it's been speculated that soon the internet will replace newspapers as the source for news.
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2009/031609bradner.html
^that article gives a number of statistics relating to the decline in popularity of newspapers.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10197136-94.html
^here's an article on how phoneinternet usage has grown. the thing it was most used for was the news, which could only speed up the extinction of newspapers.
it's upsetting that something so fundamental to our society is being put out by the internet, but at the same time it was almost unavoidable with the internet's growing popularity.
:(
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
interview
i emailed Jayne Hitchcock, WHOA President, and was able to ask her a few questions about internet safety. i got some really awesome info, expect to see a lot of this in my feature!
> What is the most common type of online abuse? Why do you think this is true?
There is no "common" type. Anything online can be used against you. But my organization, WHOA (at haltabuse.org) has found that no matter where the victim encountered their harasser, the harassment primarily starts via email. You can check out our stats at http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/index.shtml
> Why do people feel more comfortable harassing others online as opposed to in person?
It's the perceived anonymity. People think if they open up an account with a free service such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail or a fake persona at Facebook or Myspace, that no one will be able to tell who is doing the harassing. That's where they are wrong. They can and will be found out and with over 40 states with laws on the books, they could quite easily go to jail for what they do online to others.
> Have you noticed an increased awareness of online harassment in recent years?
Yes and it's due to the media, for better or worse. The word is getting out about the bad things that happen online, but mainstream media tend to sensationalize only a few cases without letting the public know the broad spectrum of online abuse and harassment and that there are organizations like mine out there to help them.
> What precautions can you take to avoid becoming a victim?
These are a few things we offers as tips:
Select a gender-neutral username, email address, etc. Avoid anything cute, sexual, diminutive, or overtly feminine.
Keep your primary email address private. Use your primary email address ONLY for people you know and trust.
Get a free email account and use that for all your other online activity. Make sure you select a gender-neutral username that is nothing like anything you've had before. There are many, many free email providers, such as Hotmail, Juno, Yahoo! and Hushmail. We suggest that you do a search using your favorite search engine and choose the email provider that best suits your own needs.
Don't give out information simply because it is requested. Countless web sites ask you to give them your full name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, etc. when you might just want to search their catalogs or read messages on a discussion forum. Give as little information as possible, and if they insist on information that doesn't seem justified, leave to go elsewhere. Some people give false information at such sites, especially if they don't plan to return in the future. Be especially cautious of "profiles" and "directory listings" for instant messaging programs or web sites.
Block or ignore unwanted users. Whether you are in a chat room or using IM, you should always check out what options/preferences are available to you and take advantage of the "Block all users except those on my buddy list" or adding unwanted usernames to an Ignore list in chat. If anyone bothers you and won't go away, put them on block or ignore!
Ego Surf. Put your first name and last name in quotes in a search engine such as Yahoo!, Google or Dogpile and see if there are any results regarding you. You just might be surprised at what you find. Also put in the names of your spouse, loved ones and/or children. Remember to put their names in quotes to refine the search results. Better yet, use TracerLock or a similar service to do it for you on a regular basis.
Don't allow others to draw you into conflict. That may mean that you don't defend yourself from personal attacks. It's safer to ignore them and keep yourself above the fray. When you respond to a harasser in any way, you're letting him know that he has succeeded. No matter how hard it is to do, do not interact with a harasser. When he realizes that he isn't getting a reaction from you, in most cases he'll move on to find an easier target.
Lurk in a new forum to learn local customs. Read mailing list or discussion board postings for a week or more without responding or posting anything yourself. In chat rooms, just sit quietly for 10-30 minutes to see if the discussions that are going on are truly something in which you wish to engage. Don't respond to private messages in that time, either.
If a place becomes stressful, leave it. There are many stressors we cannot avoid easily in our lives, so why put up with those we can avoid? If someone is being asinine in a chat room or on a discussion board, there are countless others that are likely to be more pleasant. If another visitor to a chat room or forum is harassing you and the forum owner/moderator refuses to take decisive action, why would you want to be there? Don't allow yourself to get tied up in battles over territory.
