The Social Media Revolution

It is hard to deny that social media is as much a part of our lives as oxygen these days. If you are anything like me, you probably have a Facebook account, a blog, a LinkedIn profile. And the company you work for also probably has all these accounts. In a world where people hear about breaking news on Twitter long before they hear about it on the TV or radio, it is becoming more and more of a necessity to be digitally connected.

I am going to be honest and tell you that I have seen The Social Network about 10 times. I love that movie. And after I saw it the first time, I went and looked up everything I could find about Mark Zuckerberg. Including that he has a dog named Beast and a girlfriend name Priscilla. There is just something so fascinating to me about how much our culture is almost dependent on these media outlets. I mean my grandmother has a Facebook. I didn't even think she had email. It is undeniable how revolutionary social media is.

I had the privilege of attending a social media seminar on Friday and as part of the introduction they showed us a video about how social media has evolved to become what we know it to be today. You have to watch it. Even if you aren't on Facebook or Twitter, the statistics are staggering and incredibly fascinating.



And if you are looking for a great way to connect with us here at Fun Fourth, like our page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Fun4thGSO) or follow us on Twitter (@Fun4thGSO)

What's a party without the theme?

Everybody who's anybody knows that the Fun Fourth Festival is the biggest party of the summer. It's got music, beer, food, and America. Who could ask for more? In order to make this party really awesome (i.e. turn it from a party into a par-tay) we start planning months in advance. Which brings me to the topic of this post. The theme.

All good parties have a theme. Weddings, birthdays, proms. They all have some sort of overarching idea that ties in the decor, the favors, the music, and so on and so forth. Now I know right now you are thinking, "Isn't the Fun Fourth's theme the Fourth of July?" And yes I realize that the overall theme is red, white, and blue. But, what would prom have been if all the popular girls planning it had said, "Like, um, I think the theme is getting dressed up and dancing. Like, duh?" It would have been lame. So, we like to have a slogan or a concept that we can tie into our graphics and our activities. Something that goes a little bit beyond what the party is obviously about.

For example, last year the theme was "Bring your friends and get in the picture." So we used picture frames in a lot of our poster designs and we had people walking around the festival with giant picture frames that people could have their picture made with. It was pretty cool.

Now this is where you guys come in. We have started discussing what the theme should be and we haven't quite nailed down that one really awesome idea. So, we need suggestions! What kind of theme do you think would be cool for the Fun Fourth? It can be something really broad like "A Night In Paris" (that was the theme of my senior prom, please don't suggest that), a slogan like "get in the picture," or something just having to do with Greensboro, like O'Henry's 150th birthday, which is this year. We are open to any and all ideas and would love to hear what fresh ideas you have.

Leave me a comment here, or shoot me an email at administration@grassrootsproductionsltd.org and let's make the 2012 Fun Fourth the party of the year!

Rivalry Week

It is no secret that I love Carolina. More than my cat, more than chocolate, more than Target. It is also no secret, that because of this love, I hate Duke so fiercely that it is borderline insanity. And tonight, the two will meet for the first time this basketball season in a national display of their mutual hatred. It is the most famous rivalry in college sports history. It is a rivalry so powerful that even non-alumni feel the need to take sides, at least for this one night.

I read an article once that basically described the Duke/UNC rivalry as a masochistic romance. The two are psychotic in their abuse of one another, but in the end, they love how much it hurts. They are inseparable, permanently welded together by how good it feels to hate so deeply. It's sick, really. But it is also wonderful.

I'm not here to gush about the Tar Heels or to bash the Dookies. I've made it clear how I feel about each. I actually want to pay tribute to this crazy mentality that we both have in common. There are no fans more passionate than those of Carolina and Duke. There is no greater outcome than a win for your team in this game. There are no two schools with greater traditions and history. This rivalry is like the Civil War. Each side is willing to kill their own brother to be the victor. It is something that is unprecedented in the world of college athletics. It is a feeling that cannot be explained, and one that would not exist without both of these schools.

Which is why we need each other. Do I secretly wish that all the gargoyles on that disgusting campus would come to life and eat everyone there? Of course! If I ever saw Coach K out and about, would I seriously contemplate running him over with my car? Yes! But the truth is, if any of those things actually happened, it would take away the best part of being a Carolina fan. And it's the best part of being a Duke fan, too. Without each other we would never have that amazing feeling of beating someone we view equal to Satan. Win or lose, being able to go into a game like the one tonight, not just as a random spectator, but as someone who can say, "That is my team out there," is what we all live for. It is what defines us as Tar Heels or Blue Devils.

