Monday, October 23, 2017
Saturday, March 4, 2017
"The Climb" - Just Like Miley Cyrus Said
What a ride, and what a climb this term has
been. I’ve turned in my final assignment
for COM 6691 Strategic Communication Inquiry & Research and soon will log
on for the two-hour final exam for COM 6630, Strategic Communication and
Emerging Media. As both of these classes,
and Term III, come to a close I realize I will have completed 60% of the degree
requirements for my Master of Science in Strategic Communications. It feels so good to be over that halfway mark,
yes I can relate to “The Climb.” But
interestingly enough I have started entertaining the doctoral program idea once
more. I still have a bit, a couple of
years, left on my Post 9-11 G.I. Bill and my work on this Master’s program has
renewed my passion for Communications.
Although it would be nice to have an opportunity to do something “in passing”
it is unfortunate that Troy University doesn’t yet offer doctoral programs in Communications. In fact, I think the only PhD program there
is at Troy is in Sports Management. Like
I said, I’m “entertaining” the idea.
Perhaps I could add a graduate certificate in Digital Media Skills from
U.C. Berkeley. They offer a graduate
level certificate program that focuses on the strategic production and
implementation of digital media content for a “web facing and mobile-first
audience.” Sounds interesting. No matter which direction I end up going it’s
like Miley Cyrus said in “The Climb” – “Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waitin’ on the other
side. It’s the climb!”
One thing I
do know, I have really enjoyed this blogging experience and I plan on
continuing to update this blog throughout the remainder of my degree program
and beyond. I’ve just registered for my next
term so coming soon will be a combined JRN 6615, PR and Strategic Communications
and a COM 6635, Strategic Organizational Communication blogging experience. I think that continuing to share my responses and thoughts related to coursework will also add to my knowledge base for the not-too-distant Comprehensive
Exam. So this isn’t goodbye, it’s see
you real soon.
Strategically Yours,
Autumn
I just love a good inspirational quote - so I'll leave a few right here for you to enjoy!
Friday, March 3, 2017
"Upside Down" - Just Like Jack Johnson Said
"Upside
Down" is a song that was written, played and sung by Jack Johnson. It is
the first track on the album “Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies” from the film Curious
George, which was released in February 2006. My kiddos loved this movie and this song in
particular. The movie was in their
regular rotation of “please can we watch” requests. I must admit I enjoyed the movie and continue
to enjoy the song. My favorite lyrics
are:
“…And as my mind
begins to spread its wings
There's no
stopping curiosity.
I want to turn the
whole thing upside down
I'll find the
things they say just can't be found…”
These lyrics really remind me of the
direction I’d like to take this week’s blog.
Our assigned readings covered different aspects of today’s youth in
relation to the digital age. We, as a
class, were given latitude to focus on any emerging media trend or topic and
the effect on youth. Instead of “Upside
Down”, I’d like to take the spirit of the lyrics and look at the digital
content based Flipped Learning educational movement. Often simplistically described as “school
work at home and home work at school,” Flipped Learning is an approach that
uses digital content to allow teachers to implement various methodologies in
their classrooms. There now exists a
Flipped Learning Network (FLN) comprised of a governing board, key leaders, and
experienced flipped educators. Together
they have composed a formal definition of “Flipped Learning.” They did so in the hopes that many of the myths
that were being spread by teachers, media, and researchers could be dispelled.
The Four Pillars of F-L-I-P™:
In a recent
article for www.emergingedtech.com ,
website founder Kelly Walsh said about Flipped Learning that he “…quickly realized
that this was one of the most meaningful ideas I’d come across for using
technology in the instructional setting.”
Mr. Walsh is a leading expert and also a frequent contributor to Flipped
Learning Network outreach initiatives.
“As a big fan of the flipped classroom and the possibilities it offers,
I am delighted to see this grassroots movement continue to evolve.”
One of the primary
reasons why technology is being integrated into the classroom is due in large
part to the “grassroots movement” to disrupt traditional education. “The traditional classroom, with an emphasis
on lectures and rote memorization, does not take into account the experiences
of the students. It was all about discipline and punish.” Flipped Learning, in stark contrast, then
allows students to take control over their learning process. Digital technology
plays an essential role in Flipped Learning.
By using digital technology the students and teachers are able to
collaborate in an often called “more productive and interactive environment.”
Just a few
weeks ago, for the 5th year, the Alliance for Excellent Education launched
its “Digital Learning Day (DLD)” campaign on Thursday, February 23, 2017.
This year’s
day-long charge was to “Get your #DLD17 on by Flipping Your First Lesson!” Digital Learning Day was marketed in the
hopes of getting teachers to embrace the potential of “digital learning”. Defined, digital learning is any
instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student’s
learning experience. It emphasizes high-quality instruction and provides access
to challenging content, feedback through formative assessment, opportunities
for learning anytime and anywhere, and individualized instruction to ensure
students can reach their full potential.
Digital
Learning Day 2017 was all about raising awareness, encouraging innovation, and
celebrating the good things that can come from embracing the power of
technology to “strengthen a student’s learning experience”. The Alliance even helped with suggested
methods and varying levels of Flipped Learning for teachers new to this movement. The following excerpt is from 2017 Digital
Learning Day’s information on FLN’s website:
“Have
you thought about possibility of trying flipped instruction in your classroom,
but just haven’t gotten around to figuring out how to start? Well, we here at
the FLN are embracing DLD 2017 as an opportunity to get started! Dipping your
toes in the waters of flipped learning can be as easy as flipping one lesson.
