My PLN is Right Outside My Door...

                       Grand Finale - Hip Gypsy Fashion Extravaganza - February 12, 2012

So, I started digging into this whole PLN thing. At first blush, I was a little bit intimidated because most of the information seemed geared for educators. Concluding that it will require a little thinking outside of the box, it occurred to me that I have just had the experience of learning through a PLN and didn't even realize it!

My business partners and I had the privilege of coordinating a fashion show in our business neighborhood to benefit a local charity earlier this month. While our goal was to do a little good for our community, it would be disingenuous to say that, as newcomers to the community, we also weren't also hoping to promote our own business as well. We floated the original idea at our local merchant's association meeting back in November to a rather lukewarm response. Knowing that this was a project we could not pull off on solely on our own, we started reaching out to other businesses in the neighborhood who were not actively involved in the association.

Across the street from our store happens to be a historical old theater. They offered up a venue for the event. We started visiting our neighbors to brainstorm how they might be involved in the project. Long story short... we had buy-in from nearly all of them! Our show, which was really  more of a theatrical production than a traditional runway show, included merchandise from numerous antique stores, thrift shops, art galleries, the local Harley Davidson dealer, a tack shop, and even the two area tattoo parlors! Our models, consisted of or friends, families, and customers. By mixing and blending our collective wares, we pulled off, in six weeks time, a professionally choreographed production that blended fashion, skin art, cowboy, biker, vintage, and gypsy. We even threw in a little PG-rated pole dancing for good measure. Our restaurant neighbors got involved by providing the food and beverages. A local limousine company taxied VIP's from the parking lot to the theater red carpet where the paparazzi snapped pictures as they entered the theater. The local newspaper helped us promote the event in advance and we tapped into every resource we had at our disposal. The evening was a huge success, with over 400 in attendance, and culminated in a tear-jerking tribute to our veterans, Jimi Hendrix-style. The entire street is abuzz with plans for next year and how we can make it even bigger and better!

Upon reflection, it occurs to me that all of these business owners, some sophisticated in their business practices, some not as much, can be the foundation of my PLN. Many of these folks have successfully run businesses in our neighborhood for many years. Now that we are all on such friendly and collaborative terms, I think I have found a good jumping off point. What do you think?

I Wonder What Will Happen If I Push This Little Button...

                                         http://comics.dp.cx/dailystrips-2009.11.27.html

So… after reading Chapter 2 – Browsing the Web in the class text, I come away realizing how little I really understood as far as even the most basic workings of a simple web browser. While as a rule, I don’t use Internet Explorer; I do have occasion to use it at certain times; mainly if I am using my net book while at my store, or if I am using my work computer at my office.  At home, we mostly use Firefox, mainly because it seems to run more efficiently out here in the back-of-beyond where I live and is the majority favorite in my family.

I’m probably the only uber-dork who actually followed along with the book and went through all the practice exercises. For a visual learner like me, the process of going through all of the steps, simultaneously reading and doing, is actually quite helpful, although I’m feeling even more amateur-ish than usual now that I know what many of those little icons actually represent! Prior, they were just a bunch of scary things that I was afraid to click on lest I (1) launch myself into some great abyss in the internet ether, never to find my way back to where I started, or (2) blow up the darned computer. How happy am I to learn that neither of those things was going to happen??

I am shaking my head over how much time I can save myself now that I know about some of those handy-dandy browser shortcuts. While I did use the Favorites and History options quite regularly, I now know about Web Slices and Accelerators! Those were buttons I would previously never touch, for the reasons mentioned above! The RSS Reader is a tool that I would see on sites as I surfed, but again…never willing to go there. If I am going to be spending time in the blogging world, I think that particular tool will be extremely helpful!

Because I am a self-proclaimed privacy-lover, and because I recently had my personal e-mail address hijacked (and for the record, I was NOT peddling an ED pill to everyone in my e-mail address book), the section on the various risks and safeguards while using the Web was helpful to me. I think I will definitely do as the textbook recommends and make a point of deleting and restricting acceptance of cookies, as well as check out the opt-out features of more web sites. Anyone besides me like to keep their "biz-ness" as private as possible?

What is this Net Neutrality thing?

Net Neutrality is a term I’ve heard bandied about for the past few years.  Quite frankly, I really have not paid a whole lot of attention to it because it didn’t strike me as particularly relevant to the day-to-day workings of my little world.

It is the principle that all data traveling along an Internet connection should be treated equally. The practice of net neutrality would prevent network operators, namely Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) from giving preferential treatment to some content while slowing down or blocking other traffic. Historically, ISP’s have mostly been responsible for policing themselves on the matter without a whole lot of government intervention because the “rules” have not been codified into law.

Proponents of net neutrality argue that actual net neutrality regulations are necessary in order to prevent ISP’s from blocking or limiting the publics’ access to all of the on-line services, information, and technology that is currently available on the net. Anything less, it is argued, amounts to a violation of our free speech.

Detractors of net neutrality claim that ISP’s are entitled to control their networks as they see fit.  Without some modicum of control, portions of their customers are negatively impacted by a different segment of users who are utilizing greater bandwidth for some of their Internet activities.

