Reflections

This blog post is all about reflecting on the work I did for my Intro to Writing Arts course. I begin with an explanation of one of my PechaKucha slides. Afterword, there’s a section where I write about all the things I learned about etiquette on the web throughout my blogging experience. Enjoy!

A Walk Through A Slide

My section as a whole was about how proper etiquette on the internet is about being yourself. I talked about how this is easier to do online when you’re behind a screen, and how we become braver and more honest. Although I mentioned the darker aspects of this, I mainly wanted to focus on how this freedom and expectation to be who we are can be a good thing. My fourth slide  especially talks about this. It’s all about the new communities being built on the web based off common interests. This is why I bring in Kelly’s “We are the Web,” which speaks in great detail about the way most of the content on the web is created by us. We are free to be ourselves and find others who are like us. We can create friendships that last for years while also realizing that maybe there’s a place for us to fit in after all. I also brought up that although we should be ourselves, the concept of our identity is much looser on the internet.  As I said in my presentation, I can be Sarah the college student and Sarah the fairy princess zombie huntress and both can be “me” depending on where I am. Are the things I have a character say in a role-playing game any less real than the status updates I post on Facebook? Both are an image I am trying to create and maintain–one is just significantly less entertaining.

That “self-portrait” I drew obviously is meant to portray me being a faerie princess zombie huntress (I really love typing that out–it’s just so ridiculous). But it’s more than that. It’s a symbol of the imagination we are allowed to express and the worlds we can create for ourselves and others. These worlds have their own sets of rules and etiquette within them, and it’s an amazing thing. We no longer have to take a trip to the library or the bookstore to go to different places–though I definitely still recommend it–we can go on the web and create them ourselves building with others new magical places. Of course, it’s still important to follow the rules we make for ourselves. We can’t have our worlds descend into chaos, can we? (Unless that’s what you want them to do). This very act of creation is what fits so well with “We are the Web.”

What I Learned About My Blog Topic

I’ve obviously thought about etiquette before, and I know that it’s one part of the web that can use some fine-tuning. I hadn’t, however, thought very hard about it on my own before this blog assignment. Mostly it was getting annoyed at hateful comments on the internet or cringing when I see Facebook posts that are outside of the unwritten code of conduct, like when you can tell people clicked the wrong link and now their account is spamming everyone on their friends list, bless their poor little hearts. I don’t know if blogging about “netiquette” and researching it taught me something new. It was more like it made me think about it in new ways. I made connections with the readings for class. Atwood’s blog post, for example, made me think about how etiquette online is way different than it is offline, and in some ways it’s better. The readings “We are the Web,” “What is Web 2.0,” and “An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube” all made me realize that netiquette isn’t something defined by the creators of beg websites. Don’t get me wrong, websites have terms of service that allow them to take action against rule-breakers, but those only go so far—especially since nobody reads them. For the most part, the ones who create and enforce these codes of conduct are us. We support and we punish.

On the other hand, these readings and my own reminded me that not everything online is unicorns and rainbow magic. “A Rape in Cyberspace” reminds us that people take advantage of the freedom and anonymity on the web and use it to hurt others. In an article I found on Cracked.com, Felix Clay writes about how society has decided it’s pretty much okay to act like jerks on the internet. I never considered this; mostly, I thought there were rules and some people just chose to ignore them and everyone else hated those people. But that article made me thing, hey, maybe the mean terrible things on the internet are a part of netiquette. Maybe we let this happen and now we’re dealing with the consequences. Still, I have hope: not everyone on the web is a jerk. There are those of us who know how to act online and even though we might not be as loud (obnoxious) we are still there.

 

 

A Final Reflection: My Pecha Kucha and Blog Topic

Four weeks ago, my classmates and I entered our third module of the Intro To Writing Arts class we began this semester. This very unique set up created by our professors at Rowan University allowed us to learn all about writing, how it has transformed, and how it will continue to change.  This entire blog was set up for the final module, which is called The Future Of Writing. This class has allowed me to look at the impact Web 2.0 tools have had on our writing and how the writing will continue to change depending on what new technologies become available.

