What has happened to the idea of ‘community’ in the age of networked digital media? The Macquarie Concise Dictionary (1998) defines a community as ‘a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and have a cultural and historical heritage’. Internet technology has extended this notion of community to encompass people from all over the world as well as the creation of virtual communities (Boyer, Cortes, Vernick, Wilbur, Khan & Balfour 1999). Richard Stallman was the first person to see the positive potential for a sharing community on the internet, which he established by creating free software. This led to the creation of the Creative Commons, a community website where artists can place different levels of copy right restrictions on their original work (Creative Commons 2005). Other online sharing communities also developed, such as peer to peer file sharing and virtual communities. However not all internet communities are beneficial, there are still many problems that need to be sorted out such as the legalities of peer to peer sharing and cyber bullying. So how has the internet changed our collective concept of what a ‘community’ is?
The internet was originally designed to link together a small community of researchers, but it is now used by many millions of people all around the world (Shenker 1995). Larry Lessig (2007) believes that the internet has brought us from a passive (read only) existence to a read/write existence where we have user generated content; people contribute to and download from the internet. People use the internet to shop, listen to music, play games, chat to people overseas and even do their personal banking. Many analysts have looked at the effect the internet has had on communities, like Wellman, Hass, Witte & Hampton (2001) who established that the internet has had a positive effect on community by providing a meeting space for people with common interests that overcomes the limitations of space and time, and Hampton and Wellman (2003). who found that it has enhanced traditional communities by adding a new way of connecting with existing relationships. Internet communities provide the means for a group of peers, who live in different locations, to communicate with each other. This can include discussion boards on websites, chat rooms, mailing lists or newsgroups (Eysenbach & Till 2001).
Richard Stallman found one way of generating a community online was by creating ‘free’ software that was needed to run the computers that connect to the internet. Stallman was part of a computer programmer community that shared software amongst themselves in the 1970’s; however by the 1980’s the people who owned the software made the programmers sign agreements that they would not ‘illegally’ distribute their software anymore (Stallman 2002). The owners of proprietary software declared that “if you share with your neighbour you are a pirate” (Stallman). Stallman decided to counter this and designed GNU, which stands for Gnu’s not Unix, because he felt that a cooperating sharing community was now made illegal. Stallman believed that with a free operating system he could recreate the community of computer programmers by inviting everyone to use GNU who wanted to (Stallman). Therefore no one had to deprive his or her friends of this new system or be forced in to piracy. As the popularity, and demand, for his products grew, Stallman decided he needed to expand his business, and attempted to find a way to make money from it (Stallman). Thus, he founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) which is committed to providing a community of ‘free’ software (Bove 2005). Free software is community based as it has no official owner and promotes sharing. Stallman believes that free software equates to freedom, the freedom to communicate and the freedom of choice (Stallman as cited in Moore 2003). The choice to run the program for any purpose, the freedom to modify the program to suit your personal needs, the freedom to redistribute copies and the freedom to distribute modified versions of the program so that the community can benefit from your improvements (Stallman). There is no contradiction between free software and selling copies, as the freedom to sell copies is necessary to raise funds for the development of future free software (Stallman). The free software foundation is a community that now has members from all around the world committed to promoting computer users ‘rights to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute modified computer programs’ (Free Software Foundation 2007). From the development of free software came the development of the Creative Commons (CC) which is an online community of artists who are interested in sharing their work with the public. CC uses the same philosophy as free software but in other contexts, such as music or photography. The CC is working to revive balance, compromise and moderation back in to the copy right system (Creative Commons 2005). Like the free software movement, their goal is community-minded and the means are voluntary, people define their own level of copyright on a spectrum from fully copyright (all rights reserved) to public domain (no rights reserved) (Creative Commons). This organisation has generated support and donations from many different countries all around the world from people who believe that this is an important compromise in the balance between copyright and new technologies such as the internet.
Other internet communities can be virtual which allows the participant the freedom to create a person that they would like to be. People can choose physical traits that may or may not look like themselves, as well as develop the confidence to say and behave in ways they would not in ‘real life’. One popular virtual world is Second Life. Founded by Philip Rosedale in 1999, Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its residents (Linden Research 2007a). There are over 11,193,809 residents who come from over 100 different countries, 60% are men, 40% are women and they range in age from 18 – 85 years (Linden Research 2007b). These demographics show the wide diversity that live in this online community that you are not likely to find anywhere else in the ‘real’ world. There is a daily list of public events, including games, parties, and contests which help to promote the feeling of a community (Linden Research 2007b). There are also many ways that virtual worlds interact with the ‘real’ world. In November 2007, a minister from the Maldives, Malta and the UK hosted a virtual climate change press conference in Second Life (Nickson 2007). The ministers felt that by using Second Life as their platform they were able to reach a much wider range of the world’s population to talk about the impact climate change is having (Nickson). While most virtual worlds cater to adults and have an 18+ requirement, there are alternatives for those that are younger. Second Life caters for these younger participants and has an exclusive community area for those under the age of 18 (Linden Research 2007b). Another is virtual world that caters to young people is Club Penguin. In Club Penguin participants create a penguin which they name, clothe and create a home for (Club Penguin 2007). They can also play games or work to earn coins that they can then purchase additional furniture, pets and clothes (Club Penguin). These communities can be a way of interacting with people from different backgrounds that participants would not normally meet. This can be beneficial in our globalised world as Mclaren (2003) found that having personal contact with people who are different to ourselves is one way for people to become more tolerant towards people from different cultures or communities.
Another online form of community is peer to peer sharing, commonly referred to as P2P. Using P2P, you can store sharing files on your computer that other users can access, as well as go online to search for and access other peoples sharing files (such as audio, visual or software) who are using the same P2P programs (Buckley & Clarke 2005). Some common P2P programs are Morpheus, Kazaa and LimeWire (Microsoft Corporation 2007). These programs are designed to share public domain material, however, it is possible to illegally access and download copy righted material and it is the users responsibility to know whether what they are downloading is legal (StreamCast Networks 2007). There have been many ethical debates on who is responsible when a file is illegally downloaded. Some people who download copy righted material justify it by saying that they are just trying it before they buy it while others openly state that they are not interested in supporting an industry that they feel does more harm than good (Buckley & Clarke). Corey Doctorow (as cited in AtGoogle Talks 2007) agrees with the latter and does not like the contradictions in morality that are posed by some in the music industry, such as those that are prosecuting people for downloading copyright music stating that people who behave in this way are taking away from the artists, yet the artists see none of the money that is paid in fines from illegal downloading.
