Module 3: Web 2.0

Do yourself a favour and check out this youtube clip.

Web 2.0..The Machine is Us/ing Us

So those of you who regularly check in here will not be surprised to learn that this is another topic which I never knew existed. Web 2.0, I thought was going to be a program I had to learn and comment on, what I discovered, of course is very different.

Basically, Web 2.0 is an "umbrella term" that has been given to the next phase of the Internet. Linking people together by social networking, Chats, Facebook, MySpace, Blogs, a collaborative system that allows us the user to be fundamental in the way we use the Internet and access each other.


I found this Web 2.0 cloud on Wikipedia


Although the term Web 2.0 suggests (at least to me) a new version of the WWW, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications. Changes in the ways software developers and end-users use the internet is what it is all about.

What is the difference between Internet Communications Blinklist, and the HTML version of the same site? What are the benefits for each?

The major difference to me at first look is the way that the HTML version is presented. To be honest, it took about 2 minutes for me to recognise that it was the same as the previous page I had visited. I liked how easy the information was to follow on the HTML page, and could see myself using this format to search for a particular piece of information.

The first page however is much more my style, but I don't know why. I can see now why the WWW was referred to as "bloatware" in the beginning of this course in reference to telnet. It does fatten the information out with sponsered links, a friends list... but I think that could be used to an advantage with some users.

Had I have searched for a page and come across the html version first, I would have clicked the few topics I needed, gotten the information and moved on. The WWW version I would browse and perhaps stay a while to read at my own leisure, if for no other reason than to find out why particular links had been "blinked" more often than others.

Is it easier to use? More enjoyable to use? Is the layout more functional? When the information contained within both sites is the same, why is it that I prefer to use the more modern looking WWW site? Maybe because its what I am used to, and what I started with. Html is still foreign to me in a way, but that will change with more use.. Firefox took some getting used to, but now I prefer it to Internet Explorer.

In short, I think I like the html version for locating the precise information needed, the advantage to the other, is that in browsing, maybe I would come across some information I would have missed otherwise.

Module 3: Weblogs

Or a "blog" as it is more commonly known these days is what you are reading now. Anyone can start one, and you can just about write on anything you see fit.

I have seen journalistic, political, business, educational and personal blogs. Blogs for personal promotion and blogs for those of us who need one for Net 11. My favorite type of blog is a funny, entertaining one that has some good content.

There are many differences between the various types of blogs and bloggers. It takes some time to "warm" to a certain one and start to check in there regularly. What develops is a type of relationship where you communicate with the reader. You allow some of your personality to shine through, they in turn leave you a comment on what was good, or not..the give and take between author and reader is important for this type of communication to be successful.

Using this forum has turned gossip king a self proclaimed "bloggerazzi" Perez Hilton into a celebrity. I think this was an entertaining use of blogs initially. When he first blogged about celebrities online, we knew little about what a blog was and who could write one. His type of blogging has also attracted lawsuits relating to slander and copyright, so far no charges have been made. Is that because of the fuzzy legal lines when it comes to blogging?

There is an article from the LA Times here for you to see how his notoriety came about. And just to clarify, I have never read a blog by Perez Hilton, I'm just aware of his infamy. Much like I am aware of Paris Hilton, but have never seen a movie of hers..Don't cast judgement!

Journalistic blogging is interesting. One man and his blog is Adam Tinworth's blog on journalists and bloggers. His view is that journalists have a role to play here as "fact finders, assumption challengers and question setters". A role they rarely take up, more often than not the blog becomes opinionated and biased, two things that shouldn't get in the way of good journalism.

Blogs that are designed with the hard sell in mind don't usually stay on my favorites list. A business blog is a good read, but something I browse for and stumble across when I need advice on a product I want to buy, or come across when researching a subject.

I will not continue the blog when my study is done. It is just too time consuming, but I can see how if you love it and want to do it, you also want to make it worth your while. Either you want a widely distributed circulation and lots of readers, so you feel like you are contributing to society. Or you are motivated by making money out of it and turning it into a career.

I now have a blog that I like and visit sporadically. If you are keen on restaurants and like to eat out, you will love Grab Your Fork, the latest post is about Gordon Ramsey.

