Analyzing Snapchat Discover

As most of you know, snapchat now has a feature that will let you view stories from a touch of the finger. Some of the stories come from CNN, People, Cosmo, ESPN, and Daily Mail.

Although the stories are limited to what they decided to feature on snapchat, most of them are low content. For example, CNN has a picture up on the lady who was bit by a tiger at the Omaha Zoo.  The text gives the 5 W's. Because CNN is looking for more readership, they just put up a small amount of content to track readers to their own page.

This may not be about the news itself, but how news gets around. Nowadays we are finding out news on social media like Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. I find this as a good thing, most people my age or in my generation would more than likely not be reading the newspaper or watching the news, this brings information to more people. It is creating a more informed society.

Do you agree?

How do we change the media? The media writes these because...

Changing the media is something a lot of people would like to do. However to change the media, we're going to have to change human instinct too. 

We as human being are drawn to things that make us curious, this is completely natural. Have you ever driven by a car accident and purposely slowed down to see what was going on? What about a crime scene? Humans will always be naturally curious. 

The saying "if it bleeds, it leads" is a thing because of our curiousity.  These are the kinds of stories that will draw out attention, therefore getting more readership. Media outlets are a business, and to keep readers interested in their products it has to grab our attention. And this is why the media writes these stories, to get us interested.

Now in no way, shape or form am I all for the media clutching onto these kind of stories, I would love to see more kitten stories. But it's just not going to happen. Instead of trying to change the media, we need to add to the media. More kittens, same curiousity stories. How hard would it. Be to add a picture of a kitten?

Do you agree?

My favorite and least favorite things about Western Nebraska

North Platte/Lincoln County Visitors
Bureau staff (Missing: Muriel Clark)

Hello again! It's been awhile and I am ready to get back into the swing of things!

For those of you who do not know, I have been in North Platte, Nebraska this summer for an internship. I am working for the North Platte/Lincoln County Visitors Bureau as a social media/public relations intern. I also do some blogging and photography.

Working for the visitor’s bureau has let me see most of what North Platte and Lincoln County have to offer. I also take some spontaneous drives to get a better view of the state, outside of Lincoln County. And sometimes I end up in Kansas or South Dakota, unintentionally. I just go with the flow.

Now that I have been in the area for a little over two months, there are some things that I will miss, but other I cannot wait to leave behind.

What I love about Western Nebraska:

1. The landscape

Canyon like hills, just south of  Hayes Center, Nebraska.

In the city, it's just one big flat land. But as I go on my drives around the area, I have discovered that Nebraska is not one big flat state. There are hills upon hills in some areas. Up north is the Sandhill region, which is exactly what it sounds like, hills made up of sand. But the thing is, you wouldn't know it until somebody told you. Grass, trees, and other things grow in the sand like they would for soil, to me, that it amazing. Most of the land is owned by ranchers and farmers, so unless you own land, you can't get more than 5 feet from the road. But the view is spectacular; hills upon hills, and cows and horses upon cows and horses.

South of North Platte is mostly farmland, but every now and then there are some ranch hills. My favorite thing to do in my time away from work is to take a drive, either going north or south, and get some beautiful landscape pictures.

2. The recreational activities

There are seriously so many activities that are available out here. There's always somebody complaining how there's nothing to do in Nebraska. True, but false. You have to go outside to enjoy the place, especially in the summer. There are so many lakes, rivers, outfitters, etc. that can set you up to go tubing, kayaking, horseback riding, golfing, hiking, hunting, fishing, even bird watching. Heck, I just go out to the backyard and nap in the hammock. The key is to get outside and get active and maybe a little sunburnt and eaten alive by the bugs...

3. The people

I have met so many nice people out here. Whether it be through work or just stopping by a gas station for directions. I have had some run ins with some mean drivers (I had the right of way...) but overall everyone out here is so nice. If need be, they would give me their shirt off of their back.

4. My friend(s)

Alex and I at the Thomas Rhett Concert during
Nebraksaland Days, June 26, 2015.

