Friday, May 29, 2015
May Extra Blog (LAST BLOG!)
The time has come for my very last blog post here. There are only 16 days until graduation!!! My senior presentation is done and I am so very relieved! It has been quite the year, with it's ups and downs. Perhaps one day I'll come back with a successful small business, but until then...
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Blog #23: Senior Project Relflection
(1) Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
In my presentation, I am most proud of how my powerpoint/visual aid turned out. I spent a lot of time making sure that I had slides on everything I needed to cover, and wanted to make it aesthetically pleasing to keep people's interest. I think my powerpoint really helped to guide my presentation and laid my ideas out clearly.
For my senior project, I'm most proud of the work I did in my independent components. Working to create my own small business was very rewarding because I could experience first-hand what I was researching. I'm proud of how my business blog turned out because it represents everything I researched for my third answer, and I really enjoyed the process of blogging.
(2) Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?
I would give myself a P-, because I believe I met the basic requirements. I was so concerned with getting all of my information out and making time, that I think my presentation may not have been the most exciting, but still was informative and got the job done.
b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
For overall senior project, I think I deserve a P. I thought I did well with research, but was lacking in mentorship. I did keep on top of my work, but definitely didn't have much time to go above and beyond.
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
One thing that worked really well for me was research. With my topic, I was able to find many books that helped me dig deeper into small business marketing. I read many authors and learned different facts from their various perspectives. I also got to interact with many small business owners for interviews, because I mentored with so many people and got many perspectives.
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I wish I could of had a stronger mentorship experience. Jumping around with different mentors definitely was a setback. I feel like I didn't get the same experience that some other seniors did. I would have spent more time during the summer finding a quality mentorship. I learned lots working with my mom, but I also think it would have been more beneficial to work with someone who has an in-store business, or even a team of empolyees to get the full experience.
(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
Working on this project has actually helped me a lot in my work habits. Having a project to work on for such an extended period of time is something I had never experienced in the past. I had to learn to take it one step at a time, and try to avoid getting overwhelmed by the size of the project. It definitely took some trial and error to figure out how to handle the workload. I found that the best way to do so was by planning ahead of time all of my due dates and deadlines.
Since I had some trouble with mentoring, I learned some things as well. I was ready to give up, but instead I had to work with what I had to get the most out of the experience. In a way, this setback was good for me, because it forced me to be resourceful and reach out of my comfort zone to talk to new mentors, and find information out for myself. I think these skills will certainly help me through college and beyond.
What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
In my presentation, I am most proud of how my powerpoint/visual aid turned out. I spent a lot of time making sure that I had slides on everything I needed to cover, and wanted to make it aesthetically pleasing to keep people's interest. I think my powerpoint really helped to guide my presentation and laid my ideas out clearly.
For my senior project, I'm most proud of the work I did in my independent components. Working to create my own small business was very rewarding because I could experience first-hand what I was researching. I'm proud of how my business blog turned out because it represents everything I researched for my third answer, and I really enjoyed the process of blogging.
(2) Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?
I would give myself a P-, because I believe I met the basic requirements. I was so concerned with getting all of my information out and making time, that I think my presentation may not have been the most exciting, but still was informative and got the job done.
b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
For overall senior project, I think I deserve a P. I thought I did well with research, but was lacking in mentorship. I did keep on top of my work, but definitely didn't have much time to go above and beyond.
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
One thing that worked really well for me was research. With my topic, I was able to find many books that helped me dig deeper into small business marketing. I read many authors and learned different facts from their various perspectives. I also got to interact with many small business owners for interviews, because I mentored with so many people and got many perspectives.
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I wish I could of had a stronger mentorship experience. Jumping around with different mentors definitely was a setback. I feel like I didn't get the same experience that some other seniors did. I would have spent more time during the summer finding a quality mentorship. I learned lots working with my mom, but I also think it would have been more beneficial to work with someone who has an in-store business, or even a team of empolyees to get the full experience.
(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
Working on this project has actually helped me a lot in my work habits. Having a project to work on for such an extended period of time is something I had never experienced in the past. I had to learn to take it one step at a time, and try to avoid getting overwhelmed by the size of the project. It definitely took some trial and error to figure out how to handle the workload. I found that the best way to do so was by planning ahead of time all of my due dates and deadlines.
