My Advice

It’s hard to believe that this will be my last blog topic for my business writing class. The semester has gone by so fast, but next semester will be here before we know it! As our last topic for the semester, we were asked to give advice to the students taking this class next semester. So, here’s my advice:

First of all, be glad that you’re in a client-based class where every assignment isn't a hypothetical, made-up, and “do this to get a good grade” assignment! Believe me, it looks like a lot of work, but you can handle it because the deadlines are very spread out and doable. The number one thing that will help you and make the class a lot easier is if you pick a good group…make that your first priority! There will be one day in class set aside for you to pick your groups. Really take advantage of this and find out with whom you want to work with. The most important thing is scheduling. Make sure you have similar schedules because you submit your proposal to the client with that group and do numerous class activities with them. Secondly, go to class, and go to your group meetings. For some reason, this is difficult for a lot of people! Also, be sure to stay on top of things and try to work ahead. The assignments are not that difficult, but it's a lot easier if you plan ahead (especially if your group has a difficult time meeting outside of class). Don’t hesitate to ask for help…Angie is always willingly to help you with anything. Finally, have a good attitude about the class. Colleen Barrett once said, “Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.”

So that’s my advice for all of the students taking this class next semester. I have really enjoyed working with a client, and the class has definitely helped me improve my business writing skills. I probably learned the most from the mock interview--that was my favorite assignment! Of course, I’ll never be able to watch another PowerPoint presentation again without being conscientious about format and capitalization! In the end, having a client and working with them was a great learning experience that made the class even more interesting!


I would like to end this blog with a poem by Mary Schmich called "The Best Advice I Ever Had":

Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists,whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy.
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them whenthey're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or ofwhat other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll everown.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, becausethe older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians willphilander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.

The Virginia Tech Massacre

On April 16, 2007, a shooting occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech. I am sure that by now everyone has heard about what happened. On Monday, 33 people were killed and many were injured in two shootings. The rampage ended when the gunman killed himself. It's hard to even imagine what kind of person would do something like this. It is an American tragedy that will never be forgotten.

Right now, I think that I am still in shock that something like this could happen. The scariest part for me is that it could have easily happened here in Clemson or any other campus. When I found out that the second person killed by the gunman was a resident assistant in the dormitory where the first victim lived, I was speechless. As a resident assistant here at Clemson, I had a lot of strong feelings about this. I've confronted situations--situations with emotionally unstable residents--and not for one moment did I ever think my life was in danger. You never expect to be killed trying to help someone. As a resident assistant, we are trained to refer people to counseling services, but that's about all we can do. We can't force people to get help--only they can do that. We are trained to confront situations with caution, but you can only do so much. You can't prepare for the unimaginable. I think my role as a resident assistant will be changed forever because of this.

People continue to debate on what could have been done and what should have been done by VT, but the fact of the matter is that they did what they could. To blame them is unfair. I mean, there's probably not too much protocol written about how to handle a massacre. I can totally understand why the emails were delayed and why classes weren't cancelled until later. The first incident seemed like an isolated incident, and people claimed that they saw the gunman leaving campus. They never expected the gunman would go on to kill more people. They assumed that there was motive in the first incident and that other students were not in that much danger. I do admit that they could have sent out an email to inform the campus of what had happened and that everyone should be cautious, but how much could they really do? Email is not very reliable. Most people only check their email about twice a day. Yes, there are some, like myself, who keeps Eudora open at all times and listens for the sound of incoming mail. There is no way that VT could have warned the whole campus of 26,000 students (9,000 on campus)...that's like trying to warn a whole small town.

Then there's the whole discussion on how this could have been prevented. Even though the gunman was a very disturbed and emotionally unstable man, there was nothing his professors or peers could have done to prevent this. You cannot force someone to get help if they don't want to get help. And, if VT's counseling services are anything like Clemson's, no one can do anything for someone else unless *THEY* want to get help or they actually threaten someone.
I think that we can take a lot from this. We can't walk around being paranoid all day, but we can be more open-minded and pay more attention to people. Maybe a siren could be used to warn campuses of a dangerous situation, like sirens are used to warn towns of bad weather. Of course, the two sounds would need to be distinctly different. Something else that we can do to help prevent future events like this from happening is to be more aware of our peers. You can learn a lot about someone if you just listen to them. A person who needs help doesn’t usually ask for it—you have to show them. And, last but not least, don't think that this can’t or won't happen again. Just remember that we aren't guaranteed anything--life is the most precious gift we are given, so live life to the fullest and be thankful that you've been given another day.

