The Technological Chain Letter

When I was a young girl, maybe age 11 or 12, my friends and I would get chain letters. Ours were handwritten and sent through the mail with a postage stamp. We generally only got mail on our birthdays from out of town relatives, so getting something in the mail was a big deal. I did write to a pen pal during the 5th grade, a student from another school in another state (a class project of sorts), but that was the only mail I would get. It's exciting when you're 11 to walk out to the mailbox and come back with something with your name on it.

 

My, how things have changed. We didn't have cell phones or computers when I was younger, so we communicated by writing letters, talking on the phone (the kind with a cord attached to the wall in the kitchen with absolutely NO privacy), or we knocked on someone's door and then sat on the front porch.

 

Today is very different. On any given day I can get a 'forwarded' email with an inspirational story that I am invited (or gently coerced) into sharing with my friends. There's usually the promise of good fortune or prayers sent my way, but ONLY if I share. Then there is the subtle hints toward guilt if I don't; 'I know which of my friends will share this and which ones won't' or 'If you're not ashamed to share this ...'.  Really? I lead a very busy life, like most everyone. I may have time, at some point, to read through your email, but it may take a week and then what? I've missed my deadline, so now I am doomed to live the next 10 years with bad luck?

 

On most days I love my Facebook account; I get to read what my family and friends are up to, celebrate their happy moments and accomplishments, and feel connected. What I don't like is the political rants, the way technology has made it too easy for people to be bullies and say whatever mean things they want to people they know and people they don't know and hide behind cartoon photos and fake names. But, if I'm being totally honest, I also do not care for the posts that generally have a sincere message, but then attach that good message with a double dose of guilt; 'copy and paste this to your timeline for 1 hour' or 'I know which of my friends will read all the way through this message and then care enough to share'. I would much rather read your thoughts, applaud your efforts for sharing, and then form my own opinion; but the second an ultimatum is attached I will lose interest. Hopefully this doesn't make me a bad person. I will still read your message, consider your beliefs, and most likely support your cause if I agree, but most times I will not share it to my timeline or forward it to my contact list. That is my opinion and my choice, as it is yours for posting in the format that you do.

 

Will you still consider me your 'Facebook' friend if I don't? I hope so. I would hate to think that our friendship was structured around ultimatums and guilt.

 

How do you feel? Do you tend to share posts and emails that you receive, and if so why? Do you tend to send the posts asking for support? I understand that exposure means everything when you are trying to share news or support a cause. What topics are you most likely to share?

 

In a respectful and productive way, please help me understand.

Can Technology Make Us Lazy?

Are you one of those people who avoid technology like it's the plague (or should I say Ebola)? Do you embrace all the newest and fastest gadgets the stores have to offer? Or are you a fence sitter?

Here are a few observations and perhaps you can help me determine if there is a common denominator.

• Do you call someone and leave them a message only to have them call you back and say, "Hi, I saw that you called." To which you reply, "O.k., did you listen to my message?" And then their frustrating response is, "No, but I saw that you called. What did you want?"

Does technology tend to make some people lazy? Do they take the easy way out, check the caller ID - but not bother to actually listen to the message?

• Do you find yourself emailing someone and asking them 3 or 4 questions in the content of the email, yet when they respond they haven't actually read the 'whole' email? They respond to 1 out of 4 questions and disregard the other 3. That becomes a gross waste of time because if you still need your answers now you have to email them back again.
• Then there are those people who will give you their email address but claim they never check it. So ... why do they have one?

Do you think technology overwhelms some people? Do they feel obligated by society to participate, but they don't really want to?

 

Technology, in its many forms, certainly has great purpose, but I also think it can create a sense of disconnect. Yes, computers and emails and Facebook and cell phones are convenient, but they also make it easy to lose touch. When was the last time you wrote a letter (you know, that thing with pen and paper and an envelope and a stamp)? I know many elderly people and college students who would much rather check their 'mailbox' instead of their 'inbox'.

 

Which side of the technology fence do you sit on? Does it help you or hinder you? Does it make you more social or more of a loner? What's your favorite forms of technology and why? For example, maybe you like a Kindle because you don't have the space to store actual books ... on the other hand maybe you prefer the smell of a good bound book and enjoy turning a page and using a bookmark.

