MIS 322 - Fall 2012




Thursday, January 3, 2013

Summary of Course Web Sites

This last blog post is a summary of all web sites discussed in class and in this blog. I hope you enjoyed the class and learned something. College is a gateway to a higher standard of living and better lifestyle. However, its up to you to go through that gate and use the information and knowledge presented to you.

After 30+ years of teaching at Morehouse, I know only some of you will take advantage of this opportunity now. While others may need more time before you realize the opportunity. In either case, enjoy.

In this new information age, never stop learning.


Sistrunk

P.S. This blog will remain active through its old web address: http://morehousefall2012.blogspot.com/
        blog.hba322.info will become the address for the Spring 2013 course


Sites for the Frugal:
http://www.slickdeals.com/
http://www.mertline.com/
http://www.dealnews.com/
http://www.livingsocial.com/
http://www.groupon..com/
http://www.atlantadealsites.com/
http://www.moneysavingmoms.com/
http://www.halfoffdepot.com/
http://www.restaurant.com/
http://www.macofalltrades.com/ - discount used apple products

Sites for finance/accounting:
http://www.billingboss.com/ - free invoices
http://www.mint.com/ - tract expenses and bank activity
http://www.paypal.com/ - financial transactions
http://www.square.com/ - mobile credit card reader for your smart phone

Site for managing your credit:
http://www.experian.com/
http://www.equifax.com/
http://www.transunion.com/
http://www.freecreditreport.com/
http://www.expensify.com/

Site for cloud-based phone:
http://www.trustfax.com/ - cloud fax service
http://www.maxemail.com/ - cloud fax service
http://www.ringcentral.com/ - cloud PBX
http://www.parkmyphone.com/ - save your old phone number
http://www.youmail.com/ - cloud voice mail

Sites for creating and managing marketing list
http://www.leadnetpro.com/
http://www.mailvalidator.com/
http://www.email-validator.com/
http://www.phonevalidator.com/
http://www.smartysheets.com/
http://www.mailchimp.com/
http://www.directmail.com/
http://www.call-center-tech.com/

Misc. Sites:
http://www.killerstartups.com/ - finf the newest web services
http://www.pubnub.com/
http://www.cnet.com/
http://www.datpiff.com/ - music
http://www.livemixtapes.com/ - music
http://www.box.net/ - cloud storage
http://www.join.me/ - share computers
http://www.godaddy.com/ - buy your domain name
http://www.tunein.com/ - connect to radio stations all over the world
http://www.netronline.com/ - real estate data
http://www.formsite.com/ - create online forms
http://www.smartsheet.com/ - online speadsheet, forms and more
http://www.wix.com/ - flash-based web creation
http://www.yola.com/ - free web creation

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I ain't trying to pay no taxes

BY: Jamal Love

With these elections coming up around the corner social issues are in the forefront. One of the biggest issues is the subject of should the wealthy pay more on their taxes. The video below will show Governor Jerry Brown of California’s standpoint on this topic.




At this point and time I agree that the rich should pay more taxes because the wealth gap is growing wider. I come from a middle income household that is trying to support two kids in college. This is becoming difficult due to the current economy.

My question to you all is should the rich pay more taxes or you all feel that since you earned that money you shouldn’t be taxed just because you are in a different bracket?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Syria Children of War?


By: Kayla Jackson

The wave of Arab unrest than started with the Tunisian revolutions reached Syria on March 15,2011 when civilians of a small town protested against the torture of students who had put up anti-government graffiti. The government quickly responded and demonstrations quickly spread across the country and the world to bring attention to Syria. Recently by November 2012 Syria was into a full-blown civil war. Many people have died and even more have been arrested. In addition, according to the UN approximately 2.5 million Syrians needed aid inside the country.

President Bashar al-Assad, a British-trained doctor who inherited Syria’s harsh dictatorship from his father, Hafez al-Assad, had at first wavered between force and hints of reform. But in April 2011, just days after lifting the country’s decades-old state of emergency, he set off the first of what became a series of withering crackdowns, sending tanks into restive cities as security forces opened fire on demonstrators. As result the United States and other countries looked down upon the President Assad and demanded that the Arab League monitor the country. Tensions have spilled over into bordering nations and fears have increased with evidence that Al Qaeda was behind a rise in suicide bombings in 2012.

It is interesting how the United States always gets involved within other country’s political affairs. Sometimes when our government gets involved it sparks global attention and in this case the attention received can be viewed as ambiguous. The more demonstrations that have occurred in Syria or outside of Syria have lead to more violent acts in response within the country as well as outside. Despite the positive media gained from the demonstrations I don’t think that it is advantageous for the US to be involved in global affairs such as the situation in Syria. We should raise more awareness about the consequences of these demonstrations so that we can help Syria in others forms (i.e. donations, toiletries, etc) until the violent acts calm down. Children are suffering from the decisions of government officials and demonstrators across the world and since they are innocent should they really suffer? My condolences go to the many children who have lost their lives due to the many violent acts. Below is a video/ photo story of the Syria Civil War of 2012:


In class we discussed the evolution of technology and I believe this has contributed to the massive spread of information surround the violence in Syria. Nowadays information spreads so quickly and sometimes the wrong information surrounding global issues are shared as well. Cyber information can really mess up our perceptions of everything and sometimes I don’t know if that is a good thing or bad thing, for the government doesn’t tell us everything, which is always why I am very cautious when approaching massive political wars such as these. What do you think about the violence in Syria or about the above information? Also, how do you feel about America always intervening in global affairs? Do you think technology has altered our perception of what the problems really are and who is at fault?

