OU students embrace Farmer's Market

Many University of Oklahoma students were offered a variety of foods at the Farmer's Market that took place last Thursday, April 9.

The annual Farmer's Market, put on each year by OU's Crimson and Green organization, was located in the Adams and Walker Mall from 12-4 pm. People were offered numerous free samples and had the opportunity to purchase various food items such as vegetables, homemade breads, and desserts.

Many students, it seemed, were more attracted to the free samples, forming lines to get a taste of chili. However, some even supported the event by purchasing a "Go Green" t-shirt.

Susan Smithers, a Farmer's Market volunteer, said typically the Farmer's Market appeals more to the freshman students because of its location in between the dorms. However, she went on to say that several OU faculty members take advantage of the opportunity as well.

"It really is a great way for students and faculty to purchase some food that branches out from the typical college diet," Smithers said.

The market was one of the many activities put on by Go Green Week 2009. Go Green Week supports better protection of the environment by raising awareness of the impacts man has had on the Earth.

The Crimson and Green organization also promotes recycling around campus and partipates in planting trees around campus for Arbor Day.

Advertising: It's Everywhere!

As an advertising major, I think it's important to understand just what makes advertising successful in the United States.

The following website shows recognizable products and their slogans.

http://bizcovering.com/marketing-and-advertising/popular-and-unforgettable-advertising-slogans-that-sell/

I found myself looking at the various products on the above website and immediately my mind came up with the slogan to match. As media consumers, I don't think we realize just how much we are affected by advertising. In fact, I think it is safe to state that the average American could probably look at the vast majority of the products featured on the website such as McDonald's or Coca Cola and be able to recall their logos and slogans.

Advertising is everywhere. It is featured anywhere from television to billboards. We see advertisements all the time to the point where our minds don't even think anything of them. In other words, we are accustomed to viewing them. I can't even begin to think how many times I've recited the Subway slogan (Eat fresh) or sang the Mattress Giant jingle (Only at Mattress Giant, Ooh Aah). Ads are always in my mind.

Based on these observations, one of the main goals advertising is to be visible to the public. However, I think an even more important goal for the company is to not only be visible, but be memorable. It's one thing to see an advertisement, but an ad is more successful if it is remembered. Therefore, when I'm in the advertising business, it will be my goal to come up with ways to make a product, person or service creatively stand out to the viewer. I think I'm up for the challenge!

50 Most Powerful Blogs

Here is the link to the blogging story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/09/blogs

The article about the fifty most powerful blogs is actually very interesting because it promotes the use of blogs, especially through the eyes of the media. Honestly, I have never really thought about blogging as another outlet for the media. However, after being in college for almost a year, certain media classes are exposing me to numerous media sources that I have never considered before. For instance, I'm finding that if you want to go into a mass media field, it is essential that you are familiar with certain aspects of the Internet and online websites, blogging included.

Therefore, I found it interesting that before the top blog in the world, The Huffington Post, was introduced, media companies ignored the web. However, post-Huffington treats the web as a marketplace. It's amazing the power that one blog can have over society. I was also fascinated with Dooce, the fifth most popular blog. It talks about how the founder represents thousands of people that want to share their lives with complete strangers. Blogging such as this is unique to me because it represents people who long to get their stories out into the world.

I've never really had any interest in blogging, but after reading about the top fifty most powerful blogs, blogging is more appealing. I think it gives average people the chance to make their ideas known to others. Of course, credibility is always an issue, but there is no doubt that blogging promotes a spread of information all over the world.

OU vs. UT: I STILL choose OU!

Here is the link to the news story:

http://newsok.com/texas-claims-big-12-championship-with-an/article/3359256?custom_click=lead_story_title

The Oklahoman featured an article on April 5, 2009 that discussed the University of Texas and their apparent Big 12 victory in 2008. Of course, the actual victory was awarded to the University of Oklahoma, who beat both Texas and Texas Tech for a spot in the Big 12 Championship. However, UT still claims that since they beat OU in a head-to-head game, they should have deserved to win the Big 12, despite their loss to Texas Tech. UT even added the year 2008 to their list of Big 12 Championships that is displayed on their training facility.

It is amazing to me that Texas still refuses to drop this issue. Yes, I believe that the three way tie between OU, UT and Tech was a difficult and abnormal situation, but I think that claiming the year 2008 as a championship is going too far. I personally believe that UT should accept the situation for what it was. They lost much later in the season, which ended up putting OU in a better situation. You have to face the reality that OU won the Big 12. Boomer Sooner!