One of our assignments for class was to look at an interview with a well-known blogger, as they talk about their blogs and how they blog in those blogs. Then, we had to write a blog about how we felt about that blogger and their blogs. The one I chose to read up on was Fred First, if that is his real name.
There were a few things I took away from Fred's interview that I found interesting. He started his own blog after being discouraged about a former career, and had nobody to really talk to about it. This is something I can definitely relate to. In one of my previous jobs, I worked for a family member of mine (NEVER a good idea.) One of the managers apparently felt threatened by this, and made it a mission to have me evicted as soon as possible. Most of the co-workers were on my side but couldn't say anything, and talking to my family about it would have led (and almost did) to a huge confrontation. Wisely, I decided to get up on out of there, but it was definitely a very frustrating time and I can relate to wanting to have an audience to air my grievances out for.
Another thing I noticed was that his blog usually isn't very political. He even says he makes it a point to try and stay fairly neutral about topics like that, and instead will talk about "whatever was touching my mind or heart at the moment." I think that a blog should be more open-ended and should be about anything or everything you have on your mind, and does not always have to be about the pressing issues of the day. First also mentions how some readers take exception when he does interject some of his opinions in his work. He says he was angry, understandably so, but stopped himself from posting a heated response back to one of his haters.
In my opinion, while having an audience decide that what I have to say is important enough to spend their time reading it is flattering, at the end of the day the blog belongs to its blogger. If that means losing a few people who don't always agree with every last syllable I type, then oh well. They probably sucked anyway. A blog should be an expression of what's on the mind of the blogger, the same way a canvas holds the ideas of an artist.
Or, at least I think that's what it should be. I still have no idea if I'm doing this right.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Google- What's the deal?
We have been talking a lot in class about just how pervasive Google is, from logging all our personal information to infiltrating every form of media the web has to offer. The fact is that Google has become the most recognizable website in the world today, as "Facebooking" someone isn't as common as "Googling" something. While they technically can't be considered a monopoly on the web, they really are as close as they can get. The big question, though, is where will it end?
One of the best arguments for Google is that they claim to collect information for "our convenience." It remembers searches we have made, Google Chrome (like most other browsers) remembers our login information for sites we frequent, and even has all our billing information memorized. While some people are okay with having all that free information saved in our history (like I said, it makes everything faster), I simply have that turned off. Or, at least, as much as possible. I am of those people that still types in their user name and password for the websites I log in to. I just feel more secure that way, even if in the grand scheme of things, some random stranger knowing my Photobucket account info really doesn't affect me one way or the other.
The other really troubling thing people have considered is what Google will do once they do feel they have enough of our personal information. Some have speculated that they will sell all our personal information, all willingly supplied by us to them, to third parties looking to bombard us with advertisements they think we may be interested in. Or, even worse, they can sell our credit card info, once again supplied by us and saved in the system, to others that can exploit that information. They may even do it themselves.
While I'm not saying Google is a terrible, terrible company, I do believe they should probably have an eye kept on them. There is no problem with collecting information about your customers, as it helps a business cater to them. I even understand that a company 's fundamental purpose is to make money, so if they can profit off of using some of our information without harming us in any significant way, I am cool with that too. I just think that there is such a thing as one entity knowing too much about everyone, and we should all be a little bit more wary about how much of ourselves we give away. We have no idea where it will end up in the end.
One of the best arguments for Google is that they claim to collect information for "our convenience." It remembers searches we have made, Google Chrome (like most other browsers) remembers our login information for sites we frequent, and even has all our billing information memorized. While some people are okay with having all that free information saved in our history (like I said, it makes everything faster), I simply have that turned off. Or, at least, as much as possible. I am of those people that still types in their user name and password for the websites I log in to. I just feel more secure that way, even if in the grand scheme of things, some random stranger knowing my Photobucket account info really doesn't affect me one way or the other.
The other really troubling thing people have considered is what Google will do once they do feel they have enough of our personal information. Some have speculated that they will sell all our personal information, all willingly supplied by us to them, to third parties looking to bombard us with advertisements they think we may be interested in. Or, even worse, they can sell our credit card info, once again supplied by us and saved in the system, to others that can exploit that information. They may even do it themselves.
While I'm not saying Google is a terrible, terrible company, I do believe they should probably have an eye kept on them. There is no problem with collecting information about your customers, as it helps a business cater to them. I even understand that a company 's fundamental purpose is to make money, so if they can profit off of using some of our information without harming us in any significant way, I am cool with that too. I just think that there is such a thing as one entity knowing too much about everyone, and we should all be a little bit more wary about how much of ourselves we give away. We have no idea where it will end up in the end.
Oh, hey there.
Well, let's cut to the chase; I have been assigned to create and maintain a blog for one of my classes. Part of me was worried about this, as I'm not entirely sure what a blog is supposed to be about. Some of the blogs I've read acted solely as news outlets, taking all the big stories today and molding them into bite-sized pieces for others to read and be informed by. Others tend to read more like journals, taking random issues the author deems necessary to write and give their own opinions about. On the other hand, I do enjoy writing, and I wanted to give the whole "blogging" thing a shot. All I had to do was wait for inspiration to strike.
That still hasn't happened, so I'll just wing a couple until my muse comes back.
I guess the easiest thing to do would be to talk about myself for a bit. I'm Dominic. I'm looking to be a graphic designer, and I enjoy working on projects with Photoshop and Flash. I am also learning how to create websites from scratch, and know a little bit of html. I have also been teaching myself how to edit videos in my free time.
Despite this, I'm not a complete nerd. I'm a big sports fan, mainly hockey and football. I have been a huge 49ers fan from birth, so even though they may lose to the Giants this Sunday, I'm ecstatic they made it this far. When I'm on campus and not in class or on my Mac, you can usually find me in the weight room. I love working out and will do so 4-5 times a week. I work at the Sports Authority in Aurora, and I'm also really big in to Texas Hold'em. I think that's pretty much it- oh wait, I'm also a professional wrestler in my spare time.
Yeah, that's me. I'm obviously not quite in the WWE or anything (yet), but I travel around the Midwest and perform in front of a couple hundred people a few times a month, so it's something. It's actually very fun to do, and I love all the road trips with friends. It's also A LOT harder than you might think, but it's something I really enjoy doing, at least for the time being.
Well, I suppose that's enough for a brief opener. Like I said, I have no idea if I'm blogging the right way or not, but this is just the introduction, so who cares. I'll talk about stuff during the next one.
That still hasn't happened, so I'll just wing a couple until my muse comes back.
I guess the easiest thing to do would be to talk about myself for a bit. I'm Dominic. I'm looking to be a graphic designer, and I enjoy working on projects with Photoshop and Flash. I am also learning how to create websites from scratch, and know a little bit of html. I have also been teaching myself how to edit videos in my free time.
Despite this, I'm not a complete nerd. I'm a big sports fan, mainly hockey and football. I have been a huge 49ers fan from birth, so even though they may lose to the Giants this Sunday, I'm ecstatic they made it this far. When I'm on campus and not in class or on my Mac, you can usually find me in the weight room. I love working out and will do so 4-5 times a week. I work at the Sports Authority in Aurora, and I'm also really big in to Texas Hold'em. I think that's pretty much it- oh wait, I'm also a professional wrestler in my spare time.
Well, I suppose that's enough for a brief opener. Like I said, I have no idea if I'm blogging the right way or not, but this is just the introduction, so who cares. I'll talk about stuff during the next one.
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