Weekender Tweets

Even though my company of choice to follow for class in Dunkin Donuts, I wanted to take some time and blog about The Weekender and their Twitter page. For those of you who don't know, The Weekender is Northeastern Pennsylvania's No. 1 arts & entertainment weekly newspaper since 1993, and is on newstands every Wednesday and online every day. The Weekender has recently became a member to the Twitter world which has made the newspaper even more popular. Their Twitter page currently has 515 followers, and is growing everyday - with good reason!
If you go to The Weekender's Twitter page (http://twitter.com/wkdr), you will see that they constantly update their page with entertaining information, daily updates of events throughout the Luzerne County area, interviews with artists and local celebrities and, of course, photo galleries. Also, their page contains information on local's favorite sections of the paper such as: Model and Man of the Week, Music on the Menu, Mystery Mouth and Dish.
I think it was a great idea for The Weekender to expand their population in the social netowking world and create a Twitter page - for they have a widely populated fan base, and this is just another way for their fans to keep up with their constant innovations. Although there currently seems to be some type of battle going on between the print and media world, I think The Weekender is an excellent example as to how a company can positively make both outlets work to their advantage!

February = Dunkin Donuts' Chocolate Lovers' Month

If your a chocolate lover like myself, or what I personally like to call us "Chocoholics", Dunkin Donuts is the place to be this month! For chocolate lovers worldwide who are looking for a treat, Dunkin' Donuts is offering the new Triple Chocolate Donut, a chocolate cake donut topped with chocolate frosting and milk chocolate chips. Also, keeping "love" in mind, Dunkin Donuts has created The Love Donut, a chocolate frosted yeast donut topped with special heart-shaped sprinkles. The best part about these precious sweets? They're only 89 cents each!

Want more? Okay. Dunkin' Donuts has also introduced the new White Chocolate Latte topped with a mocha swirl drizzle, and is bringing back by popular demand two bakery favorites - The Triple Chocolate Muffin, made with a blend of cocoas and loaded with chocolate chunks and chips, and The Dunkin' Donuts' Brownie which is topped with creamy chocolate icing, white chocolate shavings and a chocolate drizzle... YUMMM!

The most interesting aspect I learned while following Dunkin Donuts, is just how truly creative the company is - Which is why I was not surprised to find an article stating that Dunkin Donuts will also be allowing the public to create their own Hot Chocolate on behalf of "Chocolate Lovers Month". Customers will have the option to create the hot chocolate of their choice with unsweetened flavors including caramel, coconut, blueberry, raspberry, French vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon and toasted almond. Hot Chocolate lovers can choose one or more flavors to add to their Hot Chocolate or White Hot Chocolate to create their own personalized combination.

I'm offically LinkedIn

I just got done creating my own LinkedIn account, and I must say I found it to be very benifical - especially to a Senior whose about to graduate in less than 3 months and is yet to find/really look for a job. For those of you who don't know what LinkIn is, it's website states:

"LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals."

Now, going back to the whole beficial aspect of things.. As LinkedIn previously stated, this website actually allows you to create your own profile explaining who you are, what school you attend, what job(s) you have or have previously had, what skills you obtain, what 'life goals' you have for yourself, and most importantly, what your specifically looking for in the working world.

As I continued to create my profile, I also found that you can import your resume, search for people within your field of study and/or interest and even recieve recommendations from individuals/companys.

I'm currently 70% finished with my profile on the website (or so the LinkedIn status claims), and have listed a lot of aspects of my personal and professional life in which I believe will assist me in being one step closer to find what it is I'm looking for. Basically, if you haven't already created an account go to http://www.linkedin.com/ and get 'linked in'!

12 Months of FREE Coffee

So, I can't help but read about all these boring Twitter accounts who refuse to update their page, or basically have nothing to write about - but following Dunkin Donuts is absolutely nothing like that. Everytime I view Dunkin Donut's Twitter page, I am overwhelmed with the amount of updates they have. The company's page is literally something one could read for hours - containing conversations with fans and friends, tweeting about new deals and products (especially the COCONUT hot chocolate) and all the contests that they are having for the public.