Bigger Isn’t Always Better


BY: Cameron Gilbert

Today we discussed in class the innovative campaigning efforts by Barack Obama and his supporters. In 2008 he swept the country with his presence in social media much like Franklin D Roosevelt’s adoption of the radio and John F Kennedy’s usage of the television. He captured the hearts and votes of many by tapping into a world that has never been exposed to presidential campaigning. His Twitter account amassed more followers and Facebook had more friends than either of his two opponents.

This election, campaign spending was at an all time high. As shown in the video below, the 2012 campaign spending even dwarfed the record numbers set in 2008 by the Obama Campaign:




During this campaign Obama was at a disadvantage in the amount of money the campaign had. Romney, known for his fundraising prowess and being backed by the top end of the Republican National Convention, didn’t disappoint. You can see here the disparity between the two campaigns.


However, bigger isn’t always better. Barack Obama had to figure out a way to overcome the funding disadvantage. Simple presence on social media sites wouldn’t deliver a win like it did in 2008. He needed to market himself to the right people at the right time. His campaign can be compared in size to a Fortune 500 company. However, in terms of advertising, there are a few lessons that can be learned from the Obama
campaign:


In class we came to the conclusion that this campaign was a classic example of quality over quantity. Though Mitt Romney had more money, the Obama campaign effectively used canvassing tools and real time data to efficiently advertise and campaign in areas where people were either undecided or Obama supporters. They recognized that going after avid Romney supporters is a waste of time and money. I’m glad they were able to cut that out of the bottom line because bigger isn’t always better.

Square


BY: Courtland Walls

Since technology today is becoming more advanced and people need things to be done quicker people have began to make things to accommodate these needs. One of these creations is an application for mobile and cellular devices that is called square. This application assists handling money of anyone and acts as a cahsier allowing any type of business to makes sells on the go by being able to charge a person’s credit card without the need of a register or stationary machine. It can also allow you to open a tab with a certain restaurant or maybe even retail store and allow you to buy good and pay them back later all at one time.

This app is very good and on a personal level this app comes very in handy because of the small business I have of my own. This allows me to make sales basically anywhere and at anytime and keeps track of the money that I’ve been earning. The only down part is that they deduct a small fee from any sales you makes that aren’t with cash. Square is big on supporting small businesses and this article talks about that as well.



 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Jack Threads In The Cloud



BY: Kamau Austin  

In class we discussed everything moving to the clouds. Cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the internet to store, manage and process data. In other words, you can access and work from anywhere in the world as long as you have access to WIFI. Here’s a link to a video that expresses the future of the world, specifically businesses, with the growth of usage in cloud computing.




When thinking about the effect of cloud technology on business, you find that it’s extremely more effective. Cloud technology can cut your expenses by reducing cost on equipment, applications, power and rentals of buildings. Also, being in the clouds makes your business more agile. You can expand your business on a global scale. A business that I found that utilized this very well was Jack Threads. Jack Threads is a members-only online shopping community for men. Here’s a link to their store. They have great discounts



CEO of jackthreads.com, Jason Ross said “My house was our office and warehouse over the first year until semi-trunks started showing up on my colde-sac”. Ross launched Jack Threads in the master bedroom of his house in Columbus, OH. His online retail store started only hosting sales with 6 brands. When he first launched his website, jack threads gained several hundred members, and sold 8 items. 2 years later Jack Threads website’s estimated net worth based on its traffic value and online website advertisement revenue is $194,118. They also now have 600,000 members.

Here’s a link below to their Fall/Holiday 2012 featured line, ARSNL


 

The future of the new entrepreneur is in technology, specifically the clouds. From marketing to actually selling your products, cloud computing puts you in the most advantageous position.










Saturday, December 1, 2012

What we Learned


BY: Turon Jackson

The semester is finally over. Throughout this course I have learned a whole lot of valuable information that I can share with other people. Not only technical things but everyday life things as well. I feel like this course has taught me more things that I will actually use and remember than any other class at Morehouse. In class, we have learned how to use excel, vlookup, Google fusion tables, and pivot tables just to name a few.

These are some of the things that will help all of us in the long run as technology advances. But we also learned other things like how to make a budget, how to start an online business, how to beat speeding tickets, and even what would be a good age to get married. The class overall probably took a lot more away from this class then they even think. Below are a few sites to help young people get a head start on life:


These sites explain how to start a savings account, how to start your day off right, and what to do in an interview. In this day and age even though technology is rapidly changing every day we need to remember that technology does not run are lives. We must remember to step back from technology every once in a while and refresh our minds. Maybe go camping or read a book.

In conclusion, I feel like this class has really given us some of the tools we need to be successful and gave us a little look at what our future is going to be like.