{"id":22119473,"date":"2022-04-08T10:32:53","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T16:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usustatesman.com\/?p=22119473"},"modified":"2022-04-08T10:32:53","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T16:32:53","slug":"usu-students-create-a-social-media-app-thats-actually-social","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usustatesman.com\/usu-students-create-a-social-media-app-thats-actually-social\/","title":{"rendered":"USU students create ‘a social media app that’s actually social’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mykell Johnson came up with an idea in her entrepreneurship class in summer 2019: a centralized place to get updates on events in Cache Valley.<\/p>\n

At the time, she didn\u2019t know how to make it a reality. Her expertise was mostly concentrated on the business side of things.<\/p>\n

That is, until she met Kollin Murphy and Canyon Bryson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bryson and Johnson were in the same church group in 2021 when Johnson shared her idea for an app showcasing events around the area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bryson, majoring in computational math, liked the idea and decided to join with Murphy who\u2019s studying computer science. The two had previously created an app together and had the background to make BluJay Events a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working since then,\u201d Bryson said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the team, the app encourages social connection, especially after an isolating experience such as the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Instead of having to search multiple websites and social media profiles, people can find things to do in one place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis makes it easier on both sides,\u201d Bryson said. \u201cBoth for them to advertise and for us students to learn about events.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Pictured is USU students Clayre Scott and Emma Epperson in front of Old Main<\/p><\/div>\n

On March 30, the team launched their marketing campaign. Having recently uploaded the app on the Google Play Store and the Apple Store, BluJay Events is now ready to be used by the community.<\/p>\n

As of now, Johnson inputs all of the app\u2019s events manually.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m walking on campus and I see all those lawn signs that say there\u2019s a concert at the Eccles Theatre \u2014 I\u2019ll take pictures of them and then when I get home, I\u2019ll put it on the app,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Johnson also scours the internet for events around Cache Valley to include. However, the team just hired someone whose sole responsibility is to find events around the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure there\u2019s a good quantity of events on there so that it\u2019s actually useful for people,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

With the app\u2019s new marketing launch, the team has begun focusing more intently on building their network.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an ambassador team we\u2019re building,\u201d Bryson said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The app\u2019s main goal is to give people the opportunity to go to events they may not have been aware of previously. Especially events put on by smaller clubs and organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope it increases attendance at a lot of events,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

There have been several times when Johnson has heard of events after the fact. Such as when she has asked her friends about their weekend and they talk about a function they went to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want that to not happen because people have BluJay,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

One of the app\u2019s slogans is \u201ca social media app that\u2019s actually social.\u201d The team hopes to create a place that encourages social interaction in the real world rather than social isolation.<\/p>\n

According to Johnson, many social media apps breed isolation. Although they are marketed as \u201csocial,\u201d they rely on virtual sociality \u2014 people watching other people be social through a device.<\/p>\n

However, Johnson said BluJay Events is different. It encourages people to be social by providing a place for people to find fun things to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want people to use our app,\u201d Johnson said, \u201cand then use that as an excuse to get out of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mykell Johnson came up with an idea in her entrepreneurship class in summer 2019: a centralized place to get updates…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":883578,"featured_media":22119620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,20],"tags":[2248,13392,13394,13393,8852,12050],"class_list":["post-22119473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-features","tag-app","tag-blujay","tag-blujay-events","tag-creation","tag-lifestyles","tag-natalie-rust"],"yoast_head":"\nUSU students create 'a social media app that's actually social' - The Utah Statesman<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"USU students create 'a social media app that's actually social'\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usustatesman.com\/usu-students-create-a-social-media-app-thats-actually-social\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USU students create 'a social media app that's actually social' - 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