Now
this is not to say that flipping is a simple and takes no effort … putting the
flipped model to effective use on an ongoing basis takes effort and requires
time and professional development, but taking a first step to help get you thinking
about the longer term doesn’t have to be hard.
Here
is a pretty simple approach to flipping a lesson. You get to decide how tech-y
you want to be with this be selecting from 1 of 3 different levels of tools or
techniques.
Find
a great video on a topic to introduce it and make that the homework the night
before you want to start exploring this topic
Require
engagement and gather feedback that can expose areas that require further
exploration, or simply raise fun questions, by using one of these tools or
techniques:
(Low
Tech) Have your students complete a “WSQ”: The “WSQ” is a simple idea that
requires students to Watch the video
and then write a Summary that
includes a Question. You give the
student guidelines on what’s expected in the summary (how long it should be,
for example). As for the question, this can be a question that students think
you might ask about the material, or it could be something they want to ask
about regarding the material.
(Medium
Tech) Use ed.ted.com to build a more complete lesson around the video:
Ed.Ted.Com is a great way to turn any video into its own lesson. You can add
questions, provide additional links to explore, and more. This article provides
more insight into using Ed.Ted.Com.
(More
Tech) Use EdPuzzle to build required questions into the video. EdPuzzle is a tool that lets you insert
questions right into a video – questions the students have to answer in order
to continue watching. This is a powerful tool to make the most of using videos
for teaching and learning.
Each
of these approaches addresses several very important elements of good flipped
lessons. First, they require engagement. Students have to do something while or
right after they consume the learning content. They can’t just “zone out” and not
pay attention while watching (and if they do, they’ll have to go back and
really watch so they can do the work). Next, it gets them thinking about the
content. By asking or answering questions, they have to make the effort to
develop some understanding. Finally, those questions will likely help to expose
misunderstandings or areas that really require further review. They can also
provide some great feedback and thoughts that are fun to explore.
Of
course, you can also give a shot at the “hi tech” approach of creating your own
video, which is strongly recommended if you decide to move forward with more
flipping, but it isn’t really necessary for this first go round. It can also be
pretty time consuming to do this the first few times, depending on your approach.
Students generally appreciate and expect their teachers to be the ones creating
the content (assuming you do a decent job and don’t make the videos too long).
But for your first flipped lesson, using someone else’s content is a great way
to get started!”
So now that
we’ve looked at a few of the various ways in which teachers might be able to start
flipping lessons, let’s take a quick look at some feedback from students who
have been involved in Flipped Learning. In
a recent survey published by Flipped Learning educator and science teacher,
Steve Griffiths, he shared his high school students’ responses to their
experiences in the Flipped Learning environment:
“88.9%
of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they preferred the flipped
classroom for learning science. Some of
the reasons cited by students include; that more class time is spent doing
experiments, they can work at their pace, they can learn their own way and they
can learn with each other. Ultimately,
it appears that students prefer the flipped classroom because it is more
student centered. As a powerful support
for flipped learning, 88.9% of students reported that they wished that more of
their subjects used flipped learning.
Students
believe that it is easier to take notes from the videos. This is because they can pause, rewind and
watch the videos at their own pace. Also,
it is very important to teach students how to take notes and interact with the
videos. I have my students watch the
video twice. First at normal speed, then
they watch it again to take notes, pausing and rewinding as required. I have my
students watch a video on how to watch a video and I also send a video home for
parents to watch as well. I don’t assign
homework videos until I am satisfied that students are taking effective notes.
Consistently,
students commented that they liked how student centered the learning was. For example, one student commented “students
get to work it out themselves instead of being told” and another student said
“we have freedom to learn the way the want to learn”.
The
question that the respondents agreed most strongly about was being able to
catch up on work when they are away from class. All of the video lessons and learning
experiences are on the web based learning management system. So students can access the lessons at home and
on family holidays. Because flipped
learning is more student centered, and students like and trust the process,
they are empowered to keep up and catch up.”
"It's
really, really important for teachers to realize that flipped learning isn't
about the videos — it's about what you can accomplish in class that adds value
and engagement for students," said Jon Bergmann, one of the pioneers of
the flipped class concept and a board member of the Flipped Learning
Network. Many practicing educators feel
the most important part of the flipped lesson is the ability to use the
additional time in the classroom to reach every student every day. This is accomplished by designing activities
that are engaging, interactive, and collaborative.
Ultimately,
the Flipped Learning movement is all about being willing to take risks and try
something new. In our current period of
innovation through rapid advances in technology I can think of no better time
than now to try turning it all “Upside Down” or in this instance to try Flipped
Learning in education.
Strategically Yours,
Autumn
Works Cited:
Walsh, K.
(2016). “Flipped Educator Spotlight.”
Retrieved from http://www.emergingedtech.com/2016/12/flipped-educator-spotlight-videos-flipped-learning-org/.
Griffiths, S.
(2016). “The Students Have Spoken – Student Perceptions of Flipped
Learning”. Retrieved from http://flippedlearning.org/learning_culture/student-perceptions-of-flipped-learning/.
Lisi, J. (2016).
“4 Fascinating Trends in Education Technology”.
