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1. Make insightful, yet critical comments on a blog. A lot of the time people will post random or mean comments that don't benefit the blog or anyone reading. Hate comments can lead people to shut down their blog or readers to stop coming the blog. By providing your thoughts in a positive way, you're providing your opinions and helping progress the blog.
2.  Follow a lot of different people/blogs. There are endless amounts of social networks out there--Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn... In order to make your profile or blog more appealing, you need to be in tune with what other people are saying, doing, posting, etc. You can learn a lot about what you like/don't like, what you need to improve upon, and even how to seem professional online. You become a more well-rounded person by absorbing all this different content. 
3. Find a wiki you like and use it. Wikis can be used for all types of things. There are wikis about guitar playing, french cuisine, and even superheroes. Find your niche and delve into it. Wikipedia is, of course, the most well-known wiki out there, but since almost anyone can edit it, it's not always credible. Most wikis are a reliable source of information put together by people from all over that have "expert" knowledge in that field. This knowledge can come from experience, obsession, or just interest in the topic.
4. Try open sourcing. Open sourcing is a way to allow a large group of people share ideas and collaborate together. Solutions, innovation, transparency, and diversity can all stem from open sourcing. A downfall of this can be that the initial intent is lost as a wider audience takes hold. Depending on your project, open sourcing may be a good idea. 
5. Utilize tag clouds and cloud computing. With the advanced notion of the "cloud," our society has raised expectations of technology, accessibility, and availability. We are more focused on service, and not the hardware or software behind it. Tag clouds provide insights into the interests of the community and can be accessed from anywhere. Gone are the days of not being able to access your stuff because you're not at your computer. 
6. Employ good blogging practices. Your blog is a digital space that you make your own. It should have a personality and a style. If your followers don't think you're being authentic, they'll lose interest quickly. Make sure you know what they like, but also how to put your own spin on things. Consistent updates keep readers hooked and coming back for more, but just because they don't comment doesn't mean they're not reading. Make your blog stand out with a unique theme or color palette. With so many other blogs out there, you have to distinguish yourself from the rest. 
7. Do social bookmarking. This is a digital bulletin board, a system of saving links you want to remember. Sites like Pinterest have capitalized on this. Social bookmarking allows you to save something you may have stumbled across and go back and look at it later. It is a good way to discover new things, see what your friends are bookmarking, as well as share your interests with others. It also allows you to have a space where all of your bookmarks are stored in one place. No more do you have to have go to several different sites to find it all. 
8. Capitalize on tacit knowledge. Perhaps you have no idea how to do something. Chances are, someone somewhere knows how to. By taking advantage of this collective, experiential knowledge, you allow yourself to learn, discover, and do things you never could before. Maybe you even have a specific knowledge about something that could be beneficial to someone else. Share what you know!
9. Use hashtags. Hashtags allow you to find very specific interests. On Twitter, you click on a hashtag and everything about the subject pops up. It is a good way to spread news and get the word out. Hashtags have morphed our language into shorter words. Maybe this is a good thing, maybe it's not. Either way, you must adjust to these ever-changing practices to keep up with the Internet. 
10. Collaborate. These days, no one can get anything done alone. We use Wikipedia to write papers, we get our news from Twitter, and we make gifs of things we saw on Tumblr. More and more employers are expecting us to know how to use all different kinds of social media sites and be able to interact with the people on them. Knowing how to collaborate with your peers, colleagues, and superiors could be a key to your creative and professional success.

Big Mamma's "Mega Mamma Challenge"

Watch Joe crush Big Mamma's "Mega Mamma Challenge" as he eats a burrito 3x the size of a normal one!

Click here!

9-2

In this post, I will discuss the mobile app Angry Birds. Angry Birds is a mobile game that was developed in 2009 by Rovio Mobile, a Finnish game developing company. At first, it was just for Apple iPhones, but because of it's instant popularity it soon became available on all touch screen smartphones. It is the most downloaded app ever. The characters have been featured in various television ads and referenced in everything from talk shows to sitcoms. Merchandise from shirts to hats have been made, and there are even special stores that sell them. China is said to have over 200 of the Angry Birds stores. In 2011, China opened an Angry Birds theme park attraction in which you could play a real life version of the game. There is even talk of a television show being created from the Angry Birds characters. We'll see if it actually happens.

Some of the reasons why Angry Birds has been so successful is the simplicity of the game, the cuteness of the characters, and the low price it comes at. The game is played by using your finger to slingshot birds to try to knock down pigs. It can be played minutes at a time and resumed later. It's something you can do when you're bored, during your train commute, or as competition between friends. The characters are amusing and creative, featuring bright colors and interesting landscapes. The app is very cheap, only $1, and upgrades and add-ons are usually free. The app was promoted heavily by Apple because it was the only phone it could be downloaded to, at first. After it took off, it spread via social media, word of mouth, and TV references. 

