Well, it has definitely been a wonderful experience working at the KIA. I had a wonderful supervisor, Paul who was extremely patient and understanding. I can only hope the we accomplished what he had envisioned for this semester. I will definitely miss the KIA, but will visit it often.
Paul took Laura and I out for a lovely lunch on Friday afternoon. We took a walk downtown in the beautiful spring weather to Sushiya, a new sushi restaurant that just opened. I was our only monetary reward for working this semester, but far from the only reward.
I got to learn a lot about a very different aspect of public relations and marketing- viral marketing. Learning how to use the Internet to your advantage is a very important skill to master. No matter who you are, or what your doing, the Internet is a tool for all of us. I realized that even with two interns working for 14 weeks, that we barely skimmed the surface of what is possible. It's cool that I will be able to see the progress of the future interns because their work will only be a mouse-click away. I'll get to witness the evolution of our MySpace, Facebook and Blog from my computer.
To wrap up my time at the KIA, I will be continuing to pass out fliers to local business, I am researching some possible catering options for Paul and I am reporting to Paul for my last time tomorrow morning.
Its been a great experience; thanks to Laura, Paul and the KIA for all of their help and support!
- Gabi
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
okay the end is no longer near.
It is here! I'm sitting once again at my favorite spot, the Kalamazoo Public Library, taking advantage of their awesome wireless before I go back to the KIA, talk to Paul about how everything is done, and leave after my very last day.
This internship has been quite excellent, and quite different than what I've been hearing about the very concept of "interning," which usually involves getting the real employees their coffee. Here, I actually felt productive, like I was part of a team doing something important and kinda nifty at the same time. I had a great time meeting the museum folks, working with Paul and Gabi, and even getting to tell people that hey, I work in an art museum. That's awesome.
Waking up at 7 in the morning three days a week? Not so much.
But even that was good for me, if I may continue to be so optimistic. I was not a lazy freshman. I was a proactive freshman! This internship more or less fit the theme of the rest of my year, which is to say that it was something new and different that I decided, why not? and jumped into with (honestly) not a whole lot of idea what it would be like. I like to do that - I'm quite an action (as opposed to thinking) person. I like to get things done, and I love to try new things. Thus I emailed Paul my resume the week he happened to be picking out the interns, and here I am. Or there I was. Now I'm leaving.
Ugh, I need to stop hitting these dreadfully melancholy notes.
YAY!!!!!!!
That sounds happier, right?
I don't know if I have much to sign off with that I haven't been reiterating throughout this entire experience. I came. I saw. I was somewhat conquered by the awe-inspiring power of the Internet. I worked hard. I had fun. Next semester's interns will be duly filled-in on our projects through a password list. My job is over.
I'm off to the office to meet with Paul now - once last time, ciao!
-Laura
This internship has been quite excellent, and quite different than what I've been hearing about the very concept of "interning," which usually involves getting the real employees their coffee. Here, I actually felt productive, like I was part of a team doing something important and kinda nifty at the same time. I had a great time meeting the museum folks, working with Paul and Gabi, and even getting to tell people that hey, I work in an art museum. That's awesome.
Waking up at 7 in the morning three days a week? Not so much.
But even that was good for me, if I may continue to be so optimistic. I was not a lazy freshman. I was a proactive freshman! This internship more or less fit the theme of the rest of my year, which is to say that it was something new and different that I decided, why not? and jumped into with (honestly) not a whole lot of idea what it would be like. I like to do that - I'm quite an action (as opposed to thinking) person. I like to get things done, and I love to try new things. Thus I emailed Paul my resume the week he happened to be picking out the interns, and here I am. Or there I was. Now I'm leaving.
Ugh, I need to stop hitting these dreadfully melancholy notes.
YAY!!!!!!!
That sounds happier, right?
I don't know if I have much to sign off with that I haven't been reiterating throughout this entire experience. I came. I saw. I was somewhat conquered by the awe-inspiring power of the Internet. I worked hard. I had fun. Next semester's interns will be duly filled-in on our projects through a password list. My job is over.
I'm off to the office to meet with Paul now - once last time, ciao!
