Watching the movie made me realize what a genius Mark Zuckerberg is but it also reminded me of the beauty of friendship between two friends. Eduardo, played by Andrew Garfield, is the epitome of loyalty, and he is definitely that one person you always want by your side-he will always be there to lift you up when you need him. So, when I watched how Mark, played by Jessie Eisenberg, betrayed his dear friend all in the name of taking credit for the invention and success of Facebook, it affected me in ways that is hard to explain. I don't use Facebook as much as I used to, and I don't admire Mark the way I did in the past. Most successful people made it to the top with good and hardworking people by their side, and Mark failed to acknowledge those who helped him get to the top. The success of Facebook should have been a moment of jubilation for the founders; however, it was a series of lawsuits and the destruction of a great friendship that never should have occurred.
For the most part, I enjoyed the movie because it made me realize that one can make the impossible possible if you put your mind to it. The only thing holding us back from accomplishing our dreams is self. So, if we knock down the obstacles or hurdles that block our way head on, we can make our dreams a reality and ultimately open doors for future generations to come. Mark Zuckerberg didn't have a lot going for him - he was nerdy, unpopular, and unfit to be accepted into any of the popular fraternities on campus. He could not get the one girl he wanted on campus. So, his solution to this crisis was to create a network where people could socialize and keep up to date online. This idea and invention is what catapulted him to an iconic status. Although I didn't like the way he betrayed his good friend, Eduardo, I must say that the movie inspires you to confront your fears head on and to aggressively pursue your dreams till you see it come to fruition. Overall, I would give the movie 4 stars.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Next New Thing
The new media I would suggest is practically interactive and transparent in terms of being able to see, hear and talk to the person your communicating with. This network will be called 3monkeys.com - the site will have the image/logo of three monkeys with the first one sitting with his eyes wide open (eyes almost jumping out of the sockets), the second one with his ears blowing up like a balloon, and the third monkey with his mouth wide open and words just gushing out of his mouth.
Anyone who wants to join network, will have to sign up and agree to have information checked by company. This is to ensure that everyone on the site is who they say they are, and to minimize any potential problem that may arise. Some people may look at this practice as an invasion of privacy; however, we have learned from past experiences about people who use the internet to mask their identity as they pose as someone who doesn't exist. For instance, a 13-year-old committed suicide after her online lover dumped her. The problem with this is the boy was a fictitious character created by the mother of a former friend of Megan. She did it to find out what Megan had to say about her daughter. This irresponsible behavior of the mom led to the death of a young teenager. So, this network will eliminate this issue because members will have to chat live with each other. Anyone under 18 will have to get parents permission to join, and the network will enforce this by sending confirmation to both parents or a parent and a teacher in their school. Again this is to ensure the safety of everyone on the site. Members will have the capability of holding conferences with other members while the speak on issues that they care about. The person talking will be seen by participants and anyone who has anything to say will also be seen. Also, it will be a great site to share one's experiences and to get feed back from members. Teenagers can talk to one another to organize events that will benefit the needy, and if the plan gains the support of a significant number of people, then 3monkeys.com will sponsor the event.
It will be a great site to have conversations just like you would in person; and to network with prospective employers, or just people in general.
The site will encourage members to debate on issues that affect society, share ideas or inventions on the site; if their idea or invention is loved by a lot of people on the site, 3monkeys.com will reward them monetarily and team up with other companies to help the inventor take his skills to the next level. It will be a site to showcase one's talent.
Because of the site's transparency, cyber-bullying will not be a problem on the site; besides, the site will install a software in the system that will detect and report derogatory words, actions and behavior. Upon detection, the staff will investigate and then proceed to alert whoever needs to alerted and the people involved in bullying or harrassing will have their membership revoked. Basically, it will have all the capabilities that the other social networks have, the main difference will be that one will have to video conference or chat live with members in order to benefit from the site.
Anyone who wants to join network, will have to sign up and agree to have information checked by company. This is to ensure that everyone on the site is who they say they are, and to minimize any potential problem that may arise. Some people may look at this practice as an invasion of privacy; however, we have learned from past experiences about people who use the internet to mask their identity as they pose as someone who doesn't exist. For instance, a 13-year-old committed suicide after her online lover dumped her. The problem with this is the boy was a fictitious character created by the mother of a former friend of Megan. She did it to find out what Megan had to say about her daughter. This irresponsible behavior of the mom led to the death of a young teenager. So, this network will eliminate this issue because members will have to chat live with each other. Anyone under 18 will have to get parents permission to join, and the network will enforce this by sending confirmation to both parents or a parent and a teacher in their school. Again this is to ensure the safety of everyone on the site. Members will have the capability of holding conferences with other members while the speak on issues that they care about. The person talking will be seen by participants and anyone who has anything to say will also be seen. Also, it will be a great site to share one's experiences and to get feed back from members. Teenagers can talk to one another to organize events that will benefit the needy, and if the plan gains the support of a significant number of people, then 3monkeys.com will sponsor the event.
It will be a great site to have conversations just like you would in person; and to network with prospective employers, or just people in general.
