Group Video - Kiasia, Vince and Samantha!

Truluck.com

The website project is a project that I am proud to show off to people. It was a new learning experience that will help me in my future endeavourers. I will use my website as a way to get a job and promote my skills. Each page will be a promotion of me. The first page is the home page. On the home page I will promote my background. My home page is my “about me” page. When opening the page you will see a brief biography that describes all of my relevant accomplishment. In my “about me” section I had put a picture up of a recent award that I got from the National Communication Honor Society. I had put the picture up because it goes along with the copy from my “about me” section. The second page will be my portfolio. In the portfolio section I will put up PDF documents of news releases I have written and graphic designs I have created. Also I will put up a PDF document of my resume. This page will be there to show off my competency in my field as well as let potential employers see my experience and places I have interned. The last page will be my contact page and this will promote me by promoting the different ways to contact me.

      My social media projects tie-in with this project because I have direct links on each page to all of my social media pages. In the social media projects we created a Facebook page, a Twitter account and a Blogger account for the class blog. I already had accounts on all three of these social networking sites but the projects allowed us to start from scratch and have a professional account. Due to Facebook problems I ended up using my personal Facebook to link to my website. I needed a new Twitter account for professional uses and the project prompted to tweet to organization and my classmates but in a professional way instead of personal. I also linked my class blog to the website. Out of all the social media projects the blog is a project that showed my writing skills and how clearly I convey my thoughts and ideas.

      All of these social media projects help with my overall purpose of my website and that is to attract potential employers. Potential employers can look at the things I have published on the web through these sites and judge my competency in communicating on these sites and judge my level of professionalism. I have no previous experience in using Dreamweaver. I was an amateur when it came to Dreamweaver. I have experience using Photoshop and InDesign but that was as far as my skills went. This project has added a new skill for me. Dreamweaver looked extremely intimidating at first glance. There was all of this code on the page and I had no idea where the code started or where it ended. I thought I would be the one student who ended up breaking their site and having to start over. Then I got the hang of it. I had to draw out a sketch before I started. With the limited time we had to do this project I had to tone down my ideas. My original design was a little out there but my lack of experience with this program dissuaded me from making my design a reality.

      After I came to the conclusion that it was going to be time consuming and difficult to do my original design I settled on simplicity. Simplicity in my case is not a bad thing since a clean web page would attract potential employers more than a cluttered website. I decided on a simple header and white background with black font. I chose a clean readable font and made sure the headlines were big and bold. I did this to get to the chase. An employer scans a person’s resume in 15 seconds the amount of time taken to look at website maybe less or more. I did not want to take a chance of the website being overly flashy and the content ends up getting less shine than it should. Once I grasped the basics I flew through everything quickly. I was surprised at myself by how easily I got the handle of it. The part that made me nervous was deleting things. I thought that I would make a mistake and delete something I needed so that made me extra cautious. Another thing that got a little tricky was the links. Putting up the links to the social media sites was easy but the actual links on the page was a little frustrating. It was frustrating because you had to open each page individually. In the end I think I did a really good job for it to be my first time using Dreamweaver to build a website. 

Exclusive Interview! Go ahead and quote me.

Matt Sodon interviewed me on November 20, 2012. The interview took place in Butler Library at Buffalo State College. The goal of the interview was about professional communication and two way communication. It is important to be able to communicate effectively in the field of communication. Interviewing is a good way to practice two way communication. Being able to answer questions and writing the answers down thoroughly is key in an interview. The interview questions were aimed at my goals for my education and my future as a professional. Below is the interview:

How do you plan on self-promoting yourself?

            I plan on self-promoting myself by using Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Aside from using social network sites to self-promote myself I will use the method of good old networking. I will do this by introducing and getting to know people in my field and outside of my field in person.

Name three goals you have between now and graduation.

            Three goals that I have between now and graduation would be to actually make it to graduation, make the dean’s list again and to obtain a cumulative GPA of 3.2.

What employment goals do you have after graduation?  Name three of them.

            After graduation I want be able to quit working my retail job. Start a career in political communications or have a job that requires me to travel.

Name three best-case scenario jobs you would like to have and why.

            The first job I would like to have is Director of communications for a politician. I want this job because I want be the go to person and hold press conferences etc… Also I have a strong passion for politics. This would be my dream job.

            The second job I would like to have is teaching political communications. This job combines my major and my passion while letting me teach. Everyone has that one teacher that inspired them to be the best they can be. I want to have a positive effect on young people who share the same interests as I do.

            The third job I would like to have is to be the CEO of own company. My company would be called Truluck Inc. and it would be a full-service agency. This is a sound investment in my opinion. Clients can have all their business needs in one company instead. It would be like a one stop shop.

Do you prefer to work professionally with a group or on your own and why?

            I am prefer to be introverted and work alone but in past experiences I have done amazingly well when working in a team. The reason why I prefer to work on my own is because I like to sit and think to myself and solve problems on my own. I feel accomplished when I do this. Sometimes I need to think to myself and team work does not always allow me to do that.

What contributions can you make to a group dynamic?  Name three things.

            Three contributions I can make to a group dynamic would be working hard, creativity and leadership skills

What contributions can you make working independently?  Name three things.

            Three contributions I can make working independently would be self-sufficiency, self-motivation and being detail oriented.

What are your pet peeves in a work environment?