-Laura
Sunday, April 15, 2007
A Wonderful Reception
Today, I had the pleasure of capturing the events at the West Michigan Area High School reception. Paul had asked me to attend the event in his absence and video tape some of the event. The KIA staff did a wonderful job hosting the event. There was food, music (provided by my talented friend DJ Eric P) and some of the most talented artwork I'd ever seen from any student exhibit.
I tried to take shots of the students and other vistors enjoying the work, asking if I could stand behind them while they enjoyed a piece. I asked a few students to take me to their artwork and I took pictures of them next to their piece. I tried to get a few shots that Paul could use, but I slightly lost faith in my ability to take pictures!
Near the end of the reception, there was an awards ceremony. Five students received honorable mentions, five received a cash prize while others received scholarships ranging from one free art class at the KIA to $12,000 at the Kendall Art School in Grand Rapids. It was very thrilling to see young artists given the chance to continue their education in a school that will nurture their talents.
I was so glad that I was able to attend the event, seeing all the talented work and help Paul out! Be sure to stop over at the KIA and check out the exhibit.
I tried to take shots of the students and other vistors enjoying the work, asking if I could stand behind them while they enjoyed a piece. I asked a few students to take me to their artwork and I took pictures of them next to their piece. I tried to get a few shots that Paul could use, but I slightly lost faith in my ability to take pictures!
Near the end of the reception, there was an awards ceremony. Five students received honorable mentions, five received a cash prize while others received scholarships ranging from one free art class at the KIA to $12,000 at the Kendall Art School in Grand Rapids. It was very thrilling to see young artists given the chance to continue their education in a school that will nurture their talents.
I was so glad that I was able to attend the event, seeing all the talented work and help Paul out! Be sure to stop over at the KIA and check out the exhibit.
Friday, April 13, 2007
The End is Near...
Cue my sad face. :(
This has been a pretty uneventful week for myself and Laura as we prepare to pass on our projects to the next set of interns who will take over for the summer. Laura and I gave birth to some beautiful ideas that will hopefully grow and flourish with each semester of new interns. I think we have just begun to skim the surface of all the possibilities in 'viral marketing' or Internet promotions. Our foot is in the door and I am excited for our predecessors to knock it down.
Enough melancholy reflection.
I have finished a few miscellaneous projects for Paul including the ever-evolving YouTube film of Art and All That Jazz. Look for the new and always improved version of The Car As Art clip.
Tomorrow (Saturday, April 14th) I will attend the high school reception for the juried exhibit of local students' works. Paul has asked that I take video footage as well as some still pictures to document the event. My friend, DJ Eric P-Funk will be djing the reception. I am very excited to see the art at the exhibit tomorrow, set to the tune of Eric's turntables. I think it will be a fun event for everyone, especially the talented students. Check back for a few photos in later posts.
Next week is Laura's last week... cue second and final sad face :(. Good luck with finals Laura!
-Gabi
This has been a pretty uneventful week for myself and Laura as we prepare to pass on our projects to the next set of interns who will take over for the summer. Laura and I gave birth to some beautiful ideas that will hopefully grow and flourish with each semester of new interns. I think we have just begun to skim the surface of all the possibilities in 'viral marketing' or Internet promotions. Our foot is in the door and I am excited for our predecessors to knock it down.
Enough melancholy reflection.
I have finished a few miscellaneous projects for Paul including the ever-evolving YouTube film of Art and All That Jazz. Look for the new and always improved version of The Car As Art clip.
Tomorrow (Saturday, April 14th) I will attend the high school reception for the juried exhibit of local students' works. Paul has asked that I take video footage as well as some still pictures to document the event. My friend, DJ Eric P-Funk will be djing the reception. I am very excited to see the art at the exhibit tomorrow, set to the tune of Eric's turntables. I think it will be a fun event for everyone, especially the talented students. Check back for a few photos in later posts.
Next week is Laura's last week... cue second and final sad face :(. Good luck with finals Laura!
-Gabi
my last post. maybe.
Today is Friday, my second to last day of this internship. Cue sad face:
:(
...and I've been finished/tidying up the last few of our projects, this blog being one. I registered the email address Gabi made (kiaintern@gmail.com) and am now posting from this. I just sent Gabi an email, so we'll see if this will work for her too. That way, future interns should have no problem upkeeping this blog and detailing their own adventures here at the KIA.
Also, Flickr is done! Yay!
Here it is, folks.
