Saying Bye to the Blog

This is the last blog post I will ever write for the class Ales 204. Looking back at all my past blog posts has me feeling a bit sentimental, thinking back to all the different activities we did. What struck me the most about this class is how much it was focused on thinking critically and the effect social media can have on the lives of students. In Ales 204 I discovered there are many different uses for social media and that instead of just writing them off as useless, or only looking at the negative, it is important to see how you can incorporate them into your life to make it easier. Just because there are applications to technology that are not very useful does not prevent there from also being useful applications. For example, the thought of employers typing your name into Google and finding every tweet and Facebook message you've ever written is scary right? But there is nothing preventing people from putting positive aspects online too.

In her blog Shannon Wilson talks about how important it is for people to realise the negative aspects associated with social media. This is very true, the Internet is world wide and it is vital that one uses the utmost of caution when posting things online. Posting inappropriate messages or photos online could be detrimental to ones reputation and harm their future employment opportunities. You never knows when a tweet, Facebook post or photo from the past could come back to haunt you. Like Wilson says, anyone using social media should use the utmost caution. Figure 1 is a photo of a Facebook status someone posted insulting their boss and their job. Apparently this person had their boss as their Facebook friend and was fired over Facebook. This can serve as a reminder to us all to use caution when posting things on the Internet and to keep it professional at all times.

Figure 1. Fired on facebook.
From Funny Facebook Pages by admin. 2010.
 Copyright 2010 by FunnyFacebookPages.com

Despite the potentially negative aspects associated with social media there can be many positive aspects as well. Use of social media can provide users with the ability to give potential employers a positive, good review of them. A useful tool I learned in Ales204 is making a web page all about you, for the purpose of giving potential employers somewhere to look you up, and see who you are and what you've done, in an environment you personally can control and regulate. Linkedin is another social media site that allows users to display their professional attributes online in a positive manner. It allows users to connect with business professionals in their field. This can be instrumental in allowing users to find jobs and develop business contacts. Facebook pages are yet another tool we covered in class that allows users to create a professional, positive and informative page of themselves online. According to an article by Johnny Russo 28% of Canadian employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, and 14% of employers report having been positively influenced by their research on social networking sites. This means that everyone has an opportunity to give potential employers a positive, professional impression without even meeting them. It is important to take advantage of these opportunities. Candidates for jobs can set themselves ahead and apart from the pack by having professional positive accounts of themselves online, accessible to potential employers.

Looking back at this course, the most important, reoccurring theme was how to use social media correctly, to ones own advantage. For some, social media may be just a way to waste time, but anyone who has taken Ales 204 realises that is can be so much more. Social media provides people with the opportunity to become informed of current events, to follow professionals in your areas of interest, to get in contact with professionals in your area, to network and to give people a positive impression of yourself.

Over the course of the year I commented on Marisa's, Nicole's, Dani's, Emily's and Shannon's blogs.

References

Wilson, Shannon. (2012, March 12).  Social media: it's not all fun and games. Retrieved April
           12, 2012 from
           http://shan-wilson.blogspot.ca/2012/03/social-media-its-not-all-fun-and- games.html

Russo, J. (2012). Job-searching, social-networking Canadians. BC jobs online inc. Retrieved
          April 12, 2012 from

          http://www.bcjobs.ca/re/career-advice/career-advice-articles/....

Writing with Wikipedia

This week I found a stub, or incomplete, Wikipedia article and added on to it. The goal was to qualify for "good article" status. I picked the topic of proximal diabetic neuropathy. This is a disease that arises as a complication of diabetes mellitus. I picked it because it relates to nutrition, the field I'm studying. Shown below is a picture of the proximal diabetic neuropathy Wikipedia page before I began editing on it.

Figure 1. Proximal diabetic neuropathy wikipedia page stub - before editing
From C. Holte (personal collection. March 21, 2012)

Working on a Wikipedia article was a new and challenging experience. Wikipedia has a formatting code that I was unfamiliar with and had to look up in order to do the assignment. Making and editing the Wikipedia page on proximal diabetic neuropathy provided me with the opportunity to put to use the new skills I've been learning in class. I found and used images that were in the Wiki Creative Commons, and had a copyright that allowed them to be shared and re-used. I referenced the information and facts I found about proximal diabetic neuropathy using the APA formatting style and I was able to use RefWorks, the program we just learned how to navigate, to do this. One thing I soon discovered, when editing, was the vast quantity of information regarding how to write and edit Wikipedia articles on the Wikipedia website itself! This made it easy and convenient to find information. Wikipedia allows anyone to edit and article. Therefore, when I saw something on another article I wanted to include in mine, like an image or caption box, I was able to just look at the formatting codes used in that article and then apply them to mine. This enabled me to add several images as well as a classification box to my article, increasing the quality of information I could provide.

