Blog Rationale

The entire rationale for my blog began with the choice of audience. I decided that at this point in my life, I wanted most to communicate with close friends and family. The audience determined the look and feel and content. My blog is designed as an update about my life for close friends and family. I began by first posting a note to my dear friend and mother-in-law that passed away just over two years ago. Writing to her has done so much for me. I realized how very much I miss her and how therapeutic it is for me to tell someone about all of the wonderful things taking place with my family.

I was slightly confused about what the purpose of this blog was supposed to be. The critiques from other student’s last week made me question the purpose that I initially outlined, but I have since realized that the purpose is whatever we want it to be. Of course, I have included posts from this class because that is what was required as our assignments, but the real purpose is to speak from my heart about current events in my life.

I designed the blog to be simple, pretty and professional. The way it looks is a lot like the way I have decorated my house. I love sunflowers, the color green and soft, pretty fonts. When I created the design, I considered what I want my friends to see when I open the front door to my home. The design of this blog is a true reflection of my taste and personality.

Final Post
This will be my final post for this class, so I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my classmates that are wrapping up their education at Ashford. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know many of you on the discussion boards. I still have quite a few classes to go before I will be finished, but it I have learned from many of my friends how quickly it goes by and that I just have to keep on plugging away.

Evaluation of Fellow Students’ Blogs

The appearance of a blog is what captivates and maintains or bores and deters the reader. If a blog is not visually appealing or the page elements don’t work well together, the reader will lose interest immediately. Blogger Tom Walker recommends the following five elements to make your blog more visually appealing:

1. Stick with your theme. It is important to be consistent throughout your blog with colors and fonts. Often times, the blogger will change elements of a template and not realize that what they have chosen are inconsistent with the theme. For instance, if you are creating a professional blog, it is important to use professional fonts throughout the blog. Adding cartoon type fonts will only confuse the audience.

2. Make your own header. The header is the first thing that a reader will see, so it should be strong and clear. A summary of your content should be spelled out in the header. Customization is important so it doesn’t look like the templates of so many other blogs.

3. Stay organized. Simple is better when it comes to designing your blog. When it is easy to navigate and read, it is more likely that the reader will find what they came to your blog to find. Make sure that your blog is broken into categories that are easy to follow.

4. Use readable fonts. Font colors should contrast nicely and not be difficult to read. You should be mindful about the way a font might look on other monitors. It is a good idea to stick with a generic family of fonts.

5. Simple is good. Readers have come to your blog to read the content, not to see what kind of visual effects you have used. While visually pleasing backgrounds can entice the reader, simple is always better. Photographs are a nice touch, but only when they do not “steal” the eye from the reader. When in doubt about visual elements, always remember that “simple is good”.

First, I looked at Joe Lynes’s blog at http://joe-lynes.blogspot.com. Joe's blog is very clean and easy to follow. The neutral colors and simple fonts are soothing. I like Joe's first two blogs. He has a great sense of humor, and it is very fun to read. Joe followed the rule of thumb that simple is good and it worked out to his advantage.

Next, I reviewed Katie Lee's blog at http://awesomeopoly.blogspot.com. The colors that Katie used for her blog are beautiful. I love the flowers and clouds - they make you want to stay on her page. Katie's "About Me" is hilarious. From what I've learned from Katie's blog, she is fun and professional. I believe this is exactly what a professional blog should portray. Katie’s blog is very organized and easy to navigate. Her layout choice was ideal for what she was trying to accomplish.

Finally, Rubin Bryant's blog at http://theworldaccordingtomrru.blogspot.com was my favorite. I think the background and colors are sharp. His posts are interesting and thoughtful, and I like his use of pictures. He had enough visual images to attract the reader, but not so many that it detracted from the content. I think Rubin should use his blog to market his business.

All-in-all, I am very impressed by the blogs that my classmates have created. By doing this project, I have realized that my own blog should probably be geared more toward a professional audience, rather than a personal one. I will use some of the tips outlined in this paper to improve my own blog before our final project is due.

