Time flies

My previous blog post was the last one concerning my project for the course ‘Media Use in Organizations’ (don’t forget to read it if you haven’t already). 10 weeks, 10 blogs. I know it sounds cliché and totally lame, but it is true: time flies when you’re having fun. Because when writing these blogs, I really had fun and I can’t believe I have already written 10 blogs.

I had never thought that I would learn so much from writing a blog. My study is mainly theoretical and there are not much practical things you learn. Mostly, it is just reading books. Thus, writing a blog was a welcoming change in this theoretical environment. Although it probably helped a lot that I like writing. So you are probably wondering what I’ve learned. Remember my first post? I said that I was going to find my way in the digital world and I think I did a pretty good job in finding it. Now I know how to write a blog, what the blogosphere is, how to Twitter, how to use Google Analytics and moreover, I all like it. Furthermore, I got more interested in social media (No, that doesn’t mean that I will set up a Hyves page) and internet marketing.

Off course, I want to thank you all for reading my blog, for leaving comments (although I now know that not getting comments may also be a compliment), for being supportive and so on. I hope that you also found your way in the digital world by reading my blog and staying up to date on Twitter. And moreover, that you had fun when finding it.

The question is: Am I going to continue blogging? I don’t know. Although I would like to, I am not sure whether I will keep on blogging as Carribe24 (but never say never). Why? Well, there are millions of blogs around and mine is just one of them. I have the feeling that my blog is mostly read by friends and family. I don’t know if this feeling is right and it doesn’t matter actually, because I really appreciate everyone who reads my blog. Anyway, I would like to write for a more professional site (such as a theatre, marketing or communication website) and receive feedback, to become a better writer. I don’t know if it will work out, but I might as well try. The thing I do know is that I will keep finding my way in the digital world and hopefully, by the end of my study, I have become a (beginning) expert.

So, let’s end this story with a quote:

The best way to predict your future is to create it. ~Peter Drucker

Go create yours! And thank you all!

Where are you?

Location based social networks (What?!) are expected to be the next hot thing. First, let me explain what location based networks are: location-based service is any information, entertainment, or social media service that is available on a mobile device, and makes use of geographical position. No mobile phone, no location based network (but then again: who doesn’t have a cell phone nowadays? No, your grandparents don’t count). And then the social part: you should know what social networks are by now. If not: either you didn’t read my blog or I am not good at explaining things.

Anyway, one of the best known location based social networks is Foursquare. I hear you thinking: nice, but what on earth can I do with it? Well, Foursquare is a web and mobile application that allows registered users to connect with friends and update their location. After you set up a Foursquare account you can link it to your address book, Facebook and Twitter. In this way you can discover where your friends are hanging out. Besides that you can see where your friends are, you can also tell your friends where you are by checking in at one of the thousands of places that Foursquare lists, automatically based on your GPS location. You can leave tips about special features you find around town, such as that the banana smoothie at some bar is very tasty (or not). Other people who check in at that bar can read your comment and you can read comments of others. With this comments feature you can read recommendations on where to go, what to do or what to avoid. But this is not all: It is not just a GPS tool, it is also a game. By checking in at locations you can earn points. The more often you check in, the more points you earn. If you check in at a location more than anyone else you will become the mayor of that location. Yay! Okay, you won’t get paid for this “job” of being a mayor and the mayor of your town does get a salary. However, it is possible that you will get rewards from the company for being a loyal customer.

So, are you already downloading the Foursquare application on your mobile phone? Or don’t you care whatsoever about these location based social networks? Well, I am not a user yet. I don’t like being followed everywhere I go; I’d like to keep that last bit of privacy I have. Besides, I never really had the ambition to become a mayor…

Erasing David

Do we still have privacy in today’s world? When talking about Google in one of my previous posts, I already mentioned that internet knows a lot about you. But what to think of private companies and the government? British filmmaker David Bond decided to find out how much these institutions know about him by putting himself under surveillance and attempting to disappear. Indeed, you read it well: disappear. Erase yourself from the earth.

