I must admit that when I first read this assignment, I was kind of nervous about writing this blog. I am not really interested or familiar with politics therefore I felt as if it was going to be a challenge. I did a lot of research looking for the perfect political blog for me to use and show as an example.
First I decided I should look up the definition for what a “political blogger” really is. For this I used Wikipedia: “A political blog is a common type of blog that comments on politics. In liberal democracies the right to criticize the government without interference is considered an important element of free speech. In other jurisdictions bloggers use the uncensored nature of the internet to bypass state controlled news media but as a result may find themselves persecuted.” (Wikipedia.com)
Using google.com I found this blog http://blog.itsallpolitics.com/page/2/. Most of this blogs contributions were from many different people. I couldn’t find out exactly who started the blog because it isn’t just one person who posts on the site. In his first blog he basically invites anyone who wants to comment on politics or start a discussion to register and begin a conversation over the internet with others. The blogs title is “Political Blog” so in other words it is a very broad blog and covers nearly every aspect of politics.
From what I gathered from this blog, it is not a politician who is heading it up. It appears to be just a citizen blogger along with many other citizens commenting. The blogs date of birth was January 13, 2006. The tone of this blog seems to be somewhat broad. People are discussing and commenting on many many different issues in politics and government.
It has become a lot easier for people to learn about politics since it is mostly online. It gives people the chance to voice their opinion on certain issues. Since voting is a huge privilege in the United States, we are fortunate enough to have the internet now to use as a tool to gain more information so we can make the right choice when voting. There isn’t really a definite tone of this political blog. People can talk about any political interest. I did read a lot of blog posts about candadian politics so I think most of the people posting on here are from Canada. I just liked that it didn’t have a specific topic that you needed to talk about if you wanted to comment on this particular blog. A few specific topics I noticed on this blog were freedom, presidential elections, and even advertisements for an Ohio Attorney General Candidate where the blogger is trying to persuade the readers to vote for the Attorney.
I definitely think newer communication technologies enable broader political participation. The young, old, educated, and uneducated are able to research politics throughout the internet now. Not only does the internet provide us with a lot of information on politics but blogging itself (which has become more widely used lately) allows users to ask questions and receive answers, anonymously if desired.
In conclusion, I would say I defintley think that political blogs are helping out the society. They allow everyone (who wants to) to participate in debates and receive information at a much easier, low-key rate. In other words, you can maintain an anonymous name all the while educating yourself on important issues.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Communtity Online! (Assignment 7)
Wikipedia describes an online community as “a group of people that primarily interact via communication media such as letters, telephone, email or Usenet rather than face to face. If the mechanism is a computer network, it is called an online community. Online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. A computer-mediated community (CMC) uses social software to regulate the activities of participants.” (reference)
There are many different sorts of online communities such as Facebook, Myspace, UB email, chat rooms, and AIM. The one in which I have used the longest and am the most confident discussing is AIM. AIM stands for AOL instant messenger. I do use this service to maintain contact with people that I don’t normally talk to other wise. However, I do sometimes use AIM to discuss important things about classes. For example, in our group project, there are 5 of us, and some live on campus, others live off. We decided it would be easiest to meet over the weekend online. This way everyone could discuss the project from the comfort of their own home. We started a conversation, mostly through AIM and then realized it would be easier to discuss the project in a chartroom. Technology has advanced so much over time with AIM. Its fast, easy and you can clean your room in between messages!
Although chat rooms are a very useful online community as all, AIM is more popular. AIM can link anyone together from any country, at any time. It is different from email because it is “live”. You can type as if you were talking to the person face-to-face, and you are able to receive answers for questions right away.
AIM affects the development of social ties by actually increasing communication among people. If AIM didn’t exist, I know for me personally, I probably wouldn’t have social ties with a lot of people I do because of AIM. It is much easier to send someone and instant message online, than it is to call them, especially if you are shy or do not have a strong relationship with that person. Some people will argue (rightfully so) that AIM can actually have a negative effect on social ties because people will use the instant messenger over actually talking to someone face-to-face or calling them up on the phone. It could perhaps slow down and progression within a relationship.
AIM has many other benefits. You are able to create a profile on AIM where others can get a sense of who you are and vice versa. AIM has become widely popular across the nation. It really helps everyone stay in touch!
There are many different sorts of online communities such as Facebook, Myspace, UB email, chat rooms, and AIM. The one in which I have used the longest and am the most confident discussing is AIM. AIM stands for AOL instant messenger. I do use this service to maintain contact with people that I don’t normally talk to other wise. However, I do sometimes use AIM to discuss important things about classes. For example, in our group project, there are 5 of us, and some live on campus, others live off. We decided it would be easiest to meet over the weekend online. This way everyone could discuss the project from the comfort of their own home. We started a conversation, mostly through AIM and then realized it would be easier to discuss the project in a chartroom. Technology has advanced so much over time with AIM. Its fast, easy and you can clean your room in between messages!
Although chat rooms are a very useful online community as all, AIM is more popular. AIM can link anyone together from any country, at any time. It is different from email because it is “live”. You can type as if you were talking to the person face-to-face, and you are able to receive answers for questions right away.
AIM affects the development of social ties by actually increasing communication among people. If AIM didn’t exist, I know for me personally, I probably wouldn’t have social ties with a lot of people I do because of AIM. It is much easier to send someone and instant message online, than it is to call them, especially if you are shy or do not have a strong relationship with that person. Some people will argue (rightfully so) that AIM can actually have a negative effect on social ties because people will use the instant messenger over actually talking to someone face-to-face or calling them up on the phone. It could perhaps slow down and progression within a relationship.