Figure 2. Proximal diabetic neuropathy wikipedia page - after editing
From C. Holte (personal collection. March 21, 2012)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proximal_diabetic_neuropathy

Wikipedia is referred to as a, "free encyclopedia that anyone can edit". This quote is found on the Wikipedia website information page. I think this feature can be both positive and negative aspects. On one hand this means that someone who does not know what they're talking about can post incorrect, inaccurate information. People editing articles may vandalise pages or write biased opinions as if they are fact. People doing research could mistakenly take everything in the articles to be true and end up with incorrect information, but unaware of it. However, Wikipedia has many positive aspects as well. It allowed a mere undergrad student like me to gain experience researching, editing and writing a professional, scientific page. I was exposed to different formatting techniques and different research methods. While Wikipedia may not be counted in many academic institutions it does function well as a starting base for anyone doing research on nearly any subject. Even if people can not reference my Wikipedia article they can go to the references I provided and got my information from, and use them in their academic documents and papers.

My fellow classmate, Nicole Briggs, mentions in her blog some of the systems Wikipedia has in place to prevent and solve the issue of article reliability.  She mentions that Wikipedia has a system where registered users are allowed to modify, delete or correct articles and multiple authors must approve the page before it is posted. This helps corrects the problem of one author posting  biased beliefs or incorrect information. Like myself, Nicole recognises that anyone being able to edit and write Wikipedia articles could create issues with reliability and verifiability. However Wikipedia has checks and systems in place for preventing page vandalism. Wikipedia is increasingly growing, expanding and changing. With the growth of the article database I believe there will also be increased knowledge in the general public of the pros and cons of obtaining information from Wikipedia and increased effort by authors and editors to ensure the information they are posting is accurate.

References

Briggs, N. (2012, March 21). The wonderful world of wikipedia. Retrieved March 
          21, 2012 from  http://ales204n-briggs.blogspot.ca/

Wikipedia. (2012, March). Wikipedia: about. Retrieved March 21, 2012 from
         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About#Editing_Wikipedia_pages

THEEZ KIDDS CAIN'T SPEL

For my choice of topic blog post I am writing about a debate surrounding social media and other technologically advanced types of communication. Texting, online social media sites and twitter have all been accused of ruining the grammar and spelling of users. Teachers are known to complain about students spelling things incorrectly, adding numbers to their words, and lacking punctuation in their school work. Many people believe these are bad habits brought on by instant messaging and texting. However I argue that this is a pessimistic, narrow view. Texting and online social media sites have introduced and caused users to learn useful skills applicable to their everyday lives. Below is a cartoon showing how some teachers and adults may perceive student's understanding of the written language.

Figure 1.1 Teach by text.
From Stumblethro Cartoons by Parker, J.
2011. Copyright 2001 by Cagle Cartoons.

Useful skills that can be gained from texting and using social media sites. One way these means of communication have helped me is in my note-taking. Before university I’d never had to take notes while a teacher was talking, they were always put on the board for me to copy down. However I had little difficulty adjusting to taking notes orally because I was already well versed in shorthand. This was because I'd used shorthand while texting and chatting online. There are times when proper grammar and spelling are very important but there are also times when they are not vital. When taking notes the goal is to get down what a professor is saying quickly. Lack of spelling and grammar and shorthand enables one to get down information quickly, in a format understandable to you.

In her blog KellMc argues social networks and instant messaging are not contributing to the destruction of the English language. KellMc points out that social media and instant messaging promote regular contact with words and written communication. She believes the use of shorthand may actually increase literacy and creativity. Like me KellMc sees the value of social media and other new forms of communication. There are times when it is more convenient to use shorthand than proper spelling and grammar. This does not mean that social media is ruining the English language, it's expanding it.

My fellow classmate Lina Hegberg wrote a blog about how as we become more technologically advanced, and do the majority of our communication online, we are working towards becoming a more sustainable world. Lina also mentions how through Twitter and Facebook people can constantly be discussing sustainability. This is just another example of the good that can come out of social media. People who look at communication devices like Twitter and Facebook, and see only the negative, like misspelled words, are missing the bigger picture. Forms of communication such as Facebook, Twitter and texting introduce useful tools to users that they can use in many other parts of their lives.