I only have one and that is slackers. If I am working hard everyone around me should be working hard as well. I work at a retail store and there are times when I am in the stock room folding clothes and everyone around me would be talking or sitting. In moments like this I get so frustrated because it would be more efficient if everyone was doing something.

Name three things you feel passionate about professionally - this could be school related, current job related, group or organizationally related - and outline why you feel passionate towards them.

            The first thing I feel passionately about professionally is ethics. I think it is a great foundation for personal standards. When people know that you are an ethical worker, it is something to hold on to. It is a trait that I feel is passed on. It is sort of contagious but definitely in a good way.

            The second thing I feel passionately about professionally is learning. Working is like a learning experience. Everyday something new arises and something can always be learned from it.

            The third thing I feel passionately about professionally is strength in character. I gain confidence in knowing that I can complete a hard task that I felt was not so easy before.

How do you handle stress and pressure?

            I handle stress and pressure by diving into the problem head on. The most important thing to completing the task is working through the stress and pressure to get it done. There is a great feeling of accomplishment and relief at getting through the stressful moments in life.

Name the last three jobs you had, and the best success and the worst failure you experienced at each of these jobs.

1.      Abercrombie & Fitch

a.       My best success was being able to unload eight boxes of shipped merchandise, where normally I could only do four.

b.      My worst failure is not completing all of my tasks before the end of my shift.

2.      Day Camp

a.       My best success was stopping a fight that was about to occur between two campers.

b.      My worst failure was being named the camps strictest counselor by the campers.

3.      Interned at Arcos Communications

a.       My best success was acquiring more responsibility and work experience as time went on

b.      My worst failure was not completing a project before my internship hours were up.

How do you handle criticism?

            I take criticism with a grain of salt, evaluate what was said, and most importantly I try to improve from it.

Outline three strengths you have in school.

            Three strengths that I have in school is being organized, motivated and I am a great researcher.

Outline three strengths you have in your workplace.

            Three strengths that I have in the workplace is being a hard worker, communicating well and being efficient.

How has creating a WikiPage strengthened your communication skills?    Name and elaborate on three things:

1.      Added a new skill

a.       I was previously unaware of how to create a WikiPage

2.      Strengthen writing skills

a.       My ability to give directions through writing has improved. This project forced me to write a thorough set of direction that someone else could follow successfully.

3.      Learned basic coding for a WikiPage

a.       I Will be able to code a WikiPage if a WikiPage is needed for a client

How will Facebook be used to promote yourself?

Name and elaborate on three things:

Facebook will be used to promote myself in the following ways:

            First it will show how I vary in communicating. I can keep up with the trends but still be professional. Secondly it will show how I think things through by the written content on my timeline. Lastly it will show visuals of me. Appearances matter to people and by the pictures I post people can see that I take pride in my appearance.

How would you promote an organization on Facebook?

Name and elaborate on three things:

            I would create a fan page so that it would allow people to be friends with the organization on Facebook. Fan pages are a good way to get in direct contact with the organizations key publics. I would also update Facebook regularly by posting updates, pictures and videos and making sure all public events by the organization is up. Another way I would promote on Facebook is by interacting with the public. It would not be just the organization communicating to the public it would be the organization communicating with the public.

How will Twitter be used to promote yourself? 

Name and elaborate on three things:

            I would use Twitter the same way I would use Facebook. I would create a verified organization account. I would keep the public updated with any upcoming events by tweeting it. I would twitpic pictures that are relevant to the organization. I would also make sure to tweet people back. I noticed that on twitter a lot of the times people are tweeting the organization but the organization is not tweeting back. People want to feel a part of the organization or close to the organization not like groupies.

Graphically what do you want to have on your website.

Name and elaborate on three things:

            This website is a way for me to showcase my skills and abilities. On my website I would like to put my resume up. Putting my resume up could lead to career opportunities. I want to put all of my past work up like news releases that I have done to show off my competency in my field. Also I would put a mini biography up. This will allow the person browsing my website to get to know me.    

The interview went well. The interviewer stayed on track and made sure not to stray off into other conversations. There are a two things that Matt should look out for in future interviews. First, he should make the interviewee feel comfortable and make them feel like he wants to interview them. At times in the interview I felt like he did not want to do the interview and he was just doing a school assignment. It is important to make the interviewee feel like their time is not wasted. Second, he should not try to prompt an answer or make an answer "sound better." It makes the interviewee feel inferior and less likely to answer questions fully. I think that with some improvement Matt Sodon could go from being a decent interviewer to a better interviewer.

Twitter Mania!

Once upon a time my main purpose for Twitter was to socialize and snoop as much as possible. Twitter for me was live updates on the latest news. This project has made me realize the other benefits and uses of Twitter. When you tweet you are basically tweeting what is on your mind. Whether it is a question, an idea or just something you thought of. You tweet in hopes to get a response to your comments or an answer to your question. Prior to this project I only expected responses from my friends because I only used this to communicate with them. 

1.     How has Twitter been used beyond socializing?

          Besides socializing I think the most important and maybe sometimes overlooked use of Twitter is outreach. Artist and Politicians use this method of outreach to talk to their supporters and keep them updated on their every move. Twitter has also been used as way to self promote. Artists promote their music, album releases and tour dates on Twitter and Politicians use Twitter to promote their platforms. Another way Twitter is used is to stay relevant. When you tweet and you have hundreds and thousands of followers you must tweet every so often to stay fresh in their minds. Otherwise they will think you fell off the face of the earth and even worst they might unfollow you. Being unfollowed on Twitter can be detrimental to everything you stand for because the loss of followers can mean the loss of supporters.