As with most things these days, the topic has become a hot-button political issue, with camps on both sides of the isle. Pro net-neutrality advocates believe that government controls are necessary, while the anti net neutrality folks posit that the free market will drive fair play and the government needs to stay out of the way.

Having delved a little deeper now, I have mixed feelings about the whole issue. Having spent a lot of time studying the law for the last four years, I see a whole bunch of Constitutional issues coming into question. I just printed out my own copy of Comcast Corp. v.  Federal Communications Commission, which was decided in Federal Court last April. I plan to take a good look at it before deciding where I stand on the issue. 

Do you know where you stand yet?

So This is What The Hulabaloo Was All About!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35683720@N03/3304578212/

I will be the first to admit that I am one of those poor, unfortunate souls who, until recently, did not even realize that the Internet and the World Wide Web were not synonymous terms. I have recently become “enlightened” and now (I hope) finally get the distinction between these two separate but related things!  Better to be late to the party than to never arrive at all, I say!

Rather simplistically put, while the Internet is the hardware portion of this global communication equation, the World Wide Web essentially amounts to the software portion.

The Internet, which had military beginnings in the late 1960’s, is in essence, a giant network of networks. These networks are connected via wire, fiber optic cables, and/or wireless connections. Any computer can communicate and share information with any other computer in the world, providing each is connected to the Internet. Email, instant messaging, chat, and file transfer services all occur over the Internet.  A public computer network, the Internet is governed by a set of rules, laws, and regulations known as the Internet Protocol, which deals with data and its transmission via packets.

The World Wide Web is, in effect, built on top of the Internet. It depends upon the Internet to work and serves as a way to access information over the medium of the Internet. It is comprised of a collection of web pages connected through hyperlinks and URL’s. Governed by the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and utilizing a common language known as Hyper Text Mark Up Language (HTML), the Web’s basic premise is to link documents, files, folders, and pages of information from computer to computer.

The ways to connect to the Internet vary. For home use and many businesses, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) supplies Internet access. A Local Area Network (LAN) might be used to connect computers to the Internet in specific areas, such as in an office or in a building.  While there are other avenues to connect to the Internet, availability, and cost can vary. Dial-up, Cable, Satellite, Microwave, Wi-Fi, and Mobile Wireless are the most commonly known. Each carries it’s own pluses and minuses. Not every method is available everywhere. Geography matters, apparently! At my house, we use DSL, although we did give satellite a whirl, but found it too unreliable. Everyone except ol’ Mom also has mobile wireless access as well. I am the last hold out, although I did call "dibs" on the next phone up-grade! How about you? How do you connect?

How Did I Get From "There" to "Here"?

http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/images/blogging.jpg:

It’s funny how the circumstances of life can take you to places you never imagined yourself going. I don’t mean just in the big “cosmic" sense, but in the smaller, subtler “what just happened here?” sense as well. 

As a privacy-loving person, I vowed to myself years ago that I would eschew most social media unless absolutely necessary. For years, my technology-averse self  managed to muddle along quite nicely with basic e-mail, the bare-minimum computer skills to navigate through my on-line courses through ESC, and enough rudimentary texting capabilities to keep track of my children and their activities. Anything beyond that... just not for me!

When I found myself in the position to open my own retail business with two old friends last year, I never imagined that I would soon be the administrator of our stores’ Facebook page. Nor did I ever envision that I would contemplate dipping my toes into the waters of other social media outlets in order to advance the success of our business. Yet, here I am, the proud (?) owner of my very first blog. How did this happen? How did I get from there to here?  What do I do with this skill once this class is over? I am out of my comfort zone, and admittedly a little nervous. Like I said…life can be funny.

So, I’ve read all of the articles and explored every link. I’ve paid particular attention to the sources that concentrated on blogs for small business.  I’ve actually learned some good stuff!  I found Dave Zahorsky’s article What a Blog Can Do For Your Small Business  particularly useful.  He states that business blogs are a good way to share a company’s specialized expertise. It occurred to me that my partners and I have special marketable skills and talents that go beyond that which is obvious within the walls of our store. While a sign displayed in the store informing our customers that we offer specialized services might reach those who visit us, a blog could reach potential new clients that might not be aware that we offer custom drapery services, interior design services, or any number of made-to-order products. This is a really cool way to expand our footprint and reach a client base that might not otherwise venture into our place of business.

I found How to Blog Your Way to Small-Business Success, by Matthew Bandyk, to be an insightful read as well. According to the article, many people, myself included, actually rely on a Google search rather that a specific website search for initial information. With our own website under construction, this is information worth knowing.

The other articles offered good general information to help the uninitiated like me to get started. The practical tips on keeping a blog regular were helpful. It is easy to see how easy it could be to get carried away in the excitement of blogging at first blush, only to lose that momentum as the day-to-day realities of operating a business eat up your valuable time. Under promising and over delivering is very sage advice, I think.

Lastly, I assumed that the practice of  “viral marketing” was strictly a negative. Who knew that it is  more akin to a clever combination of creative art and precise science? I didn’t. Did you?