Rhetoric 3371 Questions

I agree with Boyd, Friendster sucks. One of my buddies from Japan asked me to join it, so I did. It was easy to join and nice to see people from the past. But it was restrictive and boring. It really "didn't love its users." I think I checked my account like four times and only when I was so bored during the worst class in the world-Geology. After that, I eventually found out about Facebook which is way more user friendly and practical for people from different colleges who want to stay in touch. The other day I wanted to talk to a kid who I went to high school with. I was going to Chicago and I thought he went to school there. I facebooked him and got his number, called him up but he lived in Vancouver. Still, it was pretty convenient. Whereas, friendster, is just lame. I haven't joined myspace yet, but it does seem pretty cool. And Boyd is right, music does mean cool-right or wrong it doesnt matter.

I found it interesting how Boyd compared the differences between Friendster and MySpace. She points out how MySpace has evolved with its users needs whereas, Friendster discouraged its users to advance their social matrix. Before reading this article, I was certain that the author would agree that MySpace was indeed a fad. However, Boyd explained how Myspace has resisted a tranquil state that prohibits its users to progress at a relative rate. Due to this resistance, it has evolved and has therefore escaped unhappy users. I think that this technique was beneficial to the site because it offered its users something that competing websites would not budge on. As a user, I am attracted to this very quality because updates are always offered. When I see that there are more options, it sends the message that this site values us, and that they are catering to our needs. In addition, updates are fun and exciting. We are able to develop our computer savvy skills even further by figuring out how to apply these new renovations.

I never heard of Friendster before reading the article comparing its demise to the possible demise of MySpace. I guess if Friendster really is as restrictive as claimed I wouldn’t like it either. MySpace is kind of irritating though because it is too random. When using it you sometimes can’t efficiently find the information about people you are looking for. I am guessing that is due to the fact that people can customize MySpace to suit their style which is cool from a cultural standpoint but a pain from an information locating standpoint. I really like Facebook because it is fairly structured so you can find the information you are looking for. However, it is still free enough that you can express your personality through your profile and many other options which increase all the time.
The article about corporate control of the internet was not really surprising to me. I read about this in Time about a year ago. I know the internet will not remain as it is currently forever because there are too many ways to make money on it without paying the people providing the service or the government. We all know that ways to make money without paying taxes don’t last long. The whole thing about preferential treatment of ads and information has been happening for as long as the internet has been around. I don’t even know why he bothered writing about that. Everyone knows that on Google and every other search engine when you search something the companies that pay them money will have their results displayed first.
I never heard of Friendster before reading the article comparing its demise to the possible demise of MySpace. I guess if Friendster really is as restrictive as claimed I wouldn’t like it either. MySpace is kind of irritating though because it is too random. When using it you sometimes can’t efficiently find the information about people you are looking for. I am guessing that is due to the fact that people can customize MySpace to suit their style which is cool from a cultural standpoint but a pain from an information locating standpoint. I really like Facebook because it is fairly structured so you can find the information you are looking for. However, it is still free enough that you can express your personality through your profile and many other options which increase all the time.
The article about corporate control of the internet was not really surprising to me. I read about this in Time about a year ago. I know the internet will not remain as it is currently forever because there are too many ways to make money on it without paying the people providing the service or the government. We all know that ways to make money without paying taxes don’t last long. The whole thing about preferential treatment of ads and information has been happening for as long as the internet has been around. I don’t even know why he bothered writing about that. Everyone knows that on Google and every other search engine when you search something the companies that pay them money will have their results displayed first.

until i read this article i had always thought of myspace as something that was frivolous and narcissistic. But upon reading the "long blog" i was almost convinced that it was a way to participate in true freedom of self. that is what the author was implying. If in today and tommorrows world the only way you can truly express yourself is in cyber world, well my deifinitions of reality and unreality have just been blwon. i always took cyberspace to be outside the self. but if "I" am on facebook or myspace and i can express my self there more than i can in what is called the real world, then which one is more real? which one is better? i personally like the visceral world outside of cyberspace but expressing one self can be pretty important.with so many gad damn people it is hard to be an individual. all i can say now is: mortal coil, see you later. youre not going to be around for long.
oh, in regard to the second article, deep packet monitoring bad, more free interent good.

