The On-Going Conversation

A Digital Educational Experience

Quick Cite, a 99-cent app for iPhones and Androids helps automate bibliographies, which is motivating me to consider college round two.  However this leads me to question if technology is making college too easy for those individuals that happen to be quite technologically savvy. It may also give students an advantage over opposing students who don't have access to iPhones and Android devices.

At the same time, I realize that students are required to complete a plethora of work and in the grand scheme of concurrent requirements, bibliographies aren't the most pertinent obligation. Students could be devoting their time and energy to other tasks that seem to be more important. If this particular application helps increase the percentage of students that get through college with stellar grades, then I am in full-support.

However, it might be difficult to decipher if this truly helps college students become more organized and proficient with their studies. It may come down to a personal preference and some students will always appreciate the tangible homework experience.

I also envision certain professors supporting the initiative and others feeling as though students are cutting corners. Regardless of your opinion on the technology, it is nearly impossible to not appreciate the advancement we are experiencing with smart phones and mobile devices. It will be interesting to see where mobile technology continues to go and time will be the only indication in the near term.

I am in full support of the incorporation of technology with education, but I also see the destruction of an even playing field. College students need to be taught the value of hard work, persistence and intellectual diligence. With tools to enable more productivity, are students truly experiencing the challenge of higher education?

Regardless, I am interested in trying out the application and seeing how helpful it can be for high school, college, graduate and PhD students alike. It may even motivate me to pursue a master's degree, which could provide lasting implications in a world of perpetually expanding technological capabilities. We live in a dynamic world and technology continues to advance. We can either choose to embrace it or be left behind in the traditional world.

What will you choose?

Read the full article via Fast Company

Apple’s Mobile Payment Venture

Apple is reportedly developing a mobile payment system for the next-generation iPhone and iPad via near field communication technology.

* Source: PC World

Social Politics in the Modern Age

Web: 21% of online adults used social networking sites in the months prior to the November 2010 elections to connect with a campaign.

A Visual Update Via LinkedIn

Tech: LinkedIn launched InMaps, an experimental project that creates a visualization of the connections within your business network.

* Source: Mashable

Blackberries: Not Just a Fruit Anymore

RIM Update: Research in Motion plans to launch a cloud-based capability for its popular BlackBerry Enterprise Server by the end of 2011.

The Health of Wikileaks: Twitter Style

The U.S. Department of Justice served Twitter with a subpoena seeking data about the accounts of Wikileaks and its founder Julian Assange.

The Nature of Cell Phone Usage

Cell Phone Trends in 16 Countries: Source: Pew Research Center. The median % of people who own a cell phone has increased by 36% since 2002; the current median is 81%.

The Overwhelming Benefits of Social Media

As cliché as it sounds, you never know until you try.

This day in age it has become increasingly important for businesses to harness social media. You don't necessarily need a perpetual approach either, but at least give it a try and see where the outreach takes you. It is also relatively effortless and economically feasible as well; it only requires time and dedication. Not to mention, the benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the time and energy that organizations must be prepared to devote towards the social ecosystem.

The social media environment is constantly evolving and changing as well. As this occurs, social media continues to become increasingly connected to business and the way in which it is conducted. Despite the juxtaposition of social media and social businesses, the phenomenon remains relatively new and wasn’t even part of the picture ten years ago. As a result, it can be challenging to decipher what is to come and where the world of social media is headed.

Regardless of the direction that social media may travel, I am intrigued by the possibility of what’s to come and where the trends will ultimately lead. However, even with excitement there comes a degree of obfuscation. One can never truly predict the course of time, and we will have to wait to see where the process goes next. Personally, I think that location-based networking services will continue to expand and increase the overall level of personal transparency. For example, Foursquare would be classified as a geographical social media network.

Moreover, if companies neglect to commence a social media strategy, they may be failing to connect with a niche portion of the population. This niche segment could potentially become customers, which may even help cultivate more customers, merely through word-of-mouth marketing. All-in-all, I believe the benefits of social media are hard to decipher and classify. However, I wanted to showcase an assortment of ways that social networking can benefit companies of all sizes. Who knows, maybe you will experience the benefits first hand and create a tangible way of classifying your own social advantages.

