Kristina Summers's posterous

Computer Humor

every time i get frustrated that my computer is running at a snails pace, rather than get angry i just think about my all time favorite computer-related humorous movie line spoken by will ferrel's character megamind in the movie of the movie of the same name. he is about to have the moment of triumph over his rival metroman using his weapon that uses all the raw power of the sun and he shouts at minion, "unleash the power!" and minion hems and haws for a moment leading to this line "the sun is warming up?  " i love it! 

Live and Learn...Social Media Style

Ever since the early days of the internet, you know back when we were all innocent, happily posting away, giddily anticipating as the square with the lightening (complete with sound effects) gave way to the one with the triangle...(or am I the only one who remembers the early days of dial up AOL?) There have also been warnings, few and quiet at first, becoming stronger and more dire as the years flew by...protect yourself and more importantly, your INFORMATION! Hackers are EVERYWHERE and they are looking for YOU!
As a college student I took the warnings with a grain of salt, taking the usual precautions: anti-virus software, awesome (I thought) passwords. Later as I became wiser and more involved with social media; I became a blogger, then later a public affairs officer and then a social media consultant; I became even more savvy to the evils of phishing, trojans, keystoke viruses and web/spider trawlers A.K.A. Hacker scum with nothing better to do than ruin your day, week, life...

However, as aforesaid social media consultant I had grown comfortable with my knowledge...a dangerous thing. I assumed I was safe..it would never happen to me...until it did.

Sometime yesterday my GMail account was viciously hacked. 623 emails (EVERYONE in my address book) was sent an untitled email with a link that appeared to be from Google but was actually a virus. Not only was this bad for my social life, but the emails that went out also went out to people I had sent resumes to, people that trusted me in my network (including government, politics, the military, social media and the entertainment industry) now all exposed for the world to see. The link was also conveniently posted to my Facebook, Posterous, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIN and FriendFeed pages just in case you somehow missed the email! I was not only angry I was mortified!
To top it off when I decided to be proactive and change all my passwords I discovered my Google account had been disabled for a violation of TOS (since my ADsense address is also in my address book, Google was also sent the virus!) And I guess they don't appreciate that sort of thing.
Well I immediately contacted them, Facebook, Twitter and most of my other services to let them know what was going on. Thankfully Google did not take the most extreme measure which would be to ban me forever from all Google services, but I did get a really stern email about taking preventitive measures in the future which made me feel about two inches tall. And I of course had to send out about a million emails, tweets and posts to apologize for the hacking, which more than a few did not take lightly.
Well, what's done is done. Did I learn anything? Hell yes. Am I a little humbled by my experience? Absolutely. Am I getting new virus software, changing passwords and encrypting the hell out of everything? Duh.

Live and Learn.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Moo Tatau

Twitter Wars

As most people who know me are aware, I am somewhat of a Twitter fanatic. I Tweet everyday, feel actual psychological withdrawals when separated from my smart phone for long periods of time (meaning I am unable to Tweet) and am usually the one my friends, family and colleagues turn too when they are baffled by yet another new Twitter improvement, tool or feature. I admit that I am one of those people that has four different mobile Twitter applications on my phone....just to try them out to see which would work best and to see if certain ones work better for certain situations or clients. I started out with just the basic Twitter for Blackberry, Twitterberry. Unimpressed with the lack of features and in need of the ability to manage more than one account at a time I tried Seismic and found it okay but it seemed to run really slow on my phone. I really enjoyed Tweetcaster by Handmark, it seemed to have all the features I was looking for,  but when the switch to touch screens became all the rage it was no longer available for BB users. I also tried OpenBeak but again, it didn't possess the features that I was craving, seeming to focus on the promise of longer updates. I ended up settling on UberSocial (formerly UberTwitter) and have used and loved it with no regrets for over a year now. I can upload twitpics and vids, shorten my URL's with a shortcut to my bit.ly account and (this is my favorite) when I am sending a tweet it has autofill for keywords and twitter handles. I have  a horrible memory for names so this really comes in handy, 

Teaching With Technology

Ok, So I know I've been absent in my postings for some time but it's only because I have been so busy posting for class. Confused? I had to create a technology-themed blog to discuss teaching and using various technology. Here is an excerpt from a recent post. Enjoy!

