An Unbelievable Flood

Posted on October 4, 2015 by brent

What a day!

Although all of us in the Myrtle Beach area had braced for heavy rain, the byproduct of Hurricane Joaquin, I don’t think we expected this. Big time flooding impacted the Grand Strand today and it has thrown a wrench into the upcoming work week.

Little did we know how crazy things were about to get (NOTE: That is a street behind me).

Sidney and I knew the storm had really arrived this morning. We arrived at church and got soaked by something other than holy water as we made the short walk from my car to St. Andrew Parish. By the time the service had ended, sheets of rain were violently coming down. We made it to my car completely drenched and made the challenging drive back to Sid’s house. We ran inside and ate brunch. After watching maybe 20 minutes of TV, Sidney looked outside and yelled at me to come join her.

Her home street, located in a very nice residential area, was completely flooded. It was as if the pavement had been magically replaced by a river. A short time after this discovery, Sidney got notice that Horry County Schools, the district she works in, had canceled classes for tomorrow. With Horry County making this move, I knew our Coastal Carolina University social media channels would be blowing up with inquiries on whether our campus would shut down.

One second there was pavement, the next second there was water. This is the street right off of Sidney’s house.

Shutting down a university is a much more complex process than most people realize. For the next couple hours I kept our CCU audience updated on smaller campus developments (shuttle stoppages, safety tips) until the big decision to cancel classes was made. When the call to pull the plug on tomorrow was official, I was able to get word out on what everyone really wanted to know.

But back to the scene in our neighborhood. The body of water on our street had receded so Sidney took a chance going over to her parents’ house as they live close by. She took my car while I stayed at her place to work on the CCU developments. She didn’t get far. As soon as she turned off her street she encountered gigantic pools of water in the middle of the roadway. There was no way she was getting anywhere in my Toyota Solara.

Driving in this is stressful and dangerous. This was when Sid and I drove over to her parents’ house.

She came back to the house and after about 30 minutes we got in her RAV4 and took a very scenic drive to get to her parents. Even though we bypassed a lot of the insane water, we still gritted our teeth as we went through huge pools and said a prayer as we went by neighborhoods that were completely flooded. After eating a fantastic roast meal cooked by her mom, we ventured back out in the “ocean.” While on the voyage back we encountered a scene so wild that we had to pull over the vehicle and get out. At the entrance to a flooded neighborhood was a jet ski maneuvering through the waters. It was saving possessions and people from flooded houses.

In the distance you can see the jet ski going out to save people and possessions.

We got back home and rested for a few minutes as Sid made cupcakes and I continued to work. After getting caught up, we decided to do exactly what Governor Haley said not to do…go exploring!!

I took this low quality photo as we passed one of those washed out neighborhoods on the way to Sid’s parents’ house.

On foot we left Sidney’s house and started walking around the neighborhoods. Wearing grubby clothes and shoes we walked down the river, um, I mean the streets, as we took the whole spectacle in. The water reached well above our knees as it took effort to walk as the established current ripped opposite of us.

This is me in the water during the expedition that Sid and I took. It would get much deeper than this.

We walked by the unfortunate houses that were prone to flooding. Everyone was out in front of their homes putting bricks or sand bags in front of their garages to prevent too much water from seeping in. A family had an inflatable that their toddler was floating on. I talked to one of my media aquaintances who was interviewing folks. A couple kayaks floated by. Emergency vehicles were stacked up at the end of one of the streets.

People were literally floating by in kayaks.

I did a Periscope broadcast of the madness and at one time over 180 people were on it. They could not believe the scene I was showing them. Questions, well-wishes, and a whole bunch of hearts dominated the time I was live. Sidney and I shook our heads in disbelief at cars that attempted to bulldoze through the flood waters.

Sidney hanging out in the water.

We turned back and came home. Words can’t describe how thankful we are that Sidney’s house nor her parents’ house has been susceptible to this nasty storm. As night has fallen, we are now shut-ins. We plan to relax and just be safe. Although I thought today was going to be my first day off in two weeks, I feel #CCUSocialMedia crushed it when it came to notifying our audience, especially legions of terrified parents, about what was going on at Coastal Carolina University. Thank you all for your support and be sure to watch the Weather Channel for live reports on what is going on in our neck of the woods. Stay dry. Don’t Blink.

