QuietGorilla - Watched by Women over 55

It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted on either this blog or YouTube. I have during that time made a few videos, but after watching them decided not to post them. The reason is that I found myself straying from what I originally intended to accomplish. I re-awoke this blog and decided to post on YouTube in an attempt to better understand, and appreciate, how the use of Web 2.0 technology is transforming interpersonal communication and ourselves. Posting on YouTube however as resulted in some interesting personal experiences, which I have decided to document as well.

As I discussed in my third video, after posting my first video, I experienced a highly uncharacteristic sense of shyness. Subsequent to posting two more videos, I have found myself compelled to make video responses for other peoples' posts. As I indicated at the outset of this project, I was using the medium as a means to an end, in hope of garner more information that might answer the lingering questions with which I was struggling. It was never my intention to make skits, vlogs, or responses. And yet, over the last two weeks, I have found myself itching to enter into the dialogue with other posters. I have even produced video responses that were personal experiences or opinions on topics other than the original one that brought me posting on YouTube. After viewing those videos however, I was reminded of my original intent and questioned how straying off topic might alter the process. I will admit that I struggled with the desire to post those videos, but in the end, I decided to keep my focus (a challenge for me at the best of time) and just document my YouTube experience.

I have also decided to recombine my videos in which I am pursuing a line of questioning as well as documenting my own experiences. I think my attempt to separate what I wanted to know, from what I was experiencing myself, was artificial. So I am back to just one stream of questions.

Lastly, I had been waiting to hit 100 views on one of my videos, but I seemed stalled at 99 for a few days, so I decided to go with that anyway and see what the Insight feature told me about my viewership. When I first explored that function, it indicated that all my views had come from inside Canada ... ok ... and that all the viewers were over 55 years of age ... interesting ... and female ... strange : O

I don't think that that is an accurate reflection of my viewership, so I am questioning how that data is collected. I went back in to examine it again the other night, and now receive a message saying that my viewership is too low to provide demographic data. Oh well. It sounded funny.

So to all 99 of my females over 55 viewers ... thank you ; P

QG

It was an iDay filled with iConnectedness

I had a number of tasks in the real outside world today, but as with most things in modern life there is a connection to the virtual world and the network that connects us all. So this fluidity between the material world and the virtual world often makes for an interesting iDay.

Today these tasks included buying the new iPhone 3G S. As I was travelling around the other side of the country when it was released last month, I figured I would wait until I got home to get one. This decision was made all the more easy by the fact that none of the stores I visited in B.C. actually had a black 32G version. In fact the salesperson at one BestBuy said, "Yeah, we have been calling all the other stores around town [not just the other BestBuys] and no one has any". That seemed weird, but then again this is Canada and we seem to always get new tech later, more slowly, and in fewer amounts than our southern neighbours. It is also understandable that Vancouver and the surrouding area would be completely sold out of this icon of e-coolness. Anyone, who is anyone connected, must have an iPhone. Surely, I thought to myself, my little ol' province on the other side of the continent would have a few lying around. So I waited until today, but connecting with a new iPhone proved more complicated than I thought.

Always trying to be eco-conscious, I try to never burn gas needlessly. I won't drive across town just to look at something. I will be certain that I wish to purchase it and then call ahead and make sure it is available before I turn the ignition. So I picked up the [regular] phone and called my local iPhone carrier - the only one authorised to carry the device in Canada. But despite my efforts at being connected to the local outlet, the automated phone tree kept directing my call to their national service office.
"I don't want to hear about the packages", I said to the customer service representative.
"I want to buy the phone. I just want to make sure you have one in your local store before I drive over there", I explained.
"I am not connected to their inventory control system and therefore I cannot determine whether or not they have any in stock.", replied the CSR.
"I anticipated that" I exclaimed, "which is why I have been trying to call the local outlet, but I keep getting connected to you".
"I can connect you to our wireless technical service department" was the reply.
"Are they connected to the local inventory control so they can they determine if the local store has any phones in stock?" I queried.
"No" was the simple response.
And with a curt 'Thank you' I disconnected customer service.
I truly marvel at modern customer service. It is clearly a misnomer, because even if you can get connected it will be of no service to you at all. For another, and more humourous, customer service story, I suggest Spricket24's recent YouTube post.

Anyway, the decision to move to an iPhone was made all the more poignant when I discovered that the previously free internet service at the local store for the national book store chain is no longer free : | I had come to appreciate the time spent sitting in the small coffee shop section of the store, browsing my new books, all while being connected to the net. But now that access required I either be a subscriber to a certain local ISP (which I am not) or pay a daily connection fee. Frustrated, I took my new purchases, left the store, and headed straight to the iPhone dealer. No more would I be victim to a lack of free internet service for my, so 2008, iPod Touch. I really think that internet connectivity should be provided free of charge in certain places; schools, libraries, museums, and book stores ... you know, places of learning.

