CGThinkingCap7

Just when you think you’ve seen and thought of every technology that could possibly be created: the smallest this, the fastest that, the loudest this, the chock-full-of-everything that.  Is this science?  Or, the Guinness Book of World Records?

Well, as Neil Gershenfeld was so enthusiastically pointing out, there is always room for more.  A humorous example of his was the Scream Body.  It immediately brings to mind a mental image of the general population walking around with them, burrowing their faces in the pillow-y device and then aiming it at some unsuspecting individual later.  It could be an excellent gift for the practical joker in one’s life.  An even more amusing thought?  All the people walking around Shibuya Crossing with their Scream Body’s.  Things probably would not go as smoothly if that were the case.

As Gershenfeld pointed out all of the amazing and intriguing inventions from his “How to Make (Almost) Anything” class, he pointed out something that was a common thread between the technologies in his video, in the “The Persistence of Memory” transcript, and the “Smart Mobs” excerpt from Shibuya Epiphany.  That thread?  Gershenfeld said,

“You don’t need [personal fabrication] for what you can get at Walmart, you need this for what makes you, unique.”

Much like Gorden Bell’s experience with “lifelogging”.  He seems to really enjoy the process of recording every second of his life for later viewing.  However, as Clive Thompson p0inted out, when another “lifelogger” Jim Gemmell’s system crashed, losing approximately four months of data, Thompson said,

“And up until then, he had sort of thought, well, this is just this funny little experiment. I’m doing it to sort of learn how to make this software. I don’t really rely on this stuff. But once the information was gone, he realized that he did rely on it, that it was like hot water or lights in his house, and that when he lost it, he felt absolutely bereft.”

This is sort of like GPS.  Most people who have them love them.  But, while using the GPS, the driver is in near auto pilot.  When relying on an atlas or a map or even someone in your car helping you navigate, it’s easier to take in your surroundings.  When that GPS goes down, can that driver retrace his or her steps?

With lifelogging and GPS, the user has to decide which is more important to them, convenience and instant gratification or good old fashioned memory?  When Gemmel lost four months of his memories, it was probably because he had subconsciously turned off the part of his brain that said “hey-remember this for later!” because he knew that it was being recorded.  In one  sense, you could say maybe “lifeloggers” are not fully engaged in their environment since they feel no need to remember what’s going on.  Instead, they are simply going through the motions, more excited about the idea of re-living through it later.  Well, for Gemmel, four months of his life are basically unaccounted for.

Another decision regarding technology that is more a personal decision that makes one unique is Kenny Hirschhorn’s declaration in Shibuya Epiphany that telephones should not be simply thought of as “a device to talk into” but rather “a remote control for your life”.

Now that the idea is out there and the technology is coming up, it’s up to the user to decide if they want the telephone to be a remote control for their life.  What if someone doesn’t want to talk to the person who rang their doorbell?  What if someone would rather go to the store and buy their soda?  This technology does seem pretty impressive, but just like the Scream Body and “lifelogging”, it is a personal choice as to just how integrated one wants to be in technology.

Either way, through products like Apple’s iPhone Apps, and others, the technology is here.  Hopefully this example hasn’t been posted yet, but the Viper car alarm company has created a way for people to start, lock or unlock, or use a “panic” alarm right from a button on their iPhone.

This is pretty cool, actually.  Much like the existing technology of a key fob, the one for the iPhone just looks cool.  And, you could say you started your car from a button on your phone, which isn’t the norm yet so it’s still impressive.  The downfall is that the user needs to have an iPhone, so if you don’t have one already, you have to weigh how much you want to use this feature.

Sometimes the speed at which new technologies are created is overwhelming, but if we as consumers and members of society in general remember what Gershenfeld said, we are unique individuals and it’s our decision how we choose to utilize the plethora of technologies that are thrown our way!

CITED

Rheingold, H. “Shibuya Epiphany” (pp. 1-28). Smart Mobs. New York: Perseus.  2002.

The Persistence of Memory

Neil Gershenfeld, “The Beckoning Promise of Personal Fabrication (TED).