My Own Turf, Facebook Popularity, Hurricane Joaquin, Homecoming, Gatorade

Posted on October 1, 2015 by brent

Welcome back to Don’t Blink. It is time for your weekly quick read as I write about five random topics. Here is your latest Thursday Rundown…

Awesome Season Ticket Promotion – The athletic ticket office at Coastal Carolina University is always thinking up fun, yet strategic, promotions. The gift given to football season ticket holders this year is pretty cool. Capitalizing on the popularity of our teal turf, the athletic department took the excess pieces of the surface and distributed them to those fans who purchased season seats. Presenting them in a classy Chanticleer wooden box, it was an incredible idea. Since I am a season ticket holder I received my own piece of the teal turf and I currently have it displayed in my office.

I love my own little piece of our teal turf!

CCU’s Own Celebrity…Robin Russell – This week we returned to the studio to shoot our first two shows of the season for “Coastal Now”, our university news/features program. I am honored to have my own social media segment on the show (called the “Social Circle”) and because of that, I have the privilege of sharing the stage with our host and CCU theatre professor Robin Russell. After the show I asked her to take a photo with me on the set. She kindly obliged and I quickly posted it to Facebook. Immediately the “likes” started rolling in and they kept coming the rest of the day. By 8 p.m. the image had garnered 130 likes. As of right now, the photo has 158 likes. Besides the photo of me proposing to Sidney, I don’t know the last time I personally received so much social media love. Of course the reason for the attention was Robin. I tagged her in the photo and about 90% of the likes come from her Facebook friends. I plan to take more photos with her in the future.

Thanks to Robin, this Facebook post received 159 likes.

Thanks to Robin, this Facebook post received 158 likes.

Hurricane Joaquin – Myrtle Beach is supposed to be impacted by Hurricane Joaquin! The next three days call for a 100% chance of rain and heavy winds. Rain accumulations are supposed to get anywhere between 5 to 7 inches! While some might think October is late for something like this, the truth is that hurricane season runs until November 30. Not too long after I moved here, Hurricane Arthur threatened our area but never did much harm. Time to see what Joaquin has in store.

Homecoming Week – For the sake of a decent Homecoming Weekend, let’s hope Hurricane Joaquin doesn’t wreak too much havoc. Yes, Homecoming at CCU is here and so far the festivities have gone without a hitch. The Miss Coastal Pageant, ChantFest, and other prior activities ushered this week off to a great start. Tonight is the student talent show which is inside. However, come tomorrow, things could get wet. Over the course of the next two days we will unveil a major landmark on campus, hold a bonfire, offer the fiercest tailgating of the season, and of course play a football game. Lots of people are crossing their fingers right now.

It is Homecoming Week at Coastal Carolina University.

Gatorade – The most popular sport drink on the planet, Gatorade, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. I was delighted by this Darren Rovell article chronicling five items we should all know about the drink. Back in the day when I would drink a lot of Gatorade, orange was always my favorite flavor. My second favorite flavor was a strawberry melon concoction they made for a limited time. I drank a bottle of it before each football game my senior year of high school. When I think about that flavor I can still taste it. The taste immediately transports me back to our fieldhouse where I would drink it as we went through our pregame meeting. My best Gatorade memory comes from the summer of either 2002 or 2003. My brother and I collected every 32 ounce bottle we drank for several months and then made a sculpture with them on our backyard deck. We took photos and sent them to Gatorade. I wish I had the images available.

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If you are out here on the east coast, stay safe. To my friends and family out west, I hope you have a fun and sunny weekend. If I am dry and still have a roof over my head on Sunday, I will catch up with all of you then. Don’t Blink.

September 2015: A Month Worth Recapping

Posted on September 30, 2015 by brent

Every now and then when a month ends, I like to quickly reflect on it. These posts typically come just twice a year and usually cover March or December and a summer month. I have never focused on September before. However, there is a first time for everything.

