Of Network Objects & Ubiquitous Computing

"Blogject" is a neologism that's meant to focus attention on the participation of "objects" and "things" in the sphere of networked social discourse variously called the blogosphere, or social web. They participate in exchange of ideas and circulate conversations.

Some characteristics:

Track & Trace

- Know your geographical location

- Aware of other blogjects that has been contacted, or near

- Has a trace

Embedded Histories

- Contains physical records of experience and occurrence

- Satisfies all ontological questions

- Know the starting and ending point

Form of Agency

- decisive and articulate, foments action

- Has the ability of affect change

- Inflicts local and global change

Why does this matter? This is because it brings about cohabitation, knitting together the two very complex functions of space and place. It also brings along co-participation, we must be able to distinguish ourselves a companion species with something to say, and managing and maintaining the world in which we live in today.

The Smart Phone Superwar

I think the third world war - although unofficial, is between the two world's biggest smart phone operating systems: Apple Vs Google.

It is not unheard of when you hear a snippet of a conversation that goes like this: "I'm a big apple fan" and "Totally Anti-apple!" It could go on and on, and I myself have nothing to say as I dislike labels and being too extreme.

This is by far the most interesting week in lectures ever, and I find it uncanny that iOS and Android share many similarities with economic systems.

iOS would obviously take after Communism, while Android would be a Mixed Economy system.

iOS - Why is it like a communist economy?

1. Everything is internal.

2. Do not like sharing stuff.

3. Apple controls everything.

4. I don't care about everyone else who does not profit from my technology.

Android - Why is it like a mixed economy?

1. We share and we control.

2. We are for the welfare of the consumers, and profits for the company.

3. We're common, and we have a moral conscience.

4. Everyone gets a share of goodness.

Many debates go on about how stingy Apple is with their technology - but I disagree. For one, they have managed to revolutionize the phone to what it is today. To share and to break its market share is to allow quality control to disintegrate. Sometimes it is difficult to be perceived as the "evil" one, but one has to credit Apple for the products we enjoy today. As for android, I believe that it is amazing that it offers so many functions and chances to those who cannot/don't want to purchase the apple technology. It has given people the chance to own a smartphone, and to be accessible to the internet on the go. With its close competition to Apple, it has grown and improved so much to be in sync and in line with its competitor.

This is what makes it so interesting. The fight to be the best. As for implications - the war of google and apple can go on forever, but let us not forget its core function: to connect. Not to create warfare. Either apple and google - they have contribute to technology so much that any argument is almost invalid.

Social Networks: Revolution or Destruction?

Some interesting facts and statistics for your viewing pleasure.

Malaysia

Population - 28 Million

KL Population - 1.6 Million

Internet Users - 17.5 Million

Facebook Users - 10 Million

Broadband Users - 5,000,000

3G Users - 10,000,000

On the 9th of July, 2011 history was made. Malaysia saw it's second peaceful protest for a cleaner elections, with no use of violence and dictatorship. The response was far more than anyone expected, with the cries of reformation plastered through every Malaysian's networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter & Youtube.

Statistics for Bersih 2.0 Rally on the 9th of July

22 hours KL City Lockdown

50, 000 Participants

191, 190 Twitter Users with 853, 373 Tweets and 1316 Photos

1,600 Videos Uploaded on YouTube

1,667 Arrested

Statistics for Bersih 2.0 Rally after the 9th of July

2,000+ videos on YouTube

120,000 facebook users changed their profile picture to include the Bersih Logo

169,000+fans of Bersih's Official Facebook Page

17,000+ followers of Bersih's Official Twitter Account

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube became the source of news, updates and revolution of Bersih 2.0 rally. Tweets were sent, photos were shared, people were gathered and the authorities were baffled.

Here are some roles of the social networks in relative success to the Bersih 2.0 uprisings.

They were first and foremost, the communicator to the masses. This was a great advantage - as there is a staggering 10 million facebook users in Malaysia. On top of that, we have be known to have the highest amount of friends, and slowly the news spread and everyone in Malaysia and in the world who logged on that day would have a slight inclination to the historic day. Besides that, news and updates from the scene were raw and unedited, and did not allow any sort of manipulation by the press the next day. These social networking sites also allowed a platform for users to share and tell their stories. One is likely to be inspired by news of your fellow man then official reports from the officials. But most importantly, they managed to bring together Malaysians like never before - whether in person or spirit for a cause. There was no separation of language, class, race or location, as all were considered as one and united.