The UK is now one of the most advanced surveillance societies in the world (but don’t be fooled, your country probably also watches you). The average UK adult is now registered on over 700 databases and is caught daily on one of the cameras located on nearly every street corner in the country. Privacy, yeah right. It is like all citizens are being turned into suspects. But if you’ve got nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear… Or is there? (I feel like I am writing some really exciting action movie now)

David Bond left his pregnant wife and child behind to disappear. Top private investigators took on the challenge to find him. They only had David’s name, photo and 30 days to catch him. Facebook, credit card numbers, addresses, hospital appointments, friends, family: they tracked everything. With a little bit of lying, some sneaky actions and the information of databases and internet you can come far. For example, the investigators set up a site called whereisdavid.co.uk and send David an email saying, “Hey, we know where you are! And here it is on this website”. Remember the IP-addresses we talked about? If David would visit the site, they would know where he was. And what about Facebook? David deleted his Facebook page before he left, but most of the information is not totally deleted. If you’re a private investigator, it is a piece of cake to find that information. And if you can’t find the information, you just set up a fake Facebook profile of the person you are looking for. It’s exactly what they did and that’s how the investigators got information from David’s friends. Or how about corporations? The loyalty cards from your favorite shops, the digital newsletters to keep you up to date. You are in a database and you can be found.

So, did the investigators catch David Bond (his last name fits so well for this documentary, doesn’t it? The name is Bond… David Bond)? Yes, they did. A few days before the end, they caught him. Privacy: I don’t think so.

Trailer Erasing David

The blah, blah, blah about the iPad

The iPad. It is a pretty hot topic: a constant flow of tweets about the latest news of this gadget, 35 million hits on Google, friends discussing whether they should buy one or not and so on. Everyone is talking about it; everyone has an opinion about it. The buzz about this new device: it’s what I call the blah, blah, blah about the iPad.

So, let’s start with the basics: what is the iPad? According to Apple it is “a magical and revolutionary product at an unbelievable price”. Woohoo, what a marketing slogan! Or in normal language: The iPad is a portable multimedia tablet-pc with a multi-touch screen of 9.7 inch and it weighs around 1.5 pounds. You can read books on it, listen to music, watch movies, play videogames, browse the net etc. etc. Nothing peculiar about it, right? Then what’s all the talk about? Well, first of all, it is a new product from Apple. And Apple = buzz guaranteed. Second of all, apart from the talk about what the iPad can do, there is also a lot of talk about what the iPad can’t do and what programs it doesn’t support.

One of the things that lead to criticism was that the iPad doesn’t support Flash. Apple says that it will create negative effects for the performance of the iPad. However, no Flash means that websites and internet videos will not fully work. Second, multi-tasking is no option on the iPad. Writing a document with four websites open: never gonna happen on the iPad. There is also no camera on this newbie. You can watch photos on it, but no camera?! What the? Moreover, you can’t connect a USB-stick to the iPad: you will need an adapter. Hmmm, that’s too much work for me. And last, the iPad doesn’t have widescreen, which means you will have to watch movies in a 4:3 ratio, just like the old TVs.

Off course, it is not all bad people, there are also advantages. Like I said it can do a lot: eBooks, games, videos, photos etc. and all that on a large screen. Plus the iPad is pretty. Someone on the internet gave the following description: “No one does tech-sexy like Apple”. True. Furthermore, the price really is considered unbelievable. The expectations were that this device would cost around $999, while the starting price is $499. Okay, it is still not cheap, but it is way cheaper than $999.

To buy or not to buy, that’s the question. Do you already have an answer?

Making a comment

I asked you some time ago to leave a comment on my blog once in a while, because I’d like to know what you think about my blog posts. But to make a comment, you must off course know how to do that. Since I got some questions on how to make a comment, I will give you a short explanation.

Ready? Here we go! At the end of each blog post you can read the following: Posted by Carribe24 at Sunday, March 28, 2010 (I will take my last blog post as an example). Next to this, you will find the word Comments.

Step 1: Click on the word Comments. A new webpage will open with the blog post and the comments (if any) which were already written by other people.

Step 2: At the end of the page, you can see Post a comment. Write your comment in the white text box.