Another legal issue within internet communities is the sharing of proprietary software. Even though Richard Stallman has created the FSF, many people are not aware that free software exists and they still ‘illegally’ share and distribute software programs such as Microsoft office. So while there is no question that downloading, or sharing, copyright material is illegal there are 1000’s of people every day doing it (Buckley & Clarke 2005). As Larry Lessig (2007) points out, maybe it is time that the laws are revised, as when the laws were written there was no internet, so that people are not criminalised for behaving in a manner that new technology now enables them so easily to do. Another problem with online communities is that some people who join them may not have good intentions. There have been cases of cyber bullying, one case in the media at present involves a 13 year old girl who hung herself after she was attacked verbally on her myspace page by other teenagers (AP Digital 2007). There are also people who to join P2P communities and access folders on people’s computers that they have not allocated to sharing, like bank records. While stealing and bullying may have occurred in traditional communities, it can be a lot harder now to track down the perpetrators as they could live in a different city, state or even country.
In conclusion it is clear that the internet has transformed the traditional concept of community by creating new forms of online communities (allowing instant contact between people from all over the world), as well as virtual communities. This counters the traditional notion of a community where people had to reside in the same locality, share governments, and or share a cultural heritage. Richard Stallman’s free software helped to generate an online sharing community through thee FSF. The internet created many ethical issues with copyright which led to the development of the Creative Commons. Other communities which could not be possible without the internet include virtual worlds and peer to peer sharing. The internet has had a positive effect on community as it has no borders, has revived a read/write existance and can help minimise intolerance. However it is clear that more research needs to be done to help educate people on the legalities, and morality, of sharing files over the internet and cyber bullying.
Reference List
AP Digital. (2007). Neighbors shun Missouri family over Internet hoax and suicide; police step up patrols. Sydney Morning Herald Online. Retrieved December 5, 2007 from the Sydney Morning Herald website: http://news.smh.com.au/neighbors-shun-missouri-family-over-internet-hoax-and-suicide-police-step-up-patrols/20071117-1axg.html.
AtGoogle Talks. (2007). Authors@Google: Cory Doctorow. Retrieved December 5, 2007 from the Youtube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgXwmXpaH2Q.
Bove, T. (2005) Slay the Word and You'll be Free. Just Say No to Microsoft. San Francisco, No Starch Press, p67-92. Retrieved November 30, 2007 from: http://www.nostarch.com/ download/sayno_ch4.pdf.
Boyer, D., Cortes, M., Vernick, M., Wilbur, S., Khan, A. & Balfour, G. (1999). Virtual Social Clubs: Meeting Places for the Internet Community [Abstract]. IEEE International Conference on Multimedia Computing and Systems, 2, 297.
Buckley, P. & Clark, D. (2005). The rough guide to the internet. Rough Guides Ltd: London.
Club Penguin Entertainment Inc. (2007). Retrieved December 2, 2007 from the Club Penguin website: www.clubpenguin.com.
Creative Commons. (2005). Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the Creative Commons website: http://creativecommons.org/about/.
Eysenbach, G. & Till, J. E. (2001). Ethical issues in qualitative research on internet communities. BMJ, 323(7321), 1103-1105.
Free Software Foundation. (2007). Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the Free Software Foundation website: www.fsf.org.
Hampton, K. & Wellman, B. (2003). Neighboring in Netville: How the Internet Supports Community and Social Capital in a Wired Suburb. City and Community, 2(4), 277.
Linden Research. (2007a). Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the Linden Lab website: http://lindenlab.com/about.
Linden Research. (2007b). Second Life: your world your imagination. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the Second Life website: http://secondlife.com/.
Macquarie University. (1998). The Macquarie Concise Dictionary (3rd ed.). Macquarie University: NSW.
McLaren, L. M. (2003). Anti-Immigrant Prejudice in Europe: Contact, Threat Perception, and Preferences for the Exclusion of Migrants. Social Forces, 81(3), 909-936.
Microsoft Corporation. (2007). P2P file sharing: Anticipate the risks before you download your first file. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the Microsoft website: http://www.microsoft./ com/protect/yourself/downloads/filesharing.mspx.
Moore, J. T. S. (2003). Revolution OS [Videorecording]. Wonderview Productions: Las Angeles.
Nickson, C. (2007). A virtual climate change conference on Second Life draws attention to the effect on small islands. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the Digital Trends website: http://news.digitaltrends.com/news/story/ 14859/second_life_climate_change_conference
Shenker, S. (1995). Fundamental design issues for the future Internet [Abstract]. Selected Areas in Communications, 13(7), 1176-1188.
Stallman, R. M. (2002). Free Software, Free Society: Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from http://www.gnu.org/doc/book13.html.
StreamCast Networks. (2007). Retrieved December 1, 2007, from the Morpheus website: www.morpheus.com.
Ted Conferences. (2007). Larry Lessig: How creativity is being strangled by the law. Retrieved December 1, 2007 from the Ted Talks website: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id /187.
Wellman, B., Hass, A. Q., Witte, J. & Hampton, K. (2001). Does the Internet Increase, Decrease, or Supplement Social Capital? [Abstract]. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(3), 436-455.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Day 10 Evaluation
Hopefully its not too late to write my evaluation :)
i have found this course very interesting as i did not know much about the internet before. i think i am now a lot more aware of the happenings online, some good some bad. i also like how we had to link up with others on our blogs, i really like reading other peoples blogs and looking at other peoples through links on others pages that arent linked to mine, we have created our own network, or community :)
I have felt a little lost at times though, one example is the extensive conversations that took place about the matrix, i have not seen this movie. and im not sure as to what is expected in these assessment items. i have struggled with motivation a bit, and i think part of the reason is not knowing whats expected, so hopefully ive done enough :)
Off to study for my assignment, still not sure of my topic, thinking i might focus on the community aspect of the internet, but i will see what references i can find on this topic.
i have found this course very interesting as i did not know much about the internet before. i think i am now a lot more aware of the happenings online, some good some bad. i also like how we had to link up with others on our blogs, i really like reading other peoples blogs and looking at other peoples through links on others pages that arent linked to mine, we have created our own network, or community :)
I have felt a little lost at times though, one example is the extensive conversations that took place about the matrix, i have not seen this movie. and im not sure as to what is expected in these assessment items. i have struggled with motivation a bit, and i think part of the reason is not knowing whats expected, so hopefully ive done enough :)
Off to study for my assignment, still not sure of my topic, thinking i might focus on the community aspect of the internet, but i will see what references i can find on this topic.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Exhilarating Day 9 part 2
I think the future of the internet can go one of 2 ways:
Stricter, harder to access, censorship of free speech, big companies taking over (like google) - no sites where just anybody can upload information - will be screened first, people will be scared with 'big brother' governments looking at all our correspondence, this may lead to people boycotting the internet altogether or the creation of smaller internets where people can only access a network of their friends, not a world wide web anymore. . . . . .
