Blogging may not be a necessary activity for everyone but it certainly allows one to think outloud. For myself, thinking outloud is often a way to clarify my thoughts and work out details for a new activity or direction.
I live in rural America, in a farming community. There is no cable service for TV or Internet unless one has satellite service. A few years ago I signed up for satellite service when it first arrived in my neighborhood. It was internet only. While it has been convenient it has not been fast or trouble free. It's great for e-mail and receiving photos of the grandchildren. But it is aggrevating to have to wait forever for videos to download or to have a storm develop that keeps my dish from communicating with the satellite and the world. I have had to reboot the system more than once just this week after storms have passed by.
While the technology may not be the most convenient, it does have some pluses. I did something yesterday I have never done before though I knew it could be done. I was working at the computer and away from a convenient radio. You guessed it. I tried listening to streaming radio while I worked. It was a news program so listening to talk did not make my writing activity the most efficient but it was nice not having to move to the radio's location or having to turn the radio up to it's full volume to be able to hear it where I was working.
Speaking of convenience, there was one other incident I can relate. Our last baby is getting married in a couple of weeks. She wants to dance with dad at the reception to a specific tune. Dad barely waltzes. The tune she wants to dance to is not a waltz. A colleague gives dance instruction. So I am thinking all I have to do is let her listen to the music and advise. While I am thinking of how I am going to get a tune from CD to my colleague, my daughter says, "E-mail her a Youtube link." This long ancient tune was found on YouTube and in a very short time I had the information I was looking for. Youtube even had demonstrations of dance steps.
The Internet may not always be predictable but it has been convenient for me this week in more than one way inspite of it's plodding downloads and storm interruptions.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Post Number Three. As I began this blog, I was having trouble getting started first of all I couldn't locate my blog and once I did and got to the new post page the caps lock was on and in trying to get that off I posted a blank blog!
I have managed to get to this point and have kept both my religion and my sanity while continuing this journey into cyberspace. This is not an easy trip for this ol' dawg. HOWEVER! In the few days I have had to leave the comfort of my word processor and power point I have in my explorations come across some things that have caught my attention.
I have subscribed to some RSS feeds from the major news sources, some library related blogs, as well as some sites that keep tabs of technology development.
While attending a grand-daughter's birthday party, sons-in-law with iPhones began comparing. One had an older iPhone the other the new iPhone 4. As son-in law number one put the iPhone 4 through it's paces he demonstrated the software that not only located our position on a map, he could zoom into the map until we were seeing images of his house and neighborhood. While I have viewed satellite images of my home on the computer, I was impressed to see crisp, sharp images on such a small handheld device. There were noticeable differences in form and function between the older version and the newer version of the iPhone. I must admit that I was impressed with all it's capabilities.
Handheld communications devices make communication possible in a variety of ways. It will take a little time for me to develop some new habits (not to mention attitudes) regarding these new forms of communications. I just realized that my hesitation in adopting such functional mobile technology is not just the new ways of communicating but the fact that it's public. I would be rather embarrassed to lose a skirmish with technology in a public place and have to have some really, really, young person show me how to undo my predicament. (Where's spell check here?)
I have managed to get to this point and have kept both my religion and my sanity while continuing this journey into cyberspace. This is not an easy trip for this ol' dawg. HOWEVER! In the few days I have had to leave the comfort of my word processor and power point I have in my explorations come across some things that have caught my attention.
I have subscribed to some RSS feeds from the major news sources, some library related blogs, as well as some sites that keep tabs of technology development.
While attending a grand-daughter's birthday party, sons-in-law with iPhones began comparing. One had an older iPhone the other the new iPhone 4. As son-in law number one put the iPhone 4 through it's paces he demonstrated the software that not only located our position on a map, he could zoom into the map until we were seeing images of his house and neighborhood. While I have viewed satellite images of my home on the computer, I was impressed to see crisp, sharp images on such a small handheld device. There were noticeable differences in form and function between the older version and the newer version of the iPhone. I must admit that I was impressed with all it's capabilities.
Handheld communications devices make communication possible in a variety of ways. It will take a little time for me to develop some new habits (not to mention attitudes) regarding these new forms of communications. I just realized that my hesitation in adopting such functional mobile technology is not just the new ways of communicating but the fact that it's public. I would be rather embarrassed to lose a skirmish with technology in a public place and have to have some really, really, young person show me how to undo my predicament. (Where's spell check here?)
I have found that since I let Google give me a personal page when I open my browser that it's nice not to mention convenient to be able to scan news headlines, see technology topics and blog topics in one place available to open at my inclination. It's rather like having the morning paper to read with my coffee.
