As finals come around the corner, each year I think to myself, "Where did the semester go?" I don't know if anyone else felt the same way, but I felt that this semester went by extremely fast. Usually it goes by pretty quickly and I realize that at the end of the semester, but throughout the semester I felt that time was going quickly. Looking back at the semester, I think that some of the reason that helped move this fall along was in part due to the weather. There were 3 main aspects that were weather related and seemed to have an impact.
1. Hot.
Having been abroad last fall, I forgot about the fall temperatures down in DC. I was surprised how warm it was and it seemed to be extremely warm for a longer time. I never felt that I really needed to check the weather forecast, because it was typically sunny and hot for the first month and a half. With warm weather, everyone was out on the quad wasting away the few hours that they had between classes or were there just to do the typical "people watching" that so many people do...
2. The trees were very colorful.
Being from New England, one thing that I really miss is the changing of the leaves and how pretty it is back home. This fall the leaves were gorgeous. They were bright and stayed on the trees for quite a while. I guess that this made the semester go by quickly, as it made me extremely anxious to go back home for Thanksgiving Break.
3. We got snow.
I love snow and usually in DC we don't get too much. Thats why when it snowed a couple weeks ago, I was really happy, but also confused. First off, it was early December which seemed kind of random for down here, and second off it stuck to the road and actually accumulated. I've given up checking for how much snow we are anticipated to get, because usually it never turns out to be that much, so I didn't.
So all in all, the weather down in DC this fall was random. While its not the main reason why I felt that this semester went by quickly, it definitely had an impact!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Passionate for Web2.0
Last month I read in Naked Conversations, that people who blog have a passion and interest in what they blog about. I've brought this point up many times throughout my blog, but I believe passion is a driving factor about why people are so involved in the internet and this "blogosphere" nature. Its a simple matter. People are going to do what they like and will continue to do it if they find it interesting enough.
With the increasing attention and growth in User generated content (UGC) and Web2.0, there are clearly skeptics of this new information. In an article written by Andrew Keen, he talks about how anyone can create content. In Wikipedia for example, an expert can add to the information and the next day, a sixteen year old kid can change or delete the information the expert added. All in all, the issue of credibility or authority can arise in Web2.0, which can further cause incorrect information or misguide readers.
However, while these points are valid, I'm reverting back to the whole idea of passion. I may be too trusting of people, but users who are providing information or adding to certain sites have a reason to: they care about getting information out there. And yes, there will be people who may not have the same idea of what happened or researched as much as say an expert. That will happen, but for the most part, users are not going to add to content if they don't think they can contribute anything worthwhile. It is with passion and desire to inform others that they will take an active role in adding to sites.
There are even social networking sites that are popping up, such as Razoo, that are formed as a means " that encourages user-generated content around shared passions and issues."(read some more about it on this site) Passionate about issues and helping others is the basis that I see and trust UGC. Web2.0 can help the community in providing important information that is a colloboration from other community members, it can be helpful in achieving a greater good, and can overall just be a more effective means of disseminating information. Its important to realize not everyone is an expert, but you don't have to be an expert just to provide more information or add your thoughts.
With the increasing attention and growth in User generated content (UGC) and Web2.0, there are clearly skeptics of this new information. In an article written by Andrew Keen, he talks about how anyone can create content. In Wikipedia for example, an expert can add to the information and the next day, a sixteen year old kid can change or delete the information the expert added. All in all, the issue of credibility or authority can arise in Web2.0, which can further cause incorrect information or misguide readers.
However, while these points are valid, I'm reverting back to the whole idea of passion. I may be too trusting of people, but users who are providing information or adding to certain sites have a reason to: they care about getting information out there. And yes, there will be people who may not have the same idea of what happened or researched as much as say an expert. That will happen, but for the most part, users are not going to add to content if they don't think they can contribute anything worthwhile. It is with passion and desire to inform others that they will take an active role in adding to sites.
There are even social networking sites that are popping up, such as Razoo, that are formed as a means " that encourages user-generated content around shared passions and issues."(read some more about it on this site) Passionate about issues and helping others is the basis that I see and trust UGC. Web2.0 can help the community in providing important information that is a colloboration from other community members, it can be helpful in achieving a greater good, and can overall just be a more effective means of disseminating information. Its important to realize not everyone is an expert, but you don't have to be an expert just to provide more information or add your thoughts.
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