Entry #6 Big Brother is Watching

In the 21st century the internet is everywhere. It is in our phones, it is on our computers, it is even on our smart watches. You tweet you text you lol but what about you being able to look up personal information on people? I came upon an article about a website called Truth Finder that you can put in anyones name and it will give you a complete search of them. So naturally I put someones name in there. Not only did I put someone name in there I picked someone who has no social media what so ever and thought it would be harder to find information on. I searched my uncle. Automatically it came up with him and 8 of his family members names. How does this site know my uncle and his family when he is not on social media? It gave me the family members criminal records without me even asking. 

At my fingertips is the background to millions of people. Is this a good use of technology or is it a completely violation of privacy. On one hand we put that information out there ourselves and sometimes don't understand  what it means when its truly public. Once a post or picture it out there is no turning back. Does this deserve this type of back lash though? What should be considered personal and private or does that not exist anymore? My uncle someone who doesn't put his information out there for everyone to see can still be searched on a site like this. I could see the upside to this for people who are dating and want to be safe and do a little background search to make sure they haven't had any felonies. Even a caution for dating is still just to much to me. You life should be private and who you chose to tell things about should be your choice! What do you think? You do the crime so you deserve the punishment of everyone knowing? Or should some things just be kept a secret?

If you want to try it out for yourself and be as nosey as me here is the site truthfinder.com . Snoop at your own risk. 

Entry #5 Get a degree faster!!

             The amount of college classes it takes to get a degree seems to be growing and growing and what was said to take four years is taking some five or six. I personally and going for a business degree and my prerequisites before university will take me three years with just following the fall spring semesters. I have to take full time in summer and take some online just in order to fit it all in to two years. Recently an article same out about ASU and how they will be offering half time classes. Here is the article here! ASU ARTICLE A class that would take 15 weeks will take 7and a half. So if you use it wisely you can graduate earlier then the four years and do it in three. This is a great opportunity for those who are working and can take classes in a shorter period of time. They will also offer these shorter classes online which aren't used as often but now can be ideal for someone with a job or kids or other responsibilities trying to get a job. Since these classes are 7 and a half weeks it is very fast paced and may not be for everyone. Some students may need more time for certain classes since there may be a lot of reading and writing essays and doing this in a shorter time means double the homework. One of the downfalls to this change is the fact that the normal school schedule will be changed for everyone in order to incorporate these half time classes. You have to go in early January instead of mid to late and the winter semester will no longer be available. This has the potential to cause some problems with students who enjoy the normal 15 week classes.

Though it may not be for everyone I have taken shortened, fast paced classes before and I think they are very beneficial and can be chanleging but rewarding. I would definitely recommend taking these faced paced classes if you're not wanting to be on college forever. But for those who enjoy the normal classes and the 5 years of school stick to it and get that degree!

Entry #4 Prom

                        Prom season is here and though I am in college I can reminisce about prom and relive the night through pictures of seniors all dressed up and ready to have the night of their lives. My cousin who is a senior in high school just had her prom and of course I was there to help her choose dresses and what hair and makeup to get done down to the last detail this girl was ready to go. This had me thinking about prom or really any big event like this in general. As my cousin gracefully said, "But its my prom night and I only get one it has to be perfect!"

Wait what? Its one night it's a high school dance full of sweaty teenagers. Where is all of this hype coming from? The movies, make the thought of prom as this night of wonder and how it is perfect and everyone dances and some die as well, (Prom night, great movies lots of blood). Here is a clip of what has to be the worst 70's prom night dance but its great to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDhMp7lvR9I . You see it doesn't work like that the choreographed dance routines and spotlight on you.
When growing up you see these movies and wait for your day. Pick the dress, pick the date, pick the place to eat, pick a limo, pick a place to take pics you plan and plan and plan and 9 times out of 10 it is nothing like what you planned. Somebody is always late, their makeup isn't right, Johnny is mad at Sally so he doesn't want to dance. Whatever it is it is not this huge night. At the end of the day it is a school dance. Not to seniors though, hundreds of dollars are spent to end up in tears or getting drunk off your ass and embarrassing yourself. For twenty dollars I could pay to have someone disappoint me and save so much money! What a bargain. Yes prom is a fun night to dance and have fun and see your high school friends before you all part ways and can definitely end up being a great night but spending so much time and effort to make it perfect is not worth it. Just go and have fun and if Johnny is mad at Sally Johnny needs to get over it and dance his butt off in his $100 dollar suit because momma didn't pay for you to sit and drink punch all night. Next time you have a big event to plan like a birthday bash or a big trip try not to stress on the details and just enjoy the night and be safe! 

