Millennial shames her generation ‘not contributing anything to society’

Alexis Bloomer accuses her generation “The Millennials” of not having any manners, being lazy, fans of obscene music that degrades women, idolizers of people like Kim Kardashian, and self entitled.

Bloomer describes herself as a journalist. I’m not sure if she’s done news but her social media shows off her numerous rodeo show interviews and many modeling photos.

Her message posted on April 22 on Facebook is powerful but not really fair to young people. I’m sure many millennials aren’t going to like it.

Roll the video.

 

Bloomer wrote on her Facebook:

Disclaimer: I know that not all of Millennials are bad, when I posted this I had just watched as a young man stepped in front of a limping elderly man and didn’t hold the door open for him, it made me think…This video was not intended to offend anyone, in fact, it shouldn’t offend anyone unless you’re guilty of doing any of these things. The beauty of Facebook is that you can scroll past something you don’t like. I guarantee MOST of you that liked/shared/commented on this video do not have a problem with anything I said in this video because you don’t do any of these things. Also, I had 3 guys staring in my passenger window making funny faces as I posted this…So I apologize for the distraction (I’m ADD). I hope that when you watch this, you listen to the underlying message and don’t take it as an insult.

Alexis Bloomer it took guts to post what you had to say online.  I think it will make many millennials sit back and think about it. Thanks for sharing your message.

Mailman makes wish come true for Utah boy who could not afford books

Books are piling up in the home of Matthew Flores in Sandy, Utah. Thanks to his mailman and the help of strangers around the world, Matthew is getting all kinds of books.

At an age when most kids are hooked on their video games and smartphones, all this 12-year-old loves to do is read. He loves to read anything he can get his hands on including junk mail.

Matthew met his mailman Ron Lynch last week. He told Lynch he couldn’t afford to buy books or get a bus pass to go the local library. Lynch decided to post Matthew’s story on Facebook and his plea for help went viral.

Screenshot: Facebook

 

The young boy’s story not only spread on social media, but it also got the attention of local TV station. Here is a story by Local 12 News in Salt Lake City.

 

 

It is Christmas in July for young Matthew Flores. But a big thanks goes to Ron Lynch who took the time to stop during his busy day to listen to a little boy in need.  Here’s is one of Lynch’s latest Facebook updates.

 

Screenshot: Facebook

If you’d like to send Matthew some books, please send them to:

Matthew Flores, ℅ Sandy Post Office, 8850 S 700 e, Sandy, UT 84070

 

TV host walks off set during Michael Sam’s “kiss” debate and is invited to Fox News

Screenshot: The Broadcast

Amy Kushnir’s life changed overnight.  The stay-at-home mom turn TV host became the target of haters on social media this week, but now she’s headed to talk on Fox News.

Tuesday, her Dallas television station posted a video of her walking off the set of her show The Broadcast. Haters started pounding Kushnir and co-host Suzy Humphrey’s viciously on social media.

The controversy actually started on Monday, when the pretty blonde unleashed her disappointment in ESPN’s coverage of Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend after he was drafted into the NFL. Kushnir  and Humphreys verbally duked it out with the other co-hosts about the “kiss.” Here’s Monday’s video- Instagram

 

TUESDAY – ROUND TWO

View this post on Instagram

#AmyKushnir defends her point-of-view on @ESPN coverage #MichaelSam "kiss"

A post shared by Rebecca Aguilar (@msrebeccaaguilar) on May 15, 2014 at 9:59am PDT

My gut tells me producers were looking for ratings and that’s why they continued discussing Sam on Tuesday. The show needs help to stay on the air. According to Dallas media critic, Unclebarky.com The Broadcast gets on a good day just over 400 viewers.

Tuesday the conversation got louder and louder about Sam’s public affection on TV. Suddenly, Kushnir quietly picked up her papers and the video tells the rest the story…

View this post on Instagram

TV host #AmyKushnir walks off set during heated debate about #MichaelSam "kiss" on #ESPN

A post shared by Rebecca Aguilar (@msrebeccaaguilar) on May 15, 2014 at 10:08am PDT

Once the video was posted, Gawker.com got it.  Hundreds maybe thousands on social media started attacking Kushnir and Humphrey’s for their views. They were called every ugly name you can think of.  I just find it surprising that KTXD posted the video. They had to go know the haters would surface once they saw the video.

View this post on Instagram

#FoxNews invites #AmyKushnir 2 talk about walking off set during #MichaelSam kiss debate. Her co – hosts say attacks were vicious on #socialmedia, not right.

