Velvet Eden

Bonus Mission #2: Second Life means Business

2007-04-08T00:42:00.000+08:00

Based on this week’s readings, argue: Why is Second Life not a game? Support your argument by giving an example of how virtual worlds, such as Second Life, could be used beyond mere entertainment (plenty of real-world examples if you look hard enough).

Bonus Mission #2: Second Life means Business

.: A world where reality ceases to exist and imagination is key :.

The commonly conceived notion of games is usually one that is based on a mission for strategy games or may have a time frame in the case of arcade-style racing games. However, that notion has been altered with the introduction of Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) such as Second Life (SL). SL does not have points, scores, winners or losers, levels, an end-strategy, or most of the other characteristics of games (“Second Life”, 2007). What SL has is its ability to allow thousands of users, or “residents”, to simultaneously communicate and participate in activities, change their environment by constructing new places or items and even engage in business transactions both on- and offline. Such sandbox-style play differs from other games as it allows residents to create anything and everything from scratch in a manner where their imagination knows no boundaries.

However, the residents of Second Life may see it as just more than a game, as seen by the increasing popularity of Second Life. Based on the homepage of Secondlife.com, the number of registered users in Second Life currently stands at 5.3 residents as of 7^th April 2007, which means that it has engaged millions of players over a four year span since it opened its public beta version in April 2003 (“Second Life Through The Ages”, 2006). Though it misses the 7 million-mark (by close to 2 million) set by the widely popular MMORPG - World of Warcraft, the game’s audience is growing at about 38% month over month, according to its creator, Linden Lab (Kharif, 2006).

With SL becoming such a popular haven for many residents, it is no wonder that it acts as a marketing platform for most businesses. Calvin Klein’s ck IN2U, a fragrance for technosexuals, is already being marketed in SL. Even food has a part to play in SL. Domino’s Pizza will soon be accepting real-life pizza orders from within Second Life (Reuters, 2007). Hence, it can be seen that SL is more than a game, as not many games target their players by creating interactive areas in the game where users can explore and learn more about the products, or in this case, bring real pizza to your first life.

Honey, I just love the way you smell of the keyboard! :)

Besides marketing products on SL, companies have also decided to position themselves in SL for users to explore. The cover story for BusinessWeek Online in May 1, 2006 noted that “British branding firm Rivers Run Red is working with real-world fashion firms and media companies inside Second Life, where they're creating designs that can be viewed in all their 3D glory by colleagues anywhere in the world” (Hof, 2006). Even media companies are catching on by setting their virtual companies in SL. CNET networks, SL Herald, New World Notes and Reuters are just some examples of companies that want to send a multimedia message and be exposed to the young segment of consumers who spend long hours in virtual worlds (Kharif, 2006). Hence, what makes SL so popular to many corporations is the ability to program scripts to make the corporations look as realistic as the ones in our real life. Otherwise, most of the companies would have used other more well-established and popular games such as World of Warcraft to market and position themselves.

Telling the Residents what to think and not just what to think about!

Apart from the number of companies that eagerly rush to appear in SL, SL by itself has a rather robust virtual economy. With about 1.4 million transactions a month that is tax-free (for now), good and services are transacted based on Linden Dollars ($L), which are convertible to real dollars (Reiss, 2006). Based on the recent Linden/U.S. exchange rate of 252 Linden dollars to one U.S. dollar, the GNP of Second Life in September 2005 was L$906 million or U.S.$3.6 million. It is thus no wonder that residents like Anshe Chung made her fortune in land development business, which she has built from nothing two years ago to an operation of 17 people around the world today (Hof, 2006). Chung's firm now has virtual land and currency holdings worth about $250,000 in real U.S. dollars. The creator behind Chung’s avatar acknowledged that the virtual role-playing economy was so strong that it had to import skills and services from the real-world economy (Hof, 2006).

Besides the economic aspect that makes SL more than just a game, the social aspect also facilitates on the way virtual communities work in SL. With its immersive nature and compelling social dynamics, SL becomes a rich, persistent alternative world (Levy, 2007). Such MMORPGs foster a greater community spirit with guilds and in the case of World of Warcraft (WoW), when guild member Azeroth died in real life, “his grieving friends decided to hold a funeral for him inside the game” (Levy, 2007). While this may seem touching, friendships are easily forged in virtual games, considering the fact that many players spend hours glued to their computer screens. For instance, while stuck on Help Island in SL, it was easy for a noob like myself to befriend other players simply by chatting with another resident to inquire for directions or ask for recommendations on places to visit. Hence, it is no surprise that some relationships flower into marriage in WoW, with Tauren brides and Undead grooms tying the knot in some virtual tavern in Thunder Bluff (Levy, 2007). Furthermore, if physical exhaustion could kill a workaholic in real life, it was reported in Xinhua News Agency that one girl died of exhaustion after playing WoW for several days without a break (Levy, 2007). While games are often seen as fun and relaxing, they can kill when played to extremes. Thus, this serves as a warning to addicted SL residents who perceive the game as their “priority” life.

In conclusion, Second Life is clearly more than a game with its prospective economic growth and its rising marketing aspects for many corporations. Furthermore, the lure for individuals to be quick, virtual entrepreneurs makes SL different from other sandbox-style games such as The Sims or Grand Theft Auto. Together with the social aspect that online interactions facilitate communication with other residents in Second Life to form stronger ties, it is no doubt that the lines between the game and the physical realm are becoming blurred.

References

Hof, R.D. (2006, May 1). My Virtual Life. (Article posted on web site BusinessWeek Online). Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm

Kharif, O. (2006, October 17). Big Media Gets a Second Life. (Article posted on web site
BusinessWeek.com). News Analysis. Retrieved April 7, 2007, from
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2006/tc20061017_127435.htm

Levy, S. (2007). World of Warcraft: Is It a Game? (Article posted on web site MSNBC.com). Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/print/1/displaymode/1098/

Reiss, S. (2006). Virtual Economics. (Article posted on web site Technology Review). Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16023&ch=biztech

Reuters, A. (2007, March 9). Domino’s in Second Life: in 30 nanoseconds or it’s free. (Article posted on web site Second Life News Center). Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/03/09/dominos-in-second-life-in-30-nanoseconds-or-its-free/

Second Life. (2007, April 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Second_Life&oldid=120696573

Second Life Through The Ages. (2006, July 16). In SL History Wiki. Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://www.slhistory.org/index.php/Second_Life_Through_The_Ages

QotW10: My holiday headache in Second Life

2007-04-06T13:25:00.000+08:00

QotW10: My holiday headache in Second Life

This was perhaps one of the most interesting and memorable blog assignments that we had in a while besides joining Twitter and setting up a blog. (I personally thought setting up a blog was more interesting than Twitter!)

This week, we had to join Second Life (SL) and try it out. It was quite fun exploring SL, as I was luckily to have only minor lagging. But, I got giddy since I'm not used to playing RPG! Anyway, here's my avatar in Second Life:

Introducing: Velvet Villota!

I created my avatar on 4th April 2007. The reason why I chose her name was simply because she represents the "face" for this assignment and perhaps, the avatar to this blog. Villota, her surname, was chosen among the list of many last names since it complemented "Velvet". As for her likeness to myself, I leave it up to you to decide! Haha! :P

When I logged into Second Life for a second time, I was wondering how come it was so dim. I thought that it was due to the settings of my monitor. Then I figured SL probably had night and day time too! Hahaha!

Yes! YOU can fight the moonlight! :P

While playing around the options, I found this option called "Force Sun" and it was nice n sunny at 8.20pm! Not recognizing where I was, I looked around and found that I was on Help Island, facing the Freebie store...

Help me on Help Island!

After getting some stuff in the Freebie Store, I realized that the terrible thing was that when i changed outfits, my avatar had no Hair!! So i decided to stick with the current look.

Flying around Help Island was interesting but it was more comical to see Velvet land, especially if the vertical distance between the landing place and altitude you were at was large!

I found a "clone" who looked like me and she gave me some tips on where to go and we chatted for quite some time before finding out that she had been around for a few months.

Elke Shepherd and Velvet Villota

She recommended that I check out Roma (Rome) and Koma, which is a Hawaiian Village. I went to both places but didn't see anything interesting. So i headed to Paris 1900 instead!

Oppz! I blinked!@

I'm actually standing in front of Moulin Rouge but the sign is blocked since there were Easter eggs holograms and flowers bubbling out from the building next to it.

