Amy Baker 290

Best of 2006 part two

2007-01-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

Best of 2006 part two: "1. Melatonin - Silversun Pickups
2. Conventional Wisdom - Built To Spill
3. Starlight - Muse
4. Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip - The Whigs
5. The Stand - The Coup
6. Here's Your Future - The Thermals
7. Song For The Sunshine - Belle and Sebastian
8. Save Room - John Legend
9. Daydreamin' (Featuring Jill Scott) - Lupe Fiasco
10. I Know No Pardon - Vetiver
11. Empty - Ray Lamontagne
12. I Go to the Barn Because I Like The - Band Of Horses
13. Baby - The Roots
14. Still Take You Home - Arctic Monkeys
15. Tell Me In The Morning - Cold War Kids
16. Pay Me My Money Down - Bruce Springsteen
"

best songs 2006

2007-01-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

best songs 2006: "1. Answers and Questions - Earlimart
2. 23rd Dream - Elf Power
3. Willie - Cat Power
4. The Perfect Crime #2 - The Decemberists
5. Strange Apparition - Beck
6. Confidence Man - Oakley Hall
7. Over And Over - Hot Chip
8. Wolf Like Me - TV On The Radio
9. Woman - Wolfmother
10. Insistor - Tapes 'n Tapes
11. Do You Believe In Rapture? - Sonic Youth
12. I Gotcha - Lupe Fiasco
13. Smile (Single) - Lily Allen
14. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
15. But I Did Not - Howe Gelb
16. Chinese Translation - M. Ward
17. Mr. Tough - Yo La Tengo
18. Gravity's Gone - Drive-By Truckers
19. Hold On, Hold On - Neko Case
20. Don't Fade On Me (Master) - Magnolia Electric Co.
21. Ever Fallen In Love? - Nouvelle Vague
22. Sometimes In The Fall - Phoenix
23. Another Radio Song - Okkervil River
24. Together - The Raconteurs
25. A Dangerous Woman Up to a Point - Destroyer
26. South Town Girls - The Hold Steady
27. Beautiful Mind - Golden Smog
28. The Funeral - Band Of Horses
29. What You Know - T.I.
30. Run Thru - My Morning Jacket
31. You're the One - Black Keys
32. Turn Into - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"

Mark H check this out, its your favorite kicker MG

2006-12-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Mark H. and his passion for a certain NFL kicker. Enjoy Mark!

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/56181

Pictures of my brother Adam in Afghanistan

2006-12-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Adam is in the back third from the left.

Adam is the soldier on the right. He works with the Security Forces Division for the 188th out of Grand Forks, ND. His unit is stationed in Salerno, Afghanistan. He patrols the land for drugs and weapons, fights the Taliban, and emails his favorite sister on a regular basis.

Last Assignment!

2006-12-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

Question 1 - We discussed information flow within organizations and the potential for your blogging project to introduce new demands on the organization for the exercise of authority and control of information. Discuss whether and how this potential disruption materialized in the course of your project. How readily did the organization adjust to new channels of information flow? How did this affect your efforts to develop a blog that could operate in support of the organization? How readily and how clearly was authority defined? How important an issue was this for the blogging project? What could you and the organization have done differently to facilitate resolution of these issues?

Answer - I probably had an easier time with information flow then fellow students did (sorry Josh!). It didn't seem like much of a struggle to get information or ask for assistance. I depended on Amy and the Board for approval, soon after I posted my first blog. Even though I am on the Board now I still will ask them for suggestions, advice, and approval for postings. Once the Board approved the blog I relied on Amy who was always available for questions and had a lot of ideas for the blog. I would send a question over email or attend meetings and talk to members about issues. I was then able to post without any incident.

Members have been somewhat slow in adjusting to the new information tool. Although I see some changes to that - I have already received an email from a member asking me more about the blog. Members are informed about the blog through the newsletter, website, and from the First Friday informational meeting last week (thanks again Dr. Chen and Dr. Baumann).

The only glitch with organizational flow I encountered was when comments were coming in to the blog and I was unsure if I could post them. I waited for Amy and Boards approval but I didn't get an answer (board meetings are usually very focused since members only get together once a month)so I decided to not post the comments. It helps now that I am on the board so I can advocate for the blog at meetings, but I would suggest to other students who plan to work for a mostly volunteer organization to be prepared to make a lot of decisions on their own (with of course some guidance from teachers and students). Mostly because unpaid and volunteer members are busy and often times have a lot going on in their own lives. For a student to be able work independently they will need to do research about the organization (before and during blogging), listen to current members comfort level about comments and posts, and continually report progress to authority.

Question 2 - Report on your efforts to help the organization continue the blog after your departure from the project. Does the organization wish to continue the blog? Why? What arrangements have been/need to be made to continue the project? What is the timeline for this and what role will you play in preparing the organization for continued blogging?

