If you can't stop texting you may have Mental Illness, if you are texting about 3,000 to 5,000 a month you know it's bad and you have a problem. When we mention texting one may assume teenagers as the main source of this problem, but it's not it's Adults like you and me. Adults have this issue and take the problem one step further in that we can pay for unlimited texting. The advantage is that we control our own issues and for many of us who choose not to text as often are stuck paying the bill for our significant other. The habit becomes so bad Psychiatrists are diagnosing obsessive texting as a form of Mental Illness. According to the Journal of Psychiatry if you text too much during the day or night you probably have a problem.
I think texting when deemed appropriate is good and when taking advantage of causes problems in the household for those of us who are married or called for. Experts say you can really get addicted because you can get away with it when you are not supposed to. It' more discrete that talking on the phone which can lead to bigger problems with your boss or co-partner. Experts say there are four distinct symptoms to diagnosing texting as a Mental Illness:
1. Excessive use ( neglect day to day activities)
2. Withdrawal (feeling depressed when not accessible)
3. Tolerance (over texting)
4. Negative Repercussion (social isolation)
But with texting becoming the most popular way to communicate without communicating, some say it may or may not be a form of Mental Illness. Everyday moments are often taken for granted. These seemingly insignificant messages distract our attention from the present, moments that occur only once.
Are we more Linked in to our Facebook?
“…both Facebook and LinkedIn excel in different scenarios. It all depends on what you need to do.” (Krasnoff, 2008, para. 9) While Linked In has been around a year longer than Facebook, the hype and the popularity when comparing the two sites is dependent on who you ask and what they like to do. While the initial concept of these sites began as similar, I believe that Linked In’s focus started with and remains with the target audience of the working professional, while Facebook has adjusted and changed and now targets the younger more carefree generation. Both sites allow you to connect with friends, family and coworkers and share information. However, the fundamental difference in my opinion is the glitz, the glamour, and the fun of Facebook. Both sites allow for status updates and comments but Facebook has games, surveys, and allows you to create photo albums to share with your connections.
I have an account for both sites but I have to admit that I do not regularly visit Linked In. In fact, there have been many times that I had to reset my password because I couldn’t remember it from the last time I logged in. Additionally, the only time I ever sign in is to accept a network invite. On the other hand, I am a total Facebook addict; I even have the quick view application installed on my smart phone!
I tried to analyze why I spent so much more time on one social networking site compared to the other, and I came to the conclusion that it’s the same as Barbara Krasnoff’s interpretation, it really depends on who you are and what you want to do. For me personally, Facebook is the more attractive choice because it tends to be more interpersonal and hyperpersonal whereas Linked In, at least my connections, are impersonal. I spent more time on Linked In while doing research for this blog and the one thing that stood out to me the most was that only about 5% of my contacts had posted a picture of themselves. It’s also important to mention that these same connections are also my Facebook friends and they all have posted multiple albums on that site. Linked In is a fabulous concept when looking for a new job, but if it wants to survive long term with the multiple and ever expanding other social networking sites, it needs to be more Linked In to the popular trends and learn to stay ahead of the curve.
I have an account for both sites but I have to admit that I do not regularly visit Linked In. In fact, there have been many times that I had to reset my password because I couldn’t remember it from the last time I logged in. Additionally, the only time I ever sign in is to accept a network invite. On the other hand, I am a total Facebook addict; I even have the quick view application installed on my smart phone!
I tried to analyze why I spent so much more time on one social networking site compared to the other, and I came to the conclusion that it’s the same as Barbara Krasnoff’s interpretation, it really depends on who you are and what you want to do. For me personally, Facebook is the more attractive choice because it tends to be more interpersonal and hyperpersonal whereas Linked In, at least my connections, are impersonal. I spent more time on Linked In while doing research for this blog and the one thing that stood out to me the most was that only about 5% of my contacts had posted a picture of themselves. It’s also important to mention that these same connections are also my Facebook friends and they all have posted multiple albums on that site. Linked In is a fabulous concept when looking for a new job, but if it wants to survive long term with the multiple and ever expanding other social networking sites, it needs to be more Linked In to the popular trends and learn to stay ahead of the curve.
The Who and Why of Writing
“All readers have expectations.”
Audience – Who?
An audience is anyone who reads the message, whether they were intended to read it or not. For ease of understanding, those two groups will classify the audience. When composing messages the writer will most often focus on the target audience, the ones they want to have read the message. It can be equally crucial when communicating in a virtual environment to acknowledge the unintended audience, the ones that are not being spoken to directly. That is not to say the message should be tailored to include everyone but just to be cognizant while writing that it may reach people outside of what is anticipated. Once a target audience is chosen, the writer is then able to move forward in composing the message. The target audience, and the level to which our latent observer is addressed, can help determine what form of writing is used (how formal or informal it is), and the purpose (what is to be said).
Purpose – Why?
Determining the purpose of the writing is equally important to determining the audience. Having a clear purpose allows the writer to compose a strong and clear message bearing in mind what is known about the audience and utilizing the most effective writing style for the given audience. In the same way that the latent observer must be kept in mind, an unintended message must be avoided as well. This can be done by maintaining a clear purpose, possibly stating the purpose, and using the message to clarify. Using an applicable title and following the title with a clear thesis should help set the expectation of the readers in the direction preferred by the writer.
References
Colorado State University (2011) Accessed February 28, 2011 http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/focus/list4.cfm
"Back up, you're in my personal space!"
"People who are addicted to posting status updates can be categorized into five different personalities: the drama queen, the celebrity wannabe, the boss, the joker, and the stalker." ~anonymous
Facebook is a social media site that is set up to be an interpersonal communication , where people can communicate that know one another, share information about their lives, photographs, status updates, and leave one another messages on their walls, or send personal emails to each other. This allows for people to be welcomed into your personal space. This also shows that it is more socially oriented because people are sharing personal information like the birth of their child, or buying a new home, moving to a new place, vacation photos, asking for advice on their children and jobs, etc. Not only does face book allow you to connect to people that you know, but it also opens the door for networking with people you haven’t met. You can find people in your circle of business, in your circle of friends, parenting groups, and other activities to be friends with and share your personal information with, without having met the person.
Facebook can be part hyerpersonal as well because you can have an idealized perception of the other person and vice versa. With a social media site like face book, you can disclosure only the information you want to, share photos that only show you in the best light, and create a different persona of who you are. You can also see the other person glorified and perhaps not see their faults because of the information they are sharing with you. We are able to self edit yourself and think through your messages and emails to other another, when you can not delete what you say in a personal face to face interaction.
Picture Source: http://www.socialsignal.com/system/files/2007-06-24-cyberdog2.gif
Too Much Talk on Twitter
“The principle of homophily says that people associate with other groups of people who are mostly like themselves” (Yardi & Boyd, 2010). Twitter is a convenient online method for people to share brief and informal statements with “followers” or those interested in hearing what other have to say. With Twitter, a user has the ability to set up an account that will follow other users who have information that is engaging to that user. Others may choose to follow that user to create a spider web effect of information sharing. But when does this form of interpersonal communication become over-sharing?
When a “tweet” is sent out that another user relates to in particular that tweet may become far reaching because it has the means to travel through layers upon layers of other users by a means of being forwarded. This is a powerful feature Twitter has created to inform masses about one significant topic. Because of Twitter, users can “speak” to other users who would otherwise not be in an immediate circle of communication, and Twitter offers the ability to overlap industries, social boundaries, and media, which also very significant when sending a message out.
However, it is important for a Twitter user to remember that once a message has been sent out to the Cyber World, it can never be retracted. This means if there is a typo, an incorrect word, or if the message was intended for a different audience, it’s out there on record forever. This can be very damaging to the reputation of the sender and proactive pubic relations effort may be far larger in the social media realm than standard media because of the fluid effect that Twitter messaging has. An example of this is when Haley Williams of the band Paramore tweeting a provactive photo of herself to her thousands of fans when the image was intended to be texted privately to her boyfriend. While she can delete the posting from her page, it could not be retracted from cyberspace.
There is a fine line also, between an informative poster and an over-poster. It is important to know what a user’s followers prefer to hear about. Breaking news and other informative tweets are important, but users interpret news in their own lives to have different levels of importance. For example, Twitter handle “itsthemilkman” just posted, “I'm hungover and i'm pretty sure i still smell like king crab.”Itsthemilkman has posted over 2,300 tweets that are similar in content to his 82 followers, which tends to make this user a hypercommunicator. When adding hundreds of other over-sharers to the mix of the informative tweets by users with Twitter klout, it’s easy to understand how the hypercommunication of Twitter can become a bit overwhelming. Add this single method of online communication to daily emails and other social media platforms, and a user has his hands full of more content that he knows how to handle.
References
Yardi, S., and Boyd, D. (2010). Dynamic Debates: An Analysis of Group Polarization Over Time on Twitter. Bulletin of Science,Technology & Society 30(5) 316–327. Retrieved February 3, 2011 from Sage Publications database http://bst.sagepub.com/content/30/5/316
Choosing and writing for an audience
"It all starts with the audience.
