Is this the end of Kmliu253?

It is hard to believe that over the course of 12 weeks I have actually wrote blog entries on mostly just one topic: blogs! I was skeptical about what I can get out of this assignment during the first couple of weeks...looking back now, I think that I was just trying too hard to find something related to the topic of blogs to talk about. As the weeks passed by, I found it easier and easier to find connections or things that are happening around me and relate them to blogs. At the beginning of this journey, I mostly wrote blog entries based on stuff that I already knew; the blog was simply a place for regurgitating what what I did in class or read from books. This made blogging boring and a real chore to do... I had to use the "Change Time & Date" function quite often. However, after I started to write in a way that is more comfortable for me and bring in questions that I had about the socal software, things got easier. In asking question and trying to have a discussion with myself (and possibly anyone else who might be reading), I was able to come up with some pretty interesting ideas that I would have never thought of otherwise.

This blogs has been a great tool in giving me a greater insight into that social software that I wanted to learn more about at the beginning of the semester. I think that in trying to talk about blogs in a blog, I have gain a deeper understanding than other people with their chosen piece of social software. Here, I was able to actively talk about and engage in the thing that I was talking about... it is hard to explain, but I think that it has definitly worked out for the better.

By writing blog entries, I have discovered something about myself. I have found that the reason I dislike blogs is not that blogs are a horrible piece of social software, but rather in what people chose to do with it. The technology itself is very easy to use and fullfills it is set out to do quite well, but I find it a waste that many would often use it for very frivolous and vain objectives... it is unfortunate that I could not look beyond that sterotype before. Oh well, I am enlightened now (yeah...wait till the final comes by).

The one thing that I think I could have done better on was the level of interconnectivity in my blog entries. I very rarely commented and never got comments on my blog in the few months that I used this technology....this is something highly unusual and it has created a sense of incompletiness in my blog. I was surprised by how other people have used their blogs as a real tool for communiting between classmates, friends, and instructors. Some really seem to have a liking for this sort of thing... they spend so much time and energy devoted to online relationships, their html codes, blogging on a daily basis, none of which I would have the time or motivation to do. The amount of comments they received is also quite amazing. Although it is much less than what blogs outside of a classroom setting would normally have, it was nice to see how people can really meet other people can share ideas or opinions using blogs. I am still very much convinced that the level of connectivity between blog users is dependent on the type of person the bloggers are... I would not be a life long committed blogger simply because I am a rather private person.

I must say that I have never has quite so much fun doing an assignment as I have for this one. The process of reflective writing has been refreshing and I would not mind doing this again with other classes. It is just too bad that my user name is rather horrible for this blog... otherwise I may keep it and use it later in the future :(

So long Kmliu253, and see you around (if I don't forget my password that is).

Virgin mobile phone ads

I was just sitting on my usual 135 bus going up to SFU this morning when I happened to look up and see this line "Anything less than 10 times a day is unhealthy." And guess what they were talking about? 5 cents a pop for instant messageing on Virgin phones! There are also lots of other ads similar to this one that Virgin has been putting up in the last couple of months, such as "Do you like 3 ways?"... they are bright red banners that have witty and sexually suggestive lines ( I hope I am not the only one with the dirty mind here) that really capture people's attention. It is exactly this sort of thing that I was talking about my recent post about blogging or sms on cell phones.

I must admit, those ads are really effective in getting my attention. Plus, they are kinda funny too once you see how the lines apply to both phones and sex.

Blogs and the work place.

Lots of people write in blogs to complain about what a crappy life they have. I have to admit that I have been and will most likely from time to time be one of those people who whine about their life in blogs. In those moments of utter frustration and grumpiness, it is easy to just let one's mouth run wild with reasons why "...it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year...(Friends theme song!)" One of the main reasons why blogs are so popular is due to the fact that they allow users to communicate with other people through a written medium. The process of writing something out can often help to reduce the stress level and calm someone down. That is one of the main reasons why I keep a diary at my desk; so that I can rant freely without annoying everyone else. The content of my diary stays private unless my sister, mom or boy friend tries to peek...but, this privacy is something I value greatly. If information about the people whom I have been complaining about in my diary leaks out and gets into their hands, I think that I would have even bigger problems to deal with than what I had originally. This is what is happening more and more often with workers complaining or talking about work place details which are not supposed to be revealed to the public. Many of these workers are fired as a result of this breach in contracts for releasing insider information from the companies they work for to the publi via their blogs. There was a news paper article that talked about this...but I don't remember the minor details or where I got it from...sorry!

