In John Perry Barlow’s article, The Economy of Ideas, he points out that while the usage of Copyrights and Patents were once reasonable, they are no longer effective. He says that in this world we live in today with computers and internet we cannot really enforce the laws like we once could. Before the Digital Age it was the object created itself that was protected, but now, online, where information is increasingly accessible, convenient, and abundant, it is the idea of the creation that now must be protected. Barlow says, “Since it is now possible to convey ideas from one mind to another without ever making them physical, we are now claiming to own ideas themselves and not merely their expression.” Barlow talks about the ever increasing usage of the Internet as a way to convey ideas. I found this statement of his to be particularly frightening: “While the Internet may never include every CPU on the planet, it is more than doubling every year and can be expected to become the principal medium of information conveyance, and perhaps eventually, the only one.” Not only would this kind of transformation make it increasingly harder for everyone to keep his or her ideas separate, but it would also change human nature in general. We are already looking for more and more ways to avoid human interaction. All we want to do is go about our own lives not ever spend time with others. What a strange world it will be if Barlow’s idea of the role the Internet will play in the future comes true!
The author of the article in The New York Times called “A Great Idea Lives Forever, Shouldn’t It’s Copyright?” is Mark Helprin. He says that the reason Copyrights don’t last forever is because of a clause in the Constitution. In his article he includes this quotation: “Congress shall have the power ‘to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.’” He says the reason that the government has decided for Copyrights to be only temporary is because it says, “for limited Times.” However, he believes that this was included for a different reason—to “[allow] for infinite adjustment.”
I have to say that both of these writers make excellent points. Helprin is right when he says that it is unfair for the families of a writer to lose the rights to a book 70 years after the author has died. Helprin points out that it is not fair for a person’s family to lose the rights to their relative’s work because we would think it was crazy if there was this kind of restriction was put on “Bill Gate’s checkbook” or “Wal-Mart.” Even though I do not believe it is fair to take away a family’s rights to their grandmother of grandfather’s work and ideas, I do believe that at some point the rights to a particular work should not exist. Otherwise we would have people trying to trace their lineage to Plato. So I believe that we should extend the length of time a family can have rights but not indefinitely.
I agree with Barlow in that he believes that we are fighting a loosing battle when it comes to trying to enforce Copyright laws. He says that “dancing on the grave of copyright and patent will solve little, especially when so few are willing to admit that the occupant of this grave is even deceased, and so many are trying to uphold by force what can no longer be upheld by popular consent.” It is true that this digital age is different than what we were once accustomed to, but we should not give up on securing people’s ideas just like we should not stop having laws to secure someone’s property. We should only strive to come up with new and more effective ways to enforce our laws. If we do not try, then we will lose that special enthusiasm that people have to create something wonderful of their very own.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
So much to see, so hard to find
I decided to try this little exercise, too, and I discovered that it’s actually really hard! Like so many of you, I tend to use the same sites – MyBama, Facebook, YouTube, Blogspot, Shutterfly, and a few others – over and over and over again and don’t spend a whole lot of time exploring all there is out there on the web, even though I know there’s tons of cool stuff out there just waiting to be found. So I’m really pleased with all the stuff you guys found and I have to say that I struggled with this “assignment.” So kudos to you guys!
Since I’ve brought this site up in class a number of times, I’m sure it’s no surprise that it tops my list. I love this site’s general tone – intelligent, smart-ass, literate. It’s a very text-heavy site, so it would be easy for the design to be really poor, but I think they’ve done a good job in making it easy to read and use. While the recaps can be long, I like the fact that they are broken up into fairly small textual segments (makes me think hypertext) because reading on a computer can be hard for most people, myself included. The forum design is clean and easy to navigate. I especially like the design changes that have taken place over the last couple of months as the site has been incorporated into the Bravo channel’s family. I like the pictures that are now up and I like that they didn’t totally throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak, and have kept a number of the distinctive pre-Bravo design elements.
This site makes me feel so bad about my own website. I’ve been looking at this site a lot as inspiration and trying to emulate some of what I see here, but it’s not working the way I’d like. I love this site and really love looking at Dave Werner’s work. This is what an online portfolio should be – a very intimate, very up-close look at his work. Very polished and professional. I’m so jealous I could spit every time I look at this site! But, in truth, it actually motivates me to do better in terms of my own web design.
I learned how to use Flash (though I would still consider myself a novice) in 2004. It’s very cool and it’s really not that hard to use once you get the hang of it. However, it’s very time-consuming to make even a short, simple piece. So it’s kind of nice to look at some of the little pieces here and realize that you don’t have to make something really big. Some of the littlest Flash pieces pack a big punch.
While this site is not much in terms of design, it does what it is designed to do and I like that it is a collaborative site that members add information to. The goal is to provide a central hub for news and information on the Whedonverses (the “universes” created by the television writer Joss Whedon, creator of the legendary Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The coolest thing about this site is that Whedon himself posts periodically and he’s very passionate and eloquent when posting about his work and his core concerns, particularly women’s rights issues. I love a man who’s such an unapologetic feminist!
I decided to check out Vh1’s website because I haven’t been there recently and I wanted to see what it was looking like these days. I love a lot of stuff on Vh1 – lots of trashtastic pleasures like Rock of Love and Best Week Ever and I Love the…(whichever decade, part whatever)! Plus, my best friend is an executive at Vh1 and we talk a good deal about her work and she’s always sending me the latest update about new shows and specials to check out. I was pleased with a lot of things I saw on this website in terms of design. While there’s a lot on this page, surprisingly, it doesn’t feel overly cluttered and I think that is because it’s got a coherent and cohesive look in terms of colors and design motifs/themes.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
5 Good Sites
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com - This website allows you to view forums on just about any television show you can think of. It makes the forums very accessible by having scroll down boxes at the top of the page which give a listing of all the shows in alphabetical order. The home page is set up very well because it has pictures that immediately pop out at you and grab your attention.
http://www.mtv.com - This website has a whole lot of variety. For example, the home page is completely full with things like top video picks, top news stories, top artists, MTV shows, movies, fashion, games, and ways you can get on MTV. Some people may see this website as simply a place to listen to the latest pop and rap songs, but it actually provides much more.
http://www.al.com- This site is a site completely dedicated to the state of Alabama. It’s full of news all about Alabama. One cool thing is that the homepage is divided into subdivisions with the different kinds of news stories labeled on each one. The different subdivisions include damaging storms, real-time news, Alabama football, Auburn football, top headlines, communities, living, blogs, and many more. If you want to find out anything about Alabama, this is the sight to view.
http://www.mapsexoffenders.com/- This site allows you to locate sex offenders in your area. You simply type in the town you live in and sex offenders in your area will pop up. It doesn’t just show you the general area they’re in, but you can actually find the exact street that they live on. Everyone should take a look at this site so that they’re more aware of the people that live around them.
http://www.lyrics.com- There are many sites you can go to and look up song lyrics, but this one is the best. On a lot of song lyric sites, the lyrics are posted by random people, so you can never be sure if they are accurate. But this website is more professionally done, and you get the right version of the lyrics. Also, you can do much more than just search for the lyrics. You can also chat, find videos, play music trivia, and participate in polls. When looking for your favorite song lyrics, this website is the most accurate and fun.
http://www.mtv.com - This website has a whole lot of variety. For example, the home page is completely full with things like top video picks, top news stories, top artists, MTV shows, movies, fashion, games, and ways you can get on MTV. Some people may see this website as simply a place to listen to the latest pop and rap songs, but it actually provides much more.
http://www.al.com- This site is a site completely dedicated to the state of Alabama. It’s full of news all about Alabama. One cool thing is that the homepage is divided into subdivisions with the different kinds of news stories labeled on each one. The different subdivisions include damaging storms, real-time news, Alabama football, Auburn football, top headlines, communities, living, blogs, and many more. If you want to find out anything about Alabama, this is the sight to view.
http://www.mapsexoffenders.com/- This site allows you to locate sex offenders in your area. You simply type in the town you live in and sex offenders in your area will pop up. It doesn’t just show you the general area they’re in, but you can actually find the exact street that they live on. Everyone should take a look at this site so that they’re more aware of the people that live around them.
http://www.lyrics.com- There are many sites you can go to and look up song lyrics, but this one is the best. On a lot of song lyric sites, the lyrics are posted by random people, so you can never be sure if they are accurate. But this website is more professionally done, and you get the right version of the lyrics. Also, you can do much more than just search for the lyrics. You can also chat, find videos, play music trivia, and participate in polls. When looking for your favorite song lyrics, this website is the most accurate and fun.
Top 5 Websites
My gmail account keeps destroying itself so I had to post this during class because I could not access the blog.
www.youtube.com
This website is very functional in, first of all, its use of the color white to contrast with the rest of the site. It has very user friendly assistance tool bars on the home page and on the side of the screen to make finding related content much easier.
www.gamewinners.com
This website is most functional due to its use of white in the catalog. When trying to find the correct search page on a crowded screen, the white gives great contrast and almost makes the screen look less crowded.
www.facebook.com
Once again it is the contrast with white that makes the website so superior by seemingly increasing the size of the screen.
www.google.com
No only does google effectively use the color white effectively on the screen, but it uses different background colors to put the links in different categories.
www.mybama.ua.edu
It has effective contrast between the red and white to help with the division between the titles and the body of the page. it also uses the idea of thirds very effectively to organise the different aspects of the page.
www.youtube.com
This website is very functional in, first of all, its use of the color white to contrast with the rest of the site. It has very user friendly assistance tool bars on the home page and on the side of the screen to make finding related content much easier.
www.gamewinners.com
This website is most functional due to its use of white in the catalog. When trying to find the correct search page on a crowded screen, the white gives great contrast and almost makes the screen look less crowded.
www.facebook.com
Once again it is the contrast with white that makes the website so superior by seemingly increasing the size of the screen.
www.google.com
No only does google effectively use the color white effectively on the screen, but it uses different background colors to put the links in different categories.
www.mybama.ua.edu
It has effective contrast between the red and white to help with the division between the titles and the body of the page. it also uses the idea of thirds very effectively to organise the different aspects of the page.
