Final Blog

It's been a long semester, with lots of work. I tried to remember it all and fit it in, but yet know there's no way I could have. I came into E-Comm with a sense of arrogance almost. I felt as if I had the cyber-world on a string and had a pretty good jist of what was going on. WRONG! This class has opened my eyes to so many things along the semester that there is almost too much to name. My habits of CMC are not nearly what I thought them to be, I thought I was internet saavy, but when push came to shove I was just an internet idiot. I learned about why people are addicted to the internet and what cyber anonomity is. Two things that I'd never understand without taking this course.
This course brought many "Oh Wow" moments for me...The most prevelant being the fact of how easy I thought it would be to take an online class. There is so much reading, so many different deadlines, and for some reason I have an incredibly hard time keeping up with that. I loved having the instructor blog to refer to for deadlines, but for some reason they never registered the way they do when I physically hear them spoken in class.
I find myself sometimes breaking down what people say on AIM to what we learn in class. I laugh when I see ROFL or LOL's because I know why people use them, and understand how many truly rediculous contractions there are out there for everything.
I feel that CMC will be an aid in the help of my personal career, it actually already has. I've been talking to a WC alum through e-mail for about a year, we've become good friends, and hopefully he'll help me land a pretty prestigious job upon graduation. However, without e-mail it would be incredibly hard to reach him to talk and get to know each other. Also with my career e-mail is often used in one of two ways...an ice breaker, or a deal maker. Ice-breaker meaning it helps people start relationships, or conversations when they are busy, nervous, or even sometimes lazy. A deal maker because it's a form of writing without having to stamp anything. Once you make a deal through e-mail, it has the potential to be a binding contract for whatever the subject.
I now look at CMC with a different light, one of respect, and better understanding. I came into the class searching for answers to things about blogs, the internet in general, and AIM users. I leave the class with a developed knowledge base of how people think and react online, and to the use of CMC.
This course was way more than I expected, being that I've never had Mr. Corso as a professor before I really wasn't sure what to expect. However, I appreciated the fact that he let us learn on our own, he gave a desired outline of what he wanted us to do, but made sure that we learned CMC from using CMC, and not what is told about CMC. It was obvi0us that all the students will have different issues, opinions, and he was OK with that. This class will ultimately help me in the understanding of why, how, and when people do things that invlove CMC.

F-O-X

In the movie we watched in class "You've Got Mail" there were so many likenesses to what we've been studying, it's almost as if they made the movie for our class. The biggest thing that I got out of it was that you always have to be aware of who you are talking to online. The identity subject is still one that escapes our grasp as an online society. Nobody ever really knows who they want to be. In the movie, the two characters talk over email...Kathleen Kelly actually talks about how much she wants to put down Joe Fox because of all the trouble he is causing her, without even realizing that it is he on the other end. Everybody knows the saying "It's a small world" But with the internet...it's become a lot smaller.
One can never be too careful with a new person online, especially when it comes to meeting in person. Both parties in the movie were very timid to the fact of actually meeting one another. Until push came to shove both parties were comfortable being relatively unknown and impersonal. But just like the cat, curiosity killed their deal and they had to meet. The irony is that the second person there always has the first judgement to make, do they stay, do they go? Luckily for us Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan followed their online hearts and not their online bank accounts.

Second Life??? Do they even have a first?

In class lately we've really been stressing Avatars and online communities. I have no problem with the people who just try it out and use it on a regular basis, however, there are users out there who actually become who they create on "Second Life." For instance, I've seen on the program where users dress up their character as a cartoon, and actually act like that certain cartoon. It's like living their fantasy in a semi-reality. So it occurred to me that there are users of Second Life who live as their character for up to 10 hours per day depending on the week. 10 hours?? That leaves 14 hours to sleep, eat, and/or do something actually productive...14 hours!!!
I understand how things can be addictive, I can say that when I first became a part of AOL when I was younger, I was so mesmerized by the internet that I couldn't stop thinking about it, even at school. However, as time went on, it was just like washing my hands, it was always available. Is this going to be the same tale? Popular for a couple years, then becomes a second nature, or will it just be an XFL type deal which is popular for a little bit then VOOM! It's gone! I guess only time will tell and we just have to kind of wait until the next big thing comes along....

Test number 2

It's funny how taking a test on a computer and taking a test on paper can differ so much...When we took our second test on Friday on PC's I felt more prepared, and more comfortable than if I were doing it on paper. For some reason, my train of thought wasn't interrupted as much as usual when taking a test. Obviously, it had its drawbacks...the constant pounding of the keys, and the awkward noises of the room kind of threw me off a little bit, however for the most part I truly enjoyed taking a test like that.
What other ways of CMC will be possible for test taking in our future? Texting? Instant Messages with professors? Pretty much anything is possible...if communication keeps advancing at this pace, one on one sessions will be possible with video chat and text all at the same time. We'll have cyber classrooms, where all you have to do is roll out of bed, and turn on your digi-cam. I'm only 22, but with all the new tech stuff I'm already starting to feel as old as my parents....