More free, everything can be shared, copyright laws will be dramatically altered, social network sights will be the way we communicate, possibly computers will become new telephones with life size video calling (like on the jetsons :), people will create their own movies - no need to pay actors, artists will want people to download their music for free as they have a message to get across and are happy that people want to listen to it, it wont be about making money as everything is accessible. . . . .
the possibilities are endless, and who knows what the future holds :)
Stricter, harder to access, censorship of free speech, big companies taking over (like google) - no sites where just anybody can upload information - will be screened first, people will be scared with 'big brother' governments looking at all our correspondence, this may lead to people boycotting the internet altogether or the creation of smaller internets where people can only access a network of their friends, not a world wide web anymore. . . . . .
More free, everything can be shared, copyright laws will be dramatically altered, social network sights will be the way we communicate, possibly computers will become new telephones with life size video calling (like on the jetsons :), people will create their own movies - no need to pay actors, artists will want people to download their music for free as they have a message to get across and are happy that people want to listen to it, it wont be about making money as everything is accessible. . . . .
the possibilities are endless, and who knows what the future holds :)
Exhilarating Day 9
Ok, maybe exhilarating is a bit of an overstatement but im running out of ideas!! :)
Today we looked at how technology can give us utopia or dystopia. I really liked the quote from Jurassic Park "they were so obsessed with the fact that they could do it, they forgot to consider whether they should", ethics - there is no right or wrong. . . . hard to determine, different for everyone, however i digress from the topic :)
The lecture was split in to the first media age (centralised dissemination) where there is one main source, and only a few people contributing to the source/sending message and the second media age (decentralised interaction) like the internet, which allows everyone to become senders and receivers of messages.
We then looked at some interesting internet statistics, such as the largest growth in internet use occurs in africa and the middle east, and that Australia/Oceania only make up .5% of the worlds internet usage.
Marshall McLuhan suggests there are actually 3 media ages: oral (preliterate), written (literate) and electric (visual literacy). This makes sense to me, once again im agreeing with mr Mcluhan :)
Next was looking at the need for 'new understandings' for this electronic age, mainly the discussion of is the internet the ultimate community equaliser? in an ideal world :) We then looked at utopia and dystopia, this stems from Plato's 'the republic' which is about creating an ideal society. i like the concept of the disneyisation of the world (all hazards of life are screened out) however i know this is not reality. One persons heaven is another persons hell, which makes it hard for those trying to create a cyber world. As to have a utopian society people cannot be allowed free will, as this may disrupt someone else's peaceful existance, so where do you draw the line???
Lastly we looked at a movie called Alphaville. This was made in the 60's and was about a society that was controlled by a computer. This was a very arty film with very loud dramatic music throughout, yet sweet music during the fight scene. There were no artists, painters or musicians (generally what can be referred to as 'free thinkers'), and words such as love and hate had been removed from peoples vocabularies!! i guess this would make society more peaceful (no strong emotions) but certainly less passionate and possibly boring :)
Today we looked at how technology can give us utopia or dystopia. I really liked the quote from Jurassic Park "they were so obsessed with the fact that they could do it, they forgot to consider whether they should", ethics - there is no right or wrong. . . . hard to determine, different for everyone, however i digress from the topic :)
The lecture was split in to the first media age (centralised dissemination) where there is one main source, and only a few people contributing to the source/sending message and the second media age (decentralised interaction) like the internet, which allows everyone to become senders and receivers of messages.
We then looked at some interesting internet statistics, such as the largest growth in internet use occurs in africa and the middle east, and that Australia/Oceania only make up .5% of the worlds internet usage.
Marshall McLuhan suggests there are actually 3 media ages: oral (preliterate), written (literate) and electric (visual literacy). This makes sense to me, once again im agreeing with mr Mcluhan :)
Next was looking at the need for 'new understandings' for this electronic age, mainly the discussion of is the internet the ultimate community equaliser? in an ideal world :) We then looked at utopia and dystopia, this stems from Plato's 'the republic' which is about creating an ideal society. i like the concept of the disneyisation of the world (all hazards of life are screened out) however i know this is not reality. One persons heaven is another persons hell, which makes it hard for those trying to create a cyber world. As to have a utopian society people cannot be allowed free will, as this may disrupt someone else's peaceful existance, so where do you draw the line???
Lastly we looked at a movie called Alphaville. This was made in the 60's and was about a society that was controlled by a computer. This was a very arty film with very loud dramatic music throughout, yet sweet music during the fight scene. There were no artists, painters or musicians (generally what can be referred to as 'free thinkers'), and words such as love and hate had been removed from peoples vocabularies!! i guess this would make society more peaceful (no strong emotions) but certainly less passionate and possibly boring :)
Invigorating Day 8 part 2
Given the conventional wisdom that traditional media are still the dominant form for getting "news" out to the world, do you think the internet will effect the audience for those old media?
Yes and No. i live with my grandma who originally didnt even want to look at the sydney morning herald online (she would go out and buy the paper every day), but now its become her morning ritual as its soo convenient and free. so while traditional media (such as newspapers) are moving with the times i think they will continue to be a dominant force. however, there is a lot more competition with access to sooo many news sources, i imagine that for younger generations (than my grandma who is loyal to the one paper, a sydney one even though she lives on the gold coast!!) they might be more interested in a less formal setting, such as blogs or the indy media site to get their news.
Check out the local IndyMedia website. What kind of news is there, and do you think a website like that has a place in your life?
