1- Personal email
2- Two joint emails with my husband
3- Business email
4- School district email
5- School district Infinite campus
6- Facebook
7- Wikispace
8- Delicious
9- Diigo
10-Picnik
11-Flikr
12-Skype
13-Voice Thread
14-Blogger
15-Teacher Tube
I haven't even begun to list the more personal passwords and accounts for banks and Amazon and the Denver Performing Arts and Visa verify and my health insurance company and AT&T and Points Reward through the credit union and Parks & Rec and CU Boulder and AIMS and Loveland Wedding Professionals web page and employee ID for subfinder and the password to verify downloads on my school computer and ......................
No wonder I can't remember my next door neighbor's name!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Faster Than A Speeding "Bullet"?
In 1990, my husband and I moved to Guangzhou, China to live and teach for 2 years. Guangzhou is a 3 hour "fast" train ride from Hong Kong. Soon after we first arrived, I learned of a concern with a family member so we went to a phone center to make a call to the US. We had to wait for over an hour while our trunk call was connected. Moreover, that 5 minute phone call cost us a month's pay!!!
In August of 1991, while still in China,I gave birth to our first child, Emmy. Nine months earlier, my God daughter, Jessie, was born. The process of exchanging photos was thus: We usually waited until we went into Hong Kong to have our film of Emmy developed (better processing but not 1 hour). We then sent those photos to Jessie's parents. If all went well, they received those photos in 2 weeks. If they were dilligent, we received photos of Jessie 2 to 3 weeks later. Easily a month's turn around!
In 2003, as a family of four, we moved to Barcelona, Spain. By then, internet and email had emerged. It was not uncommon to send a message,with downloaded photos to friends and receive a reply in the same day. We had calling cards which allowed us to speak to each other for a mere $.09 a minute, connecting after only a few dozen numbers and pins applied. Prior to our leaving, it was not uncommon for Emmy and Jessie to set up the internet camera and play dolls together!
In the summer of 2006, my daughter and I went to the UK for a visit. We were armed with our cell phones which we could use to call home at any moment. Had I chosen to pay the data package costs, we could have taken photos and immediately sent them to my husband and son back in Colorado.
In February, a tremendous earthquake hit Chile. This is a country we have visited on more than one occassion and where some dear friends live. Saturday morning we awoke to the news of the quake and immediately we had concerns for our friends. By 9:00 pm, we were "chatting" real time with them via our Facebook pages being assured of their safety.
Wow! What advances and in so little time. What will the next 18 years bring?
In August of 1991, while still in China,I gave birth to our first child, Emmy. Nine months earlier, my God daughter, Jessie, was born. The process of exchanging photos was thus: We usually waited until we went into Hong Kong to have our film of Emmy developed (better processing but not 1 hour). We then sent those photos to Jessie's parents. If all went well, they received those photos in 2 weeks. If they were dilligent, we received photos of Jessie 2 to 3 weeks later. Easily a month's turn around!
In 2003, as a family of four, we moved to Barcelona, Spain. By then, internet and email had emerged. It was not uncommon to send a message,with downloaded photos to friends and receive a reply in the same day. We had calling cards which allowed us to speak to each other for a mere $.09 a minute, connecting after only a few dozen numbers and pins applied. Prior to our leaving, it was not uncommon for Emmy and Jessie to set up the internet camera and play dolls together!
In the summer of 2006, my daughter and I went to the UK for a visit. We were armed with our cell phones which we could use to call home at any moment. Had I chosen to pay the data package costs, we could have taken photos and immediately sent them to my husband and son back in Colorado.
In February, a tremendous earthquake hit Chile. This is a country we have visited on more than one occassion and where some dear friends live. Saturday morning we awoke to the news of the quake and immediately we had concerns for our friends. By 9:00 pm, we were "chatting" real time with them via our Facebook pages being assured of their safety.
Wow! What advances and in so little time. What will the next 18 years bring?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Social Media from a Business Perspective
As mentioned in my last BLOG, I have a business called Florals by Rhonda. I rely heavily on the Internet to provide my advertisement be it logo recognition, information, contact info or communication.
I use a web site to capture attention of potential brides. Because of a diligent effort to submit my site to various "local" and "business specific" search engines, I'm pretty assured of a bride finding my web site if she is searching for florist or wedding flowers in Loveland or Colorado. That's a first contact that I couldn't hope for in the traditional forms of telephone book, newspaper, or magazine ads. My web site is 24/7 , 365 a year and it has no monthly fees, which have become out of reach for a small business owner such as myself in more traditional marketing forms.
I also use a Facebook page as a secondary resource of presenting information. I can submit sites for brides to peruse, post flower specials or suggest events and vendors. It is far easier to submit information in this manner than changing my web page which is great, however, the nature of Facebook creates the expectation of change and thus I must be diligent at making new posts. I like Facebook because it links me with other vendors. When Ellis Ranch posts on their profile, it shows on mine, and vice versa. Such interaction not only produces more visibility, it creates logo association and affirms my professional image because of my relationship with other trusted businesses. The downside to this multi-faceted communication is the negative comment. In the past, a business could expect a dissatisfied customer to spread the word to 15 people. Social media has nearly tripled that effect. The average Facebook account has 40 friends!
I've not yet started using a BLOG to generate marketing, however it is to be seen in the floral industry, particularly with wedding services. It's a great media for displaying photos of ones work and more in depth discussions of floral options and designs. One of my associates has created a BLOG for her venue site and is doing a great job of promoting her venue as well as Loveland for brides. For now, I'll jump on her boat and become a "Follower".
In the last few weeks, I have had 5 brides contact me regarding their wedding flowers. One found me on a local search, a second from a web site's Preferred Vendors list, a third via a contact I made on Facebook and two from personal referals. I'm glad to see that social media/internet is working for me.
