Let It Get Cold

When I was teaching Public Relations Writing at Towson Univesity, I told my students to let their writing sit for at least 24 hours before editing. Our brains cannot simultaneously create and correct. So, time is needed for our brains to actually 'see' what's on the page and then the necessary edits and corrections are so much easier to spot. Why? Because the brain resets and sees it as it is, not the way you thought you wrote it. I call this: Allowing Your Writing To Get Cold.

Lately, I've been reading a lot of comments on social media platforms and articles about behaviors in the cyber connection world in which we now live.  And, one of the common threads seems to be the lack of civility and bad behavior we witness or receive.

The real conundrum is the total lack of common sense exhibited by people who simply broadcast everything they do.  Every thought they have.  Every sarcastic or cutting remark goes up for ingestion by the rest of the world.  It's so terribly wrong on so many levels. The absolute lack of understanding that a civilized person does not put their personal stuff out on the sidewalk so people can pick through it, is alarming.

As of the recent election, the amount of stories about bad, horrible behavior and treatment of others on social media has really up-ticked.  While most of us simply thought it would die down post election, which is true to a point, it seems that many people have turned into...

...Internet Trolls.

The Urban dictionary defines a Troll as: “Being a prick on the internet because you can. Typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on an innocent by-stander, because it's the internet and, hey, you can.”

You might wonder why the name, Troll, which I find pretty accurate and funny.  If you think about the trolls that we all heard about in fairy tales, they seem to live in dark and unsavory places.  They lay in wait under bridges for unsuspecting travelers. Trolls just love frightening before they snatch you up and eat you alive.

If you've ever experienced troll behavior on your social media pages, you know it immediately even if you didn't know what it's called.  You can't help but pull back thinking, "What the hell?  Where did that come from and why did she/he even write that?!?!?!"

The cautionary tale for all of us is: BEWARE!  High stress situations can bring out the hidden troll in all of us.  It's especially upsetting when you are on the receiving end of troll-like behavior from someone you thought was a 'friend' on social media.  You wonder, "What the hell did I write that would cause him/her to be so crappy?"  And, the answer is generally because...

...Social Media has an immediacy that strips away good judgement and polite behavior, especially during emotionally charged times or topics. And, because you're not in the same space with an actual Human Being, looking them in the eyes as it were, we lose our normal filters.  If you had to look at the person with whom you are talking so shitty, well, you probably would hold back.

We are in the brave new world together.  And it's only going to get faster and worse before, or if, it can get better.  As technology shifts, as the world goes faster in a breathless pace of thought to  broadcasting, we must begin learning new ways of being. We must possess new ways of interacting-- new sets of manners and polite behavior.

Because if we don't, all of us will become infected.  All of us will become more Troll than Human Being.

I don't have the answers to what it's going to take to stem the epidemic, but I can start with this one from my teaching days:

When it comes to any topic on social media, especially those that are contentious or highly charged emotionally, before you hit SEND, let your writing get cold.  It's the knee jerk reaction to things that is getting us into Troll territory.  It's not allowing our polite filter to command our response.

When we're speaking and, in a moment of poor judgement, say something that turns out pretty horrible or passive-aggressive, with enough time, the impact will lessen.  Thankfully, we have short memories on so many levels.  But, if you write that same horrible thought, IT LASTS FOREVER! Unless it's deleted, it will be read over and over.

The best I can suggest at this point is, after you let it get cold...even for five minutes and think about how it might sound, you can stop yourself from turning into a troll.

The ultimate test is to ask yourself, "Is it really contributing anything to say it that way? Does it add value or simply cause further strife?"  If the answer to either of those questions is NO, and you would never want someone to comment that way to you, hit DELETE and be a better person for your commitment to be kind instead of an ass-hat Internet Troll.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Never Wants To Be A Troll

A Goldfish, Seriously?!?!?

I read a fascinating article today on Axios written by Jim VandeHei and Sarah Fisher entitled, "How Tech Ate The Media And Our Minds which I urge you to read too; just click the link.

There are some amazing statistics about what has happened to our way of taking in info, or maybe not taking in information.  It would seem that the total 24/7 bombardment of info available to our smartphones and other electronic devices, has changed how our brains react.

So what does it have to do with that cute little goldfish?

In ten short years since the iPhone has hit the market, millions of years of evolution have been short- circuited: The goldfish now has a longer attention span than you!

