Free social analytics to measure your online influence

Those who are entering the communications industry today face the fact that social media expertise is a must in every job posting. For many of us life without Facebook or Twitter is hard to imagine and it is hard to find a person who couldn’t tweet or use Facebook. But employers look for more than just tweeting ability; they look for thought leaders and communications strategists. This is why it is important to sell yourself correctly. For this purpose a piece with your social media engagement analyses will add value to your PR portfolio.

          

If you are a student graduating from a communications program and looking for employment, probably you have no access to expensive social media analytics that give social media engagement overviews with just few clicks. However you can demonstrate your influence online and at the same time showcase your understanding of social media metrics using free tools and basic arithmetic functions.

There is a broad variety of social analytic tools out there and you can find a use for the free services many of them offer. My own research showed that combining topsy.com and hootsuite.com gives a significant flexibility in measuring your influence on Twitter.

For every Twitter conversation you can measure your participation following three easy steps.

Tweet reach

There is a number of approaches to calculate your tweet reach and unfortunately neither of them is 100% accurate. For a detailed overview of these methods visit http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/notices/2014-02-12.asp

Here is an easy formula to estimate your tweet reach:

Total tweet reach = number of hashtags multiplied by number of followers the user had at the moment of tweeting  +  number of followers for each user who retweeted the original tweet.

Let’s look at each formula element separately.

Number of hashtags from a particular user can be quickly determined with topsy.com. Just go to advanced search and put in the hashtag you are tracking and your user name. The search results will produce your tweets that include the hashtag you requested. Note, you can adjust the time period for the tweets using a submenu on the right side after you fill in the search parameters.

The number of followers on a particular date can be pulled out using analytics on hootsuite.com. One of the services you can get from Hootsuite for free is a user overview report. It provides a graph called “follower growth” where you can see the number of your folloowers on each day over a selected time range. To pull out the data for the time period you want, make sure to select the time range for your users report at the top of the report page.

Following of the people who retweeted you can also be found via free Hootsuite services on your Hootsuite

home page at the retweets trend. The trend keeps track of all your tweets retweeted by other users. To get the information about the people who retweeted your post, click on the number of retweets under your original post and then click on each individual to find their following. For the tweet reach formula sum up the followers of those who retweeted you.

Top contributors

There is no single way to determine top contributors as identifying them can be based either on followers or on conversation engagement.

Measuring conversation engagement on Hootsuite is a paid service. But if you want to determine top contributors for the reach of your tweets, you can do it manually by using the Hootsuite retweets trend described above. All you have to do is to figure out users with the largest following who retweeted you.

Conversation influence

You can base the evaluation of how much you contributed to a trending conversation on identifying the percentage of your tweets from all posts on Twitter with the same hashtag. Analytic topsy.com is a useful tool to go about the task. Using the advanced search find all your tweets with the hashtag. Then go to topsy analytics and find the total amount of the hashtag mentions. Use these two figures calculate what part of posts with the hashtag in question belongs to you.

To further demonstrate your influence in the conversation, you can find the number of responds to your tweets through Hootsuite trends and then calculate the ratio of the responses to your original tweets.

The figures and graphs received as the result of the described manipulations are great to put in the summary about your own social media engagement and to add impressiveness to your portfolio. However what you can do with free analytics, by no means, is limitted to these three steps. Play around with number and graphs and see where your creativity leads you.

Ukraine sacrifices European association for selective justice

Parliamentary session on Nov.13. Batkivshina Party.
 UNIAN/Dmytro Larin

The neglect of Ukrainian government to its own sworn commitments is no longer something surprising for Ukrainian citizens. But these days it seems to lead the aspiration to join EU into a dead end and threatens to throw Ukraine back into the vicious cycle of relationships with Russia as if no lesson was learned from history. 

The infantile attitude among the representatives of the Ukrainian ruling Regions Party goes as far as choosing not to show up at the parliamentary sessions like it happened on Monday, Nov. 11, when only one member of Regions Party came to Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian parliament. On the agenda is paving the way to signing a trade treaty with EU. The obstacle to join Europe is the imprisonment of a former prime minister Yuliya Timoshenko, a political opponent of the acting president Victor Yanukovich. 

Demonstration in support of Timoshenko in Kyiv
REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Mrs. Timoshenko was convicted to the seven-year sentence in October 2011 on abuse of power charges, a decision that was condemned by European leaders as political persecution. “The refusal to release and free Tymoshenko threatens to disrupt the signing of the agreement,” said Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Polsat News on Oct 31. 

At present Ukrainian Parliament makes attempts to draw the bill to resolve the situation around ex-PM’s imprisonment, but no consensus was reached. 

Arsenyi Yatsenyuk , the leader of Batkivshina Party sees the behavior of pro-president party as a part of a plan to undermine the association with Europe. “Mr. Yanukovich wasn’t going to sign the agreement with EU at the very beginning,” he said on Tuesday, Nov. 12. 

