Monday, April 23, 2007

The Internet is a Fine Place for Women

Huff, Chuck. "The Internet is a Fine Place for Women," Computers and Society December 1997 (pg 27)

Chuck Huff offers a new perspective regarding the inhospitable behavior a few on the Internet have directed toward women. He is a person with history in this technology. He uses it to write his newspaper column and he also publishes freelance articles about issues of interest. I believe he understands that some women who might genuinely enjoy and profit from participation in the Internet might have second thoughts given this adverse but very real news about the dangers and threats that this form of communication leaves one open to. Especially disturbing are reports of "virtual rape", harassment and degredation that have found their way into Internet forums and recent articles about them. Mr. Huff goes on to point out that despite all of these negatives, there are several positives that he sees. First of all, there is variety in the Net and this grows every day. New web sites are opening every offering a divergence to address the interests and issues of more readers . Additionally, more women are participating in online forums. Women, initially a minority, are beginning to have a voice, without altering anyone elses.
Mr Huff gives all of us some reasonable hope for the future of the Net. For years many of us have heard only the bad and frightening things that are part of this world. Sometimes we forget that the real world can be a dangerous place too. But few of us would quit going outside because of this fear. We learn to be more reasonable and cautious while we enjoy the world.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

The Internet is a Fine Place for Women

Huff, Chuck. "The Internet Is a Fine Place for Women", Computers and Society, December, 1997 (pg 27).

Chuck Huff is optimistic about the Internet as a place women can find their voice. He understands the dark side of the Internet. He does not make light of the sexual harassment and "virtual rape" ostracism and sexual stereotyping that takes place in some forums and chat rooms.. But he argues that there are still many communities and forums in the net culture. They take all different kinds of style and shapes, There is much room for positive experiences and variety but we all need to use our "fine good sense to exploit it."
You're right, Mr Huff. What surprises me is that anyone would have difficulty figuring this out. Even in the real world there are dark places and people have dark sides. I imagine anyone who has fallen victim to this would be justifiably wary. But the real trick in life, including the Internet is to approach where we go, what we do and who we meet with a little caution and good sense.

Gender Gap in Cyberspace

Tannen, Deborah. "Gender Gap in Cyberspace", Newsweek, 16 May 1994, pgs 52-53.
http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/popular.htm 6 Apr 2007

Deborah Tannen describes herself as a pioneer in the use of personal computers. She certainly is just that. In 1980 most people had little contact with computers and fewer saw any reason to invest in a personal computer for their home. This was the time when Deborah and her friend, Ralph took the plunge. As the story progresses, Ralph became more involved in and acquired understanding of the technology while Ms. Tannen admittedly became more involved in computer use, not mastery. We learn her interest in computers grew when she discovered and, in her own words, got hooked on email. She writes about two quite basic differences she sees in computer use between men and women. First, women seldom take an interest in the nuts and bolts of computers. Ralph described how men struggle to get the upper hand, they want to show this machine who's boss. She feels women typically just want the computer to work for them, they don't want to be challenged by it. She found email an especially enjoyable way to connect with others but here too she found basic differences evident to her between men and women. She pointed out the dark side of derogatory and unwarranted sexual comments that the anonymity of email brings out in some men. On the brighter side, she found men more likely to respond to technical questions with lengthy but helpful information. She reminisced that although she was a pioneer, one of the earliest users of personal computers, she was happy if it worked she didn't need to understand why (or how) it worked.
I believe I would catagorize mysely with Ms. Tannen on this issue. I'm always amazed when I discover something new I can do aith a computer, especially when it makes my work easier. But I really have no interest fixing things when they go wrong with the computer. I leave this to the experts and in my house they are all men.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Warcraft: Another Point of View

ROBUSTYOUNGSOUL (Anonymous). "Warcraft: Another Point of View", Online posting 19 Oct 2006, SOUL KERFUFFLE. 1 Apr 2007


This blog is an answer and a different point of view from the one taken by Andy in A View From the Top. The writer is a friend of Andy's and says he supported his move out of online gaming. For himself, he says he has a happy, busy and successful life as he continues to participate in World of Warcraft. He told us he was able to get a Masters degree and work a part time job while playing online. He says he is improving his game while has a life outside of gaming.He "goes to the movies, persues other hobbies and calls friends." He says he can walk away when frustrated but admits casually that he plays every night (for fifteen minutes) before he goes to bed.He mentions giving up herbalism and having an ex ( girlfriend? wife? ). He writes that he hasn't given up large amounts of his life but he enjoys it and feels there are people in the game that he "loves and have made it worthwhile to play."
All-in-all Mr. Anonymous, I'm glad that you are enjoying yourself but I don't think you have much of a life. The real difficulty that I have with the Internet and computer technology is that it circumvents face to face life. The technology itself is fun, educational and has much promise but it is not the real world. That usually involves, for most of the adults I know, a full time job and a life that is occasionally interrupted by gaming, not the other way around.

