Hey Comm Club!!
Thank you to everyone who participated and was involved with the club this year. Our events and meetings were only a success because of your involvement. During our four years at NYU we have seen the Comm Club evolve and grow, and we hope that it continues to do so! Being a part of the E-Board the last few years and serving as Co-Presidents this year have been great opportunities that helped shape our time at NYU and played significant roles in defining our college experiences. Thank you to all who worked with us on the Communications Club!!
We now pass the torch (pardon the NYU pun...we couldn't resist) to next years' Co-Presidents Natan Edelsburg and Sara Saldi. We can't wait to see all of the amazing plans they have for the club put into action.
Have a great summer everyone!
Caitlin Pirraglia and Felicia Shulman
Showing posts with label NYU Comm Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYU Comm Club. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
What is Google Wave?
Written by: Catherine Liu
I recently c
ame across an article in Times Magazine about a new communication tool called Google Wave. It has yet to be fully released, and is therefore not too well known. Even those people that have heard of it oftentimes do not know exactly what it is. One way to become acquainted with Google Wave is to watch Google’s explanatory video filmed at the Google Wave Developer Preview I/O 2009 Event. However, if you don’t have the time and energy to watch an hour and twenty minute long video (who does?) here are the essentials of what is discussed so you can get an idea of what Google Wave is, what it is used for, and how to use it yourself.
What is it?Google Wave is “a personal communication and collaboration tool” that is going to be “an open system of communication”. It builds on the idea of e-mail, but instead of treating the conversations as individual messages, an entire conversation is treated as a shared object hosted on a server. This means that users can enter a "Wave" and be able to see the original message, all of the replies, photos, documents, and anything and everything that has been said. To put in simply , a "Wave" is essentially a long email thread where everyone "replies to all" -- but instead of a cluttered and confusing email chain, it is all contained on one simple, easy server.
The Basics:
•Click "New Wave" to begin a new thread, and type a title in the first line.
•Once you finish typing your message, click "Done" and it will ask if you would like to add more users. This is when you choose who will receive the message and therefore have access to this "Wave".
•When you receive a message, you can reply to it by simply splitting apart the message and inserting your response directly in the part of the original that you want. It is sort of like editing the original message to add your own thoughts.
•When users happen to be on together, you could do a wave "IM". The difference between regular IM and the IM in Wave is that every character you type is transmitted as you type, even before you click done or enter to send your response. You can also choose to disable this function so no one sees what you are typing until you hit "Done". This is really cool, and is some sort of middle ground between chatting online and chatting in person.
•You can add a person to an ongoing conversation. (Usually with e-mail, the newest person to the conversation would not have access to the previous conversations/emails.) You would place that person into the Wave and they would have access to the conversation and the original message as well (to access the original message and previous edits or additions, click on "playback"). The new participant can now join the conversation with ease (very useful for group conversations).
•You use "Private Reply" when you don’t want all the participants to see the message you write. You may also add participants you do want to see the message by adding them to the private reply thread.
Pictures:
•To attach pictures, you simply drag them into the wave. You can upload and download pictures, create group photo albums, copy images from one Wave to another new one, etc.
Embedding
•You can embed the whole Wave onto a webpage - a cool feature that expands group viewing capabilities much further.
Extras:
•You can use Wave on mobile devices
•New Spell Checker: It doesn’t just find your word by matching it up with words in the dictionary…it takes into account the context of the word so it helps you find the word you need even faster! Sometimes it automatically corrects your errors!
•Gadgets and Games: Play games (like soduku, chess) with all the benefits of Wave's playback
•Translations: Wave translates your sentence automatically into your desired language. Currently there are 40 languages available and it will translate between any pair of languages you choose.
My first impression of Google Wave is quite positive. It is a new, more convenient way to communicate, combining already existing communication forms into one easy-to-use space. Wave allows for real time communication among large groups of people. It is a whole new way of sharing online.
For More Information:
wave.google.com
code.google.com/apis/wave
www.waveprotocol.org
Edited by: Sara Saldi
I recently c
ame across an article in Times Magazine about a new communication tool called Google Wave. It has yet to be fully released, and is therefore not too well known. Even those people that have heard of it oftentimes do not know exactly what it is. One way to become acquainted with Google Wave is to watch Google’s explanatory video filmed at the Google Wave Developer Preview I/O 2009 Event. However, if you don’t have the time and energy to watch an hour and twenty minute long video (who does?) here are the essentials of what is discussed so you can get an idea of what Google Wave is, what it is used for, and how to use it yourself.What is it?
The Basics:
•Click "New Wave" to begin a new thread, and type a title in the first line.
•Once you finish typing your message, click "Done" and it will ask if you would like to add more users. This is when you choose who will receive the message and therefore have access to this "Wave".
•When you receive a message, you can reply to it by simply splitting apart the message and inserting your response directly in the part of the original that you want. It is sort of like editing the original message to add your own thoughts.
•When users happen to be on together, you could do a wave "IM". The difference between regular IM and the IM in Wave is that every character you type is transmitted as you type, even before you click done or enter to send your response. You can also choose to disable this function so no one sees what you are typing until you hit "Done". This is really cool, and is some sort of middle ground between chatting online and chatting in person.
•You can add a person to an ongoing conversation. (Usually with e-mail, the newest person to the conversation would not have access to the previous conversations/emails.) You would place that person into the Wave and they would have access to the conversation and the original message as well (to access the original message and previous edits or additions, click on "playback"). The new participant can now join the conversation with ease (very useful for group conversations).
•You use "Private Reply" when you don’t want all the participants to see the message you write. You may also add participants you do want to see the message by adding them to the private reply thread.
Pictures:
•To attach pictures, you simply drag them into the wave. You can upload and download pictures, create group photo albums, copy images from one Wave to another new one, etc.
Embedding
•You can embed the whole Wave onto a webpage - a cool feature that expands group viewing capabilities much further.
Extras:
•You can use Wave on mobile devices
•New Spell Checker: It doesn’t just find your word by matching it up with words in the dictionary…it takes into account the context of the word so it helps you find the word you need even faster! Sometimes it automatically corrects your errors!
•Gadgets and Games: Play games (like soduku, chess) with all the benefits of Wave's playback
•Translations: Wave translates your sentence automatically into your desired language. Currently there are 40 languages available and it will translate between any pair of languages you choose.
My first impression of Google Wave is quite positive. It is a new, more convenient way to communicate, combining already existing communication forms into one easy-to-use space. Wave allows for real time communication among large groups of people. It is a whole new way of sharing online.
For More Information:
wave.google.com
code.google.com/apis/wave
www.waveprotocol.org
Edited by: Sara Saldi
Campus MovieFest at NYU
Comm Club is excited to finally be gearing up for the school-wide event, Campus MovieFest. 2010 marks the third year that Comm Club has sponsored the festival. Campus MovieFest is a program that provides students with HD Cameras and MacBook Pros (complete with editing software) completely free of charge, allowing hundreds of students to produce their films and compete against other NYU student filmmakers. Students borrow equipment for one week in order to complete a 5-minute short film on any topic or genre. This allows a chance to win recognition as well as prizes. Campus MovieFest's goal, as outlined on their website, is:
"To showcase the next generation of moviemakers and empower people everywhere to share their stories with the world a vision that has provided students the chance to learn skills that will be beneficial throughout their lives."
