For our fifth essay, we were assigned to choose a Web 2.0 technology, and take on the job of educating others of this media. In the last decade there have been many new social networking sites, but none has had the impact that Facebook has. According to Boyd and Ellison, a social networking site is a “web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.” This is a dynamic definition, but it outlines the basic fundamentals of a social networking site. This allows the average person to create a profile for themselves, as well as interact with other friends on Facebook. Throughout this essay I will be explaining the background information about Facebook, who uses is, as well as its pros and its cons. Social networking sites like Facebook.com, have allowed people to connect, and has advanced the possibilities of networking through the Internet.
According to mashable.com, Facebook was created by a former Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg. It was created as a site where fellow Harvard students could meet each other easier. As the site grew, Zuckerberg brought on Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCullon, and Chris Hughs to help the expanding responsibilities. Since it became such a success he then expanded it to other Ivy League schools. Facebook then expanded the network and allowed every college to join, and now it is available to anyone with an email address over the age of 13. Barnes states “teenagers now use organized social Web sites to meet others and explore identity formation.” Recently there has been a surge of people joining over the age of 30. Techcrunch.com states that the age group of 35 plus has grown 98 percent from 2006 to 2007. Also, according to Facebook.com is now has over 120 million active users. There have been some controversies over who really created the social networking sights. There have been many lawsuits brought upon Zuckerberg, claiming that he stole the idea. Zuckerberg had a verbal contract with three other classmates attempting to create a site called ConnectU. Zuckerberg allegedly stole their source code, and was stealing their ideas. This lawsuit has been going on for years, and Owen Thomas claims Zuckerbergs main defense is that the statute of limitations has ran out.
As a frequent user of Facebook, I want to introduce you to some of the vast functions it provides. When first singing up for Facebook you create a basic profile for yourself, including information such as your gender, birthday, contact information, educational information, and even your relationship status. Then you start searching for your friends and sending them friend requests. This is used as a safety feature, and only the people you accept as your friends are allowed to view your profile. Facebook also allows you to upload pictures of yourself, and also allows people to tag pictures of you. There are many different features your profile has such as your “wall.” This is where your friends can come and write a little note on your profile. Today it is even possible to upload a video of yourself on your wall. This is bringing a whole new light on the way we can communicate over the Internet. Video posts make the message much more personal. It allows you to express your actual feelings in ways text cannot achieve. Facebook has things like the “mini feed,” which keeps you updates on things like friends tagged in pictures, new albums, new friends, and even ended relationships. You can join groups, send gifts, update your current status, play games, or even flirt with people by “poking” them. The features that Facebook has today are endless, even politicians have pages that allow the younger generations using this social networking site to associate with politicians.
There are many things that Facebook has brought to the table. First, it allows you to stay in touch with friends, and relatives across the country. You can even get in touch with old high school friends, or people you may not have been that close with. It allows you to form an informal relationship that might lead to further interactions. I check Facebook daily, and there are many times when I will think back to high school and pull a name out of a hat and friend them. That usually follows with a wall post something along the lines of “what’s up man, long time.” Facebook also makes promoting events easier. You can send out an invitation to your chosen friends with details about the occasion and the date and time. You can also respond to the invitation, so you can get an accurate number of people who will be attending. As well as invitations, you can now chat on Facebook. They have added an application that allows you to chat like an instant message with other friends that are logged onto Facebook. This is another stride that they have taken to attract more people. Facebook also allows you to create a profile that accurately depicts yourself. You can add your favorite quotes, movies, music, subjects, hometown, and high school. As a registered user of Facebook you almost create a snapshot of yourself that you want to present to others.