Your job is to care about them
and to prove that you care
by giving them value"
Who is your Audience?
You have two different types of audiences that you are trying to reach. The real audience and your intended audience. The real audience is considered to be anyone can that read the message, whether it was meant to reach them or not. The intended audience is the group you are writing the message directly too (such as pet lovers, parents, women, etc.)
Knowing who your target audience is will allow you to determine if your writing is formal, informal, general, detailed, etc. This allows for your writing to have purpose, style, movement and a voice. The specific audience can also affect the purpose to your writing and your approach to delivering that purpose.
What is the purpose?
When your audience has been established, it is now important to know what is the purpose of your writing to this audience. By knowing your purpose to your writing, you can bring structure to your writing and have a focused idea. Some possible reasons for your writing could be but not limited to: reflect on a pass experience, to give advice or information on a particular subject, a debate to change people’s opinions, and to deliver informative information to help pursue action (such as helping the homeless).
Sources
Faigley, Lester, Roger Graves and Heather Graves. The Brief Penguin Handbook. Canadian
Edition. Toronto: Pearson Longman, 2008.
Are the risks worth it?
Risks of Social Media
Face book , Twitter and Linken In, as well as a number of other social networking sites have been all the rage for people to connect and interact. Businesses have created fan pages, with face book icons on their websites as well as other marketing material that says “follow us on twitter.” It has become a whirlwind experience, with millions using these networking sites to communicate, and while they host a plethora of benefits, what are the risks for businesses in using these outlets?
At what level is the information shared on these network sites private? Information on face book for example is encrypted and saved, and never really “deleted” even when removing the face book page. Is valuable customer information being shared or leaked out for others to obtain? One of the biggest problems on the internet is “phishing” or cyber hacking, where accounts are hacked into by another unknown individual, used for sending out spam, scams, or stealing of personal information. If business sites were to be high jacked, what information could be taken, altered, or distributed that could put the company and or it’s clients at risk?
Another risk is the inability to control what postings are placed on the walls of face book, or through the twitter threads. Fans on these sites can post discriminating information, bad reports, that will be made to the public to view. Deleting such comments can also hurt the businesses as well by showing an inability to tolerate criticism. With the ability to tag people and businesses in status updates, an upset customer can tag the businesses and blast their dissatisfaction to hundreds of their friends at one time, thus making the bad word travel even faster.
Social media can be a great additional marketing tool for any business. But all businesses need to take into account the risks that are at hand prior to setting up their accounts to ensure their success and privacy. And while every business venture has it’s risks, these risks should only take part in how you are interacting in the cyberspace, and not prevent businesses from partaking at all.
Sources
Increase RSS.com “What Risks do Businesses Face When using Social Media?“ (Sunday, February 6th, 2011) Retrieved on February 18, 2011
http://increaserss.com/what-risks-do-businesses-face-when-using-social-media
How businesses are using feedback to improve your customer experience
Businesses are finally realizing that keeping customers happy is the key to healthy profits and sustained growth. Many are turning to customer satisfaction surveys as a means of getting a glimpse into how customers feel about the interactions with their brand, products, services, and employees. In last week’s post we explored how technical innovations and social media have reshaped the customer service industry. This week we’ll take a closer look at how companies measure customer satisfaction. This post reminds me of an interaction I had recently at Home Depot -- just as I finished paying for my items, the agent at the register took my receipt, circled an 800 number with a orange highlighter, and then told me that if I called and then took a satisfaction survey, I would be entered into a drawing for a $5,000 gift card. While I never called, I thought this was a very effective way for a company to get some immediate feedback on my customer experience. What’s more, since the agent at the register was part of this process, they were motivated to provide excellent service as they likely realized that the interaction would be part of the overall rating.What’s interesting is that survey exploration has moved beyond the retail counter -- earlier today (Feb 24) NJ Transit announced plans to unveil a new performance scorecard as a way of sharing operational performance with its customers. According to NJnet.com, a NJ Transit spokesperson said… “…a system of metrics is currently in development to provide a baseline for measuring NJ Transit’s performance in five areas: customer satisfaction, safety and security, financial health, service accountability and workforce engagement. The baseline will also incorporate information gathered from quarterly customer surveys, the first of which will be posted on njtransit.com in April and distributed to customers throughout the system” (NJnet.com). Companies in both the private and public sectors are now turning to customers for feedback.
In recent years, many of these surveys have moved online as the Internet provided broad reach to customers and was more cost effective that traditional telephone or mail methods. Don’t be surprised if after your next online purchase you receive an e-mail inviting you to take a satisfaction survey. Offline companies are joining in as well. I called a utility company recently and just before we ended the phone call the agent politely asked if it would be okay to transfer me to an automated customer satsifaction survey.
So, now that companies have our feedback, what then? Well, a few things likely happen. First, most surveys are broken into two parts: overall satisfaction and diagnostics. Overall satisfaction measures how satisfied you were with the overall experience, all things considered. The scale typically used is a rating range of poor to excellent. It has been my experience that many companies measure the “top two box” ratings, meaning a rating of very good or excellent. The thought is that either of these ratings strongly correlates to customer satisfaction. Therefore, a rating lower than the top two boxes relates to “poorer experiences” or that which was “less than memorable”. As a result, companies are motivated to create experiences that will likely result in a top two box rating. The second part of the survey is all about the “whys”. A top two box rating unto itself is far less significant if you don’t understand what aspect of the customer’s experience influenced the rating. Follow up questions are used to better understand the overall rating.These questions try to get at the specifics such as, “how friendly was the employee”, “how easy was the product to use”, etc.
Let’s take a very simple example of how these measures work in concert with each other: we receive a sample of 100 survey responses. Of the 100 responses, 30 of the respondents rate “overall satisfaction” as either very good or excellent. So our top two box score is 30 (30/100). A score of 30 unto itself does not tell the whole story, meaning why were so many customers dissatisfied. As a result, we will need to look one level lower in the responses. When we look closer at the 70 respondents who rated overall satisfaction lower than very good or excellent, we see that 63 customers rated our product “poor” on the “easy to use" question. If this were the only information that we had, we might conclude that product “ease of use” has a significant impact on the overall perception of customer satisfaction. That being said, the data would motivate us to go back to the drawing board to find ways to make our product easier to use.
Let’s say that one month later we did just that – we made a few product tweaks that we think made the product easier to use. So what now? We survey again. And since this is our story, we’ll have a happy ending. The second survey shows a top two box score of 100, meaning everyone surveyed scored the level of overall satisfaction as either very good or excellent. And not surprising, the score for “ease of use” was also 100. While our story was intentionally exaggerated, the concepts are likely similar to how businesses are using feedback to improve your customer experiences.
According to Forrester Research, measuring the right things is critical to research success. Forrester believes “…[t]he keys to a successful satisfaction study include measuring what is important to customers, segmenting customers by their intrinsic value to your business, and including some key driver questions that we detail. Done correctly, a satisfaction study will not only tell you how satisfied your customers are, but how such satisfaction ties to your bottom line, and how much effort you should put into trying to raise your satisfaction scores” (Bortner, B., 2008). As customers, through the use of surveys, we now have an opportunity to influence the design of products and services in ways that produce better experiences for all. Think about this the next time you’re invited to take a satisfaction survey.
Reference:
Bortner, B. (2008). Forrester on Why Customer Sat Studies Fail http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/best_practices_why_customer_satisfaction_studies_fail/q/id/45043/t/2
NJnet.com, NJ Transit To Unveil Online Performance “Scorecard” Read more: http://njtoday.net/2011/02/24/nj-transit-to-unveil-online-performance-%e2%80%9cscorecard%e2%80%9d/#ixzz1EvmUWqxX
Social Media Hog: Facebook
“Facebook, the world's largest social network, announced in July 2010 that it had 500 million users around the world. The company has grown at a meteoric pace, doubling in size since 2009 and pushing international competitors aside” (The New York Times).
This example of social media has taken off into a world of its own. Originally created as a social site for college students, Facebook has since expanded into a global market consisting of people of all age ranges and cultures. Yes, Facebook has had their share of mistakes regarding security issues, etc. However, people still love what Facebook allows in the area of social interation and the company continues to have millions of users. People love that Facebook allows them to connect with acquaintances, friends, family, or even perfect strangers.
Perhaps one of the best parts about Facebook is the user’s option to participate in the social arena in an impersonal, interpersonal, or even hyperpersonal manner. When scanning the comments of several Facebook users there are impersonal comments simply stating facts and/or their opinions. Then you have those who would like the interpersonal interaction and choose to use the comment replies or even the Facebook Messages.
“In November 2010, Mr. Zuckerberg introduced Facebook Messages, a new unified messaging system that allows people to communicate with one another on the Web and on mobile phones regardless of whether they are using e-mail, text messages or online chat services” (The New York Times).
Finally, there are many users who love to be hyperpersonal in their postings. These users go on to describe their most intimate thoughts and/or daily activities. It really is quite fascinating what people will post on their Facebook page. Overall, it appears that everyone is in Facebook for a taste of social interaction no matter what form of communication they choose to utilize.