I recently had a need for reference service. Since I had some items to return to my local rural library, I decided I would make my inquiry there. Now the point I am about to make is from a librarian's blog that resonated with me. A few months ago, I used reference service at another library, much larger and further away. Both inquiries were answered with resources found on the Internet. In both cases the librarian sat behind a counter at a computer and I stood in front. As each librarian showed me the results of their search they turned the screen in my direction but not nearly far enough so I had to lean over the counter to get an awkward glimpse of the monitor that displayed the information.
The blog post that got my attention was a librarian's desire to make some changes in a library that had a significant and honored history. This was making some logical changes difficult because of tradition. The change she desired to make was to remake the reference desk so that a patron could "drive the computer" if they wanted and the patron and the librarian could sit together facing the monitor with out the patron having to lean over a counter, or the librarian having to reposition the monitor for shared viewing. Since a reference librarian has a function to instruct in search methods, it makes sense to me that where a reference librarian is going to use the Internet as a source of information for a patron's inquiry, the computer should be positioned to accommodate both the patron and the librarian comfortably. What if reference librarians began to rove the library with a wireless Netbook so they might be able to meet inquiries where ever they occur? What could be done with space that is now taken up by the reference desk that acts as a moat about the castle of knowledge?
Friday, July 9, 2010
cooled down and more objective
Well, this is posting number two. After yesterday's experience with this blog, I have had time to cool down and I have spent time crusing blogline feeds where I looked at news sites, LIS related feeds as well as some feeds regarding technology. But not without some difficulty.
I have remarked to colleagues that technology is only good when it works. I live in a farming community not serviced by cable. My internet connection is by satellite. As the cloud cover thickened with an approaching storm, my ability to surf my RSS feeds got slower and slower until Windows informed me it could not connect to server. Lights blinked a couple of times during the storm confusing the modem which had to be restarted before I could use the internet this morning. As of the moment, everything is working but another storm is approaching so I am hoping I can continue to work without interruption.
I noticed as I logged in to continue my blog that I have two postings. The original that I worked so long to make right must be located somewhere but I still don't know where.
I called this blog settlements, communities and old dawgs because as I began my original blog, I had read a paper where a researcher was trying to determine empirically if blogs qualified as a virtual community. I borrowed the terms settlement and community because they speak to me of a concept I have come to understand regarding computer moderated communications.
Because technology offers so many options for communication and interaction, it is possible to conduct business, collaborate, and partner in projects over time and distance without the inconvenience of attending meetings. As an old dawg (baby boomer) growing up with minimal communications technology (four party land line, a radio and the USPS (that delivered twice a day)) I socialized at school and church face to face. While I am able to work well with people, I have been inclined all my life to be a loner. I have labored in projects many times under the idea that if I wanted it done "right" I should do it my self, and did.
Several experiences have made me realize the benefits of working with a partner or a team. While I have not found internet communications necessary, I have found it often convenient but not something I could not do without. So this is what I have learned. Though a loner and lurker I maybe (lurker sounds so perverted!), I understand that two together are better than one. I understand that I have to make a conscious effort to be available for helping others if not reaching out for help myself. I thought in starting a blog even as an experiment, that I might in a candid discussion of the things that irritate an frustrate me with technology, find others that had worked through their issues and found their comfort zone and useful application of these technologies.
So a settlement is a place where a few people congregate for whatever reason. Pioneer settlements of old began with a few families and often grew to thriving communities as more and more people joined and settled down with each life contributing to the lives of others. As I see it, such is the opportunity afforded by these technologies and services.
And the journey continues until next time.
I have remarked to colleagues that technology is only good when it works. I live in a farming community not serviced by cable. My internet connection is by satellite. As the cloud cover thickened with an approaching storm, my ability to surf my RSS feeds got slower and slower until Windows informed me it could not connect to server. Lights blinked a couple of times during the storm confusing the modem which had to be restarted before I could use the internet this morning. As of the moment, everything is working but another storm is approaching so I am hoping I can continue to work without interruption.
I noticed as I logged in to continue my blog that I have two postings. The original that I worked so long to make right must be located somewhere but I still don't know where.
I called this blog settlements, communities and old dawgs because as I began my original blog, I had read a paper where a researcher was trying to determine empirically if blogs qualified as a virtual community. I borrowed the terms settlement and community because they speak to me of a concept I have come to understand regarding computer moderated communications.
Because technology offers so many options for communication and interaction, it is possible to conduct business, collaborate, and partner in projects over time and distance without the inconvenience of attending meetings. As an old dawg (baby boomer) growing up with minimal communications technology (four party land line, a radio and the USPS (that delivered twice a day)) I socialized at school and church face to face. While I am able to work well with people, I have been inclined all my life to be a loner. I have labored in projects many times under the idea that if I wanted it done "right" I should do it my self, and did.
Several experiences have made me realize the benefits of working with a partner or a team. While I have not found internet communications necessary, I have found it often convenient but not something I could not do without. So this is what I have learned. Though a loner and lurker I maybe (lurker sounds so perverted!), I understand that two together are better than one. I understand that I have to make a conscious effort to be available for helping others if not reaching out for help myself. I thought in starting a blog even as an experiment, that I might in a candid discussion of the things that irritate an frustrate me with technology, find others that had worked through their issues and found their comfort zone and useful application of these technologies.