Retrieved from https://www.livetiles.nyc/blog/4-fascinating-trends-education-technology/.
n.a. (2017). “Flip a Lesson for Digital Learning Day 2017
(Thursday, Feb 23)”. Retrieved from http://flippedlearning.org/intentional_content/flip-lesson-digital-learning-day/.
Pierce, D. (2015). “5 Keys to Flipped Learning Success”. Retrieved from https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/29/5-keys-to-flipped-learning-success.aspx.
Bergmann, J.
(2016). “Students Liked Flipped Homework More!” Retrieved from http://flippedlearning.org/syndicated/students-like-flipped-homework-more/.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
"I've Got a Name" - Just Like Jim Croce Said
In Strategic Communication and Emerging
Media our focus this week was on branding.
Honestly, I must admit this topic couldn’t have come at a more opportune
time for me professionally. I’ve just
been given management of a wonderful program at work, I’m very passionate about
it and have a lot of experience with the program itself. My predecessor had established an informative
weekly “things to do in the local area” email and for the past few years had
been distributing it to an ever-growing list of over 1,500 people who sign up for this email distro. Let me
insert a quick shout-out to Mrs. Merritt, she has done a great job establishing
a wonderful customer base. When I took over leadership of the program I
knew immediately I wanted to look at a new format for the general information
and plan for adding much more in the future. I was having all of these innovative ideas while
keeping in mind a valuable tip from the weekly reading: “We need to spend more
time appreciating what already exists; and less time agonizing over what else
we can do (Sutherland, 2009).” I envisioned
a blog format, due in large part to my experience with this graduate school
blog. Let’s just say that after this
week’s readings and bit more research on my own I’m excited to have a strategic
plan for the launch of our company blog.
“The Happs” -- that was the name of the distro’d weekly email specializing in on base and off base community events that went out to our loyal customer base. So what does “The Happs” mean
you may be asking yourself. Well the
Urban dictionary defines it as a shortened version of asking ‘What's
happening?' when trying to find out more information about what's going on. When I looked
a little closer there were additional tie-ins with the name. Henry Harley Arnold, “Hap” as he was fondly
known was a pioneer Airman. He received
permanent five-star rank as general of the Air Force, the first of such a
commission to be ever granted by a Congressional act.
Interestingly, he was taught to fly by the Wright Brothers. He was also the commander of the Army Air Forces
in victory over Germany and Japan in World War II. He personally contributed to many of the
major milestones of development during the Air Force’s history until his retirement
in 1946. He died in 1950 at his ranch
home, Valley of the Moon, near Sonoma, California. Hap Arnold's name is perpetuated at the
Arnold Engineering Development Complex at Arnold AFB, Tennessee. A couple of side notes: 1) Sonoma is part of
our Bay area local community; and 2) My last active duty assignment in the
U.S.A.F. was at Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold AFB,
Tennessee.
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold
For
all of the above mentioned reasons I think the blog name should carryover from
the distro email and most definitely stay “The Happs”. For the longest time I always thought that the brand WAS the name, and that branding was getting that name out in as many ways
as possible. Oh no, so not the case. While the name is very, very important “branding
has been characterized as the process of creating value through the provision
of a compelling and consistent offer and customer experience that will satisfy
customers and keep them coming back (Simmons, 2007)”. So how does anyone go about branding a
blog? There are “three aspects of a
successful brand: 1) a brand is
dependent on customer perception; 2) perception is influenced by the
added-value characteristics of the product; and 3) the added value
characteristics need to be sustainable (Simmons, 2007)”.
With that in mind and without further ado
I’d like to share some insights learned about branding a blog. A common strategic objective is to begin with
the end in mind, in other words have a vision of what the company blog should
achieve. The ultimate goal for this blog
is to transfer the established relationship between the organization and the customer base from a one-way, linear email method to an interactive
non-linear communication process that can provide an engaging experience that
will satisfy the customer’s wants and keeping them coming back for more from
the blog brand, “The Happs”. The blog
brand will be infused in the title, the design, content, and basically every
part of the customer’s experience.
In his article, “i-Branding: Developing
the Internet as a Branding Tool,” Geoffrey Simmons shares research findings
from an AT Kearney Report (2000) that characterizes the creation process of a “high-impact
online customer experience as encompassing seven dimensions:
1) Building communities
2) Marketing connectivity easy
3) Delivering compelling content
4) Customizing the experience
5) Embedding convenience
6) Enhancing customer care
7) Communication (2007)”.
Simmons goes on to propose that there are “Four
Pillars” necessary in the planning process of a successful branding campaign
(2007). These are: 1) Understand the
customer; 2) Market communications; 3) Interactivity; and 4) Content.
Pillar I calls for understanding the
customer. It is here that trust is
developed and a relationship is established.
The goal of Pillar I is to work toward a “long term, positive
interaction” ensuring the customer’s needs are met.
Pillar II covers marketing communications. In this stage personalization of the blog
will be key. The goal is to engage the customers
with your online environment. Allow them
to sign up for notifications of updated content and have the experience brought
directly to them. Under this pillar
Simmons points out that the internet use in the marketing communication stage
provides for three optimum conditions for effective online strategies, these
are: presence; relationships; and mutual value (2007). Presence deals with an effective draw, there
must be content that is rich and interactivity to draw the customer to your
blog. Relationships are critical to the
blog’s sustainability. Mutual value
means a win-win. The company benefits
through the opportunities to promote their tailored message and the customer
benefits from exposure and interaction with interesting services, content, and
ideas. The overarching goal of is to strive for non-linear
communication with a free flow and exchange of information between the company and
the customer base.