Think I'm making this all up? Look at NC State. Poor things. They have been trying so hard for years to make Carolina their rivals. But Carolina repeatedly turns them down. Because Carolina already has a rival. So why does State push so hard to make the games mean so much? Because they want the feeling that Duke has when they play Carolina. They want that feeling of life or death at each game. They want their fans to call home crying when they lose. The University of Maryland has done the same to Duke, resulting in chants of "Not our rivals" from Duke fans. Unfortunately for these schools, they are never going to be more than third wheels on this date. Because Carolina and Duke are soul mates. We love to hate each other, especially on this day each year when we can show it off to the entire nation.

9 p.m. on CBS. Go Heels!

Resolutions

Well, it is now 2012. If you can believe it, yet another year has passed us by. I, and I'm sure many of you, have spent the past few weeks preparing for 2012. I bought a new calendar, I started planning vacation, I cleaned my house. There is something about January that makes me want to start out with a clean slate. An emptied inbox, a paid off credit card, a full tank of gas. The other thing about this time of year is that, for one reason or another, it always tends toward self-examination. We think about the past year and how it could have gone differently. We look forward to the fresh start this new year has given us to use all the wisdom we gained from growing one year older. And that, inevitably, leads us to the New Year's Resolution.

My research on the beginnings of the New Year's Resolution was some what inconclusive. Basically, no one is entirely certain how the custom came about, but we figure that it is based on a combination of several different traditions of either sacrifice to the gods or atonement. Over time it has evolved into an annual reflection upon self-improvement. Which I think most people would consider to be a very good thing. Here's the kicker though. Studies have shown that 88% of people who set New Year's Resolutions ultimately fail. So, although lots of people have the desire to improve themselves and the world at the new year, most people never see this desire through.

And I bet if you really think about it, you probably aren't surprised by that statistic. How many times have you set a resolution and eventually given up? I know I have. One year I resolved to teach myself how to play piano. I borrowed my brother's keyboard and bought a book on how to learn from Barnes & Noble. But within a week I was just so lost and confused I had to quit. I was so embarrassed I even had to have my brother return the book for me. So why is it so hard for us, who seem to really want to set these goals, to keep our resolutions?

I, of course, don't have the answer to this. But I think a lot of it probably has to do with the fact that we make these resolutions just because of the time of year. There aren't any Saint Patrick's Day's Resolutions or Fourth of July's Resolutions. We feel like the only time we can set a goal is at the start of the year. That if we commit to making ourselves or our world better half-way through, it won't mean anything. So we hurry to come up with something and we really try to commit to it, but we can't because we didn't exactly mean it from the start.

My mom said something to me this year when she got frustrated with her Christmas shopping. She said, "I can't think of anything to get you and I don't like having to do it like this. I would rather just see something I think you would like and buy it no matter what time of year it is than have to buy you something right now." Doesn't that apply to our New Year's Resolutions too? A resolution is defined as determining on a course of action. Determining. That's a pretty powerful word. Resolutions aren't meant to be made and forgotten. We are supposed to seek them with great determination.

So this year for the New Year, I am resolving not to make a resolution. Yet. As the year goes on and opportunities begin to open up to do good deeds or to make changes in my life, I will take them. Not because a holiday dictates that I have to, but because at that time I will be able to determinately resolve to do it. And then maybe, as the calendar rolls over to 2013 I will be able to look back at a year full of resolutions accomplished, not just one made and abandoned. Just some food for thought.

Any ideas you want to share about your resolutions for this year, you can email me at administration@grassrootsproductionsltd.org And definitely resolve to come see us at the Fun Fourth Festival this July 4th!

Happy Holidays!

The community tree is lit, the entire Greensboro population has News & Record reindeer antlers and FestQuest prizes have been mailed out. Yes, sadly the Festival of Lights is over, but what a great year it was! The weather was perfect throughout the whole day and I am hearing that we had record breaking crowds. Of course this also means that now we are all going to melt into the holiday funk where we have parties to attend and presents to buy and trees to decorate. We won't be thinking too much about work or this blog. So before that happens and I lose all my faithful readers to the call of candy canes and eggnog, let me leave you with some parting thoughts.

First and foremost, thanks to all of you who came out and played FestQuest. We hope you had as much fun playing it as we had planning! Thanks to the generosity of the downtown restaurants and merchants, we were able to give everyone who completed FestQuest a prize. So be checking your mailboxes for a little present from us arriving this week! And if you have any suggestions for next year, please email them to me (administration@grassrootsproductionsltd.org).

Next, don't forget about the rest of the exciting holiday activities going on in downtown this month. Just because Festival of Lights is over doesn't mean that Downtown in December is. There are shows, movies and shops galore. If you have family coming from out of town for the holidays, you will definitely want to bring them to downtown to experience all Greensboro has to offer!

Thirdly, this time of year, you can never watch this video too many times, both because it is awesome and because you are grateful it isn't your house.



Finally, thanks to everybody who came and celebrated with us at Festival of Lights. It was such an amazing way to kick off the holiday season and we hope to see all of you back next year (and at Fun Fourth of course!)

Have a safe and happy holiday and we will see you in 2012!