Social Media Project: The Wally-World at Wiki Example

Screen Shot: http://www.facebook.com/walmart - 04/17/2012, Hawiane Tidwell.

Wal-Mart by Group#8 
Over the last couple of weeks, we have been learning about peer production, Web 2.0, and on a much broader scale - the pros and cons of social media and social media networks.  Our social media project was a group project which I will admit to dreading.  Not because I thought the assignment itself would be difficult but because sometimes working in groups with people you've never met and have no ties/connection to, can be very, very difficult.  Well, I am relieved to say that I worried in vain.  Group#8 was awesome, we worked really well together, we divided and conquered the assignment and we finished early!  Below I will share details about the assignment and more about the collaborative experience. 

Screen Shot: http://ism3004socialmedia.wikispaces.com/Wal-Mart - 04/19/2012, Hawiane Tidwell. 

The assignment: we were tasked with choosing a company to 1) research its social media activities, 2) create a group report with our findings, and 3) share the report with the other groups by creating a wiki for the company and adding the report information to the wikipage. 

Coming together as a group was a little rocky in the beginning - everyone was trying to figure out which team they were assigned to, find out the best way(s) to communicate and who was doing what as far as the specifics of the project.  One thing that I did find remarkable about this phase was the fact that right from the very beginning 86% of us were on the same page in that we all wanted to complete the project as soon as possible so we could focus on finals. 

We spent the most time selecting a company. Several companies were nominated; we narrowed our choices down to three (3) companies - Facebook, Wal-Mart, and Google. And I'm sure you know by now, we chose Wal-Mart. Once we chose the company, the rest of the project just flowed. 

Screen Shot: http://www.walmart.com/ - 04/16/2012, Hawiane Tidwell.

We used the divide and conquer mode of attack to get as much done as quickly as possible - there were eleven (11) tasks that were assigned to individuals (I was responsible for our wiki and I helped keep our efforts organized and on schedule).  Also there were three (3) tasks that were assigned to the group as a whole for collaboration.  We mostly used the discussion board in Sakai, email, text messages, phone and Google+ to communicate.    

About Wikispaces - I think this is a very useful tool in that it does make collaboration possible in situations where getting together physically is just not a viable option and the learning curve was as low as you can get - it was very easy to use and to navigate.  However, I did find it to be somewhat antiquated and very laborious as you can only "copy and paste" text.   You cannot "copy and paste" images, docs, etc.  So anything you wanted to embed in your page other than text had to be first uploaded to the site folder and then inserted into your page.  This really sucked up an enormous amount of time as our page has 40+ screen shots. 

About the company - Wal-Mart has some pretty interesting, engaging customers who use social media extensively.  Although Wal-Mart has a strong presence on some of the more popular sites like Facebook and Twitter, there is no official presence, nor published guidelines for monitoring content referencing the store or engaging customers that use some of the other social media outlets like Instagram.  Here's a link to our wiki:  http://ism3004socialmedia.wikispaces.com/Wal-Mart 

Screen Shot: http://ism3004socialmedia.wikispaces.com/Wal-Mart - 04/19/2012, Hawiane Tidwell.

And speaking of Instagram, I will make this final comment - Attention: Wally-World Shopper's beware, someone in isle 9 just might be taking your picture...

Week 13: Clear - "Keystrokes Are Giving the Pen a Run for Its Money"

Social Media Is Here To Stay...
As I mentioned in a previous post, for years I had resisted partaking in the obvious and inevitable integration of Social Media (SM) into the fabric of my daily life.  Until August of last year I had successfully avoided social media and networking like they were a plague.    At that time for the most part I was a Web 1.0 person, my only indulgence in the Web 2.0 world was Skype which I had begun using four years prior in 2007.   This might prompt you to ask how/why would such a Web 2.0 illiterate be a Skype user.  Well, it was out of necessity, my son was in an exchange student program in South Korea and Skype was the least expensive (free) way I could not only talk to him but most importantly see his face (priceless) - but that was the extent of my indulgences and experience with Web 2.0 tools.  Here's a list of Web 1.0 and 2.0 offerings: 

