Editing Blogs, watch this YouTube video to find out more. Visit Centennial College.
Here is a video I like and it will help you in interviews.
Statement updated
Kerri Shields
Statement updated
| Kerri Shields enjoys learning and helping others learn. Her quest for knowledge has lead her to a career in education and training. She has taught courses in business management, office administration and information systems at three Ontario colleges. She's worked as a recruitment and training consultant for several prominent Toronto firms. |
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Skills & Talents
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College Educator and Business Trainer Creates and teaches courses in Business Management, Customer Service, Call Center, Life Skills and Information Systems subjects
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People Skills Interacts with people at all organizational levels with a keen understanding of the relationships between people, processes, and customer satisfaction
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Leadership/Management Manages many projects, people and resources daily. Projects include ISO preparation, recruitment and placement, business training, curriculum development, classroom and course management
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Online Distance Education Instructor Creates and teaches courses over the Internet for OntarioLearn (Loyalist College -- Java and Systems Design, and Centennial College -- CISCO)
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Industry Certifications A+, Network+, MOS, CISCO trainer, Life Skills Coach
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Life-long Learner Continually seeks new projects and learning experiences
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Computer software/programming skills MsOffice, HTML, SQL, Oracle, C++, Java, VB
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Education
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Columbia Southern University Master of Business Administration Sep 2008 to Present Alabama, U.S.A. Courses Studied: Business Ethics, Marketing, Information Management Systems, International Business, Human Resources, and Strategic Management.
Skills Developed: Research, Written Communication, Analytical Thinking, Critical Analysis, Report Writing, Computer Skills: MsWord, PowerPoint, Email, Google Search.
Through the International Business course I researched how tariffs, protectionism, government regulation, laws and cultures can affect whether or not a business is successful in foreign business ventures. I researched Hofstede's Dimension of Culture Scales: degrees of power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity and apply this to business situations/cases. For example: Wal-Mart retreated from Germany due to not fully understanding German culture and how this culture affected business practices. I researched multi-national corporations' marketing strategies within various countries. I discovered that language translation can be a concern. One foreign language blunder was when KFC marketed in China and their slogan, "finger-lickin' good" translated into "eat your fingers off."
After gathering many research facts I evaluated the information, made inferences and related those facts to the course curriculum then produced explanations and a summary of my findings as well as conclusions, all written in a professional business report format using MsWord. I created a PowerPoint presentation as well.
I obtained an A+ on this research assignment. I also obtained an A+ as a final course grade. I maintained a 4.0 GPA. Not only did I learn something new, I gained some valuable business knowledge that will serve me well in my future cross-cultural experiences both on and off the job.
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Athabasca University Bachelor of General Studies, Arts and Science Jan 2004 to Feb 2008 Alberta, Canada Courses Studied: Business Ethics, Finite Mathematics, Database Tuning, Critical Thinking and Administrative Procedures.
Skills Developed: Technical, Critical Thinking, Math, Analysis, Summarize, Report Writing.
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Centennial College Teacher of Adults Certificate Sep 2005 to Dec 2005 Ontario, Canada The Teacher of Adults program at Centennial College is one of the best offered by many colleges in Ontario. It offers an articulation to the Brock University Bachelor Degree in Adult Education.
Courses Successfully Completed: Course Development & Design, Instructional Strategies, Assessment & Evaluation, Our Diverse Learners, Portfolio Development and Using Technology in the Classroom.
All the courses offered through this program will certainly improve my teaching methods and understanding of the teaching/learning process. Before taking this program I'd been teaching and training for many years so I was pleased to learn that I was doing things correctly. The curriculum and materials presented confirmed for me that my methods of teaching are sound. I also gather a few new tips and techniques to try in the classroom.
The most memorable course for me was the Assessment & Evaluation course. In this course I was asked to develop several assignments and tests and have them critiqued and graded by my professor. I learned strategies to improve all types of questions and to create questions based on the levels of understanding described in Bloom's Taxonomy. I also learned that EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners may have difficulty with certain types of questions (e.g. forming questions with a negative) and methods for avoiding those types of questions.
I apply the knowledge, techniques and methods I learned through this program every day in my role as College Professor.
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Experience
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Centennial College PROFESSOR Aug 1999 to Present Ontario, Canada Competencies:
Teaching, Presenting, Problem-Solving, Curriculum Development: Develop and teach courses within the Management Studies department (previously within the Office Administration and Information Systems departments). Instruct classes, create lessons/assignments/tests, develop curriculum and grade tests/assignments. Problem-solve and make decisions based on students' needs and institutional policies.
Marketing, Customer Service, Teamwork, Communication, Planning, Problem-Solving, Organizing: As Program Coordinator (IS Dept.) and Course Lead (IS and Business Dept.) ensure consistency across course sections in level of difficulty, length, format of projects and tests. Direct other instructors on procedures, assignments, tests for new courses. Update course content and course outlines. Correct student timetable errors, consider transfer credits, add/drop courses, program changes, solve various student issues/problems and advise according to College policy, update course descriptions/model routes, conduct student orientations, organize program advisory committees, conduct marketing campaigns, participate in recruitment and selection committees.
Courses Taught: Critical Business Practices, Business Fundamentals, Microcomputer Applications, Business Communications, Job Search Skills, Career Explorations, Visual Basic Programming, Systems Analysis and Design, HTML and Internet Programming, Intermediate Business Applications, Microcomputer Management, Word Processing, Transcription Techniques, Administrative Procedures, Keyboarding.
Courses Developed: Administrative Procedures, Business Communications, Java Programming, Technical Communications.
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YWCA TRAINER/COORDINATOR Apr 1997 to May 1999 Ontario, Canada Competencies:
Presenting, Curriculum Development, Planning, Coordinating, Evaluating, Technical Skills: Conduct lectures, develop curriculum, conduct student performance evalutaions. Maintain LAN, e-mail accounts, server software, client machine setup. Liaison with client and program coordinator and put client requests into action.
Courses Developed and Taught: MsOffice, Quality Concepts in the Workplace, Customer Service, Call Centre, Data Entry, Life Skills Workshops: Stress Management, Goal Setting, and Assertiveness Training.
