Blog for MIS Netr Online and Tax Liens by Raymond Brown

Last class period, on (Wednesday Feb.25) MIS was very informative. I actually learned a new way to see if a home is in foreclosure or not and what person owns. I glad I know how to use www.netronline.com because when my friends and I are making spring break plans I can actually look up the condo or home we plan to stay at, and see if the place is actually legit. Another useful thing that I got from class was learning more about tax leans. Tax leans are tax payments that you can pay to acquire ownership of property. For example if someone has outstanding property taxes to pay off, you can choose to step in and pay the government how much the owe and after the owner of the property either has to pay you the outstanding amount of taxes (plus interest) or the give up the right of the property to you. With all that said the tools and information that I am learning in class has definitely gave me an idea of what other avenues I can take to make money.

 Kudos Prof. Sistrunk.

Elrie Chrite about Credit

Today in class, we discussed the significance of maintaining a good credit score, as well as the means by which to do so. It was interesting to note the correlation between monitoring an individuals credit and our current economic state. Mortgages were previously obtained under the assumption that applicants were honest about their salary. Of course, under many circumstances, they were being dishonest, and ultimately, they were unable to afford their mortgages. If something as simple as checking the credit reports of these individuals had been done, they would have been declined for the loan and the collapse may not have been so dramatic.

Aside from mortgages, you will require a solid credit score in order to get credit cards, get an auto loan, or even ensure that you can cosign a loan for your child’s education. One of the best things you can do for your credit is to monitor and track what it is that you owe, and pay it. This can range from utilities bills to the repayment of your auto loan. Keeping track of so many financial matters can be difficult, but there are valuable tools available to you to ensure that everything is conveniently located in one central location. In order to do so, I would recommend a valuable tool we discovered earlier this semester. The tool is called https://www.mint.com/. It will monitor all of your finances and allow you to establish an efficient budget to satisfy your repayment needs.

Richard Nicholes - Personal Credit

Today’s lesson in Management Information Systems was very interesting and directly affects our lives today. On February 27, 2012, our class discussed credit, why we have it, and how different activities on the part of us students, as well as our parents in some cases, can affect our credit score.

We learned that our credit score is essentially our track record of paying back loaned money, and that this influences if, and how much, banks and other financial intermediaries are willing to loan us. Credit scores can go as high as 800, and we learned that there are many ways in which to check your credit score. Professor Sistrunk told us that the state of Georgia allows for one free printout of a person’s credit score every six months. He also directed us to companies that deal in the business of displaying credit reports, such as http://www.experian.com/, http://www.freecreditreport.com/, and http://www.equifax.com/.

We also learned how things like the differences between chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcies, and how they affect your credit score, how delinquent payments decrease your score, and how to read and analyze a credit report.

Being that we are all college students, just starting to build our credit histories and starting to pay our own bills, this lesson was very important in that it shows us the types of things that we should not do so that we can continue to build good credit.

Jeremay Halbert-Harris - Personal Credit

Today in class we learned about the importance of maintaining your credit. Although I felt I knew a lot about this already. I only knew the tip of the iceberg. Credit is a very tricky and sneaky system. Your credit can be completely messed up by the littlest things. Small claims and big claims it does not matter. Your credit score should be 700 or better in todays economy or your credit is not considered good. Since the 9/11 attack the economy has fluxated but been on a steady downfall. This event caused the need for greater credit scores. Well this is all I have today comment and give your thoughts. Have a blessed day!!!!!!!!

Jeremy Halbert-Harris

Real Estate Data

There are many online sources of real estate data. One of the best places to find free data is at www.netronline.com. This web site has a section on public records online section. This section has links to each of the over 3,300 U.S. counties that tract every real estate property in their county.

To get to the data,

1. click the menu selection, "Public Online Section",
2. click the state on the map,
3. select the county (on left), and finally
4. select the first choice (top) on the right.

There are many pay sites, including

1. Real Quest
2. Loopnet
3. CoStar

Enjoyed Class on Real Estate and Budgeting by Alphonso Smith

This week, Management of Information Systems has been very informative. On Monday February 20^th, 2012, Dr. Sistrunk talked about the importance of real estate. I never understood why people invested so much into real estate until I learned how efficient the market really is. A lot of things are being displayed on the web and real estate is no different. Dr. Sistrunk introduced a website, www.netronline.com that gives consumers an opportunity to look at a house, condo, or apartment that they are considering. I thought that the website was interesting because it shows how much access the consumer truly has to the real estate market. This website shows the exact expenses, the owner (if any), and gives a description of the residence.

            I enjoyed the real estate topic but I am also enjoying a lot more about the Management of Information Systems course. The discussion that I felt was just as beneficial as real estate was budgeting. The assignment last week on creating a budget made me realize the expenses I will encounter after graduation. I have a budgeting plan now but I am going to have to strengthen my budget in the future so I can have money left over. I am currently learning a lot and look forward to further increase my knowledge in the digital world and future preparation. 