So there I was standing in a very short line at the iPhone store. Line ups here in this city tend to be very small because we are a small city in a small province. Although that doesnt seem to stop people from complaining about cueing up. Strange. Anyway, when my turn came I eagerly asked for a black 32G iPhone, fully anticipating that this little, far away from anywhere store, would have at least one.

"I am sorry, but we don't have any", was the shocking reply.
"You had THAT much demand?" I wondered, bemused by the very idea that there were local inhabitants who would want an iPhone, but did not already have one.
"No, we haven't" was the answer.
"Oh, you didn't get any?" I asked.
"Well, not really" came the reply and she continued, "we had 9 shipped to us for the release, but they never made it to our store".
"What? I don't understand". My mind raced.
"Apparently they went missing somewhere between the UPS depot at the airport and the store".

WTH?! I thought. What kind of criminal mastermind would steal a box of cellular phones that can only be supported by one carrier on an island of 500,000 people?! How are they going to them activated and connected? The phones have unique electronic serial numbers. And I am sure they are on record somewhere. You can't just walk into any wireless service provider and get them connected to just any cellular network. They can ONLY be used on one provider's network ... the one you stole them from. I suppose they can sell them on-line to people in Europe or the US, but what a hassle, not to mention the possibility that the ESNs will be traced back to those reported as stolen from here. Clearly, the 'i' in iCrime stands for 'idiot'. Okay, I just so made that up ... iCrime. But I like it.

So, I have no iPhone and have to wait until their next shipment comes in, which is apparently sometime ... hang on ... what if those iCriminals are reading my blog. No way am I going to tell them when the next shipment is due to arrive.

Anyway, here I am, with my impoverished iPod Touch and its limited wireless connectivity. At least I have some new books to keep me busy while I wait for the next shipment of the latest and greatest connected device.

Until then,
QG

The Live Vlog or How PhillyD and gogreen18 are Trying to Kill Me

I feel like crap and look even worse; I have the 'John Green' poof going on. I have been trying to get my internal clock reset to the time zone on this side of the continent, but that all went out the window when I decided to spend a few hours last night watching some live broadcasts from two on-line personalities.

While I have recently been spending a lot of time thinking about the whole YouTube experience, I am actually trying to grasp how the entire Web2.0 phenomenon is changing us. So when PhillyD and Laci Green announced they would be on-line live last night I tuned in to their UStream and BlogTV broadcasts. I had not previously spent a lot of time watching on-line broadcasts as I wasn't certain what I was watching for, but now that I am forming some clearer thoughts concerning this change, I am more prepared to observe.

What I should have realised was that both PhillyD and Laci Green are on the west coast of the US, while I live at the eastern most point of North America, unless you go past the point that says, "Don't go Pass this Point" ... lest you fall into the Atlantic Ocean. Come to think of it, I have a picture somewhere of me going past that point :|
Anyway, I tuned in, stayed on, and lurked until 4am, at which time I slipped into a fitful sleep filled with dreams of Twitter icons and YouTube videos.

That being said, the two sessions were as different as chaulk and cheese (a local colloquialism I enjoy) and therefore filled with interesting bits of information for me to mull over. And since I do my very best mulling in the shower, and I look like hell, I think I will let the rainshower head do its wonders and revitalize my poor body and stimulate my brain. Then I will document what I saw, heard, and thought about my first on-live live broadcast experiences.

Until then,
QG

The Tipping Point on YouTube

I am going to suggest that there is a tipping point at which some lurkers will become web 2.0 posters. Think someone who watches YouTube videos and then decides to post one themselves. I think that this transition comes as an internal want (e.g. the expression of a thought, a feeling, a creative art, etc). becomes more compelling than any de-motivational considerations (e.g. shyness, etc.), which prevent someone from making this leap. I think the conditions and the threshold are specific to the individual, but I wonder if there is a common general set of factors such as the want to express oneself publically ... very publically in this case and, on the other side of the scale, the fear of having others (and unknown others at that) be witness to this expression.

So what are our triggers?
What is it that prompts someone to go from lurker to poster?
What compells someone to spread news to the world everyday as sxephil does? or script, produce, edit, and star in elaborate stories like Venetian Princess? Or attempt to change the world, one Nerd at a time, by vlogging with his brother?

