Your last paper

Let me reiterate the requirements for the final paper here.
—Your paper should be 4-6 pages (not including Works Cited).
—You should cite at least four sources (hopefully sources that actually contribute useful information).
—Among your sources there must be:
at least one book (could be a single-author book or an anthology),
at least one periodical (could be a journal, a newspaper, a magazine), and
at least one online source (could be a journal, encyclopedia, web article, etc.)
—Caution: there are lots of texts online that are NOT appropriate or reliable sources, including Wikipedia, most blogs, or any article in which it's not clear where the information in the article comes from.
—Please make sure that your in-text citations and your Works Cited page conform to MLA style.
—Your individual essay will draw on the research done by everyone in your team, and should give a brief general history of the topic, but it will mainly focus on the aspect of your topic with which you are most familiar. You do not need a thesis statement, but make it clear in your introduction what part of the history you are going to emphasize. Instead of a thesis, the main point of your essay will be an explanation of why this is an interesting topic. Please don't begin your essay with general comments about history or essays or society etc.; get straight to your topic.
—You must submit your completed essay to me by email by Monday morning (failure to do so will result in a reduced grade). We will go over your citations in class and then you will have a further two days to correct mistakes. The final deadline is midnight on Wednesday.
—Any rewrites of your second essay are also due on Wednesday.
—Let me know if you have any questions.

I'll be reminding you of this in class, because it's very important, to me and to all the students who will come after you: please complete a course evaluation of this course. In the past we used to do this in class, on paper, but from now on it will be done online. You can find the instructions here. The deadline is Thursday, so please do it ASAP. There are no hard questions, and your answers are anonymous.

Corey

Hi. Yesterday in class I wanted to show you all some wiki pages that you might find inspiring. Well, now I have the links.

The students in another Cyber 110 class are working on these projects:
The history of chewing gum.
The history of money.
The history of subways.

Also, here are those pages we were looking at on Quotation/Paraphrase/Summary, and on the use of quotation marks.

I'm working on marking your second papers; I hope you are working on writing annotations for your wikis, and planning what you will talk about in your presentation on Monday. Let me give you a quick recap of what I expect for the presentations. First, one of you will give a quick overview of your topic and how you decided to break it down for research purposes. Then each member of your team will report on what sources he or she found and give a summary of one of the sources, including any highlights that you found particularly interesting (specific surprising, impressive, or important details). You should prepare notes, of course, but I don't want you to read your presentation to us, so don't write down exactly what you intend to say. Instead, make a list of a few points you want to cover and then explain them to us as you would in conversation with a friend. You will be expected to talk for only a few minutes. If you want to show pictures or other info during your presentation, I suggest preparing it on your wiki, and we can project it behind you. Make sure you discuss your plans with all the members of your group before Monday.

Let me know if you have any questions.
Corey

Happy Thanksgiving

This is a reminder for most of you and an announcement for John and Maggi, who weren't present today: on Wednesday we will not be having class. Instead, it's your responsibility to communicate with your project group and to make sure you are all researching a different aspect of your group topic, to share the resources that you find, and to establish a wiki (on Google sites) for your group. You should add me as an owner on your site, and send me the link by Friday. By Monday, you should have a preliminary bibliography on your site, with everyone contributing a few sources. By the following weekend, you will have each written an annotation for at least one source, summarizing its usefulness for your research.

Enjoy your turkey.

Last minute peer review

Since you have all finished your second paper now, I want you to do a last-minute swap in order to act as proof-readers for one another. Here's how it works:

Tonight (Monday), read your paper again carefully and fix any spelling, grammar, wording etc. issues you spot. Then, when you are satisfied that it is pristine, email it to your partner. Do this before sunrise. Your partner will do the same.

When you get your partner's paper, read it through carefully looking for errors and trying to follow the argument. Then cut and paste the following checklist into an email and send it back to your partner, along with any other comments you have. Also, send a copy of your comments to me. Do this by sunrise Wednesday. The final versions of your papers are due Friday.

1. ___ I found formatting problems (explain).
2. ___ I found typos.
3. ___ I found spelling mistakes.
4. ___ I found grammar mistakes.
5. ___ I found diction mistakes (using the wrong word).
6. I agreed / disagreed with your conclusion. (Circle one)
7. Explain your answer to number 6.
8. Other comments:

Read this over the Thanksgiving break

I've just posted, on the list of links to the right, a pdf of the first chapter ("How the Fork Got Its Tines") from a book called The Evolution of Useful Things. The chapter is about how forks came to be designed the way they are, and about the cultural influences on and ramifications of their design. You can consider this a model for the kind of historical description and analysis I expect you to do in your papers. Please read it this weekend and we'll discuss it next Monday.

Essay #3 : A Short History of X

Your final essay for this course will be a carefully researched history of something that we don’t often think of as having a history: cultural institutions, concepts, and inventions that we usually take for granted. A list of possible topics is below.

Since this will be a research-intensive process, we are going to take a slightly different approach: you will be assigned to a group of four or five students, and as a team you will choose a topic and conduct research. Your research must presented in an annotated bibliography on a group wiki (created on Google Sites). Each of you will be responsible for reporting on at least one source related to the topic (Wikipedia does not count). Then, using these sources, each of you will write your own 4-5 page paper on your group topic.

Possible Topics

Parks
Libraries
Resorts
Bars / Taverns
Hotels / Inns
Subways
Cemeteries
Sewers
Weekends
Hitchhiking
Sneakers
Keys
Pets
Birthdays
Chewing Gum
Soup
IDs
Money
Receipts
Magazines
Fandom
Dentistry
Grades
Composition classes

Wednesday

Please do not forget that tomorrow's class will be held at the library. We'll be meeting with a librarian to learn about research techniques, in room 101A (downstairs) in the Rosenthal Library. See you there at 5:30. Do not be late.

Clothes closet ad

ECO FRIENDLY ADVERTISEMENT....COOL!!!

Your second paper

Now that you've finished revising your first paper once and for all, how about doing another one? We will be spending less time on this second paper. On November 17 (next Monday), we will do a preliminary peer review of your first drafts. You must bring a draft of your paper to class that day. The following class, November 19, we will be going to the library to learn about research techniques. Your revised papers will be due on Monday, November 24. These papers should be 4-5 pages (although your first draft might be longer).

What will you write about? Your paper will be based on the topic you chose for your personal blog about advertising, and you will write just what you've been writing on your blog. In fact, you may use ideas that you wrote about on the blog in your paper. Here are the basic parameters: you should choose 2 or 3 ads that you think illustrate something (either through similarity or contrast) about your theme. You will describe these ads and the messages they convey on three levels: the superficial level (what images and sounds does the ad use?), the marketing level (how does the ad deploy certain techniques in order to sell or promote its "product"?), and the ideological level (what messages does the ad convey about the culture of which it is a part?). Your paper should include an image of, or a link to, the ad in question.

Nationalism

Thanks for sharing your ideas with each other this week. Today (Monday) we're going to talk about the role that nationalism plays in advertising, and a little bit about what goes into making an ad. Let's start by looking at these ads:

Hey this a video i saw on TV during the week that works for you katrina

Mcdonald's funny ad

Hey Christine
Since you are working on fast food ads.

Election Ads

Honestly, I think Obama’s commercial is more emotional than McCain’s. Obama really pays attention to the details about some awkward situations presently and decides to change those troubles. In the beginning of Obama’s commercial, we could see a long lens of country sights and then transfer to a business city, and he was talking to some civilians at kitchen. Every one could get one point that just likes a nearest relative around us. Moreover, “We need a chance” that sentence should come from every American’s heart. Definitely, economic problems, employment, fail in counter-terrorist war and standard of people’s life is going down. So Obama used those problems to explain his opinions in commercial. Incontrovertible, Obama is a black man and his special status decides himself should use a special way to prove himself and tells every one he would be a successful president in history. In addition, he really did hardest and best job to make propagandas even we could see different ages people were supporting him in his commercial. Comparing McCain’s commercial, he just made examples of former presidents’ voice and profile to explain his ideas would be correct. Therefore, I thing could smell some odors of gunpowder from his speech. “We will never surround” .Yes that’ true but don’t you think this point was too old for right now? And America seems to afford any other worse problems any more. McCain did not represent any exact subjects to change anything and still using a old way to work out troubles. And for me, I think McCain’ commercial is so strong and let people feel a little uncomfortable. Thus, form Obama’s commercial and his emotional speech, every one should be infected and believe that he would shepherd the Unite States of American must surmount any troubles.

