Now, to give you a little background on these two clubs:

• Newcastle United is in the English Premiere League with other football clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. Essentially, they’re in a pretty tough league with some of the best teams in England. Newcastle United has been around since 1892.
• Orlando City on the other hand, is a division three soccer club and part of the USL (United Soccer League). To give you an idea of where that falls in the American soccer ladder, you have MLS which is the major soccer league here in the U.S., then you have the NASL (North American Soccer League), which is a division two league. Orlando City has only been around since earlier this year.

This information is crucial in understanding why supporters of Newcastle United are some of the most loyal and “mental” fans the world has ever seen.

The Toon Army

My boyfriend has been a supporter of Newcastle United (hereafter referred to as NUFC) since 2005. Since then, he has seen his team go through a roller coaster of wins and losses, but mostly the latter. However, THIS is what sets those fans apart. Their unyielding loyalty to their team. Ask any member of the Toon Army (the supporters of NUFC) and they will tell you to get ready for a life full of disappointment, but it never stops them from going to every game or watching every game via TV or Internet and cheering on the Magpies (an alternate name for NUFC).

I didn’t understand this mentality until I went to my first NUFC game last night. This new experience started off with my boyfriend buying me a replica practice jersey (which comes into play later on). This got me really pumped up. Then we found a place to stand in the general admission section. Not three seconds later, a Newcastle native proceeded to tell us we could jump the fence right next to our section and be in the NUFC supporters section. What are a couple of fans to do but follow her advice? And follow it we did.

As soon as we jumped the fence, we were in a whole new world. A world full of Geordies. Geordies are people from a section of north east England and have a very distinct accent. They are also wicked cool and very welcoming. My boyfriend and I spent the first half of the game yelling out chants and doing what football supporters do best: drink!

We came back to a quiet second half, which turned out to be a disappointing second half as Orlando City scored a goal sending NUFC back home with a loss. Granted, this is preseason for the Magpies and in the middle of Orlando City’s season. It still doesn’t excuse the fact that Newcastle should have won.

Though, to me, It didn’t matter that they didn’t win. I am HOOKED! Especially after I waited around for an hour after the game and got seven signatures from players and NUFC staff on my brand new jersey. I told you it would come into play later.

So with all the excitement of the game, the slight disappointment with the loss (though always keeping optimistic and hoping for future wins), as well as the pandemonium of trying to get signatures without having any form of writing utensil, I am proud to say that I am a Newcastle United fan and will gladly take on all the disappointment in the world if it means supporting a team like this one with fans as amazing as these.

I leave you with this: “We are the Geordie, the Geordie boot boys. For we are mental, for we are mad. We are the loyalest football supporters the world has ever had.” No words are more true.

Do you all have a team you feel the same way about? Or are there any other NUFC fans that share this sentiment?

Regardless, I know how to stretch a dollar and Michelina’s frozen meals are HEAVEN to me. Only $1 for a spinach and ricotta bake? Yes, please!

Now, I have been eating Michelina’s since my early college days and have seen numerous new packaging and meals. What I have noticed lately, however, are the made-up adjectives written on the inside. Once you peel back the cover, you can see a word and its definition on the underside.

So, here I am opening my Spinch and Ricotta Bake meal when I notice the word “inexpensifying” staring back at me. I consider myself somewhat versed in the English language, but I have never heard of this word before, nor could I imagine using it in regular conversation. It is a mash-up of the words inexpensive and satisfying.

Now I’m actually starting to like this new idea. I mean, LOL, OMG and FYI were just added to Webster’s so why can’t Michelina’s make up new words by combining a couple? Brilliant if you ask me. I think I might try to start getting tasterful to catch on (that’s tasty and wonderful, by the way).

Watch out! I’m going to start making up a whole slew of combined words because one has got to eventually make it into the dictionary. I don’t think inexpensifying is too far away.

Tagoye! (That’s ta-ta, good and bye. Too much?)

