Piecing Together the Social Media Puzzle

As a previously self-diagnosed social-media-phobe, I am surprised at how many light bulb moments I have had (and continue to have) in ALES 204. My first light bulb moment came at a yoga class way back in February. My instructor was talking about presenting her pecha kucha at Pecha Kucha Night Edmonton. As I sat there watching all my fellow yogi’s with that oh so familiar look of “pecha-what?” I instead heard that catchy little jingle singing in my head. "AH HA!" I thought, "I think I almost get it!" And there were many other moments like these when questions started to become replaced with answers.


Retrieved April 11, 2012 from http://socialcommunitybanking.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/social_media_puzzle-scaled500.jpg?w=490

But it wasn’t until Anindya Ghosh came in to speak to us about the various aspects of social media that I actually began to put the pieces of the social media puzzle together. It is mind blowing how much the world has changed in the recent years and is continuing to constantly evolve through the use of technology and the internet. This lecture really helped drive home the point of how necessary it is to be able to use these tools in order to stay relevant in today’s technological world. After this lecture I felt truly cured of my social-media-phobia, ready to embrace the world of social media and actually a little excited to see what I would be signing up for next.  I will never forget one of his tips for effectively using social media: “be human”. This is something that I had thought was being lost with our increasing dependence on technology. In the past I have felt that we are increasingly becoming somewhat of a cyborg society, our very existence and survival based on our ability and need to rely on and use computers. It was very refreshing hear that though this may actually be the case, our humanness is resilient and still powerful over the web.


Another one of Anindya’s points has stayed with me as well. The idea that the internet is just like an elephant, it never forgets. It is certainly true that what happens on the web, stays on the web but unless you have something to hide, this is not a bad thing at all. When I was trying to organize my thoughts about this reflective post I simply scanned back through all the pages of the class blog and then read through my own blog posts as well. The web is the time capsule of our generation; when I needed to go back in time all I had to do is spend a little time and do a little digging. Looking back it is amazing to see how far we all have come since January. I came across Janessa’s intro blog and was reminded of how I felt about social media at the start of this class. Similar to her, I found it to be quite annoying. But when I read my introductory blog post it is obvious how limited my knowledge of social media was: “blogs, tweets, Facebook and YouTube videos”. Certain terms would not have existed in my vocabulary  back then. Terms such as pecha kucha, folksonomy,  wordle, flickr, audioboo etc. were all completely foreign to me, part of a language I didn't understand. I can say confidently that in the last few months that my knowledge has grown, my attitude has improved and confusingly, my vocabulary both expanded and shrunk (to 140 character bundles) at the same time.

What I have found the most valuable is the actual career prep tools such a the professional Facebook page, CV exercise, interviewing practice, public speaking and powerpoint presentation tips and blogging experience. These are tools that I can absolutely see myself using in the future and I am very glad that I have had this class to hold my hand as I learned how to effectively use my new technology skills in my future career. My eyes have been opened and my attitude has shifted from a fear of technology and social media to one that is keen to embrace its presence and usefulness in our daily lives. I have learned that as long as you are responsible, knowledgeable and open to the process, the many social media outlets that are available to us can be used as valuable tools and enhance our abilities and effectiveness. Before this class I must say I felt a little behind the times, almost as if there was a secret that everyone else knew and I was trying hard not to care that I didn’t get it. I would like to thank Dr. Laccetti, the TA’s and all the students of Ales204 for letting me in on the secret, I think I get it nowJ

One of the most valuable skills we learned this semester was how to interact and engage with other students over the internet. I have included the links to some of my comments and you can scroll through my blog post to see what other students were saying about mine. Also, if you are still wondering what exactly all this “ALES 204” stuff is about, you can check out the youtube video that some students made last semester. It does a great job of explaining the value of this class through the eyes of the students who took it.

