The Next New Thing

Technology is constantly changing and it is very hard for some of us to keep up with. By the time we get used to one thing another comes on the market. New Media is the future and we can expect great things to come. I'm very happy to be in this generation of technology users. I gave some thought as to what I would have the next new thing be. I realized that that most of what we need is already out there. So what seems to be most popular are social networking sites. There is only one professional networking site that is popular, that's LinkedIn. I would develop a better site that is more interactive and that can better assist in helping people find jobs. Besides sending emails of suggested jobs, which most of us don't even bother to open. I would set up my site to allow users to create a profile where they  have an option to allow us to automatically apply for jobs we think are best suited for them. Saving them the time of logging in and applying themselves. Their resumes will be analyzed and suggestions made to improve them as well. The types of jobs being applied to will have to be preset by the user at the time they change the settings. They will also be able to apply to jobs within a certain salary range and in areas they approved. This is something I wish that was in place now as I get tons of emails everyday for open positions. Most are irrelevant and not within my location or field of interest. I think that many people would be appreciate something like this.

Our Class Wiki - So Far

I haven't added content to our class wiki yet. I have however done research on how to navigate the wiki and make edits. This would be my first time doing something like this and I wanted to make sure I understood what I am doing. I would like to focus on Education and how it affects New Media. I did research on on Educations impact on New Media and how it can be of benefit. Education is important to me and I would like to show New Media can help educate us. The Environment is a topic I would like to address as well. This is something I am very interested in and did my research on it as well. I focused the impact of New Media on the environment and how it be used to spread information and awareness. I think that New Media will help to preserve our environment and will show this in my contribution. I will also make some graphic edits and insert some art work.

P2P File Sharing

File sharing is the sharing of computer data or space in a network publicly or privately. File sharing has different levels of access privileges. Files can be shared easily outside of a network like by sharing files on a flash drive. File sharing can be used by a number of people who can copy, modify or print it. P2P file sharing is peer to peer networking. This type of network enables computer hardware and software to function without the use of certain servers. P2P is a popular file sharing network for applications like Ares, Emule or Edonkey. P2P technology enables the P2P client applications to upload and download files over the P2P network services.

Applications like Limewire and Kaaza are no longer in operation and shut down. They both were entwined in copyright lawsuits. In the NY Times article Digital Pirates Winning Battle With Studios by Brian Stelter and Brad Stone. The New York Times, Feb 5, 2009, p. A1.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/business/media/05piracy.html we see that studios struggle to protect illegal copies of movies from being pirated. With the large increase in streaming sites and the internet it is extremely easy to watch pirated videos online. While these sites make these movies available for free, it hurts the movie industry. Not only movies are pirated but shows and songs. It is very difficult for artists to keep their songs from being illegally released. File sharing is not entirely illegal it is the data that is being shared which may be illegal. Using programs like Bittorrent or other such programs to download a software patch or update a game demo or movie trailer is legal. However, using the same program to get a new movie still in theaters or a new song is illegal.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Privacy and confidentiality is a major concern today. With the growth of new media there was an increase of hackers. When an online profile is created we are subject to privacy issues. Most people don't fully understand the dangers of posting every detail of their personal information online. For example a person's Facebook profile can be compromised and used to send out spam. I remember getting a message from someone of my family members asking for money. When I contacted them they said they were on vacation. This I'm sure happens to millions of people and many are duped out of their hard earned dollars.

The more we are online the easier it is for others to gain our personal information. I suggest limiting the amount of information we share. Most sites ask your birthday, you don't have to put the exact date in or you can choose to hide the year. Some people don't use their real names others use only a part of their name. Once something is online it doesn't matter if it was removed in a split second someone out there saw it. I tell everyone to be careful where they check in on Facebook because they can easily become prey to some psycho.

No matter how safe we try to be there will be some site that abuses our right to privacy and confidentiality. We all just want to enjoy being online and connecting with friends and family, we just need to be careful of everything we do online. We need to be aware of what is posted and how it is being used.

Advice to Baruch College

As a new employee of Baruch I would do my best to use new media to improve the college. The old way of running a classroom in terms of spoken lectures and a list of readings is something that is fast becoming extinct. With the improvement in technology I feel that it is fitting that the college grow at the same pace in order to stay abreast with what's happening in the world. Many students today don't read books we are on our phones or computers constantly making it hard to sit down and read an actual book. Instead of giving a student a physical book to read. We can recommend e-books which can be downloaded on many new devices today. It's more convenient and students won't be able to make any excuse like the book is too heavy or I forgot it home. It is more cost effective as well and environmentally friendly.

