Creative Internet Sites

All of the different creative internet sites are very interesting because they put things into perspectives that people have never thought of before.  As a group, I find the movies category most interesting because it uses technology to take one’s imagination and make it come to life.  Anything that anyone has ever thought of before, can be taken and edited to present how it would actually look like in real life.  It’s great for creative people with big imaginations to make their stories come true.  Although I don’t feel that these are useful in the sense of directly contributing to society, I feel that they change the way we think and can lead to great innovations.  We can use this way of thinking to start great ideas and possibly change the world; seeing that we are a society that runs on technology and relies on it for multiple purposes.

One particular project I liked the most was the water fountain display under the physical category.  Besides being entertaining to watch, the display was able to advertise a certain brand to the pubic, in this case Coca Cola.  The down side of it is that it seems to take a lot of time to do; to be able to time perfectly when certain notches will release the water to make the wanted image.  I like this particular project the best because it uses an object like water in a way that is new and not typically used.  You almost forget that it is water being used!

Animoto Video Creator

Animoto video is for creating your own videos.  They allow you to do this by uploading your own pictures, clips, videos, and music, then picking one of their designs, and adding text.  You are able to create your own movie based on your own personal style and interests.  You can also use their default music, pictures, and videos that they already have.  There are three different versions.  There is the free version called lite which allows you to make a video up to thirty seconds with limited types of designs and settings.  Then there are two premium versions, plus and pro, that you pay for monthly and includes more features and full-length videos. 

Originally I thought the site would be easy to use, based on its opening page advertisement saying “Easy to do, make a video in five minutes”!  But instead I found myself spending an hour trying to edit the video because it kept cutting my videos short.  The site also puts its own “twist” on the videos, so some parts that you may want to be shown are cut to include the site’s own effects.  The reason it wasn’t easy to use was because I had the free version which did not enable most of the websites features.  With the ability to have longer videos and more settings, the premium versions are probably the way to go; if you’re willing to pay. 

Overall I find this site very useful because I take videos all the time and I like making my own "movies" and "montages" out of them which this site allows me to do!

I made my own Animoto video based on the life of a gymnast:
Edie's Animoto Video

A Collaborative Economy

Similarities and Differences Between the Four Groups

I agree with this article and I like the phrase “peer incorporated” because it is combining the best of both worlds.  It combines the corporate businesses’ and individuals’ ideas to make a perfect match.  I agree that businesses work better when paired with people of the general public because the main purpose of the businesses’ work it to provide for the individuals of the general public.  In this way they can get a better view of what the individuals want based off their feedback.  It is a more reliable way of having a successful business.  Moving to a collaborative economy is a win-win situation because not only does it help companies and individuals, but it also helps the environment.  The benefits from this are endless that it is shocking that we haven’t thought of this type of collaboration before.  Now that we have it, it would be smart to use it to our advantage in as many ways as possible. 

The mesh is a shift in our ownership of things.  It has become easier to share better things.  This is due to our ability to connect to each other through social interactions, not only physically but now through technology.  Buying and sharing things can now happen at an easier and much faster rate.  I think of mesh as the idea of RedBox.  Redbox is a new form of “blockbuster” in which movies are rented and returned.  Redbox stations are placed throughout the country and only cost one dollar every night it is used.  It is easier and cheaper for people to rent a movie, watch it, then return it the next day rather than buy a movie they may only watch once and waste money on it.  I agree with the video that the mesh is the future of business; it is just the beginning of mesh but it will contribute to a better society economically and environmentally.  Not only sharing successes, but also sharing failures will help the economy and environment.  It helps the environment by not using up as many resources, and instead taking advantage of sharing what is already available.  The concept of mesh and a collaborative society has just begun to shape our world, and it will only continue to help our society in a beneficial way. 

Dog Poop Girl

Dog Poop Girl

When I first heard about this story and how we were doing an assignment on it, I began to laugh.  I thought it was such a trivial thing to read about.  I do not think that a girl who doesn’t pick up her dog’s poop is the worst thing in the world; but the internet thinks otherwise.  I don’t think the dog owner deserved the criticism she received from others.  Was not picking up the dog poop bad?  Yes, but the internet took it to an unnecessary level.  I don’t think it was a big deal that someone took a picture of the event and uploaded it to the internet- although the picture should have been blurred so her identity was not clear, I do, however, think it was hurtful how people disclosed her private information; which was an invasion of privacy. 

The “norm police” were definitely too harsh on the dog poop girl.  I believe they took it too far and spread her information in a cruel manor.  The internet takes gossiping to a whole new level.  When someone does something wrong and it is gossiped about, that person may be embarrassed for a week or two until the rumors die down; but when something is put on the internet, it is there forever and makes a bigger effect.  The information goes “viral” and can reach an unlimited amount of people rather than a rumor or little secrets that spread throughout a peer group. 