Increasing Your Speed in Excel by Barry M. Benson

We all know that Microsoft Excel will play an integral role in majority of the careers that we as business majors go into. Even non-corporate jobs require some sort of degree of computer knowledge. As professor Sistrunk always says, we need to develop skills that add value to the companies that we work for. Well having an above average proficiency in Microsoft would add value to any company. Increasing your speed in Excel would make you an above average excel user. The tutorials on the website do help to a certain extent, but it is what is provided. I challenge you guys to go a step further to learn the hot keys and short cuts so that you can navigate through excel much quicker. 

-- 
Barry M. Benson, Founder
J.Benson & Company, LLC

AJ Kimbrough Blog February 20, 2012

Today’s class was very informative. Professor Sistrunk began by speaking to the class about the differences between having a car & house repossessed. We learned that to account for a house is much easier, as it pertains to location and be being able to physically take possession, than it is to do so with a vehicle. Shortly after, through a step-by-step process, we were shown how to receive assessor’s information by state, city and county via http://www.netronline.com/. Using this website, information about any type of property, houses, condos, apartments, etc in any county within the United States can be found. Also, another interesting way of getting information is looking up properties by owner’s name. When researching this way, you will be able to insert a name, and then receive information on all properties owned by that individual.

How To: go tohttp://www.netronline.com/ -> Insert property owner’s first & last name or zip code -> information about property owner’s property or specific property (whichever was inserted) will appear for your research

Excel 2007 Videos for the week of Feb. 20, 2012 - Sort & Basic Tables

This week you will watch the two videos below to learn how to sort data and build basic tables. Your homework for the week (due Sunday Feb. 26, 2012 at midnight) is based on these videos and the Monday, Feb 20, 2012 lecture about real estate data.

http://www.youtube.com/v/T3PphEYB1DQ

http://www.youtube.com/v/e_3wIkAnVrs

Class discussion - Wednesday Feb 15, 2012

We talked about accounting and financial information systems. We discussed and showed how the following web sites worked.

The is a free web site that allows you to create and manage invoices.

The is a free web site that allows you to manage your income, expenses, assets and liabilities. Its great for small business and personal financial management.

This site allows you to receive and send money across the internet.

Monday Feb 13, 2012 - Class discussions

In class we created a budget based on living and working in Atlanta after college. Our budgeted living expenses showed how hard it will be to control them. But that is the key to creating long-term wealth. Our wealth is created by saving every pay period (weekly/monthly). If you can not control expenses, you can never generate enough income to create wealth. Remember, we discussed earlier all of the sports players, lottery winners and actors who make millions and still ended up broke.

Below, is a table showing household wealth based on "race".

The lack of household wealth impacts not just lifestyle but control and the ability to combat racism.

Dwayne Robinson's Blog

    Recently, in class we discussed the difference between wealth and income. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Wealth is the abundance of valuable material possessions or resources while income is gain or recurrent benefit usually measured in money that derives from capital or labor. When it comes to the African-American Community, we have the least amount of wealth in comparison to other races and ethnicities no matter how large or small the amount of income that an individual or family takes in. I feel that it is important that more African-Americans should become more financially literate, so that we can increase the amount of wealth that we have as a people in order to be passed on from generation to generation or to help others in need.

We can increase the amount of wealth in the black community by getting an education and starting a business among other things. Another thing is that we must work together despite what differences that we may have because when I was listening to a talk radio show on WAOK, they were discussing how other ethnic groups work together to start a business or invest in an intelligent individual to receive the best education possible in order to have a lucrative career. If we start making these changes now, there is no doubt how it will impact the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3IW3PhBgjs

Nolan Schnepf Post - Google Car

Apparently Google has come out with new hardware and software that works together to drive your vehicle on its own.  The car features a transmitter/receiver that detects other vehicles, objects and people up to a certain distance.  This way the car can brake and avoid potential collisions.  It also uses satellites similar to that of Google earth in order to map out directions.  The car literally starts, makes turns and parks itself.  There is however an emergency override button in the car is not responding correctly.  Finally, it is okay to text and drive.

 

http://youtu.be/-nYhKD8leAg

Web Sites for class - Wednesday Feb 15th 2012

Shareware.com gives you access to free software. When I need some software, I search this site first.

Wednesday February 15th discussion will cover these three web sites that are related to financial information systems.

http:///www.paypal.com - make and recieve payments

http://www.billingboss.com - manage and create invoices

http://www.mint.com - manage financial operations

James Young's Blog Post - Tunein Radio and Technology changes

In class we discussed the application tune in. Tune in is a radio application that you can use anywhere in the United States to listen to sports, entertainment, and music. This application is one of the many new inventions that have taken over our world today. Every day a new application comes along and makes our technology more and more advanced. Here are a few examples of how our technology has grown.