The summit at which the treaty might be signed will take place in Lithuania on Nov. 28-29. For Ukraine the treaty means cooperation and extensive trade with the 28-members block and marks the shift from Russia towards Western Europe. It will open a graduate progression to European living standards, an orientation Ukraine adopted nine years ago. 

At the same time the treaty leads to a trade break-up with Russia who has already slowed down import from Ukraine as a disapproval of the agreement with EU, and promises to raise prices for Ukraine on Russian gas. 

Though in September at UN General Assembly in New York Mr. Yanukovich claimed Ukraine’s European aspirations were the main pillar of the country’s development, the rumors about his undisclosed negotiations with Russia circulated over the beginning of the week. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, acting prime minister Mykola Azarov stated that together with the president they are trying all possible means to regain trade and economic relationships with Russia. 

Earlier this fall the leader of opposition, a former heavy-weight boxing champion, Vitalyi Klitchko urged Ukrainian president to resign in case the association agreement with EU is failed. 

Serhiy Vlasenko, a legal defender of Mrs. Timoshenko predicts new repressions against the opposition after signing of the agreement is failed. 

The comments in social media are torn between calling for revolutionary actions in case the treaty is failed and insulting Mrs. Timoshenko.

Lanni Marchant Breaks the National Record

TORONTO, Ontario – On Sunday of Oct. 20, 2013 Torontonians saw Lanni Marchant, 29, setting a new national women marathon record of two hours, 27 minutes and 59.6 seconds.

The previous 28-year-old mark of 2:28:36 belongs to Sylvia Ruegger and was beaten by Marchant during Scotiabank WaterfrontMarathon.

Marchant, an Ontario born, took the third place in the marathon finishing right after Kenyan racer Flomena Cheyech (2:25:13) and Ethiopia’s Sechale Adugna (2:26:43).

Marchant’s time is good to go for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. So when the window opens she plans to qualify for it. “Hopefully my body will keep cooperating with me and I can get into the Canadian team,” she said in the interview three days after the race.

Her calves cramping was a concern for the race. Even during the last metres Marchant worried something could go wrong. The memory of the German marathon is still too fresh:  two months earlier because her leg cramped up, she could barely walk when approaching the finish. “Until you cross that line nothing is guaranteed,” she says.

“When I planned to do the race I didn’t expect it to go the way it did,” Marchant confesses. She knew she was going fast, but only when she saw 40 k marker, Marchant realized it was going to be a good result. “Keep going, cross that finish line, then it’s mine,” she was telling herself over the last two kilometers.

Marchant’s plan after the marathon was to hop back into her normal life in Chattanooga, Tenn., U.S.A., where she currently lives and works. But the Fortuna decided differently affecting her personal life with her appearance on the front pages and the outpouring support in social media. “I’m still in awe of all the attention I get, but I don’t feel I’m so special. I understand it’s a huge record and I’m more than grateful to be given the talent and the opportunity to break it,” – she says.

After a celebration week with indulging into extra cookies and extra beers Marchant will go back to her routine which is balancing between her job as an attorney and training. She keeps her training schedule consistent, between 140 and 170 kilometres per week adding swimming and biking once a week. Her workout routing also includes strength training, a huge point for distance athletes that, she believes, can be overlooked. In winter she takes a month off to train in Kenya.

The secret to such an amazing time management, Marchant says, is in knowing what is important and knowing what sacrifices to make. With such a tight schedule she has “to take advantage of every single moment.”

“Luckily I run into people who know what’s important too, so I don’t feel any pressure to go outside of my comfort zone too much. I can train, I can work, I can go for my beer when I want to. But I know everything is in moderation. It’s about balance, about making sure the things that are important to you are the things that you enjoy.”

Enjoying what you do is the advice Marchant gives to those who plan to take up running seriously. She suggests finding the way to make it fun and be OKwith giving yourself a break sometimes. “Running is something that is supposed to cheer your life,” she says and warns against sacrificing who you are, your dreams and aspirations in other aspects of life.

Racing in the Waterfront Marathon Marchant “enjoyed every moment of it,” and set her personal and Canadian best. Keep it up, Lanni! 

PACK UP FOR PR

Once upon a time half-a-globe-away from home somewhere in the middle of exercising my usual bookworm habit and projecting the author’s experience on my adventures ego I stumbled upon Liz Gilbert’s speculation on happiness. “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it,” she said in her bestseller “Eat Pray Love.”

The idea stung bitterly. I have “traveled around the world looking for it.” But was I happy? No.

I quickly rushed through the happiness factors checklist created by M. Seligman, a founder of positive psychology.