5 Great Websites
Here are my top five websites (other than Facebook and MySpace):
1) espn.com - This website always jumps out at me whenever I log on. The website is designed well and organized exactly how I want it to be. Plus, I love sports and this page keeps me informed on all the currents events.
2) howstuffworks.com - This site is just a fun place to explore. Anything you have ever wondered about is answered here. I always get on this site when I'm completely bored.
3) rivals.com - This site is great for the college football fan. It has the best stats on all the top recruits in the nation. It even lists the recruits' top school choices, so you know where your school stands in their decision.
4) urbandictionary.com - This is another fun site to look through. Like wikipedia, anyone can post or alter definitions on this site, so some of the posts are hilarious. Any slang term is defined for you, so the next time you're rapping, you know what you're talking about.
5) wikipedia.com - I had to include this site because of the numerous times I have used it on papers, reports, etc. The only problem with this site is the fact that anyone can change pages. But wikipedia is working on this problem and should have a solution soon.
1) espn.com - This website always jumps out at me whenever I log on. The website is designed well and organized exactly how I want it to be. Plus, I love sports and this page keeps me informed on all the currents events.
2) howstuffworks.com - This site is just a fun place to explore. Anything you have ever wondered about is answered here. I always get on this site when I'm completely bored.
3) rivals.com - This site is great for the college football fan. It has the best stats on all the top recruits in the nation. It even lists the recruits' top school choices, so you know where your school stands in their decision.
4) urbandictionary.com - This is another fun site to look through. Like wikipedia, anyone can post or alter definitions on this site, so some of the posts are hilarious. Any slang term is defined for you, so the next time you're rapping, you know what you're talking about.
5) wikipedia.com - I had to include this site because of the numerous times I have used it on papers, reports, etc. The only problem with this site is the fact that anyone can change pages. But wikipedia is working on this problem and should have a solution soon.
5 websites
http://www.moma.org/
http://www.forever21.com
http://www.people.com
http://www.apple.com
http://www.jcrew.com
This clothing website has an interesting layout. The home page shows multiple pictures of models wearing clothing that the users of the website can buy. The top of the website has a toolbar that allows users to go to the various sections of the website. The sections include men and women’s clothing, as well as accessories and shoes.
5 Sites
When I first saw the email, I thought this was due Monday so I rushed it and didn't really fit the criteria of the assignment.
www.gamefaqs.com
A good site with extensive message boards. I hate the new layout but the classic layout is still accessible. It's blue and easy on the eyes. There's also a lot of white space.
www.newsgrounds.com
A collection of uploaded flash videos. A lot of great content can be found here. You may have heard the controversy about a guy who performed a school shooting posting a violent video beforehand. The site is fairly consistent and has a simple layout that uses orange and black as its choice colors. These may not be conventional, but they work well for the sites purpose from an emotional standpoint.
www.amazon.com
Everything you want to buy, except it's probably cheaper than other places. This is especially true for CDs or older items. The website is simple and there is a lot of white space used. It's easy on the eyes and user friendly.
www.ytmnd.com
A site based around a unique form of graphic file. These are often simple gif's with a repeating sound track. The common aspect is the repeating image trick they pull to fill the page. The front pages doesn't look nice, but when you enter the archives its a simple white-washed search.
www.howstuffworks.com
A great place to learn how stuff works. Anything from a septic system to a nuclear reactor. It's another very simple with an easy interface and is loaded with white space.
www.gamefaqs.com
A good site with extensive message boards. I hate the new layout but the classic layout is still accessible. It's blue and easy on the eyes. There's also a lot of white space.
www.newsgrounds.com
A collection of uploaded flash videos. A lot of great content can be found here. You may have heard the controversy about a guy who performed a school shooting posting a violent video beforehand. The site is fairly consistent and has a simple layout that uses orange and black as its choice colors. These may not be conventional, but they work well for the sites purpose from an emotional standpoint.
www.amazon.com
Everything you want to buy, except it's probably cheaper than other places. This is especially true for CDs or older items. The website is simple and there is a lot of white space used. It's easy on the eyes and user friendly.
www.ytmnd.com
A site based around a unique form of graphic file. These are often simple gif's with a repeating sound track. The common aspect is the repeating image trick they pull to fill the page. The front pages doesn't look nice, but when you enter the archives its a simple white-washed search.
www.howstuffworks.com
A great place to learn how stuff works. Anything from a septic system to a nuclear reactor. It's another very simple with an easy interface and is loaded with white space.
5 top web hangout places (other than facebook, myspace, and youtube)
1. apple.com: Steve Job's Apple prorbably has the most visullly appealing, sleek design out of any website I have ever seen. But what do you expect? Apple is always best at design and innovation
2. zefrank.com: His "how to dance" clips are hiliarious and he has plenty of interactive games and toys on his site to keep his viewers entertained
3. yahoo.com : I cn search for movie times, directions, and almost everything I need. And email tooo!!! very handy website
4. TV.com: pretty self-explanatory- a list to allthats on tv, reviews, ratings, gossip, and pretty musch everything you need to know about television
5. ESPN.com: I'm saving the best for last on this one. If you're a guy, this website must be your home page. If your a girl, it is insanely sexy if you have this as your home page. An all-important update to everything on sports: scores, ratings, rankings, reviews, forums, scouting reports, sports news, discussion panels, live tv coverage of ESPN ( the greatest chennel in the world), Fantasy football, trivia, and randomn tidbits that keep me coming back. I love this site.
2. zefrank.com: His "how to dance" clips are hiliarious and he has plenty of interactive games and toys on his site to keep his viewers entertained
3. yahoo.com : I cn search for movie times, directions, and almost everything I need. And email tooo!!! very handy website
4. TV.com: pretty self-explanatory- a list to allthats on tv, reviews, ratings, gossip, and pretty musch everything you need to know about television
5. ESPN.com: I'm saving the best for last on this one. If you're a guy, this website must be your home page. If your a girl, it is insanely sexy if you have this as your home page. An all-important update to everything on sports: scores, ratings, rankings, reviews, forums, scouting reports, sports news, discussion panels, live tv coverage of ESPN ( the greatest chennel in the world), Fantasy football, trivia, and randomn tidbits that keep me coming back. I love this site.
Cool Sites
Bungie.net- allows you to post screenshots and in game videos.
ESPN.com- has a nice look and a ton of information.
Marvel.com-retro kind of look.
Xbox.com- Professional look. Like the interactive slide.
UA.edu-like the colors, Roll Tide! Looks very professional and easy to navigate.
ESPN.com- has a nice look and a ton of information.
Marvel.com-retro kind of look.
Xbox.com- Professional look. Like the interactive slide.
UA.edu-like the colors, Roll Tide! Looks very professional and easy to navigate.
Top 5 Websites
1. www.apple.com - I love this website, mostly because I love all things Apple, but also because the website just LOOKS really cool. It’s very simple and sleek and visually appealing to the eyes.
2. www.wikipedia.com - This is just a cool website because it has SO much information available on it. It may not be completely accurate, but it’s a good way to just look up something real quick that you don’t know about. It’s an easy site to get lost on
3. www.scrubs-tv.com - I love this website because it’s completely centered around my favorite Television show, Scrubs. It’s got a lot of information about that show, as well as message boards to discuss the show.
4. www.espn.com - Also a visually appealing site, but I mostly like this site because I can keep up with college football all in one place.
5. www.notdoppler.com - This site is fun because it has lots of awesome and very challenging games. One game in particular is “The Impossible Quiz,” which, despite it’s name, is not impossible, but it’s about as close to impossible as a game can get. It has 110 questions, and even though I’ve played it a whole lot, I’ve only made it about 50 questions through.
2. www.wikipedia.com - This is just a cool website because it has SO much information available on it. It may not be completely accurate, but it’s a good way to just look up something real quick that you don’t know about. It’s an easy site to get lost on
3. www.scrubs-tv.com - I love this website because it’s completely centered around my favorite Television show, Scrubs. It’s got a lot of information about that show, as well as message boards to discuss the show.
4. www.espn.com - Also a visually appealing site, but I mostly like this site because I can keep up with college football all in one place.
5. www.notdoppler.com - This site is fun because it has lots of awesome and very challenging games. One game in particular is “The Impossible Quiz,” which, despite it’s name, is not impossible, but it’s about as close to impossible as a game can get. It has 110 questions, and even though I’ve played it a whole lot, I’ve only made it about 50 questions through.
My Top 5
1. RottenTomatoes.com - This web site follows a color scheme of dark greens and reds which are the first colors that come to mind while you picture a rotten tomato. The web site is also easily manueverable. Since it is a site based on rating movies and games there are all of the new releases on the left side of the screen for you to pick from and a search bar at the top of the page where you can look for any movie that might be rated on the site.
2. CobbTheatres.com - This web site specializes in showing a prosective movie goer which movies are playing, giving them a description of the movies, and offering the chance to pre-pay, which are all listed on the left side of the page. The background is 3-d blacks squares and the foreground is green. At the top of the screen there is an unrolled spool of film with the the web sites name across it. Overall the web site is very affective and attractive.
