E-Democracy

The rise of ‘e-democracy’

1,668,870,408 people use the internet every day. (Internet world statistics, 2009) The internet is a revolutionary source that is used for many reasons, the most common being for communication. Not only communication via social networking sites, but also through news and instant messaging. In recent years, the internet has become an essential part of politics. According to Merriam Webster’s online Dictionary, Politics is the art or science of government, through winning and holding control over a government. Through online campaigning, online advertising and even now the suggestion of online voting, it can be seen that politics has moved into the world of cyberspace.

The internet has become a part of daily life, and is used more than anyone could have ever predicted. Is could be said that the internet has no boundaries of what it is capable of, and can reach target audiences of millions of people. With the services that are available such as twitter and other social networking sites, the age of digital communication within the political sphere has taken off. Twitter is a popular site for politicians, according to Antoni Slodkowski (2009), “On a busy day, politicians post up to 200 messages. Each consists of no more than 140 characters and in some cases is viewed by more than 5,000 readers.”

Politicians take to the internet to bring a sense of personability back to their image. The idea of "community" in the age of networked digital media has been slowly taken away, as words through a computer screen are much less effective than those spoken and viewed. In October 2007, just before the federal election, AAP General News Wire reported that both leaders were taking to the internet to discuss religion with voters. Kevin Rudd and John Howard used the internet to converse with many voters about religion and christianity. “100,000 Christians around the country are expected to pack into more than 700 venues to watch the event, which will be streamed live on the internet from the National Press Club in Canberra.” This event added to the many way in which both political leaders took to the internet to push their campaign.

Online campaigning and advertising reaches a large audience, and therefore is ideal for politicians to use during a campaign period. A survey completed by Jim Galloway in 2008 showed “Ten percent of all Americans have used vehicles like Facebook or MySpace for political activity.” He went on to say that “young adults in particular these sites are a key component of the online political experience: 66 percent of Internet users under the age of 30 have a social networking profile, and half of the young profile users use social networking sites to get or share information about the candidates and the campaign." However, Social networking sites are not the only internet sources that are viewed and used for political advertising.

The News is another wonderful source of advertising for any form of politics. Bartholomew sparrow stated that “The U.S. president, the media, and public opinion survey data all represent the American public: the U.S. president serves as the personification and symbol of the U.S. government to the press and people alike; the news and opinion publicized in the media constitute the public sphere; and public opinion polls are accepted as indicators of the public's opinions and beliefs.”

Another prime example of online campaigning is that of United States Lumberton mayoral candidate, Gene Stewart. He stated that he prefers to use the internet to connect with people as "You can only get out so much information in short conversations, but if you can get people to look at your Web page, they can learn so much more about me in a short time."

Internet voting is another idea that has been widely suggested, as more people use the internet than those who vote on Election Day. The Federal Government have been investigating an electoral reform, in an attempt to lure voters into casting their vote on Election Day. Ninemsn news reported that the federal government were investigating a “range of issues affecting the electoral process, such as lowering the voting age, who should be eligible to vote, the use of technology and fixed electoral terms.” The report went on to say that the opposition claim that voting through the internet could cause a whole new set of problems. Both the US and UK have considered using online voting, as it has more accurate results and increases number of citizens who vote. (Parliamentary office of Science and Technology, 2009


When Barack Obama was elected as U.S President in 2008, the world was at a stand still. Thanks to the internet, people from all over the world could follow the election results live online with state by state results. In the age of digital networks that have the potential to span the whole planet, the relationship between politics and the internet is inevitable. In this example with the presidential election, people from all over the world watched, even though it was not their country. Due to politics taking to the internet, people can have a better understanding of not only their local, state, and federal politicians, but also now the international politicians, who all have a bearing on the way that we live. Through political institutions such as the UN, international politician’s impact on the way our country is run, so it is important for people to be able to follow these politicians and understand them, as we do our own.

The internet is undoubtedly a very strong political institution, as it has millions of users all around the world. Through the internet politicians can market them selves, they can talk personally to people they would not ordinarily be able to talk to, they can spread their message to the whole world and the internet can also be used for voting online and census’. The internet is an integral part of politics, helping politicians to spread their message, whilst keeping up to date with new communication technologies.