1)   http://buildingmye-portfolio.blogspot.ca/2012/02/research-in-nutrition.html?showComment=1334027734852

2)   http://cookeatrepeat-ktreats.blogspot.ca/2012/01/and-so-it-begins.html?showComment=1330572958584

3)   http://erinhrycan.blogspot.ca/2012/01/intro-to-my-life.html?showComment=1334030139778

4)   http://jvandermeer.blogspot.ca/2012/01/photo-by-jen-v-nanaimo-river-welcome-to.html?showComment=1334031563574

5)   http://walina.blogspot.ca/2012/04/critical-literacy-and-nutritional.html?showComment=1334272916970

The role of defining "the process" when communicating personal behaviour change

When dietitians are working with behaviour change at the individual level they are attempting to do 3 main things: 1) promote healthy eating 2) transform knowledge into useful strategies and 3) motivate people to change.  To achieve these successfully, a dietitian must understand and engage with the concept that acquiring new behaviours is a process. When we are striving to motivate people to change their personal behaviours, we must remember that people spend their lives cementing those actions into their catalogue of habits and it will take more than one attempt to inspire someone to abandon their old ways and adopt new healthy behaviours as their own. When we are addressing the changes we would like to see a person make, we must also expect that people will come to us in different stages of readiness for change and that gradual changes will be the key to success. Programs need to target specific steps, use direct experience and teach goal setting. If people are given the knowledge but not the tools to perform the task, there is less likelihood that a change will occur. When we counsel people as to why the change is needed, we must never forget to include HOW the change needs to occur in specific, do-able steps. By setting small goals, one can increase their self-efficacy with individual success and continually replace old behaviours with new ones.     

In ALES204, communication theory and practice, we learned how to effectively present a process change to a target audience. When giving a process talk there are 3 main points to hit during your presentation: the specific purpose of the process which will reinforce the importance and accessibility of the new process (gets your audience ‘on board’), the central idea which will define the steps of how to get there and finally, the main points or steps to take (what to ‘do’). This format can be used explain any process that you wish to describe to your audience and by following the steps above you will be much more effective at sparking peoples interest in makes the changes you are working towards. Let’s use my favourite example of stocking your fridge as an example of how this works:

1)      Specific purpose: “How to make the healthy choice the easy choice"

When you stock your fridge with healthy, ready to eat, easy to grab & go foods and snacks, you will immediately improve your diet. By having fresh, ‘real’ food ready for you when you need it, you will be less likely to eat out, snack on less healthy foods and make less healthy choices overall. This will not only improve your diet but also save you a ton of money. It doesn’t take a ton of time to do and once you learn the basics, your fridge will be stocked in a healthy new way that it never was before.

2)      Central idea: The first things to learn when starting the basics of a fridge stock include having healthy, simple sources of protein, fruits and vegetables and grain products at your fingertips. This involves hard-boiling eggs, chopping up vegetables, washing fruit, and organizing your meals for the next day.

3)      Main points: "The process at work"

-           As soon as you get home from the grocery store take a good look at what you have already in the fridge. Make sure that you are going to use what you already had before the new stuff so nothing gets wasted. Food is only nutritious if it’s eaten, not if it goes in the garbage. If you end up throwing out rotten produce you are not only throwing away money, but also valuable nutrients.

-          Start hard-boiling 5 eggs on the stove

-          While the eggs are boiling, wash all produce

-          Chop up vegetables and store in clear containers in the fridge

-          Place washed fruit in either clear containers (ex. Grapes) or in produce drawer (ex. apples)

-          When eggs are done, cool, peel and place in clear container in fridge

-          Take muffins out of the freezer and put in fridge for the week

-          Group foods together that will go in your lunch bag the next day

And that’s it! You have just learned to basic process of what to do right when you get home from the grocery store to get your fridge ready for the meals of the next week.

The final product of the process!
photo by Erika Brown March 25, 2012

To a nutrition student, this extremely basic process may seem like it is missing many fundamental components such as what to buy at the grocery store? How do you hard boil eggs? And where did the muffins come from? The key is to understand that each one of these questions addresses a completely different process all together. We do not want to set people up for failure, this will only make behaviour change less attainable. For this reason, the process above would not have been presented to an audience that has not demonstrated the knowledge and skills that would be needed for success. People can only digest a limited amount of new information at one time. When specific information is presented and associated with small, attainable goals, your target audience will be far more likely to adopt the new behaviours. When one small step is mastered, you can then work on expanding upon the knowledge and changes that have now become new behaviours.

