So much networking!! Is it too much??

Plaxo....LinkedIn.....Professional Web Site portfolio!! Is it too much? The answer is no, but I think sometimes the answer can me yes! It is hard enough to maintain personal/professional relationships when you are dealing face to face. Taking the time to update 3 websites and maintain them properly is a tad overwhelming. They each have their good as well as bad points. Sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo are already formed when it comes to content. The idea is already set and filling out the forms is very structured. In that regard once the sites are filled out then maintenance is fairly simple. The personal web site is more of a tedious task. While it can be said that the content is structured, it can alse be said that the possible content is vast in nature. The bad side of sites such as Plaxo and LinkedIn is that they are very vanilla. Not too much room is available for creativity. The personal website is much more open to the individual creativity taking hold. Each website comes down to the individual effort going into it. The personal web site is definately more of a marketbale tool for the employment minded individual. The Plaxo and LinkedIn sites are for the marketbale individual as well, but not necessarily as outward as the personal touch. They all serve a purpose and each has its own level of difficulty, but with effort as well as creativity they can go a long way to help an individual in the networking market. I am the first to say I am not overly confident in my ability to stay on top of 3 possible web sites when it comes to updating and managing all my contacts. I am more of a personal touch individual, but there is a time and place for these web sites and without a doubt the time we live in now contributes to their uses.

Professional Portfolio....

Hello all....

I was unable to find the link to add my portfolio address to the class blog so I wanted to add it here for all to find

http://sites.google.com/site/joebenge1/joebengeatc

Hope all is well!

Library Thing....

I can see where LibraryThing would be a one stop shop for an avid reader. It has the ability to connect to not only libraries and sites such as amazon.com, but other readers/users as well! The site appears to have a limitless database as its users coupled with the other sites is conects with are its only boundaries. I, unfortunatly, have never been a big reader or really enjoyed reading all that much. When I do read it is a text that is related to my job or a baseball book, usually fact based. My catalog shows mu bland taste in books and please feel free to see what I have placed in my library (http://www.librarything.com/catalog/joebenge). Like I said, I feel an avid read would benefit from this as well as a group that shares or discusses books. For someone such as myself that has never enjoyed reading the site was interesting, but served minimal purpose in the long run.

Generators and me....

I am of course kidding! I love bundling up and freezing my butt of up North when living in Florida means people should come to you! I spent a lot of time exploring the different Generators and my favorite by far was http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/. This was the site I was able to use to create the above image. I had always wondered where people were able to create images as well as infuse their names into a picture, but never spent the time to find out. This was enough fun to lead me to come back in the future. I am a fan of technology and especially when it leads to fun. I have an idea of a few in the future for a few of my guys that are due to payback from me.

Does anyone work?!?! Soooo many podcasts....

I must be honest when I say I was amazed at the amount of podcasts that are available out there! I checked out both sites for podcasts, but enjoyed podcastalley.com the most out of the two sites. I initially typed in the kinesiology based searches with skepticism, but was soon shocked to find the amount of interesting podcasts that were available in so many different areas. As someone who already had limited free time and now has even less with the addition of graduate school, I can honestly say I have never thought to explore podcasts and their vastness. In all honesty, there are so many interesting podcasts that I want to download and listen to on car rides, bus trips for work or just sitting in the athletic training room that I will need to go back and explore the vastness. It is a very untapped area of the internet for me and need to learn more about it. There is no doubt in my mind that there are not only informational podcasts out there, but there are interesting as well as amusing podcasts that I am missing out on. While I still have no free time in my life, I will have to make time for fun to just see what I can find.

YouTube....always a fun stop!

It is more than safe to say that I have been on YouTube many times over the years. It is one of the few sites that I actually find myself becoming addicted to. As you can see by my video post, I do not always check in for serious matters. There really isn't anything that I dislike about YouTube. I am always able to find something I am looking for be that serious or for comedy relief. The video posts are endless and it is amazing to sit in the clubhouse and see what videos other guys know about that I never knew existed. The video that I chose is 100% mindless, but it makes me laugh every time. Life can be a bit serious, so rediculous humor such as Charlie the Unicorn brings levity to the day even if for a brief moment. I have used YouTube before to look up points of interest or small bits of information. There is no doubt that with the proper amount of time spent and keywords/tags information could be used off of YouTube for class purposes. Obviously, there is a risk of becoming severly sidetracked but hey, that can happen anywhere!!