NYU's Top 16 films will be showcased at a red carpet Grand Finale on April 23 in Cantor. Winners then move on to a regional competition hosted at Lincoln Center, which will be part of the TriBeCa Film Festival this year!
For those of who want to participate, sign up on the website at http://wwww.campusmoviefest.com and come to Kimmel 905 on April 6th to start filming! CommClub is also looking for volunteer judges (as long as you're not competing, you can judge!) to watch student-films and eat pizza. We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming CMF festivities!
Please contact us at nyucommclub@gmail.com with questions or to participate!
"To showcase the next generation of moviemakers and empower people everywhere to share their stories with the world a vision that has provided students the chance to learn skills that will be beneficial throughout their lives."
NYU's Top 16 films will be showcased at a red carpet Grand Finale on April 23 in Cantor. Winners then move on to a regional competition hosted at Lincoln Center, which will be part of the TriBeCa Film Festival this year!
For those of who want to participate, sign up on the website at http://wwww.campusmoviefest.com and come to Kimmel 905 on April 6th to start filming! CommClub is also looking for volunteer judges (as long as you're not competing, you can judge!) to watch student-films and eat pizza. We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming CMF festivities!
Please contact us at nyucommclub@gmail.com with questions or to participate!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
February Monthly Meeting
Hello Comm Club! Just wanted to remind everyone to come to our first general meeting of the spring semester. It is tonight, February 23rd at 7:00pm. We will be in the MCC Department (239 Greene Street on the 7th floor).
We are excited to see everyone and hear your ideas about events for the spring semester! We already have some amazing stuff planned including free studio tours, show tapings, movies, and more.
Special guest and former Comm Club President Aaron Azpiazu will be there talking about Campus Movie Fest, an exciting event taking place later on in the semester. You definitely don't want to miss hearing about it, it is a fantastic opportunity!
Looking forward to seeing you all! And as always, there will be FREE food provided!
We are excited to see everyone and hear your ideas about events for the spring semester! We already have some amazing stuff planned including free studio tours, show tapings, movies, and more.
Special guest and former Comm Club President Aaron Azpiazu will be there talking about Campus Movie Fest, an exciting event taking place later on in the semester. You definitely don't want to miss hearing about it, it is a fantastic opportunity!
Looking forward to seeing you all! And as always, there will be FREE food provided!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Haiti: Events at NYU
In light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, we want to bring everyone’s attention to events happening around campus to raise money to aid relief efforts, and also provide links to many relief organizations where you can help by donating money. It is important that we all do what we can to help those in need.
Here are some events on and around campus:
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010: Headshots for Haiti
12pm -8pm - Tisch School of the Arts - Riese Student Lounge
721 Broadway - Photo ID required upon entry. Walk-ins only.
Have your headshots taken by Photography & Imaging students. 100% of sales will benefit Haiti Relief Efforts
Visit Headshots for Haiti on Faceboook and Twitter.
Headshot prices:
NYU Students $60 color or black & white
NYU Student $80 color and black & white
NYU Alum $100 color and black & white
Outside NYU $150 color and black & white
Per Image, Touch Ups $40
Host: TSOA Department of Photography & Imaging and Student Affairs
For more information please contact Liz Andrews
at 212-998-1926 or liz.andrews@nyu.edu
Monday, January 25- Thursday, January 28: Hot Chocolate for Haiti
12:15pm-1:30pm - Tisch Hall Lobby of the Stern School
SternCares and Stern Student Council will be sponsoring "Hot Chocolate for Haiti" Cups of hot chocolate and snacks will be available for a donation in the lobby of Tisch Hall each day from 12:15-1:30. All proceeds will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
Host: SternCares and Stern Student Council
For more information please visit:
http://www.hotchocolateforhaiti.org or email stncares@stern.nyu.edu
Tuesday, January 26, 4:50pm: Vigil for Haiti
Gould Plaza - Front of Tisch Hall of the Stern School
West 4th Street at Greene Street
Please join us in marking the two-week anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. We will begin with a moment of silence, followed by candle-lighting and brief remarks from university leaders. The people of Haiti have suffered tremendously, so it is our hope to show our support as a student body and to remember the many victims of this disaster.
Host: Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life
For further information, please contact Rachel Slaff - rls421@nyu.edu
Tuesday, January 26 through Monday, February 1: Seven Days for Haiti
Join the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU in raising as much money and awareness as we can during a week-long campaign for Haiti. Initiatives will include fund-raising, political action on behalf of the people of Haiti, and support for the local Haitian community. Donate whatever you can - be it time or money - and help the people of Haiti in their time of need. As more details and co-sponsors become available additional updates will be released.
Host: Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life
To get involved, please contact Rachel Slaff at rls421@nyu.edu
January 19 through January 29, 2010: Clothing and First Aid Supply Donation Box
Kimmel Center, 7th floor Lounge
Drop off gently worn clothing and unopened first aid supplies to drop boxes.
Items will be transported to Haiti via the Bedford Haitian Community Center and Helping Hands Bring Sunshine.
Host: Delta Phi Epsilon
Student Contact; Rachel Freiman, VP of Programming, DPHIE
January 20 through February 15, 2010: On-Line Initiative
Gallatin Student Council On-Line Fundraising Appeal For UNICEF in Haiti
Goal: $5,000 by February 15, 2010.
Gallatin Student Council has created a fundraising page for United States Fund for UNICEF in Haiti. UNICEF was chosen because of their commitment to providing help directly to children who are one of the most vulnerable groups after a natural disaster. After the cameras have left, UNICEF will continue their work there building schools, medical clinics and fostering education.
To make a donate or for more info about UNICEF in Haiti go to:
http:gallatinstudent.com/give
Host: Gallatin Student Council
We thank you in advance for your support, and if you have any questions or
would like to get involved, feel free to contact me at jeongkilim@gmail.com, or
Rick Stern at rick.stern@nyu.edu.
Sunday, January 24th at 3pm: Benefit Concert for Haiti
17 Smith Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
Grammy Award Winning Brookyln Tabernacle Gospel Choir
Hosted by: Christian Fellowship, NYU School of Medicine
Student Contact: ! Michelle Rullan, michelle.rullan@nyumc.org
Sunday, January 24, 2010: Horns for Haiti (Night of Dancing)
7pm to midnight
The Living Theatre, 21 Clinton Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
Join the Hungry March Band, Raya Brass Band + More for a night of dancing in support of Haiti. Special Guest Performances by Mikerline Afro Haitian Dance + Drum Troupe, Peniel Guerrier + More. Special moment with Rev. Billy + the Life After Shopping Gospel Choir
$20 (or more please) All money to benefit Doctors Without Borders and the Haitian performers with family Haiti. Space is limited, come early.
