The Kidney Dialysis Foundation (KDF) is a non-profit charitable organisation, established in February 1996 by Dr Gordon Ku, a kidney specialist. KDF provides subsidised dialysis treatment to needy members of the community so that these patients will not be deprived of treatment due to financial difficulties . Patients needing treatment from KDF are referred by the medical social workers in the restructured hospitals.

A holistic approach is taken when caring for patients as it is KDF’s mission to look after the well-being of patients by nurturing hope and confidence to make life more meaningful, even for the most destitute. With the commitment to provide high quality, low cost treatment to patients who are unable to afford treatment KDF has with the support of donors and sponsors, set up a few centres to care for its patients.

As at 31 March 2009 KDF has served over 519 patients of which 53 have undergone successful kidney transplantations. It is currently serving about 274 patients and annually, $6.4 million is needed to continue this life-saving mission.

Their “cilents”

KDF are very focus and only attends to a niche group of patients who are from the lowest 10% of the income group and referred by the medical social workers from various hospitals. Most of the patients in KDF holds job such as cleaners, hawker assistants, store assistants and taxi drivers.

The age group

The patients were mainly from the 41 to 60 year old age group. As at 31 March 2009, this group of patients constituted 66.8% of the total population. The elderly patients (more than 60 yrs old) represent 25.5% of the total patient population.

Taken from: http://www.kdf.org.sg/patient.aspx

Creating Awareness

Despite the fact that there are fan group created on FaceBook, but the number of people inside was not a lot and seeing that, I feel that they should not just hold forums and runs to increase more awareness to the community but get partnership with the communitygroup , interest group, schools, company and organisation to develop more awareness. For example, they could try to partner with schools and allows students to go there and have a look of what is it like and this could not just increase the knowledge of the students but also increase awareness of the KDF and  I have feel that increasing awareness to those students who are younger have more impact as  I believe that by making sure that the younger students, they could contribe more and could also help out in the volunteering work easily, which in turns create an interest to them in doing social service.

Youtube is a video-sharing website that is used by people all over the world daily. It has been used from embarrasing celebrities, to cause political storms, entertainment, self-promotion and etc.

1)What kind of customer value does YouTube provide in the marketplace?

According to http://www.businessdictionary.com/, definition of customer value is difference between what a customer gets from a product and what does the person need to give in order to obtain it.

Youtube has allow member or non-member to access it and make use of it to obtain information or help they need or want. For example would be people who are weak in using computer software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, iMovie, GarageBand and etc, can get to access to YouTube and can get to view videos and tutorials easily on using those computer software, knowing the tips and tricks on using them and this can improve their skills in using computer software. From this, one can see that Youtube is a platform that can help people from just viewing the videos and all the people needs is either just type in the relevant topics they are looking for and they can get their result easily,which is easy to use and is faster than just having the need to go to the nearest library and look for the books or newspapers to get the information or help one need. 

2)How do businesses like YouTube alter the ways that organisation and customers interact?

 Organisation can interact with the customers through businesses like YouTube by advertising their products using videos. And this could attract more attentions as people can understand more about the products adverstised much more better in watching a video than reading a poster or newspaper. This in turn can attract more people to comment on the products and using those comments provided by the viewers through YouTube, organisation can make improvement better and comments can also helps the organisation’s customers to know what are the pro and con of their products easily. Hence, business like YouTube alter the way how organisation and customers interact.

3)What are the challenges facing YouTube in the future?

The challenges are there would be more video-sharing website like YouTube coming out that might be a rival to YouTube and there would be major legal issues towering over copyrights. As times passes, people would create more video-sharing website to fight against YouTube, and user would compare whether which is better and this would be one of the challenges to YouTube in the future as they would need to find ways to improve and attract more users to their website than their other rivals. Major legal issues over copyrights has been issues to YouTube as music company and etc would find uploading of videos onto YouTube is violating the copyright.This could be an another challenge to YouTube will be facing in the future despite having struck numerous partnership deals with content providers such as CBS, the BBC, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, NBA and the Sundance Channel.

