The first key element that I will be taking away from this course is that it is necessary to learn new tools to incorporate into a Web site or blog. It makes a Web site or blog more exciting and seem updated if you keep knowledgeable about the latest Internet tools. Just learning new tools gives you insight into how the Internet will continue to grow.
The second key element I have learned from this class and will take away from this course is that you must practice if you want to become familiar with the latest 2.0 tools. Not all the tools are easy to use but with practice and persistence I will figure them out.
The third key element I will take away from this class is that paying attention to details and strong research skills help you grow as a person and a Web designer. I also learned that the history of the Internet is very important and to have an innovative outlook and spirit.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Step 5 Tool Incorporated into Project
The Web 2.0 tool that I incorporated into my finished project was YouTube videos. I selected five videos and posted them to my final project blog. I entered and embedded the code and URL into the Edit Html area. I also reduced the size of the video height and width in the code. I made sure all of the videos showed the same size border. I did choose a green color border for some videos as well as the color of red to try and make them look nice and grab attention. I compiled one of the videos as part of an anti-Internet Censorship contest. I entered to raise awareness about Internet censorship and freedom. There was a prize for the best video but I did not care about the money. I only cared about the message because I really value the Internet. YouTube is an excellent tool for sharing information. If a picture is worth a thousand words then an informative YouTube video is worth a lot more. The YouTube social media tool makes it easy to contribute a lot more excitement into a Web site or blog. YouTube offers an excellent help link area to explain how to use YouTube features. If it is not located in the help section then it is usually very easy to find a how to video. There is even help videos, articles, forums located on the YouTube Help page. YouTube is an excellent research tool and has a lot strengths like educational value that you can add to other sites by sharing YouTube videos. The only weakness of the YouTube site when finding videos for a project is the nonstop advertisements in my opinion. YouTube main strength is the variety of content it can provide as a social media tool. I will be using YouTube in future Web design projects because I enjoy using this tool and discovering new content. I listed a detailed summary of why I chose the videos in my finished project. I felt it was important to incorporate that into my project. To briefly describe the reason I chose the videos in my final project. Here I go. I reduced the size of the videos further to make it easier to know which videos I was referring to and give you ease of access if you wanted to compare my explanation to my brief choice explanations.
I chose the first video below because it describes how Internet freedom of access may be effected by big companies shutting down the Internet as we know it for reasons of profitability. This video explains net neutrality.
1.
The second video below I chose because it describes Internet censorship and is a call to urge everyone to oppose the loss of Internet freedoms. I wanted to warn others of losing the Internet freedom as we currently know it.
2.
The third video that follows below was chosen because it explains about Cryptome.org, a whistle blower site that exposes documents that Internet providers and the government do not want published because a lot of big companies are selling your private data for a high profit without your knowledge to law enforcement and are trying to keep these facts a secret.
3.
I chose this 4Th video because the famous Judge Napolitano explained the latest threats to Internet privacy and the type of information that is being collected is unconstitutional.
4.
The reason I chose the last video was because it explains some of the domestic spying being used on Americans. I wanted to illustrate that it is taking place here in America because of lot of people probably do not want to believe what is happening.
5.
All of the videos I chose because I feel they help to explain the loss of freedom and privacy on the Internet and how it is under attack.
I chose the first video below because it describes how Internet freedom of access may be effected by big companies shutting down the Internet as we know it for reasons of profitability. This video explains net neutrality.
1.
The second video below I chose because it describes Internet censorship and is a call to urge everyone to oppose the loss of Internet freedoms. I wanted to warn others of losing the Internet freedom as we currently know it.
2.
The third video that follows below was chosen because it explains about Cryptome.org, a whistle blower site that exposes documents that Internet providers and the government do not want published because a lot of big companies are selling your private data for a high profit without your knowledge to law enforcement and are trying to keep these facts a secret.
3.
I chose this 4Th video because the famous Judge Napolitano explained the latest threats to Internet privacy and the type of information that is being collected is unconstitutional.
4.
The reason I chose the last video was because it explains some of the domestic spying being used on Americans. I wanted to illustrate that it is taking place here in America because of lot of people probably do not want to believe what is happening.
5.
All of the videos I chose because I feel they help to explain the loss of freedom and privacy on the Internet and how it is under attack.
My Newsreader and Blog Search Experience
My experience in searching for blogs was quite positive. I encountered a lot of blogs that interested me while using the Google blog search and technorati.com blog directory. The newsreader is a great tool for subscribing to subscription feeds and was easy to use for that purpose. I did feel at times that the Google newsreader has a lot of room for improvement. The instructions in the help area seemed to lack details. The ability to share my Google reader shared tabs was perplexing and a weakness. I felt the ease of use was lacking. It was easier for me to customize my iGoogle page then customize my newsreader to my liking. It was a learning experience of trial and error but some tools require a bit of practice and learning and this was the case in using this newsreader. Sometimes finding the manage subscriptions option was a challenge. The strength of the tool was its basic use of subscribing. That was perfect and made it easy to get updates on the class blogs and keep track of them.
