Question #1

After reading the article, "A Virtual Death", I thought the concept of self disclosure online was very interesting.  Ultimately it is this concept that lead me to choose online dating for my paper.  The truth is, you never really know who you are talking to online.  In this article, the woman blogged about being a woman named Kaycee and describing to her blog readers, her battle with Leukemia.  People completely believed her and never questioned for a second that this could be a made up person.  Other than the situation being totally unethical, no one was injured.  But the lack of self disclosure online can have dangerous consequences.  Parents often have security concerns when it comes to their children talking to strangers online.  They may portray themselves to be a thirteen year old when really they are a 50 year old man.  Ive learned from the Kaycee story and the concept of self disclosure is that you need to be on guard.  You should be careful about the information you are disclosing, since you have no idea that the other person is disclosing accurate information to you.  This article was so sad, but as sad as it was, it is a huge lesson learned!

Question #3, Favorite Reading, :)

We have read so many interesting articles this semester! I think one of the more interesting readings was "Just like me, only better".  Up until I had read that article, I was not very familiar with the avatar world, but i can understand why someone would be interested in creating one.  With avatars you have the opportunity to design yourself to be someone totally different; its like creating the life you wish you could have.  I rememeber reading this article and finding it surprising how so many people who are of other ethnicities than white, decided to create avatars that had blond hair and light skin, calling it "white beauty".  I think this fact is kind of sad; that people would prefer it if they looked like a different ethnicity and that they think that people will feel that they will be more "popular" or "desirable" by creating a fake version of themselves. I have never made an avatar so I am not really familiar with the process.  I do think that this sort of program can be benneficial to those who have low selfestiem but I think at the end of the day, people need to be able to face reality and learn how to deal and not live in a fake universe. 

Virtual Death

The story of Kaycee is so horrible, how could someone create such a hoax and not feel a bit of guilt.  It is true, online you have the capability to create any identity imaginable.  In this case this woman decided to write a blog about a girl battling and dying of leukimia.  When it comes to blogging, you follow a blog that most interests you.  People were saddened by Kaycee's story and followed her blog and wrote comments to wish her well.  Within this blog about Kaycee a community was created; a community of people who all shared sadness and hope for Kaycee to get well.  When it was said that she died and later found out that the whole thing was a lie, it is no surprise that these people would be outraged.  Their emotions went into this blog and they were sincerely hurt by the news of her death.  This kind of story really scares me.  It just further shows that you cant trust everything you read online.  People are not always who they say they are and that really bothers me.  Hopefully people will learn from this article and that no one tries to pull a prank like this one in the future :(

"The New Family Album"

After reading the Virtual death and how communities are formed through blogs, I decided to find an article related to that subject.  I found an article in Time Magazine titled, "The New Family Album".  This article discusses a specific type of blog, parental related blogs.  This one woman decided to start a blog about her growing family.  She wrote posts during her pregnancy and found that most of the people who viewed her little blog were people who were also experiencing the same life changing experience.  This article explains how parent related blogs help mothers especially as they are able to vent as well as hear from other mothers who are experiencing the same things with their children.  If a mother needs tips on how to get their baby to sleep through the night, they have a community to turn to for advice- a community of mothers and fathers.  According to the article, "Pregnancy, childbirth and parenting are times of great personal change and uncertainty, and that enhances our desire to reach out...Blogging helps parents connect in a convenient, efficient and stress-free way without the time and obligation of a face-to-face meeting,"( Time, 2004).  Even though these women dont know each other personally, they feel a certain comfort within the community to express their concerns and fears as well as share their accomplishments and happiness.  I think a blog is a great way to "meet" like minded people and have the opportunity to get answers to your questions and have a place to turn to when things get rough.  Sometimes it easier to talk to strangers online than it is to confide in your own friends and family.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,993832,00.html#ixzz1dSsg7ryF

