Day 75 - Have you noticed what's new about Facebook?

Just over a week ago, Facebook rolled out more changes to its home page that they feel will simplify the Facebook experience by giving you two different ways to view your Home Page News Feed. You’re now able to switch between a summary view (News Feed) and a real-time view (Live Feed). The links show up just above the “What’s on your mind?” box in the center of your screen.

News Feed
When you log into Facebook, you see the most interesting things that happened in the last day in the “News Feed” view. News Feed picks stories that FB thinks you’ll enjoy based on a variety of factors including how many friends have liked and commented on them and how likely you are to interact with that story.

Live Feed
Once you’ve caught up on what you missed, you can then click over to the “Live Feed” to see what’s happening in the moment. As long as you remain logged into Facebook, you continue to see posts and activity from all your friends in real-time. You can edit what appears to you in this view by clicking on “Edit Options” at the bottom of the home page.

Facebook decided to make these changes after receiving feedback about all the home page changes they made back in March. With this latest change, Facebook is moving what you used to see in the Highlights section on the right hand side of your screen back into the News Feed. As a refresher, here’s what you’ll find noted in your News Feed:

• anytime your friends are tagged in photos
• when a friend becomes a Fan of a Page
• when one RSVPs to an event
• or joins a group
• when your friends make new friends
  

Facebook has also made birthdays and events a little easier to see in the right column of the home page. Facebook says it put a lot of thought into these changes to the site and did a lot of testing before releasing anything. They gather feedback by reading emails from users and testing new ideas with small groups of users. After every change, they continue to gather feedback and refine.

I am inclined to think that these recent changes have much more to do with e-commerce than our convenience. When someone sees that a friend has become a Fan of a Page, RSVP’d for an event or joined a group, they are also more likely to click on that page/event/group link and check it out. The goal is clearly to increase the viral growth of these items, many of which are corporate sponsored. In other words, this will be good for businesses that have Fan Pages and Groups. The one thing marketers need to remember is that if they want their content classified as ‘most interesting’ and placed into our News Feed, then they need to provide great content that engages us and makes us want to click the comment or “like” buttons.

Here’s to change - again! What do you think about the Facebook re-design?

Day 66 - Holding it together

Have you heard about this 2012 craze people are talking about? Yes, the one where the world is ending in 2012. It is amazing to me that a prophecy like this has become so mainstream it is being parodied in YouTube videos and on sketch comedies. Stranger still is the fact that these times we are in now may actually have been foreseen by the Mayans, the Tibetans and the Hopis. They are actually happening the same as if scripted by Spielberg - or human DNA.

Climate change is definitely happening. Volcanoes are erupting; tsunamis are sweeping away parts of Malaysia; the world economy has neared a collapse, and all of it is right on schedule - according to several ancient prophecies. Hollywood is all over the phenomenon with several apocalyptic movies coming to a theater near you, starting with "2012." This film promises to be another big budget special effects thrill-ride. (Check out the 4-minute trailer on YouTube, if you dare. It's actually pretty good.)

It would be easy to laugh at the absurdity of all this if it weren't for that pesky feeling I tend to get every now and then, and especially on a day like today - the feeling that everything is about to fall apart. For example, we've all had "one of those days." I could not find a parking space, read the wrong textbook for a class, arrived late for yoga, the JMC computer I desperately needed locked me out (after a lengthy struggle, I found out the correct software isn't even loaded).

Truth is, most days, I'm just trying to hold it together, moving forward one step at a time, with duct tape, glue and a prayer as my constant companions. Do I think the world is ending in December of 2012? Not a chance! (I hope you agree.) But, every now and again, it makes you wonder.

Fun fact

When JFK gave his famous speech at the Berlin Wall, he proudly proclaimed, "Ich bin ein Berliner." Or, "I am a Berliner." Did you know that at the time this line made all of Germany smile for reasons other than what most of us think? Turns out, a Berliner was also the name of Germany's most famous sugar coated jelly-donut, a popular pastry back then. To the Germans, all Kennedy was saying was "I am a jelly donut!"

