Blogs, Message Boards, and Other Social Media for Cloister Communication

Yesterday a young teen-age girl walked out of the Bellevue Library. Wires connecting a MP3 player in the pocket of her shorts to ear pods were draped over her right shoulder, she stared down on her Smart Phone as she was texting a message to either a parent of a friend, most likely a friend. It is impossible to drive down the road without seeing drivers, heads bent toward their wireless phones, talking to others unknown to me, as they barreled down the road.

There has been a sea change in the way people socialize. We can see evidence of the change all around Nashville.

Drive down Charlotte Road and you will pass the former Moose Lodge where many enjoyed Friday Fish Night….Closed.

Drive further toward town and pass on the left Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Chapter 1970, there is hardly ever even one car parked there…..Almost Closed.

The American Legion shut down their giant Donelson clubhouse…..Closed.

Bonney and I drove into the huge Shrine Temple, by Trinity Lane near I-65, the parking lot could hold half the people attending a Titans game, empty except for a half dozen cars.

Now almost everyone is connected to the Internet and the Official Cloister Website is starting to be maintained with detailed and up-to-date information. I hope this keeps up because it’s important and right to do so. It even has copies of past “The Cloister News” newsletters..

How has this happened?

People Communicated Around the Fire

People Signaled from Hilltop to hiltop

Semaphores Signal Between Ships and Across Distances

Telegraph Sent Morse Code

Teletype Sent Written Word

Telephone Sent the Spoken Word

The World-wide Web and Internet Sends Most Anything

The new substitute for people getting together are e-mail, text messaging, Twitter, Facebook and other so-called Social Media. What does this mean to us at The Cloister at Saint Henry?

If we at The Cloister don’t make an effort to learn and try to use the new languages that are the tools of our grandchildren, we will wind up in the trash heap of buggy whips and model T Fords.

I started with the Apple iPod Touch which I use to listen to AudioBooks that I copy from checked out library CD’s or download from the library website. Bonney links her iPod to Microsoft Outlook which transfers her calendars, appointments, contact lists, and other Outlook information. She carries this small device in her purse

I write a Blog (this one) and I have set up a message board for Cloister residents.

Message/Bulletin Boards and Blogs are similar. Both provide an easily updatable website, allowing the owner to post content/messages for other users to view.

The primary difference, usually, is that Blogs only allow the owner to post messages and content. Visitors can view, but not post messages and replies. If visitors are allowed to post, it’s almost always in the context of an existing message topic or article the Blog owner created. In other words visitors usually do not post new message topics or articles, but rather respond to what the Blog owner has posted. (This Blog is an example.)

A Message board, on the other hand, allows everyone to post new messages and articles as well as replying to existing messages. See http://cloistersh.yuku.com/directory

Bonney and I have ordered the new Apple Smart Phone and services, we have finally decided to replace our iPods with Apple iPhones.  If I don’t learn how to effectively use Facebook, Twitter, and other Apps as well as any 12-year-old does today, I won’t understand the language younger generations speak. I have been too lazy to take the time and effort to learn. Some may be LOL at me but soon I will be LMHO at them.

That’s my opinion. You may want to share your opinion in the Comments area below.