330 Things I know about the ‘Net
I recently came upon a virtual chest of treasures – more than 300 truisms about the Internet. These gems are hidden in plain sight at American Digest, a top-shelf magazine-style blog created by Gerard Vanderleun, whose career in the publishing world has culminated in one of the most interesting blogs out there.
Here are just ten of Vanderleun’s observations he’s accumulated since discovering the wonderful world of cyberspace in 1987:
1. THE NET IS THE ENTIRE KNOWN CYBERSPACE UNIVERSE, AND LIKE THE REAL UNIVERSE IS CONSTANTLY EXPANDING.
2. THE SIZE OF THE NET IS UNKNOWN.
3. THE NET IS JUST LIKE THE SOCIETY IT CONNECTS, ONLY LESS SO.
4. NOBODY OWNS THE NET.
5. THE NET HAS NO CENTER.
6. IF YOU INSIST THAT THE NET *MUST* HAVE A CENTER, LOOK IN CALIFORNIA.
7. INFORMATION ON ANY SUBJECT YOU CAN THINK OF, AND MILLIONS MORE YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO THINK OF, IS ON THE NET.
8. ON THE NET ALL LAWS ARE LOCAL.
9. THE NET IS NOT FAIR.
10. THERE ARE NO FINAL LIMITS TO THE NET, ONLY REST STOPS.
You’ll have to visit American Digest to read the other 320 truisms. Trust me, it’s worth it. Plan to spend considerable time exploring the site. It is a kaleidoscope of visual and thought-provoking treasures.
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Meanwhile, a social media author and educator revealed her tips for Internet newbies. In an interview with Post Planner, Marsha Collier told the secrets to her success with social media. “Social media is personal for me. It’s not a broadcast medium,” she explained.
She recommends you share something with others about your background and what you do. Check your email and social media at least twice a day, and don’t let any comment go unanswered. Collier says she reads every bio before she follows someone, so she knows something about them.
When she recognized a need for aging baby boomers (50-plus) to stay current with developments in the online world, Collier wrote a book titled “Facebook & Twitter For Seniors For Dummies,” now in its ninth printing.
More tips from Collier:
- Go for quality. Whatever your end goal is, you’re building a community. Find people and interact with them. Say hello, tell them you are glad you found them or comment on one of their tweets. When people interact back to you a connection is made.
- Use Twitter search or WeFollow to find influencers within your industry and expand from there. There are leaders from every profession on social media, find your community and get involved.
- Engage with people before you pitch them. Fill out your bio so people will know who you are and get to know the people you interact with. If you build relationships, other social platform connections will happen.
Here’s a cheat sheet for those looking to create a social media campaign.
An example of a social media campaign is #StopQatarNow, currently underway by a group of well-known conservative journalists and publishers who are attempting to raise awareness of Qatar’s activities in support of jihad terrorist organizations Hamas, Boko Haram, ISIS, and the Taliban; as well as genocide and human slavery.
The Stop Qatar Now coalition has been using social media to promote its letter writing campaign to publicly inform American companies, universities and individuals who are accepting money from jihad-supporting Qatar. To learn more about the campaign, its participants, and the methodology being used to get out the message, click on Stop Qatar Now.
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Beyonce’ never showed!
When a 17-year-old boy had oral surgery performed under anesthesia, the resulting conversation on the ride home was nothing short of hilarious. Using her iPhone, his Mom videotaped the young man’s post-surgery ramblings where it has had more than a million views since it was posted to YouTube Sept. 29. Accompanying the vid, his mom wrote, “This is my 17 year old son who just came out of dental surgery. He had his wisdom teeth removed. He is upset because his idol Beyonce never showed up. Prior to surgery he was listening to her. He is a World Competitive Hip Hop Dancer.”
She noted that his team recently placed 2nd in the Dance Worlds 2014 International Coed Supa NOVAZ competition.
GBTV host Glenn Beck and his crew recently debated the “wisdom” of posting a potentially embarrassing video of this young man by his mom.
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The Four Sisters
Take a look at these four sisters and how they’ve aged over the past forty years as seen in this photographic exhibition.
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An Aural Rush
Check out this Vimeo Staff Pick video. Be sure to turn up your speakers, or better yet, plug in your headset for an aural rush! It’s the sounds of paragliding. “Listen to nature’s harmony while the young pilot rhythms the melody with aerobatic paragliding.”
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Magic carpet!
Proving again that there’s no limit to man’s imagination, take a look at these carpets. Now look closer. Surprise!