A final word...

Back in January when we first began ALES 204 I was a bit unsure of what to expect. The first glance through the syllabus presented things that were unfamiliar to me--no midterms or finals? Awesome! But...what is an e-portfolio? And Twitter?... isn't that only used for silly updates between friends and celebrities? Dr. Laccetti did an excellent job of thoroughly explaining to the class what we should be expecting and how to properly prepare for what was ahead. She quickly helped me understand that not only were Social Media tools, like Twitter, excellent for connecting with friends, but perfect for forming bonds between people all across the world who shared the same interests as my classmates and I. Through tools like hashtags and tagging, finding these people is almost overwhelmingly simple and quick. If I wanted to gain a perception of how my classmates were responding to the class and what their thoughts were, a simple search of #ales204 in the search bar brought me to numerous points of views of all of the students in the class. 

Figure 1

My favorite part of this class is how diverse and versatile it  is, especially when it comes to being applied to other class and even many areas in life. I think this would be an extremely helpful class to take in the first year as University as it sets a base for so many things that will be frequently used throughout an academic career. Proper use of PowerPoint proved to be very valuable, as there are so many mistakes people, myself included, easily make because they have never learned the correct way to create the best presentation possible. Stepping beyond my comfort zone in lab and doing a Pecha Kucha presentation, that we did not have much time to prepare, helped me to see that public speaking does not have to be so scary and definitely does not--and should not, rely on reading off of a cue card or straight from the distracting blocks of text on the slides.  

Being exposed to the professional side of Social Media made me think twice about how I was using it and inspired me to push the boundaries that I had subconsciously set for myself when it came to devices such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogger. A year before even taking this class, I began following a Swedish blogger named Kenza who inspires me every day with her fashion sense and carefree attitude. With the knowledge derived from ALES 204, I see this would not be possible if it weren't for Social Media, as I discovered her the same way I found out about the Tone It Up girls in my last post, through a site full of inspirational photos. Her hundreds of thousands of followers all across the world would not be made possible without digital communication and it is truly impressive how it brings together so many different kinds of people in different places.

Figure 2

Something that really allowed me to get a good idea of who I was taking the class with was looking through everyone's blogs. I am always impressed at how many different creative solutions can be thought up despite working with the exact same information. A blog that I particularly enjoyed, for both it's content and visual interest, was Bianca Cimino's. She used eye catching fonts and colors that compliment each other for a beautiful layout and design that put me in an automatic good mood just looking at it. Her blog posts were well thought out and consistently professional; and in her final post she notes that the students in this class will be leaving ALES 204 with a whole different perspective on Facebook, and other social media alike, then when we first began. I think this sums it up perfectly--my perspective has certainly been broadened and I am thankful that so many things I learned in this class will carry one in other classes as I complete my schooling. 

I appreciate the input that Dr. Laccetti and the TA's put into this class and definitely plan on keeping my Twitter after it is all over! It will be interesting next semester to type in "ALES204" and see what different things pop up, as the next set of students prepare to acquire knowledge on all the perks of social media, PowerPoints and proper professional behavior that I have over the passed 3 months.

Links to my 5 Comments:

1. Brittany

2.  Caitlyn 

3. Jen 

4. Brenna 

5. Shannon 

 References:

Figure 1: Latulippe, L. (2009). Free twitter birds (image). Retrieved from http://drawn.ca/archive/free-twitter-birds/

Figure 2: Moody, T. (2012). Business goodbye farewell card greeting card (image). Retrieved from http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/good-bye-farewell-cards/general-good-bye-farewell/business-goodbye-farewell-card-264016 

Toning it Up via Twitter

What are we without our health? Without it, the perks and helpful tips of Social Media that we have grown so accustomed to may seem rather meaningless and unimportant. But what if we could use Social Media to our advantage and let it help to educate and inspire us? We can, as I have recently discovered. Though I am a Clothing and Textiles student,  I am interested and motivated by nutrition and think that every student should be-- no matter where their main area of study lies.