Personally, I don't know whether or not I feel symmpathic towards the workers who have been fired. I believe that there is a boundry between frivolous whining and serious, legitimate complaints. Here, workers who have violated their companies contract do it often unintentionally...I doubt that they thought their post would be seen by anyone who would have the authority to fired them. I can see journalists or government workers using blogs for gate keeping purposes. These two types of workers are constantly involved with dealings that are not publicized or made known to the rest of us, sometimes these information can be crucial to our health plans, different policies, scandels, etc. Blogs are wonderful in that they can give readers the advantage of knowing what is being hidden from them. On the other hand, what about doctors, lawyers or soldiers? They hold highly senitive information about patients, clients, or military plans... the publication of their work place secrets can devastating or even harmful to others. Where is that line in the sand which distinguishes the right to freedom of speech and right to privacy? What does the internet, in particular blogs, have to do with this? I think that people should be free to talk about work as much as they would like to...but only in so far as to get their feelings out and not reveal anything too sensitive. I believe that when it comes to stuff like this, caution and common sense can save bloggers their jobs... there should always be a reminder that blogs CAN be publicly viewed by ANYONE!

Blogging on cell phones?

I pondered on the idea of blogging on cell phones for a few moments after I saw this. It seems like a waste of technology, time, and developmental creativity to come up with this thing. I personally hate sms communication (ok, I am horrible with typing in words with those stupid number pad and I have no idea how to work that quick word things program majiga... I don't even know what the name of the program is called!). Anyways, I personally cannot understand why anyone would want to spend time painstakingly try to write big long sentences from their phone onto their blogs. From my own experience, phones are a horribly inconvienient way to communicate if you are using words. The difficulty in usage when it comes to trying to send text msgs creates enough frustration that there are times when I feel compelled to throw my phone across the room. I guess that it is not so much difficult as it is time consuming and confusing, especially when you are trying to be as quiet and quick as possible while arguing with your boyfriend through text messaging when sitting in class :P Plus, what could be so important that you can't wait till you are at a regular computer before blogging? There are computer everywhere: in the office, library, school, internet cafes, your grandparents' house...etc. If something is truly that urgent, why can't someone just call up a friend?

This is junk technology. Ok, not junk in that it creates a horrible amount of environmental waste and create pollution and get our kids sick (not directly...but indirectly, more on that later), but it is just something created to get consumers to buy more stuff. By allowing users to blog on their cell phones, the users would have to pay more money for that internet connection, which means that cell phone companies would be making SOME MORE money (how I hate paying for extra phone minutes >: D ). The more time people spend on their cell phones, the more chances they have with finding flaws in thier current cell phone and this leads to a greater demand for a better, more expensive and high tech phone. Cell phone companies and manufactors both get to make money off of us and laugh at what fools we are for buying into their gimicks. The time that we spend trying to blog or sms with our cell phones can be better spent. For example, I could have been listening to what my professor was trying to lecture on instead of trying to argue with my boyfriend (in futile). The same can be applied for a work situation...I can see how if people are consumed by it, productivity at the work place would definitly go down. With computers at work always being monitored to ensure that people are work and not surfing online, it would make sense that some wouldjust turn to their cell phones to ease their bordem. Ah ha! Bingo! I have just found the word I was looking for. Bordem! Blogging on cell phones are just a way to do something when they are bored. The only true reason I would think that people would reasonably blog is if they are on some sort of vacation and they need to tell their families what they have been doing in a none urgent and informative way (to me, if you are on vacation, forget the family and enjoy yourself!). Please feel free to contradict me on this, I would seriously look forward to a discussion on this topic.