Instead of typing up papers students will probably be more willing to make an audio podcast or post videos on various topics. This will make it easier for grading and less time consuming for very busy students and professors. Anyone can make a video or audio recording now we no longer have to be professionals. There is no doubt that students will spend more time on these audio/video responses than writing a short paper. It is fun and it wouldn't be limited to the eyes of the professor. This would make it even more challenging knowing that others will be viewing your work.

The incorporation of visual illustrations in teachings I think would be beneficial. It can help students to understand a concept better, it can help them to remember better and can make learning more interactive. Having a simple text book won't achieve this and can be boring. Having visual displays will be more exciting and encourage students to be more open to learning.

Creativity and New Media

I signed up for Second Life a few weeks ago having seen it on a TV show. I can see how addicting it can be! I selected and designed my avatar and embarked on my teleporting journeys. At first I didn't get the whole gist of this Second Life phenomenon. I was just walking around a destination for new comers. I found a store and went shopping, which was fun! Afterwards I continued exploring and met and conversed with some new friends. We danced and partied together which is something I would never do in real life after having met strangers.

I can see how someone who feels rejected by the real world would find comfort in this virtual life. I made alot of interesting friends from all over the world literally. I teleported to Italy, did some more shopping and played some games. I was in so caught up that I spent like two hours there! After that I teleported to the US again and went to club. The music was good and I did some hanging out.

    
 I got bored at the club and decided to hop over to Jamaica! I felt like I needed some sun and sand. I ditched my jacket and explored away. I am still trying to figure out some of these features and will be upgrading to the premium package for an even more awesome experience. It really is amazing of the possiblities we have in this virtual world. I can't wait to get started on creating my home and trying out some of the other cool features.

Creativity

New media has helped to foster creativity. With the growing number of technology users comes a surge of creative users as well. Each person brings something new and different to every aspect of new media. I can be sitting down for hours trying to come up with an idea for a new project and not come up with anything. If I just peruse the internet I would always find inspiration. What I love is the fact that I can search for a particular topic of interest and in navigating different sites I would almost always stumble on something totally unrelated and different. New media can be used as a means of gaining information from users and consumers for new ideas for new features of existing products or software. For example in Twitter Serves Up Ideas From Its Followers by CLAIRE CAIN MILLER, the New York Times, October 26, 2009. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html where Twitter watches how users use the site and what ideas they catch on. This helped them to create the list and retweet features. I think that this is the best way of getting the right products out on the market. With users input the need for trial testing is eliminated. This saves time and gets the job done much faster. People can share ideas on the internet in masses and can improve on each other's ideas. This is very cost effective and encourages more production.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

I've always heard of the virtual world and saw a few documentaries on it. I think it's a cool way to interact and socialize online. It can be used in many areas of life believe it or not. We can use it for business to have conferences in real time and for training. In the article Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life, CNN.com: Nov 5, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html we see virtual meetings and conferences as a means of being cost effective. In today's economy companies are making major budget cuts and can't afford the sometimes exorbitant travel expenses. The virtual world is the next best thing, as the article also stated they can assist in cutting travel time and because of the creative atmosphere brainstorming is more fruitful. One area I find that the virtual world can be most beneficial is in the classroom. It's a great vessel to use to transport students all over the world to have class sessions. It helps them to visualize teaching concepts and to have a deeper understanding. They can have a chance to experience the real world virtually and this can help them to make better decisions in their lives. Students can open their own businesses and invent things which eliminates any actual fear or risk. In another article iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction by Nicole Saidi, CNN, March 28, 2008. available from:http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText new ways of helping people with autism has arisen from "second life" as it's aptly named. It offers a safe haven for those affected and helps them to foster communicating skills. Social networking is an area where a virtual world is helpful. Like these people with autism it helps them to handle social situations virtually to minimize any risk first before applying their skills to the real world. Even some otherwise normal people who are a little shy or not very social use virtual living to express themselves in a way they would otherwise have not. Many people get involved in relationships as a result of their interactions. The virtual world is a good way for the military to offer training as well. They can have private forums for them to conduct there events and simulations away from any outside entity. It also is a good environment to recruit people to the military to serve their country. 