Still Funny....

I am going to miss the Library!

I know I have said this before, but I am going to miss the library one day. There was something nice about walking into the library and gettling lost for hours on end. I know as an undergraduate I enjoyed searching the library for books during research projects as well as meeting for group projects. I know the times move on and it is necessary to progress with the times, but using the internet 24/7 is going to lead to a world of disconnect. The need to go to the library is going to be a thing of the past which can also be seen as a good thing. During tough economic times when college students are needed to take on part-time jobs to assist in college fees, they no longer have the time to go to the library exclusively. Being able to obtain research from anywhere is a necessary and positive outcome from moving forward technologically. On the flip side, never having to leave a dorm room or apartment can lead to complacency as well as dependency on the internet to an annoying level. In a day and age where everyone I work around carries their laptop, there is nothing that grates on me more than when there is poor internet service and all I hear are 24 grown men whining that they can't get online. I can only imagine the current generation of college students that may not know how to use a card catalog if the internet in their dorm or apartment were to go out. I know I am on my soap box, but there are some things that I wish would stay the same. Goodbye libraries, you will be missed.

Technorati....Eh, Hit & Miss!

Technorati was interesting from a few angles. I honestly had no idea as to the amount of blogs that are actually out there right now. I know they are obviously present and growing, but the sheer number is mind boggling! That being said I could live with or without Technorati. It was interesting seeing all the new information out there I never knew existed and seeing a whole new world in regards to new information to draw from, but there is one thing I do not like in a web site. I do not return to or enjoy web sites that have a disorganized feel. Technorati was wayyyyyyy to busy for me. For all the good it might do me as well as information that I can draw from it, the time it takes to filter through all the clutter was annoying. It may grow on me over time, but as of right now I would like the utilize a more streamlined web site if one existed with the same capabilities.
I did find differences when the keyword "Kinesiology" was entered into search. Blog posts as well as tags brought up a large variety of topics that may have just used the work kinesiology once. I am not sure how they filter who comes in higher on the results, but over time I will find the answer to that question. Blog directories seemed to be more Kinesiology specific. In regards to positives as well as negatives I can say the positive is you will never lack variety when it comes to entering a single keyword and getting results. The negative is having to filter through countless returns which may not give you the information you require. It is all hit or miss and time will have to enter into the equation as the searcher to pull the substance needed out of the searches being put out there. While this isn't the worst web site I have ever visited, I would not say I was overwhelmed and excited to return. I will keep plugging away and possibly as I learn to navigate the messiness a bit then I will enjoy what Technorati is bringing to the table.

Kind of a bland taste....

After spending some time on Del.icio.us I came away underwhelmed. I am not sure I can see this being the best tool available. I know it is nice to have everything organized and in one place, but the way it is organized leaves not much difference in my eyes beyond a favorites menu. Posing the question of could this be useful in the world of research, then I say possibly. Not living in a world of research where 100's of web sites need to be covered I can't really say what is effective and what isn't, but in my world this is almost more work than is needed. If the user is a true internet user for research or work purposes where they need to cover site after site after site on a daily basis then maybe I would feel differently, but to the average person I do not feel this is a tool that I would use or would recoomend for use. I enjoy my favorites menu just as much and have no problems using that instead. I know the websites I visit daily are going to have updates and they really aren't that many in number. I am not so sure I would even utilize something like this if I was back writing papers for school at the rate of an undergraduate student. Who knows, maybe I am being closed mided and short sided but Del.icio.us didn't leave a great enough impression on my as of yet to see its usefulness on a daily basis.

Facebook vs Twitter

Hellooooo all from Smokin' Joe! It has been a bit since my last post. I have been busy beyond belief this past week. It has been craziness in the Athletic Training Room with injuries as well as player moves. I can only hope life slowly gets back to normal this upcoming week. Anyway, back to the original point. I have been taking the time to get aquainted with Twitter. I can honestly say I am not a fan. I have been on Facebook for quite some time now and feel that is a better site all around. Let's look at specifics. Facebook is a true social networking site. Picture sharing, messaging (both public as well as private), Groups, Friend Recommendations as well as other things I am not going to drag on about. Twitter, from my exploration, is basically teling people what you are doing. BORING! I can send a mass text on my phone if I want to say "Going to Lunch!". If I did that people would tell me they didn't care. That is my opinion of Twitter right now. I would rather have a site that is a better complete site than a comment site basically. I know that you can do private messaging, but not being able to do much else bores me.