The site will encourage members to debate on issues that affect society, share ideas or inventions on the site; if their idea or invention is loved by a lot of people on the site, 3monkeys.com will reward them monetarily and team up with other companies to help the inventor take his skills to the next level. It will be a site to showcase one's talent.
Because of the site's transparency, cyber-bullying will not be a problem on the site; besides, the site will install a software in the system that will detect and report derogatory words, actions and behavior. Upon detection, the staff will investigate and then proceed to alert whoever needs to alerted and the people involved in bullying or harrassing will have their membership revoked. Basically, it will have all the capabilities that the other social networks have, the main difference will be that one will have to video conference or chat live with members in order to benefit from the site.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Our Class Wiki - so far
So far its been a great experience doing minor editorial changes. My research is basically on how businesses strategically use new media to boost sales and to promote their service and goods to people. The companies understand that a lot of people now rely on social networks for news, entertainment, etc., and are smart enough to know that the traditional way of doing business is obselete and to survive in a highly wired society, they have to be in sync with the customers and connect with them through networks like Twitter, My Space, Facebook, etc.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
About my Term Paper
Doing research on how the internet deprives people of their privacy made me realize that we spend too much time surfing the net and in essence bare our all to the world at large. I don't think people realize that the more time they spend on the internet, the more information they give about themselves and the more they risk losing their privacy. Because the more people know about you, the more vulnerable you become to con-artists and scammers and even companies that use your information for marketing purposes. I decided to research this topic because I wanted to know the extent at which we expose ourselves to strangers, and i also wanted to know ways to protect my identity and privacy online. One of the things I learned is that scammers target children and high school students in terms of getting sensitive information about their parents; I also learned ways to protect the children from scammers and this is important to me because I have an 8-year-old child.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
MODELING REALITY WITH VIRTUAL WORLDS
The virtual world is sucking in more and more people into it. People participate in the virtual world to escape the hardship and cruelty of the world. As United States finds itself in a recession, more and more people are losing their jobs which means they're more people at home with not much to do. So, they gravitate towards the world that can give them comfort and an escape into a world that resembles a utopia. The article, "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You," illustrates the mind-set of people today. Mandy Cocke indulges herself into the virtual world and assumes the name , Vixie Raynna. Vixie Rayna denies herself of nothing; she buys everything she desires regardless of cost. In the virtual world, money is not an issue. However, in real life Mandy does not spend frivously because she doesn't make as much as she used to. So, she lives vicariously through Vixie and gets whatever she wants since she can't get it in real life.
The virtual world could be used to do virtually everyhing one can do in the real world - from buying properties to hanging out at a virtual lounge; from connecting to friends to shopping, etc.
The advantages of the virtual world is the networking factor - the fact that you can connect with people and make new business contacts. People can get educated about products and services through the virtual world.
A major disadvantage is the loss of privacy. Someone can put information you don't want exposed on the internet for all to see.
Virtual world foster creativity by allowing people to connect with people they otherwise would not have met, and joining heads together to share and exchange ideas. The virtual world has made it possible for people to connect with people from all over the world so we get exposed to different cultures and the way of life of others and ultimately we get inspired and ideas are created.
The entire world will go virtual and less real. In other words, plastic - a fantasy world filled with people who don't want to deal with reality.
The virtual world could be used to do virtually everyhing one can do in the real world - from buying properties to hanging out at a virtual lounge; from connecting to friends to shopping, etc.
The advantages of the virtual world is the networking factor - the fact that you can connect with people and make new business contacts. People can get educated about products and services through the virtual world.
A major disadvantage is the loss of privacy. Someone can put information you don't want exposed on the internet for all to see.
Virtual world foster creativity by allowing people to connect with people they otherwise would not have met, and joining heads together to share and exchange ideas. The virtual world has made it possible for people to connect with people from all over the world so we get exposed to different cultures and the way of life of others and ultimately we get inspired and ideas are created.
The entire world will go virtual and less real. In other words, plastic - a fantasy world filled with people who don't want to deal with reality.
COMPARING TWITTER WITH BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION
There is not much room to work with in Twitter. One is allowed to enter a maximum of 140 characters which is usually not enough unless you're writing a simple "hello" or you're writing to know the time and place of an event. And for that reason, it forces one to get creative with words. It's hard to keep to the 140 characters and still write your message effectively. However abbreviating words can do the trick if understood by most folks. For instance : I wil c u 2moro is I will see you tomorrow. So in a nutshell, one has to get creative in order to use a maximum of 140 characters to convey a message.
Blackboard on the otherhand, gives room for freedom. You are allowed to write as much as you want and is more intimate in terms of your article being available to only your classmates as opposed to twitter that is open to the public.
I think I prefer blackboard only because I have the freedom to write as much as I want to with no limitations, and can write in a way that all students understand and appreciate my writing and subject. Twitter has a lot of limitations and thus forces one to be creative in writing a message. The problem is not everyone can handle the limitations of Twitter
Blackboard on the otherhand, gives room for freedom. You are allowed to write as much as you want and is more intimate in terms of your article being available to only your classmates as opposed to twitter that is open to the public.
