Blame

Catfish. What is a catfish you might be asking? It is a freshwater or marine fish with what school are you barrels around the mouth, typically bottom dwelling. Basically it’s a fish. The meaning of the word changed completely in the 2000s. What is the new meeting meaning you ask? Well a catfish is someone who doesn’t appear the way that they said they were online. It was a lure. They blatantly lie and trick you into a relationships or friendship by means of a fictional online persona. Then the most prominent platform to get catfish is social media. Networks like Facebook, Twitter,or Instagram allow people to hide their true self with the mask of a person. In the documentary, Catfish, you see a woman called Angela manipulating a man named Nev. She uses her daughter to get closer to him. They then proceed to message each other to discuss Angela’s daughter fascination with Nev and the photos he captures. The relationship blossoms into a friendship. Discussions lead to talk about her family life with Nev. He seems to be more comfortable with the family and their life. This leads him to get closer with someone by the name of Meghan. Meghan is supposedly Abby’s older sister. As things started to heat up, the relationship started to get deeper and it turned from friendly to intimate. Nev starts to realize that somethings just don’t add up in the web of lies that the family has spung. However, Nev ultimately decided it is time to meet the family and get to the bottom of these lies. It’s scary really. This is how today’s society really is. We never know if you are a real friend, real person or genuine with your feelings. These situations almost make you scared to become close with anyone. After this documentary, I’m sure the Nev became less trusting of people. With today’s society it is hard for us to truly trust someone. We don’t get close to people so we become detached. And in certain situations we do not know how to react. We often downplay the situation or turn it comical because we don’t know how to react anymore. Society needs to work on this. Maybe it’s from social media. You have this screen that allows you to be anything you want and say whatever you want without consequences because no one knows who you are. We become these giant asshole of people.

On Target with College Central

As a college student it is very hard being involved in most college community events. The reason being that i never know when stuff is happening. Because of this I have trouble working around my work schedule. I think college central would be a great idea if it was actually released. An all in one platform for college campuses is something that should have been done years ago but here we are with like 3 different websites that we have to log into everyday. If the creators of college central could implement a way for me to input my school and work schedule and then notify me for events that i could attend that would be great.

The book trading feature of the website is a nice idea but i don't think it could be a possibility of saving money right now. Classes are always requesting the newest version of the book and sometimes books come with access codes for an online activity that if bought alone cost almost the same as the books. So unless colleges start to move away from  publishing companies that rip students off i don't see book trading as a possibility. 

The study group idea would be great for me personally because i can never seem to organize enough people to study with. the study group feature could even help freshman students meet new people in there major and help them make new friends. This is probably one of the best features of college central because it is completely student based and voluntary. 

The events feature of the website is a good idea but i feel that it still needs some work. The way in which people sign up for events lends itself to be full of irrelevant and fake events. there should be a verification process  to make sure that there are no bogus events. There should also be someway of organizing group outings to certain events  since most people don't want to go to an event by themselves. 

The food feature of the app was in my opinion unnecessary and just provided filler. The school would have to be on board to make cafeteria food better and that doesn't seem likely. Its nice that the page shows deals of the day at restaurants but as college students most of us are trying to save money. Going out to eat seems like it goes against that.

College central is great idea overall. If colleges implemented a one stop shop for everything college based there would be less confusion, more involvement, and most importantly, less passwords!