Inspiring behaviour change in someone is not a simple task. People are complex and have developed their current behaviours over the course of their life time for many different reasons. When working in this area you need to be prepared to be understanding, be patient, and be diligent. When you are able to communicate efficiently and effectively your results will speak for themselves. Nutrition blogs are a great resource for people to use when they have mastered a new healthy change and are eagerly seeking to learn more. With the vast diversity of blogs out there such as "The Fit Life", everyone is sure to find ample information regardless of their different stages of readiness. When recommending such resources we just need to make sure that our target audience already has the tools in their tool box that will make these changes a reality and if so, success is inevitable.

Researcher Beware! The pro's and con's of using Wikipedia in academic research

It’s no secret that Wikipedia not only doubles as the online encyclopaedia of today, but also as the best study buddy an undergrad can find. We’ve all had those moments of despair; a due date is looming, the paper isn’t even started and more times than not, a topic hasn’t even been chosen yet. So what is a sleep-deprived stressed-out student to do? Well, for most students who are already “plugged in”, the best help is just a click away. In today’s technological world, there is an infinite supply of information on an endless array of topics available to anyone and everyone who has access to a computer. Gone are the days of dusting off the old book shelf only to come up empty handed on the topic of your choice. Instead, we search Wikipedia for everything from the role of insulin to how to hard boil an egg. Wikipedia allows us to wow our friends with our knowledge, easily settle an argument and let’s us look up how to do anything without having to ask a real person for help. Wikipedia doesn’t judge you, its only goal is to help teach you something, no matter how mundane or simple it may seem.

But what exactly does this mean for the academic world? Those who recognize not only the strengths but also the limitations of Wikipedia will be most likely to benefit from this online reservoir of information. Wikipedia is a valuable tool for those budding researchers who are searching for a broad overview of a topic and are able to use it as a jumping off point. The information provided is not intended to provide an in-depth analysis of the minute details of a subject, but rather a broad overview instead.   What is most important to a research project is not so much the information that is posted on the topic, but rather the direction that a researcher can glean from the site. When reviewing a topic on Wikipedia there are three key sections to pay attention to:  References, further reading and external links. These are the places where a researcher can find more reliable sources of the author’s information as well as more useful books, articles and links to other websites on the topic.  These sections can help direct one’s research and allow someone to greatly expand on their chosen topic.

Where Wikipedia falls painfully short is on the quality and reliability of its information. And Wikipedia makes absolutely no apologies for this. Even on its disclaimer site, it clearly states “WIKIPEDIA MAKES NO GUARANTEE OF VALIDITY”. In other words, proceed with caution. Despite the fact that extremely knowledgeable and academic people are sharing their information on Wikipedia, we must remember that among those scholars are a multitude of people who are posting on Wikipedia without any credentials whatsoever. The sites are regularly screened and monitored by Wikipedia and other authors but a researcher should never take the information posted as fact without verifying it from numerous other reputable sources. The key to successfully using Wikipedia for good and not evil is in the art of critical evaluation.

Photo by Erika Brown - screen shot of edited Wikipedia stub article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_toxicity
March 22, 2012

Until recently I was unsure of the pro's and con's of using Wikipedia as a source of reliable information. I was aware that it is not the most reputable source available as most professors have frowned upon accepting Wikipedia as a primary source of information. I also knew that the information presented was a compilation of numerous different authors around the world. The key piece in the puzzle that I was missing was the fact that there is absolutely no restriction as to who may or may not contribute to the information. There are no credentials, expertise or education required to become an author on Wikipedia, the only thing you need is a computer. Today I was able to edit and contribute to a Wikipedia article about protein toxicity. I was always under the impression that these pages were written by experts in the specific topic, and not just your regular university student.  JenV expands on this concept in her reflective blog about the Wikipedia assignment. She offers insight into the problems that arise when there are no restrictions in place to screen contributors and the lack of accountability that results.  Wikipedia does not concern itself with the validity of its information or accountability of its authors as much as we may hope. Therefore, the onus is on us, the readers, to dissect the information that is being served to us and critically evaluate it as such.

