Prompt #9 due Monday, Oct. 31st

Rather than create a post, I ask that you comment on two posts this week.

Prompt #8

This weekend, was pretty uneventful for me. Unfortunately my family was not able to come up for Meliora weekend, so I was just stuck watching many people reunite with their families, and the long lines at Starbucks. I did get to catch up on a lot of sleep between Friday and Saturday, considering the multitude of tests I had last week, and the lack of sleep I experienced as a consequence, it was quite awesome being able to go to bed and not have a thousand things running through my mind. Besides catch up on sleep, I also worked a couple hours and saw 2 movies in my dorm. Like I said quite uneventful, but overall a very relaxing weekend, which was much needed.

Prompt #8 Response

I really like this prompt because I feel like writing my diary which I have not written for three years. I didn't have any plans for this Meliora weekend, but I had really great time with my friends.

For me, like most of U of R students, this weekend started the last friday afternoon. I and two of my friends went to Korean Restaurant, Sodam, for the first time. We really enjoyed since it tasted like home-food! After came back from the restaurant, the campus was already filled with a lot of people, except the libraries. Thus, we watched one of the most popular movies this year in Korea in the theater in Gleason library.

Unfortunately, I didn't do many things on Saturday. Sometimes I really want to play the piano for a very long time, like this Saturday. I spent almost afternoon, like for 3 to 4 hours, playing the piano in the practice room number 4 of basement of Spurrier Gym.

Lastly, for Sunday.. the day before Monday. I had four homeworks that were due by Monday. I don't have to anything to say about that then.. Since I have a meeting Tuesday about scheduling the courses for next semester, I spent an hour planning what courses to take. It was much difficult than I thought it would be.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this Meliora weekend, thinking that time goes really fast!

Promt # 8

My Meliora weekend started with BME homework on Friday afternoon until 8 pm. After 8 I went out with my friends. We went to see this movie called rise of the planets or the APES. I enjoyed the movie and thought it carried a deep meaning as far as animal hurting is concerned. After the movie was done at around 10 pm we came back to the University. I saw that Russell Peters was coming here. I saw him for last 10 minutes of his show which I think was kind of nice. He was hilarious and made lots of funny jokes that made me laugh. After that I didn’t do anything for that day.

The next day, it was Saturday and I went to Buffalo NY just to hang out with my friends, I came back at around 5 pm in the evening and went to macys to buy some warm clothes for the winter. I wasn’t really able to attend any events during the Meliora weekend, Next thing I did was we went around the city in my friends, also went to the downtown area. Today so far I am very busy finishing my homework. I need to finish my chemistry homework and also the lab report, and also practice for my exam

Prompt #8

This weekend my parents and my grandfather came to visit me. We did not do any of the activities that the University had planned, but I did get to spend quite a bit of time with my family so it was a really great weekend. We went out to dinner on Friday and Saturday night and my mom took me shopping (I figured it was the best time to go since she offered to pay for everything I got). I didn't really get any work done while they were here, so unfortunately I will be up very late on Sunday trying to get everything done. Other than that, I had a fun time this weekend and it was really nice to see my family again :)

Prompt 8 Response David

I enjoy the Meliora weekend so far. I watched the President Clinton's speech (but not at the Eastman...), it was impressive to have him having a speech at our school! Then I met up with some Simon Faculties at lunch, and it was good to learn some experience of them getting into the Simon MBA program, because it is one of my goal to get into the Simon for my graduate degree in couple years. In the afternoon, I helped my friend Gen cut his hair (I was impressed that my hair cutting skill is getting better lol), but the most exciting event I have had is the Chinese Students' Association event - Lantern Painting. We prepared the Lanterns for people to paint, and we taught those who wanted to have Chinese Characters on their lanterns to write in Chinese. We ran out of the lanterns an hour before the event actually ends, but I was glad to heard that people had a great time painting their Lanterns (you guys should come next year :)). Nothing really much after, but just hanged out with my friends. It was a good day and I should probably go to bed... I had a pretty good weekend so far, except for not getting enough time to sleep :(