"A Microsoft study has found that since 2000, our attention spans have been cut by 25 per cent-- to shorter than that of a goldfish...," Do you not find this shocking? We keep gold fish to watch them slowly circling their bowl and calming our minds.  If the stat is right, we can only do that for 8 short seconds before we have to look at something else. But the gold fish could and would watch us longer!

"Our brains have been literally swamped and reprogrammed. On average, we check our phones 50 times each day — with some studies suggesting it could three times that amount. We spend around 6 hours per day consuming digital media. As a result, the human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds to eight seconds since 2000, while the goldfish attention span is nine seconds. And we just mindlessly pass along information without reading or checking it. Columbia University found that nearly 60 percent of all social media posts are shared without being clicked on."

The timing of this article really struck me because, just yesterday on this blog in Liar, Liar Pants On Fire, I was talking about posting things without fact checking them.  Seems like I am on to something here!

I don't have an answer to this one- it's just part of the evolution of this world of ours, I suppose.  I can't say it's right or wrong... just something to ponder.  It does speak to my concern over people no longer taking time to dig into things; take time to investigate; really read something.  It's probably why magazine and blog readership is down.  Probably because we don't want to invest energy in reading anything longer than a fb post or a Tweet. The stat seems to prove my thinking that we don't want to take time to investigate or learn...we just want to take time to react.

If that Microsoft Study stat is correct it means that you haven't read any further than that first line after the cute goldfish.  I am sitting here alone typing words that you won't read because your eight second attention span has kicked you out of this post...



... and now you're wondering if you have any Goldfish Crackers around because suddenly you have a craving for them. If that stat is correct, you're no longer here with me reading; you've left to go forage for crackers.

Let me know if you find any and are willing to share.  Wait.  What were we talking about?!

Anyone else get a giggle out of the fact that one of the article authors is named Fisher?  Get it?  Goldfish and Fisher?  Hello?

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly She Who Is Apparently Not As Attentive As A Goldfish

Liar, Liar Pants On Fire!

Social media, love it or hate it, has completely changed how we deal with each other and how we take in information.  It's still a steep learning curve for most of us.  One area where we all could do better is not spreading falsehoods simply by accepting a post as fact and hitting, "Repost, ReTweet, Rerun." Our childhood taunt of, "Liar, liar pants on fire," should guide what we post!  I wonder, instead of our noses growing when we told a lie, if our fingers caught fire, would we be more careful about what we type?

When I was teaching at Towson University, I had a few class rules.  One of my most stringent was that the Internet could not be the sole or first source of information for papers and presentations.  Was it easier for students to simply sit in front of a computer and type key words into a search block?  Yes. Was it the best source for information?  Not back then and certainly not even now. My students couldn't always grasp that just because it was on the internet, didn't mean the info was verified or correct. Anyone with a keyboard and/or an agenda can add noise without substance to the Internet. As President Reagan said so well, "Trust but verify!" Multiple sources are usually needed.

Maybe this isn't important to everyone, but remember, I was teaching students whose aspirations were to be professional communicators.  And, I believe those professionals need to hold themselves to the highest standard of fact gathering and checking.



In terms of posting to social media, people don't seem to understand the importance of  being factual, true, or accurate.  Is the post real?  Is the story correct?  They simply re-post things without checking first.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I've seen a post with comments,"You need to check this, it's not true." Or, "This is an urban legend!"

Even more amazing is that, even after it's proved wrong, some simply leave it up! A testament to the notion that fiction travels at least three times faster than the truth! If you learn it's incorrect, take it down off your wall!

In the current political climate and the horribly divisive world we now occupy, I believe it's more critical than ever to know that what we post is real.  At least the facts should be real because how we feel about the facts is enough of a powder keg these days to set off fights and bad feelings way more than is necessary.

It's interesting that people easily find info via the internet or on social media and don't stop to think that it's just as easy to check facts before posting.  There are dozens of sites, the sole purpose of which, are to give you the facts.

I like Snopes.  And even though it has come under fire as being liberal leaning, I don't worry about that.  I use them to get baseline confirmation of authenticity.

FactCheck is the other site that I rely upon, especially for political stories.

It's ironic that people can't tolerate having anyone lie to their face, but they don't seem to understand that a lie in print is just as damaging or frustrating as a verbal lie.  Maybe even more so because verbals fade, but once something's in print- it's always there.

The Managing Editor of Snopes, Brooke Brankowski, has the right take on this issue, "If it arouses an emotional response in you- if you see the headline and go, 'I can't believe this, I'm so angry,'- then it's probably something you need to check against something else."

