Chapter 5 - Getting More out of the Internet

In my opinion the Internet is one of the greatest tools ever created. And like every other tool it is important to find a way to utilize the tool to maximize productivity. This can be a tricky problem since as we have learned by design there are several types of portals all designed to meet an interest from very general to very specific . These magic gateways help us navigate the web and filter out what we don't want, so the trick is to know what we do want and go out and find it.

Using some of the tips we learned in chapter three can help point us in the right direction when it comes to searching for what interests us but perhaps an even better step is to be prepared by learning what tools are available. For example being a student who generally has to write research papers it is good to know I have access to an online dictionary, encyclopedias, thesauruses, and other reference material that is credible.

Understanding the terms used while navigating the different portals will also go a long way to getting more out of the Internet. For example knowing that a file considered freeware the author expects you to download and use at no charge, as opposed to Shareware where the author expects you to pay for it if you are planning on using it regularly. As always regardless of whether its free or you have to pay for it, make sure you know what you are putting on your computer or you could pay the consequences in the form of viruses or lost productivity. By lost productivity I mean downloading the latest Angry Birds which has easily costy me hours of lost productivity.

Chapter 4 - Communicating Online

You've Got Mail.

With so many options to choose from it makes sense that communicating online is as popular as it is. With email, instant messaging, chat rooms, discussion boards, blogs, and the social networking sites you are one click away from connecting with friends and family or people half way across the world. There are many advantages to this type of communication such as convenience and speed of delivery.

Unfortunately despite the frequency people use these types of communication, people often forget about the many dangers. It still shocks me when I see emails or instant messages that come through with personal information. Most people generally would not give out their social security number or bank pin number in the middle of a crowded room, but they seem more than happy to write it in a message that has the potential to end up in millions of people’s possession. Even if you take out the people who are actively looking to take the information through deceptive practices you still have the potential of accidentally sending this information to the wrong person. I have personally received several messages that were not intended for me. One specific example comes to mind when a sales manager mistakenly responded to all with sensitive payroll information that ended up going out to the whole company.

The morale of the story is while these tools can be extremely helpful both personally and professionally it is important to exercise some caution when using them. I thought this would be a great topic for a Wordle so below is what I came up with.

Google Docs

Next to Symbaloo, Google Docs has been the tool that I have found to be the most useful. From a professional stand point it will probably be the tool I use the most often. For my job I put together a lot of presentations as well as training slides. One f the biggest challenges I face is being able to find time to work on these slides. Most times I am working on these slides at home and either have to transfer from computer to computer via a USB stick which presents a few problems, or email the files back and forth from my personal and work emails. Neither of these solutions is very efficient and in many cases I have lost my work or occasionally forget my USB drive.

Google Docs eliminates all of this hassle. I can log on from anywhere, create the document, make changes, even share the document with Co-workers. Below is a Go animate which is based on an experience I recently had where Google Docs saved the day.

Google docs by phnxx75 on GoAnimate

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I have been singing the praises of google docs for the last few weeks and it is amazing that such a great tool exists but very few people actually use it. That may change soon specially with the expected launch of Google drive. Cnet reports that some of the features expected to be coming with Google drive would be the ability to create and share many more additional document types, including Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. It may be possible for users to share and collaborate on the same documents in real-time which would be extremely helpful. All in all this is a great tool for both personal and professional uses.

Sound Cloud

It took a little playing around but after a few minutes I felt pretty comfortable with the layout of the site and was ready to record. The hardest part was trying to figure out what to record and since I dislike recording my own voice I chose the first thing that was available. Below is a 30 second clip of my son playing a game on his Ipod touch. He is uncharactaristically quiet but the sound came out pretty good.



Of all the tools we have learned so far Sound Cloud will probably be teh one I end up using the least. While I can see the value of being able to record and share audio for presentations I found it dificult to embed the audio into a google doc or power point slide. It was quick and easy to share the audio via Facebook or embed in the blog and I may use it from time to time for personal reasons but probably not so much for professional purposes.

With that being said I do like some of the features like being able to record feed back for tracks. The dash board is pretty easy to navigate and teh tutorial was pretty helpful. Who knows maybe after playing around a little more I may change my mind and find a few uses for this site after all.

Chapter 3 - Searching the Web

For many people online searching has become an every day practice. What used to take a trip to the library or require a shelf of dictionaries and encyclopedias can now be found in under a minute. There are plenty of tools to choose from whether you prefer Yahoo, Google, Bing, Stumble Upon, or one of the many others each drawing from a wealth of information on the internet.

It is important to keep in mind that not all search engines are created equal. Many of the sites use different criteria for searches. Based on the exercise in the book I tried searching for the same information on Google, Bing, Ask.com, and Yahoo and received some very different results. I have pretty much always used Google as my default search engine but I am seeing now that it may be a good idea to use multiple engines to make sure I am getting the best information available.

Perhaps one of the most important steps in the search process is the ability to evaluate the credibility of the search results since we want the information we are using to be accurate.  The four key areas to look at are the authority, objectivity, scope, and design/functionality of the web page. Authority refers to the author of the web site having expertise or appropriate background to support the information on the site. Objectivity refers to making sure the information is fair and unbiased. Scope refers to the depth of information contained on the site. Design and functionality refers to the impression and usability of the site. By taking all of this in to consideration helps determine if the site should be used for reference purposes.

PLN - It all starts with you.

Defining a personal learning network is difficult because it could mean something different to different people. The tools used to make up your PLN can be as diverse as the colors of the rainbow. For me the foundation of my PLN is Symbaloo. From Symbaloo I have access to many of the building blocks of information in my learning network, from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Word Press, and Blogger. I also have access to many of the tools I need from Jing, GoAnimate, and Wordle.

One thing that I have learned is the key to successfully using a PLN is sticking with it. At first it felt cumbersome to go to these different sites, but after a little trial and error I was able to develop a plan where I can spend at least an hour every day going through my PLN. I have already seen some benefits from this, through LinkedIn I was able to connect some other people in my organization that do a similar job and we have been working to synchronize our efforts. I have gotten some very useful information off of TweetDeck to help with a few sales initiatives, last but not least Jing has helped me create some pretty impressive presentations which have gotten noticed from other departments.

These tools are available to everyone but really it is up to the individual person to determine how to best use these tools to achieve the most success.

Mobile devices in business

Mobile devices have become an extremely useful business tool because of the flexibility they provide. Rather than being tethered to a desk with a computer you can now take the information with you wherever you go. Mobile devices allow you to check and respond to emails any time anywhere. You can access and share important documents through the use of cloud services such as Google Docs. You literally have the world at your finger tips through the use of mobile devices. This opens up doors for the average business person that were not available twenty years ago. Now you do not have to worry about something coming up while you are out of the office, there is no more waiting around for a document to come in because you do not want to miss it.

Even just a standard "non-smart" cell phone provides mobility from the office rather than being stuck at the desk waiting for an important phone call. I can remember when I first started in sales we had to have dedicated office hours so we could schedule follow ups. Sometimes a missed call meant a missed sale, now with call forwarding you can take that call anywhere.

Below is a link to one of the articles I found on this topic that I thought everyone would find useful.
http://www.forbes.com/forbesinsights/untethered_executive/



Mobile Devices by phnxx75 on GoAnimate

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As technology advances the use of mobile devices will continue to become faster and smaller making them more appealing to business professionals. Combine that with the fact that the younger generations are being raised on IPADs, IPOD Touch, and mobile gaming, by the time they enter the work force mobile devices will be 2nd nature to them.