Apple Release

Apple is announcing a new release tomorrow but interest is surprisingly low. Despite the mass success of the iPad Pro, iPhone 6 series and the Apple Watch, sales have begun to level off. Typically, Apple fans are chomping at the bit every time the company introduces a new product or upgrade. Real die-hard fans have a habit of purchasing every new product as soon as it comes out, even if their current model is in perfect working condition. Apple is notorious for their strong brand loyalty, making this lack of interest somewhat concerning.

As someone who uses an Apple laptop but an Android smartphone, I have a somewhat unique perspective on the Apple brand loyalty. Personally, I see myself continuing to use Apple laptops for a very long time. I have had my MacBook Pro for about six years and it still works incredibly well. Despite the abuse that I have put it through, it has proven itself to be durable and reliable, which is much more than I can say for the PC that I owned before it. Though I think PCs are absolutely more appropriate for certain professions, I have been extremely pleased with my product. However, I choose to be an avid Android user when it comes to smartphones because I think the interface is more user-friendly and the product is higher quality. As someone who has owned the same MacBook for six years, I think it is safe to say that I am not the type of person to run out and buy a new product every time an update is released. I find it frustrating that iPhone users are practically forced to buy a new smartphone every time Apple releases an upgrade because their device is rendered obsolete, whereas I have had my LG G3 for two years and am not looking to buy a new phone any time soon.

Apple is in dire need of an exciting new product in order to resurrect the fervor behind their brand. Not an update, something entirely innovative and new. The Apple Watch (which I thought was ridiculous but what do I know) sparked a huge movement of smart wrist-wear and garnered great success. Apple is known as an innovative company but the market is moving at lightning speed. Tim Cook will have to take special care to keep the Apple vision alive and relevant.

Until next time!

Kathryn

Theatre Is Weird

Rehearsals have begun for Student Directed One-Acts. I have been cast in Chamber Music by Arthur Kopit, directed by senior Jordan Michael Loyd. The play is an absurdist piece about a handful of women in a psychiatric facility planning a counterattack against the men's ward. Each of these women believes they are a different woman from history. Naturally, there are several clashes between the characters caused by their extremely different personalities. The play, at first read, seems to be nothing but crazy ladies trying to talk over each other.

One of Jordan's inspiration photos

The brilliant thing about absurdist theatre is it does not have to make sense. In fact, you could say it is deliberately obtuse. That means, however, you can do anything you want with it and it will never be wrong. Absurdism invites the audience to make their own judgements. It allows them to view a piece of art, interpret it and ask questions about what made them have those impressions or come to those conclusions. Theatre of the absurd is theatre that undeniably asks a lot of its audiences.

The first several rehearsals for this piece include something referred to as "table work," meaning the actors and director spend their time focusing primarily on the text and what it means to them. Jordan has asked his actors to share their initial impressions of the script and share images etc. that they think would inspire their performance.

I love art types like absurdism. I love things that do not make sense and force people to think. Theatre, in particular, has a special quality about it that allows strangeness to transcend. The deliberately obtuse becomes something entirely transformative and influential. It challenges the way people view themselves, their lives and society as a whole. I got into theatre because I wanted to do the weird stuff: the stuff that makes a difference. I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to do this.

Until next time!

Kathryn

Tumblr Losing Users

Earlier today, I posted a podcast about my experience as a Tumblr user and how it has improved my life and networking skills. As a blogging website turned community-driven social media platform, it is ahead of its time. However, one thing I did not mention is the fact that long-time users have been unsatisfied with many of the most recent updates.

Tumblr has gotten rid of one of its greatest features: replying to posts. Though the website still has personal communication capabilities through instant messaging, inboxing and a feature called "fan mail," there is no way to respond directly to a post without reblogging it or addressing the author ambiguously through the other messaging systems.

Tumblr's strong sense of community has been strongly compromised by this new update and users are extremely upset. Though Tumblr is still a good way for companies to reach out to and engage with their fans, their fans are going to start leaving this particular platform if the people in charge continue to refuse to listen to them.

In the PR and social media world, it is important to listen to your audiences and respond to them accordingly. Replies have been missing from Tumblr since November 2015 and the staff have refused to address the issue. That is definitely not real-time responding.

Until next time!

Kathryn

Today's podcast:



Edit 3/28/16: Tumblr has brought back replies! Thank you staff!

Spring Break 2k16

Never have I ever gone on a spring break trip. Usually I use the time to pick up extra work hours at the coffee shop I have worked at for several years and tackle whatever projects I've been putting off, like deep cleaning or doing ironic cross stitching. This year, sadly, I was not scheduled to work and found myself with a lot of free time.

#nomakeup #nofilter #wokeuplikethis

The first part of my break was fairly uneventful: I followed up on some applications for summer internships, spent some time with my pet snake and went stargazing on some roofs. I am including the next part for the sake of full disclosure, rather than attention or pity: Tuesday night I had a near-death incident that put me in the hospital for most of Wednesday. I spent Thursday and Friday in a haze, sleeping and trying to recover. I am fine now and have outwardly moved on, almost like it never happened, but I can not shake the sense that I have experienced a profoundly esoteric event. As Mobb Deep (and Lin Manuel-Miranda) says, "I'm only 19 but my mind is old." I am always willing to talk to people about my past and am very proud of everything that I have overcome, but I am still processing what happened and probably will be for a long time. Rather than dwelling too much on it, enjoy the inclusion of an incredibly flattering picture my boyfriend, Dayvon, took of us that I have absolutely no recollection of.

