Web-Working

In the 21st Century there comes a time when you realize something that you may have previoulsy felt wasn't all that important -- web-working.

Ok, so I made up the term "web-working" myself.  What I am talking about is networking on the web a.k.a. the internet.  There are two primary sites in the public eye I'm going to use as examples today: Facebook and LinkedIn. 

There's a significant difference between the two sites:  Facebook is social networking, whereas; LinkedIn is professional networking.  I participate in both sites for two very different reasons.

I want to briefly talk about Facebook.  Facebook allows me to keep up with what friends and family members are doing; far and near.  I get to see pictures of kids, dogs, cats, new homes, old homes, friends and family members I don't see often etc.  I get to hear about all the new and exciting things happening in my friends' and family's lives.  You notice on Facebook that you have "friends" that can be confirmed, ignored or "de-friended".  You can flirt, be coy, be rude or obnoxious, you can have fun and even play computer games.  You can even send virtual gifts to people.  Not to mention have a self-contained messaging system.  It's all good.  Nothing wrong with getting to know people on a personal level.

Recently, I joined LinkedIn which is a professional networking site.  There's no talking about your ex-boyfriend's mother's brother's aunt who lives in Kalamazoo.  No pictures of the kids out at the lakes.  No minute by minute update on what a person might be doing at any given moment.  LinkedIn has been around for a very, very long time - last I checked 1995.  I've been reading some information on program development and different models that have been used by agencies across the country; guess who was mentioned?  LinkedIn.  It was a model that was created back in the early 90s.  Longevity plays a key role in internet professional networking. LinkedIn does not have "friends" they have "connections" -- meaning professional connections where you can participate in groups, recommend one another for various professional activities, and; yes you can be "disconnected".  I would be more apt to take a "disconnection" seriously than a "de-friending" on Facebook.

I have learned more in the last three weeks or so just by participating in some of the groups on LinkedIn.  Some of the groups that I belong to are:  the FM Chamber of Commerce which I highly recommend to any chamber members; Linked 2 Leadership which gives me a lot of pointers on being a good leader from people who have been in leadership positions for many years; the Human Capital Institute which helps me to be a better supervisor and leader; the Nonprofit Network which gives me ideas and pointers on the nonprofit sector around the country, the Business Process Improvement group which helps me analyze current processes in our organization and gives up-to-date information on new methodology; Social Media for Nonprofits group again up-to-date information (and free webinars) on using social media for marketing etc.; and of course the Chronicle of Philanthropy group.  I'm not participating as an employee -- it's for my own professional and personal development. 

Eventually I will start engaging with some of the authors and writers groups.  Right now I just don't have the time.  I will make the time in the future. 

Of all the things in the world that I value, my time I value the most.  I believe that each moment should contribute as positively as possible to my being.  I value my membership in LinkedIn far more than the trivial amount of time that I now spend on Facebook.  I'm happy with it.

On-line networking is a double-edged sword.  It depends on how you use it and what you are using it for.  But, it should never be discounted as unimportant in the 21st Century.

Posted by: PrairieWoman on 3/08/2010 at 6:39 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: development, networking, professional, social

The Sacrifice

Listening - one of the greatest skills to master beyond public speaking.  Speaking is easy to do; but listening that is an art all of its own.

This post is highly contradictory to my previous post "I'm Not Listening".  Just so everyone knows from the get-go that I recognize the contradiction as a fact.

Frustration comes from being misunderstood or feeling like I am not able to communicate what I want to say.  The frustration worsens when I feel like the listener doesn't feel like what I have to say is important and; goes into over-drive when I'm trying to convey a thought, opinion or idea and the listener cuts me off in mid-sentence, assuming they already know what I am trying to say -- when they don't.  And worse yet, without letting me finish my thought, the listener immediately announces that I am wrong and starts stating all the reasons why. :::sigh:::

I was brought up in an environment where listening was the key to everything.  I believe we've covered this before regarding how certain Scandinavian and UK cultures say something such as "my back hurts" and the listener realizes that what the person is really saying is, "Would you rub my back for me?"  When you grow up in these cultures you learn to listen very close for voice inflection and also watch for body language.  I spent a lot of time listening while growing up.  I think I have achieved a certain level of ability in the category of listening. 