Reference:
Wyld, A. (2011, January 18). Facebook. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html
This example of social media has taken off into a world of its own. Originally created as a social site for college students, Facebook has since expanded into a global market consisting of people of all age ranges and cultures. Yes, Facebook has had their share of mistakes regarding security issues, etc. However, people still love what Facebook allows in the area of social interation and the company continues to have millions of users. People love that Facebook allows them to connect with acquaintances, friends, family, or even perfect strangers.
Perhaps one of the best parts about Facebook is the user’s option to participate in the social arena in an impersonal, interpersonal, or even hyperpersonal manner. When scanning the comments of several Facebook users there are impersonal comments simply stating facts and/or their opinions. Then you have those who would like the interpersonal interaction and choose to use the comment replies or even the Facebook Messages.
“In November 2010, Mr. Zuckerberg introduced Facebook Messages, a new unified messaging system that allows people to communicate with one another on the Web and on mobile phones regardless of whether they are using e-mail, text messages or online chat services” (The New York Times).
Finally, there are many users who love to be hyperpersonal in their postings. These users go on to describe their most intimate thoughts and/or daily activities. It really is quite fascinating what people will post on their Facebook page. Overall, it appears that everyone is in Facebook for a taste of social interaction no matter what form of communication they choose to utilize.
Reference:
Wyld, A. (2011, January 18). Facebook. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html
Twitter is My Favorite News Source
“Twitter has completely changed the way we cover football, as I'm sure it has changed all other sports beats.”
Social media has done a wonderful job of creating an avenue for professional sports related updates. Especially for me as an AMA Motocross and AMA Supercross fan the lack of up-to-date and breaking news is frustrating. That is until I discovered Twitter.
Breaking News?
I do not have a Twitter account, nor will I get one, but I have a number of AMA Supercross and Motocross athletes that I follow on Twitter so I can stay up to date. If you have ever picked up an issue of Transworld Motocross or even RacerX you probably paged through it wondering when you would see a story about something that happened more recently than four months ago. Magazines also tend to feel impersonal. With the time delay in publishing a distance is created, a distance that is obliterated with Twitter. On a side note and to be fair, although the paper copy of RacerX may contain totally outdated news (such as an interview that happened a month before the season started that was published three races into the season), RacerXonline.com has new stories, breaking news, and a social media feed updated daily, some of which are links to tweets posted by riders.
Spell Check, Please
For all its benefits there are some downsides to instant media. For example, last week on February 12, 2011, James Stewart (and many others) tweeted that he had just found out a fellow rider was in a coma. A few days later the injured riders team clarified that the rider was not in a coma but had sustained serious injuries. This instant publication has a greater allowance for inaccurate information. Even as such for me, the fan, it feels more personal. A tragedy has struck home for these athletes and with Twitter we are able to share their pain as it happens – not a four month old retrospective glance at what it felt like that we see in a magazine - we feel it as they feel it right when it happens.
Thank goodness for Twitter
In addition to these sorts of updates riders also often post videos of themselves, or whatever projects they and their sponsors are working on. It also creates a direct, personal connection with us in a way that we cannot experience otherwise. Without twitter I would not know that Chad Reed or Ken Roczen is off to the movies, or just ran a practice in the pouring rain. I feel so involved this way, even though I have never met these guys. For others like me who have Twitter accounts, they may also tweet these guys directly to feel even more connected. It is an amazing sports news tool that really connects the fan to the rider in a way that nothing else can. As with all things instant, unfiltered speech can sometimes backfire, but mostly it has helped make me more of a fan by connecting me to the sport on a personal level.
How I See It
Twitter, for me, is easily all three communication types. It can be impersonal in the sense that it allows someone like me to lurk and glean information without ever interacting with the information source. In a different way it is also am interpersonal medium in that it allows relationships to be built and fostered by sharing personal information with a friend or follower online just as you would in person, except that with Twitter I do not have to join you for pizza and movie with you to know you went and what you thought, you simply tweet what happened and another stone of the friendship is laid. It can also be hyperpersonal in that intimate emotions and experiences can also be shared – such as the tragedy mentioned above or a hard earned victory. Twitter may often be an information overload, a constant stream of seemingly meaningless tweets, but in face-to-face life those seemingly meaningless moments are taken for granted and not overwhelming in the least. Chad Reed may not need to tweet that he is headed to the movies in order to enjoy the movies, but he does tweet it to connect with me, the fan, because I cannot be there in real life. Tweet your heart out guys, we love it.
References
Jones, Lindsay (2010). The sports tweet: new routines on an old beat.(The Beat Goes On: The Sports Reporter).Nieman Reports 64.4 Retrieved February 19, 2011 from EBSCOhost. Regis U. Library, Denver. Academic Onefile Database http://tinyurl.com/4f857ls
Twitter (2011) Acessed February 19, 2011 www.twitter.com
Using Technology to Collaborate
General Dynamics Itronix
General Dynamics Itronix is a manufacturer of rugged mobile computers.
"We are constantly designing innovative, cutting edge computers that can take on anything-from harsh temperatures and weather extremes to dust, drops and vehicle vibration. As a leading provider of rugged, mobile computers our solutions are preferred by workers out on the road and out in the elements"
In 2011 the Denver Fire Department will be attempting to use a handheld wireless computer from GD Itronix to conduct our annual fire inspections throughout the city. Thus far the experiment is an unmitigated disaster.
The founding principle is sound. Using collaborative technology, we should be able to conduct our inspection, have the owner or representative of the business sign the device, and eliminate paper and increase efficiency from both the business side and the departments aspect.
Several problems have been made manifest:
General Dynamics Itronix is a manufacturer of rugged mobile computers.
"We are constantly designing innovative, cutting edge computers that can take on anything-from harsh temperatures and weather extremes to dust, drops and vehicle vibration. As a leading provider of rugged, mobile computers our solutions are preferred by workers out on the road and out in the elements"
In 2011 the Denver Fire Department will be attempting to use a handheld wireless computer from GD Itronix to conduct our annual fire inspections throughout the city. Thus far the experiment is an unmitigated disaster.
The founding principle is sound. Using collaborative technology, we should be able to conduct our inspection, have the owner or representative of the business sign the device, and eliminate paper and increase efficiency from both the business side and the departments aspect.
Several problems have been made manifest:
- During the beta test of the device we were told how rugged this device was. Chief Carl Johnson was invited to drop the device to demonstrate its durability. He promptly broke it.
- The application software that we use does not display well on the current piece of hardware.
- Against the recommendation of Chief Carl Johnson, these devices were ordered at a cost of $2500 a piece. They were purchased in 2009 and have been sitting on the shelf for two years. Since then technology has come along that makes this device obsolete. The taxpayers are on the hook.
- While sitting on the shelf, the batteries in this device have gone bad. They are not meant to be stored without being charged, and they cannot be charged for excessively long periods of time. Unlike a laptop there is not sufficient memory on the device to store saved data once the battery is depleted. In other words if it goes dead in the field you have lost all data and it must be done over.
- The wireless access point (WAP) installed in the firehouses has a range of about 30 feet. It does not feel very professional trying to log into these devices and pointing them at a four inch square device mounted above your head.
- Training with the devices has been hampered by poor performance issues such as battery, and software incompatibility problems.
This is not an article against collaborative technology. Far from it. This is an example of how in a effort to use collaborative technology the process was flawed. Before entering into a project willy nilly managers must conduct due diligence, test technology, and make sure that the needs of the company are met. Technology should complement your company. Forcing technology to fit into your company is like placing a square peg in a round hole. It will be met with resistance, and possibly a loss of efficiency, any loss due to poor management and implementation causes a loss of valuable productivity. Loss of productivity is seen in a negative light. I am not sure how this will all play out in the long run. I hope that we can get the problems ironed out and that we can continue to move forward and implement technology into a necessary aspect of our job.
References:
www.gd-itronix.com/index.cfm?page=Company:Company
Audience and Purpose
When developing a writing, the readers you are trying to reach become your audience. Much of what you say and how you say it will determine your audience group. It also depends on the type or groups whether they are general people or experts in the related fields. "Even the way you organize your writing and the amount of detail you include (The terms you define, the amount of context you provide, the level of your explanations) depends in part on what your audience needs to know". The term audience tends to drive two different directions of people. One towards actual people, the other towards the text itself and the audience implied there. The purpose is to make the audience see what you see, hear, and feel. Revelant detail, and language is the best way to recreate what happened.
Reference:
R. Diyanni and P.C. Hoy II, (Scribners handbook for writers. Allgn 2001)
Douglas B. Park " The meaning of Audience" College English, 44, 1982)
Richard Nordquist,(About.com guide)
Reference:
R. Diyanni and P.C. Hoy II, (Scribners handbook for writers. Allgn 2001)
Douglas B. Park " The meaning of Audience" College English, 44, 1982)
Richard Nordquist,(About.com guide)
Virtual World Collaboration: Real or Science Fiction?
