Thursday’s class discussion was very interesting. Michelle and James did a great job with their presentation and getting everyone involved in the readings. I left class quite disturbed though. There are so many new advancements in technology that I wasn’t aware of. Prof. Halavais and Michelle discussed the site where you can look up your street address and actually zoom in to your house or apartment. In a way I thought that was a cool new idea. On the other end, I thought about stalkers and predators. Prof. Halavais pointed out that down the road, you will be able to see things in real time with that site. That function would allow a complete stranger to see whether someone is  home or not just by clicking on his mouse.

Today, I was at work and I went on the internet to look up the rainforest cafe. I was going to take my daughter there after I finished getting some things done. She asked me if we had google. And I asked her how she knew about google. She said that you can look things up there and that at school, they had visited the site. I thought that was funny. We had just talked about the power of the google name and now my 8 year old daughter was asking me to go on google.com.

Back in May, I decided to get a myspace page. Quite frankly, I thought I was too old but a lot of my friends and co-workers had a page and I thought it would be a great way to keep in touch with everyone. As I have previously stated, I was thankful that I had signed up because I found some of my old friends that I had lost touch with. I thought I had all of my privacy settings set up and that it would be hard to find me. That wasn’t the case. Several people including an ex-boyfriend found me. I don’t know how he searched and found my information. Or maybe it was through an indirect friend. Either way, I wasn’t happy about it. I thought about canceling my account. Initially, I left my page public for about a week but the strange e-mails that I was getting, made me uncomfortable.

This whole process reminded me that you have to be careful what you put on the web. Everyone is literally one click away from someone accessing your information. Naturally, I was hesitant to even get a facebook account but it was a necessity in this class. So I signed up. I feel that facebook has better privacy settings and search options then my space. I feel that myspace allows anyone to search you where as for facebook, you have to be a registered member to look for anyone on their site. Remember Miss New Jersey who was being black mailed because she had a facebook account and some of her “suggestive” pictures she had placed on the social networking site were being used against her? Gone are the days of privacy. If you think  what you post or an old picture can’t come back to haunt you, this is a perfect example of how it can.

When one of my best friends meets a guy for the first time, she goes home and googles him to see if any information comes up. I laughed at her for doing it but was thankful that she had done some research on the last guy that she was starting to date. Her google search brought up information about his personal and professional life that she might not have been privy to if she had not done a “background” check on him. Needless to say, this one didn’t last very long.

Is my friend the only person that does a search on a potential boyfriend? Do you research people before you date them?  For those that have myspace and facebook accounts, do you feel that all of your information is easily accessible for anyone on the web to get to?

My plans for my response paper took an unexpected turn this week. I was on the train this morning headed to our New York offices, when my cousin called me to let me know that my uncle had died a few hours before. I was completely overwhelmed with emotion and began crying in my seat on the metro north train. After dealing with my uncle’s illness and thinking that I had come to some sort of acceptance of it, apparently I still wasn’t at the point where I was ready to say good bye. I wanted to turn around and head the other way and go back home to be with my family but I had to go to work. I say all of this to say, the cell phone immediately became the gift and the curse for me. Having to hear such sad news in an environment that I was uncomfortable in and without friends or loved ones to console me, made the situation a lot worse for me. Although, I admit I  was thankful that my cousin was able to reach me and inform me of what happened. I immediately called one of my best friends to tell her the news and then text two of my friends to let them know. Many of you may wonder why I would resort to texting at a time of grief. But for me, that was the only way that I could get the words out. I didn’t want to talk about the fact that he was no longer with me and that I would not see him again. For me it was a lot easier to communicate to them via a text message. Sending a text message was a normal reaction for me. In one of my previous classes, we discussed what would be acceptable to say in a text message versus face to face interaction. And for me, I really think it depends on the individual and circumstance.  Several years ago, I would not have the option of how I would like to relay a message. I would also not have the opportunity to get the information from my cousin right away. More than likely, before cell phones, I would have a message waiting for me at work or at home. Mobile phones and sms allow users to give and receive information instantaneously. Mobile phones let the user travel and be away from home but still stay connected to family and friends without missing out on what’s going on. Today, just happened to be the day that I wish I didn’t have a cell phone and I didn’t have to relay my bad news to everyone.