The first blog I selected was the Privacy blog because it covered a multitude of topics from online Internet privacy,security, freedom to censorship.
The 2ND blog I selected was Center for Democracy & Technology blog because it covered protecting privacy issues and had stories about Internet free expression.
The 3rd blog I selected was the American Civil Liberties Blog because it had a section specifically about a Technology and Liberty Blog of Rights and lots of posts and issues to read and research.
The 4Th blog I selected was the CNET Latest News about Politics and Law which had good stories to research such as "White House outlines secret cybersecurity plan", "Execs convicted in Google Video case in Italy" and investigating google over complaints and several of these stories relate to Internet freedom, censorship and privacy. A story that really caught my interest was "Microsoft drops Cryptome 'spy' document fight" which was a site that I wrote about in my final finished project. Another post that I found interesting was the "FBI wants records kept of Web sites visited" which mentioned retaining logs for 2 years. This is an excellent news source.
The 5Th and last blog I selected was Wired "Threat Level" blog. This blog was relevant because it had an article "Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet" which was relevant to how the Internet freedom is under attack. I suggest that everyone who uses the Net should read this article. This post chronicles the issue of the Cyberwar Hype being used as a pretext for locking down the Internet and taking away our Internet Freedom.
All the blogs that I chose had posts relating to issues of Internet privacy,Internet Freedom and stories of caution, abuse and even a spark of activism in regard to restrictions on the Internet and important digital rights that really need attention. I would recommend them all because they seem to have a strength of presenting updated news that effects us all as I type this last word. And last but not least, click here to see my Google Reader shared items.
The first blog I selected was the Privacy blog because it covered a multitude of topics from online Internet privacy,security, freedom to censorship.
The 2ND blog I selected was Center for Democracy & Technology blog because it covered protecting privacy issues and had stories about Internet free expression.
The 3rd blog I selected was the American Civil Liberties Blog because it had a section specifically about a Technology and Liberty Blog of Rights and lots of posts and issues to read and research.
The 4Th blog I selected was the CNET Latest News about Politics and Law which had good stories to research such as "White House outlines secret cybersecurity plan", "Execs convicted in Google Video case in Italy" and investigating google over complaints and several of these stories relate to Internet freedom, censorship and privacy. A story that really caught my interest was "Microsoft drops Cryptome 'spy' document fight" which was a site that I wrote about in my final finished project. Another post that I found interesting was the "FBI wants records kept of Web sites visited" which mentioned retaining logs for 2 years. This is an excellent news source.
The 5Th and last blog I selected was Wired "Threat Level" blog. This blog was relevant because it had an article "Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet" which was relevant to how the Internet freedom is under attack. I suggest that everyone who uses the Net should read this article. This post chronicles the issue of the Cyberwar Hype being used as a pretext for locking down the Internet and taking away our Internet Freedom.
All the blogs that I chose had posts relating to issues of Internet privacy,Internet Freedom and stories of caution, abuse and even a spark of activism in regard to restrictions on the Internet and important digital rights that really need attention. I would recommend them all because they seem to have a strength of presenting updated news that effects us all as I type this last word. And last but not least, click here to see my Google Reader shared items.
Internet Privacy and Freedom Are Under Attack
I am very concerned that the right to privacy on the Internet is being lost as well as the last vestiges of Internet freedom. I have posted 5 videos below to help shed some light on the topic of Internet Freedom and Privacy being under attack. I chose the first video which follows because it explains net neutrality. It also explains that companies want to change the Internet access into something that resembles a cable channel package. By this I mean that you would have to pay to get access to the sites you want instead of the virtually unlimited access we have at this time. The question that might raise is how would that be different from now? Well, it would cost money to post any blog and the number of sites you could visit would be limited because not everyone can pay high rates to keep a Web site or a blog going which would in turn limit the number of choices of sites that you could even choose to visit. Imagine paying expensive price rates to visit each individual site you wanted to visit and how that would effect your Internet use and freedom of expression. Depending if companies care more about profit than freedom, your choices of Web sites available might be determined by which sites will make the company the most money. Please watch the first video now.
1.
The second video below I chose because it relates to the first video and puts things in perspective about why you should value your Internet freedom of access to a plethora of sites available and be concerned about Internet censorship. I compiled this video to make others aware of Internet censorship about a year ago.
2.