Reference List

Election Centre, 2008. CNN Politics. President – Election Centre 2008. http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president/

Fed: Howard, Rudd to address Christians over the net. 2007. AAP General News Wire August 8 1. http://www.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/

Galloway, J. 2008. Political Insider: On the Internet, politics, and GOP wariness of social networking. The Atlanta Journal -Constitution, June 16, http://www.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/

Internet World Stats: Usage and Population statistics, 2009. Internet usage and population in Oceania http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats6.htm

Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, 2009. Merriam Webster: Politics http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/politics

O’Malley, S. 2009. Nine MSN News. Online voting could be on the cards http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/866842/online-voting-could-be-on-the-cards

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2001. Post note: Online Voting Number 155. http://www.parliament.uk/post/pn155.pdf

Shehane, J. 2009. Some candidates go to cyberspace; others stick with face-to-face campaigns. McClatchy - Tribune Business News March 31 http://www.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/

Slodkowski, A 2009. Politicians tap Twitter to tweak profiles. McClatchy -Tribune Business News July 29 http://www.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/

Sparrow, B. 2008. Who Speaks for the People? The President, the Press, and Public Opinion in the United States. Presidential Studies Quarterly 38, no. 4,(December 1):578-592. http://www.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/

The Assignment!!

Well hi there blogger friends,

Hope all of your assignments are going well. I'm not having to many difficulties writing the actual assignment suprisingly. My only problem is that I have sooooooooo much that I want to write.....

I wrote out a plan - with different catagories. I split the question up into it's seperate components and I found an example for each part of the qestion. Unfortunately I state it so blatently because of the word limit!!! I don't get to delve in and analyze the closer aspects of it, which is what I love to do.

I don't know how anything I write will stay under the word limit. - Hello! Politics!! Ha.... word limit. I just hope that it all works out, it's been such an interesting topic, but my brain is frying with all the assessment going on, so very very soon it will be over, and my brain can go back to sipping cocktails.... oh wait, that will be me!

Any who, best of luck friends, I look forward to peeping at your assignments over the weekend!

Until the next chapter...
xxx

So long and thanks for all the fish...

Well, my blogging is coming to an end for this subject. And, as a final task, we have to post a course evaluation!

I really enjoyed this course. It had all the elements of a good subject, it had variety, humor and most importantly FUN!

The tutorital tasks sometimes asked a bit much of us, for instance, I hardly had time to make the 3 minute video. For another subject I had to create a 4 minute video, and it was worth almost a quarter of our mark, where as this one is worth, well, nothing.

But I can't complain, I had fun making it!

This course was really great, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to explore the internet further.

It wasn't exactly what the course outline said it would be, but I still really enjoyed it.

So, thank you for this opportunity to be introduced to the online blogging world, congratulations, I'm addicted. So much so that I have started my own blog at tumblr.com

feel free to follow me there, if you think you will have withdrawal symptoms of my blogs.
http://brerose.tumblr.com/

Until the next chapter....
xx
Bre

Tutorial task - week 9

What are the uses/limits of the internet in terms of politics and/or democracy? Should we rethink the nature of the political? What happens to the nation/state in the age of networks that have the potential to span thewhole planet? What has happened to the idea of "community" in the age of networked digital media? Discuss with an example.

I have chosen this topic because I am really interested in politics, and I know that it is relevant as just last week Kevin Rudd announced that he was considering online voting! The way the question is worded also looks like it will be an easy essay to plan. That is, one paragraph per question that is posed.

So, off to the library journals!! Seeing as this is a ‘using new technology’ course, I’m sure that it shouldn’t be a problem if most of our sources are online!!


http://proquest.umi.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/pqdweb?index=0&did=1809434841&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1253756134&clientId=13713

This is a good document that I found about politicians using TWITTER! I haven’t seen any other information like this. We all know that politicians use twitter, but I find it amusing that this research was done! This will help my argument, as it is a prime example of online campaigning.
“On a busy day, politicians post up to 200 messages. Each consists of no more than 140 characters and in some cases is viewed by more than 5,000 readers.”

http://proquest.umi.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/pqdweb?index=1&did=1670189041&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1253757007&clientId=13713
This is an article about politicians using the internet for campagining. Through typing in “Internet AND Poltics”, I have found many articles simaler to this, but this was the best I found. It is another prime example of online campagining.
"You can only get out so much information in short conversations, but if you can get people to look at your Web page, they can learn so much more about me in a short time."