The View fron the Top

ROBUSTYOUNGSOUL (Andy). "The View From the Top" Online posting 17 Oct 2006 SOUL KEFFUFFLE, 1 Apr 2007


This blog post summarizes a young man's reasons for his participation in online gaming and the subsequent reasons he had for walking away from what had become a major part of his life. The writer (Andy) describes his entry into the World of Warcraft when he was a young man fresh out of school with lots of free time on his hands. He wrote about the friends he made, what he learned and how he was able to advance in the "Guild" in the more than a year he spent wrapped up in online gaming. His decision to quit the game cold-turkey seemed based on the fact that he realized his whole life was wrapped up in this game and the end result was that he had no life. As he spent all of his time working his way up the ladder of the game, taking his responsibilities seriously, he suddenly realized that this game would go on quite nicely without him and not lose a beat when he left.
Andy was a lucky young man. He played and enjoyed this game for over a year as it took over his real life in terms of time and energy. But as he points out himself, he left before he had lost those things that really matter in the real world. He was single without any family responsibilities, he had not done irreparable damage to his career and he was able to step back and take a realistic view of his life. It sounded to me that he was a little disappointed at having lost this time in his real life but he managed to have an optimistic view of his future without online gaming. I believe he has gotten his priorities well organized. We would all be wise to take this kind of critical look at our priorities.
Enjoy your memories of the past and the lessons it teaches you while you look forward to the future Andy, you're headed in the right direction.

Monday, March 19, 2007

The Web and the Future of Writing

Scanlon, Chip. The Web and the Future of Writing. Poynteronline, posted Dec 18, 2002

Chip Scanlon plays the wise sage in this article. He has been a writer long anough to know that things change and you need to "go with the flow".But he has been a good writewr and knows that some things should never change. He writes about the new technology that is now such an integral part of journalism and news writing. Not only has the internet age allowed for worldwide communication, it allows for world apart interviews. This certainly provides a new horizon when a journalist can interview "together" world leaders, personalities or figures of importance at one time. Can provide communication, both audio and visual, between all and do so on a live broadcast. But he reminds would -be writers and journalists that there are practices that good journalism will always require of a writer. First is the face-to-face interview. A video conference or telephone conference simply cannot replace what this brings to a good story. The interaction between interviewee and interviewer, "the texture, completeness and accuracy that only person-to-person reporting can bring" to a story is left out in a long distance interview. anyone who has studied digitally formatted information,agrees that "users don't scroll" and frequently "read only the top part of an article". For this reason writers on the Web often resort to short articles with eye-catching headlines. Scanlon cautions that this type of reporting, especially when it relies on visual and/or audio technology, cannot replace a well written article or broadcast that engages it's reader/listener and relies on well documented, factual information. He compares a broadcast writer who often writes to enhance what the vieweer sees and hears to the print writer who uses words and story to create an image on the screen that is the readers mind.
I tend to agree with Mr. Scolon. The new technology available to writers provides a wealth of opportunity and innovation but this cannot replace the tenacity and talent of a reporter who interviews the principles, researches the subject and writes to engage the reader with the words and story. Certainly this type of writer will have readers using the scroll bar before they do the back button.

Friday, March 16, 2007

New Mediaeval Aesthetic

Zorach,Rebecca E. "New Mediaeval Aesthetic", Wired: Issue 2.01, Jan 1994.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.01/mediaeval.html 16 March 2007

Rebecca Zorach provides interesting parallels between the "nodes" of medieval texting, writing and copying in the monastaries and the texting, writing and copying that the internet has made so available to us. Copying was the means of preserving information in the past. It also described they active creation of new material in what was learned from the past. The printing press, although it provided the means to easily print and distribute books, limited the number of individauls who could contribute. It also created a physical commodity and a profitble business for those with resources. By the 17th century, copyright laaws were protecting the creative rights of some but limiting the ability of others to create. As Zorach describes, the monks had a network between monistaries. Few common people traveled any distance from their birthplace so the monks provided a source of information on their travels. Those monks relegated to copying literary works in their nodes embellished their works, not just artistically but literally. e are reminded of how the marvel that was the printing press provided books, reading material and the ability to read to many during this time, but there were still those who were not included, especially serfs and slaves. In drawing her parallels, the author remembers those today who do not profit from the promise this technology holds.
As I read this article, I tried to imagine who would have been the Jack Valenti of medieval times? Would he have been the wealthy book publisher who decided how many books to print and where to sell them? Would he own the theater and decide what would be seen and by whom? I often wonder if there was anyone else with anywhere near the talent of William Shakespeare alive at that time. Would he have had a chance to publish and profit from his creativity? Would he have had any better chance today? The Internet should be able to provide that opportunity to all but will it?