Supportive family – checked, friends – the best one could ever have, romantic relationships – sort of, a satisfying career perspective… Emmm…

So a crucial element of “happy and fulfilling life” was lacking.  My mind started racing.  There were those tiny pieces of personal victories and achievements? But how do I match them into one whole vibrant picture? Mentally I started creating another checklist to evaluate my skills.

To begin with, I had obviously developed a taste for writing. I was head over heels in love with word combinations and sentence structures.

Next, I decided, I knew how to express my thoughts and deliver the information to a listener. Time spent teaching contributed to presentation skills and the ability to speak up.

I also remembered my recklessness when during the university years I took on a responsibility of managing rock events not knowing much about event management but desperately passionate about music. Since it worked out well I could say I was a quick learner.

The hopefully critical self-assessment rang the bell. The answer was clear: my favourite course in the university psychology program, psychology of PR and advertising! Bang!

Skills packed up, fears left at home, and here I am, again half-across the globe from home, in the coolest postgrad program in the oldest college of Toronto. It hasn’t been a month yet, but I feel like my whole personality is reshaping. I’ve taken a new approach with looking at the news and feel like a social media addict is growing in me. Now every FB post is an experimental material in terms of responses it gets.

The thrill of entering a PR profession is in its continuous evolving. The media has reshaped dramatically in the recent years which made it simultaneously easier and harder for a PR professional to do the job. In our “speak-up” era, when everyone can voice an opinion, engaging general public into a dialogue became possible as never before. But on the other hand, being heard in the chaotic choir of different voices takes skills and wit.

Growing social corporate responsibility and increasing awareness of global issues makes it even more interesting. Now when companies actually make an effort to build relationships with their clients the demand of PR specialists has steeply grown. And that’s good news for us, establishing professionals.

The biggest personal challenge though is trying the new cultural context. Some boldness to the point of recklessness is required to enter a profession heavily dependent on culture when being new to the country. But what's the fun in staying in a comfort zone?

Once in a while I turn my thoughts back to the comfort of home. But then as an inner response I hear in my head loud and clear Steve Job’s: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Don’t settle.”

Gunfire and Scars

You heart is not open,                                               Don’t say it’s over
So I must go.                                                              ‘Cause that would send me under.
(“The Power of Goodbye”, Madonna)                      (“Under”, Alex Hepburn)

Cold damp air rang with the echo of her steps as she trod along a long dimly lit hallway. Her high heels marked each passing moment with a loud “click” whereas her thought rushed back in time.

This bleak windowless corridor with multiple doors on each side opened a gateway to another alike but brighter and more cheerful hallway separated from “here and now” by more than a year and by approximately       2, 270 miles. Muffled by the carpeted floor her footsteps didn't disturb the silence there.

When she walked down that corridor joy and anxiety would fill her chest. She could never quite explain that nervousness that would grasp her before she would push the door open. Maybe subconsciously she anticipated changes and feared that every time might be the last time.

A steadying deep breath and she would make her entrance into the room. Emotions would immediately switch to the peaceful side, the effect he always had on her. A tide of warmth and care would surge over her whole being. Every cell of her body would respond as he would lock his arms around her. And then she would slip into that special state of mind: the awareness of his presence.

She pulled the key out of her pocket and pushed it into the keyhole waking back to reality. He wasn't here or maybe it was she who wasn't there. Her desire to see him again caused a dull throbbing pain in her chest. After being countries away for all these months she still longed for him. Getting over him was impossible neither during the periods when he was seemingly oblivious of her, nor when he would suddenly break into her reality with his text messages stating he missed her. She was constantly swinging between the desire to forget him and a determination to fight tooth and nail for being with this man, the man she felt was so right for her.

But today was different. As she got into her room she hurried to switch on her laptop and scrolled down her Twitter feed. The news she feared the most appeared frequently on the page. His earlier text message brought a relief: he wasn't hurt; he wasn't even there when it happened. But some dark inexplicable motives pushed her to investigate what the scenario might have been.

The information was horrifying. There was gunfire at his work place. An armed man shot 12 people dead, among them were civilians and contractors.  The murderer made his way through the guarded entrance and randomly aimed at employees unaware of his heinous intentions. In chaos and panic that followed people tried to escape the premises. Some of them never made it to the exit. Though the killer was shot as the police tried to take control over the situation, she didn't think his death made it up for his crime. How could he do it? How could he shoot down real people who had friends and families? The police reported his motives unclear which made her wander if the murderer knew he would take his reasons to the grave.

Suddenly she was seized by gratefulness to the chance that kept him away from the Naval Headquarters that morning. Tears streamed down her face. All the wrong things in their tantalizing “relationships” didn't matter any more. She discarded how their recent conversations made it seem she might never see him again.

