Today I went for a long run and stopped twice at the Darwin exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in DC. Today was the day that I also realized that Darwin's evolution applies to the World Wide Web.
Charles Darwin was a very smart and inquisitive naturalist, a pioneer in a field no one thought could be possible. A non-literary student who never liked attending school, he set off a five-year sailing excursion aboard the Beagle on June 1834 and came home discovering a controversial and revolutionary theory of evolution that shocked the scientific world in the mid 19th century.
Although, I am not fully sold on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, I am impressed by his work, research and writings. Perhaps even more by his spirit and drive to discover and to learn something remarkable about this amazing thing called life.
I am convinced also that that many animal and plants have evolved based on the environment in order to survive and thrive. Survival of the fittest is not just about organisms and biology -- the term can be applied loosely to life in general -- the economy, our work environment and the culture by which we thrive and abide.
So the internet is now 20-something, innovative, retro-progressive and simply unstoppable. What's the next techno evolution? A new gadget, widget or application? Not quite, it's the maturation of the internet, and a new cyber-species has formed.
Today with the advent and reinvent of Web 2.0, the public is no longer just the consumers -- we are becoming more and more the producers, the directors and main characters. Meanwhile, the companies are now becoming the consumers – participating in social media in order to gauge what their customers are thinking and saying about their products.
So as the internet today is vastly different than the internet of yesterday, we must no longer use the internet like we have been doing over the last decade.
Here is the Top Ten things of what you should be doing or consider doing with social media now, on a regular basis. This list not all inclusive, but it's a good framework to start from
1) Facebook is not just habit-forming but productivity disguised as addiction – take a few minutes each day to scroll through and visit: see what your friends and acquaintances are doing and what they are broadcasting. Who knows, you might actually learn a thing or two (especially if your friends are more progressive than you). Try to provide encouraging, value-added comments regularly. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, on order to reach Self-Actualization there are four components that must be fulfilled first. Esteem, Social, Safety and Physiological Needs. Facebook is a great venue to help fulfill a person social needs. It gives you an opening to so many people you cannot always have physical contact with. Use Facebook birthday reminders weekly (to send well wishes or to mail a virtual bday gift) and try to visit a friend’s Facebook page before meeting up with him/her so that you can be knowledgeable about their family and personal matters ahead of your visit -- they will be highly impressed (or even shocked), and the visit will be more rewarding and at the very least, less embarrassing (Don't forget to use your FB app on your Iphone).
2) Don't just close the browser window, broadcast it. When you see an article that you like, don’t just close your browser when done or bookmark on your computer – bookmark the article and share your thoughts with others, using Facebook, Twitter, Del.icio.us or Digg. By sharing articles that you find interesting, you are also creating a profile for yourself so that the internet can better learn about you and better cater to your specific needs as well as to the needs of others within the network. Trust me -- the more the Web knows you, the less you'll have to do.
3) RSS means one day your own individualized internet. Consider signing up for an RSS feed. As the web is evolving, we no longer need to actively search online for information regularly. The information that we will enjoy reading should come find us -- all a part of smarter, more tailored internet.
4) Podcasting is not Dead -- it's a sleeping bear. This topic dovetails nicely with RSS. What is a podcast -- piece of audio or video content that is delivered by an RSS feed which can be downloaded automatically to your Ipod. If you listen to your Ipod while commuting on a bus/train or when walking, consider signing up for a podcast to some of your favorite talk shows -- I personally, like to listen to NPR. Then everyday, just synch up your Ipod and you automatically have your programming downloaded and ready to go.
5) Because other people already know and knowledge sharing should be free. Before doing something new or something you are not too familiar with, go online, check Ehow or Ask.com to read about how other people have conducted the same tasks. Instructions written by layman and critiqued and enhanced by the general public are normally more readable and relevant than instructions provided in sterile textbooks or instruction manuals. If you have a skill or experience doing something, no matter how mundane, consider sharing it on these social media sites also. You will be adding on to your profile (remember letting the internet know that you are actually a quasi-expert in something relevant) while helping others all across the globe live a fuller, richer life.
6) Again nice dovetail to info sharing. YouTube is not just about videos of your children on summer break or the latest music videos. It's Ehow on steroids or just a more visual search engine than Google.
V That's right -- YouTube is not just music videos, entertainment and family videos. YouTube and other video-sharing sites provides a wide array of practical and helpful instructions and tutorials from how to install hardwood flooring to how to do your income taxes. It's fun, free, amusing and the info is more likely to stick and sink in, because now you're taping into audio, visual and perhaps even tactile.