I'm currently back home with my family, since I missed them all dearly. The problem was that I had a test on Friday, which meant I had to leave Rochester in the night time. Therefore, I technically cut my weekend short. Also, since I spent so much time studying for my test, I had to bring my homework along and now I have to do all of my homework. What sucks is that I have to leave tomorrow at five in the afternoon so I have to have an all-nighter today. Although it seems as if I had to rush my weekend, my weekend has been the best one I've had in a very long time. I got to spend time with one of my closest friends, Kiara, and her mom, I'm home, and I feel very confident about my psych test.

Next year I want to stay in Rochester for Mel weekend, since I hear it's loads of fun.

Prompt # 8

This weekend I do not plan to do anything special. Today, I went to see our school's football team play for homecoming. It was the first time I have ever been to a football game, so most of the time I was lost. The good thing is that we won. Another thing I did today was perform for Rochester Revenue. I am happy because I was for this performance, I was ten times more confident. Because I was secure about myself, I actually enjoyed performing. Thankfully, I did not mess up like I did last performance at Tropicana. Tomorrow will be a relax day for me. During this whole week, I tried planning my work out perfectly so that most of my homework will be done by Friday. This is my last homework assignment for this week:) The only thing I will have to do tomorrow is go to salseros. I have to go tomorrow because we have to start practicing for our next performances that are on Friday and Saturday. I do not mind because I love my Salseros family.
The only thing negative about my weekend is that, seeing parents all over campus makes me miss my parents. For next Meliora weekend, I am going to be sure to invite my parents.

Prompt #8

My weekend will start from Friday evening. I already plan to go watch movie with some of my friends and uncle today around 9:00 pm. We haven’t talk about what movie are you going to watch but hopefully we will decide to watch something interesting movie. On Saturday I scheduled my day for doing homework because I have tons of homework. I have lab report for chemistry, BME homework, and chemistry homework. Sunday will be my busy day since I asked two juniors from RIT who are doing their project on immigrants to come to University of Rochester. They are hoping to interview me to share some stories that I have been through since I came to the USA. I am also hoping to interview them and explore more about what are the challenges that refugee youths are facing. Later on Sunday I am planning to go home for a while because my uncle’s friend has birthday and I am invited. Hopefully, this weekend will be fun for everybody and me.

prompt #8 response.

There seems to be so much going on this weekend, yet none of it really seems to affect me. I don't think I'm actually partaking in any of the official meliora activities, except the MYSTIC MIDNIGHT MADNESS psychic fair. It sounds so intriguing...and there's free desserts. The swim team is also having our first swim meet, an intra-team event, against some alumni. I can't wait to race.

Other than that, it'll be a weekend full of chem studying for me. Oh and you guys should all go see An Absolute Turkey because one of my friends is in it, and I heard it is hilarious! (:

I wish my parents were coming because I really miss them ):

Post 8 for Monday, oct. 24

Something fun you'll do (or did) this weekend...

Happy Meliora!

Blog #7 response

For my research paper i have decided to focus on the issue of gang violence in our nation. I chose this topic because this is a topic that i actually am very passionate about. Gang violence is a issue i feel affects everyone, not only those who are involved it but those just living around it. I live in a neighborhood where i experience the effects of this violence between these different groups of gangs. Not only are the lives of my family and friends in danger but every time a innocent life is included in this, it upsets me. I have friends who are involved in this type of lifestyle and they see in no way they are doing anything wrong. This is the reason i want to do an interview with one of the people who live this lifestyle and see no reason in why they should stop. i have intriguing and curious questions i would like to ask them about the reason they do this and that could hopefully lead me to not a solution but maybe an idea of why this happens. If I could understand these people and why they choose (if it's a choice) to live this way, it could help me come to a way to maybe even help them stop living this lifestyle.
The interviews could be a insight to the other side of gang violence that we dont get to read in the papers or see in the news. We get to hear it from someone on the inside. I don't know the main purpose for my paper yet but i know i want to discuss gang violence and why its such a serious controversy and why we should pay more attention to it.

