Spring 2020 Students How 2 newsletter

A newsletter for you, the student who wants to learn how to do everything better, easier or cheaper

Spring 2020

studentshow2.wordpress.com

Inside: •How to change flat tire •How to handle a difficult roommate •Saving on groceries

Stephen Igoe, founder and site publisher of Hoist Colours, works at his computer during an ECU basketball game in Minges Coliseum.

Photo by: Daniel Shepard

by: Daniel Shepard

B

reaking the sports media barrier can be a challenging feat to accomplish Two successful alumni of the East Carolina University School of Communication describe their experiences, perhaps imparting both advice and hope for students looking to break the barrier themselves.

Hoisting the Colours:

Stephen Igoe, who launched a sports blog in the early 2010s while still enrolled at ECU, made filling a niche his top priority.

Having grown up in Greenville, North Carolina, and the surrounding area, Igoe felt the new online landscape was lacking true, passionate ECU coverage of the teams he grew up watching.

continued on p. 2

continued from p. 1

East Carolina University’s baseball team scrimmages on Feb. 2 in Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Photo by Daniel Shepard

To rectify that, he launched PaintitPurple.net in 2010, eventually changing the name to Hoist The Colours a year later.

“The first step for me was coming up with a format for the site and building it,” Igoe said. “We used something called E-Bulletin when I was an independent site and ended up using that to build the site.”

A forum for ECU sports fans to flock to, the early version of Igoe’s site quickly began growing as he gained a readership.

Igoe decided to pursue journalism after recognizing the sheer amount of people who wanted to read his content, sparking a change of major soon into his collegiate career.

Igoe credits vast amounts of marketing the branding with allowing him and his small staff of writers to get the word out about their product.

“The most important thing was to figure out how to build it, how to brand it,” Igoe said. “Building the community was the hardest part in terms of, it’s easy to start a site but the hardest thing is getting people to actually come to it. You’ve got to put in a lot of hours as far as content and creative ideas.”

Students How 2

“Building the community was the hardest part in terms of, it’s easy to start a site but the hardest thing is getting people to actually come to it. You’ve got to put in a lot of hours as far as content and creative ideas.”

First becoming familiar with website layouts and how to moderate an audience on Mariners Forum, Igoe used that experience to make Hoist The Colours a household name in the Greenville sports community.

Creating position breakdowns for the baseball and football teams, and season previews, Igoe could only evolve his content so far without media access from the university. In 2012, he received that access after doing a trial run a year prior during the football campaign.

Since, Igoe has developed sources, built a massive online following and joined the 247Sports family, a company owned by CBS Sports Digital. Still the site manager for Hoist The Colours, Igoe makes a living covering ECU athletics as well as the occasional national breaking story for 247Sports.

From all the long hours it took to build a site, produce content and find an audience to read it all, Igoe says it •2•

“It takes a tremendous amount of work. If you don’t have the work ethic and don’t want to deal with every problem, because that’s going to be on your plate, then I would not recommend starting your own business.” all would have been impossible without a passion for his work.

“If you don’t have a passion for sports and sports writing, then you’re in the wrong business,” Igoe said. “It can be a grind, to begin with. It’s definitely a business where you have to earn your stripes and put in the work sometimes before you see returns.”After 10 years on the job, Igoe is now one of the more connected beat writers covering ECU athletics. Constantly breaking news and adding well thought out conjecture with his articles, Igoe’s passion truly does shine through the content he puts out.

“That can be the most rewarding part of it is you get to do something that you love,” Igoe said. “Eventually, if you’re good at it, and you stick with it and you prove to be really good at work ethic, and you’re passionate about it, it pays off.”

Growing an international station: Troy Dreyfus, a co-founder of Pirate Media Group LLC and graduate of ECU, shares Igoe’s sentiment.

Dreyfus began Pirate Radio in 2003 with his business partner Jonathan Ellerbe and has since grown the company into an international station that can be heard all over the world.

“All day, always, seven days a week,” Dreyfus said.

“It’s like a newborn, there’s always something. There’s always something that you’re dealing with. It takes a tremendous amount of work. If you don’t have the work ethic and don’t want to deal with every problem, because that’s going to be on your plate, then I would Students How 2

not recommend starting your own business.”

Without much outside funding, Dreyfus and Ellerbe began Pirate Radio with the thought that they could put together Troy Dreyfuss on Soundcloud a better product for the ECU community than their current boss was providing. Nearly 20 years later, Pirate Radio is a top choice among people who want to get all the latest news and insight surrounding their Pirates and the university as a whole.

