I actually was talked into buying an iPhone several months ago. It was fun to play with at first but then I begin to wonder why I have this thing and why am I paying for the service? Since then, there have been a few times when I was out and about that I wished I had access to the internet. Fortunately for me I had my iPhone to look up the information I needed. I have used it to look up driving directions, price comparisons, phone numbers, e-mails, international weather reports, just to name a few.

Although I have not downloaded a lot of apps I love what I have. One of my favorite apps is a translation application. It will actually translate into Slovak. Do you know how hard it is to find a site that will translate information into Slovak at no charge? It is virtually impossible.

I have come to appreciate the ablility to access the mobile web. My one complaint is that the response time is terrible. It does take a while to load certain pages. It also lack the ablility to allow you to purchase items on line, at least on the sites I tried and forget placing a bid on eBay. I look forward to the day I will be able to use this in place of the traditional internet on the computer.

I will have a new experiece with travelling internationally with an iPhone. I have heard you can easily rack up thousands of dollars in roaming fees even it you never use the internet or check your e-mails. I have got to learn how to shut down some of the applications. Maybe I will just shut the phone off and leave it in my suitcase until I step foot back in the states.

Facebook, etc.

In your blog, tell us what you think – are these tools for connecting to the public or not? Can you think of ways to use any one of them in your department or location? How about personally? Is this something you are doing or something that you have an interest in doing?

This would be a great way to connect to the public. In my department it would be a great way to connect with applicants who have questions about job postings and maybe another avenue to advertise vacancies.

Personally, I am not sure Facebook, Twitter, etc is for me. I am really bad at keeping up with postings and could see me not answering someone for a couple of months. I would be sending out a reject vibe without really meaning to. I just don't find this kind of thing fun. I have no desire to share with the world what I am doing and for the most part I am not really interested in knowing about other people's daily lives, unless, of course, you are related to me.

In the words of Ms. Paprocki, "Don’t create them with no purpose in mind or with no intention of keeping them updated. A boring blog or an unprofessional Web site is worse than none at all." For now, this is the category I would fall into, so I think it would be best if I stayed in the none at all category. I like my privacy and don't want to add another thing I have to worry about keeping up to my list.

Second Life

I think second life is a bit creepy. I am so not into the virtual reality stuff. My step-nephew tries unsuccessfully to get me interested. It is amazing how far technology has come, though. I'm could see where it would be helpful in a Library setting. It would be a great way to do research for school compositions and projects and to increase your own knowledge.

I am concerned that more and more people will become immersed in a virtual world and living less and less in reality. If a person spends more time in a virtual world how will he/she learn to read body language, learn to effectively communicate on a face to face basis, etc. I see another therapy group forming already, maybe virtual world anonymous....