So a settlement is a place where a few people congregate for whatever reason. Pioneer settlements of old began with a few families and often grew to thriving communities as more and more people joined and settled down with each life contributing to the lives of others. As I see it, such is the opportunity afforded by these technologies and services.
And the journey continues until next time.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Welcome
Welcome to Settlements, Communities and Old Dawgs.
This blog is an experiment in the use of computer moderated communications technology. Here I will post some reflections on my experience with information concerning social networking, instant messaging, blogging and other internet related resources and my experience with their use.
I will be honest, I absolutely hate this technology. Not because it is not useful but because it is not intuitive. I have just spent hours composing a welcome and an introduction to this blog so it appeared to be something other than an exercise to satisfy an assignment. 200 words. I had it all finished but not posted because I wanted to see that others would be able to comment and how that was handled. So I selected the comment moderation tab, saw what was there and clicked the return arrow. Everything dissappeared and no effort of mine could find a way to recover what had been written. I noticed as I typed the draft of the post that the save now button would flash and I assumed that my draft was automatically being saved as I typed. If it was I was not able to find a place to recover what I had lost. I was also frustrated that there were no tools that allowed me to cut and paste so I could avoid retyping.
As I composed the original post I would look at preview to see how my post would appear when completed and saw that spaces I left between paragraphs did not show up in the preview. What I saw in the preview was one long block of type.
This is a second attempt at blogging. While I have occasionally read blogs in search of someone's experience in the use of new computer hardware or service, I have not commented or gotten involved in the activity of blogging. I am a classic lurker.
I do not like to waste time or to work twice. My experience now and in the past reinforces the notion that I do not need this technology as part of my life experience. The irritation and the frustration is that I understand that society is changing in the way it socializes and the way it communicates. I have a smartphone with a data plan but rarely use it to access the internet. Two of four children and their spouses have smartphones that they constantly check for email and text messages and a host of other activities. I had purposed to purchase an iPhone 4 and make a concentrated effort at joining the world of cyberspace because I understand the advantages of community and working cooperatively. I see how technology makes it possible for those spread across the planet to share and communicate both for fun and professionally. But my experience with this single activity makes me say "just forget it". I would rather do something I know how to do and perfect those skills than learn something I have gotten along without and have not been convinced that it is something I must really learn for a fuller life. My life is full enough. I have more to do than time to get it done so when time is at a premium, learning is not fun when I know that learning is not only a process of errors but making mistakes and learning how to correct them is the only way to learn effectively.
This blog is an experiment in the use of computer moderated communications technology. Here I will post some reflections on my experience with information concerning social networking, instant messaging, blogging and other internet related resources and my experience with their use.
I will be honest, I absolutely hate this technology. Not because it is not useful but because it is not intuitive. I have just spent hours composing a welcome and an introduction to this blog so it appeared to be something other than an exercise to satisfy an assignment. 200 words. I had it all finished but not posted because I wanted to see that others would be able to comment and how that was handled. So I selected the comment moderation tab, saw what was there and clicked the return arrow. Everything dissappeared and no effort of mine could find a way to recover what had been written. I noticed as I typed the draft of the post that the save now button would flash and I assumed that my draft was automatically being saved as I typed. If it was I was not able to find a place to recover what I had lost. I was also frustrated that there were no tools that allowed me to cut and paste so I could avoid retyping.
As I composed the original post I would look at preview to see how my post would appear when completed and saw that spaces I left between paragraphs did not show up in the preview. What I saw in the preview was one long block of type.
This is a second attempt at blogging. While I have occasionally read blogs in search of someone's experience in the use of new computer hardware or service, I have not commented or gotten involved in the activity of blogging. I am a classic lurker.
I do not like to waste time or to work twice. My experience now and in the past reinforces the notion that I do not need this technology as part of my life experience. The irritation and the frustration is that I understand that society is changing in the way it socializes and the way it communicates. I have a smartphone with a data plan but rarely use it to access the internet. Two of four children and their spouses have smartphones that they constantly check for email and text messages and a host of other activities. I had purposed to purchase an iPhone 4 and make a concentrated effort at joining the world of cyberspace because I understand the advantages of community and working cooperatively. I see how technology makes it possible for those spread across the planet to share and communicate both for fun and professionally. But my experience with this single activity makes me say "just forget it". I would rather do something I know how to do and perfect those skills than learn something I have gotten along without and have not been convinced that it is something I must really learn for a fuller life. My life is full enough. I have more to do than time to get it done so when time is at a premium, learning is not fun when I know that learning is not only a process of errors but making mistakes and learning how to correct them is the only way to learn effectively.
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