The third video that follows below was chosen because it explains about Cryptome.org, a whistle blower site that exposes documents that Internet providers and the government do not want published about the assisted spying between Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo and our government and law enforcement. I urge you to visit Cryptome.org and view the documents that are currently exposed. The documents will shock you to your very core because some of them read like a menu with prices available of customers data records and how long they keep records of sites you visit. A lot of big companies are selling your private data for a high profit without your knowledge to law enforcement or government and try to keep these facts a secret. Here is another document link for the type of user data that Yahoo keeps on it's customers. Click here to see the Yahoo data availability document. The records they keep in my opinion are the equivalent of a personal diary. Please check out the 3rd video below now.
3.
The serious of Internet Privacy is further explored and explained in this 4Th video by a Judge Napolitano explaining the latest threats to Internet privacy and why they are unconstitutional. Also explained is the type of information that is being collected.
4.
The last video that I have posted is also very serious which is about the internet spying program conducted by the NSA with the help of AT&T in America video. I decided to leave this video for last because it shows domestic spying on Americans due to the brave revealings of a whistle blower and some video comments by former President George W. Bush. For greater details, click on this link to visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation Web site which is a nonprofit foundation that is a defender of digital rights and supports Internet freedom.
5.
I hope to have alerted you about Internet spying and the attack upon our Internet freedom. Attacks upon your Internet privacy effect liberty. I cannot end this without one last link which is a short fictional story about lack of Internet privacy and freedom. Although fictional, I really hope you check it out and see how not standing up for Internet privacy and freedom could effect you. Click here for the short story and please support net neutrality.
1.
The second video below I chose because it relates to the first video and puts things in perspective about why you should value your Internet freedom of access to a plethora of sites available and be concerned about Internet censorship. I compiled this video to make others aware of Internet censorship about a year ago.
2.
The third video that follows below was chosen because it explains about Cryptome.org, a whistle blower site that exposes documents that Internet providers and the government do not want published about the assisted spying between Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo and our government and law enforcement. I urge you to visit Cryptome.org and view the documents that are currently exposed. The documents will shock you to your very core because some of them read like a menu with prices available of customers data records and how long they keep records of sites you visit. A lot of big companies are selling your private data for a high profit without your knowledge to law enforcement or government and try to keep these facts a secret. Here is another document link for the type of user data that Yahoo keeps on it's customers. Click here to see the Yahoo data availability document. The records they keep in my opinion are the equivalent of a personal diary. Please check out the 3rd video below now.
3.
The serious of Internet Privacy is further explored and explained in this 4Th video by a Judge Napolitano explaining the latest threats to Internet privacy and why they are unconstitutional. Also explained is the type of information that is being collected.
4.
The last video that I have posted is also very serious which is about the internet spying program conducted by the NSA with the help of AT&T in America video. I decided to leave this video for last because it shows domestic spying on Americans due to the brave revealings of a whistle blower and some video comments by former President George W. Bush. For greater details, click on this link to visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation Web site which is a nonprofit foundation that is a defender of digital rights and supports Internet freedom.
5.
I hope to have alerted you about Internet spying and the attack upon our Internet freedom. Attacks upon your Internet privacy effect liberty. I cannot end this without one last link which is a short fictional story about lack of Internet privacy and freedom. Although fictional, I really hope you check it out and see how not standing up for Internet privacy and freedom could effect you. Click here for the short story and please support net neutrality.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
My Experience with Delicious Social Bookmarking
The Delicious Web site is a wonderful tool and there are a lot of reasons that I really like it. First, using the site is free. Second, this site allows a user to store lots of bookmarks that can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet. I am thankful that if my computer crashes that I can go online and find my bookmarks stored on Delicious. This site also allows me to save my bookmarks to my computer in case something happens to the Delicious site or I want to change my username. This option is a great additional way to preserve your bookmarks. Another feature I enjoy is marking some of my bookmarks as private. This site allows me share what I like with others or choose not to share. It is a very flexible site because I can change this option at any time with a few clicks. I am allowed to choose my own tags for my bookmarks or use other tags from people who have saved the same bookmark. There is also a section that can be used for notes so that I can list any notes I want to make about a site. This really helps me to remember why I saved a site and its importance.
