Having a professional website can give you a leg up on the competition when it comes to job searching. Your website gives you the chance to say what your resume can't. It allows you to give your resume a personal touch and employeers the opportunity to get to know you a little better before they decide whether or not to grant you an interview. Making a webiste is easier than I thought thanks to Google Sites. I now have my very own website to impress potential employeers with.
I receieve emails on a regular basis from my college about internship and job opportunities. Having a professional web presence has made it easy to submit my resume and personal statement to these prospective employeers. I am already using my website as a reference when applying for internships. It's nice because I can showcase the work I've done in the PR sector with all of my involvement activities on campus. The places I apply to can actual see the experience I've had and the work I've done.
Circepad is an awesome site that allows you to set up and design your own website for free. It has many templates to choose from and prides itself the intuitive way it works. It is not technical which makes it a great resource for people like me with very little technical experience or intuition. Below is a quick clip on how to get started with Circlepad.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Open Source Software
Until this week's lesson, I was completely unaware that open source software existed outside of Google Docs. Open source software is cool becuase anyone can access it for for FREE. Yep, it's free. This is somewhat frustrating for me becuase I purchased Microsoft Office at the beginning of this semester, and even with my student doscount it cost $120. Couldn't we have had this lesson first? It also allows a kind of collaborative effort by users in adjusting the software to improve it.
I have considered working in the non-profit sector of Public Relations. If I do, I would definitely suggest using open source software because non-profits usually operate on a tight budget. It would be an easy and effective way to cut back on costs - in any business for that matter. Open source software offers free use of a lot of software services that I use like publishing documents, spreadsheets, and slide shows.
My outside source this week is this website which is about the Open Source Initiative (OSI.) The OSI mission is to educate people about open source and to bring together people in the open source community. They try to maintain the transparency of open source software, and they act as a standards body in an effort to sustain trust in the open source community. OSI states on their website that "The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in."
I have considered working in the non-profit sector of Public Relations. If I do, I would definitely suggest using open source software because non-profits usually operate on a tight budget. It would be an easy and effective way to cut back on costs - in any business for that matter. Open source software offers free use of a lot of software services that I use like publishing documents, spreadsheets, and slide shows.
My outside source this week is this website which is about the Open Source Initiative (OSI.) The OSI mission is to educate people about open source and to bring together people in the open source community. They try to maintain the transparency of open source software, and they act as a standards body in an effort to sustain trust in the open source community. OSI states on their website that "The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in."
Gaming
I have never been one for video games, and before EME class I had never heard of Second Life. What I learned is that it is a 3-D virtual world which allows people to do pretty much anything they can do in real life with an avatar character from the comfort of their homes. Second Life is open to and created by the public. Gamers can meet and interact with other "residents" and explore popular destinations around the world such as the Eiffel Tower. After learning about virtual gaming I have come to the conclusion that I still prefer interacting with the real world and actually humanly experiencing life. Nonetheless, I see the benefit of its use in teaching as well as in the business world.
How virtual gaming can be used in PR is pretty evident: I would create an "island" for my client or company so that gamers could have a positive experience in the virtual world which would hopefully encourage them to do business with my client in the real world. I was also intrigued with the possibilities virtual games pose for politics since I am a political science minor. The "Howard Dean for Iowa" game was especially interesting. It would be a great tool to use to appeal to the younger members of a constituency.
When I was a little girl, my sister and I played "House" all the time. We each had three or four baby dolls that we could dress, pretend to feed, push in a stroller, and put down for a nap. Today, baby dolls are still being sold, but there is also another option. SimBaby. SimBaby is a virtual baby that you can design to your liking, feed, buy him/her clothes, take to the park, and have compete in cutie contests in a virtual world online. When I was 5 years old I didn't know how to type on a computer, let alone design my own baby in a virtual world. Quite obviously times are changing. As I learned through my outside source this week, even youngsters can live in a virtual world.
How virtual gaming can be used in PR is pretty evident: I would create an "island" for my client or company so that gamers could have a positive experience in the virtual world which would hopefully encourage them to do business with my client in the real world. I was also intrigued with the possibilities virtual games pose for politics since I am a political science minor. The "Howard Dean for Iowa" game was especially interesting. It would be a great tool to use to appeal to the younger members of a constituency.
When I was a little girl, my sister and I played "House" all the time. We each had three or four baby dolls that we could dress, pretend to feed, push in a stroller, and put down for a nap. Today, baby dolls are still being sold, but there is also another option. SimBaby. SimBaby is a virtual baby that you can design to your liking, feed, buy him/her clothes, take to the park, and have compete in cutie contests in a virtual world online. When I was 5 years old I didn't know how to type on a computer, let alone design my own baby in a virtual world. Quite obviously times are changing. As I learned through my outside source this week, even youngsters can live in a virtual world.