AIM has many other benefits. You are able to create a profile on AIM where others can get a sense of who you are and vice versa. AIM has become widely popular across the nation. It really helps everyone stay in touch!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Identity Theft (Assignment 6)
What is an online idenity?
An online identity as explained by Wikipedia is “a social identity that network users establish in online communities. Although some people prefer to use their real names online, most Internet users prefer to identify themselves by means of pseudonyms, which reveal varying amounts of personally identifiable information”. In other words, it is the person we allow others to get to know of ourselves, over the internet.
How can we do this?
We are now able, because of technology advancements in the internet; to actually shape ourselves into exactly who we want others to think we are. Think about it like this, we can edit our pictures to change our looks, and anything we type on the internet about ourselves can actually all be made up because no one would ever know, except those who are your friends in reality. But that brings me to another option; changing your name. You can have almost any name you want on the Internet. No one ever has to know what your real name is.
My Online Identity
An online identity that I own is the one portrayed on my Facebook. I do not make anything up, but I definitely leave personal information out. I only put pictures on there that I am okay with the public seeing. I would definitely say that anyone could portray me as someone I am really not. Although Facebook has my favorite movies listed and where I work and go to school, unless they are in my life, they do not really know who I am. There are some people who use their online identity to completely change who they are on the internet. For example, they could make up information about where they work, how old they are, what they look like. Just like the article Identity and deception in the Virtual Community states “most of Usenet is meant to be non-fiction; the basic premise is that the users are who they claim to be.” This allows however for other issues, related to crime. For example, a pedophile could pretend to be some young girl trying to be friends with a child, when in reality, they are luring them in to their trap. But that’s a whole other topic for discussion!
Facebook can be used for more than just fun. I have heard of companies looking up prospective employees to gain a little bit more knowledge about them from their Facebooks. Also, on the site, you (or anyone with an account) can create an event in which you would like to advertise to Facebook members. So in other words, it can be used as a business tool to advertise for you or your company.
Mostly, Facebook is a forum in which people can connect to others who also have accounts or express themselves however they would like. Facebook has options to put photos, send “gifts” and even a status feature where you can type exactly what you are doing in it and have a “memo” go out to your friends, letting them know where you are and what you are doing. To do this, they have something called a “news feed”
What is identity theft?
Identity theft can be described as “The unlawful acquisition of legally attributed personal identifiers is made possible by serious breaches of privacy” (Wikipedia). Facebook unfortunately does help increase identity theft rates. I would say that some people just give out too much information on their pages that allows for someone to steal their identity. Facebook probably doesn’t seal the deal (so to speak) but it definitely gives people an edge on getting someone’s information. This is why, I have my page set on private and I only add people I really know to my friends list.
An online identity as explained by Wikipedia is “a social identity that network users establish in online communities. Although some people prefer to use their real names online, most Internet users prefer to identify themselves by means of pseudonyms, which reveal varying amounts of personally identifiable information”. In other words, it is the person we allow others to get to know of ourselves, over the internet.
How can we do this?
We are now able, because of technology advancements in the internet; to actually shape ourselves into exactly who we want others to think we are. Think about it like this, we can edit our pictures to change our looks, and anything we type on the internet about ourselves can actually all be made up because no one would ever know, except those who are your friends in reality. But that brings me to another option; changing your name. You can have almost any name you want on the Internet. No one ever has to know what your real name is.
My Online Identity
An online identity that I own is the one portrayed on my Facebook. I do not make anything up, but I definitely leave personal information out. I only put pictures on there that I am okay with the public seeing. I would definitely say that anyone could portray me as someone I am really not. Although Facebook has my favorite movies listed and where I work and go to school, unless they are in my life, they do not really know who I am. There are some people who use their online identity to completely change who they are on the internet. For example, they could make up information about where they work, how old they are, what they look like. Just like the article Identity and deception in the Virtual Community states “most of Usenet is meant to be non-fiction; the basic premise is that the users are who they claim to be.” This allows however for other issues, related to crime. For example, a pedophile could pretend to be some young girl trying to be friends with a child, when in reality, they are luring them in to their trap. But that’s a whole other topic for discussion!
Facebook can be used for more than just fun. I have heard of companies looking up prospective employees to gain a little bit more knowledge about them from their Facebooks. Also, on the site, you (or anyone with an account) can create an event in which you would like to advertise to Facebook members. So in other words, it can be used as a business tool to advertise for you or your company.
Mostly, Facebook is a forum in which people can connect to others who also have accounts or express themselves however they would like. Facebook has options to put photos, send “gifts” and even a status feature where you can type exactly what you are doing in it and have a “memo” go out to your friends, letting them know where you are and what you are doing. To do this, they have something called a “news feed”
What is identity theft?
Identity theft can be described as “The unlawful acquisition of legally attributed personal identifiers is made possible by serious breaches of privacy” (Wikipedia). Facebook unfortunately does help increase identity theft rates. I would say that some people just give out too much information on their pages that allows for someone to steal their identity. Facebook probably doesn’t seal the deal (so to speak) but it definitely gives people an edge on getting someone’s information. This is why, I have my page set on private and I only add people I really know to my friends list.
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