KeCa Review

I found that KeCa was a very helpful app to help with stress and anxiety but I also felt that I could have done most of that on notes on my iPhone. KeCa said that it could help with anxiety but simple things like making a checklist of things I need to accomplish could've been done on my phone. blogging or posting my daily activities could have been also done on a regular social media page like Facebook or Instagram. The only thing that caught my attention was that you can talk to a therapist to help overcome the anxiety that you are dealing with at that moment. KeCa can help but what also confused me was how they were going to use ads to pay for there app. I didn't like the idea of how they were going to help pay for the app but it is understandable that the people who are talking to the people going through the anxiety attack have to get paid. The colors of the app are very soothing colors but the setup was something that I didn't like it looked messy and unorganized. The KeCa logo and meaning is very pretty and nice to hear something almost fancy. The feature that KeCa added by being able to listen to music while being in the app looks very useful and was very thought out. KeCa could help someone out with anxiety and help overcome many obstacles especially with social anxiety helping someone come out of there shell. Me personally a person who dealt with social anxiety in high school would feel that an app couldn't help with my problems I would have to go out on my own and deal with the problems that I had. In college, i have gone through many breadowns and the only way to calm myself down was through music KeCa comes with that feature and also having the feature to upload my own was very thoughtful. Even though I had many bad things to say about the app I overall liked the project it was one of few that made sense. KeCa was very well presented and even though it had some mistakes it was still very well presented adding in educational videos helped us understand anxiety even better. Overall the colors and the music feature and also the ability to speak to a professional was something that I loved about the app.

College Central

website-https://donterriotate.wixsite.com/collegecentral

presentation-https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1egIWsiDRJdz-qCTDHg07UcWOFQleXUbKz8nlv_lTKzI

app-https://snappy.appypie.com/index/app-download/app_id/e11ccc00c7ff

Oh, there's a baskteball game today?

From an entrepreneurial standpoint, I loved the way the group went and did actual interviews or market research. It not only added credibility to their project but helped the planning process. So many times people have great ideas, but they do not listen to their market very well. Your market is who drives what your product is. The video really showed the problems were that students were facing. One of them being not knowing about campus events.

I have noticed that as a student here at Christian Brothers University, we have a very large communication issue. When I was a cheerleader, many people would say, “Oh there’s a basketball game, today?’ This was when I first noticed that there is a communication issue at CBU. Not many students read the connection. People do not look at the flyers around campus. Word of mouth also barely works because we have such a large commuter population that simply goes to class and then goes home. We often get the same people at events all throughout the year. I love the idea of the events feature. I think it would be great to also add a clubs and organizations section where they could make profiles about their organization. This could help student involvement on campus.

I love the food feature, because I would definitely love to know the off campus food deals because food on campus is not affordable all the time, even when you do have the unlimited meal plan. The hours are terrible. This could be a great alternative.

While this app or platform does not solve anxiety directly but it could be an indirect positive outcome.

The book exchange feature would be something that I would use. Books are also so expensive and I think a book exchange would be great for cutting down on costs.

 While this app or platform does not solve anxiety directly but it could be an indirect positive outcome. I feel that this app does help with many of the problems that students face and it solves many of the problems in simply one place. The amount of features or functions are endless with this app. I mean the functions could include a planner for class and homework, club/organization pages, carpooling, campus news, sporting events, and so much more.

Overall, I enjoyed this project very much. They answered questions very well. I think this app could be a great reality and if I had money I definitely invest in this idea. Like I said in the beginning I loved the student interviews and how they used this to form their product. 

Vote - ified the app

I feel like the Votified app was a great idea, but it was not presented and executed well. I feel like with more time the group could have come up with something that was really good. I think the idea of an app that, makes it easier to find all your election materials in one place a fabulous idea. I think that this was the premise of the app. Though throughout the presentation it was unclear whether they were going to try and get people interested in the voting process of r if they were just trying to make the process easier. Their story changed quite a bit on that front. I personally feel like that the group does not need to try and get people interested in the voting process and in politics. I feel like that just putting all the things related in a current election in one app will be an amazing help. By having everything on a convenient location you are now making it an easier decision for people based on the fat that they can actually find information that is reliable on the candidates.
     I feel like the problem with trying to get others interested in the voting process lies within what they are trying too accomplish as a whole. Are they trying to get everyone to vote? Are they trying to make the process easier for people who already vote? Or are they just trying to make an app that give reliable information about candidate and elections in real time because its hard to constantly try to look up information on an election as an individual. It all depends on what problem they are trying to address. Though they did not address their problem  clearly I can see potential for the app. While there was a conflict of what problem we are addressing their was also the problem of how they were going to fund this. Because you can not have an app like this that is supposed to be free using all the resources that they will have like people making blog posts for current elections. Not paying the people who they are working for.
     Like I said the app needs a bit of work but it has a solid idea I would love to see it once it was complete.