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Petro-Canada CALL CENTRE SUPERVISOR/TRAINER Jan 1997 to Apr 1997 Ontario, Canada Competencies:
Recruitment, Problem-Solving, Human Resource Management, Training: Recruit employees for call centre positions. Resolve employment issues for both staff and management. Terminate employee contracts. Train call centre employees on procedures, Petro Canada's policies and computer software systems.
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Manpower Services BRANCH MANAGER Jan 1996 to Dec 1996 Ontario, Canada Competencies:
Managing (time, people, projects), Sales, Customer Service: Responsible for the effective management and profitable operation of an office within an assigned territory. Achieve profit results consistent with a predetermined forecast through establishing a sound service organization. Coordinate and supervise large-volume staffing projects. Supervise ISO9000 audit. Maintain daily, weekly, monthly branch records. Implement and manage a consistent marketing program to achieve predetermined sales projections.
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Manpower Services TRAINER/COORDINATOR Jan 1988 to Dec 1995 Ontario, Canada Competencies:
Training, Sales, Presenting, Analysis, Project Management: Coordinate projects and adminster Manpower's Skillware training to business clients. Conduct sales presentations, assess clients' training needs and recommend solutions. Develop and deliver corporate workshops in a variety of areas: Customer Service, Call Centre Credit/Collections, Quality Concepts int he Workplace, Good Manufacturing Practices, and various software packages.
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Accomplishments
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Ontario Government Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award Aug 2006 to Aug 2007 Once-in-a-lifetime Government Award. Nominated by ten students and one colleague for Leadership in Faculty Teaching (LIFT) first year award was available.
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Centennial College Board of Governors Teaching Excellence Award Aug 2005 to Aug 2006 Once-in-a-lifetime Centennial College Award given to the recipient of the George Wicken Teaching Excellence Award.
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Manpower Services ISO 9000 Audit Project Leader Lead ISO9000 audit preparation project for five branch offices. Each office successfully gained certification.
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St. Lawerence College Futures Program Systems Developer Saint Laurent Designed and programmed a student tracking, computer system for the Futures Program which was used for many years at the Brockville, Kingston and Cornwall locations.
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LET'S GET LEARNING!
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Kerri is an extremely creative and engaging instructor. She always looks for new teaching techniques to ensure that her students get the best learning experience. She has the ability to put everyone around her at ease with her sense of humour; maintaining at the same time the highest level of professionalism. I enjoyed working with Kerri tremendously and learned from her what it means to be an excellent teacher.
Joanna Jaskielewicz Group Facilitator YWCA -
Kerri inspires teachers so I can only imagine what she does for her students. Her energy is infectious and that translates into thinking, learning and doing.
Coleen Spatafora Professor Centennial College -
Kerri brings tremendous energy, curiosity and can-do attitude to new teaching assignments. She extended the WhyHire.me curriculum splendidly and introduced new teaching elements we are keen to bring to other WhyHire.me students!
Andy Church Co-Founder, CEO WhyHire.me Corporation -
Vivacious, engaging, open-minded, curious, creative, energetic...these are just some of the words that describe Kerri. Both in and out of the classroom, Kerri is eager to learn and share her knowledge. Her devotion to her students is boundless and her humour and pleasant demeanor makes her an absolute joy to be around both as a colleague and a friend.
Annisa Mohammed Coordinator/Professor Centennial College -
I have worked with Kerri Shields for a number of years and I can unequivocally say that she is an exceptionally talented teacher. Her enthusiasm and overall joyful, positive approach to learning makes her classroom a stimulating, challenging, and fun environment for students. Kerri truly cares about the success of her students and she works tirelessly to help them achieve their goals. She is a generous and respected colleague freely sharing her creative ideas on teaching, and helpful tips on a wealth of subjects, with her fellow teachers. I consider myself fortunate to work with her.
Karen Adamson Professor Centennial College -
Kerri Shields developed and taught online courses in Java and Systems Analysis for Loyalist College. She is one of the most dedicated, thorough, and efficient instructors that I have had the pleasure of working with. You can always depend on her to follow through on her commitments and to put her students first, ensuring that they all get a quality educational experience.
Christine Eddy Program Coordinator, CE Loyalist College -
Kerri is a great teacher. She is very caring, kind and has a desire to teach. She makes sure her students are successful by recognizing their potential. She always has time to listen to her students and helps them to reach their goals. She is always enthusiastic and always shares new information. Kerri's classes are fun to be in, she is always happy and eager to teach. "Good teacher equals, Good students". It has been my pleasure having you as a teacher. Thank you for all your help.
Kathleen Naidu Student Centennial College -
Kerri Shields is one of the best teachers at Centennial College and one of my favorite teachers ever. She motivates me to be a successful career person one day. I have had several courses with her and I always look forward to getting her again as a teacher in my future courses. She is very friendly and kind-hearted and has an excellent personality. I always feel comfortable communicating with her. She has creative ways to present her lectures that make studying easier and learning fun. I always enjoy her classes, whether in person or online.
Qazi Ferdous Student Centennial College -
Kerri is a role model and an inspiration for me. She genuinely cares about her students and is great at teaching in the most fun possible way! I can still remember a demonstration she used in class to teach us about push and pull strategies for our Business Fundamentals course. The fact that it has stuck in my mind all the way from first semester is an indication that her methods work. I enjoy learning from her and can say with confidence that if you take a class with her it will be an A+ journey all the way! Thank you Kerri for your guidance, support and motivation.
Pao Fong (Josie) Chung Student Centennial College -
Kerri is an awe-inspiring teacher who always seems to have enough time for all her students. Her assignments are always innovative and she's very helpful. She's just like a diamond cutter, she strives to help all of us shine our best. For any success I achieve here on after she will always be one of the reasons for it. Kerri Banzai!
Lily Chung Student Centennial College -
Calling Kerri Shields a great professor is an understatement. Her enthusiasm and passion for any subject she teaches is hard to match. Her energy and curiosity is infectious making her students want to learn more about the subject while having fun. I believe Kerri has been an integral part of my development not only as a student, but as a person. For this I am truly grateful.