The “shadow side” of online empowerment is the defects of the internet that nobody really notices.  For instance, people think of the internet as beneficial and mostly good, but no one really notices the cons and how it could ruin the life of another. 

Shame is a good tool for social-enforcement of norms to a certain extent.  Shame is good to prevent people from breaking social norms and to prevent embarrassment.  However in Poop Girl’s case the shame was taken too far to the point where her embarrassment led her to leave her university and talk about committing suicide.

It is funny because these articles are all about how the internet may have gone too far in posting all her information and spreading stories about her, but it is hypocritical in a way because this article is actually spreading her story and talking about her.  We see things like this almost everyday with social media.  For example people post on other people’s statuses and pages to attempt to “blackmail” them.  Also there are certain websites that people can take a picture of others and post it to the website revealing their identities.  For example there is a website called "Seent It" based on TCNJ and its students that includes pictures and posts from anonymous people of certain students around campus.  The students do not know they are getting a picture taken of them and may see themselves randomly on the website, with a “nickname” for them that people start to refer them as. Overall, the consequences of internet postings are greater than expected.

Digital Footprint

The Facebook Timeline is the Nearest Thing Ive Seen to a Digital Identity

It is hard for me to talk about this topic and the new Facebook timeline because I don’t completely understand it myself. I never wanted to have the timeline on my Facebook, but it automatically happened.  I was not happy or mad about it; quite frankly I just didn’t care much.  Although I use Facebook a lot, I never looked into what the timeline was or how to use it. I still use my Facebook based on how it used to be. I don’t think Facebook timeline is a bad thing and I don’t think it affects anyone much differently then it did previously. Facebook already has its risks that everyone is aware of. The one suggestion this article makes that may be worse with Facebook timeline is the fact that something someone posted years ago can come up to viewers more easily.  This affects people because someone may say something and many years later not feel that same way, or may regret saying it.  I personally did not know that the timeline does this and it hasn’t affected me.   

How Employers Use Facebook to Screen Applicants

While I’ve always heard of colleges screening Facebook when getting applicants to see their true self, I never thought about employers using Facebook to do the same. I have applied to many jobs and I am just starting to think about how my previous employers may have scanned through my Facebook or Twitter. This scares me a little.  I do not believe I have anything bad posted but this article led me to go on and check to make sure. I feel like many people don’t know this about employers.  The surveys also surprised me about just how many employers are checking. The most interesting part of the article is how they not only scan to see the bad, but they also scan to see the good. The article shows that 91% of employers scan social networks to screen prospective employees and 68% of employers hired a candidate because they liked what they saw.  Employers have hired applicants based on their Facebook and Twitter pages and the positive responses they get. For instance they may see that one of their applicants’ Facebook page was created in a creative way and think highly of their creativity.

The power of a positive digital footprint for students

This article is feeding off of what I previously stated about starting to use social media as a positive reflection of people. Many people only speak of the negative outcomes of posts and photos of media but it can be helpful if used correctly. It is more important today then ever to put positive images and start networking early to get experience for future jobs. Because of more competition today, it is important to stand out and make a statement that is unique and personable to you. It is easy to do this by using social sites. I liked the example the article used about online competitions to create a positive online profile.  Instead of participating in events in the real world it has become easier to sign up for various things online, like different poetry or writing contests.   

In Conclusion…

Should students be encouraged to build a positive online profile?  Yes.  Older generations are always complaining about social media sites and telling younger folks to “watch what they post”.  People frequently talk about the dangers and risks of social media sites, but not enough about the benefits.  In the end building an online profile lets people express themselves and gives them a way to be unique and allow others to learn more about them. 

Give and Take in Mass Collaboration

Mass Collaboration is when a large number of people work together independently on a project.

The three kinds of internet-based mass collaborations are Give and Take, Needles in Haystacks, and Participation through Passion.

Focusing solely on one of the internet-based collaborations,“Give and Take” gets its computing capacity by user-shared distribution. The Give and Take collaboration relies on its users to run the program and uses its users computing powers and connections to in turn run the operations of other user’s. Without these users, the organization wouldn’t be able to run, and without the organization, the users wouldn’t be able to use it. The users and organization rely on each other.

An example of a Give and Take site is Skype.  Skype is a synchronous

free website requiring two or more people communicating at the same time through voice, video, and instant messaging. Both parties need to be at a computer or on an internet-based device at the same time in order to communicate. Skype is a client-server and peer-to-peer system. When users go on Skype they are allowing for Skype’s network to use their extra computing power and connections to enable other calls to be made. This creates a self-financing phone system. 

