Emily Richards BAPP Blog

'Google yourself' After our group Skype chat with Paula on Tuesday the first thing I went away and did was Google myself! We were talking mainly about ethical considerations and Paula asked if we had ever Googled ourself and suggested we go away and do this. After all a potential employer could easily do this,  so it would be interesting to see what they would see. So I typed my name into Google and wasn't surprised to see that not a lot came up! There was a link to my Facebook profile, which, when I clicked on without being logged in was very private (I have always tried to keep my profile as private as possible) And apart from this there was nothing else the came up under my name on Google. I do have an Instagram, twitter and YouTube, but I think because I have these under a different user name rather than my own name this is why they did not come up on Google. We also spoke in depth about about social media and whether our social media profiles perceive us in a way ...

Discovering Web 2.0 Before starting on this course I had never even heard of Web 2.0, so this was a completely new concept to me. I think I am lucky to be part of a generation that can remember life before the Internet became almost a necessity of everyday life. This allows me to compare the differences between before and after the introduction of Web 2.0. Architectures of participation This is something I could really relate to whilst reading reader 1. At the time of reading this I was in the process of setting up my own ballet classes up in a local village hall. 10-15 years ago my advertising for this would probably have consisted of putting posters up in local shops and putting letter through doors. This would have been , as quoted from reader 1 a 'traditional one-to-one basis' way of getting in touch with people. However, with the evolution of the Web and the introduction on Facebook, this has enabled people to advertise and communicate with many people with out even...

Using aspects of all my CVs and merging them together with a new, more eye-catching layout I have created my new CV. I have included a short 'Aboout Me' section, which is something I have never used in a performing CV. I have still only used my teaching and performing experience as I feel this is more relevant. I have also merged skills from both CV's. I have also used my headshot on this CV, usually I would send/hand this in seperately for an audition for performance jobs, or would not include this at all for non-performance jobs. I am pleased with the results, and I feel that the progress from the first CV's I uploaded to this one are very apparent and hopefully a positive improvement.

As many performers do, I have a lot of different variations of my CV. My Dancer CV - This includes Performance Jobs, My Training, many details about my self including height, hair colour and length, dress size, shoe size (many things that if you were to apply for a non-dancing job you would never dream of putting on your CV), I also include my skills and the level at which I am in each skill. I never include any non-performing jobs on this CV. This CV is usually paired with a head shot (something else you would never use when applying for a non performing job) My Teaching CV - This is quite similar to my Dancer CV, but I include more details of teaching work, rater than performing work. I don't include and details such as height, hair colour etc, as for teaching something like your height or dress size should not be an issue. My 'Normal' CV - This is the CV I use when applying for 'in between jobs' I am sure all performers are aware of these kind of jobs - the...

I have had a super busy couple of weeks, as I have finished a full time job working in a financial advisers, to continue to pursue a career in teaching dance. I have taken on three new evenings a week since last week and I have even set up one evening a week of my own classes. This involved creating a logo, page, advertisements, new lesson plans, buying all sorts of props, as the classes start at age 2&1/2, the brighter the colours and the more engaging I can make classes the better! I did all of my advertising through Facebook, which shows just how much times have changed with the invention of the internet. I have not made any posters, leaflets, posted in any newspapers, yet still managed to reach thousands of people! So now I have finished my first week of transitioning into my 'New Life' I am using today to make a start on task 1A. I have been panicking this week that I had not yet made a proper start, so I am hoping to really get my teeth stuck in over th...

So here I go! I have thought many times about starting a Blog, whether it would be to document my travels during my time cruising, or to document a new fitness regime, I am actually finding starting the process quite daunting! I love the idea of showing a journey through a Blog and giving people the chance to join you on your journey whilst they can comment on their thoughts, support, advice and give words of encouragement. Before taking part in our Skype induction for the BAPP course last Friday I have had a mixture of emotions, I felt my feelings of excitement were taken over by feelings of worry. What if I didn't understand what I am meant to be doing? What if I get things wrong? What if I struggle to find the time to fit everything in? What if I need to ask too many questions? Since the Skype session last week I feel much more at ease. It was encouraging to hear the experience and views of other members embarking on the course with me. Discussing with both Paul...