MODELING REALITY WITH VIRTUAL WORLDS

Based on Ed Frauenheim's article, "IBM Learning Programs Get a ‘Second Life’" stated that the IBM company set up a new program for their employees to go in to the virtual world. In the virtual world, employees can test out their ideas. Employees will be free of thinking in the virtual world because it wouldn't cost anything if their ideas fail. Thus, employees can be creative since there is not much things to care of in the real world; for example, what is the effect would bring to the corporation if such ideas or plans fail. (Frauenheim, 12/17/2006.)
In the virtual world, people can create their favorite image to appear in there. According to the article that reported by CNN.com, it described that things people can't do in the real world, which can be happened in the virtual world. For instance, disabled people can be an athlete in the virtual world.(Saidi, 3/28/2008) The virtual world can help people to balance their way of thinking. Based on Saidi discussed on the article, virtual world seems like helping people to relieve stress or pressure from the real world.
I don't think that there is a "dark side" for using the virtual world. First, you don't have to tell all your truth in the virtual world, so your privacy or identity is safe enough. Second, if you don't like to communicate or socialize with such person, you can delete them from your "world" or just don't chat with them. The only bad thing that it may cause is that people may not be good in socialized with people face-to-face since they do all the typing to communicate with others on the virtual world.

Work Cited:
1. Frauenheim, ED. "IBM Learning Programs Get a 'Second Life' workforce.com." Workforce Management: information on employment law, human resource development and human resource management. workforce.com. 17 Dec. 2006. 23 Mar. 2009 http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/24/61/08.html.
2. Saidi, Nicole. "IReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 28 Mar. 2008. 23 Mar. 2009 .

SOCIAL NETWORKING

There are corporate starting to use social networking for doing their business. For instance, companies look for employees from social networking. Based on the article"Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting", Langfitt said, "Professional recruiters have started hunting for job candidates using social networking technology -- like the kind found on the popular sites MySpace and Facebook." (Langfitt)

By using these new technologies, patients can get direction to use certain treatment to fight with the disease. According to the New York Times article, Goetz discussed, "After choosing a user name and filling out a profile, Small was asked to list his symptoms and treatments. He entered the 200 milligrams of Provigil he takes daily to fight fatigue along with the Tysabri injection he takes to slow the progress of his disease. And then he clicked on baclofen, and the Web site informed him that nearly 200 patients registered at PatientsLikeMe were taking the drug." (Goetz, p.1) From the medical information website, patients can search the treatment that other patients had done with the same diseases.

There is a "dark side" of social networking if people misuse it; for example, selling illegal goods or services by using social networking. Children and/or teenagers made friends without knowing their background, which is easy to know some bad people and/or gangster throughout the communication network. Furthermore, The social networking might have a bad impact to the future because people can not communicate or socialize with others when they meet face-to-face since they chat online by using typing. Second, teenagers will have a bad writing skill because they using some short words when they chat with their friends online.

Work Cited:
1. Langfitt, Frank. "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts. 19 Mar. 2009 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522523&sc=emaf.
2. GOETZ, THOMAS. "Practicing Patients." The new york times 23 Mar. 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/magazine/23patients-t.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=goetz+practicing+patients&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=login.

MY NEW MEDIA CLASS - SO FAR

ipod, laptop, iphone, etc. are part of the new media. These new technologies are improvement of the old technologies. For instance, people using ipod to listen music instead of using the mp3 or CD player. Laptop is an improvement of desktop computer, which is easy to carry. The new technologies make life easy and fast to move on.

Internet is almost equated to new media. According to the "The New Media Technologies: Overview and Research Framework" stated that "new media technologies - often referred to as Web 2.0 - encompass a wide variety of web-related communication technologies, such as blogs, wikis, online social networking, virtual worlds and other social media forms." (Friedman, 04/05/08) All of these technology have to do with the Internet. Without Internet, people can't go online to get into the blogs, wikis, online social networking, etc. Therefore, without Internet, there is no new media.

New media are enhancing the old media because the new media improve some of the function of the old media. In the old media age, people used to buy the printed newspaper to read. Nowaday, people can read them from the Internet. Based on the article, "Who Needs a TV? I'm Watching on a Laptop" stated that "As pay newspapers lose readers to the Internet, where they can read the same articles without charge, many free papers have held their own." (Miller, B3) It seems that the new media is replacing the old media. With the new media, people even watch TV on their computer instead of the TV. (Holson, B9)

Work Cited:
1. Friedman, Linda Weiser and Friedman, Hershey H.,The New Media Technologies: Overview and Research Framework(April 2008). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1116771
2. Holson, Laura M. "Who Needs a TV? I'm Watching on a Laptop." The new york times 3 Dec. 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/technology/personaltech/04basics.html?_r=1&emc=eta1.
3. MILLER, CLAIRE C. "Publisher Rethinks the Daily: It’s Free and Printed and Has Blogs All Over." The new york times 21 Jan. 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/start-ups/22blogpaper.html.

BLOGS vs. WIKIS

In today's society, almost every educator have an account to access the blogs and wiki. People can post their comments, pictures, and/or things they discovered and/or find out on both blogs and wiki. the whole public can read the post from both blogs and wiki. people can change things they write on their post. However, people can only change the things that they post themselves not others. people can change things that they post or other people's post.
There is both positive and negative impact in today's networked world. If you used them correctly, you can accomplish your work effectiveness and efficiently. For instance, if you look for information to do your work and have a trip. Then, you can do research on line instead of going to Library or somewhere else to ask for it. However, when you used them incorrectly, you will lost your privacy and/or against the legal law or policy especially post all your private life to the Internet like Facebook, YouTube, Myspace, etc.
Blogs can used for collaboration. According to one of the New York Times article, it stated that the Bay Ridge Neighborhood people talked about the house which there is people dealing with drug. people who lives in that neighborhood post their opinions and comments on the blogs. (6.26.08, Wilson) Finally, the cops caught the people who deal with the drug. when you post up an article or your comment on the blogs, people can give their opinions and share their views with you. Most likely people share the same interest will give more ideas on the issue that the editors wrote about.
Wiki can also be used as a travel guide which can be edit by people who travel so many places. People can be read it before they plan for a trip.

Work Cited:
WILSON, MICHAEL. "Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid." The new york times 26 June 2008. The new york times company. .

CHECKING OUT SOME SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Facebook:In facebook, you can post your pictures there. Only friends who are in your friend list are able to see your personal information, pictures, and your post. Thus, if anybody want to know about you, they must add you as their friend. However, you can choose accept such person as friend or not. Also, you can chat with your friend while they're staying in the facebook. However, you can only use the font they set in the system, and you can't put funny face on your chatting box. It's good because you can find your high school or junior high school friends or friends you haven't keep in touch for a long time there, but they must have the facebook account. Most of the time, when you add one of your friends, there is a list about people that your friend know you may also know. Then, you can just add the new friends straight forward without going search for it.

Myspace: The advantage for using myspace is that it can post video and music up there. As same as facebook, you can add friends and communicate with your friends there.

Friendster: You can add a music list and video list to your page that all other three networking sites don't have.

MSN: You can chat with firiends who are in your friend list since they log in to the MSN. The advantage for using MSN is that you can put some funny looking face while you're chatting with your firiend. Also, you can change the font of the letter you type in your chatting box. The background of the chatting box can be change.

There are similarities that all these social network sites have is that you can post your picture on your profile and everybody or friends can see; and your friends can read your post and communicate with you.