Roland Barthes on Myth

Hello folks. The article that I asked you to read for next Monday is here. It is a rich but difficult text, so please read it a couple of times, and write down a few notes: how does Barthes define myth? In his explanation, what are meaning and form? What else does he say about myth?

Election Ad (SORRY better late than never)

I think that Obama is more successful in the election ads than McCain. Obama is addressing “change” to America by introducing himself as a “black” man. America has always depended on a “white” man to lead this country, and I think now, more than ever, is the best time for a change. Minorities will feel more acceptable and important. Obama is cutting taxes for the working class which is very significant since we work so hard to have a roof over our head and to put food on the table. Fewer taxes will help us pay off all our bills and provide a better life for our families. He also mentions moving people from welfare into working. I think this is a great plan! There are so many individuals who are stuck in welfare because they know that they will get help monthly and cannot depend on a job. Providing these people with a steady working position will help them mentally by increasing their self-esteem and by providing a better life for their families. Obama attracts a large number of families who were raised by a single parent and who struggled financially because he was raised in that way. Obama states, “Do to others what you would want done to yourself”. I think this statement is very significant since many people do not follow it and if many did, the world would be a better place with more love and less hate. On the other hand, McCain is introducing the same things that most of our past presidents have introduced, especially Bush. McCain is offering a prosperous future and I remember Bush introducing the same thing and he has only caused more harm than good. In addition, electing a “white” president will demonstrate that presidents with from other ethnic groups will never be able to lead this country. WE NEED A CHANGE!!!!

Gender ads

This page is an excellent collection of ads that use techniques related to sex, gender, and stereotypes.

Off-topic but interesting

This video is pretty interesting. It shows some facinating data points about technological progress in the last ten years and how that will impact education.



Discuss.

Lectures between Obama and MCcain

There are two different styles of lecture between Obama and MCcain. One is zestfully and enthusiastic, another one is Haughty and conceited. It is not difficult to see that Obama and MCcain have big differences in the parentage, experience and political ideas which like a huge difference between the North and the South. For me, I prefer the lecture of Obama to McCain's. In Obama’s lecture, I can see the sunshine and feel the warmth. The appearance of Obama just symbolizes hope and change. His speech is so attractive. His broad smile even can capture the hearts of many people. However, I cannot feel the sincerity from McCain’s. Most parts of McCain’s lecture are surrounding himself. I remember he said in the lecture which is “I know who I am; I know what I want to do. I never….” It sounds like the absolute monarchy. Therefore, I do not like the speech of McCain’s.

obama/mccain

I felt that Obama's ad was very inspiring. From the beginning, when they showed pictured of the American landscape, to the music, which is very upbeat and catchy. Obama is a very good speaker, he knows how to use rhetoric and appeal to different groups of people, and plus he just has a sting voice and sounds very confident. Showing all the people that support him is another clever tactic. On the other hand, McCain's ad play up his military expereince and shows his willingness to fight for this country. I also liked how he used other great leaders in his ad, and the contrast between the old leaders and the universe/ sky. Both candidates sound very sure of themselves and confident in their ability to lead the country.

Election Ads

I feel these two ads are totally different. Obama's ad makes me feel happy and easy, he let me feel Americans need to look forward and do better in the future. I think Obama can let Americans change to better and do not live in the past. I don't like McCain's ad, because the feeling likes nervous and a little bit sad. I know he suggest security and let Americans safe. However, he makes the feeling too strong which is like if we do not have the stronger Army or protection systerm( security), we are in dangerous tomorrow. McCain give Americans too pressures.

hi

Hey everyone!

Supporting Obama

I am a supporter of Obama because I believe he is the right person to lead the country at this time. He offers a rare opportunity for the country and the world to start over, and to do better. It is a deep sadness to me that many of my feminist white women friends cannot see him. Cannot see what he carries in his being. Cannot hear the fresh choices toward Movement he offers. That they can believe that millions of Americans –black, white, yellow, red and brown - choose Obama over Clinton only because he is a man, and black, feels tragic to me.
When I have supported white people, men and women, it was because I thought them the best possible people to do whatever the job required. Nothing else would have occurred to me. If Obama were in any sense mediocre, he would be forgotten by now. He is, in fact, a remarkable human being, not perfect but humanly stunning, like King was and like Mandela is. We look at him, as we looked at them, and are glad to be of our species. He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill. The change America must have if we are to convince the rest of the world that we care about people other than our (white) selves.

Analysis of Election Ads

The Obama ad seems very hopeful, and inspirational. He shows that he has made history in more ways than one by registering several people to vote, insipiring young peolpe to take part in the political process, and ofcourse by being the first potential black president of the United States. He portrays this in his ad by showing several people who support him and have been inspired by him who are carrying "hope" and "change" signs. Also, we get the feeling that he has made history through the use of the black outline around the screen as well as the fuzzy, poor quality of the ad. He shows a lot of average, mainstream Americans in the ad to show that he has always made this election about the people and not about him. He tried to refute the argument that he is an elietest by showing farms, and walking in average clothes along side construction workers and average people. The American flag is also represented numerous times throughout the ad to suggest that he is patriotic and cares about America. Additionally, the upbeat music in the ad gives the viewer a feeling of hope and inspires us to have an optimistic, proud, and positive outook to the future. Also, his eloquence gives him the upper hand in this ad because it shows his confidence and sincerity. He sounds genuine when he doesn't have to look at his notes or when he pauses after certain phrases to emphasize his message. The McCain ad portrays him as a strong fighter. He uses the phrase " we wont surrender, they will". To show he is courageous and patriotic, he shows clips of himself as a P.O.W. Although the music is supposed to be inspirational, positive, strong, and looking to the future, it seems a little scary to me. It's too fast paced and so low that it gives off this ery, anxious feeling of anticipation. Although the clouds seem to represent hopefulness and a bright future, I think he should have used brighter colors in the non-black and white clips. Also, he uses historical figures like Roosevelt and Churchill to suggest that he will be tough, and an excellent leader through difficult times. He shows images of children towards the end of the ad to suggest that he is focused on making a better, safer nation for the children and future of America.

Obama and Mccain's ad

This ad try to show people that Obama is going to work hard and to accomplish his promise as a president.His speech lets me feel more hopeful than Mccain does.In this ad, it shows a lot of expressions that appear from people's face.people smile ,cheer and jump when Obama finish his speech.In contrast, Mccain's ad shows more about his past and try to tell peole he has more experience than Obama.In my opinion,present and future is more important than past. Thus, I feel Obama's ad is better.

Man In The Areana

RE: The Man In The Arena:

I think this ad tried to show McCain as a president who would follow a strong and aggressive foreign policy. They tried to get this message across by associating him with Teddy Roosevelt and Churchill. Maybe they could've thrown a jab at Obama by comparing him with Neville Chamberlin...

They put up some video of kids running through the fields, tugging our heartstrings and showing us who McCain would really fight for. The video also concentrates on his history as a POW in Vietnam, further associating him with the military. He's also able to contrast himself with Obama who has no military experience. You can also see the word "HERO" in a newspaper article title behind one of McCains portraits.

In the beginning of the video, McCain emphasizes the strength of America, appealing to our patriotism.

McCain's ad

I thought that the McCain ad was very affective. McCain shows strong past leaders in his ad portraying that he will be as strong as they were. Also the fact that he is always mentioning his capture, I think helps his cause. A man who fought for his country and survived captivity should be respected. It also shows that he has experience when facing adversities.

