The Conclusion

To be honest, I was not sure what this class was going to offer, or what we would be learning. I chose it because I had Professor Melander for ITECH 200, and learned a great deal that I will take with me for the rest of my life. As it turns out, this class has done the same. Before coming into class, I barely knew what a blog was, and thought social networking only consisted of Facebook and MySpace. Many of the tools that i have learned in this class, i will use and remember for the rest of my life and am extremely thankful for that.

I believe that the skills i have learned in ITECH 200 and 333, will definately prove to be useful as I move into the real world and search for a job/career/life.:)
Thanks for reading!

Social Networking Evolution

In the past, AOL was the only social networking site, charging a monthly access fee for their email, IM, and internet services. Competition was virtually non-existant which made AOL a little too comfortable in the industry. As competition became more threatning, not charging for their email and internet services and computers having internet explorer or safari already installed, AOL could not keep up and had to make their services free.

Google and Yahoo became the leaders in this new era and have been trying to compete with one another for a number of years. The introduction of My Yahoo and iGoogle along with IM features on these sites allows users to maintain social networking without having to go on different pages or sign onto different accounts - which is a huge advantage and extremely convenient for users. The only problem with this is for Google and Yahoo. They do not charge for their features which makes it hard for them to turn a profit. Advertising is the only way for these sites to make money- but with 4 out of 10,000 users only clicking on the ads, it is not the best way for companies to advertise their products, so i wouldnt be suprised if they choose to put their funds towards other means. It will be interesting to see where the next generation of social networking will pop up.

Multi-tasking in the workplace

Cell phones, blackberrys, laptops, IPODS, have all become such a huge part of our generations everyday lives. The only problem is, that older generations who are not as techonolgically savvy do not understand it.

Last week i went to a pannel of marketing professionals who spoke about thier careers, how they got started- what they are looking for when hiring potential employees, etc. At the end of the pannel, the floor was open for questions and someone asked what is a huge turnoff of colleagues who are just entering the workforce. All three of them agreed on two responses; One being the unwillingness for employees to "pay their dues" in other words do whatever needs to be done- taking a low paying job to learn about the industry...They said that too many college students think they are going to get out of college and become CEO's - its just not going to happen. Secondly they explained how our generation are always on our phones, checking email or surfing the web - In meetings, at their desk when work should be getting done, this subject got them pretty heated.

This is something that comes second nature for us, we are used to doing 100 different tasks at once and getting it all done on time. For other generations who did not grow up with these technologies, so it is not as embedded in their lifestyles, it may be a little unhabitual. I thought it was really interesting to hear this from potential employeers, and although we are not trying to be rude or disrespectful at times, it may come off that way to others.

Facebook and Politics...A good mix?

Facebook has transformed how young people interact with politics tremendously. A person may post their political views on their personal page, stating whether they are liberal or conservative, who they are voting for, the reasons as to why and even has become a medium for many debate groups. The site also allows videos to be posted of the different candidates from recent debates or addresses to the public. I believe that this will get more the younger generations to be more aware as to what is going on in the political world, and what each candidate stands for. Although the whole population is not on facebook, i think that candidates will definately look to facebook to see how their fans/foes are feeling about their position and will be able to see how they fair in comparison to competition.

Just last year before facebook became a political powerhouse, one of my friends who was doing and internship down here at the white house posted his views, which to me at the time seemed a little odd, not knowing that it would become so popular. This afternoon i signed onto facebook, where they asked me to add the US Politics application to my profile. Personally, i do not have and will not post my political views on my personal page because it is a sensitive subject for many people and I was always told not to talk about politics with friends; After all, facebook is a site to remain connected with friends, isn't it?

Below is an example of the questions you may answer and post on your personal page on facebook...
Take a Stand against Political Issues
2008 Presidential Candidates:
Abortion:
Capital Punishment:
Censorship:
Cuba:
Curent Administration (Bush/Cheney):
Current Congress:
Electoral College:
Flag Burning:
Gay Rights:
Global Warming:
Gun Control:
Healthcare:
Illegal Immigration:
Marijuana Legalization:
Minimum Wage:
Outsourcing:
Right to Die:
School Prayer:
Separation of Church and State:
Social Security:
Stem Cell Research:
Taxes:
United Nations:
War in Iraq:
Welfare:
Wiretapping: