Online Class 6: I'm in LOVE with the Internet

Once upon a time, I hated the internet. I know its blasphemous to say so, especially for a blogger but when I was younger I didn't really see much value in it and I especially hated having to type.

But now, I can't imagine my life without it. The internet has changed me as a person. To the extent that I consider it one of the most influential forces in my life. Pretty soon it'll be nature versus nurture versus the internet as the competing forces that shape each and every one of us. The following is a list of how the internet has made me who I am today...for better or for worse.

• Typing has made me a terrible speller. I also have terrible handwriting. Imagine reading my grocery list. :-(
  
• Ever since Hulu, I have no use for a TV anymore. Why be entertained on the network's schedule when I can watch 5 episodes of Bones in one sitting at 4 am in the morning?
• I also don't buy workout tapes, books, music, or movies anymore. Not that I did in the first place but I have so much access to content I don't even know where to start.
• I have learned how to do many things online including but not limited to: making a kitty liter facial scrub, making a messenger bag out of trash bags, and how to speak Spanish.
  
• The idea of working from home and telecommuting isn't so foreign and mysterious like it once was. Currently, I work for a firm based in Trinidad but I live in the United States. I Skype with my boss and use OfficeLive to coordinate work. I've only been to the actual office twice! Now that I know I can work in a virtual office I'm thinking of moving all of my work online. Before, I thought working 9 to 5 in a cubicle was the norm but having worked in a dynamic environment, I would much rather work from home on project based work. The internet in essence has changed my outlook on career options post college.
  
• I study marketing and I've realized that because of the internet there is a whole new component to marketing that is very fascinating. I definitely have a lot more to learn about SEO and online marketing.
• The internet has also forced me to go outside of my bubble. I recently went to a Meetup event where I learned to knit with a bunch of girls I have never met before! They were really nice and I learned something new! I definitely wouldn't found a group like that without the internet.
• Google maps has reinforced my inability to navigate. If the internet was to go down I would be lost both metaphorically and literally.
• The most important way the internet has changed my life is that it has allowed me to access a variety of information in a condensed format (wikipedia, rss feeds, about.com). I feel empowered by the internet. I feel as if I can do anything and if I don't know how I can just Google it and find out.

Basically it comes to the fact that I LOVE the INTERNET. I would totally marry it.

Searching for Something?

Do remember the time before Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista? How did we find anything on the web? Search engines have certainly made the Internet the way it is today, and without it the world wide web just wouldn't have been functional. Today there are all sorts of search engines, some that even search ethically! Below is a list of some of the most innovative ones.

GOOSHING
GOOSHING is a shopping site that allows you to search for items from ethical companies at the cheapest price. According to the website's about page, GOOSHING is brought to you by

The Ethical Company Organisation, who first published The Good Shopping Guide – which has become the world’s leading ethical shopping reference authority.

Multicolr Search Lab
The Multicolr Search Lab allows users to find various pictures of the same color. For example if I was looking for a pink picture I would click on the exact shade that I wanted and the search engine would display various pictures with pink as the dominate color:


Ecocho
According to the Ecocho website,

Ecocho is a new search engine trying to make a difference for climate change. For every 1000 searches users make on Ecocho they counter balance or "offset" a ton of greenhouse gases. They do this by sponsoring two trees via advertising on the site.

Basically Ecocho has partnered with Yahoo to provide users with an easy to use search engine. But the cool part is that while you search you can also help save the planet!

Searchme
Searchme allows users to conduct visual searches.

In the above picture I searched for Yoga and searchme automatically displayed the search results in a mini screenshot form. I think this search tool is especially useful for visual learners.

It's about time I posted a picture.

So I was looking back on my blog posts and realized that I have done what I absolutely hate about other blogs. I have created a blog full of text and hardly any pictures! I am a true believer that a picture is worth a thousand words and to think that I have not supplemented my posts with pictures is quite shameful. So, to make up for my neglect, here is a series of funny/interesting pictures! Enjoy!

