Initially I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the recording was taken in realtime, not edited after. Also exciting was that the forum was conducted using the very new Google Hangouts, way to go free technologies!

As the forum continued I found myself recognizing that all the students did an excellent job of being respectful, while still conveying their points. In any situation in which you’re sharing/potentially criticizing it’s important to remain respectful, especially if you’re trying to create change. No one likes being attacked, especially someone who is “supposed to” and many times expects to be an authority figure, like a professor.

The underlying theme in my mind, of the whole presentation was simple: technology does not make a class, but it can certainly break it.

The students had many valid points, all of which you can listen to yourself in the video (it’s less than 10 minutes), however I wanted to share with you one of my favorites. The quote came from came from Jie Jenny Zou (senior), ”You should be able to teach a class without the technology. Technology should be there to help you.”

This was powerful to me because I’ve seen classes crash and burn because the Powerpoint presentation didn’t work. I’m not sure how many more times it needs to be said, but reading from a Powerpoint is NOT teaching. It’s regurgitating, which is sadly what most students are asked to do each day. If the instructor (online or in person) is simply reading from a presentation then they are effectively asking their students to consume their vomit, only to throw it back up.

Gross? Maybe, but how is that different than how some professors ask their students to “learn?”

1. I’m not buying a condo. However I am redoing my small apartment to utilize my space better. The quest and photos are going come.

2. I’m still going to school. School is kicking my ass right now and I’d like to write a post soon to explain why.

3. I’m trying to recharge my life with the mentality of “Live Simply.” This incorporates many aspects and many genres.

4. My obsession with fantasy football is borderline unhealthy. Team name: Moustache Mayhem. Record 4:2.

To Buy or Rent?

I was struggling with this idea for quite sometime, after all, buying would be a big step and one I couldn’t easily move away from. However, the correct decision became apparent to me as I searched for a bigger apartment. Currently I live with my boyfriend in a 1 bedroom apartment that’s about 500 square feet (I’m being generous here). We’re both in school online which means we both need a place to study, currently that means one of us gets the couch, while the other gets the desk. This is not ideal. I also live with a dog and a cat, yeah, we’re pretty full here.

I started searching for a 2 bedroom apartment (at least a bigger 1 bedroom), that would accept dogs. As my search continued I realized a place like this simply didn’t exist at the price range I was willing to pay as a renter, thus resulting in my realization that I wanted to buy.

Initially I did some searching of my own on properties available in the neighborhood I want to be in, though I had zero idea of what a price meant for a monthly payment, nor what all the other fees were associated with owning something. The best next step for me was finding a realtor, a process which I will discuss in my next post.

In the meantime however I will leave you with some of my favorite places I found to begin my initial property search.

edinarealty.com – This site is SUPER easy to use, well organized, and doesn’t require a login to view their listings like many other realty sites do.

Trulia iPhone App - This App is simple to use and makes it easy to find information about listings either in your area or as you’re driving around, definitely handy for people on the go (or if you’re simply nosy).

Mortgage Calculator  by Homes.com - This mortgage calculator is one of the hundreds that are out there, but it’s by far my favorite.

Joani Stock (my mother)

My mother has been the person closest to me throughout my whole life. She has always been a woman who appeared in control even as the world was breaking down around her. She’s adaptive, kind, and quick on her feet so she’s an asset in any situation. One the flip side however, I have watched people (her boss and my stepdad) walk all over her her whole life, and rather than thinking of herself she took the easy road, avoiding the situation.

She has taught me a great deal about the strong woman I want to be, as well as the things I don’t want to give up to keep peace. By her getting walked on I learned to stand up for myself because I didn’t want that same feeling, but due to her adaptive and kind nature I’ve learned to do it with kindness, and bounce back when the going gets tough.

Linda Ait (my nanny)

Linda was more than a nanny to me, she was a second mother. Raised in the south, she had tough skin, a regal sense of style, and made judgments based on profiling and first impressions (no one’s perfect). She’s close with her family and is fiercely protective of her children. She spoils those who deserve it, and even those who didn’t.

She taught me more life lessons than I could explain in words, and continued to touch so many other children’s lives after me until her own life was cut short. She bestowed her knowledge of manners upon me, including when to use them, and when being a lady didn’t so much matter. She taught me it was important to care about how you looked to others, but most importantly about how you felt in your own skin. Shortly after she died I came up with a quote that reminded me of her and that I think about often, “a great woman once told me to never leave the house without lipstick, therefore, I don’t.”

Bruce Cook (my professor)

Bruce is one of the coolest people I know, though I’m not sure most people who meet him at first would describe him that way, and I know he would never claim that title on his own. He’s a passionate teacher and wants nothing more than to help his students succeed in whatever he happens to be teaching. He gives without asking for anything in return and is happy to stand in the background when sharing praise. He’s the definition of humble.

