Net Neutrality--Last Blog

For my final blog I decided that I would right about Net Neutrality. My opinion is that we have worked very hard to get the internet where it is at and to have the freedom to go where we want and chose what we want online. The internet gives all internet users a voice. There are so many aspiring artists, poets, etc that are trying to make a mark on this world and the internet is portal for them to show their work.

One time in my online class where we are learning about web 2.0 and how it has changed the internet one of my classmates mentioned that there is a site where aspiring photographers could post their photos and sell them to the public. Not only are some of the amateur photos better than professional photos, but they are also much cheaper at one to five dollars per photo. It also gives the photographer a chance to show their photos publicly at no cost. Getting your work out there can be costly and time consuming, so this is a great way for someone who does not have a lot of money to advertise their work. Also there are many others who are passionate about photography and want to share what they are passionate about with others and are not necessarily looking to make it big.

There was also another comment made about a video game website, where the viewer can create their own games. Once again this is great for someone who is looking to be creative or share their passion or for someone who is looking to be a professional game programmer. My fellow classmate also mentioned that if the site likes your game, then they will publicly air it for anyone to play. This would be very fulfilling for someone that spent much time creating a game and knowing the other people enjoy what they have created.

I think that we should continue to fight for net neutrality because if we don’t we will loose our freedom with the internet, something that we have worked so hard to have.

The Difference Between what News Channels Broadcast and what is Published in the Newspaper

To be honest I have to admit that I am not an avid watcher of the news and I rarely take time to read a newspaper. However, I think that the sometimes the news that is broadcasted on TV is broken down and information may be left out because of the time frame that it is given. With the newspaper I feel that they have more freedom to write about more issues just because they are allotted more space.

As part of today’s society I believe that we have the right to be informed of all issues and not only the issues that are deemed of importance by the media. So many issues exist in today’s world that the only way that we can be informed about those issues is through the media and we rely on them.

In my search for an article in the newspaper that has not been aired on the news, I found an article entitled “ Trio of dedicated workers are Niagara County's victim advocates” by Rick Phfeiffer, in the Lockport Union Sun and Journal. This article was of importance to me because it mentioned workers from the Victim Assistance Unit for the Niagara County Sheriffs Department and what they do for victims in my community. Personally never hearing about the department I was surprised to hear that this program is one of 195 such programs across New York funded by the states Crime Victims board. They are able to guide a victim through the criminal justice system, one of which the victims know little or nothing about. According to Cathy Schmitt, a domestic violence person she refers to the workers as “her angels and bodyguards.

I think that this would be an issue that should be emphasized in the news because there are not only victims in my community, but several others across the state who are not only struggling because they have been a victim of some crime, but because they know nothing about the criminal justice system. I know that if I was ever a victim of a crime I would not even know how I would go about getting a lawyer. I feel that more people would get a chance to see this in the news and with this information they could contact a victim assistance program in there area.
There are many government and state programs out there to help assist our society and I feel that many people are not aware of them because they have not heard of them before. With the medias help I believe that people will stay informed and search out help with this information if ever needed.

If Interested the article was found in the Lockport Sun and Journal under the crime section and can also be located online through it’s internet edition.

Assignment 11

I feel that a great amount of our knowledge comes from the media. For example, there are many things that are happening in this world that we cannot personally experience like the war in Iraq or political campaigns. So, we rely on the media to gain information on these topics.

I believe that the three most important problems facing America are America’s ignorance towards the media, the way that the media can create stereotypes, and how the media creates images of a perfect person that does not exist.

I believe that most of today’s society is unaware of the persuasiveness in the media. I know that I was this way for sometime before taking Principles of Persuasions last semester. It is a scary thought when you realize that the media is using so many techniques on the consumer that a class can be taught about them. I feel that it is always important to have this knowledge because even if we buy into their persuasions we do it by conscious choice aware of the techniques that are being used. For example, there is always a new M&M commercial being aired on TV trying to persuade consumers to buy M&MS. Well aware of their techniques I decide to buy M&Ms anyways because I love how they taste. However, these types of persuasion are used in our everyday lives and are used when we are about to make big purchases, such as buying a car. Buying a car is a big commitment and this would be a good time to be aware of the persuasive techniques that the dealer may be using on you.

