COM 125- Final Blog

As another semester comes to an end, I am beginning to realize how much I have gained from the classes I have taken. In this class for example, I again amaze myself in writing 5,000-7,000 words on my own online blog. Like Derek mentioned in the last day of class, this is equal to 25-30 pages. This just goes to show how technologically advanced our society is becoming and instead of writing the traditional, boring 10 page paper we have all learned how to be “bloggers” and become part of a new trend.

Coming into this class I was familiar with blogging, because of COM 240 with Derek last semester, but I still did not know a good amount. I knew was that anyone could do it, because a couple of my friends write sports blogs. I found that the more you blog, the easier it becomes and if I didn’t take this class, I think that I would still have the same blogging skills that I had before. If more people knew how easy it was, I think that they would be blogging also, but people aren’t familiar enough with it, therefore they don’t do it. Reading up on blogging, I found that the definition of blog is a website maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events or other material such as graphics or video. Although textual blogs are the most popular, there are several different types of blogs, so I’m sure people wouldn’t have a hard time finding something they are interested in. other than textual there are; artlog (art), photoblog (photographs), sketchblog (portfolio sketches), vlog (videos), MP3 blog (music), podcasting (audio).

This semester I learned more about blogs than I did in COM 240 last semester. We learned how blogging is becoming more and more popular in today’s world and how some blogs are taking precedence over newspapers or other forms of print media. We learned how bloggers are adopting journalists to analyze their works. With blogging arises big questions, how do we decide what to trust and where can we find trustworthy information? One way is to find other sites that have the same information, but from different sources, then you know that the information is coming from various sources and that it is credible.

In the end, I would never regret taking this class. I am going to take away so much from this class and hopefully will never forget what I learned. I feel that I now have the ability to help people understand the internet and how its rapid advancements affect everyone. I also hope to continue on with my blogging career and start a sports blog where I can express my feelings about current topics and events in the world of sports. 

GO BULLS!!!

COM 125- Government 2.0?

How should government best utilize technology to engage the public and make government more transparent and accessible? Well I think that what Obama is already doing is a good start, by allowing the public to access government through the use of technology. With Obama being a big advocate of change, the announcement of his weekly address as a YouTube video is just the beginning of many changes that will take place as a result of him becoming president. Throughout his campaign, Obama grabbed the attention of young voters and by posting his weekly addresses on YouTube, it will be convenient for young Americans to have access to these addresses on a popular site. 

This is just one of the ways that Obama will make change during his presidency. According to the Washington Post article by Jose Antonio Vargas, linked in the original blog post, Obama has other plans of making the White House and political process more transparent. In addition to the YouTube videos of the weekly addresses, Obama will also conduct online Q and A’s and video interviews. Also, members of the cabinet and other will make their own videos for Change.gov to join Obama and this change to a transparent government. 

Reading further into this Slashdot post, I clicked on the link to the New York Times article by Jeff Zeleny, where it informed me that upon his arrival at the White House, Obama will have to say goodbye to his Blackberry. This means that Obama will no longer be able to have access to emails, due to the Presidential Records Act. According to the article, a decision has not been made yet whether or not Obama will be the first emailing president, but aides said that it seems doubtful. I feel that Obama becoming the first emailing president will further provide transparency. This has never really been a problem, but with the fast advancement of technology, it seems like it would be necessary for a president to have access to email, especially when Obama has been relying on it heavily throughout his campaign. Maybe the start of this comes when Obama becomes the first president to have a laptop computer on his desk at the Oval Office.

So to answer the question, how should government best utilize technology to engage the public and make government more transparent and accessible? I think that by going through with the weekly video address on YouTube and the video interviews and Q and A’s, Obama is off to a great start. I’m not really sure where to go from there though, because as time passes technology will be further advancing and who knows what technology Obama will have at hand and what he will be able to do with it. This change to make government transparent seems to be a huge step in Obama’s presidency. Obama will further grab the attention of young Americans by giving them access to the political process by using technology that most of us use daily. Keeping this transparency limited will allow Americans a better view as to what is going on, but will keep some things behind closed doors. With our current situation, I’m sure Americans want more access to the political process and want to see what is happening as it happens instead of being surprised when it happens.

COM 125-Net Neutrality

According to Wikipedia, net neutrality is “a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. A neutral broadband network is one that is free of the restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not reasonably degraded by other communication streams.”

 The debate over net neutrality is about the rules of net neutrality and the quality of service. Critics of net neutrality believe that these rules would take away incentives to upgrade and launch network services. Others argue that the quality of service is not problematic, but is desired by many. The broadband industry is evolving and since there have been no major failure or harm by broadband providers, these regulations may not be good on consumer welfare.