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/866842/online-voting-could-be-on-the-cards
This is an article from NineMSN news.It’s about how in the future voting could be carried out online. It’s a new idea that I don’t think will actually be carried out. It’s another example of how internet is taking over our daily lives.
“In its second green paper on electoral reform, released Wednesday, the government canvasses a range of issues affecting the electoral process, such as lowering the voting age, who should be eligible to vote, the use of technology and fixed electoral terms.”

http://proquest.umi.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/pqdweb?index=4&did=1499400371&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1253846961&clientId=13713
This jornal is mainly american, however the internet is such a wide source, that I think I may have to expand my assignment into a global idea.
“Ten percent of all Americans have used vehicles like Facebook or MySpace for political activity: "For young adults in particular these sites are a key component of the online political experience: 66 percent of Internet users under the age of 30 have a social networking profile, and half of the young profile users use social networking sites to get or share information about the candidates and the campaign."

http://proquest.umi.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/pqdweb?index=1&did=1365678311&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1253847309&clientId=13713
This source speaks mainly about Kevin Rudd and John Howard talking to Christians regarding religion and politics over the internet. But it stems much wider than just this, it is politicians conversing with people over the internet, which is key argument to the rise of e-democracy.
“As many as 100,000 Christians around the country are expected to pack into more than 700 venues to watch the event, which will be streamed live on the internet from the National Press Club in Canberra.”

Lecture 9

Hello again!

Wow, wow and wow! What more can I say about todays lecture. It was fantastic. I was talking to some friends as we left and we all just LOVED it!!!

The lecture subject was called 'cyberutopia' - following from the other lecture last week. (Or was it the week before?) We had a guest lecturer, Jason Nelson. He had all of us captivated. It wasn't a great turn out for the lecture I thought, those who didn't go sure missed out!

So, Jason talked about using the internet for different reasons. Like, for instance, I mainly use it for research and social networking. And, as Jason mentioned, Social Networking is the main reason that people use the internet. Not just sites like Facebook and Twitter, but in forms of blogging, comments and email - Communication!!

I loved the description of Social Networking Sites that Jason used, How there is a trend, like for instance - Myspace was all the rage. Then it was bebo and flickr, now facebook and twitter!! I find that amusing because I have followed that exact pattern with my internet usage! It was like, the rise and fall of websites or something. Very interesting. I had sort of noticed that already, but I thought it was just my age group!!

We went through a lot of websites, including Jason's own website, Secret Technology. It was so awesome and trippy!!!

It was wayyyy too much info to take in, and if I hadn't looked back at my lecture notes for this one, I wouldn't have remembered everything he said... I wish Jason was a book, so I could read so much more!!!

And on the note - I shall leave, I hope everyone has happy and productive holidays! See you in a week!!! (That is, after I post my tutorial tasks tomorrow!!!)

=)

Until the next chapter...

Video!!

Here is my long awaited 3 minute video!! So, my first video was 1minute long and was - what I liked to say -my life in one minute.

So when I relised we have to expand on the I thought to myelf - "Oh crap!! I've already put my life into a minute - how can I expand on that?"

Well my friends, I can, and did. The music used is an original song that I wrote. I don't claim to be an artist, so please, don't get me wrong, I'm not putting my music on there for everyone to say "Oh wow, she's a great singer!" Because I'm not, and I don't claim to be.

I added some pictures from now and there's a little bit of video of me singing and a little video of my puppy, he's just the cutest!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, enjoy, as much as possible anyway. Sorry for the delay in getting the video up, have been dealing wth other issues!!

Until the next chapter....

Lecture 8

Well, there was no lecture today, due to union strikes!

I would have LOVED to have gone to this lecture!!! Politics is what I am majoring in, and this would have been right up my ally. I hope we touch on it next week!! Yes, I'm strange, don't judge me. You're the one reading my blogs, you should be the one being judged.

Studying politics, it's funny for me to see terms like 'e-democracy', it made me giggle. But, there is a certain truth to the concept. In this modern era, a lot of politicians are turning to the internet to reach a larger audience.

I also loved the term 'Cyberpunk'. Yes, that's right cyberpunks, you're SO cool, having an opinion and fighting for something OVER THE INTERNET. If you believe in something you should get out there and do it. You rebellious punks, you!

I can see the point of William Gibson's ideas, but to be perfectly honest, I don't see how they relate to the course.... or indeed, the questions at hand in the lecture. I've always loved the theories of 'utopia' and 'dystopia' - they are so far-fetched, and amusing.

I never realised how many sub-sections of political ideals are presented on the internet. It's definitely an area I would like to explore more!!

I had fun with the tutorial tasks this week. I certainly hope this is elaborated on next lecture.

Until the next chapter...

