Unit reflections

This Unit overall has been a great challenge to me on many levels.

I have been challenged to think in ways i have not considered before. Deep thinking of motives and intent come to mind. In materials i read and the materials i publish. Critical thinking on a level i never did before:)
I will for one take some new skill set's with me after this module that i can hopefully apply in my further studies and the real world.

Boolean searching was a great aid, and its something i will use a lot in the future.
Its very hard to sum mate this course but i believe i am that little bit wiser than when i started....

Now that's not something you achieve everyday!

Module 5!

Information Ecologies

For the last module we have been asked to give some reflections on questions asked about Information ecologies. Here are my response after reading the materials.

The first question is -
How might the metaphor of an ‘ecology’ impact on the way you think about, understand or use the Internet?

After reading the 2 articles, i was a little overwhelmed with the the concepts put forth. I think i grasped the 'meat' of the article but struggled a little with the intricacies.
Ecology, before these examples, was only a reference to the physical world. But after some deeper thought i can somewhat put into perspective in regards to information ecologies.
The 'net' being the new ecology, or the environment of the ecology is mind altering. I now look at the internet with a different perspective. The idea of information pollution, biased company propaganda being a great example. What i take from this in my sphere is that all the information available is shaping our new ecology. We have to look at information and its use carefully. Who controls it and who alters it. Being part of this ecology myself, as in this course, i see the importance of data exchange and the quality of it.
It really does give me a greater understanding of the new world we live. We must guard it and really take measures to qualify data we use. Accessibility needs to be addressed as well in countries with baron "ecologies".


How are the concepts ‘information’ and ‘communication’ understood within the framework of an ‘information ecology’?

Information within this model is the living creature within a physical world. It is ever changing, being created and also dissipating. It is the variable in the model. Communication on the other hand is not the major underpinning of the information ecology. It is more of a semantic, necessary of course but it merely refers to the way information is passed. Communication is the way the information is passed either via e-mail, posted document or even a web log.

Why don’t we talk of a ‘communication ecology’?

I guess we don't because, form what i understand, its not the method of how the information is conveyed, but the more the message or information.
Data, Information is the key element here.
Just like the real world ecology, the tangible is the real elements concerned. The method of how the creatures get around is not as important as the creatures themselves. The creatures existence and purity of lineage. Just like information in this current day!

Organising search information task

The tools i use to record my websites is just the bookmark built into Firefox.
And all my captures are taken with Hypersnap, which was referred to me by a classmate. I use these tools for there simplicity of their interfaces.

1st Site URL http://www.dodge.com/en/2008/charger/
Author N/A
Institution (company) Dodge




2nd Site URL http://www.chargerforums.com/
Author N/A
Institution N/A



3rd Site URL http://www.edmunds.com/dodge/charger/review.html
Author N/A
Institution N/A (Edmunds)




Evaluating the Web

For this evaluation, i had a rather simplistic source to deal with. In hindsight i would have searched on something a bit deeper than cars. I now feel like Shallow Hal.
But none the less. These sites can still be reviewed! But for this example i will refer to a site used in my Assignment.

Netiquette Guidelines, http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt

The reliability of this site is probably one of the most credible examples i used.
The author a distinguished engineer, wrote this document as a guidelines document. And has been adopted by many as just that.
Though somewhat dated, the information pertains to effective dialog decorum across communication channels on the net. EG- E-mail, forums, etc.
The main purpose of this site is to educate, and help establish a basic set of best practice rules in the workplace and home for communicating online. It goes into a thorough breakdown of the different communication semantics.


Record your reflections in your learning log.

From typing a annotation versus taking a snapshot, i would have to say for future academic references, annotating would have to be the best form of condensing information. By this i mean, effective annotation really helps you, and others, find what sites are really helpful on a subject matter.
I dont think a screen shot is anywhere near effective. Probably fine for recreational matter, but not for academic purposes.

Boolean Search Task

So after reviewing the task, i went on and decided to use Google as it facilitates Boolean logic searching.

dodge or charger returned 9,660,000 Results
+dodge +charger returned 7,800,000 Results
dodge -charger returned 114,000,000 Results
-dodge charger returned 11,100,000 Results
(dodge OR charger) returned 258,000,000 Results
dodge AND charger returned 9,660,000 Results ==== To first search

OK, now i used Google scholar to search for scholarly sites, this might be funny.
dodge charger returned 989 Results



And for interest sake, i researched the Curtain Library site and got 105 results, searching dodge or charger:)



Boolean operators, are a fantastic option to know.
Especially when there are more variable needed to be inputted.
You can really refine your search to exclude a lot of the obvious omissions
by default your search would retrieve.

Search Engine Task

For this task i went back to trusty old google.
The word i used to search for is the car im looking to purchase next, dodge challenger.
Google came back to me in the blink of an eye and said it had 9.8 million pages for me. The first site was www.dodge.com/en/2008/challenger/ - 49k the official dodge page.



First thing i noticed how long coppernic took, longer than google. It came back with 710 results which is also a lot less than google. Also the first 5 results were junk. Dealer sites and even a link to a ford dealership??



From this first example, i don't think Coppernic will get my vote. It was slower and less accurate than Google. Enough said.