Entry #3 He said she said

There is a saying we've all heard, "There are two sides to every story". How you present what occurred could give a completely different reaction or view then how others would present it. Slanted reporting is a way of leaving things out, steering away or towards something more in order to make your audience feel a certain way. You could witness something occurring and a reporter comes up to you and says "How do you feel about this TRAGIC event" you may not have thought it was tragic but when they ask that question instead of "How you feel" it can sway your response. If you are watching a news cast about a presidential debate and they show a clip of Hillary saying, "We need more taxes!" and you react with disgrace, more taxes! But in reality she actually said, "Most candidates say WE NEED MORE TAXES but we don't." Of course the out of context isn't this drastic usually in a newscast but it is common to show a clip and make a comment about that clip to persuade others to think that way.

A great example of this is the Netflix documentary "Making a Murder", which in a very short summary is about a man who was supposedly targeted by the local police and set up for committing a murder. (You see how I put "supposedly" that made you believe he he wasn't targeted, see the slant there!) News casts and interviews are shown and it is all raw footage, but what you do and do not choose to show or what you choose to say can make a man seem innocent or guilty very quickly. This show had a lot of hype around it and people couldn't believe the local police could do this to this innocent good man who had children and a wife. They showed interviews of the wife and how she loved him and was so upset this was happening and how he is a wonderful man and her visiting him in jail. After the series came out it was revealed that in fact his wife felt uncomfortable around hime and did not feel the mushy gushy lovey dove feeling about her husband. The documentary is clearly set with the agenda to show that he is innocent. They gave resources, they appealed to your emotion with showing a sweet little man crying and how they ruined his life. They even appeal to your logic by showing all the evidence and how it couldn't be more clear the wrong doing. But it is in fact how much of what they show and in what order or way they do so. If you would like to watch the series its on Netflix which I'm sure you or your friend that you can steal their password or god forbid pay $7 a month for can watch the series on there. Link to netflix

Entry #2 The joys of customer service

Entry #2

The joys of customer service. 

Coming home from work this Saturday I found myself sharing my stories of customers I had gotten and I came to realize there are categories of customers you will come across while working in customer service. This one goes out to all of those who have been in these shoes or who may one day have the pleasure of working in this field one day. 

...Customer

"The angry at the world" 

No matter what you do good or bad this customer will be rude. It usually starts with you saying "Hello" with a smile and then you get ignored or interrupted because they aren't needing a hello they are too angry. You ask them for an ID and they must argue with you about why you must see their ID.  You tell them the total and they make a comment about how its too much. You go through the transaction and they say its taking too long. This customer is a lost cause so just smile along and pray for an ending. 

"The confused"

The confused customer comes in many shapes and forms. A favorite of mine is the customer who shows up to the business you work at and finds out they are in the wrong place. For example I worked at a small movie theatre and customers would come in with Harkins cups or AMC coupons and wonder why we won't take them. They sit and argue you with saying this is AMC! As if you forgot where you work and then they make their way out the door. You also receive the confused lost  customer. Out-of-towners who need directions to the road their friend lives on or an older lady who has a smart phone and isn't sure how to use their GPS and no matter how thouroly you explain directions your 100% positive they won't remember. 

