Just 12 days

photo credit: ClatieK via photopin cc

Summary of 12 days:

Firstly, the differences made before and after the module:

BEFORE:

These platforms held all of my online communications and information shared over the recent years. Other than Twitter, my Facebook and Instagram accounts were opened and discoverable by all. In other words, my privacy settings were weak – and I was fine with it.

When told to rank my experience and level of digital literacy, these were my results (1-low, 5-high):

AFTER:

New accounts created!

Here’s how I evaluated myself at the end of the module:

 WHAT HAPPENED? 

Having done research and had discussions with some of my peers, the topic of privacy and authenticity online attracted my attention, and I have since made changes/enhanced my online profiles/identities. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t care about it at all in the past.

Despite the disadvantages, I’m still going to have more than 1 online identity. Hence, I’ve created a new (and opened) Twitter account for work purposes. (Follow me @jeanneccy!) I’ve also adjusted my Facebook and Instagram profiles to a stronger privacy setting, with the intentions of filtering out unnecessary accounts following me. I will not remove or attempt to put a “professional” side to these accounts as these are my private accounts and I wish for them to stay this way.

And yes, I finally have a LinkedIn account. I never explored it in the past as I have yet to see for myself how powerful it is. (I’ve always thought it was just a “professional Facebook”) It was until recently when my peers started reinforcing how it helps for employability in future, I decided to give it a shot and explore its functions.

Obviously, I now regret not starting earlier. It is indeed an effective platform for displaying your professional profile. Hence, my plan is to connect with as many people as I know, give good recommendations to those I’ve worked with, and join groups that I’m interested in. I also plan on being more active by participating in discussions and share my thoughts on a topic whenever possible.

As I have an interest in digital art, I look forward to creating more and sharing these materials online with the help of Creative Commons, or even better, be able to collaborate with others. From the previous exercises of commenting on each other’s  blogs, tweeting each other, and following certain professionals on Twitter, I’ve learned so much and realized the importance of sharing! Besides that, I secretly love the interesting debates I see as there is so much insights and creative ways of looking at a specific topic.

Lastly, I’ll continue to develop my professional online profile. I plan to share interesting facts or strategies learned in future (modules) here and in my other social media accounts.

Follow me if you’re interested in joining my journey!

           

(498 words)

Credits:

Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed under CC BY 3.0

photo credit: ClatieK via photopin cc

Open Access – YES please!

Prior to my previous post, I felt that the topic discussed is relatively wide and there would be different views from different people. I was right! Look at what I’ve learned today:

Ebrahim mentioned coursera, an online learning platform. Honestly, I was drawn to his post title “I got my degree for $0”. I couldn’t believe that this was true till I read this post. It seems like this is a rising trend – attending classes online, and now, you can even get a “degree”! I believe this would be able to help many students who cannot afford the huge sum needed for education. He also said:

I guess being an optimist I believe everyone should benefit from education regardless of your financial status, and the internet has given us the ability to do so if we let it!

Charmaine shared the alternative concept of Creative Commons. Which means the works are protected under the “some rights reserved” policy instead of “all rights reserved” policy. Interested users can therefore use the producers’ materials under their conditions. I think this is a really interesting and effective concept, which brings benefits to both parties.

It is beneficial for the users as they get to use the materials for free. As for the producers of the materials, they could be made known to the public and gain more recognition as their materials are spread.

Amanda brought up the issue of plagiarism if we allow content to be freely available. I agree that it will cause a problem and people may take the content of others and pass it off as their own material Hence, I felt that the Creative Commons policy may be able to help this problem.

 

So after some thought, I feel that having an open access would be beneficial for both parties as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

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Commented on: Charmaine & Amanda‘s blog post.

Making materials freely available online?

photo credit: opensourceway via photopin cc

Being a student, the #1 assignment we have is to do research. This is needed to have a deeper understanding of what the topic is about. Moreover, there’s so much in the Internet, our lecturers and learning materials can never cover as much. Just look at how much data is generated in ONE minute! 

However, from my experience, it seems like e-books, research journals and papers are often behind paywalls. Based on a survey done by a global pricing consultancy, Simon-Kucher & Partners, 90% of online content will be held behind the paywalls in the upcoming 3 years. (Lepitak, S., 2013)

From a student’s point-of-view, this isn’t good news! Why do we need to pay for online materials?

Educational perspective:

With open access, more information can be gathered and allow students to learn more at anytime with no extra cost. I can’t imagine if every site I go for information started charging us!  If I have to do pay, I’d rather go to the library to obtain information. I’m sure some of you have experienced the pain of only being able to read abstracts, with the key points all being paid content. What if you paid for it and realized it isn’t something you are looking for?

