Up 4 Discussion

The social impact of ICT

2010-11-22T06:29:00.001-08:00

The Social Impact of ICT

How communication within a business has been affected:

· Business people use computers nowadays which mean the use of email allows meetings to be scheduled.

· The use of ‘BC’ (Blank Copy) and ‘BCC’ (Blank Carbon Copy) in emails allow messages to be sent to various people either with or without them knowing who it’s been sent to.

· The use of ‘BC’ in e-mails can also allow people in certain businesses to know who has been invited to the meeting.

· The use of Microsoft has allowed presentations to occur in businesses, software’s such as Microsoft: word; publisher; PowerPoint etc.

· The use of technology has allowed surveys to be passed and published by businesses for the public to suggest improvements or hates and desires with the company thus making it technology effective in building businesses.

· The use of smart phones has had a profound effect with business people as they can email from their mobile phones as opposed to computers.

· The use of internet has allowed business people to collect pictures from the web to emphasis or back up their ideas and points.

The impact that ICT has had on children:

ICT has had a significant effect on children such as:

· Being able to complete homework(s) using websites such as Microsoft word.

· Due to the web and certain programmes on the web, students have been able to check their set work and complete it.

· They have been able to communicate with teachers if they do not comprehend certain homework.

· The web has allowed children to research any topic they like with the use of ‘Wikipedia’.

· The introduction of smart phones has allowed free communications between friends. For example: blackberry has blackberry messenger; iphone’s have ‘what’s app’, etc.

· The internet allows children to download music and also listen to it.

How mobile phones have changed society:

· Mobile phones have changed society immensely, firstly, before, you would hardly ever see people speaking on the phone and the notion of speaking to an object sounds absurd; however, now the majority of the public are on their mobile phones.

Mobile phones have changed society for both the best and the worse.

· The use of mobile phones is effective in communicating with one another at rapid rates.

· A drawback is that mobile phones have been suggested to cause cancer which worries the public and could be a potential threat in the proven future.

· The use of mobile phones allows members from different communities to converse.

· The use of mobile phones allows one to carry information such as contacts and pictures.

· The presence of mobile phones has been a fashion statement and icon seeing as smart phones i.e. ‘Blackberry’s and Iphone’s are seen as the best phones out and most effective as well as stylish’.

2010-11-19T03:03:00.001-08:00

Blogs, social networking sites and emails all have there advantages. However, there are also disadvantages to using these sorts of communication outlets. These can lead to serious problems with personal information being accessible to strangers and credit card details being stolen on the internet without you knowing.

Disadvantages:

These communications all have disadvantages. The use of social networking sites can cause people to be obsessive and also forget about things that occur in the real world.. The same thing can occur with Blogging and emails. It is also vital to ensure you don’t give out your password or any personal details onto the internet. The constant use of sites such as social networking sites can sometimes ultimately lead to offending some one or vice versa, this can lead to suicide. Some commerce sites are in reality unreliable and by inserting credit card details onto the website can lead to the lose of money. So you should always be aware of these problems and do the up most amounts to prevent it.

Problems:

A great way to prevent people from accessing personal information is by applying limits to what you share, this will essentially allow your information to remain safe. An effective way of not losing your sense of reality and time is by limiting the amount of time you spend on Facebook or any sort of social networking sites. This can also apply to blogs because when someone comments on a blog it can lead to a big discussion which is ultimately time consuming. Also when on blogs or social networking sites you must take into account people’s feelings and opinions when talking of sensitive topics in order not to offend. You must also be aware of security settings, for example Facebook has privacy settings in which you can chose who can see your information and photos.

Ecommerce sites have many security problems such as identity fraud, theft etc when using paypal. In order to beat these problems effectively, check feedback on the sites in which people are selling and check their details and their information. If you give out credit card details, people will take advantage and they can use your credit with out you knowing.

Another risk is phishing scams. They are very effective scams and in essence are out there to real you in and for you to expose your credit card details. It is mainly used by setting up false websites whose look and feels are almost identical to the legitimate one. Phishing scams can also be used to take your identity, some phishing scams are by sending out E-mails to vast amounts of people with a link to a false company to take your money. You can prevent phishing scams sometimes by using URL checks.

YOU AND THE INTERNET.

2010-11-19T03:02:00.001-08:00

D1, EYMIE DEGUZMAN

PERSONAL SAFETY AND THE INTERNET.

