Wow, class is over!

This post marks a bittersweet memory for my journey in schooling. Although this isn't my last class in my goal of obtaining my BA, it is my last class pertaining to my major--Communication Studies.

When I first started college in spring of 2006, I had no idea of what I would major in. In fact, I wasn't even really that serious about school. It took me a few years to really start focusing in on what my strengths were, and what I truly enjoyed doing. In 2010 I graduated from community college with my Associate of Arts transfer degree and started attending Ashford the following October. Now with only a handful of classes left, I can't help but begin to be excited.

I've managed to do well in all of my classes, all while learning tons. In fact, I've been doing so well and enjoying school so much that I've decided that after I have my BA, that I would like to continue my schooling to receive my MA degree. I love writing and I really feel that Communications is something that I'm passionate about, so it only seems natural that my MA will be in Journalism and Media Communications.

I'm so excited to graduate within 6 months and to start working towards my new goal of working towards my Master's degree!

Conflict at Work

Approaching an employee regarding performance and behavioral issues is never an easy topic to brooch, simply due to the fact that it creates an atmosphere of conflict. That being said, it is crucial that employees facing disciplinary consequences be dealt with appropriately.

The first step I would take in discipline an employee would be to identify the problem. This would consist of compiling a list of times that the employee has performed or acted out at an unsatisfactory level. Instead of saying “You behaved poorly”, or “Your performance has not been up to company standards”, I would attempt to use I-statements like “I feel like disappointed that I’ve heard that there have been complaints about your behavior and work performance lately. Knowing that customers and employees feel this way leaves a bad reflection on the company. I’d like for us to put our heads together on how we can overcome these obstacles and get back on track”. I would come up with a list of I-statements addressing multiple instances of the employee’s sub-par performance to illustrate that the employee has not been up to company standards. I would appropriately deliver the I-statements by using a formula for I-statements consisting of a feelings statement, addressing the problem behavior, the consequence, followed by a goal (Abigail, R, & Cahn, D., 2011, p 77).

Next I would take to discipline after notifying an employee that we need to talk would be to pick an appropriate time and place to hold our meeting. I would attempt to pick a time in the day when it was not particularly busy, or would stress the employee out. “The point is this: Try to anticipate the other person’s schedule so that the time to talk doesn’t become one more crisis in a day full of them” (Abigail, R, & Cahn, D., 2011, p 36). The timing and atmosphere prior to a conflict have an effect on the outcome of the conflict, so it is especially important to keep this in mind.

The next step would be to talk to the problematic employee about the issue. “This is the stage where assertiveness plays an important role because you call attention to a problem or issue and give voice to your wants, interests, or needs” Abigail, R, & Cahn, D., 2011, p 37). In this step I would go over the points I had come up with prior to the meeting. After going over the points I would encourage the employee to add feedback, or to explain. 

After speaking to the employee, I would encourage the employee to be proactive in a solution for their problematic behavior. For an example, if the employee was being rude to customers because they were having a bad day, they might try something such as taking several deep breaths before responding to the customer or their fellow employee. It is crucial to involve the employee in this step so that they feel that they are aiding in fixing the problem. I would also lay down a specific outcome that I expect to happen within a certain amount of time so that there is no gray area about my expectations. I would then express that if my expectations are not met, that the consequence would be termination and that I hope it will not come to this. Next I would follow-up with our meeting in writing and have the employee sign this document as an understanding.

The final step in this process would be to follow-up with the employee. If the employee’s actions and performance improve over time, they will keep their job. If not, they can expect to be terminated.

I would expect that the employee would either take this situation well (not defensively) or poorly (defensively). The most important thing that I, as a supervisor can do during a conflict is to listen to the employee and make sure that they feel heard. The last thing that I would want to do would be to make the employee feel that because I am the supervisor I am right regardless of their reasons for their behavior. Listening to the employee and echoing back their concerns lets them know that they have been heard and understood which is crucial to the success of conflict resolution.

Media Technology

Social Networking

A social network website meets the following criteria: (1) It must allow individuals to construct a public (or semi-public) profile within a bound system, (2) articulate a list of connected “friends”, (3) view past and present communications made between users (Boyd, D., & Ellison, N., 2007). Social networking websites may have in their use (i.e. LinkedIn for professional use, Google+ for personal use, and Facebook/Twitter for both), and can be exclusive or appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Social networking is unique in the sense that it can connect people all over the globe together instantly. Aside from personal use, many companies also use social networking websites to connect with their consumers to strengthen customer relations. Social networking websites allow companies to connect with their consumers as a means of hearing what is important to them as well as to update consumers of company sales, changes, and new information as it becomes available. Social networking is utilized by people who are technology savvy. In order to use social networking sites, one must have access to the internet, via computer or smartphone.