For our final project, we were asked to create a Pecha Kucha about our blog topic. A Pecha Kucha is a presentation set up in a 20/20/1 format, which was entirely new to me. This means that there are twenty slides total, split up between the four group members  Each slide is only allowed to be shown for 20 seconds and there can only be one image on each slide. This blog post, which is a Final Reflection, will discuss how I used this format to describe my topic and will focus on one slide that I did successfully. I will also be describing what I have learned about the topic of Etiquette and how it has grown with the current technologies.

A Walk Through A Slide

The general topic of our presentation was Etiquette on the internet, but I focused focused on using netiquette to keep your information secure and private as well as how to properly use other people’s work that is found on the internet. I was excited to focus on this because when I originally started researching, I realized I knew nothing about how to keep my information secure and private. I also realized after talking to people about my topic, that most of my peers did not know how to either.   My favorite slide was when I discussed keeping your information private and secure because anyone can access it once it is out on the internet. I felt this was my most effective slide because it was the most shocking. Most internet users are unaware of the fact that online profiles and Guest IDs are created for them by companies and can even be sold to others. Once I learned this through my research, I wanted to know as much about it as possible because I felt that this went against proper netiquette and could also be prevented by following netiquette rules.

The picture I chose to accompany this information was a picture of a laptop with rope and a lock across it. I felt that this really summarized my point- that if you do not follow proper netiquette guidelines to keep your information safe, everything you do while using a Web 2.0 technology puts your information at risk. I chose this picture because I felt it was effective at showing the theme of my discussion, which was how unsafe online can be, and because the picture worked well with the facts and quotes I chose to discuss in that 20 seconds.

While discussing the point of keeping your information safe, I chose to quote an article we read for class written by Charle Duhigg. Duhigg’s stated in “How Companies Learn Your Secrets,” that companies can buy personal data about you and create extensive profiles.They get the information needed by the information people put out into the internet through the use of Web 2.0 tools. I felt that this was important for my peers to know because many people are unaware of their information being used or stolen and I wanted to be sure they understood it could be avoided if they followed proper netiquette. I also thought Duhigg’s statement was the perfect example of how writing has changed because of the internet. Even something as simple as an About Me on Facebook, something we never think twice about writing,  could be used against us and to hurt us because once we write something online it can never be taken back. I feel that the combination of the picture and the quote from Duhigg was a very effective way to present my point, and with the help of the Pecha Kucha presentation format, I feel that this combination created my most effective slide and it was only 20 seconds long!

 

What I Learned About My Blog Topic

The amount I have learned about internet etiquette is very surprising to me. When we first chose this topic, I knew nothing about the proper internet etiquette. Originally I thought it would be a simple topic, but boy was I wrong! The amount of information available about this topic is astounding and continuing to grow each day because there is always new websites, which means there is always a new proper way to act. First, the one thing that I consider to be the most important thing I learned is that internet etiquette is called “netiquette.” Although this may not seem like a huge deal, using the term netiquette while discussing internet etiquette is actually proper netiquette! I know that may be a little confusing, but I can assure you that websites like networketiquette.net can clear it up for you! Networketiquette.net became like a Bible to me while researching this topic, be cause it provided me with basic definitions and rules of internet etiquette.

I began to realize exactly how it applied to our in class discussions. In class, on how Web 2.0 technologies have been changing the way we write and communicate with others, especially because of all the growing spaces and ways to do so. Netiquette is important to this communication because it explains how to act properly on the internet. Many of the readings for this class have discussed online identities and different forms of communication through Web 2.0 tools, which benefitted my research because I got to learn how netiquette has changed and how it is not always followed, like on Twitter and blog posts. One of the articles we read, “Who Am We” by Sherry Turkle, discussed how people have created and used different online identities for all different purposes. Her quote “the Internet links millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way we form our communities” describes perfectly why learning how to properly communicate on the internet is so important.

I learned simple lessons like not to use caps lock, not to send emails too late, not to spam, and to spell check. The two most important netiquette rules in my opinion are Be Yourself and Be Conservative, so these are the ones I focused on the most. I learned how frequently people use the internet for the wrong reasons,  like to troll or steal identities, so being yourself and protecting the information you share are important to your successful use of Web 2.0 technologies. Ultimately, I learned that if you do not practice proper netiquette rules, you can ruin other’s experience online and you could put your personal information at risk.