Facebook also makes meeting people easier. It allows you to break the ice with a person that you know by saying hello through the computer. Facebook is even used in the workplace. At the conclusion of my summer internship the company created a group called Cushman & Wakefield Summer Intern Group so that we could all keep in contact. The company wanted their employees to build and form relationships outside the office, in order to work more efficiently. As I stated before, even the Presidential candidates have pages where they present their positions on the political issues. Teachers are even interacting with students through Facebook. I was sitting in a History class earlier and the teacher was requesting that if students have any questions, please contact him through his Facebook page. It has become so easy to create a page that even teachers are breaching into this social networking world. The photo albums are a feature that has been with Facebook from the beginning. Facebook makes it extremely easy to upload albums, and tag people in the album. Speaking with a college senior at UAlbany, Shane Moriarty stated, “Since I live in Seattle, it’s tough to keep in touch with my friends. I really like that people can tag my friends in photos, which allows me to see them. Since I am not friends with a lot of the people from their school I would never be able to see the pictures.” Facebook has also now partnered with the company Research in Motion and created a Facebook application for BlackBerry users. You get alerts to your phone telling you when friends have confirmed you, or photos have been tagged of yourself. If you receive a message or even if someone writes on your wall you have the capability through your phone to write back. Facebook also has things like the friends you may know section, where is recommends people that are friends with a majority of your friends. This makes it easy to connect with those people you would not necessarily remember. Another application that Facebook has created is the marketplace. This is a place where people can go to search within their network for items to buy. Many people put up college textbooks, electronics, or even cars on the marketplace. It is almost like Facebook is trying to put AIM, EBay, and Flickr into one place.
There are also some negatives about Facebook. People are getting increasingly nervous of the things that are on their Facebook pages. Many times there are embarrassing pictures that become tagged, or foolish wall posts written on your wall. With the amount of people over the age of 35 on Facebook, and the chance that your parents and relatives will create an account has created a large amount of anxiety for college students. Also, prospective companies are now looking at people Facebook pages and evaluating whether or not to hire the employee. There are many things that Facebook provides you so you can prevent these types of things. You can make your profile private so there is no wall on your page, and you can also make your pictures private so that no one can see them. Also if you choose to have pictures that are viewable, you can untag ones that you do not want to be publicly seen. If there is questionable material on your page there is a great chance that an employer might not hire you.
Also, with the age necessary to register for a Facebook page being only thirteen, there are many people that are concerned with the issue of child predators. Parents should be increasingly concerned with the content that is on their children’s Facebook pages, as well is the people that they are interacting with through the website. Facebook also creates a lot of stress for people in relationships. Many times you can be tagged in a picture with a person they do not know and this causes speculations of unfaithfulness. A lot of the time girlfriends can log onto their partners account and sift through their messages, and wall posts. The “news feed” also allows someone to really keep a tab of what you are doing. It tells people what events you have responded yes to, or new friends you have, or even whose wall you have written on. If you have your “news feed” on a person can basically track what you have been up too, and even whom you are friends with. Sometimes I follow what my friends are writing on each other walls. The news feed keeps me alert, and up to date on which friends are talking to each other. This is another concern with many people, but Facebook has provided a feature that allows you to turn off you “news feed.”
In the last decade there have been major advances in the world of social networking sites. Web 2.0 technologies such as Myspace, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Facebook were created. All of these different sites bring something to the table, but my opinion Facebook takes the cake. There is no other site that combines so many different aspects into one like Facebook does. Facebook has allowed people to expand the relationships that they have, as well as create new bonds with people they might never have spoken too. There are so many positive things that Facebook has to offer; that I believe it is one of the most influential sites on the World Wide Web. There are certainly many concerns that people will have, but Facebook is doing the best they can to create a safe, healthy social networking site. Facebook.com has allowed people to connect, and has advanced the possibilities of networking through the Internet.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
fbook
For our fifth essay, we were assigned to choose a Web 2.0 technology, and take on the job of educating others of this media. According to Tim O’Reilly “a set of principles and practices that tie together a veritable solar system of sites that demonstrate some or all of those principles, at a varying distance from the core.” In the last decade there have been many new social networking sites, but none has had the impact that Facebook has. According to Boyd and Ellison, a social networking site is a “web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.” This is a dynamic definition, but it outlines the basic fundamentals of a social networking site. This allows the average people to create a profile for themselves, as well as interact with other friends on Facebook. Throughout this essay I will be explaining the background information about Facebook, who uses is, as well as its pros and its cons. Social networking sites like Facebook.com, have allowed people to connect, and has advanced the possibilities of networking through the Internet.
