The last a-ha

I wanted to thank everyone who helped out with our final project and wish everybody success in this class and future classes. I want to thank team 6 for getting me thinking about the way I use the web to stay connected to people. As someone who has moved around a lot, I sometimes don't have motivation to get out in meet people in person. Like their video said our project was made entirely through the web without us ever meeting. I have yet to take a class here at Baker at one of the school sites but I plan to the next session. I find that no matter how many people I can talk to online it doesn't replace personal interaction. So lets not forget to get out there and interact with people in the "real" world.

Joseph's a-ha moment #6

Hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving this year, I again eat to much. It is not surprising that with so much people socializing online, people find a way to celebrate their favorite holidays online. I'm sure a lot of us said a greeting on Facebook or Twitter, used Skype to get into touch with relatives over seas, or maybe even sent someone an e-card. Cyber Monday has even become a thanksgiving tradition along with football, Black Friday, and left overs. Is there any other Holidays that the cyber world has become apart of that you can think of? I always enjoy the way many web sites have fun with April Fools day, like print material used to do.

Joseph's a-ha moment #5

Technology use among children continues to rise. The number of elementary aged children who have cell phones is somewhat baffling. I have seen younger and younger children walking around with mp3 players. In my family the use of video games started when we were as young as three. For many parents and grandparents, children are the ones who introduce technology to the family and are usually responsible for instruction for the new technology.

The safety of children when using the internet or other technology is always a valid concern. However, there is much knowledge that these young trailblazers can offer to the older generations. The value of communication between children and their parents can not be overstated. Using adult experience and common sense combined with younger creativity and capacity for learning can lead to successful use of the technology.

The Mute Button

As an avid gamer I am familiar with the abusive speech that can saturate the online community. For the most part this hate speech is a result of the competitive nature of gaming. The hate speech also seems to take on a competitive nature, as if participants feel the need to one up each other. What it really comes down to is the attention that people think they are receiving for using derogatory language. When I encounter these kind of players my almost automatic reaction is to find the mute button, silencing their individual comments from my television.

This ability to silence an individual player while still being able to hear the others is on e of the best innovation in gaming. For many people the idea of being able to silence abusive talk from their internet experience would be a relief. Those that are affected by cyber bullying may feel like there is no escaping the hateful speech they dread. For these people one has to ask themselves where is their mute button.

Joseph's a-ha moment #3

Watching the Alexis Ohanian talk about the poll to choose the name for the Greenpeace whale movement is something that I find interesting. The video just shows how popular it is to vote and rank things on the internet. I must admit that I love polls and top ten lists, and often take part in them. Why do you think our culture loves to rank and order things? Does are democratic society somehow create this phenomenon? Is there a downside to this kind of need to judge things?

Joseph's a-ha moment #2

This week I have finally given into temptation and joined Facebook. Partly for the sake of the class, partly to stay in touch with some long distance friends I have joined the social network. I had been reluctant to join the site because of the stories I have heard about the negative emotions that it has caused in the past. I had always seen the site as one big popularity contest, and did not wish to be friends with a bunch of people I did not know.

My limited experience with Facebook has bee thus far positive, as I have been able to get into touch with some friends I have not heard of in awhile. As someone who has moved around multiple times in my life, I sort of wish that Facebook had been created years ago. So far I have resisted befriending people I don't know, but I wonder if I will be able to much longer. When the course ends I wonder if Facebook will become a useful tool for myself or will its use slowly fade away.

Joseph's a-ha moment

For someone who is just over year removed from the dorm life experience I was well aware of how large Facebook has become. I did no very little about how Facebook was created, only that it was created by and for college students. Now I now the name Mark Zuckerberg and maybe even some of the real story of what went into the creation of the network site. The speed by which the site went from an exclusive ivy league network to a global wide sensation is outstanding. It is important to remember that these online relationships can never replace true face to face interaction, and of course what you say online can have real consequence for your real life relationships.