Surfing the Internet Wave
There is so much information available to us now. Everything we could possibly want to know, and often much that we don’t, is in our face, at our fingertips, even lurking in the sidebars of our daily interaction with the Internet. Down the rabbit hole we go. When we’re after one thing, we often end up in some muddy ad-slamming pond wondering why we even clicked on that article about the lake under Iceland or Kim Kardashian’s selfie coat. At least that’s my experience.
I am often so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information available that it paralyzes me. I can’t possibly read everything that presents itself, nor should I. As a newbie blogger, I have had to lay down strict rules for myself so that I can stay focused on doing what needs to be done and using the Internet for it’s best possible use – a rich source of information and a supreme tool for communication. I’m not saying I’m always successful. Looking for a way to keep the dreaded squash bug off my zucchini, I found myself happily perusing a website that took me off into some oddball topic. How the h-e-double-hockey-sticks did I get here?
I often feel I can’t do my blog justice because there’s always more information to share, more knowledge to be gleaned. I’m told I must establish myself as an expert, but really? Expert is a subjective term in the information age. You may know a lot about something, but do you know all there is? Most likely not. We can only do our research, present it in a clear and concise way, and get out there. I want to share my experience and have a conversation with my audience. And I’m not gonna lie, I want to find a way to make it pay for itself, so I’m going to try my best to write about what you’re interested in. Obviously, so does everyone else, which is why we get selfie coats and pictures of gory toenails and puss-filled blisters haunting us as we ride the Internet wave (I hope those ads aren’t showing up just for me).
To get the most from your Internet experience, think of the Internet as your smart aunt and silly uncle. When we have a question, we ask our aunt and uncle because they have information to share. From past experience, we know our aunt is going to have something really intelligent to contribute and our uncle is going to be a wisenheimer and tell us old wives tales, dumb jokes and share lots of misinformation. We love our uncle and he makes us laugh, but in the end, we know the information from our aunt is what we’re looking for. Here are some tools to recognize the difference:
Look for authoritative sources. I’m not going to say that a .com website can’t offer valuable information (I am a .com website and I want you to find value in what I share), but if you’ve found information on a .com website and need it for something very important, like a health decision, back it up with another source, preferably a .gov or .org website. Reviews are helpful, but anecdotal stories are NOT the way to make important decisions. We love our uncle, but just because his friend Billy Bob removed the snake under his porch by blowing powdered sugar into the hole does not mean that’s something we want to attempt. Our aunt’s advice to call in an expert makes more sense.
Use the resources at your fingertips. If someone is asking for money to share information with you, before shelling out the money, check around! There’s so much information available that you may, and often do, find another source that is sharing said information at no cost.
Be suspicious of people that approach you. Verify their sources. We all know about the Kenyan prince who needs us to send money so he can get at his wealth, but there are always new scams. Be instantly suspicious of anyone who needs to get on your machine, needs your IP address, or says they need any personal information. No. They. Don’t. And for the record, Windows is not a company; it’s a product of Microsoft. If someone calls from Windows, hang up. Or, if you want to be the wisenheimer uncle yourself, tell them your favorite joke.
Use protection. You need to be informed and protected. This topic could be an article all on its own. Malware, which includes viruses, trojans and phishing emails, are risks when you’re riding the internet wave. Virus protection will help identify when something has landed on your machine, but knowing not to click the link in that email (phishing) will save your contacts from getting the same email. Or worse yet, cause a Trojan (hidden software program) to download onto your hard drive along with that freebie.
Know when to say when. This is the big one for me. In the age of information, there will always be another source with more knowledge and an endless stream of choices. If you’ve done your homework, judged from the opinions of others, and dug up the authoritative information, then step back and make your decision. Know that endlessly searching for another answer is more likely because you’re not ready to make the final decision. When it’s time, you’ll know the right choice for you.
Stay up to date. We live in an amazing age. Technology is practically climbing over itself to advance. Information that was up to date last year may not be anymore. Just because your TV had the latest doo dah, doesn’t mean it does now. It may not matter to you, and in that case, don’t worry about it. Go back to my previous point. But if you’ve held off on your decision and it does matter, then update your information. Ask your aunt again. She’ll let you know about the latest and greatest.
So much information is now at our fingertips that we need to stay focused and savvy when seeking knowledge. We can’t possibly know all there is to know; the important thing is to use our resources. Do your research and find what you need to live your best life, then let go of the rest. And maybe talk to your uncle a bit. He’s always good for a laugh.
Photo attribution: StockUnlimited.com
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