A New Approach

This week has been filled with finding so many new resources having to do with social media.  For some reason that I didn't intend it to be, all my social media accounts had different posts on what I was finding.  Facebook I posted about women in technology and twitter I posted on social good and innovation.

If you look at our MIS 496a Facebook group you will see the two women in technology articles, website, and videos I posted.  I found these just by browsing through Google's student section.  I was so happy to find this though!  So many women are trying to fight to get more women involved in the field, and here we are doing the same in class!  There is a women in technology conference, inspired by a Grace Hopper, that I hope to attend one day.

Besides from this business MIS class, I'm also taking a Entrepreneurship and Innovation 200 class.  I knew that both classes would some how intertwine on the business end, but never did I think it would in so many ways!  Most innovations occur because of advancements in technology.  I thought it was really interesting that the intro videos and articles that I've had to read for innovation, also applies to what we are learning in MIS class.

Which leads me to my interest in Social Media for Social Good.  I think I posted in my previous blog my interests in this class because of NGO's and social entrepreneurship.  My evolution last year as a student came in steps.  First I became interested in MIS because I knew that I was already familiar with it through my previous internships by working with databases and so on.  But then, I realized that it is also mainly used in social media and e-commerce which is something that I was really interested before I even heard about MIS.  So after a great volunteer trip I had over spring break I became really interested in working with NGO's so started doing an informal internship with Global Brigades.  Through more research over the summer I found that most NGO's today are using social media and networking to enhance their businesses through this new coined term "social entrepreneurship."  After I learned about the many companies doing this today and how they are taking an approach on bettering the world through advanced technology mediums, I realized I found what I really want to do.  I want to use social media and technology to close the gap in helping NGO's prosper.  Something along those lines.

Twitter has especially helped me find companies and other people who share my interests in technology for bettering the world.  Mashable has a whole page dedicated to "Social Good" http://mashable.com/social-good/ .  And to add more on how awesome Mashable is, the host a Social Good Summit in partnership with UN foundation.  They have keynote speakers all day talking about what their company does or how they have done their part in social entrepreneurship and social good.  One day I will attend that conference, but in the mean time, I'll be watching it on livestream.  You should too!