1. Connecting: Introduce yourself and tell me why you want to connect

I would like to know why other people want to connect with me. What was it about me that caught there attention and made them want to follow me? I would like other people to introduce themselves and let me know why, out of all the many people out there, that they chose to follow me and connect with me. I think it would be very interesting to see the results of this.

2. Follow, add, friend: Do I Know You?

If someone ask to be my friend or follows me I do not automatically accept or reciprocate. When I first began to use social media (facebook) I was more likely to accept everyone’s friend request and be friends with people I did not know for no real reason. However, since social networking sites like this have grown to the enormous size they are now I am much pickier about who I associate myself with on them.

3. Privacy, boundaries and safety: Private: No Trespassing

I think it is very important to have privacy settings and boundaries but I also think that before putting anything on any social site you should consider it very carefully. Even with privacy settings it may still be possible for someone to see something they should not see. I do think that you should have different settings for your professional and personal life. Your boss or co workers do not need to see the pictures from your birthday party or read about what you and your friends did last weekend. If you allow co workers to read and see what your friends post there is a great possibility that a completely innocent inside joke will be taken the wrong way or a picture will be misunderstood.

4. Signal to noise: More is Less

Sometimes people get a little carried away with the updates and  such. I do not need an update of your life every four minutes everyday. Maybe there should be a limit on how many times you can update or post something.

5. Personal data and sharing: Connections

I would like to connect with people who I have things in common with. I would like to connect more with people who I share either professional or personal interest but I am not completely opposed to meeting new and different people.

6. My networking needs and uses: this for this that for that

I use facebook almost strictly for social purposes. I am only friends on facebook with my actual friends. Twitter and linkedin I do not use very much right now but in the future I plan to use those more for professional purposes.

7. Leaving: sneak away or say farewell

When someone stops being my friend or stops following me I would like to know why. Did I say or do something that directly offended them or was it some habit or quirk of mine that made them leave. Or was it not me at all, did they just decide they no longer want to be my friend or be a part of the social site?

8. My Opinion on Changes: Do I have to Change?

I would like to have an opinion about new layouts on sites. I would also like to be able to choose if I want adopt the new layout or keep the old design, Iwould like to be able to customize my site for my needs and wants. Add new applications and layouts that I want but keep things that I like the same.

The only challenges I could find that have been of concern to Deere and Company in the they last year are that there have been a few product recalls. In order to remedy this Deere and Company promptly sent notification of these recalls to all customers who had purchased the equipment. In this letter it let the customers know what the problem was and where they should go or who to contact to get the necessary changes made to their equipment.

All information from John Deere Newsroom

November 22, 2008

Re: Public Relations Department

I am interested in a job with your Public Relations Department. I am a recent graduate of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga. I have a bachelors of Science degree in recreation with a minor in public relations. I am very interested in the special events aspect of public relations however; I am open to other areas as well.

Throughout my college career I have been involved at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM); there I was selected to be the programs and events coordinator for the 2007-2008 academic year. During my time there I was responsible for the organization and implementation of a variety of events. I recruited team members and oversaw the work they did as well as managed the budget for multiple events. My responsibilities also included meeting with management from outside venues as well as meeting with my supervisors to present my plans and have them approved. In addition to my work at the BCM I also assisted with several school and community events.

I am available for an interview at your convenience and can be contacted by phone at ###-###-#### or by e-mail at fran@email.com.

Sincerely,

Fran Faulkner

Fran Faulkner

Fran@email.com

Cell ###-###-####

2614 Main St.

The global philanthropy of John Deere says that, “John Deere organizations around the world choose to invest in their communities, to support local needs and customs and enrich the lives of those who have a stake in our success.” John Deere has foundations established in several countries around the world. They are active in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and Europe. John Deere partners with both public and private organizations in these countries, “to improve communities and provide active leadership in growth and development initiatives.” They also strongly encourage all of their employees worldwide to get involved in local communities.

