Second Life: How I was Duped

I am fearful to admit that I was somehow duped into creating a "Second Life" account. I innocently fell victim to signing up for account through Accenture's website---at the time, unbeknown to me--- it was a marketing gimmick. As I began applying for an internship at Accenture in Germany last summer, I was somehow recommended to sign up for said account. How dare I?!? I honestly thought signing up for this account would lead me closer to landing the job---tricksters!

As the old Chinese proverb goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I will never willingly sign up for a Second Life account---unless of course it is under the guise of class participation this week in my Business and Social Networking class.

While I know I have been successful in wielding Web 2.0 applications---cue facebook--- into some serious means of procrastination, I will not ride the "Second Life" wave. I cannot begin to contemplate my own fantasty world---one in which, I can what---fly?!? To expend both time and MONEY---yes, money---on a Second Life would not behoove me in the slightest.

As the old adage goes, you can't pick your family; you just have to accept them. I think these "Second Life" fanatics should prescribe to this adage...don't pick a "second" life, just accept the one your mama gave you...

The Internet, Web 2.0, SMS: A Lazy Man's Haven

The evolution of the Internet and its extensions have unequivocally made us lazy! Despite the fact that email and online chat trump our efforts to write a tangible letter or make phone call, the Internet has--in many ways--aided us at the expense of our grammatical propriety.

My younger siblings habitual use of SMS, online chat and wall postings stand as testimony that the Internet / technological advancement is making us dumb. I cringe as I see many grammatical mistakes and a plethora of acronyms which---I am told---are actually the way in which they communicate with friends. I learned about "fml" most recently---it seemed to be a mainstay on my sister's facebook wall. When I prompted her to explain"fml," I was shocked---but then again we had used wtf for ages...so I guess it wasn't all that different. By the real grammatical mishaps which drive me "str8" over the edge are the following: cuz; how r u?; y?; 2nite...the list goes on and on. The tendency to write in this evolving "abridged" format is making us dumb. I honestly do not want to read my siblings' school paper submission---yikes---fortunately for them, there is SpellCheck!

The Internet has shortcircuited the traditional path of conducting "scholarly" research. I can hear choruses of "Thank goodness for Google Scholar" as I am writing this. Recently, when one of my peers brought his research to the table for a group project, I was perplexed. At the graduate level, did he really think that Wikipedia was an acceptable source?!? The truth is that he honestly did not detect the harm in it.

I remember my former research days, in 2nd grade, my parents had purchased the entire Encyclopedia Britannica set from our local Stop 'n Shop grocer----remember back in the day when grocery stores sold encyclopedias? At any rate, I remeber coping text from the encyclopedia for my school reports. Given today's context, I would have to equate my 2nd grade research undertaking to the use to the Wikipedia for research.

Lessons learned:

1. Don't email a thank you post-interview. Invest in a $5 box of thank you cards and hand write one---it makes an impression; trust me!
2. Stop using Wikipedia as a reference source for research. There is a library out there --- explore its offerings! Chances are your tuition dollars or tax dollars support it!
   
3. Crack down on grammatical impropriety!
   

Are you being "google-ed?"

Are you being google-ed---and if so---what does it mean? Better yet...have you google-ed yourself lately? Needless to say, these thoughts prompted me to do some Google research on myself. Oddly enough, my search retrieved a host of sites mentioning my name; however, my "barely active" LinkedIn Account was revealed as the top three hits....followed naturally by my Facebook account...go figure. This got me thinking...what does this mean? What does this say about me?

As the old adage goes, "The first impression is the last impression." This statement normally refers to an in-person meeting, i.e. an opportunity to make a personal FIRST impression. With the advent of such applications as LinkedIn and Facebook, has Web 2.0 been making our "first impressions" for us...perhaps even unbeknownst to us? How rude!

Although such applications as LinkedIn and Facebook have provided us a venue to "stay in touch" and "network," are they simualaneously doing us a great disservice? I hear choruses of: "I judge you for using poor grammar on your LinkedIn / Facebook profile...oh and why don't you have enough contacts? In our world of Web 2.0, are we quick to judge? Are we judging others based on the correct criteria?

I would hate to know that potential employers could be judging me based on my inactive LinkedIn account...I swear I have more contacts!!! And meaningful ones to boot!

I agree that social networking is a great tool, but are we overusing it---or using it incorrectly? I know that a lot of great brands get discovered via social networking sites such as MySpace, but perhaps these sites provide the perfect platform for bands to showcase their talent...all they have to do is upload a video and provide contact info. With regard to using such sites for professional networking purposes, i.e. job recruitment, perhaps this is not the proper venue. It took me a while to join the Facebook phenomenon; however I am still not fully vested in LinkedIn. Calling all potential employers, please don't judge me based on my LinkedIn account!

Online Marketing: Nowhere to Hide

Today the web forces a potpourri of pesty pop-ups, banner ads and other bits of marketing mayhem on web surfers. Sure, we are occasionally extended the courtesy to opt-out and ignore these marketing gimics; however, we must contend with the fact that the banner ad has become an online marketing mainstay. Indeed, online marketing has reached a whole new level; one which is not going to slow down anytime soon....FULL SPEED AHEAD! I even remember the mobile marketing which political parties introduced during the recent presidential election. No mattter where we go, we can't hide....we cannot escape the relentless nature of online marketing....

