Blog Block? The Media Never Stops with These Prompts.....

At a loss for words? Social networking sites getting old? Blog Block? Apparently, not uncommon. So, to aid you in your mindlessness is... PLINKY! Plinky is a site that produces random questions to joust your mind into topics you can write about. For example, as a new member myself, the first question was, if I had 3 crayons, and only 3 crayons, which colors would I select to draw a picture? Pretty easy question to answer but may allow one to branch off into a memory of being young and coloring, or a recent picture book someone saw, or maybe a unique connection that the color aqua marine clicks with your cousin Joannie, who knows... But the first site of its kind that I personally have come across thus far.

Definitely a bright idea to continue the media through blogging. Plinky's goal is to "inspire and motivate people to create content." Confronted with a prompt, different ones are shown daily to help get you going on a particular train of thought.
Secondly, Plinky can be forwarded to Blogger or Facebook, Twitter, etc. The going trend of connecting all of your networking pages to one another. This is definitely an advantage to push forward the potential success of Plinky.
Not yet introduced, but on the way, Plinky is planning to incorporate music into their site as well. In the video below (yes, it is a bit detailed) they go to say, for example, in a question such as "an overplayed song you still enjoy" and on the side of the page are music pages that relate to the question. Again, another function that will lead to a better success rate for the site since music is such a hit on the internet right now.
So, if you are pressed for time or oppositely, have all the time in the world, check out Plinky and start writing about something you may have never thought about on your own....

Are "you" who your Facebook portrays???

I could tell you my Facebook name, my Myspace name, blog name, or my Twitter name, and they do have ONE thing in common... Each of them do not encompass my actual name. Some are shortened, some have different spellings... But what do you expect? There could be cyber stalkers at any corner... Ok, maybe that's a bit dramatic since we have come a long way since the infamous line of "a/s/l" and AOL chat rooms.

From AOL "chat now" to Facebook, online communication has streamed from anonymous to nonymous. When all we had were screennames, any person could talk to another without the slightest idea as to whether that person was telling the truth about their age, sex, or location ("a/s/l").
Myspace brought a more accurate database on individual information but there was still a question regarding true identity.




Following Myspace, the all-powerful Facebook that branched from Harvard to all colleges, high schools, corporate companies, and lastly to any adult, there is finally a truer sense of identity. But a sense for sure, no one believes these profiles are concrete facts about any particular user.
Is your default photo, the picture everyone who accesses your page sees first, an accurate display of yourself? Is it a recent photo? Or, are you reliving your high school days and you're really 55? No problem if it is and you are, that is fine, but it just isn't current and therefore not entirely accurate.




There is no question about the growth and success of Facebook. Those who deny this are threatened and possibly a little insecure in their own standing. Facebook keeps up with trends and trends within itself. Such as the reemerging trend of "fake names." Even though there is a deep warning when a user attempts to change their name. In so many words, expressed is; this better be an accurate name as it will be checked by Facebook workers before it is changed. The message is so strong that when I personally went to change my name, I backed out! So my name on Facebook is still pretty close and my picture is currently me smiling in a sepia toned picture.
Is yours really you? Is it "you" as you want to be seen? Or, "you" as is?
Online communications are still far from concrete unless you're on some government site like the CIA's database of all human existence with names, pictures, and fingerprint listings... Either way, I suppose part of the fun is playing the part of whoever you want to play without question... without direct question.
Therefore... enjoy being "you" for now because Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, they all supply that leeway to be who ever you want to be.

Pandora; a threat to everyday radio?

As a recent passenger on the Pandora flight, I have to say, Pandora has the potential to be a pretty strong competitor against AM/FM radio. If you haven't already registered, I suggest you do!
Pandora is a website where you enter in a song or artist into it's search engine in order to start your own custom playlist. (I say playlist because Pandora calls it a station but the music is flowing song after song.) If there is more than one option for your search they are all listed for you to choose from. You select your preference and "voila," a window of opportunity is opened. After the first song, the one you selected, concludes, Pandora provides you with song after song of similar tastes. Fortunately, if they pick a song that you don't like, you conveniently give it a "thumbs down" and on comes the next song which Pandora thinks you will enjoy. Furthermore, if you really like the song that comes on, "thumbs up" it is. All in hopes to create a station Pandora knows you will enjoy.
Pandora provides listeners with a randomness of songs yet a similarity that strings the songs together.
For many, this is better than AM/FM radio. Where we all have our favorite radio stations, we still at times have to suffer through the songs that are played that we don't like.
Over Am/FM radio, Pandora supplies a skip option where if the first five seconds, or even the first two seconds, of a song you don't like comes on, you don't have to suffer even one more second. All you do is skip it!
An additional option, a song comes on that you like but are a bit sick of at the present moment; Pandora offers the option to select "I'm sick of this song." In return, Pandora will not put this song in your playlist for the next 2-3 weeks.
If you don't know where to begin the site also has different genres to choose from to get you going. AND if you're not near your laptop, Pandora is offered on most smart phones. Pull out your blackberry and right away you have a portable radio guaranteed to satisfy any individual's taste.
The Pandora pandemonium isn't effected by radio wave regulations and restrictions. It is not effected by the hardships of trying to market diverse groups of people. Pandora may just be the actual threat that XM and satellite radio tried to be. Pandora is going places, jump on for the ride!