I <3 the Internet

I love live music shows – the music, the energy, and the people. Usually after I watch a band live, I start to obsess over them, and I watch and listen to every video or sound clip I can find of them. I pretty much go through phases and listen to only that one band’s CD for weeks at a time, and then I find a new obsession. Ever since the SXSW music festival, I’ve been obsessing over bands, trying to figure out when they would return to Austin on tour (maybe at ACL). I’ve been listening to all my favorites over and over – Spoon, Vampire Weekend, Sara Bareilles, and Ingrid Michaelson, to name a few. After every music show I go to, it makes me realize how much I love the Internet! There aren’t many things that you can’t find online. It pretty much meets my every want, need, and desire. Okay, I’m kidding, but really, I love it, because I can go to various websites to listen to my favorite artists for free! It’s easy and convenient to use the Internet to listen or watch my favorite artist at my ease and desire.

I’m pretty sure that I’ve kept MySpace/YouTube pages open for about a week straight now. It sounds cheesy, but I like to use YouTube to watch the videos of live performances to relive the moment. Haven’t you ever been to a show that you can’t stop thinking about? Eventually, the high wears off, but when you’re still riding it, it’s nice to be able to reference the Internet for a little help. I know it’s not the same, but it’s the closest thing I can get until the next time the artist rolls back into Austin for a live show.

Usability and flexibility of the Internet just makes it that much more appealing; think of how you are able to use and view MindBites video lessons on your own and at your ease. I have realized how, through the Internet, MindBites can bring people together to one central location but at the same time, can be reached from all over the world, like MySpace and YouTube.

The thing I love about MindBites is the diversity of the people and the wide range of knowledge that has been accumulated. We are contacting authors from New York and Boston to Seattle and San Francisco. Most of these people work as instructors, teaching things from cardio kickboxing, to Mommy and baby yoga/Pilates, to Spanish and Chinese, to infant CPR and first aid. There is a huge amount of things to learn and discover. The diversity of the authors and content that they want to share is unique. The Internet helps them come to you.

One person that comes to mind is Laura Berg. Her unique topic of baby sign language is hard to find at a location near you, but she is able to reach you. Even though she is from Canada, she has been reaching out to a larger audience through MindBites via the Internet.

Traditionally, you learn things from an instructor or teacher in his/her presence, but the Internet has expanded your options and knowledge. With MindBites, you no longer have to find ways to arrange your schedule around classes. This also benefits authors; publishing a lesson online would allow authors to reach a wider range of customers, which would also make it less exhausting to teach so many classes. By expanding their market to the Internet, authors can reach a huge audience, increasing their customer base.

To me, the Internet means flexibility and more options. A MindBite lets you learn things at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home. You are now given more freedom to learn something that interests you, if you did not have time to attend the lesson in person. You can easily re-watch MindBites lessons over and over until you find another video lesson to obsess about. The way I listen to my favorite artist on MySpace or watch your favorite video on YouTube is the way I like to enjoy my lessons. I’ve used MindBites several times to make Greek Fillo Cups and Salsa. It also allows us to bring instructors from widespread locations to one location. If you lived near these authors, you could easily sign up for a lesson and go to them, but a MindBites lesson on the Internet brings them to you – exactly why you should love the Internet, too!

Get a Trackback link