The Top 5 Things to Know About Bone Conduction Headphones

On July 21, 2020October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn Hi TechLeave a comment

They probably seem like they were pulled out of a science fiction movie, a gadget of the future. But not only are bone conduction headphones real, they’re accessible to the average person, no more expensive than a pair of regular old AirPods.

Resting on the cheekbones rather than going in or over the ear, bone conduction headphones transmit sound vibrations through the bones in your head instead of through the air to your eardrum. This method of hearing allows the vibrations to bypass the auditory canal and go straight to the cochlea, the fluid-filled chamber where the brain processes sound. However, there is considerable debate over whether the sound quality of these headphones is on par with that of regular earbuds. In fact, writer Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica and others claim that they have a tinny, distorted quality that may make them not worth the money.

I don’t pretend to be an expert on bone conduction headphones – to tell the truth, I’ve never even owned a pair. But being a bit of an audio junkie, I had to find out all I could secondhand about the science of bone conduction. And through my research, I’ve compiled a subjective list of the five most important things to know before you consider buying a pair of bone conduction headphones.

1) Bone conduction is not a new science.

Knowledge of bone conduction hearing has actually been around since the 1500s, and bone conduction headphones have been used for improved communication in the military for over a decade now. They don’t seem to be revolutionizing the way we listen to music either, although they may provide new opportunities for people with hearing damage. Because the sound vibrations detected via the bone conduction method don’t pass through the outer and middle ear, it provides a better listening experience for individuals with a damaged eardrum. Bone conduction technology is used in many hearing aid systems for this very reason.

2) If noise cancellation is important to you, don’t buy them!

Bone conduction headphones are designed to allow the listener to be more attune to their environment. They’re definitely not meant for quiet study sessions, but if you’re looking specifically for a pair of bluetooth headphones for running, biking, or another athletic activity, then they might just be a match. Athletes often need to be aware of their surroundings but don’t want to sacrifice good tunes, and bone conduction headphones can give them the best of both worlds. In addition, their unique shape and positioning on the skull help them to fit underneath most helmets, unlike regular earbuds. But despite the pros for athletes, bone conduction headphones don’t seem to be the best option for any other activity. Even with earplugs, they are about as far from noise-cancelling as you can get.

3) Their audio quality is definitely sub-par

Enough articles have been written bashing the sound quality of bone conduction headphones to convince me that they’re not going to sound like Bose. Daniel Varghese of GQ Magazine labels them as “horrendous for day to day use” and “totally unintelligible at anything other than extremely loud volumes” (para. 7). The bass tends to get lost in translation traveling through the bones, and mid-frequencies can be muddied as well. Still, many users – especially athletes – have said that the deficiencies in quality aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. In his YouTube video about bone conduction, Dr. Cliff Olsen remarks that the audio quality of a pair of these headphones is just as good as a pair of low-grade earbuds. But even if this is the case, cheap earbuds certainly doesn’t equal great sound.

4) They may be less likely to damage your hearing

Because bone conduction headphones don’t stimulate the eardrum, there is a possibility that they are less likely to damage your hearing. But the keyword there is possibility. Turning up the volume too loud on any pair of headphones can be harmful to the cochlea, and bone conduction headphones are no exception. Additionally, Dr. Cory Portnuff of the University of Colorado states that “bone-conducted sound is transduced by the cochlea similarly to air-conducted sound” (para. 4). Because bone conduction headphones are poorer noise isolators than regular earbuds, they could actually pose an even greater risk to users who don’t realize how high they are turning up the volume to combat ambient sound. So although in theory it seems like bone conduction headphones should be less likely to damage your hearing (given that they are used properly), further research remains to be done.

5) They might take a little bit (or a lot) of getting adjusted to!

Bone conduction headphones have to apply a little bit of pressure in order to vibrate the bones in the skull and work properly. For certain head shapes, this can make listening uncomfortable – and at the very least, it will take anyone a moment to get used to hearing music through their bones versus through their ear canal. Though some people may experience more discomfort than others, it seems to be worth trying on a pair before you buy.

So there you have it: my humble opinion on the topic of bone conduction headphones. This short list may make it seem like the cons of using them far outweigh the pros. But don’t be discouraged. If you know what you’re getting into and you have a purpose for buying them, bone conduction headphones definitely have the potential to be a worthwhile investment.