I think:
Teenagers are people who feel bored with what they are doing very quickly. With having to attend school and having the need for a tight communication network with their friends, I can see how that particular cohort would actively use cell phones to blog when they are in class...to whine about how bored they are and how much they missed their friends. They are a group of tech savvy people with money ( "I love you daddy/ mommy"), and they are guilble to what the media tells them is important in their lives. With their disposible income (from daddy and mommy) they can use it as they see fit. Blogging on cellphone costs may add up, but overall, it is pretty cheap conpared with what kids are buying these days. By George I think I've got it! BLOGGING ON CELL PHONE IS YET ANOTHER TREND TO GET BORED KIDS TO SPEND THEIR MONEY!

Ok, enough crazy lady talk for today.

"Bloggers weight in on what being Canadian means"

Bloggers weight in on what being Canadian means - Blog report
By: Kevin Chong

A recent immigrant from the United States had one complaint - her citizenship photo is awful.

In the photo on my citizenship car, I'm about five years old. A bowl cut sits like a mushroom cap on my (still) oversized head. The expression on m face suggests both boredom and mild discomfort (I'm wearing an unbearably itchy turtleneck my mother liked o dress me up in as a child). There's no indication that I realize that I've just become a Canadian.

Looking at this photo now, I’ve know enough in 25 years since it was taken to understand that changing countries is no small deal. As a nation of immigrants, Canada is a place where lives and customs are vetted and exchanged. I’ve heard my father complain, given Hong Kong real-estate values and low tax rates, that he’d be retired by now if we never emigrated, there’s no doubt that my Chinese would be a lot better than it is now.

Ultimately, this speculation feels like science fiction. We wouldn’t be who we are in any other country.

Of course, this begs that painfully dull question (and brings back memories of painfully long unit in social studies class): What is it to be Canadian? I realized I was Canadian when I accidentally answered phone saying “Sorry?” Arieanna, on www.blogaholics.ca, has given the question a little more thought. “Maybe our adaptability and diversity is our claim to an identity we should just scrap the idea of a national identity and take pride in our multi-faceted identity, celebrate our differences, be a pluralistic society.”

On www.jodigreen.ca, blogger and artist Jodi Green uses photos to express her patriotic sentiments. An entry entitled “Why I love Canada” features a picture, accompanied by the caption “two days ago,” showing blooming tulips in her yard and one with the caption “today,” showing snow falling in the same yard.

Rebecca, who was born in Tennessee but is now living in Whitehorse, writes about being sworn in as a new citizen in the presence of Adrienne Clarkson in June. “She has a strikingly lovely voice,” she writes of the governor-general.
Foodie and blogger Jennifer attempts to define Canada according to taste on her blog, www.domesticgoddess.ca. “It’s certainly not all beer and back bacon,” she writes. “It’s not all Niagara wines and Quebec cheeses, either.”


The above was an article that I found in the Vancouver Sun recently (I couldnt' find the online version of it so I typed it all up, but hey no worries I needed to practice my typing skill anyways). I was a little surprised by how the author used opinions taken from bloggers to write an article in a newspaper. While is it becoming more and more common to see newspaper articles talk about blogs in genereal, I did not expect to see an article where the writer has taken the words from blogs and directly used them in this manner. What would this writer have done differently if there had been no blogs for him to take these opinions and definitions out of? I believe that various books or even just asking the question on a busy street on Canada's day would do the job...but still, do blogs make it easier to find out what people are feeling? It is definitly something that allows all readers to access the opinions of others, it is easy to use and the writers decide what they want to do with the technology, and the software itself is relatively easy to manipulate (html, pictures, audio files, etc)....so, my answer for my own question would have to be yes. Blogs give everyone who uses the service a space to tell everyone how they feel. A blog is a unique private and public domain, it elimates the boundaries of space and connects people over distances. In a country such as Canada, this benefit is doubled...from coast to coast, the writer of this article can obtain view points from Canadian across the country without having to fly to every province. Hey, this makes blogs a convival piece of social software!

Hello Meryl H.

I was looking around and reading other peoples' blogs tonight when I came across this latest entry by Meryl...

"If a blog is meant to be an online diary, what does that mean for you as a diary writer?

