Social Media Smackdown

     For my social media smackdown, I chose a Website called Punchbowl that I found on the "List of Social Media and Social Networking" website. On this site, you can send custom invitations to anybody with an email. I have tried using sites like Evites, but I enjoy Punchbowl a lot more.
     In my family, we tend to use email to invite each other to Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and other events. This is an easy way to get in contact with everyone and have all the responses in one place. Then, of course, we inform my grandparents, who are the only ones who don't have an email. :) Emails can be boring though, which is where Punchbowl comes in. Here, you can choose from many types of invitations (some are not free) and change the colors, fonts, and message. You can even design the envelope. Then, the next step is to put your list of emails into the system, and the invitation will get sent to them. You will get notified via email when people respond, and you can give them the option of bringing a guest or leaving other comments, such as the dessert they are bringing. There is even an App! Another cool feature is that they give you party ideas for a plethora of themes including princesses, baby showers, and Thanksgiving dinner. Finally, not only can you send invitations, but you can also send digital greeting cards. If you pay for a membership you can get features like the ability to add photos, schedule recurring events, and create polls to get answers from guests about the party. 
     I think this is a great site because many people are very computer oriented and may find it easier to receive invitations through their email. It's a little more formal than a Facebook invite, and I think it's more likely that people have an email than Facebook. It also saves paper, and the sender doesn't have to spend any money unless they want the premium version. Compared to Evites, this is a much better option. On Evites, you can't change what you can't write on the card, and there are limited options for colors and fonts. I can't wait to try out this site for our next party!

Technology Blog #6

For my last technology blog, I decided to write about Uber. While many people probably know what it is, I believe it is an important app to talk about because it can help reduce the amount of drunk driving and keep people safe. We go to a school where we don't even have to drive five minutes for the closest bar, and a lot of people think five minutes isn't anything to have a few drinks and drive home. But, this is not the case. Using an app like Uber for that five minute drive may cost some money at that moment in time; however, that money is nothing compared to somebody's life.

Using Uber is pretty much like flagging down a taxi from your phone. All you have to do is download the app (for free =]) and plug in your credit card information. Uber will find your location and tell you how far away the nearest driver is. Uber drivers have to have certain qualifications, such as owning a newer car, and they are required to go through background checks. Next you click "set pickup location" and simply put in the address like you would on Google maps. It will give you a rough estimate of how much your ride will cost. There is also an option to order a bigger car to fit more people (caution: this can be pricey!). Now your Uber is ordered, and you will receive a text messages that it is on the way. Then, you will get a message that the car arrived so you don't have to wait on the curb in the rain, cold, etc. Uber will provide a description of the car so you know what you are looking for. Some other things that are cool about Uber are that you can put multiple cards in your account, and you can split the ride with someone and use two cards for the same ride. Finally, no matter where you are, Uber will find you. You usually don't have to worry about there not being a driver somewhere close by unless you live in the middle of nowhere.

Here's what I don't like about Uber: One, it can get pretty pricey. Uber will jack up the prices on weekends, holidays, and certain times of the night. I recommend it for shorter rides. Second, I have had some experiences where the driver has gotten lost, which stinks! Third, while drivers have to go through a long process to earn the job, I still would never feel 100% safe riding in an Uber alone. Therefore, I think it's good to go with at least one other person! These negatives of Uber, however, do not outweigh the positives. I definitely will continue to advocate for this app, and I think more people should use it and avoid getting behind the wheel after a night out!

Technology Blog #5

     For this tech blog, I want to talk about one of the Digital Storytelling websites that we had the option of using. I decided to try out Smilebox, and I loved it. Smilebox is a free download for your computer-Mac or PC! There is a premium option that costs money; however, the free one is just as good, and you still get many features and designs. Smilebox allows you to make invitations, greeting cards, slide shows, collages, etc. with your own pictures. All you have to do is download the software, upload your pictures, pick what you want to create, and design it! There are multiple designs to choose from such as, birthdays, holidays, baby, wedding, and much more. You can also add music to your creations including what is already loaded onto Smilebox or your own MP3s. Once you finish your creation, you can preview it and edit it again if need be. Then, you have the option of sending it via email, printing it, posting it on Facebook, or burning it to a CD. It does, though, cost money to print like it would on other websites like Wal-Mart or Shutterfly. 
     Smilebox was extremely user friendly. I remember using it years ago and not really liking it, so I think they have definitely made improvements. I love that you can create things and send them right to someone's email or use something like Jing to share it as well, which is what I did to share it on our Google+. It would be great to use if you have family and friends that you want to share pictures of your recent vacation, a party, etc. I know my mom is always asking for my pictures, so she would love it if I made her a little slideshow. Smilebox creations don't have to take forever to make either, unless you want to change every detail. For the most part, all the designs have exactly what you need to import the picture and add text as desired. Another good use is invitations. In my family, we tend to use e-mail when we are having a get together, so this would add a little "pizzaz" to the boring messages. If you want to do something creative with all the pictures on your computer or send a special someone a greeting card, Smilebox is the way to go! 

