Dream. Encode.

I wanted to share my latest project for work. We've been working on a re-branding of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. Basically, our message is this: At Georgia Tech, we teach, research and learn Computing unlike any other program, because we are unlike any other program. We think bigger and bolder. We move forward with more energy and creativity. We empower our students, faculty and staff to Be More.

In this vein, we asked one of our recent grads, Connie Chen (2012 College of Computing grad and award-winning filmmaker) to create a “cinematic interpretation” of what it means to study computing and what it means to be more. The result is a poignant portrayal of inspiration and impact – the story of a small spark of interest and a healthy sense of curiosity flourishing into something more.

Check it out!

Can't Get Enough #WhatShouldWeCallMe

Thanks to Becca, I'm addicted to this site. I've reached my sharing maximum of this stuff on Facebook, Twitter, at work, and with my husband. So I'm turning to this blog, which, thankfully, no one reads so no one can complain. And, if you are the one person that reads this blog, you can't complain either because that would mean you'd have to admit that you are the only person that reads this blog. :)

#WhatShouldWeCallMe

WHEN I GO HOME TO VISIT MY PARENTS













WHEN A GUY TRIES TO USE A CHEESY LINE ON ME

Him:














Me:















WHEN I SEE A GIRL WEARING
Heeled rainboots














Jeans without back pockets














Ed Hardy








These are all courtesy of the site #WhatShouldWeCallMe.

Social Media Campaign at work? Success

When the Facebook page i manage at work gets 1,000 new likes in two days:














PS - If you haven't checked out #WHATSHOULDWECALLME, do so now. Warning: you are putting your future productivity in serious jeopardy.

How We Die on Social Networks

Yesterday, I was interviewed by Alicia Eler from ReadWriteWeb regarding death and social media. It's a very interesting and timely article that's worth a read (don't miss more of my quotes on the second page!).

Article: I Wanna Live Forever or How We Die on Social Networks

True Story

Video Thursday

One of my responsibilities at work is to come up for a video to end our weekly meetings (hard life, I know). The following two videos were selected for yesterday's meeting. You've probably already seen them. If you haven't, please watch in order.

My Favorites from the Web this Week

Not Your Momma's Gift Guide

Here at Georgia Tech's College of Computing, we never do anything like "normal" people. Meaning, we like to step it up a notch. For the holidays, the communications team came up with a new spin on the traditional holiday gift guide. Trust me, you want to check out what we made (hint: it includes a super cool robot).

Check it out: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/holiday-gift-guide

Success in a MOOC

This is a great video by Dave Cormier, one of the facilitators of the #change11 MOOC. As a first-time MOOC participant, I'm very excited to be in a MOOC that he's facilitating!

#change11 - Growing Pains

After having just graduated with a master's in cyber anthropology, I am very excited to be a part of Georgia Tech's MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) or #change11. My excitement also speaks to the fact that I am once again in the working world and, inevitably, miss being a full-time student.

Anyway, I'm trying to dive into this MOOC but it's a bit overwhelming. However, I get the sense that that's kind of the point. By nature, a MOOC is constantly evolving according to the instructors and (mainly) the students. Participants heavily affect the flow and substance of the course and, in doing so, produce a large amount of content. Being raised in a fairly traditional education system (as I'm sure most of us were), a MOOC's dramatically different approach to learning will naturally produce some growing pains (emphasis on the word "growing").

My first instinct (as the "good" traditional student that I was) is to try to digest all the information that this MOOC is producing. However, attempting to stuff myself with the vast amount of content coming out of #change11 soon leads to a stomach ache. I'm trying to adopt the advice of the course facilitators: namely that it will be impossibly to read/watch/listen/respond to everything out there. That being said, I'm going to try to post blog reflections on how I'm interacting with the course and what I am learning. Also, instead of brushing a wide surface by trying to read/interact with as much material as possibly, I'm going to attempt to go deeper with a smaller amount of material.

I think one education's challenges in the 21st century is going to be whether they can change and adapt to new technology. Moreover, whether education can embrace new forms of technology to drive different types of learning and increase international collaboration. I think #change11 is going to be a fascinating experiment for all involved.

(note: the picture is from http://zaidlearn.blogspot.com/ - a great blog to learn more about MOOCs and innovations in education)

The Machine is Us/ing Us

I've always liked this video.

My Thesis is Out!

I officially hold a Master's degree! Be sure to check out my thesis, entitled "La Vida Online: The Parallel Public Sphere of Facebook as Used by Colombian Immigrant Women in Atlanta."

You can download it here: http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/anthro_theses/52/

I am so very excited. Thank you to everyone for their support!

Social Media Isolates People?