The photos posted here (as of right now) include pics from past Art and All That Jazz events, Art Camp, the Art Fair we host, our West Michigan Area Shows and High School shows, as well as past exhibits, like Chihuly in Kalamazoo (the pic at the top of this entry). Lovely, ain't it? As more events happen in the '07 year, more photos will be added.
Theme of the internship: more to come! Always more to come. I know I've been celebrating "finishing" these projects, really there is no just idea. As the pages are started, they will have to be maintained by future interns, adding more content and keeping them up-to-date. The only conceivable end would be the end of the Internet itself. Hopefully in a fiery inferno, that would be awesome.
But I digress. I leave Monday, and will probably post something along the lines of "this was my internship/this was my Freshman year of college/this is what I learned" except MUCH more interesting than that sounds. Look forward to some more posts from Gabi, as she'll be sticking around a bit longer than I.
-Laura
Monday, April 9, 2007
i am squinting my eyes very hard
Because my browser window just "unexpectedly" closed and lost the blog entry I was typing up. Sigh.
The semester is almost over, as is this internship. Freshman year has been pretty intense, if I may wax nostalgic for a second. I'm quite proud to say my productivity is at an all time high (especially compared to high school/sleeping in class) and this internship has had a large hand in boosting that.
This blog, unfortunately, has not had the benefit of all that productitivty. That's what happens when you get lots of deadlines for other little projects - the big project with no deadline gets repeatedly...delayed, let's say. Of course, the fact that my co-intern has barely been able to post due to computer difficulties (though it seems like she's been able to get back on board - let's cross our fingers...) does not help matters. This is my main focus before I leave next week. I'm going to go back, add pictures and links and other whatnots, to see if this blog doesn't have a nice, finished (key word!) appearance by the end of it all.
What else am I working on? The Flickr site, which has also been troublesome. These user-networking sites seem so easy when you're just setting it up for your own entertainment, but when you're trying to make it professional and practical at the same time the bumps in the road seem to increase rather exponentially. For instance, I have loaded about 15 pictures onto a KIA-logged page. I made a username, password, and loaded some photos just to get started. I then tagged those photos with various useful tags - KIA, museum, art, etc. But when I now, unlogged, go and search those tags, nothing comes up. This is very frustrating. Very, very frustrating. And now, when I go back to log in, it cannot find my username or password. VERY FRUSTRATING. That's okay, though. Gabi made a intern-specific email address, I will use that to re-register a username/password, and I will reload those 15 photos. I don't want to overload the page, because a free site can only host about 100 photos and I'm hoping this Flickr site will be used in the future. We have lots of photos like the one below (from our West Michigan Area Show 2006) sitting on the volunteer computer, and Flickr could be a great, practical way to put them all somehow where lots of people can see them.
In any case, Flickr will be worked on, and Flickr will be overcome. Darn it.
What else am I working on, besides all this internet-based hoohah? Verifying contact information, yeehaw. There is a big old list of contact info for various media peoples (radio directors, TV producers, newspaper editors) and art scene heavies (deans of art departments, etc) from Michigan that we are planning to invite to our Lorna Simpson opening reception in May. Gabi and I are going through this list and double-checking the contact info for any people Paul marked.
That is sort of it for today. By that I mean I'm going to close this particular browser window and see if I can make any headway with the Flickr page. About a week and a half more of this, then exams, then I'm back home to Ypsilanti for the summer. Let's see how much I can get done.
-Laura
The semester is almost over, as is this internship. Freshman year has been pretty intense, if I may wax nostalgic for a second. I'm quite proud to say my productivity is at an all time high (especially compared to high school/sleeping in class) and this internship has had a large hand in boosting that.
This blog, unfortunately, has not had the benefit of all that productitivty. That's what happens when you get lots of deadlines for other little projects - the big project with no deadline gets repeatedly...delayed, let's say. Of course, the fact that my co-intern has barely been able to post due to computer difficulties (though it seems like she's been able to get back on board - let's cross our fingers...) does not help matters. This is my main focus before I leave next week. I'm going to go back, add pictures and links and other whatnots, to see if this blog doesn't have a nice, finished (key word!) appearance by the end of it all.