She just wanted him safe. And then there was this necessity to wrap her arms around him, to run her fingers on his face, press her cheek against his chest to make sure of his physical existence. Every mile between them felt like a scar in her soul…

Turning into Hermione Granger or Becoming an International Student in Canada

Take me down to the Paradise City

Where the grass is green

Where the girls are pretty…

Take me home

(“Paradise City” by Guns’n’Roses)

Landing the dream destination has demanded investing a soul into achieving.  I still experience troubles believing that I am here in Toronto, Canada even though I now have the undeniable proofs: Canadian phone number, Canadian bank account and the most valuable my Centennial student ID.

After setting a goal of requalifying and entering the ranks of highly demanded professionals a long path of bringing the idea to life followed.

I opted for a postgrad program “Corporate Communications and PR” in Centennial College (Toronto, Canada)  to cause this major life turn. http://www.centennialcollege.ca/thecentre/corporate  A six-month-process leading to my physical presence here comprised three major stages: 

1) Passing a test of English IELTS;

2) Getting accepted by the college;

3) Obtaining a study permit and arranging the arrival.

While the first two steps were more theoretical, mostly involving brain, books and a computer, the last phase resulted in losing pounds. The first two turned attainable with tight schedules and proper time management and came down to compiling the previous achievement together and refining already formed skills. The third prompted me to appreciate once again the professionalism and support of people I am blessed to have in life.

Obtaining visa required preparation of a thick documentation pile. Running around the city during the heatwave in the chase after paperwork  considerably contributed into fat burning . But the expertise of BELL DNK http://bellschool.com.ua/en/  and its CEO Oksana Almanova in particular deserves special gratitude for the guidance. BELL DNK, an international education agency, had already proven efficient in the earlier steps providing comprehensive information about various schools and programs around the world as well as setting effective communication with the college.

And after having all the formal paperwork sorted out and purchasing my ticket the focus fell on the arrival into the country I had never been to. Much to my surprise it appeared easier than any of my previous traveling experiences. Afterwards I couldn't get rid of the feeling I knew Toronto prior to my landing in here. Through the network of friends finding a place in Toronto was made a manageable task. And the fact that I was met in the airport and brought into my new home, saving me from the search for my way in the middle of the night, escalated my spirits 150%.

The succeeding three days of intensive meeting the staff and student advisors followed to reinforce my confidence in the right choice.

It started with gaping at solid presentation skills of the School’s Dean Nate Horowitz whose speech assured me he knows his area well. This is the kind of people I want to learn from.

Next, meeting the teachers was utterly heart-warming as they confirmed the idea I formed about them earlier relying on the Web sources:  respectable PR practitioners with a profound theoretical basis.

And last but not least, Program Coordinator Barry Waite’s clear emphasis on the fostering hands-on-profession skills, creating professional environment right from the first days has switched me into the mode of upper readiness.

School starts tomorrow and as Hermione Granger would have done it, I’m about to rush up the newly opened avenues with the renewed confidence coming from having my nose stuck  in the textbooks and online resources before the course starts.

Rain water

Now it is raining all the time here. Grey damp air clings to the trees and houses day after day. Greyness somehow makes the world seem confined. Everything shrinks and loses colours.

I step outside to find out how chilly and unwelcoming it is. Wet wind makes me shudder. Raindrops reach my face and linger on my skin. They roll down as if they were tears running out of my eyes. Eventually they touch my lips and give the idea of rain water taste. Unsalty. Unlike tears. Raindrops just can pretend to be tears. It is as if I was crying for you, but with raindrops instead of real tears.

Fake tears are all what is left. I won't cry. I have found my comfort and steadiness in the constant motion. I hold my feet tight on the ground and my grip over my destiny. Even nasty ever-lasting rain is powerless to bring down the determination.

Despite the long-desired balance I realize how much I miss you. I discover this fact standing beneath the grey sky falling down. I miss you, but I don't need you. I repeat “I-don’t-need-you” enchantment countless times, hoping it will eventually sound like truth.

The Silence

Silence slithers into life freezing blood still and causing the desire to scream in angst. Scream! Yell, try to muffle the quietness. Scream until you are exhausted of the noise you make. The silence remains unlifted. The silence just exhales cold air and keeps its grip steel.

Accept all the agony and frantic fever the silence brings. The agony stabs right into the heart cutting it open. Emotions blended with blood will pour out of the wound and flood the surroundings with red, brining torturing images of you own past full of disillusionment and present full of painful search for the self.

As the flow of emotions slows down and soothes it is the moment to fall quite. Cease all the feverish screams and embrace the silence. Let the silence inside and listen. You will hear a distinct voice of "I" speaking out of the core of the conscience Its words are clear as the silence is undisturbed. The understanding of your own self is possible as never before. And you can see your reflection clear now in the stillness of the conscience.