Just because....

I have watched this about 1000 times and it still makes me laugh.....haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5im0Ssyyus

Am I the only one who enjoys stupid humor?? I doubt I am.....

Nice!

The previous post was posted via Google Documents! It was wayyyyyy easier than I thought it would be! Having the ability to share documents without worrying about compatibility is amazing. I can see the uses being vast in the educational setting such as I am utilizing it, but with some thought and creativity it could most def find a place in my setting. Looking at it from a quick standpoint travel itins, player moves as well as communication between all other Athletic Trainers can all be focus through this. All MD notes as well as rehab protocols still need to be kept in a safe place as well as hard filed, but possible communication of throwing progressions/hitting progressions can take place on this site. I will have to sit back and really evaluate more uses, but coming from a profession where you see your co-workers 6 weeks a year and the rest is distance communication....there is always use of a tool like this! Thanks Google, I owe you a drink.

Google Docs....

OK. I am not sure if this is going to work but I am giving it a whirl. I am sitting here in the rainy city of Altoona, PA with nobody in the clubhouse. On the first day into a new city my assistant and myself are the first ones to the clubhouse. We set up the Athletic Training Room and just relax before the deluge of players arrive. Today, the skies opened up and now we won't see players for approx another hour since batting practice has been cancelled. This who Google Documents program is honestly boggling my mind right now. The prospect of never having to worry about who has what program or overall accessibility is an awesome concept. This is a type of technology that I feel is truthfully useful in every aspect of the workplace! From high school through the working sect and all point in between, this is applicable and usable. I know I have a long way to go when it comes to fully understanding how this works 100%, but seeing it now has be intrigued! I am excited to see how it simplifies group projects as well as work in general. Thumbs up on technology this time!

Time Saving!!!

I had no idea that such a magical place existed as bloglines. I am such a creature of habit when it comes to checking my favorite internet sites that it can become time consuming. I was of the old midset that I would just open my favorites menu and click right down the row. From mlb.com....to milb.com....to my fav gossip site perezhilton.com. I am all over the map, but I look at them all everyday. Having one place to stop and shop is awesome! I still have to adjust and take some of the excess out that I will not ever look at on a daily basis, but once I get it under control and where I want it bloglines will be an amazing time saving and organization effort. Now, is there a site where you log on and all of your completed assignments pop up on the left hand side of the screen?? :) Just wondering....

Technology and why I have a problem with it sometimes...

I am not a big fan of sitting here and using cutie catch phrases, but technology has always been a double edged sword in my eyes. Reading Web, Library, and Teen Services 2.0 written by Kimberly Bolan, Meg Canada, and Rob Cullin I started to see so many problems with the way the youth of today is coddled through technological advantages. I am only 31, but when I was in school you went to the library because it was a place of peace and quiet. It got you away from the distractions of the dorm room and suite mates. It wasn't meant to be a place to hang out and be distracted there as much as in the comforts of your own room. I honestly find it hard to believe that students today are going onto MySpace to check out pictures of the library and Twitter to see what event are going on down in the A-V room. For every student that might read those posts and networking sites for that reason, there are 10 that don't. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and the Internet in general are all so tempting in so many ways to not be lead astray and down non-work related paths. I guess I am sad to see the days gone where the lady in the Library was shushing you for being too loud and the card catalogs were in the corner in light tan wooden cabinets. I feel the changing of the guard to new wave library is getting away from everything that school and studying once was. Now, we change everything to make sure people are happy in the Library. None of us were happy in the Library, but we went and we were better students for it, period.
I was a little more intrigued by Examining Social Software in Teacher Education by Richard E. Ferdig. While I still don't feel a social software such as Facebook will ever be usable in the classroom, it may be a springboard to software in the future. Facebook, when started, was an innocent college networking based software. It has now taken on a life of its own. It is used by all age ranges and all types of people both in and out of school. There is nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that it will never be conducive for learning. Call me old fashioned, but unless a software is 100% monitored and taken seriously by its users it holds very little benefit to the masses. We may sit here and say in theory it will work, but tell me that you can trust Facebook 100% when tweens are posting risque photos and killers have been known to stalk their victims. It will take some work, but that software will need to be monitored and monitored closely to keep it in check!
Alfred Weaver and Benjamin Morrison hit it a little bit better when they wrote Social Networking. That is exactly what this is all about. Networking! Not learning for the most part. It is about friends keeping in touch and relationship/status updates. Who doesn't enjoy posting as well as looking at pictures? I know I do! All I am saying is look at these networking sights for what they are. Let's not try to make them more educational then they ever will be. People go on MySpace and Facebook to unwind. Nobody I have ever met in the youthful age range of 18-35 has ever sat down and wondered what was going on down at the Library and said "Let me check Facebook". That's not the reality. A tool like Moodle is a great example of being able to network via Q&A as well as forums while keeping the content professional and educational. It will take more sites like this to show a true educational site vs. Facebook and who is going to what kegger and who cheated on who last night. That's probably not going to be on the final exam.....

