Out of all the google tools, the one I use most often would be the Google Reader. The Reader compiles all the new entries of online blogs and microblogs like Tumblr and feeds it all into a single space where I can read everything at my leisure. Not only is it extremely convenient and time-saving (so I don't have to constantly go to the site to check if there's something new), it is also a lot more organized and allows me to bookmark and save entries that pique my interest. Moreover, I can follow my friends who are also using the reader and it allows us to share with each other, through the reader, entries that we may have found interesting.
For the second part of the entry today, I have create a video using the iMovie application on my Macbook. I added in a soundtrack and timed the pictures and videos according to the beat of the song. It was slightly tedious but I've learnt to appreciate video editing done by the experts in movies and shows a lot more. The song in the background is "Smile Like You Mean It" by the band called "The Killers". The people in the video are all friends that I've made over the years, or the offspring of my friends. The main theme of the video would probably be how people show their silly sides in front of the camera. Like the title of the song, I hope it makes you "Smile Like You Mean It".
Enjoy!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Online Learning
In my lifetime as a student, I have only twice encountered the use of online learning in the sense of learning from video lectures and notes (without the actual physical lecture). Once when I was in secondary school (during the SARS outbreak and everyone was ordered to stay at home and not go to school) and the other time would be the online module that I am currently taking in my university.
Learning through video lectures and notes can be beneficial. In my case, the current online module allows me to take on more this semester without overly eating into my time as a student, as I can plan my online module around other commitments and modules that I am also currently taking.
However, when I was younger, I noticed that the online learning did nothing to facilitate my learning journey. Maybe it was because I was younger and less disciplined then, but I feel that online learning would be effective only for individuals who have the drive and discipline to follow the online lectures, notes and work assigned.
Yet, I feel that online learning is beneficial as a supplement to lectures in school and work assigned in class. This is because work submitted and accessed through online means can often not only assist the student in becoming more adept with the internet media but also serve to add to the individual's student's understanding - through the world wide web. The availability of information on the World Wide Web allows individuals to not only access large pools of information but also fresh and new information that other mediums would be slower to convey. As such, the individual is not only given the steady foundation from receiving lectures and notes in class, this knowledge is further supplemented by contact with the World Wide Web through the process of online supplementary learning.
This video provides a case that supports the process of online learning, do you agree with the views expressed?
Personally, I've always preferred studying/reading with paper or a good book. It helps me to focus. The computer, I feel, offers too many opportunities for distraction.
Learning through video lectures and notes can be beneficial. In my case, the current online module allows me to take on more this semester without overly eating into my time as a student, as I can plan my online module around other commitments and modules that I am also currently taking.
However, when I was younger, I noticed that the online learning did nothing to facilitate my learning journey. Maybe it was because I was younger and less disciplined then, but I feel that online learning would be effective only for individuals who have the drive and discipline to follow the online lectures, notes and work assigned.
Yet, I feel that online learning is beneficial as a supplement to lectures in school and work assigned in class. This is because work submitted and accessed through online means can often not only assist the student in becoming more adept with the internet media but also serve to add to the individual's student's understanding - through the world wide web. The availability of information on the World Wide Web allows individuals to not only access large pools of information but also fresh and new information that other mediums would be slower to convey. As such, the individual is not only given the steady foundation from receiving lectures and notes in class, this knowledge is further supplemented by contact with the World Wide Web through the process of online supplementary learning.
This video provides a case that supports the process of online learning, do you agree with the views expressed?
Personally, I've always preferred studying/reading with paper or a good book. It helps me to focus. The computer, I feel, offers too many opportunities for distraction.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
E-Marketing
What seperates a success from a failure? Usually, success stories have done something right -that obviously, failures have not.
In the case of e-marketing, however, there is a brand new level of difficulty. Physical factors that Robert Cialdini, an expert on the weapons of influence that make something appealing to someone through the effect physical presence, can be totally lost on the internet. People do not meet face to face, and internet marketing to this day has undergone so many innovations and upheavals that hardly anything can surprise anyone anymore.
