Stay tuned in the coming week for our announcement of the Top Pet Blogs, selected from our impressive list of nominees!

Do you know of any great pet blogs that you’d like to nominate for this award? Let us know by using our nomination form. 

According to the report, entitled Hard Times, Architecture majors lead the pack in unemployment for recent college graduates with a whopping 13.9%, followed by Arts at 11.1%, and Humanities and Liberal Arts at 9.4%.

Those who are scientifically inclined can take solace; at 5.4%, majors in health have the lowest unemployment rate for new bachelor’s degree holders, tied only by education, and the industry ranks third for highest paid recent graduates. Check out our career series to learn more about health related careers in Medical Billing and Coding or Health Informatics.

Click here to see the rest of the report and find out where your major ranks, or to get some extra insight on which degree you should pursue!

Did you find this report helpful? Do you have advice on choosing a major that will increase your chance of securing employment? Let us know in the comment section below!

The greatest misunderstanding in Health Informatics is the difference between Health Informatics (HI) and Health Information Management (HIM). To clear up this issue, Elizabeth Brandes BHSc. (HIM) CHIM., of the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA), has written for us the first guest post in the Health Informatics Concentration of the eCollegeFinder Career Series, describing the differences of HI and HIM in Canada.

According to the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA), Health Information Management (HIM) is the discipline that focuses on health care data and the management of health care information, regardless of the medium and format. Research and practice in HIM addresses the nature, structure, and translation of data into usable forms of information for the advancement of health and health care of individuals and populations.

The HIM curriculum is based on a number of core competencies which include: Biomedical Sciences, Health Care Systems in Canada, Health Information (which includes Health Information Management, Health Information Analysis and Business Intelligence, Health Information: Privacy, Confidentiality, and Access), Information Systems and Technology, Management, and Ethics and Practice.  In Canada, graduates of accredited HIM programs who successfully challenge the National Certification Exam (NCE) receive a certificate of registration in the Canadian College of Health Information Management (CHIMA) and are eligible to use the credential CHIM.

There is some confusion with respect to the differences between HIM and Health Informatics (HI). According to COACH, the association for HI in Canada, HI involves the application of information technology to facilitate the creation and use of health related data, information, and knowledge. HIM professionals work primarily in records and information lifecycle management, coding and classification, data quality management, privacy, decision support, and standards.  HI professionals work mainly with technology itself – IT management, architecture, application implementation and support, and security. While there are many similarities, the differences are in the details.

The learning outcomes for the emerging HIM professional are a starting point. Graduates from HIM programs must meet the requirements of continuing education for an entry level HIM professional. It is expected that they will continue to learn both formally and informally throughout their career. Advanced HIM professionals work in project management, change management, analysis and evaluation, and research; there is a growing need for further education in these four areas. As the HIM profession embraces new roles, one of the main transition tools and strategies is continuing education.

For more information on CHIMA or HIM credentialing/education, please visit the CHIMA website.

Elizabeth Brandes BHSc. (HIM) CHIM.

Director of Examination and Professional Practice

Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA)

Elizabeth is a certified CHIM and holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences with an Honours Specialization in Health Information Management from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to joining CHIMA, Elizabeth worked with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and eHealth Ontario. 

Among those who have left themselves vulnerable, 7 million households have cited problems with the site, including harassment over information that was accidentally shared publicly. Failing to keep privacy under wraps on Facebook can result in a number of other issues, too, ranging from problems obtaining health insurance after ‘liking’ a page in support of a health condition you possess or trouble securing employment after posting ill-advised pictures of yourself. A public status update can even let burglars know when you won’t be home. In order to avoid becoming a victim in situations like these, Consumer Reports gives these nine tips on how to protect your privacy on Facebook:

Think before you type. Even if you delete an account (which takes Facebook about a month), some info can remain in Facebook’s computers for up to 90 days.

Mel Bartholomew

My blog is all about the simplest, easiest, least costly way to garden – Square Foot Gardening – right from the founder himself – me. I teach all the nuances and basics of the system as well as share stories of how it was started and the work we do around the world.

What is your number one tip for the aspiring gardener?
My number one tip is that you can start anywhere at almost any time because you don’t need any tools, there are no weeds, and you can grow in as small a space as 2′x2′ with Square Foot Gardening. It’s for all ages and a great way to bond with aging parents or grandparents. Click here to read a post I’ve written for beginners to try and dispel any excuses to not start a garden.

Tootsie Time

Tootsie Time is a place where people can come to get tips on gardening and living creatively! I share my garden and interior design adventures as they come and hope to entertain my readers along the way! I love to inspire and to be inspired by blogging!

What is your number one tip for the aspiring gardener?
If there is one thing I would say to an aspiring gardener, it would be that there are no hard fast “rules”. Plant what you like. There is no such thing as an ugly garden… or one too small. Do what you are comfortable with and love what you grow!

Sunray Gardens

This is a gardening site with photos of shrubs, trees, conifers, and perennials, both deciduous and evergreen, listed with botanical names as well as common names, tnformation on care, and how they are used in the garden.

What is your number one tip for the aspiring gardener?
Plant what you love and enjoy, even if it’s difficult to find, and you will enjoy the gardening experience so much more. It will be a labor of love rather than work.

Did you find the list of Top Garden Blogs helpful in your garden? Let us know in the comment section below!

Watch this video interview with Croizon, and get inspired to get up off the couch and make a difference!

What do you think of this amazing feat? Let us know in the comment section below!

We need your help to determine which of the nominated blogs is the most helpful in the garden, whether you’re planting your first seed or already possess the greenest of thumbs. Click here to see the list of Top Garden Blogs Award nominees and here to vote for your favorite.

If you’d like to tweet about the competition, please use the hashtag #ECFtopgarden. You may view the hashtag feed by clicking here.

Happy gardening and good luck to all of our nominees!

The watch syncs wirelessly with your smart phone, allowing you to use apps without pulling out your cell. Run distance monitoring apps while you cycle, heart monitoring apps while you jog, switch songs in iTunes or Spotify, and get text messages and alerts, sent straight to your wrist. In addition to the applications available on Pebble from the start, developers are free to code their own.

This product has not yet released, but you can preorder by pledging money to Pebble Technology on their Kickstarter project page.

At the time of this post, nearly $5MM had been raised, making Pebble “the most successful Kickstarter project ever.” Read more about Pebble or watch the following video and let us know in the comment section below what you think; is this product worth preordering?

Currently, this program is in prototype form. The first class, 6.002x Circuits and Electronics, is underway and will continue until June 8, 2012. After this class is complete, free courses are expected to open up in the fall.

Continue checking up on the MITx website to see when registration will begin for free online classes in Fall 2012 to advance your education at MIT.

Are you enrolled in the Spring 2012 MITx program? Are you planning to enroll for the fall semester this year? Let us know in the comment section below!

Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the eCollegeFinder Top MBA Blogs Award! These blogs have been voted by our readers as the most inspirational, encouraging, and informative blogs for MBA and potential MBA students. We hope you’ll find the list helpful as you’re researching process of earning an MBA!

You can view the Top 22 MBA Blogs by clicking here.

Thank you to all of the readers who cast their vote for the competition!

If you’d like to tweet about the competition, use the hashtag #ECFtopMBA (view the feed here)! If you have any questions or comments about the award, leave a comment below or email us using our contact form.