Internet Anonymity? Think again.

In this day and age, so many people now have access to computes and the internet, and they are using it a variety of ways for so many different things. Even my grandfather, who can barely work a microwave, now sends emails and “googles.” After witnessing this, I think it’s pretty safe to say that if you have access to a computer and the internet, you’ve “googled” at least once in your life. My mother, who is the furthest thing from computer savvy that you will ever get, now consults Google almost every time someone asks her a question.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big Google advocate myself. I think being able to have search engines that spit out tons of information on any topic imaginable, right at our fingertips, is an amazing tool. It always makes we wonder, what the heck did we do before the internet? But I think the thing we forget when we’re typing in a new Google search we are leaving behind a trace. Most search engines keep a log of exactly what words and or phrases are put into those search engine boxes. Many of the big companies use it for marketing and research tools. Therefore, they are essentially getting information from and about us, without us ever even knowing about it. But where does it stop? How much information about us can be accessed by the public every time we search?

The internet is supposed to be “anonymous,” because when we enter things in our search engines (if it is not tagged with our names) we cannot be immediately identified. But the key word to remember is immediately. I think it is safe to say that NOTHING that is on the internet is ever anonymous. Nor can it ever be erased. Once something is put out on the internet, it is out there, in some form or another, forever. And thus, that information can be obtained by anyone who can do a little digging. Just recently, AOL released three months’ worth of users’ search information data and made it accessible to the public. 650,000 AOL users were not personally identified in the data, but the logs contained enough information that their identity could be tracked down (Hafner). Although after the incident AOL withdrew the data, it didn’t matter. Once information is out there, it is there to stay and can be traced. If it’s downloaded, it cannot be erased from the internet and can be found again.

After reading Hafner’s article, I do not really agree with people’s personal information being taken and analyzed through search engines, but I also realized, what can we do about it? This technology is not going anywhere, and it is only going to get bigger. I’m sure it helps marketers and other researchers obtain valuable information, but what about when it comes to social security numbers, or credit card numbers and bank information? It is a scary thought to think that this stuff is all in computers, because it can be searched and found relatively easily. And what happens when it falls into the wrong hands? Filtering and security systems have been developed over the past couple of years to help put a stop to identity theft and such. And while that has helped, I think the ultimate solution is that the internet users have to be aware of what they are putting on the internet. With this ongoing burst of technology and accessibility, most of us don’t think twice when using this technology. But we have to remember that with such a powerful tool comes very big responsibility. There is not a lot of privacy that still exists out there today, so we must be very careful about how we are using the internet and the information that we are putting out there. I’ll have to remember to tell my grandpa.

Hafner, K. (2006, August 23). Researchers yearn to use AOL logs, but they hesitate. New York Times.

Information Architecture

Here is an interesting article that gives more information about Information Architecture. It is explains its evolution and development of the process and discusses some of the failures. It also shows how to create an effective information architecture in the business context and even gives a 9 step approach to doing it.

An Information Architect?

When I was a freshman in high school, my economics teacher stood in front of our class and told us that most of us would go into careers and hold jobs that had not even been invented yet. At the time, I took it into consideration, but I never really took it seriously. However, now I can see how correct my teacher’s statement was.

Technology and the internet is growing and expanding by the minute. And as it continues to develop, the internet has become an unprecedented platform where more and more jobs are being created as a result of it. I’ve always known what an architect was. They design houses, buildings and skyscrapers. They even have architects that design gardens. But an information architect? That is a job that, until today, I did not even know existed. Looking back I don’t know that I should be surprised, I knew that the content and information structure on the internet came from somewhere. I just didn’t know there was an actual formal title.

Information Architecture is how people process information and interprets the relationships that exist between the different pieces of information. An information architect therefore, need to make sure the users are able to translate what they see and hear and turn that into knowledge. An information architect deals with “the structural design of shared information environments, as well as the art and science of organizing and labeling Web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability” (Hoffman). I think I have become so accustomed to having the internet as this instantaneous tool that spits information at my fingertips, that I don’t even take a second to realize what goes on behind it.