As for the authors of these materials, information would be readily available and they would be able to exchange ideas and improve on their work, bringing more and better materials to the everyone! It could also increase the awareness and profile of the author, providing them with greater credibility in their work.

It can also help provide researches and authors in developing countries with the opportunity to participate in establishing journals, reports, etc.!

However, this could negatively impact the quality and accuracy of materials. If materials become open content, it means that they will not go through reviews and it therefore means that there is no quality control.

Media perspective:

Open content could help to better spread the artistes’ capabilities internationally and also gain revenue through other sources such as advertisements.

However, when Apple and U2 partnered to give out their free album, it turned into an unexpected disaster. Many were unhappy with this as they took it as an insult to the industry.

Critics also asked whether this was the same U2 whose long-term manager Paul McGuinness opined five years ago: “We are living in an era when ‘free’ is decimating the music industry and is starting to do the same to film, TV and books. What has gone so wrong?”

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References:

Lepitak, S. (2013), 90% of online content to be held behind paywalls in three years media company survey suggests | The Drum. Available at: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/04/12/90-online-content-be-held-behind-paywalls-three-years-media-company-survey-suggests [Accessed December 9, 2014].

Advantages and Disadvantages of Open Access | edanz editing global. Available at: http://www.edanzediting.com/blog/advantages_and_disadvantages_open_access#.VIcCZFOUf1t [Accessed December 9, 2014].

Sherwin, A. (2014), Free U2 album: How the most generous giveaway in music history turned PR disaster – Features – Music – The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/free-u2-album-how-the-most-generous-giveaway-in-music-history-turned-into-a-pr-disaster-9745028.html [Accessed December 9, 2014].

Tepper, A. (2012), How Much Data Is Created Every Minute? [INFOGRAPHIC]. Available at: http://mashable.com/2012/06/22/data-created-every-minute/ [Accessed December 9, 2014].

Open Access: Not just a matter for scientists | Open Access Working Group. Available at: http://access.okfn.org/2012/05/17/open-access-not-just-a-matter-for-scientists/ [Accessed December 9, 2014].

It’s our fault too (Social media ethical issues)

It seems like there are many ethical issues faced when using social media. Here’s something new I found:

Yu Ting stressed on the importance of privacy. Remember the Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) we have to agree on before we download an application (i.e. Instagram)? She pointed out that Instagram’s T&Cs states that they can use our pictures without permission. This was something I never knew!

She also mentioned ‘social-listening’, where companies monitor their mentions on social media. Although many others, like Yu Ting, thinks that this is an invasion of privacy, I feel that it is acceptable. In my opinion, it’s really up to what we post online that matters.

Rachel’s post was mainly about how the acts of some online impacts their work life. In her examples, people lost jobs because of what they shared online. Though they may be professionals, their acts are unforgivable. To me, posting statements with a label is not right and I feel that this is something people fail to understand.

My schoolmate once shared something negative about her internship company on Twitter and the company found out. After that, she lost her position there before she even started work!

Charmaine shared her views on misrepresentation, meaning that companies do not deliver what they have said in their ad. Now that e-businesses are booming, I’ve come across more of such cases (and unfortunately, cheated by some 😦 ) As what Charmaine said, “Gaining trust is of utmost importance and we do not wish to come off as “fake” or just a sham.” Indeed, I’ll never purchase from those sources again.

 

Yes, certain companies really have poor ethics, but I’ve learned that your actions online could result to really terrible consequences. AND, you’ll definitely regret when it happens. You may want to delete them, but like mentioned earlier, whatever you post online will stay there forever. So be careful of what you do online!

(316 words)

Commented on Yu Ting & Rachel’s blog posts.

Effective, but is it ethical?

Social Media? Do you know the rules to the game?

Yes, it is extremely easy to use, and allows users to have a lot of freedom to do whatever they want with their accounts – engage in games, share videos, etc. Companies also make use of such platforms for advertising and marketing. However, did they do it ethically? Here’s a post to learn more about the line to draw when doing such activities.

In this post, I’ll be sharing more on Social Bashing –Negative statements about others or abusive attacks via social media activities and platforms. (clickworker.com, 2014)

• Lexus

In August 2013, Ben Affleck was chosen by Warner Brothers to star in the new ‘Batman’ movie, many netizens were not very happy with that, and they expressed that various other candidates would be a ‘#BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck’. Lexus hopped on the bandwagon and produced this:

However, Lexus did not do sufficient research and committed a huge mistake – Ben Affleck owns a Lexus. (Goodbye to endorsement deals!)

