Beach reads

With spring break coming up, I find my mind wandering a lot toward my time on the sunny beaches of Florida. Now, most people might be thinking about the fantastic tan they're going to get or the delicious beverages they might consume while laying out. But an extremely pale and nerdy person such as myself doesn't care about those things. No, I've been thinking about what I'm going to read while I sit covered in my SPF 1324102349876 sunscreen. In past years, I've solved this conundrum by heading over to the university book store and swiping some good chick lit beach reads or wandering into The Bookery and buying a good used book. But this year, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. "Swiping things home" has never had the appeal for me that it does for other people...my parents don't pay those bills (and never have), so it's still my money in the end. But that hasn't stopped me before. Now, though, I found myself asking if it was worth it, and answering myself with a resounding "no."

So what is a poor bookworm like me to do? Well, I took the route that in years past might have seemed like the most obvious answer, but now--with Kindles and iPads and swiping things home at the bookstore--seems a bit obsolete. I wandered deep into the bowels of Leyburn and scoured the shelves for appropriate beach reads. It was a bit of a challenge, because obviously the library's main point is academic material, but eventually I emerged with five good contenders that I'm looking forward to cracking open next week. The best part? It took me fewer than 10 minutes and cost me absolutely nothing.

--Erin Galliher

to study or to shop...

It’s not so surprising that the last two of my blog posts (out of three…) towards the end of the term have a topic that I thought of while procrastinating. Regardless, while sitting in the library among other “studiers,” I decided to look at some of my favorite store’s websites. Not that I had any intention to buy anything now, but at least a fourth of the time I spend on the sites, I actually do purchase something.

I’m sure I’m not in the minority. I began to wonder how strong college students’ spending is online. Furthermore, did these stores advertise online? How did they get those students to visit their site?

A two-second Google search confirmed my assumption: A study by Experience, Inc. (a career services provider) found that 98% of college students have bought a product or service online.

What was surprising was that the same study found that students are extremely responsive to online advertising. Personally, I figured most would simply find them annoying. The research said that more than 50% have bought a product or service based on an online ad and 34% said Internet ads were the most influential way to motivate them to learn more about a product or service. Not surprising, however, is that the study found that a contest or promotion offering value was the most appealing advertisement to the group.

So there it is, I’m not the only procrastinator on jcrew.com and, it’s true, show me a sunny banner ad with a pretty j.crew dress and I’m sold. You can’t blame me… I’m in the library…

-Alex Harper