Checking Out Some Social Networking Sites

There are various types of social networking sites available on the internet. People can choose which ones to join based on their interests. The few networking sites that I have tried so far are MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and YouTube. MySpace was the very first social network I joined. My friend told me to join it, so that she could make me "a friend on MySpace". I really got into at one point because it made it easier for me to quickly keep in touch with friends and share photos. Just before I stopped using MySpace, I noticed that artists and aspiring singers/musicians started promoting their work on the website, making MySpace grow. Facebook was mainly created for college students, but it was quickly made available to anyone who had an e-mail address. Facebook is a little different from MySpace in the sense that it made sharing pictures easier. Facebook allows "tagging" which simply consists of naming the people who are present in the picture. MySpace later picked up on the popularity of "tagging" and made it accessible for their users to tag. Besides the fact that Facebook makes it easier for people to share photos, it also makes it easier for people to comment on "the wall". One downside that Facebook might have is that it doesn't let you customize your page, you are stuck with the plain white and blue default colors. Friendster has been around since 2002 and it is considered to be one of the first social networking sites that got popular. Personally, I feel that it is harder to upload pictures on this website. It recently gave people a chance to add fun applications to their personal pages. One application that MySpace and Facebook do not have, but that Friendster has is that it lets you see who visits your page and how many views your page got throughout the whole month. In the United States Friendster is not that popular, but in the Philippines it is the number one social networking site. Many people may not consider YouTube to be a social network because it was strictly made for videos. I feel that is not the case anymore, and YouTube has turned into another social network. People communicate and meet other people on YouTube by commenting and rating other people's videos. YouTube lets you be friends with other "youtubbers".  This website may not seem like your typical social network, but it is rapidly evolving into one. 

Our Class Wiki- So Far

 I am a contributor for the Entertainment and FAQ pages, but I haven't added any new material for our class wiki yet. I have been doing research on how new media has been slowly increasing the number of people using computers instead of televisions to watch shows, movies, brief documentaries, ect. I will have examples of websites offering videos. I was also thinking of going in depth with how YouTube has given people a way to be entertained by simply searching videos of their interests. For the FAQ page I am planning to add material on what people might ask about our new media class. 

Rough Outline of Book Review

Book: Rule the Web

Author: Mark Frauenfelder

I. Introduction

A. Brief overview

i. Title and author of book

ii. Thesis of the book

iii. Brief introduction of topics in the book

II. Body - Analysis of the major points made in the book

A. Overview of book

B. Analysis of Creating and Sharing

C. Analysis of Media and Entertainment

D. Analysis of Work, Organization, and Productivity

III. Critique of book/ Relation to New Media

A. Audience of the book; how well author carried out the theme 

B. Contributions of book to new media

C. Relation of the the book to what we learn in class

IV. Conclusion

A. Personal opinion about the book

Social Networking and Virtual Worlds

What are some ways (corporate and otherwise) that these technologies can be used?

Social networks and virtual worlds can be used to keep in touch with people and meet new friends. On the corporate level, these technologies can be and in some cases are used to the business' advantage. Some firms use social networks to recruit people as mentioned in the reading, "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting". A popular website used to find new employees is Linkedin, that as shown in the website has "Over 25 millions professionals" using it. Other companies may use social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to advertise their products. These ads can be seen on the sides or top and bottom of a user's page. Virtual worlds like Second Life can be used in the corporate world to hold virtual meetings. It would be easier and cheaper for employees to log on a program like Second Life and privately hold meetings. IBM uses virtual worlds to mentor and sometimes even train their new employees. 

What are the benefits of these technologies to society? Be specific.

As explained in the article, "Naughty Auties Battle Autism with Virtual Interaction", virtual worlds can help autistic people improve their social skills. By using these types of technologies they can slowly learn how to comfortably communicate and express their feelings with other individuals. 

Is there a "dark side"?

Yes, there is definitely a dark side to social networks and virtual worlds. These technologies give multiple chances for predators to target innocent users with their bad intentions.

Make sure to include your opinion of the way these technologies might evolve in the future.

I think that social networking and virtual worlds will definitely change the way we communicate with one another even more. I feel that the usage of telephones or cellphones, and live conversations may decrease because of these technologies. Social networks and virtual worlds make it easier for people to communicate because in some cases it is instant and less formal.

Term Research Project Sources

http://selfhelpsalon.typepad.com/painless_self_promo/2007/03/using_my_space_.htmlhttp://www.weberbooks.com/2006/11/using-myspace-for-book-promotion-and.html

Bloggers insight on the usage of MySpace to promote a book.

http://marketingsellingbooks.suite101.com/article.cfm/using_the_web_to_sell_your_book

Using the internet to promote a book.

http://emusician.com/tutorials/emusic_myspace_musicians/

A How To promote yourself as a musician on MySpace. 

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2004/12/65927

An article about a study on how internet is a helpful promotional tool for musicians. 

http://www.craftedweb.com/website-content/how-to-use-online-video-to-promote-your-art/

How posting up videos can help promote your art. 

http://selfpromotion.com/

A website giving people tips and facts on how to self promote your site. 

http://www.youtube.com/

I have been watching several individuals promoting themselves through the internet. Through this research I have been taking down notes on how people try to promote themselves through videos. 

Note: More sources will be used as I continue my research. 

Blogs vs Wikis

Blogs and wikis are tools used to share information with people about certain subjects. Blogs though are a little different from wikis because they are less formal, therefore more personal. When a person blogs, he or she usually expresses opinions about a certain matter along with some facts. Comments are accepted on blogs, giving the writer and the reader a chance to interact with each other and exchange thoughts. Also in blogs, people can add photos, music, and videos. Unlike blogs, wikis are mostly based on facts of a certain subject. As said in Wikipedia, anyone can add and edit information on a wiki. 

My New Media Class- So Far

The New Media course that I am taking turned out to be quite interesting. No, I'm not saying that to please anyone, but this class has given me a different perspective about new media. In this class I am challenged to think about how new media and its' components play a big role in many different topics, such as entertainment, business, politics, and so on. 

New Media is made up of different technologies. The main new media element that is used worldwide is the internet. As mentioned in the reading "The New Media Technologies: Overview and Reseach Framework", some new media tools used on the internet include blogs, virtual words, social networks, and wikis. Other new media technologies include cellphones, computer games, and computers in general. 

As I have mentioned before I feel that the Internet is the main component that represents new media. If the internet did not exist, new media would be very limited. The internet is the main tool that lets us communicate faster and easier and the internet made it extremely easy for people to retrieve any sort of information. New Media is digital and computerized technology  and that is what the internet represents. 

New media is quickly enhancing old media. Old media such as books, magazines, newspapers, and television, are being replaced by blogs, wikis, search engines on the internet, and cellphones as well. Unlike old media, new media gives us what we need quicker. Nowadays people want things right away,  and that is what new media provides us. Today we can even get information from our cellphones. The article "Yahoo's Answer to Speech Recognition for Your Cellphone" tells us that now it's possible to get your questions answered with just the use of a cellphone, thanks to a free service called Cha Cha. New media is definitely saving us time and maybe that is why right now it is more popular than old media.