The Shadow

The moment you were gone a dark Shadow crawled into my room. The Shadow touched my face gently and seductively whispered poisonous words. It never offered me heaven or bliss; it just stretched out a hand inviting to fall down together. And we fell. We fell in love and out of grace. Intoxicated. We were intoxicated by smoke of burnt remains of what once used to be a loving heart. The Shadow embraced me tenderly locking its clawy paws around my neck so I couldn't break out of this passion. Just rapture of the moment and desire for more which can never be fulfilled accompanied the Shadow.

 And then you came back bringing me strength to step out into the light and part with the Shadow. To scare away the Shadow I put on an ugly mask. Where there used to be beauty I now wear ugly scars. I wander along spring streets in my sinister mask not daring to look at passers'-by faces fearing to see disgust in them.

 You are gone again and I don't call for the Shadow anymore. I am scared the Shadow won't like me in this revolting mask.

I taste the bitter realizations of how fragile beauty is, and how easy dreams slip away once the grip is lost. I linger here amazed by how one's lost beauty became the price for one's crumbled heart to restore its wholeness.

Student Art; Student Expression

Student Art; Student Expression

NIC's gallery features art inspired by experience, emotions

by Anastasia Gal

The Sentinel. The official student newspaper of North Idaho College

Monday\April 30, 2012

Beware of the Student Art Show these days. It might strike with impressions. Images from light and dark, almost psychedelic, corners of human consciousness are filling up the Boswell Hall Corner Gallery.

NIC students are exhibiting their fine art pieces 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. every weekday from April 10 until May 4.

 Entering the Boswell Hall Corner Gallery the first things one might notice is a brown crawling creature, a hybrid of a human and probably a lizard. “Shrouded" is a mixed media of Kyrstin Rushford.

Further on the wall a ghostly hooded figure finds its place. Adrien White, 26, Coeur d'Alene, Philosophy, who also works at the gallery considers this work the most impressive and points out the power in it. An ominous being depicted on canvas has its clawy hands hung over dollar banknotes.

The creator of this oil and mixed media "Identifine" Mary Schulte said she addressed a concept of self-image in consumer culture. "The identity of the person under the cloak is undetermined within the whole realm of consumerism and the media."

And next to the sinister cloaked image one would spot an angel, a collage by Harley Jene Adkins. Or no? The second glance at the winged creature is accompanied by the insight: the art piece presents a demon. "Vanity" reads the title. Dark muscular back, bald head, arms crossed in front of the body and enormous wings spreading over the canvas composed of black and white print pieces confront a colorful background.

The Students Art Show takes place annually as the final art exhibition of the year. It brings together two- and three-dimensional students' art work created during the year.

The exhibition includes works made in NIC Fine Art classes according to Allie Vogt, NIC Art Instructor and Hall Corner Gallery coordinator.

This show evokes more interest and excitement on campus then exhibits from single artists said White. "Students are into this show as they are able to see what their fellows are coming up with."

The Boswell  Corner Gallery represents local, regional and national artists. "We look at creating a balance of representation and also a balance of different ideas," said Vogt. 

The adjudicator's Statement at the entrance into the Hall gives away the fact the exhibition is also a contest. The signature of the statement reads: "Christine Kimball. Who once was in your shoes."

Vogt explains students can submit up to two art pieces per discipline. Their works are examined by NIC art teachers who determine if the piece is going to enter the exhibition.

This year Kimball, an oil and pastel artist from Spokane who exhibited in Boswell Corner Gallery in 2011, issued the awards.

"This was not easy," says Kimball's statement on the wall. "I looked for a certain amount of competence, strength and appeal to the senses."

A mixed media "Reclaimed" by Fawn Rich has won the first place. Numerous elements such as welded steel, ceramic, moth, sticks compose the piece. Rich also incorporated slides from 1960s into the work.

"It is the interpretation of the native American cradle," said Rich. The work conveys the idea that "no matter what we make things out of, life is fragile. Nature always takes everything back; so even if it is built out of steel at the end nature will reclaim it."

Judy Werre with her charcoal "Compromise" has taken the second award. The work pictures an enclosed space within a tent with the accent on a sleeping woman in a sleeping bag. In her sleep the woman is turned away from the lantern and from a male figure entering the tent.

The woman is Werre herself. The work embodies her personal experience of being convinced by her husband to go hunting in cold weather. This is a story about a compromise within a married couple. "I would go do something he loves to do," she said, "compromise my comfort, being warm".

The third place art piece resembles a slim black tower with grated windows at the top and steps leading to nowhere at its foundation. The metal, wire and mash sculpture bears the name "Meet Me at Midnight" and was created by Lania Cambron. It immidiately reminds of Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas".

"[Though] I am fond of his style," said Cambron, "the truth is I was inspired by a different set of movies... I consider the sculpture to be a personification of the 'Inception' character Mal; elegant, whimsical, and a little bit off-balance, like something dark lurks under the surface." Cambron also names the movie "Little Nemo" as the first-hand inspiration for the idea of "the transition between dream and nightmare". "Dreams can be amazing and defy gravity, but there is always this feeling that things can take a turn for the worse."

