Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

I bet if someone told you ten years ago that in the future there would become a way for you to keep in touch with old friends, advertise personal and business events, create groups related to anything from your personal to professional interests and express yourself in various other ways all while having the option to be search engine optimized you would have looked at them like they were from another planet.  Most of you are probably already familiar with the continuously growing website, Facebook. What makes this website so unique is that it is geared toward almost everyone. Whether you are a young adult, college student or business professional Facebook can benefit you in an uncountable amount of ways.

It takes about five minutes to create an account on Facebook and then you are opened up to a world of communication. Once you create an account you have the option to find friends and family members and request to see their profiles, you can upload pictures, send messages to others, post upcoming events, create a description of yourself for others to see, and add various applications for fun or for a cause. 

Facebook for young adults usually has more of a social aspect to it. Young adults usually are more concerned with chatting with friends, finding new ones, uploading pictures, posting events or making groups. Facebook for business professionals or adults is more involved in connecting with old friends, establishing networking connections or posting upcoming business events.

Facebook is a communication tool for the future. Throughout the years it has gradually gained more and more interest in all age groups. Facebook is an extremely useful form of digital media that simplifies keeping in touch with people. There are few downsides to Facebook, however privacy is always a concern. Although you do have the option to keep your profile private someone always has the opportunity to check up on you through someone you are friends with. Many times business professionals will find ways to go in and view your facebook profile before they decide whether they are going to hire you. This is why you should protect yourself. I would suggest this old fashioned rule of thumb: don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your grandma to see or read. Most of the time if you follow this rule whatever you post or upload to your Facebook will not be incriminating (note: there are always exceptions to the rule).

Organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Greenpeace International, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), RSPCA ( Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Unicef, Rock the Vote, Green, PBS, The Campaign for Breast Cancer Research and various others all have created public groups on Facebook. Not only organizations, but almost every college has hundreds of groups associated with their school such as clubs, organizations, academic programs, academic departments and more.

Facebook is an extremely popular form of digital media and is universal to anyone with an internet connection. No matter where in the world you are or what you are doing you have the ability to keep in touch with others. This beneficial form of social media will only continue to evolve and attract more people as time progresses.

Loopt is a social networking tool that enables users to connect, share, and explore using their mobile phones. On the Eco-Friendly Internship blog I previously discussed mobile marketing – Loopt offers subscribers the chance to become mobile marketers, of themselves and of places and events they recommend. An interesting feature of Loopt is that it can alert you when a friend is nearby, effectively turning your phone into a social compass. You can also use Loopt to give a heads’ up about a great place or event in your area, and in turn use your friends’ recommendations to find new activities you might enjoy. To learn more, you can take a tour.

To use Loopt, you need to first make sure that its technology will work with your phone. You also might want to check out their pricing policies, as well as your mobile providers’ messaging rates (Loopt currently requires the use of SMS text messages). Once you have established that Loopt is compatible and affordable for you, you can register your phone, verify your phone number, and download Loopt to your mobile.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish exploring all the Loopt has to offer – upon receiving the ten digit code necessary to verify my phone number I entered it into the appropriate field but my code was rejected by the site. I re-sent the code to my mobile in the hopes that I would receive a new code, or that the site would recognize the old code if I sent it again, but still no luck. There is a forum to post questions, problems, and discussions, but in order to use it you must create yet another user account.

I’m still waiting to hear back from Loopt; until then, my social compass is out of commission.

These days there’s never any telling what web site will become the next big thing. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that Twitter would become such a big sensation. Personally, I’d rather post on a blog where I can write more, or put a status update on Facebook with the rest of my info. Twitter didn’t make sense until I realized how easy it makes it to share links with a ton of people. And that’s fun, but you’re still limited to text – 140 characters of text, which ends up between 10-15 words.

Luckily the Internet is all about progress, and one way to move beyond the Twitter model is Utterli. This site features the same concept, except you can also post photos, video, and audio. One obvious downside is the appearance. Twitter is simply beautiful, whereas Utterli feels boxey, cold, and unfriendly. Another downside: you can’t embed someone else’s video, photo, or audio on Utterli. You can only upload or record your own. However, if you have a video camera or microphone, it’s a pretty cool option to be able to record right on their site.

