More things I have learned on my quest for Tech Knowledge!

Tweeting is fun and I can see how it would be addicting if you followed people that were really fun or if you were a news junkie. I love the diversity. I am following top chef and the Wall Street Journal! cool. Hmmmm how can patrons use this?? I guess if they want up to date info for a journalism or political science class they could follow major news agencies.

Facebook - love it! It is the only way I keep up with friends and family around the world. I get to see baby pictures and here news about jobs, relationships and even new pregnancies! I belong to two OI support groups where I have made great friends with people I have never met. I get advice about fracture care and treatment options and best doctors and conferences without researching it all myself. And since Synclaire's condition is rare - it makes me feel not so alone.

I can see how patrons love Facebook - it is keeping up with those you care about. I think it is very odd that it has be come a dating site and a bullying site - but I also think the good outweighs the bad. I think patrons can use it in all kinds of ways - social for sure but also for information on agencies, restaurants, etc. I think there are many that are still afraid of Facebook because it puts them out there. But again I think the good outweighs the bad. I am just not posting anything that I really care is seen - checking account info or SS#s. That would be stupid. But pictures of Synclaire cheering or Mackenzie? In a heartbeat!

One more thing that facebook and twitter does that I find valuable is to be able to get vital information from someone without having to have a long conversation. I have a friend who's brother is dying of cancer in the hospital. She is there with him almost 24/7. Now I really want to let her know that I am praying for her and care for her but I don't want to bother her. So she posts occasionally how she is doing and I respond with a post. She knows I am here if she needs me but I am not taking any of the precious time she has with her brother!

So wrong the first time!

So blogging is the second assignment on our 23 things list. I was actually kind of excited. I had been thinking about blogging for a long time. I have a special needs child and life has been quite eventful since her arrival 8 years or so ago. Not that it was not already exciting - working full time, going to graduate school and being a wife and mother! But two years before I finished school along came a miracle named Synclaire. So my other blog fragileyettenacious is about life with her and my other drama queen, Mackenzie. Life is never boring at the Thomas house.

But I digress - this blog is about learning tech stuff! I am not very tech smart. I have a smart phone that my 13 year old understands way better than I do. But I think it is important that I try to push some tech knowledge into my 48 year old head. Now remember that means that other information has to go from my brain to make room for new stuff but hopefully it won't be anything crucial like my children's birthdates or where I live!

Now the assignment this week is to talk about Google products.
What is useful to me - I sing at church on Sundays and about a month ago our worship leader sent out an email to the singers with a link to a google doc with our schedule of songs on it! That is really cool. I can just bookmark it on my phone and there it is whenever I need it. That is very useful!

For patrons - I really think probably google books and google scholar are the two things I will point people to the most. So many high school students and college students could use these from home to research papers if they only knew about them. But maybe it is just me that did not know!

Okay have I learned enough for today?? Are my brain cells still intact?