What makes a good Blog?

                                             
 It is true that the elements involved into creating and developing a good blog is its readability. The content in the blog has to be easy to read. From the font size, which make it easier on the eyes, to the color background that won’t cause any other distractions but represent a contrast instead. There should sufficient line spacing so that the reader can easy move into the next paragraph of the blog posting. 

As content is the most important element in a blog, it needs its own design or a popular design to attract the audience desire to the your blog. As shown in recent review of the www.kronikmedia.co.uk/blog/15-elements-of-great-blog-design/2133/ an effective blog must offer multiple ways for its readers to navigate through the site while yet remaining an appealing blog.

            Good comment selection encourages the reader to participant in the discussion. In my blog that applying the CSS that displays comments as well as the replies was found quite challenging. I realized in my reading that this can achieved by assessing tools certain tools within the blog such Word Press plug-ins and Disqus comments. This allows the user to leave as well as edit their comments by signing on to one of the leading social websites.

            An effective blog design, which emphasizes the integration of social media, serves as an important component to your blog.  Including the tool such as share or add will allow the audience of readers to participant in your discussions n the blog. Facebook, Twitter, and other popular cite makes it easy got readers to share your content.

            Another important element required to develop and design an effective and visually appealing blog is it header design. The header is the first thing the reader is going to see and just like meeting someone for the first time you want to make a good impression. Whether the blog is for selling or introducing a brand, the header of your blog is describing what the reader should expect from the blog.

            Another important element inside a blog is the existence of sidebars, images, and an appealing post title.  A good blog design should use an effective sidebar.  Sidebars are located on the left or right of your blog.  While images create a more appealing blog, it should be readable as well.

Lastly, your blog should be clean and compliant: free of any incorrect HTML’s.   A good blog has it own voice when the proper components are in place. If gets the attention of the reader and encourage them to follow the blogger.

            In reviewing some of my fellow classmates blogs, I understand that everyone has an opinion about something. For example, in week one when the assignment was creating an initial blog cite. I found that it was quite challenging, then I received a response from one of my fellow classmate showing me using very good technical writing to direct my attention in the navigation tools that I most definability needed to customize my blog.   
                                                                                
 Evaluation of www.cakesntae531.blogspot.com/ I initially thought the selected titles have to be weird but after evaluating this blog as it reminded me of information you would read in a press release. It was clean, clear, and straight to the point. I though the content fit the purpose of the post. Each heading provided the reader with an ideal of what to expect in the post.  I understand that a blog title creation has to appeal to you as well as your audience. In evaluating www.militarynews247.blogspot.com/ it was my classmate’s side bar and images that attracted me in the blog. However, I was a bit cluttered and not easy to read, but the graphics themselves told the story. At some point I could visualize what was being said in the post.  
 In reading my last blog from my classmate www.sphoncommunication.blogspot.com/ that is what prompted me to rethink my entire initial blog.                                                                                              
This blog like great. The color I soft not drawing attention away from the readers it was more than just the content it was the overall experience of reading this blog. It identified its audience by clarity of the initial heading.  I will review the content graphics in this blog for my own blog revisions. To incorporate a lighter shade of color and increase my font size and additional sidebars will develop my own voice and provided the reader with more insight into the blogger.  Adding images in my blog, with additional examples increase reader’s participation.            

            In order continue to improve on my very own blog, I will incorporate some color and add some type of graphic; maybe a traveling deign.  I will research the side bar items into my blog as some the best blogs that I have seen have seen have good format and have made assignments interesting to read. 

References:

http://www.kronikmedia.co.uk/blog/15-elements-of-great-blog-design/2133/

http://www.cakesntae531.blogspot.com/

http://www.militarynews247.blogspot.com/

http://www.sphoncommunicationtips.blogspot.com/




           

          

Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

Although it is never easy, as a Manager, to deliver bad news to an employee, there are tactful and effective ways to communicate the news.  In reviewing the case study on delivering bad news I would approach the employee requesting a meeting. During the meeting, I would get straight to the point of the discussion. While using a warm tone of voice so that the employee can feel more relaxed and not anxious about what is going to be discussed.     
  

