I logged on facebook to check if I had any messages or wall posts on September 29th. After I had logged in, I found out I have many wall posts because it was my birthday and a lot of my friends were wishing me a happy birthday. After I saw that, I took the pleasure of writing a thank you on a lot of their walls. So I spent a good 15 minutes writing a thank you on my friends’ walls and about 10 minutes at the beginning reading all the messages. After that I just logged off because I felt like 25 minutes of facebook was too much.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Journal 9/29 by Lindsay
I logged into Facebook today with nothing in mind except to attempt to be entertained. I get Facebook updates on my phone and in the middle of the night I got a comment from a really nice guy I had met a party a couple of nights ago. I've found myself being a stalker lately and I'm actually creeping myself out. If I'm stalking other people's pages of people I've just met, imagine what they are doing on my page. By stalking I mean finding people on Facebook that I've just met and going through their pictures and just checking out their page. Cruising Facebook is almost always uneventful for me but just something to pass the time.
9/29 by Jay
So this week, I've been thinking about how we portray ourselves to the world by using facebook. I mentioned in an older journal about how Stewie from Family Guy had it right on spot when he said that social networking sites give me a chance to list "movies and things that other people have created that I use to express my individualism." It's our public image and we have to make it appealing, disregarding our faults and shortcomings. It's just another part of the human psyche, it's just another part of the internet - you can be whoever you want to be because no one's going around checking that this is really you. For instance, maybe you really love musicals and showtunes but under "Favorite Music" you only list the latest Top 40 hits. Or maybe you only tag flattering pictures of yourself. Or put that you're in a relationship when you really aren't. There's this aspect of social networking that we haven't explored yet - ego.
In other news, another thing I think is really interesting is companies using facebook to "scope out" potential employees. With Illini 4000, I kind of feel like we could do the same thing (or any organization on campus that you have to apply to). As a prospective member, you could be added by an officer of the organization and they could see all these various aspects of your life that you might not have wanted to show just yet. Pretty interesting stuff, just saying.
In other news, another thing I think is really interesting is companies using facebook to "scope out" potential employees. With Illini 4000, I kind of feel like we could do the same thing (or any organization on campus that you have to apply to). As a prospective member, you could be added by an officer of the organization and they could see all these various aspects of your life that you might not have wanted to show just yet. Pretty interesting stuff, just saying.
Journal 9/29
Today I logged into facebook with a different idea in mind. Last night I talk to the "boingboing" guys who are guests-in-residents at Allen. I told them about my ideas in relation to the social networking site, and they told me to look at other sites and figure out a clear vision. If my concept of what I want the website to look like is clear, then it will be easier to explain that vision to the tech people who program it.
So this time, I was on facebook looking to see what I liked....didn't like...and hated. I like the birthday notifications. I think that in a connected world (such as the internet) automatic reminders and updates are important. I like the wall. The applications have got to go. Pictures are a yes, but you can't tag someone in a picture without their approval. A post on their wall also has to be approved before it shows up on their wall. In addition, the advertisements would be LGBT related.
I was also thinking that I need some sort of calendar on the site that everyone can access, but things will only be approved once they're verified by the site facilitator. This calendar would be a big nation-wide calendar. It would provide information for students about various ongoings throughout the country.
These are just some of my thoughts as I perused facebook...
So this time, I was on facebook looking to see what I liked....didn't like...and hated. I like the birthday notifications. I think that in a connected world (such as the internet) automatic reminders and updates are important. I like the wall. The applications have got to go. Pictures are a yes, but you can't tag someone in a picture without their approval. A post on their wall also has to be approved before it shows up on their wall. In addition, the advertisements would be LGBT related.
I was also thinking that I need some sort of calendar on the site that everyone can access, but things will only be approved once they're verified by the site facilitator. This calendar would be a big nation-wide calendar. It would provide information for students about various ongoings throughout the country.
These are just some of my thoughts as I perused facebook...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Journal 3
I logged on to Facebook only once in the evening and nothing eventful seemed to happen. Just a couple invitations to a paintball outing which I don’t think I will be attending. I looked through the news feed and glanced through what people were doing right now. Ever since the new Facebook started, people have been putting how they are doing right now. I think its because they put that bar right in front of your screen. This has definitely made Facebook more of a live website rather than just placing messages that people will see days later. Well that’s pretty much all I had time to do cause the Bears were playing, and yeah, THEY WON!
