Week 5: Steroids Sold on MySpace

This controversial article was quite interesting, as the author reported that more than 120 arrests were announced in what is being called the "largest steroids crackdown in U.S. history." Five different men were accused of trafficking and selling these anabolic goods via MySpace, which is obviously quite a popular site that adolescents visit as many as numerous times in a single day.

What is the underlying issue here? The fact that young children have access to anything they want via the Web. With a few clicks of the mouse, these kids can have their hands on anything from porn to steroids, and this issue is becoming highly problematic. Should parents be the ones to crack down on what their children can and cannot be looking at on the World Wide Web? Or is it the government's duty to intervene? Finally, this article parallels what we discuss in class lecture, as it ties in the controversy of technological advancement. Our world is finally beginning to struggle with what I like to call "technology overload."

Week 5: 1 in 3 Parents Say Kids Are Online Too Much

In a recent survey, one in three parents have reported that they feel their children are spending far too much time on the Internet.As obesity and overweight rates continue to climb the charts over the years, parents are worried. Children becoming more addicted to the Internet are more likely to decrease physical activity, like playing outside, engaging in sports, or even riding your bike. It will be interesting to see the correlation between children, the Internet, and inactivity come twenty or thirty years from now, also. The article discussed that nearly 75% of parents admit that they have "issues" with what, exactly, their children are looking at when they are browsing the Internet.

This article parallels what we talk about in class, because it looks at how technological advancement will affect future generations. Although many critics and tech-gurus are avid believers in using the Internet to broaden one's mind, should we be worried about how online activity could lead us to becoming couch potatoes?

Week 4: Exploring the Vast Business Potential of the Metaverse

This article, written by Cynthia Wetzler, was very interesting. Personally, when I first heard about Second Life, I questioned the incentive of being involved in something enitrely virtual. After reading this article, however, one can see that there are so many benefits to partaking in this metaverse. Whether it is a good place to began networking with people (social networking), or a place where you can merely escape from your own personal identity, you can also generate a vast revenue. Hundreds of people that are involved in Second Life have made thousands of dollars off this business endeavor, which is quite inventive. I think that in fifty years, our society will be far more involved in Second Life, and it will be interesting to see how involved people are in it. What will come of our society? No one can really predict it until the time comes. Will it be a similar situation to the Facebook? Will it just blow up overnight and become an instant sensation?

Week 4: Even in a Virtual World, 'Stuff' Matters

This particular article, found in The New York Times, parallels what we discussed in class, regarding Second Life. As many people may have a difficult time grasping why others spend hours upon hours of their 'real' lives to gain status, earn money, and make friends in a 'fake' life, this article follow one college student, in particular. Meet Janine Hawkins. Your average twenty-something who lives her life as a student by day and a French translator by night. What most people don't know about Janine, however, is that in the Virtual World, she is Iris Ophelia, the buxom brunette fashion editor of Second Life's fashion magazine. She spends hours of her day dedicated to her job as fashion editor of this virtual magazine, and one might ask why?

This article explores what we talked about in class as being the rise of the amateur, or the Pro-Am Revolution. As Janine wants to escape from her 'normal,' mundane life, she opts for something new and exciting. Second Life is where Janine can become an attractive, young fashion editor and no one will question her. Second Life is about giving people the chance to virtually recreate themselves, and upon completion of this article, I felt as though I understood the incentive to participate in something like this unknown, virtual realm.

Week 3: Criticizing Digital Maoism

Steven Levy's article entitled "Mao's Revenge," written for Newsweek International is something I really enjoyed reading. First, as he criticizes Jaron Lanier's article "Digital Maoism," which we read for a previous class lecture, I agreed with his many points. For instance, I was compelled with Levy's argument that Lanier has been too much of an ambiguous critic by simply critiquing the Web's ability to disseminate information and deliver it to millions of people. In his essay, Lanier tears apart websites like Wikipedia, that rely on ordinary people to create informative postings on millions of worldly topics. And although this is perhaps a good point, his reason for disagreeing with Wikipedia is what I have a hard time coming to terms with. Lanier feels that the move toward Pro-Am culture will, in fact, hinder our youth's creative expression. I firmly disagree with this. I believe that our youth will actually be more creative, exploring options via the Web that our generations never even knew existed. Finally, I agree with Levy (the author of the article criticizing Jaron's "Digital Maoism") when he brings up the point that Lanier's rant "was the equivalent of poking a stick into a beehive." Hence, although he is probing -which can be a positive thing, as it's important to question hierarchy- he should really dig deep into the issue. I believe this article is a great supplement for our class because it is a brief counterpoint to Lanier's article that we already read. Also, it made me rethink many of the points that Lanier touched upon in his efforts to comment on Digital Maoism.

Week 3: Social Networking's Next Phase

This article found in the New York Times is pertinent to our IMS201 course. It discusses a few key players in the social networking constituent and also delves into new social networking sites. The article discusses how thus far, social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are great, however, they force viewers to be put in a "straight-jacket." The author also notes that these interactive sites will soon be just as second nature to us as normal websites. Hence, as anyone can create sites, and the Pro-Am Revolution takes our society by control, people are given the opportunity to create websites tailored to their own specific interests.

