Writing an Effective Blog

A hobby of mine is writing and recording music I write. My stage name is Jude Davis and is the name I post songs under. I have a blog that I started for the sole purpose of getting new people to listen to my music, but it hasn't been very effective. A recent blog of mine for this class about recruiting for the basketball team at Utah State elicited a response from a stranger who is not in this class. It made me think about what makes an effective blog.

The posts I've written on my Jude Davis blog have been very short updates about songs I've been recording or writing. I realized that posts like these will not attract people to my blog. Writing posts about subjects that people can relate to will attract readers, as shown by my post about basketball recruiting at Utah State.

In the future my Jude Davis blogs will be about specific subjects that people will find interesting, such as reviews of albums, concerts, etc. The music I record is just a hobby and I don't expect to do anything with it beyond that, but it would be interesting to hear what people who don't know me think of it, and a way I can find that out is by writing a blog that people will be attracted to.

Source: http://judedavis.blogspot.com/

LinkedIn's Appeal to Business People

I recently completed a presentation on the networking site LinkedIn. I didn't know very much about LinkedIn before preparing the presentation so everything in my research was pretty new to me. I found LinkedIn to be a very interesting concept and ended up joining as a result.

LinkedIn is a social networking site that caters to business people specifically, unlike the popular social networking sites Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace, which cater to everybody, specifically young people. LinkedIn provides a way for people in business to interact with each other and it has a wide variety of applications, groups, etc. that are specifically directed toward different aspects of business.

I'm glad I found out about LinkedIn because it has and will help me to get in touch with people who can help me in my professional career. I have already made contact with several people in my future line of work and have received advice and help on how to proceed in my career after I graduate in December.

Sources: http://www.linkedin.com, http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/681968/-/s0yn7m/-/

Being Open and Clear in Communication

I follow college football and basketball recruiting pretty closely. I particularly pay close attention to recruiting by Utah State's basketball and football programs. It's interesting to me because college sports are very similar to businesses, and coaches are like salespeople when it comes to recruiting. Coaches have to sell the program, themselves, the fans, the university, etc. As fans we see the actual games, which are without a doubt the most enticing part of college sports, but no team has a a chance of sustainable success if a coach is not a good recruiter, or salesperson. Vaughn Autry is currently a high school player who had given a verbal commitment in August to play on Utah State's basketball team. Recently, it was announced that Autry's scholarship offer was not valid and shortly thereafter it was revealed that he would be playing on scholarship for Montana.

I recently stumbled upon an article discussing the recruiting process Vaughn Autry went through in relation to Utah State. The article mentions Autry made a verbal commitment to Utah State after an assistant coach told him he would be a starter on the team and told him he could have a scholarship. Autry started filling out paperwork to be able to visit Utah State on a recruiting visit, but fell out of contact with the coaches because, according to him, they did not return his phone calls or emails. Autry was soon informed by an assistant coach that an official scholarship offer was never made and that Utah State had decided to go in a different direction. By this point, a lot of the schools who were previously interested in him had lost interest and Autry had to start looking to for another school who would offer him a scholarship. He eventually settled on Montana. Stew Morrill eventually called Autry's father, Steve. The following is an excerpt from the article, in Steve's words:

"He said, I'm sorry, we're going in another direction, going after a junior college kid," Steve said. "I told them to stop offering so many guys."

Steve claims Morrill accepted some of the blame and said that he had already told his assistants to stop offering 15 kids.

"He told me, we didn't mean to hurt Vaughn," Steve said. "I told him, it's the principle of the whole thing, of being honest.

"I understand they want to get the best player, but they should've been honest with us."

This article demonstrates the importance of open and clear communication. In defense of Stew Morrill and his assistants, the article seems quite biased and only gets the Autrys' point of view. However, whether there were misunderstandings between the Autrys and Stew Morrill's coaching staff, it is obvious to me that the root of the problem was poor communication. I don't know exactly what happened in this situation, but I imagine neither party had ill intentions, and if more effective communication was used, the problem probably wouldn't have happened.

Source: http://www.westcoasthoopsreport.com/articles/detail.php?id=518&

Using Appropriate Language as a Manager

I read an interesting article by Francis Jock. The article is about the importance of having good communication skills in business, specifically as a manager. In class much of our discussion has been about the importance communication in finding a job and being a good employee, but this article gives information on how important it is to have good communication skills as a manager. The article's main focus is on the importance of being able to communicate appropriately in a world that is increasingly diverse.

It's important as a manager to use appropriate language because inappropriate language can cause a loss of respect and can have a negative effect on employee morale.

Often when inappropriate language is used, the person using the inappropriate language doesn't mean to offend. Male and white based language has been the norm in the past and it is usually overlooked, but to avoid losing respect and morale it is important to learn to use appropriate language.

http://www.helium.com/items/1224659-business-communications-communication-skills-communications-productivity

What Is Proper Attire for a Business Interview?

