Elaine's Posterous

It is the end of the semester and as the Marketing Management class wraps up it's time to announce who has achieved true Ninja Status (for the rubric, please check my earlier post).

It's exciting to have watched the students as they each explored their own personal brand and while there have been ups and downs, this is truly all about learning, having fun and understanding the true implications of the social tools that are infusing the business world. Not everyone can be a Ninja. It takes dedication, passion, interest and willingness to put yourself out there, engage and connect. At the beginning of all of this I wasn't sure who would achieve "Ninja Status" -- I wasn't even sure anyone would.

First a shout out to the up and coming Ninjas -- the Specialists!

I'm excited to announce that out of the full class of students a total of NINE people made SPECIALIST (that's the level just below Ninja). The specialist is the person who you should watch carefully -- they are honing their skills, hitting their stride and with a bit more time will surely become Ninjas. These individuals have created content, begun building their brands and have, above all, continued to explore and learn the tools of the trade.

Our MKT 420 Specialists are:

• Caila: @cailaburke
• Jackie: @jcooper225
• Amanda: @ajjones87 and @designgutter
• Carolyn: @carolyngetsrad
• Candace: @candaceishungry
• Caitlin: @caitlineo
• Kathleen: @kwamser
• Madison: @madisonwhitneyw
• Brooke: @BrookeZam

And now, for the Ninjas.

This honor goes to TWO students who have picked very different areas to focus their energy on. Each in their own way has exhibited an understanding of engagement, connection, consistency, relevancy and building a brand. Both are passionate about what they are doing and their personality and passion shines through in different ways. One is helping others and gaining visibility and interest in what they are doing through outside blog posts and in-state business people. The other is connecting content and pointing out the challenges women face in the world. They have done all the right stuff -- and even if there have been some true "learning moments" along the way, both have earned...