Hello again!It's been awhile since I've logged onto Webct and I figured that its about time to happily thrust myself into the blogging sphere now that I've completed my last big exam until the next four weeks...in response to Ted's comment on "surveilance", I still have yet to frame how surveilance play a significant role in blogging so i'll have to get back to the subject in my future blogs. Instead, I would like to share my thoughts of what it would mean to be a diary writer.One significant difference about sharing your thoughts online is that your thoughts are no longer personal.This starts from the how we write and the way we carefully phrase our words. As a diary writer,even as I'm typing my thoughts at this moment,I'm consciously aware that this blog could be read by anyone connected to the Internet. As a result, I feel compelled to write something ,that is,"worthy" of reading rather than focus a 100% of my efforts to what I intend to say. As a diary writer or a blogger,I have very mixed opinions not only on blogging itself but on technology as a whole. Eventhough there are time when computers have been my best friend, I find that it also has become my silent enemy in a sense that it acts as a shield so as to hide my actual tendencies as a writer.Unlike the real world, we are given the options to "save draft", "spell check" and so forth but then,we are not necessarily better at writing than we were before.For example, one thing I notice is that I'm always adding and deleting words as I'm constantly finding appropriate words to use.Whenever I want to emphasize a point,I would use conjunctive words like "As result" ,"therefore","Instead",words that I rarely even use in my everyday language.In my opinion, it seems that the more technology we have,the more ability we have to hide our flaws;and whats worse is that, eventhough we understand the effects of technology, we still find it necessary to present a pretty piece of information like a report or a research paper. . therefore,the definition of the blog no longer holds true as the idea of personal diary is taken away as soon as we start writing for others rather than for ourselves."

posted by merylh253 @ 2:59 PM

I don't know who Meryl is (Hi, maybe I'll see you in class sometimes?), but I certainly agree with what she has to say about blogging as a public diary. what Meryl has to say is similar to my post on tone and texture of blogs, "Usually, I treat my blog as a diary - something that is meant to be written in a relaxed and unchecked fashion - but I find that I have been writting in full sentences and reading over things to make that I stay coherent to my potential readers." I suppose that blogging has created a new genre of writing, one that is simultaneously public and private. It requires the writer to maintain a balance in the level of intimacy of the content yet at the same time it gives writers the freedom to be as brazen as they want to be.

This blog is getting stale.

This blog is hard work.

It is hard work because it feels as if I am required to write only about my chosen piece of social software (blogs) here. This blog feel superficial and most unnatural to me, it is created as an assignment and I am not free to talk about anything other than the subject of blogs. There is only so much a person can say about blogs in a given period of time, and I for one feel that I have had enough. In my opinion, blogs are like a personal newpaper, the contents need to be fresh and different from time to time in order to stay interesting to both the writer and the readers. In a normal blog, the writer would have the chance to talk about things that happen on a day to day basis which have no real relation to one another. The topics can range from cars to food to news events, to family arguments, etc. A good example of a more well rounded and typical blog would be this one from Joseph, who is also in CMNS 253. (I hope he is not mad that I am using him as an example!)

I suppose that I am not really taking full advantage of this assignment or social software. Some of my classmates have made friends, received opinions and gave opinions to other people with the use of this blogging network. They are doing what users are suppose with this piece of social software! Whereas with me, I am not sure if anyone other than myself have read what has been written in here so far. I have not participated in any acts of interactivity between other users and frankly, this is getting a little ridiculous. I have discovered that in order for this network to work, the user (singular) has to be willing to take risks. In order to be sucessful with mingling with other users, the user (singular) has to take the first step in contacting other people. There are always chances of being rejected or even ignored... one would think there is nothing to lose in this cyber world (yes, I said cyber), but there is a certain amount of pride at stake here. Ok, so I guess this means I am too proud to go around and say hi to other people :( I believe that ultimately, the level of interactivity between users depends on the nature of the users, the type of people they are (talkative, nosy, friendly, approachable, etc) really makes a big difference how a blogging community would become.

I cannot promise that I will reach out to more people....but hey, at least I know what I am doing wrong. Finally, I can say that I have learn something through writting this blog!