Of course, the social network revolution that happened in Malaysia brought about a positive change. Imagine if some evil dictator managed to "brain wash" the people through online networking sites, the extend of trouble we would be in would be severe. It is a scary thought because we spend an average of 2 hours on facebook, twitter each day, and with 3G we are even more updated on the go. I feel if these revolutions were to happen, they must not breach the code of ethics, and must be for a good cause.

:)

The Dark Side of the Internet

I could go on and on about the great internet. It has made finding and obtaining information so easy. It has given me the ability to remain friends with those who do not live in close proximity. It has opened up the world to endless possibilities. It has brought mankind to a whole new technological era. We are smarter, we have improved and we are constantly finding ways to make our lives easier.

But alas, somethings threaten the peace of the internet.

"It is very necessary that we should not flinch from seeing what is vile and debasing. There is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck rake; and there are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services that can be performed. But the man who never does anything else, who never thinks or speaks or writes, save of his feats with the muck rake, speedily becomes, not a help but one of the most potent forces for evil.

There are in the body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon them. There should be relentless exposure of and attack upon every evil man, whether politician or business man, every evil practice, whether in politics, business, or social life. I hail as a benefactor every writer or speaker, every man who, on the platform or in a book, magazine, or newspaper, with merciless severity makes such attack, provided always that he in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absolutely truthful."

- Theodore Roosevelt

Wikileaks is a website that specializes in revealing top-secret information. It is not just your average celebrity gossip page - but one that deals with information such as government documents. It was a big thing - as we could see insider stuff for the first time and this caused us to reevaluate how we view democracy of the internet.

I feel that somethings aren't meant to be seen by the public. For one, we are not prepared enough to deal with this kind of information. Secondly, we would interpret it wrongly, and Wikileaks could cause some kind of social warfare, blind faith/hatred and even threaten world peace.

This boils down to the question of responsible information sharing. Are we doing it right, or are we slowly contributing to the downfall of humanity?

The Twitter Revolution

When blogs first came out, many shrugged of its function. It was to write even shorter articles, journals etc as compared to the good ol' newspaper. Blogs today, continue to be a big hit, and many have gained so much more than just a little virtual place to pen your thoughts.

When twitter came out, technology experts ridiculed at its function, and how it only allowed 140 characters per tweet. Instead of limiting the user's thoughts into just a sentence or two, it had managed to create "ambient awareness", short, almost mundane updates from your circle of friends. It became a phenomenon, and it has, become a way of life.

Here are some of the things that make's Twitter a very proud function in our daily lives.

News & Opinion

Twitter has allowed its readers a quick glimpse into what is happening. As opposed to being a know-it-all, I believe twitter has made us better citizens as we are unawarely being stocked up with general knowledge and broadening our minds to the various kind of information there is out there.

We are also thought to share and give our thoughts on various topics. It has become a sort of an interactive newspaper!

Advertising & Marketing

Every once in a while, on the list of trending topics, some would be placed with the words 'promoted'. Twitter has paved the way for advertisers and sponsors to capture their market better. With twitter, advertisers would not have to try so hard and desperately catch your attention through the throngs of influences and distractions the media world offers.

Major businesses have a huge following, and are able to share and advertise their products, as well as maintain the interest of the ever changing market, keep them happy and engage them in service and good business contact.

Awareness

Once upon a time, we would check the traffic news update through the radio. Nowadays, there are specially twitter accounts meant just for the updates and live feed on the KL traffic. From there, followers are able to know what is going on, as well as share the situation on the road. Twitter has also given awareness campaign a good run, engaging its users in meaningful daily conversations and allow people to know their friends or those in their cycle a little better.

Twitter is an amazing tool. What do you think?

The Attention Economy of Information

Gone were the days when only the elite could read and the rich and influential had just about enough money to obtain knowledge. Funny how something so important as education was limited and caused the further separation and widening of class. If you didn't know, the first book that went into mass publication is the bible, in the late 1400s. Before that, just another fun fact - monks used to copy by hand in an colorful and artsy manner.