I feel that the media can also create stereotypes. Many of the us watch the news on a daily basis and notice that the same types of people are creating the same crimes. But, the truth
is that just because a person looks a certain way does not mean that they are a trouble maker. I
remember at one point in time people with tattoos were considered bad news and today almost everyone has one. Something that was looked down on in the past is now a big thing with the younger generation. Although I do not believe that the media is consciously creating these stereotypes, I believe that what they are broadcasting leads people to create their own stereotypes. One of the most popular sayings is that you cannot judge a book by its cover and it is the truth.

I believe that the media also tends to portray the ideal image of a person in today’s society. Today the media portrays the ideal person as thin. Whether you are watching TV, driving down the street and see a billboard, or just looking through a magazine, it is almost guaranteed that you will see an ad for weight loss. And, although I know that diabetes is a growing concern with overweight Americans today, just because you are not extremely thin does not mean that you are overweight and unhealthy. And I know that adults are aware that this is just how the media is, but younger people of our generation believe that they need to look a certain way to be accepted by society. For example, a woman at work mentioned t hat one day her nine year old daughter was getting ready for school and told her that she could not wear a certain pair of pants because they made her butt look big. This is sad because at the age of nine I remember my only care was to have fun and I feel that at this age you should not have to worry about impressing others.

As a society we rely on the media, but I think that it is our job to notice the negative effects that the media can cause and keep these effects in mind.

Email Usage

For this assignment I thought that it would be great to survey some of my fellow associates at work. Many of them are older and have been out of school for sometime, so I thought that they would be good to sample to survey. Also, I know that they all use e-mail frequently.

I work for in Customer Service and it is difficult to communicate with others sometimes because of the fact that we are always on the phone. Even when you do get a breather it is hard to catch who you want to speak to when they are not with a customer, so we found that the best way to communicate with each other is via e-mail.

So, yesterday while I was at work I asked a few people what they thought about their e-mail use at work and also while they were at home. For the most part they used their e-mail mostly at work. When I asked them why they thought that they used it more at work, they responded that this has been their main form of communication while at work and at home they have more choices on how they choose to communicate with someone. I than began to ask them the questions that professor ___ suggested, such as how many e-mails do they consider important and how does this form of communication simplify their lives? The answers differed depending on if they were reading their emails at home or the emails that we receive at work. While using their home email, they all agreed that about 90 percent of their email is junk mail and about 10 percent of email that is received is of importance. Many brought up the fact that they receive monthly invoices online instead of receiving paper bills and they are also notified when there payment had been received. I could understand why this was such a convenience to them just because I also am notified via email about some bills, such as my car insurance, which is deducted out of my checking account each month. I receive an email a few weeks prior to the due date letting me know when the payment will be deducted and once that payment has been taken out I receive a confirmation for that payment. As for at work, their answers where very different due to the fact that we only receive mail from people within the company, so unless it was sent to the wrong person by mistake, it will be an important e-mail.

As for simplifying their lives they had mixed emotions depending on where they were using their email. At work there main concern was being able to get in touch with someone quickly without having to leave their seats and having email available to them allows them to do this. At home they also generally agreed that it could simplify their lives due to the fact that they can check their email on a regular basis for updates on their bills or easily get in touch with someone who they know but lives in a different state. With their busy schedules they feel that emailing would be much more helpful then trying to catch them when they are not busy by phone. However, they did mention that they would prefer to call that person if they could rather than email. They also mentioned that sometimes it is just better to hear someone’s voice.

When I asked them what the trade off was for using email, they all answered that the main thing is losing out in hearing their voice or even seeing their emotions when speaking to someone in person. For example, at work my manager works during the day and does not get a chance to really see or talk to the part timers that can in later at night. One woman that I surveyed said that the only way that she can communicate with him is via email and that she would prefer to speak with him in person about some things. She mentioned that an email could be misunderstood and also she does not like the fact that the only way to communicate with him is via email.