901 Eats review

In the project, 901 Eats they are they are trying to stop the waste of food in America. I like how they target helping homeless people by delivering food to homeless shelters and by also delivering to food banks. In today's time people tend to overlook homeless people due to the thoughts that they think a homeless person would go buy drugs or alcohol with their money. Also, people are skeptical of who is actually homeless because some people do pretend to be homeless. I also love the idea of taking the food directly to a shelter or food bank is better than just driving around and handing the food out. On the website, it states that if the general population has any food that they are not going to  use they can donate it. I personally think that is an issue because you don't know their intentions. It reminds me of Halloween, when you go to someone's house you are hoping that they don't poison your candy, but you wont know till you eat it. I think it would be better that if the general public does not donate, but only restaurants. However, the information that the group provided was really great. I was not aware that 40 percent of food in America is thrown away. I fall victim to throwing food away sometimes, but it is not because I can't finish it but the food is gross. In the video, the guy goes to McDonalds and starts taking out the food in the trash can. In that situation I feel like that food should not be donated. I personally would not feel okay with eating fries from someone I don't know. As far as expanding goes I think it would be a little difficult it is a non-profit organization. I also hope that they would have more than one truck because I think with only one truck doing the job not a lot of things would change. Also, if they only have one truck would they deliver to the same homeless shelter every week or would they spread the food across the Memphis area by donating to different shelters every week. Overall, I think thins is a really good idea to help with food waster and with hunger. I believe this would be a great volunteer project because it is a way for someone to feel like they are giving back to their community. However, I do believe that they should have more than one truck for a change to happen.

901 - Eats

     901 Eats is a great idea. It addresses the problem of world hunger, starting with Memphis. The plan  is to go to restaurants and give away their old food. Not food that people started eating, but untouched still sell-able food. They plan to distribute this food around Memphis using large trucks and volunteers.
     I personally fee like this is a doable plan. If this were a real thing I think that they could pull this off. They plan to fund themselves through coupons and donations. That may take awhile to really take off, but I think they will largely be supported. I really did not find any flaw with their plan to do this. Though in their presentation they focused alot on food waste and their product does not stop food waste or largely reduce it. They are still doing a great thing. They are helping solve the issue of people who do not have enough food to eat. Which is commonly called world hunger.
     Though they do not create a new technology I feel like that their idea is new enough that it does not matter they have a real viable answer to a real problem that we are facing in Memphis. I can see the Nationwide potential for the company. Using this idea in real life could really change peoples lives.
     Though the question is what kind of food will restaurants be giving them hands down I feel like pastries and deserts and things like that will be something that they will have an abundance off. My only worry is the nutritional value of these foods. People need balanced meals and can not survive on junk food/ fast food alone.
    Another worry of mine is about the people who use this. Its easy for people to get content. The homeless people who decide to use this may stop trying to better themselves. They can reliable find a meal everyday and they make enough money everyday to sleep in a shelter. I feel like this service can get taken advantage of pretty quickly.What are they going to do to make sure that people do not get content and decide to rely on 901 Eats instead of using it as an aid and truyl relying on this service to feed them for free.
    Overall I feel like this is a great thing though like all great things it can have its setbacks. I feel like as long as they can find a way to give healthy foods also I think that this may be the best idea that was presented.

College Central Review

College Central is an app focused on making college life easier and stress free. The idea of the website and app is good and I think that it would be super convenient to just have one website instead of the many that we need for each class and the many different websites that we use for homework and to buy books and materials. The presentation focused a lot on anxiety though and I do not feel like it would really help with anxiety as much as they aim for it too. College is expensive and saving some money is nice, but it is not a substantial amount. Anxiety in college also stems from more than just financial reasons. I feel like they should have focused the app more on just the convenience of having everything on one website. Yes include that it saves money, but it is not enough to ease the stress of finances in college or the stress of everything else that goes on in college. I also wanted to know more about how they would advertise this to students in colleges. Would they team up with the school and make this website the college’s home page or base site or would they just have this as something like moodle linked on the college’s home page? It is unclear but I do assume they would probably team up with the schools and teachers and then have the website linked on Cbu.edu in our case.

