I love the phone. That's where I get my email.

Some of the reading I've done asks the question of why one is attacking a particular research topic. Other people in my class have struggled with the idea of researching something they love vs. something that interests them, and I think this topic falls somewhere in the middle for me. I've realized that I'm a big nerd and that I beat the hell out of Web 2.0 more than a lot of people.

In the past week, I've...

• Written entries in my 3 different blogs (this one, brianchick.com, and sportsguys.ca)
• Uploaded 4 videos to youtube and linked to them on blogs and facebook.
• Administered blogs for 2 other projects, and designed or maintained 8 other websites.
• Edited entries in the 2 wikis I administer.
• Bought something on ebay
• Updated my facebook profile via my phone
• Collaborated cross country on 2 different writing projects
• looked at photos on Flickr, but haven't actually posted any because it was a boring week
• spent whole days on MSN, talking to people in other provinces, countries, and continents
• took a picture and emailed it via my phone (twice)

Short of Ghandi's "Be the change you want to see in the world," I'd argue that I'm an example of the change that is happening in the world, whether we want it or not. I want to understand it, however, and help others understand it by examining this change, and identifying the issues that are coming with it. There's a clash, no matter how subtle, between the old way and the new way, and I'm going to look at where the lines are drawn and what exactly that means.

Do I love this stuff? Yes. Do I find it interesting? Absolutely.

More importantly though, I think it will cause a major change in the way work gets done. Anticipating that shift now will make for easier adjustments in the future.

A Big Sensation

Welcome to A Big Sensation, a blog aimed at tracking the progress of my Masters Final Project. The project will examine the shift happening in the world right now as the Net-Generation (sometimes called Millenials) enter and gain prominence in the work force, and as the older generations adapt to emerging technologies. Beyond that, the focus is still a bit vague, but that will develop in time.

In many of our class discussions, I've felt like one of a few "young ones" who see things a little bit differently than some of our older classmates. We are part of that generation who grew up with computers, were among the first generation to adopt things like chat, instant messaging, and email for social purposes, and have gotten used to adapting year after year to constantly changing technology.

Why "A Big Sensation," you might ask? In the song "My Generation" by The Who, there is a lyric "I'm not trying to cause a big sensation." As this project is really about My Generation, and I honestly believe it IS a rather big deal (or sensation even), I felt the title was appropriate.