When I graduated from college I ended up staying on for a semester in hopes that the bachelor’s program would be available. During that time I took a couple extra classes to stay full-time, one of which was Web Design 1. Bruce Cook was my professor. The support and knowledge Bruce passed on to me, and continued to pass on after the class was over has made me the professional I am today. Without his praise and push to pursue the web/technology field I would most certainly be in a different place today.

Paul Wichser (my ex)

Paul was the first “grown-up” I ever dated (those of you who know him might be laughing at that statement). He had a young son whom he loved and spent as much time with as possible, as well as a life that kept him busy. He was surprisingly grounded for as glamorous as his life was. Above all, he was the best communicator and risk-taker I have ever met in my life.

He and I were in an “open” relationship which taught me more than any high priced therapist could have ever taught me about communicating with a partner. He taught me how to TALK through everything, not just argue or have an opinion but keep it under wraps. He taught me how to ask the right questions to get to the root of a problem, and he taught me how to answer the hard questions.

He also taught me to take risks when it came to life, and to not take myself so seriously.  I had been a drifting 23-year-old, trying to be a 35-year-old, for far too long. He taught me that doing silly things and taking risks didn’t have to mean I was being immature.

Meghan Wilker (my boss)

Meghan Wilker is Wonder Woman. She is the best at literally everything she does, and she always seems to have time to do everything. She’s organized, smart, savvy, and one of the best business leaders I have ever met. When I first came across her online I knew I wanted to work with her and learn from her, and with enough stalking it finally came true.

She has taught me so much about dealing with people and business communication. Less than a year ago I was pretty much drowning in my career, and I didn’t know where to go. One day I had the idea of what I wanted to do, so she and I talked about it. She gave me all the support and guidance she could, and today I feel more empowered and fulfilled by my work than I ever have at any other job. She has the ability to empower people like you wouldn’t believe.

Bonus: Chris Zaleski (my soulmate)

Chris has taught me so much about what love really is, and what it means to be in love. He continues to surprise me everyday with a new explanation of what it means to love. It’s not what you see in movies, and it’s (most of the time) not what you feel in high school, or even college.

Before I met Chris I had an idea of what love was. I was even pretty sure I’d felt it, and given it out. I’d throw the word around like I was a master of love, but the truth was, until him, I’d never actually loved anyone like people should love their partners. At the risk of sounding very cheesy, I felt he was an important person to add because without the ability to love, or the gift of being loved there isn’t really a point to everything else. Without the ability to love and appreciate things what good would successes be?

My first response was to ignore my father, we don’t really see eye-to-eye when it comes to politics and being patriotic. Our disagreements however are not because he’s super conservative and I’m not, but rather because he’s quick to believe anyone who claims to be more patriotic than the next guy. He fails to, in my opinion consider all sides of a story.

Now, I find my father’s pride in his country very endearing, the day after 9/11 he commissioned me to paint the pillars on his front porch to look like the American flag, which I was both happy and proud to do.  Since completion he has left them up with great pride, much to the displeasure of his neighbors. What I don’t find endearing however is his attacks on people he thinks aren’t “American” enough.

After almost hitting delete on the email I stopped myself and hit reply, simply stating that maybe the choice to leave this out was a calculated one, asking him to remember that the Pledge of Allegiance isn’t allowed in schools after all. This was my gentile reminder that every story has two sides. Not even 2 minutes after sending I got a reply back that was more of an attack than a consideration, including such quotes as “I have a suggestion for those that don’t like what our Founding Fathers and the US Constitution stands for…I hear Afghanistan is looking for some new television stations, perhaps their “constitution” is more suitable.”

I couldn’t believe what I was reading. No where did NBC claim to not support our Constitution or our Founding Fathers. Hell, the Pledge of Allegiance wasn’t even written until 1892, long after this great country of ours was founded. It was the emotion tied to the threat of being unpatriotic driving his thoughts, not actual facts or research, because obviously if you leave out “under God” you’re unpatriotic right?

I calmly considered my reply. I didn’t want to give him any more ammo to fire back with so I turned to Google to find fact. In my research I found that the original Pledge of Allegiance didn’t actually contain a mention to God at all, in fact that part wasn’t added until 1954. GASP! HOW DID WE GO THAT LONG WITHOUT BEING PATRIOTIC?

In my reply I included this information, along with the neutral stance of, “there is always more to ANY story on ANY news station. Thankfully we lice in a country with the freedom to make thse choices and say the things we want to.” I sat anxiously waiting for his reply and realized considerably more time had passed than the time it took for his first reply. Finally I got a response about how he thanked me for the history lesson and how he was just happy NBC was apologizing.