I think I prefer blackboard only because I have the freedom to write as much as I want to with no limitations, and can write in a way that all students understand and appreciate my writing and subject. Twitter has a lot of limitations and thus forces one to be creative in writing a message. The problem is not everyone can handle the limitations of Twitter
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
SOCIAL NETWORKING
The new technology has grown into an octupus that cannot be controlled - It has evolved into a tool that is used to connect with people from all over the world. And it is used in all facets of the business world. It's a phenomenal tool that is used to market people, events, and products. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc are tools used to connect to people from all walks of life, and it is also used by companies to inform customers of their products or services. Companies also use these tools to get feedback on their product from the customers. It's a great marketing strategy in which they use to improve their products.
Twitter is a social medium that people use to connect with friends or people who share the same interest they do. It's a micro blogging platform that people use to publish short messages of less than 140 characters through different mediums like cellphone, IM, and the web. The popularity of Twitter has grown to astronomical levels and corporations are aware of this and thus want a piece of the goldmine. So more corporations are investing in this tool by communicating with their customers on Twitter and pasting the link to their site on there. Companies use Twitter as a traffic generation tool - putting links within profiles can direct customers to their site.
Twitter is the new way of hiring people. More companies rely on Twitter for recommendation of a person who could be a good fit for a position that needs to be filled. It's a great way of hiring freelancers and people who can get the job done. Employers are also known for communicating with their employees via Twitter, and is also used to set-up meetings. One of the benefits of Twitter is that you can use it to develop and maintain relationships with people who share the same interest with you.
Although Twitter has a lot of benefits, It has its flaws. Because it is known for immediacy of messages, sometimes, it could help spread information about a person that could be detrimental to the person in question. For instance, In Obama's interview with ABC, Obama called Kanye West a "jackass" for interfering with Taylor Swift's win; he said it off camera. However, some of the employees at ABC overheard and twitted it immediatey which eventually caused some eyebrows to rise. So Twitter does have a dark side to it because it robs people especially celebrities and public officials of their privacy. On the flip side, It could bring attention to a good cause with a sense of immediacy. For instance, in the Daily News article, "Twitter used to help land plane with aid for Haiti earthquake victims," it reads that Twitter may have saved lives in Haiti during the earthquake when a cargo full of medicine was blocked from landing at Port-au-Prince due to congestion. This information reached Twitter users immediately, and thus users reacted immediately by demanding that the plane be allowed into Port-Au prince. So this is a good example of how the Twitter can benefit society - its power of immediacy is a benefit to all. http://www.nydailynews.com/fdcp?1286907760362
I believe more and more people will become less independent of the traditional media and rely more on Twitter, Facebook, websites, etc for their news and whatever interest them. The social networks have evolved into a " one-stop shop," for any information desired - from the news to fashion - to health and education and to celebrity gossip. I think the social network media will be used more among friends, acquintances, etc to communicate than the telephone or cellphone. It will be our main vehicle for doing business and connecting socially with friends and people who are like-minded.
Twitter is a social medium that people use to connect with friends or people who share the same interest they do. It's a micro blogging platform that people use to publish short messages of less than 140 characters through different mediums like cellphone, IM, and the web. The popularity of Twitter has grown to astronomical levels and corporations are aware of this and thus want a piece of the goldmine. So more corporations are investing in this tool by communicating with their customers on Twitter and pasting the link to their site on there. Companies use Twitter as a traffic generation tool - putting links within profiles can direct customers to their site.
Twitter is the new way of hiring people. More companies rely on Twitter for recommendation of a person who could be a good fit for a position that needs to be filled. It's a great way of hiring freelancers and people who can get the job done. Employers are also known for communicating with their employees via Twitter, and is also used to set-up meetings. One of the benefits of Twitter is that you can use it to develop and maintain relationships with people who share the same interest with you.
Although Twitter has a lot of benefits, It has its flaws. Because it is known for immediacy of messages, sometimes, it could help spread information about a person that could be detrimental to the person in question. For instance, In Obama's interview with ABC, Obama called Kanye West a "jackass" for interfering with Taylor Swift's win; he said it off camera. However, some of the employees at ABC overheard and twitted it immediatey which eventually caused some eyebrows to rise. So Twitter does have a dark side to it because it robs people especially celebrities and public officials of their privacy. On the flip side, It could bring attention to a good cause with a sense of immediacy. For instance, in the Daily News article, "Twitter used to help land plane with aid for Haiti earthquake victims," it reads that Twitter may have saved lives in Haiti during the earthquake when a cargo full of medicine was blocked from landing at Port-au-Prince due to congestion. This information reached Twitter users immediately, and thus users reacted immediately by demanding that the plane be allowed into Port-Au prince. So this is a good example of how the Twitter can benefit society - its power of immediacy is a benefit to all. http://www.nydailynews.com/fdcp?1286907760362
I believe more and more people will become less independent of the traditional media and rely more on Twitter, Facebook, websites, etc for their news and whatever interest them. The social networks have evolved into a " one-stop shop," for any information desired - from the news to fashion - to health and education and to celebrity gossip. I think the social network media will be used more among friends, acquintances, etc to communicate than the telephone or cellphone. It will be our main vehicle for doing business and connecting socially with friends and people who are like-minded.
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