Blog Reflections

I'm happy to report that I enjoyed blogging much more than I thought I would. At first I was a little intimidated because I wasn’t confident that my writing was good enough to put out there publicly, or that I had something interesting to say, especially on technology-related topics. Throughout the process I really felt like I found my voice and had some fun along the way. I stayed away from getting overly technical, since that isn't my strength. I tried to keep an open-mind and approach the blog as an explorer, although my hesitance and skepticism clearly came out at times.

My initial intent was to review new technology and tools to see how I can integrate them into my work and life. While I did stay somewhat true to that mission, I also brought in some relevant news items and a couple of funny, odd little discoveries to comment upon. I realized that it was too time-consuming, and quite challenging to review a new piece of technology or tool for every blog post (especially when I would've had to blog about 45 times in 7 weeks to get A on the project).

My goals for this blog were not overly ambitious. My hope was that the few people that read the blog would find it enjoyable and informative. A month ago I was nowhere to be found in the search results, now I am the second search result if you Google “worth my while” or “worth my while or not”. On Bing, I am the third search result for “worth my while” and the first search result for “worth my while or not”. Sweet!

I wish I could report detailed analytics for the life span of my blog; however, I made a mistake when setting up the analytics and didn't correct it until it couple of weeks ago. In about 12 days, I had a total of 113 visits, 245 page views, 41 unique visitors, 2.17 pages per visit, with an average of 3.09 minutes per visit.

Through looking at the Google Analytics map overlay feature to track the origin of my web traffic, I know that my sister in Washington only reviewed my blog twice (I am going to bust her for that), 15 visits came from California (thanks mom), and 90 from New York. I did have one visitor in Miami and one in Connecticut, which could be strangers since I don't think that I know people in these states, unless my friends are accessing my blog while on vacation.

Most of my blog traffic was from referring sites (all of my classmates linked to my blog from their blogs), which goes to show the power of “link love”, and also the power of Facebook. Posting links to my blog on my Facebook status updates definitely worked to drive traffic to my site.

If I had to do it all over again, I would've chosen a different name for my blog to make it more unique and search engine friendly, but I definitely would stick with the Blogger platform because I found it to be quite user-friendly and I like that it was integrated with my other Google accounts.

I struggled over whether or not I wanted to reveal my full identity on the blog because I didn't know whether I wanted it tied to me professionally. In retrospect, although I am proud of my work, I do feel that it is more personal musings, versus my professional opinion as a communicator, so I feel that I made the right decision to keep it anonymous (although clearly it's not anonymous to my friends and followers).

Overall, using this blog as a platform to further explore digital communications, both through first-hand experiences and following developments in the news and blogosphere, helped me to shape and express my opinions about this changing world of technology. If it weren't for this class, or for this project, I would not have challenged myself to explore this topic on my own, which I think is critical and relevant for communicators in all fields.

Although I have enjoyed blogging, I don't think I will keep this up, at least not in the short-term, because I have so many competing demands for my time (and I need some rest and relaxation, hello summer!). Now that I am more interested in keeping up with the world of digital communications, I am sure that as I stumble across new tools or articles I will immediately think “this would be a great blog post!” Maybe at that time, after a bit of a rest, I will feel compelled to pick it up again.

Hopefully my blog was worth someone’s while, but if not, at least I personally got a lot out of doing it. Enjoy the rest of the summer; I know that I will!

Just Another Dumb Phone

A couple of weeks ago I found my phone in the bottom of my kitchen trash in a pool of old pineapple and banana scraps. I solicited advice on Facebook on how to revive a phone after incurring water damage. The prevailing wisdom is to take it apart and let it sit in a bowl of uncooked rice to soak up the water. I let it soak in a bowl of dry quinoa (I didn't have any rice), and my phone did come back to life temporarily, with all this quinoa stuck in the nooks and crannies (I would recommend a larger grain, although quinoa is super delicious and healthy), but it eventually died about a week later.

I'm not the type of person who gets excited about buying a new phone. I wasn't ready to make the leap to a smart phone. I don't want the additional expense of having to add a data package onto my monthly bill. Also, I am accustomed to using my phone the old-fashioned way, to call people and text. I don't "need" all the bells and whistles, although I am sure if I had them I would probably like it.

My new phone is working just fine for me. I ended up going with T-Mobile's Samsung Gravity 3 phone. It has more features than I will probably ever use, and it is an upgrade for me since I didn't even have a keyboard on my last phone.

If I were to buy a smartphone, I would want the iPhone--it seems more fun and has more utility than a Blackberry, despite all the hoopla around the iPhone 4, which I have been following pretty closely because I recently wrote a paper about "antenna gate" for class. This video pretty much summarizes the iPhone 4 debacle in a genius song. I pretty much agree with this guy on all points. Check it out!
Maybe in the future I will step it up to the iPhone, but for now I am locked in for another two years with my T-Mobile contract.