Bryan Abichandani Student Centennial College
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'First Day On The Internet' Kid, Funny Video Meme http://t.co/8egVeva3Saturday, 04 Feb 2012 14:28 -
I favorited a @YouTube video http://t.co/sNeXybyN Hey Justin BieberSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 14:13 -
RT @jojo7415: Hey @justinbieber! Would love for you to check out my song "Hey Justin Bieber"! #justinbieber #funnysong http://t.co/QCOiP ...Saturday, 04 Feb 2012 14:12
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In @monicabatac 's session and hearing about her #iste inspiration :) #otfoadeSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 14:07 -
.@soltauheller @soltauheller I don't think our job is to train kids to take tests--computer or otherwise. #ClimbingDownFromSoapbox nowSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 14:05 -
Hey #sc12 attendees - these are the tweets from the conf. http://t.co/pvlMRfEb Share with non-tweeting attendees to show what they missed.Saturday, 04 Feb 2012 14:01
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2012 Horizon Report (Higher Ed) just released http://t.co/hA8GGfd1 #edtech #higheredtech #edchatSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:55 -
Electro-Motive picketing continues despite closure http://t.co/LOohKjToSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:53 -
15 of the Most Popular Pictures on Pinterest - http://t.co/m496IoDYSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:49 -
15 of the Most Popular Pictures on Pinterest - http://t.co/m1Kru36hSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:49 -
New Study Claims iOS Apps Crash More Than Android Apps - http://t.co/0WsDrUY0Saturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:26 -
New Study Claims iOS Apps Crash More Than Android Apps - http://t.co/LI569NBlSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:26 -
New Study Claims iOS Apps Crash More Than Android Apps - http://t.co/ThqAY18XSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:26
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Electro-Motive picketing continues despite closure http://t.co/o4Dt0BQMSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:20 -
New bookmark: Coercive Citation in Academic Publishing http://t.co/ET689qvUSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:12
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Police should collect race-based data: Study http://t.co/5kCsTDF3Saturday, 04 Feb 2012 13:07
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My usually twitter addicted self is completely enjoying the f2f conversations with so many connected learners #otfoadeSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 12:59
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Toronto, union continue talks as deadline looms http://t.co/qmtmNmQhSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 12:58
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Coffee with friends. Stories galore (@ Starbucks) http://t.co/xZPVyCRKSaturday, 04 Feb 2012 12:47 -
Sorry I'm missing @strombo RT @topshelflibrarn: I like the sign, George! "@ONLibraryAssoc: @strombo is here! #sc12 http://t.co/49Gzwev6"Saturday, 04 Feb 2012 12:34
Practice with Blogs
January 4th, 2012
Tags: Interviews, video
Posted in Interviews, videos | No Comments »
Time Management
March 18th, 2011
I’ve noticed that many students seem to have a difficult time managing due dates, studying, and meeting the demands of the College workload. Between juggling their work life, school life, family life, and social life, they sometimes get behind on assignments and miss important due dates. This really affects their grades, and lower grades are not always indicative of what these students are capable of.
Time management is an important skill. Management life’s priorities and responsibilities well means success in many areas, while managing time poorly can lead to failure in many areas. I try to manage my time by keeping a calendar of meetings, appointments, social events, to do, classes, etc. I also try not to overload myself with too many tasks or responsibilities at one time. Watch this video for a few tips http://youtu.be/667JT0aYDOI.
I’ve noticed that many students seem to have a difficult time managing due dates, studying, and meeting the demands of the College workload. Between juggling their work life, school life, family life, and social life, they sometimes get behind on assignments and miss important due dates. This really affects their grades, and lower grades are not always indicative of what these students are capable of.
Time management is an important skill. Management life’s priorities and responsibilities well means success in many areas, while managing time poorly can lead to failure in many areas. I try to manage my time by keeping a calendar of meetings, appointments, social events, to do, classes, etc. I also try not to overload myself with too many tasks or responsibilities at one time. Watch this video for a few tips http://youtu.be/667JT0aYDOI.
Tags: time management, college students, Studying
Posted in College students, Time management | No Comments »
STAR Technique — Interview Questions
December 23rd, 2010
The STAR Technique or STAR Methodology is :-
Situation — Describe the situation
Task or Target — Describe the goal or objective
Action – Describe what you did
Result — Describe what happened using specifics and measurements
Learning STAR Techniques for answering difficult job interview questions, is a priceless skill to acquire.
One that can be used for ALL important question answering.
It’s power lies in it’s subtlety and courtesy shown to the interviewer.
What I mean by this is; that to frame a STAR technique answer, you first answer the interviewers question by saying yes in some appropriate way, and then asking “Can I give you an example” or words to this effect.
It’s a courteous way of building a friendly two way conversation, and will disarm even the most confrontational of interviewers.
If the question is a complex one you can even build your STAR interview method answer around any props you may have, for example drawing of a simple diagram to explain your point, or to introduce any other affirming documentation you may have, such as a letter of recommendation, or a documented award.
You must not go overboard on answering all questions in such detail, but if you pick your moments, you can build beautiful answers to tough questions that, the interviewer will remember long after you’ve left the building.
The STAR technique will enable you to answer tough questions (not limited to job interviews) in a subtle, compelling and powerful manner.
The trick to the STAR interview method is to build your answers into “STAR Stories” which take your carefully prepared information and wrap it into a real life experience story.
People like hearing stories, facts are easier to remember if wrapped in a story, stories are an historically proven technique for getting information across!
Interviewers will remember more of your answers, and the messages within them, yet your message will be delivered in a friendly likable style.
And your interviewing success will go through the roof!
How to create a STAR Technique Story
A Star story should be less than 3 minutes long, and presented with energy and enthusiasm about a real life experience you’ve had (not necessarily a work experience, as long as it demonstrates a relevant competency or behaviour).
STAR Technique example story:
Question: Describe the last time you really struggled with work, and what you did about it?
Lets build a STAR techniques story answer
(Situation) “I was seconded across to join a new team within customer care, supporting a newly released accounting product; I had never been trained on the product and it had many had many problems, resulting in our client care statistics falling well below an acceptable level.”
(Task) “Regaining customer care levels, was absolutely critical to our company, the new product was a flagship package, with much investment and media attention, failure to turn around customer care, could seriously have led to the failure of the whole company.”
