The Power Team

I was confused when I began reading this article.  I honestly did not expect it to be about a group of men working to preach the Gospel and the power of God.  I was able to then grasp a little bit of an idea of what they do, after reading a little further.  I have seen a lot of motivational and Christian speakers through my years in high school.  I was involved in my church, and we went to a lot of youth gatherings that would use different and new methods of speaking to get across their message.
My favorite part of the article was the section called "Look Me in the Eyes!."  The section described audience response, and not only its importance, but how they are able to take new approaches to obtain the response they want.  I think this is relatable to what we are doing in class right now, as we work on capturing not only a response, but an opinion, from those that are reading our papers.
Before writing this, I looked at The Power Team's website, and watched the promotion video on their home page.  It was interesting to see a little bit of what they do after reading this article.  Overall, I liked this reading and found it relatable to what we are doing in class because essentially, we want to get a point across to an audience just like they do.

Sedaris "A Plague of Tics"- response

When I first started reading, I immediately thought about the people on Mtv's "True Life" that share their stories about strange habits.  It seemed like this boy would automatically be a contender for the show, especially since the reading in some way followed him around.  It showed him at school, home, and what people he interacted with thought of him.
I was first disgusted by the way the teacher, and then even more so his own parents, were treating him.  They almost made it seem like the child had no idea he was even doing something wrong.  The way he responded with constantly making up excuses should have shown them that he was not only uncomfortable with himself, but that he needed help.  I wondered what the other kids thought of him and why that aspect was not expressed in the reading. 
I was pleased to see he was able to go to college and live with a roommate.  As hard as it is on its own, I could not imagine the adjustment period he had to go through.  It seems like he was very lucky to have a roommate that was able to tolerate his behaviors and not further question him. 
Overall, I really enjoyed this reading.  I think it covered a topic not commonly discussed and it was nice to just read something very different like this.  The author really allowed the reader to step inside the world the boy was living and see what not only he was thinking, but also what people around him were thinking.  The reading left me with a lot of unanswered questions and a topic I would be interested in learning more about.

More things about my topic

1) I wanted to explore something within my major, marketing.  I decided to take a specific aspect of marketing and focus on trends.  It's easy for us all to see trends in college and notice where they start.  Most of our trends begin through magazines and celebrities.  Children also seem to have trends in the toys they want to buy but it is hard to tell where their trends start.  So, I want to research the question...where do trends in children's toys originate?
2) Children's toy trends originate through advertisements children are exposed to, parental influences, and cultural surroundings.
3) I was able to do a lot of research through the textbook my advisor suggested.  It's actually the book I am using for my marketing class, so I have been spending a lot of time learning about all of the different aspects of marketing.  A large portion of the book shows consumer trends and what a consumer wants, so that background knowledge has already been helping me with my research.  I also know a little from my own experiences with children and hearing what they say about new toys and toys that they want.
4) I need to still find out more detail about parental influence and culture.  I know a lot about the marketing and advertising aspects since it's what I have been reading, but I do not know a lot of specifics yet about the other two areas.  I want to learn more specific example about the two influences to be able to provide examples in my final paper.
5) I think it is hard to come up with arguments that oppose my statements.  I did not choose a controversial topic and most if it is very fact based.  Some may argue that there are not really trends in children or that a child has nothing to do with a trend.  I have already been finding research to prove that both of those statements are incorrect, but those could definitely be oppositions to my topic.
6) I have been using EBSCOhost to find a lot of sources and I also spent a lot of time in the library checking out a number of books to use.  I also have been using a database called TED that provides videos of interviews and lectures with authors of different books.

Ready, Set, Laugh!

Personally, I love laugh tracks.  It reminds me of all the older shows I love and most of the time, I find myself at least cracking a smile.  Nick at Nite would not even be the same if every show did not have a laugh track.  I don't even think it makes what is going on funnier, but it does sometimes help bring the point across.  It just seems appropriate.  Honestly, Fran Fine's character in The Nanny would be the most obnoxious person ever if it weren't for laugh tracks.  With the laugh tracks she's a little, very little, less obnoxious.
I disagree with most of what Klosterman said in his writing.  Are laugh tracks dumb? Perhaps. Is what we laugh at funny everywhere? Absolutely not. Laugh tracks though are a part of what we are used to.  They were created a long time ago and they seem to be working.  If they were that terrible they wouldn't be used on shows like Two and a Half Men.  They impact us and we all notice it.  I laugh at them.  Some people find them annoying.  Regardless of what you think, you're still watching the same show.

