Tweets, Tags, CC's .. Oh my !

     It is that time of year again. Extended library hours, sleepless nights, increased caffeine intake and reuniting with topics from the first mid-term that you have already dismissed from your memory. Ah yes, it is FINALS time. So with the semester coming to an end I will take this time to reflect on my journey through ALES 204. After 4 months of lectures and labs I end here with new knowledge and experience in the world of social media. 

      Now I am sure your wondering how I kept busy for 4 months learning about communication. I’ll admit that I was skeptical in september too, but it has turned out to be a busy few months being introduced to new skills and then putting those skills into practice. I started the semester having a basic personal Facebook profile but now I have an account with what I think is almost every social communication tool online including;

• Professional Facebook profile
• Blogspot
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Flickr
• Delicious
• Audioboo

      In addition to online networking I also reviewed ways to effectively communicate in person. With various guest speakers in ALES204 we covered tips for successful public speeches, ways to an effective powerpoint presentation and practiced professional interviews. As well, I have gained new skills in finding peer-reviewed scientific articles, email etiquette and proper citation. 

     After reading through my classmates blogs It seems like the most common new knowledge is that social medial can potentially be very useful for enhancing ourselves as professionals. Sara mentions that from ALES 204 she learned "how to incorporate professionalism into social media". I agree with that statement. I am going to carry these news skills and knowledge will be on my endeavors towards becoming a registered dietitian. If used effectively, my professional Facebook profile and LinkedIn will help me as a student to network with professionals and potentially find a job. Once I graduate with a degree in nutrition I will be able to use blogging and twitter to spread my message of the importance of food and personal health to others. Maybe I'll even create a podcast for a more personal medium to share tips for healthy eating. 

Retrieved December 3 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/67755971@N07/6450658891/

       I have come to realize that having skills in communication are essential to succeed in academic and professional environments. Since ALES 204 I have starting following a blog called Weighty Matters that discusses issues in the food industry and various professionals in the nutrition industry on Twitter. As well, I have explored more perspectives on social media from my classmates. It has been interesting to see my fellow peers ideas about the concepts as we have been introduced to them together through the semester. A few of the blog posts that I left comments on were written by Jamie, Yiting, Shelby, Laura and Mark. 
      This is my final post on “oh my BLOG”, but perhaps I will begin a new blog to share my journey through 2nd semester. After all, I will be starting biochem and I am sure that will be exciting.

Happy studies to you my friend !

-K

Ps. Check out this TEDTalk about an organization that was able to make a difference through social media.