Group Assignment

For my presentation my group and I will be reading "Against the Machine" by Lee Siegel. The first part will be read by one of my group members and the second part would be read by other. Finally, the third part would be read by myself.

My section talks about blogs and publications and the idea of web 2.0. Thus far for our presentation we plan talk about the points the Seigel makes and give our opinions about his ideas and beliefs.

Traveling into the Virtual World

I never realized how involved people really get into these virtual worlds, until I took this class! It makes you wonder if the future is going to be like a virtual world, since technology is advancing increasingly fast. I can see how it would be fun going into these virtual worlds to get away from the real physical lifestyle that we are in. It seems that we focus so much with our jobs and create more stress for ourselves and this could be a great outlet for some people.

But, if I could travel anywhere into these virtual world, I would go to places that are nothing like the real world. It would be places with crazy advanced technology and look at how they live their lives. Mostly, I want to see something that would give me a glimpse into the future, or the possibility of the future. If I were looking for something more tranquilizing I would look for something calm, sunny, and where I can spend free virtual money! OH the things that I wish I could have  Now, thinking about it, the virtual world doesn’t seem all that bad. You can pretty much do whatever you want whenever, wherever or however you would like. I see the virtual world being more and more intertwined into our lives through work, friends and communities.

Feed Tacoma

Kevin Freitas visit to class was great! I really enjoyed everything he was talking about. After looking over the feed Tacoma site for the first time, I was amazed at how hyperlocal it was. It’s amazing how a community can come together and create something like this just through blogging. His passion and determination to improve the city of Tacoma is shown all over the feed Tacoma site. I think its great how there is not just one person managing the content on this site, but it is built through other people’s perspectives and comments.

Kevin Talked about many interesting aspects of the things he does. I found incredible was that many events were created organically through the feed Tacoma site. For example, the chalk off even that occurred all summer long is awesome. It was an event that was open to everyone and helped saved a park from being closed down, yet being very fun at the same time.

I believe Kevin is on the right track to in making Tacoma a better known city. It seems that his goal is to help emphasis all the great things that Tacoma has to offer and how the community has a voice and can makes changes towards improving the city. His site offers so much to many people and I love the fact that little shops can sell their items online, I hope this becomes even bigger!!!

Financial Online

The financial institution has changed tremendously by creating more convenient ways for consumers to access their personal information. I was very hesitant the first time I began doing online banking. But after a little research on my part and discovering ways to ensure my safety, I feel some what comfortable about doing my banking online.

By using online aids with financial matters, I believe it helps with being proactive in detecting any irregularities within your accounts. On a daily basis, I am constantly checking my credit card and banking account to notice if there is any fraudulent activities going on with my accounts.

Personally, doing basic financial activities like checking balances, transferring money, etc. is simple and has become a daily routine for many people. There are security measures that are input to help prevent any information theft and it is up to the consumer to put basic security on their personal computers so theft would less likely to occur. There is always going to be a risk when giving out personal financial information, either physically handing your card to a waitress or entering it into a website, its just about being smart in your choices you make and always staying aware of what’s going on with your accounts.

Comfort Level with Online Shopping

There are various things on the internet that are on the web for the better or worse of the technology. Like most people security is a big issue. You want to be on a website that you know is reliable and is not going to take advantage of your information. As an online consumer there are many things that I do not feel comfortable sharing online or even buying for that matter.
One is the amount I am paying for certain items. If the price just does not seem to fit the product that I am buying, either extremely cheap or just over priced I tend to stay away from those products, especially if it is through a site that I am not familiar with. I also don’t spend more than a certain amount on the web. Usually with larger purchases, I feel that seeing it physically and knowing that I am getting my money’s worth is important.

I also wouldn’t buy a product online if the return policy is wayyy to over complicating or if they just don’t have one. I don’t want to end up being forced to like a product that I don’t like or misrepresented on the site.

Over the years and through many purchases online, I have to say that I feel fairly comfortable with buying almost anything online. It is mostly the convenience that keeps bringing me back to the same sites (i.e. Amazon) over and over again. Compared to the very first time I made a purchase online with my credit card in hand and debating the security of the entire process to now, where it feels like another swipe of the card in a store. Who knows how much more risky it is to shop online versus going somewhere where they take your card to swipe. I am pretty sure they can steal your card number the same way as well…

The Invasion of Privacy

What is up with Intelius! I have to say I am not a fan of this website at all. First of all if you’re going to put up people’s information make sure it is correct! I am still in shock about the amount and type of information that anyone can obtain about another person. The way that these different types of websites can virtually summarize someone’s past and present life is crazy.

It makes you wonder, what does privacy mean these days? Things that you would expect to keep private in your life can become public in an instance with just a click of a mouse. When doing a vanity search on yourself on various search engines like Google, yahoo, msn, etc you may not find something on one website and when you go to another than bam! All this information pops up about you. The worse part is that you have no control of what goes on the internet, because it can be done without you even knowing for years or ever.

So how do we protect ourselves from information that we don’t want out in the open world? Do we stay secluded in our homes? Do we create more rules and regulations to protect us? Who knows, the only thing we can do for now, is just be conscious of the choices we make that we hope that won’t affect us later in the future.

The Diminishing Newspaper

These days it seems that we can find practically anything on the web and that includes the news. The purpose of the newspaper is to inform us of the things going on around the world, but now with the advanced technology available it does just that. So whats the purpose of the actual newspaper that prints in the morning and a paperboy comes along and throws it at your front door, when the news is right there in your own home already? Personally, I believe that eventually there will be no need for this physical newspaper that eventually piles up at work or at home. Why waste all this paper printing this information that is probable old news by the time you get it? Most newspaper have an online version that is updated every minute to keep you connected with the world, and offers great animated graphics along with an article at times; for us slower people :) In today's society, pretty much everyone has some type of portable device that they carry with them and on that device they could have the internet right at their disposal. The convenience and accessibility of online news has allowed anyone to view it at anytime, just like the actual newspaper, except this one can be found for free!!! So why not save a few bucks and some trees and just read it online at work, home, anywhere with wifi. So step into the modern world of news reporting!