Like most Celtics fans, I was eagerly anticipating the home opener last night. Yesterday morning, I turned on Sportscenter (no, this isn’t a shameless plug and heard some of the comments being made by Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards. He was saying how his team was going to beat the Celtics in Boston on opening night and continued to say some other rude comments about the newly formed Celtics squad. I automatically assumed that Gilbert Arenas made these comments to a reporter. I learned last night as I was watching the game that he posted these comments on his blog.  This is another example of how popular blogs have become and how the information that is shared on them is becoming newsworthy. By the way, the Celtics dominated the Washington Wizards last night. The score was 103-83.. Go Celtics.

 http://www.nba.com/blog/gilbert_arenas.html.

I learned a little something from everyone’s post about the political campaign’s this week. I have beliefs similar to Ryan’s about following the campaign’s.  http://www.rdmillner.wordpress.com. I would like to make my own decision on who to vote for based on what I believe. Not what someone else is telling me.  I do agree with Jenn (http://www.stayconnected.wordpress.com.) about some of the presidential hopefuls using a social networking site like myspace. Every time I log on to myspace, I can see the cool new people that have just signed up and gotten an account. One of those cool new people could very well be Hilary or Obama. Although I think it’s smart to use these sites to appeal to a mass audience, I don’t know how effective they are. There’s so much advertisement on myspace right now, that I tend to ignore what’s being promoted at the time, even if it’s an interview with one of the candidates.

Apparently I’m biased 

I’m a sucker for celebrity gossip. As I have said before, it’s my guilty pleasure. Prior to be introduced to blogs, I would read all of the latest news in my copy of Us Weekly or watch a show like Entertainment Tonight. Now, I log on to http://www.perezhilton.com.  One of my former co-workers used to always talk about the gossip that he read on the website. “A gossip blog like Perez Hilton has a huge readership-220,000 page views daily ” (Clive Thompson pg 32).  When I go on Perez’s site, I am constantly entertained by the pictures and the comments he posts. What l like about him is that he doesn’t hold any punches and he doesn’t try and cater to the celebrities or kiss up to them. He tells it like he sees it. And if he doesn’t like you, watch out. Britney Spears has been bearing the brunt of most of his offensive comments as of late.

Clive Thompson, the author of “Blogs to Riches The Haves and Have-nots of the Blogging Boom”, talks in detail about the top blogs. Gawker is also a celebrity gossip blog and is ranked 24 overall among all blogs. It is leading the pack and beating out Perez Hilton. I had never heard of this blog until I read this article. So, I went on the site to view the page. The site did have a lot of celebrity gossip but I felt the layout was quite boring compared to Perez Hilton. Unfortunately, I must be in the minority. “With 4,790 sites now linking to it, Gawker towers above the more-recent entrants such as PerezHilton.com (with 1,549 links).” (pg 32). I’m still on Team Perez.

Why do I have to blog?

To be perfectly honest, on the first day of class when Prof. Halavais told us that we would not be using blackboard and that our response papers would need to be posted on wordpress, I was surprised. First of, I didn’t even know how to go about starting a blog or creating one. “A blog is really quite simple. It’s nothing more than a personal web site with content displayed in reverse-chronological order” (R.Scobale, S. Israel, Naked Conversations pg 27).  What I have learned over the last several weeks is that I enjoy posting our response papers on our own personal blog and having the opportunity to interact with my classmates via this forum. It definitely changes things up and I find myself spending more time and putting extra emphasis on what my final paper will be. After all, anyone can read this. Even the authors of the books that have been selected for our weekly readings. “According to Pew, one-fourth of all Web users in the United States read blogs, and that number is increasing at the rate of 60 percent annually” (R.Scobale, S. Israel, Naked Conversations pg 25).

Even in my other graduate course, Visual Aesthetics, the professor wants us to blog each week. She expects each us to post each week and make comments about other classmates blogs. The added benefit to this she has told us is that if we don’t speak often in class, this gives us another opportunity to voice our opinion and gain participation points.  In undergrad, I didn’t have this option. We either spoke in class or we didn’t. The blogs allow the quiet student who’s not comfortable speaking up in class, to still share their thoughts with everyone.

 I guess my question for this week is do you think everyone should have a blog? I mean tons of celebrities are writing their own blogs now. Do you think it’s become out of control?  The examples that have been given as to the types of blogs out there make sense to me. Alot of them are technology driven and have appropriate subject matter that appeals to different groups of people but as much as I like my gossip, it’s not to the point where I will look up Victoria Posh’s blog and read more about her.                     

