RSS Feeds and Aggregators

Ok so now I have a fair idea of what these tools are all about and how to use one if I want to. They are a good way of getting the latest info on a topic you are passionate about being up to date with. I do think they could be another way of wasting time, along the lines of email. I suppose it depends on if you try and read everything that comes through from the sites you have added to your aggregator or if you just skim it for the truly interesting bits.

I now have an idea how all the State Library consultants seem to have endless time to browse the web for interesting articles to send out to all, on topics which appeal to many, who do not have the time to read them let alone act upon the content. At least I think this is how they are doing it!

I will continue to add to my aggregator as sites of interest pop up, but I know my problem will be remembering to check it out. Is there a way to link it to your email? Google yes I presume,no time now to explore (going home!) but not to council email for work related material??

Writing for the sake of writing

As the exercise is to try out a blog and see what it's all about, I have to have more than one posting apparently. This is harder than you think for a person who is not a talker for the sake of talking.

I've started to realise that those who find it hard not to fill in silences, are the ones who can write creatively with very little trouble. They can come up with something to say in any instance because, as long as they are saying something all appears right with the world.

Therefore the blogging world is probably filled with people who feel the need to talk even when they have no-one to talk to. The advent of the web and blogging has probably saved a few from being thought 'nutter's', as they are not seen to be talking to themselves! Or on the otherhand maybe those who may have become authors in order to be heard, will get stuck online and never progress to conventional publishing. Then again, is this an outdated concept?!

What am I doing here?!

Never been very good at expressing myself in print or at sharing my opinions, even with friends. Yet here I am, creating a Blog which potentially could be read by multitudes. More realistically... just by a few, and that will be too many.

I'm being dragged into this 21st Century method of communication for the good of my professional health, which is not a bad thing. It will, I'm sure, be of use in my other life as well, just knowing how communication methods develop and evolve will stand me in good stead with the children, when they start going mad with this type of thing.

I also don't want to be one of those persons, whether young or old, who say, oh I don't know how to XXXX and I can't be bothered knowing. For XXXX insert anything from SMS to, I suppose, Blogging!

There is only going to be more methods of communication which will evolve from each other, and if I at least dabble in each one as it comes along then I'll have a better chance of a relationship with any potential grandkids, than I otherwise would.

I've never given much credance to the idea of virtual lives, as in Second Life, thinking that sort of thing is basically for those who don't want to change themselves, they just want to give up and start again. After reading the KPMG report, and Cory Ondrejka's section Second - Real - Life, however, I can see that it has a great deal of potenial for people to try things first anonomously, that they wouldn't dare to in real life. Thus the online life could actually enhance the real life, once confidence and knowledge is gained.

Not thinking of going there myself...yet. But have certainly changed my thinking. And that was just Task 1 of the training program. Imagine where I could be by the end of Task 9, if I can keep my mind open that long!