How Star Wars Inspired Some of the World’s Coolest Inventions

On May 5, 2020October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn Hi TechLeave a comment

A scene from space with planets, meteors, lightsabers, and a droid

May the 4th be with you, too.

There are countless ways that the Star Wars saga has impacted global pop culture over the past 40+ years. Its characters, music, and iconic one-liners (Luke, I am your father) have pervasively touched the lives of billions of people, even some who haven’t seen the movies. More than a fad, the series has even changed the way we think about outer space. But back when A New Hope was released in 1977, very few could have predicted the ways that Star Wars would reach beyond fantasy to affect the real world of science and technology.

It is easy to see how technology altered the Star Wars universe, from the theme of intergalactic travel to the new film-making and audio technologies introduced in the first film. But is it possible that the franchise has conversely influenced the development of science and automation? Research definitely seems to point to yes, as some of the far-out gadgets from the movies are no longer far-out at all.

Thanks to ever-progressing digital technologies, here are a few inventions that blur the lines between a galaxy far far away and our modern-day world.

Droids

Humans have long been fascinated with creating robots that walk, talk, and process information like we do. But the extra influence of specific beloved characters like R2-D2 and C3PO is totally noticeable in some of the most advanced robots of the past decade. The Navy recently created a High-velocity Spherical Microbot with the ability to hop over obstacles using a multitude of sensors. Sounds like an oddly similar character to the heroic droid BB-8 (who fans were introduced to in 2015’s The Force Awakens), right?

NASA also built a humanesque robot back in 2012 to join astronauts on the International Space Station. This robot – dubbed Robonaut 2, or R2 for short – helps take over mechanical, repetitive, or dangerous tasks aboard the ISS much like R2-D2 did for Luke Skywalker and company in the Star Wars movies. Coincidence? I think not.

Prosthetic Body Parts

A robotic limb might not be the first thing you think of when I say “Star Wars,” but the recently developed LUKE bionic arm makes an obvious connection to the series. Engineered in 2019 at the University of Utah, it is the first bionic arm to send signals to the brain “in order to mimic the way a human hand can feel and sense information about an object” (para. 5), according to Ashley Strickland of CNN Health. The invention, which has already changed the lives of veterans and other amputees like Kevin Walgamott, is named for the futuristic, highly controllable prosthetic arm that Luke Skywalker receives after his hand is cut off by Darth Vader’s lightsaber.

It is also noteworthy that the world’s first bionic arm was not developed until 1993, almost 13 years after The Empire Strikes Back (the movie in which Luke receives his prosthetic) was released. Although its inventor, Robert Cambell Aird, may or may not have been a Star Wars fan, it certainly isn’t out of the question that the popular film saga gave him some inspiration for the design.

Laser Weapons

Keeping in line with science fiction clichés, the Star Wars stories tend to use futuristic weapons like laser guns and blasters. They might seem more unrealistic than the knives and guns of your typical action movie, but now in the year 2020, there is nothing futuristic about a laser weapon. Government entities like the U.S. Air Force and the Navy are actually in the process of developing and employing laser cannons for “next generation fighter jets” (para. 1). One such project, called the Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program, is being designed to shoot anti-aircraft missiles out of the sky and is expected to be ready for testing by 2021.

Margi Murphy of The New York Post also claims that the U.S. Government set up a High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office in 2000 to provide funding to projects that seek to “create weapons more akin to science fiction novels” (para. 11). This certainly does seem to be the goal of ATHENA, a U.S. Army laser-powered weapon. It has already proven its deadly ability by destroying five drones in a test run – definitely Star Wars worthy.

Year of the Micro-Influencer

On March 2, 2020October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn Hi TechLeave a comment

A network connecting small icons of people with message bubbles

Attention: Sponsored content.

There is nothing worse than seeing a caption like this in the middle of your Instagram feed. Ironically enough, it often does anything but get people to pay attention. (Disclaimer: there is no sponsored content in this blog post. Sorry for the confusion.)

If you’re like me and most other Gen Z social natives, you’ve probably become really good at tuning out social media ads. It becomes obvious when a post is merely trying to sell you something. Despite native advertising techniques on networks like Instagram and Facebook designed to help content blend in, users have caught on to the game. They stop reading, keep on scrolling, and forget about it.