before reading this article i had always seen myspace as kind of frivolous and narcissistic. you know really un necessary. but after reading this article i was almost convinced through myspace i could echieve the truest form of self expression. that is what the author is saying. when she talks about what we will lose if myspace fades she mentions that freedom of speech etc will take a huge hit. she also mentions that in the real world created by the older generation there are toom many boundaries and barriers to expression and freedom. if i can express myself and therefore be myself more effectively in cyberspace then i can in the "real" world, why would i ever want to exist outside of cyber space? wouldn't that make it implicitly better, if i could be me completely and fully?
it does feel hard to be an individual with so many god damn people around.i cyber space made it easyier to be yourself would you want to exist there? i myself prefer the visceral world i think. but, my definitions of what constitutes real and what constitutes existing through the self are pretty blown and it is hard to answer. of course right now all we can do on myspace right now is put a mirror of ouselves up, or what we like to think to think of ourselves as, but the future of this technology and these ideas beginning to take shape are pretty explosive.

Like previous readers, I have never heard of Friendster. It seems as if the author had no good things to say about friendster. Sure it did not promote the newest technology and it does not get updated with new software as much or as frequent as MySpace or Facebook but maybe this is a good thing. The new option "mini feed" on facebook allows anyone at anytime to view your everymove from updateing your profile,writing on friends walls or posting pictures on the site. What happened to privacy and security??? Although friendster does not allow these new features, maybe it is smarter for doing so. eg.( its not as easy for teachers to go online and bust underage drinkers via posted pictures) however the people posting such items on the net run such security risks and must be aware of them. I think Myspace and facebook are overrated!! People all of a sudden need help to express their individuality? and then feel the need to share it with people all over the world? Pretty soon people will loose their individuality or "style" as others will adopt and adapt from the things that are posted.

I do not have a MySpace account, but I have frequently passed through the site. Oftentimes, when I learn of a new artist, one of the first places I search for them is on MySpace. I like the fact that you don’t have to be a member to browse. They’ve really taken it above and beyond simple communication – I’ve seen media posted on artists’ pages and also local businesses. It almost seems that the creators of these types of sites (Tom – MySpace, Mark Z – Facebook, etc.) are like leaders of small countries. The author effectively described the creators of both MySpace (more of a democracy / listening to the people) and Friendster (hardcore dictatorship / get your ass shot off if you don’t conform). I also liked the analogy about “being in the know.” She compared the opera and the rave scene. She said that anyone could go to the opera if they had the money and status, but attending a rave required a greater sense or knowledge of the underground.

It was mentioned how younger teens with PG rated profiles could still see other profiles with potential “R-Rated” material. If this isn’t limited in any way, will the younger crowds eventually be desensitized or accustomed to this potentially explicit material? I know that nudity is more common and accepted in Europe (buses, advertisements). Could something such as MySpace sway our society in this direction?

A quick comment on “The End of the Internet.” I think the internet should not be seen as means to make money at any cost. I know it takes money to get more in a lot of instances, like with cable TV. But I think the internet is more of a free speech object than it is a privilege. However, it wouldn’t surprise me to see some corporate suit brushing freedom aside to make more money.

I guess when it comes to everything but facebook I'm a little stupid. I had a xanga blog, along with most of my friends. It was my method of keeping in touch with friends gone off to school. First livejournal became the blog of choise, and then MySpace. I've never been attached enough with the need to voice my opinion on the world in that public of a manner, so I didn't manage to keep up with the trends and now am always the last to know of events in my friends lives because I don't read these. I wonder if it will be possible for younger generations to reject these blogs or if somehow they will actually NEED to have their entire lives posted online, like we need to contribute to this blog for class. Will universities ever create profiles on facebook and recruit students who list interests in like with the schools?

I have both Myspace and Facebook, and never have heard of freindster, that apparently started it all. Rarely do I search myspace for anything, although I know there are many more users and many other intersting items that facebook doesnt have. Myspace just doesnt seem as user friendly, everytime I search for a friend by their name and whom I know has a myspace account I can never find them. In facebook all you have to do is type in parts of their name and up comes their profile and picture. Searching just seems so much more sofisticated in facebook land. I will admit I have put little effort into myspace, but I see no use as almost everyone I know is on facebook. The news and mini feeds was a big deal at the beginning (when they came out), although all the information they provide could already be found via searching, it just seems like an invasion of privacy as it was all right there for you to see with no effort. Facebook did a great job responding to the criticism as they do with nearly all criticism they recieve. You can now adjust the privacy settings on the feeds just like you can for nearly every other part of your profile, and it is quick and easy.
As far as the end of the internet, I dont see it happening. I understand that the internet is taking business away from cable and phone companies, but they just have to take initiative and come up with other things to lure people into their graps. Internet threatend the end of newspapers, but now newspaper companies have accepted it and are now asking people to subscribe and read the paper through the internet and even at reduced rates. I feel there would be too much of a public outcry if the internet gets downgraded by the efforts of the cable and phone companies that it just wont happen, as nearly everyone uses the internet as it is today and will not accept a step back.