But now, it is different. You probably heard that just recently, the earth now has 7 billion inhabitants. With the increase of better health care and more opportunities, what was once a far fetch concept for free information is happening right in front of our eyes. Because of something magical and something just as equally scary as the internet.

Being able to publish traditionally is to be intrinsic. The barriers of entry is high because the organization has the bear the costs and expenses of printing, store and ship to consumers. However, these publishes often have better economies of scale (producing efficiently) then other small publishers, and often outperform them in terms of sales and larger market share. They maintain the quality. This is the extrinsic value.

However, when weblogs comes into the picture - it becomes a whole new story instead. These writers, or contributors to web spaces such as blogs or personal websites destroy the traditional publishers intrinsic value because they are able to reproduce and distribute for a low, sometimes even no cost at all. There have no limitations, no setbacks and nothing to lose. Weblogs also destroy the extrinsic value by crashing the barrier of filters, which traditional publishing has. When you want to post a though, or create a list - you just do it.

The world now juggles between trying to keep traditional printing alive and yet, giving the whole world a chance to publish things effortlessly. We do not want the hassle of getting our work out there. Prior to the web, people paid for the words they read. Now, whatever we read cost us nothing. We do not have to pay for these materials, and it is destructing the publishing world that we once knew.

I feel that traditional publishers will have to alternate their revenue not by limiting its access on the materials but focus its attention to advertising and sponsorship. Big names generally equal big readerships, and quite an amount of influence over its consumers. The more they block information or force payers to pay, the more micro-weblogs will appear. They could also buy over the popular weblogs, thus having some sort of control over its content and simply worry less about the million other weblogs as they continue to serve some tid bits of information to their friends, families and those who read their blog.

Let Me Tell You How It Flows

Today, I am going to talk about convergence. What is convergence? It is the process of coming together or the state of having coming together toward a common point. Like how a river will connect to the big blue ocean. That is the act of convergence.

So what does media convergence mean? It is where old and new media collide, where grassroots and corporate media intersect, where the power of the media producer and media consumer interact in unpredictable ways. It is the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want.

The clashing, or coming together of media content, irregardless of method, relies heavily on the active participation of consumer's. It is a technological process bringing together multiple media functions within the same devices (like an iPhone, which has the functions of a laptop and a phone) It is how consumers, sometimes even prosumers connect between various media content too widely available. It has given a chance for participation for everyone, though some have more say then others. Those who generally have more says are corporations, page owners for instance over consumers, even if they are a larger number.

Convergence is also an act where we combine the fragments of infinite information we gather from the media, and form our own conclusion or understanding of the subject matter.

I would take the recent happening, Empire on Fire as an example. An explosion happened on the 28th September at 3 in the morning, injuring 4, and causing extensive damage to the occupants and offices residing in Empire Shopping Gallery.

The news spread fast through twitter, with prominent figures such as Hannah Yeoh, the Subang Jaya state assembly woman tweeting and especially the social networking site facebook. Even blogs became a source of information, as citizen journalists have the first hand news even before those from the press.

Blog link over here at www.blog.galvintan.com

As we can see, various platforms of media has come together to form this news sensation. The speculation and the genuine curiosity of consumer who feeds on instant and breaking news were at a all time high. Many were quick to point fingers, blaming tenants or the negligence of the mall, some even thought it was terrorist attacks. Pictures were shared and shown to those who had access to internet and the ability to obtain instant updates. Many became speculators, even more people suffered from these "harmless" speculations.

But even if it went slightly out of hand, good can come out of media convergence. For the case above, many had a chance to know what's happening and avoid getting themselves into unnecessary danger. It's given a chance for bloggers to get more hits on their webpage for their swift action on the matter. And it has make us more savvy of what is going on in the world we live in, and in some sense compassionate about those who got hurt in the incident and those who might have been.

I feel that convergence is the way to go today. Cooperation will be a better option that competition. One simply cannot be monopolizing the field today without your intentions questioned and your interests fulfilled. Of course, it will be a risky partnership for the understanding of terms and way of things go must be met to uphold the standards and integrity of people. But if done, and I believe it is possible - then it would be a fruitful venture indeed; and that more good comes from sharing then skimping the good stuff without giving some to the world.

