The Grand Finally

Ales204 has come to and end, but looking back on the experience I have learned so much. There were many golden rules I feel as though I always knew but were really reinforced and brought to light through this course: Think critically and reflect critically and look at all sides of a story before forming an opinion. Although the point of this course was to become a better communicator and understand the multiple uses of social media I feel as though the messages that come from accomplishing this objective are the things that will stick with me for the longest time. This course is really different from many other other courses for that simple fact that the subliminal messages meant so much and you really had to reflect on your experiences to understand and grasp them.


In this course I learned many things about social media. I for one had never been a user of twitter before we had to create an account for the class. After being on twitter for a couple months I understand that it could be a highly effective way to get out pertinent information very quickly but I am still unsure of it's professionalism. I am skeptical because you often have to use abbreviations and short forms etc. to complete the tweet in the 140 characters you are allowed to use. Because they are so short it is hard to show critical reflection and in depth thought which I feel are so pertinent in a professional environment. I also learned about the use of LinkedIn and Facebook. In my opinion they are very comparable social media tools but meant for slightly different things. Facebook is for connecting with family and friends where as LinkedIn is used for networking in the professional realm, but they both are for connecting and keeping touch. In my opinion they should be kept to those uses, Facebook to me should not be used to market ones self because I do not see it as a very professional outlet because of the language and applications you can use and do get used on the site.

Figure 1: Hiding behind a computer screen

In this course I wish we got to do more public speaking because it would have been a great opportunity to practice a skill I feel many people are afraid of doing and do not get many opportunities to practice. If this had been the case I would have gotten to work on some of my own barriers that keep me from excelling. Social media keeps people from needing to do public speaking and talking face-to-face with people because everything is done behind a screen, you can hide behind a computer do not have to learn to speak as "yourself". This reflects another aspect I feel as though we should have talked more about in class, the draw backs of social media. Things such a privacy of information and when to use and when not to use social media. We were taught to look at all sides of a story before we make a judgement but we were never taught the negative side of social media. Being taught this would have completed the full circle of social media and it's implications in our everyday life.  


I am very glad I got to take this course because I guarantee it will be one of the only courses I ever get to bring my phone and laptop to class and get told to use them and because I have learned many valuable lessons about the use and implications of social media in our everyday lives and in the future. After taking this course I have realized that social media will become a part of everyday life because it is so easy and efficient to use. If I can do it anyone can! Although I remain skeptical about the professional use of social media I feel as though it will certainly remain in our lives in every other aspect and am glad to have gotten a crash course on many of the popular sites.

Here my comments on some other classmates blogs:
Becky's
Hannah's
Julie's
Laura's
Shannon's

References:
Figure 1: Endurance Marketing. (2012). Don't forget to be social, [image]. Retrieved from http://endurancemktg.com/dont-forget-to-be-social