Looking Back

As this wonderful semester of ALES204 has come to a close, I look back and realize I have learnt more than I came in expecting to.  Before this class I only used Facebook, Twitter, and Skype and was never really interested in expanding my knowledge of these mediums, nonetheless learn new ones. I used Facebook only to check up on the latest gossip and photos, and Twitter to follow my favorite celebrities just to read what they were up to. But once the class picked up and we began getting introduced to new forms of social media and how affective they can actually be, I became intrigued with the idea of learning new uses.

Photo: Guzman, C. (Photographer). (2011). Social media marketing. [Web Photo]. 

Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/40072984@N03/5368536396/

Though i probably won't have the time or space to get to everything I learnt this semester, here are a few of my favorites.  Starting with Twitter, we began by learning that not only do celebrities tweet what set of a movie their on, but we also learnt how business' use Twitter.  They use it as a form of advertisement to attract new clients and even get their name out to the public.  It can even be used to such an extent that information from a conference is being shared in real time via Twitter.  Next we have Blogger...I always knew that blogs existed but I always thought they were written by everyday people like me, just ranting about a fabulous vacation or journey through something special in their lives.  In class we read many scientific blogs that were peer-reviewed and very credible.  This was a new topic for me, but I think it is a very beneficial way to get the opinions of outside sources while providing credible information from professionals.  Facebook.  The one and the only.  I'm quite confident in saying everyone has heard of Facebook before coming to this class, but probably not for the same reasons they left the class knowing it as.  I always was under the impression that Facebook was purely casual and it was a horrible thing if a boss or supervisor spotted your facebook page.  This can be true if you are providing them with pictures of your Vegas vacation, but if the proper page is created Facebook can actually be used a source of online resume!  This was one of the most shocking things for me to learn throughout the course.

Now we can move on to the forms of communication us students are very familiar with in relation to school.  Powerpoint.  The lullaby of university classes.  Powerpoint can be very useful way of presenting information to a group of people, but as we know, most people pack the slides with information and figures while talking at the same time.  We can never guess what we should focus on.  In this class we learned how to affectively present a powerpoint and another form similar - Pecha Kucha.  With this, came the art of public speaking.  Though it is not for everyone, we learnt ways to give a better speech.  All the tips and tricks we learnt from Jess, MC, and the rest of the TA's were extremely helpful, I never would have guessed I would have felt comfortable standing in front of a class talking!

All in all, by the end of the semester I can say that this class became my favorite of the term.  It is interesting to learn all the different ways of communication/social media, and how they can pertain to our work life.  There were so many great ideas and ways to use these mediums given in the class I never would have began to think of them on my own.  I have learnt so much in this class and plan to use these forms of social media in my career, once established.  Thank-you to Jess, and the TA's for making it a successful semester!


The links to my comments:

1.  http://brenda-le.blogspot.com/2012/01/introduction.html?showComment=1331087639753#c4945977397477344055
2.  http://brittanyalesblog.blogspot.ca/2012/03/love-of-all-things-pinterest.html?showComment=1334255147964
3.  http://alesstudentblog.blogspot.ca/2012/01/bonjour-im-janessa.html?showComment=1334254705565
4.  http://communication-by-cass.blogspot.ca/2012/04/saying-bye-to-blog.html?showComment=1334349564486
5.  http://mcleung1.blogspot.ca/2012/04/taking-look-back.html?showComment=1334350003094

Social Media & My Future

There are many forms of social media, some of which I never knew of before ALES204.  Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Delicious, and LinkedIn are all forms of social media that can be used to enhance a product or career.  One new form of social media that I have been introduced to is called Pinterest!  For those of you who have not yet been introduced to Pinterest, I highly recommend you check it out!  To me, Pinterest almost represents a combination of both Facebook and Twitter.  You have the opportunity to "re-pin" things like pictures or recipes onto your pinboard, follow your friend's boards, or even comment on photos! If you don't already have your own pinboard, start one here.

After learning about all these media sources and how beneficial they can be to a career, it has inspired me to implement these sources into my career once established.  As stated in my introduction post, I hope to become a dietician, while also using that knowledge in a way that will combine my love and passion for the European culture.  For example, Facebook and Twitter can be used in a similar way.  A profile can be created on both sites and can be used to attract followers (potential clients), and also to get opinions and interesting information from followers!  Because I hope to use the European culture as inspiration for my career, having the opportunity to create these online accounts gives me the chance to stay in contact with other dietitians in Canada if I chose to locate in Europe, or vise versa.

Photo Citation: Harwin, S. (Producer). (2012). Pinterest feature in metro. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/greatbritishchefs/6788358738/

My new found love...Pinterest, can also be used to enhance the type of career i hope to have.  One way I would use Pinterest as a career tool rather than 'just for fun' would be to post pictures of healthy meals with recipe and nutritional information attached to the photo.  If i suggested my clients follow my board on Pinterest, they would have access to all the new information I post for free, with the benefit of an image to help decide what healthy choices seem appealing to them!  One of my fellow classmates Brittany is also a Pinterest lover.  Check out her opinion of the site and what she uses it for here.

Social media has grown exponentially, and I am confident that it will continue to grow.  Our generation will constantly be learning the new forms of social media and if necessary, using these forms of media in a professional manner to enhance our careers.