Intellectual Property: Society's Current Dilemma

The issue of Intellectual Property is contemporary. What is Intellectual Property? It is the creation, production of individuals like film, music, movies, technology. Today, the world is facing the problem of war between the right to free information and copyright infringement.

Many of us, if not all are part of a big culture that downloads free or rather "illegal" stuff from the internet. We do so not because we don't support the livelihood of the particular producer, author, musician or actor - but because their new ideas are costly and almost unattainable. I think both sides know that we cannot go to either extremes - one of ruthless freeloaders and one of overbearing monopoly.

I feel this co-existance can be real, and can be improved - from efforts from both ends, and a respect to new ideas and the hardwork of the producer/inventors and consumers itself.

But first, we have to understand the differences between copyright, patents & trademarks.

1) Trademarks is the identifier of the providers of goods, services or ideas.

2) Patents is one of the two intellectual property. Patents apply to specific implementation of ideas. Generally short-termed and non permanant. Provide wide coverage protection.

3) Copyright is the second of the two intellectual property. Copyrights only protect the specific details of a particular narrative. They are longer-termed than patents.

The patent, which is the right to buy and sell copies of ideas and copyright law, the right to control how other people make use of these copies. The issue of the owner being able to control over their content after sale is controversial. To put it in Mr Faizal's terms - it's like writing a document on Microsoft Word and the owner is not you, but Microsoft. The rights of the owners are over-emphasized, while the consumers have very little ownership over their purchase.

What would the world be without this monopoly of intellectual property? Will information be like charity, and the hardwork of these producers thrown out the window like charity? Or will there be a stop to the innovation and new flow of ideas, that help not only our economies but improve our technology? Will we be a society that just takes, and not give in any sort of way?

I agree copyrights and patents are limiting but they serve to protect the work of others. We should respect them for the order of the world of invention might fall and never see the light again. I like new inventions, new form of ideas - and I cannot see this monopoly as evil. Limiting yes, but evil? That's a bit harsh. I feel we always think that enforcement are bad, but the truth is - its difficult work to sustain what is true, of value and worthy of protection.

What do you think?

Based on the article: Boldrin & Levine: Against Intellectual Monopoly <http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/papers/anew01.pdf>

Economies in Networking Citizens - Week 4

Lines and definite definitions of the world we once used to know are continually getting harder and harder to differentiate, separate and understand. In recent years, social networks has made an impact in the field of economics, labor markets and technologies. What was a flux in the many industries, the technologies emerged. Along with social networks, they have made their way into many organizational thinking and consideration. The change and freshness they brought in terms of working together coincides well with the core of business practice.

The world has seen a significant shift of the knowledge-based work to the line of service, especially in developed countries. Departments like "marketing" or "advertising" did not exist till the need of higher skilled and specialized workers to meet with the demands of an ever competitive international business environment. With these developments, our connections bind us together in complex interdependencies. This migration can be explained with the modern economic growth theory, which acknowledges the major role that technological process and knowledge contributing to long-term growth.

The thing about service jobs, as compared to knowledge job is difficult to exactly pin-point what is exactly work and to overlook them, especially jobs dealing with creativity and services. The change in work environment and expectations has lead people to believe and want better employment, and options to follow what is of value and of meaning to them. Money isn't the priority, but factors such as job clarity and purpose; a better community/ employee circle in the work place to make friends, and even a further spouse because they spend majority of their time there. A better social community leads to a better networked firm, which also equals to a happy or happier work place.

Employees and employers are also seeking to go further and break the market in such a highly competitive state. It is not uncommon to have different companies working for one major project, or the involvement of customers and businesses. Such collaborations leads to innovations, improvements, better quality of work and synergy between the employers, employees and customers.

The impact of of collaboration and changing workplaces, initially greeted with fear and hesitation becomes no or little issue in the work places today. Employer's allows their employee's to surf the internet even if it's unrelated to work, and employer's are noticing the immense opportunity to reach other to customers and future clients through social networks. The advantages are helping with how the organization works. However, it blurs the old structures and hierarchy's, and how things get things done the traditional way. After a study done by the consultancy firm McKinsey - it says that network relationships and formal hierarchy's are different things, and are not to be put together.

