Events of Some

Today I was thinking that it is time to update the blog on what's going on in my life. The hard part is trying to decide where to start!

Apart from school, I have been having a lot of fun up here in Logan. I have been dating someone, and it has been pretty fun. His name is Tony and today we went to Wok on Wheels, which was a lot of fun. We also went to the Logan Library and got some 'media'. Last week we went fishing at Hyrum Dam.

School has been really hard, and I am hoping that I will be able to get the grades I want. I've really been trying to apply myself this week and I feel good about it. This week on Thursday I had an interview with JC Penney for a Co-op internship. It was a good experience for me to go through that interview, which was pretty rigorous. They asked me a ton of questions about experiences that I've had, and I think that I have a much better idea of what to expect in future interviews. I felt that the interview went well, and I was pleased with it. Yet I don't think that they were completely won over by me. I'm ok with that because I mostly wanted to do this for practice and experience.

Next week I am set to go to the IMA National Student Conference in Anaheim, CA. I leave on Thursday. It should be a good experience and a lot of fun too. I hope that I can meet a few people and be able to participate in all the activities.

Happy Halloween! 

School Starts

This past week a lot of things have happened. I started school again and met a bunch of new people, as well as had a lot of fun with my fellow roommates. My thoughts after the first week are that I am pretty sure I can do this even though it will be hard with the difficult classes I am taking, and I cannot wait until I am done with school! I have a plan, so I just hope everything will work out. I have been assigned to do a lot of reading this semester and that will be the hardest thing for me to keep up with in class. 

I am quite unsure about a lot of things at this time. My future in particular and my ability to rise to the challenges that are before me: graduating and becoming a business woman, among other things. I just need to remember that each day is a chance to practice becoming better and if I don't do that I will never change. As much as I wish I could just be lazy and do nothing, it would never be worth it. All I can hope is that some good will come out of this...

A Story That Needs to be Told

Last week was my family camp out. There were some things that happened that I must write down! We were in the Uinta Mountains in Henry's Fork. Since my mom was in charge this year, we went up on Monday and stayed until Saturday.

On Monday we arrived and had to search for a camping spot, since the one we were planning on staying at had a bunch of people already camped out there. So we found this place that was back off the road and the trail that led to it was uphill, very rocky, and bumpy. So when my Aunt Jenae got there with her big old trailer, we weren't sure if it was going to make it over the bumps and the rocks. After a few tries and hitting the tail end on the dip off the side the road, we actually got it up the hill. After that everything went smoothly and we set up camp. That first night it was me, Mom, Dad, Mark, and Aunt Jenae in the camper. And surprisingly I was REALLY hot that night. I was in sleeping bag and my pj's, and outside it was really cold. Well the next day there was Uncle Ron who came driving up the hill but unfortunately his tire was hissing air and within a few minutes it was flat. So then all the boys helped him change his tire.

During that time I decided I needed to go to the bathroom and I was going to go into the forest and find a nice log. So I headed into the trees and kept walking, but a "nice log" was hard to find, so when I finally saw one that I liked I headed straight towards it, eyes focused on the log ahead of me. Suddenly I heard a Hisss! and something out of the corner of my eye moving towards me. I screamed and jumped, as I turned to face the animal that was trying to attack me! I saw it was a small brownish-gray ground bird about the size of a chicken with a look that reminded me of a wild turkey. With my heart pounding now, I immediately thought, "Ok, I will kick it if it comes at me. I can defend myself." It hissed at me again, and moved towards me. "Stop! Go away!" I yelled and made large arm movements, but the bird wouldn't back down. Then I began to wonder "What is this bird doing!? Why is it standing up to me when I'm 10 times it's size?" Then I glanced up and saw something else moving behind it. Chicks. It was protecting it's babies. So I then turned and walked away knowing it would leave me alone. Honestly I was scared and my heart was pounding, which may seem stupid because it was a bird, but it was very unexpected. My mom had heard my yelling and come to see if I was still ok and I told her what happened, with me still shaky from the shock. Meanwhile I still needed to go to the bathroom and so we walked over to a different area. The problem was, while I was sitting there, flies, mosquitoes, and all other kinds of bugs swarmed me! It was all I could do to protect myself and I couldn't! Something bit me under my eye and it began swelling up. I got mosquito bites all over, and it was not fun! I finished as quickly as possible and left the scene.

One other fun thing I did was on Thursday. Me, Mark, and Dad went on a hike to Red Castle. We left at 6:40 AM and returned at 5:30 PM. The hike was 20 miles long and by the time we got back, our feet were all killing us.

We were able to see the beautiful Red Castle and Lower Lake, a lovely waterfall, forest, meadow, and our very own Todd and Matt Williams while on the way down the trail! They were camping around China Meadows and we met on the trail as if fate had brought our paths together! It was so strange but good to see our relatives. Todd was also able to tell us of a really good fishing spot at the State Line Dam. 

