Classmate's research presentation

Svetlana's research presentation about second life, webkinz and the future of virtual world on education.
Svetlana presents the impact of virtual worlds on today’s early education to the higher. First she descries what is second life and webkins are and than shows some examples of how they being implemented for different teaching methods. She gives examples of institutes that using these virtual world and the advantages of doing so She enters into these virtual worlds and presents the way it works in a very informative clear way. Also, by doing so she fills the presentation with a lot of explanatory beautiful graphics that you cannot miss:-)

My Term Research Project

My Term Research Project gives information about networking sites for pets as petsplaces.com from different perspectives: social, commerce, and informative. Social perspective by using online groups, blogs and events where members can share. Satisfies the commerce perspective by giving the ability to advertise and market products and services on these sites. Also giving useful information to the pets owners community by communicating and collaborating online.

The Next New Thing

Convergence of d iphone (since already it has the ability to communicate and collaborate) and digital signature form (like the ups guys have). Once it will accept our signature, we can run almost a full business from the iphone (including but not only to paying bills (checks), wire transfer, and other forms which requires a real signature). To secure that we’ll have a password and the ability to record our signature.

Old v. New

We can distinguish “new media” from “old” media by calling old media-communication delivery systems, which are analog, static, independent, passive, obsolete, and passive.
Examples: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, books. What you get in a book, for example, is the writer point of view and settings, which are not changeable.
In the other hand to the “new” media we can call-computer mediated communication and collaboration, which are digital, dynamic and can be changed. Examples: blogs, e-books, e-zines, pod casts, flicker, etc. where digital information like blogs can non-stop be changed and modified by almost everybody.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1116771

Advice to Baruch College

If I would be hired by Baruch College to use new media to improve the College, I would suggest building an interactive course study (like wiki). Where students and professors can actively participate and post their course material, knowledge, and experiences. It would create a better study environment where all can add to that.
Professors can add their tutorial videos (good when u missed a class), practice exercises could be added, and student concerns and suggestions.
Students who are not participating in that class could view the material and might find it interesting to take the class as well.
Also, can add a link suggests what other classes students like me take.

Effect of New Media on Society

If we blamed the old media for alienating us from social networking, we can now say the opposite about the rise of new media; we are collaborating back again and on a larger scale (world wide). In the days of television and newspaper, we could stay at home without interacting with the outside world, while today we are not only watching or reading, we can also respond and interact with the other side (blogging, chatting, sharing ideas, photos, and videos) all online. Political, economical, and social views are shared and open to all in the free world to a smallest village.

We also rely more on today’s media in the social sense (ex: facebook) or in business (ex: company’s wikis). We rely on up-to-date emails and information sharing so we can get things done faster and more accurately.
More than that, today’s children are growing up online and this is their main viewpoint, which emphasizes the importance of the new media.

Checking Out Some Social Networking Sites

“A social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.”(wiki)
Some Social Networking Sites:
1. Facebook- Facebook is a social networking website where users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profile to notify friends about themselves.
Very broad with a lot of users and gimmicks; fun wall, pokes, and games. I find that most of my friends like this site better than the others.
2. MySpace is a popular social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos for teenagers and adults internationally.
I find it more artists oriented; helps new bands to get recognition, new independent theatre performance, exhibitions, and more events.
3. Friendster is based on the circle of friends and web of friends’ techniques for networking individuals in virtual communities.
I find it a smaller version of Facebook.
4. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site mainly used for professional networking. Where it can help find jobs, also recruiters using this site to find perspective employees since you can upload your profile, resume, and recommendation letters.
Sources:
http://www.friendster.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/
http://www.facebook.com/
http://www.myspace.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySpace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn