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=263520911372&ref=nf
Some of the many organizations collecting money:
Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/
UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/
Doctors Without Borders
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/
Partners in Health
http://www.pih.org/home.html
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/
Islamic Relief USA
www.IslamicReliefUSA.org
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
http://www.jdc.org/help-jdc/donate.aspx
American Jewish World Service
http://ajws.org/
Catholic Relief Services
http://crs.org/
Christian Relief Services
http://www.christianrelief.org/
In order to keep students and others informed, NYU has created a special NYU web site for disseminating information regarding the NYU community response to the Haiti Earthquake:
http://www.nyu.edu/about/haiti.response.html
Please help any way you can.
Here are some events on and around campus:
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010: Headshots for Haiti
12pm -8pm - Tisch School of the Arts - Riese Student Lounge
721 Broadway - Photo ID required upon entry. Walk-ins only.
Have your headshots taken by Photography & Imaging students. 100% of sales will benefit Haiti Relief Efforts
Visit Headshots for Haiti on Faceboook and Twitter.
Headshot prices:
NYU Students $60 color or black & white
NYU Student $80 color and black & white
NYU Alum $100 color and black & white
Outside NYU $150 color and black & white
Per Image, Touch Ups $40
Host: TSOA Department of Photography & Imaging and Student Affairs
For more information please contact Liz Andrews
at 212-998-1926 or liz.andrews@nyu.edu
Monday, January 25- Thursday, January 28: Hot Chocolate for Haiti
12:15pm-1:30pm - Tisch Hall Lobby of the Stern School
SternCares and Stern Student Council will be sponsoring "Hot Chocolate for Haiti" Cups of hot chocolate and snacks will be available for a donation in the lobby of Tisch Hall each day from 12:15-1:30. All proceeds will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
Host: SternCares and Stern Student Council
For more information please visit:
http://www.hotchocolateforhaiti.org or email stncares@stern.nyu.edu
Tuesday, January 26, 4:50pm: Vigil for Haiti
Gould Plaza - Front of Tisch Hall of the Stern School
West 4th Street at Greene Street
Please join us in marking the two-week anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. We will begin with a moment of silence, followed by candle-lighting and brief remarks from university leaders. The people of Haiti have suffered tremendously, so it is our hope to show our support as a student body and to remember the many victims of this disaster.
Host: Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life
For further information, please contact Rachel Slaff - rls421@nyu.edu
Tuesday, January 26 through Monday, February 1: Seven Days for Haiti
Join the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU in raising as much money and awareness as we can during a week-long campaign for Haiti. Initiatives will include fund-raising, political action on behalf of the people of Haiti, and support for the local Haitian community. Donate whatever you can - be it time or money - and help the people of Haiti in their time of need. As more details and co-sponsors become available additional updates will be released.
Host: Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life
To get involved, please contact Rachel Slaff at rls421@nyu.edu
January 19 through January 29, 2010: Clothing and First Aid Supply Donation Box
Kimmel Center, 7th floor Lounge
Drop off gently worn clothing and unopened first aid supplies to drop boxes.
Items will be transported to Haiti via the Bedford Haitian Community Center and Helping Hands Bring Sunshine.
Host: Delta Phi Epsilon
Student Contact; Rachel Freiman, VP of Programming, DPHIE
January 20 through February 15, 2010: On-Line Initiative
Gallatin Student Council On-Line Fundraising Appeal For UNICEF in Haiti
Goal: $5,000 by February 15, 2010.
Gallatin Student Council has created a fundraising page for United States Fund for UNICEF in Haiti. UNICEF was chosen because of their commitment to providing help directly to children who are one of the most vulnerable groups after a natural disaster. After the cameras have left, UNICEF will continue their work there building schools, medical clinics and fostering education.
To make a donate or for more info about UNICEF in Haiti go to:
http:gallatinstudent.com/give
Host: Gallatin Student Council
We thank you in advance for your support, and if you have any questions or
would like to get involved, feel free to contact me at jeongkilim@gmail.com, or
Rick Stern at rick.stern@nyu.edu.
Sunday, January 24th at 3pm: Benefit Concert for Haiti
17 Smith Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
Grammy Award Winning Brookyln Tabernacle Gospel Choir
Hosted by: Christian Fellowship, NYU School of Medicine
Student Contact: ! Michelle Rullan, michelle.rullan@nyumc.org
Sunday, January 24, 2010: Horns for Haiti (Night of Dancing)
7pm to midnight
The Living Theatre, 21 Clinton Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
Join the Hungry March Band, Raya Brass Band + More for a night of dancing in support of Haiti. Special Guest Performances by Mikerline Afro Haitian Dance + Drum Troupe, Peniel Guerrier + More. Special moment with Rev. Billy + the Life After Shopping Gospel Choir
$20 (or more please) All money to benefit Doctors Without Borders and the Haitian performers with family Haiti. Space is limited, come early.
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=263520911372&ref=nf
Some of the many organizations collecting money:
Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/
UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/
Doctors Without Borders
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/
Partners in Health
http://www.pih.org/home.html
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/
Islamic Relief USA
www.IslamicReliefUSA.org
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
http://www.jdc.org/help-jdc/donate.aspx
American Jewish World Service
http://ajws.org/
Catholic Relief Services
http://crs.org/
Christian Relief Services
http://www.christianrelief.org/
In order to keep students and others informed, NYU has created a special NYU web site for disseminating information regarding the NYU community response to the Haiti Earthquake:
http://www.nyu.edu/about/haiti.response.html
Please help any way you can.
Welcome Back Comm Club!
We hope you all had an excellent winter break and that you are looking forward to an even better Spring Semester! Comm Club has excellent events planned and we hope to see you all at our monthly meetings. Dates will be announced shortly! As always, make sure to keep an eye out for new blog posts and emails.
Also, if you are interested in getting more involved with Comm Club this semester, we are looking for two new E-Board members to be our USG Representatives at weekly Student Government meetings. If you are available on Tuesday’s from 12:30-1:45 and are interested in taking a more active role with the club, email nyucommclub@gmail.com for more information!
Here’s to a great semester!
Also, if you are interested in getting more involved with Comm Club this semester, we are looking for two new E-Board members to be our USG Representatives at weekly Student Government meetings. If you are available on Tuesday’s from 12:30-1:45 and are interested in taking a more active role with the club, email nyucommclub@gmail.com for more information!
Here’s to a great semester!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Bi-Weekly Interview: Jim Ford
Written by Natan Edelsburg
Edited by Sara Saldi
I had the pleasure
of sitting down with Jim Ford, talented actor and Chief Web Designer for NYU Steinhardt. Jim has played an essential role in helping the Comm Club begin to re-brand themselves this semester by helping us design a new website. He's also been helping out Steinhardt's Undergraduate Student Government by working with their new social media guru, freshman Jeremiah Malina. More importantly though, Jim was behind Steinhardt's phenomenal new web design, which if you haven't noticed, rolled out this semester. Here's a condensed and edited version of my interview.
How did you start your career as a web developer?
I majored in acting in college. I got my first job as an "HTML Monkey" making travel sites for destinations in the Caribbean.
When did you start working on Steinhardt's Website?