Online blogs and social networking websites are a great way to communicate with friends, however, there are also risks as your information can be accessed by strangers if you are not careful. It is important to protect your information and be aware of what you are sharing with others, personal safety is extremely important. The following will give you tips on how to keep safe online.

When creating a blog or becoming part of a social networking site it is extremely important to consider what information your are sharing, and who you are sharing it with.

1) What do you want to share about yourself?

- Be careful with what you share, if you do not change your privacy settings your personal information can be shared with many strangers. Sharing your contact details – such as phone numbers, emails and addresses – must not be put up unless you definitely know the people who access your social networking page and are happy to share your details with them. However, if you have friends on your account you do not wish to share this with then do not take the risk of posting it online. As for blogs, never share personal details on your blog. This is because blogs are more open to millions of people and you cannot prevent strangers from accessing your blog. Do not give away any personal information on your blog, unless it is for business. If it is for a business then it is safe to leave your work email.

2) What will you use your blog or social networking account for?

- Blogs are created to discuss and share opinions, photos and more. Whilst people may enjoy your blog, others may not. Therefore, it is important to be careful what you share. Do not share any personal information which could cause harm to you or people you know, and do not say anything offensive. Whilst you may feel safe about saying something inappropriate online as it is not face-to-face, others may take offence and go to the extremes of putting you in danger. With technology constantly developing, and growing, people can find ways to damage or harm your computer, or even stalk you in real life. This is why we never post personal information for strangers to see.

If you create a social networking account it is important to only add people you know and are happy to share things you post with. This prevents any unpleasant comments or unwanted interaction with others.

3) Privacy is important!

- On social networking websites you are able to change your privacy settings, giving you the opportunity to make sure that what you share is only between you and your friends. If you do not edit your settings, your photos, information, contact details and whatever else you share online can be accessed by other users you do not know. This may put you at risk of others getting your personal information, pretending to be you, or even tracking you down in real life. Moreover, there are unpleasant people online who may wish to harass you online, whether that’s threats or stalking etc. Although you may want to share your information with everybody so people know who you are before adding you, it is better to be safe than sorry.

4) Never ever ever share your password with anybody!

- Although this saying is cliché, it is incredibly important to obey this simple rule. Your account should only be run by yourself. If you share your password with others they can easily post inappropriate things on your account, or even change your privacy settings, putting you at risk.

Your safety is important, and so is the safety of the people you know. So be sure to be aware of personal safety online. If you play your cards right you will definitely have no problems using your social networking account or your blog and you can enjoy the opportunities you are given.

Communication sites have several advantages, such as: communicating with people you know who may be far away, you have the ability to share your opinions and discuss things with people you may know, you can share information, photos, videos etc. with people you know online and you can easily contact your friends if you need help and do not have access to a mobile phone.

Unfortunately, communicating sites also have disadvantages if you are not careful: social networking sites can be time consuming and addictive, meaning you waste time and are easily distracted by the constant updates shared by your friends, also, what you type may be misunderstood as it is not spoken verbally – causing arguments, lastly, if you not careful with what you share, people you do not know can access your information.

Be safe, and enjoy communicating sites without trouble.

How to Protect yourself When using the Internet

2010-11-19T02:29:00.000-08:00

Monday 15^th November

How to protect yourself on the internet.

In terms of communicating with large groups of people blogs and social network sites are extremely useful, however, failure to ensure measures are taken to avoid the exposure of personal information may have severe repercussions. The following comprises of a series of tips and advice, which allows you to make the most out of social network or blog whilst maintaining your safety at the same time. If you are establishing a blog or social network profile, serious thought must be put in to what you are going to disclose and what you are not going to disclose. The following are some key points regarding setting up a blog or social network account.

Passwords:

It is a general rule that the disclosure of passwords should be strictly avoided when dealing with social network sites, as anyone who comes across this password will essentially have obtained the ability to sabotage your profile, and view any information they want about you. Therefore, it is vital that you do not inform anyone of your password, even if you are worried you may forget it. In that case, you can pre-arrange the password to be emailed to you by the social network site, if you answer a personal question you chose about yourself before, eg. What is the name of your first cat?

Your privacy:

Most social networking sites allow people access to other peoples pictures, and event the ability to save them, or to access recent comments they have made or information about their personal life. As a result of this, you may want to consider carefully the details of your privacy settings, as it is these settings that decide the accessibility of your profile to people you know and do not know

. Contact details:

As soon as you disclose information regarding your home, address, phone number, people you do not know will have access to you. In many cases this is not a desired feature, however, if you want to continue exchanges with people who chare common interests ect., but may not actually know you, create a separate blogging account with none of your personal information.