Module 3: FTP

Uploading to the webct proved to be a pain for me.

What I thought would be the easiest part of the exercise was actually time consuming. With the help of Kylie and Narelle I soon got it loaded. The issue we discovered was that I had named my file instead of having it named "index"..Once that little error was corrected my page was viewable, but Kylie informed me my pictures were not. Grrr....

I used Photobucket to give my pictures a different location to that of my PC, and yes, finally there they were.

So it was just a few small issues really, and as a first timer I kind of expected to have to tweak something. The link to my page is here. Be kind..

http://webct.curtin.edu.au/305033_b/student_pres/Group65/index.html

Module 3: Legal Issues

"Copyright protects expression. The Copyright Act of 1976 states that the items of expression can include literary, dramatic, and musical works; pantomimes and choreography; pictorial, graphic and sculptural works; audio-visual works; sound recordings; and architectural works. An original expression is eligible for copyright protection as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form."
Copyright website

Oh the irony, copying a copyright document to my page..hmmm. I hope this is fair use.

We copyright so that any work or ours that is plagiarised, and profitted from, can be shown to be rightly ours. We are covered and eligible to sue, and be compensated for statutory damages.

Now, rather than focus on what copyright protects, I thought it would be easier to look at what it doesn't.

• Names
• Ideas
• Facts
  
• Titles
• Short phrases and
  
• Blank Forms

There are many different copyright forms that cover everything from music to graphics, literary works and sculpture. However "fair use" of someone elses work may be justified by using it for educational purposes, critisism, news reporting, research and many more.


The "fair use" tree

I found this page, Parody: Fair Use or Copyright Infringement, when looking up the 2 Live Crew copyright infringement case for their song Pretty Woman which bore a remarkable resemblence to the Roy Orbison hit Oh Pretty Woman. 2 Live Crew got off the charges because of the fair trade law. In this case parody is fair use of other peoples work.

Would you be in breach of copyright if you put the Curtin logo at the top of your web page for an assignment?

So first off what we know is that the Curtin logo is owned by the creator, Curtin. Assuming that the use of the logo is unauthorised, would I be accused of copyright infrigement? I found this site on Copyright from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland helpful, but this is where I found the answer.

Curtin's Quick guide to Copyright, Do's and Don'ts

At the top of page 5 we see the answer relating to using Curtin's logo. It is quite simple really. Just ask permission first. Permission needs to be sought in writing (email is acceptable), and you need to "comply to any conditions imposed". It is recommended to keep all corresponding emails should you need them if questions are asked at a later date, and lastly, in your assignment you would have to state that permission had been granted for use of the logo.

I also found this site very useful to have bookmarked. Australian Copyright Council

Module 3: WWW Standards

In my opinion, usability is of the utmost importance. A simple, easy to use layout is best. I'm not particularly fond of lots of graphics, but at the same time I don't like an entire page of text either. It's a hard balance, but one I will strive to achieve.


This is D.G. Jerz's "top 5 conventions of web pages"

I am inclined to agree with all of them. Leading with your best stuff is smart. It ensures that you engage the visitor to your site within the supposed 6 second time frame marketers tell us we have before interest is lost.

Meaningful links would have to be a biggie. I'm not alone when I say I love a link, the tangent you can get on while looking up a simple recipe for example is wonderful, but that is also how I live my life. Go to the shops for bread and milk, come home with a puppy... It is the very reason I came to study this course also. A link to Open Universities Australia had me wondering if I could do that, the next day I was enrolled in this. How lucky for me! The downside of course is pointless links. Links that lead you to other links that are unrelated to your topic. I also hate the website devoted to being a menu for all different kinds of links, it is just annoying.

Employ consistent navigation. Fairly straight forward really and surprising that quite often forgotten. Make sure your user can be anywhere on the page they need to be. Use a table of contents for the different subjects that you are covering, that will take them directly to the subject needed. A link back to your home page is a good idea too. This should be included on all linked pages within your site.