(Action) “My first day on the team was a terrible day, with no product training, I could only log calls, reassure customers that I would come back to them, and refer the questions on to our 2nd level technical support team. I normally resolve 86% of my calls, without the need to refer onwards, but with no knowledge of the product I only resolved 11% of my calls. However through choosing to stay late and start early, I worked with 2nd level support to build a fast level of basic “fixes”, and fared much better on my second day, resolving 60% of calls first time.
The rest of the week remained stressful, but exhilarating, with so much riding on it. And I am really proud to say that my keen attention to detail, and ability to spot trends within fault reporting enabled me to spot the link between the product start up process and a resulting flurry of fault calls. To cut a long story short I identified that if clients opened the application in a specific way, 70% of fault calls could be prevented. I advised our training department who implemented a customer wide training update, that resulted in calls dropping by 60%, and critically of the calls that did come through, we managed to smash our care targets, gaining great client recommendations, and priceless favourable media coverage”
(Result) “Though the first 4 days after launch were a real challenge, by spotting the bug in the start up process, and quickly releasing the work around, the launch was a huge success, with customer care thresholds eventually smashed, and with priceless customer recommendations, that are now contributing to the product selling at 7% above forecast!
And when I’m put in charge of my first team, which hopefully will be shortly, I know to never launch a new product without the appropriate trained support resources!”
You need to practice your answers out loud, to ensure it’s continuity and that you don’t go far over 2 minutes.
The above example is a little long, but for anyone going for a customer care team leader role, It’s such a great story, worth spending a little longer to impart what I would imagine to be rare and supremely valuable skills (attention to detail, and ability to spot call trends) in a customer care professional.
The powerful thing about wrapping your STAR format achievements into the example story format, is that it will not come across a arrogant, you can subtly slip in all your key messages and personality, and because it’s in a story your interviewer will remember more of your information.
(Obtained from Sentient Recruitment.com – http://www.sentient-recruitment.com/star-technique.html)
(Additional Interview Question and Answer Examples – https://careers.tcu.edu/resources/careerapp-interview-questions.aspx)
The STAR Technique or STAR Methodology is :-
Situation — Describe the situation
Task or Target — Describe the goal or objective
Action – Describe what you did
Result — Describe what happened using specifics and measurements
Learning STAR Techniques for answering difficult job interview questions, is a priceless skill to acquire.
One that can be used for ALL important question answering.
It’s power lies in it’s subtlety and courtesy shown to the interviewer.
What I mean by this is; that to frame a STAR technique answer, you first answer the interviewers question by saying yes in some appropriate way, and then asking “Can I give you an example” or words to this effect.
It’s a courteous way of building a friendly two way conversation, and will disarm even the most confrontational of interviewers.
If the question is a complex one you can even build your STAR interview method answer around any props you may have, for example drawing of a simple diagram to explain your point, or to introduce any other affirming documentation you may have, such as a letter of recommendation, or a documented award.
You must not go overboard on answering all questions in such detail, but if you pick your moments, you can build beautiful answers to tough questions that, the interviewer will remember long after you’ve left the building.
The STAR technique will enable you to answer tough questions (not limited to job interviews) in a subtle, compelling and powerful manner.
The trick to the STAR interview method is to build your answers into “STAR Stories” which take your carefully prepared information and wrap it into a real life experience story.
People like hearing stories, facts are easier to remember if wrapped in a story, stories are an historically proven technique for getting information across!
Interviewers will remember more of your answers, and the messages within them, yet your message will be delivered in a friendly likable style.
And your interviewing success will go through the roof!
How to create a STAR Technique Story
A Star story should be less than 3 minutes long, and presented with energy and enthusiasm about a real life experience you’ve had (not necessarily a work experience, as long as it demonstrates a relevant competency or behaviour).
STAR Technique example story:
Question: Describe the last time you really struggled with work, and what you did about it?
Lets build a STAR techniques story answer
(Situation) “I was seconded across to join a new team within customer care, supporting a newly released accounting product; I had never been trained on the product and it had many had many problems, resulting in our client care statistics falling well below an acceptable level.”
(Task) “Regaining customer care levels, was absolutely critical to our company, the new product was a flagship package, with much investment and media attention, failure to turn around customer care, could seriously have led to the failure of the whole company.”
(Action) “My first day on the team was a terrible day, with no product training, I could only log calls, reassure customers that I would come back to them, and refer the questions on to our 2nd level technical support team. I normally resolve 86% of my calls, without the need to refer onwards, but with no knowledge of the product I only resolved 11% of my calls. However through choosing to stay late and start early, I worked with 2nd level support to build a fast level of basic “fixes”, and fared much better on my second day, resolving 60% of calls first time.
The rest of the week remained stressful, but exhilarating, with so much riding on it. And I am really proud to say that my keen attention to detail, and ability to spot trends within fault reporting enabled me to spot the link between the product start up process and a resulting flurry of fault calls. To cut a long story short I identified that if clients opened the application in a specific way, 70% of fault calls could be prevented. I advised our training department who implemented a customer wide training update, that resulted in calls dropping by 60%, and critically of the calls that did come through, we managed to smash our care targets, gaining great client recommendations, and priceless favourable media coverage”
(Result) “Though the first 4 days after launch were a real challenge, by spotting the bug in the start up process, and quickly releasing the work around, the launch was a huge success, with customer care thresholds eventually smashed, and with priceless customer recommendations, that are now contributing to the product selling at 7% above forecast!
And when I’m put in charge of my first team, which hopefully will be shortly, I know to never launch a new product without the appropriate trained support resources!”
You need to practice your answers out loud, to ensure it’s continuity and that you don’t go far over 2 minutes.
The above example is a little long, but for anyone going for a customer care team leader role, It’s such a great story, worth spending a little longer to impart what I would imagine to be rare and supremely valuable skills (attention to detail, and ability to spot call trends) in a customer care professional.
The powerful thing about wrapping your STAR format achievements into the example story format, is that it will not come across a arrogant, you can subtly slip in all your key messages and personality, and because it’s in a story your interviewer will remember more of your information.
(Obtained from Sentient Recruitment.com – http://www.sentient-recruitment.com/star-technique.html)
(Additional Interview Question and Answer Examples – https://careers.tcu.edu/resources/careerapp-interview-questions.aspx)
Tags: STAR Technique, Interviews
Posted in Career, Employment, Interviews | No Comments »
Your Online Reputation
November 13th, 2010
What happens when you do a Google search on your name and online information about you appears that may not make you look the most professional or look like a great candidate for hire? You take action! You can use your Whyhire.me portfolio to help push the “not so positive” search results lower on the results page.
