Combination Thoughts - GIGO / Networking

Combination Thoughts:  GIGO / Networking

Today I’m going to talk about GIGO – Garbage In / Garbage Out – and Networking.

Now, GIGO is a solid term – garbage in / garbage out.  That applies to many things. 

-          Food – eat junk food; your body will take on a junk food environment

-          Data – the original GIGO – garbage (bad) data will give you bad results

-          Directions – bad (garbage) directions will lead to bad results

-          Television / media – garbage (shows / articles) in – will lead to garbage out (in terms of wasted time that could have been more productive)

-          Networking – garbage in (bad friends / acquaintances) can lead to garbage out (wasted time / garbage in thinking)

I mentioned not going into the teacher’s lounge – the talk was so negative.  

Likewise associating with negative friends or the ‘wrong crowd’ will lead you astray (garbage out). 

Network with friends (yes), but try to network more closely with friends that will encourage you; that will build you up; that give a positive outlook on life. 

At one point in your life – did you ‘run’ with the wrong crowd?  Did you let them influence you? 

Expanded discussion – how about the electronic network?

I am on several different platforms – I am a greeter on a faith based forum; I am on Twitter; Facebook; Instagram.

Who am I networking with on these platforms?  Am I finding positive thinking or negative thinking?  Is the time on these platforms good – or wasting my time?

Likewise another major electronic platform – television.  Do I waste time watching television?  Even good programming – taken hour after hour might keep me from exercise, from writing, from reading uplifting and positive books and materials and from thinking. 

Zig Ziglar presented this data:

“A study was done at a typical American plant and it was discovered that the people working on the line and paid an average wage watched an average of 30 hours of television each week. The person in charge of the line watched an average of 25 hours of television a week. The foreman watched an average of 20 hours of television a week; the plant superintendent watched an average of 15 hours of television a week; the vice president of the plant watched an average of 12-15 hours of television each week. The president watched an average of 8-12 hours of television every week. The chairman of the board watched an average of 4-8 hours of television a week, and 50% of that time the chairman was watching training videos.”

Is your television watching a form of Garbage In – Garbage out?

Personal Comment: Eighteen years ago, I assigned students to create a web page (in native HTML).  One student had included on his page:  “You must be eighteen to follow this link”.  The link went to a pornography site.  I soon found myself in a huge GIGO situation.  I found I was spending hours a day looking at pornography – and letting that rot my brain and mind. I was allowing lustful thoughts to replace good, positive thoughts in my brain – and garbage in. 

For me, it took accountability before God to clean this addiction out.  I learned networking and use of time in a tough way.  I could have been using those hours for improving my classes, for doing research, for doing productive things in my community, and for being a better husband and father. 

We are only allocated 1440 minutes in a day.  An hour (or two or three) wasted takes away from possible productive time.  Some down time / fun time / relaxing time is good.  But my time on pornography was wasted time and also was garbage into my brain.

Lately, I have found that I can overdo social media –Facebook and Twitter especially – and I have had to question that use of some of my 1440 minutes.

Who should be your influences / crowd / networking group now?

Assignment: 

What garbage are you allowing into your brain?

Are you using social media properly – or letting it take time away from other activities?

Is television getting to be a time waster in your life?  What can you do instead?

How can you lessen GIGO and work on positive networking with social media and television?