While this was not the reaction I was hoping for I could read into his reply enough to see the fact had calmed his emotional response. There was no propaganda in my response and no emotional fire-starters to ignite additional debate. It just was.

I hope my dad can take a lesson away from our exchange today, and at least consider his response to messages rather than just responding, a lesson I think all of us can think about when we react to anything in mainstream media. Whether or not my father will remember this lesson though is hard to say.

I remember when I started college, my mom said if I wanted financial aid I was going to have to apply myself. She’d be more than willing to help answer anything I didn’t know, but she wasn’t going to do it for me. Even before college, I was accountable for me. If I wasn’t scheduled for my high school classes on time it was on me, not on a teacher for not reminding (hounding) me enough. If you want to go back even further, in elementary school I played on YMCA sports teams, we kept score, and not everyone got a ribbon.

It’s that accountability for yourself that seems to have gone missing somewhere between parents wanting the best for their kids and society being so fixated on not making kids feel bad. By placing kids in a “we’re all winners” bubble we aren’t helping them build self-esteem, we’re simply teaching them that someone else is responsible if they feel bad. I’d like to see how well that goes over when they don’t get that report to their boss in time, “Oh, well, that’s actually you’re fault, you didn’t remind me enough.”

I had a glimmer of hope for our future last week when my boyfriend’s sister sent her dad a text message about her grades. “Yea, I got 3 B’s and 3 A’s. I won’t get into Harvard and without a good school that means no good job which means no money. No money is no house, no house is a cardboard box, cardboard box means homeless. Homeless means smelly and poor! I’m going to be a poor hobo!!”

Now, when I first read this text I cracked up because I know Gabby. She’s an incredibly smart 15 year old who, at least as of this week, wants to go to law school at Harvard. Now, there is nothing wrong with 3 B’s and 3 A’s. Hell, plenty of parents would be ecstatic by these grades, and some, so as not to hurt any feelings would say “Well, you did try your hardest, I’m sure it was just the way the class was taught.” However, Gabby is looking at these grades and saying, no, I have to do better because she knows her future is up to her.

Today I attended a mandatory writing seminar put together by my employer and one of the first things our speaker said that struck me was; writing, like any talent, takes practice. In order to practice writing it became apparent that I needed to, well, write.

The second point our speaker made that really stuck with me was that you can’t create version 1.1 until you complete and release version 1.0. In other words, there are always changes that can be made and until you complete the first version, future versions (no matter how many or how wonderful they are) make no difference.

Over the next few days I will be taking the key points and learnings from the seminar and sharing them with you as I attempt to practice writing. I hope you will find them as inspiring and useful as I myself did.

#Movember

Some of you have maybe heard the word Movember floating around, maybe even thought to yourself, “I must have misheard them, it’s November.” But no, you heard them right. So what exactly is Movember? Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a mustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health. The rules are easy, shave your mustache clean on November 1st and then don’t shave it again until November 30th.

This charity event has been gaining more momentum each year since it started in 2004, largely due to its success on social media channels. I mean who doesn’t like to look at pictures of ironic mustaches? As a women who is envious of facial hair, this month is particularly hard for me.

#NaNoWriMo

Pronounced NA-NO-REE-MO, it stands for National Novel Writing Month; and it’s pretty much what it sounds like, a month when you write a novel. The rules complete an entire 175 page (minimum) novel in 30 days, starting on November 1st and running through November 30th.

Technology advancements since NaNoWriMo’s inception in 1999 have made it possible for chapters to begin all over the world, as well as allowed versions of this event for K-12 participants. Additionally social media has allowed writers from all over the world to share advice, ideas, and words of encouragement.

Interested in how this large task can be done? My friend Kim Opitz outlined it rather nicely in the video below for IgniteMPLS.

Now, go forth and converse, connect, and enjoy November!

Over the past few months I’ve been on a journey through the world of online social monitoring tools. The task was one I’d taken on before (about 18 months ago), and  it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. So, what is the best monitoring tool out there?

After careful research, advice from other social professionals, and over two dozen white papers, PowerPoints, and one-sheets later I decided on six tools to demo and review. I chose these six based on the available collateral, the demo process, and availability.

At the start of each demo, I explained that Clockwork was an interactive web design agency who also provided social strategy as a service. I was interested in these tools on behalf of our current and future customers so we could make an educated and informed suggestions for those clients.

The six companies, and their products, are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Alterian: SM2
SM2 has been around for a while, and was recently acquired by a company called Alterian. This tool is priced really decently for all it can do, including monitoring Twitter, blogs, video and other media, as well as forums and message boards. Where this tool falls short is in user interface. It’s not nearly as polished as some of the other tools, and some views — like the map overlay — are confusing to even look at. In addition to their pricing based on your number of search results they also offer price breaks for agencies who are looking to resell the tool, and they are more than willing to brand the dashboard with your company’s logo for an additional fee.