Inside Moulin Rouge

I teleported to Japan after this but I could not find the same place that Carol went to and ended up in Japan Resort, which was my final destination.

Ah! Getting to rest my weary feet!

Ending my holiday with a beautiful sunset...

Overall, I spent around 2 hours using SL from customizing my avatar; giving Velvet wings to changing her outfits, to exploring other parts of SL. It was really an interesting and a large place to visit! I do hope to explore more next time and perhaps by then, UB-SIM would be up and running for all of us to have virtual lessons in one of the classrooms!

QotW9: STOMP – the news by us

2007-03-31T10:10:00.000+08:00

Explore The Straits Times’ STOMP.com.sg and based on the readings below, is STOMP an ideal form of citizen journalism for Singapore? How would you improve it?

QotW9: STOMP – the news by us

What is Citizen Journalism?

With the rise of the Internet and the ease with which technology allows us to keep one another updated through the use of SMS, forums, blogs or even moblogs for up-to-date news and happenings, it is now possible for anyone to be a citizen journalist. Citizen journalism or “participatory journalism” as defined by Wikipedia, is the act of citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information". The intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires (Citizen Journalism, 2007).

What makes citizen journalism different from traditional news media is the difference between how much censorship there is and how bias the view would be. Unlike journalists working with the media, the news by a citizen journalist would not be highly censored and would provide a more unbiased viewpoint. As noted by Dan Gillmor (2004), “governments are very uneasy about the free flow of information, and allow it only to a point”. As print and broadcast news media is highly censored by the government, the news media may only show 1 side of the story or perhaps even none. Thus, we may lack information of the real world, unless we read about it through the perspective of others on their blogs or other sources. In that sense, the news becomes less unbiased as compared to the way the media frames it for the viewers to see.

STOMPing the way to Singaporean news

STOMP is the acronym for Straits Times Online Mobile Print. It is a Singapore-based online portal created by Singapore Press Holdings that enables Singaporeans to interact and engage in current affairs of Singapore through the three platforms of online, mobile and print (STOMP, 2007). STOMP delivers content that is interactive and will help develop new communities of Singaporeans bonded together by shared interests. Furthermore, access to the website is completely free and as for SMS and MMS, only normal Telco charges apply to users. Under the “About Us” section, The Straits Times Editor Han Fook Kwang explained, "In the new media environment, newspapers have to be more than just passive providers of news. They have to engage their readers in areas, which appeal to them. We have to provide readers with new avenues to express themselves, to enable them to interact with us, and among themselves." Thus, STOMP encourages anyone with something to say or share to do so through its portal. This ensures that everyone is given a “voice” and is not left out.

In previous years when STOMP was non-existent, readers could only share their opinions in the Forum page and it had to be pertinent to the articles written by the journalists. Thus, only the best letters to the editor were chosen due to the physical constraints of the newspaper. It was virtually unheard of to share gossip or sightings with the press back then. Yet, STOMP recognized that news can happen in an instant and members of the public could be on location to capture the news (with their mobile phones) before the reporters. Hence, having the portal meant that news could be disseminated easily and quickly through the eyes of the public.

Furthermore, STOMP caters to many interests of the audience by allowing content to be added by the readers. The topics range from pet peeves (“What Bugs Me”), good-looking people (“Hey Good Looking), sports (“EPL Stomping Ground”), good food (“ST Foodies Club”) to asking questions (“Ask ST”) and having an interactive forum (“Talk Back”) available to its users. What I liked about the portal was that they had a section called “English as it is broken”. It highlights signs or even daily conversations that uses poor English. While the main aim of The Straits Times was to broadcasts the news, the latent function was to help to improve the readers’ command of the English language and this section adds value to the portal.

STOMP = an ideal form of citizen journalism?

While STOMP looks set to be a form of citizen journalism for Singaporeans to discuss news and occurrences, it may not necessarily be ideal. The fact that it is based online means that only those who have access to computers and the Internet will benefit from this portal. As mentioned by Gillmor (2004),

“…citizen journalism is mostly the province of what my friend and former newspaper editor Tom Stites calls “a rather narrow and very privileged slice of the polity—those who are educated enough to take part in the wired conversation, who have the technical skills, and who are affluent enough to have the time and equipment.” These are the very same people we’re leaving behind in our Brave New Economy. They are everyday people, buffeted by change, and outside the conversation.”

Hence, the poor and/or the elderly may not be able to take part in STOMP as they may lack the knowledge on how to or may not have the means to do so. Though they are considered a minority, their views can still help shape the news.

Feedback… Feedforward

As STOMP appears to be an online community where like-minded people add their views and share information, one way to improve would be to have more people join STOMP to further contribute to the categories. This would provide a diversity of views and it would be interesting to note what other categories could be added. Another way to improve STOMP would be to allow political opinions and constructive criticisms to be shared at the forums. STOMP could also elect members of the public to contribute as moderators and this acts a bridge between the media and the public in allowing better feedback on improving the portal. This would give the public a greater sense of attachment to STOMP rather than just contributing articles to it.

References

About Us. (2006). In STOMP. Retrieved March 30, 2007, from http://www.stomp.com.sg/about/about.html

Citizen journalism. (2007, March 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 30, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Citizen_journalism&oldid=118429022

Gillmor, D. (July 2004). We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People. Retrieved March 29, 2007 from http://download.nowis.com/index.cfm?phile=WeTheMedia.html&tipe=text/html

STOMP (online portal). (2007, February 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 30, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=STOMP_%28online_portal%29&oldid=108005436

QotW8: Speak, Strike, Redress

2007-03-24T16:44:00.000+08:00

Adopt either a Singapore politician who blogs or a local blogger who discusses politics. After that, turn to “Does the Internet create Democracy?” (2002) by Alinta Thornton, and ask yourself: Do blogs allow for greater democracy in Singapore?

QotW8: Speak, Strike, Redress

(Social and political issues related to Singapore and the South East Asia region. A blog which attempts to do so in a non-trivial manner treating opposing views with the respect they deserve. Contributions are welcomed from all regardless of your political persuasion.)

Blog title: Singabloodypore

URL link: http://singabloodypore.blogspot.com/

Blogger’s Name: Irishman Steven McDermott, 33, aka Soci, a former sociology lecturer and one-time resident here who now runs the blog out of Scotland.

Bloggers’ occupation: Citizen Blogger

Blog’s Date of birth / First blog entry: July 3^rd 2003

Technorati rank: Non-existent as it is not registered with Technorati. However, there are 2515 links to this blog.

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When I first read this blog, I was impressed with its content and its simple white-background-black-text layout. The main aim why this blog was created was for its author, Soci (short for Society), to vent his frustrations on the way individuals in Singapore were suppressed by society’s lack of freedom for self expression.

One example was that organizations tend to favor the management and those below in hierarchy become “yes-men”, where they never question why this policy was implemented or will it work. To question something or to disagree with the superiors will certainly be disrespectful to what is “best” for the organization. This issue does make me recall Jack Neo’s movie, “Just Follow Law”, where it highlights the satirical look at the inflexibility of outdated governmental rules and regulations and the rigid mindsets of civil servants who follow rules to a fault (“Just Follow Law”, 2007). How can an organization improve when there is no input by the employees?

This abstract was taken from its first post dated on 3^rd July 2003 and it highlights the rigidity of the hierarchy of the organization that Soci works in:

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“usually uttered by a male claiming superior status to others involved in the so-called discussion. I use the term 'discussion' loosely. The 'gatherings' are more akin to that of a lecture, whereby one of the bodies talks and the others feign interest, such as nodding head and tilting head to the left or right. Significance of tilting left or right may require further research...Only the self-proclaimed individual or speaker may speak. I have myself upon arrival committed a serious breach in the rules of interaction by uttering , during a gathering the phrases, 'no' and 'why?'. these words responded in a breach of the rules of speech. Or simply put, i spoke. Quickly realising my mistake and making excuses this body retreated from the gathering... in order to return another day.”

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Besides organizational issues, Soci also highlights issues such as the community, culture, East and Southeast Asia politics, media and freedom of expression in the form of reports or articles released either on print or online. However, when he first started in 2003, he posted more of his thoughts on the dysfunctional side of Singapore, including what he felt about the political party in Singapore.

“The first thing that struck me as odd was that the Rally of a particular political party is heralded as the nation’s speech. Surely it should be classified as the Peoples Action Party Rally. This then led to further ideas. In particular, that the PAP has assigned itself as 'Singapore', and as 'the' Singaporean Government, past present and future” (August 20, 2003).

