First off...this is a slow website.
The purpose of this website is to bring attention to current issues and to try to get people to come together and find a common ground solution. They feel as if the government is not sufficiently taking into consideration the problems of the American people, and also their opinion and views on the issues. They aim to try and get people to voice their opinions in order to effectively communicate with government officials what the people want, especially when many officials are not well-educated on such issues.
The intended audience for this website is simply the general public, but more specifically those that are actually concerned with issues in our country. They are seeking people who truly want to try and make a difference and to see change occur. I feel as if this website probably not doing justice for trying to reach their intended audience. First off, if you type into Google, "Solve issues in America", this website is not even included through the third page of searches. They have a twitter account, which I checked and sadly they only have 25 followers...just saying, I joined twitter a few weeks ago and I have 24 followers.
I feel as if this website is helpful in highlighting some of the issues and it does bring to the table an opportunity for people to have an open, constructive forum for their opinions. I hate to say it, but I would probably not take the time to sit and read through all the issues, and then propose my opinions on how to solve them.
One thing I found interesting is that you can "support solve" by buying instant movies off of Amazon. How is that helping Solve? Why wouldn't you have something more relevant to support your organization? I probably would not recommend this site to others, simply because I feel that there are still a few flaws that this organization needs to work out, before they can truly become successful. I feel that there website needs to be more inviting and "eye-catchy". The design is very basic, and the graphics themselves are not very well-done in my opinion. People base judgements off of what they see first, and if they see a website that appears to be outdated, chances are they will not continue to even follow through to exam the material and content. They also need to improve on their forum questions and expand on the issue. Most of the issues they post should include more than a single paragraph explaining what the issue is, and they also could tone down the exaggerated punctuation. They also need to find better avenues to bring in revenue and support, because I lack to see how buying an instant video off of Amazon is going to help them?
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I love my iPod!
This past weekend, when I was home, I was telling my boyfriend's sister about my nursing classes and what we were learning to do. I told her that I was having difficulty figuring out a certain heart rhythm and she quickly stated, "There's an app for that!" And sure enough there was! She is a nurse herself, and she just started going through different applications off of the Apple store and she found one from the Littmann company, who makes stethoscopes.
We then proceeded to download several more apps that were of course free, but helpful for nursing. There were a lot more than I had expected! Needless to say, I now have a whole bunch of apps that will hopefully prove to be helpful in the future, although I already used one last night!! I know my last post was sort of "bashing" the use of technology for education, but this post was to simply say that I believe that technology is very beneficial and when used at the correct times, is a wonderful thing.
We then proceeded to download several more apps that were of course free, but helpful for nursing. There were a lot more than I had expected! Needless to say, I now have a whole bunch of apps that will hopefully prove to be helpful in the future, although I already used one last night!! I know my last post was sort of "bashing" the use of technology for education, but this post was to simply say that I believe that technology is very beneficial and when used at the correct times, is a wonderful thing.
One of my new "nursing" screens on my iPod :)
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Facebook Deaths
Lately, there are have been mysterious deaths of famous actors and other celebrities. Out of no where, there will be a group page for people that say "RIP _____" and everyone automatically trusts the almighty Facebook and simply likes the page without ever even checking! I believe that this shows how much we truly trust social media and also the danger to which it brings. I just hope that we will wake up and realize A: how juvenile this is, and B: how dangerous this is. We should not take anyone on cyber spaces word without doing out own research.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Facebook Benefit
This past weekend, I discovered that there was going to be a Walk to End Alzheimer's via nursing emails. I knew immediately that I wanted to at least participate in the walk, seeing that my family was personally affected by the disease. My great-uncle Jimmy died with the disease and the toll that it took on my family was tremendous and I would never want another family to go through the same battle.
I looked more into the qualifications, and basically you could just show up on the day of the walk and donate five dollars in order to participate. Later that night, I was telling my mom about the walk and she asked how she could donate towards the walk. I said that I hadn't set up a donation account, because I thought it would be too late to ask people to donate. She said to just go ahead and create one, because she at least would donate.
I set the account up, and then it gave the option to share the donation information onto Facebook, so I thought why not? The response was phenomenal! Within twenty-four hours I had raised $140! I was shocked to say the least!! In the end I ended up raising $260 in honor of my uncle, and it was so touching how generous everyone was! I honestly could not have accomplished this without the help of social media, specifically Facebook. In fact, all but two of my donations came from people that saw my posts about the walk and fundraising. Once people donated, they then "shared" the link and it spread just like that! This is one of the great advantages to having social media, and something I will never forget!
PS. It's never too late to donate either!
I looked more into the qualifications, and basically you could just show up on the day of the walk and donate five dollars in order to participate. Later that night, I was telling my mom about the walk and she asked how she could donate towards the walk. I said that I hadn't set up a donation account, because I thought it would be too late to ask people to donate. She said to just go ahead and create one, because she at least would donate.