The day after, Friday, we wanted to go to the fishing spot that Todd had told us about. The State Line Dam Inlet. Me, Mom, Dad and Mark went and hiked through the forest to get there. The bank was very muddy, in fact thats all it was pretty much. My mom was the first to catch a fish; She reeled it in, and it was a great big trout. We thought that was pretty cool. So I went up on this ledge overlooking the water. There was no mud up there. I cast in my line and got some nibbles, but no fish on the hook. So I tried again and decided to be more patient. It wasn't too long until my line was moving around, so I jerked and I caught a fish! I pulled it out of the water and it was a nice silver color that I hadn't seen before. Mark took the fish for me and noted that there was another hook lodged in its mouth. Hmmm, strange. So I went back on the ledge to catch another. I did the same thing as before, and caught another one. I noticed it's head looked odd, like there were scratches. Didn't think much of it, but when Mark saw it he noticed that there were what looked like scars on it's back too. Well, I thought it might be ok. Mark gutted it and told me that it's insides were yellow. Ok, now I'm really getting concerned. Should we keep it or not? Meanwhile my mom and dad and Mark caught a bunch of other fish. They were really biting up a storm and there was a lot of fish in there. When we were satisfied we took all our fish back, and after consulting with my fish guru Aunt Jenae, I decided to get rid of my scarred up, yellow fish. So I just kept my one silver fish.

After all of these adventures, I can say that my camping trip was fun and I enjoyed being able to have these fun times.

A Blog Makeover

I decided today to redo my blog that I created for school the past semester and change it up into a brand new, personal blog. I have so much fun reading Meredith's blog and a couple other people's, and I thought if I had one, maybe I could document some of my life on here. I will definitely be redoing the appearance of my blog once I figure out how to do it properly.

Listening

In communication it is difficult to downplay the importance of listening. Listening plays a big part in the ability of a person to communicate effectively.

Being able to listen to a person and correctly understand what is being said is related to the way you respond. If a person is bad at listening, their response can be completely wrong to the situation and can hinder relationships and understanding between people. Good listeners can effectively receive the information related to them by the person they are dealing with and use that information to respond correctly, fixing their issue or helping that person.

The main way to be an effective listener is to pay attention when someone is talking to you, and try not to be thinking of other things at the same time. This way you can make a correct response and know what you are responding to.

“A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.” --Kenneth A. Wells

Email as a Communication Technology

In each business it is important to explore different communication technologies that will be used. These technologies enhance the business in their own ways. There are many different technologies a company can use such as emails, telephones, cell phones, video conferences, and more. As for using email in a business, there are many benefits that have been enjoyed.

• It provides a fast and easy way to communicate with people.
• When used with cell phones and laptops, email can be accessed from almost anywhere.
• It is a cheap way for communication.

There are some drawbacks to using emails. It can be impersonal and misrepresent emotion. It is good to use email with caution when portraying news that could be taken the wrong way.

For greater insight into this topic, refer to the article Using Email for Successful Business Communication by Cheri Esperon

Necessary Features of Corporate Blogs

There was a study conducted by the Northeastern University and Backbone Media about the most important attributes of effective corporate blogs. In this article it lists five things that has been found to contribute to the success of blogs. The five items are: Culture, Transparency, Time, Dialogue, and Entertaining Writing Style and Personalization.

For the first item, Culture, it is important to build a company image. You can do this by bringing out a strong attribute or a negative attribute that you want to fix. By doing this, you can create a friendlier image of the company.

Transparency means building a relationship with customers that lets them see into your business and feel as though you are open and honest with them. It is easier for people to connect to the business if they can trust the business. You can create an atmosphere that encourages this feeling of transparency.

It is important to use a blog consistently. That is why Time is the third point. It is necessary for the business to delegate the responsibility of doing blog work to someone who has time to post regularly. Many blogs end as if someone gave up on it. That would not be good for a business. They need to be up to date and not forgotten.

The person that the company does choose to write the blog needs to be willing to do Dialogue. This means that customers or people that look at the blog should have the ability to respond to posts, and receive answers back. The more successful blogs are able to respond effectively to the questions and comments of readers.

The last point, Entertaining Writing Style and Personalization, can create a much more intimate feeling with customers. It is all about creating personal connections and getting a more human feel for the company. People should be able to read posts with our being too bored. The writer can reveal personal information that will create a closer feel to the business.

These five points can help corporate blogs improve and provide a solid basis for future blogs. They are definitely something that should be considered in the process of blogging.

Source: Blogging Success Study -- Northeastern University and Backbone Media

Effective Resumes

When looking for a job, the thing that will get you the interview is your resume. Employers spend about ten seconds looking at an applicant's resume. This means that a resume needs to show an employer the benefit that you can be to the business. I will highlight some of the things that I have learned recently to improve a resume and help you get that interview.

