RRC: Two Years After, First Day for Some

I couldn't help but smile today as I thought of the new batch of Cre-comms filing into Princess Street classrooms for their first day of studies at Red River College. They may not know it yet, but they're about to have the best two years of their young lives.

I chose Public Relations for my major in my second year of Creative Communications, and one of the last exercises I was given was a speech writing assignment. The speech was on a school-related topic, and I wrote it for a classmate who read it aloud in front of the class. The topic was on helpful tips a Cre-comm graduate might give to a group of first year students. Themes in the speech touched on time management skills, being a parent while attending school, personal motivation, a social life (or lack thereof), and getting the most out of what RRC has to offer.

One theme that stood out for me the most as I wrote the speech was the type of people you will meet. Your instructors, college staff, and classmates are about to become a big part of your life from now on, but always know that the challenges you will encounter are shared challenges. All of your instructors want what is best for you, and they will teach you the best way they know how in order for you to succeed. The person sitting beside you in class will know exactly what you're going through because they are experiencing the same challenges with you. I would say "good luck," but it's not about luck. Help each other, work hard, and all of you will do well. No question about it.

I know it sounds cliché to say, but I don't know how else to say it.

Except this.

Enjoy your time. The next two years will speed by. The crazy thing is, no matter how hard it becomes, you will miss it once it's all said and done.

I am, A Man Without a Facebook

I am what most would call a late adopter. Up until last week, I still had not seen, The Social Network. Even though the movie came home with many awards at the time, I was left with the thought that the movie was just OK. Even more strange to some, I still resist the urge to create a Facebook profile on the 750 million strong social network site. I must admit, the urge is not a very strong one.

Don't get me wrong, Facebook has brought millions of people together and its prominence and acceptance counts for something. It is a force for good in the world even amidst all the controversy. I simply have many other things that I enjoy doing, and maintaining another personal social media presence is not a high priority. That being said, I look forward to joining Google+ once the door is open to all, and I think Twitter is simply awesome. Social media is only going to grow upward as the desire to express ourselves grows more and more.

Many people ponder as to how this may affect us in the future. One of the worries is that person to person social skills are being supplanted by this new technology, and you would have to be living on the fringes of civilization to not notice: we provide updates to our whereabouts when we drive (in the face of law), we allow ourselves to be interrupted anyplace or time, or we walk down the sidewalk in a trance staring at a 2.5 inch screen, to name a few. There are many examples of poor social media behaviour without even mentioning adultery, though that is a big one.

It's not fair to entirely demonize social media. It's here to stay and if properly used it is a major force for good in the world. Just this morning, I came across a study that showed virtual conversations can help people with autism improve their social abilities. I sometimes wish positive stories such as this gained more attention in mainstream media so that the listening public might hear about them more.

All of this really started today as I came across a funny – and very well-produced – schtick that is a humorous take on a Mel Gibson film called, The Man Without a Face. If you only click on one of the links in this post, click here to see it. And no, I was not consulted for any advice during the production of this film.

Just in case you were wondering.