There's A Vine For That!: How To Get Creative with the Newest Social Media App

Allyson Lough, Marketing Intern

Vine is the newest creative app used by 20 million people to record and share moving snapshots. This app for iPhone and Android allows users to capture six-second videos with a couple finger taps. “Vining” takes some time to get the hang of, but here are some tips we’ve found to be useful.

Suggestions when launching your own Vine account:

• Consider linking it to Twitter and Facebook so that you can share your masterpieces with all your followers and friends.
• Go through the #FirstVine tutorial. It gives you a step-by-step guide of the simple editing in the app.
• Scroll through the Editor’s Picks under the Explore tab. You’ll get quick inspiration and find expert Vine-makers to follow.
• Keep it appropriate. Your posts can still be found by family and future employers.
• Be creative with your subjects! Go on a fun outdoor adventure- then Vine about it!
• Don’t just Vine as you go. Plan out how to use your six seconds wisely.
• Use the looping effect on Vine to your advantage. The best videos seamlessly repeat.

Limitations to look out for:

• The app doesn’t allow you to import video that you shot earlier so capturing the right moments can be difficult.
• Vine videos must be shot in one take. If you’re trying a more complex video, like stop-animation or time lapse, be very careful not to close out of the app or accidentally tap the screen. You will have to remake the entire video.
• If you want to add background music, it has to play from a different device. Using sound is hard, especially if you’re adding multiple takes since the music will be chopped up.

A list of really awesome Vine users:

• Pinot has a distinct style of animating simple pencil sketch drawings.

  

• Nick Mastodon is the master of pairing songs with animated short clips.

• Meagan Cignoli uses her account for creative overflow through stop motion.

  

Vine users are spreading everyday moments and creative ideas with a simple share button. It’s easy to translate your killer (or beginner) artistry skills into your Vine account!

Instagram recently released a new update that included 15 second videos in its mobile app. Read more about the Instagram video feature and how it will affect Vine users: Instagram Video Taking a Swing at Vine

Remember to follow us on Vine for six-second scenes from The Study! @TheStudyUKY

What To Read This Summer: Book Suggestions from the Marketing Interns

Kasey Prater, Marketing Intern 
 

It’s summer time, when the living gets a little bit easier and the last thing you want to do is stare at another book. But with summer reading, the difference is you can choose books you actually want to read! With so many great suggestions and new books coming out, it’s hard to choose which ones to incorporate into your summer days. To help you out, here is a list of books recommended by our own marketing interns. Enjoy!

Melanie’s Summer Reading Suggestions

Manhattan Hunt Club by John Saul
This is probably my favorite book that I have read recently.  It’s a thriller novel, and even though I get scared easily, I couldn’t put this book down!  It takes place in the deep subway tunnels underneath New York City and makes you wonder if what Saul wrote really happens there…

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I was told to read this book before the movie was even in production, but I still haven’t gotten the chance to.  I’ve heard nothing but good reviews and can’t wait to pick it up sometime this summer!

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Poisonwood Bible is definitely a lengthier read, but it has a lot of substance to it.  It is about a missionary family from Georgia that moves to a remote village in Africa to do mission work.  I am almost finished with the novel and think that it is absolutely worth reading!

Allyson’s Summer Reading Suggestions

The Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest)
The Millennium Series focuses on the rampant presence of power-based violence in Switzerland and all over the world. Lisbeth Salander is a dark character who is, above all, a survivor. I loved this series because I got to follow the same characters for three novels. The story evolves with each page to keep readers on edge. These books do have very mature themes and can be graphic.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is a timeless classic. It captures the essence of the roaring 20s decade in a way that’s still applicable to today’s society. The book delves into the façade of a mysteriously wealthy bachelor and his parties. If you saw the movie, you experienced the novel come to life is a modernized adaptation with over the top visuals. Pick this book for a fast read where Fitzgerald depicts the true disappointment of lust and fortune.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
This novel is the story of Liesel Meminger in Germany during World War II. It is a heart-wrenching story of keeping sane during the inhumanities of war. The little girl finds an escape in books while death is personified around her. Her family provides refuge for a Jewish man and she is torn between surviving in Nazi Germany and her hatred of the Führer.

Josh’s Summer Reading Suggestions

The Postmortal by Drew Magary
The Postmortal is one of my favorite books I have read in the past few years. It is set in the not-so-distant future where a cure for aging has been invented. The problems that arise with this cure appear in droves and the frightening reality of the book is that many of the new unique problems are very believable. The author, Drew Magary, is a Deadspin and Gawker Columnist who also writes for GQ and this is his first venture into the world of fictional writing. The author creates a dark spin on the world of futuristic science fiction. 