Discovering Facebook as a professional resource

Welcome to Blog #2! Over time this blog will definitely show how much I am learning about social media and what an integral tool it is going to be in my future career. Today I created a professional facebook page and used flickr for the very first time. I was able to take the screen shot that you see below and used flickr (http://www.flickr.com/) to embed the picture here on my blog. I have had a love hate relationship with facebook up until today but now that I can see its value in the business world, I am definitely leaning a little closer to love. I filled out the information on my professional page highlighting my strengths, abilities and aspirations as if it were a resume that I was sending out to the world. Knowing that Facebook has over 800 million users world wide, it seems only obvious that it is an essential part in the marketing and branding of oneself. By being selective, professional and responsible with my use of social media I will be able to build not only a local presence in my own community but also a global presence as well. I am learning that by incorporating social media into my professional portfolio I will be able to increase people's access to research or causes that I am affiliated with and connect and correspond with colleagues that would have otherwise been anonymous to me. As technology continues to make this world smaller and smaller, tools such as Facebook will enhance my ability to reach people in every corner of the world I will be able to open up the door to endless possilities.


Untitled, a photo by ErikaB2012 on Flickr.

If you are interested in expanding your professional networking abilities I encourage you to create your own professional page on facebook.com. If you're still on the fence on whether or not Facebook can be good for anything other than "creeping" on people's profiles, check out http://mashable.com/2009/08/14/facebook-networking/ to read a great "how to" for using Facebook professionally. Also, I'm not the only one who's been clued into the many ways that Facebook can be used in your career. To see how some other students are using Facebook as a professional networking tool, take a look at Marisa's blog at http://buildingmye-portfolio.blogspot.com/.

Hi everyone! My name is Erika Brown and I am a third year Nutrition and Food Science student on my way to becoming a Registered Dietitian. I transferred to the University of Alberta in August of 2009 for the dietetics program and have been absolutely blown away by the Nutrition program here as well as by the wonderful people of Edmonton. As a true born and raised west coaster, it has definitely been an adjustment learning how to put on layer upon layer of clothing in the winter and taking flip flop completely out of my vocabulary. Regardless of the weather, I feel extremely grateful to be among some the most innovative and bright minds of our generation. It is sometimes hard to believe that such groundbreaking research and advancements are happening all around us all the time, especially in the realm of health and nutrition. Before I came to the University I thought I had a reasonably clear idea of what I wanted to do with my degree:  private practice, general nutrition and lifestyle promotion probably in the form of magazine articles and seminars, and who knows, maybe even teach a yoga class on the side. Being here at the University has enlightened me to the multitude of possibilities available to nutrition graduates and the many different avenues that one can take throughout their career. I have been lucky enough to volunteer with both the Alberta Diabetes Foundation as well as Meals on Wheels, both of which have completely opened my eyes up to the many facets of nutrition education here in Edmonton. Needless to say, I am still a little undecided but I do believe that my role on the planet is to promote healthy nutrition as I have experienced firsthand the integral role it plays in everyone's quality of life. Deciding which form and venue that may take is still another question to be answered.

Surprise surprise...I love quinoa!!!
photo by Erika Brown

The realm of social media has changed the way that Dietitians are able to promote nutrition and motivate people to strive for healthier lifestyles. Newspapers and magazines are being phased out and replacing them are blogs, tweets, Facebook and Youtube videos. No longer are people venturing out to seminars and courses to seek answers to burning nutrition questions. Instead, an answer to any question or query that one might have is simply a click away. With such reputable sites as The Dietitians of Canada website http://www.dietitians.ca/ available to the masses, social media has completely changed the way that people interact and how information and education is disseminated to the public. Though some might worry that social media is compromising our human need for social contact, the truth is that it’s here to stay and if we don’t get on board we will simply be left in the dust. With the increasing prevalence of chronic disease nation wide and an overabundance of misinformation available, it is more imperative than ever for health promoters to utilize the different media outlets available to reach as many people as we can in as many ways possible.  It is our obligation to seek out the most effective forms of promoting health and with society’s increasing dependence on technology, social media has become the tool that we must learn to love.

For an interesting perspective from another nutrition nut here at the U of A, check out JenV's blog at http://jvandermeer.blogspot.com/