According to mashable.com, Facebook was created by a former Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg. It was created as a site where fellow Harvard students could meet each other easier. As the site grew, Zuckerberg brought on Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCullon, and Chris Hughs to help the expanding responsibilities. Since it became such a success he then expanded it to other Ivy League schools. Facebook then expanded the network and allowed every college to join, and now it is available to anyone with an email address over the age of 13. Barnes states “teenagers now use organized social Web sites to meet others and explore identity formation.” Recently there has been a surge of people joining over the age of 30. Techcrunch.com states that the age group of 35 plus has grown 98 percent from 2006 to 2007. Also, according to Facebook.com is now has over 120 million active users. As a frequent user of Facebook, I want to introduce you to some of the vast functions it provides. When first singing up for Facebook you create a basic profile for yourself, including information such as your gender, birthday, contact information, educational information, and even your relationship status. Then you start searching for your friends and sending them friend requests. This is used as a safety feature, and only the people you accept as your friends are allowed to view your profile. Facebook also allows you to upload pictures of yourself, and also allows people to tag pictures of you. There are many different features your profile has such as your “wall.” This is where your friends can come and write a little note on your profile. Today it is even possible to upload a video of yourself on your wall. This is bringing a whole new light on the way we can communicate over the internet. Facebook has things like the “mini feed,” which keeps you updates on things like friends tagged in pictures, new albums, new friends, and even ended relationships. You can join groups, send gifts, update your current status, play games, or even flirt with people by “poking” them. The features that Facebook has today are endless, even politicians have pages that allow the younger generations using this social networking site to associate with politicians.
There are many things that Facebook has brought to the table. First, it allows you to stay in touch with friends, and relatives across the country. You can even get in touch with old high school friends, or people you may not have been that close with. It allows you to form an informal relationship that might lead to further interactions. I check Facebook daily, and there are many times when I will think back to high school and pull a name out of a hat and friend them. That usually follows with a wall post something along the lines of “what’s up man, long time.” Facebook also makes promoting events easier. You can send out an invitation to your chosen friends with details about the occasion and the date and time. You can also respond to the invitation, so you can get an accurate number of people who will be attending. As well as invitations, you can now chat on Facebook. They have added an application that allows you to chat like an instant message with other friends that are logged onto Facebook. This is another stride that they have taken to attract more people. Facebook also allows you to create a profile that accurately depicts yourself. You can add your favorite quotes, movies, music, subjects, hometown, and high school. As a registered user of Facebook you almost create a snapshot of yourself that you want to present to others. Facebook also makes meeting people easier. It allows you to break the ice with a person that you know by saying hello through the computer. Facebook is even used in the workplace. At the conclusion of my summer internship the company created a group called Cushman & Wakefield Summer Intern Group so that we could all keep in contact. The company wanted their employees to build and form relationships outside the office, in order to work more efficiently. As I stated before, even the Presidential candidates have pages where they present their positions on the political issues. Teachers are even interacting with students through Facebook. I was sitting in a History class earlier and the teacher was requesting that if students have any questions please contact him through his Facebook page. It has become so easy to create a page that even teachers are breaching into this social networking world. The photo albums are a feature that has been with Facebook from the beginning. Facebook makes it extremely easy to upload albums, and tag people in the album. Speaking with a college senior at UAlbany, Shane Moriarty stated, “Since I live in Seattle, it’s tough to keep in touch with my friends. I really like that people can tag my friends in photos, which allows me to see them. Since I am not friends with a lot of the people from their school I would never be able to see the pictures.” Facebook has also now partnered with the company Research in Motion and created a Facebook application for BlackBerry users. You get alerts to your phone telling you when friends have confirmed you, or photos have been tagged of yourself. If you receive a message or even if someone writes on your wall you have the capability through your phone to write back. Facebook also has things like the friends you may know section, where is recommends people that are friends with a majority of your friends. This makes it easy to connect with those people you would not necessarily remember. Another application that Facebook has created is the marketplace. This is a place where people can go to search within their network for items to buy. Many people put up college textbooks, electronics, or even cars on the marketplace. It is almost like Facebook is trying to put AIM, EBay, and Flickr into one place.
There are also some negatives about Facebook. People are getting increasingly nervous of the things that are on their Facebook pages. Many times there are embarrassing pictures that become tagged or foolish wall posts written on your wall. With the amount of people over the age of 35 on Facebook, and the chance that your parents and relatives will create an account has created a large amount of anxiety for college students. Also, prospective companies are now looking at people Facebook pages and evaluating whether or not to hire the employee. There are many things that Facebook provides you so you can prevent these types of things. You can make your profile private so there is no wall on your page, and you can also make your pictures private so that no one can see them. Also if you choose to have pictures that are viewable, you can untag ones that you do not want to be publicly seen. Also, with the age necessary to register for a Facebook page being only thirteen, there are many people that are concerned with the issue of child predators. Parents should be increasingly concerned with the content that is on their children’s Facebook pages. Another concern for people, who are in relationships, is that fact that Facebook creates a lot of stress in the relationship. Many times you can be tagged in a picture with a person they do not know and this causes speculations of unfaithfulness. A lot of the time girlfriends can log onto their partners account and sift through their messages, and wall posts. The “news feed” also allows someone to really keep a tab of what you are doing. It tells people what events you have responded yes to, or new friends you have, or even whose wall you have written on. This is another concern with many people, but Facebook has provided a feature that allows you to turn off you “news feed.”
