COM001: BLOG POST 6 – Social Media is the new tattoo.

I find it so frustrating how little young people consider their actions on social media sites. They don’t seem to respect the fact that what you post will be there forever. And really, your online persona can be a resume for your future. Would you want the prospective employers at your dream job looking at pictures of you drinking or doing drugs? What about looking provocative in your bathing suit? What about your future children? Is that the example you want to set for them? I am embarrassed for the children of the future who have to live through the lack of thinking their parents did at a young age. And how do you get across to a teen that knows it all, that they are hurting their future with this lack of intelligence?

Now don’t get me wrong I think social media is a great way to stay connected online. Posting about your life and accomplishments and even your thoughts is a great outlet for an unsure teen to express their feelings. But when these kids don’t truly understand the repercussions of their actions, who is to help? Should there be monitors for these sites and inappropriate photos be taken down? There is a reason why tattoo parlors have an age requirement, well social media is like a tattoo. Those pictures and posts will never go away. How are we to protect our kids from themselves? Or is it to be a hard lesson learned? I know I’m glad my parents wouldn’t give me permission to get a tattoo of a magic mushroom on my leg when I was 16 years old.

Needless to say I know why there are age restrictions for these sites, however it doesn’t seem to help much. So what do we do now? Suggestions?

COM0011- BLOG POST # 4 A Little Privacy Please!

The future trends mentioned in lesson 5 touched on the topic of privacy. And as I flipped through the most recent issue of Fast Company magazine,  I noticed a short reference to privacy in their predictions for the next 12 months. The android application Wickr was mentioned in this reference. Wickr creates self destructing texts using sophisticated encryption. This ap definitely peaked my interest with having 6 curious kids running around my house, and so I google searched it to get some answers and more info.

The Wickr team is made up of security and privacy experts who strongly believe online communications should be untraceable by default. Wickr is a free app enabling anyone to to send text, audio, picture and video messages that self-destruct because they are private, secure and anonymous. Unlike any other messaging app, Wickr binds each message to your device, clears metadata from files and permanently shreds deleted files from your device. (http://www.darkreading.com/end-user/wickr-announces-bug-bounty-program-100/240165415)

The article also states that Wickr was the target of a presentation at DEF CON 21  conducted by one of the largest forensics companies in the world. It was determined that of Wickr, Snapchat and Facebook Poke, the latter two leaked personal information where Wickr did not. The company is now offering a $100,000 bounty for those who can find a privacy breach. It seems as though lack of privacy is becoming more obvious and thus more important to the high tech industry. Security has always been a concern for internet users more so for online purchasing and bank information, now we have our entire lives online to protect. Wickr got it right, even when approached by an FBI agent about creating a backdoor cofounder Nico Sell quickly rejected him.

Although I may not need this type of security to protect my texts, I do feel good about the ways the industry is adapting to these new  privacy threats.

 

COM0011- BLOG POST #3 Stuck at a desk? Try this.

With the beginning of a new year, I’m sure we all have resolutions or goals we’re trying to accomplish. My personal goal is to get fit, in a way that changes my lifestyle – not just lose a few pounds. This lifestyle change will be incorporated into my entire family and includes physical activity as well as healthier eating habits. I believe in setting a good example for our children that will hopefully continue as they grow up and move on. We are all active, participating in recreational sports and going to the gym, and I have changed our diet to follow the Canada food guide and to avoid too many preservatives, but the one area I haven’t tackled is the workplace. My husband works for a construction company, so being active at work isn’t a problem. For myself, I find sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time hard on my body so I did a little research. I am not stuck at a desk for 8 hours a day all the time but when I am, knowing this information will help me out.

The article “Get fit at Your Desk” by Corrie Pikul (http://www.oprah.com/health/Get-Fit-at-Your-Desk-How-to-Counteract-the-Hazards-of-Sitting)on the Oprah.com website was what I considered to be the best advice for exercises. My opinion is based on the information I have received from the professionals at my gym. There are 9 different mini exercises to do while you are at work, whether it’s at your desk, or just parking farther away these ideas are actually things I would do. There are also very simple suggestions or more complex ones that involve exercise equipment.