Post 7

What ideas do you have (so far) for a final research topic?

I think I am going to stick with the idea of women rights. For formal essays 2, my topic was on the violate of rights of women that work in factories. For my final research paper, I do not only want to forces on women in the work force, but also on how women are also mistreated by society. I am not talking about our society ,but societies in undeveloped countries. I guess I can say that I want to write about the oppression women face around the world. The only problem I see is, finding a way to research this topic. I could find a lot of secondary research, but I do not know what primary research I would do.
Another topic I was considering is evaluating women roles portrayed in media. I would look at different kinds of media and analyze how gender roles are portrayed. For instance, I will watch a movie and look for all the gender stereo types. The only question I have about that is if it is social injustice issue. Women stereotypes can be an issue, but I do not think it is to the point in which people will try to stop it.

Promt # 7 Response..

Iraq, Afghanistan War: Principle reasons to economic recession?

I am thinking about doing a research on the US war with Middle East as a principle reasons to economic recession. Is the money that we are spending on war more like a waste or does this spending on terror also have some good sides? Should we stop these wars and focus more on fighting the economic downfall that we are facing now? I would like to include and talk about the statistics about the tax money that our government puts on to the army that we sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. I would include that data of whether the people in US like these actions of government sending the troops to foreign nations. Also if the people in those countries actually like the US army being there, do they feel safe about it or are they even more scared about the US force there? Are US armies in those lands actually helping to keep the country and people safe or are they even creating more disturbance?

At last, I would like to propose a solution how these problems might be dealt? I don’t mean that I will be able to solve these problems because they are unsolved for years? But I will definitely write my opinions that might help the situations in some ways

Prompt #7 Response

I learned about medical ethics in my BME class last week, and I came up with the idea for my research paper in the writing class - Medical ethic. As a result, I want to write about animal testing for research, which refers to medical research. i.e. the development of drugs and surgical procedures. etc.

When I decided to write about animal testing, I thought it should be banned. However, as I have searched for more information about this topic, I found out that I actually believe that preliminary animal testing is necessary.

I'll focus on few questions;

-Why is preliminary animal testing necessary?

-What are the pros and ons for animal testing?

-Does testing on lab animals hurt?

-If people can't do animal testing, how can people ensure the effect of products before it goes to the market.

For now, I am still confused with my personal opinion, since I believe that emotion or prospective is the major determining factor, like whether a person believes the benefits of animal testing outweigh the problems associated with the practice. In addition, I also think that those ethical aspect actually overshadows both pros and cons of animal testing.....

I guess I'll argue that animal testing is necessary. Do you have any other great questions that I have to focus on?

Prompt #7

I am interested in doing research on the salaries of some of the most popular athletes and entertainers. They get paid an unthinkable amount of money to do what they do, however, many of them present themselves as very poor role models. The question I might pose is what is the value of entertainment? These athletes and performers earn their salary for doing what most everyday people are not capable of doing, but is it worth the price of destroying the innocence of young children? For my research, I might watch certain segments on the news and see what portion of these segments are reserved to talking about scandals involving these athletes and entertainers and what portion is designated to reporting the actual results of games or performances. I am not sure if this research will be effective enough to allow me to write a long paper, though. I am also unsure of which people to focus on during the research- although there are some very poor role models out there, there are some good ones as well. Any suggestions would be great!

Prompt 7 response - David

What ideas do you have (so far) for a final research topic?

I am very interested in the updated news of the government's action towards Electronic Cigarettes (E-cigarettes). The first time I saw E-cigarettes was at the Marketplace Mall, and I was surprised that the sellers told us that smokers won't get addicted to E-cigarettes. Instead, I was told that E-cigarettes can help people get rid of smoking tobacco. I was very curious and I looked up E-cigarettes online. To my surprised, I saw a bunch of news saying that the government is trying to ban E-cigarettes, because the government found cancer causing materials in E-cigarettes. I am curious about what is happening. For my paper, I think I will do a research on the results from studies of E-cigarettes from E-cigarettes companies and the government and figure out if the government should ban E-cigarettes.