The gallery veils its mysteries in silence. But a visitor Chris Moollgaard, 27, General Studies, Coeur d'Alene, who used to be involved into musical art thinks "visual [art] can enhance the music".

The story of “The Static Tones” in interview with the guitarist Chris Dehlbom

Chris Dehlbom: “A lot of times what makes up the band is the guys, not necessarily the music. And it takes a community to make a band big.”

Left to right: Ian Nelson, Chris Dehlbom, Josh Nelson, Ronnie Ross. Photo by Steven Sturges/Courtesy

I met with the guitarist of a Coeur d’Alene indie/alternative rock band The Static Tones Chris Dehlbom, 22, Coeur d’Alene on March, 15 in the Kroc center lobby.

Our conversation dwelt on the forming of the band and their ambitions.

Chris appeared to be a fun company and the interview took shape of an entertaining and at the same time meaningful  chat full of jokes and laughter.

Q: “What is your music about in general? Is there any specific message you are trying to bring to the public?”

Dehlbom looks aside thoughtfully and proceeds framing his answer with care: “Every song is different. But usually we don’t promote ignorance of any sort. We don’t like people judging people for no reason. We like people to be open when they judge. Just things that we think that need to be changed. We have songs about moral decay. We have songs about people being fake for profit. We have songs about break-ups, what I would call just regular songs. It is whatever Josh [the singer who writes the lyrics for the band] is feeling….”

Q: “So far one of you most memorable, I would say, songs is ‘Death on High Heels’. Did you have a specific person or a situation in mind writing the song?”

Dehlbom bursts into laughter: “Oh, yes! It’s about Josh’s girlfriend, and how he feels about her. I don’t really know a lot. I think it’s a Josh question. All I know is that it is about his girlfriend. And obviously he likes her a lot. But still it is really interesting imagery of blood and death, I know.”

Q:  “So how long the band has existed? “

Dehlbom: “The other guys started in January of last year and I joined in March. So about a year, not too long.”

Q: “Before you joined in the band did they have another guitarist playing with them?”

Dehlbom: “No, that was just Josh before me and then I joined.”

Q:  “How do the guys feel about the change in your music after your coming in?”

Dehlbom: “They really like it as far as I know. They keep telling me they like it. I believe them.”

Q: “Can you tell me more, how did the idea of starting the band come to your mind? And who was actually the person to come up with the idea?”

Dehlbom: “Well, that is actually a long story. When I was in high school the singer and I had the band called ‘Borderline’. We didn’t do too many big shows, only like 2 or 3 and we played at school lunges a lot. But…” Chris pauses and keeps on with a laugh, “We weren’t that good.  He was the bassist back in instead of the guitarist.”

Q: “And you?”

Dehlbom: “And I was the guitarist and the singer. And then we had a drummer and a keyboardist. And…” he lingers on the words. “It was a good learning experience. It takes a long time to figure out how to play an instrument with other people. That was the first band for us. It took us a while to figure out. And then we got it! The music was very simple, very pop rock… Not that good. And then in summer our drummer eventually quit. Actually no, we fired him.” He laughs sprightly.

Q: “Fired?”

Dehlbom: “He was considered one of the 3 top drummers in the state of Idaho. He was an amazing drummer. But it got to his head, and he became really mean about it,” his voice losses lightheartedness and face takes serious expression. “He would never want to practice. Or when we had a show he would never want to move his drum set, so we had to find a drum set for him somewhere and then bring it back. And we just got to the point where he wasn’t worth that any more. So we fired him. Our current bassist became our drummer for a while and we changed our name to ‘Black Friday’. It was the time when the road towards The Static Tones began, because then we started paying more attention to style,” he emphasizes the last word.”Both Josh and I went to singing. We changed it more to…” he pauses pensively, “almost alternative acid rock.”

Q: “How did it happen that they actually started The Static Tones without you? I mean, you were heading in that direction and…”

Dehlbom: “Right!” he nodes.

Q: “There is a sort of a gap. What happened?”

Dehlbom: “After the Black Friday the bassist quit to pursue more of the metal background, he joined the biggest metal band in the area. And Josh and I tried to start another band called ‘Wicked Monday’. But we couldn’t get people to play with us. It was a really weird, though good time for The Static Tones, because that was when I started playing more lead guitar and Josh had switched from the bass to guitar. He was more into the singing. And I…” Chris gives a dramatic pause and proceeds after a laugh, “…quit. In October of 2010 I quit because it wasn’t going anywhere. I tried to start another band with the girl I grew up with.  And that wasn’t going anywhere, because those guys didn’t do anything at all. And then at the end of the year Josh asked the other two guys to be in the band with him. So they started what would become The Static Tones. Though at that time it was called 1880s which is a nearly ‘Star Wars’ reference. At that time I eventually quit the band I tried to start and joined back with them.”

