So, this week is the final week of my online social media class. Given my mood, I decided today would be a good day to reflect upon it. Although in the beginning of the class I felt extremely overwhelmed by the amount of things we had to do, once I got more used to each form of social media and could navigate more quickly, everything began to flow.
I will say that the most beneficial tools I enjoyed and learned from the most were the wikispaces of blogs. I enjoyed these because I felt as though they were genuinely useful, interesting, and something that I would use in my future. Blogging was foreign to me, but it opened up new doors in regards to connecting on a deeper level with others and being able to read what they had to say in detail rather than in a "status". Wikispaces are just amazing in general. Being a girl who feels that I have spent my whole life in school, I am amazed that I hadn't heard of them for working on group projects before. They are so helpful and convenient, especially for online courses. The site was also so easy to learn, especially with the tutorial, that I feel anyone could learn to navigate it quickly. It also works really well in terms of grading for professors since the activity is always logged, which is something that can be good or bad, but it eliminates student frustration over who does what and trying to make sure other group members are participating. I enjoy the fact that anyone in the group can have access and make changes to the page on their own time.
If there is anything that I would eliminate from the course it would be the use of YouTube and Flickr. Although I understand the importance of being of aware of such social media tools, I felt it extremely difficult to connect with classmates and others and I found them to not be very useful throughout the class. I suppose my final opinion on them is that they play a very small role in social media and I thought other sites could've been more useful. I also had a very hard time creating channels in an organized manner on YouTube and finding outside source pictures that would actually load into Flickr.
On my phone, my most used applications that pertain to social media would have to be Wordswithfriends and Pinterest. I downloaded Wordswithfriends the second I got my phone. Although I go through stages of playing a lot to playing not at all, I enjoy it because it allows me to play a game of "scrabble", if you want to call it that, with my friends, family, or a complete stranger. You can play whenever you want and I find it rather amusing. As you have heard in the past, Pinterest is my weak spot and I downloaded it after months of trying not to. However, I think that Pinterest in really making a break through in terms of social media. It's connecting people on an interest-based level and it's sparking creativity in many of its users. Also, the interest-based part of it makes it different than Facebook and Twitter in that you can connect with people who enjoy the same things you do and feed off them, their likes, their Pins, etc.
Although there were some minor changes that I would make to the class, overall I feel I had a great experience with this class. It made me more knowledgeable on social media tools that I was previously unaware of and made me understand the positive role that being socially "web-active" can have in my life. Whether I want to stay in touch with friends, share pictures with my family, connect with my co-workers, or work on school projects, I now the many options of social media that allow me to do all of this in the click of a button.
8.13.2012
8.10.2012
Following the Campaign
Over the past week, following the two presidential campaigns has been a great but overwhelming experience. Due to the small amount of baseline information that I have in politics, reading anything current was a tedious process because I had to learn about more basic concepts as to why each president was doing what---well, I suppose I didn't have to but nothing would've made much sense if I didn't!
I have learned a lot about each candidate throughout the past days. To be honest, I knew very little about each candidate, even our current president, simply because I rarely follow this genre of media.
As for Republican Mitt Romney, I learned who he was before his current run and what he's doing now in the presidential campaign. Things such as where he's from, his Governor reign in Massachusetts and his previous presidential nomination---all of which are important factors in his popularity amongst his followers during this 2012 campaign.
Democrat and current president, Barrack Obama, was a little different in terms of what I learned about him. Most of the information that arose when I searched him on the Web was about his past four years as our nation's president. The list seems endless, but the most frequent things to show up was his Tax relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, Job Creation Act, and "Obamacare". Naturally, articles on how these and others have helped our nation, and articles on how Obama has put us in more debt than ever.
My posts about the presidents on Facebook didn't cause much of an uproar---and I am not surprised. I got a few "likes" here and there, but no major responses. My friends are all pretty much on the same page as I am when it comes to being involved in the campaign. I also have posted so infrequently over the years about this subject that it was probably more surprising to see on my wall than it was to actually respond to the article!
Unfortunately right now, learning more about the campaign hasn't changed my view on my choice to not vote. Honestly, the only reason for this is the fact that with work and school, I still don't feel like I have had enough time to learn enough to make any type of decision---and I have a little ways to go until school ends to have the time to learn more!
