For this assignment we are to evaluate the topics of the blog. I really enjoyed learning the system of blogging. This is not something that I have tried before and realized how easy it was. I think it is a great way to inform people of what you have been up to, what you are thinking about, and things that are on your mind. In class I particularly liked the assignment in which we interviewed three generations of internet use. This was very enlightening to think about what different people used the internet for. In my mind the internet is not used so much for recreation as for school and work. It was interesting to learn how people keep in touch online. After that assignment I decided to get in touch with family that I had not spoken with in some time. Although this was fun to check in with them. I realized almost instantly that email was a difficult way to communicate. I often mis-read what they had written and had to re-read emails again and again. If this was a face to face conversation I believe it would be much easier to carry on a conversation. The reality is that in an online conversation the person emailing you may send you something days later. By then I lost my train of thought and had moved on to new things in my life. This made it difficult to remember just what I had emailed to them. I often use the reply system so that I can go back to my original message. However this seems a little strange in emailing family. A second assignment I enjoyed was watching the movie, Got Mail. Because I have not dated online, I forgot how difficult dating on line can be. The truth is that we are emotional people and it is difficult to share emotions on line. It often seems ingenuine or is lost in translation. The text of Wood and Smith provided me with new terminolgy in which I can now explain communication problems with definition. For example I like the term, flaming. This is when someone emails you a nasty note or side comment to get a reaction. I have had this happen to me many times and was unable to explain to others what had happened. In the assignment that we did last week with an online challenge that we have faced helped me realize that these flames are not always directed at you, but are a sign of frustration with the system. The client I wrote about for this assignment was not angry at me but wanted to state their frustration. In not being able to talk to them face to face I had no idea why they were angry. In fact I took their flame personally even though it was not a personal attack. I enjoyed all of the assignments and I do not think there were any you should do without. This class has been very informative, and easy to follow.
Emily
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Difficult communication online
For this assignment I wan't to describe a few emails that I have exchanged with a customer of the accounting office I work for. Technically my title for the accounting firm is Office Administrator. However, I work for my mother (the accountant) and I am the only other staff in the office, so yes technically I am an Office Adminstrator, but I do many tasks such as cleaning, running errands, and customer service. Our firm during tax times prepares tax returns for both individuals and corporations and during the peak times are very busy. During this time we prepared a tax return for the person in which I was emailing. I sent the first email to inform the customer that their tax return was ready. Normally when I send these emails I also let them know if they whether they will receive refunds or if the owe taxes to the taxing authorities. I also attach an invoice for our work and let them know the terms of payment and delivery times. It is sort of a form letter because I email most customers the same way to inform them that their tax return is complete. So I sent the first email, shortly after I sent it over I got a response from the person that explained that he could not afford this tax bill, and that our firm must have prepared it the returns incorrectly, and that he would not pay our bill. He demanded that I sent him back the information that he had brought to prepare the return. I thought about it for a moment and decided to send one back asking if he would come in personally to pick it up so that we could discuss the return that we had prepared. In the second email I told him that I was sorry that he was unhappy but before I sent back the information I would like him to have a conversation with the accountant who had prepared the return. His response was simply, "Just mail me the information." In this weeks readings in Wood and Smith came to mind when reading their example of flaming. The email felt as though it was a flame, but I was sure that he was not angry at me but angry about the tax bill. The email surprised me so I took all the emails to the accountant and she offered great advice, "why don't you call him." At that point I decided she was right. I gave him a quick call to let him know that I would be glad to mail him the information and I was very sorry that he was unhappy. On the phone I opened a discussion with the customer about the return. I mentioned to him that I was worried that maybe we had overlooked something (however I was sure that we hadn't) and that we would be glad to fix it for him for no price before completing the filing of the return. I just needed him to point out what it was that we were missing. Once I mentioned that we would make adjustments to the tax return if he could show us what we had missed, he gave us a second chance. I scheduled some time with the accountant for their review of the return. In the end we hadn't missed any of the information he had brought us, however the accountant was able to talk to him about ways that he could pay the tax that was more reasonable to him. She also explained that she would like to talk to him about his business and tax strategies after tax season. He was very pleased.