What else am I working on? The Flickr site, which has also been troublesome. These user-networking sites seem so easy when you're just setting it up for your own entertainment, but when you're trying to make it professional and practical at the same time the bumps in the road seem to increase rather exponentially. For instance, I have loaded about 15 pictures onto a KIA-logged page. I made a username, password, and loaded some photos just to get started. I then tagged those photos with various useful tags - KIA, museum, art, etc. But when I now, unlogged, go and search those tags, nothing comes up. This is very frustrating. Very, very frustrating. And now, when I go back to log in, it cannot find my username or password. VERY FRUSTRATING. That's okay, though. Gabi made a intern-specific email address, I will use that to re-register a username/password, and I will reload those 15 photos. I don't want to overload the page, because a free site can only host about 100 photos and I'm hoping this Flickr site will be used in the future. We have lots of photos like the one below (from our West Michigan Area Show 2006) sitting on the volunteer computer, and Flickr could be a great, practical way to put them all somehow where lots of people can see them.
In any case, Flickr will be worked on, and Flickr will be overcome. Darn it.
What else am I working on, besides all this internet-based hoohah? Verifying contact information, yeehaw. There is a big old list of contact info for various media peoples (radio directors, TV producers, newspaper editors) and art scene heavies (deans of art departments, etc) from Michigan that we are planning to invite to our Lorna Simpson opening reception in May. Gabi and I are going through this list and double-checking the contact info for any people Paul marked.
That is sort of it for today. By that I mean I'm going to close this particular browser window and see if I can make any headway with the Flickr page. About a week and a half more of this, then exams, then I'm back home to Ypsilanti for the summer. Let's see how much I can get done.
-Laura
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Why I hate the Internet; by Gabi Contesti
Well, I really didn't see that one coming! I haven't been able to log on for some time now and I'm not exactly sure why. The Internet has been throwing me some curve balls lately. I like to think of myself as Internet savvy and technically inclined, but lately I've had anything but an easy time with my viral marketing projects.
(If I were trying to study an exam, I'm sure the Internet would work without a glitch, but when it comes to trying to be productive... no dice!)
Since my last blog, a lot has happened. Our MySpace page is up and running (and looking beautiful if I say so myself!). The address is www.myspace.com/kiarts. The Facebook club is gaining more members by the day, and my latest project on YouTube has surprisingly already been hit a few times. I edited a video of our Art and All That Jazz event and posted it up on YouTube. The minute and half film is a montage of clips that will hopefully promote the monthly event. The KIA's Art and All That Jazz is a Friday night event that incorporates entertainment, live music, food, drink, and great company while touring the latest KIA exhibit. Last month was a spotlight on the Car as Art exhibit. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCb9ya9y1o)
(If I were trying to study an exam, I'm sure the Internet would work without a glitch, but when it comes to trying to be productive... no dice!)
Since my last blog, a lot has happened. Our MySpace page is up and running (and looking beautiful if I say so myself!). The address is www.myspace.com/kiarts. The Facebook club is gaining more members by the day, and my latest project on YouTube has surprisingly already been hit a few times. I edited a video of our Art and All That Jazz event and posted it up on YouTube. The minute and half film is a montage of clips that will hopefully promote the monthly event. The KIA's Art and All That Jazz is a Friday night event that incorporates entertainment, live music, food, drink, and great company while touring the latest KIA exhibit. Last month was a spotlight on the Car as Art exhibit. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCb9ya9y1o)
My latest project on the Internet (ugh) has been another difficult challenge. I am currently trying to upload some of the wonderful entries from the Teen Filmmakers Festival onto YouTube without success. I will be sure to blog as soon as they are up, as I will be very ecstatic, and I'd love to promote the students hard work. The films are really excellent!
Finally, I booked a DJ for the 2007 High School Area Show reception. A lesson I've learned quickly in my 'adventures in PR' have been that networking will make your life so much easier. A friend I made at the radio station last semester was Eric P. He is a very talented and skilled DJ who hosts a show on Monday nights. He'll add a great element to the reception and I'm looking forward to having him there. Check back for a link to the uploaded video of the High School show.
I'll check back in with more progress soon!
Gabi
Monday, March 26, 2007
an internship with perks - shocking enough
Today was really quite fun. At least, it was different than my usual day sitting behind a computer mentally banging my head against the wall because the internet is horrible. Today I got to make like I was a real photographer, photographing an ACTUAL photographer. Exciting, yes?