However, if you’re like me, you probably also follow at least one of the many celebrities who have a social media presence. And you may have even been talked into buying new clothes, makeup, or gadgets just because your celebrity idol wears them, or said they were “in.” Celebrity influencer posts may not look like flashing signs that say “advertisement,” but they certainly play the part.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be famous to help sell a product. According to Darian Kovacs, Founding Partner at Jelly Digital Marketing and PR, 2020 is already shaping up to be “the year of the micro-influencer” (para. 7). As ordinary, everyday people with substantial local followings on social media, micro-influencers are positioned to deliver an even more authentic and powerful message for brands than widely-known celebrities can. Their community engagement skills and special interests can make them truly amazing partners to companies who know how to get them on their side.

One of the many reasons why micro-influencers work is the mutual benefit that they often gain from a business partnership. Because they are average people, micro-influencers are vastly more affordable to work with than celebrities, and some will even agree to do promotion posts for free products. Because their fan bases are relatively small, endorsing a brand or product they like may also help them to build social clout, furthering their motives for agreeing to do a promotion. Sophia Bernazzani of HubSpot CRM notes that the value of micro-influencers also stems from their narrow, targeted audiences. An audience that cares about the influencer’s area of interest is much more likely to engage with their content, promoted or not.

The rising popularity of micro-influencer marketing doesn’t necessarily mean that celebrity endorsements don’t still work. However, it’s important for a company to consider its audience, its objectives, and oftentimes also its wallet. Fuller, Gross, Zullo, and Valentine make an obvious yet critical point that using celebrities is an ineffective way to use the power of social media for a local or regional business. Not only are small companies unlikely to have the funds to compensate celebrity endorsers (whose fees can range up to $75,000 or more for a single Instagram post, according to the NY Times), they are unlikely to need to advertise their products on a national or worldwide scale. Furthermore, even a large company may not feel confident trusting a high-profile public figure to authentically and accurately convey its brand image.

While a brand’s promotional decisions are largely dependent on its strategies and goals, micro-influencers are certainly becoming a force to contend with. Their authentic nature, engagement strategies, and targeted fan bases make them a great way for companies to advertise without it appearing like traditional advertising. And the best part about micro-influencers? With passion, work ethic, and connections, anyone can be one.

So, will 2020 be the year of the micro-influencer? Stay tuned.

In a World Full of Technology, Dare to be Human

On February 11, 2020October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn Hi TechLeave a comment

Three people sitting on a bench, staring up at a collage of faces — Untitled by geralt from Pixabay

To be human is to be complex. We laugh. We cry. Sometimes we feel things we don’t fully understand.

In an increasingly digital world, it’s becoming easier and easier for brands to lose touch with the emotional, real side of being human. People are bombarded with notifications, living their lives hyper-connected to social networks and the Internet. And oftentimes, they’re connected whether they’d like to be or not. Is it possible for companies in this tech-driven age to create an effective strategy that takes a step back from the digital world and revisits what it truly means to be human?

Many professionals seem to think the answer is yes. Jalila Levesque, Head of Group Communications and PR for FF Creative Agency, actually seems to think that this is exactly what the world needs. “PR strategy must be driven by emotion and have that human element in order to be more meaningful,” she affirms (para. 6). Amid the rise of online “junk” – the meaningless information that clutters our inboxes from day to day – the only way for PR and marketing messages to remain relevant is to connect with real people in a way that sparks emotion and meaning in each one as an individual.

Creating a campaign that is human-focused does not necessarily mean giving up on technology altogether. Modern technologies – social networks in particular – are wonderful tools that, when used effectively, can spread powerful messages and serve as catalysts for change. But there is a difference between wanting to garner social media impressions and wanting to genuinely touch people’s hearts and change their attitudes about an issue. The goal of raw, emotion-driven campaigns should be to build positive relationships, move people, and make the world a better place. And unfortunately, some businesses still have their eyes simply on the data.

The key is to observe and listen to what your audience has to say. What social issues really hit home for the stakeholders you are trying to connect with? What are their values, their interests? A human-driven campaign should, after all, have humans at its center.