3. Monster.com - Monster follows a clean color pattern of purple green and white. This stays the same on all of the connecting pages. The web site allows you to search for new jobs in your area, gets tips on making a cover letter, and have a professional write your resume for you.
4. Abc.go.com - This site allows abc viewers to watch their favorite shows online that they missed in previous weeks. The bakground is black with the abc emblem at the top left corner. There are preview on the right hand side and vibrantly colored TV show ads on the top and left of the page. The overall affect is very bold and nicely done.
5. CaringBridge.org - This site is meant to set up profiles for young people affected by cancer. The openning page has soft green in the background with pictures of smiling children in the foreground. There is a place on the left where you can type in a persons name to go to their profile. Profiles allow for that persons story to be told, picture to be put up of them, a journal to be written in everyday with updates, a place for donations to be sent, and a guestbook where friends and family can write encouraging remarks. This web site is extremely touching and well laid out.
2. CobbTheatres.com - This web site specializes in showing a prosective movie goer which movies are playing, giving them a description of the movies, and offering the chance to pre-pay, which are all listed on the left side of the page. The background is 3-d blacks squares and the foreground is green. At the top of the screen there is an unrolled spool of film with the the web sites name across it. Overall the web site is very affective and attractive.
3. Monster.com - Monster follows a clean color pattern of purple green and white. This stays the same on all of the connecting pages. The web site allows you to search for new jobs in your area, gets tips on making a cover letter, and have a professional write your resume for you.
4. Abc.go.com - This site allows abc viewers to watch their favorite shows online that they missed in previous weeks. The bakground is black with the abc emblem at the top left corner. There are preview on the right hand side and vibrantly colored TV show ads on the top and left of the page. The overall affect is very bold and nicely done.
5. CaringBridge.org - This site is meant to set up profiles for young people affected by cancer. The openning page has soft green in the background with pictures of smiling children in the foreground. There is a place on the left where you can type in a persons name to go to their profile. Profiles allow for that persons story to be told, picture to be put up of them, a journal to be written in everyday with updates, a place for donations to be sent, and a guestbook where friends and family can write encouraging remarks. This web site is extremely touching and well laid out.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Top 5 Websites
Christina's Top 5:
These are not in a particular order, but I realized they are pretty much all search engine type sites, where I can get information. I only visit other sites if I'm looking for something certain.
1. www.google.com- I especially use Google when I'm planning trips. I love looking for pictures in the image section. It also gives me the chance to find hotels, restaurants, and shopping I would normally never hear about, all in one place. The language bar is also neat, I've used the French language tool for French projects in the past. It has a lot of white space so it keeps the information from getting jumbled.
2. www.ratemyprofessors.com- I have used this site a lot since coming to college. It gives an easy way to rate teachers, and it helps me decide which ones I want in the future. It has a good design with a flowing color scheme. The professors are organized alphabetically, by school, or by department. It is very easy to use, along with having a good look. By the way, Dr. Davis, you have a good rating!
3. www.sephora.com- Like the store, the website is modern with all of the trendiest makeup in one location. The opening page lists recommendations and new products, while keeping to the store's color scheme of black and red. The site has a lot of white space to showcase the products, which is good for marketing.
4. www.nikeplus.nike.com- This site is very colorful, with Nike's trademark color of orange as the backdrop for the pages. It is the most modern of the 5, with animation throughout. It tracks personal workout goals and challenges on the site. Every page matches in design and coloring, so it makes for a very organized, clean look. Although I don't go to this site every day, I think it showcases what a good website should look like.
5. www.pandora.com- This is an online radio, for free. The site itself has a calming color scheme of grays and blues, doesn't draw my attention too much, which is a good thing if I have Pandora open for a couple of hours. The advertisments are not in your face popups, rather they change the background every few minutes with eye-catching colors. I think this site shows a subtle way to advertise, and uses white space wisely.
These are not in a particular order, but I realized they are pretty much all search engine type sites, where I can get information. I only visit other sites if I'm looking for something certain.
1. www.google.com- I especially use Google when I'm planning trips. I love looking for pictures in the image section. It also gives me the chance to find hotels, restaurants, and shopping I would normally never hear about, all in one place. The language bar is also neat, I've used the French language tool for French projects in the past. It has a lot of white space so it keeps the information from getting jumbled.
2. www.ratemyprofessors.com- I have used this site a lot since coming to college. It gives an easy way to rate teachers, and it helps me decide which ones I want in the future. It has a good design with a flowing color scheme. The professors are organized alphabetically, by school, or by department. It is very easy to use, along with having a good look. By the way, Dr. Davis, you have a good rating!
3. www.sephora.com- Like the store, the website is modern with all of the trendiest makeup in one location. The opening page lists recommendations and new products, while keeping to the store's color scheme of black and red. The site has a lot of white space to showcase the products, which is good for marketing.
4. www.nikeplus.nike.com- This site is very colorful, with Nike's trademark color of orange as the backdrop for the pages. It is the most modern of the 5, with animation throughout. It tracks personal workout goals and challenges on the site. Every page matches in design and coloring, so it makes for a very organized, clean look. Although I don't go to this site every day, I think it showcases what a good website should look like.
5. www.pandora.com- This is an online radio, for free. The site itself has a calming color scheme of grays and blues, doesn't draw my attention too much, which is a good thing if I have Pandora open for a couple of hours. The advertisments are not in your face popups, rather they change the background every few minutes with eye-catching colors. I think this site shows a subtle way to advertise, and uses white space wisely.
5 Favorite Websites
1. www.IKEA.com
- professional design with organized sections so you can find anything you need
- it is a home improvement shopping website...which I love!
- when you click on "Living room" or "Dining room," it previews sample rooms filled with products they offer
2. www.abercrombieandfitch.com
- takes advantage of nuetral colors so other things pop out
- also takes advantage of white space
- not to busy so the important things stand out
3. www.hgtv.com
- whatever holiday is in season is featured on the main page with everything based around that
- has everything from recipes to home-improvement strategies
- similar to abercrombie and fitch website but has more colors and more options for clothing choices
- has fade in and fade out pictures which are appealing to the viewer
- What really needs to be said about Target? It's the best store in the world so of course it has the best website!
My Favorite Websites
I typically don't pay attention to the visual content of websites, but upon further review, I have found five that I particularly like:
1. EBay - Besides being one of my favorite sites because of its function, I really love it for its layout. Everything is clear; the item categories are easily displayed on the site, the search function is prominent, and the site is very clear and easy to navigate with good color contrast without being excessive. It's overall one of my favorites.
2. Yahoo! - Even though I'm partial to Google as a search engine, I use Yahoo! all the time. It's my homepage actually. I love all the features that Yahoo! has, with its email, music, and newsreel. All of its features are easy to access by using the menu on the left side of the screen.
3. Roll Tide.com - I mean seriously, how can you not love the website? The red background is amazing. The website is clear and simple, with the appropriate color contrast. And the elephant in the background owns.
4. Dictionary.com - You can't get more straightforward and simple. It's amazing. Every function you need is available right at the top. The rest you can pretty much ignore because it's not important. The color is good enough to complement the site but not bold enough to distract.
5. Despair.com - It's simple yet very functional. I like the blue on black color scheme; it fits the mood very well. The site sells posters with very funny and depressing phrases on them, so I think it all fits very well.
1. EBay - Besides being one of my favorite sites because of its function, I really love it for its layout. Everything is clear; the item categories are easily displayed on the site, the search function is prominent, and the site is very clear and easy to navigate with good color contrast without being excessive. It's overall one of my favorites.
2. Yahoo! - Even though I'm partial to Google as a search engine, I use Yahoo! all the time. It's my homepage actually. I love all the features that Yahoo! has, with its email, music, and newsreel. All of its features are easy to access by using the menu on the left side of the screen.
3. Roll Tide.com - I mean seriously, how can you not love the website? The red background is amazing. The website is clear and simple, with the appropriate color contrast. And the elephant in the background owns.
4. Dictionary.com - You can't get more straightforward and simple. It's amazing. Every function you need is available right at the top. The rest you can pretty much ignore because it's not important. The color is good enough to complement the site but not bold enough to distract.
5. Despair.com - It's simple yet very functional. I like the blue on black color scheme; it fits the mood very well. The site sells posters with very funny and depressing phrases on them, so I think it all fits very well.
Ellen's Top Websites
Ellen Leigh
Top Five Sites
1. www.thecobrasnake.com - this is my favorite website! Its features cool, artsy pictures from different parties and events from around the world. The site itself is also set up in an eye-catching, artsy way.
2. www.msn.com -this website is the most useful site I visit. It set up in a neat way that is easy to use. It also has information on everything I need to know about: from real world news to entertainment pictures.
3. tv-links.co.uk- I like this site a lot merely because of its content. This site has bootleg TV show and movie links that you can watch. They always have new episodes of my favorite TV show, Weeds, which helps a lot since I don’t get HBO. It also often has movie links to films that are still in theatres.
4. www.ryan-adams.com/RyanAdams.html -The musician, Ryan Adams’s site is a very interesting and eye-catching site. Although it is slightly hard to use, this site looks so cool that you stay on it for a long time. It also has a lot of cool features when you click on links.
5. abc.go.com – I like this site because of how it looks and because of content. The site is mostly black and is set up in a simple way so it is easy to use. I like the content because you can watch any primetime show that comes on ABC on this site at any time. This is convenient because it I am hardly ever at my dorm when some of my favorite TV shows air.