The Information Architect is a job that is here to stay. As long as we have the internet and it continues to expand, we are going to need architects to continue to build it up. It may be safe to say that Information Architects are becoming just as important as those architects who are designing skyscrapers in Manhattan or Chicago. And while “the typical path to becoming an information architect doesn’t exist”(Hoffman)….it definitely will be soon. I am now taking heed to what my very smart economics teacher said six years ago.

Hoffman, Allan. “Information Architects. Web Builders with a Sales
Bent.” http://technology.monster.com

Fantasy Politics??

Move over fantasy football players. “Fantasy Congress” is a new spin on the popular online fantasy sports games where players choose a team of real-life players and tally points based on their statistical performance. Here is an interesting article on how a group of California college students have launched an online video game leading up to next months elections.

Don’t Make Me Think!!

With the technological revolution and the boom of the internet, there are now millions of websites out there that compete for users’ time and attention. Since computers and the internet are becoming an integral part of everyday life, even people who have limited or no experience with computers are quickly becoming more reliant on the internet. As a result, usability becomes a huge factor when dealing with and designing websites. Going back to the infamous design phrase, “form follows function,” it becomes clear that although it is important to have a well designed site that has balance and is visually appealing, it must be usable and self-explanatory. Even the most computer savvy person wants their websites to be as user friendly as possible. So, when designing a website, remember do not make the user think!! As Steven Krug explains in his article, “Don’t Make Me Think!” websites must both be self-evident and self-explanatory.

No matter what level of experience a user has, most all users want easy access to a website. And they want to be able to determine how to use it within seconds, or at least minutes, of visiting the site. The amount of time it takes for a new user to learn how to accomplish their desired task on a site, is vital to their experience. If a user cannot figure out how to navigate a website easily, or if it takes a long time to load or accomplish even the most basic tasks, it is most likely that the user will not return to the site. I know that I personally am more likely to leave a website if it takes too many clicks to find what I am looking for, or if I experience a lot of problems on a particular website. One of my biggest pet-peeves is slow loading sites. The speed greatly impacts how long I will remain at a site. I must admit that I have very little patience when it comes to website loading. Slow loading sites only cause user frustration and it will most likely cause them to go elsewhere. The vastness of the internet allows for this to occur. Unless it is something that is really unique, more chances than not, you will be able to find another website that allows you to accomplish your desired task.

Steven Krug, who is a consultant on website usability, breaks it down very simply. All internet users want, is to not think when dealing with a website. They want to automatically go to a site and know where exactly they can search, or find particular things, without having to think twice about it. Busy or loud websites that contain too much information compromise ultimate usability. “Very few people take time to read instructions. Instead, we forge ahead and muddle through, making up our own vaguely plausible stories about what we’re doing and why it works” (Krug 26). The most usable and functional websites are obvious, and require little or no thought. As Krug explains, “we don’t make optimal choices, we satisfice.” Therefore, as users, we will not go for the best option if it is too hard, or requires too much thought. A website can have the best content in the world, but if the site is not usable, or the user cannot figure out how to navigate it, the content itself becomes useless. The same can be said for those websites that are visually stimulating and full of form. If a website looks good and is visually stimulating, it may be able to attract a user. But if no one can use the site or access any of the information, the website ultimately becomes a complete failure. While I believe that the ultimate solution is to find a good balance between form and function, usability and function is ultimately more important than its form. In the end, no matter how a website looks, if it is easy accessible and usable, people will no doubt use it. Because when it comes to internet, we like its instantaneous value that allows us to have information quickly and at our fingertips. So, when it comes to websites and the internet, please, Don’t Make Us Think!!

Krug, Steven. (2000) “Don’t Make Me Think.” Indianapolis: New Riders, pp. 1-39

World’s Strongest Dad – So Inspiring, Amazing Story

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he’s not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars–all in the same day.

Dick’s also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much–except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

“He’ll be a vegetable the rest of his life;” Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. “Put him in an Institution.”

But the Hoyts weren’t buying it. They noticed the way Rick’s eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. “No way,” Dick says he was told. “There’s nothing going on in his brain.”

