The Next New Thing

It may seem a little too futuristic, but anything is possible right? We have come to know what virtual worlds are and how some companies have been using them for meetings and such. How cool would it be if we were able to form a hologram of ourselves and send it anywhere at anytime? We would be able to  see things as if we were really there! This could help with business meetings in need of far traveling, visiting friends and relatives, and just knowing you have the capability to be at and see any place whenever you want!

Our Class Wiki- so far

I have contributed some lively photos to mostly the New Media in Entertainment page. I still have a significant amount more to contribute, but my goal is to make these pages (not just entertainment) more vibrant to look at. We need more things to catch our eye other than just words. That's where I come in :)

P2P

File sharing refers to providing access to digitally stored information such as computer programs, audio, images, videos, documents, or electronic books.

Peer-to-peer, or P2P, refers to a computer network where each computer can act as a client or server for the other computers in that network, allowing shared access to files without the need for a central server.

The first peer-to-peer application was the file sharing system Napster. Others include Kazaa and WinMX. Just be careful how you use it, you don't want to end up like the Minnesota mom who was hit with a $1.5 million dollar fine for illegally downloading music through the peer-to-peer file-sharing network Kazaa in 2006!



http://baruchnewmedia.com/w/images/3/35/IllegalMusic.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P2P_file_sharing

Privacy and Confidentiality

Privacy and confidentiality is a big issue when it comes to new media. If done right, there shouldn't be any issues. But because of how easy it is to share your information and accessible for almost anyone to see, it could pose as a potential threat for things such as identity theft and cyber-bullying. New media such as facebook, twitter, and linkedin all have privacy settings that you should familiarize yourself with. You also want to make sure that anything you post or say will probably be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. So play it safe, do not write anything that could get you in trouble or that you know could put you in harms way.

Advice

In terms of new media, there are definitely a few suggestions I would give to Baruch College. New media is huge and is just getting bigger and more popular. Since this is the era that we are in, we should definitely get a good grasp on everything about it and how it works. I would suggest a Wiki to be made for each class as well as a Linkedin account since we are a business school. I would also suggest offering more online courses that would utilize some of the types of new media (for example, virtual classrooms).

creativity and new media

Amused at the smallest things, me and my friend James videotaped our other friend Marino opening a trick can of peanuts. Thought we'd share the laughs and post it on Youtube :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inDd0ZeTFCg&feature=related

Creativity

 New media = Creativity. True or false?

True. There are many reason and examples of how this is so. New media allows you to voice yourself in many different ways. Whether it be through a blog, video journal, podcast, etc., these medias allow you to be yourself and show everyone else a little bit about who you are.

Many celebrity singers today got big because of you tube. Colbie Calait is just one of a dozen.

Virtual worlds allow you to pick out clothes, design your own apartment, and even meet a friend at your favorite local coffee shop. After all, that is what being creative is all about, isn't it?



1. http://youtubestars.blogspot.com/
2. lecture notes on creativity

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

     A virtual world is an interactive simulated environment accessed by multiple users through an online interface. It is a representation of reality while being more simple than the real world (Lecture). They can be used for commercial gaming, socializing/ online community building, education, political expression, and military training to name a few (VWR). As like anything else, it has its pros and cons. Some pros include employees meeting in virtual worlds from the privacy of a company's own network and a way for anyone to explore and experience in a way not possible through other media (CNN). Some cons include a sense of "lack" of human contact that could lead to feelings of isolation and some conversations and interactions were sought out to be disturbing at times. There are also strip clubs and other raunchy places, obviously not appropriate for children (VWR).
     Virtual worlds definitely foster creativity. A way in which this is accomplished is by being able to "design" your house for example. You can pick out your own furniture. Also, in terms of shopping, you can pick out your favorite styles of clothing and really express your creative side. On a more professional scale, I think that virtual worlds in the future are definitely going to dominate "in-office" meetings. It will save transportation costs, time, and energy.




1. http://www.virtualworldsreview.com/info/whatis.shtml
2. Virtual Worlds Lecture Notes
3. Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life, CNN.com: Nov 5, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html

Blog about Twitter

Twitter? Blackboard? In-class discussions? 

