The Journey

Figure 1: Social Media Sites. Adapted from "Social Media & E-Marketing Certificate," by Dennis Flynn, February 20, 2012, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved April 13, 2012, from http://www.busi.mun.ca/gardinercentre/02programs/13_emarketing_certificate/index.html.
. Copyright 2008 by Gardiner Centre

Time truly does fly. I remember not too long ago, I was still confused about what ALES 204 was all about and was hesitant about the class. I didn't quite understand how this course was relevant to my program and why I should be taking it. On this last day of class, I realized how much this course has done to me in the past semester. I feel that this course was only a teaser and that there is still so much more to learn about communication and the various social media networks out there. I recommend this class not just to ALES students but to students in all faculties as the information taught in this class can be applied in all fields.

We’ve covered social media networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Audioboo. We also looked at the various communication methods such as academic posters, emails, interviews, resumes, CV’s, Wikipedia, Pecha Kucha, etc. This class wasn't just about joining all these social media networks and putting information out there. Whether we like it or not, these tools are already out there, and it is important for us to be informed about it and to use these tools to our advantage.
I could relate to this. I remember being hesitant when I was told that I needed to make a Twitter account to tweet during class for participation marks. I didn't want to jump on the Twitter band wagon because I didn't think anyone would be interested in what I was doing every second of my life, but because I wanted to do well in this class I made a Twitter account, like asked to. I remember a couple weeks after I made my account, I was at a club social event and the District Governor started talking about the importance of communication between clubs and how he wanted to make use of social media in the upcoming year. At that point, I was proud to say, I had a Twitter account. After that incident, I began to accept Twitter and have gotten into the habit of sharing my learning experiences on Twitter.

This class not only taught me how to use Twitter and other social media networking sites, it has also taught me how to become a more effective communicator. It has taught me to think before I speak or post, taught me how to get my messages across in a clear and concise way and to be critical with the information that I take in. As Danielle points out in her blog, communication is important regardless of what field we work in. This class has prepared us with the skills we need in real life situations.

In this journey, I've found 5 other students that have blogged their experiences in ALES 204. Below are the links to my comments on the posts that caught my attention:

Deanna's Introduction post
Loana's post on Facebook pages
Clara's post on Wikipedia
Susan's post on Mother-Daughter Relationships.
Danielle's Reflection post

The Emoticon

Screen capture of my favourite emoticon:

Shelley Du, Capture 1. Created April 11, 2012.

I recently came across a news article about a woman that committed suicide while on Facebook. The article inspired me to write about emotions in social media and how it has changed communication.

Text itself is ambiguous. A word or a sentence can have multiple meanings depending on how it's said. Altered volume, tone, or pitch can completely change the way a message is conveyed. For example, let's look at the sentence "You're funny." If we look at the sentence alone, this sentence can literally mean that the person is funny. It could also mean that the person really isn't funny and should stop, depending on how it's read. To deal with the ambiguity, emoticons were introduced.

Emoticons, made from the words emotions + icon, are facial expressions made with text symbols. It is usually used to show the mood and tone of the speaker and is widely used in instant messaging (iM), short messaging service (SMS), emails, Facebook, Twitter or any situation where it is appropriate to use letters and symbols. We use emoticons to soften messages, lighten conversations or just to end on a positive note. I can relate to this. When a friend sends me a message asking me to do something without an emoticon, I feel like they’re demanding for me to do something, but when the messages comes with an emoticon, I read it as they’re asking for a favour.

Using the same example as before, let’s look at the sentence “You’re funny” but this time spiced up with an emoticon:

“You’re funny :)“ – That made my day

“You’re funny ;)“ – Nice joke there!
“You’re funny XD“ – I’m rolling on the floor laughing.
“You’re funny 8-)” – You’re funny, in a nerdy way
“You’re funny @_@” – I’m confused with your humor
“You’re funny >_<” – Irritated by your humor
“You’re funny >_>” – That was funny?
“You’re funny -_- “ – Not impressed by your humor
“You’re funny 0_0” – Disturbed by your humor

It could be said that the use of emoticons have allowed us to show our mood/tone in our messages. But the overuse of emoticons have made it difficult to explain our emotions in words. The convenience of typing a couple extra symbols after a message, have allowed people to hide their emotions through the use of the emoticons. Some people use it so often that it’s plainly just a habit. Others may use it to deceive others of their emotions, while a couple people out there actually use emoticons to express how they truly feel.

