COMM 385

Blog Evaluation

2008-08-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

This was a very interesting class as a whole, and was much different than what I first expected when signing up for this class. I really did like the blog idea for this class. It was a very effective way of both gathering and communicating your own ideas to your classmates through a public posting. I've always wanted to start writing in a blog because I thought it was a clever way to discuss your ideas online, for yourself or for others to view, such as this class. This class was a great way to introduce blogging to me to possibly continue writing my ideas and thoughts on here.

I found the class as a whole very interesting, yet it did have both its pros and cons. Lets start off with the good. I liked the activities that the professor chose for us to do, along with the assigned readings. Most of the activities went along with the current reading which made it easy to apply real world communication to the book. Writing in the blogs about our thoughts on the activity was a great way to communicate with our classmates and also compare our findings. The online discussion board was also a convenient way of talking to other students about the readings. It seems that almost every internet class I have taken, there are quizzes that you have to take at least once a week. I find that it gets incredibly old taking a quiz every week, and this class really gave me a break. Instead of memorizing terms for a quiz, we spent more time interacting and communicating with others.

As for some of the parts of class I thought could be improved. Some of the activities were better than others. I thought some of them were a little too general, and evident. Some activities brought out new ideas about online communication, and others I felt were already evident. Some weeks of class the readings didn't always go along with the blog topic. At times, I found it very hard to write about the relations of the two. The biggest part of the class I thought could be improved was the lack of simultaneous converstation or communication with other students involved in the class. Although we all did communicate often through blogs and discussion board, it was all delayed conversation. We didn't get to really interact with other students in real time. I thought some sort of project where you have to a chance to interact more through the internet would have been a good way to wrap up the class. I'm not really sure what sort of project this would be, but it is just an idea.

As I said before, all in all I really enjoyed the class. It was a real break from ordinary online classes that I have taken. Instead of just communicating online, I had the opportunity to learn what other people think and interpret the internet as, and how they use it. Some parts of the class really opened me up to new ideas about the internet both in the present and in the future.

Wild Card.. My mishaps due to the internet

2008-08-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

WILD CARD!!!!! Write about one experience you’ve had with communication on the internet that happened outside of this course. Explain what happened, why the situation was exacerbated or eased because the situation occurred in the realm of cyberspace. How would the situation have been different had it happened outside of cyberspace? This situation could be a mis-communication because the words written were misinterpreted, something didn’t happen because of the technology, etc

When my family first got the internet, there was no cable or DSL broadband provides. It was all dial-up 56k speed, and the only choice you really had was the type of web browser you wanted to use. I still remember when we first got America Online. AOL was the first biggest thing besides Napster for me because it had all these new ideas that I was unfamiliar with; e-mails, instant messenger, web browsing, chat rooms. Everything in one package! I still remember when I didn't know how to instant message someone online, and I started off e-mailing people back and forth waiting for responses. Ah the good ol' days. As personal computers were still fairly new to homes around America, we only had one as a family. We all shared the same computer, which was mostly used by myself and my mother. My brother and father weren't so quick to adapt to the new technology.

Anyway, as I became more familiar with the internet and all of its tools, IM's became very popular when I entered high school. Everyone either had AOL or had AIM with their own screen name. Everyday after I would finish my homework or whatever I would sign into AOL at night before I went to bed to chat with my friends. Well, one night before I went to bed, I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine about an event that had happened recently. This event is not something I'm going to explain for the best reasons, instead I'll just let you know that I was doing something that I should had never been doing. If my parents knew that we were involved in this event, there would be some serious consequences.

The next day, as soon as I walked into the door to my home, my parents told me to sit down on the couch (this is usually a very bad sign, either someone died or I'm dead for doing something). My mother quickly informed me that she read the entire conversation that I had with my friend the previous night. I had accidentally left the chat window up, and never closed it out before I went to bed. So there it sat, waiting for my mom to wake up to when she got onto the computer.

