Before this semester started, I had minimal involvement in social media. Facebook was the extent of my social networking and I refused to join the twitter craze, did not have any accounts other than email, and used Facebook for networking exclusively with friends. ALES 204 has opened up the social networking world for me in more than one way. Not only do I now have twitter (and enjoy following certain charities and professionals within my field of study), but I also know how to used Facebook professionally, as well as reach out to experts in the field through sites such as LinkedIn. I am able to effectively use pictures, as well as post pictures, on Flickr, and I understand the meanings behind the different creative commons' licenses, and can copyright my personal pictures in a way that best suits my needs.
One of the things we did this semester that I was most excited about was the Wiki Stub update. This was where we chose an article or topic on Wikipedia, that had an existing stub, and added or modified it's contents to make it more accurate and in-depth. I took special excitement in this project because as a University student, Wikipedia is constantly coming to the rescue with simple explanations and helpful links. Although I understand it is not reliable for everything, I like to use it as a starting point for gathering information, and expanding my knowledge through the references helpfully listed below. I also appreciate that it is peer and community edited, and that it continues to be run and supported by the people who use it. I think that Wikipedia is one of the most positive examples of an internet community, as it is a group of people who share and disseminate information for others to freely use.
In addition, I was pleasantly surprised with the results of creating a Twitter account. I now tweet frequently, and follow people who interest me, and give me more insight into career options and what is current news. The fact that it allows information to be right at your fingertips is amazing, and you can communicate with people all over the world! The impact it has had on the global community is tremendous, and I definitely plan on keeping my account. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I now follow Dogs with Wings which is a local charity that I am very interested in volunteering with. I can now follow their updates easily and keep on top of new news and events within the charity. That alone made joining Twitter worthwhile!
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| The Social Media Bandwagon! Image retrieved April 11, 2012 from CSIC Student Blog: Rocking the Boat https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu |
The third portion of this class that I found most useful and enjoyable was the creation of this blog. I have never blogged before, although I did follow a few blogs of other people and enjoyed them. It feels really cool to be on the other side and to have my own blog! It is very satisfying to write down all your thoughts and post for others to read; I feel that it is a very non-invasive or pushy way to say what's on your mind. This summer I am travelling in Europe for three months, and my parents recently asked how I was planning to keep in touch; I immediately thought of this blog and how I could use it to keep them updated! I would have never thought of that before this class. It's little things, such as the making of a travel blog, that make me realize how much of the information and topics we covered in class are applicable to the real world and how much I am able to take away from this class. Although I did prefer when we worked on more professional topics, such as creating CVs and Pecha Kucha presentations, I also am able to appreciate the value of our other projects like creating a Twitter account and starting a blog.
I came into this class fairly clueless about social media and networking, and I leave it feeling more confident about my abilities with the internet and with a better knowledge of how social media in beneficial in all areas of my life. Thanks for the great semester ALES 204, I look forward to using the things I have learned in my life on a daily basis! My classmate, Nian Liu, wrote a really insightful blog post about her time in this class, as well as her CSL (Community Service Learning) placement. She volunteered with the campus Food Bank, which has not only helped her gain more experience for her degree (Food Science), but has also helped her improve her communication skills and her public speaking. What a great benefit! Check out her blog post here to read more!
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| Wordle of this blog post. Created by Lauren Bradshaw on April 13, 2012. Screenshot by L. Bradshaw (personal collection, 2012). Original word-cloud created at http://www.wordle.net/. |
Throughout the term, I commented on other classmates' blogs, the links are listed below if you want to check out any of their blogs or posts!
1) Becky Bohlender
2) Alyssa Coulombe
3) Nian Liu
4) Jami Frederick
5) Loana Valdez
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