About My Term Project

The topic I chose on the high-risk social networks was a topic that we briefly touched on in class. However, I found a few different articles that were provided by the professor.

Picking this topic made me want to know more about it mainly because I am social network member. I found an article recently posted by the wall street journal regarding the dumping of sex offenders on Facebook and MySpace. They have found over three thousand offenders who were registered on these sites. Of those, 27% failed to report their membership to authorities as they are required to do within 10 days of creating their profiles.

Social networks seems to be the "new" thing now. Businesses are now even using them for promotional usage and it's FREE for them. So what better benefit than to reach out to millions of people about your products and services at no charge at all? Also, people use these sites to find long lost family and friends.

Privacy & Confidentiality

When using the World Wide Web you are putting a part of yourself on the "front page" of the universe. So should you expect privacy or for much for be confidential? I think not!

How could the same place you go to find information about every and any thing not have your info too? Doesn't make sense does it? You put the info there, right? Ok! Someone will be able to find it if they tried hard enough. I know for me, when I'm looking for something on the internet, I try and I try until I find it. It's there! It has to be there I tell myself. Low and behold....it appears!

So just remember, don't put anything on the internet that you wouldn't want the public to see. That goes from name, address, phone, credit card info, etc...

I use many websites to purchase items and my credit card info is supplied. However, I try to use "trustworthy" websites so I don't have to worry too much about the hackers. At the same time, I always remind myself that there IS a possibility that someone can still get this info. Lucky for me, the won't get too far! :)

The Next New Thing

Underground communication...

Don't you just hate when you're in the train station or on the train and can't make or received a phone call/email/text message? Ugh! It's just the worst ever. How about wanting to listen to the radio while there? Wouldn't it be so great to be able to do these things?

If a new gadget could be produced to allow communication with the "ground level" people it would be incredible.

I'm not an inventor so I'm not sure how/if it could be done, but this is AMERICA!! We can get access to anything in the world. So hopefully someone will look into this sooner than later. Either way, I think its brilliant!

Advice to Baruch College

When Baruch College created the text to students for emergencies I thought it was the most brilliant idea made to man. That was until there was an actual emergency and I was contacted though I was a subscriber to this feature. So you begin to wonder what other features would improve this college?

How about the choice between in-school or virtual learning? Classes would be conducted at a particular hour and you would have the choice of joining/participating via satellite or in-school. Hmmm...I'm sure you're thinking that everyone would just do it from home/work and not come in, but I don't think so.

I've spoken to many students who are not capable of having the discipline to work from home. They say that they wouldn't pay attention like they would if the professor was in front of their faces. A person like me believes the total opposite; as I concentrate better when I'm not forced to travel (out of my way) and sit in an uncomfortable seat for 2 - 3 hours.

So, my advice would be to provide more virtual courses for Baruch students. This would benefit all of the students who have chose to attend Baruch over any of the other options. Some people live far while others don't have childcare but both want to participate.

Sounds like a plan to me!

My New Media Class - So Far

What kinds of technologies are part of the new media?
The business of new media uses various forms of technology (mainly through the internet) to promote its services and/or products such as: television, radio, advertising and marketing, software, etc...

How important is the Internet to the new media?
The internet used to be most valuable to online sales but, I believe social networking, distance learning, marketing/advertising and entertainment now plays a key role. Over the past five years companies such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube have become million and billion dollar (in YouTube's case) companies. Therefore, the internet allows enormous room for opportunity where many types of companies can now be created and benefited from.

Why and how are the new media replacing and / or enhancing the old media?
In 2008, the most widely-used form of media was network TV news (CBS, ABC, NBC) for adult entertainment and is "still used by the highest percentage of adult Internet users, with local newspapers and local TV news occupying the 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively." -eMarketer

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Pros:
Cheap advertising for businesses
A way to keep in touch w/ others
Fast way to distribute info too many people
Entertaining
Exposure for business, groups/organizations, artists, etc...

Cons:
Time consuming
Addictive
Public, not private; too much personal info online
Identity Theft threat
Many cases of sexual assault

When behind a computer you can be anyone you desire to be. Many people have alter egos that they sometimes expose or keep secret. So using a social network allows them to express their talent(s) either of these ways with the world. It can be a fun way to do it but and it can also be dangerous. So you have to ask yourself, is freedom to be creative a good or bad thing? When hiding behind something such as the world wide web it allows a lot of room for freedom. You are admired, envied, frowned upon, etc...

The future of the virtual world is going to continue to eliminate the presence of feelings, facial expressions and sensitivity in communication. How many times have we read an email and said OMG! I can't believe her/she is talking to me like this? Or how many times have you responded to someone through email rather than having a verbal conversation and it just turned out ugly? So, sometimes non-verbal communication can be insensitive and/or taken out of context. There's nothing that can replace a human body. Would you rather be friends with a computer or a person?

My thoughts will not at all stop or even slow down the progression of the virtual world. Social connections will continue to build through people all over the world. Cultures, languages, new ideas/inventions, etc will all be learned without having to travel. More things will be accomplished in less time than we've been used to. So the future of the virtual world will continue to open a lot of doors just without human contact.

Social Networking: Corporate World

"Save your company's cash. Leveraging Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter is fast, easy, and free." -Stephen Baker (BusinessWeek)

What easier way to network with millions of people than a FREE and EASY way? Already, there are over 200 million people on Facebook and over 20 million on Twitter alone and companies are taking full advantage. They have used these sites and others just like this to advertise for their business. Linking their website to posts and chats, creating homepages and group pages, etc... This allows them to connect with millions of people who are obviously already social minded and the place in which they are doing it from is already free.

But, what is everyone else (outside of corporate) saying about this? Well, most people feel as if their space is being invaded by company info and their tactics to lure people in. These social networking sites were created mainly for the purpose of doing just that "socializing" not reading advertisements and reading messages from multiple companies attempting to gain more business. It doesn't seem fair to the people who really don't want to be bothered with that type of activity.

Being a business woman and a social geek, I can understand both sides of the fence. For business, its simply a free way to advertise your product or service to many people in one place at the same time. But, for the members, it does become a bit frustrating when you go to a place just to avoid those very same things. Now you are beginning to feel bombarded or even violated.

What are your thoughts?