Obama Ad

In the Obama ad, the first thing that caught my attention was his voice. In my opinion, I thought he had a very sincere yet stern voice. This tone of voice portrays a truthful and serious person. I also noticed that the upbeat music in the ad was introduced when he talked about change and action. This type of music stimulates movement (suggesting that the audience should also "get in on the action"). The music's upbeat rhythms are reflected in the audience as they march, jump and cheer, greet each other, etc.

Analyzing election ads

To me Obama ad is more appealing and patriotic. First if all the headings of the ads tell a lot about the ad. The American promise (Obama) gives a hint that this ad is or should be about Americans where as " The man in the Arena" (McCain) as it says, is about McCain and not about the country.
Obama ad is very lively and full of patriotic images along with the words of course. This ad shows lots of American flags held by people; Americans from all race, color,gender and of all ages portraying the diversity of America (another patriotic feel). Moreover, in his ad, Obama is talking to people; to the Americans; to us, giving a sense of team effort to work towards the prosperity of the country. Whereas in McCain's ad, he talks about himself and his past.

I Changed My Blog

My blog centers on advertising for financial services.

Images in political ads

Here is an interesting analysis of the two presidential candidates' ads: it shows what images are included in the ads and how often.

Race in Ads

Our next topic within this unit, as suggested by the title above, is race in advertising. Here is an interesting look at some of the depictions of race in American ads in the 20th century. And beyond.

Check this out

If anyone wants to follow up on the elections, check this out. You might find it useful.
http://news.yahoo.com/election/2008/dashboard

Recycling

I am doing my advertising ads on recycling. Here is the link to my blog.

http://recyclingads.blogspot.com/

This is my blog.

hi everyone .this is my new blog about advertisement on US NAVY . I really appreciate that someone could browse it and make some comments.


http://jinchuang.blogspot.com/

Patriotism! (Jingoism?)

Obama...


...and McCain.



Obama: "The American Promise"...


...and McCain: "The Man in the Arena"

When you analyze your ads

Each time you post an ad on your blog, it should be accompanied by analysis (at least 100 words or so). Don't know what to say? Consider these questions.

-What is the message of this ad? What is being marketed? Is it obvious?
-Who is the audience for the ad? How do you know?
-Describe the aesthetic techniques used in the ad. Is it dramatic, funny, colorful, stark? Does it use still images, animation, live actors? What tone or effect do these techniques create?
-Are there people in the ad? How would you describe them? Are they old, young, male, female, white, black, Asian-American, Latino? Why were these people chosen?
-Where is the ad taking place? Why was this location chosen?
-What kind of music or sound effects are used in the ad? What effect do they have?
-Is there a voice-over in the ad? What kind of voice is used? Why was it chosen?
-Is there any text in the ad? What does the text do?
-Do you think the text of the ad is logical? Exaggerated? Misleading?
-Does the ad make any promises, explicitly or implicitly? What are they?
-What kind of emotion does the ad want you to feel? How can you tell?
-Are there characters in the ad the audience is meant to identify with? Do you?

Public Service Announcement Ads

Hey class, here is an Anti-smoking ad i have found that tells you some terrible but true facts about smoking, hope you guys enjoy. http://psa-ads.blogspot.com/

My Blog

I don't know yet what I want to do but, here is my link to my blog.
http://migueltepale.blogspot.com/

Worst ads of the election

Here you can see some of the less rhetorically-savvy ads used by candidates in this year's election.

Stef's Blog on Advertisments

Hi all!

My blog will be using celebrities as adverstiments

Here's the link:

http://celebrityadvertising.blogspot.com/

HOLAS EVERY1!!!!

Checkie outtie my bloggy blog....

h0pe you guys and girls find it interesting

.... :)

Additions

On the menu to the right you will notice a downloadable pdf about using transitions, which I told you I would post, as well as a link to a guide for using MLA citations.

Jcaqueline

http://jacquelinelin.blogspot.com/

here is my blog~ I will talk something about milk powder events happend in China in this unit.

Yo soy Barack Obama

Sorry about that very long wait but I have chosen a topic!

My topic is "beauty" in advertising, touching mainly on what the public perceives as beautiful and how the meaning of beauty is distorted by advertising.

Si, yo soy Barack Obama. Corey es un mentiroso.

Jake

I have no idea what to do my blog on....but when I figure, it out, it will be AMAZING!!

http://jakecyber110.blogspot.com

Yo soy Barack Obama

Jingles in Advertising

My Blog Will be on Jingles in advertising

http://jinglesinads.blogspot.com/

Blog for Advertisements

I decided to do my focus on Fast Food Advertisements.
http://cybercompblog.blogspot.com/

Advertising Techniques

This page might help anyone looking for advertising techniques to base their blog on...

http://www.foothilltech.org/rgeib/english/media_literacy/advertising_techniques.htm

For Monday

Once you have watched the two ads posted below, please read this article from the New York Times. In particular I want you to read some of the comments at the end (read up to #19 at least), because I think it will be an interesting way to approach discussion of the videos.

Also before Monday, I want you to set up your own blog using blogger.com. If you know what your Essay 2 topic will be, give your blog a name that reflects it (like "Sailboats in Advertising") or if not, give it a more generic name (like "Corey's Ad Blog"). Email me a link to your blog.

For next week: two political ads to consider

Here are two ads, one from the McCain campaign and one from the Obama campaign. They are quite different in style (and length), but they are both examples of the same basic political strategy. What is that strategy?

"Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama?"


"KEATING ECONOMICS: John McCain & The Making of a Financial Crisis"

First Essay F.A.Q.

When is it due? You must have your first draft written, printed and with you for our class on October 14. (The final version is due October 22.)

How long does it have to be? Your first draft must be at least 6 pages (double-spaced). You will likely edit it later, so the final version will be 5-7 pages.

For whom am I writing? You should assume that your audience is made up of people like you, who have a similar level of general knowledge, but who may not immediately accept your opinion. There’s no need to describe your subject in great detail or explain its background or history, unless this is important to your argument. It is essential, however, that you make your argument with clear reasoning and strong evidence. Your essay is not like a test question, where you recite what you’ve learned; it’s more like an opinion piece in a newspaper, where you explain your own take on the subject.

What are the basic requirements? Make sure you have a clear thesis (an assertion of opinion), and use evidence, including quotations where appropriate, to support it. The thesis should be plainly introduced in the first or second paragraph, and your concluding paragraph should recapitulate your argument. Give your paper a title that identifies the topic succinctly but strikingly. Make sure that whenever you use a direct quotation, or make use of another writer’s idea or information in any way, you provide a proper citation in MLA format. Even your first draft should be proofread carefully — your peers will be reading your essay, and you don't want to embarrass yourself with spelling mistakes.

How do I get a good grade? Most importantly, you must think hard and be creative! Show me that you genuinely care about your idea and the way it is expressed. Stick to your own words, ones you feel confident using, and give your argument a simple structure unless you have an idea that needs an unconventional format and you think you can pull it off. Try to look beyond the obvious and ask your own questions. When you make a statement, trying asking yourself: why is this true, and why does it matter? What are the political, moral, and philosophical implications? However, remember that this is just a short paper, so don’t jump to grand conclusions. If you convincingly demonstrate one minor insight, I’ll be more impressed than if you make broad claims and don’t back them up.

How should it be presented? It must be printed, double-spaced, on white 8.5x11” paper, using Times or a similar font, 12-point, in black ink.

Am I allowed to plagiarize my paper? Uh, no. I will be looking for evidence that your paper is the product of this class and your own intellect. It may not be pieced together from websites, bought from or written by someone else, or even written by you for another class.

Can I get feedback on my paper and revise it? Sure. In class, we are going to read each other’s papers and give feedback on the spot. If you want, you can also meet me during my office hours or after class, or else email me your paper at any time and I will respond when I can.

Why haven’t you told us what to write about? Because in college, in additional to learning lots of valuable stuff, you are expected to become independent thinkers. That includes deciding for yourself what is interesting about a given topic, and deciding what your opinion is. You have each chosen a website that has fostered a sort of online community, so your task is to point out an issue connected to your chosen website. It doesn’t have to be exclusively related to your website; you could discuss a broader issue, using your website as an example.

