Flaws vs. Handicaps

Differences/Definitions

• A flaw is internal, a handicap is external.
• A flaw typically has to do with personality or internal problems that make it hard to solve a problem, a handicap is something like lack of time, or physical things that make it hard to solve a problem.
• A flaw is the hero’s fault (temper), a handicap is not (ex: Mary Jane in Spiderman).
• A flaw you overcome and it leads to a character arc, a handicap you do not overcome and it leads to more conflict.

Why Conflict is Needed

• Flaws/handicaps allow for the reader to relate and connect with the story.
• We can see ourselves in the characters of a story when they are not perfect.
• Flaws allow for growth and development in characters.
• People identify with change; watching characters go through change inspires us.
• Example: Spiderman allowed for people to relate because he was a teenage boy with problems of his own, however, Spiderman was not able to grow with his readers. People who started with Spiderman are now parents, while Spiderman is still fresh out of college.

Difficulties with Adding Flaws

• How can you make challenges that are interesting and continually more difficult and different than the previous flaw?
• How often do you create new flaws and how much can readers handle?
• How can you constantly come up with new, innovating ideas to develop your characters?
• How do you match flaws to heroes and not give them the wrong challenges?

How to Write Flaws Well

• Create conflicts that allow your characters to grow how you want them to. The flaws will allow them to grow and develop in a certain way, so find out what point you want your character to be at, and create a challenge to get them to that point.
• Create problems that allow readers to see the deeper side of your characters.
• Make sure your flaws are actual challenges and not just quirks.
• Make them likeable! (ex: Luke Skywalker was a whiny boy…typically unappealing, but they wrote it in a way that worked)
• Make your flaws realistic and relatable.
• Make them competent, give them strengths to balance out their weaknesses.

Involvement in Communities

One of the biggest involvements in a community is the involvement in a personal education. While education is widely variable and dependent upon each person and circumstance, it's typically known in our society that a higher education will lead to a better paying job. Careers that pay higher salaries often require years and years of schooling to make sure only the top notch people get those jobs. When you have a higher education, people are more likely to listen to you and trust in what you have to say. Just having a college degree will increase your chances of getting a job exponentially. 

When someone has a higher education, their involvement in society will increase. They are more likely to be taken more seriously and have more opportunities to get involved in their communities. In my opinion, civil life and the level of education you have are directly correlated and influence each other greatly.

Going along with this, another question asked was talking about organizations. There are many different organizations and different types of ways to get involved, but for me personally, I think education and work organizations are the most important. I believe that you will find success through your connections, and so I always am working to put my name out there and to get connected with as many people as I can. These types of organizations are the most important to me because I feel like they impact my future the most.

One example of this took place last year. I am in the broadcast journalism major and I am working to become a sports reported. I currently work for BYUtv and I am planning on interning with ESPN this next year. I always try to get involved with my boss because I know he has many connections that could be potentially valuable to me. I've always been really involved and invested in college basketball and football, and last year I had the opportunity to do a lot of work with new recruits. Because of my work organization and connections through my boss, I was able to work directly with a highly recruited basketball player who was considering BYU - Jabari Parker. It is because I put myself out there and decided to get involved that I was able to have more coverage and greater experiences. Without being involved in my education, schooling, and work, I would've never had the opportunity to do something that was so defining for my career.

Another classic, maybe cliche, example that I was to include is involvement in church organizations. Going to BYU, the high involvement in all of our church activities seems normal and unimpressive. However, compared to everyone else in the world, our involvement is insanely high. As members of this church, we put so much time and effort into being truly involved. Personally, I decided to give up time and education to serve a mission. While that's normal at BYU, it's often unheard of at other places. Our involvement in the church and dedication to the Gospel is what makes it such a success and why it is spreading so wide and far so quickly. It just goes to show how true dedication can go a long way. (aaaaaaand cue cheesy mission picture now)

Top Ten Influences - Online Writers

My group had the task of finding out how to advertise to podcasters. We eventually decided that the work that needed to be taken to advertise to them was not worth what the final outcome would be. We then switched over to online writers and how we can reach out to them.