Sometimes, I think we all are just jelly donuts.

Day 46 - Is writing my passion?

Just thinking about writing for a living reminds me of how I feel when I'm not making money (like now) - guilty, guilty, guilty as charged. To try and earn a living from your passion in life can be like the proverbial double- edged sword. What on earth am I doing? (I sometimes ask.) How could I have ruined such a good thing ... or how might this have played out had I only followed my father's advice and become a lawyer (yikes) or stuck with that first editorial job at the publishing house, or stayed in Los Angeles, or moved back to New York?

I could have continued to write as a hobby on the side, just as I enjoyed acting in community theater - strictly for fun. Surely, had I done any of those things, the result would have been a spectacular midlife crisis, a major meltdown, and I would still end up right here, right now, doing exactly what I should be doing, which is completing grad school and getting what I need to become a teacher.

Perhaps I am simply less of a writer that I must worry about the whims of the marketplace compared to those free-spirited individuals guided by their pure passion for producing beautiful words and images. I find myself attracted more and more to the unencumbered vision of the amateurs. There is purity there. It is undeniable. It is being a "beginner" again. I have been reinvented through my journey as a student the second time around and it has allowed for a brand new understanding. We might all benefit from going back to being "just beginners" for awhile.

It's maintaining the freshness that is the real trick. Is it still possible to reach back and touch the purity once you are deep in the game of commerce? Perhaps by asking the question, I have just answered it.

Anyone with a computer can claim to be a writer. To actually earn a living producing words or copy that comes from the heart is a very different story. Yes, it's true that I worked as a writer/editor, copywriter/producer, marketing director for more than 25 years, but in those "jobs" and for all those years, I never felt like a writer. I never felt I was doing anything that mattered. Pursing my advanced degree has been the ultimate gift. It allowed me to regain my fresh perspective. It's as if I re-learned those old life lessons but got them right this time. Because of my combined experiences, good and bad, I became a far better student, and I daresay, a better human being.

I am beginning to feel like a writer. The blank page no longer frightens me. I am ready to find communication solutions, to help educate a new generation, to put all that I've learned to work in some (as yet unknown but definitely bold) new way.

Zen philosophy tells us that we are all exactly where we are supposed to be. I tend to agree. What about you? Are you where you should be? What's your passion?

Day 33 - What's your passion?

Has someone told you recently to “Keep an eye on the prize?” I've been thinking about why this isn't always such a good idea. When you keep your eyes strictly on an end - a goal - you risk crashing into things along the way. If you really want to get ahead in life, just focus on your path. If there is on thing I've learned through my rather rough life's ride, it's that happiness comes from "choosing" to enjoy the journey, not focusing on the destination. I mean, we all know how this ultimately ends, right?

So, the next time work, classes, family or other situations leave you over-stressed, just take a moment. Check closely to see if you are not way too worried about the results. You can choose to think a different thought. Just take a deep breath and go back to being yourself - better.

We all Need Others To Love What We're Doing ...and That's OK
No matter how deeply you care; no matter how in sync you are with the world, you cannot do it all alone. We all need support in order to reach our dreams whatever they may be. In recent years, I've found support in the most unexpected places, and when I least expect it. Perhaps, this is simply because I have decided to be happy.

I was inspired this past July by a movie I saw, the surprise hit Julie & Julia. Julia Child was a maverick. The daughter of a well-to-do American family. She grew up in such a different time from me, yet I related to her struggles. When she was young, girls like her were expected to marry men from "good" families, have kids, and do what the other young wives did: golf, tennis, lunch, volunteer, and whatnot. When Julia Child (finally) did marry, did she settle down? Absolutely not. Instead of having babies, she decided to go to cooking school and learn classic French cuisine! Even other Americans living in France at the time thought she was nuts. Why would she pursue cooking of all things...that was what the domestic help was for (don't we wish). We can laugh now, but it was a different era.