Lorna Simpson came to the KIA today, to take a tour of our galleries and decide where and how she wanted to set up her own exhibit that's coming here in May. Her photography quite interesting and thought-provoking, so this opportunity was quite exciting. My job was to take candid photos of Ms. Simpson during her visit. It was fun, for starters becaues I love taking pictures. I would never claim to have any professional experience or training with a camera, but I like to think I take a bit more care than the amateur with my shots. I also got to meet Ms. Simpson, who was lovely.
With my candid shots, I try to stay out of the way as much as possible. When you're actually trying to do work, having a camera up close and in your face can be ridiculously distracting and obnoxious. I try to keep this in mind.
So that was my entire day today. Such a nice change!
Monday, March 19, 2007
the end that has just barely begun
So the three of us (Paul, Gabi, and I) had our semi-standard Friday meeting last week, and the general consensus seemed to be that our project is nearly finished. At least for this semester. The Wikipedia has been set up, the Myspace is finished. Flickr and Youtube are still being investigated, of course, but the main body of the social-media marketing scheme is done.
"Done" is a rather loose term for this kind of work, though. Characteristic of the internet itself, viral marketing is always changing. A social website like Myspace can be the height of chic popularity one day, and ridiculously out of date and uncool the next. Then some other linking site will crop up, and everyone will join it, and the cycle continues. That's exactly what happened with Facebook a few years ago - an independently-run site that came out of nowhere is now the social norm for college students (and other groups) to meet people. With that in m
ind, this project will run on in the (hopefully) years to come, with new interns taking over where we leave off and maintaining the sites Gabi and I have created.
As for the outside projects I've been working on, I'm still doing my usual photography for events the KIA puts on. For instance, just this past weekend I went to the museum to photograph the young artists' exhibit/reception we just recently installed. Lots of adorable little kids were running around excited pointing out their artwork to their parents, it was great. I got lots of photos that look like this one. I'm also now investigating Flickr and seeing how/if that will benefit us greatly in our marketing, and if it's worth the effort to set up an account.
I should also add that the reason for lack of Gabi-posts is that Blogger is apparently being mean to her and won't let her log in. So I have re-invited her again, and we'll see if this can get her back on board. She's only had one post! And I feel like I'm jabbering! Hopefully this blog can actually become TWO-user friendly instead of just one.
I need to get back to work now, even though that's difficult what with the little kid that has entered the library and is deciding to scream at the top of his lungs. Oh well. Til later!
-Laura
"Done" is a rather loose term for this kind of work, though. Characteristic of the internet itself, viral marketing is always changing. A social website like Myspace can be the height of chic popularity one day, and ridiculously out of date and uncool the next. Then some other linking site will crop up, and everyone will join it, and the cycle continues. That's exactly what happened with Facebook a few years ago - an independently-run site that came out of nowhere is now the social norm for college students (and other groups) to meet people. With that in m
ind, this project will run on in the (hopefully) years to come, with new interns taking over where we leave off and maintaining the sites Gabi and I have created.As for the outside projects I've been working on, I'm still doing my usual photography for events the KIA puts on. For instance, just this past weekend I went to the museum to photograph the young artists' exhibit/reception we just recently installed. Lots of adorable little kids were running around excited pointing out their artwork to their parents, it was great. I got lots of photos that look like this one. I'm also now investigating Flickr and seeing how/if that will benefit us greatly in our marketing, and if it's worth the effort to set up an account.
I should also add that the reason for lack of Gabi-posts is that Blogger is apparently being mean to her and won't let her log in. So I have re-invited her again, and we'll see if this can get her back on board. She's only had one post! And I feel like I'm jabbering! Hopefully this blog can actually become TWO-user friendly instead of just one.
I need to get back to work now, even though that's difficult what with the little kid that has entered the library and is deciding to scream at the top of his lungs. Oh well. Til later!
-Laura
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Wikipedia!
Look at what I did. I'm proud.
It's our very own Wikipedia page!
I'm pretty excited about this, mostly because I managed to figure out Wikipedia's formatting system (it's like HTML, but just different enough to be confusing). It looks like all the other Wikipedia pages I've seen. It's small as of right now, but the main interest here concerns all the hyper-links I've inserted in the text. It's the main use of Wikipedia: each article can be linked to any other articles remoted mentioned.