With a new way of organizational works, cost comes to mind. In the beginning, where networking was new and rather expensive, companies had to incur these costs along side the other traditional structures. But as technology improved, these changes impacted organizations. The collaboration of technology and business was started by a group of technological enthusiasts, who formed platforms where customers, develops and designers to come together and designed networking pages.

Many things can affect our networks and their counterparts, such as consumer behavior. What we buy/don't buy affects its seller in another part of the world. With network, it has changed the relationship between employer and employee, created more room and better communication with our colleagues, our clients and our bosses. This has made it easier for us to understand the dynamics of the ecologies of networks, yet shed some light the responsibility, of what we must do - as an individual and as an organization.

Week 4: Economies. In Networked Citizens (pg 25-31) Bradwell, P. and Reeves, R

<http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Network%20citizens%20-%20web.pdf>

Information Ecology - Week 2

Once upon a time, there was no such thing as Internet dating, Online Blogshops, Mobile Banking. But today, all these terms have become such a part of our daily lives that trying to define it would almost be impossible. Nowadays, virtually, all human actions rely, in varying degrees on digital information networks. Information Ecology is the studies of this environment, and basically does a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities & Threats) analysis to better understand this "2nd nature of ours".

The major components of this environment is intangible flows of information transfer produced and processed through media and accessibility to available information and communication. Such complex functions has their inter-connectors and they are known as nodes & flows.

Nodes: They're job is to process and direct information to wherever they have to go. I would say they're like the one of the many fortress/watch towers on the great wall of China. All these "stations" are connected by Flows, are the line or passage where information has to go through to get to the nodes.

For example, the icons can be considered as nodes, and the lines connected them are flows!

With these nodes and flows, they stabilize a substantial amount of information and communication and enables continuity and reliability. Of course, such an amazing structure did not come about by random chance, it was build and developed with lots of planning.

Here are the 4 key dimensions of the Information Ecology that we know of today.

1) Interdependency

The most vital thing about the ecological environment is its connectivity. All the nodes are similar, and are all united in this big mutual living environment. To help them connect, they use information. It is not however, the main objective as their are secondary/complement to the relevancy of their environment. What makes them same same but different is they work according to the local flavor. Like Bubur Ayam McD is not found in any other McDonald's worldwide... it is relevant to the people here in Malaysia.

2) Change

One thing about nodes and flows are because it is digital and virtual, it is easily influenced, edited and malleable. It gives births to improvements and even drastic changes. This does not mean however, that change disrupts whatever that has been build. It is the nature of this egolocial environment to be constantly changing. These changes are merely for adaption purposes, and not for optimization. It's keeping up with times, and seeing how well it goes. Again, will be using Mcdonald's is their introduction of free refills and Wi-Fi in their stores. Its a different concept, and it is to help them test whether it helps attract more customers.

3) Time-Boundness

To sustain the stability, reliability and efficiency of this environment, it has be updated and fast with its information flow. You snooze, you lose! Being timely, is important depending on the usage of the information you gain. For a stock broker, he has to have minute-to-minute update and data, anything more than 30 minutes is outdated; whilst the news agency who runs daily newspaper can use it as valid news. The Apple Pie in Mcdonald's has only a shelf life of 15 minutes, and anything after is considered as spoilt, and unable to eat.

4) Differentiation

Flows and nodes exist as long as they are making a difference through production of information for others to use. To survive in this environment, one has to have different functions and capability and it does not reply of collective cooperation. The similar differences will come together, and form a network that helps understand and help improve it. With different functions, it makes things less complicated and messy. This gives births to new flows, the flow of the flows and the maintenance of the existing. If all Mcdonalds were run under one big boss, say all the outlets in M'sia (over hundreds) cannot possibly be giving optimum results. Therefore are are split into branches and overlooked by different managers.

I can't help to think these 4 points are also key points to help a family function. These 4 functions go hand in hand, and together they are strong. They have the same focus, but have their own tasks and responsibilities to enable the structure to always be updated and susceptible to change :) They are an important aspect of our lives, and almost impossible to live without!

