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HONORS SELF- DESIGNED PROPOSAL

Complete this proposal prior to your experiences start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create an experience (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project
tab and upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is the 5th of
each month (excluding July).
Proposals are intended to be well developed plans for your experience. However, experiences are exploratory in
nature, and we are flexible with changes throughout the experience. If your experience changes after receiving
approval on your proposal, contact your honors advisor to verify the changes still satisfy the requirements of an
honors experience.

Basic Information
Full Name:

Victoria Detcher

Title of Project:

The Use of Social Media to Market Creative Content

Thematic Area(s):

Creativity and Community Engagement

Expected Start Date: May 23, 2016

Expected End Date:

September 5, 2016

GUIDELINES
1. Proposal submission timeline: Proposals should be submitted at least one month prior to the expected
start date of the experience. International experiences require at least two months notice. Contact your
honors advisor immediately for any exceptions.
2. Proposal length: While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4
pages single-spaced.
3. Proposal format: Please maintain the proposal format (e.g. headers, layout)
4. Time commitment: Experiences should consist of at least 75-90 hours of preparation, execution, and
reflection. This is approximately equivalent to the commitment of honors seminars and pre-approved
experiences.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

All self-designed international travel experiences require two months notice and must be at least one week in
length. You will need to provide a detailed itinerary (dates, locations and activities). If participating in
independent travel (not with UC faculty, staff or student group), you must also fill out a Worldwide: Honors
Experience application via UC International.
Additionally, the Student Travel Policy restricts UC-sponsored travel to countries under a U.S. Department of
State Travel Warning. Those who wish to visit a country with a travel warning must seek an exemption through
UC International. Students traveling without a faculty or staff leader must individually request an exemption.
We cannot allow you to count this travel as an honors experience nor can we give you a grant without an
approved exemption.

1. Abstract
Briefly describe the experience. What makes this experience personally meaningful? What goals do you have for this
experience? What is your timeline for this experience?
*If you are proposing an international experience, provide an itinerary.
**If you are developing this experience from an existing opportunity (class with a study tour, campus organization, co-op,
etc.) that is not already an honors seminar or pre-approved experience, how will you differentiate your experience from
what is already required of other students?
Ive always had a passion for reading. (In fact, I hardly remember the second grade, as I spent the majority of it
reading under my desk!) That may sound clich, but Im astonished to find how many of my peers are not reading on a
regular basis, or are only reading the popular young adult novels that permeate the movie theaters. The government places
so much emphasis on learning to read in the third grade, but there is no emphasis on developing reading habits to last a
lifetime. In fact, the love of reading is often driven out of students by impassionate overanalyzing of books in English
class. Reading is so vital to an enriched life that I cringe at those who flippantly declare that they havent read a book
since freshman year. Therein lies the drive behind my self-designed experience to get those in my age group to learn to
love reading, and to build habits that will sustain them through the length of their lives
I have also recently become fascinated by the use social media to create an online community. For example, Hank
and John Green, also known as the Vlogbrothers on YouTube, started back in 2008 just making videos to keep in touch
with each other. As this continued over the years, a community naturally arose, who referred to themselves as
Nerdfighters. The Green brothers seized the opportunity, and through social media have not only amassed thousands of
followers, but have utilized their influenced to do charity work, mostly through fundraising. This charity work began just
by donating to kieva.org, but they now partner with the Gates Foundation to raise awareness about the clean water and
medical needs of Ethiopia, as well as making videos about the refugee crisis in Europe. In addition to their communitys
charity work, the Green brothers also were some of the first to pioneer using YouTube as an educational tool though their
channel CrashCourse, which is comprised of short but educational videos, that give a crash course on everything from
English literature to chemistry to psychology. They were eventually able to form a company, DFTBA Records, which
continues to not only create but sponsor the creation of both entertainment and educational content, on YouTube and
beyond.
This concept of building a community of individuals from around the globe that are able to come together online
to do good in the world, as well as create creative content that ranges from art to books to music to YouTube channels to a
Minecraft server, all by connecting through social media, is something I would love to learn how to do. The world is
shifting more and more toward an online society, and having skills in that realm is something that I think would be
valuable to acquire. Not only would I love to grow a community surrounding something Im specifically passionate about
(more on that in a moment), but I think such skills would make me stand out in the job market, and open opportunities to
pursue career options that perhaps havent even been created yet.
What is this thing which I am passionate about enough to want to share with others around the country and
perhaps beyond? The concept of an enriched life. I believe that no matter where you are, what you doing, you should be
constantly pushing to enrich your life and improve who you are by seeking truth, beauty, and adventure. Thats a rather
compact way of expressing the need to be constantly expanding ones learning about things outside ones own bubble,
discovering beauty of human existence through art or music or some other creative expression, and searching out new
experiences. This all sounds lovely and abstract I know, but I believe this very simple to implement, and applicable to
everyone, no matter your status in life. Books can be found at public libraries. Music is widely available. Conversations
with new people can be eye-opening. I believe its all about living with intentionality. Personally, Im a chemical
engineering major, but also am a huge bookworm, play the cello in the orchestra, am a leader in my campus ministry
group, volunteer, and complete small research projects about subjects that catch my attention. And I want to share with
others how they can balance things like this as well as their blossoming careers.
Obviously sharing the myriad of ideas and learnings I have to share simply cannot be accomplished in a twelve
weeks. Years is probably more applicable. But thats where my love for books and this project come in. My goal for this
project is primarily to learn the ins and outs of social media and how it can be used to grow an online community, the