 I have never had any pressing health issues, never been over or underweight and have never really eaten that poorly; but what a lot of people do not understand is just because someone may be "skinny" definitely does not mean they are fit or even healthy. I was never one to workout very much, as I am not a huge fan of gyms and in the past, would not even know exactly what to do at the gym once I got there. Whenever I had a vacation coming up that would involve me wearing a bikini, I would do my routine Pilates DVDs and occasional meetings with the treadmill; however, I lacked consistency and motivation to workout all year round. Last year I took a nutrition class and that really opened my eyes to how important it is to not only avoid foods with no nutritional value, but to consume those that do. Since then I have been on the lookout for a program that would help constantly motivate me and educate me on exactly what I need to be doing to obtain and maintain my best body possible-- both inside and out.

It was only a few weeks ago that through a site similar to Pinterest, called We Heart It, I inadvertently found exactly what I have been looking for. There was a photo of two young women on a beach looking very happy and healthy in their bare-all bikinis. They caught my eye and I clicked on the photo which sent me to a Facebook page called "Tone It Up". Well who doesn't want to Tone It Up? I know I certainly do! By clicking through the profile and pictures, I learned that the two women in the picture were certified personal trainers and nutrition coaches working out of California, Katrina Hodgson and Karina Dawn. With a well thought-out nutrition plan and many workout videos, a tight-knit Tone It Up community has been established thanks to the two of them. Through accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as well as their own website, these two ladies act as personal trainers to women all around the world--virtual trainers! They are constantly re-tweeting and responding to their clients in a way that feels very personal and it is very obvious that Katrina and Karina care very much about each and every individual that commits to living life the Tone It Up way of life. Through all the Social Media devices they use, they provide an extremely thorough foundation for not just starting a diet, but beginning and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Katrina and Karina of Tone It Up

What is so great about the Tone It Up community is that an ever-growing group of thousands of women are there to inspire and motivate each other every day, no matter what. Posting photos of meals from the nutrition plan or progress photos is just like having a workout buddy and I find that to be so essential when making the decision to get into shape. Katrina and Karina post numerous daily check-ins, asking their followers/subscribers/likers what they had for dinner, which workout they are planning on completing that day or even a motivational "Wherever you are, stop and do 50 lunges right now!" It is truly amazing how Social Media, just like we discussed so many times in class, has become a huge business card for the Tone It Up girls and so much more! The word is always spreading thanks to the efficiency and quickness of Twitter and Facebook. Only one day after I had "liked" their page on Facebook, two of my friends had seen this and decided to "like" them for themselves. 

Many people have their own way of keeping up with their health, whether it be going to the gym, walking their dog, attending yoga classes or going for a run. The thing I love most about the Tone It Up community is that there is something new every single day, whether it be a recipe or a workout, so I (and my muscles!) will never be bored with it. It isn't a coincidence that one form of social media (We Heart It) lead me to another, (Facebook), which lead me to yet another (Twitter) and another (YouTube)! All of these websites work so well together and all have their own unique advantages which all come together in a wonderful way. 

 A still from the making of their "Beach Babe DVD" in Oahu, Hawaii

Fellow Ales classmate Patrick Laska's blog discusses the important of Social Media outlets for food companies and how those who keep up-to-date when the digital age are likely to experience higher profits. This definitely goes hand-in-hand with my post today. Trainers at gyms may have to begin connecting to Facebook and Twitter in order to establish or maintain a following--otherwise they are at risk for being outshone by the likes of Katrina and Karina!

  The very popular "Protein Pancakes" from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan

Image References:

Figure 1: Hodgson, Katrina, & Dawn, Karina. (2010). Turks & Caicos Gobeachfest (image). Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=483909514800
set=a.483905199800.256406.125883599800&type=3&theater

Figure 2:  Hodgson, Katrina, & Dawn, Karina. (2012). Your toned in '12 challenge is here for tryit thursday :) (image). Retrieved from http://toneitup.com/blog.php?Your-Toned-In-12-Challenge-is-HERE-for-TryIt-Thursday-5379

Figure 3: Protein waffles. (2012). We love food friday: protein waffles!!! (image). Retrieved from http://toneitup.com/blog.php?We-LOVE-Food-Friday-Protein-WAFFLES-5416