Their are some negative aspects in living in a false reality. People may spend an inordinate amount of time in this virtual life that they will lose their sense of reality. This can be very damaging on their lives. The lack of real human to human interaction will have a negative impact on socialization. People may have changes in behavior and shut the rest of the world out causing them to be depressed and even suicidal. Living in a virtual world does not mean that one is living an ideal life. Some people online are living a life far from the one they live in reality. They steal, kill, sell drugs and can even rape someone. If these traits transcend to their real lives it would wreak havoc on society. The inability to express emotions is another downfall. Cyberspace is a great escape from the troubles of our lives. It however causes people to lose true relationships by wasting their time playing games and living a fake life. 


Creativity is fostered through the ability to create freely. We can fashion our avatar to our liking and create an environment where we can have things that are just not possible in the real world. Our imagination can run freely and we can get input for other users which makes for a better creation. I see more and more people becoming apart of the virtual world in the future. We will find even better uses for it and new innovations will come about as a result.

Blog about Twitter

A discussion on Twitter is very limiting. If you are a person who has a lot the say then Twitter may not be the best avenue to get your point across. I find the 140 character limit very constraining. Your point can be made but you have to summarize it as best as you can. Twitter reaches millions of people and your tweets can be continuously re-tweeted by others in order to spread the word. A Blackboard discussion is limitless with regard to writing. It however is limited to the number of people in your class. But it is a means to getting help from your classmates virtually. They along with your professor can give you valued feedback and suggestions that will help you in completing your course of study.  In-class discussions are the most personal of the three. It is also limited to the number of people in your class. I feel that this type of discussion is less inhibited. Anyone can say anything at anytime. We have to think twice before we post something online for fear of it being inappropriate. While there is a level of respect in the classroom I think that this is a more open forum. We can better understand how a specific topic or theory is applied to real life when other people relay their own personal experiences. In-class discussions help to get otherwise shy or reserved people to participate and be more involved as well. Which helps them to grow as a person and come out of their shells. It's far better than hiding behind a computer screen.

Social Networking Sites

I am so grateful for social networking sites and embrace them to the fullest extent. I visit Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis. But I only post on Facebook not on Twitter. Twitter is my source for inspiration as I follow many different users who post various quotes from love to religion. It really helps me when I read these quotes because they lift my spirits up in the mornings which is when I read them. Even when I'm having a bad day I go on Twitter to scroll through tweets to reading quotes. This really makes me feel better and it's very therapeutic. I also follow many of my favorite celebrities to keep track of what's going on in their lives. Many of them have a lot of drama going on and I'm not going to lie, I find it so riveting! What I don't like is the constant re-tweeting or replying by other fans to their tweets. This takes up so much of my news feed that I get frustrated when I scroll through and can't find what I'm interested in seeing. That's why Facebook is my favorite social networking site as I'm sure is the case for millions of other people.  It's so interactive that we can perhaps spend hours on there chatting with friends, viewing profiles, looking at pictures and playing games. Literally everyone I know has a Facebook account, even my grandmother. Facebook is worldwide phenomenon which brings together people from all over the world. We can find our long lost friends, our old school mates and can even spy on an old flame.

I use it mainly to keep in touch with friends and family who are living all over the world. It's a great way to communicate in real time as everyone now has Facebook on their mobile device.  I also feel safer using Facebook as opposed to Twitter because on Twitter anyone who sees my account can follow me at any time without prior approval. At least Facebook gives me the option to accept or deny a friend request. Myspace I feel is obsolete now and rarely hear anything about it. A couple of years ago it was very popular. I remember my teenage cousins constantly logging into their Myspace accounts  to design their pages and to update their profile songs. I had an account but was never that into in because I felt that it was for a more younger crowd. It seems as though that there are a lot of teenage users on Facebook now in addition to young and mature adults. Which is such a big accomplishment for Facebook.

Pinterest is a new site which I just heard of. It's basically a Virtual Pin board as the site says. You can share things you find interesting and beautiful from the web on the site. It basically gives you inspiration. I sometimes go there to look at pinboards to see what the latest trends are and to look for some new cool ideas. I've found so many fun, unique and interesting things there. This site is rapidly becoming a new favorite of mine.

Social Networking

I can't imagine a world without social networking. It is such a major part of people's lives today and it has become a way of life. In Being There: The subtle art of the Facebook update, by Virginia Heffernan. The New York Times Magazine, Feb 15, 2009, p. 25.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15wwln-medium-t.html we see that updating our Facebook status can be a very good way to express ourselves and a great way to see what our friends are up to. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. We all have that friend we wish we could delete off our list for all those annoy updates of what she ate 10 mins ago! But I must admit some updates do render a good laugh. Even on a bad day you can post a rant and be comforted by a friend's comment on your post.

