Poster Mania and Using Twitter

I know you have heard me talk a lot about my Com 435 class where I learn about new emerging technologies, while for the past week we have had presentations in that class to learn about all different kinds of technologies. On Monday, 50 students displayed their presentation posters and the other students in the class looked at them and today,Friday, the other 50 students displayed their technology posters. It was a lot of fun to see all of the different emerging technologies. I saw everything from vertical farming technology to using sea sponges to build skyscrapers. It was a very interesting and interactive way to learn about a lot of different technologies. The only thing I really didnt like is on my day to present I really didnt get a chance to see the other posters except for the ones right area me. Also during the presentations the viewers had to use twitter to update the class on what posters they thought were interesting. I like the idea that I could use twitter for class. If you would like to see what everyone wrote about the posters please visit twitter and search for #Com435. You will learn a lot.

Here is the link: http://twitter.com/

Technology Saved my Weekend in Chicago

This weekend I had an amazing mini vacation to Chicago with my boyfriend. We planned on doing a lot of different activities while we were there: walking around downtown, eating deep-dish pizza, shopping, going to the Shedd aquarium, and ice skating in the park. I knew that I had been to downtown Chi-Town a number of times but I knew that I still might need help finding all of these locations. I then remembered about a cool IPhone application that was presented to me in my Communication 435 class. It is called the Monacle Yelp. It is a augmented reality for a mobile device meaning that it adds information and meaning to a real object or place. Monacle Yelp lays a map system over a GPS camera application so one can see where they are going on a map in real time. I immediately told my boyfriend to download this application to his phone before we left on our trip. When we got there we used the application to find our hotel and then used it to find a place to eat for dinner. This application made my life so much easier this weekend! I can't wait to get a IPhone and download this application myself, I am not very good at directions.

If you would like to see more about how this application works please visit this website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZyOZBqI8FM

Here is an example of what you might see:

Dealing with the Unexpected!!!

I don't know if you remember but a few blogs ago I was telling you about an amazing job I was applying for. Just to refresh your memory the job was at a marketing company called ExactTarget. It was called the Catapult program which was a rotation program so I could see how Human Resource, Marketing, and Customer Service worked. Unfortunately, I received an email a few days ago letting me know that my degree wasn't what they were looking for. I didn't make it to the next round. Even though it was hard for me to handle I picked myself up and am continuing to look for jobs. I have been able to use some of the online career websites and have even started to post a profile using the new finance career website that I talked about in an earlier blog. I will continue to keep you posted on the job search.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving....Today is Thanksgiving. This is one of my favorite days of the year. I love it when everyone gets together and eats as much food as they can stuff into their mouths. :)

On this Thanksgiving, I will be eating a very quite meal with just my mom, dad, and grandparents. One of the hardest things about this holiday however is being able to always have an exciting conversation at the dinner table. At lunch today, I was able to be a big part of the dinner talk with help from what I have learned in my Communication and Emerging Technology class. My grandfather brought up a news story that he had seen lately about a device that is helping a "locked-in" patient talked to his family through the use of a computer. I said grandpa that is know as a cyborg brain implant, I am learning about those in one of my classes. After I told him all that I had learned in my class about how technology is helping our society, I was able to show him a 60 minutes clip called "Brain Power" so he could learn more about this interesting technology.

After we watched the video, my grandparents were have impressed to see just how much I had been learning in my classes at Purdue. I was very happy to learn just how much technology helped my family become closer during this family holiday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!

Quicken Online

In today's finance world it is very easy for a lot of people to not know where all of their money is going. There are so many different avenues our money goes down that it is hard to keep it all straight. We have retirement plans, checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards, and paychecks. Also with the economy down the way that it is, a lot of people have to live paycheck to paycheck so it is important for them to know where their money is going. CareerBuilder.com took a survey saying that 41% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. This is a large amount of the population. I have discovered a new online program that can help a lot of people with their checkbooks and finances. It is called Quicken Online. One of the great things about this online program is the fact that it comes from such a well known company like Quicken. With this online service you are able to comply all of your finances on to one website in order to see when to pay credit cards and where all of your money is going. Here is a video tutorial on why you should check out this new website.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=quicken+online&search_type=&aq=0&oq=quicken+onlin

OneWire Finance

As a senior graduating from Purdue University with a degree in financial planning I have been hitting the pavement hard to try and find a job at the end of the year. So you know already, I have tried to apply to a company called ExactTarget but I have to remind myself that there are other companies out there as well and I should start looking. Well just today I actually found a new website called OneWire Finance. It is a new networking site that is used just for the finance industry. The main reason why I liked this website so much is the fact that it is completely confidential. Companies don't have to see your profiles unless you want them to see it. How does this website find you jobs then you ask? Well you fill out a profile on their website with key facts and information about yourself. Then the companies do the exact same thing. When there is a match between the company and you, you are sent an email stating that you could either reveal your profile to the company, ignore the match and continue to stay confidently, or refer a friend to the company instead. OneWire Finance's motto is precise career connections. I think this website sounds really great, and I cant wait to try it. I will let you know soon how I like it. If you would like to visit the website for yourself though, please check it out at www.onewire.com.