I cannot stress enough how important simple designs are for me. I don't like flashy, glittery pages or anything that takes too long to download (smaller images are best). I like to get in, find what I need and get out. If an image helps me select a bouquet of flowers I want to send to a loved one, sure, add it, but I really don't care for images that have no purpose. I do love graphics but they have to be within the context of the page.

Scannable text, web writing, eye tracking, and the "F-shaped reading pattern" was interesting, and I found it to be true for me. I wonder if the "F" shaped pattern only occurs when reading English. Other languages may result in a different pattern as English reads left to right, but not all languages do.



An "F" shaped heat map pattern, proving the theory

Blah-blah text.. Oh dear, I could be in trouble. I do tend to waffle on a bit. On a blog, acceptable, but on a web page that's a no-no. I will have to curb my enthusiasm when writing and remember that quick and to the point is best. Moving on...keep to bulleted points, short chunks of information and subheadings where required.

Module 3: HTML Tags

I suffered some embarrassment a few days prior to starting this Module. I was chatting with a friend on Skype and asked the question, "What is the purpose of HTML? What does it do?". The response I got was "Sorry?!"... Immediately I regretting showing my ignorance, and felt foolish for asking. My pal wrote back something to the effect of it being the language that makes the web page all pretty. He followed that message with a picture of my blog in HTML form, and I was shocked. Before me was a page that I had seen countless times before and not known what it was or what it was for. We talked for a while about "the ghost in the machine", and suddenly it all made sense.

After reading the Module, I started on the HTML tags task. Joe Barta took me through 26 steps of the most basic of information (what I needed) concerning HTML. Firstly on his recommendation I got myself Note Tab Light, followed by Firefox. Well, needless to say that afternoon had to be written off, I was very keen to familiarise myself with all of the new tabs I had seen in the tutorial.

The following morning I got right back into it and was pleased that I had remembered the page layout and some of the more basic tags. My first web page was made up of a picture and a background colour, some text and few links, one to my email address, the other to this blog.

Blogging or HTML? Not a very difficult choice here. HTML. Although both offer the freedom of creation... I think HTML offers more control over the page which is appealing to me. Either way, I most definitely feel a sense of achievement with both.

I found the language very self explanatory and once I got used to the basic layout, I was fine. For some of the more complex codes I had to keep referring to the tutorials and for things like the picture resizing I installed Ifranview. Of course, this is all trial and error so I will have to spend lots of hours at the computer to iron out most of the issues. I ended up with this as my first attempt.


My very basic first attempt at creating a web page


After seeing some other pages, I feel the same way my 3 year old son does when he shows me a drawing he has done. "Look!" He gets praise for his mediocrity because he is 3, and that's just what you do. The praise I am giving myself here runs in the same vein. I'm celebrating my mediocrity... at least it works! And, it can only get better...

Module 2: Group Task

As a group, I so far have participated in the Skype chat room, individual discussion groups on Skype, and met with Kylie on IMVU (is two people a group?).


As a preffered chat service, have a guess... yes, yes, it's Skype for me. I have chatted with Net11er's past and present within this environment courtesy of the internet studies group. It is a fantastic way to follow a group discussion. The messages are put in order of time and the conversation mostly stays on track.


I have also been added, courtesy of members of this class, to conversations which they are having individually. Last time this took place there were four of us, and the smaller group environment was helpful in getting different opinions on tasks at the same time. Conversing this way saves time by not having to individually message others and asking the same questions again and again.


The major difference between text based chat on Skype and virtual chat on IMVU, is that the messages are not timed on IMVU. They appear as speech bubbles which float above you. They eventually disappear after a while, and if you have left the computer for minute or looked away, you may miss the conversation. If there were a group of people taking all the speech bubbles, even though they are different colours for each person, would get confusing.


I'm being a little unfair here, because they do have a text function that you can use similar to Skype and it is all put on order. Problem for me was, I found myself looking at that and not the people on screen. So, what's the point?




IMVU does have its place in my world. It was fun and I enjoyed it for the short time I was there, but for more serious study based discussion, I will stick to the graphic free text based chat of Skype. Maybe this is why...



Guns and Roses fan? Wants to chat as I am typing this blog, so he earns a spot to help me make a point.

Would you trust this man? Gunrose... At least on Skype I don't get stalked!