Part III is all about interactivity. Simmons notes that, “interaction with the
customer is central to realizing the benefits a blog can provide in
understanding customers and developing more personalized communications.”
Part IV covers content. Content includes more than just text it also
includes visuals. So it is important to
add graphics, video clips, photos, and more throughout the customer’s
experience in the blog. Additionally, customers
should know when to expect new content, it is important to keep a regular
schedule. Content needs to stay on brand
thereby keeping the message consistent.
You also want to make it easy for the customer to share the
content. Finally, use the blog to link
out to other communication strategies, like a Facebook or Instagram page or
Twitter account.
Integration and implementation of these
“Four Pillars” is paramount to the success of branding a blog. By incorporating these into the branding
process value is created in the customer’s experience that will ultimately keep
them coming back. Additional goals for
our blog is solid content and a branding strategy that will incorporate aspects
and messages of our organization’s core programs which include: Relocation
services, Transition assistance, Employment resources, a Key Spouse program,
Air Force Aid, Personal Financial Readiness, an Exceptional Family Member
Program, Information & Referral, and Volunteer program.
Finally, since we have an established organizational website
our blog will be joined there and not on a stand alone platform. We already have a dedicated website with www.travisafrc.com so we will be adding www.travisafrc.com/blog
to our communication strategy. Our
direction is clear, we now have a branding the blog roadmap to proceed with our
transition from weekly email to a broader more engaging online experience for our
customers, who are at the heart of everything we do.
Strategically Yours,
Autumn
Works Cited:
Haygood, I. (2015). "10 Awesome Corporate Blogs from the Best Content Marketing Brands." Retrieved on 22 February 2017 from http://marketeer.kapost.com/best-corporate~blogs.
Pintilie, D. (2016). "How to Turn Your Blog Into a Popular Brand in 2016." Retrieved on 22 February 2017 from https://www.shoutmeloud.com/how-to-make-a-brand-for-a- blog.html.
Schaefer, M. (2015). "The 10 Best Big Company Blogs in the World." Retrieved on 22 February 2017 from https://www.businessesgrow.com/2015/01/12/best-company-blogs.
Simmons, G. (2007). "i-Branding: Developing the Internet As a Branding Tool." Retrieved on 20 February 2017 from http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.troy.edu/docview/213163692?pq-origsite=summon.
Sutherland, R. (2009). "Life Lessons From an Ad Man." retrieved on 20 February20117 from https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
"I'm in with the In Crowd" - Just Like Dobie Gray Said
In this week’s Strategic Communication and Emerging Media
class we are taking a closer look at the global crowdsourcing movement. The term crowdsourcing is attributed to Jeff
Howe from back in the 2006 article, “The Rise of Crowdsourcing”. In that article he described a new way of
sourcing many different people, the crowd, who are willing to help or work on
some kind of project. The premise is
that large numbers of people with sufficient time can produce a tremendous
amount of relatively low-cost manpower.
According to Darren Stevens, in his Hongkiat blog, “for the workers it
seems to level the playing field as most who want to participate can and do
without regard to age, education, and other factors that often limit in the
traditional workplace” (n.d.). Incidentally
the cost involved are typically one-time payments, prize pay-outs, and/or even
stock equity (Ha, 2017). In addition to
the low-cost manpower gained, these companies, organizations, or even
individuals can crowdsource to receive a much broader often global scope of
ideas, services, and products without the typical business influences of time
zone differences, labor laws, and/or payment concerns for different currencies
in those business transactions.
For this week’s
exploration of crowdsourcing I’d like to: list a few of the advantages and
disadvantages; briefly discuss the business model aspect of crowdsourcing; take
a closer look at one specific crowdsource site (Fiverr) and share a remarkable
success story from Fiverr. I’ll conclude
this week’s blog with a personal story and a look ahead to the future
of crowdsourcing in the digital world.
In regards to
advantages the biggest appear to be the sheer number of participants and the
overall diversity of them, as well as, the cost savings to the entity doing the
crowdsourcing. According to Top Ten
Reviews’, “The Best Crowdsourcing Sites of 2017” there are many numerous
benefits to crowdsourcing. “You can access the talents of people you don't
know, often in other states or countries. You can get a wide range of proposals
to choose from. Crowdsourcing often works more quickly and more cheaply than
traditional hiring methods. As the notion of hiring freelancers to do one-off
tasks grows, crowdsourcing websites will increase in popularity and utility”
(2016). In “Crowdsourcing as a Model for
Problem Solving”, author Brabham suggest yet another advantage to crowdsourcing
– the triple bottom line (2006). He
states that crowdsourcing “promotes the triple bottom line in business
operations. The triple bottom line
refers to People, Profits, and the Planet.
John Elkington came up with the phrase in his 1997 book, ‘Cannibals with
Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business’.” The basic concept is the company’s
responsibilities lie with its stakeholders rather than its shareholders. That means anyone who has an interest or is
somehow impacted by the actions of the company.”
There are also
disadvantages to crowdsourcing.
Interestingly enough the main disadvantage for crowdsourcing mirrors one
of the main advantages: cheap labor often results in a less credible product,
especially when compared to professional work. Professionals are paid for their
expertise, and experience, but labor such as crowdsourcing is often for
completing simple tasks. Stevens concurs that, “any task considered above
simple is risky for crowdsourcing” (n.d.).
