Social Media project

     Here is the link to the McDonald's wiki site: https://ism3004.wikispaces.com/McDonald%27s

       Probably the most interesting thing about the project was setting up a Google Alert for McDonald's. By going to google.com/alerts, you can ask google to send you news related to a particular subject by email. As someone who aspires to be a sports journalist I can use Google Alert to give me the most up to date news regarding my favorite teams. It can also be used for long-term research projects, just enter your subject then have the results sent to your email that way you don't have to do multiple searches through the search engine.
      Another thing I learned from this project was how to work in groups through internet only means. I have worked on countless group projects in a physical classroom, but this is the first time I have not been able to work physically with group member. The only issue I had with the group part of the project, was that once Michael decided to use McDonald's for out company he already posted almost the entire project. There was no discussion amongst the group over who would do which part in fact we fought there were only four people in our group until Friday when our last group member finally introduced himself.
       Probably the biggest take away from this project is the overall impact social media has had on businesses and corporations. The fact that McDonald's has eight to nine people whose sole responsibility is to manage the twitter feed, is an example of how every corporation is starting to recognize the importance of social media and more importantly how to use social media to their advantage. Companies that choose to ignore social media will quickly be left in the dust and will have a difficult time generating customer service in a timely fashion. Based on this project, I would consider Twitter to be the most important social media tool.

Week 13: Clear

Here is a chart of reason why companies have resisted using social media. Photo provided by Mark Smiciklas. http://www.flickr.com/photos/intersectionconsulting/4044928113/

    This week the concept that was made clear to me was the importance of knowing about different types of social media. Facebook current has more than 750 million users and allows those users to build network with people they know. Twitter has more than 175 million user and utilizes 140 character messages called tweets to quickly establish a network with a whole bunch of people. Since most Twitter accounts are public it will allows you to establish relationship with more people and businesses than Facebook allows due to Friend requests. Linkedln is the largest professional network with 120 million users and provides an avenue to network with people in your chose profession and can even be used to land jobs within the field.
     Understanding different types of social media is very important in the business environment. Social media gives businesses and consumers a way to interact on a more personal level. Social media can also help a business keep up with its industry or in some cases even be the precedent setter within their industry. Having a social media presence just gives your business a better opportunity to be seen.
      I found an article that explains how social media is changing businesses. Businesses have gone from trying to sell to making connections with individual people. Social media has also helped businesses put out their message about good customer service right away with a simple tweet or Facebook update rather than having to do a big press release or statement about your customer service. The article also points out that businesses who don't adopt social media into their business strategy will be at a disadvantage. Here is a link to the article: http://mashable.com/2009/09/22/social-media-business/

Week 12: Clear

This is a chart from 2006 of where people spent their time online, it's interesting how things have changed over the last five years. The photo is provided by davemc500hats. Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/500hats/369973827/lightbox/

  This week the concept that was made clear to me was how people spend  their time on the Internet. One apparent misconception I had before seeing the info graphic, was that the majority of Internet users spend their time viewing content online, for example, YouTube clips.  I had previously believed that people spent most of their time on social networking site, especially with the rise in popularity of Twitter and Face book. I was also surprised to learn that the country that uses social networking the most is Brazil. The United States has the highest Internet population in the world, while also having the most bloggers in the world.
   Understand how people spend their time on the Internet is vital in the business environment. Having knowledge that the majority of Internet users spend their time viewing online content, your business can create videos showcasing the strengths of your company. Instead of spending unnecessarily on advertising on website, you can create your own videos pretty inexpensively to promote your business. You can also create an App for mobile phones that can give consumers more assess to your company where ever they go.
  I found an article that claims that  it is good for teenagers to spend time online. According to a study, spending time online is important for young people so they can learn the appropriate social and technical skills for the digital age. Also contained in the article is advice on staying safe online, for example, if your doing a status update on Face book then don't put your exact location. Here is a link to the article: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/28/social-networking-benefits-validated/

Week 11: Clear

This graphic shows the difference between data and information. Photo provided by Jose C. Silva. Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/josecamoessilva/5836057335/lightbox/