In the last decade there have been major advances in the world of social networking sites. Web 2.0 technologies such as Myspace, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Facebook were created. All of these different sites bring something to the table, but my opinion Facebook takes the cake. There is no other site that combines so many different aspects into one like Facebook does. Facebook has allowed people to expand the relationships that they have, as well as create new bonds with people they might never have spoken too. There are so many positive things that Facebook has to offer; that I believe it is one of the most influential sites on the World Wide Web. There are certainly many concerns that people will have, but Facebook is doing the best they can to create a safe, healthy social networking site. Facebook.com has allowed people to connect, and has advanced the possibilities of networking through the Internet.
Barnes. Susan B. (2006). A privacy paradox: Social networking in the United States. First Monday, 11. Retrieved on August 21, 2009 from http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue11_9/barnes/index.html.
According to mashable.com, Facebook was created by a former Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg. It was created as a site where fellow Harvard students could meet each other easier. As the site grew, Zuckerberg brought on Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCullon, and Chris Hughs to help the expanding responsibilities. Since it became such a success he then expanded it to other Ivy League schools. Facebook then expanded the network and allowed every college to join, and now it is available to anyone with an email address over the age of 13. Barnes states “teenagers now use organized social Web sites to meet others and explore identity formation.” Recently there has been a surge of people joining over the age of 30. Techcrunch.com states that the age group of 35 plus has grown 98 percent from 2006 to 2007. Also, according to Facebook.com is now has over 120 million active users. As a frequent user of Facebook, I want to introduce you to some of the vast functions it provides. When first singing up for Facebook you create a basic profile for yourself, including information such as your gender, birthday, contact information, educational information, and even your relationship status. Then you start searching for your friends and sending them friend requests. This is used as a safety feature, and only the people you accept as your friends are allowed to view your profile. Facebook also allows you to upload pictures of yourself, and also allows people to tag pictures of you. There are many different features your profile has such as your “wall.” This is where your friends can come and write a little note on your profile. Today it is even possible to upload a video of yourself on your wall. This is bringing a whole new light on the way we can communicate over the internet. Facebook has things like the “mini feed,” which keeps you updates on things like friends tagged in pictures, new albums, new friends, and even ended relationships. You can join groups, send gifts, update your current status, play games, or even flirt with people by “poking” them. The features that Facebook has today are endless, even politicians have pages that allow the younger generations using this social networking site to associate with politicians.
There are many things that Facebook has brought to the table. First, it allows you to stay in touch with friends, and relatives across the country. You can even get in touch with old high school friends, or people you may not have been that close with. It allows you to form an informal relationship that might lead to further interactions. I check Facebook daily, and there are many times when I will think back to high school and pull a name out of a hat and friend them. That usually follows with a wall post something along the lines of “what’s up man, long time.” Facebook also makes promoting events easier. You can send out an invitation to your chosen friends with details about the occasion and the date and time. You can also respond to the invitation, so you can get an accurate number of people who will be attending. As well as invitations, you can now chat on Facebook. They have added an application that allows you to chat like an instant message with other friends that are logged onto Facebook. This is another stride that they have taken to attract more people. Facebook also allows you to create a profile that accurately depicts yourself. You can add your favorite quotes, movies, music, subjects, hometown, and high school. As a registered user of Facebook you almost create a snapshot of yourself that you want to present to others. Facebook also makes meeting people easier. It allows you to break the ice with a person that you know by saying hello through the computer. Facebook is even used in the workplace. At the conclusion of my summer internship the company created a group called Cushman & Wakefield Summer Intern Group so that we could all keep in contact. The company wanted their employees to build and form relationships outside the office, in order to work more efficiently. As I stated before, even the Presidential candidates have pages where they present their positions on the political issues. Teachers are even interacting with students through Facebook. I was sitting in a History class earlier and the teacher was requesting that if students have any questions please contact him through his Facebook page. It has become so easy to create a page that even teachers are breaching into this social networking world. The photo albums are a feature that has been with Facebook from the beginning. Facebook makes it extremely easy to upload albums, and tag people in the album. Speaking with a college senior at UAlbany, Shane Moriarty stated, “Since I live in Seattle, it’s tough to keep in touch with my friends. I really like that people can tag my friends in photos, which allows me to see them. Since I am not friends with a lot of the people from their school I would never be able to see the pictures.” Facebook has also now partnered with the company Research in Motion and created a Facebook application for BlackBerry users. You get alerts to your phone telling you when friends have confirmed you, or photos have been tagged of yourself. If you receive a message or even if someone writes on your wall you have the capability through your phone to write back. Facebook also has things like the friends you may know section, where is recommends people that are friends with a majority of your friends. This makes it easy to connect with those people you would not necessarily remember. Another application that Facebook has created is the marketplace. This is a place where people can go to search within their network for items to buy. Many people put up college textbooks, electronics, or even cars on the marketplace. It is almost like Facebook is trying to put AIM, EBay, and Flickr into one place.