References

KellMc. (2010, April 27). Social networks and instant messaging are not contributing to the      
        destruction of the English language. Message posted to
        http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/

Hegberg, L. (2012, February 22). The accessibility of sustainability; how two universities have
          incorporated social media into student and community life. Message posted to
          http://lmariehales.blogspot.com/

The Facebook Phenomenon

This week I made a facebook page all about me! Let me guess - you're thinking, don't I already have a facebook profile that's all about me? Well I do - but a facebook page is different from a profile. My facebook page is a professional page for potential employers, business contacts and colleagues. With my facebook page I can highlight my academic goals, skills, and work experience in a way that is easily accessible to anyone who is considering hiring me or wants to make sure I'm a reputable person. Another excellent reason behind creating a facebook page is that if or when potential employers search my name, they can see a professional, positive account of me. The facebook page is separated from my personal life and focuses on my career instead of what I did on the weekends, like my facebook profile does.

When I get my degree and become a registered dietitian this page will be very useful. Facebook pages are a great way to stay in contact with other business professionals. This is a good point made by  fellow student on his blog post. I can show it to clients to assure them that I am a professional. I can use it to stay in contact with experts in my field and business contacts. The facebook page I have created would be a fantastic forum for discussing and brainstorming nutrition ideas, tips and news. If I return to rural Alberta to pursue my career like I want to, social media sites like facebook will be vital for staying in contact with other dietitians and experts in my field. It will not matter how many kilometres I am away from business contacts I can still discuss serious nutrition issues with them in real time on my facebook page. If I am putting on a benefit or awareness campaign as a part of my job I can easily advertise and spread the word through my facebook page. Below is a photo of my facebook page.

Figure 1. Cassandra H facebook page
From C. Holte (personal collection. January 24, 2012)
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cassandra-H/255243997879436?sk=info

One super useful tool of a facebook page is the ability to advertise through them. Whether running a small business or trying to promote a cause a facebook page is a great professional way to spread the word. This is a point also made by Allison Reilly. Being in university, with my entire adult life ahead of me, it is completely reasonable to predict that someday I will want to advertise a function, raise awareness for a cause, or even open my own business. Learning how to make a facebook page is a valuable tool that will most defiantly come in handy in my future career and life.

My Life Story *The Short Version*

Hello world! This is Cassandra speaking (or I guess technically writing) on my first EVER blog. So please bear with me as I work and stumble my way through my first post. I'll try to sum up my life story to date into a few sentences so you know a bit about me. I was born and raised on a farm outside of a small town in Alberta.  At 18 years of age, with high school behind me, I loaded up my car and came up to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta in the Nutrition and Food Science Program. I am currently in my second year of university and am aspiring to become a registered dietitian. Once I become a resisted dietitian I plan to return to rural Alberta to pursue my career. I also play hockey on a Junior Female hockey team and I really believe that good nutrition and physical activity are vital to living a long and healthy life. Figure 1 is a photo of me playing some shinny on a slough over the Christmas break.

Figure 1.  Skating on the slough.
From C.Holte (personal collection. Janurary 16, 2012)

As a student communication is key to being successful in my academic career. Knowing how to use the university email and manoeuvre different class websites is vital for staying informed in classes. Most of my professors are very busy people so email and other social media sites are a much more convenient way to ask questions and get hold of them. There are also professors who have very few scheduled office hours. However, with the advancement of social media, this is not a big hurdle to overcome and getting in touch with a professor, academic adviser, or lab TA is an easy task. Now that I have signed up for Twitter I am learning how helpful it can be to be in contact with other students. Social media makes it easy to further discuss topics brought up in class. A good point that elycheng brings up on her blog is how important social media and networking can be for finding volunteer opportunities to that are related to your program of interest.

Communication plays a big role in the work of a dietitian. Many dietitians work with individuals, families and communities to help them apply good nutrition principles. They are also responsible for developing nutrition education programs. You can find more information about the different roles registered dietitians in Alberta here. Dietitians need to have good communication skills to get across facts and information effectively and efficiently. Dietitians also need to have resources available for clients. That could mean anything from paper handouts to reliable websites they can go to for dietary information. Some nutritionists work with different media to promote good nutrition and healthy eating. This could include television commercials, you tube videos, magazine and newspaper articles, and using social media sites like facebook and twitter to spread information. The world is increasingly using social media sites and other online tools to spread information; dietitians can take advantage of these tools to spread information quickly and increase the knowledge of many people at the same time.