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One feature that stood out from other political bloggers in Singapore was his online petitions, which ranged from economical issues such as the GST hike to social issues such as the anti-death penalty in Singapore. This allowed interactivity for readers and made up for the lack of comments for many entries. In addition, the blog was also mentioned in The Straits Times, ZDNet, AsiaMedia, IPS News and Today Online.

Blogs… do they have the power to “speak, strike and redress”?

As I read Soci’s blog, I realized that his views on Singapore were true to a large extent – Singapore allows freedom of expression but it is to a very limited extent in the public domain. The government largely regulates the mass media in Singapore and anything not in favor of the main political party is largely weeded out. While they are able to censor the media companies in Singapore, they are unable to regulate the growing number of blogs and forums in the virtual world. As noted by Thornton (2002), “the role of traditional media (television, magazines and newspapers) in modern democracy is increasingly problematic, and serious questions have arisen about its capacity as a site for political criticism or rational debate”. Since traditional media can only hold a superficial amount of information and readers thoughts, the rest of the information is transferred to the online avenue where most of the people air their views.

With the rise of bloggers and their ability to share their views through their blogs, it also brings them one step closer to an opportunity for more voices to be heard in the public sphere (Thornton, 2002). As such, this encourages bloggers to continue to air their thoughts, as writing brings them closer to like-minded individuals with similar interests where they can leave comments or link similar blogs to their own.

As highlighted by Gerald Giam (2006) in The Online Citizen, there was a disapproval over self-regulation by bloggers, as “most Netizens were against the idea of any sort of regulation or code of ethics on a platform which some saw as the “last bastion of truly free expression” in Singapore”. Hence, while blogs are currently unable to change the government’s stance over their policies, they still have the power to allow the authors to speak their minds as well as to influence their readers. Democracy will come in future when there are too many voices to be ignored by the government and the people persistently seek to rectify their situation.

References

Giam, G. (2006). “The politics of Singapore’s new media in 2006.” Retrieved on March 24, 2007 from
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2006/12/31/review-the-politics-of-singapores-new-media-in-2006/

Just Follow Law. (2007, March 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 24, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Just_Follow_Law&oldid=115729475

Thornton, A. (2002). Does Internet Create Democracy? Retrieved on March 24, 2007 from
http://www.zip.com.au/~athornto/

QotW7: Twit thy Wit

2007-03-16T23:49:00.000+08:00

What is community? Can community emerge from online interaction? What are the implications of the Internet for traditional communities? This week, we’ll be discussing the concept of computer-mediated community. After using Twitter through the web, instant messaging or your phone (SMS), would you consider Twitter an online community? If not, what is it? To argue your case, use key concepts from the required readings “Virtual Communities: Abort, Retry, Failure?” by Fernback and Thompson (1995) and/or “Net Surfers don’t ride alone” by Wellman and Gulia (1996).

QotW7: Twit thy Wit

(http://punctum.typepad.com)

What is an online community?

An online community or virtual community is a group of people that may or may not primarily or initially communicate or interact via the Internet. Online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other in real life. The dawn of the "information age" found groups communicating electronically rather than face to face. (“Virtual Community”, 2007). It can be used loosely for a variety of social groups interacting via the Internet. Yet, there need not be a strong bond among the members, as virtual communities form when people carry on public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships (Rheingold, 2000). However, as noted by Wellman & Gulia (1996), communities do not have to be solidary groups of densely-knit neighbors but could also exist as social networks of kin, friends, and workmates who do not necessarily live in the same neighborhoods. Hence, communities can be formed even without physical space. Some examples of online communities include Friendster, WhoLivesNearYou, My Space, Facebook and Twitter being the latest edition.

Communication is Key…

What makes Twitter work like an online community is that it allows you to connect and communicate with many others at once. Unlike instant messaging, where you will never get to know everyone all at once, Twitter allows you to know what others are doing at a glance and to respond to comments in a broadcast manner. As noted by Fernback & Thompson (1995), the structural process that is associated with community is communication, as it is needed to organize social relations. Thus, in order to communicate with the rest of the community of Twitter, the user must start adding friends in order to have a social aggregation. This works for almost all social networks, as you need to seek people to communicate with. However, how close one will become to another user online depends on how much information is transmitted and shared using the white box that says, “What are you doing?” In addition, the strength of the bonding process in Twitter is determined by how well one can interpret human emotions through the text as relationships are formed with other users through words, which will act as a form of a dialogue for 2 or more users. Thus, unlike a forum with many threads, this has only 1 main talking point for users to express what they are thinking, what they did (or at doing) at that point in time.

Input(Communication + People) = Output(Community)

After joining Twitter and figuring out how it works, Twitter has proven to be an interesting idea where you tell people or your friends what you are doing at that point in time. In my opinion, Twitter works like a shout out box, where you can say anything you want and others can read and respond to what you say. Twitter is also similar to a forum as messages are updated live every 2 minutes and it works in a broadcast manner - You get to read what everyone in your list says and you get to respond to whoever you want. This also means that your friends are able to see what you say to others. Hence, Twitter is to a large extent an online community as one can share or broadcast ideas and keep in touch with others quickly.

Twee Wend!

The nature of Twitter is a virtue community that allows surface relationships to form provided that people carry on public discussions long enough with sufficient human feeling, albeit not facing the person directly. It can be considered a community even though it poses only 1 question as people can branch out telling others about their different daily activities and making it a market place of ideas.

References

Fernback, J., & Thompson, B. (May 1995). Virtual Communities: Abort, Retry, Failure? Retrieved March 14, 2007, from
http://www.rheingold.com/texts/techpolitix/VCcivil.html

Rheingold, H. (2000). The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. London: MIT Press.

Virtual community. (2007, March 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 16, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virtual_community&oldid=115277136

Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1996). Virtual Communities as Communities. Retrieved March 15, 2007, from http://www.acm.org/%7Eccp/references/wellman/wellman

Nelly Furtado - All Good Things (Come To an End)

2007-03-12T22:13:00.000+08:00

Sing the song of the week...

Nelly Furtado - All Good Things (Come To an End)

This song is really a nice one.... Enjoy!

Honestly what will become of me
don't like reality
It's way too clear to me
But really life is daily
We are what we don't see
Missed everything daydreaming

[Chorus]
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to end?
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to an end?

Traveling I only stop at exits
Wondering if I'll stay
Young and restless
Living this way I stress less
I want to pull away when the dream dies
The pain sets in and I don't cry
I only feel gravity and I wonder why

Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to end?
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to an end?

Well the dogs were whistling a new tune
Barking at the new moon
Hoping it would come soon so that they could
Dogs were whistling a new tune
Barking at the new moon
Hoping it would come soon so that they could
Die die die die die

Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to end?
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to an end?

Well the dogs were barking at a new moon
Whistling a new tune
Hoping it would come soon
And the sun was wondering if it should stay away for a day til the feeling went away
And the sky was falling on the clouds were dropping and
the rain forgot how to bring salvation
the dogs were barking at the new moon
Whistling a new tune
Hoping it would come soon so that they could die.

QotW6: Bonus Mission #1: Are you watching me watching you?

2007-03-10T16:52:00.000+08:00

Bonus Mission #1: Are you watching me watching you?

Earn an additional week’s grades by creating blog post on the following:

Staying clear of danger, capture your own video or photos of Singaporeans doing anything interesting.
Alternatively, if you don’t have a camera, search for a relevant video / photo online to participate.
Document the context of the video / photo (Who, What, When, Where, Why).
Explain what you think about the it using key concepts from any of the readings from QotW6.

This photo were taken during COM 242 on January 18 and it shows the meaning of Sousveillance.

Defined by Wikipedia as the recording of an activity from the perspective of a participant in the activity (i.e. personal experience capture), the term also refers to the recording or monitoring of real or apparent authority figures by others, particularly those who are generally the subject of surveillance. Steve Mann, who coined the term, describes it as "watchful vigilance from underneath" ("Sousveillance" , 2007).

Such an incident is a form of personal Sousveillance, as I used a mobile phone camera to snap a picture of this. So while Mr Lim is recording us to see how attentive we are, I'm taking a photo of him recording us. It is also known as Inverse surveillance, where people with power (those at the top of the hierarchy) are now being watched by the lower ranks.