In 2000 the web team consisted of one person. We spent two and a half years building a site for the school. I then left Steinhardt for a bit and went to work for a company called Fractured Atlas, a non-profit that helped provide affordable healthcare for emerging artists, where I served as Director of Member Services. I then ended up coming back to NYU when a new position opened up.
When was the last time the site was redesigned?
We redesigned the site in 2007 when Steinhardt re-branded itself, changing its name to the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. The problem with the original website was that the site was based more on the design and less on the userability. Using a trackpad with the site was horrible. However, we did introduce a great CMS (Content Management System), which allows departments and student organizations to easily create a page with their content.
What are some of the cool features of the new redesign?
When designing the site we used the mega drop-downs with a limitless options-style designed by expert usability consultant Jakob Nielsen. It lets users click where they want to go as quickly as possible. We also have a great video portal with interviews and lectures. Lastly, we launched our News Portal that features new blogs and happenings around Steinhardt.
Many students prefer to use Gmail as supposed to NYU's Messenger and other intranet features. Do you have any insights why NYU hasn't gone Google?
I'm not positive but it probably has to do with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) that protects academic records. NYU may not want to give Google access to student's private communication with professors and other students. Another concern may be that they don’t want to sell their student’s attention to Google. It’s true that Google is pretty good about ads with their academic suites, but it could still be a potential issue.
Edited by Sara Saldi
I had the pleasure
of sitting down with Jim Ford, talented actor and Chief Web Designer for NYU Steinhardt. Jim has played an essential role in helping the Comm Club begin to re-brand themselves this semester by helping us design a new website. He's also been helping out Steinhardt's Undergraduate Student Government by working with their new social media guru, freshman Jeremiah Malina. More importantly though, Jim was behind Steinhardt's phenomenal new web design, which if you haven't noticed, rolled out this semester. Here's a condensed and edited version of my interview.How did you start your career as a web developer?
I majored in acting in college. I got my first job as an "HTML Monkey" making travel sites for destinations in the Caribbean.
When did you start working on Steinhardt's Website?
In 2000 the web team consisted of one person. We spent two and a half years building a site for the school. I then left Steinhardt for a bit and went to work for a company called Fractured Atlas, a non-profit that helped provide affordable healthcare for emerging artists, where I served as Director of Member Services. I then ended up coming back to NYU when a new position opened up.
When was the last time the site was redesigned?
We redesigned the site in 2007 when Steinhardt re-branded itself, changing its name to the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. The problem with the original website was that the site was based more on the design and less on the userability. Using a trackpad with the site was horrible. However, we did introduce a great CMS (Content Management System), which allows departments and student organizations to easily create a page with their content.
What are some of the cool features of the new redesign?
When designing the site we used the mega drop-downs with a limitless options-style designed by expert usability consultant Jakob Nielsen. It lets users click where they want to go as quickly as possible. We also have a great video portal with interviews and lectures. Lastly, we launched our News Portal that features new blogs and happenings around Steinhardt.
Many students prefer to use Gmail as supposed to NYU's Messenger and other intranet features. Do you have any insights why NYU hasn't gone Google?
I'm not positive but it probably has to do with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) that protects academic records. NYU may not want to give Google access to student's private communication with professors and other students. Another concern may be that they don’t want to sell their student’s attention to Google. It’s true that Google is pretty good about ads with their academic suites, but it could still be a potential issue.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
MadCupMenCakes
Hey Comm Club! We wanted to wish everyone good luck on finals and invite you to our final event of the semester: MadCupMenCakes! It is happening today, Thursday December 10th, in Room 803 of Kimmel at 8:30pm.
The event is very chill and will allow all of us to take a break from Bobst. We are going to watch the Emmy award winning show "MadMen" and eat cupcakes of various brands to take a break from the madness that is finals.
Hope to see you all there! As always, if you have any questions, please contact us at nyucommclub@gmail.com
Thanks!
Sincerely,
The Comm Club EBoard
The event is very chill and will allow all of us to take a break from Bobst. We are going to watch the Emmy award winning show "MadMen" and eat cupcakes of various brands to take a break from the madness that is finals.
Hope to see you all there! As always, if you have any questions, please contact us at nyucommclub@gmail.com
Thanks!
Sincerely,
The Comm Club EBoard
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
November Monthly Meeting Update
Written by Sara Saldi
Edited by Felicia Shulman
At our last Comm Club meeting on Wednesday November 18th, we had the pleasure of hosting Isaac Josephson, the director of product development at ABC News.
Before delving into the field of journalism, Mr. Josephson ran the music division of The NPD Group, where he helped global music companies, retailers, and internet companies develop digital music business strategies. Prior to that, he served as product manager at Listen.com for the launch of the Rhapsody digital music subscription service, and senior producer at Tunes.com where he managed the online presence of websites like Rollingstone.com and Downbeat.com.
In 1994, Isaac co-founded Centerstage Chicago, the first online guide to local entertainment. It was subsequently acquired by the Chicago Sun Times. Isaac began his career with the Tribune Company where he was responsible for developing the corporate online presence and participated in the launch of Chicagotribune.com.
Isaac received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is presently enrolled in NYU Steinhardt’s Master’s program in Media, Culture and Communications.
At our meeting, he spoke a lot about the evolution of the media industries. He began in the music business, a field that since the invention of the internet has undergone a 180 degree flip due to sites such as Napster.com. Now he is in the field of journalism, which is changing dramatically due to the internet as well. He shared with us how drastically the news business is changing as sites like Facebook and Twitter continue to become more popular destinations for news consumption.
His biggest piece of advice for students looking for jobs in the communications fields is to make connections through networking, and make sure that your resume is perfect before you send it out!
Other club business discussed at the meeting included the MadCupMenCakes Event, where we will be watching the hit TV show Mad Men and eating delicious cupcakes. MadCupMenCakes is on December 10th at 8:30pm in Kimmel Room 803. It will be a very relaxed event where we can all unwind and take a break from finals studying!
Edited by Felicia Shulman
At our last Comm Club meeting on Wednesday November 18th, we had the pleasure of hosting Isaac Josephson, the director of product development at ABC News.
Before delving into the field of journalism, Mr. Josephson ran the music division of The NPD Group, where he helped global music companies, retailers, and internet companies develop digital music business strategies. Prior to that, he served as product manager at Listen.com for the launch of the Rhapsody digital music subscription service, and senior producer at Tunes.com where he managed the online presence of websites like Rollingstone.com and Downbeat.com.
In 1994, Isaac co-founded Centerstage Chicago, the first online guide to local entertainment. It was subsequently acquired by the Chicago Sun Times. Isaac began his career with the Tribune Company where he was responsible for developing the corporate online presence and participated in the launch of Chicagotribune.com.
Isaac received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is presently enrolled in NYU Steinhardt’s Master’s program in Media, Culture and Communications.
At our meeting, he spoke a lot about the evolution of the media industries. He began in the music business, a field that since the invention of the internet has undergone a 180 degree flip due to sites such as Napster.com. Now he is in the field of journalism, which is changing dramatically due to the internet as well. He shared with us how drastically the news business is changing as sites like Facebook and Twitter continue to become more popular destinations for news consumption.
