Do you have a Twitter account?
If your answer is yes, you might want to think twice the next time you tweet about your whereabouts. That's because the information you share on social networking websites like Twitter could potentially leave you with much less than what you have. When you tell people where you are, you are also telling everybody else where you're not. The last thing you would want anyone with cruel intentions to know is the very fact that your house is empty when you're out.
PleaseRobMe, a controversial website which was launched this week, is exactly what the name suggests. To prove their point, the people behind the website list down the people who have unwittingly given away information about their whereabouts on the internet. It's amazing how people can divulge such sensitive information freely on the worldwide web, you may say. If you come across a friend who did exactly the same thing, you may want to tell him or her about this website and that someone is probably keeping close tabs on your pal.
Remember, it's better to be safe than to be sorry.
-- MT
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Magic of Advertising
It's great to see that most of you have got on board Project BloggingRocks2010 and the responses for Topic 1 are streaming in. Don't forget to leave a comment to my previous entry when you're satisfied with your post. At the same time, some of you have yet to add me. Please let me know if you encounter any difficulty getting started. Help is just a question away.
Previously, we've looked at how consumers are won over by advertisements for a plethora of reasons. Advertising no longer merely focuses on the product itself. Instead, they are selling to us an entire package of ideas and beliefs. The magic of advertising lies in its power at targeting our inner feelings and convincing us to buy something without us realising it. For instance, Coca-cola came out with this witty clip featuring 2 college students at the library. Why did they choose the setting of a library? Was it a deliberate decision? Will the effect be lost if the setting is changed? Why teens? How about the song Strange Love that was used? Does it refer to the amorous relationship between the two teens or something else? These are probably some questions you may want to ponder through in analysing an advertisement. When you catch a commercial on the tube or browsing through the printed advertisements of a magazine the next time, make a mental note and ask yourself what strategy was employed to persuade us into buying the product.
In the meantime, I wish you all the very best in the upcoming CT1. Good luck!
Previously, we've looked at how consumers are won over by advertisements for a plethora of reasons. Advertising no longer merely focuses on the product itself. Instead, they are selling to us an entire package of ideas and beliefs. The magic of advertising lies in its power at targeting our inner feelings and convincing us to buy something without us realising it. For instance, Coca-cola came out with this witty clip featuring 2 college students at the library. Why did they choose the setting of a library? Was it a deliberate decision? Will the effect be lost if the setting is changed? Why teens? How about the song Strange Love that was used? Does it refer to the amorous relationship between the two teens or something else? These are probably some questions you may want to ponder through in analysing an advertisement. When you catch a commercial on the tube or browsing through the printed advertisements of a magazine the next time, make a mental note and ask yourself what strategy was employed to persuade us into buying the product.
In the meantime, I wish you all the very best in the upcoming CT1. Good luck!
--MT
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Blogging Rocks 2010 - Checking in, Assignment 1
According to blog-tracking website Technorati, 175,000 new blogs are created worldwide daily. This means that in every second, 2 new blogs are born. (Read more here.)
Why do people blog?
Netizens blog for a variety of reasons. Bloggers typically view blogging as a testimony of the important events that have occurred in their lives. Some write about the things they do for a living, such as the Island Caretaker's Blog. Some write about the places that they have been to. Some blog about what they eat. Many others simply write about what happened in their daily lives, no matter how trivial it may be. What is important to bloggers is the fact that the event or experience is deemed worthy to be shared with the rest of the world.
When one is blogging, it is important to realise that one is adding to the large corpus of shared knowledge on the internet. What you post online can be viewed by many others. Hence, while blogging can be a pleasurable experience, it is necessary for one to exercise responsibility and respect in the course of one's blogging journey.
Moving on, you may have realised from the news article "Should people post photographs of bad behaviour on the Internet?" (Straits Times, 2 Jan 2007) that there is an increasing number of netizens who put up snapshots and video clips of people in embarrassing situations. The proliferation of photo sharing portals like Stomp, Flickr and Youtube serves to encourage more of such behaviour.
Should we encourage such a behaviour? Do we really need such information? Where do we draw the line between content that should be shared with the public and what ought to be reserved for private viewing? Are we growing a culture of surveillance on the internet? That brings us to our first topic of discussion.
Assignment 1
Should we post photographs and videos of bad behaviour on the internet?
What you need to do:
1. State your stand clearly with a main argument whether you are in favour of the above statement. Convince the readers of your blog entry why they should agree with you. Remember to include a topic sentence and give supporting details (examples and explanation).
2. Choose an opposing argument. Provide a counter-argument as to why this opposing argument is invalid. Likewise, you will need to provide supporting details for your counter-argument.
Your entry should contain 2 paragraphs: 1 main argument and 1 counter-argument. The expected word length should be at least 100 words.
Make use of the editing function to write and re-write your entry. Do not be easily satisfied with your first draft. There is no perfect writing, but your writing will definitely get better with more editing.
Remember to leave a comment to this entry when you're done. The deadline for your first assignment is on 9 March 2010.
Have a pleasant blogging journey!
Why do people blog?
Netizens blog for a variety of reasons. Bloggers typically view blogging as a testimony of the important events that have occurred in their lives. Some write about the things they do for a living, such as the Island Caretaker's Blog. Some write about the places that they have been to. Some blog about what they eat. Many others simply write about what happened in their daily lives, no matter how trivial it may be. What is important to bloggers is the fact that the event or experience is deemed worthy to be shared with the rest of the world.
When one is blogging, it is important to realise that one is adding to the large corpus of shared knowledge on the internet. What you post online can be viewed by many others. Hence, while blogging can be a pleasurable experience, it is necessary for one to exercise responsibility and respect in the course of one's blogging journey.
Moving on, you may have realised from the news article "Should people post photographs of bad behaviour on the Internet?" (Straits Times, 2 Jan 2007) that there is an increasing number of netizens who put up snapshots and video clips of people in embarrassing situations. The proliferation of photo sharing portals like Stomp, Flickr and Youtube serves to encourage more of such behaviour.
Should we encourage such a behaviour? Do we really need such information? Where do we draw the line between content that should be shared with the public and what ought to be reserved for private viewing? Are we growing a culture of surveillance on the internet? That brings us to our first topic of discussion.
Assignment 1
Should we post photographs and videos of bad behaviour on the internet?
What you need to do:
1. State your stand clearly with a main argument whether you are in favour of the above statement. Convince the readers of your blog entry why they should agree with you. Remember to include a topic sentence and give supporting details (examples and explanation).
2. Choose an opposing argument. Provide a counter-argument as to why this opposing argument is invalid. Likewise, you will need to provide supporting details for your counter-argument.
Your entry should contain 2 paragraphs: 1 main argument and 1 counter-argument. The expected word length should be at least 100 words.
Make use of the editing function to write and re-write your entry. Do not be easily satisfied with your first draft. There is no perfect writing, but your writing will definitely get better with more editing.
Remember to leave a comment to this entry when you're done. The deadline for your first assignment is on 9 March 2010.
Have a pleasant blogging journey!
--MT
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