~Bre

Lecture 7

Well hello again

I didn't make it to the week seven lecture, for personal reasons..... and after reviewing the power point I think I have made myself more confused!! So I shall try my best to elaborate on the lecture, as I see it from the slides, but I do apologise if it's incorrect!!

The basic idea that I got from the slides was that the lecture was about free software, and things that are globally shared through them being on the internet. It looks as though it's saying that because things are on the internet, for everyone to see, it is not necessarily copyright?

How am I doing so far?

if that is the case I disagree completely. Just because something is publicly viewable, doesn't mean it compromises the security. Hell, if that were the case I'd re-write Harry Potter and become a millionaire!!

I figure that the overall theory behind this lecture is about perhaps the lack of safety on the internet being an issue with regards to software sharing, and how it is also taking money from businesses.

For example, the proprietary software is software that CAN be downloaded for free, but is ILLEGAL, as it is owned by businesses and corporations. Free software is, well, the opposite!

I hope I'm in the ball park with this... it sounds right to me!! It looks like it would have been a wonderful lecture, I wish I could have made it!!

Until the next chapter...

~ Bre

Lecture 6

My my how time flies!!

I was certain I had been keeping up with my lecture summaries, alas, my brain has deceived me.

Now, in a nice sequence I shall strain my memory back to lecture 6.... with the help of the lecture notes...Hang on.... there we go... learning@GU, I ♥ you.

Ahh yes, consumer vs. producer.

What an interesting concept. Are we the consumer of media and information, or a we producing it, through content and blogs!

So, I basically took being a 'consumer' as consuming content... for instance, reading news.com...... to be a producer is to produce the content that is on the internet.... So, to post a comment on that website would be producing..... well, that's how I took it anyway.

The lecture used different examples, through movies and other new forms of media, but I think it can aptly be described through my description using the internet as an example!

It spurs the question, where is the line drawn... when do we stop becoming a consumer and begin to become a producer. When we watch movies we are a consumer, but the money we use to pay for them produces more movies!!

Ok, maybe not the best analagy, but you know what I mean! What do you think? Are you a consumer, are you a producer? DO YOU CARE??!!

Food for thought....

Until the next chapter...

~Bre

Connections, Connections, Connections - Week 8

Well my bloggers - I haven't been around recently, been overwhelmed recently with lots of things to do!



I must catch up on all of my lecture reviews, and finish my 3 minute video. However, this blog is on this weeks weekly tasks!



So, basically we had to use the internet to get a lot of information about people!! STALKER, AWAY!!!



-Sign an e-petition.

I signed "Decriminalisation of abortion in QLD" petiton!! https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_QLD/Confirmation.aspx?PetNum=1302&lIndex=-1


-Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site.

I responded to a comment on NineMSN quite a while ago to this article! http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25168815-952,00.html#submit-feedback


-What is Barak Obama up to today?
He is playing with light sabers!! http://news.ninemsn.com.au/glance/864223/obama-wan-kenobi-shows-off-jedi-skills



-Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are.

Local: Shayne Sutton (Morningside). State: Di Farmer (Bulimba). Federal: Kevin Rudd (Griffith)


-Look up the Queensland or Australian hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in parliament.

01-09-09 - I even have the transcript to prove it!


-Let your local member know what you think about their last speech.


From: Bre Rose

Sent: Wednesday, 16 September 2009 4:15 PM

To: Shayne Sutton

Subject: Assessment



Hey Shayne, Your last speech in parliament was tops....haha. I have the dumbest assessment for one of my subjects. I have to keep a blog and do these tutorial tasks... this weeks task:
· Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are.
· Look up the Queensland or Australian hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in parliament.
· Let your local member know what you think about their last speech. I'm not sure if you're going to get bombarded with emails or calls, but I basically need to tell you how awesome you are, then copy this email into my blog. (Don't worry, I'll only use the content, I won't copy your email address)Did you ever do something this strange when you were at Griffith? No? Didn't think so. Hope you're well. I'll see you next Monday? I told Lisa I'd come in and do some media clips again... p.s - I never looked up your speech...sorry, I'm sure it was awesome though! :)Bre

(Kinda lucky I already knew her...)

-Read the lecture and the readings, pursue a couple of the topics that you find most interesting and then post your blog with your well-considered thoughts about the theory and practice of politics.

I've alwys been interested in politics. Well, for a long time anyway. I grew up in a rather liberal based household, so for me to turn out as a labor supporter, well, just proves that I like going against the tide.