Emily posted what our keywords are, which are:
- Writing workshop
- Creative writing exercises
- Writing prompts
- Creative writing exercises daily

These terms seemed to be searched often and have a high result rate. Along with those ones, some terms that I've found to be successful are:
-Creative writing ideas
-Writing tips
-Tips for creative writing
-Creative writing help
-Writing practice


As far as leveraging out to other people, I found these Twitter accounts that could be useful.
@writing_tips (30.6K followers)
@WritingCraft (17.4K followers)
@writingproject (19.9k followers)
@365Things2Write (1,000 followers)


Websites online we could use are:
http://www.writerscafe.org
http://www.scribophile.com/

Interacting Online

The amount of online interaction has increased drastically over the past few years. When the internet started, I know I used it dial-up connection to play flash games online, which I could only do for 10 minutes at a time because when I was on the internet, our phone didn't work. Now, I have everything I've ever needed in the form of my iPhone. I use my Facebook to connect with family, I use my Twitter to say random thoughts to my friends, I use my Instagram to post pictures of how awesome my life is, and I use SnapChat to try and be funny. One app that I think has really exploded just over the past year is Tinder.

People used to poke fun at the idea of match.com or any other related website, but now almost every single young adult has this Tinder app. Almost all of my friends have been on a "Tinder date" and I've heard of instances where people even get married from meeting on the app. 10 years ago, this is something that never would have happened.

I think that people have become so reliant on their phones that it can take away from actual experiences. A couple of weeks ago, I went to a party where my friend left the dance floor to go to the side and spent 30 minutes editing a photo and posting it on Instagram rather than enjoying the night. Another time, I was with my friends in my living room and we all spent an entire hour playing Flappy Bird trying to beat our high scores.

With smart phones, it's become practically normal to always be staring at a screen. While we're typically on social media, the fact that everyone else is on it gives us a sense of belonging. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was with my friend and we were literally sitting next to each other when he started texting me. Although I thought it was a little weird at first, I quickly dismissed it because we were still communicating, even though it was through our phones rather than just opening our mouths.

Online interaction has become so normal that I think it can replace in-person interaction. Even now, I'm able to attend class even though I have mono because of Skype. The online world allows possibilities that would've been nonexistent before. 

The Online Community

Anyone who says that the world hasn't changed in the past 20 years is lying. Obviously, the technological advances that have occurred and continue to occur as time passes by in incredible and almost mind-blowing. I look at the differences just between a generation gap of me and my mom, and the challenges she faces are problems I could easily solve by doing a quick Google search. We rely on the internet not only to solve our problems, but to interact and to communicate. The communities we create online are extensions of our real-life communities, and they provide ways for us to easily ask and answer questions.

These are the groups I'm a member of on Facebook. Most of them have to deal with BYU - including my ward, my major, my minor, and clubs I've joined. There's also groups for my friends getting married and groups from my mission. These are all extended resources for groups I've made in real life. This allows us to be a community from the easiness of opening up our laptop or pulling up the pages on our smart phone. 

I just moved into my ward this winter, so I don't personally know everyone yet. However, because I am a part of the Facebook page, I can still have my voice be heard to everyone in our ward. We're able to make plans and give announcements that would be extremely difficult to get out if we didn't have to Facebook page. 

Here is the screenshot of the homepage of my ward page.  Our community started out as a group of people who share the same beliefs and are religious, and it transferred to an online community where we can make plans together for the weekend or ask each other for favors. Without Facebook, I don't think either of these people would have gone around to each house in my ward and asked people if they have a mouse pad or want to go on a hike. But because of the simpleness of the online community, it was made possible. 

While we still have the in-person community, the online group is just a further extension of our already-established community that allows for easy communication to everyone in the group. Online communities are almost essential now, and it's hard to function without being able to have a group online. I don't think one limits each other, but rather they build off of each other.