Module 4 - Task 1

Out of the applications listed which i didn't already have, Coppernic was the first app i downloaded.
It was a decent enough application but i found the standalone interface a little cumbersome. The idea of having to run an application besides a web browser was a little off putting. Now putting that aside it does a good job of searching, but with back to back searching with Google, found Google a lot easier to navigate.
And also with coppernic i got a lot of repeat entries in the search.
Also the thought of having to pay for a search engine (if i upgraded to full features) is definitely not to my tastes. You know "Web 2.0" and stuff:)

The second application i chose to install was Pagesucker. I just loved the creative name!
It was a painless 1.7meg download and install.
The first site i asked it to "suck" was my local weather page, it actually took a really long time to my surprise. So long i stopped it! So i tried a different site, something a bit simpler, same thing. So i went and had a coffee and came back. Still going! OK so i stopped and went to see what Page-get-stucker had done. And after opening the copied index.html file i was surprised on all the content it made available offline. Nearly the whole site!
This is a handy tool for my next flight, i will suck down some of my favorite websites so i can read them while flying, it actually is useful albeit a bit clumsy in operation.

WEB 2.0

Web 2.0?

Well a lot is written by people about web 2.0. But it is just a coin phrase? Well kind of i think. Sure i see the comparisons given by O'Reilly and others but i am still of the understanding that it is just the web. The web growing up and maturing into an adult. If people want to call it 2.0 so be it.
But by looking at the principles of change from the early days to now, there are some definite progressions and changes that have occurred.
Basically web 2.0 talks about the web becoming more of an interactive world with less treading on the people so to speak. Like Google being a great service and not having to pay. People will always go for the free option if it is any good. More and more of the online world is seeing this and addressing the blatant early profiteering. User needs are now shaping the online services of the future.

When i opened up the 2 different pages, there was a clear presentation difference between the 2. The simple HTML page was clearly just a list with all the links simply executed. There are a lot of potential use ability issues with this. The site take for granted that we read English for one. The Blinklist site on the other hand was graphically pleasing and well laid out. With some great features. I guess Web 2.0 for this example.
But in all honesty, if i was looking for pure information, the plain HTML (web 1.0) would have been my selection.

Blogs

Blogs..blogs and more blogs.

Prior to this unit of study blogs was a medium i never really ventured into. I knew of them but never was an active reader or contributor on any of them.
And to be honest i cant see myself staying a blogger much after this study unit.
I can see how they can be a great tool for writing travel logs and creative pieces and i do understand how they are very useful to some. But for me im not much for pouring myself onto a page. Maybe im lazy:( Or maybe its not the medium i enjoy using. One or the other i think my blogging career in the near future will be limited.

I prefer to e-mail my dialogs or log on to facebook and rant there. Just my personal preference and circumstances.

But from looking at other peoples blogs, most notably a couple of classmates, i can see a definate use for blogs. For creative writing it definitely provides a great medium to get there juices flowing, and gives them a big potential audience. It would also be great for clubs to have a noticeboard or place for everyone to post happenings in a simple format which i came across a few times. This just being a few of the potential uses.

Blogging can be a great tool to get your voice heard, but i guess im more of a whisperer:)

Concepts Assignment

Assignment: Conceptual Research & Reflection Project

7. Netiquette

“Good communication practice on the Internet is not something one 'learns', but something one 'practices' so as to teach others, less familiar than yourself, how it is done.” (Allen, N.D)

Definition:

“Netiquette is all about etiquette on the internet. Think of it as rules of good behaviour adopted for electronic communication via e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms and discussion forums,” (Sullivan, 2002).

Netiquette, I find, is a work in progress. It somewhat parallels etiquette in our tangible world, but with the obvious distinction of being related to the rules of communication on the internet with the online community. It encompasses mainly two-way communications like e-mail, newsgroups, forums, IRC and a lot of other chat communities. There is also the netiquette of static sites like webpages and websites to consider.

In my time on the net, I have come across a lot of different online communities. Most notably, I was an active participant on an Australian dirt bike forum (dirtbike world). There was no enforced netiquette except for common sense. And, to my knowledge, there is no FAQ on what is or is not acceptable. For the most part, the online chats went on without much of a hiccup, but there was always the odd new person (Newbie) or someone just there to start an argument (Flamer).

Suffice to say, from my experience, there are definite underlying dos and don’ts across the different communities online. For example, in this unit of study’s online discussion wall, it would probably not be appropriate to talk about our upcoming romantic date. Also not appropriate is using profanity or starting a public argument which is widely a no-no regardless of the forum. It’s also a written rule in the document published by Sally Hambridge “Don't get involved in flame wars. Neither post nor respond to incendiary material,” (Hambridge, 1995). The main netiquette standards document (which is a little dated) published by Sally Hambridge of the Intel Corporation is one of the only adopted general netiquette guidelines. Most are common sense but some are also peculiar to the online world only.

Problems with Netiquette

First, besides some loosely followed documents around the web, there is no concrete netiquette standard as a whole. Forget anyone being able to enforce an online etiquette across the web. Unlike the world we live in, online communities have an anonymity about them. “Anonymity allows people to hide behind their computers while saying whatever they want with little ramification,” (Grohol, 2006). Second, no one really knows who the other is, aside from their respective online personas. Some people take this as a ticket to be as rude or as judgmental as they like with no fear of consequence.

There was a case of an internet hoax written in the media (MSNBC, 2007) whereby a woman created a Myspace account for an imaginary boy and then befriended a girl with whom her daughter had a disagreement. She then cultivated a relationship with the girl under her fabricated male profile and went on to sever all ties with the girl. She later wrote malicious things about the young girl and because of this act, the girl committed suicide. This story just goes to show how the once detached online world is now very intertwined with our physical world. There is also now a need for consequence and action for our behaviours online.