Isaqueena Falls

I went hiking this weekend about 8 miles from my home in Walhalla, SC, and I just thought you might enjoy this picture:

That's the view of the waterfall after hiking down to the bottom of it. After we hiked at Isaqueena Falls, we visited Stumphouse Tunnel. I'm ashamed to say that after living in Walhalla for 21 years, this was the first time I had ever been to Isaqueena Falls and the Stumphouse Tunnel.

"Rivers are magnets for the imagination, for conscious pondering and subconscious dreams, thrills and fears. People stare into the moving water, captivated, as they are when gazing into a fire. What is it that draws and holds us? The rivers' reflections of our lives and experiences are endless. The water calls up our own ambitions of flowing with ease, of navigating the unknown. Streams represent constant rebirth. The waters flow in, forever new, yet forever the same; they complete a journey from beginning to end, and then they embark on the journey again." (Tim Palmer)

The End is Near

As Phase 2 comes to an end, I know that the end of the year is almost here. It's hard to believe that our class will only meet seven more times(counting tomorrow). Only seven more times?!?!Where did the semester go? Next week, the class will not be meetings like normal; we will be meeting with our groups individually while our professor is out of town. During those meetings, we will work on our part for the final project and help each other finish up our web porfolios that are due next Friday.


For this week, we were asked to blog about what our individual contribution will be as we finish the final project for the Anderson Sunshine House. Since Tiger Web Design's homepage design was picked (yay!--I'm really glad that I changed the picture and logo at the last minute because that is what they really liked about it. If you're confused about what I'm talking about, go here: Anderson Sunshine House.) I will be working on most of the design of the "template" pages. I will also be involved in the organization of the links. We have decided to change the navigation of the site, so I have been doing some research on the different kinds of ways to organize the links. So that's what I'll be doing for the next three weeks!!

Oh, I almost forgot...Happy Easter!

Dual Coding Theory

Dual Coding Theory is basically a “cognitive memory model.” To put that into words you can understand: It is how our mind processes everything we see. It helps explain the importance of visuals. Even though this is a psychology topic, it is very important in business to realize how people react to visual information.

According to the theory, there are three systems that work together. The first processes the language, the second processes the visuals, and the third puts them together. For our blog this week, we were asked to discuss dual coding theory and talk about some examples in the media.

Until we learned this in class, it never occurred to me how much CNN and other news stations use dual coding theory. When you watch a news report, not only is the reporter talking about the story, but a blurb and ticker appear at the bottom of the screen telling you about the story. Your brain processes the verbal information and the visual information at the same time. Another example of dual coding theory is when a PowerPoint presentation is being made. The brain must process the speaker and the slides at the same time.

Why does dual coding theory work? We discussed in class how the yellow Anderson Sunshine House Logo and a picture of clouds work well together in presenting the information for the proposal. Not only does your mind read the text, but it associates those visuals with that text. This is why a resume with color or an unusual design gets an interview and why the template resume gets overlooked. The employer remembers the resume being associated with the nice visual images.

Isn’t it amazing what your brain does and that you never even know it’s doing anything!

Fired for Blogging?

Even though I posted on the team blog this week, I still wanted to make a few short comments on the discussion that we had in class about the woman who was fired for putting a picture of herself in her work uniform on her blog. In the blog, she also talked about her job. When the company discovered the blog, she was fired. After hearing about this, I did some research and found even more stories about people being fired for their "online diaries."

I was completely shocked at the amount of stories about people being fired from this. Do I think this is right? Absolutely not! I mean, whatever happened to free speech? I think we all should have the right to say what we think and how we feel. Whether we are talking to our friends in a local restaurant or talking to a million people online, isn't it the same thing? Cicero once said, "Freedom is a possession of inestimable value." You can't put a price on being able to say what you think.

Even though I think being fired for blogging is wrong, I can understand the employers point of view. The employer is thinking about their own reputation. Negative comments by employees can cause the company harm. The ironic thing is that most companies have their employees sign contracts about this kind a of stuff, but the majority of contracts say nothing about blogging. I think that companies need to address this problem BEFORE hiring someone. If you can be fired for blogging about your difficult day at work, then you need to be informed from the beginning about it!!