Being out here for a while, I have made some friends, or a close friend. I work with Alex, which is great because I have a work friend. Plus we are close enough to hang out outside of work. We have gone to the Nebraskaland Days concerts, rodeos, etc. with each other. Honestly she will be the number one reason why it will be hard to leave this place. But I have made friends with everybody in the office, and for me this is great. I never expected to leave this internship with lifelong friendships. Thank you North Platte/Lincoln County Visitors Bureau for welcoming me into your family for a few months!

What I don't love about Western Nebraska:

1. The bugs

It's summer. It's hot. And there are bugs. Everywhere. I walk outside and there will be an assortment of bugs. Spiders, beetles, roaches, anything and everything to freak me out. I don't do bugs. If I even leave my window open for a few seconds, a wasp, moth, or black fly will fly into my car. I cannot tell you how many bug bites I have gotten this summer. It has got to be over 100. No joke.

2. The lack of Target and Panera

Coming from a city doesn't really help, but I am addicted to Target. Fort Dodge, Iowa has a target. If Fort Dodge gets a target, then goodness does North Platte, Nebraska need one. The closest Target is two hours away, and the closest Panera is an hour and a half. Not a big deal to some people, but Target is my mother ship and Panera is my home base.

3. Getting out of town requires quite a drive

Everyone gets tired of being in the same place for long. This is why I like to go out on spontaneous drive around the state, getting out of North Platte and Sutherland. But the thing about North Platte is if you want to go to a city, or even a recreational place, it requires a drive. The closest city would be Kearney, about an hour and a half east, and the closest recreational place outside of the county would be Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area, about an hour west.

4. Cell phone signals are scarce

I get it. Our generation is connected to any technology. And I will admit it, so am I. But my job is all about being online. Social media requires and internet connection, and more importantly, a cell phone signal. There have been so many times I want to post to social media, and I can't even use my phone. No calls, no texts, no Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. The problem itself is saying to enjoy the moment, but this moment I want to post to social media. I'll enjoy it afterwards.

First world problems.

Overall I have had an awesome time this summer, and I will come back to visit friends or stay for the night. And not to brag or anything, but the visitors bureau has the cleanest public restrooms. The only public restroom I will use in North Platte.

So here's to Western Nebraska. I've got a few weeks left, but here's to next time!

Summer Intern: Bubble Bash, La Hacienda, and the Sandhills

Hello again! This past week has been filled with so many fun things to and to talk about. I went north of Sutherland up into the sandhills and got some awesome pictures of cows, the Bubble Bash was a blast to photograph (what a mouthful!), and I got to enjoy some awesome local Mexican food!

First off, the trip up into the sandhills was amazing. It is a 22 thousand square mile land of stabilized sand dunes. There is just so much open land, and even more cows! There were copious amounts of cows, prairie dogs, antelope, turkeys, birds, and even some cowboys walking the roads on their horses. But the neat thing about the sandhills is that the land is basically one big sandbox. But you would never know it. It is covered in grass that actually grows on the sand. Like what? To me this is just crazy. Who knew that grass, trees and other plants could grow in sand? We stopped and I got some pictures of the cows, and of course Murphy, the golden retriever

that I am staying with for the summer. I would highly recommend a trip up into the sandhills. Take some lunch, a camera, and a buddy because you are going to want to see this.

Sunday after church I splurged and went out to eat. I wanted to try something local. And I picked the right place. La Hacienda is rated the number two place to eat in North Platte on TripAdvisor, I thought it would be worth the try. La Hacienda is a cute little Mexican eatery in the downtown area. It was a little hard to see; the only signs they have are the ones that are on the building, but the restaurant is perpendicular and in the suite furthest away, so you would have to look very hard to find it. This wasn’t a problem for me because I was hungry!

I was there probably right at open, which is 11am. I was kind of disappointed with the chips because they were pretty cold rather

than being warm. My family always gets a bowl of queso dip beforehand, so of course I had to try theirs out. The salsa and queso were pretty darn okay. They were not bad by any means, but I’ve had

better.  But for it being in western Nebraska it is probably going to be the best you can buy.