Overall, I have learned how important netiquette is to the new Web 2.0 technologies and how it will remain to be important and evolve with all future creations. Acting properly is expected, but many are unaware of the proper procedures to take. In my opinion, using common sense, being yourself, and protecting your information are the most simple and important ways to practice proper netiquette. I know I will be doing all three.

Netiquette in Your Daily Life

What has been the point of all these netiquette themed posts? Why is it important to our blog readers?

Well, my friends, the list goes on and on. Many of my fellow writers for this blog have discussed netiquette and Social Media and how important it is to act properly by following the guidelines of proper internet etiquette. They have also blogged about how important it is for children to know how to act, how companies do not follow proper etiquette, and many other interesting etiquette based issues ( check out their posts if you have not already ). Recently I have discussed why practicing proper netiquette in your daily life can help protect you and your information from cyber criminals. Well, recently for class we had to read an article by Charles Duhigg, titled “How Companies Learn Your Secrets,” and it got me thinking- who are the real cyber criminals?

Not wanting to mislead any of my readers, I decided to do my last netiquette blog topic on how more than just criminals use the information you put out there using Web 2.0 tools. I thought this was important because this is something that everyone participates in daily AND it can happen to anyone, so why not try to help if I can?

Duhigg’s article focuses on the issue of companies using records of what you buy, what credit cards you use, surveys you fill, and the list seems never ending. Any interaction you have had with a company, his example was Target, can be documented by that company and filed away. Companies do this to create a profile so they can target you for certain items. Duhigg quoted a Target statiscian, Andrew Pole, saying ” “If you use a credit card or a coupon, or fill out a survey, or mail in a refund, or call the customer help line, or open an e-mail we’ve sent you or visit our Web site, we’ll record it and link it to your Guest ID,” Pole said. “We want to know everything we can” (1). A little scary, don’t you think!?

Well I certainly do. I was taken aback while reading this entire article (I highly suggest you read it for yourself) because I never knew these profiles and guest ID numbers existed. I felt a little violated. As I continued to read on, I learned that companies can also buy or sell information about you!

This article made me realize why practicing proper online netiquette is so important. Maybe getting extra coupons for something you buy frequently is not so bad, but it is sill a scary thought that an entire profile about your life is floating around cyber space for anyone to use, buy or steal. While researching netiquette, I learned two of the main rules are to be conservative and use discretion with the information you put out there. I think it is important for people using the internet to know these rules and apply them to their lives, as well as children who soon will be using the internet.

Obviously I think all netiquette rules are important, but after doing research for the past four weeks I feel these two are some of the most overlooked rules but some of the most important ones. Duhigg’s article really shocked and worried me because I now know how little control I have over the information I have put out there, so I also have no control over who gets to see it. If there is one thing I have learned from this topic of etiquette, it is that every day I must be careful with what I say and what information I provide, because in reality I never know who is seeing it!

Pecha Kucha: Walk Through a Slide and Reflection

This semester in my third module of my introduction to writing arts class called technologies and future of writing my blog group and I have been looking at how new Web 2.0 technologies are changing the rules of etiquette online.  We even discovered that there is a new word to refer to etiquette used online or in digital spaces known as “netiquette.”  In our presentation for the Pecha Kucha, which has 20 slides with each shown for 20 seconds and only 1 image per slide, we highlighted aspects of “netiquette” online that we think are important for everyone to known in this evolving world of technologies that will continue to grow.

A Walk Through a Slide

In my section of the presentation I discussed the term “netiquette” and how it was derived, along with how rules online are changing and evolving with new technologies.  For one of my slides, I wanted to highlight the importance about how new rules form with new technologies and different communities elicit different etiquette rules.  For example, when you are on Facebook, you can talk more informally than you would if you were on a professional site looking for a job.  This is a crucial point that my group’s blog on etiquette has discussed in many of our posts because we want to make sure people understand “netiquette’s” importance when being online.

I chose to use a quote from Sherry Turkle’s article “Who Am We” that discusses how the Internet links millions of people together and changes how communities are created.  I thought that this quote fit in well with this part of the presentation because her quote ties into the point that we are linked to so many people on the Internet that we need to be aware of online “netiquette” rules that different sites and online communities have.  It also drives home the point that how we act and behave online effects more than just ourselves, and this is why we need to be conscious of “netiquette” rules.  Also, my picture for this slide was a sketch of a world with people around it linked together.  I thought it fit in well with Turkle’s quote and brings into perspective that what we write online links us to people all over the world.  Therefore, we need to be aware of our actions in different online spaces.  I also mention how it can be hard to learn all the new “netiquette” rules because they are learned through experience and are constantly changing.  I think that this is important because everyone will make mistakes online, and it is understandable, but we need to realize that how we act online effects more than just us.  I would say a good tip is to think before you post or press send.