Other than the obvious snags, it seems to be a very useful web tool. You can also update from your phone like on Twitter. I have no idea how much that costs, since I’m currently a “web only” social media user. Utterli seems to promote cross-posting between other services like YouTube, Twitter, and WordPress (which is strange, since I can’t find any way to bring content in from a site like YouTube). Utterli may become the next big thing, or someone might come up with something better. For now all we can do is give it a whirl, and try not to get too addicted.

Twitter is a great tool for networking, by using its 140 characters messages you can connect with many people around the globe that can be potentially interesting for your career or even your business. The following ones are some guidelines that will help you to get the most of each tweet:

• Use every word to make an impact (you only have 140 characters, don’t waste them)
• Use your real name or last name, your WoW name may be popular among the other dwarfs or orcs, but maybe not so well known for anyone else.
• Link, link and link again to your site or blog.
• Use tinyurl, this will allow you to introduce longer web addresses. Also try to use the custom URL option if possible.
• Be selective with your contacts, you don’t need to be antisocial but there is no need to follow back everyone who adds you, especially if their profile pictures are kind of suspicious (half naked women, etc…).
• Share anything you think is useful, it may be useful for others and it adds interest to your twitter account.
• Pimp your twitter account.
• Keep your profile update, link to your blog.
• Interact with your followers, comment on their tweets.
• Try to tweet everyday, don’t let people forget about you!

Hope this little advice help. I’ll see you on Twitter.

Every day, the U.S. emits the equivalent of about 118 pounds of carbon dioxide per resident. That’s almost 20 metric tons per year which is about five times the number per citizen of the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Now you may be wondering what the importance of carbon dioxide is or why I am even taking the time to discuss it. Well, here is why. Recently, I came across an article in The Wall Street Journal that discussed a new concept called carbon foot printing. This article peaked my interest and caused me to do further research on this topic.

Carbon footprints are the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are emitted into the air when goods are made, shipped, stored and then used by the consumer. It has been discovered that many products’ global-warming impact depends more on how products are made than on how they are actually used. With that being said, the easiest way to cut carbon emissions would be to buy a product less, or use it in a way that is more conservational.

Referring back to the Wall Street Journal article that I discovered, I came across some very interesting points that would be good for any consumer to know. The article compared some everyday items and calculated their carbon footprints.  The article revealed that for every mile a car travels, the average U.S. car emits about one pound of carbon dioxide (annually that’s about five tons of carbon dioxide per year). 86% of those emissions came from actually using the car as opposed to the 4% that was emitted from making and assembling the car. This proves that consumers can lower their carbon footprints by buying a car with better fuel economy and not driving it as much. Typically, the cars with better gas mileage had less carbon emissions as opposed to bigger cars with worse gas mileage. It has also been suggested that another way to minimize carbon foot printing is to keep your car as long as possible since junking a car and manufacturing a new one produces pollution.

An unlikely product that most people would not think gives off carbon foot printing is none other than shoes. Timberland boots, usually used for hiking, can range anywhere from 22 pounds to 220 pounds of carbon emissions. Not only boots, but flip flops tend to have carbon footprints of 22 pounds to 44 pounds.  Normal shoes typically give off about 66 pounds to 132 pounds whereas hiking boots emit anywhere between 154 to 198 pounds. Another thing that drives up carbon emissions in shoes is leather. The average dairy cow produces an amount of greenhouse gas equivalent to four tons of carbon dioxide annually. Most of that is due to the greenhouse gas, methane. A cow’s multiple stomachs produces lots of methane which is 25 times as damaging to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. 

Even something like the type of laundry detergent you use can effect carbon emissions. For a low-carbon load of laundry use liquid detergent instead of powder and wash your clothes in cool water. In addition to this you should hang dry your clothes instead of putting them in the dryer.  Not drying your clothes in a dryer will cut carbon foot printing 4.4 pounds per load. Solid capsules of detergent have the highest carbon foot printing. Powder has a somewhat lower footprint than capsules; however, liquid still has the lowest of them all. This is mainly due to the fact that making solid detergent uses more energy than making the liquid detergent.