2.       In what ways can Twitter be useful as a journalistic, political and/or organizational tool?  Name and specify these reasons why.

          Journalistic – Journalist write articles and editorials for a living, but what is the purpose of doing this if people may or may not be reading them? Twitter lets Journalist promote their work but challenges them as well. People who are Journalist are skillful writers who have had word limit restrictions in the past but none compares to the 140 word limit imposed on you by Twitter. A Journalist must get down to the basics and tell the reader why they should bother reading their articles. This helps Journalist become better writers in my opinion because it forces them to “spit it out” and possibly improve their writing overall.

          Political/Organizational – Politicians and Organizations can use Twitter for anything. Both can use Twitter to promote and attract people to their political party or business. Twitter is extremely effective for these two types. Also another key use is interaction with their followers. By interacting I mean simply just by tweeting. It does not necessarily mean to tweet followers. Twitter allows them to interact without specifically speaking to one person. Generalizing tweets and speaking to all of their followers will boost their image and support.

3.       What topics/subjects did you choose to follow on Twitter and why?

          Barack Obama – I am a big supporter of Barack Obama. This year’s election was a very meaningful one to me because I was able to vote. My passion for politics runs extremely deep since I keep updated to the politics I follow. I followed President Obama because for one he is our President. Following him on Twitter gives me access to his updates and it lets me know if he is being the good President I believe he is. Seeing his tweet about going to examine New York after hurricane Sandy was reassuring.

          Michelle Obama – I am a huge fan of the first lady. I became a fan after she launched her initiative to stop obesity in kids. I think that she used her status to promote good and shed light on an issue that was not being taken serious. There has been a rise in health initiatives in schools since she spoke out. I also followed her because she is a woman that I admire. She stands behind her husband but she also is strong and does her own thing. I think she is the epitome of a woman.

          Beyonce – I absolutely love Beyonce. She is the Michelle Obama to Jay-Z. She manages her career while having a family.  When I was a little girl I use to sing along to all of Destiny Child’s songs. When Beyonce became a solo artist my fascination with her was taken to another level. She made hit after hit after hit. Beyonce keeps her life private and it makes people want to know more. Following her on Twitter she shares tiny glimpses of her personal life but not too much. I personally believe her level of disclosure is one that we all should follow. The final reason I decided to follow her was because of her and her husband’s support to the presidential campaign. She made people who were not into politics or did not care about politics care.

          Cadillac – The best car maker in my opinion is Cadillac. I am extremely biased because my dad has only ever brought Cadillacs. I am very Pro-America and I tend to shy away from luxury cars because a good amount of them are made in other countries but Cadillac is one of the few American made luxury cars we can be proud of. My dream car is a brand new Cadillac. I just had to follow them to keep updated on the new models they are coming out with.

          Women in Communications in New York is an organization that I have been researching for some time. I first learned about them in an advertisement in the New York Times to attend their annual Matrix award ceremony. I want to be a member one day and I figured what better way to learn about the organization more than by following them on Twitter.

4.       How has this experience using Twitter differentiated from blogging?  From any social media?

          Blogging and using Twitter is very similar. Both allow you to say what is on your mind and gives ample opportunity for others to comment and answer your questions. I think the difference is the word limit and that could either be easy to deal with or tough to deal with. I think all social media has the same purpose but the differences are very technical such as word limits and posting capabilities. Instagram is a good example of this. This form of social media is restricted to posting pictures.

          After using Twitter for this class project and seeing the different ways it can be used I probably will change the way I use Twitter. I thought that I was getting the most out of Twitter but in all reality I was not. This project allowed me to start a clean slate. I was extremely excited because Cadillac replied to my tweet and New York Women in Communications made my tweet a favorite.  

Vimeo dukes it out with YouTube! Who will win?

Reading all four articles you can tell which author of the articles prefers YouTube and which prefer Vimeo. Looking at the articles most of the authors point out the same pros and cons with little difference. Its somewhat repetitive. The only difference is the side/position that they take.

The article you tube vs vimeo says that Vimeo’s upper hand goes to the fact that they have good quality videos, looks clean, and keeps visitors on your page. The cons were based on the 1 limit HD upload per week with the free service. Also the 500 MB upload limit, it has a small community and the best services cost money. When talking about YouTube the author applauses YouTube for its large community and unlimited HD uploading. On the other hand the author looks down on YouTube for being “ugly,” having an overbearing logo embedded at the bottom of video, 10 minute video limit and the fact that you can lose visitors easily. This author chose Vimeo as the user which was odd to me because the pros seem so much better than the cons.

The article pros and cons of you tube and vimeo backs YouTube up all the way. Some pros that this author points out for YouTube is its ownership by Google as being distinct, advertising opportunities and the fact that it is free. The author points out that advertising can be a con as well as a positive. When regarding Vimeo he points out the lack of traffic that Vimeo has. They have 17 million users. Compared to the amount of users YouTube has that 17 million is nothing. Also the author compares prices. Vimeo is free but its best features are only available to paying users.