Answer - I'm sure most of you have heard what went down at the Sons of Norway last Friday from Dr. Chen and Dr. Baumann. If you haven't, it went something like this: Dr. Chen, Dr. Baumann, and myself were asked to speak about the blog at First Friday for the League after the very important subject of Women and Corrections. Dr. Chen informed the audience about the idea and the process of developing the class for organizations. Dr. Baumann spiced up the lecture by presenting the history of blogging and its use in politics. I asked (begged) the crowd to participate in the blog and why it will be important for the Leagues future. There should have been an internet presentation, but the technology wasn't working which I thought was a little ironic. The reason I am writing about this however, is because something remarkable happened after our presentation. The President of the North Dakota chapter of the LWV, told the audience she would be getting information from the National League about Women and Corrections for members and then she stopped and looked at me and said, "maybe I will blog it."

The point is that I wanted to present the blog in a way to illicit ideas and presentation from members - I wanted them to be excited about using this new informational tool. I think the presentation will get the dedicated members to participate in the blog which will alleviate a lot of my responsibility in upkeep with it. I plan to blog for the rest of the year, but other members will be also asked to participate. I will keep the blog "alive" by promoting it in our board meetings and First Friday meetings.

League of Women Voters Voted in a New Board Member today

2006-11-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

I have big news to post today - I offically became a League of Women Voters Board Member this morning. I think the blog has had alot to do with it, it gave me an oppurtunity to contribute to the League and members have responded positively to the work I have been doing. Becoming a board member will help improve the blog so much, because I will have inside information and privilege that I didn't have before.

I really advocated for the blog during my first board meeting. We will be doing Studies about voter participation this year - I told the board that the blog could be used for this study. We are also going to be doing some more PR for the League to increase membership - which the blog can help with (future members and the media can use the blog to get more information about the League). During the PR campaign, members are going to speak about the past and history of the League, I mentioned that we should speak about the future of the League - which would include the blog.

I asked if we could give a presentation about using the blog at the next First Friday for interested members. They thought that this would be a great idea. There will be another topic also, so we will not get to speak until about 12:30 or 1pm. I thought Dr. Bauman could speak some about what a blog is, the history of politics and blogging?, and why organizations would use a blog. Dr. Chen could answer some tech questions and help us navigate through blogger. And I could speak some about why I started this project and why it will be important for the League to continue and use. I don't think we would have much time for anything else, I would have liked some students to speak also - but we wont have time. But I encourage everyone in class to come - some members may have some questions that would be important for students to hear and take back to their own blog. Louis will have power point hooked up, so bring your computer Dr. Chen. The next First Friday will be Dec. 1 at the Sons of Norway. Lunch starts at 11:30. We will be speaking after the first presentation.

Log Hours: Two hours at the meeting, two hours with the blogs

Nation Article Mentioning Amy Jacobson!

2006-11-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

Check this out, it is an article written in the Nation by former Fargoan Jennifer Baumgardner about Amy Jacobson and her work with Planned Parenthood.

I Can't Wait Until Wednesday the 8th

2006-11-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

I am very burnt-out with voting, voters, and rules. It has been alot of work keeping up with candidate forums and volunteering. I am looking forward to Wed. when all I will hear on the news and read in the paper is how awful voting has become. If that happens I could at least get another 2 posts for the League blog- anyway here is my log for the week:

I spent 2 hrs working on my blog and posts

I spent an 1.5 hours at the First Friday Meeting

Another hour working on my own blog for class and contacting a classmate's blog

No on measure 3!!!!

2006-10-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

If you live in North Dakota, you will be asked on Nov. 7 to vote for measure #3 - the shared-custody bill. I encourage everyone to do research about measure #3 before saying yes. Here is what the Forum says about the bill.

And what the Onion has to say about the RNC covention in Minneapolis.

Bea, from the League, gave me a great idea for the Blog!

2006-10-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

I asked a member at the League how to handle the controversy of the voting machines and why she feels comfortable with the machines - she told me that she went to the auditors office and asked for info about the machines and they decided to also give her a demonstration on how they work. She told me that she feels alot more comfortable with them now after seeing them "behind the scenes." I think I will take that idea and see if they would also give me a demonstration and write a future blog about my visit at the auditors office and also see if I can spend some time at the voting polls on Nov. 7 and write about that as well.

This week I attended another forum and gave Amy J. a lesson on how to use blogger. I tried to change the settings on the side and it didn't show up, so I will probably look for Jarretts help again. 4 - 5 hours on the class.

My Favorite Blog

2006-10-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Check out the Pizzaman on the Minneapolis citypages website - it is my favorite blog. Check out his entry on the flipper boy vs. white rich men!

Here is another funny posting

What an Eye-Opening Experience!