Of course there are both similarities and differences. With twitter, you can identify your friends/classmates by the username they chose for themselves. With blackboard and even in-class discussions you can identify each other by first names. Both call for communication between two or more people and the ability to share your opinions. With in-class discussions, there isn't really a limit to how many "characters" you can say. This differs from twitter and blackboard discussion where there is indeed a "character" limit.

With in-class discussions, you can't "go back" to someone's response (unless you ask them to repeat it if they even remember what they just said). One great thing about the online discussions (Twitter and Blackboard) is that you can do this... And quite easily!

Are you shy in person? Well then what easier way to say what you want then to type it! No verbal communication necessary (Phew!)

There are definitely more things you could easily list about this topic, but I just thought I'd share a few that popped into my head :)

Social Networking sites

Myspace:  Is this thing even still around? It looks so much more different than from what I remember a few years back. It seems like it's now integrated with twitter...actually, it looks like twitter has taken over it. There is a bunch of music samples that I have never heard of too. Thumbs down.

Twitter: I created a twitter last year when jumping on the band wagon, but never really got the full hang of it. The re-tweeting, hashing, etc. always confused me a bit. But now that I'm finally getting the hang of it, it's pretty cool. It's cool to see that there are definitely other things you can use it for besides tweeting and telling people what you're doing at the very exact second (kind of annoying!).

Facebook: I guess because I'm so used to it and I know how to access and maneuver it fairly well, Facebook is definitely my "cup of tea". I like seeing friend's pictures from a fun night out, talking to them with Facebook instant messaging, and other things Facebook has to offer. Do I spend too much time on it? Of course. Who doesn't? But out of these three social networking sites, It is 100% my favorite (except for the new 'timeline' format they're using!).

Linkedin: A great website! Aside from the "oh boy what happened last night?" statuses and pictures you wish you weren't tagged in, this is a much more mature website designed to help you network. There are so many businesses that are on Linkedin. There's a really cool feature is that once you put in your information about the kind of work you do or industry you're in, it actually lists possible job openings worth looking at. If you need feed lists, this is the place. Privacy is protected and opportunities are huge!

social networking

Social Media:

"...a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content."

According to Kaplan and Haenlein there are six different types of social media: collaborative projects, blogs, content communities, social networking sites, virtual game worlds, and virtual social worlds. People obtain information, education, news and other data from electronic media. They are relatively inexpensive and accessible to enable anyone to publish or access information.

We use social media in the business world for marketing, communication, recruiting, interview processes (via skype, foe example), etc. We also use social media for our leisure. Some examples of these activities include Facebook, instant messaging, some types of gaming, and "tweeting".

But not everyone sees this as all "fun and games". A dark side to social media? Of course. Many individuals, especially parents, worry about lack of privacy and cyber bullying. And on wikis, is the information you are getting the 100% truth or is the information faulty? There are still ways we are looking to improve such issues in the world of social media.

We have come a long way with social media, but still have a long way to go in terms of adjustments and improvements. I bet somewhere down the road you won't even need to show up at your office. All you'll need to do is webcam, show face, and work from home!


http://baruchnewmedia.com/notes/n_socialnetworking.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522523&sc=emaf

Blogs vs. Wikis

 Many know the general ideas and motives behind blogs and wikis, but how exactly are they different? How are they similar?

To start with a definition, a blog is a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in reverse chronological order. A wiki is a website that allows visitors to add, remove, edit, and change content. While they are both websites, user-generated, and they both allow users to comment on the content, they do have their differences.

A few interesting examples to help differentiate the two that I came across state the following:
1. A blog is a flow of information, while a wiki is a place to stock information.
2. In a workplace setting, a blog replaces the bulletin board, and a wiki replaces the binder-manuals.

Wikis involve more collaboration than blogs do. In terms of communication, a blog is usually the voice of one individual who has the access to add more posts when he/she wants to. In a wiki, anyone from the whole company or department can contribute (not just one individual).

I think the ideas that I've come up with involving the use of wikis have all been started. Whether it may be Wikipedia for fast information on a topic, or a wiki through a job or company to add to current information or communication, I think wikis have addressed most areas where they may be useful.




http://mplictechtrain.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-is-difference-between-blog-and.html
http://baruchnewmedia.com/notes/n_blogs.htm
http://baruchnewmedia.com/notes/n_wikis.htm

Facebook: Friend or Foe to Society?