Web 1.0		Web 2.0
domain name speculation	→	search engine optimization, fans, and followers
page views	→	cost per click
screen scraping	→	Web services
publishing	→	participation
content management systems	→	wikis
directories (taxonomy)	→	tagging (“folksonomy”)
Britannica Online	→	Wikipedia
personal Web sites	→	blogging, status updates, and link sharing
Ofoto	→	Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter
instant messaging	→	Twitter and Facebook
Monster.com	→	LinkedIn
RealNetworks	→	YouTube
YellowPages.com	→	Yelp
Travelocity	→	TripAdvisor
Vonage	→	Skype

 Gallaugher. Information Systems, Chapter 7, Table 7.1  Web 1.0 versus Web 2.0*


However, as the result of a class I took, Summer 2011, I first got my toes wet at several of the major sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, and Google. Yes, as I said before, I am ashamed to say, I did go kicking and screaming but after a couple of weeks in that class I began to see the power and the value of SM.   I was amazed at how much easier it was to stay connected and I was surprised when I realized how businesses were also utilizing these Web 2.0 tools for their advantage. 

In UF's ISM 3004 - Computing for the Business Environment, I have learned even more as I've delved into the deep of blogs, Google+ and other Web 2.0 methods of communication.  I've come to realize that blogging can give anyone a very real and powerful voice and presence in our society. Many businesses have wised up to this fact and not only do they blog - they also constantly monitor electronic media to ensure that there isn't "anything out there in cyberspace" that could jeopardize their reputation. The old quote, "The pen is mightier than the sword", can certainly move over and make room for "Keystrokes are giving the pen a run for its money". 

Today many businesses also realize that SM should be a vital part of their strategy for marketing as SM can be used as one-way and/or two-way communication and marketing tactics which allows companies to send a highly targeted message to a large number of potential customers. And do it very quickly and at costs extremely lower than traditional advertising. 

Successful companies are those companies that proactively embrace "Our Forever Connected World". They become a part of the social media community by creating Blogs or Twitter feeds or establishing pages on social networking sites like Facebook, etc. This helps to set them up to successfully achieve their goal of gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. This is just another of the many reasons why SM is so vital and necessary to businesses. For more information and/or to see real-life examples, check out these sites on the Web:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.blogtrafficexchange.com/why-big-companies-are-blogging/
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-companies-that-really-get-corporate-blogging/

Just these few reasons I have touched on in this blog post is assurance to me that our society has no intentions of letting Social Media go - it's here to stay...



*Wrtten consent for reuse with attribution granted in front cover of textbook.

Week 12: Clear - Big Brother Isn't the Only One Listening & Watching

Be Careful Little Children What You Say and Do... 

Telecommunication, as defined by Dr. Means:

1. electronic communication: the science and technology of transmitting information electronically by wires or radio signals with integrated encoding and decoding equipment 
2. information transmission over communications lines

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fensterbme/64985745/sizes/z/in/photostream/

by fensterbme

  

The power and convenience afforded by telecommunications, coupled with the power and convenience afforded by the Internet, has already radically changed our world - and shockingly enough, it's not over yet.  There are still things to come that exceed the capacity of my limited understanding of the subjects. 

 With telecommunication and internet (TAI) usage growing exponentially every day, the number of questions regarding societal issues associated with using TAI has also increased.  These issues include but are not limited to privacy rights, security, net neutrality, unproductive time online (gaming,  Facebook, etc.).  The jury is still out on these issues so it's really too early to tell the final outcome.  However, we should remain vigilant and keep an active watch and voice regarding anything that could strip our privacy, security, etc. away from us. 

This is why it is so important that we remember that anything we say and do online, could ultimately be seen and heard by others.  Electronic media is not just monitored - every second of every minute of every hour of everyday of every week of every month of every year - information is being collected (24/7 - 365) by sources we don't even think about and servers and search engines are the biggest culprits. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fensterbme/5074208506/sizes/z/in/photostream/ 

by fensterbme 

   

Why should you care you might ask.  Well, this means that even though you may delete something off your page, blog, etc., unless you have the ability to delete it off every server, search engine, index, personal computer, thumb-drive, CD, etc. that saved a copy of the information - it could still come back to haunt you.  We have no way of knowing who is collecting our information or how it might be utilized in the future. 


