Category: Uncategorized

Danielle M. Villegas‘s insight:

This is HUGE! First, I have to explain–3D printers are one of my latest obsessions. I would love to have one (even though I don’t have any practical need at have one), because they are so cool! I’m in a proposal writing class right now, and my project proposal for the class is writing up a proposal asking for funding to buy 3D printers for my son’s school, to teach kids creative design that could help with industrial needs later. This proves that I’m thinking in the right direction! Check out this Mashable article, and watch the videos in the article. You’ll think it’s pretty cool too! (And yes, the technology is out there that you can create 3D designs on tablets, then wirelessly send the information to a 3D printer to print–just in case you were curious.)

 

Check it out!

–techcommgeekmom

Danielle M. Villegas‘s insight:

Yikes! Well, I had my doubts about this machine when it first came out, right up until today. I really couldn’t see it as a laptop replacement, and I couldn’t exactly see it as a competitor to any Android or iOS devices either. But I’ll tell you this–if they start becoming dirt cheap, I’d buy one just to have it! LOL I think Microsoft has to rethink this whole thing. Perhaps being in the tablet business isn’t their thing. Perhaps making software that powers the power devices like desktops, all-in-ones, and laptops should be their concentration, and they should kick butt at it. Time will tell. 

-techcommgeekmom

Danielle M. Villegas‘s insight:

Nice! This looks like a great guide to writing user guides. Thanks for sharing, TechWhirl!

–techcommgeekmom

Danielle M. Villegas‘s insight:

I’m glad Sarah posted and helped to define these "WINOs". I have worked with a LOT of these kinds of people myself, so it’s interesting to see that I’m not the only one who has experienced this!

 

Try not to be a tech comm WINO. We might have to send you to tech comm AA.

–techcommgeekmom

Danielle M. Villegas‘s insight:

I think this raises an important question for all internships similar to this, not just social media internships.

When I was a senior in undergraduate school, I did an internship with one of the local network TV stations in Washington, DC. While I did do some research, and I learned how to write a PSA (public service announcement), most of the time I was doing unpaid clerical work. It was especially tough for me because here I was, paying tuition so I could get the credits to do this internship, I had to interview and compete with dozens and dozens of other applicants to get into that spot, and since I didn’t have a car, I had to take public transportation fifty miles away –and back–three times a week to get from Fredericksburg, VA to Washington DC, which cost me even more money out of my pocket. I had to pay for my own meals too, of which I would lose about six meals a week from my school cafeteria plan.

I wasn’t paid a dime, and there was a point where I literally spent a month doing nothing but stuffing envelopes. It wasn’t until the producer of the show I was working on saw that I had been doing this for so long, and I finally said, “I’m getting sick of just always stuffing envelopes all the time,” that she finally let me go on shoots and stuff. I wanted to work in television, and obviously, I couldn’t break in, even as an intern researcher or anything like that afterwards.  If I had at least been compensated a little bit so that at least my travel was compensated, that would’ve been helpful. I worked as hard there as I did doing the same thing–clerical work–for actual money during my summers.

I understand it’s a trade-off–getting college credit for doing a regular job, and it’s like having an apprenticeship. I totally get that. But especially in this day and age, when interns DO have to take up the slack of full-time workers who have been laid off and such, a little bit of compensation of some sort should be in order. That’s just my opinion based on my own experiences.

What do you think?

–techcommgeekmom