Communities and Knowledge at Your Fingertips
Recently, my husband and I have been discussing in more seriousness, a dream of ours, to buy a used RV, remodel it and travel the country for a year. I know it sounds a little crazy (and it is a bit crazy), but if the pandemic and some of the challenges we faced this year have taught us anything, it is to live while you can. When I was younger, my family had an RV and did trips throughout the year and they were some of the best memories I have.
So, what was the first thing I said when we started talking about it?
"I'll make a Pinterest board!"
To my husband, it seemed like I was making a vision board that 'looked cute' at first, but after I invited him to the board, he discovered that there was knowledge and ideas to be found on the board. Here is the board if you are interested in taking a look.
What I love most about Pinterest is that it only took me about 15 minutes to collect and begin: make the board, start collecting, saving, pinning, and then I spent time reading through the pins (which mostly lead to blogs). I also thought to myself, this is curating and sharing!
Since we have been discussing this idea, we have both been researching and I have been reflecting on my learning of Web 2.0 tools and knowledge communities, and I am amazed at how much I rely on web 2.0 tools to access communities and knowledge.
As I have been researching...
- I have been following new accounts and people on Youtube and TikTok (using hashtags): following people who have bought and remodelled older RVs, people who live the RV lifestyle and work on the road
- Joining communities (on Pinterest and Facebook)
- Reading blogs and adding them to my Feedly!
I have been able to see remodels being done, learn about costs of buying, remodelling, maintenance and monthly budgets and costs, I have learned pros and cons, what needs to be considered when working remotely on the road, and so much more. In one of the videos I was watching, the YouTuber said that Youtube is the main resource they rely on to fix RV engine and maintenance troubles (in addition to asking other campers and neighbours nearby if they were at an RV park).
Within the last 5 days, I am also amazed by what my husband and I have learned. This idea may be a little crazy for us, but one thing is for sure, we will not be going into it blindly.
All this time, I keep thinking how when my parents bought their RV, they had access to none of the resources and communities I have access to today. And I honestly don't know how they "jumped into buying an RV" without being able to access what we can now.
I am excited and thrilled by the communities and knowledge at my fingertips!
I am curious to know, have you experienced a similar realization or reflection about Web 2.0 tools since starting our Web 2.0 course?
Your parents drove around to every RV dealer in town, talked to friends on the phone who had or were doing the same thing, and shared all the brochures with their bridge club to garner opinions. Looking back to 1990, I did a deep dive into web 1.0 and found the surgeons manual for a knee surgery that I wanted my boys to have. I had to convince Capital Health Plan to allow us to go out of network for 2 $80,000 procedures being performed by a doctor in Jacksonville for the Jaguars. It cost us a co-pay of $5 each. My husband thought I was nuts, but I was just doing my mom thing and I had the tools.
ReplyDeleteThey told me they talked to the previous owners and that's it when they bought theirs. You're right, that is exactly what they did! Wow, that just goes to show the importance of resourcefulness.
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