Yes, I do think social media and the Web is an extremely effective political tool. With how busy people are, having the ability to engage in the current events that they may have missed on the 6 o'clock news is highly convenient and necessary in terms of creating awareness. It also allows people from all different backgrounds to come together and communicate their opinions and beliefs with others, which I think is a positive addition to online media. I am the perfect example of how being able to search any political event online is so helpful and positive in creating awareness.
I have learned a lot about each candidate throughout the past days. To be honest, I knew very little about each candidate, even our current president, simply because I rarely follow this genre of media.
As for Republican Mitt Romney, I learned who he was before his current run and what he's doing now in the presidential campaign. Things such as where he's from, his Governor reign in Massachusetts and his previous presidential nomination---all of which are important factors in his popularity amongst his followers during this 2012 campaign.
Democrat and current president, Barrack Obama, was a little different in terms of what I learned about him. Most of the information that arose when I searched him on the Web was about his past four years as our nation's president. The list seems endless, but the most frequent things to show up was his Tax relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, Job Creation Act, and "Obamacare". Naturally, articles on how these and others have helped our nation, and articles on how Obama has put us in more debt than ever.
My posts about the presidents on Facebook didn't cause much of an uproar---and I am not surprised. I got a few "likes" here and there, but no major responses. My friends are all pretty much on the same page as I am when it comes to being involved in the campaign. I also have posted so infrequently over the years about this subject that it was probably more surprising to see on my wall than it was to actually respond to the article!
Unfortunately right now, learning more about the campaign hasn't changed my view on my choice to not vote. Honestly, the only reason for this is the fact that with work and school, I still don't feel like I have had enough time to learn enough to make any type of decision---and I have a little ways to go until school ends to have the time to learn more!
Yes, I do think social media and the Web is an extremely effective political tool. With how busy people are, having the ability to engage in the current events that they may have missed on the 6 o'clock news is highly convenient and necessary in terms of creating awareness. It also allows people from all different backgrounds to come together and communicate their opinions and beliefs with others, which I think is a positive addition to online media. I am the perfect example of how being able to search any political event online is so helpful and positive in creating awareness.
8.09.2012
Censorship in Iran
Iran's government has been censoring the people from information that relates to women's rights, freedom of speech, democracy, news, religious content and most recently, social media tools. Although this censorship is seen as a measure to maintain the stability of the country and the control of the government, the ban of the internet and social media has caused an alarming uproar in Iran bringing upon rioting and protesting that lead to violence to misfortune.
The internet ban blocks access to political, human rights, women's sites, and weblogs. Most common to us, social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube are among those.
After years of protesting, the government has begun to make attempts at pleasing it's people by creating sites that they feel "fits" their criteria. The latest is Hadinet.ir, which is targeted for young, middle class Iranians. The site is devoted to Imam Naghi, an Iranian saint and it is comprised of collections of quotes attributed to the imam and posts by members who express their love and devotion to him. Although the purpose of the site is to express religious devotion, Iranian critics believe the site will likely join the long list of the banned because it is inevitable that young people will misuse the site with actions such as making fun of state policies and religious rulings.
Sites such as these are doing nothing for Iran in terms of allowing them social media access. If anything it is angering them more because it is not just social media, it's religion---and it's the only one available which leaves little room for personal choice. Due to the fact that Iran blocks so much, it is impossible for me to say whether this movement or the internet is positive or negative for the country because the change is so small and so few Iranians even believe it will last long. Many articles on the site are short, sweet, and to the point, which also leaves me with too broad of an idea of exactly how the Iranians feel. Also, they don't have any internet access to express it!
The internet ban blocks access to political, human rights, women's sites, and weblogs. Most common to us, social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube are among those.
After years of protesting, the government has begun to make attempts at pleasing it's people by creating sites that they feel "fits" their criteria. The latest is Hadinet.ir, which is targeted for young, middle class Iranians. The site is devoted to Imam Naghi, an Iranian saint and it is comprised of collections of quotes attributed to the imam and posts by members who express their love and devotion to him. Although the purpose of the site is to express religious devotion, Iranian critics believe the site will likely join the long list of the banned because it is inevitable that young people will misuse the site with actions such as making fun of state policies and religious rulings.
Sites such as these are doing nothing for Iran in terms of allowing them social media access. If anything it is angering them more because it is not just social media, it's religion---and it's the only one available which leaves little room for personal choice. Due to the fact that Iran blocks so much, it is impossible for me to say whether this movement or the internet is positive or negative for the country because the change is so small and so few Iranians even believe it will last long. Many articles on the site are short, sweet, and to the point, which also leaves me with too broad of an idea of exactly how the Iranians feel. Also, they don't have any internet access to express it!