This is not only limited to sites like Myspace but also all facets of online activity. Our e-mail is also a huge medium which the majority of us use. E-mail is probably one of the main areas where netiquette is most practiced. Or, at least it should be. My experience in the workforce has taught me not to forward on certain messages and to discern when something is acceptable to post to a mass audience.

Annotations.

SITE 1, Netiquette Guidelines, http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt

The author of this document is Sally Hambridge, a network engineer for the Intel Corporation. You can read her brief bio here.

This document being rather broad-based is probably one of the most used foundation resources for netiquette available on the net. And, as such, would have to be one of the most credible resources to follow.

Many sights link to this document for their netiquette guidelines.

This sight gives a great reference for e-mail use and also for online forums and discussions. It covers most forms of communications – on the web, one-to-one and one-to-many.

SITE 2, Business Netiquette International, http://www.bspage.com/1netiq/Netiq.html

This site: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21844203/ written by Frederick of the Pearman Cooperation Alliance is mainly designed for businesses and organisations for their own corporate netiquette applications. He is a public speaker, independent business mentor and coaching professional.

The site has good links and also some really good examples of netiquette.

It draws on other referenced sources, and I find it summates online business communications thoroughly and is written for the lay person.

Many universities around the world have adopted his standards as their own or as a reference, giving the document credibility.

It also has a lot of listed contributors which shows a good revision history over the last ten years.

Bibliography

Allen, M. (n.d). Internet Communications, Concepts Document Netiquette.

Retrieved July 23^rd, 2008 from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home.

Associated Press. (2007). Mom: Girl killed herself over online hoax. Retrieved July 22^nd, 2008, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21844203/

Grohol, John, M. (2006). Anonymity and Online Community.: Identity Matters. Retrieved July 22^nd, 2008, from http://www.alistapart.com/articles/identitymatters

Hambridge, S. (1995). RFC 1855: Netiquette Guidelines. Retrieved July 22^nd, 2008,

from http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt

Pearce, F. ( 2002). Business Netiquette International. Retrieved July 22^nd, 2008, from http://www.bspage.com/1netiq/Netiq.html

Sullivan, Brian (2002, March). Netiquette. Computerworld, 36(10), 48. Retrieved July 23, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 110226640) http://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?did=110226640

Wikipedia (n.d). Newbie and Flamer definition pages. Retrieved July 22^nd, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbie and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_(Internet)

13. Communication is not complete upon receipt

“The key to effective email management is to consistently and conscientiously respond to and act upon the email you receive, while recognising that others may not be as efficient as yourself.” (Allen, n.d).

As experienced internet users, it is our responsibility to respond to correspondence within a timely manner. Hand-in-hand with response is the ability to determine what merits a reply in due time and what messages are able to be pondered upon.

This may sound simple in theory, but many still don’t have a grasp on the requirement of e-mail and its related etiquette.

There are also other factors involved with e-mail messages. Is the recipient apt enough to respond properly? Is the information clear and concise? Will the recipient be able to view the message?

“Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the sender might only be able to receive plain text emails,” (E-Mailreplies.com, n.d).

To make sure we take away the technical potential for problems, we should make our messages and replies as user friendly as possible.

As a general rule, most work e-mails that deem a reply need to be acted upon as soon as possible, consistently. If someone rang you on the telephone and asked you to let them know if you were coming to a party tomorrow, would you simply ring them back two days later?? Probably not, and the same rule applies to e-mail.

If we simply receive something with no reply, and it beckons a reply, we are closing down that line of communication. It might be perceived that the message was not read, or worse, not worthy of a response. This will certainly effect future communications.

“E-mail is instant communication. Your prospects want to know what you can offer them right now. While you may not respond to their inquiries the moment you receive them, you need to respond in a timely manner, within 24 hours,” (Casperson, 2001).

What Casperson has stated is imperative for good business practice. It also transpires into other facets of our e-mail accounts, be it work or personal. I find that the key is to relate it to a traditional communication medium and respond accordingly. Common sense is always a good rule of thumb.

When it comes to sending e-mail, we normally require a response, or at least desire one. What happens when they don’t reply promptly? We often assume that we are not important enough for a reply, we have been placed on the backburner, or they didn’t receive it. This will, in turn, blur the communication process. So, we need to take into account the person to whom we are sending it. He may be extremely busy and not have seen it, or might have seen it and planned on getting around to it at a later date. Either way, we have to try and put ourselves into that person’s shoes to understand where he is coming from. That way, we can choose how to effectively communicate with him in the future.

TIP-

“If you want the other person to do something, say so clearly. If you are simply passing information, say so, then the other person will know he need not reply. You can do this simply, by putting the letters "FYI" right at the start ,” (Skyrme, 1999).

An example of this from my career is a customer of mine – whenever I write to her, she will never reply in a timely manner unless she’s having a problem. She will, however, always respond when something’s gone askew. I am consistent as a rule in response to them. But, the one time I was on holiday and did not write back, she rang me within 24 hours. So, my past report with them was such that she had interpreted my lack of response as a sign of my being too busy for them. My responses in the past indeed were noticed and expected within a certain timeframe, unbeknown to me until that moment. Basically, people and standards with mail response differ – just be consistent.