Summary: Great when it comes to the data you can get from it, but lacks the polish and ease-of-use that many of the other tools possess.

Google: Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a free tool from Google that uses their search functions to “watch” for your brand or any search term you’re interested in watching for. The initial and obvious downside of Google Alerts is that search results aren’t always displayed in real time, and there’s no real way to get results based on a specific date range. A major plus this option has on its side is that it’s historical data is almost limitless. In other words, “Google never forgets.”

Summary: For the low price of “free”, don’t expect it to be as all-encompassing as the paid sites, but with coupled with other free tools (like BackTweets, Twitter Search, and Google Analytics), you an have a pretty decent free option. Good for a low-cost, DIY approach (often ideal for smaller organizations or those just getting started with social media monitoring).

Jive: Jive SBS
I learned about Jive SBS from a colleague. It is by far the best enterprise and internal community builder option I’ve seen: it really does facilitate collaboration. Built into its social monitoring software is a function that allows extensive tagging, commenting and assigning within an organization. In addition, it allows you to create an internal social media community specific to your company, and then monitor those results as well. Jive features a broad list of media that it can monitor including Twitter, blogs, videos (and other media) as well as news feeds. It features some historical data, but won’t firmly specify how much.

Summary: Great for larger organizations that plan on having multiple people watching and responding in the social space, or are interested in an internal social community.

People Browsr: PeopleBrowsr & Analytic.ly
PeopleBrowsr came recommended to me from a colleague as well. Their tools are very campaign- and Twitter-focused, so if you’re a company like BlackBerry (the example they used in their demo) their tools make perfect sense! Another cool thing about their tools is you can access Analytic.ly for a very small monthly investment, no contracts required. Their demo wasn’t very interactive, instead it was filled with a lot of campaign results and data. They do offer a trial, but after weeks of waiting I’ve given up on my sales associate ever sending me the login information I need.

Summary: These tools are great for real-time, Twitter-focused campaigns and monitoring. But, if you want to dig deeply into some of the other media like blogs and Facebook it’s not the best option.

Radian6: Radian6
Radian6 is the monitoring tool I used at my previous employer for both daily monitoring and monthly reports. The interface is gorgeous, but not 100% intuitive. They offset this with fairly extensive training for new customers. Pricing is based both on the number of users accessing the program, and the number of search profiles. The data reach is very extensive including Twitter, Blogs, Video (and other media), as well as mainstream media. Radian6 lets you login to a dashboard and have multiple search “widgets” active at the same time, so toggling between all media and just microblogging is a snap. Additionally you can compare different date ranges very easily.

Summary: A data-rich tool that’s easy on the eyes.

Sysomos: MAP & Heartbeat

Sysomos was a company I hadn’t heard of before when researching monitoring tools. They had an impressive customer list, and multiple products to chose from: MAP and Heartbeat. Like many other tools the interface was polished and professional, and — to my delight — fairly intuitive for the number of layers it had. This tool allows for comparison, but loads a new page with each search rather than having multiple widgets running at once. Of all the tools I reviewed, this one was one of few to include a deep reach into the giant known as Facebook. Their results include publicly-viewable Facebook information such as status updates, notes, and wall comments. They also boasted the most historical data with archived data going back 4 years in MAP.

Summary: Both tools are impressive, with the most inclusive data by far; but, you’ll pay dearly for it.
*Note: This post was originally-posted on the Clockwork Active Media Systems Blog.

I first came across this show while stalking researching Andrew-Lee Potts online. I had seen him for the first time in SyFy’s Alice, a wonderfully dark and modernized take on the original Alice in Wonderland. He played the Hatter, swoon.

IMDB listed the BBC program Primeval as a show he was in. So being the stalker researcher I was I went in search of places I could catch Primeval on the TV, as it turned out SyFy was the American home for this show. SCORE! Surely they have episodes I can watch online…right?

Sadly I was wrong, but I did find another place I could watch the show…Instant Play on Netflix (enter lots of praise and thanks for Netflix and their encouragement of instant gratification)!

The show is on its 4th Season, so I had some serious catching up to do, a job I was more than willing to take on. So far I’ve made it through Season 1 and am in the middle of Season 2, I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do once I’m caught up, maybe the BBC will have them available to watch on their website? I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Seriously though, If you’re looking for a fun show to get you through the gray Spring weather, or to get you through being sick (which I’m fighting with right now), this show is perfect. As for me? I’ve got Episode 12 to get to.

Update (5.17.10): I finished all 3 Seasons a couple days ago, 2011 and Season 4 will not come soon enough.