• Audi

Is this really a “Friendly Competition”? Audi and BMW have had a history of “Ad Wars” by using billboards, and Audi has now moved to using videos online.

—

• Pros:

I feel that such advertising and marketing strategies are highly successful, memorable, and entertaining for people who are either on the fence or in the team that’s initiating the strategy.

• Cons:

However, I find this unethical.

Firstly, is there a need to use an advert to put other brands/people to an inferior position? Instead of putting others down, why can’t they merely highlight their own strengths? This makes them look insecure as well.

Secondly, besides offending their competitors’ customers, there is a risk in offending their own customer base. This is because these customers could be still purchasing goods from their competitors. Also, it could offend their potential customers because of the image it portrays (unethical, to some).

Lastly, it doesn’t mean that they have won. The competitor might retaliate and have a good come-back, which puts the company into a disadvantaged position.

All in all, I feel that utilizing social media for marketing and advertising is required in today’s digital world. However, organizations and individuals have to take note of what they post and what kind of a message they are (in)directly sharing. Social bashing could be seen as a very effective method, but do you think it is ethical?

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References: 

Does Bashing Competitors with Attack Ads Really Work? Available at: http://www.cyberalert.com/blog/index.php/does-bashing-competitors-with-attack-ads-really-work/ [Accessed December 5, 2014].

Friendly Competition – Audi. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e16QgD5-aLc [Accessed December 5, 2014].

Lexus Joins In On Ben Affleck “Batman” Bashing On Twitter. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/lexus-joins-in-on-ben-affleck-batman-bashing-on-twitter-2013-8?IR=T& [Accessed December 5, 2014].

Social Bashing | clickworker.com. Available at: http://www.clickworker.com/en/crowdsourcing-glossar/social-bashing/ [Accessed December 5, 2014].

The Historic BMW vs Audi Billboard Ad War In Pictures. Available at: http://wonderfulengineering.com/the-historic-bmw-vs-audi-billboard-ad-war-in-pictures/ [Accessed December 5, 2014].

7 Ethical Dilemmas Faced in Social Media Marketing | Edutainment. Available at: http://blog.socialcontentmarketing.com/7-ethical-dilemmas-faced-in-social-media-marketing/ [Accessed December 5, 2014].

Online Professional profile… not as easy as I thought!!!

Link to previous post: x

photo credit: sogesehen. via photopin cc

To build an online professional profile, I learned that it isn’t just as simple as setting up a proper social media account. What does “proper” mean anyway? Many questions flooded my mind while I was trying to access the topic.

– I’ve learned from Patricia’s blog that “you might just get your dream job while you are sleeping!” I agree with this, and it definitely shows how important it is to create a good online professional profile. Gone are the days where tons of effort is required to look high and low just for a job that you are interested in. Now, all you need is connection and a wide network, which can be fulfilled with the use of social media platforms!

– Yvonne shared about her Google results and how you should manage your online profile with help from Google Alerts. She also said that it is important to keep your profile professional and not let inappropriate photos get in way, and suggested adjusting the privacy settings of the account or remove those photos completely. I’ve come across users who post really inappropriate photos on their Instagram accounts, I’m sure they’ll regret in future as people could have already saved those photos on their end. This brings me to a question: How do you manage information posted by others that is against you? Read my comment here.

– Zoe and Corinne both mentioned the effectiveness of using LinkedIn for creating online professional profiles and recruitment. Despite agreeing with the effectiveness, I pondered over the possibilities of overcrowding accounts and information. The digital world is ever-changing, tons of new things happen from day to day. Therefore, is it sufficient to just rely on LinkedIn? If everyone uses LinkedIn, will it become just as normal and standard as a resume? How does one stand out from it? Read my comment here.

Thanks for reading!

(315 words)

 

References:

Are you a professional on the web? | CorinneSim. on WordPress.com. Available at: https://corinnesim.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/are-you-a-professional-on-the-web/ [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Hire me! I’m awesome!(for real) | Yvonne ☼ on WordPress.com. Available at: http://yvonneblogs.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/hire-me-im-awesomefor-real/#comment-15 [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Online meets Offline | Zoe on WordPress.com. Available at: http://zoeyeeze.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/online-meets-offline/ [Accessed December 4, 2014].

You might just get your dream job while you are sleeping! | PPU on WordPress.com. Available at: http://patriciapu.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/you-might-just-get-your-dream-job-while-you-are-sleeping/ [Accessed December 4, 2014].