Value in my social network
Its tough to measure one’s value in their social network, let alone put a dollar value on it. I can think of two ways of measuring your value in your social network; popularity and the size of the network. Starting with high school of the more than one thousand students in the school its tough for one person to be that valuable unless you are a star athlete or most attractive person. I was certainly not the most popular kid but I think I was still of some value because I was able to befriend a lot of people. The network of UIUC is a lot different. Having about 40,000 kids in the school I don’t really think I add much value to the network. Because the larger that the network becomes, the lower that value of each of the individual people. There are exceptions, but this is generally the case. It would be impossible for me to put a dollar sign on my value to each of these two networks because I really have no idea of how much the network is worth. I think most people would be worth the value of the network divided by the number of people. Some people might hold more value because of some characteristics and other not as much. As for putting a value on the network, I have no idea where to even begin.
Journal 2
Sunday, September 21, 2008
I have been out most of the day so I only checked Facebook once during the evening. An old friend added me as a friend so I quickly confirmed and moved on. I glanced through the even invitation that appeared on the page. I quickly erased it but the second caught my eye. A group of friends were going to go paintballing. I had seen that invitation before and like I did before I left it alone for now, not really sure of whether I should attend. I went to my profile page and looked at my wall but nothing new had been written. I checked Facebook chat at the bottom of the screen but no one really caught my attention. I decided that it was best to do some homework so I logged out without really doing much today.
I have been out most of the day so I only checked Facebook once during the evening. An old friend added me as a friend so I quickly confirmed and moved on. I glanced through the even invitation that appeared on the page. I quickly erased it but the second caught my eye. A group of friends were going to go paintballing. I had seen that invitation before and like I did before I left it alone for now, not really sure of whether I should attend. I went to my profile page and looked at my wall but nothing new had been written. I checked Facebook chat at the bottom of the screen but no one really caught my attention. I decided that it was best to do some homework so I logged out without really doing much today.
My friends
On facebook I have ninety-two friends. That is not a lot because looking through my friends most have more than me. Some have well over two hundred while others have much more. Sometimes I feel bad for not having that many friends but then I think about how the word friend has lost its meaning. I would imagine that a friend would be someone that you get along with and talk to on a regular basis. But this is certainly not the case on facebook. Many people just add people that they remotely know and have talked to once or twice. So the number of friends that a person has really does not say much about how many real friends he really has.
As for the networks, my friends primarily associate themselves with their schools, whether it’s their high school or college. Some have added other networks like Chicago but the majority just put their school. I just have U of I and my high school, Northside College Prep. I never really thought too much about the networks or groups that I am in, cause to me they don’t have too much meaning on facebook. Often times, it seems like people just invite everyone on their buddy list to join groups. Facebook has certainly connected many people but the online connection is not very strong. Because it is so easy to accept invitations and not do anything, being part of a group does not connect people in the way that it used to.
As for the networks, my friends primarily associate themselves with their schools, whether it’s their high school or college. Some have added other networks like Chicago but the majority just put their school. I just have U of I and my high school, Northside College Prep. I never really thought too much about the networks or groups that I am in, cause to me they don’t have too much meaning on facebook. Often times, it seems like people just invite everyone on their buddy list to join groups. Facebook has certainly connected many people but the online connection is not very strong. Because it is so easy to accept invitations and not do anything, being part of a group does not connect people in the way that it used to.
Journal 1
Sunday September 14, 2008
I spent the day in Chicago and driving back so I only logged on to facebook once at night. I looked through the news feed to see if anything interesting happened. Then I checked out my homepage and saw the I had been superpoked by my girlfriend. I responded and spent some time just looking through the profile of some friends. After about half and hour I decided that it was best for me to just continue the homework I had to do. I felt bad afterward though, because I really did not have time to be killing on facebook but somehow I always do it.
I spent the day in Chicago and driving back so I only logged on to facebook once at night. I looked through the news feed to see if anything interesting happened. Then I checked out my homepage and saw the I had been superpoked by my girlfriend. I responded and spent some time just looking through the profile of some friends. After about half and hour I decided that it was best for me to just continue the homework I had to do. I felt bad afterward though, because I really did not have time to be killing on facebook but somehow I always do it.
Journal 9/29 by Justin
Well it has been one of the busiest weeks of my life and I am glad to say that the internet had nothing to do with it. Facebook did not tell me what my plans for the weekend were; instead, I relied on my trusty calendar to tell me where and when I had to be at all times. Living by a strict planner is not enjoyable, but it must be done.
While that above comment had absolutely nothing to do with Facebook, I felt that since this is a journal entry, I could post it. The few times I had to participate on Facebook this past week included creating and event page for Critical Mass and keeping up with what others had written/posted. Honestly, that was about it besides for a birthday wall message or two.
With this new layout, I am not too sure about how I feel about it. I keep getting invited to groups stating “If I get 1,000,000 people…switch back to old Facebook.” I have denied them all because a) there are too many of them, b) they will most likely not work, and c) I do not actually know the people who invited me to join them. So, in a sense, I guess Facebook, or at least the people using it, have sparked my pessimistic side regarding this issue. I never thought that I would actually have a “feeling” while cruising or exiting Facebook, but I have definitely now experienced apathy. I hope that my above comment does not offend anyone who has joined such groups; it is just my opinion that they are bunk.
