I'm all a Twitter

I teach adults in the corporate setting. You know, all of those lame training sessions that nobody really wants to go to, but are forced. Exciting, life-altering courses like:

Time management
Resolving Conflict
First time supervising skills
Communication skills
Team building

Occasionally, we get requests for specific topics. Recently, I developed a class on Generation Y that was wildly successful. (I had twenty people and they all stayed awake!) The Memory Mania class I held multiple times, mainly because people forgot to come the previous times. It was well received, obviously.

I refuse to do role playing in class. I just don’t have what it takes.
Are you still awake?

But, I also teach basic computer skill classes. That said I am not certified in anything, and am so not a technician. I am a user. Period. These classes help folks learn to turn on the computer, how to build folders, how to left-click vs. right-click, access the Internet, etc. If they catch on quick, I’ll show them how to open a Word document. In this day and age it is amazing how little people know about a keyboard and mouse. I am a slave to my mouse. Thank God, I learned the CTRL A, X, C, and V keyboard shortcuts from a kind-hearted tech. (I share these with users and they think I’m God I tell you, God!)

Adults are scared shitless of a PC. It’s so intimidating for them. Some associates had been using dumb tubes until a year ago and a mouse is just confounding to them. I used to advise them to play Solitaire and Free Cell to strengthen their mouse skills, but then the IT Director took games off the PC’s because they are obviously time wasters.

Sigh.

In a basic PC class I held, I had a lady ask me about My Space and blogs and chat rooms. Her kids throw out these terms and she doesn’t know how to talk to them about them. What were they using them for?

Good questions. I could answer some of them. Definitions mostly. So, I decided I better delve a little deeper into cyberspace myself.

I already knew that Big hates My Space. He uses Facebook and blogs a little there. He also likes Puzzle Pirates. He thinks Twitter is silly.

"I’m not going to tell people every time I take a dump, Mom."

Oh.

I’m just voyeuristic enough to get a kick out of Twitter. (sans the poo report)

I joined a chat room. I took a quick look at Facebook and My Space. I read and continue to read several blogs. They range from personal to political. I decided out of the social networking sites available, a blog would be most fun. I can keep an online journal and also spend time with new people. That’s been a bonus.

Oddly enough, I don’t want anyone I know to read my blog. I’ve told no one. I’m only comfortable with strangers reading my blog. If those strangers become friends, that’s great, but the thought of family and current friends reading this drivel makes me slightly nauseous.
What’s up with that?

Anyhoo, I can now advise folks how to set up a blog, create a persona (if wanted), define an avatar, start a blog roll, set up a feed. (Speaking of feeds-that was as close to code as I’ve come-and then it was just cut and paste.) I’ll start adding photos and links before long. We can then create a My Space profile and Twitter ourselves into a stupor.

My goal is to teach them everyone has to start somewhere.

However, I can’t demonstrate using Blogspot, ‘cuz it’s blocked.

Well, Snort...now that I've checked, so is Twitter.

Shit!