Linked in.. Business Sociability

I signed up for a LinkedIn account and went through the steps to add more information to my profile. The look of the environment was alright, nothing to call home about. There was a lot of interactivity which is always nice and lots of automatised functions. I don't really have any interest in anything to do with business but I am sure many out there do.  I would not ever use this website group because I see no merit with it, in my current situation. I did notice that it offers two options, a free one and a paid one for 24 dollars which offered a lot more features and linkage. The free one only consisted of three features.

It was pretty easy to sign, up but I did have to take a close look to find where the option to edit information was. All in all, this site is for people who are really into networking for business purposes and not really for the public at large, who just want to socialize for pleasure.

Paola:o)

Skype! It rocks

Another discussion topic for this week is that of the Voip technologies. VOIP stands for voice over internet protocol and it is a way to utilize the internet to talk on the phone rather than the traditional PSTN connections. Skype is a tool that has been developed thanks to the VOIP technologies. Skype is an internet based program that allows users to connect to others who are also signed up with Skype. The calls are free and of very good quality. Not only can one call another, but one has a chat feature and ability to see the other person on live video. There are now also features offered by Skype to buy a number and a phone and purchase a membership to use Skype as your primary home phone. The cost is super affordable and there are also options for international calling at a great price. The cheapest option is just like 20 bucks a year and allows one to call landlines and cell phones of individuals who are not members of Skype.  The advantages are obvious but also the option of having group party calls allows for business practices and advantages due to the ease of conducting meetings and business calls throughout the globe, thus removing the borders and allowing for commerce to expand to all countries and all people. The disadvantages are very few, but one could say that having to have a viable internet connection to function and that it all depends on electricity of some form are two downsides. No power no VOIP, one could say and that goes for mobile devices too because once an iphone dies, one has to charge it, if one wants to keep talking. Occational software issues are also a disadvantage over land lines, but I have been using skype to communicate with my family and it has been awesome. Very few problems ever and usually they are more hardware related or due to peripheral issues.  Voip has allowed families to stay in touch who could not afford to call each other more than one a year to talk on a daily basis, thanks to this technology.
Paola.

More on Podcasts

There are many podcasts out there to be enjoyed. One thing that makes them so popular is that they are what you want; when you want it. One can choose to listen to what one wants and there is no time window as to when they have to be watched. One thing I found out about podcast.com that I find very dangerous is that it is very easy to do simple search and there open to anyone is highly innappropriate content. Not only do I not want to see that, but my small child could easily look on there and see, read, and listen too "XXX" stuff without anything to stop him! So the freedom that makes Podcasts great, is also what causes them to be quite a bit dangerous. 

On another note, I found another podcast that I was able to feed into my blog and that is the Daily Audio Bible.

Friendster, not so friendly to look at...

Last in  my social networking experience is "Friendster". This site was more functional. It functions as it should, the signing in process is smooth and the features and tools are very user friendly. However, I have to say that the background and look of the environment are teeniebopperish and for the populace. I wish there was (maybe there is, but I couldn't find it) an option to change the background, so that one could look at something a little more mature and tasteful while socializing. I wont be keeping that account, but the site is well made.

Paola :o)

MySpace??? Is it really?

Alright folks after visiting and joining MySpace (which I never had an interest to join), I have to say that the signing process is totally cumbersome and I had to reload my browser page several times and re-enter my information. I thought the environment was "ok" . It seemed plain, ugly, and still a bit confusing while lacking user friendly tools.

Paola

Facebook

So, I want to talk a little bit about Facebook. In my opinion, Facebook is the best online social network. I think the environment encourages creativity. It is clean and simple, but attractive. It has plenty of security options and good linkage throughout the web site. The notifications are very handy and make it not only a social network, but a mode of communication for so many. The new timeline format is very good and attractive and the mobile environment, although not all inclusive of the features, still good and functional. I pick Facebook as my social network of choice.

Paola:o)

Podcast experience

Hello, today I want to discuss podcasts. In my class this week, we learned about podcasts. How to create one, how to subscribe to one, and where to go choose one. I have to say that I had never listened to a podcast and did not even know where to start.  To compare the two podcast dictionaries, I preferred www.podcast.com to www.podcastalley.com. Podcast.com has a nice layout, good picks, and I found the BEST podcast on there. The Nutrition Diva! I will paste the link to the podcast here. 

http://www.podcast.com/S-1167.htm

Paola:o)

Here is an updated version! "Did You Know?/Shift Happens" (Version 6, 2012)

I want to share with you another perspective of what the video "Did you know?" Meant to a poster on the Wiki, ShiftHappens. This fellow poster was livid about how the information was presented and about the entire tone of presentation. He seemed to think it felt very sensationalized and that it seemed to want to put fear in the hearts of Americans of the USA being overtaken by China and India. I kind of agree with him, but what I think is more scary is not so much the lack of technological advancement in schools, but more the lack of character building education and discipline in our schools.

Schools seem to have lost site of the key role "RESPECT" and "RESPONSIBILITY" play in the daily lives and educational success of our kids. Without respect for adults and responsibility for their actions, American kids are left running amok, out of control and feeling unsafe, hopeless, and incapable. By demanding so little of them and having such low standards in performance and behavior, it leaves the children thinking they are worthless and they cannot do any better. Instead of looking at IT education as the key difference in the education and success of countries like China and India and look at what else is it that they are requiring of students? Respect, Morals, humbleness, work ethic? Lets think about this......

Did You Know 2.0

Did you know?

I visited the Wiki site Shifthappens and read this Article having to do with the video "Did you know?".  The article I read is "THE end of the WORLD" and in summary, the writer Keethmoon, makes a really good point that the video is not worth considering, because greater priorities are at stake such global warming and the extinction of precious animals.  He insists that war is imminent, due to growing pressures and fuel disputes. I'll attach the video here so you can all watch it.  I agree that the video lacks one side of the coin and ignores the fact that although what is presented there is important, it is not as imperative as the video makes it seem. Educating the children to care for their planet and their bodies is much more important in my mind too.

Paola:o)

NoMoreTv

NoMoreTv, a photo by Mahaa72 on Flickr.

Mahaa72's photostream

Mahaa72's photostream on Flickr.

Please check out the images I edited and created. I uploaded them to Flikr, so I now have an account.