     The topic of my research paper is focused in on Facebook. It will be an analysis of the positive and negative effects it has on society today. I will include some of the ways it has affected people in their personal as well as their professional lives (both good and bad). From a business standpoint, we will explore how this "new media" has helped companies in regards to marketing, recruiting, etc. After researching this topic, I hope to get a better sense (in my opinion) in determining if Facebook has overall become more of a good or bad thing for today's society.

MGT 3120 marks and end.

5:50pm was what marked the start

of Management 3210 class

but it was rare you ever made it on time

because those elevators were a pain in the ass!

We would all come in to grab our seats

Then look at the front of the room

Because with the start of every class

There was some sort of twist coming soon

From Legos and eggs

to survival skills and jello

Kurpis used these weird ways of greeting us

it was never with just a simple “hello”

left right left right

this guy never stood still

maybe someone should have offered him

a dosage of that aderoll pill

we argued and fought

saying “these tests are unfair”

Now we see why rate my professor.com said

Getting 100’s on his exams are super super rare

here come the twisted part:

he knows what he is doing to us

its all in his plan to get us worked up

because he actually enjoys seeing us make a fuss

but why would a professor do this?

Perhaps to give our brains a big of a jog?

Nope, not even close

Hooray for us: it’s the topic to our next blog.

I guess I’m being a little harsh

It may seem like I don’t like the guy

But in all honesty It’s already hard

to know I have to say goodbye

Thank you professor for such a great class

I know I’m one of many who took it to heart

It’s sad to think that after today

We, as a class, will all depart.

Bloggin on Blogger

     Blogs are steadily growing in popularity among people of all ages. It has been something I was always interested in, but never followed through with in creating one until management class. It has been one of my favorite things about our class. It was definitely unique, and most enjoyable in my opinion.
     It allowed us to see what our other classmates thought of certain activities we did in class and learn more about their reasonings and feelings towards them. It also allowed us to verbally communicate with others about our personal outlooks, opinions, and thoughts on the assigned topics. Although we had a set of instructions, I thought it was very cool that we were able to be as free and open as we wanted to be.
   It was good to get away from the textbook too. By having blog assignments that weren't included in the book that the professor found interesting and relevant to our lectures was fun as well. It allowed us to see more about management outside of the written book.
    By paying attention to the due dates, blogging was such a reassuring way to know you could get a good grade counting 20%. I will definitely continue my blog, and probably put more effort into it once the semester comes to and end and all tests and projects are done. I think this is an assignment that should be continued in the future. the only criticism I can give about it is to be a little more informative about the due dates. a lot of people seem to forget with the other coursework they have in other classes.

"One technical order, please."

      

I went to a McDonalds on Montauk Highway in Patchogue, NY. I approached an employee named Amanda when I then began to give her my order of one small hamburger with exactly 5 pickles and an order of well done fries with a side of Big Mac sauce. She looked at me like I had five heads and began to laugh. After I told her that my order was a serious order, she looked down at her order screen and started fumbling with some buttons. I assume that after she was not successful in finding all the right buttons, she called another employee over named Max. Amanda told Max the order she was trying to put in the system and they both exchanged some laughs (along with a few coming from me). Max spoke to me and said the order was in, and to avoid any miscommunication to the chefs, he was personally going to go back to where it was being made to assure that my order would be correct. There were no managers involved. I stepped aside and waited for my order to be completed as I noticed a few awkward looks coming my way from the back of the kitchen. The order took 7 minutes and 21 seconds. Max handed me my order and told me to have a nice day. I opened my food at a near table and it was correct!

Organization: Excellent. I was very surprised how smoothly this went. All the customers were in single file in back of four registers. The cashiers/ “order takers” knew what they were doing and how to do it in an organized fashion. Amanda and Max were able to handle my “extra special” order effectively. It was great to see that once Amanda knew she was unable to complete my request, she asked for help. She didn’t waste time by trying to act like she knew how. Even though I was greatly satisfied with them on an organizational level, one thing I would try to improve would be to address these “special orders” with my employees and explain how they can sometimes be requested. I would make sure my employees knew how to work with the right buttons and to also try not to laugh, no matter how ridiculous an order may seem. Some people could get offended (even though I’m sure it didn’t help that I was laughing as well).

