YouTube Experience

I’ve been using YouTube for some time now; I started using it before the site went big, so I’ve got to see it change from firsthand experience in the course of years.

What I have learned over the period of this course is that YouTube does very good adapting to its community by collecting data from its users. Just about every advertisement on YouTube you see, is somewhat aimed at what you have been watching or looking at on their site or on other sites. For example, I watched a couple army videos and the next day I got on YouTube the advertisements and recommended videos were all of the army. Like I said in a couple posts back, there is a wide variety of people on YouTube, which makes it entertaining, you never know what comment or what video will come next. Another thing I liked that I learned is how the business aspect of YouTube works, YouTube has around a billion views a day which makes it a great place for businesses and new movies to be advertised. You can contact YouTube and they will set you up with an advertiser and the more you pay YouTube the longer the advertisement is, some range from five seconds, some 10, and then some of them a minute with no skip button. Since YouTube has gotten so big it has required some changes to make it easier for the community to use. One way they did this was by making it more organized, YouTube made a category list of all the different subjects on the homepage so that you can see what is being watched by many in different categories like music, film, comedy, and trending.

Overall YouTube is a great community to join, most people love YouTube it is shared by millions and millions of people each day, the main reason to get on YouTube is to watch other people’s videos and share the world your talents, abilities, experiences, or just to mess around. It’s a community for all, so check it out.

Looking back on investigation of Second Life

When choosing Second Life, the main reason I had chose it, was for being a social community I had no experience with. Whatever I had heard on it was from watching NCIS, or without realizing it, from an episode of The Office has Dwight socializing in it. Since we needed to choose something we knew nothing about, this seemed the most interesting and one to enter free of bias views on the environment or community.

I was a bit sad when trying to put Second Life on my PC, but due to it only having the graphic card that is on the motherboard, the program wouldn’t run.  That being said, because if it my husband is looking to fix the situation so my PC will be more capable of running games or programs.  

When running it on my laptop (which met the requirements), the main problem I continually had was with the destinations loading slowly.  The graphics are very real looking, but the time it takes to load them each time a person enters a destination quickly becomes very frustrating.

What I’ve learned about this community is that even after the bank crisis in 2008, people continue on with the socializing. A large majority have left it, but those that remain have mixed feelings about welcoming new people in.  Those that want to rebuild the community tend to stay in the newcomer friendly destinations.  Other’s who want it to stay how it is now are the ones who stay in the more adult areas, or premium account areas.

Last week in my blog, I said I will probably leave the community after this class is over.  Today, I actually question that thought.  As this class comes to an end I feel a slight sadness with the thought of leaving Second Life, and the people I’ve met during this journey of observations.

Forever IRC!

Over this course I decided to take part in a community called mIRC which is a client for an Internet Relay Chat.  Over the weeks I learned that communication around the world is very quick and easy.

One thing that interested me was that its not all about talking with friends around the world. You can use IRC to conduct business meetings, but that's not all IRC is about!  There are IRC games ... one of my favorite topics. The server I used was called Jaundies and they provided its users with a game called Vampire, a very fun and addicting game.  Another thing I discovered lately about mIRC is that channels have a bunch of features, such as moderated talk (only certain people with talking rights can talk), or there is color blocking so people can't type in that bright yellow font and strain people's eyes.  One thing I do want to make clear about IRC is there are a couple immature people who use it just to bother others.  One example of this is massive advertising such as "Visit [insert-website] and receive [insert-item]!!!!!!".  That got on my nerves but the Owners quickly solved that issue.  One thing I learned to do is set a greeting, so now when I use IRC it will say something that i decided every time I join a channel that I have greet access to.

As for IRC community as a whole I would say they are very friendly and always willing to help a fellow IRCer. I recommend everyone to try IRC at least once in their lifetime. I know I'll be using it more often!

People "Tell All". . .

I have enjoyed learning about MyFitnessPal and social networking Websites. What I have learned from my time on MFP, my experiences with Facebook, and reading other students blog posts in this class is that many people are willing to completely expose themselves to the public. I'm actually quite shocked! People on MFP go into great detail about themselves in their blogs, telling very personal stories.

Socially "Not Happening"

I didn't find MyFitnessPal to be a very active social community and do not plan to participate in the social aspects but I did enjoy the calorie counter and found it to be a useful tool. As I said, if you want to know "all about" the participants read the blogs! They're not "chatting" much, but they're telling all. . .

Social networking sites are not for me. I've tried Facebook and never liked it. I find it to be impersonal. It's the only way I learn about my grandchildren or see pictures of them, or get invited to a BBQ or baby shower. I'm definitely "old school" and I like more personal interaction than social networking Websites provide. It doesn't make me feel very important to be just "part of the crowd".