Top Five Sites
1. www.thecobrasnake.com - this is my favorite website! Its features cool, artsy pictures from different parties and events from around the world. The site itself is also set up in an eye-catching, artsy way.
2. www.msn.com -this website is the most useful site I visit. It set up in a neat way that is easy to use. It also has information on everything I need to know about: from real world news to entertainment pictures.
3. tv-links.co.uk- I like this site a lot merely because of its content. This site has bootleg TV show and movie links that you can watch. They always have new episodes of my favorite TV show, Weeds, which helps a lot since I don’t get HBO. It also often has movie links to films that are still in theatres.
4. www.ryan-adams.com/RyanAdams.html -The musician, Ryan Adams’s site is a very interesting and eye-catching site. Although it is slightly hard to use, this site looks so cool that you stay on it for a long time. It also has a lot of cool features when you click on links.
5. abc.go.com – I like this site because of how it looks and because of content. The site is mostly black and is set up in a simple way so it is easy to use. I like the content because you can watch any primetime show that comes on ABC on this site at any time. This is convenient because it I am hardly ever at my dorm when some of my favorite TV shows air.
5 Cool Websites
5 Cool Websites
· This website is visually appealing because of the vibrant colors used.
· It has tabs across the top that make for easy navigation.
· In addition, it includes a sidebar with a list of clickable items.
· The technology added to this sight such as animation, videos, and clickable extras give this site something special.
· There is just enough of everything to make it interesting without overwhelming the viewer.
· This site, ANIMALLOGIC, gives information about this company that specializes in creating special design for websites, television, and advertising.
· It’s no wonder that this site is really creative and unique.
· It features a special tab along the top for navigation that comes in and out of focus depending on which page you are looking at.
· There are special pictures that are the backgrounds of each sub-page.
· The different pages with their different pictures are all kind of tied together with a sepia or just natural-looking color scheme.
· The design of this site is very interesting and creative.
· The Fossil website really takes advantage of white space.
· By not allowing their backgrounds to be too busy, they are able to have a lot more different links without making the viewer feel too overwhelmed.
· This site is also fairly easy to navigate because of it is separated into categories.
· This viewer is able to search for something particular by filtering through different links starting by narrowing the search down to male or female, what kind of item is of interest, and so on.
· The designer of this page did a good job because this site has a unique design that can be distinguished from other similar companies.
· This unique vibe adds to the desirability of Fossil products by making them seem out of the ordinary because even the website is special.
· This website almost reminds me of a scrapbook the way the different pictures and texts are separated into different frames in collage-like array.
· It features a lot of really extraordinary landscape photos.
· Even the background adds to the whole nature/traveling feel of the site.
· It is a nature green color with a splotchy effect that includes a shadow-like grassy field at the bottom.
· The designer of the site did a good job organizing the information that is presented.
· Even though a lot of different text is put forward it is separated into different areas where it seems more manageable to a viewer.
· There are also links and sub-links that allow the viewer to more easily find what he or she is looking for.
· This site, BrettNyquist, is a web design portfolio.
· It features numerous examples of websites, but it does so in a unique way.
· The classy-black background, the vertical selection of websites really pops.
· Each example is separated by its rectangular divider.
· Because these websites are so neatly organized and separated, each example can be looked at separately.
· On the side of each divider there are uniform text boxes that provide the information in an organized way.
· I really like the symmetrical, uniform, and organized design of this site.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Good Website
www.gamefaqs.com
A good site with extensive message boards. I hate the new layout but the classic layout is still acessible. It's blue and easy on the eyes.
www.newsgrounds.com
A collection of uploaded flash vidoes. A lot of great content can be found here. You may have heard the controversy about a guy who performed a school shooting posting a violent video beforehand.
www.amazon.com
Everything you want to buy, except it's probably cheaper than other places. This is especially true for CDs or older items.
www.ytmnd.com
A site based around a unique form of graphic file. These are often simple gif's with a repeating sound track. The common aspect is the repeating image trick they pull to fill the page.
www.howstuffworks.com
A great place to learn how stuff works. Anything from a septic system to a nuclear reactor.
A good site with extensive message boards. I hate the new layout but the classic layout is still acessible. It's blue and easy on the eyes.
www.newsgrounds.com
A collection of uploaded flash vidoes. A lot of great content can be found here. You may have heard the controversy about a guy who performed a school shooting posting a violent video beforehand.
www.amazon.com
Everything you want to buy, except it's probably cheaper than other places. This is especially true for CDs or older items.
www.ytmnd.com
A site based around a unique form of graphic file. These are often simple gif's with a repeating sound track. The common aspect is the repeating image trick they pull to fill the page.
www.howstuffworks.com
A great place to learn how stuff works. Anything from a septic system to a nuclear reactor.
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Internet
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_4/press/
This article and the related links on it discuss some of the more efficient ways for the poorer countries of the world to integrate themselves into the “information age” that the rest of us take for granted. It shows where the program needs to start as well as shows several of the places that this new program would have the best effect on the community and on the populace as a whole. Another of the things that is shows if how all of the efforts that have been made by the many programs by humanitarians and world organizations alike have really been in vain because they did not address the problem itself in the correct way.
Apparently, countries that have a technologically underdeveloped populace, such as India, have been subjected to hundreds of unsuccessful, though well meaning, invasions of national privacy for the sake of advancement; however, they were apparently getting the proverbial “shaft” from the organizations in this. It seem that recent studies show that the best way for an underdeveloped country to integrate new technology into its general populace is to simply dive into the newest technology head first and take on a “sink or swim” attitude with the average citizen. There can apparently be no coddling or reintroductions to older software or hardware, there must simply be a standard set and expectations laid.
Another of the assertions that is made in this essay is that there must be actual action finally taken if there will ever be any good to come of all of these hypothetical studies and hypotheses done by the “experts” of their respective ages. While a lot of valuable research has been done and many important things have been learned, there really haven’t been many advances in regards to getting the underdeveloped countries in an active place on the information super highway. This seems to be a reflection of the work ethic of today. Everyone is more than happy to give their opinion about the matter but whenever there is actual work that needs to be done in order for someone to help, they are either too busy, or they will simply find a reason not to. You can never be proven wrong if u never take your ideas to fruition.
One of the final topics that is addressed in this category is what it is what must be done. The word that is used is “audacious.” This word choice implies that whatever it is that will be done must be done drastically and to the fullest. There can be no half hearted attempt to solving this problem, whoever chooses to take it one must simply dive in and hope for the best.
In conclusion, I believe that this is a very effective essay in that it is both short and to the point. It is easy to understand, while at the same time, not lacking in any aspect of the information that it is presenting. Something must be done and t must be severe…its just that no one knows what that something is.
Facebook Issues
As far as social networks online, Facebook is the one that I, along with most other college students, use the most. I’ve spent hours on it at a time and actually procrastinated on this very assignment by deciding to check my Facebook first. It’s where I keep up with my high school friends, share pictures with my friends, and talk to people thousands of miles away. I always find it interesting to find out about the problems that this growing network causes. I found an article entitled “Facebook Can Cause Problems for Students” on http://www.pacertimes.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=89d244c6-e062-472a-be18-30740962c09c. This article starts out by discussing privacy issues on Facebook. I know that I personally used to feel much safer on Facebook rather than other networks such as MySpace because you had to be in high school or college to be a part of it. However, this is no longer the case because anyone can have a Facebook now. But at least you have to confirm them to be your friend before they can view your profile, right? Wrong! Anyone on the same network as you can view your profile regardless of rather or not you’re friends. I know many people who do not go to the University of Alabama, yet somehow they’ve managed to get onto the Alabama network. This article goes on to talk about pictures posted on Facebook. It talks about the trouble students at universities in northern Kentucky got in for having pictures of themselves drinking alcohol posted on Facebook. This is something that we all as college students should take seriously and be careful as to what we choose to share with people on Facebook about our personal lives. Not only can these pictures get us in trouble right now at our universities, but these pictures could prevent us from getting jobs in the future. Facebook has even gotten students in trouble with the Secret Service! This article tells the story of a guy who made a joke on Facebook about assassinating the president and the Secret Service came after him. So even when joking around with someone on their wall, we have to be aware that people are reading what we are saying and may choose to take it the wrong way. One girl in the article advises, “Don’t put anything you wouldn’t want your mama to see.” I thought this was very good advice and will most likely keep you out of trouble. Also, there’s a chance that your mom has made up a fake profile and has a Facebook herself. You never know! The end of this article talks a little about identity. It discusses how pictures you post on Facebook affect the way you are viewed by others. Not only do the pictures affect it, but also the things you write in your profile, the groups you’re part of, the people you’re friends with, and the thing s you write on people’s wall. These things give off a certain image of yourself. Rather that image is accurate or not, that is the impression people get of you and your character. When using Facebook, we should all be more aware of how we choose to interact and who we choose to interact with.
EA Games Take Another PO Hit
I apologize for waiting this late to post, but the only way to get this thing to cooperate with me was to wait till I could use my dorm room computer. I forgot the password and needed the cookie to bail me out again. We were supposed to talk about something relevant to the material we've discussed so far in class and I have the perfect example. In my evaluative essay, I talked briefly about EA Games which has a few lawsuits and controversies to its name already. One of the more recent issues with the company was when an ISP associated with them edited their article on wikipedia which was an interesting coincidence since we discussed this specific action in class. As I reminder, they now have this on their article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA_Games#Editing_of_Wikipedia. I don't see how much more owned you can get than having that right in the users face. Personally, as you can probably guess from the essay, I don't like this company since they make horrible games and eat up and subsequently destroy other developers. This is completely off-topic but I truly miss Rareware back in its hay-day. Unfortunately, when Nintendo sold the company to Microsoft, most of the senior staff decided to retire in protest. I don't even understand why you would sell the top third-party in the business to begin with.