I made a PowerPoint presentation visually illustrating my final project.  Unfortunately, I’m having some trouble uploading it.  It’s too large of a file in PowerPoint or movie version to upload to this blog.  So, I attempted to upload it as a movie to YouTube three times, but each time, my 6:31 movie gets shrunken down to just over a minute.

For now, I’ll be emailing Dr. Alex my PowerPoint presentation and hopefully I’ll be able to post it up here a little later for everyone to see.

In anticipation here are some of the references I made in my “video”:

I highly suggest those interested in my final project topic (a website for CT Twenty-Somethings) to check out this radio show recording from WNPR on the CPTV website.  It’s called “Young People…Come Back!” In my presentation, I have quoted some professionals on the topic, as well as, some students in Connecticut who were featured in the show.  These quotes were excellent examples of how I feel I have a built-in audience and that there’s a good chance this site would be a success.

Also, I referenced headlines from:  The Harvard Business Review, Fortune Magazine, USA Today, and Reuters.  These publications, as well as others I did not mention, have featured stories regarding Generation Y in the workplace.  It seems that professionals across many fields have noticed differences in Gen Y workers versus older generations and are having difficulties integrating them into their staff.  I find this argument to be fuel for the fire, in that a different working style should be no reason for a lack of job opportunities in the state.  It’s a wonder if this argument has lead to the countless job openings requiring 7-10 years of experience, thus phasing out any chance of new graduate applicants.  It also seems that what’s available to newer professionals with maybe 3-5 years of experience are the same unpaid internships being offered to students.  I do think this is an important factor in my website because it’s a principle reason why so many 20-somethings leave CT.

Also, I included clips from other websites, showing features that I might like to include in my own website.  From Marie Claire, I included a Q&A section like one that they have on their website.  It’s exactly what I thought would be a great feature and I had no idea someone else was already using it!  It’s great because it’s powered by a service Answerology, so I’ll be looking into that for my own needs.  From MSN, I showed the links at the top of their home page.  I like how clean it looks and how easy it is to find what you need there.  From Flickr, I provided an example of their trending topics box.  I think they are great looking and offer new viewers a chance to notice a topic they might be interested in that they didn’t think to look for originally.

In addition, I included screenshots from Yelp, CTVisit, TheCutMag, and Twentity.  In earlier posts, I explained how these sites are my closest competition, so I broke down how my site would be like and unlike each of those sites.

I also made a homepage prototype using Word.  I tried to include at least a little bit of every feature I hope my final project will include.

That’s about all I can say about my presentation for now.  So, I will post again later with an update if I am able to come back to this one with my presentation attached.

This post has nothing to do with class.  I am always interested in finding out the latest and greatest regarding the publishing industry.  It’s an industry going through such radical changes that… it’s sort of been picked up in a technological tornado of sorts and who know when it’s going to stop spinning and changing.

I am so glad that I subscribe to the MediaBistro newsletter.  Everyday, I get a new little set of links to stories and other blogs letting me know what’s going on.  Since I’ve always wanted to work in publishing, it’s all the more intriguing.

Well, who knew?  According to MediaBistro, Vogue (UK), and Silicon Valley Insider, it appears as though both Conde Nast International and Hearst have launched projects very unexpectedly and unlike their collection of popular glossy and legendary magazines.  Conde Nast International has come up with their very own internet dating site, TrulyMadlyDating, while Hearst has created their version of an aggregator, LMK (Let Me Know).  I have yet to explore the websites, so I cannot vouch for either, but so far I am not leaning towards a positive or negative opinion; I just feel these two projects have come from left field!  What’s next?

In “Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Computing” by S. Baase, there is a basic idea behind the responsibility of the internet.  This idea was questioned in CNBC’s “Big Brother, Big Business” as well as “Humanity Lobotomy”.  The main argument:

“Some philosophers argue that it is meaningless to speak of an organization as having ethics.  Individual people make all decisions and take all actions; those people must have ethical responsibility for everything they do.  Others argue that an organization that acts with intention and a formal decision structure, such as business, is a moral entity.  Viewing a business as a moral entity does not diminish the responsibility of the individual people.  Ultimately, it is individuals who are making decisions and taking actions.  We can hold both the individuals and the company or organization responsible for their acts.”