His biggest piece of advice for students looking for jobs in the communications fields is to make connections through networking, and make sure that your resume is perfect before you send it out!
Other club business discussed at the meeting included the MadCupMenCakes Event, where we will be watching the hit TV show Mad Men and eating delicious cupcakes. MadCupMenCakes is on December 10th at 8:30pm in Kimmel Room 803. It will be a very relaxed event where we can all unwind and take a break from finals studying!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Social Media Society’s Twitter 101 Session
The Social Media Society's first Twitter 101 course took place on Thursday, November 19th, and presented a wealth of information about Twitter, the ever-popular social microblogging platform. The course’s attendees ranged from small business owners to Newsweek employees. The workshop included the basics of Twitter, but focused mainly on the how Twitter can help businesses to connect with their customers and advertise their products. Below are a few case studies that were analyzed during the session:
Search.twitter.com offers a standard search API to allow you to search key words, also with advanced options.
Tweetbeep.com will search and notify you whenever anyone tweets a specific keyword
Twitalyzer.com is a tool that measures and analyzes your brand’s impact on twitter
Special thanks to Persia Tatar, Founder, Social Media Society and Benjamin Weisman, Vice President, Creative Director, MRM Worldwide – Princeton for leading the course and inviting us.
Written by Jeremiah Malina
Edited by Sara Saldi
- In March of 2009, Skittles changed its homepage into a live Twitter feed of tweets containing the word “Skittles.” This brave experiment created a lot of publicity for Skittles. However, after two days the site became flooded with negative tweets and had to be taken down. What Skittles lacked, however, was an effort to reach out and engage their customers. You can still see a modified Skittles Twitter feed here
- The Ford Fiesta Brand Ambassador Program is another example of Twitter being used by a business. Instead of using cliché auto commercials, Ford has chosen 100 Brand Ambassadors to promote their new car, the Fiesta, through Twitter. The Brand Ambassador’s job is to highlight their experiences with the Fiesta by posting pictures and videos on Twitter and adding in their own perspective as they complete “missions” given by the website. It’s a neat idea where you aren’t being sold a product through traditional advertising. Instead you’re engaging with it socially.
- Best Buy is utilizing Twitter as a customer service outlet. Their main twitter page @bestbuy tweets about news while @twelpforce displays many different employees directly addressing customers who are seeking help in real time. This is definitely an effective way to demonstrate a company’s commitment to customer service.
Search.twitter.com offers a standard search API to allow you to search key words, also with advanced options.
Tweetbeep.com will search and notify you whenever anyone tweets a specific keyword
Twitalyzer.com is a tool that measures and analyzes your brand’s impact on twitter
Special thanks to Persia Tatar, Founder, Social Media Society and Benjamin Weisman, Vice President, Creative Director, MRM Worldwide – Princeton for leading the course and inviting us.
Written by Jeremiah Malina
Edited by Sara Saldi
Monday, November 23, 2009
Bi-Weekly Interview: Professor Jay Rubin
Paper after paper, college teaches us how to write. But out in the real world, how you deliver your pitch is almost more important than how you write it. Here with some expert advice on giving a successful presentation is one of my Stern communications professors, Professor Jay Rubin. Professor Rubin currently teaches Organizational Communication, an undergraduate management communications course at the Stern School of Business, and Public Relations Writing, a graduate course at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He splits his time between the NYU classroom and his consulting firm, Jay Rubin & Associates. Over the years, his clients have been in the media and communication business, such as ABC, CNBC and Scholastic.
What are some basic techniques everyone should master when presenting?
The first thing is to realize that very few people are "natural" presenters, and you have to practice -- and keep practicing -- your content and delivery skills. If you're disciplined enough to put in the time, you'll usually be fine. Most often, the individual or the team making the presentation is far more critical about the performance than the audience. When developing your strategy and content, always apply the watchwords that go all the way back to Aristotle and remain timely as ever: ethos (credibility), logos (logic) and pathos (emotional appeal).
What makes an effective introduction?
You have to grab the audience's attention, preview what's ahead, and make sure your audience knows WIIFM (what's in it for me).
What are some misconceptions about visual aids? How do we create effective visuals?
Visual aids are intended to help the presenter do his or her job, not take it over. That's why simpler is usually better. Unless you're intentionally giving a highly technical or numbers-heavy presentation, a visual should be able to tell its story in a couple of quick seconds so focus can immediately return to the presenter.
What to do when you draw a blank?
Always keep smiling (unless you're dealing with an especially somber event, which isn't often the case). The audience generally takes its cues from the presenter. If you appear confident enough as a presenter to accept a momentary lapse, the audience will usually be forgiving. However, if you show you're squirming, the audience is more likely to remember those unfortunate moments because you've made them uncomfortable watching you.
Who is the best presenter out there today?
There's a lot of great presenters out there. But the one who comes quickest to mind is Steve Jobs. He has natural charisma and is a master at blending both WIIFM features (e.g. here's the latest innovation) and benefits (e.g. here's why it's so cool).
What was your most memorable presentation? What did you learn from it?
Years ago, when I was fresh out of college and starting my career, I attended a journalism seminar sponsored by The Washington Post. Some of the country's most respected reporters were there. The journalists were asked tough questions, and their answers were sometimes surprising and controversial. But no one doubted their credibility. It was a great lesson about how the impact of any message depends on who's delivering it.
What’s the best advice you've received on how to give a presentation?
Practice and be your best self. Don't just try to mimic someone else's style; find your own.
Written by Jessica Ye
Edited by Sara Saldi
What are some basic techniques everyone should master when presenting?
The first thing is to realize that very few people are "natural" presenters, and you have to practice -- and keep practicing -- your content and delivery skills. If you're disciplined enough to put in the time, you'll usually be fine. Most often, the individual or the team making the presentation is far more critical about the performance than the audience. When developing your strategy and content, always apply the watchwords that go all the way back to Aristotle and remain timely as ever: ethos (credibility), logos (logic) and pathos (emotional appeal).
What makes an effective introduction?
You have to grab the audience's attention, preview what's ahead, and make sure your audience knows WIIFM (what's in it for me).
What are some misconceptions about visual aids? How do we create effective visuals?
Visual aids are intended to help the presenter do his or her job, not take it over. That's why simpler is usually better. Unless you're intentionally giving a highly technical or numbers-heavy presentation, a visual should be able to tell its story in a couple of quick seconds so focus can immediately return to the presenter.
What to do when you draw a blank?
Always keep smiling (unless you're dealing with an especially somber event, which isn't often the case). The audience generally takes its cues from the presenter. If you appear confident enough as a presenter to accept a momentary lapse, the audience will usually be forgiving. However, if you show you're squirming, the audience is more likely to remember those unfortunate moments because you've made them uncomfortable watching you.
Who is the best presenter out there today?
There's a lot of great presenters out there. But the one who comes quickest to mind is Steve Jobs. He has natural charisma and is a master at blending both WIIFM features (e.g. here's the latest innovation) and benefits (e.g. here's why it's so cool).
What was your most memorable presentation? What did you learn from it?