P&G’s Always brand and its “Like a Girl” campaign provides a clear sign that some companies are getting it right. Although the 2014 campaign did promote the brand’s feminine hygiene products, at its core was the wish to connect with and empower adolescent girls who have low confidence and feel limited by societal expectations. The PR team working on the campaign started by listening to their audience’s issues and desires with a hunger to help. Once they identified a way they could connect with girls and inspire them to adopt a change in self-attitude, the rest followed. Not only did the campaign meet its ultimate human-driven goal of instilling confidence in girls worldwide, it resulted in increased sales for the brand.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned is that professionals must start to use social media and other communication technologies in a smarter way – one that involves more listening than merely pushing out information. Social listening is a great way to learn about the emotional hearts of consumers, but many marketers still see it mostly as a tactic to acquire new customers. As James Rubec of Cision Communications points out, “if you are looking for lead generation purely from social media interaction you are missing the breadth and depth of information available” (para. 10). The purpose behind using social media for brands must be shifted from talking to listening, giving to receiving.

People today, stuck in their digitally-driven, perpetually hectic lives, really do need to be reminded of what it means to be human sometimes. Many might be quick to dismiss the idea that a company can help them do such a thing. But brands truly do have great potential to disconnect people from technology and take them back to their human roots. Using emotional appeal and fighting for positive change, brands that dare to be human in a world full of technology are bound to come out on top.

Product Spotlight: Wellness Made Easy with Vivoo

On November 8, 2019October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 105, Hi TechLeave a comment

A golden retriever sleeping next to colorful, polka-dotted Vivoo product packaging

We live in an age where nearly everyone wants to be fit and healthy, yet no one knows where to start. How do I lose weight? Eat healthier? Maintain my energy level throughout the day? Clearly, my dog Finn seems to struggle in all three of these categories. But fortunately, the folks at Vivoo seem to have some remedies… even if they aren’t quite meant for canine use.

So what the heck is a Vivoo? That’s exactly what I asked when I was handed a small, colorful, polka-dotted package in one of my college classes. Conveniently shaped like a chocolate bar, I got pretty excited about the product, until I found out what it actually was: a urine stick.

I don’t want a urine test, I thought to myself. I doubt it will tell me anything I don’t already know. But I reluctantly took the sample product home and decided to give it a try.

First impressions are important when it comes to branding, and I have to say that Vivoo’s animated, user-friendly app did its job exceptionally well. I never thought that I would be interested – dare I say excited – about taking a urine test before. But the free app takes an approach that centers around user health and well-being, introducing all of the metrics that you can assess by using the product. I was able to learn that I was a little dehydrated when I took the test, but that my kidneys and immune system are in excellent shape. And what’s more, it all took less than 3 minutes to learn.

Perhaps one of the things I liked best about my experience using Vivoo was its suggestions feature. Based on my test results, I was given directly personalized lifestyle tips within the app interface, along with the option to set reminders to achieve suggested wellness goals. It’s one thing to have the test results, but a whole different ball game to have an app that can help turn those results into actions that will make you a healthier, happier human being!

It’s worth mentioning that you can take your wellness even further by checking out Vivoo’s blog, which contains some great healthy recipes, weight loss tips and tricks, and more. Together with the wellness ideas posted daily on their Instagram page, I am convinced that I’ll never run short of suggestions for living a healthier lifestyle.

As a company that essentially sells urine sticks, Vivoo’s ability to make their product thought-provoking and useful to the average person both surprised and pleased me. But the more I think about it, the less surprising it is at all. Vivoo offers so much more than a urine test: a chance to improve your lifestyle and become a better you. And who wouldn’t want that? (Well, perhaps my dog.)

Photo, Video, and the Evolving World of Marketing

On November 2, 2019October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 105, Hi TechLeave a comment

A collage of digital devices displaying product ads — Image created with Canva

A picture is worth a thousand words, so the saying goes. And in this digital age, it is more important than ever to understand the power of visual content.

Yet, many researchers and business professionals are beginning to argue that it is no longer the power of picture making differences in marketing, but the power of video. With some simple math, James McQuivey of Forrester Research claims that a minute-long video is worth 1.8 million words.

That’s 1,000 words per frame X 30 frames per second X 60 seconds

Even if equations aren’t your cup of tea, it’s not hard to see how valuable well-crafted videos can be to a marketing or PR campaign.

Video has become especially popular as a marketing tactic in the last five years. “According to a report from HubSpot Research, more than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands… more than any other type of content” (para. 12). Videos – when done right – are captivating, relatable, and appeal to the five senses on an unprecedented level. They are multifunctional: able to help increase engagement, humanize a brand, convert leads, and convey very detailed information in a short and simple way – sometimes all at once! And with improving technologies like smartphone cameras and editing software, it is becoming easier and easier for anyone to make a quality video that speaks to people.