In review of this communication I decided that the main problem the man had with my emails was the fact that I delivered the information so formally. He would have preferred a phone conversation in order to discuss the tax return. In the past I had thought that email would be the best way to give customers this information as they would receive it the fastest rather than playing phone tag with them. However after this particular customer I decided to try something new. I have divided the refund customers from the ones who owe taxes. I send emails to the refunds and I personally call the ones that owe. This has become a great way to open a conversation about visiting us in off season to talk tax strategy. This change in the way I communicate with customers helps them so that I am available to answer questions about the bill. The reality is that many people have emotions when it comes to taxes. It is always hard to predict how a tax payer will react to a tax bill. Therefore it is easier to be ready for their questions and help them if they have an issue.
I guess in the long run you could say the exchange of emails helped me realize how the clients may react. However at the time I was very frustrated by this exchange.
Emily
In review of this communication I decided that the main problem the man had with my emails was the fact that I delivered the information so formally. He would have preferred a phone conversation in order to discuss the tax return. In the past I had thought that email would be the best way to give customers this information as they would receive it the fastest rather than playing phone tag with them. However after this particular customer I decided to try something new. I have divided the refund customers from the ones who owe taxes. I send emails to the refunds and I personally call the ones that owe. This has become a great way to open a conversation about visiting us in off season to talk tax strategy. This change in the way I communicate with customers helps them so that I am available to answer questions about the bill. The reality is that many people have emotions when it comes to taxes. It is always hard to predict how a tax payer will react to a tax bill. Therefore it is easier to be ready for their questions and help them if they have an issue.
I guess in the long run you could say the exchange of emails helped me realize how the clients may react. However at the time I was very frustrated by this exchange.
Emily
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Generations of online communication
For this week you have asked me to interview different generations about their internet use. First I will outline their responses and finally I will respond to the interviews as a whole.
The 24 year-old
First of all I interviewed my brother, who is 24. He has recently graduated from PSU with a four year degree is GIS mapping. This career involves creating online maps of terrain and watersheds. He describes his internet use as vital to his education, career, and personal life. During the time he was in college he relied on the internet, and emails to turn in assignment, talks with other students, and take online classes. Internet and computer skills were a very important part of college life. In the past year after his graduation he has been looking for employment. He explained to me that most of the applications and resumes that are turned in to employers is online. He talked about his frustration with that process, because it was hard to get the interviewer to remember him during the decision making process. It would be much easier if he could talk to the interviewer in person. As far as his personal life he stays in touch with classmates, roommates, and friends via email. He also told me that he often purchases goods online because he could order exactly what he wanted without having to go to more than one store. He is very confidant in his internet use and is not intimidated by trying new software, or websites.
The 39 year-old
The second person I interviewed for this assignment is my husband. His internet usage is very different from my brother. My husband in school did not study or use computers for turning in assignments. The only class that even related to computer use was typing which was done on a typewriter. Of which he explains he hated the class and did not retain any skills in typing. He still to this day hunts and pecks while typing although I encourage him to try using more traditional typing styles. As for his work life he is a maintenance man for a local athletic club. For his job his internet usage includes ordering parts, emailing distributors, and communicating with other managers via email. He is often very frustrated by this part of his job. Although he can complete these tasks it takes him longer than he wishes. I think this is due to the lack of typing skills. He uses the internet personally to look up things. For instance yesterday he asked, "How long did the civil war last?" When he does not get an answer or does not know it he looks it up. The main thing he uses the internet for is purchasing goods. He often looks for very specific items that can only be ordered online. Although he enjoys the internet he does not think it is necessary or vital to his life in anyway. He explains that the same things can be done in person that can be done online. He prefers communicating with friends and family on the phone rather than online.
The 84 year-old
The third person that I interviewed was my grandmother. She has never been employed and never used computers for school. She talks about the internet strictly from a recreational point of view. Her main usage of the internet is to email her friends and family. The mainly email jokes, poems, stories, and pictures. She emails them almost daily and it is how she communicates with her friends. She is very hard of hearing therefore the phone conversations she once was able to carry have become more difficult. Therefore email was her perfect answer. She explained to me that she does not often surf the internet because she fears online viruses. She is still on dial up so anything she does online takes a very long time. I asked her if she had ever ordered online and she said that she did very little shopping neither online or in store. She explained that she was afraid to give her bank information online so she would just take down a phone number and call the company rather than purchasing online. She said that the internet had brought joy to her life because she reconnected with friends she had previously had difficulty communicating with. She explained however if the internet and computers were gone tomorrow she would not have any difficulty in her personal life. In our reading this week for Wood and Smith we read about cookies. I asked grandma if she knew what a cookie was and she said no. I then walked to her computer and deleted her cookies and explained what they were and the possibility that her personal information might be shared with companies in which she had cookies. She responded that she couldn't imagine how they would get her personal information. This seemed to really bother her. I showed her how to delete them after internet use and she seemed happy. I found this very interesting as she had no clue that her information would be shared when she was so careful with her personal information. This is a real fear of hers in regards to computer usage. She feels very vulnerable and works hard to protect herself. My grandfather is long gone and she often gets nervous that someone will see her as prey.
