I'm Jumping the Gun - Allow Me to Introduce Myself

As the title of this post explains, I've been so caught up with the last few posts about the latest news in technology that I haven't taken the opportunity to formally introduce myself via Blogger to the APOC class and, naturally, the rest of the world.

My name is Ashlie Chan and I am currently an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California majoring in Communication and minoring in Spanish. I completed one hurl last semester when I completed my last Spanish minor requirement, so I'm excited to continue these accomplishments. Born and raised in Arcadia, CA (the city next to Pasadena), my first "move" was the super long trek out to Los Angeles for college. My job as Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government occupies a lot of my time, as well as being President of Helenes, an all-female philanthropy-based organization on campus dedicated to serving USC and the LA community since 1921.

I have one older sister just a grade above me. It's slightly ironic that she's studying to be a journalist as I'm striving to obtain a degree in a field that has indirectly and directly contributed to the journalism industry's decline. I'm also interested in marketing and entertainment management, because I used to work in front of the camera as a child in the acting field. But if I were to choose a career with no monetary compensation involved, it would have to revolve around baking -- possibly a TV show centered around baking and decorating cakes. It's so therapeutic. However, that's wishful thinking and we're in the now. Maybe that could be a possibility in the future.

Speaking of food, one of the new online communities I recently joined was Yelp. Everyday, I learn more things in class that are pertinent to real life. Case in point, when I was creating a username for my latest and greatest Yelp account, I found myself thinking about how easy and straightforward the process was. Then I remembered in class that simple is always better, especially when people want registration as painless and least confusing as possible. Though I haven't posted anything yet personally, I have been an avid Yelp surfer for a while -- searching "Happy Hour foods in Downtown" has become second nature to me after I learned about the great deals they provide.

I also just created a Twitter account. Now this step was a big one for me. Since its creation, I felt pretty adamant about not creating a Twitter so I wouldn't be addicted. Then I started learning about the social benefits of Facebook and how it can certainly help spread the word about the latest news or prevent you from spending $12 at your local movie theater to watch Bruno. After another straightforward registration, I e-mailed my mom and reluctantly told her that I just signed up with Twitter. Not to my surprise, she was thrilled to know that she'd have another "follower" after bugging me to do so for the past year. It seems to me like a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone move.

I briefly talked about my first APOC class in a previous blog, but my other class on Wednesday is also terrific. Zachary Posner is a phenomenal professor and I can tell that his knowledge is something the APOC students can tap into and constantly learn from. Upon listening to the first web presentation about RSS from Tom and Josh, I told a friend, "These presentations are really, REALLY cool." I surprised myself at how emphatic I genuinely felt. During the second half of lecture, we discussed the different programming languages that zoomed by me. What I did note was that I'm looking forward to the day when programming languages won't be as daunting as they seemed on Wednesday.

Contrary to what my graduate concentration says, I am not as computer/internet/website literate as I would like to be. I hope that the APOC program will teach me the necessary steps and material that I need to create a fully-functioning and professional website in the future. In fact, I'm not sure what the first steps would be to create a website.

Up until now, I've asked friends to help when I needed a website designed for Helenes and my USG campaign. It would be gratifying to know that I can do it myself. After all, websites and technology are the future of business and having a firm grasp on the foundation of it will really be an asset in the future with whatever career path I take.

Overall, the APOC family seems absolutely fantastic! I've met many unique and interesting individuals that I probably would not have met otherwise and the directors, professors, and guest lecturers are nothing short of amazing and accommodating! I'm really excited about collaborating ideas, interacting, and hopefully helping to propel each other's endeavors in the internet realm very soon.