Posted 3:18 PM by Melissa
The next response is to Jenny from the blog. I decided to respond to her essay because we have the same topic: Instant Messaging.

She talks about the pros and cons of instant messaging, an aspect I haven't discussed but don't plan on.

She also gives a personal story of how she is no longer very fond of my friend , the instant messenger. Her points on instant messenging are clear and I agree with many of them. Jenny also inputs a little information of the beginning of the instant messenger, which is brief but good background.

Posted 3:09 PM by Melissa
Responding to Aub's Blog on the art of blogging. She explains very clearly what exactly blogging is.

After reading her exploratory on blogging it has given me a more clearer idea of blogging. If there was a stranger who decided to read this post without any previous knowledge of blogging im sure they would understand the idea of it.

She also explains the benefits of blogging, which is good. Not only is Aubrey telling us what blogging can do, but also how others can benefit from blogging.

Posted 10:48 PM by Melissa
Responding to Bloghorn's post on Internet file sharing mainly downloading music. I've never been able to burn CDs for technical reasons but I have had friends burn them for me.

"New artists must have a difficult time selling cds." If they didn't charge so much for a CD, I don't think people would burn CDs as much. I'm not saying that they deserve to have their albums downloaded but the prices are the main reason, I think for people doing so.

And as far as artists trying to "make it"; chances are if someone is trying to download their music then they've already made it, in a sense. No one goes around trying to downloard artists that people have never heard of.

If file trading is finally banned and no one can do it, I'll be fine with that. All I can say is: it was good while it lasted.

Posted 5:03 PM by Melissa
"In Touch With the Internet"

Are you "in touch with the internet"? Well what I really mean is, do you keep in touch with others via the internet. Nowadays it's as if telephones and fax machines have taken sort of a back seat to the computer and it's capabilities.

Electronic mail and instant messaging has become the main carriers of communication through the web. No longer does one have to worry about long-distance charges or waiting until after nine o' clock on Sunday(when rates are cheaper) to get in touch with their Aunt Te'ja in Malaysia. They can just "hit" her up with an email or add her to their buddy list and await her arrival.

Email has become the next best thing since sliced bread. :-) From anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, one can send and receive email from the comfort of their own home. Gone are the days when you had to wait on the Pony Express to send and get mail. For weeks and weeks at a time, you would have to wait for a response from your loved ones, and even those you hate!

But not anymore, within seconds (or minutes with my slow computer) you can send a greeting or drop a little note to anyone, anywhere, all that's need is an email account and an internet connection.

One might argue it will never replace the manual postal service because everyone doesn't have an email. But then again more a more people are becoming more familiar with it each day. Though email will never become real mail, they sure share alot of similarities.

First, email and mail allow you to send mail to anyone with a valid email as well as mailing address. Both of these mailing systems allow you to receive junk mail, both electronically and by hand. Coincidently, junk mail also makes its way through another means of communication, the telephone. Telemarketers take the pie when it comes to annoying phone calls, not to mention I was once one. I guess we will never escape those "Lower you Mortgage" and "Lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes" adds.

Email has become like an addiction, to not only myself but many other Internet users. As soon as I am online, I check my email. It's just so much of a habit that I'll check it more than once while online. It's just so easy and fast that once you've tried it, you'll never go back.

Instant messaging is another form of communication that has taken the world by storm. There's AOL , MSN , YAHOO, and so much more that provide internet users with the opportunity to talk to friends instantly, hence the name "Instant Messenger".

Instant messaging is more than just a way of communicating; it makes "talking" on the internet so personal. It allows you to talk to people so far away, yet feel so close to them. Instant messaging doesn't stop there; you can also set up chat rooms to talk to people you know as well as those you don't. It's almost like a three way call, just with as many people as you'd like.

Don't worry, many beginners start off typing kind of slow and it affects the conversation. But as you get more familiar with instant messaging the possibilities are endless.

I remember when I was in the infant stages of instant messaging using America Online's version. The blinking boxes would drive me crazy and I could only talk to one person at a time. But not anymore, I can go right down my buddy list, start conversations and actually keep up with them.

Whether I'm logged on at school or at home, I always sign on to my instant messenger. It's such a great way to keep in touch with my friends and family especially being away from home.