                The features of this app are nice and I like how all of the events on and off campus are listed because the system right now for advertising events is not really effective. I feel like I never find out what is going on and whenever I do it has already happened or it is too late to make time for the plans. The countless amounts of emails are also very annoying as well and I feel like having it all on one site that also lets users rate the events is very useful. I honestly wish the website existed already because it would save a lot of time and emails. Yes there are somethings that may need tweaking such as, but overall this app is a good idea. The only real critique I had was that it did not really seem to fix the problem of anxiety like they were aiming for and it does not really save that much money.

Food waste is a huge problem in our society. And it's a problem only Oscar the Grouch could love. The key to this problem: Waste Reduction. Now how exactly can we do this? This group, 901 Eats plans to tackle this problem here in Memphis and how it could benefit other aspects of Memphis.

Their mission statement: duty for the sake of duty. This group has a nonprofit organization that advocates for the awareness of how much food is being wasted. They wish to reduce food waste in the Memphis are. Now, how exactly do they plan to do this? They plan to increase waste reduction by donating leftover food to food banks and shelters to feed the people in need. The group truly believes that everyone deserves the basic human right  of food.

The group starts off by defining what a nonprofit organization is and some data facts on food wasting. For example, I was shocked to find out that around 40 % of all produce in the U.S is thrown away. That is truly astonishing, and I am very happy to see a group wanting to focus on reducing that percentage.  Now as we all now, Memphis has a homelessness issue here as well. It isn't just an U.S issue. It also affects Memphis directly. The group then goes into defining some of the factors of homelessness. Such as: poverty, lack of affordable housing, job loss, lack of health care (Hopefully iCare can help with this in the future :) ), mental illness, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

So here is the groups' solution: form a nonprofit and then purchase a truck with refrigeration. With these two main things, this group hopes to reduce food waste by also aiding those in need in our community. The group then provides images of a truck to give the class a visual .I feel like this is a wonderful idea.

I also enjoyed how the group already planned ways to get funding for this idea. This shows that the group truly thought about their future and see this working.

My question is, how big would 901Eats be? Would it just be one truck around Memphis or would it be several of them. And where would be the best headquarters for this organization? Or maybe this organization could partner with UberEATS? I am not sure, but it is definitely an idea to look into.

All I know is, this presentation has made me realize just how lucky I am to have food so readily available. I'll think twice before I throw away all of my food.

Let's talk about vote-ified

Vote-ified is one of my favorite ideas to come out of this project. The problem this group tackles is a very real one that hurts the United States. How are we supposed to have our interests represented if we do not participate in electing those who would represent our interests? I think the concept is where this project shines, but the plans for execution are not too great.

First of all, it is an app that really helps with giving easy access to voter registration and for states that support it, online voting, which is great. But how are you going to get its target audience, teenagers, to download and use the app? This was the part that really stuck out to me the most. How will you generate any revenue if you can't get people to even download the app? How will you sustain? You won't.

Second, the group seemed confident that running and maintaining an app of this fashion is free. Maintaining an app will cost thousands of dollars over time. The server costs alone will make a good portion of these costs. As previously stated, if they do not advertise they will most certainly not have any users, and if you have no funding plans how will you afford advertising?

Third, this is a seasonal app. Sure, there are elections year-round, but most people will "tune in" for the presidential election and then stop using and even delete the app. How do you deal with seasonal users? I never got to ask this question, so we did not really get to address the issue and the group did not address it on their own.

The group also kind of refused to answer questions during the question part of the presentation. Tucker attempted to answer, and then looked to the group who then said nothing and made no attempt to answer. This I think was one of the worst displays in the presentations as far as groups themselves go. As a member of the audience I felt insulted when the group would not answer and had no sort of excuse for it.

