New Laptop - I Am Getting Too Old For This!

I just got a new laptop - as in it hit my doorstep last Thursday! I had been using my mother's laptop for a few weeks - mine was acting too badly to try and use for an extended period of time. Sounds easy, yes? Pay the people, they format and send the laptop, you plug it in, and you are good to go. Let's just say that isn't even close to reality!

Now, there is nothing wrong with my new laptop - it works beautifully, including the "Z" key. (That key died a while back on my old computer.) I made the mistake of not ordering Word to be installed ... thought I was saving myself a few bucks. I did - I saved a few bucks. Got excited when I saw that the laptop came with a basic version of word - then found that it was hard for me to work with. Got done what I had to get done that day, then the next day I downloaded OpenOffice.org 3.3. That works wonderfully, and will be fine until I can get a "proper" version of Word installed.

Also downloaded Skype, and installed my scanner and printer. Not hard, but time consuming. Downloaded Google Chrome - the Google browser was already there! Next came all of the sites that I visit every day, including Twitter, both of my Face Book pages, My Space, and Live Journal. Had to enter user and password info into all of them. That's done. Then there were my bank and credit card sites that I needed to reassure that I was who I was, even though they did not recognize my laptop.

Thanks go to Anna Burroughs Cook for nudging me towards using the Google image feature. How quick was that!

The upside - I have a built in web cam and mic, and they work perfectly! I had my first webinar using this laptop Saturday am, and it went perfectly!

Soooo ... How has your week been going?

(c) November 2011 Bonnie Cehovet

The Ever Evolving Bio!

I found out a long time ago that writing my bio was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. I am not one to toot my own horn, so that was problem number one. How do I make myself into a real entity, but remain in the background (which is my preference)? What do I include, what don't I include? Is including my fur people more than most people want to know (or need to know!)?

Then there is the little fact that each venue needs to have a bio that is tweaked for it. There is no such thing, in my world view, as an all purpose bio. As we wander through the social media sites, I think many of us find this to be true. What we put on our Twitter bio's needs to appeal to the audience we are gathering there. What we put on My Space (if we are brave enough to go there) is a whole other story. With Face Book, we have a little more leeway, but we still keep it "in hand". If we join Linked In, we are focusing on our professional qualifications, and professional network connections. This site, more than any other, needs to be kept up to date.

Many of us maintain Internet sites. The bio here will focus on one of two areas - personal, if the site is devoted to our personal interests, or professional, if the site is devoted to our professional projects and interests. Try not to share too much, and to keep a good balance on professional sites between personal and professional information.

Bio's are also an integral part of a blog. If your readers can connect to you visually, and through words, you have gone a long way towards developing a connection with them, and guaranteeing yourself a reader that will follow your blog. Your bio in many ways gives you credibility.

The photo's that go with each of the above venues may differ, also. Or we may choose to use an icon on sites like Twitter and My Space. Just as our bio allows people to get to know us better, and helps to develop a sense of connection between us and those who we connect with in these different venues, our photo/icon does the same thing.

I would advise writing both a short bio, and a more lengthy one. Different venues have different limitations, and require different content. Also, keep your bio "fresh" - make sure that it is up to date, with an up to date photo. I know - after fourteen years I just replaced my icon with a photo. I am already planning on updating that photo!

Bottom line - does your bio reflect who you are? Is it exciting? Is it boring? Is it relevent? You have total control here - present the very best person that you can present!

(c) May 2011 Bonnie Cehovet