Why Facebook is important

This week we were asked to make a professional Facebook page as a kind of online business card for potential employers to reference. I think that such a thing is important for every up and coming academic not only to put their name out into the world, but also as a resource for others to track said person's interests and hobbies, as well as their perspective on many national and international issues. Facebook is an excellent way to share photos and just by simply clicking the "like" button on a page, one can follow postings made by individuals and organizations that are tailored to their own personal interests.

Facebook is a highly interactive site that allows people to update their status, post pictures and links, and "creep" other people's Facebook pages to learn a few things about them. (EVERYONE has creeped a page on at least one occasion, even you). I think the main use of Facebook is to keep in touch with people who you don't see on a regular basis, as you can learn about what is new in their lives just by reading their status updates. A downside to using Facebook in this way is that I find it almost becomes a popularity contest i.e. who has the most friends, whose life is the most exciting, who went to which party etc. On the other hand, Facebook can be used in a purely professional manner as a way for businesses and organizations to update people who are interested in them and also as a means of networking their respectful business. I think that the Edmonton Humane Society does a particularly excellent job of this on their Facebook page.

I think sites like Facebook are an extensive resource of knowledge, and even if the knowledge is not pertinent to one's degree or bachelor of whathaveyou, I find myself thinking in a more worldy fashion because of the way others think and interpret things.

For this ALES 204 assignment, the main goal that I perceived of having a professional page aside from a pre-existing personal Facebook page is that when you are applying for a particular job and the employer googles your name, what you don't want showing up are a bunch of pictures of you doing a keg stand. What you DO want is a respectful image of yourself to be portrayed through the images and content on your page that make you unique and PERFECT for said job. Making a page such as this will be useful for future careers because employers can learn more about me and the type of person I am simply by checking out my Facebook page which will have all of my most current and up-to-date information for them to reference.

The class that I am doing this all for has their own Facebook page! Check it out. http://www.facebook.com/pages/ALES-204-Dr-Laccetti/311657842204554?ref=ts

picture of my ALES 204 Facebook page

Intro to my lifeeeee

Hello!
My name is Erica Posteraro and I am in the Animal Health program majoring in Food Animals. It is my intention to apply to vet school at the end of next year in either Calgary or Saskatoon. My program provides all of the prerequisites required to gain access into vet school, along with enriching programs that give hands on experience with animals and people who are experts in animal production and maintenance fields. Ever since I was 4 years old, I wanted to be a ballet dancer, a teacher, and a vet...at the same time apparently. The ballet thing never happened, and teaching a concept is TRULY not one of my strong points, so we can all see what I was left with. I am extremely passionate about animals and their well-being, treatment, and overall health, and I think that going into the veterinarian profession is the only thing that will make me content with my life and I plan to pursue it with extreme gusto (I enjoy that word).

Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why would a person who so loves animals major in an area that involves making them into steaks?" Well, majoring in Food Animals involves much more than the simple processing of animals, but more so about developing innovative ways of ensuring their nutrition and food requirements are met, and that each and every 4-legged creature is treated with the utmost respect it's ENTIRE life, among other things. :)

This here is my horse and my kitty, the only 2 trustworthy males I have discovered thus far...

my own personal album

my own personal album

 Although I don't like to wholeheartedly admit it, technology and social media are a vitally integral part of our current society, and along with it comes numerous benefits and drawbacks (I believe the first outweighs the latter). In my current work and studies, electronic communication is an absolute necessity  when it comes to handing out/in assignments, learning course content, and researching topics that are pertinent to the courses. The gradual shift of teachers communicating to their students various aspects of the course via computer is the most efficient and logical way to send out a unanimous message to masses of people. As far as social media goes, I think it helps people stay connected who otherwise wouldn't, and it also provides many opportunities for people to share recent experiences and, in the academic world, recent discoveries and innovations. In the future, communication of ideas and of even newer technologies will always be important as the world becomes increasingly integrated and the population continues to grow.

As for the role of communication in my future field of study, I believe that every medical profession relies heavily on innovations of others in their field, and the only way to mass communicate these ideas is by some form of electronic communication. This site here has FASCINATING blogs of up-to-date information in the world of medicine. I do not, however, believe that those in the medical fields should come to rely so heavily upon technology that one can no longer express ideas without having a keyboard in front of them.

I would like to link to Jami Frederick's blog, another student in ALES 204, and also a friend of mine who has common interests, to say the least :)

Until next time!

EP