While it took countless hours of work and drive to make Pirate Radio a reality, there was never much doubt in Dreyfus’s mind about what he and his partner were building in Greenville.

“We fully believed in what we were doing,” Dreyfus said. “For us, it wasn’t just about money. What we do is a lifestyle for us in many ways, what we try to do for ECU and the community and for our employees and for our listeners.”

Whether it be print, broadcast or some other medium in between, it takes both passion and skill to find your way in the media industry. Finding something you are good at is the easy part, but putting in the time to become the best in your field is what takes a lifetime to master.

•3•

by: Nathan Lilly

G

etting a flat tire is unavoidable. It can happen at any time and place. Since not everyone has roadside assistance waiting on standby, you could be one of the 75% of millennials who, according to the Independent, are unable to change a car tire.

Following this step by step guide on how to change a flat tire will save you time and a headache.

Most newer cars come stocked with the basic tools needed to change a flat tire, but if you have an older vehicle, then you will need to make sure that your car is properly updated with the right equipment.

Chris Bell, who is a hood technician at Marks Quick Lube, said hat one of the most important things when dealing with a flat tire is to always be prepared. The following is a list of what you should have ready:

Essentials for changing a flat tire: • Owner’s manual: All cars come with an owner’s manual that gives you detailed instructions for changing a flat tire specifically related to your vehicle.

• Jack: A car jack is designed to lift your vehicle off the ground so you’re able to change the tire.

You CANNOT place the jack just anywhere. If you own a car, place it under the pinch weld which is located just in front of your rear tires. If you own a truck, place the jack under the frame.

• Lug nut Wrench: This tool is designed to loosen and remove lug nuts that are holding your tire in place. * Spare tire: A spare tire or “donut” comes with all vehicles. A spare tire’s sole purpose is to get you to a mechanic or home, not to ride around on for a week or two. The max speed limit of your vehicle, if you are using a donut, is 60 mph.

A pinchweld, which is where you place a jack under a car.

Photo by Nathan Lilly

Students How 2

•4•

The steps:

Photo by Sebastian Huxley on Unsplash

Students How 2

•5•

by: Alexia Thompson

Communication and a little common sense can prevent some common problems faced when sharing your space.

“The key is to be objective and not object or accuse.”

H

aving a difficult roommate is never something you want to have to deal with on a personal level. I am going to discuss a few ways to handle roommates who are not as easy to get along with as you would like.

Photo by yi sk on Unsplash

Communication is key When it comes to handling a roommate situation in a dorm, according to Ransom Patterson, who is editor in chief at College Info Geek, one of the best ways is to, “Establish a time each week (or even each month) to meet with your roommate and discuss how things are going. This is also a chance to politely bring up anything that’s bothering you. The key is to be objective and not object or accuse.”

I personally, am terrible with these types of conversations and get very anxious so I know this may not be best for everyone.

Students How 2

Patterson also said that you could approach your RA with roommate difficulties. An RA can help you try to get across your point hearing both sides.

Chore chart A couple of ways my roommates and I try to avoid conflicts is by having a chore chart and a group message. The chore chart consists of tidying up the house, sweeping/mopping, doing the dishes or trash.

This helps a lot so someone isn’t constantly doing everything or nothing.

The group message is helpful with knowing how much to pay for utilities/ WIFI, knowing who has •6•

Chore chart to help roommates delegate responsibilities and avoid conflict.

Photo by Alexia Thompson

what chores, and asking if it is okay with everyone if people come over. That way no one can say they didn’t know people were coming over. This has helped a lot and I highly recommend it.

Reading the signs is a way to realize whether the person you want to room with be a good roommate, according to an article in CNBC: “If your roommate does things that negatively impact your life without thinking, and then refuses to compromise, you may need to take active steps to improve your situation.”

Hearing this sounds like common sense. However, putting it into play can be a lot more difficult. Some people are not good at reading signs and so this fails at times.

Students How 2

Personally, I am good at reading people, so this has not been an issue in my experience with having roommates.

Roommate contract The contract usually includes quiet hours, meaning when you would like the room to be quiet; and whether you would like limitations on opposite genders visits.

This is a way that if you have an issue with your roommate you can go back and show them that they agreed to it in the beginning of the year and need to follow it now. This is something that should be used when all else fails.

•7•

Dollars and sense: an infographic to save you money and time

e article on For more, se money while how to save pping at grocery sho om.

2wordpress.c w o h ts n e d u st

Students How 2

•8•