Chester’s article was crazy. Isn’t it a violation of privacy to track personal internet usage? We are already paying a monthly service fee for our internet access, why would we want to pay any more than that? It would make sense for businesses and school institutions to monitor their internet usage but it is ridiculous to try and track internet usage in a home.

As far as Friendster and Myspace, I have never used Friendster but I like that Myspace has the ability to make it unique to the individual. No one person’s page is the same and that is what I enjoy most about it. Like Boyd’s article says, it allows the user to do what it wants with their page unlike Friendster; which tries to enforce rules and restrictions.

Before reading the article I also have never heard of Friendster. I found out about myspace when there where not that many users. I decided to make my own profile, but when more users and the word got out, I immediately canceled my personal account. My band still has an account, and I am still apart of it. After I canceled my personal account, from that point on I thought of myspace as a music highway. Anyone could make a profile of their band and upload there music for people to stream. Myspace is a great opportunity to experience the cultural clash of users. However, I would agree with the author that it lost its secretiveness. The main reason that I decided to get off of myspace was because of the privacy. The autonomy was not their anymore. As for the social aspect of communication and freedom of speech, I would agree that as a super public, myspace can be used to accomplished many infringing or uninviting problems without strict regulation. However like the author stated “it is the older generation that did that segregating and they're not really ready to face collapsed contexts at every turn or to learn how to engage with people who have very different values on a daily basis.” The fear of regulating these sites and for that matter the Internet is an important point that should not be over looked. I agree that myspace has developed a system that not only establishes a relationship with its users, but temporary resolves issues with the super public to prevent regulation from affecting the system entirely. Online communities are more like nation-states than technological tools; they are in essence the discourse and the solution to keeping the Internet free from strict government regulation.

I do not really know anything about My Space, Face Book or Friendster and after reading this article I have no desire to learn any more about them or to participate in any way. Both of these articles created in me a stronger desire to protect whatever privacy I have left in this cyberspace world. I do NOT want my life tracked or my thoughts and opinions shouted from the rooftop (or keyboard) and it bothers me that I cannot enforce more control over this and still have internet access.

What worries me the most about the internet and websites like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook isn't privacy at all, rather it's how these technologies are changing the way we think. Boyd writes all about the benefits of MySpace, of identity production and of increasing the strength of relationships through sharing. And really, I don't doubt that this site fulfills these needs to some degree. Why else would it be so wildly popular? But what I do wonder about is if this really is the most fulfilling medium for identity production, for connecting with friends. It certainly is the most accessible, but accessibility can't always be equated with the ideal. Of course there's the typical worry of people only interacting via technology, detracting from the time spent together in person. However, what I'm concerned about is more the way we think about our friends, family members, and general social networks after using this technology. When we think of people we know, are they represented as web pages or people? Maybe that's a bit extreme, but I think it's important for us to begin to notice that these kinds of social networking website are influencing us more than might be immediately apparent, and in new, unpredictable ways.

I read a similar article to “The end of the internet” last year and was at first very disturbed by this concept. However, after thinking about it longer I guess I just realized if this is what will happen then I don’t really care. I say that because I have a feeling that there will constantly be a new emergence of “internet” type communication, I don’t have the jargon down for how this would all come into play but I see it going down in the same way that pirate radio stations defy clear channel, and “the black box” defies cable companies. (Does the black box exist anymore?...old school) or how about satellite cable in the third world countries, that ban western television, somehow people still seem to be watching Baywatch reruns despite their governments views. I think the way technology is progressing today will allow those who are schooled in the ways of the internet to emerge with new and similar creations. If you ask me the internet is already monitored as it is. Think about when you first started using email back in the late 90’s (for me at least) I didn’t get any emails accept from those who I gave my address to. Now on a daily basis I get well over 100 spam emails. How are these people getting my email? Obviously someone is monitoring me and giving my email out, the only difference is we could get charged $$$ then fine… I don’t really want to see anymore utube movies anyway.