Apparently, many other designers and marketers do too. I have seen museo slab on publix ads, on worldrugbyshop.com, etc. Needless to say, it’s out there slapping everyone in the face with its superiority. There’s just something about those block-like, serif-heavy letters that makes people go weak in the knees.

So in closing…

P.S. The above is an example of Museo Slab…just FYI.

Four Green Fields, Tampa- picture from tampadailyphoto.blogspot.com

Recently, I began to notice the word “pub” popping up at the end of restaurant names all over the place. However, it is to my extreme chagrin that upon entering the establishment it is not what I consider a pub. A pub is a unique thing. When one goes into a pub there is an overall feeling of comfort, home and raucous merriment that settles into your being. This feeling is not easily permeated through patrons in just any mass restaurant chain or dive bar, but is reserved exclusively for the authentic pub.

After extensive research and information-gathering at local pubs, the following list is made up of what I consider the key components to an authentic pub:

1. Either a completely Irish menu or a section specifically dedicated to the food fare of the Isle.
2. An Irish or English flag hanging somewhere in the vicinity of the pub and almost always surrounded by the flags and scarves of various futbol clubs.
3. Many of the best pubs offer at least one or two nights of live Irish music (and again, the best are performed by Irish men and women)
4. They have the following on tap: Killian’s, Guinness, Smithwick’s, Harp and Kilkenny (the Killians is wishful thinking on my part as many places don’t offer it on tap)
5. The owner of the pub must have some affiliation to Ireland or England either through blood or birth

Now, there may be some great pubs out there that do not partake in all these listed items and it’s okay to still call themselves pubs, and indeed they may be, but the best of the best will have all the aforementioned qualities and then some.

Anyone else have anything to add to the list?

The purpose of the e-mail was to inform clients of new teen facials that have been added to their list of services. My favorite line of the e-mail goes something like this: “December seems like an odd month to talk about something like teen suicides.” Well, actually, the fact that a facial spa is talking about teen suicides is pretty odd.

There is a tactful way to go about sharing this information. Maybe something along the lines of: Teen acne has been linked to self esteem issues. Then you can link the article you found about acne resulting in teen suicide toward the bottom. If at all.

You may be a small business, but you need someone to help you write your e-mail blasts and make sure you aren’t digging your own grave.

Forgive me for being blunt, but, DUH! Maybe it’s because I’m from “generation y” and all we supposedly know and interact with on a daily basis is social media. Granted, those of us who are planning on entering a field where social media plays a big role have learned a lot about those tools. But for businesses to be catching on now is humorous to me.

The article quotes Jorn Lyseggen, the CEO of Meltwater Group, stating “the challenges that marketing departments are faced with are not about cost. It’s about understanding how social media works, increasing their competency in delivering coherent strategies and measuring their impact.”

Okay, got it. Makes sense. However, there’s a lot of information out there about how to create an effective social media campaign. All one has to do is look for it. Or, you can test drive the social media tools and outlets that are out there and find out what works best for your company/organization. The great thing about social media is that you can tailor your message to your specific needs.

I guess the saying goes: better late than never, but being behind on the social media train is a definite no-no. So chop, chop! You have lots of time to make up, you lackadaisical businesses.

Thoughts on social media and why certain businesses are not adopting it yet?

I wish I had the savvy to create an entire HTML code for this blog, but alas, I can only do snipets of code. I will educate myself on the various workings of WordPress, though. I am determined to show this thing who’s boss!

I have been interning at The Florida Aquarium since January of this year and have written many articles, press releases, media advisories and other such writing forms in my time there.

Currently, I am enrolled in Broadcast News, Advanced Public Relations and Public Relations Design classes and will be posting my work from those classes as I film, write and deign them.

Writing Samples:

Fish Rule and People Drool!

Sea Turtle Stranding Media Release

Shark Media Advisory

The results of the survey can be viewed here: H1N1 Vaccine Survey and the video that went along with my group’s portion of the survey can be viewed on here on YouTube.

Social Media Interview Project