The impeachment proceedings are finally over.  What a waste of time and taxpayer money! 

President Trump should not have been impeached.  Impeachment is meant to remove someone from office when they have done something really egregious.   But here it was attempted to weaken a sitting president because the DNC are sore losers.  They started trying to remove Trump from office as soon as the results were in on election night. 

When the whistleblower complaint about the Ukraine call came about it sat on desks of influential  Democrats because it was obvious that there wasn't enough there.  But since there was nothing better going on and with the 2020 election getting closer and President Trump being so unlike a politician and actually fulfilling so many of his promises they had to do something.  The Ukraine thing would be messy enough that it would excite the Democratic base.

The base got a little too excited and having let the cat out of the bag and started down the path the House leadership had to double down on a doomed case.   They must have also been thinking that President Trump is so loud and obnoxious that if it were drawn out long enough he was bound to do something that really would be impeachable.  There were fleeting glimmers of hope. 

What they failed to realize is that while President Trump is a novice politician he is a seasoned defendant.  Of course impeachment is a political process and not a legal one but it has the form and function of a legal proceeding and his experience served him well.  As did his team.

Vice President Mike Pence wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal on 1/16/20.  His piece was right on the money.  Everyone should read it.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-partisan-impeachment-a-profile-in-courage-11579220188.

The interesting thing to me is the response to Senator Mitt Romney breaking with his party and voting for impeachment on the one count of abuse of power.  In Romney's opinion the case was proved that President Trump had used his position of power for purely personal reasons and not for the good of the country.  I may not agree with his assessment but I applaud his courage and I agree with his sentiment. 

The Democrats are trying to bring mob rule but in many ways President Trump has brought a mob mentality into the executive branch. 

Shortly after the impeachment vote was over, a Utah State Representative announced that he filed a resolution to censure Romney.  I heard this representative say this was being done as "damage control".  He was tripping all over his words but it certainly sounded to me that he was worried about retribution from the President.  Rather than censure Romney they are now working on a resolution of praise to President Trump.  Talk about brown nosing!

There are some pretty hurtful things being said or memed about Senator Romney.  What President Trump did was within the law but it may not have been morally right.  Senator Romney is not a traitor to the party his act was one of conscious.  The outcome of the proceedings were certain but by adding one Republican vote, Senator Romney served notice that might does not always make right.  This impeachment was purely political and but one vote was moral.

In Pence's piece he said "Ross won Kennedy’s esteem by defying his own party’s effort to oust a sitting president."    Romney has won my esteem by defying his own party's effort to turn a sitting president into a don.   

Now that 5 lawyers have made same sex marriage legal throughout the land, people are really talking about it all over the place.  Of course some have been talking about it for a while.  Like Ryan T Anderson https://mobile.twitter.com/RyanTAnd?p=s who has done a lot of good tweeting.  There are plenty of people who get pretty ugly with their replies.  But he's an expert and a PhD who has written a lot and been on several shows, debates, and panels, etc.  Sometimes he gets a bit snarky too.

One of the most interesting and civil discussions I've seen has been on a couple of FB posts from one friend.  His friends are able to post differing opinions on all sides of the issue in a really civil and respectful way. 

I also have enjoyed some of the quips like these from one friend:

Poverty and starvation do not effect my daily life, but I still care deeply about those issues.

Mom's are awesome! Every home should have one.

So, not to point out the elephant in the room, but will the polygamists get venerated too? Or are they still oppressed? (FYI: I'm not interested in participating, I'm just asking)

Unfortunately, the threads from some of my friends have been so loud that I've had to unfriend.   The interesting thing is that those have been the winners in this thing.  I guess it's kinda like a city winning a NBA championship and then celebrating by trashing the town.

There are somethings about the debate that are really interesting.  It's good to have a civil dialogue.  Some minds have been changed.  Most of those trending favorably toward same sex marriage.  I guess that is the direction of the band wagon. 

