Saturday, March 21, 2009

List-part 4 & Email part 5

Email security and Lists
Oh-My, Oh-My, Oh-My I don't believe it, I found a useful List service, www.gnupg.org. It's a site for open source software that improves the security of electronic communications. Yes, I now subscribe. Subscription was not through that insidious Topica but by stumbling upon the site while searching for useful information.

First observation, posted Wednesday, 4 March.
Now this is the last post for the day, it's a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon and I could be outside enjoying the sun. This supports my First Thoughts about Blogs.

Email part 4

Tracing emails
After reading a post on the Blackboard tracing emails by one of the beautiful people in the NET11 group, I decided to follow this through further and visit the suggested sites, www.learnthenet.com and www.johnru.com. Now I don't trust every site I visit (cynic), so I also my own searches and found similar information on the Australian Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, so I guess email security is a problem. (not another)

Well it opened my eyes. This was one of those things I've been intending to, or as the Aussie's say gonna address for sometime. It would appear the easy way to fix the problem is to encrypt the email, "Encryption-based email software packages use a technique known as public key cryptography to scramble messages so that only the authorised recipient can read them". I must encrypt soon. However, with all the email noise out there I think it would be unlikely that my emails are intercepted unless I'm being singled out.

So putting it to the test I tried to ping an IP address I received from a spam email but had no luck. They must be masking their real IP address.





Not actually sure what this achieved because I'm at a dead end, just thought it was interesting.

Lists-part 3

No better
Well, I tried again with http://lists.topica.com but had no success. Topica incessantly try to sign members up to there "Featured Favorites" from where I suspect they receive sponsorship.
This whole repeated attack in blanket bombing advertising is one of the main features that drives me away from site like this.



When I was finally able to find a list that half appealed the list was long dead and the messages were years old. (maybe I lead the revival but I doubt it)



Topica is in desperate need of an overhaul and it make me wonder how sites like this survive.

This is where I think I'll leave List and move on.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Chat part 4

Jumping into the chat room this morning I meet up with some NET11ers, and they showed me how to embed the meebo chat into my blog. It's so cool!

Have a go it works.

Thanks Bee and Collzz, the beautiful people from NET11

http://www.meebo.com/rooms

Newsgroups-part 2, List part 2

In the Yahoo group there appears to be some confusion over what the difference is from a Newsgroup and a List. So here is a brief outline with supporting links for further reading if you wish.

Newsgroups are similar to discussion groups (Blackboard) or forums where anyone can join a public discussion through subscribing to the service. eg giving your details to the group. The subscriber can either just read the posts from other subscribers or he/she can contribute to the thread (join-in on the discussion).

"A newsgroup is an electronic discussion group consisting of collections of related (also called articles) on a particular topic that are posted to a news server which then distributes them to other participating servers." www.learnthenet.com


Lists can be broken down into two types;
  1. discussion lists, similar to newsgroups in that the subscriber can participate in the thread
  2. announcement list, similar to a newsletter where the information is just one way
The main difference is lists are sent to your email, newsgroups the subscriber must visit the site.

"A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients." www.encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com

"The key advantage of a mailing list over a newsgroup is that instead of having to go somewhere to read or retrieve postings, messages are automatically delivered to your e-mail box." www.learnthenet.com

Ping part 2

I found another use for Ping other than the usual network testing for speed. The Adobe Feed Blog or as Rebecca Blood calls it "Filters" in her book The Weblog Handbook p7 ( I'll reference it better later), which is just a blog containing links to other blogs. In this case the linked blogs have a common theme in the use and promotion of Adobe products. "allows readers to monitor about 2325 different Adobe related weblogs and news sources, all in one place."

Adobe uses the Ping service to receive notifications when the related blogs have posted new blog entries. They claim "instead of waiting for the regularly scheduled update to occur" you can either ping the feed manually by going on to the feed site and using "Ping Adobe Feeds" or if your bloging service supports ping you can set up an automatic call once you have made a new post. "you can configure your weblog to automatically ping Adobe Feeds when you publish new posts"

Well I thought it was interesting.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Chat 3–group task

I've now used both ICQ through Meebo and the internetstudies · NetStudy Netizens list group on Yahoo and found both to be useful in different directions.

ICQ is great just to catch up and have an informal "chat" with friends and relatives and keeps the phone costs down. I found it particularly useful just having the browser run in the background with Meebo going and seeing from time-to-time small
automatic pop-ups when messages came in. I could react quickly to the messages and continue the conversation unlike email. However the conversations tended to be a bit ephemeral and esoteric, much like talking to one's mates, still a worthy experience. This was a new for me and it's a big YES, I will continue to use this service. The only criticism I have, and it's only small, I couldn't always keep up with the typing and some of the conversation tended get a bit jumbled (thread order was mixed), especially if it's a group session (maybe voice control would be good). Also, I would NOT use this method of communication if I required the message I sent to be kept on record or I required the receiver to action the information and I wanted proof that I had sent the information on.

