Wednesday, September 26, 2007

HW 13: Blogs changing businesses

After reading, “Blogs Will Change Your Business” by Stephen Baker and Heather Green (Kline and Burstein 221-223) it’s changed my view about the impact of blogging on business. I never knew that blogging has had such an impact on the world, and it’s industries. Businesses depend so much on blogs, it’s kind of disturbing. As mentioned in the chapter, “a young programmer named Mark Jen started blogging about his first days in the Googleplex.” Although he wasn’t “giving out inside dirt,” he talked about Google’s health plan and how it had a better plan than Microsoft. After two weeks, Jen was fired. This is an example of why I believe that blogging has an impact on business. Businesses depend so much on blogs, and what goes on. It’s a way to communicate with people all over the world. As stated in this chapter, “Most blogs are open to the world. As the bloggers read each other, comment, and link from one page to the next, they create a global conversation.” Blogs have made such a major impact on the world. Blogs are important because they have information, opinions, thoughts, comments, anything you want to write on them. They make businesses or they destroy them.

Monday, September 24, 2007

HW 11: Applying Graff, Chapter 6 to "Making Global Voices Heard"

I chose to view and read the blog Global Voices is now (http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/). This blog is for people all over the world, people who blog from a country or about a country. Rebecca MacKinnon states that this site is “to point to the most interesting and important information that’s coming off the international blogosphere, because if you look at the mainstream media large parts of the world are almost never mentioned.” When you first open the site you see different countries mentioned, such as China, Kuwait, Peru, etc. The style of writing is easy so that anyone, anywhere is able to read it. The website shows posts such as, “World Reaction to the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights,” “China: Traffic Cops get Machine Guns,” and “Myanmar: Tens of Thousands Join Protest led by Monks.” As MacKinnon described it before, this site seems to do exactly what she stated. It covers all world regions, and topics. I believe that the site corresponds to my understanding of the reading “Making Global Voices Heard” by Kline and Burstein. The site and MacKinnon’s comments about the site are the same. She explained it very well. This site is very well planned out, and covers plenty of topics. Of course, many will probably disagree with my assertion that there may not be enough information on the site. But, they can always add their input, and ask for more, or even find information themselves and blog it.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

HW 9: Applying Graff to Huffington

I chose to respond to Huffington’s interview, “Punching Holes In Faded Mirrors.” (Kline & Burstein 343-348) During this interview Huffington mention’s that “media is suffering from attention deficit disorder.” (Kline& Burstein 345)I have to disagree with her on this quote. The media always spends plenty of time on top stories. For weeks, the story just runs, whether it’s on television, newspapers, or magazines. Huffington also mentions that, “the great thing about the blogosphere is that it can be self-correcting. If there’s fact that a blogger puts out that’s wrong, the chances of it being corrected quickly are very great.” I agree with Huffington on this statement, because blogs can be edited and quickly changed, whereas a newspaper article can’t be edited because it’s already printed and on paper. On blogs, you can go back and edit or completely change your opinion on something that you have written about. By blogging, you can reach everyone, stories keep going on and on for months, and you can change your opinion with a click of a button.

Monday, September 17, 2007

HW 7: "My So-Called Blog"

Over the years online blogging has become very popular, mostly among teenagers. This worries parents because teenagers stay on the computer at all hours of the day, and the parents have no idea what they’re doing. In a way, parents should be worried due to the fact that there have been abductions that have involved young women and men meeting up with strangers. I disagree though sites like Xanga, LiveJournal, and Blogger are used as online journals where people can vent. Parents should let their kids make choices. If they decide to be stupid and meet up with a complete stranger, then that’s their fault. Emily Nussbaum states, “A result of all this self-chronicling is that the private experience of adolescence- a period traditionally marked by seizures of self-consciousness and personal confessions wrapped in layers and hidden in a sock-drawer-has been made public. Peer into an online journal, and you find the operatic texture of a teenage life with its fits of romantic misery, quick-change moods and sardonic inside jokes. Gossip spreads like poison. Diary writers compete for attention, then fret when they get it.” (Kline & Burstein 351) Nussbaum explains it so perfectly. It’s an escape where people can feel free to write whatever they want.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

