Final - Evaluation & Conclusion

The Goodbye Post

How time flies! It has already been 13 weeks since I started this COM125 Introduction to the Internet blog! As a heavy internet user, I thought I knew what Internet was all about before attending this module! If somebody were to ask me what is Internet 13 weeks ago, I would have replied: "Internet is all about browsing for information, and stay connected!". However, my answer is completely different right now. Internet is way more than just browsing and staying connected!

I am glad that this blogging journey has been exceptionally fruitful to me. Besides all the content that are covered in class, I managed to research more on the topics related to the Internet for my weekly entries! Through these 13 weeks of blogging, I gained more insight and knowledge on the power of Internet! Like how companies uses the technologies and Internet for their campaigns and promotions for their products.

I now regard that Internet is VERY powerful & important because it:

1. Provides us with e-Business opportunities

2. Plays a key role in business' daily operations & profits

3. Aid in distribution of campaigns for promoting of products and politic elections

4. Makes learning much more interactive and enjoyable

5. Allows us to share photos and videos we create with others globally (who knows might become a famous YouTuber one day) 

6. Lets us stay connected with family and friends around the world via Social Media

In short, WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THE INTERNET!

COM125 has been a really interesting and beneficial module to me! I am looking forward to apply all the newly gained knowledge in the near future!

Thank you for visiting my blog and spending time reading through my entries.

Goodbye.. Xoxo

 
      *Waves Goodbye!*

Week 11b - Future of Internet

The Future of Internet

The Internet has radically changed everyday life in our society. It has created new ways to connect with friends and family, disrupted the way we do business and rewired just about everything in between. However, the Internet and the World Wide Web are still constantly evolving and growing.

So, what is the future of the Internet? Here are some possible predictions:

1.  More People Will Use The Internet

Today's Internet has 1.7 billion users, according to Internet World Stats. This compares with a world population of 6.7 billion people. There's no doubt more people will have Internet access by 2020. Indeed, the National Science Foundation predicts that the Internet will have nearly 5 billion users by then. So scaling continues to be an issue for any future Internet architecture.

2. The Internet Will Be More Geographically Dispersed

Most of the Internet's growth over the next 10 years will come from developing countries. The regions with the lowest penetration rates are Africa (6.8%), Asia (19.4%) and the Middle East (28.3%), according to Internet World Stats. The Internet in 2020 will reach more remote locations around the globe.

3. Digital Revolution In Education (The Internet Vs. School Teacher)

With existing resources like Wikipedia and Khan Academy, the Internet currently provides access to education like never before. Information can be obtained by just a click. In addition, the use of the latest technology for learning purposes in schools are very common these days, such as using of tablets instead of normal paper worksheets. Not to mention about e-learning as well. Maybe by 2020, all exams will be conducted electronically too.

4. Improvement In Healthcare 

The Internet can provide the monitoring and access to information that helps people live longer, healthier lives and extend their awareness of the world around them. For instance, implantable or wearable networked devices on our body – maybe in a form of watch. These devices will offer great benefits, such as detecting and preventing diseases by alerting individuals and their medical professionals of vitamin deficiencies, irregular cell counts, degrading organ functions, or even early-stage cancer.

5. Crime Prevention

Surveillance technology and its regulation are already a hot topic today. As Internet capabilities continue to advance, we may have effectively invisible cameras nearly everywhere – even embedded in our clothing in near future.  On the one hand, recording the daily actions of citizens worldwide may bring a major decrease in crime, as visible crime becomes less likely to succeed. 

6. More Effective Communication Methods

Some people believe a more sophisticated network will take its place in the near future. Just about everything around us will be connected to this new Internet, and emerging technologies such as virtual reality and real-time language translation will be everywhere. In fact, real-time language translation technology will even be available for face-to-face conversations, according to some predictions. Further down the road, we may be able to do things with the Internet that seem like fantasy right now, such as email tangible objects, sign documents or authenticate logins with DNA, or even meet people using holographic technology.