This balance seems to be the ideal answer when it comes to the fight over who hold responsibility over what is on the internet.  Two sides argue for themselves, but they should meet in the middle.

In Corner 1…

The topic of surveillance and the Big Brother phenomenon are always ones to stir up anguish and debate.  After watching the CNBC “Big Brother, Big Business” video, it seems as though types of spying and data keeping and searching are here to stay.  The problem, though, is when the privacy lines blur.  With the current ways of handling data, it sometimes seems as though people aren’t always “innocent until proven guilty.”

In Corner 2…

In “Humanity Lobotomy,” the question of who is responsible for the content of the internet was brought up.  The people behind “Humanity Lobotomy” are afraid that big internet providing companies and the government are going to crack down on content so much that the public will lose its voice in the web.

DING! DING! DING! Get Ready for the KO

One of the sorriest excuses for collecting personal data came from the New York Times article “To Aim Ads, Web is Keeping Closer Eye on You,” by Louise Story. In the article, Story quoted David Verklin, chief executive of an ad agency. Verklin said,

“Everyone feels that if we can get more data, we could put ads in front of people who are interested in them,” he said. “That’s the whole idea here: put dog food ads in front of people who have dogs.”

It’s this mindset that excuses the behavior of companies everywhere that believe they have the right to your personal information. How many stores have had their computers broken into and the consumers’ personal data is stolen? No ones personal taste should be shoved down their throat.

Most people are aware of the store cameras and the data collected from search engines, car computers, credit cards, and cell phones.  But, what was surprising to learn in the CNBC video, were the other object spies: the printers, the CDs, the cameras.  Beyond personal data such as: what products are purchased most, what store aisles do you spend the most time in, etc… is the very personal data stored by technological companies, as mentioned earlier: cell phone companies keeping records of your every phone call, text, and move (thanks to GPS); internet search engines keeping a log of your every curiosity; email providers keeping every letter you’ve ever written. Much of that data collected in any of those instances is such a small pinprick of data from someones life.  Like taking quotes out of context, unless someone becomes a legitimate suspect for a crime, the data collected should not just be sold off and sifted through by every “Curious George.”  Unfortunately, as the CNBC video also pointed out, many times, the data falls into the wrong hands.

Although the web would be a scary place without a few rules, the problem with this crackdown on “Network Neutrality,” is that the internet was created for the people to build off of.  It was never meant to be one big regulated corporation.  Actually, much of what is popular on the internet, scoring big bucks for many giant companies is uploaded from the public.

Without the freedom needed for the public to upload their own ideas, photos, and videos, where would YouTube be?  Facebook?  Myspace?  Ebay?  Snapfish?  Flickr?  Shutterfly?  Occasionally, as things stand right now, legal issues do sometimes pop up.  Whether it is the public fighting a Facebook privacy issue, or YouTube taking a stand against uploading copyrighted material by taking unauthorized versions off of their website.

The bottom line should be that if this data is to be collected, it should only be used for legitimate reasons by legitimate people. For example, there shouldn’t be spies going through everyone’s data to see what people are doing wrong. However, if someone becomes suspect or if you are trying to clear a wrongful mark on your reputation, then certain collected data could become excellent evidence, such as the examples from the CNBC video (the murder case, the man that has had his cell phone accounts repeatedly hacked, and the woman who couldn’t get hired due to a marred background check).  This idea goes along with Posner’s principle, as mentioned in “Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Computing” by S. Baase, that certain ethical data, like people’s criminal activity, should remain “public domain.”

The world is slowly becoming one big third grade classroom.  With cell phone companies, internet providers, search engines, city street corners, and restaurants, as well as, inanimate objects like cell phones, printers, cars, credit cards, cameras, and even CDs (compact discs, for those who don’t remember) recording everyone’s every move, it feels like every company is just waiting for you to fail so that they can tattle about what you’ve done.

When it comes to “Network Neutrality,” it seems as though the score is currently pretty even.  What will tip the scales, is the decision regarding where the line blurs.  How much control should the public be willing to relinquish over to the corporations and government entities?  The best possible scenario seems to lie in the middle of complete and utter chaos and a Big Brother nation.

