I don’t get to read that often, but I when I do I really enjoy the books that I do read. This week I had the pleasure, and the time, to read a book titled The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. This book was filled with a lot of interesting information about things that I had never even really thought about before. For those who haven’t had the chance to read the book, here are a few highlights:

Throughout the book, Gladwell talks about three agents of change. He lists them in the very beginning of the book and then dedicates a chapter to each agent of change in order to explain it more thoroughly. They are:

1. The Law of the Few: This law says that a small percentage of people do the majority of the work, in any type of situation; one person can find out about a trend and “through social connections and energy and enthusiasm and personality,”they can spread the word about an event or fashion trend or even spread an epidemic. Here is an example from the book: an epidemic in Colorado Springs occurred and through some research it was found that there were only 168 people causing the epidemic to grow and spread throughout the population, therefore only a tiny portion of the population was contributing the the growth of the epidemic.
2. The Stickiness Factor: Stickiness means that a particular message gets stuck in your head. This factor has the quality to urge people to look closely at an idea, concept or a specific product. An example used in the book is Wendy’s tag line “Where’s the beef?” Another example is the show Blue’s Clues, because the show was very entertaining, children were watching the show and were receiving educational content – in other words what they were talking about on the show got stuck in the kid’s heads and they learned new information.
3. The Power of Context: This third agent of change says that human beings are extremely sensitive to their environments, more-so than they may think they are. Here’s an example  that was given in the book of this kind of situation: More people will report that they saw smoke coming out of a door when they are on their own as opposed to when they are in a group. Gladwell says that when in a group people assume someone else from the group will make the call or assume that because no one else is trying to fix the problem, it is not important.

If you’d like to read more in detail about several examples for each of these agents of change, you should go out and purchase your own copy of the The Tipping Point – you’ll be glad you did! Hopefully this quick synopsis gives you a better idea of what the Law of Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context are. Make sure you give this book a read – it’s bound to change your life in one way or another!

As I stated in my previous blog post, I’m surrounded by the best of the best when it comes to my peers. I’m learning so much from them, even if we do have different interests…

• Shane Chernoff is a reporter for WUFT-FM and a co-host on ESPN 850’s show, the Cheap Seats, where he and his other co-hosts discuss what’s going on in the world of sports. In his blog, Good Eats in the Ville, he talks about all of the different places to eat in Gainesville – from healthy food options to food from around the globe that you can get right here in this college town of ours.
• Amanda Di Lella is a speciality anchor for WUFT-TV and has interned with NBC Miami multiple times, gaining experience in different fields each time she completes an internship. Throughout her blog, At Home Healthy Habits, Amanda posts updates on how well she’s eaten during a certain month, as well as different tips for meal preparations and food ideas that readers would be able to try at any time.
• Lauren Rautenkranz is a reporter and anchor for WUFT-TV and is also a weather forecaster for WUFT-TV and WRUF-TV 6 Weather. In her blog, Life With Lauren, she describes different events that she’s attended and has been involved in, as well as what happens in her everyday life.

Hope you all will take a look at their work – all of us are extremely dedicated to pursuing our dreams and everyday we’re one step closer to achieving them!

 

They say you’re most like the people you’re surrounded by – those who you spend a lot of time with. Being a Telecommunications student allows you to meet many people, and I’m proud to say I surrounded by the best of the best. All of my peers force me to work harder in order to achieve my goals.

Some of my peers and I have very similar interests – one of those similar interests being entertainment news and movies.

• Rachel Stern is currently an entertainment news anchor for WUFT and has had many encounters with different celebrities, such as Joel McHale, the host of The Soup on E! and Kevin James, who can be seen in movies such as Grown Ups and Hitch. If you’d like to see more of Rachel’s encounters with different celebrities, visit her blog, Stalkarazzi.
• Lisa Greenberg is also an entertainment news fan. She’s reported for WUFT-FM and WUFT-TV while at the University of Florida and interned with Fox 13 in Tampa, which is actually where I was born! In her blog, Snack&Style, Lisa talks about what’s going on with different celebrities – such as when Kim Kardashian got engaged and Kelly Clarkson got married – as well as different foods and clothing items she’s loving!
• Jillian Brynne and I also have a common interest – movies. I absolutely love watching movies and learning about the actors that star in them. Through her blog, The Movie Manic, she discusses different movies that are out, posts videos of interviews with actors/actresses, such as Sandra Bullock, and posts videos of trailers for upcoming movies. This blog keeps you up to date on all the new movies debuting and even gives you a summary of the movie so you know what to expect!

I’m so glad I get to be surrounded by people everyday who make me a better person – I couldn’t have asked for a better college experience!

Ever wonder who the person is writing blogs on the internet? Where they come from and what they’ve done with their life? Well you’re about to find out more about this blogger right here, today.

My name is Ashley Goodus and I was born in Tampa, Florida. I am an only child, but I have many close friends who feel like family. I am currently a senior studying Telecommunications at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The past three, almost three and a half, years have gone by so quickly that I can’t even believe that I will be graduating in the spring – and looking for a job! I love dancing, photography, working out and hanging out with my friends and family. My family is very important to me and we are extremely close with one another. My extended family lives in a variety of different places – Texas, California, Indiana, New Zealand and Florida.

While here at the University of Florida, I’ve been able to get involved in many things in the Journalism and Communications College. Whether it’s reporting on stories that will air on our live newscast, editing videos, operating cameras or creating graphics I always have the best time learning new things and working with a great group of people. If you want to learn more about some of the things I’ve done, take a look at my resumé.

One of my favorite things to do is workout, hence the topic for this blog! Whether it’s taking group fitness classes at my local gym, completing a workout DVD at home, or just by simply tracking my daily activity by using my Fitbit or an app that I downloaded on my phone, I always try to move around for a good hour a day. It really helps me decompress and helps to relieve any stress I may have.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about me!