COM125 Week 4: Are you stalking me?

When I think about privacy, I think about my everyday life and how it would be affected if privacy were a luxury of the past. Our twenty-first century lifestyle of 'wireless' this and 'easy access' that, has us on the internet a good portion of our time throughout a typical week. When thinking about a usual day in my life, I want privacy: when I am getting out of the shower and getting dressed, when I am studying, doing homework, reading, on my cell phone, going to the bathroom, and so on…. That is a lot of privacy, and that is only looking at one day out of the thousands I have already spent on this earth. I would define privacy as anything or anytime the seclusion of myself or information regarding myself is intended to be without disturbance or intrusion. Providing this definition, do people today, given their 'everything internet' (dealing with more activities online than not) lives, think about the internet as something they need to be protected from? According to Sullivan, "The simple act of surrendering a telephone number to a store clerk may seem innocuous." How many times have we set up accounts online where we give our names, addresses, and phone numbers? I am sure many, and why do we half of the times not think twice about disclosing this personal information over the internet which reaches millions of people everyday? This information for all we know could be given to hackers, credit card thieves, or other people or places that pose a threat. I believe the internet is a great place like any other, but any great place has a few problem areas which need to be brought to people's attention and looked after.

Why is it that every time I open my e-mail account and sign in under a secure location that several e-mails in my inbox read, "Hi Dominick, we have the perfect car for you!" or "Hi Dominick, want to increase your penis size?" or "Dominick, Buffalo has a lot to offer, visit our website to find out what you've been missing!" It is like the companies behind these personalized e-mails search out and finds my e-mail address and the name of the person that has access to that e-mail account, where I live, and anything else that relates to me. I might first admit that when I am online, I do not always take every precautionary measure in fully protecting myself. According to Wikipedia, the answer to this rather puzzling question could be, "On the Internet, certain organizations employ profiling of people's web browsing, collecting the URLs of sites visited. The resulting profiles may or may not link with information that personally identifies the people who did the browsing." I did not know that when I signed up for Road Runner high-speed internet, someone was going to be monitoring my every online mouse click! Why, or the better question might be how do certain organizations have the right to essentially stalk internet users? It is not that I didn't know what people will do for a little business and to make money, it is just that you never think something can happen to YOU personally.

As more and more e-mails kept entering my inbox, I was beginning to get annoyed. I decided to do a few things that would put me at less risk with fraud and would put me in a more comfortable atmosphere (what it should be) when I am on the internet. I updated my personal information on all of my internet accounts, and by updated I mean deleted. So far, I have not noticed a significantly less amount of e-mails involving my name probably because those company's information systems probably already have my personal data stored. What I can expect though, is that the number of these e-mails should not increase on a day-to-day basis and if I cannot win completely, at least I slowed them down or lead them away from my trail.

Looking at the internet in a privacy lane of vision, in some aspects it has become a place where hunters seek out the weakest link and strike when the moment is right. Even when spy protection programs are installed and internet users take all the necessary precautions in protecting their privacy, the internet, along with anything else in life, will always be outrun and out beat by those who find ways to overcome it.

References

Data privacy. (2007, February 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:30, February 16, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Data_privacy&oldid=106538402

Internet privacy. (2007, February 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:26, February 14, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Internet_privacy&oldid=108031912

Sullivan, Bob. (October 17, 2006) Privacy under attack, but does anybody care? MSNBC Interactive. Retrieved February 15, 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/

COM125 Week 3: Give, you might get something back!

What keeps the corporate universe grounded? Rather, WHO are the ones that put others before themselves? These individuals put morality at the top of their list and keep "stepping on others" at the very bottom. Such gift economies operate in a similar fashion. I believe these organizations are the ones that keep the "business" world afloat. It seems that in this fast paced twenty-first century, everyone is only looking out for themselves; they are looking to get ahead and make money doing it. On another note, more recently than not, it seems that making money in order to support oneself is not enough, greed has sank into the very essence of who we are and 'always wanting more' is a thought that comes just as natural as tying our shoes in the morning. Recently I have become involved in an on-campus group called B.A.S.I.C. (Brothers And Sisters In Christ). This is a perfect example of a gift economy because "…there is an expectation either of reciprocation…or of the gift being passed on in some other manner" (Wikipedia, 2007).

