• Worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles
• Got married for the 2^nd time
• Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree
• Got caught up in the excitement of the Dot Com Boom when I got a job with a web design company
• Witnessed the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 and it’s aftermath with the rest of the world
• Got caught by the Dot Com Bust when I got laid off by the web design company and experienced 18 months of unemployment
• Got a job with my current employer
• Bought a House
• Earned my Masters Degree in Health Administration
• Became the proud parent of two beautiful dogs
• Had Gastric Bypass surgery & lost 100 lbs in a year
• Bought my 1^st brand new car
• Got a promotion in my current company
• Started working on my Doctoral Degree in Management and Organizational Leadership
• Joined two Toastmasters clubs and earned my Competent Communicator and Competent Leader Awards

Whew! That’s quite a decade! So, with all of that behind me, what does the future hold? Naturally I can’t predict the future as precisely as the past, but I do have plans. They include finishing my doctoral degree, becoming a college or university instructor, perhaps starting my own business, and maybe doing some traveling with my husband.

I must say that I am excited by the prospects of my future! Most immediately I’m looking forward to researching and writing my dissertation on corporate use of social media. I really enjoy participating in social media and feel that if large corporations (like the one I work for) were to utilize some of the more versatile social media tools, they would be surprised by the resources and ideas they could tap into once their employees start using them.

At the beginning of February 2010 I begin the first real, solid steps down that path. Everything in my doctoral program so far has been in preparation for this next class which is a one-on-one with my Doctoral Mentor, Dr. Nancy Holley. In that class Dr. Holley and I will be solidifying the plans for my dissertation project and setting the plans for how we will proceed until our 2^nd class together in September.

The plans I’ve laid out so far only cover the next couple of years. I don’t know what will happen after that, but I am looking forward to finding out. I’ve always been someone who enjoys the adventures of life. I don’t see that changing any time in the near future…

History teaches us that closed societies are oppressive and stymie creativity and innovation. Look at North Korea, Myanmar, or Sudan where differences in politics, religious beliefs, or ideas are simply not tolerated by those in power. As a result people are raped, mutilated, and killed. The society does not advance and only those in power become wealthy; and then only for as long as they are actually in power.

Open societies allow for an exchange of ideas, encourage education and free thought, and are tolerant of the religious beliefs (or lack thereof) of others. Innovation is celebrated. Lives are improved. Everyone has a chance to flourish – whatever that means to each individual. Not everyone wants to be fabulously wealthy. Some only want the chance to study, or raise their children in a decent neighborhood, or have a chance to travel. Open societies encourage this.

If the blog post from Google is to be believed, then Google can be trusted with our information as long as they continue along the path they have tread so far. They are telling us what information they have on use via Google Dashboard. They are giving us a way to get our information out of Google through their Data Liberation Front. Finally, they are opening up many of their projects for developers to augment and improve. Examples include Chrome (browser and operating system), Android (cell phone operating system), and Google Wave (a whole new tool that I’m still trying to learn).

As long as they keep giving us value in exchange for our information the I think we can trust Google. However, once they break that trust their company is done for. So far, Google has my trust. I can’t say the same for some of their competitors in a variety of industries…

Your thoughts on this topic? Please share your ideas on this…

Image Credit: This image was retrieved on December 21, 2009 from The Bookish Dilettante using Google Images.