Cited

Story, L. “To Aim Ads, Web is Keeping Closer Eye on You.”  New York Times.  2007.

Baase, S.  Professional Ethics and Responsibilities.  “Gife of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Computing.”  New York: Prentice-Hall. (2007)

“Humanity Lobotomy”

“Big Brother, Big Business” CNBC

When it comes to designing my own website, there are certainly many things to consider: content, colors, fonts, traffic, etc…  However, no part of the website is as important as making sure everything is A-Okay in all legal and ethical departments necessary.

For my website directed toward CT Twenty-Somethings (I really should come up with a name), I would say there are a few legal and ethical issues that could come up and that would need be addressed during the design phase.  Here are the possible issues:

COPYRIGHT

One, since I’m hoping to have contributed pieces of data, such as articles, facts, quotes, and/or answers to frequently asked questions sent in by professionals, copyright needs to be addressed.  At the very least, the principles of plagiarism should at least be posted somewhere on my website to remind visitors that as great as the information is, it still has to be cited when used.

DISCLAIMER

Two.  I plan on having a Twitter-like feed and/or message board system so that visitors can compare notes, share stories, and connect.  Both legally and ethically, I think that in this case, it’s important to include a type of disclaimer.  I do not want to be responsible for decisions made by people after they take advice from this website.  People do need to be accountable for their own actions.  But, for example, if someone chooses to meet up with someone else who is a member of the site, it can’t be something that I am liable for.  Unfortunately, people find loopholes and use sites like Craigslist and Myspace and Facebook for the worst possible reasons.  My goal is simply to offer help in the form of professional knowledge and data so that Twenty-somethings in CT have more of a leg up than they might right now in getting their own life started – career, home, finances, etc…

Also, a disclaimer regarding the changes in economy that can effect the advice that’s been given should be included.  On any topic from finances to real estate, news is only good for so long before it’s old news and is not relevant anymore.  So, although I’m going to try to stay on top of the data, I do need to remind visitors of that fact.

Right now, those are the only two possible issues that spring to mind.  Hopefully, there aren’t any other possible legal or ethical issues with the type of website I will be creating.  However, it’s definitely something I will be looking into further.

This week’s readings were very lengthy and difficult to connect to at first, especially that of A. Cooper.  After really putting them all together though, it seems as though the bottom line is that while you do want your interactive design to be visually attractive, it’s most important to design for ease-of-use.

A. Cooper, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum

(Cooper, A.  The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.  Sams-Pearson Education, pp. 1-38, 203-215.  2004)

If there is one thing to take away from A. Cooper’s The Inmates Are Running the Asylum, it’s near impossible to find it underneath all of the examples and quotes.  From complaints about his alarm clock and the picture-in-picture feature on his television, to comparing computers and technology to airplanes, dancing bears, and Swiss Army knives, it’s difficult to pinpoint his…point.

What can be chiseled away from Cooper’s rants and raves is the basic idea that, despite how advanced and complex computer systems are these days, one cannot simply trust them to do everything – they are still prone to human error.  To understand Cooper is to use metaphors and analogies, so there are a few not mentioned in his article that help to further this argument.

One is, online maps.  Go to Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Rand McNally, MapQuest, or any other map program available on the web and one is almost guaranteed the same warning.  In some shape or form, the site will say it is not responsible for changes in road systems, construction and delays, or road conditions, and that basically you should follow the map at your own risk.  Also, it may not get you to your destination – no promises.  Much like Cooper’s argument, yes, these map programs are available for public use as a helpful tool.  But, there is no taking the easy route, no pun intended.  One should still use common sense and plan accordingly for any bumps in the road, again, no pun intended.

A second example, although if combined with Cooper’s would be like the 35th example or something, are automated phone systems.  There is a hilarious comedian by the name of Kyle Cease.  In his comedy album, One Dimple, there is a bonus sketch in which he dials a number to complain about some lost luggage at an airport.  The exchange, while peppered with offensive, politically incorrect language and too inappropriate to link to here, is a very funny example of something that is a common service offered to the public these days, but usually aggravates the user more than not.  Constantly throughout the exchange, Cease is misheard by the automated system and is required to verify if he did, in fact, say “Guess” instead of “Yes” and “Ted Danson” instead of “Number.”  Unrealistically, the sketch goes on with the system verbally abusing Cease.  But, in the beginning of the sketch, I think the listener can relate to how obnoxious and unhelpful the automated systems can often be.  Many times, when trying to deal with issues like computer problems or bank account issues, aside from the fact that speaking with someone in person usually ends up being a quicker process, people sometimes feel like they are being taken care of more when not directed to a computerized voice.