This was the worst conflict that I had ever had with my parents. I mean, this was a very serious matter, and it probably never would have been brought up to my parents attention if I left that chat window up. That chat window never would have been left up if I didn't discover the the IM feature on AOL. The IM feature never would have existed if the internet had not hit the homes of Americans.

Fortunately, this whole thing was a blessing in disguise. My parents forgave me for the things I had been doing. They of course gave me a harsh punishment, but the punishment made me realize that the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. Sometimes it takes some tough love to fix the problems you have in life. Without the internet, this would never had happened.

Generations

2008-07-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Interview three people from three different generations, 18-35, 36-60, 61 and up. Discuss with them how they use the internet. What are their primary uses of the internet? How comfortable are they with communicating on the internet? Has technology changed the way they live their lives, for the better or worse? In general, what do they think of the internet? Summarize your interviews on your blog. These may be posted as one blog or three separate blogs (though this still only counts as one week’s worth of entries). What do you learn from comparing the three generations. Due August 1.

18-35

I decided to interview one of my roommates about how he used the internet since I already have a general idea and it would be quick and easy. As for the majority of college students our age, we use the internet for EVERYTHING, and that was no different than my roommate Brian. When I asked him what he uses the internet for, his answer was simple, everything. He went into a little more detail of what exactly he did use the internet for. Brian uses the internet to pay his bills online, entertainment, school, informational use, etc. He explained that he uses the internet mostly for entertainment purposes. He browses through many different websites everyday to keep up on different topics. He uses the internet to connect his xbox 360 so he can play multiplayer games online with his friends. Our townhouses have the option to pay our rent bill seperately on their website, which makes it very convenient for all us to pay rent without having to collect money and give it to one person to pay. Technology has obviously changed the way he lives his life, because a lot of his entertainment comes from the internet, and some aspects of his life would be much more complicated. It would be a very big lifestyle change if for some reason he didn't have internet access, as it would be for the most of us.

I thought it was pretty interesting how his answer to how he uses internet was EVERYTHING, which states how dependent we are. The topic reading in Wood and Smith talked about how our employers are monitoring what we are doing online. Our employers aren't dumb, they also understand how internet has impacted all of us, especially the younger generation. It gives them more of a concern to monitor what we are doing because we do use the internet for everything, and it is so easy for us to get distracted from our work to browse the internet for our own reasons.

31-60

I interviewed my mother for this generation. When I asked her what she used the internet for, she had to think about it for a moment. She finally said, "Personal stuff." After getting some more out of her, she really uses the internet for communicating with family and friends as the main purpose, and she also uses it for practical purposes such as banking. She expressed the ease of shooting an e-mail to her sister in Florida rather than spending money and time calling or writing a letter. She is also somewhat skeptical about the internet. She has been a victim of identity fraud twice. Once was due to her sending her personal information over an e-mail, and once from someone hacking into her bank account. Although she enjoys using the internet, she keeps it to a minimum for security purposes. The internet has not impacted my mother nearly as much as it has my roommate Brian.

61 +

My grandfather was the my interviewee for this generation. Although I called him for other reasons, I quickly threw this question out there, although I pretty much already knew the answer from previous experiences with my grandfather. He strictly uses the internet for e-mail. He likes to keep in touch with his relatives in Germany, and e-mail has become the easiest way for him. He has tried to use the internet, and his computer for other reasons but it has become so advanced that it is just too difficult for him. He gets very frustrated when he doesn't learn things quickly, and this has become his biggest frustration. He doesn't have too many opinions about the internet because of the limited use. Although it has made his life easier in some ways, it really hasn't impacted him too much besides giving him a headache from time to time.

THIS DIDNT GET POSTED FOR SOME REASON?!?! Blog 5

2008-07-30T17:38:00.001-07:00

Join an internet community for at least two weeks (you should join the community early in the term). This can be a discussion group, listserv, or other virtual community. However, social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook don’t count. This group should be outside the university setting and should be a group new to you. You can find such a group by typing in a subject you’re interested in followed by discussion board. For example, “Pittsburgh Penguin discussion board.” Discuss how you assimilate into the group. How are you accepted and how do you know you are accepted? How are agreements and disagreements expressed and resolved?