If reading something causes an immediate strong reaction, it's always best to check it.  Your gut is, generally, a great lie detector!  Trust it!

Posting things that you don't know to be correct is the social media version of gossip!  If you can't abide gossip in real time, don't let your social media posts be gossip!

While most people make it their goal to never speak an untruth, we all need to start holding ourselves to the same standard in terms of what we post.

You can trust me.  I always check my facts before posting them for your consumption.  I promise not to lie to you with my mouth or my posts.  I hope you'll all join me in this important challenge.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Tells The Truth

FaceBook Killed My Blog, Then Politics Killed My FaceBook

It would seem that the immediate gratification of communicating with each other via social media platforms has really taken a bite out of blogging.  I guess the chance to reach more people is just too enticing.  But, when I think about the fact that I started Your Mother Knows as more or less a diary or repository for my thoughts, I'm not sure why I've drifted from it.

That's not correct- I drifted from it primarily because I have to invest more energy in my writing here versus the hit and run communication that I do on social media.  Hell, Twitter has been the best editor I've ever worked with because only having 146 characters at my disposal means get to the point.



So, I am back again because I absolutely, at this time, EFFIN' hate facebook.  Or more to the point, I hate the way people are being pre- and post election on facebook.  The amount of hysteria, hate, inflammation, craziness, panic, angst, fear is way beyond even what I experienced with Bush Derangement Syndrome. I'd even venture that if you asked any liberal if they'd take the current President Trump or have back President Bush, they would scream, "Bring George Back To The Oval Immediately!!!" That should give anyone perspective on the current level of crazy and backlash against the new 45th President of these UnUnited States.



As a PR person, I'm fully versed in how it feels to stand in front of a group and make a statement only to be blasted in response.  The ability to stand there, not react, and continue to try and discuss takes years to master.  It is very hard not to take it personally.  I'm proud to say for the most part of my career, I succeeded.  Not that I didn't go back to my office muttering, "ASSHATS!!!!," while slamming my office door.  Hell, I am only Human!

Yesterday I signed off of FB wishing everyone well.  I have had enough!  I am over seeing posts suggesting the end of the world and civilized society.  I'm done with reading things that would make one believe that I'm somehow a hideous Human because I voted for Trump. Or that I am somehow morally inferior to my friends on the left. I am finished with reading, "HAPPY NOW?!," every time someone at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue so much as picks up a pencil.

Here's what I can say to all my fellow facebook posters:

I can be somewhat concerned over some of the news coming from The White House without wishing they would start Impeachment Hearings for the new president.

I can be Pro-Choice and Anti-Abortion because of over-broad abortion policies. I can be Pro-Choice and strongly believe tax dollars should not be used to support clinics that provide these procedures.

I can be Pro-Access without having my taxes pay for your birth control. If you use it, pay for it yourself. I paid for mine.

I can be Pro-Birth and not Anti-Woman.

I can be Pro-Life and see the reasonable desire of some to be peacefully freed from the pain of their failed bodies.

I can be a champion of immigration and still believe it should be done within the legal limits the laws of this country have drawn. I can believe that if you are here illegally and have found yourself facing our legal system, you should be permanently deported.

I can be a conservative in regard to spending and rather socially liberal.

I can be a supporter of the Gay and Lesbian community without being a Democrat!

I can wonder about the complexities of Trans-Gender without judging the individual.

I can be white without being racist.  I can vote for a Republican candidate and support Human Rights.

I can multi-task and hold various opinions and like every other Human Being on this earth, I can be more than one-dimensional on any issue you might wish to discuss and debate.

What I am not willing to do is have every single thought or comment I post on my wall used as fodder for people who simply want to pick a fight.

What I am not willing to do is be judged by Liberals or Conservatives.

I am not willing to fill my day with people who want to live with the drama instead of looking at the facts. Or, shout at me if I attempt to respectfully post the facts.

I am not willing to fill my wall with people who do not want to listen to any opinion that varies from their own.

Or, with people who lecture me on my choices.

I am not willing to deal with people who think access to my page on social media means you can say whatever you want to me! I did not Friend you on facebook to fight!

STOP!  Just stop!!!!  I used to be paid to let people blast me for my comments, but I'm not getting paid any longer to listen to your shit!!!!  I call DONE!

I'm to the point of absolutely wanting to slap people, which is about me, not really them.  People are going to be who they are.  And as infuriating as it is to me right now, they have the right to do and say what they wish. If I don't like it, I have to go.  Exercise my options... vote with my feet.  So, here I am back to my blog once more. Why?  Because I'm a communicator and I have a deep desire to reach out and connect with others. Because I am a writer and the need to hone my craft is a niggling itch that never goes away. Because I am a Human Being and need someplace safe to process my thoughts.

