Social Networking

"I wonder what Piglet is doing," thought Pooh. "I wish I were there to be doing it, too."

Do I start a Facebook account? That has been my dilemma for a good while now. I listen to friends talk about it and have been very intrigued. I have gone on Facebook to look to see if family or friends have already set up accounts. Without setting up an account, one can not view much. A wonderful friend gave me her user name and password, so that I could actually start to investigate.

I really like the whole concept. However, is this something that I personally would enjoy and keep up with? I decided that I should look at the pros and cons. It would be great to catch up with people that I have not spoken with in years. Things in our lives change so rapidly, it is very easy to no longer be in touch with people that you were once very close with. That, I find most exciting. The downside is the first step that you have to ask permission to become a friend. If I ask someone, I don't want the rejection. The friends that have talked about this, have issues turning people down to access their page. Do you allow your boss or coworkers access? How about you parents or family members? You can make your page as private as you want, but what kind of information do you really want to share? Do I want all my conversations posted for everyone to read? I don't think so.

Side story: I used to be in touch with a college professor. We were very good friends. Many of his former students liked to keep in touch with him. He decided that he should start, basically a social network, so that we were all in touch. This was prior to the present Web 2.0 era we are now in, so he was ahead of his time. I had written him a private letter one Christmas. The next thing that I knew, that letter was sent to the whole group that he had joined together for this social network. I was humiliated. I never dreamed that he would share this private note with everyone. So, I quit writing to him. I lost the trust of one I thought I could call good friend.

This is the big reason that I had really put off starting a Facebook account or any of the other social networking accounts. I believe that it could be a good idea to set up an account for work and have it focus on storytimes and special programs. Many of the mothers and fathers that come to storytime come for the social interaction. Maybe setting up an account and letting the mothers and fathers know about this site would provide one more invaluable service for our patrons. I am not for sure that I really would keep up with a project like that.

As an added note, people have been surprised that I like the group Queen. So, I decided that I needed to be more predictable and since this lesson is about social networking, I decided that I needed to have a music video and what else should I use but a song from High School Musical. After all, we are all in this together. Does this make everyone happy?!

Music

"If you want to make a song more hummy, add a few tiddely poms."

As I continue to investigate Web 2.0, I find interesting elements, as well as things that just make me smile. The time: 1975. I am in high school and the group Queen has released their new song "Bohemian Rhapsody." It was new, creative, and the most talked about song at my school. I was having a great time in high school and listening to that song just brings back many happy memories. When you have some time on your hands, sit down and relax to this classic performed by one of children's favorite toys.

Gaming

"Pooh looked at his two paws. He knew that one of them was the right, and he knew that when you had decided which one of them was the right, then the other was the left, but he never could remember how to begin."

I think that kids have it made nowadays, because they love the fact that they can get on a computer and start playing games. A parent can go about doing their own book search and not have to worry what mischief their child might get into. Then you have the older patron who comes into the children's area, grumbling that all the computers are taken and "all those children are just playing games. Can't you tell them to get off the computer, because there are others who really need to be using them?" Then, as soon as a computer becomes available, that patron sits down, logs on, and immediately opens up a game of solitaire and plays cards for the next two hours.

The availability of games on the computer for children is not only recreational, but also educational. Children that have not yet started school, can sit at computer and play games that teach the child patterns, colors, shapes, beginnings and endings, following directions, and hand-eye coordination, to name a few.

Teachers understand the concept of computer games and education. By using games in the classroom, it makes the curriculum more engaging and culturally relevant. The computer game becomes a stimulus for the pupils.

As for me, I wish that I was younger and better at playing the games. I think they are hard and I don't always understand what all I am supposed to be doing. I also have problems with the use of my hands, and that makes it even more frustrating. I feel that if I would have had the computer available when I was young and had been using it for all these years, I would not be experiencing some of the problems I face today. Too often I have problems just pushing in the code to unlock the door to the office.

Computer games - much more of a help than a hindrance.