I'm a greedy learner. When I am trying to master a new skill or ability, I want competency and I want it quickly. I try to avoid the temptation to quit when something proves too challenging to master on the first attempt. Lately, I've been keeping a "learning list" – things I want to master, or at least explore. Some of these are big things, like learning to Fence. Others are very small, such as the following item that currently sits near the top of my learning list:
"Figure out trackbacks"
How hard can it be to master this simple bit of technology that sits quietly on nearly every blog I read? I am declaring my lack of tech savvy here by admitting that this little list item has me stumped. Try as I might to consult Typepad's "Help" section entries on the topic, I can't seem to make sense of it. While trying to read the help entry again today and still not getting it, I decided to query some blogging experts who may be reading this post to see if I can get an explanation in plain English that even a 44 year old Mom can understand. Usually, when I'm stumped on something like this I turn to Google, Wikipedia, or even dummies books, but I find my best learning results come when I can be taught directly by someone who is proficient in the item I'm trying to master. So this is it – can you spare two minutes to post a note on my Facebook wall, email me or drop a comment that explains the whole Trackback concept?
Home-work for Today:
- What are your favorite sources for finding information quickly? Do you have colleagues or friends you can consult when you want to learn about something? Do you offer to share your knowledge with others?
Reading Room Resources:
Blog posts from this week about Learning and Professional Development
- How to Start Doing Just About Anything
- Build Brain Power with these 21 Resources
- Playing Video Games Makes You Smarter?
- Six Ways to Start the Writing Process