The articles vimeo over youtube? and hipster vimeo was more in between when choosing which site is better to use. They both stated the pros and cons which kind of matched up with the pros and cons from the previous two articles. The difference between these articles was the neutrality. They mostly stated facts but didn’t pick either side. The article vimeo over youtube?explicitly states that both sites are good so there is no winner but the article hipster vimeo only implies that. You have to fish its position out.

I am in between as well. I see the pros and cons but no site is better than the other. They both have their own things that make them special. The fact that YouTube is free is very appealing but you have to take into consideration the types of companies each site has. Since YouTube is backed by Google and advertisements of course their site is free but Vimeo only has about 30 employees and their profits are mostly based on membership. The Quality of the community for Vimeo makes it appealing to me. Have you ever watched a video on YouTube and scrolled down to see the comments. Some of those comments on YouTube are disgusting and flat-out rude. Vimeo is a bit more tasteful when it comes to comments. They post meaningful things and give helpful tips. Vimeo definitely plays on the phrase “quality over quantity.”

Youtube and Vimeo is another form of Web 2.0. Web 2.0 makes me think of Facebook, Twitter and all of the other Social Networking sites. I have not gave much thought to YouTube and Vimeo being a part of Web 2.0 but given it some thought it does tie in. These sites let you interact with others and find information. That's what all the other sites considered Web 2.0 do. YouTube and Vimeo has many broadcasting abilities. You can post a video and it is out there for millions of people to watch. It is like broadcasting to the world. It is quite amazing.

Video Project

My experience making this movie was very overwhelming. My group including myself has never used iMovie before. We were pretty much the amateur group. It was a little intimidating looking around at all of the other groups and seeing that there were people in their groups who had previous experience with iMovie.  What we lacked in experience we made up in positivity. We did not dwell on this but we used it to our advantage in a way. We knew that when it came to making the actual movie it was going to be somewhat tricky but we made sure our clips were fantastic, and that there were more than enough clips to play around with when it was time to edit.  When we were making our final project we had a lot of clips to use we ended up not using all of them because there was so much. Also another way we excelled was by planning our project down to an exact timing. Before anyone shot any film we gave each other time tables. For example each group member had to have 1:20 worth of usable clips. We set up a date, time and place to film transitions that needed group participation. Organization was our upper hand and the open availability for the group to meet on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s also helped.

Although our lack of experience was seen as a struggle it was not a main struggle that held us back. One struggle that I think served as a blocker for even better work was communication. There was not a lack of communication but there was a lack of understanding and contact. I will first speak on the lack of contact within the group. We all decided to use Facebook as our main communication outside of class. This seemed like a wonderful idea at the time. Especially since we all use Facebook and it is more likely that I will respond to a Facebook message faster than a phone call or text. This way turned out to be a not so efficient way of communicating. I did not realize that not everyone has their Facebook messages sent directly to their phone so they actually did not have quick access to Facebook messages at all times.

Another struggle we had was that we did not understand each other’s ideas. We chose a somewhat complex idea for our movie. When other groups would be moving along we would still be mapping out our movie. It was extremely frustrating because we did not understand each other. When we finally did understand another person’s idea after 30 minutes of explaining we would shoot down the idea or find ways to alter it to our liking and then spend another 30 minutes explaining what we meant.  It was just a big time consumer. I think that we excelled even with these struggles. We did better than I imagined even with our lack of knowledge of iMovie.

I do not knock down any other way of communicating because it all boils down to personal preference. I typically like to communicate through writing. Communicating through writing has its pro’s and con’s. In writing you have to imagine what the author wants you to see. If the author is good at what he/she does and describes in detail you may be able to imagine and get the big picture. Using video to communicate is a great way to communicate. I like how you can visually see what the person wants you to see. Granted not all videos are eye pleasing or self-explanatory but the image is in your face and there might even be text or dialogue to help guide you in understanding. When looking at photographs as a way of communication the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This phrase is photography’s downfall as well as its strength. It is a strength because there can be many things that a photograph communicates. This serves as a downfall because a picture can say anything but, what if the photographer wants one thing to be communicated? I think it all comes down to having an understanding the context of what is being communicated.

Our movie topic was time. When you think of time you automatically think about clocks. When we thought about time we thought about the time or the lack of we have in a day as college students and workers. The direction we went with the movie is to show how we spent our days and how we spent our nights. We broke day and night up into specific times/events and we all took 2 time slots. I showed what I did mid-afternoon and what I did at night. I normally run errands during the day and participate in campus activities. At night I work at Abercrombie and Fitch as an Impact Team member. In my day video it was me filming homecoming activities on campus, studying for various classes and running errands. My night video showed me doing what I do at work. There were clips of me folding a bunch of clothes and taking clothes off of hangers and me clocking out of work. Vincent and Samantha had different parts of the day and showed different things. I am extremely pleased with our video especially since we were creative in depicting time.  You never really know how you spend all of your time until you have to record it. I always complain about time and my self-portrait really helped me sort out how I spend my time.

There are distinctive differences between Vimeo and YouTube. I prefer to watch movies on YouTube but Vimeo is easier to deal with when posting videos. YouTube is cracking down on copyright laws. Since I use music in my video that is copyrighted YouTube will allow my video to stay up but so long. Vimeo is underrated in my opinion. I did not know Vimeo even existed before this project. It seems very user friendly. 