Breaking the Bank

Debit or Credit?? I'm sure these are words we all here oh so often nowadays because we are (mostly) all responsible enough to handle our own savings and checking accounts. I for one use my debit card more than usual because I don't like carrying cash around anymore. It's much easier to steal cash and use it than have someone try to use your debit or credit card, especially these days with technology tracking devices the way they are. Sure, I could go into the lecture about how people can hack your pin number and take your money, but then again, if you're that negligent with your account, than you really should not have one, or take better care of it at least.
Today I want to blog about how online banking has changed me and the way I go about things, and hopefully I'm not the only one.
Used to: Carry cash because it was convenient, no questions asked
Now: Debit card...no cash 90% of the time because it's more secure that they now ask you 45 questions before your transaction is complete (i.e. pin, money back, signature.)

Used to: Have to run to the bank to deposit a check
Now: Type in the check number and amount from the comfort of my own computer chair.

Used to: Have to drive to the banks ATM to find out my account balance
Now: A few keystrokes of a keyboard, and clicks of a mouse and I know how much I don't have.

Used to: Be "rewarded" with a piggy bank for opening an account.
Now: Earn points for real rewards every time you swipe your card.

Online really gave banks a breath of fresh air from my stand point. Remember the shows and cartoons where everybody is at the bank on Friday?? Have you been to a bank on a Friday lately, it's officially just like every other day of the week. Bankers smile on their way out the door because they don't feel as pressured with a thousand transactions a day. That to me is a "game changer" in the banking industry. They took a chance on the online side of things, and I feel that they really made out as soundly if not more than many professions here in the U.S. But then again, it could just be me. So next time you get asked the question "Debit, or Credit?" reply with a smile, because not only did you just save some banker some time and effort, but you may have earned your very own points reward.

Heads or Tails?

Remember the days when it was forbidden to shop online? When Christmas' were insane because it was extremely terrifying to point, click, and be done? Lately (The 2000's) our society has increased online shopping by the millions. Although the internet is not completely secure, it has come great distances from the days of non-encrypted pages. I thought about all that I have bought thanks to the internet, and all the face to face confrontations I've had the pleasure of avoiding...and I was immediately surprised! Books, games, clothes, CD's, equipment, vitamins...the list can go on and on. The point is, our society has come up with a strategy to cut out the middle man in the consumer, supplier relationship. Previously, the supplier had to seek many employees to come and and accept the currency, stock shelves, sweep floors, etc...now, not so much. Companies have automated accounts that accept credit cards online, so there goes the cashier. There are no shelves to stock because the order goes straight through the main store and into the docks. Meaning the item is specially ordered and comes in straight from the truck, to your door. Then of course, there are no floors to sweep because....well, there are no floors. Just like that 1 store eliminated approximately 50 jobs in one store.
You may say, well 50 jobs isn't horrible, there have been worse developments...well let's say that the online store does well...there goes another store, and another, and another...until all but a few stores are left purely for convenience. I didn't think it was possible either, except for the fact that a major superstore's online shoppers have increased nearly 300% in 2 years. Some people don't even have to leave their home if they wish to do so, they log on, point, click, and bang there is a delivery truck there like a pizza to deliver your groceries. As in anything there are two sides to this coin...on one side it's amazingly convenient, and you can shop in your underwear if that's how you roll. However, on the flip side, the money you spend online is money you aren't spending at your local store, and may infact be a trend of your community. In any business, if business is good, it's great...and we all know there's no such thing as bad business. So head's or tails?

Internet Week

I can officially put any rumors to rest that I, DJ Yokley will never take part in and/or enroll in an online institution. As much as I enjoyed no physical class, I found it much more difficult to keep myself focused online. I found it confusing at times, and inconvenient at others. I can associate and put things in order better when I hear things and see people, not words. For example, I'd have more success remembering if I heard someone physically say something to me, as oppose to a message board or emails.
It wasn't completely miserable though...I feel it was a good experience because I had been looking into a couple online classes during the summer, however, after this week...I'll take a pass and stick with good ole' Westminster for another full semester. If I don't take anything else out of this experience, I'll take that I'm not built for e-mail association as much as I am for face/word.

iDJ

It's official. I've given into the temptation of the iPod. I know you may be sitting there wondering why I'm bringing an iPod to a communication discussion...well I've found out in the 24 hours that I've had it that having an iPod is almost like being in a club. It doesn't just play music, it has games, calendars, world clocks, a notepad, shows photos, videos...it never ends...the only thing it doesn't do is have a phone on it...oh yeah, they just created that too (thats where I draw the line.) My mom just gave me her Palm handheld, and it's almost completely useless to me now considering everything I do on the handheld I can now do on my mp3 player.
I can communicate my whole life through this device, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I'm finally growing accustomed to the fact that my cell phone can tell me where I am anywhere in the world through G.P.S. I'm not sure I'm comfortable yet with my music telling me what time it is in Nicaragua and being an on the road replacement for my gaming console...I also have found out that I can subscribe to podcasts of nearly anybody or anything that puts one out. People can communicate nearly anything they want people to hear through the internet, and through the "iPod community."
Does anybody else find it frightening sometimes how much technology and communication blurs into one device, and how much we are actually drones when we have a particular device activated? It's like the first week when we learned how iPods can be used to put up a wall...HA, I guess if you think about it, with Apple throwing everything and the kitchen sink into a 5 inch plastic/tin case...they now even put the wall up for us so we don't have to.