Hanging Out All By Myself

Web Conferencing is another use of the internet that is becoming more and more popular.  I have personally used Google Hangout before so I used it again for this demonstration.  All you need is a gmail address to get connected.  The first thing you do after logging in is find friends.  You can type in someones name, username, or email address to find them.  Then you push a button that looks like a green phone receiver (it is in the middle of the screen and red below, as this was during a hangout) and it places a VoIP phone call.  It has replaced the olden days of webcam chatting.  It is kind of the same thing but there is much more interactive capability.  My screenshot below is me logged in to one google account on my laptop and another on my phone.  Yes, I had to call myself because it is late at night, I've had a super busy week and when I read the instructions for this project I missed the part where I was suppose to conference with someone.

As I said before, it's been a busy week, so please overlook how I look.  My nephew's graduation started at 8:30 pm and I didn't get home until almost 11:30 pm.  That's another story.  You can see how interactive it is.  On the right side you can chat, on the left side there are options to share your screen.  I have been in web conferences at work where this is used.  We all get an invitation to a conference, and I honestly don't remember which service they use, but I'm sure they are all similar. Once the time arrives you join the conference.  When I did this at work, someone was sharing the screen to demonstrate some new software that they were getting ready to integrate.  He shared his screen with all the attendants. We had audio and were watching his computer screen as he demonstrated the software. Instead of sending out a powerpoint presentation, or some instructions that everyone might not understand, we were all there together to actually learn how to use it and be able to ask questions.  I think we will see more and more of this in the future.  It even beats the pants off an old fashioned conference call with only audio. You can see and hear everyone involved, or one person can share a screen, but you all can still talk to each other.

We also use VoIP phones at work, meaning instead of our telephones being plugged in to the telephone company, we are plugged in to our computers.  It is a tradional phone with a receiver and push buttons, but it also comes up in a window on your desktop that you can dial and use all the phone features from that window. It has given us amazing capabilities, our entire company directory is embedded in the phone. You type in a last name and bam, you can transfer a call or conference them in.  The drawback of VoIP at work (at least in my experience) is that if you are not logged in to your system you cannot use the phone.  If you have a password (or any IT issue) that prevents you from logging on to your computer you have to call IT from another phone. The capabilities and benefits, far outweigh the negatives.

Mary Engelbreit and Web 2.0

Mary Engelbreit is an artist that I admire. Her art is very unique, as well as spiritual and inspirational. I am such a fan that her $10 desk calendar is the one thing I told my Mother I wanted when I was asked for a Christmas wish list. I'm 44, but I'm lucky that she still treats me like I'm 14. There is a reason I chose to write about Mary. The first time I saw her work, was a post on Facebook from a family member that is a fan. I started following her on Facebook, then Instagram, and Pinterest. I am also subscribed to her website. I do think she is using 2.0 technology effectively, simply because if she wasn't, I wouldn't know who she is. Below is a photo of Mary and links to the platforms that she is utilizing to promote herself and her work.

Image Source: http://www.maryengelbreit.com/pages/meet-mary

Mary uses various means to reach out to existing and potential fans. On her website you can find all about Mary, and view and purchase her artwork.

Website:
Mary Engelbreit Website

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In the Clouds

I am both excited and nervous about cloud computing.  The ability to automatically back up all my documents and pictures is fabulous.  I take a lot of pictures so it saves space on my phone and I don't have to worry about losing all my them if something happens to my phone, or my laptop for that matter.  I have lived the nightmare of a computer crash and losing everything on it.  I had audio and webcam videos of my nephew talking and singing when he was a baby.  I lost them all when one of the older kids downloaded a virus to my computer.  I was a computing beginner that did not back up my files.  I had to learn the hard way.  The cloud could prevent someone else from losing a file or picture that is precious to them. I also really like the collaboration feature. It could be helpful in many different ways.  Whether you are working on a project for school, work, or planning a church bake sale, everyone involved has a place to make changes and see what is going on with the project in real time.  The thing that makes me nervous is with the sharing you have to make sure you are giving out the correct permissions.  You might accidentally grant access to someone to edit a document that you didn't want edited, or give them access to private files.  I wrote an article about cloud computing and am including the OneDrive link to it here: http://1drv.ms/1FEczlY

Email To: or not To:

I recently took a refresher course about email and it occurred to me that everyone might not realize what all the address fields are for, what they do, and how you can create a signature that is pre-filled on every email that you compose.  Shown below is an email that I composed to my Aunt Charlotte to explain what this all means.  You will notice I copied my class instructor in the Cc: field so that he will be able to see what I have learned and how I am applying it.  That same reasoning goes to the Bcc: field.  My tutor is listed there, but I didn't want to send the email out with his personal address attached.  