But one of the real tragedies and injustices of this court decision is that they didn't let the debate play out all the way.  Where the legitimate debate happened among the people they answered it with their votes.  In almost every case those votes were to uphold traditional marriage.  Over time the tide of public opinion may well have gone toward supporting gay marriage.  Instead it has been forced too soon.  Now the opinion of 5 people has stolen that opportunity to truly win the hearts and minds.

I have several good friends who have adopted or been adopted.  Some of those adoptions have been within extended family.  One was a bit unique.  He was raised by an Aunt and Uncle as if he were their own but there was never a formal adoption until he was going into the Military.   He only ever new his aunt and uncle as mom and dad and he wanted to make sure that his military survivor benefits would go to them.

Of course I don't know all the details but it has caused me to wonder Why did it have to be his legal parent?  Why could he not put her name down?  Perhaps this was a control that was put in place to prevent Fagans from preying on the vulnerable and then signing them in the military in hopes of collecting?

That led me to further wonder why the government is involved with marriage.  I think the reasons are fairly obvious. The society and individuals in it, generally benefit when children are reared in a home where mother and father provide stable environment and moral teaching.   It's been many years since I read The Lord of the Flies but I recall it being a very stark example of the opposite.

I have not read the entire opinions in the recent Supreme Court decision.  But the excerpts that I have seen from the 5 judge opinion and the resulting celebrations seemed to focus on the idea that Love has somehow triumphed.  That frankly surprises me.  How in the world can anyone think that the government can or should have anything to do with legalizing love?  Who can even agree on a definition of what love is?    My reading of the Constitution of the United States is pretty clearly absent of any reference to love, marriage, or sex.  Some will say that is included in the phrase "life, liberty & pursuit of happiness."  However, that phrase is NOT in the constitution, but rather the Declaration of Independence.  What does show up in the constitution is that the purpose of it is the protect "Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity"

Some were worried that the unalienable God given rights were not adequately protected in the Constitution and so the Bill of Rights, the original 10 amendments to the constitution were created and ratified.  This with no mention of happiness, love, marriage or sex (except where the word sex means gender).  No, not all rights were specifically spelled out.  Some had to be added later.  But I think that is exactly my point.  Those rights, or rather the protection of those rights, were added.  And until they were added (sometimes late) they were reserved to the States.

Well first of all I should be clear that it is the pushing of Gay rights that is a current fad--homosexual behavior has been around for a very long time and will be.   It is just the promotion of, not just the acceptance of, homosexuality that is the fad right now.  That is fairly recent.

The Gay rights movement is not at all like the Civil rights movement.   Civil rights was an effort to equalize where people had been historically discriminated against because of the color of the skin given to them by their parents.  That is something they cannot control or change or hide.  Some will argue that Homosexuality is something that a person is born with.  I don't think that is true.  There may be some that do have some tendencies that they are born with that might lead them down that path but it is something they can control and they can hide.

Now I know I've already angered some by the use of the word hide, and perhaps there is a better way to say this.  But the point is someone who was black in the pre-1960's USA could not avoid discrimination because the tool that was used to discriminate them was permanently physically visible.  Whether someone is, was, or will be gay is not.  I'm not suggesting that either should ever have to hide, merely that one could and the other could not.

Regardless of what I say here some with think "He just doesn't understand".  But if you have that thought, please make the thought a complete one by continuing it with "the way I do."  That is a completely true and correct sentiment whatever side of the issue you are on.  I don't understand it the way you do.  I understand it the way I do.  My understanding may be incomplete but that doesn't make it wrong.

I happen to firmly believe that most gay people are blessed with an innate gift to love and empathize that is far greater than many straight people.  I think that is something that should be celebrated. 

All people have sexual desires.  One of the things that does is cause men and women to come together and reproduce.  That is pretty critical for any species.  When they do and they stay together and parent the offspring together the society is better than it otherwise would be.  But lets say the father has those desires towards many women or that mother has them towards many men, or heaven forbid, their own children.  Should they act on those desires?  No.  If they do it wounds the other.  Their relationship and their children suffer.  They often split and so their children suffer more.  And so they control those desires and do not act. 