"We determined that Elluminate Live! was the best way to go, especially when faced with the possibility of rolling it out campus-wide. In addition, cost was pretty important to us. When you look at the features versus the cost of Elluminate Live! it's hard to be convinced that there's anything out there better to use." Sandy Bennett – Online Teaching and Support Program Manager, Baylor University (Elluminate Testimonials)
Business Techology in Healthcare
Healthcare technology is advancing dramatically. However, is the same advancement evident on the business side of healthcare? More than even before, there exists a need to find a marriage between clinical care and business care within the healthcare setting. As the healthcare industry moves forward into the electronic medical record system, it’s connection to billing and the patient’s account registration process, there are many disconnects. When you throw in nurses and other health care providers who have worked for years in a paper world, the disconnects become more apparent. As a result of all the new technology, departments who once were independent of one another are now interconnected. Different service lines no longer exist as an isolated world when providing services to patients. Often times, to resolve today’s issues which are inner-connected, we must develop collaborative solutions. This has become increasingly difficult due to our ever growing health care systems. Attempts are made to “teleconference in”; however, this becomes problematic if all participants aren’t looking at the same data and are simply sitting in front of a speaker phone trying to problem solve.
Technology in Education
Within the realm of online education, we have seen the difficulties of collaboration and communication as is takes place in threaded discussions and group projects. Recently, I was attempting to help a fellow online classmate with the process of posting a blog. At the time, I wished for the capability of Elluminate Live. Elluminate is the classroom/meeting room whiteboard capability utilized by my daughter’s virtual school, Colorado Virtual Academy. Had this technology been available versus our threaded discussion, more effective problem solving could have taken place through the ability to meet in a live online room. This would have provided the ability to post screen shots and write instructions on the whiteboard.
Solution: Science Fiction or Technology Today
I have witnessed the benefits of Elluminate Live during my daughter’s algebra courses provided by the Colorado Virtual Academy. Often she has met with her teachers and they have worked one on one while learning the more difficult problems. In other classes, she and fellow students meet each week with the teacher in a live classroom where power points are presented and class discussions take place. Referring to the healthcare setting, I searched the web for technology which would greatly improve the collaborative process within this industry. I found an amazing demo on You Tube about Cisco’s WebEx product line. Please see the clip below. Cisco appears to be moving in the right direction in this virtual world. This is supported by a PC World article entitled Cisco’s Moment of Truth. In this article, Jeff Caruso states, “Cisco achieved a milestone in the most recent fiscal quarter, one with profound implications for the future of the company. Cisco made more money from its new products and services than it did from routers and switches.” (Caruso, 2011). It’s amazing what this company is accomplishing and it almost seems like science fiction. However, it is an example of the possible collaboration between people that exists with the technology at our disposal.
References:
Caruso, J. (2011, February 21) Cisco’s moment of truth. PC World. Retrieved February 2011 from the World Wide Web: http://tinyurl.com/4cmymep
Bennett, S., Elluminate. Retrieved February 21, 2011 from the World Wide Web: www.elluminate.com
Cisco, www.cisco.com
Business Techology in Healthcare
Healthcare technology is advancing dramatically. However, is the same advancement evident on the business side of healthcare? More than even before, there exists a need to find a marriage between clinical care and business care within the healthcare setting. As the healthcare industry moves forward into the electronic medical record system, it’s connection to billing and the patient’s account registration process, there are many disconnects. When you throw in nurses and other health care providers who have worked for years in a paper world, the disconnects become more apparent. As a result of all the new technology, departments who once were independent of one another are now interconnected. Different service lines no longer exist as an isolated world when providing services to patients. Often times, to resolve today’s issues which are inner-connected, we must develop collaborative solutions. This has become increasingly difficult due to our ever growing health care systems. Attempts are made to “teleconference in”; however, this becomes problematic if all participants aren’t looking at the same data and are simply sitting in front of a speaker phone trying to problem solve.
Technology in Education
Within the realm of online education, we have seen the difficulties of collaboration and communication as is takes place in threaded discussions and group projects. Recently, I was attempting to help a fellow online classmate with the process of posting a blog. At the time, I wished for the capability of Elluminate Live. Elluminate is the classroom/meeting room whiteboard capability utilized by my daughter’s virtual school, Colorado Virtual Academy. Had this technology been available versus our threaded discussion, more effective problem solving could have taken place through the ability to meet in a live online room. This would have provided the ability to post screen shots and write instructions on the whiteboard.
Solution: Science Fiction or Technology Today
I have witnessed the benefits of Elluminate Live during my daughter’s algebra courses provided by the Colorado Virtual Academy. Often she has met with her teachers and they have worked one on one while learning the more difficult problems. In other classes, she and fellow students meet each week with the teacher in a live classroom where power points are presented and class discussions take place. Referring to the healthcare setting, I searched the web for technology which would greatly improve the collaborative process within this industry. I found an amazing demo on You Tube about Cisco’s WebEx product line. Please see the clip below. Cisco appears to be moving in the right direction in this virtual world. This is supported by a PC World article entitled Cisco’s Moment of Truth. In this article, Jeff Caruso states, “Cisco achieved a milestone in the most recent fiscal quarter, one with profound implications for the future of the company. Cisco made more money from its new products and services than it did from routers and switches.” (Caruso, 2011). It’s amazing what this company is accomplishing and it almost seems like science fiction. However, it is an example of the possible collaboration between people that exists with the technology at our disposal.
References:
Caruso, J. (2011, February 21) Cisco’s moment of truth. PC World. Retrieved February 2011 from the World Wide Web: http://tinyurl.com/4cmymep
Bennett, S., Elluminate. Retrieved February 21, 2011 from the World Wide Web: www.elluminate.com
Cisco, www.cisco.com
The Art of Communication: Audience and Purpose
“When we communicate with other people, we are usually guided by some purpose, goal, or aim.” (Zimmerman).
Communication, from the earliest forms in history to our current practices using the most advanced technology, has been driven by a purpose. We tend to think of communication as written; however, it comes in many formats such as visual, non-verbal and verbal. Effective communication considers purpose and audience. As Zimmerman points out on the Colorado State University writing guide website, often times the audience will drive the development and presentation of the communication. Therefore, the well planned communication analyzes both purpose and audience. (Zimmerman).
Purpose
When considering purpose, many types come to mind and can be presented in different manners. For instance, persuasive communication can be demonstrated through emotional tactics, arguing and selling. We see this everywhere in our daily lives. Teenagers seem well versed in the area of persuasive communication. Other purposes include informing, entertaining or a combination of purposes. Once the purpose is established, communication is well on it’s way. However, purpose does not stand alone as an isolated focus.
Audience
As stated in the online article, “Audience Strategy for all Professional Business Communication”, “The idea behind an audience-strategy approach is simple: always focus your message on the needs and goals of your audience.” (www.mgt.ncsu.edu) The receiver, known as the audience, of any communication is crucial when developing effective communication. Many things need to be evaluated within the audience. Factors such as culture, age, group size, educational level and even gender will determine how communication is presented. In our virtual communication world of today, we are often unaware of our audience profile. As communicators, we must keep in mind that our writings can reach many different audiences very quickly and has the potential of both a positive and negative impact.
Application
Applying the combined focus of purpose and audience is not easy; however we do have the opportunity to practice this skill in our everyday lives. Just this week I spoke to our teenage daughter about personal appearance when seeking employment. She isn’t ready to seek outside employment but it was a teaching moment. I explained how the jeans and black fingernail polish communicates one thing to her peers but quite another message is sent to a business owner. I also pointed out that such a personal appearance might be welcomed at one business type but not all. This example of visual communication, for the purpose of seeking employment as applied to different audiences, is a simple demonstration of the practicality of purpose and audience. The key to successful and effective communication is to focus on both aspects while rushing through our busy lives.
References:
Audience Strategy for all Professional Business Communication, Retrieved
February 21, 2011 from the World Wide Web:
http://tinyurl.com/6fetx7t
Zimmerman, D. (2011) Retrieved February 20, 2011 from the World
Wide Web: http://tinyurl.com/6popvw3
Communication, from the earliest forms in history to our current practices using the most advanced technology, has been driven by a purpose. We tend to think of communication as written; however, it comes in many formats such as visual, non-verbal and verbal. Effective communication considers purpose and audience. As Zimmerman points out on the Colorado State University writing guide website, often times the audience will drive the development and presentation of the communication. Therefore, the well planned communication analyzes both purpose and audience. (Zimmerman).
Purpose
When considering purpose, many types come to mind and can be presented in different manners. For instance, persuasive communication can be demonstrated through emotional tactics, arguing and selling. We see this everywhere in our daily lives. Teenagers seem well versed in the area of persuasive communication. Other purposes include informing, entertaining or a combination of purposes. Once the purpose is established, communication is well on it’s way. However, purpose does not stand alone as an isolated focus.