I wanted this slide to really drive home the point that “netiquette” rules are important to be aware of when using online spaces.  I think, as a part of my 5 slides in the presentation, it allows people to see that “netiquette” rules are important because of how expansive the Internet allows our connections and communities to be and every site is different in terms of their rules.  It also sets up the fact that new “netiquette” rules will continue to evolve because of the new technologies and online spaces being developed every day.  My slide builds on the idea that our world will not stop developing and evolving technologies, so “netiquette” is important to keep in mind when interacting on the Internet daily, whether in be in online games, social media, or professional sites.   I mention that the rules are hard to learn, but I think if I had to change something about this slide, it might be adding in the fact that everyone will make mistakes online, but we need to be award of our actions and how they affect.  This allows people to feel that it is alright if they would make a mistake, but to maybe think next time about how their actions will affect others and reconsider pressing send.

 

 

What I Learned about my Blog Topic

Over the past few weeks, I have really learned a lot about our topic of etiquette in online spaces.  I think that looking more into this topic has taught me just how expansive and ever-changing Web 2.0 technologies are, and how etiquette online is becoming an important aspect of this growth.  I mean the whole reason for the term “netiquette,” or network and Internet etiquette, is because of the new Web 2.0 technologies that are gaining in popularity each day.  In “Who Am We” by Sherry Turkle, she discusses how people assume different online identities when on the Internet, but more importantly that “the Internet links millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way we form our communities.”  This really make me think just how important “netiquette” really is because if we are linked to so many people through the Internet, than we are effecting more than just ourselves when we post, write, or act a certain way online.  I think that by interacting more in online spaces, especially Twitter, I have seen how much social media connects us to other people.  Social media has its advantages, and if we are aware of our actions and how we behave online, it can be a great way to connect and communicate with others.

Another important thing that I learned about online etiquette is that there are different rules for different sites, which can make them hard to learn because you learn through experiences and observations online.  On a blogging site called Gigaom, in an article titled “The Future of Online Etiquette is Already Here-It’s Just Unevenly Distributed” written by Matthew Ingram he says, “As anyone who has missed an important email knows by now, modern communications etiquette is a minefield of unspoken expectations and potential anxiety-inducing behavior.”  This quote allowed me to realize that because of all the new Web 2.0 technologies, and with the rules not written down, we are expected to know what the online etiquette rules are, which can cause for anxiety and stress.  Ingram also points out that this is because people are at different stages in their evolution from one technology to another.  Everything is changing and evolving so quickly, that it can be hard to keep up with all the new etiquette practices.

Overall, I have learned that “netiquette” has become such an important part of our world because of how much Web 2.0 technologies are evolving and changing.  It will not go away either because children in this generation and generations to come will grow up in the age of technology.  It will affect how they apply to college or interact with the world.  New technologies already impact how we interact on a daily basis.  I think one of the major things that I learned is that we need to be aware of how we act online because you never know who you are effecting.  Learning the new “netiquette” rules will allow for more effective communication in online and digital spaces.

Pecha Kucha and Etiquette Reflections

In the beginning of the semester, my Introduction to Writing Art’s class at Rowan University was split into three modules. Students would spend 4 weeks with each of 3 professors, learning about different aspects of writing. For my 3^rd module, I was presented with the topic of The Future of Writing. For our big assignment for this class, we were asked to create a different kind of presentation called a Pecha Kucha. This style of presentation follows the outline of 20/20/1. This means that there are 20 slides, which are shown for 20 seconds, with all slides containing only 1 image. This blog post will capture why I chose to present one slide the way I did, and what I have learned about the topic of Etiquette.

To read through the narrative of the presentation, and see the slides we used, please refer to my previous blog post, “Pecha Kucha and Narratives.”