If that is the case, why then is e-market still being used?
a faucet of e-marketing would be through the use of emails. the video below provides a comprehensive study of how and why email marketing should be used.
Personally though, while I feel that email marketing does have its benefits, it does not hold much sway in persuading me to purchase any product. Anything that I buy as a result of email marketing is usually an item that I already have an interest in. As such, information about an upcoming discount may lead to me purchasing the product, but will not increase my spending volume in anyway.
Does it work the same way for you?
In the case of e-marketing, however, there is a brand new level of difficulty. Physical factors that Robert Cialdini, an expert on the weapons of influence that make something appealing to someone through the effect physical presence, can be totally lost on the internet. People do not meet face to face, and internet marketing to this day has undergone so many innovations and upheavals that hardly anything can surprise anyone anymore.
If that is the case, why then is e-market still being used?
a faucet of e-marketing would be through the use of emails. the video below provides a comprehensive study of how and why email marketing should be used.
Personally though, while I feel that email marketing does have its benefits, it does not hold much sway in persuading me to purchase any product. Anything that I buy as a result of email marketing is usually an item that I already have an interest in. As such, information about an upcoming discount may lead to me purchasing the product, but will not increase my spending volume in anyway.
Does it work the same way for you?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Social Networking
In class this week, we explored what social networks meant - especially in today's society where everything is being increasingly digitalized. With sites like Facebook and Twitter, the effect of social media is definitely undeniable. Some might even say that social networking through these sites have become increasingly intrusive.
For example, for online social networks, where do you draw the line when someone requests to be on your contact list? would you approve the friend request if you know who the person is (seen him/her around school or in classes) but never had a proper conversation before? or would you only accept friend requests from people in your inner circle? would rejecting an acquaintance's friend request offend him/her? it's like a whole new social ball game, with new rules and lots of gray boundaries.
Almost everyone has a facebook account these days, so I don't think I will have to go into explaining what facebook is about. I will be however, introducing a new social platform. "Gracehope.com"
This new social network was an initiative from a group of self-professesd idealists who have no affiliation to any church or ministry. The site was created to connect Christian believers all over the world. It aims to cut through the distractions and noise on other social platforms and focus on 3 areas, namely:
1. Sharing thoughts and words of inspiration.
2. Sharing prayer requests.
3. Sharing praise reports (testimonies of how God had worked in his/her life).
The aims of the site are highly centred around Christian beliefs. Basically, it aims to pull the connection between Christian believers closer, such that the reach of each individual Christian to other Christians can be more powerful and have a clearer effect than if their words were to be mixed up with people from other religions. The site in non-discriminatory against other religions, but is so centred around Christian beliefs that non-Christian individuals would probably have no interest to join in anyway.
The site is similar to facebook, but unlike facebook where the wall is able to share just about anything, Gracehope.com focuses on only the 3 areas previously mentioned: "Words of Inspiration", "Prayer request" or "Praise report". An example of this is below:
As the picture shows, someone can share a prayer request and more often than not, receives encouragement and concern from those around. This is perhaps, how Gracehope.com is most significantly different from Facebook. More than just social networking, the site aims to create some form of social support through the online community. Due to the beliefs that the site carries, it also has an exceptionally low rate of verbal abuse, internet trolls and foul language.
What do you think of Gracehope.com? (:
For example, for online social networks, where do you draw the line when someone requests to be on your contact list? would you approve the friend request if you know who the person is (seen him/her around school or in classes) but never had a proper conversation before? or would you only accept friend requests from people in your inner circle? would rejecting an acquaintance's friend request offend him/her? it's like a whole new social ball game, with new rules and lots of gray boundaries.