Reference

Sousveillance. (2007, February 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sousveillance&oldid=106389703

QotW6: Do not imagine how I look like online

2007-03-10T16:44:00.000+08:00

After reading The Naked Crowd (2004) by Jeffrey Rosen, use key concepts in the reading to explain how you negotiate your privacy online or offline, by giving a case study of your affiliation with a particular service (e.g. social network, blogs, Youtube, school, business, etc).

QotW6: Do not imagine how I look like online

Kate: So what are you doing now?

Chloe: I’m getting my blog done.

Kate: What’s a blog?

Chloe: It’s an online diary, where you write about your personal life and it’s then published on the Internet.

Kate (surprised): Then how can it be personal? Aren’t diaries supposed to be personal?!

If this looks like a familiar conversation on what blogs are, it probably may have occurred to you when blogs started to become popular in Singapore around 4 years ago.

I personally thought blogs were a contradictory idea - on one hand, they are supposed to hold one’s innermost thoughts and are private, yet on the other hand, the nature of web logs leaves one’s thoughts open to the rest of the world. As mentioned by Rosen (2004) in The Naked Crowd, even the most intimate moments of life, such as a wedding, are now being posted on the web for public consumption. Yet, to what extent is our privacy being compromised?

Do not diversify…

I never thought that I would have to start a blog but once I did, the first thing I had to decide was how much information I wanted to reveal. As noted by Rosen (2004), the growing pressure to expose ourselves in front of strangers has obvious and important consequences for a democracy's ability to strike a reasonable balance between liberty and security. The key in blogging is to strike a balance between one’s privacy while having the freedom to write unreservedly. No one wants to be stalked after writing their entries but it is easy to piece together a person’s identity and lifestyle if he writes freely on almost any aspect of his life. As succinctly summarized by Sullivan (2006), the digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. Compared to blogs that are very specialized and feature only 1 aspect (such as food, pets, selling handmade jewelry), blogs that feature many aspects of a person’s life make it easier for anyone to find out who they really are, simply by piecing information together.

Do not try and guess how I look like…

Hence, to negotiate my privacy for my blog, the first thing I do is to not put any personal information about where I stay, what my phone number is or even how I look like on the blog. As noted by Mr Kevin Lim during one of his lectures on “Online Identities”, he said that sunglasses (in blogs) are a must! Well, this is perhaps true to a certain extent as it is difficult to ascertain how a person looks like without able to see his/her eyes. Another way to prevent people from knowing how you look like is to show one part of your face without showing the whole profile. While my eyes can be seen in my self-introduction to this blog, the rest of my face is covered. This is just one way to prevent people from visually knowing how the blogger looks like and while there are preventive methods (such as to distort or crop photos), the best way is to not place a picture of oneself.

Do not think I am merely 1 facet…

While there are many facets of my blog that people can read about, the main thing that stands out the most are my photographs to capture the reader's attention. Pictures capture a thousand words and photographs are no exceptions. They are snapshots of my life and perhaps, do tell a story of my life. However, I am mindful of what people know about me through my photos, so I tend to post photos of interesting places or beautiful sunsets that I capture from time to time. If one wants to protect his privacy by not placing a photo of himself on his blog, it is also advisable not to place photos of his neighbourhood, his friends, his office location or anything that can be traced back to him (besides knowing how he looks like). To put it simply, Do Not Give Away Any Identifying Details. Even the Electronic Frontier Foundation (2005) gives this practical advice: don't use real names or post pictures of yourself.

While the main function of this blog is to be an academic blog, it is also meant to be a photoblog. However, it is up to my discretion on what kind of photos I want to upload and I chose not to upload pictures that my reveal my identity or the identity of my friends or family.

Do not imagine this to be the end…

In conclusion, there are many ways to negotiate one’s privacy online. In blogging, I feel that the most practical way to prevent people from identifying a blogger is not to post any pictures that may easily identify who the blogger is or where he/she works, lives or who the family and friends are. It is so easy to piece together one’s identity through the style and content one writes, so why make it easier for stalkers to know how you look like by placing photos of yourself?

References:

How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else). (2005, May 31). In Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Anonymity/blog-anonymously.php

Sullivan, B. (2006, October 17). Privacy Lost: Does anybody care? [Article posted on Web site MSNBC.com]. Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/print/1/displaymode/1098/

Rosen, J. (2004, July 19). The Naked Crowd. [Article posted on Web site Spiked-online.com]. Retrieved March 10, 2007 from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm

.: This entry was awarded for Creative Style for Week 6! :.

QotW5: Is that the real "YOU" shopping?

2007-02-18T17:56:00.000+08:00

After reading “Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community” by Judith Donath (1996), identify an online identity you own or are familiar with, show where it is virtually situated (e.g. email, blogs, forums, IM, IRC, MMORPG), and how this chosen identity establishes reputation (i.e. via what kind of interactions). Finally, show how someone else could possibly assume this chosen online identity. (i.e. identity theft)

QotW5: Is that the real “you” shopping?

What is an online identity?

An online identity is a way for other users in an established network to identify or recognize a user. The main purpose is to differentiate one user from another and also allows users to note how the member contributes to that network. Just like our identity cards that are used for recognition purposes in real life, our online identities help other users identify us and allow a community of users to recognize which members belong to their clan. The only difference is we do not really know who that member is in real life as an online identity can be faked.

While we cannot change our identity in real life, as our physical selves are tangible, we can choose to be anything in our online identity. As succinctly summarized by Wikipedia:

“Although some people prefer to use their real names online, most Internet users prefer to identify themselves by means of pseudonyms, which reveal varying amounts of personally identifiable information. In some online contexts, including Internet forums, MUDs, instant messaging, and massively multiplayer online games, users can represent themselves visually by choosing an avatar, an icon-sized graphic image. As other users interact with an established online identity, it acquires a reputation, which enables them to decide whether the identity is worthy of trust.” (“Online identity”, 2007).

Is that “You” shopping?

One area where online identities are commonly used is that of online auctions. While some people use their real names for their User Identification (UserID), this is not very advisable as packages that are sent out tend to have the seller’s address (a return address is required in case of a failed delivery) and this could mean that the seller would be easy to track down. Thus, most savvy users tend to use pseudonyms to buy or sell online.

The use of
an avatar, a pseudonym and the user's reputation
on Yahoo! Auctions

On Yahoo! Auctions, users can now place avatars near their user names to visually identify themselves. Most of the avatars on Yahoo! Auctions are a thumbnail sized icon of either a male or a female to allow buyers to see whom they are buying from or sellers to see who is buying from them. Yet, this does not necessarily mean that an avatar of a female equals to a real female user as the Internet allows users to hide behind a cloak of anonymity and the freedom to choose an identity that they want.

Reputation, Reputation, Reputation!!!

In online auctions, a user’s reputation is established via the ratings system. The rating system works by having both parties leave positive, negative or neutral comments to the ones engaged in a transaction. A smooth transaction will mean that both parties will leave positive comments on each other's page and will be rated as a "Good" buyer/seller. A terrible transaction will mean that both parties will leave negative comments about the transaction and why each party deserved a "Bad" rating. A "Neutral" comment does not leave any impact on the rating of the user. A higher rating with little or even no negative comments means that the seller/buyer is a trustworthy one. As shown in the picture below, though the seller, bratzplace, had 3 “Bad” ratings, she had 1451 “Good” comments from other users. Furthermore, she has earned a trustworthy reputation as a seller, seeing that she has many customers who have continually bought from her.

User's ratings = Reputation on Yahoo! Auctions

What makes online auctions unique is that you do not really need to know the online identity of the buyer/seller in order to engage in a transaction with the user. Donath (1996) noted that knowing the identity of those with whom you communicate is essential for understanding and evaluating an interaction. However, this is not necessarily the case in online auctions since only the online identity of the user can be seen. The reputation of the user that one is dealing with is in fact, more crucial, as money and goods are exchanged without knowing the real identity of the user on the other end of the transaction. Furthermore, effective communication takes precedence over knowing one’s online identity.

Seeing Double … elbuoD gnieeS

While it is possible to copy an identity of someone similar, it is almost impossible to assume the same identity as a popular or well-reputed seller. Yahoo! Auctions ensures that the UserID of the person does not match someone else’s and this occurs when an account is being created. This is a similar situation when we sign up for an email account. A message would usually say something along the lines of “this UserID is taken, please choose another” and the email service would provide other similar IDs with numbers at the end. For example, if I wanted the ID “hot_hunk” and if that was taken, I would have to choose others provided such as “hot_hunk15” or “hot_hunk69”.