When I look at my beautiful daughter, I see excitement, innocence and happiness in those eyes. Life is about going to school and playing with her friends. “According to one theory play constitutes a training of the young creature for the serious work that life will demand later on” (Ludens pg 2). Often I wonder what it would be like to go back to a time when I didn’t have to worry about paying bills or have to make important decisions that effect not only me but my little one.

The toughest decision my daughter has to make is whether or not she is going to be picked for kick ball. Play signifies so many things. It is a way to leave your cares behind and focus only on the pure entertainment and fun of the sports or activity that you are partaking in. Why do you think even as adults so many of us flock to amusement parks every year whether it be in our own back yard or if we make the trek to Walt Disney World? The first time I went to Disney world was as an adult. It was way before I had my daughter and we went to relieve some stress and of course, go on some cool rides. Now, I make it a habit to try and take my daughter every year. We both can be kids for a few days and as they say in the movie The Lion King, “Hakuna Matata”, which means no worries. “Play casts a spell over us; it is ‘enchanting’, ‘captivating’. It is invested with the noblest qualities we are capable of perceiving in things: rhythm and harmony.” (Ludens pg 10).

A couple of years ago, our department had our off-site meeting and our key note speaker was Kevin Carroll. He was one of the most captivating speakers that I have listened to. His story spoke about rising above all odds and becoming successful. The things that he endured as a child, brought me to tears. The main concept of his speech was about play and finding passion and excitement for what you do in the work place.

Second Life

In the article, “We Live Here: Games, Third Places and the Information Architecture of the Future” by Andrew Hinton, he talks about the different muves such as Second Life and Quake. These sites allow you to become a part of their online community and essentially be anyone that you want to be in the virtual world. But as the author states, “as the result, the vast majority of actual user activity around the game of Quake wasn’t even playing the game itself-it was in the massive web of relationships, conversations, teamwork and collective creativity that happened in it’s orbit.” (Hinton pg 3).

I went on second life per Prof. Halavais instruction, and I realized immediately that it wasn’t for me. In order for me to feel like I am part of a community and network with people, there’s some form of trust that has to be established. And I have learned that a lot of people that go on Second Life aren’t exactly who they say they are. I guess this leaves room for a larger argument. Do we ever really know people? As we have discussed in class, do we only see what people want us to see?

One of my classmates who I met last semester, raved about Second Life. Over the summer, was the first time I heard about the site. He told me he loved it and felt that it was the best online experience he’s had.  So, I had to go back to him and ask him what the appeal was. “What I like most about it is that it is a whole world created by the people in it. Kind of like the way Facebook is created by its users – except SL is way beyond Facebook” (Hoving, interview 2007). 

I have both Facebook and Myspace accounts and although those sites are also pegged as social environments, I don’t necessarily agree. All of my “friends” on Myspace are people that I know and are close with or are co-workers of mine. I don’t go up to a stranger on the street and try and have a conversation with them so why as an avatar would I feel comfortable doing that? I might be one of the last people to jump on board to this concept. Major companies are investing money to be a part of this society. “Wells Fargo, one of the oldest financial institutions in North America, spent actual time and money building a place in Second Life called Stagecoach Island” (Hinton pg 6).

Am I a bad mom?

I don’t really think so but as I read “Welcome to the Experience Economy,” the author talks about yearly birthday parties and how long ago, mothers went to the store, purchased ingredients and baked cakes for their children’s birthday. Bake a cake from scratch? My daughter’s cake came from Cold Stone Creamery this year. And I can safely say, every year I have purchased a cake for her birthday. “In the 1980’s, many parents stopped baking cakes at all. Mom or Dad simply called the supermarket or local bakery and ordered a cake, specifying the exact type of cake and frosting”  (Pine, Gilmore pg 21).

I laughed when I read the next paragraph, it states that in this day and age, elaborate birthday parties are thrown for children and they are usually at facilities that offer package deals that include, food and entertainment. I have yet to have a party for my daughter at home. I always look to find a cool place that offers exciting features for the children. “The simple saga of the birthday party illustrates the Progression of Economic value. Each successive offering-pure in ingredients (commodities), packaged mixes (goods), finished cakes (services), and thrown parties (experiences)–greatly increases in value because the buyer finds each more relevants to what he truly wants” (Pine, Gilmore pg 22).

