New technology
by Evan Papamichael
Evan has many forms of communication technology available to him as a professional writer. Technology is at everybody�s grasp. Even a small business at home can produce professional looking documents at the same level of a multi-billion dollar company like BHP. With a laptop Evan has access to a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). Meaning that Evan can take his computer into McDonald�s and work on it. But remember that technology is a tool and not an end in itself. When Evan is seeking employment he can access My Space. It is free online to fill in your details for a job interview but you have to pay for the internet connection. But what method of communication best suits my message. I need to look at the right tool for the right job to find suitable employment. Many jobs are only advertised on the internet eg. Seek.com. We must also remember that we face the tyranny of distance. Australia is so far away from the rest of the world. But Australia is second only to the USA in having the latest gadgets, technology and computers. This is because Australia wants to be part of the old world Europe and the new world USA. Believe it or not thirteen year old students are sent off to school each day with three thousand dollar computers. Therefore, there is a great divide between the have and have nots. But let�s look at how technology has affected Evan in the workforce. Employees have to do Short Courses and lots of training or else they will lose their job. The humble telephone is still used today but remember there are call centres and voice mail. To some extent this has led to impersonal service. Also, organizations need standards for answering the phone.ie. within three rings the phone must be answered. Fax machines are still used to send photos and documents. But in some remote parts of Australia there are no services to make a mobile phone call from Melbourne to work eg.in Tasmania. Fax machines are important here as computers cannot be used. Telstra used to be a public service but today it is a private business. These are the limitations of a private company. But what other benefits are there to a fax machine. In the past a signature from a fax machine was not legally binding but today it is. However, to make a fax machine to work you need a telephone line or a fax modem. If Evan as a professional writer wants to have a meeting with his peers and colleagues from all over Australia, and perhaps the world, is this to some extent possible, with the technology available to him? The answer is yes. In 1989 Audio Conferencing was introduced in Australia due to a pilots� strike. People sat in front of a TV screen and communicated locally, interstate and internationally. Alternatively, you can have a conference call. Meaning that a meeting will take place over the phone. Everyone can speak without interruption. Or you can have web meetings where people meet and talk over the internet, (also known as internet chat rooms). With LAN (Local Area Network) Evan can exchange files or send emails. It can be linked by cable or be wireless. To have access to LAN Evan needs a licensed copy for every computer on that network. LAN is connected to one building. With WAN (Wide Area Network) networks across several buildings through the internet can read company reports. But on a negative note, travel agencies across the world are closing down because everyone is booking their holiday over the internet. You can look up government reports or the Stock Exchange on WAN. And also significant, is that many of us use WAN daily for access to ATM�S at our bank and for Medicare rebates-how convenient! If Evan wants to brush up on his singing skills or send a vocal message to a businessman or fellow writer, he can access SKYPE, which is free voice internet. There is a free download for software, but you have to buy the hardware and microphone. A downside to what I have discussed so far is that we live in an age of the User Pay System. In the past we had the provider eg. the government or a private company who paid for all expenses within reason. But at present, we the consumers, pretty much pay for all the cost of using technology. One benefit of the technology available to us is email. For it is the beginning of paperless communication in the office. Email has advantages over the telephone. This is because messages through email are stored indefinitely and Evan can answer them in a few hours or even several days. I must at this point pay a humble tribute to mobile phones. They are extremely convenient because they can be used as a diary, address book, alarm clock, reminder, camera and calculator. Mobile phones are so advantageous that many Australians have one for business and another for private use. But the problem with mobile phones and emails is security. Not only can some hacker access your data but many phones are stolen. Also, one must be weary before signing up to a contract with a mobile phone company. Be prepared to pay for unforseen fees and charges for calls and rental. Task Two: Review of PowerPoint � There are many pros and cons with PowerPoint. One must remember that it is a tool which enhances but does not take over the presentation. Or at least it should not as can be seen in some cases. � What one means here is that some presenters falsely use PowerPoint to create a slide show without giving proper and structured thought to the presentation itself. � Do not fall into the trap of taking advantage of the Auto Content wizard which produces templates, animations and clip art with the press of a button. � There is a problem here which is counter productive. The slide show overtakes the person as being the presenter. To keep the human focus on you by the audience steer away from transitions and animations. � What use do you have for your speech notes? They are just that, they should be evoked from your vocal communication. This is more convincing to the audience. Do not replace your important oral skills with boring and distracting slides. Slides are for viewing, not listening. � You must not lose the important human contact with your audience. You are the person selling yourself and not the lifeless and speechless machine. Be colourful and attention grabbing with the slides you show to the audience, but remember that it is you the person who is addressing the slide show to get the important message across. � Most paramount in importance is the thinking and writing process. Do not neglect this. Remember it is you the presenter who must physically write and mentally structure each step of your presentation in a clear, concise and comprehensive manner. � You must have a proper plan, followed by a carefully set out