Instant messenger as well as email, allows you to show emotions when typing through the use of emoticons and other features. A smiley face seems to add just the right touch to a comment or message. It also helps to convey messages that words may make harsh. Inserting emotions is a great benefit because it helps the reader to know the mood of the writing.

Electronic mail and instant messaging are two ways that people can keep in touch through the internet. And although we are getting comfortable with it now, technology is only advancing and more breakthroughs are coming, so be ready.

Posted 3:01 PM by Melissa
Email has become such a useful means of communciation and everyone is using it. There is also proper guidelines and ettiquette to use when emailing someone. Many times we just try to spit everything out to the computer forgetting that someone else is supposed to read and understand it also.

In Mary Houten-Kemp's Everything Email she gives some guidelines begginers as well as veterans should use when sending an email. Something as simple as typing in caps. "It's perceived as shouting." That's funny because though it is true I've neve seem to notice that. It is extremely annoying to get an email with nothing but CAPS in it. It's as of the whole message is urgent.

Another thing is "Don't attach large files (over 50K) without getting permission from your recipient first." I get so ticked off when someone sends me a file so large that I can't even send a message if I wanted to!! It's very aggravating. And the worse part is that it's usually junk or a crappy forward that has to take all the space in the inbox!

There are so many rules one should follow when emailing, so check Mary out, she's telling the truth!!

Posted 2:56 PM by Melissa
Hey everyone, I know I've deserted you guys for the past weekend but I have a great excuse. :-) I kinda went on a little vacation. Well I went to Atlanta last weekend to see my boyfriend, Vernon, for his birthday. It was soooooooooooo cold. He attends Morris Brown College where he plays or should I say played football, but that's another story. We ate and saw National Security(not at the same time, lol), starring Martin Lawrence, it was hilarious.I had a great time, I needed the break from school and even from my apartment. Well, that's all. Gotta get to work on this essay.

Posted 11:40 PM by Melissa
John Seely Brown's Growing up Digital talks about today's society and it's dependence on digital learning. He makes comparisons between learning during his time and the digital learning we presently undergo. One example he gave was the only way of formal learning was "an authority-based, lecture-oriented school." But today, with so much information availible at your finger tips, kids are just a few clicks from the information they are looking for.

Another difference made by Brown is the willingness of youth to learn new things. People of his generation are grounded in the old way of life and are perfreectly happy continuing to do what they have been for the past twenty years. Many older people seem as if they are afraid of trying what's out there in the digital world. I would definitely have to say I am a digital learner.

Although we are digital learners now, it sure wasn't always like that. I can remember in elementary school we would use the computers, but very rarely. We played educational games that helped enforce what was being taught in class, but it was never the basis of the classroom as it is now. We have gotten so advanced with learning in the classroom, that you don't even have to be in a classroom to have class. In many schools and colleges lessons are beign taught online and the need to go to class is never there.

We're beyond just using computers for learning but numerous other things too.The computer is a main form of communication through the internet. The internet has taken the place of some many things in our everyday lives. We can shop, talk, and learn all from the comfort of our own homes. Well, with this breakthrough and everyone becoming a part of it, the internet has it's own slangs and short cuts. David Wertheimer's 99.9% of Proper Grammar Is Obsolete talks about the new language on the internet.

When instant messaging someone, I type in hopes that they will be able to figure out my typos because there is just no time to go back and fix it. As he metnioned in the article, a conversation online cannot be very effective if it is going as slow as molasses. I even find myself just trying to make a response before it's too late. Because everything is so fast paced and informal there have been many abbreviations and phrases that have been adopted by computer users. Whether you are familiar with it or not you'll catch on. Wertheimer talks about how the language we use online has completely gone against what we were taught growing up.

There aren't any rules when talking to your buddy online. It's like everything goes, you don't have to worry about spelling or punctuatuation or capitalization. Proper grammar no longer exists in the digital arena. It's funny because everyone just seems to understand the silliest abbreviations for words. Basically as he says it takes too much effort to be grammatically correct. We save the proper language for essays and school, when roaming the digital world it's time to put your dictionary in the recycle bin.

The only downfall sometimes is that the slang we use online carries over into fromal arenas. Since this "wrong" way of writing has become so comfortable to us, it's hard to turn that switch off and the proper grammar on. How we communicate in our spare time goes against everything we learned in school. But it is definitely worth it because of the freedom we have in the digital world.