My response to the interviews:
The main thing that I learned from these interviews is that the more a person depends on the internet for work, school and personal life the more skills they have. However when they depend on online communication their social skills change. For instance my brother rarely talks to anyone on the phone. He explains that email is so much easier. In a face to face conversation he does not have difficulty however his preference to online communication has changed. I believe the older generations use of the internet differs for everyone. For my husband and grandmother they have found a way to be updated on their internet skills, but do not prefer it to face to face communication. I am not sure which is the best way as I am in the middle. I use email to relay facts, such as confirming appointments, information sharing, and quick messages to other staff. The real conversations seem best in the face to face communication. My hope is that future generations see this as important. It is very hard to bond via the computer. The idea of cookies did not bother my brother or husband but had a real impact on my grandmother. Wood and Smith explain that there is some limited danger in cookies but the real problem is the opportunity for people to know who is visiting their website. This was an interesting assignment because the three people reacted very differently.
Emily
The 24 year-old
First of all I interviewed my brother, who is 24. He has recently graduated from PSU with a four year degree is GIS mapping. This career involves creating online maps of terrain and watersheds. He describes his internet use as vital to his education, career, and personal life. During the time he was in college he relied on the internet, and emails to turn in assignment, talks with other students, and take online classes. Internet and computer skills were a very important part of college life. In the past year after his graduation he has been looking for employment. He explained to me that most of the applications and resumes that are turned in to employers is online. He talked about his frustration with that process, because it was hard to get the interviewer to remember him during the decision making process. It would be much easier if he could talk to the interviewer in person. As far as his personal life he stays in touch with classmates, roommates, and friends via email. He also told me that he often purchases goods online because he could order exactly what he wanted without having to go to more than one store. He is very confidant in his internet use and is not intimidated by trying new software, or websites.
The 39 year-old
The second person I interviewed for this assignment is my husband. His internet usage is very different from my brother. My husband in school did not study or use computers for turning in assignments. The only class that even related to computer use was typing which was done on a typewriter. Of which he explains he hated the class and did not retain any skills in typing. He still to this day hunts and pecks while typing although I encourage him to try using more traditional typing styles. As for his work life he is a maintenance man for a local athletic club. For his job his internet usage includes ordering parts, emailing distributors, and communicating with other managers via email. He is often very frustrated by this part of his job. Although he can complete these tasks it takes him longer than he wishes. I think this is due to the lack of typing skills. He uses the internet personally to look up things. For instance yesterday he asked, "How long did the civil war last?" When he does not get an answer or does not know it he looks it up. The main thing he uses the internet for is purchasing goods. He often looks for very specific items that can only be ordered online. Although he enjoys the internet he does not think it is necessary or vital to his life in anyway. He explains that the same things can be done in person that can be done online. He prefers communicating with friends and family on the phone rather than online.
The 84 year-old
The third person that I interviewed was my grandmother. She has never been employed and never used computers for school. She talks about the internet strictly from a recreational point of view. Her main usage of the internet is to email her friends and family. The mainly email jokes, poems, stories, and pictures. She emails them almost daily and it is how she communicates with her friends. She is very hard of hearing therefore the phone conversations she once was able to carry have become more difficult. Therefore email was her perfect answer. She explained to me that she does not often surf the internet because she fears online viruses. She is still on dial up so anything she does online takes a very long time. I asked her if she had ever ordered online and she said that she did very little shopping neither online or in store. She explained that she was afraid to give her bank information online so she would just take down a phone number and call the company rather than purchasing online. She said that the internet had brought joy to her life because she reconnected with friends she had previously had difficulty communicating with. She explained however if the internet and computers were gone tomorrow she would not have any difficulty in her personal life. In our reading this week for Wood and Smith we read about cookies. I asked grandma if she knew what a cookie was and she said no. I then walked to her computer and deleted her cookies and explained what they were and the possibility that her personal information might be shared with companies in which she had cookies. She responded that she couldn't imagine how they would get her personal information. This seemed to really bother her. I showed her how to delete them after internet use and she seemed happy. I found this very interesting as she had no clue that her information would be shared when she was so careful with her personal information. This is a real fear of hers in regards to computer usage. She feels very vulnerable and works hard to protect herself. My grandfather is long gone and she often gets nervous that someone will see her as prey.
