Friday, April 17, 2009

Technology helped our group reach our project goals immensely. We used our group page on Blackboard and the file exchange to post files and things we were working on for our proposal. This was a great technological resource because it allowed all group members to have access to all of the proposal's materials all in one place. It made things go really smoothly from ideas to early development to completion and compilation.

We also used email, as any group these days would, to organize meetings and delegate responsibility when we couldn't all meet at one time. It seems that email is an almost necessary part of any group work as it is hard to find time to meet in our difficult and busy schedules at school.

Other software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign helped us to create professional looking examples, images, and diagrams to better convey the message of our proposal to our clients. We were also able to create a very cohesive layout and design that brought our entire project together really nicely.

Overall, technology was a necessary part of our group work. We could have probably done without some of it, but this would certainly have hindered our progress.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

This week we discussed several ethical issues in class that relate to how we should look at ethics in the business world. I think all of these examples serve to show us that if we have to beat around the bush when describing any activity, and if we can't look what we are doing in the face, then there is a good chance it is not ethically sound. A person shouldn't have to try and hide what is really going on with terminology and euphemisms.

When I enter the workplace, I hope that I can be honest with myself and with others about what I am doing. I think that first if I can live with what I am doing and second if what I do does not negatively affect others in an unnatural way, then this will for the most part let me know I am being ethical. Sometimes, it can seem better in the immediate time period to do something unethical or cheat in order to gain an advantage or accomplish some goal. However, long-term full disclosure will always pay off. Playing by the rules of ethics in business is always best.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Miscommunication

I work for the Department of Graphic Communications as an undergraduate teaching assistant. As part of any graphics lab, some flexibility in hours and extra hours are usually required to accomplish all assigned tasks and get all projects turned in on time. I am sometimes asked to stay for extra time or come in at alternate times to assist students in the lab.

This semester, my professor asked me if I could come in on a Saturday if I wasn't busy, but that she under stood if I couldn't. I said that if she let me know what time most of the students were planning to come in then I might be able to help out. She sent me an email the next day telling me that most students would be there from 10 to 12. I did not respond, and when Saturday rolled around, I decided not to go into the lab. A few days later I received an email explaining how my professor did not go into lab due to an emergency, but that she was grateful for all that I did to help students keep moving. She apparently assumed that I was coming in on Saturday.

The problem here was just a lack of clarity and explicitness. She should have asked for a more definite response, and I should have been willing to give one instead of ignoring it and making assumptions. There were not very big ramifications. I don't know if I could have accessed the lab for the students anyways, but even so, I think they were fine. I'm sure it would have been better had I been there, but next time I will just have to make sure things are clarified.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Our group was not in class to hear the presentations on Wednesday, but I will talk about our group meeting with our client. I think it went really well and that we have some good direction. They talked a lot about branding and redoing some of their promotional posters and other materials, so as a Graphics major, I am excited to use my skills. I think we will be able to help them a lot and give them a good student perspective.

As far as online portfolios go, I have used the Blackboard program some, but I don't really like it. Its design and layouts are too simplistic for me. I am pretty picky about graphical stuff. I did have the opportunity to create a website for one of my graphics classes, though, that incorporated some portfolio aspects. We used Dreamweaver, and I really enjoyed personalizing and designing it.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Presentations

I really enjoyed Byron's presentation. I thought he was very knowledgeable and that he really cared about fishing. The slide show was well put together and the presentation flowed well. His props were also relevant and provided good examples.

I liked Joe's presentation as well. It included a lot of personal content relating to his hometown, and I thought that made it interesting. I could again tell that he really liked what he was talking about. The recipe was a great thing to bring in and let the class try, and it is something all of us could use.

Scotty's presentation was also enjoyable. I am not the biggest football fan, and was not very well informed on a lot of the specifics of football. I could tell he knew what he was talking about, and he has to. The presentation also made the point that it takes a lot of knowledge and understanding to play football at such a high level.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Cover Letters

I think that the advice offered in this section on cover letters is very helpful and has given me a new perspective on cover letters. A cover letter should not me a mass blanket statement to whoever. It should be personalized and specific to each company to which I apply. The resume is meant to tell the employer specifics about me and my qualifications, and I think this is a good point. The cover letter is what will relate me to a specific company and show them why I am a good match for the company. I should be able to relate to them specifically and articulately what benefits I will bring to their company. The advice on proofing cover letters as well as resumes seems obvious, but it is extremely important. I am not sure how I feel about including a post-script section to a cover letter. If it was really that important, shouldn't I have though about it in the first place when writing my letter? I think it could make it seem too informal. Including a testimony sounds like a good idea, though. I think that could really provide a potential employer with a genuine glimpse at me as a potential employee.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Client Meeting and Project

I like the concepts for this project so far. We have an actual goal we are trying to accomplish that if pursued correctly will produce real results. It was helpful hearing from our client to better know what we are going for. I think I would prefer doing something creative and interactive for students over doing the strategic planning document. The idea to create humorous informative videos appeals to me a lot because I really like filming and editing videos anyways. 