Class this past week was a blast primarily because we got to talk about something I was really looking forward too, Learning management systems. One of the reasons I wanted to talk about these is because I truly owe my undergraduate degree to the successful completion of several online courses I took on what was then called WebCT through Georgia Perimeter College. If you are not familiar with it, you would probably recognize it as what we now call ELC or Blackboard.

What is really neat about these systems from a student perspective is that they make it really easy to engage and really get the most out of the online course you are taking. Assuming of course that the instructor knows what they are doing. And that is what we focused on on class – how to set up an online class using these systems and some of the pro’s and con’s of the various ones on the market today.

A quick overview of what we learned:

There are several different systems on the market today but here are a few of the more widely used ones. First of all is the one I am most familiar with, Blackboard (also known as elc and formerly WebCT). This particular system seems to have it all, allowing the instructor multiple applications for engaging with students. There is a blog application that allows for threaded discussions. Very useful if you become confused about who said what. There is also the always handy (but slightly creepy) big brotheresque tracking feature so that you can see just how many times and for how long each of your students was logged on. This way when a student complains that they are failing and you ask, well…did you use the provided resources on elc? You know right away of they are lying or not. From a teacher’s standpoint – helpful. The student…well it can be a total nightmare but hopefully it will begin to motivate students to do the right thing. In addition there are also several different assignment and grade-book options so that if needed you (as an instructor) have all sorts of freedom when designing your course.

Sakai – This appears to be a slick well put together collaboration of educators who have come together in  mutual agreement to share knowledge. I like the professionalism of the site but admit that along with the name it can be a little intimidating for first time online educators. Like Blackboard or Moodle (see below) there are many applications for whatever kind of assignments you may have in mind and for whatever discipline you teach. Personally I think this system is a little easier to learn than Blackboard (and a little easier to manage) but as I’m not a regular UGA staffer I will keep my opinions to myself. So on to the next system.

Moodle – one of the things I love about Moodle (that I admit has nothing to do with it’s capabilities) are the aesthetics. Being trained in graphic design and a visual person, I tend to notice how a website looks first and foremost and what strikes me about the Moodle color scheme (yellow-orange with rounded buttons and cartoon-style graphics) are the inviting and fun colors that say, welcome, come and take a look around, how can we help you? As for the applications, Moodle offers support based open-source software with plenty of extras.

all of these are great systems, each a little different so depending on the type of class you intend to teach, only you can decide what is right for you. So what do you think? What did you learn in class this week? anything interesting about these systems that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it because after all, adding to the online conversation helps the whole group in the end!!

If you enjoyed this hop on over to Teaching With Technology for more. And then come on back here - I promise not to stay away so long next time!!

Flu Shots are a SCAM.

You have to wonder what the point of the flu shot is...seeing as how the virus just seems to keep mutating, staying one step ahead of us and creating strains that the shot has zero effect on. Well at least that is the predicament that I am in at the moment although I admit I can just barely see the other side (hesitant to speak too much about it though...you know just in case it gets a little better before getting supremely miserable once more).  I started feeling bad on Moday, sniffeling and sneezing, coughing with a sore throat but determined that it was just a cold. I had been proactive this year after all and gotten the damn shot! Well after barely surviving Tuesday's classes and dismissing my students on Wednesday early I wasn't sure what to do. I had almost no voice left and continued to hack and drool all over myself. A friend of mine (and fellow GLA) Hannah made the command decision that I was in no condition to teach so I introduced myself and then thouroughly chastised, sat in the back while she taught my class. I owe that girl so much. She is a lifesaver!!

So I finally make it to the University Health Center where they quickly usher me into the back. All the while I am thinking, oh crap it must be serious.....and it was. Turns out I have Influenza Type B, which the typical flu shot does not protect you from. Lovely.