Annotations.

SITE 1, The Psychology of Cyberspace, http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/emailrel.html

This site is written by John Suler, PHD, who is a psychologist.

To see his full bio click here.

Suler’s site contains a wealth of information for effective communication via e-mail. It delves deep into e-mail relationships and has excellent examples on e-mail etiquette.

His writings are used and referenced by many reputable organisations like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The article was published for psychotherapists and is a reference for online counselling.

Though mainly written about relationships, his writings transpire to all facets of effective communication thru e-mail.

SITE 2, E-Mail Etiquette, http://www.cit.gu.edu.au/~davidt/email_etiquette.htm

David Tuffley, the author of this site is a lecturer at the school of ICT at Griffith University. One of his major streams is in the research of Ethics in IT practice.

His academic credentials range from many acknowledged publications in the IT discipline at the university he teaches and also in the public sector.

The site gives another perspective breakdown on e-mail use. It also helps people understand better practice for e-mail use and deciphers some of the acronyms used in today’s e-mail.

Although not a long article, it does summate proper e-mailing techniques and effective communication in an easy to comprehend manner.

Bibliography

Allen, M. (n.d). Internet Communications, Concepts Document Netiquette.

Retrieved July 25^th, 2008, from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home.

EmailReplie.com (n.d). Email Etiquette. Retrieved 25^th July, 2008, from http://www.emailreplies.com/

Casperson, Dana, M (2001, May). E-etiquette. Executive Excellence, 18(5), 12. Retrieved August 3, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 73186244). Retrieved 25^th July, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?index=13&did=73186244

Skyrme, David, J (1999). Effective E-Mail Guide. Retrieved 25^th July, 2008, from http://www.skyrme.com/tools/email.htm#what

Suler, John (2003). Psychology of Cyberspace. Retrieved 25^th July, 2008, from http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/emailrel.html

Tuffley, David (2007). E-Mail Etiquette. Retrieved 25^th July, 2008, from http://www.cit.gu.edu.au/~davidt/email_etiquette.htm

26. Privacy and Security

“The Internet is a profoundly ‘open’ system and advanced Internet users are cautious about either accepting or sending material from and to unknown sources and are careful in releasing information about themselves in any form. Conceptually, the Internet challenges us to take greater responsibility for the protection of privacy and security than perhaps we are used to when dealing with the media,” (Allen, n.d).

Security is probably the number one concern of most users on the internet today! Is this site secure? Do I have a virus? Is it safe to give this company my details?

Working in the service industry for ten years, if I had a dollar for every time the above questions were asked of me, I would probably be a rich manJ.

In my opinion, I would have to say these questions are extremely valid. Being an experienced user, the common privacy and security issues are generally not a concern for me. But in reality, if someone really wants to get your information, there is no way of stopping them while you connected to the internet.

“However, there is no single cyber security practice or technological solution that will prevent online crime. These recommended cyber security practices highlight that using a set of practices that include Internet habits as well as technology solutions can make a difference,”(Staysafeonline.org, n.d).

As stated above, one can see that there is no magic bullet when it comes to internet crime. The only solution is to not go online! However, there are many steps that can reduce your vulnerability to the bulk majority of pitfalls and dangers on the internet. Here are their listed best practices.

1. Protect your personal information. It's valuable.
2. Know who you're dealing with online.
3. Use anti-virus software, a firewall, and anti-spy ware software to help keep your computer safe and secure.
4. Be sure to set up your operating system and Web browser software properly, and update them regularly.
5. Use strong passwords or strong authentication technology to help protect your personal information.
6. Back up important files.
7. Learn what to do if something goes wrong.
8. Protect your children online

(Staysafeonline.org, n.d)

Everyday we are potentially exposed to spam, viruses, Trojans, key loggers, ad ware, phishing, scams, spy ware, and the list goes on…. Sounds scary doesn’t it? But, in all actuality, we can safeguard ourselves from the bulk majority by using a little common sense. If something is too good to be true, then it probably is! Typically, no one from across the globe is going to give you $20,000,000 for simply helping them out…..except possibly someone from NigeriaJ.

Sounds ludicrous, but people have actually fallen for this scam!

I am making reference to the well-known Nigerian e-mail scam, where some official apparently needs your help in offloading a ridiculous amount of cash for simply giving your bank account details. I have often wondered what would happen if I replied to these criminals; I know it’s a scam but I was always interested in how it would go. Read this article by Will Sturgeon who actually does.

Never give your personal details to a stranger or unknown company online. That’s simply asking for trouble! Do some research. Here in the USA, you can go to the Better Business Bureau to see if the company is reputable. It’s not a guarantee, but it does help.

A potentially overlooked privacy threat is online social sites like Myspace and Facebook. People often store a lot of personal information and details at these sites. And, once someone befriends somebody who is looking to scam him, i.e. that beautiful blonde girl from Russia who really thinks you are her perfect match but doesn’t know the first thing about you; this could be how it all starts. The person can now probably see your name, date of birth and other particulars to get ID fraud in motion. It’s that simple!

Ultimately, education to potential vulnerabilities is the key to online safety. Because of the openness of the internet, it is a great resource and melting pot of cultures and information. Like a double-edged sword, this same openness creates potential for danger. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Simple steps are all that’s needed to survive online. Think of the internet as a parallel to the real world, the world of the information age.

Annotations.