B.A.S.I.C. is a Christian fellowship group that promotes that you can have the best of both worlds, keeping up with your Christian faith while being a college student. While strolling along the spine after my last class on a Friday afternoon I came across a flyer that said, "Want to go ice-skating? B.A.S.I.C. will pickup at the Student Union at 6:30pm Friday night." I told my friends about it and we were all for going ice-skating so we piled into this van and off we went. While on the ride and throughout the night, I learned what exactly B.A.S.I.C. was, what they stood for, and what they promoted. They said that sometimes college students get wrapped up in the college lifestyle of partying and being lazy but they believed that the solution to problems lie in the hands of Christ. They meet once a week on Monday nights and talk about anything that is bothering them or things that are going well in their lives. Essentially, the University at Buffalo Student Affairs team states that, "B.A.S.I.C is a regional ( New York and Mid-Atlantic areas) ministry that forms unique partnerships with local churches in an effort to reach college students for Christ." While enquiring how the group was funded, they let me know that a local church sponsored them and all of the activities they participate in throughout the school year. Usually every couple weeks, the group will go on fun activities such as the ice-skating adventure which brings them closer together. Also, they meet every Sunday for mass at the church they are funded out of and they have pickups at the Student Union and Goodyear Hall on South Campus. They were eager to spread the news and open people's eyes to the fact that you do not have to forget about Christ when you are away from home.

Peter Kollock (1999) writes "One possibility is that a person is motivated to contribute valuable information to the group in the expectation that one will receive useful help and information in return; that is, the motivation is an anticipated reciprocity." B.A.S.I.C. is a group that feeds off each other, in a good way. This gift economy gives goods and services in return for the hope of long-lasting friendships and a strong faith in Christ. The church funds this specific on-campus group in the hopes that they will find others who will be led to the word of God.

"The sign of excellence in a new world of the larger self is not vast profit or possessions, but sufficient material success to allow large and thoughtful contributions to society" (Pinchot, 1995). Organizations such as gift economies promote this very statement. They have belief that by giving back to society, society will somewhere down the road, help them out in their times of trouble.

References

Gift economy. (2007, February 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:24, February 7, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gift_economy&oldid=105681971

Kollock, P., (1999). The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Pinchot, G., (1995). The Gift Economy. Context Institute. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/PinchotG.htm

Student Affairs- University at Buffalo. (2006, April 12). Religious Organizations and Clubs. University at Buffalo. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from
http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/directory/religion.shtml

COM125 Week 3: © Be A Creator, Not A Re-creator.

It seems that in today's world, the technologically advanced society we have put our name on has created among itself, a kind of grey area regarding what is "right or wrong". Many questions stimulate people's curiosity about copyright laws and overall, this curiosity has not killed the cat, but has generated a whole other world full of haziness and hysteria. Does the everyday Joe Schmoe know that some of the actions he may view as normal daily activity may be classified in some way as copyright infringement? Although the world is anxiously waiting for the next technological advancement to arise, what they may not know is that new technology is a breeding ground for the violation of copyright laws.

From VCR's to Digital Music Creators, people have invented products that have made easier and more enjoyable, the lives of humans. With the creation of new technology though, comes a price; the price of the lack of knowledge regarding ethics of copyright could be a very high one if one is uneducated or chooses to ignore the laws that are expected of them. Wikipedia defines technology as the relationship of society and its tools. Today, we think of these so called "tools" as our iPods, our laptops, our TiVo, etc. What we do not think about is how the use of these tools can sometimes lead us to violate copyright laws. For instance, let's say you and a couple of your friends miss your favorite show on television and you call another friend to have him tape it for you. When he records that television show onto a videocassette and then later the next day brings it over to your house for you and your friends to watch, that is considered a violation of copyright by law. "So what? It was a harmless act; it was just a couple of me and my buddies watching our favorite show, we can not get in trouble for that. Nothing will ever happen." Let's just say for this example that further action is taken and one of the boy's other friends wants to see the show. He tells his friend that he is a little low on cash lately and he can have the tape if he gives him five dollars. The friend gives in and pays the boy for the tape and they are on their ways. They did not do anything erroneous. WRONG! The boy essentially sold the show to someone else without the permission of the television show itself. This is a direct violation of copyright laws. If things were taken to court, Ovalle (2005) states that "For each case of copyright infringement, the infringer can be fined from $750 to $30,000. The courts can also decrease the amount awarded in cases where the person did not believe that they were infringing, and in some cases damages can be dismissed altogether…." I know that chances something like this goes to court are small, but I also know that chances of people recording television programs onto videocassettes are high. It is just something to think about next time someone asks you, "Hey, can you record that for me?"