For me, this has always been "A LITTLE TOO SCARY!!!  So I have always been conscious of my on-line reputation and I'd like to share some good advice that's lasted me for a life-time and is still very relevant today:

• From my mother many, many moons ago, "IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO REPEAT IT VERBATIM TO THEIR FACE, DO NOT SAY IT BEHIND THEIR BACK..." 
• And not quite as many moons ago but still a very long time, from a UF Trainer.  As I was a UF employee and I was required to attend a training/in-service regarding business communications and although I do not remember anything personal (height, weight, sex, race, etc.) about the instructor, I do remember the main point of the session and I have made it a matter of practice and I know it still applies today, perhaps even more when you think about the craziness on some of the popular sites, "IF YOU WOULD NOT WANT IT READ ALOUD AND DISCUSSED IN COURT - DO NOT PUT IT OUT THERE..."   

Telecommunications and the Internet is here to stay because responsible use adds value to our lives and increases productivity, etc. but I think it would be a nicer experience for us all if everyone would just choose to use a little restraint and discipline...

Week 11: Clear - Solutions to Some of the Problems in Paradise

Data Asset - Data and Information

Every business today faces the expense and other issues associated with analyzing information and  collecting, storing, and retrieving data.  As a result of incompatible systems, transaction processing systems and live operational data, even the information itself possess problems for every business, website, call center, etc. 

This week's material discussed solutions used to handle the issues mentioned above:

Gallaugher.  Information Systems, Chapter 11, Figure 11.2*

                        

 

1. Data Warehouse - a set of databases designed to support decision making in organizations as it stores current and historical data. 
2. Data Mart - a single database or databases focused solely on addressing the concerns of a specific problem, question or business unit. 
3. Data Mining - using computers to identify hidden patterns in, and to build models from, large data sets.  To use this process to look for trends and patterns the data must be accurate, organized and consistent. 
4. Business Intelligence (BI) - combining data exploration, ad hoc queries, aspects of reporting and sophisticated data modeling and analysis.  As a result, users have access to various reports:

Gallaugher. Information Systems, Chapter 11, Figure 11.3*

• Reports are no longer just "canned" - easy to use and all parameters are predetermined by the programmers, but users have access to 
•  "ad hoc" reports - puts users in control as users create their own reports as needed.  This type of report is harder to use as knowledge of the system and the information is necessary. 
• "Dashboards" - another BI tool, gives an at-a-glance view of critical indicators that allow managers to get graphical performance metrics more quickly. 
• "OLAP (Online Analytical Processing)" - this is one of the most valuable BI tools and is a method of querying and reporting that takes data from standard relational databases, calculates and summarizes it and then stores it in a special database called a data cube (a special database used to store data in OLAP reporting).  

Data and Information are mong the most valuable assests available and there will always be the need for solutions to store and handle it properly.  Without data and information, businesses cannot make the proper analysis necessary to forecast and prepare for future trends and patterns.  

Turning data into useful information which can be used to answer questions, to solve problems and to help reveal innovative ways firms can improve, is the key benefit.  This benefit is the reason firms are willing to weather the storm to continue the quest for more effective and cost efficient solutions.




*Wrtten consent for reused with attribution granted in front cover of textbook.

Access Project - More Power and Functionality Brings Complexity

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

Microsoft ACCESS - Serious Business Tool, Much More Powerful Than Excel But Not As User-Friendly...

Microsoft Access can do so much more than Excel, as Access provides more power and functionality.  There is one small drawback though, and that is that this attribute in and of itself, makes Access less user-friendly and much more difficult to learn.  However, the benefits businesses gain from utilizing Access far outweigh the high level of difficulty Access's learning curve can present. 

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

This past week Access was the project assigned for ISM 3004.  Time only allowed for limited hands on experience but the project requirements weren't overly easy.  Even though we only touched the peak of the iceberg this project was still challenging and I'm very thankful Dr. Olson had mercy on us as this could have been a very, very difficult project. 

Over the past week I have created databases, imported data into Access (data from Excel files and from CSV text files), created tables, queries, forms, and reports.  As I stated before, this is only the tip of the iceberg of what Access can do, however, with these limited skills, I still possess the knowledge and ability necessary to facilitate the needs of most businesses. 

