Life as a BYU MBA student: 2012

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The traditions of breakfast

I was running late this morning and so I grabbed my lunch as I headed out the door without having breakfast. I am one of those types that HAS to eat breakfast or I can't function for the day. As I got to school and found a little time to eat, I decided to try and eat my lunch.

I don't know why but it was a no go. I couldn't eat it.

I can eat breakfast for dinner any day of the week but I can't eat dinner for breakfast... why is that?

It is crazy to me that breakfast seems like the most ritualistic meal. All of the people and cultures I know, there are very few things that normally get consumed for breakfast. It makes me wonder if we just eat so few items for breakfast that it becomes ingrained in us that if the food item isn't one of those food items, it isn't for breakfast.

Needless to say, I am having to wait awhile before I can eat. It looks like today I am going to be having brunch.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Deep thoughts...or just thoughts

What is reality...

reality to me changes on a daily basis. As I try to navigate through life, life seems to twist and turn to morph in things that it used to not be. As I look back, I see things much more clearly and I think, ah. I guess that is what we call 20/20 hindsight.

I also look back and see things that used to be so simple and now they are more complex than I could have ever imaged. I think to myself, how did this get so complicated and why did it change. Did it change or did I change? It is this kind of thought process that makes me question if reality is a singular thing or if it changes.

Maybe reality is something that unravels and as you live life you gain a greater clarity on what exactly reality is. As you live, your focus sharpens on some aspects, other loose their focus and therefore become confusing and not as simple.

Ultimately I believe that there is one reality but does anyone really get to experience it or are we all experiencing what each other believes is reality and so therefore act according to our reality.

I have heard the saying, "in the eyes of the beholder." Does that mean that reality takes on different forms depending on the person? It all depends on our perception of reality and not reality itself?

All I know is that reality is a mystical thing that eludes me and each life experience I have seems to form my ever changing reality!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Almighty Apple Trumps Ethics

Today and for the past 3 weeks, the news media has attacked Apple for its relationship with Foxconn. It all started with a radio show commentator breaking the news of the horrendous working conditions in Foxconn's factories, the supplier of Apple's money making iPad.

Even though the accusations were retracted by the commentator, Apple has still been getting press regarding the accusations. Today I found this article on Forbes.com, "Apple has come under fire recently for its role in contracting Foxconn, an iPhone and iPad assembler known for suicidal workers. Critics charged that Apple was going so far as underpaying its Chinese workers and turning a blind eye to Foxconn’s notorious labor conditions." -Apple CEO Meets China's Vice-Premier. The radio commentator might have retracted the comments but the media is trying to get as much mileage as possible. Many critics have also shown that the commentators remarks might have been exaggerated but were founded in truth.

With so much negative press you would think that it would affect Apple's sales at least somewhat but there are no indications that it has. A few weeks after the story broke Apple released its "New iPad" and 3 days later Apple released this news story "New iPad Tops Three Million". The "New iPad" was breaking any and all new product launch records in the history of consumer electronics, let alone any product for that matter.

Did the world take a blind eye to the media frenzy that was the headline news for 3 weeks? Did consumers decide that they like Apple too much to let it stop them from buying? Has Apple ascended to a higher law or realm?

I would dare say that if it was any other company that was found having the issue that Apple is having with Foxconn, consumers might have acted a little differently.

Apple's clean white persona seems to be taintless for now...

Friday, March 9, 2012

KONY2012 - A social media experiment

We can all agree that social media has proven to change the world. What we can't seem to figure out is the best way to USE social media to change the world.

Social media has given the power from a few to the many. People have always wanted to act, they have just never known how. Whether we want to believe it or not, we are a people that live in the world we create around us. It is only through the interactions we have with each other that we experience and see the world through someone else's eyes. Social media is the platform that allows people to have these interactions on a more grand scale.

No longer is my "network" only the amount of people that I can physically meet in a life time but it is a the countless number of people I can "connect" with on the internet. Anyone can talk to the world, they just need to have a strategy to get the world to listen.

KONY2012 is a perfect example of how to get people to listen and it is as simple as coming up with a plan. It is the simple but important daily tactics that make a plan succeed. KONY2012 has come up with a strategy and is now actively trying to get people involved. Check out the video below to see what I think is a genius but simple social media plan. The power of social media is growing each day!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Super Hero Dad

Kids are funny. They seem to go through stages where dad goes from a super hero to stranger back to a super hero.

My oldest is 3 and at this point I am on the downward slope to stranger but for my one year old, I have never been a better super hero.

The moment I step into a room or my voice is heard for the first time, my 1 year old goes ballistic. At times I wonder if he thinks he is a super hero because he will dive off of whatever he is on, no matter the height, just to get to me. It has gotten to the point where it is a safety issue!

I am not going to lie, I love the fact that I am a super hero to my two boys. Coming home is the best part of my day! I guess why I wrote the post is because I am interested in hearing how to keep your kids enamored with you. I don't want the glory to dissipate so what does it take to keep it?

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Mitt Romney - Social media mastermind or misfit

Does Mitt Romney have what it takes to be a the authority when it comes to social media? We won't know until after the elections.

One thing that Romney doesn't lack is money and you can tell that he is throwing all he can at having a social presence.

As of last September Romney had spent $900,000 with digital marketing firm Target Victory alone. This was double any other competitor at the time. To show how much he might need to spend, Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic party have spent $5 million. Money isn't the only thing that Mitt is doing to make sure that he is the authority.

Mitt recently hired the legendary Eric Fehrnstrom. Many believe that Eric is one of the greatest assets the Romney campaign has to bolster his social presence . GOP strategist Mike Murphy was quoted in the Boston Globe saying, "I think he's the secret weapon."

So what has all of this spending bought him?
Here is the latest stats as far as I could collect:

Facebook: 1.5 million fans
Twitter: 350,000
YouTube: 5.1 million views, with 75 videos created and 5K subscribers.
Flickr
Tout

MyMitt.com

Mitt's most notable social asset is his myMitt.com community. The idea of myMitt was stolen out of the playbook of Barack Obama but it is working for Mitt. Mitt has raised over $1.5 million from the site without even advertising it or pushing people to it. The site is hidden in his site mittromney.com. When you log in, user can customize their portal with features such as exclusive emails and messages from the campaign, fundraising pages that contain a user's unique profile and fundraising goals, social share features for family, friends and other contacts as well as a specific action items such as making phone calls for the campaign. The best thing of all is that this can be done on a computer, smart phone or tablet. It is unclear why the Romney campaign isn't trying to leverage the site but at this point, they are leaving it as a hidden gem.

Mitt's strategy in short

Mitt has spent a lot of money on developing a presence but hasn't done much to leverage the power of social media. Up to this point Mitt Romney has only used Facebook, Twitter, etc. as means to push content, not to interact. Maybe with the new consultant, things will change.

Results

Even though the data might be old, it shows that Mitt is dominating the social world compared to his Republican counterparts. If Romney makes it past the primaries, he will not be up against the same competition. Barack Obama pioneered many of the techniques Romney is using and so it will be interesting to see how he would stack up against a more formidable opponent.

How does this translate to your business?
1st, you can't count your eggs before they hatch. Romney could have a billion friends, yes I just dropped the b word, but it doesn't mean anything unless he gets them to act. Time will only tell if his social media strategy can get him to the White House.

2nd, Money can buy social media presence. You don't just get friends that follow you, you have to have reasons for people to follow you and that takes time and money.

3rd, Going viral can be good and bad... check out this post