Thursday, February 15, 2007

QotW5: Is that really me online??

During my secondary school times, I recalled using nicknames such as Milky Way. There was a period of time that I run out of ideas on what nicknames I should use; I even went to check dictionary to find some weird terms but has a nice meaning to it and used it for my nickname. After frequently changing nicknames, I finally settled on Jchris. It sounded nice and it combines my initial and my favorite idol name in it. That was during the IRC (internet relay chat) days.

With the new fad of using Instant messenger, I simply just put my name and some words that describe how I felt that day. It is pretty amazing as through the short message that was shown, one can clearly see how you are feeling and what kind of person you are. Well, if you are the pessimistic kind of person, most probably, negative ideas or quotes will be frequently seen on your nickname.

Indeed, the physical invisibility characterises much online communication means that identity is no longer tied to any physical form; the self presented online is not fixed to a physical body. There is freedom that allows one to self-select attributes and present what they wanted to show others. It was mentioned by Joseph Walther (1996) that CMC permits communicators to “express themselves in ways more revealing of their … self-ideals than they might otherwise” (Chester)

What exactly is online identity?

As mentioned from the Wikipedia, “an online identity is a social identity that network users establish in online communities. Although some people prefer to use their real names online, most Internet users prefer to identify themselves by nicknames which reveal varying amounts of personal information. In some online context, including internet forums, MUDs, instant messaging and online games, users can represent themselves visually by choosing an avatar, an icon-sized graphic image. As other users interact with an established online identity, it acquires a reputation, which enables them to decide whether the identity is trustable.” (Online identity, 2007) However, due to the anonymity online, there is a possibility that people will “fabricate, conceal and exaggerate traits” (real me online). The person you are talking with may not be the perfect person you think he or she would be.

Trustable identity----> reputation

Back to the IRC days, there are operators who have thousands of songs that are available for anyone to download. I will identity their nicknames with their efficiency; there will be couple of these operators who has a good reputation of sending songs fast and having a library of the newest songs existing in the market. With ‘better service’ given, the users will most probably spread the word around, increasing the operator’s reputation.

Another example of a trustable nickname leading to high reputation would be online shopping. Why would some consumers send money to these sellers without the fear that their products will not be sent to them? These sellers must have a trustable identity and certain reputation. In some buying and

selling websites such as the yahoo auctions and eBay, each seller will have a star system that show how trustworthy and reputable he or she is. The higher the number of stars, the more trustworthy the seller will be. Therefore, that will allow more people to buy from the seller.

Deception and identity theft

Like what I mentioned earlier, anonymity online gave anyone an easy access to be any person they wished to be. I have to admit that I did play around with nicknames while using IRC. There were times when I become a guy just to see how attractive I may be. If not I could change my nickname to ‘sweet gal’ and my avatar of a not so popular but pretty singer, you will not believe how many ‘Hey! Can I be your friend?” I can receive. It is amazing that even though there is a risk that the pretty girl may turn out to be a 40 year old lady, many people still fell into the trap.

The above example is a form of identity deception -impersonation. “If I can pass as you, I can wreak havoc on your reputation, either online or offline” Compared to the real world, the virtual world allows us to impersonate on chat rooms or even in eBay. There is no extra work to be done as one just need to alter the nickname to be exactly the same as yours and everyone else will think the person is you.( Donath ,1996) I encountered a similar incident. Someone used my nickname in IRC and chatted with my friends. Worse, the person even asked weird and obscene questions. Luckily, some of my friends called me personally and I made it clear that someone is impersonating me and stealing my identity. It is frightening that how easily a person can destroy one’s reputation online.

Solutions

Personally, I think it is hard to eliminate identity theft and deception. The characteristic of the internet-anonymity allows users to easily impersonate and trick other users. All of us thus should have the mentality that identity theft and deception can be easily done. In chat rooms, users should not trust other use

rs easily unless he or she is a friend you may already know. Also, users must be careful of what can be revealed and what not to be revealed. Bigger companies such as bank companies have also tried to solve these problems by tightening the internet security in their websites.

Conclusion

I guess it is not easy to escape from identity theft and deception in the chat rooms or anywhere else in the virtual community. It is even harder to build a good reputation online as it can be easily destroyed by deception and theft. The internet is a very convenient tool for shopping, banking and making new friends. However, there is also risk involved. Everyone thus should be careful with who they may be dealing with.

References

Chester, Andrea .The Real Me Online: Playing with identity on the internet,
RMIT University, Australia. Retrieved on February 16, 2007
http://www.odr.info/unforum2004/chester.htm

Donath ,Judith S. ( 12 November 1996) Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community, MIT Media Lab. Retrieved on February 16, 2007
http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

Online identity (8 February 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on February 16, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_identity

<3 9:38 PM

Thursday, February 08, 2007

QoTw4: The art of sharing and giving

We may think or feel that people living in this era are mostly self centered and selfish due to the immense competition that we are all involved in. However, this may not actually be the truth. Little do we know that most of us are actually sharing ideas and files free of charge? It has been such a common thing now to upload and download files online at the same time and share information with one another. We are all unknowingly involved in this exchange of ‘goods’ called the gift economy.