Here's a few of my favorite "old time shows" that just wouldn't be that great without a laugh track.

What to write...

I want to write about trends.  A large part of Marketing in sales and one of the most interesting parts of sales is figuring out what to sell.  Trends come and go and I think it is interesting to find out where they start.  Do they start in selections children make?  What we see a movie star wearing in a tabloid?  Or do companies start making an item and it suddenly becomes popular?  I think there are a lot of different aspects behind trends and I want to learn more about it.  I think it is a topic that a lot of people can relate to and find an interesting point within it.  We all give in to trends.  From how we wear our hair, to appropriate clothing companies, to even the types of music we listen to.  It all in one way or another comes from a trend. Therefore, some questions I have about my topic are how to determine where these trends start.  I am curious to see if I will be able to find posted information from sources about how decisions are made to promote "the next big thing."  From clothing to accessories, cars and the dogs we want to rescue, everything comes from sales and even more so a trend. I haven't decided on a specific trend or even an age group.  That will come after I do a little more research.
Until I find more time to write,
Ashley

Annotated Bibliography

Kerin, Roger A., Steven W. Hartley, and William Rudelious. Marketing. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin,    2011. Print.

The authors of this book create a summation of information about the marketing field.  Throughout the text, various types of marketing are demonstrated and explained.  Sales, web designs, labels, and customer demands are all crucial topics within the book.  Referred to me by my marketing advisor, this text is not only an introduction to marketing aspects but also gives some detail about the field.  This book is designed for students so examples within the book are relatable and make the information comprehendible.   When researching the marketing field, this book will provide information and examples to further expand my knowledge and become a backbone in my research. 

Maybe we really are paying a price...

Matt Richtel's article, Attached to Technology and Paying a Price, uses examples to show how attached people are to technology.  I think maybe we are attached.  But don't some of us like living this way?  I like having my iPhone when I'm on a long car ride, sitting in an airport, or lost and need to look up directions.  It definitely has countless benefits but then again it does have some downsides.  When my roommates and I are done with classes at the end of the day, we typically are all sitting in our living room with our laptops in our laps and our cell phones on the arm rest of our chairs. 
I think technology is taking over a little but at the same time everyone needs to work to find that balance.  There needs to be a time, whether it's a hour every night for dinner or a week to go on vacation, that we are unplugged.  I was interested to read that multitaskers can do multiple things at once but have a harder time focusing.  I consider myself a multitasker but never really thought about how it is hard for me to focus sometimes. 
I liked this article because it provided a lot of truth.  We do surround ourselves with technology.  We constantly have our cell phones out, multiple tabs pulled up on the computer, and playing Wii every night before I go to bed is something I enjoy doing with my friends.  This article made me think about how much time I spend with technology and how it affects my concentration.
I'm going to switch back over to my Facebook tab now...
Until I find more time to write,
Ashley

What do you want to know?

My name is Ashley Mullican and I am a sophomore at IUP (academically, I'm a Junior).  I am a Marketing major with an English minor.  I'm from Yardley, PA which is a suburb northeast of Philadelphia.  I love to travel and have a burning desire to go to Greece.  Maybe a study abroad is in my future?  My younger sister and I have been raised to practice what we believe so my family does a lot of community outreach.  I personally work hard to fight hunger in my community and around the world.  I spent most of my time in high school as a competitive dancer.  I started dancing when I was 2 and became competitive by 5.  It was basically my part time job for a big chunk of my life.  As for now, I'm in retirement.
Honestly, I've always wanted to start a blog.  I consider myself a pretty decent writer.  Typically I always have something to say or an opinion to make so putting it on paper never really seems like a challenge.
Until I find more time to write,
Ashley