SITE 1, Google Online Security Blog, http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/

This site is authored by a collective of Google staff. Its very current and probably a very good resource due to the nature of its business. There are a myriad of articles on current security concerns as well as new security software reports. If it’s happening on the Net, then it will probably be reported here.

The site has lots of links to various reputable sights for further reading. But, one has to keep in mind that there could be a bias due to obvious business interests. Overall, though, it has great coverage, and I personally read it regularly for the latest security and privacy issues.

SITE 2, US-Cert, United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, http://www.uscert.gov/

For my location in the US, this site is probably one of the best online threat education and awareness sites available. It is sponsored by the government and is a legal authority when it comes to cyber crime –kind of like the online cops for the USJ.

It is a very informative site for the technical and non-technical. It also has a lot of governmental links to laws regarding the net and current cyber crimes. I find it a great resource for anyone wanting to arm themselves with information on potential online threats. There is also a link to report crimes and fraudulent activities that one may have come across.

Bibliography

Allen, M (n.d). Internet Communications, Concepts Document Netiquette.

Retrieved July 25^th, 2008, from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home.

BBB (n.d). Better Business Bureau. Retrieved July 27^th, 2008, from http://welcome.bbb.org/

Google (n.d).Google Online Security Blog, Retrieved July 27^th, 2008, from http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/

National Cyber Security Alliance (n.d). Stay safe online, Top eight security practices. Retrieved July 27^th, 2008, from http://staysafeonline.org/practices/index.html

Sturgeon, W (2003). The Spam report. Retrieved July 27^th, 2008, from

http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/thespamreport/0,39025001,10002928,00.htm?r=4

United States DHS (n.d). US-Cert, United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, Retrieved July 27^th, 2008, from http://www.uscert.gov/

17. The impact of text-based, real-time chat

“Communicating in real-time with text enables a form of 'authoring of the self' that is similar to the processes of face-to-face speech but which is much more amenable to authorial control, experimentation and reflection. Further, text-based communication carries with it the possibility for multiple, differing conversations occurring simultaneously, relying on the ability of the human brain to deal with text much better than speech,” (Allen,n.d).

Since the inception of real-time chat, the face of what we used to consider communication has changed. Traditionally we communicated via conventional mediums such as face-to-face, paper messages, and the telephone to mention a few. But, oh how times have a changed with the creation of IRC, mIRC, SMS, Skype, MSN, etc.!

These new methods of real time text based chat applications and sites don’t do away with traditional forms of communication but are simply complimentary.

Chat can be a powerful tool for business. A new trend for companies is to a have real-time based chat for things like product support and product enquiries. Most of these places have 24-hour manning as well – offering a service that was not available before text based chat. It also has accountability because it’s easy to save online chats and go over details at a later date. “For some clients, such as people with a hearing disability, the advent of online chat has been a real breakthrough,” (Burrell, 2003).

A potential limiting factor is that not all people are comfortable typing due to lack of keyboard skills. But this is slowly becoming a worry of the past as most people’s exposure to the online world is expanding at a rapid pace.

Text based chat has also spawned a new sub-culture. Kids used to hang out at the corner shop eating ice cream and drinking soda, but now a decent proportion of teenagers are more likely to be seen hanging out at their computer screens chatting to their friends online.

In a Pew Study, researchers say that 87% of 12-18 year-olds use the internet and more than 55% of them have used chat or been on a chat site (Pew, 2006). That’s an incredible number. Chat has also spawned its own language; take a look here at this site for a primer.

The ability to overcome geographical and lifestyle hurdles make chat popular. People from all around the globe can communicate in an open dialogue, devoid of traditional limitations. Because of its anonymity as a medium, people find a level playing field to communicate. Regardless of social class, speech, appearance or any other potential stigma, people can create or entirely re-invent themselves online. Whether it is a true reflection is totally up to them. However, that’s where a problem stems. What is to stop a paedophile from pretending to be 12-year-old boy, luring kids into a false friendship with sinister motives? Nothing!

Chatting online can be advantageous on another level. Depending on competency, it is easy to engage in multiple conversations at the same time. One could be on Skype chatting to his family and at the same time, talking to a work colleague via MSN. The potential is incredible. Neither party would be aware of what is going on, therefore, no one would come across as rude or would give the appearance of submitting less than one’s full, complete attention.

In summation, I believe chat will be here for a very long time. While internet technologies like video chat and VOIP are becoming very popular, they will not make chat obsolete. Chat, with all its positives and potentials, is truly is a modern complimentary facilitator to our already expanding communication chain. As chat etiquette evolves and mobility continues to expand, this controversial medium will continue to become more mainstream and refined. I am all for making the world a smaller place, which I believe chat can help to do.

Annotations.

SITE 1, Caslon Analytics Messaging. http://www.caslon.com.au/messagingprofile.htm

This site, an Australian based site, is a very comprehensive place to find out about messaging and related issues, laws and technologies. The author of the site is Bruce Arnold who has a Masters Law Degree. He has worked in various Australian government agencies as well as in the private sector. His writings have been cited by numerous reputable organisations around the world giving him strong credibility.

I found a wealth of information on this site from definitions to analysis with studies to back up his facts. It contains a lot of useful links for notable sites and resources.

SITE 2, Chat. http://www.netalert.gov.au/advice/services/chat.html

This site is an awareness site written by the Australian government. It is designed to be a resource for parents and teachers. Information provided on this site is mainly concerned about online safety, but it also breaks down what the new technologies are, how they work, and lists the popular chat sites and softwares.

