Final Entry

For the final topic I will write a message to Cathy Deane with my final thoughts, who thought this Web 2.0 lesson could come in useful for Security staff, but first I'll talk about the last activities.

I received my flashdrive, which couldn't have come at a better time, as my personal computer at home is out of space. I had trouble using it at work, however, as I couldn't access the files when I installed the flash drive. Mike in Computer Services helped out and showed me that I would need to name a new drive to get the flash drive to work and he showed me how. I downloaded a picture that represented that I voted this year, which is something I'm proud of since I did that for the first time ever. And incidentally, I voted for the correct candidate, and maybe twice, but that's another story.

Second I found a web 2.0 site called Meglobe, which is a place where you can translate to English. This can help me talk smack when I play poker online with players around the world.

Here are my final thoughts about Web 2.0:

As I described in my very first entry, technology can help us all do our jobs better and more efficiently, but it can also needlessly complicate things when the old way of doing things is working just fine. It shouldn't be force-fed to staff just because it's there. In the same way, I don't need a couple extra toes because the ten I have work just fine.

That being said, are there any new technologies that can or should be used specifically for Security staff? My answer is maybe.

I believe that the Security Log we use now works just fine. It does its purpose of helping Security Officers communicate between themselves and shows how we respond to new situations. A wicki could come in handy because we all handle different problems in different ways, and it could cause a discussion amongst Security staff in certain situations where it is necessary to come to a conclusion about how the situation should be handled in the future.

One idea I had was for a Security Blog that could be accessed by all staff on the intranet. I know that staff members have security concerns that are not always addressed, most likely because these things are forgotten or staff are not accustomed to having Security Officers. Just today I overheard a Page speak about a security matter that had never been addressed with me, for whatever reason, but those are the kinds of things I'd like to know. A blog or even a wicki shared by staff and Security could be utilized for these kinds of security issues that fall between the cracks.

I could also write general posts in the blog about my own philosophies regarding security, which I understand is completely self-indulgent but could educate staff as well. Of course there would always be the reminder that staff is encouraged to speak with Secuirty Officers in person or email when it comes to private concerns.

If we switch from the Security Log to another type of technology then it would be helpful to inact some kind of tagging so that Security staff can see how certain issues have been handled in the past. For example, one of us could type in "handicapped parking" and see how that situation has been handled in the past.

I don't feel strongly for these ideas one way or another, but it was fun working/playing with Web 2.0