As a society we expect that individuals do not act on every desire they have but instead put guidelines in place that help preserve order and that benefit the thriving of the society and all its members. 

Love and sexual attraction and sex are all very different things.  One may love many of either gender and may feel attracted toward many of either gender but should only ever have sex with one and that sex should at least be capable of producing children.

I have been a part of the introduction of many great products into the market place and I'm proud of all of them.

• The WordPerfect All-In-1 Integration releases were extremely important and formative for me.  
• Aleve with Syntex and P&G was amazing because of the work involved in getting the NDA to the FDA and because of the part I played in coming up with the name. 
• The One Touch 2 by LifeScan was great to be a part of because it helped manage their diabetes which my father had and which eventually took his life. 
• The Original Lift Walker by Progress Equipment was a challenge and a delight and very fulfilling as people who had never walked before could safely enjoy that experience.  Who knew the great digestive benefits of being vertical for parts of the day! 
• The Wattstopper was great because we were green before it was popular.  It was great to contribute to the bottom line and to make the world a better place by simply turning things off when not in use. 
• At Safeway, most of my projects were internal  but the Just 4 U was very customer facing and massive in scale.  

But none of these product launches have been as exciting as this one for the Cricut Explore.

The Cricut Explore and the Cricut Design Space are not going to solve world hunger or global climate change but they are exciting because of what they allow the human soul to experience.  The deeply rewarding experience of creating.  And what is so amazing about it is that that same positive karma comes to the person who is very crafty and will design all sorts of projects or the non-crafter like myself who will borrow the design of someone else and tweak it just a little bit to make it my own.

Cricut Explore is a great machine.  We brought in all kinds of talented people.  It was fascinating to see Electrical Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Marketing, and Designers coming together to argue over solutions for hours and days.  Then to see the QA testers beat things up.  They cut over and over and over again.  They would have the machines cutting literally 24 hours a day.  All night and over the weekend the machines were cutting.  Cutting through paper, cardstock, all kinds of materials, and the mats they were mounted on.  The letter R is popular with the testers because it has all sorts of angles in a compact space.  "R"s of all sizes would be found in the hallway, on the elevator, and in the parking lot.

Quality is something we all take seriously but it will never been good enough.  Zero defects and 10x improvement were talked about often but more importantly every member of the team really worked towards these goals.  On the first day of sales 10,000 machines were sold.  Even with 99.9% of the machines being of the highest quality that means that 100 customers are going to be unhappy and end up with a machine with something wrong.  If 99.99% of the machines are perfect there will still be 10 that are not.  That thought just kills everyone on the team.  We don't want people to have a bad experience but Murphy's Law will win out for some despite all our extensive efforts to the contrary.

Cricut Design Space is great software.  But it is software.  Software by it's very nature is more imperfect that the people who coded it.  That's just the way it is.  My experience with CDS is that it does tons of amazing things.  But there is also a learning curve to using it.   So far every time I think there is something missing I later find out it is there.  For example, rotating text.  It wasn't where I thought it should be but it was there.  And once I found it and realized that clicking the little icon in the edit panel will automatically rotate it evenly in increments that was fantastic and it makes a lot of sense. 

Some customers will be upset that you have to have a computer and you have to be connected to the internet in order to use these great tools.  But that is one of the things that actually makes this software a powerful tool.  It makes support much easier and makes the user experience better.  The unfortunate thing is that it also means we rely on one big variable that we have no control over--individual connections to the internet.  Two people in the same room could have vastly different experiences because one could be getting all the bandwidth of the wireless network they share.