When I go out to Mexican restaurants I always get the same dish. Flauntas. Which is basically a bigger version than taquitos. Now I might be biased, but seriously I have tried flauntas everywhere I go and the best place I have had them are at Villa’s Patio in Marion, Iowa. La Hacienda is a great contender though. They had juicy chicken and were fried perfectly. The ends were the crispiest part, as always, but the middle parts had a flaky outside and a fluffy interior. This is pretty bold to me (not that I am a Mexican food expert or anything) but all of the other flauntas I have eaten were crispy throughout. So it was nice to try it differently than other ones. The best part about flauntas is that they can be dipped in almost anything. I usually just eat them with lettuce and sour cream, but the fluffiness of the interior led me to dip it into both the queso and the salsa. Holy yummy. This was probably the best decision I made all day. No joke. The queso gave the essence of melted cheese, which is always a good thing, and the salsa gave them the lime taste. It was basically a Mexican fiesta in my mouth.

Now besides my food, the atmosphere was just okay. The music sounded like it came from an old western/Mexican themed cartoon that Disneyland would play to their guest while waiting in line for Splash Mountain. So yeah.

Later on Sunday was the Bubble Bash. I was deemed official photographer for the event, so of course I had fun! I got to watch so many little kids dance around and play in bubbles and see people run through giant bubble walls. I took 1,300 pictures during the event. That alone just tells you how many people were there and things

were going on. My favorite part was watching parents push their kids in strollers through the bubble wall at the end of the run. The event was a success as $5,000 was raised!

I have to add another funny thing about this place.

I was driving to the visitor’s bureau today for work and I pass an alfalfa field on my way there. All the sudden a turkey pops up out of nowhere. Full feathers out and everything. So I kind of slow down to see it, and then about ten more turkeys pop up. But just their heads, like they were peeking over the wall of plants to see what was going on. It was so funny I almost had to completely stop my car just to keep from going in the river.

This Thursday evening is the North Platte Children’s Museum’s fundraiser, the Twisted Fork. And boy am I excited. There are going to be local chefs there who are bringing their twisted version of their favorite childhood snack/meal. It is $35 to get in, and for all of the 21 and overs out there, there will be a cash bar. It’s at 6pm and a live auction will take place at 7:30pm. So bring your cash, checkbook, and ticket, because this is something that you will not want to miss.

Tickets are available at the museum or at Nebraskaland Bank locations.

And one last thing, are you following us on social media?? I’ve been posting so many neat things that are worth checking out. So keep up with us! The links are at the top of the page!

Link to Post: http://visitnorthplatte.com/bubble-bash-la-hacienda-and-the-sandhills/

Summer Intern: What's with the tumbleweeds? But the food is impressive, so far!

Today is day number three into my internship. And let me tell you something, it has been  going by so fast already! I hope this just means I am having fun and that time flying is a good thing. I have only been here since Monday afternoon, and I have already done so many things on the job. What do you know, my teacher was right, everything we learned in class, I used in the first three days of work. Kids, pay attention in school.

Anyways, there are several things I would like to hit on today. 1) Things I find funny in the area 2) The Espresso Shoppe and 3) The Bubble Bash.

So here we go.

1)     Funny things…

For starters, I think it is just absolutely hilarious that tumbleweeds actually fly across the roads. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the city but I know country living (for the most part). In Iowa, I have never seen an actual tumbleweed fly across the road. It is just something that I would envision in a western cartoon, but no, they’re real. Who knows, maybe I’m just not in the right place to see them in Iowa.

Also, the drivers here really do make me laugh out loud. I got honked at for stopping at a yellow light. I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned yellow means slow down and stop, not press the gas and hope I don’t get a red-light ticket. I don’t know if it’s the area or if that one person just really had to go to the bathroom, but I like to follow the rules of the road.

What’s with the radio stations? As much as I love the country stations back in Cedar Rapids/Marion, the stations out here are way better. Within the first ten minutes of coming off of the interstate, my presets on my radio were already preset. If country isn’t doing it for me, there is always a great throwback song on another station. If there is one thing that I like the most about Lincoln County so far, it would be the radio stations.

