"Free Hugs" > Business Blogs

"Sure, most blogs are painfully primitive. That's not the point. They represent power. Look at it this way: In the age of mass media, publications like ours print the news. Sources try to get quoted, but the decision is ours... they reach a huge audience".

(Kline and Burstein 224)

In May of 2005, Stephan Baker and Heather Green wrote an article discussing the impact that blogging is having on big business, and how these companies are now trying to utilize the Internet's power to their advantage. They understand how large this online community is now, and want to try to get their products out there through it. It makes sense: Think about how many hours a day you're on the Internet, and are endlessly being bombarded by advertising, slowly being brainwashed to CONSUME, CONSUME, CONSUME! This interpretation challenges the critics that have long assumed that blogging would be a passing trend, and have no affect on our society.

Although the Internet can be used as a great tool to keep people informed and gives them an opportunity to participate in their government, or society in general, most people don't. There are about nine million blogs out there (Kline and Burstein), however, only about twenty-seven percent of Internet users bother to visit political blogs (Kline and Burstein). Information is out there, people are just drawn to trash. If you were to check the History on an average Americans computer, you'd be more likely to find links to blogs discussing The Apprentice, than you are one on the presidential election.

Think about your day-to-day conversations. If people were honest, the majority of their chats consists of the latest video they watched on You Tube. And there's nothing wrong with that. We all want to believe that we are "above" that sort of thing. But human beings to their core tend to be cold-hearted, nosy, bored souls. So the Internet is like a giant, world-wide water cooler: People from across the oceans can discuss and poke fun at the latest moment of shame by Lindsey Lohan.

It's sad, but fascinating. Blogging is solidifying the fact that despite differences in background, location, language, people are all the same. I think that's the most important contribution the Internet has made. It literally connects people. Even though the planet is not dominated by towering intellects, the human population is evolving. You may not know, or even care, about the political state of the Philippines, but that "Thiller" video from a prison over there was fantastic! The Internet opens doors, and you're able to get to know people as PEOPLE, rather than a list of statistics and blanket statements about their culture.

Yes, whenever you open a page to a website, a billion ads come flying at you. Yes, big business can use blogs for customer feedback, or check which sites you visit the most to see what kind of products they put out there will be sold. But that's with any form of media. It's been done through newspapers, magazines, television, etc. So, I wouldn't say that the impact of blogging has on business is the most important aspect of blogging. If it wasn't through the Internet, it would have been through something else.

However, the worldwide networking is what sets the Internet and blogging apart from any other sort of media. Never before have individuals been able to reach other individuals on such a large scale, so conveniently. It's making people aware that the world is a lot bigger than what they themselves experience day-to-day, and cultivating a sense of Oneness through communicating with people from all parts of the world. We are all One, and this new form of social networking is making that clear.

PS-- I highly recommend watching "Free Hugs" on You Tube, and you'll get what I mean.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

HW 11: Blogs Go Global

`The blog I looked up from the reading “Making Global Voices Heard” was Issaac Mao’s. The set-up was pretty simplistic, as was the language. It’s very much journal-style writing. The main topic is censorship in China, and he’s been documenting the process of “The Great Chinese Firewall”. I’m going to be honest, I know close to nothing about computers and the internet. That’s why I like Mao’s blog: It is pretty easy to understand.

In the chapter, MacKinnon does not really go into great detail describing Mao’s blog, but what she did say was exactly what I saw. She first mentions that he posts not only in Chinese but English too, and that is why he became so popular. Then MacKinnon goes on to “objectionable content”, which are trigger words that if set off by what the system considers inappropriate language, the post will not be published. This is probably why while reading Mao’s writing, there’s a lack of passion or pure opinion. His posts are mostly factual, and are filled with links to other articles, so his credibility isn’t questioned. He draws a few conclusions, but they are very general, and are left up to interpretation.

Of course, some will probably disagree with this assertion that his censorship was an act of protecting himself. You could argue since he is from China, and may be fluent in English; some things could be lost in translation. And perhaps this site was not designed to enrage people, but to educate them, objectively.