 I would then state the facts pertaining to the employee’s performance without mentioning any of the other employee’s performance in the office.  This will assure that the employee understands that we are only there to discuss their performance and is not part of the group. Then go into the facts related to the complaints regarding the employee’s confrontational behavior that has created hostile work environment for the technology support services.  As the department manager, there must be improvement or you (the employee) are subject to dismissal.

 The news of poor performance and behavior issues will often upset and anger the employee. Without making light of the situation with the anticipation that the employee will become again confrontational, attempt to make the atmosphere seen less unpleasant than it already is for the employee. I would be honest as well as optimistic in my communication with the employee. Remain focused on the facts and review the previous points that were made during the discussion, while respecting the employee rights to disagree with the facts provided. Don’t push the employee for compliance. Allow the employee to ask questions and allow time to answer those questions. In order to defuse the situation, give the employee time needed to absorb and understand what is being told to them.   


 The news of possible dismissal will upset the employee; therefore remain calm with the same warm tone use throughout the meeting, not displaying any type of negative non-verbal communication with the employee. Allowing the employee to air his or her own emotions. Do not verbally tell the employee that it is their own fault for this type of discussion to be taking place but assure them without threatening that the issue must be corrected.   

Selecting some course of action, I would explain to the employee by acknowledging that I am aware of the impact that this situation could cause. Assure the employee that both of us can both work together at some solution and provide any assistance that to them, for the best possible outcome.  Continue to remain mindful applying the possibility of dismissal can be overwhelming to employee. Remain considerate when delivering bad news.

Reference:

Koning, L. (2010). People Management. Delivering bad new to your Employees. Retrieved May 21, 2012 from http://www.managementtrainee.co.uk/delivering-bad-news-your-employees.html

McGraw Wentworth. (2009). The Viewsletter. Tips on Delivering Bad News. Retrieved May 21, 2012 from http://www.mcgrawwentworth.com/Viewsletter/2009/2009_Issue2.pdf

Initial Summary

Crazy Pet Peeves

Crazy Pet Peeves 

What bothers you?

            In reviewing simple and professional blogs, it is clear that blogs and the people behind the blog have several reasons for their creation. The guidelines for creating a blog are simple, but a novice blogger would have a bit of a problem sorting through the abundance amount of information that a blog can contain. Therefore, the blog has to have its own audience. This means you are not to find just any blog to interesting unless there is an interest in the subject matter contained within the blog.  This is how the audience is determined.

            Once the audience has been targeted it would be time to create a catchy design that will attract the audience you desire. A blog can be used to information, selling, advertisements, and, promotions or   just using as a conversation forum. The main purpose for a blog is to share knowledge or information that can be a matter of opinion. In posting you have to maintain fair use as respect to others not necessarily readers of your blog.  In researching blogs it’s the quantity as well as quality in a post.

            Darren Rowse (2006) reviews in his post; the average attention span for blog readers is about 96 seconds. Sometimes though it is the type of post that will determine how long it will be. In other words, it can be who the actual audience is that determines the length.   The topic and content of the post keeps your intrigued and shorter post allows the blogger to generate even more post.