Corey just sent me this article on the backlash of the academic community towards social media:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/22/social-networking-cyber-scepticism-twitter

Facebook Privacy for Dummies

There has been an increasing backlash in the media, among academics, and my own friends regarding the information that people disseminate on Facebook. It harkens to a social fear surrounding privacy and the over-sharing of personal information. While I will be the first to admit that social media is increasingly problematic, I think it can also be empowering to many people in a variety of ways.

On that note, I want to laugh and yell at the same time whenever I see people complaining about Facebook and, yet, they have enacted NONE of the privacy settings available to them. While nothing posted on Facebook is completely "safe" there are certain precautions you can take to limit who can view your information and profile.

MA's Guide to Privacy on Facebook:

1. In the upper right corner on Facebook, click "Account" and select "Privacy Settings" from the drop down menu.

2. Start with the first option, "Connecting on Facebook," and click on the hyperlink "Account Settings." This section allows you to control who sees the type of information you share on Facebook.

3. Select the information you want certain people to see, from the most restricted (selecting "only friends" for every option) to the most open (selecting "everyone" for every option"). My current settings allow everyone to search for me or send me messages but the rest of my information is restricted to friends only.

4. Once completed, click on the button at the top that says "Back to Privacy."

5. The "Sharing on Facebook" section contains more detailed privacy settings.

6. To edit these settings, select "Custom" from the blue side bar and then click the small, blue hyperlink that says "Custom Settings."

7. You may now go through and edit each one of the options by selecting who is allowed to view your pictures, posts, and comments, as well as who can interact with you on Facebook and how.

Stay tuned for version 2 of Facebook privacy when we will discuss how you can organize groups of friends and select which group can see what. This is an ideal function if you have Facebook friends who are co-workers, bosses, professors, parents, etc.

Is Honesty the Best Policy?

So I was trying to think of things to write that would be more interesting and I realized, my blog is pretty freakin' boring. You know why? Because I don't really say everything I'm feeling or experiencing. I'm not saying I should include absolutely everything on mind, but I think I try to control my virtual identity too much.

While doing my thesis research, I've discovered that the women I'm interviewing have some interesting thoughts regarding their identities on social media. When asked if they represent their "true" selves on Facebook, each one has always answered "yes." However, one of my interviewees stated that she thinks that people represent their true selves online but they choose which aspects to represent and which to leave out. For example, this woman stated that she only chooses to display aspects of her personality and life that appear exciting, interesting, and nice. I feel like this on my blog.

I don't write about my super crappy days that reflect negatively on me. Sure I write about bad things that are out of my control, but not issues that may be my fault (struggling in my marriage, feeling like I'm failing in my academic pursuits, etc.). Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that maybe I should be a little more honest on here. The blogs I enjoy reading are often brutally honest, not ones that make the author's life appear perfectly put together. That being said, we'll see how this goes on my next blog post (which hopefully will come before three months!).

Research Inspiration

One of the inspirations for my social media research is Jenny Ryan's The Virtual Campfire.

This site is the digital version of her thesis research:

Based on five years of participant-observation on the social networking sites MySpace, Facebook, and Tribe.net, The Virtual Campfire explores the increasingly blurred boundaries between human and machine, public and private, voyeurism and exhibitionism, the history of media and our digitized future. Woven throughout are the stories and experiences of those who engage with these sites regularly and ritualistically, the generation of "digital natives" whose tales attest to the often strange and uncomfortable ways online social networking sites have come to be embedded in the everyday lives of American youth.

Check it out: http://www.thevirtualcampfire.org/

Check Out This Blog

So Corey and I started a new blog that is currently entitled "Stuff My Family Says" until we can come up with a more original name. Check it out: http://stuffmyfamilysays.blogspot.com.

Jesus on Social Media

Voices from Cuba

My mother told me about this blogger, Yoani Sanchez, who lives in Cuba. She has to e-mail her posts out of the country to be published by someone else (due to the strict laws there).

Her blog, Generation Y, is fascinating and echoes a lot of the feelings I picked up when living there, although I was only 11 years old.

I've realized that my family hardly ever talks about our time there. We lived there for a few months while my dad was conducting his dissertation research. Although it was only a few months, the numerous amounts of individual stories and pain I encountered will never leave me.

You should read this blog; Yoani is taking major risks by publishing it. She was just arrested and beaten on Friday, November 7, because of her blog.

Here is the link: http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/

Teddy on People.com!

My little baby is on People.com's homepage! I'm too excited. I should also mention that the person he's standing on in the photo is my mom, so I guess she's on People.com, too! Congrats to Teddy and Mom!

Oh, and that also means he's on People Pet's homepage again, too! What a little cutie pie!

Check him out: www.people.com (scroll down, he's on the right side)
http://www.peoplepets.com/photos/cute/october-s-cutest-of-the-cute/1 (you can't miss him in this one!)

P.S. He's also on the homepage with Robert Pattinson; could I be any prouder??