Almost everyone has a facebook account these days, so I don't think I will have to go into explaining what facebook is about. I will be however, introducing a new social platform. "Gracehope.com"
This new social network was an initiative from a group of self-professesd idealists who have no affiliation to any church or ministry. The site was created to connect Christian believers all over the world. It aims to cut through the distractions and noise on other social platforms and focus on 3 areas, namely:
1. Sharing thoughts and words of inspiration.
2. Sharing prayer requests.
3. Sharing praise reports (testimonies of how God had worked in his/her life).
The aims of the site are highly centred around Christian beliefs. Basically, it aims to pull the connection between Christian believers closer, such that the reach of each individual Christian to other Christians can be more powerful and have a clearer effect than if their words were to be mixed up with people from other religions. The site in non-discriminatory against other religions, but is so centred around Christian beliefs that non-Christian individuals would probably have no interest to join in anyway.
The site is similar to facebook, but unlike facebook where the wall is able to share just about anything, Gracehope.com focuses on only the 3 areas previously mentioned: "Words of Inspiration", "Prayer request" or "Praise report". An example of this is below:
As the picture shows, someone can share a prayer request and more often than not, receives encouragement and concern from those around. This is perhaps, how Gracehope.com is most significantly different from Facebook. More than just social networking, the site aims to create some form of social support through the online community. Due to the beliefs that the site carries, it also has an exceptionally low rate of verbal abuse, internet trolls and foul language.
What do you think of Gracehope.com? (:
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Social Media
So after understanding the history and evolution of the internet, lessons this week progressed to the rise and prevalence of social media these days.
With new sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr making more and more inroads into our lives, hardly anything is private anymore. Pictures, thoughts and experiences can be shared in an instant. And with the rise of smartphones, the connectivity to social media has exponentially increased. Even swifter than radio traffic updates, social media such as Twitter can inform you about the traffic conditions - simply if an individual or friend that you "follow" tweets about the roads' condition. Information, whether personal or public, as long as it is shared, is immediately broadcasted to everyone within the network. Yet, while everyone has equal chance of receiving the information, the immediacy of receiving is highly dependent on the individual. Those who use their smartphones more often will be more updated than those who are not. And others, who keep their social media purely on their computers and laptops may not note the information released at all, unless they specifically look it up.
Still, the information posted there is often permanent. While posts can be deleted, it would not be possible to estimate how many people had already seen the posting before it's removal. As such, the far-reaching powers of the social media has led to many reputations being negatively affected - showing how very often, social media is a two-edged sword. An unwise post or slanderous remark made can affect how others view you for a lifetime.
Perhaps, it would be highly possible to say that social media has become indivisible from social relationships in today's society. Aside from extreme cases of poverty, most individuals are technologically connected through the social media. Many older individuals, after resisting for a long period of time, have also started to jump on the bandwagon of social media and joined sites like Facebook. Many of them have since learned more about their family and friends and often, resumed old relationships that had been lost over time.
Across countries, the power of social media is felt even more acutely. Maintaining contact with loved ones across continents and being updated on their lives has never been easier. No longer are phone calls and the inconvenience of time differences impediments to contact. Even emails, that for all their convenience, require the discipline to compose, cannot beat the instant connectivity that social media allows. A quick post, a short update at different instances - that by your choosing, can be instantly sent to your phone or set aside to be referred to later. Social media, at least to me, is changing the world. One relationship at a time.
With new sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr making more and more inroads into our lives, hardly anything is private anymore. Pictures, thoughts and experiences can be shared in an instant. And with the rise of smartphones, the connectivity to social media has exponentially increased. Even swifter than radio traffic updates, social media such as Twitter can inform you about the traffic conditions - simply if an individual or friend that you "follow" tweets about the roads' condition. Information, whether personal or public, as long as it is shared, is immediately broadcasted to everyone within the network. Yet, while everyone has equal chance of receiving the information, the immediacy of receiving is highly dependent on the individual. Those who use their smartphones more often will be more updated than those who are not. And others, who keep their social media purely on their computers and laptops may not note the information released at all, unless they specifically look it up.
Still, the information posted there is often permanent. While posts can be deleted, it would not be possible to estimate how many people had already seen the posting before it's removal. As such, the far-reaching powers of the social media has led to many reputations being negatively affected - showing how very often, social media is a two-edged sword. An unwise post or slanderous remark made can affect how others view you for a lifetime.
