My Last Post.

Well this is it the last post for this blog. Somehow I have managed to make it to the end of this journey. I have really enjoyed studying Net11. I really feel that I have learned a great deal and can’t believe it is over so soon. My introduction to blogging has been fantastic I can’t wait to start my own personal blog now that this is over.

Now all I have left to do is to hand in this blog. I hope that I have completed all requirements satisfactorily and have passed this task. Only time will tell.

Is Piracy Good?

After watching Mark Pesce’s utube presentation on BitTorrent which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxCoCTc3T5Q&feature=related I was relieved that there seems to be some intellectual discussion into the ways to make downloading content via BitTorrent legal in the future. This will give power back to producers of shows and ultimately give choice back to the viewers. The idea of adding territorial advertisement to content in the form of bugs or watermarks is an innovative suggestion of a way for producers to be paid for the content while allowing consumers to sample the content for free.

Piracy via the Internet is basically accomplished by either P2P or BitTorrent transfers. I thought I should try to define the difference between P2P and BitTorrent transfers. BitTorrents make the use of multiple computers and receive the file broken up into small packets. This allows you to download different packets from multiple hosts making it a much faster system of transferring large files than any P2P system. Bittorrent transfers are better suited to large file downloads such as TV shows or movies. P2P on the other hand is a host to host transfer where the entire file is transferred between two different computer users. The speed of transfer is dependent on the speed that the other computer can send the file. P2P transfer is better suited to small file transfers such as single song or movie clip transfers. Please see the diagrams below for a visual representation.

 Bit Torrent File Transfer.

Diagram from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bittorrent2.htm retrieved August 26 2009.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

P2P File Transfer.

Diagram from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bittorrent1.htm Retrieved August 26 2009.

At the moment in Australia piracy is an attractive solution to the absolute absence of choice when it comes to television viewing. Unless as a viewer you are happy to sit through rehashed versions of essentially the same show you will find that the commercial stations offer nothing for you to watch. From my perspective the shows on commercial stations can be broken down into about four categories cop shows, medical dramas, reality television or soaps. Where is the choice? Where is the diversity? In Australia there isn’t any. If you do not want to watch mainstream crap you will find that there is nothing to watch. Don’t even get me started on the quality of regional broadcasting or the lack of late night television. I understand that late night is not primetime but surely I am not the only person that is up after midnight that does not like infomercials. I really feel sorry for people that work shift work that routinely find themselves up at this hour with nothing to watch. Piracy offers a solution to watching the crap on the commercial television stations and at least gives a level of choice back to viewers.

I can’t wait for the day that I can download anything that I want to view via BitTorrent without feeling that I am cheating producers out of their profit for producing the show. Producers and advertisers just need to change the way they think about broadcasting their product to allow free viewing for everyone.

Future Shock

As an advanced Internet user I need to be prepared to stay in touch with Internet developments in the future. Just because I am learning about current Internet technology this does not mean that this is the way the Internet will be used in the future. The Internet is an ever changing environment and like any technology, advances are likely to emerge in the future. While the list of possible Internet developments could be endless and only restricted by the level of imagination, I have tried to project some possible uses of the Internet in the future.

Micro chipping our pets is already common practice. Perhaps in the not too distant future humans will be micro chipped as babies and this microchip could be linked to things like banking and other security related duties. The microchip could also be linked to the locks on car and home doors much like how a swipe card works to allow entry, except instead of swiping a card you would use your own hand. This would mean that you could never lose your keys or forget your pass to enter a building. Micro chipping people could also cut down on the instances of Identity theft. Though if we did go down the path of micro chipping people I am sure that some people would find a way to abuse the system. It sometimes seems that every time there is a technological advancement that is designed to enhance security there is someone who is able to exploit the technology for their own gain.

In the future working from home could become the standard rather than the exception. Once high speed broadband connections are available throughout the world working from home could become more economically viable. This would mean that the current corporate buildings could be utilised for additional housing and there would be no need to commute in traffic. Rather than attending meetings at the office they could be done through online conferencing. Working from home would make international employment a real possibility; instead of working for a local company the location of your employer could be irrelevant.

