Rebirth of the MC
I didn't really know what to write about for my first contribution to this site. My initial idea was a post titled "Welcome to Wednesday." My lead started like this:
And that's where I stopped. It didn't feel natural or original. It was obvious I was forcing something and I didn't want to start with weak content. So instead I'll talk about what's been going on inside my head lately, and possibly give you a peek at things to come.
Looking back on my college days, I believe my four years at Ohio University provided me with some of the best creative ideas I think I've ever had. Twitter -- which I had laughed off in high school because it seemed so stupid -- was forced upon me in my first semester and I never looked back. I could put things into 140 characters and generate solid laughs and good reviews.
My skills took off in 2015, when I took over the social media for the Ohio University softball team. Between my personal pages and those of the team, I was shredding it. And for nearly two years I was consistently producing high-quality online content.
But things started to change, and it was noticeable. I'd begun a campaign called #Birt4Hire to try and set myself apart from other candidates as I looked for a post-graduate job. It really started picking up steam once I graduated and came home for the summer, and it actually helped me land a job in the Buffalo Sabres' Media Relations department. But towards the end it started to wear me down and I felt pressured to keep things fresh and entertaining. For a litany of reasons, I was glad I was hired when I was.
The next several months felt like a hibernation for that creativity. I wasn't able to churn out the same things I could in the past and it was bothersome. I wanted to flip a switch and go back to before but I didn't have the same stimuli, situations, or mentality I did in Athens. So I waited.
I now live in Syracuse thanks to a girl and a job that gave me reasons to come out here. It's not a bad spot to be, especially considering my other option for employment was to be behind the meat counter at Tops. The new city and the new job have given me a lot of time to think and learn and explore, which in turn has finally started to stir my grey matter in regards to social media content, and just being more humorous and loose in general.
This past Monday I was given the prestigious title of 97 Rock Employee of the Day. It's something I've wanted to be for years but until I came to Tickets.com I never had a job that would allow me to be eligible for it. I followed up my Monday with a Tuesday that demonstrated just how close I am to officially being "back."
First things first.
I need to say that I have no issue with Nick Filipowski or WKBW. Nick seems like a very respectable, hard-working professional, and I used to watch Channel 7's news coverage because of Mike Randall and Bruce Almighty. I still think they do a good job in such a saturated media market. That being said, I have no regrets about what I did on Tuesday.
As you can see, the interaction count went through the roof. It was far and away my most successful tweet of all time. I posted it just before going out to lunch, hoping it'd get double-digit likes by the time I finished. The reality was much bigger than that. It spread well beyond my intended audience of close friends and varying acquaintances. And as the numbers kept climbing, it struck me that maybe Bubba McDowell had just picked off Frank Reich for a 58-yard touchdown, and that the comeback was now officially underway.
Today is Wednesday. It is not Tuesday. It is not Hump Day. It is not #WhabammWednesday (although maybe it should be). Even though it is just Wednesday, let's rewind to take a look at what this week
--- BACKGROUND ---
Looking back on my college days, I believe my four years at Ohio University provided me with some of the best creative ideas I think I've ever had. Twitter -- which I had laughed off in high school because it seemed so stupid -- was forced upon me in my first semester and I never looked back. I could put things into 140 characters and generate solid laughs and good reviews.
My skills took off in 2015, when I took over the social media for the Ohio University softball team. Between my personal pages and those of the team, I was shredding it. And for nearly two years I was consistently producing high-quality online content.
But things started to change, and it was noticeable. I'd begun a campaign called #Birt4Hire to try and set myself apart from other candidates as I looked for a post-graduate job. It really started picking up steam once I graduated and came home for the summer, and it actually helped me land a job in the Buffalo Sabres' Media Relations department. But towards the end it started to wear me down and I felt pressured to keep things fresh and entertaining. For a litany of reasons, I was glad I was hired when I was.
The next several months felt like a hibernation for that creativity. I wasn't able to churn out the same things I could in the past and it was bothersome. I wanted to flip a switch and go back to before but I didn't have the same stimuli, situations, or mentality I did in Athens. So I waited.
--- AND NOW I'M HERE ---
I now live in Syracuse thanks to a girl and a job that gave me reasons to come out here. It's not a bad spot to be, especially considering my other option for employment was to be behind the meat counter at Tops. The new city and the new job have given me a lot of time to think and learn and explore, which in turn has finally started to stir my grey matter in regards to social media content, and just being more humorous and loose in general.
This past Monday I was given the prestigious title of 97 Rock Employee of the Day. It's something I've wanted to be for years but until I came to Tickets.com I never had a job that would allow me to be eligible for it. I followed up my Monday with a Tuesday that demonstrated just how close I am to officially being "back."
--- THE TWEET ---
First things first.
I need to say that I have no issue with Nick Filipowski or WKBW. Nick seems like a very respectable, hard-working professional, and I used to watch Channel 7's news coverage because of Mike Randall and Bruce Almighty. I still think they do a good job in such a saturated media market. That being said, I have no regrets about what I did on Tuesday.
For the most part I've been good about filtering myself on Twitter so I don't put anything regrettable out there. I try not to say things about people, teams, or organizations that are classless or baseless. I don't think I'm a mean-spirited person and I believe my online conduct should reflect that. And I believe that tweet is in line with my usual content. I observed a situation, used humor and/or a quality reference to make a joke, and I was done with it.Haven't seen a meltdown like this on WKBW since Bruce Nolan pic.twitter.com/DLht8LRzBL— Matt Birt (@BirtMC) August 1, 2017
As you can see, the interaction count went through the roof. It was far and away my most successful tweet of all time. I posted it just before going out to lunch, hoping it'd get double-digit likes by the time I finished. The reality was much bigger than that. It spread well beyond my intended audience of close friends and varying acquaintances. And as the numbers kept climbing, it struck me that maybe Bubba McDowell had just picked off Frank Reich for a 58-yard touchdown, and that the comeback was now officially underway.