Again, this might just be the basic groundwork of what this page might become in the future. I'll leave it to the incoming interns where they want to take it, but as of right now I'm calling this project FINISHED.
It's our very own Wikipedia page!
I'm pretty excited about this, mostly because I managed to figure out Wikipedia's formatting system (it's like HTML, but just different enough to be confusing). It looks like all the other Wikipedia pages I've seen. It's small as of right now, but the main interest here concerns all the hyper-links I've inserted in the text. It's the main use of Wikipedia: each article can be linked to any other articles remoted mentioned.
Again, this might just be the basic groundwork of what this page might become in the future. I'll leave it to the incoming interns where they want to take it, but as of right now I'm calling this project FINISHED.
Friday, March 2, 2007
working out some glitches, ie. I hate technology
Another few weeks of the internship has gone by. Progress has, in my opinion, been on and off due to the lovely infallibilities of technology. In essence, I hate the internet and everything to do with it because it never works when I ever need it to. But we persevere! And work has been done. Yay.
I started on the KIA's new-fangled Wikipedia page. So far, if you were to search "Kalamazoo Institute of Arts" at Wiki, there'd be a text-only profile. That is definitely better than nothing, and at least we now have a presence there. It is just one of Wiki's ridiculously comprehensive breadth of articles, but as I figure out how to resize pictures (and make them look good at the same time) and start hyper-linking, traffic/searchability should increase. One of the photos there so far is this one of our downstairs gallery.
The hyper-linking is especially crucial on the site. If a reader is browsing an article containing any shared key words, that word would be hyper-linked to our site. I even know some people (definitely not anyone I know personally like my friends or myself or anything silly like that...) that make a game out of starting on one Wikipedia article and clicking hyperlinks to see where they end up. It's a very interesting feature of Wiki that we could definitely use to our advantage to create traffic and buzz about the KIA and its exhibits.
This blog should also undergo some changes as well. The computer in the volunteer room is fixed and new, however many internet plug-ins aren't available yet. So I haven't been able to do much with it as of now. However, it's my spring break! And I'm in California, thank goodness, where the sunny weather and palm trees are putting me in a good mood to be productive. I have my laptop here with me, so I'm going to keep on working on the Wiki, as well as this blog and continuing my work updating the various tourist sites the KIA profiles.
The internet is a crazy, ever-warping place...which is part of what makes this internin' project so nifty. As much work as Gabi and I get done this semester implementing our plans, the project will never be truly finished. We'll pass off our various passwords and usernames and methods to the next batch of interns, who will (hopefully) continue to maintain these sites as a newly-integral part of the KIA's PR and marketing scheme.
In any case, there's always something new to get done. It's a good thing. Well, I'm off to go revel in weather that is actually above sub-zero (and then some). I know Gabi hasn't been able to post on here due to some...technology issues, but I'm going to see if I can work those out and get her back on board here. We'll see how it all goes!
-Laura
I started on the KIA's new-fangled Wikipedia page. So far, if you were to search "Kalamazoo Institute of Arts" at Wiki, there'd be a text-only profile. That is definitely better than nothing, and at least we now have a presence there. It is just one of Wiki's ridiculously comprehensive breadth of articles, but as I figure out how to resize pictures (and make them look good at the same time) and start hyper-linking, traffic/searchability should increase. One of the photos there so far is this one of our downstairs gallery.
The hyper-linking is especially crucial on the site. If a reader is browsing an article containing any shared key words, that word would be hyper-linked to our site. I even know some people (definitely not anyone I know personally like my friends or myself or anything silly like that...) that make a game out of starting on one Wikipedia article and clicking hyperlinks to see where they end up. It's a very interesting feature of Wiki that we could definitely use to our advantage to create traffic and buzz about the KIA and its exhibits.
This blog should also undergo some changes as well. The computer in the volunteer room is fixed and new, however many internet plug-ins aren't available yet. So I haven't been able to do much with it as of now. However, it's my spring break! And I'm in California, thank goodness, where the sunny weather and palm trees are putting me in a good mood to be productive. I have my laptop here with me, so I'm going to keep on working on the Wiki, as well as this blog and continuing my work updating the various tourist sites the KIA profiles.
