Cognitive Surplus

· “When you buy a machine that lets you consume digital content, you also buy a machine to produce it.”
· Each year among the world’s educated population, we have a lot of free time: 1+ trillion hours.
o Over a billion people carry cameras
o Over 3 billion active cell phone accounts
o 2 billion people are online
· The trend today is to move towards more interactive experiences than passive ones.
o Shirky claims that it spent 100 million hours to create the Wikipedia.
· Americans spend about 200 billions hours watching television.
o Time Americans watch tv = 2000 Wikipedias

What are we going to do with it? Problem: Need a way to get to work. Solution: A social media tool: PickupPal.com. Focus: Provide enough information to solve a problem quickly

“The easier it is for the average person to publish, the more average what gets published becomes.”

What’s the connective tissue of society? Today, public + private media have fused into one.

Which tools take off? The ones that let folks do what they want to do.

Motivation affects outcome!!

Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation: 2 Personal Intrinsic Motivators: desire for autonomy / desire for competence

What’s an amateur? “Someone who does something for the love of it...”

The web may be the best example of a long tail. It fascinates us because of the diversity of thought.

Why do we create & share online? Does it go beyond making friends? Working towards noble goals?

· “Writers of fan fiction often work in the world of affection, where the goal is to be recognized by others for doing something creative...”

People participate because they want rewarding experiences.

· Youtube: 24 hours of video a minute X 60 minutes/hour X 24 hours a day X 365.25 days per year = 12,623,040 hours of video per year

· Twitter: 300 million words a day X 365 days/year = 109,500,000,000 words/year in 140 characters or less!

· What does technology bring to the equation? “The increase in our ability to create things together, to pool our free time and particular talents into something useful, is one of the great new opportunities of the age, one that changes the behaviors of people who take advantage of it.”

· What is culture? “It isn’t just an agglomeration of individual behaviors; it is a collectively held set of norms and behaviors within a group.”

· “The Social” How do we get folks working together? “Improve their ability to function together through the creation and maintenance of shared culture...”

With positive social interaction comes sharing.

· Different Types
* Personal sharing
* Communal sharing
* Public sharing
* Civic sharing
*Uncoordinated - sharing a video on YouTube
*Discussion forum - self help
*Creation of something for public
*Transform society

Successful groups will reward its members for its contributions & sharing.

UWB radio transmissions

What might you do with access to UWB radio transmissions if you had a receiver in a car?

In the eighth chapter of Blown to Bits, Abelson describes ultra wide band radio transmissions. The use very low levels of energy for short range high-bandwidth communications. Basically they can carry more information in a shorter period of time in a small distance. I would love an UWB radio transmissions if I had it in my car. I would definitely transmit music, videos, and stuff to the receiver. I have an older car in which I had to install a radio with more upgraded options and one option was plugging in my iPod with a cord, however, it doesn't work. I would love to use the UWB radio receiver to hook up with iPod and possibly my iPhone. Technology has endless possibilities.

Ken Zeran

What might you have done differently if you were in the position of artist Ken Zeran, mentioned in this chapter?

Ken Zeran was brought up in the seventh chapter of "Blown To Bits". Someone had posted Ken's number on an AOL advertisement about t-shirts about the bombing in Oklahoma City. However, Ken did not having anything to do with the t-shirts and Ken would get harassment calls from radio stations, people, and everything about the advertisements. He asked AOL to remove the advertisement, but the same person re-posted the advertisement with his phone number again. Once AOL told Ken that they would prohibit the user re-posting the information again, they did not do so, therefore Ken had to call the police to surveillance his house for protection. Once radio stations got the right story, they apologized. Ken attempted to sue AOL but AOL was not held at the same standard as the poster, therefore he lost.

I would do the same thing except maybe take it a little further. Get more protection and somehow use a social network to get his situation out to the public. He could have gotten people to follow his social network to have them become aware of his false identity that this person was presenting.

The Bit Value

What's the value of a bit? It seems that going after folks who have traded songs or movies online is a huge expenditure of effort and money. Is DRM-protected content the way to go? If you don't agree, propose another method for the distribution of digital multimedia so that content creators can still be compensated.


After reading chapter 6 of Abelson's Blown to Bits, bits hold a lot more value than I thought. The cost of illegally downloading a song could range from 200 dollars to even 150,000 dollars. Having these fines be so much, definitely discourages people to act in illegal downloading. However, some people think in the sense that they are "invincible" and that nothing will happen to them and they won't get caught. Therefore, DRM-protected technology was brought into play. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. According to Wikipedia, the term describes the "access control technologies that can be used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to limit the usage of digital content and devices. The term is used to describe any technology that inhibits uses of digital content not desired or intended by the content provider." DRM-protected technology basically limits the illegal sharing of the technology. But somehow people always get their way around the limitations. I believe that DRM is the way to go, if there was a better way, I feel like these days, we would have it or be working on it. In the future I do believe that there will be a better way to monitor illegal downloading and to hold people accountable, but for right now I do believe DRM is the way to go. DRM does have limitations, but doesn't everything? Not all things in life are free. DRM has helped prevent illegally downloading, which was a main concern for the RIAA. Content creators are still compensated as well, which is another goal to rid of illegal downloading. Therefore, DRM is definitely the way to go. And until there is a way around DRM, it will be around for a long time.

