What is a cloud, you say? A cloud in the computer world is a place where all the information resides and you can access it anytime from anywhere that has a computer connection. The information is stored on some other computer, or server, than your own and makes it possible for access anywhere, anytime.
I have participated in all of these cyber world experiences, and I have found them most fascinating. My favorite is Facebook, for it is the simplest to navigate. I can visit with most of my family and keep up with what they are doing day to day. That is great for the kids and sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews that live outside of LaGrange.
Entries are made answering a simple question.. What’s on your mind? I have seen some of the obvious responses to this question and I have read some really strange responses. I have seen friends post pictures of the blooming of a sunflower, a newborn child’s arrival into a family and the results of a wild party the next morning.
Although I have not done so, there are games you can play and tests you can take to determine any number of things imaginable. The games include a rather genteel gin rummy to war games where you can blast away your enemy. The tests include - What ethnicity should you date? - and - How well do you remember the 80’s? There is even a test that will tell you which type weapon you should carry if you are in combat. Now that’s one I need to know.
Facebook and My Space are similar, and I have drifted to Facebook, since most of my family resides there. It is a place where a lot of personal information can be placed, and it is nice to see the most recent photos of the grandkids in their latest activities. There is a backside of this that one must be careful to guard against. That is the hacker that will trick you into giving up your ID and password, and then use your site to take money from your friends. I read an article of a specific case of this where the person responded to a video link posted on his personal page and his personal data was taken. The attacker then used this to block the person from their own page, and to send out messages to all of his friends soliciting money to help him return from London, where he was allegedly attacked and robbed of his wallet. One friend did as we would hope one would do and sent $1200 via wire - directly into the attacker’s hands. The key to preventing this is to make sure you open only files and links you are sure are legitimate. That prevents the attackers from having access, and therefore avoids the crime.
Twitter is a completely different animal. Her you send “tweets” to the question -What are you doing right now? Twitter can also be set up to send updates from different sites, such as weather reports or news alerts. Business has turned attention to this matter because many people use this site to vent about situations that are frustrating and can hurt the image of a company. I recently read an article about the marketing executive of a cable TV company that spends 25 percent of his day searching Twitter for comments about cable TV service. He happened onto a “tweet” that was complaining about the service guy not showing up for an appointment where she had waited for 4 hours. (Imagine that happened with a cable service guy). This marketing executive called the local cable company and arranged for the person to have service connected within the next hour. Imagine how shocked we would be if that had happened to us. In this cyber world, I suppose anything is possible.
Creighton Kelly is a writer for the LaGrange Writers Group
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