Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

Technology has made itself apart of our everyday lives and makes everything so much easier for everyone! Remember looking through the news paper for jobs? Me neither, jobs are usually found online now and most companies will ask you to fill out an application online before even coming to the store. There are websites like LinkedIn which offer jobs from various positions to designers to garbage truck drivers. It seems that even Facebook is trying to get on the action with their own app; even-though, "Facebook's use as a job-recruitment tool remains small, but its appeal may be growing. Some recruiters say they
have all but eliminated their spending on job boards, which can charge a few hundred dollars per job posting,depending on volume. Others note that while LinkedIn contains a more comprehensive résumé database,candidates tend to value referrals from their connections on Facebook more." (Light, Joe) Now companies are looking to have workers away from work who will support their company and spread their message. These companies look for people based on their social media profiles, my problem is the dependability. Most companies, "select their brand ambassadors very carefully, based on customers’ devotion to a brand and the size of their social circles." (Armstrong & Kolter) Then when that comes to mind I also thought of...wow...they just give them a bunch of free stuff too???!!! Sign me up! Most ambassadors will receive rewards which, " include product samples, gifts, discounts, and token cash payments. Perhaps more important to many brand enthusiasts, they get insider access to company information, such as new products or services in the works." (Armstrong &Kolter) This push for jobs through social media will either come to be the next revolution in the work force or drown in its own failure.

EOC Week 4 Creating an App

Being an audio major at the Art Institute, I need something that connects me to the latest products, newest music and for me to share with people other my preferences. There needs to be an app that has a few different parts, one being a product page; this product page will show the newest, most popular, and most highly rated products. Another page will be the music page: an all knowing page that would have the newest music from hot bands including info about where the music was made, recorded, and even notes from the engineers about how they were mixed or different types of plug ins used. The community page is where each of us would share experiences, tips and tricks in the world of audio. Finally, the information page would lead you to places where you could get the items on the product page or where certain special shows or community meet ups would be. The best part about the app is that it would be in control of the people using it from the special events, the comments on new products, and where information can be known as to how some bands sound the way they do through the audio engineers work while mixing. There could even be beginner’s guides to programs and even on app classes to show how to use certain products. It would be the first and last stop for anyone interested in music or audio engineering as a profession or those who do it just for fun.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

I am in the category of Generation Y which some might look down upon me to say they are sorry. There are lots of statistics that go to show what most of my generation is; to be fair i despise most people and most of them are indeed my age but lets exempt that. One statistic reported by CTV News claims that "Nearly 40 per cent of Generation Y surveyed said they didn’t want to work hard, as compared to 25 per cent of Baby Boomers surveyed in the 70s."

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/study-claims-generation-y-more-materialistic-less-willing-to-work-1.1264878#ixzz2i1V80FWz

My problem with this is the statement "work hard";what does that mean exactly? Is that working outrageous numbers each week? Or is it putting yourself through school? Or maybe  its working and going through school? The simple question when asked is if someone wants to work hard i would assume most of everyone would say no. Hitting the lottery would be phenomenal i would not have to worry about anything the rest of my life which seems ok with me. Does that make me worse than any of the Baby Boomers or more lazy? I am not calling myself an exception but i work 30 hour weeks and go to school for another 20 and for an 18 year old that's pretty good. The way everyone is broken down into statistics is meaningless because we were all brought up in different times. And if this statistic is making Gen Y seem more lazy than Baby Boomers then maybe we should take a gander at them and see how they raised Gen X who in terms raised Gen Y.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

There are lots of really,really ,really rich people with money that they do not use for the better of the world. It seems like we always have to really on the little man to give back money. Many ways that people found to give back are through everyday purchases that require little to no effort from the everyday person. Having personal experience with this company, Target has given back millions of dollars to schools in grades k-12. All of their profits come from purchases made at their store more specifically with their REDCard that allows customers to save 5% on every purchase. Target specifies their program on their website saying its as easy as "Simply select a K–12 school from our list of eligible schools and vote for it weekly until September 21 or until $5 million has been awarded, whichever occurs first. It takes just 25 votes to start. After that, Target will donate $25 to your selected school. Upon receiving 25 votes, each additional vote equals $1 more for up to $10,000 per school. If your favorite school is not on our list, please choose another school." It is just a way for people with little income to give back to those who need it with rewarding me with the items i already needed and a sense of gratitude that im doing the right thing.

http://givewith.target.com/

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

There is a wide division in the world of video games as to which system is better or which company has the better games. In the realm of marketing we do not care about the fan boys crazed expression of how much they love killing noobs or how many points they have. We care about who is making the most money and who is selling the best. Let's start with the Nintendo Wii, a very intuitive and interactive system that goes beyond the controller. With its price being lower than Sony's and Microsoft's it made the new console an easy grab for lower budget individuals. Including it's "completely backwards compatible with the GameCube (GC), with four ports to connect your GC controllers, stylishly hidden for convenience. You can play your GC games using the 8-centimeter Nintendo GameCube discs, and you can also use your old GC memory cards in the two memory card slots." (http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500397_162-2198343.html) I would put this in the category of Cash Cow because of its ability to go forward and backward with the change in video game times. Next is Sony's PS3; offering a more extreme gamer experience than the Wii and competing with the Xbox 360. With HD graphics and a built in blue ray player it is definitely ready for anything. Also the PS3 has a large step up from the Xbox in it's " access a wide variety of content through Sony's PlayStation Network." (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2411732,00.asp) which is also FREE!!! I would rate the PS3 as also a Cash Cow in that it is still relevant with tech that is still used today. Finally Microsoft's Xbox 360 is up on the stand. With its impressive addition of the Kinect competing with the Wii and lots of games that aren't available on PS3 the Xbox is a hard console to beat. Although its system still has "the infamous "red ring of death" controversy has plagued the system since its launch. The defect can be traced to the system's inability to properly dissipate heat, which in turn renders some of the vital innards unusable." (http://reviews.cnet.com/consoles/microsoft-xbox-360-s/4505-10109_7-34118625.html) I will also rate this system....wait for it....a cash cow in that it is similar to the PS3 in that it is still indeed relevant. There is a very narrow market for video game consoles, they eventually put themselves all on the same platform and no one is beating out the others.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

As being a musician and immersing myself in the life style I want to live my entire life. What I wear, what I do, how I act, who I associate with all has to do with the way which music has nurtured my mind into what it is today. Spreading real talent, helping others to understand their potential, and introducing the start of a career in media arts is a personal goal and a company goal. Irrelevant is what most careers are to some, they go about their lives not fully enjoying what they do for most of their life. Working as an Audio Engineer is a very rewarding goal to reach and a very fulfilling job to me as of now. Pushing the limits of what I can do or what I might someday be able to do is what I am all about. Putting hard work into something isn't enough: putting hard work into something and having it done right is something to always have in mind when completing a project. Being invested in projects sometimes means my way isn’t always the right way, I am happy to work with others on their expectations. Shaking off the dust from the last project I am always ready to start another. Let’s get started.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

It seems in today's modern business decent customer service is relatively easy to come by. Are there some kinks here and there? Yes. Exceptional customer service is just so hard to find today. I stop by Sam Ash music stores very often being that i destroy my instrument every week. Most memorable time of customer service i had was when i first went to this store when i was younger. I was looking for new drum heads and it was my first time. The man at the register was BJ (silly name); he gave me in depth knowledge on all the heads, gave me a free head with accessories, and even gave me his card to come play with him sometime to show me some things! Great experience, that's why i still go there even today.