Thing 8

What did you find interesting about the wiki concept? Wikis are interesting because there are many people who are experts on a topic and wikis allow them to all collaborate in one place.

What types of applications within schools and professional organizations might work well with a wiki?Wikis could work for a research project, a forum, a discussion or collection of data.

Many teachers/faculty "ban" Wikipedia as a source for student research. What do you think of the practice of limiting information by format? I think that its good because it forces students to research further down the rabbit hole than just the first google response. I use wikipedia as a starting point for research. By looking at the citations at the end of the place, as well as reading the overview provided, it helps focus my attention.

Thing 7

Which of these tools is easier for you to use? I prefer Google Docs because I already have gmail. It is easy to integrate.


Does one have features that would make you choose it over the other? Google docs, the most commonly used tool, tend sto be the most up to date with its features.

What would the Founding Fathers think of these tools? They would have clacked their wood teeth in approval.

Would the final draft of the "Declaration of Independence" have been better had these tools been at their disposal? Hmmm, I wonder...
Spellcheck, duh.. .. I do enjoy the beautiful calligraphy of the original.

Thing 6

1. How can you use Digg to collect research for your next report or design project? Because Digg allows users to rate posts and they are shown based on popularity, it is a good resource for seeing the heartbeat of users. In my case, I could use DIGG to help do market research, or to find insights into a audience based on what they find important.

2. How can you use Digg to establish your reputation and credibility? Because everything you post and rate is kept in an archive, this tool can be used to build your personal brand. By showing what you find important, what you are reading, what you are watching, your audience will feel as though they are better aquainted with you and therefore will trust you more.

3. How can you connect your other social media circles to Digg and increase your popularity? You can link sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Digg to increase the cohesiveness of your updates and following.

4. Reddit is using Twitter. Discuss what combining the experience means to you in terms of saving your oh so "precious time"? Basically, if you post to one site, it updates all the sites. Efficient.

5. How can you ensure that information on an open source website like Reddit is credible? Just like anything on the web, make sure to check sources and only use those that are credible.

6. Who's crazier; old shaggy-haired Kate or the "new" Kate with the 80's sk8er punk haircut? Kate scares me.

7. Have you ever seen a photograph of Jon Gosselin when he wasn't wearing an Ed Hardy shirt? Is that all he owns or what? He is quite possibly the second most embarassing American in history. Second only to GWB.

PS. A great version of this concept that is special to designers is called DesignBump. I love it for finding updated information on design.

Thing 5

TWITTER:

1. Which social journal did you choose? Why? I chose twitter because it is becoming the standard in micro-blogging. I want to stay on top of popular tools so I can harness them in my future career. Now is a great time to practice.

2. What is unique about the online journaling experience? Its challenging because of the limited word count allowed. I am long winded when I write and it makes me edit....significantly.

3. Can you see this having some application to school work or professional development? I know many companies who are using this tool to increase internal communication. Others, like Zappos, are creating efficient feedback loops between their employees as well as their customers. Everything is in "twitter time" !

4. What are some ways that these tools could be used for evil, instead of good? Well, I think along with a sense of entitlement that my generation has, as a whole, micro-blogging sites tend to increase narcissism in young people. I think that is evil.

Thing 4

SOCIAL MEDIA:

1. Now that you have a profile on Facebook or MySpace, how will you share information about yourself to meet other students at Ai and start to build your network? I have been building my AI student network on Facebook consistently through my time here. I add new friends all the time. Its a great way to communicate about classes and social events.

2. Keeping in mind that employers use social networks as a recruiting tool, how will you use Facebook or MySpace to promote yourself to potential employers? I try and keep my profile on the up and up. No crazy pictures or TMI posts. I think that along with posting content that is true to your personality is a good way to promote yourself to future employers.

3. How will you use Facebook or MySpace to build your professional network? I don't plan on using either of them for my professional network. Linked In is where I keep my professional contacts.

4. What interests and personal details will you share with your circle? I write about what kind of books I read, music I like, brands I appreciate, etc. I read AdAge and Brandweek on a daily basis. If I see an article that I think is interesting, I click the "share to facebook" button and automatically post on my profile. This helps me start interesting conversations with my friends and family about my education and career path.

5. How is professional networking different from social networking? Professional networking is just that....PROFESSIONAL. Please don't add your drunken pics to your Linked In Profile. It won't help you get a job.

Thing 3

ONLINE COMMUNICATION:

1. What about My Ai Campus.com seems interesting or useful to you? I use my AiCampus on a regular basis to manage my degree audit and check grades. I also use it to register at the beginning of each quarter as I have my classes charted out already. I also appreciate the updated features such as the links to the student magazine in pdf format and the link to journeyed.com, a great place to buy software.

2. Why is this such a great resource for students here at Ai? Its' great to have everthing centralized and available online. Previously, the OLS was only availble on campus and that was a challenge.

3. What specific resources do you find useful or helpful? Because I am nearing graduation, I keep a close eye on my degree audit. I like to have that available at any time.

4. Did you have any problems accessing your student portal account or other services in this Thing? I didn't have any problems but have had them in the past. My password has been a challenge over the years and I think the tech guys hide when they see me coming to reset my password.

PS. I already forward my student mail to my gmail account.

Thing 2

Thing 2: Our next assignment is to set up an RSS feed reader. Many people use google reader but I have been a long time user of Netvibes.

Here is a screen grab of my reader page and some of the hundred blogs I follow.


Firefox has an awesome plug- in for Netvibes that allows you to simply click on a plus sign and you can automatically add RSS feeds to your Netvibes page.