A Walk Through a Slide

I think throughout my entire section of my presentation, my favorite slide was when I discussed how you can learn the rules of etiquette on various social media sites. I approached this topic by trying to remember my first experiences using Facebook and Twitter. I found that when I first started to use these social media sites, I sat quiet for a while. For about a week, I watched the types of posts that people were making. I would check back to see the amount of “Likes” or “Comments” on Facebook, or “Retweets” and “Favorites” on Twitter that each post got. I seemed like this was the best thing to do because I am the type of person that does not like confrontation. I needed to make sure that my first post was not going to be something that someone was easily offended by. I did not want my first week on Facebook or Twitter to end in a “cyber fight.” The image that accompanies this part of my narrative came directly from my Facebook newsfeed. A couple weeks ago, people on Facebook started changing their profile pictures to equal signs on red backgrounds which was meant to represent their acceptance of Gay Marriage and Gay Rights. I am aware that everyone is allowed to have their own opinion on societal topics, but this post was completely inappropriate. The person that posted this was put in her place by the 87 comments telling her that she was being rude for posting such nasty words. This is where my idea for trial and error came from. When posting on Social Media sites, it is tempting to post everything and anything that you are feeling. However, etiquette rules state that people need to be aware of who their audience is in order to maintain a friendly environment. This person obviously did not have the right audience for this post.

By quoting Margaret Atwood in this section of my narrative, I wished to show that people in the writing world are aware that Social Media sites tend to be places where people say things they shouldn’t. It also helped show that everyone learns the etiquette rules by testing out the waters and observing others. If I had to do this project over again, I might change the narrative of this section to represent more of the trial and error part of social media etiquette instead of making up a scenario to go with the picture. I really believe that the picture speaks for itself, and instead of further explaining the picture, the presentation would have been more effective if I had explained my point further.

 

What I Learned about my Blog Topic

Over the last couple of weeks, I have blogged about the topic of Etiquette on the Internet. I especially paid close attention to etiquette when it comes to social media. I have always been interested in this topic because I have been exposed to many fights on social media sites due to lack of Etiquette. Along with etiquette, we were asked to consider how Web 2.0 tools are affecting the topic we are using for our blogs. Although I have heard the term, Web 2.0, before, I was never aware of what it truly was. The readings for this class really opened up my eyes to the amount of resources are available on the Internet, and the rapidly changing way things work. Even though I paid close attention to etiquette and social media, the topic of etiquette as a whole really opened up new paths for me to explore. After reading lists and lists of rules people think you should follow on the Internet, I started to create my own. Of course my list included numbers of things other people had already thought of, it also went off in its own direction. By researching the topic of etiquette, the most important thing that I learned is that etiquette is constantly changing due to the change in purposes of writing, where we are writing, and who is writing. It is important to keep an eye out for new etiquette rules as things change around us, because we do not want to be left behind posting things that are no longer appropriate. Just like writing technologies are constantly changing and improving, the rules of etiquette are changing too. Another important thing that I learned is that it is hard to write down the etiquette rules for all communities of people. What is appropriate to say in one place may not be appropriate to say in another. People need to be aware of this shift and try hard to stay connected to what is allowed to be posted and what is not. With Twitter, the number of people that can now see our writing as increased, according to Steven Johnson in “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live.” It is important to remember who your audience is when composing a Tweet or a Facebook Status. Although some people crave the online drama of posting inappropriate things and then fighting about it, I certainly do not. After reading all these articles and blogging about them, I know that I am a lot more cautious about the things that I am posting, and I always think before I Tweet or send a Facebook post.

 

 

Pecha Kucha and Narratives

Here is our presentation on Pecha Kucha: Etiquette! Enjoy! (:

Megan S.

