Point + Click

On the web and social epidemics

2006-12-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

The internet has made it easier for social epidemics to occur simply on the basis of the increased flow of information among people on a daily basis. Whereas before, people had to use more tedious methods of research to find what they were looking for, now information is opened up to anyone with just a few clicks (most of the time) and it is that free flow of information that creates epidemics quickly and often.

By using the internet, one expands his/her social web exponentially, simply because of the ease of not only finding information on a subject, but also finding others who are interested in that same subject to communicate with. This way, when something is found to be particularly useful or interesting, the word spread much more quickly than before, which expedites the process of an epidemic.

If anything, the web has allowed for so many social epidemics to occur that epidemics have become mainstream and/or expected. Bands can become nationally known at the drop of a hat. Gadgets like the iPod or the RAZR can go from being nonexistent to being in everyone’s household (sometimes more than once). Clothing trends can take over not only regions, but entire nations.

By allowing for the quick formation and publication of opinions about different issues or products, the web allows for a lightning-fast creation of groups that form based solely on those issues or products. In doing so, they create all sorts of externalities that end up with new consumers who come looking for answers quickly taking up whatever device is supported by the most people. All of these factors combine in making it a fairly easy decision that the introduction of the web has made social epidemics become almost commonplace in the modern world.

Digg -- Social bookmarking powerhouse

2006-11-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

The social site that I use on a daily basis is Digg, a social bookmarking website similar to the website Ning that we used earlier this semester in this class. As opposed to a traditional news website like CNN.com or the New York Times, Digg posts the most popular pages that people bookmark and tag each day and provides them with a front page that supplies all of those stories. Users are then able to customize their front page by selecting certain topics that they want to be displayed and other topics that they want to hide from their front page.

Digg, like Ning, is a user-driven social bookmarking site, but is vastly superior due to a less confusing interface and a more easy-to-use way of bookmarking pages that one may find interesting. It also has the benefit of having a much larger and more active userbase that uploads bookmarks daily, which allows the front page to see more activity. However, Ning does have the ability for their users to create their own applications so that they can use the information that Ning has compiled in whatever way they see fit, which is a function that digg is lacking.

Yasmin Solomon is my homegirl

2006-10-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Big ups to Yasmin (from Because I Blogged So) for linking me on her blog and allowing me to complete homework 6. The world wouldn't be the same without her.

Blog (Greatest) Hits

2006-10-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

2 visitors and 3 pageviews? I'm on a roll!

Date Range	Visits	Page Views
10/03 - 10/09	2	3

Microsoft and Reebok... do what?

2006-10-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Homework 4 is completed and ready to be turned in, but I just need to make a quick statement on why I chose to see the connections between Microsoft and Reebok International. Here's why:

Microsoft makes computers. In fact, Microsoft makes the very computer that I'm blogging on, and that's why I chose them (I'll be 50% or more of the class uses this same logic). Boring reason? Sure. But without Microsoft, the tech-world and the internet would be very different places. So that's why I used them.

Reebok, on the other hand, is much more near and dear to my heart. You see, Reebok is the official outfitter of both the NHL and the NFL. Seeing as how I'm unhealthily obsessed with both of those leagues, I felt that Reebok would be a deserving addition to my homework 4.

Did I get a 100%?

13 days until game time...

2006-09-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Canes v. Sabres
Wednesday, October 4, 7:00 PM

New Bookmarks!

2006-09-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Added two bookmarks from classmates on ning.com, which were

Allmusic is exactly what it sounds like: a website that's all about music. You haven't seen in-depth music coverage, but not quite like this. On the other hand, Pure Pwnage is a gaming-related web production that is rather funny. Check 'em out.

Creative Commons: Attribution No Derivatives

2006-09-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

The contents of this blog are now licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives 2.5 license. What does that mean? Well, basically it means that you can take my work and show it anywhere that you want, for profit or not, so long as you credit it as my work and you don't change it. At all.

I picked this license because I've had an experience where an a cappella group that I sang in had one of our songs sampled in a rap song by Eight Ball and MJG (With Bad Boy Records). The song that used our sample was atrocious. So, that having happened, I'm a bit hesitant to allow it to happen to anything of mine again. As far as using it commerically, I've got no problems with that. I'm a for-profit person, myself, so I'm glad to help others do the same.

Homework 2

2006-09-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't mentioned it yet, but I'm a fantasy sports addict. Below are a few of my favorite sites to scour for the latest news.

RotoWorld
Fantasy Football Today
ESPN Fantasy
Sports Illustrated Fantasy Plus

First Post

2006-09-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

Creating a post here for CS 103. Thank god I got added, albeit late. Now I can graduate!

(That rhymed. Not on purpose.)