Topic 2 , Is email dead?

Lecture-
We discussed spam email at great length, most notably the Nigerian scam emails that were rampant several years ago. The motivations behind these are obviously money driven. Blogging was also discussed briefly, as a form of journalism, or for recreation. We also saw a short Daily show clip about how bloggers have been exposing reporters for misrepresentation. It was fairly informative, but felt like random subjects at some points.

Readings-

Blogs (or weblogs) are an extremely flexible form of information broadcast. They have been most commonly associated with news blogs done by journalists, or just anyone. However limiting blogs to this function alone would severely limit their potential as a creative medium. Blogs can be a free form of expression conveyed through online diaries, poems, stories, and general opinion pieces. As variable a communicative technique as it is, blogging as journalism is the most controversial of these platforms, as there are neither restrictions, or inhibitions to keep journalists from fabricating stories, other than their own personal standards and practices. Once a blogging journalist gains noteriety in the community for being fair and accurate however a news blog can be one of the most objective reports one can read; assuming the journalist sticks to a strict personal code of conduct and remains truthful and fair. Also nations with governmental control over the news and media in their respective countries can be subverted with the use of these blogs, as they have no real way of regulating what is said. Overall Blogs are an extremely useful form of communication that is just beginning to find a niche in our online world.

Tutorial-

The format and expectations for our blogs were laid out with the utmost clarity. I had arrived at class with 200 words about the readings which you see above, already printed out. So clearly I needed the clarifications that were provided. I was also taught to look for the meanings behind all the talking in the lectures. Although it may seem the lecture is tedious or long-winded there is an underlying purpose to his statements we must discern for ourselves. I imagine I'll have to pay better attention next time. I enjoy this class and look forward to both the lectures and tutorials; I plan to learn a lot from this course.