As stated on their website the goal of their corporate contributions is, “Our corporate contributions programs are intended to support activities in John Deere communities that make them vital places for our employees to live and work.” John Deere has built sponsorships with organizations such as the National FFA, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the National 4-H Council, the U.S. Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer program, Skills U.S.A., and Minorities in Agriculture, National Resources and other related Sciences, or MANRRS. The John Deere corporation also provides support in the communities in which their employees live and work (not including dealerships which are private businesses). They believe that, “by building healthy communities, we improve the quality of life for our employees and their families, friends, and neighbors”

John Deere is also has very stron opinions about their employees volunteering in their communities. “Our company’s support for community participation and volunteerism traces its origin to our founder John Deere and his descendants. Today our employees actively carry on this legacy with their hearts and hands.” John Deere has a long history of volunteering and their employees continue that legacy today. Some of the organizations supported by John Deere employees are United Way, Junior Achievement, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, and many other community organizations. Many John Deere employees and retirees also volunteer in their communities through churches, schools and other organizations.

Information taken from the community Involvement page on the John Deere website

Once in the Online newsroom, or press center as it is labeled on this site, there are several categories of places to look for information depending on what you are looking for. These links include media contacts, RSS feeds, 2008 company news, and 2008 product news. Also, at the bottom of the main page you can access archived data from previous years.

On the Media Contacts page you will find all of the contact information for the various contacts with the company neatly organized into categories. On the RSS feeds page you will find the 3 available feeds with links to subscribe to them. And, on the company and product news pages you will find links to all the news releases the company has sent out. These are all organized by dates and have the title displayed with a link to the actual article.

Compared to some other websites news rooms that I have visited I found John Deere’s to be very user friendly. The labels were simple yet accurate which made it very easy to use.

All Information Taken From John Deere Press Center

While John Deere would be a fun company to work for, I do not see myself working for them in the future for one reason in particular. That reason being that I am interested in doing event planning and I was unable to find any jobs with the company that would allow me to that. There were a few jobs in the public relations department but none that pertained to the event planning field. Also I do not know if I see myself moving to Moline, IL., which is where the company headquarters is located.

Information taken from John Deere website

There are also positions for public relations professionals on an executive level. John Deere has positions such as Vice President, Corporate Communications and Global Brand Management, Public Affairs Worldwide, and Investor Relations. They also have several marketing positions within each division of the company.

Information taken from the careers and corporate leadership sections of the John Deere Website

Worldwide net sales and revenues increased 21 percent, to $7.401 billion, for the fourth quarter and were up 18 percent, to $28.438 billion, for the full year. Financed is not a major challenge that Deere and Company is currently facing. “In the face of highly uncertain global economic conditions, John Deere has completed a fifth consecutive year of record earnings, reflecting our efforts to build and grow a great business,” said Robert W. Lane, chairman and chief executive officer.

The only challenges I could find that have been of concern to Deere and Company in the last year are that there have been a few product recalls. In order to remedy this Deere and Company promptly sent notification of these recalls to all customers who had purchased the equipment. In this letter it let the customers know what the problem was and where they should go or who to contact to get the necessary changes made to their equipment.

All information from John Deere Newsroom

Occupational Excellence Achievement Award
Recognizes participants that have reported injuries and illnesses that involved days away from work, equal to or less than 50 percent of the BLS rate for their SIC/NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) Code, and have had no fatalities during the calendar year.

Perfect Record Award
Recognizes organizations that have completed a period of at least 12 consecutive months without incurring an occupational injury or illness that resulted in days away from work or death.

Significant Improvement Award
Acknowledges NSC member companies that demonstrate a minimum of 20 percent reduction in injuries and illnesses that involved days away from work.

“John Deere Forestry Division won the technical creativity award from the City of Tampere, Finland in recognition of the design of the TimberLink™ system. John Deere’s Forestry Division’s winning team was comprised of Arto Peltomaa, Kari Lehmusvaara and Aki Putkonen.”

“Saying corporate citizenship plays a major role in John Deere’s business success, Chairman and CEO Robert W. Lane accepted the Foreign Policy Association’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award...”

All information taken from John Deere Press Center