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
This is a really funny book about the birth of the antichrist (which I promise is funnier than it sounds). The representatives of God and Satan on Earth have become so accustomed to living here and become such good friends that they don't want the apocalypse to occur so they decide to watch over the child together to make sure he can never choose between good and evil. This is Neil Gaiman's first novel of a long career of really great books and comics. I recommend this book for a good laugh and some really interesting views of the world. 

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein 
This is probably my favorite book of all time. It's a science fiction book about a human raised on Mars by Martians coming to Earth and adapting to a new world. This is touted as the "most famous science fiction novel of all time" and is on the Library of Congress' "88 Books that Shaped America." This is a novel that is really enlightening and will challenge some of the views you have of the world. 

Samantha’s Summer Reading Suggestions

Gone Girl  by Gillian Flynn
This 432-page novel is a sharp, suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing the whole time. The story begins on Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary where Nick comes home to find Amy missing. Nick is suddenly swept into the limelight of a leading investigation, with his name as the number one murder suspect. The chapters are told in alternating views of Nick and Amy, with the story unraveling piece by piece. I could not put this book down, and Flynn quickly topped my list of favorite authors.

Ape House by Sara Gruen
This novel stars six bonobos who have mastered American Sign Language. When an animal rights activist group decides to blow up the laboratory of the bonobos, they capture the apes and turn them into reality TV stars. The TV show quickly becomes a phenomenon, and Isabel Duncan, their long-time scientist, searches the country to bring them home. This novel brings a new animal-world perspective to readers, while also bringing abundant entertainment.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
All of Kinsella’s books are very funny, but I enjoyed this novel the most. Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital after a serious car accident, with the last three years of her life erased from her mind.  She now has a new house, new friends, a new husband, a new (carb-free) diet, and a personal assistant. With her mind stuck three-years in reverse, you follow Lexi in her search to finding who she has become, and what all the glam was worth.

Nicole’s Summer Reading Suggestions

Blood Lure by Nevada Barr
This book is the ninth book of the Anna Pigeon mystery series, but the books definitely don’t have to be read in order. Anna is a park ranger who always seems to find trouble and a mystery to solve. This time, she’s sent on a training mission to Glacier/Waterton National Peace Park to study grizzly bears, but something is amiss. Anna is a very relatable character and, like any other book in the series, Blood Lure is fast-paced and makes you think.

Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin
This novel definitely falls into the chick lit category. If you read Sarah Dessen or any other love story novel in middle or high school, think of Emily Giffin books as more grown-up versions. Each book is a separate story, but she weaves connections between characters—connections that you only notice for having read her other books—that make it even more worth reading her other novels as well. In Love the One You’re With, Ellen is happily married to Andy when she runs into her past love, Leo, in a crosswalk in Manhattan, leaving her to wonder who she’s really supposed to be with.

The Giver  by Lois Lowry
Book one in a quartet, this book takes place in a dystopian society (which considers itself a utopian society) that has converted to “sameness,” where people are assigned their roles in life. Only one learns of the world before “sameness” and exactly what people have lost to produce the supposedly perfect society. Though these books are technically children’s novels, they are very thought provoking and still make for an interesting read now. The other three books are on my Kindle and next on my to-read list!

Kasey’s Summer Reading Suggestions

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk describes his work as transgressional fiction and is best known as the author of Fight Club. I have loved Palahniuk’s novels since high school and can say Diary is hands down my favorite. This book is written like a diary. The protagonist, Misty Wilmont, was once a promising young artist but is now a waitress with a lot of problems. A sudden return to creativity and the world of art leads her down an unexpected path. What unfolds is a dark and hilarious story. 

 I am Legend  by Richard Matheson
If you enjoy horror fiction, you will love this classic novel. A horrible plague destroys the world and effectively ends mankind—those that survive are transformed into bloodthirsty creatures that only come out at night—and Robert Neville is the exception and the only living human man on the Earth. Though the novel is short (only 160 pages), you empathize with Robert, making you feel as scared, as panicked and as alone as he is.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
After watching the series “A Game of Thrones,” I knew I wanted to read the books the show is based on. A couple of days ago, I started the first book in the epic fantasy series, “A Song of Ice and Fire,” and I haven’t been able to put it down. The series is set in a land where summers can last decades and winters a century. This book is filled with mystery, magic, action, romance and scheming. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience a masterpiece of grand fantasy.

Whether you use any of our suggestions or not, keep your mind sharp by reading a book this summer. Check out your local library, find cheap books on Amazon or at stores like Half-Price Books or download them to an e-reader; then enjoy!