Module 2: IMVU

I'll keep this short.

IMVU was exciting to install, I loved picking my avatar and mood, hairstyle etc.. but the real fun began when I met Kylie in the garden for a chat.

Meet MsFi

Until then, I was alone in a loungeroom (mine?) and being requested for a "chat". Being very naive, I click on ok and the first sentence out of my new friends mouth is "Lets go upstairs". With that I closed the window and Skyped Kylie..

She showed me the amazing stuff you can do in a virtual world. We danced to the Hoodoo Gurus, took a trip to an exotic location, ice-skated and much more. I had fun.

As a place where I would go to have a converstion, I'm not sure. I'm really attached to Skype. For me the text chat is more important than the graphics. Having said that, if the Unlikely Angel wanted a second date I would probably meet her. It is in my opinion, more fun with a friend than on your own.

MsFi playing the air guitar

Module 2: Chat

For this I downloaded ICQ. (I seek you)

http://www.icq.com/download/

Immediately you are greeted with a young, friendly looking screen. ICQ's logo is a flower and the motto "everyone, everywhere" is catchy. The download took 10 minutes for me, installation was hassle free.




The opening screen



I chose the "Custom Option", which means I gave up the opportunity to have an ICQ toolbar, default browser and whatever else they were pushing. ICQ doesn't seem to mind though and when I agree to their set of terms and conditions, installs when I hit "next".


ICQ then tries to befriend me. Apparently we are deciding the age-old debate of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Everyone knows the chicken came first, so I click that.



ICQ's ice-breaker

I put in a set of bogus details (I have made myself younger by 2 years..looks like I'm not 30 this year after all) and when I'm done, I'm presented with three windows. A mini tutorial in the corner of my screen, the "Welcome" page, the start up screen..where to go first?

My screen on completion of the installation

I decide to look up Janettes number. I puts me through, I then add her as a contact and send a message. The chat screen is very playful and colourful, it also has annoying advertising at the bottom, which distracts me. While chatting to Janette, I can't help but look at the flashes at the bottom of the screen.

Having used Skype until now, I saw the main problem with wanting to use ICQ exclusively for text chat, is they try and do too much. Its got everything. Not only text chat, SMS and call, but blog, and search, forums, even dating. I had a look at these functions and didn't find them to be as good as the programs I'm using at present, with exception of the dating, which I am not using at all. And not being into chat rooms, I am only interested in messaging people I know, either for studying or to catch up with existing friends.


This is good as a one stop shop, but do I really want/need a one stop shop for all of these things or do they function better seperately? Personally, I like it all seperate. I am distracted enough with Skype's pop-up messages, imagine if I had forums and blogs which I could also browse while working. I would never have gotten this blog written.

Module 2: Newsgroups

Alright. I posted a cranky paragraph on Newsgroups over the weekend which I have since deleted. I have gotten over the grumpiness I have felt doing this Newsgroups task and now I am ready to blog it in its entirety.

After watching a few groups, joining a couple (only to discover they hadn't been visited in over a year) and finally posting on one I can celebrate that I have finished with Newsgroups. Never to return!

I thought Google Groups was good, until I ventured into a few topics and was bombarded with spam. And not the kind of spam a lady such as myself appreciates. If I want smut, I'm well aware that it's just a click away. I don't need it advertised to me in between gardening tips for the vegetable grower and how to control aphids.

These last few days, I felt like I never really gave newsgroups a chance. I honestly cannot see the point, it just isn't for me. I was so frustrated that I had to post something, I chose a mundane field and just wrote a few sentences. I hope this is sufficient.

It is here that I will thank both Kylie and Vicki for their help. Vicki offered me some very sound advice regarding security and Kylie sent me a link that was excellent. http://www.usenet.com.au/index.php Without this help, I fear my cranky post from the weekend would have stuck around and I wouldn't have even come back to it.

Originally I thought the differences between Email Lists and Newsgroups was the threading, I now know that there is more. Email Lists are more controlled groups, and there is a moderator. You, as the moderator can remove people if you wish. Newsgroups are in most cases, open to anyone. There was the rare group that was restricted or moderated, but most were open when I looked.