Right now, we have a brand new President in the Oval Office.  Personally, do I like the man?  I DO NOT KNOW because I don't know him, personally.  News flash, neither do you!  Do I think I might not want to have him as a personal acquaintance?  Leaning very much toward, yes.  But, then again, if I knew the man personally, I might change my mind.



Because I voted for him, does it mean that I think him the perfect candidate?  NO.  However, as unorthodox as is his personal style of communicating, he didn't keep me up nights worried as much as the idea of Mrs. Clinton sitting in the Oval.  So, I voted my conscience from strictly a political point of view.

My pulling that lever on election day did not automatically turn me into a hater of Immigrants, LGBT, Muslims, Women, The Environment, Climate Change Theory, Little Children, Education, Social Programs, Those In Need, The Poor, and whatever else you might want to throw into the Shit Stew that is currently life in America.  I am the same person.  The very same person.  If you genuinely were my friend before I voted, you should respect me and understand that we don't have to agree on every single thing.

I am adult enough to understand that I do not have to like a person personally in order to understand they might be the best person for the job.  I may hate their personal style, but their resume of success is enough to prove why they are sitting in the seat.  And, even more, I trust in the Will of The American People and our process of government!

But, our world is not the same place.  Instead we now live in a world where the only thing of value is a person's feelings and their right to hurl them at others!  Their feelings are the only thing of paramount importance.  Their feelings; not yours.  We no longer understand the value of taking a measured stand on issues.  We no longer teach the importance of putting what's best for the majority ahead of what we might want as an individual.  We no longer view the world via a Servant's Heart. We do not know what it means to be a good citizen, instead we just want to be emoting bags of FEELINGS!

We have turned social media into a tool for acting out. We don't use it as a platform to learn from each other or where we share common ground.

I cannot abide the hysteria.  Can't abide the complete and total denigration of a man who has been on the job for about two weeks.  Most of us starting a new job are lucky to remember where the bathrooms are within the first two weeks, but can we give the guy whose office is in a complex as complicated as The White House a chance?!  Oh, HELL NO!  We can't be reasonable.  We can't take a wait and see position.  We can't act like Human Beings instead of a mob out to kill The Monster.

And, the war continues with this next chapter of the presidency with the Democrats and Republicans in Washington just as bad if not worse.  The Democrats are going to fight like fiends against any and everything because that's what their base demands.

We certainly can't be civil in our discourse.  We can't discuss with each other.  We cannot listen to each other.  We don't want to think, analyze, garner facts... we just want to react.

We want the toxic feeling of drama coursing through our hearts and minds- living as if our hair's on fire!

But, I don't.  I don't want it even for a few minutes much less Every. Single. Minute. Of. The. Day. as it is currently in Social Media.

I've lost friends, (by that I mean FB friends, which aren't really real.  It's not like the ones who unfriended me ever spent one real-time minute sitting and looking at me while we talk,) because of a man I don't know personally.  I've been unfriended over my civic duty of casting my vote. I've lost friends who got so mad reading comments made by others on my posts, that they decided I am not worthy of their time and energy. Sadly, I have had one or two people who have known me awhile in real time simply turn on me, too. Was it because I baited them or belittled them? Nope; it was because I had the audacity to give them my differing opinion on the posts on their walls.

Concurrently, I had several people message me off facebook basically asking why I tolerate people talking to me as they do.  And that's been my conflict; feeling personally savaged while still attempting to stay true to my core belief that dialogue is the only thing that can save us.  That being open is the only possible answer to our annihilation. But, when a young friend of mine, a guy whose take on the world is pretty solid and grounded, texted me to say that he found me way more tolerant and civil than he could ever be, it started my wheels turning...

Am I allowing mySelf to be abused by others simply because I believe so strongly in the importance of letting people express themselves?  The answer came back, "Sadly, yes."  Eventually I picked being kind to mySelf over the need for others to be crazy on something as inconsequential as a social media platform.

So be it. I'm done with it for now.  Eventually, I may go to see what people are posting about their dogs or their kids. I may want to see what new recipe someone has found and really likes.  But not until I can control mySelf and not want to bitch slap people who have been fucky with me simply because they can get away with it.

For believe me, I don't care how passionately you feel about things, I guarantee that you do not have the courage to be in the same space with me and talk like that.  You wouldn't have the nerve because you'd be looking into my eyes and you could not deny that I am a Human Being standing there being excoriated by you...