Watch this video find out what else you can do to improve your online brand.
Personal versus professional image online.
What happens when you do a Google search on your name and online information about you appears that may not make you look the most professional or look like a great candidate for hire? You take action! You can use your Whyhire.me portfolio to help push the “not so positive” search results lower on the results page.
Watch this video find out what else you can do to improve your online brand.
Personal versus professional image online.
Tags: Professionalism, personal branding, Social Netowkring
Posted in Employment, Personal Branding, Professionalism, Social Networking | No Comments »
Professionalism – Getting the job and Keeping the job
November 13th, 2010
Our Career Exploration’s class just finished an assignment about being professional.
Students found some very good YouTube videos (below).
This one is about keeping your job in today’s tough employment situation. It seems that many people would be willing to take the jobs we currently have, so hold on to it by being professional.
This one is funny because it demonstrates what “NOT TO” say in a job interview.
Business Success Basics. Should you “fake it until you make it”?
Our Career Exploration’s class just finished an assignment about being professional.
Students found some very good YouTube videos (below).
This one is about keeping your job in today’s tough employment situation. It seems that many people would be willing to take the jobs we currently have, so hold on to it by being professional.
This one is funny because it demonstrates what “NOT TO” say in a job interview.
Business Success Basics. Should you “fake it until you make it”?
Tags: Professionalism, interviewing
Posted in Employment, Professionalism | No Comments »
Richest Person in the World
November 12th, 2010
Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil ( AMX – news – people ), Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires.
Carlos Slim Helu takes No. 1 spot on Forbes World’s Billionaires list as a record 164 10-figure titans return to the ranking amid the global economic recovery.
Bill Gates, now worth $53 billion, is ranked second richest person in the world. He is up $13 billion from a year ago as shares of Microsoft rose 50% in 12 months. Gates’ holdings in his personal investment vehicle Cascade ( CAE – news – people ) also soared with the rest of the markets.
Buffett’s fortune jumped $10 billion to $47 billion on rising shares of Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK – news – people ). He ranks third.
Eleven countries have at least double the number of billionaires they had a year ago, including China, India, Turkey and South Korea.
Finland and Pakistan both welcomed their first billionaires.
For the first time China (including Hong Kong) has the most billionaires outside the U.S. with 89. New to the ranking: 27 billionaires from China, including Li Shufu, whose automaker, Geely, announced plans to buy Swedish brand Volvo from Ford in December. The deal is expected to close in March 2010.
Russia has 62 billionaires, 28 of them returnees who had fallen off last year’s list amid a meltdown in commodities. Total returnees to the list this year: 164.
U.S. billionaires still dominate the ranks–but their grip is slipping. Americans account for 40% of the world’s billionaires, down from 45% a year ago.
Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil ( AMX – news – people ), Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires.
Carlos Slim Helu takes No. 1 spot on Forbes World’s Billionaires list as a record 164 10-figure titans return to the ranking amid the global economic recovery.
Bill Gates, now worth $53 billion, is ranked second richest person in the world. He is up $13 billion from a year ago as shares of Microsoft rose 50% in 12 months. Gates’ holdings in his personal investment vehicle Cascade ( CAE – news – people ) also soared with the rest of the markets.
Buffett’s fortune jumped $10 billion to $47 billion on rising shares of Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK – news – people ). He ranks third.
Eleven countries have at least double the number of billionaires they had a year ago, including China, India, Turkey and South Korea.
Finland and Pakistan both welcomed their first billionaires.
For the first time China (including Hong Kong) has the most billionaires outside the U.S. with 89. New to the ranking: 27 billionaires from China, including Li Shufu, whose automaker, Geely, announced plans to buy Swedish brand Volvo from Ford in December. The deal is expected to close in March 2010.
Russia has 62 billionaires, 28 of them returnees who had fallen off last year’s list amid a meltdown in commodities. Total returnees to the list this year: 164.
U.S. billionaires still dominate the ranks–but their grip is slipping. Americans account for 40% of the world’s billionaires, down from 45% a year ago.
Tags: money, business
Posted in money matters | 2 Comments »
12 Competencies Employers Look for in College Graduates
November 11th, 2010
Competencies are sets of skills, knowledge, and attitudes that allow you to successfully perform the task on hand or an activity within a specific function or job.
Working in a Diverse Environment
Learning from people who are different from you-and recognizing your commonalities-is an important part of your education and essential preparation for the world you will join.
Managing Time and Priorities
Managing how you spend your time, and on what, is essential in today’s world. Learn how to sort priorities so you stay in control of your life.
Acquiring Knowledge
Learning how to learn is just as important as the knowledge itself. No matter what your future holds, you’ll continue to learn every day.
Thinking Critically
Developing solid critical thinking skills means you’ll be confident to handle autonomy, make sound decisions, and find the connection between opportunities you have to learn and how those opportunities will affect your future.
Communicating Effectively
Developing listening, interpreting, and speaking skills is just as important as reading and writing.
Solving Problems
You may only have thought about problem solving when you’re faced with a crisis. Understand the process and mind-set of successful problem-solving and you’ll more easily handle the bigger challenges that come your way.
Contributing to a Team
In the workplace each person’s contribution is essential to success. Having the ability to work collaboratively with others is vital. This includes identifying individual strengths (yours and others) and harnessing them for the group, building consensus, knowing when to lead and when to follow, and appreciating group dynamics.
Navigating Across Boundaries
Life is filled with boundaries-good and bad. Discover how to avoid the boundaries that become barriers so you don’t hamper the ability to collaborate with other people.
Performing with Integrity
It only takes one bad instance to destroy years of good faith and good relationships. It’s important to develop a code of ethics and principles to guide your life.
Developing Professional Competencies
The end of college is the beginning of a new education. Build on what you already know and keep learning new skills-your job will challenge you to grow and develop in ways you haven’t imagined yet.
Balancing Work and Life
You’ve got a lot to accomplish in limited time. How do you get it all done and still stay sane? The key is maintaining balance among the different parts of your life.