In the future studying online may become routine. Perhaps all students will study online instead of attending school or university. This would allow people to fit study into their own life and also to study at their own pace. One limitation to this idea is that it would impact young student’s ability to be involved with face to face interactions and socialisation.

The way that we interact with computers in the future could be vastly different to today. In the future rather than typing on a keyboard perhaps we will be able to communicate by using brainwaves. This technology is already being used for people with disabilities but what if this was further developed and became the norm. One drawback would be the need to concentrate completely when communicating. Things like daydreaming or feelings could impact the ability to communicate if communication was completed in this way.

In the future driving may become completely automated. We already use GPS technology and cruise control. Perhaps in the future you will be able to enter your destination into your GPS and your car will drive you there. This would greatly reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents and would also diminish the effects of drink driving. The only limitation to this technology would be that the GPS would need to be updated on a regular basis in order to keep up to date with new roads or changed traffic conditions like roadwork or other obstacles.

These are just some of the possible advances in technology that have come off the top of my head. Whatever the future developments of the Internet are it is sure to be an extremely exciting time for Internet users.

Information Ecology

My understanding of ecology is that it is the branch of science that deals with the interaction within species and the development and adaption of these species. I think that the metaphor of information ecology is a fitting explanation of the way the Internet is used. The Internet is fundamentally a medium that facilitates the interaction and the exchange of information. Interaction via the Internet has  developed and adapted over time. Initially interaction via the Internet was predominantly done through newsgroups and chat, while these are still examples of interaction via the internet communication styles have evolved to include forums, blogs, social networking, and most recently tweets.

If you delve even deeper into the essence of the Internet I feel it can be likened to an independent environment. On a number of occasions I have found myself describing the Internet as the online environment. The dynamics of information on Internet is ever changing, evolving and adapting over time which is why I consider the term information ecology to be appropriate. In order to be able to effectively communicate in the online environment I need to be prepared to develop my interactions to evolve with the changing environment.   

Within the information ecology framework the notion of information and communication are closely associated. Information refers to increasing knowledge through communication. Communication refers to the receiving and circulating information. As you can see both information and communication are inextricably related within this framework.

I believed that we do not refer to communication ecology because communication within the term ecology is presumed. If you consider that my understanding of ecology is the interaction within species, communication is a means of interaction and not separate to it. 

 

Newsgroups Optional Task.

This topic was optional due to the risk of finding unsuitable content while searching a newsgroup. After initially being a little apprehensive about completing this task I decided to give it a go. A newsgroup is a constant public discussion on a particular subject. According to http://www.newsreaders.info/list-of-all-newsgroups.htm there are currently over 120,000 available newsgroups.

The first thing I needed to do to be able to join a newsgroup was to download a newsreader. After some investigation I decided to download Agent 5.0 which was listed as the most popular newsreader. I downloaded a 30 day free trial version of Agent 5.0 from http://www.forteinc.com/agent/download.php. The program downloaded in a matter of minutes and I began the installation. Step three of the installation required me to configure the news server which included nominating a news server I would use and confirming if a secure SSL connection and a login was required. Small problem I did not know what news server to use and whether it required any of the additional information. The installation listed news.acme.com as an example so I decided to try that, I left the boxes for a secure DDL connection and login blank in the hope that they were not required. The next step was to provide an email address and name so I provided this information. The last step involved downloading the newsgroup directory. At this step I received an error because it could not locate the news server.

After an extensive Google search for free news servers I eventually found list of Usenet news servers. In the end I chose a news server called news.prz.edu.pl because I assumed that the edu in the name would increase the likelihood of genuine responses rather than unsavoury content. I entered this information into Agent 5.0 and it located 44,825 results. After scrolling through the exhaustive list I found that although there was an edu in the name there still seemed to be a number of entries with unsavoury content. I finally decided on an innocuous looking group called alt.animals.wombat to download the messages from. Thankfully all messages were actually about wombats and there was no unsuitable content. Most messages were factual information about wombats. After watching this list for a number of days I posted the following message.