5 Key Points

•  Must understand that the working enviroment of the outside world is different compared to now

As he speak of the working environment of the outside world is different, it makes me changes my thought of having work in the future will be like the same as now. He give example and describe the working enviroment of the outside world. It will be harsher and more difficult than what happens now. Hence, thanks to him, he changes my thought and making me prepared that the working enviroment of the outside world will not be the same as what i think now.

• Being a web designer as a freelancer or being in an agencies has different kind of cons and pros.

From what the speaker says, theres are pro and cons of being a freelancer web designer. Being a freelancer web designer’s pros are you can do the work at a pace and the cons are when you need help and you asked someone to help you, it is not safe as the person might delay the working pace and hence, the website might not be able to hand to the cilent on times. But being in a team, the pro are one can be able to help one another easily and thus, handling website to the cilent will not be late but the cons are the working pace is based as a team, hence, one cannot work too slow for the working pace. And Mr Lionel Chin says that for us, it’s best to start as a freelancer web designer first as you can experience the working enviroment better first and easier.

• One must adapt to the working enviroment well.

Without adapting well to the working enviroment, one will find it hard to work comfortably. There will be chances where cilent will be critising the website or being asked to redo the work again and again. Hence, these are things that needs to be adapted well.

• Having a good portfolio is important

By having a good portfolio,  one can let the employeers see that you have the experience of doing a website and the quality of the website can ensure you having a job as a web designer. And building a good portfolio also can be a good  reference to yourself in the future as you can see what you have done and the quality of the website. It can make you challenge yourself to be a better web designer and also spot the mistake that you have make in the past and ensure the improvement to the quality of the website you produced to your cilents.

• Social Media tools is important.

Social Media tools is not just for interaction but also can be a good way to advertise yourself. As being a freelancer web designer or being in a company, one needs to show the quality of the website you have done in the past to let the cilent notice you. For that to happen, social media tools are the thing needed to advertise yourself for more cilent. One can show the website they have done through forums, Blogger and etc. And also to let the cilent know about your updates of the website, social media tools is the thing that you need. Examples are Twitter, Facebook and etc. This can ensure the cilents to know about the update you have done. Thus, can attract more cilents to find you for jobs.

3 things that inspires me

• The websites that he showed us. Seeing those website, it makes me wonder how he managed to do it and the process of getting to the final product. It inspired me as I have wanted to get those kind of website out from my head. The designs, concept and colours chosen is always a hard problem for me.

• Being a Web Designer. As I have tried to do a website last semster and I have find it hard. But seeing how he have done his website and when his cilent uses the website he have done, I feel that I wish i could do well as a web designer in the future. It will really be a happy and successful thing as you see that the cilents is using the website you have done. The feelings being proud and happy does makes me wants to be a web designer.

• Being a freelancer.  I have thought about being a freelancer web designer as another job that I have will be tough. But seeing that why he suggest as being a freelancer if we wants to become a web designer does make me feel that being a freelancer web designer is not a bad choice and furthermore, I can be a freelancer web designer as a full job or a part time job.

My opinion on the usefulness of having a guest speaker share his expertise, experience and “tips and tricks” of the trade. 

I think that having a guest speaker coming to share his expertise and experinces is good and useful. Because one can knows what is needed to have if they wants to pursue the specific jobs and if they wants to pursue the specific jobs and have questions about it, the best person to ask is always the person who is doing the job. For example, I want to be a web designer and  I have a lot of question about being a web designer. And the best person to ask is, not my friends, my teachers, but a successful web designer. This can also helps to inspire those people who are troubled which jobs should they be pursuing or doing not have any thoughts about going to which industry to work. Therefore, asking a guest speaker to come and talk about their experiences, expertise and their trades and tips would be useful.

1) Background of National Archives and Records Adminstration

-Who are they?

They are the nation’s record keeper. They kept 1%-3% of the documents and materials created during the course of business that is conducted by the United States Federal Government, that are so important for legal and historical reasons. The records or documents are saved and recorded well and are available to the public, if they need it to see for any informations.

National Archives and Records Adminstration (NARA) ‘s organisation is based on the priorities established in the Stragetic Plan Of National Archives and Records Adminstration.