Years ago, when I was fresh out of college and starting my career, I attended a journalism seminar sponsored by The Washington Post. Some of the country's most respected reporters were there. The journalists were asked tough questions, and their answers were sometimes surprising and controversial. But no one doubted their credibility. It was a great lesson about how the impact of any message depends on who's delivering it.
What’s the best advice you've received on how to give a presentation?
Practice and be your best self. Don't just try to mimic someone else's style; find your own.
Written by Jessica Ye
Edited by Sara Saldi
My Experience at Bernaise Source’s PR Camp – Go Red Team!
Written by Natan Edelsburg, Communications Club Vice President
Thanks to Danielle Culmone, a former supervisor from Quinn & Co. Public Relations I was invited by Bernaise Source’s principal, Dan Greenfield to be a “Gen-Yer” for PR Camp’s “Talking About the ‘Y’ Generation,” session. When I first read about PR Camp and how it was going to be an “unconference” fueled by a camp-like, marshmallows and bonfire atmosphere I had a social media wet dream. My fondest memories are from my ten consecutive summers being a camper and then counselor at Camp Young Judaea in New Hampshire. Click here for one of my favorite social media blog posts, by David Berkowitz (from MediaPost’s Social Media Insider) describing how being a camp counselor prepares you for social marketing.
I had the pleasure of meeting some extremely impressive professionals throughout the day. Separating into teams (go red team!) really gave us the chance to get to know each other as we discussed, ROI, Gen-Y and new versus old agencies relating to PR and social media. During each session (especially Howard Greenstein’s “Delivering Strategies for Effective ROI”), different ways of using metrics to show results from social media campaigns were brought up. After I got home from PR Camp I was extremely excited to study the conversations that took place during the day. I typed in the official hashtag, “#prcamp,” and copy and pasted the ten-plus pages of tweets just from Friday, into Wordle, the word cloud creator. After removing most of the clutter from my “copy and paste” here is what Wordle designed:
For those unfamiliar with word/tag clouds and Wordle, you can simply copy and paste text into their form and it will show you what words/terms were most prevalent by designing a “beautiful” and customized cloud of words. This word cloud taught me some cool facts about PR Camp – some obvious, some not at all. Here are my top-5:
1. PR Camp, Social Media and Twitter were the biggest most prevalent words, which makes sense since each tweet I copy and pasted contained PR Camp. Also, it’s no surprise that the topics that were most discussed were Social Media and Twitter (plus I probably should have deleted Twitter from the word cloud but couldn’t bring myself to).
2. Ishkahbibel (Donald Schwartz, Imagelink Productions), @Journalistics (a blog about journalism and PR), @MattHurst (Communications Professional and Social Media Savant), and @TonyBerkman (Serial Entreprenuer) appeared to have tweeted the most, simply because their names were most prevalent.
3. UberTwitter has a big shout-out in the cloud leading me to assume that most people (including myself) were tweeting from Uber.
4.Not surprisingly, the word “porn” is pretty noticeable. For everyone who was at PR Camp or watching the conversation we all know it is in reference to JetBlue’s Morgan Johnston’s comment that when he showed TweetDeck to an exec at JetBlue, he exclaimed that it was like “marketing porn.”
5. Smaller, but still noticeable – the word “mobile” dictates the importance of how technology is moving more to our fingertips and less to our desktops – this subject was brought up several times during the Red Team’s discussions.
While my word cloud is far from perfect, it gave me a fun and pretty way to put into context the #prcamp conversations and everything I had taken in from a very fun day at camp. I’ve been waiting for a good excuse to create my first list on Twitter. I created one for the red team in the hope that we could all stay connected and continue to converse. I added everyone I could think of but am obviously still missing people. Here’s a link to the list on Listiorious.com where you can recommend anyone to the list that I left off.
Edited by Sara Saldi
Thanks to Danielle Culmone, a former supervisor from Quinn & Co. Public Relations I was invited by Bernaise Source’s principal, Dan Greenfield to be a “Gen-Yer” for PR Camp’s “Talking About the ‘Y’ Generation,” session. When I first read about PR Camp and how it was going to be an “unconference” fueled by a camp-like, marshmallows and bonfire atmosphere I had a social media wet dream. My fondest memories are from my ten consecutive summers being a camper and then counselor at Camp Young Judaea in New Hampshire. Click here for one of my favorite social media blog posts, by David Berkowitz (from MediaPost’s Social Media Insider) describing how being a camp counselor prepares you for social marketing.
For those unfamiliar with word/tag clouds and Wordle, you can simply copy and paste text into their form and it will show you what words/terms were most prevalent by designing a “beautiful” and customized cloud of words. This word cloud taught me some cool facts about PR Camp – some obvious, some not at all. Here are my top-5:
1. PR Camp, Social Media and Twitter were the biggest most prevalent words, which makes sense since each tweet I copy and pasted contained PR Camp. Also, it’s no surprise that the topics that were most discussed were Social Media and Twitter (plus I probably should have deleted Twitter from the word cloud but couldn’t bring myself to).
2. Ishkahbibel (Donald Schwartz, Imagelink Productions), @Journalistics (a blog about journalism and PR), @MattHurst (Communications Professional and Social Media Savant), and @TonyBerkman (Serial Entreprenuer) appeared to have tweeted the most, simply because their names were most prevalent.
3. UberTwitter has a big shout-out in the cloud leading me to assume that most people (including myself) were tweeting from Uber.
4.Not surprisingly, the word “porn” is pretty noticeable. For everyone who was at PR Camp or watching the conversation we all know it is in reference to JetBlue’s Morgan Johnston’s comment that when he showed TweetDeck to an exec at JetBlue, he exclaimed that it was like “marketing porn.”
5. Smaller, but still noticeable – the word “mobile” dictates the importance of how technology is moving more to our fingertips and less to our desktops – this subject was brought up several times during the Red Team’s discussions.
While my word cloud is far from perfect, it gave me a fun and pretty way to put into context the #prcamp conversations and everything I had taken in from a very fun day at camp. I’ve been waiting for a good excuse to create my first list on Twitter. I created one for the red team in the hope that we could all stay connected and continue to converse. I added everyone I could think of but am obviously still missing people. Here’s a link to the list on Listiorious.com where you can recommend anyone to the list that I left off.
Edited by Sara Saldi
Dean’s Roundtable with Adina Pitt
Thanks to the Dean’s Roundtable I had the chance to hear Adina Pitt, a Steinhardt alumna, speak about her career in television and her position as a VP at Cartoon Network and Boomerang (and, as an extra bonus, they had some great cookies there, too). Ms. Pitt is the VP of Content Acquisitions & Co-Productions and Cartoon Network & Boomerang. She spoke with a diverse group of undergrad and post-grad students who wanted to hear all about the television industry and what steps she took in her career path to get to where she was. I walked away from the roundtable with a lot more knowledge about children’s cable television and how concepts and ideas are now traded globally. Here are the top-five things I took away:- The most valuable lesson I learned from Ms. Pitt was how she moved her career forward by essentially creating her own job. When she was an assistant and contracts would pass through her desk she made sure to read and study each one. When her superiors would get ready to go on business trips in markets around the world she would prepare spec sheets of projects to check out.
