6.1 Representing the Self

I have thought long and hard about choosing an avatar image to represent my online presence. One that I can use in different settings that is not rude, crude, whacky, businessy etc.. I like the idea of anonymity, yet reality, I like creativity rather than 'Plain Jane' face shots. Yet I do respect faceshots as avatars, the genuine nature says mountains. So I have chosen an inbetween avatar image, that is both creative yet authentic.

I am choosing to use a sunflower as the main background to my face, which I can change depending on my mood and creativity with other sunflower images and face shots that I can take myself (gives me an excuse to garden more!)

The image is a mesh of a sunflower and my face, both images I took myself. I love sunflowers, I grow them for colour and to collect seed to feed our chooks and to sprout for eating. The image represents the bright side of my life, a connection I have to the garden and life as one with nature. My face is not happy, not sad, I'm viewing the world, an observer, an internet avatar that I hope develops enquiry.

I'm choosing to use the below CC licence.

Flower Avatar by Noah Kololo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

5.2 Remediating for 140 Characters

I found this task the hardest so far. I do have a Twitter account but I rarely use it, find it frustrating and convoluted. Yet after much research and discovery I am growing to appreciate it on some level.

I added TweetBlender to my blog which updates Tweets from Twitter accounts that I follow and have chosen to update on my blog.

I tried searching for many subject headings of importance and got very little useful ontopic tweets back.. I tried environment consciousness as a Twitter search and got nothing.

RE #Tags.. I find searching for info using #tags quite laborious.. There seems to be program after program attempting to make sense of #tags and the myriad of fragmented information all vying for time in the lime light that is the now moment. I used http://hashtags.org/ and http://tweetchat.com/ to little avail.

The issues with looking for information using #tags is that the information provided is specific to that word/topic, not the person Tweeting. If a # Tweet appeals then more often than not the user that posted the #Tweet will be doing it for business, or its a one off, not a totality. Sifting through mountains of #Tweets to find current topical info is very annoying.

I found these Twitter uses of specific interest 

• EckhartTolle who quite amazingly is following just 5, while has a following of18,722 Followers
• tacticalmonk, and DavidSuzuki

I retweeted djcdines "All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness" Eckhart Tolle 1:30 AM Feb 1st. However I cannot see where the retweet went/is. I do not have any retweets listed even though I have sent a few. This makes it difficult to follow. I shall investigate..

Looked into Tweet Deck http://www.tweetdeck.com/, however does not interest me.

I am following “in order to get tracked via a hash tag, you need to opt-in and follow” http://kristinewirth.com/that-mysterious-sign-in-twitterwhat-does-it-mean http://twitter.com/hashtags.

“Once you’re following Hashtags, every time you make a post in Twitter and tag it with a hash mark like so:  #iPhone, it will then show up as a real-time post on http://www.Hashtags.org.”

I tested the #tag and sent this:

#Monsanto~WANTED for crimes against life, see the documentary “The world according to Monsanto” #sustainability #consciousness @Hippy2012 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:05:31

This is what came up almost immediately on http://hashtags.org/consciousness after posting my Twitter Tweet. I'm sure I'll get some popup messages now notifying me of new followers. (Yep within 10mins I have a new follower)

I searched the top Twitterers and found mashable - The hottest Twitter news, Twitter tips and Twitter help. With1,957,237 follower. So I am now following

Searched http://wefollow.com/ for tags of interest to follow and to add to blog. I liked the option of searching for the most influential and followed, according to tags. Also signed up to be on the Tag list under the interests of consciousness, gardening, revolutionary, green, adventure

I even decided to follow ashton kutcher the leading twitterer with 4,499,808. Figure I might learn a few things about Twittering off him.

I added a firefox tool called Twitter Toolbar, where I can quickly add content, it also has many other tools.

I just added a tweet:  Hippy2012 What does 'Free Culture' mean to you? http://tinyurl.com/yel5qnv

This links back to my blog, so I hope to drive more traffic there and get some comments happening.

My blog URL is still generic, being http://surfingsolomonislands.com/wordpress_2_8_6/. So until I work out how to change it I don't want to be spreading this current address out too much. I also really need to get a header image working on the blog.

 

5.1 Consolidating your Presence

Not sure if all this will work as intended but here goes.
Below is my original Blogger blog: http://solsurfer.blogspot.com/

Below is my new Wordpress blog that I am working on.

The lines in the image are not there in "real life".