So would Vote-ified work? I think with a considerable amount of tweaking and adjustments made to the current plan this app could do well enough for itself. And I think enough people could get interested with the right design and the right marketing. I would probably use the app myself during the presidential elections.

KeCa review

I really liked the project KeepCalm or KeCa for short. It was really original and overall a well presented project from start to finish. The presentation begins with an introduction of what anxiety really is and lists many different types of it. They make sure to place a distinction between everyday anxiety that I am sure many people have and an actual anxiety disorder that must be diagnosed by a professional. They also explain the difference between introverts and extroverts. I think it was interesting that people who are extroverted can also experience anxiety and have anxiety disorders. I guess, like most people, I assumed that people with anxiety disorders are usually introverted. They go on to elaborate on some of the symptoms of anxiety and even include a bit of history about anxiety disorders. I found it surprising that anxiety disorders were not really recognized until the 80's and it is just recently that people are becoming more aware of anxiety disorders and how to properly treat them which is where this app comes through.

KeCa is a self help app that helps people manage their social anxiety by accomplishing small tasks and building on them. Their mission statement "Fortify not fix" really fits well with their project because they are trying to make people stronger not just fix them as if they are broken. The app has several features that I really liked and I think would really help a person with social anxiety. The first feature mentioned was "My journal" which allows the user to write about their day and stores it on the app. Another feature is the "Chill out mix" which includes pre-made playlists that is supposed to help a person be calm. This feature is flexible, however, because if you do not like these playlists, you can create your own. The next feature this app includes is a survey for the users to fill out which includes questions about your age, gender, and anxiety. I think this helps the app become more personalized for each user. The main feature of the app is the ability to create tasks for yourself--no matter how small-- and be able to complete them. I think this idea is awesome because it lets the person set their own pace and not feel pressured to do anything. However, one of my favorite features in this app is the ability for someone with anxiety to be able to speak to someone for help. When they demonstrated it using a classmate, I thought it was really neat. The end of the presentation included the Business plan which all sounded very realistic and reasonable.

Overall, I really, really liked this project. I think it has so much potential and could actually be a real app that helps people with anxiety disorders. I did not really see many flaws in their presentation. They all spoke very well, did not read from the slides, and seemed very knowledgeable about their subject!

iCare and So Should You

The purpose of this business is to help customers find low-cost clinics to assist with their needs. This business is dedicated to aiding people who are not insured. As an individual who is lucky enough to have insurance, I feel as if this is a wonderful idea. This business even provides transportation if a customer needs one. So, let's face it, not everyone is lucky enough to have healthcare. This is Canada, where everyone has healthcare. So what is an alternate solution to that? Helping those without it in a different way. 

First, I would like to point out a few things about the logo. The logo has a light green leaf with the words "iCare" in a deeper green. As we all know, colors can have an important effect on a business. The light green represents growth and harmony. And the dark green represent money. I feel like this is very important and relevant to what this business is trying to support. This business represents easing the financial burden that healthcare carries to those who need it. By easing this burden, they are  promoting growth and longevity to those who previously could not afford it.

As for the transportation aspect, I have a few questions. Would this organization pay those who take the time out their day to provide transportation. Would it be some sort of collaboration with Uber? Or would these individuals be trained medical professionals? These were just a few questions I wanted to raised before I continued further with my analysis.

Then, the group starts by defining what healthcare actually is. It also challenges me to rethink how I view healthcare. They ask the question: Is health insurance a human right or another product one can buy? The U.S seems to follow the second description. However, I have never though health care as a human right. All I know is that is a privilege in my life that I for not take for granted. The group then goes into elaborating more on  the history of health care in America. Then the group relates it to Memphis and its achievements in healthcare.  Now, the way this group executed this idea in a website is beautiful. The actual website itself is easy to use and could actually be innovative. The website starts off with among women with an warm and inviting smile. The website is also very easy to navigate. As with every idea, there is always an issue of funding. I am interested in who this group would contact to get funding? As the group stated, Memphis is a epicenter for healthcare services. So I would assume that many organizations in Memphis would support this idea. 