I began thinking as I was reading the end of “Friendster lost steam. Is My Space just a fad?” when the talk about My Space being in trouble was proposed. What would happen if tomorrow when we woke up My Space and Facebook and all other online communities were GONE?!? What if there was no trace of them and no notice telling us that it was being discontinued? It seems that today everyone spends so much time on the internet and specifically these two websites that I think they may go a bit crazy, maybe even the crime rate during that week would go up due to increased anger and unfilled time. Or would people be more productive because there was nothing to distract them while they were on the inernet?

Well, first I must precursor this blog by saying that although I participate in these ‘online cultures’ I find it very creepy and odd that this guy Boyd considers it a “social necessity” to have sites like MySpace.

My biggest question/comment regarded this realm. About three quarters of the way through his essay, Boyd talks about a “a world that has become increasingly more segregated and walled off, partitioned by age, race, class, religion, values, etc. Yet it is the older generation that did the segregating…” Now here is where I had to say, “Shut up Boyd. Shut up you stupid ranting teenage loser who probably spends most of your life combing through these blogs creating no real social connections that without the internet would simply vanish and not exist.” I was confused as to why the ‘older generation’ was the one doing the segregating. To me, it seems that our generation does it. We turn our eyes to our computer screens, away from our parents and adults, and too high and mighty and technologically advanced for them. We consider ourselves a higher class and don’t wish to be bothered by their stupid questions about what we do and why.

Also, near the end of Chester’s article, he seems to argue that the internet is a right. Did he mean that it is covered by ‘Freedom of Speech?’ His argument wasn’t quite believable for me.

total number of users on myspace? total number of users on facebook?

I personally have never been on Friendster or MySpace so I am not able to comment on these websites, but judging by the article they seem to be in the same category as Facebook, and I am definitely on Facebook. I was on Facebook quite a bit actually until recently a friend and I decided to limit our Facebook usage to once a day. Surprisingly it's pretty hard especially with the emails I get tempting me to go on every time it happens. This got me thinking about our reliance on these websites, but also specifically what it is doing to our communication. Communication seems to be getting less and less personal. The evolution of impersonal communication is as follows: after actually meeting in person comes the phone call (you can hear the other person's voice), then the letter (less personal but you can see their handwriting), then the email and facebook messages (less personal but private), to a publicly available wall post (less personal but has explicit meaning), and then a poke where no words are exchanged at all. Nobody even knows what a poke means. Why pursuing these more impersonal means of communication? What are the implications? What will be more impersonal than the poke?

MySpace, Friendster...and teens

Simply, social networking is a way to seek connection and bond with others. It focuses on shared connections between people. Online communities help perpetuate this by exposing teens to the world. They give teens access to people living anywhere in the world, as well as their peers from school. It’s a place where they can create and showcase who they are (or who they want to be) and keep tabs on all of their friends. Most of all, teens love social networking sites because it’s their space. There is a sense of empowerment attached to controlling a piece of their own world… and this is typically a world where parents are not present.
Teenager's space segmentation is slightly different. Most of their space is controlled space. Adults with authority control the home, the school, and most activity spaces. Teens are told where to be, what to do and how to do it. Because teens feel a lack of control at home, many don't see it as their private space. To them, private space is youth space and it is primarily found in the interstices of controlled space. These are the places where youth gather to hang out amongst friends and make public or controlled spaces their own. Bedrooms with closed doors, for example.
Adolescence is a time for exploration and experimentation. Social networking sites offer a forum for teens to express themselves in creative ways, allowing them to try on different hats. For shy teens or those who don’t have many friends, social networking sites can provide an outlet to meet other kids their own age who have similar interests. On each account, the teens design their own personalized page on the Internet, much like an interactive scrapbook, that can include their favorite music clips, their choice of background designs or “wallpaper,” photos, favorite quotes and any other information about themselves that they wish to include. However, they fail to acknowledge the consequences for their actions.

The evolving of these online communities is a very important concept that Boyd touched on. I think that is one of the reason all the successful communities are successful. Evolving with their users needs and ever changing. It will be interesting to see how they have changed in 20 or 30 years from now, how much more or less personal online communication will be.

Online networking and socializing is like anything else; use in moderation. There are always going to be those who use it excessively and suffer the consequences, but sites like MySpace need to focus on providing the highest quality service to those who use it appropriately. That said, I've been impressed with how quickly MySpace deletes the profiles of those who violate its policies in an effort to keep the site enjoyable for everyone. I don't think MySpace is going away anytime soon, but I look forward to seeing what the next step is in online communities.