- Ms. Pitt was describing to us how the simplest of pitches are the ones that Cartoon Network decides to invest in. The funniest one she mentioned was “a babysitter who happens to be a vampire.” Right after she heard those words, she was sold. The comeback of the vampire continues!
- She reminded us that “kids are really simple,” they “feel like adults,” but don’t think like them. They want “mindless fun,” which is what you need to think about when you are developing programming for children.
- “Kids love commercials” – This was a cool and really interesting point she made. She told us that when she offers to fast-forward commercials with her own children they usually tell her not to because they love the commercials. I wonder if this will change as kids start using computers at younger ages.
- If you are trying to create a concept for a children’s show make sure you’re thinking about your story in 52, 11 minute parts. Cartoon Network mostly needs 26, 22-minute episodes with two 11-minute stories in each (I think we can all vaguely remember that format from our Rugrats days).
Written by Natan Edelsburg
Edited by Sara Saldi
Our New Layout!
Hey everyone, hope you like our new blog layout. Our old layout was a standard Blogger template that was a bit too bland for our taste – we wanted something more readable and aesthetically pleasing. We’re hoping to switch to WordPress for the spring semester, but for now we are still here. Special thanks to Jeremiah Malina who helped us with the new blog design. If you have any comments about how it looks let us know at nyucommclub@gmail.com
Jeremiah Malina is a freshman Media, Culture, & Communication major. He is also the Social Media Chairperson for Steinhardt’s Undergraduate Student Government. Feel free to tweet your comments @JJmalina and check out the Steinhardt USG blog at www.nyusteinhardtusg.blogspot.com
Written by Jeremiah Malina
Edited by Sara Saldi
Jeremiah Malina is a freshman Media, Culture, & Communication major. He is also the Social Media Chairperson for Steinhardt’s Undergraduate Student Government. Feel free to tweet your comments @JJmalina and check out the Steinhardt USG blog at www.nyusteinhardtusg.blogspot.com
Written by Jeremiah Malina
Edited by Sara Saldi
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Social Media Society’s Facebook 101 Session
Social Media Society’s first course took place Wednesday, November 11th at the Yale Club, and Comm Club was really happy to be able to attend. We were able to learn how professionals in the advertising/marketing/communications industry were using Facebook to connect customers to their brands and provide a fun and interactive way to create conversations between them. Here are some of the key takeaways we learned that we thought most college-age Facebook users would not be aware of:
- Have a plan – whether your creating a group or fan page for your student organization think about maximizing your fans engagement by creating a content calendar when you know how often you’ll post and update and what it will be about.
- Utilize FBML to customize your fan page - FBML is Facebook’s simple HTML like code that lets you bold, link, tag and add video/pictures to the page layout. It’s very easy to learn and will make a big difference in what your page looks like
- Use custom tabs – These will allow you to add content specific to what works for your club or organization.
- Ads – Facebook ads are becoming more and more popular. When you create your next event for your student club, notice that there is an option to click “Promote This Event.” You can easily spend a small amount of money to have an ad for your event appear on user’s pages based on age, location and even university.
Special thanks to Persia Tatar, Founder, Social Media Society and Benjamin Weisman, Vice President, Creative Director, MRM Worldwide – Princeton for leading the course and inviting Comm Club to be a part of it.
Twitter 101 is this Thursday and student tickets are only $25!
http://socialmediasocietytwitter.eventbrite.com/
Interested in learning more about the Social Media Society? Email us at nyucommclub@gmail.com
Written by Natan Edelsburg
Edited by Sara Saldi
Monday, November 16, 2009
Comm Club's Graduate School Panel
- Yue Li
- Caitlin Jean Hamilton
- Elisa Verna
- Isabel Restrepo
- Jan Gasparic
- When asked what pushed them to go to graduate school, many said they enjoyed school and "missed thinking." Others said they knew graduate school would be helpful in a job search. The panelists stressed that the degrees they were perusing at NYU were theory based, not practical. Therefore, their degrees will be helpful for more academic careers. If you're interested in a more corporate job such as public relations or advertising you might find internships more useful than graduate school.
- Juggling a job and school might be hard for some, but most of our panelists said that having a job actually helped them with time management. They found the strict schedule that a job provides helpful in organizing their lives and school work. They did say, however, that it may be a good idea to wait until you settle in to graduate school before getting a job.
- Some of our panelists came from smaller undergraduate schools in rural and suburban areas. We were curious whether moving to New York City for graduate school was hard for them. Many said that they found living in the big city quite a shock. New York may have a lot to offer but, as a graduate student, you may not find enough time to experience it all. Make sure to keep in mind the town, city, and country you in which attend school play a huge role in your graduate experience. Remember, there won’t be any freshman organizations or peer advisors to usher you through this time around.
- It might be a good idea to take a year off after graduating before going to graduate school. There is nothing worse than being stuck in school again if you didn't like it much in the first place. You also might find something out there in the real world that interests you--something you never saw in the confines of the university. You might even find that having a real job isn't as bad as you thought. You could find you like it. Not all 9-5's are the 9-5 you had summer of sophomore year. You might consider traveling, working a little, living a little, getting a little money, and expanding your horizons. It might make you a better grad student!
- If you decide you do want to go to graduate school, make sure you're studying something that interests you. Don't get a degree because you think it's the natural progression of things. There is a lot of work involved in grad school so don't read more Marshall McLuhan for another two years unless you can really commit to it. And when we say a lot of work we mean A LOT OF WORK.
- Don't focus on rank. It's more important to make sure you enjoy your program than to be in the top 10. Not all masters programs in communications are the same, so study them carefully.
If you’re interested in learning more about graduate school and have any questions, contact us at nyucommclub@gmail.com
Edited by Sara Saldi
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bi-Weekly Interview: James Polulach
James Polulach is a relationship manager for Kaplan, the well-know test prep company that has “helped millions of students achieve their educational and career goals.” James has become a good friend and partner of the Communications Club, helping to sponsor events and provide us with test-prep course giveaways. We sat down with James to discuss how he’s built relationships with students and clubs across NYU and how Kaplan has created unique and custom sponsorship programs at universities. The interview has been edited and condensed.How did you gain the position of relationship manager at Kaplan?
I play football (the Australian kind) and one of the people I played with worked for Kaplan. He recommended me for a position in Brooklyn that I didn’t end up getting. Then the position to work with universities in Manhattan came up and I got it. I’ve been with Kaplan for about 2.5-3 years.
What schools do you work with?
NYU, Columbia and Yeshiva
What different kinds of student clubs at NYU have you worked with?
All different kinds. Pre-professional, cultural, ethnic. I’ve found great ways to work with all different kinds of clubs.
Which clubs have you built the best relationships with (besides Comm Club of course)?
I’ve worked very closely with AMSA (The American Medical Student Association) and Beta Alpha Psi (the business fraternity). Those organizations naturally have many students who are interested in graduate school and test preparation. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with clubs like Psychology and Applied Psychology (another Steinhardt club).
What’s the ROI (return on investment) that you see from your partnerships with student organizations?