Then a man name Henry Ford came along in the agricultural age. He came and took a risk with the car. The modern day car came and took over the agricultural age. He created a monopoly by kicking out the blacksmith. The blacksmith had to make a decision to change his company. He had to embrace the change and just adapt to it.

https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpo_XxOjblUyK-UnswN7NAhXqit6pt8IayjeGL6txzK5DxM5Un

Next we introduced digital cameras. Digital cameras were introduced in the early late 1990's these cameras have evolved over time. Pictures used to take a day to receive your pictures. You had to take them to wolf camera to receive those pictures back. When the pictures first came along you no long had to paste pictures on paper. You could just put them on your computer and receive them automatically. Now with the evolution of cell phones digital cameras and video cameras are becoming out dated because everyone has camera and videos so they are taking over the market. It is making the technology have to switch up there formula.

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSnnxxskzFa2w5pzFDOyqB0i-eNaOCVH8PvUtsNU2U3TOyLtkcyJA

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSx1JFKlQa9AdlJD0kLFbQWsd-NGQNSmysttniwBQL0N4eJxLIqQA

I feel that technology has evolved every five years. Technology has moved from house phones to cell phone to videos. We have moved from desktop computers to laptops to Ipads. We have moved from boxed television to flat boxed television to flat screen television. We continue to evolve and become better and better with modern day technology.

By; Mr. Antoine Bates 9:25 am class - our first student post

In class we discussed the beginning of the Internet which started from the need of operators to connect to their computers from remote locations. It was used most frequently by the military and college and universities. Below you will find a video which speaks about the beginnings of the internet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg5txw4m5PE  ;

A personal story: The internet was introduced to the public in the early 90's but at that time it was called the World Wide Web  hence www. at the beginning of most sites. I remember being in a engineering program at Kettering University as I moved into my seventh grade year and this was my first introduction to World Wide Web. There weren't many sites at that time and the information was scarce but it was an interesting thing. I grew up in the age of the internet, so I got to see it in the beginning of its introduction to the public until what it has become today. No one even calls it the World Wide Web anymore even though that's what it started out as. Below you will find a video about how the internet actually works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj6EHgSsx_U&feature=related  ;

Within our last class session we also talked about DNS which means Domain Name Systems, and TCP/IP which means Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. And below you will find videos on each topic to be an addition to what we have already heard in class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZUxoi7YNgs&feature=related   ;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rR8p6gsExY&feature=related  ;

I feel that we use the internet all the time but yet we don't understand much about it. But now our lives depend on the internet, so it's important that we take some time to do more research on this same thing we depend so much upon. Before this class session I never knew half of the information I knew now. Hopefully the information I have contained in this blog will give you more information on its creations and workings.

Class Material for Wednesday Feb 8, 2012 - The Internet

Below are videos related to the class discussion about the Internet and how it works.

How the Internet Works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5oe63pOhLI

The History of The Internet.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIQjrMHTv4

IP Address.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsr_rWboRKg

Domain Name Services



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qELic5IIWXs

Homework Due Sunday Feb, 12, 2012 by midnight

This Excel Homework is related to Tutorial #5 and #6. (See videos below)

Download the assignment using the link below.
http://www.box.com/s/ojngqsd4k4iadh806gk4
Format the cells in this file, create borders, add color and etc.



Also for homework,
1) Setup a free http://www.godaddy.com/ account
2) Purchase a domain name (.info only $1.99) - check deal sites  for a coupon
3) Setup a free http://www.paypal.com/ account and link it to your bank account.
4) If you do not have a bank, let me know by text or email me.

Tutorial #5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGfp4B5xybY

Tutorial #6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGOs1Z0Nbn0

Student Schedule for Posting to this blog.

Download a copy of this schedule, so you know when your post is due. Remember, your post is worth 10 point toward your final grade.

http://www.box.com/s/6n0ky9gf0it32gotk39t

Class Attendance Form - use when asked by Prof. Sistrunk

Click Link Below to access form:

http://fs3.formsite.com/reonet/form25/index.html

Course Mobile Apps are ready.

I created a mobile app for the MIS course.
The Android App is ready to download and install now.
However, the Apple App must be approved by Apple first and available on their site. This may take some time and may not be approved in time or at all.

Android App Install Directions:

1. Click on the link from this blog (right panel) or from the course web site (http://www.hba322.info).
2. Download the .apk file onto your android mobile device.
3. Once downloaded, your device may start to install it automatically.
4. You may get a message that you can not install an app not from the Android Marketplace. If so, go into you mobile device properties menu and find the menu selection that lets you install non Marketplace  Apps. Once you choose this option, then you can install it.

If it does not install automatically,

• You will need to find the file on your device and press the file name to start the install.
• You might find a message in your pull down menu, if so press the message to start install.
• Contact Me, if all else fails.