Perhaps, it would be highly possible to say that social media has become indivisible from social relationships in today's society. Aside from extreme cases of poverty, most individuals are technologically connected through the social media. Many older individuals, after resisting for a long period of time, have also started to jump on the bandwagon of social media and joined sites like Facebook. Many of them have since learned more about their family and friends and often, resumed old relationships that had been lost over time.
Across countries, the power of social media is felt even more acutely. Maintaining contact with loved ones across continents and being updated on their lives has never been easier. No longer are phone calls and the inconvenience of time differences impediments to contact. Even emails, that for all their convenience, require the discipline to compose, cannot beat the instant connectivity that social media allows. A quick post, a short update at different instances - that by your choosing, can be instantly sent to your phone or set aside to be referred to later. Social media, at least to me, is changing the world. One relationship at a time.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
And so it starts.
Well, school has started again and naturally, the homework as well - which of course, led to the commencement of this blog.
So after years of using the internet, this week I finally learned how it all works and was formed. The technical terms used in the lesson was something I was a bit unaccustomed to, so I had a bit of trouble following, especially when it got to around the history and evolution of the internet. I guess I never realized the progression of the internet because most of it had occurred when I was still a kid, and having grown up together with the internet and it's availability everywhere, I realize better now why certain uses of the internet that come so naturally to my generation can seem really amazing to our parents and such, who only had the internet enter their lives when they were already out of school.
The lesson got me thinking though, what if the internet had never been created? There are a number of things that the internet is blamed for, like piracy, flaming, little kids growing up before their time... Yet, the internet has also created an amazing accessibility to almost any type of information anyone may require, presented in various forms. And more than just information, the internet has also created the platform for almost any individual to be heard on a broad spectrum, and to sound their view in a variety of ways: blogs, forums, voice recording, videos... The list goes on.
Personally, I would not be able to imagine what life would be like without the internet. I don't mean that I would not be able to survive without it - of course I can. What I do mean is having lived an entire existence without ever having come into contact with the internet. Without being able to look up anything or interest easily, connect with people all over the world, and view cultures and individuals just by being in front of that small screen. Which is perhaps how most people in third world countries live. Life would be a lot more mundane, and my view on life and people a lot more sheltered.
What sort of person do you think you would be without the internet? Do share (:
On a lighter note, here's a link to a silly song called "The Internet Killed The Video Star - by the Limousines" (:
So after years of using the internet, this week I finally learned how it all works and was formed. The technical terms used in the lesson was something I was a bit unaccustomed to, so I had a bit of trouble following, especially when it got to around the history and evolution of the internet. I guess I never realized the progression of the internet because most of it had occurred when I was still a kid, and having grown up together with the internet and it's availability everywhere, I realize better now why certain uses of the internet that come so naturally to my generation can seem really amazing to our parents and such, who only had the internet enter their lives when they were already out of school.
The lesson got me thinking though, what if the internet had never been created? There are a number of things that the internet is blamed for, like piracy, flaming, little kids growing up before their time... Yet, the internet has also created an amazing accessibility to almost any type of information anyone may require, presented in various forms. And more than just information, the internet has also created the platform for almost any individual to be heard on a broad spectrum, and to sound their view in a variety of ways: blogs, forums, voice recording, videos... The list goes on.
Personally, I would not be able to imagine what life would be like without the internet. I don't mean that I would not be able to survive without it - of course I can. What I do mean is having lived an entire existence without ever having come into contact with the internet. Without being able to look up anything or interest easily, connect with people all over the world, and view cultures and individuals just by being in front of that small screen. Which is perhaps how most people in third world countries live. Life would be a lot more mundane, and my view on life and people a lot more sheltered.
What sort of person do you think you would be without the internet? Do share (:
On a lighter note, here's a link to a silly song called "The Internet Killed The Video Star - by the Limousines" (:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)