Okay, I am so behind the times on this one. Everyone talks about myspace and facebook. Everyone in my family but me has a page on one or both of these. I actually signed up for one of them to keep track of my kids' doings on them, then delegated the task to my husband, since he routinely uses it, and I don't.
I guess my biggest thing is that I'm scared of identity theft, or weirdos showing up on the doorstep, thinking they know me because of my page. The articles say to make it private, but I'm not sure how that plays out--if it's private, then it's only people I invite in??? But one of the articles said that private doesn't really mean private--people can still access your information. And, if it's private, then how to I go about meeting people with similar interests? How much information can you give before you've crossed the line? If I say I live in Virginia, is that okay? What about Richmond? I have an unusual name, and I would be easy to track for anyone determined to do so--for that matter, for anyone who can use google. So, is it truly a big deal to post that on a page?
I have so many questions about this that it paralyzes me. It's easier not to do anything, then to do something and have people say, "Well, you should have known better..."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Games
Hmmm. What to write? Good old solitare has been around since the computer screen, and I've played my fair share. When I sat down to do this session, though, I discovered that I am actually afraid of some of the new interactive stuff. Afraid? Yeah. Weird, huh?
I think it stems back to junior high softball tryout trama. I mean, it's one thing to fail at your little solitaire game (or in front of sneering adolescent jocks), but in front of a world wide audience??? Could we not go there???
I'll admit, I've given gaming a few tries, but I strongly object to people shooting at me--even in cyber space. And, ramming my podracer into canyon walls hurts, regardless.
The only game I've enjoyed recently was a Boggle-like game with prairie dogs or some such popping up. Even then, I don't blink enough when I play--my eyes end up red and burning, my shoulders are hunched up over my ears, and I have a permanent furrow in my forehead--the Ghost of My Wrinkled Future.
Maybe I'm just not playing the right games?
I tried a couple of the options provided. One wouldn't download on the computer. The other didn't provide instructions, so I was shouting at the computer that I didn't understand while a bubble burst on my head and killed me. Oh, yeah. Fun stuff.
I think what it boils down to, for me, is that I don't mind the occasional card game, but I really have too much to do to offer my non-committed time on the altar of computer gaming. There are books I want to read! Quilts I want to make! Scrapbooking for future generations! Books to write! I prefer showing my teenage son the really cool mushroom that sprang up in the yard overnight that I noticed while cutting herbs. I won't have him around forever. Too many real people in my living room need my time and attention. And, my massage therapist (aka my husband) thanks me for forgoing shoulder-hunching activities.
I think it stems back to junior high softball tryout trama. I mean, it's one thing to fail at your little solitaire game (or in front of sneering adolescent jocks), but in front of a world wide audience??? Could we not go there???
I'll admit, I've given gaming a few tries, but I strongly object to people shooting at me--even in cyber space. And, ramming my podracer into canyon walls hurts, regardless.
The only game I've enjoyed recently was a Boggle-like game with prairie dogs or some such popping up. Even then, I don't blink enough when I play--my eyes end up red and burning, my shoulders are hunched up over my ears, and I have a permanent furrow in my forehead--the Ghost of My Wrinkled Future.
Maybe I'm just not playing the right games?
I tried a couple of the options provided. One wouldn't download on the computer. The other didn't provide instructions, so I was shouting at the computer that I didn't understand while a bubble burst on my head and killed me. Oh, yeah. Fun stuff.
I think what it boils down to, for me, is that I don't mind the occasional card game, but I really have too much to do to offer my non-committed time on the altar of computer gaming. There are books I want to read! Quilts I want to make! Scrapbooking for future generations! Books to write! I prefer showing my teenage son the really cool mushroom that sprang up in the yard overnight that I noticed while cutting herbs. I won't have him around forever. Too many real people in my living room need my time and attention. And, my massage therapist (aka my husband) thanks me for forgoing shoulder-hunching activities.
Wiki update
To put my wiki training to good use, I created the wedding wiki for my daughter's upcoming wedding. I'm here in Richmond, she and her fiance are in South Carolina, and his parents are in Ohio, so it seemed a good way to work the deal.
We've had our ups and downs with this. I thought it would be a good way to let the future in-laws know what traditional wedding expenses were, while keeping my daughter abreast of the budget. Seems my explicit list was too much for the futures--they went a bit nuts, causing my poor daughter extra stress. But, things did get out in the open, and some readjustments were made. It has turned out to be good for keeping information all in one place, since my daughter's wedding planner is in SC with her, and the people we need to work with are here (and I'm sort of in charge of doing the planning until school lets out).
Remember my enthusiasm for the potential benefits a wiki would offer to my husband's group? He didn't get it. He said email was good enough for their communications. After having to search for a flyer so he could send it to a co-planner, I said, "This is why you should use a wiki. If all the stuff is stored there, nobody has to spend time searching for it to send it to someone else." Well, folks, the light bulb went off with a brilliant strobe. He's slow, but he does come around. His adorable wife set him up with a wiki in no time flat, and then abandoned him when he started trying to post adobe stuff. I hadn't done it, so was no help. He'll figure it out.