...over matters that neither YOU nor I have the power to control.  Over matters which, on the day to day, do not change how you live from the time you wake till you crawl back in bed at night.

...over people whom we will never know personally.  Instead, on a stupid social media platform, you'll lecture me from your moral high ground of superiority about how I should be tolerant of all social issues and people while you are completely intolerant of me or others having any opinion that varies from your own.

Hypocrite.  Let me give you a few minutes to yank that blank from your eye before you start searching for the splinter in mine. I want you to see clearly when you see me. As sad as it might be, I can live without you being kind, for which I've given up all hope. But, I cannot and will not abide people who refuse to be civil when I can simply stop your access to my space.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Done With facebook, For Now

Okay, So I Caved

 So, last night after many months of thinking it's totally stupid, I finally caved and set up a Twitter account.  My first Tweet was deeply profound, so I will share it here with all of you, "It was time.  I finally joined.  Welcome, Holly to the Twitter world."  I know, right?  Where do I come up with this stuff?!

The reason I avoided it for so long is that it is technology that totally alludes me in terms of its importance and necessity.  I mean, really, it's like a drive-by strafing of thoughts.  Who cares, I think, WTF?  What does this add to my life except one more responsibility and chance to make noise?

The other reason I waited is because I don't own a smart phone.  I don't even have a texting package on my phone.  I used to have an iPhone, but when I got my iPad, in an effort to cut down on expenses, I opted to only pay for one data package and I use my iPad more than I ever use a phone.  Twitter was built for on the fly communications via phones.  You can even post pics with the phone, upload via Instagram and wham, the link is up on Twitter with a quick caption.  No phone? Didn't seem to make a a lot of sense.  But, then I thought, "Well, I suppose I could use it on my iPad and laptop, but why the hell would I do that?!"

 The more I pondered it, the more I realized I had the very same reaction when a few years back, a communication professional I really respect asked me, "Why aren't you blogging?  You should be.  You have a great writing style that is totally in sync with blogging."  In my head where I live and it's sunny all the time, I was saying, "WTF?  Who cares what I think and what difference would what I say mean to the world except to clog up the Internet even further?!  Why would I ever blog?!" 

I started to think about it and I had to admit, probably for the same reason some of us keep a journal.  I stopped doing that years ago, and I now realize that blogging has become my open journal that I invite you to come and snoop around.  I don't really think I'm an exhibitionist, but neither do I shun the hot spot light.  And, I have often wondered why I even bother.  That's when I realize that at some point, blogging stopped being solely for my amusement and more about my need to feel validated and heard.  My need to be part of the big world.  To my mind, that's when the slippery slope started on so many levels. 

My first venture into socializing via media was with Facebook as it was for millions of us.  I can't imagine not checking in on my loved ones this way now, but I'd be fibbing if I told you it isn't a total mind suck sometimes.  And, I'd be misleading if I didn't admit I don't know what it's really good for and why I bother. 

My friend, Toni, the other day openly and candidly announced on her wall, "Still trying, and failing, to understand Facebook."    If you are over the age of 40 something, you're lying if you don't admit to the same.

It took me a long period of questions from Michael about the use of it all before he decided to take the plunge and open his own fb account.  Now he uses it all the time, but the reason he does is because his company is into it big time. He has a Twitter account, but never uses it.

Most likely because I was on fb, I started getting invites from LinkedIn and because I have worked independently for years and it seems to be the site where professionals go to connect up, I decided to join.  However, I get very little action from it, most likely because I don't really understand its benefit.

I was surprised the other day when I saw that my account had been viewed by a job recruiter.  She had done this prior to our conversation.  I wish I'd received better news from her than I did, but I'm left with the impression that it's most likely time to reinvent myself professionally now that I'm a senior in the job market world.  And I most likely need to modify my expectations and desires.  Sad to say. 

The point is, that after I realized that my profile on that site was looked at prior to a conversation, I got on it right away to freshen it up and added to it.  It reminded me of a very valuable point- if you put your info out there, you must do regular house-keeping and maintenance!   Or, if you decide it's not of value, take it down!  You wouldn't leave important documents out on the street, would you?

Here's one I also joined, and admit I totally don't get.  If you do and you like it, let me know what I'm missing and how I can make it better or I think it will have to go.  What's different about it than Linked In is a mystery to me.

Anyone?
No?  Hello? 

