After viewing some of my peers' presentation and evaluating my own, I am happy with my first Web 2.0 Presentation. Show then tell was the motto that guided my creative process while brainstorming my storyboard. I focused on minimizing text on the slides and opted for bright pictures that portrayed the emotion of excitement I was trying to evoke.
I started the presentation by drawing my viewers in with an impressive fact about Dance Marathon at UF - that it is the most successful student-run philanthropy in the southeastern United States. It is a big claim that I backed up with proven results and facts about the event. Then immediately following I asked the big ticket question: What does Dance Marathon have to offer a corporation?
The rest of my presentation focused on answering that question and showing viewers how DM can enhance a firm's marketing strategy - especially in the areas of Cause-Related Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility. I kept to the point and was concise in my narration and execution of each slide.
Upon further review of my peers' presentation, one tactic that I really enjoyed was when the presenter used a website as a slide to demonstrate different qualities of their client via information on the company's website. For instance, one young lady demonstrated how to sign up for a gym membership online and then showed viewers where the fitness class schedule was as well. Showing viewers how to navigate the website was a nice touch to her presentation.
Overall, this assignment has enriched my presentation-making capabilities, and I am proud of the work I have done. To check out my handiwork please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czoJ-463jxA&feature=youtu.be or watch the embedded video below.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Week 7: Clear
The Three "Flavors" of Cloud-Based Computing
Last week's blog had a food theme to it so I figured I would keep it going this week with the three flavors of cloud-based computing. The flavors to be tasted and explored are PaaS (Platform as a Service), DaaS (Data as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service). Each performs a different function that will be explained in this week's post. Which one you choose depends on your needs, as with pretty much any other software, hardware and technology we have learned about this semester.
PaaS
With a PaaS, the vendor provides the hardware and the operating system. This allows users to build their own apps while giving them the tools to do so. In this case, the user is very hands-on with creating the varying applications, but anything that develops runs on the service provider's computers.
DaaS
Data as a Service takes away the headache of only being able to save your data on your desktop. It is a conglomeration of data in a cloud. Basically, all of your data is stored in one place, not adjunct to a certain software. So users don't need to worry about changing format changes like going from Windows XP to Windows 7 as long as they have a DaaS that can run the Windows XP applications on their new Windows 7 computer.
SaaS
In an SaaS situation, the supplier provides everything. The hardware, the operating system and the data are all in one place. An SaaS operates as a third party vendor that supplies software online. No need to run it on your own computer! The leading SaaS provider is SalesForce.com. Employing a service like SalesForce can help companies drive down costs of computing software as well as office energy and space.
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| Three flavors to choose from! |
PaaS
With a PaaS, the vendor provides the hardware and the operating system. This allows users to build their own apps while giving them the tools to do so. In this case, the user is very hands-on with creating the varying applications, but anything that develops runs on the service provider's computers.
DaaS
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| Just say "No" to software. Photo cred |
SaaS
In an SaaS situation, the supplier provides everything. The hardware, the operating system and the data are all in one place. An SaaS operates as a third party vendor that supplies software online. No need to run it on your own computer! The leading SaaS provider is SalesForce.com. Employing a service like SalesForce can help companies drive down costs of computing software as well as office energy and space.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Week 6: Clear
The Layer Cake That is Software: Technology just got a whole lot yummier
Before this week I had never thought about the fact that while I use my computer and cell phone for communicating, the individual parts that make up my favortie pieces of technology must communicate as well.
Top layer: The User
If I was a cake, I would be a chocolate cake, and since I am the user and thus make up the top layer of the cake I chose the picture to the right to illustrate this concept. The user decides what he/she needs from the software and tells the computer with each tap of a key something different and unique to communicate to the rest of the technology.
The Next Layer: Application Software
Application software helps the user accomplish certain tasks. Examples of this kind of software are Microsoft Word and Quick Books. There are two types of application software: desktop software and enterprise software. Desktop software is for one single computer to meet the needs of one single person. Contrastingly, enterprise software is designed to meet the needs of many people at once. Enterprise software can be extremely pricey, which is why it is generally only used by large corporations.
Second-to-Last Layer: The Operating System
The operating system acts as the traffic cop of all of the layers. It is the primary communicator between the software and the hardware.
Bottom Layer: Hardware
The hardware is what physically makes up the computer, cell phone or other technological device. It is comprised of the wires, switchboards and metal that carry out the heavy duty labor of whatever you need it to do.
Each layer communicates directly to the next from top to bottom and then back up from bottom to top to get back to the user. To add my own personal touch, I would like to add the elemnt of "frosting" to the classic layer cake. The frosting, in my opinion, would be the langauge of the technology, and I imagine it to sound a bit like this "tap tap tap!"
Before this week I had never thought about the fact that while I use my computer and cell phone for communicating, the individual parts that make up my favortie pieces of technology must communicate as well.
 |
| Flickr.com |
If I was a cake, I would be a chocolate cake, and since I am the user and thus make up the top layer of the cake I chose the picture to the right to illustrate this concept. The user decides what he/she needs from the software and tells the computer with each tap of a key something different and unique to communicate to the rest of the technology.
The Next Layer: Application Software
Application software helps the user accomplish certain tasks. Examples of this kind of software are Microsoft Word and Quick Books. There are two types of application software: desktop software and enterprise software. Desktop software is for one single computer to meet the needs of one single person. Contrastingly, enterprise software is designed to meet the needs of many people at once. Enterprise software can be extremely pricey, which is why it is generally only used by large corporations.
