Ember, the new fire of communication

I was searching on my Iphone the other day and I found a social networking tool used between iusers called Ember which is just a high speed way to set up a profile and chat with people based on the information on your profile. When I downloaded it and went to a chatroom I was sent to a campfire, or chatroom, with a few golfers around the country. I was amazed to find out that the other golfers were actually using the medium while in class at UGA and they were talking about their recent tournaments. I was kind of am odd man out given that I wasn't really part of their group but I had some good conversation. Eventually after talking to them awhile I said I might have to come down there sometime and play some golf and they agreed.

Active virtual community

I have discovered the virtual community active.com. It is a networking/virtual community sight that primarily connects people interested in competing in athletic events with the events and others interested in competing. In addition they provide training tips and heath information. Basically it is a one-stop site for the amateur fun-loving athlete. You can virtually schedule an entire year of athletic events, make a calendar of your athletic progress and your day to day training, and chat with fellow athletes.

Recyclable Worker

To avoid being disposable I have many different jobs. I am in the army, I am a server, I am a motorcycle safety instructor, and I coach swimming. At any particular times one of these modes of being employed may become more profitable than the others, and generally that keeps me financially on top of things.
Many people may find it distracting having so many different jobs, however knowing that I could be let go of at least a couple of them at any time gives me more comfort knowing I have more. Having many jobs it simply the way I have lived and the way I have grown up. Having moved around a lot since I had to support myself I had to become an employable chameleon so to speak.

Virtual Community

I am blogging about World Of War Craft. This is an online game that does not end. Basically people on computers wonder around a mythical land as a character. I see how much of an impact this community has on people. They spend all their free time and money to enter this online community. Members of this sommunity get eager to buy acess cards. They line up with the new release of a card. They also call and asks so many questions about acess cards. I have never seen such a loyal community.

Disposable WORKERS!!

being temporary isn’t very plausible when you are supporting others.
My thoughts on the recent increase in the disposable worker lead me to believe that our current economy is another contributing factor. Unemployment has gone through the roof and people that have their jobs are struggling to keep them. I am so lucky to be working right now it is ridiculous. Employers have more control over us than ever by making us feel disposable. We do what they want, when they want, how they want because if we get fired new jobs don’t come “a dime a dozen” these days. This is the kind of situation that I am in. I am in school, therefore I have a temporary job that isn’t my career to hold me over until I graduate. Most employers look at people like me as a short term investment. They know that when I leave there will be another person—in their eyes—just like me to fill my place. That makes me a disposable worker, because if I am fired there is no problem for O’Charleys to find a replacement within a week. The implications of this trend are pretty drastic. The unemployment rate has skyrocketed and temporary jobs have become more common place. The minimization of wages has caused people to earn less over their lifetime and retire later. Part-time jobs are becoming more prevalent as full-time are cut. Also, less and less people are receiving benefits and healthcare.

No Longer Trash

How will I make sure I am not a disposable worker? The answer is have a skill that everyone wants and is rare. The less people that have the same skill that I have, the better chances of me beeing non disposable. To do so, I will go to school and learn as much as I can. the mroe I l earn, the more knowledge I will have. Knowledge is power.

back to basics-

The age of the disposable worker just sounds scary. It almost feels like a term someone came up with to instill fear into people entering the workforce. I was visiting with a friend's mother the other day and she said, "it is such a tough time to be graduating and coming out into the workforce with the recession happening." So what is a worker to do?
I say stick with the basics. Basic number one- work hard. Hard work seems to be underrated today in young employees skills. I deal with this everyday at my current job. We want to hire new employees, we have applicants coming in the door, but we have very few who actually want to work for their money. Somewhere along the line the idea of coming in to work to actually work hard got lost. Along with the idea of working hard is being willing to work your way up. Sometimes you do have to start at the bottom in order to end up at the top.
Basic number two- Develop your skills and bring as many to the table as possible. It seems like in this economy you have to be a double or triple threat. Companies are looking for someone who has the knowledge(college degree) and the experience (real life work experience) and a special skill or quality on the side. The more you are able to develop yourself the better off you will be and the more competitive you be.
Basic number three-Stay sharp. It is too easy to become comfortable at your position, but change usually brings progress. If you are comfortable chances are you have developed and understand your current level and need to push your into a new environment. Along with this- be willing change. Like we learned in the book change is inevitable in organizations and if you can be the change adept person in the organization you will be remembered and appreciated.
I don't know if there are special tricks you need in this work environment, but it seems like whenever things get out of control if you go back to the basics you can survive. That's my plan.. and even in a bad economy I believe companies will always be looking for a double threat hard worker.

