HW 11

After reading the section in the book about the interview with Rebecca MacKinnon, I chose to look at the blog about North Korea. I found it very interesting that she quit her job in order to portray the news correctly and in her manner. After looking over the North Korean blog that she developed it reminded me of a formal website. It looked very professional yet user friendly. The entries are all relevant and interesting to the topic and the appearance of the website intrigues the readier to view it. His blog talks about politics, art, what’s going on in the area, war...and other interesting topics to those who view this blog. Some of the blog’s are kind of comedic if you understand what they are talking about. This blog I found very interesting and informative to what is going on in Korea today. I think that it does correspond with what is going on in the world today. I disagree with the fact that she thinks that blogging is more important than CNN but I can see where others come from to agree with her.

HW 7 Applying Graff, Chapter 3 to "My So-Called Blog"

After reading Emily Nussbaum’s “My So-Called Blog”, mixed opinions came to mind. I do believe in children having their freedom though-out the adolescent years, but I think it needs some moderation. From experience, my parents did have trust in me to ‘follow the rules of the internet’. I was not allowed to talk to strangers and I definitely understood that from the talks that my parents gave me. I was taught not to give out personal information and not to write my full name on anything. The only times I would be on the internet was to e-mail, research, or instant message. I was not allowed to ‘blog’ or use ‘live journal’. I was not allowed to talk to people in ‘chat rooms’ either. I had rules and I followed them. For other children I do feel that they have as much freedom as they have ever wanted. Children a lot of times do not know the right from wrong if they are not taught it. This is why I think that monitoring children on computers to see what they are up to is a good thing. The internet is a scary place for everyone. There is a quote in the reading that I would like to address. Nussbaum addresses, "Silence like this can create paranoia. It may be friends that didn’t read the post. Or it may mean that they thought the post was stupid. There’s a temptation to take silence- in real life or online-as a snub. ‘If I get a mean comment I go back and look at it again and again, it starts to bother me,’ M. told me. ‘But then I think, If I delete it, everyone will know this bothers me. But if I respond, it’ll mean I need to fight back. So it turns into a conflict...’ (Kline and Burstein 355) All of the journals and blog’s can cause so much more tension and stress into one’s life. Is it necessary to let this be part of your child’s life? I do not feel that journals and being online without supervision is appropriate till one knows the difference between right and wrong. Safety is a major issue here and I feel that this is and unsafe environment for people who don’t know better.

HW 6: Interest Statement for Semester Long Project

I am not very big on social commuting, but out of all the choices I am most interested in aggregators and instant messaging. I use aggregators for downloading music. I love to listen to music so I-Tunes are a big part of my life. I can choose anything I want to listen to and just download it onto my I Pod and bring it anywhere with me. Instant messaging also is a part of my life. I have had AIM since I was in fifth grade. It is a great way to communicate with family and friends. I used it even more then than I do now because it was before I got a cell phone. It sometimes comes in handy when doing a school project. People tell each other what time to come online and people can communicate easier. I use it more now since I am at college. I am able to keep in touch with more friends from home than I would be able to over the phone.
Looking at the list of different kinds of empowerment of marginalized groups, I am most interested in overcoming barriers of urban communities. I have always been interested in the inner city school system. I find it interesting to see hoe many inner city students attend college compared to other suburban communities. It affects everything from social class, money, and opportunities. The area of interest I would like to look into would be the US. I think would be more effective for me to do research that would bring me closer to home.

HW 4: Responce to "The VOice of the Customer"

Every product has their promises. A lot of the time you see commercials with products advertising and you just have to laugh. Some say that they will give you your money back if you are not satisfied, but how much of this can you believe? Herbal Essences are a product of many promises. Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner promise that their product with give your hair that extra bounce it needs. They say that it will lift ‘you’ in all the right places. In the commercials it says that it will make you sing in the shower. What kind of girl wouldn’t want to sing in the shower and get that extra bounce that they need? If this product really works, I would be satisfied. Every girl deserves to be pretty and feel pretty. Once you feel pretty your mood changes. Personally if I am having a good hair day, I would defiantly be in a good mood. That would be the day I would want to go show myself off to the world. Not literally but metaphorically. Herbal Essences is a fun product to watch on T.V. and a fun product to use. I believe and trust Herbal Essences and use their products daily.

HW3 Responce to Chapter One

In chapter one of "Blog" by: David Kline and Dan Burstein they talked about how blogging is becoming more political. I was very surprised by this because my understanding of blogging brings me right back to face book. Then I would ask myself, why isn't facebook becomming more political? Facebook is frowned upon by alot of society and how come blogging isnt? Blogging is becoming more corporprate than ever before and that is scary to me in some ways. Chapter one Burstein dicusses more about blogging and they way he thinks blogging will be in the furute. Some people agree with him but some disagree. I woul dhave to be a person who disagrees with him. I have never heard of blogging before and if it is so popular and becoming global and political how come i haven't heard of it?! Burstein's theory is relevant to him, not relevant to mine at all.

HW 2 Response to Bernstein

I am choosing to respond to Dan Burstein’s second idea about bloging. I think that Burstein’s theory is false. I disagree with the fast that he thinks a blog can have personality. Maybe the visual aspect of a blog can, but the point of a blog is its text. Text can be misinterpreted in so many ways. The best form of communication is direct one on one conversation with a person. A piece of written text can be interpreted in several ways. For example, if someone were to type, “that’s funny”, it possibly could be thought out to be sarcastic if not directly thinking that something was truly funny. One thought or idea can change drastically through the written language. Meanings are taken differently than intended and what is supposed to be said isn’t. The personality aspect of a blog is lacking in so many ways that it is hard to agree with Burstein’s theory of bloging.