Posted: April 4th, 2015

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COMM3171—Computer Mediated Communication Final Assignment
Michael G. MacDonald, 902-563-1635
This assignment will consist of you writing your comments about any of the topics below. This project is NOT a formal academic paper; instead, I’m looking for your thoughts on how the internet engages people, or how the internet creates some kind of community, or how a website helps (or hurts) how we find information structured in consumable pieces.
Consider the meaning of “computer mediated communication” in the various forms we’ve discussed on Moodle, as well as your own experience. What aspects of CMC interest, astound, perplex, disgust, terrify, or amuse you? What is an “internet community” and how does CMC function in developing community? What differences/similarities are there between face-to-face and computer mediated interaction and is one better? Explore the ways you can be present on-line: what means of interaction are available to you? Participate in a chat room and keep a log of your interaction: what is the nature of the communication taking place there?
No matter what your topic, please use essay format and correct grammar. You must use sources to support your arguments—I expect you to provide the URLs of any sites you use for your project. Please be as creative as possible in your discussion of your topic. Work on being clear and concise. Remember: I’m looking for your thoughts on the internet based on the topic you select. Please ask if you have questions.
DUE DATE: uploaded to Moodle by 11:55 pm on Thursday 16 April. Late papers will NOT be accepted. I’m not providing a length requirement (number of pages or words). It is up to you to discuss your topic as you see fit. Please ensure that any links are clearly provided. Test each link you plan to include. If I can’t follow a link you provide, it does not count as a source.
Some possible topics include the following general suggestions, as well as the more detailed links further below:
?    The internet and political communication
?    Online games—interactive fun and/or competition
?    Education and CMC
?    Medical uses of CMC
?    Social sites—keeping in touch by net
?    The internet as meeting place—dating, hooking up, etc.
?    Sharing stuff—video sharing, forums, ptp (peer-to-peer) downloads, etc.
?    The look of CMC—visual aspects of the net
?    Emerging voices—small or marginalized communities online
?    The dark side of the web—‘dangerous’ places online
?    Silly or serious—the internet as soapbox for conspiracy theorists
?    Sales and marketing—ecommerce
Consider the following examples of “information” about the internet. Check the links. What (if any) sources are given for the information presented there? As a topic, you can find lists or other information and critique the site based on your thoughts and opinions. Perhaps you can compare one site to another to contrast the approaches to presenting information and ideas online.
From: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/technology/internet.html
•    Although the World Wide Web is often referred to as the Internet, the two are not the same thing. The Internet is a huge network of networks that links computers together all over the world using a range of wires and wireless technologies. The World Wide Web is the collection of linked pages that are accessed using the Internet and a web browser.
•    English physicist Sir Tim Berners-Lee is regarded as having invented the World Wide Web in 1989. Since then he has continued the development of web standards and other web related projects.
•    Website addresses such as http://www.sciencekids.co.nz are known by the term Uniform Resource Locater (URL).
•    The domain name system of the Internet includes top level domains such as .com, .info, .net, .org, .edu, .mil and .gov as well as country specific domains and more.
•    As well as the World Wide Web, the Internet is used for such application as email, file sharing, online chat, phone and video calls, online gaming and more.
•    Thanks to the increasing accessibility of the Internet, the popularity of the web has exploded over the last 10 years. The web is now used for a number of different purposes including online shopping, social networking, games, news, travel information, business, advertising and much more.
•    Social networking websites such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter have become popular over the last few years. People now spend a large amount of their time online keeping in touch with each other through these applications and services.
•    Security and privacy concerns have always been a problem on the Internet with many people often unaware of the potential risks they take when inputting confidential data, passwords and personal information into various websites. Viruses and spam emails are other sources over security concerns which frequently cause disruptions and headaches for users of the web.
•    One of the best and most common ways of finding information on the web is through the use of search engines such as Google and Bing. Google is currently the most popular search engine, receiving hundreds of millions of search queries every day.
From: http://www.londoncitygirlmagazine.com/article/10-interesting-facts-about-internet
1.    There are 7 people in the world who hold the “key to the internet.” If in the event of a major catastrophe the internet is shut down these key holders will together be able to reboot an integral part of the system.
2.    Nowadays we have Mozilla Firefox & Internet Explorer but the very first widely popular web browser was Mosaic which was available from 1993 and discontinued in 1997.
3.    The internet accrued 50 million users in just 5 years. It took TV 13 years to do that.
4.    20% of the world’s population, that is over 1 billion people, are internet users.
5.    A surfing session lasts on average just under an hour for most people – 51 minutes to be exact.
6.    75% of Swedish people use the internet making them the country with the largest percentage of internet users.
7.    With satellite based internet now available there is no country in the world that cannot access the internet although Governments in certain countries still continue to severely restrict its use. In North Korea only Government officials and named officers have access to the net and China is famous for restricting its public’s access to certain sites.
8.    People who use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will use 10% of their entire life time on these sites.
9.    As a continent Asia has the largest number of internet users at 42% and this looks set for massive growth as infiltration of the net is still at 20%, meaning 80% is still not using it.
10.    19% of married couples meet online, making it the most successful method for meeting the “one.” Following an online introduction the most successful methods for meeting a future wife or husband continues to be through work or friends, with each of these methods getting 17% of married couples together.
From: http://dailytekk.com/2015/01/01/the-100-best-most-interesting-blogs-and-websites-of-2015/?reading=continue
The 100 Best, Most Interesting Blogs and Websites of 2015
Every year I release a list of the best, most interesting blogs and websites I have encountered in the previous 365 days that I think other people should know about in the coming 365 days. I’ve done this for 3 years straight—this will be the 4th. As in years past this post was literally 1 year in the making (although it took a mere 2 days to organize and assemble).
How do I choose which sites make the cut? To be sure, website and blog owners tweet and email me suggestions year round (as do impartial third parties): but the funny thing is, with few exceptions, I only include sites I come across myself organically—making this list a sort of extension of myself. I look for sites that are well designed, unique in some way and, plainly put, addicting. There’s nothing scientific about these lists: they’re merely full of sites I think are interesting or cool for some reason. Yes, many of these sites have been around for more than a year—it’s just that I really discovered them and took an interest in them this year. See my picks from previous years:2012 | 2013 | 2014
Contents:
1.    Mind-Meltingly Awesome Blogs & Websites
2.    For Guys
3.    For Girls
4.    News & Current Events
5.    Viral Sites
6.    Super Interesting Blogs
7.    Technology
8.    Design, Art & Photography
9.    General Lifestyle
10.    Boredom Killers