I didn't find following particular groups very helpful. They tend to get off topic very easily and the style of communication didn't agree with me. I will keep an eye on what happens in my little family group and see what people add over the next few weeks, but long term, I can't see myself as a joiner.

I am NOT an Advanced Internet User.....Yet

I am distressed that I have posted numerous times on the concept topic 25. All but one post has any content worth reading, and then when you try and read it, it will require great concentration for it is all over the place.

It is said that a bad tradesman blames his tools, and this is no different. But can I just say that I have been massively let down by webct and its "no delete" function..also its HTML function which I have inexperience with, as you will see by the post. Probably not HTML's fault there. I merely wanted to attach an article I had read. If I had've known the outcome would have been catastrophic I wouldn't have bothered!

My tools with which to operate the post format are foreign to me (obviously) and I will make it a priority to amend my failure as an informative poster.

I have asked for all offending "panic posts" to be deleted so they will not litter what is supposed to be an important subject.

Sorry to those who are angered by my blatent stupidity.

Module 2: Lists

I don't want to forget that my first impression of Email Lists was underwhelming. I chose to try it out with the class because after looking up some random groups on Yahoo and http://www.blogger.com/www.newzbot.com/ , I just really didn't want to get involved. Is that wrong? Some of the groups looked dated, some were filled with junk, others were on topics that just didn't grab me.

The group that is created for us as a student body, http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/internetstudies/ was swiftly picked up by a few of us. Really, I have no reason to visit here, other than to compare it with the webCT discussion board. So far I have exchanged a few messages with the other members of the group and will check in from time to time to see what other think of the forum. I already know however, that once I have completed the task, I may not visit back.

Email Lists VS Discussion Boards

Email List Pros

• Exposure- Good from a marketers perspective
• Asynchronys communication- Like email, this is handy because of global time differences
• More Personal- The groups may be small, you can reply with ease to an individual

Email List Cons

• Junk/Spam Emails- this can be a positive, but from a personal perspective, a big negative
• Privacy- Even when you reply to an individual, the entire group can see the message
• Clumsy- Opening different windows to read/reply to messages feels disorganised

Discussion Board Pros

• Easy to Navigate- The ability to scroll through all messages and see the thread on one screen.
• No Junk Mail- Discussion boards are closed forums, not just anyone can get an invite
• Threads- Good for seeing how a "discussion" develops like a conversation.

Discussion Board Cons

• Regular Check-in- Fear of 100's of posts to read if you miss a day
• Participation- Loitering isn't good netiquette, and the pressure to participate is high
• Impersonal- Keeping threads "on topic" steers us away from making "real" contact

Email Lists are more suited to your business venture. There are many avenues for which to pass on information about a product you are trying to sell and get feedback on in this way. If I wanted popular opinion on something I had patented and was trying to sell online, this may be a viable way to do that.

On a personal level, I can understand the closed groups being useful. However, I still don't like that all members can see my post to an individual, and therefore would have to send a personal email message to that person. Feels a bit like double handling the information. I also found the screen switching tedious at times.

It's no secret that we are all using the Discussion Board. Like many others, it is my first time doing so, and I really enjoy the various twists and turns a topic takes. The easy scroll down screen is fantastic and the numbered posts are a terrific way to navigate where you are up to. I have very little to complain about here, even the impersonal nature of our discussion board is at times appealing.

Most who I have wanted to know on a more personal level because we are more "like-minded" study wise, I have chatted to using Skype or Facebook. Even so, the posts by those obviously more knowledgable than I, at this stage, are the reason why I love the discussion board. Such a vast array of opinion in a what is a safe forum.

Module 2: Email Task

1. What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took can you glean from an email message?

An email message contains firtsly, the email address of the recepient. Usually seen as "username@domain" Here we learn the user's name, which can be first or last name and in some cases a nickname.

And the domain name, which can be either a place of work, a university, a webmail address, or simply the home service provider (bigpond, iprimus, optusnet).

It is in the last few letters of the address we can see its origin. Commercial identities use .com, government uses .gov, education uses .edu, and so on.

