Blog Rhymes with Frog -- what I know about this world.

[Seamus]

Blog Rhyms with Frog -- what I know about this world.

I have always been able to figure out new technology (except for our microwave). I’m not just blowing smoke. I am actually sought out in my day job for technical solutions. This is why it surprises me that all forms of web-based social networking have been like bowling for me (something you don’t want to see). To mix metaphors, I figured I’d get right on the boat and sail. Nope. Getting inside the head of the designer and figuring out what a “wall” is or why he/she had to name it that has taken me some time.

I am sure, in the course of signing up for Nathan’s forums, for instance, I have done many things wrong, or in duplicate, and I have angered those guys out there in the internet who are watching to make sure only those fit to be there are there. Seriously, look at my profile picture. Before I loaded it there, it was really becoming. Every time I tried to upload it, it told me to make it smaller. So when I finally got to a size it accepted, it looked like a finger painting. In the meantime, Nathan and everyone else have these elegant pictures of themselves accompanying their words. They, obviously, have figured this out. I am coming to the opinion that the internet is a Darwinian experiment, in which the sick and weak among us are felled by apex predators as part of the cycle of life.

The social aspects are a little like starting elementary school all over. You enter a room and start babbling to someone sitting next to you because neither of you knows anyone and you both hang onto the hope of friendship in this new place.

I’ve signed up for Facebook and Twitter, and to my consternation, they’re both places where you engage in a lot of talk about little that matters, or worse, you say things that do matter to people you don’t know that well. After all, do I really want my colleagues at work to see pictures of me in St. Kitts last summer? I’m reasonably certain that I actually saw a woman at the office gouging out her eyes after seeing my bathing suit picture.

But then there is Nathan’s Blog. So far I haven’t gotten into any big trouble that I know of (cue the snickers from Nathan’s technical back room). Bad profile picture aside, it works. It works on all kinds of levels for me. I am a neophyte writer (4-5 years) and have not really taken the time to learn anything about the publishing world. Nathan has drawn me a map of this new world on his blog, and all of you are not shy about sharing support for, or amendments to his daily posts.

I also recently discovered the forums. I am having a hard time not checking them four or five times a day – Really. I’m not just pandering (although, it can BE pandering if Nathan wants it to be). The posts are usually important questions or observations and the ensuing conversation is really interesting. I have received a couple of responses to my musings that will really influence my writing.

So, what about you other forum people? I am getting to know many of you by name now. How’s it working for you?

[Ryan]

Your picture just looks "stylized" that's all! People get paid huge bucks to make programs/technology easy and intuitive for us but sometimes it's anything but easy.

That said, I think it's a lot like anything else in life. Just believing in yourself and trying can make you good at tech stuff.
Nice little piece

Ryan