Margie Maddux Newman

There’s never a moment you won’t find me tethered to the Internet via iPhone, laptop, netbook, or Kindle. Sometimes, I’m connected by all of them at once.

Nothing brings out the worst in folks quite like anonymity. Under the misguided belief that the Internet was created to catalog negative comments and painfully poor grammar, folks we geeks call “trolls” rant and pillage the Web and leave in their wake you, with a helpless, panicky feeling.

As a public relations and social media blogger gal, the one question I am asked most often is, “How the BLEEP am I supposed to respond to stupid online comments?” I hear ya’!

I’m fortunate to have been raised by a very close, thoughtful family. The “I love you”s and “great job”s flowed from the lips of adults in my life like rivers. Lord knows every little accomplishment I achieved was recorded, lauded, and recounted at family meals; it made me feel like I could tackle anything.

Summertime and the geekin’ is easy. Here are my top picks for fun and practical summer technology companions to keep you connected and entertained while on the go.
 
Capture a Kindle

If you are technologically curious, you’ve likely heard folks talking about the location-based social networks Gowalla and Foursquare. Both utilize GPS and those fancy smartphones to allow you to “check in” to places you visit, tell folks where you are, and post your thoughts along the way.

Sunny weather and warm temperatures trigger in me an uncontrollable cleaning reflex. After I throw open the windows, turn up the music, and dust my baseboards, it’s time to clean out every kitchen drawer. And then I tackle the closets.

Apparently I give off a vibe of approachability. Folks are always calling, texting, emailing, Tweeting, and Facebooking me about random geekery. As an extrovert, I’m more than happy to chat! But it’s not just my desire for near-constant conversation that benefits from this relationship.

They say dog is man’s best friend, but we all know that a dog is also a woman’s soul sister. If you’ve had your pup for a while, think back to all of the elation, heartbreak, embarrassment, and triumph she’s witnessed: crappy first dates, hangovers, boyfriends, wanna-be boyfriends, one-woman fashion shows, wardrobe disasters, your attempts to train for a marathon, and don’t forget the flu.

If I should die before I wake, my Facebook password my husband should take. Oh, and an auto-reply message on my Gmail he should make, but my Twitter, LinkedIn, eBay, and PayPal accounts he may forsake …

Time and again, you loyal Chic Geek-ers email or Facebook-message me with your technology and social media questions instead of leaving public comments on HerNashville.com. You say it’s because you don’t want to post your “dumb question” where the world can see, and I understand. But listen, sister, having an issue, Googling it, and finding the answer from someone who already solved your problem is why the Internet is awesome.