Tip tip tip tip, boom!

As a fashion and trend enthusiast, I've seen crazes and fads come and go. I remember the first resurgences of leggings as trousers after the 80's come about a little under two years ago. Shirts were getting longer and dresses were getting shorter. As a response to this, leggings were becoming necessary in order to maintain clean lines, but jeans still reigned supreme on the trouser scene. A small handful of the young Hollywood socialite variety finally caught onto the movement already sweeping Europe of replacing actual pants with opaque leggings. Once leggings began making regular appearances on the covers of grocery store tabloids as Nicole Ritchie lost more and more weight or Lindsay Lohan was once again checked into the hospital for what was becoming "Chronic Exhaustion," the stretchy substitutes for pants started to make their rise into the eyes of young girls and women. Not long thereafter black leggings were popping up all over malls and school hallways. Suddenly it was acceptable to forego actually wearing pants and only wear leggings. Short dresses took on a more modest look as girls/women started pairing them with leggings and soon they were not just for short dresses, but for wearing underneath shirts as well. Now, not only are black leggings popular in the market, but leggings in different patterns, colors, and lengths can be found in a majority of clothing stores all over the country. Leggings have "tipped," according to Malcolm Gladwell's idea of the Tipping Point. At one time they were a mere blip on the radar in the eyes of the general public and in a few short months they were everywhere, and still are to this day, because of the conditions under which they were reintroduced by a handful of young Hollywood socialites who frequented the covers of grocery store tabloids.

What makes me, or anyone else for that matter; want to go to a basketball game? That’s the magic question. Within the already standing campaign that we are working to implement for the GCSU Athletics Department there are several events taking place in order to entice students, faculty, and community members to attend the men’s basketball games, but getting them to continue coming is the key. In essence, how can we get them to “stick” to coming to the games? I think the answer lies in just the right amount of coverage. If we can manage to make the events taking place throughout the campaign memorable and get a good buzz circulating around campus it will be remembered next season. I also feel as though targeting freshmen living in the dorms will play a huge part in the success of the campaign and the numbers of individuals at the games for years to come. Using the Power of Context that Gladwell discusses, we can use the fact that freshmen are required to live in the dorms that are only a stone’s throw away from the gym where games will take place, to get them to stick to coming to the games. Taking advantage of the fact that these students have to reside so close to the games, a constant flow of messages relaying the one big message (i.e. COME TO THE BASKETBALL GAMES! THEY’RE FUN!) should be put into action with flyers and handbills, but also through the word of mouth handed down by Resident Directors/Assistants. The Athletic Department should team up with University Housing in some capacity to continue encouraging and promoting the games to new freshmen residents. If the message is relayed strong enough and early enough, a larger student turn out will result, because the freshmen are new to the college scene and in need of some direction, the athletic events should be incorporated into the welcoming and settling period, making attending athletic events a part of the university’s culture as opposed to an afterthought.

Sitting on the front steps of my dormitory in London this summer as I watched cars pass and enjoyed a little fresh air, a girl emerged from the automated doors and sat a few steps down from me. She was having a cigarette and had neglected to bring a book or even her mobile with her so I took the opportunity to strike up conversation. We got to talking and found that we shared a lot of interests and views in common. We remained friends throughout our stays in the city and I introduced her to the people from the program I had come with. We shared a majority of our free time with each other and even spent evenings out and about town together. In doing that, I was able to introduce her to an already constructed social circle of locals I had met a couple of weeks prior. They became friends. I also introduced several members from my study abroad program to the group of locals. They became acquaintances. These are only a few instances where I have acquired friends and acquaintances and then brought them together. Reading through Gladwell’s “types” of people, I find that I identify most with the Connectors, because I enjoy the company of a variety of different types of people and when bringing these groups together I experience a sense of accomplishment and achievement. I love to talk and I can talk to just about anyone or anything (i.e. a wall), and taking the first step and introducing myself to people often excites me. I certainly do not “collect” acquaintances and friends, because that seems grotesquely superficial and I enjoy more meaningful connections with assorted individuals, but meeting new people and connecting them with friends and acquaintances I already have is something that I take great pleasure in.

As far as reaching a tipping point in my blogging and other social/professional networking sites is concerned I feel that I am still waiting for it. Facebook was the first networking site to tip for me personally and it continues to be my primary outlet for online communications, but Twitter and this blog come in close second. With Twitter and my blog, it is just a matter of reaching out and initiating more discussions with people outside of my Public Relations Administration class. Once I start building stronger connections outside of that, I think that Twitter and my blog will definitely tip and become equals with Facebook the Great. My PR OpenMic has been much neglected in recent weeks and I do not see that tipping for me for a while, although I do hope that in coming weeks and months I will adopt it into my daily internet routine as I have been doing with Facebook for the past three years and Twitter/my blog for the last few months.