Since I had some trouble with mentoring, I learned some things as well. I was ready to give up, but instead I had to work with what I had to get the most out of the experience. In a way, this setback was good for me, because it forced me to be resourceful and reach out of my comfort zone to talk to new mentors, and find information out for myself. I think these skills will certainly help me through college and beyond.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Blog #22: Mentorship
Literal
· Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog
Hours
Hours
· Contact Name and Mentorship Place
Laura Grello, Etsy: OneDutchButtercup
Interpretive
Interpretive
What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
I definitely gained a sense of the "behind the scenes" action that takes place in a business. Marketing plays a big part in gaining customers, sure, but having a strong business is ultimately the most important thing to focus on. Once you have a solid foundation, marketing becomes endlessly simpler.
Throughout my mentorship, I spent a lot of time on things like taking inventory and making sure that my mentor's business as a whole was running smoothly, all while maintaining a consistent brand. I thought of it like this: if a business is going to market one thing, but not deliver, that ruins the trust between customer and business. So, it's important to live up to the expectations you put forth in marketing.
Applied
Throughout my mentorship, I spent a lot of time on things like taking inventory and making sure that my mentor's business as a whole was running smoothly, all while maintaining a consistent brand. I thought of it like this: if a business is going to market one thing, but not deliver, that ruins the trust between customer and business. So, it's important to live up to the expectations you put forth in marketing.
Applied
How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
Since I was often able to choose which tasks I wanted to focus on during my mentorship, I got some specific experience with using social media. Simple jobs such as responding to customer questions or comments helped me to see how the producer-consumer relationship works. This plays a big role in creating a web presence, because social media involves that interaction. You have to know how to make customers comfortable and wanting to engage. It may seem overly simple, but there is an art to creating a brand, establishing a voice, and sticking to it.
My mentor helped me to understand what her business was all about, and from there, I could take on that brand identity and apply it to my interactions with her customers. Prior to this experience, I didn't recognize the importance of these interactions and thought it would not require any thought. Now I can appreciate the effort that business owners put into crafting the perfect way to speak with potential customers.
Since I was often able to choose which tasks I wanted to focus on during my mentorship, I got some specific experience with using social media. Simple jobs such as responding to customer questions or comments helped me to see how the producer-consumer relationship works. This plays a big role in creating a web presence, because social media involves that interaction. You have to know how to make customers comfortable and wanting to engage. It may seem overly simple, but there is an art to creating a brand, establishing a voice, and sticking to it.
My mentor helped me to understand what her business was all about, and from there, I could take on that brand identity and apply it to my interactions with her customers. Prior to this experience, I didn't recognize the importance of these interactions and thought it would not require any thought. Now I can appreciate the effort that business owners put into crafting the perfect way to speak with potential customers.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Blog #21: Exit Interview
(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?
EQ: What is the most effective way for a small business to create an online web presence to promote their business?
1st answer: Identify a target audience and determine which websites to use to market to that audience.
2nd answer: Update online content frequently.
3rd answer: Create a blog to establish a relationship with customers.
Best answer: My first answer, to identify a target audience and thus find social media platforms to use for marketing, is my best answer. I chose this because this answer creates the basis for my whole project. Marketing is based on communication, and so it's important to find the potential customers you want to reach, and figure out how you want to reach them.
1st answer: Identify a target audience and determine which websites to use to market to that audience.
2nd answer: Update online content frequently.
3rd answer: Create a blog to establish a relationship with customers.
Best answer: My first answer, to identify a target audience and thus find social media platforms to use for marketing, is my best answer. I chose this because this answer creates the basis for my whole project. Marketing is based on communication, and so it's important to find the potential customers you want to reach, and figure out how you want to reach them.
(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
I actually came to this answer pretty early on in my research. After reading many basic business books, I gathered that finding a target audience and deciding how to market to them is pretty necessary. As I continued researching, I went more into the specifics of how exactly to build that online presence. I could have chosen one of those aspects for my best answer, but I know that none of that is going to be effective if you're not reaching the people who will actually care. It's like talking to a bunch of preschoolers about physics. No matter how great a physicist you are, they aren't really going to care, because they can't fully relate to or understand you. Thus, you need to find those people who will be able to understand and be on the same page as you/your business.