His and Hers Blog! (Group Commentary)

Comments on Samantha Web Posts

First Time Using the Internet

The dial-up phase of the internet is the experience most people in our age bracket have. Growing up like you said “through the stone age” of technology is definitely an experience to cherish. The generations after us will not even know what AOL instant messenger is. The transition from dial-up to wireless is definitely a transition to take note of because of the major differences between the two.

It is spooky to think of the internet as something that was introduced to us at such a young age. Going from only thinking about “playing outside, coming home from school and dinner” to thinking about who’s online. Compare that with what we think about now. Our mindset changing with the internet is something to explore and look at closely.

Relating your first time using the internet with your current use of the internet is really one in the same. We were social networking before we even had a basic understanding of the term through instant messengers. Myspace was the upgrade from just chatting with others it allowed you to let “friends” and possibly strangers into your world. Entertaining the online community with pictures and music etc… I find myself using the same whirlwind of social media sites as you do and I take time to reflect on the past internet experiences with now. It amazes me every day.

Web 2.0

The thing that troubles me the most is the unclear definition of what Web 2.0 is. How can something that has no clear definition create so much hype and happiness? Maybe Web 2.0 is one of those things that cannot be explained but everyone knows what it is. Even with my own personal research of Web 2.0 I did not walk away with a clear definition. My only conclusion is that Web 2.0 is the Web that I use now which I can see the reason people are hype and craving Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 is all the craze and the promise of a Web 3.0 like you said is probably just around the corner. It will be the new craze after Web 2.0 dies out or transitions. Web 2.0 is mind boggling to me. Who wouldn’t crave fast information like you said? Web 2.0 has definitely made everything within a touch of the keyboard. Unfortunately I am on the PC team and not an apple consumer but you can do things so much quickly without having to move from your seat which is extremely handy. Web 2.0 living up to expectations is correct in a sense but there is only one way to go, which is up. As time goes on I expect to see better interfaces and quicker internet access (if that is even possible).

Social Media Positives and Negatives

Newton’s Law in reference to the pros and cons of Social Networking is definitely an odd but unique analogy. “There needs to be bad in order to balance good.”

The positives of Social Networking are concrete reasons why one would want to use Social Network. I use two out of the three positive ways mentioned. Going to school 8 hours away from my home town makes seeing my loved ones every day impossible. A Social Networking site such as Facebook makes it possible to see their faces and keep up with their “gossip” etc… I have also connected with people I would never have thought I would meet through the use of the “mutual friend button on Facebook.”

When using Social Networking sites a caution sign should appear that warns the person whatever you put up is at your own discretion and be aware that it may or may not ruin your life. Specifically looking at the second con that Social Networking may have is why these sites should come with warning signs. Addictions are without a doubt unhealthy. Too much of a good thing is really just a bad thing. Networking on Social Networking sites too much is a threat to a person’s being.  

Video Reviews

Self-portrait being an outlet to define yourself to others is a well thought out way to explain the definition of a self-portrait. Some people take the title “self-portrait” entirely too literal. A question that came to mind is Can a self portrait be a way to define the things you do? Looking at this question one might say that the things you do define who you are.

The Art of Motion self-portrait also managed to pique curiosity about the art of stop motion. It is evident that Russel Wyner put in a lot of time and hard work into this self-portrait. Always being off the ground in his video was an interesting concept but going back to the definition of self-portrait. Does this video make the statement that he is a man that is always in motion? Is this a good way to define himself?

The Do Not Stop Walking self-portrait was well done. The use of music and titles were put together in a way to convey the message. Your insight into the message that this self-portrait conveys was very detailed. The abstract nature of this video can be interpreted in many different ways. The significance of the jacket and her journey was something that did not cross my mind.

Comments on Vince’s post

First Time Using the Internet

Dial-up, AOL and that infamous “you’ve got mail” sentence your computer spit out is one experience that our generation owns. Talking on the phone vs. chatting on an instant messenger chat room was the debate of our generation. For someone who comes from a home where privacy is little to not existent at all, chatting through a computer screen made everything so much secretive.  It also like you said made it easier to talk to many people at once. Spending hours having twenty different conversations at once or combining the conversations into one is the reason for high typing WPM in our generation.

The change in the internet over the past 10 years is definitely evident. Comparing the internet to stages of child development is an interesting way to describe the internet. Email being the infant stage and to infer that Facebook etc… would be the teenage years of child development. The comparison of the use of internet in the beginning stages till now is one that many can relate to. Being wrong about how fast you thought the internet was before is normal. The internet has only gotten better since the first uses of it. Progression for the internet is promising.

Web 2.0

The definition of Web 2.0 is rarely defined and if defined not clear enough for people to attempt to even explain what exactly it is. Vince’s attempt to define Web 2.0 is one of the clearest definitions that are available. Although most people would say “I still don’t get it,” it is still a well made attempt. Using Vince’s definition of Web 2.0 one would say that Web 2.0 has definitely lived up to it hype and has monumental potential. The evolution of Web 2.0 is to be looked out for and probably highly anticipated. The anticipation has even stirred up a new name “Web 3.0” which is for obvious reasons.