Conclusion

The Internet and the World Wide Web have already transformed the world in many ways. Few would have predicted, 25 years ago, the progress we’ve already made. We can predict much of the likely technological innovation in the next 25 years, but how these powerful technologies are used will depend critically on the decisions society makes – or chooses not to make. While the possibilities seem endless, it is up to human beings to decide which changes are desirable, and which should be resisted.

Week 11a - Internet & Journalism

How Internet Is Shaping Digital Journalism?

Digital technology presents an often bewildering array of choices for journalists – producing slideshows and video, joining social networks and blogging.

For news organizations, Web 2.0 is all about engaging people on blogs, online forums and social networks, promoting user generated content and providing more personalized content for mobile devices such as cellphones and tablets.

1. Blogs
 

The rise of weblogs in the early 2000s helped define the concept of Web 2.0. Blogging is a form of publishing content online, and making such publishing is very easy even for any average person.

As blogs gained widespread public adoption in the mid 2000s, more and more media companies embraced them. Columnists and reporters set up personal blogs, usually on their beats, and some news organizations began hosting blogs by members of the public or linking to popular blogs in their coverage areas.

2. Comment on News Stories

One of the most basic ways that a news organization can engage people is to provide a way for them to comment on and discuss news stories on the website and postings to staff weblogs.

Newspapers and magazines have allowed public comment in the form of letters to the editor.

But online comments are as much about people communicating and interacting with each other, as they are just reacting to a reporter’s story. It is a way of engaging people in a conversation about the news and recognizing that a story does not end with its publication, but rather is a starting point for generating commentary and contributions by the public.

3. Online Forums

Besides commenting on individual stories, many news organizations provide online forums or discussion boards where people can start conversations and post comments. 

Forums allow more control by users because they can pick the topics they want to discuss, rather than just responding to a news story.

4. Social Media

For journalists and news organizations, social networks provide an opportunity for connecting with people, distributing news stories and complementing news coverage with feeds from social media.

Reporters can join the networks, converse with people and showcase their stories. It’s yet another way for reporters to develop personal brands for their work.

News organizations can create their own pages on social networks, such as a fan page on Facebook, and use that to alert people to important news stories the news organization has published or post other items of interest to its followers.

Future of Digital Journalism

I strongly believe that by the year of 2020, all news will go digital and the percentage for print media will decrease drastically. However, we are still unclear how Web 3.0 or even Web 4.0 will surprise us. Maybe at that point of time, instead of leaving written comment and text, we might be able to interact face-to-face with the news reporters through hologram devices.

Week 10 - Internet & Politics

The Power & Limitation of Internet for Political Campaigning

The Internet’s impact on politics in the 21^st century seems to be unquestionable. Political campaigns, social movements and web revolutions indicate that the Internet not only bolstered popular reaction and mobilization, but also degraded state sovereignty. The Internet’s impact on politics can be seen through the lances of political campaigns and rallies for various social issues. Media has always been used by politicians to educate, inform, persuade, frame and manipulate public opinion.

Let's take a look at the down side and good side of using Internet for political campaigns:

The Down Side

In the process of luring voters to vote one way or another, political groups and campaigns have shown a willingness to do whatever it takes, regardless of cost. Campaigns air thousands of TV ads they admit are poorly-crafted, blunt instruments aimed at small factions of viewers. To get around this problem, campaigns are using Internet "micro-targeting" to better customize who sees what. But on this frontier of political advertising, campaigns are often failing to connect.

A reason for this could be that the Internet simply isn't that effective of a persuasion tool. A study at Berkeley found that Facebook was ineffective for persuading voters or increasing name recognition of candidates. The researchers purchased the maximum number of Facebook banner ads for a week — advertising a local political candidate — and found little to no change in his name recognition afterwards.

The Good Side

Whatever shortcomings the Internet has in persuasion, it makes up for in people taking action for a specific candidate. That action can be a donation, a trip to the polls, or even just a Facebook post.

The Internet’s rise has helped social movements to become more suitable for a globalized world. It has become easier to organize, to expand, get public attention and send messages. These days, mass movements are spreading ideas and expanding globally in a fraction of the time previously required — thanks to Internet.

In 2008, Barack Obama's campaign successfully unleashed the potential of Internet tools. He created a "hybrid campaign" by using technology to supplement a strong traditional campaign strategy — proving his capabilities as a leader and a force for change in politics.

