Prezi vs. PowerPoint

In my college career, I have been inundated with presentations. And we all know that no presentation is complete without a visual aid. Until a few months ago, the only visual aid I even knew existed was PowerPoint and is what I used for all of my presentations. I like PowerPoint because it is simple to use, although I think that the fact that we have been trained to use PowerPoint for years in school makes it seem easier. Also, because it is a Microsoft Office tool, formatting a PowerPoint presentation is very similar to something else that we have been thoroughly trained and seasoned in, and that is Microsoft Office. I always thought that PowerPoint wasn't the most visually appealing aid that you could use, but it was still a better option than using poster board so it is what I stuck with. Then along came Prezi.

I did a little research and found out that Prezi was released in 2009, and I wish that someone had told me about it sooner. It is SO much more interesting to look at than PowerPoint, and I think that it is refreshing to have a new type of presentation aid come onto the scene. The layouts and transitions between slides are more interesting and visually appealing than PowerPoint's, and they make it easier to convey your point and keep the audiences attention. This comes with a price though, as Prezi is not as simple to use as PowerPoint. Having to direct the path of the slides, and the different formatting options are more time consuming. But, once again, I will admit that my level of experience comes into play here, and once I become more seasoned with Prezi, it will begin to be easier for me to use.

All in all, I think that Prezi is a far better visual aid to PowerPoint, and I see why it is taking my college campus by storm. If you have a presentation to make, give Prezi a try and I doubt that you will be disappointed.

Thanks for reading!

Twitter Etiquette

Are you on Twitter? I actually just got a Twitter account a couple of weeks ago (I'm behind the times, I know) and all I have to say is "Man do people tweet a lot!" I think you would literally have to be logged on to Twitter and staring at it for 24 hours a day to be able to keep up with all that is going on with the people I'm following. I found an article written by Margaret Mason, a writer for The Morning News, about Twitter etiquette that I think that everyone on Twitter should read. And I mean EVERYONE! It's not so much about what you should do on Twitter as it is about what you shouldn't do, and I completely agree with every point she makes. I don't need to know about every little detail of you daily life like the fact that you just ate a whole quart of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, or that you and your significant other just saw the new Twilight movie. Some parts of your life are best kept private and your friends might not want you telling everyone about their life either. So watch what you tweet because its out there for everyone to see. Permanently! Another thing that has been bothering me since I hopped on the Twitter bandwagon is that there are so many @thispersons and #whatevers. I think some people are trying to make their tweets as complicated as possible. Sometimes, and it may just be because I'm new at this, its like reading hieroglyphics. These are a few points that Ms. Mason brings up in her article along with many others. You can read the rest for yourself at this link.

Thanks for reading!

My Web Use

This semester, I have been taking a Business Communications Technologies course, and I have to say that it has opened my eyes to a lot of new things on the Web. (If you're not my professor you might have wondered why I have posted so many blogs about websites and Internet etiquette.) Before this class, I mainly used the Internet to get on Facebook or to do research for projects. Now I use Delicious to search for new recipes, I keep up with my favorite websites using Google Reader, I get on Digg to check out trending topics, and I have also used Wikispaces to collaborate with group members for group projects this semester. I've noticed that the Internet and its applications are more intertwined that I ever knew. Its been an interesting semester and it has really taught me a lot. (And I'm not just saying that because my professor is going to read this.) I think that I will continue to use the websites and tools that I mentioned in the future in my personal life, to keep up with whats new, and in my business life, to work in teams more effectively. I really suggest that you check out some of my previous blogs and look at the websites that I've discussed in them. If you've never seen them before, I think you will be delightedly surprised at what you will find.

Thanks for reading!

Wordle

This is something new to me. Its called a word cloud and I made it on wordle.net using this blog. It takes random words from a website (or you can also put your own words in) and puts them in a "cloud." Just by using words, it can describe you or the website that you use in an artistic manner. Pretty cool.

Thanks for reading!

Finding Yourself

Have you ever been bored and decided to search your name in Google to see what you would find? Most likely, unless you have a super uncommon name like Batman McStupidson, you will probably pull up hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of results. (In case you're wondering, that one actually got 40 hits. Go figure.)

If I search my name, Westley Clark, I get 1,600,000 hits, and a lot of them refer to General Wesley Clark. (No relation.)

