Social Media: Organizational Uses

Skype is the type of social media tool that I chose to focus on for this blog entry. Skype is a social media tool that is being utilized by all types of organizations. I read an article that focused on classrooms, organizations job interviews and how Skype was benefitting both of them. The invention of Skype has opened new doors to many opportunities for our society.

Skype Community Comes To The Classroom

By David Nagel

Skype was foreign to me until a month ago, so I am going to assume it may be a new concept for those reading my blog as well.  To simplify it Skype is a live video chat which allows users to converse with one and other free of charge. This is very appealing considering the cost to text or call internationally. Besides the attractive price video chat is a much more personal way of communicating with someone compared to texting or calling. With live video chat you are able to see the others persons face, emotions and setting.

Teachers are taking advantage of Skype and using it to broaden their students’ knowledge of the world. It doesn’t stop just there either! According to this article, many teachers are using Skype to share lesson plans, compare classroom success and develop new ideas.“Skype in the classroom is an amazing resource to find teachers to collaborate with and to bring people into your classroom that you would never have been able to.” Teacher, Kara Cornejo

Several teachers are allowing students to use Skype as well. Kids in all grades are encouraged to learn how to use Skype to speak with other classmates. Some teachers have taken it as far as to have “Skype dates” with other classrooms in other parts of the world to give students the opportunity to have discussions back and forth about their different cultures.

 It is a crazy concept to think my little cousins will be seeing Kids face to face in other places of the world, when at their age I was seeing pictures in a textbook. However, I think it is a great idea. I believe by doing so students will be more eager and interested to learn about different parts of the world if they are able to see it with their own eyes.

How Skype Is Changing The Interview Process

By Stephen Winzenburg

Can you think of anything more nerve-racking than an interview? What about an interview in front of a camera? I cannot think of anything more stressful.  In fact this adds a whole new level of stress. Not only do you have the normal stress of what to wear now you have to think how to sit and what kind of background would be best.  Skype has now taken long distant interviews, which used to be conducted via telephone, cyber. Most long distance interviews will now be conducted over Skype through a live video chat.

This article shared a story of a professor who had to do three separate interviews over his computers web-cam. Like I would be, he was initially worried about that fact that the interviewers would all be staring at him on a wide screen.( I didn’t think guys worried about stuff like this???) Come to find out he actually felt it was more relaxing than he had originally predicted. He felt comforted when they smiled at his answers and made notes when he spoke which was promising.

The concept of eliminating unnecessary traveling expenses that come from traveling to interviews is great. Skype has saved countless organizations a great deal of money in airfare and long distance phone calls.

I have come to find that the benefits of Skype are endless and it is an amazing and helpful social media tool for a very broad audience.