Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

Back in the day, many people got the latest news on products and employment by word of mouth or the newspaper. Nowadays, it’s all about social networking. With this modern day technology of computers and smart phones, the presence of social networks has tremendously impacted the way people work or find work. One way people use social networking for work is by promoting new products. This can either be done by someone who works for the company or by brand ambassadors chosen by the company. For instance, when Sony launched its new Sony GPS camera, they needed people to see it being used and what it could be used for. “Out of 2,000 or more online applicants, Sony picked only 25 brand ambassadors. The ambassadors were given a free camera and other equipment along with lessons on how to use them. They were then encouraged to show the camera to friends, associates, and anyone else who asked; hand out discount coupons; and blog weekly about their travel and picture-taking adventures on a dedicated Sony microsite.’ (http://digitalbookshelf.artinstitutes.edu/books/9780558851903/id/ch05box01) With this strategy, Sony exposed its product in an attractive light that made people excited about the camera.

Another way people use social networks for work is by searching for jobs online rather than looking for ads in the newspaper or going store to store asking if they’re hiring. One social network that has made a noticeable difference in online job hunting is the massive site, Facebook. Now, facebook is offering apps and making it easier for employers to recruit and hire people searching for jobs. Now, companies are spending less on job boarding and finding that people find Facebook’s easy access simple and efficient. Mr. Staney, who is a talent acquisition Web strategy manager for VMare, noticed that “Facebook users tend to spend more time on the service and are easier to reach than LinkedIn (online job hunting site) users..” and that “the number of monthly active users on its Facebook page more than tripled” (Job Recruiters Turn to Facebook to Find Candidates - WSJ.com). As the power of social networks increase, the work environment will continue to be influenced and thus evolve. 

Week 4 EOC: There's An App For That

Have you ever woken up the morning after you went out partying and received an odd text only to realize that it's a reply to a text you had sent the previous night while under the influence? If only there was a way to prevent drunk texting and that feeling of regret and overwhelming embarrassment the morning after. But wait, there is! With the new app: Friends Don’t Let Friends Text Drunk. Essentially, this app becomes your new friend for the night and works to save you from making a fool out of yourself while you’re having a night out on the town. With its simple design, the app is easy to navigate offering basic options such as black listing phone numbers you wouldn’t ever think of contacting while sober but know you would pay more attention to while you’re intoxicated along with the different levels of restriction which range from low to high along with how long you plan to keep the app enabled.

How it works is, before you start drinking, you open the app that will give you the options right away to either enable the black list, set a restriction level, or enable both depending on how drunk you plan on getting. If you choose the black list, your phone will automatically apply airplane mode to each number on the list so whenever you try to contact a blacklisted number, your phone will not respond to the command. If you choose restriction, you can either choose low, medium, or high. The low level will alert you once whenever you try to send a text or make a call with a pop up message that reads “You are currently under the influence. Are you sure you want to send this message?/make this call?” This notification reminds you that you’re not sober and makes you re-think about what you are trying to send. On this level, you may choose to either “Yes” or “No”. On the medium restriction level, when you try to make a call or send a text, you will be alerted with the same first message but if you choose “Yes”, you will be prompted again with the message “I don’t think you should send this message/make this call” which you will then be able to choose from “Oh well” and “You’re right” where choosing the first option will allow you to proceed and the second will take you back to your home screen. On the high restriction level, your phone will alert you three times and after the third time, if you try to proceed with sending the text or making the call, your phone will automatically lock itself on airplane mode, only allowing you to contact emergency numbers and numbers you have put on your white list (numbers of friends that usually take care of you when you’re drunk).