Yes, i like it, it looks a little left of centre, like me :) but while i like the content, i am a little wary and aware that the content may not be true and the sources may be questionable. this is probably highlighted by the fact that my mum is a journalist, and while i know a lot of them have a reputation for twisting the truth to get a better story, i have a different opinion aware of the fact that journalists have a code of ethics that a lot of them actually stand by!! but i do think i will come back, maybe even once a month to see what's there.
Do you think the internet is (was?) an effective tool for politicians to reach out to their intended audience?
I'm not sure. i think it was great for them to try to reach out to younger audiences, but i dont actually know anyone who looked at either of the leaders you tube speeches. and from what i gathered those people that did just looked to laugh, not to listen to what was said. but i also think it was a way of letting the people know (or making them think) that politicans are interested and care about our youth, as well as that they are 'moving with the times'.
What do you think about blogs as a way for people to get information out? What about their role as political commentary?
I think its a great way for people to get their opinions out, but i think its important to realise that it is just their opinion, not necessarily fact. i also think its a great way for people to discuss their political ideas, the good and the bad, as people might bring up ideas that others have not thought of. its also a way of making a statement, like a friend of mine who on facebook has just joined a group called 'dont blame me - i voted liberal', i try not to hold this against her!! :)
Yes and No. i live with my grandma who originally didnt even want to look at the sydney morning herald online (she would go out and buy the paper every day), but now its become her morning ritual as its soo convenient and free. so while traditional media (such as newspapers) are moving with the times i think they will continue to be a dominant force. however, there is a lot more competition with access to sooo many news sources, i imagine that for younger generations (than my grandma who is loyal to the one paper, a sydney one even though she lives on the gold coast!!) they might be more interested in a less formal setting, such as blogs or the indy media site to get their news.
Check out the local IndyMedia website. What kind of news is there, and do you think a website like that has a place in your life?
Yes, i like it, it looks a little left of centre, like me :) but while i like the content, i am a little wary and aware that the content may not be true and the sources may be questionable. this is probably highlighted by the fact that my mum is a journalist, and while i know a lot of them have a reputation for twisting the truth to get a better story, i have a different opinion aware of the fact that journalists have a code of ethics that a lot of them actually stand by!! but i do think i will come back, maybe even once a month to see what's there.
Do you think the internet is (was?) an effective tool for politicians to reach out to their intended audience?
I'm not sure. i think it was great for them to try to reach out to younger audiences, but i dont actually know anyone who looked at either of the leaders you tube speeches. and from what i gathered those people that did just looked to laugh, not to listen to what was said. but i also think it was a way of letting the people know (or making them think) that politicans are interested and care about our youth, as well as that they are 'moving with the times'.
What do you think about blogs as a way for people to get information out? What about their role as political commentary?
I think its a great way for people to get their opinions out, but i think its important to realise that it is just their opinion, not necessarily fact. i also think its a great way for people to discuss their political ideas, the good and the bad, as people might bring up ideas that others have not thought of. its also a way of making a statement, like a friend of mine who on facebook has just joined a group called 'dont blame me - i voted liberal', i try not to hold this against her!! :)
Invigorating Day 8
Today we looked at the internet and cyber-democracy. I guess with a title like that it is no wonder we got on to the subject of democracy in a real world sense. This is a subject i feel quite strongly about (especially human rights) and i probably ended up being a bit too involved :)
we started off by defining democracy, and the right of citizens to engage in a democratic political process. Effectively ther are no borders in the internet, therefore maybe it should be considered a nation in its own right, and if so should people vote on a leader or other ideas on the internet??
We then moved on to a group discussion (as with most days :) on various issues of democracy on the internet. Looking at academic censorship amongst other things.
Lastly we watched a you tube movie of a speech by Corey Doctorow based on the 'morals' of the internet and the contradictions that are found. I found him a very passionate speeker, but i found him hard to follow at the start as he spoke really fast and kept looking all round the room. I agreed with his sentiment of mcdonalds toys (that people are paid next to nothing to make these toys that are used to promote a multinational multimillion dollar business!!) and i make a point of not taking my kids to that business's that operate in this way. I also liked the point he made about the music industry turning thousands of our youth (well all people) into criminals or 'black marketeers'. Especially as the music people claim to be looking after the interests of the artists (even though none of the money made by prosecuting people end up with the artists) as well as protecting our kids from losing their morals, coming from an industry which promotes sex, drugs and rock and roll!!!!!!!
we started off by defining democracy, and the right of citizens to engage in a democratic political process. Effectively ther are no borders in the internet, therefore maybe it should be considered a nation in its own right, and if so should people vote on a leader or other ideas on the internet??
We then moved on to a group discussion (as with most days :) on various issues of democracy on the internet. Looking at academic censorship amongst other things.
Lastly we watched a you tube movie of a speech by Corey Doctorow based on the 'morals' of the internet and the contradictions that are found. I found him a very passionate speeker, but i found him hard to follow at the start as he spoke really fast and kept looking all round the room. I agreed with his sentiment of mcdonalds toys (that people are paid next to nothing to make these toys that are used to promote a multinational multimillion dollar business!!) and i make a point of not taking my kids to that business's that operate in this way. I also liked the point he made about the music industry turning thousands of our youth (well all people) into criminals or 'black marketeers'. Especially as the music people claim to be looking after the interests of the artists (even though none of the money made by prosecuting people end up with the artists) as well as protecting our kids from losing their morals, coming from an industry which promotes sex, drugs and rock and roll!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Enjoyable Day 7
Well, i cant really say today was enjoyable as i did not attend!! sometimes life is just tooo busy to fit everything in!! and i can admit i dont like missing lectures, and i now feel very lost :) especially as there was only 1 page of lecture notes and no readings for today. however i will do my best to use the lecture notes and other peoples blogs as a guide.
Today instead of discussing net art and electronic literature (which sort of ruins my plan of using the lecture notes :), you guys looked at electronic music. this was done mainly through videos on you tube and looking at a documentary by Lara Lee titled Modulations which was on the history of electronic music. the you tube videos sound like they were very funny and i wish i had of seen them!!
Noone seems to have done any of the tutorial tasks today, but they seem very similar to the last 2 tasks weve done, so im wondering if i need to do them??
Im wondering if people got their marks back today from the first assessment task of blogging?? im also wondering if the assignment was discussed as further questions were put up on learning @ gu? noone seems to have discussed any of these points in their blogs. this is why i dislike missing lectures, too many questions left unanswered!!! unfortunately i dont think i can come tomorrow either!!! oh no, but i will try, and i can definitely come thurs and fri this week.
