Feed Reading

I found the google feed reading feature to be really interesting and fun. The convenience of it I would say is it's biggest advantages. I know how big of a pain it can be to visit every site on your list to check for updates. This can take longer than desirable, especially when one has a busy schedule. Being able to access one convenient website for all the updates is a really inventive concept. Maybe ideas like this is why Google is prospering so well.

I've never used anything like it before, and it's probably something that I will continue to use since there are many websites that I check occasionally for updates. This will be especially good for me if I'm taking a quick break at work to surf the Internet. I can check for website updates in a manner of minutes rather than spending half the day slacking. :)

Blogging & Journalism

Blogging is no closer to being journalism than shooting a gun is to being in the military. Shooting a gun might make you a gun shooter, but it doesn't make you a marine. It's the same with blogging. Writing a blog might make you a writer, but it doesn't make you a journalist. First of all, let's look at the obvious. For the most part, journalists have to go to school to become journalists, while anyone with internet access and a keyboard can become a blogger. Journalists work under a system of accountability and standards; bloggers can say whatever they want and remain anonymous while doing so. Accountability is one of the main issues I take with this subject, because while a blogger can anonymously write a blog that is void of reputable facts and full of lies and twisted truth, a journalist who produces a published article in the same way would suffer much harder consequences, including losing their job.

In both of the situations given, I take the side of the journalist. A blogger should not receive the same protection as a journalist. For one, a blogger can be anybody. It doesn't matter if it's someone that has been writing for years or some ten year old with a new laptop; a blogger is a blogger. The law should not look at who the individual blogger is but at what a blog is. A journalist working for a reputable newspaper or magazine that has a reputation of delivering quality news, on the other hand, should be taken more seriously. As an example, Joe Smith who has been keeping his own blog at www.joesmithblogspot.com (not an actual site) for years, or a veteran reporter for the New York Times. Both have been writing for years. Both write well. But only one has the reputation and name of a major newspaper to back him.

Is this fair? Is it fair in the second example for the journalist to gain press credentials while the blogger doesn't? Absolutely. Imagine if you were a singer songwriter. You record your own music, make a few CD's, create a website, play some shows, and maybe even have a moderate fan base. Would it be fair if you were seeking a gig at a major venue but you were denied and instead of you they chose an artist that was signed to a major record label? This may not seem fair, but really it is. The other artist worked hard to gain the backing of a major music label and because of that is now reaping the benefits. Those in charge of the venue chose them not just because they knew them and their quality but because they knew the reputation of the record label. It's the same with this second example. Why would I, if I were a fashion designer, choose a blogger from SoCalGalsFashionTrends.com (again, not a real site) over a reporter from Vogue magazine to cover my fashion show? Furthermore, I believe it would be a literal slap in the face to hard working journalists who have been working hard for years to provide legitimate, factual news and stories to have their jobs threatened by people who sit at home in their pj’s writing for their own personal blogs.

A well known journalist from National Geographic could decide to quite his job and instead start his own blog on the Internet, but in doing so he should not expect to receive the same opportunities or respect as he did while working for the magazine. Because, in my opinion, it is not as much the writer as it is who the writer works for that determines credibility. However, in expressing this I am not trying to take away from the importance of free speech and free expression that blogging and the internet has provided. It IS amazing that anyone with a computer and a keyboard can have their writings view by potentially millions, but bloggers should not expect the same rights and privileges as journalists, because they are (though not less importantly) just bloggers.

Flickr & Diigo

Flickr and Diigo are very similar in that they both utilize social software to share information. Flickr gives you the opportunity to share pictures and Diigo allows you to share Internet bookmarks. I thought they both were really interesting and do serve a useful purpose other than personal enlightenment. Both would be useful for researching information. Say, for example, if you were interested in visiting Rome you could look for link to websites about Rome on Diigo or search for pictures of places to see on Flickr.

The only other sharing website I have used that is similar to these is PhotoBucket, but it does not have the search ability and user options that Flickr has. Unless they have changed since I last used them, they only offer the option of storing and posting your pictures for others to see. They don't the social networking aspect that Flickr has.

I'm not sure how much I will continue to use Flickr and Diigo. If I do use one, it would probably be Diigo because there are times when I am researching things online. Diigo would be a great resource for this.

Web 2.0

1) Before I started this class, I had no idea what Web 2.0 meant. For all I knew it could have been a new internet browser or antiviral program.

2) To someone who was just like me I would explain that Web 2.0 is what allows you to contribute content to any active website, such as Facebook or Wikipedia.

3) This blog is what I believe to be a user of Web 2.0. Other than that, I also use Facebook and have in the past used Google Adsense.

An Introduction

This used to be my least favorite part in grade school. On the first day of school all the teachers would go around the room and have everyone give a spoken introduction of themselves. The horror continued into college where I realized that it wasn't just high school teachers that liked to torture me, but college professors as well. But the fact that this is a written introduction rather than a spoken one where one could worry about their voice cracking or making some lame attempt at a joke that only ends in feeling stupid makes me cringe slightly less.