I talked last week about the virtual "Create Your Own Donut" contest, which is still open to the public until March 8th 2010, but there are many other contests that I recently stumbled upon! One contest I would like to share is entitled "Win Coffee for a Year" where all you have to do is visit http://www.dunkindonuts.com/ during the Sweepstakes Period and complete the online Dunkin’ Perks registration form. After your Dunkin’ Perks account has been created, you will then automatically receive one sweepstakes entry and automatically be entered. One Prize will be awarded per week during the Sweepstakes Period: 2 lbs of Dunkin’ Donuts Original Blend Coffee per month for 12 months (which is an approximate retail value: $250.00. )

For more information on this contest, and the many others that Dunkin Donuts is now offering, visit their Twitter page or website (http://www.dunkindonuts.com/). Oh, and if your bored with your current company that your following, feel free to catch a peek at Dunkin Donuts' page.. I promise you, you won't be bored.

Good job Dunkin Donuts, your quite entertaining. Keep up the good work!

John Mayer's Twitter Apology

The talented, beautiful, open-minded John Mayer has just about gone too far - In his interview with Playboy magazine, the artist used the "n word" which costed him his credibility with many disappointed fans. At his recent concert in Tennessee, John sincerely apologized to the crowd, and to the world, for his words and the discomfort it may have caused.. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INgaBsxDFng&feature=player_embedded)

BUT, that's not all he did. John went straight to his Twitter page to continually express his apologies for his ignorance. His tweets state: "Using the 'N word' in an interview: I am sorry that I used the word. And it's such a shame that I did because the point I was trying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize using it, because I realize that there's no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged."

Personally, I don't think that John could have approached this situation in any other way - his fans were the ones to read his Playboy interview, and they are the same people who are following him on Twitter. In essence, thank God for social networking.. for it allows one to reach out to a large group of people, with ease. The situation that John got himself in is only one that he can pull himself out of, and that is for sure.. But, social media is here to work in John's favor, by allowing him to express just how sorry he truly is to his 3,067,471 followers.

Don't worry John, Twitter will just put it on your tab.

Creating Your Own Dunkin Donut!

I came across an interesting article, thanks to Professor Talarico that is, on how Dunkin Donuts has decided to hold its second "Create Dunkin's Next Donut" contest just in time to celebrate the company's 60th birthday! It's fair to state that last year's contest was a huge success, for they obtained more than 130,000 donut submissions and 174,000 votes, so why not do it again?
Soo I'm sure your all wonder how this contest actually works. Well.. anyone can participate in making can their own donut using Dunkin Donuts’ website (https://www.dunkindonuts.com/donut/) This website allows you to actally select the shape, dough, filling, frosting and toppings of your donut! That's right, you now have the ability to virtual create a sweet masterpiece. This year, Dunkin Donuts offers a new option for you to save your creation and find them in the My Donuts section located on the Dunkin Donuts website.
Yes, creating a virtual donut sounds pretty cool, but I'm sure your curious as to whats in it for you, right? Well, the judges are going to pick 12 finalists based on their use of ingredients, the name of their donut and the story behind why they created it. Each of the 12 finalists will also each recieve a $1,200 cash prize, a year’s worth of donuts, a Flip HD camcorder and a trip to Dunkin’ Donuts University to bake their donuts and meet with chefs. The grand prize winner takes home $12,000 and will have the honor of seeing their donut sold in stores for a limited time! Overall, this contest seems like an awesome way to wish Dunkin Donuts a happy 60th birthday!

For more information about the contest be sure to check out the article and information posted at (http://mashable.com/2010/02/08/dunkin-donuts-contest/)

Social Media Blog

I must say that I am very interested in learning about social media and the 'networking' world. I don't know much about blogging, or the importance it has within a company, but I am eager to learn. Along with becoming a 'blogger', I am ready to discover all the networking techniques that there is to know. It's funny, because originally when I would think of blogging I would picture individuals who have Live Journals, or something of that nature, who have nothing else to do but sit and type about their opinions on life! Hahaa oops.