This is the essence of my second video. I hope that I garner some response, lest I be forced to use other data collection methods :)

I invite you to offer me your opinions <- That just seems weird, as I think I am the only one reading this :P

Anyway,

QG

Now THAT was Interesting

The experience of producing and posting my first YouTube video was very interesting and had some unforeseen outcomes, as I eluded to in my last post. For the first time in my life I was, what I think most people consider to be, shy, or something like it. After uploading the video and watching it I realised that I was a little self-conscious about the fact that other people, whom I do not know, might see it and hear what I have to say. Now this has never been a problem for me before. I have spoken to groups of people as large as 1000 or more, on a variety of topics, but I have always known something about them; who they were, why they were listening to me, etc. So the idea that their might be viewers just randomly landing upon my video was a little unsettling. I am still not entirely sure why and so I am going to have to give this more thought.
In the interim, the experience has left me wondering if the shyness, or something similar, is what prevents some individuals from posting, and how do prolific posters manage this obstacle. Perhaps they are not shy, but neither I am ... usually.
So I am seeking answers to the question about how the possibility of numerous, anonymous viewers affects YouTube posters and viewers. I have made my third video just about this, because you know what they say about falling off horses and such.

Your comments, thoughts, and answers are warmly welcome.

Cheers,
QG

OMG ... I'm a YouTuber!

Well, as I said, I have decided that if I am going to really understand what is happening with regard to the whole Web 2.0 and socialization, I need to get into it. So, I have decided that participant observation is the best method for me to fully experience this phenomenon.
Therefore, I have posted my first YouTube video. It is an introduction to me and why I am doing this. I think it might be very boring for some people. However, it was intensely interesting to me!
First, it was a lot harder that I realised to video myself. There is a sense of self consciousness that it strange. I am not a self-conscious person in real life; I have spoken to groups as large as 1000 on a regular basis, but this seems different somehow.
Second, the idea that 10's of people might watch that, and some might even comment, is very intriguing. I think that this is entirely related to that sense of self-consciousness. And that is exactly what I was anticipating.
Third, just the technical aspects of shooting a video (i.e. lighting, sound, etc) and uploading it were novel. I am not unfamiliar with photography, but this is different. I like learning new things, so this was fun.
Anyway, there you go. I have my first video on-line and it was a marvelously interesting experience. I need to go think about that now.

Cheers,
QG

net-Worked to Death

Three days later I have finally finished rebuilding my father's whole network. Maybe now he will let me out of the house and feed me.

This makes me feel old, but I remember watching my father program his office computer, using PUNCH CARDS!

"Dad, what's that?", I said, staring intently at the large metal cabinets lining the room adjacent to his office.

"That, my son, is a computer ... the wave of the future", he replied.

"What does it do?", I asked inquisitively while watching the large wheels of magnetic tape spin.

"It calculates things for me", he responded as he pulled a small box out of his briefcase.

"I program it" he said, "by punching small holes in these cards and feeding them into that slot".

I stood transfixed as my mind raced. What great things might such a machine be capable of doing in the future I wondered.

So, we grew up as this technology advanced, shrank, and became affordable to the citizenry. Our first home PC was an 8086 ... with a math co-processor! We splurged a year later and bought a 3.5" floppy drive. It cost us over $300 : O By the time I was in my teens, bits and pieces of PCs littered the floor in our basement. My brother built our first "soundcard" from a design he saw in Radio Electronics. By the '90s, we each had multiple PCs running at home and at school. We were, and still are, a family of geeks ... maybe nerds ... except our sister ; P

But, this week that all ended, for our father has purchased a Mac! It came on the heels of our annual family reunion, where my brothers and I debated the merits of PCs vs. Macs. The battle raged for three days, required much food, and even more alcohol, but in the end, Apple and I were victorious. Clearly my arguments were superior, my counterpoints insightful, and my defenses indefatigable.

• Macs are sexy.
• Macs simply work.
• All the Cool people, such as iJustine and Spricket24, use Macs.

And so a shiny, new, sexy, cool Mac has joined our family of geeks.

Maybe now we can all be a shade less geeky ...

QG

I have been Born Again!

Okay virtual world you have forced my hand. I have struggled to understand what is going on in here, but despite my efforts I am not entirely certain that I fully grasp what is happening. I feel as if I have been standing outside, peering through a window, watching a wild party inside. It reminds me of high school ; )

But I digress ... from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube, BlogTV to Omegle, internet based social networking is transforming interpersonal communication. This paradigm seems to awaken and feed both our exhibitionist and voyeuristic tendencies. Never before have so many been able to communicate with so many more, with a paradoxical blend of anonymity and spectacle.

What does this say about us and our culture?

How does the use of these technologies create and recreate personal identity?

What are the long term effects of virtual social networking on real world social interactions?

Why don't I have more followers on Twitter?

These are just a snippet of the questions with which I struggle. I have attempted to figure it out; I have been calling out to the guests inside the party. But they seem preoccupied.

And so, I have dusted off my alter ego, revived this blog, and bought a webcam ...

Internet, here I come!

QG

sum ergo tweet