COMMENT- BLOG 7

I think the topic you are thinking of writing about is great! Not many people give importance to the struggles of immigrants or of their feelings. We say this is the place to make our dreams come true- the land of the free! Yet, immigrants are not free, they have to feel as outcasts and have to be limited to things because they "do not belong" to this land. I do not see the problem with people from a different land living in the United States and neither should anyone else because if they do, then they forget why this is what we now call the United States. It's good that you yourself were in the same position. In my personal belief, I do not believe it would be harmful if you state that in your research, as long as you present the counter attack of those who make life of immigrants a living hell and why it is unjust. Also, remember to state the problem which I don't think should be the struggles immigrants face rather than the reason why they struggle. The struggles they actually encounter should be a branch of the main problem. I hope this helped at all or gave you something else to think about!

-Good luck

BLOG # 7- KIKI

I want to write about whether anti-homosexuality is biased. In other words, when the general public thinks about sexuality, do they find homosexuality as a whole wrong or is the problem homosexual men?

I initially thought of making some sort of blog and seeing the responses of all types of individuals but all of my attempts have been failing, so I feel as if this approach would not be the best to take. Therefore I decided to do two things:

1) Look at one of my favorite shows that show this bias and made me think of this issue- Degrassi the Next Generation

2)I have two people who have talked to me about this issue and I have decided to include them in my research

The only problem is that I don't know if these resources would suffice :( Any suggestions?

Prompt #7

The issue that I obtained from change.org is about the social injustice. It tells a lot about how a single mom with daughters was treated by the court just because she sent her kids to the school in district other than she lives. She had to face so many consequences, more than people could have ever imagined. For my final project I would like to research something similar to this issue where people has to stay under pressure and many situation. The best thing in my mind so far is doing research in recently moved immigrant in one of the Rochester’s community and figured out what are the challenges they have to face in their new home.

Some of us might know what it means to immigrate to the new place and settle down. Personally, I came to NYC, USA three years ago as an immigrant. During my first year of life in USA I had to face so much challenges, something that I had ever think of. The research I would like to do is about Bhutanese Refugee who has been resettling in Rochester. More specifically, I am going to find the challenges that the Bhutanese youth students have to face in their new land. I am interested in this topic because I am not only trying to research about the issue but I would also like to find the solutions for this issue. Back in NYC I participated in Leaders in Training at International Rescue Committee, where diverse students from different schools in NYC used to gathered together and talked about the issues that the new refugees youth are facing in their new home. This project is very good opportunity for me to do research on Bhutanese youth in Rochester and bring some changes if possible.

prompt #7 response.

The issue on change.org that I wrote formal paper number 2 was about the marketing of healthy food to children. I am really interested in this topic for two reasons. Number one, health and healthy eating is super important to me as an athlete. I am also really interested in nutrition and learning more about how food really does change your life. Second, I think it would be really interesting to look into how children respond to these marketing techniques because psychology is also another topic that has really fascinated me. I thought that I could do surveys and interviews of children, or even college age kids, for my primary research into how we are affected by different marketing techniques. However, my main worry is that I will not have enough to talk about on this issue. I am not sure what problem I would be investigating because I am not clear whether there is or isn't a serious issue around this topic. For example, do marketing techniques that use popular pop stars cause children to pick sugary cereals over granola? I am not sure how to streamline my area of focus on this issue because I feel like there are so many surface questions to be asked.

I really want to research something that has to do with food justice though because I think we all forget that proper nutrition can be just as important as any other social right. Does anyone have any suggesting on other research topics or how I can streamline this one? Should I focus on one type of marketing? (This I would have to reasearch because I am not sure how marketing is even categorized.) Should I focus on a certain food group? This idea is definitely still in the works.

Prompt #7 - due 10/17

What ideas do you have (so far) for a final research topic?