Hence, it is quite difficult to assume another’s identity on online auctions, as the service requires one to sign up for an account with different user identifications (IDs) to differentiate users.

Phishing... is the catch of the day!

However, the other way to assume someone’s chosen identity is to have access into that user’s account. One method is by “phishing”, where it is a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information (Microsoft, 2006). A user logs in into an identical page set up by hackers and with the available information, the hackers could easily log into the user’s account and change the password and secret question so that its original owner would be declined access to his/her account. The hacker could then wreck havoc by using that account to bid on items and not pay, leading to negative ratings left on the user’s account. Thus, users should be careful when logging on to their accounts and check that the page has anti-phising ware. In Yahoo!’s case, a sign- in seal consisting of a picture or a text seal could be uploaded to the user’s account before logging in. This sign-in seal is only accessible through that particular computer so as to deter “phishing” activities.

Yahoo!'s Sign-In Seal

Online banking is also a popular service that most auctioneers use to pay for their purchases. Banks have to think a step ahead of phishers as services involving money are highly susceptible to phishing and fraudulent activities. Banks such as DBS iBanking have introduced a second layer of security. This second factor authentication (2FA) uses a security device that generates a unique dynamic security PIN to act as the 2FA for validation and authentication purposes.

Use this to access your DBS iBank!

While there are no foolproof methods to ensure that no one will assume one’s online identity, one should be vigilant in handing out personal information online and also check to see that the page is encrypted and is up to date. Never enter personal information into suspicious looking websites that offers “too good to be true” contests and be wary of emails or anyone asking for your credit card number or passwords online.

References

Donath, J.S. (1996) “Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community” Retrieved February 16, 2007 from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

Online identity. (2007, February 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Online_identity&oldid=108207999

Microsoft (2006, September 14). Recognize phishing scams and fraudulent e-mails (Article posted on web site Microsoft Corporation). Retrieved February 18, 2007, from http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/email/phishing.mspx

.: This entry was awarded the Special Mention for Week 5! :.

QotW4: To give and to (indirectly) receive

2007-02-09T22:16:00.000+08:00

After reading “The Economies of Online Cooperation” by Kollock (1999), identify an “economy” that you participate in (or with which you are at least familiar), and show that it is a gift economy.

QotW4: To give and to (indirectly) receive

In today’s day and age, where one tends to receive rather than give, it is hard to imagine that altruism exists. Yet it does in exist in the online community in the form of a gift economy. Such an economy benefits users of the online community and reciprocity is not a must, though it is highly encouraged.

What is a gift economy?

According to Rheingold (1993), he noted that a gift economy is one where help and information is offered without the expectation of any direct, immediate quid-pro-quo. This can occur where free help and information could be given out to complete strangers that one may never see.

There is a difference between transactions in gift transactions and commodity transactions. In a gift economy, gift exchanges do not involve explicit bargaining or demands that the gift be reciprocated, but a relationship in which there is only giving and no receiving is unlikely to last. In contrast, a commodity transaction is on where no obligation exists after the exchange is consummated (Kollock, 1999). Furthermore, the individuals who exchange gifts in a gift economy are part of an ongoing interdependent relationship. In a commodities transaction, the individuals are self-interested, independent actors (Carrier, 1991). Furthermore, it is also interesting to note that gift economies are driven by social relations while commodity economies are driven by price (Kollack, 1999). Thus, initiating and maintaining social relations is a key concept as to why gift economies exist. As noted by Bell (1991), gift economies increase the range and diversity of one's social network.

Gift Economies are Public Goods

Gift economies exist as users share similar interests and have nuggets of information to share with others. People who need help also head to avenues such as forums to seek information. In this sense, a forum could be considered a public good. Kollock (1999) noted that one person's consumption of the good does not reduce the amount available to another. Secondly, it is to some degree non-excludable in that it is difficult or impossible to exclude individuals from benefiting from the good. Therein lies the question as to who would produce such goods. Yet, there are certain motivations as to why people contribute to gift economies.

Why people contribute to gift economies

There are several reasons why people contribute to gift economies. The 3 main reasons as noted by Kollock (1999) are reciprocity, reputation and a sense of efficacy.

1. Anticipated reciprocity

One possibility is that a person is motivated to contribute valuable information to the group in the expectation that one will receive useful help and information in return (Kollock, 1999). Indeed, some observers (Wellman & Gulia 1997; Rheingold 1993) have reported that individuals who regularly offer advice and information seem to receive more help more quickly when they ask for something.

2. Reputation

The next possibility is concerning the effect of one’s reputation, which likely improves when one frequently and willingly contributes to the community. Kollock (1999) reported that if this is the concern of an individual, contributions would likely be increased to the degree that the contribution is visible to the community as a whole and to the extent there is some recognition of the person's contributions. Such recognition of the person’s contributions would lead to feel that he has a stake in that community that he shares with others, thus, it motivates him to share whenever possible.

3. Sense of efficacy

The third possibility is that the person’s valuable information has an impact on his virtual surroundings. If a sense of efficacy is what is motivating someone, then contributions are likely to be increased to the extent that people can observe changes in the community attributable to their actions. It may also be the case that as the size of the group increases; one will be more motivated to contribute because the increasing size provides a larger audience and a potentially greater impact for one's actions (Kollock 1999).

Forums as gift economies

Forums can be considered as an online gift economy. People with similar passions cluster around a community and share valuable information. In one forum that I have to come to know of (http://www.flowerpod.com.sg/), it is an example of a gift economy where many females head to and share information on new products that they have tried-and-tested, places to check out, salons to avoid, et cetra. Such information is a treasure trove for women who rely on the information of others to know the best places and bargains. Speaking of bargains, this forum also has weekly/monthly sprees that allow members to consolidate their overseas purchases and this saves them shipping costs as they buy in bulk.

Flowerpod is considered a gift economy as it not only provides higher rankings for regular members who share information (a form of recognition), but also increases the range and diversity of one's online social network.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a gift economy is an economic system where an exchange of good and services does not explicitly require reciprocity. This system may end have having free riders but different motivations to contribute implicitly result in more people wanting to contribute for the good of the public. Forums are an example of gift economies and other online communities are other forms of gift economies too, as the broad reach of the Internet allows information to be widely shared and can be easily maintained by the users.

References:

Bell, D. (1991). Modes of Exchange: Gift and Commodity. The Journal of Socio-Economics 20(2): 155-167.

Carrier, J. (1991). Gifts, Commodities, and Social Relations: A Maussian View of Exchange. Sociological Forum 6(1): 119-136.

Kollock, P. (1999). 'The Economies of Online Cooperation; Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Rheingold, H. (1993). The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. New York: Addison-Wesley.

Wellman, B. & Gulia, M. (1997). Virtual Communities as Communities. Communities in Cyberspace: Perspectives on New Forms of Social Organization, edited by Peter Kollock and Marc Smith. Los Angeles: University of California Press.

QotW3: File sharing - Why users should pay and why content creators should lower prices

2007-02-03T00:51:00.000+08:00

How can we accommodate both the interests of content creators and the public good? What technical and social structures are needed to do so?

QotW3: File sharing - Why users should pay and why content creators should lower prices.

The Straits Times, February 3 2007, Review

With today’s broad reach of technology with the Internet, songs are easily available for free. All that is required is the program to download songs and a suitable Internet connection speed to upload/download songs. By simply typing in the song title or the song artist, one could find many different users to download from. As such, many users regularly download songs off the Net for free, much to the dismay of the recording industry.

File sharing is perhaps the most common online activities (Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf, 2005) where users can upload/download music off the Internet and pass it around through Peer-to-Peer websites such as OpenNap, LimeWire, KaZzA. While this may seem cost effective to most users, the industry has been complaining of failing sales due to file sharing. Claiming that file sharing was the culprit, the recording industry started suing thousands of individuals who share files (Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf, 2005, p.2). Such an event also happened in Singapore, where seven homes were raided by police as part of a crackdown on the illegal downloading of copyrighted music from the Internet (Ramesh, 2006).

Yet, Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf (2005) reported that file sharing allows users to learn about music they would not otherwise be exposed to. This learning may promote new sales and from my perspective, is true to a large extent when friends recommend one another songs that they enjoy listening to. Granted, this may not be a legal way to share files but what other methods are there to share music in a legal manner? Furthermore, Litman (2003) suggested that anecdotal evidence indicates that untamed digital sharing turns out to be a more efficient method of distribution than either paid subscription or the sale of conventional copies. Thus, the recording industry should have looked into this avenue as a means of dissemination of music from newer or popular artists, rather than sue those who support them. Distribution via the Internet is one of the most efficient ways to reach a large potential client base, without the need for packaging or a physical space to sell the products. The amount of money saved could then be used to promote their music to the diverse market online.

