What Community Means to Me

When I think of "community", I picture the aspects of community life that rarely seem to exist in society today. I think of people pulling together to help each other out. I picture the Amish, all coming together to build a house for one of their community members, being willing to give their time and effort, knowing that their community members will be willing to one day do the same for them. I imagine the deeper friendships that are built in communities where not only are people willing to help out, but people are willing to ask for help, to show their vulnerabilities and drop their defenses.

I think back to pictures I've seen of block parties and barbecues, especially in the 1950s era. It seems like communities were closer back then; that people took the time to get to know their neighbors, and to enjoy their "off" time together more than they do now.

I took a class on community organizing, and it was sad to me that most people polled in the class did not know more than two people in their neighborhood. And I am included in those results! What does that do to a "sense of community" if you do not even know who is around you? Most of us seem to be living isolated lives, filling our time with business and busyness, but what about relationships? We all need friendship, accountability, and a sense that someone cares what happens in our lives. I guess that is how I would define an ideal community: one where its members take the time to know each other, keep each other accountable, and care about each other.

Determining my worth

Ha! Thanks for the depressing topic!  :)   Finding out your net worth is not too difficult to figure out, especially for the average college student, who probably doesn't own much yet, or have many, if any, investments. The simple equation to figuring out your net worth is to subtract what you owe from the value of what you own. If you don't own a house, a car, a savings account, or investments like a 401K plan, and you are debt free, it should be very easy to figure out! You are probably still on the plus side in the net worth category, because you must own something. 
If, however, you don't own any of the above listed things, and you DO have debt, your net worth is probably in the hole. I used a financial calculator at http://www.msmoney.com/mm/financial_health/where_stand/yournetworth.htm to determine my net worth. If you plug your numbers in, and you do not like what you see, you can try to turn those numbers around by using a site like https://www.mint.com/ or https://money.strands.com/ which launched in 2009 and won the Best Banking Website in the 14th Annual Webby Awards in 2010. Moneystrands has an online app for money managing, as well as a free app for iPhones and iPods. A calendar can be set up to show which bills are about to be due. A 12-month spending plan can be established (otherwise known as the "b" word: budget.) One reviewer wrote:  "Where does my money go" is my favorite feature offered by Moneystrands. It has helped me reevaluate where I spend the majority of my money. My coffee and food budget has been cut by 75%. Just having the visualization of my spending has helped me save so much." A person can set up email alerts; if you reach a certain level of spending in a certain budget category, an alert will be sent to your email or phone warning you so that you can reign in your spending. A person can even compare their spending (by category) with others in the community!


How important is it to know your net worth? Experts are divided on the topic. Per a New York Times article: "To me, it’s an irrelevant number,” says Spencer Sherman, author of “The Cure for Money Madness” and a founder and the chief executive of Abacus Wealth Partners. “If people have a billion in net worth and are spending half a billion in a year, they’re really poor.” After all, they’re on pace to be broke in 24 months. (Sherman’s preferred measure of financial health for retirees is a ratio that compares net worth, excluding home equity, with the amount of money people take from their portfolios each year. He generally doesn’t want clients spending more than 4 to 6 percent of their holdings annually.)
Of course, this is really referring to people who have taken some kind of interest in their finances, obviously, if they have a financial advisor and an established portfolio! Most experts agree that knowing your net worth is a good basic place to start and can lead to learning how to better manage your money.

Purchases online vs. in store

Obviously, having trust in the security of an online transaction is important. But there are more factors in deciding whether or not to purchase on item online. Sometimes convenience is king! That is when I turn to the computer to make an online purchase. Some of the items I like to buy online are books, perfume, and games. The more the likelihood that I won't need to return the item, the more the chance I will make the purchase online.
When it comes to something that requires a proper fit, however, I will almost always make the purchase in a store. This is especially true for clothing. I do sometimes purchase shoes online, and can purchase with confidence if it is a brand I have purchased in the past. For the most part, though, when it comes to any apparel, I prefer to go to a store.
I also am a "texture" person, so the majority of the time, I purchase items such as sheets, comforters and towels in a store. I want to feel the fabric before I make my decision!
In addition to the "try before you buy" factor, and being able to feel the fabric first, I also enjoy puttering around in a store, so as convenient as the computer is, the stores still have a stronger pull for me!

My webpage

Here is the info on the webpage I created:

	<html>
	<title>Isn't Life Good?!</title>
	<body>
	You have one life on this earth. And no, it isn't always on an upward path.<br> Sometimes it takes some crazy turns, and loop-de-loops.<br> But this ride called life won't stay in a downward spiral forever, so hang in there.<br> Your "ride" will get on an even path again. Look for the good in every day you are blessed with. And keep reminding yourself:<br>
	<img src="C:\Users\Merilee\Desktop\sleepinkitty.jpg"><br>
	<marquee><p style="font-size: 150%;">"Isn't Life Good?!"</font> </marquee> </body>
	</html>

Similarities & Differences of Email and Postal Mail

Email was designed to mimic many aspects of postal mail. Electronic (thus the letter "e") mail is a way to send a message to a recipient, as is postal (or snail) mail. That message can consist of a letter, an advertisement, a bill, an announcement, a thank you, or a notification. It can include a photo or graphic of some kind. Either form of mail can be sent anonymously. Both have some regulations involved. Each can have multiple accounts (postal mail can through PO boxes or multiple physical addresses.) Both are better handled utilizing address books. Each type of mail must have a sender and a receiver. Both mail processes are sent through various routes that can change if necessary to get the message to the end user. Both types of messages are usually returned to the sender if the end address is incorrect. They both have established protocols. Snail mail and email  have junk mail. Either service offers senders the option to request notification that the message has been received.

There are some differences between the two, of course. Email is much less costly than postal mail. Also, postal mail will never achieve the delivery of speed that email offers. On the flip side, there are places in the world that can receive postal mail but cannot receive an email, since those areas do not have internet service available.And one of the most obvious differences between email and postal mail: we cannot send something physical through email. We do not have Star Trek replicator processes figured out, yet! Maybe someday...

What I hope to learn in class

I have used the World Wide Web since 1995 for searching for information, communicating with others, banking, and, of course, for entertaining myself! However, I know there is so much more available to me than I have tapped into. I look forward to digging deeper in this class and learning more about the Web's applications and processes. As a future student and employee of Library Sciences, I am especially interested in number 5 in the syllabus: "student will be able to...make educated predictions as to how emerging technologies will affect current standards in media disbursement and consumption." I also am looking forward to week three's topics of searching, information and research.
I know this will be a very interesting class!