Communication: Excellent. The communication between me and Amanda was effective. She knew exactly what I was asking even though she needed to ask for help to make it work. The communication between her and Max, her co worker was also effective. She repeated my order to Max 100% correctly as he listened carefully and typed in the order into the system. There was no management involved, just two employees. This surprised me. Having not a single manager involved in this process was very impressive. I can not say there is a need for improvement in this area.

Training: Excellent. It wasn’t expected that every employee would know how to process this order without any errors or need of help. So the teamwork that was demonstrated between Amanda and Max was very effective and helped to complete my order. Like I had already mentioned, the fact that no managers had to be involved was quite impressive and showed how well these employees are trained.

Leadership: Excellent. Max demonstrated incredible leadership. When Amanda was experiencing difficulties and she asked him to help her, he came with a smile on his face, listened to what the issue was and took charge. He made sure that I was being attended to in the most effective way, and an example of this was when he directly told me he was going to follow the order in the back and make sure it was done properly.

Leadership is definitely a necessary skill to work at McDonalds. It helps to run the business more smoothly, effectively, and efficiently. Max’s leadership proved how this “special order” was able to be processed and given to the customers with great satisfaction. Again, I can not say Max could have exhibited more leadership qualities. I was very happy with my service.

I spoke with other classmates of mine and they shared with me their experiences with this project and how it ran no where as smoothly as mine did. I was pretty surprised as well. The way I was treated and my order was handled, it was like I was just another customer with just another order. Service was excellent, timing was a little longer than usual, but that comes with understanding. I am a vegetarian so I do not eat McDonalds, but I did give my order to my sister which she happily enjoyed!

PERFORM BETTER. USE POWER NAPS!

the following is an article from managementfortherestofus.com:

     The case for power naps is simple. Our jobs require us to be at our mental best – we need to be alert, interpersonally effective, creative and have a good memory. Understanding your natural everyday energy peaks and troughs can help maximise your performance at work and leave an abundance of energy for your life outside of work. And all this from a short power nap!
     
Everyday energy peaks and troughs
Your body has many natural cycles, such as the heart beating or the daily awake/sleep cycle. The natural cycle we are interested in relates to our brain’s “hemispheric dominance”; whether we are using our left or right brain more. During this cycle, we experience 90 to 120 minutes of high energy and concentration and mostly left brain activity, and then dip into a 20-minute period of low energy and inefficiency and mostly right brain activity.
You may be tempted to skip the energy dip by grabbing a coffee and pushing on, but you’re your denying your body its natural restorative period. So to improve our performance, we need to value this dip in energy, take power naps and leave our right brain to work it’s magic.

Learn To Recognise “Take a Break” Power Nap Signals

• Needing to stretch, move about, yawn or sigh
• Making careless errors in speech, writing, typing or counting
• Feeling emotionally vulnerable
• Hunger pangs
• Wandering mind and weakening concentration

Breathe Easy!
Alternatively, you could try the nostril test. Sounds crazy, but it works! Close one nostril with a finger and breathe through the open nostril. Repeat with the other nostril, and notice which nostril was easier to breathe through. If your right nostril was clearer, then your “left brain” is dominant or if your left nostril was clearer, your “right brain” is dominant and you should be taking a power nap.

Power naps and other energy boosters

When your energy starts to wane, take a break and;

• Find somewhere quiet, close your eyes and use your favourite relaxation technique. Maybe drift back to a favourite holiday, or listen to some calming music.
• Have a light snack, about 200 – 300 calories will do.
• Gaze out of a window and day dream for 5-10 minutes. This has the added benefit of giving your eyes a rest from a computer screen.
• Stretch, walk around and maybe massage your neck or do some sitting exercises.