9-1

I thought Rhonda Lowry's TED talk was a little bit over the top. She made things seem too deep, when in reality they could be simple concepts. I do agree that many people form their identity based on current culture and trends, including social media, but I think there is much more to someone's identity than that. We are shaped by how we've been raised, our peers, our nature, etc. Some people may be too stuck in their ways to accept the idea of virtual realities like Second Life, but most people eventually adjust to change. It's like how people are outraged when Facebook changes their layout, but then after awhile they can't even remember what it looked like before. I don't think this video really helped me other than realizing that I might be accepting to virtual realities like Second Life, but only for certain things. I can see that it is what we are gearing towards for the future, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. I like doing things in the real world, like going to business meetings, having coffee with my friends, going hiking... Why would I trade that in for sitting in front of my computer and having an avatar do them? Although I think it could help reveal some people's true identity, it could also cause some to lose their identities. 


Concepts that we've discussed in class that relate to the topics discussed in this video include convergence, the Industrial Age, and networking. Convergence is relevant because I think a lot of different sites and platforms will start incorporating virtual reality into their purpose or mission. It is appealing because you can be whoever you want and have skills that you don't possess-it is like video games in that sense. The Industrial Age relates to Lowry's talk because she mentioned that many people are still hardwired to think in terms of making and producing things instead of delving into other methods of doing things. The final topic that relates to this video is networking. Networking is creating a web of connections that you can access at any time and follow, or ask for advice. I believe that your unique network influences what you do, what you see, how you think, etc. If people in your network start hopping on the idea of virtual reality and things like it, you might want to check it out too. Many people try things simply because their friends are trying them-they don't want to be left out. 


Watch the video here. 

8

I've been sick lately, so what's mainly been on my mind is making sure that I'm feeling better in time for the Nelsonville Music Festival this weekend. There are a lot of great bands coming like Iron & Wine, M.Ward, and Horse Feathers. I get to go for free because I'm volunteering for 2 shifts. A lot of my friends will be volunteering as well, so I'm sure that I'll have a good time. I can't wait!

M. Ward

Some friends of mine are coming into town to attend 9fest and they'll be crashing at my apartment. I'm excited to hang out with them for a little bit this weekend because I haven't seen them since my last visit home. I'm also preparing for my graduation day by making sure that I get my cap and gown, and I have to make lunch reservations for my family members that are coming into town. I'm stoked to be graduating, but nervous about going out into the "real world," especially without a job lined up after my internship this summer. I'd really like to move to some big city, but I don't have to funds for that yet. Maybe in a few years.

After the summer is over I'll have to find a job, and if I can't find one I'll do all the things I'd been putting off throughout school and life, like doing pilates, learning sign language, taking tai chi. I'll try to write a screenplay and novel. I might make my own website. Maybe I'll do a bit of traveling. There are endless possibilities.

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Tip #3 - Pick 3 social networks to join based on where your customers might be. 3 might sound like too few, but it probably will be too many. Social networks are the key to reaching the people that might be interested in your blog. On these social networks, you don't have to necessarily know someone to connect with them, but it still gives you a platform to talk, interact, and network with them.

Tip #7 - Subscribe to 50 or more blogs in a similar space as yours, including competitors, and any industry blogs. By subscribing to other blogs, you get a taste of what the competition is doing, as well as what they aren't doing. You can read the comments their readers are posting and find a way to address that feedback on your own blog.

Tip #15 - Consider a nice clean theme for your blog’s design. There are many free themes for different blogs, and some inexpensive ones that are worth every penny. Nothing sucks worse than going to a blog that is disorderly and trying to navigate your way through it. A simple, unique theme can make the difference in attracting readers or scaring them away. Popping colors can be useful to capture people's attention, but too much color can overwhelm them.

Tip #22 - Use notepad files to jot post ideas down when you don’t have a moment to write. Return frequently. This is the most useful idea, one that I use all the time. You never know when you're going to get a great idea- maybe you're in class, maybe you're in the middle of sleeping. You should always have a notepad nearby to capture those random ideas.

Tip #29 - Check your stats to see what people are searching for, and address it. Talking about what people want to hear is the best way to get people to your blog. If you aren't talking about something they're interested in, why would they read what you're writing? Make sure you know your audience's likes and dislikes, and talk about them. 

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After watching the TED talk about the "brain computer," I will reflect on the questions below:

• What do you think of this latest development in communication technology with respect to human connection? Does it help it? Hinder it? This technology might be able to help human technology by allowing people with disabilities to speak. It could also be used as sort of a pictionary between people who speak different languages. In some aspects, it may hinder communication because we might all be absorbed in our own little worlds. We wouldn't really need anyone else's help if we could just use our brains to do everything.  
• What are some of the advantages of technology like this? What about disadvantages?  I think that this type of technology has many advantages-it could help people with physical and mental disabilities perform tasks they wouldn't otherwise be able to do. It is interesting to think that it can actually form what you're thinking. It could be helpful for actually visualizing the ideas you have in your mind. The disadvantage is that we might become completely reliant on this type of technology and not be able to actually do anything without wearing it. 
• Explain whether you think it will help us connect MORE and participate MORE or if it's just another "isolating" feature of our technical world.I believe this could help certain people to connect more, like I said above, those with disabilities. However, this could become a type of "virtual world" situation where we become jaded to what is reality and what isn't.  
 

Is this the future?