Digital Technology and Culture

A blog for students and friends of Washington State University Vancouver's Digital Technology and Culture Program

Fairness.com

From Fairness.com, our collaborator in DTC 338 Information and Ethics . . .

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CriTweak_ Web Discussion Software Unveiled for McCain-Obama Debate

(Charlottesville, VA) — Fairness.com has released version 0.8 of CriTweak_, its next-generation online discussion platform, in time to allow post-event analysis of Friday's McCain-Obama debate on its noncommercial ElectionDocs.com website .

ElectionDocs.com is a highly-searchable archive of McCain's and Obama's campaign speeches, position papers, and debate transcripts (position papers from the Nader and Barr campaigns are also online). ElectionDocs utilizes CriTweak's_ unique 2-window interface to let readers attach comments to any sentences and paragraphs they find noteworthy. Users read documents in the lefthand window and, by clicking on a sentence or paragraph, can see information (1-line summary or detailed) about attached comments in the righthand window. A sample speech viewed with CriTweak_ (adding comments requires free site registration) is at:
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This combination of the candidates' collected positions plus users' ability to post line-by-line critiques makes ElectionDocs.com a valuable election resource for the campaign's final month.

CriTweak_ was successfully field tested last week at the University of Virginia's prestigious Miller Center of Public Affairs. Prof. Brian Balogh used it for a Masters-level class exercise and reported:

"The software was excellent. The quality and quantity of the students' comments on the speech were outstanding, much better than I expected; their ability to see and respond to each others' comments in context was the best part. Overall they were very enthusiastic about the software."

Although CriTweak_ was developed with "civil society" goals in mind, a software tool to let masses of voters critique and discuss the candidates' views, it can be used in any document discussion context to help users cope with otherwise overwhelming numbers of comments. [Note: CriTweak's_ AJAX code provides a very fast user interface, but this "proof of concept" 0.8 release runs on an unoptimized development system and may be sluggish under very large user loads.]

About Fairness.com

Fairness.com LLC, a non-partisan public interest organization based in Charlottesville, VA, operates the non-commercial Fairness.com information clearinghouse site that provides metadata and links on over 15,000 fairness-relevant articles and identifies/tracks almost 20,000 people, publications, and organizations. Daniel Doernberg, founder of Fairness.com, was formerly founder/chairman of Silicon Valley's Computer Literacy Bookshops chain.

posted by: grigar at 03:12 | link | comments |

Congratulations to Teresa Phimister

Congratulations to Teresa Phimister, the Advisor for the DTC Program. Her hard work in helping students get into the right classes, assisting students with developing a good plan for completing the Program, and providing guidance and assistance with both personal and professional issues do not go unnoticed. A recent study about Advising at WSUV shows that students in the DTC Program are among the most satisfied students on campus with advising. What's more, they are the ones most likely to remain at WSUV to complete their degrees. The Program ranked second in both categories, among the 17 programs studied.

We thank you, Teresa, for your diligence and devotion to DTC students!

posted by: grigar at 14:58 | link | comments |

Use technology to transform your job hunt

From The Career News

Use technology to transform your job hunt
Abridged: Northfloridanewsdaily.com

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Technology is streamlining the hiring process. Managers use it to eliminate useless -- and costly -- interviews and prescreen candidates before bringing them in for in-person interviews. By using a Web-based video interviewing system, hiring managers can view video clips of job candidates, any time, any place, and share them with other decision makers. Employers can even compare the responses of candidates to the same question, further leveling the playing field.

And job hunters can use technology to distinguish themselves from the pack. By using a video resume in conjunction with a paper resume, the candidate benefits because on camera, personality, enthusiasm and passion come through, making the case even more convincingly than words on the page of a standard resume. Virtual resumes now resemble social networking profiles with photographs, active URL links and videos, showing what a candidate can offer the employer.

"Web 2.0 has changed the way employers and job seekers locate, research, and interview each other," says Marc Scoleri, director of career services at The Art Institute of New York City. "The Internet has enabled job seekers to promote themselves through web-based social networking sites. Social networking profiles are comparable to paper resumes in the sense that they can list the job seeker's employment information, but a social networking profile can show an image or video, with live clickable links so it can be e-mailed to anyone in a split second."

posted by: grigar at 14:23 | link | comments |

DTC Majors and the VanCoug

Many DTC Majors have leadership positions on the university newspaper this year.

Greg Zschomler is the Editor-in-Chief, taking over the helm of the newspaper this year from Zane Wagner. Besides overseeing the production of the newspaper, Greg pens a column entitled "From My Side of D'Fence."

Graduating senior Beau Baxter Rosser is now ACE editor for the VanCoug and has a review of "Metal Gear Solid 4" published in the most recent issue (9/8/08). Check it out.

