Advice for Future Students

Dear Future Students:

Overall I feel that I accomplished the tasks at hand in Mrs. Rogers' class. If I have any advice for you it would be to make sure you pick a good group for your client based project. My group was able to work very well together, but it could have been an awful time had we not picked people that we could get along with as well as come up be able to come up with a good proposal. Everyone has had that awful group experience, and you defiantly don't want that to happen in this class. You work with your group a lot, therefore you must have similar schedules. It is also important to choose a diverse group of people with different backgrounds. This will help when creating your proposal. By having a diverse group of people you can come up with many different ideas in the creation process.
Some other advice would be to take the resume writing seriously. This is something that you can and will use in your future, so take advantage of Mrs. Rogers being there to help you out. If done well it can get you your dream job, but if not done well can harm you. The interview is also very helpful. If you pick a job/graduate school program that you are seriously interested in, the process will begin to prepare you. Overall, have a good time in the class and learn all you can about business writing. It is very important and can make or break you in the future.

Have a good year,
Johnsie

Challenger Explosion

For our ethical research Amber Misenheimer and I chose to do the Challenger Explosion in 1986. I hadn't ever really learned much about the explosion other than what my parents had told me. I knew it was a big deal though, and it really hit home with my mother since she was a school teacher as well. Through researching and looking further into the explosion I learned more about what had actually happened. There was an issue with the O-rings that seal main joints of the rocket booster together. Right when the rocket was beginning to launch black puffs of smoke were seen showing that something was obviously wrong. The ethical lapse comes into play when before the flight a few of the engineers were saying that something was wrong with the O-rings and that the launch should go on. With the flight having been delayed multiple times already the managers weren't having this argument. It was also showed that some of the engineers reported the problem with the O-rings but that they didn't report it in a way that others could take as being as serious as it really was. One paper stated that normally the managers say that the flight will not go on unless they can prove that everything is alright but that in this case the managers said that the flight was going unless they could prove ultimately that something was completely wrong.

This is the basis of what we have found and we will report on the rest of it to our class tomorrow.

Ethical Lapses

This article was very interesting to me. I didn't realize that so many people have encountered ethical lapses. The percentage of people encountering these lapses is much higher than I would have thought. It is strange that only 36% of the people that have encountered the lapses have been distracted by them. In one sense getting distracted from regular business routine is bad because the company will lose productivity but in another sense not getting distracted is bad. By not getting distracted by an ethical lapse people are understanding that they are occurring but not worrying about them. Is this then an ethical lapse on their part for not telling anyone? The reasons cited for why some ethical lapses aren't reported such as lack of comfort or confidence are reasonable but if the lapse that is occurring is large enough new ways should be created for people to have the confidence to stand up for what is right. It could be possible for companies to have people who work on pointing out ethical lapses in the workplace for a job. This is important because if one part of the business is going through an ethical lapse, all parts of the business will be affected in some way at some point.

Writing on the Web

Writing on the Web is different than writing on paper in many ways. First off, people read slower when they are reading text from the Web as well as scan the writing instead of reading it word for word. Since most people scan writing it is important to put the most important information first which is not always true for writing on paper. It is also important to word writing on the Web around directional clues and instead use links to the information you are talking about. Writing on the Web is the same as writing on paper when it comes to tone. Neither should be biased or informal if writing for a business.Graphics make or break writing on the Web where as they don't matter quite as much when writing on paper. They help to make the site attractive and should be used to help the reader get around the site. When writing on the Web you must use certain strategies to ensure access to people with disabilities. Both types of writing also make use of headings and bulleted lists to break up writing and make it easier to scan. Also it is important in both types to consider international users and not use language that they will not understand. You must also document sources when writing on the Web as well as on paper.

The most important things to remember when transforming a document formerly read on paper to the Web are that you should retain the original sequence of page layout. It is also helpful to convert the documents to PDF files, which show the pages on the Web just how they were on paper. You should also make sure the document is in compliance with your publishing guidelines, obtain permission to put the document on the Web if it has images that are copyrighted, contact the site Web master about what format it should be submitted and about how to maximize loading speed of graphics, as well as review the document before it is posted to a public site to make sure that it looks how you intended it to look.

Free Topic

This weekend I went to the Carolina Cup. I had never been before but I had always heard it was beautiful weather. Of course the one year I choose to go it would be freezing cold and windy making me wear my jacket the entire time. I never really got over being cold but once we started walking around I started to warm up some. One of my friends tried to sneak a dog in and we had to do some stealthy action since one lady yelled at them...of course we just went through another gate hiding the dog on our second try. I saw some people that I knew which was cool and despite what some people say I actually did see horses. I had never seen a real horse race before and it was pretty neat seeing them jump. After standing around for a while we decided to walk back to where we were and this is where the trip took a turn for the worse. First of I got a shower of beer all in my hair and all over my dress from some guy who didn't even apologize while I was walking, and then it started to pour rain. I guess the rain helped to get the beer out of my hair and off of my dress but never the less I was not having fun. This was not the Cup experience that I was expecting to have at all.