7) Don't scrape your knee when someone has already taken the fall. If you have a specific or broad question to ask (that are not too personal), don't just ask a relative or a friend in a silo, consider going social and tapping into the vast network of advice seekers and advice givers on Ask Yahoo or Ask.com. That way, everyone gets to see your question (You're anonymous except your Avatar, of course), and everyone gets to chime in. Ask a question about any topic you can think of. How to make bread with yeast, input on what school you want to go to. You have at your finger tips the answers from millions of people who may have done the same things themselves
8) Cloud Computing means we're no longer operating from Earth. Instead of working exclusively from your desktop in a silo or even in a company network, upload some of your collaboration documents on Google Docs, Box.net or other web-based content management vendors. This portal is ideal if you are collaborating as a team. Also it's cheaper and more efficient that having to purchase additional computers, software, than having to manage the content internally. In terms of email, Cloud Computing will be welcomed by your clients since you can send a link to the document instead of an attachment -- reducing file size and enhancing viewing restrictions and security. Desktop computing is metro. Cloud computing no longer a dream.
9) Consider slipping on Second Life, so that you can Shine in Real Life. The options for learning, observing, colloborating and simulating on Second Life is limitless and in many ways, life-like. Second life allows you to explore, inquire, and learn so much about yourself, your teammates or whatever you set your mind to, that eventually, Second Life will replace many things we do in real life, and in the age of traffic and environmental impact, that's a good thing. Second Life also is very merciful and forgiving. If you've just woken up, you always look fresh and your clothes sharp and pressed. If you make a mistake, you won't go broke, get in a fight or go to jail. If you're lonely or feel footloose, but you have a ton of stuff to do, SL allows you to cook, do homework, laundry and walk the dog, all while your Avatar is living it up large in some beach resort in Bali sipping Mai Tai Highs -- and better yet, you'll be able to save your pennies to purchase something more everlasting in Real Life. Go Virtual for a Better World -- it's now a Reality.
7) Don't scrape your knee when someone has already taken the fall. If you have a specific or broad question to ask (that are not too personal), don't just ask a relative or a friend in a silo, consider going social and tapping into the vast network of advice seekers and advice givers on Ask Yahoo or Ask.com. That way, everyone gets to see your question (You're anonymous except your Avatar, of course), and everyone gets to chime in. Ask a question about any topic you can think of. How to make bread with yeast, input on what school you want to go to. You have at your finger tips the answers from millions of people who may have done the same things themselves
8) Cloud Computing means we're no longer operating from Earth. Instead of working exclusively from your desktop in a silo or even in a company network, upload some of your collaboration documents on Google Docs, Box.net or other web-based content management vendors. This portal is ideal if you are collaborating as a team. Also it's cheaper and more efficient that having to purchase additional computers, software, than having to manage the content internally. In terms of email, Cloud Computing will be welcomed by your clients since you can send a link to the document instead of an attachment -- reducing file size and enhancing viewing restrictions and security. Desktop computing is metro. Cloud computing no longer a dream.
9) Consider slipping on Second Life, so that you can Shine in Real Life. The options for learning, observing, colloborating and simulating on Second Life is limitless and in many ways, life-like. Second life allows you to explore, inquire, and learn so much about yourself, your teammates or whatever you set your mind to, that eventually, Second Life will replace many things we do in real life, and in the age of traffic and environmental impact, that's a good thing. Second Life also is very merciful and forgiving. If you've just woken up, you always look fresh and your clothes sharp and pressed. If you make a mistake, you won't go broke, get in a fight or go to jail. If you're lonely or feel footloose, but you have a ton of stuff to do, SL allows you to cook, do homework, laundry and walk the dog, all while your Avatar is living it up large in some beach resort in Bali sipping Mai Tai Highs -- and better yet, you'll be able to save your pennies to purchase something more everlasting in Real Life. Go Virtual for a Better World -- it's now a Reality.
10) The Blog is not just about Citizen Journalism -- it is about Civic Justice. Read a Blog – like this one, a blog can be chockfull of useful and relevant information that is fresh, unfiltered and individualized. And if you like the ideas, take a few minutes to write something thoughtful. This will serve as valuable and insightful information not only for other readers, but also for the writer of the blog who definitely needs the inspiration to produce free content for the goodness of society.
Just as how humans have conducted basic life activities such as walking, thinking, surviving which have all evolved extensively over the years, the way we utilize and unitize the world wide web for information gathering and decision making is also constantly improving, evolving and becoming more transformational.
After all, the internet is no longer in its infancy, it is now 20-something and "Retro-Progressive." And only the best ideas will survive.
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