What is a gift economy?

According to the Wikipedia, the’ gift economy is an economic system in which the dominant mode of exchange is for goods and services to be given without explicit agreement upon a quid pro quo (the Latin term for the concept of "a favor for a favor"). Usually, the gift economy occurs in a context either of reciprocation- an expectation in the form of goods or services of comparable v

alue to the giver, or of the gift is being passed on in some other manner. This can be considered a form of reciprocal altruism. In other cases, gifting is done without implicit expectation of reciprocation.’ (Gift Economy, 2007)The gift economy is also considered as the sharing community as people share what they have or what they find interesting to others. The receivers may also contribute in return by sharing with the rest with what they have. Some common examples of gift economy would be the internet and its free and open software that is available in some websites. Though there may be the commercialization of a lot of activities and software in the online communities, users have assured that the gift economy will be here to stay and continue to bloom. Tim Berners-Lee commented that the structure of the World Wide Web is structured in a way the aids in cooperation among participants. It is obvious that the gift economy will not be gone as it comes hand in hand with the internet. (Suárez, Maria)

So what motivates people to contribute to the internet gift economy?

There are several reasons that motivated people to continue playing a role in the internet gift economy.

The first reason would be anticipated reciprocity. It is in most people’s culture to return a favor when one person has helped you in some way or other; we tend to feel obliged to returning favors. Therefore, a person who is motivated to contribute valuable information to the group will have an expectation in mind that one will receive useful help in return. There is evidence shown that active participants who gave advices regularly in online communities receive more help compared to the non-active ones.

The second reason would be the effect on one self’s reputation. One’s contributions can be clearly seen in the online communities. The more a person contributes, maybe uploading files or giving regular and informative advices to others, will be recognized by the other users. Thus, the giver will be seen as reliable and of higher status.

The third reason would be a sense of efficacy. With one’s contributions on the online communities, the person will feel that they have an impact on the community or forum. According to the studies from Bandura, it has been said that making regular and high quality contribution can help a person believe that he or she has a certain impact on the community.

The last reason that motivates people to continue contributing to this gift economy is the need factor. One will have to contribute as there is a need for all those software and files. This is also one of the main factors that actually push people to give and take as everyone has their own kind of needs. (Kollock, 1999)

Example of gift economies

I have a keen interest in music and usually tend to look around for different languages and genres of music. To me, the gift economy is one of the best things that happened in the internet. I am able to share my views on music on different forums.

Reviews on albums are also given allowing me to make a decision whether I should get the album of a certain artist. Not only that, people from these forums contributes different music albums for listeners to download without infringing copyright. Most of these music forums that I went to did not just discuss and share music; they also share information they have in other areas of life such as tips on learning Japanese or interesting news.

It is amazing that from a Japanese music forum, I am able to know and share information that is not purely music but other advices that may even help me in other areas of my life. Many of these people contribute voluntarily and that encourages more people to share what they have after downloading an album that is being posted by another user. Everyone should try joining some of these forums and experience what one can actually receive from it.

an example of a cpoop forum. music can be downloaded that is legal(sorry that is not too clear)

Conclusion

One may be thinking money is what drives the economy and everyone should be realistic about it. However, this is not the case in the current era. There are actually many people sharing what they have to the online communities without getting any monetary gains back. I feel that this is definitely a good trend that we should continue to encourage. So, let’s share what we have and keep this online gift economy going!

References

Kollock, Peter (1999). 'The Economies of Online Cooperation; Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace" Retrieved February 7, 2007 from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm
Gift Economy (2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on February 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gift_economy&oldid=105681971 Gift Giving in the NetSuárez, Maria .Gift Giving in the Net, FIRE, Retrieved on February 7, 2007 from
http://www.gift-economy.com/athanor/athanor_018.html

<3 8:06 AM

Friday, February 02, 2007

Q0tW3: should i or should i not?

“Sis, I downloaded the newest movies recently. You don’t have to spend money and watch in the theatres.”
“That’s great! Anyway, the Hana Yori Dango drama that you wanted me to download is ready too. We can watch it all tonight!” I answered.

I have to admit that it is an every day thing for me and my sister to download movies or music from the internet. It is hard for anyone not to download anything from the net these days. Honestly, would you rather buy a CD that cost around 20 dollars or download the whole album free of charge? Well, everyone wants a share of free stuff that can be easily downloaded. However, with more people downloading music and movies from the internet, the content creators are losing their own copyright. Artists and record companies are earning much lesser than before as the usual customers decided to switch to a cheaper channel to get their albums.