I set the account up, and then it gave the option to share the donation information onto Facebook, so I thought why not? The response was phenomenal! Within twenty-four hours I had raised $140! I was shocked to say the least!! In the end I ended up raising $260 in honor of my uncle, and it was so touching how generous everyone was! I honestly could not have accomplished this without the help of social media, specifically Facebook. In fact, all but two of my donations came from people that saw my posts about the walk and fundraising. Once people donated, they then "shared" the link and it spread just like that! This is one of the great advantages to having social media, and something I will never forget!
PS. It's never too late to donate either!
My Friend Caroline and I at the Walk
Monday, September 10, 2012
Don't Look Up
I have really made an effort this week, to not constantly be looking down at my phone or acting preoccupied while I am walking somewhere. I actually do look to see if there is anyone I know walking around me. The reality of the situation is actually quite funny. When I see people that I know, naturally most of them are on their cell phones or just simply avoiding eye contact. When I would call out to say hello, most were actually surprised and wee very pleased to be recognized, but also thought it odd that I would "go out of my way" to say hello.
I think it is quite sad that someone would be so stunned to have someone looking around and say hello and recognize them. I feel like this demonstrates not only our obsession with technology, but also how we have lost the art of face to face communication. Like we said in class, how many times when you are talking to someone, do you break eye contact only to check your phone? Being a nursing major, we are always talking about effective communication and its role in connecting to the patient. One of the criteria most stressed upon is the importance of eye-to-eye contact and how it lets a person know that you are earnestly interested in what they have to say, and also that what they have to say is important.
An example to back up my claim. This weekend I was talking to my friend about a health issue with a family member, and I was really upset about it. During my story, she received a text message, and not only did she take the time to read it, but she also replied before returning her attention back to what I was having to say. It might sound snobby, but when I am having a heartfelt conversation with someone, I was their undivided attention and it really upset me that first she read the message and secondly took the time to reply. I feel that our generation is just a preview of what's to come and that children born now will struggle with face-to-face conversations.
I think it is quite sad that someone would be so stunned to have someone looking around and say hello and recognize them. I feel like this demonstrates not only our obsession with technology, but also how we have lost the art of face to face communication. Like we said in class, how many times when you are talking to someone, do you break eye contact only to check your phone? Being a nursing major, we are always talking about effective communication and its role in connecting to the patient. One of the criteria most stressed upon is the importance of eye-to-eye contact and how it lets a person know that you are earnestly interested in what they have to say, and also that what they have to say is important.
An example to back up my claim. This weekend I was talking to my friend about a health issue with a family member, and I was really upset about it. During my story, she received a text message, and not only did she take the time to read it, but she also replied before returning her attention back to what I was having to say. It might sound snobby, but when I am having a heartfelt conversation with someone, I was their undivided attention and it really upset me that first she read the message and secondly took the time to reply. I feel that our generation is just a preview of what's to come and that children born now will struggle with face-to-face conversations.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Losing the Tone
While we were discussing the TED video the other day, particularly the part about relationships and whether or not it is better to text message your significant other or if it is better to verbally communicate on the phone. I honestly believe in both. I believe that there are short little messages here and there during the day that just reassure the other person that you are thinking of them and that you care about them. I do believe that the verbal communication is essential when having a disagreement or you are needing to talk about something more serious.
My belief is based off of the the loss of tone in text messaging. People can say simple words, but the tone in which they use makes a world of a difference. If you are arguing with someone or just talking about a touchy subject, a simple "ok" can be misconstrued, and before you know it, you are both more irritated then when you began.
This following article at the bottom of the page, states that researchers have found that punctuation and the presence of "smileys" in text messages are the ways in which tone can be conveyed. I do agree that while these elements do assist in comprehending someone's tone, I do not always feel like writing a smile or three exclamation marks at the end of a message to ensure that someone knows I'm not upset with them.
In conclusion, I love the fact that we have technology and that text messaging is a very valuable means of communication, but I just believe that there are appropriate times in which to use or not use it.
"It's not what you say, but rather how you say it." -My Parents
My belief is based off of the the loss of tone in text messaging. People can say simple words, but the tone in which they use makes a world of a difference. If you are arguing with someone or just talking about a touchy subject, a simple "ok" can be misconstrued, and before you know it, you are both more irritated then when you began.
This following article at the bottom of the page, states that researchers have found that punctuation and the presence of "smileys" in text messages are the ways in which tone can be conveyed. I do agree that while these elements do assist in comprehending someone's tone, I do not always feel like writing a smile or three exclamation marks at the end of a message to ensure that someone knows I'm not upset with them.
In conclusion, I love the fact that we have technology and that text messaging is a very valuable means of communication, but I just believe that there are appropriate times in which to use or not use it.
"It's not what you say, but rather how you say it." -My Parents
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