So I manage to make it home and climb into bed just in time for all three of my kids to come pouring in with cries of mommy....mommy....increasingly growing louder....or  maybe my  head just feels that way since I think it is going to explode.

So it is now day 2 of bed rest and while yes I feel a bit better, I wouldn't want to go sky-diving, baking, clubbing or anything else even remotely more strenuous than plugging in my ipod.

I am a teensy weensy excited to find out that sick as I am, I still have it...it being the gift of writing as only I can. So that certainly makes me feel a little better :)

I may never get famous for writing Tomes or even blogs for that matter, but hey, I CAN write, when I put my mind to it, so take that Rick and Robin and suck on that for a while!! :) My talents will be put to use elsewhere, (I have no idea at the present moment and if I did I would don a turban and make a killing off predicting the future!)and no matter what I do, I will make a difference somewhere, somehow.

Beginning Anew | Tales from the field

Pardon My Absenteeism With a Giant Helping of Social Media!

I know I have been absent for a while and I do apologize but to make up for it I have quite a bit for you to review. It has been a crazy few weeks surfing around the social media world. It seems that with privacy laws becoming more and more relaxed it is becoming easier to become just about anyone you want to online, whether you have permission or not. Not sure what I mean by that? Google Facebook and Privacy laws and you are sure to get the answers fast. Here is your dose of social media application reviews for the week.

BeBo - Researching this one now. Appears to be just another social network - gives you the option to create a profile and add frequent updates a la Facebook style. It even has a limited selection of games to play. It seems focused on creating photo, music and video albums and then sharing them with others. Much more media focused than other networks (well other than MySpace).

Hi5 - first of all be careful when you Google this social network - if you try to put a www in the url address bar you get an Irish dating site!! Don't believe me just try it, the correct url is http://hi5.com and again this yet another social network you can create a profile on. Glad I realized my error. Last thing I need are Irish singles calling my house! What Hi5 claims is different about their network is that market themselves as an international site, and are very big in Europe. Their main page has this to say,"Find friends and meet cool people like you from all over the world" in addition to the usual games, music, photos, videos, custom avatars and more. I do like that you get to create a custom interactive and animated avatar - think mine is a pretty good likeness, what do you think? But other than that - the site seems more focused on hooking up than anything up so if you are happily married like I am, it is probably not the network for you. 

Polyvore - a fashion networking site. Who knew there would be an entire network dedicated to just fashion. Well why not. There are entire networks dedicated to being members of Goth groups. (http://darklinks.ning.com/) - I wrote the link out too, just in case you want to join- but I am not reviewing them, and I am not giving a reason why. writers prerogative. So what is neat about this fashion site is that it fosters creativity by allowing you to mix and match just about any kind of fashion imaginable to make your own line of clothing. You can actually clip images from other websites which is pretty cool - it is a budding designers dream. No more cutting from magazines!

Tumblr - this application is very similar in form and structure to Posterous, although this one I had actually heard of before. I was introduced to Tumblr back in the beginning of grad school but couldn't get into the purpose of it, seemed pretty random. You create a username, password and account the way you do most applications and then can create posts, (here's mine) like you would with Posterous, uploading pictures, videos, text, etc. What seems to be a little different is that you have the option to go "tumlbing" through cyberspace - similar to the bookmarking service Stumbleupon where you get to cruise through random sites. But unlike Stumbleupon (where the sites are supposedly based upon your previously clicked upon preferences) Tumblr is actually very random. Interesting concept though and I admit, I have come across a few cool things...and a lot a spammy things too.

Xanga -another blogging platform - that seems very similar to Posterous and Tumblr. Offers an upgrade if you want to bu your own domain. Seemed very random and had many users listed, but couldn't bring myself to try it out. Many of the user examples on the home page had profanity, mild nudity or just mind-numbing idiocy involved. No thanks. I will stick with the platforms I have already used. Not that I am giving it a bad review, I am sure it is as good as many of the other small blogging platforms, but whoever does their marketing should maybe re-thing what scrolls across the homepage. Not that I'm a prude, but as a reviewer, I could be anyone.