 

Overall I found this task to be quite frustrating. It took far too long for me to locate a useful news server and then wade through an exhaustive list of groups before I was able to find a suitable group to have a discussion with. I much prefer to use discussion boards to discuss topics. In the future I do not think I will use newsgroups as a means for public discussion, I will continue to use discussion boards to fulfil this task.

Conceptual Research and Reflection Project.

10: Automation

“Effective email use depends on automation or, more precisely, on the ability of effective users to make decisions and then implement them as to how automation of information processing can assist users to make more efficient use of their valuable time. Automation is critical to processes such as filtering and requires that humans try to anticipate the future and then give precise instructions to their email programs to deal with those future contingencies.” (Allen, n.d)

While automation is a useful tool that can be used as a timesaving device, there are situations where automation either does not save time, or causes issues for ineffective users. The types of automation that can be problematic if used incorrectly are automated email responses, automated spam filters and the use of email filters.    

Automated email filters can significantly reduce daily execution of menial tasks. It is important when filtering email that you filter unimportant items that can be handled at another time. (Mann, 2006) The types of email that could fall into these categories are things like blog comments, community site announcements, memos, mailing lists and newsletters. (Mann, 2006) The aim of filtering email is to spend less time performing meaningless tasks and more time getting important things done. (Mann, 2006) As Mann (2006) concludes “like digital security and sustainable human love, smart email filtering is a process, and not a one-time event. Learn, tweak, watch, and improve to keep your priceless attention trained where it can do the most good.”

Another possible issue with using automation is the tendency of spam filters to not only filter out spam but also to filter legitimate emails. There are a number of terms that should be avoided when sending emails to ensure the email is able to get through spam filters. Some of these terms can include reference to business affairs, referring to something as free, using the word opt when accompanied with in or out and even referring to spam itself. (Delio, 2004) These terms can make it difficult for legitimate business to operate. McAfee Security routinely run into problems with this, as quite often emails they send out will be in reference to spam discussions or ideas on strategies to deal with spam. (Delio,2004) When sending an email it is essential to take spam filtering technology into consideration.  The important thing to remember when dealing with spam filters is to adjust the filters to fit your own needs, and regularly check and tweak them to ensure they are working correctly. (Delio, 2004)

While in theory automated email responses seem like a fantastic way to reduce the costs of running a business, and decrease the time it takes to respond to queries. In reality the opposite can be true. Research from Jupiter a consultancy organisation has found that rather than decreasing business running costs, automated email responses can actually increase costs. Instead of a customer service operator answering a query over the phone, a business needs to employ staff to update the answer database. (Walker, 2001) Another issue with automated email responses is the tendency for the automated email program to either answer the query incompletely, or provide the wrong answer. In a survey Jupiter completed on automated email responses they found that less than 2% successfully answered the query with an automated response. (Walker, 2001) If a customer is dealing with automated technology and cannot get the correct response, they become frustrated and will likely take this frustration out on the customer service operator they then need to call to get the answer.

While automation can be a useful tool it is important to review and adjust email and spam filters to ensure they are working to individual needs. When sending emails bear spam filters in mind and try not to use words that will cause an email to be filtered as spam. While in theory automated email responses seem attractive, it can be difficult to train the database to provide correct responses on all occasions. (536 words.)

Site 1: Automation woes widen the email expectations gap. http://www.shorewalker.com/section7/email_expectations.html

This is a blog that was posted by David Walker in April 2001 and was amended in May 2004. David Walker seems a credible source, he writes a fortnightly IT column for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. This post refers to research done by Jupiter consultancy and discusses the shortcomings of using an automated email system. He refers to the “email expectations gap” where automated email systems promise fast and effective responses to email responses but fail to deliver. He also comments on the research findings that discovered that email automation systems actually end up costing more money and alienate customers. This post would be a useful resource for businesses considering using an automated email program. (118 words.)
 

Site 2: Spam Filters Grab Good with Bad. http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2004/01/61945

This article was posted in the Wired IT section in 2004. Wired is a credible source of information. This article discusses the problems with new anti-spam technology and the tendency of this technology to filter the good with the bad. The article lists terms that should be avoided in an email if you want it to be sure it is received. It also highlights the need to check, tweak and train filters (Delio, 2004) to ensure they are working correctly and are not filtering legitimate emails. This article would be a good resource both for people considering updating their spam protection, and for people new to email that want to ensure their emails are received. (113 words.)