Earlier this year, I joined a online community on absolutepunk.net This website is dedicated to providing a social and friendly environment where anyone can join and discuss the latest news,reviews,events, etc. in the alternative rock genre. Although this is the main concentration of the community, the site revolves around entertainment in general, including movies, TV, video games, and really anything else that attracts the younger generation.

I first found out about this through a friend. I always saw him browsing the pages of this website, and it eventually became his homepage. What really attracted me to this website was the content that all these people around the world were contributing to each other. All these people are just as excited as I am about alternative rock genre and all of these great bands. This site is also incredibly organized, making it very easy to navigate through different topics on the site. Since I have discovered this community, I have spent hours going through what other people have to say, and also contributing my own thoughts. Although I must admit, according to Wood and Smith I am somewhat of a lurker. I spent most of my time looking at reviews and comments about all the material then contributing to the site. I am more there for the information than the interactions between people. Although, I do get involved in some discussion boards on the bands and information that I have a lot of interest in.
There are many different kind of people on this website who make themselves noticed. There are those people who just like to show off, and talk about how special and cool they are because of their minimal association with a big band. There are those people who are there just to express their opinions, and discuss with others about hot topics. There are also those people like me, who are information seekers and like to read what other people have to say about the stuff they're interested in. As far as acceptance into the community goes, it really is quite simple. If you are able to contribute to a discussion, and bring in something new or exciting, people will listen to you. If people are listening to you and you are talking, online interaction is happening! Some people do take some of their content too far, such as bashing on other people or bands in a negative way. The whole point of these communities is to share information and talk to people like yourselves. It is supposed to be fun, so when people are negative all the time, they're acceptance won't last too long.

Often times, disagreements do evolve when people are giving reviews and opinions about bands and events. As I mentioned earlier, you do get some of those people who are just out there to be an a$$hole and disagree with people. Most of the members don't mind some disagreement. Disagreements allow for further understanding of another's point of view. The majority of conflicts are solved simply by more interaction, talking about how and why they think the way they do.

Although I have found quite a bit of joy in this new online community, I don't think it is really taking away my time from other personal interactions with other communities I am involved in. The book mentions that people are joining online discussions instead of going out into their real world communities to interact. Although this may be true, I think people will always have the desire for person-to-person interactions. I am still going to go out and talk with the people I'm interested in no matter my involvement online. I am just scared for the next generation. If you have read the book "Feed", you may understand. If not you should definitely check it out, good quick read.

Letters to Influences

2008-07-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Choose two people that have had an influence on you. Write a letter to each thanking them for their contributions to your life (this should be done either early in the week or late in the previous week to see if you get a response). Write one in long-hand (you know, pen, paper, stamp, that kind of thing) and one via email. Think and write about how you chose which one to send the message via snail mail and which via email. Also, write about the differences in the language, length, tone, etc. Are there any differences? What kind of responses to you get? Due July 18.

For this assignment, I decided to write my grandparents who live in Vancouver, WA and my parents who live in Portland. I decided to do two GROUPS of people instead of two individuals. After all, it would be very rude to leave ones' spouse out when writing a thank you letter for their contributions to my life.

I decided to write my parents the e-mail, simply for the fact that I talk to them on a regular basis, and we send e-mails back and forth all the time, so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary to send them a quick e-mail letting them know how thankful I am of them. I sent my grandparents the letter because we have always had a very formal relationship. I always send them hand written letters for birthdays, thank you letters, or any other sort of update or message I want to send them. My grandparents also aren't quite up to date with technology. I think my grandpa does still have his computer and an e-mail address, but he doesn't really check it on a regular basis. My grandfather tried to buy a new computer, but once he got it home, he found it too confusing to set up and operate, even with my assistance. He got frustrated fast and gave up! So what it basically came down to was my influences' technical knowledge and awareness.