So in addition to looking at several online networks I have been looking into a lot of social media applications that specifically cater to media, that is art, photos, music and video.Here are a few applications that are applicable to all the up and coming artists of all flavors out there.

So most of us are all familiar with sites like YouTube and Flickr so I won't go into those (unless you send me a specific request to do so). Here are a few you may not be aware of though. I wasn't.

Vimeo - another video sharing site, similar in concept but not scope to YouTube, you can upload your videos and also be a part of the network itself by commenting, adding reviews, basically becoming your very own Siskel and Ebert of others homemade movies. What is neat about it is that it caters to HD footage (whereas trying to upload HD to YouTube takes forever) but Vimeo does not accept QuickTime files, considered the industry standard so that becomes a real drawback for videographers everywhere. This site is more heavily utilized by video prosumers rather than consumers.

VodPod -what I love about the video sharing service vodpod is that it gives you the option to save videos from all over the web. No matter where you see a clip, you can save it to VodPod and much like a social bookmark, it will preserve that clip for you to watch later. For example. You may come across a news clip you are interested in but we all know that often those links will become broken over time. Well VodPod acts as the middleman, grabbing the code from the video and embedding it so that you can watch it again and again. Often allowing you to embed the video right onto your own website or blog. Basically it serves as a social bookmarking site for video clips.

ImageShack - excellent tool for bloggers to upload large amounts of media to use with their blogs. The plus side - it is free, which is great if you are broke. The down side, it can be difficult to figure out if you are new blogging in general and to understanding the difference between using a direct link, a widget code or something else entirely and the help button doesn't help you very much.

DeviantArt - art sharing site - mostly fee-based but has some free services. I like that you can peruse some pretty awesome art and photos. You can also upload your own awesome work for free for others to look at. The thing is you can't actually download anything unless you want to upgrade to the fee-based service. So you might make money off the service of your stuff is good.

Picasa- photo sharing site, much like Flickr, but rather than being Yahoo based, it is Google based. You can tag and Geo-tag each photo which is a neat feature. It also pulls photos from all your Google applications, including blogs, (including this one) into one place without you having to do a thing. Pretty convenient. It isn't widely marketed, but if you do a lot with Google apps you no doubt have used it whether you realize it or not. It is the default photo application when you are using Google docs or other Google business applications. Picasa is where all your graphics and photos are stored.

Ok. I think that does it for new applications. As for updates- I am canning the Plurk. I never really got it. I also will probably be thinning out my other profiles online over the next few days so don't be surprised if I seem to disappear from a few places. It is mainly for my own sanity. It can be tough being everywhere.

On a positive note - I finally sent in my thesis proposal to my major professor, so let's just hope it all gets approved so I can get the rest of this research going. So much to do and so many school loans to pay back.....

Any super wonderful sponsors put there want to sponsor a social media whiz who will soon have a masters in conservation ecology? Willing to travel the world while creating an interactive blog/website with photos, videos, and interviews with some of the worlds most respected scientists and conservationists?? Well if so, you know where to find me.

Kristina Summers
Twitter @KristinaSummer

"Whoever fights monsters should see that in the process he does not become a monster. When you look long into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you." - Nietzsche

Just When You Think You Have a Handle On It....

I was thinking I was slowly getting a handle on things. I had read and re-read my list and although I hadn't come close to visiting every application, I thought at least I was developing a familiarity with the list, that it wouldn't continue to grow, for now...
Well if there is one thing I should never forget is that this insane world of social media is such a dynamic one that I don't think any one person will ever have a true handle on all of it.
I came across a great article today that had a list of ten tools every social media/PR pro should look into if not already familiar with. I decided I liked Klout, a tool that looks at your tweets, tweeting trends and followers and tells you what kind of twitter user you are and what kind of influence you probably wield in the Twitterverse. Backtweets was also pretty nifty. You enter in any URL and it locates all the tweets that have in any way linked to it. Pretty useful to see if your site is being linked to on a regular basis.
So I am thinking I will go check out Wordle now and then a few others before I wind down. Until next time.
Kristina Summers