HW11:"Making Global Voices Heard"

The blog I chose to view today was, Jeff Ooi's blig Screenshots at http://jeffooi.com . When I arrived at his blog i was slightly dissapointed because it was so plain and dull. I think the only person that blogs on this site is Jeff himself. The writing style is kind of unique he gives you the information you need to know bluntly without going on and on about random things that no-one really cares about. This blog is about politics in Malaysia, or atleast thats the impression I got from ready the blog.
I agree with Rebecca MacKinnon, in the article, "Making Global Voices Heard," MacKinnon describes Jeff Ooi's blog as someone who dares to critize authority. In the blog he questions the government and the roll they play in the society that he lives in.
Yet some readers may challenge my view that Jeff Ooi's blog is about politics in Malaysia. After all many have different opioions and different understanding of the way bloggers convey there methods. Indeed, my own argument that Jeff Ooi's blog is about politics in Maylasia is supported by Rebecca MacKinnon's interveiw, some may see it in a different way and think it is based upon something other that just politics and the Malaysian government.

HW9: Applying Graff 4 to Waldman

While reading “A Weblog Saved My Life Last Night” an interview with Ayelet Waldman, I agree that “When you blog, you blog about what outrages you or what moves you enough to write,” (Kline and Burstein 311) because my experience with blogging on MySpace.com confirms it. As I have many of times turned to posting on MySpace and MySpace blogs to let out my anger with friends, family, and just life in general. It is the easiest way to let people know how you feel without verbally telling anyone, but still people get to read how you’re feeling and they get to respond to you with their thoughts and emotions. I personally feel that when writing a blog the fact that you know people are going to be reading it makes it all the more real and you truly write exactly what is going through your mind. The writer doesn’t have to face the reader and usually on MySpace posts and blogs it is people complaining about a horrible friend, a shitty boyfriend, or annoying parents. The things that set people off, make for good blogs, and they attract many readers.

HW7: "My So-Called Blog"

In “My So-Called Blog” by Emily Nussbaum, she demonstrates how online blogging is affecting the teenage generation. I think teenagers should be able to write online in a Live Journal without being worried that their parents will be checking it. Nussbaum states, “Back in the 1980’s, when I attended high school, reading someone’s diary would have been the ultimate intrusion.”(Kline and Burnstein 351) I agree with Nussbaum but at the same time I disagree. While you would never let anyone read your personal hand written journals hidden under your bed, why should your parents feel the need to read your journal online? I support the teenagers who turn to Live Journals and Blogs to express themselves. The teenagers who use it as a form of counseling and letting out their anger, and I personally think that some of the teenagers are asking for help when they write about self harm on their journals and blogs. In conclusion, I do not think that parents should monitor everything their children do and write online unless they have a huge concern and a definite reason to read it.

HW6: Interest Statement for Semester Long Project

Social computing technologies that I am most interested in right now are; instant messaging, social networking services, and text messaging. The reason I am interested in instant messaging and text messaging is because they are a huge part of my life and a huge part of my forms of communication; not only with my friends but with my family as well. I know many teenagers and adults that rely on their cell phones and computers more than their home phones and old fashion mail boxes. I am interested in social networking because myspace.com and facebook.com are also a main part of my life and it could almost be considered an addiction of mine. Through myspace.com and facebook.com I stay in contact with my friends who are overseas and fighting in the war over in Iraq and do not get to use a computer very often or make phone calls.

Right now the kinds of empowerment of marginalized groups that I am most interested in finding out about are; overcoming racism, rights and empowerment of poor or working-class people, and rights and empowerment of people with HIV/AIDS. The reason I chose these three groups are because they all interested me when I read the paper. I do not have any specific reason why I chose them.

The geographical areas I think I will begin my research in would be the United States and Europe, I chose these two areas because I think they have a lot in common but I think it would also be interesting to see how different life is somewhere else compared to here when you belong to a different group of people. I think it would also be interesting to see if text messaging and Myspace.com is as an addiction in Europe as it has become in the United States.