2006-10-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

The candidate forums are finally over for West Fargo and Fargo. The experience was great and really informative. If you have never gone to hear your reps. speak about issues before, I suggest attending these forums. I will try to never vote for anyone again without hearing them first! I can't believe some of the candidates - most are very qualified, while others are not so much - just plan to attend the Candidate Forum in Moorhead if you are a resident, and you will see what I mean. I will be there volunteering with the League, so look for me. Tell your orgs. that you will be attending and bring questions to represent your organization. You can link up the LWV blog to your blog to inform others about the time, place, and date. It is also a great way to meet the candidates, I have already introduced myself to a couple of them because of the forums - one candidate in Fargo is even going to be helping me with a project for another class. I spent over 4 hours at the Forums, and over 2 hours this week on the blog. Next week I plan to post pictures, change my settings on the side, and meet with Amy in her office to show her how to post blogs and other tech. stuff.

Thanks again for the feedback, its been great!

Amy

I Got To Shake Hands with Al Franken

2006-10-07T22:47:00.000-07:00

So I realize that Al Franken was in Detroit Lakes last night, but what many of you might not know is that Al Franken also made an apperance in Moorhead tonight. He came to a private party where about twenty people attended. I got shake his hand and he signed my book. Anyway, the reason I am blogging this is because on his website he offers free blogging sites for members who are interested in democratic issues and platforms. You may want to check it out for future info or ideas.

CHECK OUT THE LWV BLOG!

2006-10-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

YEAH! I finally have a blog set up for the League of Women Voters. Please check it out and give me some feedback. I actually had a lot of fun setting it up. I spent a lot of time, but it is going to be a great tool for the League. I spent 20 min Wed. with Jarret getting some help with the tech stuff. I attended First Friday, the Leagues monthly meeting, and while I was there I did some further reaserch for the blog. I talked to guest speakers and got some info - I networked the room - a bonus of blogging that I was unaware of before starting the project. And then I spent probably 4 hrs creating the blog. More time went into writing then went into setting the actual blog up. I then spent another hour writing up a report for the Leagues newsletter about blogging and its role in the organziation. Please take time to check it out! Thanks, Amy

A VERY LATE ASSIGNMENT THREE!

Target Audience For The LWVBLOG: Members and non-members, potential members, and other interested parties. Ex: politicians, activicats, organizations, buisness
How does the audience contribute to fulfilling the orgaizations mission? The League of Women Voters mission statement is to better educate and empower citizens to become active particpants in the political process - the audience then would be the public at large, the blog will help to faciliate participation among its audience
What does the organization want of the target audience? To become more active particpants in the political process, to empower participation through education and acitivsm, and to inform the public of events and policies

How has the organization targeted this audience in the past? The League has targeted its audience by publishing newsletters, having a website, and hosting events and forums. I also think the League has relied on its own reputation - which may have been successful in the past but is no longer a tool that the League can rely on - the public is forgetting the purpose and mission of the League.

The blog will be a way to combine all three communication tools while reminding the public of the mission and purpose of the League. On the blog I have the mission statement below the title of the blog, I also have links to the website, and contact information. I will blog information about future events and national policies that may not make it to the local newsletter. The most exciting role of the blog will be to report back to the audience about information from forums and meetings. While there I can link the blog to other sites to continue the communication. Most blogs I will leave questions for the audience to incourage feedback and particpation.

I am concerned about outreach and realize that I will not see an large enough audience by the end of the semester. I am also concerned about getting current members involved - will they understand the blog? I will probably spend awhile educating them about the blog - I have already reported about it in the upcoming newsletter. I think it will catch on though, and plan to stay continue on for the year.

I will be reporting to Amy. She has given me lots of room to experiement and work independently. We seem to trust each other and whenever I am unsure of something, I contact her.

The blog is through bloger.com. I have contacted the tech guy and he will link the blog to the website.

2006-10-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Assignment 2

The organization that I am working with, The League of Women Voters, educates and informs the FM community of local and national policies and voting rights. They also allow for candidates to have access to the community by sponsoring forums throughout the campaign season. The group is non-partisan and the audience is the community, other organizations, and business. The group effects policy by declaring platform issues and informs the public with presentations about policy with "First Fridays" every month. The League is run by dedicated women in the area who have experience and knowledge of politics and policy.

The organization serves the people of the Red River Valley, but may also have influence throughout North Dakota and Minnesota. They play an important role in educating the community of candidate issues, policy issues, and voting rights. The community depends on the League to give accurate and non-partisan information which the League has proven by being a fair and timely organization.

2006-10-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Log week Five

League of Women Voters Mission Statement

The League of Women Voters values diversity in its members. In principle and in practice, the League knows no barriers on the basis of age, creed, disability, gender, national origin, race or sexual orientation, and encourages full participation in and contribution to the organization by all its members.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influence public policy throughout education and advocacy.