Human beings are complex and so are our emotions. Emoticons are simple to use but does it really truly describe what we feel inside? Emoticons could also be ambiguous. Different faces may have different meanings to different people. What one may read as a friendly expression, another can read as rude. For this reason, emoticons should be used with discretion, especially in a professional setting. Whether a sender or a receiver of emoticons, don't read too deeply into it because really, it is JUST a symbol. Drawing back to the article that I read, if her friends were able to detect her mood and the severity of the situation, would they have called the police instead of trying to message her to stop? I guess that is an answer we’ll never figure out. On the bright side, check out Susan's blog as she explores mother-daughter relationships.

Wikipedia Stub

TO DO: Edit a Wikipedia Stub
One of the first challenges was finding a stub or incomplete article on Wikipedia in an area that I'm familiar with or interested in writing about. There were so many to choose from. From the "Stub Category" alone, there were a total of 10,797.  Scrolling down the list of stubs really intimidated me, reminding me of how little I know and how much information is circulating around the internet. The ones that I thought I could write about, there was already sufficient information on it. So I decided to start backwards. Instead of looking at the list of stubs, I decided to list out things that I did know, or things that I wanted to know about. In the end, I chose to write about Compression Stockings.

Having been a certified compression stocking fitter for over two years, I'm surprised by the fact that little information about compression stockings is on Wikipedia. Almost any standing human body can wear these garments, with exception to those with severe heart conditions. With gravity pulling us downwards, our legs, veins and valves, have to work quite hard to push the blood back to the heart. These stockings basically aid our veins in doing their job. Many people are quite oblivious to what difference these stockings can make. Those that do know about it, are usually compelled by the price and the amount of work it takes to get it on. Needless to say, I'm shocked by how little information is posted on this subject.

One of the challenges I had was editing the article itself. I am no expert when it came to web pages. The html symbols all look the same to me. I spent quite some time reading all the tips on editing Wikipedia articles. As I was editing, I thought to myself: it's amazing how many people go about editing Wikipedia articles every day. Each and every person has to go through the process of creating an account, learning all the symbols and how to make changes, and of course, actually making the changes. What made things more challenging was the fact that someone else was editing and undoing my changes as I was editing the article. The nice thing was I could check into the recent changes, who did it and what kinds of edits were done.

This incident came to show me how easy it is for people to change information posted on this online encyclopedia. People can deliberately add, remove, or change the contents, hence making it extremely unreliable. Due to the many authors/editors, the information is also poorly structured. Information can be listed in the same style and font size or come in different texts and sizes. It all depends on the person editing the article. Citations are also an issue. A lot of the information on Wikipedia lack citations. Those with citations, the sources need not be reliable thus the information is not necessarily verified.  On top of all that, biases can be present. For example, as a compression stocking fitter, I would definitely recommend compression stockings to all customers, but is it necessity? I would tell people it is because I sell it. Bottom line is: Wikipedia may be used, but with caution. It could be used as a first base to research, getting a general idea of what something is about. Regardless of how much is drawn from Wikipedia, be critical, assess the article, and look for further research and information to verify what is being read. Overall, writing and editing a Wikipedia stub was a great experience, I had the opportunity to share my knowledge and results to the internet. I can't wait till next time!

Below are the screen shots to my edited stub on Compression Stockings. Be sure to check out Clara's blog. She wrote about Cyberphobia.

Screen capture of my Wikipedia entry about Compression Stockings from:

Shelley Du, Capture 1. Original article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compression_stockings, Accessed Mar. 23 2012.

Screen capture of my Wikipedia entry about Compression Stockings from:

Shelley Du,  Capture 2. Original article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compression_stockings, Accessed Mar. 23 2012.

Screen capture of my Wikipedia entry about Compression Stockings from:

Shelley Du,  Capture 3. Original article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compression_stockings, Accessed Mar. 23 2012.

Facebook Page

Screen capture of my Facebook Page
Shelley Du, Capture 1. Original Page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelley-Du/266485470085413, Created on: January 25, 2012 

Screen capture of my Facebook Page
Shelley Du, Capture 2. Original Page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelley-Du/266485470085413, Created on: January 25, 2012

A Facebook Page. What is it? It's a page for anyone to broadcast information to the public. It could be a page for an organization, a business, an institution, an artist, a celebrity, a product, anything you can possibly think of, even yourself. The point of the page is to connect people. For the visitors, it's a page where they can learn. For the creator, its a place for them to publicize. In other words, it's a free page of advertisement. As long as you're creative, concise, and informative, your page will go a long way.

