The Web World According to Anne

The Practical Travel section over on the New York Times web site has an interesting article today titled Twitter to the Rescue. The author talks about the impact of Twitter on customer service in the travel industry -- with several examples, of course -- then wonders if responding to Twitter mentions really improves customer service:

Whether or not the special treatment will continue as Twitter becomes more popular is another thing. Mr. Johnston of JetBlue said he didn’t want its Twitter account to become a “back channel” for passengers to “sneak around” customer service. Rather, he views JetBlue’s Twitter profile as an “information booth” to point customers in the right direction.

Whoa there! Why think of Twitter as a back channel, a way around official procedures? Why not think of Twitter as a primary communications tool?  The companies who are using Twitter full-face, straight-on are those who will get the most out of it. They know that it's a way to leverage one-on-one communication into effective marketing.

If you are nervous about using Twitter as part of your business plan, consider why. Worried about complaints becoming too public? Then work on filling holes in your customer service. Worried about losing control? Remember that people are going to talk about you anyway. Be involved. Respond carefully. And most of all -- listen!

The Times article also has great tips for consumers:

• To get noticed, start with "@" and company's name.
• Build a following for impact.
• Be specific about your grievance.
• Be polite.

Big thumbs up on the last one!

The folks at Mashable has an interesting article about Glubble, the safe social networking site for families. I have enjoyed connecting with extended family on Facebook, so ... while Glubble looks interesting... I'm wondering what it does that's different or better than Facebook.

The article starts off by saying that Glubble is expanding to a Family Timeline that lets you browse through pictures, events and messages by date. It then adds this background:

In conjunction with the new feature, they’ve also started to offer premium memberships for unlimited storage, released an update to their browser toolbar, added themes for kids, and created kid-safe browser-based search.

If you’re unfamiliar with the site, Glubble essentially gives families their own social hub and family browser to share and exchange content. It also offers parents a way to provide a safer web experience for their children and monitor the sites they’re visiting. The new features, then, simply reinforce the overall purpose of the site, which is to be a safe and enjoyable resource for families on the web.

That sounds intriguing! Sometimes Facebook gives me too much information. So I decided to sign up for a free account and see what's inside.

At first, I was concerned that there was no identity check when I joined. After looking around inside and reading the FAQ page (wonder why that wasn't more visible from the public pages?), it does look truly private. I added my husband and one of the cats... will explore more.

If you use Glubble, I'd love to hear from you!

I love Twitter. In fact, I have two personal twitter accounts ... anneeasterling and WDWtips ...  and I tweet for my job at internet_safety.

But Twitter takes some getting used to. What is Twitter exactly? Check out this video Twitter in Plain English from the really smart folks at Common Craft:

So how do you get started? Start by creating an account. Go to the Twitter sign up page. Then fill it out:

1. Enter your real name.
2. Pick a username ... it might be your real name or something that reflects your personality or interests. It's possible to change it later, but you'll lose all your followers, so pick wisely.
3. Pick a password. (Be sure to write down your username and password.)
4. Enter your real email address.
5. Prove that you're a real person by filling in the letters or numbers from the image.
6. And click "Create my account."

Next you'll see a page where you can find people you already know. Twitter can check your Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL or Hotmail accounts to see if any email addresses match existing Twitter accounts. If you let Twitter see your email contacts, you'll then have the option of following those who have Twitter accounts. If you prefer, just skip this step (look for the "Skip this step" link at the bottom of the page).

On the next page (it's the last one, I promise), you'll see a list of popular Twitterers. If you want to follow them, you don't need to do anything. If you don't uncheck the ones you want to skip. Then... click FINISH and you're officially "on Twitter."

Notice the page that you're on... create a bookmark so you can come return easily. Enter your first twitter update... Try to be more creative than just saying "Wow, I can't believe I'm really on Twitter."

The next time you login, enter your username and password. If you check "Remember me," you'll be automatically logged in the next time you go to Twitter. That makes it easier to follow people quickly when you click on a "follow me" link anywhere on the web.

There are many, many other things you could learn about Twitter. I'm stopping here to keep things simple for newbies. Got a specific question? Leave a comment, and I'll make that my next Twitter topic.

So what is it with the Baby Boomers and technology? I mean, I was among the first generation to use computers to compose stories and layout publications. Computers saved time and were so much easier to use than paper, typewriters, carbon paper and correction tape. Working on main frame workstations, then the first desktops that took 15 minutes to load the operating system and programs from diskettes was a bit tedious at times, but I never wanted to go back to clunky typewriters and hand-drawn layout sheets.