Tiny Homes review

In the project Tiny Homes, they are trying to provide an eco-friendly and more affordable houses. Tiny Homes would be perfect for people who are trying to get away from there parents or someone who does not want to live in an apartment. I liked how easy the process seemed for the homes to be delivered.  I loved how they gave you different style types. I personally liked the camper style because it gives the vibes of living in the woods. However, I am concerned on how the floor plans would work with all the different types of tiny homes because they are all made different. For instance, the Mountain Side style is a two story building, so how are they supposed to work the same as a one floor style house. The only thing I did not like about the homes is the fact that you have to take your own feces and urine out of the toilet. I am also concerned with the fact of what to do with the feces and urine when you take it out. Do you just throw it in the trash ? Do you empty it behind the house or what ? I would rather have a toilet that just flush and never have to see it again. I also had concerns on the point of what if someone uses a payment plan. What would happen if the person stopped paying? Will the homes have a tracker on them for you to find the tiny home? For instance, if someone buys a style with wheels such as the Camper Style home and does not pay. They could just drive the house to a different place then where it was delivered.

So, I tried to see how much it would cost if I put together my own plan. I selected the cabin style design with floor plan number five. I also selected the payment plan of two years and having to pay 834 dollars a month. I would like if the checkout process was a lot  easier rather than having to put in the floor plans in the note section and having to enter a promo code as the payment plan. A promo code to me is something that you use to get a discount rather than something that is apart of getting an item. I would like if everything was one click and go. Overall, the idea of tiny homes if very beneficial for some people.

Voting made better

Vote-ifed is an app that is aimed to increase the number of voters. We all know that many people opt out of voting because they just think either candidate is good. So, people simply don’t vote. With this app though, it should be able to increase the number of voters and actually impact the poles and decide who will win. Rather than always ending up with either candidate that wont be good from anyway you look at it. So the app was definitely a great idea. My only problem is that this app could be intended for people who actually want to vote. I’m not sure that this app would interest people who simply don’t care about voting. This app does have lots of potential though. I can definitely see how this app could increase the number a bit but I would still wonder how people who don’t want to vote would then be interested in voting. Another thing I did like about the app though, was how easy it made it look at the candidates’ ideas and how it listed the election dates. Sometimes people don’t know what the candidates are thinking about or doing and want more information. So, linking up a way to look at their website and see what their vision is definitely helps out in aspect of time. You just simply go somewhere and click the link and everything you want to read is there. You don’t really have to do research and worry about using up more time than you have in your day. The part about including the election dates also helped a lot because people don’t always know what day they are. Especially people who are constantly doing something every day. the days just fly by them but with the help of this app, they will be able to know exactly what day to be ready for to go and vote. The last thing, is that im hoping in the future, they incorporate a way to vote from the app. Now that would be a crazy awesome feature. I can’t really remember who made that comment, but I do agree with it. At that point, this app would become one of the most downloaded apps to ever be out on a platform for downloading. Not only would it make it easier to vote, but I do believe more people would want to actually vote since it would be simpler.

KeCa, for all, not only for some.

The KeCa app definitely intrigued me and I was very interested through the whole thing. I was very interested in the aspect of it helping people to deal with their anxiety. I took psychology so I already had an idea of how bad this issue was. And I'm glad that this app was thought about. From the features of calling an automated machine to help connect you with someone, to all the other features. But the call feature was probably my favorite. In todays world, I feel like not many people are actually aware of what's going on in the world with anxiety and its somewhat sad. This app will not only help the issue, but its definitely going to bring awareness to a situation that should have had lots of attention already. Another thing that I loved about this app was the idea that it had a playlist option and I'm all about music. I love music. Especially if it has a great beat. So incorporating music in an app that already helps you deal with anxiety can definitely go a long way. It has lots of potential to help people deal with anxiety and it will help more people understand this issue is not to be taken lightly. People suffer from this everyday and we have to do something to ease the suffering of as many people as possible. If we don’t do something to combat this, who knows how bad it could keep on getting. I definitely think that this group did a great thing by bring more light to the issue and presenting it to us effectively. The way they were organized and the way the executed their presentation was what got me into the app as well. I didn’t really have any questions, only comments, because they answered all of my questions as they spoke. I was very amazed at how much they thought about this issue. And the business plan, very wise. So from, the information I learned about anxiety, to all of the features that this app offers, I think its an excellent idea. The surveys were also a great part of the app in my opinion. They give you a sense of accomplishment in a way. And from what I remembered, I believe someone in the group said that you could at your own pace. So that was really great. Overall, an incredible and helpful app.