The Three Benefits of Reaching Out -- Socially and Strategically

1. Transparency -- Companies now have the ability to be more open than ever and connect with customers in mere seconds. It can also function in a reverse manner, with individuals being able to communicate with companies online, aside from the barriers of an organizational hierarchy. For the most part, prospective customers want to feel as though companies have the utmost credibility and conduct business in an honest fashion. With this in mind, social media can be an avenue to accomplish this, by opening the gates of communication to any individual that would like to correspond directly with the company.

2. Awareness -- Businesses can build an online identity, which hopefully generates more involvement from ordinary individuals. Social media can also be a primary avenue for news on events, contests and information that correlates the organizational mentality and overall mantra. This will allow companies to control the message and the fashion in which they convey themselves. Ideally companies want to present themselves in a professional manner, plus social media can help document the tech savvy nature of an organization, by showcasing their ability to utilize online avenues of expression.

3. Special deals and contests -- Ann Taylor for example is using Foursquare in a recent effort to harness social media platforms. Their campaign specifically allows individuals that are mayors at specific locations in New York City, to receive 25% off of their total purchase. Depending on the successful of their campaign, they may even attempt to expand the approach to all stores nationwide. Not to mention, there are specific social media programs that will allow to trigger messages at specific times. By having the option to schedule a message, businesses can determine when they would like prospective customers to be made aware of certain information. This means that social media in a sense, is more tactical than ever.

Business can also establish credibility, integrity and a degree of trustworthiness, merely by interacting with a niche portion of the population on-line. Obviously it needs to be in a positive and helpful manner, which will help yield the results that companies are striving for. Nonetheless, a companies’ approach is generally dependent on their particular organizational mantra and overall goal structure.

All-in-all, businesses should consider commencing a social media strategy, if of course they haven’t already. The strategy doesn’t necessarily need to be perfected from the onslaught either. Through time and social participation, businesses can literally generate a social prescription for the company, which speaks from experience and contains a frame of reference for comparison.

This prescription will hopefully become a remedy for the company and involve a transformation, once businesses have an understanding of the landscape they are working with. Just remember, there isn’t necessarily an incorrect way to conduct social marketing – just give it a try and see what happens. There are no rules to abide by and the conditions are still relatively new.

Image Credit: Social Media Marketing -- Enough is Enough by: Jennifer Mattern - July 2009

Job Search Tips in a Challenging Economy

It has become increasingly important for prospective employees to set themselves apart from the competition. Regardless of where the candidates are in their work timeline—they could be recent graduates, well-established career professionals or those looking to transition into a new career; it really doesn’t matter. 

We all in a sense need a little guidance to calm the storm of the economic conditions that we are currently facing. To some extent, I would even say the environment has arguably become more turbulent in recent months, especially with the large influx of potential individuals that are fiercely seeking employment.

Moreover, with more and more individuals battling in the job search arena, one must do all they can to showcase their talents, goals, ambitions and overall experience. I understand that it may be extremely tedious and time consuming, but we have all went through it at some point in our lives.

When you are unemployed, everyday seems to be a constant degree of uncertainty. You always seem to possess ambiguity about your future economic stability. It can also be vague and challenging to build a foundation, without having a clear vision of what the future will hold. That is why you have to plant a seed with prospective organizations, based on the infrastructure that you have already worked to establish.

This groundwork could consist of past work experience, education, volunteer opportunities and a network of individuals that you can harness. Never underestimate the power of your social networks; your connections may be more than willing to help and may even recommend you to specific positions within their company. Start the conversation and who knows, someone may be able to help you out along the way.

All-in-all, it has become increasingly necessary to establish division and separation from your competition, especially in the obfuscating job market. Without taking the initiative and responsibility on yourself, the period of dormancy may be extended and the perils of being unemployed may continue to linger on.

