Thanks for such an interesting, informative class last week.

Kailin, I’ve been  introduced to progressive data visualization all semester (especially in our Organizational Sustainability class), but I only made the connection between the visuals I had been seeing and the actual progress of the medium, until after I saw your presentation. You shared some rather engaging examples that inspire me to use/look into data visualization more. Your topic also inspired a needed blog post for our OS class – so thank you.

Kace, that was so cool. You not only showed me  new ways of defining “remix” but how our culture is a “remix” culture. Your example of the history of remixing “Singing in the Rain” and the licensing involved in the processes was fascinating and so cool. I look forward to exploring the site you shared, founded by hunky Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Rawan, I look forward to seeing what progress you make with media used in Bethlehem University’s fundraising approaches. They can totally do better, and you can show them how  do it. It’s exciting to see you inspired to make change with something  you care so much about and that you will be in a position to make that change relatively soon.

Class has been fun. I’ve learned a lot, from tips on how to get a good interview out of someone to topics outside of the curriculum, like all of our cultural misinterpretations, such as my and Abby’s former belief of what a South African accent sounds like. We now know that it sounds like Faraaz. And why Rawan has so many heels in her closets – I love that story.

Seeing and sharing our CSA projects pulled into one is going to be fun tomorrow. It’s been a pleasure having class with you.

What is personal branding?

According to the Wikipedia, personal branding is the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands.

In past it was all about self improvement but in today’s fast and competitive world success comes from self-packaging. Branding yourself is very essential.   A quick video by William Arruda , who is known as a “ Guru of Personal Branding “

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6paItEm2AF4

They are three steps in personal branding process:

• Uncovering – discovering who you are and your strengths
• Communicating – passing on your information and strengths through internet – such as publishing your resume online, creating blogs
• Nurturing –  enhancing or boosting your talent, personality  and strengths

It is all about being authentic, letting people know who you really are, creating and presenting your true image. This is effective branding.

Few ways to effectively present your true self or “self package yourself” is by coming up with short phrases or words that describes you – also known as tag lines “What people associate with your name?”

Tag lines cover

• who you are?
• what do you do ?
• What are you studying ?
• anything that describes you? Your strength , your hobby , your interests?

Example of Tag line : http://kristenbyers.net/

ACTIVITY – TAG LINES

Think this way… if somebody wants to describe how you want them to describe you …. How do you want them to remember you on who you are?

Or you are in an elevator for 20 seconds with a CEO of company or head of UN/NGO that you really want to work with … how can you grab his/her attention…? Having a tag line here will be very effective and helpful.Like for example whenever you think about Donald Trump what images come to your head?

• Rich, Tycoon, Successful, and Hotels – These are the words that describe who he is ….
• Now think of a tag line for yourself? Short phrase that describes you.

Why is Personal Branding necessary?

Personal branding is an important methodology, essential for the future of our career management and to expand professional and personal success in today’s competitive world.

You can brand yourself by simply Being Online… not only in Facebook or in chat? There various ways to be online through twitter, LINKEDIN, creating blogs through which — you can post your resume, your academic papers, things you do that interests you! This way people can see your qualifications, know who you are.Your potential employee can see you and know about you .

Activity: ANIMOTO ( Describe your strengths and qualities.Who you really are?)

Links of Videos created in ANIMOTO:

Kace’s  http://animoto.com/play/MFVxGV32Vvkb601bG6p3jQ

Sumaya’s http://animoto.com/play/lpqX1vLgFRoIRQpGKGkCBQ?utm_content=main_link

Kailin’s http://animoto.com/play/KN1nLMGqSObcfi6aIoMELw

Lastly mine: http://animoto.com/play/uwckrPNiQGiYGNAYH0sbGA

Hey guys,

This is my agenda for today!

Importance of videos, how and why can they be used

Video from my undergraduate

It’s been a while since I posted on the blog, mostly because I felt like I didn’t want to say anything until I had something to say. Having said that (ha ha), I will admit to mixed feelings about the community project, because I am excited about learning new skills and potentially helping (?) Maria and Catalan Farms.

That question mark says it all though. I wonder what I can do to help Maria and Catalan Farms and whether a photo story will benefit her. I think that it is a story that needs telling and I feel like it should be given a platform (ie. our ‘prototype’). My hope is that the platform, the story and the product will be empowering, and inspire pride in Maria, Elizabeth, Roberto and Felix when they see it.

Is that enough, though? Maybe it is. I don’t see us being able to do a whole lot more with the time we have to dedicate to this project. Abby, Sumaya and I will work together apart as it were with me being away for awhile and then Thanksgiving rearing it’s head (sidenote: what do Native Americans do on Thanksgiving?) Overall, though, I just hope we give them something useful to work with.

I also hope they know that we are giving them far less than they are giving themselves and the community. Let’s build something that they can build upon themselves. That would certainly make me proud!

Developing stories with the photographs that I took during the farm visit is something that I am interested to work on. I am planning to put together pictures  portraying the main elements of Marie’s farm and her farming business. I am still deciding on whether to  narrate the story on background or have description of photographs with a music on  background .

Visit to farm was definitely a plus for this project because now I know more about Marie’s farm and what it looks like. Moreover, talking with Marie’s daughter -in-law while taking farm’s pictures gave me more information about their farming business  and I also got to know her perception towards  the farm and its development.

Even though I do not have professional background on photography and digital storytelling  but it is definitely something that I am really interested on doing. I have looked on some of the examples of the digital storytelling done by professional photographers such as Jake Lyell for the non-profit organisations. He is a documentary photographer who works as humanitarian photographer in Africa. I have also looked at photo stories from Middlebury Magazines and an interesting digital storytelling on You Tube  called “Franz Josef Glacier”.

I am planning to meet  Lynn from Center for Advising and Career Services  sometime this week to get some ideas and her opinion on story telling. I have started working on storytelling and I am thinking of having something to show (as an example) on this week’s class.

I  propose to have substantial amount of work done for this project  before The Thanksgiving break  so that we don’t have to hurry in the last few days of our semester plus we will have more time to eat turkey in thanksgiving … if we get most of our work done.