Could you give us some examples? Alright. Here are some questions that might help you focus your thoughts when you are figuring what your thesis will be. These are just suggestions.

1. Do you think the policies of social networking sites such as Facebook threaten the privacy of their users? What is the danger, exactly? What should be done to improve the situation?

2. Some critics of online communities say these spaces encourage anti-social behavior? Do you agree with this criticism? Why or why not?

3. Some digital communities have received attention because of fraudulent and/or criminal activities on the sites. Do you think online communities encourage this kind of behavior or make certain behaviors more prevalent? Why might people act less (or more) responsibly online than in real life?

4. How has interactivity through online communities changed the way people communicate / get news / view entertainment? Are these changes improvements or not?

5. Some online communities such as Wikipedia or Flickr allow for collaborative creation. What copyright ownership issues does this raise? How important do you think it is that an image or text be attributed to its creator?

Harrypotterfanfiction.com thesis

The website Harrypotterfanfiction.com enables people to establish friendships and communities by sharing their fan fictions; an art that should not be threatened by accusations of plagiarism.

all comments appreciated =)

Facebook

The future repercussions of incorrect usage of Facebook's privacy settings outweigh the advantages of sharing personal information on the website.

Classmates.com thesis

Classmates.com is a social networking website that causes more of a hassle then a benefit to its users.

msn.com

msn providers take user's peronal information without any mentioned
(please feel free to comment^^)

New Thesis Statement on Craigslist

Craigslist is the new doorway for individuals to commit crimes
Let me know what you think.

QQ.com thesis

Tencent QQ is very popular in China because aside the chat program, it also developed many subfeatures such as games, pets, internet dating service, etc...

The Thesis statement of Cyworld

Cyworld is an interesting Korean communication website because each member has their own "home" in their profile which is cartoon avatars.

(last one I wrote is too general, so I rewrite the thesis of cyworld)

purevolumee

PureVolume is a brilliant new way for undiscovered musical artists to put themselves on the radar and promote their music.

Amazon.com Thesis

Out of the many e-commerce websites on the web, Amazon.com is one of the best to use when buying goods.

Thesis statement reminder

Hi everyone. Most of you have already sent me your thesis statement or posted it here. Over the next day or two I'm going to finish emailing each of you individually with feedback on your sentence.

In case you were confused about the thesis statement assignment, let me reiterate: I want you to write a single sentence that you can use as the thesis of your first essay. A thesis is not just a topic; it must also express an opinion that can be defended with evidence. In other words, your thesis must not only introduce the cyber-community you have chosen to write about, but must also state what point you are trying to make. "Facebook is a popular social-networking site" is not sufficient. An improvement would be "Facebook is a better way to communicate with friends than email alone." The second sentence states an opinion that is open to debate but can be reasonably supported with examples/evidence.

If you haven't emailed me your thesis statement, please do so right away. Once you have received my feedback, the next step will be to craft an opening paragraph (5-7 sentences) that introduces your subject, provides a context for your thesis statement, and outlines the approach you will take to supporting your idea in the essay. You should have a version of this ready for Oct. 6 (next Monday).

Corey

LonelyGirl 15 Thesis Statement

The Lonely Girl 15 series on YouTube brought in many viewers, however, controversies were raised when questioned about its realism.

digg.com discussion summary

Digg.com is a website where people exchange news. It is often times thought of as a newspaper of the people especially diggers or members of the site. The website typically generates more liberal articles. The lure to use digg for many people is that it is perceived as a democratically styled public forum because members vote on articles to decide which articles are considered important by the majority. When articles generate positive votes or are dugg they are promoted to the front page as opposed to the articles which get buried because they generate negative feedback or don't get positive votes. People can post articles that they find interesting on the site from anywhere else on the web. Although digg is seen as a public forum where users may get there opinions to the public, it could only simulate a democratic public forum if the founders or administrators didn't have so much authority and oversight on the content being posted. On occasion users have complained that there accounts have been disabled or have been blocked from posting after making comments in the user - moderated forums that may be in conflict with the views and opinions of the operators of the site. Many users argue that the founders exercise too much control over the content on the site and that it takes away from the whole principle of the site where people should be able to express there opinions without censorship or oversight. This is a valid argument because with such oversight the website becomes less democratic and more like a selective forum. The operators of the site should allow people to offer there personal opinions without any censorship because this is essentially why people use and appreciate digg. Also, the "bury" option has been criticized for being undemocratic due to its anonymous and unaccountable nature. In order for digg to truly obtain the democratically styled open forum that people desire, the operators and founders must have no authority or oversight over the articles being posted. Additionally, there should not be any attempts to block any posts being added by members or any attempts to disable accounts.

digg.com thesis statement

For digg.com to truly be a public forum, the administrators should not have any authority or oversight on the content that is posted.

The Thesis Statement of eBay.com

eBay is one of the biggest online marketplace on the world which offers an online platform for people to trade every day.

The Thesis statement of Cyworld

Cyworld is a very popular communication website in Korea.

The Thesis Statement of QQ.com

Tencent QQ has grown into China's largest and most used internet service portal.

The Thesis Statement about Baidu.com

1. The baidu.com has been played a very momentous role about communications in the virtual world.
2. It’s very comfortable for people would enjoy looking up, exchanging and setting up information on BBS about baidu.com.

Youtube.com Thesis Statement

Youtube is such an anonymous exposure secrets website .

Wikipedia thesis statement

Wikipedia's is not a valid primary research source.

Jeffrey Gomez thesis statement

Volance in video games does not play a role on the violant acts that are commited by either children or people.

Thesis Statement

Any type of criticism is more then welcomed.
A big problem of many online communities is false and misleading information that can jeopardize an individuals life or financial status.
Thanks again.

QQ.com

Hi class! I'm going to change my topic, I will talk about QQ.com on next following Monday which is October 6th, tencent QQ was also a Chinese website, it was founded in Shenzhen, China in November, 1998. Tencent, inc. has grown into China's largest and most used internet service portal, and it's the world's third most popular IM service. We will disscussed more about tencent QQ in the class. here's some link about tencent QQ:
http://www.tencent.com/en-us/index.shtml
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/qq_china_im_web20.php

Ting

Hello, I thought the thesis statement was supposed to be on the privacy issues we discussed in class rather than our cyberhoods we presented on. So, which is it? Anywho, here are both thesis statements just in case. Let me know what you think...thanks!

"Cyber privacy is a growing concern that mus't be over looked."

-OR-
"Child safety on myspace is a growing concern that musn't be overlooked."

Thesis

Hello Everyone,
Following is my thesis. Let me know what you think or if you have a better idea.

"Orkut.com provides bread & butter to many in India" or
"Orkut.com helps many to run their families in India".