Something a lot of people don't know, is that there are ways to make your search more specific by putting quotes around your search or adding query language syntax operators, such as >= or AND.

If I search my name with quotes, "Westley Clark", my search is narrowed down to 22,600 hits. (I still get references to General Clark, but I feel like this is an abnormal circumstance because he is a famous general that ran for president.)

Ways of narrowing down your search, like this one, can be very helpful when you are searching for something rather vague. As a college student, I know that they come in handy when I'm searching for specific information for a report.

Try it out sometime and I'm sure that you will be pleasantly surprised at how much it can help you find what you are looking for.

Here is a link to a page that explains different ways of narrowing down your search.

Thanks for reading!

Social Media Etiquette

Time for another etiquette blog! Although all of them are important, this one is becoming more and more important every day as more and more people, especially businesses, join social media sites.

I just recently gave a presentation for one of my classes about the benefits of social media marketing. From a business standpoint, social media websites are the newest, quickest, and most cost effective way to advertise and get feedback about the new products and services companies offer. But from what I have seen, many companies don't really have a grasp on the idea of marketing with social media. Many seem to think that the more they can make their name show up on a website, such as Facebook or Twitter, the more it will help their company. This is just the start. Sara Carter, a writer for Social Media Today, posted a list of social media do's and don'ts that cover many of the problems that I have seen.

Social media, even in marketing, is a two-way street. Not only should it be used to advertise, it should be used to receive feedback, should it be questions about your product(s) or suggestions to make your product(s) better. Marketers need to remember that they are not only marketing a product, but they are also marketing their company. In order to do this effectively, they need to respond to feedback, good or bad, quickly and in a positive attitude in order to keep their customers pleased and show them that they appreciate them.

Also, marketers need to stop pushing the sale so much. I know that I get on Facebook in order to communicate with my friends. I don't want to be bombarded with advertisements that say "Boy do I have a deal for you!" Sometimes less is more, and if you want me to actually pay attention to you, don't get all in my face (or all over my news feed for that matter) trying to push your business. Make me feel like you are there to help ME and not YOU.

My post briefly summarizes her article, but I urge you (especially if you are a business man or woman using social media to market yourself or your company) to read what she has to say fully. So here is the link.

Thanks for reading!

Awesome Recipe: Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

I tried this recipe out the other night, and it might just be the bacon but I've got to say that I think this is some of the best chicken alfredo I've ever eaten. You can make it with store bought alfredo sauce but I made the sauce myself using the Guiltless Alfredo Sauce recipe and it turned out great. Definitely worth a try!

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/04/baked-chicken-bacon-alfredo/

SlideShare

Social Networks for Business from Katie Laird

Privacy Policy

For my Business Communication Technology class, I was instructed to read the Terms of Service and privacy policy for a social network on which I have an account. I chose Facebook.

There were two questions specifically that we were asked to answer: 

1. What does the policy say about how your information will be used.   
2. Do they say what will happen if there is a breach in security?

First of all, I would like to say that I have never read the Terms of Service or privacy policies for anything that I have joined (I think 99% of us don’t) and I remember why. It took me what felt like forever to sift through all of the information that Facebook gives you about what they do and don’t reserve the right to do with your information and how available it will be to everyone on the Internet. But, although I have been using Facebook for about 7 years, I learned a lot just by reading all of this.

To answer the first question, I read the privacy policy. Facebook uses your information to:

• keep Facebook products, services and integration safe and secure
• to protect Facebook's or other's rights on property
• provide you with location features and services, like telling you and your friends when something is going on nearby
• to measure or understand the effectiveness of ads you or others see
• to make suggestions to you and other users on Facebook (like suggesting friends to you and vise versa) 
• for internal affairs (troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research and service improvement)

To answer the second question, I have to say no; Facebook does not say what will happen if there is a breach in security. All I could find is that they say:

"We do our best to keep your information secure, but we need your help. For more detailed information about staying safe on Facebook, visit the Facebook Security Page. We try to keep Facebook up, bug-free and safe, but can’t make guarantees about any part of our services or products."

I visited the "Facebook Security Page" and found that it is just another Facebook account that makes post's about changes to Facebook and its policies in regards to security.