Advertising Westercon 67 through Podcasters

Podcasts...does anyone actually use them? After looking into the podcast audience, the participation is very low and it doesn't seem like podcasters are someone we want to spend time and money advertising on. Podcasts do exist, but I feel like people would be much more responsive to advertisements over the radio or through booths set up at related events. The podcast following is so small that it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the work that would need to be put into it, and I don’t think the results we would get from advertising through podcasts would be as successful as we’re hoping.

However, although the following isn't as big as some other outlets, there is still a way to advertise to them without going out of our way too much. Here are my ideas:

Tweets:

-Creating your own story isn't as hard as you think! Come to @Westercon67 to learn tips and tricks to improve your skills!

-Do you have great ideas but don't know how to get them down on paper? @Westercon67 is here to help! Come learn how to be a better writer!

-Your fantasy story can be a reality...@Westercon67 will improve your writing skills one workshop at a time!

-Podcasts don't have to be strictly online! Come to @Westercon67 to meet fellow podcasters and gain tips to improve your writing!

-You've heard the podcasts...now it's time to start your own! @Westercon67 will teach you how to write your very own podcasts!

-Don't just be a listener, be a creator! @Westercon67 is here to improve your writing skills!

-You've talked the talk, now it's time to walk the walk. Come to @Westercon67 to learn how to create your own stories!

-That brilliant idea of yours doesn't have to stay cooped up in your brain any longer...come to @Westercon67 to become a better writer!

-Are you up to date on the latest podcasts? Come interact with other podcasters at @Westercon67!

-It's time to act on your instincts and produce your own podcasts! Come to @Westercon67 to learn how.

FB Posts:

-Now that you've heard the different podcasts, it's time to create your own! Westercon 67 will teach you writing skills and give you the motivation to become a creator! 

-Love interacting with podcasters online? Why not make those online friendships a reality? Come to Westercon 67 this July and meet other podcasters just like you!

-Being a writer isn't as hard as you think. Come get started and learn new skills at Westercon 67 this July!

-Do you have a prize-winning story idea stuck inside your head? It's time to get those creative juices flowing! Visit Westercon 67 and sign up to attend this July!

-You've been a fan long enough...it's time to be the creator! Come to Westercon 67 to learn tips and tricks to become a better writer.

EDIT:

Here's my spreadsheet (finally!)

Keyword	Total Pages	Avg. Monthly Searches	Pages per Search	Competition
writing workshop	62,000,000	1,600	38,750	Medium
creative writing exercises	11,500,000	3,600	3,194	Medium
writing prompts	16,100,000	40,500	397	Low
creative writing ideas	101,000,000	1,300	77,692	Low
writing tips	352,000,000	3,600	97,777	Low
writing practice	649,000,000	1,000	649,000	Medium
creative writing workshops	14,900,000	210	70,952	High

Marketing Through Social Media

Social media has changed the way all businesses advertise. While you can buy a commercial for thousands of dollars, you can also just create a Facebook page and advertise there for free. A big part of advertising through social media is how many likes you get, so companies will also come up with ways to get other people to like their pages. A popular way to get people to like your page is by starting giveaways or contests.
                                             

In both of these examples, the company made the customer "like" and "share" the picture. By doing this, it will pop up on the feed of the friends of the participator, and hopefully lure in others to like the page. Before social media, giveaways like this didn't exist. There's no way that a company could get to so many people in such a short amount of time before Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets. 

As far as the entertainment industry goes, I feel like it's harder to keep fan engagement, especially for movies that have a certain time of being popular and then blow over. One Facebook page I've liked for years now is for the movie 500 Days of Summer. I still enjoy their posts, even though the movie is old now. They take things from the movie and find ways to make them modern.

In this example, the page takes the main actor and uses other movies he was in to interact with the fans. This allows fans to remember their movie while also being modern and relevant, rather than using the same quotes and pictures from the movie over and over again.

This picture was a success because it admits that it's an old movie, but it brings in a question to make fans interact and be engaged, even though it's something of the past.

Another company of entertainment that advertises through social media really well is ESPN. I hope to be a sports reporter, so I follow ESPN's social media accounts very closely, and I've noticed how successful they are at interacting with their fans and allowed them to get involved.