From Cooper’s explanation of “Apologists” versus “Survivors”, it seems as though a main goal for a designer should be to create something so that the user cannot be categorized as either!  Instead of technology frustrating the user, or simply looking great but not functioning well, something should be created so that it is not a “dancing bear” to begin with.

D. Saffer, Designing for Interaction and Tim Aidlin, How We Work (and Sometimes Skip Some Steps)

(Saffer, D.  Designing for Interaction.  Berkeley: New Riders, pp. 1-68.  2007)

(Tim Aidlin, How We Work (and Sometimes Skip Some Steps). MIX Online_. Aug 4, 2009.)

Reading Saffer and Aidlin, they pointed out so many things to consider when designing.  In this case, designing web sites.  Reminded of the internet’s version of an outline for a research paper or the pencil sketch of a painted masterpiece, Aidlin discussed the use of wireframes.  Pretty much the building blocks of a fully functioning web site, wireframes seem like an excellent place to start.  Although, someone who commented on Aidlin’s post mentioned that he no longer requires the use of wireframes, so perhaps they’re an excellent jumping off point for amateurs.

Saffer was an inspiration to think of what makes a great website.  It can’t just look nice.  There are “Elements of Interactive Design” and laws to be considered.  Also, he mentioned “Characteristics of Good Interaction Design”.  These qualities were an inspiration to look for the best of what is out there.

The Ideal Website

Using Saffer’s rules, laws, and characteristics, this is a mashup of what could be included in the ideal website.  While not including every principle, it would include:

Easy and quick navigation.  Partly encompassing qualities of Fitts’ Law (it helps with time management to have convenient ways to get from point A to point B) and Hick’s Law (less choices=less time taken to make decision).  See the town finder feature on the Weichert rental site.

Pleasurable enough to keep the visitor coming back. MTV has an easy to find section on their website with links to social networks and ways to keep in contact with MTV and their latest offerings.

Great appearance and motion within the design. Yahoo! has really vibrant, fun buttons to link to the different sections of their website.  You know what you are getting when you click them.

Clever and Responsive. Apple’s iTunes and Pandora come to mind here.  Pandora is based on a function as a whole that is similar to something that Apple recently came out with for iTunes, called “Genius”.  This feature uses data based on the music that the user plays more frequently and finds other music like their favorites to introduce them to.  It’s very intuitive.

Of course, a great website has to be trustworthy. Any safe website with legitimate shopping features should show security programs that are put in place in their site so that users know they can put their personal information through.  For example, Bluefly, a great discount website for high end clothes shows right on the main home page that they are secure.

Although there was a lot of material to cover, some of it difficult to sift through, when it’s time to put together a useful web creation, utilizing the ideas put together by Cooper, Saffer, and Aidlin definitely make sense.

Dr. Alex talked about the comparison of designers to architects. While I admit I’ve never made the connection before, I really see how similar the two professions are. For the type of project I am creating – a website for CT twenty-somethings – there are many user needs that I have to keep in mind for the community I will be building.

The Foundation

After visiting some comparable web sites and continuing with the likeness to someone designing an entire city, I want my site to include a couple of areas that are similar to a true metropolitan neighborhood. By the time my website is finished, I hope it will include the following:

Residential Area – I want my visitors to feel like they have a place to come back to that is familiar to them and has saved settings, using applications like:

-A place to sign in where they can check up on the things that they have set aside as important and relevant to their needs.

-An area for them to ask questions that I can forward to professionals.

School & Library - My site will have articles and Q&A full of information for reference from professionals in many areas important to CT twenty-somethings starting out, such as:

-Financial

-Career

-Real Estate

-Town Data

I hope for it to be a convenient place of learning and a place for reference, where questions can be answered.