If you’re not able to get away, the next best thing is to change tasks and the pace at which you are working;

• Organise your things to do for tomorrow
• Doodle on a note pad
• Let voicemail take your calls
• Do filing, tidy your desk and clear out clutter

You’re doing something whilst doing nothing
The key to improving your energy is to make sure you avoid doing anything difficult, strongly goal oriented or requiring concentration during the time out. In short, anything that engages your left-brain. If such meandering scares you, remember how often you come up with something creative or a problem falls into perspective when you’re doing “nothing”.
Consequences of missed power naps
Your body is well able, and probably practiced, at over-riding this natural cycle. Be aware though of the consequences long term;

• Your ability to read, write, think listen or even speak is impaired
• You make silly judgement errors, despite knowing better
• You make interpersonal mistakes and maybe flashes of irritation and impatience
• Your immune system may become suppressed due to continually elevated levels of stress hormones
• Nearly forgot…..your memory starts failing you :>)

This may lead to feelings of incompetence, loss of self-confidence, thinking you are weak or lazy, and being generally fed-up as nothing seems to go right. In reality it’s simple – you’ve simply run out of mental energy. In the extreme, individuals who ignore power nap signals leave themselves open to problems with sleep, digestion, their heart and shortened life span!
So, to make sure you stay energetic, healthy and productive, become aware of your body's needs for power naps cycle and take a break!

By Lyndsay Swinton
Owner, Management for the Rest of Us www.mftrou.com

---does this sound familiar? Maybe a situation you find yourself in often? I know I do. I am alwaysss trying to fight a midafternoon nap even though I am dying for one. Especially being college students, we typically find ourselves to be more tired as our work load increases. I know personally, I feel like if I take time out of my day for a nap, I am wasting precious time to get other things done...but realistically, as this article explains, It may be more beneficial to take that power nap to "recharge". This has some great tips on how to better your performance. Take some time to read it through and you might just find that one of these bits of advice can make a difference in your life!

D in D-I-S-C

DISC...turns out i am D(i). I feel that this hit the nail right on the head. After reading the explanations and about the qualities that exists within this type, I found myself to definitely posses these qualities. Even the qualities in the "I" group. I had to make a decision of which (D or I) was more dominant in me because they were just about even in my evaluation (which I liked to see because there was a balance between two types and not just a predominance in one). So I was very satsfied with it. I do believe I am an excellent leader, very strong willed and dominant. I tend to love competition, but sometimes do feel like I wish I had more C qualities to add to my label. I believe that many of these qualities are innate, and you can't just "become" another type. I think it is possible to gain knowledge to learn how to posses some characteristics in other types, but realistically "who you are is who you are". I think this evaluation is VERY useful in the outside world to learn about people...especially in a professional setting. It may help you address where and why some certain problems exist between people. This can also be applied to personal situations (ex: relationships between you and loved ones) as well. Very interesting evaluation!

Vision

 MY LIST:

1. To have a career in a top finance firm (one that I enjoy waking up every morning for!)
2. To be married and start a family by age 28
3. To never have financial struggles

Addressing my 1st "vision", hopefully by graduating from Baruch College, a great and well known business school, it will help me out tremendously on the job hunts and interview processes. Also, with good connections and a great internship at Northwestern Mutual right now, I can hopefully impress one of these firms, and get the job! 

Starting a family is something I would never rush into, but it has always been a dream of mine. I would like to get into my profession and be involved in it for a few years first, then i would consider taking time off for children.

Working hard, having drive and ambition, setting goals, etc. are just a few things I can think of that will lead me on my way to accomplishing #3. Business is a great field to get into (If you're cut out for it) in terms of the many different job options, fields, and salary potential. I will work as hard and as long as it takes to prove myself to whomever it is i have to, to show them what a great asset I can and will be to the company. By showing what I can "bring to the table", I hope to get those incredible bonuses on top of my salary and commissions :-)

decision making

I myself used the "avoidance" method in dealing with the situation. I felt that everyone was too out of control in terms of yelling out a million different things, not giving others a chance to speak, etc...so I just chose to not add another voice on top of everything else that wouldn't be heard or acknowleged..at least not until things calmed down a bit. Other methods that I observed were "compete to win" when students were yelling above everyone else to demand that their way was the only way and the best way, "compromise" when the few students at the front of the room were trying to hear out the different opinions from everyone, and then collaborating at the very end when everyone noticed time to be running out and we needed a sense of ordinance to be efficient in our decision making. At this point we came up with a plan and stuck to it to present it to Professor Kurpis. In my opinion, I think there was a better way to go at all of this to reach an outcome faster and with less conflict. What I would have done is to tell everyone that only one voice would be heard at a time. There would be no side conversations, and everyone would be given the chance to voice their own thoughts and opinions while everyone had a chance to listen. I feel that a lot of time would have been saved this way.