Blogging material:

Blogging is and extremely popular way of publishing and sharing views you may feel very passionate about. Although this is good in many cases, the approach you adopt when discussing this information must remain sensitive and respectful, as you d not know who may be offending or whose views you may be contradicting when blogging. This specifically applies when talking about matters regarding religion, or race or war.

Ecommerce websites

If you are using ecommerce sites, which I just found out means sites you buy stuff from, you must ensure that the site you use if established, legitimate and well known as when making online purchases very sensitive information is at stake, including things like credit card details. Ensure that the site you are using has the online credit card verification feature, which enables you to make transactions safely without anyone ells viewing your details.

Advantages of communicating sites:

- You can exchange information you feel strongly about.

- You can maintain communication with friends or family from long distances.

- Video conferencing increases the sentiment of your online exchange; these can be accessed through social network sites.

- Increases the speed at which information can be exchanged, with things like emails and instant messaging.

Disadvantages of communicating site:

-Hacking is a serious problem, in this event very offensive material and often hilarious information can be posted on your wall, with often destructive aftermath on the victims part.

- Social networks are known as very addictive, and if you are not capable of restraint, can corrupt your social and work life as you becoming progressively more attached to your profile.

If you choose to abide by these simple steps and apply basic common sense, there is no reason why you should not enjoy your IT experiences free of any disturbances. Thank you for reading and come again.

The social impact of ICT

2010-11-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

The Social Impact of ICT

How communication within a business has been affected:

· Business people use computers nowadays which mean the use of email allows meetings to be scheduled.

· The use of ‘BC’ (Blank Copy) and ‘BCC’ (Blank Carbon Copy) in emails allow messages to be sent to various people either with or without them knowing who it’s been sent to.

· The use of ‘BC’ in e-mails can also allow people in certain businesses to know who has been invited to the meeting.

· The use of Microsoft has allowed presentations to occur in businesses, software’s such as Microsoft: word; publisher; PowerPoint etc.

· The use of smart phones has had a profound effect with business people as they can email from their mobile phones as opposed to computers.

· The use of internet has allowed business people to collect pictures from the web to emphasis or back up their ideas and points.

The impact that ICT has had on children:

ICT has had a significant effect on children such as:

· Being able to complete homework(s) using websites such as Microsoft word.

· Due to the web and certain programmes on the web, students have been able to check their set work and complete it.

· They have been able to communicate with teachers if they do not comprehend certain homework.

· The web has allowed children to research any topic they like with the use of ‘Wikipedia’.

· The introduction of smart phones has allowed free communications between friends. For example: blackberry has blackberry messenger; iphone’s have ‘what’s app’, etc.

· The internet allows children to download music and also listen to it.

How mobile phones have changed society:

Mobile phones have changed society for both the best and the worse.

· The use of mobile phones is effective in communicating with one another at rapid rates.

· A drawback is that mobile phones have been suggested to cause cancer which worries the public and could be a potential threat in the proven future.

· The use of mobile phones allows members from different communities to converse.

· The use of mobile phones allows one to carry information such as contacts and pictures.

Protecting yourself on the internet.

2010-11-05T04:05:00.000-07:00

Using Blogs and social networking site is a good way to communicate with a range of people, however if you do not take steps to prevent personal and private information from being exposed on the internet you may regret it. Here are a few basic steps that you can take to make, using blogs and social networking an enjoyable experience.

When setting up blogs and become part of a social networking site, you must consider the information you are putting up on the blog and profile so you should take these points into consideration:

- Do you want to put up your contact details? Once you put up contact details (phone number, email, and address) people you do not know will be able to access you. If you want to carry on responding with people that share the same interest as you, create a separate email for blogging and do not give out personal information.

- What subject will you be blogging about? Many people choose to blog because they enjoy it or what to discuss a subject they are passionate about, unfortunately not everyone will agree with your opinions, therefore it is important that you are sensitive and careful with how you put information across on the internet, as it is written and not verbally said so there can be misunderstanding of what you are trying to say. When talking about certain subject, such as religion, you must be very careful of what you say as it may offend people.

- Privacy settings: On many social networking sites, you are given the option to browse and look through other peoples images and even save their photos, therefore you should consider whether you want unknown people to browse through your images and view your profile. If you do not want to people to view personal resources on your profile you can edit your privacy settings and chose what you want them to see.