 

Keeping It 'Old School'

I'm all for improvement and change ... when it's needed, but sometimes I think 'old school' is still best. So, what do I mean by 'old school'? Well, let's see. There are classic cars, simpler and quieter times, less technology, better made products, and even manners and etiquette. I'll admit that I sometimes get a bit frustrated with all of the rush and chaos of today's world. Everyone seems to be in a hurry and often times it seems people act as though they're in their own little bubble where nothing can touch them.

Every day I witness people cutting others off in traffic, honking their car horns because other people choose to obey the speed limits, and then not using their turn signals (as if the rest of us are just supposed to guess that they planned to suddenly turn left).

With time comes progress and technology, and yes even change. We see change everywhere ... in our schools, in our jobs, and in our grocery stores. It seems just about everything these days comes with an 'app'. Everything is supposedly made easier, where with the click of a few buttons you can order your dinner, renew your license plate tabs, pay a bill, or do your Christmas shopping. But I have to wonder ... with 'progress' supposedly making our lives easier do we sometimes forget the things that really matter?

I think some students learn better by actually taking notes in class with a pen and paper rather than just recording a lecture. I think some children are able to show their creativity better by coloring in books with old-fashioned Crayola crayons rather than using Paintbrush on a computer screen. I think some people retain more of what they read by turning the paper pages of a book. I'm not suggesting that all technology is bad. As much as I love the feel and smell of an actual book I would still like to someday have a Kindle - they're small and efficient and save A LOT of space. I imagine they would be wonderful for traveling.

Then there's my memories of 'old school' manners, the kind I grew up with. When I was young I learned the importance of writing thank you notes. My mother always said, "If someone takes the time to buy you a gift, you should take the time to properly acknowledge them." The progress in that today could easily be sending a thank you 'text' or 'email', which is fine. It's the acknowledgement that matters, but many times people just seem to expect gifts they're given (which I think is sad).

To me there's something to be said for still having a landline phone, or playing records on a record player, or being respectful and polite. It's so refreshing when a young person actually takes the time to hold a door open for a stranger. To call any of this 'old school' isn't progress - it just means the world has gotten too busy. If we could all take some time to remember the things and behavior that made us who we are and pass on those good qualities ... that would be progress.

How Reliable Is The Internet?

There are some people who think technology and the Internet are the best inventions since Swiss Cheese; which is a good comparison if you like Swiss Cheese, but then again Swiss Cheese is full of holes. I'm all for progress and improvement but sometimes I wonder how far is too far. Technology is a growing concept with a lot of great things going for it; research, inventions, progress, and sometimes making life easier. Then again ... sometimes it makes me want to beat my head against the wall (or at least my computer screen).

I've known some people who have taken the Internet way too seriously and believed in absolutely everything it says. I've heard of people not going to the doctor because they self-diagnosed themselves through Web MD (often times incorrectly because while they did have certain similar symptoms their cause turned out to be something entirely different). Although I once got a 2nd degree steam burn on my wrist on Christmas Eve and was able to give myself some immediate attention because of the Internet.

Just about any time I use Map Quest it either gives me incorrect directions to my destination or takes me in such a roundabout way I may as well add an extra 30 minutes to my travel time. Just ask my family about the time we drove 4 hours to meet some friends at a brand new Cheesecake Factory in Dayton, Ohio and ended up in downtown Dayton at a field. We were definitely on the right street, but definitely no Cheesecake Factory. It finally took a mailman who knew the area to give us reliable directions to the new outdoor mall a few exits further down the freeway. Fortunately our friends were still waiting for us.

There's a certain State Farm Insurance commercial that I've seen on TV where the young lady insists the scraggly looking guy with the polo shirt and fanny pack is a French model only because 'she saw it on the Internet so it must be true'. It's a funny commercial but also makes a great point. That perhaps people should learn to better use the tools the Internet has to offer, rather than become dependent on them. And certainly to realize that behind every computer screen there was a real live human being entering in the initial information. Guess what? Last time I checked humans still make mistakes and that's o.k., but for some reason there's a part of us that still expects a man made machine to somehow be perfect and flawless. Imagine that.

So ... how reliable do you think the Internet is?

What's the best source of promotion?

