Martha L. Gould

4/25/07

ITEC-333: Assignment #2

Prof. Melander

PRESENTATION of SELF

Migente and Blackplanet

Social Networking sites have grown in popularity over the last six years. When I was a freshman in high school I was part of both the blackplanet community as well as the migente community. Both the blackplanet and the migente online communities are pretty much the same, but the crowds are a little more concentrated towards a racial/ethnic group, hence the different names. Myspace has become very popular in the last few years, but unlike blackplanet and migente, myspace has a more diverse set of online individuals. Now not too many people use either of the sites since myspace has become sort of a merger of the two and not to mention more popular than the two sites. Myspace is a larger community and many who have myspace once had or still have a migente or a blackplanet.

For one to set up a profile on migente or blackplanet, that individual registers with their email and creates a password. The individual then starts by creating a catchy display name/nickname; putting together their background for their site; adding pictures; filing in fields about themselves regarding interests, physical appearance, and any other things about oneself. A user of the blackplanet or migente community is provided with profile backgrounds or may create their own according to their preferences. Many people end up using other creative backgrounds from other sites on the internet, which is also very similar to the way one would set up a background for myspace.

Some people on their social networking sites on migente or blackplanet do not present themselves as the person they really are and some do. Some do this to “spy” on others or just simply out of fun for them. Those who do not present themselves as the person they are, invent a “costume” to their public to either gain more hits (which are views of your site). Others present who they really are, not putting on a front or a “costume.” An observer is able to find a mix of the two.

When representing themselves on their profiles those who are legit to say, do so in a manner which is almost describing them as confident and trusting of others. Persons display pictures of themselves doing normal day things such as: going to parties, drinking, having fun with friends, etc. These sites give the users a chance to express themselves visually and creatively as they would in a diary only it being online and them being more open with their business.

Most of the profiles found seem to be truthful, since a numerous amount of individuals seem to be looking for friends as well as romantic relationships. But there are those certain few which do often mislead others in to thinking they are people they may not be. Many times an observer can tell whether or not a person on a particular profile is truthful or legit by picking up on certain clues and observing the person’s consistency.

The profiles effect the user’s role within the social networking community by how active a user is on their profile and others as well. An individual’s profile’s views is dependent on how jazzed up it is. The more fancy the background, the more catchy the display name and the more attractive the pictures on the profile, the more views it receives. The role of a user in the social networking community is dependent on how much they are able to dress their site up with the previous mentioned factors. If a user has no pictures and their site is not particularly attracting the eye, their role isn’t necessarily that great within that online community.

If someone is looking to achieve a large role within any online community they must be active and have a well presentable profile. With these things any user of any online community whether myspace, blackplanet or migente will receive more views of their profile and more of a role as well as attention in that online community. It is all about how you present yourself or how you “sell” yourself on your site(s).

My Blog for the future

During the semester I have learned to improve my blog writing. Well the question is, will I continue to write blogs after my ITEC-333: Social Networking class is over?


Of Course I will.

Writing in a blog is like passing a big class note around....***LOL*** I remember those days.

Going back to those note passing days. I remember when you used to like someone in elementary school you would pass them a note saying: "Do you like me" circle one- yes no maybe. People are doing the same thing on myspace now but with their actual picture and posting it on people's walls. Is this social networking too? Of course it is because the picture and the comments about the picture circulate the internet and people beginning to learn who you are.

Something similar to that is the dating websites many companies have on the internet. These sites are social networking because it groups a bunch of people looking for love or romance. Have you ever used one of those sites before? I haven't and I don't know whether or not I will in the future. They kinda creep me out a little. But who knows?


Social Networking and blogging will always stay with me and I will continue to use these tools as a future business professional.

PEN and PAPER are a thing of the PAST!!! TAKE UP the class ITEC333: SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social Networking this semester has been awesome!!!

Instead of picking up a pen or pencil we picked up our hands and fingers and placed them on the keyboards to write about technology. I mean I think soon enough people are going to give up paper and pen for good and communicate everything through the computer.