- Never give out a password: As many websites suggest it is important that only you know your password and it is not shared with anyone else. Passwords, for blogs, emails and social networking site should be only be known by you. If you can not remember it you should not give it to someone else to remember in case you don’t but write it down somewhere safe, not indicating it is a password. Your password may be exposed and people will be able to access your information as well as pretend to be you and post information that is foul.

Everyone is entitled to feeling safe; your safety should not be comprised, therefore it is vital that personal information such as your address is not posted anywhere on the internet as it then become accessible to a numerous amount of unknown people.

When using ecommerce site it is advised that you only use established website companies, as many untrustworthy websites will use your personal details, such as name and credit card details to purchase items. On websites such as Amazon and eBay you can use credit card verification which means that your credit card detail information is protected from the public on the internet. On many trustworthy websites there is government recognition that the website is established. This mark can not be copied or edited and so is a good way to tell if buying on the website is reliable.

Advantages of communicating sites:

- You can communicate with friends and family from far distances.

- You can discuss topics which you are passionate about with people who share the same interest.

- Information can be sent free via the internet, through emails and can speed up the time it takes for information to be communicated between people.

- Video conferencing can be accessed through social networking sites, and photos can be uploaded to create your own profile.

Disadvantages of communicating site:

Although there are advantages to joining a social networking sites and blogging site there are also hazards that should be avoided as much as possible:

-Social networking site can over take your work and social life as you will continuously find yourself updating your status on facebook or commenting on pictures.

- Some posts may offend people if you are discussing sensitive topics such as religion so it is important that you are careful with what you put on the internet as it is visible to everyone on the internet.

- If you get hacked inappropriate information can be posted on your profile and can cause commotion. Unfortunately there is no way to protect yourself from getting hacked with hacking software, however you can take

Taking all these steps will help to ensure a better and safer experience of using the internet. Hope the information was useful.

Video conferencing

2010-11-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Video conferencing:

Examples:

Skype
windows live messenger
ichat
GoToMeeting

Advanteges:

Can communicate with friends and family who live far.
You can see them which makes communicating with them even better.
You can hear them as opposed to just reading what they type.
It's free and prevents phone bills.
Video conferencing can stimulate better brainstorming.
Businesses can use video conferencing to provide presentations to key members of an organisation.
The possibilities for communication are virtually endless thanks to video conferencing technologies.
Because of this technology information and knowledge are often disseminated at more rapid rates.
Students can take advantage of video conferencing to take classes at distant locations that would normally be unavailable.

Disadvantages:

You have to pay for the webcam.
You need to have a stable internet connection.
The internet connection has to be payed for.
Sometimes the cameras or computers lag making video conferecing a bad experience.
The advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing have to be weighed against your purpose and whether there will be something valuable lost through this technology that you don't want to give up.
There are some human ways of communicating that do not translate very well over a distance, such as eye contact. When you sit in the same room with someone and listen to a speech or presentation you will make eye contact and they will judge who is paying attention by looking around the room.
The advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing have to be weighed against your purpose and whether there will be something valuable lost through this technology that you don't want to give up.
some people are insecure about the way they look and feel uncomfortable in front of a camera.

Risks:

Business people do not always consider security outside of their firewall. This leaves a business that adopts video conferencing subject to hacking.
That is, other unauthorized individuals may be able to access the audio and video signals.
In business meetings where company secrets or confidential data are on the table, the lack of security poses both legal and financial risks.

Social Impact of ICT

2010-10-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

How has communication within a business been

affected?

Many people think that communication within a business just involves, computer technology and phone calls. However there are many more aspects of businesses that involve other types of communication. The internet was one of the first revoluntionary technology that changes the way in which many businesses functioned. Between the 1950's and 60's many businesses started to incoporate the internet as it rapidly become the 'must have' feature. It started off basic- and overtime began to grow with information. The internet now-a- days play an important roles in businesses. It allows business to have direct communication to their customers; websites are created to advert new products, at a convenit time for the customers, as they can just log onto their computers and find what they wish to buy.