Once you have chosen what restriction you seem fit, you will be prompted with a final option on how long you wish your restriction to last. 2 hours being the minimum and 6 hours being the maximum. After this step, you are finally ready to go out and party as hard as you want knowing that the chances of waking up to shame are very, very low.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

Being a part of generation y, I feel that I, for the most part, fit in with the demographics of my generation and from my observation, so do many of my friends. In her book, Generation Me, psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge examines the young adults from generation y and goes on to explore why the American youth today are more "are tolerant, confident, open-minded, and ambitious but also cynical, depressed, lonely, and anxious" (http://books.google.com/books/about/Generation_me.html?id=tV4M1hpG-3wC). I, myself, can identify and relate to every single trait that was listed and I think it has to do with the fact that my generation is more socially interactive, especially through social networks that are accessible anywhere and everywhere by our modern day technology which many if not all of us, find inherent and are constantly connected to. Not only that, but everything is so glamorized in today's society through social media which enforces my generation's complex persona so to speak. Though many in my generation try to connect and embrace other cultures, most of them also feel very compelled to determine and establish their own identity and their rights. I know I assert myself and my beliefs. And although I don't expect everyone to agree with me or my beliefs, I expect them to respect them. Many of today's young adults are very assertive with their views, especially their political views and are more open minded about controversial issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and legalization of marijuana. I find that these views a reject many of the attitudes of earlier generations such as the baby boomers and generation x which may make my generation seem rebellious and often gets us overlooked, but I can say that my generation is a very self-driven and ambitious population which is shown through our innovative and constant growth in the technologic industry.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

Making money is what most of the population strives toward, so they can support themselves and their loved ones and for many people that's all they pursue. Although, there are people who strive towards making money for good, meaning they make money for a better cause that support other people who are in need of help. Today, the number of companies that donate all their profits to charities is growing, and one of those companies is Peacekeeper Cause-metics that produces and sells natural cosmetics. PK is the "first cosmetic line to give all of its after-tax, distributable profits to women's health advocacy and urgent humans rights issues" and creates a bonding connection between the privileged women and those women who are unable to have access to the same resources and opportunities (http://iamapeacekeeper.com/about-peacekeeper/).

Founded by Jody R. Weiss, Peacekeepers Cause-metics is a reflection of her passion for which "she dedicated her life to promoting peace in the world" (http://iamapeacekeeper.com/about-the-founder/). By taking action on her passion, she worked to raise awareness for urgent human rights for women all around the world. Weiss believes that its "more than just a cosmetic line but; instead was a movement" (http://iamapeacekeeper.com/about-the-founder/). Peacekeepers Cause-metics not only provides women with desired cosmetics, but ultimately supports a great cause.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

As an aspiring filmmaker, my goals are driven by the creativity and passion that goes into making a film. Through film, I am able to create an alternate reality, go above and beyond, and truly invest my imagination and vision into a single work of art where there are no limits. That kind of freedom is inspiring and is mainly what I strive towards: to inspire others through filmmaking. There are are variety of roles and different fields of work that are present in the art of filmmaking. In the past, I worked as an amateur at home, creating and editing fan videos for my own entertainment and for school high school projects. The joy and accomplishment I felt is the main reason why I am now pursuing a career as a director of photography (cinematographer) or an editor. At The Art Institute of Las Vegas, I am majoring in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production where I am getting the hands on experience and learning the skills I need in order to work professionally in the industry. Eventually, I hope to move to Los Angeles where I will work as an intern at Warner Bros. Studios and work my way up to fulfilling my dreams of creating a feature length film. As Francis Ford Coppola once said, "There's nothing creative about living within your means." I wish to make movies because it's something I can pour my hard work, creativity, and passion into that it makes life so much more exciting.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

Being employed part time in retail, I have many stories about myself providing great customer service but right now, I can't think of a time where I had great customer service. Mostly, I only remember the times where I experienced terrible customer service. Like this one time I went to IHOP with my family on New Years Day during my junior year of high school. It was a beautiful day and like any other holiday, my family and I were hoping to have a great breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast places. At first, everything was fine, we didn't wait too long, our hostess was friendly and catered to us very nicely. But, after we were seated, we waited 5 minutes just for our waitress to come and get our drink orders. Right away, you could tell she had been partying the night before due to her messy unkempt hair and her makeup looking as if she had been wearing it since the night before. My family and I didn't make a big deal out of it, understanding that people go out on New Years Eve but she ended up forgetting my order, getting my dad's order wrong, and was just down right sloppy with her service. My father then complained to the manager that she was either hungover or still under the influence from the night before. We ended up eating for free that morning and although it was free and the food was made right, it still didn't taste as good.