Q: “That is a lot of quitting from your side.”

Dehlbom: “Yeah, and usually I’m not a quitter at all. When I quit playing music with Josh I got to the point ‘Screw music! It’s never going to work out.’  And I wasn’t really serious about the [new] band I started. I just wanted to play music. Then I went back to school for a while. But when The Static Tones started getting well, obviously I changed my mind about it. A lot of times what makes up the band is the guys, not necessarily the music.  All of us have grown up together. We are extremely close. We are brothers pretty much.”

Q: “So it sounds like right now music takes the central place in your life?”

Dehlbom: “Definitely!” he replies thoughtfully.

Q: “How did the idea for the name ‘The Static Tones’ appear?”

Dehlbom beams with a cunning smile: “It was a joke. When we were getting ready to record our three songs demo in May, 2011, we had had the name 1880s for like 2 months. And 2 or 3 weeks before the record Ronnie eventually told them that he thought it was a stupid name. And I was like ‘Yes! Yes, it is!’” he laughs cheerfully. “ So the other two guys, they are brothers, said ‘Ok, whatever. Let’s come up with something’.

 And we had to make a little recording for the recording artist just to know what our sound was like so he would know what to do with us. I had an iPad and I just recorded on my iPad. It sounded terrible. And I said ‘It sounds like a bunch of static with some tones in it.’ We all looked at each other and started laughing. We just named our band The Static Tones.” Chris gives a laugh, looking pleased and amused.  

Q: “Do you know anything about the band of the same name ‘The Static Tones’ based in Ontario, CA?”

Dehlbom: “Oh, yes!” his voice sounds ironical at mentioning of this other band. “I mean, we didn’t know about that until August. They suck! Did you listen to their music?”

Q: “I heard one song on YouTube. If to trust the Internet they existed around 2009 and are not playing anymore.”

Dehlbom: “I saw them after the album came out, the first week of July. One person took it and put on YouTube. When I searched for The Static Tones I got one of our songs and all the rest were from the other band called just Static Tones. They didn’t have ‘the’ in their name. They had a girl singer, and she wasn’t very good, and the music wasn’t really good. At that point I was kind of annoyed because I thought we came out with the name that nobody else has thought of.”

Q: “Was it frustrating?”

Dehlbom: “Yeah. It was… it wasn’t that of a big deal since they sucked. If they were good, we probably would have changed our name.” Chris laughs lightheartedly.

Q:  “Could you please describe the music making process in the band?”

Dehlbom turns to seriousness: “Well, the singer usually writes his own lyrics and usually has basic guitar parts. I think it is very important that he writes what he sings. It is usually not a finished product at all. At practice we jam with it and usually have a finished product within half an hour. We each put own individual income in it. I learned how to play the guitar with the classic rock’n’roll/blues background. So I usually do with my classic rock background. And the bassist brings very metal/scream background. Our base lines are very technical like in scream bands which I think makes it very interesting. And we usually say that Ronny, the drummer, is the one who takes all that crap and makes it work.” His eyes sparkle as he utters a giggle.

Q: “So from the origin of the idea how much time does it take to get a song ready for a show?”

Dehlbom: “It really depends on the song. There is a couple of songs which would be difficult to learn… We have a song called ‘Firecrackers’, one of our newer ones. It took us about a month or two to make it show ready, because it was really outside of our comfort zone. The bassist wrote every single part, even most of my parts. So it was really weird for us to learn something that was already predestined… Usually we come up with all our own parts which is a lot easier to play. Most songs we can get show ready in a week.  We have a new song for the show tomorrow. And we just learned that last Tuesday.”

Q: “Interesting! What kind of song is that?”

Dehlbom: “It’s actually the continuing of our newest song which is called ‘Dr. Green’s monster machine’. Part I. This is Part II. It is all instrumental. It is only music,” he looks directly into my eyes with seriousness narrating about green monsters.

Q: “What emotions did you put into ‘Dr. Green’s monster machine?” I am intrigued.

Dehlbom: “The song is basically about people being fake in order to get rich, specifically talking about the pop-singer, Lady Gaga.”

Q: “As far as I know The Static Tones have entered this year’s Ernei Ball Battle of the Bands to struggle for the chance to play at 2012 Warped Tour. What would getting to play in Seattle at the Warped Tour mean for you?”

Dehlbom laughs: “It would be really helpful. We’re planning on going to Seattle a few times this year. We don’t have any dates set. That is going to be when we are done recording our album actually.”

Q: “Do you have places in mind where you are going to play in Seattle?”