Today instead of discussing net art and electronic literature (which sort of ruins my plan of using the lecture notes :), you guys looked at electronic music. this was done mainly through videos on you tube and looking at a documentary by Lara Lee titled Modulations which was on the history of electronic music. the you tube videos sound like they were very funny and i wish i had of seen them!!
Noone seems to have done any of the tutorial tasks today, but they seem very similar to the last 2 tasks weve done, so im wondering if i need to do them??
Im wondering if people got their marks back today from the first assessment task of blogging?? im also wondering if the assignment was discussed as further questions were put up on learning @ gu? noone seems to have discussed any of these points in their blogs. this is why i dislike missing lectures, too many questions left unanswered!!! unfortunately i dont think i can come tomorrow either!!! oh no, but i will try, and i can definitely come thurs and fri this week.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Interesting Day 6 part 2
Friends: This picture is of my sons 8th birthday party at Timezone. This photo was taken with my nokia mobile phone. I decided to use the liquify tool to blend the people out of shape. I did this because i think friendships go beyond how we look :)
High Tech: i dont think there is anything more 'high tech' than the ability to fly. . . this photo was taken with my Fuji fine pix 3mp digital camera. I used the 'magic wand' tool to select the plane and then filled in the background. I did this because the main element in the photo was the plane and this helped it to stand out.
News: i decided to use a picture of a globe of the world i got from the website sevencolors.org/category/interesting . i believe its important to follow the news from around the world so that we can learn what we should and should not be doing as a society, well in an ideal world :)
I decided to use the swirl tool to blend the countries together, no borders, all living in unity, imagine . . . . . .
Summer: here is a beautiful picture of a summer sunset in vietnam. This photo was taken with my Fuji fine pix 3mp digital camera. I used the 'glowing edges' tool on this photo. im not sure why but i really liked the effect, it reminds me of a sunset at midnight with lightning flashing!! yes im a little odd :)
Games: i got this picture from the following website - www.scotthodson.com/images/pong.png. I chose a picture of pong as it was my first computer game, yes i had an atari!! i used the clone stamp tool with rainbow colours to brighten up the background as i remember it as a much more exciting game than it actually is.
Successful: This is my fellow psychology students association friends at our end of year ball that we organised!! and believe me it was a huge success!!!! this photo was taken with my friends Sony camera. i decided to use the spot light effect as we are all stars and put in such a huge effort that we deserved to shine!!
Celebrity: I got this picture of John Butler from http://www.smh.com.au/news/cd--gig-reviews/john-butler-trio/2005/11/28/1133026392387.html . I think he is everything a celebrity should be - true to themselves as an artist. I decided to use the 'wind' tool on him as i believe he is as free, unpredictable and exciting as the wind :)
Interesting Day 6
Today we discussed free and open source software. We started by contrasting proprietory software (paid for) and free software (community based - no actual owner). Free software includes software that helps run the internet, i hadnt ever thought that the internet would have software as a foundation :) I liked the video on Richard who developed GNU - this was a free alternative to UNIX. I liked his concept that free software equates to freedom, freedom to communicate, freedom to alter (as long as you make your altered copy available for free!! :) I am interested in maybe changing my operating system as i had no idea that windows tells microsoft what my computer is doing, this concept as a 'big picture' scares me!! Where will it stop??
I also wasnt aware that mozilla firefox is a free version of netscape (not that i really knew what netscape was). i like the idea of the creative commons. this is the same philosophy as free software but in other contexts, such as music or photos. i really liked the video on larry lessig, i found his concepts really interesting and easy to understand. how we moved from a read write culture to a read only existance and how the internet has revived the read write again. i especially liked the remixed music and tv that he put together, how he establishes that he's not pirating but recreating. he states that 'common sense hasnt prevailed yet.....' when it comes to copy right laws on the internet, hopefully for future generations this will change!! :)
Lastly we discussed The Electronic Frontier Foundation who defend our rights in this digital world from governments and corporations, as well as keeping the internet accessible to everyone, yay :)
I also wasnt aware that mozilla firefox is a free version of netscape (not that i really knew what netscape was). i like the idea of the creative commons. this is the same philosophy as free software but in other contexts, such as music or photos. i really liked the video on larry lessig, i found his concepts really interesting and easy to understand. how we moved from a read write culture to a read only existance and how the internet has revived the read write again. i especially liked the remixed music and tv that he put together, how he establishes that he's not pirating but recreating. he states that 'common sense hasnt prevailed yet.....' when it comes to copy right laws on the internet, hopefully for future generations this will change!! :)
Lastly we discussed The Electronic Frontier Foundation who defend our rights in this digital world from governments and corporations, as well as keeping the internet accessible to everyone, yay :)
Friday, November 23, 2007
Exciting Day 5 part 2
Friends: This picture is of my sons 8th birthday party at Timezone. he used all his birthday money to take 4 friends (and his sister) to timezone, when i asked if i was sure that he wanted to use it all, he replied "its only money mum, friends are worth more"!! this i believe represents the true meaning of 'friends'. This photo was taken with my nokia mobile phone. 
High Tech: i dont think there is anything more 'high tech' than the ability to fly. . . aeroplanes would have to be the invention of the century!!! being able to travel the world in such short times, amazing!! :) this photo was taken with my Fuji fine pix 3mp digital camera. 
News: i decided to use a picture of a globe of the world i got from the website sevencolors.org/category/interesting . i believe its important to follow the news from around the world so that we can learn what we should and should not be doing as a society, well in an ideal world :)
Summer: here is a beautiful picture of a summer sunset in vietnam. i lived in south australia until i was 10 and i hadnt realised how much i missed seeing the sun go down over water until i was in vietnam in january this year (because on the east coast we get to see the sun rise over the ocean not set). so this reminds me of sunny summer days by the beach. . . . . this photo was taken with my Fuji fine pix 3mp digital camera. 
Unconventional: there was nothing conventional in the way traffic works in vietnam. and believe me this picture does not do the actual chaos that is the road system over there justice!! it was a total nightmare that seemed to somehow work??? this photo was taken with my Fuji fine pix 3mp digital camera.