 The interests of the consumers and of the internet providers are at stake with these issues. Consumers want to be able to have access to the internet at a reasonable price and not have to worry about restrictions on their content, sites and platforms. The internet providers on the other hand are in it for the money. They want to make as much of a profit as possible and want to eliminate all other competition. Instead of putting the consumers first and offering the best product at a fair price, they want to jack up the prices to make sure that everyone involved is earning a hefty pay check.

 I would have to support net neutrality, because I think that it is important for consumers to always have the best product available for them at a fair price. All providers should offer the best product, because it isn’t fair to consumers who do not have these options available for them. I know when Time Warner stopped broadcasting channel 4 it was ridiculous, because Bills fans were unable to watch their home team play, but at the same families like mine could not switch to another provider, because we also rely on Time Warner’s phone and internet service. 

COM 125- Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds have become an interesting part of life. As technology continues to grow, these virtual worlds become more and more realistic and more and more people are becoming involved. I personally know nothing about these virtual worlds and have no idea how you become involved, but I have heard some serious stories of how addicting these things are and the effects they can have on a user. In worlds like SecondLife, users experience an open virtual economy whereas users in World of Warcraft experience a closed virtual economy. 

In Second Life users have the ability to become very interactive by using an internal currency called Linden Dollars. These Linden Dollars can be obtained by purchasing them from other users by using real money. Users may offer services and items in exchange for this currency. These services include working in stores, business management and adult entertainment, while the items include buildings, cars and clothing. A very small percentage of users gain a net income from this economy and the issue has become a concern for taxation. Another way for Residents to make money is through real estate, just like in real life. The “open” Second Life  economy allows its users to use real life money and buy virtual goods and services with the actual money in their wallets. 

The economy in World of Warcraft is also similar to the economy in real life where as it is based on supply and demand. In the game you will most likely have to contact another member or a vendor in order to get an item that you need. These items are also similar to real life, because some of these items are easy to find and other are not so easy to find. In World of Warcraft, auction house is available to users to help them decide if they want to sell an item or wait to see if the price is right at a later time. Money is obtained by success in the game. This money is not real and cannot be exchanged into US currency. Users spend their money on weapons, equipment and skills to help them advance in the game. The “closed” economy in World of Warcraft does not allow users to pay for these goods in the game with their own money. The users must play the game and earn points to receive money in the game to buy what they need. 

These virtual worlds have become way too realistic for my liking, and it doesn’t surprise me why people become addicts. To me it seems like when a person does not have much of a social life and cannot interact with others, their only way to do so is through one of these virtual worlds and once a person becomes knowledgeable and experienced they are addicted and cannot break the habit. It is crazy to think that you can earn any sort of income from a virtual world like Second Life and part of the reason people become addicted, is because real money is involved and there is a chance of making money through this virtual open economy. I am definitely grateful to have never experience myself or anybody I know become an addict to a virtual world, because the thought of someone’s life being consumed in a virtual game scares me and I can’t imagine how someone could live like that.

COM 125- Journalism

Since we are only 4 days away from one of the most important presidential elections and the first of which I will be able to participate in, I decided I should choose some articles about the election. I took a look through the Buffalo News today and found on the cover an article about Sarah Palin’s visit to Erie, Pennsylvania. For the online source, I found an article on this topic at FoxNews.com. When looking at the two articles, it is clear that the print source from the Buffalo News is more in depth and has more content. The online source fails to inform the readers that upon Palin’s entrance, the song “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones was playing as her entrance music.  One piece of evidence that the Buffalo News failed to mention that FoxNews did not, was the fact that Palin was booed when she congratulated the audience for the Phillies winning the World Series. She said she was thrilled to be in the home state of a World champion, but she wasn’t in the home city and the people from Erie are mostly Pirates and Indians fans.

 The FoxNews article is focused on how Palin accuses the Democrats of wanting to cut defense spending while the Buffalo News article talks briefly about that topic.  The Buffalo News only states that Palin accuses the Democrats of wanting to slash the defense budget, even though Obama has promised to build a bigger army. The FoxNews article takes a direct quote from Palin’s speech and uses it as the bulk of the article. The Buffalo News article has a lot of quotes from people in the audience while there are none in the FoxNews article. The article focuses on how Palin electrified her audience and how much the audience liked her. The author of the article characterizes Palin as a Rock Star, drawing larger crowds that McCain and very popular with her fans. Also, The Buffalo News informs you that while making her exit and shaking hands, Shania Twain’s “She’s Not Just a Pretty Face” was playing through the sound system.

 To me it seemed like the article from FoxNews was short and sweet and focused on the main focus of Palin’s speech and didn’t mention much else. The Buffalo News article seemed more focused on the event and Palin’s ability to electrify the audience, even though it does mention what was said in her speech. The Buffalo News article was more on a personal level and let you know how people in the audience felt.