September 2015 was great from both angles. When I say “both angles” I mean work life and personal life.

Even busier this September than last, I have had my hands full on the campus at Coastal Carolina University. The month couldn’t have started off with a bigger bang. On Wednesday, September 1, we announced that our institution would join the Sun Belt Conference. It was a historic announcement that made for a busy and fun day. Speaking of sports, our football team made its debut on the brand new teal turf. I was there to cover that first game as everything that went out socially that night seemed to turn to gold. I was then back on the #SurfTurf the following week for the second home game. Yes, football season entails that we all work weekends and many times don’t leave the office until late at night but I wouldn’t trade it. Lucky for me, the four game football home stand will continue for the first two Saturdays in October.

Me standing in Brooks Stadium on our teal turf after the September 26 game. Moving to the Sun Belt and the first game played on this field with the new turf brought a lot of excitement in September to TealNation.

With September being the first full month of the academic year, things were just busy in general. I got to fully implement the numerous social media campaigns I created for the year and evaluate their performance. I presented to a couple departments on campus, worked with several student groups, met with my CINO Legacy Mentee twice, and visited several different classrooms where I had the opportunity to capture learning in action. I staged the #CCU Periscope Marathon, an exhausting day where we broadcasted live for nine hours straight. I received recognition from a couple publications, including the student newspaper.

But the crowning achievement for the month of September was no doubt the establishment and inaugural meeting of the #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group. This was a long time coming and one of my original goals so to see it come to fruition was the professional highlight of the month for me.

No questions asked, meeting with my #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group was my favorite professional part of the month.

The overall highlight of the month for me, however, was having my brother come and visit me. As I mentioned in a blog post recapping Glen’s vacation here in Myrtle Beach, it can only be described as epic. Sidney and I had such an enjoyable time showing him around the area and just being able to have fun. It will be something that we will always talk about for a very long time.

Nothing was better this month than having my brother visit me in Myrtle Beach.

September was also the month where I finally learned how to formally play golf. Sidney and I completed our fourth lesson last night and have really gotten a lot out of them. Living in Myrtle Beach, it was definitely time that I actually learned how to play. I also watched as my new favorite show came to a conclusion. It was an intense month of “Big Brother 17,” an emotional roller coaster as my two favorites (Vanessa and Austin) both had their ups and downs. Unfortunately it culminated with a major disappointment as Steve won.

Of course I will always have the lasting images of Pope Francis making his visit to the United States. Watching him make the tour through Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia was special. The way he conducted himself and the way the American people and media embraced him will always be cemented in my brain.

Tomorrow, October will begin. It is the month of my birthday and Halloween so it can’t be that bad. If I missed you in September, I hope to see you in October. Don’t Blink.

Timehop

Posted on September 29, 2015 by brent

One of the more popular apps out right now is Timehop. The service pulls information from your social media channels and phone to give you a snapshot into what you were doing on that date various amounts of years ago. For example, if I open up Timehop right now I would be shown the tweets and Instagram images I posted for the date of September 29 through the years. It would also pull the images I took with my phone on that date as well. It is kind of like Throwback Thursday every day.

Timehop let me remember this fond memory two years ago with my dad and brother.

It took me some time to warm up to Timehop. I take great pride in keeping a very descriptive journal so I can remember what happened five years ago. How dare an app come on the scene and try to do it for me electronically. Also, what about the millions of people that use Timehop? They never journaled a single day in their lives. Why should they now get the privilege of seeing what they did seven years ago?

But of course the more I thought about it, the more I realized how ridiculous I was being. Timehop and my journals chronicle way different aspects of my past. Timehop does a good job at summing up the big picture and displaying one’s social media habits at the time. My journals on the other hand are all about details, stuff that even my obsessive tweeting self would never post.

Even with that cleared up, I still think the app seems a little too cheap. I wish the information was presented in a more interactive and fun way. I believe that at this point a color change and visual makeover is due. The app is not always 100% accurate either. But I admit, over the months it has grown on me.