Netiquette, or network and Internet etiquette, is a new cyber word created because of the new Web 2.0 technologies and is gaining popularity with the increased use of online spaces.  Etiquette has always been a part of our culture, but netiquette is a new implied social code used to describe the rules that should be used in online and digital spaces.  So, How should we act online? What do we need to know? and What will happen in the future?  New rules form with new technologies and different communities elicit different etiquette rules because as Turkle mentions the Internet links millions of people in new spaces and changes the dynamic of communities and their creation.  This means that how we act online effects more than just ourselves.  There is no doubt that it can be hard to learn all the new netiquette rules because they are learned through experience and observation online and are constantly changing from site to site.  As Matthew Ingram says with all the competing forms of technology today not everyone is on the same level in using them, so we have to try to become more mindful of our online actions in different online spaces.  Netiquette rules apply to pictures, text, and videos.  It applies to what you write and post online, whether it be in online games, social media sites, or professional sites.  Netiquette is becoming a part of our culture because of the increase of new technologies and communications online.  With our world becoming one dominated by screens everywhere we look, as Kelly points out, we need to think about our actions online.  Netiquette will continue to be a commonly used term because of all the new technologies that are evolving.  Bolter already notes how technical and social interactions are changing writing.  Etiquette is different when writing with a pencil and paper than it is with a computer.  With each new technology and form of communication in different online spaces, we need new etiquette practices.  Learning netiquette rules can allow for effective communication online whether it be in terms of being yourself, security, or social media.

Jillian H.

For the most part, people seem to know how to handle things in person, but when it comes to hiding behind a computer screen, that’s when the fists go flying. The problem with etiquette online is that not everyone agrees on how to use all the different ways we can now communicate. Network Etiquette DOT Net states, “the rules of netiquette are social norms that individuals choose to follow to facilitate effective communication on the internet.”

If these rules aren’t published anywhere, how do you learn them? Unfortunately learning these rules may come from trial and error. You post something, a follower or friend doesn’t like it, and you will usually hear about it through harsh words and rude comments. And then you are embarrassed because you didn’t know that it wasn’t socially acceptable to post that online. Atwood even says, saying things you shouldn’t have is typical of social media sites.

Another troublesome thing about the different etiquette rules is that the rules change due to the purpose of the post. We all know that when we are posting in social contexts, it isn’t a problem to misspell a word, use an abbreviation, tell a joke, or post embarrassing pictures of our friends. However, when you are posting for business, it would be extremely inappropriate to make fun of your boss, and would look pretty bad if you misspelled something.

Last in, “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live,” Johnson states that Twitter has increased audience numbers on the things we post. Great. So with more people reading our posts, there is a greater opportunity to offend someone. Look at the rapid movement of the “Two Kids and a Puppy” project.  Within 7 hours, over 1 million people had seen the picture and liked it, helping the girls reach their goal.

So my tip is, don’t post anything on a social media site like Facebook or Twitter that you wouldn’t want to say directly to someone’s face. If you are a perfect gentleman or lady in person, don’t be a brat on the internet.  This rule will generally save you the trouble of being harassed, or embarrassed, and you will be following all the right online etiquette rules!

Sarah B.

A popular netiquette rule is to be yourself, something that’s easier for many online. Websites like Twitter provide a level playing field where people can communicate with their favorite authors or celebrities. People become more honest when dealing with others that would normally make them star struck. As we can see in Margaret Atwood’s blog post, “Atwood in the Twittersphere,” her thousands of followers correct her grammar, offer her advice, and even call her an old lady, none of which would be considered acceptable offline. But Atwood doesn’t mind, saying that it’s like have thousands of ‘precocious grand children.”

These rules of etiquette are almost never made by a website’s creator but by the users. This makes sense when you consider that most of the new content on the web, according to Kevin Kelly’s ‘We are the Web,’ is created by us. Wesch describes a similar process in his “Anthropological  Introduction to Youtube.” He talks about popular videos being created and recreated by us. It is expected that we add our own touches and opinions to things that already exist.  The combination of user creation and self expression leads people to create new communities based off common interests with their own sets of rules. It becomes possible to expand the idea of being yourself. I can be Sarah Borja the Rowan University student as well as Sarah the fairy princess zombie huntress, and both are ‘me,’ depending on where I am.

Us creating the rules can also be negative. As stated in Felix Clays Cracked article, it seems society as a whole has decided it’s okay to act like a jerk on the internet. There’s nowhere else where you can find people vehemently angry and ranting about free entertainment they themselves sought out.

Although proper netiquette is to be yourself, other aspects of netiquette have to do with keeping certain things private.

Nicole M.

Web 2.0 tools have increased the amount we write and provide information about ourselves. It is important to know how to keep your information secure and your profiles private.

Having multiple “selves” through profiles, accounts, and usernames on the internet is very common. Kevin Kelly states “With the steady advance of new ways to share, the Web has embedded itself into every class, occupation, and region” and all of those people are sharing their information. Two of the main rules on Networketiquette.net state that you must use discretion and you must be conservative with the information you share.

