People still take books to bed

Life began with print, and slowly but surely, we turned into an extremely technologically advanced society. The amount of people who rely on the internet for news, entertainment and social reasons are infinite and continue to expand daily. But just because we are passing through this dramatically changing period of time does not mean that people won’t acknowledge items in print. And who even knows what other methods of distribution of information will arise in the near future? Having print and the internet does not necessarily mean one goes down the drain, it simply means we have more options.

Growing towards a sustainable future might possibly hinder people’s decision to pick up a daily newspaper, especially when you can easily retrieve the same facts online. Not only is it more eco-friendly, it is much more convenient and much less costly (this is where greening print marketing comes in quite handy). However, there are those essential things that hold many people back from becoming an avid user of the World Wide Web; age, education, location and money. These people are at a disadvantage because these are tricky and almost impossible barriers to break without the proper desire and resources.

Maybe cancelling out print would initially save money. If everything is online, a company no longer needs a huge well-appointed office along with a comparable cafeteria and lounge. So not true. By saying no to print, businesses would also be saying no to dollars. There are so many different directions money is distributed when dealing with online sources. For example, when a person clicks on an ad for a specific Web magazine, some of the money goes to that particular search engine or Google, not just the magazine itself. And what about having the luxury of taking a book, magazine or newspaper to the park for the day? Sure, people have their iPhones or lap tops, but it just isn’t the same. If you ask me, people take books to bed.

Ignorance is… not so bliss.

Anyone, in theory, can technically publish on the World Wibe Web. Think of all the Web sites, chat rooms or blogs you have visited where people say almost anything they desire.

So do you think you have something beneficial you would like to put on the Web that isn’t available in all of the other millions of Web pages already created? That is a wonderful and powerful thought, and you should probably go ahead and take action. It is people like you and me who make the Web a great resource to the world.

However, there are those evil creatures who post inappropriate Web pages or sites along with tons of false information . It is imperative that you have a smart eye and a strong intellect. You are the consumer of information, therefore you must be your own editor. Everyone needs these technical skills when it comes to the intensity of the Web’s substance. Factual accuracy and overall consistency no longer exist. The Web is very often a place of deceit if you are not careful. In the defense of the innocent, if the culprit gets caught, there are severe consequences .

The Web is not only the past and the present, it is the future . There are Web pages that predict up-coming events from an exceedingly optimistic perspective. But that is not reality, it is misleading and confusing. To me, it is much better to know the truth that draws a tear than a lie that draws a smile. Maybe ignorance is not so bliss after all.

It’s Web-tastic!

“If it isn’t on the Web, it doesn’t exist.” Tim Berners-Lee.

The World Wide Web is a repository of all human knowledge and power. Besides the search engines that examine the over-flowing content, the overall exploration of any topic or issue is infinite. Depending on ones’ personal preference, they can direct their attention to any path they desire.

Shopping, travel, communication, information, all of which are present in the Web life, is unlimited. I don’t pick up hard copies of the newspaper anymore, I turn to the Web. Magazine articles I am interested in, television shows I missed, movies I want to see but am too lazy to take a trip to Blockbuster Video, all problems solved.

Everything is on the World Wide Web. Our society as a whole has become extremely reliant on the Internet. Those who do not have access because of education, location or economic reasons, are definitely at a disadvantage with the technological advances that have reshaped the way we look at life.

Any day, any time and anywhere. The World Wide Web connects people from all over the world in seconds. Letters have transformed to e-mails, while telephone calls have also become virtual. With iPhones and laptops, the Web has grown to be portable. You can bring the Web with you anywhere you go. The Web opens doors to good and bad information along with good and bad people. Even things that should not be available to the public, are available.

There is not much I can say but the Web…… is fantastic. No, it’s Web-tastic!

Oh, Charlie.

YouTube gives ordinary people like you and me an opportunity to broadcast nearly anything we want to an infinite amount of viewers throughout the world. Some initiate this popular video sharing website for educational purposes, others may use it for fun and games, while others do it to claim their fame. Well established businesses are devoting much of their time to advertisements through YouTube. Many companies and new-comers are learning from each other and their success through the not so traditional media.

“Ow, Charlie, that really hurt!”

Charlie bit my finger, a YouTube classic with over 100 million views about a cute boy with an even cuter English accent and his baby brother who bites his finger. A life-changing story that makes us think about brothers in a whole new light. There is also a Charlie bit my finger remix, a closer look at Charlie, Charlie in slow motion, and not to mention hundreds of random reenactments done by people of all ages, and even hamsters.