To put it in perspective the strength of this site is the flexibility of options it provides such as privacy, sharing, customizing links, backing up bookmarks and a help section that explains frequently asked questions. Another strength of this site is the accessibility. Even when I am at home I find myself using this site as I go from using my desktop to laptop because it provides such convenience of access to my bookmarks. To be honest the only weakness or limitation is that tags must not include a space. So, the downside to this is that a word like San Francisco or net neutrality have to be tagged differently. A period or dash instead of a space would be used such as San Francisco might be tagged as San.Francisco or San-Francisco. Not being able to use a space is my only personal dislike. I have a few more things that I enjoy about this site. I have the ability to search for a word and when the results arrive, I can see the bookmark and tag with the word I chose and this also helps me think of other ways to input a search or see how others have tagged bookmarks that I am interested in. It even gives me more ideas of how to look for more bookmarks on the Internet. Then I can add even more bookmarks to Delicious. This site really offers another quick way to find information because other people have done a lot of good bookmarking and this can offer a plethora of new bookmarks and information. Delicious even offers the ability to filter results by tags or subscribe to tags about topics you are interested in.
My experience with using the Delicious site been very positive and this tool is nearly perfect with the exception of the one weakness that I have mentioned. I consider this tool invaluable. If ten was the highest rating on a scale of one thru ten, I would rank this social bookmarking site a 9.9. It has some room for improvement in my opinion but I do not believe much is needed. What else could be added? I would add a voice search option in the future but that would be icing on the cake. When I say that, it is like saying making a flashlight a bit brighter in a dark room would be better because if you were in the dark room with a flashlight, you have all you need but you could always want more. Delicious is an excellent Web 2.0 tool. This Web site delivers a quality user experience.
To put it in perspective the strength of this site is the flexibility of options it provides such as privacy, sharing, customizing links, backing up bookmarks and a help section that explains frequently asked questions. Another strength of this site is the accessibility. Even when I am at home I find myself using this site as I go from using my desktop to laptop because it provides such convenience of access to my bookmarks. To be honest the only weakness or limitation is that tags must not include a space. So, the downside to this is that a word like San Francisco or net neutrality have to be tagged differently. A period or dash instead of a space would be used such as San Francisco might be tagged as San.Francisco or San-Francisco. Not being able to use a space is my only personal dislike. I have a few more things that I enjoy about this site. I have the ability to search for a word and when the results arrive, I can see the bookmark and tag with the word I chose and this also helps me think of other ways to input a search or see how others have tagged bookmarks that I am interested in. It even gives me more ideas of how to look for more bookmarks on the Internet. Then I can add even more bookmarks to Delicious. This site really offers another quick way to find information because other people have done a lot of good bookmarking and this can offer a plethora of new bookmarks and information. Delicious even offers the ability to filter results by tags or subscribe to tags about topics you are interested in.
My experience with using the Delicious site been very positive and this tool is nearly perfect with the exception of the one weakness that I have mentioned. I consider this tool invaluable. If ten was the highest rating on a scale of one thru ten, I would rank this social bookmarking site a 9.9. It has some room for improvement in my opinion but I do not believe much is needed. What else could be added? I would add a voice search option in the future but that would be icing on the cake. When I say that, it is like saying making a flashlight a bit brighter in a dark room would be better because if you were in the dark room with a flashlight, you have all you need but you could always want more. Delicious is an excellent Web 2.0 tool. This Web site delivers a quality user experience.
Friday, February 26, 2010
My Final Project
I have selected the topic of Internet privacy and freedom is under attack for my final project. It is a topic that I am very concerned about because censorship on the Internet is on the rise. I am equally concerned that the right to privacy on the Internet is being lost. I want to bring an awareness of these issues to others that read my blog as well as make a contribution to my classmates that are wanting to learn more about the Internet. There are a lot of things in regard to Internet privacy and Internet freedom that users of the Internet are unaware of and I want to shed some light on these issues and present facts and research. I am excited to learn more about this topic and Web 2.0 tools as I complete my final project.
Friday, February 19, 2010
My Reflection on Unit 3
I have learned about a lot of different tools in Unit 3. The first tool I learned about was RSS feeds which was the topic of my research project for the class wiki. I learned how to subscribe and manage these feeds and how easy it makes to manage these feeds by the Google Reader. I had been aware of these feeds before but had not subscribed via a news reader. I can see how this would be a definite asset to a web designer because it would be an option that could be suggested to customers wanting help designing a web site to keep users updated about products or alerts etc. I also learned about the convience of social book marking. It enables a user to share bookmarks with others and learn about new bookmarks. It also provides the convience of being able to access your bookmarks from other computers. This could be also be suggested by a web designer to a customer because it is another way to share a web site link with others. I learned more about blogs during the study of this assignment by looking how others design blogs and researching this topic in more detail. I also learned more about social media and photo sharing. I think the most important things I learned is how these tools all help people to share information and how the internet is changing by the development of web 2.0 tools and how they can be incorporated into the use of web sites and web design. The second thing this chapter taught me was that even if I am aware of web tools, that I should research them to see how they may be useful to me or others. In closing, I would say it is important to learn about new web tools in addition to the tools you already have because they are becoming more important as the future design of the internet and life changes.
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