Resumes typically begin with an objective. The objective tells the employer what you are looking for in a job. In the objective it is beneficial to mention a skill that you have that you would like to implement in a job. This can capture the attention of a person right at the beginning if they are looking for that skill.

After the objective comes the education section in which contains the degrees earned or soon to be earned, major, the school attended, graduation date, and for undergraduates GPA. In this section, you can add awards you received from the school or specific projects that you worked on.

A resume should highlight your skills and experience. You should put in computer skills, related work experience, and related projects. The resume should focus on the results of what you did and not just tell what you did. This is an opportunity to show the employer how you can improve the company.

In many cases, a resume will be the first impression of you, so it is worth it to make your resume the best you can. You should ask yourself "why am I the best employee for this job?" and try to answer that in your resume. This could be the deciding factor in a person's chance of obtaining an employment opportunity.

Information from Susan Jones and Utah State University Career Services

Skills of Prospective Employees

As a student, I am learning about the ways to increase the chances of gaining employment. Although there are many things a person can do to increase their chances of success in getting the job they want, there are five skills that I would like to point out that I feel a person needs to have in order to do well. They may be simple, but can affect the way you are viewed as a prospective employee.

1. Communication skills: It is necessary to be able to converse with others and relate ideas. Also, a person needs to be able to work in tandem with others.
2. Trust/ethical: If an employer does not trust you, they will not give you a job.
3. Technological knowledge: Computers are used so much today that it is necessary to be able to operate them efficiently.
4. Problem Solving: A good employee will be able to solve issues for the company, not create more.
5. Know How to Learn: The job market is changing every day. Employers are looking for people that will be able to keep up with changing times through learning and implementing new ideas.

The skills that employers look for do vary with many factors. As judged by myself, these five are some of the most important and useful values that companies look for. Supporting information can be found on the North Central Regional Laboratory Website including the 5 competencies and the 3 foundational elements.

Examples of Corporate Blogs

There are some corporate blogs out there that really demonstrate well how a blog could be used to benefit the company. I have looked up some of them that I think could be used as examples of good blogs.

1. Google
2. Dell
3. Chrysler
4. Marriot
5. Walmart
6. Ebay
7. Yahoo!
8. Coca-Cola
9. Disney Parks
10. Safeway

One of the reasons I decided if it was a good blog was organization. The blog needs to be easy to skim and easy to navigate. Another thing is that blogs need to be kept up-to-date, and each post should have a purpose behind it. The author of the blog should write a description of who they are and what their blog is about. These traits, along with my own reaction to the corporate websites, lets me know that these blogs are professional.

To sum up: organization, ease of navigation, up-to-date post, author description, and purpose of blogs show good examples of corporate blogs.

For more information: Beginner's Guide to Corporate Blogging by Fredrik Wacka

Blogging Code of Ethics

One of the first things I would like to do on my corporate blog is set up a code of ethics. This code is something that I as the author will abide by when I write. For professional bloggers like myself it is important to set forth a code of ethics to foster trust with the readers. I would encourage all professional blogs to have their own set of policies to abide by. They should be unique to that organization or individual depending on what is seen as important to them. For this blog I will be using the MIS 2200 code of ethics that my teacher has provided.

Code of Ethics
1. I will tell the truth and separate fact from opinion.
2. I will write deliberately and with accuracy, and all writing will be my own.
3. I will acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly.
4. I will preserve the original post, using notations to show where I have made changes, as to maintain the integrity of all respectful publishing.
5. I will never delete a classmate’s post.
6. I will report inappropriate content to the professor.
7. I will reply to comments when appropriate, and do so at least weekly.
8. I will strive for high-quality posts, avoiding all fatal errors.
9. I will stay on topic.
10. I will disagree with other opinions respectfully.
11. I will cite and link to online references and original source materials directly.
12. I will disclose and avoid conflicts of interest; i.e., political, sales, or social agendas.
13. I will keep sensitive issues and topics private, since discussing private issues may jeopardize my personal and academic relationships.

Although this may seem like a lot of information, it is something that can help keep a blog going in the right direction and gain some trust from readers. Basically, it helps to create a more professional appearance in a blog by trying to avoid some of the pitfalls that can be created in professional blogging. Codes of ethics are a great way to show the values that you will incorporate in blogging.

Information about this topic was found at http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2004/11/blogging_policy.html

The Benefits of Professional Blogs for Businesses and Organizations

Many businesses today have professional blogs that increase their ability to interact with their clients. It is a simple way for businesses to keep clients informed on changes in the company, and it's also an easy way for the clients to let the company know their opinions.

Businesses thrive on the ability to have good, lasting relationships with customers, and the flow of communication that blogs provide really helps to nourish that relationship. Blogs can show a company's more personal and human side. Since it is easier to identify with those types of businesses, blogs can give a company a better image. These are just some of the reasons why staying modern is important in businesses today.

If you would like to read more about blogs, please refer to the article Blogging: Bubble Or Big Deal? by Charlene Li.