Thursday, January 28, 2010
Research: virtual communities enhancing daily life, physical disabilities
Necessary components to a successful online community:
- education;
- fantasy-oriented;
- information-oriented;
- interest-oriented;
- relationship-oriented; and
- transaction-oriented.
A little more research...
Virtual community:A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. One of the most pervasive types of virtual community include social networking services, which consist of various online communities.
Virtual communities are used for a variety of social and professional groups. It does not necessarily mean that there is a strong bond among the members, although Howard Rheingold, author of the book of the same name, mentions that virtual communities form "when people carry on public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships".
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A little research...
Wikipedia: "A social network service focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web based and provides means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Although online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered."
"Interpersonal communication has been a growing issue as more and more people have turned to social networking as a means of communication."Benniger (1987) describes how mass media has gradually replaced interpersonal communication as a socializing force. Further, social networking sites have become popular sites for youth culture to explore themselves, relationships, and share cultural artifacts"A Privacy Paradox Many teens and social networking users may be harming their interpersonal communication by using sites such as Facebook and Myspace."
Mashable: "internet users are far more likely (45%) to visit a café or a coffee shop than people who don’t use the internet...the myth that frequent internet users hang out mostly at home is also busted, as people have started using it many public spaces, such as libraries, bars, coffee shops, restaurants and the like."
"online activities such as social networking, sending e-mails and blogging can lead to larger, and (perhaps even more importantly) more diverse social networks"
Pew Internet and American Life Project: "Social media activities are associated with several beneficial social activities, including having discussion networks that are more likely to contain people from different backgrounds. For instance, frequent internet users, and those who maintain a blog are much more likely to confide in someone who is of another race. Those who share photos online are more likely to report that they discuss important matters with someone who is a member of another political party. "
"Challenging the assumption that internet use encourages social contact across vast distances, we find that many internet technologies are used as much for local contact as they are for distant communication."
"Some have worried that internet use limits people’s participation in their local communities, but we find that most internet activities have little or a positive relationship to local activity. For instance, internet users are as likely as anyone else to visit with their neighbors in person. Cell phone users, those who use the internet frequently at work, and bloggers are more likely to belong to a local voluntary association, such as a youth group or a charitable organization. However, we find some evidence that use of social networking services (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn) substitutes for some neighborhood involvement."
Google Xistence Mock Video by Australian web designer Philipp Drössler:
"Interpersonal communication has been a growing issue as more and more people have turned to social networking as a means of communication."Benniger (1987) describes how mass media has gradually replaced interpersonal communication as a socializing force. Further, social networking sites have become popular sites for youth culture to explore themselves, relationships, and share cultural artifacts"A Privacy Paradox Many teens and social networking users may be harming their interpersonal communication by using sites such as Facebook and Myspace."
Mashable: "internet users are far more likely (45%) to visit a café or a coffee shop than people who don’t use the internet...the myth that frequent internet users hang out mostly at home is also busted, as people have started using it many public spaces, such as libraries, bars, coffee shops, restaurants and the like."
"online activities such as social networking, sending e-mails and blogging can lead to larger, and (perhaps even more importantly) more diverse social networks"
Pew Internet and American Life Project: "Social media activities are associated with several beneficial social activities, including having discussion networks that are more likely to contain people from different backgrounds. For instance, frequent internet users, and those who maintain a blog are much more likely to confide in someone who is of another race. Those who share photos online are more likely to report that they discuss important matters with someone who is a member of another political party. "
"Challenging the assumption that internet use encourages social contact across vast distances, we find that many internet technologies are used as much for local contact as they are for distant communication."
"Some have worried that internet use limits people’s participation in their local communities, but we find that most internet activities have little or a positive relationship to local activity. For instance, internet users are as likely as anyone else to visit with their neighbors in person. Cell phone users, those who use the internet frequently at work, and bloggers are more likely to belong to a local voluntary association, such as a youth group or a charitable organization. However, we find some evidence that use of social networking services (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn) substitutes for some neighborhood involvement."
Google Xistence Mock Video by Australian web designer Philipp Drössler:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Something Kind of Sweet
Drill Team is a social media agency that is spot on with it's Tumblr posts. They recently posted an image courtesy of Time Out New York that shows the level of prevalence for cupcake flavors. The image is reminiscent of cloud tags (most of you have seen these on blogs) where the more popular a tag is, the larger the size of the font. As we see here, Red Velvet is the boss.
For even more interactive fun, check out this interactive map. You click on the cupcake icon to see the flavors available at that particular location. It's a fun, visually compelling way to catch the attention of online readers. Congrats Time Out New York.
For even more interactive fun, check out this interactive map. You click on the cupcake icon to see the flavors available at that particular location. It's a fun, visually compelling way to catch the attention of online readers. Congrats Time Out New York.
Visual Learning
People have supposedly become more visual in the past couple of years. With all technological advances and evolving of humans, we still make simple spelling errors. As a public relations major, nothing grates my nerves more than common spelling mistakes. Maybe with the combination of this visual guide with humor from Oatmeal (courtesy of Mediabistro), you too will stop misspelling the same ten words and give my editing eye a rest.
Theme for Innovative Developments
We live in a time where you may "talk" with your friends online more often than in person. What is actual conversation?
When you interact with people in a virtual world and spend time creating your "Second Life" and is your primary focus, which life is real?
In the future, what will real experience be, what happens through cloud computing and digital technologies or real life? Or is it?
When a object is recreated digitally to be saved forever, which is the real object? The one that is tangible or what will exist forever? What's the "real" object?
When you interact with people in a virtual world and spend time creating your "Second Life" and is your primary focus, which life is real?
When you can speak and see some one through a computer screen, crossing the boundaries of time zones and the costs of telephone calls, where you can conveniently catch up while doing other things - is it more efficient than actual conversation, where both parties are present? Laughter can bring us together through skype, but does it really?
In the future, what will real experience be, what happens through cloud computing and digital technologies or real life? Or is it?
What is true communication? Interpersonal or viral? Will social media replace "true communication?"
What about both?
The use of social media activities online in a "virtual world" will enhance the "real" one.
Internet technologies enhance our relationships in the "real world" and increase communication and contact.
Technology - a help, not hindrance
So it begins
Look at today's date.
It's 2010 and today is the first day of New Media II: Web Design.
It's super exciting and glorious.
A whole new project.
A bunch of new entries.
Hope you are all looking forward to it.
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