Skype is a type of crowd work, which is when members are doing the same thing at the same time. People using Skype all have the same goal in mind and rely on others to connect to them at the same time in order to work.

I think Skype is a very resourceful website and can be used for multiple purposes. I do, however, believe it comes with various risks. Because it is a collaboration site, some network administrators have banned the use of it in home, education, and work networks due to the claimed safety problems and unneeded usage of resources.

Web 2.0 Site Reviews

My choice of three popular Web 2.0 sites:

1)      Yelp

I just learned about Yelp this year, and it has been a big help to me ever since. Yelp provides an online search for local functions and is used to locate places nearby your current location.  It includes a list of different places and services that you may need, and gives you the closest location of that specific service.  For instance, the list includes restaurants, bars, gas service stations, drugstores, deals, hot new businesses and more.  The search in Yelp will give you the locations closest to you, their hours of operation, reviews, directions and a number to call.  You can also connect to friends via Facebook on your contact list, be able to see their bookmarks, and find out when they’re nearby.  The purpose of Yelp is to use local reviews and social networking to create a local online community.  I love this site and have downloaded it as an app on my phone for easier use.  In the past, I have used it to find gas stations when I was driving and needed gas, when I was out and hungry and needed to find a nearby restaurant, and to add my friends and be able to see where they are at different times.  Yelp is very easy to use, all you have to do is click your choice of service and it will figure out your location and give you a list of options nearby.  You can also type any kind of service in the search bar and it will give you a list of available options and how far away they are.

2)   WebMD

WebMD is the main source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news information.  It has many different parts and purposes to it.  WebMD serves as a type of dictionary that consists of hundreds of various diseases and illnesses.  All you do is either type in your symptoms and get information about what illness you may have, or type in what illness you think you have to get information on the symptoms and possible cures.  It also includes recent news articles, featured topics, blogs of physicians with specific topics, and a place to store personal medical information.  It has tabs with specific information on family and pregnancy, living healthy, and drugs and supplements.  Whenever feeling uneasy, I use this website to type in my symptoms to see what possible illness I may have, and possible cures for that particular illness.  This website is easy to use because of its process; all you have to do is write out any possible symptoms or presumed illness to get a page of links for information on that search.  All in all, this site is your go-to source for anything you need to know about a medical issue.

 

3)   IMDB
 

IMDB stands for Internet Movie Database and is the world’s most popular source for movies, television, and celebrity content. It gives information about every single movie and television show there is, including the cast, the year it was released, a plot summary, a trailer if it’s a movie, photos, reviews, trivia, quotes, and more. IMDB connects itself to other movies or shows with related cast members, directors, and other similar staff through on-page links . I use IMDB every time I see a movie and want to see who the specific cast members were. Once I look at the cast I can click on to one of the actors or actresses and see what other pictures they are in, or if they will be in an upcoming film or show. IMDB is fairly easy to use, by just going on the website and typing either the name of the movie/show or an actor/actress you want to see more about, and getting all the responding information. It is very popular amongst people that are strongly interested in entertainment because it is a reliable source of all there is in the entertainment world. 

Is Google Changing Us?

Nicholas Carr in the article states the point that technology is changing the way we think and affecting our ability to concentrate and contemplate.  I agree for the following reasons:

1. The more I use the internet, the more I have problems reading novels and getting myself deeply into a book or long article.  I am so used to skimming information and news articles online and have information so easily that when I have to read a long school assignment I find myself having difficulties concentrating and my mind starts to wander.

2. I have had many college reading assignments from online sources, rather than chapters in textbooks.  Teachers are more likely to put up readings online than to require readings in textbooks because its "easier" to access and get a hold of. Due to the access to numerous other web sources, I find it harder to concentrate while reading online. For example, while doing the readings for certain homework assignments online, I occasionlly find myself scrolling through social networks such as facebook or twitter feeds within ten minutes of the assignment.

3. While online the chances of recieving false or inaccurate information becomes greater.  Most websites are created by random users around the world, who can put up anything they want.  For instance, Wikipedia is used to put up random information about anything that anyone can edit and post.

4. I am so reliant upon using the internet as the source of my knowledge that I even forget what certain words mean. This is due to the usage of google to look up the meaning of any unknown words.

In the end I have to ask, what makes people smart these days.  Is it to know hundreds of facts and be what they call "a walking dictionary" or to be able to be a great critical thinker and be able to contemplate many things?

Google is still a great tool in source of knowledge, but you must still have the discipline to be able to maintain the skills required for critical thinking.