Wednesday, September 26, 2007

HW 13:"What happened to regular advertising?"

Response to Kline and Bursteins "Blogs will change your business":
I strongly believe that the impact of blogging on communication matters for non-business related topics more so than business related blogs. Communication blogs open up so many new doors for people to connect. There is such a wide range of topics to discuss in this time period. They are all so different and propose the opportunity for people from all around the world to have a common subject to discuss."Blogs are different. They eveolve with every posting,each one tied to a moment. Most blogs are open to the world. As the bloggers read each others, comment, and link from one page to the next, they create global conversation."(pg. 228 Klein and Burstein) Blogs allow people to talk about topics from motherhood to politics and allows them to connect to people they wouldn't necessarily connect with on other terms. These blogs open up social opportunities to some that may have not existed previously. Everyone needs company and needs to talk to people, blogs allow you to talk to so many different people. Blogs allow people to voice their own opinion. Although some of these opinions may cross the line at times, everyone deserves a right to be heard. It wasnt untill recently that I really understood the meaning of a blog and how they can positively affect society. Honestly, I really can not think of a negative aspect of social blogging. Although business blogging may seem like a good idea to some people, I just dont find the need. Whatever happened to old-fashioned advertising? If it has worked in that past, then why wouldnt it still be effective now? Ultimatley I find social communication to be useful in todays society.

Monday, September 24, 2007

HW 11: Responding to Rebecca MacKinnon

Response to Rebecca MacKinnon's blog:
The blog that I chose to look into was what seemed to me to be Rebecca's main blogging site. I found this at http://rconverstaion.blogs.com/. Rebecca's blogs are more internationally based blogs. Her blogs focus on alot of issues dealing with China and other areas of Asia. Mackinnons's blogs are set up very formally and neatly. They are clearly organized and well thought out. I would consider the tsyle of writing to again be formal, and have background information about the country and the topic itself. I myself have very little knowledge of Asia. I'm sure many readers would challenge this blog, and tell me I know nothing about what I'm reading. Therefore I beleive that her blogs are educational. Since i have very little knowledge of Asia, I really did not know what to expect in her blog. From her interview I could tell that her blog would be world related, and it was. From the interview I gathered that as a blogger Rebecca was very interested in North Korea, and the true perecption of it. She seemed to be really passionate about the country. Which she proved in her blog. She also talks about how blogging is becoming more popular in countries such as China. I found this interesting because it gives Americans new ways to communicate with other all over the world. I found Rebecca's blogs to be interesting when I took the time to read them. However, if I were to disagree; Some Americans may disagree with MacKinnon and would object to her concern with Asian countries. In the past they have been a great threat to us and have proven themselves to be dangerous. If I were to look at this as an opposing argument I would say that maybe we should be skeptical about getting so involved with Asian affairs. I do believe that this is a good article for someone like me to read. If you have no idea about what is going on in the world around you, this is a good blog to read.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

HW 9: Response to Waldman

From the two authors Waldman and Huffington I identified with Waldman more. My Response to Ayelet Waldmans interview:

I chose Waldman because she highlighted on important issues involving women. Ayelet Waldman was such a likable person. While reading her interview I couldn't help but like her, and sympathize with her pain. When Waldman stated that she felt like a bad mother for having sex with her husband I felt so sorry for her. That is a terrible feeling for a mother. By focusing on the aspects of motherhood that she feels are wrong, she overlooks what she is doing right. I really admired Waldman's compassion to reach out to other mothers or people who are facing problems of infertility. She knows that women need a support system, and she is offering them what they need most. Not only does that make her an understanding mother, it makes her a good person and a good friend. Although I agree with Ayelet's decision to stop blogging, I can not completely understand why she would. She was good at it. She knew the issues to write about that would effect people on a deeper, emotional level. I agree that above all she is a writer, and a mother ,and a wife and those are her top priorities but I can only support her decision up to that point. I really thought that her near suicide attempt was inspiring to me, to write and view blogs. The only reason she didn't hurt herself was because someone saved her through reading her blog. That is not something that happens on a normal basis. Waldman needed help and maybe this was the only way she was going to find what she truly needed. I found it easy for myself to identify with this author. She really understood the importance of being a woman. Although I'm not a mother I still can understand the difficulties of being one. I admire the way she blogs, and I find her and her writing topics extremely interesting.

Monday, September 17, 2007

HW 7: Emily Nussbaums's article

Response to Emily Nussbaum's article:

Should parents monitor everything that their middle-school aged children write online?



My response to this question is no. Middle school children should have some freedom over what they do online. Blogs and live journals allow them to express themselves. Not all parent would necessarily agree on how their child is presenting themselves, or even agree with their decisions or beliefs. That is not fair to these teenagers. Isnt that part of gorwing up? Shouldn't they be able to express themselves? Online journals also help them to let out their built up emotions. Being a teenager is so hard, there is too much pressure to keep inside of you. Emily Nussbaum describes in this chapter the difficulty of being a teen. "So much high school pain comes from the sense of being alone with one's stupid self destructive impulses. With so many teenagers baring their vulnerabilities, there is the potential for breaking down isolation. A kind of online breakfast club, perhaps, in which a little surfing turns up the insecurity that lurks in all of us." (Emily Nussbaum p.360) Online journals help to relieve your stress. Telling someone why you're stressed almost always relieves a little bit of emotion for everyone. During the adolescent ages there is so many new feelings that just need to be expressed, and so many new questions, and doubts that just need to be said outloud. Parents should not hold their children back from doing this. In my opinion an online journal may be a good idea. Parents need to accept that their child is growing up in a different time period than they experienced. Things are different. The pressures of being a young teen can wear you down, they need someplace to let their emotions, and questions be heard.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