Distance Education
After viewing the presentation on distance education the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that it began in the 1700's. It never occurred to me that people could utilize snail mail as a means of distance learning. I was proud to learn that the University of London started distance education because I studied there this past summer. Distance education is described as learning that takes place when the student and instructor are separated by time or space. So that means that our EME class has participated in distance learning this semester, especially while Ms. Merryman was abroad. The number one advantage to distance education is that students can work at their own pace, but this advantage is actually a double-edged sword. Students can easily fall behind if they are not extremely self-motivated. So it's great for people with strict work schedules for example, but to keep up they have to keep themselves accountable. I do like the idea of having monthly phone calls like the Florida Virtual School to help keep students on task. I also think it's great that teachers make themeselves so readily available throughout the week.
Many of my PR professors use blended distance learning. We, the students, submit online assignments in conjunction with our weekly class meetings. My teachers also use the e-learning website to update grades. So it is very applicable to my major. As for professional distance learning use in PR, companies could offer their employees free access to distance learning courses pertaining to their line of business. It could be an excellent resource for companies to utilize to enhance their employees' knowledge.
My outside source for this week is this youtube video. It makes light of all that a distance education atnosphere has to offer as opposed to a physical classroom atmosphere. It made me laugh and made DE seem extremely attractive. This particular video is about distance education opportunities in Australia. Distance learning really is happening all over the globe!
Many of my PR professors use blended distance learning. We, the students, submit online assignments in conjunction with our weekly class meetings. My teachers also use the e-learning website to update grades. So it is very applicable to my major. As for professional distance learning use in PR, companies could offer their employees free access to distance learning courses pertaining to their line of business. It could be an excellent resource for companies to utilize to enhance their employees' knowledge.
My outside source for this week is this youtube video. It makes light of all that a distance education atnosphere has to offer as opposed to a physical classroom atmosphere. It made me laugh and made DE seem extremely attractive. This particular video is about distance education opportunities in Australia. Distance learning really is happening all over the globe!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
"Southern Bride"... My very own podcast!
Using sound is a dynamic way to add a little something extra to any presentation. PR firms are constantly pitching stories, ideas, and presentations so I could definitely use sound and podcasts. Podcasts are a great way to keep clients and consumers in the loop about what is going on in the company.
Click here to listen to my podcast called "Southern Bride."
Click here to listen to my podcast called "Southern Bride."
Digital Story Telling
Digital story telling is very effective tool for PR. For example, if I did PR for a real estate company, I would put together a digital story of all of our past projects to show prospective clients of the real estate company. It would also be great to have playing on repeat on projector screens at conferences and banquets.
The following is a digital story of my study abroad adventures form this past summer, enjoy!
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
The following is a digital story of my study abroad adventures form this past summer, enjoy!
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
Podcasting
This week we learned about podcasting and the benefits of using them in an academic setting. I thought it was really neat that Duke University used them in their courses. It would be great to have that here at UF in case you missed a class becuase you were sick or something. We could also use them during exam preparation in case we want to revisit material while studying. One Duke student even listened to lectures while working out and running errands.
Subscribing to podcasts is easy, and a lot of them are free! You just need a computer with internet access and podcatcher software. Then subscribe to podcasts of your choice, and the podcast will automatically download to your computer. We also learned how to create a podcast which was fun and interesting. (Click here for a list of podcasts.)
I could use podcasts in PR as part of a campaign. For example, if AT&T was my client I would presubscribe all AT&T smart phones to a podcast that would keep AT&T consumers up to date on the latest AT&T company news and new products. I could also use this tactic with computer companies such as Dell, and presubscribe all Dell laptops and desktops to a Dell podcast.
This article on podcasting advises companies on how they can decide if podcasting would be an effective marketing tactic. The companies who stand the most to gain from podcasting are those with audiences who are younger and somewhat technology savvy according to the research referenced in the article. Another interesting bit of information that the research revealed was that a majority of podcast subscribers are affluent. Podcasting is a cost-effective way of marketing that many companies should consider.
Subscribing to podcasts is easy, and a lot of them are free! You just need a computer with internet access and podcatcher software. Then subscribe to podcasts of your choice, and the podcast will automatically download to your computer. We also learned how to create a podcast which was fun and interesting. (Click here for a list of podcasts.)
I could use podcasts in PR as part of a campaign. For example, if AT&T was my client I would presubscribe all AT&T smart phones to a podcast that would keep AT&T consumers up to date on the latest AT&T company news and new products. I could also use this tactic with computer companies such as Dell, and presubscribe all Dell laptops and desktops to a Dell podcast.
This article on podcasting advises companies on how they can decide if podcasting would be an effective marketing tactic. The companies who stand the most to gain from podcasting are those with audiences who are younger and somewhat technology savvy according to the research referenced in the article. Another interesting bit of information that the research revealed was that a majority of podcast subscribers are affluent. Podcasting is a cost-effective way of marketing that many companies should consider.
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