Now I'm still getting there with organising the Wordpress blog, not 100% about the theme. Is this a bad theme? Does it need more white space? I feel that the colour is a soothing green, and goes well under the banner ocean and environment.

Besides this I have realised a few important issues:

• Blogger is restrictive - Hence the move
• Wordpress allows more space for creativity and expression
• Wordpress is more clean, and hopefully more user friendly, and hopefully this will attract comments and traffic. No adds, and it is on my main website
• The tag cloud looks great, so do the categories along the top that I will eventually have as pull down menus
• I still need to integrate Fliker, Twitter, FB, Digg, Delicious, my main website, forum/discussion area, public image upload, and other stimualting innovative Wordpress add ons and widgets that develop community
• I want to integrate products and donations soon
• Need to integrate a solid bunch of blogs under my blogroll

ATM I am having trouble adding new posts with images, so this is a work in progress that I will update once I get that and the other notes finished. In the mean time I need to learn about the WordPress platform and its many options.

I am very happy so far with my progress and excited about the possibilities to make this new blog a work of creative and interactive art, and a space for the inspiration of activism. Hopefully a community in the making.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,
Glen

Mod 4.2 Entering the Conversation

How I harnessed the wind

I have chosen to comment on a video of a lecture made by Malawian boy William Kamkwamba. For two reasons, one because it's inspiring and innovative, a young boys journey out of poverty and into leadership and opportunity to help not only his family but many families and groups along the way. The second reason is that the comments made about the video are quite prolific and intimate, allowing replies to comments and thumbs up or down as extra options.

"Trust yourself, and believe, what ever happens, don't give up" William Kamkwamba: How I harnessed the wind Freedom is just a thought away..

My comment is:
"Thank-you William, what an amazing story, and a testament to the human condition. We are indeed genius within, full of potential, vitality and imagination, yet many of us find it difficult to tap the well of infinity that resides within, resting dormant, suppressed and dominated by outside influences and our own minds.

William shows us that faced with hardship we have choice, an opportunity to dream and manifest something wonderful, something that did not exist before. Hardship and pressure can be used positively, a force to be reckoned with that initiates great change, a new paradigm that rises from knowing pain and suffering, choosing life, community and ecological consideration as the answer to hardship.

We are one global family after all, William's achievement is a blessing to humanity and the Earth that sustains us. Often right under our noses are ecological and sustain able technologies that can bring back biological diversity, habitat for a living and loving planet."

Comments can only be made by users with accounts. I'm assuming that TED has an automatic email alert that gets sent when someone replies to a comment of mine, or thumbs up or downs my comment. TED is big on building community, users can email me also.

Another very interesting feature is that TED gives users ratings, depending on how other users rate comments they have made. Some users end up in the negative, while others positive, a great way to generate authenticity and trust, and also it's a great way to seek out those most influential and of value.

TED's video's use Creative Commons, a great licence agreement that is user-friendly and stimulates creativity and builds community.

Mod 4.1: Creating Generative Value

Attention in 2010 and beyond.. Are you aware of the major trends happening in 2010? 

"A blue dot, with a dominant species that prefers destruction to discussion"

Change, innovation, and participation are critical elements that do require your attention. Why? 

It's extraordinary where we as a global internet community have come since the .dotcom bubble bust days of the early 90's. Online Social Media is challenging the very design, operation and structure of our global societies, it's worth Billions too, so I think that we all really need to pay attention to the trends that are happing in 2010 and beyond.

Innovation and the integration of humans with online mobile technologies (the cyborg), are going to change the size and shape of societies, they will change the way we work, live, play and develop culturally. I see so many opportunities for skilled Internet Professionals to either have a brilliant idea that changes humanities landscape, or to drop in under the umbrella of a monumental and creative viral product/application/need/website that alters the way our global community lives and breathes.

Green living in a modern world

Some inspiration to motivate you:

• Open Source freedom ~ http://www.novell.com/company/strategy.html
• Is mobile touch screen cyberspace the next evolution? ~ Approaching January, Apple Tablet Rumors Run Wild

• Cyborg gone bush ~ Wilderness Survival, iPhone-Style

•  Think you know what's going on? ~10 crucial consumer trends for 2010

• Although written in 2006, some great insights into media and money, the longtail, and the next generation that are already here. ~ The ultimate marketing machine

• A Swiss DNA bank... Store your memories..? ~ Store your life forever
  

It goes on and on! Are you paying attention now? The greenies of our time need to jump on the bandwagon, we can make not only the virtual realm more green by understanding cyberspace and technologies, but we can green the Earth much more effectively by co-operating and implementing sustainable technologies with sustainable communities. The net result is a habitat of life, an eco-system of diversity that grows and nurtures living beings, creatures great and small.