Lastly, the address may or may not end with the country of origin. Iprimus addresses use the "iprimus.com.au", Bigpond however, just use "bigpond.com".

So in the address, we learn a lot about the sender. Importantly, when we recieve an email, we can usually spot bogus addresses if we apply some common sense. Spammers wouldn't be so lucky as to have us open their emails if we took a little more time decifering where they came from.


2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the "cc", "bcc", and "reply all" to all functions of email?

CC: Sends a "carbon copy" to someone. This could be useful if you are addressing a group of people on the one topic. An example is if you were organising a dinner party and sent all those invited an email of the venue, and what time to arrive.

BCC: Is known as a "blind" copy. Other recipients of the same email are unaware that this person in the "bcc" field has received the message. Maybe someone was delberately uninvited to the party, and one of the attendees sent the "blind" email to the snubbed friend. Useful if the person who you have in bcc doesn't want their email address forwarded on with all the others for view. Also handy if passing on jokes and chain emails, which end up anywhere and everywhere.

REPLY ALL: This is commonly used to reply to a message on the same thread. I recieve the dinner party invite and reply to all that "I wouldn't miss it and that I will be there". It's also useful because the recipient can refer to the previous email message, as it appears below the newest one. Its handy to refresh their memory of the details in the email.


3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment that you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

Compatible programs. It's handy to know that the recepient can open the file because they are running like programs. If you are sending a Word 2007 document, the recipient has to be running that program in oreder to open it.

Popular formats should be used to increase the chances of the recipient being able to open the file. Rich text file (RTF) is widely useable, as is JPG and PDF.

It's also useful to "name the file and program or operating system used". In addition to the attachment, a note with what is attached and how should appear in the text box so the recipient knows what they are opening, and if they can open it at all.

Compress larger files, or "zip" them into a folder.

And I guess, if all else fails, ask the recipient to reply when they have looked at the attachment or if they are having trouble with it.


4. What sort of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?

The only filter/rule I have set up is that spam is forwarded to the "Junk Email" box. At times that means I miss certain emails that have been wrongly seen as spam by the computer, but I check it regularly now, to make sure I don't miss anything. Most of the time it's very useful.


5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

I don't really have a huge amount of emails sent to me.. at least nothing of value that I would store for future reference as most are unimportant. But for the sake of the task, I did set up a folder for all of my sister's emails. They are usually diary-like and would be interesting to look at at a later date. I just drag and drop all of her messages in her folder now after I've read them.

I love the idea of being able to sort emails by category. If I had an immediate use for this, I could see myself spending quite some time naming folders and organising my email. Much like with a CD collection, it's nice to know where certain things are when you need them in a hurry.

Simplicity is Under-rated

Consider this. A letter that never gets replied to, a phone call with only one person talking, the carrier pigeon that only delivers messages but doesn't have it in his job description to bring home a response... how frustrating for the sender! Well, good news readers, File Transfer Protocol is here.

I like FTP's arrogance. It doesn't deliver it's information per se, it's more self assured, it knows it is "the best example of how the Internet enables files to be sent to and from clients". You want to find something, you come to me.. A little like Morgan Freemans character "Red" in Shawshank Redemption, "I'm the guy who knows how to get things." Yes, we can send AND recieve things, just so long as you know where to look, and who to ask.

I apologise for going off on a tangent here, but the above was saved as a draft yesterday and things have changed a bit.

It's 3:30am, my 3 year son is asleep next to me cuddling his Hot Wheels case (his choice of cuddle toy) with 40+ cars inside when he rolls over and the case hits the floor. His cars are scattered all over the place, and the sound of a 40 car pile up on my bedroom floor has me jumping out of bed before I have properly woken up. I'm so startled, that at 3:45am, when the hazmat team has cleared up the carnage of the crash, and I am climbing back into bed with the case once again fully stocked and I can't get back to sleep.

I know this Internet thing has gotten into my head, because as I lay there in the dark, eyes closed, my thoughts drift to Telnet and FTP. I remember something I had read weeks earlier with regard to Telnet, FTP and an email system being the first Internet uses. Is it really that obvious I wonder. Is it that simple? I have been thinking of so many angles with which to approach this idea of "concepts", and it now (at 4am) feels like I have been trying too hard.