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management

FOAF-style network

What professional benefits do you see by investing some time in a FOAF-style network?

When I think of professional benefits, I automatically think of jobs or anything will high standing status. FOAF, friend of a friend, I believe is very effective. For example, going through the application process for colleges, some students that I graduated with got some pulls to colleges because of FOAF. Either family friends, coworkers of their parents, etc, friend of a friend, they got some leverages on certain colleges that other students did not have. This definitely carries over into the professional world. Sometimes I feel like this job force is all about connections, who you know through connections to simply get your name to the boss. Once you have your name in the boss' mouth, you stand above the other's you're competing against for the job, simply because he has you in mind. Also, using FOAF, another person knows their work ethics and could predict their future with the company, giving another benefit. They can basically judge if the person is suitable for the job. It's a safe decision because the company knows who they are hiring. People can use the FOAF style by searching for people that can take the job. Having a connection can make all the difference. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I was having a conversation with my brother, who just graduated college with an engineering degree, about my future job opportunities. At the end of the conversation, he simply said, "Well if you ever want to look into an engineering job, I could definitely get you one." And just like that, I'd have a job, even if it wasn't my college degree. FOAF pulls strings for people. FOAF can feed from friend to friend to friend. It is very beneficial for professional standards because word gets around like wild fire. If you know a person who you are friends with who is capable of having a job like your own, why not hire them? It's a win win situation. FOAF definitely has professional benefits.

Prisoner's Dilemma

Considering the Prisoner's Dilemma in this chapter, provide your own insight on how sites such as eBay "work" for most participants of this popular online auction site. Do they really work? Or is there too much risk?

Shirky sums up the description of the four possibilities of the Prisoner's Dilemma. They are: 1. We each stick to our stories, they've got no evidence, and they keep us both overnight. 2. I stick to the bystander story and you turn me in. You get the reward, while I get charged. 3. I turn you in while you stick to the story. I get a reward, while you get charged. 4. We turn each other in. We both get charged. Shirky notes that the worst outcome, being number four is the rational one.

With eBay, as from personal experience, this site kind of works like this. EBay definitely works, it would not be as successful as it was today. The more you sell an item, the more credibility and a higher ratings you will attain if you provide good service. If the seller provides good service and has a high score, then there is no guessing game on how good the business is. However, if the person has no credibility, then the guessing game begins. If the person has never sold an item before, most people stay away because you never know what item or items you're getting. You don't know if the person is selling good quality products, if the item they have online really is the product, and so on. That's when eBay is too much of a risk. When there is the unknown of the seller and the buyer, there is a lot of risk. When there's too much risk, the Prisoner's Dilemma for eBay becomes: 1. Both the seller and buyer hold their end of the deal. Both are rewarded. 2. The buyer doesn't follow through on the deal and the seller ends up with a loss. 3. The seller doesn't follow through on the deal and the buyer ends up with a loss. 4. Both the seller and the buyer do not hold their end of the deal, both being empty handed in the end. Another risk is that the seller could be selling their product for too much, tricking the buyer into a "good deal" when it really isn't. When a seller does not have credibility and great history on eBay, risk involves a lot. Trust needs to be made between the bond of the buyer and the seller. Trust from the seller is that the item they're selling is indeed what they are describing and is not overpriced. And trust from the buyer is that they will pay the seller their money for their product. With trust, outcome number one is the most rational and the most desired from eBay consumers.

It all seems tricky, but eBay has been on the web for years, so it obviously does work. Buyers and sellers just need to trust one another, and a smooth transaction can be made. And most buyers and sellers do trust each other, giving eBay great success.

When a Society Adopts New Behaviors

Based on the quote from this chapter, "revolution doesn't happen when society adopts new technologies-- it happens when society adopts new behaviors," do you agree or disagree? Cite examples to support your position.

I fully agree with this quote. These days, revolution evolves because society needs new things for their new behaviors. Society doesn't happen because new technologies evolve, we produce the technology because of the new behaviors. For example, when the Internet was invented. The Internet is the infrastructure to support electronic mail. Once the Internet started to have its boom, the Internet was revolutionized. The revolution started when people realized that there was no other way mail should be sent. Behavior effects technology; behavior effects revolution. Society's behaviors have shaped the Internet. Our behaviors called for the Internet to be updated, to be faster, to explain more, etc. Our behaviors shape technology which shapes our revolution. Another example is the cell phone. Society invented the cell phone because we wanted phones that we could use outside the home land lines. Then, people wanted cell phones that had texting, so people invented texting. Now a days, people want faster Internet on their phones, so cell phone companies are trying to provide their customers with faster and better Internet. Our behaviors clearly shape our technologies. Revolution happens when society adopts new behaviors because we invent and shape our society by our new behaviors, having the Internet and the cell phone two prime examples.