There are also some negatives about Facebook. People are getting increasingly nervous of the things that are on their Facebook pages. Many times there are embarrassing pictures that become tagged or foolish wall posts written on your wall. With the amount of people over the age of 35 on Facebook, and the chance that your parents and relatives will create an account has created a large amount of anxiety for college students. Also, prospective companies are now looking at people Facebook pages and evaluating whether or not to hire the employee. There are many things that Facebook provides you so you can prevent these types of things. You can make your profile private so there is no wall on your page, and you can also make your pictures private so that no one can see them. Also if you choose to have pictures that are viewable, you can untag ones that you do not want to be publicly seen. Also, with the age necessary to register for a Facebook page being only thirteen, there are many people that are concerned with the issue of child predators. Parents should be increasingly concerned with the content that is on their children’s Facebook pages. Another concern for people, who are in relationships, is that fact that Facebook creates a lot of stress in the relationship. Many times you can be tagged in a picture with a person they do not know and this causes speculations of unfaithfulness. A lot of the time girlfriends can log onto their partners account and sift through their messages, and wall posts. The “news feed” also allows someone to really keep a tab of what you are doing. It tells people what events you have responded yes to, or new friends you have, or even whose wall you have written on. This is another concern with many people, but Facebook has provided a feature that allows you to turn off you “news feed.”
In the last decade there have been major advances in the world of social networking sites. Web 2.0 technologies such as Myspace, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Facebook were created. All of these different sites bring something to the table, but my opinion Facebook takes the cake. There is no other site that combines so many different aspects into one like Facebook does. Facebook has allowed people to expand the relationships that they have, as well as create new bonds with people they might never have spoken too. There are so many positive things that Facebook has to offer; that I believe it is one of the most influential sites on the World Wide Web. There are certainly many concerns that people will have, but Facebook is doing the best they can to create a safe, healthy social networking site. Facebook.com has allowed people to connect, and has advanced the possibilities of networking through the Internet.
Barnes. Susan B. (2006). A privacy paradox: Social networking in the United States. First Monday, 11. Retrieved on August 21, 2009 from http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue11_9/barnes/index.html.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
bloggin'
A blog as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is a “Web site that contains an online personal journal reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.” In the book Blogging America, Aaron Barlow discusses the issues we may now encounter with the blogosphere rapidly increasing. One major problem that Barlow presents is that blogs are basically too easy to create, and they have no one governing the information in which they are presenting. (p. 36) Even without editors, the information presented on blogs mostly consists of factual information that enriches the knowledge of the visitors.
For our forth essay we were assigned to monitor and post on a blog of our choice. Being an avid New York Jets fan, I choose to monitor Jane McManus’s, Jets Journal. In this blog, Jane McManus provides an interesting perspective that an average Jet fan may not encounter. She attends the daily practices, and gives a diehard fan like myself a description of what each practice is like. She even reports on individual players, speaking about their personal side. This adds a softer touch to her blog. She is not just reporting on the scores, or lead stories. Jane takes the time to speak with the players so that fans on the outside can really learn about the players they love. She even takes time out of her busy day to respond to questions that are left on her blog. She has created a nice following of Jet fans who are interested in up to the minute information about the players and coaches, as well as the major storylines surrounding the team. In my seven days participating in the Jets Journal, there have not been any altercations between visitors, and I believe this to be a healthy, happy blog.