While that above comment had absolutely nothing to do with Facebook, I felt that since this is a journal entry, I could post it. The few times I had to participate on Facebook this past week included creating and event page for Critical Mass and keeping up with what others had written/posted. Honestly, that was about it besides for a birthday wall message or two.
With this new layout, I am not too sure about how I feel about it. I keep getting invited to groups stating “If I get 1,000,000 people…switch back to old Facebook.” I have denied them all because a) there are too many of them, b) they will most likely not work, and c) I do not actually know the people who invited me to join them. So, in a sense, I guess Facebook, or at least the people using it, have sparked my pessimistic side regarding this issue. I never thought that I would actually have a “feeling” while cruising or exiting Facebook, but I have definitely now experienced apathy. I hope that my above comment does not offend anyone who has joined such groups; it is just my opinion that they are bunk.
Real capital
Sorry! I thought this had posted but I "saved" the blog instead of posting it last week.
The United States has a history of commercialized media. It seems that the Internet has finally fallen into this realm. How do you feel about advertising on Facebook? Have you ever felt offended by the ads that are targeted toward you? Do you think there is a better way to support Internet companies other than selling advertisements? Would you pay to be a member of Facebook if it meant having no advertisements?
The United States has a history of commercialized media. It seems that the Internet has finally fallen into this realm. How do you feel about advertising on Facebook? Have you ever felt offended by the ads that are targeted toward you? Do you think there is a better way to support Internet companies other than selling advertisements? Would you pay to be a member of Facebook if it meant having no advertisements?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Check out this NYT article
Hey!
This article is absolutely fantastic and does a great job going over everything that we have/will in class. It is a bit lengthy as far as online articles go, but definitely well worth the read. You will notice some key phrases like "loose ties" and "social capital" that we have already studied!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Feel free to comment on this after you've read it!
This article is absolutely fantastic and does a great job going over everything that we have/will in class. It is a bit lengthy as far as online articles go, but definitely well worth the read. You will notice some key phrases like "loose ties" and "social capital" that we have already studied!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Feel free to comment on this after you've read it!
Journal 9/17 by Justin
Today I signed on to check up on what was going on this week and to see how my friends were doing. When it came to the homepage, I noticed which friends’ birthdays were coming up, events that were set to take place, and what photos had recently been added. I then went on to check on the new photos of my friends and myself. When I went to my profile, I checked my wall to see what others had written. I also checked my messages, which were from friends and events. As for what shocked me, I saw some newly added photos of me when I was starting to get tipsy at a party, which are arguable comical. The “old news” consisted of photos and events I had known about for a while. I hardly ever use applications unless someone uploads a video of me, so I only used photos, but I don’t think that’s an application.
After using Facebook, I felt fine. Facebook hardly ever affects me in any way, unless I find out some bad news about a friend. I realized that I should soon create an event for the date that I play the Pygmalion Festival and invite as many people as possible.
After using Facebook, I felt fine. Facebook hardly ever affects me in any way, unless I find out some bad news about a friend. I realized that I should soon create an event for the date that I play the Pygmalion Festival and invite as many people as possible.
Journal 9/22 by Justin
Today, as I cruise around Facebook I have one main priority: my event page for my show on Friday. I believe I created the event on Monday, so after a few days I am anxious to see who will be attending and who will be missing out. I notice that my close friends claim that they will be in attendance of my performance, while more acquaintances have either flat out denied my request for them to come or have responded “Maybe Attending”. Also, to my surprise, many have replied, “Awaiting Reply”. In my opinion, when individuals reply in an undecided manner, it is the cheap way of saying that they will not be there. Oh, how Facebook can even make a denial informal and impersonal.
There is nothing out of the ordinary on Facebook as far as I can tell. Many people are posting photos, changing their picture, and publicly stating that they are outraged by the website’s new design. Also, it seems that some of my friends are starting to get more political or are just more interested in the election than they have been in the past. As a political science major, this is interesting. As a student and analytical individual, this just means that Barack Obama is merely a trend. Well, that’s just my pessimistic opinion.
Journal 9/22 by Jay
My question of the week is "is facebook stalking okay?" Not in like, a creepy way, but let's say you meet person A and you know their first name and that's it. So is it okay to look through a mutual friend's list to see if person A is on facebook? Or what about without facebook? For instance, I see person B EVERYWHERE. I have no idea who they are but one time in Allen I saw them wearing their high school t-shirt and another time I saw them wearing an engineering t-shirt. So am I stalking them because I know they went to so-and-so high school and that they're an engineer? Or is it not my fault that they wear clothes to identify them?