Audience
As stated in the online article, “Audience Strategy for all Professional Business Communication”, “The idea behind an audience-strategy approach is simple: always focus your message on the needs and goals of your audience.” (www.mgt.ncsu.edu) The receiver, known as the audience, of any communication is crucial when developing effective communication. Many things need to be evaluated within the audience. Factors such as culture, age, group size, educational level and even gender will determine how communication is presented. In our virtual communication world of today, we are often unaware of our audience profile. As communicators, we must keep in mind that our writings can reach many different audiences very quickly and has the potential of both a positive and negative impact.
Application
Applying the combined focus of purpose and audience is not easy; however we do have the opportunity to practice this skill in our everyday lives. Just this week I spoke to our teenage daughter about personal appearance when seeking employment. She isn’t ready to seek outside employment but it was a teaching moment. I explained how the jeans and black fingernail polish communicates one thing to her peers but quite another message is sent to a business owner. I also pointed out that such a personal appearance might be welcomed at one business type but not all. This example of visual communication, for the purpose of seeking employment as applied to different audiences, is a simple demonstration of the practicality of purpose and audience. The key to successful and effective communication is to focus on both aspects while rushing through our busy lives.
References:
Audience Strategy for all Professional Business Communication, Retrieved
February 21, 2011 from the World Wide Web:
http://tinyurl.com/6fetx7t
Zimmerman, D. (2011) Retrieved February 20, 2011 from the World
Wide Web: http://tinyurl.com/6popvw3
Knowing you Audience and Purpose
INTRODUCTION:
When introducing your subject you must narrow your focus to your writing. Keeping your audience/readers focused will enable you to concentrate to the required material the reader is interested in.
FOCUS:
When starting you paper the main idea must be clear and to the point, focusing on one idea will ensure a clear and concise paper. Sticking to the point keeps the reader as well as the writer on common ground. Any key points that support the writing must be addressed to set the tone of the paper to keep you focused. Ensuring the reader is interestered will keep them in sink to a solid understanding to the passage which is being written.
PURPOSE:
Focus is one thing that clarifies purpose which enables a successful audience, tone and meaning to the point you are getting across. There are two types of tone(Informative) (Argumentative) focusing on one of these will clarify as to what type of audience you need to address. Targeting on language will keep your readers informed to the context of the main idea and pinpoint the issue.
CONCLUSION:
In closing one must reserach any and all subject material related to the subject. Being prepared and knowing the writer is trying to distinguish will attract the reader will keep them interestered. When writing you must focus, have purpose and language for without these basic building blocks you will not have address the audience and purpose.
REFERENCE:
Writing guide: Focus (Colorado State University copyright 1993-2011)
Definition of focus (Colorado State University copyright 1993-2011)
How Audience and Purpose Afffect Focus(Colorado State University copyright 1993-2011)
When introducing your subject you must narrow your focus to your writing. Keeping your audience/readers focused will enable you to concentrate to the required material the reader is interested in.
FOCUS:
When starting you paper the main idea must be clear and to the point, focusing on one idea will ensure a clear and concise paper. Sticking to the point keeps the reader as well as the writer on common ground. Any key points that support the writing must be addressed to set the tone of the paper to keep you focused. Ensuring the reader is interestered will keep them in sink to a solid understanding to the passage which is being written.
PURPOSE:
Focus is one thing that clarifies purpose which enables a successful audience, tone and meaning to the point you are getting across. There are two types of tone(Informative) (Argumentative) focusing on one of these will clarify as to what type of audience you need to address. Targeting on language will keep your readers informed to the context of the main idea and pinpoint the issue.
CONCLUSION:
In closing one must reserach any and all subject material related to the subject. Being prepared and knowing the writer is trying to distinguish will attract the reader will keep them interestered. When writing you must focus, have purpose and language for without these basic building blocks you will not have address the audience and purpose.
REFERENCE:
Writing guide: Focus (Colorado State University copyright 1993-2011)
Definition of focus (Colorado State University copyright 1993-2011)
How Audience and Purpose Afffect Focus(Colorado State University copyright 1993-2011)
Your Correct Decision is Just a Coin-Toss Away
Life is filled with dozens of choices. Everyday we are faced with which shoes to wear, which street to take to work, and whether to eat a cheeseburger or salad at lunch. On a more impacting level we must consider what neighborhood is best for buying a home, where to send our kids to school, and ultimately, “Is this life-altering decision that I’m about to make the very best decision for my future?”
Text books may teach a step-by-step process for methodical decision making, and while I got an “A” in that class, I can safely say that I have never once employed any decision trees or “PrOACT” models for the hundreds of decisions I’ve made since I completed that class. Decision making, when done by the text book, is a far more complicated process of reasoning, deduction and mathematics sprinkled with quite a bit of risk potential. “People overweight the value associated with low variance (i.e., more certain) outcomes and underweight the value of high variance (i.e., less certain) outcomes” (Hill & Buss, 2010). That’s exactly what I was thinking before I made my last big decision! Okay, maybe not exactly. While the statement is true when it’s paraphrased that we tend to weight the outcomes in favor of the direction we subconsciously want to choose, I don’t think it’s important to analyze the best method to use in order to make a decision; that’s like deciding to decide upon something. Sounds exhausting.
If we’re already weighting the potential outcome of a decision so that it favors what we secretly desire, why are we still so stifled to make the decision already? No strategy or self-help book will guide us to make a decision any differently than our own “gut feeling”, so why not just toss a coin to make it final? And with current technology and the ability to deliver content virtually anywhere and anytime, any necessary research should be easy to conduct on the fly to support an “educated” decision. So whatever it is that’s forcing you to go left or right, use the method makes you feel the most comfortable, but by all means, make a decision and be sure it’s the right one for you.
Hill, S. E. and Buss, D. M. (2010). Risk and relative social rank: positional concerns and risky shifts in probabilistic decision-making. Evolution and Human Behavior. Volume 31, Issue 3. May 2010, 219-226. Retrieved February 8, 2011 from http://www.sciencedirect.com.dml.regis.edu/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6H-4YW66DK-3&_user=1922016&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000055361&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1922016&md5=c761a09af1bcf37dd1bac4df3465e302&searchtype=a
Writing: Knowing your audience and purpose
“Your audience and writing purpose will help you determine your focus.”
Do you realize there are millions of subjects a person can use to write about? The possibilities are endless. In addition to the many topics one can choose from, there are also many different ways for the writer to present their ideas. A person can write about a subject in the form of an essay, blog, text message, etc. However, when writing it is imperative that the writer know their audience and purpose in order to communicate effectively.
Audience
When writers are determining their audience they must consider “Who (age, sex, education, economic status...), what level of information they have about the subject, and the context in which [people] will be reading a piece of writing” (Colorado State University, 2011). If a writer does not take the time to research and learn their audience, they are likely to fail at getting their message across. For example, if a writer wanted to create a children’s book, they might need to use simple words. If the writer instead chose to use a difficult vocabulary and then went to discuss a complex subject matter the writer would most likely fail at knowing their audience.
Purpose
Once a writer has determined their audience, they can then move forward to answer the question of “[Why they are writing and what they hope to accomplish in their writing]. In order to communicate successfully to your audience, understanding your purpose for writing will make you a better writer” (Colorado State University, 2011). The writer should not only know their purpose (persuasion, stating the facts, storytelling, etc.), but they must also make certain that their purpose is portrayed in their writing.
Writing can be difficult, but when a writer takes the time to know their audience and purpose for writing they are well on their way to creating a successful piece.
References:
Colorado State University. (2011). Determining your audience type. Writing at Colorado State University. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod/com2g3.cfm
Colorado State University. (2011). How audience and purpose affect focus. Writing at Colorado State University. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod/com2g3.cfm
Colorado State University. (2011). Writing guide: Purpose. Writing at Colorado State University. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod/com2g3.cfm
References:
Colorado State University. (2011). Determining your audience type. Writing at Colorado State University. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod/com2g3.cfm
Colorado State University. (2011). How audience and purpose affect focus. Writing at Colorado State University. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod/com2g3.cfm
Colorado State University. (2011). Writing guide: Purpose. Writing at Colorado State University. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod/com2g3.cfm
Moving beyond the 800 number
The Internet has had a profound impact on commerce. Over the years more and more Internet users have looked to the online marketplace for everyday purchases – both staples and luxuries. According to Forrester Research, online retail sales are expected to grow to $250 billion by 2014, up from $144 billion in 2009 (Schonfeld, 2010). This shift from bricks to clicks has presented some interesting challenges and opportunities for retail businesses. On the one hand, with a relatively small investment a retail operation could launch a website to offer their merchandise to an international marketplace, a concept that would require significant investments of capital and resources for traditional offline retailers.
On the other hand, since the barrier to entry is lower competition could be much higher and consumers are likely to have higher expectations of service and price savings – therefore, the "customer experience" can serve to differentiate and lead to greater brand loyalty. In Jim Sterne’s book Customer Service on the Internet: Building Relationships, Increasing Loyalty, and Staying Competitive, Stern opens with a sobering quote for anyone in the retail space: “If you have an unhappy customer on the Internet, he doesn’t tell his six friends, he tells his 6,000 friends.” Retailers are faced with a new reality—sharing poor experience stories has moved far beyond the dining room table. In fact, according to Sterne, “The Web opens up a new kind of conversation with customers, an automated conversation”. Today, we blog, tweet and in some cases record and share our experiences for all to relive and experience online. As a result, retailers large and small must be more self reflective to identify and solve problems -- put simply, ensure that consumers are treated well; because when they are not, they will tell you and others too!
