I guess it works!

Well, I guess I would be pretty silly to say that it does not at this point wouldn't I? Relative contribution that is. I guess, somehow or other, I pulled it off yet again in the final "mark" department.

Thanks Dr Fleet for a very interesting course last semester and all those who stood by me and read my enormously boring blog over the past few months. If it were not for the fans I would have stopped long ago...

As we close, I raise my glass to more EComm courses and the possibility of tipping the scales of relative contribution in my favor in the future!

It's been awhile.....

Well, it has been awhile since my last post, but I thought I would wrap this up once and for all. At this point the following events have taken place:

• take home exam has been completed and yet to be marked
• group essay has been completed...which seems like ages ago and yet to be marked
• No final marks in either course I took last semester, but it is only a matter of time before they are posted
• I landed the job I was vying for and consumed my thoughts for about a month
• Christmas is over and fun was had by all, topped off with a glass of wine and a Superman movie
• Boxing Day - today - has somewhat had a change in plans due to the potential weathering.....

I am sitting on my bed wondering what the heck I actually accomplished this year. I did get the promotion I had been trying to get for about 2 years and let me tell you it felt good to get it. However, am I really "better off". I always benchmark my year by asking myself "am I better off than I was a year ago"?

The problem with this way of determing if my year is actually better, which I am not sure if it really matters if it was or was not better, is that what makes it better seems to be changing. I mean at one point it was more money, as shallow as that is that seemed to be a good indicator that hey..things are going well. I must say the emphasis is less on $$ and more on the quality of my relationships both with family and friends. I guess I am becoming less shallow in my old age!

A few things I have tried to do this year was to spend more time with my family...you know the work life balance thing. I was semi-successful and hope to move more in that direction in 2007. It is hard because I am a pretty motivated and competitive person..yes I admit it. I want to do well in pretty much everything I sign up for. So, this year...sign up for less = have more free time = more work life balance.

Anyways, I guess we will see what happens. As we close the year one thing is for certain, I am positive 2007 will have many interesting twists and turns.

Is there an end?

Have you ever noticed that when you are looking for some closure on something, it seems to take forever to get it?

Okay, so while I am thankful that the 2663 group essay is over, it is important to keep in mind that the take home exam is available for our doing pleasure! The course that keeps on giving is how I have been describing my Fundamentals course. It's like Christmas all semester long and then some!

In addition, I have something still "unfinished" at work that is at the top of my mind these days. I am hopeful that there will be some definitive answers in the future...preferrably Friday time frame. It takes a long time to make a decision these days, depending on what it is - partially due to internal process. If we are lucky I can share more about that on Friday.

I was reading my horoscope over the last few days. You are likely wondering why? Well, I pretty much have been trying everything to see if there are any signs out there about a few big things on the horizon. Pathetic I know, but when you are desperate, sometimes any info...even the lousy kind...is better than nothing!

more to share later.....

BA2663 coming to an end!

Well, we laughed together, we cried together, we complained together and then we completed the course that shaped our lives! BA2663 is coming to a conclusion or at least the last class is over!

I have enjoyed the class and the different way Dr. Fleet has gone about things in general. Funny, but on the first day of class I had a feeling this class would be a different from your typical course!

Interestingly enough, I still have homework due for this course. Is it really surprising though? It is the completion of the essay portion of the presentation the WISIWIG group presented a few weeks ago. The great thing is that we have divided the work up and this doesn't seem like it is going to be as difficult to complete as you would think!

So, here's to our class time fun and look forward to someday taking another course with Dr. Fleet...hey...maybe in the MBA program!

Final MindMap Complete (Assignment 14 Chapter 11)

Well, at last I have completed my final mind map and yes the weekly mindmaps were painful to be perfectly honest with you. Did I learn something from doing them? Yes, that I do not enjoy doing weekly mindmaps. Okay...I did learn a bit more from the chapters by completing them so I guess in the long run it has proved to be a good way to ensure each student sits down and completes something in regards to the chapter each week.

I honestly can not write anything else about these mindmaps other than THANK GOD THEY ARE DONE!

Update on Team Wiki

I wanted to give you a quick update on the wiki I am using for my team at work. It is actually working out very well. In the last two weeks I have received great feedback on the site and all, but 1 person has said that new site provides a "good improvement" to "outstanding improvement" in our team collaboration. I was able to actually perform a survey online using the add in's for the wiki which enabled me to poll everyone on what they thought about the change over. It has really allowed more collaboration on the team and with it's increased usability member of my team have been able to take over certain aspects instead of myself having to update everything! BONUS! So, feedback is good........here's to the continued adventure of finding innovative ways to communicate!