I believe that everyone’s opinions will vary due to how much they use emailing, the nature of the email, and who they speaking with. The truth is many adults like my grandparents do not even know what email is, so I am sure that if I surveyed them, they would rather communicate over the phone or by person. It really depends on the demographic.

Web TV Series

I have never tried to watch a TV series online, so with this blog I checked out a few websites to get an idea of what they are really about. I found that I would not really be interested in watching many of the series that are offered, however there are some pros to watching an online series compared to watching a TV series. Having the mobility to watch them when you want is a nice feature. Many people today have laptops, so it is very convenient to be able to watch them at a click of your mouse. For example, you may be taking a long trip and watching an online series could help to pass the time. I also found that many TV series appear online as well. Many of the TV series that air on TBS are available to watch online, so if you miss an episode because you were not home, you can watch it on the web. Several of the series have archives, so you could watch any episode from any season.

I also noticed that there are many series that are only offered on the web. Most of these series are made by everyday people and not just well known actors. These are nice because we get to watch a type of series that would not be broadcasted on TV and are about several topics.

It is also nice because when you go to watch an online series you know the exact running time and you can watch it at your convenience. You do not have to wait for an allotted time to watch the show like on television. The number of seasons is also given and if you choose you are able to watch any episode from a previous season. Many of the online episodes that are not well known are from several countries and you do not get the chance to see other series that are made in other countries on TV.

The online series also allows the viewer to leave comments, which I think is great because you can see what other people’s inputs were about the movie. If you see that the series looks to be a hit, then you may decide to check it out and if it looks like a complete failure you may choose not to watch it. We always like to hear about others opinions before we decide on something ourselves. I know that when I am about to go and see a new movie that it going to be released, I always ask my friend’s opinions that have already seen it.

For someone who has never watched an online episode, I would say that it is very simple to find and navigate. It is nice that you do not have to be a computer genius to find what you are looking for. Also, there is a very broad range of options which is nice, whether they are TV series that are also aired online or only online series that come from the everyday person.

As for Quaterlife, I never watched an episode until now, but I did read that the co-creator mentioned that the series did not work on TV. He stated that it was “too simplistic” and would probably be better fit for being aired on a cable channel. I found this article written by James Hibberd and Steven Zetchick at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ie4fce632e9ac5150da54ab3f14a8730f, if anyone would like to check out the article.

Web TV Series

I have never tried to watch a TV series online, so with this blog I checked out a few websites to get an idea of what they are really about. I found that I would not really be interested in watching many of the series that are offered, however there are some pros to watching an online series compared to watching a TV series. Having the mobility to watch them when you want is a nice feature. Many people today have laptops, so it is very convenient to be able to watch them at a click of your mouse. For example, you may be taking a long trip and watching an online series could help to pass the time. I also found that many TV series appear online as well. Many of the TV series that air on TBS are available to watch online, so if you miss an episode because you were not home, you can watch it on the web. Several of the series have archives, so you could watch any episode from any season.

I also noticed that there are many series that are only offered on the web. Most of these series are made by everyday people and not just well known actors. These are nice because we get to watch a type of series that would not be broadcasted on TV and are about several topics.

It is also nice because when you go to watch an online series you know the exact running time and you can watch it at your convenience. You do not have to wait for an allotted time to watch the show like on television. The number of seasons is also given and if you choose you are able to watch any episode from a previous season. Many of the online episodes that are not well known are from several countries and you do not get the chance to see other series that are made in other countries on TV.

The online series also allows the viewer to leave comments, which I think is great because you can see what other people’s inputs were about the movie. If you see that the series looks to be a hit, then you may decide to check it out and if it looks like a complete failure you may choose not to watch it. We always like to hear about others opinions before we decide on something ourselves. I know that when I am about to go and see a new movie that it going to be released, I always ask my friend’s opinions that have already seen it.

For someone who has never watched an online episode, I would say that it is very simple to find and navigate. It is nice that you do not have to be a computer genius to find what you are looking for. Also, there is a very broad range of options which is nice, whether they are TV series that are also aired online or only online series that come from the everyday person.

