Writing Assignment 14: Choice

For this final blog post, the topical field is wide open. You may choose your own topic, provided it is related to something we've discussed this semester. Look to your own interests or current events for inspiration. I expect to see a strong thesis and coherent argument, as well as three external references (although your references need not necessarily be scholarly).

Recall that a portion of your grade is determined by your participation as a commenter on other students' blogs. To ensure that this participation grade is accurate, you should send me a short email containing links to some of your best comments and an argument for the number of points (up to ten) you think your participation deserves.

This final blog and comments are due Friday, December 5, at 4pm. Have fun.

Writing Assignment 13: Government 2.0?

A reader of popular nerd-blog Slashdot submitted an interesting question today:

how do you think government (either in the United States or elsewhere) can best utilize technology to engage the public and make government more transparent and accessible?

That's a great question for the class, as it links to many of the issues we have discussed this semester --so I'll pose the same question to you. Read through the links in the Slashdot post, and if you are feeling adventurous, read through the Slashdot comments as well for various perspectives. The President-elect has indicated that he intends to continue utilizing communication technologies in innovative ways -- which of these uses do you think will be most effective? Present your argument in standard essay format. There are no formal citation requirements for this assignment, but be sure to link to the Slashdot post, any comments that helped shape your opinion, etc.

This assignment is due Friday, November 21, at 4:00pm.

Writing Assignment 12: Net Neutrality

Current Net Events assignment:
A current subject of much debate is "network neutrality." For this writing assignment, you will need to familiarize yourself with this debate, show that you understand it, and present an argument for or against legislated network neutrality. This week's assigned readings are a good place to start learning about the issue, but you will probably need to do some searching on your own. At a minimum, your post must address these issues:

• What is the current debate over network neutrality?
• Whose interests are at stake, and what are these interests?
• Why do you support or oppose network neutrality?

This assignment is due Friday, November 14, at 4:00pm ET.

Writing Assignment 11: Internet Gaming and Virtual Worlds

Internet gaming and virtual worlds represent one of the most interesting (and potentially lucrative) areas of social internet development. This week, you have two options regarding your blog topic. Choose one:

1. Spend a few hours in Second Life, and write a short (500-700 word) essay discussing your experience. This would be a great project to attempt with a colleague -- meet somewhere with your laptops and explore together. In your essay, I'd like to see a clear thesis and supporting discussion. "Second Life is stupid" is a bad thesis, and so is "I spent four hours configuring my avatar's appearance." A better thesis might be "Second Life can be an effective tool for learning, because..." or "Artists in Second Life are making effective use of the medium." Note: Second Life requires you to sign up for an account and download client software, and has a (rather gentle) learning curve. This isn't a "day-of" project -- but will be fun and a great help in understanding the course topics for next week.
2. Reflect on the intersections of real-life and "virtual" economies as discussed in the assigned readings. Second Life actively encourages players to buy and sell virtual property using "real" money, while World of Warcraft actively discourages this. Write a short (500-700 word) essay that contrasts an "open" virtual economy (such as Second Life's) with a "closed" virtual economy (such as WoW's, and many massively-multiplayer online games'). What are the important issues of putting real money into virtual worlds?

This assignment is due Friday, November 7, at 4:00pm ET. I realize that we are moving into potentially unfamiliar territory here -- read the assigned readings carefully, pursue your own research, and feel free to post any questions. Have fun (seriously...)!

Writing Assignment 10: Journalism

Choose a current event or news topic that has received significant media attention. Choose one article on the topic from a print news source (newspaper or magazine) and one article from an online news source (news site, blog, etc.) Do NOT choose a print and online article from the same source (such as an article from Time magazine and an article from time.com). Compare the content and presentation of the articles, and discuss how online news differs from print news. Be sure to correctly and completely cite the two articles you are comparing, as well as two additional references you use to construct your argument.

This post is due Friday, October 31, at 4:00PM ET

Writing Assignment 9: Politics

How has the advent of the Internet changed politics? Do new communication technologies enable broader political participation?

Here’s the Question of the Week:

1. Adopt either a New York politician who blogs or a Buffalo blogger who discusses politics.
2. In a well-structured essay, share the following about your adopted blog (where possible):
   1. Blog’s Title and URL
   2. Blogger’s Name (or Pseudonym)
   3. Blogger’s Occupation (politician or citizen blogger)
   4. Blog’s Date of Birth (look for the first post)
   5. Technorati Rank (see explanation)
3. Discuss the tone of this blog (e.g. highlight key conversations, readers’ comments, etc).
4. Make a concise argument blogs are affecting LOCAL (New York or Buffalo) politics, supported with at least two APA-style citations.
5. *Optional: Drop a comment on your adopted blog so they can learn about your post.

This post is due Friday, October 24 at 4:00pm.

Writing Assignments 7 and 8

Because next week will consist of the presentations and the exam, there are no readings this week. In hopes of making it easier to budget your time, you have two weeks to complete the next writing assignment(s): the due date Friday, October 17, at 4:00PM.

Writing Assignment 7: Community
Identify a group which is partially or completely mediated by the internet, and of which you are an active participant. This could anything from a student or professional group that uses an emailing list, to your World of Warcraft guild, to a group of friends who monitor and comment on each other’s blogs. Discuss how the internet communication technology used (listserve, blog, IM, etc.) affects the development of social ties (relationships) within the group. You may find it useful to contrast your online community with other offline communities you belong to. Some of you identified an online community in your last blog post - it is fine if you want to discuss the same community again, as long as you address the required points. Cite at least two references using APA style.

Writing assignment 8: Web Application Review

If you choose to complete this assignment, your task is to review a web application. This is basically a website that does something interactive and productive, like a regular software application. Examples include Google Calendar, Flickr, and Librarything. Your review essay will need to include:

• The site’s name and URL
• A brief description of the site’s functionality
• A discussion of the site’s design (how does it look, and how does this affect the way it works?)
• A discussion of the social aspects (if any) of the site
• Why you think the site is interesting/useful/beneficial

You might find inspiration at TechCrunch which often reviews new web applications, or the DMOZ internet directory project.