With that said, I've got a long road ahead of me in learning to say what I mean -- exactly.  It's a lot more difficult than you may think.  I can't be bold or confident in what I say because it seems to come across as threatening or intimidating.  I can't beat around the bush about what I want to say because then I am plotting or scheming.  I can't state a simple observation without being viewed as being suspicious.  Basically, no matter what I say, or how I say it; it always comes across as though I have ulterior motives.  The only solution that I can come up with is that I need to stop talking altogether until I can figure out how to say what I want or need to say without any of the above happening.

Thankfully, this is the season of Lent.  The time when we make our sacrifices in thanks to God and in an attempt to purify ourselves so as to be pleasing in his sight.  (If I didn't say that precisely the way you think I should, feel free to correct me.)  So, in light of this, I am going to make the ultimate sacrifce for an opinionated woman like myself:  for the rest of Lent I will keep my thoughts, opinions, ideas, statements and observations to myself.  In these moments of silence (and no doubt frustration) I will use my time to discern if my thoughts, opinions, ideas, statements or observations have any merit or significant contribution to whatever might be the subject of interest.

Posted by: PrairieWoman on 3/02/2010 at 7:12 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: ideas, lent, listening, opinions, sacrifice, talking, thoughts

Battle Lines

The article in today's Fargo Forum seems to have ruffled a few feathers.  How do we move forward to pay the teachers fair and equitably?  That's a good question.

Back in the days when my Grandmother was a teacher, things were a lot simpler: you went to work, taught reading, writing and arithmetic.  You collected your pay check at the end of the pay period and started again the following school day.  Another thing different about then and now is the teachers in those days didn't reap employee benefits.  Your check was what it was and that was that.  There was no employee healthcare benefits, no 401K, no nothing.  Just the summer vacation.

We as parents and taxpayers have to look at the big picture.  How many kids were in your class when you went to school?  Now, ask the same question about the number of kids in an individual class that your child attends.  This number is increasing.  I have to ask myself in this situation, why is that we have a reasonable provider to child ratio for daycare or provider to resident ratio in nursing homes but not so much in schools?  In the case of daycare and nursing homes it boils down to quality of care and safety issues.  Shouldn't it boil down to quality of education and safety issues in schools? Over 28 kids in a single classroom is too many.

Teachers in my grandmother's day were not required to care about the feelings of children in regards to disappointment and self-esteem.  If you failed; you failed.  If you didn't pass the test; you didn't pass.  If you didn't do your homework, you got an F and that was it. 

We like to justify the mollycoddling of our children by saying that things are different today than they were then.  To an extent that is true, but at the same time not. When my grandmother was teaching there were alcoholic parents, single parents -- mostly due to divorce or a widow / widower.  There were families who weren't rich and families who had more than they would ever need.  There were kids who were challenged and kids who were gifted.  There were kids who were slapped around, knocked around or plainly neglected at home.  I'm not saying it was right, just that it was.  There were kids with incarcerated parents and kids who lived in true ghettos.  Many of those kids grew up and made something of themselves despite the conditions at home. There were even kids whose fathers were overseas fighting the war; including my own mother and her siblings.  And still, despite it all the kids persevered and became upstanding, responsible citizens.  These things are not new to our generation(s).  And still, we like to use all these things as excuses as to why our kids are not performing well in school and on top of it all -- blame the teachers and / or school system.  Hardly seems fair does it?

The problem with our children and their academic performance has little to do with the schools; especially the teachers, and everything to do with the 'acceptables' in the society we have today.  Our lack of values, however we wish to define them, is not to be laid at the doorstep of the educational institutions; but, at the doorsteps of our own homes.  Ultimately, the 'acceptables' at home expand into the 'acceptables' in society.  The most predominant issues being the lack of discipline in the home, the lack of consequences in the home and the lack of true time spent monitoring what the children are doing. 

We can't go back in time to the days when things were simpler; it's not that simple.  We have created a society where everyone has to have a common set of politically correct values in which no person shall be harmed physically, mentally, spiritually or any other 'ally lest the offender be sued.  This puts an enormous amount of pressure on a teacher.  If a teacher chooses the wrong form of discipline or set of consequences for a student they risk being fired by the administration or sued by the parents or both.  If they choose the wrong word or set of words to a student they find themselves in the same situation.  Being a teacher in the 21st Century is a tough job to have. 

I think that our teachers should be compensated in accordance to the amount of effort they put into their position.  Their should be a base salary + benefits and in addition to that, they should be rewarded with a merit raise for a job well done.  Those who are there for the paycheck will get their paycheck and nothing more.  Eventually, those teachers will quit or get fired and subjected to the ridicule of their peers.  I have to honestly say, that I have never met a teacher who went into the field because they thought they would get rich.  And on the same hand, I can also say that I have never met a teacher who went into the field expecting the war-zone in which they find themselves.  The teachers work in what my grandfather called, "no-man's land".  The place between the battle lines that have been drawn and not yet claimed.  It's the most dangerous place to be and the risk of getting hurt is the greatest.  Compensation for the all the risks it takes being a teacher almost equates to hazard pay.