One of best ways of using the Facebook page, is for building your own professional personal profile. Nowadays, there are so many social networking sites  and websites where your personal information is disclosed. It could be pictures or videos of what you did over the weekend, your personal blog posts and websites, or just information on your personal interests. Since there is no way of tracking and controlling your information, you might as well build your own online reputation through this Facebook page.

Creating a Facebook page for yourself can help you change the way others perceive you and can potentially earn you a future. Each page is unique in such way that people can clearly distinguish and differentiate you from others. You could inform others on your previous job experiences, your years of education, your personal interests, or any other information you think would clearly show who you are. Unlike a resume, that limits your information to two pages, a Facebook page gives you unlimited space to promote yourself. The Facebook page, if used right and kept up-to-date, could help you position yourself for a job or a career in the future. The Facebook page will provide your employers with a sense of who you are and what you're like both online and offline. Another advantage to an online Facebook page, is how easily it could be accessed. You could approach or be approached. Anyone, from anywhere around the world could access your page and learn about who you are, this can essentially broaden your opportunities.

Although there are endless advantages to having a Facebook page, remember to think carefully before you post, and stay in control of your online reputation. There may be unexpected consequences.  Above, is my professional Facebook page. For another good example of a Facebook page, be sure to check out Loana's blog for the link.

Hope that explains it! Adios for now!

The Name

Picture of Circle K International Volunteers at Large Scale Service Project 2011, Virginia Beach
Personal Album. Picture Captured on: June 20, 2011

Shelley Du.
Currently in my second year of studies at the University of Alberta. I chose to study Human Ecology; majoring in Family Ecology and minoring in Aging. After I complete my undergraduate studies in Human Ecology, I plan to pursue my masters in Speech Pathology and Audiology and become a Speech-Language Pathologist. Now, sounds like a great plan eh?! But I've only recently discovered what I'm passionate about. In my free time, I enjoy volunteering (as you can see from the picture above). Through volunteering, I found out that I love working with people, and being able to help them definitely gives me a sense of accomplishment. If only I knew which field I'd like to go into. I have always wanted to work in a clinical environment where I can assess clients one-on-one to help them restore and improve their ability. Through talking to many friends and colleagues, I found that Speech-Language is definitely the way to go. I will be given the opportunity to work with people ranging in age from infants to adults to help them improve their ability to communicate or swallow properly.

Taking a Communication Theory and Practise class will definitely help me along the way of my studies. Communication plays a huge role in my field of study because I mainly deal with people. But let's face it! Even if I wasn't in this field, I would still have to communicate with people, whether it'd be my co-workers, colleagues, friends, family, or whomever it may be. Since communication is playing such a big role in my life, I might as well make the best out of it and learn all the tips and strategies in becoming an effective communicator!

In my undergraduate studies, I will be focusing on the well-being of others, mainly the aging population. I will be learning how to identify and develop strategies to enhance the well-being of their family and community life and understanding how their families and communities function in the interpersonal, social, economic, and political environment. This will involve a great deal of communication skills that revolve around interviewing and counselling people. It will also involve a great deal of research, where I'll be looking at the many challenges and issues that the aging population faces today. My program also includes a 200 hour practicum placement where I will be getting some hands-on experience. I will need to professionally communicate with my co-workers and maybe clients (depending on where I'm placed) and establish connections in the field. As a side note, I found out that Deanna, a classmate of mine in ALES 204, is in the same field as me. Hopefully, as we continue our studies, we'll be able to meet one day and share our thoughts about the field!

Now in Speech and Language Pathology, I will need to counsel my clients and their families in regards to their disorders, then provide a constructive treatment plan to help them recover. In order to do this, I will need to clearly present myself (think before I speak), so that I don't scare my patients or their families with their situation, and effectively write a report that is clear and easy to understand so that my patients can use it to recover. I will also be working with my other health care professionals and multidisciplinary teams to assess and treat my clients, so knowing how to efficiently communicate with them would make things alot easier. At times, I will also get the opportunity to participate in research and public education activities, this will involve alot of online communication, and relaying information between other researchers and professionals.  To learn more about what Speech-Language pathologists do, check out CASLPA (Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists).

That's all for now! Until next time, Ciao!