The Garage Sale Blog Network

State of the GSBN - "The Future is the "State of Indiana" - Lite Bright

Here at the GSBN we've been thinking about how to freshen things up for the new year.  Some have referred to this mission was "GSBN 2.0", "The Semantic GSBN", or "GSBN-book".  Our current bloggers are a doing great job, however, as a blog network it's always good to keep things dynamic.  Many leadership theories advocate that the key to organization change is people change.  That is why I have accepted the mission to travel to the state of Indiana to recruit new bloggers for the GSBN.

So you may want to know why I chose Indiana. Sure, sure, the hotbed of blogging is in Silicon Valley, New York and D.C.  But did you know that Indiana's state motto is "The crossroads of America"?  What an interesting viewpoint to have as a blogger!  Additionally, the Indiana State website has rounded corners and user-ratings for each page, you can't get more 2.0 then that!  Indiana's main product is hogs, if my fellow GSBN's recall, the most successfully selling product at our garage sale was bacon!  Indiana means "Land of the Indians", last time we did our GSBN census we did not have any Native American representation.  I think the case for Indiana is pretty clear cut.

I will be traveling next week on the mission to recruit at least three new members of the GSBN.  I will be blogging from the road to let readers know about my progress.

At this time I'd like to give a shoutout to my Mom.  Thanks Mom for keeping my "Indiana - U.S. State Book Report" from 4th grade.

Obama or Potato Salad - Lite Bright

The other day I got an email from the Obama people telling me how volunteers were needed to go out to Nevada on weekends, a major swing state, and campaign for Obama.  I came up with the brilliant idea that I would don my American flag suspenders and sparklers and hop on a bus out to Nevada to make change!  I saw myself going door to door, handing out pamphlets, eating egg salad with old undecided couple in Carson City and persuading them that Obama was the right choice for President.  But why should I go alone?  My new day dream involved taking a class of high school juniors and seniors out to Nevada to help campaign as wel.  "See kids, this is what democracy looks like."  They would come back to school with newly invigorated and write their college application essays about how the trip to Nevada changed their life.  I was even going to blog from the road, maybe have a web cam, Obama was going to personally shake my hand.  "Thank you Susan....

RING RING

"Oh, hi Mom? What's that?  Uncle Burt and Aunt Anita are visiting from upstate New York?  You wanna have a family BBQ the weekend of the 17th?  Well, see, I was going to go to Nevada that weekend and change the world. You don't think it will make a difference?  I know I haven't seen your family in nine months but...well....you are making your potatato salad?  Ok..well, sure, yeah, I'll be there."

If the GSBN exhaled a massive smoke cloud, this is what it would look like - Lite Bright

Blog Post - Iran! So that is where Orkut went - Lite Bright

I just came across some interesting data on the geographic popularity of social networking sites, check it:

• Facebook is most popular in Turkey and Canada.
• Friendster and Imeem are most popular in the Philippines.
• LinkedIn is most popular in India.
• Twitter is most popular in Japan.
• LiveJournal is more popular in Russia than it is in the United States.
• Orkut is more popular in Iran (10th country popularity-wise) than it is in the United States.
• MySpace is the only social network which is most popular in the United States.
• MySpace, LinkedIn, LiveJournal, Xanga, and Twitter are the only social networks in this survey which have the United States in their top five countries, popularity-wise. That is just five out of twelve.

Source

This is quite interesting because I first started using Facebook last summer when I met two Canadians while traveling in Turkey.  Go figure!

 My buddy Zizzle and I have trying to figure out who is using Orkut.  We suspected it was Brazil, but in fact, Iran is where it's at.  The CIA better get on that!

Now why is Twitter more popular in Japan?  Perhaps the Japanese are known for tight engineering and making do within small spaces.  Hello Twitter!

I'd also like to take this opportunity to give a shouout to my friend Brad who created LiveJounal and then sold it to the Russians.  Holla!

I guess Vegan Passions is still making it's way onto the chart.

It's a community thing - Lite Bright

So part of my company's culture is to be environmentally friendly.  Wait, can I still say "environmentally friendly" or was that nineties thing.   OK, we are about "going green", is that right?  Let me give you an example.  I led a brainstorming session the other day and part of the session involved the participants writing labels on post-its and sticking them around the room.  It's a great brainstorming exercise but I felt really anxious about introducing it.   I knew that someone in the room was going to call me out on my tree slaughtering exercise.  It's was kind of annoying, but at the same time this organizational focus on going green really works, even if it's just because of peer pressure. 

