alexandra-writ240

[alexandra-writ240]

Assignment 5- Research Report

Table of Contents:

Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1

Methodology………………………………………………………….……….……1

Results…………………………………………………………….….…………….1-4

Discussion…………………………………………………………………….…..3-4

Recommendations/Conclusion……..…………………………………….4

References………………………………………………………………………..…..4

Introduction

The Red Cross is a humanitarian non-profit organization that works to ensure respect for human life and minimize human suffering. The organization is part of one of the largest humanitarian networks in the world and has a series of ongoing initiatives locally and internationally. Volunteers and staff at the Red Cross work to provide critical services, from emergency and crisis relief to disaster aid (Paquin 2017).

As one of the leading humanitarian organizations in the world, the Red Cross requires a social media presence that reflects their overall success. Currently, the Red Cross’ primary target audience is potential employees, volunteers, and donors (Dozier 2014). Effectively targeting this audience on social media is imperative, as the organization needs this support to continue to fulfill its objectives.

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

Methodology

In order to conduct this report, we reviewed the Red Cross’ presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. To perform this audit, we used the information learned in WRIT240 in addition to our own previous experiences with social media. With this knowledge, we analyzed each platform, taking note of the following factors: post frequency, content shared, and level of engagement with users. In addition, we evaluated the overall aesthetic and visual appeal.

Results

Instagram Analysis

To date, the Red Cross has an Instagram following of over 19,600 people. The organization mainly uses this platform to share photos of their relief missions, blood donations, and other related initiatives.

https://www.instagram.com/redcrosscanada/

Strengths

-The organization often personalizes their posts by sharing photos of their volunteers and including a short introduction about that individual in the caption. By sharing personalized content like this, the Red Cross is successfully humanizing their brand. This tactic is significant as research suggests when people can connect with an organization on a deeper level, they will feel more comfortable donating money to their cause (Balkhi 2019).

Weaknesses

-The Red Cross’ Instagram feed is not very unique or creative; it seems that most of the photos they share serve the purpose of educating their audience on their initiatives or cause. Although this is important, their feed lacks aesthetic appeal as most of the content shared is not visually engaging.

Twitter Analysis

To date, the Red Cross’ Twitter following is very strong with a total of approximately 155,000 followers. Their twitter feed is mainly composed of photos, links, videos and text tweets which are all related to their ongoing initiatives.

https://twitter.com/redcrosscanada

Strengths

-The organization is very active, posting regularly on this particular platform.

-The organization often retweets content from other Red Cross branches, sharing photos as well as information regarding their crisis or disaster relief initiatives. This is significant as it makes it easier for potential donors to access information and contribute to a particular cause.

-The Red Cross’ tweets are concise and to the point. All of the links included in their tweets are also shortened with bit.ly again to make communication easier and more organized.

Weaknesses

-Many different branches of the Red Cross have separate Twitter accounts. Rather than having one unified account, various accounts hold the title ‘Red Cross,’ such as Red Cross US, Red Cross International, and more. This raises concerns as these accounts seem to lack a coherent sequence or connection, which makes it difficult for the audience to easily access the particular account or information they may be looking for.

Facebook Analysis

To date, the Red Cross Facebook page has a total of 133,408 followers and 132,650 likes. The organization mainly uses this platform to share with the public a series of upcoming initiatives or events they will be holding.

https://www.facebook.com/canadianredcross

Strengths

-The content posted on this platform is relevant and informative. The organization often uses this platform to promote different Red Cross events, making it easy for potential volunteers to get information about how to get involved (Ciarallo 2014).

-The captions they include on their posts are also brief and clear, which is essential for engagement and keeping people easily informed.

Weaknesses

-The Red Cross is not as active on Facebook as they are on other social media platforms, as they only post once every day or every other day. Additionally, the audience is not very engaged with the content shared on this platform as it is clear most of their posts do not receive a lot of re-shares or comments.

Discussion

The Red Cross has a strong social media presence, but as results suggest, there is room for improvement. To maximize their online potential, the Red Cross must focus on improving their appeal on Instagram, making all their online platforms more coherent, and increasing their activity and audience engagement on Facebook.