Barlow considers the low level of monitoring that appears on blogs a problem in the blogosphere. If there is no accountability for the information posted, then how will we know if the material is factual? I agree in principal about the issue of lack of supervision on all blogs, but throughout my time participating in blogs I have found that most authors pride themselves on the work in which they produce. There is always be some people that are posting complete garbage with the intent to throw off the norm, but in most cases authors care deeply about the topics they are blogging about. Its really common sense, if you want to have a blog that people come to regularly, and trust the things you are saying it is imperative that your information is up to date and accurate. Barlow makes this statement about bloggers, “they want to be taken seriously within the greater society, not dismissed as weirdo loners in their mothers’ suburban basements.” (p.37) Since starting this class I have thrown myself into the world of blogging. Weekly we have posting either summaries of our readings, or even essays about the topics we are learning about. I truly believe that the writing that I do for my blog is much different then writing I would hand into a teacher for her eyes-only. I almost try to put on this intelligent front, that allows me to appear more scholarly then I really am. I want the people who read my blog to respect my opinion on these issues, and maybe let the things I speak about affect how they feel about the issue. I believe that this feeling applies to many bloggers in the blogosphere, and causes them to act responsibly while blogging.
Blogging is a practice that is growing before our eyes. “Technorati, a blog monitoring service, claimed to be tracking more than 75 million blogs.” (p.35) That is an outrageous number, and it is growing daily. It has become extremely easy to set up a blog, and begin to post on whatever you would like. Many people are worried about the ease of blogging, concerned that without supervision, soon enough the information on these blogs will not be factual. They feel that bloggers will not be responsible enough to post accurate information. Personally I disagree, I feel that blogging can be used however you feel, it is a tool that allows you to create a page and contribute to the blogosphere however you choose. I truly believe that the people posting on blogs really care about there face and want to be respected. Therefore even without editors, the information presented on blogs mostly consists of factual information that enriches the knowledge of the visitors.
Barlow, Aaron. Blogging @merica: The New Public Sphere. CT.: Praeger Publishers, 2008. (Chapter 2)
For our forth essay we were assigned to monitor and post on a blog of our choice. Being an avid New York Jets fan, I choose to monitor Jane McManus’s, Jets Journal. In this blog, Jane McManus provides an interesting perspective that an average Jet fan may not encounter. She attends the daily practices, and gives a diehard fan like myself a description of what each practice is like. She even reports on individual players, speaking about their personal side. This adds a softer touch to her blog. She is not just reporting on the scores, or lead stories. Jane takes the time to speak with the players so that fans on the outside can really learn about the players they love. She even takes time out of her busy day to respond to questions that are left on her blog. She has created a nice following of Jet fans who are interested in up to the minute information about the players and coaches, as well as the major storylines surrounding the team. In my seven days participating in the Jets Journal, there have not been any altercations between visitors, and I believe this to be a healthy, happy blog.
Barlow considers the low level of monitoring that appears on blogs a problem in the blogosphere. If there is no accountability for the information posted, then how will we know if the material is factual? I agree in principal about the issue of lack of supervision on all blogs, but throughout my time participating in blogs I have found that most authors pride themselves on the work in which they produce. There is always be some people that are posting complete garbage with the intent to throw off the norm, but in most cases authors care deeply about the topics they are blogging about. Its really common sense, if you want to have a blog that people come to regularly, and trust the things you are saying it is imperative that your information is up to date and accurate. Barlow makes this statement about bloggers, “they want to be taken seriously within the greater society, not dismissed as weirdo loners in their mothers’ suburban basements.” (p.37) Since starting this class I have thrown myself into the world of blogging. Weekly we have posting either summaries of our readings, or even essays about the topics we are learning about. I truly believe that the writing that I do for my blog is much different then writing I would hand into a teacher for her eyes-only. I almost try to put on this intelligent front, that allows me to appear more scholarly then I really am. I want the people who read my blog to respect my opinion on these issues, and maybe let the things I speak about affect how they feel about the issue. I believe that this feeling applies to many bloggers in the blogosphere, and causes them to act responsibly while blogging.