When you change, really change! If you need to change your username or email address to break off contact with a harasser, using a variation on your real name or anything you've used in the past leaves tracks allowing the harasser to find you again fairly easily. If you've always been "Kitty" and you change your handle to "Cat," you haven't really changed. The harasser knows that you have particular hobbies or interests. For instance, perhaps you like to play Scrabble. If he's really obsessed or simply has too much time on his hands, he's likely to poke around in different Scrabble-related fora looking for feline names to see if he can find you again.
Watch what you "say" online. When you do participate online, be careful--only type what you would say to someone's face. If you wouldn't say it to a stranger standing next to you in an elevator, why in the world would you "say" it online?
> What is the most common type of online abuse? Why do you think this is true?
There is no "common" type. Anything online can be used against you. But my organization, WHOA (at haltabuse.org) has found that no matter where the victim encountered their harasser, the harassment primarily starts via email. You can check out our stats at http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/index.shtml
> Why do people feel more comfortable harassing others online as opposed to in person?
It's the perceived anonymity. People think if they open up an account with a free service such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail or a fake persona at Facebook or Myspace, that no one will be able to tell who is doing the harassing. That's where they are wrong. They can and will be found out and with over 40 states with laws on the books, they could quite easily go to jail for what they do online to others.
> Have you noticed an increased awareness of online harassment in recent years?
Yes and it's due to the media, for better or worse. The word is getting out about the bad things that happen online, but mainstream media tend to sensationalize only a few cases without letting the public know the broad spectrum of online abuse and harassment and that there are organizations like mine out there to help them.
> What precautions can you take to avoid becoming a victim?
These are a few things we offers as tips:
Select a gender-neutral username, email address, etc. Avoid anything cute, sexual, diminutive, or overtly feminine.
Keep your primary email address private. Use your primary email address ONLY for people you know and trust.
Get a free email account and use that for all your other online activity. Make sure you select a gender-neutral username that is nothing like anything you've had before. There are many, many free email providers, such as Hotmail, Juno, Yahoo! and Hushmail. We suggest that you do a search using your favorite search engine and choose the email provider that best suits your own needs.
Don't give out information simply because it is requested. Countless web sites ask you to give them your full name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, etc. when you might just want to search their catalogs or read messages on a discussion forum. Give as little information as possible, and if they insist on information that doesn't seem justified, leave to go elsewhere. Some people give false information at such sites, especially if they don't plan to return in the future. Be especially cautious of "profiles" and "directory listings" for instant messaging programs or web sites.
Block or ignore unwanted users. Whether you are in a chat room or using IM, you should always check out what options/preferences are available to you and take advantage of the "Block all users except those on my buddy list" or adding unwanted usernames to an Ignore list in chat. If anyone bothers you and won't go away, put them on block or ignore!
Ego Surf. Put your first name and last name in quotes in a search engine such as Yahoo!, Google or Dogpile and see if there are any results regarding you. You just might be surprised at what you find. Also put in the names of your spouse, loved ones and/or children. Remember to put their names in quotes to refine the search results. Better yet, use TracerLock or a similar service to do it for you on a regular basis.
Don't allow others to draw you into conflict. That may mean that you don't defend yourself from personal attacks. It's safer to ignore them and keep yourself above the fray. When you respond to a harasser in any way, you're letting him know that he has succeeded. No matter how hard it is to do, do not interact with a harasser. When he realizes that he isn't getting a reaction from you, in most cases he'll move on to find an easier target.
Lurk in a new forum to learn local customs. Read mailing list or discussion board postings for a week or more without responding or posting anything yourself. In chat rooms, just sit quietly for 10-30 minutes to see if the discussions that are going on are truly something in which you wish to engage. Don't respond to private messages in that time, either.
If a place becomes stressful, leave it. There are many stressors we cannot avoid easily in our lives, so why put up with those we can avoid? If someone is being asinine in a chat room or on a discussion board, there are countless others that are likely to be more pleasant. If another visitor to a chat room or forum is harassing you and the forum owner/moderator refuses to take decisive action, why would you want to be there? Don't allow yourself to get tied up in battles over territory.