 

7. Netiquette

“Good communication practice on the Internet is not something one ‘learns’, but something one ‘practices’ so as to teach others, less familiar than yourself, how it is done.” (Allen, n.d)

 Netiquette put simply means network etiquette, so it refers to the rules of socially accepted behaviour when communicating online. There are numerous rules and guidelines to proper netiquette and as these rules are constantly changing so it is difficult to know what netiquette entails. What is considered proper netiquette in one medium may not be considered necessary in another. For this reason it is important for experienced users to use proper netiquette and teach less experienced users by example.

One of the primary notions of netiquette is to remember that there is a real human at the other end of the connection. This is important because with online communication the opportunity to use visual cues such as body language or vocal tone to decipher the true meaning in an exchange is removed. This can lead to an increased likelihood of misunderstandings and frustration. (Shea, 1994)

The rules of netiquette are constantly changing and different Internet sites and applications often have different ideas on what netiquette entails. For example in discussion boards and chat the use of emoticons is encouraged; whereas in a business emails emoticons are discouraged and are generally considered too casual. When in doubt the best rule to follow is to treat others the way that you would like to be treated.

Though the netiquette rules are ever changing, there are however some netiquette rules that seem to be standard across the board. One of these rules is not to write in upper case as this is seen as yelling. Another netiquette rule that is fairly standard is not to say anything online that you would not be comfortable saying to the persons face. (Shea, 1994)

While there is no actual policing of these rules or legal consequences in most situations, many websites and discussion boards do have a code of conduct. While code of conducts may differ, failure to adhere to these rules can have varying penalties which can include the removal of offending posts or exclusion from the discussion board or website. When joining a new discussion board or group it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the code of contact and it may even be helpful to watch other posts for a few days to learn what is expected.

Cyber Bullying is one example of what can happen if netiquette is not followed. There have been many recent media publications about the dangers of cyber bullying. Unlike conventional bullying where a person is able to escape the bully in their home, cyber bullying can be much more damaging as the bullying can extend into all aspects of life. Some schools are even teaching netiquette to primary school age children in a bid to stop instances of cyber bullying. (Tucker, 2009.)

As there are many differing ideas on what constitutes good netiquette and these rules or guidelines are likely to change, it is important to remember to be polite while online. It is the responsibility of an experienced Internet user to practice proper netiquette so that new users can learn what is expected and avoid making social blunders. (514 words.)

Site 1: Netiquette http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html

This site links to the online version of Virginia Shea’s book Netiquette, which provides in depth analysis of the various attributes to netiquette and seems a credible resource.  This site is an extensive resource into all aspects of netiquette and covers broad categories such as netiquette basics, business netiquette, social netiquette and legal issues in netiquette. This site also explores flagrant violations to netiquette such as electronic hoax’s, forgery and email harassment to be wary of when communicating online.  This site would be useful resource to both Internet newcomers and long time Internet users wanting to brush up on netiquette. (100 words.)

Site 2: Call for a Bloggers Code of Conduct. http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/03/call-for-a-bloggers-code-of-co.html

This blog is written by Tim O’Reilly, who is the CEO of O’Reilly media and a leading publisher of computer books so he seems a credible source. In the blog Tim suggests a number of ideas that could be used to form a blogger’s code of conduct in response to a series of weblogs that appear to have been produced to glorify cyber bullying. This post would be useful to bloggers that are looking for information on how to deal with cyber bullying. It includes a number of commonsense tips that anyone could use to assist them to deal with cyber bullying. (102 words.)

 

26. Privacy and Security.

“The Internet is a profoundly ‘open’ system and advanced Internet users are cautious about either accepting or sending material from and to unknown sources and are careful in releasing information about themselves in any form. Conceptually, the Internet challenges us to take greater responsibility for the protection of privacy and security than perhaps we are used to when dealing with the media.” (Allen, n.d)

Ever since the Internet was introduced there have been numerous concerns and threats to online privacy and security. While this has been a concern for many users, the Internet is too valuable a resource to be avoided because of security concerns. This has lead many users to take numerous precautions to protect privacy and security while online.

