Assignments for Monday, Oct. 6

1. Yan, Jiarui, and Erik will post their summaries. Please make sure you comment on them before our next class.

2. Please read this article on trolls and the internet from the New York Times.

3. By Sunday, Oct. 5 at noon, please email the following to me:
a. A thesis statement for your first paper on cyber communities.
b. Two articles that you will use to support your paper's argument. Please include links to the sources. One of them can be a reading that was assigned for class discussion.
c. A summary of 3-4 sentences of each of these articles.
d. One quotation from each of the articles that you might use to support your argument.

GoodReads Summary

GoodReads is a social networking site for those who love to read and want to connect with other book lovers. The site allows for a person to create a customizable profile that they can use to list the books they have read, and even allows for them to give reviews and opinions. The site even has a section so people can communicate together, create groups discussion of books and make friends.

One of the issues we discussed in class was that if the site supported the idea of the digitization of books. I feel that the site is the introduction of books to technology. I support the joining of technology and books as seen in the Kindle, some may not. However, it does pose possible negative outcomes, like if books were digitized some people may illegally share the data of the books as it has been done with music.

Paper #1: Digital Communities and Networks

Paper Guidelines

Your paper should be 4-5 pages in 12-point Times New Roman font or equivalent. Your paper must have a thesis statement with supporting evidence. You should have at least two outside research sources to support your argument, and you should integrate at two to three quotations from those sources to support your argument. As you begin your research and writing, please think of one of the following questions as a way to frame your argument:

1. How have social networking sites brought up issues around privacy? Do you think these sites are in violation of people’s privacy? Why or why not?

2. Some critics of online communities say these spaces encourage anti-social behavior? Do you agree with this criticism? Why or why not?

3. Digital communities have received some attention recently because of fraudulent and/or criminal activities on the sites. Do you think online communities encourage this kind of behavior or make certain behaviors more prevalent?

4. Cyber Neighborhoods have allowed for what some observers call “interactivity” or "convergence culture"—opportunities for participants to mix various media (graphics, video, ARGs). How has interactivity changed the way people communicate and/or view entertainment?

5. Cyber communities have been applauded for democratizing access to information and the dissemination of knowledge. Do you agree that the internet is more democratic? Why or why not?

The first paragraph of your paper will be due Tuesday, October 14. The final draft will be due on Wednesday, October 22.

Youtube Article Summary

YouTube is a web site with a vast source of videos. The popularity of this web site has skyrocketed since its creation in 2005 measured by the amount of users that visit the site. However, the YouTube now wants users to stop visiting their site and instead add YouTube players on their own sites. From these YouTube players users would be able to access YouTube’s whole video archive, comment and rate videos as they do on Youtube.com. Along with the new YouTube players camera companies Casio and Logitech are creating cameras that allow you to upload videos directly to the site; TiVo will allow their customers to upload videos from their televisions. Not only will these YouTube players increase the amount of users YouTube has because of its convenience, but it will also bring more revenue to the company because of its capability for in stream ads. The demand for video ads has on the rise and YouTube holds true potential. All in all, YouTube is looking towards change, change to give their users more freedom and convenience and change to gain more profits.

Mabinogi

Here is a video of the game




http://mabinogi.nexon.net/Downloads/VideoList.aspx

And here is an article in wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabinogi_(video_game)

Sorry guys, i don't know why the link is not working, just copy and paste the link in the address bar, it should be working.

Hey guys, i found this interesting article while i was looking for my sources, read it if you have time.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_164/5162-My-Korean-Fantasy-Life

Articles about Tencent QQ

I can not find some many pages articles about Tencent QQ, so there are 2 short articles about the topic.
1.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147334/facebook_tencent_launch_chinese_networking_sites.html
2.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Globe7-Tencent-Partner-For-Networking-Site-in-China/281500/

Also there is a websit that introduce the Tencent QQ.
http://www.startinchina.com/tencent_qq.html

YouTube Summary

YouTube has grown in popularity in the past few years and it has now become a main source of entertainment for us. As discussed in class, there are some negatives to YouTube videos. Privacy is not a concern for these videos. People aren't asked for permission if someone wants to upload a video of them possibly doing something embarrassing or even something frowned upon by society. Sometimes these videos can be harmful to a person's carreer or reputation and that isn't something easily erased. There are plenty of examples of such cases. Despite this, YouTube is still a very popular site that everyone commonly uses to look up funny videos, watch series, exchange ideas, or just to watch things they might have missed but wanted to see. YouTube has now become a major part of the 2008 election since it is now being used by candidate supporters to make videos of their preferred candidate, these videos sometimes feature famous and influential people and unites them in support of a cause to spread an idea. It is now easier to reach young voters through these methods, and it has also become easier for anyone to voice their opinion through videos, not just about the election but about anything.

