It pretty much speaks for itself, making points Lessig has made before. But every time I see something like this, it begs the greater question: Why do we create, why do we share, if we don't really want anyone to see it, think about it, be moved by it? Like social media, it becomes a matter of letting go of our supposed need to control and, instead embracing the engagement. You cannot have the good without the bad, the conversation without a voice.

It always makes me think. 

Squeeee! Happy Friday, indeed!

And now I ask you -- why do you tweet?

You haven't seem much of me online today. I've been taking care of business on my end. Of course, you say, but there's always time to drop a tweet or two. True enough. And here I am, whispering in your ear before I go to the next order of business. Because there's a special event this afternoon I'm just dying to tell you about. Remember that job I was applying for involving social media?

I've got an interview for it this afternoon.

One of the pieces I've been a part of is the creation of the new name badges. Not your typical conference badges, these are sleek black badges with the Penn State shield in silver, and my name as I want it to appear. Nice, huh? These are permanent badges that can then be used at any Penn State events we attend. But what I really love about them is this: one side shows my Penn State professional side with the shield and my name, while the other side reflects my social side--the event hashtag (#psutlt) and my Twitter ID, @robin2go. No worries if an attendee doesn't have a Twitter ID, but I like the fact that I can add it if I have one, because then people can see my online ID and connect with me that way. What's more, the social side has space for our event moo stickers, which have become a tradition at the symposium for several years. Once we check into the registration desk, we'll have the opportunity to choose the stickers that reflect our participation in our community. Podcasting? There's a sticker for that. Openness, collaboration? There's stickers for those, too. Or perhaps you're a fan of a particular Teaching and Learning with Technology event. There will be stickers for those as well. 

Clearly, I'm excited about these badges. You can be too--just head on over to the Customize Your Badge page and fill out three questions. That's all there is to it. And when we get to the Symposium, we'll all be looking like rock stars.

I hate Facebook. Really.

Facebook, to me, is high school all over again. I was not popular and didn't get to hang with the incrowds. In fact, I was worse than a nerd. I was smart, I moved around a lot, I was always the new kid, and teachers LOVED me. You can't put a bigger "loser" target on someone in high school. So I was basically a loner, always on the outside, and not really interested in looking in.

Thank god I got to graduate and move on.

I'm applying for a job this week. It's one I would be good at. Heck, let's be real: it's one I'd kill for. It's about cultivating communities using social networks here at Penn State, and the position is shared across three entities: the College of Liberal Arts, the Rock Ethics Institute, and Education Technology Services, where I currently work part time. I'm up against stiff competition: two very smart, very capable candidates who are also two very close friends. Not an enviable position, let me assure you. They both have strengths that are specific to their backgrounds, have a lot of experience presenting at conferences, and can probably spell pedagogy and use it correctly in a sentence. At first glance, you might well ask, why even try? 

Why indeed.