Embracing Change
Just about every aspect of life is in a constant state of change. Sometimes it may seem that no sooner do you get caught up than you have to start all over again. No matter how you feel about change, you have to learn to deal with it.
For a list of 25 competencies, click here.
Competencies are sets of skills, knowledge, and attitudes that allow you to successfully perform the task on hand or an activity within a specific function or job.
Working in a Diverse Environment
Learning from people who are different from you-and recognizing your commonalities-is an important part of your education and essential preparation for the world you will join.
Managing Time and Priorities
Managing how you spend your time, and on what, is essential in today’s world. Learn how to sort priorities so you stay in control of your life.
Acquiring Knowledge
Learning how to learn is just as important as the knowledge itself. No matter what your future holds, you’ll continue to learn every day.
Thinking Critically
Developing solid critical thinking skills means you’ll be confident to handle autonomy, make sound decisions, and find the connection between opportunities you have to learn and how those opportunities will affect your future.
Communicating Effectively
Developing listening, interpreting, and speaking skills is just as important as reading and writing.
Solving Problems
You may only have thought about problem solving when you’re faced with a crisis. Understand the process and mind-set of successful problem-solving and you’ll more easily handle the bigger challenges that come your way.
Contributing to a Team
In the workplace each person’s contribution is essential to success. Having the ability to work collaboratively with others is vital. This includes identifying individual strengths (yours and others) and harnessing them for the group, building consensus, knowing when to lead and when to follow, and appreciating group dynamics.
Navigating Across Boundaries
Life is filled with boundaries-good and bad. Discover how to avoid the boundaries that become barriers so you don’t hamper the ability to collaborate with other people.
Performing with Integrity
It only takes one bad instance to destroy years of good faith and good relationships. It’s important to develop a code of ethics and principles to guide your life.
Developing Professional Competencies
The end of college is the beginning of a new education. Build on what you already know and keep learning new skills-your job will challenge you to grow and develop in ways you haven’t imagined yet.
Balancing Work and Life
You’ve got a lot to accomplish in limited time. How do you get it all done and still stay sane? The key is maintaining balance among the different parts of your life.
Embracing Change
Just about every aspect of life is in a constant state of change. Sometimes it may seem that no sooner do you get caught up than you have to start all over again. No matter how you feel about change, you have to learn to deal with it.
For a list of 25 competencies, click here.
Tags: competency, Employment
Posted in Career, Employment | No Comments »
Dumbing Down Our Kids
November 11th, 2010
Charles J. Sykes wrote a book called “50 Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School” and it’s about the real facts of life (www.the50rules.com).
The book is aimed at high school and college students. What I found interesting is that Bill Gates pulled out 11 of these rules and incorporated them into a speech he gave to high school students.
Here are the 11 rules:
RULE 1
Life is not fair–get used to it!
RULE 2
The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.
RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.
RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.
RULE 6
If you mess up,it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.
Charles J. Sykes wrote a book called “50 Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School” and it’s about the real facts of life (www.the50rules.com).
The book is aimed at high school and college students. What I found interesting is that Bill Gates pulled out 11 of these rules and incorporated them into a speech he gave to high school students.
Here are the 11 rules:
RULE 1
Life is not fair–get used to it!
RULE 2
The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.
RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.
RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.
RULE 6
If you mess up,it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.
Tags: education, Learning
Posted in Employment, Teaching & Learning | 1 Comment »
Employers use Social Media to Screen Job Applicants
November 10th, 2010
It’s a good idea to clean up your social media sites, like Facebook, BEFORE you begin your job search. Remove any photos, content and links that can work against you in an employer’s eyes.
Notes gathered from this website: 45% of Employers use Facebook/Twitter to Screen Job Applicants
Other good Tips include:
DO consider creating your own professional group on sites like Facebook or BrightFuse.com to establish relationships with thought leaders, recruiters and potential referrals.
DO keep gripes offline. Keep the content focused on the positive, whether that relates to professional or personal information. Makes sure to highlight specific accomplishments inside and outside of work.
DON’T forget others can see your friends, so be selective about who you accept as friends. Monitor comments made by others. Consider using the “block comments” feature or setting your profile to “private” so only designated friends can view it.
DON’Tmention your job search if you’re still employed.
Why Employers Disregarded Candidates After Screening Online
Job seekers are cautioned to be mindful of the information they post online and how they communicate directly with employers. Thirty-five percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate.
The top examples cited include:
- Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – 53 percent
- Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs – 44 percent
- Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients – 35 percent
- Candidate showed poor communication skills – 29 percent
- Candidate made discriminatory comments – 26 percent
- Candidate lied about qualifications – 24 percent
- Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer – 20 percent
- Fourteen percent of employers have disregarded a candidate because the candidate sent a message using an emoticon such as a smiley face while 16 percent dismissed a candidate for using text language such as GR8 (great) in an e-mail or job application.
Why Employers Hired Candidates After Screening Online
Job seekers are also encouraged to leverage social media whenadvertising their skills and experience. Eighteen percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate.
The top examples include:
- Profile provided a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit – 50 percent
- Profile supported candidate’s professional qualifications – 39 percent
- Candidate was creative – 38 percent
- Candidate showed solid communication skills – 35 percent
- Candidate was well-rounded – 33 percent
- Other people posted good references about the candidate – 19 percent
- Candidate received awards and accolades – 15 percent
“Social networking is a great way to make connections with potential job opportunities and promote your personal brand across the Internet,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Make sure you are using this resource to your advantage by conveying a professional image and underscoring your qualifications.”
It’s a good idea to clean up your social media sites, like Facebook, BEFORE you begin your job search. Remove any photos, content and links that can work against you in an employer’s eyes.
Notes gathered from this website: 45% of Employers use Facebook/Twitter to Screen Job Applicants
Other good Tips include:
DO consider creating your own professional group on sites like Facebook or BrightFuse.com to establish relationships with thought leaders, recruiters and potential referrals.
DO keep gripes offline. Keep the content focused on the positive, whether that relates to professional or personal information. Makes sure to highlight specific accomplishments inside and outside of work.
DON’T forget others can see your friends, so be selective about who you accept as friends. Monitor comments made by others. Consider using the “block comments” feature or setting your profile to “private” so only designated friends can view it.
