Shayna's A-ha

So...we are done. We have reached the end of this class and are ready to move on with our education and our lives. Congratulations everyone. I hope the future is a wonderful place for each of you. I have a couple of take aways from this class. I will definitely be monitoring my identity online to attempt to keep some privacy in my live. I will also strive to always be polite and considerate when communicating on the Internet, even if I do not agree with the individual I am conversing with. Most of all, I will always remember that the Numa Numa video is awesome!

The Future

While thinking about our technological future, I was reminded of the tv show Dollhouse. Not sure if anyone else saw that show, but I was a fan during its brief run. In this show, created by Joss Whedon, technology is created and used to wipe the brain of "dolls." These dolls are ordinary (yet beautiful) people who sign a contract to be employed by a company who promises them extremely large sums of money for five years of their lives. After entering this contract, the dolls memories are completely wiped, and they are imprinted with new identities. The dolls are then rented out to wealthy customers to be used in any situation imaginable. Eventually the desire for world domination leads to massive world wide imprinting and a world war is started using this technology.

I loved this show because it showed the nature of human beings as a whole. Individually, for the most part we are pretty good. In large numbers however, we can be so evil. Technology is something that can bring our society to new heights, but it can also bring out the worst in people. It is something that we need to be aware of as we move into the future.

Enough Said.....

Enjoy.....

My Crystal Ball Says.....

Jim Tobin wrote an online article a year or so ago about the future of social media. He had 5 trends in mind about the social media future. #1 was that ratings would become an expectation. This would mean that shoppers will actually penalize sites that don’t have consumer rating systems installed by shopping elsewhere. I suppose this could be true, however I use sites that don't have a rating system in place.
#2 was that content aggregation would boom. Here he meant that more and more corporate types are going to figure out that they can benefit from investing in content aggregation. Companies are spending millions creating mediocre stuff with their name on it. For a fraction of that, they could aggregate the most important content in their field, provide a valuable service, and get tremendous brand equity.
#3 was that new tools will replace some of the first movers. Here he meant that sites like Twitter that had numerous start-up problems will either be improved dramatically or totally replaced by sites with no problems. Microblogging might become a better term for social media.
#4 was that social networks will become portable. It's hard to believe that we don't consider them portable now. People need to be able to move between social networks without 'befriending' anyone.
#5 was that virtual worlds will gain traction. Tobin didn't believe when he wrote this article that virtual worlds like Second Life would grow but they are expanding.
When Tobin ended his article, he said, " Which way is this bus heading? Either way, I’m enjoying the ride so far". I'm like Tobin....I'm enjoying what I'm learning...I'm certainly not an expert, not afraid to ask for help but I am enjoying the technology ride for sure.

Metzler's Week 8 Aha: We're Finally There!

OK folks -- this has seriously been a long haul.  I admit, I kind of got sucked into the whole "pull up a couch and get started" thing; I thought, "Now THAT'S my kind of class: laid back and interesting."  Well, it's been interesting alright, but laid back?  Not so much.  I've enjoyed the class, the people, and the projects, but I've worked a lot harder in this class than I thought I would.  On paper, the assignments didn't look all that difficult, and in truth they weren't, but as projects and deadlines began to overlap, it took some serious focus to stay on track and get things done.  Again: not bad, just not what I'd expected.

But here's the thing: When I think of all the things I've learned over the past several weeks, I'm absolutely amazed.  We've covered some serious ground, you and I, and I'm able to do things and think in ways I wasn't able to a month-and-a-half ago.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I've taken some brave new steps lately, and I'm kind of proud of them.  The digital world is kind of a freaky place, especially if you grew up with a rotary phone in your kitchen and rabbit ears on your television.  I feel much more at home in my digital society; I feel like I belong there. 

In short, the work load was surprisingly steep, but the end result was completely worth it.  I've enjoyed meeting and working with many of you.  Good luck with the rest of your education and whatever lies beyond. 

Shayna's A-ha...

I am a little late coming into this blog. I am sure that everyone else posted several days ago, but I am just now finding the time. This week, my a-ha moment came from my son on Thanksgiving day. I informed my son that I was the most thankful for him and his daddy. He informed me that he was most thankful that his daddy wasn't sick anymore (he just got over a nasty cold), and that his daddy and mommy can play with him for Thanksgiving. My son is almost 4, and this was one of the sweetest things I have ever heard him say. I spend a lot of my time checking off tasks, and making list of what I need to get done. This is especially true right now with work, school deadlines, my son's birthday party and the holidays. I came to the realization that sometimes it is ok to take a break and play, so that is what I did this weekend; played with my son. For those who celebrate Christmas, I found this great site. It gives tips on various fun Christmas things you can do with your family. I hope you are able to find something fun.

http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions/christmas-family.php

Politics on the Internet

I remember watching presidential debates with my parents when I was younger. I mostly remember my father explaining to me that the majority of what the candidates said was not true. This idea stuck with me, and will continue to stay with me throughout all elections. It is a jaded viewpoint; the idea that I cannot trust what our elected official say, but it is often true. Candidates want votes...period. It is not their responsibility to make sure we are informed on their policies or ideals. Most of the time it is better for them if we are not informed, but simply vote with our prefered party. The Internet is changing this. We are now in a world where knowledge is at our fingertips. We are able to fact-find and debate the topics away from the television. We are able to interact with our candidates in a way that we never could before. It is exciting to watch.

Here is a site that I find extremely interesting. People are begining to pole for the 2012 election, and are trying to express the need for inteligent thinking for voters. Please enjoy.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/4290141