Week 8 & 9 - Multimedia on the Internet

The Usage of Multimedia for Marketing Communication

In any form of marketing strategy, you need to create information and messages that your customers will find it interesting and worth talking about and remembering. You need to have the best unique selling points possible. So what is the best way to attract your customers?

Lets take a look at how Samsung uses multimedia for their marketing communication.

Recently, Samsung launched a varieties of new smartphones, which includes Note 4. Samsung has made use of various media platforms to promote and advertise on it's product:

1) Videos and Webcasting (YouTube)

Before the launch of Note 4, Samsung's sent out invites for what it's calling "Episode 2" of Unpacked, an event it plans to hold in three cities — Berlin, Beijing, and New York — simultaneously on September 3rd. The tagline of "Ready? Note the date!" is a not-so-subtle hint at another installment in Samsung's Galaxy Note line. 

The Galaxy Note 3 was unveiled at IFA Berlin last year, with the Note 2 the year before. The same goes for the Galaxy Note 4 at this press conference, which happened on Day 1 at this year's IFA show and was streamed live on Samsung's YouTube channel.

 

After unveiling the anticipated Note 4 via the live streamed of the press conference, Samsung proceeds with releasing an official introduction video on their YouTube channel.

2) Graphics (Still Images & Posters)

Samsung also releases various posters and graphics to grab their customer's attention on their upcoming Note 4 release. In the posters, various quotes were used to rally up their customer's anticipation.

3) Sharing Photos With Your Online Community (Twitter / Facebook)

Samsung also turns to their Twitter and Facebook page to promote their products / services and updates as such platforms offer real-time incentives. Twitter's TweetPhoto will automatically enable you to publish photos to your Twitter and Facebook accounts for free via mobile and Web platforms. Who needs 140 characters to describe your business when a picture is worth 1,000 words? Tweet pictures of discounted and new items or offer exclusive incentives.

Week 7 - Internet Security

Important of Internet Security

These days we do everything online, our computers, laptops and smartphones have become an extension of ourselves so ensuring we have the best internet security is a way of knowing that our identities, documents and passwords are not compromised. 

Private & Confidential (Privacy) 

Without security measures in place, private or confidential information or messages can be viewed, intercepted and even stolen. Depending on the intent of the intrusion, this can range from the innocuous, like market research, to the devastating, like identity theft or other fraud. Governments and companies with sensitive information are also at risk as their own information is often valuable, and they also maintain private information on individuals such as customers or employees.

Identity Theft

 

Identity theft is a prevalent issue in the information age, as people buy, sell and exchange information online. Without adequate security, online transactions can lead to fraudsters getting a hold of your credit card information, personal information and even Social Security number. With this information, they can make fraudulent charges and purchases, take out loans, apply for government benefits and wreak havoc with your private life. While you can generally get everything sorted out, it takes time, effort and in some cases expense to undo the damage of an identity thief.

 

How to Protect Yourself?

There are a few steps you can take to protect yourself and your computer online. 

Download or purchase an anti-virus program to protect your computer against viral threats and Trojans, in addition to a good anti-spyware or anti-malware program to protect your computer from tracking apps, spyware and other unsavory software. A firewall can also be a useful tool, as it can alert you to activity from programs you may not have been aware of. Most important, however, is that you exercise common sense online. Don't share personal information, don't click anything you don't trust and buy and sell only with reputable, secure businesses online.

Without security measures in place, private or confidential information or messages can be viewed, intercepted and even stolen. Depending on the intent of the intrusion, this can range from the innocuous, like market research, to the devastating, like identity theft or other fraud. Governments and companies with sensitive information are also at risk as their own information is often valuable, and they also maintain private information on individuals such as customers or employees.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_6584857_internet-security-important_.htm

Without security measures in place, private or confidential information or messages can be viewed, intercepted and even stolen. Depending on the intent of the intrusion, this can range from the innocuous, like market research, to the devastating, like identity theft or other fraud. Governments and companies with sensitive information are also at risk as their own information is often valuable, and they also maintain private information on individuals such as customers or employees.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_6584857_internet-security-important_.