I check Timehop on a daily basis for three main reasons.

First, I get a kick out of seeing how dumb I was on social media. It is kind of like listening to your voice on an answering machine or seeing yourself on video. At the time you thought you sounded and looked decent but when listening or watching it in the future you are disgusted with yourself. When I am faced with the tweets I sent back in the day (including just a year ago) I cringe. Many of them are pointless, silly, and a little immature.

An adult like me should probably never tweet out the word "aiggggggggghhhhhhhht."

An adult like me should probably never rate a movie by using the word “aiiiiggggggggghhhhhhhht.”

Second, it can be a great content gathering idea. I have used Timehop as inspiration for a couple of past blog posts (including this one). I use it to generate creative sparks while at work too. As all the photos I took a year ago while at Coastal show up on a daily basis I can take the good ideas I had and build off of those. It also gives me a friendly reminder on what I have done before so I never completely duplicate anything. Obviously the service also gives you the luxury of sharing your old social media activity on your current platforms.

Timehop can be an excellent content idea generator.

Lastly, I use Timehop to view the old Facebook posts that people left on my wall 7-8 years ago. Most of the time it is pure comedy. We as a society don’t communicate the same way on Facebook now as we did almost a decade ago. As texting was not as widespread and constant back then, I notice that many people wrote on my Facebook wall to legitimately make plans. Other people just shared random thoughts. I never know who is going to show up either. I have had to literally think long and hard about who certain people were who wrote on my wall simply because it was so long ago and sometimes names have changed.

Nothing like seeing old Facebook comments from 5, 7, and 8 years ago! Brings me down Memory Lane.

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Timehop isn’t the best app but it isn’t a terrible app. It is also free and very easy to use. If you like to “go retro” occasionally and don’t mind being reminded of how lame you once were on social media, give it a download. Don’t Blink.

My Idea For a Documentary

Posted on September 28, 2015 by brent

Last night I was not fortunate enough to see the blood moon. The cloudy Myrtle Beach skies didn’t make it possible. Not that it hurt my feelings too much, for whatever reason I have never gotten that excited about astronomical rarities. Does that mean if I was able to see it that I wouldn’t have taken a photo and posted it to Instagram? Definitely not.

This rare occurrence combined with the “blood” color of the moon combined with loose interpretations of religious texts brought out the doomsday sayers. Groups of people prepared for the absolute worst as they stockpiled endless supplies of bottled watered, purchased countless cases of canned food, invested in the best safety equipment on the market, and constructed bunkers/hideouts/safe houses. As with the other hundred end of the world scenarios that grabbed media attention since I have lived on this planet, the catastrophe never came to fruition.

Now I am not hear to mock the folks who went all-in with Y2K or spent their life savings preparing for the aftermath of 12/21/12. I realize that some of these folks are brainwashed by influential people, or, despite best intentions, just interpret prophecies wrongly themselves. These people want to protect their families and honor their faiths. Again, I am not making fun of these men and women.

However, I would love to watch a documentary done on how these people reacted when the end of the world never materialized. At what point on December 21 did they realize that the world wasn’t ending? When last night did people fearing the blood moon come out of their fortresses? How exactly did they come to terms with the fact that disaster never did strike?

I would like a couple more questions answered as well. How did they deal with the humiliation? What did they do with your excess amounts of bottled water and baked beans? How did they explain everything to their children? How did they get on with their lives in a healthy manner?

Again, these aren’t facetious questions. Rather, these inquiries would start dialogue that I think would be extremely fascinating. The documentary would focus on a family from each of the different end of the world prophecies over the past few decades that prepared for the worst. This would give the film great variety while at the same time identifying common themes both pre/post fake apocalypse dates.

Of course, I have an idea to take this all one step further. Again, I am not trying to make a sham out of these people but I think my thought has potential. Why not take one member from each of the most notorious families who prepared for the end of the world (I am thinking the ones who made national news) and have them compete on a reality show? You could devote a whole season of “Survivor” to this unique group of people or just make up an entirely new show. How would these folks who did all they possibly could to survive the end of the world actually do in a simulated type situation? I think it would be gripping television. Ratings would be huge. Perhaps Donald Trump could compete as a wild card contestant.

