#internupdate

As the New Media Intern for BLO, it is so exciting to be focusing on the promotion of our season through social media and being a Student Ambassador to the community! I am eager to show why I find opera so incredible and to get everyone as excited as I am for the season, one tweet at a time (that’s one small tweet for man, one giant tweet for mankind…)

As I work, I can’t help but be distracted by the tabs I have up on Mozilla: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…basically the standard for any college student who doesn’t want to do their work quite yet. But, Facebook is part of my job! Extended work and updates to social media sites like Facebook will be a big part of what I do here at BLO. For example, this week I added tabs to allow users to access the Boston Lyric Opera YouTube and @BostLyricOpera Twitter accounts from BLO Facebook page. It’s a small task, but it connects three of the leading social media outlets together into one. That’s what this generation is about: connection. These are “gotta-have-it-now” times, and with one click you can have news briefs, links to deals on Groupon, relationship status updates or even numerous videos of cats. The way we get our information is different than say, 30 years ago; it’s quicker, personalized and always readily available. We are constantly connected to information, and most importantly, each other, and I love it!

The need and desire for constant connection is what I think sets us apart from previous generations, and what I’m most looking forward to focusing on as a BLO intern! With access to these amazing social media outlets, what’s our excuse not to be connected? We should be connected to each other just as we feel connected to a dying heroine as she sings her last soaring high note or to solo cello during a heart wrenching interlude.

My posts won’t always be dorky rants and raves about social media, though. As a singer and enthusiastic opera listener, I am so excited to share updates/my thoughts on the BLO season, and read about yours, too! See you all at Macbeth!

-- Melanie Burbules, Boston University, 14