Avoid listing as much personal information as possible. Once something is written on the Internet, it is out there forever, which means any user can find it. This puts you in danger of having your information used by companies, websites, or stolen. Social networks have given advertisers access to private user data, so information can easily be compromised. Charles Duhigg states in his article, “How Companies Learn Your Secrets,” that companies can buy personal data about you and create extensive profiles. This is all created by information you put out there, frequently through Web 2.0 tools.

Opportunities to give our information happen every day, like: credit card numbers with online shopping and an About Me’s. This is now second nature to us, but it is an easy opportunity for online criminals to steal information. Anything put out there can be used by someone else if you don’t take the proper protection and safety precautions.

The amount we write about ourselves has increased since the creation of Web 2.0 tools, as well as the amount of access to other people’s work. Obey copyright laws; just because it is easy to access information, does not mean you are able to steal it. University of Pittsburgh conducted a study that said most internet users unintentionally break copy right laws or think copy right laws are no longer in effect, but they are still in effect in cyberspace. In the future, these copy right laws will continue to become more strict to protect original work.

Keep your information safe and follow the laws set in place for internet users to ensure the most safety and privacy possible on the internet and guarantee the safe use of other’s information.

Tragedies and Social Media Etiquette?

How did you find out about the bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013? More likely than not, you probably find out from a Social Media site. I know I did. An analytic company studying Twitter stated that around 4:10 p.m. there were over 300,000 mentions of “Boston explosions.” Just 20 minutes later, there were 700,000 mentions of the “Boston Marathon.”

The amount of support that was seen through Social Media sites throughout the day on the 15th, was incredible. People were sharing their emotional reactions, and it was spreading. Quickly after the spread of the news, support from the community was starting to shine through the feeds. The hashtag #prayforboston was trending, and more than 75,000 tweets mentioned “Pray for Boston” within an hour. Tweets were being written about how the person posting was willing to help. People were tweeting the addresses of Red Cross locations for people to go to donate blood, or if they needed more help. People were even willing to house people who were evacuated from the buildings in which they resided.

While Social Media support is great, it does not always come in such generous forms. There were many people who were oblivious to the tragedy taking place in the city of Boston. Many people went along their day like nothing had happened at all. While I am not suggesting that the world needs to stop when there is a tragedy, I am suggesting that people need to start thinking about their audiences. While some people are grieving the loss of a loved one, they may seek support from others who are grieving as well. Social Media becomes a great place to get this support, but when Newsfeeds and Twitterfeeds are clogged with spring break pictures, or mindless sentences like, “I love my dog,” people become upset with the lack of support that they are getting. It is even worse when people who are not grieving start attacking those who are. Many tweets sending condolences to those who lost during the bombing at the Boston marathon were replied to with things like, “Things like this happens everyday in the Middle East. What is so special about Boston?” While there is always going to be hate in the world, it is not necessary to attack someone for posting a compassionate Tweet or status update.

It truly is amazing to consider the amount of power that Social Media sites have. But it is true that this power is not always a good thing. I know that happy thoughts are the best medicine when it comes to a grieving country, but sometimes people take it too far. Please be aware of the people that are reading the things you post. Someone who is grieving may not be appreciative of a picture of you in a bikini, or with a cold beer in your hand. In a world where the forces of hate are becoming as common as the forces of love, let’s try to be sensitive to the people around us. I know that you would want other people to be conscious of your troubles, too.

To read more about the effects of social media on country wide tragedies, please refer to the following articles:

Boston Marathon Bombing: The Wave of Social Media Reaction

Boston Marathon Bombings Brings Light to Social Media Etiquette Issues

 

Can We Teach Companies Some Etiquette?

Let’s face it: almost all of us has stalked somebody’s facebook/twitter/blog before. Yet most of us don’t log every single thing they do, save all of their pictures, note what they click on, and go into their browsing history in an effort to collect private information. This, to put it lightly, would be a giant violation of online etiquette. If you found out one of your acquaintances on facebook was doing that to you, you’d probably feel pretty creeped out. If it was something that kept happening over and over again, and you were powerless to stop it, you might even quit going on the computer altogether. Yet, this is what corporations are doing to you on a daily basis.

