Although the internet can be a huge invasion of privacy, this class has taught me all the ways to use the internet and social media in a professional and academic way. For the first class, we had to join Twitter. At first, I thought Twitter was a major stalker site (because, unlike Facebook, you can follow people without them following you -as in, you do not have to be friends), however I have come to really appreciate the possibilities of Twitter. I discovered that Jean Paul Gaultier is having a museum exhibit at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, a lot of innovation is happening in the world of dyeing fabrics (projects are being done in dyeing fabric without water), and there is a great textile blog that offers internship opportunities in their New York home base.
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| Figure 1: Image from the De Young Museum website. Pictures from Jean Paul Gaultier's collection from 1992-2011. Pigeon, J. (Photographer). (2012). [Photograph], Retrieved April, 11, 2012, from: http://deyoung.famsf.org/files/imagecache/exhibition_main/exhibitions/jpgmain2.jpg |
In addition, working on Wikipedia was also a great experience. Often, we are told, as students, to not use Wikipedia because it is not a reliable source. However, Wikipedia is a great way to share information, pool common knowledge together, and interact with other people with the same interests in the same field. Acknowledging that Wikipedia is an unreliable source (as with the rest of the Internet in general), is just one way to safeguard yourself from accepting incorrect information. In this same way, I discovered more ways to protect my personal identity from the Internet. Some things were share-able, such as my name on LinkedIn, and other things were not, such as my home address or phone number. By creating a professional e-mail, there was less to worry about in terms of exposure. In Ales204, I have definitely learned a lot about professionalism and sites/accounts I could utilize to further my own career path. For example, writing professional e-mails, CV writing, and using LinkedIn.
However, there were a lot of things I did not understand or feel comfortable using. For example, using Audioboo. While I understood the importance of speaking professionally in both interviews and presentations, I did not feel it was something that should have been recorded and posted on the internet. Instead of focusing on the techniques we were shown in class, I was far more worried about setting the interview up on Audioboo. When typing or uploading information on the Internet, there is something comforting about knowing you have separated yourself from that information. Posting a voice recording was much more personal. In this same way, using Facebook professionally was not within my comfort zone. Facebook is a networking site, but used more as a friendly networking device, rather than a business/professional site. I like to know that I can keep my personal and private life separate from my work. Using a multi-dimensional site is amazing, especially when you can connect all your accounts, but some things should remain separate.
From this class, one of the most useful social media tools I have learned about would have to be this blog itself. While I have experience blogging before, the assignments in class allowed a more thorough exploration and utilization of this tool. I understand that a blog is very personal, much like an online diary, but it is also a tool that is much used by other fashion designers and people within the fashion industry. For example, The Pink Martini's blog shares a more personal side to their designs, industry and inspiration. Looking at blogs created for this class, I discovered Hannah's blog that was similar to may own (due to the requirements of the class). I loved the simplicity of her blog, and how no image, colour, or background overpowered the overall flow of the text. It was easy to follow and understand, and revealed enough about Hannah, without being too much. The blog revealed a kind of professional story. I hope to use the skills I have obtained from Ales204 to create my own design blog, in order to share my own ideas with other people in a wider audience range.
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| Figure 2: Light blue "Fleury top" from the Pink Martini collection. The Pink Martini Collection, Spring 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2012, from: http://www.pinkmartinicollection.com/admin/images/94113161_TO-light_blue.jpg |
Links to Comments on other student's blogs:
Carmen's blog
Shannon's blog
Rohanna's blog
Rheon's blog
Carol's blog