First of, as you can tell, I like to use sarcasm whenever necessary, and sometimes when unnecessary, but never when it is without purpose. I am taking this class as a requirement for my IT degree through UAF. Web and graphic design particularly interest me, although I am willing to learning the more technical side of IT as well to increase my marketability in the IT job market. I don't have any current work on the web, but once I finish my degree I would like to put together a portfolio for the viewing pleasure of potential employers.

I'm currently working as a parts advisor at the Chrysler dealership in Kenai. It has been an interesting ride since I started here, as anyone can imagine with the present condition of the automotive industry. We actually closed and reopened within a week back in January. Things are looking better for us now, even though Chrysler has closed over 800 dealerships across the US.

I've had a modest amount of experience with social software. Years ago I was talked into creating a myspace. It was fun and useful for keeping in contact with friends. I also used to record my own music so I used my myspace page to post my songs on the web. My profile has become stagnant as of late due to the lack of time to keep in touch with people via it, but my wife just opened up a facebook account for the both of us so maybe it'll be a little better if she's in charge of running it.

There's not much else to say expect that I'm looking forward to learning more in this class and in future classes that I will be taking.

Three Interesting Blogs

http://darfurdiaries.org/
This is a good blog that follows the human rights crisis in Darfur.

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/
A food blog that has some interesting and unique recipes from around the world. Not sure if I'd want to try some of these, even though I love trying new recipes.

http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/
Everyone who loves sports loves to hate the announcers. Some are good, other are annoying and distracting. This blog is funny and informative.

Microsoft Access Security

In the ever-changing world of computer software and programming, it is only inevitable that malware will also change. It would be convenient if malware never changed, never was updates, was always the same. This would make combating it not only easy but could be done with very little effort what-so-ever. But unfortunately the creators of malware are almost as smart as the creators of anti-malware, so it is an ever changing battle. The three types of malware discussed in the book are phishing, spam, and spyware. (In correction, only one of these is actually malWARE, but I use the term as a general description of any program, device, or scheme used in an attempt to uproot the integrity of a program's or person's security. Basically, scum is scum, no matter how you label it.)

Phishing is a sometimes elaborate scam to steal your identity through the creation of a mock website. For example, a familiar website is altered to look like that the victim is familiar with. The domain name is created using characters from a different language. These are called homographs and are usually sent to the receiver's personal email requesting personal information. Many fall for this because the homograph they are viewing looks identical to the real one. Spam is unsolicited email sent out in mass quantities. The sheer number of spammers out there is mind boggling. Imagine if you got a hundred telemarketing calls a day. Spyware is software that has purpose of collection personal information off of your computer. They piggyback on programs that sound legitimate and then hide in your system. Spyware is closely related to Adware, which upon being downloaded onto your computer it displays numerous pop-up ads and advertisements. This is much like inviting someone into your home that once inside turns out to be a traveling salesman.

Microsoft Office 07 has a feature called the Trust Center which helps to protect you from attached code attacks. The Trust Center checks add-ins for trusted publisher and code locations, and gives you the heads-up if something looks phishy (pun intended). It is always good to activate macro, ActiveX, add-n, and VBA code detection and notification when using Microsoft Office programs, especially when using them on a network. The Trust Center also helps to protect you against homographic attacks by detecting potentially phony domain names and addresses. Basically it's like having your own personal FBI agent inside your computer, but you still have to use wisdom and discretion. Never open emails or download programs that you are unsure about. The Trust Center can do its job well, but if you are consistently opening the door for malware to disrupt your systems integrity it is only inevitable that something phishy will slip through security.

My experience with these types of malware is limited, more of it being from an observational stand point rather than through actual mistakes. I did make the mistake once of cluttering my computer up with adware and spyware, but after cleaning up the mess with anti-malware programs I conceded to learn my lesson and have never had a problem with them again. I’ve seen phishing websites, and they do look very legitimate, but was never foolish enough to fall for them. And who hasn't had to deal with spam. It is the most ridiculous form of advertising known to man. I've taken marketing and sales classes in college and one of the most important things they teach you is that niche marketing has a much greater effect than mass marketing. If you're sending out your spam to 10,000+ email address, this is an example of what will happen: a) 20% of the email addresses will be invalid or inactive, b) 90% of what is left will be automatically sent to the recipient’s junk mail folder and deleted without viewing, c) 80% of what actually reaches an inbox will be deleted without being read, d) of what is even read-either out of curiosity or ignorance-80% will be deleted, e) of those who even look into what you are offering by visiting the link or whatever else you provide, 90% will decide that it is stupid or uninteresting because they aren't in the target niche to begin with. So when taking these percentages and using a hypothetical number of 10,000 email addresses, you would have 3-4 people actually interested (albeit naively) in what you are offering. This is a 0.035% success rate. Not exactly a profitable enterprise is you ask me.