I figured that everyone in my generation embraced the new technology with the same eager excitement. Boy, was I wrong. Looking around today, I am amazed that many of my Baby Boomer family members and friends are still reluctant technology users. To use pop slang: #boomerfail.

I decided to do some research and find out if the phenomenon exists outside my little world. Guess what? It does. (It's probably something you already knew ... and that's why you're here.) So I decided to refocus my blog on making some of the new technology ... especially the Internet and web-based communication tools like social networks ... more easily understood by my generation.

What keeps nagging at me is this: Why are Boomers reluctant to dive into the technology world? The researchers at Deloitte, an international management consulting firm, might have one answer. Last fall, they published a paper titled Gen Y-ers, Baby Boomers & Technology: Worlds Apart?

It’s a common perception that older workers don’t understand new communication technologies such as e-mail, instant messaging and intranet. The conventional wisdom is that these workers simply are too rooted in traditional technologies to adopt something new.

However, research findings indicate it is geography more than age that influences an employee’s technological preferences. Older workers in emerging nations are quicker to embrace technology communications than their counterparts in industrialized nations.

Now wait a second! Maybe the older workers in emerging nations aren't rooted in traditional technologies as much as we Americans are. The report doesn't address that. (It does have some good tips on using the communication tools that worker prefer, but that's another topic.)

Searching more, I found a study done by TV Land called the Joy of Tech. The thesis is that Boomers want technology to simplify their lives, especially entertainment. Hmmm, seems like a lot of the new web-based technologies are anything but simple. Here's a typical social network: Create your account, verify your account, change the default password, set up your profile, find your friends, set up mobile devices, find groups, join groups.

So perhaps, the complexity of much of the new technology is the stumbling block.

Armed with this insight, a recent study by Forrester Research (summarized quite well by ReadWriteWeb) makes much more sense to me. Sarah Perez at ReadWriteWeb summarizes it this way:

A new report from Forrester Research revealed some surprising information: apparently Baby Boomers aren't exactly the technology Luddites that people think they are. In fact, more than 60 percent of those in this generational group actively consume socially created content like blogs, videos, podcasts, and forums. What's more, the percentage of those participating is on the rise. ...

The best bets for getting Boomers interested in your content is to create blogs or videos that relate to the life or work-style of Boomers, Forrester suggests. And if you're looking for feedback and contributions from the Boomers themselves - like comments or criticisms - make that process dead simple. Don't introduce overly complex sign up forms or processes. Instead, encourage low-effort contributions such as star ratings.

So that's when I had a clear vision of what The Tech World According to Anne could be... a place where Boomers can get simplified introductions, help and hand-holding on getting the most from the Web 2.0 world. You might not need or use everything here. That's okay. Our mission is to make all those buzz words bouncing around today ... like Twitter and Facebook and blogging and more ... easy and accessible.

I have lots of tweaking to do to make the site more aligned with my vision. Looks like my helping you is going to help me too!

This is Holy Week in the Western Christian Church... Last Sunday was Palm Sunday (of course), and the pastor's homily got me thinking about the "real world" that surrounded Jesus during the last week before the Passion. So I went looking for some web sites that could provide enrich our observation of this most blessed week. Here are a few of my favorites:

NEW! Stations of the Cross for Children from Loyola Press

Once again, the folks at Loyola Press have shown how to use the web to teach the faithful! They've adapted the beautiful work of Catherine Odell to create two formats of the Stations that are perfect for family observances: a downloadable (and printable) PDF file and an interactive multimedia presentation. The language is simple and thought-provoking, even for adults.

Holy Week at Catholic.org

This page describes Jesus' travels during the week leading up to the Passion. The liturgical readings place events out of order, so it's nice to see them listed here.

Easter Cleaning

I had never heard of Easter cleaning ... just spring cleaning ... until I noticed a reference on a page at Catholic.org. After browsing around a bit, I decided that this story of Easter cleaning in a traditional Polish family was the best! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Wouldn't it be great if the priests could come around to all of our homes for an Easter blessing?

Holy Thursday at Catholic.org

Most folks recognize that Holy Thursday commemorates the establishment of the Eucharist, but many don't realize it's also the founding of the priesthood. This article has a very easy to understand explanation, plus much other interestingly cool stuff!

JPII's Stations of the Cross from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops

This version of the Stations of the Cross is based on the 1991 observation by Pope John Paul II. I didn't even realize that an alternate version was available until I noticed them in the Teen Catholic Bible. These stations are "presented ... as a way of reflecting more deeply on the Scriptural accounts of Christ's passion." Very nice for private reflection. I plan to print them and take them with me to Adoration on Friday evening.

If you have any favorite web sites that you'd like mention, add them using the comment link! I'd love to add more to the collection.