When I was young technology was something seen on a Jetson’s cartoon on a Saturday morning in your PJs. We had TVs with channels 2, 4, 7, 9, 20 & 50; and usually only one TV in the house. There was this round knob on it that when you got up and walked across the room and turned it, it actually changed the channel for you. There was also one for volume (imagine that). We had a stereo console with a built-in record player (that played REAL records). We didn’t have answering machines or call waiting, cell phones or computers. Wow… how did we ever survive? We even had these thick yellow things called ‘phone books’. If you wanted to call a plumber or an electrician you looked up their ad in the book. Times were definitely different then and for many, much simpler.

Technology can be a great tool. It can be helpful and efficient, but it can also be a distraction - just look at all the people losing sleep over Candy Crush. I guess it just depends how much you want to use technology, what you want to use it for, and why you want to use it. I read an article the other day that said if you want to be a serious and competitive journalist you absolutely have to have an IPhone, otherwise you can’t share your stories on the scene and instantaneously. Makes sense since getting the first scoop is usually the #1 requirement for a reporter.

This week on Facebook I saw a post from a friend looking for a reference for a roofer. I’m happy to say I was able to help her out. Seems to me that old-fashioned person-to-person referrals are still the best source of promotion. It doesn’t matter if it comes in the form of a phone call, a Facebook post, or a real face-to-face conversation while standing on your driveway.

Promotion is crucial if you’re in business; you need to get the word out about your product or service, why you’re better than your competitor, and how much you can save the customer. Publicists, advertising agencies, and webpage designers will no doubt try to convince you that you can’t possibly do it without their help (for a low, low price of course), but businesses are different. They’re all about their product or service. Relationships are another thing entirely. They need one-on-one contact, they need attention, and they need nurturing to be able to grow.

I’ve been thinking about all of this because of this blog. This blog is an extension of me – it’s my being personal and having one-on-one conversations with my readers. But how do I promote it? How do I make it grow? How much do I even want it to grow? To me, it still comes down to referrals. Sharing the blog with your friends is a referral; the best kind, because you’re making it personal. It’s using the modern day tools of technology and combining it with old fashion personal contact. A great blend, if you ask me. Sure I could make flyers on flashy paper or pay for ads on the Internet, but that would only increase the # of readers I’m reaching. It wouldn’t let me get to know my readers; that comes from readers making comments on an entry and me responding back. Someday this blog may grow by leaps and bounds, but then again it may not. We’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime we’ll just take life one blog entry at a time.

How tech savvy are you?

Here's a question for you. How tech savvy are you?

Do you have one of those fancy new phones that talk to you? Are you obsessed with playing games and twittering on it? I guess the extent that I use my cell phone is to talk on it, send text messages, and take the occasional photo. I don't have Internet access and I don't play any games on it. Call me old fashioned I suppose.

Do you have Wii or X-Box? I don't, in fact my son still has his Nintendo 64. He says 'If it's not broke why replace it?' Great question, don't you think?

I'm not knocking all the neat technology out there, I just wonder sometimes what people do with ALL the stuff they can't wait to replace. Seems like such a waste to me. I'm the first one to admit that I would be lost without a computer. I use the one at home, the one on my desk at work, and often the ones at the library. I'd love to get a laptop someday but in the meanwhile my wonderful 16 year old daughter just created an account for me on the used laptop her older brother gave her. Did I mention that I have great kids? If I didn't I should probably repeat it. 'I HAVE GREAT KIDS!'

Over Thanksgiving break my son was in town and helped his sister set up some games on her laptop. We sat on the couch and tried several of them. We thought shooting the arrow at the right angle to knock the apple off the man's head was fun until we missed and apparently decapitated him and watched the animated character bleed out. We both squealed and that was the end of that game. Then we moved on to a better one. It's a site that lets you do typing tests. It will put a passage of words on the screen from a novel or speech and while being timed you have to retype the paragraph with the exact words that you see. If you type something wrong it lets you know and you have to backspace in order to correct it. In the end it tells you your WPM (words per minute) and your accuracy rate based on the number of mistakes you made. For someone like me who types ALL the time, but NEVER took a typing class in school - it's a lot of fun and improves my skill. The best part of the typing test (at least for me) was reading the passages that they put up. They were all extremely random. Some were even in Old English (which really hampered my wpm).

Here was one that I especially liked.

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you feel happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world your best, and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

~ Mother Teresa ~

Wise words, don't you think? Definitely something to think about.