College Central

Initially, the idea of college central is an amazing concept that can impact a students life in college tremendously. The presentation was well organized in its development of the idea behind college central. The interviews were quite intriguing to watch. They truly demonstrated the meaning of college central and the hassle it solves. Also, the interviews provide real-time data of how college students feel about their campus. For example, in Christain Brothers University the day a day hassles include; parking, not knowing about events, study groups, an excessive amount of work, and expensive. College Central would solve each problem with the use of an app or website that can inform the student, provide online resources and communication. It reduces the amount of information a student misses on the daily. On the websites, it provides upcoming events around campus. This feature is a very useful tool for a college student. In fact, the number of events I as student miss proves that student lack in awareness about campus event. A student receives an email about events but usually never checks it. Therefore, this feature can change the student interaction with the campus. College central doesn't end there with its amazing features. It also allows you to organize the events you would attend and alerts you about events you missed. Even though college central has some great features it also has some features that need to improve. For example, the book exchange is a great idea for a feature but lacks in details. Its risky to go exchange a book with another person on campus not knowing what conditions it could be or if its a scam. I propose that online textbook should be exchanged such as pdf or codes that give you access to an online textbook. One of the most common situations was the fact that the food is bad for how expensive it is. On College Central, it would provide a tab that lists near food location that offers college students discount. Lastly, the concept of College Central is a great idea that can solve many major complaints about Christain Brothers University. The presentation gave us a good understanding of how useful is this website or app.  Each member explains how this app would change awareness and increase engagement at CBU. This idea should be presented to all universities or college to increase involvement from their students that could affect the way they perform in their studies.

Vote-Ified review

The people of the United States are not voting anymore, especially the younger generations. I find it so sad that our ancestors fought so hard for people to be able to vote freely, especially the African-Americans and women of our country, and now there are less people voting than ever. The project Vote-ified was created to address the problem of people not voting. I found it most surprising that the number one reason people are not voting is because they are "too busy", which is what the creation of this app and website is supposed to address. The project tries to combat the problem of low voter turnout using three strategies: Awareness, Engagement, and Efficiency.

For the first strategy, Awareness, the app will keep you updated on who the candidates are that are running for elections. It will also provide videos of debates from these candidates. The next strategy, Engagement, aims to match you up with the candidate you agree on with the most issues. It includes a survey that asks you questions such as, "Do you agree with abortion?" and based on your answer it will match you with the candidate that has the same viewpoint. I think this is actually a good idea in theory; however, it was not actually included in the app. The group mentioned that the app would have this function, but did not actually create it in there. I think this may be because they had to pay for the full version of the app editor to do this? The last strategy for this project was, Efficiency, which enabled the user to see candidate updates, news, and even search for their polling location and get directions. This section also included an election calendar and a link to take you to a government website to register to vote. The app also includes lists of federal and state laws that the user may peruse through and a blog. The blog is written from the point of view of lawyers and student lawyers about newly passed laws and court decisions that might affect the people of the United States. I found this part really neat because I think it would be really interesting to read what lawyers would have to say. 