Perhaps I have made a mountain out of a molehill. Is it really as simple as Telnet was invented because it performs the function of contacting other terminals and passing on information? Followed by FTP, which was concieved because of the need to retrieve files, allowing a "two-way street"? The email application, which was very popular, was to allow the professors and military to be able to talk to one another about their work... This was a lightbulb moment for me. I'm not sure if its correct, but it absolutely laid to rest some confusing thoughts I have had recently when thinking about Module 1. With that sorted (in my mind), I fell into a deep sleep... only to be woken at 5:30am by Master 3 who was now, upon waking, playing car races on the bed.

Conceptual notes about Telnet

Ok, immediately I want to ask you to define "conceptual". For this is the first question I asked myself. Yes, I know what a concept is, I know how to use it in a sentence, and I can even give you some other words to use instead of concept a la Roget's Thesaurus.

The concept for Telnet for example was/is fantastic. To be able to contact remote computers and give them information and instruction. Great. Then I read point 23 in the booklet of concepts and I am thrown.

The "Human-computer interface" has me questioning who I am talking to here. I am merely conversing with a machine? It begs the question, why do we do this at all if it is so impersonal and "machine-like"?

I also think that Julia the robot who fooled so many into thinking she was human has since found empolyment. She now works as a telemarketer...

Concepts

It has come to my attention that for the concepts assignment I should be adding notes, and like, in here as I go along. So far I am just reading it all over again, and paying much more attention this time! Stay tuned for some conceptual insights into the Module 1 task.

Module 1: Telnet, FTP and Internet Tools

This task was exciting for me as I had never heard of any of the applications, and therefore never used any of the applications. I found educating myself from scratch on these subjects very rewarding, and enjoyable. What I discovered by doing this task, and probably most importantly, was that I was absolutely capable. I had previously feared many things concerning the Internet and I don't think that is uncommon. I am ultimately happy that being a novice didn't mean that I was going to be lost in the task. I have new found confidence.


Telnet


Being a Windows Vista user meant that I had to install telnet. It was a very straight forward operation and was completed in no time at all. However, typing telnet:/// into my URL didn't work, so I went to my start button and typed "telnet" in the search area. That seemed to do it, and immediately I was looking at what appeared to be the screen I learnt to type on in 7th grade! I was attracted to its simplicity, but maybe I have been spoilt by the www, as I was frustrated by the lack of choice and rudimentary layout. Imagine my surprise when I wasn't presented with any advertising, bright colours, and the ability to "click" on something.

Telnet's opening page


Upon completion of Task A, it was my opinion that Telnet was useful as a medium with which to reach remote area computers. A no fuss way to use the Internet and is reliable. I think it has all but become obsolete for the everyday user like myself. I can appreciate the speed with which telnet served me as it was quite quick, but I found it to be much less "user friendly" than the www that I am used to. That is not to say I would not use it again in the future, just that it would not be my choice to. The outcome was of course, the the following email in my inbox.

An email form Deakin Library appearing in my inbox.

Then I decided I would "do myself a favour" as suggested for Task B, and take in the cute little Star Wars animation. While it obviously took a lot of skill, and is to be admired for the amount of work gone into it, I was left wanting more. I fear I will be unpopular here, but give me sound, the ability to Stop/Pause/Fast Forward, a timer to see how long it goes for. Gee, we really have come a long way haven't we. But I think C3PO said it best in this scene:

C3PO "What a desolate place this is"

Not content to box up Telnet and send it off just yet, I wanted to see if anyone still used it, and why they would choose to over the web.

I found a site that informed me of many, many positives to using Telnet. The overwhelming positive response to Telnet's speed was expected. To discover others found it easier to control, and that they thought the web was "bloatware" was surpising to me, but I understood the reason behind it. Telnet is anything but bloated. Another great positive I thought, and an application I would indeed use was, and I quote, "when the web is 'down', Telnet is 'up'". Here is a great aspect to Telnet and now when my connection fails me, I will turn to my new friend for help.

The telnet graph with speed listed as the best reason for using it.