There are many different security threats to your computer these can include viruses, worms, Trojans, adware, spyware and keystroke loggers. Many of the risks to online security can be reduced by utilising protective software such as anti-virus programs, firewalls and spam filters but even with these programs there is still some risk. (Australian Government NetAlert n.d.) An advanced Internet user will also take additional precautions to protect their online security. These can include not opening attachments or clicking links on email when they are not from a trusted source, not downloading files from suspect websites and deleting dubious emails. (Australian Government ACMA, 2009a)    

Another way to protect online privacy is to be wary of who you provide personal information to. Information such as your email address and phone number should not be given out to just anyone just because it is requested. In real life if a stranger requested your name and address you would not dream of giving it out. The same principle should be applied to the internet. When signing up to a website you normally do not need to provide your real details. To protect the privacy of your primary email address, it may even be useful to have a second email address that can be used to subscribe to newsgroups and newsletters. (McCandlish, 2002)   

While the ability to make purchases online has in many cases made shopping considerably easier, it can also be a risk to online security. When shopping online it is of paramount importance to ensure the website is secure. Secure websites generally have an image of a padlock in the browser and usually begin with https. Shopping on unsecured websites can result in identity theft where your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge or permission. (Australian Government ACMA, 2009b)

While many users go out of their way to protect their privacy when online, the recent social networking phenomenon has put many people’s privacy in jeopardy. Social networking relies on people posting personal information about themselves to sites like MySpace or Facebook. This information generally includes photo’s, relationship status, work status, family information, educational standing and personal messages. While there are concerns that social networking allows unwanted people to find you, perhaps a greater concern is that you do not know who is viewing your information. Would you really want your boss or prospective employer to view what was on your social networking site. An old work colleague was actually fired due to something he posted on his Facebook site. For people that feel the need to use social networking, privacy can be protected by being careful about what is posted and ensuring that only minimal information is shared with everyone.

Though the Internet contains numerous threats to privacy and security experienced users can actively protect this information. Responsible Internet users are aware of these threats and take responsible actions to protect their privacy and security while online. (530 words)

Site 1: Internet Security. www.netalert.gov.au/advice/security/internet_security.html

This site has been produced by the Australian Government to provide information to protect families online so it appears to be a credible source. This site includes detailed descriptions of common Internet security threats like viruses, worms and trojans. It also offers guidance on how to protect your computer from these threats such as using a firewall or antivirus program. There is also information on ways to protect your personal information while online and what steps to take if you believe your personal information has been accessed. This site would be useful to anyone that is planning on using the Internet; it provides helpful advice on internet privacy and security.  (111 words.)

Site 2: EFF’s Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy. http://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy.

This article has been produced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and was written by Stanton McCandlish who is the Technology Director so it seems to be a credible resource. In this article the Electronic Frontier Foundation identify their top twelve ways to protect your privacy online. As well as pinpointing ways to protect your privacy, this site also provides links to other third party websites that contain products or services that can enhance the security protection on your computer. This article would be useful for anyone that is concerned about online privacy and who is looking for products that could enhance their security. (103 words.)

1. Asynchronicity.

“Asynchronous electronic communication is not the opposite of real-time, synchronous communication: rather it describes forms of communication that appear differently ‘located in time’ depending on the perspective of the sender and receiver.” (Allen, n.d.)

 Asynchronous electronic communication is communication that is independent of time and place. The communication is intermittent and a time delay occurs between the sending and receiving of information. Unless a rapid response is required asynchronous electronic communication can actually be more useful than synchronous communication. (Wozniak, 2004.)

Asynchronous electronic communication is not hampered by geographical location or time zone. It does not matter if the sender and receiver are on opposite sides of the world; asynchronous communication allows them to be connected at times when it is suitable for each correspondent. Asynchronous communication has made it possible to conduct global business arrangements regardless of time differences. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to deal with business partners that were located in different time zones without asynchronous communication; there would only be certain times of the day that they were contactable. With asynchronous communication you can send an email during the day and have a response back the following morning.       