Last night, I met with Meg and Jenn to go over our final project and to start working on a timeline. We did a lot of brainstorming and Meg brought one of her friends in to talk to us about net neutrality.  http://interactiveinteraction.wordpress.com/

Her friend gave us a lot of good information for our project. We broke up the proposal requirements in three parts and set a deadline for today to give our information to Jenn. Jenn will be posting our proposal today.

I’m looking forward to working with Jenn and Meg. They are both talented and excited about our project. They each have already brought different ideas and thoughts to the table. I can’t wait to see how the project turns out. Our next two meetings are scheduled for Thursday night (10/25) after class and Saturday afternoon (10/27) after class. We are in the process of researching and finding additional articles for our annotated bibliography and seeking out several people to talk to further about our topic.

 Below is a clip that I found explaining what net neutrality is.

My daughter and I live near a college and every time we pass it, She says that she wants to go there when she grows up. She says it’s because they have a dunkin donuts and who wouldn’t want to go to a college that didn’t have a dunkin donuts. The other day as we were driving by, she said that when she leaves for college, she is going to text me all of the time. She’ll text me to say she loves me and text me to say she misses me.  I thought it was funny at eight years old that she is so aware of mobile technology.

One of the questions this week posed by Prof. Halavais was how do you get your news? It made me think, as much information that is readily available on the internet, I still seem to turn to the newspaper and the television to watch my local news or to catch CNN. One of my co-workers gets e-mail alerts from one of the news stations about breaking news and he usually sends me the link if something has occurred in my neck of the woods. That’s actually how I found out about the horrible killings in Cheshire over the summer. There was a home invasion and the mother and daughters were killed. After reading about this on line, I went home and read the paper to find out more details of the story.

Wikinews: “The Next Generation of Alternative Online News?” by Axel Bruns spoke about the formation of Wikinews and other forms of news sources available on the internet… Wikinews “allows for open editing of it’s content by any user without a need to create an account” (Bruns pg 4). Wikinews differs from other news sites because there are limited opportunities on their site to post comments about what has been written and to partake in threaded discussions.  “This problem is further exacerbated by the active discouragement of news discussion on Wikinews, as in other sites it is exactly this discussion which promotes a sense of community…” (Bruns pg 6). Another difference is the fact that users are allowed to go back in and make changes to the articles that have been posted.

When I speak to people about Wikipedia, some don’t count it as an actual news source, due to the fact that anyone has the opportunity to go in and change articles to their liking. Although I think the concept is great, I don’t think I will refer to Wikinews anytime soon to read about current events.

Democracy & Filtering

Now more than ever we are able to get our voice heard through many different forms of media. For this class, we just went on wordpress and in a matter of minutes, our thoughts and feelings could be read by not only our classmates but anyone out there that was willing to listen. One of the great things about blogging for class, is that some of the authors of our readings have read our response papers. Although I do admit that I am a very private person and in any other situation, I don’t think that I would blog about anything unless I was compelled by a major event in my life or that of someone around me. ”If you have an opinion and want to express it in public or want to find an opinion of almost any kind, chances are you can, at trivial cost” (Sunstein pg 57).

In regards to filtering, I see the positive and negative aspects to it. If you want to find information about only your interests then you can. But on the flip side, I agree with the author. “People should be exposed to materials they would not have chosen in advance” (Sunstein pg 58). How are we going to learn about things if we limit ourselves? Sometimes we don’t know what might interest us unless we give it a chance.

Daily Me

Walter Bender’s article, “Twenty Years of Personalization All About The Daily Me,” was an interesting piece. He along with Pascal Chesnais put together fish wrap. Fish wrap allowed it’s users to stay connected with their community but also stay in tuned with what was going on in the world. ”Fish wrap provided its readers with an egocentric window in to world affairs while allowing them to receive news from their hometown and stories of personal interest” (Bender pg 25). The service catered to the individual interests of the consumer. But the author brings about a great point. “When anyone can have a web page and self-publish facts, discriminating the truth from the noise becomes increasingly difficult” (Bender pg 26). How do you decipher between what is fact and fiction? Do you only rely on trusted sites to get your news and information? What’s your opinion of anyone having a web page?

http://web.media.mit.edu/~walter/