Text Messaging

Text messing is known as a type of socially interactive technology (which is also grouped under the same umbrella as instant messaging). Text messaging is an appealing form of media due to the fact that it is face-paced and inexpensive (Bryant, A., Sanders-Jackson, A., Smallwood, A. 2006). This form of media may be done from phone to phone or from computer to phone. Text messaging is more convenient than using social media because it does not require an internet connection to send. Text messaging can also be more convenient than a phone conversation since it is more discreet and does not involve interrupting one’s surroundings. Text messages can be sent to one or more (mass) receivers at the same time. This can also be more convenient and less time consuming than a phone call. However, there are setbacks to communicating via text message. “One criticism that has been brought up about the use of technology in developing relationships is that people can hide behind the technology wall. One may be more comfortable interacting with another through text messages, instead of face-to-face” (Longhini, W., 2011). Another drawback to text messaging is that it does not allow the receiver of a message to interpret the sender’s nonverbal communication. Since text messages are done wirelessly, receivers cannot hear the sender’s voice and cannot see the sender’s body language. This leaves the message open to the sender’s interpretation and leaves a larger margin for the potential error. While using text messaging as a form of communication, all communicators involved should ask for clarification if any information seems confusing or incorrect. 

Blogs

Blogs are another excellent use of media technology. People use blogs to communicate about a variety of topics, and usually have some sort of niche following. “Many blogs focus on a particular topic, such as web design, home staging, sports, or mobile technology. Some are more eclectic, presenting links to all types of other sites. And others are more like personal journals, presenting the author's daily life and thoughts” (WordPress.org). Like social networking websites, blogs tend to have certain things in common: (1) A main content area where the blog entries are in chronological order (usually the newest is at the top), (2) an archive of older blog entries, (3) a list of links to other related sites or blogs, (4) the option to subscribe (WordPress.org). Many blogs are fitted into a type of niche, and thus attract a niche following. For an example, a blog about home renovations would likely attract home owners, or handy do-it-yourself type people. Blogs (unlike other forms of media) can allow for the blog creator to generate revenue. By placing relevant ads on a blogger’s page, they can take part in a pay-per-click advertising campaign where the blogger can earn money for each person that clicks on an ad featured on their webpage.

Email

Email is a cost and environmentally effective alternative to print media. Emails are sent wirelessly and do not cost money to send. Like text messaging and social networking, emails are instant. Emails are also flexible in the sense that senders may include important attachments with an email. Contracts, brochures, and images are all examples of common attachments included with initial emails. The ability to include attachments with an email makes them especially helpful for those wishing to share large amounts of information with others. Like the previous forms of media, email may be used for business or personal use. Many companies have company emails, while personal emails are commonly used by internet giants such as Yahoo!, Google, AT&T, or Verizon. Because of the wide variety of usage options, email is used by a multitude of people for various reasons.

Blog, blog, blog

In my personal opinion, the purpose of blogging is to facilitate conversation, communication, and community. Bloggers create their own blogs to share their own experiences, knowledge, and personal journeys with an audience. When people follow a blog, they are investing a personal interest in another person. One of the nice things about blogs is that they are not a one-sided form of communication—hence the comment button. Bloggers are able to interact and receive feedback from their followers. 

As I’m sure we all know by now, the way a website looks can attract (or deter) viewers. The same thing can be said about blogs. Multiple text typefaces, unattractive (i.e. pixilated, blurry, etc) photos, or a choppy layout can turn people away. After all, if someone isn’t able to get their blog looking presentable, how can you expect that they will have anything of value to say? Sad, but it is the truth.

Blog content can vary from topic to topic. My favorite blogs include blogs on health, delicious recipes, and fitness. However, there are blog topics ranging on all sorts of topics from church missions, to life as a single parent, to photography showcases. The point is that blogs should be kept interesting to your audience. 

Speaking of audience, you need to anticipate their needs as readers in order to keep them engaged! If you’re blogging about food, for an example, vary your recipes instead of regurgitating the same information in a different way. Also remember that you will lose your audience if you are not updating your blog on a regular basis. A good rule of thumb is to update your blog at least once a week (preferably twice if you can). Staying relevant to your audience is crucial to maintaining and growing your blog following base. 

Maybe most importantly, you should enjoy what you're blogging about! People can tell if you don't. 

Hi, I'm Mickey!

This is me, apparently.

Okay, so the name of my blog post is deceiving. My name is NOT Mickey. It's Nicole. And for my first blog entry, I thought I'd share a childhood memory where my name was Mickey. Or I was called Mickey, anyway...same thing to a child.

Many years ago in my childhood (15 years to be exact), I walked into my 4th grade classroom just like I did every other morning. However, this morning was slightly different because we had a substitute teacher. To my delight, she told us that her first order of business as our sub was to have us make name tags for ourselves. She would call us by whatever name was on our name tags.

Let me add here, that I absolutely hated my name. Nicole. Such a boring, normal name. I was in 4th grade, darn it, and I wanted a new "cool" name that would hopefully stick not only with the sub, but with my classmates. So I tried my hardest to write "Nikki" in my coolest handwriting. Nikki was so much more cool than Nicole. I felt cool even writing the name. I smiled and waited for the sub to walk by my desk and announce my name.

When the sub did come over, she read off my card "Mickey". Now I don't know how she got Nikki and Mickey mixed up, but she did. My face heated up in embarrassment as a handful of my classmates laughed. I was too embarrassed to even try and correct her. Everyone else thought it was funny though, and the name stuck by the rest of the week.

After that week, I realized that maybe, just maybe being simply Nicole was okay. It was better than Mickey anyway. Then I looked forward to my 18th birthday when maybe, someday, I might change my name.