My Friday and Saturday

Lee Price Friday Today we started to learn about social media in much more detail. We discussed the history of social media, from the first recorded mail delivery back in 550bc, and through to modern day electronic social media. Until now I had not considered postal mail to be social media, it was something I had taken for granted. Now I can see how social media is about interaction between humans, sharing our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. I think that living in the information age and using electronic media to communicate so quickly, we can forget that the interaction and exchange of information is between human beings. Friday was a beautiful day and we were able to spend time talking with the locals of Rabka. We were finding out about their personal feelings and uses for social media. It was interesting to speak to a variety of men and women, young and old. Most of the people we spoke to had accounts such as Facebook and YouTube, those who did not still had a good idea of the uses. This really shows how much electronic social media is a part of our modern day culture. We also wanted to explore peoples thoughts on the negative side of online interaction, the main concerns were; • Invasion of privacy • Becoming addicted • Wasting too much time • Replacing real human interaction • Cyber bullying Almost everyone we approached was happy to speak with us for a short time. I was really grateful for the time they gave to us. We then took the information we had gathered and used it to create a video presentation. We highlighted the pros and cons and presented them to each other. It was interesting to hear how the older people we spoke to were more aware of the privacy issues and the potential for bullying. The younger people seemed to be thinking more about the potential to waste time or to become addicted, I wonder if this was through experience? (It was for me!) The day was informative and fun. The course was picking up momentum and I couldn't wait for the next day. Saturday The main focus of today was how to properly leverage social media to get that dream you want. We started the day with a talk from a social media specialist, Kasia. The presentation was really helpful and contained different ideas and ways to get yourself out there. I was impressed with the creative ways people have already made CV's for particular jobs, from interactive YouTube resumes to short flash games. The rest of the day we focused on the same subject and shared different ways and resources to find work through Europe. Today was hard work, tiring, and totally worth it. Our hard work was more than rewarded, later in the day we had a great surprise. Everyone was taken by horse and carriage into a nearby wood with the most beautiful clear sky I have ever seen. Not once have I seen so many stars! Just getting there was amazing, then in the dark of the night a parked car threw on it's lights. We were met by cheers and a trio playing traditional Polish music for us by a camp fire that was soon lit. Let me tell you, I was simply blown away! Such hospitality is always well received! We shared food, drinks and some of us danced around the fire, it was a brilliant evening. After the band left, we told stories, sang, and played our own music. This was an unforgettable evening!