Asynchronous communication is the primary means of correspondence in distance education; and makes education possible for people located regionally. Distance education relies on asynchronous communication. Lectures are available as audio or video podcasts or video streaming and tutorial tasks take place in discussion boards rather than in person. (Bergsma n.d.) This gives students the flexibility to access material at their own convenience; and allows the student time to reflect and check references before preparing a reply.  

Asynchronous electronic communication allows the user to adapt the correspondence to meet their own requirements; and incorporate the exchange into their everyday life. While synchronous communication requires the user to set aside a specific time to correspond, asynchronous communication is able to be dealt with at the user’s convenience. Email and discussion boards can be added to at anytime of the day and night. Correspondence does not need to impact on family or leisure time and can be undertaken when it suits the sender.     

Asynchronous communication allows the user to choose the time to respond and reduces the likelihood of an emotional response. (Wozniak, 2004) Where real time synchronous communication requires immediate responses, asynchronous communication allows the user to contemplate the exchange and reduces the tendency to respond emotionally. When using asynchronous communication the user can rephrase written communications to ensure they are well received; and can consider different ways to verbalise the communication.

Another advantage of asynchronous communication is the prospect of archiving the correspondence to utilise later. Email and discussion board threads can be archived and used at a later time. Generally archived correspondence can be searched for quite quickly. (Wozniak, 2004) This can be useful for many reasons either to avoid asking the same query again or even to confirm commitments that were agreed to during the exchange. Synchronous communication is normally not able to be easily archived. 

The above examples highlight the significance of asynchronous communication in everyday life and emphasise the convenience of using this type of communication. They also validate the suggestion that in many situations asynchronous communication can be more useful than synchronous communication. (502 words)

Site 1: Synchronous / asynchronous delivery. http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/synchasynchtech/index.htm

 

This article was produced by Harley Bergsma who was a graduate student with San Diego State University so it appears to be a credible source. This article discusses the level of interaction in distance education and compares synchronous and asynchronous delivery modes. He notes that the major advantages of asynchronous communication in distance education are flexibility, as the learning can take place at any time or place and that it allows time for students to reflect rather than reacting instantly. This article would be useful for both students considering studying using distance education or educators looking to design distance education courses. (101 words)

Site 2: E-mail, incremental reading, creativity, and time-management. http://www.supermemo.com/articles/e-mail.htm

This article was written by Dr Piotr Wozniak who is a scientist of computer sciences and molecular biology and he seems to be a credible source. In this article he evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of using email when compared to other forms of communication. He discusses that the main advantage of email is in its asynchronicity. It allows users to not be distracted by instant communication and allows discussions to be prioritised using personal criteria. He contends that asynchronous communication is superior to instant communication unless speed is the main concern. This article would be of benefit to individual or businesses considering converting other forms of communication to email. (110 words)   

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http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/11/vigilante_justice

 

Chat Task

I am generally not a huge fan of internet based chat and found this task one of the most difficult to complete in this unit. As I have not had too much experience with many chat programs I chose to download Yahoo messenger from  http://messenger.yahoo.com/download to complete this task. After entering much more information than I would normally be comfortable with, I successfully downloaded Yahoo messenger. I updated my contacts next and added some other students that had listed their Yahoo messenger details on the discussion board. I then found that I needed to wait for my friend requests to be approved. I managed to get some friend requests approved but found that I rarely seemed to be online at the same time as other people. I finally managed to complete a chat session with another student. Please find an excerpt of the chat session below.

Anne Nohra: hi renee,

Anne Nohra: how are your studies

Anne Nohra: how have you been?

birdie3832: They are going alright, my 9 month old son doesn’t like to be helpful though.

Anne Nohra: what are you up to.

birdie3832: How about you?

Anne Nohra: ps. the kids get worse the older they get LOL

Anne Nohra: finished NET11 – need to submit – Blog only….stuck on NET12 – have 1 essay left to do

birdie3832: I am just trying to finalise my concepts assignment for net 11 and keep up with the net 12 workload.

birdie3832: I can’t wait.