Although I agree with the segment of the article that talked about how the Pro-Am is given control, which can be a very positive thing, I found the most intriguing observation to be the comment of putting the viewer in a straight-jacket. I had never thought about how when I am perusing the many pages of the Facebook, and peoples' different profiles, I am very limited as to what I am able to access. The creator of the website, Mark Zuckerberg, has complete and utter control, in regards to what viewers are allowed to see. Therefore, I agree with the author's point that, at times, we- as viewers- are put in these so-called straight-jackets, as these websites do not let people formulate and construct their own design/words/postings. I think this article is pertinent to our class, as it discusses how these new social blogging and networking sites are creating these new interactive communities that cater to niche markets. In IMS201, we analyze the new age technology movement, and this article gives us a taste of previous lecture material while combing extensive material in a reader friendly way.

Week 2: Why some tech nerds fail to find love for the podcast phenomena

In Dave Taylor's "Intuitive Life Business Blog," he shares his passionate dislike for the revolutionary podcast. Taylor proudly notes that he finds podcasts to be inefficient, boring, non-interactive, and even disengaging. He feels that they are "just a fad and will shortly vanish" from our tech savvy lives. As he complains about how much memory space a 30-minute blog soaks up, or how they will not help promote a business/company, he is very convincing. He even provides links to other blogger sites, such as one entitled "Why I'm not smoking the podcast dope," sharing the same opinion as him. And although I respect Taylor's initiative in jumping on the bandwagon of blogging/social networking, I do not agree with his bias attempt to brainwash the reader. I feel as though he should have provided links to other sites that both agreed (and disagreed) with is particular stance, which would have made him a more credible source. Furthermore, I actually disagree with his belief that the podcast is extremely boring and inefficient. As we see with the current trend of using podcasts for class lecture purposes, they can be quite interactive. For instance, when students listen to a professor via podcast they are able to participate in a commentary/blog where they discuss the lecture of the day with other classmates, and the professor is able to receive feedback as to whether or not things were explained correctly. I also disagree with his statement that podcasts will shortly vanish. I think they will boom very soon, as many universities and younger generations will become hooked on the revolution of the podcast. I did, however, find the article intriguing and informative. Finally, this article applies to our class as it discusses podcasting in further detail, while providing a strong opinion on the subject.

Week 2: Companies banning Facebook and YouTube at work

BBC Radio has recently brought to our attention that companies have begun to ban social networking sites in the workplace. In a recent survey, in fact, about three-fourths of companies have banned sites like YouTube, Bebo, MySpace, and Facebook. As this is extremely interesting, many employees feel strongly that this move is entirely out of line, while others disagree saying that these types of sites should not be accessed during a typical work day (as they can serve as distracting). This particular article brought up a very interactive commentary where people were able to blog about their own opinions regarding this controversial dilemma. One woman noted that these social networking sites were horrible for companies, as they not only distract employees from what they ought to be doing, but they also make employees less communicative with one another in the office. Another individual, on the other hand, genuinely resented how companies were banning these sites. He noted that he only visits these sites during his lunch hour or on his break time.

After reading this article, I firmly believe that these sites are not appropriate for the employee to visit during a workday. Although I am an avid viewer of Facebook and YouTube, I do not visit these sites while I am in class. The same concept applies at a job. When companies hire employees, they are not looking to pay them to serf the web at their leisure. They are paying them to perform a certain task. Hence, I agree with a few of the people who commented on the blog who said that these sites make employees less interactive with one another. If I were running a company, I would not want my employers to be visiting these sites. Finally, this article parallels nicely with our course, as it discusses the power of social networking sites, while allowing people to comment and share their opinions with the author (the notion of the rise of the Pro-Am). Everyone in the class can benefit from reading this, to help familiarize oneself with the controversy surrounding sites like Facebook, that we visit daily.

Week 1: RSS Tutorial

This website is a very informative one, as it gives a clear, concise explanation of RSS, discusses what's in a feed, explains why we should make feeds available, and how one ought to go about choosing information for his/her own feed(s). Although it is difficult to form a strong opinion on the article, due to its information-heavy content, the explanation of an RSS feed is given in a concise manner. As students in IMS 201 must greatly familiarize themselves with RSS feeds, I felt this article was very helpful in breaking down the logistics. It serves as a great supplement to a previous RSS Tutorial on Wikipedia, shown to the class by Professor Shrimplin himself. This article is important, because it is crucial for those of us who surf the web everyday, to dabble into the nuts and bolts of creating a website. Going behind the scenes, examining the web, and dissecting alI elements that accessorize this feature is necessary for this course. I also really enjoyed how this article gave the reader tips on how to generate good feeds. The author also felt it necessary to explain what format one should choose, while supplying us with further sites to visit if we needed more information.

Week 1: Amateur Revolution

This article written by Charles Leadbeater is quite conducive to the material we have delved into as an IMS201 class. As this reading discusses the current trend of the "Pro-Am," the Pro-Amateur who is an everyday individual committed to professional standards, the author credits the Pro-Am for reshaping society in the next twenty years. As we have discussed the concept of this Social Revolution during class lecture, I believe this article is relevant to our course topics. Moreover, the author gives examples where Pro-Amateurs have strategically succeeded in furthering our world via the web. Leadbeater cites rap, which was an industry that began as do-it-yourself music. The Pro-Am element was made possible with components such as Napster or Limewire. He also informs the reader that The Sims is almost entirely created by a Pro-Am group, advising and collaborating with one another.

I agree with Leadbeater, in that I believe our society is being taken over by the rise of this notion of the "Pro-Am;" the average joe, or the girl next door, who has mastered the art of becoming an all knowing guru on a certain topic. This Pro-Am has then gone on and written about it, blogged about it, experimented enough with it where the average joe is no longer an amateur, but rather an innovator of the tech-savvy world we have come to call home.

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