How Does it Work?
One of the best websites on the Internet today is http://www.howstuffworks.com/. This site is devoted to explaining how anything and everything works. Almost any question you could ever think of can be answered by this website.
A great feature of howstuffworks.com is the "Today on HowStuffWorks" link. This feature highlighs four topics that might interest any random visitor. The links for today include: how hybrid cars work, how lightning works, how house construction works, and how streaming media works.
Once you decide on a topic, the website takes you to the page devoted to that subject. At the top of the screen, a list of main points is listed for quick navigation. Further down on the page, the author explains how a certain person, place, thing, or idea works.
The website really is a great idea, and the inventor is probably a genius. So the next time you're surfing the web with nowhere to go, check out howstuffworks.com.
A great feature of howstuffworks.com is the "Today on HowStuffWorks" link. This feature highlighs four topics that might interest any random visitor. The links for today include: how hybrid cars work, how lightning works, how house construction works, and how streaming media works.
Once you decide on a topic, the website takes you to the page devoted to that subject. At the top of the screen, a list of main points is listed for quick navigation. Further down on the page, the author explains how a certain person, place, thing, or idea works.
The website really is a great idea, and the inventor is probably a genius. So the next time you're surfing the web with nowhere to go, check out howstuffworks.com.
I was on the Nick Saban Show!
Our beloved Crimson Tide showed new life this weekend as we went down to Ole Miss to face the Rebels. Many considered this to be an easy win but Ole Miss somehow always plays teams close but never pulls out a win. Being in the band I always have a unique perspective at the games. You HAVE to cheer on the team. Even if something goes wrong. What I'm starting to notice though is sometimes our fans and students have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to college football. First of all you never expect a blowout in an SEC game. Secondly don't boo your own players. I know John Parker Wilson hasn't been the greatest quarterback this year, but he is starting to come together. The saddest thing I saw this weekend was when the ball got batted down at the line of scrimmage by the Ole Miss defense. People started booing Wilson. Hello! That's not his fault. It's up to the offensive line to bat the ball down. See what I mean about people not knowing football. On the day Wilson was 26 of 40 for 256 yards. Not bad. He was intercepted once but again the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Defense was what I was disappointed in. We let them drive the field all day. Then when we have them 4th and 16 against the goal line. We let them have a big play. But we still came out with the win. The coolest thing though about this weekend though was definately being on the Nick Saban Show. I got to ask Nick Saban a question. He answered it on the show. I found out the H back is really the fourth reciever on the ball. Something I didn't know. He can be a back, tightend, or receiver. So anyways all and all it was a great weekend for Crimson Tide fans. As I was leaving the stadium a drunk Ole Miss student walked up to me. "How do you like that the reffs gave you the game?" You think they would be use to losing now. Also you have to love how these people always want to pick a fight with the band kids. Who knows. All I had to say was teach you're receiver how to stay in bounds.
Lonely Girl 15
About a year or so a go, thousands of fans were logging on to You Tube to watch the video blogs of what seemed to be a shy, overprotected, homeschooled girl, Lonely Girl 15. The video blogs are usually Lonely Girl sitting in her bedroom in front of her computer. She talks about her worries and problems and her family life, which seems to be very strange. Later, it was announced that Lonely girl was not in fact your average teenaged homeschooler, but was an actress. The whole life and the events that had taken place had been fake.
I believe this is relevant with some of the issues we have been discussing in class because it very closely deals with the issues of online identity. Online, a person's real world identity is of no concern, people can be whatever they want and can do so easily. Lonely Girl had thousands of viewers that really did think she was a homeschooler. They were concerned for her well being, hated her parents, and were fascinated by her sheltered life. The fact that she was not real was a shock to viewers, but they really should not have been surprised because in the internet blogging world, nothing is what it seems. Once I was talking to a friend who had had the shock of running across their own blog on myspace, a blog he didn't even know existed. This is a concern that people should remember when interacting with others online. The person that's your number one friend on Myspace might be an actress or a creepy old man. Even if a person is actually who they say they are, not a completely different person or an actor, we need to keep in mind that people are always slightly different online than in real life, its inevitable. I have met many people that I only knew online in real life and I am always surprised how different they seem. Lonely Girl is an interesting video blog, but its also reminds us to be careful of what we believe and who we trust when we are online.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dZN-Wye4rDE
I believe this is relevant with some of the issues we have been discussing in class because it very closely deals with the issues of online identity. Online, a person's real world identity is of no concern, people can be whatever they want and can do so easily. Lonely Girl had thousands of viewers that really did think she was a homeschooler. They were concerned for her well being, hated her parents, and were fascinated by her sheltered life. The fact that she was not real was a shock to viewers, but they really should not have been surprised because in the internet blogging world, nothing is what it seems. Once I was talking to a friend who had had the shock of running across their own blog on myspace, a blog he didn't even know existed. This is a concern that people should remember when interacting with others online. The person that's your number one friend on Myspace might be an actress or a creepy old man. Even if a person is actually who they say they are, not a completely different person or an actor, we need to keep in mind that people are always slightly different online than in real life, its inevitable. I have met many people that I only knew online in real life and I am always surprised how different they seem. Lonely Girl is an interesting video blog, but its also reminds us to be careful of what we believe and who we trust when we are online.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dZN-Wye4rDE
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Are You in the Tube?
There are many internet sites that display footage of an assortment of things. Only one I know of shows the variety of things that are displayed on YouTube.com. People from all over can upload their personal home footage or download footage obtained in a not so legal way.
Friends of mine have posted their own tapes and movies on YouTube for others to find and enjoy. This, to me, is one of the greatest aspects of the web site. Being able to display individual work for anyone to access makes the site more appealing. Knowing that your own work can be posted for viewing next to footage of a famous band or comedian adds to the drawl and overall affect.
Some shows new episodes tend to show up on YouTube. All that is needed is to wait a few days after you miss a viewing of a new show that you love and it will more likely than not show up on YouTube within that time period.
This may or may not be perfectly legal, but it is definitely enjoyed.
Everyone may not be aware of who Dane Cook is. He is most definitely my favorite comedian ( who has made me even happier that he has chosen to act now to adding to his talents ). I get to listen to all if his materials through footage of his shows on YouTube.
When my roommate was last feeling down about her stupid ex-boyfriend (and Josh I'm not beingharsh before you make a smart comment to me--the guy really is stupid. I know this in part by how he treated her and i another part because I went to high school with him and observed many a joke raise crickets after leaving his mouth, among other things) I pulled up one of his pieces about guys. It was about what guys are thinking during a break-up and right after it.
After few minutes of vivid description confessing the jumble of thoughts that made perfect logic she was cracking up and I was searching for his next piece of male incrimination to keep the laughter filling up our tiny little dorm room.
Along side the handsome comedian there are music videos from some of my favorite bands. Even some bonus features of Britney Spears' come back performance ....which I was heard was excellent even though I haven't gotten the chance to view it myself yet.
Then there are the people who decide to make their own music videos to their favorite music and then upload it to YouTube.
Everything eventually comes together though. Every one of those video files are like a visual entry into an online journal that millions can contribute to. Each one becomes a parrt when they decide to place their work on the screen where it is open to critisism. Each one of those people who make a post are making a journal entry even though they did not choose to write out their experience it is still cateloged just as a written entry might have been.
They can be considered to be the "male and female" so to speak of the oline world of blogging.
Friends of mine have posted their own tapes and movies on YouTube for others to find and enjoy. This, to me, is one of the greatest aspects of the web site. Being able to display individual work for anyone to access makes the site more appealing. Knowing that your own work can be posted for viewing next to footage of a famous band or comedian adds to the drawl and overall affect.
Some shows new episodes tend to show up on YouTube. All that is needed is to wait a few days after you miss a viewing of a new show that you love and it will more likely than not show up on YouTube within that time period.
This may or may not be perfectly legal, but it is definitely enjoyed.
Everyone may not be aware of who Dane Cook is. He is most definitely my favorite comedian ( who has made me even happier that he has chosen to act now to adding to his talents ). I get to listen to all if his materials through footage of his shows on YouTube.
When my roommate was last feeling down about her stupid ex-boyfriend (and Josh I'm not beingharsh before you make a smart comment to me--the guy really is stupid. I know this in part by how he treated her and i another part because I went to high school with him and observed many a joke raise crickets after leaving his mouth, among other things) I pulled up one of his pieces about guys. It was about what guys are thinking during a break-up and right after it.
After few minutes of vivid description confessing the jumble of thoughts that made perfect logic she was cracking up and I was searching for his next piece of male incrimination to keep the laughter filling up our tiny little dorm room.
Along side the handsome comedian there are music videos from some of my favorite bands. Even some bonus features of Britney Spears' come back performance ....which I was heard was excellent even though I haven't gotten the chance to view it myself yet.
Then there are the people who decide to make their own music videos to their favorite music and then upload it to YouTube.
Everything eventually comes together though. Every one of those video files are like a visual entry into an online journal that millions can contribute to. Each one becomes a parrt when they decide to place their work on the screen where it is open to critisism. Each one of those people who make a post are making a journal entry even though they did not choose to write out their experience it is still cateloged just as a written entry might have been.
They can be considered to be the "male and female" so to speak of the oline world of blogging.