My Book Review Outline

Wholesome Media

I.“In “Infotopia”, Crass R. Sunstein talks of the development of, and effects of new media on today’s society.
Main theme- importance of minds sharing their pieces of information to create a whole.
II. New media is defined by Sunstein as the “rise of new methods for obtaining information”, that results in the collaboration of minds from around the globe. When shared, topics are refined to create a current database.
III. new media discussed:
Wikis- secure web pages that are freely and immediately edited by anyone with access.
Blogs- personal pages where people can share their thoughts and ideas, kept in a chronological setting- online diary
open source software- ensures open source material is freely available to others who use it, including as many minds as possible.
markets- opinions are exchanged in return for rewards
These spring from the importance of aggregating information and deliberation.
IV. Sustein starts off his writing in a positive inclination toward the advances in new media, but makes sure to provide the reader with both advantages and disadvantages of these new movements.
Good- collaboration, communication, advance in knowledge, building of security, economy
Bad- misinformation based on fear, insecurity, lack of research, group pressure mentality, over confidence,
V. This book is a good reference for basics of new media, outlining the major benefits and problems we face technologically and socially.
It can be extended into an interesting social study.

Bibliography

Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge by C.R. Sunstein. Oxford University Press, 2006

Term Project Source List

My Current Source List :
-Brian Morrissey, Niche Social Networks Offer Target Practice, Adweek, April 9, 2007 Monday, NEWS; NATIONAL
-Louise Story, Owners share on pet site; ON ADVERTISING, The International Herald Tribune, The New York Times Media Group November 19, 2007, FINANCE; Pg. 11.
-Louise Story, A Web Site for Pet Lovers, And Marketers Who Love Them,
The New York Times, November 19, 2007 Monday, Section C; Column 0; Business/Financial Desk; ADVERTISING; Pg. 9.
-Lauren Novak, Dogs let loose in cyberspace, Sunday Mail (South Australia), March 4, 2007 Sunday, NEWS; Pg. 18.
-Brian Quinton, Who Let the Dogs Blog?, Promo, July 1, 2008, Pg. 14.
-Scott Kirsner, A DOG'S LIFE, ONLINE - Kooky? Maybe. But start-up bets it's barking up the right tree with a sort of Facebook for Fido, The Boston Globe, November 11, 2007 Sunday, BUSINESS; Pg. C1.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/966150/netsky_pleased_with_the_social_networking_site_petsplacescom/index.html http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_/ai_n19465054 http://www.petclassifieds.us/
http://www.aboutus.org/PetsPlaces.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Netsky-Holdings-Inc-741806.html http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Netsky-Holdings-Inc-725585.html http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=149530225 http://eco.netvibes.com/widgets/291653/places-for-pets-and-pet-owners-petsplaces-com http://www.discussdogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2460
http://pikapet.com/forums/topic/1206?cat=3 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_/ai_n19045998 http://www.cafepress.com/petsplaces/3059089
http://www.langtags.com/jses/articles/20070713/a0753658240.html http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=25775676

Social Networking and Virtual Worlds

1. Social Networking and virtual Worlds used by employees (corporate) or people of the free world to collaborate together and share ideas and knowledge. For example:
Proffesional recruiters recruit potential employees by search in Linkedin since everyone can upload their profile.
Webkinz- social networking for kids
In corporation by creating “ creating online profiles and blogs, form online communities and discussion groups, and swap data files…you can ‘cc’ everyone”
2. Benefits: In Buisness-”Reduce the cost of doing a business” by participating in virtual forums from location all over the world. Today you can reach out to that community and discuss those issues.”
“New IBM employees separated by thousand of miles will be able to mingle, interact and share ideas in the virtual world before their first day on the job” They can learn real life working skills.
Other- “visitors can practice social interaction and find information about their condition. The graphical representations of real people create a "comfort zone" that can coax users out of their shells and get them communicating with others.”
”Second Life excels at minimizing geographical separations between people and bringing people from all over the world to meet together quickly and easily”.
3. The “Dark Side”: criminals can use their anonymity to reach children and indefensible audiences and participants. Also, the ability` of making illegal business is an issue.
4. I believe these technologies in the future will commingle with our day to day operations more and more, so we can benefit from other as other benefit from us.
Sources:
http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/24/61/08.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522523&sc=emaf
http://ibm.rogersconsumerpublishing.com/macleans/downloads/social.pdf
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/magazine/23patients-t.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=goetz+practicing+patients&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=login
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/01/ST2008040103032.html
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/is-myspace-good-for-society-a-freakonomics-quorum/?emc=eta1

New Media - Our Class Wiki - So Far

So far I have been enjoying research on the collaboration of new media in marketing and advertising.
I have found interesting the importance of data mining in marketing. It is a strong tool that can help businesses aggregate information into their data base in order to target their consumers.
Another way advertisers have found to appeal to customers is through blogging.
For the class wiki I have input my findings on both data mining and blogs.

