Proof

This is just a fun little post to show you all how much hockey has been a part of my life since a very early age.


The following photo is of me and my younger brother James. My mother had this picture made when I was about 6 years old, which puts James at age 4. A little back story to the photo is that my mom grew up in St. Louis--therefore she was a true Blues fan. However, when she married my Dad and they moved to Dallas, she switched loyalties to the Stars. She got season tickets in 1993 and had them until I left for college in fall of 2008 (I was no longer home to go to games with her).

James and I re-made the original photo during my final year of high school, during my senior photo session. It's a little different than the original, but still fun, cute and full of personality. I'm really glad we re-did the photo 12 years later.

 

So there you go! Hockey fan from the start!

Got a Job!

So after pursuing a job opportunity with the Texas Stars hockey team for over a year, all the hard work finally paid off! Today I went in to their office in Cedar Park to interview with the Director of Marketing. She offered me a job in game operations on the spot--I start Tuesday! I'm really excited. It's basically going to be what I did for the Round Rock Express baseball team this summer, but with a sport that I am really passionate and knowledgeable about (and it's in the air conditioning!). I am grateful to the Lord for this opportunity and I can't wait to learn, engage and help execute the in-game entertainment and promotions.

Just wanted to share my good news for the day! I am so excited!

The Twitterverse

I never thought that I'd be this way, but after much convincing from a close friend and a combination of different communications classes---I got a Twitter (@williamshillary) and I LOVE it. I'll be honest, I thought it was pretty silly at first. I had my Facebook and I was happy with that. However, professor after professor talked about how important it was to get a Twitter in order to stay up-to-date with the current trends in social media.

I joined in November of 2009 (so almost a year ago) and have tweeted 830 times. I love posting pictures, good articles and sometimes just random thoughts from the day. I try not to be TOO boring--for the record. However, after getting a Twitter I soon found it to be very beneficial. If you've read some of my other posts, you'll know that I'm nuts for hockey. Well, soon after getting Twitter, I decided to follow the Texas Stars hockey team. Lo and behold, one day they tweeted a "Twitter-Only" deal of $10 tickets to a game later that week. I got two and my boyfriend and I went to a hockey game for just $20, it was awesome. I follow my favorite music artists and they tweet when their next single is coming out, so I'm always looking forward to see what new music they're working on/putting out. Lastly, a some dear friends of mine were having a baby and the mommy-to-be when into labor and her brother was tweeting updates from his phone for those of us who wished we just in the same city as them. I felt awesome knowing what was going on with my friend and the delivery of a healthy baby girl.

Some people think Twitter is dumb, i.e.this video (It is pretty funny though).

But according to this article, it can be a great resource for your company--and I agree.

Hope you enjoy!

Bazaarvoice

A few weeks ago, my Foundations of Marketing professor, Herb Miller, brought in the founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, Mr. Brett Hurt. Bazaarvoice was started in Austin and is the company that provides the program/software for online reviws of products. They have some large-scale customers like Home Depot, Best Buy, Petco, Costco, etc. So when you go to Best Buy's website and you're looking for a new TV and you read the reviews from other customers, Bazaarvoice is behind it. Anyhow, I've been following Mr. Hurt on Twitter (username @bazaarbrett) and he recently posted this article written by one of his employees. I found it very interesting and think you will too. I won't summarize it but I'll give you the title: "3 Easy Ways to Destroy Your Brand on the Social Web".

Enjoy!

Hocktober is Upon Us

I'll just come right out and say it: I'm a huge hockey fan. My heart will always be loyal to the Dallas Stars having been born and raised in Dallas. However, I am a fan of the entire sport overall--the NHL in particular. The hockey season starts in just a few short weeks and I couldn't be more excited. After graduating from high school I was really sad not to be able to go to Stars games anymore...but fate was on my side and brought the Texas Stars minor league hockey team to Cedar Park, Texas--only 20 minutes west of Austin. They are now the feeder team for the Dallas Stars and so they pull players from the Texas Stars and send them up to Dallas from time to time. I also now have the opportunity to get my hockey fix whenever I want and I don't even have to leave Austin!

Hockey is an exciting, fast-paced sport that I love so much, thanks to my mother (who grew up a St. Louis Blues fan). The games are great to share with the people you love and even if they don't know much about hockey, games are always fun.

Only 19 days until the Dallas Stars season starts!

If you'd like to watch the Stars' old 09-10 season opener video, click here.

If you'd like to read an article that will get you in the mood for hockey season, click here.

E-Mail Marketing Terms

I recently discovered Stumbleupon for myself. I had heard from my friends that they used it for purposeful distraction and that it was actually pretty fun and educational. Two days ago, I created an account and selected "Marketing" as one of the things that I was interested in--because it will remember your interests and when you "stumble", it will filter the results to things that would be of interest to you. I really liked this website because it seems so pertinent to the marketing world--which is what I would like to pursue after college. I wasn't familiar with all of these terms and I agree with the title of the article emphasizing that "you need to know" these.

Take a look at 11 E-Mail Marketing Terms You Need to Know: http://bit.ly/b1NXVe

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I plan on sharing things that are going on my life academically & professionally. Any interesting things that happen to me, certain tips I'm learning from real-world experience and helpful articles will be among what I post. Please enjoy and do not hesitate to contact me with any questions!

hillarywilliams@mail.utexas.edu