Reflection

‘Cheryl’s page’ is my first attempt in blogging. cheryl’s page is my first serious weblog which I have created, and it appears to be one of the most challenging assignments which I have done. This serious weblog is meant to focus on the issues in publication and design in this contemporary world.

In the process of writing this serious weblog, sufficient information is needed to support my viewpoint and argument. This is to avoid plagiarism which is a very serious copyright infringement offense. However, searching for suitable and reliable sources are also another difficulties while creating this weblog. This is to ensure the sources taken are trustworthy and readers will get the correct information on certain issues.

In conclusion, the process of creating a weblog is very interesting and fascinating which allows me to speak out my opinion in a certain issues and is also knowledgeable. I strongly believe that there will be another personal weblog in future waiting for me to create.

Finally, grateful thanks for those who have read ‘cheryl’s page’ and your opinions.


References

Blogs image, viewed on 13 June 2008, from http://www.innosight.com/blog/uploads/blogshakespearecomic.bmp

Facebook and Privacy Issue (2)

The Society for Technical Communication in the USA regularly runs an ethics column in the national newsletter. A typical situation from the workplace is described and readers are invited to choose which of several proposed solutions they would follow readers can propose a different solution. The responses will be published in a later issue.

One thing that clearly emerges from these columns, and from newspaper articles and discussions with scientific and technical communicators, is the dichotomy between knowing what’s ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and applying that in situations in occupation, or possibly in a person’s life, could be placed in risk while doing the ‘right’ thing. The ‘whistle-blowers’ which have heard frequently are demoted, sacked, and harassed for making public some information that someone in power did not want known.

According to Jean Hollis Webber, ethical questions boil down, at some point, to accepting personal responsibility for one’s own actions, not hiding behind ‘I was only following orders’ or ‘that’s not my job’ or some variation on that theme (Webber 1995).

Thus, the privacy of facebook is actually a very vital issue, as what has mentioned by Jean Hollis Webber, the ‘whistle-blowers’ are harassed for making public information that someone did not want known.

References

Webber, J.H. 1995, 'Ethics in scientific and technical communication', viewed on 13 June 2008, from http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=22

Facebook image, viewed on 13 June 2008, from http://www.weblogcartoons.com/cartoons/facebook.gif

E-books

E-books are books which are available in digital format. However, the inventions of e-books are not meant to replace paper books. Instead, e-books provide an alternate reading choice for technology lovers.

E-books provide a new dimension to the written word, allowing books to be distributed and enjoyed so much easily. E-books are ordered online and delivered electronically to the user’s computer.


E-books have many features which traditional paper books may be missing:
· Users can search through the text for a specific word or phrase.
· Users can carry the e-books with PDA or smartphone device.
· Users can enlarge or shrink the text size.
· Users can add digital bookmarks.
· Users can get instant delivery.
· E-books help the environment by not using paper or requiring packaging (eBookMall 2008)


The leading edge of the e-books market is exemplified by companies such as Gemstar, Adobe Systems and Microsoft. However, few people are willing to spend significant money for a device that just displays only books and the value of consuming e-books are too expensive for the average consume (ZDNet Asia 2001).


References

eBookMall, viewed on 13 June 2008, from http://www.ebookmall.com/aboutebooks.htm

E-book image, viewed on 13 June 2008, from http://freeebook.info/images/ebooks/ebooks_250x251.jpg

Commentary: E-books remain niche reads, viewed on 13 June 2008, from http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,13032564,00.htm

Facebook and Privacy Issues

Facebook, the second largest social network on the Web with around 60 million members, is one of the fastest-growing and best-known sites on the Internet today.

The company, founded in 2004 by a Harvard sophomore, Mark Zuckerberg, began life catering first to Harvard students and then to all high school and college students. It has since evolved into a broadly popular online destination used by both teenagers and adults of all ages.

Like other social networks, the site allows its users to create a profile page and forge online links with friends and acquaintances. It has distinguished itself from rivals like the larger MySpace, owned by the News Corporation, partly by imposing a spartan design ethos and limiting how users can change the appearance of their profile pages. That has cut down on visual clutter and threats like spam, which plague rival social networks (The New York Times 2008).

References

Facebook viewed on 12 June 2008, from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org

E-Magazines

E-Magazines are similar to E-books but are in the electronic form of traditional magazines. A lot of todays magazines are published in digital form. The coolest part about emagazines is the convenience of having them arrive straight to your computer as soon as new issues become available, versus arriving in snail mail like the paper version magazine's which we get monthly. The ability to just open your digital magazine and begin reading as soon as they arrive is a true pleasure.Digital Magazine subscriptions work exactly the same as the paper form with the exception of how they are produced. Digital versions are much more cost effective to reproduce and to deliver electronically. Of course, the savings is then passed on to the consumer (ebookfanatic 2008).

References

Welcome to our emagazine section, viewed on 12 June 2008, from http://www.ebookfanatic.com/emagazines.html