What to do when you meet a bear in the woods OR my sound doesn't work...HELP!

So, your sound is crappy.  You can't hear your Net Buddy and it is beyond frustrating.  You know you need to smile at the young, hopeful person on your computer screen, but you are near ready to tear out your hair with the futility of getting your VC to work.

Does this sound familiar?

Well, I'm going to tell you a story.

A few years back when I was backpacking through Glacier National Park, there was a really bad bear problem.  Bears were being sighted everywhere and attacks against hikers were mounting.

The Park Rangers would drill us with what to do if we ran into a bear.  If we didn't answer with their memorized litany of instructions, we were taken to task and given "THE TALK" again.  "Make LOTS of noise while hiking.  Shout, sing, clap your hands as you round each bend.  If you do run into a bear, get small, back away slowly, and don't make eye contact.  If the bear continues to advance. lie on the ground in a fetal position and wrap your arms around your head to blunt the trauma of the attack."

Saying, "Well, I've never run into a bear so far and I don't like making noise in the forest" would get you a withering stare and THE TALK again.

So, I'm about to give you the Infinite Family version of the Park Ranger TALK.

If you run into sound problems, make sure you are using a WIRED CONNECTION and a headset with a microphone.  DO NOT use a wireless connection or connect via your 3G or your phone.  DO NOT use the speakers on your computer or the mic that comes with your webcam.

AND yes, we understand you don't always have time to plug into a wired connection and that sometimes it works fine.  And YES, we understand that you have always gotten away without using a headset and that it has worked in the past...
But the reality is, eventually, you ARE going to run into a sound problem...and THE TALK will keep you from ripping out all your hair in frustration.

Just like the rangers said to me, if you don't take the precautions, you are highly likely to run into a bear along the path.  And quite frankly, I'd rather sing a little off tune Beatles to the bear in the woods than lie down amongst the roots and rocks watching my life flash before my eyes.

So, take the precautions.  ALWAYS use a wired connection and a headset with a mic.  That way, those big bad sound problems will stay off the path of your next VC.  

"My name is Zamokuhle and I like to eat."

Ask my son to introduce himself and he might say he likes soccer, or playing the drums or drawing...but that he likes to eat?  Not much of a chance.

So, when the Video Mentors of Infinite Family see Zamokuhle's blogpost on the Ezomndeni Net, and it begins with the introduction "My name is Zamokuhle and I like to eat." they know they are being introduced to a world unlike their own.

Our Net Buddy's blogs are windows into a world that few of us ever really experience.  The simple phrases they use define the landscape of their lives in profound ways.

"My name is Lebohang I live with my sister. She is the head of the house."

"My name is Ncesh. I don't have a friend and I don't know how to make one."

"Hey I would like to tell you about my birthday. It is sad because I have lost my mother before my birthday."

The Video Mentors of Infinite Family enter into the world of our Net Buddies, sit with them and share their stories, their struggles and help them find that friend, deal with their loss and see a more hopeful future.

And how do we know this?  We read the blogs.

"HI, I AM KUDINA AND I AM TURNING 14 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR AND IN GRADE 9.  I AM SO EXCITED THAT NEXT YEAR I WILL BE CHOOSING A CAREER AND  AND KNOWING THE MEANING OF LIFE!"

We hope that you will join Infinite Family as a supporter, donor, or mentor. Your world will become broader and more meaningful as you join these courageous children on their journey toward independence and hope. 

Video Mentors: The Next Generation of Mentoring

Taped to my office wall is a receipt.  The back of that receipt is an Infinite Family time capsule...my doodles and scribbles as Amy Stokes and I tried to come up with the name for our organization and our volunteer mentors way back in 2005.

We did hit on one thing that stuck. That scrap of paper bears the words "Net Buddies", which we use to this day to describe the relationship our mentors and mentees build with one another.

And buddies they are.  Planning for the future, sharing music and laughter, struggling over math problems or creating art online -- our Net Buddies brighten each others' worlds every week via webcam and whiteboard during their weekly video chats.

Our Net Buddies have expanded the definition of mentoring relationships.  They've taken them global and they've taken them online.  They have perfected the art of screen sharing as well as the chemistry of what makes mentoring relationships tick.

So, during Volunteer Appreciation Week, we would like to thank all of you, our Net Buddies, who make Infinite Family what it is today.

Our gratitude for our Video Mentors is best expressed by one of our South African Net Buddies as she recently wrote:

"I love Infinite Family very, very much. Thank you for changing my life. Since I've been a Net Buddy things have been changed in my life because I'm not doing wrong things in the street.  Now I can see my English is getting better, I'm doing my school work, being serious on my goals and my future."

We've done lots of great things together.  We've made a lot of great strides and the future is bright. 

And just to let you know another good choice we made...we didn't pick our name to be International Family Interconnection.  That name just hangs on that scrap of paper on my wall, reminding me that not every idea is a good one!