Furthermore, based on the findings of Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf (2005), they found that file sharing had only a limited effect on record sales. “Although we find some evidence that top albums sell fewer copies as a result of P2P, the economic impact is small, less than 10% of sales even for the most popular releases” (p.36). In addition to their findings, Rob & Waldfogel (2004) noted that for hit albums, which sold more than 2 million copies since 1999, they find no relationship between downloading and sales. However, an interpretation from both studies suggested that piracy does not affect hit albums but hurts smaller artists (Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf, 2005, p.6). Such an impact meant that independent musicians should have more privileges over the use of copyright laws as their sales were on the decline from music downloads. Thus, music lovers should pay for their downloads, or risk having newer musicians leave the industry if the latter deems the industry unprofitable.

Why, then, are people unwilling to pay for music despite the lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)? One main reason is because the music online is FREE. Despite downloads being illegal:

An April 2004 survey revealed that 88 percent of children between 8 and 18 years of age understood that P2P music downloading is illegal. Unfortunately, the survey also discovered that 56 percent of the children surveyed continue to download music anyway. So while many music fans are aware of the "stick" of lawsuits, they seem relatively unintimidated by it.” (Lohmann, 2004).

Furthermore, in a survey conducted by Rob and Waldfogel (2004) found that albums purchased in the store were valued at $15.91. In contrast, respondents’ willingness to pay for albums they downloaded was only $10.66, a value below the average purchase price of a CD. Hence, people would be more willing to pay had the prices been lower for each album. It may seem that the record industry would earn less if each album was cheaper but it would also mean less users would download for free off the Internet (which would leave them nothing) as the albums are now more affordable.

Another alternative is to purchase music at Apple’s iTunes Music Store (http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/). A song sells for US$0.99 and users can buy as many songs as they like. This was one method where music lovers could legally purchase music without having to worry about RIAA knocking at their doors. Apple was a great success in the eyes of the recording companies. It was the most successful of all the authorized music services and sold a total of 100 million downloads in its first 15 months of operation (Lohmann, 2004). However, Lohmann (2004) also noted, “While the authorized music services are attracting a modest number of customers, it is also clear that they together account for a trivial percentage of the total number of digital music files being downloaded today”. Thus, even if Apple iTunes was a viable alternative to illegal music downloads, there was no way it was able to compete with the combination of all the peer-to-peer (P2P) networks that provided free music.

The next viable solution would be to tap into the large P2P networks and try to make money where the large client base is. Furthermore, the laws of copyright are not involved. Lohmann (2004) noted this simple concept of “voluntary collective licensing”:

The music industry forms one or more collecting society, which in turn offer file-sharing music fans the opportunity to "get legit" in exchange for a reasonable regular payment, say $5 per month. So long as they pay, the fans are free to keep doing what they are going to do anyway -- share the music they love using whatever software they like on whatever computer platform they prefer -- without fear of lawsuits. The money collected gets divided among rights-holders based on the popularity of their music…more freedom to fans to share their favorite music, the deeper the global catalog of available music.

Furthermore, this gives music fans a more pratical plan and a chance to pay for their music, without costing them too much. $5 a month for an infinite amount of songs is a better deal than a $10.66 album where you probably only want two songs or having to pay 99 cents per song could cost a user around 20 dollars for 20 songs in a month.

In conclusion, music lovers should pay for their music, as it is only fair to the musicians, whose careers depend on sales from their supporters. Not paying for their work is almost the same as not paying a lawyer’s legal fees after consultation, which is considered a crime. On the other hand, content creators could come to a compromise to reduce their albums’ prices or engage in voluntary collective licensing. Either way, lowering their prices would leave them in a better state than having billions of users worldwide download their music for free.

References:

Litman, J. (2003). Sharing and Stealing [Electronic Version]. Retrieved February 2, 2007 from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=472141.

Lohmann, F., (2004, September 29). Is Suing Your Customers a Good Idea? [Article posted on Web site Law.com]. Retrieved January 31, 2007, from http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1095434496352

Oberholzer-Gee, F., & Strumpf, K. (2005). The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An Empirical Analysis [Electronic Version]. Retrieved February 2, 2007 from http://www.unc.edu/%7Ecigar/papers/FileSharing_June2005_final.pdf.

Ramesh, S. (2006, October 9). Police raid 7 homes to track down illegal downloading of songs [Article posted on Web site Channel NewsAsia]. Retrieved January 31, 2007, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/234608/1/.html

Rob, R., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). “Piracy on the High C’s: Music Downloading, Sales
Displacement, and Social Welfare in a Sample of College Students.” NBER working paper 10874.

.: This entry was awarded the Special Mention for Week 3! :.

Next time please O-P-E-N your eyes!!!!!

2007-01-27T17:34:00.000+08:00

Poom!!!! Someone banged into my dad's car when we were waiting at a intersection on the way home.

OEi, to that guy who bang into my dad's car, please OPEN your eyes next time and LOOK IN FRONT before u put your foot on the accelerator!

I'm not putting your pic in my blog as I respect your privacy. Please pay attention next time... Your car was perfectly fine! And my dad's car was not! Thanks for making my dad head down to the car repair center on your behalf.
And wear your stupid sandals properly when you drive... were u driving barefoot? You BETTER NOT be!

I was surprised that my dad didn't show his anger to that stupid driver. I'm proud of him! :P

COM 125 Week 2: Online auctions

2007-01-27T11:14:00.000+08:00

Introduction

Online auctions are a recent phenomenon that has increased in popularity due to the expansion of the Internet, which has enabled transactions online. An online auction is essentially an Internet-based version of a traditional auction – without the fast talking auctioneer and fellow bidders being in different physical locations (Miller, 2003). Some examples of online auctions are eBay and Yahoo! Auctions. eBay remains the largest online auction with 49.7 million registered users as of mid 2002 (Miller, 2003, p.8).

How did eBay came about?

Pierre Omidyar in his Silicon Valley house started online auctions on Labor Day, 1995 (Cohen, 2000, p.5) when he tried to sell his laser pointer. Back then, eBay was known as AuctionWeb and was made in a rather simplistic fashion. Although his personal site was considered an idea that would not work, within a few years, Omidyar was worth $4 billion and the company he founded, eBay, was the most successful e-commerce site in history. Once a tiny auction site overrun with Beanie Baby listings, today eBay is a commercial powerhouse where millions of users buy and sell everything from antique pickle jars and record albums to Ford trucks and $40 000 computer servers (Cohen, 2002).

eBay Headquarters in San Jose

Why online auctions are so popular

Everyday, millions of people purchase long-lost treasures or everyday items at bargain prices. They are able to make money out of items that they no longer require and have fun doing so (Gralla, 2000). People buy and sell varied merchandise through an auction website (such as eBay or Yahoo! Auctions) and such transactions can be made with other users worldwide. Hence, the popularity of online auctions continues to flourish as it enables ordinary people to become instant businessmen. Furthermore, it allows consumers to conveniently purchase an endless variety of goods at a price that they want. Such an event was possible when online auctions came about.

How online auctions thrive: The business model

The business model that online auctions center on increases its attractiveness to the sellers as it allows an instant business to be set up. From the seller’s perspective, its attractiveness is centered on low start up cost, potentially high sales volume and freedom from “geographical constraints” (wikipedia.org) with the help of the Internet. Such advantages make it easier for an entrepreneur to set up a business online. Unlike a store, its low operational cost stems from not requiring a physical space since storage can be done at home. It also does not require any employees and this saves on labor costs. With the broad reach of the Internet to allow quick movement of goods, an exponentially large consumer base can also potentially raise prices and increase profits. In addition, online auctions allow the seller a greater flexibility to sell alternative items should his current stock of goods be sold out. Thus, this allows the seller the option to diversify his products. Furthermore, an effect of cumulative causation occurs when the large pool of customers attracts more sellers to sell their wares and this in turn attracts more potential bids from buyers (wikipedia.org). This increases the value of the business model and hence, attracts entrepreneurs to online auctions as compared to a brick and mortar store.

