Dawson’s Personal History

As part of the 7150 class, we’ve been asked to describe our personal
history of use of the Internet and social software. I look forward to reading other postings and see if others have had similar experiences.

I was first exposed to the Internet in the summer of 1997. It’s a little funny for me because it reminds me of “Where were you when you first learned about 9/11?” I remember so clearly sitting in a computer lab on the second floor of Interface Computer School in Spokane, WA. I was an instructor there, mainly teaching the Microsoft Office Suite (thus my nickname as the Microsoft Queen). Michael Norton, a fellow instructor, spent about 45 minutes sharing the concept of email and the Internet with the entire faculty. I remember thinking, “Wow! This is so fun! This is so cool! When did this come about?” Well, although I never thought I was an early adopter, I was stunned to realize Ray Tomlinson of BBN invented an email program in 1971 to send messages across a distributed network (Hobbes' Internet Timeline). Regardless of when it was invented, I became hooked in 1997 and was one of the innovators, or at least early adopters, at Interface Computer School to really fully grasp the concept and began emailing often. As an instructor, it was imperative that I stay on top of the latest trends and share these results with my students. We discussed netiquette, flaming, the importanance of subject lines, etc. I would say most of my learning regarding email came from personal usage and reading.

Instant Messaging was introduced to me as a Ph.D. student. I had heard about it, seen others using it, but my personal usage started while employed by David Wiley beginning March, 2003. Again, I was amazed to see that chatting capabilities were invented in 1973 by Doug Brown (Many-to-Many Space). Initially I was hesitant. I was worried about wasting time chatting with friends and coworkers about “fun” stuff and not utilizing my time as efficiently as possible. I also thought – Wiley is down the hall. Why should I IM him instead of poking my head in his office? I quickly learned how convenient, fun, and efficient Instant Messaging can be. I also learned how fun it was to make other people LOL, especially when they are in the same room. One of my favorite memories from my work with Wiley last summer is making Sandie cry because she is laughing so hard and Mark just shaking his head. All of my learning regarding IM has come from personal usage and seeing how others interact. Wiley has been a leader for me in this area as he was one of my first co-IMers. Emoticons are one of my favorite features – and I practice often with friends.

Because I have had great team members throughout my Ph.D. program, I have been exposed to wikis (thanks Brent) and have had the opportunity to use wikis for group projects in class as well as in a work setting (thanks Northface University and Instructional Architect).

My blog usage first started in the fall of 2003 in another 7150 class with Wiley. Although my blog didn’t not stand the test of time, I am interested to analyze the lifespan of this blog. Again, I thought I was pretty on the ball with starting a blog, then I realized weblogs began in 1997 (Many-to-Many Space).

Developing my Internet skills has come from a variety of sources. 1) As an instructor teaching computer applications, I was surrounded by other instructors utilizing the Internet and we would share resources and techniques. I also spent time reading and finding good textbooks for my students (remember, this was back in the 90s). Now I have found friends and fellow researchers/students to be invaluable resources, sharing their knowledge and approaches. Sometimes trial and error can be frustrating because I feel such a lack of time, yet if I spent the time, then sometimes the rewards can pay off. The gamble is one that is challenging for me to tackle – do I spend three hours hoping to find a more efficient method? Or do I use the tried and true method?

The Internet has become an important “need” in my life. Professionally. I can’t imagine conducting research without it. I can’t imagine communicating with team members and project leaders without it. Email, Instant Messaging, and listservs are ingrained in the way I communicate with my colleagues. Additionally, I utilize the Internet to conduct research and add to my writings. Personally. It is interesting to analyze friendships and relationships from a technical perspective. I find that I have maintained more friendships and relationships if they participate in technical ways of communicating. It is safe to say that a day doesn’t go by without a personalized email from friends or family, especially with Ben in Texas. I recently coordinated a family reunion with over 65 people in attendance. It was so frustrating to try and coordinate and communicate with those that didn’t email! I also love using online resources to find tidbits for my 6-year old son, Alex. He loves to catch bugs and we often research these bugs, their diet and habitat. Google images have been a great resource for finding pictures of comets, satellites, and all kinds of bugs and animals. Indeed, the Internet has become a need in my life, both professionally and personally.