My Blog Project with the League will consist of but not be limited to:
*Informing existing members of events and relevant information
*Recruiting new members to the League
*Including The League of Women Voters National Information
*Commenting on upcoming events - First Fridays and Candidate Forms

My Goals for this Week:
*Start up the Blog
*Post a first Blog
*Attend First Friday this week to use for Blog

2006-09-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Log Week Four/Five

My contact for the League of Voters was sick last week, so we will be meeting Friday morning (29th) to go over the objectives for the blog. I have nothing new to report but will have alot to write about on Friday. And hopefully I can start up the blog by next week. I will be missing today's class to do some research for my meeting, but plan to be back in class on Wed.

For those that are interested in working with campaigns and other public relation opportunities, I recommend joining the E.V.E.N group here in the F-M area. They are a group of young adults that work on PR projects throughout the region. Right now they are active in the get-out-the vote campaign. To find more information about the group contact them via e-mail: Empowering Voices for Equality Now <acteven@gmail.com> Becca and Julia are students at MSUM and help run the group, they would also be great contacts to spread the word out about your blogs. Just tell them that Amy B sent you!

2006-09-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Log Week Three

This morning I proposed the blogging project to the board of the League of Women Voters. Dr. Baumann was correct- they are very informed and passionate women who care very much about public service and the community. I explained to them some about blogging and my goals with the project. Also, my commitment and dedication to working with the league beyond the project as well. I showed them the syllabus and explained how our class is setup- two teachers and students who read each others blogs for assistance.

The board was excited about blogging - especially for the candidates forums. They also liked the option of updating readers of current information by being able to subscribe to the blog. They like that it could be free, and wanted to know if it could be set up to the existing web page. I thought it probably could- but explained to them that I was currently learning the technology and needed to get back to them about more info.

The concerns were mostly with the comment section - What if someone were to reply angrily or use profanity? Would it look bad for the organization? Can the league sensor certain comments that are hurtful or inappropriate? I promised to talk to Dr. Baumann and Dr. Chen about the concerns - whether the comments could be erased or deleted. They also were going to look in to whether they wanted the option to have comments or not. To be honest I am concerned about the comment section also - would the work we put into the blog be ruined by a reader who uses the comment section only to harm the organization? Dr. Baumann maybe we need to talk more about this subject. And also how to ease the fears of the organization we plan to work with who have the same concerns.

The board concluded their meeting by asking me if I had any questions. I asked for the mission statement and also asked to have a contact person - who will be Amy - she will help me stay informed, proofread, and evaluate when finished. I also asked if I could have an objective for the project, so we could all be on the same page. I will find out next week if the board has approved.

My work on the project this week has been 30 - 40 minutes. Plus I should get bonus time for attending the 7:30am meeting, so add another 60 minutes.

RHAPSODY Link

2006-09-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

RHAPSODY Link

2006-09-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Log Week Two

I heard back from my contact at the league of Women Voters late last week, she is really excited to start working with me to create a blog for the league. My contact wants to meet with me sometime this week and then present info to the board for their approval. Dr. Baumann contacted her to invite her to the informational meeting at school to learn more about the course. I will also be attending Thursday morning to learn more about the project. I will then meet with the board on Sat. Morning. I'm really excited and feel a little nervous about not being prepared for any questions I might receive - but I feel confident that this will be a great opportunity for the league to take advantage of, and feel honored that they would let me help them with this project. Next week I will inform the class about some of their questions and concerns - I may need some answers myself!

About the RHAPSODY link: I was messing around with my Rhapsody account and discovered that I could make a blog list - since this is my first blog I wanted to try it out, but if this is not appropriate for class I can take it off. If anyone is interested in listening to it let me know - the playlist contains: Phoenix, M. Ward, My Morning Jacket, Wilco and other favorite bands.

2006-08-29T15:09:00.001-07:00

Log Week One

I left a message for a contact at the League of Women Voters - an organization I hope to work with. I will also be sending her an email to invite her to look at the course blog and my own as well. 15-20 minutes.

2006-08-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Course blog is here

2006-08-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

First Assignment August 30, 2006

I am taking this course to better aquaint myself with the world of "blogging" and its impact in politics and orgnizations. I am also interested in how this tool can create more awarness and promote advocacy for a community organization. I do not have any experience in blogging but have seen its impact in national politics and the media. Currently I work with PEPP, and I hope to work with the League of Women Voters in the future. I also have been doing some fundraising for the "White House Project" - a organization that promotes women leadership into public office. I am interested more in policy and organizing skills, but I am curoius to see how blogging will impact my goals and interests.

2006-08-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Chad Olson's course blog is here

2006-08-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Zac Echola's course blog is here

2006-08-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Josh Costello's course blog is here