Also, with the additional information provided in Dr. Olson's "Access Skill Track", I was able to enhance the functionality of the database that I created by using features in Access that increases the integrity of the data or increased productivity: 

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012

• After I created (per the project specifications) the "Members" table and the "New Members Entry Form", I cut down the potential for errors by adding validation rules to the "gender" and "membership type" fields. 
• After I created (per the project specifications) the "New Members Form", I added an informative text label and I changed the "tab order" of the form so that Access would not tab through the "ID" field and only tabbed through the fields provided to enter new member's information.
• After I created (per the project specifications) the "Recently Departed Individual Members" report, to make all pages of the report more informative I moved the "report header" to the "page header" section and I changed the formatting so that "section headings" repeated.   

To further enhance the functionality of this database, it could be used to house and analyze the results of a survey designed to determine how services currently being provided could be improved to increase membership and retention rates.  Survey would be provided to current and past members.  The database would also be used to retrieve the contact information for previous members.

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012

Access is so extensive each time I'm exposed to it I never remember everything I learn to meet the requirements for a class assignment or even to get through a project for work.  I can however say that the number of my core skills (skills I consistently remember) increases each time.  So who knows, I might just become an Access Expert e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y... 

Week 10 - Clear: Got Skills? You'll Need Them!

Mastering Access Requires An Extensive Skill Set

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

Although my first interaction with Access was a little over a decade ago and over the years since, I've worked with it sporatically for projects here and there and even after the refresher in this class, ISM 3004 and other computer and business courses, today I still cannot say that I am an "Access Expert" and I probably never will.  Microsoft Access is a very complex application and to master it requires a very extensive skill set as well as using the program on a regular basis.  Dr. Olson's Access Skills Track has reminded me of so much about Access that I'd forgotten which was great but also at the same time, I was reminded of so much that is still to be learned. 



Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

Speaking of the things still left for me to learn - I did pick up some new skills and one I am really delighted about is the "Tab Stop".  Have you ever had a record with a ton of fields but you really only needed to edit a couple of them so you had to either, tab through all of them, enter through all of them, use the arrow keys, or take your hand off the keyboard so you could use the mouse to place the pointer in the next field you needed to edit?  Well, I have and let me tell you it is a productivity killer - it wastes so much time.   

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

Here's the simple fix!!  To restrict Access to only tab through (or only tab to) fields that you will actually edit:  In "Design View" highlight the field(s) that will not be edited.  Click "Property Sheet", on the right of the screen click the "Other" tab.  Choose "no" from the "Tab Stop" dropdown list, then press "enter".  That's it - problem solved - "tab stop" is disabled and now Access will only go to the fields that will be edited, even if it is only one (1) field.  Isn't that great!!  I think so! 

Week 9 - Clear: Days May Be Numbered for Silicon Computer Chips

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48329209@N03/4427797042/sizes/z/in/photostream/ 

by  Tomizak 

Changing the Rules for Production & Mother Nature's Laws of Physics & Quantum Tunneling Will All Contribute to Silicon Valley's Eventual Demise or Transformation!!! 



Wow!  Or should I say, whew!!
Most of this week's material wasn't totally muddy but it definitely wasn't crystal clear either - more like blurry - but very, very fascinating. I hope that I am around to see how some of the theories, new technologies and predictions play out - especially those involving Moore's Law - Gordon Moore's observation that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles every two (2) years.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwa23/85298610/sizes/z/in/photostream/

                            by schwa23 

In Electronics Magazine, Moore stated "transistors per chip, a proxy for power, would double every two years", which Carver Mead, a CalTech Professor and chip entrepreneur dubbed "Moore's Law".    The Business World gives Moore's Law the following definition:  Chip performance per dollar doubles every eighteen months or next generation chips today should be twice as fast but cost the same as chips from eighteen months ago.
 