Dehlbom: “No. It is too early for that. All we know that we want to make it in Seattle and we are hoping to do it in a nine-day long tour through the North-West and maybe upper CA.”

Q: “Could you tell me a little bit more about the plans for recording the album since we touched the topic?”

Dehlbom: “We are planning on doing a full-length album, I think with 11 songs in April. The guy by the name of Dawson Scholzis is going to be recording it. We are still working on finishing two songs for it.”

Q: “And when do you expect to release it?”

Dehlbom: “I have no idea about that. It’s just going to be whenever it’s done. Since he is not charging us hourly, we can work on the song as long as we want. We want it to be a really, really good sounding album,” his eyes shine. “So it could be two months, it could be two days, I don’t know.”

Q: “So, till the moment you are satisfied with the sounding?”

Dehlbom: “Yes!”

Q: “OK, thank you. When you record the album, how will it be distributed?”

Dehlbom: “We will just do it ourselves. Probably on iTunes. We will try to sell discs at shows. And also send them to record companies. Try to get noticed from that.” His face is full of determination when he talks about the album.

Q: “Can you tell me more about other aims the band currently sets?”

Dehlbom takes a long pause and continues looking thoughtfully into my eyes: “Well, 2012 is a big year for us, because our drummer graduates college in early 1213, and so he will have to move to go to school in Moscow. And we are hoping to get at least enough recognition so it is worthy for him to stick around and maybe do his schooling some other time. I don’t want to pressure him… I want him to do whatever he wants to do.” Chris is very serious now. “I feel he wants to do music… This year we need to make something like careerwise. So he has the chance to pursue it.”

Q: “Something worthy?”

Dehlbom: “Yeah. So we are going to be doing a lot of work this year, trying to keep him in the band.” He smiles.

Q: “I know that you also were a student in NIC. For how long did it last?”

Dehlbom: “I did it on and off. For like a year I think. I think I only have two and a half semesters completed.”

Q: “And when do you plan on coming back to school?”

Dehlbom: “That is to be determined,” the answers is accompanied by a cunning smile. “I plan on it, but I want to see how the music will be going right now while I’m young enough to do that. I can always go back to school. But I can’t always pursue music.”

Q: “Why is that?”

Dehlbom: “Because it’s kind of a young thing,” he explains earnestly. “It’s kind one of those things, when you look at musicians these days and they are always young. And usually they are about the same age as me. So I hope to make it by the time I am about 25. Anyway at that point, I will have to really think about life and what I need to do.”

Q: “Is it your current goal?”

Dehlbom: “It is my current goal.”

Q: “How do you feel about The Static Tones among other local bands?”

Dehlbom: “There are a lot of really good musicians around here. I’ve never noticed them until The Static Tones started playing with them.  There are many, many musicians who are very, very talented. I would just say we are in the sea of musicians.” He pronounces the last words with a big deal of respect. “I would say we are more popular, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are better.”

Q: “What do you think is the main cause of your popularity?”

Dehlbom: “I would say that is because we are different. We are not metal, and we are not soft rock. We are somewhere in between. We have a different style than a lot of bands. And we appeal to more collage age people.”

Q: “What keeps the band going on? What is your biggest motivational factor?”

Dehlbom gives his answer easily and naturally: “We just really love what we are doing. We love our style and we love the lyrics and the writing. As for me, I like both of the things a lot. I think a lot of the music, as far as Josh does with it, is genius. I think it is very beautiful. And I have a lot of fun with it. And I am very passionate about what we are doing. I am sure it is the same with all the other members.” Chris’s lips curve into a smile as his eyes burn with passion and confidence.

Q: “So passion is the main factor?”

Dehlbom: “Passion! Definitely. We all really like it.”

Q: “Could you recall the funniest moment related to the band?”

Dehlbom takes a pause and then laughs: “Several things have happened… Josh, the singer, is an extremely funny guy. You would never know it on stage, because he is shy on stage. But during practice he does things freaking hilarious. He would change words in the middle of songs and make you laugh.”

Q: “Any recent examples?”

Dehlbom: “Yeah, on Monday we played a song called ‘Firecracker’ written by the bassist’s. It is about his girlfriend. The lyrics say something like ‘if I wasn't chivalrous and well- mannered in the matter I would expand upon what goes on in the bed’ and he changed it during the practice ‘ if I wasn't chivalrous and well- mannered in the matter I would expand my recipe for bread’ The practice stopped, because we were laughing so much.”

Q: “Is there anything you would like to add or tell your fans?”

Dehlbom: “Keep supporting us. Support is just by coming to the shows, or by tips. It doesn’t matter. Every little bit of support helps. It takes a community to make a band big. And thank you for all the support you had given.” There is gratitude in his eyes and voice as he says these words.  

Q: “Ok, thank you! It was a great interview!”

Dehlbom laughs in return.

Happiness

“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.” 
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love