The internet also provides businesses with quick and easy research. Many teenagers now have access and own their own blackberry. What many teenagers don't realise is that blackberry's are actually a smartphone. So what is a smart phone? It is a mobile phone that offers advance features of computing ability and connectivity more advance then a basic feature phone. The smart phone was orignally designed for the life of a busy workmen, who is always on the go. Its includes features such as email, readable word documents, video conferencing and social networks and chats. Most businesses supply workers with a smartphone to ensure that they are able to achieve everything in their job description, even when they are not in the office. It also means that communication is made easier over long distances. Video conferencing is a recent feature that has been adapted into businesses. Video conferencing is a set of interactive telcommunication technologies which allows two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions.
One of the most popular video conferencing currently is skype. Skype is also avaliable on mobile phones (inparticular smartphones) which means that working business men and women can set up a meeting wherever, whenever. This also means that meeting can be set across large distances e.g.countries and means that money can be saved on flights, hotels (expenses) for a person to travel overboard for a meeting.

Overall, business have been largely affected by ICT, in the aspect of communication. Without the invention of smartphones, video conferencing and the internet, communication between customer and businesses (between businesses) would be slow, and would cost more money. It could be argued though that new technology in businesses have made relationships between businesses and customers less personal and have encouraged us to be more lazy.

What impact does ICT have on children?

The internet has become a worldwide icon for children as young as 8. Many social networks such as Twitter, Myspace and Facebook have impacted on the majority of children's social life. Children as young as the age of 10 are signed up to a social network site. It can be argued that social networking sites are good for them to stay in contact with family and friends aboard, but there is always the danger of peodophiles contacting children. Children may also begin to suffer in school work and academic studies as they constantly on these sites. Furthermore the internet is encouraging children to become lazy as they rely on the internet to do homework for them; it is as easy as copy and pasting information onto a word document. On the other hand it can be argued that the internet and other aspect of ICT help children develop their skills that can be adapted to real life situations, such as working in an office job. It can also help them to improve in read and writing, as there are new software such as read and write 8.0 which reads out sentences for children if they don't understand.

To conclude, ICT can help children develop good skills for life, and help with research (up to an extent) However parents must make sure they have informed their child/children about the dangers of internet, as well as the benefits.

How have mobile phones changed society?

Twenty five years ago a telephone was just used as a way to communicate with someone- if they happened to be at home. Over the last decade or so, a mobile phone has become more then just a way of voice communication; its become entertainment, a storage form and visual and email communication. Most of societies perception of mobile phones are negative. The thing that mobile phone is mostly associated with is rudeness, such as answering a mobile phone at a dinner party or in a cinema or theatre. Since teenagers have started to own their own mobile phone they have been more interested in turning on their mobile phone camera on themselves and have started a new craze of 'sexting'. As a news article reads 'Last year, a teenager in Ohio hanged herself after a nude photo of her self that she 'sexted' her boyfriend was sent around her school after they broke up' . Mobile phone has also been known to ruin our spelling, as more and more of us write in 'text language' and 'slang' 'lol and ttyl' (laugh out loud: talk to you later) . Mobile phones do have their advantages too. It is a good way of communication. If you need to call emergency services, you can call they anywhere at anytime for free, if you have your mobile phone on you.

In conclusion, mobile phones have impacted on society, with both its negative and postive attitude towards different aspects. As long as we are able to draw a limit to our use of mobile phone and up to what amount of time we spend on them.

Blogs: What are blogs?

2010-10-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Blogs are a type of website, or part of a website which people use for a variety of reasons. This includes to express how they feel about a certain topic or even to help them boost their confidence in writing. There are many arguments that can be raised to whether blogging is a good or bad thing. The following includes research both for and against blogging:

Advantages of blogging:
- Blogging can be a great way to get feedback from different types of audiences. People may blog short stories or poems, and in return will get feedback about it.
-Blogs is a cheaper and more easy way to communicate within an organisation or even buyers. It saves money being spent on printing/publishing cost and can easily be updated more frequently, e.g monthly or weekly.
-Blogs can help people express their feelings. Everyone has their own way of expressing strong, and passionate feelings towards something, whether its art, dance, music etc. Blogging is another way for people to write about a topic they feel passionate about.
-Blogging is a great way to share useful knowledge with people. Whether it is about personal experience, or knowledge about an event in history, it is a great way to inform people who appreciate it.
-Blogs can be used as a diary and can be used to help people who are in the same situation as you, share feelings and emotions, lifting the burden for them.

Disadvantages of blogs:
-Blogs can be difficult to maitain, as they need to be regularly updated, otherwise you could lose potential viewers.
-People might leave crude comments which might hurt your feelings.
-You might offend people unconsciously or there may be miscommunication.
-Blogging may infringe privacy as people may post, personal information about someone or information given in confidence.
-You may become start to spend more time blogging rather then having a social life, away from the internet.

Hope you found the information useful