“Tell him a joke,” Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? “Go Bruins!” And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, “Dad, I want To do that.”

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described “porker” who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. “Then it was me who was handicapped,” Dick says. “I was sore For two weeks.”

That day changed Rick’s life. “Dad,” he typed, “when we were running, It felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!”

And that sentence changed Dick’s life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

“No way,” Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren’t quite a Single runner, and they weren’t quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, “Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?”

How’s a guy who never learned to swim and hadn’t ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they’ve done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don’t you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you’d do on your own? “No way,” he says. Dick does it purely for “the awesome feeling” he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992–only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don’t keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

“No question about it,” Rick types. “My dad is the Father of the Century.”

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. “If you hadn’t been in such great shape,” One doctor told him, “you probably would’ve died 15 years ago.” So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other’s life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father’s Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

“The thing I’d most like,” Rick types, “is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.”

Education Going Digital?

Most college students see taking an online course as a much more convenient way to go to school and earn a degree. They don’t have the hassle of having to get up early and go sit in a classroom “listening” to a teacher lecture. Instead, they can go to class from the comfort of their own homes and, mostly, at their convenience. Many students also see online courses as a much easier way to earn those three credits. But the use of technology in higher education has a huge impact on both the students and teachers. And while the information revolution that has allowed us to take higher education into the digital world has many advantages, it many not be all for the good.

Higher education is now moving toward “online and hybrid courses using digital technologies to support constructivist, collaborative, student-centered pedagogy, offered by a few hundred ‘mega-universities’ that operate on a global scale” (Hiltz, 60). Many undergraduate colleges and universities are using online courses, but a large chunk of the students enrolled in online courses today, are graduate students pursuing their masters, and doctorates, etc. In this case, online courses can be very helpful. Most graduate students are also either teaching or working full time jobs, and trying to get to a classroom once a week for a class, is just not feasible. The technology that allows us to interact and communicate so easily over the internet lets grad students conduct entire courses over the internet.

As a graduate student this year, I am taking my first online class, and I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. I feel I work better in a face-to-face environment, where I can physically interact with a teacher if I need help. Also, for clarification purposes, I still think face-to-face interaction with the teacher is more effective than an online course. However, with growing technology, it is becoming easier to bridge those gaps and learn effectively through an online environment. Teachers can do online demonstrations with voiceovers over the internet, which even makes the students feel they are in a classroom. With the advent of wikis, blogs, virtual marketplaces, and discussion boards, many feel there is no need for face to face classroom environments because it can be conducted online, which is either “equally or more effective” (Hiltz 61).

As we continue the transition of higher education moving more into the digital form, we must make sure that it stays an effective way of learning. As Hiltz discusses in the article, “The Evolution of Online Learning and the Revolution in Higher Education,” “once most courses are available in digital formats…college and universities must face the need to change, or risk extinction” (62). I think technology aiding higher education is great, I just don’t believe it should totally replace it. It is up to colleges and universities to embrace this new form of learning and incorporate it into higher learning. The digital world is here to stay, and it is only going to continue to grow. Online learning allows for a more convenient way of learning, but I still think face-to-face in the classroom is equally important. Especially for undergraduate students, a lot of the experience of college is going to college and living at the university. If we start to only rely on digital learning, we could all technically get our college degrees and doctorates from our living rooms. It is still important to have the atmosphere of colleges and universities outside the digital world. It is important to incorporate the digital world into it, instead of in place of. In this case, “universities and colleges must increase their emphasis on providing a high-quality education using the best technology available” (Hiltz, 63).

Hiltz, Starr Roxanne. Education Goes Digital: The Evolution of Online Learning and the Revolution in Higher Education. Communications of the ACM. October 2005/Vol.48, No.10

501

Blog Censorship?

This is an article I found that talks about how the Chinese government are shutting down sites and arresting bloggers because of content. And it is a trend that seems to be picking up.