Last but not least, why is there not a Target in the area? Target is my homebase, my mothership, my worship temple. Where am I supposed to waste time now? (Hint; Netflix)

2) The Espresso Shoppe

Today I had my first taste of local food at the Espresso Shoppe. And boy, was I impressed. I ordered

a ham panini, which came with chips, and a Heath ‘chiller.’ For starters, as part of the rules, I must tell the truth, so  will. I almost forgot to take a picture of my food before I shoved the panini into my mouth, and that right there means something. I’m that annoying person who has more food pictures than selfies on their phone. And I am darn proud of that. If I forget, I must be really intrigued in the food.

Anyways, when I took my first bite, I was overwhelmed with the taste of yummy goodness. I got an even bite of ciabatta bread, ham, provolone cheese (? don’t quote me on that), and what tasted like an onion and chive cream cheese. And the good Lord knows how much I love my cream cheese. So having that on the sandwich was a good surprise. I paired that with the good pick of mesquite bbq kettle chips and a Heath ‘chiller.’

Now let me tell you something about the ‘chiller.’ It was just as good as the onion and chive cream cheese, but sweeter, obviously. It is comparable to a Starbucks frappuccino, or a McDonald's frappe, but not comparable (That doesn’t make sense does it?). It is modeled after that realm of coffee, but the Heath takes it up another notch. I would pass up my usual venti peppermint mocha frappuccino with extra coffee and no whip cream just for another small Heath ‘chiller.’ That’s how good this little, sweet delight is.     P.S. I’m still sipping on it...melted...

            Highly recommend this little shoppe to anyone in town, and any people traveling through.

This is also where open mic night is held every couple of weeks. So enjoy the live entertainment

3) The Bubble Bash

Coming up this sunday is the Bubble Bash 5k. I am that person who will do anything, and I mean almost anything, to get out of running a 5k. But apparently you don’t have to run. So count me in.

Muriel Clark and I stopped into the KNOP T.V. station today to talk about it live. Okay, let’s be clear. I watched her on live T.V. If I went on live T.V. I could just think of all the embarrassing things that would happen. A camera would fall on me, I would repeat the same thing over and over, or (the most real possibility) I would mess up and just alway with my palm to my face, trying not to cry.

But all seriousness, it was pretty cool to see this happen live. Who knows, maybe someday I could be working in a place like that. ( Not on T.V.)

If weather permits, don’t forget to giddy on up to the Bubble Bash this sunday. The fun will be real and half of the ticket sales will go to charity. So make sure to come on out, whether you are running or not, I’m sure it will be fun to watch people.

To register, hit up the visitnorthplatte.com home page, there’s a link first thing on the page.

What’s the next restaurant I should try?

Email me at kierstenekiene@gmail.com

Link to post: http://visitnorthplatte.com/whats-with-the-tumbleweeds-but-the-food-is-impressive-so-far/

Summer Intern: Rules and Goals in North Platte

Hi guys, my name is Kiersten Kiene. I am from Marion, Iowa and graduated from Marion High School in 2013. I now attend Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa and will graduate from the Digital Mass Communications program in the spring of 2016. I am here for the summer working for the North Platte Chamber of Commerce, focusing on digital media. I have been to Nebraska before, but never in North Platte. I am excited to get to know the town and attend some of the summer events.

One of the reasons why I came to North Platte is to help extend the tourism desire in and around the community. There are many ways that this can be done, one of the things that I would like to focus on is local community attractions that you can’t find anywhere else. When I travel, I like to explore places that I have never been and do things that I cannot do at home. I feel like this is a goal that many travelers would, and do have.

Personally, when I travel I always look ahead. Before I even leave, I explore the town/city on the internet, finding the best places to dine, see, and do. I read reviews, blogs, and look at the pictures that people have posted. Why would I want to try something that nobody likes, or do something that is a waste of money? The key to finding good places is at your fingertips, use the internet as a travel tool.

While I am in North Platte, there are several things that I would like to try. Now of course I am going to go to Nebraskaland days, check out the Golden Spike Tower, and all of the other traditional sightseeing things in town. But as an outsider, my goal is to help bring in other outsiders, putting the town on the must-go tourist map.

