Last Blog!

This is our last blog post! I have to say, I am sad but at the same time relived. I loved reading and learning about all these social networking sites and technologies that before I was completely unaware of. Before this class I thought of myself as a fairly technological person, I dominated the use of computers, digital cameras, google, office and facebook.
When I got to hear and learn about all these online technologies I realized I was wrong. There is a whole online world that I have been missing and as it turns out it can be very helpful not only in my personal life but also my professional one.
Only by reading and doing my blogs I have not only expanded my knowledge on tools that are going to be very helpful for the rest of my life but I have also changed my mind about certain things. Before coming to this class I was against using online tools unless they were necessary, it is only now I realize that you can ignore them but the more you use them the more your life and tasks will become easier.
I still believe on face to face interaction, I believe that it gives people a certain satisfaction that cannot be achieved online. It scares me to think how lonely our world can become when we depend solely on computers, but if I think about it that’s where our world is headed and if we don’t move with it, we’ll be stuck in a world that very few people stayed in. We have to use the Internet and make the best out of it. There are many good things one can do with it and we should take advantage of it.
I am sad because I won’t get to learn all these interesting things anymore. I don’t have access to them, I don’t know how to look for them. I have learned about blogging prior to the class but I never imagined myself as a blogger. Now, I have a accomplished something new, I became part of the blogosphere and it makes me happy that it is one more thing I’ve done.
However, I am relieved because writing has never been my strength. Every Sunday I had to struggle on how to write and try to make it sound interesting. Writing a formal paper is hard enough, writing something less formal is even harder. But, I made it through I survived and I am glad. I am happy I don’t have to struggle any more but also happy because I had to work on something that wasn’t my strength and even if I don’t master it now I still improved.

facts vs. opinions

The article said it right! Web 2.0 is dangerous and deceiving. Anyone can go online and post their opinion, ideas and theories. Nobody is there to tell them what is right and what is wrong. The reader then comes and believes whatever has been said. He or she will use that information assuming it is right but ignoring that the information might be wrong and that the person who wrote it is probably not the most knowledgeable on the subject. There are some people that know that the information posted online is not the most accurate and that everyone can post whatever he or she wants.
However, the majority of the people, especially outside the United States, is not aware of this fact and will believe that anything or most of the things they find online is accurate and believable. They will use this information as legitimate and the wrong information will be spread quickly.
I especially believe that power of knowledge is no longer respected and I find it unfair. I believe that a teenager having the ability to change or challenge information made available by an experienced professor or scientist is wrong. Experts write facts, others tell opinions. There is no way the majority of the people can tell the difference. Every person who posts online and is not an expert and has no facts should have a disclaimer. This way people know what they are getting into, if they decide to use that information it is at their own expense, but at least with a warning.
On the other hand, having the freedom to share information is also beneficial. Before Web 2.0 people were restricted to the information made available by experts. The information released could sometimes be limited or controlled by their school, office or institution and they told only what they wanted their public to know; things were sometimes kept secret. Now everyone is free to write about what they want with no limitations.
Therefore, I believe that when a person is looking for information he or she should look for the facts written by an expert first, and then look for supporting or opposing views written by common people like us. We should not rely on bloggers or user generated content for facts but we should to find opinions about the subject. And lastly, before we believe what we read online we should check who wrote what we read and what type of credibility the person has.