The e-mail that I wrote to my parents was pretty short and to the point, as most of the letters I wrote to them over the internet are. After all, Postman does describe information as a disease, and too much information can break down a system or make the information useless, so I kept it short! The tone of the e-mail was pretty easy-going, and simple. It wasn't some mushy letter that was describing my eternal love for my parents. It was just a hello, and letting them know I was thinking about how much I appreciate them. "No big deal" describes it pretty well, I think. I sent that e-mail off in the morning, and by the time I got off work around 5 pm when I checked my messages, I had already got a response back from my mom. The response was very similar to my original letter. It was very short, and to the point, but also clearly said what she wanted to say. Hers was a little more mushy though.

The letter I wrote to my grandparents was a little different. I put more thought into this letter since I don't get to talk to them as much as my parents. I really tried to emphasize what I was trying to say by making the letter longer by being more detailed in my appreciation of them, and all they have done for me. The letter was much more serious than the one I wrote to my parents. I used more I love yous, I miss yous, etc. This letter was definitely more mushy than the other, but my brother and I have always had that sort of relationship with our Grandparents, so it wasn't really out of the ordinary. I haven't received a response back from them yet, but I just sent the letter off on Monday, so I will give it some time. Most likely, I will get a phone call from them thanking me for the letter.

I'm glad we did this assignment this week. I was able to realize the differences in language use for different technologies, and I was able to let me family know how much I appreciate their support....

Facebook

2008-07-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

If you don’t have a Facebook or Myspace page, create one. Then, think about and write about what you reveal or distort in such potentially anonymous communication. Due July 11

In todays world, you are probably considered a very weird person if you are around the college student age and don't have a Myspace or a Facebook. A fellow classmate of mine from last term didn't have a Facebook, and it was like blasphemy! I was astonished that she didn't have a Facebook account, because everyone now a days has one.

I personally think that Facebook and Myspace are pretty harmless for the ordinary person. I use facebook basically to stay in touch with all of my friends and family that are both near and far. It is a very convenient way to share with everyone what is currently going on in my life. This includes my "status", the one liner that states what is going on in the present moment, and all my pictures and videos of recent events. Instead of having to e-mail all of my friends and family about what is going on, they can log into their account and go straight to my page if they are interested.

The information that I provide on my Facebook is pretty basic. I have listed on their my favorite activities, music, quotes, etc. I know some people don't really like to list all of their personal information for strangers to look at. They either choose to not list some information like interests, or make their site private so only their friends can view their page. The girl that I mentioned before that did not have a Facebook didn't have a page for this exact reason. She felt that the social network was too impersonal, and that this sort of information shouldn't be shared online. She also felt that most of the people who use Facebook use it to put up innappropiate pictures of them getting drunk, taking off their clothes, etc. I guess I never really put that much thought into it. If some random person wants to take a look at my pictures, I don't really care. My intentions for picture postings were for my friends to view them, but who says others can't enjoy!

Although these type of social networking sites are intended to be used for communicating with friends, it sets itself up for internet predators to disguise themselves as someone else. This weeks reading in Wood and Smith was about online identities, and how we can control our own identity online much more than in person. On sites like this, it is so easy for a pedaphile to disguise themselves as a 17 year old girl or boy when they are some dirty 50 year old man trying to meet up. Unfortunately, there are people out there who do this, which is why everyone needs to be careful what information they are sharing with people, and to ensure they know who they are talking to.

It is now official. If you are reading this, you have some sort of account on either Facebook or Myspace, because you are in this class! If you want a new friend, add me! Just look up Bradley Tauscher on facebook. I promise, I'm not that 50 year old pedaphile I mentioned earlier. Or am I?!?!

... Just Kidding

So much cooler Online- Brad Paisleys video

2008-07-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

THE QUESTION

Find the video for Brad Paisley’s So Much Cooler Online. What can you say about the characters in the music video? How does their personality change online/offline? What conclusions can you draw?

I had never heard of this song before I watched the video on YouTube for the class. The video, and the song, is about a middle aged man who is a "loser". He still lives with his parents, he has a horrible job, and he has no real life social life at all. The main character really wants to be cool, just like Brad Paisley! His only escape of his depressing life is to log-in online, where he fantasizes about living a rock star lifestyle.