University Life: i think that an integral part of uni life is the friendships and social networks that are formed!! these people are part of the psychology students association with me, which is important in bringing people together in a supportive environment to create fun social activities for the whole psychology body as a whole unit (students and academic staff). This photo was taken with my friend Crystal's Sony digital camera.Thursday, November 22, 2007
Exciting Day 5
I enjoyed this lecture as i actually felt like i understood most of it, maybe :) First we discussed instant messaging. i had no idea there is soo many different types, or servers. We then went on to discuss portable audio and podcasting, i must admit i dont have a mp3 player, but my kids do so i have some understanding of them. podcasting i had no idea about but im assuming from the lecture that its when you attatch your ipod it instantly downloads whatever you may have signed up for updates from, if that makes any sense??
we then moved on to p2p file sharing. i have just joined limewire so i found what was discussed interesting. i feel that if i have purchased something i am entitled to do with it as i please, as well with music especially, the more people listen to their music the more likely they are likely to purchase other merchandise or go see them in concert, as nothing beats live music!!! Next was voice over IP, like Skype. i love skype as it enables me to interact with friends and family overseas for FREE :)
Video games came next (well after watching an ipod blended. . . .). first we discussed the difference between narratology (basically that games are just a story, made up of lots of units of information - semiotics, games are a literary form) and Ludology (games are just for fun, not necessarily a story - the story is an incidental part). we finished by discussing different types of video games and the ontology and asthetics of them, and how they can have persistant effects, and effect our dreams and emotions, which led to a discussion on the positives and negatives. . . . all in all another interesting day :)
we then moved on to p2p file sharing. i have just joined limewire so i found what was discussed interesting. i feel that if i have purchased something i am entitled to do with it as i please, as well with music especially, the more people listen to their music the more likely they are likely to purchase other merchandise or go see them in concert, as nothing beats live music!!! Next was voice over IP, like Skype. i love skype as it enables me to interact with friends and family overseas for FREE :)
Video games came next (well after watching an ipod blended. . . .). first we discussed the difference between narratology (basically that games are just a story, made up of lots of units of information - semiotics, games are a literary form) and Ludology (games are just for fun, not necessarily a story - the story is an incidental part). we finished by discussing different types of video games and the ontology and asthetics of them, and how they can have persistant effects, and effect our dreams and emotions, which led to a discussion on the positives and negatives. . . . all in all another interesting day :)
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Fabulous Day 4 part 2
hmmmm, what are the qualitative differences between actual world (a 3D environment) and msn messenger??? . . . . .
i guess one of the obvious differences is that you can 'see' the person you are talking to, or a replication of them. where in messenger you can see who you are talking to if you use a camera, with actual world you can create anyone you want to. this allows for contact and body language, such as you can turn your back on someone if they annoy you (as actions speak louder than words at times!!)
another difference is that with messenger if the person you want to talk to has left their computer, but has forgotten to change their status, it can be really frustrating waiting for a response, but with actual world you can see if the person is not moving there is a good chance they are occupied elsewhere.
i guess one of the obvious differences is that you can 'see' the person you are talking to, or a replication of them. where in messenger you can see who you are talking to if you use a camera, with actual world you can create anyone you want to. this allows for contact and body language, such as you can turn your back on someone if they annoy you (as actions speak louder than words at times!!)
another difference is that with messenger if the person you want to talk to has left their computer, but has forgotten to change their status, it can be really frustrating waiting for a response, but with actual world you can see if the person is not moving there is a good chance they are occupied elsewhere.
Fabulous Day 4
Today we looked at virtual reality, cyberspace and i guess a link between the two? maybe? i must admit i was a little confused at times, so i will try and summarise as best i can :)
we started the lecture watching a you tube clip on internet security in the us. i found this a total invasion and attempt to control free speech in what is portrayed as a 'democratic free society'!! i can only hope that australia does not do this, but im sure it probably does!!
we then moved on to virtual rationality, this involved briefly discussing some different theorists, including Debord (who was mainly about reality tv), baudrillard (basically saying that everything is a clone, nothing exists in its original form anymore), gibson (who was one of the first to term 'cyberspace', prior to the www) and deleuze and guattari which led us into a philosophical debate (or conversation :) and was trying to define the difference between the actual and real worlds. i found this really interesting, and i would consider the reading that adam suggested would follow along this topic, but maybe after my degree is finished and i have the time and mind power to read for pleasure again :)
we then watched a documentary on second life, this raised some really interesting points, such as tax, laws, control, ownership. . . . . this list was endless with the questions it raised that will take time to answer. i had never looked at anything like this before and i found it fascinating!! the fact that people spend real money on things that aren't 'real' (but then i guess you could argue what is real???), i think i will be thinking about this for a few days (if not longer :)
we started the lecture watching a you tube clip on internet security in the us. i found this a total invasion and attempt to control free speech in what is portrayed as a 'democratic free society'!! i can only hope that australia does not do this, but im sure it probably does!!
we then moved on to virtual rationality, this involved briefly discussing some different theorists, including Debord (who was mainly about reality tv), baudrillard (basically saying that everything is a clone, nothing exists in its original form anymore), gibson (who was one of the first to term 'cyberspace', prior to the www) and deleuze and guattari which led us into a philosophical debate (or conversation :) and was trying to define the difference between the actual and real worlds. i found this really interesting, and i would consider the reading that adam suggested would follow along this topic, but maybe after my degree is finished and i have the time and mind power to read for pleasure again :)
we then watched a documentary on second life, this raised some really interesting points, such as tax, laws, control, ownership. . . . . this list was endless with the questions it raised that will take time to answer. i had never looked at anything like this before and i found it fascinating!! the fact that people spend real money on things that aren't 'real' (but then i guess you could argue what is real???), i think i will be thinking about this for a few days (if not longer :)
Amazing Day 3 part 2
1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus? Onel de Guzman (yahoo)
2. Who invented the paper clip? Johann Vaaler (A9)
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name? named after the Ebola River in Zaire (ask jeeves)
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake? Chile (hotbot)
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte? One kilobyte is equal to 9.313226E-10 terabytes (ask jeeves)
6. Who is the creator of email? Ray Tomlinson (yahoo)
7. What is unique about the political organisation of the Kingdom of Nri? An assistant professor at the University of Southern Mississippi has been made royalty, Douglas Chambers was the first white person to be adopted by the royal lineage of nri after he spent years researching the eastern Nigerian group (ujiko)
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of australia directly, what is the most efficient way? via Australia Post: The Hon John Howard MP Prime Minister, Parliament House, CANBERRA ACT 2600 (yahoo)
9. Which Brisbane punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of? Black Assassins (ask jeeves)
10. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words? Web 2 is about using the internet as a platform to upload and download information to share with others, or using the internet the way it was designed to be used (ujiko)
How do search engines rank the stuf they find on the internet? i would assume they rank the stuff with all the search criteria before stuff with only part of the criteria.
who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results? i would hope that the ones put at the top of the search page were the ones that matched my criteria fully, but i think some search engines put ones that pay at the top.
what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others? i still like google, probably because im use to it and its familiar. after doing this tutorial session though i quite liked ujiko (as it tells me its doing a thorough search of millions of web sites, yet only offers me a choice of their top 10) and ask jeeves (as it gave options for a refined search in the left hand panel - which i actually used a couple of times). i dislike google (i know i just contradicted myself :) and yahoo for the same reasons - too much advertising, too busy a page and they take money to put search results at the top.