National Archives is created in 1934 and before its creation, individual government have their own agenices in taking care of their own records. And due to that, some of the government did not take care of their own records. Hence, this causes the National Archives to be created to centralise the federal record keeping and as the volume of the records grow due to the World War II and New Deal, it grow to have 37 facilities nationalwide. Now National Archives is called as National Archives and Records Adminstration, administers regional archives, Federal records centers, Presidential libraries, the Federal Register, and the National Historical and Publications Commmission.

- What They Do? 

They not only keep records and documents of important records relevant to important issues like Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independance but also records that belong to the people. For more than 7 decades, NARA has saved and protect the records and provided access to the records of the United States of America. Records help us claim our rights and ensure our title, makes our elected officers to be accountable for their actions, and records our history as a nation. Thus, NARA make sure that the access to the records of United States of America, like the people’s rights and officers’ actions, is able to continue as times goes.

- What type of service do they provide? 

They safeguards and preserves the records of the government to ensure that people can discover, use, and learn from the history of the records of the goverment. They also provide assistance to assisting Federal agencies and the public with research and reference services. Not only that, they also have educational programs and public workshop available to help the Americans learn how to use the archived records and also provide Federal agencies superior records storage, access, and disposition services through a national network of facilities. National Personal Records Center helps in managing  records of military veterans of the 20th centuary and former civilian Federal employees.

Federal Register is a record of government proclamation, orders ,and regulations, Presidental and public documents that is published daily. The Presidential libraries have papers, records and historical documents related to Presidents. And not only that, these institutions put museum exhibitions and educational programs with original records available for research.

NARA also have a government-wide records management programs to identify records of permament value, assuring the time of disposal for temporary records, and provide agencies with helps on managing their current records and assisting non-Federal institution through a grants program administered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

2) Do they use any Social Media & Web 2.0 technologies for public communication & education?

Yes. They used Social Media & Web for public communication such as Facebook and education. This is to make people know more about what is National Archives and Records Adminstration. They also showed experiences of going to National Archives and some of the thing you will learn in the Website.

Communcation is a process with elements of communcation process:

Source -> Encoder -> Message -> Channel -> Decoder ->Receiver and the cycle goes again.

Basically Communication process is a cycle that will run over and over again through this process. In plain words,  From the source, the messenger has something to communicate, which is a message and this message come from the source. And then the message will reach to the encoder where it will encodes the message into words and deliver it through the channel. The Channel is basically a means of communication, such as email, phone conversation, letter, face to face and etc. And after the channel, the message will reach decoder where it will decode the message and will reach to the receiver, who is the one will be receiving the message that the source wants to communicate and the message might or might not meet the intents of the messager. And according to Shannon-Weaver’s model, the receiver is not the final step. The final step will goes back to the start as the receiver will provides feedback which will go backs to the source.

And from this, I can understand that communcation process does not just help people to pass the message around but also might cause unintended argument or conflict. Not just this, but there are other factors like physical noise, semantic noise and feedback.

Physical noise is any external or environmental stimulus that distracts us from receiving the intended message sent by a communication. Examples of physical noise are interfernce on a radio broastcast, the screeching sound of cars and etc. This can result in semantic noise and this include distraction, inability to translate the message, incorrect emphasis, attitude to the message and sender. This can causes misunderstanding as people will get semantic noise from physical noise or other things that are present, which can get complains from the source as the receiver is distracted away from the source’s message. 

And feedback is another causes of unintended argument to arise as when the receiver does not gives feedback to the source, it will causes misunderstanding as what if the receiver’s message is not what the source’s message’s intent. There will be no confirmation of the message’s intent without feedback back to the source. Hence, this is a cause of misintepretion and also a factor that can reduce conflict in communication.

http://mashable.com/2009/09/22/livejournal-adsense/

Summary of this article is that basically lifejournal bloggers now can make money from just blogging commerical. Though lifejournal have this function but blogger and Typepad have already allow users to make money from just blogging commerical.

“LiveJournal has never struck me as the blogging platform that users go to for serious commercial blogging.

Nonetheless, the site, which was launched all the way back in 1999 and has been through multiple owners in recent years, is now allowing its users to make money through Google AdSense.

The program – called “Your Journal – Your Money” – lets LiveJournal users insert ads into their blog and keep 100 percent of the earnings, after Google takes their cut.

