Blog #2

In Chapter 1- Cultivating Communities of Practice, I am informed that a “community of practice are many groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis”. Following, was many examples of ways that people endure community of practice. 

When people started sharing information together they eventually realized it was enough information to make the Chrysler E-book. People discovered they had this knowledge to work together informally. Their bosses wanted to cultivate and have them continue working together to create something great. So for example, if people working for a car company and during their lunch break they are talking about creating an app, most likely their boss will want to take credit for their work.

Lets say, a Public Relations firm in Scottsdale, Arizona is looking for an intern for the summer of 2017. They want a trendsetter, a leader, and a savvy planner. All the workers in the company don’t necessarily work together every day, but they meet because they find value in their interactions to pick an amazing intern to help them keep up with trends. When the intern is official all members of the company will come together to assist the intern to understand all topics in Public Relations.

There are five stages of group development. Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. All of these stages are crucial to group development. However, I believe that performing is the most important. Whether you are getting interviewed or pitching a project during a work meeting, it is so critical for the individual or group to be thoroughly prepared. The main goal of performing is having success while achieving it.

“Communities of practice are in the best position to codify knowledge, because they can combine its tacit and explicit aspects”. This statement jars me. This statement means to me that communities are required to attain knowledge. Whether the information comes from their co-workers or media. 

In the reading, What Really Makes Teams Work: And What We Lose When We Take Groups Online, Geoff Colvin explained that human groups are very important in producing understandings. Research while working in teams is way more efficient nowadays, teams are starting to grow which is making research more prominent and important. When people work in groups their individual prosperity will grow immensely. MIT Professor, Alex Pentland explained how working in groups is more beneficial versus not working in groups. When you work in a group and everyone is making eye contact and building off of one another, this action simply creates collaboration. Face- to- face interaction is way more beneficial then online interaction because you don’t get the same effect of building on people’s opinions

Works Cited:

"1What Really Makes Teams Work:And What We Lose When We Take Groups Online." University of Arizona - D2L(Desire2Learn). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

"Tuckman Stages- Group Development." University of Arizona - D2L(Desire2Learn). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

"Cultivating Communities of Practice." University of Arizona - D2L(Desire2Learn). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

Hi my name is Rachel Hurvitz. I am currently studying communication with a minor in E-society. In the future I would love to work for a Public Relations firm interested in hospitality, trendsetting, nightlight, fashion or beauty.

I love social media and social networking and I hope to gain more information on it throughout this course. So far in the reading, "What is collaboration", I have attained knowledge on how social media platforms can become more collaborative when they add an additional layer of coordination. In class, we learned that a way to become more collaborative is by using hashtags or even tagging. When posting on Instagram, people like to become “insta famous”. In order to become “insta famous” it is important to know your audience, which is your followers. Amateurs who want to become famous will tag what they are wearing to get noticed and get more popular through social media and social networking. Collaboration requires goals. When people tag or hashtag they are creating one goal to intentionally collaborate.

Sharing is the first step to social networking. Whether individuals are sharing posts, tasty videos, or links to articles, there is always a purpose and a reason for sharing. Being open online is very common nowadays. People post their strong opinions on politics, in attempt for advocacy. People want to either start a discussion, change others people’s opinions, or simply want people to know where they stand on a certain issue or topic.

Wikipedia used many technical coordination mechanisms, as well as strong mechanisms. Wikipedia allows people to edit and comment on articles which is another form of communication.

I also learned about forming, which is how group members come together for a greater good.

In the article called “Tina Fey’s Rules of Improvisation That Will Change Your Life and Reduce Belly Fat”, Tina always says that the first rule of improvisation is to agree. Always saying yes is a great thing in my opinion. I think people should be more spontaneous and care free and have more fun.

I am very excited to get started in this class. I am looking forward to learning more about social networking, collaboration, and how to become a stronger writer.