Week 2: Open Cultures and the Nature of Networks. "Information Ecology" (pg 62-66) Stadler, F. <http://felix.openflows.com/pdf/Notebook_eng.pdf>

I Just Texted To Say I Love You

This is how bad our world has been. Despite technology being able to bring forward information and communication era to a whole new level, it has some negative effects as well. Children don't bike around the neighborhood, or just playing and having a childhood like a normal kid. We're always on our gadgets, and despite being able to connect more, we are actually becoming quite disconnected with the people around us.

Scary isn't it? This is why I vow to never get a Smart Phone with Data Plan for if I get one, my life on the world ends and begins virtually - and that is very, very bad.

What do you guys think? :) How do we overcome this con?

Cyberspace Wants Their Own Space

When I went through the article "A Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace" I was quite moved. It was real, it was exciting, there was danger and almost every element provided in an action thriller movie. The internet is such an amazing and wonderful thing!

From what I gathered from the article - the reality and the virtual is at some sort of war. The non-virtual world is hungry for power, is greedy for profit and unaware how much danger they're putting the two worlds in. We have social entities that are in grave danger, yet march on with our own madness. We do not seek to find the solutions in our own problems, but we think by showing our power and being a bully to a perfect and peaceful world that is cyberspace, thinking that our solutions lie out there somewhere instead of ourselves.

The article, from what I understand says that it is willing to help us if we didn't just simply gate-crash the party and try to be the boss. The virtual world has solutions to offer, but we must take the initiative and humble ourselves to work in accordance to their success. I believe that for anything great to happen and to last, one has to start from the grassroot level. Like a mighty tree can only withstand bad times with a foundation and roots set deep.

For our world to prosper and their world to remain in peace - we can adapt some of their ideas and make it work our own way. No peace can ever be attained by calling war, even if for the best of motives. We must first respect the beauty of cyberspace and not act for personal gain.

Here are the 5 points that make cyberspace thick, and we must always keep it that way! :) Here goes!

1. No Big Boss That Hides and Only Appears When He Wants You Terminated (No Central Authority)

In short, there is no higher power that monopolizes everything that happens in the cyberworld. We are free to do whatever we fancy, and remember, not to be overboard!

"We are creating a world that may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force... or station of birth."

2. Two plus Two is Four and That's Not The Only Way To Do It (Different rules, Different Way of Doing Things)

The point here is to say that in the cyberworld, there isn't such thing as fixed rules or a uniform code. There isn't one way to just doing things, and this must be remembered at all times for things to go on smoothly and without force.

"Your legal concepts of property, expression, identity, movement, and context do not apply to us. They are all based on matter, and there is no matter here."

3. A New Place, a new way of Living and Dealing with Things (Internet Culture)

With internet being more that just a tool for communication and information, it has become a whole new network that is digital and virtual. With that being said, the way we approach this is a whole new thing and cannot be interpreted as what we are used to in our non-virtual world.

"We are forming our own Social Contract. This governance will arise according to the conditions of our world, not yours. Our world is different."

4. The Individual, The Institution & The Community (Transactions & Relationships)

Despite our vast differences, we are interconnected, if not directly connected like in any networks. We no longer are faced the the limitations of physical space and distance anymore. As long as you have access to internet, the whole world is your friend. It's a connector that starts from now and ends at never :)

"Cyberspace consists of transactions, relationships, and thought itself, arrayed like a standing wave in the web of our communications. Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere but it is not where bodies live."

5. What you see is not necessarily what you get (Virtual Identity)

With everything done online and digitally, one can easily be mistaken by perception from off the screen and what is really, real. It has the ability for you to be a completely new person, or a better improved version of yourself and no one will ever truly know it except you. It's a persona that doesn't allow room for discrimination and prejudice.

"We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity".

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Fascinating thing this Internet, isn't it? It's so unique and definitely one of its kind to deserve its own set of rules and guidelines! With all 5 points mentioned above, it has improved our lives someway or another. It has opened up our eyes to new things and allowed us to contribute to the world we live in. It's a beautiful place of opportunities that never cease to stop until it crashes down. Sadly, the boundless blessing that is internet is constantly under threat of those who seek for more than they ever need.