2. Who invented the paper clip? Johann Vaaler (A9)
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name? named after the Ebola River in Zaire (ask jeeves)
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake? Chile (hotbot)
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte? One kilobyte is equal to 9.313226E-10 terabytes (ask jeeves)
6. Who is the creator of email? Ray Tomlinson (yahoo)
7. What is unique about the political organisation of the Kingdom of Nri? An assistant professor at the University of Southern Mississippi has been made royalty, Douglas Chambers was the first white person to be adopted by the royal lineage of nri after he spent years researching the eastern Nigerian group (ujiko)
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of australia directly, what is the most efficient way? via Australia Post: The Hon John Howard MP Prime Minister, Parliament House, CANBERRA ACT 2600 (yahoo)
9. Which Brisbane punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of? Black Assassins (ask jeeves)
10. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words? Web 2 is about using the internet as a platform to upload and download information to share with others, or using the internet the way it was designed to be used (ujiko)
How do search engines rank the stuf they find on the internet? i would assume they rank the stuff with all the search criteria before stuff with only part of the criteria.
who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results? i would hope that the ones put at the top of the search page were the ones that matched my criteria fully, but i think some search engines put ones that pay at the top.
what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others? i still like google, probably because im use to it and its familiar. after doing this tutorial session though i quite liked ujiko (as it tells me its doing a thorough search of millions of web sites, yet only offers me a choice of their top 10) and ask jeeves (as it gave options for a refined search in the left hand panel - which i actually used a couple of times). i dislike google (i know i just contradicted myself :) and yahoo for the same reasons - too much advertising, too busy a page and they take money to put search results at the top.
Amazing Day 3
i couldnt attend uni today, however i have read the lecture notes and the notes on my fellow blogger's pages and i feel like i have a general idea on what was discussed (well hopefully :)
I really like how you (Adam) introduce definitions of terms right at the start of each lecture, i feel this helps me to feel less overwhelmed than i otherwise might have, as by the end of the lecture usually my head is spinning :) i had no idea that media was plural to medium!!! i also appreciate how you manage to link in past lectures (like communication and technology, as well as theorists) so we're really developing a strong foundation of knowledge.
i think you then went through the history of media and communication. contrasting america (with socialist influences) with europe. it appears that through the 40's in america mass media had minimal influence but by the 80's it had gained more strength. Once again i like McLuhan and how he believes that "media as technological extensions of the body" and draws on the psychological components (this may be because i am studying psychology!!). i found all the different theorists from europe and america interesting - and how they're theories changed and developed over time by others.
I think new media was then discussed, centering around cyber culture through the 90's. cyberculture studies followed with people looking at individual contexts rather than the internet as a whole separate medium. this then led to critical cyberculture studies such as the social, cultural and economic interactions that take place online :)
I really like how you (Adam) introduce definitions of terms right at the start of each lecture, i feel this helps me to feel less overwhelmed than i otherwise might have, as by the end of the lecture usually my head is spinning :) i had no idea that media was plural to medium!!! i also appreciate how you manage to link in past lectures (like communication and technology, as well as theorists) so we're really developing a strong foundation of knowledge.
i think you then went through the history of media and communication. contrasting america (with socialist influences) with europe. it appears that through the 40's in america mass media had minimal influence but by the 80's it had gained more strength. Once again i like McLuhan and how he believes that "media as technological extensions of the body" and draws on the psychological components (this may be because i am studying psychology!!). i found all the different theorists from europe and america interesting - and how they're theories changed and developed over time by others.
I think new media was then discussed, centering around cyber culture through the 90's. cyberculture studies followed with people looking at individual contexts rather than the internet as a whole separate medium. this then led to critical cyberculture studies such as the social, cultural and economic interactions that take place online :)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Fantastic Day 2 part 2
I have found that new technology has changed the way i interact socially. the use of text messages has allowed for shorter to the point contact, its not necessary for the usual polite chit chat such as how are you? not sure if this is a good thing or not but im sure it helps represent the way our society is much faster in general :)
i have also just joined a social networking site called face book. i decided it was time i become part of this technological friendship age :) and its amazing, i have found old school friends that i havent seen in 10 years!!! as well as keeping up with the happenings of friends overseas, very exciting!!
i also tried the internet dating phenomenon!! yes im a little embarrassed to admit it :) but i found it interesting to meet people that i wouldnt normally come in to contact with. unfortunately i havent met anyone i would like a relationship with, but i enjoy meeting new people and you just never know . . . . :)
and i looooove msn messenger!! i have quite a few friends overseas, or interstate, so its a great way to stay in touch!! especially for my kids to keep in contact with family that dont see them often, and the added bonus is its free!!!!!
i have also just joined a social networking site called face book. i decided it was time i become part of this technological friendship age :) and its amazing, i have found old school friends that i havent seen in 10 years!!! as well as keeping up with the happenings of friends overseas, very exciting!!
i also tried the internet dating phenomenon!! yes im a little embarrassed to admit it :) but i found it interesting to meet people that i wouldnt normally come in to contact with. unfortunately i havent met anyone i would like a relationship with, but i enjoy meeting new people and you just never know . . . . :)
and i looooove msn messenger!! i have quite a few friends overseas, or interstate, so its a great way to stay in touch!! especially for my kids to keep in contact with family that dont see them often, and the added bonus is its free!!!!!
Fantastic Day 2
Today we looked at the history of computers and the internet.