We need something to improve voter turnout especially among the younger generations, and I think this project has a lot of potential, but I do think there are a few flaws. Firstly, as minor as it may seem, there were a few grammatical errors on the website and in the app, and I think that brings down the professionalism of the project. Second, I was a bit skeptical about the funding of the project. I am not sure how they will be getting the lawyers to participate in the blog and how or if they will pay them. Lastly, I felt like most of the members of the group giving the presentation were a bit unenthusiastic and unprepared. I feel like there were several moments of just silence when they were asked questions, and no one seemed like they wanted to answer the question. However, I'm sure it had more to do with nervousness than anything else.

Overall I think this is a good project, especially since everything is in one centralized location and easily accessible.

Food Waste in the US

Homelessness is a big issue in the United States and getting them meals is an even bigger issue. The group presentation for a nonprofit organization called 901 Eats focuses on the problem of food waste in America. The objective of 901 Eats is to stop food waste or help prevent it by donating leftover food to food banks and homeless shelters. The main target area as of right now is the Memphis-Metropolitan area because there are a lot of homeless people in Memphis who are living out on the streets. To help accomplish their objective, 901 Eats wants to partner with local businesses or restaurants to compromise on times when a food truck can come by and pick up any food that is expiring soon or unsold food that they may throw out. The truck would then transport the food to shelters across the city and then prepare it for homeless people who are in need of a meal.The nonprofit organization, 901 Eats, want to get volunteers to help come out can collect the food. They are not pushing the idea of volunteers because they understand that some people are too busy to volunteer. They also encourage people to donate. I loved that they have two ways in which people can donate. Firstly, one can donate simply by going to their website, and the other ways is simply by going out to eat. Yes, I said by going out to eat. 901 Eats will give out coupons to people, and they can use these coupons at any supporting restaurants. When paying for their meal, 15% of the money that they pay for their meal goes to the organization which is such a great idea! Americans love to eat so giving them this opportunity will not only bring more awareness to the issue, but it will prompt more people to participate because they are not only enjoying a meal but they are giving to a great cause. Who doesn't love a two for one deal!? An organization such is this is such a wonderful idea, and I would personally love to support or volunteer for a cause like this! Everyone in the group did a wonderful job both collectively and individually. They were able to answer questions and explain their reasoning behind doing certain things a certain way. I also think that the visual representation shown in the presentation such as the video about how much food people waste in a day was a great aid because it really brought things into perspective for me. I always knew that we, as Americans, do waste a lot of food, but I did not really pay that much attention to it until I saw this presentation; with that being said, this presentation did an amazing job bringing awareness to the matter, so job well done!

An App for Anxiety?

KeCa is an app that it geared towards helping those who suffer from social anxiety. One of the things I learned from this presentation was that anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. One of the most prevalent types of anxiety is social anxiety which is a fear of being judged negatively in social settings. Common triggers of social anxiety include, meeting an authoritative figure, being introduced to people, being teased by others, and being the center of attention. Social anxiety tends to be more common amongst millennials especially those who are in college. This makes a lot of sense because a lot of people express that college is where you want to be the most social; everyone expects you to join extracurricular activities, get good grades, have a job, and have a good social life. All of these things become very stressful and a bit much for the average college student to handle. The app KeCa aims to encourage individuals with social anxiety to sort of face their fears by providing a number of small tasks they can complete on their own timing. On the app, users can make an account and have the ability to create a journal. This feature allows you to post or write about your day. The app also allows its users to listen to pre-made playlists with songs that have been proven to ease anxiety as well as provides them with the option to upload their own playlists. In addition, there is a survey feature which one can take and based on how you answer those questions, the app will give you tasks to complete. KeCa also provides a helpful links section which includes videos about social anxiety. I feel as though this app would help a lot of people, and I can definitely see myself downloading this app because I can kind of be a loner at times. I find myself very scared to talk to new people or spark conversations with others because of what they might think of me or how I may come off to them. A lot of people pressure me into being more social, but the idea of it frightens me a bit, so I feel that downloading an app like this and having the list of tasks that can help me with my social capabilities would help me out tremendously! I feel that this app is such great idea because it gives people with social anxiety an outlet to express themselves because not a lot of people who suffer from social anxiety feel comfortable taking to others about it.