HW 5b: Blog! pg. 237-252

In response to David Kline's Blog!, pages 237-252:
After reading the following pages I found that there was nothing that I disagreed with. I support the fact that the relationship between America and the media is now strained. Over the past decades we have put so much faith into delivering the truth to us. Now that we know we cant always trust them to deliver us the information that we need, we begin to lose faith. I did find a statement that I thought was just weird, there is no better word to describe it. George Gilder claims that "Over the next decade (claims this in 1994) TV will expire and transpire into a new cornucopia of choice and empowerment...Hollywood and Wall St. will totter and diffuse to all points of the nation and the globe..[and] the most deprived ghetto child in the most blighted project will gain educational opportunities exceeding those of today's suburban preppy." (p.238)
What does his argument even mean? Not only am I confused by this staement, the authors of this book also reject Gilder's comment. His statment can be viewed as "too good to be true". The points he emphasizes are so far down the road, that is if they ever happen. Hollywood and Wall St. are still thriving and from the looks of it are going to be for a while. We still have so many issues with education and poverty in this country. It would take years and years to rebuild those areas. His statment was so confusing to me, to this point I'm not fully comprhending the point he was trying to make.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

HW 6: Interest statement for semester-long project

For my semester long research project I'm interested in the following areas. The social computing technologies that I'm most interested in right now are chat rooms, instant messaging, and social networking services. Chat rooms interest me because one of my favorite tv shows is
"To Catch a Predator". Young girls and boys are getting harassed in chat rooms. It is really interesting to me that this is happening. I would really like to look into why this is happening and how. Instant messaging is also related to "To Catch a Predator" however, this topic interests me in a different way. Can IMing be addictive? I find myself constantly going on to check my IM's or to see what my friends are doing. I'm not the only one who does this either both my roommates and my suite mates do the same. At home my younger brother would stay on the computer for hours just sending IMs back and forth to his friends. I'm also interested in social networking services such as facebook and myspace. Facebook is huge right now especially for college students. This networking system is so popular at this point in time.
The kind of empowerment that I'm looking for in marginalized groups and that I'm interested in is, overcoming sexism, overcoming inequities in access to education, and rights and empowerment of people with HIV/AIDS. The sexism issues interests me because I honestly have never encountered any. I would like to hear stories of this and why its happening. Overcoming inequities of education interests me because I'm an education major. Education issues concern me, especially if that's what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. Empowerment of people with HIV/AIDS interests me because I really don't know much about the topic. I should learn more about it when this is such a huge issue in the world right now.
The geographical areas that interest me the most are the US because that is where I live, and Europe because I think that is an interesting part of the world. All of these topics interest me and I would like to find more information about them.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

HW4: Response to "The Voice of a Customer"

In chapter two, "The Voice of a Customer", Greg Thomas states “A company can promise quality and dependability, as Lexus does. Or it can promise an enjoyable emotional experience that people can take with them wherever they go...but unless that promise touches people’s deeper motivations, the brand will not succeed.” The brand that I chose to look up was Tresemme hair products. Tresemme promises the customer beautiful, healthy hair for each particular style. The models on their websites all have beautiful, shiny,healthy locks. The website promises the buyer a stunning and beautiful style. When women see these models with hair like that their immediate thought is I want my hair to look like that. When women look good they feel good. Personally, when my hair looks good and i know it, its a huge confidence booster. What girl would not want an extra boost for their self-esteem? This is why i compltley agree with Thomas's statment. This hair product can make women feel good about themselves just by making their hair look good. Tresemme also promises the buyer "TRESemme hair products provide professional quality hair care at an affordable price." Cheap quality hair care is another attraction that would make people want to buy this product. Also the low prices attract a younger group of women. Teens and young adults can not afford to buy top of the line hair care. With lower prices this is attracting women of all ages and still promising them great results and beautiful hair. I personally love Tresemmes products. They do the job they promise. I find their advertising compltley honest and I have trust in this product.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

HW 3 Response to David Kline and Dan Bursteins Blog!

Response to David Kline and Dan Burstein's Toward a More Participatory Democracy:



In chapter one of blog! Toward a More Participatory Democracy, I realized how important political blogs really are. Not only are they informative they also entitle you to your own opinion. In this chapter it states that "popular political blogs collectively had 28 million visits from readers" (p.5) I was shocked at how many people read these blogs. From my own personal experience and in my own family we get our political information from the news or newspaper. Until now I would never think to look into a blog. Also in this chapter it explains how blogging has become a primary source for a percentage of Americans."political blogs have become a vital source of news and opinion for millions of Americans"(p.6) When I first read this quote I was surprised to hear this fact. I would think that Americans would be more concerned with what was on television or in the newspaper. I couldn't really why someone would go online and read someones blog when maybe he or she has a different view or opinion, or why they would want to read something that may or may not be entirely true. As I read further I was able to understand why. "First and foremost, of course, is that fact that the media has lost a portion of the respect and trust it once held among the public. A substantial number of Americans, perhaps even a majority, believe that the media is either biased incompetent or both." (p.6)
After reading that quote I understood. The media does portray images that the country as a whole may not be ready to see. Like blogging the media can also be a false source of information. The question that I had at the end of this chapter was what is political truth? And how can we find these answers during this day in age?