"Information Cascade"

Look deeper into the concept of a "information cascade". Can you cite an example of where following the actions of others was a sound idea? Where doing so ended up being a poor choice?


The concept of a "information cascade" occurs "when people observe the actions of others and then make the same choice that the others have made (Wikipedia)." Most of the time, it's made by a rational decision. Information cascades usually occurs when people see other people make the same choice which provides evidence that outweighs one's own judgment. An example would be in 1989 in Leipzig, Germany. Small protests started with only a few activists challenging German Democratic Republic. Slowly, the size grew little by little but by the time the government attempted to address it, it was too big to squash. Later that year, over 400,000 people marched the streets of Leipzig and two days later the Berlin Wall was dismantled.

An example where the information cascade ended up being a poor choice would be any type of riot that leads to arrests, fires, injuries, deaths, etc. For example, back in March of 2010, University of Maryland students started a riot after winning one of their big basketball games against Duke. Hundreds of students and residents of the college park area crowded the streets, taking down street signs, climbing stop lights, etc. The riot police were called in and had to use shields, batons, rubber bullets, etc, anything to contain the crowd. People were arrested and injured throughout the riot. The riot started because a small group of people decided to crowd the street and chant UMD songs and other people joined in, soon collecting hundreds of people on Route 1. However, this is an example of how information cascade ended up being a poor choice because of the arrests and the injuries that resulted from the riot.

Therefore, "information cascade" can bring both positive and negative consequences to a situation. It all depends on the situation and what comes from it.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_cascade

Mental Transaction Cost

From the audio book chapter on Free: Explain and give an example of a mental transaction cost.

Mental transaction cost is the thought process one has to take when making a decision in purchasing something. You take things into account, like is it worth it? Should I get my wallet out? That's why having something for free or the "zero" concept eliminates the mental transaction cost. People like things when they don't have to think that much to make a decision.

An example of a mental transaction cost is Zappos shoes. Zappos eliminated shipping costs both ways. Therefore you don't have to pay for shipping to get them and if you want to return your shoes, you don't have to pay for the shipping back either. This way, you will want to order a lot of shoes to try on and then send back the shoes you don't want. However, in Zappos mind set, they hope that trying on all the shoes after you already purchased them, you will easily keep the shoes, which gives them more sales. Therefore, is it worth purchasing the shoes? Will you really want to end up keeping all the shoes you try on and be spending more money in the end? However, with free shipping, it almost eliminates some of the questions. If you had to pay for shipping, you would be more wise about the decision since you'd feel like you were paying more.

Another example would be Amazon books. If you purchase more than 25 dollars of books, then you have free shipping. So Amazon is hopeful in that you will buy two books instead of one to get the free shipping. Even though clearly, the second book was worth more than the shipping you'd have to pay. But the mental transaction cost thought was that you are getting free shipping over 25 dollars, so it's almost better to buy two books than buying one and paying for shipping. The mental transaction cost benefit is the free shipping. It makes your decision easier when something free is involved. Questions are eliminated from mental transaction cost thought process when "free" is added into the equation.

Mental transaction cost is all the questions you ask yourself when purchasing something and if the product is worth it. Do the shoes fit? Do I like them? Should I get more if it's free shipping? And how about the books? Should I go for two or stick with one? All of this thought process is mental transaction cost.

"Zero"

From the audio book chapter on Free: Why is "zero" such a hot-button word?

In the audio book, the narrator described that "zero" is an "emotional hot button" and "a source of irrational excitement". "Zero" is easy to say but difficult to measure. Having "zero" makes people think less and has the opportunity to make decisions easier. If something is presented with "zero" we don't have to question ourselves to open our wallet. An example they gave in the audio book was a chocolate experiment. They had Lindt truffles and Hershey kisses for customers to buy. In the first experiment, the truffles were 15 cents and the kisses were 1 cent. Naturally, people paid more for the truffles. Then the second experiment, they lowered the truffles price 14 cents and the kisses were "zero" or free. The kisses this time around were consumed more even though they were still 14 cents difference, the fact that they were free, made them wanted more. However, the question of quality comes to mind when something is free in society. But just because something is free doesn't mean that it's quality has been taken away too. When something is free, we forget the down side. Things seem more valuable if it's free. The example they gave in the audio book was that if you were to go out and buy socks wanting padded and gold toe, but then you enter a store and there are regular socks for free. You end up leaving with the free socks even though they aren't padded or gold toe, but they are more valuable because they are free. However, the only down side of having free things, is that people don't care as much about the product. We don't take care of it. We become hoarders and gluttony takes over. Free gives people confidence because you can try it without consequence, since it was free.