Helping host events is a great way to tap into our market and also help each club get their point-of-view across and showcase their club. Kaplan created the industry so I’m not necessarily worried about direct ROI but continuing to invest in our brand by helping other clubs.
What are the best forms of communication that worked with reaching out to clubs?
Email campaigns are definitely the best. Making sure that people are sending out emails, reaching out via Facebook, and updating their members about upcoming events is really important.
What events does Kaplan have coming up?
We will start running more events again in the spring, when it’s not cold out. There will be large practice tests for clubs and we will be working with Wasserman for some events. There will be a big pre-law event in April.
What’s going in Kaplan’s corporate world?
On a corporate level we’ve acquired other test companies that have similar preparation styles and that work well with the Kaplan brand. We’re always making sure Kaplan’s messages are being communicated effectively and that we continue to run events and build relationships with students.
You can follow Kaplan on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/KTPA_Careers
Edited by Sara Saldi
Monday, October 19, 2009
Bi-Weekly Interview: Mushon Zer-Aviv, Designer, Teacher and Media Activist
Mushon Zer-Aviv is a designer, teacher and media activist from Tel-Aviv. He teaches new media research at New York University and open-source design at Parsons The New School for Design. Mushon's work explores media i n public space and public space in media. He is the co-founder of ShiftSpace.org, an open-source brow ser plug-in for annotating the web. His other ventures include Shual.com, a foxy design studio, and Kriegspiel, a computer game based on Guy Debord’s Game of War. Mushon is also an honorary resident at Eyebeam, the New York based art and technology center.Comm Club’s Lynn Burke sat down with Mushon Zer-Aviv so that we could all learn more about him, his work, and open source:
I suppose a good a question to start with is a basic one. So, what exactly is open source?
Open source is a production method for software-based projects. The heart of it is that the information is openly available and collaborated on. When people are sharing their music under creative commons sites, that doesn't make it open source. But if they made a platform that would allow them to collaborate on it, that’s closer to the realm of open source.
Open source platforms seem beneficial to everyone. Do you think it's ever going to catch on?
It has already caught on. Most of the technology we use online is open source. You're already using it. Most website servers are running on Linux and Apache, which are open source technologies.You don't know about it because you don't necessarilyneed to know about it. But, we wouldn't have had the web and the culture that we have today if it wasn't for open source. If you're editing or using Wikipedia, you're directly affected by open source.
What are the similarities and differences between ShiftSpace and Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is has two aspects of open source: 1. It's open sourcing the creation of knowledge by having an interface of collaboration on that knowledge and 2. The software Wikipedia is using is open source software.
What we're doing with ShiftSpace is different because even though it's true that people can come and edit content, we're more interested in people coming in and deciding what interfaces to use on the sites that they're browsing.
It's not about content as much as it is about the interface. Even in the case of Wikipedia, the content is widely constructed through interface. So, we admire the Wikipedia project and the question that it's asking. We're just asking different questions. Even before we question content, we have to question interface.
How is ShiftSpace funded?
First of all you're assuming we are funded. A lot of the development around open source and ShiftSpace is not funded. In the past year we've been introduced to MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art). They were in the process of a site redesign and saw our work. They were looking for some sort of social media vendor and asked us if we could do stuff for their website.
So we looked at our code and saw that we didn't just create a plug-in environment, we also created a social application platform. We can use that technology to create other interfaces, and not necessarily just a plug-in.
That's the kind of business model that we hope to explore. We are still working with MoMA and are on phase two of the interface, which should be live soon. We're just fixing a few more bugs.
What kind of role do you think the internet and digital media has played on art and what kind of role do you think the internet is going to play in the future of traditional art?
I think the questions we are interested in don't really revolve around art; instead, they revolve around the wider perspective of culture. In the case of MoMA, what's interesting is the idea of sharing intellectual property. MoMA is a great museum and we enjoy working with them. On the other hand though, it has a very bureaucratic system. They have a legal department that makes sure every piece of art in the collection has specific licensing. Therefore, there's only so much you can do with an image on the Internet.
For instance, MoMA came to us wanting to have a Facebook feature, which we are now working on. But the issue is that due to licensing, art pieces are only legally allowed to be shown on MoMA’s website. Art pieces are not even allowed to be shown as thumbnails on Facebook, as that would be an infringement of the intellectual property of the artist. When you're putting art (or anything that has strong intellectual property issues) online, you're bound to run into these questions.
Our work, especially when it's focused on social media, is really challenging the way MoMA and other places like it are thinking about what and how things can be shared.
What advice can you give students looking at careers in web design or new media?
Install Firefox. That's the number one tip I can give to anyone looking to do Web stuff. Basically, what's exciting about a lot of web technology is that it is open. Whatever you are looking at on your web browser, you can inspect and learn how to do.
I am teaching a class called Open Source Design at Parsons. At the beginning of the semester I tell my students we are doing to learn HTML, CSS, WordPress, and much more. But the catch is, I'm not going to teach you. And it’s not just that I won't be teaching them, it's that I don't even know it!
We learn it together because we have all of the tools to do so from the web itself. If you have the patience, you can teach yourself all about technology. That is the one truly revolutionary thing about the Web: everyone can learn.
Edited by Sara Saldi
Edited by Sara Saldi
Friday, October 16, 2009
Our Second Monthly Meeting Updates
Hey everybody! First, we want to thank everyone who came to our second monthly meeting this Wednesday. We had a great turnout, and we loved how enthusiastic you all were! For those of you who couldn’t make it, here is some of what happened:
- First we discussed the Media, Culture, and Communication Undergraduate Conference. This is a conference that occurs in the spring every year. MCC freshmen are required to attend, but everyone is welcome. This year, Comm Club was approached to help plan the event. This is an awesome opportunity, especially for the freshmen, because we have the ability to make this mandatory conference really cool. We started brainstorming some ideas for topics, speakers, and an interesting format. We always need more ideas and help. If you’d like to help out with this, please email us at nyucommclub@gmail.com
- The second order of business was about the blog (the one you are reading right now!). We really want to get some new writers and expand our subject matter. This blog shouldn’t just be about NYU Comm Club happenings – it should be about the world of media! Please contact Sara Saldi at sjs491@nyu.edu if you have any interest in writing a blog entry for us (or even start a column!). It can be as fun as an article about your favorite TV show or as serious as an interview with one of your professor. Remember, having your writing published looks great on your resume.
- Now that we have our budget, we can really start planning events. At the meeting, we tried to get a feel for which events people were most excited about (an NBC studio tour was one example. A cupcake branding taste test was another). Though these events were ideas proposed by the E-Board, we are always looking to hear about what YOU guys want to do. Always feel free to approach us with ideas.
- Abi and Natan briefed us on the Social Media Society, a professional society focusing on the world of social media. The Comm Club was able to attend the launch of this brand-new society (click here to read one of our past blogs about it). We hope to form the first student chapter of the Social Media Society. Abi will be keeping us posted!
If you have any further questions about what happened at the meeting, please email nyucommclub@gmail.com.
The next Comm Club Meeting will be Wednesday, November 18th at 7:30. Be there!
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