The World Wide Web

I really enjoyed reading this text and found it a little humorous.  This article goes into detail on how to basically use the Internet.  They explain the basics like how to conduct searches or what is a URL.  There was one part that said that if you havent experienced the World Wide Web, then you should try it.  I find that statement really amusing, to think that at one point people had no idea how to use the Internet.  Our generation has been exposed to this technology at such a young age that it has always been apart of our lives.  I keep forgetting that my own parents had to live a chunk of their lives without this technology... how they survived, i am not quite sure.  The Internet has completely changed the way we communicate. It has brought the world closer together making communication easier and more efficient.  There are still things that I am not 100% knowledgeable about with the Internet; like i still really have no idea how to make a website; haha.  I can only imagine how hard it must have been for people to adjust to using the Internet. 

Blogging: Self Presentation and Privacy

I am not a big blogger; actually this is the only blog I have every created :).  I have read other blogs, cooking blogs, photography blogs, and travel blogs.  After reading this article I thought the results of the study were interesting.  Although the blogs I mentioned above are not very personal blogs, the authors have revealed some personal information in their posts.  This does raise a concern for privacy.  The article stated that after gathering the results from the survey, "the importance of expressive privacy to bloggers is evident because 62.6% of respondents claimed that social interaction through sharing of personal experiences was their main reason blogging, despite the privacy risks. One of the most important functions of expressive privacy is its ability to allow meaningful relationships to develop",(p.9).  According to the article expressive privacy is the ability for one to freely express themselves and interact with others.  I do think that this kind fo privacy is would not be as much of a concern because the whole point of blogging is to express your thoughts and give your oppinion on other blogs.  People do need to be careful of what private information they put on their blogs because once its on the internet, chances are it will always be.

Facebook and Privacy

I found an article on wired .com called "Report: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Doesn't Believe in Privacy."  Privacy is a huge concern among internet users especially those who have Facebook accounts.  The information that we put  in our profiles is not only public for your friends to see but to other internet companies and users.  According to the article, "But we wouldn’t recommend posting anything there that you wouldn’t want marketers, legal authorities, governments (or your mother) to see, especially as Facebook continues to push more and more of users’ information public and even into the hands of other companies, leaving the onus on users to figure out its Rubik’s Cube-esque privacy controls,"(Wired, 2010).    The Facebook icon can be found on almost all consumer websites.  Just by simply clicking like, Facebook now has the opportunity to use that information to put similar ads on your Facebook page.  Now this kind of privacy isnt so much of a safety concern but it does concern me that every move  we make online is being tracked and recorded in some way by other companies.  This article is a little dated but I do feel it is still relevant.


http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/report-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-doesnt-believe-in-privacy/

The end of Books

I was not a big fan of this article.  I read and reread the article to understand what hypertext is because it didnt give an obvious definition.  I finally looked it up and i understand what it is.  It is true that the written text like books and newspapers are making the move to the Internet and other technology.  I am not an avid reader but I do know that people still prefer reading their hardbound novels than reading something online and being distracted with ads or even hypertext.  I actually really like hypertext.  I like that when reading an article it points me in another direction; another source to get more information.  I can understand why the article would say that this is taking away from the authors vision and ideas but I think it is more desirable for the readers to have several options.  Now I think hypertext is ok for media like newspapers or magazines but when it comes to books, I think the authors words should be the only ones available.  In the end, I feel that there is a time and a place for hypertext.  I dont think that novels/ books are going to totally be phased out (people still prefer a physical book to the Ipad or Kindle). 

New Iphone Vlog post

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/apple-iphone-4s-specs/

Navigating Technomedia

I thought this article was rather dry and boring, but it was informative.  I had never heard of the term Technomedia before this article.  To better understand what this was, i liked how they sued the example of the phone.  We no longer simply use the telephone to have voice to voice conversations.  Now we have the ability to text, surf the web, take pictures, and even listen to music.  Who would have thought this is what the phone would become.  One of the points made in this article discussed the diffusion of technology among the different nations of the world.  I know this wasnt the whole point of the article, but it was something that stuck with me.  I learned about this idea in my Internet comm class.  The diffusion of technology is based on several factors including the economy as well as education.  If you have a poor nation who is not educated to use technology, they will find themselves to be cut off from the rest of the world and would have a disadvantage of not being able to communicate with other people globally.  Technology today is not as simple as it once was.  We are bringing so many elements of old technology together to make something new and user friendly.  Overall this article was a good overview of how technology has shifted and who is able to use it. 