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community in this case just revolving around books. I want to learn techniques that will enable me to grow this project to
share who I am and what Im passionate about with the world for years to come.
This project is laid out over a 12 week timeline, and mostly centers around getting high schoolers, and perhaps
college students as well, passionate about reading again. I have this project divided into three parts.
The first portion is a website, victoriasreadingpantry.org. I will design this website as a place to write reviews of
the books I read, and have read recently, which will be varied. I plan to read and review a few of todays top young adult
series - such as Divergent series, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games - so as to draw those readers in, and also read at
least five other books of various genres, classic literature, science fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, etc. (these books
have yet to be selected) to introduce a well-balanced literary diet.
The second portion of this project is a YouTube channel. Theres a selection of YouTubers already who make
videos about books, sometimes called BookTubers. What will make my channel unique is that I will not make boring
videos about to-read lists or reviews (thats what the website is for), but talk about reading in a larger context; why
reading is important, why one should read all kinds of books, why English class is both the best class and the worst class
youll take in high school or college (plus tips on how to do well in it!), as well as how to go from reading the usual YA
novels to high classical literature. I will film and upload at least 5 videos (one about every two weeks) and possibly more
as I learn more and more about this YouTube phenomenon.
The final portion of my project is social; more specifically, social media. Now that Ive given my peers something
to talk about, I want to engage with them on these subject, as well as gain a larger audience for my content. Many of my
peers feel more comfortable discussing and debating in the virtual world, and I hope to utilize this to reach people from all
over. Ill use Twitter to tweet about what Im reading, quotes about reading, and generally raise the buzz about reading.
Ill use comments on my website and YouTube channel to engage with my audience about books and reading and all that
lies between.
Timeline: May 23, 2016 August 15, 2016: 12 weeks
I have small checkpoints to keep myself on track, to ensure that I am creating content which I can use what I learn through
the whole process to share. After all, while some of what I learn will be from the two books I read (listed in academic
resources section) and from studying successful social media marketers like the Green brothers, I know that much of my
learning will come from actually creating content and experimenting with methods to connect with students online.
By June 20 I plan to:
Have read Epic Content Marketing
Designed and created a book-review website (using a web builder)
Have added four new thoughtful reviews on my website
Filmed and edited at least one video on reading
By July 18 I plan to:
Have read The Art of Social Media
Implemented three new techniques I learned from Epic Content Marketing
Have added four new thoughtful reviews on my website
Filmed and edited at least two videos on reading
By August 15 I plan to:
Implemented three new techniques I learned from The Art of Social Media
Have added four new thoughtful reviews on my website
Filmed and edited at least two videos on reading
Have a detailed plan to continue growing the community Im building over the next year, if I still am interested in
continuing.

Im excited to infuse those of high-school age (and maybe older) with the intense passion I have for reading!