Regardless of his intended or not intended language, Mao accomplishes his mission of arming his fellow bloggers with knowledge.

http://isaacmao.com/meta/

Get out the kitchens, ladies!

In the chapter, “A Weblog Saved My Life Last Night”, Ayelet Waldman talks about the night she posted that she was considering suicide, and was immediately “rescued” by her husband and bloggers that read it. She goes on to describe the pain that plagued her, and how the consoling of her readers helped”

“You feel as if you should be incredibly happy yet you’re not. There’s this incredible alienation, incredible low-grade depression, and isolation… There are women with whom to bond for an hour a day when your kid is napping, to talk to about the sense of despair and loneliness”

(Kline and Burstein 314)

Waldman’s confession about her struggles is useful because it sheds insight on the difficult problem of gender roles that still plague our society. Women are programmed almost from birth that their ultimate goal and only real purpose on this planet is to reproduce. And that they should welcome this constraining role with complete joy, and go into a state of mindless bliss, for they were not “meant” to feel fulfillment in any other way.

Well, that’s garbage.

I’m not saying that raising a child will only lead to misery however, limiting someone’s options is damaging to the mind and body. Humans are social creatures, and seek out knowledge and experience, through interactions. As joyous as having a child could be, mothers are still cut-off from any kind of stimulation, and are trapped in their heads. And from my experience and observations, “in your own head” is a pretty bad place to be.

I’m excited that blogs like these are out there. Blogs themselves cannot “make or break” this society. It’s merely a tool, and like all tools, it all depends on how you utilize it. Blogs pertaining to topics such as infertility are an example of using this new tool in a positive manner. It’s not just about pouring your heart, but making honesty, human connections, with people who are going through a similar heart-ache. It’s one thing to receive love and support from people in your immediate vicinity, but the value of kind words from someone who is in almost identical emotional turmoil is ten-fold.

In my own experience, I’ve known many couples who came close to, or did, separate due to difficulties in having a child. The most powerful statement someone made to me was: “You’re in so much pain. You can’t even imagine that [your partner] could possibly be hurting as much as you”.

Blogs now make it possible for people to reach each other, and let them know that someone is hurting as much as you. They bond through pain, and isn’t pain the only real universal thing among people?

TV Dinners Don't Equal Quality Time

As much as I think that blogging is hyped up a little too much, I also believe that it cannot harm the youth any more than any other element of pop culture. Television and music can be just as damaging and a “bad influence” as blogging. The argument that a form of media could be the soul factor in leading the youth down a horrific path is a total cop-out by parents that are too self-absorbed to raise their kids… people who probably shouldn’t have reproduced. (That, friends would have helped strengthen the population, not eliminating blogging).
In the chapter, “My So-Called Blog”, Nussbaum interviews teenagers who write in online journals, and received nothing but positive responses. Teenagers really feel that this medium of communication is “better than therapy”. They’re able to get their thoughts and feelings out there, without the repercussions and criticisms they would receive outside the cyber world.
Nussbaum states that online journals are not completely alternating the functioning of teenagers, but giving them another outlet to productively work through the stresses of adolescence:
At heart, an online journal is like a hyper flexible adolescent body… [it] offers a creative outlet with a hundred moving parts. And unlike a real journal, with a blog, your friends are all around, invisible voyeurs. (Kline and Burstein (356)
During adolescence, peers take up the majority of a young person’s support network. They can commiserate with one another, something that a fifteen year old can’t even fathom taking place with their parents. Blogging is just another means. If it never came into existence, there would still be meetings in school hallways, phones, etc. During the critical time in one’s development of adolescence, blogging is a God-send. It provides another mode of idea and energy exchange that kids need in order to become successful adults.
Some inappropriate topics do get posted. But, again, it has nothing to do with blogging. Teenagers are disgusting, crude little demons sometimes. (Most of the time). Kids are always going to do things that their parents don’t necessarily approve of, but that goes with the deal. If these parents really just wanted something to mindlessly do everything they wanted, they probably should have opted for a puppy.
If the real concern is that parents feel like their “losing their babies”, here’s an idea: make time for your kids. You put them on this planet, didn’t you?