We have many wonderful and loyal customers.  But there was a period of time with Provo Craft lived as if it could do not wrong and didn't need anyone else to survive.  That is not the case today.  There are some extremely talented and dedicated people that have been here through that whole journey and in many ways they are the ones that kept this company from completely imploding and allowed for the great new products and a new company to emerge.  Still, some will say that we don't listen to customers because of the internet requirement.  Hopefully most will find that their connectivity through home internet service or mobile data plan is sufficient to provide a good experience with Explore.

My job is in the IT department and my role is to see that the Cricut Design Space has the computing and network infrastructure it needs to run well.  We have 10x the network that we think we'll need.  We have 10x the web and application servers that we think we'll need.  We have upgraded and protected the database in a way that should also give us 10x what we need for Cricut Design Space.  Hopefully that is enough that it will be able to handle the inefficiencies of the old apps as well.  But only time will tell.

Cricut Explore and Cricut Design Space are fantastic tools.  I think they will provide people with many hours of creative pleasure.  I am proud to have been a part of the introduction of these great products.

Disclaimer:  The thoughts expressed here are entirely my own and do NOT represent those of my employer or peers, past or present. 

  

10 Lyrics That Matter

1.       “Why must you be such an angry young man?  Your future looks quite bright to me”

The song is “Fooling yourself (an angry young man)” by Styx.  This song is why I’m compiling this list.  I heard it again this weekend for the first time in a long time and it keeps going through my head.  The music is fantastic and the lyrics are like a wakeup call of introspection and positive thinking.  “Come On, get back on your feet, you’re the one they can’t beat.”  Many times as a teenager trying to figure things out anger or testosterone would boil over into fits of stupidity.  But why?  The future is bright and you can’t be beat.  Learn and get back on track. 

2.       “Pieces of Eight, treasures filled with emptiness; don’t let them turn your heart to stone”

The song is Pieces of Eight-- Another one from Styx.  They were an influential group for me, especially through those teenage years.   But this is one that has come to mind often professionally.  Work is good and important, but balance is vital.  I work in order to live and not vice versa.  Also, as the saying goes you can’t take it with you.  This one really could be combined with “Peace of Mind” by Boston which includes the line “I understand about indecision but I don’t care if I get behind people living in competition, all I want is to have my peace of mind”

3.       “It’s more than a feeling when I hear that old song play”

Speaking of Boston, this line is from their “More Than A Feeling”.  That whole album was phenomenal.  I remember the first time I listened to it and was reading the back of the album that kept repeating “just listen to it”.  And I did, over and over again.  Music is a powerful medium for transmitting ideas, thoughts, emotions, and feelings.  Music moves one to action.  That action can be dancing, romanc
ing, building up or tearing down.  It has always been important to me to recognize that power and use it to move me to positive action.  Music also brings back powerful and important memories. 

4.        “There is an hour of peace and rest un marred by earthly cares.  Tis when before the Lord I go and kneel in secret prayer”

“Secret Prayer” Hymn #144 in the LDS Hymn book.  There are many hymns that come to mind and help shape who I am and what I do.  But this hymn holds a special place in my heart and mind.  As a 19 year old Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this song was ingrained in my brain through frequent repetition in Spanish.  In the Missionary Training Center we stayed in a facility that was much like a college dorm.  Each night all the missionaries on my floor would gather together to sing this song with an abundance of energy.  When challenges of life have come along I have found answers and peace in secret prayer.

5.       “Oh black water, keep on rollin, Mississippi moon won’t you keep on shining on me”

This is “Black Water” by The Doobie Brothers.  I remember riding in a van full of friends traveling across the San Joaquin delta in California on our way to a dance in Stockton.  We sang this together with the Doobies several times and without them over and over again.   It was wonderful.  I’m not a singer by any stretch but that feeling of unity and pleasure and being carefree while rolling over the delta levies is just a treasured memory.  Good friends and good times are a pleasure to be grateful for.