(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
I went back and forth many times, trying to figure out what my best answer should be. I thought that perhaps my first answer was too obvious to use. But then I realized that just because it's fairly basic, does not mean that it's not important. When it comes down to it, there are a few ideas that apply to all sorts of marketing, and I believe that the audience is a huge factor.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
My first source is a book called Engagement Marketing by Gail F. Goodman, because it introduced me to the whole idea of interacting with customers in a way that's fun and inviting. It reinforced the idea that communication is key is marketing, and really forms the basis for the consumer/producer relationship.
My second source is another book, Visual Marketing by Anita Campbell, because it focuses on different ways of reaching customers. Along with giving specific examples that go outside of the box, it also included a lot of basic tips on what people want from a business and how to deliver that to them.
My second source is another book, Visual Marketing by Anita Campbell, because it focuses on different ways of reaching customers. Along with giving specific examples that go outside of the box, it also included a lot of basic tips on what people want from a business and how to deliver that to them.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
April Extra Post
Ah, things are finally wrapping up, and it is quite the relief. I finally have pretty much everything lined up that I need. My answers, best answer, research, I-Search paper, and final presentation lesson plan. Pretty much all I need to do is finish all of these little tasks up, and of course, get ready for my final presentation. (which is in less than a month!?)
This talk by Malcolm Gladwell is about how everybody has different preferences. I've been hearing a lot about this author as of late, and this talk combines food and aspects of my topic, so how could I resist?
Watching this speech gave me a new perspective on the whole idea of trying to market to people - in that a business needs to acknowledge the wide range of diverse needs and wants consumers have, in order to really make their customers happy and satisfied.
So, in efforts to prepare, I've been watching some TED talks. Why? Because what better way to get some presenting tips, than to watch some pro's in action? It's not only helpful to look to these speakers for guidance, but they're also quite interesting to watch. I could get lost in the hundreds of various topics people do talks on, but of course I've watched some that are relevant to my senior topic as well. Here is one I've watched recently:
This talk by Malcolm Gladwell is about how everybody has different preferences. I've been hearing a lot about this author as of late, and this talk combines food and aspects of my topic, so how could I resist?
Watching this speech gave me a new perspective on the whole idea of trying to market to people - in that a business needs to acknowledge the wide range of diverse needs and wants consumers have, in order to really make their customers happy and satisfied.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Blog #19: Independent Component 2
(a) I, Isabella Grello, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component
The book Visual Marketing by David Langton was my number one resource, as it helped me to come up with different strategies for using visuals to appeal to readers. This is where I got the idea to do things such as adding a video, doing a series, taking lots of pictures, and personalizing my blog layout.
BlogWild by Andy Wibbels and Blogging for Business by Shel Holtz and Ted Demopoulos were also very helpful in terms of guiding me in the basics of blogging. I used the information from these authors to complete my blog from a businessperson's perspective.
(c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours). Post it next to your mentorship.
Independent Component 2 Hours
(d) Explanation of what you completed.
I created a blog to complement the business I made last independent component (Etsy shop) My third answer is to create a business blog in order to create a relationship with customers, so I wanted to try it out for myself. I used a pretty informal voice in my writing since I am a very small business, and am doing on a small scale what legitimate businesses do for their online marketing.
The whole idea of creating this blog was to create a bigger picture of what my business is about. It's similar to setting up a store - making sure that it has the right feel, decorations, small details, to draw in your target audience. I also incorporated the aspect of visual marketing, which is very important in engaging with people. I made my blog very picture heavy in hopes of creating a website that was pleasing to the eye and attention grabbing.
My posts were mostly related to crafts and making things, as that is my business. I tried to appeal to my target audience in carefully picking what sorts of things to talk about and show to them.
Looking to other blogs helped me to get an idea of what it is that blog readers are really interested in.
My blog
INTERPRETIVE
Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.
My blog has 16 posts, each of which took time to plan, execute, and post. My idea was to do 15 posts, and take 2 hours for each one, but obviously, most posts took nowhere near the time, and other tasks came along. So I filled in the extra space with designing my blog and adding extra features to make it perfect. Taking photos and uploading took a significant amount of time. For most of my posts, I commented on something I liked (like a book, an item, a theme) and then showed my own creation inspired by that subject. I did this because I wanted to incorporate what my business is about, which is crafting, instead of only blogging about what I saw out in the world.