I am sincerely interested in the people who erroneously doubled down on a specific date they thought the world would end. I would like to know more about them and even see how they would have fared had their predictions proved correct. But remember, we will never know the time nor the date when the world will end. Don’t Blink.

When Old Businesses are Converted for Halloween

Posted on September 27, 2015 by brent

I love Halloween. I enjoy trick-or-treaters, scary movies, and pumpkin flavored food. However, I enjoy two other October 31-related activities even more. First, I love attending haunted houses. I like getting scared, jumped out at, and chased. Secondly, I love dressing up! I spend way too much money going to Spirit and purchasing a costume while also adding on several unnecessary props. Great fun for me.

Sid and I dressed up for Halloween 2014…I am the one with the mask on 🙂

But, believe it or not, there is something about haunted houses and dressing up that I enjoy that doesn’t directly relate to the theme of Halloween. Okay, here it goes. Halloween is seasonal. Because of that, haunted house attractions and costume shops such as Spirit aren’t open year-round. Instead, haunted houses are usually in commission for only a month while Spirit stores might operate for three months. With these short spans, they must rent space in shuttered stores.

Most haunted houses and Spirit locations are in old supermarkets, supplies stores, and random strip mall locations. Old out of business stores that shut their doors are brought out of retirement so they can be converted into a temporary maze of screams or a space for folks to spend around $60-$100 on the season’s hottest Halloween costumes. I sometimes think of it as a professional athlete who retires only to come back a couple years later with a new team and diminished skills.

This intrigues me though. For me, there is just something kind of cool and mysterious about a long shuttered grocery store having its locks removed and given a second life. In my head I immediately start to think about how the haunted house crew or the Spirit managers will use the space for something completely different.

I lived in Spokane long enough to visit businesses for years only to see them go out of business and then be reincarnated as a haunted house or a Spirit store. It is kind of a weird feeling because you have memories of the prior tenant and what it used to be. You thought the day would never come when the doors would be opened again. Finally it happens but the reason it does is for a temporary and gimmicky cause. The old store is not going to look nice. It is going to be cold and rugged. It is going to look exactly like someone is camping out there just for a short duration of time (no surprise). It is going to be a shell of its former self. However, when you walk in memories will still surface.

But even if I don’t have history with what a certain building was before a haunted house or Spirit took over I still find myself interested. Especially with Spirit stores, I look past the costumes and temporary lipstick and try to envision where everything was placed when the brick and mortar actually had a tenant that planned to be there for the long haul. With haunted houses you are usually disillusioned as you go through the maze but the thought always goes through my head…people used to walk on these floors to buy milk and bread, now I am scurrying across them at midnight to satisfy my need to be scared.

Does this interest anyone else? Or is just another one of my weird quirks? I also get really excited about old movie theaters that are repurposed into other businesses but that is for another day. When you visit your local Spirit next month be mindful of the history of the building it inhabits. Don’t Blink.

Say Yes to the Flower Girl Dress

Posted on September 24, 2015 by brent

Hello hello hello. After a great blogging week that included a takeover by my fiancé, a tour of lemonade stands, and an ode to “Big Brother” it is time for the Thursday Rundown. Off we go…

Papal Visit – I can’t get enough of the Pope Francis coverage. It is so comforting to know that I am in the same country as him right now. The example that he sets is just so inspiring and incredible. Even by watching him on television I feel a certain type of way. I don’t think anything is more special than when the pope greets someone and the reaction that follows. Some just break into tears, some go weak, some seem to glow. The message he has been preaching since he arrived in the United States a couple days ago is spot on. I pray that his historic trip to our country continues to go peacefully and smoothly.