6.        “C'mon people now, Smile on your brother, everybody get together, Try and love one another right now”

“Get Together” by the Youngbloods.  Some in the 60’s might have gone too far.  But for me this song has been a constant reminder that we are all brothers and sisters and we really should just try and love one another right now.  Many were the times as a Bishop that I would counsel couples or individuals and just want them to love now.  Smile, brotherhood, love, forgiveness, now before it’s too late.  For me it’s all there in this song.

7.       “I'll take the long night, impossible odds, Keepin' my eye to the keyhole, If it takes all that to be just what I am, Well I'm gonna be a blue collar man”

“Blue Collar Man” by Styx.  Here we are back to Styx again.  Did I mention they were an influential group for me?  This song is a reminder that nothing worthwhile is ever easy.  And that any honest work is a blessing.  I’ve actually never really been a blue collar worker in the traditional sense of the phrase.  But I admire and strive to emulate the work ethic of many blue collar workers that have been important in my life. 

8.       “All I need is a Miracle”

“All I need is a Miracle” by Mike & The Mechanics.  Ok, this one probably isn’t going to make sense to anyone.  From the moment I saw my wife across the room and locked eyes with her for just a moment I knew she was the one for me.   This song came out about the same time and it became our song.  This, when you listen to the lyrics, doesn’t make any sense at all since it is about a guy who mistreated and lost his girl and needs a miracle to get her back.   This song is a reminder not to be that guy, to recognize her as miracle and to not do anything that would compromise our trust and love.

9.       “I won’t be gone forever but I won’t be back until I’ve given it my all”

“A Field So White” by Lex De Azevedo.  This is what I call a Mormon Pop song from an album of the same name.  It refers to the LDS Missionary work.  But it also exemplifies how I feel about being committed to something.  When I decided to serve a mission I knew it would be a sacrifice and I also knew that I would give it my all.  Today I have a boat that will soon be christened “All In”, because when it’s time I’m all in.

10.   “ Climb the Mountain of faith”

I don’t know who wrote this but I was one of hundreds who have performed it over the years in the Oakland Temple Pageant.  Honestly I don’t remember many of the other lyrics from this particular song, but I have been known to spontaneously blurt out this one line.  Faith is something that is built up over time one step at a time.  I love the out of doors and being with youth climbing mountains because to me it is so symbolic of life’s journey.

 Well those are some lyrics that matter to me.  What are some that matter to you?  

1. Do unto others as you would have done to you. (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)
2. Be real. (Alma 32:35, D&C 76:94, Proverbs 15:23)
3. Stay within the boundaries. (2 Timothy 3:5 )
4. Be honest and true. (Matthew 5:37)
5. You are a child of God. (Romans 8:16, Galatians 3:26)
6. Be guided by the Spirit (D&C 45:57)
7. Friends are important but Family is forever (Matthew 18:18, Matthew 19:4-6)
8. Our actions on earth are recorded in Heaven. (D&C 1:3)
9. Stand in holy places (D&C 101:22)
10. Use your talents and tools for good. (Doctrine & Covenants 60:13)
11. There is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
12. Be anxiously engaged in a good cause (D&C 58:27)

I asked a few friends what tips they would give about the use of Social Media and Cell Phones. Below are some of the responses I received. Several have been edited by me to fit what I thought I was going to use them for or to remove references to specific people. My favorite 11 are bolded.

1. Install the Scriptures
2. Use social media to proclaim the gospel
3. Personal interaction is more important than digital communication.
4. The number of "friends" you have does not determine your value.
5. Assume that EVERYTHING YOU DO ONLINE CAN BE TRACED BACK TO YOU."Shouted upon the house tops"
6. Electronics and the Internet are like electricity, very very cool, but deadly when abused.
7. Visit LDS.org and "like it".
8. The Lord has provided these tools for this generation. Consider why that might be.
9. If you have run into problems with these thing talk to your parents or the Bishop NOW.
10. Seek the Spirit to guide you in ALL things. Including when, where, and how to use the tools/toys of the day.