When the main character gets online, his world completely changes. As the song title suggests, he finds himself way cooler online. His lifestyle completely changes from bottom to top. His crummy car turns into a Lamborghini, and his trumpet playing turns into rocking out in front of thousands of fans. Instead of socializing with his parents, he can had a three way conversation with gorgeous women! His personality completely changes from what you would call a "nerd", to someone you idolize on the television.

Although when I first watched the video, I thought that this guy was completely dreaming. All of this change was completely in his mind, and he was still the same old nerd living with his parents. The Internet really didn't make him any cooler, it was just a fantasy that the Internet provided him as an escape from reality. Then I thought a little further into why/how this fantasy came true for this guy. There are millions of people who get online everyday to escape their everyday lives. My old roommate used to play World of Warcraft, and he literally spent more time playing that game then he did trying to make friends and have any sort of social life. I didn't understand what was so great about this game that made him such an independent. What I found was, that the Internet and this game let him interact and communicate with people who shared the same interests as him. This game gave him access to hundreds of thousands of people right at his computer that he could virtually hang out with everyday. For him, this game was his social life. Online, he really was one of those cool guys. Obviously the music video exaggerates a little bit. His car really didn't turn into a 200k auto, but he really felt cooler online because of the relationships he had built online.

The Internet has become an alternative for a social life. People have found friends and communities that are substitutes to reality. Instead of hitting the town on a Friday night, people can "hang" with their friends online, where they are just as cool to each other because of their shared values. Although in my opinion, such virtual realities are unhealthy, I am not to judge people who choose this alternative. I believe that life should be lived outside of a computer screen, and that this world has much to offer. But, some people just think they are cooler online!

The Real abstinence blog!!!

2008-06-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

The goal, stay off the internet for 24 hours! This includes more than just internet browsing; online video games, email, AIM chat, and whatever my heart normally desires from the web.

This was a very challenging task for me to accomplish. When I am at home, I am usually using the internet in some way all the time. If I'm not doing some constructive like using the internet for scholastic purposes, I am using the internet for entertainment purposes. Usually isn't the right word. More than likely? Still doesn't cut it. I am always using the internet when I am at my home. I'm either talking to some friends on aim, streaming videos from my computer to my television, playing Xbox live, mindlessly browsing through random websites, something.

The biggest factor in my favor in accomplishing this task is that I am working a lot right now. Since school got out, I have been working at least 10 hours a day. If I was not working or going to school, this goal would be impossible, literally. I would cheat, break laws, do anything to get my internet. I am like Stans Dad on the latest south park episode where they move to California to go to internet refugee camp because the internet has been shut down throughout the world. I need internet.

My 24 hours of no internet started at 5PM on Tuesday and ended 5 PM on Wednesday. I usually get home from work around 5, so for me it would really only be like having no internet for one evening, then when I return home the next day from work, it will be back!

So when I found myself getting home from work, usually the first thing I do is sit in my chair and check my email. Without the ability to do that, I then wanted to get on xbox live and blow up some people over the web. Couldn't do that. Without the ability to get on the internet, it really cut all my normal entertainment out of my life. It also cut out an important communication tool to my friends. When I want to talk to my friends, we usually don't pick up the phone and call each other. We will chat over AIM or talk over xbox live while playing some games.

Since getting on the internet was out of the question, I had to be very creative in finding something else to do. Actually, all I wanted to do was relax and watch a movie. So thats exactly what I did. After getting some dinner with a few friends, I came home, sat in my chair and watched a movie until I fell asleep. I replaced laziness with laziness. Like I said, there wasn't really that much time available for me to avoid the internet, however if this activity occured over the weekend, I really think I would have entered a serious state of depression.

In conclusion I found reassured myself that I am highly addicted to the internet. I use it in some way or form in most of my entertainment activities while I am at home. I really hope the South Park episode doesn't come true, otherwise I'm packing up my stuff and moving to internet refugee camp in Silicon Valley!

Abstinence to the Internet

2008-06-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Will this work