Conclusion /Recommendations

The Red Cross should include more opportunities for audience engagement. Currently, their social media profiles are mainly a tool for them to post their own photos and information, but giving the audience a chance to contribute could increase engagement. For example, they could hold contests for the audience to post their own photos of their work with the Red Cross.

To improve their aesthetic on Instagram, the Red Cross should consider running campaigns related to their upcoming projects. By creating a campaign, the organization would post a series of similar videos and pictures and also create a custom hashtag to try to encourage others to get involved by sharing their own photos.

The Red Cross should try and improve their presence on Facebook by increasing their frequency of daily posts. To increase engagement, they could try and spark a conversation online by asking their audience a thought-provoking question or for their personal opinion on a particular topic (Goodman 2011).

To increase cohesion amongst all social media platforms, the same content should be shared amongst all. By doing this, the Red Cross would be able to maintain a consistent brand identity amongst all of their online platforms.

Overall, the Red Cross’ online presence is off to a good start; however, there is still a need for some improvement. By following these recommendations, our hope is that the Red Cross will be able to take their online presence to the next level.

References

Balkhi, Syed. 2019. “5 Things You Can Do to 'Humanize' Your Brand.” Entrepreneur. Retrieved April 1, 2019 (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325370).

Ciarallo, Joe. 2014.  “How the Red Cross Uses Social Media for Disaster Response and Engaging Donors.” Medium, Salesforce for Marketers. Retrieved March 31, 2019 (medium.com/salesforce-on-marketing/how-the-red-cross-uses-social-media-for-disaster-response-and-engaging-donors-9e4e2f7d2477).

Dozier, Barbra. 2014. “The American Red Cross.” Barbra Dozier's Blog. Retrieved April 1, 2019 (barbradozier.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/the-american-red-cross/).

Goodman, Gail. 2011. “Three Ways to Spark Engaging Social Conversations.” Entrepreneur. Retrieved April 2, 2019 (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/218165).

Paqui, Marie-Lise. 2017. “The use of social media in crisis and the new Facebook crisis centre.” Canadian Red Cross Blog. Retrieved March 31, 2019 (https://www.redcross.ca/blog/2017/11/the-use-of-social-media-in-crisis-and-the-new-facebook-crisis-centre).

[alexandra-writ240]

Assignment 5- Person B

Table of Contents:

Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1

Methodology………………………………………………………….…...….…...1

Results…………………………………………………………….….……….......1-4

Discussion…………………………………………………...……………....…..3-4

Recommendations/Conclusion……..……………………………..........4

References……………………......………………...…………………………..…..4

Introduction

The Red Cross is a humanitarian non-profit organization that works to ensure respect for human life and minimize human suffering. The organization is a part of one of the largest humanitarian networks in the world and has a series of ongoing initiatives locally and internationally. Volunteers and staff at the Red Cross work to provide critical services, from emergency and crisis relief to disaster aid.

As one of the leading humanitarian organizations in the world, the Red Cross requires a social media presence that reflects their overall success. Currently, the Red Cross’ primary target audience is potential employees, volunteers, and donors (Dozier 2014). Effectively targeting this audience on social media is imperative as the organization needs this support to continue to fulfill its objectives.

Methodology

To conduct this report, we reviewed the Red Cross’ presence on the following online platforms: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. To perform this audit, we used the information we learned in WRIT240 in addition to our own previous experiences with social media. With this knowledge, we began analyzing each platform taking note of the following factors: post frequency, content shared, and level of engagement with users. Additional factors including aesthetic and visual appeal were also evaluated.

Results

Instagram Analysis

To date, Red Cross has an Instagram following of over 19,600 people. The organization mainly uses this platform to share photos of their relief missions, blood donations, and other related initiatives.

 https://www.instagram.com/redcrosscanada/                                             

Strengths

-The organizations often personalize their posts by sharing photos of their volunteers and including a short introduction about that individual in the caption. By sharing content like this, the Red Cross is successfully humanizing their brand. This is significant as research suggests when people can connect with an organization on a deeper level, they will feel more comfortable donating money to their cause (Balkhi 2019).