Another disadvantage for crowdsourcing deals with the downward drive of
wages, and the subsequent removal of protection from/for workers that in some
cases could lead to exploitation.
Now let’s move on
to the business model aspect of crowdsourcing. Brabham (2006) calls crowdsourcing a
“distributed problem-solving model” in a web-based market. This is a pretty clear description of the
crowdsourcing movement from a business perspective. However, it should be noted there exist two
different types within that “distributed problem-solving model”. There is the demand-driven source type,
wherein workers are subject to the specific “demands” of the requestors, i.e.,
project type, deadlines, payment methods, etc.
Conversely, there is the supply-driven source model, in this setup the
workers “supply” the jobs and/or services that they are willing to complete and
list their fees for providing said services.
It is this supply-driven crowdsource aspect that I’d like to focus on a
bit more. These sites are often being
referred to as “gig sites” in a “gig economy”.
I’d like to share a bit more about the crowdsourcing “gig site”
Fiverr. Fiverr has been called the
freelance service site for the lean entrepreneur, read on and decide for
yourself if this is accurate branding.
According to the
Top Ten Reviews (2017), “Fiverr is the crazy quilt of crowdsourcing. You can
find just about any kind of product or service, all starting at $5.” However, unlike the majority of other
crowdsourcing (gig sites) websites, Fiverr hosts the freelancers who post their
services and price points, the customer(s) then search for one that meets their
needs. On Fiverr there are services
ranging from “serious business to simply bananas.” For five bucks, you could
purchase a professional resume, a voice-over, or even have someone write
targeted press releases. After searching
around this gig site I came across offers for $5 to: translate a document;
write a LinkedIn bio/profile; draft a motivational speech; and create a media
kit.
Overall the
products and services are divided into 12 major categories: graphics and
design, online marketing, writing and translation, video and animation, music
and audio, programming and tech, advertising, business, lifestyle, gifts, fun
and bizarre, and other. Each category is then broken down into subcategories.
For example, its business category includes virtual assistant, market research,
business plans, branding services, legal consulting, financial consulting,
business tips, presentations, and career advice.
Simply go to a
category, select a subcategory and then explore. If you already know precisely what you are
looking for you can use the search function.
Each freelancer profile shows what the freelancer offers and often
provides some sample work and lists the gig prices. Most of Fiverr's services
start at just $5, but many of these freelancers offer enhanced packages or
faster delivery for an increased price. You can check the sellers' ratings too
and then write your own freelancer review.
I’m not going to downplay it, this is a fun site to explore, although it seems that some of the services
offered might not be very ethical. For
example, you can have people endorse you on LinkedIn or get a guaranteed surge
in web traffic. It would appear “buyer
beware” is a necessary reminder.
Fiverr also provides
secure communications between buyer and seller and the gig site handles the
payment transactions. You can pay via PayPal, credit card or other electronic
payments.
So the difference
between this supply-driven gig site and the demand-driving models of other
crowdsourced sites is that there is no requirement to come up with a demand, a
project proposal and/or an offering of a prize or taking bids, businesses or
individuals can search for the product or service needed and simply select a
freelancer from the listing.
Earlier I
mentioned wanting to share a success story from the Fiverr archives. Here is the condensed story of Charmaine
Pocek, a 41-year-old resume writer and career consultant, from Houston,
Texas. This is how she went from
starting out on Fiverr writing resumes for $5 to earning a mid-level six-figure annual
income. She started using Fiverr in
2011:
Fiverr Tip from
Charmaine: "Provide exceptional customer service. Deliver something a little
extra than what the client asks for. Be in contact. I get so many orders, but
even a simple message saying, ‘Thank you so much for your order, I’ll be in
touch,’ goes a long way. Fiverr has introduced quick messaging where you don’t
have to type every word out, so for every order, even though all my orders are
due in seven to ten days, I tell them within 24 hours I received their order
and it will be delivered on time."
After searching
around in the various Fiverr categories and reading about Charmaine’s success story I was reminded
of a time in early 2001 when I was
serving as a Support Flight Commander for a small US Air Force squadron
stationed on an Italian Air Base. Our
flight created a new product for our community of 135 active military members
and their 100+ dependents. We called
this a community skills roster. We
encouraged everyone to share various skills, talents, hobbies that they
possessed that might be useful and needed by others in our community. We had folks sign up for various tasks from
editing school papers, to mowing yards, and from babysitting to automotive
repair work. As the list grew we saw an
additional benefit, the community became closer. There were no prices listed for any tasks,
simply a task and a contact name and number.
We figured folks could work out the details on their own. After working on this week’s assignment I can
only say I guess our concept was born premature. But this personal experience is precisely why
I can see the benefits to crowdsourcing.
So what does the
future hold for the crowdsourcing movement in the gig economy? According to Spigit, a San Francisco-based
provider of crowdsourcing, innovation management software, “the top objectives
of most crowdsourcing programs is not breakthrough products but rather
“creating a culture of innovation” and “increasing employee engagement”. So be it demand-driven or supply-driven type, the
web-based market of the “distributed problem-solving model” known as
crowdsourcing is definitely the “In Crowd” of the digital world.