Fluency

When I started this class I had no idea what it was about or what I would be learning. I have found it to be challenging, yet rewarding. I have learned a lot about the Web, security, and computer fluency. What is Fluency? (to speak or write, for example a language, with ease). I am definitely more fluent in computer language and technology as a result of this course, yet I still have a lot to learn. I'm feeling much more comfortable finding my way around a computer and the Web.

I had never participated in a blog before. It's a lot easier than I thought! At first I was afraid "very afraid". It's sort of like typing an email (I'm good at that).

People vs. Technology

I've enjoyed learning about humanity and artificial intelligence, and what makes people human. Many people using social networking sites could use some of that "artificial intelligence" - any kind of intelligence for that matter!

In Memory of One of My Favorite "People"
Tish - Age 16.







Tina Hastings

What I’ve learned in World of Warcraft

Happy Finals Week!

I've learned so much from playing World of Warcraft this semester. When first starting to play this game what interested me a lot was the social interaction. I felt that everyone would be awesome in this game and I’d meet a lot of new friends.

 I’ve learned a lot from my interactions on World of Warcraft. The biggest was to not judge a book by its cover. I knew nothing about the game but thought everyone would be amazing and nice and just having fun. Many of my experiences were people being rude or just trying to get a laugh at others expenses.  Also what I learned about the game is they could make many alterations to make it better. They do have amazing forums where you can express your feelings and problems you are having with the game which I started to read and found it to be quiet interesting. I think the biggest think I’ve learned playing is that everyone is their own person and we all have different experiences, I had a great one and will be continuing to play the game just to have more fun.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/azgalor/Lenoraden/simple

Megan Granger

MyFitnessPal Journey

When I began this blog project, I chose My Fitness Pal because I already had some previous experience with a familiar type of website (WebMD Food-o-meter calorie counter).    I also chose this community because I am always looking for easy ways to keep track of my daily caloric intake. 

Now that I have spent some time logging into My Fitness Pal, explored the forums, the blogs, and the groups, I have found a community that isn't very active.  The likelihood of me returning to the site as an active member is highly unlikely.   In fact, I am most certain I will not be posting on walls or logging my daily calories/exercise.   Really the only thing it is good for is to look up calories.  I might continue to use that application on My Fitness Pal.  Also, on My Fitness Pal, you won't find very many new friends.  I suppose if you added friends and maybe coworkers or family members it might be more of an interactive experience.  

One thing I learned about web communities is that it definitely requires a time commitment to be an active member within the community.  What I mean by that is that you have to be willing to explore the site and to spend time reading blogs, and forums.  If you are not willing to make that time commitment, then a web community is not really for you.  It is almost as if you are immersing yourself into a brand new culture.  Unfortunately, what I found on My Fitness Pal was a community that was very inactive.  I tried joining a group and didn't get any feedback after introducing myself to the group.   Not only that, I only had two people respond to my initial introduction forum.  I actively tried to seek out members who had a lot in common such as age, and or goals, but again I had no luck.   Apparently another class member also had the same experience on My Fitness Pal.  She too mentioned that she did not find a very active community.

One interesting thing that I take away from this whole experience is that web communities can bring people together.  It is an interesting and unique way to meet people from all walks of life.  For example, you could meet someone from the other side of the world, or even someone in your own community.  I think it can help bring people together with common goals in mind.  Also, it can link you with other individuals who have the same lifestyle, same hobbies, or even those in the same age group.  For example, the group I chose to join was titled "Fit at forty."   

Moreover, what I learned from my entire experience is that a web community is designed to bring people together through the use of technology. 

What I’ve learned-Pinterest

      When I choose Pinterest I choose it because I already knew so many people using it. I knew that I could find resources for the information I needed on the site. I do admit that I was extremely curious about the site as well; after all it was so widely used by friends and family how could I stay away? 

      I was already member of social networking sites for example google+, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace etc., but none of those sites work just like Pinterest though they have similar pieces to them. I’m a visual person, and don’t appreciate reading as much as I should. After getting involved with Pinterest for this assignment, I think that’s why I liked Pinterest so much, because it’s all pictures less text. 

      I’ve learned that Pinterest is a place for sharing your likes. I believe it’s also a place for sharing best practices, what I mean by this is people are sharing nutrition tips, workout tips, make up tips, and home projects etc.. You name it and it’s being shared on Pinterest. 

      The Pinterest community for me is different than the other social networking sites in that there is less actual communicating with the other members. You may “repin” something they “pinned” but at least in my experience there isn’t a lot of conversing otherwise. You however notice the similarities you have with others on this site. In this way I would say Pinterest could and probably does open the door for possible new friendships between acquaintances or even someone you’ve never met. 

      Pinterest is an Innovative social networking site I would suggest to others to try out. Sign in or Sign Up!!!

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