   
Consumer demand for smaller, faster, more powerful, yet cheaper chips seems to be the driving force that has given Moore's Law a bountiful playing field for decades but it appears that all may be coming to a screeching halt.  As computer chips are produced smaller and more powerful, size, heat, and power all become significant stumbling-blocks to the possibility of Moore's Law continuing to apply.  The laws of physics (a chip's pathway can never be smaller than a single molecule) and quantum tunneling (Mother Nature has set the actual physical limit - which in all probability is larger than a single molecule - so chip pathways can never be smaller than this without spontaneous disruption of its electrons), are both indicators that silicon computer chips' days may be numbered.  Will Silicon Valley just gracefully bow down or stand up and fight, getting into the game by embracing new technologies, principles, materials, etc. - new rules - all for the production of next generation computer chips which satisfies consumer demand? 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pennstatelive/5188529284/sizes/o/in/photostream/

by pennstatelive  

Efforts to overcome the speed bumps of shrinking silicon chips are already underway and have been for some time now.  Solutions which include the graphene wafer (pictured left), three dimensional transistors like Intel's "3-D Tri-Gate", protein computers, DNA computers, optimum computers, quantum computers and many others are on the horizon. 

The fight is on... 

Excel Project: Why Work Harder When You Can Work Smarter?!

Use "EXCEL" - One of the Most Powerful Applications in the Arsenal of Business Tools  

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

Excel is one of the most useful software tools available today!  VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet application which simply crunched numbers, provided bankers, accountants, financial managers and others with the power to work more efficiently with numbers.  Making it possible for users to not only perform simple, mathematical calculations like addition, subtraction, division and multiplication more quickly but to also do it accurately - even when handling a large amount of information. 

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

While Excel still provides the same functions provided by VisiCalc, Excel also provides users with so much more.  With Excel, one has the ability to perform much more complex mathematical functions which utilizes logic, financial and statistical formulas.  Excel also provides the tools necessary to analyze and comprehensively display information using charts, graphs, tables and pivot tables.  Excel is very user-friendly and provides a function library which makes it easy for users to find the needed syntax (correct format) for any formula.  Or users can press the "F1" key for access to Excel's built-in "Help and How-to" library.     

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

Over the last couple of weeks I have used Excel to complete a class assignment and it was obvious to me that Excel's functionality is one of the reasons why it is such a useful and popular tool.  Excel is utilized by many different entities (charities, schools, hospitals, banks, and businesses of all types - large and small, etc.) and also across all industries.  Excel gives entities the power of processing and analyzing data with just a few key strokes. 

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012.

I used Excel's various methods of displaying information to create all the images shown in this blog.  The first one is the result of a pivot table and the others are that same information displayed differently.  This is my favorite function of Excel because it is so flexible and it only takes a few seconds to display information in a very useful way - which is why Excel is also the top choice for anyone who needs to analyze and display information. 

Excel definitely allows users to work SMARTER and not HARDER...

Live Meeting Blog - UF to Take On-line Classes to New Level

UF On-line Students Soon to Gain Real-Time Learning Experience! 

I am really excited about UF's plans to change how students participate in on-line classes!  Students choose on-line classes for various reasons - i.e.:  "I need this class to graduate and it's only available on-line this semester", or "I take on-line classes as a part of the curriculum for UF's Online Business Administration Program", or "Right now, I have to work to support myself and take care of my responsibilities, so I need to take classes which affords my schedule the most flexibility", or "I cannot afford to live on nor commute to campus so I take classes on-line" - usually flexibility and convenience are the most often cited reasons.  No matter the student's purpose for choosing on-line classes in lieu of traditional attendance, UF's goal is to significantly enrich the student's on-line experience by utilizing technology to eliminate the trade-off of the loss of the live connection provided by face-to-face (traditional) classes, which students must give up for their choice of the flexibility of on-line classes. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/streamishmc/5579387051/sizes/z/in/photostream/

by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester} 

Over the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to participate in UF's pilot tests of Adobe Connect, Cisco WebEx, Big Blue Button and Unity (I participated in all except the Unity meetings).  All four (4) offers technology which will allow on-line students to interact and experience real-time (live) class sessions via their web application.  UF hopes that one (1) of these web meeting / synchronous learning tools will meet/exceed the University's requirements and students' needs, and can be utilized to provide a real-time learning experience to on-line students. 