8.08.2012
99 to 1
The Occupy Movement has been going on since September 17th 2011 when the first "1%" of the world angered the other "99%". It was that year when the US Government bailed the banks out of trillions of dollars and debt and did nothing afterwards to justify this bold movement. So now, the 99%---that is those who are not the banks, government, insurance, or mortgage industries---have been protesting for the past year in an angered response.
But what is going on with the movement nowadays? The New York Times explains in a neutral manner how the movement is fading to the edges of political discourse. Law enforcement has driven the people off the streets, the media has been paying less attention to them, and it's leadership structure is failing. On the contrary, #occupytogether's webpage shows quite a different aspect. This website is up, running, and has thousands of contributors who blog, tweet, and express their protest daily.
Regardless of if your searching for a news article or a more personal form of media message, you seem to always get the same thing---the neutral news relaying everything in a simple, broad, factual form about the people who are protesting and why, and then the people expressing their anger and disagreement through social media bringing every little specific detail to light about what the 1% is doing wrong.
Whether you are looking for neutral news or a precise explanation, finding what's going on with the Occupy Movement is as easy as clicking your twitter app on your smartphone and follow endless #occupy hashtags that will bring you right to the source.
But what is going on with the movement nowadays? The New York Times explains in a neutral manner how the movement is fading to the edges of political discourse. Law enforcement has driven the people off the streets, the media has been paying less attention to them, and it's leadership structure is failing. On the contrary, #occupytogether's webpage shows quite a different aspect. This website is up, running, and has thousands of contributors who blog, tweet, and express their protest daily.
Regardless of if your searching for a news article or a more personal form of media message, you seem to always get the same thing---the neutral news relaying everything in a simple, broad, factual form about the people who are protesting and why, and then the people expressing their anger and disagreement through social media bringing every little specific detail to light about what the 1% is doing wrong.
Whether you are looking for neutral news or a precise explanation, finding what's going on with the Occupy Movement is as easy as clicking your twitter app on your smartphone and follow endless #occupy hashtags that will bring you right to the source.
8.07.2012
Bloggers and Politics
For those of you who know me, politics is and never has been my strong point. I do not engage myself in any political activity or during election years. It's not that I do not want to, rather that spare time doesn't exactly exist for me right now. If I'm not working, I'm doing homework. If I'm not doing homework I'm eating or sleeping. If I'm not doing any of those things then I am doing nothing because I am burnt out from work and school and learning about politics is the last thing on my mind.
Due to all of this, I have no background or standpoint on anything. I have no idea if I lean to the left or to the right. And I will fully admit that the constant news reports, TV commercials and ads are overwhelming my mind. So, let's analyze some "easier" to follow blogs about the campaign to ease my boggled mind.
The first blog I came across was one written by a man named Harry Brown. Harry posts a new blog about the "political arena" almost every day. What I really liked about this blog is that he seems to be rather neutral. Sometimes his captions do seem to sway one way or another, but each day he posts the most current event of the election with a short summary that simply explains what is going on. Although Harry's blog is so easy to follow, he doesn't have many followers or comments. Most likely due to the fact that his blog is just a compilation of articles that you could find anywhere and not so much opinionated enough to the point where it could cause a big conversation.
Next I came across Big Sky Political Analysis's blog. This blog was created by professors of political science at Montana State University. These professors have been blogging about politics since 2008, however they haven't created much of a following crowd. What's interesting about this blog, though, is that they analyze the current national political events with an effort to be as opinionated and loyal to the political parties of Montana as possible---this means that they speak as right-minded republicans at all times. As this makes for a great blog for those who think equally, it's hard to keep an open mind because they are trying so hard to sway the reader's beliefs to how they believe things should be.
The last one I came across was a blog written by Jonathan Bernstein, a political scientist who enjoys blogging about American politics. He has been blogging since 2009 and posts a few blogs per day. Although he posts blogs about both presidential candidates, the way he expresses and analyzes each topic is most definitely swayed to democratic Obama favoritism. For example, yesterdays blog talked about Romney's economic program. He writes this blog in sort of a funny to read way. He starts with the facts and ends with "WRONG" and his opinion. It's quite entertaining and very straight forward. However, this is definitely not a blog you want to write if you're looking for a neutral opinion. He does have hundreds of followers who comment daily on his blogs, though, so you can still get the opposing side's opinion as well.