Personally, I think it is arguably the worst feeling the in the world—exerting all your energy and transparency for a job opportunity, and then finding out after all your hard work that they decided to pursue another candidate.

This is why you need to do what you can to set yourself apart from the opposing vultures trying to isolate the opportunity from you. With this in mind, you must showcase your skills that are applicable and pertinent to the opportunities you are striving for. Without having a clear vision of why you think you are qualified—you may potentially convey that in the interview. This could all be due to a lack of confidence and clarity about your experience and overall credentials.

As a result, job seekers need to remain confident. They also need to understand that they will eventually find an opportunity they love. It may be challenging to continue pursuing a job prospect, but don’t give up; there are good days ahead.

Image Credits: Career Realism — June 22, 2009

Tips for Remaining Professional with Social Media

At some point, I believe we will all be expected to be fluent in social media. From my perspective, this means that we will basically be unable to stay truly connected without it. This naturally leads one to question—if social media is beneficial to those involved with it, or if it will create more of a divide amongst individuals who don’t have access to the Internet on a daily basis.

What do you think? Is social media overall beneficial or detrimental to society as a whole? I guess it may be challenging to draw a conclusion right now, but throughout the course of time, I would have to assume this question will come to the forefront. Take a minute and think about it for yourself, what would you be doing with all your extra time, if social media wasn’t occupying some of it?

This doesn’t necessarily mean that individuals should stop using social media. I just think it is merely important to consider the logistical reasons for a certain behavior, regardless of what it is; especially when the behavior is substantially time-consuming and may inhibit your personal relationships.

I think it will be especially prevalent, considering the vast amount of people who are just commencing social media as we speak. These individuals haven’t even thought of the implications of their networking behavior. Not only could the negativity of social media correlate to privacy issues, but I think it could also be damaging to an individuals’ innate mentality and connection to the physical world.

Hopefully it doesn’t go this far, but the new technological obsession has already transformed the definition of staying connected. At the moment, there is no mechanism or equation for predicting the future of social media and as a result, time will be the only indication about where social media networking goes next.

Not only do I think it will be important for personal use, but I also think it will become an obligation for businesses. I believe it will even become a necessity, regardless of the type of business that an individual is currently operating or working for.

Moreover, I think this will soon become a reality, because organizations need to reach prospective customers where they interact with each other, and for the most part, I would say this interaction is continually growing on social media platforms. I also don’t see the trend changing in the near future, so prepare for the social media landscape to be somewhat constantly present.

This is why I believe it is essential to join the social conversation, because without it, it may become increasingly difficult to stay truly connected. Not only to your close friends, family and loved ones, but also to the businesses that offer special deals online. It may also become more strenuous to find career opportunities and prospective employment, without showcasing your talents, education, skills and goals online.

This day in age, more businesses are utilizing social networks to recruit employees. However, some individuals are eliminated merely based on the information that potential employers discover. Don’t fall into this trap. Make sure if you are going to use social environments, that all of your information is reasonable and work appropriate, pictures included. Employers don’t want to see images of you behaving in ways, which they would classify as immature. Use your best judgment and strive to maintain a degree of professionalism.

With this in mind, a majority of businesses have already made a push to incorporate a social marketing strategy. Depending on the particular organization, it could be a social strategy that yields success or failure. However, one will never know the implications unless they try. It could ultimately enhance business operations and in a sense, be a compliment to the overall business manta and economic condition.

For those who haven’t established an online presence, now may be a convenient time to consider one. Who knows, you may prospectively harness individuals that may be beneficial to you in the long run. As cliché as it sounds, you never know until you try. 

Especially since social media and blogging are instantly available and free; this presents an ideal option for companies to facilitate people, who could become future customers in a mere effortless fashion.

Nonetheless, social media shouldn’t be driven by making more money. It should be viewed as merely a benefit to the business strategies that have already been working. It isn’t that time consuming either and it is easier than ever to cross-post on multiple social networks. So why not give it a try and start reaping the benefits of digital interaction?

Image from socialnomics.files.wordpress.com