Weeknight Ice Cream – Sidney and I don’t normally go out for ice cream during the week but when we do, we make sure it is the best place in Myrtle Beach. On Tuesday after we returned from the driving range at a local golf course we stopped at a colorful and eccentric ice cream shop on the side of the road. Technically in the area called Garden City, we pulled up to Meyer’s Ice Cream Parlor. It was a complete 1950s throwback with walls painted different colors, big cushiony black booths, and decorations/collectibles everywhere. We split the cookie lovers sundae and I still can’t think of words to do it justice. It was two scoops of cookie dough ice cream in a homemade waffle bowl topped with oreos, crushed chocolate chip cookies, and additional cookie dough pieces. It was drizzled in hot fudge and spayed liberally with whipped cream. At the top was an intact cookie. No questions asked, it was one of the best desserts I have ever tried.

This was the amazingly good and large sundae we enjoyed at Meyer’s Ice Cream Parlor.

“Big Brother 17” Reaction – Watching Steve win the final Head of Household competition over Vanessa stung a little bit. He made it no secret that he planned to evict Vanessa and take his chances with the jury against much weaker Liz. Although I never cared too much for Steve it was a no-brainer that he would be crowned the “Big Brother 17” champ over the twin. I just wanted Vanessa to win so bad. She played a masterpiece of a game but came up just short.

#CCU Periscope Marathon Reminder – Just a quick refresher that tomorrow Coastal Carolina will hold its #CCU Periscope Marathon. We will be broadcasting for nine hours straight. I encourage you to watch some of the action by downloading the app and following us at @CCUchanticleers. No other university has ever done something like this before.

Our #CCU Periscope Marathon is a first of its kind.

Wedding Update #9 – Our beautiful flower girl, Russell, now has her dress! Also, our Pre-Cana classes start October 13. In case you are wondering, just 261 days remain until our big day!

Look how pretty she looks in that dress!

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End your week on a strong note tomorrow! Or, if you will be working through the weekend like me, finish strong every day. Thank you for your readership, I genuinely appreciate it. Don’t Blink.

How I Fell in Love with “Big Brother”

Posted on September 23, 2015 by brent

On a Wednesday evening early in the summer I was bummed. Sidney and I were to leave for Spokane to enjoy vacation with my family. However, Delta Airlines called me right as we were about to leave for the airport to tell me our flight was canceled. With our trip now on hiatus at least for the night, we tried to make the best of the situation. We went and picked up Chinese food and returned to my place to eat and watch television. Sidney had the remote and changed the channel from ESPN to CBS. If there was a silver lining in our whole mess with Delta, it was that Sidney could now watch her favorite summer program.

It was the “Big Brother 17” season premiere. On a typical day I would have protested. I am not a fan of most reality television and at the time I considered the Big Brother franchise the scum of the genre. How boring, uncreative, and trashy can you get? People are confined to a house for three months while cameras follow their mundane activities and random conversations. No thank you.

I watched that first episode with Sidney from start to end. I made fun of it the entire time. I wasn’t really even paying attention to the content of the show, I was just expressing how dumb I thought the people and concept were. Sidney told me that she didn’t want me to watch it with her anymore.

We went to Spokane and for roughly the 12 days we were there, she kept up with the show. I didn’t. When we returned to Myrtle Beach and she started watching it on the scheduled nights again, I told her I wanted to watch it with more of an open mind. She gave me a second chance. Those first few episodes I was still very cynical. I tried to be on my best behavior but my sarcasm sometimes came out and Sid became frustrated with me. However, after those initial episodes, I started to chill out a little bit. My interest was piqued.

My insults turned to questions. I asked Sidney question after question about game strategy. I inquired about Power of Veto competitions, double evictions, Zingbot, and Julie Chen. I learned about the tradition of the show and common tactics. I actually learned the names of the cast and the weekly format of the show. Although I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the program yet, I was at least becoming educated.

As the weeks went on I actually started to kind of look forward to Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings in front of the TV. I started to understand the competition. Perhaps most importantly to my Big Brother initiation, I began to root for certain houseguests. I also zeroed in on a few houseguests who I absolutely detested and wanted to see evicted. A subtle passion was developing inside of me.

