Well, I've got to say that this course was a lot more interesting than I anticipated it to be. I've learned how to use social media tools that I probably never would have tried and I got to learn more about ones that I already use! We've learned about Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs where you can write about whatever's on your mind and connect with friends, media sharing websites like YouTube and Flickr, and more informative tools like Wikis, podcasts, and RSS feeds.
Before this course I used YouTube, mostly just to listen to music, and Facebook. (Well, let's all admit we use Wikipedia more than we should.) While in college, I probably will keep using RSS feeds (once I get better with them) to do research. I don't anticipate using a blog or Twitter much at all in college, because it would simply be for leisure and I'm not all that interested. If I end up working in non-profit, however, all of the social media tools that we've covered this week will be very beneficial in promoting the work that my organization would be doing. We've all seen how much information an organization can get out on the web while doing our projects.
If there was a lot more to learn, I would definitely take another social media class. I think it's great to learn more about new tools that are being developed, especially in the field of non-profit. As far as classwork goes, I'd like to think that next time I wouldn't procrastinate so much... All in all it was an enjoyable and informative course. Happy blogging, guys!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Youtube & Flickr
Part of this week's assignment was to upload a video we liked from Youtube and discuss it. I decided to choose a video from an event that's pretty special my town: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway's Day of Destruction! Basically a bunch of cars do ridiculous races on the track and crash into each other. What's not to love?! I thought that this video showed some pretty good crashes, flips, and smoke. I'm not a huge fan of the bag pipes playing in the background, but hey, it added a little something different to it. I don't usually read the comments on videos, but after going through the comments on this particular video, mostly discussing the van that flips within the first minute of the video, I was kind of disappointed to find out that the driver of the van had planned to make the car flip. It's better when all of the crazy things that go on happen on their own! To sum it all up, I think this video was a pretty well-made assortment of clips from a great event.
The second part of this week's assignment was to pick a picture we likes on Flickr and discuss it. I chose this picture of Fort Williams (also known as Portland Headlight), because it is one of my favorite places to go and relax in the summertime. It's a beautiful mix of ocean, rocks, fields, and forts. It's the perfect place to swing, swim, bike, fly kites, have a picnic, play some tennis at the courts, learn about Portland's history, or simply just relax. I believe it's one of the most beautiful places in southern maine, and those that have commented on this picture have agreed. If you're visiting southern Maine, or bored on campus, it's definitely a great place to check out!
Comparing the two social media sites, they are very similar! In both cases you can set up accounts and upload or share videos or pictures with people all across the world. As Bistra said, Flickr is the Youtube of pictures. They both are great for their individual specialties!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Podcast
It's time to take blogging to the next level!
OR
As nervous as I was to try and figure out how to put my podcast on my blog, it was pretty simple! Thanks to Bistra's awesome directions I had no problem uploading the file and putting it on Blogger, though I decided to try it two separate ways incase one didn't work. Who knew it could be so easy?
I think that Podcasts are useful for a variety of different things. For instance, I subscribe to a weekly yoga podcast on itunes that will automatically download to my Iphone when I sync it. In this sense, podcasts make a lot of sense and are really simple and beneficial to use. There are lots of scenarios like this where I think podcasts are helpful. In some cases, I'm sure, audio isn't needed in place of a written blog. In this instance, a podcast could actually be less useful if it is difficult to process what you're hearing fast enough or if you cannot understand the person speaking. All in all, I think podcasts have much stronger pros than they do cons.
Podcasts ought to be used more in schools, in my opinion. For example, they could be used as a way of having students discuss material online, rather than just in class. This gives a chance for students to give thoughts and opinions that they may not feel comfortable saying in front of classmates. I feel that the internet, oddly enough, gives children a sense of security these days and can become a good outlet for their knowledge. As far as non profit organizations go, I feel like podcasts would be an interesting and innovative way to get information across. However, I don't think that podcasts are necessarily any more beneficial in this particular profession than blogging, twittering, or any other form of written communication. Is it nice to literally hear all of the wonderful things an organization is doing? Sure! Does it get the point across more than a written statement? Probably not. As far as I can tell, podcasting in non-profit is superfluous.
In researching podcasts for the non-profit organization my group was assigned, I found a podcast created by the World Wildlife Fund that introduces animals and gives information about them to grab the interest of their listeners. As unnecessary as it seems to me, it is still pretty fun to listen to! To catch up on some nearly extinct species, visit World Wildlife Fund podcast.
OR
As nervous as I was to try and figure out how to put my podcast on my blog, it was pretty simple! Thanks to Bistra's awesome directions I had no problem uploading the file and putting it on Blogger, though I decided to try it two separate ways incase one didn't work. Who knew it could be so easy?
I think that Podcasts are useful for a variety of different things. For instance, I subscribe to a weekly yoga podcast on itunes that will automatically download to my Iphone when I sync it. In this sense, podcasts make a lot of sense and are really simple and beneficial to use. There are lots of scenarios like this where I think podcasts are helpful. In some cases, I'm sure, audio isn't needed in place of a written blog. In this instance, a podcast could actually be less useful if it is difficult to process what you're hearing fast enough or if you cannot understand the person speaking. All in all, I think podcasts have much stronger pros than they do cons.
Podcasts ought to be used more in schools, in my opinion. For example, they could be used as a way of having students discuss material online, rather than just in class. This gives a chance for students to give thoughts and opinions that they may not feel comfortable saying in front of classmates. I feel that the internet, oddly enough, gives children a sense of security these days and can become a good outlet for their knowledge. As far as non profit organizations go, I feel like podcasts would be an interesting and innovative way to get information across. However, I don't think that podcasts are necessarily any more beneficial in this particular profession than blogging, twittering, or any other form of written communication. Is it nice to literally hear all of the wonderful things an organization is doing? Sure! Does it get the point across more than a written statement? Probably not. As far as I can tell, podcasting in non-profit is superfluous.
In researching podcasts for the non-profit organization my group was assigned, I found a podcast created by the World Wildlife Fund that introduces animals and gives information about them to grab the interest of their listeners. As unnecessary as it seems to me, it is still pretty fun to listen to! To catch up on some nearly extinct species, visit World Wildlife Fund podcast.
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