Weaknesses

-Red Cross’ Instagram feed is not very creative. It seems that most of the photos they post serve the purpose of educating their audience on their initiatives or cause. Although this is important, their feed lacks aesthetic appeal as most of the content shared is not visually engaging.

Twitter Analysis

To date, Red Cross’ Twitter following is solid with a total of 155,000 followers. Their twitter feed is mainly composed of photos, links, videos and text tweets which are all related to their ongoing initiatives.

 https://twitter.com/redcrosscanada

Strengths

-The organization is very active, posting regularly on this particular platform.

-The organization often retweets content from other Red cross branches and shares photos as well as information regarding their crisis or disaster relief initiatives. This is significant, as it makes it easier for potential donors to access information and contribute to a particular cause.

-Red Cross’ tweets are concise and to the point. All of the links included in their tweets are also shortened with bit.ly again to make communication easier and more organized.

Weaknesses

-Many different branches of the Red Cross have different Twitter accounts. Rather than having one unified account, various accounts hold the title ‘Red Cross.’ This raises concerns as these accounts seem to lack a coherent sequence or connection, which makes it difficult for the audience to easily access the particular account or information they may be looking for.

Facebook Analysis

To date, the Red Cross Facebook page has a total of 133,408 followers and 132,650 likes. The organization mainly uses this platform to share with the public a series of upcoming initiatives or events they will be holding.

https://www.facebook.com/canadianredcross

Strengths

-The content posted on this platform is relevant and informative. The organization often uses this platform to promote different Red Cross events, making it easy for potential volunteers to get information about how to get involved

-The captions they include on their posts are also brief and clear, which is essential for engagement and keeping people easily informed.

Weaknesses

-Red Cross is not as active on Facebook as they are on other social media platforms, as they only post once every day or every other day. Additionally, the audience is not very engaged with the content shared on this platform as it is clear most of their posts do not receive a lot of re-shares or comments.

Discussion

The Red Cross has a strong social media presence, but as results suggest, there is room for improvement. To maximize their online potential, the Red Cross must focus on improving their appeal on Instagram, making all their online platforms more coherent, and increasing their activity and audience engagement on Facebook.

Conclusion /Recommendations

The Red Cross should include more opportunities for audience engagement. Currently, their social media profiles are mainly a tool for them to post their own photos and information, but giving the audience a chance to contribute could increase engagement. For example, they could hold contests for the audience to post their own photos of their work with the Red Cross.

To improve their aesthetic on Instagram, the Red Cross should consider running campaigns related to their upcoming projects. By creating a campaign, the organization would post a series of similar videos and pictures and also create a custom hashtag to try to encourage others to get involved by sharing their own photos.

The Red Cross should try and improve their presence on Facebook by increasing their frequency of daily posts. To increase engagement, they could try and spark a conversation online by asking their audience a thought-provoking question or for their personal opinion on a particular topic (Goodman 2011).

To increase cohesion amongst all social media platforms, the same content should be shared amongst all. By doing this, the Red Cross would be able to maintain a consistent brand identity amongst all of their online platforms.

References

Balkhi, Syed. 2019. “5 Things You Can Do to 'Humanize' Your Brand.” Entrepreneur. Retrieved April 1, 2019 (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325370).

Dozier, Barbra. 2014. “The American Red Cross.” Barbra Dozier's Blog. Retrieved April 1, 2019 (barbradozier.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/the-american-red-cross/).

Goodman, Gail. 2011. “Three Ways to Spark Engaging Social Conversations.” Entrepreneur. Retrieved April 2, 2019 (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/218165).

[alexandra-writ240]

Assignment 4- Twitter Essay

[alexandra-writ240]

Hi Kresna!

Your clear and concise writing makes your review easy to understand and enjoyable to read. I really appreciate how you included a section on your personal experience. I am now more inclined to try out the app knowing that you have found it useful!

One thing I noticed is you highlighted the app's strengths in the section ‘Why Sleep Cycle?’ however not its weaknesses. I was just wondering why you decided not to include this information? Was there none? If there were, I would suggest to add it to your review as this information would be highly beneficial to the reader.  

All in all, I really enjoyed reading your review and found it highly informative! Great job!