The pilot was carried out via live web meetings for all four (4) web applications.  The meetings were hosted on various days and at various times by the instructors for ISM 3004.  The access information and the schedules (the dates were also provided in the syllabus) for the live meetings were broadcasted on the ISM 3004 class website (home page) and attendance was random as students were free to exercise choice and could choose to attend or not attend any meeting.  At the conclusion of each meeting, students were required to complete surveys geared to collect information regarding the students experience with the tool.  Below, please find my opinion/experience with each: 

Unity:  As I stated before, I didn't participate in the Unity meetings - there were two (2) opportunities provided (the same number as provided for the other tools).  I had a quiz during the first one but from what students who did attend have said, I didn't miss anything because there were issues and it never really got started.  I did attend the second opportunity but it seems that history repeated itself - there were issues again which could not be resolved within the necessary time-frame. 

Cisco WebEx:  It was really neat to be able to see not only the instructor but any student with a webcam powered up.  And there was a list of everyone in attendance so even if they didn't use a webcam you could still use text or voice to communicate with them.  Utilizing Cisco WebEx: we could take and get immediate results for polls; we could write on whiteboards; share our desktop or just an application on our computer with the entire class; chat/send text messages to the entire class, just to the instructor or to a specific student; we could share a file or web content and the presenter could be switched from the instructor to a student.  Overall, I thought Cisco WebEx was okay, it did seem a little awkward to use and it would be nice if more than one (1) person at one time could be a presenter as this would be very helpful during group projects. 

http://www.timothyedwarddowns.com/Tim_Downs_Portfolio/illo/Pages/infog.html#34
*Image by Timothy Downs. Written Permission granted for reused with attribution.

Big Blue Button:  It was also really neat to be able to see not only the instructor but any student with a webcam powered up. There also was a list of everyone in attendance so even if they didn't use a webcam you could still use text or voice to communicate with them. Utilizing Big Blue Button basically offers the same core interactions: we could take and get immediate results for polls; we could write on whiteboards; share our desktop or just an application on our computer with the entire class; chat/send text messages to the entire class, just to the instructor or to a specific student; we could share a file or web content and the presenter could be switched from the instructor to a student. Overall for me, Big Blue Button would be the one I'd least likely choose, only one person could annotate at a time and this annoying and very distracting "beep" sounded every time someone entered the meeting.  I do not think that this would facilitate learning as your concentration is constantly being broken.... 

Adobe Connect:  And last but certainly not least as this turned out to be my choice of the three (3) tools I evaluated.  Utilizing Adobe Connect also provided the same benefits as the other tools - being able to see not only the instructor but any student with a webcam powered up.  A list of everyone in attendance was also provided so you could still use text or voice to communicate with other students not using a webcam.  Utilizing Adobe Connect does offer the same core interactions: we could take and get immediate results for polls; we could write on whiteboards; share our desktop or just an application on our computer with the entire class; chat/send text messages to the entire class, just to the instructor or to a specific student; we could share a file or web content, however, it also offered more.  Everyone could be presenters, everyone can attend the main room our a breakout sessions as instructed.  And everyone could control a whiteboard. Overall for me, Adobe Connect would be the one I'd most likely choose, because it seems to offer more tools that really facilitate easier team collaborations and feel more like the interaction in a face-to-face class....

This technology will make it much easier for on-line students to work on group projects requiring a team of students to collaborate.  For on-line classes like finance, math, accounting, computing, and any of the other classes requiring extensive explanation and or demonstration, the on-line student will be provided a better resource of help and assistance.  All that being said, whether, UF chooses one of the tools discussed above or a totally different one I know that the addition of the live web meeting / synchronous learning tools will drastically improve the student's on-line experience - taking on-line classes to new levels...


*Timothy Downs written consent for reused by Hawiane Tidwell with attribution:

Project: Presentation - Effective Presentations - Still Holy Grail for Some in the Business World Today...

My Presentation:  How to "Be the Change that Makes the Difference"

It is crystal clear to me that the ability to create and give an effective presentation is a very valuable skill desired and heavily relied upon in today's business world.  However, if you say the phrase, "Death by PowerPoint", why is it that we all know what the phrase means?  Most of us could even share experiences of an incident(s) where we've been either the giver or receiver of a torturously, boring presentation filled with cluttered, unreadable slides which lasted way too long for any human to endure - no matter the age or maturity level. 

Well, help is here!  Over the last three (3) weeks I have learned some TIPs - DOs and DON'Ts of Presentations that I think should be in every savvy business person's arsenal of tools.  I'm going to share this information with you via my experiences as I completed this project. 

