Week 2 - Tutorial Task

1. Video on Communication technologies: enjoy. It's in a different language but still funny: subtitles in English!

2. Has anyone ever heard of Google Talk before? Well if you need any help understanding it or getting the most out of it just go here: http://blog.syberplanet.net/10-tools-to-get-the-most-out-of-gtalk/.
This site gives you 10 hints on how to use Google talk or G-Talk to the best potential. 

3. Questions Answered:

1. How long have you been using these communication technologies?What influenced you to start using these particular technologies?  How did you find out about them? 

Even before I was born, my father was one who always wanted the new technologies, when he was at a young age he found a great deal of interest in the communication device called the 'radio.' To this day he still has a call sign and talks to people all over the world daily by use of the newer versions of the radio. as technology developed further, he took interest in the newer releases and loves to play around with things to find out how they work. Currently he is fascinated by a hand controlled mini helicopter which has a gyroscope and flies rather well considering the size and complex design it would need. All my life I have grown up around the new technologies my father constantly brings into our house, I am really lucky to have this kind of contact because I am used to a lot of different technologies. I never really understood how lucky i was, because when I was in primary school a lot of families were lucky to have one computer in the house whereas my family had about three. I always thought my life was normal but i now realize that really i was lucky to have my father.

2.  Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies?  What do you think of companies like Facebook and Google who collect information about their users? How do you deal with issues around privacy?

It is a worry for me, i don't like sites asking for a lot of personal info, but not particularly an issue. Growing up with technology and parents who drill me about being careful on the internet i have managed to stay fairly safe. When talking to people online I don't tell them certain things about where i live, work, my last name, or other personal details. If I want to join a site that asks for more information than I am willing to give I usually disregard the site and find something else to do.

3. Do you have friends whom you know only from the internet and have never met in person?   
 I do have friends i have met online but not in person, i got to know them through the online sites where you play games with people all around the world and get to communicate with various kinds of people online. Mostly they live in other countries and agree that it's not a good idea to meet up in person as you never know if someone is really who they say they are. Although I get on really well with them and enjoy talking to them I don't see any reason to meet them in person. I find it just nice to have someone to talk to who knows all your other friends and will gossip about you. 

4. Is this different to people that you know in person?  Describe the difference.

It is different because usually online friends only know you and not the people you hang out with. It's a safe way to talk about what's driving you crazy sometimes about your other friends and they just support you making you feel better, it's also a really good feeling to be able to return the favor for them when they need someone to listen. It's also a really good way to learn about other cultures and ways of living in different areas around the world. Though you also don't get the closeness of friendship that you do with those you do actually hang out with. Having friends online is not a bad thing as long as you keep private info to yourself, but at the same time they can never really be the true friends you spend everyday with, no matter how close you feel to them.


~Blue-Inspiration