Technology As Innovator

Problems of the blogosphere

Anonymity on the web

Anonymity on the web makes people believe that they don’t have to be responsible for what they write. Therefore, many behave on the web in ways that they would not otherwise. Some sp.am, some attack other people, some abuse technology for their own goods while degrading other’s efforts.

Comment sp.am

sp.ams in comments is another method of sending irrelevant, unwanted commercial messages to blogs.

Some sp.amme.rs use comment sp.am as a way to increase their websites’ PageRank by including URL to their website.

sp.am is often done by automated software.

Splog

sp.am blogs, sometimes referred to by the neologism splogs, are artificially created weblog sites which the author uses to promote affiliated websites or to increase the search engine rankings of associated sites. The purpose of a splog can be to increase the PageRank or backlink portfolio of affiliate websites, to artificially inflate paid ad impressions from visitors, and/or use the blog as a link outlet to get new sites indexed. sp.am blogs are usually a type of scraper site, where content is often either Inauthentic Text or merely stolen (see blog scraping) from other websites. These blogs usually contain a high number of links to sites associated with the splog creator which are often disreputable or otherwise useless websites.

Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying is a type of harassment via electronic messages. Cyber bullying may also include threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels (i.e., hate speech). Cyber bullies may publish personal contact information for their victims at websites. They may attempt to assume the identity of a victim for the purpose of publishing material in their name that defames or ridicules them.

Cyber bullying via blogs

Recently, Kathy Sierra, a web designer, was threatened by a commenter at her blog Headrush.

Other forms that blog cyber-bullying can take are the creation of fake blogs in the name of a victim which purport to be by the victim but which ridicule him or her. Such sites may use vulgarity, por.nogr.aphy and other forms of inflammatory discourse in an attempt to shame the victim.

Troll

Trolls can be existing members of a community that often contribute no useful information to the thread, but instead make argumentative posts in an attempt to discredit another person, concentrating almost exclusively on facts irrelevant to the point of the conversation, with the intent of provoking a reaction from others. The key element under attack by a troll is known only to the troll.

A troll’s main goal is usually to arouse anger and frustration among the message board’s other participants, and will write whatever it takes to achieve this end. One popular trolling strategy is the practice of Winning by Losing. While the victim is trying to put forward solid and convincing facts to prove his position, the troll’s only goal is to infuriate its prey. The troll takes (what it knows to be) a badly flawed, wholly illogical argument, and then vigorously defends it while mocking and insulting its prey. The troll looks like a complete fool, but this is all part of the plan. The victim becomes noticeably angry by trying to repeatedly explain the flaws of the troll’s argument. Provoking this anger was the troll’s one and only goal from the very beginning.

A concern troll is a pseudonym created by a user whose point of view is opposed to the one his/her sockpuppet claims to hold. The concern troll posts in web forums devoted to its declared point of view (for example, Democrats or fans of the Prius), and attempts to sway the group’s actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals but with some “concerns”. The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt within the group.

Experienced participants in online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is usually to ignore him or her, because responding encourages a true troll to continue disruptive posts — hence the often-seen warning “Please do not feed the troll”.

Illustration: Troll’s Brain and Memory

Dooce

To be “dooced” is to lose one’s job as a result of something one wrote on the internet.

This neologism is formed from the true story of Heather B. Armstrong’s website dooce.com in 2002.

Legal issues

Apart from being a web user, a member of communities, an author, you are also a citizen, and are bound to the law of your region and the Terms of Service of the blogging service you are using.

A behavior deemed acceptable in a community may violate the legal code of the place you’re residing. Be careful.

Tim O’Reilly calls for a Blogger’s Code of Conduct

Tim O’Reilly is calling for a Blogger’s Code of Conduct.

Tim O’Reilly Draft Blogger’s Code of Conduct

Tim hopes that it would come through self-regulation.

It is still under development. The latest version of his draft contains 6 points.

I believe that his attempt, while will not solve all problems of the blogosphere, will address the issues and raise the awareness of bloggers worldwide so that we can eradicate the bad seeds together.

Written as per requested by Duy Nguyen and Tan Pham

What does lifelong learning mean to you?

1. Power?

Learning satisfies my thirst for knowledge. The next question might arise is: what can knowledge bring?

“Scientia potentia est – Knowledge is power.” Sir Francis Bacon

I am yet so infant to see what power he referred to, but up until now I am able to see the Tao of how knowledge has been transforming my mind, behavior and outlook – for the better.

2. Growth?

Only when my learning is lifelong, I may not cease to grow.

It is observable that sometimes I am seen as ‘obsessed of learning’. It’s not that I am frenzy. I normally try to stuff things to my head until the point of overwhelming. It is then when an event triggers synthesis and takes me to the next level of enlightenment. Most of the time when I understand more, I see more of what I don’t know.

My sense of ‘growth’ is idealistic. Everytime I traverse through each area, the outlook shifts from one idealism to yet another. Yet, my behaviors become more practical and meaningful to the community.

Trivia

“Vì sự học là trọn đời” – from an ad
“For learning is lifelong” – Translation by Tài