The first 100 days

No, I am not talking about the president, I am talking about me.  I told myself after school was out, I was going to give up my laptop and start walking the dog and stop to smell the roses along the way.  Did it happen?

Well……. not exactly.  At first it was almost a habit to pick up my laptop when I walked in the door from work and start looking at things online but this time, it was Amazon and google on my terms, no textbooks and no research papers.  After a week or two, I then started to put don the laptop and became obsessed with the television.  There are so many shows over the past year that I needed to catch up.  So I became a couch potatoe for a couple of weeks. 

Then I started to get bored, and looked into getting my masters, are you kidding me? $50,000 and two years of my life? forget it!  In the past two weeks I have taken Lucy for a walk almost every day as well as trying to work out a little.  My computer access has become much more limited as I almost missed an evite to a birthday party this afternoon because I dont check it all of  the time and it does not even bother me. I am just glad I can go to the party and not think about  a paper I need to write.  The fresh air and the combination of a pug that demands attention with her cuteness.  I am finally free in my first 100 days!

The perfect end to a new beginning……….

This makes me sad yet ecstatic.  I have truly enjoyed the journey but am glad to be done.  This class has been the greatest and a wonderful way to end my career.  From talking politics to bashing sites to blogs from other parts of the country.  My goals for the next month which are things that have been neglected this past year because of school are;

walk the dog

clean the house(year old dust bunnies EWE!)

catch up on all my paperwork for the houses

file bills

play with my puppy

sleep

refuse to read a textbook for the next ten years 

spend time with my husband

stop and smell the roses

love life!

Different strokes for different news folks

The six websites that I looked at for our group project were all very different in content but all had different values that I could see beneficial to the different groups that use them.  I could not say that one was much better than another because they all had their different positive and negative aspects.  I looked at ABC, newscloud, New York Post, Charlotte observer, Miami Herald, and St. Petersburg times.  Opinion versus fact.  Who is right or wrong.  Looking at different news organizations, they can have a complex strategy that buries the information or they can be too technologically advanced for anyone to figure out what the heck they are trying to say.  The spectrum is large and diverse but the common theme is the inconsitency in the consistency.

The ABC site was all about the shows and did not tell much about the news.  I would rate it a 1 out of 5 as far as news content, 5 out of 5 on its broadcasts.  The Charlotte observer felt like I had picked up the latest tabliod off the newstand which was opposite of the New York Post and Miami Herald.  The Charlotte observer did have some news but as far as creditability for me I would wasy it was between a 2 or 3 out of 5.  I would not be certain of the content of the stories being 100% true from my specualtion.  The New York Post and the Miami Herald would rate at a 4.5 out of 5.  They seemed to both be well organized and fact checked as well as fairly user friendly.  In trying to recall anything about the St. Petersburg times, I can’t remember what it was even about which means that it was not very exciting and not much to report.  But when I looked back to the site another day, I found it to be very basic but covered most of the points of media.  I would rate it a 3 out of 5. 

I found it soothing for the sites that had some technology but not overbearing with moving and talking parts.  Like handprints, no two are alike or have all of the same features.  Whose is to say which is better or more user friendly?  It is all about opinion and what it means to you.  You are wondering why none of the sites rated a 5 out of 5?  I guess it is because I am so used to the Seattle Times and it’s layout that would be the only paper that I would rate a 5 out of 5, but I was not asked to rate it so therefore, no one received a perfect score.

How Safeway lost a customer over a donut

Ranting and raving gets things off your chest.  I feel that it does help to write things down so they don’t keep swimming around in your head.  You don’t have to worry about someone listening to you because, if they want to read about it, they will, if not you will never know.  I was amazed at the different sites there are about rants on many different topics. 

In reading the article, it made me think of the donut incident I had at Safeway.  There was a sign on the outside of the glass donut case that said 3.99 per dozen, so I rounded up 2 dozen donuts for my employees and went to the register.  The guy rang me up and said, “that will be $15.98″  I said that there was a sign on the case that said 3.99.  He told me that was only for stores that had in house bakeries and did not apply to his store.  How was I to know this and why would they put up a sign that did not apply at their location. He refused to give me the price and I asked for the manager.  He gave me the same runaround.  I tried to show him the case but he said he knew the sign was there and was not going to remove it because it does not apply to his store.  I argued and said that it was false advertising which he sidestepped but would not give them to me at the reduced price.  UGH!!!  I said a few choice words and went down the street to QFC where I paid the price on the sitcker of 6.99.   I will never go into that store again. Looking online I found many hate sites for safeway but thought this one to be very amusing  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=safeway  on how they defined safeway.  ANother site that I actually put into my favorites when I was searching was http://www.retail-sucks.com/index.php

I think that these sites are a good way for people to let off steam as long as it is factual information and not slander.