Reaching to the common masses

The growing popularity of online auctions can be seen with the convergence of two unlikely worlds in terms of technology. With the help of the Internet, online auctions have attracted the most unlikely sellers online. One case study to show the convergence of two unlikely worlds with the help of the Internet is that of Sungei Road and eBay. Sungei Road, an open-air flea market, is home to a large collection of second hand and collector’s items that remain unsold for some time. At first glance, eBay and Sungei Road are worlds apart in terms of the level of technology used by the respective businesses. However, they share the similarity of being a market place for used goods and collectables. Through the word of mouth, some of the peddlers have jumped on the bandwagon and have listed their wares on eBay. These middle aged men who have peddled their wares on Sungei Road for over 10 years learn how to list their items in the hopes of tapping into the large pool of potential customers online rather than the handful of customers who usually browse through their items on sale. Those who resort to selling through the Internet claim to do so as “collector’s items” tend to sell slowly at Sungei Road (The Straits Times, July, 2005). This shows that even those who are computer illiterate are willing to learn how to apply technology to their livelihood in the hopes of improving their sales of second hand goods. By incorporating technology with their business, these peddlers are empowered with the ability to keep track on their inventory and sales and it makes it easier for them to increase their chances of engaging in more transactions.

Convergence of technology: I-mode and the acquisition of Skype by eBay

Online auctions will continue to flourish due to improvements in communications and information technology. This improves the ability of sellers to tap into a larger potential customer base as well as improve customer relations. The acquisition of Skype (a peer-to-peer Internet telephony software) by eBay highlights that modern technology ensures transactions through online auctions are becoming less of a hassle when both parties communicate (Today, September 2005). With the acquisition of Skype, improvement in communications can be made since the buyer is unable to physically deal with the seller and vice versa. Communicating effectively and efficiently plays an important role in the way businesses are carried out today. It plays a crucial role in online auctions since buyers have to purchase items that cannot be inspected beforehand. Thus, transactions can be speeded up as eBay ensures that bidders and sellers have a cheaper and a more convenient way of talking to the other party about payment and delivery issues. With Skype, it aids in further reducing any potential misunderstandings.

The improvement of technology in mobile phones also allows one the convenience of purchasing any item online. “In Japan, when student Gilda Su wanted to purchase a skirt, she simply whips out her mobile phone and taps a button. After a few seconds, the screen brings her to a “live” auction website where she can bid for clothes” (The Sunday Times, October 2005). The use of such cell phone Internet services called i-mode is beginning to pick up around the world, and soon it will not be necessary to confine oneself to a computer to access online auctions. Such convenience saves one time and the hassle of making a trip to the mall. Hence, advancement in technology and improvement in communications exemplifies that budding entrepreneurs have various way to expand his operations and reach out to the diverse audience.

References

Cohen, A. (2002). The perfect store: inside eBay. Boston, USA: Little, Brown and Company

Chia, V. (2005, September 22). More Stress in a ‘Smaller’ World?. Today, News Comment, p. 3

Gralla, P. (2000). Sams teach yourself today e-auctions: Bidding, buying and selling at eBay and other online auction sites. Indianapolis, Ind.: Sams.

Miller, M. (2003) Absolute beginner's guide to eBay. Indianapolis, Ind.: Que Publishing.

Online auction business model (n.d.) Wikipedia.org. Retrieved November 19, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_auction_business_model

Siew A. (2005, October 23) And, Yes, call too. The Sunday Times, Think, p.28

Tsang, S. (2005, July 12). Sungei Road bargains on eBay. The Straits Times: Digital Life, p. 3-4

(Mr Lim,

I'm sorry about the indenting and erratic large and small headings. There seems to be a problem when I copy and paste from Word to Blogspot. I've tried to make the Referencing indenting regular but it doesn't come out right. I can send you the original version on WORD. DOC if you prefer that option. Thank you!)

Botak Jones food review follow up!

2007-01-26T17:46:00.000+08:00

This space is to share with you all readers that someone from my class went to try out Botak Jones in Clementi! Yup, the food there was good too. Pity I wasn't there. But here are some pics!

Disclaimer : These pics belong to Ren Hao....

Ren Hao's Lunch - Fish and Chips! Yum! :D

Good American Food at a cheap price! Whoopee@!

Waiter, there is a FLY in my soup!!!!

2007-01-26T12:31:00.000+08:00

.: Morning breakfast :.

.: WarNing! Eat at your own PeriL! :.

Yep, there was a LIZARD in our refreshments during NTR Class B in the morning! A lot of girls were squealing away and the guys tried to act macho by knocking at it outside the box. KY tried to use a penknife to poke at it... but it was done outside the box...

Btw, this is not KY.
JT was assisting me in photographing the event... Thanks! :D

KY, if you are reading this, no use lah!!!!! U shld put your hand INSIDE the box n poke it, not knock with the penknife outside the box! HAHAHA!

When my dad saw the pics, he asked, "How come they are serving lizards for breakfast? Must have tasted nice and squishy."

I think this must have been a "nutritious" meal, since it was served during Nutrition class!..
~*Hmmmm....... Let me calculate the fat content, carbohydrate value and protein amount in that STINKING LIZARD!!!!~*

.: YuMmY! :.

Oh yea, if you thought I lost my appetite over this, you're wrong... On the contrary, I had a heavy lunch consisting of chicken chop and cream of mushroom! *Weeeeee!!!*

Dracula's shop...

2007-01-25T15:35:00.001+08:00

Blood Galore!

This shop is somewhere in Raffles Place...

Er, if anyone knows what this shop sells, let me know? Just leave a comment aka Sad Tango.... Thanks! :P

!~Library Rocks~!

2007-01-23T23:55:00.000+08:00

Yea! No doubt about that! - Me, the nerd!

After SGH, headed to the Library @ Orchard to attend a talk. I couldn't get a seat, so I did other things in the library instead....

Vernetta Lopez and Jessica Seet....

... entering a large audience!

To my Lovely Girls, here is your....

.: Motion that you both wanted! :.

Nitez!

Another simple day in my simple life.... NOT!

2007-01-23T17:51:00.000+08:00

I've finally dropped COM 300. Why I dropped it? I can't handle the workload and other reasons...

Anyway, I just returned from SGH and it seems that I have to undergo surgery for my feet! My mum was utterly shocked and so was I! Having the need to reconstruct both my feet isn't the nicest thing to hear in the afternoon. AHHH!!!! The doctor seem nonchalant about the whole incident till the point of laughter..

Me: So, Should I wear Birkenstocks?
Doctor (in his nonchalent Indian Accent) : Birkenstocks? What's Birkenstocks? Is that a Brand?

AIYOH!!!!!!

