Diary of a Barista Girl

Since high school my fall back job has always been in a coffee shop. It seems to be the one job that is always available.

In University and now College, I spend my free time catering to the coffee elite (or snobs). With their non-fat, decaf, sugar free, half-sweet, no foam why bother lattes. Its frustrating to churn out these drinks - there's no flare in them! (I'm starting to get really interested in latte art as of late and so far can only do the heart.)

Despite what you might think, I actually kinda like my job. We have a lot of really great regular customers, that I name drinks after. Like the Lola latte, a small, skinny, extra hot, extra foam latte.

I've been a Barista for about 5 years - and I can say that it definitely is a skill. One worth having (it's a good party trick) but like with every job it has its downfalls. Like creepers who stay in your shop for the free wifi watch Spanish soaps and talk to themselves. Customers who think they know more than you and co-workers who can be less then pleasant.

I hope to make this a regular or at least reoccurring subject in my blog - I'll upload pictures of my new latte art, talk about funny happenings around the shop and talk (or rant) about customer experiences.

On a less related but hilarious note - have you seen this yet??

I'm glutton for punishment...

And I'll tell you why, I've decided to run a 10KM charity run called the Underware Affair which benefits below the belt cancers this coming August.

I was attracted to the run because of the name. I mean a bunch of people prancing around in their underpants has to be both hilarious and fun right?? right?? Now the more I think about the actual physical activity part of the event, I'm getting scared.

Now lets give you some context. I am in NO WAY a runner. I detested the yearly "12 minute run" in grade school, which I was sure was invented just to punish and embarrass me. I have asthma and always had to stop half way through due to an attack. I somehow talked my way out of the mile run in grade nine and then quit gym immediately following that year (as it was no longer a requirement).

So knowing all this why, oh why did I decide this was a good idea? Well to be frank I think I knew it was a bad idea all along, but I somehow talked myself into doing this and being a taurus - I will see it through to the bitter end.

Whats my big plan you might be wondering. Well the plan is to start training by runing 3km a few times a week - and when I feel comfortable I'll move it up a couple KM and so on and so forth until I hit 10KM.

Now I know this is a lofty goal but as I said I plan on seeing it through - I'll be sure to keep you updated on my progress throughout the process and make sure I post some pictures from race day - because I know ya'll are interested in the people in their underpants.

American Idol: keeping up or getting left behind?

American Idol is in its 9th season. Fans who love this show, love it a lot. But the landscape of the show and how people watch, interact and vote have changed significantly over the past 9 years. To keep up American Idol has had to implement an aggressive social media campaign using Facebook, myspace and Twitter to keep viewers interested.

The logical next step for Idol is to implement voting through the use of social media, so fans would be able to vote through Twitter hashtags, myspace comments and even Facebook polls. The only problem with this is infrastructure. Currently the phone lines keep multiple voters to a minimum due to wait time and busy signals, the same is likely to happen with Twitter or Facebook as the servers wouldn't be able to accommodate the influx of users.

Another good step to take would be integrating social media into the live show. They could hold a Twitter poll to see what song a contestant will sing, or ask questions via Facebook. Incorporating social media into live show adds another way for fans to interact which keeps interest in an otherwise formulaic show.

While there has been some amazing talent that has come out of the show not every winner is a hit. Nine seasons is a good run. Paula is gone and Simon is going. American Idol just isn't the same anymore. I think even with the adaptation of social media American Idol is nearing the end.

And to that effect I say don't beat a dead horse.

For more in depth looks into American Idol's social media campaign check out Zoya, Carmen, Caitlin, Kara and Sayurie's Blogs!

Alex and Luke, we finally meet!

I struggled with how to start this because I don't want to a) sound like a super creep and b) gush.

But those two things seem unavoidable so here it goes:


Last week I wrote about Alex and Luke two best friends on a mission to see North America with only social media to guide them. Pretty neat right?? Not nearly as cool as what followed!

I presented their project to my social media class at Humber PR as my "hot topic" assignment never in my wildest dreams did I imagine more then just talking about their awesome endeavor. But the next thing I know my whole class is tweeting @alexandluke to come and talk with us about their trip and they said yes.

That's the power of social media for you, one day Alex and Luke are these two cool people on the internet who don't know me and the next day we are connected! They wrote about my class on their website after our "twitter attack" and we confirmed dates for them to come talk with us.

Yesterday after much anticipation (on my part) I was finally able to meet Alex and Luke. I have to say it was a real pleasure to hear them speak so passionately about their experiment, and that is what makes me believe they will be a success. What they want to achieve across the continent has already started. They are bridging the gap between online relationships, geography and real life. Sure it will sometimes be a challenge - but they seem up for it.

Check out what they had to say about meeting us Humber PR students - and follow their journey! They leave March 20, 2010 and their first directional vote is UP! I am partial to West because of my Guelph connection, but the point is that you get to choose.

Who am I??

well this is my personal brand which puts me one step closer to finding out exactly who I am online. So check it out and let me know what you think!

My Personal Brand

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