DON’Tmention your job search if you’re still employed.
Why Employers Disregarded Candidates After Screening Online
Job seekers are cautioned to be mindful of the information they post online and how they communicate directly with employers. Thirty-five percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate.
The top examples cited include:
- Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – 53 percent
- Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs – 44 percent
- Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients – 35 percent
- Candidate showed poor communication skills – 29 percent
- Candidate made discriminatory comments – 26 percent
- Candidate lied about qualifications – 24 percent
- Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer – 20 percent
- Fourteen percent of employers have disregarded a candidate because the candidate sent a message using an emoticon such as a smiley face while 16 percent dismissed a candidate for using text language such as GR8 (great) in an e-mail or job application.
Why Employers Hired Candidates After Screening Online
Job seekers are also encouraged to leverage social media whenadvertising their skills and experience. Eighteen percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate.
The top examples include:
- Profile provided a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit – 50 percent
- Profile supported candidate’s professional qualifications – 39 percent
- Candidate was creative – 38 percent
- Candidate showed solid communication skills – 35 percent
- Candidate was well-rounded – 33 percent
- Other people posted good references about the candidate – 19 percent
- Candidate received awards and accolades – 15 percent
“Social networking is a great way to make connections with potential job opportunities and promote your personal brand across the Internet,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Make sure you are using this resource to your advantage by conveying a professional image and underscoring your qualifications.”
Tags: social media, social branding, Social Networking, Employment
Posted in Employment, Personal Branding, Social Media, Social Networking | No Comments »
Social Networking for Business
October 22nd, 2010
Today social media is being used for fun, for business, for research, for love, for friendships, for marketing, for statistics gathering and much more. Many of us have heard of these widely known social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, SlideShare, Blogs (WordPress, Blogger) and YouTube and many businesses now have icons right on their main pages linking readers/customers to their communities through these tools.
Here are 5 social media tools you may not have heard about:
italki.com — where you can find people and resources to help you learn a foreign language. Members come from 200+ countries and use 100+ languages. italki is free to join!
Ning — create your own social network. Organize around your favorite cause. Build a hub for your online activity. Have a deeper conversation in a space all your own. Ning is the leading online platform for the world’s organizers, activists and influencers to create their own social network.
Ryze – business network that helps people make connections and grow their networks. You can network to grow your business, build your career and life, find a job and make sales. Or just keep in touch with friends.
Present.ly — micro-blogger, allows individuals to post short, frequent updates that are tracked or “followed” by others. Unlike Twitter, Present.ly provides a secure and private way to share updates among members of a company, without them being visible to the outside world.
Jing — instant screen shots and screencasts. Jing eliminates a lot of phone and email time. You don’t have to visit customers to understand what they are seeing or vice versa.
Why should businesses use social media tools?
Check out the ten best tools for entrepreneurs.
Social Media Today LLC helps global organizations create purpose-built B2B social communities designed to achieve specific, measurable corporate goals by engaging exactly the customers and prospects you most want to reach.
Read an article on how social media will change your business (Bloomsberg BusinessWeek).
Check out this video on Social Media Marketing (3 minutes).
Today social media is being used for fun, for business, for research, for love, for friendships, for marketing, for statistics gathering and much more. Many of us have heard of these widely known social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, SlideShare, Blogs (WordPress, Blogger) and YouTube and many businesses now have icons right on their main pages linking readers/customers to their communities through these tools.
Here are 5 social media tools you may not have heard about:
italki.com — where you can find people and resources to help you learn a foreign language. Members come from 200+ countries and use 100+ languages. italki is free to join!
Ning — create your own social network. Organize around your favorite cause. Build a hub for your online activity. Have a deeper conversation in a space all your own. Ning is the leading online platform for the world’s organizers, activists and influencers to create their own social network.
Ryze – business network that helps people make connections and grow their networks. You can network to grow your business, build your career and life, find a job and make sales. Or just keep in touch with friends.
Present.ly — micro-blogger, allows individuals to post short, frequent updates that are tracked or “followed” by others. Unlike Twitter, Present.ly provides a secure and private way to share updates among members of a company, without them being visible to the outside world.
Jing — instant screen shots and screencasts. Jing eliminates a lot of phone and email time. You don’t have to visit customers to understand what they are seeing or vice versa.
Why should businesses use social media tools?
Check out the ten best tools for entrepreneurs.
Social Media Today LLC helps global organizations create purpose-built B2B social communities designed to achieve specific, measurable corporate goals by engaging exactly the customers and prospects you most want to reach.
Read an article on how social media will change your business (Bloomsberg BusinessWeek).
Check out this video on Social Media Marketing (3 minutes).
Tags: social media, Social Networking, social branding
Posted in Personal Branding, Social Media, Social Networking | No Comments »
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Feb 4, 2012
1. Hands
Pinterest via Edris Kim.
Click here to view this gallery.
If you’re like us, you’re obsessed with Pinterest. You get excited when you find pictures you love and pin them to your online bulletin boards with a sense of pride that they are yours.
With so many photos on the two-year-old social scrapbooking site — and countless more added each day — it’s common for some to only get a handful of re-pins. Meanwhile, other images pick up so much popularity that they go virtually viral, getting pinned from one board to the next.
Here are 15 of some of the most popular pictures on Pinterest — all of which have raked in more than 15,000 re-pins each.
Are any of these pictures on your boards? If not, go ahead and pin them, or leave some suggestions in the comments about your favorite pins.
More About: Facebook, Photos, pinterest, Social Media, trending, Twitter
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Feb 4, 2012
1. Created with the Stop-Motion Camera App
This simple short was made with the Stop-Motion Camera app. It's incredibly easy to use.
Click here to view this gallery.
Stop-motion animation used to be a complicated, time-consuming process, but the emergence of easy, automated apps make it something creative that anyone can try — for free!
We have tried and tested three simple iPhone apps, and we recommend that stop-motion animation beginners give them a go.
Take a look through our video gallery of short stop-motion animations we made using the three, free apps. Then have a read below for more information about each app.
Link us to your stop-motion creations in the comments below!
1. Stop-Motion Camera
Stop-Motion Camera is a bare bones app that is about as easy to use as it gets.