Anne Nohra: me too.. finding it hard… i was going to do 2 x courses next study period, but dropped to 1 now.. maybe I can breathe better

birdie3832: I have been considering the same.It would be easier to focus on just the one subject.

Anne Nohra is typing a message.

Anne Nohra: i gotta go, will talk again soon

Anne Nohra has signed out. (4/08/2009 10:03 PM)

There are many reasons why I am not a fan of internet based chat. The first reason is that I am rarely able to chat at times when there are other people available; having a 9 month old son I find it difficult to commit a particular time to chat. If there is no-one around it is not possible to chat with yourself. It is also difficult to provide well thought out responses during a chat session. The last reason that I am not a fan of internet based chat is that the chat seems to be disjointed due to differing typing speeds, the above chat session was completed with my son on my lap so I was forced to type one handed which seriously reduced the speed of my typing and my responses. I would generally prefer to communicate via email or discussion board because it doesn’t matter when I choose to respond, the communication is able to fit into my differing schedule better. On email or discussion board I am able to take my time and consider my responses, which generally leads to more meaningful responses and typing speed is also not an issue. As I have extremely limited experience with Internet based chat I am unsure of the differences between IRC and ICQ. 

Evaluating the Web.

The requirement of this task was to complete a tutorial on evaluating websites and following the information in the Tutorial evaluate one website from my previous post. (Allen, n.d.) The tutorial can be found here http://liblearn.osu.edu/tutor/les1/. The tutorial contained useful information on evaluating information found on the web. I found the tutorial to be quite informative and had no problems answering the quiz questions correctly. After completing the Tutorial I decided to complete my annotation using site 3 from the previous task.

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ANNOTATION:

The author of this article is Chris Dede which is a pseudonym used by Timothy E. Worth Professor in Learning Technologies at The Harvard Graduate School of Education. The article was written in May 2008 so the information is fairly current. The article would be classified as reference or information. It compares Classical and Web 2.0 knowledge and learning and discusses the pros and cons of each type of learning. It does not promote any commercial product or promote a particular viewpoint. The main contention is that there is a clash between classical and Web 2.0 knowledge and learning. While Web 2.0 aids some problems it can also create additional challenges as it is often difficult to determine factual knowledge from public opinion. There do not seem to be other sites that cover aspects of the topic that are missing from this site. A Google search for related or similar sites returned no matches. This article has been recognised by other people. An Advanced Google search found that the article is linked to by 21 other websites. This article is also bookmarked by 10 other people on delicious.

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In terms of my own future use my annotated analytical version of recording search information would be most useful for me to refer back to. It contains my own judgement and evaluation of the information provided and assists me to put the information in context.

 

In terms of external users the original snapshot of the site would be most useful to assist them to judge if the site would be of interest to them. While I am looking at the site from an academic perspective external users may not have the same priority so the snapshot of the site would be most useful.

References

Allen, M. (n.d.) Module 4: Communicating in the Infosphere: Taking and Organising. Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved August 2, 2009 from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/

 

Organising Search Information Task

For this task I needed to choose my three best sources of information from the previous task and record useful information about these sites including URL, Author, Institution and Summary of the site. (Allen, n.d.) I chose three sites I found using a Boolean search done at http://www.boolify.org/ on Web 2.0 AND definition URL edu. To record the required information about the websites I chose to use delicious which is available to use at http://delicious.com/ Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to save all their bookmarks in the one place.  Please find below a screenshot of the websites I bookmarked with delicious.

Screenshot from: http://delicious.com/birdie3832 

As the screenshot is difficult to read I have recorded the information below:

Site 1.

URL: http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2007-03-13/balla-web2point0/story_syndication

Author: Andi Balla.

Institution: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. New York City. NYC.