When you change, really change! If you need to change your username or email address to break off contact with a harasser, using a variation on your real name or anything you've used in the past leaves tracks allowing the harasser to find you again fairly easily. If you've always been "Kitty" and you change your handle to "Cat," you haven't really changed. The harasser knows that you have particular hobbies or interests. For instance, perhaps you like to play Scrabble. If he's really obsessed or simply has too much time on his hands, he's likely to poke around in different Scrabble-related fora looking for feline names to see if he can find you again.
Watch what you "say" online. When you do participate online, be careful--only type what you would say to someone's face. If you wouldn't say it to a stranger standing next to you in an elevator, why in the world would you "say" it online?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
innervewe
for my feature, i am going to interview average high school students, and hopefully discover more about how my peers experience the internet. if you are a teenager and feel qualified to answer these questions, please let me know.
1. on average, how many hours a day do you spend on you social networking site (ex: facebook or myspace)? what about on instant messenger?
2. have you ever been or know anyone who has been a victim of cyber bullying?
3. have you ever been sexually harassed on the internet?
4. is your facebook/myspace/other profile private? if so, what influenced this decision?
5. do you often accept friend requests from people you don't know?
also, if you know anyone who could help me learn more about why teens feel so attracted to the internet despite the dangers associated with it, that would be great too!
1. on average, how many hours a day do you spend on you social networking site (ex: facebook or myspace)? what about on instant messenger?
2. have you ever been or know anyone who has been a victim of cyber bullying?
3. have you ever been sexually harassed on the internet?
4. is your facebook/myspace/other profile private? if so, what influenced this decision?
5. do you often accept friend requests from people you don't know?
also, if you know anyone who could help me learn more about why teens feel so attracted to the internet despite the dangers associated with it, that would be great too!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
video+vblog=VLOG
GOAL: vlog more. or at all.
I AM SO INTERESTED IN VLOGS. i have never made one but they seem like so much fun! so many internet celebrities started out as mere vloggers. it seems so appealing i would like to become a frequent vlogger but i am not sure my life is interesting enough. i will maybe start blogging soon because i just got a youtube account today (lol behind).
but in other news, there is a nice blue box on the top of my facebook home page:
"Changes to the Home page are coming soon"
PREVIEW: http://www.facebook.com/sitetour/homepage_tour.php
i like it, but i dont like how i did not notice new friend requests for like five minutes because they are at the very top of the page. also i cannot figure out why all the status updates are not together. i really like that box of status updates. it keeps me aware of what everyone is doing, even though people i temporarily forgot about. oh well, we'll just have to get used to it i guess! i just hope it is not as big a problem as new facebook when it became permanent. LOL REMEMBER THAT.
I AM SO INTERESTED IN VLOGS. i have never made one but they seem like so much fun! so many internet celebrities started out as mere vloggers. it seems so appealing i would like to become a frequent vlogger but i am not sure my life is interesting enough. i will maybe start blogging soon because i just got a youtube account today (lol behind).
but in other news, there is a nice blue box on the top of my facebook home page:
"Changes to the Home page are coming soon"
PREVIEW: http://www.facebook.com/sitetour/homepage_tour.php
i like it, but i dont like how i did not notice new friend requests for like five minutes because they are at the very top of the page. also i cannot figure out why all the status updates are not together. i really like that box of status updates. it keeps me aware of what everyone is doing, even though people i temporarily forgot about. oh well, we'll just have to get used to it i guess! i just hope it is not as big a problem as new facebook when it became permanent. LOL REMEMBER THAT.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
onlineclasssss
i am currently taking the SAT class i missed online. if this option was not available to me, i would have had to drive to cherry hill, which is like forever away, to make it up, as opposed to sitting here in my comfy chair and learning equally as much. without the internet, i would have wasted a lot of gas and time, and i think its super that companies are taking advantage of the internet like this. just thought i would take a minute to share how much ilti (i love the internet).
Sunday, March 1, 2009
daweatherrr
how would i know what was going on outside without the internet to tell me?
"... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST MONDAY..."
THANK YOU WEATHER.COM
"... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST MONDAY..."
THANK YOU WEATHER.COM
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