Weekend Vacations on a College Student's Budget

Josh Eversole, Marketing Intern

Weekend Vacations on a College Student’s Budget

            As college students, we are bombarded with class work, projects and deadlines all year. Sure, winter and spring break are great, but the best break of all is when May rolls around and we have three months to decompress and relax. Everybody loves a summer vacation, but on a limited budget, it can be hard to plan a getaway without breaking the bank. Here we have compiled a list of various destinations that can be enjoyed on a college budget. All of the estimated calculations are based on entertainment, travel and lodging for four people.

Outdoors: Mammoth Cave National Park in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky.

Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the largest known system of caves in the entire world, and it is right in our backyard. Located just two hours outside of Lexington, Mammoth Cave is a short drive and perfect for the outdoor enthusiast. Mammoth Cave can be enjoyed at an extremely low cost to the visitor. With basic cave tours ranging from $5-$15 per guest, you can enjoy a multitude of different locations within the cave. Depending on how much you want to explore, more in-depth tours still cost under $50. Camping is equally affordable with campground rentals starting at $17 per night. A bonus for University of Kentucky students is that you can rent tents, sleeping bags and cooking supplies from the Johnson Center for free!

Final Estimated Cost: $70-$100 per person for two nights

Final Estimated Cost: $175-$225 per person for five nights.

http://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm

Nightlife: Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville, Tennessee is often referred to as “Music City,” and it has the history and nightlife to back it up. Nashville is roughly a three-hour drive from Lexington, making it a very easy trip. One of the most recognizable landmarks in the city is the Grand Ole Opry. Home to some of the greatest country music acts to ever perform and the annual CMA Awards, the Grand Ole Opry has scheduled concerts nearly every night and gives both daytime and post-concert tours. These tours can range between $18 and $30 for a backstage view of this famous concert hall. Nearby Ryman Auditorium also offers similar tours with a similar price range and has a comparably great history.

After your tour of one of the great concert halls, enjoy the honky-tonks and dive bars of downtown Nashville. Downtown Nashville offers a variety of different clubs to cater to any particular visitor; the only pre-requisite is that you enjoy live music and that you enjoy it loud. Famous spots like the Wildhorse Saloon or Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge offer a great and unique experience for the first time visitor of Nashville. The next morning, don’t forget to stop by the Pancake Pantry to enjoy some world-famous breakfast. Hotels in Nashville can be booked for around $100.00 per night. Split between a few friends, a trip to Nashville can definitely be done on a college budget.

Final Estimated Cost: $250-$300 per person for two nights.

Final Estimated Cost: $500-$625 per person for five nights.

http://www.visitmusiccity.com/

Sports Fans: Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio is another destination that is only a short one and a half hour drive from Lexington. Home to the oldest professional baseball team, Cincinnati has a lot to offer to a sports fan. Cincinnati Reds tickets can be purchased in a wide range of prices that will easily fit within your budget, starting at $5. Some of the tickets even include a concession stand credit at the stadium, which helps you get more bang for your buck. Before you head into the game, you can enjoy a trip inside the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame for $10 and will be able to view exhibits that include the Joe Morgan Exhibit along with a wealth of baseball history. Post-game, you can head across the street from Great American Ball Park to the Holy Grail Tavern and Grille for a free post-game show by the 700WLW radio station, which hosts former and current Bengals and Reds players as their guests to discuss the events of the night. Hotels can be pricey in downtown Cincinnati, and I suggest staying across the Ohio River in northern Kentucky. It is a short walk across the bridge to Cincinnati and northern Kentucky has its own unique attractions and nightlife that include Newport on the Levee and MainStrasse Village. You can stay in a hotel on the riverfront for around $75 per night.

Final Estimated Cost: $200-$250 per person for two nights.

Final Estimated Cost: $450-$550 per person for five nights.

http://www.mainstrasse.org/

http://www.newportonthelevee.com/

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityofcincinnati/

Beach: Charleston, South Carolina.

Though Charleston is the furthest destination from Lexington, with a drive clocking in around eight hours, it is one of the nearest beach towns and one of the best in the country. Charleston offers a wide variety of places for any history buff to check out, along with five nationally ranked beaches. Though the cost of travel may be high, the best part about enjoying the beach is that it is completely free! Some other notable things to check out in Charleston are the Charleston Waterfront Park, College of Charleston and Charleston Pirate Tours. Walking around and exploring are free, but tickets for most tours average around $20. Tours range from the usual, history-based experience to ghost tours. Lodging in Charleston is very affordable at around $70.00 per night. If your budget allows for a longer trip, a drive to Charleston to enjoy the beach is a great option.

Final Estimated Cost: $300-$400 per person for two nights.

Final Estimated Cost: $600-$750 per person for five nights.

http://www.charleston-sc.gov/

There are great websites like Hotwire and Trip Advisor to help you find even better deals on hotels and assist you in researching and planning events in whatever city you are visiting. Using websites like these and the guide above, you and your friends can enjoy a great weekend vacation this summer without breaking the bank.