Wow! Friendster? I have NEVER even heard of this thing! Aside from that, I think Boyd's article or blog is kind of funny. It's so true! If you think about MySpace truely is kind of like a dating service. I have quite a few friends who have met significant others in person and then went on MySpace and looked them up. I have even done that myself! Now this is okay if you are not one of those creepers (sorry if you have done this!) and met someone in a bar who barely remembers you and then go to MySpace, look them up, and email them to see if they want to hang out. Very aggressive, but does this type of thing ever work? Is this going to be the new norm of dating and meeting friends? Are our children going to be glued to their computers to find friends and lovers?

Wow! Friendster? I have NEVER even heard of this thing! Aside from that, I think Boyd's article or blog is kind of funny. It's so true! If you think about MySpace truely is kind of like a dating service. I have quite a few friends who have met significant others in person and then went on MySpace and looked them up. I have even done that myself! Now this is okay if you are not one of those creepers (sorry if you have done this!) and met someone in a bar who barely remembers you and then go to MySpace, look them up, and email them to see if they want to hang out. Very aggressive, but does this type of thing ever work? Is this going to be the new norm of dating and meeting friends? Are our children going to be glued to their computers to find friends and lovers?

The internet, as I've been saying throughout this class, is very liberating. Sites like Facebook and Myspace not only allow the individual to express themselves in whatever way they like (moreso myspace than facebook), but it also allows a person to so easily find others of interest. Instead of leaving new relationships to serendipity, we now seek them out and form them based on judgements we make after seeing their blog/website/what have you. Is this really what we want to be doing? What if in the future, this is the only way one could meet people, and fate had planned for me to meet my future wife, yet I spent all my time online looking for the wrong woman.

Something else that is interesting is the implication of such easy communication. News will no longer be presented by corporations, rather of the people, by the people, for the people. Watch this:

http://epic.makingithappen.co.uk/new-master1.html

“Is MySpace Just a Fad?”

This article brought up many good points. I personally have nothing against online blog sites such as Friendster, MySpace, or Facebook. I did, at one point, have a Facebook account but never used it that much. Because of this, I cancelled it and never regretted it. I don’t miss it or feel unconnected from my friends. There is one thing I find attractive on MySpace. I believe if you were in a band or some musical group it may be of benefit for them to make a page. It’s free and what better place to have people voice their opinions. I believe that these sites allow people to say connected, discuss issues, and share ideas in an easy, user-friendly environment.

Facebook and MySpace are plagues on civilization. The term friend has new meaning, I feel obligated to click the “accept as friend” button anytime someone I have met once has tried to link us in the Facebook network. I am sucked into the plague because I feel I can not get out, it is a source of up to the minute gossip and some of the best rumors. Which by all definitions can be a waste of time (tell that to the E! channel). For me, it comes down to laziness, my roommates want to throw a party and they set up the invites on Facebook so they can tag their friends about the party coming. The thing is, not every one of our friends is on Facebook, but they just assume that they will find out about it second hand. I think Mandi has a great point about love interests too. It is too easy to play games with people and infer relationships that don’t exist. Also it is hilarious that we joke about who we are married to. I am definitely not at the level of maturity that allows me to critisize those who take part in all of this, because I do it too. However, I find it curious that I consciously choose to take part in some of these online shananigans.

Want to Join my group?

I have both Facebook and Myspace that I use frequently. I had a friendster account that I set up before, but I don't use it for the same reasons. It doesn't get updated as often and I have trouble loading it. I agree with Boyd's article. I think social networking websites are a great way to network and keep in touch with poeple. Facebook especially, changed the college life for a lot of people. As far as individuality goes, you can customize your page on myspace and change it to whatever you want it to be. There are many settings you can tweak aswell. There are a lot of sites that provide Myspace">http://www.profilepimp.com>Myspace Layouts and many other gadgets to make your myspace look unique. Definately, you can make your myspace look unique. Although friendster isn't bad, I'll stick to facebook and myspace because of the awesome gadgets and popularity. Not everyone have facebook!

Myspace Layouts

Myspace and facebook revolutionize the word and make ite easier for communication. There are many sites like friendster but myspace and facebook will continue to dominate. Although the market is starting to saturate and myspace will eventually loose some of its users to other sites I think it will still have a strong userbase because many sites that provide keep it running