"Zero" is a hot-button because it gives people an easier choice. If something is free, then they don't have to think about taking it, it's free, why not take it? With the kisses and the socks example, we value free things a lot more in this society because it's just an easier decision and we don't have to reach for the wallet. It's exciting knowing something of quality is free.

Scratch it

After reading the article about Scratch and exploring the Scratch website, what are some observable benefits in creating a space to share student work?


After reading the article Scratch and learning about Scratch, there are a lot observable benefits in creating a space to share student work. Scratch is a way of programming for kids and younger adults. The article says that, "'Digital fluency' should mean designing, creating, and remixing, not just browsing, chatting, and interacting." And that's what Scratch does. Scratch's primary goal is "to nurture a new generation of creative, systematic thinkers comfortable using programming to express their ideas." Scratch greatly expands the scale of what you can create, how you can express yourself, all with the computer. "It also expands the range of what you can learn." Programming involves "the creation of external representations of your problem-solving processes, programming provides you with opportunities to reflect on your own thinking, even to think about thinking itself." Scratch is designed to be highly interactive. The article states that a blog post from a computer scientist who introduced Scratch to his two children said: "One of the nicest things I saw with Scratch was that it personalized the development experience in new ways by making it easy for my kids to add personalized content and actively participate in the development process. Not only could they develop abstract programs to do mindless things with a cat or a box, etc… but they could add their own pictures and their own voices to the Scratch environment, which has given them hours of fun and driven them to learn." Scratch knows what kids like and knows how to make their environment fun. They get the learning done with fun and are very successful.

The large number of projects on the Scratch serves as inspiration as well to the consumers. Scratchers are able to get ideas for new projects and learn new programming techniques. "The site is also fertile ground for collaboration. Community members are constantly borrowing, adapting, and building on one another’s ideas, images, and programs. Over 15% of the projects there are remixes of other projects on the site."

Scratch just has so many benefits to share student work, because they can all inspire and motivate each other through the site. They can collaborate, have fun and learn at the same time. Scratch is very successful is what it accomplishes for young adults and kids.

"JMU only" Wikipedia

The "power law distribution" or "long tail" phenomenon, as seen in behavior online on the Wikipedia, suggests that the concept of an average user of Wikipedia is meaningless. Support your answer: how do you think a local, "JMU only" version of the Wikipedia would compare to the worldwide version? Would it be very similar? Higher quality? Less quality? Why?

In Chapter 5, Shirky described Wikipedia as a "power of law distribution". Basically, users will at first post a majority of the information at first and then later the contribution will level out since people will casually add to the site, not as much as was first added. Therefore, I think a "JMU only" version of Wikipedia might have the same effect of the "power of law distribution" and a lot of people would at first post a lot of information because of the fact they want to get their facts out on the web, but then it would eventually taper off and be at a constant adding rate. I think certain organizations that would want to get their name out, like Student Ambassadors and Greek life, and promote why people should join and all the good things they do and that they continually change, they would continually update the Wikipedia on their progress. However, compared to a worldwide version, the "JMU only" version would have a lot less contributors. The "JMU only" version would have a lot less hits than the worldwide version since the contributors is only limited to the JMU community. The only thing that would be similar between the two is the "power of law distribution". The number of hits and number of people contributing information would be a huge difference. However, the "JMU only" version would be a higher quality because the people that would contributing information would know specifics and know what they were talking about. In a worldwide version, so many more people are adding their own facts and own opinions in the Wikipedia and the information given can get so distorted sometimes. That's why in a "JMU only" version, the community would be so much smaller, therefore the information would not get as distorted, therefore being higher quality.

USA Patriot Act

Some news reports have suggested that the Bush administration used the USA Patriot Act to look at the e-mails of American citizens without a warrant. What's your position if this was indeed the case? Should citizens be willing to give up their privacy? Does it bother you to know that your online communications are very potentially semi-private instead of private?

At first when I read this question, I was against the Bush administration doing such a thing but now when I think about it, I am for it. If this indeed was the case, I support it. If it's for our safety as a citizen, then I think it is needed. If someone was emailing another person talking about terrorist attacks, I would DEFINITELY want the Bush Administration to handle it. If they didn't have the USA Patriot Act to look at the emails, then our safety is at risk. Citizens should be willing to give up their privacy for their own safety. If it's for national reasons and for national security, citizens need to be willing to give up some of their privacy for the nation. If people really have a problem with this Act then maybe they're the terrorists planning something. I would find it a little weird that citizens wouldn't be willing to give up some of their privacy for the sake of national security and other U.S. citizens. It does not bother me at all that our online communications are very potentially semi-private instead of private because I know it's for a very good reason. If the Bush administration was just reading through emails to spy on citizens' personal life, that is one thing and that would be wrong, but if they are trying to protect this country from something happening in the future, then by all means, I'd rather have semi-privacy. If we don't allow the government to potential look at our e-mails, we could be endangering our lives. Therefore, I support the Bush administration using the USA Patriot Act to look at e-mails for our own national security and to try and prevent potential dangerous acts.