 Signs around the office encourage me to refill water bottles instead of using new ones.  Groups who carpool are incentivized by getting access to parking spots close to the entrance.  When I'm at work, I think twice about using a disposable coffee cup when I can use a mug instead. Is it because I'm always thinking about the environment and can cite statistics about the number of trees falling down every second?  No, it's just because I don't want to be the victim of some judging look and I just want to fit in with what everyone else is doing.  I guess peer pressure isn't the best reason to make green decision but it does work for me.

The nice thing about this community support of going green at work is that it can reach people of all backgrounds, religions, etc.  For example, a company prayer time would not be as accepted because it would ostracize people who aren't religious.  Having weekly circle sessions for women to talk about feeling and issues of esteem would also cut a large majority of the community out.  However, no one can be religiously, ethnically or sexually offended to the idea of making sustainable decisions.  Going green is a lifestyle that is truly welcoming to everyone and peer pressure to take a shorter shower it a lot less damaging than peer pressure to stick a heroin filled needle in your arm.  By the way, remember, drug needles should not be recycled!!
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My new favorite slang word is anything in the "dude bro" word family.  The Dude Bro language is a whole new way for men to express their feelings for one another.  For example, a harmless bro a "dude bro", but a dude who is all up in your face and acting stupid is a "broseph".  When dudes are really feeling each other they get "broners".  Please reference this article for more brocabulary. 

Sincerity, Hot or Not? - Lite Bright

Somewhere in between Paris Hilton's "that's hot" proclamation, Zoolander's Mugatu saying "that Hansel, so hot right now" and the launch of the horrible website Hot or Not (www.hotornot.com) my favorite game was born.  The game is called "hot or not" and the rules are as follows:



1) A member of a group (2 or more people) calls out a noun like "beet salad".
2) The other member of the group yell out the words "hot" or "not" and give examples to back up their claim
3) The group makes a decision on whether the item is actually "hot" or "not hot"
4) Should an item dubbed "hot" come up in conversation in the next 24 hours, the group members must say "[Item Name], so hot right now." 

It's a pretty superficial game but it promotes debate and a introspective look at the world we live in.  I think this is most popular with us city folk who are always trying to be involved in the hottest foods, events, music, designers and sexual position of the day.  I find that when I meet someone new at a party, if we are both from the city, we automatically relate to each other by talking about what new restaurant we've eaten at or new venue we've checked out.

So what is on the "Hot List" these days?  Here are a few examples:

• Sustainable Restaurants
• Leafy Green Veggies
• Peanut Milk (it'll cure cancer and regrow amputated limbs)
• Blog Networks
• Twosomes

But here's the thing, I don't think the "hot or not" game should be limited to hair accessories, restaurants and nail polish colors.  We can also play "hot or not" with more intangible items like mercy, justice, and the Checks and Balance System.  If you really wanna see some creativity, ask your friends to defend the hotness of of school vouchers ("not hot" right now, by the way). 

Here is how the conversation goes:

Sue: "Justice!"
Ernie: Not hot, justice was really hot back in the biblical times and middle ages when you could chop off someone's arm if they stole an onion from you. 
Bert: Totally not hot, I really don't trust the justice system in this country.  The Supreme Court Justices don't represent my opinions and the system seems flawed.  I mean, OJ got away with murder.
Oscar: I think justice is still hot in this post-911 world.  Aren't we supposed to be supporting our troops in the pursuit of freedom.  Oh wait, that's not justice, that's just fear....
Sue: There you go, Justice, not hot right now.

 


This is a really fun game because you get to have bite sized chunks of "real talk" with your friends.  It's the fun-sized snicker bar version of deep talk and introspection.

So what do you think folks?  Have some ideas for concepts for the "hot or not" game?  Add it the comments ya'll!

Helter Skelter - Is GSBN the next Manson Family? - Lite Bright (Susan)

I can't believe I'm the first person to take on the topic of Charles Manson.  We've been live for 13 days now and still no one has broached this topic?  Well this post hearby represents not only the first Manson Family post but also the first GSBN book review.  If you haven't read Helter Skelter  (The True Story of the Manson Murders) you are missing out on one of the most shocking, addictive and fascinating books ever written.  Remember how the grandfather in Princess Bride sold the book to little Fred Savage by promising it would be full of adventure, sword fights, giants, pirates, etc.  Well I'm telling you that this  book is the adult version of Princess Bride - cults, psychedelic drugs, murder, music, group sex and true love (if you think true love is an acid educed orgie in the desert). 