No longer just a resume

Photo credit: Magdalena Roeseler via photopin cc

It’s no longer just the way you portray yourself in public, your online professional profile has to be developed to match up with the changing needs and communication methods used by others.

If you haven’t realized, social network platforms are extremely powerful. They connect tons of people together online. Just look at the statistics!

Picture Credits: Pew Research Internet Project

Anyone can do up an impressive resume now, you can’t stand out from that anymore! What you can do though, is to create/update your online professional profiles (i.e.: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and blogging/your website.)

Not convinced? Here are some reasons to why your online profiles will replace your resume.

With that, here are some tips to ace an authentic online professional profile!

• “Elevator pitch” for the About Me section

Introduce yourself by using the concept of an “elevator ride from the top to bottom of the building”. Make a 30seconds video that introduces yourself to your potential clients, employers, or partners. Start with sharing about yourself then move on to some of the experiences and skills that make you unique. The video adds to the authenticity of your profile.

Here’s an example of how to do a pitch:

• Link to other sites you are involved in 

Take note that your “work experience” section should be concise, making sure it is professional too. Make use of links to allow your audience to move from one site to another so that the section does not look too cluttered. Everything you link to should be achievements or work you are proud of. It can also effectively reinforce your strengths.

• Share your profile widely

Share the link of your updated profile around so that people can keep track of your latest updates and information. Doing so can also connect you with people (and job offers!) who you couldn’t have reached without the help of people from your network. A profile which is constantly active adds to the authenticity of it too.

• Choose a picture that reflects you

Choose a photo that accurately reflects you. It can range from you in a business wear to sports attire, depending on what your industry is. Certain pictures, like you participating in a race, could show that you are a sports enthusiast or can work well in teams. It really depends, so you’ve to make sure that you chose the right pictures. Also, use the same photo on all your accounts to maintain consistency across channels so that employers can recognize.

Good luck! 😉

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References:

5 Reasons Why Your Online Presence Will Replace Your Resume in 10 years. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/02/21/5-reasons-why-your-online-presence-will-replace-your-resume-in-10-years/ [Accessed December 3, 2014].

How to Create a Killer Online Professional Profile – InternMatch Blog. Available at: https://www.internmatch.com/blog/how-to-create-a-killer-online-professional-profile [Accessed December 3, 2014].

How to Perfect the Elevator Pitch – YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Y02_oZP8U [Accessed December 3, 2014].

Social Networking Fact Sheet | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/ [Accessed December 3, 2014].

After I found out what my friends thought, I…

photo credit: marfis75 via photopin cc

The following is to highlight the learning points of the previous discussion.

As mentioned, I support the idea of having multiple identities for a platform, one for personal uses and the other for professional uses. However, after reading Yanyi’s blog post, I developed a new way of looking at this. She mentioned that it may impact professionalism as, “You might end up conflicting yourself when you have too many identities to handle. This will affect other’s trust in you too.” I think this is true, and people should be careful of what they post online.

On Kelly’s blog, she also mentioned that the creation of multiple identities affect credibility and consistency. She shared her experience with linking her Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. Besides that, she also shared how she sees ‘identities’ as a whole in a marketing perspective, which I find is very interesting:

By having various online identities, consumers reveal more about themselves. As such, giving us more information about consumers and therefore come up with a better marketing strategy through understanding consumers buying behavior via identifiers like IP address etc .

Data collection in the digital age has been made easy. Whatever we post online will never be deleted (even if we made sure we did), as they are all stored in the database (Cumbow, 2011). Now I understand why the adults always say that the Internet is a dangerous place. 

Another point to note is when users abuse the power of anonymity, bringing rise to cyber bullying, which seems to be a concern of many. I personally feel that this is unavoidable and can only be improved by educating them through causes or adverts. I’ve raised the question for a few of my peers and you can read the comments here: Sylvia & Yanyi.

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References:

Cumbow, V. , 2011, Everything posted online is there forever, even after it’s been deleted. Available at: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/03/everything_posted_online_is_th.html [Accessed December 2, 2014].

One Identity? Multiple Identities? | Yanyi . on WordPress.com. Available at: http://yanyiyanyi.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/one-identity-multiple-identities/comment-page-1/#comment-4 [Accessed December 2, 2014].

Single or multiple online identities? | kellysayswee on WordPress.com. Available at: http://kellysayswee.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/13/ [Accessed December 2, 2014].

Topic 2 – One or more than one online identity? | Sylvia. on WordPress.com. Available at: http://sylviakangkang.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/topic-2-one-or-more-than-one-online-identity/ [Accessed December 2, 2014].