© 2003 Ted Goff

Technology provides a world in which one can get lost in. Sometimes however, things are unclear with the regard to how a certain technology can be used and what it can be used for. It is not always black and white when it comes to the laws of copyright. An interesting lawsuit to look at is the case between record labels and XM Satellite Radio. Oswald (2007) states that "The record labels say this violates the agreements struck between the two groups, as it only covered live broadcasts and not the right to record programming from it. However, XM says the effort is without merit, and is confident that it would eventually prevail in court." This new technology of satellite radio broadcasts thousands of radio stations and brings them together for your listening pleasure. Who knows weather or not XM Satellite Radio knew they were infringing before the information was put in front of them. If the agreement was not crystal clear weather or not XM could record programming, then the battle will begin in court. Often times, large corporations such as XM Satellite Radio and Google are being sued for copyright violations. The Associated Press of Wired News stated (2005) "An organization of more than 8,000 authors accused Google on Tuesday of "massive copyright infringement," saying the powerful internet search engine cannot put its books in the public domain for commercial use without permission." Google, the internet search engine technology, failed to look at the smaller scale of things in this case. These technologies are just a few of the examples of how the use of such emerging products and services can be misused and how they can lead to violations of copyright by law.

References

Associated Press., (September 20, 2005). Copyright Lawsuit Targets Google. Wired News.Retrieved January 31, 2007, from http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,68928,00.html

Oswald, E., (January 19, 2007). Copyright Case Against XM Set to Proceed. Beta News.
Retrieved January 31, 2007, from http://www.betanews.com/article/Copyright_Case_Against_XM_Set_to_Proceed/1169232215

Ovalle, C., (2005). An Introduction to Copyright. i312 Information In Cyberspace. Retrieved January 31, 2007, from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/%Ei312co/1.php

COM125 Week 2: What would I do without you, Google?

I do not know about anyone else, but when I am on the internet, it is for entertainment. Mostly, I use this technology to search for current information, friends, and other non-pressing issues. Occasionally I use the internet to do research on a topic when I have a term paper, but most of the time it is very casual. No matter how many times I use the internet throughout a day, I would say that 85% of the time, the first thing I do when I sign into my computer is go to a search engine. I believe that these online web directories have shaped the use of the internet by creating necessary organization of information on the World Wide Web.

This video is a fictional yet objective view at how Google works. I thought that it displayed in an inventive way that it appears Google and other search engines can actually think as well as respond.
The start of search engines came in 1990 when McGill University developed Archie, a place where files could be explored. This first search engine was nothing like the ones you and I use today, it was only updated about once a month and it was used to search for FTP archives which allowed file transferring between two computers to take place. After the World Wide Web came into the picture, other Web directories developed to help organize Web pages available to internet users. One problem that arose when search engines were developed was something called "search ranking"; this is the order in which pages appear after a search has been performed. Many companies have fashioned software that improves their search ranking to better assist and support the best results the users of their search engines desire.
In today's society of an "Internet centered world", everything is centered around search engines. One reason may be that there are so many websites on the Internet, it is extremely complex to remember every single one, what information is available on it, and how the information can be used to make you more knowledgeable. I believe that companies expect internet users to search for their websites, not necessarily know them right off the top of their head and because of this, company's may have ties with certain search engines. Going back to search ranking, if a company pays a search engine to put them in a high search ranking, more people will visit their website, become more knowledgeable about the company's products, and in the end their business will become more profitable. Many corporations now solely rely on the internet as a way to make money.
In the year 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 41% of households in the United States had internet access. (Guess how I found this information? A Google search!) With this number increasing rapidly every year, it is no wonder why there is a direct correlation between the number of households with internet access, and corporate advertising on the internet.
Without search engines available to internet users, most people would get frustrated with the internet and finding information; information as small as movie show times, to global changing information such as the fall of the Roman Empire. Search engines provide a fast and easy way to locate any website you are seeking, or on the other end, not knowing what website would have the information desired, they provide a list of appropriate websites matching your search.
In other words, to sum up this post, search engines make my life easy and I am thankful for that!!!

Introduction

My name is Dominick Lisi and I am a freshman here at UB. I am from Corning, NY and I am an intended Communication major and minor in Marketing.
When I originally became interested in this field, I was involved in a cooperative opportunity in which my high school participated in. They allowed seniors to take half a day of classes and then spend the other half of their day participating in some aspect of the field they wanted to pursue a career in. I was put into an office run by Corning's Gaffer District Events and Promotions Staff. The experience was an enormous eye opener and I knew as soon as I started that I had chosen the correct career path for myself. At the office, I did everything from copying, filing, planning parades, talking on the phone with other companies and arranging meetings, attending meetings and giving input when asked on marketing and advertising strategies, etc. When looking back at the opportunity that was given to me, I am truly thankful I did not pass it up because without it, I do not know if I would have found my passion.
On top of marketing, I also have an interest in advertising and public relations. I plan to get my bachelors degree in Communication and a minor in Marketing and then go on to receive my Master's Degree.
Looking down the road, I hope to work for a PR firm, advertising company, or work as part of a marketing staff at a corporation. Eventually, I want to work for non-profit such as The American Cancer Society. I feel that I have found excitement in this field and I am eager to see what the future holds for me.