Before this class I didn't know too much about blogging, although I did blog once on myspace about bitter relationships. This social networking class has helped me develop my blogging skills; from being able to articulate a bit better through blogs and actually understanding how blogs work. The class also allowed me to explore what my fellow classmates had to say about particular topics we discussed or were going to discuss in class. I see blogging as a technology communication with debate characteristics. Because when you write a blog you are stating what you think and people can either agree or disagree and when they disagree then it can turn into a back and forth thing if people want.

Alongside all of that the professor(shout-out to Prof. Melander, one of the two professors that provoked me to specialize in ITEC) is also great. Not once did I feel like I was wasting my time in that class keeping in mind that it was a BLOCK class on WEDNESDAYS!!! She always had my attention, especially with the lateral puzzles in the beginning of class.

With what I have learned in this class it has allowed me to develop blogging skills which I will need later on when I develop my own business and/or when I work in the ITEC field.


P.S. The discussions are really stimulating.....

I don't know Jack $**t and I still got a better job than you!!! (Post for 3/28/07)

You know when it all comes down to it at the end of the day. It is what they say. "It's not what you know, but who you know."

Thanks to my aunt who works at the Department of Justice I basically....As people call it. I GOT THA HOOK UP! And its because she knows people that know people. ***SMILE*** I mean honestly if it weren't for her help I would've never been able to get my foot in the door. With government jobs its easier when you know someone that knows someone because it's pretty much a shoe in. You know what I mean. I mean unless your a convicted felon, which might hold you back.

AND THIS CAN ALSO BE APPLIED TO BUSINESS.... In family businesses, when they are looking for employees outside of the family they check with close family friends first before they put ads in the local news paper. My friend that goes to Frostburg State University used to work for a small cafe in Wheaton and the owner had a hard time hiring outsiders. So most likely even if you didn't know the owner personally, but knew my friend you would have a much better chance over someone else who could've worked at Starbucks prior to that and has an advantage to you since you have never worked a day in your life. Do you see where I am getting at with this?

With places of employment this is very common because they want to try their best to keep their business in tact so they hire people who they have heard about through their existing employees.

So hey keep in mind that your potential employer is not always necessarily looking and observing your GPA. BUT IT IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING TO SHOW OFF ANYWAY. LOL




Note: this post was for 3/28/2007

Hmm I didn't think Uncle Sam was that Tech Savy! (Post for 3/21/07)

WOw!!! Uncle Sam is now giving tax advice in his own new GOVERNMENT CERTIFIED BLOGS!!! LOL!

Knowing that the government is getting to that point is a little SCARY. Don't you think? Even the idea of Uncle Sam sitting in front of a computer about to blog to me is super scary.

Blogging to me has just always seemed as a technology type thing that would be used in businesses mainly. Not really government. But that's just my opinion.

Blogging for the new political candidates would be good so they could have contact with their admiring public(sarcastically speaking). Hahahhaha.
But no seriously. Howard Dean, Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, Rudy Giuliani could all use blogs for their campaign. So they can see and hear what their public wants from them as a political candidate.

Blogging is becoming a universal thing. I mean you either blog or your in the dark pretty much. So which one would you choose?


Note: this blog was a post for 3/21/2007

1 WEB! 2 WEB!! 3 WEB!!!.....4?

Web 1.0......
Web 2.0........
WEB 3.0...........
COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU!!!


Now there is all this talk about sooner or later the computer/the internet will know the difference between what is important and what isn't.

WELL! If you ask me I don't think that is completely true. The computer is only as smart as you, the operator, are.

Even now that we have 'intelligent' search engines such as google and yahoo and others, some of the results you get back from an "IMPORTANT" search, aren't the ones your necessarily looking for, or just aren't classified as important to you. So that wouldn't be so important now would it be?

We never know, however; what types of new technologies are capable of being discovered. Before you know it in the year 2067 there will be a fingerprint scanner on the computer telling the computer what website to go to according to your mood and your daily patterns or something. Weird, but you never know.

WHAT DO YOU THINK???

PROFILE PICTURE

I FINALLY GOT IT TO WORK!!!!! YAY!! CONGRATULATE ME