We've had our ups and downs with this. I thought it would be a good way to let the future in-laws know what traditional wedding expenses were, while keeping my daughter abreast of the budget. Seems my explicit list was too much for the futures--they went a bit nuts, causing my poor daughter extra stress. But, things did get out in the open, and some readjustments were made. It has turned out to be good for keeping information all in one place, since my daughter's wedding planner is in SC with her, and the people we need to work with are here (and I'm sort of in charge of doing the planning until school lets out).
Remember my enthusiasm for the potential benefits a wiki would offer to my husband's group? He didn't get it. He said email was good enough for their communications. After having to search for a flyer so he could send it to a co-planner, I said, "This is why you should use a wiki. If all the stuff is stored there, nobody has to spend time searching for it to send it to someone else." Well, folks, the light bulb went off with a brilliant strobe. He's slow, but he does come around. His adorable wife set him up with a wiki in no time flat, and then abandoned him when he started trying to post adobe stuff. I hadn't done it, so was no help. He'll figure it out.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wiki Wonder
Oh, this is so cool! I have to confess that when people talked about wikis, I just nodded and tried to look wise, but I had no idea what they were. When Commoncraft (I just LOVE this guy) was explaining what a wiki was, I immediate saw the wonderful potential for it.
First of all, my husband is planning a large youth event with several other ministers. They have to get together every couple of weeks right now, and, while they love getting together, they can't always all attend. A wiki would simplify things tremendously, and end the flurry of emails.
Then, I thought about some of the events that I plan, and how wonderful it would be to just update one place and let everyone else check to see what's been accomplished, and what still needs to be done, and remind themselves of what their responsibilities are (mainly me, because I chronically forget, or lose the paper I wrote it on...)
THEN, I thought about the book club group that I lead, and how we could use one of these to keep track of books we've read, what we're thinking about what we're currently reading, ask to borrow books, and make book suggestions. TOO COOL!
Then I took a look at some of the wiki links that were included in the tutorial. I really liked the SJCPL wiki. It was easy to use and I could find things so easily. I'd love for our libraries to have something like this. It would be easier than trying to use the catalog to just browse for things that I might be interested in and then get them. I wasn't as impressed by the book lovers wiki, although I had expected to like it better because of the content. I found it difficult to use, and not particulary intuitive--it just seemed awkward to use. That was an ah-ha moment--it isn't just that wikis are wonderful, it goes back (again) to the way things are organized. Well organized wikis are wonderful, and the others are not. I also enjoyed the library success wiki. It made such sense to put the best of all ideas for libraries in one place so that you don't have to do your own trial and error--you could benefit from other's. It makes us work smarter, not harder, to share information like this. Brilliant.
So, thinking of yet another application for a wiki, I've set one up for my family while we plan my daughter's wedding in August. That way, we can make changes/updates there and not have to worry about emailing. With an RSS, I don't even have to worry about missing something, and I can keep both sides of the family informed and up to date. Lovely.
Thanks yet again for a great lesson.
First of all, my husband is planning a large youth event with several other ministers. They have to get together every couple of weeks right now, and, while they love getting together, they can't always all attend. A wiki would simplify things tremendously, and end the flurry of emails.
Then, I thought about some of the events that I plan, and how wonderful it would be to just update one place and let everyone else check to see what's been accomplished, and what still needs to be done, and remind themselves of what their responsibilities are (mainly me, because I chronically forget, or lose the paper I wrote it on...)
THEN, I thought about the book club group that I lead, and how we could use one of these to keep track of books we've read, what we're thinking about what we're currently reading, ask to borrow books, and make book suggestions. TOO COOL!
Then I took a look at some of the wiki links that were included in the tutorial. I really liked the SJCPL wiki. It was easy to use and I could find things so easily. I'd love for our libraries to have something like this. It would be easier than trying to use the catalog to just browse for things that I might be interested in and then get them. I wasn't as impressed by the book lovers wiki, although I had expected to like it better because of the content. I found it difficult to use, and not particulary intuitive--it just seemed awkward to use. That was an ah-ha moment--it isn't just that wikis are wonderful, it goes back (again) to the way things are organized. Well organized wikis are wonderful, and the others are not. I also enjoyed the library success wiki. It made such sense to put the best of all ideas for libraries in one place so that you don't have to do your own trial and error--you could benefit from other's. It makes us work smarter, not harder, to share information like this. Brilliant.
So, thinking of yet another application for a wiki, I've set one up for my family while we plan my daughter's wedding in August. That way, we can make changes/updates there and not have to worry about emailing. With an RSS, I don't even have to worry about missing something, and I can keep both sides of the family informed and up to date. Lovely.
Thanks yet again for a great lesson.
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