HW5b: "I Blog, Therefore I Am"

In the article “I Blog, Therefore I Am,” by David Kline, Kline emphasizes that the world is coming to what it was always meant to be, a “democratic society” where everyone living in it was allowed to have their own voice whether they were smart, disrespectful, or if they were completely clueless. Kline reminds us of how the United States is supposed to operate. I do not deny any of the facts that Kline is implying. Throughout the years I feel that the right to freedom of speech has vanished, and Kline points out that with the invention and use of blogging the average man or woman can have the freedom and speech and can talk about whatever they want and still get feedback and see what other people around the world have to say about their view. I however question how long blogging will last, I feel that as a society things in our lives change so fast and we are constantly grasping new ideas and new forms of communication, that it only seems fair to me to say that blogging like e-mail and instant messaging will slowly fade away and become something different like instant messaging has become text messaging.

HW4:Option 2 & Verizon Wireless

In my room after reading, “The Voice of the Customer” by David Kline, I chose to do my blog on option number two. In option number two you have to pick something in your room and analyze the brand. The brand I chose is actually the company Verizon Wireless. I chose Verizon because when I sat down to write my blog my cell phone rang and I thought it would be interesting to see what Verizon’s view on its product and service is. When I typed Verizon into www.google.com it came up with a lot of sites about what the costumers had to say but nothing about what Verizon had to say itself. So I went to http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/globalText?textName=WORRY_FREE_GUARANTEE&jspName=support/worryFree.jsp&textName=WORRY_FREE_GUARANTEE&jspName=support/worryFree.jsp and found Verizon’s “Worry Free Guarantee”. Verizon states that, “No wireless provider stands behind you like Verizon does.” They also have five other promises on their “Worry Free Guarantee” page, they state that, “You'll enjoy America's best, most reliable wireless network,” “You have the option to change your calling plan at any time,” “If you ever have a problem, it becomes our problem the first time you call,” “Your satisfaction is guaranteed on any equipment you purchase from Verizon Wireless,” and “You can get a free phone every two years with New Every Two.”
Since Verizon tells the costumer exactly what they promise, I can’t really tell you what I think it implies. From my experience however I feel that Verizon does an excellent job with upholding their promises. I have had my Verizon Wireless contract for five years, and will be renewing my plan with them in March for another two years. I have never had any problems with the actual Verizon Wireless Company. The only time I had a problem was when my LG Envy broke and I brought it back to the Verizon store and they gave me a brand new one. I have never gone more than five minutes without service on my cell phone and have always been able to make a phone call or send a text message when I needed to. I personally am very impressed with how well Verizon holds their promises to their customers and would recommend this service to anyone.

HW:3 Respond to "Toward A More Participatory Democracy"

In the reading, Toward a More Participatory Democracy by David Kline it discusses how many people feel that blogging for political reasons is not reaching as many people as they think or wish it had. It also discusses how many Americans feel that mainstream media, such as TV, newspapers, and magazines lie to the world. They change their stories more than Americans can possibly know.
When it comes to the topic of blogging, most of us will readily agree that blogging is affecting everyone around the world. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what blogging is used for and if it is positively affecting society as a whole. Whereas some are convinced that blogging is reaching the number of people in the political sense to make a positive impact, others maintain that blogging will never reach the number of people to make any change at all. I personally think that blogging will someday have an absolute positive effect on the world and on the political aspects of the world and on American society. While on one hand I feel that blogging seems to be ridiculous in a way, I also see the effects it is having on the world. Blogging has made it so easy for people all around the world to talk and discuss world issues, whether they are public or private. After reading Toward a More Participatory Democracy be David Kline, my mind set has changed and I think that blogging will eventually, and most likely in my life time be the main form of all communication on a global level.

HW2: 12 Key Ideas

In David Kline and Dan Burstein’s Blog! How the newest media revolution is changing politics, business, and culture, they discuss 12 Key ideas about the impact on blogging. In this blog I will be connecting Key idea number two to an interest I have in my own life. Key idea number two states that “Blogs are particularly interesting because they marry so much personality and attitude with this complex mix of software and technologies.” I connected this Key idea with my personal life because I find it interesting how much people throughout the world can now find out about people that live thousands of miles overseas in such a short span of time. The software and technology that is now available through the internet is changing the way we as people view the world and how we interact with others. Blogging is just one small program online for people to use in order to have their voice heard whether it is in a political sense or on a more personal level. I found it very interesting that a blog can hold so much information and can be sent around the world for thousands of people to read in a matter of seconds.