As for Quaterlife, I never watched an episode until now, but I did read that the co-creator mentioned that the series did not work on TV. He stated that it was “too simplistic” and would probably be better fit for being aired on a cable channel. I found this article written by James Hibberd and Steven Zetchick at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ie4fce632e9ac5150da54ab3f14a8730f, if anyone would like to check out the article.

Music

I believe that music can bring many thoughts and feelings to your mind. When there are tough times in our lives we always can find a song that can relate to our problem. No matter what the problem, you feel like the person who wrote the song has felt like you are and you feel like you are not the only person in the world facing a particular problem.

Also music can liven up our day. I know that on the way to school I turn up the radio as loud as I can, to a song that I really like. Sometimes I will sing and dance to song if I am having a good day, but I make sure that there is no one around to see me.

To me music can be great stress reliever. On the weekends I when I go out to a club with my friends I can dance the night away without having to worry about work or school. It allows me to get away from the real world and just have fun. It allows me to feel like a kid again with no responsibilities. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but I will be 22 in August and I feel like I am getting so old.

Music can bring relationships together whether it is a romantic relationship or just a friendship. At social functions there is always some kind of music on. I know that I have never been to a party or get together where the radio was not playing. Even if you go out to dinner, most of the time there is music playing in the background. Also many stores have some kind of background music while you shop. If people are at a club that only plays a specific type of music that may mean that they have something in common and lead to a relationship. In High School I know that you always met someone new every time that a dance was held.

I think that music can serve many purposes. I think that it all depends on the person and why they enjoy music

Assigment 6

Movie: Fool's Gold

Site: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie/

I have personally never looked to the internet to find reviews of movies, however for this assignment I found a site called Rotten Tomatoes. This is kind of a weird name for the site, but it would be very beneficial to someone that wanted to get a Glimpse into a movie.

For this assignment I chose to look up the movie “Fools Gold” on the site. I enjoyed the movie “How to Loose a Guy in Ten Days”, also starring Kate Hudson and Mathew McConaughey and I have been wanting to see this movie. So I thought that this site would give my an insight into the movie, maybe a little further than what the commercials have on TV.

One of the things that this site features is a movie trailer. The nice thing about the movie trailer that this site offers is that it is much longer then the brief commercials that we see on TV. This gives viewer a better idea of what the movie is about and can help them to decide if they want to actually see the movie or not. The site also comes with a brief summary of the film, but I do not think that it serves the viewer as greatly as the trailer will.

The site also offers the T-meter, which is a critic meter. Underneath the meter, you can view comments from others who have already seen the movie. Here someone can either rate the movie as rotten or fresh. Their name and source is then included. In this case the movie had poor ratings, but this was not really a good overview for the movie because the comments were mostly from male critics. It is better to have a wide range of comments from both a male and females points of view. Sometimes men enjoy movies that women don’t and vice versa. Also they are written by critics from Chicago Sun Times, etc, so these are not just everyday people that have just seen the movie.

However, there is an area called the RT Community, where the community can comment. In contrast to The T-meter many people rated the movie as fresh (meaning that it was good).

The movie then also includes forums where anyone can go to discuss the movie. I cannot really go into detail about this feature, as for you have to sign in to get into a forum, but if it is like any other forum, it would he helpful to discuss the movie with someone who has already seen it.

Overall I believe that the purpose of this site is to give the viewer an insight of the movie and allow them to see the ratings of not only critics, but also the communities feelings about the movie. I do not believe that it was formed to participate in a “cult”. Sometimes I feel that some sites would, maybe in regards to movies like Harry Potter, just because of some peoples religious issues and wanting the public to know that they disagree with the films. Also I do not believe that there will be a sequel. However I do believe that Kate Hudson and Mathew McConaughey make a good couple on screen, so I do believe that we will see them together in other movies.