Who are you, exactly?

photo credit: Jason A. Howie via photopin cc

I’d like to make a bold assumption that most of you reading this post has at least 1 social media account. Question is, for each platform, do you only have 1 identity, or multiple?

 

Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.

Mark Zuckerberg

Hmmm? If so, why do people have multiple identities online? For privacy or a separation from work and play?

Compiled below are viewpoints for or against having multiple identities.

FOR:

• Separation of professional and personal life

A main concern of jobseekers or employees is if their (potential) employers search them up and look into their private life. Other than whatever they post online, they may not want their employers to judge them based on communities, causes or anything they support. Thus, having separate accounts could minimize the bias.

Reppler‘s infographic illustrates the possibility.

Besides, there is an advantage to having separate accounts, which can benefit both employers and employees. We know that Facebook has turned slightly to the direction of sharing information and news through videos or articles. Let’s say employer A (Professional Marketer) and employee B (Hobby: Gaming) has added each other on Facebook, employee B always posts videos and articles about games, would employer A be interested at all? S/he might even be annoyed. Hence, it would be good if employee B uses a professional account when adding the employer.

• Anonymity – for personal reasons

Certain discussion pages may be of sensitive topics, i.e. medical information. Users may choose to stay anonymous/log in with another identity as they don’t want others to know who they are and why they are searching such information. The Internet is RICH with information, should identity be a restriction to whether one gets what they need online?

AGAINST:

• Excluding valuable people

If you meet problems that are work-related, you would instinctively post it on your ‘professional’ identity. However, you could be missing some valuable help. Due to the multiple identities you have, people you add in each are definitely going to be different and this can put yourself in a relatively disadvantaged situation – Help could be gotten from your ‘personal’ identity.

• Real v.s. Fake

If one has multiple identities, which exactly, is the ‘real self’? Is the online community eventually just about one online profile connecting with another online profile, and not one person connecting with another? Can we still differentiate?

 

I find it hard to answer this, as I personally have separate accounts too. Despite having so many questions about authenticity and privacy, I’ll still maintain my stand – It’s good to have more than 1 online identity because of privacy issues.

What about you?

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References:

Despite Facebook Dominance, Social Networks Grow More Splintered – Liz Gannes – Social – AllThingsD. Available at: http://allthingsd.com/20110101/the-social-webs-big-new-theme-for-2011-multiple-identities-for-everyone/ [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Facebook’s Zuckerberg: “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity” | MichaelZimmer.org. Available at: http://www.michaelzimmer.org/2010/05/14/facebooks-zuckerberg-having-two-identities-for-yourself-is-an-example-of-a-lack-of-integrity/ [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Managing Your Online Image Across Social Networks | The Reppler Effect on WordPress.com. Available at: http://blog.reppler.com/2011/09/27/managing-your-online-image-across-social-networks/ [Accessed December 1, 2014].

One identity or more? — BuzzMachine. Available at: http://buzzmachine.com/2011/03/08/one-identity-or-more/ [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Should I Keep My Personal and Professional Identities Completely Separate Online? Available at: http://lifehacker.com/5898370/should-i-keep-my-personal-and-professional-identities-completely-separate-online [Accessed December 1, 2014].

Something new…

Following my earlier post on the characteristics of digital residents vs. digital visitors, I’ve received some interesting views from my peers. Also, I’ve read several other blog posts regarding the same topic and here’s what I learned:

Uhhhh, I wish.

 

• Reliance on The Internet and technology

From the comments I’ve received, it is apparent that this is one of the main concerns. People are afraid that the reliance on technology and Internet would hinder their learning process, or that it would make them lazy and reluctant to work.

My take: People should never forget the basics of how things should be done without the involvement of technology, which is also the way we are taught in school now. For example, we’re taught the full equation for our Statistics module from scratch, only then, are we introduced to functions in the calculator which requires less than 5 seconds to get the answer. I also feel that the world is never going to stop ‘digitizing‘, so the only way is to accept change. Lastly, I strongly believe that with the right attitude and mindset, we’ll be able to work and learn as per usual, and not be affected negatively.

• Visitor- Resident Mapping

Cr: Khai’s blog

This is Khai’s personal VR map. It caught my attention as it was something I did not look into while doing my research. He mentioned, “… there is a fine line drawn between personal and institutional/work life.” and a debate, “Would you add your boss on Facebook?“, explaining why the bottom right quadrant will always be empty for some people.

I immediately validated his statement and asked myself the same question, which made me realize that I’ll probably have a similar map if I were to construct one.

What about you? What would your map look like?