Social networking is also used by businesses to drive sales. On my Facebook account I "like" many pages of businesses. Daily there are posts of new products, promotions and even questions asking for our feedback. This is a way for consumers to stay in the know. I can tell my mom when Old Navy posts a coupon for $10 off which would save her money. I can also see what new fashion trends are coming up for the next season. In this way social networking is beneficial to us. Besides that it helps to spread awareness for many different causes. Raising money for Cancer research is a good example. By just re-posting a message you can help generate money for this worthy cause. This simple act can go a long way in a world where everyone is on the go 24/7 and just don't have the time to go out and advocate on the streets. Many people can be reached and at a faster rate than any other method.

There is a dark side to social networking. In the article Amazon Says Error Removed Listings" By MOTOKO RICH, The New York Times, April 14, 2009, p. B1. Available at:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/technology/internet/14amazon.html we see where Amazon had a "glitch" in their system that caused a vast number of books to be misplaced from the sales ranking on the site. It affected gay and lesbian themed books, which was the reason Amazon came under fire for trying to censor the books. This caused a frenzy on Twitter which made it the a high ranking topic. This negatively affected Amazon's reputation and not to mention their sales. There was even a call for boycott. A hacker claimed he was responsible for planting the bug, which is also a prevalent problem in social networking. If this was true then this malicious act was the cause for such chaos and upset. The future for social networking holds new innovations. We can look forward to many changes, newer apps with very cool features and even more growth. Perhaps their might be something bigger and better than Facebook. We have all come to have high expectations from today's fast growing information age.

Blogs vs. Wikis

Blogs and Wiki's play a vital role in today's world. In the YouTube video Blogs vs. Wiki a Fictitious Debate, which I thought was quite clever, there were important points that were made. Blogs and Wikis both enable the communication of information by a person or a group of people and provide a platform for feedback. However, by using blogs we are able to control what information is dispersed and you can see the authors of such information. Wiki's on the other hand are less rigid and anyone can edit the information at any time and anonymously. 

In the reading Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write a Blunt and Unfiltered Blog, NY Times, march 3, 2008, p. C1, at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/03walmart.html we see where blogs are actually quite open and make room for the public to voice their opinions on any number of things. The fact that a Merchandise Manager from Walmart wrote a blog on computers and electronics is perhaps the most helpful to consumers. It provides them with some real and informative feedback on products they may be interested in. One would think that being an employee at Walmart would render a biased opinion on their products, but this blog is very frank and honest, which is a quality many would appreciate.

Between blogs and wikis my preference is Wikis. I find myself on many wiki pages for a source of reference daily. I think that this is a new perspective to the old encyclopedia and that the collaborative effort of many can yield better outcomes than that of one. In "Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People" by Noam Cohen, The New York Times, August 24, 2009. Available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/technology/internet/25wikipedia.html?_r=1 I agree with their policy to have an experienced contributor review the edited contented on people before posting. Otherwise the unwarranted and malicious postings will indeed cause chaos. This can damage a person's reputation and have negative repercussions on their professional lives.

Blogs can be used collaboratively through people giving their input and stating their opinion on specific blogs. For example, the blogs created for my Principles in New Media class were added to my blog roll and I can review them for ideas to help me with the class. Also if I have any feedback I would be able to do so on my fellow classmates blogs. I have always been told that wiki's are not credible. I think that with having the proper channels to ensure what is posted is true and can be verified would help tremendously in making it more credible. Much like the reviewing process for people I think that there should be a reviewing process in general for anything posted and data should be cross examined. Classrooms can benefit tremendously with Wikis and can give students a sense of community. They would have an avenue to express themselves freely and be able to foster their individuality. 

Social Networking: Better or Worse than the Real Thing?

The caption is my term project topic for my CIS 3810 Principles New Media class. I will be analyzing in depth what social networking is, how it was came into existence, it's pros and cons, whether is it good or bad for our society and it's impact on our lives and on the world. I would also like to determine if it's a detriment to society and if we were better off in a world where it never existed. Has social networking changed the way we interact with other human beings? Has it helped or deteriorated our professional and personal relationships? I hope that by the end of my research I can have an answer to my questions and make a determination on whether it is indeed better or worse than the real thing.