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Brief description of the experience

Personal connection to the experience
Identified goals for the experience
Timeline from start to finish
*Itinerary (international experiences only)
**Explanation of differentiated experience
from what is required of other students

2. Experience Advisor
Identify an experience advisor and provide their contact information. Explain why you chose this person and how you
plan to utilize your advisor for this experience.
Note: Advisor(s) should have knowledge or expertise in an area related to the experience. Honors advisors, undergraduate
students, and family members cannot be experience advisors.
1.) Krysten Stein
Department of Communication
Title: Program Coordinator
Office: 810 D Old Chemistry Building
Tel: 513-556-1506
Email: krysten.stein@uc.edu
Krysten Stein obviously has experience in communications, the portion of this project that I would need most guidance
on, but I was interested in reaching out to her because she is connected with the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati. I
plan on asking her any questions I have regarding reaching out to the community about getting people excited about
reading. I also plan to email her at every one of my check-ins, so she can hold be accountable for my progress.
2) Steve Fuller
Department of Communication
Title: Educator Professor
Office: 149D McMicken Hall
Tel: 513-556-4478
Email: steven.fuller@uc.edu
Again, I reached out to Stephen Fuller because he is a professor in the communications department here at UC. However
he also completed a 52-week blogging experience. I plan on contacting him with general questions, yes, but also about
balancing a year-long project as well as everyday tasks. I also plan to update him at every one of my check-ins.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
Experience advisor name and contact
information
Description of why advisor was selected
Specific plans to engage with advisor

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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3. Connection to Learning Outcomes
List 3 learning outcomes from any thematic area(s). Provide specific activities you plan to engage in to help you make
progress towards the chosen learning outcomes. Describe how you expect each activity to help your progress. Include an
estimated time commitment for those activities.

Explore a new creative competency/medium or seek new ways to engage an existing competency/medium.
(Creativity)

In addition to exploring social media and online video as a means to share ideas and engage an online community, this
experience is also about improving my communication skills when it comes to writing about things Im passionate about.
More specifically, communicate my thoughts on a book, supporting my opinion with textual evidence, and attempting to
persuade others, my audience in this case composed of young adults, to read it. Such an endeavor shall require eloquence
in words as well as developing an intuition in how to engage my peers in a world of instant entertainment. I hope that my
unique perspective on developing a well-balanced literary diet, even though one may be busy with school or the
beginning of a career, and being an example of someone living this out, will enable me to establish myself as a trusted
source in this area. I plan on reading approximately eight new books over the summer, and review at least that many, in
addition to ones Ive read previously. Im a fast reader, and I can make great progress reading for at even an hour a day,
although knowing my habits it will likely be more. Writing is a bit more of a challenge me to discipline myself to do, but I
will make the commitment to write for at least a half an hour a day, and writing with the same purpose, every day, for
twelve weeks will certainly increase my written communication skills.
Estimated time spent reading over the course of the project: 75 hours alone
Estimated time spent writing each day: 36 hours minimum

Discover new techniques to gain knowledge, consider options, make new connections, and ask questions.
(Creativity)

This learning outcome is almost a direct description of the purpose of my project. I want to learn how to use social media
to build and engage with students about reading. I will learn techniques on how to do this by reading The Art of Social
Media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick, and Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi. I will implement these
techniques when sharing reviews on my website, sharing quotes from what Im currently reading or asking questions on
Twitter, and responding to comments on my YouTube channel, and evaluate their effectiveness in either raising the quality
of conversation the community engages in or by increasing views/like/follows etc.
Learning how to reach an audience through social media, actively engaging in enriching conversation is another. While it
may be easier to communicate what Im thinking through writing, I will still be engaging with new people who may have
thoughts and opinions that Ive never even considered. Learning how to respectfully participate in healthy debate about a
topic Im passionate about is another. While I might have a particular viewpoint on a book in my review, others may
disagree and thats perfectly fine. Ideal, actually, as I want to expose myself to multiple new ideas.
Estimated time commitment reading and taking notes on the two books: 6 hours min
Estimated time implementing new techniques: at the very least, one hour a week, so 12 hours total

Articulate the purpose of service on a social issue or public policy and how service mutually enhances individual
growth and the common good. (Community Engagement)

As I mentioned in my abstract, I believe that a life-long habit of reading, and reading all kinds of books, is absolutely vital
to living an enriched and full life. Countless studies have shown how reading books, and reading books beyond just those
assigned in English class, raises ones vocabulary and writing skills, reduces stress, improves ones concentration and
memory, as well as just increasing ones knowledge about the world in general. Not to mention that reading books from
all genres opens ones mind to different experiences and new perspectives. I have personally experienced all of these
benefits.