By late August I was very involved with the show. Sidney and I planned our evenings around the program and discussed it during our free time. I was talking “Big Brother” with people at work. At times I would watch the expanded “Big Brother After Dark” programming. In a couple true moments of weakness, I turned to blogging sites for spoilers. Sidney had converted me into a true “Big Brother” fan.

My fandom reaches a new level tonight. The “Big Brother 17” season finale will play out at 9:30 p.m. Three contestants remain but by the time 11 p.m. hits, only one person will be left. A cool $500,000 will be awarded to that skillful player and his/her name will forever be revered in Big Brother lore. I will have a rooting interest…

Throughout the season I strongly supported Jackie, Austin, and Vanessa. Jackie appealed to me much to my fiance’s chagrin. Austin was just a likeable and eccentric guy. Vanessa had been on my radar since her poker playing days and I respected her intelligence and strategy. Unfortunately, not all three made it to the end. Jackie earned herself a spot on jury but was evicted weeks ago. Austin was stunned early last week when he was evicted by an unlikely houseguest. Who was that houseguest, you ask? It is the person I am 100% rooting for tonight…Vanessa!

Like I mentioned, I am in awe of how smart and calculating Vanessa is. She has been my favorite the whole show and I want to see her win that half million. I know she faces a tough road this evening but her back has been up against the wall several times this summer. I really hope she makes the final two and that the jury makes the right decision to crown her the champ.

Sidney, you were right…”Big Brother” isn’t that bad. I have enjoyed watching the show this summer and I appreciate you putting up with me! Will I watch next summer? Tough question. These shows bring with them a significant time investment. I might watch, I might not. However, I won’t knock it. Enjoy the finale, everyone. Don’t Blink.

Two Victories: A #CCU Social Media Student Group and a Periscope Marathon

Posted on September 22, 2015 by brent

Today was very exciting for me. One of my goals when I arrived at Coastal Carolina University was to establish a student group focused on social media. Right before the start of this academic year, I received approval to form the #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group. I had students apply by writing an essay on why they wanted to take part in it. After I had selected the members I worked with everyone to find a day of the week and time that would work for all (not an easy task when you are working with busy college students). Almost 16 months since I arrived at this university, we held our inaugural meeting at noon today.

The goals of the #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group are to take the members behind the scenes of what I do, paint an accurate picture of the social media industry, diligently listen to/act on all feedback they provide regarding our social media program, and provide them with opportunities to gain experience. Today we pretty much did that all. After playing social media trivia I presented to the group and told them about what I do. I also scraped the surface of the job outlook for social media positions. We then engaged in a great conversation that dealt with the strengths and weaknesses of our social media program.

I was very happy that I got to meet with our #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group today. This has been 16 months in the making.

But what about the “experience opportunities” part? Oh, they got that too.

About 30 minutes before making the announcement to the general public, I revealed the next big #CCUSocialMedia event to this special group of students. I enthusiastically told them that this Friday we would host the #CCU Periscope Marathon. Going from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September 25, our Periscope channel (@ccuchanticleers) will broadcast live for nine straight hours.

Our #CCU Periscope Marathon is a first of its kind.

The best part about the #CCU Periscope Marathon isn’t that it will provide our audience with 540 straight minutes of our beautiful campus. It isn’t that it will educate the masses about the magic of Periscope. It isn’t that no college in the country has never come close to doing something like this. Rather, the best part about the #CCU Periscope Marathon is that it will be largely driven by students.

Yep, I am depending on the #CCUSocialMedia Student Advisory Group to provide most of the content and facilitate the majority of the Periscope broadcasts come Friday. At today’s meeting I flashed a slide that broke down 30 minute shifts for the students to claim. Upon volunteering for a half hour block and signing a contract, it will be all them during that specified time on Friday. Although I have improved my less-than-stellar Periscope narrating skills, our Periscope audience will be so overjoyed to have the fresh voices of college students guiding them through the marathon.

I hope you will tune into our Periscope channel (@ccuchanticleers) on Friday. The allure of watching an original and challenging social media event play out will entice many but the real draw will be the students. Don’t miss out on the fun. Don’t Blink.