Our Presentation

Well, my team presented and we presented well I thought. We have a very cool VendeCard Idea that in my opinion would win the hearts of many consumers out there. So, here's to VendeCard and the team that made the pitch Dale, Jason, Anna and myself! Outline of our presentation..

Cross Roads or Train Wreck?

Well, I have been posting less the past week mainly due to two things: Presentation work that consumed my schedule last week and work related items.

Have you ever felt like your career was at a crossroads? The kinda feeling you get when something is either going to go very well for you or very badly, but that something definitely is going to happen? Well, that is how things have been for me lately. Without being to completely open to the blogging community at large, there is an opportunity at work that has come up which I have been pursuing for the last few weeks. It is funny how things just kinda "come up" when you least expect them to and really..... would they be quite as interesting if there was a defined play book out there? Anyways, there are the array of feelings and thoughts that surface when situations like the one I am in right now occur. Most of the time I have those thoughts at 2am or in the shower when I have taken a thought detour for 45 minutes and only hvae at most 15 to get ready.

Anyways, the great things about crossroads is that they do come and then the path is decided........stay tuned for more illusive comments in the weeks to come!

Assigment 13 Chapter 10 Mindmap DONE!

Well, I have completed my mindmap, and wow..does it ever feel good! I actually had a refreshing 45 minute nap when I got home tonight which somewhat energized me to take on the rest of my homework requirements! I had another assignment for Productions and Operations that was due today which of course took MUCH longer than I had originally expected. I felt like the assignment would never END! Almost like a concept map except worse. You live and learn!

So, we are coming to a close for the semester. It is amazing how quickly the Fall has zoomed by with only a few more weeks left of school to go. The longer I go to University the more blur there is about when I took the course or how long I have even gone! I think I am a lifer when it comes to school and not because I am not good at it. I actually seem to be able to do quite well, but because my course load is about 50% what a regular student takes! However, the light is getting closer and soon enough there will be a "last" semester upon me. Well, at least a last for the undergrad in business....

My Wiki Adventure

My team has been lacking in collaboration methods. You would think that being apart of a large corporation this would not be an issue, but due to some extraordinary variables this seems to be a constant pain point. So, at my big bluish company we have a collaboration central which I do happen to peruse frequently to see what is new and if there are any cool technologies that we are "trying" out which would prove beneficial for the team. Earlier this year, I found two items which are newish to me and that I have implemented. The first one is a blog, an internal blog which posts your organizational particulars ect and then allows you to proceed in much of the same way you would on the blog you are reading right now. The interesting twist to an internal blog is the "how to act" part of the blog that makes it curvy to use this kind of medium.

The next cool collaboration tool I am using is the WIKI. I have really pushed this tool with first using it for a few things to get people acquainted with the functionality and as of last week I moved a lot of daily work requirement items over to this forum. It is used by everyone now for a multitude of items and has taken a very up front and center role as a communication vehicle on my team. The features of the WIKi includes: ease in adding new pages, range of permissions to groups of people or individuals, RSS feed which is really GREAT, the ability to add comments and the one that I stumbled upon which is very useful is a "search this space only" googlish search engine. One thing I really have to watch is the stability of the site though. It does not offer five nine's...so to speak, as I have seen it go down temporarily for 5 minutes here and there. However, I believe the advantages seen to date far outweigh any stability issues...at lest the ones I have encountered to date. I believe the "internal" wiki is a work in progress for our team...so they are always upgrading etc to make it better which is great. As more people use it the more functionality and upgrades will occur.

So, there is my contribution to using new tools in the workplace...well new to me and most of my team.

My Personal Essay - Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Well, there was research, writing, editing, submitting and then of course the marking. As you can see in my previous blog on my essay Software As A Service there has been a grade applied. I am "happy" with my mark. Is an A- based on the relative contribution of the remainder of the class in line...I am guessing so as Dr. Fleet seems like a fair professor ( hello there Dr. Fleet :*) Would I have got a higher mark if I assessed myself higher???...maybe. However, I feel as though my self assessment was honest. Hey, I got the in between of what I said my mark should be ...and honestly.....what more can you ask for.....

Here's to the next big assignment.....our group project which is coming along...well.........

Assignment 12 mindmap (ch9)

Once again, my weekly mindmap has been completed...and this time with some time to spare. Our assignment not only focused on chapter related material, but also enabled us to link in webpage information on Usability Testing.

I completed my mindmap tonight with little stress on how I wanted to place each idea. It really flowed together quite nicely, at least in my mind it worked out well. As you can see, it seems "well rounded" this week! I even added a few links, which is something new!...at least for me!