My response to the interviews:
The main thing that I learned from these interviews is that the more a person depends on the internet for work, school and personal life the more skills they have. However when they depend on online communication their social skills change. For instance my brother rarely talks to anyone on the phone. He explains that email is so much easier. In a face to face conversation he does not have difficulty however his preference to online communication has changed. I believe the older generations use of the internet differs for everyone. For my husband and grandmother they have found a way to be updated on their internet skills, but do not prefer it to face to face communication. I am not sure which is the best way as I am in the middle. I use email to relay facts, such as confirming appointments, information sharing, and quick messages to other staff. The real conversations seem best in the face to face communication. My hope is that future generations see this as important. It is very hard to bond via the computer. The idea of cookies did not bother my brother or husband but had a real impact on my grandmother. Wood and Smith explain that there is some limited danger in cookies but the real problem is the opportunity for people to know who is visiting their website. This was an interesting assignment because the three people reacted very differently.
Emily
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Connecting with professionals in my community
For this week's assignment we were asked to join an Internet community (the only exception is the OSU internet community and popular social networking sites). It wasn't difficult for me to find a internet community to join. I thought about who and what I would like to communicate about during the week. My brother had told me about a popular internet community of young, established business people in our area. He had joined it for his work as he found the need to be more accessible to be people who may not have email address. Also by connecting with other professionals in his area he was able to keep track of the changes in his career field. A third benefit that came from joining the website is that people who were not customers, clients, could ask you questions about your product or service, with the hope that someday they may become a customer. I find value in this service because my mother is a local accountant and I work directly for her. I am in charge of the office management. One of my duties is to market our services. However in accounting marketing is not as easy as just putting an advertisement in the yellow pages or newspaper. The best referrals are the ones that have had some sort of first hand knowledge about our services. For instance currently our marketing techniques include word of moth from customers and other professionals in our area, and secondarily we have a website. I know that does not sound like much but as there is only one accountant in the office we are almost to full capacity of clients. Therefore we take clients on a somewhat limited basis according to what time allows us to finish and complete services on time.
So why did I join the professional internet community if my work did not need more clients. For me my benefits from using the site differed from my brother. As many professionals had already joined the chat room, because it was easy to find people I already knew outside in my personal life. Later I found this to be a great benefit because some of those contacts emailed me that it now was a much easier way to connect with others. In joining the site you have a web page of your own were others can view a short bio. Then you can link your website to others. The first I linked to of course was my brother. Then you can instant message anyone in the site or even send them a full email. The part of the site that I enjoy the most is the talk rooms. Throughout the week I would spend some time in the chat rooms trying to meet new people, because at first nothing was happening, I did not receive any emails or instant messaging. I thought back to something I was told in joining a new school is that in order to make friends you often just need to initiate conversation.
I was a little intimidated to speak to other business people because I had no idea who may be in the chat room or if I would have anything in common with anyone. I began a short conversation with a young woman who lived locally and was a real estate professional. In Bend, our community is facing a very tough time due to the economy and homes are being foreclosed on at one of the highest rates in Oregon. In our office we counsel many people in regards to this real estate issue as some foreclosures have tax consequences. Therefore both she and I were able to talk about this looming problem in our area. After a week I had many conversations both with her and many others both lived nearby and far away. The economy seemed to be the subject of a lot of conversations. It seems as though people everywhere are feeling some sort of hardship. I guess the bright side of the story could include the fact that by connecting with others I was able to find new resources and help that is available to our current client load. I found this website to be more helpful in connecting with others than it was a good marketing tool.
In the end I began to think about the readings for this week. It is so strange to be in a chat room and connect with others. I for the most part know little about them. After all the information on their biography was personally filtered. The picture may not be them at all. After chatting for a week I felt as if I knew the real estate professional and that we were friends. However I have never communicated with her outside the internet. In Chapter 7 of Technopoly Postman talks about how developers have work to create a computer in the likeness of the human mind. By this I think Postman is saying that most of the websites and software that is out there is created by human and therefore may seem very human like. However there is a huge different between online communication and direct communication. One gains the advantage of using all the senses in meeting someone. Although the networking site was entertaining to me and was a good exercise I found the experience to be forced. I fit into the crowd in the networking site alright but I had a hard time believing that I was truly fulfilled in speaking to complete strangers. I prefer communicating with others over coffee, or lunch.