Team Blog

I posted on the team blog this week. Click here to view my team blog!

What a busy week…as Phase 1 comes to an end

Last week, the representative from the Anderson Sunshine House finally came to talk with our class. It was perfect timing as far as where we currently are in the project. I think it was a very informative and helpful meeting/discussion. She was able to answer questions and give us feedback on our ideas. Another group also gave an informal presentation about PayPal, and the client seemed very excited about it.

After the client spoke to the class on Wednesday, our group had a meeting later that day to talk about the proposal that’s due this upcoming week. For the meeting, I had prepared a very rough layout of the website for the group to review. I think it was helpful to finally see our ideas coming together, but it’s nowhere near being done. We still need to decide where everything will go and what exactly to include.

In addition to the website, the main focus of our group meeting was the proposal that is due Wednesday, March 14. Since we only had a very long sample to look at, we were confused to what exactly we were supposed to be putting in our proposal. We were hoping that after class on Friday we would be able to divide up some of the work. Right now, our current plan is to write most of the proposal in class on Monday. What we don’t get finished then, we will finish Monday evening. The website layout/rough draft is going to be done this weekend by Jocelyn and me on Sunday. If all goes as planned, this proposal will be done by Monday night. (yikes!!!) Due to time constraints, the proposal is definitely not going to be what it could be. With more time, I feel like we could put the time and effort into this that it deserves. I guess we will just have to see how it all goes!

Reflecting on the whole project so far, I think the most important thing has been planning ahead. Agendas definitely help the group meetings be more productive. They not only remind you of what you need to get done, but they make getting that done a faster process. Our group as a whole works really well together, so it has been easier to get the group work done.

Mock Interview Reflection

A few weeks ago, we were assigned to pick a job description for a mock interview for class. After searching the Internet, I finally found a local job listing with Clemson University. Over the past week, my professor, Angie, has been meeting individually with each of us to do the mock interviews. This past Wednesday, I finally had my mock interview with her. Of course, I was very nervous. I think I was more nervous about the questions I would be asked than any other aspect of the interview. Until this interview, I had only been professionally interviewed one other time, and the thought of an interview scared me.

After the interview started, it was not so bad. It was a lot easier once I relaxed and realized that I could answer the questions. I did have trouble with a few questions though. At one point, I actually had to ask Angela to repeat a question and then I rambled on about something not related to the question. The fact that I lost my train of thought was very embarrassing, but I was able to get back on track after that.

I learned a lot from this mock interview experience. It definitely made me think about what I would say if I had to interview for a job today. I discovered while I was sitting in Angela’s office that my heart is not really with accounting. Even though I’m good at it, it just seems like a job to me, not necessarily a passion. Every time she asked me a question, I wanted to talk about my experience as a draftswoman, but instead I had to come up with situations and experiences related to accounting. I found myself tripping over the questions, and I was really unsure of how to answer some of them. I think the interview really opened my eyes to how I really feel about my career.

I think that the mock interview assignment is a great preparation tool. I will definitely use what I learned from it as I start interviewing for real jobs. Ed Macauley, a basketball player, once said, “When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him, he will win.” Whether it is for a basketball game or for your professional career, practice is the best way to prepare yourself for the competition. In a lot of ways, interviewing is a competition, and the winner gets the job!

Presentation 1 Reflection

Last week was such a crazy week, and I'm glad it's finally all over! In addition to all the projects and exams I had last week, I did my Presentation 1 on Wednesday. I decided to do my presentation on betta fish--one of the most popular fish you can buy today. I focused on how to take care of a betta fish properly and why you shouldn't keep bettas in a flower vase. I also prepared a handout on how to buy a healthy and happy betta.

Even though I was prepared for my presentation, I got nervous. I hate that I always get butterflies when I do public speaking! I handle most "non-graded" presentations much better! I have to admit that this presentation was easier than most because I knew the topic I picked so well. Overall, I feel like I did a good job, but I think I could definitely improve on not getting nervous. The class seemed to like the presentation, and hopefully I helped a few bettas out there get a better living environment from their owners...which was what I hoped to do!