The tips provided on this site are a fantastic base to many users on the net, especially for chat related technologies. It also has links to government resources as well as phone numbers for any internet safety concerns.

Bibliography

Allen, M (n.d). Internet Communications, Concepts Document Netiquette.

Retrieved July 25^th, 2008, from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home.

Arnold, B (n.d). Caslon Analytics Messaging. Retrieved July 25^th, 2008, from http://www.caslon.com.au/messagingprofile.htm

Burrell, B (2003). Online Chat Proves Popular. Retrieved 29^th July, 2008, from http://www2.careers.govt.nz/holistic_decision-making_6.html

Australian Government (n.d). Protecting Australian Families online, Chat. Retrieved July 29^th, 2008, from http://www.netalert.gov.au/advice/services/chat.html

Madden, M (2006). Internet Impact, Page 4, Retrieved 29^th July, 2008, from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Internet_Impact.pdf

NetLingo (n.d) Internet Dictionary, Retrieved 29^th July, 2008, from http://www.netlingo.com/

FTP

The last part of the Webpage task was to FTP my site up to the Oasis server. From doing this earlier in the course (and reading the discussion board) it was relatively easy to do.

So i went ahead and fired up filezilla, entered in the credentials and the location.
It came back and said complete.

Here is the URL to my somewhat infantile webpage!

http://webct.curtin.edu.au/305033_b/student_pres/Group02/index.html

And it works!!

HTML Reflections

Creating the web page via good-ol html was fun!
As we go on with our days, not really considering what lurks beneath the web page we are viewing, this task really gives you a sense of the mechanics and technical workings behind the WWW.

I found the task not too hard, but i did have a problem with being consistent with my tags.
To be honest it was a real buzz creating and manipulating the web page. I can see it being a pain in a big project, too many codes to continually type, and being consistent.
I have used Dreamweaver before, with a little bit of HTML exposure. A WYSIWYG is a must on large scale projects. For me anyway!

Blogging is much easier. No worrying about coding and technical problems. All you have to worry about is the content and not the semantics on a site like blogger. If i had to choose between creating my own blog site versus using a place like blogger, hands down blogger would win.

Optional 'Standards' Task 2

When it came time to validate my page at W3 i had a few problems. A tag was left open and I also had to put alternative text to the images i uploaded. But besides that, it went well.





After some double checking of code, i corrected my mistakes.
Researching img tags showed me that i had to put alternative image texts which i had known from a previous HTML project. But i forgot to do it one 1 image.
Basically my issues were with improper closing of a tag and its related effects.

The page would have still worked, but accessibility may have been an issue. If someone was having issues with displaying images, my unvalidated page with a missing alternative text may not have know what the image was. A small issue, but a valid reason for failing.
And aso by not closing an earlier tag, everything below the unclosed tag was taking on its function. All text was being centered when i did not want it to.
And as you can see, the page was re validated, and tentatively passed:)

Online Chat

This task, after overcoming timezones ended up being a great experience.
Though Ive been in an online chat before, mainly voice calls with family, i was somewhat excited to try text based chat.

So me Julian, Gaynor and Janaki organized a Saturday morning chat via Skype.
We all got on and connected without an issue and proceeded to chat about a bit of everything.
It was really good to communicate with some class members... sometimes studying online can make you feel very alien to the rest of the class. Via chat and the like it helps to bridge the impersonal gap just a little bit.

Sometimes i found it a little hard to keep up with the different dialogue going on around the room. Another tricky thing was also working out who was talking to who?? Maybe its because i was a newbie or just a limitation of the medium.

From this experience i took away another first. My first real online "chat" with people i didn't know. It probably wont be my last...with school members anyway.

Independence Day!!

Well tomorrow is the 4th of July, a massive holiday here in the US.
A day of remembrance and patriotism. Also fireworks and beer!!
Well suffice to say im looking forward to it, i experienced it last year for the first time and i had a great time.
Anyway, its time for me to go, have a happy 4th!!

Newsgroups

Its been a long time since i entered a newsgroup.
I used to log onto a few newsgroups about 8-9 years ago to download movies and the like, but i don't do any of that now for moral issues (not to say legal issues).
I didn't have a newsreader installed so i went ahead and joined a google group, for ease of joining a viewing as well.
Since i am an avid Office fan i decided to join a fan group for that show.



After i joined the group i decided to ask the following question.


I basically asked the following members, if any are privy, when the show will resume and whats going to happen with Jim and Pam.
Suffice to say i kept on checking for a response but no one replied.
Maybe its the group, not being overly active, but from posting on these types of groups i find it very cumbersome and slow. I prefer forums, which on the net there are plenty off and also very active.
From what i can see, most new generation users are more likely post in forums for the stated reasons.
Forums are easier to find and navigate.
That's my opinion anyway.
Well bye for now.

Lists

What are the pros and cons of email lists versus discussion boards?
Are there certain kinds of communication or purposes more suited to one than the other?

After actually being part of many email lists in the past (eg. DBW dirtbike worls, AVS audio video science) i have probably already formed an opinion on the pros and con's. I also frequent many discussion board for troubleshooting and for product research. Whenever i buy a major purchase i normally troll around discussion boards reading peoples opinions.