Tone and texture

The question of what tone I should use in my blog has been on my mind for quite sometime now, I asked Darryl in tutorial today about what tone I should use and he suggested that I write this down as one of my blog entries. Although he didn't actually give me an answer, I must admit that it is a good idea.

I have been reading other people's blogs lately and I am a bit confused about the tone we are supposed to talk with on the blogs here. Unlike a recreational blog, this is part of an assignment which will get read over, critized, and fianlly graded upon! I see some people writing in formal fashion like in an essay, and osme people use slangs and text messaging words. Usually, I treat my blog as a diary - something that is meant to be written in a relaxed and unchecked fashion - but I find that I have been writting in full sentences and reading over things to make that I stay coherent to my potential readers. The topic regarding formalities in the way people communicate over the internet is somethat that has been marvelled at for a long time. It seems as though the internet has created a medium that promotes a higher level of eqality and same level class structure. In this sense, I suppose that the communication in chat rooms or emails is very similar to the telephone. It doesn't matter what class you are in, how wealthy you are, or how much you know about the technonlogy, ultimatly, everyone has to write in a same type of space and the messages all look the same in the indox. Which brings me back to the tone used in blogs... I still don't have a good answer as to what tone I should use in this assignment. I do believe however, that this particular blog is something uncoventional. Afterall, blogs are usually not written to b graded upon and critized to the level where the appropiatiness of the content can potential benefit or damage the writer. Thus, the way I write in my blog for CMNS 253 is not a true reflection of how most people who keep blogs would write. I guess that whatever is comfortable for me will have to do for now.

Enough rambling, I need to watch TV ...uh, I mean read my text book! OK fine, there is no use lying on the internet I suppose and yup, reading can wait :P

Asian Avenue

Does anyone remember Asian Avenue? For those who are unfamiliar with it, I will take a moment to brief you in on it. Asian Avenue was a site that connected (and maybe still does? I am not sure if it's popular anymore) millions of asian teenagers around the world, it provided a common ground for communication both within and between many "Asian Pride" cliques. Asian Avenue (AA for short) was (at first) considered to be exclusive to *asian members; it was designed to be an online community for the purpose of preserving asian values and traditions.

*mostly Chinese

The funny thing is, this site was done entirely in english. Which means that asians who don't understand english or don't have access to a computer cannot join. There are a few countries that comes to mind that have asians citizens who can speak english and have enough finanical stability to afford access to a computer or internet. Canada, US, England, and the Philippines are some of the immediate ones that I can think of. Can anyone spot the similarity between these countries? Other than the Philippines, none of the other countries are even in Asia, and more importantly, asian traditions and culture is not very strong in them. The need for a site such as AA was clearly reflected by the site's popularity, anyone who has had to live in a place where they are not members of the majority group would know exactly what I am talking about. There are always racial comments that you hear, strange customs that are too weird to understand, the lack of true bond or connection in the local community, etc...these are things that many asians have to face everyday, AA was a place that allowed these people to express how they feel about it and come up with solutions for these problems. What's more, AA was free and very user friendly, definitly what Illich would consider to be a convivial piece of social software. Excellent for posting up pictures online, giving "shouts" to friends, and leaving comments in the guest box. It also opened the door in allowing people to be creative with their layouts and experiment with various html codes.

Ok, so why have I been talking about this?

Going back to last week's blog, I was talking about why some people chose to blog and other people don't. AA is a good example why I personally have mixed feelings. When a blog is constructed with a purpose, it can be efficient and highly malleable to the user's needs. Here it is the need and desire of the user that is under question. Is the need to tell people in the online community how much friends you have really that important? Is the need to post pictures so that everyone know how great you look worthy of the technology? Is the usage of blogs as a mean for gossip legitmate? As much as I would hate to say it, the answer is a clear yes. Freedom of expression is something fundamental to blogging, by critizing how certain people chose to blog, I am not necessary helping socety or anything...rather, it just seems like I have too much time on my hands. Bottonline is this: different people blog for different reasons, it is not up to anyone else to decide on whether or not other people should blog or not. It would be great if every blogger can realize the true potential and power their blogs can have towards bringing forth ideas and deep, meaningful discussion. But since that is not going to happen anytime soon, let's just be happy with bloggers out there who does...there are too much stuff to read anyways, I barely have enough time to read my textbooks.