The “A-list” Blog

As part of the information revolution, a new phenomenon was formed; the Blog. A blog is a type of online journal where people provide discussions, information and content on everything from news, tabloids, technology, food and politics. In today’s society, blogging has become as routine as watching television or walking the dog. Some bloggers have quit their “real” jobs and have started pursuing blogging full time. Blogging goes on 24/7 and the most successful bloggers work around the clock. As with every other profession, blogging does have an elite group, known as the “A” list. But with millions of blogs out there, what really makes a successful blogger? Currently, the most successful, “A” list bloggers are in a very exclusive group. In the article, “The Blog Establishment,” Clive Thompson states that “if you launch a witty blog in a sexy niche…and if you’re dedicated to post around the clock,” you should be a successful blogger. However, Thompson also states that this may only be true in theory since many bloggers will complain the “game is fixed.” So how hard is it really to make it into that “A” list? It seems a small few will always rise up to the elite.

As true of most “A-lists,” the blogging elite is a very small group. But there is also a “B” and “C” group that exists, “where hordes of people stuck there can’t figure out why their audiences stay so comparatively puny, no matter how hard they work.” It seems to me that blogging is really no different than any other profession. For example, corporations are not filled with Presidents and CEO’s. There are the elite top and then the rest of the employees. The CEO may work just as hard as the secretary; it is just the way of the world. A company cannot run efficiently if there are 20 CEOs trying to run it. It is a “power-law distribution,” and it is common to most social systems. “A tiny number of rich people possess most of the world’s capital, while almost everyone else has little or none.”

A blog is something that can be done by anyone who knows how to use a computer and has access to one. All you need is a log-in and an email address and you can set up your own blog. Where blogging differs from other professions, such as acting or corporations, is that you don’t have to be the most intelligent, or the best writer to be an extremely successful blogger. You must be willing to work long and hard and create a connection with the readers. The blog must be something that you are really passionate about, because if there is any chance of getting into that elite group, the blog almost consumes your life.

The most successful bloggers are literally updating their pages and adding links around the clock. The computer and internet is such a powerful tool today in society because of its immediacy. The world and news is constantly changing, and through the internet we can get up to the minute updates on things almost instantaneously. It seems to me, the best bloggers are able to cater to these needs. It may be a little bit of luck getting a loyal and interested audience, but its being able to keep that audience is what separates the elite from the average. If the information or content the blogs fails to be continuously updated and dealt with, the audience will grow bored and simply move on to another site. There are millions of blogs out there and if you slack or fail to keep your blog up to the minute, you will most definitely lose your audience. “Most A-list bloggers hit their keyboards before dawn and post straight through dinner.” Peter Rojas, founded engadget.com and he was the first blogger to cross the million dollar mark. He said he never intended to become a millionaire doing this, it just happened. But Rojas also worked hard and had a passion for his blog. He still continues to work diligently on it, even though he no longer needs to do it for the money. As he says in Thompson’s article, “anyone can start a blog and make it grow, but to keep it there? It’s hard work. I’ve never worked so hard in my life.”

Still, most bloggers who are really passionate and want to be successful work just as hard. It may just be that there are so many options out there, not everyone can have the best. We are creatures of habit. And if our favorite sites continue to give us what we want, we will continue to visit them. And since popularity breeds popularity, it tends to stay in that elite circle. Therefore, the blogging “A”-list is really no different than any other elite group in our society. It simply may be the “power-law” distribution. As Clay Shirky, an NYU professor explains, “it’s not about moral failings or any sort of psychological thing. People aren’t lazy-they just base their decisions on what other people are doing. It’s just social physics. It’s like gravity, one of those forces.”

Thompson, C. (2006). Blogs to Riches. The Haves and Have-Nots of the Blogging Boom. New York Magazine, February 20, 2006. (Pgs 26-35, 126).

501

This is a really interesting article I found on MSNBC about how virtual reality games such as Second Life are helping handicap people practice socializing. When i first starting exploring second life, something like this had never occured to me. However, after reading this I now see what a great thing a virtual world can be for people that are socially handicaped. It is a way for them to interact and really learn because it is easier and more accessible virtually. I just thought it was a really interesting article and worthy of checking out.