If you’re looking for a great example of effective video marketing, check out the How It Works video from Headspace, a subscription-based meditation program. The minute-and-a-half clip was released on YouTube and the brand’s website to give prospective customers an idea of what they can expect from the service. It uses cute, on-brand animated monsters to illustrate the benefits of meditation. What’s more, its narrative is logically organized, to the point, and audience-centric. Concern for viewer health and well-being is a point that is consistently reiterated throughout the video, with a clear call to action to try the service for 10 days for free. Perhaps most importantly, the video is not overly complicated – no distracting background music or busy visual backdrops detract focus from the narrative. It certainly made me want to try out the Headspace app!

Many marketing and PR professionals will say that in today’s day and age, if your brand doesn’t create video, it will fall behind. Yet, professionals also frequently note that the capabilities of still images in marketing should not be discounted. Jonathan Aufray, CEO of the digital marketing company Growth Hackers, states that while video ads are better for views, images are actually better for clicks because they are more quickly digestible. From a budgeting standpoint, photos are usually easier to produce and share. And sometimes, an image can actually be more powerful than a video because of its clarity and simplicity. There is no concern about “hooking” viewers in the first ten seconds of your content – your entire message is delivered at one time.

When assessing how to use video and images in your marketing strategy, it all depends on your brand, your audience, and your message. Having a good grasp on who your company is and what they stand for can help you decide what type of media to create. Knowing your audience, what they want to see, and which platforms they are the most active on can also help you to choose between photo and video content. The complexity of your message is a third point that must be carefully considered. Can you say what you need to say more powerfully in a simple photo? Or do you need a more detailed video to explain your point?

The bottom line? If you are a PR or marketing director for a brand, you definitely want to be using visuals in your campaign strategies. Both videos and images are essential components of marketing in today’s digital-centric society, and either can help you advance your brand. You just have to take the time to tailor quality content to your audience’s needs.

Technology in Careers has Gone from Nice to Necessary

On October 26, 2019January 29, 2020 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 105, Hi TechLeave a comment

Black Laptop Beside Audio Mixer Set by Abet Llacer from Pexels

We live in 2019, and with today’s rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, social networks, and more, IT workers aren’t the only ones who need technology skills to succeed in their jobs.

Nowadays, technology has become an important part of almost any field you look at. As an aspiring manager of marketing, artistic planning, or a related area in the music industry, I did a search on indeed.com for some jobs similar to those I might be interested in applying for in the future. After coming up with a list of ten, I broke down the technology-related skills needed to apply for each position, to prove how relevant technology will be in my future career:

1) Sr. Project Manager – Curation Strategy

Company: Spotify

Link: https://www.spotifyjobs.com

Technology-related skills required:

Ability to design digital presentations and reference documents
Keeping up to date with developments in media platforms and applications
Deep understanding of digital music curation

How I can become a stronger candidate:

I currently lack in-depth knowledge of digital music curation. In order to gain more skills in curation strategy and become more qualified for this position, I will research and read at least 25 articles about digital music curation over the next few months. Then I will apply that knowledge first-hand by curating my own practice playlists on Spotify.

2) Manager, Marketing and Promotions

Company: NPR

Link: https://recruiting.ultipro.com

Technology-related skills required:

5+ years of consumer marketing and promotions
Experience in digital marketing required
Experience in podcast development and promotion desired
Strong analytical skills and familiarity with online testing and optimization
Fluency in reporting tools, Excel, and KPIs

How I can become a stronger candidate:

I do not yet have any experience in digital marketing or podcast development and promotion. However, Google offers a free online marketing course that I plan to take this winter to broaden my knowledge of digital marketing and advertising. In addition, I will sign up with and begin to use Anchor, a free program for podcast-making, in the winter.

3) Music Writer

Company: Apple

Link: https://jobs.apple.com

Technology-related skills required:

Ability to explain analytical outcomes and technical roadblocks in business terms
Knowledge of current and developing trends in popular music and the cultural forces behind them
Deep familiarity with the Apple ecosystem of services and hardware (including Mac OS X, iOS, Apple Music, iTunes, App Store, iBooks, Podcasts, iTunes U, Trailers, & Apple TV)

How I can become a stronger candidate:

I already have a good grasp on current trends in music, as well as how to use some Apple services, namely iOS, iTunes, and the App Store. I will need to develop a familiarity with the Apple services I have not used before (as well as a deeper familiarity with those I have) to become more qualified for this position. To do so, I will learn to use iBooks, Apple Music, Podcasts, iTunes U, and Trailers – all applications I have access to through the iPhone – over the next few months.