At one time in the not so far distant past, when we needed help we called an 800 number and after listening to some classical music we then explained our story to someone on the other end of the phone in the hopes that our problem would be solved. The Internet introduced an interesting twist to this equation – it has created an opportunity to leverage information in a far more powerful and effective way to better serve customers – put another way, to anticipate their problem and solve it. As such, companies have expanded their information platforms to provide more helpful ways to serve customers and solve their problems. These new channels include, robust help sites which offer dynamic FAQs, online chat buttons placed on complicated Web pages, e-mail messaging capabilities embedded within smart phone and iPad Apps, and automated phone response units which use natural language commands.
On the other hand, since the barrier to entry is lower competition could be much higher and consumers are likely to have higher expectations of service and price savings – therefore, the "customer experience" can serve to differentiate and lead to greater brand loyalty. In Jim Sterne’s book Customer Service on the Internet: Building Relationships, Increasing Loyalty, and Staying Competitive, Stern opens with a sobering quote for anyone in the retail space: “If you have an unhappy customer on the Internet, he doesn’t tell his six friends, he tells his 6,000 friends.” Retailers are faced with a new reality—sharing poor experience stories has moved far beyond the dining room table. In fact, according to Sterne, “The Web opens up a new kind of conversation with customers, an automated conversation”. Today, we blog, tweet and in some cases record and share our experiences for all to relive and experience online. As a result, retailers large and small must be more self reflective to identify and solve problems -- put simply, ensure that consumers are treated well; because when they are not, they will tell you and others too!
At one time in the not so far distant past, when we needed help we called an 800 number and after listening to some classical music we then explained our story to someone on the other end of the phone in the hopes that our problem would be solved. The Internet introduced an interesting twist to this equation – it has created an opportunity to leverage information in a far more powerful and effective way to better serve customers – put another way, to anticipate their problem and solve it. As such, companies have expanded their information platforms to provide more helpful ways to serve customers and solve their problems. These new channels include, robust help sites which offer dynamic FAQs, online chat buttons placed on complicated Web pages, e-mail messaging capabilities embedded within smart phone and iPad Apps, and automated phone response units which use natural language commands.
While there's little question that these tools are very cool, they alone will not suffice. Companies must develop a cohesive customer service and information management strategy that calibrates and unifies these channels so that the customer experience across each channel remains seamless, the information each may share remains consistent, and that they each are positioned properly so as to bring forward those exceptions that would likely result in a poor customer experience -- proactively!
None of us like to walk away feeling that our issue went unheard or unresolved. When companies get this right not only do they solve our problems fast, but they also creating raving fans!
None of us like to walk away feeling that our issue went unheard or unresolved. When companies get this right not only do they solve our problems fast, but they also creating raving fans!
Reference:
Schoenfeld, R. (2010). Forrester Forecast: Online Retail Sales Will Grow To $250 Billion By 2014 http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/08/forrester-forecast-online-retail-sales-will-grow-to-250-billion-by-2014/#
Staff Twitterpated by Social Media? Here’s a thought…
“About a year ago, Kris Gallagher looked around at the exploding popularity of social networks like Facebook and Twitter and saw a trend growing among nonprofit organizations that used the sites. As more people jumped on the speeding bandwagon, friending and tweeting on behalf of their charities, they made mistakes, sometimes bringing uncomfortable exposure to themselves or their employers.”
To Begin
In this class we have looked at social media and the consequences, good or bad, that people experience when they comment about their jobs or employers online. While it is largely an unmanageable resource because of our rights to free speech, it is not a bad idea for companies to state how they think staff should represent themselves online in reference to the company.Acknowledge & Understand.
Company presence in social media has become quite popular with the social media boom. Creating and implementing a policy or at least company sanctioned guidelines is recommended by leaders in the nonprofit community, and seems applicable to many other industries as well. While it is worth the effort to create guidelines or policies you cannot expect to silence employees in regards to their employment when they are not on the clock. Think of it as managing gossip – it is virtually impossible to prevent but it is best to have a company opinion in place.Be kind, Rewind.
Asking bloggers to mind their manners is an acceptable approach. It is another person somewhere on the other end accepting your words, and it is best to approach with some amount of consideration to the others. If you are going to reference yourself to your company, it is best put your profession hat back on and think about what you say before you say it. It is ok to have an opinion and voice it, but it is not ok to attack others and belittle their opinions or work when your profession hat is perched before your speech.Remember the Titans.
Another issue to think of is disclosure. Should users in your company be required to disclose who they are in relation to the company if they are going to discuss company matters online? Doing so adds an element of personal responsibility as mentioned above, and may encourage a second look before posting anything. It is important to remember who you are and what you represent.Constant vigilance!
Social media, like the internet, is ever evolving. Creating a policy or guidelines today is fabulous, but it may not address new issues that arise tomorrow. Keeping a constant improvement committee on task will help to address new dilemmas with social media as the happen. While company leaders should certainly be involved, you may want to also have members on the committee that use the social media networks constantly – at work or at home. This way you have someone who is very familiar with the sites, their functions and drawbacks to keep policies relevant.In Conclusion
So it seems safe to say that companies need to lay some ground rules for their employees regarding social media use in relation to the company; give us an idea of what is acceptable, or not, so we can safeguard our jobs. Also, we are humans who all express ourselves differently, so give us a break. On the other side it only makes sense that outside of any guidelines given some common sense is needed on behalf of the employee. For goodness sakes, would you go to a bar where your bosses are, wear your uniform or name tag, sip a few drinks and proceed to trash talk the company or in any way wildly misrepresent them while munching on your nachos? Of course not. So why throw that common sense out the window and exhibit similar behaviors online and expect no consequences?References
Joslyn, Heather (2010). Social-Media Policies Can Help Charity Workers Navigate a New World. Chronicle of Philanthropy 22.5 Retrieved February 17, 2011 from EBSCOhost. Regis U. Library, Denver. Academic Onefile Database http://tinyurl.com/4s49j9f
Joslyn, Heather (2010). Social-Media Policies Can Help Charity Workers Navigate a New World. Chronicle of Philanthropy 22.5 Retrieved February 17, 2011 from EBSCOhost. Regis U. Library, Denver. Academic Onefile Database http://tinyurl.com/4s49j9f
Change of Thought
"Frugality and safety are in; bling and plastic are out.”
________________________________________
The recent economic downturn has certainly taken its toll on the American people. I have heard several heartbreaking stories of how people are losing their homes to foreclosure, unable to feed their families, and worst of all unable to find a job. How did we get here? We had to have everything…NOW!
Take a Look at Our Young
When your child wants something do you always give it to them? Perhaps the answer is yes, but is this really the best way for our children to learn how to act with regard to finances? Parents who will buy their children whatever they want no matter what the cost, causes children to think money is no object and debt is “normal”. However, this economy has caused parents to revaluate their ways and perhaps even share their financial struggles with their children.
Time to Re-Evaluate
A once very materialistic society has begun to reassess their priorities. Is it really better to have the best of everything at the expense of being up to your ears in debt? Not anymore! According to Tim Kasser, professor of psychology at Knox College, “This recession has been a financial near-death experience for many; it could lead to a lasting shift” (Kadlec, D., 2009). I hope this professor is right. It looks as though he just might be right on, because in early February Sandra Block with USA Today (2011) reported, “Credit card usage is slowing”. I think times are changing and Americans are finally moving in the right direction. It’s time for the American people to place importance on what really matters – Health, family, and being together.
References:
Block, Sandra. (2011, February 8). More consumers just say no to credit cards. USA Today Online. Retrieved February 18, 2011 from http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2010-02-08-creditcards08_CV_N.htm
Kadlec, D. (2009). How the crisis is changing you. Money, 38(5), 84-90. Retrieved February 10, 2011 from EBSCOhost. Regis U. Library, Denver. Business Source Complete database http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/detail?hid=14&sid=d3162e1f-2b4f-485d-923d-440ff7c80900%40sessionmgr15&vid=8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=37572040
________________________________________
The recent economic downturn has certainly taken its toll on the American people. I have heard several heartbreaking stories of how people are losing their homes to foreclosure, unable to feed their families, and worst of all unable to find a job. How did we get here? We had to have everything…NOW!
Take a Look at Our Young
When your child wants something do you always give it to them? Perhaps the answer is yes, but is this really the best way for our children to learn how to act with regard to finances? Parents who will buy their children whatever they want no matter what the cost, causes children to think money is no object and debt is “normal”. However, this economy has caused parents to revaluate their ways and perhaps even share their financial struggles with their children.
