Blogs From 4th Quarter

Over the course of this year, I have learned so many new techniques about blogging, and I think it has tremendously improved. Comparing a blog post from September to one in May, there are many differences seen. One thing that really changed in my blogs throughout this time was being more aware of what was going on around me, and how even the smallest things could turn into a page long blog post, including outside sources and quotes to help prove my point.

At the beginning of the year, I would notice something, quote it, and then be done, but near the end, specifically in the blog post  "Women In Front Of The Camera"  where i took something ordinary that happened in advisory, connected it to an article, and also my junior theme. I think that blog posts like these, with multiple sources backing it up, is the most effective way to prove a point, because it shows that its not just an idea that popped into your head, but instead, something that has been thought out and written about before as well.

Additionally, I think I found a good balance of how long a blog post should be, so that it's short and sweet and to the point, and doesn't drag on too long. Many little changes like that helped shape the progress I have made throughout the year.

"Home Tweet Home"

This morning in the Chicago Tribune, an article in the Real Estate section was talking about how "more real estate agents are turning to social media." It said that now real estate agents are friends with their clients on Facebook, and use that to communicate with them. One interview with Terri McAuley, who is a broker at Koenig and Strey, said that she estimated about 75 percent of her clients have never actually met her in person. With the world of technology emerging, more and more people stop communicating in person or even on the phone, but rather on facebook, twitter, youtube, texting, etc.

After reading this article, I was thinking about the pros and cons to this way of communicating with agents, brokers, etc about important things, such as buying a house. With the internet so easily available, you can much more easily find out information or look at very recently updated listings, and communicate quickly with them, such as through text. However, there is always a risk with never meeting the person who is helping you make such a big investment. There's a lot more room for errors to occur, and it seems a bit laid back to be tweeting and talking to them on Facebook about it. You also get to see into their daily life, as do they into yours.

Do you think this overtake of social media into the real estate business is a good or bad thing? What will it turn into in the future?

Lists, Lists, And More Lists

A few days ago in class, we talked about making lists, and why so many people do it. People were sharing stories from when they were little, like in the Great Gatsby, of lists their parents would make them, lists they made for themselves, etc. I tried to think to myself the last list i had made, and realized i actually did make quite a few. It gives us a feeling of completeness and satisfaction, which is something Americans value. Later that night when I got home, I was packing for a trip, and made a list to make sure i had everything i needed for the weekend. It wasn't until about halfway through making my list that i realized what i was doing, and how often i make check lists of things to do.

There was an article on NPR a few years ago, and it was 10 Reasons Why We Love Making Lists and what it said, which i agree with, is that it helps keep us organized and create as little chaos as possible. Personally, during finals time, i make a list of what im going to study at what time, and it helps me calm down and not stress out as much about whether i have time to study for everything. Being on a timed schedule like that, also helps prevent procrastination, which is something i do a bit too often.Completing a list is something that makes us feel accomplished and finished, and its something we value, rather than having a bunch of stuff to do and never feeling like you complete any of it. Overall, I think list making is something Americans in particular use as a tactic to stay organized and "give ourselves a pat on the back" when we accomplish something.

Women Behind The Camera

While writing my junior theme about the lack of women directors, a statistic i found interesting was how many females are directing documentaries. In one article, it said the ratio of men to women was nearly fifty percent (Silverstein). This made me wonder - why are there so many more women directing documentaries, but then if you look at the number of women directing feature films, they barely make up ten percent? While interviewing Maria Finitzo, one of the many women creating documentaries, she said that "perhaps that is because you don’t make any money directing documentaries, and so the men go for narrative directing." 

This is a valid point, that for the most part, documentaries make less money than top box office hit films, especially in a world where money seems to dominate and is one of the main focuses in many people's lives. Most people want to do something they love, while making a sufficient amount of money - that is the perfect job - but if your passion is directing, wouldn't you much rather direct a movie where you make more money? Most people would answer yes to that question. But for women, where directing is not an easy thing, documentaries can get them much more work opportunities.


But is money the only reason? It's been a question for years, and researchers have found hundreds of statistics, but never a solution to this problem. But what is there to do to fix it?