Julia's husband, Paul, a decidedly unconventional man himself, encouraged her to pursue her passion. In fact, Paul Child was a key contributor to Julia's book, taking photographs and helping to edit the massive manuscript that was to become Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julia also found support from an unexpected editor friend, Judith Jones at Knopf, who immediately understood Julia's vision. She championed the book in the US and helped get that first edition to press.

Lesson: If you are a student with a dream, a small business owner who wants to make a difference, an inventor with a bright idea or anyone who DESIRES to create, you will need at least one devoted fan to help get you there. That person likely already exists for you. Just relax and think about it, and you'll find your cheerleader.

The Bottom Line
If you, like me, care about leaving this world a slightly better place, then let's follow Julia's example and make a commitment to follow our passions in whatever way possible for us. There's no guarantee any of us will have a hit on our hands, but I know we can't make a difference if our ideas never see daylight. We can't make a difference doing anything if our heart isn't in it. It took me nearly 30 years to learn that hard lesson, and if I can save someone else some pain, I must try.

Someone asked me recently why I chose to start blogging. For a moment, I was completely stumped. I slowly answered, "well, I am just doing this ...for me." I am a passionate, caring woman and I had to follow my passion - communicating, creating, working with words... talking to people. Six months after seeing a movie that made a real difference in my life, I am starting to feel like a blogger, like someone who can and does make a difference. . My goal? I wish to put something out there in the world ....that leaves it with a little more love. So, in reality, my reason for blogging is my reason for being.

What's your passion? I can't wait to hear about it.

Day 32 - Today's Top 10: Why Non-Traditional Students Go Back to School

Top 10 Reasons
Why Non-Traditional Students Attend College

1. The economy (layoffs, lack of advancement opportunity)
   
2. To improve career prospects or increase earnings potential
   
3. Military benefits make college affordable now
   
4. Loss of a spouse or divorce (major life change)
   
5. Children leaving the nest (free up the career mom)
   
6. Mid-Life Crises (sudden desire to find one's true calling)
7. Aging out of the traditional job market
   
8. Spouse/partner or other close family member encourages them
9. Timing is finally right after years of yearning and planning
10. Career change necessitates an additional degree
    

This list could be much longer; I've yet to hear anyone describe the exact same reason as I draw conclusions from my decidedly unscientific poll. I wanted to post a list simply to raise awareness of the unique (and often stressful) circumstances in the diverse non-traditional base. Just as the reasons for our being students in our current life stages vary, so do time constraints, finances, and the level of commitment to education. I actually know one or two grad students essentially just killing time here while they try to figure out a path. It is the rare student not truly interested in learning, yet there are a few in the mix. Overall, the non-traditional students I have the pleasure to know are consistent in their genuine excitement and sincere appreciation of the opportunity to advance knowledge.

Tomorrow: "Unique benefits for non-traditional students."

E.T. News to Note (Me - not the Extra-Terrestrial)

It's been another productive week thus far, and here’s a project update. First, I picked up my copy of the script for The Way Home; it's an awesome read. I look forward to rehearsals.

Today, I fearfully approached a challenge I put off far too long. I (finally) attempted to contact a retired professor I was referred to for source material for the Star Trek project. (Why was I afraid to call this person? I honestly can't explain.) The result was more amazing. Not only is Dr. Lorrah available and willing to be interviewed, she has published three successful Star Trek novels of her own. I never dreamed I would find an original source for my offbeat subject right here in Murray. Things continue to fall into place.

By now, you know I strive to make these posts upbeat and inspirational as often as possible. I can't deny that my life as a struggling (unemployed) older college student does have its drawbacks, but for the most part, I have to day again that as long as I (we) remain focused and positive, there is more to be thankful for than not. These are good places to be - Kentucky, Murray, MSU, my own skin.

May you count the blessings today, too.