Lemonade Stand Competition, Round II

Posted on September 21, 2015 by brent

Last week I reminisced about some of my Kool-Aid stand memories to set up a great event that was held at Coastal Carolina University. Students in a Management 309 class formed teams to participate in a lemonade stand competition. During the morning of September 15, these teams took over Prince Lawn with numerous lemonade stands, competing to see who could generate the most revenue. As I wrote in that day’s blog post, the tactics used were very creative.

Two days later a different Management 309 class set up shop on Prince Lawn and did what they could to raise the most money. Perhaps inspired by the class that went before them, Thursday’s crop of lemonade stands displayed even more creative revenue generating recipes and schemes. As I did last Tuesday, I thought I would shine the spotlight on these most recent summertime drink entrepreneurs.

The first stand I approached opted to go for the “mobile strategy.” The student working the stand told me that she was alone because her two other group members were out trying to recruit customers to visit their stand. However, this team was trying to attract a different type of audience. Instead of hassling students to stop by, the young marketers went right to staff and faculty members! I don’t know if our professional CCU employees responded well or not to the tactic but I definitely thought it was a great idea. The team also “sweetened” their stand by providing homemade lemonade.

This student is at her lemonade stand solo because her group members are out and about convincing staff and faculty members to come purchase their drink.

Still fresh on my tour, I went to the next stand that definitely stood out. These particular students configured their stand to accept credit and debit cards! How cool. They explained to me that most students don’t really carry cash around campus and having the option to just swipe their card for a glass of lemonade is a convenience that would be enjoyed by all.

Their stand itself might not have the best presentation but it doesn’t matter because they accept credit and debit cards.

The original ideas kept coming. The next stand I visited offered cold bottled water with your choice of various lemonade flavor packets to choose from. You could mix your own lemonade drink, knowing exactly that the chief component of the concoction (the water of course) was fresh and pure. The team across from this group went with a much different approach. They were offering Starbucks lemonade, the only premium brand name drink available on Prince Lawn they assured me. Better yet, the group was selling the drink for a 1/3 of the price that Starbucks commands for it.

The group on the left had bottled water in their color and lemonade mixes on the table. The group on the right sold Starbucks lemonade.

I strolled over to the next team and was greeted with two sturdy juice dispensers, one filled with regular lemonade and one filled with strawberry lemonade. The original option had lemon halves floating at the surface while the second option had full-sized strawberries at the top. The students proudly informed me that they were the only stand to offer fresh fruit in the product. Not only that, but the team made sure to grab the most strategic location on Prince Lawn, the area straight ahead from folks the moment they walk off of Wall Bridge.

These students used fresh fruit and a strategic location to attract customers to their stand.

I made the rounds to two more lemonade stands right next to each other. The first one offered regular lemonade but with a chance to get twice the amount. The group had a water pong table set up. If you purchased a glass you had the opportunity to take a shot. If you sunk the ping pong ball in a cup, you received a free glass of lemonade. The other group was selling blue raspberry lemonade. Although the clear blue liquid looked tempting in the milk jug, I think I liked the idea of teal lemonade from the previous class better.

This first group on the left offered a chance to win an extra cup if you made a water pong shot. The group on the right had blue raspberry lemonade.

The final two teams I visited also had unique twists. One of the groups had Gatorade coolers of lemonade and iced tea. Customers were invited to walk up and pour their own Arnold Palmers. The other group offered Capri Sun lemonade for those who wanted to travel back several years to enjoy the drink they received after completing one of their third grade soccer matches.

One group had you help yourself to mix an Arnold Palmer while another group sold Capri Suns.

For me, my choice for favorite lemonade stand was a no-brainer. I thought the group that accepted credit and debit cards blew away the competition. My second favorite idea was the stand that allowed customers to take their own bottled water and lemonade packet and mix it themselves. Of course the ultimate combination would be a cross between the best of the best from the first day of lemonade stands and the second day. The group that sold TEAL lemonade would team up with the group that accepted cards to form a stand on Prince Lawn that would generate a line stretching miles. Needless to say, I would pull out my debit card and buy a cup. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Author Archives: brent