See ya later, alligator!

Corniest title ever, I know...but as soon as I finish this post I am done with BUAD 477 forever! Not that I won't miss blogging, I'm just super excited to say another class is done and over with. Now I just have 441 and 479 to tackle before graduation.

This is another blog on our classwork, and it took me awhile to come up with something I could speak about but I decided to relate on the concept of social media, which we learned during the second half of the semester and which was heavily represented on the final.

An example of social media are social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, both of which I have accounts. However, I thought my more recent experience was more interesting as it relates to graduation. I will be graduating this May and have yet to find a roommate. No one seemed to be staying in the general area, and my training store is on 202 in Wilmington. What to do? Well, while poking around rent.com looking for one bedrooms that were relatively affordable (um...there are none) I came across their social networking option which allows you to create a profile in order to look for a roommate. You can add your picture, what you're looking for in a roomie, your preferred locations, and an about me section. The site also gives you the ability to search for, and message, other people who are also searching for roomies. I've been receiving numerous messages on the site, but always from people who want to live in West Chester. However, today, I was excited to find a message from a recent WC graduate who also wants/needs to live in the Wilmington, DE area. She seems really nice and we're both very much in the same boat. New jobs, new home, not a whole lot of money, and we both want roommates who are comfortable with the fact that our boyfriends will be visiting. She's going to look at places tomorrow and hopefully we'll meet up next week to work things out. Another social media success!

TBL Edit Evaluation

My edit on the Triple Bottom Line was my most corrected entry. While I often tried to make contributions, they were frequently shot down or altered entirely by other users. For example, I made a large edit in regards to this article by Michael Sauvante and the three variables on TBL. Despite that I got the information from a valid source, my entire change was reverted back and in the description the other user wrote that Sauvante was not the source of these ideas. Considering the apparent controversy with the origin of ideas, I decided to let that addition lay to rest.

The changes I made that stayed were:

Adding TBL to the aka section in the introduction, describing who first defined sustainability as a term, how the concept of TBL creates responsible to the 'stakeholder' rather than the shareholder, renaming people 'human capital' and planet 'natural capital', and adding an argument against the concept which describes how TBL is difficult in application.

Last TBL Edit

Just completed my last edit on TBL and my last Wikipedia edit EVER! Well, unless I should feel so inclined to do it on my own time.

This time I just went through and made some edits in regards to grammar and spelling. A lot of the sentences in the entry were long-winded and in desperate need of commas. Also some word were spelled, not incorrectly but, inconsistent with the rest of the article. For example - 'favourite', 'labour', and 'organisations'. While these are not wrong, I felt it was necessary to change them so that the entire entry matched up with one consistent spelling of each word.

Once More, With Gusto!

I've been slacking on my posts in regards to our classwork. Sitting here I think one this we've covered fairly extensive is SEO. It's interesting because despite the time we've devoted to the topic, I'm not sure I actually 'get' it. Even when Alex's friend, Bill, from SEO by the Sea, I was still confused as to how it truly works.

To look it up, I went to our good friend Wikipedia to see what users had to say about SEO, but it didn't add much to what I already know about what influences page ranking. However, I did learn some new terms related to SEO that had not been touched on in class - the concepts of 'white hat' and 'black hat' methods.

A SEO method is considered 'white hat' if it conforms to the guidelines of a search engine and involves no deception. It seeks to ensure that the content a search engine indexes and ranks is the same content that the end user will see.

'Black hat' methods are consequently ones which are disapproved by search engines. The most typical offense related to 'black hat' methods is when a page sends the user to a page different from the one that the search engine ranked.

Another Post...Oh My

Sitting in the library about to study and I figured I'd evaluate my Wüsthof entry before I move on to 382.

Their company website is lacking in a lot of information so these edits were of particular difficulty. However, I was able to add the system of processes that each of their knives undergoes in the manufacturing process. I also added that the company provides a line for Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary school, which had not been mentioned yet. I was also able to provide that the company is the official partner of the German Chef's Association, and the means through which they distribute their knives. I had added information about their well-known guarantee but another user reverted it back to my previous version, perhaps because it seemed like I was promoting the company in mentioning it. While I was unable to add as much content as I did with other entries, I think I did make a fair contribution considering the limited information available about the company.

