November 9th Blog Post

What role will social networking play in our plan you ask?  The social network around the selected programing that the New Jersey InternetWork (NJI) plans to use is a key element in the convergence of the New Jersey Network (NJN) to an online medium. By allowing users capabilities such as choice of programming, blogging, forums, tagging,  and sharing the media (through share buttons that are created through html code) this will give users a sense of "participatory empowerment through our social media platform".   Our social network must also be a child friendly interface, that promotes learning along with entertainment. By creating Web 2.0 learning environments around children shows we will give parents the opportunity to not only  teach their children through NJI programming, but also relay information to each other via the network.

Social networking will not only serve as the distribution of NJI content and programming, but also key advertising and marketing elements as well.  By sharing videos, forums posts and blogs on other social networks, users themselves become marketing tools for the network.  This will be a pivotal growing our New Jersey audience.  

If one needs to look at a great example of a Web 2.0 platform, they need only to look as far as Facebook.  55 percent of all teens in America have a Facebook (or Myspace) profiles.This is a social networking platform that I used from time to time to connect with my friends, family, and give updates from time to time regarding current events in my life.  Since taking this class however, it has become the bane of my existence.  Facebook has become another inbox for me, its the only I have been able to connect with my collaborative writing partners effectively throughout the course of the semester. For something that is supposed to be "passive communication" I find myself on it to damn much. It has gotten to the point where I had to hide myself from chat sometimes so my friends don't think I'm a loser going on Facebook all the time now that I'm not playing football.  I use to go on and message friends that I haven't talked to from time to time.  To hell with that now.  

Meeting with my writing partners in "live" formats last week (The Alcove on College Ave.) was a much needed and pleasant change as oppose to scrolling down the lost list of Facebook messages.  But as we sat in front of  the computer that night, we found ourselves going to that very list to gathering information we've posted to create our table of contents and cover page.  We also saw that one of our partners was actually in the real life New York, probably having a blast while we sat there trying to create the document.  That person (I will not name any names) at the very least owes me a drink.  

I also know that one of my writing partners loves his or her girlfriend very, very, very, very, very, very much.  And while I'm sure I'm jaded from marriage and the fact that I have to go and study for an exam tomorrow morning, I'm sadden by it.  But if we weren't using Facebook as a means of communication, I wouldn't have had too.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy for him or her. As one of the articles that I've sited suggest "is that each form of social media has its own biases in terms of the kinds of communication it facilitates and the social consequences and rewards it has for users".  

In conclusion, I hope that this blog is satisfactory, while I understand that I've filled the 500 word count limit, whether I actually completed the assignment the right way may come in question.  Well I did complete it the right way. So there.  Goodnight.

Quan-Haase, Anabel, and Alyson L. Young. "Uses and Gratifications of Social Media: A Comparison of Facebook and Instant Messaging." Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 30.5 (2010): 350-361.Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.

Tagtmeier, Curt. "facebook vs. twitter. (Cover story)." Computers in Libraries 30.7 (2010): 6-10.Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.