However, users will need to be paid LiveJournal members in order to participate ($19.95 per year), meaning they’ll need to at least generate enough traffic and ad clicks to pay their membership fee before they turn a profit.

LiveJournal is a bit late to the punch on the feature – Blogger and TypePad both already allow users to make money for example. Nonetheless, the prospect of being able to make up the cost of a premium account with some ads may lure a few more of LiveJournal’s millions of members to upgrade.”

From this articles, one can see that the industry of new media trends have changed and now even if you were to stay at home and be a livejournal blogger, blogspot blogger or even Typepad blogger or any kind of blogger, one can make money by just blogging. Its  may sounds weird but the industry have advanced onto this kind of level where new media is so advanced until there’s a diferent kind of way of earning money in this modem time. With the fact of just generating a required amount of ad clicks and enough traffic and paying to become LiveJournal member, one can be allowed to just earn money.

Isn’t it an easy way than just going to work in the office and sitting there for hours and get the amount of your pay into your packet?

But however, I think that having your carreer as just a blogger and earn money is not really an good idea. It is because one can lose the ability to communicate with people face to face by just staying in front of the computer and using the new media to earn money. It would be unwise to be doing that and causing your communication skills that you have developed over the year with people around to fall. This is an bad effect/advantages of having new media such as LiveJournal and Facebook. People will tend to be depend on the new media more and causing the tradition of speaking face to face to become less-often-seen.

Thus the conclusion of this article is that one can depend on the new media like LiveJournal to earn money and this may cause communication on face to face to declline and hence, one must not be just staying at home and be a blogger as a career and instead find a job outside and have a stable job that can also allow you to earn money. The job as a blogger can be used as a hobby or be done when using your freetime.

Anyway, Just another more info about me, I can be totally silent with strangers, which is common to anyone *like hello? everyone does that*, but if I am with my friends and I’m totally silent, It’s either I’m thinking, cracking my brains for something or some problems or I’m just being emo, which means I’m an emo guy who can directly turn emo at any times and any places and I was warned by my friends about being emo. Haiz Razi scolded me for being emo and also saying that the emo feeling can influenced other people. Blah blah… I rmb that hahas

And I can go super high with my friends at some point times that I can be considered crazy. Well almost all my friends know I can be crazy like mad at any places. Wahahahha.

Well Well, After all I have experience in blogging for more than a year and to me or my blog, It’s crap emo that people just can scream at me for doing that and I am avoiding this now, only the Reverandoms does scold me for that.

Ok Another self intro that i want to do.

Yoz. I’m Zhenhong, called me zh or Zhenhong or Hong (which only my dear cousin, my family, my bro’s friends and a bit of my friends have called me that) but anyway, I also being called as Shiro. I like my dear cousin and Reverandoms and 4Cs ( must add the s…) and my family other than a person who i dislike to core..

And For a long time, I have liked someone and I still like her but I have yet to say anything to her. And the only times i can get shy is when in front of her… I can see her soon once she come back… Will wait.

Change of topic , I’m a friendly and crazy guy who can crap for an hour with anyone.And I like anime, but not english dubbed which annoyed me to big extent or irritate me. I like history and I always believe history is important to me or anyone, as everyone have history, even if it just a second ago or a minute ago, Its still history.

That’s all…

Bye

Hi. I’m Chan Zhen Hong. You can call me Zhenhong or ZH or Shiro. I’m a Year 1 Temasek Polytechnic Student, studying Interactive Media Infomatics.

My hobbies is reading books , example, Twilight series, Harry Potter series ,The house of Night series etc. I also likes listening to music, mostly Japanese pops music and Chinese and some english and korean music. On my free time, I also likes to see movie, going out with friends, shopping and playing games, mostly adventurous type or first player shooter games. 

I have just started my school and have learnt some new items and also went to Hainan during the holiday as my OCP Trip. It was very fun and an interesting experience which I’m glad that I have went and experienced. And in my cca, I have been helping out in some events and there is a big event coming out that we have prepared for a long time. It’s the Halloween Night. It’s a event that we have been doing and hoped for it to success.

Its a great day for me as I have been able to see my classmate again. Its a long holiday before this start of the sememster and it causes me to miss my classmates a lot. I’m so glad that I can catch up with them and seeing them again.