hw 6

The topics I am most interesting in doing my semester-long paper on are:

Overcoming sexism
Overcoming racism
Overcoming homophobia

I’m interested in these topics because they directly affect my life. The three of them are similar in the way that in this country, most people would like to believe that these are issues that have been dealt with, and we should move on. It’s interesting in the media, how we have convinced ourselves that we’ve gone full-circle on these issues, and it is OK to make assinine comments as a joke. The thing is: It’s not funny. These things are still issues, in a very subtle way. I think that’s much scarier than problems that are blatant. It’s over-looked, and we stop evolving. We settle. I’m asking mankind not to settle.

The three social computing technologies I want to use are blogs, social bookmarking, and wikis. I feel that these three sources are more open than the others, and will lead to a wider variety of sources. But there also some structure to it, so I don’t risk reading self-righteous rants, but exchanges of ideas.

I want to either focus on the US or undeveloped countries. The US obviously, because that’s what is directly affecting me. I’m interested in the undeveloped country, because it’s the polar opposite lifestyle of my own. Is oppression and ignorance universal, and man can relate to, no matter where you come from? I hope not. Also, it’d be interesting to see what aspects are more important to them in contrast to what is to me.

Spell-checking is for champs! (HW 5b)

In the reading, “I Blog, Therefore I am”, Kline insists that, despite the naysayers, the revolution that is Blogging will not impair the literacy skills of the youth. He continues on his exhausted, romantic tangent about the Internet is for the people, by the people, and the creation of a “new language” (“Net Speak”), is not dumbing the youth. He finishes the chapter off with the poetic proclamation that, “not every voice [should] be smart, or right, or even polite… we [should] all have a voice”.

No, Kline, no one said we should be any of those things, but coherency would be nice.

Kline argues that, even though proper language is not being used, at least the youth are encouraged to write, and that’s better than nothing at all. It is wonderful that young people are excited about writing, but with the presence of the Internet and blogging, a realm where spell-checking and revision does not exist, they’re doomed to be conditioned into a lower form of literacy. (Let's set low standards; so we have no expectations!)

Again and again I hear teachers, professors, MY DAD complain about how increasingly poor the writing skills of students are. There’s a lot to be said about being able to efficiently, and clearly express yourself. There leaves little to no room for your words to be misconstrued and your point lost if you take the time to master some sort of language and writing skills.

I’m not denying the empowering source that the Internet can be, is. But unlike Kline, I have more faith in bloggers, and expect some coherency in their arguments, and solid sentence structure. I do not doubt the intelligence of the bloggers, as Kline apparently does; I’m questioning the seriousness in their writing. If they can’t take the time to re-read and revise before hitting “submit”, I won't waste mine trying to decipher them. It just shows lack of serious thought, and how can I be expected to care if the author doesn’t?

Go ahead, write away. Get your thoughts out there. You have that right. But I have the right to demand something thought-provoking, stimulating, and readable. When you don’t take the time to re insure that your point will not be lost in translation, you just sound like an adolescent going on an angst-ridden rant. And no one takes adolescents seriously.

Mom and Pop goes Corporate, and I love it.

The product I picked was Desert Essence Organice Spicy Citrus hand and body lotion.

The immediate promise implied was that this particular product is a natural alternative to convential body care products. That since this product is natural, clearly it is better for your body than one filled with chemicals. Even on the back of the bottle, in addition to listing the ingrediants, they also give a brief summary of how each conponent enhances you skin, rather than completely changing its nature and structure.

(It’s also 100% vegan, which appeals to customers that want absolutely nothing to do with hurting cute, fuzzy animals, or those hungary vegans who have a taste for “spicy orange”).

On the website, under “About Us”, they continue on saying, “The Desert Essence mission is to deliver quality, natural-based products that improve the lifestyles of today's most health-conscious consumer”. This statement lures people in by convincing them that intelligent, informed people use their products. They also state how they’ve been “a leader in the nutritional supplement industry for over 35 years”, giving the customer reassurance that their brand can be trusted.