Team Blog

I posted the blog for our team this week about our proposal idea and outline so far.

Presentation Reflections

I really enjoyed watching everyone's presentations that I got to see. I missed a day due to not feeling well so I missed some but those that I did see I really liked. The most memorable one to me was Lindsey's on how to make the perfect boiled egg and tuna salad. I've never been too good at boiling eggs so hopefully her way will work out for me in the future. I also really enjoyed Amber's on taking an all inclusive vacation. I love going on vacations and have been on an all inclusive one before but I never realized how much money they can save you in the long run. Everyone seemed to talk about things that were interesting to them which was cool because they got to add a personal touch.

Mock Interview Reflection

I thought that the interview process was going to be bad when I got to Tillman and I couldn't find the stairs. I also had left my apartment pretty early in case I got lost in there seeing how I'd only ever been in the auditorium and I'm pretty good at getting lost in buildings. Apparently I left a little too early because my interview wasn't until 1:00 and I got there around 12:45.

Once it was my turn to go I was kinda of nervous because I'm usually not so good at talking one on one with people that I don't know very well. Once she started asking me questions I was surprised by how fast I thought of answers for them and I think that I really let my passion for the area of sociology and social work come out. I feel like she was impressed with all of the volunteering that I had done in the field. I think that my interview went really well and felt pretty good about the whole thing when I left. I'm glad that she was able to see how passionate I really am and told me that I did a good job and would most likely get accepted. It also helped when she gave me advice on references and all.

Free Topic

The semester is starting to get busier than ever and I feel like I have so much stuff to do. My presentation is scheduled for tomorrow and my interview will be on Friday. I am not very shy about speaking in front of a group of people so I'm not too worried about the presentation. I also feel like I don't have to worry as much about the presentation because I am doing it on local waterfalls. I love to be outside and go hiking and camping and when a waterfall is involved the trip is so much better. There is just something about how the land forms like it does out of nowhere that is amazing to me. Waterfalls are found in the most unsuspecting places as well. Being able to go hiking on a warm day is always worth it but when you know there is a 50 foot waterfall at the end of your trek with a pool you can often swim in at the bottom the trip gets a little better and I seem to walk a little faster. My favorite waterfall that I have ever been to is probably Thompson Falls (Big Falls) in North Carolina. The hike was a long one that included literally sliding down the side of a very steep hill holding on to trees and whatever else I could grab to keep myself from sliding too fast then walking over huge boulders. Once the hike was over out of nowhere is this beautiful waterfall with a rock to slide on into the water at the bottom and a rock face on the side with enough room to jump off the into the pool of water at the bottom. My other favorite waterfall has to be Pulhapanzak in Honduras. Ive been able to walk underneath the sheets of water falling off this 140 foot waterfall on slippery rocks praying that the guides and other people with me would keep me from slipping and falling possibly to my death but all of this was such an adrenaline rush. After walking halfway under the falls we managed to go into a cave with a tiny opening but big enough for a about 10 people to fit into.

Cover letters

I don't agree with all of the advice, but most of it is worthwhile I believe. Even though they say that mass e-mailing doesn't do much good I still think that it may be worth it for some people because the more people you can get your resume and cover letters to the more prospective job offers you can potentially have. I feel that they made a good point of stating how you must be able to sell yourself and make yourself look like the best person for the job. I think that the "Best Use of a Cover Letter" section was the most useful because it provided a lot of helpful information.

I wasn't aware that it is seen as a turn off to write "to whom it may concern" and for the mock interview I will make sure that I have a specific name to put on the cover letter. The addition of P.S. at the end of the cover letter is also an interesting idea that will definitely make it stand out while showing off the best attributes. Using testimonials is also a great way to let your attributes show, but this way you are showing them what other people think not just things you are saying about yourself. I will try to include a testimonial in my cover letter.

Interview Articles

The first article I read was "A Crash Course in Interview Preparation." This was a good article about the basics. Reading it pointed out some things I already knew such as preparing ahead of time and wearing nice clothes. But it also pointed out some things I hadn't thought about such as having a neutral color umbrella and always writing with a pen. Having a Q and A session the night before with a friend or alone was good advice because this would make me feel better during the actual interview. It also talked about having your resume and portfolio organized and ready to show the interviewer.

The second article that I read was "Six Common Job-Interview Questions." This article provided a lot of good information on how to answer common interview questions. Some of these would be tough questions to answer without having practiced or thought out possible answers so having the advice from recruitment professionals on the best ways to tackle these questions is helpful. The one I found to be the most helpful was how to address your weaknesses. By pointing out how I have improved in the past I would be showing past weaknesses and how I was able to overcome them. The advice on how to answer the question about the ideal work environment was also very helpful.

