I've Caught The Twitter Bug

I joined twitter a few months ago. It was one of those things where you see something you want to join/do and in the back of your head you keep telling yourself you’re going to do it even though days and weeks pass by and you’re still not doing it. Then one day (February 14, 2008), I’m not quite sure what was the tipping point, I signed up and the twitter bug bit me. Sometimes I even feel almost twitter obsessed – frantically typing tweets from my mobile phone during what is probably some social or likewise event where being on your mobile phone isn’t exactly welcomed. I think I’ve even had some temptations to twitter during mass!

So what makes twitter so cool for me? One of the main things is that it is so simple – both the concept and the usability. Microblogging is short, sweet, and to the point. It’s so time efficient. I’ve created quite a few blogs over the years, only to see my blog entries grow fewer and far between (and eventually stop completely) because it just took too much time and effort out of my already overbooked day.

Also, being the passive and sometimes passive aggressive person that I am, it's a great way for me to vent and express how I’m feeling, and in some cases in a cryptic way so that I can really express how I feel without having to worry about any type of retribution. On several occasions it’s been my way of virtually sticking my tongue out at several people and saying “you suck” without “really” saying that. It’s a great way for me to vent/worry out loud/share my thoughts in general. And although a initial skeptic (and hugely hesitant) at first on whether or not this would really be something that I would stick to and who would actually read my tweets, I’ve found the most random people to follow online (and some have found me) which in the past has made me want to “exit” other online communities, but in this case, I strangely embrace it.

From a more practical and generic point of view, it’s a great way to receive and project information to the masses as there are many people who use this as a free way to market their products, job openings, campaigns, etc. People also use this as ways to communicate to certain people, using the “@” character to direct messages to specific people. One person even used it to propose to his girlfriend. Is that odd that I thought that was really cool?

I suppose the last straw in concluding that I have drank the twitter kool aid juice came during a good friend’s birthday dinner at Tokyo Delves in NoHo last Friday night. As everyone was eating, drinking, laughing, yelling, and dancing on their chairs, I was the only one doing all of the above while periodically pulling out my cellphone and twittering. My friend Edgar tweeted and said “@rachelrae get a life... Put away your phone!” My reply? I have a life… (and perhaps this is a bit sad/cool/nerdy/etc.) it’s currently on twitter.

Mobile Currency: Leave Your Wallet At Home

Although the mobile movement has been progressing for some time now, it wasn’t until late last year that I started to really come onboard. Being the poor college student and then the poor newly unemployed graduate, I had never chosen anything but the “free” phones when selecting or continuing my cell phone plans. These usually had the small screens with decent (but not optimal) resolution and maybe, if I was lucky, there would be a camera phone included. I chose the most basic plan, opting for a small limited amount of text messages. The data plans cost as much as monthly apartment utilities, so I opted to pay for those instead of a mobile internet connection. I think I even frowned when my husband insisted that we upgrade to the unlimited text messaging plan because he felt he couldn’t stay within our limit. BUT all this changed last November when I got my new AT&T Tilt AND the unlimited data plan. Now, I text carelessly, sending one word responses, images, and audio. I browse the net, check my email, and update my twitter. And to think, this is just the surface of mobile technology.

In a previous CMGT 530 class, Glen had mentioned how he was working on a mobile feature that would use a stored scannable image as a way to pay for L.A. parking meters and tickets. A further extension of this process (which I’m not quite sure if it’s currently being developed, but with the speed of mobile technology these days it is highly possible) would allow all currency to become digital. Each credit/debit card would turn into a scannable image stored on one’s mobile phone. There would no longer be a need for a physical wallet nor cash as well. When checking out, one would only have to pull up the barcode-like image of the credit/debit account that they wish to pay out of, scan, and then voila! the amount would be charged to or deducted from the corresponding accounts. Each image could be password protected for security purposes, or better yet, fingerprint scanners could be added to cellphones and each scan of an account image would require print verification before processing, hindering identity theft. If one opts in for GPS tracking, their wallet could never really be lost. When one applies for a new credit debit card, the bank would just need to send the image to one’s cellphone, no need for plastic, a letter, envelope, or stamp.

The technology is there for this to happen, I guess the question now is if the market is going to go in this direction and if it will be accepted. I can see where the barriers lie in this type of currency. Card scanners, although in existence, are the in the minority in comparison to their “slide” counterparts. Also, there are many “cash only” businesses. Either they would need to succumb to accepting card (image) transactions or people would still need to carry cash with them. I’m sure credit card and card slide machine manufacturers wouldn’t be too happy about this either. But if one really thinks about it, that is the nature of technology evolution. A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought this would be a feasible idea. But with the accessibility to mobile technology growing and evolving, digital mobile currency seems like a natural progression.

Search Engine Optimization: What "Experts" Are Saying

As promised, here is the link to my Module Paper 2 titled Search Engine Optimization In A Novice Nutshell. As a preface I do want to say that in no way am I an expert or current practitioner. I just read a few sources and learned a few things (ok, so I really did spend a lot of time researching and working on this though). I'll be creating some websites in the coming months and using the findings in the paper. I'll be more than happy to let you know the results. When researching SEO, I found it to be a hugely vast topic. I tried my best to put together and organize what would probably be the most important things for us apoc-ers to know when developing our own future communities. Enjoy:)