The Birth Cartographer's Guide to The Internet

The internet is Big.  Mind blowingly Big. You won't believe just how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.
Yes, I am a Douglas Adam's Fan

It has been over a year since I left Facebook.  Some said it would be the death of my business.  That I would become isolated.  That I would become obsolete.  Many said that they understood, they too find Facebook to be a difficult space to be in, but were not yet able to leave...'it is the only place I can connect with other mothers', or 'no one emails anymore, it is the only place I can keep in touch with anyone I have ever met'...or 'if you get past the spam, the 99% of crap, it is that 1% that holds me there...' 

I am still here.  Alive and thriving.  Instead of stalking people on facebook, I ring them up for a chat.  We catch up in person.  Sure it might be more sporadic, but it is far more meaningful.

I got to thinking about why Facebook is so compelling, yet hated...

In chatting with friends - in person - it is becoming apparent that Facebook is for 'old people'.  It is the Xgeners (when did Xgen become old!  We are Young!).   The younger generations are only on Facebook to distract the olds from the real action: Instagram (and the like).  Is Facebook going to follow email into oblivion?  or will it be sustained as the youth age, seeking the pregnancy and parenting groups ?  Is Facebook the parent-zone? or do we simply see what we are looking for?  or rather, what facebook has determined we are looking for?

In trying to get my head around The Internet, working out where to go, and where to avoid, from the perspective of the mother-to-be seeking information and support, I found myself making 'real' world comparisons. I then figured, if it helped me, it might help others.  So, I present to you: The Birth Cartographer's Guide to The Internet.

FACEBOOK
A noisy, overcrowded mall. Full of adverts and busyness.  This is where Xgen and boomers come to catch up, and wander.  They convince themselves they have free will and are impervious to the advertising...they just want to know what the kids are up to.  
​Turns out, the kids said they were going to the mall....

INSTAGRAM
But really they were at The Beach.  Facebook was a ruse, and for the vigilant parents..they created two Instagram accounts: one to fool the folks, and one where they really hang out.  Always a step ahead.  

Millennials, Ygeners and Igen are here, creating an online image and hoping to cash in.

TWITTER
The newstand, the watercooler, the 'Speakers Corner' of The Internet.  Business people, academics, celebrities, and politicians share short snappy statements.  The loudest voice gets the audience.

YOU TUBE
​You've got something to say, something that needs more than snappy grab. Chances are you're saying it on You Tube. You Tube is one of the biggest search engines on the Internet, this is the 'University' of the web, if you want to learn a new skill, chances are you'll find it here.

Or you can just watch people de-package things.  

or a 'funniest' collection of people falling over or bumping into things.

or the 'dumbest' drivers.

​or someone ranting about some first world pop culture problem.

WEBSITES
Websites are usually a business or an organisation, providing information about what they do.  This is like the 'main street', with shop fronts.  From the highstreet to the back streets, big and small, from the 'variety store' to the 'boutique'...hidden gems down easy to miss alleyways and arcades, bold in your face stores screaming at you to come in!

The interesting and inspiring, through to the ones we prefer to pretend we don't know about...like the road or district we know to avoid, particularly at night.  

Search for pregnancy, birth or parenting sites, and you will be bombarded with all sorts...

BLOGS
The Blogs are the suburbs of the Internet.  This is where you are invited into someones life, more personal...the corner stores, smaller stores, quieter.  

'Mummy Blogs' cover all sorts of topics, some are informative, others more political, some are warts and all, others show the highlights.  

Some sit, boarded up, untouched for years.  The owner long gone, moved on to other ventures elsewhere.  

I have a blog, a personal one (you can see it in the sidebar).  At times it is my soapbox, sometimes a contemplation, sometimes a commentary.  It is a place were I welcome discussion, where I think out loud.  

My website, which you have found, is my 'shop front', but also (i'd like to think) a community centre, a place to gather and find support.  I'd think of it as a library, with quality resources. 

I imagine, if my website were a building, that it is flanked by greenery - flowers and fruiting plants,offering beauty and nourishment.  Inside, more plants, and cushions and rugs to make you comfortable.  Encouraging you to sit down and relax.  The only information I ask is your name, so that I may welcome you.  From there it is up to you to share, or not.  Quietly peruse the library, in your own time.  Sometimes we meet at the park, to get to know each other properly.  If you need Support, it is there for you.  

I encourage thinking, and my focus is The Informed Decision, my goal is to help you find Your Way.  It is all about The Questions.  We need to know The Questions in order to make sense of the answers.