Time to Re-Evaluate
A once very materialistic society has begun to reassess their priorities. Is it really better to have the best of everything at the expense of being up to your ears in debt? Not anymore! According to Tim Kasser, professor of psychology at Knox College, “This recession has been a financial near-death experience for many; it could lead to a lasting shift” (Kadlec, D., 2009). I hope this professor is right. It looks as though he just might be right on, because in early February Sandra Block with USA Today (2011) reported, “Credit card usage is slowing”. I think times are changing and Americans are finally moving in the right direction. It’s time for the American people to place importance on what really matters – Health, family, and being together.
References:
Block, Sandra. (2011, February 8). More consumers just say no to credit cards. USA Today Online. Retrieved February 18, 2011 from http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2010-02-08-creditcards08_CV_N.htm
Kadlec, D. (2009). How the crisis is changing you. Money, 38(5), 84-90. Retrieved February 10, 2011 from EBSCOhost. Regis U. Library, Denver. Business Source Complete database http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/detail?hid=14&sid=d3162e1f-2b4f-485d-923d-440ff7c80900%40sessionmgr15&vid=8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=37572040
Education Reform: Is the Answer in the Blended School Option?
Learning is breaking out of the narrow boxes that it was trapped in during the 20th century; teachers' professionalism, reflection, and ingenuity are leading learning to places that genuinely excite this new generation of connected young school students - and their teachers too."
~Professor Stephen Heppell In 'Virtually There', Yorkshire and Humber Grid for Learning Foundation.
Across our nation, everyone is talking about the cost of health care and the need for reform. Discussions exist in the home, at work and in our legislative halls. However, where is the talk and the push for educational reform? Yes, there are a few news releases about our lagging educational accomplishments when compared to other countries, drop out rates and the philanthropic efforts of a few; however, is there any substantial movement to make a significant change on a large scale? Is education reform taking a back seat because citizens are under the impression education doesn’t cost? Every student does have the right to a free and appropriate education. The answer to our nation’s educational dilemma, which will cost us in the long run, may be in the option of blended schools. Blended schools are a combination of face to face and online learning provided by educators. The above quote is from the forward of Professor Heppell’s book Virtually There and is posted to the online education link for the East Grand County School District in Granby, Colorado. Children are not all alike, nor do they learn alike. Why then do we expect to teach them by one method and expect to experience any measure of success? In their research report entitled, “Class Connections: High School Reform and the Role of Online Learning”, Picciano and Seaman state, “The main finding was that blended environments combining face-to-face and online elements had better outcomes than purely face-to-face instruction or purely online instruction.” (2010) Perhaps blending the best of face to face with online programs is the different “input” which will provide an improved “output”.
How can Blended Schools help our students?
The youth of today learned their numbers and alphabet by utilizing educational technology. These young people are more tech smart than most of the adults who are guiding them into adulthood. How then can we expect them to endure the classroom designed decades ago? With the option of blended schools, students are provided an individualized education to meet individual needs, a means of credit recovery, advanced education where applicable and the ability to receive the best possible education regardless of the student’s geographically restrictions. Medical technology is providing the means for remote robotic surgery performed by the best surgeons regardless of geography. Why shouldn’t students be afforded the same opportunity when receiving an education? This evolutionary blended format brings together the best of both educational worlds and creates a greater flexibility in meeting the highly varied educational needs of students.
Are Blended Schools Appropriate for Every Student?
The goal of education should be to facilitate each student’s fulfillment of their individual potential. For some this is best served in an entirely face-to-face environment or an entirely on-line program. Online programs can be implemented within the boundaries of the physical school or the home setting. There are no limits to the possibilities when considering technology. However, in meeting the needs of all students, there does exist a need for the combined option. It is by providing all options that truly individualized learning plans can be developed in order to provide differentiated education based on need. Such an endeavor would require collaboration between the student, parent/guardian and the teacher. Some might argue this format would further reduce the quality of education; however, an argument could be made that such an option could provide a higher level of education to more students.
How many students are trapped between two worlds?
I have a daughter who attended a face to face school from kindergarten through the 5th grade. We discovered, through professional testing, that she is highly gifted with an IQ in the top 1-2%, ADHD and dyslexic. The traditional school setting was destroying her academically and emotionally. We enrolled her in an home based online educational program in the 5th grade and she is currently in the 10th. I fought daily to find an option other than a virtual education program; however, every fact-to-face school we tried failed. We were at risk of loosing our daughter and she was identified as “at risk”. She is now confident in her abilities and desires a different educational setting. She is a typical teenager and wants more socialization and educational interaction. She desires a combined program but we are struggling with local school districts. Our school district has yet to fully embrace this idea of blended schools; however, they acknowledge this would be an ideal fit our daughter and others. They have not developed a means of delivery this type of educational program. How many other students would benefit from blended schools? How many other students are choosing to drop out in the absence of an educational “fit”? How many bright minds are we turning away at the school house door? Isn’t it time to be creative when educating our youth of today in preparing them for the ever changing, highly technical world of the future? The blended school option has the potential to “add” to, not “take away” from, our educational system.
References:
East Grand County School District, Granby, Colorado. Retrieved February 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.egsd.org
Picciano, A. G. & Seaman, J. (August 2010) Class Connections: High School Reform and the Role of Online Learning. Babson Survey Research Group. Retrieved February 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://tinyurl.com/27gagek
Flying Car
I like to futuristic idea of a flying car, almost seems like Back To The Future. I think the creativity of the human race will make it possible one day for the scientist and car enthusiasts will make it happen. Maybe one of our kids will help design the car of even test drive it.
Thomas
Thomas
Are you ready for the New Flying Car? I’m not!
“The team at Terrafugia is about to fulfill the fantasy of every pilot: a consumer vehicle that can take to the highways and the skies. All they have to do is finish the first one” (Mone, 2008)
Why I don’t think we’re ready
A flying car? I’m not sure that we’re ready for that. My opinion: we need to become better drivers before taking to the sky. Car accidents currently cost society $22-40 billion annually (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010)! With staggering statistics like that, what could we expect if we become a flying society? What if someone cuts you off in mid-air? There aren’t any stop lights or signs up there, so who has the right of way? Not to mention technical malfunctions! Picture yourself “flying to work” and the wings decide to fold up on you. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture, does it? We saw what happened during the Toyata fiasco - and we were on the ground! While these examples are somewhat said tongue-in-cheek, the reality of the potential problem is sobering.
Another frightening fact is the FAA-instituted law that states that someone is only required to obtain 20 hours of flight training in order to receive the sport-pilot license (FAA, nd); necessary to fly the Transition (Mone, 2008). While many may look at this as a positive - enabling those who want to fly but don’t want to put in the standard 40 hours to become a private pilot - I think it’s scary! If I understand correctly, we’d like to enable people to start flying while only forcing them to train half of the time required for private pilots? Again, am I the only one who thinks that this is exactly opposite of what it should be?
The Background
Alright to be fair, the Transition isn’t really a “flying car”. The 27-year-old, MIT graduate and creator has differentiated his relatively new invention by the term, “roadable aircraft”. “What’s the difference?” you may ask. A flying car creates a visual of being stuck in traffic and suddenly taking flight to navigate home faster. However, this invention is supposedly intended to take the place of the common personal aircraft. But to argue the point for a moment, the Transition is both a fully capable car – working its way through the ridged confines of the NHTSA4 and EPA5 – and fully airplane – meeting almost all requirements established by the FAA6. Additionally, the small engineering team all sport bumper stickers reading “My next car will be an airplane”. So, pardon the confusion, but it seems as though there’s a lot of buzz being created around cars growing wings. Am I the only one taking a step back and asking, “huh”? Somehow, I doubt it.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I certainly do appreciate our human desire to better ourselves and continue evolving. I also realize that there’s always a starting point for emergent technologies and we wouldn’t be where we are today if there wasn’t a brave soul courageous enough to buck against the walls of technology and science. But has anyone really thought through the concept of flying cars; and I mean really thought through it?
What do you think?
Okay, okay, I believe I've adequately expressed my thoughts about my kids flying to school; but, I want to know what you think. Is this something exciting and fun, or is it something we should start losing sleep over? Post your comments and give your perspective.
References
Mone, G. (2008). Driving airplane: the flying car gets real. Popular Science, 273(4), 42. Retrieved on February 15, 2011 from EBSCOhost.
FAA (nd). Sport pilot. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved on February 10, 2011 from FAA website: http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/sport_pilot/
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (March 18, 2010).
Automobile Collision Data: An Assessment of Needs and Methods of Acquisition. In NHTSA. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Articles/EDR/PDF/Research/Automobile_Collision_Data--An_Assessment1.pdf
4 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
5 United States Environment Protection Agency
6 Federal Aviation Administration
Mone, G. (2008). Driving airplane: the flying car gets real. Popular Science, 273(4), 42. Retrieved on February 15, 2011 from EBSCOhost.
FAA (nd). Sport pilot. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved on February 10, 2011 from FAA website: http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/sport_pilot/
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (March 18, 2010).