Charles Duhigg wrote about this very thing in his article, “How Companies Learn Your Secrets.” He focuses mostly on Target, and how the company wanted to figure out a way to figure out women were pregnant without actually being told. Most of our shopping habits are pretty set in stone, but certain life-changing events, especially the birth of a child, can get people to change where they shop. Target knew that if they could grab expecting parents, they would have them for years to come, and, most importantly, get a lot more of their money. So they hired Andrew Pole to help them figure it out. And he did. He was able to determine through what customers bought if they were pregnant. It’s great for business, but unnerving for us. The sick part of it? Target knew that pregnant women would be creeped out if they just sent a bunch of coupons for baby stuff when they hadn’t told Target, or even anyone else, that they were pregnant. Duhigg even mentioned an example where a father called the manager of his local Target enraged, yelling about how they were sending his daughter coupons for cribs and diapers. Were they trying to encourage her to get pregnant? But as it turns out, the daughter was actually pregnant and hadn’t told him yet. The father was obviously upset, but I think we need to look at it another way: that poor girl obviously wasn’t ready to tell people she was pregnant, but she was forced to because Target had to send her coupons. If anyone else forced her to do that, we would call it what it is: rude and unacceptable.

But, to their credit, Target knew that sending pregnant women coupons would be kinda scary, so instead, they sent the coupons mixed in with a bunch of random other stuff. This way, we see stuff we’ll find useful, and not know the ridiculous amount of information they know about us, we shop there, they win. And it’s not like it’s just Target–it’s everyone. Each website we go on, and many that we don’t, track everything that we do and use it for their own purposes. A lot of people don’t care too much, but as I stated in the beginning, imagine if it was someone you knew? What make’s that somehow more weird?

 

The New Age of Technology and Etiquette

This week I read an article called “How Companies Learn Your Secrets” by Charles Duhigg, which looks at how companies can learn your shopping habits by examining routines and buying habits.  He goes on to talk about  how it is hard to change a person’s shopping patterns once they are set, but if you catch a person at the right moment, like when someone is having a baby, they are more vulnerable to change.  Andrew Pole, a statistician, was hired by Target to do analysis into shopping patterns of consumers in order, “to analyze all the cue-routine-reward loops among shoppers and help the company figure out how to exploit them.”  He took particular focus into targeting women who were expecting a baby.  After accumulating data, he noticed certain shopping patterns emerging, which all came from the women’s registries or from something called a Guest ID.

Everyone has a Guest ID number, which shows what you have bought in the past at a certain store and allows for companies to send certain coupons based on what you have bought in the past.  Companies know that once your shopping patterns and routines are set you are unlikely to change them, which makes it easy to use the Guest ID and send coupons based on things you are likely to buy again.  Duhigg also mentions that, “linked to your Guest ID is demographic information like your age, how long it takes you to drive to the store, your estimated salary, whether you’ve moved recently, what credit cards you carry in your wallet and what Web sites you visit.”  Is this going overboard and breaking the rules of etiquette associated with technology?  I thought that this concept was interesting and made me think about etiquette rules that should be used with technology.  If companies can use technology to access this type of information and analyze shopping patterns, what else will they be able to do?

It is amazing to think how technology has allowed for such data to be recorded, and then to be used in a way that creeps into our lives un-expectantly.  So, is it proper etiquette that companies can do such a thing as use a Guest ID?  I think that a lot of people are not even aware of this happening to them.  While, some might feel exploited, others may say that it is helpful because they get coupons for the things they want and will buy each month.  I think that this shows the power of technology, and how much it has grown over the last decades.

Throughout this blog, I have been looking at technology and etiquette, which is now referred to as “netiquette.”  It seems like “netiquette” will only continue to be a growing issue.  I mean if companies can access our shopping habits, what else will they be able to do in the future?  Look at Facebook and its ads.  The ads on the side of the screen are put there because they are targeted towards the things you like, and what kind of things you post on your wall.

The bigger question I think is:  what else will technology allow us to access and what new “netiquette” rules will come into practice?  While this all may seem like people are trying to creep into our lives, it is a part of the world now that has been brought on with the increased and advanced use of technology.  I think that it is important for companies and online site to keep etiquette, or “netiquette,” rules in mind because it will allow for consumers to keep buying products, (while not feeling like they are being too violated) and the companies to keep customers coming back to buy more.