A recent study by a Dallas based dairy called National Dairy Holdings, found that the carbon footprint of a gallon of milk in a plastic jug is either 6.19 pounds or 7.59 pounds. The difference is due to what kind of cases the jugs are placed in during the transportation process from the plant to the distribution center. Plastic cases yield more carbon-dioxide emissions than cardboard cases. It has also been found that the single biggest chunk of emissions from milk production comes from all the action in a cow’s stomach.

Beer is a product most college students are pretty familiar with; however, I doubt they are aware of how much carbon dioxide a six pack emits. It has been found that a six-pack alone would release about seven pounds of carbon footprints.  The refrigeration of beer at its stores is where most of the emissions come from. This creates a problem since most stores refuse to keep most of its beer out of the refrigerator for fear of losing customers. The other alternative to this is enclosing the beer with clear doors as opposed to having open beer chillers. Now the store’s biggest concern is whether or not thirsty customers feel like making the extra effort to open the door.

So as you can see, carbon emissions are found everywhere in some of the various products we use on a daily or weekly basis. There isn’t much we can do to avoid this; however, there are things we can do to lessen the amount of carbon dioxide emitted. Once again, preservation of the environment lies in the hands of the consumer.

With autumn upon us, what are some seasonal eco-friendly tips that can be used to make this year even more sustainable and energy efficient?

Home at Yellow advises you to harness the power of the sun; keep your blinds or curtains open during the day to let in light and heat your home, for free! Once the sun goes down, pull the shades to keep out cold drafts and add an extra layer of insulation to your windows.

When leaves begin to change their colors, it is a welcome sign that fall has arrived. Leaves that fall all over the yard, however, are not such a soothing sight as they symbolize work to come, and raking to do. What to do with the piles of leaves before they blow back onto your lawn? Throw them away? Burn them? These options aren’t really the most eco-friendly disposal methods. Instead, look into composting your leaves, as it keeps waste to a minimum.

Compost your yard waste!

If you or family members are going back to school or the office, make sure that your supply shopping is eco-friendly as well. If possible, re-use supplies from last year, and purchase products that use recycled materials. Smencils are a great example of an innovative green product that even kids can get excited about, as well as fundraise for their schools. And who doesn’t love a smelly pencil?

Tips from Environmentally Friendly Hybrid Green Cars include remembering to switch off all electrical units such as the sound system, heating system, compartment lights, and headlights to reduce drain on your car battery as well as maintenance costs. If you are able to park your car in a covered garage as the weather gets colder, your car will take less time to heat up. Additionally, even if your car is cold, don’t use the seat warmer! This luxury feature sucks up tons of energy, so use it very sparingly.

For those of us who live in cooler climates, autumn means saying goodbye to summer and preparing for the snow and ice of winter – but by making eco-friendly choices in your everyday life, you can stay green all year long.

With the 2008 Presidential election approaching, I sometimes wonder, “Why do the mass media act like there are only two political parties in the United States?” Just because the Democratic and Republican parties are currently the most powerful, it doesn’t mean they’re the best. In fact, I think a strong case can be made to argue that they are far from ideal. However, that’s not my intention for this post.

Since this is the Eco-Friendly blog, I thought I should have a look at the Green Party. According to the Wikipedia page on the subject, the party operates on 10 Key Values. Three of them happen to relate directly to eco-friendly issues: 1) Ecological Wisdom; 2) Personal and Global Responsibility; 3) Future Focus and Sustainability. According to Wikipedia, Ecological Wisdom “refers in part to biomimicry (imitating the efficiency of nature’s services and bodily forms).”

Personal and Global Responsibilty mean reducing the harm that we are causing to the planet and its ecosystems. This seems to be a more scientific approach than Ecological Wisdom. Future Focus and Sustainability means shifting agriculture, technology, and other aspects of society towards a model that can be replenished on a long term basis. This has to do both with physical constraints (i.e. – limited natural resources) and energy shortages.

The other values are relevant and interesting. They include equal opportunity, social and economic justice, decentralization, gender equity, and respect for diversity. In the 2004 election, Green Party nominee David Cobb only received about 120,000 votes, or 0.10% of the popular vote. However, in 2000 Ralph Nader received over 2 million votes on the Green Party ticket. The presidential nominee in 2008 is Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. She might not take the cake this year, but I have a feeling that the Green Party will gain more attention in the future as the values they espouse become more and more commonplace in greater society.