1. Don't provide specific details:
Address, Phone #
Dates, times your family is going on vacation
2. Don't respond (email) or accept (facebook) people you don't know
3. Don't meet someone you met online alone
(take someone with you, they may not be who (age, gender) you think they are)
4. Block inappropriate material (don't look at it)
5. Karma is important to remember (what comes around goes around)
If you bash someone electronically, expect it to happen to you
6. Use twitter, to update the right choices you are making
Ie, at the temple doing Baptisms!
7. Use facebook to lift each other up (send thank you's)
Tell a member of your group what you appreciate most about them
Share a quote or inspirational thought from the Ensign, Church News
Post photos that your folks will be proud of
Post photos of fun activities
8. Use technology to keep group members up-to-date on activities and changes
If adults are texting youth, other adults should be copied as well
9. Remember that once it's sent, you cant take it back and anyone can see it
Social media is never private, and it can be forwarded on without permission
10. Share logins and passwords to all social media and email with your parents and ONLY your parents and expect them to use them from time to time.

1. Internet can be a very "private-seeming" place. To help reinforce that it is not private but is VERY public:
a. Put computers in "public" places in your home.
b. Refrain from accessing the internet when you are alone
c. Don't use the internet to rant, gossip, or resolve private matters
2. Don't send messages or photos that you would regret having copied and widely disbursed. Post only information that you would be perfectly comfortable with your parents reading or seeing.
3. Do not share passwords with anyone except your parents.
4. Do not try to resolve conflicts of any kind through email or text messaging. Note: Employers, college admissions offices, team coaches, etc may view your online postings.
5. Make sure that someone who loves you, knows what you are doing online
a. consider limiting amount of time online - to keep the real world in perspective and the virtual world in check.
b. help your parents sett up their profile, ask them inquisitive questions about different privacy settings with lots of what-if scenarios. Use this time as an opportunity to discuss what's appropriate to post and what may be inappropriate.
6. NEVER post personal information on social media sites or other websites. Define what is considered personal information and how it could be used to hurt someone. Note: I observed several facebook postings showing pictures of families on vacation with wall postings talking about how much fun they are having on their trip. What a perfect advertisement that you are not home!
7. DELETE is not permanent online. Once it's posted, consider it a permanent record.
8. Talk openly about "Real-world consequences" of cyber-bullying.

1. Facebook Is Forever. Think carefully about what you write, what images you post, and what you "Like." Questionable choices may comeback later to haunt you.
2. Much of what I see written on Facebook is negative or sarcastic. Instead, use social media to build up others and make the world happier.
3. Oftentimes "Less is More." I tend to ignore the writings of those who post often, while I am always interested in the writings of those who don't say as much.
4. If you are mad at your parents, Twitter is not the place to announce it. Talk to your parents. Tell them why you are angry. Work it out.
5. Unfriending a family member is a serious. We need to be our family members' biggest fans! If you are mad at a family member, talk to them and work it out.
6. Social media doesn't take the place of real friendships. Having a phone or face-to-face conversation with someone meets our human friendship needs a lot better than online media.
7. Reliance on cell phones and social media may decrease your friendship moments instead of increasing them: When I see someone with their nose buried in their phone, I'm not going to approach them to chat. I will even avoid them.
8. Text your parents with more than just requests to extent curfew. Just like you and your friends they would probably appreciate friendly texts that show interest in them.
9. People answering phones during church shows a great disrespect for the sacredness of Sunday worship. Leave your devices at home during church. Old-fashioned scriptures made from paper work just fine.
10. If your parents are addicted, don't follow their bad example. Adults who can't forego texting and surfing during church are addicted. Using cell phones in a class or meeting is disrespectful to those putting on the meeting.