thesis and theme, which will be convincing and intellectually stimulating, and worthwhile to listen to and visualize by the audience. � Do not fall into the trap of using Power Point as a writing tool. It is too structured, not just the templates and Auto Content, but the whole way the program works. To avoid the above problems: � At the initial stage of writing up a presentation do not go straight to Power Point. Physically make notes with a pen and paper to make the first draft. Try to write the whole manuscript like this at first instance. � Carefully plan the longevity of the presentation. What your speech will include and not include. What special visual effects and props you will demonstate.Also, remember to get some feedback from the audience by questioning what they thought of your show. What strengths and weaknesses it had. What they learnt, and how effective it all was, and whether they got something out of it. Take it from the expert, Hilder, who states: If Power Point is one of the special effects that you want to use, now is the time to begin creating your slide show. Create slides that go with your presentation, remembering the three evils above. Use slides to illustrate and punctuate. This means being extremely restrained in your use of templates, animations and clip art. Hilder further points out: Remember that if you have nothing to show at a certain point you can have a blank slide, Use the B key. It is a visual medium, so use its ability to show pictures. (Consider scanning in that sketch on the back of an envelope). If you want to write, use a word processor. If you want your audience to see what you have written you can display a word document on the screen as easily as a Power Point presentation, or give it to them as a handout. Task Three: Media Release Evan Papamichael the world renowned corporate writer is giving a lecture on June 20 2007. He will be demonstrating the benefits of using Power Point. This is a new presentation program which Papamichael has invented. It will impress even the most difficult critics of software. Papamichael realizes the lack of communication skills that the everyday businessman possesses. Power Point is the mighty answer. The purpose of the PowerPoint presentation by Papamichael, is a promotion to raise awareness of the fact, that many in our community do not have access, to something all of us have taken for granted in this day and age. That being a PC. Papamichael hopes to raise funds for the disabled members of the City of Monash. This will support a worthwhile cause. Rusco Morris an intellectually disabled teenager was interviewed by Papamichael last Thursday. The result was a touching story. Morris lost his father to a car accident ten years ago. Now Morris is supported by a sole parent, who is struggling. Papamichael asked young Morris, �Why do you need a computer?� The answer was simple. �I missed out on so much until now without Dad. I really want a computer, not only because my peers have one, but also to build up my skills, which will prepare me for the workforce in the near future.� Papamichael while wiping a tear from his eye replied. �You really deserve a PC kid, take it from me�. Task Four: Feature Article A friend recently spent three months in Seattle, USA.She was in for the surprise of her life. While voluntarily taking an aptitude test at the Washington State library, the results were bewildering. �You have superhuman intellectual and technical abilities�, was the result and analysis from the test. It was a remarkable turnaround for this single mother, who was unemployed for three years. What I am touching on here, is that so much Microsoft software, such as Power Point, is easy to access and of course demonstrate. Within two weeks a senior consultant from Microsoft, who worked for an employment agency, landed my friend Suzie Q, a job in Los Angeles. Q was given in-house training and she mastered the Power Point software almost immediately. She earned one thousand dollars a week, and bought her own apartment, car and was living in luxury. I am trying to demonstrate here that some of us have all the luck, and others do not. Q had both luck, and secondly perseverance in her new career. This was inspired by the �user friendly� Microsoft software which is now accessible to almost all of us in the western world. We had better make the most of this opportunity, because really, as Q told me over the phone, �you really have to get in while you can kiddo�, and that is exactly what she did. Loved by most, but ignored by the ignorant is what society has recognized. There is a means of truth to such a point. We as a society are to some extent facing a world of have and have nots. But what can we do about it? The answer is clear cut. We must explore our options and abilities to unlock our potential. When we see a golden opportunity we must grab it. Because remember there is no fate but what we make. The power of this force is Power Point. Task Five: Difference in style Review The style of a review is informative writing based on fact and expert opinion. Expert opinion consists of knowledge and research on a product or service, often with a recommendation or evaluation. Reviews serve both the producers of various products and services, and the potential customers. Readers use reviews to make decisions in what to use, buy, read, use and go to or avoid. A review is the assessment by one person of work done by another person. Feature articles and media releases do not contain the factors discussed above in a review. Media Releases Firstly, media releases contain a news story or publicize an event. Alternatively, feature articles only comment on the news but do not break the news. This can be found in a feature article running a profile on someone. Media releases can be used to: � Publicize an event � Raise funds � Create awareness of an issue � Generate support for a cause � Promote or launch a product or service � Generate a news story Media releases contain in a news story who, what, when, where, why and how the event occurred. Most importantly, feature articles and reviews do not include this. News is fact and it changes hourly. Feature articles are set for the day. Feature articles have an indirect lead, as they only comment on the news but do not break the news. Feature Articles Feature articles, unlike reviews and media releases contain at times profile writing. Profile writing includes the following: � Find subject, write questions, set up interview � Establish purpose and audience � Use third person objective viewpoint � Focus on subject (not you) � Foreshadow the story � Give biographical detail briefly � Reveal as many details as subject allows � Include quotes that add interest