Here my article on Monday

Dear my classmates:
This is the article I’m going to exhibit on Monday, especial it’s a Chinese website and I hope everyone would like it. And I will try to my best to introduce this Chinese website and let you know what it is during the class.
www.baidu.com is a comprehensive website on the Internet and it’s as the same as the Google you are familiar with. Besides the Baidu.com is very popular and welcome in China because so many years before when some people made contact on the Internet for the first time they just knew the Baidu.com even didn’t know the some other websites existed. So as the years past the Baidu.com has became more and more perfect and more people enjoyed it. And the functions of Baidu.com is powerful so people could get a lot of things they want. For example, people could find the files they search for, could download the music the like, could search the game they enjoy, and they could make communication with others in the world even they could search themselves.
Sincerely
Jin chuang

MSN.com

Hi Everyone! I will present MSN.com on this coming Monday. MSN.com is an online community which you can shop, game, talk and meet new friends, watch news, weather and traffic. It is easy fast and popular. Here is the articles we will discuss on Monday.
http://www.answers.com/topic/msn-technology
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078835/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22346236/

Orkut.com

Hello everyone,
I will be talking about Orkut.com on Monday. Following are the articles to read about Orkut.com. We will discuss them in class.

http://http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=20070609023308375471c33a6

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2004/06/64046

See you all on monday

Xanga.com

Hi, guys, I am going to present xanga.com next Monday. Xanga is a community when you can start your own free weblog, this website is similar as Myspace which you can share photos, video, audio, looking a social network profile, and meet new friends.
I knew xanga.com from one of my friend, and I am new. Be honest, i never use this website before, so i just register a new account for myself, it's easy for presentation.
Here's some links for xanga.com:
about xanga
terms of use
xanga sites view

Cyworld.com

Hello~ everyone! I will present on Cyworld next Monday. Cyworld is a South Korean website which is a common social network similar to Facebook and Myspace. 90 perscents of young people has Cyworld account and Cyworld mobile has brought in over 2.5 million user in South Korea. Today, Cyworld operates its site in the United States, China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, as well as South Korea. Many Korean and Chinese stars have their own account on Cyworld to communicate with their fans. Actually I am a beginner to use this website and I just sign up in the website last week. If you never heard this website before, I will introduce it and share some fun with you.
Here is the link about Cyword:
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/cyworld
http://gigaom.com/2007/06/01/cyworld-usa-to-go-mobile-next-year/
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/08/01/8382263/index.htm

Machinima

Here is a link to the video I started to show you, "Yoga Deathmatch", which is set in the world of Half-life. And below is another machinima video from the same author, Jim Munroe. This second one is called "My Trip to Liberty City" and it's set in the world of Grand Theft Auto 3.

Synthesis Writing Assignment

I'm asking you to take the final step in writing a synthesis of the three articles about privacy: write a paragraph (no more than 200 words) that gives a succinct overview of the arguments of the three articles. This kind of synthesis writing will be important to you whenever you write a research paper and you want to present information from a range of sources that comment on the same issue.

Step one: read and understand the main points of the three articles. Use the checklist on the handouts.

Step two: decide what issue the articles have in common: what is the general conversation of which the articles form a part? Start by explaining the issue.

Step three: you can now explain how each article relates to the main issue of concern, and how they relate to each other. Be sure to state who wrote each article, and use active verbs like "claim", "argue," or "suggest" to represent the position taken.

Hints: Think carefully about how you will organize the paragraph. Which article or articles will you mention first? Can you group them together somehow, or is each one coming from a completely different angle? Is there more than one issue, or are there issues that are addressed by only one or two of the articles? You may have to address agreements and disagreements over different issues separately (for example: A, B, and C all agree on X. However, on the subject of Y, A holds the opposite opinion of B, while C has no opinion.)

Email me your paragraph, and bring a copy with you when you come to class Monday.

PureVolume

PureVolume is a musical social networking site.  It's very similar to Myspace Music, but it focuses mainly on rock music and all of its sub genres such as emo, pop punk, indie and hardcore.  Artists are able to make their own homepage where they can post their songs, pictures of their band, upcoming shows and other information. As of now, there are over 400,000 artists on PureVolume. Listeners can make their own pages, where they can add bands to their favorites, add songs to a playlist, upload their own pictures and comment artists and other listeners. There are no real controversies surrounding PureVolume, and many people have alot of positive things to say about it. Here are 2 articles praising PureVolume:

article 1

article 2

The only real complaint about PureVolume seems to be the slow bandwidth and a boring layout, and considering all the problems with other websites with privacy and such, these are minor issues.

article 3

Amazon.com by John K.

Hello class, this is John K. I will be presenting about Amazon.com on wednesday. Here is a controversy I have found on amazon. The first article is from 2007 and descripes what the issue was with the Humane Society of the United States(HSUS) against Amazon.com and the 2nd article is recently in 2008 on what has happened so far in this case. Hopefully you guys can read both to understand how the case has progressed, but if not i'll gladly explain in class during my presentation . Thanks. Here are the links if you guys don't want to read them off this page
Article 1:http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/amazonvshsus
Article2:http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/05/19/daily9.html


Article 1:

September 28, 2007
Amazon.com is in the cross hairs of an inquiry by the Humane Society of the United States this week. The web company sells two magazines that deal with cockfighting.

The Feathered Warrior and The Gamecock carry ads for blades that are attached to the birds' legs – which HSUS reps say constitutes the sale of illegal contraband.

Amazon contends the first amendment protects the mags, since cockfighting is still legal in two US states. But the HSUS had this to say.

Freedom of speech is a historically strong defense - and since two states still allow the fights, the mags in question technically still have markets for which they aren't advertising contraband. But does that make it permissible?

What do you think? Let us know by posting a comment or video response below, or emailing us at news@zootoo.com.


Article 2:

The Humane Society of the United States has claimed a partial victory in its fight to remove a magazine devoted to cockfighting from Amazon.com Inc..

Last year, the Humane Society sued the Seattle online retailer (NASDAQ: AMZN), claiming that selling "The Gamecock" magazine violated misdemeanor provisions of the Animal Welfare Act.
In an agreement announced Tuesday, the Washington D.C.-based animal protection organization said it's reached a settlement with the publisher of "The Gamecock," who agreed to eliminate all advertisements for fighting animals, knives and "illegal paraphernalia." The magazine also won't be sold on Amazon.com for a year, until the publisher demonstrates compliance with federal law, according to the Humane Society.

But the animal rights group said Amazon officials have "vowed to fight on in the case," a position the animal rights group called "bizarre."

"Amazon cannot seem to grasp that the First Amendment does not offer any defense for people who want to peddle contraband," said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for the Humane Society, in a statement.

Amazon spokeswoman Patty Smith said "Amazon.com has not entered into any settlement agreement with the Humane Society. We are in the process of reviewing their settlement agreement with the magazine publisher, but have no further comment at this time."

Hey I have some feedback

I was playing around with the website. Everyone suggested that I should post a question asking why my question was removed. Turns out I'm not the only one that that has happened to. There are two other questions asking why the questions are being removed and those questions themselves have been removed. I hope everyone looks at the website, its very entertaining as you saw today. :P

eBay is the World's online Marketplace

Hi,everyone! I am so happy that I can give a presentation about eBay.com on this Wednesday. Maybe most of you know that eBay is an online auction and shopping website. It offers an online platform where millions of items are traded each day. But do you know how to operate or use eBay? And how many of you know that the items and services about eBay exactly?? Honest speaking, I am also a beginner of using eBay. If you never use eBay before, or know a little bit about eBay, we can take the chance of this presentation to learn more details about eBay. Here is some links about eBay:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/technology/20ebay.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/us/27bridesmaid.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=5615219

Craigslist-Good or Bad

Hello everyone, as you all know. I will be presenting on Craigslist. As we all know and if you don't know, Craigslist has been the pinnacle of controversy on the world wide web.
The Good- No fee to sign up. Many postings for specific services are free. Anyone can see your posting with out being a member of craigslist.
The Bad-Many people are fraudulent in what they say on thier postings. Many ask you to send a check first before you recieve your item. Prostiution is a big problem on craigslist.
Heres some more info
HowStuffWorks "Craigslist Controversy"
As Prostitutes Turn to Craigslist, Law Takes Notice - New York Times

Xbox Live account takeovers put users at risk

Xbox live security

Gaming With an Opponent Who's 'Over There'

Xbox Live can be played all around the world

YELLOW-continued.