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I want to share how I think reading can benefit everyone, and techniques to implement a well-balanced literary diet
through the medium of online video. I have no experience in filming or editing, and this experience will give me a chance
to learn both. Theres plenty of how-to content out there to learn from, and I feel confident in my ability to learn this skill
that I know I will use to share my ideas far beyond the scope of this honors experience, whether that be in project
presentations for school or marketing a product I develop in my future career.
Estimated time to film five videos: 10 hours
Estimated time to edit and polish five videos: 10 hours
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

3 learning outcomes explicitly identified

from any thematic area(s)
Examples of activities and explanation of
how each will assist the progress towards
the chosen learning outcome
Estimated time commitment for each
activity

4. Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes

List 1-2 academic resources you plan to use to enhance your understanding of the learning outcomes. Explain how each
resource connects to your learning outcome(s) and helps you execute your experience. Please include the title and
author/creator for each resource.
Note: Academic resources are professional works that can be used to assist your understanding of the topic. Some
examples are books, documentaries, videos, or research journals.
There are two books that, at least according to my preliminary research, I believe will help me learn about how social
media can be used as an invaluable marketing tool as well as used to build an online community. The first book is The Art
of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick. Its specifically about using social media to reach out and connect
with a specific online audience. The second book is Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi. This book is a guide to
creating epic content that initially engages an audience, as well as how to tailor ones content to be useful to that
audience, so that they keep coming back for more. I plan on implementing techniques I learn from these books throughout
the course of my project.
Another great resource thats out there is my inspiration for starting a vlog YouTube. Long have I admired YouTubers,
such as Hank Green, creator of CrashCourse, and Thomas Frank, creator of CollegeInfoGeek, who make great,
entertaining, useful, educational content. Not only can I keep my creative juices flowing by continuing to follow their
endeavors, but they each have also outlined how to make a great YouTube channel and personal website, resources I plan
to fully implement throughout the course of my experience.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:
1-2 academic resources connected to the
learning outcomes
Title and author of each resource
Description of how resources will help
make progress towards learning outcomes
and execution of experience

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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5. On-going Reflection
The on-going reflection should help you process the experience and progress toward your chosen learning outcomes.
Describe your method for reflecting throughout the experience. Indicate specific reflection questions/topics you plan to
use to guide your reflective process.
Note: A variety of methods can be used for on-going reflection. Some examples are videos, drawings, blogs, songs, and
journals. Reflection topics to consider include your ideas/insights about the experience, connection to other areas of
involvement, and your progress towards the learning outcomes.
As the main portion of my experience involves publishing a website and a YouTube channel focused on other people, I
dont want my personal reflection to be a part of those things. I also am rather hard on myself when reflecting on my
progress, so I dont want that to be very public either. But I still need to demonstrate that Im reaching my goals, and hold
myself accountable to someone else. Thats why Ive decided to make my ongoing reflection two-fold. Each week, Ill
write a journal entry first and foremost about how I feel the project is going, where Im getting discouraged or lazy, what
bad habits are getting in the way of achievement, what Im excited about, and how I can do better the following week.
Secondly, Ill use this journal to keep track of what specific techniques Ive implemented that week in attempts to reach
my audience, and how successful they were, either in getting more views/followers/subscribers etc., or by connecting with
people online to have engaging conversations about reading. This journal will be for private reflection, but Ill most likely
use what Ive learned each week about using social media in my final reflection that I share publicly. Also, as I mentioned
in the advisor portion, Ill be updating my advisors on how Im progressing in relation to the goals Ive outlined for every
four weeks. Thisll provide an extra incentive to keep on track.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Method for ongoing reflection

