Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Digital Trail

Have you ever wondered where we'd be if computers hadn't been invented. I know a lot of people would say that we'd be much better off.
I know we'd have more privacy. Have you ever Googled your name? I just Googled Rick and Jilda Watson and I got 27 million hits. I know that not all those entries are about us, but a bunch of them are.
We've been writing, playing, doing volunteer work, and....living in a small town all of our lives. We've left a digital trail. I can tell you it's a bit unsettling.
It would be easy to say, computers are bad. But when you look on the flip side, you can check the spelling of a word with a few clicks. You can look at some of the most incredible works of art that's ever been created. You can hear a piece of music in a move and within a matter of minutes, have the entire library of the artist you heard on your iPhone.
Without computers, I would never have become acquainted with most of the people who read these words.
So, as is the case with most of life, there is a tradeoff. You must try to be mindful of what you share.
I'm amazed by what people put up on Facebook and their blogs. Everyone has things in their life that would be better left private.
But no matter how vigilant, things will be written, said, or otherwise appear on your permanent record.
My hope is that my digital trail be one that I wouldn't be embarrassed for my mama to read.

P.S. For those of you who read my wife Jilda's blog, I doubt she will have an entry tonight. We had lunch at a fast food place today and I think we had something tainted. I feel puny, but with her weakened system, she's having a rough time. I'm keeping fluids down her but she is not in a good place right now.
More later.

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:17 PM

    Hope the both of you feel better tomorrow.

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  2. I hope you both feel better soon - that fast food is the devil! Take good care of Jilda.

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  3. Tell Jilda I am praying for her. As for our digital trail, I would rather have the Internet than not have it. I love having access to so much information. I don't have much of a trail because I've moved so many times and changed my name.

    Love,
    Janie Junebug

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  4. So sorry you don't feel good. Sure hope tomorrow is a much better day. I've never been a sharer of really personal things so they won't be in my blog and I only use FB to check on my child. But I can no longer imagine life without a computer or a cell phone.

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  5. Oh dear Rick. Hope Jilda is feeling somewhat better tomorrow. It is not a good thing for her (or you either). Really sorry, sending good thoughts your way.

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  6. Hope you both get well soon...tea and toast seems in order.
    Hugs~

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  7. I'm sorry about Jilda. I hope she is well soon and you also. I love having the internet too and would miss it terribly if it just went Poof! away one day.

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  8. Good wishes to you both - hope whatever it was disappears by tomorrow. I don't eat fast food, and I totally distrust chicken in any form...

    I worry about privacy issues too, but i can't imagine life without computers and the internet.

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  9. Hope you and Jilda are now ok?

    Oh dear!

    Take care
    x

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  10. I say this all the time - what did we do before the computer age? Now we don't have to remember anything, we just Google it! Hope you and Jilda are feeling better soon.

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  11. Sorry to hear about Jilda and hope it passes soon.
    I've had similar thoughts about computers and the internet but then you have to remember that there is usually a good and bad side to everything.
    Love Di ♥

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  12. Have you ever tried googling your address........ you can even look up and down the street scary stuff........ But I suppose at the end of the day it all boils down to how people use it.... or abuse it...

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  13. I worry about privacy issues too. Many people think I'm nuts for having a blog. I don't put much on it that's not something everyone, no matter the age could read. (I lead a very boring life!) But I think I would miss the computer since I've had one for so long, but I know I lived a ton of years without one and I guess you can't miss what you don't know about! I sure hope Jilda feels better soon..you too!

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  14. And you can get an idea about how other people live thier lives in other parts of the world.
    Ms Soup

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