Protected by WEP/WPA

If your mother uses wifi at home to send you e-mail, and your home network is not protected by WEP or WPA, what reasons would you suggest to her for enabling one of these two protocols at home if the liability of reading those e-mails still exists once her message leaves your home, on it's way to school?

Throughout this class, I have learned that nothing on the Internet is safe, and if my mother was sending an email with our home network that is not protected by WEP or WPA, then that's even scarier. Not having your Internet protected and allowing basically anyone and everyone to either use or research your history on the web, is very dangerous. A hacker could easily get onto your network and send you a virus as well as take valuable information. I online shop a lot or even look at my bank statements, anything that potential holds valuable information, would be out in the public for anyone to see since there is no barrier stopping them. I remember a couple years ago, my neighbors wifi would come up on my computer and they didn't secure it. If one of our other neighbors were the "shady" type and decided to hack into their network, they could do so. Anyone around you could potentially wipe out any information and send viruses to your computer. They could find out anything in your history, just like that email my mom sent. It's very scary to think about.

So not only could someone near by steal your network, they could hack into your network and steal valuable information, and also send viruses. Overall, having a secure network just makes the Internet a lot safer than if you didn't have any protection at all. Even the slightest protection is better than none. However, your home networks should be protected by WEP or WPA to ensure your computer safety.

Wiki

Please post a blog post with 5-8 of the most important parts of the wiki presentation.

Ward Cunningham created the wiki, which invites all users to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site. Linking between the wiki pages are made very easy. If you don’t know what something is, and there’s a link, you can click on the link and be directed to it instantly. Wikis allow you to link to pages that don’t yet exist through red links. Wikis have a lot uses: can meet agendas, internal blogging, can be collaborative spaces, documentation, collection of action items, “focused compact group”, and focus on internal community. Ward’s specific purpose for the wiki was “to create an environment where we might link together each other’s experience…” He valued conversation and communication. Wikipedia’s can tell you how to cite the information in the article and also will give you related topics and changes to help you with searching the wiki. Some wiki examples are PB Works, Wiki Spaces, Media Wiki, and Google Sites.

Right to Know Side Effects?

The official website for the drug Olanzapine probably didn't mention the fact it might cause diabetic symptoms in patients. Another website obviously did. Commercials on TV now are required to mention possible side effects. Should drug companies be required to come clean about situations like the one with Eli Lilly's Olanzapine in their commercial websites? Why or why not?

I most definitely believe that drug companies should be required to come clean about situations like the one with Olanzapine in their commercial websites. Not even for the patient's sake but for legal issues. A patient who has not been told about the correct side effects and symptoms from a doctor or a high medical reference, such as a physicians assistant, about a drug they are going to take, the doctor or whoever is administering the drug could potentially be in danger of as big as a lawsuit. Not paying attention to certain side effects of drugs can have serious side effects, such as Olanzapine might be causing diabetic symptoms in patients. Now I'm not saying that for commercial websites that there should be a huge headline scrolling and blinking across the top of serious symptoms and side effects, but there should definitely be a section given about those. A consumer should know everything possible that is going into their body. And if the drug companies do not own up or tell everything they should, it will get leaked out onto the Internet or TV somehow. As Abelson said in "Blown to Bits", hearing of a "secret" side effect can be leaked very easily. Just takes a matter of time from person to person or person to websites to find out the true symptoms and side effects of a drug product. The drug companies should just take it upon themselves to disclose the information, rather than other websites and companies spreading the word. Bringing back up the legal issues, if someone were to find out these symptoms and side effects through some where or someone else besides the drug company, then that just easily brings up a law suit.

Therefore, the drug company should be required to come clean about situations like the one Olanzapine in their commercial websites. For their own company's sake, they should come clean. The information doesn't need to be broad casted nice and slowly, or have big red flashing lights, but it needs to be there for the patients sake of taking the drug. It's very easy to upload this information on the web, or attach a long information insert to the bottle of the drug. A drug company shouldn't question putting the symptoms and side effects on their drugs, it's for the sake of their consumer and their own company's legal issues.


References:

"Blown to Bits" Abelson

Proprietary software vs OSS

Some states and some companies are turning to open source software for a variety of reasons, some mentioned in this chapter. Some companies (say Microsoft) have gone on the record against open source software. Explain some of the advantages of using proprietary software and cite your advantages with websites that take or mention these positions.