This simple post has almost 5,000 comments. By creating a "fill-in-the-blank" status, it allowed fans to comment and interact with the company. 

Overall, social media has had a huge impact on advertising, marketing, and creating valuable relationships with fans and consumers. It has allowed those who are interesting in a product of piece of entertainment to truly immerse themselves and get involved with the companies. 

Spreadable Media

Our book focused on the spreadability of media and how things go viral. The main focus of the book was "If it doesn't spread, it's dead." For our presentation, we wanted to prepare you by familiarizing you with some of the content that was in the book and also examples you can look up and research on to better understand the ideas the book gave.

Question #1: Why does media spread?

-Example: Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle was a huge example of how viral videos can create fame. Someone who was a nobody turned into a common household name overnight just because of a video that was shared by everyone. Why was this video so viral? What are other examples of viral videos and why did they become so popular?

Question #2: How can media engagement be valuable?
-Example: Comic Con
Comic Con is a convention that allows the customers to participate and build a relationship with those in charge of the event. The people who run it provide opportunities to communication with their customers and listen for ways to improve their event. How does engaging in a personal relationship lead to better attendance? What are other examples of companies who engage with their customers and how is this valuable to the overall success of the company?

Question #3: What constitutes meaningful participation?
-Example: Lays Chip Contest
Recently, Lays created a contest in which anyone can submit ideas for the newest chip flavor. People are allowed to be as creative as they want. While some people take the contest as a joke, others take it very seriously and come up with great ideas that could potentially win. Fans can participate and the company ends up with creative ideas, so both sides win. How is the participation of others helpful for the Lays company? What are other examples of companies who have allowed their consumers to participate and what makes the participation so meaningful?

Question #4: What is the most effective way to spread media?
There are many different ways of how to spread media and how to get people to share content. Find an example of where media was spread effectively and explain your reasoning as to why it was so successful.

Question #5: Is humor simply a matter of taste or is it a vehicle?
-Example: Old Spice Campaign
The "I'm on a Horse" advertising campaign became viral almost instantly and increased the sales of Old Spice by 30% in the months immediately following the release of the commercial. The company used this campaign to have the audience connect with their content. How was this campaign used as a vehicle and not just a matter of taste? What are other examples (successful or non-successful) of companies who have used humor?

Question #6: How is “timely controversy” a factor in spreading media?
-Example: John Tyner
In November 2010, John Tyner had an experience at a checkpoint in San Diego where he wasn't fully comfortable with the process of TSA, and stated that he would have them arrested if they touched him. He ended up filming the experience and posted it, which eventually became viral. Why was his experience with the new law spread so quickly? What are other examples of timely controversy that have become spread quickly?

Professional and Accurate

What makes a professional...actually a professional? Let's take the given example of photography. For some reason, the idea has been brought up that having a fancy camera instantly makes you a photographer. I would say a good quarter of my friends have a "side photography business" where they just get their expensive camera and take pictures. 

Let's look at three different photographers. This is a high schooler that I am friends with, who has an album dedicated just to her photography. The album has around 40 likes.

This is the Facebook page of a woman I know who got her Bachelors and Masters Degree in Photography, and has been highly demanded by people needing any type of photos done. The page has 1,069 likes.

The last page I'm showing is a young boy who got a camera and decided to experiment. He hasn't had any formal education in photography. His photos were shared on Buzzfeed, and his page now has over 248k likes.

So, which of these three is a photographer? Is it all of them? Is it none of them? Is it the one with the most likes, or the one with the most education, or the one with the most photos on display? What do you have to do in order to earn the title of a "photographer"? 

I think social media has changed our perspective on professionalism because anyone can claim to be anything. If you just make a Facebook page for yourself, you can post your work and anyone can see it and like it. If I wanted to make a Clara Goodwin Photography page, I'm sure my friends would like it, mostly because they want to support me, not because they care about my photography. 

On a completely different note, I believe I'm the only person in the class studying broadcast journalism. The question of how instantaneous news affects quality is something that is very big in my division of study. We are all fighting to have the "Breaking News" and to have people tune into our channel. 