 Being from Marion, I am very passionate about my hometown. I believe that Marion is one of the best places that a family can settle down while still hitting up all of the events in the area. And this is how the North Platte area feels about their hometowns. We all have a special bond tying us to home and our hometown. So I feel that if tourists and travelers get to know about the town better from somebody who is also a tourist and a traveler, North Platte and the surrounding communities could bring in more people and revenue.

I drove here from Fort Dodge, Iowa, which is about a seven hour drive. I split this up into two days, giving me plenty of time to dream up some goals for my internship this summer. Some of these goals will go hand in hand with the job, others will be extra time spent.

Rather than making myself seem as though I am in love with the town from day 1 (which isn’t realistic), I want my readers see my journey from day one into North Platte, to my last day on the job. I want the community members, Nebraskans, and tourists and travelers to live this journey with me. I want to be able to share my experiences through the use of blogging. Therefore I must set some rules, and some goals.

Rules:

1.      I must post a blog once a week. (Sun - Sat)

a.     Because I do not have a set 9 - 5 schedule, there are going to be times when I am at events, and cannot blog. This does not mean that I will not blog, it simply means that I will at a later time. As long as I get one in in the Sunday through Saturday timeframe, it counts.

2.     I must tell the truth.

a.     My goal is to help shine light on North Platte and the surrounding communities, and bring attention to the lesser known places. I want to share my experiences with others, so that when travelers do come to North Platte, they can experience the same thing that I did.  As for restaurants in particular, I will tell the truth of what I thought in a decent manner, and I will keep class while doing so. I am not here to beat up everyplace that I go to. That is not my goal.

Goals:

1.     As per restaurants, I would like to try local places. Now there are some places here that are regional or chain based that I have not been too, but the point of this summer is to keep the focus on the North Platte area, therefore that I wil. I will not be reviewing Perkins, I’ve seen Perkins on every interstate exit on the way over here.

2.     Visit places that make North Platte, well, North Platte. Example: the Veteran's Memorial, or Dusty Trails.

3.     When reviewing attractions, restaurants, etc. There will be a sort of outline that will be used. And when the time comes, the outline will be stated.

4.     Enjoy my time. It’s as simple as that.

            With this being my first time in the area, If there are any other goals you think I should set or places that I need to see, just send me an email and I might just add it onto my list. I am open for ideas and suggestions any time of day.

KierstenEKiene@gmail.com

Link to post: http://visitnorthplatte.com/summer-intern-rules-and-goals-in-north-platte/

Periscope: My new favorite thing

Hi guys!

Has anyone been able to try out this new app called Periscope at all? I cannot get enough of it!

So basically you live stream what is happening onto the app and people can sit there and watch. They can give you heart by tapping on the screen, or they can comment and communicate with you.

We are in the last week of classes and next week is finals. Therefore I am procrastinating on Periscope. My roommate and her boyfriend did a chat session with people. Some people are really funny, but honestly, other are seriously creepy. And this goes for the rest of the internet. Some guy kept asking me who Mike Hunt was... I kept telling him no I didn't. Until finally somebody told me what really was going on...

I also got asked some really personal questions about other and about myself. Somethings I believe should be private. But if you need advice and you want to be open about it, then sure, but I am not going to tell you what street I live on. That's seriously not cool.

Bottom line is the internet is pretty full of creepers, this is a known fact. What isn't known yet is periscope. People are live streaming the riots in Baltimore, their walks to the vending machine, their talents, and sometimes other things that are just click bait, so beware...

Also, double tapping the screen switches the camera front to back. I don't like to see myself so the first time I accidentally saw myself I was surprised at how many double chins I really do have. Not cool.

I'm not super thrilled about the search options either. Basically there are none. you can either see the recent posts of who you follow or you can see who is live at the moment. There is no option to turn off other languages, or to search certain locations, or to even block somebody.

The app is pretty new and is still in the stage of fixing things that people want. Sometimes it is not very user friendly. Even after all of these things I am in love. My new favorite app to play around on. My favorite are live viewings of cats. Of course.

Have fun exploring the live feed out there! :)