Open source software, according to Wikipedia, "is computer software that is available in source code form for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software." Proprietary software is "computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of its owner. The purchaser, or licensee, is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, but restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering." The main difference between open source software (OSS) and proprietary software is OSS is free to download, therefore is costs a lot less than proprietary software.

However, proprietary software has its own advantages over OSS. According to the Ivertech website's article, "OSS vs. Proprietary software", the "advantages of proprietary software include: 1) Reliable, professional support and training available; 2) Packaged, comprehensive, modular formats; and 3) Regularly and easily updated." Also, from cnet news article, "Why choose proprietary software over open source?", it states the biggest advantage for proprietary software, "that proprietary software is easier to adopt--captures a moment in time, but one that is also in retreat." Therefore, OSS may be free to download, but proprietary software seems to be a lot easier to use. Who wouldn't want a software that's reliable and regulated and easily updated? The disadvantages of OSS according to Ivertech, which hand in hand are the advantages to proprietary software are, "1) Lack of professional support; 2) Evolving developer communities; 3) Lack of release co-ordination; and 4) Erratic updates." OSS just doesn't seem as organized and well led as proprietary software and that's a huge advantage for proprietary software. Especially when consumers are looking for all of those advantages when looking for software. They want something they can rely on, and proprietary software, they can definitely rely on.


References:

http://software.ivertech.com/_ivertechArticle13894_OpenSourceSoftwarevsProprietarySoftware.htm

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9789275-16.html

"Community of Practice"

Consider the concept of a "community of practice." How can such a community offer opportunities for learning?


Clay Shirky states in Chapter 4 that "communities of practice are inherently cooperative, and are beautifully supported by social tools, because that is exactly the kind of community whose members can recruit one another or allow themselves to be found by interested searchers. They can thrive and even grow to enormous size without advertising their existence in public...All these groups offer the kind of advice, feedback, and encouragement that characterizes communities of practice." With billions of people all over the world on the Internet, communities of practice easily get the attention of millions of people. With such a wide spread audience, the advice, feedback and encouragement among the communities are perfect for a learning environment. An example Clay Shirky gave in Chapter 4 is how Yahoo hosts thousands of mailing lists and many of them are devoted to advancing the practice of everything such as Gaia Online. Gaia Online "is a community for teenage fans of anima and manga, the Japanese animation and cartoon forms; their discussion groups include long threads devoted to critiquing one another's work and tutorials on the arcana of the form." This is a strong example of a learning environment. Communities of practice allow people from all over the world to learn from each other. These communities allow so much room for learning through communication and being social with other people who have the same interests. Teenage fans who aren't necessarily good at drawing anima and manga, then go to these communities of practice and learn how to correct their drawings. People can learn how to cook, assemble toys, etc. With so many people socializing and communicating about one specific thing and critiquing everyone's posts, then one person can learn so much. People aren't afraid to ask others how to learn from each other through these communities of practices, that's what they're there for. They open such a huge opportunity from everyone to learn from everyone, especially since these communities are accessible all over the Internet around the world.


Reference:

Shirky, Clay. "Here Comes Everybody."

Social Media Tools Impacting Consumer Purchases

If Shirky is right, and we're headed to a period where social media tools like YouTube, Flickr, and social networks like Facebook become "invisible," what's the impact on things you spend money on as consumers? Books? Movies? Music?

Technology and the Internet have evolved so much over the past decades that it's become even easier to shop online for items then to drive to the nearest store. A lot of social websites now have options were you can rank and comment on the item you recently purchased. There are even blogs about certain products, where the best price is, quality, etc. Basically the social aspect is eliminating the "middle man" in the equation. Instead of driving to the store and asking the sales representative about the product, who would be the "middle man" and is obviously trying to get your sale, you can research the product, a book, movie or music, online. Itunes for an example has completely taken over music these days. Before you'd go to Best Buy or another electronic store and purchase tapes or CDs and now its all over the Internet. Even music over Itunes is ranked and has comments. Certain songs are ranked the top songs of the week and/or month, which more consumers will purchase since they seem to be the best at the time. Social networking and the Internet have greatly impacted how people now purchase items. The Internet has made it a lot easier for consumers to spend money and spend money wisely. If previous consumers love a product and share this with other potential consumers, more and more people will purchase the item. It's a brilliant concept.

Buying or Selling on the Internet

Have you used a website like Craigslist or EBay to buy or sell something? What was the experience like? Would you use such a service again? If you haven't, detail how you have sold or bought something outside the environment of a retailer.

