When I first came upon this whole new world on the internet filled with all sorts of discussions I was blown away, and didn't know what to do with myself. I started with browsing the different groups, and getting a feel for what topics were out there that i would be interested in. Although there are thousands of topics to talk about, I could not find one that I could really get interested in. When I actually did find a topic that I was willing to discuss, there were either very few members, or the discussion was over two years old. After over two hours I finally found a topic I was interested in, and I contributed to the USENET community.
Although I think the overall idea of USENET is a great one, I don't think I would use it on a regular basis. It was just too complicated for me, and it took too long to find something I was interested in. I do contribute to discussion groups on IMDB.com every now and again to discuss different movies that I have seen, and my opinion of them (I know I'm a nerd). I like this website because it's very easy to use and they have every movie you can think of. Unlike USENET, I will definitely be returning to IMDB.com.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Sympathy Hoaxes
Among the many hoaxes that are found on the internet, the sympathy hoax is by far one of the most sad and ridiculous hoaxes out there. The sympathy hoax ranges from missing children to pull tabs for charity. These hoaxes have one purpose, and that’s to be sent to everyone you know. Although the messages are usually untrue, some are actually real situations that have been resolved a long time ago. “Most of the hoax messages play on your need to help other people (www.hoaxbusters.org).” Who wouldn’t want to help a little girl who is dying from cancer, or pass on a missing children’s report to all your friends and family? From now on whenever these messages arrive in your e-mail, just delete them because they are more than likely to be untrue. If you feel guilty about deleting a message without checking to see if it’s true or not you can go to a few different websites listed below to check it out first:
* http://www.missingkids.org/
* http://www.wish.org/about/chain_letters
* http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
Although the costs and risks of the sympathy hoax don’t seem to be high, the price can definitely add up when it is being sent to everyone you know. “No matter what the message may claim about the need for sympathy, goodwill, condemnation or action, if you can't verify that the message is true, its likely that someone is trying to make a fool of you (www.nonprofit.net).” So next time you come across a ridiculous sympathy e-mail, don’t be a fool, just delete it!
Works Cited
Don’t Spread That Hoax. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/
Hoaxbusters: Information About Hoaxes. Retrieved February 10, 2008
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxInfo.html#what
* http://www.missingkids.org/
* http://www.wish.org/about/chain_letters
* http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
Although the costs and risks of the sympathy hoax don’t seem to be high, the price can definitely add up when it is being sent to everyone you know. “No matter what the message may claim about the need for sympathy, goodwill, condemnation or action, if you can't verify that the message is true, its likely that someone is trying to make a fool of you (www.nonprofit.net).” So next time you come across a ridiculous sympathy e-mail, don’t be a fool, just delete it!
Works Cited
Don’t Spread That Hoax. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/
Hoaxbusters: Information About Hoaxes. Retrieved February 10, 2008
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxInfo.html#what
Saturday, February 2, 2008
That Darn Spam
Most everyone who has an e-mail address has experienced the never ending parade of unsolicited bulk messages, also known as spam. Spamming is commonly used by advertisers because for one thing there are no operating costs, and another big reason is because it is hard to hold these spammers accountable for their mass mailings. Although the most common form of spam is e-mail spam, there are many other forms used on the internet. Other forms of spam are instant messaging, chat room spam,and newsgroup spam.
I know I have experienced spam first-hand through Myspace where the spammers make a fake sign-in so they could get your e-mail and password, then they sign on to your account and send spam to all of your friends. Then once you find out you have been sending these weird messages to all you friends, you have to change your password to get rid of it. Although most spam is found on the internet, there is also mobile phone spam where the advertisers use text messaging. Spamming is not always used for advertising purposes. Some use spam for their own political or religious purposes.
According to Sophos labs during the third quarter of 2007, 28.4% of spam all over the world comes from the U.S.. South Korea was in second with 5.2%. I honestly wasn't surprised to find that we were at the top of the list, and by such a large margin. Last year the California Legislature found that spam cost the U.S. organizations $13 billion! This cost was based on additional equipment, lost productivity,software, and the extra manpower needed to control the problem. Everyone needs to do their part to get rid of this nasty problem. If you receive a spam e-mail, make sure you delete it and don't think twice about it. Hopefully we can take care of this problem before it gets any worse.
"Spam (electronic)." Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Received February 2, 2008.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam
I know I have experienced spam first-hand through Myspace where the spammers make a fake sign-in so they could get your e-mail and password, then they sign on to your account and send spam to all of your friends. Then once you find out you have been sending these weird messages to all you friends, you have to change your password to get rid of it. Although most spam is found on the internet, there is also mobile phone spam where the advertisers use text messaging. Spamming is not always used for advertising purposes. Some use spam for their own political or religious purposes.
According to Sophos labs during the third quarter of 2007, 28.4% of spam all over the world comes from the U.S.. South Korea was in second with 5.2%. I honestly wasn't surprised to find that we were at the top of the list, and by such a large margin. Last year the California Legislature found that spam cost the U.S. organizations $13 billion! This cost was based on additional equipment, lost productivity,software, and the extra manpower needed to control the problem. Everyone needs to do their part to get rid of this nasty problem. If you receive a spam e-mail, make sure you delete it and don't think twice about it. Hopefully we can take care of this problem before it gets any worse.
"Spam (electronic)." Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Received February 2, 2008.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam
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