Indisposable

Being disposable in today's economy has got to be one of the scariest things a person could encounter. I mean you probably have a family or a nice apartment or whatever, and you are probably dependent on that source of income each couple of weeks. Business in communications can be a very do or die industry and so I believe I know what it takes to successfully become a permanent mark on an organization. You have to start by truly knowing your job, knowing every aspect that it entails and how you can best perform it. For instance, I am going to be a sports agent, and I intend to know every aspect of the clients I represent no matter what. I also intend to know to the T my companies mission and objectives, basically every aspect of the life of sports agent I will have down. Secondly always come in early, never be late and stay healthy, if your calling out of work its pretty simple to just cut you from the job altogether. The most important part though is be innovative and original and think outside the box, because you never know when your time to shine will come but it will and if you are ready when it does you will be able to hold on that for a long time. Finally though have full confidence in yourself for the job you have and don't be scared to step up when called and try to put in a small piece extra whenever you can.

Disposable

I found an article claiming the disposable worker as "Today's Reserve Army of Labor".

In relation to today's lecture, I plan on taking advantage of my specific concentration and immersing myself in media technologies. I never thought I of all people would say this, but it really is moving awful fast. Have you seen what the bottom of a blog post now looks like on very popular sites? If you want, you can:
Aim it
Ask it
Backflip it
BallHype it
Bebo it
Blogmarks it
Delicious it
Digg it
Diigo it
Facebook it
Fark it
Faves it
Favorites it
FeedMeLinks it
FriendFeed it
Google Bookmarks it
Kaboodle it
Kirtsy it
Link-a-Gogo it
LinkedIn it
Live it
Mister Wong it
Mixx it
Multiply it
MyAOL it
Myspace it
Netvibes it
Netvouz it
Newsvine it
Propeller it
Reddit it
Segnalo it
Simpy it
Slashdot it
Spurl it
StumbleUpon it
Tailrank it
Technorati it
Twitter it
Yahoo Bookmarks it
Yahoo Buzz i

42 different social services! Go here for more: addthis

Staying in touch with technology and its changing path is one way I believe you can stay secure and well rounded so that you wont have to throw your eggs in one basket but instead charge baskets to use your eggs.

Companies seem to like people who are good at something, no? Of course they do. Absorbing all I can about my profession and not stopping the learning process is one way to be readily available. Being resilient is another part of the arsenal to keep handy. Some people might not be so disposable if they didn't take it personal.
I'm not too worried.

Stress Tests

OK so I took the first test over at the stress index site and it said I was a 234. The second test was at the cmha website and it told me I was a 9: "You've got your life in fairly good control. Work on the choices and habits that could still be causing you some unnecessary stress in your life.

I didn't like the first one too much because it did not seem too tailored and according to my results I was a candidate for problems??? I find it ironic to be taking this test at this specific point in time and in this particular semester. It has been and will be my most challenging semester in school. I am taking twenty hours and have never been one to use weak words like stress or weak statements like "I cant wait for this semester to be over", but for this spring 2009 semester I have broken my rules.

I enjoyed the result of the second test because I felt like it identified my current status very dead on. The result is the truth. We are all in the point of the semester where we feel like we have done enough work and find the remaining small projects and paper writing assignments to be tedious and very procrastination rich!

I like the approach and organizational methods I have employed this year toward school and want to continue them all the way to graduation. After graduation I can finally be myself and start on the rest of real life.

Team that wasn't blog assignment...

In relation to our group's presentation, sports teams seem to be some of the best examples for teams that weren't, although everyone has an opinion when discussing whether or not said team was really a "team that wasn't".
I remember when I played little league baseball there was a team that WAS, but at that age I had no idea how to formulate my thought process to be able to identify what was really going on. I knew 95% of the guys on that team and had played with about 50% of them only a few years earlier. Before being able to identify that this team was one of all the bests, I thought they were the richest and the luckiest, but keep in mind, it wasn't the all star team that always came in the post season. This team had it all: last names printed on the back of their uniforms (cool), everyone had a team batting bag, helmet, HOME & AWAY uniforms!, basically all the gear and sponsorship that hardly ANY of the other teams had! Was it fair?...i don't know.

One thing I did know was that they were good. While we played our first game of the season against this team that was, our uniforms had arrived late. I remember in between about the 3rd inning one of the parents racing the box of uniforms to the game and when it was our turn to bat, our team went from matching hats and dirty pants to matching hats, clean pants, socks, AND jerseys! Those guys on the TEAM must have got a good laugh out of this low sponsored bunch a kids who changed clothes mid game.