That's not a smile....It's frozen, with a tad of sarcasm

cold
Originally uploaded by joebenge

I am a native son of Maryland. I grew up battling winters and playing in the snow. Praying for snow days and early dismissal schedule due to weather. Well, Smokin' Joe doesn't play the cold game very well anymore! It's funny in retrospect to remember people who live or lived in the South talking about how the warm "thins" your blood to the cold. Here I am, a Floridian now and as soon as the temperature drops below 60 I am grabbing a jacket and a hat to walk the dog! As you can see in the picture the cold is COLD. It was a freezing night in Wisconsin during the Holidays and being inside the car did nothing to cut the cold I was feeling. Let me tell you, if you aren't a person who enjoys the cold....Wisconsin is not the place for you! It is beyond cold. It is cold +1 times infinity with a dash of yuck. I am to the point where wearing shorts and t-shirts year round is the way to go. Well, Smokin Joe is going to get off his hatred for cold soap box. Time is ticking and there is still so much to do! All I know is, wherever I do what I do....it is warm!

What a World....

Hello All! Only in the world we live in can two people sit in the same room and text....each other! Seriously, where was this when I was getting detention for passing notes in class. We have become so reliant on technology as a society that should something drastic ever happen to the internet, cell phones or GPS systems we would be utterly torn apart. The best part, I am one of the people who would be lost! Who among us isn't addicted to technology? We all have cell phones. Remember when calling when you got somewhere meant you had to ask to borrow your friends home phone. When GPS was a map and a yellow highlighter and someone writing directions on a piece of paper. Now, the most primitive I get is MapQuest. Even that annoys me when it moves too slow. We are all victims of technology and we all love it! I am first to say I love my latest purchase. I finally caved and bought the iPhone. Honestly, if it wasn't for classwork I would barely open my computer. This cell phone, or handheld wonder tool, does everything we humanly need! What ever happened to the cell phone from "Saved By the Bell"?? Now that was a convientently sized phone. It fit comfortably in the briefcase you had to carry it around in. I hate listening to people complain and moan about the age we live in, yet they reap the benefits and live by the very tools they damn. I say Viva Technology! Move forward. That is how we have developed. Does anyone think someone back when the wheel was invented sat back and said "Now what are we going to do with that silly invention....we are just fine without that in our lives!" I know I am enjoying every minute of the technology age we live in and the day we stop moving forward with technology is the day we start to regress as a society. Today is today, leave tomorrow in the past! Smokin' Joe signing offffffffffff.........

Sitting with Smoke....

Hello All! Smokin' Joe checking in with the first of what will be many posts. I am not really sure which direction this is going to be heading in. I always have some much to say and never enough time to say it all! Where to begin. Well, I would tell you all about me but aren't the stories going to be more fun with an atmosphere of wonder. For all out there you can call me Smokin' Joe. It is a name that was given to me years ago and has stayed with me. Only the people that know me best call be Smokin', so I guess you all know me a little bit better now. I have interests that range from politics, sports, movies, music and all points in between. I do have the habit of going off on rants so no telling if or when those will happen :). I live in the Sunshine State and can't even stand the thought of winter anymore! My eyes are starting to go crossed so I am going to sign out for now. Feel free to comment and contact me as my posts grow. Smokin' Joe signing offffffffff........