Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Tools of the Trade

By Luci Farrell

Dear Bloggers,

Welcome back to another week. Three weeks into classes and I am so very proud of myself for setting up my classes so I have downtime. Maybe because it’s my last year, but the fact I can curl up in bed for an hour and just relax helps. Oh the joys of scheduling. It’s a trick of the trade.

Speaking of taking time, my blog last week spoke about taking time and reading up on the SOPA and PIPA bills. On January 20th, Congress shelved the bills. Even during the presidential debate in South Carolina, the nominees talked about reasons for not liking the bill. For more information, check out: http://sopastrike.com/

One thing I love about the internet is that it has turned into a source of news that we directly care about. We can be hundreds of miles away and give our support to those who stand for a cause we believe in. I know in my own life Twitter has been one of my tools to get quick updates. While perhaps not the best source, I follow individuals who tend to write about things I care about. I was reading updates as they happened about SOPA and even the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Between the ‘underground’ news sites, webcomic artists, and the worshipers of Reddit, there will always be a source of news for internet masses.

That is something I love about the internet. It’s more than just a search engine, it’s a tool of the trade. Think about every individual that uses the internet. Politians and political bloggers go to sites like CNN.com to keep up with what’s going on. Aspiring artists and photographers use the internet for inspiration, blogging, and utilizing sites like deviantART to showcase their work. Reddit is…well, Reddit is Reddit. It’s for the meme addict and anyone who needs a laugh. Writers have blogs. Let us not forget the powerhouse that is YouTube for everyone; politicians, singers, filmmakers, and the powerhouse Vloggers.

We have freedom, literally, at our fingertips. The freedom to write, to read, and to create what we want. I use the tools everyday. I have several blogs, an account on deviantArt, Twitter accounts, YouTube accounts, I belong to a few forums, and I read some of the greatest comics on the web. The internet even helps bring you closer to people you look up to. I’ve been privilege to be able to have some short conversations with some of the artists and writers from my favorite web comics. Let me tell you, after having a bad day and getting a YouTube link of baby raccoons from the creator of a favorite webcomic, life just seems better. Baby animal videos make everything better, bless you YouTube.

So in some, use your tools. Network with others and tell your story. Send an e-mail, video, or tweet to someone to tell them you miss them. Don’t lose sight of the fact that 800 miles doesn’t seem so far when you’re just a Skype call away.

Keep Calm and Utilize On

Luci Farrell is a senior from New Haven, CT. She is an Organizational Communication major with a minor in Anthropology. Luci is a Resident Peer Minister on campus and chair of the Honors Program Advisory Council at Saint Xavier University.

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