I remember my mother pointing out early that it wasn't fair of the parents in that circle to stand their kids out so much against the lower sponsored teams, I understood her argument and agree with most of it simply because there were so many underlying psychological factors that were born that season amongst the minds of the kids on our team and the kids on the TEAM.

I find it interesting that it misses more than it hits when professional teams do this, were the 2007 Patriots a team that kind of wasn't? The 03-04 Lakers, the Yanks??

Online conflict management

It would be really difficult to have effective conflict management online. I think that you need to be in person to seem genuinley sincere. Facial expressions and body language are extremly important in understanding the way people communicate, so you really need to find a way to have that online as well.

Stress...REACHING THE DANGER ZONE!!!

Yeah....so I'm reaching the danger zone. I had a 16 which is kinda bad I think. I definitley have alot on my plate. I work and or go to school 7 days a week and i'm trying not to neglect my relationships with friends and family as well. I feel like everytime i try to concentrate on one thing another ends up going terribly wrong. I just need to sit back, relax, and breath!!!

The Team that wasn't

Well, my team experience that I am most familiar with has to be working in the restraunt buisness. At the O'Charleys I work at no one helps each other and we bicker and fight all the time. There are about 5 out of 25 people that do everything from running food, filling ice, and glasses tosweeping the floor and pre-bussing. It is so annoying to watch the lazy people just stand around talking to eachother with their arms crossed. Obviously I'm not hjelping the situation either because this makes me angry and therefore I snap at them. It would help if the managers were better at delegating tasks to do while we were working as well as our closing sidework. But like i've said before....its CORRUPT!!

The Team that Wasn't

The team experience I have mostly dealt with is at work. The idea is to be a service team that keeps the guest happy. In recent months, we even added a position , quality service specialist, designed just to be an extra set of eyes and hands to help the guest and the team. Instead of adding to the feeling of a team; I have found this to detract from the team effort. In my experience so far, most of my teams are driven by money. The team at fort campbell was a wide variety of people with various experience but they all shared the desire and need for money. In this way, they mostly worked together in order to make positive experiences for guests and thus more money for themselves. The other team seems to have a desire for money, but not the great need or survival motivation. They are nice to one another, but they do not necessarily understand how to pull together and carry each other as a team does. In my experience it was the team of misfits, that is able to accomplish more. It reminds me that just because you have one or two superstars, the team will not necessarily succeed. It is the overall motivation of the people in the team, that will most likely drive success.

The B Team

On a swim team sometimes there is an A and B relay. The A was supposed to be the best. They had the best individual times and it was assumed they would always beat the B team. The A team would usually swim faster, but not always. The reasons vary. It seemed easier for the B team to have a goal, because it was simple beat the A team. It was more difficult for the A team to have a goal besides swim their fastest individual times. Egos were another factor. The A team knew they were better and sometimes you could say it got to their heads. The people on the A team were often those who were more worried about their individual events than their relay, so they often would not do their best. So, the B team would then be triumphant and would thrive on the A teams lack of enthusiasm.

Team that was not

I once was invovled with a group that did not function well. Everyone had different attitudes. When ever I rrequested for a memeber to do some work, thety wouyld get upset. In part, it maybe my fault. I wanted things to go my way because I know what the project must be like. Everyone else had a poor grade in the class, so I knew what the teacher wanted. In the end, there was alot of compalints about me beeing to bossy and not letting anyone have an input.

There is no "I" in team

Teams are put together to be more effecient to accomplish the task that they have at hand. Certain teams are put together to successfully complete a single assignment, while others are put together until the team is content to call it quits. Some win world series and superbowls, while others just turn in a report, but regardless what they are for they are designed to get the job done correctly and in the best way possible.
I have been a part of many good teams in my life, a state championship golf team, a championship winning basketball little league team, and a third in the nation bible quizzing team, but never before did I have to analyze a team so seriously as the time my staff or so called team fell apart. Work would not get finished and if it was finished it would be a piss poor effort. Dishes were left dirty, morales were down, and altogether the whole team was disfunctional. As a manager, your team represents your quality and when I understood that I understand that I seemed to be displaying a very low quality as a manager for some reason.
I witnessed fighting at work and so I tried to solve the quarrels, people being lazy so I tried to give reason to work harder, people being late so I tried to schedule them earlier, but finally one day I snapped and instead of taking it out on my workers I studied their behavior I came to a very powerful realization in my life. These employees were my teammates but they did not experience the same pressures as me and so I then understood what I think all middle managers will in their career and that is that in the battle between the owners and the lower employees, the hand that writes your check will always win. The very next day I let an employee go, followed by another 3 days later, when threats were given to me that my whole staff may quit I simply stated go ahead I'll get more hours. Being a manager is an accomplishment that shows your quality as a person and you may be a kind person but it also shows that you are a smart person. The nicest people will get taken advantage of in this world so when it came to the choices lose my position or hold on to my kind ways I was able to make the smartest choice for me, hopefully you will do the same.