Interview With Ceo

Victor Palmer founder and CEO of Centsports.

Article on Cent Sports
http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/12/online-gambling-centsports-ent-manage-cx_jb_0612onlinegambling.html

Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 22

1. Salisha, Sylvia, Nicholas, and Neal will post summaries of our discussion and/or their topic.

2. Erik, Yan, and Jiarui will post links to articles about their topics.

3. Read this article from Time about the 2006 person of the year. Please print a copy of this article and bring it to class. Also, write one sentence that summarizes the argument of the Time article. Please bring the sentence to class.

4. On Wednesday, we will be going over thesis statements and arguments. I will also explain the first essay assignment. This will be one of the most important classes of the semester. Please make sure to be there!

Introducing the Book

GoodReads

As I couldn't find an article of subsistence, I have posted two medium-length articles:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/17/goodreads-raises-angel-round-to-help-you-find-that-perfect-book/

http://www.flakmag.com/web/goodreads.html (If you read only one, this should be it).

GoodReads Article

GoodReads shows that people still read and love their books

Encyclopedia Dramatica

Hey, everybody.

My apologies about the last blog. My internet went out for a little while, and by the time Time Warner Cable came to fix it, it was way past the deadline. I tried going on my friend's computer, but I forgot my password since it was saved on my computer. Essentially, I had a bad weekend.

Encyclopedia dramatica, as discussed in class, is a satirical website making a mockery of everything from politics to lifestyles. As shown in class, it is set up exactly like Wikipedia, with the same layout, search engines, and ideals; a free website where every article is posted anonymously and can be updated and changed by anyone. The article I chose speaks of "trolling" which is the main thing done on Encyclopedia dramatica. It also talks about the Craigslist Experiment and 4chan.org, which is similar to Encyclopedia dramatica. When you get down to it, Encyclopedia dramatica is a site you can go to for a good laugh or a smile and NOT something you should look into for any real facts or to do research on.

Thanks, and have a good night.

Summary Of Our You Tube Disscussion

Judge Louis L. Stanton of the Southern District Court of New York has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom its records of which users watched which videos on You Tube. Visited by around 80 million people a month, You Tube is the world's largest video sharing site. The verdict has raised concerns among You Tube users and privacy advocates that this information could be misused or fall into the wrong hands.
Viacom (a media conglomerate which produces television, music, and movies) has said that the collected I.P. addresses will only be used by their lawyers to further its billion dollar lawsuit against Google for copyright infringement. They also said that in most cases I.P. addresses (your computer's address) can't be used to identify individual users.
Privacy advocates counter by saying that in many cases, technology experts and others have been able to link I.P. addresses to individuals using other records of their online activities. Kurt Opsall, a lawyer for an online civil liberties group said users should have a right to challenge and contest the revealing of this deeply private information.

summary of wikipedia discussion

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. Its vast database allows users to find out information about pretty much anything. This is actually what draws some people to Wikipedia. It’s very convenient. What makes it better, is that it is free, and has edits from everyday people, not only people with PhD’s. This makes for an interesting discussion whether or not the information on Wikipedia is reliable. Some say that because it is monitored closely, the site does not contain insanely false information. But how true is this really? It appears many times, that there is false information on the site that stays there for a long time! Is this a basis for not trusting the content of the site? A lot of people say yes. Note that the original goal of Wikipedia was to have a free site where ordinary people can write about things they know about, so in that light, Wikipedia has really accomplished its goal. Wikipedia’s ‘rival’ is Encyclopedia Britannica, which was written by people who have a lot of knowledge in the subject that they are writing about, and therefore the information is more reliable. Problem is that Encyclopedia Britannica does not cover as many topics as Wikipedia does because it is limited by size (that’s because it is printed). So we still don’t know whether or not Wikipedia is really reliable.

Assignments for Monday, September 22

1. Jonathan, Salisha, Sylvia, Esther, and Steve will post. Comment on only one of their posts.

2. Nicholas and Neal will post links about GoodReads. Read their articles.

3. Read Chapter Two of Solove's The Future of Reputation, available here.

My YouTube Article For Wednesday

Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube

Hey guys, this is my article on Youtube.
Yes, You Too Can YouTube

YouTube Article

hey guys, this is my article.


http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1570721,00.html

Assignments for Wednesday, September 17

1. Jonathan, Sylvia, and Salisha will post links to articles on YouTube. Make sure you read these articles.

2. Read the Introduction to Solove's The Future of Reputation (pg. 1-13)available here.

3. Email your synthesis to me by Tuesday at midnight.

Wikiality

Encyclopedia Dramatica

Hey, everyone.