Behind the Screens
Okay, so I’ve been thinking a lot about the question of whether technology makes our lives better, easier, happier, more fulfilled. The techie side of me wants to believe that technology helps us, takes us a step closer to a higher level of human endeavor. That’s the Star Trek side of me and it’s a very strong influence on my thinking, perhaps because I’ve been watching Gene Rodenberry’s beautiful vision of a better future for humanity since I was a very little girl (actually, since I was in utero, as my Mom devotedly watched first-run episodes of ST:TOS while pregnant with her eldest child). And Rodenberry’s vision was of a future in which technology enabled connection – warp drive spaceships and transporters propelled humans into new galaxies and onto new planets and, in the process, those humans met and, often befriended, the alien races that inhabited them. Technology literally brought humans (and humanoids) together.
However, anyone who knows science fiction knows that the Star Trek vision of the technologically advanced future is a utopian one, and there are plenty of dystopian visions that have long haunted those who imagine the future and its possibilities. I’m currently really caught up in Battlestar Galactica and that series’ central conflict – between humans and their rogue robot creations, the Cylons – embodies some longstanding fears regarding technological advances. The idea that our own technology might turn against us and consciously and methodically attempt to annihilate or enslave humanity is one that’s been at the heart of much fantasy and sci-fi and the question at the core of one of my favorite novels, Frankenstein. We have to be careful, lest we create monsters.
But robots and transporters and warp drives are all still but gleams in the eyes of dreamers. Our technology, while advanced, is still a long way away from being able to create an artificial intelligence capable of instigating genocide on the human race. Still, I think it’s worth asking what dangers lurk in our hard drives and how our ever-increasing dependence on technology is affecting our behavior and lives. That’s why I wanted to focus on technology for this writing class and it’s what is driving much of my own research. And, as someone who tends to have a positive and open-minded attitude toward technology, I find it necessary to make myself take the other side on occasion just to keep myself honest. Yes, technology is cool. It’s fun. If we keep at it, one day we’ll have those transporters and warp drives (okay, maybe I’ll draw the line at Cylons!) and our lives will be all shiny and wonderful just like in Star Trek. See, there I go again being optimistic. Time for a little healthy skepticism.
To that end, I’ve got a few articles that I came across over the last couple of weeks in the New York Times that raise some questions about some of our current uses of technology.
The first one, “E-Mail is Easy to Write (and to Misread),”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/jobs/07pre.html?em&ex=1192248000&en=15cb9ed482ae7136&ei=5087%0A showed up on October 7, 2007 in the Job Market section of the Times. I’ve long been concerned with the issue of e-mail as a communication tool and this article articulates some issues I’ve been talking to students about for some time.
The second, “Generation Q,”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/opinion/10friedman.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Columnists/Thomas%20L%20Friedman was Thomas Friedman’s op-ed column on October 10. It’s not so much technology-oriented, but he suggests that what he sees as the passivity of current 20-somethings is at least partially enabled by the Internet. He makes the point that real activism requires us to engage with the real world, not the virtual one. Not sure how I feel about this – I certainly think there’s a vast sound of silence all across the country these days – but not just among 20-somethings. And I’m not convinced that online activism is impotent. But I’m intrigued enough to want to think more about this.
Finally, “The Fakebook Generation,”
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E5DB1730F935A35753C1A9619C8B63&n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Contributors was a piece that appeared on October 6, 2007. The author, a recent Ivy League graduate, asks a great question about halfway into the piece about whether Facebook “enrich[es] adult relationships.” She’s right that those of us who use Facebook have been using it to essentially create these “stories” of our lives, narrating every event, momentous or not as if our lives depended on it. And yet, as she notes, it seems that this tool designed to bring people together has only “made us more wary of real human confrontation.” I wonder if that’s true. It seems I prefer to “talk” to people via computer than either on the phone or in RL. What does that say about me? About all of us who feel the same way?
In thinking about each of these articles and really pondering the disturbing questions they raise, I’m beginning to think that we hide behind the computer screen and we are becoming, not the brave and daring pioneers who man the USS Enterprise, rather we’re becoming cowardly, too afraid to face our own human fellows, much less new life and new civilizations. Are we burying our heads in electronic sand?
73 and loaded with friends
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/fashion/14facebook.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
While surfing the New York Times online, I came across an article discussing the aging of facebook. Since I myself am a facebook user, I was curious to find out what the writer had to say concerning older users on the popular social networking site. John Schwartz, the author, tells the story of forty-eight year old Amy Waldman who recently joined facebook. When she told one of her friends about it, Mrs Waldman was informed that since she was over 40, she was "facebook creepy."
I think this brings up an interesting point of who defines socially acceptable rules of age limits to social networking sites. From my experience, I have heard many college students speak of older facebookers with annoyance. It's as if they believe Facebook is strictly a college networking site, not intended for the average person. It is obvious that their views of the direction of facebook are not in line with its creators, especially with the advent of regional networks. Facebook is all about networking, whether it be around college, religion, georaphical location, or other points of interest. So why should older users not be allowed to network with their peers? Facebook reported that over forty percent of its users are older than twenty-five and/or are out of school. As facebook grows, college students will become the minority on Facebook, so why not just accept the new crowd? I believe college students should adjust to this new influx of older facebookers. I think in time they will discover that the trend will not affect them in the least bit.
The author also reported on a 73 year old man with over 1,600 friends on facebook. Althouth the man was popular NPR announcer Karl Hassel, this still proves that facebook networking is for young and old alike
While surfing the New York Times online, I came across an article discussing the aging of facebook. Since I myself am a facebook user, I was curious to find out what the writer had to say concerning older users on the popular social networking site. John Schwartz, the author, tells the story of forty-eight year old Amy Waldman who recently joined facebook. When she told one of her friends about it, Mrs Waldman was informed that since she was over 40, she was "facebook creepy."
I think this brings up an interesting point of who defines socially acceptable rules of age limits to social networking sites. From my experience, I have heard many college students speak of older facebookers with annoyance. It's as if they believe Facebook is strictly a college networking site, not intended for the average person. It is obvious that their views of the direction of facebook are not in line with its creators, especially with the advent of regional networks. Facebook is all about networking, whether it be around college, religion, georaphical location, or other points of interest. So why should older users not be allowed to network with their peers? Facebook reported that over forty percent of its users are older than twenty-five and/or are out of school. As facebook grows, college students will become the minority on Facebook, so why not just accept the new crowd? I believe college students should adjust to this new influx of older facebookers. I think in time they will discover that the trend will not affect them in the least bit.
The author also reported on a 73 year old man with over 1,600 friends on facebook. Althouth the man was popular NPR announcer Karl Hassel, this still proves that facebook networking is for young and old alike
Racism
http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/09/11/net_hate/index.html
This web page talks about the racism that the United States shows toward Muslim and Arab people. Just because some people of those races did something bad does not mean that every single one of them are bad. Janelle Brown, the author of the article talks about Craig's List which is San Francisco Bay's largest online community. Craig's List is supportive of the non-racist view, but many people say extremely racist things on it. One person said "Purge our society of these rodents." How horrible is that! To speak of people in terms of rodents is absolutely horrible. No human begin no matter what has happened in the past should be thought of in those terms. Murders happen every day that deal with white and African American people and the whole race is not looked at as murders so why should the Muslim and Arab races be looked at in that way. Don't get me wrong I know that there are many people of those races that hate Americans and dream about doing bad things to them, but not all of them are like that. Furthermore, I'm sure that there are tons of Americans who look at Muslim and Arab people and want to hurt them, but not all Americans are that way. I think, to end violence, we need to end hatred. We have forgiven the Germans for the Holocaust; it is now time to forgive these races for their mistakes. Also written on the page was a warning to Muslims and Arabs to leave the country for their own sake. There is no reason what so ever to punish someone that has been living in the United States, maybe their whole life, and who had nothing to do with anything that has been happening. If they live in this country, most likely they are patriotic and love it here. This means that they most likely would not do anything to harm their fellow Americans. Another comment made in this article was that they wanted to annihilate any country that wronged America. This goes back to the fact that we can not punnish an entire race for something that a group of people did. On a lighter note however, someone posted the comment "The only antidote to terrorism--hate-- is love." This is such a wonderful comment and it is my view point on the whole matter. The only way to end all of this crap is to forgive and forget. Without these two components the world will be at war forever.
Overall, this website brings to attention some major issues online about war and racism. It talks about a blog site that has a wide variety of users: some who hate Arabs and Muslims, and some who don't. I feel like this makes a better site. It is just an interesting way to look at things that are going on in and outside of our country.
This web page talks about the racism that the United States shows toward Muslim and Arab people. Just because some people of those races did something bad does not mean that every single one of them are bad. Janelle Brown, the author of the article talks about Craig's List which is San Francisco Bay's largest online community. Craig's List is supportive of the non-racist view, but many people say extremely racist things on it. One person said "Purge our society of these rodents." How horrible is that! To speak of people in terms of rodents is absolutely horrible. No human begin no matter what has happened in the past should be thought of in those terms. Murders happen every day that deal with white and African American people and the whole race is not looked at as murders so why should the Muslim and Arab races be looked at in that way. Don't get me wrong I know that there are many people of those races that hate Americans and dream about doing bad things to them, but not all of them are like that. Furthermore, I'm sure that there are tons of Americans who look at Muslim and Arab people and want to hurt them, but not all Americans are that way. I think, to end violence, we need to end hatred. We have forgiven the Germans for the Holocaust; it is now time to forgive these races for their mistakes. Also written on the page was a warning to Muslims and Arabs to leave the country for their own sake. There is no reason what so ever to punish someone that has been living in the United States, maybe their whole life, and who had nothing to do with anything that has been happening. If they live in this country, most likely they are patriotic and love it here. This means that they most likely would not do anything to harm their fellow Americans. Another comment made in this article was that they wanted to annihilate any country that wronged America. This goes back to the fact that we can not punnish an entire race for something that a group of people did. On a lighter note however, someone posted the comment "The only antidote to terrorism--hate-- is love." This is such a wonderful comment and it is my view point on the whole matter. The only way to end all of this crap is to forgive and forget. Without these two components the world will be at war forever.