Web 2.0 is getting major hype because of the easy access that comes along with it. The benefits of Web 2.0 seem like something everyone would want. A question that could be explored is, are we using Web 2.0 to the best of its potential? Yes it lives up to our hype but what else can Web 2.0 do. From what I gather from this post we use Web 2.0 to for Social Networking. Are we under using the very thing we are so hyped about? Or are there other uses?

Social Media Positive and Negative

Vince says it is hard to find a person who is not on at least one of the many available Social Networking sites which is true. It is appalling when someone says they do not use facebook and then when you have a deeper conversation with the person you find out they are on Twitter, Linkedin or Four Square it is relieving. To think there are people out there who do not use any form of Social Networking is unbelievable. Like Vince said Social Networking plays a part of everyone’s life.  Social Networking sites can be used for any and everything and for most age groups.

Vince makes an agreement to disagree when he criticizes the negatives of using Social Networking sites. His disagreements are food for thought. Advertising makes the world go round in a sense. If there was no advertising then there would be no television in a sense and there would be no corporations that would technically cripple the economy. Is it really a bad thing that Social Networking sites make money off its users, especially since it is free to sign up for these Social Networking sites? Everyone is in the business of making money. Social Networks way of making money is ingenious. Naysayers are probably bitter because they didn’t come up with this ingenious idea.

Video Review

Overall a good expression of ideas but the lack of introduction takes away from the great ideas. The title of the overall post is what helped me understand what the post would be about. In saying this, the title should not be a replacement for a brief introduction. Skipping past the formalities and straight to your thoughts they were clear and concise.

In reference to “Text Overkill,” a picture speaks a thousand words in this case a film speaks a million words. The use of text should not have been this person’s main outlet to explain what is going on. A re-shoot should have been his top agenda when doing this video because the message was not conveyed clearly with just video. On the flip side to this what if he was using an abstract way? Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint a clear message in something that is abstract. It could mean anything but the fact that he chose to use text as his way to explain means that by no means were there other messages. In reference to “Cooking Activity,” which Vince seems very fond of is a great self-portrait that conveys the message clearly without using too much text.

The Love and Hate Relationship With Facebook

Facebook and I have a love hate relationship. I love the connections but I hate the overall scheme of Facebook and the potential consequences. I have had an awkward situation arise because of something I posted on Facebook in response to a post on Facebook from my apartment-mate. At the time of the post we were not talking to each other because of a big problem. My old apartment-mate found therapy in writing on Facebook about her problems. My other apartment-mate’s were a little not so neat freakish as she was and she decided to write out a post on Facebook saying that everyone she lived with was dirty and a friend of mine pointed it out to me. That was the start of our Facebook war. It was childish and went on for days until we both got tired of writing on Facebook. Friends and Family members were commenting on our posts and making us feel like little kids by scolding us about our Facebook war of words with each other.

According to the article: A World I Don’t Inhabit: Disquiet and Identity In Second Life and Facebook, “There are a number of reasons to question the appropriateness of Facebook as a cohort enhancer, though:  it has been recorded that young students do not like teachers or parents in “their” space, especially if they are making embarrassing attempts to be cool;  there is little control over what your ‘friends’ send you;  the zany comment or picture that seemed like a good idea at the time later feels a bit frivolous, but the tracking system in Facebook makes you draw attention to it if you take it away.”

A situation in reference to this article once happened to me as well. I am from New York City and I go to Buffalo State (8 hours away from the city) my dad has a Facebook page and so I added him as a way to keep in touch. That was a big mistake. I wrote a “bad word” and my dad decided to write a story about his disappointment in my use of language on my Facebook wall. I was very upset with him so I deleted him off of Facebook and we stopped talking for about 3 months. Needles to say lesson learned (Don’t add your dad on Facebook).

According to the Article: Examining Students’ Intended Image on Facebook: “What Were They Thinking?!, students post certain content to get cool points or to humor their friends with their various posts. This is true to an extent. I think that if you have ever had a Facebook in life drawing attention and getting likes or comments is a main goal for posting in the first place. The Facebook project for class was not the first time I used Facebook but this is the first time I have used Facebook for organizational purposes. I mostly use Facebook for personal use, networking and keeping in touch with my friends and family from home. My first impression about using Facebook for organizational use was that it was fairly easy. I thought that it would be a little harder to create a page but it was literally a click away. I think that since it was so easy to create and use every organization should have one which I realized a lot of organizations do have a Facebook.

Others may use Social Networking sites for PR. The article http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/11/social-media-pr/  states a few uses for the ties PR and Social Networking sites. These uses for PR can also be for general usage and not just PR.

1.      Authenticity/personality - building a brand and having people see your brand.

2.      It Scales - brands just keep getting popular

3.      It gives bragging rights by giving leverage

When first starting the project the instructor insisted on the class starting a new Facebook because she wanted to separate our personal Facebook’s from our class Facebook’s.  It’s like giving the class a fresh start on a professional Facebook page. I actually had to use my personal Facebook page because the administrators of Facebook blocked my access to my class Facebook.

Using my Facebook for this project concerned me because it is my personal Facebook and I have no idea what I may feel the need to post or what my friends might post. I was a little concerned about privacy. I feel that no matter how private you try to be on Facebook it is impossible. My Facebook is “private” and if you are not a friend you cannot see my posts, pictures, friends list etc… If you are a family member of mine you probably cannot see pictures I am tagged in as well as posts that I am tagged in. I think that with all the features on Facebook none of the information you put up on Facebook is private. When showing a person who did not have my number my Facebook page there was an option to “call” me and that kind of upset me because I hid my number on Facebook but low and behold there was an option to “call” me.