Second, is it okay to approach people under false pretenses? People that I KNOW know me have come up to me and asked me if I know so-and-so or went to my high school and I kind of give them a stupid look because they know who I am, just say hi. But let's say I approach person B at some point and I'm like, hey! Did you go to ____ high school? And they're like yeah! I did! And so I can continue a conversation with them. Or let's say I see that we have mutual friends and I'm like hey! Do you know ____? As if I just saw them together sometime. I think people must do this a lot. It's really difficult to just go up to someone and be like "Hi, my name is ___, what's yours?" Especially for guys.
Stupid double standards.
Second, is it okay to approach people under false pretenses? People that I KNOW know me have come up to me and asked me if I know so-and-so or went to my high school and I kind of give them a stupid look because they know who I am, just say hi. But let's say I approach person B at some point and I'm like, hey! Did you go to ____ high school? And they're like yeah! I did! And so I can continue a conversation with them. Or let's say I see that we have mutual friends and I'm like hey! Do you know ____? As if I just saw them together sometime. I think people must do this a lot. It's really difficult to just go up to someone and be like "Hi, my name is ___, what's yours?" Especially for guys.
Stupid double standards.
Journal 9/22
I signed on today because I had sent a message to someone about taking over my shift at the Hare Krishna dinner tonight. I checked my messages first because I saw that I had a new one (and I was expecting it). I looked at the new friend request I had (which was someone I know). Luckily, I rarely get friend requests from people that I don’t know. Several event invites were waiting for me and I replied to those. I had several group invites, but I ignored those immediately. In addition, I had four notifications (which I looked into). Three people wrote on the wall for an event that I’m co-hosting, and the fourth was an acceptance to a friend request.
As I have become accustomed to doing, I checked my horoscope. Sadly, it hasn’t changed from yesterday’s. I only use a few applications: horoscope, honesty box, bumper stickers, and flair. The latter three are only used when someone sends me something.
In my news feed, I saw that various people put up disastrous pictures from their outings this weekend. I also saw that today is one of my friend’s birthday. In terms of old news, people keep making and joining groups about regressing back to the old version of facebook. That happens to be an issue that I think is ridiculous and not worth deliberating over. Also, I keep getting "poked" by the same person. Each time I ignore it, I get another one sent. It’s getting to be rather annoying. I e-mailed a response back to that guy, but didn’t post/message anyone else. The information that I learned makes me reflect about my decision to stay in this weekend, and I know that I need to call my friend to wish him a pleasant birthday.
As I have become accustomed to doing, I checked my horoscope. Sadly, it hasn’t changed from yesterday’s. I only use a few applications: horoscope, honesty box, bumper stickers, and flair. The latter three are only used when someone sends me something.
In my news feed, I saw that various people put up disastrous pictures from their outings this weekend. I also saw that today is one of my friend’s birthday. In terms of old news, people keep making and joining groups about regressing back to the old version of facebook. That happens to be an issue that I think is ridiculous and not worth deliberating over. Also, I keep getting "poked" by the same person. Each time I ignore it, I get another one sent. It’s getting to be rather annoying. I e-mailed a response back to that guy, but didn’t post/message anyone else. The information that I learned makes me reflect about my decision to stay in this weekend, and I know that I need to call my friend to wish him a pleasant birthday.
Journal 9/22 by Lindsay
I signed onto Facebook today because I had time to kill in between my classes and getting on Facebook is kind of what us college kids do. Today has kind of been a boring day for me as far as Facebook goes. I checked the comments on my photos and events and such that I’ve been invited to. I uploaded a couple pictures from my phone during class earlier because I was bored. I had to make a new album because my first album was full. I didn’t see anything that shocked me. I typically don’t see much that shocks me anyway. I replied to Tim’s comment on the photo of my tattoo. He asked me if it meant anything so I just kinda explained my tattoo. I pretty much only used the photos application today. I haven’t used any others yet today. After cruising Facebook I felt indifferent. It was basically a waste of time and not that entertaining. I didn’t learn anything new nor did I find out something exciting.
Friends friends and more "friends"
Pay particular attention to your "friends" this week.
How many friends do you have? What networks are they in? What networks are you in? How many friends do your friends have? Is your network inherently "better" than theirs? Do your "group" memberships make you feel more a part of something?
How many friends do you have? What networks are they in? What networks are you in? How many friends do your friends have? Is your network inherently "better" than theirs? Do your "group" memberships make you feel more a part of something?
Social capital
How much are you worth in your network? Can you put a dollar sign on this? Are you worth more or less in yoru social network than some of your friends? How would you quantify this?
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