Assignment 5

I believe that we are all aware of the fact that many photos are digitally enhanced in the media. However I think that some are easier to catch than others.
Mr. Lackaff uses the example of a family photo of the royal family of England, where Prince Williams face was enhanced from looking glum to smiling. I have to admit that if I saw this picture that I probably would not be able to tell. However, when told about the alteration, I could understand why they would want to portray Prince William this way. Many people look up to Prince William and as we all know, we sometimes tend to assume that the people that we look up to have no flaws. We always think that they are happy and that their lives are close to perfection, but the truth is they are human just like us. They have their good days and their bad just like anyone else. I think that because people feel this way, the media gives them what they want to see.
Even though the media is giving people what they would like to see, I personally feel that the photos taken should be left alone. I know that in photos people are wearing makeup, which covers up some of their natural image, but with enhancement the person’s image can be changed drastically. I do not know if anyone remembers, but one day we watched the process of what the model had to go through to have her picture posted on a billboard. The model came in with no makeup and her hair not done. She had black circles under her eyes and freckles and her hair was messy. When they were done you could not see any of her imperfections. The dark circles disappeared and so did the models freckles. Her hair was also done nicely done. But they were not finished. After taking the models photo they widened her eyes and changed the shape of her nose. Looking at her before the makeup and enhancements and then looking at the final product, you could not tell that it was the same person.
This causes problems because not everyone realizes how much work goes into making these models or celebrities flawless. Some go through any lengths, including surgery to achieve this perfection. The truth is that you can go through surgery, but you will always have pores, freckles, sometime dark circles under your eyes or even blemishes. As humans will never have a flawless complexion. And we will never have the ideal body. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and not everyone views the same body types as being beautiful.
I personally enjoy celebrities outside of their working environment. They are dressed in casual clothes and not covered up by tons of makeup. They show us that they are real people too.
If a magazine or publication has the funding to purchase the resources to make the alterations, I believe that these alternations would be available to them at any time. Even though I disagree with the process I feel that in some cases they have the right to make the alterations. For example, before a model takes a job she is aware of the fact that alterations could be done and agrees to that process when he/she accepts the position. I do not have all the information about the photo of the royal family, but I believe that the photo should not have been altered unless permission was give by Prince William. The picture may have been taken by the paparazzi.


Link: http://www.cosmogirl.com/currentissue/
~This link is to the most current issue of CosmoGirl magazine. It takes you to the front cover with Miley Cyrus. I believe that this picture was altered because her complexion has no flaws. Her skin tone is even and you cannot notice any freckles or blemishes. Even with the proper makeup, you cannot make a persons complexion this even.

Assignment 4

I live in Lockport, so I normally check out the Lockport Union Sun and Journal from time to time. Mainly I like to read the electronic version, but there are times where I will pick up a paper edition.
For this assignment however, I did take a look at both the electronic and paper issue for Thursday February 7th.
The content that I noticed that was similar to both, were the sections of the editions. As we all know, the paper is divided into the local news, obituaries, classifieds, etc. The same information that is included into the paper edition can be found in the electronic issue. For example, a few months ago my boyfriend and I were looking for a new place to live. We were undecided if we wanted to rent an apartment or house, so we were keeping our options open. The paper edition was very helpful because apartments for rent and houses for rent were each listed under their own categories. However, it was starting to become a hassle because I was stopping at the store every few days to get a newspaper. I then learned that there was a paper edition and I have used it mainly ever since. It had the same information that was available in the paper edition and was easily assessable. The information was also categorized like the paper edition, so it was easy to find what I needed.
One of the main differences that I noticed between the online edition and the paper issue was that the paper edition only includes articles and information for that day and with the online edition you are able to back into the archives of previous editions. For example, you can find an article that was written months ago, find an obituary of a friend or family member that passed and you were not able to get the paper that day, past police reports, anything that was previously printed in the paper.
Another thing that I noticed was that the electronic issue takes advantage of the resources that are available on the internet. The internet allows more creativity in regards to animation. For example, there was an animated advertisement for Gambino Ford and several other car deal dealers. I believe that this makes the advertisement more attractive to the reader. Thee paper edition is more limited when it comes to advertisements because they are just a flat picture. The electronic issue also included a slideshow that you could watch including pictures from Ash Wednesday and other events that had occurred.
The one thing that I also found that created a big difference between the electronic edition and the paper issue was that the electronic edition allows the reader to comment on the articles that are written. I have visited the site so many times and was unaware that this feature was there. It is a wonderful feature because it allows the public to voice their opinions about issues publicly.
I believe that these things appear in the electronic edition and not the paper issue, simply because they cannot be. However, there were other differences that I noticed that I think were mainly added onto the online edition and not the paper issue for a particular reason. For example, there were articles for Monster and Travelocity on the site and these were not included into the paper edition. I think that this is due to the fact that these are websites and the best way to advertise is to advertise to people who are already on the web.
The other main advertisers were the dealerships and I believe that they advertise in both editions because they are getting a wider range of audience.