The first of which is a Storyboard, I have prepared many presentations but I've never used a storyboard and this project required one be created prior to beginning work on the actual slides in PowerPoint, etc.  Initially, I did not like this idea, I thought it would be a total waste of time and I will admit to procrastinating but I was totally wrong.  The storyboard helped me stay organized which allowed me to more quickly collect my thoughts regarding key points and how to present them.  This made the rest of the presentation process a breeze - the only remaining task that took any significant time was finding the right images that would help convey my message.  Check out my storyboard:

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012. Storyboard Page 2

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012. Storyboard Page 1

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012. Storyboard Page 3

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012. Storyboard Page 4

                              

Hawiane Tidwell, 2012. Storyboard Page 5

Once I completed my storyboard, I began working on my slides in PowerPoint.  Since I had the completed storyboard, I already had the text for all my slides so they were a breeze to complete.  I had the text on them all in no time.  Next I worked on the slides to which I was only going to add an image - TIP: as I mentioned before, this did take a significant amount of time because I had to look for just the right image.  As images are important and should support your key point(s).  Once I found and inserted all my images, I began to work on animations.  TIP: work on and set your slide transitions as you go along and after you make major changes, watch your presentation as a slide show.  I used an egg timer so I knew where I was within the three minute time limit.

Once I finished my transitions and animations, on the first slide, and using the storyboard as my guide, I recorded myself presenting my key points.  TIP:  Synching the audio with the flow of the slides took a little more tweaking of the transition times and the delay of animations.  Finally I had the slides and the audio synched and I saved it as a Windows Media Video (WMV).    I then used YouTube, Web 2.0 Tool, to share the video of my presentation with others.  I have added a clickable link to the video on the YouTube website, as well as, the video below - so check it out: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llAd6UNsg3c&feature=youtu.be    

"Hawiane Tidwell, 2012."

Now we've come to the 2nd to last step of the presentation project assignment, critiquing yourself and a peer(s).  I watched many of the videos and for the most part, I was really proud of the Gator Nation talent that's out there!  Watching other presentations also helped me to formulate a mental note of things that I should and should not do.  The young man's presentation I chose to critique did a great job.  There was a logical flow to his presentation.  He really was able to 1) anticipate and answer questions, 2) to grab my attention, 3) to set the context with concise explanation, 4) to avoid clutter by presenting readable slides and 5) he said it then showed it.  He didn't use any slides with bulleted text, most of his slides contained one (1) word in large font. 

My presentation (MP) was also critiqued by my peers.  The feedback MP received was very favorable and from it I've learned that I am more critical of myself so I will share my view of my MP.  MP had a very logical flow and sequence to the content:  I started out by asking the audience a question, explained why I was there, told audience what was in it for them, told audience my story, called audience to action and then closed.  I feel that I appropriately anticipated and answered questions:  TIP: I opened with a question to create common ground and to grab the audience's attention and curiosity.  I also asked questions periodically to keep the audience actively listening and involved. 

In MP I set the context with a concise explanation that made it easy for the audience to clearly understand what MP was about.  I did avoided inconsistencies, errors, and typos and I did not make any unbelievable claims.  However, I do feel I could have improved on validating the claims I made within my MP.  I chose to use my personal experience to validate one (1) of the claims I made - which was fine.  For the other claim I made reference to multiple studies that actually support my claim but I did not actually reference a specific study because again this claim could also be validated by one's personal experiences but I didn't directly state that in MP.  Yep!  That was where I was harder on myself than my peer(s) - they didn't feel the claims needed additional validation...  Another issue regarding MP which wasn't mentioned by my peers but I feel could be improved was the quality of the sound.  I didn't have a microphone other than the one inside the laptop so there was some unavoidable background noise.  For my next presentation, I will definitely find a better solution for sound. 

And to wrap up my critique of myself, to avoid clutter and ensure the readability of my slides, TIP: I used the "10/20/30 Rule" - Never 1) use more than 10 slides, 2) speak more than 20 minutes and 3) use a font smaller than 30 pt.  I had eleven (11) slides which included the title and references pages.  The presentation was a little less than three (3) minutes and I used a 32 pt font or higher on every slide - most having a font size 54 - 80 pt.  I chose images which supported my key point(s).  And I also stated the point(s) then showed the supporting text or slide.  There were a couple of places where I paused a little too long, I would have fixed had time permitted. 

