{JMC 335} And it begins

To give a brief overview to those of you who aren't Lance Kissler or one of my humble comrades from Whitworth's interactive journalism class (JMC 335), this semester I've been charged with the responsibility of creating a news package on a local non-profit.

Because I’m best known for my participation in the northwest wedding community, and because most of my beloved readers found me through this connection, I thought it would be best to feature a wedding-related non-profit.

So I searched. And searched. And searched. Non-profits who give away wedding gowns, or even complete weddings, to deserving couples can be found in Portland and Seattle and other cities … but not Spokane, where I’m currently located.

The next best thing? Possibly the equivalent to weddings for teen girls? Prom. Perfect substitute for my wedding-obsessed readers.

Me before prom with my now fiance. See, prom's important. It can lead to true love.

For my project, I’m looking at focusing on Julianne’s Prom Closet, a local non-profit that provides a prom dress “shopping” experience and a free dress to high school girls whose families wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise.

I think it would be interesting to talk to Julianne Sullivan, who started the non-profit.


I would like to focus on covering girls during their "shopping" experience, including photographing, filming and writing about this.

{Encouragement} You're a genius

The picture says it all:

{found on a friend's facebook page; original owner unknown (even after an extensive google search)}

We must all stop judging people by what they can and can't do, and begin to remember that there is always something they can do.

-- Lindsie

{Encouragement} You can't always be perfect

Accept that you can't always be perfect. Not everything you do will be perfect. And if you're a beginner (like me), this is especially true.

This doesn't mean that you don't have a great eye or ear or mind, and this doesn't mean that you won't produce amazing work someday. It simply means that, like all people, you have to learn. This might be a learning phase for a beginner, but I would also venture to say that this could be a learning experience for an expert. It's OK.

And if you don't want to take it from me, then hear it from Ira Glass, host of This American Life.

{Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo}

Keep producing and I will too.

-- Lindsie

{Marketing} Millennials are different

Liene from Think Splendid wrote a fabulous post the other day about how marketing to millennials is different from marketing to other generations. She specifically targeted wedding businesses, but most of these are applicable for all businesses.

Some awesome highlights:

• The oldest millennials are 33, the youngest are 12, so they'll be the majority wedding consumer for a long time.
• Social media changed how older generations communicate, but it mimics how millennials have always communicated.
• 64% of millennials expect to hear back from companies within 24 hours. Replying even faster than that is better.
• Millennials spend money on experiences and items that make their lives better in some way, not flashier.
• Marketing that reinforced individuality worked for Gen X. Millennials prefer messages that reinforce family and community.
• Millennials value authenticity. They have finely tuned BS detectors and have little patience for insincerity and gimmicks.
• Millennials do their homework. They research everything and read an average of 13.9 reviews before making a purchase.

Envelopments thought you should see this in a friendly infographic. I happen to agree, so here you go:

As a millennial, let me plea with you: Please don't try marketing to us like we're carbon copies of our parents. Many of us don't even understand what "carbon copy" actually means, but our parents do. Like Liene says, we think like social media rather than old receipt books.

-- Lindsie