Strategically Yours,
Autumn
** Bonus Share: In case
you’d like to see what Fiverr is all about please feel free to use my referral
link: https://www.fiverr.com/s2/61a79bd2e2
Work Cited:
Brabham,
D. (2008). “Crowdsourcing as a Model for Problem
Solving”. Retrieved on 14 February
Editorial
Staff. (2016). “The Best Crowdsourcing Sites of 2017”. Retrieved on 13 February 2017
Ha, A. (2017). “Loom Helps
Entrepreneurs Lure Freelance Developers with Equity”. Retrieved on 16 February 2017
from https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/16/loom/?ncid=rss.
Howe,
J. (2006) “The Rise of
Crowdsourcing”. Retrieved on 16 January
2017 from
Shin,
L. (2016). “How These 3 People Make 6 Figures A Year On
Fiverr”. Retrieved on 16
February 2017 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/05/31/how-these-3-people-make-6-figures-a-year-on-fiverr/#18bc57de3ee5.
Stevens,
D. (n.d.). “Crowdsourcing: Pros, Cons, and More”. Retrieved on 15 February 2017 from
Friday, February 10, 2017
"The Lines Begin to Blur" - Just Like Nine Inch Nails Said
Lyrcis from the chorus of "The Lines Begin to Blur"
by Nine Inch Nails
“The
more I stay in here
The
more it's not so clear
The
more I stay in here
The
more I disappear
As
far as I have gone
I
knew what side I'm on
But
now I'm not so sure
The
line begins to blur”
This week’s
Strategic Communication and Emerging Media graduate course topics included
blogging, citizen journalism, and digital democracy. We were charged with reading all of the required
articles, scholarly publications, and watching a number of applicable
TedTalks. After analyzing that
information we were to select one topic and build a case to support our opinion. Sounds much easier than it turned out to be
for me. After reading a couple of
articles and watching a few TedTalks I was pretty sure I had the direction for
this blog. Then after a few more
readings I changed course. It was with
great happiness that on the third pass I decidedly knew what I wanted to cover
this week. I want to look closer at when,
“the lines begin to blur”. More
specifically I want to cover the “I” in blogging. No, not the actual letter between the “g” and
the “n”, but rather the blogger as an individual, and more specifically the
self-identification of the blogger.
In her
(2001) TedTalk Mena Trott, considered by many to be one of the founders of the
Blog Revolution, shared what her blogging experiences had meant to her over the
years. One point that she made specifically
jumped out at me. She said that blogs
are a “record of who you are”. This is a
point where “the lines begin to blur”.
The lines between our private selves and our public selves, and the
lines between our authentic self and our presented self.
Another TedTalk
that spoke to the blurred lines of self was Dr. Sherry Turkle’s “Connected, But
Alone?” (2012). Dr. Turkle received a
joint doctorate in Personality Psychology and Sociology from Harvard
University, and is often called “the Margaret Mead of digital culture." As the director, and founder, of MIT’s
Initiative on Technology and Self she has even been referred to as the “conscience
for the tech world” by novelist Jonathan Franzen. Her list of credentials is as deep as her
research studies are wide. In her viral
TedTalk she shares that, “we’re finding so much of our identity lies in
“connecting” with others using a gadget, but we are afraid to be alone; we
don’t know who we really are because we can’t enjoy the solitude that comes
with learning and developing our self-identity.” It is precisely this paradox, this blurring
of lines between private and public self, authentic and simulated self, self-awareness
and self-promotion that I find most disheartening in the blogosphere of today’s
digital culture.
Dr. Turkle
adds, “these little devices in our pockets are so psychologically powerful they
change what we do and who we are.” Our
basic humanistic drive for social connection has been matched by technology’s
speed and ease in delivering those quick digital connections. Turkle argues and I share her perspective
that constant connections never allow us to develop the “capacity for solitude,
the ability to separate, to gather yourself.”
She goes on to add that “solitude is where you find yourself...”. Solitude is all about self-knowledge,
self-exploration, and learning the true identity of self. So how does one go about incorporating
solitude back into our lives? Turkle
doesn’t leave us wondering how to do it.
She shares some “first steps”.
She says, “start thinking of solitude as a good thing. Make room for it. Create sacred spaces at home…and at work.” So it would seem:
Dr. Turkle also
discusses the online mentality of, “I share, therefore I am”. Think about that for a moment…self-reflect on
what that means to you. Are we sharing
because we need the validation of our online-self? Does the online-self equate to our real-world
self? I fear it is here that the most
blurring of the earlier-mentioned lines are occurring. Discussing the blogger and online identity I’m
reminded of the 1950s sociologist Erving Goffman’s Social Interaction Theory. He introduced the human interaction approach
that basically proposes we are living as if in a theatrical performance. In our performance, our lives, we are presenting
self. This presentation is a person's
efforts to create some specific impressions in the minds of others. This
process is sometimes called "impression management", and it would
appear to be demonstrated daily in the digital world.
Take for
instance an excerpt from a blog post entitled, “When the “Struggle” Becomes
Your Identity” by Danielle Racey of the Tiny Buddha blog:
“Many people
have either defined themselves—or been defined by others—from day one. Some
people live their entire lives this way, without ever feeling the desire or a
reason to change. But you? You’re a blank canvas now, in a world full of paint.
This is your chance to start creating a version of you that feels right.”
At first
glance I think to myself, “Wow, this is inspirational and motivating.” Then I take a pause and think “but wait,
where is the call for self-awareness and to turn inward to create that “version
of you that feels right.”
