Unfriending on Facebook

So I am finishing up my final web project for this class and I have to say that it helped me to explore the different aspects on online friendship. One of the biggest things I got from it was that we cannot really define what a friend is for someone else. A friend may be someone that you can just go to talk to online when you need it. Someone who is there for you even though they are not physically there. My mom always told me that I would be blessed to have a real true best friend in my lifetime, and that all the other friends I have throughout life I would have to use them for what they are worth (but not in a bad way). She just meant that there are certain friends that I will be able to go to church with, some friends I can talk to, some friends I can have game night with, etc. So these online friendships can truely be genuine when you think about what its worth. I also can confirm that I still hate it when people on Facebook have a billion people they don't talk  to, are not friends with, and do not network with-MEANING YOU SHOULD NOT BE FACEBOOK FRIENDS! ;) I'm not as angry as that sounds. Tell me what you guys think!

The Boundaries of the Web

So I recently watched a youtube post by this young black female, who seemed to be frustated that her peers would always tell her that she spoke white. She said that a young white male who had posted something similar is what encouraged her to speak up. I started to think about how i felt about the situation because-yes people are sterotyping to even be able to say things like this, but the question is how real are these stereotypes and who do they hold true for. So is it whites that talk more proper or is it that more educated people from better neighborhoods talk proper.

Regardless my point is that I started thinking about the world of the internet, and how so many people connect and communicate through the words on a screen rather than the words coming from their mouths. I really think that its quite interesting.There are some boundaries that cannot be crossed on the web. Even if you can see the people you are communicating with. There is such a variety of people on the web that it is likely you will be exposed to different cultures either way. Can you really tell (if there are no pictures of videos) that you are messaging with an asian, black, white, hispanic etc person while your on CNN's website responding to a hurricane in the south.

We may never have a world that is free from racism, stereotyping, or discrimination, but could this be possible via the web?!?!?!?!?!?!

My Mother is on Facebook

How does the younger generation feel about their parents being more "hip" and up to date. Being able to operate sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace is becoming important. Now a days children who are underage are still making Facebook accounts and are in danger of becoming victims of crimes because of interacting with predators. Just like parents needed to learn more about the locks on the televisions they have to do the same for facebook. Or because a site like facebook can be accessed through the cell phones that parents give to their 7 year old child, they may need to take an alternative route. In addition to having a the "talk" about the birds and the bees, there needs to be a talk about the dangers of the web. Parents should seriously think about what their child needs to know about the dangers of the internet.

Getting Personal

Its so funny how personal some companies are trying to get to their consumers. It amazes me how they are connecting and informing through social networking sites now. It almost seems as if they should not have such access to the personal lives of their consumers. I see how so many companies and businesses are offering consumers more discounts and incentives to visit their webpages or their social networking sites. And if you are the rebel of the group and refuse to let these companies intrude on your personal time and space you end up missing out on valuable information and great deals-WACK!

Getting Employed Through Twitter!! :D

So I recently heard a lecture about how a young lady used Twitter to her advantage while on  her job search. The girl was very interested in a job at the Red Cross and she had a Facebook friend that was actually one of her followers on Twitter also. After she applied to the job she tweeted a sentence that got her an interview with the employer. She said something like I hope that friends name can tell me more about the available position @ the Red Cross, I'm very excited to see if I get the job. She not only tagged her friend in the post, but she also tagged the organizations page also. The person who was in charge of keeping up with social media sites at the Red Cross actually saw the post and notified the hiring manager at the Red Cross. Turns out that the girls name was in the pile that the company would reject, and after seeing her tweet they actually invited her to an interview. I am not sure if she actually got the job, but the point is that she got noticed. This was a great way to use social networking sites to your advantage instead of the usually disadvantage. Just thought I'd share ;)

FaNs

So after having so much discussion about consumers involvement the production of music and films I have really learned a lot. I really did not realize how much consumers play a role in what is created and how they influence the creators. I thought that is was really interesting that people make mini films of their own. I thought a lot about what Professor Macek said about Avatar and how it would be horrible if it were not for the special effects of the movie. But honestly I loved Avatar, and I won't deny that it might have been because of all the special effects, but my response to that is that I really don't care how or why I like it as long as I enjoy it. I think that, that is exactly what happens with other fans that get so involved in things such as the Matrix. you have to have a personal connection to the movies that you watch to even be able to enjoy it.

I also wanted to respond the question about whether or not film critics had the right to be annoyed with how some films are made today where you have to actively search for other parts of the story. I really feel like they have the right to be annoyed if they want to but in all actuality it does not make a difference because the exact movies that annoy them are the ones that people are interested in. Whether you have to actively seek more info, or if they have poor dialogue. Now a days people are only looking at the surface of things anyway, and the job of the producers and creators of films is to please the audience. Not to say that people won't enjoy something that has a little bit more depth to it, but what is wrong with change?

Blog Prompt 4-The Future of the Music Industry

The music industry has been faced with some issues over the past and the present when dealing with individuals downloading and file sharing copyright music. Does this mean that the music industry is in trouble. I do not believe so. There are so many other ways that the music industry can make money. So why does the music industry continue to hire armies of lawyers to fight this battle for so long. Two things come to mind. Maybe they are doing so to maintain the amount of people who are not downloading and sharing or who minimally download and share. Or maybe they continue to do it on principle. Either way we all know that they spend so much money on doing this. What would happen if they decided that it was not worth it anymore. There are some possible things that I have explored. Possibly people would feel more free to download and share music and will be introduced to other types of music that they may have never considered before. I personally believe that even after this people will maintain how much they value having an actual album on hand of the particular artist that they enjoy listening to. Having these albums on hand will be something of value because of how often and how easy it is to share music. The music industry can also save a heck of a lot more money on lawyers and such, and invest that money into other things that may help to increase revenue in the industry. WHAT DO YA THINK!?!?