Pros of e-mail list versus Discussion Boards are,

• Ability to have all the information/messages automatically sent to you.
• Anonymity to others on the list. You can just receive a list without input in discussion.
• Ease of browsing new messages.
• Can be read off line.
• No having to go online and browse boards.
  

Con's

• Sometimes large and cumbersome files.
• Receiving updates even when you don't want them.
• Can lead to being spammed!! (happened to me).
• Cant filter what you want to see.
  

Overall I'm not a fan of lists. I like to chose when i want updates and when i want to browse messages. Which i find more suited on discussion boards. They do still serve a purpose on certain requirements for people but i honestly think they are not as easy to use as discussion boards. I like being able to select what i want to view, and not have to go thru every post.

Discussion boards i find are logical and easy to navigate, and also easy for the beginner to post and contribute. Just an old school way of internet chat i guess.

E-Mail Tasks

1. What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took, can you glean from an email message?

Well to answer this question i perused threw multiple e-mails in my inbox. Looking into the e-mail after scanning the actual contents there are a few things you can gather.
Firstly you can see the address the message came from, and from this you can work out the domain of the e-mail account. eg ght@hotmail.com would be from the public email host hotmail.
By looking at the last part of the address you could Google search the name and ascertain if its from a business, private/public address or spam most of the times.

You can also work out if its from a list server and if it has a reply address the same or different from where it came.

2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the 'cc', 'bcc' and 'reply all functions of email?

The 'cc' function is a an often useful function for many. 'cc' or carbon copy is pretty much what it stands for.
In the work environment it is useful and sometimes necessary to cc managers or colleagues when dealing with people. For accountability, to show you have responded and to also keep others in the loop of progress or movements with tasks.

'bcc', or blind carbon copy is similar to cc with the major difference of not letting the recipient know that someone else has received the e-mail you have sent.
It is something that can be invasive and useful.
By invasive i mean an unaware recipient could think they are privy or exclusive to what has been sent but in actuality others also have received the same message. Which can be sometimes misleading.
But on the flip side, its useful if sending something out and you do not want people to know a certain somebody is receiving the message as well. As to not offend someone.
It still regardless is a clouded line in email etiquette.

The 'reply all' function is also a very useful and sometime annoying feature of email.
If the message in your reply is important to all on the mailing list then it simplifies the process of not having to entering all the email address's manually which can be quite time saving.
Some times this function acts as a real pain... when people just hit reply all when the information they are replying has no bearing directly on you at all! So if the the mailing list was lengthy and most people replied for example, there shoe sizes, then you would have a lot of new emails with information, as you as a fellow recipient have no point wanting. Annoying indeed!

3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

In this current day i have found that interoperability between systems is not as much of a problem as what was say 10 years ago. These days if i send document in either pdf or word documents most people should have no problem opening them. As long as the version of word is supported. For example, i save all my word documents as .doc files in office 2007 instead of .docx which word by default tries to save it as. Just in case someone doesn't have the required plug ins to open it.
Talking about plug ins, that's the real problem with sending multimedia via emails. Some files use different codecs for encoding/decoding audio and video files. And if both sender and recipient don't have the necessary software and codecs then the file can not be properly interpreted. Which can lead to problems.
So sending multimedia is always a tricky situation to the unskilled recipient who may not know how to open the file. I find it best to encode audio and video with windows media player standards so most people can easily open files i send.


4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?

In the email program i have setup, which is a public Gmail account, there is an automatic spam filter setup. This filter is in place to grab unwarranted mailings and bulk spam that i do not want to read.
I have also a filter setup to put personal email's, from my family's email address's into there own folder so i can quickly ascertain between what emails are for business and what emails are for me on a personal level.

5. How have you organized the folder structure of your email and why?

Since mainly using my g-mail account in the last couple of years, for portability reasons (can access my mail via a web portal anywhere in the world) i have not had a lot of folders setup as such.
I have one folder for family, one for work, and another for school. Any other mailing that i want i archive or leave in my in box. To find mail i always use the search function if in doubt.

Ping Pong

After the last task there was the option of further investigating of network tools.
So i decided to download A-Tools which was recommended on the syllabus.
I then went ahead and sent a ping command to the webct server.
After a few times i got an average roundtrip response of 255 milliseconds.

The response time is pretty much what i assumed it would be, within decent time but probably not as quick as what it would be for Australian based student.

Next task at hand was to run a tarceroute between my local PC and the curtin.edu.au server and record how many hops it took. Keeping in mind how many hops it took earlier from the tools site. In advance i figure my tests would be similar to earlier due to my locality here in Missouri, USA.
Below is the screen capture of my results.

As you can see above there was less hops from my local pc. 19 hops in total. This was a little surprising to me. Due to the tools server being not far from my locality i thought there would have been very close in total hops.

In summation, it just goes to show that even though all roads may lead to Rome, there are many ways to get there. Some shorter than others.
Because of so many different network topology's around the Internet, and variables such as traffic and network downtimes, there is no one way for data to travel. Data can take whatever route is available at the time. Ingenious and amazing really.

Traceroute

After some technical issues, eg- Power outages due to severe storms in the Midwest!!, i have finally came back online.
This move to the US is starting out kind off rough.
One thing you learn from being without connectivity is how dependent on the Net i actually am.
No internet = no school
= no online banking
= no bill payments
= no entertainment!
But anyway back to the job at hand.... Using traceroute.