I thought that the presentation was a really good assignment. Learning how to do a good PowerPoint will help in almost every profession, and it will definitely help in most of my classes!

Reflections on Last Week

So far this semester, I have to admit that we haven’t had to do anything really challenging or terribly time consuming, but we have done a lot of things that have been very helpful. Well, this is how I felt until I read over the blog and looked at the syllabus again. After reading what all is due within the next two weeks, I’m feeling very uneasy, unprepared, and stressed out. We have been talking for a long time about all these assignments, but I guess I just didn’t realize that it was all happening so soon. On top of everything due for this class, I have even more to do for my other classes. I guess that’s my biggest concern. In the middle of working two jobs to pay for school, I have to find time for school! Never again will I take eighteen hours and try to work two jobs.

Even though I’m stressed out, I’m ready to get everything done. I feel like all the earlier assignments we've done were just the foundation blocks to the house we are building. In other words, we’ve done a little bit, but we’ve still got a lot to do. I know that probably sounds a little cheesy and cliché, but I think it’s a good description of what’s going on in the class.

I’m pretty confident about the presentation assignment. I’ve decided to do my presentation on betta fish since a lot of people have them as pets. I’m still debating on whether or not I should use Giggles, my betta, as a prop. He’s hard to carry all the way across campus, and I’m not sure I want to explain how he got his name. That could take like 2 minutes of my whole presentation time. I don’t feel prepared at all for my interview. I always get nervous about interviews. Also, I don’t like to admit it, but I really have no idea what kind of job I want to get after I graduate. As for the portfolio, I think it will be very easy to put together and post on Blackboard. And then there’s the group project…I feel like our group is behind, but hopefully that will all change soon. But then again, I’m not sure where exactly we should be right now. Are all the other groups still researching, or are they already designing a website? I feel like we are stuck in the research phase until we start putting all of our ideas together and making the actual website. Finding times to meet together seems to be our biggest problem.

Presentation 1

So, for this week, we were asked to write about what presentation topics we are considering for our Presentation 1 assignment. The presentation is meant to be more of a presentation graded on the PowerPoint you prepare and how you speak to the class. The latter really scares me…”a grade on how well I speak to the class.” See, there’s a reason why I haven’t taken my communications requirement yet. I really hate speaking in front of groups of people. I guess my only question about the assignment is what exactly is graded as far as the “speaking to the class” part.

For my presentation, I am thinking about a few topics, and I’m not really sure which one to pick right now. First of all, I am a huge Hanson fan and I know a lot about them. I even have pictures from concerts, pictures of me meeting them, and tons of books for reference. The biggest problem with choosing this topic is that most people really don’t want to listen to me talk about Hanson. I also know a lot about house design and architecture, but I think I would have to do more research to put a presentation together that covers it all. Plus, it is such a huge topic that I would have to narrow it down to a more detailed topic like just kitchen design. The third topic I am considering is how to take care of a Betta fish. I’ve had three of them so far, and I’ve learned a lot about how to take care of them...I’ve learned a lot about what NOT to do!

Right now, I really think I will go with the Betta fish topic, because that is probably the best topic for me to present. Even though I am really interested and would enjoy doing a presentation on kitchen design, I’m not sure how to present that information easily. And then there’s Hanson…a topic that I would like to do because of everything I could include, but there’s not much interest in that topic among the class. As you can see, I still need to narrow it down and pick one.

The "Incident"

Recently, an event happened in Clemson that made headline news. When someone talks about "the incident" we all know what they are talking about. Just in case you are reading this and don't know what "incident" I'm talking about, here's the story:

A group of students hosted an off-campus “gangsta” party over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Pictures got posted on Facebook.com of a girl with padding to make her rear end look bigger and another person in "blackface."

I’ve talked about the party in almost all of my classes with my peers this past week, and I didn't find out about it until Tuesday night what had happened. I have a bunch of mixed feelings about the whole thing. First of all, I do not think that the students meant to upset or offend anyone, but they definitely did.

Secondly, I think theme parties are meant to display an extreme stereotype. For example, an extreme stereotype for computer scientists might be that they all wear big glasses, pants that are too short with high socks, and a pocket protector. Do you really think that they are like that? Of course not! My point is that no matter what you do, unless you are really careful, you are going to offend SOMEONE.

