Week 8 Blog

I can’t believe that this is the last week of class!  Time has flown by!  I have learned so much about social media in this class! Before taking this class, I had never heard of LinkedIn or WordPress!  I feel that if I need to get my name out in the workplace and find a job, then LinkedIn is a site I will be using!  I think that I that is a great site for professional networking.  I had also never had a Twitter before this class.  I actually told myself I was never going to get one, but then I had to for the class.  I don’t know if I will continue to use Twitter.  I will continue to look for more social media sites to increase my professional development.  I’m really happy that I took this course because I got the chance to learn about different social media sites and I feel that I can continue to use them in the future!

Week 7 Blog

Social media has been used positively in many ways.  It allows people to create bonds with others.  You are able to search for people who share the same cultural and ethnicity as you do.  It allows you to be updated with current events from around the world.  You can have the chance to get to know others from other cultures as well.   

Social media has also been used negatively.  Stereotypes start and people get angry.  Rumors and drama spread throughout sites very quickly and can create problems such as cyber-bullying.  People’s lives can be put in danger, reputations can be ruined, and lives can be lost.  Problems can arise from people fighting over topics like race and ethnicity.  Many bad things can come from cyber-bullying.  People could even end up going to jail if situations became very bad. 

It is good for people to fit in with different groups because it gives them a sense of belonging.  Belonging to a group can give people the chance to network and meet new friends that share the same beliefs and have the same interests.

Social media can be good or bad, but it is how you go about using it. 

Week 6 Blog

I could definitely use social media for my own career development.  Using social media would help me get my name out in the community and that would be great if potential clients would get to know who I am and where I come from before interpreting for them.  In the interpreting field, there needs to be a lot of trust, as well as confidentiality.  In this career, you interpret in very personal situations.  The Deaf clients need to be able to trust the interpreter.  Social networking would benefit my career greatly.  The more Deaf people trust and accept me, the more bonds that would be created.  It is like a chain reaction; If one Deaf person likes you, they will tell their friends, and those friends will tell others, and so on.  I think social media would greatly help out in the interpreting field!

Week 5 Blog

If I had a business, I would use social media to help out.  I think that it would be easier to get your company name out there and to let people know what your business is about.  The more people know about your business and like it, you will more than likely get more customers, which will increase your profit because people would be buying your products.  I think that the best sites for my organization would be Twitter and Facebook.  They are easy to use and used by many people, which would help get the word out fast.  Using social media would definitely get more people interested in your business.  Especially if you have a logo that is different and easily recognized, people would be able to easily point it out and keep up with your company’s products and information.  I would just have to be careful about what I would post for my business because social media can definitely harm your business as well if people don’t agree with the things you talk about on the sites. 

Week 4 Blog

I am involved with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google Maps Street View  to name a few.  I use Facebook everyday, whether I post something or not.  I will continue to use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, as well as seeing what else is going on with people that I have known and what is going on in the world.  On Instagram, I  typically use it to edit my photos that I want to share with friends.  It comes in handy sometimes, but there are some times that I just want to edit the photo and not upload it yet, so I don’t like using Instagram too much.  I will continue to keep my account and use it occasionally though.  As far as YouTube, I use it quite a bit.  I don’t ever post any videos, but I sure watch a lot of them!  Being an American Sign Language interpreter, it is very helpful to look there for references on Sign Language or just seeing how other people sign certain concepts.  I also love watching people interpret songs.   I use YouTube for many other reasons as well.  I love being able to have my account remember certain videos that I want to watch later.  That is always really nice.  Also, I look up music videos, how to videos, and just things to take up some time that are entertaining.  I will definitely continue to use YouTube!  I absolutely love Google Maps Street View!  I am able to find out where I am going for work.  I am a freelance interpreter and I love having the ability to look at the front of the building of where I am supposed to be and the surrounding area to get a feel of where I am going to be so I am not as lost when I arrive at the assignment!  It is very helpful!  Google Maps Street View is a must!

Week 3 Blog

         Social media has a great impact on the 2012 presidential election.  You can check out posts on Facebook or Twitter to see people’s opinions on the big decision about who they want to become elected for president.  “The infographic also points out that 4 out of 10 people will use social media to help them make a decision come election day” (Dugan, para. 6).  Tweets have been coming in like crazy after the speeches given by the candidates.  Many people are very determined to get their word out and have other people vote for the same candidate as them.  I know every time I get on Facebook, I see posts from people saying who to vote for and the negatives about the other candidate, as well as the positives about the one they are voting for.  Using Facebook and Twitter are ways to get the word out and have it spread fast for many people to see!

References

Dugan, Lauren. “How Will Social Media Impact The Presidential Election? All Twitter 29 Oct. (2012): 1. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.

 

Week 2 schpcm485

I looked at the website, appleinsider.com.  I thought this was a great site!  It has so much information on Apple products!  I recently got an iPhone so this is definitely a helpful site to look at!  You can compare the systems that the phones are running on as well as being able to compare the phones and their capabilities.  You can look under forums and find out what other people think about the products.  Another thing that is available on the website are prices of the products.  That makes the products easier to compare and narrow down.  I also saw that there is a coupon code that you can use off of their website, which is really cool if you are thinking of buying an Apple product soon!  I will definitely use this site for myself at many different times!  I will be able to search and find out about more products that are coming out, maybe find information that could help me decide if I want another Apple product, and if so, which one I should purchase.  You all should check this website out! =)

This class is stressing me out already! There’s a lot of information and things to do.  I have never had a Twitter and I never wanted one, but now I have one for the class.  I think it will all just take some time to get used to it.  Things will work out! I’m just a little overwhelmed right now!  I am hoping that everything will go smoothly and I will learn more about Twitter and how to interact on a social network other than Facebook.  Good luck to everyone!