HW 6: Interest Statement for semester-long project

The social computing technologies that I’m interested in right now are e-mail, instant messaging, and social networking services. The reason I like e-mail is because I use it everyday to keep in touch with my family. Everyday I wake up, I check my e-mail and I always have one from my mom. It’s our way of keeping in touch. Instant messaging is one that I’m also interested in because I always use it. There is never a moment that I’m not online. That doesn’t mean that I’m always at the computer, but my screen name is always on. It’s a huge way of keeping in touch with friends who are back at home. Specific social networking that I use is Facebook, and Myspace. I mostly use Facebook, because it’s a way to keep in friends who aren’t always around. You can always leave a comment on their page, or even a message.
The kinds of empowerment that I’m interested in are overcoming sexism, rights and empowerment of people with HIV/AIDS, and issues of disabilities or learning differences. The one I’m most interested in is overcoming sexism. This topic always gets me annoyed. I hate the fact that men think they’re better than women.
The geographical areas that I’m interested in looking at are the US and Europe.

HW 5b: Applying Graff Chp 2 to "I blog, Therefore I am"

In Kline’s, “I Blog, Therefore I Am,” Kline insists that our media has adapted to the changes throughout history. Kline acknowledges the fact that during the 1950s when televisions came about, newspapers chose to “avoid duplicating what readers already saw on their TVs, focusing instead on explaining the larger meaning of news events.” (Kline, pg 242) This is what blog’s do in today’s world. As Kline mentions, most of the nations’ leading newspapers have blog’s. Blog’s are used to keep reporters, and news-watchers in touch. Here, they can share opinions. Kline also admires that blog’s better distinguish the genuine fairness, and false statements between stories. I agree with Kline, there has been a major difference in the media, from the 1950s till now. All major newspapers, television shows, and company’s have blogs to get the feedback on their products. Sometimes the outcome might not be so good, but at least they have something to know how customers feel.

Monday, September 10, 2007

HW 4: Responding to "The Voice of the Customer"

Greg Thomas once stated, "Great Brands are always built on a promise." (David Kline & Dan Burstein 112) In my room, I have a bottle of All laundry detergent. All has a website that they use to inform people of their detergent. The slogan for All is: “All, Small and Mighty.” They say that All is “small and mighty” because it is three times concentrated. On the website they also state “Tiny bottle, Mighty green.” They claim to have reduced the bottle size to use less plastic, and also reduced the bottle size so that they can use smaller boxes for shipping. The All promise is that even though the bottle may be small, it cleans better then any other detergent. I believe this is true because today I did all my laundry, and my clothes are cleaner then ever, and smell nice and fresh. I think that All has kept it’s promise, and I also like the idea that they’re trying to reduce the use of plastic and cardboard.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

HW 3: Correspondence to "Toward a More Participatory Democracy"

Throughout the reading of "Toward a More Participatory Democracy" by Burstein and Kline, I thought that they went on and on about the elections and how the blogs have effected the outcome. Maybe the chapter was too long? I knew I was losing interest after page 10. The whole chapter made every person who reads the blogs sound vulnerable. It’s like anything people write, such as opinions, other people take it as facts. It also made our society sound pathetic. People are researching everything, and going beyond the News and the Media. Why would people want to see photos of the caskets of soldiers who had died in the Iraqi War? Maybe their families didn’t want the pictures to get out into the media. Also, people read about the elections online and it changed their thought of mind. It had such an impact on the American Political scene as well. Around the 2004 elections blogging was huge. Many people visited the blog sites to get “the scoop.” The whole ordeal to me is just retarded. People should have their own opinions, instead of having others think for them.

HW 2: Connecting one of Burstien's 12 key ideas

One of Burnsteins 12 key ideas in the book, Blog! How the newest media revolution is changing politics, business, and culture, is Blogging is going global. This one key idea is the one that seemed most interesting. Throughout the years blogging has become very big. It’s one way for people to stay connected without actually speaking with each other. As Burstein mentions, “A very knowledgeable Chinese friend recently predicted that blogs would have more impact on revolutionizing China and bringing it fully into the modern world than any other influence.” The reason he believes this is because so many people write their opinions on their blogs. People influence people. When people read blogs, their opinions spread throughout. I know that here, a lot of young adults use Facebook, and Myspace. This is the way of blogging. Word travels really quickly throughout these. People could influence plenty of things, such as what shoes to buy, or what phone to use, etc. Blogging is a huge issue, it’s being used everywhere. “Blogging software now allows more voices to be heard on more subjects in countries like the UK or Australia or Sweden.”