Emily
Here is the networking site that I joined: Talk Directories
http://www.talkdirectories.com/other/2228-free-business-chat-room.html
So why did I join the professional internet community if my work did not need more clients. For me my benefits from using the site differed from my brother. As many professionals had already joined the chat room, because it was easy to find people I already knew outside in my personal life. Later I found this to be a great benefit because some of those contacts emailed me that it now was a much easier way to connect with others. In joining the site you have a web page of your own were others can view a short bio. Then you can link your website to others. The first I linked to of course was my brother. Then you can instant message anyone in the site or even send them a full email. The part of the site that I enjoy the most is the talk rooms. Throughout the week I would spend some time in the chat rooms trying to meet new people, because at first nothing was happening, I did not receive any emails or instant messaging. I thought back to something I was told in joining a new school is that in order to make friends you often just need to initiate conversation.
I was a little intimidated to speak to other business people because I had no idea who may be in the chat room or if I would have anything in common with anyone. I began a short conversation with a young woman who lived locally and was a real estate professional. In Bend, our community is facing a very tough time due to the economy and homes are being foreclosed on at one of the highest rates in Oregon. In our office we counsel many people in regards to this real estate issue as some foreclosures have tax consequences. Therefore both she and I were able to talk about this looming problem in our area. After a week I had many conversations both with her and many others both lived nearby and far away. The economy seemed to be the subject of a lot of conversations. It seems as though people everywhere are feeling some sort of hardship. I guess the bright side of the story could include the fact that by connecting with others I was able to find new resources and help that is available to our current client load. I found this website to be more helpful in connecting with others than it was a good marketing tool.
In the end I began to think about the readings for this week. It is so strange to be in a chat room and connect with others. I for the most part know little about them. After all the information on their biography was personally filtered. The picture may not be them at all. After chatting for a week I felt as if I knew the real estate professional and that we were friends. However I have never communicated with her outside the internet. In Chapter 7 of Technopoly Postman talks about how developers have work to create a computer in the likeness of the human mind. By this I think Postman is saying that most of the websites and software that is out there is created by human and therefore may seem very human like. However there is a huge different between online communication and direct communication. One gains the advantage of using all the senses in meeting someone. Although the networking site was entertaining to me and was a good exercise I found the experience to be forced. I fit into the crowd in the networking site alright but I had a hard time believing that I was truly fulfilled in speaking to complete strangers. I prefer communicating with others over coffee, or lunch.
Emily
Here is the networking site that I joined: Talk Directories
http://www.talkdirectories.com/other/2228-free-business-chat-room.html
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Communication via email
This week I sent two personal letters to friends. One was sent via email and one traditionally through the mail. The assignment is the describe the difference in content and response between the two letters. The first letter, which was sent via email I sent to a long time friend. This particular friend and I email frequently to each other at work. This email would be no different I sat down during lunch to send it. I talked a little about a trip that I am planning on going on. I asked her how she was and told her that I had been thinking about her. The email turned out to be a few paragraphs. She responded to the email quite quickly she must of been on her break as well. She answered that she was excited to her about the trip and that she had been extremely busy at work lately. She invited me to dinner at her house and told me that she missed me.
In reviewing the email for this assignment I realized that in email I am very direct. I ask questions and almost always get a direct response to the questions I ask. The second thing that I noticed that I did not ellaborate on the trip very much because I figured I would see her soon and would tell her later. The response was followed by many subsequent emails. It seems as though there was much I forgot to tell her in the first email and we traded a few emails to get it all out of our system. The following emails were much smaller and contained many "Verbalizations". (Wood, Smith 84).
The second letter that I sent was handwritten. I wrote this letter to my husband's grandmother. She did not have email and this was the only way to reach her via mail. I sent her a nice card that said "thinking of you". I wrote about what I had been doing this summer, and talked about my sons camps that he had been attending. I also told her that we missed her now that she lived so far away it was hard to get a chance to talk. This letter turned out much longer than the email. I took up every white space on the card. The content seem to go deeper as well. I felt as though because it was not convenient to communicate with her via email my cards seem to contain more information. I also included a picture of my son swimming. The response was much slower. Almost a week later I got a card back from her with a giraffe on the front. She responded that she too was having a great summer although she missed us as well. She thanked me for the card and thinking about her. I enjoy writing letters to her because it is the only contact we have. She can't hear the telephone and does not receive email. Plus she would never understand the language of the email with it's abbreviations.