References:

Walker, Tom (2010, April). 5 Tips to Make Your Blog More Visually Appealing. Technoskillonlie. Retrieved July 5, 2011 from http://www.technoskillonline.com/2010/04/5-tips-to-make-your-blog-more-visually-appealing/

Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

Before scheduling a meeting with an employee that has performance and behavioral issues, I would create a detailed log of complaints and incidents that occurred leading up to the meeting. I would answer the following questions, that according to Dick Grote, Chairman and CEO of Grote Consulting Corp and author of “Discipline without Punishment” and “The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book”, would allow me to understand the “so what” of why this behavior is causing a problem:

• What is the impact of the individual's inappropriate behavior?
• What are the business reasons for why the organization expects employees to act in ways other than the way this employee is acting right now?
• How is the person's behavior at odds with the standards expressed in the company's statement of vision and values?
• What effect does the negative attitude have on customers and co-workers?
• What are all the adverse effects of this individual's choice of behavior?

With the written log of complaints (including dates and times of the mistakes and behavior issues) along with the summary of business reasons that the employee’s behavior is not acceptable, the initial conversation should be fairly straightforward. Having this list would boost my confidence about the situation before confronting the employee.

 

I would start the conversation by explaining to the employee that I have a problem, and I need his help. This would put the control back on him and, hopefully, not make him feel defensive from the very beginning. I would outline all of the issues that have come to my attention and ask him to explain if there was something going on in his life that I should be aware.

 

I believe that using the conflict resolution technique of listening first and talking second is beneficial in any conflict. In order to solve a problem, you have to fully understand where the employee is coming from, so I would allow him to tell me what is going on first. Most likely, he would deny the accusations, so I would ask him to take time to think about what I have told him and plan another meeting for a week later.

 

Hopefully, by the next week his work and behavior would have improved, but if not, I would schedule a third meeting. I would keep detailed notes from each of the meetings. If things had not improved greatly by the third meeting, I would recommend that he take unpaid leave to address his problems. At this stage, I would involve Human Resources and ask that they handle the situation going forward.

 

References:

 

Dick Grote (2005, July). Attitude adjustments: to deal with an employee's bad attitude, focus on his or her specific behaviors. BNET. Retrieved June 27, 2011, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_7_50/ai_n14814551/?tag=mantle_skin;content

Media Technologies

Social Networking

Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. are becoming increasingly popular.  Because there are so many members, news is gathered from all over the world and it is transmitted very quickly. There is no real “red tape” or protocal that traditional media sources deal with, so social networking has the ability to communicate much quicker and easier.  The main audience of social networking is young adults and the original intent was to connect friends.

“Social networking can serve as a tool to boost anyone’s chances in landing a job, but it is especially beneficial to those in the communications and information-technology fields” (Gerstner, 2011).

If you're not already on Linked-In, you are missing out on a valuable resource.  More than 100 million people worldwide have created profiles on LinkedIn.  This site is used for professional networking, so your profile is much like your resume.  You summarize your skills and experience and connect to people you know through professional contacts.  It is a great tool for a job search or promoting your business.

Smart Phones

Smart phones, such as BlackBerries and iPhones, are not taking away from traditional media sources, but they are providing access when it would not be otherwise available.  For instance, users can now access their favorite news sources (such as CNN.com) from their phone’s internet connection. 

After completing a study of media usage in 2007 (the year that the Apple iPhone was released) John Dimmick, lead author of the study and professor of communication at Ohio State University concluded:  "Mobile media is filling in the spaces and times where people are on the move, away from their offices and homes, such as when they are in the line at the supermarket or eating lunch at a restaurant."

Smart phones were originally created for business professionals and are currently being used by all types of people.

Computers

Computers are used to access media websites and social networks and to communicate via email.  Without computers, many other forms of media technology would not be possible.  The audience for computers is all inclusive.