Promt # 6

I use face book and Hi5, I think they both are huge place to share culture and ideas. In many aspects I think Facebook shares lots of culture. Before I came here I didn’t know much about this country and the culture here. Even though I use to have Facebook, earlier it got more diverse since I have been here. I met friends from many different states and countries. Now I have people on my Facebook from a lot of places. They share their land and culture, the pictures, videos and the status that they put are diverse in many ways.

Most of my friends in Facebook are from Nepal and India, Most of the time I see them sharing their own culture. Like usually they post an Indian song or a dance, my friends from Nepal also do the same. Now I also have friends from here. When I go to their page they are more diverse on their own way. So nowadays Facebook really has been a way or a network to share culture. Before Facebook was very popular I use to use Hi5 which is also a social network, usually famous for making friends, more like Facebook. There also I observed lots of cultural diversification as far as culture seemed.

Prompt #6

I would like to talk about the Facebook as one of the online spaces that I routinely visit. Facebook has definitely shared cultures and values. Facebook has been the best place for people of all kinds to share what they have and what they have been through. Music, pictures, opinions, feelings, comments are some of the common things people like to share in Facebook. Creating different groups represent the culture in Facebook because certain group of people with certain objectives can be created in Facebook to talk and share information that they have within the group. For example, there is University of Rochester group in Facebook where students interact within the group. They share what they have and they ask any question they might have.

Sometimes I found that it is easy to judge people mood by visiting their Facebook page. One good example that I have is the fact I found with my uncle a month ago. When I used to write message to my uncle in Facebook usually, I used to receive reply soon from him like within a day. A month ago I had some kind of simple debate with my uncle and he was mad with my perspective in that debate. Later, I messaged him to make sure if he is still mad with me. He didn’t reply me for a week that clearly showed that he is still mad with me. Therefore, Facebook plays an important role in sharing cultures and values.

Prompt #6-Natalie

I'd say that Facebook is a huge center for sharing culture, and values. Not only am I able to read status' and get a person's point of view, or feelings on a certain topic, but even through pictures and songs that people share, you are able to get a sense for their moods and certain likes and dislikes. Many people find themselves relating to another persons views through status updates. I know for a fact when people post a status and depicts something that they like or hate, if I happen to feel the same way about it, I automatically "like" it, in order to depict the fact that we share the same feelings on that specific topic.

I think that the website Tumblr, actually has more aspects of culture sharing, because people blog about things and then other people are easily able to reblog what that person posted if they agree with it. Many times you can tell a lot about a person by the things they blog about. I know that when there is a controversial event in the news, many times different pictures will arise that relate directly to that event. Recently with the cases of Casey Anthony and Troy Davis, there were numerous pictures that had something to do with the cases, whether good or bad, many people reblogged the photos or even paragraphs that detailed the way the public felt about the cases. Many people were throwing morals into it and there were heated arguments about it, where the country's values were being questioned. In that sense I think that this social network also helps people connect and relate or even disagree and question culture and values.

Prompt 6 Response - David

One of the spaces that I visit routinely is Facebook, and I definitely think that FB has shared values and culture from different countries. Facebook is used by users from all over the world, which does not only share the U.S. culture to users from other countries, but also is a platform for users from other countries to share their values with each other.

I am from China, and I personally think that I am able to share my Chinese value with people from other countries on Facebook. I work for the Chinese Students' Association (CSA) at University of Rochester and I plan events and invite people on Facebook. One of the examples is "China Nite," one of the biggest CSA events that celebrates Chinese Spring Festival. On Facebook, I write a brief description under the RSVP page, introducing the traditional Chinese festival to people from different countries. On Facebook, I am able to spread Chinese culture to my friends on the website.

Facebook does not only enable us to share culture from different countries, but also allow people from out of the States to learn how U.S. allow people to talk freely on the website. For example, as a foreign student, I am surprise to see many critics towards the government from the citizens when they rise their concerns on specific issues (which is not allowed in China). From Facebook, I learn more about the U.S. culture as well - to speak freely.