4) Vice President of Artistic Planning

Company: Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Link: https://www.seattlesymphony.org

Technology-related skills required:

Progressive artistic planning experience
Ability to negotiate advantageous performance fees and contracts
Knowledge of where to search for and identify artists, conductors, composers, and other ideas to keep programming fresh
Knowledge of expense management programs

How I can become a stronger candidate:

In order to gain more knowledge about artistic planning strategies and artist contract legalities, I will take an online course in long-term artistic planning provided by Coursera next summer. After working as an intern at a local symphony orchestra for a year, I already have some knowledge about concert programming. However, I will also need to learn more about expense management programs over the summer, and will do so by watching tutorial videos on how to use software like Expensify and Abacus.

5) Operations Manager

Company: The Walt Disney Company

Link: https://jobs.disneycareers.com

Technology-related skills required:

Significant experience working with and in compliance systems, such as third party due diligence and risk monitoring systems, legal research systems, systems used to monitor and track compliance with export and sanctions regulations, and learning management systems
Well-versed in reporting and analytics tools to facilitate management-level reports or the development of dashboards and other monitoring toolkits
Must be proficient in statistical analysis using tools such as Excel, Tableau, etc.
IT-savvy with significant experience in formulating business requirements, reviewing functionalities and providing user acceptance feedback on IT projects that are compliance relevant

How I can become a stronger candidate:

To make myself a better candidate for this job, I will need to take training courses on different compliance systems, which I can do over the summer through uscompliancesystems.com at a relatively low cost. In addition, I will need to watch some tutorial videos on YouTube to familiarize myself with Tableau’s data visualization software.

6) Manager, Music Operations & Administration, Facebook Music Initiative

Company: Facebook

Link: https://www.facebook.com/careers

Technology-related skills required:

4+ years administrative management experience
Computer experience, including MS Outlook, Airtable, Word, Excel, Quip, and Dropbox
Experience with Quickbase or Cortex preferred

How I can become a stronger candidate:

I have had experience with many Microsoft products, including Outlook, Word, and Excel, but have not used Airtable or Quip. I can change this by signing up for free demos of both products and exploring them this winter. I can do the same with Quickbase, a business app development platform.

7) Head of Social Media

Company: The Madison Square Garden Company

Link: https://careers-msg.icims.com

Technology-related skills required:

10 years of social media publishing, writing, and content creation
Ability to develop standards, systems, and best practices for digital content creation, distribution, and measurement across all social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter
Deep understanding of the social ecosystem and how brands should participate in an authentic way
Proficiency in social media analytics and publishing tools

How I can become a stronger candidate:

To become a better candidate for this job, I will need to expand upon my basic knowledge of social media management tools like Hootsuite and HubSpot. To do this, I will take additional certification courses through the platforms on advanced uses and functions over the course of the next semester. In addition, it would be helpful for me to start practicing good social media content creation for my own personal accounts using resources like Canva, beginning right now.

8) Administrative Assistant for Music and Art Departments

Company: Muskingum University

Link: https://www.indeed.com/jobs

Technology-related skills required:

5 years administrative experience required
Proficiency with Microsoft Office skills including Excel, Outlook, and Powerpoint
Excellent written, verbal, and computer skills

How I can become a stronger candidate:

I already have a decent amount of experience with Excel, Outlook, and Powerpoint – however, I have not used them very much in an administrative setting. Therefore, I will take PA 270, an introductory course to public and nonprofit administration that GVSU offers, to better prepare myself for this job. Since the course is offered every semester, I could take it next semester, winter 2020.

9) Public Relations Manager

Company: Yamaha

Link: https://recruiting2.ultipro.com

Technology-related skills required:

5+ years of experience in public relations with 1-3 years of supervisory experience
Solid experience with social media including influencers, blogs, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite products: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint

How I can become a stronger candidate:

I have experience with social media for personal use, but hardly any for business use. To gain more experience, I will take free courses in social media for business over the next year, including the Introduction to Social Media Strategy course on skillshare.com. Also, I will familiarize myself with SharePoint (which I have never used before) by watching YouTube tutorial videos on how to use it.