These days, we are able to stream video and television through our computers.  We use software application such as Skype to communicate “face-to-face” with people all over the world.  We use tools on our computers to create presentations for business purposes, write papers and proposals on word processing software.  We keep our financial records on our computers and communicate with our financial institutions.  It is difficult to remember a time when computers were not around and even more difficult to imagine what our lives would be like if we no longer had computer access.

While television is still the most popular form of media technology, the computer is becoming more and more important to users.  Studies have proven that the internet might replace television over the next few years. 

Television

The television was one of the most remarkable inventions in history.  According to Mitchell Stephens article in the Grolier Encyclopedia, before 1947, the number of U.S. homes with television sets could be measured in the thousands.  By the late 1990s, 98% of U.S. homes had at least one television set, and those sets were on for an average of more than seven hours a day.  The number one source for information has been television news for quite some time.

With the creation of the World Wide Web, computers have taken away much of the television audience.  As computers continue to progress, they will one day be able to handle video as easily as text, making television even more obsolete.

References:
Gerstner, L.. (2011, July). Use Social Media to Retool Your Career. Kiplinger's Personal Finance, 65(7), 1. Retrieved June 19, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2377794311).

Grolier Encyclopedia (2011). History of Television. Retrieved June 22, 2011, from http://www.nyu.edu/classes/stephens/History%20of%20Television%20page.htm

Ohio State University (2011, March 17). Smart phones not replacing other media for news access, at least not yet. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 16, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2011/03/110317131211.htm

Happy Father's Day!

Another fabulous day!  I woke the boys up this morning so we could surprise Craig with a couple of gifts and cards.  We ate breakfast together and got ready to have lunch with my dad and his girlfriend and my brother, his wife and daughters.  We met at a restaurant that used to be a hangar at a small airport in Kennesaw, GA. 


The service and food wasn't that great, but the company sure was!  My dad, Jim Nichols, is probably one of the funniest guys I've ever known!  He's just a silly nut...like my hubby.  I guess it's true that women look for a husband with a personality like their dad's. 

Here he is sporting his John Deere outfit
(t-shirt compliments of my brother for Father's Day).

Not only is he funny, but he's pretty darn sweet too.  He would do absolutely anything for me, and I mean ANYTHING!  Thanks, Pappy...for everything!

My Dear Friend

I have never blogged before, and the first thing that came to mind when I thought about what to say was my dear friend, Lee Ross.  Lee was my mother-in-law and one of my very best friends.  She passed away almost two years ago, but I still think about Lee every single day.


I realized today how much I miss my friend.  She lived in Kansas and I live in Georgia, but we talked weekly and emailed more often.  I miss telling her what is going on in our lives, because I have realized that as I bragged to her about each week about the great things taking place that I felt a sense of incredible gratitude.  It's very easy to forget how many blessings you have when you don't recite them weekly.  Maybe if I continue to blog (and brag), I will remember to appreciate this fabulous life!


What I would say to her today...Mitch turned 7 last week.  He is the tallest kid in his class, and he is still just as sweet and ornery as ever.  Will is going into the 6th grade next year.  His basketball skills are improving every day, and he is convinced that he will be an NBA player.  And your baby boy and my hubby, Craig, is just as perfect as ever.  He is coaching both boys basketball teams...you would be so proud!  The parents and the players all love Coach Craig, but no one more than me.


I am starting a new job this week and I'm really nervous - and excited!  I'm still taking classes and hope to finish my degree within a year.  I am learning so much but really wish I had finished when I was younger.  It's hell working full time, raising two busy boys and going to school, but I know you would tell me to tough it out...and I will.


We love our new house and know that you would too.  It's like a treehouse nestled in the woods with beautiful birds everywhere.  I sure wish you were here to make cinnamon rolls and chat with me over morning coffee while watching the birds.  


I love you, my friend, and miss you more than you could ever know.  By the way, thanks for reminding me about my fabulous life...you really are my angel.