Buy or Sell???

I have sold textbooks on Amazon. I found the process very easy. I made a sellers account and posted the books I wanted to sell. Typically my products sell within a week or two. Amazon sends an email to my email account letting me that the product has been sold. The email provides me with the information needed for shipping out the product. Once the buyer receives the product Amazon automatically transfers the profits from the sale into my bank account. I have also used this site to buy textbooks and find the process just as easy. I find the service user friendly and I will continue to use it.  


"I pledge" - KES 

Answering Important Personal Questions

Google Murder...
The YouTube link above is a clip from the movie Knocked Up. The little girl is talking about how she used the search engine Google to look up the term murder. Just like her, I use Google for answering almost all my personal questions. Google always has the answer that I am looking for. It even has various tools to help me find my answer faster, such as Google instant. I also use Wikipedia in my searches to help give some background information on my questions. I typically look at various search results to make sure my question is being answered properly. I believe that Google and the Internet have helped many individuals become independent thinkers. In many cases it may still be useful to ask questions of various people, but Google has made it easier for individuals to find answers on their own almost instantaneously.

"I pledge" - KES 

Group Member

I am currently a student member of JMU Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Our student chapter is connected to the national SHRM organization, and we are dedicated to implementing worldwide innovation in the Human Resources profession. The organization is setup like a hierarchy system. We have two head directors, student executives and then regular members. Information is distributed throughout the organization beginning with the directors and executives meeting. After the meeting, information is distributed to all SHRM members via email. The information in the email can also be found at SHRM’s website (http://orgs.jmu.edu/shrm/). Typically the information provided will let all members know when, where and what will be covered in upcoming meetings.

"I Pledge" - KES

Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites are platforms that direct users into building and organizing social relationships. The point of websites such as Meetup.com, Facebook and MySpace is for users to share ideas and communicate with other users to get desired tasks accomplished. People who share similar interests typically use these sites. The sites allow different individuals to communicate their ideas, interests, activities and events. For example users may use the site to form a social event, like a fundraiser. I believe that people use these sites for various reasons.

I believe virtual networking is a great tool for spreading news faster. These websites have helped companies throughout the world reach out to consumers without increasing costs. They allow these companies to market to customers, and for customers to give feedback with a few clicks of a mouse. These websites have also allowed many individuals to get involved with the community around them, and ditch traditional forms of communication. The first chapter titled It takes a village to find a phone from our book written by Clay Shirky discusses that through the internet one can get in touch with someone in virtually any city to find what they are looking for.

"I Pledge" - KES 

Loyalty Cards

I have no issue with grocery loyalty cards; in fact I find them beneficial. I believe that most people in America are like me, willing to give up their personal identification information to receive store discounts. I personally do not mind the offers at checkout. I see the cashiers as hard workers that have a job of trying to retain customers, and discount cards are a form of marketing to the consumer. Typically a cashier will ask you if you want a discount card, and if you opt out, no further questions are asked. I have definitely not given out my email or phone number to some stores because I do not want their coupons. Though for other individuals that 20% off their entire store purchase can save hard earned money. I see giving up personal information as a trade off. The company benefits by learning what consumers want, and the consumers buy more products due to the discounts. I also believe that our personal identification information can be found almost anywhere (credit cards, email addresses). In reality our personal information is not private anymore so I see the discount as worth it. 

"I Pledge" - KES

Google versus China

Both Google and Yahoo have made information that was once unreachable searchable via the Internet. The companies have a mission to gather worldwide information and make it accessible to virtually everyone. Though in many countries these companies’ missions have raised concerns.

Foreign governments have challenged the policies and practices of companies like Google. The Chinese government streams and controls the Internet. In China, technology is monitored using government-controlled tools that filter what information its citizens receive. The Chinese government fears that Google is in alliance with the US government in terms of intelligence and security. This means that critics see Google as a violation to citizen’s privacy, lack of censorship and a way of gaining knowledge about other countries’ intellectual property.

I would first like to point out that China is under communist control. Thus from an American stand point we see the Chinese government as taking away its citizens’ freedom. However if you look closely at the situation it is not up to another country to decide what their citizens see. I do not have an issue with China monitoring their citizens. I firmly believe that the Chinese values are the reason behind its strict governance.

I have done research on Google vs. China for my international management class, so I know that Google has access to a search engine method that filters out data. I believe that after a heated debate the Chinese government and Google came to a reasonable consensus. China now has Google China, which contains firewall filters and block unwanted links. I believe it is in Google, and other search engine companies’ best interests to work with foreign governments to make sure that their search ramifications are suitable to citizens.

"I Pledge" - KES


References:
Blown to Bits by Abelson, Hal
http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=9062