Therefore, I think online resources such as Facebook has shared culture and values from different countries.

Prompt #6

One of the only online sites that I visit regularly is Facebook. I would consider this website to have shared culture and values, but I am not sure what the meaning of shared is in this context. If we are talking about, shared, as in having things in common, it surely exists on Facebook. A great example of this is the "college culture". I do not have any friends from high school attending the same college as me, however it is easy to relate to many of the statuses they post such as "going for a late-night Starbucks run" or "dreading 9 A.M. class tomorrow". I hold many of the same values as my friends and other college peers, and these can easily be shared via Facebook. If we were to use shared in the sense that our ideas and beliefs can be presented onto a space for others to comment on, this can also be seen on Facebook. You can learn a great deal about a person's values just from looking at their Facebook page. The majority of people will only post about things that they truly care about. For some, it could be music and movies, and for others it could be education and family. Either way, it is easy to see what ethics and ideals are important to someone, and Facebook is a venue for people to share these on. Not only does Facebook allow you to learn many things about other people, but it also puts you in a position where you can interact with these people. By liking or commenting on their posts, you can attain more information about their beliefs and express your own ideas on the topic as well.

Prompt #6 Response

I don’t usually use various types of online spaces, such as twitter and blogs, but I do often use Facebook since I consider that it has the largest users in the world and certainly has shared cultures and values that I regard as significant worth in this global society.

Facebook is obviously worldwide. I believe that among numerous shared cultures and values, its characteristic of multiculturalism is what people are attracted to. Using Facebook, people can share any information, ideas, stories and even photos and videos with their friends in anywhere in the world. Following this, people can comment on anything they want to add or like any post they really understand and enjoy conveying their thoughts. For example, in Korea, many entertainment companies that have very popular K-pop singers actually have their own Facebook page to share and update any information about their concerts or the news to the world. Once they post some information in the wall, numerous fans from all around world start to like and comment on the post, sharing their thought and expressing how excited they are. Although fans come from all different kind of countries, cultures, and societies, they are finally connected each other with one united common idea.

I often believe that the world is not divided into several pieces anymore. They have become one unity as they are in online spaces. Facebook triggers this motion by sharing multicultural values to all over the world.

Post 6

I have two online spaces that I share my ideas on. Those two websites are Facebook and my social wrong’s blog. The one I mostly share my culture is on Facebook. Facebook gives me the opportunity to comment or like on other people’s ideas. Not everything posted on Facebook is something to have an opinion on but there are things one can write his or her opinions about. For instance, a recent topic that was on Facebook was the execution of Troy Davis. Many statuses were on the injustice done to Davis by the government. Such statuses give me the opportunity to comment on what the government should have done and what they shouldn’t. By expressing what I think, I am addressing my values and beliefs. For instance, I did comment on Davis’ execution as being unjust. The government and the Supreme Court are meant to bring justice to the country and this action makes everyone doubt the role of the courts.

Facebook has no limitation in what you can post, so it is easy for people to converse about anything in multiple ways. Recently I have discovered that people even post pictures of News images and tag people on it. I was tagged in a picture of a soldier that has his face deformed, result of the war. It is to show the reasons why soldiers should be pulled out of Iraq. Soldiers are risking their lives because of the government’s stupidity. I did not remove the tag because it is something I also believe in. Many people commented on the picture and I read most of them. When I agreed with what another person said, I would like or comment back to that person on what they posted. As you can see, it is very easy to have a conversation.

Post #6 (Blogging)

You're right! Blogging is one of the online sites, or maybe the only one, that I truly admire. I think the phrase you could have associated yourself with when speaking about being safe and comfortable with sharing your secrets with a world of strangers is that you become the man behind the screen and no one could criminalize you for it. Blogging is a way to have your "diary" read and no one will care. your friends know you and will instantly have an opinion on what you do because they know you as a friend not just as a person (it sounds weird but it's true). Also, you guys share a common need; A need to breathe and expose your emotions and feelings. Although others may oppose with your feelings, there might be many more who agree with you so it isn't you against who you are expected to be, but you and others like you who may or may not feel the same.

