infoverse

This last post is a place for you to talk about something of interest to you through the course of the semester. It can be related to class discussions, blog posts, your book, your project, or anything related to the class. Has anything changed how you look at information? Do you feel ready to find information in today’s internet-heavy media environment?

Alternatively, if you’d like, you can comment on crowdsourcing.

This is just a reminder that as long as class is scheduled tomorrow, we’ll continue with the our course schedule as planned with group presentations/displays. If the snow meant you couldn’t travel to meet as a group, contact Kevin and me as soon as possible. Let us know if you have any questions!

We talked a bit about publishing today. A writer that I really admire, Cory Doctorow, gives away his books for free (and still sells copies, too). His website makes a good case about why he gives away works for free, and how you can donate money to him. What do you think about his approach? Does this make you more/less/the same amount likely to read his works? What do you think would happen if more writers started publishing this way? Any other thoughts?

Take a few minutes to read Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business in Wired Magazine and post a thoughtful response. What does this shift mean for business? The availability of information? How has it impacted you? How has your life been different from someone who grew up when this wasn’t the case? We look forward to the discussion!

Today we talked about transparency in the business world. This is related to our privacy discussion from our last class. Businesses that are transparent might find that there are significant benefits and drawbacks from sharing information online, just as we find in regards to sharing our own personal information online.

Transparency in business is growing. This is an important aspect of today’s information environment because it means that you can find out a lot more about companies when you are applying to work with them or if you have questions about their products and services. It also means you might be charged with helping your company be transparent in your future jobs.

Take a minute to read The See-Through CEO from Wired Magazine. Can you see reasons that this trend is important for your lifes? Why is this an important factor to consider when thinking about research in today’s information environment?

Take a look at this video and comment on some aspect of it. If you are not sure where to start, think about what statistic was most surprising or interesting, or what impact these changes might have on your future career or educational plans.

Hi all. Yesterday we discussed the evolution of the Internet, how quickly things change, what they might become. Today, Facebook turns five. This isn’t a discussion post, but feel free to comment if you want to reflect on how Facebook has changed how you do things, what you expect in terms of relationships, communication, and the internet, or what you would like to see Facebook do next. If you’re a bit nostalgic, you can see old versions of Facebook in their photo album.

Matt, Joe, Curtis = WIKINOMICS

Ed, Angel, Justin = TIPPING POINT

Yusuf, Zack, Chris = SHAPING THINGS

Allan, Aaron, Phil = EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU

Ally, Mike, Alex = BLINK

As we talk about managing information and the changing information environment, please take five minutes to watch this video and comment on something of interest within it.

For this discussion post, we’d like you to read the article, Is Google making us stupid?. Now that you know the book that your group will be reading, consider the perspective that your book would have on this article and elaborate on that perspective in the comments.