As for the incident, I do think that the whole thing got blown out of proportion, and I do think that it was extremely bad timing to be throwing a party of that nature. The media has had a field day with the incident. Not only did the incident hurt those that it offended, it hurt Clemson’s reputation even more. I am glad that the students came forward and made a formal apology to the public. Hopefully, this has taught us a lot about the issues we still face today.

In the Not So Distant Future…

For this week, we were assigned to write about where we want to be ten years from now. It feels like only yesterday I was deciding on what college I wanted to attend. Now, I’m thinking about where I want to work, how far away I want to move, and what I want to do with the rest of my life. Time seems to fly by faster and faster every day. It was C.S. Lewis that once wrote, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” I know it probably sounds cliché, but so much can change in one single year. It’s hard to imagine what my life might be like ten years from now.

Well, ten years from now I’ll be…30 years old!!? That just sounds so old right now, but I’m sure it will be here before I know it. I do hope that ten years from now I’m happily married with 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 12 fish. Everyone has this picture-perfect view of what they want for their lives; my picture-perfect view is probably somewhat different than most peoples. For me, I have no desire for the material things. Making a lot of money is not a dream of mine. I would like to have enough money to live comfortably, but I never want to be rich. Being happy is probably what I want most for my life.

I hope that between now and then I will graduate and get a job with a mid-size corporation. After getting some real-world experience, I would like to start my own accounting or tax preparation business. In ten years, I will have the business up and running, so I can depend on it to support my family. My goal is to be able to work from home where I can make my own schedule. The job that I really want doesn’t require a doctorate degree or have a list of requirements. See, the job I want to have is that of a mother. Yes, I really want to be the mom that packs lunches in the morning and picks up the kids from school every day. Of course, I still want to work part-time. That’s the main reason I want to own my own business.

I would like to get married shortly after I graduate. I want to live either in South Carolina or North Carolina. I know that I want to be fairly close to my family, but it all depends on where the best job is. Right now, it’s looking more like I’ll be living in North Carolina. Brian insists that they have a better public education program there. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, Brian is my boyfriend of two and half years. We are not engaged just yet, but I’m hoping that happens soon!

Since I started out with a quote, it seems like a good idea to end with another one of my favorite quotes. “In the book of life every page has two sides: we human beings fill the upper side with our plans, hopes and wishes, but providence writes on the other side, and what it ordains is seldom our goal.”

My Introduction

Hello everyone!!!

My name is Crystal, and I’m from Walhalla, SC. I was born and raised there. For those of you who don’t know where that is, it’s only about 25 minutes from Clemson. I’m currently a junior in Accounting, with a minor in Financial Management. To be completely honest, there’s no one particular reason why I chose Accounting, but it was more like a long series of events in which I ended up here. To make a long story short, I started out in Engineering. That lasted about one week, so I decided to change to Architecture. Well, that never happened either because of money and the complicated Architecture department. So, then there was Accounting. I’m still not sure what was going through my mind when I picked it, but I did, and so far it’s been good.

Besides school, my free time gets taken up by my two jobs. I work on campus as a resident assistant in one of the residence halls during the school year. It’s not a difficult job, but you have to be able to handle people calling to wake you up every other hour. My other job is more interesting and unique. I work for a local designer as a draftswoman designing multi-million dollar homes for the rich people on Lake Keowee. I’ve worked there for almost five years. Even though it’s a job, I really enjoy it.
So, by now you should have figured out that I love drawing and designing things. What else do I like? I included a lot of stuff in my profile, but I’ll tell you a few more random things here. I love penguins, butterflies, and puppies, but I only have one pet…a betta fish. My favorite color is purple, and I love anything with cheese in it. I enjoy cooking, spending time with my family, teddy bears, rollercoasters, movies, and hiking to see waterfalls. I’m a very organized person, and I pay close attention to details. I’m also hard-working, dependable, and a good listener.

As far as working in groups, I usually end up being the person that organizes everything. I’m the person you always get the group emails from. I don’t like to procrastinate and wait until the last minute. I like to plan ahead and know what I’m doing. I work well with other people, and I get along with pretty much everybody.

My First Post

This is the first post to my business writing blog. Hopefully, it will work, and I'll have everything ready to post more for you to read.