Second-to-Last Layer: The Operating System
The operating system acts as the traffic cop of all of the layers. It is the primary communicator between the software and the hardware.
Bottom Layer: Hardware
The hardware is what physically makes up the computer, cell phone or other technological device. It is comprised of the wires, switchboards and metal that carry out the heavy duty labor of whatever you need it to do.
Each layer communicates directly to the next from top to bottom and then back up from bottom to top to get back to the user. To add my own personal touch, I would like to add the elemnt of "frosting" to the classic layer cake. The frosting, in my opinion, would be the langauge of the technology, and I imagine it to sound a bit like this "tap tap tap!"
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Week 5: Clear
Add Some Flavor to Your Presentations: Multimedia
Any presentation becomes immediately more attractive and interesting when multimedia is part of it. There are three types of multimedia: images, audio and video.
Images
Images can evoke emotions in your audience, and feeling something is a lot more memorable than simply seeing it. You can use images as a way to stir feelings. There are several kinds of images that you can incorporate into your presentation. There are the obvious photographs, but you can also use eye catching charts and graphs to illustrate the information you are trying to get across.
Imaging mistakes to avoid:
Audio
A lot of people don't like the sound of their own voices, but the people you present to have no choice but to hear yours. Switch it up and engage them with sound! Just be careful of copyright, and use it sparingly.
Video
Video is a phenomenal supplemental form of multimedia.Videos capture life and can break up a presentation nicely to keep your audience interested in the topic you are presenting. Like audio, it is important to be wary of copyright infringement.
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| "Spice" up your presentation! photo cred |
Any presentation becomes immediately more attractive and interesting when multimedia is part of it. There are three types of multimedia: images, audio and video.
Images
Images can evoke emotions in your audience, and feeling something is a lot more memorable than simply seeing it. You can use images as a way to stir feelings. There are several kinds of images that you can incorporate into your presentation. There are the obvious photographs, but you can also use eye catching charts and graphs to illustrate the information you are trying to get across.
 |
| A funny graph that would capture the attention of any audience. photo cred |
- Placement that looks haphazard
- Images that are too small - also note if the text on any of your graphs and charts is too small
- "Busy" pictures with too much going on
- Pixelated, watermarked or distorted images
- Clip art or cliche images
Audio
A lot of people don't like the sound of their own voices, but the people you present to have no choice but to hear yours. Switch it up and engage them with sound! Just be careful of copyright, and use it sparingly.
Video
Video is a phenomenal supplemental form of multimedia.Videos capture life and can break up a presentation nicely to keep your audience interested in the topic you are presenting. Like audio, it is important to be wary of copyright infringement.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Week 4: Muddy
Porter's Five Forces
The most difficult concept to understand this week, for me, was Porter's Five Forces. At first, I did not understand what the forces were pertaining to. I had to re-read and re-watch the material several times before I came to understad that the five forces can be used by company's in strategy. When a company is laying out business plans, it can look to the five forces to guide it in making decisions that will help them achieve long-term success instead of trying to capitalize on the latest trend that could die out tomorrow.
Porter's Five Forces:
1. Threat of New Entrants
2. Bargaining Power of Suppliers
3. Bargaining Power of Buyers
4. Threat of Substitute Products or Services
5. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors
If you combine an analysis of each of these factors into an overall strategy, you can come up with a recipe for success. I always thought that technology would be at the forefront of innovation, but it turns out that I was at least slghtly wrong. Technology can be an enbabler of strategy, but for a strategy to be successful, technology should not be the main factor. Turns out, timing is also a factor on the same level as technology. These two characteristics are definitely assets to any strategy, but they cannot be the driving force for success.
I found that the explanation of Porter's Five Forces was much clearer after an example was used to illustrate it. The video below is a short cartoon film that simplifies the entire concept.
I guess when you apply any business or technology concept to the retail/clothing industry it becomes infinitely clearer to a college girl! The video applies each of the five parts to a familiar part of my life. While this is still definitely a "Muddy" post, I feel much better about my grasp on Porter's Five Forces when I put it in my own words and those of the cartoon.
The most difficult concept to understand this week, for me, was Porter's Five Forces. At first, I did not understand what the forces were pertaining to. I had to re-read and re-watch the material several times before I came to understad that the five forces can be used by company's in strategy. When a company is laying out business plans, it can look to the five forces to guide it in making decisions that will help them achieve long-term success instead of trying to capitalize on the latest trend that could die out tomorrow.
Porter's Five Forces:
1. Threat of New Entrants
2. Bargaining Power of Suppliers
3. Bargaining Power of Buyers
4. Threat of Substitute Products or Services
5. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors
If you combine an analysis of each of these factors into an overall strategy, you can come up with a recipe for success. I always thought that technology would be at the forefront of innovation, but it turns out that I was at least slghtly wrong. Technology can be an enbabler of strategy, but for a strategy to be successful, technology should not be the main factor. Turns out, timing is also a factor on the same level as technology. These two characteristics are definitely assets to any strategy, but they cannot be the driving force for success.
I found that the explanation of Porter's Five Forces was much clearer after an example was used to illustrate it. The video below is a short cartoon film that simplifies the entire concept.
I guess when you apply any business or technology concept to the retail/clothing industry it becomes infinitely clearer to a college girl! The video applies each of the five parts to a familiar part of my life. While this is still definitely a "Muddy" post, I feel much better about my grasp on Porter's Five Forces when I put it in my own words and those of the cartoon.
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