I hope this information has been helpful to you and will be a source of reference should you be required to give a presentation.  TIP: Just remember to keep your audience in mind, approach the presentation from their perspective, and remember the 10/20/30 Rule - you will give an awesomely,  effective presentation!!

Week 7: Clear - Just How SAASSIE Is SAAS?

MORE THAN JUST HYPE - SAASSIE IS WHAT SAAS DOES!!!
 
So what is SaaS?  SaaS is an acronym for software as a service and refers to software that is made available online by a third party provider.  It is a tool that lets you use someone else's operating system, hardware, applications, software - any and everything you require for your computing needs.  Salesforce.com is the leading SaaS firm - other SaaS firms include NetSuite, Workday, Aravo, and Zoho.  Cloud computing makes SaaS possible and I have provided a two (2) minute YouTube video below, should you desire to learn more about cloud computing technology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAUuY0Yld0E

"Video uploaded to YouTube by fahaimedia, 2011. Permission granted to reuse with YouTube Standard License." 

And I'm sure by now you've asked yourself at least once, maybe twice - "Well, what is SAASSIE?"  SAASSIE is a term I made up (I'd like to interject a disclaimer here - I came up with the idea for SAASSIE before watching Dr. Olson's video #07.03 "The Cloud" - I noticed in his video that salesforce.com's mascot's name is Saasy).   Anyway, after reading the first eight (8) sections of the material it became crystal clear to me that SaaS appears to be the adrenaline or dynamite behind many of the changes that have and are taking place in the software, hardware, consulting, computing, and networking and other technology driven industries.  A few of these developments I already knew about, while the majority of which I only now know about as a result of this class, UF's ISM 3004 - Computing in the Business Environment. 
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cloud_computing.svg Sam Johnston. 

SaaS has really leveled the playing field and made it possible for all firms to accomplish what they once only thought was possible in dreams or with a boat load of cash.  SaaS is a thing of financial beauty and SAASSIE is the way I choose to express most of the assets and benefits that SaaS brings to any firm's table (large or small):

• SAVINGS!  SAVINGS!  SAVINGS!  A firm utilizing a SaaS provider immediately saves money because allocated funds for acquiring, licensing, and maintaining software and hardware are no longer fixed but are replaced by variable expenses, so can be reduced or even eliminated all-together.  Firms also save money on IT staff as the SaaS provider takes care of most, if not all issues/tasks concerning your computing needs.  So, a lower total cost of ownership than that of a traditional platform with commercial software and associated maintenance and service cost is also a benefit.   
• Access to powerful virtualization software tools, as well as enterprise, desktop and web-based storage, applications, software and hardware.   
• Accessibility and remote access.  SaaS services can be accessed via any Web browser and some providers even offer access via the phone. 
• Scalability through increased utilization and maximum capacity at data centers, as much as 80% or more in most cases and on an as needed basis. So firms are able to handle Black Swans (unexpected spikes in activity) and/or cyclical busy periods without incident.  And due to the fact that coverage is allocated and additional servers are only brought online as needed, you only pay for what you use.    
• Secure.  Even though, Saas providers take security very seriously, firms should make sure matters concerning security are spelled out in the contract and do periodic audits to make sure the agreement is being adhered to.      
• Innovative technology without paying top dollar for all of the associated expenses (research, proto-types, trial runs, acquisition, installations, development, staff, etc.).  
• Expert advice and support 24/7.  Expandable services customized to the firm's needs.  Environmental footprint that is smaller/greener than most firms' not using the service.   

Yes, like with anything else there are some risks associated with the use of SaaS providers so make sure you research any SaaS firm thoroughly before partnering.  Be sure to look at the firm's long-term viability and make sure you incorporate an exit strategy in your strategic plan.  Privacy and legal requirements may restrict/prohibit a firm's use of a SaaS provider - should this be the case, there probably will not be a way around this. 

Overall, from my observations, once a firm has "done their homework" (a minimum of which is addressed above), and also addresses contractual forensics, uses federated authentication and performs audits and accessibility assessments, in most cases, the benefits of SaaS will far out-weigh any remaining potential of risk.  With all that said, the only thing left to say is... SAASSIE UP!!!