And rounding out the list of staff writers and photographers is senior Kyle Ralston.

Congratulations, all of you, and good work.

posted by: grigar at 19:46 | link | comments |

Job Hints

From CareerBuilder.com

A few tips about the job search that may interest you. Pay special attention to #7.

--Dene

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Don't talk with your mouth full. Don't talk to strangers. Look both ways before crossing the street.

These are rules we've heard since we were young -- but like mama always said, rules are made to broken.

Job search rules are no different. Throughout the years, we've had it drilled into our heads that résumés have to follow a specific format; we must dress professionally at all times; and always send a cover letter -- no ifs, ands or buts.

Au contraire, my friends -- like every rule, there are exceptions to these rigid rules of the job search.

"Break the rules any time it can help you stand out in a crowded field of job seekers, which is to say, break them every day," says Kevin Donlin of The SimpleJobSearch.com. "About 95 percent of job seekers follow a 'me too' approach; they are copycats copying the copycats. The smart 5 percent or so of people who market themselves creatively get on the radar of hiring managers -- and get hired faster as a result."

For example, many résumé formats suggest listing education first on one's résumé -- but what if he or she didn't do well in school? Job seekers shouldn't begin their résumé with a weak point just because a résumé template suggests you should, says Jake Greene, author of "Whoa, My Boss Is Naked! A Career Book for People Who Would Never Be Caught Dead Reading a Career Book."

Here are six common job search "rules" and when it might be acceptable to break them:

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Rule No. 1: Keep your résumé to one page

When to make an exception: For entry-level applicants with only a few years of experience under their belt, it makes sense to send a one-page résumé. After all, no one wants to read three pages of irrelevant filler.

But, for job seekers with five or more years of experience, one page simply might not be enough to showcase their accomplishments. In this case, it's acceptable to use an additional page to describe your work history and undertakings.

Rule No. 2: Never try for an interview with a company that isn't hiring

When to make an exception: If your dream is to work for XYZ Company but it isn't hiring at the moment you need a job, there's no harm in setting up an informational interview with someone who can tell you more about the company. You'll build your network and perhaps learn of future opportunities at the organization.

Rule No. 3: Avoid sending a résumé with fancy formatting

When to make an exception: While a cardinal rule of job search is to send a simple, uncluttered résumé to employers -- sometimes that just won't cut it. If you're applying to a creative position, say graphic design, you'll want to send a résumé that will set you apart from the masses. For example, send a résumé using a format inspired by the company Web site.

Rule No. 4: Don't apply to a job for which you have no experience

When to make an exception: It's true that hiring managers want someone with the skills, education and know-how needed to get the job done -- but more than that, employers want the perfect fit for their company.

Forty-six percent of executives said they rely heavily on instinct when making a hiring decision, according to a survey by Robert Half International. If their gut says to hire the candidate with minimum experience but an explosive personality over the aloof applicant with years of experience -- they'll usually take the former.

Employers know they can teach you the hard skills necessary for any position -- it's the soft skills like personality and teamwork that will give you a one-up on a more qualified applicant. Go for it, even if you aren't "technically" experienced enough.

Rule No. 5: Develop a pitch to market yourself to employers

When to make an exception: When an employer says, "Tell me a little bit about yourself," most job seekers deliver the same 30-second spiel to everyone with whom they interview. Not only can your "commercial" sound scripted, you don't want to give the generic version each time.

Instead, think about the person you're interviewing with and the job for which you're vying. Cater your response to the situation and the person. If you're talking with a sales manager, for example, talk about your passion, energy, drive and ability to connect with people. If you're talking with someone from HR, expand on your teamwork capacity.

Rule No. 6: Never say negative things about your previous employer in an interview

When to make an exception: While a general rule of thumb is to keep a positive outlook about your previous employment, there might be some circumstances under which you can break this rule. If your negative comments are factual and they contributed to why you left the position, they might be OK to tell a hiring manager.

For example, if an employer asks why you left your old job after only four months and the truth is because your boss invaded your privacy, it's fine to say something along the lines of, "I got along well with my boss but I found him sitting at my desk going through my things every day. I need to work with a boss whom I can have a trusting relationship."

This way, you're being honest about a negative situation but making it into something positive you need from your new manager.

Rule No. 7: Never have typos in your résumé

When to make an exception: Psych! This is actually the one rule you can't break. While you can break a few other résumé rules, including typos is not one of them. Eighty-four percent of executives said all it takes is one or two typos on a résumé to remove a candidate from consideration for a job opening, according to a survey by Robert Half International; 47 percent said a single typo is all it would take to dismiss someone.

posted by: grigar at 13:59 | link | comments |