When Facebook Becomes Professional

Good day, and a good day it is.

Edmonton Humane Society. Ottawahumane.ca

My second post comes at the end of my third week of the term and I find myself keeping busy with homework, dodgeball and soccer, and also cleaning!  With two midterm exams next week, along with several assignments due, (this blog post being one of them) I am surprisingly calm and not as stressed as I would have been last term.  I have my New Years resolution of 'getting a good nights sleep' to thank for that!  In my animal sciences class this week, I went the Edmonton Humane Society and watched a presentation about, and had a tour of the facility, - this was definitely the highlight of my week!  My favorite presenter was from a lady who enforces the APA, or Animal Protection Act, and works with people to ensure that companion animals live in a safe and healthy environment.  I found it extremely interesting that some of the animal abuse cases are reported on the Edmonton Humane Society Facebook page, and also that animal rights groups often post on the page.  When I came home I decided to explore the Edmonton Humane Society Facebook page.  I was very impressed with the layout and professionalism of the page; this brings me to the reason for my blog today, - the announcement and release of my very own professional Facebook page!

We now live in an era of technology and public media, where anything and everything can be found online if one knows what to search for.  Recently, police have been using sites such as Facebook and Twitter to track criminals, while large companies use these sites to learn about a person before employment.  Guidelines such as the following found at opic.ab.ca, have been implemented owing to the increase of social media background checks.  By creating my own professional Facebook page, which can be accessed here, I hope to be portrayed positively when being subject to these background checks.
While creating and maintaining this page is an ongoing project which I aim to continue to work on, a brief overview of my page to date is as followed.

A screen shot of my Facebook page. Retrieved, January 26 2912, from: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joshua-Perryman/312706105432055 

A great thing about creating a professional Facebook page, is that I have the ability to turn around a social background check that aims at narrowing the range of potential employees, into a tool much like a resume.  By adding a list of my academic history, job experience and a small sentence that describes my future goals, I create for myself an online persona that hopefully reinforces everything I will say in an interview.  By adding in a few references as well, I might be able to catch the eye of an employer and increases the chances of my own employment. 

For many people, most likely those who would not read blogs such as this one, the world of social media and technological advancements can be unnerving.  For myself and other students in my class, such as Hilary Baker whose blog can be found Here, these changes open up many doors and possibilities - To quote a book by Aldous Huxley, it's a brave new world! 

The time has come for me to bid you all a good day,

Until next time,

Josh

An Introduction to me, myself, and I

Howdy!

My name is Josh Perryman, although I'm sure if you have made it this far you already know that!

Bristol Computer Support (2012). Grand Pier of Weston-Super-Mare , Retrieved, January 19 2012, from: bristolcomputersupport.co.uk

Blogging  isn't something I've done before, but I'm almost entirely sure that I should start with a small description of myself =).  I was born in a small sea-side town in England, called Weston-Super-Mare and I moved to Canada in 2001, ten days after 9/11.  Having left most of my family back home, using Facebook is a fantastic way in keeping in touch with distant family and friends.  Ever since I can remember, I have had a passion for the great outdoors;  once a Boy Scout, I have been taught to respect and appreciate nature, and I am certain that I want to pursue a career that has nature close to heart.

I'm Currently a second year student at the University of Alberta in the Animal Health program specializing in Companion and Performance animals.  Another student in the same program as me, is Hayley Kosolofski and her blog can be found here.  I was originally planning on being a vet, but  the closer I am to finishing my degree the more I am considering alternative futures owing to the competitiveness of the program.  Virology and Epidemiology might be the road I take, or even joining with the RCMP and specializing in dog handling/training.  I keep telling myself I'm still young and have plenty of time to finally decide on what I'm going to do, but time is running away from me!  I might even end up perusing veterinary medicine after all.  I currently work at the University of Alberta Hospital as a CT Tech assistant, paying for own way through school and becoming accustomed to working in a fast paced environment, where team work is essential.  I have to say I absolutely love working in the hospital, alas other alternatives for my future, and it is helping me obtain and master skills that will be needed in all areas of my life.  Working in the hospital, it is very clear that public media is the primary way of communicating with individuals - health alerts, hospital wait times, and general announcements are such examples. 

A photo of Paul Hamilton and myself (2011). Photo taken
by Motiejus Osipovas.

Apart from work and school, I am a huge fan of Football/Soccer; I watched every game of FC Edmonton's season with the North American Soccer League (NASL) last year, and I already own season passes for the next year.  My team hero is Paul Hamilton, a center defender for the team and gives every game his all.  Apart from FC Edmonton, I follow International football supporting, you name it, England!  Thanks to the streaming of matches online, I was able to watch games that I would have other wised missed. I am very much looking forward to next FIFA; I plan on saving up my money to fly down to Brazil and watching it live! Unfortunately, when it comes to football I have no natural talent; I played last night for the first time in 3 years, and while I scored a goal, I woke up this morning with blisters all over my feet and having pulled a muscle in my foot.  Oh well, it was fun and I play again next week!  

Public media is extremely important in my student, social and my career life.  No matter the winding road I decide to follow, I am certain that public media will have a strong impact on my career.  In much the same way as working in the hospital, veterinarians and epidemiologists will use public media to issue advisories to citizens/clients.  They will also use public media to follow information issued by other professionals, creating extensive networks of information and communication.  One such website is Health Map, that monitors disease outbreak globally.  In recent months, the police and RCMP have even begun to use Facebook as a way to help solve the unknowns in crimes, such as figuring out the last time a victim has been seen in order to approximate activities prior to death.  While public media has been very influential and powerful in the past century, it is sure to continue to grow and expand in the next.  I am excited to have to the opportunity to study public media with my ALES 204 class, a communication class offered by my faculty, and to also take the information from this class and use it in my future endevours.  Hopefully this blog will still be running this time next year after my class, currently I do plan on continuing with this life long project.

Anyway, enough talk for now.

Until next time,

Josh