So I’ve been watching the third night of the Republican National Convention, and did a little wordleing with the text, as prepared, of two speeches. The first, given by Hillary Clinton, at the Democratic National Convention in August, and the second, given by Mitt Romney this evening. I chose those two speeches because those two individuals were the also-rans, or losers, of the 2008 primary election.

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

Some observations:

One speech referenced “America” most frequently; the other referenced government most often. Just to pick on the GOP for a moment, for a party that espouses limited government as a main plank in the platform, one of their main speeches leaned on the term “government” as a rhetorical crutch in a major, public and national forum.

Liberal was mentioned more than conservative, and as often as government, in a speech by a self-proclaimed conservative.

Clinton’s speech used “Barack” and “Obama” frequently, which mirrors that campaign’s strategy of tending to rely on Obama, the person as opposed to Obama, the font of policy.

COM students: what are your observations about these two graphics?

Crossposted at karakane.net

Last month, online news sites reported on a strange phenomenon happening at technology firms around the company, like Intel and U.S. Cellular: Email Free Fridays. This revolutionary idea is a direct response to the increasing reliance on email as the only form of communication within a business at the expense of face-to-face and phone conversations.

I know the way that I personally process information, and though I’ll remember 95% of what I read or see, I remember about 5% of what I hear (just ask my mother). So, in the field in which I work (web stuff), I strongly prefer receiving emails or instant messages to talking on the phone. It provides a written record for what change or feature was requested that I can refer to later on. However, there are some cases, particularly when designing or sketching out a major project, where a face-to-face meeting is the best possible option.

Can you see this trend growing? What would it take for you - as a student or as employee - to unplug from email for one eight-hour workday?

Related Links

Fridays Go From Casual to E-mail Free

Overwhelmed by Email?

~Kara Kane

Apparently Google and Microsoft were competing for a small ownership in the online social network website, Facebook. Facebook began as a way for just college students to socialize. It then expanded its boundaries and anyone can join. It seemed to be much like Myspace.

I remember, when I first started college, and had friends into it; all they talked about was Facebook. I was excited to set up my account, and join the “elite.” It’s not like that anymore, since the various adjustments made to Facebook.

Facebook, however, is the bible of what’s going on in people’s lives. If you want to know something about someone, like if they’re single or when their birthday is, Facebook is the place to go. Everyone is constantly checking their Facebook’s multiple times in a day, people update their status and the information is plentiful.

Microsoft paid $250 million for a 1.6 percent ownership in Facebook. That’s a large chunk of change for such a small piece of action. Microsoft is now the sole advertiser on Facebook. It’s sort of like a monopoly, in the respect that Microsoft has so much control and power now, even though they hardly own the company.

I personally like Facebook better; it’s easier to use. I think more college students use Facebook because it’s less time consuming and doesn’t require different backgrounds and graphics and such even though Facebook is expanding into that stuff. They are optional.

~Nikki Gawel

A friend of mine has a post on blogging, privacy and whether or not we’re just added to the internet trash. Read it and check out the video then come back here. What are your thoughts on blogging? Are some blogs more worthwhile than others? Why?

Web sites like facebook and myspace are wonderful social networking tools for keeping in touch with your friends, but those spaces aren’t the most appropriate for professional networking with potential employers and job leads.

With LinkedIn, you can set up a profile that focuses on your academic and work experience, linking you to a growing web of professionals who are looking for the same things as you are. Get a head start on your search for a post-college job by creating an account and connecting with internship supervisors, faculty, and friends.

~Kara Kane

Want to write for this site? Struggling with content for your own? Here are 5 tips for creating meaningful and interesting web site content.

1. Start off with a bang. If you don’t draw your reader into the content immediately, they will move on to a different site.

2. Keep it short. Organize your information into meaningful chunks that your readers can easily scan.

3. Don’t *be* passive. Verbs like “are,” “is,” “was,” “have been,” and “will be” will bored your readers, and in my opinion, they indicate lazy writing. Work ruthlessly to eliminate them from your writing. Your readers will thank you for using sentences written in active voice.

4. Check your spelling and grammar. If you don’t take the time to proofread and edit your content, why should anyone take the time to read it?

5. Think about your audience and how they relate to your content. Instructional content demands a different presentation than content designed to persuade.

Kara Kane (webmaster@medaille.edu) has maintained the Medaille College web site (www.medaille.edu <http://www.medaille.edu/> ) since 2005. She also manages two other web sites for Medaille, ExperienceMedaille.com and MedailleNews.com.