Sleep Cycle App Review

We often don’t realize how our sleep schedule affects our daily routine. In fact, sleep is one of the most significant contributing factors that impact our mood, focus, and health. So if you’re wondering why you haven’t been able to focus on your weekly readings, perhaps Sleep Cycle can help answer that question.

What is Sleep Cycle? Sleep Cycle is an app that analyzes your sleeping pattern and wakes you up at the perfect time. It tracks your sleep throughout all five stages and wakes you up during light sleep (stage 1-2). It also records any snoring!

How does it work? Sleep Cycle uses sound analysis algorithm to identify sleep states, tracking your movements in bed, as well as snoring. It uses a “wake-up phase” (30 minutes by default) that ends at your set alarm time. During this phase, Sleep Cycle will monitor signals from your body to wake you softly when you are in your lightest sleep stage. You have to make sure that your phone is facing up and the microphone is not blocked when starting the cycle. Otherwise, it will result in an “untracked sleep” shown in the picture above.

Why Sleep Cycle? Sleep Cycle not only helps you understand your sleeping pattern by providing you with the necessary information, such as:

Sleep quality;

Time in bed;

Duration and recording of snore;

It also wakes you up with a subtle ringtone unlike the default alarm ringtone for the iOS. This makes waking up feel blissful, and not like you were awakened by a distress signal.

My Personal Experience: I have been using Sleep Cycle for the past 41 days, and I must say that it is now an essential part of my “Must-Download Apps” list. I highly recommend giving it a shot, especially if you are someone who is under a lot of stress and have trouble focusing.

Where can I download this app?

Download it on your iPhone or Android for FREE!

[alexandra-writ240]

Hi Kennedy!

You definitely brought up a lot of great points and provided readers with a lot of relevant information. I have never actually heard of this app before but it sounds like something I need in my life. As a student, I always struggle to find the time to make quick and healthy meals. Hopefully, this app will be able to provide me with some great recipes I can try out!

As someone with a gluten intolerance, I was wondering if this app has a section that includes only gluten-free recipes? Personally, I would be more inclined to use this app if I could easily access a series of recipes that meet my specific dietary needs.

Additionally, one thing I would suggest is to organize your information in table form. I believe that this would be a more effective layout as a table would help to further break down your information making it easier for the audience to read and understand.

Overall, great work. I really enjoyed reading your review!

Something that will always be in style…Good food!

By: Kennedy Naumann

Are you a chef? College student? Working parent?

Well, it doesn’t really matter who you are or what you want your skill set is because the app Yummly is made for everyone ages 12 and up.

What is it exactly?

Yummly is a Food & Drink app, that offers you “personalized guidance every step of the way.” It not only gives you instant access to over 2 million recipes, but it also makes a personalized home screen with recipes just for you based on questions they ask upon signing up.

Where can you get this product?

Version 4.4.2 is available now for free on the app store! This app is compatible with ISO 11.0 or later using the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

You can find it here:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/yummly-recipes-shopping-list/id589625334?mt=8

https://www.yummly.com/mobile/

Why Yummly?

This app has many useful features

Some highlights include:

Over 2 million recipes

Guided videos to help you follow along

A place to organize your recipes

Ability to choose how much time you have

Picking recipes based on your ingredients

Shopping list tab

a shopping centre

Does it measure up to these claims

I have tried out Yummly, and these claims all check out. One suggestion I have would be age restriction if people are not over drinking age, as there are alcoholic beverages on this app, and the age restriction is 12+. Yummly did not disappoint; taking the hassle out of cooking. If you are looking for an app to help you with your foodie needs, Yummly is for you!

4.8/5 

[alexandra-writ240]

Assignment 4- App Analysis: MyFitnessPal

[alexandra-writ240]

Assignment 2- Lutenblag: Your Dream Holiday Destination

If you are a traveller seeking a unique European experience, Lutenblag is the destination for you. Located within the Great Central Valley, Lutenblag the capital of Molvania is a thriving metropolis that offers a unique combination of ancient and modern culture. With its exquisite cuisine, vibrant nightlife and breathtaking scenery, Lutenblag has something to offer for everyone!