Streets & Avenues – I hope to make my design easy for the user to navigate. I hope every part of my layout and every link turns out to add to the user experience, not detract from it. I don’t want unnecessary twists and turns that only make it seem as though time is being wasted. The user’s time is valuable, and I want them to know that I, as the site designer, realize that.

Coffee Shop, Dive Bar, and Cosmopolitan Lounge – Much like the environment of local hotspots, I would like to create a design that doesn’t look like it’s all work and no play. Also, I would like to include functions for the users to talk to each other and compare notes. I’m trying to help CT twenty something’s want to stay in Connecticut, so visual appeal of my site is important too. Aside from how I will introduce the professional references and most likely link to them, the aesthetics of a site also helps to convey credibility. That is a necessity if I want users to take my site as a serious place of reference, but I also don’t want it to be boring.

Therefore, I plan to use colors and fonts that appeal to men and women. I hope that I am able to, as I started to refer to earlier in navigation features, create a really clean design. Sites with bad colors and fonts with links that are all over the place tend to really irk me as a user, so I don’t want to do that to my visitors. I don’t want my visitors to feel like a virus is lurking around the corner, just waiting for the click of a mouse to infiltrate their computer. Unfortunately, some amateur sites out there just do not feel safe to surf, and I don’t want to be one of those.

I would also like to an include a Twitter-like feed and a message board for users to not only connect to each other, but also feel connected to the site. In addition, I would like to add some recreational Connecticut links, such as to local nightlife (everyone needs some time for fun too ☺ and should know where to find it in our dear Nutmeg State).

Currently, many aspects of this site already exist, just in different places.  I haven’t found a site just like this one – dedicated to the twenty somethings specifically in Connecticut though.  I hope to utilize some things that already exist to make my website better, as I mentioned: Twitter, message boards, a sign in feature, etc…  The sites I found to compare to my idea (click here) have qualities that I admire and would like to feature, such as: humor and entertainment, credibility, reasons to keep coming back, reference material, and sleek and clean designs.  I hope I am able to attract a user base with my design.

I feel like with these plans, my website will flow just like a well-planned city. Hopefully, my visitors will become the users that will make the “city” function and grow, and in turn, will help them in their search to plant roots in their very own corner of Connecticut.

In all seriousness, the tech news that comes out the TED shows is amazing. Perhaps stereotypically, my ears perked when the technology meshed with fashion in the Prada store in NYC. I think it was extra exciting for me to watch because a friend and I went in that store once when it had just opened and at the time, we were impressed by the architectural feats inside.  We had no idea the sort of technological playhouse that was also hiding beneath the shiny, expensive surfaces.

I would love to try it all out one day.  But, after watching the video, I’m thinking the technology will spread eventually and will be less exclusive.  I’m particularly excited for the liquid crystal display doors (which were also in a house on MTV’s The Real World, and no less impressive) and the mirror with a time delay.

I also was very impressed and excited to see the new technologies that are being created to help humanity and the environment.  Yes, I realize this part of my blog should have preceded the fashion part, but I’m really not rating them in any order.  It’s all fascinating.  The seemingly simple idea of recycling rainwater isn’t something that’s talked about often, but the impact of doing so can be very far reaching, especially with all of the talk of global warming and how our resources aren’t infinite.  That, and a company using its technological skills to help the people of a poorer country to sustain themselves throughout the entire year instead of partially.  It reminds me of that well-known saying, “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”  I’m sure I slightly misquoted.

There were other inventions in the TED video, but those were really the ones that impressed me the most.  Technological advances being used for so many different purposes and just so impressive.  It really makes me wonder what’s down the road. If you’re interested, here is the video from YouTube:

Although I was tempted to do commentary, music, and/or text captions, I decided to turn the volume all the way down and just have a silent movie.  Part of the reason is, honestly, media law is something I’m not 100% sure about.  Can we use songs in our projects?  Pictures?  Perhaps if we cite them?  Well, until I’m sure, I didn’t want to load anything on YouTube that wasn’t mine.  I apologize if it’s more yawn-inducing than informative!

