Back off Happy Valley Retirement Center I have a few tricks left!

I never realized how out of the “social” loop I have been until this blog assignment came into my life, and it is safe to say I now know what it feels like to be an old geezer living in a world of fast pace technology and change. I have always felt like I had a strong understanding of most of the events happening around me and that I was well connected (like most 80 year old)… then I found out about the blog-o-sphere. Don’t get me wrong I heard about blogs years ago and I have spoken to many people who do blogs but what I never knew was how much influence blogs have on people’s lives. I have learned that many people turn to blogs instead of well know news sources for their information, bloggers are becoming more” creditable” sources whether we like it or not (at least they are given credit by their readers), and people have actually made blogging their career, and to think I spend money to blog by paying for the class that requires me to write this! Learning about blogs makes me feel like my grandmother when she was given a cell phone for her birthday, she had no idea why anyone would ever require the need for a portable phone and then she found out why…. to call grand kids every other day to make sure they know she loves them. Much like my grandma with her cell phone I never thought I would get involved with blogging, I would just leave blogging up to my sister and the rest of her relief society friends… man was I wrong. Blogs can be powerful, they can expose presidential scandals, and blogs can give up to minute coverage from individuals involved directly in protests, blogs give everyone a voice and not just a hollow unheard voice but a voice that can give a normal every man power to expose the President of our country. Now that I am starting to understand what blogs are I now have to learn how to get involved in this ever growing world and this is no easy task! I have seen the blogs posted on this blog site and I must say I am a little intimidated! The posts are well articulated and well thought out, they have great links and on top of all that, they have pictures! I now know I am the young grasshopper of bloggers in a world of Mr. Miyagi bloggers. I feel for the frustration my mother felt when it took her thirty minutes to learn how to text a message that read “Hi Shawn, I learned to text!” Although I know I have a mountain to climb until I feel comfortable with my blogs I am still not to the point where I give up on fast pace technology and apply for my AARP discount card membership (even if the magazine they send out has pictures of hot women) now is the time to learn and get involved in the world around me, and who knows… maybe I can expose the President one day… or my classmates, both are definitely win/win.

Here are link from class that talk about the growth of blogs
http://sullivanarchives.theatlantic.com/culture.php
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/leigh200511150825.asp
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/05/10/blogs_colliding_with_traditional_media/