Week 2
So for this week, we talked about the social media and how it is such a big influence in our lives today.
The video above compared the social media to making ice cream, which surprisingly does make things a lot clearer. It covers the gist of social media, and even explains the need for it.
As of current, there are many popular social medias around, examples include facebook, blogs, second life, friendster, etc. I for one am quite stubborn in this area, I do not have a facebook and simply refuse to start one. I used to have an account that was meant for marketing purposes (when I was working at Temasek Polytechnic), but I closed it upon entering SIM. However, I do use the other social medias around. For the fact that the video I uploaded above is from youtube speaks for itself doesn't it!
However, contrary to popular beliefs, I am someone who is able to survive without social medias I am not dependent on facebook, friendster, youtube or even blogs. Though I must say that I learnt it the hard way. I used to have one of these social medias which I use quite frequently to update about my life, however it got cracked into and the person used it against me. Ever since then, I realise the danger of having a too detailed profile on the net and stopped relying on it.
Here is another video about second life. It portrays the sarcastic view on second life, and although I think it is quite lame, the meaning is there. During lessons, we have always been talking about second life. Thus it aroused my curiosity in it, and I decided to go create an avatar myself just to see what the whole big fuss is about!
Presenting Kayla in second life!
Here in second life, I can figure skate better than I can in real life (I did figure skating when I was a kid!),
I can also play the piano,
I even sat on a swan which brought me around!
Here is me making my first friend in second life!
It felt really weird to just go up to anyone and start chatting. Apparently the girl I was talking to above have been in second life for two years already! Haha.The thing I love best about second life is the scenery. Honestly! The places are beautiful.
Other than admiring the places, especially their night spots, I do not find myself addicted to second life. I made friends there who planned dates to meet again at certain clubs, but I always am unable to make it for those cyber dates as my real life has already gotten me pretty occupied! Plus after a while, the excitement for it begins to die down, thus I no longer log into second life.The conclusion of my little experiment above tells me that I am really not one who is very dependent on the social media. I can live with it, I can live without it. I find it quite tedious to maintain an account, or to have that 'obligation' to constantly update. It becomes a commitment that takes up time and effort on my part, something I can do without.
That is all for this week!
Week 1
Hello all!
So, this is my com 125 blog, where I will be talking about the wonderful world of internet!
Well, other than the above, there are certainly other reasons why the internet is such an awesome place. Just for the fact that one of our assignments now is on blogging, tells a lot about what the internet can do.
During our first week of lessons, we were taught on the internet and intranet. Being the computer idiot I am was, I was unclear of when to use which term. With examples given such as ubLearns, etc, I now know the distinct differences between them. With websites like this one, it got me more educated on this topic.
Other than that, we also covered on the history of the internet. What fascinated me was the fact that the internet started from ARPAnet, which then expanded to what we have today. As taught during lecture, the ARPAnet was created due to military needs. This bit of information caught my attention and got me researching for more. I then came across this very interesting opposing view of the origin of ARPAnet from Charles M. Herzfeld, the former director of ARPA. He claimed that ARPAnet was not birthed forth for military purposes, but rather "came out of our frustration that there were only a limited number of large, powerful research computers in the country..." Caught your attention didn't I! Those who are interested in this can go to this website for the full report.
I for one am grateful for the invention of the internet. With this global tool, I can communicate with friends who are living overseas, and even use the virtual space for marketing purposes. Having worked in the Corporate Communications Department for Temasek Polytechnic before, using the internet as a marketing tool is common. In fact, many companies are beginning to rely more on the internet than other publicity tools for their campaigns.
Look at 
for an example for the above. This blog was a project Temasek Polytechnic used to reach out to its target audience. In the past, the internet most probably was created for military purposes, yet it evolved to what it is today - a tool for communication or even marketing purposes. Who knows what it will evolve to in the future!
This module is definitely very relevant for most of us, and I am sure the knowledge we will learn will come to good use in the near future!
That's all for this week!