I've used EBay to buy a lot of things. I actually just bought a purse two weeks ago using EBay. I love EBay. It's very user friendly. You simply type in what you are shopping for and it matches keywords up to what's being sold. A lot of the times you can get really good buys on stuff, like designer jeans, shoes, phone covers, and so on. The items can be new or used. There's usually multiple pictures of the item as well as dimensions, color, gender type, condition, size, color, and so on listed under the information of the item. Also, some of the items, if there are multiples of the product have a "Buy Now" option. Sometimes the "Buy Now" option is more expensive then what you'd first bid, but it's a guarantee of you getting the item. When you place a bid on an item, you bid until you are the highest bidder. Once someone outbids you, you can try to outbid them if you have any time left on the sale. It's a very simple process, anyone could do it. I would definitely use this service again. I use it all the time looking for online deals I could possibly snag. Sometimes I just roam the website looking for anything I could potentially use.

Important Personal Question

You have an important personal question you'd like answered. Explain the procedure for getting your question answered and why this method appeals to you (you don't need to get specific, but let's assume the answer does not require specific expert knowledge, as from a doctor).

Whenever I have an important personal question, I usually turn to Google. Google is such a wide spread tool now. For instance, in social situations, if someone asks a question like, "How do I get to James Madison University?" If someone didn't know, they would simply say "Google it!" Google has now taken the shape as a verb because it's being used daily by its consumers. Especially now that Google has introduced Google Instant, it's so fast getting the answers you're looking for. You type in a couple words, if that, and answers start popping up! However, if I ever have a medical question, I always use Webmd. Webmd is usually more accurate than Google when it comes to symptoms I'd be feeling. Asking questions on the Internet appeals to me because it's just so easy. The Internet has shaped how consumers get information. We don't have to call up James Madison University for directions or call or visit the doctor simply to distinguish if you have a cold or the flu. Now, we just sit down in front of our computer and enjoy the easy accessibility of the Internet world.

ZTA

Describe a group you are a member of and how it is organized. Is there management? How is information distributed within the group?


I am a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority here at James Madison. Our sorority is mainly organized by pledge classes. We have recruitment every fall semester and take about fifty to sixty new girls that are either freshmen or sophomores. A pledge class is the group of girls that all rushed the same fall semester. They are the girls you do everything prior to initiation with. You learn everything about the sorority, all the secrets and all the history. You make a very strong bond with the girls since you're all in it together and experiencing all the same things at the same time. Joining a sorority is a huge step for some girls and having their pledge class for support is crucial.

Having an executive board is also crucial in a sorority. There are ten executive positions: President, Vice President I who runs the Program Council, Vice President II who takes care of the new members, Vice President III who handles the recruitment process, Treasurer, Panhellenic, Historian, House Manager, Secretary, and Ritual. The President runs the executive board and then the executive board informs the rest of the chapter about upcoming deadlines, events, etc related to their position. Every week the executive board has a meeting discussing anything important that has happened in the past week or what is coming up in the future, whether it be the near future or a semester away. The executive board then holds a chapter meeting every Sunday for the rest of the members to learn about what's going on in the chapter. Also, every Monday and Thursday the Secretary sends out chapter emails reminding the rest of the members what was discussed at the chapter meeting on Sunday and of upcoming events and so on. If any of the executive members need to send out emails to the chapter related to their position, they may do so as well. The President also has an account to TextBlast. TextBlast allows the President to send text messages to all the girls in the chapter about quick reminders, like attending philanthropy events. Information is constantly being thrown around any which way it can to be received by the whole chapter. Through meetings, paper work, e-mails, and text messages. So far, every way that information has been distributed has been very successful for our chapter.

Newly Emerging Groups

If managers aren't important anymore towards the formation or control of groups using online tools, what do you consider the main role websites such as Meetup.com, Facebook, or Myspace have provided newly emerging groups?

Social networking websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Meetup.com, have shaped the future of communicating with your friends, coworkers, and even people you just met. Facebook was first established for college students to connect with their new classmates. Students were able to go online and talk to their fellow classmates about missed classwork or if they had questions about an assignment. Now, it has boomed all over the world for people to keep in touch. Not only it is for the social aspect but also for the working environment. I know a lot businesses that have pages on Facebook and Myspace to get their name out and for their employees to communicate and organize business related events. This allows the business to expand all over and get their name out to anyone whose interested in what they do; it's almost like an online business card. Anything on the Internet can expand all over the world or just the community, just like the example Clay Shirky gave to us in Here Comes Everybody. Clay told a story about a girl, Ivanna, who had lost her phone in a cab and her friend, Evan, took it upon himself to find it. When communicating with the girl that had taken her phone didn't work, he turned to the Internet. His word spread all over, from the community to the police. Word of mouth is contagious, especially when it's something so easily attainable like on the web. The community took it upon themselves to help Evan get Ivanna's phone back and was successful. This story just shows how powerful the Internet is. With social networking websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Meetup.com, it's even more powerful. Groups have formed all over the web. Facebook has billions upon billions of groups from Sororities to Fraternities to Sport Teams. Facebook has every group you could possibly think of. And billions upon billions of people see these groups daily. If a newly emerging group was attempting to get their name out, the Internet is the most promising tool to use to spread their name, especially social groups. Not to mention, Facebook makes it so easy to create a group and is so organized in their format of the group. Facebook, Myspace and Meetup.com are gateways to success for newly emerging groups. Word of mouth has never spread faster than through the Internet cable.