Personal Dynamic Media

I really enjoyed this reading!  After getting through the whole article, I scrolled back up to see when it was written.  I was definitely surprised to see that the date said 1977!!  The goal with todays technology is to have it be used in numerous ways to help make our lives easier.  The goal behind the Dynabook, was that it" could be owned by everyone and could have the power to handle virtually all of it's owner's information-related needs",(Kay, 1977). I really liked how the article gave examples of how this technology could be useful in all walks of life; to artists and animators to doctors and teachers.  I think everyone bennefits from having a the computers and devise we have today that flexible enough for you to make necessary changes that would benefit it's use.  It seems like these devices came from the original vision of the Dynabook.  Technology like the Iphone 4S, have the technology built into it, with the hope that it will make our lives easier. The creators have basically created a hand held secretary who communicates with you and organizes and stores information...  It is really amazing to me that the idea of the Dynabook came out so long ago and we are still trying to perfect that type of interactive technology today. 

Second life

I thought this article was a little long but the information was kind of interesting.  I think the idea of a cyber world where you can design a new persona and have a life different from the one you actually live can be seen as attractive to some people.  Those who are more reserved in person, now have the opportunity to let their guard down and become who they have always wanted to be.  There was a part in the article that talked about the concern about the persons partner.  One girl said that she didnt want her partner to think that she was doing inappropriate things online.  Unfortunately with the kind of freedom a second life can give, it is easy to do those kind of things without any inhibitions.  Cyber worlds are becoming more popular.  You have the ability to redesign your life and how you look.  I can see why this would be appealing to people but I do agree that people still need to use caution when entering these cyber worlds, as your actions will follow you into the real world. 

Nato's Bombing tool: Twiter

I found this weeks article on Wired.  This article is a few months old, but with the new information on Gadhafi's death, I thought it was a very interesting one.  The social networking tool, Twitter is not only being used by celebrities; NATO is also using Twitter.  According to this article, NATO would look at Tweets that pertained to information about Gadhafi's location and troop movement.  These tweets helped determine targets and with sate lights and surveillance planes; NATO has been able to locate some of the Gadhafi's men.  According to this article, Twitter cannot be used as an actual "targeting mechanism" but has become useful in narrowing down target locations.  I had no idea that Twitter was being used in this way.  I have become aware that social networking sites like Facebook have become a huge way for people to stay connected to a cause they are fighting for and it has helped organize movements in the Middle East and other parts of the world; but I did not know that a site like Twitter is being used by the government to hunt people down. 
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/natos-newest-bombing-tool-twitter/

Computer Power and Reasoning

I really liked this article and can relate to the experience.  I remember a number of years ago when IMing was big and there was a screen name i think it was (SmartGuy1) that wasnt run by a person but was a computer.  You could ask it anything or talk to it about anything and it would give you the same kind of responses like Eliza.  For Weizenbaum to create Eliza back in the 60's is pretty remarkable to me as the software sounds pretty complex.  I am a little confused why he wanted to start this software as a psychotherapy thing when he isnt a therapist.  However, based on the conversation he listed in the article, the program seemed harmless and it didnt really give medical advise; just a person to talk to.  If anything I think it would get annoying because the responses back are all questions making the person dig deeper into their thoughts and issues, (kind of like a therapist)...  I dont feel that a program like the DOCTOR would be a good idea as a substitute from seeking a psychiatrist's advise but for those who are lost in there issues, it could help them work things out for themselves.  With time I think something like this could be successful....