The internet is a crazy, ever-warping place...which is part of what makes this internin' project so nifty. As much work as Gabi and I get done this semester implementing our plans, the project will never be truly finished. We'll pass off our various passwords and usernames and methods to the next batch of interns, who will (hopefully) continue to maintain these sites as a newly-integral part of the KIA's PR and marketing scheme.
In any case, there's always something new to get done. It's a good thing. Well, I'm off to go revel in weather that is actually above sub-zero (and then some). I know Gabi hasn't been able to post on here due to some...technology issues, but I'm going to see if I can work those out and get her back on board here. We'll see how it all goes!
-Laura
Monday, February 12, 2007
productivity, here I come
Hiatus, what? Well, it wasn't by any choice - this has been an odd week, for sure. I wasn't able to come in Monday due to the heinous weather (even WMU was closed!), then Wednesday the computer in the volunteer room ie. the intern office was broken, and Friday was our weekly "what have we accomplished lately?" meeting.
So I haven't gotten tons done. But today, that's all about to change. Hopefully. Mostly, I can't get over the fact that this internship involves blogging, googling, and being on Myspace. That is what I do with all my time anyway. This is so much better than homework.
I'm typing up this entry from the lovely and warm lobby of the Kalamazoo Public Library, looking out the window at the continuing heinous weather. Since the computer is still broken and the KIA itself isn't wireless, I trudged the miles (or block and a half) to the library to utilize their services. Hooray for the internet!
The viral marketing plan is excitingly underway. This blog is one major aspect of it, as is the Myspace profile and Facebook group Gabi set up; more info to come as those get a bit more developed and set up, but if you're on either of those sites, please give us a google and join up!
Today I've been working mostly on some individual projects that Paul gave us - checking out various travel/tourist websites for Michigan and seeing what good things they have to say about the good ol' KIA. Sites like the Arts Council of Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce, Michigan.org, etc, are all really easy ways for someone not too familiar with the area to see what on earth there is to DO around here, and the KIA should definitely be on that list. Some sites have a better profile than others - Michigan.org, for example, has a nice picture of the museum and an event calender, while the Visitors Bureau had us listed as an advertiser only and not even under the Arts&Entertainment page. Updating many of these profiles and making them all somewhat cohesive would be a great move for the KIA and its online marketing.
That's about all for now. Like I said, Gabi's set up a Myspace (which is a BIG check off our list) and I'm sure she'll let you know more about that as it gets developed. My googling and whatnot is going to continue this morning and this week, and seeing what comes up on my radar.
Ciao for now. (I rhyme! How's that for a creative writing major, eh?)
-Laura
PS- as soon as the computer gets unbroken, there will be pictures here. Next level, I'm telling you.
So I haven't gotten tons done. But today, that's all about to change. Hopefully. Mostly, I can't get over the fact that this internship involves blogging, googling, and being on Myspace. That is what I do with all my time anyway. This is so much better than homework.
I'm typing up this entry from the lovely and warm lobby of the Kalamazoo Public Library, looking out the window at the continuing heinous weather. Since the computer is still broken and the KIA itself isn't wireless, I trudged the miles (or block and a half) to the library to utilize their services. Hooray for the internet!
The viral marketing plan is excitingly underway. This blog is one major aspect of it, as is the Myspace profile and Facebook group Gabi set up; more info to come as those get a bit more developed and set up, but if you're on either of those sites, please give us a google and join up!
Today I've been working mostly on some individual projects that Paul gave us - checking out various travel/tourist websites for Michigan and seeing what good things they have to say about the good ol' KIA. Sites like the Arts Council of Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce, Michigan.org, etc, are all really easy ways for someone not too familiar with the area to see what on earth there is to DO around here, and the KIA should definitely be on that list. Some sites have a better profile than others - Michigan.org, for example, has a nice picture of the museum and an event calender, while the Visitors Bureau had us listed as an advertiser only and not even under the Arts&Entertainment page. Updating many of these profiles and making them all somewhat cohesive would be a great move for the KIA and its online marketing.
That's about all for now. Like I said, Gabi's set up a Myspace (which is a BIG check off our list) and I'm sure she'll let you know more about that as it gets developed. My googling and whatnot is going to continue this morning and this week, and seeing what comes up on my radar.
Ciao for now. (I rhyme! How's that for a creative writing major, eh?)
