Final Draft Media Pitch

Charles McCollum

Managing Editor

cmccollum@hjnews.com

435-752-2121 Ext. 320




Dear Mr. McCollum,

A lot of people in the Cache Valley are striving to be free from financial problems. I know that you are the editor at the Herald Journal and have an important role in helping influence the people of Cache Valley. I am a member of a helpful organization that provides solutions to those who are struggling financially. The Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) is made up of individuals who are striving to become financially independent. I know that promoting awareness for this club would be of great benefit to people throughout the valley.
CVAIA meets on first, third and fifth Thursdays at the Chamber of Commerce.  The meetings last for a few hours and are free and open to all.  Members share  tips and methods for managing finances.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me. I can also help coordinate communication with the club's Preston Parker.

Tanner Simmons
Public Relations Specialist
453-898-9983
tannersimmons35@email.com 

Media Pitch: First Draft

Charles McCollum
Managing Editor
cmccollum@hjnews.com
435-752-2121 Ext. 320


Dear Mr. McCollum,


A lot of people in the Cache Valley are striving to be free from financial problems.........




Tanner Simmons
Public Relations Specialist
453-898-9983
tannersimmons35@email.com 

Press Release 4: Draft

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 25, 2011

Utah State University Health and Wellness Center  

9100 Old Main Hill, Logan UT, 84322

http://usu.edu/health/

435-797-1660

                                   COLLEGIATE ALCOHOL AWARENESS WEEK

Students and staff at Utah State University acknowledge nation problem

LOGAN, Utah - .........."The Health and Wellness Center  hopes to make students aware of the consequences alcohol misuse including drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, etc..."

Green Bean Campaign, designed to encourage students to help friends regulate alcohol use.

Tanner Simmons

Public Relations Specialist

242-998-6690

tannersimmons35@email.com

Social Media: Collaborative and Distance Communications Tools

I cannot even imagine being an elderly person living in this day and age. Technological advances can feel so overwhelming to even those who are caught up in the midst of it all. I would like to say I am somewhat computer literate and can navigate my way around social media. But I have to take the side of amazement with senior citizens when I processed the idea of this article. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/09/24/skype-away-online-therapy-is-still-exciting/

Mental therapy has been around for ages. Therapists have been accessible in their offices by appointment and in emergency situations. If your shrink was out of town, tough luck, resolve things on your own. That was then, this is now. Therapists are reachable for help with a few clicks of the mouse. Videoconferencing, or Skype, allows two individuals to stream video footage in real time in order to communicate face to face. To me this is absolutely remarkable.

Most services provided online are incredible to me so perhaps I am not the most fitting judge as to what is truly innovative. It seems that such advances are taken for granted and just expected at this point. I wonder what will be commonplace in 5-10 years from now?

Something I confess I know nothing about is second life. From what I do understand it is a virtual realm of interaction between avatars that take part in real life activities. If that doesn't make you scratch your head as to what people are thinking, I do not know what will. The purpose of second life, as understood by a first lifer, is to mingle and meet new people while altogether pretending to be someone else. It is an opportunity to display otherwise taboo feelings or self expression. This whole thing wreaks of fiction right? According to Time Magazine it has become a serious matter. Real problems have begun to stem from disputes concerning fictitious things. More can be found at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1651500,00.html.

An individual could take part in second life for a number of reasons. Some users participate to fill a void of loneliness,  others approach the virtual world as a way to finally express themselves as they really are. It becomes a more accepting society where they can feel free of judgement and shame. A small amount of second lifers are just simply bored and or addicted to the game. I refer to it as a game because to me it is. The most interesting feature to me is the ability users have to buy and sell virtual real estate for real cash. You just read that correctly. But someone somewhere is the proud owner of a nice piece of online property. Sometimes I think the wrong people are stuck in the psych wards.

Santa Barbara

The things I've learned

Social Media: Viral Videos

Everybody, well almost everybody, loves crazy, wacky, cool or interesting videos. Some videos generate so much attention they become classified as "viral". This word can mean a few different things, but in the context of Internet popularity viral refers to "becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially on the Internet: the most memorableviral videos; a book that's gone viral." http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/viral

But what things constitute a video going viral? According to the self entitled article "What Makes a Video Viral?", it can be understood that five million or more views in a three to seven day period would satisfy this requirement. I have heard otherwise. There is no doctrinal information constituting the exact number of views that absolutely defines a video as viral.

It is quite natural for people to share the things they enjoy with their peers. As soon as I see a hilarious video, I immediately text my friends about it and encourage them to check it out. A few weeks will pass and before too long we will have our favorite videos memorized and quote them non-stop. It would be ludicrous to assume that a video with one million views came from one million different users. I am sure that 20-30 of the total views  on my favorite videos come from me alone.

The previously referenced article can be found at:
http://socialtimes.com/what-makes-a-video-viral_b61409

Viral videos are considered to be mainstream. Meaning they are extremely popular and enjoyed by various types of people. Not all videos start out this way. Promoting and exposing a video in its early stages can be a difficult task. The video has to have content that can promote itself. It has to be quotable, extreme, hilarious, gross or just distinguished in such a memorable way that it sells itself.