I'm still learning how to use this website so please disregard the post below. :P My presentation will be about Questionstream.com. It is a recently created website (recent as in a year ago). On this website anyone can create a user name and profile. You have the option of putting as much information about yourself as you please. The basic information that the website actually asks for in order for someone to sign up is: display name, email, a password, and a birthday. In order to join the blog you have to be over 13. The main purpose of this website is to allow people to ask any question and get responses from different people. Opinions are given in comment boxes which evolve into conversations between many different people. There has yet to be any controversy on this website because it is fairly new.

http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/945/851

digg.com

Hi everyone. I will be presenting on digg.com on Monday the fifteenth. Digg.com is a website where people share news they discover from the internet through links and stories. After articles are submitted they go to the "digg area" where they are voted on by diggers, or members of the site. This voting process is called digging and burying. News articles which receive numerous positive votes are then added to the site. Only the most dugg articles appear on the front page. The articles which do not generate enough positive votes are then considered buried and are not added to digg.com. A controversy which often surrounds digg.com is that users have too much control over the content being posted on the site. Some criticize the site for being an open forum where misinformation thrives. Although the site was set up to be a democratically styled news information site, many users complain that there posts have been blocked or there accounts disabled due to the posting of articles which do not reflect the views of the operators of the site. Still, many users believe digg.com is an excellent representation of what the masses are actually interested in. Several users find it refreshing and liberating that they can actually decide what constitutes as pertinent news. Here are two articles illustrating each of these views so you can decide for yourself which you agree with.

http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/webportals/fr/diggreview.htm
http://www.populartechnology.net/2006/07/problems-with-diggcom.html

BitTorrent, sharing the whole world

Hi everyone, I will give a presentation about BitTorrent on the coming Monday. BitTorrent, or maybe BT, is one of the hottest words in the cyber world. It is a file sharing protocol used to distribute large data. Usually, it is 3 or 4 times faster than the traditional download service is. Besides, a BT search engine, which is different with Google or Yahoo, can help you to search the share files on any other personal computer if it is also in the BT network. Because of its super power, just like the nuclear technology, it is till not in the good control. One of bad things it brought is that it made a “rocket ship” for the illegal copy.

Here is some information:
http://tasvideos.org/WhyBitTorrent.html
http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2005/01/13/why_bittorrent_is_a_wave.htm
http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2005_05_25b.pdf

Wikipedia

I'll be presenting Monday the 15th. Wikipedia is an online, user-editable encyclopedia. Right now the site has over two and a half million articles, all added by users of the site. This freedom to add and edit articles has contibuted to a few problems over the years. Article vandalism has occurred, but more seriously, misleading information has popped up on pages with subjects ranging from political figures to the oil industry. Several articles have been written about this issue. Please take a look at a few:

http://www.journalism.org/node/1672

http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2007/05/sand_castles_of_knowledge.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/technology/01link.html?ex=1378008000&en=2690a3850cb270d0&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Reading for next week

Hi everyone. Please keep an eye out for the articles posted by next week's presenters, and don't forget to comment (each student is required to comment at least twice each week). Your comment should identify what issues or debates arise from the article, and it should let us know which side of the issue you're on.

Also, for next week I'd like you to read the introduction to the book The Future of Reputation by Daniel Solove. I mentioned this to you before; the introduction talks about a woman whose dog pooped on the subway and who was made infamous on the internet because of the incident. The author makes a lot of interesting points about how the internet is changing our ideas about privacy and about reputation. The entire book can be found online here. You'll see links for each chapter; you just have to read the introduction (chapter one). We are going to do an in-class summary exercise involving this text, so make sure you read it carefully.

Corey

Summary of Youtube.com discussion

I am in a state of fear right now. I fear for the lives of my friends, enemies, family, pets and, more important, I fear for my own life. This is not due to the nearing prospect of nuclear war, I fear the most odd videos on earth: YouTube.Everyone knows what I'm talking about. You sit down at your computer to get some work done-maybe write a paper that was due yesterday. But, instead of working, you accidentally see the YouTube icon in your "Favorites" list. Now you're doomed. You click on the icon to just browse for a few minutes and before you know it, the day is over and you're horribly screwed.I can't tell you the number of times that I've wasted an entire day or weekend by sitting around and hearing of those dummy videos like "throwing a baby" .By the wayI saw this video , before it was deleted . I would need a NASA super computer to figure out how often I've watched a pointless video on YouTube. It can't be a good sign when I, an adult and a soon-to-be college graduate, can't budget my time around one internet web site like YouTube. But, to be fair, the site is the giant of the internet.The amount of videos on Youtube is absolutely for fun or fake audio stories.YouTube is like a pregnant woman because it carries billions of videos , so with any digital cameras falling, any uneducated persons can pick one up and film themselves doing just about anything. With the ability to rate these ridiculous videos, I find myself clicking on videos that other people find interesting or funny.The ability of this site to find topics and videos that interest us personally is scary. If the ability of a site to waste my time is this good now, I shudder to imagine what it'll be like in 20 or 30 years when I have kids. How the hell am I going to get my kid to study or get away from the computer to engage in sports? My only hope is that they'll evolve the ability to ignore the senseless and random information on the internet, because I sure don't have that ability. That summary of what I feel toward Youtube , I consider it that isn't more than learning and watching useful video . I wonder till now how people can upload their videos easily to the puplic unless they feel that those videos will be the main factor to get the "Presidency Chair".
That it's a summary of my discussion , but it's not the description of how Youtube looks like.

Thanks ,

MAGGI YOUSSEF

dance.net

sorry it didn't post.

Here is the link

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/12/BUQ0T8SK6.DTL

Dance.net

The website I had chosen for my topic is not a very well known social networking site. The website dance.net is a social networking site that dancers young and old use to post blogs about what is new in the dance world and asks for advice when they have a question on a technique or a step. The site allows dancers to post pictures of things they have done or even videos. Other members of the site then critique or give advice on what they see. Considering my site is not very well known I found articles that talk about other social networking sites that help artists in todays world. The first one being posted is a social networking site that MC Hammer is starting with a business associate that is a reminder of youtube but with more focus on dance. Making them might being able to find the next big star.

Talking about: niche communities

Hi everyone.

We've got posts below having to do with Myspace, DeviantArt, HarryPotterFanFiction, and LonelyGirl; make sure you read through the articles, and most importantly, post some comments! (Just click on the link at the end of each post that says "(0) comments".) You are only obliged to add two comments per week total (as long as they are substantial - at least 5 lines long). You can comment on anything you feel like commenting on, but each week I'll be counting to see that you have commented at least twice.

By the way, I asked you on Monday to write a quick description of the community you're working on. Rather than post these to the blog, just to prevent confusion, I'll ask you just to email them to me. And upon thinking about it some more, let's shorten the parameters: try doing your description in just 100 words. You can send me these anytime.

Corey

LonelyGIrl 15

Lonelygirl 15 is a video blogger on YouTube which began June 2006, and ended on August 1st, 2008. It was a video blogger of the life of a 16 year old Californian girl. She faced everyday matters as she faced the teenage world and her videos grew more interesting as her parents disappeared and investigations were conducted. It became one of the most popular video blogs on YouTube and brought in more than 50 million viewers. It became so popular, and viewers were so interested, that they began posting up their own blogs and comments. Viewers believed that is was “real”, as the star of Lonely Girl even created her own MySpace page in which she became in contact with her viewers. However, many fans grew suspicious and questioned if Lonelygirl was “real”. Many investigations led to the truth that Lonelygirl 15 was fake. Bree, the star of Lonelygirl 15, in reality, is a 20 year old New Zealand actress, who began these series with her screenwriter, film producer, and others characters also involved in the series. Although Lonelygirl was revealed as a fictitious blog, the storyline continued to grow on YouTube and MySpace and the videos had to be stopped. Lonelygirl 15 came out with their own website which contains all of the complete videos for fans to view and have access to.
The main controversy on Lonelygirl 15 was that it proved to be a phony. Fans grew upset as they felt they had been cheated. Many articles and interviews were conducted on this matter.
Please see the following links which include the website and articles of the controversy:
www.lg15.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/technology/13lonely.html
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/08/entertainment/et-lonelygirl8
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/11/blogophile/main1999184.shtml

Description of Harrypotterfanfiction.com

Harrypotterfanfiction.com is a website where Harry Potter fans can write their own version of the popular series. Stories either fall under the category "cannon", meaning staying true to what's already been established in the books or "A U" (alternate universe), which is basically anything goes. With A U, you can also introduce original characters into your story which leaves room for a lot of freedom with the plot line.

When you post your story on the website, other members can leave you comments about what you wrote ranging from a quick "cute story - keep writing" to long dissertations on technique and style. It's really very helpful for first time writers to be able to hear what the more experienced ones think.

