Wrap Up

I cannot believe these 6 weeks are coming to an end. As the course wraps up in this final week I have been able to reflect on all the things I learned this semester. Learning is an ongoing process and I am eager to use the tools I have discovered while developing additional skills through Web 2.0. I know these tools can be beneficial for my life, personally and professionally.


If I had to pick one of my favorite Web 2.0 tools I would have to choose Diigo. Not only is Diigo a bookmarking site, which allows me to come back to articles to read later when I have more time, it also allows annotations directly on the articles. I was used to keeping an unnecessary amount of tabs open so I wouldn't forget something I wanted to look at. Now, with Diigo, I can keep everything organized and in one place.


What tool have you found most beneficial and are excited to continue using?

Facebook: Personal or Professional

A big topic these past few weeks have been if Facebook is appropriate in the professional world. People tend to have different opinions, as most topics go, however, I believe Facebook is best suited for personal use only. While many of my friends use Facebook for their professional life and even post about work related items, I think there needs to be a separation between your personal life and your professional life. Similar to a cliche people say, "leave your issues at the door", when you get to work.

Do you use your Facebook for personal use and professional use? and why?

The Social Media Effect

Have you noticed this social media effect from your heavy use of social media these past few weeks? I know I have, although my numbers are nowhere nearly as high as those reflected in the following picture. From curating information, using different social media tools to get the word out, and seeing analytics of how many people have viewed our sites has really opened my eyes to this social media effect.

Image Credit: By Automotive Social [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

References:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASocial_media_effect_info_graphic.png

Laws that affect Blogging

Are you aware of these European Laws that affect blogging? The law requires bloggers to provide information about cookies used and to obtain consent for what is on your blog.

Thanks to Blogger now I am aware of this law European Union Law. Although we have learned about copy right laws and creative commons licenses this got me thinking if there are other laws out there about blogging. I found a very interesting article about a law that went into effect in Russia last year. It was interesting that the first thing I saw when I went to read the article was their cookies notice, abiding with the the new European Union Blog Law. 

A year ago, on August 1st, 2014, Russia passed a law requiring popular bloggers to register as mass media. According to the article, it was an attempt to "weaken opposition voices online and control information exchange in the country". If your blog receives over 3,000 views a day you could be at chance to face a criminal offense. This is a form of government censorship that doesn't seem fair to me in our growing global online world. Russia's government also has the power to eliminate any website without explanation. Alexei Navalny, an opposition activist, had his blog shut down was then arrested for using twitter, which was apparently banned from his house arrest terms.

What would you do if your freedom of speech via your blog was taken away like that?

References:

Blogger.com

http://calvertjournal.com/news/show/2952/mass-media-law-for-bloggers-comes-into-effect

Are your passwords safe?

After reading Dr, Dennen's post about leaving footprints everywhere we go, it really got my thinking how else we can be comprised on the web.

Identity theft is a growing topic as is credit card fraud. In 2015, a plethora of companies were hacked, comprising millions of people's personal information including credit card and banking information. These data breaches are happening more often and affecting you even when you may not think so.

I found this slideshare about passwords to be extremely interesting since it relates to the topic and it reflects mistakes individuals, including myself, continue to make.

I am guilty of these bad password habits. I reuse my same password for everything I create simply because I know I will remember it. However, that makes me more susceptible to identity theft and fraud.


Resources:
http://time.com/money/3528487/data-breach-identity-theft-jp-morgan-kmart-staples/

http://www.slideshare.net/bhaveshpatelseo/the-state-of-passowrd-habits-infographic?related=1

Larry Lentil.. A Frenchie's Rise to Fame

My brother sent me this video of his dogs tonight and it brought so many laughs to me, I just felt obliged to share!

                         


How in the world can this relate to our Web 2.0 class you might ask.... well, social media is the answer.

My brother and his girlfriend have been using different social media tools to make the newest addition to their family, Larry Lentil, a french bulldog commonly referred to as a "frenchie", famous.

Do you or any of your family members create and use social media accounts for your pet?

This seems to be really popular as many dogs these days, and some cats too, have their own Instagram page and Facebook accounts. Larry Lentil was puppy-proud to reach 3,000 followers the other day on Instagram and shared this photo:

Image credit: Instagram: Larry Lentil

https://instagram.com/larrylentil/

WEBOPEDIA

I have heard of and used the encyclopedia and wikipedia but I have never head of Webopedia until today. Have you? Webopedia is the online tech dictionary catered towards IT professionals, educators and students.

Their goal is to "provide easy-to-understand definitions, avoiding the use of heavy jargon when possible so that the site is accessible to users with a wide range of computer knowledge". 

Webopedia realizes we live in an ever changing society and constantly updates their content as technology continues to evolve and change. It is a great site to learn a little more about the tech world, as a student learning about Web 2.0, this site helps me understand different things I am learning about and stumbling upon on the web.

After learning about networks in this class I found this term, network management, interesting. Networks have to be managed to ensure things are running smoothly and the users are able to navigate and make use of the network, in this case, computer network, effectively.

References:

http://www.webopedia.com/AboutUs.asp

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/N/network_management.html