Regardless of the "overwhelming-ness" that politics causes me, I will soon have to learn and make up my mind. But for now, I will laugh at these ridiculous photos I came across during all of my searching. They both look so nice, I don't know how I will ever choose.
Due to all of this, I have no background or standpoint on anything. I have no idea if I lean to the left or to the right. And I will fully admit that the constant news reports, TV commercials and ads are overwhelming my mind. So, let's analyze some "easier" to follow blogs about the campaign to ease my boggled mind.
The first blog I came across was one written by a man named Harry Brown. Harry posts a new blog about the "political arena" almost every day. What I really liked about this blog is that he seems to be rather neutral. Sometimes his captions do seem to sway one way or another, but each day he posts the most current event of the election with a short summary that simply explains what is going on. Although Harry's blog is so easy to follow, he doesn't have many followers or comments. Most likely due to the fact that his blog is just a compilation of articles that you could find anywhere and not so much opinionated enough to the point where it could cause a big conversation.
Next I came across Big Sky Political Analysis's blog. This blog was created by professors of political science at Montana State University. These professors have been blogging about politics since 2008, however they haven't created much of a following crowd. What's interesting about this blog, though, is that they analyze the current national political events with an effort to be as opinionated and loyal to the political parties of Montana as possible---this means that they speak as right-minded republicans at all times. As this makes for a great blog for those who think equally, it's hard to keep an open mind because they are trying so hard to sway the reader's beliefs to how they believe things should be.
The last one I came across was a blog written by Jonathan Bernstein, a political scientist who enjoys blogging about American politics. He has been blogging since 2009 and posts a few blogs per day. Although he posts blogs about both presidential candidates, the way he expresses and analyzes each topic is most definitely swayed to democratic Obama favoritism. For example, yesterdays blog talked about Romney's economic program. He writes this blog in sort of a funny to read way. He starts with the facts and ends with "WRONG" and his opinion. It's quite entertaining and very straight forward. However, this is definitely not a blog you want to write if you're looking for a neutral opinion. He does have hundreds of followers who comment daily on his blogs, though, so you can still get the opposing side's opinion as well.
Regardless of the "overwhelming-ness" that politics causes me, I will soon have to learn and make up my mind. But for now, I will laugh at these ridiculous photos I came across during all of my searching. They both look so nice, I don't know how I will ever choose.
8.03.2012
Online Art
This week I searched videos and pictures galore for my new wikispace page on Susan Komen. What did I find? Well, nothing on Susan herself of course. Although I do wish that there was more about the reason the Komen Foundation was created, I did find numerous videos about the organization itself. Most of which I was already aware of. Such as the huge commotion that occurred this past 2012 year when the Foundation decided to defund and cut ties with Planned Parenthood. I remember this happening, however I didn't really think much of it at the time. During my time watching the videos, I was surprised at how many people supported the Foundation's choice to cut their ties. Why I was surprised I am not sure because I am fully aware of how many people disagree with abortions and Planned Parenthood in general. I think what I am most surprised about it how ruthless people can be. I am just not the type of person to nationally complain about something or a person who would rally for a cause. I admire these people who do however, because their perseverance really does and did pay off---the Foundation reversed their initial decision and once again became affiliated with Planned Parenthood.
This week I also browed a few different websites in regards to art and online art galleries. Throughout my search, I found that I had an interest in realism art work. Realism in the art world is exactly as it sounds. The pictures and paintings are created to depict people as they are considered to exist in an objective third person reality. This I just love. You look at a painting of people doing ordinary things, such as standing in a pasture, and you are left with your imagination to decide what kind of person the artist was thinking when they created it, who is that person, why do they look sad or happy? It's fantastic and interesting to analyze. Throughout searching for realism artist, I came across my new favorite whose name is David Kassan. David creates life-size realist portraits that are so incredible you could mistake his paintings for actual photos. Each portrait says something about the person he is replicating. Whether it be a saddened scene or a facial expression, it is up to the viewer to interpret. The life that he is able to bring to a bunch of tediously placed paint colors along with the fact that each painting has such a deeper meaning that I am able to interpret is why I enjoy his artwork so much.