The article I found is all about "trolling" which is essentially what is done on sites such as encyclopedia dramatica, uncyclopedia, and etc. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/magazine/03trolls-t.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=encyclopedia%20dramatica&st=cse&oref=slogin

This next article is the wikipedia article on encyclopedia dramatica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia_dramatica

Hope you enjoy.

link to article on wikipedia

this is a link to the article i found on wikipedia


http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/31/060731fa_fact

Myspace Summary

Myspace, which is owned by the News Corporation, is known to be the Web's largest social networking site. However, many of the users feels as if their "space" is being invaded. The reason to this is Myspace is only allowing users to use "Myspace things". They are limiting the amounts of applications that users can put onto their account. Myspace doesn't want third party pieces (also known as widgets) if they are violating its term of service that bring unnecessary things to the site. For example, Tila Ngyugen also known as Tila Tequila used Myspace as a way of promoting her new album Hoooka on her page with a music player accompanied by a video and it was hit. However, it disappeared after a couple of days. Tila Tequila realized that she violated the terms and therefore it had to be taken down. These widgets that enable users to sell items or advertise must be authorized and has to share a partnership with Myspace in order to be on the site. Fred Wilson explained the strategy that the News Corporation was using. The News Corporation was trying to take advantage of the growing widgets while also controlling the amount of widgets that made it onto the Myspace site. In Fred Wilson’s point of view, he believed that this was a dangerous strategy. “Every attempt everyone has ever made to try to dictate what a person’s Internet experience will be has ended up coming up empty,” Fred Wilson said. He claims that everyone is one click away from the web. Myspace users aren’t happy with the site. If it isn’t their site after all, maybe the users will think about things in another way.

Myspace

Myspace is the largest social networking website. Facebook comes in second place, and Bebo in third place. Myspace is owned by News Corporation. It has 118 million worldwide users. Even with so many users, Myspace is not doing so well. Myspace was expected to meet a $1 billion revenue. Myspace is making about 6 to 7 dollars on each user per year. In order to solve this problem, Myspace is going to put more advertisement on its website. They are putting more advertisement in the Myspace sign up page and on profiles. By putting more advertisement Myspace needs to move around some things on their website to fit in the ads. This new change may affect users. Some users don't want to be bombarded with more advertisement. Others might feel like all Myspace cares about is making money. New advertisement may draw users away. People may sign up for other websites like Facebook. Myspace and Facebook have many similarities. Both websites allow users to keep in touch with friends. You can share and tag pictures. Users can post comments on their friend's profile. Myspace and Facebook also have differences. Myspace allows you to personalize your profile page. Users can put different backgrounds and customize it to their preference. A major difference between the two websites is the amount of advertisement each website has. Facebook doesn't have as many advertisements as Myspace. Some users say Facebook is more straight forward and easier to use. Others also say that Myspace is for a younger generation. It seems like it is designed for mostly teens. Facebook in the other hand was first used only by college students. Facebook later then opened their website and let anyone sign up. Facebook is getting close to the amount of users Myspace has. Facebook may catch up soon. Will the increase in advertisements draw people to other social networking websites? The future of Myspace is unknown.

Assignments for Monday, Sept. 15

1. Stephanie and Sara will post about MySpace. Make sure you comment on their posts.

2. Esther and Stephen will post links to their articles on Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Dramatica.

3. Finish reading Jenkins' Introduction to Convergence Culture.

Henry Jenkins speaks

The internet in 1993

Facebook Summary

Facebook is the most known website for social networking. Many strongly agree that Facebook has its problematic issues with invading privacy and feel like its no longer sacred. Members, daily if not constantly change their status and others in an instant know what’s going on with them or what they are planning for their weekend. The Newsfeed traces every step you take on commenting a picture to even reading what others have written on the walls of friends. Just last week, on the second of September, Facebook proclaimed its 100 million members and each and every one of them has a right to know your relationship status, your interests and who your friends are. Members can have unlimited accounts, one for personal use and other accounts for business .Having an account with Facebook might decrease your chances of finding a high well earning job because of the incriminating pictures and details that are posted. Some suggest that Facebook’s “social utility” reduced the amount of personal interaction with friends and family. Instead of people using Facebook chat to catch up with old friends, they are numerous ways in which people can get updated for instance a phone call or a visit. While Facebook has it cons it also has it pros. Facebook could draw millions of young voters to politics and easily can be influenced by simply joining a group and going to there events. This way teenager’s can be more vocal in voicing their opinions. Additionally, Facebook provides thousands of ads on different areas such as different types of diet/ nutrition plans or job openings. Furthermore, Facebook members can sell products on line earning profits. Most importantly, members must know how to manage their accounts safely as possible and not to exceed on personal details.