On a side note from the second article, I have a remote for the tv, dvd, cable, sound system, sound for the home computer, the ceiling fan in our bedroom, the window above our front door that we need a ladder to reach, and a large universal prank one I got for my husband because he kept losing them all.  When does it stop?

Questions-

Do you believe that these “hate” sites are beneficial to others or are they more for amusement?  Have you ever contributed to one of these sites?  If so which ones?

“video killed the radio star” Do you think that internet will kill the use of TIVO or DVD recorders?  Why?

“We haven’t become more like machines. We’ve made the machines more like us. “  Do you agree or disagree with this statement?  Give examples in your own life to support your statement.

Internet wide divide

Where would we be without the internet? I think of how the world has changed because of the digital divide just in the past ten years. People no longer fill out paper job applications and there is no such thing as a typing class, it is now called a computer class. What is truly important in our children’s education? How can we measure the divide? Children who are underprivileged should be given help to have the same opportunities as other children, however I do not think that it starts with a laptop for every child; it starts with the basics and then redesigning the education system so they have a chance to make it. 

 “Developing countries will face a difficult future without similar investments. The gap between rich and poor countries worsens as the digital divide widens.” There is a consensus that technology is a priority and a staple in order for these countries to survive and there are many parts of the world that are making that transition very smoothly. However, much bigger issues need to be addressed before giving each child their own laptop.

As discussed in class, you cannot function without water or food. You need the basics first. Once you have the basics, there is room to grow and adapt. There is obvious gaps that need to be filled in but you can‘t put the cart before the horse. Once these countries have established a basis of basics, then it is up to them to continue to grow and develop into an internet community. The article Children Falling into the Digital Divide, discuses how if third world countries want to make it to the big leagues, they need to become computer literate. It does not talk about have one laptop per each child, it talks about the basics.

In focusing on our own country, I think that we also need to focus on the basics. If we could get the same number of computers into each school and the same amount of computer instruction from teachers, I think that this would be a great start. Give each student an opportunity to have it at school. Come up with after school programs that give students who do not have laptops at home the chance to play around on the computers and teach them things that they would otherwise be oblivious to in life. Set a standard of papers done in class as to give them the opportunity to work on them, as they would not be able to otherwise. Another idea that came up was the point of checking out laptops at the library or having a standard GPA to maintain having one. Start small and work big. Start with food and water, and then work into each child having the same opportunities.

It would take quite a bit of resources, public and private, but I think that we should bring up everyone together. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. The same goes for children, present them with the same opportunities and let them choose what they want to do with their life. Start small by fixing America’s digital divide first, and then conquer the rest of the world.

Koss, Fabian (2001). Children Falling into the Digital Divide. Journal of International Affairs, 55 No. 1, Retrieved March 4, 2009, from http://www.iadb.org/ethics/Documentos/abs_kos_onchi-i.pdf

 

Why did the internet connection cross the road?

Wireless networks scare me.  I don’t know if it is the complexity of how they work but all of the jargon and specialty terms overwhelm me. The WLAN pictures give me anxiety and flashbacks of the hours and hours that I have spent trying to get them to work everytime we have moved.  The great thing about them is that everytime we move, it is cheaper to hook back up with another company because of the decresing prices.

 It seems as quite a bit has changed even from 2003.  The units are getting smaller and less expensive as well as “sharing” is more common even if it is considered a crime.  The pictures of the equipment from other countries looks outdated and as if it should be in a bad horror movie wrapped with tinfoil.  Do I think that everyone should have access to internet?  Absolutely.  I don’t think that there will ever be a standard or a way to make sure it is affrodable for everyone but there have definitely been great strides in that direction.  Everyone is still out to make a profit and unfortunately a lot of the time that does not help out the rural areas because it is ultimately not as profitable to the business.  I think that there will be some help given to these people, but even in rural parts of the United States, you can not get a connection or better yet, cellphone service.  Until there is a system that will encompass the entire earth all at once, this will alway be a problem of someone being left behind. Why did the internet connection cross the road?  To get to the other side of course, but it usually only makes that attempt if the other side of the road has larger opportunites, or is that the saying, the grass is always greener?!

Questions-

Explain how wireless technology has increased our resources adapted to rural areas of the world? Do you think that there will ever be an equality in the services in rural areas?

Do you think it is ok to “steal” a wireless internet connection from another business or person if it is not secured?  Why or Why ont?

Do you think internet connections should be standardized?  What are the posititive and negative connotations to this idea?

Two weeks to freedom…Thirty is the new Twenty

It has been a crazy journey of working and trying to go to school, but I think it will be worth it.  I don’t feel that way right now, but I am sure that eventually I will.  All I can see right now is my loans staring me in my face with a little paper saying I spent alot of money for it.  As I reflect back on other things that I have done, they dont seem significant at the time but later look like they really meant something.  Hopefully this will be one of those times.  I hope to put it in the column next:

-Being published in the USA today in the voices column when I was 12 about how my family struggled as farmers

-Becoming a certified dental assistant by the time I was 17

-having surgery for a brain tumor at 18

-buying our first house when I was 23

-Marrying my husband at 23

-buying our second house when I was 25

-Working my butt off to get my own store at the age of 27

-buying our third house when I was 28

-Finishing my degree at the age of 29

This is for you Grandmere, I wish you were here to see it all, I finally did it!  The first woman in our family to graduate from college.  I love you!