            When using Facebook there are certain things that I have learned over time.

1.      Do not take over people news feeds. This Means do not just write to write, space out the time because over writing can cause you to be deleted.

2.      Do not add people you do not know. It is a major safety risk adding people you do not know. A lot of times you are adding fake pages and spam..

3.      The content you post is just as important. If you post content that is sure to make family members upset and cause problems refrain from posting anything that is offensive.

4.      Do not start Facebook wars because it can make you look ridiculous and very childish

5.      Pictures that depict illegal activities is a no-no! i.e. underage drinking, drug use etc...

Three Self Portraits!

“Do Not Stop Walking”

The self portrait titled “Do Not Stop Walking” is a self portrait of a person who literally never stops walking, at least for the sake of the video. There was a brief moment where she paused at a stop light but for the most part she was walking. The message that was trying the director was trying to get across was keep going and never stop going because life never stops going.

This video shot a lot of foot shots and minimal full body shots. I think it was appropriate to shoot the video this way because when you think of walking feet is a common thought that pops up. Also I would like to point out that although the text was a lot it went well with the flow of the video. The text was directive and descriptive at the same time. I say directive because when it mentioned turning left or turning right the main character in the film turned left and then turned right. I would say this was descriptive because the text read “sometimes I walk too fast…then I get lost.” At that moment the video was showing the main character being lost.

Overall I think this video was well put together. The music was also a nice touch. It grabbed your attention and kept it. I think that the words helped keep my attention because a 3 min+ video that consisted mostly of feet shots would have lost my attention in the first minute.

“Student Video with Objects to Represent Himself Metaphorically”

This self portrait video was a video of a young man (assumed) who shows his life through objects. Most of his video was various objects throughout his apartment. He broke the video down into his life, his music and from the beginning frames of a camera and pictures, his photography. I like the idea of him letting the objects doing the “talking.”

Unless you know the man behind this self portrait it is unclear if you see him in the video. He stayed true to his theme of objects describing him except for the part where there is two guys playing instruments. We can infer that the guy playing the guitar is the face behind the video.  The only text he used was titles i.e. “My music.” His choice to opt out of the use of a lot of text was a good choice. I think the use of words would have defeated the purpose of showing himself through objects. Also he used music that was instrumental. I think sometimes using music with words takes away from the video itself.

Overall I think the person who did this self portrait did an amazing job. He did not make it overly literal. He used good solid music and less text. He made a bold statement about his life using metaphors. This video made me think of the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In my opinion he said a million words with this video by not using text or saying words.

“My Most Important Self-Portrait”

This self portrait was the most touching of them all. The guy who did the self portrait was at a battle with being morbidly obese. A majority of the film was of him sitting in a chair in front of a black board counting down the amount of weight he had lost. He did use instrumental music but his voice was more prevalent. The message this video was trying to portray at face value was the struggles of losing weight when morbidly obese.

This self portrait reminded me of one of those commercials where people’s thoughts are just being spewed out, and it sounds like there are a million thoughts being said and constant rambling. I actually liked that it made me think of that. This self portrait in my opinion was very candid and it made it so raw and emotional. Raw emotion is appropriate for this topic. His thoughts seemed as if they were off the top of his head without being scripted or edited.  The use of Black and White helped convey his message. He delivered the serious message in a somewhat of a gloomy way and the black and white effect made it more powerful. His use of animation did not lessen the serious factor.

Overall this video was my favorite out of all the videos. This man really owned the idea of self portrait. He put his entire self candidly in a video about something that was affecting his life. He used a very direct way to express himself. I applaud his bravery for broadcasting this part of his personal life.

Wiki Feelings

I had a few challenges with this project:

1.       Finding a topic

2.       Writing a thousand words about the topic

3.       Finding perfect free pictures that go with my topic

4.       Working with wiki

You never realize how much little contribution you have to give to the world until you are asked to write an assignment giving directions on something you are good at it. This was one of the hardest things for me to do. I never gave much thought into what I was good at. Let alone explaining it in detailed steps.  Finally with help I realized I am a good student but I am an even better public relations student.

An assignment forcing a thousand word post can be a bit blah. At times I felt like I was starting to use words as space fillers. I would stop leave and then come back to it. So I can assure good quality steps in my wiki how instead of just trying to hit the thousand word mark. This is tough in a way.

Finding pictures that the wiki administrators would not remove was tough. I decided not to use my own pictures or pictures of myself in this assignment. In a way you can say I made it tough on myself. I found about 4-6 good pictures that depicted the message I was trying to convey in the step. I used morgue file which I remembered was a pretty good site. The only problem with that is if you do not know how to word what you are looking for you may come up with empty search results.  

Working with Wiki was a pain overall. There are so many stipulations to putting a post up. The minimum word count was a thousand words. You have to have 3 sources and your pictures had to be attributed. I felt like I was writing a paper for my class. This is a how-to website, I think the person writing how-to do something would be an expert in that field.

