few times. Peter has such a strong camera presence, and he is a force to be reckoned within the industry.

Here are some of my favorite videos from his YouTube channel. Check them out.

The bowel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HetzwxXCO4E

How I make a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blzp1mJffEU

Getting schooled my MKBHD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VZ2_kBu1Zg

Our team chose the book “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger. I was pretty interested to read this book because of the title. It caught my attention because I was curious why things catch on the way they do. After starting to read the introduction, I knew that there would be topics described that I have never heard of. This made me more curious. The topics described in this book are social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories. By reading the chapter names, I had no clue what some of them were going to talk about. I have heard of some but I didn’t know how some could relate to why things catch on. While reading the chapters, I liked how the author used examples to help illustrate the concepts he was describing. It really helped me put the word to the action.

In chapter one, he described social currency. I had heard of this but I didn’t know much about this topic. The examples he used to help understand this were very beneficial. My favorite example was making people feel like they are insiders. If a business makes their customers feel “exclusive”, they feel very special and high-class. The example he used was a man had a discount store that sold clothing and accessories. The business was not doing the best, so he opened a new store that was invite only. You had to be a member to shop there. Both sold about the same products, but one was more exclusive, so members felt high-class. This business succeeded far more than the other store. I thought this was a great, relatable example.

Overall, this book was very informative on how things catch on the way they do. The author didn’t just write about the obvious topics that people already knew, but he dug deeper into some areas that are also a factor. I would recommend this book to anyone who is as curious as I was to find out the factors.

Twitter was just another app I signed up for to scroll through the feed of people I follow. I followed the news, sports, film topics, and friends. I never paid too much attention to Twitter because I thought it was kind of annoying at times. This class has changed my perspective about the app because Twitter can do so much more than I ever knew. I never paid attention to it nor did I understand what Twitter was capable of. I have realized that it can be used to reach so many people and also different kinds of people. It is an app that has only grown in popularity since its launch. And I feel it will only continue to grow with our society.

Twitter is the app of choice for many people and celebrities. The use of hashtags and the mention tools are powerful features that have become a part of society and everyday life. Any user can use the “@” symbol then type in a user’s name to tag them in a post. This is especially useful when trying to make sure that a company sees a comment that you have made whether it be good or bad. This is how businesses on Twitter communicate with their customers when they are mentioned. The hashtags are also great to use so many other people can see posts with the same hashtag. If a user is interested in a certain topic, celebrity, company, or event, they can search the hashtag to see what is happening around.

Throughout this 4-week semester, I have learned the power and strength of Twitter. We learned how Twitter has helped grow businesses and shaped elections. Twitter is a part of society and daily life for many people. Often, it is the best way to communicate with other people and also find new people. After this class, I will definitely start using Twitter for my small business so I can continue to grow more.

The groundswell is changing the way that social marketing techniques are approached. Rather than traditional means of acquiring information, the evolution of technology within the digital world is transforming the ways we determine what products, brands, and organizations are right for us.

Up to this point, I have read through six chapters of groundswell and at first I had no idea what the term groundswell even remotely meant. Ultimately, it is the way that social technologies are transforming the world.

Some key points and strategies have been implemented and discussed in the first few chapters and they have been both helpful and insightful. 

One thing that I have taken from the reading is that the advancements in technology have given a voice to people who never had the opportunity to express their opinions and experiences. Bloggers are thriving in this era. Also to go along with the avid bloggers are the people who post simple reviews and interactions within communities about relationships and products they are building within their specific audiences. 

Relationships. The groundswell is building foundations on millions of different levels. Whether you love mayonnaise, sports, or bird watching there is a community out there for you to be a part of and speak with others with similar interests. The groundswell reading has even categorized the different roles of the people who use social tools through the social technographics ladder. From inactive members to the creators there is a category that fits almost everyones use of digital networking. 

Brands, businesses, and corporations are using it as well. The mass spreading of content and the customer service assistance has influenced and progressed the ways that they interact with their consumers. Reading relevant material from blogs and customer reviews has helped mold the company into an organization that can please their consumers consistently. 

Being able to talk and listen within the groundswell is vital as well. I learned good tactics to use from the chapters but what has stood out to me the most from the two is the techniques for talking with the groundswell. Viral videos, content, blogging, are all exceptional ways to catch a audiences attention.

The groundswell is impeccable and a tool that can be utilized on so many levels. As I continue to read this book I am ecstatic to see what it has to offer.