Why stop with just a video? You can even get Charlie bit me T-shirts, pins, key chains, mugs, posters and handbags! The point I am trying to get at is how quickly things spread over the internet. Anything is possible. Even the extreme popularity of a 5-year-old English boy, who I must admit, actually brought a tear to my eye. All which would have been impossible if it wasn’t for the wonderful World Wide Web.

Get your cake and eat it too

Blogging is an intensely different type of reporting style dealing with varying point-of-views, debates, input, advice and personality. It is a way for people to take something they are interested in and put it out there for the world to see. It is not simply hard news stories with the date, time and place of the event or situation; it is that same story built up into an edgy, opinionated, often controversial but powerful piece of writing that the audience has the decision to either agree or disagree with. Perhaps there are a few things journalists can learn from the bloggers of today’s generation.

We all know that good journalism is fairness, attribution, accuracy, relevance and news. Dedicated bloggers are not only these things but also extremely timely and consistent in their deliverance of the news. Regardless of what they are actually reporting on, journalists can learn the importance of immediacy. The Internet also plays a huge role in the speediness of the news publishing cycle.

Jeff Jarvis, a media executive who works as a blogger, said “News is a conversation, not just a lecture. The story doesn’t end when it’s published, but rather just gets started as the public begins to do its part — discussing the story, adding to it, and correcting it.” Journalists can learn that news can be improved through blogging by people voicing their opinions and asking questions. This will not only change people’s perspectives, but will initially change the relationship between the public and the media.

Keith Jenkins, author of Take a Blogger to Lunch, encourages journalists to “join them or be ignored.” By uniting, news stories will not necessarily change in detail, but you will be able to see what people think and feel about the situation as a whole. By acknowledging our differences, and accepting what others think, people give themselves a chance to gain a stronger stance for whatever the argument may be. In the end, it is the gossip and creativity that is influential and enticing to us as readers and participators.

The traditional media should be constantly looking to the World Wide Web for ideas on how to improve. The rapid technological and social change facilitated by the Web has changed the numbers of readers of print journalism. The “BB gun” approach to news offers personalized and open-sourced news, partnership and participation; comments, questions, websites, chatrooms, blogs and general crowd-surfing. What you find online is not original reporting. It is work with a twist, personal experiences you might say. If traditional media was more inventive and creative, it could possibly reconstruct itself to be more updated to the people‘s desires. However, traditional media does its job of delivering good, hard news to the public and for the public. If they could simply take a look at what interests people on the Web, they can relate it to themselves and find more ways to draw the readers’ attention. The Internet is considered a primary source of information, with almost anything you can possibly think of available for viewing. For journalism to continue its’ job of informing the public, and creating public discourse, I think traditional media and the World Wide Web have a lot of things they can learn from each other.

Print newspapers are still a huge part of our society today. The amount of adults over 18 who read community newspapers is at 89 percent. People who consider a local paper a primary source of news about the community is now 59 percent, which is up from 45 percent in 2007. Compare this to the amount of adults who consider Internet a primary source of local news; 3.4 percent. Print journalism is still in the runnings, but must keep up with the technological changes that are occurring at a very fast rate. The generations to come seem to be relying more and more on the Web and what it offers.

Music is my boyfriend

Throughout my life, a lot of people have let me down. There have been situations I wish never existed and many things I wish I could take back. But one thing I could always rely on is music. While growing up, I listened to the traditional music that was on the radio that all the “cool” kids listened to and talked about at school. However, over the years, as people became more in tune with the web, artists and bands found a new way to reach out to the public and attract more die-hard fans.

Radio is horrible and totally unreliable, and television barely has any good music channels to offer. Magazines such as Rolling Stone and Spin share limited information. Whenever I am sick of the old music on my iPod and blatantly sick of the same CD’s I have been listening to in my car for the past two weeks, I turn to the web, and visits websites such as Facebook and Youtube. You can search by name of artist, title of song, or a specific genre of your interest. You can view bands’ websites and go through a virtual realm of concerts and tours that will hypnotize your soul.

Commercial radio may have gone down the tubes, but Internet radio is definitely alive and kickin’. On top of all the good, new music, there is no waiting for those commercial breaks that I, along with the many others out there, deliberately hate. Thanks to the web, music’s future has no boundaries. 

 

 

Is any community safe?

Unless people are complete strangers to the internet, then I am sure they are familiar with the growing popularity of websites such as Myspace, Facebook and Xanga. What is it that allures the attention of billions of users throughout the world? People flock to online communities the same way they would to Great America, Pier 39 or a Warrior’s game. It’s entertaining, full of excitement, and you never know what you are going to get.