In order to post on harrypotterfanfiction, you must set up an account. You just chose a penname (screen name) and password and you're set. Before any of your stories can be posted, however, it must be reviewed by certain people who operate the site called moderators. They make sure there's no content contrary to the terms of service, such as plagiarism
and graphic content. If it is satisfactory, you're story will be viewable within the next few days (if they're not too backlogged).

Your account is where you can manage your stories, view comments people have left you, and edit your favorite authors/stories. If you read something that you really like, you can save the author or story to "my favorites" were it will be easily accessible to find in the future. You can also opt to be notified whenever a favorite author posts a new chapter.

This website also offers other fun things such as quizzes, forums where you can discuss all things potter, and podcasts for you to download. All and all, this is a fun, safe, community where Potter fans can take an active part in the stories they know and love.

Summary of Classmates.com discussion

Classmates.com was one of the first social networking sites of its kind. It gives older generations the ability to contact and find old classmates that are also on the site. IT is quite different from facebook.com being that the main objective of classmates.com is to find old friends while facebook.com on the other hand lets you contact people you know, as well as don’t know. Classmates.com is a much more private website. With a double blind email system people trying to contact each other can not see the others email unless they exchange them between each other. Also being that classmates.com is a paid subscription you don’t get advertising companies looking at your profile in order to target what advertising to place on your page as you do on facebook.com. However there is a downside to classmates.com. Being that you do have to pay to get the full benefits of classmates, many people seek use in free social networking sites like facebook.com or myspace.com, sites which probably offer more features and they’re free of charge. I believe that if classmates.com would like to keep up with their competitors they will have to be willing to make it free for all of the features on its website. Another problem with having to pay for a subscription to classmates.com is email spam. Whenever someone looks at your profile, or requests to email you, you get an email saying so and so has found you on classmates! When you click into this email, however, you are prompted to sign up for a subscription before you can contact the person. You can get many emails a day, but if you’re not going to subscribe then they are quite pointless. PC magazine actually rated classmates.com one of the worst sites when it comes to canceling subscriptions because even after you cancel your account on classmates.com you continue to get annoying spam emails.
What it comes down to is in order for classmates.com to keep its status as one of the top social networking sites, they would have to give free memberships with all of the features available, as well as find a way to stop annoying spam emails.

MySpace tightens age restrictions

MySpace tightens age restrictions

The website has no way of verifying the age of membersSocial networking website MySpace.com plans to introduce restrictions on how adults contact teenagers on the site.
The changes aim to make it more difficult for users more than 18 years old to befriend 14 and 15 year olds that they did not previously know.
A 14-year-old girl in the US is currently suing the site after she said she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old who she met on MySpace.
The website says the new restrictions are unrelated to the case.
Huge growth
Earlier this year, the website was criticised by parents groups and authorities, who said that the site was not doing enough to protect younger members.
Earlier this year the site introduced adverts warning teenagers about the dangers of sexual predators on the web and appointed a security chief to oversee child safety on the site.

MySpace tackles teen safety
MySpace began as a webpage for music fans but has been transformed into a site where users can chat and share interests online.
It was bought last year by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation for $580m (£315m).
Users put up personal profiles, including photos, which are searchable by any of its 87 million users.
Members can build up a network of online friends by inviting other users to join their group. Alternatively, other users can ask to befriend a member by submitting a request to them.
Personal details
At the moment, children of 13 and under are prevented from setting up an account.
The site also only shows partial profiles of 14 and 15 year-olds unless the viewer is already on their list of friends.

Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace for $580m (£315m)
The partial profiles show the gender, age and city of the user.
Full profiles can include schools, hobbies and any other interests that a user chooses to disclose.
At the moment, MySpace has no way of verifying the age of users.
In March this year, two men were arrested in the US over sex charges after they allegedly used MySpace to meet two girls aged 11 and 14.
A 14 year old girl form Texas is also suing the owners of the website for $30m (£16.2m) after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 19 year old man she met on the site.
The lawyers representing the girl claim the site does not do enough to protect minors.
Site changes
The new restrictions aim to make it more difficult for older users to befriend younger members previously unknown to them.
Users of 18 and above will no longer be able to request to be added to a 14 or 15 year-old's group of friends unless they already know the teenager's e-mail address or full name.
Members will also be given an option that will mean they can only be contacted by users within their age group.
In addition, all users, no matter what their age, will also be given the option of making only partial profiles available to people they do not know.
MySpace say they also intend to change the way it targets advertising that will mean that younger users will not see adverts for gambling, dating and other adult themed sites.
The new restrictions are expected to be introduced next week.

RE; Facebook

I just had a thought about unknowingly appearing in a photo posted by another member of Facebook. Would the poster of that photo be liable for any damages arising from his/her "unauthorized" use of your likeness? Facebook does raise some interesting points regarding privacy...

DeviantArt's Virtual Community...

Hey Everyone,

My presentation on Wednesday is going to be based on the popular art website, Deviantart. Some of you perhaps never heard of it before. Deviantart started on August 7, 2000, which isn’t so long ago; the amount of people joining this website is gradually increasing and as of right now there are over 8 million members. I believe it is a great community where artists all over the world can share their artworks with one another; sometimes seeing other pieces of art can inspire you to expand your creativity towards your own work. It is a great site to express yourself and to share with others your exquisite talent. This website contains different forms of artwork such as photography, traditional art, painting, digital art, literature, animation, and filmmaking. Each member of Deviantart has their own homepage, where they can customize their own artwork; they also have a personal journal, where they can comment and explain their own collection of pieces. Other members are gladly able to leave their own opinions or comments as well. Any piece of artwork will cause different reactions to different people. On the site, people are able to give you constructive criticism on how to improve your art and designs; sometimes peoples’ opinions can help to enhance your mind to view or see things in a whole different perspective.

Here is an article I found about Deviantart:

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/06/67955

Feel free to comment on my blog. Thanks.. :)

~Antesh

Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Hi All,

Here are some articles pertaining to my upcoming discussion on Harry Potter fan fiction. The first is from "Wikipedia", the second is from "The Wall Street Journal". Enjoy!

~Kat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_fan_fiction (I copied the part specifically about "fan fiction". Also included in the link is a bunch of other cool stuff about Harry Potter fan comunities, so feel free to have a look. Could be fun...

Fan Fiction

"Rowling has backed fan fiction stories on the Internte, stories written by fans that involve Harry Potter or other characters in the books. A March 2007 study showed that "Harry Potter" is the most searched-for fan fiction subject online. Some fans will use canon established in the books to write stories of past and future events in the Harry Potter world; others write stories that have little relation to the books other than the characters' names and the settings in which the fan fiction takes place. On FanFiction.Net, what has been referred to as the "granddaddy of fan-fiction sites", there are over 370,000 stories on Harry Potter. There are numerous websites devoted solely to Harry Potter fan fiction. Of these, FictionAlley.org has grown to be one of the largest: it hosts over 80,000 stories and 20,000 works of fan art. A well-known work of fan fiction is The Shoebox Project, created by two LiveJournal users. Over 5000 people subscribe to the story so that they are alerted when new posts update the story. The authors' works, including this project, were featured in an article in the The Wall Street Journal discussing the growth in popularity of fandoms.
Rowling has said, "I find it very flattering that people love the characters that much." She has adopted a positive position on fan fiction, unlike authors such as Anne McCaffrey or Anne Rice who discourage fans from writing about their books and have asked sites like FanFiction.Net to remove all stories of their works, requests honored by the site. However, Rowling has been "alarmed by pornographic or sexually explicit material clearly not meant for kids," according to Neil Blair, an attorney for her publisher. The attorneys have sent cease and desist letters to sites that host adult material. Potter fan fiction also has a large following in the slash fiction genre, stories which feature homosexuality that does not exist in the books. Famous pairings include Harry with Draco Malfoy or Severus Snape, and Remus Lupin with Sirius Black. Harry Potter slash has eroded some of the antipathy towards underage sexuality in the wider slash fandom.In the fall of 2006, Jason Isaacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy in the Potter films, said that he had read fan fiction about his character and gets "a huge kick out of the more far-out stuff."

