Three Dimensional Realm

The new media world of Second Life takes users to another dimension. You no longer have to just chat or post news; you can also become an avatar. The avatar can walk, fly, and transport you to various places. The user can make the avatar look like them. I chose brown hair and a new dress to represent myself. Once I established my avatar it was time to explore. I got to meet other avatars and talk to them; however I thought it was strange because you really didn’t know who they were in real life. I feel that Second Life cannot be substituted for real life relationships. Other than getting to meet more new people and forming an online network, I do not really see the purpose of Second Life. I cannot imagine having to pay actual money to participate in this program if the consumer wants to have a full experience that can only be found in real life relationships.

This online media has yet to have as many users as Facebook or MySpace, but I think that over time it will continue to grow. Perhaps it will become the next big online revolution once more people catch on.

Have you “liked” Facebook yet?

Facebook has become one of the top social networks on the worldwide web. Everyone becomes both a producer and a consumer. As an active participant on Facebook, I use it to keep in contact with friends and family and to expand my network. It’s as easy as posting a short phrase called a status update. Users can also post pictures, comment on others status or pictures, and even upload videos. Facebook is continually changing and enhancing its user options. It seems that everyone is doing it.

                Facebook has been in the news lately with the new movie The Social Network, which is based on the invention of Facebook. However, Facebook was also featured in the NY Times regarding when users breakup. Relationship statistics show breakups hardly ever happen on Christmas day, but most often occur two weeks before Christmas or a couple days after. I wonder if this has anything to do with gift giving.

                Also, Facebook users spend over 700 billion minutes per month on the site says the Times. It has been stated that something doesn’t occur until it has been posted on Facebook.  The big question is, how much do you broadcast on Facebook?

Can you Digg it?

                The number one book marking site, Digg, has become part of News 2.0. Digg is a site where users can discover, select, share, and discuss articles. It has become a new way to generate news and articles can gain fame by moving up through a ranking system. Articles are “liked” and if enough people like a certain page then it will be featured on the front page of the site.

                Digg makes news more personalized or “my news.” The stories featured on the site tend to be smaller news stories and users use an info stacking technique when digging through the site. The best way to describe Digg is that it is nontraditional, diverse, and a form of democracy. Other websites are like Digg, such as Reddit, Delicious, and Fark. Overall, these sites are big focus groups.

                Advertising has also become part of these online sites. There is some controversy regarding conflicts of interest and deception. For example, some stories that get tons of Diggs could be linked to advertisement firms giving money so that the public will view their agenda. This has resulted in censorship within the sites networking.

                In the end, Digg is truly based off of publishing things now and filtering the material later. It has become a top ranking site that is visited daily by many. The best part is the users are what make the site operate because it’s based on “you.”

What is Wikipedia? Is it accurate?

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. Users are continuously modifying it. In order to make a change on Wikipedia, one does not need to be an expert with a degree in a particular field. This has caused much controversy. The question that evolves is, is the information on Wikipedia factually correct? The answer is the information is correct some of the time. However, the Encyclopedia Britannica is also not entirely correct. In one study that was conducted, expert-written pages of the Britannica had three errors per article while Wikipedia had four errors per article.

Regardless of these results, Wikipedia is still questioned as a reliable source, especially within colleges. Professors want students to dig deeper then Wikipedia and use academic journals. Students must learn to verify all information used in papers. Some universities are taking this idea to an extreme by creating rules that if a student uses Wikipedia, the consequence will be a grade deduction.

I believe that colleges have a right to recommend that students use certain research data, but I do not think that they should enforce consequences based solely on the student’s source of information. As long as a student does not plagiarize, I think they should make the final decision on the paper’s content and where it came from. However, if they use information from Wikipedia and they did not double check its accuracy, a grade deduction is appropriate if it is wrong.

This debate is continuing to increase and I wonder what Butler University will do regarding Wikipedia in the future.

Broadcasting Advances- YouTube

If Google would pay $1.65 billion in 2006 for YouTube, it must be important. YouTube is the new form of broadcasting. It is the birth of short internet movies. Clips are posted by independent producers and videos are in high demand. One of the great attributes of YouTube is viewers can replay the video anytime as long as it is still online.

The variety of videos is almost unlimited and includes music videos, presidential debates and family videos. It has become an industry “separate” from other media.

Though YouTube is highly popular, it does have some challenges. Credibility and authenticity continue to be the main issues.  YouTube and other groups also place restrictions on the videos that can be posted.  For example, the military must approve of videos taken on duty before posting them to the web.  This is to ensure that top-secret information is kept from the enemy.

Governments can also censor videos.  For example, China and Turkey surf the site for inappropriate videos.  Pakistan attempted to block the entire site from their citizens, but it caused a worldwide problem for YouTube users and it had to be unblocked.

YouTube also has community regulations. It forbids pornography, animal abuse, bomb making, graphic violence, and dead bodies.

Though YouTube has some obstacles and challenges to work on, it is highly used and liked by viewers and producers. Give YouTube a chance.

Blogging Takes Work

                Blogging takes effort in order to increase an audience. First, a blog must have a goal or an objective. The more you know about what you are blogging, the more successful your writing will be. Also design your blog to cater to your audience. For example, decide whether your audience will be professionals or the elderly. In your writing, you must be consistent and persistent in the frequency of postings.

Next, you must take time to make your blog more visible. Comment on other blogs similar to yours and post links to your blog on other social networking sites. As a writer you must be fearless and take risks that could benefit your blog. Push yourself to continually enhance your writing by learning and being true to yourself.

Try to make your blog user friendly and inviting. Encourage comments and try to make your blog interactive. Lastly, ask for help if you don’t understand changes in blogging. The blogosphere is forever changing and can be difficult to navigate if you don’t keep up on advancements.

The best way to advance your blog is by trial and error. My best advice to you is to get out there and get blogging.

For more tips visit ProBlogger.

“Me” Matters Most

In today’s society, people are principally concerned about themselves. In the year 2007, the Times named “You” Person of the Year. This attitude has had a significant influence on the media. People want to know mainly about what affects them. The internet has catered to this mindset.

Amateurs are given a voice to broadcast information about themselves or others with the push of a button. Topics covered are unlimited and can be published for the world to see on blogging websites, twitter, or facebook. Some worry that this is taking away from professionals and the authority of experts.

I believe that amateurs are not necessarily taking away from professional journalism, but are actually serving to enhance it. As a result, network journalism needs to take place. The two groups must work together in a collaborative effort. The public can get involved in a story before it’s professionally reported and can continue to contribute after publication.

It is my opinion that amateurs or citizen journalist often focus on news that the mainstream media overlooks or covers briefly. In addition to what the governor or Brad Pit did yesterday, I am also interested in what my neighbor next door or my good friend accomplished. A person doesn’t have to do something extraordinary to be newsworthy; they just have to matter to “you”.

For more information or opinions on this topic please visit The New Yorker.