FTP

So after getting halfway through the WS FTP download provided, I visited the discussion forum and changed my mind. I too went with to Filezilla to download my client. Once again, very easy and fast and I was soon looking at this screen.

Filezilla's FTP page

Very easy task really, type the address, search the files and there it is, the readme.txt file I was looking for. I did, however, have difficulty opening it but with a right click, I was there. The outcome? Capitalisation matters. It would seem that "THIS" isn't the same as "this". Overall, it's a useful way to file transfer I would say.

Internet Tools

This, I really liked. I found myself pinging and tracerouting far longer than I needed to. I tracerouted from a university in Athens, a router in Hong Kong and even good old Telstra. Here is what I found out.

My traceroute results using centralops.net

My traceroute results using network-tools.com

Above are the results of the traceroute using centralops.net and network-tools.com respectively. I typed the curtin.edu.au address and I found out the IP is 134.7.179.53. The number of hops from centralops was 20, and it was done in 249 ms. At network-tools it was 18 hops in 268 ms.



I found the whole concept of the traceroute fascinating. That I can see where the connections are made and where they are really appealed to me. It made clear the path that the message travels and helped me to better understand the workings on the Internet at a deeper level.



After paying a visit to Telstra, I was informed that they could reach Curtin in just 14 short hops and in 44.071 ms. Better than either centralops or network-tools. Impressive. I wonder if they could now please just amend my phone bill like promised all those months ago.

My traceroute results using Telstra

So in my attempt to analyse all of the information I gathered I have come up with the following. If a router based in Hong Kong (http://stat.qwest.net/looking_glass_asia.html ) can reach Curtin in 14 hops and 191.306 ms and a U.S server (http://all-nettools.com/) can reach it in 19 hops and 301.03 ms, does it make a difference where you are geographically? Well, our Aussie Telstra managed a substantially faster connection (44.071 ms), but was in 14 hops, same as Hong Kong, so no for the hops but a definite yes for the time frame.

I will have to investigate further as to whether on not the size of the server makes a difference to the speed of the connection. I think at this point it must because of the results, but further reading and trying some more pings and traceroute may be required. Or maybe I just like doing it...

5 Tips for New Bloggers

At first glance, the task of writing 5 tips for new bloggers seemed to be an easy one. I decided right away after reading "A Bloggers Code of Ethics" on cyberjournalist.net, that an ethical standpoint was best. That was until I read "EFF: A Legal Guide for Bloggers", which had me immediately change my view and decide that I should definitely list my 5 tips on the legal do's and dont's of writing a blog. This appeared to be okay until I read on and discovered that the legalities binding blogging are a bit fuzzy, and the journalistic laws that normally apply to writing articles for a public forum weren't entirely accurate for Bloggers.

Now I was confused about what took relevance. Should my 5 tips be the top five, a random 5 tips maybe, an assortment of tips from a few different angles? I was unsure. Throw into the mix the comedic blogs on what is acceptable blog content and you have entered a different arena entirely.

Since there seemed to me to be many different approaches I could take, I decided that I would write the list for myself. A checklist of sorts, for which to refer to while writing my Learning Log for Net11. If the list has no synergy I apologise, for it is only what I found most useful out of all I read. As a first time blogger myself, I figured that I was the best candidate for my list.


1. Blog Legally

The Copyright Act still applies and you have to be careful about the content you display, especially if it's journalistic.

2. Blog Safely

No personal details should be displayed, and where possible try not to write anything offensive as family, employers, friends and of course thousands of others can view the content.

3. Blog Ethically

Where "netiquette" exists, as does "blogiquette". Be careful to mind your manners and watch for content that could, once again, offend. Remember that tone is lost through written word, and therefore the meaning of some text could be misunderstood.

4. Make your Blog Entertaining

The reader must stay interested in your content. Keep it clear, concise and up-to-date. Whether you are writing a serious piece or something more light hearted, it is imperative that there are points of interest on your page. Pictures and links can be uploaded, quite often a visual aspect to accompany the text is a good idea.

5. Write What You Know

It's a good idea to have a well-rounded knowledge of what you are writing about. Do your research, and your post will be that much more interesting to read.