A post shared by Rebecca Aguilar (@msrebeccaaguilar) on May 15, 2014 at 10:18am PDT

Today Kushnir was not on The Broadcast because she was headed to Fox News to be interviewed by Megan Kelly. Another group of co-hosts will be on Hannity on Fox.

My sources at the KTXD-TV say Kushnir doesn’t have much television experience. Just a few months ago she was a stay-at-home mom who blogged about food.

I’ve watched Kushnir for several months and I must admit she does a decent job on cooking segments and fashion shows.  But her walk of the set proved that she doesn’t have the experience yet to handle controversies, heated debates, and hot tempers.  Hopefully KTXD will give her the training she needs

TELEVISION IS A TOOL TO EDUCATE NOT DISCRIMINATE OR HATE

I’ve been a broadcaster for 32 years. When you’re paid to give your opinion on TV, you have a bigger responsibility to the station and the viewers. The airwaves should always be used to educate and empower, not to discriminate or to hate. Those are also my views on social media.

FYI, I used to work at KTXD-TV on a different television show. I met Amy Kushnir one time and she was very kind and friendly.  I also met Suzie Humphreys and she too was kind, friendly and outspoken.

 

Give us a reason to “like” your Facebook Like page

Everyday someone on Facebook asks me to “like” their Facebook Like page, but the biggest mistake they make is they never tell me why.

Right now there are 672 requests waiting on my Facebook to be “liked.”  They are businesses, reporters, nonprofit organizations, different causes, but not one person who invited me over –told me why I should “like” the page.

What’s in it for me if I “like” the page? A simple reason can help me make a decision.

And once I “like” your page, you need to make sure it’s a two-way conversation. Social media is not just about what you post, but what your followers post on your page is also important.  Many people with “like” pages make the mistake of not engaging with their followers.

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS

If a follower posts a comment on your “like” page, you should respond with at least a thank you for the contribution.  A reaction is a good thing. If a follower stops by your “like” page and asks a question–they deserve a response from you.  Remember they took the time to come to your page.

With millions of people on the web and a billion on Facebook, you have a lot of competition.  Here are my tips on getting people to get through that first step–to “like”your page, and to get followers to stay with you.

• When you send a request, give the person a real reason to like your page? For example: “Rebecca I hope you like my page, because I think as a reporter you’ll find some good ideas for stories.”
• Find people to “like” your page who have something in common with you, the product or service you are pitching.  Let’s say you make organic cosmetics. Obviously you want women to know about your product.  Maybe you run a motorcycle shop. Find people who love motorcycles or love road trips on motorcycles. Find a personal connection because those followers will stay loyal and will stay with you.
• Don’t make your “like” page just about “YOU.”  It’s not about you.  People especially strangers  don’t care how many products you sell. They don’t care to hear every day “Watch my story at 6pm.”  And they definitely don’t want to feel like you’re using them to make money.  No one likes to feel used.  Make it about them.  What’s in it for them? How will your “like” page empower them and better their lives.

So the next time you’re going to ask someone to “like” your page, think about it and tell them why they should join you on Facebook.  Give them  a reason to connect.  FYI, I don’t have a Facebook like page, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have one in the future.

Thank you for your votes! 2013 LATISM Social Network Leader

It’s never too late to learn something new. In 2008 I took the plunge into social media.  I thought as a journalist I needed to learn everything about social media from blogging to starting a group on Facebook.

In 2009, I started “Wise Latinas Linked” on Facebook.  Two of my girlfriends helped me launch the group that would help empower and inspire Latinas around the world. Today we have close to 5,000 members on Facebook, and more than 600 on LinkedIn.

Friday (Sept. 20) my work paid off.  Latinos in Social Media better known as LATISM, recognized me with their national award for 2013 Social Network Leader.  It’s the second time I have won the award. I also won in 2011.

I couldn’t be in New York City to personally pick up the award, because of earlier plans, but when I got the text that I won—I was in shock.  I was up against tough competition–people with thousands ands thousands of followers.

A big thank you to everyone who voted for me for this award. I share the award with all the members of Wise Latinas Linked who have put us on the map and a few newspapers and online news sites.

What I hope you take away from this blog is to take the plunge–learn something new. Don’t be afraid to jump out there and conquer.  Don’t let age, doubters, or fear of the unknown stop you.

Today I am a proud reporter, proud Latina Leader and most of all a woman who is not afraid to just get out there and work it!