In other news, Saturday was incredible! I bought Dayvon and I tickets to a concert for one of our favorite rap artists, Kyle Harvey, at Park Street Saloon in Columbus. There were three local acts before Kyle; two were entirely forgettable, but the third act was a trio that instantly caught my attention. Their frontman came out strong to a Kanye beat and maintained the high energy throughout their set by freestyling, handing roses out to girls in the audience and sharing some really intuitive lyrics. His name is sarob. (Rob Tate), and he was supported by his crowdsurfing friend and fellow rapper Joey Aich (still Joey Aich) as well as their DJ magician Möbius (Carter Moebius). Immediately following them was the main event, Kyle (previously known as K.I.D.) and his SuperDuper crew, all of whom were phenomenal to watch.

Shout out to @superduper_jesus and Pika (but also @superduperkyle, @superduperbrick, @chukwudihodge, and @superdupermaxx, whose hair was looking especially rad).

A video posted by Kathryn Watson (@katmw8) on Mar 6, 2016 at 10:28pm PST

Of course, as soon as the show was over Dayvon and I rushed to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the UFC Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate and Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fights. For the record, I absolutely called the results for both of them.

After following up with Rob and his friends the next day on Twitter, I discovered they are all students at Denison University, which is just a few minutes away from where I live. Dayvon and I met up with Rob at my coffee shop to talk about life and congratulate him on an awesome show. He turned out to be an absolutely lovely individual, humble to the point of pseudo-shyness and pursuing a degree in Political Science. Dayvon's father, Travis Davis, happens to collaborate on a Columbus-based hip-hop podcast, DaBeeside, so is looking at getting an interview for them.

If I had to sum up this week, I would say that life is absolutely crazy. I keep finding myself with all of these networking opportunities, whether someone is helping me or I am trying to help them, and it feels great to finally start making my mark on the world. Above all, I am super excited to make new friends, as always.

sarob. stuff: Soundcloud Twitter Website

Joey Aich stuff: Soundcloud Bandcamp Twitter Website

Möbius stuff: Soundcloud Twitter


Kyle stuff: Twitter Soundcloud Website - Look out for the rest of the SuperDuper crew, too!
Dayvon's dad stuff: Twitter Soundcloud DaBeeside

Thanks for looking at all the extra stuff in this post, and please actually check out the music these guys are making. They have a really neat vibe and I think they deserve all the new fans they can get.

Until next time!

Kathryn

Share This: Part 4

The business of broadcasting has changed dramatically over the past several years. When people hear broadcasting, they typically think of television or radio stations. Even the idea of podcasts, a form of specialized internet radio, is starting to slip away as our culture begins to rely on spreading information visually rather than through audio. As social media becomes a staple for public relations, practitioners need to find a way to broadcast to their audiences in a way that will keep them engaged. YouTube has become a huge part of marketing and PR because of its visual nature and shareability. In addition, businesses can directly relate to their audiences through the comment section and be sure to respond in real-time.

Until next time!

Kathryn

No Rest For The Wicked

Tuesday was Picnic strike, during which the cast and crew returned the Stambaugh Studio Theatre to normal. For most of us it meant time for a well-deserved break! Of course, me being crazy me, I auditioned for the student directed one acts Wednesday night, had callbacks Thursday and was cast Friday.

And then I get to go home and take it all off.

Senior Jordan Michael Loyd will be my director for the absurdist one act play Chamber Music by Arthur Kopit. The play is about a group of women who believe they are historical figures living in an insane asylum. We will have a relatively short rehearsal period to prepare to perform in the Mathile Lab Theatre in April. However, I am extremely excited to be able to work on this piece and to learn from my peers.

So far, 2016 is going extremely well for me. The theatre business is incredibly challenging and often disheartening. Even getting into this program has been challenging; I auditioned twice to be a musical theatre major and was denied both times. I have only officially been cast in one show and have never had a callback before this week. However, it has driven me to work harder than anyone else and it seems that it is starting to pay off. I have been involved in two productions already in 2016 and am about to star in my third. Of course, it seems just a tad bit unfair that I have been type cast as a crazy lady. 

Until next time!

Kathryn

Kid-Friendly Searching

Why don't adults get a funky robot background?

Google is now officially looking out for your children's innocence! Many of us have suffered the embarrassment of inappropriate results for seemingly harmless searches. For parents of young children, it can be frightening to let them loose when there is a chance of them finding something risqué. Thus, Google is now introducing Kiddle, a child-oriented search engine with features such as larger font for easy reading and strict restrictions on results. In addition, Kiddle does not collect any personal user information, unlike other search engines and websites.

As always, Google is extremely wise in their marketing techniques, widening their audience range dramatically. Earning that trust with parents will ensure brand loyalty and earns them favor with younger audiences that will continue to trust them for years to come.

Personally, I will be using Kiddle every time I am trying to search something around adults professors and my parents. Better safe than sorry.

Until next time!

Kathryn