What exactly is copyright and its laws?

According to the Wikipedia, “Copyright is a set of elusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. At its most general, it is literally "the right to copy" an original creation.”(Copyright,2007) For one to be eligible for the copyright protection, they have to achieve the following three points.
The creation has to be original to the creator.

1.The creator cannot copy someone else’s work
2.The creation has to be obviously creative and not copyrighted

3.The creation also has to be fixed in a tangible medium. Ideas cannot be copyrighted, but the tangible expression of these ideas can be copyrighted. (Ovalle, C,2005)

So how long does the copyright last? According to the copyright law, the time period a particular work can be protected by copyright depends on many factors such as when the work is created and when was it renewed. “The current copyright law lasts for a lifetime of the author plus 70 years, or in the case of a "work for hire" 120 years past the date of creation or 95 years past the date of publication, whichever is sooner.” (Ovalle, C,2005)

Copyright and file sharing

Copyrighted works can be easily copied onto the digital media through file sharing- the public or private sharing of computer data or space within a network. (Whatis,2007)For most people, we send files of music and movies through the standard messaging tools. In certain forums, music and moves are uploaded by certain users and shared broadly by many other users. File sharing usually follows the peer-to-peer (P2P) model where the files are stored on and served by personal computers of the users. P2P sharing is distinct in a way as in some of the networks, uploading of files is not required. However, there are some networks where incentives are given to those who upload files. (File sharing, 2007)

How copyright benefit content creators and public good?

Copyright ultimately does benefit the public as it helps accelerates the progress of science and useful arts. (Ovalle, C, 2005) With copyrights, creators are given exclusive rights to their hard work. This would help spur them to produce more and better work for the public. The quality of the public good will therefore increase. The public also benefits as more original works will be published. It is crucial for everyone to know that the copyright law is there to help establish a balance between the content creators and the interests of the public.

Real market VS the net

Due to the increased downloading and file sharing that is available along with the sales of pirated hard copies of CDs and DVDs, the recording and motion picture industries have resulted in billions of dollars of lost sales (copyright, 2007). Many of these industries thus accused some of the file sharing channels such as Limewire and Napster of causing the dip of their sales. The Recording Industry Association of America sued Limewire that it was profiting from unauthorized downloads. (Limewire, 2007) I recalled that when Singapore first started the copyright laws, many users who used Limewire to download music or movies were caught and fined. That created quite a huge buzz about what can be downloaded from the net in Singapore.

Solutions

It seems that neither the content creators nor public can be satisfied. Content creators would hope to earn more profits as hard work was put in. On the other hand, the public will search any possible channels to get their music or movies without paying.
One way of solving this problem would be allowing file sharing (P2P) to be used by users. According to Canadian Record Industry Association, downloading music may not necessarily hurt real business. Only 25% of the respondents said they never bought music after downloading it from the P2P. The majority still buys CDs and DVDs. (Canadian Record Industry Association, 2006) Well, downloaded music or movie may not give quality sound or images. Not only that, once one’s computer is down, downloaded music or movies will be gone; one may have to redownload it again. P2P can exist as long as it does not make extra profits. It can even serve as a community where undiscovered music can be found and maybe published.

Another way of benefiting both parties would be charging a small amount of money for a few downloads. It would be similar to getting real music from the music stores. For users who bought their music online may be able to get extra incentives such as getting free passes to see their idols or getting freebies. This benefits both parties as consumers will be able to get what they want in a cheaper price and profits can still be made by content creators. A new way of publishing music may be produced instead of the old traditional way of selling records.

Conclusion

As internet becomes part and parcel of our lives, more and more people will turn to the net for their favorite music and movies. However, most of us may be neglecting the copyrights that were given to the content creators. We should respect and acknowledge the work that has been done by them and not taking it for granted. A balance has to be achieved so that both the content creators and public will be satisfied.

References

Limewire (1 Febraury, 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved Febraury 1, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LimeWire
Copyright (28 January, 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved Febraury 1, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Copyright&oldid=104140398
Filesharing (1 Febraury, 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved Febraury 1, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing
Ovalle, C(2005). "Why do we have copyright". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/%7Ei312co/2.php
Ovalle, C(2005). "What is copyright". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/%7Ei312co/3.php
Ovalle, C(2005). "Copyright questions". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/%7Ei312co/4.php
Whatis ( 2007). "file sharing". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212119,00.html
Canadian Record Industry Association Study (2006). "Downloading doesn’t hurt business". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/murmurs/archives/2006/20060320_downloading.html

<3 4:43 AM

The Girl

Thanks

The Loves

Hit It

The Gossips

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Friday, February 02, 2007