Here's one I really thought I'd like after I kept reading about it on my friends' walls and in their blogs.  Some people have found this to be like crack...they simply can't leave it alone and find that they lose hours a day drifting on here.  Turns out, this one I haven't really got the knack for.  It's a highly visual site; think of it as a virtual bulletin board where you can pin/post the most wonderful things that capture your interest.  Sounds good, yes?  But you have to be willing to search the Internet like a blood hound to find stuff.  At least that's how it feels to me.

Now, friend Toni who is still attempting to understand fb?  Well, she's outstanding at this Pinterest thing because, although she is good with words, she is a highly creative, visual person and her art leads her in that direction with no effort.  Me?  Not so much.  We all know words are my wheel house.

This is my friend, Annie.  You can tell that she is young and full of excitement about life.  I love her; she keeps me fresh in my thinking.  Many moments have been spent in discussion about these various outlets for crazy I've listed here.  To her credit, when she doesn't know, she'll say so, however she knows way more than I ever will.  When I listen to her talk about what she does with all of this stuff, she fuels my interest in trying.  She is my social networking muse!  She never gets down on me for not understanding...very patient is my Annie and her enthusiasm is infectious so I keep at it. 

It strikes me that all of these Social Media tools, for us of a certain age, are no different than the telephone effected people when they became available for in-home installation.  Most people said, "I've never had one, I don't need it, and I don't want that contraption in my house!"  When something is new, brand new, it's hard to imagine what benefit it can have to your daily life.  I maintain, however,  that even though some of the technology is absolutely not relevant to you, it doesn't mean you shouldn't poke around in it to learn how it works. I'm sure when Human Beings first got up off four feet and onto the back two, they couldn't imagine how important that would be to things, either!

The fact is, we do not yet know what Social Media is going to mean to us and our lives.  We're just at the beginning of it and it's being invented as we go.  You can choose to stay out of it until the bugs are worked out, or you can get in it now and paddle around in the pool.  Up to you.

But, let me remind you, this is different from a car or a widget you might wish to buy.  It's not an inanimate object.  What this is, is Human Beings relating in a digital age.  It's their voices you hear, even though you're reading the words or viewing the images they post.  It is how they are connecting to each other.  It might seem cold and impersonal to us who grew up in a different age and stage, but if you ask someone like Annie, she would find it hard to imagine life any other way.  Relationships and life for her is done through tweets and walls and pinning and linking in.  Her tools for reaching out and touching and hugging are via a computer and her phone.

And yet, she finds the best of all communication is face to face.  However, unlike most of us, she'll more than reach for the chance to keep in touch via electronics and social media instead of waiting until she can have that face to face encounter.  I think my young friend is most certainly wiser than I am in this regard.

So, I'm going to follow her lead, feeling truly stumbly and stupid while I do.  Hell, I really don't have many people who will follow me on any of these sites so my blunders will go unnoticed-- I hope.  I can at least put myself out there.  And, that's why I caved and joined Twitter. If nothing else, Twitter will teach me to express myself in a very narrow format; you only have 140 characters to work with!   If you care to follow me there to see how it goes, it's @HollyDietor.

Oh, and by the way, if you decide to follow me on this blog or anywhere else now that you've seen Annie, I'll be pissed that you didn't do it for my wit and wisdom, but I'll understand.  She is gorgeous, isn't she?!  And, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to connect.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Stumbling Through The Digital Age

You Vs. The Internet

My cousin in Florida sent this to me for my consideration. The fact that he could do this is because of the great tool and gift we call The Internet.

At the same time, while viewing the video link he sent, I was reminded yet again, that any tool not used correctly ceases to be a tool and can be down-right destructive. So, take a look at this and tell me if you think it interesting as I did.

I've discussed the problem several times here, this notion that others decide what information you get, your access to it and how you receive it. That's a huge problem. It will only continue to creep more and more into our world, this invisible censorship, unless we stay on constant alert. The only way a free society stays free is by open access to information and all the voices and opinions that go with it.

We all so want the world to be simple and uncomplicated. I'm afraid that being completely aware and tuned in doesn't allow for that. Whether it makes us uncomfortable, sad, angry, or uncertain, we have to have a tolerance for those itchy feelings. We have to be willing to hear it all.

So, tell me, what did you learn today? How did you learn it? And, could there have been more information that you should have known about, been given for your consideration, not edited out of your sphere of knowing?

I suspect that the answer for all of us is, yes, we could have been told more than we were. You should be the only editor of the information in your world. The only editor.

Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles" | Video on TED.com


Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka A Professional Communicator