One example of this took place last June. CNN started reporting straight from the Supreme Court that President Obama's health care law had been overturned, which ended up being an extremely embarrassing error. 

It is important that, although we have these sources to make things so instantaneous, we take the time to gather the facts and report with evidence and truth. It is important to be first, but it's more important to be accurate.

Social Pressure Influences

Regardless of what anyone says about individualism, the truth is that the people who surround us do have an impact on the choices we make and the actions we carry out. While being in a group can be beneficial, it also can be degrading depending on how things play out.

Many times with businesses and companies, people will have meetings where they discuss new ideas that could be successful. Many times, the ideas are thrown around and tried out based on feedback from other members of the group. If everyone in the group hates a new idea, but one person loves it, that one voice becomes dwindled down because they don't want to be the odd man out. Many times, their peers will influence them to the point where they completely change their mind about a product.

This idea of social pressure can relate to anyone about any topic, from young girls in high school to old men in businesses. The idea of fitting into the social norm has become something that people idolize and work for. This can be for something as simple as looking up reviews on what to eat for dinner. A few years ago, there was an experiment done. This involved asking people which couch they preferred, but telling them the number of people who had voted on each before receiving their vote.

While it appeared some people were first favoring the white couch, after hearing the high number of people who liked the blue couch, they changed their mind to that. Is this because they have a fear of sticking out or being different? 

As far as being in a group goes, both large and small groups have their pros and cons. Large groups allow for more diversity and a wide variety of opinions. However, small groups allow for you to be heard more and feel a sense of bonding that is stronger because there is a fewer group of people. Both can have an impact and it just depends what you're dealing with and what results you want to receive. 

Cooperation via Social Media

Social media is full of cooperating with one another. Whether it's with friends and family or with businesses and cooperation, there's a large amount of trust and hard work that involves "holding up your end of the stick." I know, for me, businesses that are active on social media are more appealing to me. That includes answering questions, promoting, and overall interacting with customers. I feel like the Prisoner's Dilemma is similar to interaction. When a social media company isn't interactive with it's customers, it's essentially "locking itself in" and not exposing itself in the fullest way possible. This directly applies to Westercon. Because it's social media sites aren't appealing, potential customers don't want to like it. When customers and businesses are on the same page, that's what creates a tighter bond and likelihood to spread. A good example I stumbled across was from Digiorno pizza.

Digiorno knows that it's customers are people who like pizza. Therefore, they took this platform and used it to their advantage to tweet something funny. I do not follow the Digiorno Twitter page, but this tweet popped up on my news feed multiple times throughout the past few weeks. They took out the serious aspect of it. Nobody wants to follow a Twitter page that only posts unentertaining content. This is cooperation because they gave their customers what they wanted, and in return, received a lot of free advertising out of it.

Another cooperating company that came to my mind was Walmart. They have been using their Facebook page to interact with customers and provide the best support possible.

In both these pictures, we can see Walmart interacting with customers who are obviously trying to be funny. Walmart figures out how to deal with these customers in a helpful manner. They establish a relationship by dealing directly with their problems and cooperating with questions that may be "silly."

As far as a more personal level of friends and family goes, cooperation works the same way. Here is a screenshot of a recent post by one of my Facebook friends.

This girl is obviously "making a deal" with her friends. Not many people are fond of the game request notifications we receive on Facebook. She figures out a way to cooperate with the people sending them to her and make it a win-win situation for both ends. 

When people are not reciprocating online, it should eventually die down to nothing. We can use the above example of Candy Crush for this. I'll admit, I was pretty addicted to this game last year when it first came out. I made a deal with all my friends who played that we would give each other lives whenever we ran out. However, there was one person in our "pact" who never gave me lives, so in return, I quit giving her lives. It may be a silly example, but it can be seen in a larger aspect as well. It all goes back to the Prisoner's Dilemma. If you can make a "you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours" type of deal, you both end up winning. Rather than having 5-20 years in prison, you only have one. Or, in the terms we're discussing, if you cooperate with me via social media, I'll cooperate with you. If not, we all end up losing. 