In my own experience, the product has “kept its promise”. I have very sensitive skin, and this lotion doesn’t irritate my skin, and seems to “work with it”. Although I do honestly have bad reactions to most chemicals, this product, as with most promises in advertisments, could just be a situation of “mind over matter”. We’re made to believe that the products we use day to day are better than their competitors by the constant hammering from the media, essentially brainwashing us, and putting us into to zombie mode to consume, consume, CONSUME!

Though Desert Essence is not a well-known company with ads all over the television like for instance, Pepsi, it’s still a business, and the goal is still to get me to buy their product and make money, regardless of the seemingly good place they are coming from.

Am a mindless drone easily influenced by clever ad schemes and pretty packaging? Of course, but I’m not ashamed. Even if it’s all in my head, my skin has never been happier.

Website:

http://www.desertessence.com/pages/about_us.html

HW 3: Donkey or Elephant? I'd rather be a catapillar...

Conventional wisdom has it that the public is disenchanted by main stream media, due to its biased reporting, dictated by corporate funding. In the reading, “Toward a More Participatory Democracy”, Kline goes into these long, embittered rants about how the media has been feeding nothing but garbage, and now with the capabilities of blogging, we the people can now fight back. (Anyone else ready to join his ranks?).

It’s true. The dreaded, big, bad media does have an agenda. Who doesn’t? What I found amusing was after his adolescent whining about how the people are now being empowered by mediums such as blogging, and encouraged their voices to be heard, he went on to point out the “mistakes” made by liberal bloggers last elections, and even mapped out a strategy for utilizing the Net more efficiently. (We’ll get ‘em next time boys!).

I saw the point he was trying to make: highlighting how the blogging was and wasn’t used to its full potential. (Obviously the Republicans did it the “right” way). To me, it just felt chock-full of opinionated rambles and skewed information; the very same thing he claims that blogging will combat.

He offered up plenty of techniques for political activists to use the Net to their advantage, but nothing to the general public when they’re thrown all this information. How do we filter out the garbage, and be sure that John Smith doesn’t have some kind of agenda of his own?

The one thing I did agree with was the encouragement for more independent parties. Theoretically, if a candidate is chosen by the people, funded by the people, and voted for by the people, he’d at least make some sort of effort to satisfy the wants of the people who got him there. Instead of using the Net as a tool to continue the monotonous, never-ending, life-draining, pointless, epic struggle between Democrats and Republicans, let’s set up all people interested in running this sinking ship of a country with a blog, read them, be informed about real issues, and pick the person who is most compatible with the nation’s wants as a whole.

Ready… GO!

HW 2: Don't believe the hype!

The one aspect I found interesting from Kline’s and Burstein’s passage, “From Cave Painting to Wonkette” was that blogging will ultimately lead the human race to greater truths and speed up evolution because there are now more sources out there that aren’t presenting information from a biased place, since they have no corporate backing.

My response: False!

I strongly believe that blogging, along with anything else in technology or human advancement, has its draw backs, can be misused, and the chance that people will become too dependant on it.

Yes, there are more individuals out there without a corporate agenda, but they have an agenda nonetheless. Even if it’s just to get their word out there. That’s commendable. However, the problem is that opinions are being published, not truths; facts. The information you’re reading into may not be an out and out lie, to perhaps get you to buy something, but it’s still just one person’s opinion: skewed information, from a perhaps unknowledgeable source.

The part that scares me the most about this misinformation being put out there is the dependency people may have on it, especially teenagers. One random guy in Illinois with internet, and a knack for satirical writing will have thousands of kids eating up his every word, regardless if what he has to say is all angst-ridden, uneducated garbage.

Blogging and other forms of communicating via internet, could lead to great leaps in human knowledge, but only if the “right” information is put out there. As of now, with all the sources (individuals) out there, is just seems like a bigger mess than when “the media” was the main source of information.

I suppose my main problem with the whole idea of blogging is the lack of control, and faith in humanity to not simply “subscribe” their own opinions away. And who can’t relate to that?