Anyhow,  Twitter is a way to quickly and briefly update people on what a person is doing at a particular moment. When I first heard about Twitter in undergrad, I was not very impressed with it. And then came the status updates on Facebook. I figured if  I wanted to know that much about a person I would just pick up the phone and call them. There are different ways to use Twitter; however, that make it more suitable for the less invasive public audience.

As I am not one to publicize my daily life’s event to an unknown mass public, I have opted for alternative uses of Twitter. For example, if there is a quote or something inspiring that I have read, I am likely to share this on Twitter. Also, when I notice the accomplishments of friends and family members, I like to make that known on my Twitter page as well. This may sound pretty lame to some, but it is just my personal preference. It is always a challenge for me to decide on how I will present my personal self/life in such a public space. The best thing for me to do when facing this challenge is to think about what I am posting and if what I am posting is something I would actually saw in a face to face conversation with someone. If not, it won’t be posted either. It’s just a part of being true to who I am regardless of the environments I find myself in. So if you’re looking for something “juicy” from my tweets, just know that it will only be as “juicy” as what I would normally say. Ta Ta!!!

The one feature that I absolutely LOVE on my cell is the camera. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. It is easy to use, convenient, and I am able to send pictures immediately to my sisters and friends. The picture quality has improved drastically from my first cell phone to my second, (yes, I know… not many updates for me). I often send pics from my phone to my email just so that the picture will be larger, and the quality is not too bad at all.

I’m not into much of the newer technological capabilities that are offered with cell phones nowadays. Call me old fashioned, but I enjoy the anticipation of sitting down at a computer to check if I got an email, post, message, etc. Having constant updates sent to my phone does not appeal to me; it takes away from the excitement of finding something in your inbox.

This may change for me in the near future, especially since I will be entering into the workforce. Perhaps the LG Chocolate Touch? We will have to wait and see. I can see internet access on cell phones being extremely helpful for instances in which I need to look up an address, number or other information that is only available to me through my email account. But for now, my plain blue ice though mine no longer looks this new) is enough for me!

Aside from school, YouTube has been useful in finding tutorials and how-tos for things that I am interested in. The most common thing for me to research online is healthy natural hair and different types of hairstyles. The Southern Tease is one hairstyle in particular in which I am still trying to work out. The following video is one that I refer to when experimenting with this hairstyle:

This video and similar videos help me to actually see the process of creating hairstyles instead of just reading about how to create hairstyles. Other than hair tutorials, I find YouTube useful for listening to music and studying how artists perform different songs. Being a music minor (voice) for a time in undergraduate school, I would often look up videos of performers who I admired, such as Denyce Graves. Her performance of The Lord’s Prayer is one in particular that I was strongly drawn to.

YouTube has proven to be a resourceful tool for both educational and personal uses. It has found its way into my daily life on occasion, as I have used it as a search engine when looking for specific information. I’ve also noticed that when I conduct Google searches, some of the first few results that pop up are YouTube videos. This just goes to shoe the resourcefulness of YouTube. Even when you don’t think you need it, it shows up to be useful anyhow.

Podcasting

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It was only recently that I delved into the world of forums by accident. I was doing a web search last year on Black hair care, and one of the links that popped up connected to an online hair care forum; Long Hair Care Forum.

Here is a video that describes the value of this forum and others that are similar. (The music is catchy too!)

I didn’t realize at the time that it was a forum because the link went straight to the page that I was interested in. After lurking around some, I found that there were several topics related to my interests with hair care. The forum also contained pictures that users have uploaded to show hair growth progress.

Hair Chart

Although the forum participants are not “experts,” the information that they provide is very useful because they are real people who are using real hair care products and sharing their experiences; good or bad.  I also found topics within the forum related to skin care and general health. It got to the point that I could type in ANYTHING to the search function of this forum, and it was highly likely that someone had started a thread on that topic or at least mentioned the topic somewhere in the forum.

Now, before I purchase any new products, I refer to this online forum because I know that I will get the real scoop.