In various employments i have partaken, traceroute was a tool i have used before. Not in any great capacity, but on the job to check connectivity issues.
For example, you could use traceroute to find out on a big network with multiple routers where your computers information routes through. Which could also lead to tell you if a particular router is not working.
For the task at hand, we had to go to a site with a hosted traceroute program. I went to the site http://centralops.net/co/
Well as you can see above in the screen capture, there was 22 hops along the way using the traceroute application.
The average time in milliseconds for a return trip from server to server is 252.3.
This the average of all three of the final columns responses.
Lastly but not least, from the traceroute tool we now discovered that the IP address for Curtain was 134.7.179.53 .

In reflection, you can see where traceroute would serve many purposes. From finding an IP address to finding the route your data travels.
The information really shows that things do a lot of work in the background for even the smallest Internet commands. These things being routers, servers and all other kind of network equipment along the way.
The internet indeed does bridge a huge gap that we are normally totally unaware of.
Now its time for me to hop of to work. Now wouldn't that look funny:)

FTP

Being somewhat familiar with FTP and FTP clients, i was already use to the interface and protocol. Filezilla was already installed on my PC so that task was taken care of. Ive used FTP before when updating some websites.
Ive found FTP to be fast and relatively painless as a whole.
For the task at hand, i had to logon to the curtain ftp site recall.curtin.edu.au. And from there look at the directory structure.

Find the file called README

Then download the file, look at it and answer the following question

"according to the readme file, '_______ MATTERS' - what word goes in the blank?"

So after browsing, i found the file in the MSC folder and not at the root as described. Which was a little bit misleading.The word that was missing in the question above was

CAPITALIZATION MATTERS!

And as described in the text document,CAPITALIZATION DOES MATTER! On a UNIX server as where the file was stored, the server is case sensistive. So if directly trying to FTP to the site via a command line, we would need to make sure our Case was rite.

First Module Tasks:)

TELNET


Well for one, the delay for me getting to this task is simple... 20 plus hours of international flight last week then having to get a broadband account setup at my US address! Pfff I now have my excuse sorted so now on to work!

Task A.


For task A i am supposed to telnet to the Deakin server... So far Vista wont let me install its telnet client so i have to persevere with another program.
So i installed Absolute Telnet and i was good to go.
I typed in the relevant address and was presented with a list of options.






I then continued to browse thru the menus until i found the author Bennahum.











From here i selected the print to e-mail option and forwarded it to my e-mail address.







Job done.......
The task overall was not a difficult one, though slightly cumbersome compared to modern search engine browsing. It does still serve a purpose for a redundant measure to access material still, but with todays GUI's and search engines i think HTTP is the protocol for the masses.



TASK B.



Now after watching Blinkinlights i was amazed...
amazed at how much effort someone went into. It was a great little presentation. But as my peers have probably noted i wish there was a fast forward button somewhere. I guess thats just one of the things as a modern net user i am used to. Having more controls available to me on the media i look at.

Now in summation, i think telnet still has a need. But that need is definitely for the masses.
Telnet's interface is foreign to very new net users. No mouse control and restricted functions. While great as a start i can see how this medium was made obsolete (for the most part) to the average user.

1ST Time

I have finally got around to entering the world of 'Blogging'.
This blog is primarily set up for the University course i am currently enrolled in and also as a bonus a social experiment... Laying my mind on the page to be openly scrutinized.

So now is the past..

Top 5 Tips for new Bloggers

These tips are valuable for writing a new blog. I, myself am extremely new to the world of blogging and can definitely say i have allot to learn. But Rome was not built in a day and neither will be my blogging prowess.

So read below for a good guideline and most of all, enjoy spilling your mind and creativity onto the page!

1. See Writing as a Skill to be developed.

A blogger needs many skills: design, seo, good relationships with other bloggers e.t.c; but, of all the skills, writing is the most important. For most blogs, it is writing that will determine the long-term success of your blog. Because of the importance of writing, it is worth spending a little time trying to improve your writing skills.

2. Choose the Right Topics

To make an impact on the web you need to be able to offer something different and unique. With so many blogs around, it is important to be able to avoid rehashing similar material that is floating around the net. The best thing to do is choose a topic that you share a genuine passion for. If you choose topics that you hope will be profitable, you may struggle for inspiration to write.

3. Write for the Benefit of your Readers

The blogs that attract me to subscribe are those who regularly offer something useful / interesting / funny. If your articles are focused on offering something to your readers, this is much better than writing for yourself or search engines. It is a mistake to try and write for search engines, they are too sophisticated. (Although, it worth considering helpful keywords from time to time). Writing for the benefit of your own ego, is also one of the easiest ways to put off readers.

4. Write in a Professional Style.

It is a mistake to feel that you are “only writing for a Blog” If you view your blog like a magazine it will help maintain a certain standard. Also, as a blogger you can open many future potential avenues of work.
Therefore, avoid delving into too much personal detail. At the same time, it can be helpful to embellish your articles with relevant personal experiences.

5. Gain Inspiration from Others

To become a good writer, don’t feel you have to be self-sufficient. Your writing will improve if you spend some time reading accomplished writers. If you can appreciate the good writing qualities of others, it will definitely help you develop as a writer. This does not mean you will seek to imitate others; this will never work. Each writer needs to develop his own style and personality, however, you can learn through others by a process of synthesis and osmosis. Gradually you will develop your writing.

Reference

http://www.netwriting.co.uk/2007/05/07/top-5-tips-writing-for-blogs/