How Westercon Can Gain a Stronger Following

Let's face the facts...Westercon's social media sites are kind of a drag right now. How can we improve? I think using the Businesss Model is a great way to get together ideas on how to increase engagement and interactivity and gain popularity for Westercon.

First thing is Key Partners. Who are the key partners of Westercon? If Westercon can build relationships with people who have existing reputations, the popularity will increase. This includes other events, such as the Salt Lake Comic Con, authors, and other celebrities people may be interested in. Westercon showed they were working a little with Salt Lake Comic Con by setting up a booth, but they just need to do more. More advertising, more excitement, and more working through others to lead to a more successful event.

As far as Key Activities go, Westercon needs to promote lectures or activities that will actually be taking place during the event. In all honesty, I don't even know what Westercon is. Why would I spend three days going there, completely blind to what my schedule is going to be? They could possibly get customer feedback to see what events people would most like to attend and try to bring more of that in. That would also build a relationship with the customers and prove to them that they are a company that wants satisfaction from the people attending.

With activities, they also need to bring in value. The events they're attending should mean something to the customers and they should leave with a sense that they learned something and be excited to return. Exciting events will lead to more popularity. This includes bring in well known authors or even involving the customers in the events somehow. Involvement leads to learning and engagement and establishing a relationship that keeps people coming back.

I think the thing that needs to be most improved is the channels. Westercon has social media sites set up, they just need to be improved in order for them to be successful. This can include setting up contests, adding pictures, giving sneak peeks of what to expect, and posting content that will make people click the "share" button. If only one person shares a post, that post is going out to all their friends, which is great advertising for Westercon. They should also be posting more often rather than just once a month. Posts should be daily, and even more when we get closer to the event. Also, another thing to do would have people who will be presenting or attending tweet out/post stuff. If we got authors to attend, and that author has a following, if the author tweeted he was going to be there, it is more likely his fans would attend Westercon.

With increasing their postings, values, partnerships, and activities, Westercon will have a more solid foundation to build off of and make their event more successful and well-attended. It is more likely they will see fresh faces and get a bigger following if we can apply these things.

Westercon 67 vs. Salt Lake City Comic Con

The first thing I did when reading the assignment was go to Facebook and compare the Salt Lake Comic Con page and the WesterCon 67 page. Right off the bat, you can tell that the SLC Comic Con is more interactive. While just doing a quick scroll through of the page, the SLC Comic Con page is more visually exciting and interesting.

SLC Comic Con:

Westercon 67:

The major difference between the first glance is that the SLC Comic Con includes pictures and questions that interests those who "like" the page. By asking questions, it encourages the likers to comment on the post, and then when they comment, the post will show up on their friend's timelines. This is a way that the page can be spread when others are able to see it through their friends. The SLC Comic Con is also smart with their use of hashtags, which could bring in more people who search those hashtags. The Westercon 67 page is simply a bunch of statuses giving information that isn't presenting in an interesting manner and is, quite bluntly, boring. Another thing I noticed is the interaction with the likers.

Salt Lake City Comic Con:

Westercon 67:

SLC Comic Con uses the page to answer questions. I know for me personally, when I feel like a company is actually interested in me, I'm more likely to support that company. As a customer, I want to deal with companies who are friendly and who give time and effort to make sure I am satisfied.

When you go to the Twitter accounts, you can also spot a major difference.

SLC Comic Con:

The Comic Con has a fun header, background, and tweets often. They also give information in their bio and link you to the website.

The Westercon Twitter is more bland, with only a gray background, and also only 12 tweets. The last tweet was almost a month ago. Personally, I don't follow accounts that are inactive. 

All in all, I think the Westercon 67 Event needs to increase it's transitivity through social media. Although they have social media accounts, they aren't very effective at grasping attention. Nothing about the Westercon social media account makes me think, "Wow! This is an awesome event! I want to go!" However, when I look at the SLC Comic Con event, I see all these pictures and interaction and it makes me want to be a part of it, even though I have no interest in Comic Con whatsoever.

