Saturday, December 12, 2009

Twoddler

To wrap up my time in Com 435 I presented an emerging technology called Twoddler -- Twitter for toddlers.

Makes perfect sense right?

The idea is a tricked out fisher price activity center. When the toddler plays with the activity center his or her actions are streamed to an online twitter account that is updated with their activities. (Check out an article and video demonstration here.) It is an interesting concept in theory, but in reality you end up getting pointless updates from a 2 year-old that says things like "brian is excited to play with music." Even still to think about how far technology has come, and how social medias (such as Twitter) are being integrated into our everyday lives.

I actually have enjoyed my Twitter account and will continue to keep it even after this class is over. I can honestly see how for business, Twitter is a great way to pass along concise information quickly. For example, it is the perfect type of media for Newspapers and New stations to quickly get out breaking news. Also for companies, its a great way to keep employees in constant communication. Personal use was a little questionable to me, but I believe that every human has a desire to share their thoughts and feelings ... which is why updating status on Facebook and maintaining a Twitter account are so popular. I am okay indulging ever so slightly in this type of frenzy. It is quite satisfying knowing that somebody else is aware that morning traffic was bad today on I-65. Also, it was a really unique was to share information about other people's posters. I actually enjoyed reading the other comments and it was very neat to see how fast the information updates.

Technology has come SUCH a long way and it is very interesting to see where it will end up taking us over the next 100+ years!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Waiting Game ...

... And the games continue. I was contacted by ExactTarget and notified that they would not be able to let us know their decision until sometime early this week.

What really qualifies as "early?" Because I'm fairly certain that at 5pm on Tuesday the "early" part of the week has officially passed, and we are moving towards the middle.

So now the waiting game continues on. I have all my plans (A & B) figured out, but now I may have realized that I really want Plan B to be Plan A. Maybe I really don't want to take this job after all? And I am currently stuck in this time continuum, unable to advance any further until I know the decision of the company.

Welcome to the real world I guess.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Social Media Research

The past few weeks I have been doing quite a bit of research on social media. I know I have mentioned the use of social media a few different times in my blog, and currently I am doing a project for a class where I will present the idea to hire me as a social media coordinator. Overall I am intrigued at the idea of being paid to coordinate the various types of social media that are utilized on the web today -- from Facebook to twitter to YouTube. Knowing how to effectively use these concepts can really impact the way your company or organization is viewed in the cyber world.

I found a few studies that have been done on the effects of social media. One study found that 34% of people associate more positively with a organization that effectively utilizes social media. Another study found that 18%-20% of young adults 18-34 use social media, so from a company's stand point it is an excellent way to pull in the younger demographic. I found a report by Universal McCann that analyzes the use of social media. If you are interested I strongly suggest checking it out, they have found some very interesting research. Also the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that social media has had a positive trend in Fortune 500 companies from 2007 to 2009. All of this proves that social Media is here to stay and it is important for companies and organizations to learn how to effectively use it. If companies and organizations are able to do that, then they will open new doors that will allow them much more visual access within the Internet and their communities.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Making Decisions.

This past weekend I was able to visit St. Louis, a city I have grown to very much enjoy over the past few months. It was a nice opportunity to break away from Indiana and not worry about graduation, jobs, moving home and being broke :/. Unfortunately one thing that going to STL involves is driving, and quite a lot. It was a 4 and 1/2 hour trip both ways ... there wasn't so bad ... but the drive home was a bit brutal. The upside though was it gave me more than enough time to really think about what I wanted to do after graduation. And it finally allowed me to finalize some plans.

I will find out next week if I got the job at ExactTarget. The job is an excellent opportunity, really too good to pass up. So even though it may not be exactly what I envisioned myself doing I will accept if an offer is extended. If though, I do not receive an offer than I have formulated a plan B. I am going to move home -- work my butt off making money serving at a restaurant for 6 months and then I am going to move to Baltimore. Why Baltimore? Well, I am originally from there and ever since I left I have always had the desire to move back. I have an odd connection with the East Coast, and I realized that I am okay moving away from Indy for another few years. My second family and some close friends live in Baltimore so I would not be alone and the transition would be very easy. Also, flights are considerably cheap and it only takes about an hour by plane from Indy to BWI. There are also a lot of theaters, museums and artistic galleries where I could get a job, and I feel that it would be a job that I would enjoy and fit into better than "corporate America." Finally Baltimore is only 4 hours away from NYC, which means that I could continue pursuing my acting career and travel to the city to audition during the weekends.

It makes the most sense and I am very satisfied with my plan! Finally I am beginning to see that everything can work out, even if it takes meeting a few speed bumps along the way =)!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

'Tis The Season ... Almost!!

There is nothing like the holiday season! I think the best thing about the holidays is that it kicks off with Thanksgiving. Once you roll around to December everybody has different religions, you have to be PC and make sure you don't offend people. But EVERYBODY can share in Turkey Day! What's there not to love about good friends and family in addition to lots and LOTS of good food!!

So break out those elastic pants and have a very happy and thankful Turkey Day!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Still Searching ...

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.
That is still what is on the mind.

Yesterday I had a day-long interview down in Indianapolis for a company called ExactTarget.
They are a mass e-mail marketing company -- one of the best and biggest in the nation. It was my first interview that lasted over 30 minutes and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. The day started at 3pm and lasted until 10pm that evening. We went through three formal interviews, two group forum interviews, two separate tours and ended the evening with dinner and a presentation on the software.

It was a great experience overall and I learned a lot, but the main point I took away from the process was the constant reminder to be myself. The program that we were interviewing for is called the Catapult Program. They had over 480 applicants -- finalist day (yesterday) was narrowed down to 23 and from there they will pick 10 people to join the company. Needless to say the competition is fierce. Every single finalist is extremely qualified to become a part of this program; they are all outgoing, personable, intelligent and overall great people.

So how do you stick out? Be Yourself. Capitalize on what separates you from the pack, and know that it is a GOOD thing that you are different from the others in some way, shape or form. For me it was my acting and traveling experience. And that is what I spoke about. I allowed the interviewers to take a peek into the way that I look at life and what I am trying to get out of this journey. I may not have the business experience they are looking for, but I have all the life experience and more that a person my age could obtain. So I was myself: I introduced myself to everyone, I asked questions, I found the topics all interesting, I was a focused listener -- but I also laughed at stupid jokes, expressed new ideas that I thought would be helpful and admitted to my faults and emphasized my strengths. I also told them that I loved my cat and I can't go a Sunday without watching football (both are VERY true).

So who knows what will happen. If I don't get the job then I wasn't the best person for the position. And that is okay, you win some and you lose some. But I can feel confident that I entered and exited the day illustrating exactly what they would be getting if they hired me.
I am who I am and I happen to like it =)!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

It's a bird, It's a plane ... It's the Seabreacher!?



For my Advanced Presentational speaking class I had to create a PowerPoint presentation about an interesting technology. After doing some research I found the most interesting concept!


Meet the Seabreacher.



Crazy right!? It is not an emerging technology per say but, none the less it is an incredible concept. Originally designed for marine racing the Seabreacher is now available for commercial purchase. It only cost a quick $68,000! But if you decide to sell your arms and legs in return for a Seabreacher the return perks are pretty awesome -- you have can dive, jump and swim like a dolphin. The spacious cabin allows an up-close and personal view of the ocean and you can submerge it up to 6 feet!



Purely awesome.