Summary: “Depending on whom you ask, Web 2.0 is either a technological revolution or meaningless jargon. But many say the concept is transforming the Internet–backed by ideas that bring people together, users who generate content and new, easy-to-use technologies that make it all possible. On the human front, Web 2.0 means user-generated content. It includes social-networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn as well as wikis and Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia anyone can edit. Web 2.0 ranges from video sharing on YouTube to classified advertising on Craigslist.” From http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2007-03-13/balla-web2point0/story_syndication

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Site 2.

URL: http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/2471/01/Web2point0.pdf

Authors: Jonathon P. Allen, Howard Rosembaum & Pninia Shachaf.

Institution: The University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona.

Summary: “This position paper argues that the Web 2.0 phenomenon is an important object of study for information systems research, and that a social informatics approach to understanding Web 2.0 is particularly relevant and useful. We discuss Wikipedia as an example of empirical research on Web 2.0 that can helpbridge the divide between academic and popular discourse on new technology movements.” From http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/2471/01/Web2point0.pdf

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Site 3.

URL: http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume43/ASeismicShiftinEpistemology/162892

Author: Chris Dede who is Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Institution: Educause Review Magazine.

Summary: “The term Web 2.0 reflects a shift in leading-edge applications on the World Wide Web, a shift from the presentation of material by website providers to the active co-construction of resources by communities of contributors. Whereas the twentieth-century web centered on developer-created material (e.g., informational websites) generated primarily by a small fraction of the Internet’s users, Web 2.0 tools (e.g., Wikipedia) help large numbers of people build online communities for creativity, collaboration, and sharing. Interactive media that facilitate these Web 2.0 purposes include social bookmarking, wikis, podcasts, blogs, and software for personal expression and sharing (e.g., Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr). RSS feeds, sophisticated search engines, and similar harvesting tools help individuals find the needles they care about in a huge haystack of resources.” From http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume43/ASeismicShiftinEpistemology/162892

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The main reason I chose to use delicious is that I have found it much easier to use than other bookmarking programs. I also like the fact that delicious stores my bookmarks online so they can be accessed from any computer at any time, therefore if something happens to my computer my bookmarks will not be lost. Delicious also allows you to use tags when saving a bookmarks so all bookmarks that are relevant to a particular topic can be saved with the same tag. By simply checking the tag  it is easy to remember why the information was saved in the first place.  By using the notes section in delicious I can record an annotation of the website which will help me to understand and remember the context of the information on the website. I plan to use delicious to save all my bookmarks in the future so I should have no problem remembering where I have saved the information.

References
Allen, M. (n.d.) Module 4: Communicating in the Infosphere: Taking and Organising. Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved August 2, 2009 from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/

Boolean Searching on the Internet.

According to http://www.internettutorials.net/boolean.asp “Boolean logic refers to the logical relationship among search terms…” The three logical operators are AND, NOT, OR. According to this website http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/features/google/ Google uses an automatic AND between terms but does not support the AND or NOT operators or allow full Boolean searching. For this reason I chose not to use Google to complete the Boolean searching task. In order to complete this task I did a Google search on Boolean Search Engine Tools. The first hit was for Boolify Project: An Educational Search Tool and is found at www.boolify.org. This seemed to be a reasonable search engine to conduct a Boolean Search. The Website consisted of various jigsaw pieces you can use to conduct your search, it includes the “?” piece which allows you to add certain keywords, it also includes pieces for AND, NOT, OR, URL. I decided to use this website to conduct my Boolean Search. For the first search I used terms that I thought would get the most results, I used the terms Web 2.0 AND definition. For this search I received 940,000 estimated results. Please find an example of the graphical representation of this search from www.boolify.org below:For my second search I chose terms that would be most relevant to what I was looking for, I used the terms Web 2.0 AND definition NOT products NOT blogs. For this search I received 154,000 estimated results. For my third search I chose terms that would locate university sources, I used the terms Web 2.0 AND definition URL edu. For this search I received 8,760 estimated results and all these results had edu in their address. Boolean logic allows you to refine your search to find the most useful sites. Prior to this task I had not really used Boolean Searching before. I have done searches through Google Advanced search which have some Boolean Search characteristics but not specific Boolean Searches. I found Boolean searching to be quite useful, next time I need to search for a specific topic I will be sure to conduct a Boolean Search.