Week(end) Two Recap

This past weekend my search for competitors in the safety, security, and health sectors of corporations began one again. However, this time I was provided with more specific details to comb the internet with. Though the research is ongoing, I have concluded on a brief overview of my progress which was sent to my superior. Research has become more fluid as there are a variety of avenues to which the product can be used to serve its clients. With the limitlessness of the internet, finding what avenues produce actual, beneficial leads seems like a daunting task. For me, this project became much more manageable once I had a better idea of what the product was and how it worked. I am currently awaiting response on whether or not I am on the right track with my research or if I should be focusing on a different direction.
On the other hand, the Google Analytics Academy alone is proving to be quite interesting in content, yet dry in presentation. Fortunately, I can use the Google Analytics that is connect to this blog to better understand some of the concepts and practice when needed in real-time.

Week One Recap

During Friday's weekly Google Hangout meeting with the clients, my current role as an intern became more direct and clear. One of the challenges of working with this start-up was deciphering the concept behind their intended product. As a visual and hands-on learner, understanding the scope of the product was much more difficult than I had first expected. After cross comparing different social media pages I had enough information to pitch my thoughts about the direction my clients could take at this stage in development for a social media presence. Part one of the project was complete.

The second part of last week's project morphed into researching different companies that could be potential competitors for one of the many facets my client's product has to offer. This was where the first obstacle came in to play: not having a firm grasp on what said product actually does. To better understand the concept, I complied and compressed all of the notes I had taken over the week and from our first meeting on July 17th. I sent my understanding of what the product was to the owners to have it "fact-checked" for accuracy. My questions were answered and I had a better understanding of what to look for when doing my research. After a few hours of researching leads that finally lead to the primary goal of locating competitors, I was ready to share my progress for the Friday meeting(s). 

Pursuing Google Analytics Certification

The certification I have chosen to pursue during the course of this internship is Google Analytics. On another note, Google Adwords looked interesting and could potentially be a future certification to pursue. The first reason I chose to pursue the Google Analytics certification was because it is actively used in my internship, specifically, in this blogging process. The other reason is because it sounds really cool. I'd like to know more about what I am doing with it and how it affects the world of Digital Media.

Internship Launch

Last Wednesday was the official launch date of my summer 2015 Digital Media Internship with Ann Arbor Spark and Eastern Michigan University's Center for Digital Engagement (CDE). It has been nearly a week since my first meeting with the start-up company I was paired with and the pace is rapidly starting to pick up. My co-intern, Mike, and I have created two primary projects to focus on for the first week or two of our internship. These projects are specific to the goals of our start-up and they include: remastering a website foundation and molding a social media presence online. Though Mike and I work well together and plan to collaborate on both of our projects, I chose to focus on the social media presence for our company.

Last Friday I took part in my first multi-person Google Hangout which resulted in productive communication about my project's course of action. Since I am a novice in realm of Digital Media, I have decided to take advantage of learning as I go along. To do this, I am researching a number of companies that could be considered competition to my company. I am then analyzing their social media presence to learn from their flaws and short-comings.