It offers only manual shutter with no frames-per-second customization, and there's no way to save a project and come back to it, but if you're a total beginner and looking for a quick and easy stop motion solution, this app could be it.
Click here to view this gallery.
More About: apple, features, gallery, iphone, iphone apps, iphotography, photography, trending, Video
Feb 4, 2012
This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
The Google Chrome Web Store has made it easy for anyone to stay organized, and the browser has gotten much faster, as we’ve noticed in the beta version of Chrome 17. But as the web gets bigger and stronger, so many apps and plugins are available that it’s hard to know which is the best for you.
If you’re running a business and don’t want to be bogged down by multiple PC-installed applications, there are a couple of great go-to apps that you should become familiar with to help manage your day-to-day routine. Whether you need financial management or to check your email offline, here are some great options for small businesses using Google Chrome.
Are you using the second-favorite browser? What plugins do you use to manage your business? Let us know in the comments.
1. Gmail Offline
Gmail Offline beta is built to support offline access, so you can read, respond and archive without network access. After your first start-up, Gmail Offline will automatically synchronize messages and queued actions anytime Chrome is running and an Internet connection is available.
There is also a great Google Mail Checker widget that notifies you of any messages in your toolbar.
Click here to view this gallery.
More Small Business Resources From OPEN Forum:
- Pinterest for Brands: 5 Hot Tips
- Social Learning Trends to Watch in 2012
- How Klout Found Success By Focusing On Users
More About: evernote, gmail, google chrome, google reader, Small Business, trending, tweetdeck, web browser
Feb 4, 2012
This year’s Super Bowl marks a digital first: The game will be the first Super Bowl that you can watch online — legally. NBC, the broadcast partner for this year’s game, is going to stream the game live.
NBC has actually been streaming some NFL games online since 2009, though never the Super Bowl. While it opens up the game to a whole new online audience, NBC sees it as a “second screen” experience — a complement to the TV broadcast rather than an alternative.
Still, streaming an event as huge the Super Bowl (last year’s broadcast had a record 111 million viewers) brings with it a whole different set of variables. What devices can you watch it on? What extras will the stream have? And most important — will it have the ads? Read on for our comprehensive guide to watching Super Bowl 2012 online.
Basics
How can I access the stream?
You can watch the Super Bowl live at NBCSports.com or at NFL.com. Both sites will have the entire thing, including pre-game coverage, which starts at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, Feb. 5. Kickoff isn’t until 6:30 p.m.
What devices can I use to watch?
That would be any laptop or desktop PC. Importantly, phones aren’t supported, since Verizon has exclusive rights for streaming Super Bowl XLVI on mobile devices (more on that below). Tablets, including the iPad, aren’t technically mobile, though, so the stream should work on those, via the devices’ built-in web browser.
Can I access the stream from outside the U.S.?
Not legitimately, no. Canadian fans who have mobile service through Bell Canada can watch the Super Bowl live via Bell’s Mobile TV app.
Does it cost anything?
Not a penny, although if you have any kind of data plan (i.e. if you were accessing via a 3G or 4G modem), data rates would apply.
Will I be able to embed the stream on my website?
No.
The Ads
Will I be able to see the same ads as on TV?
Not quite. The actual stream will have a different ad roll than the broadcast. However, NBC will make new commercials available through an “on-demand component” of the video player immediately after they air on TV.
As in years past, Hulu and YouTube will feature every national Super Bowl spot online.
How much do advertisers spend on the online ads?
Although the broadcast ads command a whopping $3.5 million for a 30-second spot, the Web isn’t quite so lucrative. NBC says each ad for the Super Bowl XLVI stream costs somewhere between the “high six figures” to the “low seven figures.”
Where can I watch the ads after the game?
With all the sharing that’s bound to happen on Facebook, Twitter et al., where won’t you? For comprehensive aggregating, though, you should check out YouTube’s Ad Blitz and Hulu’s AdZone. Additionally, NBC is hosting a Google+ Hangout the next day to dissect the ads.
Mobile
What’s the deal with watching on my phone?
Verizon is the exclusive NFL partner for mobile, and it’s offering up the stream via the NFL Mobile Premium app. If you’re a 4G LTE customer, that’s free, but if you’re on 3G it’ll cost you — you’ll need to subscribe to Verizon Video ($10/month or $3/day). Obviously, you’ll need a data plan.
Bell Canada customers can enjoy the Super Bowl live via Bell’s Mobile TV app for phones and tablets. Mobile TV data plans are an additional $5 a month.
Is there anything different about the mobile stream?
Yes! The mobile stream actually takes the TV feed — not the online one — so you’ll see all the exact same ads that everyone watching the broadcast is seeing.
Just Verizon phones, though?
Yep.
Extra Stuff
What’s the resolution of the stream?
The stream, based on Microsoft Silverlight, will have a maximum resolution of 720p, or the minimum to qualify as HD. However, if your connection can’t handle that resolution, it will automatically “down-rez” itself into something you’ll be able to see without buffering.
Will there be any features you can’t get from the TV broadcast?
Plenty. You’ll have access to multiple camera angles, highlight clips, social-media updates, live statistics and DVR controls for your own instant replays.
What about 3D?
Sorry, not this year.
What happens if the stream goes down?
NBC says it’s prepared for a much larger audience than its previous streams, but anything can happen. If the stream does go down, there’s not much you can do except refresh and hope for the best.
Why is NBC doing this?
NBC doesn’t see an online stream as competing with its broadcast. Although it makes less money on ads shown online, it believes the stream is adding more eyeballs than it’s taking away from its main broadcast. The network is treating the whole idea as a “second screen” experience, expecting most people watching the stream will also be watching the broadcast on a TV. We’ll see how it pans out, but NBC is far from the first broadcaster to try and capitalize on the second screen phenomenon.
Bonus: The Most-Shared 2012 Super Bowl Ad Teasers So Far
1. "The Bark Side" (Volkswagen)
Not surprisingly, the sequel to the most-shared ad of last year's Super Bowl and of all of 2011 for that matter, is leading the pack this year. Volkswagen released this video last week showing dogs barking to the tune of Star Wars's "The Imperial March." So does that mean there will be dogs in this year's ad? More Star Wars? We'll know soon enough.
Click here to view this gallery.
More About: live streaming, nbc, second screen, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVI, trending
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