Step 3: Click on the box next to Comment as. If you have a Google Account, you can choose that option. If you haven’t got any of the given accounts, you can click on Name/URL. Type in your name (and your own website if you have). If you don’t want your name published, you can also choose for the option Anonymous.

Step 4: Click on Post a comment. Et voilà! Your comment is posted. It is quite easy, isn’t it?

Now you know how to make a comment on a blog. Use the knowledge by leaving one;)

Image created by ~Carribe24

Social media stress? Not anymore!

I missed your Twitter updates, why haven’t you been on Flickr for the past few days, your Facebook needs to be updated, why haven’t you written a new blog yet, you didn’t upload any new videos on YouTube, I thought we would Skype last night and where were you in Second Life yesterday? Say that last sentence out loud. No time to breathe right? Social media: it can be fun, it can be useful, but it can also lead to pressure and even stress. And we don’t want that. So, here are the latest tips (thanks to Soren Gordhamer of Mashable) to reduce social media stress. Yes, again a list with tips. I like lists (really, you should see my agenda) and tips, well, you never know if they might be useful.

Tip 1: Take time to disconnect. Looking at a screen for hours, doesn’t do you any good. It freezes your brain and you cannot process information anymore. Feeling a “brain freeze” coming? Then, turn off that computer (you can do that, be strong!) and go do something else.

Tip 2: Breathe. There it goes: in… and out… Now, don’t forget to do so often.

Tip 3: Eat food that adds energy. And that doesn’t mean that you should drink 10 cans of energy drink a day. Eat HEALTHY food.

Tip 4: Awaken the body: move! Sitting at your desk for hours and hours, that’s not going to increase your working ability. Stand up every once in a while: dance, walk, jump or whatever.

I like to add my own tips too (for what it’s worth)

Tip 5: Pick a time. I heard this at a time management workshop: you should pick a time a day (say 8.00 PM) and write your tweets, blogs and so on at that time and not throughout the whole day. The question is: are you strong enough to check your mailbox, Facebook, Flickr ect. only once a day?

Tip 6: I can manage my own time, thank you. So what, if you haven’t updated your Facebook or your Twitter and you weren’t on Skype yesterday. It’s your life; you are in control of when you do what.

And? Are you gonna change your social media behavior? Will you find the right balance? I am willing to try. So now, I will take time to disconnect and move my body.

PS. Thank you for your comments on my last two posts. Yeah…, I didn’t get any. But I understand: it’s the social media stress. For the people who are still wondering what I changed about my layout: it’s the font.

Shopping in the digital world

Also for those of you who don't like shopping

I can be short about it: I don’t like shopping. The first reaction I always get is: “How is that possible? Girls looooooooove shopping!”. Well, I don’t. I cannot understand what is fun about trying hundreds of clothes on and then, if you’re lucky, going home with one jeans. And what I especially don’t like are those vendors who come running to you, the second you come out of your dressing room, to give you their opinion (no offense: I understand, it’s your job). The problem is: I like having new clothes; I just don’t like shopping for them.

We live in the digital world (Yes, we do). Nowadays, there are all kinds of online shopping devices. First off all, we have web shops without vendors' opinions. Yay! Problem one solved. I can just go to HM.com, Esprit.com or whatever clothes store and shop online. They will deliver the clothes to my home and I can try it on whenever I want. But still, I will have to try them on. Too bad, problem two not solved. However, the solution to this is on its way…

In case you missed it, 3D (short for: 3 Dimensional) is hot again. Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Ice Age and even Titanic will come back to cinema in 3D. The fashion world didn’t want to stay behind: the well-known brand Burberry launched its new collection in 3D at the last fashion week in New York. The experts say that this is only a start. In the future (when, when, when will that be?!) it will be possible to try on clothes without having to change your outfit. A 3D body scan will create a full image of you by capturing about 300,000 points on the body. After the scanning session, you can virtually try on clothes and identify which jeans or sweater fits best. With a 3D body scan, clothing will become custom-made for every single individual. Clothes will fit and you don’t have try them on. Look, now we’re talking!

So are you also counting days till you can try on clothes in 3D? Or are you a shopping lover who likes to try on clothes? If you are, I challenge you to convince me that shopping is fun. If you’re not, join the club (we already have one member: me)!