I have had two interesting experiences with new media lately.

• Several months ago, I posted a comment on Facebook stating that I had gotten my law license back.  (Don’t jump to conclusions!  I just changed my status from “active but not practicing” to “active and practicing” because I wanted to be able to do legal work again.)  In response to a friend’s comment, I explained that I did not have to retake the West Virginia bar exam to get my law license back and I didn’t know if I could pass it now.  The next thing I knew I was seeing an advertisement for a bar review course on Facebook.  Why?  The reference to the bar exam?  My profile, which indicates that I have a JD degree?  Both?
• As I mentioned yesterday, I just made the conversion from NetNewsWire to Google Reader for RSS feeds.  On the right side of my RSS feed home page is a light blue box containing RSS feeds in which Google “thinks” I may be interested.  At the top of the list?  Dermatology Times, which promotes itself as the leading news magazine for dermatologists.  I promise you I have no unusual rashes or break-outs, so why would Google “think” I might be interested?  Well I have written two posts lately in which I used dermatological wordplay – “Heartbreak of Psoriasis” – about the dermatologist anchor tenant in Huntington’s Kinetic Park – and “Chemical Peel, Anyone?” – about the South Charleston Tech Center, which used to be the nation’s most significant chemicals research facility – that appeared in my Google Reader display.  Furthermore, in the process of drafting an upcoming post about the WVU Research Park, I went looking for another dermatological term for punmanship purposes.  As a result, apparently, Google “thinks” I may want an RSS feed to Dermatology Times.

This type of marketing troubles me.  Will Big Brother ultimately be able to figure out my every want and desire and lead me straight to it, which would not be a good thing, I assure you?  Or should I take comfort that Facebook’s marketing arm works so poorly it “thinks” I’m studying for the bar exam and Google’s marketing arm works so poorly it “thinks” I’m a dermatologist?

Over the last few months, I have had an opportunity to discover social (and anti-social) media – or more accurately, it has discovered me.  I increasingly am convinced that it truly is changing the world.  Some observations about the various media that have discovered me:

• Blogs.  Not too many years ago, I remember someone informing me that a former co-worker (HippieKiller) had a blog and my asking what exactly a blog was.  Today, I write this blog and read seven blogs regularly via RSS feed.  I had thought technology was going to make writing a dying art.  The rise of blogging suggests otherwise.  I like it that most bloggers, or at least the ones I read, do not disguise their opinions like traditional media often do.  If they think something is BS, they call it BS.  The world is a better place because of that.  Plus you can incorporate video, pictures and audio – not that you would know that from reading my blog.
• Facebook. I’m convinced Facebook, the main social networking site, has changed relationships and social networking forever.  No longer will people lose contact with high school and college classmates or business and social acquaintances.  Facebook allows us to stay just well enough informed about people we’d never pick up the phone to call.  Additionally, Facebook is a wonderful tool for non-profit organizations.  I love to read about the activities of the non-profits with which I am or have been involved, and I’m sure it makes me more likely to donate when I’m reminded regularly of the great work these groups do.  Having said all that, I’ll never understand the attraction of Mafia Wars, Farmville, or quizzes; people with too much time on their hands, I guess.
• LinkedIn. I’d never heard of LinkedIn, the main business networking site, before a friend invited me to join a few months ago.  They have a tool that allows you to figure out how many of your address book contacts are LinkedIn members.  I was blown away to discover that 194 were.  Of course, I’ve never done anything other than sign up, which probably defeats the purpose.
• MeetUp. Unless you’re interested in joining Kanawha Valley Hookers (a now-defunct group for crocheting, I quickly and sadly discovered) or becoming a charter member of the John Birch Society, don’t waste your time – yet.
• RSS Feeds. How did I ever live without them?  Now I can choose which news I want to check out regularly and it’s all brought to me in one place.  I was just forced to make the move from NetNewsWire to GoogleReader.  I think both are fabulous tools.
• StumbleUpon. For those who love serendipity and voyages of discovery, there’s no place better than StumbleUpon, which learns what you like and helps you discover more of it, or one of its competitors.  I think it’s the perfect accompaniment to an RSS Feed when you have some free time to look for interesting things.
• iTunes. Now that I know the difference between an iPod, an iPhone, and iTunes, I’ve discovered I’m happiest with iTunes.  I never watch regular television anymore.  I buy a season of a TV show that I’ve heard is good through i-Tunes and watch episode after episode over nights and weeks.  Good television is so much better when you watch episodes back to back – and without commercial interruption.  The only problem: there’s no one with whom to discuss your latest episode of Battlestar Galactica or Mad Men – they either watched it six months ago or haven’t seen it.
• Twitter. Ever trying to keep up with the latest, I established a Twitter account.  I have not tweeted once.  The only good use I can come up with for it: alerting someone to a good article or blog post, but who really wants to deal with tinyurl.com?  (But isn’t it cool that someone thought of tinyurl to meet a need.)  They say brevity is the soul of wit; I say it’s the soul of twits and twitterers.
• YouTube and Flickr.  Not places I visit regularly.
• Websites.  They’re coming to seem a bit old-fashioned (unless you call them portals and charge a lot for them).  I do not understand why so many people spend so much money on them and then fail to keep them updated.  (Note to self: Finish website.)