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive speaking can be a hard thing to do, especially against an audience with the opposite views. The example of persuasive communication that I found on the Web to use was a statement from the Canadian Council for Refugees to the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights which can be found at the website http://www.web.net/~ngoun98/interchurch.htm. The purpose of the statement given to the committee was to persuade them to look at the rights of refugees in Canada. They are asking that they stop the injustice that the refugees are having to go through in Canada despite the Covenant of laws. All three examples of persuasive speaking that I have looked at have ethos, pathos, and logos, but to start off with all of the speakers have ethos due to the fact that they are all experts in their fields. Having ethos starts them off as being reputable authors. All three examples also used pathos in that they were appealing to the audience's emotions. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and the speech to the UN use more appeal to emotions than did the speakers in class. The letter uses pathos in the last paragraph of page three by writing about all of the hardships that African American's are enduring such as describing how children get upset and cry when they are told that they aren't allowed to go to a water park that was just advertised on television or you hear the news of one of your friends being lynched. This evokes strong emotions from readers. In the speech to the UN the speaker uses pathos to describe the refugees that aren't being given the opportunity to get an education because they don't have the proper paperwork from their home country or children born in Canada to refugee parents still can't get the universal health care that is written in their Covenant due to the status of their parents.
All three of the examples also had logos in them because they appeal to the audience's sense of logic. When MLK Jr. referred to the clergymen condemning the actions of MLK's followers as precipitating violence even though their acts are peaceful the same as "condemning Jesus because his unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion." The later of the two doesn't make sense so why should the former. The speech to the UN has logos by referring to all the parts of their Covenant that they are breaking by denying health care to the refugees along with not allowing them to pursue and education. The speakers in class had logos when they talked about how the Army gives people money to pay back student loans. This could be enticing to people that have a lot of debt. Overall all three of the examples have ethos, logos, and pathos, but I believe that the MLK Jr. letter was the best example, followed by the speech to the UN, then by the recruiters who came to class.

In 10 Years...

To me 10 years seems like an eternity away but I know it will come faster than I can imagine. In 10 years I hope that the world is a different place with my help. First I hope to graduate in two years with a working knowledge of the field of Sociology and the Spanish language. I hope to go work in the community development field helping out the impoverished in the U.S. while taking frequent trips to different parts of Latin America to help out the people there also. I hope to impact as many children's lives as possible who know nothing more than living in the worst possible conditions but still manage to love life. After working for a few years I hope to go to graduate school. After graduate school I hope to work for some part of the government or a non-profit organization that helps the impoverished such as Unicef or Habitat for Humanity.
Through all of this I hope to have to perfect marriage in front of a waterfall (This could be hard to do since most are remote and loud, but I'll make it happen). I also hope to be starting a family and live in a house where I can see mountains and get out to go hiking whenever I want. Even though I probably won't be living in Clemson in ten years from now I hope to be somewhere nearby where I can still come back to see my family and of course football games. I also hope to keep getting closer to my family. So basically in a sentence in ten years I hope to be married, starting a family, working to empower the poor and powerless, and fulfilling a life that will make my family proud.

Web 2.0

I think that the title means that the computer is becoming us, or we are becoming the computer. The later sounds bad when read aloud but essentially this is what's happening. The Web 2.0 part of the title shows that it is not longer the same internet anymore. The "2" shows something new and innovative. The machine is making us, us because through blogs and other types of medium we are able to express ourselves in ways that we weren't able to before as well as express ourselves to the mass of people that get on the internet every day.
Web 2.0 affects someone who is ready to enter the workforce because the workforce is changing into Web 2.0. Forty years ago, if even that long, businesses had to do most things on paper and it was much harder to find any information out in the world that they may need, but now finding information on anything is as easy as typing search words into Google. Someone new who is entering the workforce must be up to date on their internet skills. They must know the basics of computers and how to utilize everything that they can do. In today's business world if a potential employee of a company that relies on computers and the internet a lot doesn't know how to use them they are least likely to get the job. It affects them in another way due to the fact that if they have a previous blog, flickr, or any account like that previous to getting a job the future employee can possibly see it and find out more information about the person than they wanted to put out there.
It affects people who are already in the workforce because it is basically taking over. Everyone is going to have to switch over to using Web 2.0 eventually just to keep up with the competition. It is also going to take teaching people how to use it properly. While there are some drawbacks, the use of Web 2.0 will make the business world a different but better place where things can be done more efficiently due to the amount of things that can be accomplished through the internet.
I think the maker of the video is right in saying that we are going to have to rethink everything. By being able to link so many things together we are going to have to rethink how information is presented and how to do this in the best way possible. Also, by being able to link so many people together through blogs and other groups, people are going to have to rethink how they present their self.

About me

My name is Johnsie Lanham and I grew up right here in Clemson. Some people say it's crazy to go to school here since I grew up here but it's like a completely different world and life being a student rather than just someone in the community...I guess I get the best of both worlds. I just changed my major to sociology from health science and I have a minor in Spanish. I love dancing and have done it for the past 14 years of my life along with going hiking, camping, or anything else that will get me outside to enjoy everything that is out there. Traveling is a big deal to me and I've been a ton of places but my favorite would have to be Honduras which I've been to for the past 6 summers to work with Habitat for Humanity. I guess that's about it other than the fact that I hope I'm doing this whole blog thing right.