A good video I found was on yoga stretches to do after work. “The Best Yoga Sequence to Do After Work” by Heidi Kristoffer (http://www.shape.com/blogs/working-it-out/best-yoga-sequence-do-after-work) on the shape.com website. Stretching is very important in keeping your muscles and body healthy, not cramping up and causing long term problems.

Lastly I researched healthy eating tips for people on the go. This first article touches on creating healthier eating habits. “Are your Eating Habits at work Sabotaging your Health?” by Stephanie Lazzara (http://www.examiner.com/article/are-your-eating-habits-at-work-sabotaging-your-health). Correcting your eating habits followed by correcting what your eating will also help with your overall health. “10 Healthy Snacks you Should Keep at Your Desk” (http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/health-and-family/photos/p/12647398/10-healthy-snacks-you-should-keep-at-your-desk/12647399/) from the Better Homes and Gardens website gives some good ideas of healthy snacks for work.

Following this advice can help you feel better, physically and mentally and improve your quality of living. If you look though the information and take out the tips or advice you like, start small and see if there is a difference. I know I noticed a difference. Sometimes with our busy lives we forget how important taking care of ourselves can be.

COM0011 – Branding for those who like to cook…or eat!

As I flipped through the January 2014 issue of Chatelaine magazine, I came across an article titled “You’re Not a Brand, You’re a Soup”. The author Stacy Morrison writes about how although branding oneself is really appealing, it is a hard thing to accomplish on large scale. She speaks in terms of becoming a famous brand, examples being Dr.Phil, Oprah, etc. So for those of us not aspiring to be a famous brand, she gives a recipe to help brand yourself on a smaller scale.

Basically Morrison lays out her recipe as in three parts of a soup. The base would be “your strongest skill set, where the bulk of your years of experience lies. The flavor extras are what gives a soup its personality and taste. And finally, the garnish. This is where you broadcast your latest and greatest, the newest ideas, the freshest learning.” (Morrison, 2014)

Seeing two articles in this issue on Social Media was very telling of the way our world is turning. I found this particular article to be really helpful in putting branding into terms that I was able to understand. I felt lost at the thought of branding myself when I wasn’t sure what it is that I’m good at or even where to begin. Her examples in the article of past jobs and highlighting the skills she developed in those jobs really gave me insight on myself. Her perspective on branding made it seem less daunting. I found the soup metaphor to be really cute as well as a comparison I could relate too. I would recommend this article to anyone looking for another perspective on branding yourself, especially with our up coming branding assignment.

REFERENCE:

Morrison, S. (2014 January). You’re Not a Brand, You’re a Soup. Chatelaine, 90.

COM0011- Blog Post #1 – A step into unfamiliar territory…

When I decided to take the Introduction to Social Media course, I felt as though I was pretty current on what it entailed. After only a week in, I quickly realized that I had no idea what was actually out there. Within those first 7 days, I joined Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and began writing a blog. Now my Facebook page, which used to have rare updates or posts, is now littered with my tweets, Instagram photos and soon to be blog posts. Looking at Facebook and Pinterest used to consume my spare time and now I have trouble keeping up with each new network. I jokingly refer to Twitter as my new best friend, I love everything about it. As time goes on, I only find more interesting people and companies to follow.

However deciding on which social media networks are worth joining has proven to be a bit of a challenge. It was the day after I joined Bitstrips on Facebook(not a network I know), that everyone started hating on it. I only had the chance to make one comic of myself!!! I rather liked it but also didn’t need to lose friends over a cartoon application of myself. Yes, now I am sure I wouldn’t actually lose friends over it. But I also don’t want to be “that person”, you know…the annoying one on your newsfeed.

With my future goal being to work in social media, I found the beginning of this course to be a bit overwhelming with my lack of knowledge, the amount of options available, and their life expectancy constantly changing. But one month in, I now feel a bit more comfortable using a few different platforms and actually posting something I’ve written (many drafts, none posted). Although still out of my comfort zone, post by post I start to gain more confidence.