I have also begun looking into marketing and advertising through a virtual world. In this new media people can create an online live space where a virtual reality is accessed and reflects real life events.

Blogs vs. Wikis

1.Two of the main new media outlets these days are found in blogs and wikis. The two offer a platform for people to share information, but cater to different needs on the part of the people inputting the feeds.
They are both easy to access, and are updated in a chronological order, so they are continually up-to-date. The difference is in the source and validation of data. Since blogs are managed by one person, the information is more biased than in a wiki, which is updated by people who come to new realizations, or who find errors in the current inputs, and then “correct” the postings. Blogs can perform as online conversations where people can respond to what is written, but cannot change the author’s entry.
2. Convergence seems to be an inevitable move forward for technological and media sources. It is a process that always seems to come along when two or more systems have been utilized, and the only thing left to do is consolidate. As in the movement of old media into new, it is a growing process. Here, two parallels can meet, and benefit from one another by converging the best components of each, which usually also means that the average consumer can benefit from the upgraded product. The Internet is important because it is a new concept that will continue to grow in the future, incorporating and combining existing media forms and eventually will also foster the creation of entirely new forms of media.
3.Blogs are shared publicly. And in a form of media- the web, which is accessible to anyone at any time. Opinions vary, but when a search is made, and similar opinions are viewed, a collaboration can be made through the open discussions in chat rooms.
4.Wikis can be used to build a collaborative cookbook. One recipe is noted, and according to trial and error, and taste, others can contribute their ingredients.
Sources cited:
http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2005/10/25/blogs_vs_wikis_presentation.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsFU3sAlPx4
http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Convergence
http://ccsblog.burtongroup.com/collaboration_and_content/collaboration/

My New Media Class – So Far

1.In new media, digitization and downloading have made information storage and sharing more efficient. The different technologies associated with new media are blogs, Bluetooth, Google, Iphones, virtual worlds and wikis.

2. The Internet has provided a safe, approachable, and above all immediate environment for people to connect to the world of information. It is the best setting for new media to grow in, since in today’s world, it is fed by the masses that contribute thoughts and findings as soon as they come to light. The quickness of the Internet eliminates, as much as possible, a delay in the exchanges of data which could result in serious errors.

3. New media is always a step up from the old. It is built on the old concepts, using what is known, while over time, taking on its own shape and developing its own objects. It takes on a dynamic move forward, while the old media stays static. As examples, newspapers are converting into blogs and wikis, photographs can now be shared on Flicker, and movies can be viewed on podcasts.

Sources cited:
http://praxagora.com/andyo/professional/new_media_characteristics.html
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/michaelwalford/entry/glossary_for_new/
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0198-458931/Something-old-something-new-new.html
http://www.hypernarrative.com/wordpress/2007/11/09/how-new-media-objects-change-old-media/

New Media- My Definition

Media has always been a source of communication among people. A way to bring thoughts and current events into the public eye.
New media is the most up-to-date form of such interaction, and is a reflection of the transformation in human development.

My Term Project

I am embarking on a new search, and am doing it by
combining research of new media with my love of dogs!
I went back to the people I met during my days as a dog walker
and found out that many of them have visited the site: www.petplaces.com
So I decided to look into this meeting place of ideas, resources and common interests
and analyze the effect of this kind of communication on our society. Do the users really benefit in the end, or are they shortchanged?
The main sources I will use would be the site itself, using the existing blogs and forums to
examine people's interest in the site, I will talk to Sophie, a dog walker in my neighborhood
(who also happens to be my dog's current walker!), I will visit Wikipedia to answer any questions
I might encounter, and any store/clinics/dog runs that might be referred to on petplaces..com

Look for exciting interviews and my findings on my next entry!

What is New Media

New Media for Dogs