I challenge all of you who are Facebook users to read the "Data Use Policy." Not only will it tell you how Facebook can use your info, I think it will make many of you realize that we really need to watch what we put on Facebook because it isn't as secret as we might thing (I know I did). So here is the link.

https://www.facebook.com/full_data_use_policy

Thanks for reading!

Digg

Digg is a site that I am rather familiar with and like. Basically, what Digg does, is it brings all types of new articles and blogs together for users to read. After reading an article, readers are allowed to "digg it" if they enjoyed it. If enough people "digg" an article, it shows up on the homepage as a top story. I really like the way this works.

Its not like your traditional news. If you get a newspaper, a lot of people don't even use them anymore, or go to an online news site like CNN.com, you probably won't read half of the articles because they just don't interest you. But Digg is different, because readers vote on articles. The articles that you see are liked by hundreds of people, and chances are that you will like them too. I especially feel like Digg is better for people around my age. Because people from my generation use the Internet more than any other, and therefore use Digg more than any other generation, Digg presents me with articles that are important to me and my peers, and not just my 82 year old grandmother. If I look at a newspaper, I will probably read the titles of the headlines and then flip straight to the sports section. After the sports, I head to the cartoon section, and then into the trash it goes. And the same goes with online news websites that follow the same format. With Digg, when I get online I will read 6 or 7 articles that interest me.

If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly suggest that you do. I think you'll like it. Here's the link.
digg.com

Thanks for reading!

Text Messaging Etiquette

So this is a serious problem with people my age and younger, and even some older people. With everyone having phones nowadays, its time some people learn some ground rules for using them. There is an article I found on PC World that gives some no-no's when it comes to text messaging.

Too many texts?
There is no "set in stone" number of times you can text a person each day, but try to keep the person you're texting in mind, and don't text them more than you would expect to be texted.

Reconsider that texted marriage proposal.
There are some things that are alright to text, but there are also times when you either need to pick up the phone and call, or have a face to face chat with the person. When discussing serious matters, don't do it by text. You can't convey emotion and it makes the conversation and mood seem too nonchalant.

The "other people" factor.
Don't text someone while you are engaged in conversation with someone else. It's just rude and, quite frankly, annoying.

Keep it simple.
Text messages were meant to be short, so keep it that way. Get to the point of what you're trying to say and don't overuse shorthand (unless your under the age of 17 and talking to someone who can speak that language).

Never be "that guy" (or girl).
Don't text during a public performance. It is a distraction and rude to the person performing and the other spectators.

Here is a link to the article on PC World. http://www.pcworld.com/article/169139/text_messaging_etiquette.html

Thanks for reading!

Company Use of RSS

Wow! It is so hard to find an article from a credible source about a particular company that uses RSS feeds in the workplace to communicate to employees and potential consumers! But after literally hours of searching I found an article about how Natasa Lucic, an employee communicator and intranet content manager at Motorola, did research to find out the best way to circumvent this problem.

Lucic believes that using things such as RSS feeds and microblogs can greatly cut down on the information overload that many business employee’s experience. She has several suggestions on the best ways to implementing these communication tools effectively.

Get Manager Support:

First of all, it is important to have support from upper level managers in the workplace. The best way of implementing new communication tools is to get managers on board and help employee’s with the transition.

Deliver More Effective Training:

No matter how great a communication tool is, it won’t work if people don’t know how to use it. Have training seminars on the new tools and explain to employee’s why and how they should use them, and they will most likely chose to do so.

Acknowledge the E-mailers:

No matter the emphasis you place on new ways of communicating, there will still be those who prefer to use e-mail. E-mail is still a very effective way of communication and if employees prefer it, as opposed to newer channels, don’t force them to change.

Here is the link to the article written on the “simply communicate” website.

http://www.simply-communicate.com/case-studies/company-profile/how-motorola-uses-social-media-manage-information-overload

Thanks for reading!

Blogging Etiquette

I am new to blogging and had once thought that a blog was just a place where you went to rant and rave and post your own personal opinions for the world to see. Although this is what some people do, I have found that there is a proper etiquette to blogging in order to get your point across, in order to establish yourself as a respectful and credible source. This is a summary of what I found in an article from the Houston Chronicle about the etiquette of blogging, dealing with citation and attribution.