Heres hoping that my thirties will be as productive as the twenties……  I worked so hard I want to have a little fun and have a little one. ;)

The Pride and Joy of branding

Working in the retail industry has given me some good insight on branding and what it means to companies.  If you don’t adapt to your situation and your client, in this environment, you will not survive.  Unfortuately the cliche of survival of the fittest is the mindset of the current economy and business model.  The ideas given to adapt your business to the internet and the ability for a small company to handle large business like models and clients is a great concept and gives the little guys a chance to survive.  

My parents own two organic dairy farms.  Recently they chose to get their raw milk license to start selling milk off the farm and to buying clubs.  From looking at their website, (prideandjoydairy.com) you would think that they may be a small company,  but you would never imagine that they have one room filled with bottles and my dad does the bottling and my mom does the paperwork and the website, simplistic but functional, has been up for less than six months and they are getting more orders than they can handle.

Customer service, this day and age, is key to success.  People don’t ask for much but if you go above and beyond, people will come back for your products.  Amazon is a good example of this model.  If you have an issue, they will take care of you.  Whether it be, calling on the phone or contacting customer support on the web.  There is always someone who will respond to your questions fairly quickly.  People expect good customer service on the phone, in person and over the internet.  I was suprised at the statistic of 88% of people would not accept lower customer service levels online than in person.  I think that this statistic is pretty high, but I can understand with so many choices out there, if companies don’t live up to the standards of their clients, you can go someplace else.

 

Questions- 

Describe a time when you had a bad customer experience with an internet company and how it was handled?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of ordering products online, from a catalog over the phone, and in person?  Which method are you most likely to use?

Explain the importance of a website when ordering from a particular vendor, how important is a professional looking website when ordering online?

To group or not to group…..that is the question….

In looking over my two news sites, New York Times and Charlotte Observer, I found very large differences.  New York Times seemed to be better laidout and easier to navigate.  The Charlotte Observer had the feel of a tabloid newspaper and not very trust worthy.  I can’t pinpoint what it was besides the  shorter articles and the off the beaten path stories themselves in the Charlotte Observer.

The front page featured articles such as Michael Phelps not convicted and John Kerry’s mistress photos taken of a jet that she was on with him.  These are not headliners on the 5′o clock news or other major news organizations.

Another issue I noticed on both websites is the control that they have in blogging.  Both sites had places to comment on the stories that they featured but there was no open blogging that I cold find in their sites.  They comments were moderated by the site as well to make sure that the content was appropriate.  Why would you have comments that appear to be original when you are moderating them to be biased in your defense?  This frusterates me that they are using this to their advantage to show people who are supporting their views on the article. 

What is the best way to group items for clarity in a website?  This is subject to interpretation but I think that the NYTimes does a fairly decent job of showing how most news sites can group for clarity.

Politics on Politicians

I had never really thought of the differences in websites and how they are set up spacially to be easy on the eye.  I do agree that the easier a site is to navigate, the more likely I am to return.  I just recently noticed at my work, as the article talks about, the inconsistency in the highlighted links that have been visited.  I look for and often wondered how long a certain link that you have clicked on will show up as highlighted or clicked on.  I often try to return to a link that I know I used a few days earlier and sometimes it shows up as used and other times as if I had never been there.

The word “Breadcrumb” is new to me, but the concept is something that I use quite frequently as I navigate or usually get off track from what I was originally looking for.  

One thing that I find very fascinating is the difference between these websites from 2004 and how the 2008 presidential campaign used the internet to their advantage.If comparing the 2000 campaign to the 2008 campaign, there would be a world of difference in the past 8 years in how digital media is used to the advantage to the canidates.   Obama went as far as using youtube to give messages to the public and promoting his website to gain voter approval.

I tried looking at the McCain website and it has been taken down and only has a letter thanking people for their support and congratulating Obama on his win.  This shows that even though he lost, there is still enough of a media focus that he needs to continue to pay for the site, even though he lost. 

Going back to the 2004 election, the Bush site is not user friendly with an unconventional setup with backwards breadcrumbs. I thought it to be quite amusing that even their websites, like most politicians, consistency was hard to find.  I wonder if Bush could navigate his own website?  I highly doubt that he even knew how to connect to the world wide web. 

Questions-

Do you think that websites are a reflection of how a president will deal with their positions on issues and how they will react to an ever changing dynamic of how people communicate? 

Explain how bloggers have changed the presidential dynamic in the 2008 election?

Describe the differences between republican and democratic views and how this may play into the content of their webpages?