Don’t get me
wrong, I love blogging, micro-blogging, uploading, connecting, and all of the
other benefits provided by the digital world. In fact, I can clearly see how blogging can have
real therapeutic benefits. What I’m not
so fond of are the negative effects on self-awareness. This personal journey of self-discovery
called life is ours and ours alone.
In the words
of Sherry Turkle, “there's plenty of time for us to reconsider how we use it,
how we build it. I'm not suggesting that we turn way from our devices, just
that we develop a more self-aware relationship with them, with each other and
with ourselves”. She also notes that, “digital
technology is still in its infancy, and there is ample time for us to reshape
how we build it and use it.”
Strategically Yours,
Autumn
Works
Cited:
Gurak,
L. and Antonijevic, S. (2008).
“The Psychology of Blogging: You, Me, and Everyone in
Between.” Retrieved on 8 February
2017 from https://smiljanaa.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/blogging1.pdf.
Holloway,
M. (1998). “Profile: An Ethnologist in Cyberspace”. Retrieved on 8 February 2017 from
Jang, C.-Y.
and Stephanone, M. (2008). “Writing for Friends and Family: The
Interpersonal Nature
of Blogs”. Retrieved on 7 February
2017 from
Racey,
D. (2016). “When the Struggle Becomes Your Identity”. Retrieved on 8 February 2017 from
Trott, M.
(2001). “Meet the Founder of the Blog
Revolution”. Retrieved on 7 February
2017 from
Turkle, S.
(2012). “Connected, But Alone?” Retrieved on 6 February 2017 from
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Military Spouse of the Year 2017 - I'm a NOMINEE :-)
What an incredible honor to have been nominated for the Armed Forces Insurance 2017 Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY). This is a 3-part process and the first round is strictly online voting. Rounds 2 and 3 are panels and judges. I would appreciate your support and vote for this award. Click on the link below to take you directly to my vote page. This is most definitely an opportunity for me to flex my "Emerging Media" muscle and see firsthand how social media can diffuse voting.
Now I must get back to homework and Super Bowl prep!
Strategically Yours,
Autumn
Saturday, February 4, 2017
"Unfriended" - Just Like Garrison Keillor Said
Welcome to week #4 in the Strategic
Communication and Emerging Media graduate course. First off I must come clean and admit that though
I have heard of the phrases A Prairie
Home Companion and Lake Wobegon, I was woefully unfamiliar with the
particulars until I came across that gem
of a tune “Unfriended”. Through my
research I learned that Lake Wobegon is a fictional town created by Garrison
Keillor to provide the setting for his long-running radio broadcast, A Prairie Home Companion. The satirical song he performs about being unfriended
on a social networking site ties in with this week’s theme which is - Social Media
and Its Role in Communication Strategies.
More specifically, we were asked, “how do you keep up with what is being
said about your organization…?”
First, let’s look at how we can integrate
social media into our communication strategies.
There can be no doubt that social media has changed how people communicate
and react, and as a result, professionals must incorporate some form of social
media planning into their strategies. Even if the organization has decided not to
actively participate in social media, that is NOT really a choice. Like Aristotle said, “Nature abhors a
vacuum”, and so it would seem does social media. Either that vacuum gets filled with your organization’s
objectives, or the audience/competitors fill it. Make no mistake, there is no choice. From last week’s blog on mobile marketing
strategy I’d like to reuse the content provided for strategy development. In this week’s blog we’re looking at social
media integrated into communication strategy.
So basically we, as communication professionals, are still “bringing in
to focus, through situational analysis, the objectives, target audiences,
strategy and tactics to provide a clearer view of what an effective
communication plan looks like.” For
integrating a social media strategy into an overall communication plan I’d
suggest adding a connector from the final step back to the initial step and
calling it a circular process rather than linear steps or stages. For a more detailed explanation of the
original strategy steps please see last week’s blog post entitled, "“You Used to Call
Me on My Cell Phone” – Just Like Drake Said." For this week I’m using quick visuals to illustrate the circular stages
of social media strategy.
Proposed
circular process for a social media strategy:
1 and 6) Situational analysis: listen (monitor) and evaluate.
2) Define your objectives
3) Target Audience
4) Develop Strategy
5) Deploy Tactics
A unique and distinctive characteristic of
social media is its ability to foster rapid, real-time and inexpensive two-way
communication between organizations and audiences. Through this two-way channel
social media can be used not only to disseminate content and tactics but also
to gather important intelligence. Social
media can serve as a research tool to find out what information is being shared
and to identify conversation topics and people. Monitoring conversations on
social media provides the opportunity to identify what people are saying about
your organization or specific topics of interest. This ability can help identify
gaps in messaging and aid in understanding what it is that people care about,
which in turn will help to plan content and align messages with target audiences. The monitoring piece affords communication
professionals the chance to respond appropriately, thereby demonstrating the organization
is paying attention, which in turn helps build the ever important aspects of credibility
and trust.
Let’s focus specifically on monitoring
services, after all, they clearly make up 1/3 of the process of integrating
social media into our overall communication plan. Monitoring of social media through software
services can help keep tabs on the interests and feelings of existing customers/audiences
but they can also help us discover new opportunities, expand influence and
measure the success of communication plans in real time. The best of these social
media monitoring services also add social response software so influence can be
expanded and reputation can be strengthened.