Cell Phones:
1. When in a group, always excuse yourself to answer a call.
2. It is better to leave your phone on vibrate when you will be in a group.
3. Never be texting when a speaker or a leader is speaking. It is just plain rude.
4. Let people know who you are texting with when you are about to start to drive and that you will NOT respond until you park the car again. They will understand.
5. Don't take a phone call when you are in class or in another group that is focused on a teacher/leader. Ignore the call.
6. Don't take calls from other people or text others while you are on a date. Give that much respect to the person you are out with!
7. Not all texts have to be responded to.
8. If you are waiting for a call and it comes, please explain that to others you are with, and then excuse yourself.
9. Find a quiet place away from others to take a call. Don't just go merrily along with a loud voice talking on the phone.
10. Cell phones are for convenience, and in public, should be used only for brief conversations. Long talks and gossiping can wait till you are home.

1. Realize that anything you say is recorded forever in the internet. FOREVER. You can never delete the backups, the comments, photos, or "likes" you leave behind. It's like putting a giant tattoo on your "digital self". Make sure it says something that reflects well upon you--forever.
2. If you're angry, sad, jealous or negative in any way, don't post anything. Go to bed and sleep on it and post the next day. Old saying: Better to be silent and suspected to be a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
3. Stand in holy places. If you have a facebook "friend" that posts profanity, links to inappropriate media, or just brings you down, unfriend them. You don't need to be dragged through the digital dump.
4. Live in the NOW! Don't use texting when in the presence of real, live, local people. Interact with them. That means talking, etc... If you're texting in a crowd, share the conversation. Having a private conversation on text while with somebody else is like turning your back on somebody in the middle of a discussion. Rude.
5. The spirit is easily disrupted by noise. Take time every day to completely disconnect. Best time to do this is early in the morning and late at night. Allow yourself 30 minutes with your phone, ipod and PC off so you can pray, study, think and relax before bed. Don't let the urgency disrupt your priorities.
6. Never respond to an unknown sender via text, email, or chat. There are predators of all types out there. If it's a local number texting you should reply--who is this. If you don't have a caller ID, don't reply at all. Always avoid giving any personal information to anyone you don't know.
7. Don't share info on where you are and what you're doing on facebook etc until after it's done. It's like advertising to thieves--I'm not home, come steal my stuff. Remember many photos are marked with GPS data so posting a photo can tell somebody where you are and when. Don't post the photos until you're home.
8. Restrict your security settings so only direct friends can see your personal info--No friends of friends.
9. Never take a photo that is suggestive or inappropriate in any way. This includes taking photos of any kind of nudity. Just taking such a photo can be illegal. Sending it is illegal as well. You can't take it back or undo it. Be smart.
10. Use your technology for good. Check out the new LDS youth site. Lots of free music, cool videos, etc... Download the LDS apps. Use email, texting, photos and social media to make the world a better place. Be positive. Be happy. Let all of your communications reflect this attitude. Bring people up, not down.

1. Don't have critical conversations via social media that should be done in person. So much is lost in meaning when you can't read body language, vocal tone etc. etc. We've had problems with conversations being completely misinterpreted because social media has it's limitations.
2. Don't say anything via social media that you would not have the courage to say directly to a person. All too often, we say things in writing that we would never have the nerve to say first person. If you shouldn't say it in first person...it shouldn't be said.
3. Consider the time and place you access social media. Don't make others surrounding you feel less important because you seem to care more about your little handheld device than about them standing directly in front of you.
4. Consider whether what you're posting adds any real value to the world. I worry that social media is teaching our youth that everything is about them. Some of it is really so frivolous! I did this...I think this...I experienced this...I feel this...etc. etc. Social media can be selfish if we aren't careful. It promotes telling the world about ourselves instead of promoting us to ask questions and learn to listen to others.
5. When you're bored, how much time do you waste surfing through social media posts vs, developing a talent. Sometimes we miss opportunities to accomplish something meaningful but instead we'll spend an hour just reading social media jibberish!
6. Carefully consider the group you're networking with. Like friends, your social media networking group rubs off on you. Is your group limited to those who will make you a better person. If not, clean the contact list!