Computer, Ads, and Procrastination

Today I was searching far and wide for something to add to any of my classmate's blogs. Since most of us have been so bogged down with Wikipedia, I decided to choose one of Mike's updates from a little while back. Patrick had also commented on this post by Mike but I still had more to add. Mike's post was about local new stations and their use of websites, which provides more effective advertising.

My main contribution was the fact that these networks have also begun to do the same for their television series. Major networks such as NBC, ABC, and FOX are now permitting you to view their shows on the internet for no cost. This gives people the ability to catch up on the episodes they miss, if necessary, but also for people to gain an interest in the series online. I never turn on my television. Quite possibly the last time I watched TV on my own set was about a year ago. However, this online option is my new best friend, and suddenly I've become a watcher of Dancing with the Stars (don't judge), Drive, Ugly Betty, Lost, and several more. I can watch them on my own time, and with the mini player option, I can watch them while writing papers for class (or my blog post). Also, with each episode, the website randomly generates a sponsor for each commerical break.

During this break the player is at a pre-set volume so that you can not tune the advertising out. Also, many companies have been creating interactive advertisements so that you are involved with the ad. For example, Fidelity Investments 'can make your life easier'. Their online ad for these network shows is a series of ridiculously easy puzzles and questions that you can play with. I can connect the dots (only 2 dots), find the word EASY in a word find of x's, pick my favorite color, etc. Another company, an insurance company, provides a scene and asks you to find the 13 bad omens. They are fun, interactive, and most importantly, unavoidable (you cannot continue the show without passing the ad).

So, if you need a study break, go enjoy some shows (and ads!). My personal favorite: ABC.

Employers' Google Search

I feel like many people underestimate how powerful Google actually is. Even for people who have never been on the internet themselves, it is quite possible that Google will affect their lives for better or worse. I just read this article linked from John Battelle's blog. I think it is particularly relevant because many of us in the course will be entering our first real full-time jobs. It also emphasizes the importance of doing a Google vanity search before you apply to these jobs.

The article discusses a ruling in which it was decided that Google background checks are okay. The ruling essentially states that employers can complete their background search on potential, and current employees, via the internet. Since a search does not require communication between parties, it is a valid means for obtaining information on something previously done by said employee. As discussed previously, even if one were to have that internet material removed, Google's cache option would still allow the employer to look at any previous pages.

The best solution? Keep your nose clean, kid.

BNL Edit Evaluation

The next Wikipedia edit I thought I'd evaluate is my BNL entry. Initially, a lot of the information I had wanted to add was already there. I really had to navigate their website in order to come up with other things worth mentioning. Since I am from Long Island and have been on their tour numerous times, I was able to add some information unknown to most others, such as:

• That the lab has its own zip code along with its own police station and fire station! Also, since this acknowledges how large the lab is, I looked up how big the site is, 5,265 acres!


• I also knew a lot about the summer program so I added to that section. I wrote during what time the programs take place and what they include.


• Being somewhat of a dork in HS, I would sometimes help out with the Robotics club. Because of this, I knew that the lab was deeply committed to supporting education on LI and was able to look up to what extent.


• I also noted that the lab is currently the 5th largest high-tech employer on the LI.

In addition, I also added what other facilities the lab is partnering with as well as how the lab, being government-owned, is funded for its activities. I think my added contribution was great in that it included a lot of important issues and facts that had not yet been addressed in the entry.

TCP Edit Evaluation

I decided to analyze my progress with The Children's Place Wikipedia edit first, since it is the one I am most proud of. Originally an entry for TCP did not exist! Creating my own entry was initially difficult because I had to get acquainted with all the Wikipedia standards. For example, I had an problem in the beginning learning how add the footnotes/references section. With some navigating on the website, I was able to figure it out.

I have added almost all the information currently on the entry, with little in the way of correction from other members. I'm not entirely sure if that's because it's all good, or because people have no interest in the article. I think my favorite parts are the company information box, which I figured out how to do by looking at another company's entry, and also the picture. They add key facts and visuals that help represent the company.

Lastly, I think the coolest thing about this particular entry is that when you search 'The Children's Place' on Google, it is the #11 search result, up from #15 when I last mentioned it!

Last Wüsthof Edit

Also just wrapped up my last Wüsthof edit on Wikipedia. I added:

"Each Wüsthof product comes with the Wüsthof Warranty which is a lifetime guarantee in regards to the quality of their product, covering material and manufacturing defects. Cutlery by Wüsthof is manufactured with the highest quality standards, which exceed the required DIN (German standard) and EN (European standard), alike."