Happy Clams
Source: Sticky Comics

Camouflage by Liu Bolin
Source: DesignBoom


Rat Shoe
Source: InventorSpot


KEWB Multi-Functional Living Room Set
Source: Web Urbanist


Lastly a cool video:
Reverse Graffiti : Ossario: Alexandre Orion
Source: Ossario.net

Online Class 5: Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalists play a critical role in truth and knowledge sharing. It seems that many people now a days are skeptical of the truth in conventional journalism and have turned to citizen journalists for the most up to date and "real" information. Though this information is highly biased, at least readers have the ability to survey a wide variety of opinions on a certain subject and come to a conclusion for themselves. I feel that in traditional media we are spoon fed a certain politically correct version of the truth and expected to accept that as reality. Citizen journalists offer us more freedom in how we view the world. I believe this has motivated a lot of people to turn to citizen journalism for their news.

Citizen journalism has also changed the way we make decisions. Just look at how Engadget and
Gizmodo impacts the technology industry. A positive review on these sites can really help a product boost credibility. Or how about the 2008 presidential election? Many of my peers completely ignored traditional media coverage. They turned to Daily Kos, the Huffington Post, and FiveThirtyEight for information and analysis. I think the appeal is in the equality between writer and reader. Because there is so much interaction the reader has some influence in content.

Citizen journalism has also provided us with the most up to date information on things we may not otherwise have access to. This is news in real time. In the most recent Israeli/Palestine conflict citizen journalists on the ground were able to provide a unique perspective on what was going on. One such blog is Life Must Go On in Gaza and Sderot. This blog is written by an Israeli man and a Palestinian man living on opposite sides of the divide. What they share daily simply cannot be reproduced by traditional media. They provide a certain type of insight that we all crave but cannot get by traditional means. Thus, we turn to these citizen journalists.

I think its amazing how much impact everyday people can have on the world now and its all thanks to the Internet!

Blogging is hard

Do you have to be opinionated to blog well?

I feel that because I don't have particularly strong opinions on many things it has been difficult for me to blog. I'm one of those people that can see both sides of the story and find it hard to take sides.

Do you have to write well to blog well?

Maybe I'm being a cop-out but I blame my inability to write on the fact that English is my second language. Because of this it has been hard to articulate my thoughts in writing form. I think I am articulate when speaking. How do I translate that onto paper?

I think I'm approaching blogging completely wrong. I'm blogging for others ie readers but I think most bloggers blog for themselves. They write what interests them and see it as an outlet. For me being an accomplished blogger means having lots of readers interested in what I have to say. Without readers I find no joy in blogging. Am I going about this all wrong?

I guess what I'm trying to say is blogging is HARD!

Blogging and other writings: a comparison

VS

How is blogging different from other forms of writing? In my opinion blogging is different because:

Blogging is Personal
In my last post I mentioned that I haven't ventured out into the blog world as much as I should have. To date, I still haven't. I realize this really limits my blogging experience as much of blogging is about making connections with the reader. For many writers this is a luxury. In non web forms of writing, the writer simply cannot get instantaneous feedback from their readers. But this is exactly what is preventing me from venturing out. There is much more personal involvement in blogging and sometimes I just want to share information without having to listen to input from others.

Blogging is Creative
Blogging is also different than other print writings in that it allows for more creativity. When I write for print my tools are words and pictures but blogging allows me to use video and links to create a more complete reading experience.

Blogging is social
Blogging is also more social than some of the traditional forms of writing. It seems that popular blogs always incite some sort of comment from readers and for some bloggers their main purpose is to engage readers in a dialogue.

Blogging is better communication
Blogging also forces me to be more aware of who my readers are. Since anyone could read my blog I often have to consider who these people may be and try to communicate in a way that is clear for people from a variety of backgrounds.

What do you think? What makes blogging different for you?

Thriller!

When I was in elementary school I was in LOVE with Michael Jackson. I wanted to marry him. This was during his human years:

I remember I used to sneak downstairs to watch MTV music specials on Michael Jackson. Of course my all time favorite Michael Jackson music video is Thriller. I used to think it was really scary but I couldn't help but watch it because of all the great dancing and of course Michael.

Apparently I'm not the only one who loves it! The website ThrilltheWorld is dedicated to Thriller! More importantly how to do the dance in Thriller! There are even videos that breakdown each movement! This is a dream come true. I'm going to go practice and then dance my pants off! You should try it too!

For those who need inspiration check out these Philippine prisoners doing the dance. If they can do it, you can too!