I also spent some of my 30 hours working with the web design aspect. I committed a few hours to learning the language of code to add to my blog. The absence of one character in code can ruin it all, so this part proved to be a little taxing, but I eventually got it down.
All in all, most of my work boiled down to writing, gathering photos, and tying everything together.
 |
| I used iPhoto to edit photos for the blog. Mostly changed levels on exposure, shadows, temperature, and cropped the images to my liking. |
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| Camera I used for photographing. |
 |
| I started a Codecademy course to get some coding basics down for personalizing my blog. |
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| Some of my original notes for the blog. |
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| More notes! |
APPLIED
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.
Completing this component helped me to understand the importance of picking the right platforms for marketing.
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.
Completing this component helped me to understand the importance of picking the right platforms for marketing.
Blogging is really great for establishing that communication between producer and consumer. Since I am not a well developed, successful business, I didn't completely get to experience that relationship. However, I was writing my blog in terms of how I, as a business, should connect with a potential customer. I included posts about myself, because people are interested in who is making the things they buy. I made posts that were relatable, and about topics that my target audience would be interested in. Through all of this, I realized how crucial that personal aspect is.
Sure, it's important to update a lot, promote your products, and make your business visible - but ultimately, I learned that finding a way to communicate as a business and a person is most valuable/effective.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
March Extra Blog
This month, my research has been focused on the tech aspect of my project! I have learned quite a lot in the realm of online marketing and just how important visuals are. I just finished one of my books, called Visual Marketing, which set forth a ton of examples of businesses that communicate with customers using visuals. This has led me to do even more research on why visuals are so important.
If you think about it, many social media sites are based on pictures, rather than words. Instagram is the prime example, of course. But even sites like Facebook and Twitter use visual elements to create a website that is pleasing to the eye. This is crucial in portraying your brand, because our brains are drawn in by visuals, especially when they are aesthetically pleasing.
Pictures can be used for so many purposes. They help to create a story for you and your brand. It's also essential to have clear visuals to represent your products, as well as you as an individual. All of these aspects come together to form a cohesive appearance that looks professional and fun at the same time. I have started collecting a few pictures and infographics on the subject for my final presentation, since that is coming up so soon! What better way to talk about visual marketing than with some actual visuals?
If you think about it, many social media sites are based on pictures, rather than words. Instagram is the prime example, of course. But even sites like Facebook and Twitter use visual elements to create a website that is pleasing to the eye. This is crucial in portraying your brand, because our brains are drawn in by visuals, especially when they are aesthetically pleasing.
Pictures can be used for so many purposes. They help to create a story for you and your brand. It's also essential to have clear visuals to represent your products, as well as you as an individual. All of these aspects come together to form a cohesive appearance that looks professional and fun at the same time. I have started collecting a few pictures and infographics on the subject for my final presentation, since that is coming up so soon! What better way to talk about visual marketing than with some actual visuals?
After all of this researching on visual marketing, I've been able to apply these concepts on my own. In creating my blog for my second independent component, I have been looking into the specifics of the whole process. I could have just chosen a blogger template and left it at that. However, the goal here is to create a site that looks like a professional and trustable business. Thus, I jumped in to the world of HTML and CSS coding. Another option would have been to buy a pre-made blog/website template from an expert, but a) who wants to spend money on that? and b) I figured it would be valuable to learn a bit about coding for myself since it is such a key element in web design.
So, I googled my heart out, and figured out how to create toolbars, search boxes, and all sorts of other little widgets. It's actually pretty fun. The standard blog templates are quite limited in options, so I enjoyed designing every little aspect of my blog, and hope to learn even more in the near future.
So, I googled my heart out, and figured out how to create toolbars, search boxes, and all sorts of other little widgets. It's actually pretty fun. The standard blog templates are quite limited in options, so I enjoyed designing every little aspect of my blog, and hope to learn even more in the near future.
*Also, as a side note, another tech-related focus of my research has been on bringing traffic to a website. There are many methods to do so, but you have to have a way to keep track, right? So, I've been looking into Google Analytics, which provides you as the website owner with information on who is visiting your site and how often. This is super helpful, as it lets you see what is going on, and who exactly you are bringing to your website.
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