Automobile Collision Data: An Assessment of Needs and Methods of Acquisition. In NHTSA. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Articles/EDR/PDF/Research/Automobile_Collision_Data--An_Assessment1.pdf
4 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
5 United States Environment Protection Agency
6 Federal Aviation Administration
Personalizing Virtual Teams
“…because high performance requires a high level of trust, members of work-oriented teams are required to build a trusting disposition toward other members quickly.” (Kuo & Yu, 2009, p. 824) For much of my career, I have had the pleasure of working in a virtual team. While there have been times that I would not have classified this opportunity as a pleasure, through the years, I have learned to adapt to this ever growing trend and attempt to personalize my virtual teams which has resulted in successful working relationships and even a few new friendships.
10-9 (say again)
I began my career as a dispatcher for a state law enforcement agency. This is was my first exposure to a virtual team. While I did have to go into the dispatcher center everyday to work and was therefore surrounded by other dispatchers, I still considered my environment virtual. This was because of the other voice on the radio. While those voices were not exactly virtual, the experience was the same in that I rarely got to meet that voice face to face therefore it was very similar to me as communicating through cyberspace because you cannot read facial expressions. It was several years into my career when I learned to value of becoming more personal with the officers that I dispatched for. I had the opportunity to go on a “ride along” with one of the officers. I remember sitting in the patrol car in the middle of winter late at night and watching him have to stand out in the freezing cold and blowing snow to investigate a motor vehicle accident. After the night was over, we went and had coffee. We chatted about work for a while and then the conversation turned to a more personal note. We talked mostly about our families and he showed me pictures of his wife and kids. The next time I had the opportunity to dispatch for that particular officer during a snowstorm, my patience level was 10 fold because I got to know him on a personal level and he was no longer just a voice with a call sign on the radio. I remember being very busy and multiple officers were calling at the same time and information needed to be repeated over and over because of the chaos caused by the snowstorm. I remember reflecting on the day once it was done and I remember that I was very annoyed with many of the officers because I had to keep repeating myself. Then I remember thinking that I was not at all bothered by the officer that I rode with a few days back. I came to the realization that once you can personalize a virtual team member, your trust level and patience level significantly increases – it’s hard to bad mouth someone once you’ve had coffee with them and seen pictures of their beautiful children. From that point on in my dispatching career, I made it a point to spend more time conversing on a personal level with the officers rather it by via telephone or if I went to their troop office for a visit. Over the next several years, my job got significantly easier and my stress level decreased significantly all because of being able to personalize the voice on the radio.
I’m the boss now
My next job after working as a dispatcher was as a Project Manager for a software development company, hence, I’m the boss now. Only in this career, my team is more virtual than my law enforcement team was because we all live in various parts of the country and most of our interaction is through email or conference calls. I no longer have the opportunity to drive down to their office to meet them like I did the officers. After a few very busy months, I started noticing some stress amongst my team members. There was some bickering and complaining across several of the departments. I did however, learn my lesson from my days as a dispatcher – it’s much harder to get angry or frustrated with someone once you can start to view them as a real person rather than just some random human sending you an email that you disagree with. I reflected on this and brainstormed on how I would rectify this situation. Luckily, every year my company hosts a user conference for our customers. While we usually spend the week entertaining our customers, I saw this as my golden opportunity to get all the teams together. The goal: DO NOT talk about work, just mingle with your co-workers and get to know them! Things were much improved after we all had a chance to meet face to face. Now, anytime there is a disagreement, we can learn to not take it so personally. I guess this is an odd lesson, personalize your co-workers in a virtual team so that you don’t take disagreements so personal! Kinda strange, I know, but, it really does work.
Can we be “friends?”
While we do take the opportunity to meet our virtual co-workers at company sponsored events, the reality is, they are only once a year and there are times that due to budget constraints, not everyone gets to go. With the ever increasing popularity of social networking sites, we all have the opportunity to put a face to the emails that we receive. I have made it a point to “friend” all of my co-workers on Facebook. I take the time to read their posts and look at their pictures and learn something interesting about them. It’s amazing how quickly you can defuse a hot temper or disagreement with someone on the phone when you say, “Hey, how was your grandson Charlie’s soccer game yesterday? Did his team win?” I have done this several times with many of my co-workers that I have never actually met and it works miracles! They recognize the fact that even though you are the boss and sometimes you have to tell them difficult things or sometimes even discipline them, they see that you are a person too and that you’ve taken the time to learn about them. So, in conclusion, virtual teams; they can be wonderful if you just take the time to build trust and personal relationships with one another. Of course every team, whether virtual or not, must go through Tuckman’s team building model of forming, storming, norming, performing, and mourning, (Staggers, Garcia, & Nagelhout, 2008, p. 477) building a solid foundation from the start through personalization can help you get to the performing phase quicker and with less stress and maybe even a few new friends.
References
Kuo, F. & Yu, C. (2009, July 1). An Exploratory Study of Trust Dynamics in Work-Oriented Virtual Teams [Journal]. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 823-854.
Staggers, J., Garcia, S., & Nagelhout, E. (2008). Teamwork through team builder: Face to face to online. Business Communication Quarterly, 472-487.
Social Networking and Privacy
Online privacy is about having having control over what information a company or individual puts on the Internet. The ubiquity of wireless networking is one case where dozens of intruders might be lurking in the neighbourhood and 'digital loopholes' can pave way to users losing privacy. Erosion of privacy also rides well on the trendy social media.
While the better side of social-media and web technologies make life happier and more fulfilling, users can be left stark bare when invasion of privacy takes place.
Unauthorised access or leakage of personal data on the web in recent times raise concerns of privacy in the digital world.
Some users of social networks might be very surprised at how their information is used to mint cash through advertisements. In essence, such web based business reduces the idea of online privacy into an illusion.
Through social media networks users can share thoughts on various life issues, connect with friends and have fun.
Myspace, facebook, tagged and linked in are examples of of virtual meeting locations where people go voluntarily and share information.
It is in these viral meeting forums where millions distribute personal information, photos, ideas and thoughts.
Globally a social network like facebook has over 500 million users. A substantial of the users utilize the social media network in daily life activities.
In Social-networks, social psychology drives many users to join their peers in sharing information. Some end up forgetting aspects of privacy and the risks associated with the information and pictures they upload on the web. We take risks whenever we put our private data in the hands of another person online.
Additionally when an individual uploads private information on a social networking website and unfortunately the networks default program let's strangers access such data, it implies that there is lack of control and hence lack of privacy.
Although there are privacy settings which many users ignore. The same thing also happens when a neighbour snoops on your wireless network or even when someone spies on your mobile phone.
Companies also loose privacy when their online confidential information is accessed by strangers or criminals.
If someone cares deeply about privacy, then the modern digital world would be a place to live with caution. Many Internet users however can not fore go the better side of of social media.
Perhaps the best privacy some people expect after quitting social networks is a complete shut down without a trace. The reality of this is that there are some social networking sites that can horde information for for long even after a users belief that it has been deleted.
Social networks might not be the only technologies harvesting information from users. Even mobile service providers can as well use their customers data for location based advertisements.
While the better side of social-media and web technologies make life happier and more fulfilling, users can be left stark bare when invasion of privacy takes place.
Unauthorised access or leakage of personal data on the web in recent times raise concerns of privacy in the digital world.
Some users of social networks might be very surprised at how their information is used to mint cash through advertisements. In essence, such web based business reduces the idea of online privacy into an illusion.
Through social media networks users can share thoughts on various life issues, connect with friends and have fun.
Myspace, facebook, tagged and linked in are examples of of virtual meeting locations where people go voluntarily and share information.
It is in these viral meeting forums where millions distribute personal information, photos, ideas and thoughts.
Globally a social network like facebook has over 500 million users. A substantial of the users utilize the social media network in daily life activities.
In Social-networks, social psychology drives many users to join their peers in sharing information. Some end up forgetting aspects of privacy and the risks associated with the information and pictures they upload on the web. We take risks whenever we put our private data in the hands of another person online.
Additionally when an individual uploads private information on a social networking website and unfortunately the networks default program let's strangers access such data, it implies that there is lack of control and hence lack of privacy.
Although there are privacy settings which many users ignore. The same thing also happens when a neighbour snoops on your wireless network or even when someone spies on your mobile phone.
Companies also loose privacy when their online confidential information is accessed by strangers or criminals.
If someone cares deeply about privacy, then the modern digital world would be a place to live with caution. Many Internet users however can not fore go the better side of of social media.
Perhaps the best privacy some people expect after quitting social networks is a complete shut down without a trace. The reality of this is that there are some social networking sites that can horde information for for long even after a users belief that it has been deleted.
Social networks might not be the only technologies harvesting information from users. Even mobile service providers can as well use their customers data for location based advertisements.
In the social media world, regulations and rules that require internet companies to put user data privacy upfront will negatively to their business and developments aligned with online advertisements which is the primary revenue generator for social media sites.
But, as a neccesary evil, they are meant to be streamlined to suite the challenges of the current digital world.
I therefore pose the following questions for discussion and dialogue:
1.) Do we spit venom on the evil ones for daring to actually collect and use our information on social media networks?
2.) Do we accept social media and the internet as a neccessary evil especially in this day and age where it is used to grow networks, market careers and promote products and services?
References:
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