http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2008/07/23/not-natives-immigrants-but-visitors-residents/

Interesting post that I very much like. I’ve always hated the term digital immigrants vs digital natives – even though i was born in the late 1950s (OMGosh that makes me sound old!) I am more tech savvy than people 30-40 years younger than me – i’ve been mucking around with computers for 30 years now – before there ever was an INTERNET – even before people were using BBS.

According to this post you are either a visitor or a resident (or something else!)

The ‘Resident’

The resident is an individual who lives a percentage of their life online. The web supports the projection of their identity and facilitates relationships. These are people who have an persona online which they regularly maintain. This persona is normally primarily in a social networking sites but it is also likely to be in evidence in blogs or comments, via image sharing services etc The Resident will of course interact with all the practical services such as banking, information retrieval and shopping etc but they will also use the web to socialise and to express themselves. They are likely to see the web as a worthwhile place to put forward an opinion. They often use the web in all aspects of the of their lives; professionally, for study and for recreation. In fact the resident considers that a certain portion of their social life is lived out online. The web has become a crucial aspect of how they present themselves and how they remain part of networks of friends or colleagues.

That is so ME!!

Then you have the Visitor!

The ‘Visitor’

The Visitor is an individual who uses the web as a tool in an organised manner whenever the need arises. They may book a holiday or research a specific subject. They may choose to use a voice chat tool if they have friends or family abroad. Often the Visitor puts aside a specific time to go online rather than sitting down at a screen to maintain their presence at any point during the day. They always have an appropriate and focused need to use the web but don’t ‘reside’ there. They are sceptical of services that offer them the ability to put their identity online as don’t feel the need to express themselves by participating in online culture in the same manner as a Resident.

and a final quote from the blog

In effect the Resident has a presence online which they are constantly developing while the Visitor logs on, performs a specific task and then logs off.

So – which one are YOU – Visitor or Resident?

Posted by dragonsinger at November 11th, 2008 & Filed under Web2.0 | 1 Comment »