The differences in email than in hand writing a letter have to do with the idea of convenience. This idea is that someone is always accessible via email. Therefore we are able to send them information at any time. Therefore when I go to email them I feel as though I should only talk about things briefly and will save conversation for in person. When I mail a letter I fell as though this is an inconvenience. Therefore I include more information as it may take me a while to send another one. So I tell as much as I can at that point including more personal thoughts and ideas.
This was an interesting assignment because I did not think about the difference.
Emily
In reviewing the email for this assignment I realized that in email I am very direct. I ask questions and almost always get a direct response to the questions I ask. The second thing that I noticed that I did not ellaborate on the trip very much because I figured I would see her soon and would tell her later. The response was followed by many subsequent emails. It seems as though there was much I forgot to tell her in the first email and we traded a few emails to get it all out of our system. The following emails were much smaller and contained many "Verbalizations". (Wood, Smith 84).
The second letter that I sent was handwritten. I wrote this letter to my husband's grandmother. She did not have email and this was the only way to reach her via mail. I sent her a nice card that said "thinking of you". I wrote about what I had been doing this summer, and talked about my sons camps that he had been attending. I also told her that we missed her now that she lived so far away it was hard to get a chance to talk. This letter turned out much longer than the email. I took up every white space on the card. The content seem to go deeper as well. I felt as though because it was not convenient to communicate with her via email my cards seem to contain more information. I also included a picture of my son swimming. The response was much slower. Almost a week later I got a card back from her with a giraffe on the front. She responded that she too was having a great summer although she missed us as well. She thanked me for the card and thinking about her. I enjoy writing letters to her because it is the only contact we have. She can't hear the telephone and does not receive email. Plus she would never understand the language of the email with it's abbreviations.
The differences in email than in hand writing a letter have to do with the idea of convenience. This idea is that someone is always accessible via email. Therefore we are able to send them information at any time. Therefore when I go to email them I feel as though I should only talk about things briefly and will save conversation for in person. When I mail a letter I fell as though this is an inconvenience. Therefore I include more information as it may take me a while to send another one. So I tell as much as I can at that point including more personal thoughts and ideas.
This was an interesting assignment because I did not think about the difference.
Emily
Sunday, July 12, 2009
My Myspace
I would first like to start this blog with the explanation that I have not in the past subscribed to my space or Facebook. In my professional life I have heard horror stories about people who lost their job or lost the opportunity to be considered for a job due to the employer reading their myspace page. My son's dentist once told me that when hiring the first thing they do in researching applicants is to go on my space. He explained to me that in working with children it was very important to hire people without an out of control personal life. I thought that was very interesting that the information that they had disclosed online was the very thing that limited their employment opportunities. It was then that I decided that I would not subscribe to the popular online meeting spots. The reality to me that my friends and family members can contact me via email or phone. The one benefit I do see of these online sites is to find long lost friends or to make new ones. To me the risk did not outweigh the benefits.
So for this assignment I was reluctant to disclose much personal information. I decided that there was some information that was central to my lifestyle that was easy to disclose. For instance my hometown, where I live, school status, work life and family life. This was information that I would disclose to anyone. This part of my "social identity" was important to me as I am proud of the benchmarks I have made in college and in my career. In creating the myspace page I decided to create more of a marketing page for future careers. I wrote about what I was studying in college and what outcome that I hoped my education would bring. I also posted careers that I would like to apply for after my schooling.
As for the more personal information such as music, hobbies, mottos etc. I left this area very general. I spent more time on the hobbies section than the music. To me the music one listens to reveals a window to their soul. In looking at others my spaces they talk in depth about the music they listen to. This leaves the reader open to interpret things about the poster. If someone posts that they like heavy metal than we have certain ideals about this person. Others who post they like opera music than we have a very different idea about who this person is. Therefore I chose to not describe my favorite musicians. As for hobbies that was a similar issue, my family is into hunting. How much of that was appropriate to talk about? Well in real life if someone asks me about hunting I am hesitant to talk about it so why should my myspace page be any different. I do not think these are negative parts of my life. I do however think that readers of this information create a judgemental picture of who I am.