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115836001321164886-Cled0vmX0d4M0mDQQvEU9VSfC6I_20070917.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top (Wasn't sure if this one would open - gave me some trouble- so I copied the text. Hope it's not too long.)


Rewriting the Rules of Fiction

Amateur authors writing tales about favorite characters are drawing big audiences and landing book deals. Meet Harry Potter's grandparents.
By JOHN JURGENSENSeptember 16, 2006
She writes about a group of young wizards attending the Hogwarts School. She has legions of readers throughout the world.
Her name is Hannah Jones, and she's 19 years old.
Fan fiction, stories by amateur writers about characters from their favorite books, movies and television shows, was once mainly a fringe pursuit. Now, it's changing the world of fiction, as Internet exposure helps unknown authors find mainstream success. Some Web sites are attracting unprecedented numbers of readers and, in some cases, leading to book deals. They are also feeding the appetites of readers and viewers who can't get enough of shows like "Lost" or "House."
There's a librarian in Rathdrum, Idaho, who spent 10 years posting her writings about a character from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" online; Simon & Schuster paid her a $150,000 advance to publish the works as a three-novel trilogy. In Brooklyn, N.Y., a free-lance copy editor has become one of the Web's best-known "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" fan-fiction writers, and has landed a three-book publishing deal for a young-adult fantasy series. When a comic-book store manager in New Jersey decided to take his first stab at fan fiction this year, entering a contest sponsored by Showtime's "The L Word," he got the attention of a literary agent, who signed him last month. And Ms. Jones will soon have her first book published.
One sign of the growing influence of these authors and stories is that media companies, usually quick to go after people who use their copyrighted material, are increasingly leaving fan fiction writers alone. Mindful of the large, loyal audience the writers represent, many companies are adopting an attitude one media professor describes as "benign neglect." While most professional writers say their lawyers advise them not to read fan fiction to protect themselves against charges of plagiarism, some say they check the numbers of fan fiction stories posted about their work regularly as a measure of their success.
The rise of fan fiction is part of the spread of amateur-created content online, from viral videos to music playlists and blogs. Increasingly, audiences have become used to watching videos posted by other users on sites such as YouTube and MySpace. Reading fiction online is another extention of this trend.
Ms. Jones, who has been writing fan fiction since she was about 11 years old, got her start writing about TV shows and movies like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," but took off in the fan-fiction world when she moved into "Harry Potter." The J.K. Rowling series is by far the biggest source for fan-fiction stories on the Web now, dwarfing franchises such as "Star Wars."
ALTERNATIVE PLOTS

• The Journal's John Jurgensen discusses the roots of the fan-fiction movement.
• See some of the most-popular fan fiction on the Web.
Ms. Jones is best known for a series called "The Shoebox Project," which she writes under the name "Jaida" with a writer named "Rave." The story is a prequel of sorts, focusing on Harry Potter's now deceased parents, along with two other wizards, Remus and Sirius, imagining them as teenage wizards finding themselves in high school during the 1970s. Interspersed in the text of the stories are scrawled notes that look like they were written by the characters themselves.
In one critical turning point in the series, Harry's grandparents are killed by Death Eaters, minions of the dark lord Voldemort -- a plot point that mirrors the killing of Harry's parents, described in Ms. Rowling's series. But Ms. Jones says she was chagrined to learn later about an interview with Ms. Rowling where the author told readers that Harry's grandparents had died of natural causes.
The series, which Ms. Jones began the summer before her freshman year at Barnard College in 2004, is up to 25 sections and the equivalent of 600 pages. While Ms. Jones says it's impossible to track how many individual readers her entries have, nearly 5,000 people have signed up to be automatically notified whenever she posts a new part on LiveJournal.com, the Web community favored by many fan fiction writers. Each installment generates hundreds of reader comments and reviews.
Ms. Jones was contacted by Frank Fradella, an author running his own small independent book-publishing company, New Babel Books, who had read her work on LiveJournal. Next month, he's publishing her first print book, a collection of poetry called "Cinquefoil."
Like virtually all fan fiction, "The Shoebox Project" was created without the permission of the author or publisher. Many authors don't object to the fan-fiction surrounding their work, seeing it as a sign of a devoted audience rather than an act of copyright infringement.
Meg Cabot, author of "The Princess Diaries," says she herself was once a fan-fiction writer, writing stories inspired by Anne McCaffrey's fantasy novels about dragons when she was in high school and college. "I never told anyone. I've started admitting it now," she says. She says she was delighted to discover that her books had inspired hundreds of stories by fans.
Although Ms. Cabot says she occasionally goes online to see the tally of "Princess Diaries" and "Mediator" fan-fiction stories, she says she never reads them. Legal advisers warned that if she did read fan fiction, she'd be opening herself to potential lawsuits from fans who could claim she'd stolen their ideas.
Some authors take a less friendly view of the genre, however. "No matter how flattering, it's still robbery," says fantasy novelist Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, whose vampire works have inspired a number of fan-fiction writers. She estimates that her attorney has sent out about 20 "cease and desist" letters to writers and owners of fan sites. Ms. Yarbro says this has caused some of the writers and sites to take their stories down.
For much of its history, fan fiction centered on the science-fiction and comic-book worlds. While the subject matter of fan fiction has expanded greatly, to include everything from "Desperate Housewives" to the Bible, the genre has several entrenched tropes. Many stories take the form of prequels, imagining the back stories of central characters. Crossover fantasies also have long been a key element of fan fiction, pairing characters from different books or shows.
"Shippers" (the term is believed to be derived from "relationship") are writers that explore -- and often invent -- relationships between characters. A subgenre of this is "slash," which creates gay relationships between characters such as Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from "Star Trek." Slash fiction is often sexually graphic, and fan fiction's association with slash has made some mainstream authors and TV networks wary of it.
Increasingly, however, media companies, undeterred by the stigma of slash, are looking for ways to capitalize on fan fiction and its large audience. A company called FanLib is working with networks and publishers to create fan-fiction promotions and contests for books and TV shows.
FanLib recently launched a romance-writing contest with HarperCollins's Avon imprint. "We're looking for ways to reach the real core readers," says Liate Stehlik, Avon's senior vice president and publisher. To avoid copyright problems, they had writers create chapters of a novel from scratch, instead of basing them on one particular book.
FanLib's first high-profile project was a fan writing contest earlier this year devoted to "The L Word," a Showtime drama about a group of lesbian characters. FanLib Chief Executive Chris Williams says that 20,000 people registered on the contest site, where one of the show's writers assigned scenes.
The possibility of being discovered was a motivation for aspiring novelist Ervin Anderson, who was one of the seven contest winners and the only male to win. The manager of a comic shop outside Philadelphia called Fat Jake's Comicrypt, Mr. Anderson, 35, works on his own fiction at night. He was a casual watcher of "The L Word," but when the contest was announced in the spring, he saw it as chance to get an audience with industry professionals. In the second week of the contest, voters picked one of his scenes, which touched on eating disorders and mental illness. "Being a straight male, I wasn't sure I could compete. But everyone was very welcoming," he says.
With press clippings about the "L Word" contest in hand, he met with a literary agent and signed a contract in July. He's also entered the HarperCollins contest, and has read four romance novels by popular author Julia Quinn to prepare. "As a struggling writer, you've got to take advantage of every opportunity afforded to you. You really never know where your break is going to come from," he says.
At the same time, however, many fan-fiction writers shield their identities online and keep their pursuit secret from friends and colleagues. Meredith Elliott, who works at a theater company in Vancouver, British Columbia, has a following for her writings based on the TV show "House," but has only told her mother about her hobby.
"There's a sense of guilt. I always feel that I should not be using somebody else's characters and should be doing my own writing," she says. "But then I remember I am doing my own writing."
Write to John Jurgensen at john.jurgensen@wsj.com