When people join online communities, they create profiles that include their photos, age, gender, school, job, local hangouts, favorite books or movies and even their e-mail address and phone number. They then invite their online acquaintances whom they do not know to join their so-called “friends list.” When is it that people became so comfortable letting complete strangers into their personal life?

Despite the positives of e-mail, swapping messages with friends, learning from blogs and discussing interesting topics such as politics, sports, music or relationships, you never know who is REALLY on the other side of the conversation. Unfortunately, many dangers lurk in these communities: identity thieves, cyber bullies, sexual predators and liars. There is definitely a dark side of the internet that a lot of people sadly choose to ignore. Teens are most unaware or unbelieving of the threats that the internet potentially poses. I remember when I was 16, I used to enter chat rooms and tell people not only what town I lived in, but what neighborhood I lived in. I mean, how dumb can you be? With technology these days, that would be just enough to get a random guest at my doorstep. But when you are that young, it is often hard to believe that anything bad can happen to you.

By exploring these online communities, you can see the similarities they share with your physical surrounding communities in which you live. The rising of crime rates, drug abuse and homicide make you question whether or not it is O.K. to be outside after dark. Is any community safe?

 

Virtual Insanity

The word community could have many different definitions depending on the person interpreting it. A community could just be a group of people sharing the same space or environment, or it could be a group of people who share the same beliefs, intent, wants, needs or joys in life. A VIRTUAL community is where is the definition may take a new and somewhat interesting turn. A virtual or online community is “a group of people who interact via Internet Web sites, chat rooms, newsgroups, email, discussion boards or forums.”

I wake up every morning, and for some weird reason, one of the first things I do is take a step towards my computer, filled with life, mystery, opportunities and friendships, and go online into the virtual community that I have become so unknowingly emotionally attached to. Throughout the day, whenever I get a chance, I’ll check my e-mail, and send more countless e-mails out expecting an utter and quick response. I’ll go on Facebook and Myspace and look at people’s random and pointless updates, and send messages to my invisible friends I haven’t seen for months. I will carry on public conversations that should very well be private but I won’t care. I will play games of guess-the-sketch and shout at my computer while my friends stare at me in awe and confusion. And why? The thought of a community inside my computer screen seems cold and somewhat uninviting. Wouldn’t it seem more realistic to step away and take part in the life that surrounds me? No. I learned that people online are very passionate about e-mail and Facebook, and other various groups they are a part of. And I learned that I am one of these people. I care about my friends online and the medium that enables me to have this undying urge to congregate.

I know I am not alone in this computer-driven socially acceptable virtual world. There are many people throughout the world who depend on the communities within their computer screens. On my journey through cyberspace, I have met many people who have actually managed to somehow have an impact on my life. The little bit I know about them and the tiny bit they truly know about me has opened up my world in that there is a variety of personalities, creative ideas, and opposing views that I can potentially learn from.

America Online

Sitting in front of a computer screen is almost better than curling up in front of a fire with a nice, big cup of hot chocolate and a good book. David Weinberger said the Web is “more of everything”. With everything from entertainment, news, Facebook, blogging, e-mail and online shopping available on the Internet, why would anyone even need to leave their house?

Weinberger is the author of Everything is Miscellaneous which argues that bottom-up information clusters are emerging from our “new digital disorder,” potentially benefiting the customers and the businesses. Andrew Keen is the author of Cult of the Amateur, which claims that “today’s Internet is killing our culture.”

The amount of Internet users is continuously growing. America without Internet is like a car without tires. People would not know what to do. The country, as a whole, would be bored and immobile. However, with the extent of people using the Internet, how is it possible to tell what is true and what is false? Keen said “it is the job of mainstream media to find raw talent and polish it up”, that “raw talent is not real.”

But can anyone really imagine life without the Internet?

Do you remember Y2K? This fear was fueled by the press coverage and media speculation that the systems that control our lives could break down when the “…97, 98, 98…” rising numbers turned to dust. The nationwide guessing game led to dramatic acts of emptying bank accounts, cashing out stocks while also stocking up on food, water and fuel. Let’s just say we were practically barricading ourselves from the outside world of terror.

So with all the information from the “monkeys” and the “experts”, internet would not be at all possible if it wasn’t for both. We are our own filters and can pick and choose what is of true importance to ourselves and our everyday lives. It is the skill to filter that we strive for.