I use a web site to capture attention of potential brides. Because of a diligent effort to submit my site to various "local" and "business specific" search engines, I'm pretty assured of a bride finding my web site if she is searching for florist or wedding flowers in Loveland or Colorado. That's a first contact that I couldn't hope for in the traditional forms of telephone book, newspaper, or magazine ads. My web site is 24/7 , 365 a year and it has no monthly fees, which have become out of reach for a small business owner such as myself in more traditional marketing forms.
I also use a Facebook page as a secondary resource of presenting information. I can submit sites for brides to peruse, post flower specials or suggest events and vendors. It is far easier to submit information in this manner than changing my web page which is great, however, the nature of Facebook creates the expectation of change and thus I must be diligent at making new posts. I like Facebook because it links me with other vendors. When Ellis Ranch posts on their profile, it shows on mine, and vice versa. Such interaction not only produces more visibility, it creates logo association and affirms my professional image because of my relationship with other trusted businesses. The downside to this multi-faceted communication is the negative comment. In the past, a business could expect a dissatisfied customer to spread the word to 15 people. Social media has nearly tripled that effect. The average Facebook account has 40 friends!
I've not yet started using a BLOG to generate marketing, however it is to be seen in the floral industry, particularly with wedding services. It's a great media for displaying photos of ones work and more in depth discussions of floral options and designs. One of my associates has created a BLOG for her venue site and is doing a great job of promoting her venue as well as Loveland for brides. For now, I'll jump on her boat and become a "Follower".
In the last few weeks, I have had 5 brides contact me regarding their wedding flowers. One found me on a local search, a second from a web site's Preferred Vendors list, a third via a contact I made on Facebook and two from personal referals. I'm glad to see that social media/internet is working for me.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Personal Space
In the last two months I have opened a Facebook account for my person as well as a Facebook page for my business, Florals by Rhonda, a web page for the business http://www.floralsbyrhonda.com/ , a Blog page, a Diigo account and a Delicious account. How many hours have I spent trying to assure these various accounts reflect my sense of privacy? I think Facebook was the most time consuming. I had to return to each Facebook presentation on several occassions to "tweek" the privacy settings. There were many settings that I simply stumbled upon, such as the one in regards to whether or not my "friend" can provide my data to other entities or whether entities dealing with my "friend" can upload info from her site which may contain my info!!! Was that sentence confusing? So was the process of securing my data and privacy. Seriously, there were some settings that required 3 or 4 clicks simply to find.
This brings to mind the topic of personal space and privacy. I am pleased to know that these settings exist. I have a great many friendships that are dear to me and these friendships are around the globe. Just today I emailed with friends whom I met while living in Barcelona, Spain. Via Facebook I was able to "chat" realtime on Saturday, the day of the 8.8 Chilean earthquake with a friend who lives in Temuco, Chile. Such technology helps me to maintain these friendships. There are few things I enjoy more than sitting with good friends here in Loveland over a good meal and a better glass of wine. Relationships are incredibly valuable to me. However, I choose my relationships. I choose what I share and with whom I share it. The idea that my life, my thoughts, my pursuits are splattered across this vast, nebulous existense called The Web does not sit well with me.
Is it my age, my personality, or my experiences that move me this way? Will my daughter and son feel differently and will that difference benefit them or not?
This brings to mind the topic of personal space and privacy. I am pleased to know that these settings exist. I have a great many friendships that are dear to me and these friendships are around the globe. Just today I emailed with friends whom I met while living in Barcelona, Spain. Via Facebook I was able to "chat" realtime on Saturday, the day of the 8.8 Chilean earthquake with a friend who lives in Temuco, Chile. Such technology helps me to maintain these friendships. There are few things I enjoy more than sitting with good friends here in Loveland over a good meal and a better glass of wine. Relationships are incredibly valuable to me. However, I choose my relationships. I choose what I share and with whom I share it. The idea that my life, my thoughts, my pursuits are splattered across this vast, nebulous existense called The Web does not sit well with me.
Is it my age, my personality, or my experiences that move me this way? Will my daughter and son feel differently and will that difference benefit them or not?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Welcome to My Assignment
As my fellow classmates know, it is a requirement for my iKnow class to create a personal blog. The intent of this task is to gain practice and experience using the "blog" format as a means to bring social networking into my classroom and into my professional development. In this class, we are exploring the various social networks and their potential use in education.
Myself, I teach Spanish in the elementary classroom and have found it difficult to see how I would utilize many of the social medias in a classroom. It is not as difficult for me to see the use of such medias for professional communication and development. The curriculum I teach is heavily dependent on play and personal interaction as oppose to the use of printed or written materials. However, in Loveland, there are three different Spanish programs taught at the elementary level. I have had very little contact with the teachers in the other schools. Social media could be a wonderful way for us to communicate and share ideas with one another as we don't have formal meeting opportunities. Likewise, the field of language acquisition is constantly building upon itself. Beings that my curriculum is experiential, new ideas and activities to introduce and practice concepts is welcome, a resource social media can provide.
Myself, I teach Spanish in the elementary classroom and have found it difficult to see how I would utilize many of the social medias in a classroom. It is not as difficult for me to see the use of such medias for professional communication and development. The curriculum I teach is heavily dependent on play and personal interaction as oppose to the use of printed or written materials. However, in Loveland, there are three different Spanish programs taught at the elementary level. I have had very little contact with the teachers in the other schools. Social media could be a wonderful way for us to communicate and share ideas with one another as we don't have formal meeting opportunities. Likewise, the field of language acquisition is constantly building upon itself. Beings that my curriculum is experiential, new ideas and activities to introduce and practice concepts is welcome, a resource social media can provide.
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