To blog or not to blog, that is the question

Hello, how is everyone doing today?

To start off today's blog entry, I would like to talk about why some people chose to blog and why others....don't. For me personally, I believe that blogs are not as great of an idea as most people seem to think. Yes I understand all the wonderful applications it has and how it can connect people and create great online communities...but somehow, I am not really convinced. Before everyone turn their heads and start glaring at me, please let me explain.

I have never really been much of a people person, and I am very very cynical. Many times, people find my temper too much to handle and that my frankness in opinion scares them. At this point, some of you are thinking..."shouldn't this mean that she would love blogging? After all, it gives her a chance to express her thoughts without getting everyone mad or scared." Well, that's what I thought too when I started blogging in the beginning, but I was wrong. I started blogging on a regular basis on Xanaga in grade 12 (here is a LINK to it, too bad I deleted lots of my entries... otherwise you can see what a dork I was and still am in many ways), many of my friends started one I thought it would be neat to try it out. It was strange for me to type into a box what happened to me since my last posting. I mean, if my friends see me everyday in school, why do I need to type it up for them to know how I've been? As I read through some of my friend's blog entries, it seems to me that the things they had to say were really rather trivial, whiney and in many cases, just a cry for attention. While I don't want to denouce them for this...I certainly didn't feel the compulsion to sound like them, and so I began to stop blogging. There was one thing that I did continue to do however, and it was to read their entries every now and then. In my opinion, they just didn't have important things to say and I was bored. I understand that it is hard to entertain and expect others to share your feelings when you write like you do in private (I keep a journal and I can hardly understand my own sentences sometimes ), but here is where you get the choice of just stopping or get more creative! I obviously chose the former option. The point to my story is this: blogging is a way for people to call for attention and tell everyone what a great life (or lack of) they have. This was not how I wanted to spend my time typing about, and so I stopped. *Oh those lovely high school days...*

After I finished typing up that big pile of words, I read it over and I thought to myself, "Hey, now wait a minute! This is just not true for all blogs, lots of people have interesting and important things to say!" Too bad, I am tired and need to get some sleep now... I'll talk more on this topic next time.

Assignment 0...the begining of something wonderful??

Hello! My name is Kam and I am a first (going into second) year student at SFU. I plan to grad with a major in communications and a minor in criminology. I have taken CMNS 110 and 130 in my first semester and enjoyed them to a reasonable degree; Professor Murray was just a BIT too intimindating for my taste but interesting nevertheless. I am taking this course now beacuse it is a requirement for the cmns major, plus, it sounds like it might be fun! I must admit that I sit infront of the computer more often than I should; I am always online chatting with friends, reading the news, playing games, or trying to do my homework. I use softwares such as MSN Messenger and Hotmail or SFU email to keep in touch with my friends and family on a daily bases. It is important for me to be able to reach someone without using my phone because: a) my sister is always on the line, and b) I end up wasting more time chatting endlessly. It is also important for me to be able to receive and send out information in a reliable and efficient manner due to the activities that I am involved in. I have picked Xanga, a weblog, as my chosen social software to investigate because I have used Xanga before. Back in high school, it was very common to have these online journals, friends (or foes) would read and comment on the entries. I always thought that it was interesting how even though some people see their friends everyday, they would always have something new to say on their blogs. I am a bit worried about the courseload in this class; I had no idea that it was a Writing Intensive course until today's lecture...

Scavenger Hunt:
1. Ted's 0.0 GPA was from a time when he "was just a kid" at Carleton University. I'm assuming that he meant he did not take academics seriously at the time...
2. 2 of Darryl's favorite bands are the Ramones and the Rolling Stones. I haven't had the chance to listen to anything by the Ramones (or I heard them before then forgot), but do I know they are famous and that their original concert t-shirts are worth quite a pretty penny nowadays. As for the Rolling Stones...I must admit that while I am not a fan, I do admire them for the charities and good work they have done, especially with the concert they held in Toronto while the SARS scare was around.

Well, it looks like I answered everything. Good night!