I found
the list group on Yahoo to be a bit cumbersome and slow when I tried to use it in the same manner as a chat room. I quickly came to the conclusion that this service was more to keep groups updated, information that I may like to act on, but more importantly, I could contribute and feel part of the community that it was trying to embrace. I found that the success of the group greatly depends on the contributions and, even at this early stage the group looks likely to fail (not the NET11 unit), but die off into cyberheaven where all the calculators and photocopiers rest in peace and in pieces.
Still, there is a place for this type of asynchronistic communication although I don't see myself keeping up with it as it requires strength of
character, perseverance and discipline to continually contribute to such groups. Me, I'm a bit lazzzy (Yes that with 3 z's).

On the other hand the Uni Blackboard messaging system is entirely different again and for communication in another direction. Messages can be posted and then responded to while maintaining the "thread" of the conversation for all to see in the group. This works well in the learning environment as questions are asked and answered and displayed for anyone who has similar questions. (You know the type, the 'frequently asked questions'). It's not for general chatter although people tend to abuse it for this and what happens as a result is the discussion area gets over crowded with pointless banter. People get frustrated if they are search for answers and all they see is a pseudo chat room.


How is it different from the methods I normally use?
As I indicated above, I have only ever used emails up to now for communication over the web—obviously when I was just chatting with email I was abusing it. But now I know differently.

emails uses:
  1. messages that need to be kept
  2. messages that require the receiver to action (do something)
  3. messages for when people are away from the chat room (I wonder if I can access the chat room by mobile)
  4. messages when I don't want to get caught up in the chat (I can waste a lot of time chatting)

chat rooms use:
  1. quick and easy talk (honey, I'll be late home tonight)
  2. no proof of conversation, hopefully! (come down to the pub and play pool with the mates tonight)
Blackboard use:
  1. ask questions and receive (correct) answers
  2. general information that I can use at a later date, "Asynchronous electronic communication is not the opposite of real-time, synchronous communication: rather it describes forms of communication that appear differently 'located in time' depending on the perspective of the sender and receiver."

Caution
I still have major concerns over the type of people using the chat rooms although I have read somewhere, can't remember where, that the CIA scan these types of services and look for key words to catch terrorists and others. I feel safer that big brother is watching, but it's not me that I worry about, it's my kids.

Chat-part 2

I have now been monitoring ICQ since 18 March and I have noticed something fascinating. Most of the participants 'speak in tongues' or some derivative of an ancient dialect from a remote part of the world. It reminds me of the South African movie The Gods Must Be Crazy where the main character, a bushman, speaks in clicks and other phonetic sounds.

I appreciate it's just a shorten version of the English language which has been abbreviated to save key stokes, but I wonder with kids being so tech savvy and essentially knowing how to code the written word, how will the spoken word evolve over the next few generations.



Getting past this, I have been aware of ICQ and IRC for some years now but have never used the service. I believed it to be just a waste of time or a playground for troubled people but this form of synchronistic communication has developed into a very useful tool. I'm connected with ICQ using the meebo service which is incredibly easy to use especially if you use Firefox add-ons. Meebo runs in the background of the browser, so if your connected to the web your live and ready to communicate. This type of chat would suite a more informal method of communication than email and would appear to have adequate security if you engage encryption of the traffic at the socket level. So yes I will probably continue to use the service if I can get someone to chat to. I have posted my number on the Yahoo group and on the BB asking if any will chat but I haven't received any responses to the request—maybe no one like me after my rants :(
I did pick up a copy of The weblog handbook by Rececca Blood so I hope to learn some netiquette soon.

Now talking about netiquette and getting back the chat rooms there appears to be no rules within this type of society. The language used as state above is abbreviated and difficult to follow unless your experienced (I wonder if there is netiquette siting inside the code like CSS) and if your not accepted into the discussion they others simply ignore you. It's like being in New York City without the muggers. This tactic of ignoring others is probably a survival practice of the tech savvy kids.

Just as I was finishing this entry I was luck to have a chat with a couple of NET11ers students in ICQ. It was great to catch up out of Uni in the cyberpub.

rethink-part 2

My point is, people who use the internet should be by now very aware of the security issues we face with online fraud. However, there is a broader issue of personal security. In brief we do not want to face another 9/11 or see repeated stories in the news where children have sexually abused or worse through the use of web dating. I know most kids are aware that chat rooms are potentially unsafe environments, but there will always be someone who is more vulnerable than others. Chat rooms in particular need to be mediated for content because parents can't have 24 hour control over their children nor should they. As responsible web uses we have a care of duty to provide a safe learning experience for all who wish to use it. I don't hate these types of communication, I think they need special attention from the authorities to clean it up but I guess this would be problematic given the current economic problems, climate change ....................

The list is endless so usually the innocent will suffer.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

rethink

After the tutors comments on the Discussion board about relating the exercisers to the concepts, it may appear that all my rants have been a waste of time.

I will need to refocus and rethink why I'm attempting to do a BA in Internet Communication.

For the time being I will put aside my prejudice and use the time as a discovery process.

I still think there's too much crap on the web so you will have to forgive me if I regress into a rant.

Chat part 1

OK, I can see now I may have been an bit too harsh on "Lists", the real deviant is the chat room.

more soon

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Newsgroups-part 1

I fear I may start ranting again.