Guess it will be done in 2 yrs from now? Haha, long way... Thank goodness!

~~~

My bloggie was featured in class twice in Class A and B! Mr Lim showed the "COM 125 Class B - Caught in the Act" post and called it "Sus-veillance". I have no idea why that name.... He mentioned something about "Bottom-up feedback" rather than "Top-Down approach" to Feedback/Surveillance.

Hehehe! :P

Foodie Review #2 - Botak Jones: You Da "Ang moh" of Ang Mo Kio!

2007-01-21T23:11:00.000+08:00

After watching Chua Enlai's "Heartland Getaways", decided to try out Botak Jones that was featured in Ang Mo Kio! His stall is at Blk 608, Ang Mo Kio Ave 5.

In terms of quality, I would rate it 5 stars! The portion was huge too! I was still full during dinner time!

The Food there is good and cheap! :)

Service - Excellent! We had 3 of the staff come up to ask us how was the food and they seem to serve with pride. Impressive service for a hawker centre!

Oh yea, they do catering services t0o... Possible to cater for events such as b-day parties! :) They also have one stall in Clementi, 2 blocks from the MRT stn.

Minus point - This hawker centre in AMK is super hot! I really suggest going on a cooler day or ordering ice lemon tea or cold green tea for refreshments! The queue was around 10 min as there were many families there. In fact, 80% of patrons at the hawker centre were patronizing Botak Jones's Stall! Cool!

No sunsets... for another day!

2007-01-20T23:18:00.000+08:00

So sorry, there are no sunset pics for now. Rain's coming (and so is the singer - RAIN!!) every evening before the sun sets! But I do have pics of the flooded playground. This time round, the teenage boys were happy frolicking in the muddy waters... Maybe dirty water is nice to play in!

Splish...

... Splash!

Excuse me... Cld you call me back later? I'm in Heaven right now!

2007-01-20T17:52:00.000+08:00

Had a great lunch at this hawker centre opposite Hong Lim's Speakers Corner in Chinatown! This stall sells great Vongole! So I want to recommend this stall to you foodies out there! It's called Pasta Express #02-42

This is the Best place for Vongole coz it's cheap! I've been looking for the best places for this dish and the best places and prices are as follows:

1) New York New York, City Link Mall - $13.90 before taxes
Best place to have this dish, but rather expensive and the queue can be quite long. Sigh!

.: their menu :.

2) Hong Lim Complex Hawker Centre - $4.50
Cheap and Good, hence, I'm blogging about it! :)

3) Al Dente, Great World City - $21 after taxes
The freshest and largest clams but it's SO expensive for a plate of noodles and clams. The first time I ate there, the noodles were undercooked. Had to tell them to cook it longer the next time I was there. Totally NOT worth eating here....

4)Bakerzin, Vivocity - $17.05 after taxes
-The first time I ate this wonderful dish was when there was a Bakerzin at One Fullerton. (*Now replaced by Starbucks) The Cook did it to perfection back then!
-However, they shifted to Vivocity. The noodles done by the new cook were overcooked and there was little taste of the white wine sauce... Waste my $$$!!!
-Oh yea, Bakerzin DOES NOT serve free water. Either buy drinks or BYO!

5) Pasta Mania, Bugis Junction $ 7.25 (used to be $6.90 but they are NOT absorbing 5% taxes anymore)
Worse of the lot! No taste of white wine sauce (you can smell the white wine if a fair amount was used) and it was so oily! For that price, I shld have eaten at Miss Clarity's at 5 Purvis Street instead! Sry Mel mel! :P
Redeeming factor: They serve water! Lolx!

Conclusion: For cheap and delicious Vongole, No. 2 wins!

.: Tuck In! :.

Hope this review and pics helps you all looking for this dish!

Oh yea, I bought 2 boxes of Vongole... burp!! :)

Saving Money & Mother Earth

2007-01-20T16:59:00.001+08:00

When I attended Yoga Class this morning, some ladies around me were telling each other of how they got scrap material to make their Yoga bags.

You may think that they were penny pinching aunties but hey, what impressed me most was that their bags were really beautiful! (*Sorry, no pictures for this.. I din dare ask them to let me photograph their handiwork!) One was a pink floral bag and even had pockets for a mobile phone while another did a Velcro strap for her Nike Yoga mat. Innovative@!

Hmmm... I can't even sew a bag like them and save money! Instead, most of us (myself inc.) resort to buying bags for the mats. The more I thought about it, the more I wonder why there is so much rubbish around us. Simple. We don't reduce, reuse, recycle. We simply buy more stuff instead of making our own, leading to wastage of resources that could have well serve other purposes. These ladies had sewing capabilities that made them proud of their unique handiwork. Maybe I just didn't know how to sew a bag but when I thought about it, it was possible to learn how to.

Felt slightly ashamed not helping Mother Earth conserve her natural resources... :( Sorry!

Rule #1: Don't act so surprise when people dun buy

2007-01-19T16:41:00.000+08:00

I went to Mondo at Far East Plaza today, intending to buy the same pair of pumps that Christabel had: GORGEOUS Navy Blue Brocade Pumps with a gold ribbon in front! (*guys: this just means that the covered shoes were sewn using a Chinese embroidery method! Hahaha!)

Christabel told me the shoes were on offer - they still have 20% sale so the shoes were $15.90. Used to be $19.90. Quite cheap! :)

However, when I tried the shoes on, they didn't look so good on me ... so I took them off and returned them to the saleslady. She said, "Ah?! You not buying ah!?"

What should I have said to such a comment?

The Rain in Spain falls mainly on the Playground!

2007-01-18T23:37:00.000+08:00

Wanted to place some sunsets pics but it was flooding around 5pm instead! And it was hot in the afternoon!

So no sunsets.. but pics of floods! Surprisingly, the flood was so bad at the nearby playground but the kids still had a good time jumping in the murky waters. Reminds me of Vivocity, where the pond on the 3rd Level has "turned" into a swimming pool, with no chlorine-pump system. EWWW!!

<: Joker trying to pull his friend into the "swimming pool" :>

Okay, there were no kids in the pic..
By the time the camera took a clear shot, the kiddos went home for dinner... Dang!

.: CaR In FLooD :.

Hope for Good weather tmr!

Video Class COM 125 B - Caught in the Act!

2007-01-18T18:06:00.000+08:00

Mr Kevin Lim recorded a video of us while he was teaching! It felt very scary - we have never been on "video" mode before but I guess we will get used to it over time. (I HoPe!!)

This is how it looks like from the audience's perspective: -

.: The Device - Beware of your every move being caught on CCTV! :.

Black Friday - Companies leave the Red (debt) and go into Black (profit) after Thanksgiving

Using a 24 inch Mac (right) and another monitor to get ready to BUY on Black Friday!

I found the concept of Black Friday rather interesting, with nifty marketing tactics used to entice buyers (or bidders) to BUY BUY BUY! Even if the person doesn't win the bid, he/she may choose to buy another things. (Like the 1 carat diamond earrings going for US$350? Ooooooh!)

A great Business Model! :P

Damien Rice "9 Crimes"

2007-01-18T17:26:00.001+08:00

I have been listening to this song for a few days (plus the whole of today!) and would like to share it with you. It's Damien Rice "9 Crimes". It has a haunting element yet it sounds soothing. I Love the piano playing in the background! Wanna Thank my friend who introduced this song to me! *Winks* - you know who u are~!

Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be thinking of you
It's the wrong time
For somebody new
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse

Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?

Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be cheating on you
It's the wrong time
but she's pulling me through
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse

Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?

Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?
Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?

No...

A Simple Song based on a 70's movie about a boy befriending a balloon... I know it doesn't make sense but let's face it: How often does our life really make much sense at times? I guess not always...

Going, going, gone!

2007-01-17T22:22:00.000+08:00

Today was another round of class for the 1st week. Not much happening so I'll just add in some pics for COM 242.

We had to choose our topics to present and it was a mad rush for those who submitted their name list by a millisecond late as their wanted topics were already chosen! Talk about the need for speed! Haha! :P

Chiong ah! Chiong ah!!

"And Marshall McLuhan shall be presented by.... "

I've also a short video about the whole rush but I have no idea how to upload videos... Sorry! Will figure a way out when I learn more about blogger!

And today's sunset.....

Sunset on 17th January 2007

I really apologize about the 2 previous sunsets... The pics are 3 years old! But if you want to catch great sunsets, catch them when the day was unbearably hot in the afternoon! And this year with the El-Nino, I think there will be some really Hot Days!

Cheers and Enjoy the pics!

Day 2 of Semester 6

2007-01-16T17:56:00.000+08:00

Surprisingly, it was time for my fellow classmates and I to head back to school rather reluctantly. But I guess returning is good too, else the brain rusts!

My name's Daphne and this is my first time blogging. Not much for me to say, so I'll just talk about my interests.

Hi Everyone!!! :)

I love photography. Though I have never entered any competitions, I enjoy taking pictures on a whim. This hobby started when I was 17 on a school trip. I volunteered to take photos for the trip and my interest soon started from that occasion.

.: Little butterfly landed on my bag near the waterfalls :.

I enjoy photographing sunsets,

Sunset on 10th June 2004

Sunset on 30th May 2004

plants

.: Spring flowers amidst the weeds :.

and most of all people. The best thing I ever did was to help a fellow classmate take photos for his R.O.M. That was one the proudest moment as a budding photographer. Seeing his ROM pics on Friendster makes me smile and leaves me a sense of accomplishment! :)

I also took photos for our UB Stompaids! Something that we all contributed as a university!

Kiddos learning about Aids - They must be fascinated by the displays!

What's a band without the musicians?

Killer Janes at Work!

.: Disclaimer: This belongs to Hai :.

I also love to swim and I used to rock climb in that same year, but sadly, due to a rather hectic schedule, my fellow climbers have went our separate ways.

So no more swimming or rock climbing but I'm doing something most stressed out people do - YOGA! Been doing it for quite sometime. I've enjoyed it. I hope to do it till I'm 80! Haha! I didn't choose this sport to de-stress but rather, to improve concentration and to help tone and keep muscles supple.

My other past time is selling stuff on Yahoo! Auctions:
http://sg.auctions.yahoo.com/sg/user/ng_daphne28
Great way to sell stuff... And best of all... it's free! Yay!

That's about it. I think I'll add more once I dig through all my old photos!

Cheers!