- Diana Y

.

summary on facebook discussion

Facebook has become one of the largest social networks on the internet. There are, however, many pros and cons about joining this networking system. Facebook can be described as a positive way of joining everyone you know into one area and then easily communicating with them. On the other hand, this may cause communication issues because it is hard to portray a tone of voice through the internet. It causes confusion for the reader to know what was really meant by the comment, which can cause fights between the two or false statements that may then be repeated and spread. Another problem that this may cause is a writing issue, which is people abbreviating online or through texting or spell things incorrectly. If these people are not being corrected, even in just a simple social area, this bad habit can spread into their professional life where mistakes like spelling and grammar are costly. Of course this is not a problem because facebook is a whole entity on its own and people do not necessarily use the same language that they use on the internet or through text in real life so it should not really effect anyone in that regard. Because facebook is such an easy way to communicate, it also causes people to become lazy or less interested in their friends, which is a terrible trait for people to start taking upon one’s self. Another major problem with facebook is a privacy issue. Anyone at anytime can post anything about themselves on facebook. Now, this is not really a violation of privacy because that person is posting it by him/herself. However, facebook also contains "news feeds" where everything that a person is doing on facebook is posted on a main page for anyone to see without their consent. Included with posting whatever the person wants to post about themselves, they can also post anything they want about other people, which can include false information that can quickly spread. The positive side to these posts is that they also help spread important global information, for example about the upcoming election. This even helps members of facebook learn more about politics and what is transpiring in our current world.

Summary on Sam’s article- Facebook the world’s most popular social networking site has added an unpopular feature known as News Feed. This feature allows user of the site to constantly check up on their friends updates and other private information that they may not want viewed. Many have protested against this new feature with their concerns to privacy. They ironically used Facebook to petition against Facebook. With over 280,000 members on a single anti- News Feed group (which currently has over 28,000 signatures on the petition), Facebook has finally taken notice. Some people are against News Feed as a whole, while others just want a privacy feature added so they can regulate who’s viewing their updates. Facebook CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has responded to these petitions, by reiterating Facebook’s privacy features and promoting News Feed as a “cool way to know what’s going on your friends’ live.” So if you value your privacy or you just aren’t very comfortable with being monitored by outside parties, you may want to think twice about joining Facebook. At the end of the day if you choose to join a social networking site, such as Facebook, you have to take into account all the ramifications you may encounter. If you don’t mind possibly millions of judging eyes studying and observing your every move, then maybe you shouldn’t be joining a social networking site. Facebook has no intentions of changing the News Feed feature anytime soon, an important note to take into consideration when using this site. Due to its similarities to a “Big Brother” world, Facebook has had many users divided on the issue of whether or not they should keep News Feed alive.

Myspace Article

This is my article on Myspace,

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/business/media/16myspace.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=myspace&st=nyt&scp=3


-Stephanie

MYSPACE

Hey,
This is the New York times article based on Myspace
Myspace Restricitions

-Sara

The Facebook Phenomenon

Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 10

1. Samuel, Atara, and Diana will post summarizing our facebook discussion. Please comment on their post before our next class.

2. Stephanie and Sara will also post links about MySpace for Wednesday's discussion. Please read them before class.

3. Read the first 12 pages of the Introduction to Convergence Culture by Jenkins. You can access the book here through google books.

1969 view of the future's computer

Presentation Schedule

Here's the schedule I sent to you last week via our google group, with a few changes:

Mon. Sept. 8: Facebook: Samuel, Atara, Diana

Wed. Sept. 10: MySpace: Stephanie, Sara

Mon. Sept. 15: Wikipedia: Esther Encyclopedia Dramatica: Stephen

Wed. Sept. 17: YouTube: Jonathan, Sylvia, Salisha

Mon. Sept. 22: Goodreads: Nicholas, Neal.

Wed. Sept. 24: Lineage: Jiarui CentSports: Erik Maginogi: Yan


If your name isn't listed above, please email me as soon as possible with your choices. Remember, the first thing you'll need to do is post a link to an article you find about your topic.

In class, just be prepared to talk briefly about community--no more than 5 minutes-- and perhaps demonstrate any important points about how this community works.

third article about facebook

Hey guys,
Hope you all had a great weekend, enjoy the reading: http://www.newsweek.com/id/32261/page/1,
Atara

Facebooks 100 million members

This in the link to the Gateways article on Facebook: http://media.www.unogateway.com/media/storage/paper968/news/2008/09/02/Opinion/Facebooks.100.Million.Members-3412746.shtml

Article on Facebook

Hey,
This is the link to the Times article on Facebook: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1532225,00.html
- Sam L.

Social Networks

Web 2.0: The Machine is Using Us

Assignments for Monday, September 8

1. Choose 3 digital communities for presentation/research if you haven't done so already. Please email me by tomorrow (Thursday) at noon. The sooner you email me the more likely I am to accommodate your first choice.

2. Read U R 2 Old for Monday.

3. Read the articles posted by the first 2 presenters. (The articles will be posted by Saturday at noon.)