HW:13 "Blogs will change your business"

In my view, the impact of blogging on communication that is not business or profit related is a lot more important than the impact of blogging on business. Stephen Baker and Heather Green make a statement concerning blogging such as,"You cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they are simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the internet itself." This statement is very true in regards to the fact that blogging is a very big aspect of communication around the world. Many people turn to blogging to bettter express themselves in ways thats are a lot more convenient and easy. It is true that blogging is very popular among businesses today, but on the other hand there is a lot more important things to talk about other than a business, and more people are likely to talk about how they are feeling rather than what is going on in a business. Not only are people focusing on blogging as a way of self expression but also the idea of social and political aspects come into play. Blogging is the new form of news around the world and lets you in on the newest media being released. People like to hear others ideas and feelings before they make their own decisions, which is why blogging has become so poplular. Business is just one aspect of blogging, so to think that the impact is larger would be misleading.

HW 11: "Making Global Voices Heard"

The blog I chose to view is called, "China: Traffic cops get machine guns." The blog has many pictures and Chinese symbols on the page. The majority of people who blog on this page are Chinese, both Chinese and English are used on this page. The majority of blogs are about Chinese riots and the different types of weapons that are being used by the police. Mackinnon states how she doesnt think that there should be so many weapons being used, especially for simple case in which they are only being used to carry out drunk driving violations and traffic violation spot checks. She also states how it is even dangerous for them to being using machine guns during violent riots. Although Mackinnon's ideas are more realistic and ideal, nothing has changed the ways in which the Chinese police chose to handle these situations. This blog however does correspond to the reading of "Making Global Voices Heard," because although her ideas havent changed the ways of the Chinese many people may eventually realize what is going on is really wrong and the more people that speak up the more her voice will be heard about this topic. In opposition to this argument, one might say that carrying these machine guns does no harm and in reality controls the Chinese rather than hurt them. This idea may be true in the ways of protection and control of the society but in the long run there should be other alternatives rather than just violence.

HW 9: Huffington Interview

In "Punching Holes in Faded Mirrors," Arianna Huffington explains how if campaigning, advertising, and opining havent changed things the way she wanted, then how blogs can make such a difference. I agree with the statement that blogs have made a huge difference because they have broken the monopoly of the mainstream media. People tend to write blogs because they have something to share with the rest of the world, and in this case blogging has one of the largest influences on advertising and campaigning. For example Arianna states how the mainstream media inored the demise of senate majority leader Trent Lott, while bloggers kept going until Trent Lott had become the former Senate majority leader. I agree that Arianna is right in her statement, this is definately a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe otherwise. In contrast I also disagree with the idea that blogging is helping campaigns and advertising. I dont think that people should be going by what they hear in blogs, but rather what they hear from the political campaigns themselves. People may often be misled by the facts andgossip on the internet as well as blogs. The idea that less and less people are getting their information from the television, may also decrease advertising in a negative way. There are definately many positive and negative aspects to Huffington's ideas but fot the most part blogging has become an influential aspect to many people around the world.

HW 7: "My So Called Blog"

I believe that it is good for a kid to be able to express themselves by writing online and searching the web without a parent monitoring everything they say. The fact that parents get suspicious about what their child is doing on the computer is understandable. Holding a child back from being able to express how they feel and suffocating a child too much in this aspect will only later make it so that the child no longer wants to listen to what parents have to say. Expression is how we learn and grow, and the idea that children prefer to do this through the internet by using blogs and chat rooms etc, should not be a problem. In contrast however it would be unacceptable to let a child do whatever they please especially since they might not be as smart about the decisions they make online. In her article, My So-Called Blog," Emily Nussbaum expresses how the process of expression is sometimes painful to some,however sometimes you just need to let it go. "As the reality television stars put it, exposure may be painful at times, but its all part of the process of putting it out there, risking judgement and letting people in." (Kline and Burstein 352) The point that is coming across in this quote is the fact that saying exactly how you feel sometimes is not always what people want to hear or are even expecting to hear, but risking how you feel to share that feeling with someone else, allows others to feel what you are feeling. The idea that most issues and discussions are now performed online rather than on paper is definatley something to get used to, as well as something for parents to et used to. However This is what children are learning in school as well as from friends, the idea that expressing yourself can only be beneficial, therefore tellig a child not to do so, or watching a childs every move online is only putting a damper on their freedom of expressing, an basically holds them back from the real world.