Technology Blog #4

     For my fourth Technology Blog, I wanted to share a website called zulily.com.  I had often seen ads for this website, but wasn't exactly sure what it was, so I forgot about it until my mom brought it up to me. When I finally found out what this website was, I was addicted. Zulily is an online shopping website that has women, children, and men's shoes and clothing at discounted prices along with items for the home and accessories. While some things are not known brands, there are many popular brands such as Ray-Bans, Under Armour, and Coach. Each day, Zulily has new shops. While the other shops from other days remain, they only last for a temporary amount of time. You can choose to shop by what is new for the day, categories, or the shops that are going to go away shortly. Creating an account is required, but you can sign in with Facebook as well. 
    Zulily is great website for poor college students like myself. I have gotten wonderful apartment items, christmas gifts, and other things at prices I can actually afford. It is definitely recommended for people who love to shop but are looking for some good deals. Some negatives to this site are that shipping can be expensive, it takes a little while to get your items, and popular brands sell out fast. However, they often offer free shipping, and if you do not need something right away, the shipping and handling time is not a big deal. In fact, you might forget that you ordered something and be pleasantly surprised by a present to yourself in the mail! All in all, Zulily is like going to the mall, but you can sit in the comfort of your home. It is great for college students who need to be careful about their spending, and the positives of the website outweigh the negatives. 

Smackdown Number 3

For my third Smackdown, I found an example of a bad website. When I say bad, I mean bad. This website is so bad that I feel as though I have to warn people that they may get dizzy, throw up, or have a seizure. I looked at it for two minutes and came down with a headache.

The name of the website is lingscars.com. When you go to this site, you may be too distracted to figure out what its purpose is, so I’ll tell you. It’s a site for leasing cars. However, even given that information, you’re probably still distracted because the first obvious problem with this website is its design. The colors, animations, and amount of words on just the home page alone are completely overwhelming. Every picture and piece of text moves or pops out at you. There is way too much stimulation. This almost makes the website come off as fake or a scam or something that will leave your computer with a nasty virus. You could not pay me to lease a car from this guy. Most of the ads look sketchy. In fact, the website as a whole looks sketchy. 

The one positive note I can give Ling is his navigation system at the top of the page, which pretty much gives the user the information they need to find what they are looking for. However, Ling adds in stuff that is completely irrelevant to a car leasing website. He has a tab called “Fun Stuff,” which includes quizzes, hangman, and other stuff that I can’t seem to figure out. This is a car website; games are not necessary. Ling also does not provide a search bar for users, another downfall. Besides his toolbar at the top, this site has pretty much zero organization. There are things everywhere, and too much information thrown at you at once.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the flaws in this website. It is so bizarre and unprofessional. Ling is not a man I would trust to lease a car from.  

Techblog Three

     This week, I decided to write about one of my "go to" websites/apps when I have free time or am bored. Buzzfeed is an eclectic website containing many things to watch and read. It has anything from serious, current events to quizzes to humorous articles and videos. If you need a good laugh, ideas of what to cook for dinner, or want to know what is going on in the world, Buzzfeed provides all of that. 
     When you log onto Buzzfeed, there is a homepage with some of the trending articles and such that are popular at that point in time around the world. At the top of the page, it provides topics to get exclusively world news, fun articles, quizzes or videos. There is also a tab that says "more," which lets you narrow down what themes you want to see, such as food and health. It is almost set up like Pinterest. 
     As a busy graduate student, I'm on the go or studying for most, if not all of the day. Some days, the only time I get to myself is right before bed. I use Buzzfeed to catch up on what's going on in the world, and I can always get a good laugh while on it. The writers are extremely talented, creative, and quick-witted.  I especially love any of their posts involving dogs. Buzzfeed is recommended for anyone who wants a lot from one website and is interested in reading some of the most random, but funny, things. I can truly say it is one of my favorite apps and websites. 

App Smackdown

For my App Smackdown, I chose an app called Lumosity. Lumosity is an app made to train and workout your brain through different games. The idea behind Lumosity is that it provides new, challenging activities for the brain daily in order to create new neural pathways and connections. If the brain is not introduced to new stimuli, it won’t make any new connections and will continue to use its existing ones. Lumosity “challenges the brain to work in different ways.” The activities are created by a combination of neuroscientists and professional game designers. This means that each game serves a purpose for your brain while being colorful, stimulating, and fun. Also, the app can personalize a daily workout for you, so it makes sure you’re stimulating different parts of your brain and changes difficulty levels as you get better. Unfortunately, the app itself is free, but to have access to all the games at once, you have to pay for the premium version, which is about sixty dollars for the year. With the free version, you only get to play about three games per day. However, it still is personalized to your profile, and it’s still great if you just want to quickly workout your brain once a day.

Lumosity is a great app for the Speech-Language Pathology field. I actually discovered in while observing a Speech-Language Pathologist. It can be used for all ages. Many of the clients SLPs treat have memory, attention, and processing impairments, so this app is perfect for improving cognitive abilities and training their brains. Specifically, it can be used for traumatic brain injury and stroke patients to retrain the connections they have lost. It’s great for kids because they’re playing games, but little do they know, they’re making their brains stronger at the same time. Right now, I only have the free version to experiment with the app and decide if it is a good investment for my future career. I definitely think it will be an app that I will put out the money for because no matter my client population, I can make it fit. It would also be a good app for educators as well and those who just want to train their brains!