Last BNL Edit

Today I made my last edit to the BNL website. I added information about the two main facilities that BNL currently sponsors outside of their own facilities, ATLAS and SNS.

Wikipedia Edit

Made another edit to the Wüsthof site. This time I added that they are the official partner of the German's Chef Association, that they make a line for the culinary college Le Cordon Bleu, and also how they distribute their products.

Last TCP Edit

Today I made my last edit to The Children's Place Wikipedia entry. I added a couple of things about competition and how the company anticipates to remain competitive as of their 2005 annual report. Unfortunately some of the information I would like to put in is not as up-to-date as I'd like, as the company was late to file for 2006. All-in-all, happy with the turn out but I'll evaluate that as a whole in a later entry.

Enjoy the beautiful weather! (finally)

Also, I just realized my entry is the #15 search return on Google for The Children's Place. Pretty cool!

Wüsthof Dreizackwerk

I just did a new Wikipedia blog, this time on a company I researched for a class last year. Wüsthof Dreizackwerk is a producer of high-quality knives for professional and household use. I added some information about how the knives are made, what their major competitors are, and who the current owner of the company is.

ATL

The title has nothing to do with this post, but rather the fact that I am posting from ATL, Ga! I am currently here for a 3rd step interview. I do have some down time though, so I figured it would be a good time to devote to 477.

I just finished reading a post on Slashdot entitled 'Research points the finger at PowerPoint'. Basically the article suggests that it is more difficult to process information if it given to you in the written and spoken form at the same time. While it is effective to speak to a diagram or chart because that exhibit displays something you cannot explain in words, it is not effective to both hear and see the same words. Essentially there are limits on the individual's brain in processing and retaining information in your short-term memory.

One's working memory can only handle about two to three tasks at once. Past this point, mental tasks are lost and forgotten. In our own daily lives, I think, we can see the decline of effectiveness for PowerPoint as we sit in class struggling to read, hear, and write simultaneously. Throw in some problem-solving, and we have already exceeded the limit that provides for an atmosphere of learning and development. I, for one, love PowerPoint and it's possible death alarms me. In keeping PP as a useful business and classroom tool, we should be well-advised to use it when it is needed, and to refrain from doing so when it is not. Charts, pictures, figures, etc. may sit on the screen, but save what you want to say word-for-word for your index cards.

Also don't forget to check out the site for Stiuqxela.

Stiuqxela

I published my post about stiuqxela in haste the other day before class, but I should probably explain what the term stiuqxela refers to. Stiuqxela is a fictional term that we devised in class that links to the site of the Green Bay Packers. It is part of our experiment for our 477 class, as we will be having a contest for the #1 site for stiuqxela.

Wikipedia Edit

Yea, it's me again. Third time today. Must get some things out of the way since I'll be out of town later in the week for interviews. Yay real life?

Anywho, I just finished another Wikipedia edit. This time I did some more work on my BNL article. I added some things such as how the lab is funded, how it contributes to education, and how it strives to be dedicated to the community in which it lives. I also noted that it is the 5th largest high-tech employer on Long Island. I think my next edit will focus on compartmentalizing what other people have written into more distinguishable subheadings.

Midterm Assessment

I must admit, I was a bit taken aback by the midterm exam before break. I was not much of a fan of all those ‘except’ questions and many of the questions shocked me. I feel like some key questions were left out that I really expected to be, and thought should be, there.

These, in particular, were questions:

• about The Long Tail
  
• relating more directly to the W3C
  
• about the concept the last mile
  
• about the concept of cybersquatting
  
• about the internet and how it affected certain businesses (travel, retail, etc.)
  
• about the traditional communication model in contrast to the www communication model
  
• more directly taken from the books and what we had discussed about them in class

All-in-all, I wound up doing pretty well, but that was in largely due to the fact that I’ve been keeping this blog up-to-date. We’ll see how my actual performance fairs for the next test.

Experiment

stiuqxela

Hooray for Being Up-to-Date

Today I made my last Wikipedia edit due before Spring break! Even though I'll be working for all of it, it'll be lovely to have a little break from school.

I just made another edit to my entry on the Triple Bottom Line. This time I had a lot to say. I took almost all the information from an article I have from my BUAD472 class last semester. This time I added something really important that I found missing...a detailed description of each of the bottom lines. I added what they included and also gave a brief overview of what each of those mean for a business. I also did some cleaning up in the definition section.