Reference:

Rowse, D. (2006). Pro Blogger. How to write Great Blog Content. Retrieved May 7, 2012 from http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/blogs-purpose.html

Jeff Goins. A Blog. Adventures Missions. Pilgrimage of the Heart.  Retrieved May 6, 2012 from

            http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org/?filename=an-example-of-a-good-blog

Nobles, R.  Search engine workshops. Blogs with a Purpose. Retrieved May 6, 2012 from

            http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/blogs-purpose.html

Media Technologies

Media Technology 

Radio Technology

It is true that media technologies we rely today stated with the invention of the radio. As radio evolved from large transistors sets, to small wireless onto Internet technologies the radio set the foundation of media technologies today. Radio were used and used today as a form of broadcasting, entertaining, news, and informing to the world with important information. Without the radio society was basely cut off from the world. Radio broadcasting is an established use of radio technology. The radio’s audience contains a variety of listeners. The radio was used in history to inform the public of vital information necessary for country’s wellbeing. Listener’s tuned in to receive instructions and from government during War or any impending dangers. Later the radio became a form of entertainment often presenting on going shows that not only entertained but also created lucrative careers in radio from people. Today, most people listen to the radio during the daily commute work.  However some audiences have certain preferences of listening than before but its audience has not changed. 

Newspapers and Magazines

The most traditional form of the media technology is on printed material are newspapers and magazines. This type of communication element plays a vital role in informing its audiences with the current news and different topics of discussion. These media vehicles such as newspapers and magazines serve as informational topics as well as for entertainments purposes.  Ingram (2012) states in his article, “When all is said and done, what is the ultimate purpose of a newspaper — to make money, or inform the populace? That question could be relevant in more than just the newspaper but magazines too. As newspapers are finding themselves to be competing for revenue with the new technologies of digitals there are still people that prefer the traditional method of use. The newspaper’s central focus hasn’t it given up any hope of being a public entity or keeping the interests of society at heart but the mass markets of newspapers are coming into a close because of digital access.

Television

Television has the largest impact of societies.  Although there is complexities that go along with how the television works it would require much more resource to define it technology behind the scenes. . “The American standard, known as National Television System Committee (NTSC), utilizes 525-line, 60-field, 30-frame, interlaced scanning. This means that images are scanned in the television camera and reproduced in the television receiver or monitor 30 times each second”.  Steve Runyon (2011) states that in his article that it was, “Paul G. Nipkow that the rotating scanning disk that provided a way of sending a representation of a moving image over a wire using varying electrical signals created by mechanically scanning that moving image”. The enhanced the creation of the television indicator that there is a carrier wave that uses the same frequency as the radio but travels at the speed of light through these frequencies.  Today that is a variety of technologies that involve the television. How will new technology change the television?  Currently there are smart TV’s that have changed the face of how the world even watches television. The television continues to be a mass form media technology that provides the news, entertains and educates but also updates the viewer constantly with current information that focuses on current issues that impacts the lives of people and their cultures.

Internet

The Dictionary defines the Internet as vast computer network that links smaller computer networks worldwide. The Internet includes commercial, educational and governmental information to it users and is revolutionizing our society. There are also o-called private networks and participants or users that make up those networks within the computer system. CMC known as computer-mediated communications has provided new opportunities in the world of business. We are now using the computer to communicate via Internet socially as well as on professional levels. These networks are called social and professional networking websites. The website are part of the new media technology. In the world now computers help to limit any type of identity management (Adler, Rosenfeld  & Proctor, 2007). You can be completely anonymous or someone other than yourself on the Internet. The Internet provides everything that newspapers, magazines, education but at a faster rate. Technically, the Internet does use certain called TCP/IP. These are the computer’s own addresses.  It can virtually eliminate any face-to-face interaction if need be. Actually, the Internet is described as the new media technology. Our world, thanks to the innovations of the computers, the Internet is now are in real time. As defined new media is any type of application meant to transfer information using digital techniques, computer systems and data network. It audiences are businesses, homes, schools, social networks and, bloggers, and everyday users of the Internet and its websites. Web based technologies are now more prevalent in our society than ever before.

References

Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor (2007). Interplay. The Process of Interpersonal Communication. Oxford University Press, Inc. Oxford New York

 Ingram, M.  (4/28/ 2012).  GIGAOM. What is the purpose of a Newspaper? http://gigaom.com/2012/04/28/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-newspaper/

Runyon S. (2011). Television Technology. MBC. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=televisionte