Flash Mob presentation

The flash mob concept is really cool. There is a lot of work and planning that goes into it but that is not the only thing. I realized that in order for a flash mob to work, there needs to be people that are willing to participate for the fun of it. Those people are not paid and many of them do not even know each other. Our flash mob was planned and, of course, we know each other. I know the work it took us to get it together, I cannot imagine what it would take to get one together using social networking. That would be an amazing thing to be a part of.

Definitions

Sharing- This lets people be part of a group with very few obligations. The user decides how much information is to be shared with the groups. In general, social network sharing is controlled by the individual and they can choose how much they want to participate.

Cooperation- People are communicating and working with each other. Each person changes to meld with others. The communicating, melding and working together forms a group.

Collaborative production- This is where all members of the group are important to achieve and complete the goal. In collaborative production, most decisions are agreed upon by all the members of the group in order for things to move forward. When the final result is achieved all members get credit for the work.

Collective action- In this kind of effort you are obligated to continue to the end. The reason for this commitment is that each person is like a gear in the machinery of the project. If one person drops out then the effort falls apart.

Tragedy of the Commons- This is a problem where a member of the collective finds it to their best interest to cause the group to fall apart. Members find that the effort of the group can be very beneficial to an individual so they take what has been done for personal gain.

Social Networking, Politics & Revolution presentation

   The group started off by talking about a local lady that organizes and educates people on cases, Kim DeFranco. It was interesting that she uses twitter and Facebook to promote the causes. I also found it interesting that she uses other forms of media because just using Twitter and Facebook does not work well.

   I was fascinated by the information on the Mexican Drug Wars and their use of social networking. I am glad that hackers found the guts to threaten the Cartel. Maybe if more people stood up to them in this way then the Cartel could be overthrown. I do think that part of the reason that it worked is because the hackers were faceless. I realized that the Cartel found out who they were and eventually murdered them but it was a start.

   The group went on to talk about China. They told how China owns runs all the media sites in the country. The group told us that social network sites are monitored by the Chinese government. I find this to be disconcerting. If someone was to tell me that the US government does this I would not be totally surprised. I think that we will see another Tiananmen Square with the help of social networking.

   The last two things that the group talked about were the riots in England and the US military. In both cases you can see the good and bad sides of social networking. It will be interesting to see how the world of politics and revolution evolve and change because of this.

Social Networking and Relationships presentation

   The group gave the example of dating sites as social networking. I had never really thought of them that way but I guess they are. I never realized how many of these sites there are. The group's statistic on the number of people that participate int these sites and the breakdown of ages and incomes was interesting. The part that I found to be most interesting is that most of the people are over 45. This makes me wonder why.
   The Facebook discussion was fascinating. I like the way they created a fake profile to experiment and find out how people friend people. I am amazed at the number of people they friended without those people knowing who "Katie Smith" is and only because she listed going to UWBC. I actually find this kind of scary. Why would you friend someone just because you have something in common? I love Tyler's comment, "Facebook is like a mask." It really is because no one knows whether you are actually portraying yourself or someone you would like to be.

"I" & "It" of socialnetworking

  The thought that the use of socialnetworking changes the people that we communicate with online changes them from a "You" to an "It" is disturbing. I can understand that this is the case, though. You receive posts from friends and family and are appalled by what they post. The posts are not how you would talk in front of family or friends. I have seen "dirty laundry" aired to hundreds that should be kept private. The question that I have asked my daughter, offline, is "Is this how you would talk in front of your grandparents and other family members?" This whole example shows me that the people you have "friended" are really its. This is the way you would talk to an object.
  The Second World site and story I find interesting but disturbing. The part I find interesting is the site and concept of Second World and such sites. It is more about the graphics and how you are able to manuver though this "world". It is interesting that your aviatar can communicate with other people's aviatars. A person can develop a character to anything or type of person that they choose. But the part that I find disturbing is that people get so involved. These sites are make believe but they insert their personal lives. I realize that when you develop a character, whether online or in writing, there is going to be a piece of yourself in that character because that is what you know. The example of the man with the aviatar that had a "whole other life" that included a wife is sad. If he chose a relationship with a female avaitar. The question is- Did he consider developing a freindship with a male character? I think it is a case of he was afraid to have an actual affair because of the reprecussions. If you change yourself to an "It" then that becomes okay. This, in the end, is no different then people that find penpals online and deveop relationships with them. This is considered and emotional  so the avaitar is one too. Then yes, the "I" becomes "It" and "You" also becomes "It".

Death of Newspaper s presentation

The group gave a lot of interesting points about newspapers. What I found to be the most interesting was the general attitude when it comes to newspapers. Out of the ten people that were interviewed, they all got most of their news from the internet. Very few of the people read the newspaper. I found it sad that they all believed that actual hardcopies will be gone in ten years. There seemed to be no thought or remorse to the possible loss. This whole thing tells me that people need to be educated as to what the ramifications will be if newspapers die. I believe that very few people have a clue.