Assignment 2: Question #

I believe that the internet has already began to provide ways for people to have a voice. There are so many websites available to the public today, that our options seem limitless. For example, many people use Facebook or Myspace to express themselves. If you take into account the number of people that log into Myspace or Facebook each day, the numbers are outstanding.

I am not too familiar with Facebook, however I am familiar with Myspace. When I first heard about Myspace, I have to admit that I was not really interested until I found out that all my friends had a profile. As you all know, with a Myspace page you design your own page and include any information about yourself that you would like. Everyone that has a Myspace uses it for different reasons, I mainly use my page to keep in touch with friends. There are really no limitations. Some people use their blogs, which are available on their page to express their thoughts and feelings. They may feel that this helps them to release stress or let something out that has been bothering them. Other’s use there page for networking. For example, my friend would like to be a model, so she includes pictures from her portfolio on her page and adds modeling under networking. Also there are several pages for artist’s who want to build their fan base, even Dj’s, and the list continues.

There is also blogging, which I have heard of, but have never used until this semester. Again with little limitations someone can post a blog without having to have it approved or published. For example, if you are an aspiring poet you may want to post your work. Hiring a publisher can be costly, so why not take advantage of the internet. Other’s use blogs to voice their opinions, thoughts, or feelings. And again the internet is available to them at their fingertips. Many people today have computers at their homes so the internet is easily assessable.

It today’s society I feel that it can be necessary to use the internet to voice yourself. For example, I work in a large builder and there are times where I need to speak with someone in a different department. I cannot get up and speak to them in person, so I contact them via email. It is a quick and efficient way to get information.

I do not believe that corporate domination will take over or limit public dialog anytime soon, however I believe that it could be a possibility in the future. It is true that when someone feels threatened they will take action, so I do not believe that corporations will do anything until they feel a threat.

Like someone had previously mentioned, I feel that the only corporation that has felt threatened is the music industry because of the music that can be downloaded for free over the internet.

Assignment 1

I believe that there are some types of media that provide more confusion rather than literacy. Professor Lackaff mentioned to keep in mind that that sometimes the media succeeds best if the consumer remains illiterate and I feel that this is true.

Last semester I took principles of persuasion and throughout the semester I learned how the media takes advantage of our ignorance and uses that to their advantage. There are several techniques that are used by the media to persuade us to buy into a product. If our society was more media literate then we would recognize these attempts and companies sales would decrease.

One thing that really stuck with me after the class was that the media’s key audience is children. Children are unable to recognize the advertiser’s attempts of persuasion, so they have no defenses against it. A great example of this is during Christmas time when toy companies advertise several toy commercials each day attempting to get the attention of young children. Every year they are successful without fail because they are attracting an audience that wants what every other child has. If they see that another child there age is playing with a certain toy, they too want to have the same toy the child has in the commercial. Most children will do what their peers are doing around them. In the principle of persuasions class, there was one example that proved this to be true. The book explained an example of how a boy was deathly afraid of dogs. He would avoid dogs at all cost. One day to help with his fears, the boy was shown a tape of children petting dogs. After watching the tape a few times the boy’s fear began to diminish. The boy began to feel comfortable with dogs because he recognized that they did not share the fear that he had.

I believe that we should all be educated about the media. Because the truth is that the types of techniques that are used by the media are used by people in our everyday lives. For example, car salesmen, retail employees, etc. And although I still believe that the media will succeed in the long run, as least we will know the defenses that we can use if we choose to use them

As described in class today the media is what keeps our society a mainstream culture, but it is ok to go outside that culture and practice other beliefs of your own.