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Benefits of Texting

Today there is no need to have a conversation with someone on the phone. If you both own cellphones text messaging is steady becoming the method of choice for communication. What does this mean for you? If you don’t already know how it is time to figure it out? If you aren’t very good at typing the words out you may need to practice. There are several reasons why so many people are moving away from phone calls and onto a text message.

A text message is short, sweet and to the point. There isn’t a lot of room for fluff when you are typing each word using a small keyboard. You just want to state the basic facts and move on. For the most part this is great for finding out what you need to bring home from the store, letting someone know that you are on your way to their house, or finding out what time everyone is meeting up. With one text message and one reply the question is answered or the information is received.

You can avoid wasting time on the phone. Have you ever been on the phone and the conversation just continues to drag on? You don’t have the time to listen to the other person’s story and you just can’t seem to find the will to pay attention to what they are saying. With texting you can avoid these conversations completely. You can still find out how things are going with a friend when you meet face to face another time. It isn’t that you are uninterested in their life; it just means that you are using your time more efficiently.

It provides you with a reminder. Text messages are stored on your phone. You can go back and reference what was said about the meeting time and place, what you need to get at the store and even who is going to be coming over tonight for dinner. You can use the text messages like post it notes stored within your phone.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Cell Phone for Grandparents

Technology stops for no one and you may have noticed that some of the older individuals in your life have just not kept up with some of the changes. While some advances may not be that important to them, a cell phone can be something very beneficial to them. Even if they aren’t sure that they are going to want one, you may want to take some time to introduce them to the concept and give them some examples of when it would make their life more convenient.

Show them your phone. Chances are that you have a cell phone that will be able to do so much more than they may be interested in. Don’t make it overwhelming. Just give them a chance to check it out and see what they think. Listen to the responses that they have. If they are concerned about the size of the keys or they can’t see the screen very well you want to think about these things are you pick out a cell phone that they will feel comfortable using.

If you think they are interested or even if they aren’t but you would feel more comfortable if you were able to communicate with them often, go ahead and start looking at phones. Some models may be perfect with larger keys or even a screen that is easier to see. Once you make the purchase, you want to go over the basics with them. You may want to plug in some important numbers for speed dial to make the whole thing easier. Show them how to call, how to answer and help them set ringtones.

It may take time to convince them that this is the way to go, but once they have a cell phone they will be able to contact anyone right away and it may give them a new sense of freedom. Why wouldn’t grandma want to be able to text her friends to let them know that the bridge game that was scheduled for later in the week has been canceled.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: , ,

Cyber Bullying

Schoolyard bullies that take your lunch money are about as extinct as dinosaurs now. There is a new form of bullying out – and its all cyber. With the advent of new websites on the Internet such as Youtube, which preserve anonymity in some form, people are finding new outlets to release their pent-up bullying energy.

While this was relatively harmless when it came to someone stealing lunch money, the consequences of bullying someone online have had dire repercussions as seen by the recent cases of it.

Perhaps the most daunting case was that of Megan Meier. The mother of her classmate, using a fake online persona, bullied her online via Myspace. The fake online person was a boy that began messaging Megan over the social networking site – they became friends and once he had her hooked (and by he, I mean the mother of the classmate) he started sending her mean insulting messages. Megan couldn’t take that kind of pressure anymore and decided to hang herself.

Thus, online bullying can have as influential consequences as bullying in person; the only difference is that cyber bullying is easier to do. Because of the anonymity factor, and even without it in some cases, bullies feel a sense of security and invincibility, as if the Internet firewalls are somehow even protecting them from the consequences of their action. Because of this, it is especially important to monitor Internet activities – as one knows, with the invention of the internet, everything became possible.

 

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Goodbye Snail Mail

The USPS system is afraid, very afraid.  They are worried that the now outdated “Letter” will be replaced by email.  This is already the case.  Nobody sends letters anymore.  They send email.  You will still get correspondences from businesses via snail mail, but family and friend will use the internet to send their messages’.  The internet has allowed us to stay in closer contact with friends and family and should be appreciated for doing so; however there is still something to be said for a hand written letter that was mailed the old fashioned way.

Hand written letters are far more personal than email.  Even greeting cards are being done online now.  This is great because it saves us time and money, but it separates us from the person we want to send the letter or card too.  That personal touch is missing.  The scent of the paper after we take it out of the envelope that reminds of the person who sends it is missing.  You cannot smell an email, no matter how hard you try.

