Staying connected

I really appreciate the many ways the internet allows me to stay connected to my family so far away.  I’m always looking for new things that will help us feel “present” in each other’s lives, even though we’re not physically present. I love blogs for that reason, but that’s just not enough for me. I want to know the funny thing Emily just said, or what Mom & Dad are up to today. So, I’ve been working on Mom and Laura to start using Twitter. When Twitter first came on the scene I just didn’t get it.  The question it asks is “what are you doing?”, and you have 145 characters to say anything you like.  It’s great for those little things and thoughts you’re not going to send an email, IM or blog about, but that go on throughout your day.  There’s an extension for Firefox that I use, called Twitterfox, that makes it easy to keep up with people you’re following, so you don’t have to go to your Twitter page every time you want to post something or read the latest from others.  Many of my online colleagues use it, and one person has characterized Twitter as the “water cooler” of the internet. Particularly for those who work at home, it’s a nice place to hang out and chat, and keeps you from feeling so isolated.

Some of you reading this are thinking, “that sounds like a completely useless waste of time,” but if there are people you’re close to who live far away, or even people you’re just acquainted with who you’d enjoy keeping up with, it is a wonderful way to stay connected.

Along these same lines, I also have a “tumblelog“, where I’ve started putting in the funny little things Jack says, or new things David is doing.  It’s probably more information than most people want, but it’s great for grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who are interested in the day to day little things that you miss when you don’t see them every day.  You can subscribe to tumblelogs in your reader, just like regular blogs.