As shown in Figure 1, there exists a wide selection of social media available online for us to use. While this figure does not cover all forms of social media available, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and flickr are ones that we have explored in class over the past few months. Individually, each of these forms of social media have features that make them distinct from one another. Facebook allows us to share status updates, photos, videos, and much more while keeping in contact with others through customizable networks. Through ALES 204, I was able to add on yet another plus to my Facebook experience by learning how to create a professional Facebook page. For example, if I were to provide that information on my LinkedIn, I would be able to connect with potential employers on LinkedIn and simultaneously direct them to my Facebook page for more information. In the same train of thought, Twitter and Facebook can be linked so that Tweets show up on Facebook as status updates, and all YouTube videos are accompanied by a one-click 'share' button that allows for videos to be shared with your networks on Facebook. In other words, rather than to divide one form of social media from another, the internet allows us to use them in tandem to make our ways of communication more effective.
Figure 1. Social media collage bubble. Adapted from "Persuasive Picks for week of 12/5/11," by V. Miller, December 9, 2011, PerkettPRsuasian. Retrieved April, 6, 2012, from http://perkettprsuasion.com/2011/12/09/persuasive-picks-for-week-of-12511/. Copyright 2007/2008 by PerkettPRsuasian - The Perkett PR Blog.
Besides learning how to navigate different types of social media, we
also learned how to employ techniques that could improve the results of
our communication both on and offline. For instance, we had to condense
our thoughts on Twitter to less than 140 characters while ensuring our
points made were coherent and offered a critical analysis of the topic
at hand. Offline, conciseness while maintaining understandability can be paramount when attempting to hold the attention of, say, a group of strangers. More recently, we also explored the use of Audioboo.
This online recording tool allowed us to listen to recordings of
ourselves and potentially identify any slurs, mispronunciations, or
pacing issues that could be corrected in the future. As I identified in my first blog post, a career as a Registered Dietitian will likely include many opportunities for me to craft and deliver presentations. Using Audioboo, I will be able to make recordings of myself to ensure that my presentations are understandable and of high quality.
As an individual born in an era where technology plays such an important role in how information is passed from one person to another, I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of the ALES 204 class this semester. As Loana mentions in her first blog post, communication is not something that we can avoid; in fact, it is literally an activity that we must engage in on a daily basis. Knowing this, learning about how to critically read scientific articles, how to create eye-catching posters and presentations, how to write professional emails, how to build a C/V, and much, much more over the past semester has been an invaluable experience. Instruction in these areas by our professor, TAs, and numerous guest speakers have essentially allowed us to build our own repertoires of useful tips to keep in mind for the future.
As an individual born in an era where technology plays such an important role in how information is passed from one person to another, I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of the ALES 204 class this semester. As Loana mentions in her first blog post, communication is not something that we can avoid; in fact, it is literally an activity that we must engage in on a daily basis. Knowing this, learning about how to critically read scientific articles, how to create eye-catching posters and presentations, how to write professional emails, how to build a C/V, and much, much more over the past semester has been an invaluable experience. Instruction in these areas by our professor, TAs, and numerous guest speakers have essentially allowed us to build our own repertoires of useful tips to keep in mind for the future.