Online art galleries are somewhat of a new thing. Some people may believe that it takes away from the experience that traditional art showings in museums hold. However, online art galleries allow millions of people to view and experience something beautiful that they may have never had to the chance to do it if weren't for the Web. These sites also have an added bonus. Many of them allow viewers to post comments on the artwork which brings people together and allows for many different views to be understood and expressed---after all, that is the point of art right? Artists create these masterpieces to share with the world. What better way to do that than over the Web. But these comments can have an even larger impact than just on other viewers alone. They can impact the artist. They allow for the artist to see, read, and analyze how their viewers view their work. If they feel viewers are getting a message different than what the artist is trying to depict, he or she can alter what they are doing to achieve that goal. So in essence, what people say about the art over the Web impacts the development of art because it may alter the artists desires.
Some artists and websites create their pieces to send messages and opinions about many current day issues. An example of this would be the many artists who paint to express the ever growing issue of poverty. Most of these artists indirectly relay their message through their work. They don't paint in huge letters, "poverty." Rather, they express it through the scene and leave it to us to understand what they are trying to say. Although with some artwork this can be difficult, directly giving the world artwork depicting poverty could be rather negative due to the sadness of the topic.
As amazing as the online arts may be, it can also change people's perceptions, cultures, and society as a whole as compared to traditionally viewing artwork. Some people believe, as I have stated, that it is a negative change in perception because it takes away from the reality of the work. However, I disagree. Our world is ever changing and technology is the leader. Digital media allows people to be more involved in the work they are viewing. They can offer their opinions to millions of other viewers or express their dislike, therefore altering and strengthening the art trend into something that calls out to it's viewers. It also brings cultures together in a way that may have never happened before. It allows people to understand other cultures and beliefs and hopefully allows those who were previously unwilling to have interest in people of a different race or culture to have the desire to expand their world and their understanding.
This week I also browed a few different websites in regards to art and online art galleries. Throughout my search, I found that I had an interest in realism art work. Realism in the art world is exactly as it sounds. The pictures and paintings are created to depict people as they are considered to exist in an objective third person reality. This I just love. You look at a painting of people doing ordinary things, such as standing in a pasture, and you are left with your imagination to decide what kind of person the artist was thinking when they created it, who is that person, why do they look sad or happy? It's fantastic and interesting to analyze. Throughout searching for realism artist, I came across my new favorite whose name is David Kassan. David creates life-size realist portraits that are so incredible you could mistake his paintings for actual photos. Each portrait says something about the person he is replicating. Whether it be a saddened scene or a facial expression, it is up to the viewer to interpret. The life that he is able to bring to a bunch of tediously placed paint colors along with the fact that each painting has such a deeper meaning that I am able to interpret is why I enjoy his artwork so much.
Online art galleries are somewhat of a new thing. Some people may believe that it takes away from the experience that traditional art showings in museums hold. However, online art galleries allow millions of people to view and experience something beautiful that they may have never had to the chance to do it if weren't for the Web. These sites also have an added bonus. Many of them allow viewers to post comments on the artwork which brings people together and allows for many different views to be understood and expressed---after all, that is the point of art right? Artists create these masterpieces to share with the world. What better way to do that than over the Web. But these comments can have an even larger impact than just on other viewers alone. They can impact the artist. They allow for the artist to see, read, and analyze how their viewers view their work. If they feel viewers are getting a message different than what the artist is trying to depict, he or she can alter what they are doing to achieve that goal. So in essence, what people say about the art over the Web impacts the development of art because it may alter the artists desires.
Some artists and websites create their pieces to send messages and opinions about many current day issues. An example of this would be the many artists who paint to express the ever growing issue of poverty. Most of these artists indirectly relay their message through their work. They don't paint in huge letters, "poverty." Rather, they express it through the scene and leave it to us to understand what they are trying to say. Although with some artwork this can be difficult, directly giving the world artwork depicting poverty could be rather negative due to the sadness of the topic.
As amazing as the online arts may be, it can also change people's perceptions, cultures, and society as a whole as compared to traditionally viewing artwork. Some people believe, as I have stated, that it is a negative change in perception because it takes away from the reality of the work. However, I disagree. Our world is ever changing and technology is the leader. Digital media allows people to be more involved in the work they are viewing. They can offer their opinions to millions of other viewers or express their dislike, therefore altering and strengthening the art trend into something that calls out to it's viewers. It also brings cultures together in a way that may have never happened before. It allows people to understand other cultures and beliefs and hopefully allows those who were previously unwilling to have interest in people of a different race or culture to have the desire to expand their world and their understanding.
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