Blogging is a practice that is growing before our eyes. “Technorati, a blog monitoring service, claimed to be tracking more than 75 million blogs.” (p.35) That is an outrageous number, and it is growing daily. It has become extremely easy to set up a blog, and begin to post on whatever you would like. Many people are worried about the ease of blogging, concerned that without supervision, soon enough the information on these blogs will not be factual. They feel that bloggers will not be responsible enough to post accurate information. Personally I disagree, I feel that blogging can be used however you feel, it is a tool that allows you to create a page and contribute to the blogosphere however you choose. I truly believe that the people posting on blogs really care about there face and want to be respected. Therefore even without editors, the information presented on blogs mostly consists of factual information that enriches the knowledge of the visitors.
Barlow, Aaron. Blogging @merica: The New Public Sphere. CT.: Praeger Publishers, 2008. (Chapter 2)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
reading for wed
In today’s reading entitled “Shout into the wind, and it shouts back,” by Lori Kendal the author speaks about the topic of Live Journal. LiveJournal is place where people can write down their thoughts, and it allows you to view others pages as well. The reading speaks about issues of private journal vs. public performance, efficiency vs. audience management, control vs. connection, and autonomy vs. the desire for comments. These are all issues that come into play when talking about blogs and LiveJournal. The author talks about all of these issues in depth, and makes logical conclusions about them.
I wanted to take some time and talk about the first issue discussed in the book, private journal vs. public performance. I think that this is very important part of the difference between a journal and a blog. In ones personal journal they tend it write very self-centered things. They talk about things that are very superficial, and not meant for anyone else’s eyes. Many times they would even be embarrassed if someone else read the entry. On a blog, or LiveJournal their work is out there so they want to put out a good front. They want their friends and family who read these LiveJournal’s to respect what they are saying. There are also different people who use LiveJournal for different reasons. They might not be posting about themselves, or their family, they could be speaking as a fictional character. You really can be whoever you want to be on these platforms of speaking. Before this class I never really knew about blogs, and I really think that they can be beneficial to people. Sometimes when you are feeling down, writing what’s bothering you down is a good thing to do. I know that I am thinking about opening a private blog just to air myself out sometimes.
Kendall, Lori. (2007). “Shout into the wind, and it shouts back.” Identity and interactional tensions on LiveJournal. First Monday, 12. Retrived on August 21, 2008 from http;//www.firstmonday.org/issues.issue12_9/kendall/index.html
I wanted to take some time and talk about the first issue discussed in the book, private journal vs. public performance. I think that this is very important part of the difference between a journal and a blog. In ones personal journal they tend it write very self-centered things. They talk about things that are very superficial, and not meant for anyone else’s eyes. Many times they would even be embarrassed if someone else read the entry. On a blog, or LiveJournal their work is out there so they want to put out a good front. They want their friends and family who read these LiveJournal’s to respect what they are saying. There are also different people who use LiveJournal for different reasons. They might not be posting about themselves, or their family, they could be speaking as a fictional character. You really can be whoever you want to be on these platforms of speaking. Before this class I never really knew about blogs, and I really think that they can be beneficial to people. Sometimes when you are feeling down, writing what’s bothering you down is a good thing to do. I know that I am thinking about opening a private blog just to air myself out sometimes.
Kendall, Lori. (2007). “Shout into the wind, and it shouts back.” Identity and interactional tensions on LiveJournal. First Monday, 12. Retrived on August 21, 2008 from http;//www.firstmonday.org/issues.issue12_9/kendall/index.html
New York Jets Blog
THE BLOG THAT I HAVE BEEN OBSERVING AND COMMENTING ON IS......jets.lohudblogs.com/
Jets Post
Today’s blog was about how the Jets signed long time cornerback of the New England Partriots Ty Law. Ty law was a member of the Jet for a couple of years, and then moved on to the Chiefs. This is very interesting bringing him in the week we play the Patriots, and there is a very good possibility that he will play. This is also seen as a move to mentor the young cornerbacks that the Jets have. He is a crafty veteran, and will show the young guys some tricks to the position. She also spoke about the relationship that Law has with our star corner Darrell Revis. They both grew up in the same town, and played for the same high school football team. There families are still very tight, and this is another example of information that you would not normally get from the newspaper. Again there was some audio from Ty Law, and other teammates about his pick up. I have commented a bunch of times on these blog posts, and there doesn’t seem like there is much discussion about the comments. Sometimes another reader writes something in response, but only one time she responded to the comments. I responded about how excited I was to have Ty Law as a Jet again.
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