SmartCredit

Now I know that everyone has the hardest time keeping track of one's credit score. I also know that people are worried about identity theft. I know that I have already talked to you about how to protect your identity with the Susie Orman software, but I have just discovered this new website that you can subscribe to in order to help you improve your credit score. It is called SmartCredit and the website is http://www.smartcredit.com/. When you sign on to the website you will see that there is a free trail that you can do. Why not try it since it is free...I think I am going to. Also when I went to the site I discovered that SmartCredit can help you out in a lot more ways than just knowing your credit score. You are able to control your credit with a click of a button:

• Fix Credit Report Errors


• Get Goodwill Corrections


• Remove Identity Theft


• Settle Debts


• Lock Credit Reports


• Get Daily Alerts


• Know Whats Affecting Your Credit
  
  Here is an example of what the homepage of SmartCredit looks like:

Financial Self-Service Kiosk Technology

So I was going through Youtube the other day looking for videos that I could incorporate into my blog and I came across a very interesting one. It was posted a few years ago by BusinessWire. In the video it talked about a new technology call financial self-service kiosks. These kiosks would work can of like debit card machines, but instead of only getting money out you could actually put cash or checks into the machine to be deposited into your account. Not everyone wants to pay bills through the mail or online so you could go to a self-service kiosk at your local bank or retail mall and do all of your billing there. I wonder how well this technology has taken off, however, since it was posted three years ago and I have yet to see this very interesting machine. It seems like a pretty great idea, but I think a lot of people are become more comfortable using the Internet. My own mom has started to use the Internet to pay bills, after being late on one payment. She isn't very computer literate but companies have made it really easy to pay for things online. If you would like to see this video,however, here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzcrPCFB4QM

ExactTarget

I have told you in earlier blogs that I am a senior and am looking for a job this semester! It is really scary but exciting as well. I was talking to my boss from my summer internship and she told me about this program that her son is in. It is called the Catapult program through the company ExactTarget. ExactTarget is an Internet marketing software company. The Catapult program is a rotational program for graduated students straight out of college. I would be doing a rotation between marketing, human resources, and finance if I was chosen for this great position. This company has great company culture, great benefits, and develop leading edge marketing products. I have been able to add together the new media that I have been learning in my communications in emerging technology class and what ExactTarget is doing in the industry. I will be applying for this position very soon and will keep you updated on what happens.Wish me good luck!!! :)

GeoCaching

For my Com 435 class we are learning all about new emerging technology in communication. In class last week we learned all about geocaching. Geocaching is a new type of "treasure hunt" that uses GPS systems to get to the next clue. We were able to actually participant in a geocaching event so we were able to really see what it is all about. A lot of different students from different lab sections wrote about their experiences of the new technology game. I was one of the students that had to write on the class blog. I would love it if you went to that blog to learn more about geocaching and how you can get involved with it.

The blog website is: http://fall09com435sec4.blogspot.com/

Identity Theft

For the past few years shopping online for everything from books for school to clothes has become a very profitable industry. When you shop online though you have to give out your credit card number and some other very personal information that can be used for identity theft. It is very easy for someone to create a "shopping" website, get credit card numbers, and never send the customer what they purchased. Because of these schemes you have to be very careful with what type of websites you give your information too.

When it comes to the finance world, the Internet is used a lot by private financial planning firms to balance spreadsheets, buy and sell stocks, and do tax returns. The well known celebrity financial planner Suze Orman has come out with a software program to help with protect yourself and your computer from identity theft. The software program is called Suze Orman's Identity Theft Kit and can be purchased on her personal website for $40.78. This program can help protect your computer from letting unknown sources access to credit reports, credit cards, checking accounts, social security numbers and medical records. My family has personally installed this program on our computer at home. I have to say that it has helped me become more comfortable with putting my information online. However, one down side is the program does make your computer work a little slower.

You have to decide is protection from identity theft worth $40 and a slower computer???

The Internet is helping me with a career path

I am a senior at Purdue University getting ready to graduate in the Spring. Graduation is a scary time because I dont know what I will be doing after college or if I will be able to be successful in the "real world". My major is Financial Planning and Counseling with a minor in Communications. All of my classes that I have taken has helped me to see that I have a real passion and interest in the Finance world. Since the downturn of the economy in the pass year, the job market has taken a huge hit. People need financial planners more than ever, but they are too scared to put their money back into the market that just made them lose their life savings. Because of this fact, I thought it would be easy to get a job when I graduated but it is looking like that isn't the case. I need to start looking for different avenues to get my name out there into the finance field.

In order to complete my Communication minor I had to take a 400 level course. I am now enrolled in a class called Communication and Emerging Technology. It is very fascinating to see how in such a short time the technology of the computer and Internet has changed our culture. Through class I have started to learn about new technology that I hadn't know about before. One is the true affect of blogs. I have started to follow some finance blogs and some college career blogs that have helped me to see that I am not alone in the struggle to find a job. I learned through one of these blogs to start using more resume search engines like: Monster. I just put my resume up on a few sites and already have some interviews lined up. Ya! Well we will see how they go and hopefully by May I will be able to call some finance firm my new home.