Fair Use

The copyright laws in America make it acceptable for a person to use someone else’s material for reporting, teaching, or commentary. This includes written works and also imagery. But, one can only use the relevant part of the work or else you jump from fair use to copyright infringement.

Attribution

Even if you use someone else’s work and it falls under fair use, it is necessary for you to give the author’s name, if available, the name of the blog or site in which you got your information, and a link to the original article.

Creative Commons

Instead of getting their works copyrighted, some creators have started releasing their works under Creative Commons. This means that although there is no copyright of the work, if you chose to use part of their material, it is still deemed legally necessary to correctly attribute the work to the original creator.

When in doubt, ask the writer or artist if you can use their work. Most are glad to help.

Warning

Even if you’re correctly citing your source, it is still illegal to use the material for commercial purposes without having the written permission of the person who created it.

Considerations

When in doubt, ask the writer or artist if you can use their work. Most are glad to help.

Here is a link to the Houston Chronicle site in which I gathered this information, written by G. D. Palmer of Demand Media.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/blogging-etiquette-citation-attribution-34258.html

Thanks for reading!

Google Reader

Well, yesterday was the first time that I’ve ever used Google Reader, and all I have to say is that I am impressed and wondering why I haven’t found out about this sooner! Being able to bring all of my favorite sites to one page so that I can surf all of them at the same time is probably the most awesome thing that I’ve been able to do online since the invention of Facebook. There are a lot of things that I like about Google Reader and only a couple of things that I don’t, but first I’ll tell you about the good. 

As I said before, being able to bring your favorite sites to one page is amazing. Now instead of going to one web page to another, I can view all the new posts and information from each page at one time and chose what I want to check out. It saves time and effort and not enough can be said about that. Also, I love how easy it is to use. It’s so simple to add a page or delete it and if you like an article, all you have to do is “star” it and you can easily find it again. 

One of the things that I didn’t like about Google Reader is that once you subscribe to a few sites, you have a ton of items on your feed. It can be a little overwhelming at first to log on and see that you have 40 something new posts to go through. The only other thing that I found that I didn’t like about Google Reader was that it was rather bland. It reminds me a little too much of looking at my email account. Sometimes, I think it might be better just to go to the site itself and see it how it was intended to look. Overall though, I think Google Reader is an awesome tool and I plan to use it often.

Wiki

Dan Carlin, a reporter for Business Week, wrote an article a few months ago about the use of wikis for collaboration in companies. In this article, Carlin discusses 2 companies, Nokia and Dresdner Kleinwort, and how the use of wikis has drastically increased the efficiency of communication between colleagues in their companies by greatly reducing communication through email and, therefore, saving time and making things downright easier. He reports that at Dresdner Kleinwort, the head of e-commerce, Alex Thill, has cut down his email use by at least 75% and many of his colleagues have reported similar results. By cutting down on emails, employees are able to save the time and effort that would have previously gone into sifting through hundreds of emails, and as we all know saving time means saving money. He also reports that at Nokia, approximately 20% of its 68,000 employees currently use wiki pages to update schedules and project statuses, trade ideas, edit files, and so on. Carlin believes, and justly so, that as more companies realize the use of wikis in their organizations and implement their use, they will soon spread throughout the corporate world and become the more preferred means of collaboration.

For more information you can read the article yourself at:

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-03-12/corporate-wikis-go-viralbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

Photo

This is a photo of an Axis buck that I harvested in August at my deer lease in south Texas. He scored 124 inches and made the Records of Exotics book as a bronze medal buck.

Introduction

My name is Westley Clark and I am a student at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Currently a senior, if all goes according to plan, I will graduate in May of 2013. I am on the path to obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Management but currently do not know what exactly I will do with my degree. When I'm not at work or engulfed in schoolwork (which currently seems like hardly ever) I enjoy watching and playing football, hunting and fishing, and playing poker.

Like most college students, I’m constantly on the computer (most of the time when I should be doing something else). Some of my favorite websites are:

www.facebook.com - Facebook is a well know social media website in which users can communicate with friends stay on track with their daily lives.

www.partypoker.com - Party Poker.com is an online poker website where you can play poker for free or for money.

thechive.com - The Chive is an entertainment website for guys that consists of photo albums of funny pictures, scenery, attractive women, and all around cool stuff.