I do have one concern with the Redfern project. Most students do not take Redfern very seriously in my experience. It bears the brunt of a lot of ridicule and is the punch line to a lot of jokes. Still, I think that doing something humorous that would appeal to students is a good idea. Maybe this will show students that Redfern has a sense of humor too. We would just have to make sure that this was really pulled off well, or it might just make things worse as far as Redfern's image goes.

Our group has worked together really well so far. Feedback on resumes was very helpful and constructive. I think we will be able to accomplish a lot on the upcoming project, and I am looking forward to it.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Interview Mistakes Response

I think that most of the mistakes mentioned in the list were pretty good. The point about not lying or giving false information seemed too obvious to me, but I guess it is a good one to follow. 

I have interviewed for many positions. I interviewed for some positions for high school jobs, and those weren't exactly the most rigorous. I think simply carrying myself well and trying to show that I was knowledgeable about the position was enough for me to get the jobs. In college I have interviewed for and been offered two internships and completed one of those internships. These interviews were of course more in depth and probably the kind of interviews that the article was talking about. These interviews were first acquired through interactions with employers at a career fair event. The inclusion of a resume was also involved and interviews were subsequently set up. 

For both of these interviews I made sure to research the companies beforehand so that I could sound knowledgeable and ask pertinent questions like the article said. I also tried to be honest and simply be myself and apparently it worked out. I don't mind interviews, and I would almost say that I enjoy them.

Monday, January 26, 2009

My dogs are probably better than yours



The above images clearly show that my dogs are better than yours. If they got in a fight with your dog, then they would probably win. No joke.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Future Reflections

I don't have a lot of specific ideas about what I want to do as far as my profession goes yet. With a degree in Graphic Communications, a person can end up doing a lot of different things. Management, design, sales, technical work, marketing, and advertising are only a few of the areas where Graphic Communications has a big role.

Mostly I want to do something I enjoy. I know this sounds fairly obvious, but I mean this in spite of money or status or whatever else might drive a person. Most of my goals have a lot more to do with lifestyle and family than a more conventional definition of success. I know that I want to live in a city with character. I lived in Nashville for the first 18 years of my life and loved it, so I'm sure that has something to do with this desire. I want a family and to be able to support them. I also wish to continue to pursue literature and music as my primary hobbies. I see myself living a fairly relaxed and relatively simple life in the future. I am sure that the specifics of what and where will work themselves out sooner than I may think.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Web 2.0 Video Response

The title of this video is meant to convey the primary difference between what we have known in the past to be the internet and what the internet is becoming. In the past, web developers created strictly defined interfaces that did not readily and automatically respond to users. The new Web 2.0 is designed to respond to the actions of its users in order to adapt to internet consumers' needs. The internet is us, in a sense, in that the content and infrastructure is more fluid and relates more to any specific user. The internet in turn uses is in order to become better adapted to users.

The continuing development of the flexible Web 2.0 will pose problems as far as copyright, ethics, networking, and all of the other potential changes that were listed in the video as future considerations of Web 2.0 users. The greater degree of freedom in which content is defined in the new Web 2.0 structure makes it easier for users to access information. However, this freedom could also potentially pose a problem to users when definite and reputable information is required for a business, scholarly pursuit, or any number of other such activities. I think Wikipedia.org is a good example of this, and the video's creator was wise to include it as a backdrop. Overall, the web might be somewhat more convenient and flexible for users, but at what cost to accuracy and definition?

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Introduction

My name is Brent Berkompas, and I am a Graphic Communications major from Nashville, TN. I am a junior, but this is only my second year in Graphic Communications as I was in engineering for my first year for some reason. 

Outside of class I have several hobbies. These include running, cycling, and frisbee as far as athletic activities go. My two favorite things in the world, though, are books and music. I read a lot outside of class and enjoy a variety of literature and philosophy. I nurture a basically unhealthy love of music, especially rock, folk, (authentic) country, blues, or any combination of these genres. I collect and constantly play vinyl records on my turntable. It is a rare day indeed when I am not found for at least a couple of hours listening to music and reading in my apartment. I get out some too, I promise, but I love me some books and music.

I am still not certain what I want to end up doing once I graduate. Graphic Communications offers a wide variety of potential career paths. I have faith that this will become clearer to me in the coming semester.