-Laura
PS- as soon as the computer gets unbroken, there will be pictures here. Next level, I'm telling you.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
My First Post!
Hello! I'm so excited to be writing my very first post chronicling my internship at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. This is my second internship during my college career and I'm looking forward to learning and continuing to study the world of public relations.
Previously, I was a public relation intern at a student-run radio station here on Western Michigan's campus. I'm definitly bringing the skills I learned there to my new position at the KIA. Although both organizations are non-profit, I think I've enter a whole new world of PR.
I'm hoping to chronical the progress that Laura and I make over the course of the semester and hopefully look back with great pride and the feeling of accomplishment. This week I've been sending out mail pieces to promote the different events we have scheduled this year. My mission for the rest of the week is to begin the 'viral marketing' campaign that Paul S. wants us to focus on. This week I hope to launch our MySpace page and a Facebook club.
I'm excited to start these projects, and even more excited to report back next week with my progress!
Until then-
Gabrielle
I like to thank Laura for setting up this awesome blog and welcoming me to the world of blogging!!! Thanks Laura!!
Previously, I was a public relation intern at a student-run radio station here on Western Michigan's campus. I'm definitly bringing the skills I learned there to my new position at the KIA. Although both organizations are non-profit, I think I've enter a whole new world of PR.
I'm hoping to chronical the progress that Laura and I make over the course of the semester and hopefully look back with great pride and the feeling of accomplishment. This week I've been sending out mail pieces to promote the different events we have scheduled this year. My mission for the rest of the week is to begin the 'viral marketing' campaign that Paul S. wants us to focus on. This week I hope to launch our MySpace page and a Facebook club.
I'm excited to start these projects, and even more excited to report back next week with my progress!
Until then-
Gabrielle
I like to thank Laura for setting up this awesome blog and welcoming me to the world of blogging!!! Thanks Laura!!
Monday, January 29, 2007
first post
So, this is the first post of our internship blog! Until Gabi gets set up here, I don't want to go into too much detail and/or hog posting priveleges, so this should be relatively short. Think of this more as a test post, so in the future I can be sure that I'm correctly typing up blog posts and not contributing to the downfall of society or anything like that. Think of it like that, and be excited about the sweet things to come in the future.
Essentially, this is (as the lovely sidebar succinctly notes) an account of my (that's me, Laura C.) and Gabi's respective internships at the Kalamazoo Institute for Arts this spring. The Institute is both an art museum and art school, though we'll be working more closely with the former. Specifically, we are interns under Paul S., who heads the marketing and public relations department of the museum. We are working on a project to set up a viral/social-media (ie. internet-based) marketing plan for the museum and for exhibits it brings in.
I'm thinking we will update once a week or so, both Gabi and I, giving different view points of the experience given our different backgrounds. Gabi is a senior at Western Michigan University and a public relations major, while I am but a freshman and (currently) double majoring in creative writing and journalism. Hopefully you, lovely readers, will flock in great quantities to this blog and read our excellent adventures, trials, tribulations, and all that jazz.
That's probably as much of a summary as anyone has patience for, so I'll cease for the time being. Once Gabi gets set up here, the posting shall begin, and life shall be wonderful. Until then, ciao (I will also think of an appropriate sign-off at some point, I'm sure.)
-Laura C.
Essentially, this is (as the lovely sidebar succinctly notes) an account of my (that's me, Laura C.) and Gabi's respective internships at the Kalamazoo Institute for Arts this spring. The Institute is both an art museum and art school, though we'll be working more closely with the former. Specifically, we are interns under Paul S., who heads the marketing and public relations department of the museum. We are working on a project to set up a viral/social-media (ie. internet-based) marketing plan for the museum and for exhibits it brings in.
I'm thinking we will update once a week or so, both Gabi and I, giving different view points of the experience given our different backgrounds. Gabi is a senior at Western Michigan University and a public relations major, while I am but a freshman and (currently) double majoring in creative writing and journalism. Hopefully you, lovely readers, will flock in great quantities to this blog and read our excellent adventures, trials, tribulations, and all that jazz.
That's probably as much of a summary as anyone has patience for, so I'll cease for the time being. Once Gabi gets set up here, the posting shall begin, and life shall be wonderful. Until then, ciao (I will also think of an appropriate sign-off at some point, I'm sure.)
-Laura C.
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