Are we at risk of losing our humanity?  Maybe, but we as a species are meant to evolve.  Evolution is scary, but it is the way of the world.  You still need to write letters.  You still need to let certain people know that they mean more to you than a few click on the keyboard.  If our humanity is important to us, than we can still make sure that we retain a bit of it, by allowing for time to write an actual letter to those you love and care for.  Teach your children how to write a letter, you never know when it will come in handy, the world of technology can end tomorrow and we need to know how to do things the old fashioned way.  In the process of teaching your child to write a letter you can make someone’s day after they check their mailbox and find something other than a bill.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Communications Solidify Military Families

Communications technology has come a long way in the last two decades.  This is particularly true for military families with a mother or father who might be deployed overseas.  Just twenty years ago, the only communications that were available to military families was that of snail mail and maybe a phone call once in a great while.  Even with regular mail, the correspondences between the deployed service member and that of the family were limited.

Thank you to the development of computers and the internet, military families are now able to communicate more often.  This advancement in technology is directly responsible for a certain percentage of families that stay together now.  With limited communications between a service member and their families, the divorce rate was much higher than it is now for military families.

Not only is email utilized in communications for service members and their families but also software and hardware that make it possible to do a live chat with video.  This is an excellent way to keep young children and their parents familiar with one another.  A lot of military service members would come home to children who did not even know who they were; this was not good for the mental state of the service member or that of the child.  These advances have strengthened the bonds between families that need it so desperately while separated.

The love and bond that is between the spouse and the service member is maintained with the use of email and webcams.  This advancement has made it possible to still feel like a family when they are separated by thousands of miles.  Families that did not have this advantage just twenty years ago, did not fare nearly as well as military families do now.

These communication developments have played a key role in so many things, from divorce rates to suicide rates.  It is important for a military family to communicate.  The service member and the family of the service member are able to remain close even when they are so far apart.

Filed Under: General, Technology Tagged With: , ,

The IM Takeover

BlackBerry Home (1)

Image by The Lazy Canadian via Flickr

As if the human craving for social contact wasn’t satisfied enough through the advent of email, cell phones, and more recently social networking – all the aforementioned mediums are now adding instant messaging to their list of services to insure that people are never truly alone.

Companies are now finding it beneficial to integrate instant messaging technology into their systems. Google was the first one to introduce this to their gmail users – it cleverly built in a Googletalk messenger onto their email webpage. Soon this notion was taken over by companies such as Hotmail, who have recently integrated their MSN messenger into their email page as well. This new phenomenon gives a new take on emailing – why bother when you can just reach your contact through the in built messenger?

This similar concept has been taken over by social networking companies such as Facebook. The idea of writing on a “wall” has now been replaced by simply instant messaging the person you choose to contact. Gone are the days where one would log on to AIM to talk to their friends – now people simply log on to Facebook where they can chat with their friends while browsing their pages at the same time.

Finally, gone is the idea of “texting”, and it’s been replaced by “bbm-ing” or “whatsapp-ing”. Why send out texts or make phone calls when one can get in touch with people for free, and with instant gratification. This adds to the idea of being in “constant” contact with a person.

Thus, instant messaging is now taking over and replacing even the most basic technological forms of communication. This now begs the question – What’s next?

 

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: , ,

The Iphone Saga

Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...

Image via CrunchBase

There is a new saga out there and it’s got more followers than even that crazy twilight-saga. These are the die-hard iPhone fans, and Apple doesn’t disappoint them.

Just when you think you have the latest gadget that comes out on hand, Apple surprises its clients by coming out with an even smaller (rather than bigger) and better device. The rapidity with which all the iPhones came out left fans reeling with the disappointment of having only recently bought the previous one. AT&T raked in the profits with one prototype after another pouring in, setting up elaborate schemes to “upgrade” their phones to the new models, while selling their old refurbished ones for a hefty price as well.

So, this summer Apple came out with it’s iPhone 4, which has taken the nation by storm – by adding in features such as FaceTime, Apple took phone calls to a whole new level with the ability to talk to people while looking at them. Of course, this could only work if the person you were on call with had the iPhone 4 as well, which exponentially increased their sales.

Moreover, now that they’ve signed a contract with Verizon to provide Verizon users to purchase the iPhone as well, they’re well on their way to dominating the phone market with just blackberry and android being able to keep up.

But before you rush out to buy your new iPhone 4, rumors of an iPhone 5 are circling about. This phone is said to be faster and better in a lot of ways – from crazy new apps to a better processing system.

But that’s just the thing with Apple, you can never have the latest model for too long.

 

Filed Under: General, Technology Tagged With: , ,
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