Hotel

Make sure to book your stay at Hotel Zlad. This refined boutique property exhibits a charming Eastern European style that embodies the essence of a ‘boho-chic’ vibe. Rooms located on the upper floors have recently been updated to include modern furniture and tasteful decor. From almost anywhere in the hotel, guests can experience breathtaking views of the nearby scenery and surrounding landscapes.

https://flic.kr/p/g5Q5Sm

Dining

Lutenblag offers a surprising variety of traditional and modern cuisine. Upon request, most local restaurants within the city will serve Lutenblag’s speciality brew Blag. For a real treat, make sure to pair the traditional beverage with one of Lutenblag’s signature soups.

Another popular dining spot among locals is Sprufkil’s Gourmet Hot Dogs. Set on a hillside this quaint outpost is a great place to grab a quick bite to eat while taking in the panoramic views.

Looking for a quick caffeine fix? We got the place for you. Continue down the cobblestone road and you will reach one of Lutenblag’s local cafes. Surrounded by vast meadows this cafe is an ideal spot for travellers looking to unwind in a relaxing atmosphere.

https://flic.kr/p/9acM8X

Nightlife

If you are looking for a great night out on the town, Club Zlad is the place to be. Located within Lutenblag’s lively metropolis, this trendy lounge is the perfect place to sit down, relax and grab a drink with friends.

https://flic.kr/p/anJvcj

If you are a traveller seeking a destination that is not overcrowded by tourists, Lutenblag is an ideal vacation for you. With so much to offer the city provides travellers with a unique European experience like no other. Let Lutenblag be your home away from home!

[alexandra-writ240]

Assignment 2- Person A

Blog Summary 

The blog post ‘Mad About Molvania’ serves as a travel recommendation that aims to persuade readers to visit the European city of Lutenblag. Through personal experience, the author recommends the best hotels, tourists attractions and cuisine within the city. The author further emphasizes that Lutenblag is known for being far less crowded than most other European cities. Ultimately, by discussing the cities various attractions and highlights the author makes a convincing case that Lutenblag is a desirable European destination to visit.

Question/Comment 

To start, this blog post is extremely disorganized. Clearly, the author lacks structure in their writing as this piece jumps from one idea to another. There are also numerous grammatical errors. For instance, unnecessary words are capitalized, there is a series of run-on sentences and many sentences lack simple clarity. Taking this all into consideration, discuss ways in which the author could have better organized this blog post. Make sure to provide suggestions that you believe would assist the author in structuring their ideas and thoughts more effectively.

[alexandra-writ240]

Assignment 1- Introductory Post

Introduction 

Hi there, my name is Alexandra and welcome to my blog!

To start, I want to share a little bit about myself.

Currently, I am a third-year Sociology major at Queen’s University. Being a student tends to take up a lot of my time, however, when I'm not in class you often will find me out with my friends at the gym or scrolling through social media. Like many Gen Z’s social media and the internet has become a regular part of my everyday routine. Currently, I am active on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and Snapchat. Feel free to check me out! 

Here are my friends and I (I'm on the right)!

Professional Experience 

My decision to take Writ240 was largely driven by my professional aspirations. Upon graduation, I want to pursue a career in the field of marketing. The past two summers I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work as a marketing intern at Peak Sales Recruiting and Saba Software. During both of my summer Internships, I was in charge of managing both company's various social media platforms as well as creating promotional content including graphics and videos. Through both of these opportunities, I learned that social media plays an essential role in marketing efforts as it allows companies to effectively communicate with their customers, increase brand awareness and boost leads and sales. Although both of these opportunities provided me with valuable work experience I quickly learned that in order to continue to be successful in this field I needed to further develop my writing skills.

Here is an example of an internal testimonial I created while working at Peak Sales Recruiting. 

Why Writ240?

With this in mind, I enrolled in Writ240 with the hopes of being able to fine-tune my ability to create engaging online content that includes captivating imagery and the use of appropriate keywords.  Alternatively, I hope that this course will teach me the skills required in order to better support my personal online presence. Over time I wish to expand my professional presence on social media (in particular LinkedIn) and hope this course will provide me with the knowledge needed to do so. Overall, I believe this course will benefit my personal and professional development as it will help me further establish writing skills that are necessary for everyday life.

That is all for now. I am excited for what is to come and hope you can join me on my digital journey!