I love the social web - especially when it brings people together

A little bit of happiness I want to share - I won the Croatian Summer Salsa video competition. An economical disaster probably -at least if you include last years travel expenses and one week of editing and rendering time. But it is worth every penny. With help of social networking at Facebook and Youtube - I am a winner even if I cannot go there and get my price.

While making movies you get so many friends. People want to chat while you record. You sometimes also have to ask about permission. Sometimes people want you to send pictures to their mail accounts.You get hundreds of business cards, mail addresses and Facebook friends.

While uploading the result at Facebook and Youtube you get twice or three times as many friends. You get to know the people in the clips, the artists and the teachers (and this is extra fun since I am a crappy dancer). At a competition like this one you also get to know the managers of the event. You become someone and just not anyone - at least if the result is good.

Despite the Croatian Summer Salsa festival was full of pain - I was ill whole week - this video makes me feel good. I remember every snapshot. That little girl in spotted dress, the street dancing scenes, the happy people, the flamenco lady, magic Nina in blond hair dancing at the poolside, the topless ladies in that small boat, the bachata ladies in the pool. Dancing, jumping and happy people everywhere.

Next year when I go there to enjoy the price I will have so many more contacts than last year, a VIP card, free classes and about half the travel expenses payed. And I will have much more fun than last year - at least if I can leave all viruses at home.

But most of all I will have more fun because I will meet many of my new social networking friends. At the beach, at salsa classes and at the parties. And at the most spectacular pool party of the northern hemisphere.

I love social networking - especially when it brings people together for real meetings!

Vacillalo Gozalo - have fun and enjoy (the video clip)

WEEEPA!!!!

first published 19/10/2010

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It has to be fun, or else we cannot make it

SMILE - the sweetest referral SPAM I ever have got :-)

This is the sweetest referral SPAM I ever have got. And the reason why I publish it here is that I do not think the intention was to SPAM.

Target group for referral SPAM is the people reading webstatistics. If anyone creates a link pointing to your website most webmasters get very happy. When they find out an new referrer they usually follow that link and ends up in a dubious webshop or webhotel. This is a way to "attract" new visitors they think. But I only get annoyed....why lure me into this place on earth? And of course there are no link to my website - all is fake referral sites. Just fooling me to visit.

This visitor however had hidden herself/himself completely to all statistics programs (there are a few I am evaluating) except for Blogger's own serverbased . So I do not think the intention was to SPAM. I think it was Bloggers pretty new statistics function which did a mistake.

Have a look and decide for yourself. And at the same time - SMILE!



Smile, link to Youtube

Have a nice day or sleep well all of you!

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It has to be fun, or else we cannot make it

Have you made your Internet Will?

Today I was at the Mass of 40 days after the Death of two young women. An accident that have engaged whole Sweden.

On top of the grief and sorrow, police investigations etc. the families have to cope with problems with Facebook and Hotmail accounts. There are procedures for closing these accounts but sometimes these channels are needed for communication with friends to the diseased. You might for example want to write what has happened at the Facebook wall, answering questions coming in by mail or sending invitations to the funeral.

Letting these accounts be closed by Facebook respectively Hotmail takes time - at least six months.  It needs a lot of paperwork - a death certificate or a link to a well known newspaper. The need of proof differs from channel to channel.

Have you made your own Internet will?
Have you written any procedure for your relatives to follow the day you die? Do you know how to take care of your kids' Facebook if they die before you? Or your spouse's?

I think all of us need to think about these things. Things that you might feel are far away and perhaps impossible to happen. But it does happen... every day... to someone. And I think it is a concern for all of us. Why cause your spouse more pain than needed if you die before him/her? Why put this burden on your parents or your kids?

It is time for you to make your Internet will.

• List all channels of importance
• List usernames and passwords. Keep track of changes or write a procedure of how accounts, and password recovery procedures are linked. This can be constructed pretty nicely 
• Write how your Twitter, Facebook and blog may be used for information, condolences or simply be put down when you die.
• Write short instructions about how to shut down - at least where to find the information
• Write the e-mail addresses of important Internet connections you want to be informed after your death

If you can figure out more issues to put in your Internet will - write a comment or send me a mail.

Talk to you family about these issues. And consider this – the blog posts you may have written may be harmless and you feel they can be published for ever even after your death. Perhaps your family do not agree. Perhaps it hurts to read your words even if they were written with love and care.

Give your relatives crystal clear instructions how to take care of your Internet business. Or give them the chance to do whatever they feel best after your death. But do not let them struggle with these questions alone. You have to tell them!

A failing signal plant at an unattended railway crossing.

The family I am in touch with had the password to Facebook. They have used this channel for condolences and information to all friends. They had decided to put down the account after the 40 day mass - a beautiful idea. But someone changed the password and spelt it wrong - they cannot log in any more. They do not have the password to the Hotmail account connected to Facebook. To let Facebook bring the Facebook account down will take 6 months from now. This is very painful for the family who want to go into the next phase of grief.

I think you should write your Internet Will now!

Read more
How to close a Facebook account
How to request data from a deceased user's account? (MSN)
What Should I Do About My Virtual Life After Death?

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It has to be fun, or else we cannot make it