Technology and Society

Technology has completely transformed our society.  From the television to the telephone, technology has altered the way we communicate and relate to the people around us.  Television has had a huge impact on the world.  Everyone is able to come closer together; we are watching the same popular TV shows and receiving the same new updates on a daily basis.  TV has had a huge impact in my life.  From my early years I have fond memories of my favorite Disney movies and cartoons.  Many people are able to come together and share the same interests through watching the TV.  In a way it has brought my family closer together.  We bond and laugh at the TV shows we watch as a family.  When we socialize with colleagues or friends we talk about the movies we just saw in theatres. Watching history unfold has brought our nation together as we watched our nation under attack on Sept. 11.  TV has shaped the was we socialize and view the world.  Many of us dont have the luxury to travel across the the ocean and see foreign lands, we relay on the TV to educate us and show us what we are missing.  This was a very interesting article and I think we can all relate to it. 

Free the Avatars

After reading the artcile, "Just you me, but better" (or something like that), I decided to do more research into the world of avatars.  I have never actually made an avatar befor.  I was never into the SIMS game or really looked around online for alternative worlds where we would find these avatars.  This article discusses how one company wanted to make it so that you didnt have to create a seperate avatar with every internet world you would join.  You would create on avatar and he would travel with you from site to site.  It seems like the real world, when you go to knew places and meet knew people, you build relationships that carry with you no matter where you go.  You have a reputation and people know you you are ven if you venture out of you home town.  It seems that this is what they are trying to accomplish with the avatars.  I do feel that this will make people more accountable to how they behave online.  You cant hide behind multiple avatars that all look the same.  This is one step further in technology to try to make cyber world like the real world.  You guys should take a look at this artcile from the New York Times, it is pretty interesting :)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/free-the-avatars/?scp=1&sq=Avatars&st=Search

Just Like Me, Only Better

This was a really interesting article, but what I thought to be the most interesting was the results of the study.  Results stated that the avatars examined basically went with the idea of "white Beauty"... Long straight hair, large breasts, full lips.  Naturally this is not what everyone looks like ( only a very small portion does) so they are obviously misrepresenting themselves online.  I thought it was interesting how they looked at other nationalities to compare.  Some stayed true to their natural features but made the changes they thought would make them more desirable online.  Having an avatar gives people the sense of having a new identity, maybe what they feel is a better identity from their actual one.  I think some of this is really unfortunate; the fact that people feel that they will be more "popular" or "desirable" by creating a fake version of themselves.  I have never made an avatar so I am not really familiar with the process.  I do have a Facebook, and honestly, what you see is what you get.  I dont alter my images to make me seem like someone different, and I say what I want to say. I may be selective with some things, but overall people get an idea of who I really am as a person. 

Community Media

I really enjoyed this article.  Community media is very important in our society.  Being a citizen of the USA entitles us to the right to express our oppinions, and using the media to do so is a great way to educate people and rally people together for a cause.  Community media has played a very significant role in forming our society and promoting change.  I really liked how the artcle talked about representation and used the example of the Fresno radio station, the only black orientated radio.  They were able to promote themselves through the radio to help inform their community of what changes needed to be made on a civil rights level.  As much as national and international news effects us, our community is what we are immediately assosiated with.  In order to make changes in our local governments, we need to express the changes we want made, and get our community to me informed.  This article was very interesting and it is something that more people should take part in.

New Facebook Feature

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/facebook-allows-people-to-subscribe-to-friends/?scp=1&sq=facebook%20subscription&st=cse

Uses and Grats

After getting a better understanding of what this class is all about, I was wondering if this article was going to show up.  I used this very article for another research assignment investigating the reasons why people use Facebook and what they get out of it.  I have my own theories as to why people use sites like Facebook and Myspace.  I believe people use it to keep in contact with their friends and family but also use it as a form of entertainment; to pass the time in their day.  One of the key things that the article noted was that SNS is a convenient form of communication, and I completely agree with this statement.  Being on Facebook, it eliminates the time issue and coordination issues when communicating.  You can easily and quickly send someone a note just to let them know that you are thinking about them, and hundreds of people are at your finger tips to talk to.  I really liked how this was a focus group type of study and that this article provided readers with actual quotes from that study.  One of the other common reasons people use SNS is to be able to express themselves freely.  It seems easier to express your opinions online (on a profile) rather than state your opinions in person.  This article really does a great job of explaining what people get out of SNS and I can definitely relate with alot of the results. 