A signature can save you a significant amount of time if you send out a lot of emails.  I never really used a signature until I got my present job.  We have a ton of email communications and are required to have a formatted email signature with our job title, work phone, office location, and the company logo.  I shudder to think about having to type that out for the ton of emails I send on a daily basis. I used Microsoft Office 365 to create the example below because we use Outlook at work and it is so easy to set up.  

I learned 2 new things in the refresher that I was surprised that I didn't already know.  I had no idea that the new Outlook.com webmail service replaced Hotmail. I do use Outlook at work, home, and for school and I did not know I could sync the calendars attached and share them with others.  It is so convenient to be able to share email and calendars across all the platforms I access my email with, as well as the people I share my life with. 

Can I speak just a moment on how I detest the Reply All button?  As I stated previously, one of my primary communications at work is email.  I am a part of a group who has access to a certain database that maybe 1/4 of my workgroup has access to.  This means every time someone needs something from that database I get an email. It is done on a kind of first come, first serve basis, so when someone sends a request 5 people may send the answer.  It's not practical and I don't understand why they don't give everyone access, however that is another story.  Most everyone that sends an answer hits Reply All.  If I get 50 emails a day (and I usually get more) and 5 or more people hit Reply All (and they do) I have to delete tons of useless emails daily.  I often accidentally delete mail I actually need because I have to delete so many that shouldn't have been sent in the first place. Please for the love of everything holy, when it comes to Reply All, please just make it STOP! 

Blog vs. Wiki

There are several differences in a blog and a wiki.  An inexperienced user may not realize this.  I would like to use this post to define both blogs and wikis, and educate users so they can make informed decisions about using the content.

A blog is a shortened name meaning web log.  Anyone can have a blog.  It's essentially a website that you can create for yourself.  It can be anonymous, you can use a pseudonym (anonymous author name), or you can choose to identify yourself. I, for example, have an anonymous blog that is like an online journal.  It's just a place where I can express myself freely about whatever I'm thinking about. You can also use a blog to promote a business.  Imagine you are a wedding planner trying to get your name out there and attract customers.  You could post helpful wedding tips and posts related to this topic.  Post highlights of the weddings you have hosted and let potential customers see your work in action.  There would be a section with contact information so customers can call or write to you. Your blog can be about a certain topic, or like mine, any topic you have an opinion on.  Blog sites such as the Blogger site, are very easy to use.  If you are a beginner it might take some time getting acquainted with the design and layout processes, but Blogger has templates that are pre-designed so that all you have to do is pick the design you like, apply it to your blog, and then start writing.  I recommend it, if nothing else as a creative outlet.  Internet readers can follow your blog and there is a section for people to comment and start a dialogue about whatever topic you have posted about. Your articles stay your own though, no one is able to edit your content.

Wikipedia is a free online dictionary that is the brain child of Jimmy Wales.  A wiki is kind of like a blog.  It is an article posted on the wikipedia website on a topic.  Like a regular encyclopedia, you will find articles on every topic.  The difference is, these articles are not always written by academic people, and the topics may not be something you would expect to find in an encyclopedia, such as the episode by episode details of a TV show.  The most fundamental difference between a blog and a wiki is that after you publish an article, it can be edited by someone else.  

I used an example of the HBO series Game of Thrones, Season 1 Wiki.  There is a link at the top of the main page to edit the article.

As you can see from the picture above, the code for the look of the page can be edited, and if you scroll down all the text of the article is listed, and can be altered.  The problem with this is vandalism. I could change the text of the page to state that the starring role in the show is played by Amanda DeWeese.  The pages are patrolled for quality assurance, but if I made that edit and someone that didn't realize wikis can be altered saw this before it was fixed, this person would go away thinking that I am in the show.  There is another link on the main page to view the edits history and you can view all the revisions to the article.  Below is an example of a comparison from an anonymous user and one that is a registered user.

You can see close to the bottom of the screenshot above, the one word that was changed.  In an article such as this, credibility doesn't matter that much, but what if you were researching a topic and needed facts?  I think that a person who identifies themselves seems more credible than someone who doesn't.  That is just my perception of it, but if I think that way many others probably do too.  

I watched a video of the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, explaining the site and its methods.  I can honestly say, I feel different about my views on the site now.  Every teacher I have ever had, states that you shouldn't use Wikipedia as your resource, because of the editing factor and so I take what I read on the site with a grain of salt.  I did not realize that they have measures in place to deter vandals and when the pages do get vandalized, system administrators and the person who originally wrote the wiki are reviewing the site all the time and delete the vandalized content.  I might use Wikipedia more than I did previously, but because of the vandalism factor, you should always dig a little deeper and back up the facts that you find.  It was really interesting to me to find out that Wikipedia is almost exclusively run by volunteers.  That leads me to believe that if people are doing this as a hobby and for fun rather than profit, then it is a much more credible place to find information than I ever realized.