Hmmmmmm...

Well I have always looked at myself as a very stressed out person. I have a pretty hard time not worrying some times over just the smallest of things. But I took a stress test at <http://www.lessons4living.com/stress_test.htm> and my score was 11 which is pretty good according to their scales, but I don't think I will ever be content until I'm down to like a 4 or so.

Stressed? I think so, and i dont care what the test says!

I took the stress index test and it said that i have a stress index of 13! i thought that would be high because i seem to always be stressed out but i guess it isnt. The little thing at the end said that i wasnt that stressed out. I neglect to work relaxation time into my day. 

i took the stress test from www.cmha.ca/BINS/content_page.aps?cid=4-42-216

They say I need help mostly

These are several scores I received from taking 'stress tests.' I think most of my stress comes from simply being very busy. The tests are often making assumptions about people according to how much they have to do, how much responsibility you have, and how realistic you are about things you can accomplish. I realize that I am busy, and I realize that I do not necessarily have to do all the stuff I make commitments about. However, I enjoy being busy and often feel more stressed when I have nothing I have to do at all. In other words I always feel that I should be doing something.

If your score totals 150 or more:
You have a 50-50 chance of developing an illness.

If your score totals 300 or more:
You have a 90 percent chance of developing an illness.

My total score was 358

www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/stress-test-3454-143.html - 40k -

Your score is = 13

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Scores of 1-6 Few Hassles

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Scores of 7-12 Pretty Good Control

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Scores of 13-17 Danger Zone. Watch out!

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Scores of 18+ Stressed Out. You may need help.

http://www.lessons4living.com/cgi/stresstest.cgi

Overall Score

This score is a measure of overall emotional well-being. Your score is 3.56 on a range of 1 to 5. A higher score indicates that you are more well-adjusted. Your score indicates that you are similar to people who report that they have benefited from short-term counseling with a professional counselor.

People who are severely stressed and may benefit from intesive help (average = 2.99)
People who report receiving benefit from outpatient counseling (average = 3.19)
People who report receiving benefit from short-term counseling from a professional counselor (average = 3.65)
People who are functioning well and don't feel they need professional counseling (average = 4.17)

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Quality of Life Score

This is a measure of how happy or satisfied you are with your life, including overall self-esteem, health, friends and family, and work or school. Your score is 3.9 on a range of 1 to 5. A higher score indicates that you are more well-adjusted.

People who are severely stressed and may benefit from intesive help (average = 2.92)
People who report receiving benefit from outpatient counseling (average = 2.98)
People who report receiving benefit from short-term counseling from a professional counselor (average = 3.52)
People who are functioning well and don't feel they need professional counseling (average = 3.93)

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Symptom Distress Score

This score measures your symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility. Your score is 3 on a range of 1 to 5. A higher score indicates that you are more well-adjusted.

People who are severely stressed and may benefit from intesive help (average = 2.75)
People who report receiving benefit from outpatient counseling (average = 3.04)
People who report receiving benefit from short-term counseling from a professional counselor (average = 3.50)
People who are functioning well and don't feel they need professional counseling (average = 4.24)

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Level of Functioning Score

This is a measure of how well you are able to get along in the community. Your score is 3.75 on a range of 1 to 5. A higher score indicates that you are more well-adjusted.

People who are severely stressed and may benefit from intesive help (average = 3.32)
People who report receiving benefit from outpatient counseling (average = 3.61)
People who report receiving benefit from short-term counseling from a professional counselor (average = 3.99)
People who are functioning well and don't feel they need professional counseling (average = 4.32

4 points or more:
You are very prone to the negative effects of stress and may be open to stress-related illness. You must not delay in doing something about it. Seek professional stress management counseling and consult your medical doctor.

http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/stresstest.html

You are a person with a sympathetic nervous system.

This means that stress causes you to react with extreme excitement:

• The blood vessels constrict
• The pulse is too fast
• The muscles tense up
• The glands get more activated
• Stress hormones are released (adrenalin rush)

You could easily get anxiety attacks, not depressions.