In an article providing a recipe for a successful viral video, we can read about the importance of great content and more importantly the right kind of advertising. The most effective place to try and route people to a video, is at the end of an already successful video. The fan base that is already embedded  in certain videos is the target audience for videos that are trying to make it big. It doesn't matter how the video gets big, it just matters that it does. The article concludes with an interesting point about clear titles that can be searched and found with ease. I completely agree with that bit of information. I have searched for videos of which I have forgotten the title and finding them again can be difficult if the title is not clear and descriptive.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123481783053894227.html

In case you might be wondering where all these videos are, feel free to check out this website: http://www.viralvideos.com/  It's always nice to receive news ahead of the curve and this site shows you what is up and coming.

Press Release 3: Cause Promotion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2011

Cache Valley Area Investors Association
350 N 600 W Logan, Utah 84321
664-574-9957
www.cvaia.com

LOCAL GROUP TEACHES FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE


LOGAN, Utah - Well managed income can lead people to freedom from financial independence here in the Cache Valley.

Many Americans feel like the debt they have acquired has gotten them in over their heads. Financial freedom seems to be more of a dream than a reality. Relief from such burdens can be made possible by living below one's means and leading an affordable life. Such practices are taught by the Cache Valley Area Investors Association. The group's president, Preston Parker, says he is more than happy to help any and all who seek financial advice at these meetings. 

"The abilities that come with financial independence are liberating," said Parker.


Liberation is available to all who will attend, whether they seek advice and help or not. The CVAIA declares a projection of 10 years to help a person claim financial Independence. 


CVAIA holds meetings on the first, third and fifth Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM. The meetings are held at the Chamber of Commerce building and have no fee to attend. The meetings teach principles on how to become financially independent, as well as an open forum to ask questions and get advice. CVAIA believes there are no speculations when it comes to investing. Being educated is the key to keeping your passive income high.

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risks of investing.


Tanner Simmons
Public Relations Specialist
tsimmons@alliedenergy.org
342-874-9929


                                                                -END-

Social Media: check this OUT before I check-IN

The term "checking in" has begun to take upon a whole new meaning. The classic phrase, "Hey mom, I'm just calling to check in," means something entirely different than the following information. Social networks such as Facebook and Foursquare are now capable of enabling us to be accounted for in real places. Each time someone goes to the mall or to school for example, those in their social network can see their check-in proving that person was actually there. https://foursquare.com/about

Foursquare is defined on its website as something that “helps you explore the world around you. Meet up with friends, discover new places, and save money using your phone. Whether you’re setting off on a trip around the world, coordinating a night out with friends, or trying to pick the best dish at your local restaurant, foursquare is the perfect companion.”

From what I understand, the purpose of this network is to coordinate plans and map out the activities of friends so as to stay in touch via technology. Nothing a few texts or a phone call couldn’t handle but I digress. Foursquare has over 10 million users worldwide and counting with over 1 billion check-ins! Another strong point of the company is its wide reach. When travelling I would love to know of friends or acquaintances in the area.

In this article about 20-30 something people looking to stay up with the happenings of their peers a very simple but profound point is raised. The most frequent questions asked by the aforementioned demographic are, where are my friends? And what are they doing?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/technology/internet/19foursquare.html

Though I am not a current subscriber to foursquare, after reading this article I am interested to see if it can help convenience my day. Foursquare lets you know who happens to be in the same area that you are. Who knows, maybe relationships could be built with those who have similar interests but never knew it?

Facebook check-ins from what Facebook calls “friends” can be a bit annoying to read in my daily news feed but I will be the first to admit that if I go anywhere remotely cool I swarm the check-in feature on my mobile phone. But who really cares where you are? Apparently the police do! http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2011/09/12/20110912chandler-facebook-warrant-arrest-abrk.html

A helpful citizen reported a suspect fugitive to the police and they saw this person’s check-in on Facebook at a local diner. Technology for the win. Police came and arrested the man after following the tip received. Aside from CSI tactics, the Facebook check-in feature also allows friends to give each other a hard time about the places they have checked-in and who they were with. For example, I know I would hear it from my roommates if on a Friday night I checked-in at the grocery and tagged my mom and grandmother. Perhaps the brilliant minds at Facebook had other ideas for its use, but until I find some real practical use for checking in I’ll stick to harmless ridicule. 

Press Release 2

Burger Planet Inc.

CEO: James E. Muellenback III

1001 Milky Way Drive, Ste 101

Venus, California 99033

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 27, 2011

FAST FOOD FINDS HEALTHIER APPROACH

GARY, Indiana - Fitness guru Jayne Peterson, is doing her part to help Burger Planet stay competitive in the race to provide deliciously healthy food for customers new and old.

Peterson, the company's new spokesperson, is best known for her efforts to help TV's Opal Whitcomb lose a whopping 75 pounds. In terms of the company, she does not want lose anything else. Original menu items will still be available to those who love them most. The new additions to the menu will take on somewhat of a healthier look. Items that will hopefully attract the middle aged, health conscious crowd that tends to eat elsewhere.

Burger Planet's classic food will do the best they can to provide the same taste customers love while catering to the dynamics of healthy consumption. The company's CEO James Muellenbach said, "Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen are launching a comprehensive program to assist women in eating healthy." 

Burger Planet was started in 1934 and its headquarters are in Gary, IN.  James E. Muellenbach founded Burger Planet in a tiny shed those many years ago. They have served over 52 billion customers with their 8,921 franchises spread throughout 17 countries. 

Public Relations Account Executive

Tanner Simmons

tannersimmons21@gmail.com

222-222-2322

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