Posted by: PrairieWoman on 2/28/2010 at 2:57 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Tags: compensation, pay, students, teachers, war

10 Commandments of Computers

Oh merciful computer geeks of the world, I confess that I am in bondage to my computer and cannot free myself.  I have abused it through thought, word and deed.  By what I have done and left undone. I have not loved it with my whole heart. I have not loved my computer as myself. For the sake of my sanity have mercy on me.  Forgive me, rebuild it and fix it so that I might surf the net and compose documents to my delightful content.

So the Devil challenged Jesus to a writing contest.  Jesus heartily accepted the challenge and began typing away on his celestial computer.  The Devil in the heat of the moment began banging away on his keyboard cranking out words at a rapid pace.  And then, the most horrid thing happened -- the power went out.  Moments later when the power came back on Jesus began typing away again to finish the challenge.  The Devil in great anger and dismay shouted up to Jesus in the heavens, "How can this be?  You are still going when all was lost."  Jesus smiled down in victory, "It's simple.  Jesus Saves."

The 10 Commandments of Computers:

1.  Thou shalt continuously run anti-virus on your computer.

2.  Thou shalt run disk clean-up on a regular basis.

3.  Thou shalt remember defrag day and keep it most regularly.

4.  Thou shalt not swear at thy computer.

5.  Thou shalt not even attempt to lie to your computer -- it only operates on logic.

6.  Thou shalt update your computer as instructed by the MS Corporation.

7.  Thou shalt save thy documents regularly during creation and after.

8.  Thou shalt not run more programs than your ROM can handle at one time.

9.  Thou shalt not shut down and restart your computer everyday; nor leave the monitor on when not in use.

10. Thou shalt not spend thy whole life attached to the keyboard; there's a whole other creation outside your front door.

And so sayeth the experience of years of computer related psychiatric trauma of a power-user.

Enjoy your days.  Live your life.  Make friends IRL.  Love your family, friends and neighbors.

Posted by: PrairieWoman on 2/27/2010 at 10:11 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

Tags: commandments, computers, joke, problems, rom

An Exercise in Programming

Grandma used to call it her "program".  Every day at Noon (I think), Grandma would stop everything to take an hour for herself to watch "As the World Turns."  This was back in the days when Meg Ryan (City of Angels, Top Gun...) played the part of Betsy.

Back in those days things went pretty much like this:

As the World Turns, in our One Life to Live, there is one Guiding Light for All My Children who are The Bold and the Beautiful; but also The Young and the Restless whom have the need for the Guiding Light in their Search for Tomorrow to protect them from the Dark Shadows and their questionable Passions, on The Edge of Night so as not to end up in the General Hospital or Another Life; or even, Another World. And so are the Days of Our Lives in our Love of Life.

Some of the old favorites are still on the air, but I have long stopped watching daytime television -- about 20 years ago.  Occasionally, I'll catch some PBS soaps like East Enders, The Vicar of Dilby (very strange) etc.  I don't like the one that takes place in the department store - too weird for me.  I've seen, "My Hero" once and it wasn't my thing -- again, a little too weird. 

Since the late 70s, soap operas have expanded into prime-time programming with series such as Dallas, Knotts Landing, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Dark Shadows (1990s) and a long list of others. 

Today, in the prime-time soap category it goes a bit like this:

After the demise of the short-lived Dark Shadows a Supernatural resurrgance has occurred.  Vampire Diaries are kept in the hopes of finding Mercy in an E.R. somewhere.  A Ghost Whisperer competes with a Medium while plumbers have turned Ghost Hunters and housewives have turned into the Witches of Eastwick (although they just call it Eastwick in the series).  There is no Law and Order among this bunch. They need a SVU all their own and generally hover on a Fringe that defies the logic of Numbers, regardless of The Mentalist available, or the Heros that abound, resulting in a Flashpoint that not even Monk, if ressurected, could find a solution.

Television, isn't it wonderful? Do you have a favorite TV show you like to watch?  What is it?  And don't Lie to Me.

Posted by: PrairieWoman on 2/22/2010 at 6:28 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: day time, prime time, programming, soap operas, television