The Tattooed Bookkeeper

Recently I turned to one of my oldest (not in years, look at her picture—she is a young hottie, but we have been friends for over 20 years) and dearest friends, Angel Quintana, for creative inspiration. Angel is a jack of all trades—blogger enthusiast, retired fashion designer, tastemaker in fashion and home design, and as the blog title references—a tattooed bookkeeper (a nickname given to her by her clients, as well as the title for a potential book/tv pilot/blog that she has been penning). This girl is not afraid to take risks. Her entrepreneurial spirit has led her down many paths, but for the last several years she is putting her creative energies into building her personal brand online, and hopefully making a few bucks while she is at it.

I would have preferred to have a face-to-face with Angel, but she lives on the West Coast. So, we had to schedule a phone call to chat about her recent endeavors, as well as our love lives and good bands, which we will keep offline (sorry, too juicy for this blog!).

Angel’s blog, Life According to Angel, essentially captures everything and anything that she is into. To extend the reach of the blog, she is also creating a YouTube channel, where she will feature reviews of her favorite books, films and music, product reviews, how-to's on cosmetics and fashion, and whatever else that is on her mind. First and foremost, her goal is to connect with an audience of like-minded people, or in her own words, "I want to be part of a community that gives a shit about the shit that I like."

Ideally, she wants to monetize her blog and drive traffic to her two online businesses, Bobo Bandits, a doggie accessory store inspired by her beloved schnauzer, and French Seams, An Ode to Vintage Living, her personal collection of vintage and vintage-inspired handmade goods. Both are works in progress, but will be available on Etsy.

Angel found inspiration for her blog through social networking sites such as Flickr, where she discovered a whole community of girls posting photos and blogging about their outfits. She then joined onto dedicated "what are you wearing" sites, such as Chictopia, which she plans to link up to her blog to consolidate her online presence, as well as her profile on Give it To Me Raw, which reflects her love of raw food and healthy living.

As a loyal follower of many lifestyle and fashion blogs, Angel sees how these bloggers are successful at building communities and earning money through advertising. Angel is a little late in the game, but she is catching up! She doesn't bother with Facebook much anymore because it's not a source of inspiration for her and it feels like a waste of time. She would rather put her thoughts out there in a different medium.

Whether engaging in online communities, or creating her own, Angel feels the most important thing to remember is to be yourself. People like you for you – be authentic, open, and put it out there. Someone will listen.

I'm listening, Angel! Good luck with your ventures.

Striking a Balance

When talking to my computer science-studying, game-loving buddy, Jeremy Pope, I wanted to pick his brain on what websites, apps, and tools that he can’t live without. I got a few cool new ideas from him, but what also came through loud and clear in our conversation is how important it is to set boundaries.

I liked Jeremy’s perspective “The point of technology is to enable us to spend more time doing the things we love. When it goes beyond that it becomes a distraction.”

Being that Jeremy works and studies computers and technology, he has made a conscious effort to set boundaries and pull back, for instance when away from work, he purposely only checks his email a few times per day. He also makes the most of his time on a computer, aiming to be productive for a finite amount of time versus getting lost in the vortex.

On mobile: I asked Jeremy to sell me on a smart phone, and he kind of did (although I don’t have any immediate plans of going out and buying one I definitely see the value). Simply stated, with the iPhone he doesn’t worry about anything because anything he needs to do, he can do on the spot. Jeremy gave me many convincing examples of the iPhone’s utility, especially when traveling, but also spoke about the need to develop self-restraint. (For a review of cool iPhone apps, check out the app trail). Jeremy’s response to my complaint of how people are constantly glued to their phones is that it is just a symptom of the relative newness and novelty of the device and will hopefully fade over time.

On what he can’t live without: Definitely not the iPhone! Jeremy also loves his Google Toolbar for accessing his bookmarks (I wish I tried this before my Delicious.com experiment, it may be more up my alley). He touted the benefits of using Mint.com for money management (I will investigate Mint in a future blog post since I could definitely use help in the budgeting department). He also gave me a little demo of Google Voice (Google’s free voicemail service which miraculously allows you to make free domestic calls, unifies multiple phone lines to one common number, and sends you sms text versions of voicemails among many other benefits) which seems pretty awesome.

On social networks and geo-location social networking: Jeremy relies on Facebook for news and events updates from his friends, which is consistent with how all of my friends engage with Facebook. LinkedIn is the go-to for professionally networking. Most people, including myself, like to keep their professional and personal online worlds separate.

