The Future of Blogging

It is interesting to know that many people blog, and that many actually list out a detailed life story. From meeting a new mate to whatever they do in between and finally to the break-up. But what really amazes me is that blogging has taken a completly new form of communication for businesses.

Traditionally, a business has many trade secrets. Secrets such as their way of operations or the next big project that they will tackle; especially they don't reveal accounting or financial reports openly, unless they are annual reports etc etc. But in Clive Thompson's article "The See Through CEO" from Wired Magazine, that may not be the case anymore. Blogging has been a way for many businesses to openly discuss the concerns that employees have with the firm. They are actually encouraged by the company to post blogs about their projects and whatever they have to say about the company. By keeping the public informed on the company's daily operations, there is nothing to hide. In fact, Glenn Kelman said "...he thinks it saved his business[Redfin]." By "stripping naked" the truth behind his industry and revealing even the faults of his own company, it actually gained the confidence of customers, which began to sign up for services from Redfin, his company.

By openly sharing information and picking out the pros and cons in the company by blogging them can really revolutionize the way a business operates.

"I honestly believe that if Redfin were stripped absolutely bare for all the world to see, naked and humiliated in the sunlight, more people would do business with us." - Glenn Thompson.

This article has truly put a new insite in business, that there is no hiding anymore. Secrecy only gives a company bad rep, and when exposed just doesn't work out very well. If say, for example, Enron's employees constantly blogged what they felt and also the operations of what they did, perhaps, the problem would have been dealt with early on without having some of the individuals to having to mask the problem.

I, for one, know from personal experiences, that secrets never come out with benefits. Although you may think that hiding the truth may make things better, it rarely is the case. By applying the ideas of openly sharing and discussing in business blogging, the world can see and even help in tough situations. I believe the world will be better free of secrets, for it will certainly be the case for the next generation of businesses.

Image from Wired.com by Mark Hooper

More Experience through Internships

The past 2007 Expo Career/Intern Fair was my first attendance. Having the chance to scope out what they offered online through the SJSU Career Center allowed me to explore what I was interested in as well as what I disliked.

I received an "Early Bird Pass" to attend the Fair three hours earlier, by attending a Job Fair Success Workshop. There they gave us a general overview of preparing to meet the employers. It included information on writing a resume, a cover-letter, a 1 minute commercial, and a thank you letter. I believe these were very good pointers if not good reminders right before participating in the Job Fair. I believe this Job Fair Success Workshop is very helpful for inexperienced and experienced individuals with Job Fairs and suggest that they attend the next available opening before the Job Fair in April.

Through this Fair, I also discovered which employers I wanted to work for. However, there are some that I disliked after given the opportunity for an Interview. For example, the Target Corporation, the one we go to for the general amenities as well as toys, movies video-games and so forth, was a VERY big disappointment. After the on-campus interview, I discovered that they were very unorganized and really not very motivated at the interview as they were at the Job Fair. It may be the particular people that gave the interview, or it may have even be me. However, I was not the only one to find the process to be "retarded" or "disappointing." At least two other fellow students left upon arrival to the "Interview Waiting Room." There was no one from Target to greet those that have arrived, and on top of that, the waiting room was filled with Interviewees still waiting for someone to interview them. The schedule for interviewing was thrown off due to the overbooking of Interview Appointments. Mine was at least 20 minutes past the scheduled time, and they were not even interviewing other potentials at the moment. It felt as if Target did not care for the hiring of these smart, high energy, college students

I was looking forward to the Internship program, but after what I encountered, I am extremely disappointed at their management system. Perhaps it was a system to "weed" out the ones that they did'nt like, by letting them wait with little or no greeting and then subject them to an uninspiring environment. Yes! That's the way to go Target! Even after these incidents, Target is just going to continue to grow and prosper, and I guess that is the way their Corporate Culture operates.