Overall, this website brings to attention some major issues online about war and racism. It talks about a blog site that has a wide variety of users: some who hate Arabs and Muslims, and some who don't. I feel like this makes a better site. It is just an interesting way to look at things that are going on in and outside of our country.
Pandora
If you have never been to Pandora.com, it is a very unique and interesting website, especially for music lovers. Pandora offers a wide variety of music to listen to—pretty much any type of music you can think of. However, Pandora is unique because while you cannot download the music, you can listen to the music for free. It’s actually more like a radio than just a music player. It’s really pretty cool because what you do is give them the name of an artist that you particularly like, and Pandora will begin by playing a song from that artist. The next song may or may not be from that artist—usually it moves on to a different artist. However, the song by the next artist is very similar in style to the artist you began with. For example, by typing in Ben Folds—whose style is largely centered on the use of the piano, the next song will be similar, probably with a song centered on the use of the piano.
It’s really very fascinating. I have personally used Pandora many times and it has led to some new artists, which have quickly been added to my lists of favorites. The site allows you to add as many different “stations” as you want. If you don’t like a song that Pandora gives you, you can rate it with a thumbs up or thumbs down, and you can skip to the next song. By rating the songs you listen to, Pandora quickly learns what types of music you like to hear, and eventually you will only hear music that interests you personally.
Pandora is different from most online music sites in that Pandora is completely legal. A lot of music websites struggle with the legality of their music offered—especially those websites that offer music available for download. Sometimes this music is unlawfully downloaded and creates legal issues with the owner’s of the song’s copyright. However, because of the streaming nature of Pandora’s offered songs, listening to them raises no legal issues, because Pandora already owns the right to broadcast them. Basically, Pandora is just like a radio—except it’s more like an interactive radio.
Pandora is a great website for music lovers. Instead of immediately going to iTunes and downloading an artist, why not first go to Pandora and see you like that style of music first? Check out Pandora.com, it’s a great and innovative website.
It’s really very fascinating. I have personally used Pandora many times and it has led to some new artists, which have quickly been added to my lists of favorites. The site allows you to add as many different “stations” as you want. If you don’t like a song that Pandora gives you, you can rate it with a thumbs up or thumbs down, and you can skip to the next song. By rating the songs you listen to, Pandora quickly learns what types of music you like to hear, and eventually you will only hear music that interests you personally.
Pandora is different from most online music sites in that Pandora is completely legal. A lot of music websites struggle with the legality of their music offered—especially those websites that offer music available for download. Sometimes this music is unlawfully downloaded and creates legal issues with the owner’s of the song’s copyright. However, because of the streaming nature of Pandora’s offered songs, listening to them raises no legal issues, because Pandora already owns the right to broadcast them. Basically, Pandora is just like a radio—except it’s more like an interactive radio.
Pandora is a great website for music lovers. Instead of immediately going to iTunes and downloading an artist, why not first go to Pandora and see you like that style of music first? Check out Pandora.com, it’s a great and innovative website.
Online Gender Gap
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4555370.stm
I found an interesting site discussing the gender gap online. The author states, "Gender divisions persist online, but it is no longer about whether more men or women use the net." A study done by the Pew Internet Project found interesting differences in the way men and women use the Internet. The study found that just as many women as men use the internet in today's society. The gap arises in the way men and women choose to use the internet.
The study found that men like the internet because it gives them an opportunity to try new ways to do things. On the other hand, women use the Internet mainly for communication purposes. Women use the email feature more often than men. Men tend to use email when they want to stay in contact with an organization. On the other hand, women use email to stay in touch with friends and relatives.
Men like the new opportunities the Internet offers. They tend to use the Internet to try new technologies and participate in recreational activies, such as fantasy sports leagues. They also use the Internet for information about sports, weather, and news. A woman's use of the Internet focuses more on email and information about health and religious information.
There is a commonality when it comes to the internet. Both men and women enjoy and utilize the convenience of the Internet when it comes to mundane tasks, such as paying bills.
I am not the least bit surprised by the findings of this study. I believe the results are accurate and precise. For the most part, men are always the first to jump at the opportunities that arise from technology. From my own experiences with the Internet, men do not care as much about the communication the Internet offers. They care more about the features the internet offers, such as fantasy sports leagues and the availability of information. On the other hand, women, including myself, thrive on the communication feature of the Internet. I constantly use the Internet to email friends and family. I update them on what is going on in my life, and they do the same for me. The internet has enabled an ease in communication, and I believe women value this ease more than men.
One can no longer argue that there is a gap in the number of male and female internet users in today's society. It has been found that just as many women as men use the Internet. However, there is a gap in the way men and women choose to use the Internet.
I found an interesting site discussing the gender gap online. The author states, "Gender divisions persist online, but it is no longer about whether more men or women use the net." A study done by the Pew Internet Project found interesting differences in the way men and women use the Internet. The study found that just as many women as men use the internet in today's society. The gap arises in the way men and women choose to use the internet.
The study found that men like the internet because it gives them an opportunity to try new ways to do things. On the other hand, women use the Internet mainly for communication purposes. Women use the email feature more often than men. Men tend to use email when they want to stay in contact with an organization. On the other hand, women use email to stay in touch with friends and relatives.
Men like the new opportunities the Internet offers. They tend to use the Internet to try new technologies and participate in recreational activies, such as fantasy sports leagues. They also use the Internet for information about sports, weather, and news. A woman's use of the Internet focuses more on email and information about health and religious information.
There is a commonality when it comes to the internet. Both men and women enjoy and utilize the convenience of the Internet when it comes to mundane tasks, such as paying bills.
I am not the least bit surprised by the findings of this study. I believe the results are accurate and precise. For the most part, men are always the first to jump at the opportunities that arise from technology. From my own experiences with the Internet, men do not care as much about the communication the Internet offers. They care more about the features the internet offers, such as fantasy sports leagues and the availability of information. On the other hand, women, including myself, thrive on the communication feature of the Internet. I constantly use the Internet to email friends and family. I update them on what is going on in my life, and they do the same for me. The internet has enabled an ease in communication, and I believe women value this ease more than men.
One can no longer argue that there is a gap in the number of male and female internet users in today's society. It has been found that just as many women as men use the Internet. However, there is a gap in the way men and women choose to use the Internet.
Design Portfolios--http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html
Design Portfolios
To be honest, it took me a while to catch on to what okaydave.com was all about. I seemed like a whole lot of random stuff, and I could not really understand the connection. After I spent some time viewing Dave Werner’s site, I realized that he is an artistic genius. His site includes many of his lifetime design projects. He combines his creations and ideas allowing the viewer to explore his most impressive developments. His website explains what is important to him and how he got where he is today.
After I explored what Dave Werner’s design portfolio, I also found another website with tips for creating a good portfolio. The website I found was http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html. It was created by a man named Jeffrey Veen. Because our English class has viewed a design portfolio, I think it is important for us to have an outside opinion on what makes a good one. Veen emphasizes the importance of keeping the website easy for the viewer to navigate through. He also stresses the value of finding a happy medium between creativity and accessibility. Veen says that the designer needs to have a creative way of displaying their work; however, it is important to avoid unnecessary complications. He says that the main purpose of allowing the viewer to see the designer’s work is lost if the website is so complicated that it is hard to navigate. Another one of Veen’s points stresses the importance of keeping the images large enough to be seen easily. He thinks that the designer should explain his or her process of creating in order to allow an outsider to be able to better understand what is actually going on. His final tip for design portfolios is to display examples of work done for the enjoyment of the designer rather than only displaying projects done for school or a job. In the design portfolios that he views, Veen wants to see designers who are passionate about what they do, rather that those who just do what they have to do to get by.
I think that website is relevant to our class because it allows us to look at okaydave.com in a new way. After reading Veen’s website on design portfolios, no longer are we outsiders to this new form of advertising and displaying one’s artistic abilities. We can use the criteria that Veen presents in order to analyze Dave Werner’s website from a more knowledgeable perspective.
I feel like Dave Werner’s portfolio would definitely meet the standards for design portfolios put forward by Jeffrey Veen. Werner’s website is creative and interesting, but is still formatted with user-friendly navigation. The portfolio allows the viewer to easily access his work, and to also understand his motives behind each project while its visual appeal keeps the viewer engaged. Using the information about design portfolios presented by Veen, I feel like okaydave.com is an excellent representation of the work of Dave Werner.
To be honest, it took me a while to catch on to what okaydave.com was all about. I seemed like a whole lot of random stuff, and I could not really understand the connection. After I spent some time viewing Dave Werner’s site, I realized that he is an artistic genius. His site includes many of his lifetime design projects. He combines his creations and ideas allowing the viewer to explore his most impressive developments. His website explains what is important to him and how he got where he is today.