10) Live Events Coordinator

Company: Townsquare Media

Link: https://www.indeed.com/jobs

Technology-related skills required:

2-5 years of experience in live event production
Deep familiarity with MS Office suite products (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)
Some production oversight experience (staging, sound & lights, pipe & drape, etc.)

How I can become a stronger candidate:

I am familiar with how to use most of the Microsoft Office products, but have close to no experience with live event production and staging. Most likely, the best way for me to gain this experience would be through an internship. Therefore, to become better qualified for this position, I should apply for internships with live event production companies like Live Nation after graduation.

Is Online Collaboration Changing the Face of the Traditional 9-to-5?

On October 20, 2019October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 105, Hi TechLeave a comment

It’s 9:00 am on a Monday. You stride into the office and head straight for the coffee pot before making your way over to the cubicle in the corner of the room. You plop yourself down in the same old chair and hear the familiar hum of the computer booting up. Just another 9-to-5 workday.

… Or is it?

Businesses today are progressively allowing their employees to work remotely, from outside of the office. And it’s all due to new online software and tools that enable staff members to connect and collaborate.

Gone are the days of needing to physically meet with a project team to work or share ideas. With a laptop or mobile device and a solid wifi connection, collaboration is possible from anywhere, whether that be home, a coffee shop, or a poolside resort in Miami. Employees working on the same project can collectively edit a document or presentation, viewing each others’ edits in real time. They can access the same social media accounts and message one another about trends. They can even video chat to speak face-to-face about project strategy.

There are hundreds of collaboration programs available to help with an array of functions, from project management to group communication to scheduling. Programs like Slack allow multiple group message threads so that project-related conversations can be kept organized and in one place. If your team is focused on social media management, applications like Hootsuite have you covered. It grants users the ability to create, schedule, and interact with content across multiple social media platforms in the same dashboard. Furthermore, the G Suite collection contains a variety of products meant for users to collaborate in real time while creating calendars, documents, reports, and more.

The possibilities for online collaboration in business are endless. But is hiring a greater number of remote employees really the best move for your business?

Business leaders at companies like Honeywell, Yahoo!, and Best Buy seem to think otherwise, arguing that in-person collaboration is better than remote work because it “fosters teamwork, idea-sharing, and quicker decision-making” (para. 4). As of 2018, all three companies had mandated that their employees work in-office only, along with some other major corporations like HP and IBM. Yet, other recent studies have found that many workers are more productive at home than when they’re working in a traditional office setting. At CTrip, a Chinese travel agency, it was found that remote workers made 13.5% more calls than their counterparts in the office, all other factors equal.

So what’s the bottom line? Is allowing staff to work from home a good or bad move for a corporation? In my opinion, permitting a good mix of both at-home and in-office work is the best way to maximize employee productivity.

The value of in-person, face-to-face interaction in a business setting cannot be discounted. I agree with Honeywell’s senior director Kiah Erlich in saying that human interaction can work wonders for a company, bringing teams closer together and boosting staff morale. At the same time, being given a little bit of flexibility to work from home can provide staff members with changes of pace that make them more productive. This can even save a company money by cutting down on the number of vacation days their employees take.

All in all, I believe that it is a good idea for corporations to allow their employees a limited amount of leniency in working from home. It’s unlikely that working in the office Monday through Friday from 9-to-5 will make someone the most productive they can be. Even just a couple days per month of quality work time out of the office can help improve employee productivity. And in this way, companies may also take advantage of the great software that exists to help employees collaborate while out of the office.

Pinterest vs Instagram: Comparing 2 Visual Social Media Giants

On September 28, 2019January 29, 2020 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 105, Hi TechLeave a comment

Data sourced from Intelligent HQ, Sprout Social, NY Times, Business Insider, and Hootsuite

Chances are that if you own a smartphone and/or haven’t been living under a rock for the past ten years, you’ve heard of both Instagram and Pinterest. These two social media giants offer the ability to generate content centered around visuals to share and connect with other users. Both launched around the year 2010, they are still growing almost a decade later, attracting millions of users from all over the globe. But what makes each unique and successful in its own right? And how do they size up to one another from a user standpoint?

Looking at size alone in 2019, Instagram towers over Pinterest with 1 billion monthly users while Pinterest sits at just 291 million active users per month. However, don’t let these numbers fool you into thinking that Pinterest isn’t just as mighty of a social media force.

