Class #3 Presentation

I've posted the slides for Class #3 (The 21st Century Village) here.

Questions from Class 2

The following questions were asked after class or on note cards.

Can you talk about Snopes.com?

Snopes is one of the best sites for verifying that some rumor is true. You've all received emails claiming that your cell phone numbers will be added to a public directory this month, what Pat Boone, George Carlin, or Kurt Vonnegut had to say, that a particular type of virus is circulating, an NBC poll about God in America, and the like. A quick check at Snopes can verify that this message has been making the rounds for five years, that it wasn't true then and it isn't true now. (Only one of the previous items is true.)

Can you provide us with more definitions of new terms?

Let's discuss this in class to make sure that we get the terms in context.

How do government block sites, such as in Egypt, Yemen, etc.? Some people reported that they couldn't access sites or that they had been slowed so much that pictures couldn't be posted or uploaded or downloaded.

There are two basic ways that governments can disable Internet access. Both are relatively hard to do because the Internet is designed to be robust.

1. Disable the distributed name servers that translate familiar addresses such as www.google.com into their numeric equivalents (72.14.204.104).
   
2. Physically disconnect the cables leading into and out of a country.
   There are some reports that Egyptian authorities cut or disconnected the fiber-optic cables that go from Egypt under the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
   

You can read more here: How Egypt did (and your government could) shut down the Internet

Why would we have more than one email server (address)?

Some people have different ones for work, personal use, and other associations.

How can I get refunded after being doubly charged by Trend Micro Security after auto renewing? I can't find a phone number. I've tried online, got connected to a complaint site. I left my username (email address), but have not heard from them. My credit card company suggested that I log in to their site.

This page may help: Digital River Customer Service - Find Your Order.

What affect does a large number of email messages (like a thousand) have on your access speed, etc.? Do these need to be cleaned out and deleted?

If you are using a product such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Mac Mail, or other program that is installed on your computer, you might see a slight slowdown when you get to tens of thousands of messages. If you are using GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or other web-based email service, you're not likely to see a slowdown until you get to hundreds of thousands of messages. I know people who keep 15-20 years worth of email on their systems and are able to use email and their systems with few peoples.

Who owns the Intellectual Property Rights on Facebook if, say, you are discussing an idea with a "friend" and you create something tangible. Do you sign away rights when signing up for a Facebook account.

I am not a lawyer, but ...

1. From the Facebook terms of service agreement:
   You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings.
   
2. You have no more (or less) risk than if you have a discussion in a coffee shop.
   

Class 2 Presentation

The slides for Class #2, a review of the web sites and programs used in social networking, are available here.
Note: I've updated slides for Class #1 to correct a few minor errors. You can find the updated slides here.

Questions from Class #1

These questions were asked in notes after Feb. 7, 2011 introductory class:

What happens to your username and password when you deactivate an account?

Each website has its own policy regarding user names and passwords. Some delete your information immediately. Others may retain the account information for a specified time. (For example, Facebook retains your account information, including files, until you have not used the account has been for two weeks.) Still others may retain the account information and associated files indefinitely. Check the terms of services for the site or service for specific details.

Is it better to have different names and passwords for, say, PayPal, than what you set up for Facebook?

Absolutely. While it may be ok to use the same user name on multiple sites, you should never use the same username/password on multiple sites. In class, I'll discuss a way that you can develop a process for creating unique and yet memorable passwords

A question regarding vocabulary: "Fired up my 1st web browser" would be translated as "I turned on my ?"

The proper usage is, most likely, "I started my web browser." In class, I used the colloquial "fired up" because it was, at that time, something of an adventure to set up a browser. Programs such as Internet Explorer weren't included automatically; you had to find the software and perform several configuration steps before you could browse the web.

Why don't you do a course strictly on Facebook

1. A course just on Facebook would, I think, require a computer lab where all participants could work on their pages and ask specific questions about their setup. The WISE program doesn't have the facilities for such a course.
   We might explore options for a Facebook-only in another setting.
2. The broader issues of social networking are intriguing. The impact on the way we live have implications for our personal lives and for public policy.

What are the etiquette rules for Facebook and other social networking sites.

Just as society in general is trying its way with matters of etiquette, so, too, are guidelines about online behavior a work in progress. Here are a few tips:

• It's ok to ask "How do I know you?" 
• It's ok not to participate in something that makes you uncomfortable. 
• It's ok to try something that you've not done before. 
• Be very judicious about using Reply/All and forwarding items that have been forwarding to you. 
• Be careful about humor unless you know your audience. (Tone is very different in print, voice, and person.) 
• Gmail offers an Undo Send function that let's you stop an email within 30 seconds of clicking Send. See New in Labs: Undo Send - Official Gmail Blog

Class 1 Presentation

A copy of the slides for the first class is available in PDF form here.
Note (2/14/11): I've updated slides for Class #1 to correct a few minor errors.