Using Wiki how was my first experience with coding. I think it went pretty well for my first time. Once you get the hang of it its super easy. When I hear coding I think of computer lovers sitting behind their computers with coffee coming up with codes. When I heard we had to code our Wiki pages I was like wholly crap I’m an intermediate computer lover. How the heck am I suppose to code a page? I think Wiki’s layout makes coding for their website simple.

The thing I hate the most is the fact that anyone can edit your article. When I posted my article I had like 6 edits the next day. Wiki kills me how strict they are about the content you post but the only thing you need to screw someone’s post is a wiki account or a facebook account.

Although this was a pain it was also an interesting experience. I think there is a first time for everything. I’m a little excited knowing that someone may use my content as a reference. Posting my wiki how article was the first time I have ever posted official content online. (If you count facebook posts or tweets then that would mean this is my billionth online post.)

Finished Wiki How

Being a successful public relations student is not easy. Success is measured by how much knowledge and opportunity you get out of something. The following steps will guide you in being a successful public relations student.

 1. Research - Choosing a major can be stressful but if public relations is something that you are interested in than communication studies is where you want to start off at. Some colleges and universities will not have a major titled “public relations.”

For example: Buffalo State College has an undergraduate program that is titled “Public Communication” The following is a description of the program given on the Buffalo State College website, “This major allows students flexibility to tailor a program based on strategic communication through the disciplines of public relations, advertising, and related fields. It meets the needs of students preparing for a career in which research, strategic planning, implementation of creative tactics, and evaluation are central, whether to advance an organization, promote a product, or advocate a cause. Compare this major with communication studies, journalism, and media production.” Buffalo State College: Public Communication Major

Other undergraduate programs may title their programs: Media Relations, Communication Studies etc…

http://morguefile.com/archive/display/540571

2.  Apply and get accepted into a college/university with a public relations major or a similar major – When applying to colleges/university you want to look for a school that will help you get the most out of being a public relations student. The school's program should gives you a hands-on experience and opens doors for you. A good way to determine if a school’s public relation major is strong is by seeing if they are accredited. The following quote is a definition of what accredited is off of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications website, “Accreditation is a system of voluntary self-assessment and external review of educational institutions and of professional programs offered by those institutions. 
Accreditation provides an assurance of quality to students, parents, and the public. 
In the accrediting process, the performance of educational units is measured against national standards.”
To accredit is to assure basic standards of excellence

Another good way to determine the strength of a school’s public relations department is by examining the professors in the department. You want to look for professor's work experience and the contributions they have made to public relations as a whole.


3. Get acquainted with the ins and outs of your campus library – Public relation students spend a great deal of their time in the library. Public relations require a fair amount of reading, writing and speaking. The library is a place to do 2 out of 3 of those things. Speaking in the library will annoy your peers around you.

 http://morguefile.com/archive/display/638236

4. Become a better writer – There is a misconception that public relations only consist of giving speeches. If you are not ready to write then being a public relations student is not for you. Public relations students are no strangers to research papers. A strategic campaign will be no less than 30 pages and it should be grammatically correct, follow AP style of writing, and detailed. If you write a strategic campaign correctly 30 pages is not enough.

http://morguefile.com/archive/display/663524

5. Invest in the latest AP style-writing guide – There is a certain way to write when writing various pieces. An AP style-writing guide can teach you the correct way to write for different pieces. You may have to write a newsletter and if you do not know how to write a news piece this will be your best friend. This book will give you a step-by-step guide in writing anything journalism, public relations or media production related.

6. Get comfortable with public speaking – You will have classes that are devoted to public speaking. Giving speeches as an individual or in a group will be the basis of the entire class. (refer to step 4, although speech classes requires speaking you will spend a lot of time writing the speeches as oppose to the time you will spend delivering the speech.)

7. Stay up with current events – Knowing what is happening in the world is important. You cannot be a successful public relations student if you don’t keep up with current events. Public relations deals with news and media, and knowing what is happening locally, nationally and internationally will give you a leg up.

http://morguefile.com/archive/display/22213

8. Diversify your studies – Diversity in your education is fundamental. As much as we would like to eat breathe and sleep public relations we cannot because we will not be successful. Why will you not be successful? A lot of public relation students know how to communicate well but the problem is that they don’t have anything to communicate about. Picking a minor or double majoring will contribute to your success as a public relations student and as a future public relations professional.


9. Intern as much as possible – Internships can be done for credit and is a great way to gain experience in your future career in public relations.

10.  Network – The Importance of Networking “It has been said that the best jobs come from word of mouth… Experts agree that networking is worth your time and effort and can help you get ahead in the professional world.” Your professors, peers and supervisors may have access to resources that you will never know about unless you network.

Advisor and professor's play a major role in your college career. A lot of PR professors either have years of experience in the field of public relations or in other closely related fields. When looking for classes to take or just needing to talk about a career path your professors can help you. When you are not doing well in a class your professor may be able to help you and give you some useful tips on how to keep up with the class.
Seeing your academic advisor is the second most important thing to do besides talking to your professors. Your academic advisor has the degree that you are pursuing and higher degrees than that. They once sat in courses similar to yours. They can help with close to anything academic related. Building a good rapport with these people can help get into grad school or get your dream job. If they know you well they can write a stellar recommendation on your behalf that will go a long way.  

http://morguefile.com/archive/display/169967

The previous steps are what you need in order to be a successful Public Relations student. I hope you enjoy. I put a lot of effort in this.

*All photos were taken from morgue file