Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Today I signed up for LinkedIn. So far it is very different from Facebook and I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet - maybe it is too "professional" for me in this stage in my life. I'll keep you posted and let you know after I have used it for a little while.
Will you be my friend?
Ahhh Facebook. The internet is moving so quickly that sometimes there is only time for action - not reflection. I think that social networking is a technology that brings people together but also creates a generational divide. While many younger people (particularly students) have no problem with posting every detail and photo of their lives - older generations (typically the employers) do not understand why students do not share the same privacy hestitations they do. So now what is the impression? That Facebook should be used as another way to "spy" on potential employees - to gain dirt on them and find reasons not to hire them? Because in some ways this is how employers are choosing to use this technology.
I have been a member of Facebook for quite awhile. As a fairly new graduate, I use Facebook to connect with my friends & family from past and present - to post photos and to communicate with people who are all over the world. FOR FUN. While Facebook and other social networking sites are entertaining - they are what they are - social. This is a place for people to connect with others using technology on a social level and it is my belief that organizations and institutions should not disrupt this arrangement. While it may seem like an easy way for companies and groups to reach out to younger audiences I do not think this forum is the place to do so.
On that note - people need to be aware of what they post on the web. These sites offer very little restrictions and they also do not educate their users on privacy options. Students especially who are looking to find a job and are representing a program or a university need to be aware that their actions on the web can be open for all to view.
So what conclusion can I draw about Facebook? I am torn. I enjoy using Facebook and definitely think it can bring people together who otherwise may never meet. However, I also believe caution should be applied as you never know which "friend" you may come across.
I have been a member of Facebook for quite awhile. As a fairly new graduate, I use Facebook to connect with my friends & family from past and present - to post photos and to communicate with people who are all over the world. FOR FUN. While Facebook and other social networking sites are entertaining - they are what they are - social. This is a place for people to connect with others using technology on a social level and it is my belief that organizations and institutions should not disrupt this arrangement. While it may seem like an easy way for companies and groups to reach out to younger audiences I do not think this forum is the place to do so.
On that note - people need to be aware of what they post on the web. These sites offer very little restrictions and they also do not educate their users on privacy options. Students especially who are looking to find a job and are representing a program or a university need to be aware that their actions on the web can be open for all to view.
So what conclusion can I draw about Facebook? I am torn. I enjoy using Facebook and definitely think it can bring people together who otherwise may never meet. However, I also believe caution should be applied as you never know which "friend" you may come across.
Online Applications & Tools
Today, I'm here to comment on the activity about Online Applications & Tools.
When looking through the list the first one that caught my attention was Meebo - the instant messaging site. I think this is a great invention because it allows people to sign on to their personal IM accounts on any computer - whether the software is downloaded there or not. I definitely think that instant messaging could have a place in the service delivery model of a career centre and with this technology a career counsellor or relationship manager could set up a work account and access this account at any time from anywhere.
I also felt like the online word applications such as Google docs were a great idea - I wasn't quite sure what I would use this for as many of my documents are completed on one computer. For a student however, who works on group projects and may need to edit, print and save these documents on different computers and different times, this tool is very useful.
Snipshots was a neat way to quickly edit photos and save them to either your computer or the web in a quick amount of time. It would be great is more of these applications were free to users instead of offering only free trials or limited options to free users.
I'm not sure how quickly these applications will replace computer software, but if they are free or at a much lower cost then I can definitely see the benefits of learning more of what they can do.
When looking through the list the first one that caught my attention was Meebo - the instant messaging site. I think this is a great invention because it allows people to sign on to their personal IM accounts on any computer - whether the software is downloaded there or not. I definitely think that instant messaging could have a place in the service delivery model of a career centre and with this technology a career counsellor or relationship manager could set up a work account and access this account at any time from anywhere.
I also felt like the online word applications such as Google docs were a great idea - I wasn't quite sure what I would use this for as many of my documents are completed on one computer. For a student however, who works on group projects and may need to edit, print and save these documents on different computers and different times, this tool is very useful.
Snipshots was a neat way to quickly edit photos and save them to either your computer or the web in a quick amount of time. It would be great is more of these applications were free to users instead of offering only free trials or limited options to free users.
I'm not sure how quickly these applications will replace computer software, but if they are free or at a much lower cost then I can definitely see the benefits of learning more of what they can do.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Tag....you're it!
Social Bookmarking and Tagging
Before this week's activities I had never heard of del.icio.us before. When I completed the the first activity of just searching for tags, I was amazed at the number of search results I yielded. But my initial thought was - who really takes the time to tag everything? I am a pretty organized person, but I'm not sure I would take the time to do this - even if it did make things more efficient and easy to find in the end. Then when I realized how easy del.licio.us makes it to tag something...even though it is very subjective ,I decided that this was something I could handle.
I think it is great that the tags are subjective to the individual as well. Since we are very focused on a "personalized" technology world...this is a way to find what you like and remember what you like using your own key words. Seeing the similarity of search results when searching certain tags..as well as the difference in sites with the same tags gave a new perspective on what people use the internet for. INCREDIBLE!
Throughout the second activity I found myself trying to think of websites that I use often to add to my del.icio.us page without realizing the amazingness of the "tag" button on the toolbar. I reflected to realize that this button makes everything so much easier and that it just takes training yourself to press that tag button for each website you find yourself going to more and more to make this site worthwhile.
Overall, I think that for people who want everything on the web that they use on a regular basis in one area or who like a more personal search than the trusty, typical Google, social bookmarking and tagging is the way to go. While I'm still not sure how many students would take the time to organize their web lives in this manner it is an option for those who are technically saavy and aware that this technology exists.
I searched "cheer" in flickr and this was my favourite pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7301623@N06/418385600/
Before this week's activities I had never heard of del.icio.us before. When I completed the the first activity of just searching for tags, I was amazed at the number of search results I yielded. But my initial thought was - who really takes the time to tag everything? I am a pretty organized person, but I'm not sure I would take the time to do this - even if it did make things more efficient and easy to find in the end. Then when I realized how easy del.licio.us makes it to tag something...even though it is very subjective ,I decided that this was something I could handle.
I think it is great that the tags are subjective to the individual as well. Since we are very focused on a "personalized" technology world...this is a way to find what you like and remember what you like using your own key words. Seeing the similarity of search results when searching certain tags..as well as the difference in sites with the same tags gave a new perspective on what people use the internet for. INCREDIBLE!
Throughout the second activity I found myself trying to think of websites that I use often to add to my del.icio.us page without realizing the amazingness of the "tag" button on the toolbar. I reflected to realize that this button makes everything so much easier and that it just takes training yourself to press that tag button for each website you find yourself going to more and more to make this site worthwhile.
Overall, I think that for people who want everything on the web that they use on a regular basis in one area or who like a more personal search than the trusty, typical Google, social bookmarking and tagging is the way to go. While I'm still not sure how many students would take the time to organize their web lives in this manner it is an option for those who are technically saavy and aware that this technology exists.
I searched "cheer" in flickr and this was my favourite pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7301623@N06/418385600/
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