Join a local social media group and expand you knowledge

Photo: Social Media Club of Dallas

I don’t know how many people ask me questions about social media: whether it’s how to start a “fan” page on Facebook to starting a blog on WordPress.  I have learned a lot about social media because, I do run some or all the social media pages for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Hispanic Communicators DFW and Society of Professional Journalists Fort Worth Chapter.

What I have learned is that everyday new social media experts pop up in the social media scene.  I’m not sure about some of “those experts.”  I’ll leave that topic for another blog.

Instead of hiring one, why not join a local social media club and meet a bunch of people with interests in different social media platforms. It’s a great way to grow your knowledge in social media and learn for free by networking.

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to be the moderator for a panel on online videos. The event was being  put on by The Social Media Club of Dallas. It was a week night and I wasn’t sure how many people to expect. Surprise! There had to be more than 100 people.

That night I met bloggers, video producers, social media managers, brand creators, and many other professionals. Each one is now a source for me when I have a question about a specific area in social media.

Tip #1-Find a social media club in your area by looking on Facebook or just “google” for one.

Tip #2-If there isn’t one, start a group on Meetup.com and find the people who have social media in common with you.

In the end, it’s about networking and learning more about social media.

Photo by Rebecca Aguilar

Facebook admits failure, plans to block hate speech and rape ‘humor’

Posted on Facebook

The photo to the left is the kind of rape ‘humor’ that has been posted on Facebook for a long time.  Facebook users and women rights organizations said they complained to the social network, but no one really ever took them seriously.

Facebook is listening now.

It took an army of activists and advertisers to pressure the social network to pay attention to concerns and complaints.  They used Twitter and emails to get their message across.

Women, Action & the Media (WAM!) was one of the organizations pushing for Facebook  to make changes.  It posted an open letter to Facebook , here’s part of  it:

“Specifically, we are referring to groups, pages and images that explicitly condone or encourage rape or domestic violence or suggest that they are something to laugh or boast about.”

WAM’s message inspired women and organizations to come together to make Facebook listen. Here’s what WAM! posted this week on its website:

“Last Tuesday, Women, Action & the Media, the Everyday Sexism Project and author/activist Soraya Chemaly launched a campaign to call on Facebook to take concrete, effective action to end gender-based hate speech on its site. Since then, participants sent over 60,000 tweets and 5000 emails, and our coalition has grown to over 100 women’s movement and social justice organizations.”

There was no way Facebook could ignore 60,000 tweets and counting.  Now Facebook is re-evaluating its guidelines on the posting of content.  Here’s part of Facebook’s statement:

“In recent days, it has become clear that our systems to identify and remove hate speech have failed to work as effectively as we would like, particularly around issues of gender-based hate. In some cases, content is not being removed as quickly as we want.  In other cases, content that should be removed has not been or has been evaluated using outdated criteria. We have been working over the past several months to improve our systems to respond to reports of violations, but the guidelines used by these systems have failed to capture all the content that violates our standards. We need to do better – and we will.”

Let’s see what changes Facebook makes in the coming weeks or months. Stay tuned.

Boston Marathon Explosions Covered with Twitter

I happened to be home when the two explosions happened at the Boston Marathon. I couldn’t just sit there and watch. I started “live” tweeting, because I knew many people were at work and probably not near a television to hear the latest.

Here’s a recap.

[View the story “Boston Marathon Explosion” on Storify]

Welcome!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. Here is where you can find out everything about me and my experience in journalism.  I’ve been a reporter for a long time and have had the opportunity to cover many amazing stories and many interesting people. I often tell my friends, I will never stop being a journalist.  Everyday is a new journey with a new experience.

I have 48 awards and nominations for my journalism work, including several Emmys. I’m also very proud of my first award for being a “Social Networking Leader” in the U.S.

Today, I concentrate on freelance reporting and helping other journalists become better at their own work.   I wear several hats:

• Freelance News Reporter: Television, online, print, & radio
• Blogger
• Social Media Manager
• News Consultant
• Public Speaker
• Video Producer

I’m also about volunteering my time in leadership roles:

• Vice President of Online (social media manager) : National Association of Hispanic Journalists
• Vice President of Membership: Society of Professional Journalists/ Fort Worth Chapter
• Former Diversity Committee Vice Chr & Blog Content Manager:Society of Professional Journalist
• Web Content Manager and advisor: Hispanic Communicators DFW
• Founder: Wise Latinas Linked, largest Latina social networking group on Facebook and LinkedIn.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me via Facebook.  Have a great day!

Rebecca Aguilar