# 6 (:

The only online site that I visit often would be Facebook. I believe that on Facebook there are people that share certain values and cultures. On Facebook people post certain ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and arts they have either discovered, believed in, or disapprove. I will give an example of all three. When someone hears a new song that they have discovered or heard of a friend’s mash-up and posts it up they are putting up a new art they have discovered. When people put up bible quotes or when they quote an artist they are posting up something they believe in. Finally, with the issue of planking (where people lay on their stomachs in weird places, take a picture, and post it up on Facebook or another site) there were many people who found it cool and others who thought it was absurd and put up their feelings about it on Facebook. As a result others may agree or disagree by liking their post or posting up comments, others sometimes write “RP” (re-post) and write a quote found on someone else’s page, and as a result, an open community is being created online where there are shared cultures and values.

prompt #6 response.

I think online blogs are an exclusive community in themselves. There is an understanding amongst online bloggers that each person is allowed to post what they want, when they want, and how they want. You can definitely argue that not everyone is going to like or agree with what you post, but it's very rare that anyone will specifically ask you to remove a post. The bulk of the comments express another person's opinion, but no matter how bad these opinions get on blogs, they are usually not directed towards the removal of a specific post. I think that online bloggers share an understanding that everyone has the freedom to express themselves, and that by attempting to remove someone else's post, you are also contributing to the narrowing of your own freedom of expression. Another important value that is shared amongst online bloggers is honesty; this is logical because there is little reason to hide your true self when you can already remain annonymous. I know this is especially true for me; there are things that I would be willing to share on my blog that I have not shared with some of my best friends. This seems quite paradoxical because you would think that I would be much less comfortable sharing my secrets with a world of strangers, but I think online bloggers most value this kind of public annonymity. There is a safety net about this kind of sharing; I never have to worry about being judged as a person because I am no more than my words when I am online. I can detach myself as far from or attach myself as close to as I wish to what I post, but either way I can always protect myself. I think online bloggers also share a need for want of instant gratification. This might sound strange in terms of blogging, but the difference between blogging and the actual act of writing is that us bloggers get instant satisfaction from publishing our work. We can put something out in the world within the blink of an eye, and I don't think that we'd be willing to settle for any sort of slower pace lifestyle.

Response to Prompt#6

The online spaces I usually visit, do have a shared culture. When I log onto Facebook, the status posted are often the same. I can use the example of how my girlfriends post about guys, and how they are now single and looking for someone to be with. My guy friends do the same in posting about girls and stating that they are looking for girlfriends. I guess the culture they would be sharing is about "finding love". Facebook is initially for communicating with friends you already know. But in present days people add those who they have never met before just because they are interested in getting to know them (mostly opposite sex). They come together on Facebook both looking for the same thing, finding a new person to talk to or even potentially date. Also Facebook is a place where people obviously share the same thoughts. Which is why the "liking" feature is very popular in status because you log on in some state of mind feeling sad or happy and you read someone status and you can easily relate because its how you're feeling! We all go on Facebook to connect with others and feel kind of like a escape from the real world.

Twitter is also another online space where I feel there is a shared culture. If someone tweets something you agree with you get to "retweet" it and it appears in your profile. There are also trending topics in which there is a specific topic that every one tweets about. That could definitely be viewed as a shared culture since all the people would be discussing the same topic. Here the culture represented is the one of where everyone can pose their views on a specific topic and be able to do so without anyone restricting their self expression.

Prompt 6 instructions

Bernhagen talks about the idea of shared culture and shared values in online spaces (p.3-4).
Do your online spaces (the spaces you routinely visit) have shared culture? shared values? Using one online space (e.g., FB) as an example, offer evidence to support your claim about shared cultures and values (or lack thereof), being sure to indicate what those values are or look like and what sort of 'culture' you think is represented.

QUESTION ABOUT PAPER!

Hey Guys,
Does anyone know if we are supposed to have a title for this paper??