The Medium is the Message

I really thought this article was interesting.  The article basiclaly explains how the medium of something is the message.  This immdiately makes me think of the diferent ways we communicate and how even the simle choice of which medium to use says alot.  For example, by chosing to text message, the medium suggests that I want to communicate quickly, or maybe it cn have a negative message like I dont really care to talk to this person face to face or over the phone so I will just text them.  At the beginnign fo the article, McLuhan talks about electric light.  He states that, "for it is not till the electric light is used to spell out some brand name that it is noticed as a medium,"(McLuhan, paragraph 4).  I really liked how he explained how electric ight itself is the medium.  We could be using other sources for light but we dont think of electricity, we think of PG&E, or Philips light bulbs.  This artcile really made me more away of the different ways we choose to communicate and why.  The examples that he used really helped clarify his ideas. 

oops i forgot to post my link to my last message :)

Here is the link:


Court: Cyberbullying Threats Are Not Protected Speech
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/cyberbullying-not-protected/#more-14437

Cyberbullying

 I chose to write this post about cyberbullying after reading about the consequences that social networking can have on an individual. This article talks about how cyberbullying is not considered to be free speech and that it can have serious consequences. Most people use their social networking site to communicate and stay in contact with other people. Some use it as a medium to express themselves and this can become an issue. As the article explains, this one boy had posted a video of him singing and other people wrote terrible things as a response. What people dont realize is that verbally abusing people online have the same consequences as it can have in person. I remember the case of the girl who thought she was talking to a boy that she liked online, when really it was a mother, and she said horrible things to her. As a result, the girl killed herself. People need to be selective with what they post to people on facebook and other social networking sites. You cant hide behind your computer and your words in the cyber world can have the same negative effects in the real world.

Consequences of Social Networking

I really enjoyed reading this article as I recently did a research project on this subject last semester.  Similar to this study, I wanted to see if a person's personality and body image plays a role in how they use their social network profile.  To refer back to this article, I am not surprised that majority of the students who took the survey had a Facebook profile.  I do believe that a social networking system and real life are completely different and that people display more confidence and openness on sites like Facebook so they don't care as much if they add more friends.... The more friends on Facebook the better you look (o so it seems).  In the real world, people do not have a network of 300 friends.  I really liked how this article broke different factors of social networking use down by gender, anxiety levels, extroversion, etc.  The results concluded that extroversion was the major factor when looking at a person's social networking size.  This does not surprise me since people who are already confident and outgoing in person, probably have the same confidence (if not more confidence) online.  I do believe that sites like Facebook are a great source for those more shy people to branch out and find like minded people.  I also thought it was interesting how the second highest finding for social network size was based on gender.... Us women sure do like to socialize ;)

The Quality of Online Relationships

I really liked this article (alot more than the man computer symbiosis).  This is a common thought, we cannot create relationships by only communicating online.  This articles looked at two studies that tested if computer mediated communication is effective personally as well as in the workplace. The one that I thought was interesting was the study conducted with the bank.  I do agree with the results that in a work environment, it is sometimes ineffective and harder to get work down and communicate strictly online.  I do feel that using email is an effective way to keep co workers in the loop and having quick conversations... but there is no way that someone could hold a meeting and use only email.  The other advantage to using the Internet for work is that it helps bring people into your network.  If you are working behind a desk all day you will not have the opportunities to meet people or build work relationships.  I do agree that only having online based relationships is not the way to build upon those relationships.  The Internet should just be an additional tool to improve your interpersonal relationships but not replace face to face communication.  A combination of face to face, talking on the phone, and emailing  (or using a social networking site) can help sustain a relationship. 