Have you seen "The Green Beautiful"? We can make a stand and say no to the injustices against life on the planet and live in balance with nature, rather than trying to dominate and steal from nature.

Entry also posted on the Green Wave blog

Mod 3.2: Introducing Your Topic

The Green Wave  - A 'Global Village' of Soul Surfers

Humanity faces grand challenges to not only survive and thrive, but to live healthy, joyful, free, and conscious lives with and within the natural world that sustains our every moment. We have choices to be made that will effect our future for better or worse.

This is the 11th hour, we won't be given another chance.

 Image sourced from Students Against Climate Change

Technology can be used for good
The digital convergence of technologies has increased the speed of information, collaboration, and community, conversely in many cases it has created dystopian control, destruction and chaos. We are at the edge of monumental change, each individual has the power and choice to decide weather they act with a sustainable ecologically conscious mind, or not. The precipice of disaster is looming, many 3rd world countries are feeling the fury of severe weather and Earth changes, (like in Haiti this week, after severe earthquakes), western economies are crumbling, world domination and the new world order is being ushered in from the Illuminati to Ellen Degeneres . It is a frightfully difficult time, yet many of us are still cocooned in our luxuries and comforts of jobs, cars, entertainment, keeping up with the Jones's, baffled by advertising, TV and gossip, yet confined by corporate and government regulation and control.

Life should be joyful!
Although we are faced with many difficulties, including pain and fear, we do have a choice to seek out the truth, to explore the beauty of life and to have an adventurous experience that does not contribute towards the chaos. Being aware of the the situation is one thing, knowing that there are amazing people out there contributing towards a wonderful world is another, and a choice we too can experience. Get Active People!

Soul Surfing is not just about surfing waves, its about surfing the wave of life that gives us balance and harmony, intrigue and respect for this Earth we call home, and above all an appreciation of peace and love over war and terror.

Image sourced from MetroPulse

Choose Life
The future is in our hands, we have the choice and the power to grow into a sustainable planet of conscious awakened beings, connected with all the natural wonders of terrestrial and cosmic life.

Life is an adventure, I hope to inspire people towards living their dreams, while standing tall when injustice prevails.

Mod 3.1: Narrating Personal Interest

Personal narrative why I am interested in the topic 

Soul Surfing - The Green Wave

My blog The Green Wave - A 'Global Village' of Soul Surfers combines many of my life experiences, dreams and ideas into a media form that is expressive and creative, accessible to outsiders and allows participation and collaboration. Essentially it defines and articulates who I am, while developing a more coherent version and vision of the past, the present, and what will be the future.

I find solace, an inner peace through interconnecting aspects of myself that are seemingly unrelated, like technology and environment, surfing waves and surfing the net, confinement in study and freedom of adventure. All are part and parcel of me, pieces of the picture that define my life, that encompass my imagination and joy, my daily experience. Sometimes life moments  seem contradicting, they overwhelm and miss-guide my direction and experiences, so it helps immensely to blog about my thoughts, my research and insights, and in this way I can regain clarity. With clarity I see the rainbows of my dreams, I can make sense of the journey ahead, the compromises that are required to get there today that will fold into memories of experiences that make me tomorrow.

Adventure and exploration are avenues to feel and understand the edge of existence, the reality of life and death.  Too many people live lives that are mediocre, repetitive and mundane, they have lost their inspiration to create and experience freedom and joy, to interact with the wild world, the raw untamed spirit of consciousness. Brain rot from TV and Mass-Media is epidemic, second only to health problems that consume almost all humans with dis-ease, a slow death towards a life unlived, devoid of abundance, peace, love and wisdom.

Through my blog I share passageways, stories and truth that will illuminate in some the spirit of life and adventure that does not compromise ecological concern. We are ecological beings after all, conscious beings that have lost our way. It is my hope to share our plight as a 'Global Village', and sprinkle it with solutions and opportunities, visions of past and future that remind us we live in a beautiful world that demands respect and care.

 

There are few more important things than uniting humanity towards biodiversity, towards global peace and one love. I hope to contribute towards this vision through my blog.