While I too am dismayed with all and every form of online marketing, I do recognize that we consumers use of a host of online applications---and are able to use them "free of charge"--- because of these online marketing efforts. I am excited to create and listen to my Pandora playlist***for free***, however, I often forget that without the Dove commercials, none of this would be possible. This same concept applies to facebook, and a laundry list of other online applications....of which we undoubtedly take for granted.

Although we cannot hide from the online marketing madness, we should put things in perspective and recognize what these marketing efforts actually mean for Internet users everywhere --- it means access to many applications which without vigilant online marketing efforts might no longer be possible....

More Alphabet Soup: CRM

A junior, working alongside a host of senior IT consultants, I found that I was treated to daily servings of alphabet soup....ahhh...acronyms! Before long; however, I had become fluent in tech talk. I knew that SAP was an ERP system and that ABAP was a programming language. Just when I thought I had a handle on the tech venacular, I was introduced to a new bit of jargon, CRM.

My boss had asked me to complete a user manual for our new CRM system. He dubbed me as the "go-to" if anyone had questions regarding the application. I knew I would have to do a deep dive to get myself up to snuff on this new software. After a week of working on the user manual, my boss suggested that I conduct a conference call with our German colleagues to migrate their client contact onto our CRM system.

When I called Uwe, he asked me how I liked "sugar." I was extremely confused. Although I speak fluent German, I was wondering why he was asking me why I liked "sugar" and why he was calling it "sugar" in English, and not "Zucker" in German. Moreover, I was perplexed that he would be asking me about sugar at all. As Uwe and I continued our conversation about the CRM product, I realized that software was called "Sugar CRM," my fears were allayed.

When I was first introduced to CRM, I thought it presented a great way to centralize all client information. In addition, it was optimal for my company at the time, with subsidiaries across Europe, to be able to share client information using one database.

Given what I now know about CRM applications, I do not think that social netwpreorking functionality can replace CRM. Perhaps it can be a complement to CRM as is presented in the following article: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/54575.html. CRM should not be discarded in exchange for social networking functionality. CRM emerged for businesses and social networking did not emerge with a purely business focus. As social networking evolves into a business marketing tool, it can be leveraged as a business asset. At the same time; however, I do not believe that it should replace the tradition role of CRM.

To decode the alphabet soup, see the following links:


What is SAP? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_AG
What is ABAP? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABAP

Social Networking and Social Capital: Are we really that social?

Officially uninformed and truly unbeknownst to me--whether I like it or not now--I became a social networking statistic in 2003. I had met a cute guy, Chris at a bar in the Hamptons during the summer of 2003 --- the summer after I had graduated from Boston College. Chris, a Notre Dame alumus whose alma mater like that of my own, Boston College, was a fellow member of the Jesuit order. Although I had only met Chris briefly that one summer night, I was not hesitate to accept his invitation to join Friendster.

In hindsight, I am aware that Chris had offered me some serious social capital pre-Friendster invitation. At the time of our introduction; however, I was oblivious. Given the amount of supposed weirdos whose days rise and set while logging on and off to their social networking sites, I did not have reservations about Chris' invitation because of his social capital. He was not only a college graduate, but he was a college graduate of a school just like my own alma mater.

If you're wondering...I no longer communicate with Chris, nor do I access my Friendster account; I have long since migrated to Facebook. Before pledging my allegiance to Facebook, I did required some coaxing from my fellow Boston College alumni. Again, my decision join Facebook was a resulting of an overwhelming amount of social capital. In addition, when I had initially joined Facebook, each member was required to have a school email address. I believe the fact that Facebook was targeting college students further touted the power of social capital amongst college students.

Today, I no longer communicate with Chris (nor do I check my Friendster account) and I have over 400 friends on my Facebook page --- many of which I infrequently---if at all---communicate with...which leads me to my final questions....how "social" are we really? Despite the fact that we have social networks, we have become increasingly less social. It is easier to "ping" someone on Facebook or IM than to call them or meet for coffee. The increasingly prominent profile of social networking capabilities have actually made us less social. In addition, this social capital which has been formed over centuries is becoming less of a social construct given the backdrop of these social networking sites. We base our "feel good" connections with people / groups of whom we barely know, let alone with people we actually communicate. Indeed, social networking continues to aid and abet the longstanding "social" aspect of society --- the one which had for centuries before instituted and built the concept of "social capital."

"On My Honor.....This is my first ever blog post!"

Working on the Hill --- "It's kinda URGENT!

You may be asking yourself why I chose to name my blog "It's Kinda Urgent." It was a phrase, which someone at work used this afternoon. I thought it was an entertaining and somewhat oxymoronic....if something is urgent, then it is well, URGENT...cue: big bold letters! "Can I get a witness?"

Dictionary.com defines urgent by the following:

ur⋅gent 

 /ˈɜrdʒənt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ur-juhnt] Show IPA
–adjective
1.
compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; imperative; pressing: an urgent matter.
2.
insistent or earnest in solicitation; importunate, as a person: an urgent pleader.
3.
expressed with insistence, as requests or appeals: an urgent tone of voice.

Since something urgent is said to require immediate attention, how can "kinda" modify urgent?!?

Also, my name is Heather Broberg and I am a MBA student at American University. I have created this blog for one of my classes, Social Networking and Business.

Oh and by the way...."On my honor, all posts on this blog are my own."

Blog ya lata!