     This week the concept that was made clear to me was that data is not the same as information. Data is just raw facts and figures. While, information uses data to answer questions and support decisions that are made. We also learned the difference between different types of databases, structured and unstructured. Structured data is well organized and easy to work with, a database is an example of structured data. Unstructured data is more difficult to work with, video is an example of unstructured data.
     Knowing the difference between types of data and knowing the different between data and information is essential in the business environment. By knowing how to use data to your advantage you will be able to deliver better information and thereby showcasing your expertise in the business environment. Once you are able to understand the difference you can then take the next step and decide what type of data your company needs. If you decide to use structured data then you need to decide what kind of database software you need.
     I found an article that does a good job of explaining the differences between data and information. This article does find one similarity between data and information: both are types of knowledge or are used to obtain knowledge. This article provides a good example of the difference a list of the seven wonders of the world would be data, but a book providing details of each wonder would be considered knowledge. Here is the link to the article: http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-data-and-information/

Database project

   One of the things I learned in the project was how to construct a professional and sophisticated looking database. The first thing I learned was creating a form that displayed the information about the current members of my gym. As a sports journalist this can be helpful if I wanted a database that determines the statistics for current Orlando Magic players, I would want to make sure that information contained only contains information on those current player who were signed before a certain date. The report layout is really useful for a boss or potential client in that it gives them the information that is of interest to them in a clear and concise format without having them look at a glorified spreadsheet which can be hard to read.
    One of the things that could have been an interesting addition to the database is a form that determines who left before October 1, 2010. I also think that report could have been formulated to determine of the members who left how many were had Family membership and how many had an Individual membership. Even though the directions did not specify this, I did decide to include a drop-down box for both gender and membership type so that the database would look more professional and also easier to use. It also eliminates any chance of misspelling a word and having the records in the database be off.

Week 10:Clear

Here is a chart on some different types of database software in the business environment. Photo courtesy of beatak.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beatak/463648364/

    This weeks concept was focuses on teaching different aspects of database software. For my skill track I was using File Maker Pro, instead of Microsoft Access. After watching the videos and playing with some of the tools I find File Maker to be relatively easy to use. One of the best things is the validation tool, which allows you to put specific rules on a table, such as mandating that only two states like Florida and Georgia are eligible. File Maker also makes it import outside data into the program and it also is easy to manipulate the data.
      Having skills with database software is extremely important in the business environment. Database software allows you to organize information exactly the way you want it. One of the cool things you can do is when creating a form you can create a drop-down list of options, making the database look more professional. This can be incredibly helpful if you are tasked with determining FCAT scores across the state by grade year. Using reports allows you to show data in a form that is visually appealing and straight forward. You can even separate each separate part of the report on separate pages so you can make sure that the report cannot be misinterpreted.
     I found an article that helps some of the different database software programs out there. Both File Maker and Access contain the Virtual Storage Access Method, which helps accelerate access, organize, and configure data. It also contains four different types of data sets: key sequence, entry sequence, relative record, and linear. File Maker and Access are both examples of a relational database, meaning that data is broken down into different charts and columns for organizational purposes. Here is the link to the article: http://computersight.com/software/databases-and-business/

Week 9: Clear

This chart shows that Moore's Law can be applied to more than just computers. In this chart, Moore's Law is used to see cost per Genome. This photo is provided by dullhunk. Here is link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/5473470392/

      This week the concept that was made clear to me was Moore's Law. Moore's Law stipulates that chip performance per dollar doubles every eighteen months. Meaning under Moore's Law next generation chips should be twice as fast, but cost the same as eighteen month ago. This is based on price elasticity which claims that the rate at which a product or service fluctuates when the price changes. A drop in price will result in a higher demand for a product.
      Understanding Moore's Law is important in the business environment, because it forces manager to be prepared for that next step of technology and to grab the new technology when it comes out. Also, by understanding the five waves of computing and knowing that each wave of computing goes through a ten year cycle, you can better anticipate when the next wave of technology innovation will take place. Allowing you as a manager, the opportunity to avoid staying behind the time and to move forward with your company before your competition get a handle on the ever changing wave of computing. 
      I found an article that breaks down Moore's Law in great detail. The article is pretty long, but it is divided into sections so it is easier to read about what you are interested in regarding Moore's Law. The three sections are the origins of Moore's Law, the effects of Moore's Law, and the future of Moore's Law. The most interesting section for me was the future of Moore's Law section which basically maintains that major constraints to technology would have to happen for Moore's Law to hold out. Here is the link to the article: http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2008/09/moore.ars/1