Reflection questions/topics clearly
specified

6. Sharing Your Learning

Describe how you plan to actively share what youve taken away from this experience with a targeted audience. Explain
why you chose this specific audience.
Note: While social media can be an effective platform for sharing, only posting on your personal learning portfolio or
social media account(s) does not reach a targeted audience.
Honestly, I have no idea of where Ill be at the end of the summer. I may have succeeded in building a great online
community and have thousands of viewers and followers, or I may have ten. Either way, at the end of the summer I will
have taken a shot at something that Ive always wanted to do. I will also have learned how to use social media as a
marketing tool, a skill that I can apply to wherever my career takes me. I will, of course, write a detailed reflection that
will include the specific techniques Ive learned over the summer, and that will be posted on my personal learning
portfolio for future reference, and Ill likely share it on Facebook so my friends and family can see exactly what Ive been
up to over the summer. However, I plan to outline my project and what Ive learned in a dedicated YouTube video that
will not only reach the audience Ive built, but Ill also share it with the UC Honors Program so my work can also be a
resource for other students on how to utilize social media in a positive way to genuinely connect with others about topics
that are more than self-centered (as fun as that may be!) Also Ive been told that no one at UC has quite attempted what
Im doing as an honors experience before, so I hope that by completing and sharing this project with the Honors Program
will lay the groundwork for future students to pursue what theyre passionate learning about in this format.

Advisor Feedback

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Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

At least one method to actively share takeaways/learning from the experience

A specific audience and why the audience
was selected

7. Budget (if applicable)

Provide an itemized budget and indicate your source for cost information.
*If you are engaged in an unpaid internship or research, please indicate the number of weeks and hours per week you
plan to participate.
The cost of owning my domain for my website, victoriasreadingpantry.org, costs $140 for one year. ($20 for renewing the
domain, $10 a month for the use of it) I own the domain from GoDaddy.com, where the prices are clearly listed.

Advisor Feedback
Notes:
Detailed budget of expenditures with
sources to justify budget estimates
*Indicates the number of hours per week
and number of weeks of participation

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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THEMATIC AREA LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning Outcomes for the Community Engagement Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Identify and differentiate multiple ways to contribute towards the development or

achievement of the communitys goals.
Develop a thorough understanding of the world view, beliefs, experiences, selfconsciousness, or history of community members through collaboration.
Articulate the purpose of service on a social issue or public policy and how service
mutually enhances individual growth and the common good.
Explain how education, advocacy, mobilization, or public policy can influence social
issues and transform communities.

Learning Outcomes for the Creativity Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Discover new techniques to gain knowledge, consider options, make new connections,
and ask questions.
Explore a new creative competency/medium or seek new ways to engage an existing
competency/medium.
Understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources or community
in a creative process.
Articulate the broader significance of a creative project and the value of its contributions.

Learning Outcomes for the Global Studies Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Develop practical travel skills that promote safe, stimulating, and productive travel
throughout your life.
Summarize the interconnectedness of geography, history, cultural traits and world issues.
Articulate the interdependence of professional fields to address current and impending
global issues such as technology, the environment, human rights, or politics.
Demonstrate an understanding of cultural diversity by acknowledging the impact of their
own identity and the experience of social norms, customs, or beliefs that are different
from their own.
Demonstrate a sense of empathy, respect, and appreciation for others to build meaningful
cross-cultural collaborations toward mutual growth and prosperity.

Learning Outcomes for the Leadership Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Formulate and manage a shared vision and develop goals towards its achievement.
Motivate and collaborate effectively with others towards completion of shared projects or
goals.
Develop strategies to identify and respond to challenges and obstacles.
Identify personal strengths and areas of growth and evaluate opportunities to maximize
skills and abilities.
Synthesize the current trends related to a specific issue or field and evaluate how
thought-leaders are currently addressing them.

Learning Outcomes for the Research Thematic Area:

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By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Demonstrate the ability to locate, interpret, and critically evaluate primary sources
appropriate to field.
Identify and apply appropriate methods to collect and organize data for analysis.
Analyze and interpret the meaning of results.
Produce dissemination appropriate to the field in order to share the results or impact
of the research.
Articulate the broader significance of the research project and its relationship to other
fields, research and ideas.