A Look Back

Where have I gone this semester? It went faster than usual. I returned from Australia with only a 2 month summer which eliminated many opportunities for me. I came to AU feeling like a freshman all over again, because it all seemed new since I was gone so long. I found a house to live in for the year and didn't know what to expect living with three other people.

The search for a job began within a month or two. After seeing people celebrate their success, I decided it was my turn. In doing so, I stumbled upon what I believe I want to choose as my career path. I would like to be a technology consultant. I learned about it during a Deloitte Information session on campus one night.

I took what I learned in this course and applied it to my life. I created a linkedin profile to expand my network. I took advice from recruiters regarding interviews. I created a blog in the hopes of creating an online persona. All these tools are meant to help me and I intend to take advantage of them. With one semester left in college, I intend to make it my greatest.

Is IT In You?

Throughout the past few weeks, I feel even I have lost touch with the purpose of these social networks. The point is to connect people through similar interests. This can be done in many ways and through many venues. Some of the ones we have looked at focus on a personal gain, whereas social networks for the social good aim to help others. That is a crucial difference that makes linkedin look selfish compared to something like Razoo.com.

It is important that these "social good" networks are not for everyone. Similar to volunteer work, some people refuse to devote their time and talents for others. It serves as a constant reminder to me that there is truly something for everyone on the internet.

I do think this is an important aspect to our culture. We need to be more responsible and accountable for our actions. Since we are spending more and more time on the computer than ever before, it has become the place to get news and spread news. It is where people can come together from all over the world to communicate about a particular topic. There is no limits or boundaries, just endless possibilities. It's up to us to take advantage of that.

Our Contribution to the Internet

As more and more people are becoming comfortable with the internet, it is now the first place to seek information. Whether you are looking up a term on wikipedia or reading what john smith has to say about a topic, more than likely, you are reading "User Generated Content" or UGC. UGC is anything published by an individual on the internet. As Lisa Barone, in User Generated Content & Search, pointed out, UGC comes in many different forms, such as blogs, reviews, forums, media sharing, webpages, profiles, and news comments.

There are two obvious sides to this topic. On one hand, you have information from users just like you. More often then not, they are looking for similar services and quality in products. These other users will help you in your search for whatever you are looking for.

On the other hand, you don't know these people. There is this sense of trust that you instill in their information. I must say, we seem to trust other users more and more as we rely on these reviews and forums. Since they have become a first source for many, we sometimes forget or choose to forget that we don't know these people.

I admit, I'm one of those people who rely on UGC. Growing up using computers and internet, I never sought information from alternative means. It's important to be conscience and aware of what you're reading on the internet. Blogs are usually opinions as well as reviews. Remember, don't believe everything you hear, especially when you don't know the person who said it.

Who Needs a T.V. Anymore?

For starters, although I decided to go to American University, in Washington, DC, I am not into politics. Many people are surprised to hear that, which I understand. I never followed politics in high school and even here, I just pay my attention to the primary's. I came to AU for reasons other than its location, but that's another story.

The discussion this week is about how politics is taking over the internet. I am not surprised to see this happen. I view politics as a business, which has a budget and a workforce. They have strategies and game plans in which to campaign their candidates. Using the internet is simply another tool in which to do so. They are finding innovative ways to get their names out to the public and to display their views. From the Pickled Politics article, Sunny writes, "The supporters understand politicians need them to sustain their campaign, so they donate money and volunteer their services after watching targeted messages."

The other issue addresses the fact that people, usually young adults, are using the internet to spread a message and create a plan of action. In ABC's, "Person of the Week: Ana Slavin and Nick Anderson", Charles Gibson talks about how these two teenagers raised money for Darfur through web 'friends'. This is very similar to politicians trying to gain an edge in today's world. More and more people are connecting to the internet, and teenagers realize that. I am in fact very proud of what they did and commend their actions. It just goes to show how powerful the internet can be.

Accept My Invitation...Now Hire Me

As a senior in in college, I am currently looking for a job post graduation. I have taken the usual approaches, such as checking in with the career center on campus, attending job fairs, and asking friends if there are an available positions where they are now. The newest method is over the internet on Linkedin. You create a profile fill it with all of your information, such as past experience, age, expertise, and your contacts. For example, in the article, Workforce Management "Using Social Networking to Fill the Talent Acquisition Pipeline " "Crawford Hentz recently sourced six of the seven finalist candidates for a senior-level position from LinkedIn."

I recently signed up for Linkedin and initially wasn't impressed. I was expecting something like facebook, whereas this is much different. It serves a different purpose and attracts a different audience. I now believe that it benefits both parties, the employer and potential employee. The employer gets another avenue to research its candidates and the potential employee further gets his/her name out to the public. It's simply another resource for everyone to share and I urge someone to show me the downside to this. I feel the advantages outweigh the negatives by a landslide.

It's like Facebook, but for Business

Professional networking is nothing new. I personally have always been told, "it's not what you know, its who you know." I agree with that too. I've had too many experiences and heard too many stories of people getting their friends a job or internship. Personal references can make or break an employers decision and if you know someone in the company then you have an edge at getting the position. With that said, I have recently joined linkedin, one of the popular professional networks.

Though I see many similarities to Facebook and other social network sites, I had the same question as John Tinker, a research analyst at ThinkEquity Partners. He said on ABC's "Will the Web Replace the Business Lunch?", "The question I'd have is how often do people go on and use it. If it's just once to set up their account, then they're not that attractive." I feel unless the web designers can develop a way to get people to consistently visit these professional network, they may fade and be forgotten. Facebook users will admit that it has become part of their daily routine to check their updates (if not daily, very often). Since it is different than social networks, they should consider adding tools on them, such as collaboration functions for teams, a medium to talk via internet, or something else that would be approved by managers to allow their employees to use it.

Making Money From Your Couch

As the world gets smaller and smaller, we are finding ourselves in a globalized economy. This requires an integration between different countries, some that are halfway around the world. In the past, one would be required to fly there and conduct business as a representative with minimal communication from their home office. Today is much different. Now, one doesn't even need to leave his/her own bedroom. Well, that may be an exaggeration, because you'd probably have to be in your office, but you see where I'm going with this.

New technology allows you to set up web cams and video conference calls. This is advantageous, because you can physically see who you are talking to. Google has google docs which is useful for me at the moment. I am in NY and need to work on our group assignment from here. We have set up google docs where each member can modify the paper online at their own leisure. Gerrit Visser in "Coworking is (also) : Working Together Online", would call this "coworking" because most of its success came outside from scheduled meetings and informally.

I believe virtual teams can be as productive as those that meet in person. It all depends on the group members. They need to be self motivated, independent, and punctual in regards to deadlines. They all must share similar interests in getting something done, according to Gerrit Visser. "Lastly, in Working Together...When Apart", by Lynda Gratton, at least some of the team members must know each other. Familiarity helps facilitate building networks among members. With these characteristics in place, one can be in an effective virtual team. Hey maybe we should use Second Life...