Kevin+Holmes+Oct+2--Web+2

Kevin Holmes October 2, 2008 __ Web 2.0 Assignment—EDU 498 __ I chose to be a producer for this assignment. I logged on to ‘myspace.com’ and signed up to be a member. Apparently, to freely navigate you must do so. The sign up process was quite easy. I was requires to enter my gender, date of birth, state and zip code, and e-mail address. The site does probe to obtain as much personal information as possible. Most additional information is optional. At first glance, it seemed to be an advertising marketplace. This is probably quite true. The site also serves as a social network. I believe this to be its secondary goal. I am one whom does not like to list a wealth of personal information, but can freely do so if so inclined. I readily noticed the abundance of options for social networking. The social networking is approached by requesting as much personal information in the form of interests that one feels comfortable listing. Additional personal facts are not required. This information can include; music interests, likes and dislikes, and focuses on the type of people you wish to interact with. A free stream of sharing thoughts and ideas is available. I was initially greeted with a profile from a gentleman. I assume this is like a featured user or something along those lines. He displayed his musical interests and the type of people he was looking to meet. A featured video of the week was also present. I elected not to get to deep into the site. I personally do not feel comfortable listing too much information and simply do not have interest in these types of sites. I did explore some of the listed options. One can establish groups to share things with. The possibilities for dating and social networking seem to be the primary draws. __ Reflection: __ I signed up quite easily to the site listing the above personal data that was required. I explored some of the option of the web site as mentioned above. I found myself quite tentative in my ‘surfing’ but managed to get a decent overview of the site. I quickly recognized the advertising implications of the site. Logically speaking, this is probably vital to ensure the survival of the site. As far as literacy practices observed, I saw many. Primarily, these opportunities were centered on different media uses. One can set up and share videos and pictures. The possibilities for written communication are endless. People can communicate in formal and informal ways at their whim. I found it interesting that a comfort level can be attained by setting up groups to which you have common interests. The main challenge was my level of comfort. I just find this type of communication to be too personal. I always realize that much of this is public and free to be viewed by anyone. I feel the site certainly has its purpose but is not for me. On en educational level, I find many important implications. Children especially, are very social. For those who are not so social, the site allows one to operate in a comfort level and chose friends to invite to their site. Many children will find this type of endeavor fun and interesting. These characteristics can make easier to use as a teaching tool to express personal ideas and share thoughts. The design of the site is very impressive. It is kind of like a ‘chat room’ destination that allows people to visit one another without leaving the safety of their home. I do feel however, that great caution should be taken by users being careful with whom they interact with. With proper parental understanding and control, I feel this site is acceptable. I do think that many people may decrease their face to face contact if they become ‘addicted’ to this form of interaction. Overall, it was a good experience for me, although I do not see me becoming a ‘My Space’ junkie by any means.