Resources:

Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky

Grocery Loyalty Cards

Chapter 2 revealed the reason behind grocery loyalty cards. How do you feel about the use of these cards that offer us discounts at the cash register? Do you feel your purchasing privacy is worth a discount?


I don't mind loyalty cards at all. Everyday the average person is willing to give up their information for discounts at the store. It happens all over the United States not only at grocery stores, but many other stores, such as retail stores. Not to mention, you don't have to give up all of your information to receive one of these cards. For instance, I know that a lot of the retail stores I go in ask for phone number, an email address or your home address, etc and all you have to say is "No thank you" and they stop there. The average person knows what they're doing when they give away their private information in return for extra discounts. Even though it definitely is a little ridiculous that if you don't give away your private information you have to spend more, but that's the price you have to pay. Everyone loves saving money, therefore harmlessly giving away some private information is worth it to some people. It's worth it to me. If giving my phone number away means I can save dollars that add up over time, I definitely will take the opportunity to do so. Not to mention, loyalty cards aren't the only things that hold private information these days. Your private information is every where. Swipe any card you hold and people can know a lot about you. Especially after reading Hal Abelson's "Blown to Bits", who holds privacy anymore? All in all, privacy is worth the discount.

"I pledge." DMM

Google vs. China

Both Google and Yahoo have been criticized for censoring their search results in China. What are your feelings about this? Why should Google, or why should Google not, produce different search results for different countries?


When I first read about Google censoring their search results in China, I thought it was kind of ridiculous. Why should one of the biggest international Internet search engines have to censor what their whole purpose is? But, then Abelson in "Blown to Bits" stated, "In China: The technology creates greater government control of the information its citizens receive, and better tools for monitoring their behavior." This is obviously China's doing. China is a conservative country and the government wants to be able to control what it's citizens are able to search and read. If they are allowed to monitor what their citizens receive through the Internet, why not do it? Yeah, from the American point of view, we'd think that's taking away freedom, but in China, this is how they run their country and government. If they want to monitor what their citizens are doing on the Internet, then they will.

Also, after reading the Official Google Blog about China and their limited searches, Google doesn't really have a say. In the third paragraph, the Google Team says, "Google is committed to providing easy access to as much information as possible. For Internet users in China, Google remains the only major search engine that does not censor any web pages. However, it's clear that search results deemed to be sensitive for political or other reasons are inaccessible within China. There is nothing Google can do about this." Clearly, Google had to censor their search engine. If Google did not listen to China, then Google would be blocked altogether. And why would Google want that? Therefore, Google and China have made a compromise. If Google censors their search engine for China then China will allow Google to remain a search engine. "Google News does not show news stories, but rather links to news stories. So links to stories published by blocked news sources would not work for users inside the PRC -- if they clicked on a headline from a blocked source, they would get an error page. It is possible that there would be some small user value to just seeing the headlines. However, simply showing these headlines would likely result in Google News being blocked altogether in China (Official Google Blog, Google Team)." Therefore, Google should produce different search results for different countries. If Google wants to remain one of the biggest search engines on the web, they have to listen to their consumers. Websites these days get blocked if they don't follow the rules. You can't share anything and everything you want on the web without some of them having consequences. Different countries have different rules and laws about the Internet and Google and also Yahoo are doing their best to follow them so they aren't totally blocked from the search engine world. One of the main successes of owning a business is listening to your consumers and Google and Yahoo are doing their best so that their consumers are getting what they want.


Resources:

Blown to Bits, Hal Abelson.

Official Google Blog, the Google Team, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2004/09/china-google-news-and-source-inclusion.html



"I pledge" DMM

little something about moi :)

Helloooo everybody. My name's Drew. I am from Baltimore, Maryland, the country part, and am a Junior here at James Madison. This is my third year living on campus; yes, third year. I currently am on the executive council of my sorority, hence the third year on campus, and I'm obsessed with the color purple. I even have a couple of purple highlights in my hair! I am a Communication major with an Educational Media minor. I don't know what my career future holds for me, but I just really want to work with people and make some of that cash moneys :) I hope to learn from this course more about how the society uses different types of media and the Internet to communicate with others. Also, how the Internet has overall shaped our society today and how much it and everyone in the world has grown over the years with this accessibility. It's crazy to think about how much the world has been shaped by the technology we are capable of getting our hands on today. Therefore, I hope with this course, I will gain a better understanding of the Internet world and its impact on society.