As a current student at Michigan State University, one subject of intense interest to myself and my fellow students is graduation, and how to prepare for it. Taking those first steps from university to the real world can be intimidating, and many current students are unsure of how to make a smooth transition from co-ed to corporate. How can current college students take charge of their digital personas and put them to work for themselves?

My first piece of advice would be to Google yourself, and look carefully at the results. They might display one of several things:

1. That article you wrote for the high school paper
2. Pictures of you from last year’s spring break in Cancun
3. Nothing at all.

Whatever comes up about you, don’t despair – while high school accomplishments aren’t bad, they aren’t really current and don’t display all of the hard work you’ve been (hopefully) doing in college. While certainly great keepsakes, your spring break pictures don’t really convey a sense of professionalism. If you’re not coming up in search results, maybe you’ve kept a low profile, but isn’t it better to be proactive rather than reactive?

Is this what you want employers to remember about you?

Take charge of your search results! Make a great impression when employers are looking to learn more about you, instead of keeping them in the dark about what a great candidate you would be for that newly-available position. To do this, create some professional profiles for yourself on sites like LinkedIn, Naymz, ZoomInfo, and AboutUs. Make sure that the information you offer up in these profiles is professional and highlights the skills that will help you find the job you want. The Washington Post offers some tips on what to include or keep private on your LinkedIn profile that can be applied to other social media sites.

Part of making the most of your online reputation is keeping some things out of the public eye – for those profiles that are more social than professional, you may want to restrict your privacy settings to make yourself invisible in search results. Facebook offers an option to take yourself out of search engine results, found in the Privacy Settings tab. If you’re proud of your Facebook profile, and think that it passes professional muster, you can also use this feature to create a public search listing for yourself - just make sure your profile isn’t going to keep employers from hiring you.

We’ve all heard about how your digital identity can work against you, but by showcasing your great features in a professional way, you too can feel confident with your online reputation. Social networking doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, so you might as well make sure that your online image makes an excellent impression.

In today’s working world, employers are starting to embrace social networking as a time-saving, financially savvy way to keep their employees connected, according to USA Today, and as a college student or recent grad you will almost be expected to be a social networking guru. Make sure that you exceed the expectations and enhance both your digital and professional reputations.

You may not be aware of it, but the way you present yourself on the internet matters. It doesn’t matter if you are a recent graduate, a professional with years of experience or still a student, but dedicating a little attention to your online presence can boost your possibilities of promoting and getting a new job.

There are many social networking sites on the internet. Great tools for promoting yourself online are specialized sites like LinkedIn, which focus on professional networking, or Naymz, which focus on creating a reputational network of people that may potentially refer you. Other sites that you may want to check are AboutUs.org, where you can create a professional profile within your company one, and ZoomInfo, a professional directory where you want to have your profile.

The problem with online networking is not if you use it, but mainly the way you use it. The main difference between these specialized sites and your MySpace or Facebook account is that the specialized sites give you little option to include information that you do not want other people to find about, while MySpace and Facebook do. The main thing with these two sites is that you may be giving an image of yourself that may be cool and fun among your friends, but that is clearly inappropriate in a professional environment. Is not only that your employer (current or prospective, it does not matter) is going to Google you, but they may also look for your information in these social networking websites.

I found via Scott Monty’s The Social Media Blog that according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder, 80% of the employers Google you, and 20% of them is getting into the social networking sites to learn more about you. Their main areas of concern are the following:

1. Information about alcohol or drug use (41% consider this a top concern)
2. Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate’s page (40%)
3. Poor communication skills (29%)
4. Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
5. Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
6. Unprofessional screen names (22%)
7. Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
8. Confidential information about past employers (19%)

In other words, and among many other things, you may not want to post pictures of the last time you got drunk (especially if you are underage), and you may consider changing your screen name from JoeSixPack to maybe your real name/last name.

Finally, just try to think that your online presence may be as valid as your real-world presence, and that no one is anonymous on the net anymore, so you want to make your online profiles look as good as possible