Perfect Balance

Sonya’s top five takeaways from BA 536 Internet Mkt/E-Commerce, the aspects of the class she found to be the most useful, and why. 

• The WordPress Site Practice
  • Face-to-Face Interaction with Instructor
    • The Power of Student Feedback
      • The Passing of Time
        • Google Certificates

The WordPress Site Practice

I found the practice using WordPress to be useful because it allowed me to play with the website builder which I had not been able to do. Building a website is a valuable skill for anyone working with business clients even if you will not be building websites yourself, having background information on creating a website is useful. I enjoyed playing with the different themes, plugins, posts, and page capabilities gaining an insight into which WordPress products are not available on the free versions. I gained valuable knowledge of the Google Site Kit analysis plugin, its functionality, and its ability to help monetize a website.

Face-to-Face Interaction with Instructor

I found the interaction with Doug, the instructor to be the most beneficial because I find often time face to face conversations are better for communication. The face-to-face interaction gave us an opportunity for us to better understand each other, while at the same time helping to eliminate communication issues created by written messages. ‘Tone of voice’ is one of those things that is essential, a true cornerstone of impactful meaningful communications that cannot often be understood over written messages. I appreciate Doug’s willingness to reach out and communicate over Zoom for a clear discussion.

The Power of Student Feedback

Student feedback I found to be especially helpful and useful because seeing your work, and your creation through the eyes of someone who understands the assignment is truly good feedback. Student feedback is from someone who is in the same boat as you. It is not the end reader’s perspective, non the instructor’s point of view but it’s the view from someone who is being asked to accomplish the same things you are trying to accomplish. The other student comes from the perspective of I know what’s expected and you better deliver. I have a natural fondness for this kind of feedback because it’s like insight into your competition and the way they create, think, and synthesize information.

The Passing of Time

I always find extra time extremely helpful and useful because I function on my schedule. I have a serious dislike for anything that boxes me into a schedule or time frame. I have a love for doing whatever I want whenever I feel like doing it and that includes work, school, cooking, and anything else. I live to respond to things that bring me joy, so anyone who is flexible and conforms to my schedule is always greatly appreciated. This class had a nice easy flow that allowed me to turn in assignments at my own pace when I found myself behind, which was extremely helpful and useful.

Google Certificates

What stood out for me as the most beneficial is the Google Analytics Certifications and how they will be super beneficial to my business and clients. Originally, I was overwhelmed with the amount of information to study for each certification, but I just stayed focused and studied for hours and hours to only end up failing the exam, twice. I was super disappointed and discouraged but Doug talked with me and encouraged me to keep trying. Finally, on the 3rd attempt I successfully passed, and somehow the next two certifications were much easier to pass. I am proud of myself for getting through those exams since timed exams are the worst kind of stress and pressure for me.

Overall, this class taught me a little about myself, and how to utilize WordPress in a variety of ways, created a way to add three Google Certifications to my resume, improved my third-person writing skills. The class taught me the best practices, the best processes, and the best frameworks for internet marketing and e-commerce websites and allowed the learning environment to be fun while mastering WordPress design.

By: Sonya