I guess this whole Manson family/group think topic has been on my mind for a couple reasons lately. One, Susan Atkins one of the members of the Manson family recently requested that she be released from prison because she is dying of cancer and wants to have the comfort of dying outside of prison.  Susan Atkins was the one responsibly for repeatedly stabbing the pregnant actress Sharon Tate in the stomach until she died. Not the best candidate for the mercy of the court in my opinion. 

 The other reason the Manson family has been on mind is because of the whole "group think" mentality.  Charles Manson was able to use his charismatic personality, drugs and sex to convince members of his "family" to run away to the desert, give up their own children, steal, and ultimately commit murder.  Even after they were caught, three of the women in the family were so committed to Manson and that they shaved their heads during the court trial and would cackle and shout out wild statements. They were willing to go to jail for life rather than admit that Manson was the mastermind behind the crimes.

When I read this book I found it astounding how quickly these young people gave up their own values and needs for the good of "The Family".  However, since joining the Garage Sale Blog Network I've become a bit more understanding about the power of group mentality.  The GSBN also has a powerful motivator/leader who inspires us through statistics and personal stories, and has somehow convinced us that our blog network is the most important thing on the web and in our lives right now.  I've been less productive at work, I've been giving up my weekend nights, and measuring my worth through Quantcast statistics.  I had a phone chat with my Mom the other day and when she asked me "what's new?", my first response was about the GSBN.  I've even started dressing different, well, at least dressing my facebook profile and gtag differently - gsbn logo everywhere!  I've even scarified my personal pay pal account and converted it to the GSBN treasury.  I guess my Troll doll collection will just suffer this year, sorry ebay. I think I've made all these decisions by my own will, but I"m not sure, I'l have to ask the group what they think.  

So I'm not saying I'm going to stick a fork in some poor innocent Southern California housewife because GSBN told me to do it.  I'm just saying, the power of group mentality and group think is real, it's strong, and I've been a personal witness to do it.

"Look out!
Helter Skelter, Helter Skelter, Helter Skelter, oooh...
Look out, 'cause here she come ... "
(Helter Skelter - The Beatles)

Susan : Garage Sale Symbol - Lite Bright

Susan Cline is an instructional designer and web developer who is passionate about the use of the web and technology for the pursuit of lifelong learning.  She enjoys preaching about the merits of blogs, wikis and social networking for community building.  A native of the Bay Area, Susan enjoys playing tennis, traveling, eating, and changing her gMail chat tagline/picture.  Susan cooks a mean tuna noodle casserole and can stand on her head for long periods of time. 

I don't care about your favorite books, but are you lactose intolerant? - Lite Bright (Susan)

In the world of online dating, are your favorite books as important to me as your favorite food?  The answer is definitely a no.  I spend a good portion of my day eating, thinking about eating, or preparing food.  Yet, I probably only spend about thirty minutes a day reading for pleasure.  Yet a site like match.com equally weights my answers to trivial questions like books, movies, preferred hair color as it does to my answer about my food lifestyle.  I recently realized how serious this was when out on a date with a guy who kept kosher.  Sure, sounds simple, no pork, no shellfish, don't mix meat and cheese, right?  Unfortunately it's not that simple, I felt like an iron curtain had dropped over every menu and suddenly my best friend's shrimp, pepperoni pizza, and beef and cheese burritos were on the other side.  It's not that I had to order kosher just because he did, but it felt rude to chow down on a pork rib drizzled in mozzarella oyster sauce right in front of him.  The moral is that food is pleasure, food is a huge part life, and online dating dates should be more sensitive to this.

But not to fear!  This is a message of hope because I've done some searching and there are many up and coming dating sites that specially server those with specific diets or food passions.  For the veggies they have options like VeggieDate where they can specifically define themselves as "vegan", "raw" or "macrobiotic".  For those vegans looking for something a bit spicier there is also Vegan Passions with this clever tag line:  "If the thought of kissing a 'meat eater' turns your stomach, Vegan Passions is the site for you."  The specialty food dating sites are not limited to the Veggies, there are also sites for Diabetic Dating.  I'm still on a search to fine an online love community of lactose intolerant folks but I'm pretty sure it's out there. 

I think it's wonderful that online dater now have all these choices for finding the perfect meal partner and perhaps significant other.  Now, if anyone wants to get together for some carnitas nachos sometime. give me a shout out.  You'll find my profile in the "Most Active" section of NachoLovers.com.