When preparing the proper attire to wear to a job interview, it's important to think about what the job is looking for and dress appropriately. I will be applying for jobs in the actuarial field. Therefore, I should dress conservatively, but also with up-to-date styles and with nicer clothing.

If I were interviewing for a job, I would dress with a darker suit, a conservatively colored shirt, with a tie without bright colors like yellow, pink, orange, etc. My shoes would be clean and new. My belt would be the same color as my shoes. My hair would be neat and on the shorter side. I would not have facial hair. If I were to have facial hair, it would be short and well groomed.

Dress communicates a lot about a person. If a person is dressed too casually, the interviewee might give the impression that he or she doesn't care about the job. If a person is dressed to flashy or too in-style, he or she might give off the impression of trying too hard. Therefore, it's important to dress conservatively in style, while not being too casual and not being too formal or flashy.

http://www.content4reprint.com/career/the-proper-attire-for-an-interview.htm

Bill Child's Example

On Wednesday the School of Business hosted speakers Bill Child and Jeff Benedict. Bill Child is the current Chairman of the Board for R.C. Willey and co-author of the book "How to Build a Business Warren Buffett Would Buy". Jeff Benedict is the second author the same book. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the convocation, but I heard nothing but good things about it. Consequently, I decided to read about Mr. Child and his success.

Through my reading, I found the overarching attribute assigned to Bill Child is integrity. Bill Child's integrity is subsequently found within the corporate organization of R.C. Willey, which was an important factor in Warren Buffet's acquisition of the company. I love reading or hearing about ethical people and leaders with integrity in business because it seems as if the corporate world has somewhat justifiably been villanized over the past decade.

Unethical behavior and lack of integrity are underlying causes of the current economic state of the world. If people in business and capitalism in general are to regain their former status and reputation, business people must act with high ethics and integrity, as Bill Child has done. Not only will integrity in business help restore business's image, but it is an important factor of success in the business world.

http://www.meridianmagazine.com/standingforsomething/000919bill.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=V-JlVl_dPFwC&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=bill+child+willey&source=bl&ots=2SKHi_Pfz-&sig=l_sXjntBeUW1DX6xjD8OS_Y_RIY&hl=en&ei=bY7FSv2EM4moswOh4syhBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#v=onepage&q=bill%20child%20willey&f=false

Networking With Potential Employers

Lately I have been thinking about ways to network so I will know more potential employers, which will give me an upper hand when I start applying for jobs within the next few weeks. It is not essential to know a potential employer to land a job, but it definitely helps. I am planning on being an actuary, so as long as I pass the first two actuarial exams I shouldn't have a problem finding a job since actuarial jobs are in high demand. However, if I network with potential employers, I will have more of a choice as to which company I end up working for. I want to get a job in either Salt Lake City or Seattle, so I have been using current contacts to meet actuaries in those areas. I have spoken and met with several in Salt Lake City and I recently called my uncle in Seattle, who knows several actuaries, and he is going to arrange some opportunities to get to know them. I'm excited to see what happens and hopefully my networking efforts will pay off with a job this spring in Salt Lake City or Seattle.

September 14

It's amazing how much credibility someone loses when he or she uses poor grammar or punctuation in writing. I spend a good amount of time reading about sports, which includes reading message boards for teams I'm interested in. Posters often use very poor punctuation and grammar when writing on online forums and when I read these posts I immediately question their validity. If I feel this way about a forum on the internet, good communication in a business setting should be a high priority so as to instill confidence in those who are being communicated with. On occasion, I've had to read something written by someone who was supposed to be a business professional and used bad grammar or improper punctuation. When these occasions arose, it was hard to believe in the writer's capabilities and trust in his or her knowledge. I personally believe that good business communication is essential to success. People don't often recognize good communication, but they definitely recognize bad communication, so it's important to develop good communication skills.

First Blog

The new semester is already two and a half weeks over. It's amazing how fast the semesters have flown by. This will be my last semester at Utah State, which is bittersweet since it will be nice to get on with my life, but I grew up in North Logan so it will be sad to leave.

I am planning on becoming an actuary so a lot of my time has been spent contacting personal employers and networking with them. I've sent out many emails and have made several phone calls. It's exciting and invigorating to speak with potential employers. Actuarial work is only available in certain areas of the country so I'm somewhat limited in the areas I can start my career. I will probably end up accepting a position in either Seattle or Phoenix, which are two of my favorite places, so I'm excited about that. I also have family members in both cities who know actuaries so, of course, I have been in contact with them. It's an exciting time and I'm looking forward to the events that take place in the next half a year.