Conroy, Scott. "Palin: Obama's Speeches Can't Protect the Country." CBSNews.com. 30 Oct. 2008. CBS News. 31 Oct. 2008. 

Erwin, Erica. "Palin: McCain trumps Obama on national security." Erie Times-News 31 Oct. 2008. 

Walshe, Shushannah. "Palin Stumps in Tom Ridges Hometown." FoxNews.com. 31 Oct. 2008. Fox News. 31 Oct. 2008 . 

Zremski, Jerry. "Palin shows 2012 aura in Rust Belt." The Buffalo News 31 Oct. 2008: A1-A2.

COM 125- Web Applications

The web application I chose to review is Google Maps. You can find the site at maps.google.com. Here you can find directions to anywhere you want to go and not have to pay a dime. You have the choice of viewing maps in a map, satellite or terrain format. Users can also view traffic for available cities. Users can also choose to use street view. This allows users to get a 360 degree view of a specific location. This feature is only available for certain cities at this time. The design of the site is pretty basic, and nothing special. There are links to other parts of Google. No advertisements of any kind. It allows you to print, send or create a link to this page. The only social aspect of this site that I could think of is that it allows you to email directions or maps to other people. Also, you can create personalized maps to share with friends and family.

 

To get directions using Google Maps, you enter the address of the destination in the box at the top. When your destination comes up, you must then enter your starting point in the bubble above your destination. When this is done, your directions will be located on the left and on the map, any construction, road closing or accident will be indicated by their respective icons. They also give you an option to search the area of your destination. When I searched my home address, under the “explore the area” link there was a picture of my high school. Also, when I search my address, in a bubble over the point on the map there was a picture of my house and if I clicked on it, it would allow me to see the street view.

 

I think that this site is useful, because it allows people to see the whole world without leaving their house. With street view you can view someone’s house or a landmark or anything else that is available. No other application will let you enter an address and have a 360 degree view of that house. People no longer have to learn how to read maps, and there is no hassle. All you need is a computer and when you want to go somewhere and don’t know how to get there, all have to do is enter your destination and starting point and print the directions out and you’re ready to go. This web application shows how technology is making everything faster and easier.

COM 125- Assignment #6

As wonderful as the internet is, it can be a dark and dangerous place as well. Everyone knows how the internet is convenient and helpful, but are they aware that the internet can make your life a living hell? So many people these days are members of online communities and by joining an online community, you create an online identity. While some people use their real names to identify themselves, others use pseudonyms that reveal personal information. For example, the numbers on your screen name could be your birth date or something. Like many other college students of my age, I am a member of Facebook and I have an account on AIM. I use both to talk with my friends or to keep in touch with family out of town. Both are accurate representations of my true identity and I hope that they stay that way forever.

When you look at my Facebook, you know exactly who I am. I have a picture of myself, I offer my name and what city I live in and where I go to school. This information I feel comfortable letting my Facebook friends and strangers know about myself. I would never think to put my phone number or address on my page, because of the various risks that are associated with it. Some people don’t know any better and they freely put all of their information on their site, leading to identity theft.

I have to say that I myself have participated in an act of identity theft, but nothing extreme or harmful to anyone, just some innocent fun. A couple friends and I decided to create a MySpace for my one friend’s dad. We thought it’d be funny, because he’s a funny guy and all of our friends would find it hilarious. If you knew him, you’d understand, but the things he does are just too ridiculous to write in my blog. We proceeded to find pictures of him and collect all his information to create the MySpace account. We found a ridiculous picture to make his profile picture and we made a description for him that we thought he would make for himself. He likes to swear a lot and has a dirty mind, so those characteristics played a role in making his profile. We finally finished and completed the account and a few days later his dad was friends on MySpace with half of Kenmore West. Everyone knows who this guy is and everyone got a kick out of his MySpace account. One day in gym class my football coaches were looking at it and were crying because they thought it was so funny. After our coaches saw it, they informed my friends dad and after he saw it, he was pissed. He made us delete it and was worried that people who he wouldn’t want to see it saw it. A couple years later my friend made a Facebook for the grandmother of the same friend and this Facebook is still up and running and nobody has a problem with it.

Even though we were trying to have some innocent fun, we were stealing our friend’s dad’s identity. We were posting information about him that he wouldn’t want people to see and he was embarrassed of the way we portrayed him to everyone that saw his profile. It is important that everyone is careful when using the internet, because this is an example of how people can create false identities and toy with people. This situation wasn’t harmful, but it easily can be and it is hard to tell if someone is who they really say they are on the internet.