Seniors take classes to learn how to use Facebook :)

The article I selected is from All Facebook, (I figured this would be a good lace to get this weeks article since Facebook has been a big topic this week).  This article discusses how senior citizens are taking classes on how to use Facebook.  Universities as well as Senior citizen homes are offering the classes.  According to the article using social networking sites like facebook helps reduce depressions and helps with memory loss.  This article really stuck out to me because all of my grandparents are on facebook and it has been a great experience for them.  They have found long lost family members and friends and it has really opened a new world of entertainment and communication for them.  My grandparents have experienced first hand the shift in communication from phones that used an operator to cell phones and from typewriters to Mac Computers and surfing the web.  They have proven that they are able to learn the new technology, they just need the support and for someone to assist them, like taking a class.  Facebook is no longer a college site for students to socialize; it has expanded its demographic to reach people of all ages; and I think this has really opened the communication possibilities for everyone.  Here is the link to the article; take a look :) http://www.allfacebook.com/popular-with-seniors-classes-on-how-to-use-facebook-2011-09

The Written Word

This article examines they way our communication has evolved over time.  Like the beginning of the article states, communication can not strictly be face to face and we need another way to communicate effectively and overcome the time and distance complications.  The article shows that the written word dates back to ancient wall carving to the shift to papyrus and later paper.  The article explains the transition into the first newspaper, and how newspapers have evolved from print to text on the Internet.  Not only has our communication changed from print to telephone, but the article explains how new technology has become the more convenient way of communicating, like using email for example.  I find it really interesting how time has fazed out some of the ways we communicate.  For example, newspapers are shutting down because people no longer want to read an actually newspaper, but find it more convenient, and even environmentally friendly to use the Internet to get their information.  Technology has completely changed the way we communicate, it makes everything happen instantaneously which makes it so popular.  This was a very interesting article. 

Be Who You Want To Be!!

I really enjoyed reading this article, and it is definitely one that I can relate to.  I am an avid Facebook user.  I check my profile numerous times a day and constantly add pictures and change my status.  I agree with this article, that Facebook is a tool to express your identity.  What separated facebook from other social networking sites is the fact that you are representing your really self and not a fake representation of who you are.  By posting pictures and sharing your daily activities, people get a real glimpse in the day in the life of you.  According to the article, "On Facebook, identity is a choice, an object we choose to project...".  I really liked this quote because one of the things that is important to remember about facebook is that fact that we are very selective with the information we choose to put on our profile,( even when we don't realize it) but with every choice we make we are choosing to show a certain side of ourselves to the facebook world.  I really enjoyed the information about Mead and how his findings on communication identity were applied to our individual use of facebook.  Last semester I had to write a paper about the reasons people use Facebook..  This article brings up alot of similar information that I included in that paper.  One thing that i really took away from the assignment was the idea that some people are not as confident to express themselves in public so they feel that facebook is a safer outlet because they can take their time when responding to a message or really have an opportunity to show a side of them that most people wouldn't get to see.  I think that facebook is a confidence builder to people and by selecting which picture to use on your profile or expressing an opinion on your status, they get the time to really think through their actions rather than feel the pressure from face to face communication. 

Hi Everyone!!

Hi Guys,
My name is Jessica and I am a senior this year!! I am soooo excited to be graduating and have really enjoyed being a comm major. You may have guessed by my blog name, GiantsGurl1 that I am a huge Giants fan! Some of my best memories growing up were going to giants games with my dad and he would tell me everything he knew about the players and the game.  Now that I am older i love taking the the train down with friends and enjoying the game together.  I currently work in San Carlos at an architecture firm and live in Palo Alto, I am a commuter student so taking online classes have made things alot more flexible.  I am really looking forward to starting this class and I think that the information will be really interesting.  Cant wait to see your posts!
-Jessica