"The unprepared" 

This customer has a sixth sense for when you will be busiest. You may work at a restaurant and they are in line and don't know what they want yet, or you're waiting for them to pay and they don't have their money out yet and it happens to be lost at the bottom of their purse or they left their card in the car. The line forms and the people stare and moan and groan. You would thing this customer would be prepared especially when they have sat in line for ten minutes and had plenty on time to have all their stuff together but it just doesn't seem possible. 

"The complainer"

"That will be five dollars" "What! Thats way too expensive! Thats outrageous!" "Well its still five dollars" This customer will not only complain about things you have no control over they will ask why and will ask for a manager who will just say the same thing you say. This customer is unhappy with the rules or unhappy with their service and will complain and storm out and promise to never return..... until you seem them a week from then walking in. 

"The storyteller"

Usually this customer is on the older side. You simply ask "how is your day" and they give you a history lesson or a life story on themselves. The line gets longer as you politely nod your head and wait for them to finish but they seem to love to hear themselves talk. If you are so terribly unlucky there won't be a line behind them and they will make a comment such as "oh I'm not holding anyone up and I? No one is behind me so we are good", and you scream on the inside "You are holding me up! Im busy! I have stuff to do." There is no way to escape this customer except for patience. 

"The regular"

The regular doesn't always mean the nicest. The regular is someone who comes often enough or makes enough of an impression to make you remember them every time they walk through that door. You will love most of your regulars. You know their routine and you ask about their kids or how the new house is coming along and you truly enjoy their company. Then there is the regular you see and every runs for the hills and you are the lucky winner of this "regular". They are rude they are picky and you try to walk on eggshells and they still are unhappy and grumpy and for some insane reason return time after time. 

The next time you help a customer try to see which category they fit in and have a little laugh as angry at the world is yelling at you. Though these are over exaggerations you will have the nice respectful customers who make your day and possibly make it a little worth it to work where you work. 

Entry #1 2 gems 1 dud

Entry #1

2 gems 1 dud

Today I was searching the web for popular blogs. I felt it was appropriate to write about since I am new to blogging and would be good to get a feel of the "blogging world" I came upon three well known and highly rated blogs and shared my thoughts.

Maddie on Things

LINK: http://maddieonthings.com/page/2

Who doesn't love dogs? They are mans best friend and make you cry more about their death in movies then a human. This blog focuses on one particular dog, Maddie. (Here is her on the right). Pictures of Maddie are the main focus of the blog from her lounging around the house to her accompanying her owners on adventures in the wild. She is apart of their journey in life and each picture gives her a sense of human quality as if she is one of them. I particularly enjoyed this blog for its simple concept and its support for adopting animals. The blog is clean, easy to follow, positive, and cute.

PostSecret 

LINK: http://postsecret.com

We all have secrets that we keep locked up inside and promise ourselves we will never share. They are kept with pinky promises and hand shakes. Could you imagine if your secrets ever got out? How about sharing them with thousands of people on the internet for all to see. This blog here allows people to send their deepest secrets on post cards and then post them on the blog. I enjoy this blog for its truth and individuality. You can read along and see yourself in the secrets shared. One of my favorites, (on the left) this secret just makes me laugh. Some of the secrets range from serious, to sad, to hilarious, to sexual. This blog I could read on for hours and feel a feel a sense of common ground with. Its a very personal blog that can make you feel every emotion possible. 

Suri's Burn Book

LINK: http://surisburnbook.tumblr.com

Well as the title of this blog says, "2 gems and 1 dud", here is the dud. This blog has raved reviews and many viewers. It is a "burn book" about celebrity children It takes pictures of celebrities and gives the bloggers point of view. Though its all in good fun I personally I am not interested in celebrity news.  One comment was made on picture above, "Playing second fiddle to a selfie machine is how I picture the life of every Kardashian baby", cute but just not interested.  In the blogs defense all the comments aren't negative like a "burn book". It seems to get old and drag on with a 1-3 sentence comment on each picture. Not my favorite at all but may be others cup of tea.

I encourage you to explore different blogs and see what interests you as well. They can range from health to celebrity gossip to art. You are bound to find something that interests you and the best thing is they post frequently so you can never get bored. Now go out and blog search!