It maybe that I'm not passionate enough on any particular topic to be involved in a newsgroup and I find the whole arena of this type entertainment extremely boring. After viewing some groups the conversation appears to transcend into mindless banter—have you every seen a group of budgies, there all talking at the same time but saying nothing. If I want this type of puerile recreation I'll go down to the pub and converse with my mates. At least its face to face and I can judge whether they're just crapping on.

I have no doubt there are newsgroups on the web that provide a valuable service, but looking through some of Google Groups it's difficult locate one without wasting an enormous amount of time. Maybe the key to this type of communication is perseverance or having someone invite you to join the group. Having a mole on the inside saves time.

OK, I have no desire to get a zero mark for this so I better say something constructive.

more soon

Monday, March 16, 2009

List part 1—a deviants playground

What are the pros and cons of email lists versus discussion boards?

Ok, so maybe I'm a cynic but I think most "Lists" are for degenerates with empty lives praying on vulnerable and naive souls. I hope it's a matter of misfortune or just bad luck in coming across inappropriate Lists.

As suggested in Module 2 notes I visited http://lists.topica.com/ with an open mind to join in on a "List". I then clicked on one of the subjects, Art & Design, then I proceeded to Digital Art Solutions which was described as Tips, news, and info for graphic professionals. So what did I find listed out of the 5 possible groups I could make a valued contribution, 5 pron sites. My first instincts were proven correct. Now I'm all for free speech, but, the web needs to be cleaned up, there's way too much crap about. If I was an alien with superior technology scanning the universe to find intelligent life and I came across the web from the planet Earth, I really would think it was Planet of the Apes -20%.

However, I must not paint all Lists with the same broad brush.

So I tried again, this time I selected the Astronomy Digest, written in its description was a length list of vulgarity, porn sites again.

The third go was a little better, I joined a photography List and I will report back soon.

However, I refuse the believe all Lists are as narcissistic or hedonistic as the people who contribute at http://lists.topica.com/. This site is a spawning ground for the devils work. Why would you waste time on people you just can't trust and where everything comes into question over the information that's being broadcast. If the academics say you can't trust Wikipedia, why the hell would you be bothered with an unmediated service. So if the very nature of truth comes into question and deception is an everyday occurrence for this site, how can this be a worthy experience.

In the end cyber-relation creeps into normal life, very slowly but surely. Sites like http://lists.topica.com/ are the asshole of the web.

Sterile list of Pros:
  1. communicate with a broad group of people inexpensively
  2. efficient method of dispersing information to members
  3. still waiting to find another
Sterile list of Cons:
  1. not good for communicating on an individual to individual basis
  2. mishandled email list can be sold to spammers
  3. unmediated content can quickly go bush (go off track) and be a complete waste of time
  4. poorly run group will just become a pain in the ass and clutter your Inbox when in content degrades into rambling conversations.

Creative list of Cons: a very apt word for this type of Lists
  1. lists are like the Catholic church, one way communication. Dictating their doctrine views without listening to the followers. see ABC Compass
  2. breading ground depravity (like a very nasty rash or venereal disease)
  3. easy to broadcast your thoughts to similar pervert and create a community of would-be sex offenders
  4. induce misconceptions and deceit
  5. powerful tool to incite hatred and racist groups KKK, http://www.christianconcepts.net/informat.htm or the Nazi Party, http://www.americannaziparty.com/index.php. Call me paranoid but I have not directly linked these sites as I have no wish for these types of people to have a look at their referral list and see my details. So if you would like to view these sites then copy the address and past it into your browser.
In saying all this I am a member of a few lists groups, not the kind I describe above educational
groups. These can work in a very powerful way when used to better ones self.

Are there certain kinds of communication or purposes more suited to one than the other?

I find the Listserv that I subscribe to predominatly tend to be one-way communications, receiving newsletters and information for use in hobbies, finance or sport. The information that I read from a list I may like to act on but I will very rarely contribute to.

Discussion boards are used for more of a two-way communication, listening and contributing to the posts and threads. There is usually a mediator to oversee the content and by their very nature tend to be more respectful, considerate and stay targeted to the purpose it was created for.

OK, maybe not all List are bad, I think I will need to investigate further.

To "folder structure" or not to "folder structure" that is the question

5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

I wish I could have the control that I have in Adobe Bridge managing files incorporated into emails—within Bridge I have access to a fantastic array of options but in the email software it's basic. The screen shot below is not the actual email folder, it's just a sample of the type of structure I employ managing emails. I can't show you the real information, you know how the saying goes "if I show you, I'd have to kill you". I don't know who said that so I can't quote it.

I know I have already answered this question below but folder structure is closely connected to filters and they have a symbiotic relationship. I employ this process to presort the emails into folders, this saves time by having the computer do the mindless monkey work and leaving my ape brain + 2% to work on the creative tasks. (The chimpanzee is only 2% different from humans genetically, (Jane Goodall, Hope for Harvest, 2005). Scary, it should be called Planet of the Apes +2%.)

email structure


Adobe Bridge structure