Used as a sort of online bulletin board, Pinterest is unique because it allows users to discover new content and products that they can actually buy. While 60% of Instagram users do also say that they have discovered new products through the platform, 55% of Pinterest users say that they use it specifically to look for certain products to purchase – 4 times more than any other social media platform. And these products can range from jewelry to clothing to travel deals and beyond. The possibilities for marketing are endless.

While Pinterest has proven its worth as a social media shopping market, Instagram has likewise proven itself as a platform for “sharing and caring.” 50% of users take advantage of its ‘stories’ feature to share life moments with one another, and a staggering 4.2 billion posts receive ‘likes’ every day. Instagram users are also incredibly interactive compared to users on other platforms, with an average 2.2% engagement rate (a measurement of how many audience members that view a post actually like, comment, or share it). For a little comparison, Facebook, the largest social media platform today, has an audience engagement rate of only 0.22%.

So which is the better platform?

I would argue that choosing whether to post something on Instagram or on Pinterest depends solely on user intent, and I think the statistics would agree. Marketing on Pinterest can gain businesses a lot of exposure to potential buyers, while searching on Pinterest for new ideas can help personal users plan life moments. At the same time, creating an Instagram account for your business can help you connect with your consumers and build brand loyalty, and using Instagram to share personal stories can help you stay connected to friends across the globe. All in all, each have different advantages to offer both personal and business users, and using a combination of both may be the optimal way for businesses to market themselves to consumers and for ordinary people to stay connected to one another.

Social Media… On the Decline?

On September 22, 2019October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 105, Hi TechLeave a comment

Everybody has that friend.

You know who I’m talking about. The one who posts a life update on Facebook every hour. Or the one who uploads twenty selfies a day to Instagram. Or maybe it’s the one who tweets their reaction to every single cat video on the Internet.

Yet, in my personal experience, most ordinary people are not consumed by social media to the level described above. Yes, we can probably all think of a select few individuals in our lives who share a little bit more often than they should… but the good old-fashioned method of face-to-face interaction is still valued in our culture. And contrary to what many people might believe, I think that the up-and-coming leaders of Gen Z are growing even more conscious of the harmful effects that too much connection to social media can have on us.

My generation has been incessantly warned about the repercussions of posting negative or unflattering things online. And by unflattering I don’t mean ugly selfies. I mean things that might make a person less desirable to an employer looking to hire. We’ve grown up knowing that how we present ourselves online will matter in the scope of our careers because that information is always accessible, like an ever-present resume for employers. In fact, we’ve never not known a world where most businesses didn’t incorporate the Internet into the hiring process, and as a result, we are becoming more diligent about the things we broadcast for others to see.

Secondly, in today’s era of “fake news,” not everything you see on the Internet is real – not even the ways some people present themselves on social networks. I would argue that more and more students in the up-and-coming generations are learning not to believe everything they see on the Internet. When it comes to online social profiles, everyone is simply trying to put out the best version of themselves to the world, including celebrities and so-called influencers. Marketing too has penetrated the social media world, and young people are becoming better and better at recognizing accounts and posts simply trying to spam them or sell them a product.

In addition, social media has been around for long enough that we’re starting to realize all of the negative side effects that spending too much time in front of our smartphones can pose. Not only have several studies shown that too much screen time can cause atrophy of certain areas of the brain used in processing, too much time isolated and on our phones can damage personal relationships too. Those of us in Gen Z are starting to realize that a quick Facebook message or Snapchat pic doesn’t cut it when it comes to making real connections and building relationships. They can’t take the place of the face-to-face social interactions that we as humans crave on a very basic level.

So with all of these revelations, is social media “on the decline?” According to a 2019 report from Edison Research, “the only social network that’s growing among young Americans (ages 12-34) is Instagram, up from 64% to 66% in the past two years” (para. 9). But while that statistic may lead some people to jump to the conclusion that social media is beginning to fade, it’s important to remember that 3.48 billion people still use social media around the world. That’s a staggering 42% of the global population, and a number that would take a heck of a long time to dwindle down to zero.

Ultimately, it doesn’t seem to me that social media is going to go away anytime soon. But I do think that people – and especially the younger generations – are getting smarter about how to use it and how to practice control. Hopefully, the more we come to learn about how to use social media for good in the world, the more we can start to use it purely as a communication tool rather than as a social crutch and a replacement for real, meaningful face-to-face connections.