After I explored what Dave Werner’s design portfolio, I also found another website with tips for creating a good portfolio. The website I found was http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html. It was created by a man named Jeffrey Veen. Because our English class has viewed a design portfolio, I think it is important for us to have an outside opinion on what makes a good one. Veen emphasizes the importance of keeping the website easy for the viewer to navigate through. He also stresses the value of finding a happy medium between creativity and accessibility. Veen says that the designer needs to have a creative way of displaying their work; however, it is important to avoid unnecessary complications. He says that the main purpose of allowing the viewer to see the designer’s work is lost if the website is so complicated that it is hard to navigate. Another one of Veen’s points stresses the importance of keeping the images large enough to be seen easily. He thinks that the designer should explain his or her process of creating in order to allow an outsider to be able to better understand what is actually going on. His final tip for design portfolios is to display examples of work done for the enjoyment of the designer rather than only displaying projects done for school or a job. In the design portfolios that he views, Veen wants to see designers who are passionate about what they do, rather that those who just do what they have to do to get by.
I think that website is relevant to our class because it allows us to look at okaydave.com in a new way. After reading Veen’s website on design portfolios, no longer are we outsiders to this new form of advertising and displaying one’s artistic abilities. We can use the criteria that Veen presents in order to analyze Dave Werner’s website from a more knowledgeable perspective.
I feel like Dave Werner’s portfolio would definitely meet the standards for design portfolios put forward by Jeffrey Veen. Werner’s website is creative and interesting, but is still formatted with user-friendly navigation. The portfolio allows the viewer to easily access his work, and to also understand his motives behind each project while its visual appeal keeps the viewer engaged. Using the information about design portfolios presented by Veen, I feel like okaydave.com is an excellent representation of the work of Dave Werner.
MySpace Bands- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11114166/
Unknown bands are now becoming superstars, all due to the popularity gained on their MySpace band profiles. A recent article on MSNBC’s website discussed the growing trend of band’s creating MySpace profiles.
Bands are drawn to MySpace profiles because they are free, easy to design, and allow many viewers. MySpace is now the third most visited website; I’m sure that beats out how many people watch Fuse TV a day.
Bands are now seeing MySpace as a way to bridge the gap between fans. I myself have visited many of my favorite bands’ profiles, and I find that they are much cooler and personal than the band’s website. I feel like I can connect with new bands by listening to their music and looking at pictures from the concerts and everyday lives of the members. New bands can be found by searching name, genre, location, or keyword. Successful bands such as Audioslave have previewed entire albums on MySpace before the release date. Features such as video and audio allow fans to experience new music from their favorite artists.
Many find MySpace to be more successful than competitiors because of interconnectivity. Any genre of music can be found in one place. When a user looks at a band’s profile, they can find music, video, concert dates, pictures, and information. You can also add the band as your friend, and find who else likes the band.
MySpace allows bands to market themselves for free. Songs can be downloaded, concert dates are announced, and marketing promos can all be listed on one profile. Bands can also market each other by listing other bands on their top friends or posting links to the other profiles.
Even large bands, such as Dashboard Confessional, have felt gratification through MySpace profiles. You can get a virtual picture of fans, and get loads of wall posts praising music. A counter is added to the pages to show how many songs have been downloaded per day.
A MySpace anniversary concert was recently held, bands could interact with the millions of fans they considered their friends on MySpace.
MySpace has recently joined with Interscope Records to form MySpace Records. This record company will feature new and well-known bands the music world of MySpace fans. Indie music is particularly popular on MySpace Bands, so I’m sure many of the three or four signed bands per year will be Indie bands.
As long as record labels and producers do not begin to abuse MySpace profiles, MySpace will continue to lead the search for new and popular bands.
I think this topic would be a very interesting thing for our class to investigate. From personal experience, I agree that MySpace is a great marketing tool and a way to become closer to bands. MySpace has introduced newly popular bands to our society, such as: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and My Chemical Romance. Almost every person in our class has probably looked at a band’s profile or at least listened to their music. It is truly revolutionizing the music industry.
Bands are drawn to MySpace profiles because they are free, easy to design, and allow many viewers. MySpace is now the third most visited website; I’m sure that beats out how many people watch Fuse TV a day.
Bands are now seeing MySpace as a way to bridge the gap between fans. I myself have visited many of my favorite bands’ profiles, and I find that they are much cooler and personal than the band’s website. I feel like I can connect with new bands by listening to their music and looking at pictures from the concerts and everyday lives of the members. New bands can be found by searching name, genre, location, or keyword. Successful bands such as Audioslave have previewed entire albums on MySpace before the release date. Features such as video and audio allow fans to experience new music from their favorite artists.
Many find MySpace to be more successful than competitiors because of interconnectivity. Any genre of music can be found in one place. When a user looks at a band’s profile, they can find music, video, concert dates, pictures, and information. You can also add the band as your friend, and find who else likes the band.
MySpace allows bands to market themselves for free. Songs can be downloaded, concert dates are announced, and marketing promos can all be listed on one profile. Bands can also market each other by listing other bands on their top friends or posting links to the other profiles.
Even large bands, such as Dashboard Confessional, have felt gratification through MySpace profiles. You can get a virtual picture of fans, and get loads of wall posts praising music. A counter is added to the pages to show how many songs have been downloaded per day.
A MySpace anniversary concert was recently held, bands could interact with the millions of fans they considered their friends on MySpace.
MySpace has recently joined with Interscope Records to form MySpace Records. This record company will feature new and well-known bands the music world of MySpace fans. Indie music is particularly popular on MySpace Bands, so I’m sure many of the three or four signed bands per year will be Indie bands.
As long as record labels and producers do not begin to abuse MySpace profiles, MySpace will continue to lead the search for new and popular bands.
I think this topic would be a very interesting thing for our class to investigate. From personal experience, I agree that MySpace is a great marketing tool and a way to become closer to bands. MySpace has introduced newly popular bands to our society, such as: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and My Chemical Romance. Almost every person in our class has probably looked at a band’s profile or at least listened to their music. It is truly revolutionizing the music industry.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Movers 2.0
http://movers20.esnips.com/TableStatAction.ns?reportId=100
I found this website, Movers 2.0, on a list of interesting websites on blogspot.com. This site shows how websites compare to others by tracking both the daily pageviews and daily reach. This site, however, deals only with websites on "Web 2.0", which are websites sites that anyone can edit with more of a personal touch, like a blog or social networking site. These sites allow you to enter information about yourself, whether by describing yourself directly or by how you write, both in your topics and writing style. These "Web 2.0" sites are the sites that we have primarily been studying and discussing, so I thought this an especially appropriate site to discuss with this blog post.
Movers 2.0 displays the ranks of these Web 2.0 sites, determined by daily viewings of each website and the total reach of the website, which is the number of users registered on the website. There are graphs to display each for every website, updated every day. Movers 2.0 uses the total number to determine both of these graphs, as opposed to other rankings that use percentage of all web users. I thought that it was really interesting that the numbers used were listed in the thousands but described as being in millions, so the daily views for websites like YouTube and Facebook are receiving billions of hits a day, with YouTube receiving nearly 20 billion hits daily. Those numbers were just staggering to me, especially since I didn't know that many people even used the Internet, though I think that number counts individual page views, so each viewer will view several pages per actual visit to the site. YouTube, though, still has likely a billion different viewers per day, if each viewer sees on average 20 pages per visit, which could definitely be much higher than actual.
You can also see which sites are moving up and which sites are moving down, hence the name Movers. This shows which sites are increasing in page views and membership and which sites are decreasing. With this information, you can see that sites like Facebook are greatly increasing in site traffic while many others are losing viewers. Once you see this, you can go much more in depth and study why sites are gaining and losing viewers. Many conclusions can be gained from this, and many potential web site creators can benefit from this information and shape their web sites to be the most appealing and draw the most viewers.
I don't know that it is vitally important that everyone checks this site out daily, but I thought it was very interesting to see how millions of people are spending their time on the Internet, or at least on the Web 2.0 sites.
I found this website, Movers 2.0, on a list of interesting websites on blogspot.com. This site shows how websites compare to others by tracking both the daily pageviews and daily reach. This site, however, deals only with websites on "Web 2.0", which are websites sites that anyone can edit with more of a personal touch, like a blog or social networking site. These sites allow you to enter information about yourself, whether by describing yourself directly or by how you write, both in your topics and writing style. These "Web 2.0" sites are the sites that we have primarily been studying and discussing, so I thought this an especially appropriate site to discuss with this blog post.
Movers 2.0 displays the ranks of these Web 2.0 sites, determined by daily viewings of each website and the total reach of the website, which is the number of users registered on the website. There are graphs to display each for every website, updated every day. Movers 2.0 uses the total number to determine both of these graphs, as opposed to other rankings that use percentage of all web users. I thought that it was really interesting that the numbers used were listed in the thousands but described as being in millions, so the daily views for websites like YouTube and Facebook are receiving billions of hits a day, with YouTube receiving nearly 20 billion hits daily. Those numbers were just staggering to me, especially since I didn't know that many people even used the Internet, though I think that number counts individual page views, so each viewer will view several pages per actual visit to the site. YouTube, though, still has likely a billion different viewers per day, if each viewer sees on average 20 pages per visit, which could definitely be much higher than actual.
You can also see which sites are moving up and which sites are moving down, hence the name Movers. This shows which sites are increasing in page views and membership and which sites are decreasing. With this information, you can see that sites like Facebook are greatly increasing in site traffic while many others are losing viewers. Once you see this, you can go much more in depth and study why sites are gaining and losing viewers. Many conclusions can be gained from this, and many potential web site creators can benefit from this information and shape their web sites to be the most appealing and draw the most viewers.
I don't know that it is vitally important that everyone checks this site out daily, but I thought it was very interesting to see how millions of people are spending their time on the Internet, or at least on the Web 2.0 sites.
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