All of this being said because one thing has become quite clear, the integration
of a social media strategy into a communication plan with provisions for
monitoring are critical to the success of today’s communication efforts.
So we’re ready to add social media
monitoring to our strategic communication toolbox. It can be quite difficult to stay up-to-date
with the numerous social media platforms, and it can be even harder to decide
on which monitoring service fits your organization’s needs. Let’s look at some services that are leading
the way at mastering the art of social media monitoring. These are the top three social media
monitoring services as directly reported by Top
Ten Reviews (www.toptenreviews.com). Top Ten
Reviews is touted as “distilling authoritative research and testing into
content that enables consumers and businesses to buy with confidence”. For the sake of “word count” in this week’s
blog, here are their Top 3 social media monitoring services for 2017:
#3)
Oracle Social Cloud (Monitoring Rating 8.13/10)
"Oracle
Social Media Engagement and Monitoring Cloud has excellent monitoring, analysis
and engagement tools. With the ability to translate multiple languages, it's an
especially good choice for businesses interested in foreign markets.
Oracle is a large company with social media
monitoring and engagement packages priced for medium businesses who are looking
for a better way to get their finger on the pulse of the internet. Its Social
Engagement and Monitoring Cloud program provides comprehensive listening and
analysis, plus a full range of back office and social engagement features.
Combined with a full suite of support options that include professional forums,
this service has earned our Top Ten Reviews Bronze Award.
Oracle
Social Media Engagement and Monitoring Cloud listens to over 40 million sites a
day in 31 languages across the globe. These include blogs and news sites as
well as social media networks, video and image sites. It can also access the
Twitter Firehose, giving you any information gathered by this huge social
network."
#2)
Visible Technologies (Monitoring Rating 9.38/10)
"Visible
Technologies' social media monitoring software is an excellent choice for
medium- and enterprise-level businesses that want to make social media
marketing a priority.
Visible
Technologies earns our Top Ten Reviews Silver Award because it provides social
media monitoring and engagement services that are accurate, comprehensive and
easy to use. It offers unlimited access to mentions, streams of data and users.
Thus, it's an excellent option for medium and large businesses that are making
social media marketing and research a priority.
With
this service, you get unlimited access to its data streams. It monitors social
media and mainstream news sites across the world, including 250 million blogs,
6 million forums, video channels and review sites."
#1)
Sysomos (Monitoring Rating (9.75/10)
"Sysomos
is comprehensive social media monitoring and response software with excellent
global reach.
If
your company has a global reach, then Sysomos social media monitoring software
can help you keep a pulse on how people view your company, who the key
influences are for your products and how well your campaigns are faring in
particular areas. However, even if your business has a local focus, this
easy-to-use and comprehensive package makes it an excellent choice. Its many
features and dedicated customer service make Sysomos the Top Ten Reviews Gold Award
winner.
Sysomos
monitors 25 different platforms, including the big players like Facebook,
Twitter and Tumblr, but also video sites and more. Further, it tracks news and
blog sites. This software is as worldwide as the internet, understanding 186
languages, plus slang and intent."
There
you have the top three heavy-hitters of social media monitoring in 2017. These all require resource allocation to
varying degrees. Bottom-line, they’re
going to cost you. In closing this week
I’d like to take a moment to share a couple of monitoring services that are
free and easy for anybody to use.
Because let’s face it, if we have a personal and/or professional
presence online we should be monitoring that two-way communication. Here are a couple of services that
I have found offer the most user-friendly startup/maintenance for monitoring coverage across multiple
platforms:
HootSuite
Monitoring services across Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, and LinkedIn.
TweetDeck
Monitoring services across Twitter,
Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Strategically
Yours,
Autumn
WORKS
CITED:
Arceneaux,
N. and Weiss, A. (2009). “Seems Stupid Until You Try It: Press
Coverage of Twitter
(2006-9)”. Retrieved on 31 January 2017 from http://mc7290.bgsu.wikispaces.net/fileview/Arceneaux_Noah.pdf
Becker,
R. (2013). “Social Media for Strategic Communication”. Retrieved on 1 February 2017 from
Brook, R. (2010).
“How to Develop a Social Media Content Strategy”. Retrieved on 2 February 2017
Editorial Staff. (2017). “The Best Social Media Monitoring of
2017”. Retrieved on 2 February 2017
from http://www.toptenreviews.com/services/internet/best-social-media-monitoring/alterian-sm2-review/.
Technical
Paper (2010). “Social Media Strategy
Development”. Retrieved on 31 January
2017 from
Lichterman, J. (2014).
“Who’s Behind That Tweet? Here’s
How 7 News Orgs Manage Their Twitter
and Facebook Accounts”. Retrieved on 1 February 2017 from http://www.niemanlab.org/2014/05/whos-behind-that-tweet-heres-how-7-news-orgs-manage-their-twitter-and-facebook-accounts.
Mielach, D. (2013).
“Facebook Unfriending Has Real-Life Consequences”. Retrieved on 31 January
Schubring, J. (2010).
“12 Social Media Monitoring Tools Reviewed”. Retrieved on 2 February 2017
Technical
Paper (2010). “Social Media Strategy
Development”. Retrieved on 31 January
2017 from
Wasserman, T. (2013). “Steal These 3 Social Marketing
Tricks from Top Brands”. Retrieved on 31
January 2017 from http://mashable.com/2013/02/22/social-media-marketing-strategy/#RJ8UQ1SoFPqV.
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