When we finally did get connected to the Internet, I was extremely excited. However; I had no idea what to do with it. The only thing that I had was an e-mail account that I shared with my dad, so there was only so much that I could do with that. When I learned how to create my own e-mail account, I felt like I had come up in the world. At the time, I wanted to grow an afro, so my email was afro04gul. Although my e-mail was not very professional it reflected my interests at the time and year of my eventual high school graduation. Thus began my adventure of social networking. Whenever I went to summer camps or met with friends at school, I was sure to provide them with my official e-mail.

Fast forward some years to my freshman year in college when Facebook was introduced. I never really understood, not to mention became involved with social media before then. But when my childhood friend personally called me up to tell me that EVERYBODY was on Facebook, I decided to give it a try. She went on to inform me that if you have a question mark for your picture, you were lame. J

Anyhow, Facebook, in its early forms, became a new reason for me to get online. Before then, I only used the Internet for academics, looking up information through search engines, and listening to music (legally). I was fascinated. I was overwhelmed. But it was and still is perhaps the most unique form of communication to date.

Social networking is good for just that; networking. It is a convenient way to stay in contact with family, friends, and associates near and far. Virtual Hosting offers a listing of the top 100 social media and networking sites. I appreciate all that social networking has made possible, but I worry sometimes that it will begin to precede interpersonal communication. Personally, I am one for more one-on-one interaction instead of being limited to typed words and emoticons to demonstrate how I feel. Nevertheless, social networking has allowed me access to those who were previously inaccessible, and it is a communication method that I see myself using for years to come.

Auburn University has a feature that is similar to RSS feeds called AU alert. AU Alert  allows students, faculty, and staff to provide an e-mail address and phone number so that alerts may be sent through e-mail and text messages for emergencies such as tornado warnings, campus threats, and campus closings.

Nemock has provided some useful information on how to set up RSS feeds to WordPress accounts

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For those who have a WordPress account, I hope you find this useful.

Since I have only recently become a pseudo member of the “blogosphere,” I felt that it would be helpful for me to browse other blogs to get a better understanding of their uses. The few blogs that I have previously encountered were personal blogs that were linked to the pages of Facebook friends. So the viewing of blogs for me has been indirect. I found these blogs to resemble online diaries; expressing the personal day-to-day happenings and thoughts of the blogger.

There seems to be a higher level of the freedom of expression in blogs. I guess people feel as though they are able to say things online that they are not able or are ashamed to say in public. This is sort of scary to me because when I see the person in the flesh, I’m not sure if this is the real person or the blogger. This has only happened with people who I knew (or thought I knew) very well. Maybe I am being a bit drastic, but I have really read some things that caused me to question if the blogger was aware that the blog would be visible to the public. At any rate, people have the right to use their blogs for whatever reasons they would like, and I have no problem with this.

Blogs can have as many uses as there are users. Aside from the online diary aspect, blogs can serve as spaces for people to network and share information that is related to a career field. As you may know, my job search is well underway, and I have come across some very helpful resources related to my career interests. Destination Meetings has a blog feature on their website which keeps event planners informed of opportunities in the field. Blogs can also be inspirational and thought-provoking. Whatever your blog is, I am almost certain that someone somewhere in the world will relate to it in some way. So keep blogging.

A big dream of mine is to become a notable published author. Toni Morrison is the most inspiring writer I have ever experienced through reading her books. She has a way of mingling fiction and non-fiction to create a challenging yet rewarding reading experience. My first couple of books will be non-fiction, but I would also like to experiment with other forms of writing as well.  This will be a challenging venture, especially with the transition of printed books to digital formats.

Due to the cold and snowy weather “up North,” I plan on residing in the south-east region of the states. It is my home, and I honestly cannot imagine living anyplace else. Traveling would therefore be the cure for my adventuresome spirit, as I am always interested in seeing different places and learning new things. At some point in my life I would like to have traveled to the Virgin Islands for the serene beaches and festive culture, the west coast of Africa to acknowledge the experiences of my ancestors, and Italy because I LOVE Italian food).

All in all, I find that my dreams and aspirations are constantly evolving, and this makes life more exciting to me.