We started with Charles Babbage's difference engine which was designed to calculate and print mathematical tables. We then moved on to Turing's model designed to crack secret german codes during the 2nd World War. He then came up with the turing test (a human judge sits at a computer terminal and interacts with both a computer or a human by written communication only; if the judge cannot tell which is which then the machine has passed the test and is considered reasonable to call the computer intelligent!!) i liked this concept :)
The first computers were commercially produced in the 50's, these were basically glorified calculators - larger than computers today but a lot slower and less useful!! The first computer that looked like computers today (i think, i could be wrong on this point :) was the Apple II. However apples apparently were only for a 'niche' market of artisty people and was soon overtaken in popularity by IBM with Microsoft!! but not before making its founders very rich!!!
i found it interesting that the internet is not actually a 'thing', and that by using terms such as 'surfing the web' just helps to conceptialise this apparently abstract concept :) the world wide web was formally introduced in 93, but computer academics had been using the internet for a long time. i hadnt realised the internet and the world wide web were not the same thing!!
i must admit i found the movie about the internet, lans and firewalls very confusing!!! however i did like the movie about the internet call centre, i related as im sure ive produced the same amount of frustration for internet help desks in the past!!!!
I liked Marc Prensky's reading today, especially how he distinguishes between digital natives (younger people) and digital immigrants (older people). he pointed out that one reason young people like the internet is that social dividers dont exist on the web. He referred to blogs as a reversal of diaries for younger people and a 'intellectual sharing tool' for digital immigrants.
i found David Weinberger's article really easy to read, and really interesting. i liked how he told stories to make a point, personal experiences and stories he's heard from the news. i found the first story quite scary of the young guy who made an idle threat, and because of the times of fear that we live in he was locked up for 4 months!!! what ever happened to freedom of speech, it scares me where society might end up. . . . .
We started with Charles Babbage's difference engine which was designed to calculate and print mathematical tables. We then moved on to Turing's model designed to crack secret german codes during the 2nd World War. He then came up with the turing test (a human judge sits at a computer terminal and interacts with both a computer or a human by written communication only; if the judge cannot tell which is which then the machine has passed the test and is considered reasonable to call the computer intelligent!!) i liked this concept :)
The first computers were commercially produced in the 50's, these were basically glorified calculators - larger than computers today but a lot slower and less useful!! The first computer that looked like computers today (i think, i could be wrong on this point :) was the Apple II. However apples apparently were only for a 'niche' market of artisty people and was soon overtaken in popularity by IBM with Microsoft!! but not before making its founders very rich!!!
i found it interesting that the internet is not actually a 'thing', and that by using terms such as 'surfing the web' just helps to conceptialise this apparently abstract concept :) the world wide web was formally introduced in 93, but computer academics had been using the internet for a long time. i hadnt realised the internet and the world wide web were not the same thing!!
i must admit i found the movie about the internet, lans and firewalls very confusing!!! however i did like the movie about the internet call centre, i related as im sure ive produced the same amount of frustration for internet help desks in the past!!!!
I liked Marc Prensky's reading today, especially how he distinguishes between digital natives (younger people) and digital immigrants (older people). he pointed out that one reason young people like the internet is that social dividers dont exist on the web. He referred to blogs as a reversal of diaries for younger people and a 'intellectual sharing tool' for digital immigrants.
i found David Weinberger's article really easy to read, and really interesting. i liked how he told stories to make a point, personal experiences and stories he's heard from the news. i found the first story quite scary of the young guy who made an idle threat, and because of the times of fear that we live in he was locked up for 4 months!!! what ever happened to freedom of speech, it scares me where society might end up. . . . .
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Wonderful Day 1 part 2
I consider myself quite computer illiterate (my grandma would disagree, but like anything in life its all relative :), so i found the first lecture very interesting.
i liked how the lecture started quite basically, defining the terms and origins of communication and technology. I also enjoyed the interactive element of watching the two videos.
I liked the way McLuhan defined technologies as extensions of the human body.
i found it interesting the difference between analog and digital. especially as adam described analog as a new photo and digital as a black and white newspaper photo. i would have thought they would be the other way round as digital is newer, i tend to think of it as brighter and clearer.
I found the last segment interesting on blogs, which is probably a good thing considering thats the main element of this course!! i am looking forward to becoming more intune with the technological age as i feel like it has passed me by to date.
i liked how the lecture started quite basically, defining the terms and origins of communication and technology. I also enjoyed the interactive element of watching the two videos.
I liked the way McLuhan defined technologies as extensions of the human body.
i found it interesting the difference between analog and digital. especially as adam described analog as a new photo and digital as a black and white newspaper photo. i would have thought they would be the other way round as digital is newer, i tend to think of it as brighter and clearer.
I found the last segment interesting on blogs, which is probably a good thing considering thats the main element of this course!! i am looking forward to becoming more intune with the technological age as i feel like it has passed me by to date.
Wonderful Day 1
Hi
My name is Rebecca. I am 27 and have two beautiful kids, Krystle and Dylan. I am two years into a bachelor of psychology degree. I am doing this course as one of my electives. The reason I'm doing it in the summer semester is i lacked motivation and only did 3 subjects the last two semesters so now i have to catch up :) i was a little concerned before starting as i hadnt seen the course outline and wasnt sure how intense the assessment items will be, i have just started work, bookeeping, so was a little apprehensive about doing a course as well, but i was pleasantly surprised with the assessment content :)
I found this weeks (or should i say days) reading interesting (well it was very long!! so i only read half :) i found it very useful as it explained all the different aspects of blogs, from how to set one up to ethics, how to best get a search engine to pick it up and what makes it 'shine' so people come back and want to read it again.
My name is Rebecca. I am 27 and have two beautiful kids, Krystle and Dylan. I am two years into a bachelor of psychology degree. I am doing this course as one of my electives. The reason I'm doing it in the summer semester is i lacked motivation and only did 3 subjects the last two semesters so now i have to catch up :) i was a little concerned before starting as i hadnt seen the course outline and wasnt sure how intense the assessment items will be, i have just started work, bookeeping, so was a little apprehensive about doing a course as well, but i was pleasantly surprised with the assessment content :)
I found this weeks (or should i say days) reading interesting (well it was very long!! so i only read half :) i found it very useful as it explained all the different aspects of blogs, from how to set one up to ethics, how to best get a search engine to pick it up and what makes it 'shine' so people come back and want to read it again.
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