So what is the movie about you ask?  Well, I was thinking of something that could be short and sweet and decided on recording a how-to video.  Here is my video on “Printing a Digital Photo – Memory Card to Printed Photo in Less than 5 Minutes”:

By the way, I was going to use the song “3×5″ by John Mayer in the video.  I even tried it out, and well, it sort of went.  The length of the song almost matched that of the video too.

In this response paper, basically my argument is that the readings this week focused on the idea that blogs are indeed in the forefront of the news media these days and that they lend a positive hand to getting the news out there.

Sunstein mentioned the possibility of a pack-like mentality spreading around from utilizing blogs in his excerpt “Communications of the ACM”, however, I agree more with a comment he made later on.  He said,

“Emerging technologies, including the Internet, are hardly an enemy here. They hold out at least as much promise as risk, especially because they allow us all to widen our horizons. We can certainly use them to learn more, rather than to live in an echo chamber.”

I do see what he meant about how people a lot of the time will just go with what’s familiar, but in that quote, I feel like he recognized that people will keep clicking.  I think people are just hungry for information and people want to feel like they belong.  I made a how-to video this week.  It was on printing a digital photo.  This is not exactly cutting-edge technology, but I felt I could visually illustrate how it’s done.  Now, think about all of the other videos out there are promoting how to do something.  Even more relative, think about all of the web communities one can join.

I think that Sunstein was trying to get the point across that if used efficiently, the Internet can really be a powerful educational tool.

Some of the other readings from this week further honed in on blogs and their power to communicate.  Like Sunstein, Bruns was cautiously optimistic in his blog musings.  He too wondered if they would be used to the best of their ability.  He also was concerned with how credible blogs are.  Much like we had to consider in our class Benchmarking exercise, how does the reader know if the content can be trusted?  If it can, is it old news?  Are there better sources out there?

I agree with Brun’s assessment that although fact-checking is as important in blog entries as in more traditional journalism methods, it is not put into practice nearly as much.  He did bring up an excellent point though that only further fuels my opinion on the subject, how much more “eye witness” and “late breaking” (as so many news sources claim to be) can information be than straight from the public?  A public that seems to enjoy its 15 minutes of fame especially (think reality tv, YouTube, Facebook, etc…).  Bruns himself said,

“Inevitably, it is continual and unending, undermining the unspoken journalistic myth that a news story can be ‘written up’, presenting a complete, finished picture – by contrast, alternative online news is inherently unfinished (on this idea also see Eno in Kelly 1995, and Meikle 2002).”

I think that sites with message boards and blog features are great!  These days, it seems odd not to have those elements on a website.  I suppose when it’s missing, it almost seems insulting like “oh, you don’t care for my opinion?”  People are just used to doling out their two cents now.  But, it’s not just about opinions either.  The public is becoming the reporter.  As long as every individual does their own personal fact checking, its really a fantastic learning opportunity.  (Also, see: Iran, Twitter)

Scoble pointed out another great opportunity stemming from blogs:  Better customer service.  Scoble quoted Bill Gates (as heard by Tony Perkins, CEO and publisher) as saying,

“Blogging makes it very easy to communicate.  It gets away from drawback of e-mail and the drawbacks of a web site.  Eventually, most businesses will use blogs to communicate with customers, suppliers, and employees, because its two-way and more satisfying.”

Not only are companies utilizing message boards and blogs, they’ve moved onto the even more instantaneous Twitter.  Here are some examples:

Econsultancy

AdAge

I think the biggest concerns with blogging and taking the word of the general public to heart is whether or not the information is credible.  The article by Greenburg really didn’t help to calm any nerves about the subject.  But, after reading his article too, on debunking the viral video, it seems like the bottom line is:  Blogs are great and informative, but double check your sources before repeating the information.  It’s that simple.  As the old saying goes, “Don’t believe everything you hear.”  Or, in this case, everything you read.

Sunstein, C. Democracy and Filtering. Communications of the ACM, 47(12), 57-59.  2004.

Bruns, A. Wikinews: The next generation of alternative online news? Scan: Journal of Media Arts and Culture, 3(1). 2006.

Scoble, R. & Israel, S. Naked Conversations. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 1-62. 2006.

Greenburg, A. The Secret Strategies Behind Many “Viral” Videos. TechCrunch.  2007.