Through social media outlets, they will be able to find more interested people when friends share and like posts. If they are able to engage with a younger audience, people will be more excited to go.

EDIT:

To improve their social media outlets, they simply need to improve their quality and quantity of posts. When looking at SLC Comic Con, you can see that they post frequently throughout the day. Westercon posts rarely, with their last post being from the beginning of January. They have the social media sites, they just need to improve how they use them.

To build transitivity, their posts should also be related to those who like the page. The content should include more than a few sentences of text. When the page posts content that is enjoyable to the customer, they are more likely to share it, and then their friends are more likely to visit the page. It is important for these relationships to grow so that the popularity of the event can grow as well.

As far as channels go, I think this includes improving their social media as well. The company is looking for new "fresh faces", and most of these new people will be found through social media. Social media is the easiest way to reach out and advertise. By posting content that is the younger generation enjoys, it will get more likes and shares, just like with SLC Comic Con.

Flip Phones, iPhones, and Everything in Between

I remember my first cell phone. It was the coolest thing ever...super classy while still showing off how trendy I was.

That's right. My pink Razr phone. You might laugh now, but in 8th grade, this was the coolest thing ever. I think I had 100 texts a month and maybe 60 minutes of calling to call my mom and let her know where I was. Man, this thing was the greatest ever.

Then came the generation of the Sidekick.

This brought a whole new world. A full keyboard that slid open. Plus the "Sidekick" written on the back. I would flip this bad boy open and heads would turn everywhere. I remember how I thought I was so neat, and while everyone still had those flip phones, I had something different.

Then, of course, I outgrew it. I moved onto the good ol' Blackberry.

I don't know why this was so cool, but it was. There was something sophisticated and business like that made me feel in control. I felt very mature with the simple layout of it.

And then, Apple came along, and I caught the Apple fever. I started out pretty low on the iPhone chain, with only a 3.

Eventually I worked my way up. I'm very into Apple now, and I feel a need to always have the latest and greatest.

I recently upgraded to the gold iPhone 5S, and I'm already anticipating the new iPhone release of 2014. The distance Apple has come over the years is incredible, but when you look at cell phones in general, it's even crazier.

We all know the change in technology has sky rocketed over the years. I don't bring this up to tell you things you already know, but rather to really analyze what has occurred over the years. Why is technology improving so rapidly? What is it about our generation that craves more?

When you compare the improvement of cell phones to McLuhan's Tetrad, it's easy to see why things have come to the point they are at today. The tetrad has four points:

• What does the medium enhance?
• What does the medium make obsolete?
• What does the medium retrieve that has been obsolesced earlier?
• What does the medium flip into when pushed to extremes?

Enhancements: The evolution of cell phones has become from something simply to call others to something that is a literal extension of a person. Connectivity, user friendliness, functions, speed, convenience, features, and ideas have all grown over the years. A phone used to be something that we would use to call up our family members and chat on a Sunday, and now our cell phones contain all our contacts, calendars, social media sites, bank accounts, email accounts, and even more. While before a cell phone was an accessory, it has become a necessity.

Obsolete: This past generation has become very reliant on technology, and it has been said that we lack social skills and face to face conversation. While our technology skills may be outstanding, many people have lost the ability to hold a simple conversation without the use of a cell phone.

Retrieve: Because it's so easy to download an app, the connectivity between lost connections has grown. Facebook allows others to find people they graduated with, old coworkers, and even that long, lost girlfriend you thought you'd never have to talk to again. Almost everyone has a social profile of some sort that others can access and use to reconnect.

Flip: Technology addictions are something that were first a joke, but have now become very real. When people misplace their phone, they pace and scream "Where's my phone?!" and search frantically until it is found. When going out on a drive, if someone forgets their phone, they will immediately turn around and get it. Some can't even go one day without a phone. Competition for the newest and greatest phone is also a problem, and people can base the social status of others based on what phone they have. Many things about cell phones have become artificial, and people misuse them every day.

While I am a part of the technology generation, I try to minimize my use and control what I use my phone for. Literally anything I want is in the palm of my hand with just a click to download, but with that power comes great responsibility as well.