This is the main issue that I have with myspace. If I disclose personal information I am open to judgement. My true friends and family already know these parts of my personality. So who exactly is benefited by personal knowledge about myself. In doing this assignment I realized that myspace is meeting place for people that you do not know. Therefore I created my profile with that in mind.
Emily
So for this assignment I was reluctant to disclose much personal information. I decided that there was some information that was central to my lifestyle that was easy to disclose. For instance my hometown, where I live, school status, work life and family life. This was information that I would disclose to anyone. This part of my "social identity" was important to me as I am proud of the benchmarks I have made in college and in my career. In creating the myspace page I decided to create more of a marketing page for future careers. I wrote about what I was studying in college and what outcome that I hoped my education would bring. I also posted careers that I would like to apply for after my schooling.
As for the more personal information such as music, hobbies, mottos etc. I left this area very general. I spent more time on the hobbies section than the music. To me the music one listens to reveals a window to their soul. In looking at others my spaces they talk in depth about the music they listen to. This leaves the reader open to interpret things about the poster. If someone posts that they like heavy metal than we have certain ideals about this person. Others who post they like opera music than we have a very different idea about who this person is. Therefore I chose to not describe my favorite musicians. As for hobbies that was a similar issue, my family is into hunting. How much of that was appropriate to talk about? Well in real life if someone asks me about hunting I am hesitant to talk about it so why should my myspace page be any different. I do not think these are negative parts of my life. I do however think that readers of this information create a judgemental picture of who I am.
This is the main issue that I have with myspace. If I disclose personal information I am open to judgement. My true friends and family already know these parts of my personality. So who exactly is benefited by personal knowledge about myself. In doing this assignment I realized that myspace is meeting place for people that you do not know. Therefore I created my profile with that in mind.
Emily
Friday, July 3, 2009
Online Identity
For this weeks assignment I viewed the movie, You've Got Mail, in order to think about online identities. The movie's two main characters are played by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. I have been asked to think about how the characters both portrayed themselves online and the interaction between the online personalities. In the movie Meg Ryan's character corresponds via email with an online companion who turns out to be Tom Hanks. In her emails Meg's character finds delight in being able to talk about anything with her online companion. She enjoys the anonimity of openly talking with her companion with no personal details. The online relationship progresses into talking and discussing issues that they are each facing in their family and work life. Meg's character mentions that she is happy that they converse openly without judging one another but they are like to lost friends discussing the world around them. This idea interested me most as a viewer and a student of Online Communication. The idea of sharing intimate decisions and debates with someone you have never met seems like it could have dangerous outcomes. However since we are watching a romantic comedy only one ending came about a romatic one. When the online conversation turns to work Tom Hank's character perks up and as he states, "I will role up my sleeves, and help you." It is clear that Tom Hank's character finds satisfaction in sharing his knowledge about business with Meg. In fact when the conversation turns he begins to find himself in love with his new friend. All the while the online relationship grows the pair begins a separate real life relationship which is quite different. When the characters meet in real life they do realize that it is the same person they have been corresponding with via email. This real life relationship is very different. In fact the two can't stand each other. The negative aspects of their personalities clash in the real world and both overlook the good things that they see in each other.
In the lens of studying Online Communication I find the story to be very relative to what we are learning. Both of the characters use their online personalities to portray the best parts/important parts of their own personality. When they finally meet in the real world both the good and bad parts of their personalities are shown. This is a very important thing to remember in communicating with someone you have never met online. The person on the other end no matter how well you think you know them can be a very different than you expect them to be. An online personality only portrays what you want others to see. Not many people mention their faults, problems, and issues online. The movie turns out with a happy ending for the couple because in discovering the truth about who they are communicating with online forces the couple to create a real life relationship as well. With both the good parts and the bad parts of their personality.
In the lens of studying Online Communication I find the story to be very relative to what we are learning. Both of the characters use their online personalities to portray the best parts/important parts of their own personality. When they finally meet in the real world both the good and bad parts of their personalities are shown. This is a very important thing to remember in communicating with someone you have never met online. The person on the other end no matter how well you think you know them can be a very different than you expect them to be. An online personality only portrays what you want others to see. Not many people mention their faults, problems, and issues online. The movie turns out with a happy ending for the couple because in discovering the truth about who they are communicating with online forces the couple to create a real life relationship as well. With both the good parts and the bad parts of their personality.
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