It is up to us, no matter how big, or small a consumer of the cyberspace to make sure that we play our part in preserving the internet that we know it today. We also must remember to give back what we have taken, and that is we must always contribute in our own ways for the peace and protection of the cyberspace - where limitless opportunity and improvement await.

Networks & Societies

Reading the article Why Networks Matter by Manuel Castells, one begins to ponder about the beginning and marvel at the wonders that networks is. Networks, who used to be and still are the organization of many social entities have improved and moved forward tremendously with the age of information and communication. What used to be a time lapse is forever an issue of the past - as today the world is constantly progressing and updating itself with the newest of technology.

In this article, there are a few main points that has been highlighted.

He says that networks are global. It is boundless, has the ability to interconnect with various organizations and is constantly diminishing the borders of what we call - the old world. With this, although not every human being has the opportunity to be in the global network - it has already influence and set new path ways for many nation and corporations. It has, in short structured a new way of living around the world, and we are all somehow, influenced by this sort of globalization.

With networks, it is simply out with the old and in with the new. Failure to upkeep and stay updated will cause the downfall of what used to be successful dictatorship and absolute monopoly. To be updated is to be more flexible in today's world. We have learned to live life in less rigid terms and are more open to change and various opportunities. To be successful and keep above the water - big associations and organizations must work together with its smaller parts, and always allow room for change, room for cooperation and room for healthy competition.

To be a sufficing network, one has to cooperate, consult and work together to find solutions. The ideals and ways of the world we once knew can no longer feed us and provide us. We must come together and make decisions, and not lived under one idealistic ruler with their own greed and gain.

With the internet, everyone can be involved in the restructuring of a new world order. We live in a world that has ample of opportunity, information and we have the means to communicate. Our worlds are opened up to exposure and new experiences. With networks, we can rebuild this world - and reckon we are all at a stage where we can contribute to a better network and world.

With networks, we are no longer separate entities living for sole survival. We all are part of a big contribution towards the advancement of these networks and we are free to use it for our own uses and according to our own values and stands. However, we must integrate the vastness of the goodness that comes with networks and shared experiences and define them. Our world is the space and time we live in (networks) and they are the material world of our mind and representations.

Finally, the mystical force that powers the world we live in today is located in the networks that structure society. It is the connectors/disconnectors that gives rise to power and ability. They matter because they are the underlying structure of our world that we live in today. We must understand the basics of the working or cease to fully understand their true potential. If we don't understand our own "networks", we will forever just "adapt" and follow", not understanding the potentials that it has for the betterment of our world and the big bright future.

What do you think? To simply follow or to push forward in the understanding of the world that we have lived in, living in and will forever live in? What will happen if we simply just follow the flow, or push the boundaries of what we know? What can happen, will we be victorious or will we be in danger?

The 9 Habits of Highly Effective Blog Posting

I'm the sort of person who enjoys following routines and fixed ways of doing things - so naturally guidelines, basic rules and instruction manuals work very well with me. Which boils down to this - Why did I not find this article Nine Signs of an Effective Blog Post by Darren Rowse, who is a professional in the blogging field much earlier? I started blogging since 2007 and still am. This is useful for anyone who wants to start their own blog, or trying to improve :)

Here are the nine things to do to make a successful blog post... Remember, you must always try your hardest to satisfy all nine of the criteria's! Here goes!

1. The Headline

Like the start of an essay, the introduction is the preview of what is coming ahead - if it's not interesting enough, chances are its not going to captivate you enough to read the remaining parts of the essay. Bear in mind that there are many other things out there trying to grab your attention - and a play with words that is fascinating and relatable to prospective readers.

Though not the best example though "effective", it gives you an idea on how to catch the audiences attention. You either promise them a benefit, or simply cause curiosity for them to read on!

2. The Content

If you are lucky to find illustrations in the forms of images in the form of pictures, graphs and others - its best to use it to your advantage. Remember to make it relatable to your topic and your audience. Our brain loves colors and the saying that a picture paints a thousand words - is true!

There are many ways to capture reader's attention. Here's the one of the example: This is the Hierarchy of Needs by Abraham Maslow. This example summarizes the 5 major stages/points of this principle and it is easy to read, understand and most importantly, its easy on the eyes and is captivating.

