Blog Post #4: Online Privacy

When we think of privacy, we immediately think of, closed doors, closed shades, and locks, but do these ideas apply in the internet world as well as reality and do they have the same effect. The answer is yes they do. We can effectively protect our identities online by being smart and varying our passwords and usernames. Yet on a daily basis we see people giving out information to different social networking sites and online sellers who can easily use that to their advantage. According to Steve Lohr, “people often dole out all kinds of personal information on the Internet that allows such identifying data to be deduced.” This is a plane and simple fact, we as Internet users are sometimes not as safe as we should be. We constantly give out personal information on websites that are not secured or encrypted. So the question is, as an Internet user is your privacy completely gone? The answer is, as an Internet user your privacy and safety is up to you, as long as you are smart you can keep your life private and safe.

In recent years with the development of online file sharing software and illegal downloading, many musicians have been losing money on music sales. The conflict between copyright laws and the digital age, are solely in violation because of the ease and accessibility in which we the internet user can get our music. Tim Arango tells in a recent article in the New York Times, that on Tuesday October 26th a federal judge in New York City issued an injunction that will shut down Limewire, one of the biggest file sharing services available in the U.S. Limewire was founded by Mark Gorton in 2000. Gorton who was once a successful Wall Street trader seems to be headed in the direction of sites like Napster. Conflict between file sharing sites and music companies will continue until some sort of mediation is enforced.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/technology/27limewire.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=illegal%20music%20downloading&st=cse

Com 305 Web Publishing: Podcast #1- Net Neutrality

Com 305 Web Publishing: Podcast #1- Net Neutrality

Blog Post #1: Online Identity

When Al Gore help pass the Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992, online identity and the way we perceive ourselves and others via the Internet was probably the last thing on his mind. But Mr. Gore did see the possibilities in the Internet and with this an entire new world was created, giving people the ability to be who or whatever their hearts desired.

Cambridge, Massachusetts 2004. Four Harvard College students feel that it is time to create a social network that does not include avatars and fake names, but real names, real people, and real interaction. So with that Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz, and Eduardo Saverin created Facebook, the most popular social networking site that has more than 500 million users.

With the creation of Facebook and MySpace, the Internet became a playground for the imagination and created the age of Online Identity. What is Online Identity you ask. An online identity is an identity that an Internet user creates for themselves on different websites and social networking sites. These identities allow us to become our dreams and give us an outlet for everything we cannot say in our normal everyday lives. It is in a way an alternate life that we can choose to lead and live or simply have fun with. But what are the negatives to online identity?

Many feel that who they are online is directly related to who they are in their everyday lives. But according to Jolie O’Dell article Facebook feeds narcissism, survey says, Facebook “offers a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships and emotionally detached communication.” Along with lack of communication and shallow relationships, the article also states that because of sites like Facebook and MySpace many users are showing narcissistic behavior on their profiles.

So the question is are our online identities mirrors of our reality selves, or are they reflections of our hidden self-inflamed egos? You as the reader can decide for yourselves.

Hey Com 305

Hey guys and gals. My name is Dave Castagno. I'm a simple person with simple taste. I love good music, movies,friends, and cigars. Family is my number one, because friends come and go but family is constant. I have a beautiful girlfriend and couldn't be happier with my life but I do feel that there is always room for more, you just have to go find it and I fully intend on doing that. So with that being said I look forward to hopefully getting to know all of you whether it be through class or our blogs. Good luck to everyone this semester.

Later Days, Dave