First Post...

Hi all, my names liv.
Struggling with the assignment thus far as i have always been a little anti of the idea of 'blogging'. I think its rather self indulgent. I guess im being a bit of a hypocrite as i do enjoy the odd browse on facebook or bebo but mainly just for a laugh at photos and what not - not to share my life story. I don't know, I don't want to sound pessimistic but its just not my thing, I'd much rather chat face to face :)
But enough about that becasue this assignments worth quite a chunk, so i best get over it! Just had a read of David Berry's article. Quite enjoyed it. Berry emphasizes how the nature of the internet can very easily blur the boundary between 'public' and 'private' and how these terms apply differently to life online. Everything on the internet is public information, unless its barred by a password (not that that is always effective) because anyone can access it! Bebo, facebook, myspace are all mediums through which people communicate and interact but can also learn things about other people without them even knowing (hence why I'm a tad creeped out by it). I read in the Critic this week an article on John Keys latest attempt at getting the student vote, a facebook profile. So now the National party leader can prowl through face book profiles to get ahead in the polls. Good thing? or bad thing? Not to imply that Mr Keys is by any means a 'lurker' but it just goes to show how easy it is to access a particular group or community via the interent. There is no denying the convinience of this tool, but its also a little scary. Bakardjieva and Feenberg (2001) suggest that "respect for the intent with which online communities have generated content [and that] emerges as a fundamental ethical principle of social life online" meaning that internet browsers should be courteous of online communities. If everyone behaved this way it would be smooth sailing! Give credit where credit is due etc.
Alright I'm starving. See ya in class