3. The Introduction

The reason why students can barely stay awake reading text books because it is filled with little lined words in black that is mundane, repetitive and *gasp* non-stimulating. Therefore, it is important that your header and introduction is clear to transmit the most precise points of the reading (ie: the benefit, why, what, who and etc). It is important at this point to reinforce the benefits, explain what is upcoming, establish your goodwill and credibility and of course, how does this relate to the audience you're trying to reach.

Remember, you want an active reader, not a passive one on their way to dreamland! :P

4. The Background

Picture yourself trying to revise for your final exams that happening in 3 hours while your little brother is raging on his World of Warcraft game, your mother is watching television while your youngest sister is yapping away on the phone. Chances are that nothing will go in and you'll end up frustrated, and just leave your exam to the hands of the Gods because it's too difficult. Same goes with blog posting - be precise, clear and avoid clutter, too much distractions and maybe it's a good idea not to put music that can steer the attention away from the main topic.

Remember, less is more! And crystal clear is always good!

5. The Sequence

Picture this: Imagine if you were to ask someone for directions from Inti College Subang Jaya to Carrefour and the person decides to tell you the way from the ending point instead of the starting point. If you manage to still find your way - you're a genius! But I think almost everyone if put in this situation, we would be so confused they wished they didn't ask earlier on. Therefore, it is always important for the writer/author to place the points in a systematic order for easier understanding and linkage by the reader.

Here's an example of systematic writing/illustration and I believe even if the most art illiterate person were to try, he would be properly guided and lead that his attempt would be quite fruitful no matter what.

6. The Points

To create a successful blog post, once has to be persuasive. You must be credible, reasonable and make sense enough for your readers to understand your point of view and hopefully agree (not necessarily 100%) with your story. Remember never be undermine the knowledge of your readers and just make something up without evidence, and always appeal to them with statistics, stories and even through their emotion.

Remember, persuasion is power! And a very powerful tool! :)

7. The Hook

Now that you have established an captivating start, it is also equally as important to maintain that level of interest throughout the blog post. You must remember that there are many other blog posts out there fighting for the attention of your reader and remember to play it smart. You don't need to be slap-stick funny, you just need to keep your readers on the hook till the end.

Remember, criteria number 7 of an effective blog post is to be... you guessed it - Interesting!

8. The Credibility

Besides being interesting, persuasive as an author it has be to be believable. In short, you have to be credible in what you say. Would you believe if someone suddenly shouted "Hey! Mountain so and so is the highest in the world!" Our response would most like be "dude, get your facts right." For we all know that the highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest - and therefore it is important to know what you are saying. Be sure to state your sources, put your points correctly to earn the hard-earned trust of your readers!

Don't be like the boy who cried wolf too many times! You'll lose your reader's trust and that is something very difficult to earn back!

Last but not least...

9. The Impact

Finally, if you have satisfied the last 8 criteria's, you just need to tick off one more to make this post a roaring success. In the end of the post, to cause or be the cause of action is to have simply - touched the hearts of your audience. You must try your best to leave the audience is awe, or maybe wanting more - or just enough for them to get started and moving.

Remember, its important for action to happen or your post might just be like the others. Remember to inspire, and help your readers aspire!

Alright, I am done with my summary and understanding of this piece. I had a lot of fun doing it but more importantly, learning from it. Please feel free to leave your comments, and to everyone else - enjoy your weekend! :)

Happy Friday!

First Day of Global Networks

Hi everyone!

I am a rather new face in this program. Red hoodie and eyeliner sound familiar? I did not transfer over here from the Mass Comm diploma like the majority here, but instead I come from the AUP Program and was set to go to the US before the winds changed the tide and sent me here. I'm officially an UOW student! Woohoo!

I am super confused on what I'm supposed to do, or what is upcoming ahead for this semester. All I know is that I'm supposed to blog, tweet and go on delicious for this assignment, and it is fine by me. Although I must admit, starting anew is weird as I'm quite a social media freak myself. In my real virtual world, I blog at http://www.couskie.net and you can check out my twitter at www.twitter.com/juinniechew :) Oh, I really like to eat! Just thought you should know that hehe.

Looking forward to making new friends and working with you guys!