Jeremy toyed around with the geo-location networking application, Foursquare, more so when he was single and out on the town. He enjoyed the fact that it is super real-time, fun, and game-like; “a great example of technology helping you do what you want to do, be with your friends.” Since I don’t have a smart phone I am off the hook for trying geo-location networking apps, phew.

Although Jeremy has briefly tweeted, he now just uses Twitter for finding out about local events through following groups such as “Brooklyn Weekend events”. I may give that a try at some point, but for now I don’t have any trouble finding weekend fun, mainly through word-of-mouth, New York Magazine, and e-newsletters like Daily Candy and Going.

What goes around comes around: Jeremy and I agree that there is a bit of a pullback happening now. People want to get back to what’s real and authentic and are attempting to reconnect to local businesses and agriculture, seeking out the local, fresh, and handmade, to counterbalance the global disconnect from the organic in our fast-paced, technology-driven lives (Brooklyn Flea, anyone?).

“In a way I’m a minor part of this pullback from the digital age where I’ve been so engrossed I’m stepping back now” says Jeremy. For me, I am cautiously exploring, stepping forward, one toe in at a time to see what’s worth my while.

A Mind for Gaming

Jeremy Pope, is my go-to friend for all things digital. He's managed to turn his curiosity and passion for gaming and technology into a solid career with a promising future. Recently, over a couple of beers in our shared Brooklyn neighborhood, Jeremy and I talked tech.

As an early adopter of technology, Jeremy fondly recalls his first pre-Windows computer at age 12 (in contrast, I still had a Brother word processor throughout my undergrad). He's worked in the video game industry for 14 years, first at Acclaim and Rockstar Games, then he started his own company, Cashmere Productions. Jeremy is currently producing video games on a freelance basis and is pursuing a degree in computer science at Brooklyn College.

Video games often get a bad rap, especially from parents and health advocates that consider gaming as a contributor to childhood obesity (remember when kids used to like to play outside?).

Personally, I love games, particularly Ms. Pacman, Scrabble, backgammon, and anything on the Wii, especially Guitar Hero. I like how they occupy a certain part of my brain, forcing me to focus and be creative. Check out my mom and I rocking on Christmas! Gaming isn't always antisocial.

Speaking with Jeremy helped me to understand how and why gaming (in moderation) is appealing and beneficial. Basically, video games put achievable challenges in front of you and offer you small rewards, which get you into a happy “flow state”. Video game challenges build, driving you towards a larger goal, which leads to a greater sense of satisfaction once accomplished.

Currently, Jeremy is working on creating a game that hones in on meditative gestures, such as stillness and presence, to keep players in a flow state. Jeremy aims to take advantage of what video games have to offer--real time feedback--to create an experience with similar benefits to a yoga class.

According to Jeremy, "everything that you can do with TV and books, you can do with video games, and more...games get people thinking about big ideas and subjects that they wouldn’t be accustomed to." For example, Jeremy and his gaming colleagues are currently obsessed with a new Facebook game, Power Planets.

In Power Planets, you are given a planet for only 48 hours, then it’s handed off to someone else. Players (or rulers) have to balance earning points and/or money with more socially conscious efforts--you can be greedy or (ecologically) green, or try to balance these often conflicting qualities. In a nutshell reflecting how the real world works. You have the opportunity to craft a Utopian planet or if you get stuck with a planet lead by a slumlord of a planetary ruler, try to make the world a better place.

This game sounds compelling, but also time consuming. I barely have time to hang curtains I bought at Ikea 6 months ago let alone fix an entire planet.

Life is imitating the art of video games. As Jeremy notes, "the internet is becoming more game like, as is everyday life". Retailers are rewarding customers for their loyalty, like my local Duane Reade. Their Flex Rewards program attempts to keep consumers in a flow state issuing points for each purchase. Members receive even bigger discounts at the end of each month when certain point quotas are met. Now if only I could remember where my rewards card is when I get to the register.

Your Brain (and Personality) on Computers

An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness, another article in the Your Brain on Computers series, explores the notion of how excessive use of personal technologies may slowly be reshaping our personalities, causing people to become more impatient, impulsive, and forgetful. Advancing age and living in New York has already brought out some of those qualities in me, now the computer too, no!

Dependence on technology detracts from our relationships. Having hundreds of Facebook friends doesn't necessarily translate to, nor is it a substitute for, healthy relationships in "real life". It drives me crazy when I am out on the town, look around and see everyone playing with their phones. Come on, is this awesome concert or party not enough entertainment for you?

My position in this blog isn't meant to be anti-technology, but this NYT series brings to light many of my concerns about over dependence on technology. For me, the most significant message is that people should strive for balance and be self-aware.

If you enjoy your online activities more than anything else, then you might want to check out the expert insights provided in the online discussion, First Steps to Digital Detox.