Fan Culture Presentation

I never really thought that tv shows have Facebook pages. I can see where this would help promote the show. My question is if the page is run by the network or production company is it then controlled by them. Do the fans really have the freedom to discuss and chat about the show? This seems to defeat the purpose of a fan page. I can see that there are advantages from the presentation. If you are a sports fan, you can get the latest info and stats on the teams and their players. This could be really useful for things like fantasy football and baseball. From what they showed us, I think that some types of fan pages can be fun and interesting.

Fan Culture and Social Networking lecture

     I have not personally used social networking in reference to being a fan of any kind but I do see how it can bring that world together. The example in the lecture about Survivor was interesting. I am not a fan but I can see both sides of the argument for/against the cheater website. The clues presented, and discussed, would be fun, sort of like a mystery. This type of website is not good for the network. If people think that they have it all figured out the ratings could go down, except probably the last show to see the results. Since ratings mean money this would be bad for the show producers. I think I will stick to the real shows.

   I found the Harry Potter part of the lecture to be really interesting. The young lady's development of the online paper is an interesting section of fan culture. What a great way for people, kids in particular, to expand their imaginations while learning to cultivate their writing skills.  I am sure that this is not the only way that kids use fan culture to develop these skills. I do understand why the corporation with the copyrights to whatever characters are being used would be worried and even upset by the use but the good, I would think, outweighs any real or imagined bad that they think may happen.

Crowdsourcing

We discussed three ways that are used for crowdsourcing: disaster and disaster relief, government and businesses. We are see the business usage and may even participated in it. We talked about how businesses use it for development of new technologies and business improvements but many are using crowdsourcing for advertisement because it is relatively cheap. If you have Facebook and decide to like something, you are crowdsourcing through advertisement. That “like” shows up on your friends’ pages and then they may decide to “like” it too. It then shows up on their friends’ pages. Even if you just glance at your friend’s “like” you are seeing the ad. This equates to cheap advertising.

In the lecture, it was amazing how most people picked the same place and time for the meeting. I understand why most of us picked the commons area of Meggers Hall. The time is what I found to be the most amazing. I would like to know why that actually happens. The second experiment, the candy bars, was really cool too. The range of numbers did not surprise me but the result being so close did. When you think about all the possibilities the result is amazing. I think that we only touched the surface on the subject of crowdsourcing.

Dana

The Death of Newspapers

2) What role do newspapers have in creating and maintaining a community identity?

   Newspapers become part of the community by publishing articles that are relative to the area. They talk about politics, natural disasters and things that happen locally. These subject are not things that national papers feature because most of the nation does not care what is happening in Rice Lake, for instance. A local newspaper may take a subject that is affecting the nation but tell how this has an impact in the area. The paper makes the community more a part of the nation by doing this but they also prints stories that is uniquely local. The paper may write about a local hero or an upcoming art fair. It may tell about improvements around the area or a new business. All these things mean little or nothing to a nationwide audience. By telling these stories, the local paper becomes an important part of the local community.

   Another way that the paper is important to the community is it keeps people informed that do not have access to the internet. Many people either have no internet or do not know how to use it. By keeping the hard copy available to people, all people then are able to keep up with local, regional, national and world news. This is important because then everyone is able to make educated decisions or just be a part of the community.

Social Networking & Professional Persona

     I found the presentation to be interesting because I have a small business. The group gave some very good reason as to why having your business on a social networking site is an advantage. They talked about being able to create and develop the brand. Making a social network page is free advertising that has the potential to reach a huge audience. When people like your page and add it to theirs then other people are able to see it. This is a terrific way for a business' audience to grow.

     I would like to have learned more about the uses for the personal business persona. They touched on it but it was basically the same info we got in class. This is the area of information that would pertain to most of the students when they finish school.

   

  I do believe that what you have posted on the internet, whether on Facebook or any other social networking page, can affect your job possibilities. The article, "Is Your Online Identity Spoiling Your Chances?", believes that it does.  Consider looking at a person's page that has a lot of kittens, you would get the impression that the person is sweet and might not have strength needed to be a salesman. This may not be true but we get impressions of people by things that we see associated with them. We need to be careful of what we post for pictures and messages. Out of context, we can be taken in a totally different light.

  In the article, Mike Aiken does not believe to be true unless it is for high executive positions. I am not quite so sure that he is totally right. If there are several people that fit the bill for a job then something needs to tip the scales to make the decision. It may be something small that we take for granted, like our email address. I have a friend that works in human resources at a Target store. She said that when they are considering someone the email address is something that they look at. Target feels that it give they an idea about the person.

  Overall, many employers may not have the time or resources but we should think before we post. You may find that perfect job. That employer may be the one who feels the internet is an eye into who they are hiring or is employed by them. I think that a person should think about what they post. Is this what you would say in front of a potential employer?