HW 6: Semester Long Statement

As far as the interest statement for the semester long project is concerned, when it comes to the social computing technologies, I am most interested in instant messaging, email and email lists, and social networking services. Instant messaging and email is something that I am constantly using and checking up on. Atleat once a day I use one or the other to communicate with family, friends, and even just to hear about information I didn’t know about before. Social networking services are the same as well, face book and myspace take priority over many things that I try to accomplish during the day. I am constantly checking for messages from people and redoing my page so that it looks nice and presentable to other people. As far as empowerment and marginalized groups, I am most interested in finding out about overcoming racism, rights and empowerment of people with some kind of illness, or issues of disabilities or learning differences. Racism is something I’m very interested in because I feel very strongly about it and I think it’s definitely something that should be changed. I’ve also had to deal with many illnesses and disabilities throughout my family history which is another reason for me wanting to find out more information. As I start to look at these many different topics, I will look at the geographical areas of the United States, as well as South and Central America, because I would first like to see how where we live is affected by these any different aspects, and I’ve also had some knowledge about the ways in which South and Central American people life, so adding to this knowledge would only be beneficial.

HW 5b: "I Blog, Therefore I Am"

In Kline's "I Blog, Therefore I Am," he reminds us of the many ways in which newspaper businesses are suffering in the ways that people are depending more on the internet for their sources of news and media more than ever. Since there is more demand for the web, less people are even watching television, which in turn is causing the ratings to lower even more. Many people plead their opinions as to how they dislike the idea of people exposing their opinions, and private lives on internet blogs. In contrast I believe that blogs are a great form of expression, especially the idea that others can relate to some of the personal issues that others might need to have addressed. Kline reports how women in today's society tend to document important moments in their lives, for example being a new mother, careers, or certain illnesses that need to be addressed and want to be shared. Blogging is now a form of communication and positive regard towards one another and I dont agree with the fact that blogging is a bad for of communication.

HW 5: "The Voice of the Customer"

In "The Voice of Customer," Kline explains how a company can promise quality and dependability. He also explains how a product must reach a deeper meaning to its consumer in order to leave a lasting impression for the product to succeed. When I went back to my room I took a look at the brand, Secret deodorant. As I looked at it, it stated that it is invisible solid leaving no white marks. As I looked the brand up on the internet, it stated "Live Life, Dont Sweat It the Freedom of Freshness is here." This statement means that Secret will take care of all life's troubles and you wont have to worry about sweating about the small things because secret will take care of it therefore the product wont let you down. The website also says "Secret, because your hot." This however means that because your hot secret will make you cooler and wont let you sweat, basically promising optimal protection against sweat, making the consumer believe that the product wont let you down, as well as making you feel good about yourself. In my experiences, this product is definately of good quality, except for the fact that white lines arent always invisible, in fact for the majority of the time they are still there. Also the fact that no product is strong enough to take care of your problems so that you dont have to worry about enything, this is simply just the way to sell the product and make the customer happy at all times.

HW 3: "Toward A More Participatory Democracy"

Many people assume that blogging is always something that is beneficial in today’s society, but in fact in David Kline’s essay “Toward A More Participatory Democracy,” there is reason to believe otherwise. In reading Kline’s essay it is clear to see that blogging has become the new “newspaper” of today, in fact people tend to rely on blogging for their source of communication and news in today’s world. Since people have started to post blogs about political campaigns, more and more people tend to discuss issues that may or may not be truthful in all cases. The more technology that is being produced, only makes the internet more susceptible for gossip and unrealistic information. Even news stations today are unrealistic because newscasters are being told what to say and how to act on live television. Instead of years ago when the news used to be accurate and factual, its more of a race to see which news channel can earn more money by using false information, and ideas that catch the viewers eye.

HW 2: Response to Burstein's 12 Key Ideas

In Burstein’s twelve key ideas in “From Cave Painting to Wonkette,” Kline and Burstein express many ideas as to how blogging is changing many aspects of today’s society. Idea number six generalizes how blogging is going global which is exactly why I chose this one. In today’s world almost everything is performed online, such things as research, running a business, typing up a paper, as well as some of the simplest everyday things we take for granted. I believe that especially now more than ever, blogging is being used by many different people, in many different ways. Blogging is a great way to express ones feelings to the general public and maybe even get a response back, to get ideas from others. Since myspace and face book have now emerged, more and more people have been introduced to blogging although in a less formal way. The use of blogging as well as internet use can help shape peoples lives, and make communication a lot easier and efficient. Blogging also puts more emphasis on freedom of speech, being able to say how you feel in writing for the world to see is a great way to learn and a great source of information. The idea that blogging is going global, not only effects the United States as a whole, but gives other countries more opportunities to understand where we stand on certain issues concerning culture and the world.