Adventures in Googleland: American Sighthound Field Association

You know what's fun? Totally misspelling whatever it is you were searching for, entering search text that looks like gibberish, but finding out that what you entered is the acronym of one or more of very interesting organizations and such.

Last Google mis-search: "asfa."

Result: American Sighthound Field Association

Conclusion: I should have taken Keyboarding in middle school.

There's no time wasted on the Interwebs.

"Cultural Ghettos"

"Cultural ghettos."

The two words put together stopped me in my internet-surfing tracks as I listened to Elif Shafak in the background. I was on a hurried mission to ingrain the term in my mind and schedule a time to contemplate it later. This was a great TED talk. Take a look:

Elif Shafak: The politics of fiction

Would you want to bike on Battleground?

I got a bike.

It was a pretty sweet deal. You know, free is pretty nice.

I went to Higgins Cycle Shop on Battleground with a list of questions about my bike (a list of questions that I needed help creating since I don't know much about bikes).

Because of my small head (don't let the big forehead fool you), I had to get a child's size helmet. I could have gotten a helmet elsewhere, but I wanted all my bike errands to be done as soon as possible. That left me with the choice of the pink and red helmet with orange and pink butterflies or the blue helmet with blue, black, and silver flames. I chose the butterflies. Unexpected.

When I paid for my items, the store attendant looked at my card for a while. I shrugged it off and paid; then he asked me where I was from. He asked because of my last name (thus the card inspection, I assume) and I let him know that my family is from Eritrea.

Well, a bike would be helpful in Eritrea since, as GOOD and other sources have recently reported, Driving in Eritrea Is Beyond Your Means.

Are we sharing content online efficiently? (Part 7)

ISSUE: Outside of the Google-verse (Where will this content be valued the most?), continued

What do you share on Twitter?

I guess that I post things on Twitter with the notion that I have no notion as to who will see my tweet. Hopefully it will catch someone’s fancy.

Of course, there is a bit more intention to my tweets. I try to post during times of day that I have found people to be more responsive. I @reply and join in on conversations led by hashtags or not led by hashtags. I use hashtags. You know, regular stuff.

On Twitter, it’s like there are people with interests out there and they are sharing those interests. Those interests are up for grabs. We may not become best friends, but we’re interested in engaging on these topics and that can add valuable information—knowledge—to your life, my life and the lives of others.
Or, it may just be an LOLCAT we’re laughing at.
So, what? Do Facebook groups or pages take care of this online, too? Well, they may take care of it on Facebook, but I don’t believe that the engagement on Facebook replaces that of what is offered in the Twitter environment.

Forget becoming best friends. We may not even become “friends”. Just because we both really enjoy the customer service at XYZ company in town and both really like learning foreign languages and we both had the same professor at the same university doesn’t mean we’ll become Facebook friends. It may, but it may not. People may refer to Twitter as a global chat room in a more negative sense, making fun of the connections people make on there. But those example reasons stated above that wouldn’t push me to friending you on Facebook often exceed the requirements people who meet in real life first have for friending each other.

Next installment of the YWCA Brown Bag Lunch Series

Hi, all. I copied the following event info straight out of the periodic email I get from YWCA Greensboro (I added links where I could.) Next Tuesday is the next installment in the YWCA's Brown Bag Lunch Series. Check it out!

YWCA Greensboro and the Commission on the Status of Women present
Brown Bag Lunch Series

Tues., July 27, 2010
12 Noon - 1:00 PM
4002 Spring Garden St., Suite E


Provocative, Relevant Discussions
on
Issues Important to Women

From The Shriver Report

JULY'S TOPIC
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE ROSEANNE BARR?
WOMEN IN THE MEDIA

Invited Panelists for this topic:
Denny Kelly, President, Bouvier Kelly, Inc.
Tracey McCain, WFMY News 2, Anchor and Reporter
Gloria Thompson, Owner, GWT Marketing Communications

Women's professional success and financial status are significantly overrepresented in the mainstream media, suggesting that women "have it all." Yet in real life, even as most women work, there are far too few women among the highest ranks of the professions, and millions of everyday women struggle to make ends meet and to juggle work and family. What might the repercussions of these misrepresentations be? How do they affect women's struggle for full equality at work and at home?

Event is Free and Open to the Public!

Are we sharing content online efficiently? (Part 6)

ISSUE: Outside of the Google-verse (Where will this content be valued the most?)

What do you post to your friends on Facebook?

My friend-friends know me enough that any outside content I post to the site shouldn’t surprise them much. If anything, whatever I post to the site may be entertaining or understandable to them but odd to my more acquaintance-friends or, well, Facebook-friends. I, of course, find most content that I find interesting…interesting enough to share. However, especially nowadays since the internet content has grown and developed so much from the early days of Facebook, I try to be more selective as to what I post to Facebook so that I (1) don’t flood my friends’ feeds (those that haven’t hid me, I suppose!) and so that (2) I get the most engagement out of the post with my Facebook friends.

Now, my Facebook “strategy” isn’t as serious as it sounds. I didn’t sit and strategically plan anything. But especially after experience in the blogosphere and mini-blogosphere, I am naturally inclined to be conservative with what I share on Facebook.

Twitter, on the other hand, has been a free for all so far.

Vegan reading in Greensboro

Yesterday, I stopped by Barnes & Noble to peruse the selection of cookbooks and other books on all things vegan. I was shocked at the selection. I wasn't even in a rush but I felt rushed--information overload! Honestly, I haven't sat down with a book-book in a while so even a cookbook took a lot out of me.

I went on an empty stomach; wrong decision. The books with full color photos made the wheels in my head turn furiously. There were books on baking, books on how to start out your vegan diet or lifestyle, books on vegan brunches, and more.

Hm. I just might make a book wishlist. I'm not used to shelling out $12-$30 at a time for reading material though I eventually would, I suppose.

I was too confused to choose a book. I honestly wanted them all. I managed not to fly out of the store and grab something to snack on. I hadn't eaten for hours at the time but I made it home and had some tacos. Since we all know that tacos go great with muffins, I finished off the day with some homemade, vegan muffins--the good, ol' blueberry standby and my new, delicious banana walnut. Yum!

Go check out the vegan book selection at Barnes & Noble at Friendly Center and make yourself some muffins! I'll share the recipes I found online for these later.

It's Monday!