Why children are getting and what UB is - University at Buffalo

opinion
inmy
Alumni share their thoughts
What new technologies do you use
to communicate—and why?*
John MacDonald, BA ’77
Poulsbo, WA
I’m a technology nut, though I’m not interested in blogging.
This is because I’ve never been good at keeping a
journal. I use the Internet for news and entertainment, but
what most impresses me is Web-based communication. I
stay in touch with friends more often than I ever did before
e-mail, and I’m amazed at the amount and variety of information
on the Web, both professionally and personally.
All my profession’s journals are accessible online, as well
as audio and PowerPoint presentations from conferences.
It requires new skills not to drown in it all. I would be very
interested in UB podcasts.
Mary Schmid, EdM ’07 & BA ’06
Buffalo, NY
I definitely use Facebook every day. However, in my position
as a UB graduate student and as a future instructor
for UB 101 [a one-credit seminar course that helps
first-year students transition to campus life], I am always
vigilant about what gets posted on my profile, especially
pictures. It can be tricky to find a balance between sharing
To learn more about opportunities
for UB alumni social networking,
go to www.alumni.buffalo.edu/
socialnetworks. Meanwhile, more
and more campus units are producing
podcasts, including WBFO, the School
of Social Work and the Division of
Athletics.
fun stories about yourself
and maintaining some level
of professionalism. It does
allow me to connect with
other students quickly and
easily, so I doubt that I will
stop using Facebook any
time soon.
Joseph Lombardo, BA’73 & BA’73
Reston, VA
I use technology extensively for work and professional purposes.
While I subscribe to a couple of the social network
groups (Facebook and LinkedIn, for example), I rarely
have time to check them or to keep them up to date, nor
do I intend to join additional social networking groups. I
do belong to Development Executive Group, and would
consider joining a UB or professional site. However, I
don’t find blogs in general—and especially those open to
the general public—all that useful or interesting. I don’t
particularly like podcasts, as they often have very superficial
information. What I do use quite a bit is SKYPE for
staying in touch with family, friends and colleagues when I
am traveling.
John Barnes, MA ’72
Harrisburg, PA
I use the Internet in many ways. I
have a Web site that I mainly use
to post photographs to share with
friends and relatives, though anyone
else is welcome to look at it. But I am
not interested in online communities
such as MySpace, though I can’t give
a good reason why this is so. Maybe
I could be convinced otherwise if I
found the right community. Podcasts, on the other hand,
are terrific. I subscribe to several, mostly professionally
produced programs related to science and technology, and
appreciate the ability to listen to them when it suits my
schedule. If UB produced podcasts, I would be interested
in seeing what was offered, but I would subscribe only if
the content interested me.
Carol Goodson, MLS ’72 & BA ’70
Carrollton, GA
I am an academic librarian and as part of my university
service, I chair a campus committee whose task is to investigate
ways to increase student retention. I’ve been using
Facebook to make contact with the transfer students at our
school; the goal is to find out what kinds of problems they
have making the transition to our campus and to find ways
to fix those problems. I also like Facebook and MySpace
because they give me some insight into how the younger
generation thinks (I’m 60). This helps me be a better librarian.
I love technology, and definitely would join UB’s
MySpace site!
Tamar Jacobson, PhD ’97,
EdM ’92 & BA ’89
Philadelphia, PA
I blog, Facebook, Twitter—love it all!
*Question posed in “In
My Opinion,” a feature
of the monthly electronic
newsletter @UB,
a portion of which also
appears regularly in
UB Today. To subscribe,
go to the UB Link
menu at www.alumni.
buffalo.edu.
www.alumni.buffalo.edu UBTODAY Winter 2009 17