I understand how people can think of politians as liars and cheats, but I honestly think they are genuine people, who all have a common goal - to help the people.

You can read more about that in my lecture summary for this week!!

Until the next chapter...

~ Bre

Videooooo

Hi yall,

Here's a video I made.... basically photos I have of me from a young age to now.... basically my life. Hehe!! Hope you enjoy it!

Until the next chapter...


~Bre

MSN vs. IMVU

Well hello again!

Here is week 5 tutorial task. It asked us to examine both MSN and a 3D virtual world, such as IMVU, habbo hotel and sites like that.

Personally, I'm not a fan of 3D worlds, I think that's taking Internet chat rooms to the extreme!! So I'll try to remain unbiased.


What are the qualitative differences between the regular IM program and a 3D environment?

Being in a 3D environment gives the user a sense of 'reality'. The people that they are talking to on the computer have an avatar that it essentially them. Although it doesn't necessarily make the game being played a more realistic game, it just portrays that image.

What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference?

Also, in 3D chat rooms there are quite a lot of players. They come from all over the globe, and could be anyone. This makes 3D chat much more dangerous then MSN, as the people you talk to on MSN are added by you. 3D Chat is especially dangerous for young kids, as thy are lured into the excitement of creating their own world, but not realising the dangers of talking to other people on the Internet.

Until the next chapter...
~Bre

Lecture 5

Well hello again!!

Surprised to see you here! How have you been? Enough chit chat, we have a lot to get through!!

Lecture 5 was one of the best so far. Well, that or last week, where we were watching awesome town!
*Come along with us!* *clap clap**come along to awesome town!* Good times.

This lecture was all about web 2.0 - Compared to web 1.0 (which, really, doesn't exist). It's the new web, just like a new generation! From what I understood of he lecture, Web 2.0 is a more 'user friendly' style of Internet, that has more features (including security) for users.

Also, is a more "read-write" style of content, where users can add information to pages (Such as Wikipedia, and even blogs)

We also looked at "Social Media" With the promise of getting over 100 followers I put the term "social media" into one of my tweets. Alas, No such luck! Perhaps everyone IS a social media expert... but I guess that just goes against the general definition of 'Expert'

The question "Are we consumers or creaters" was posed in the lecture, that really got me thinking, because we are definately consumers of the internet, we view things that really aren't ours..... But, on the other hand, if you have a facebook or a twitter then you are a creater, because you create something that other people consume!! I think therre is no clear line as to weather you are a consumer or creater, nor should there be!

Thanks to the lecture, I am not addicted to 'lamebook' - it's hilarious... I logged onto 'arsebook' - but quickly left... i'm not entirely sure how that is appropriate/relates to social media? Looked like a porn site to me?!



Until the next chapter....
~Bre

What a story!!

Check this out!! What a story!! It's about a boy who was 16 who used all sorts of technology to hack into phone lines!!

Worth a read!!!

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/29787673/the_boy_who_heard_too_much/print

Until the next chapter....

~Bre~

Lecture 1

The lecture for week one was mainly housekeeping for the semester ahead.

Assessment and content looks exciting, the trick is to keep up with the blogs (which, as you can tell, I've learnt the harder way!!!!)

Well, that's about it from my notes!!

Until the next chapter...

~Bre~

Lecture 2:Summary

Hey there!

So, lecture 2 was very information filled, leaving lots of time for sleeping! Just Joking! It was a really good lecture, about the history or computers! Stephen told us how the very first computers were used for maths and science, and I believe they were also used to keep cards or prisoners? Maybe I misheard, but I believe that was the case.

He also talked about how 'Apple' started at "Home Brew" meetings of IT 'nerds'.... Well, now those nerds are rich, so, I will never make fun of a World of Warcraft fan ever again. Well....maybe. No Promises.

I simply loved this quote from the lecture:


' (Cyberspace is) a common mental geography, built, in turn, by consensus and revolution, canon and experiment; a territory swarming with data and lies, with mind stuff and memories of nature, with a million voices and two million eyes in a silent, invisible concert of inquiry deal-making, dream sharing, and simple beholding '

Benedikt

It very much so captured the essence of the Internet, such a wonderful invention, that is so amazing, yet full of 'lies' and 'deal-making' - It captured the essence of the "two sided" Internet really well. That's what I feel Internet is, very two sided. The invention itself is wonderful, but the content that goes on within the Internet is anything but wonderful. It a very interesting point that Benedikt had made.

I also never realised that there was a difference between the "Internet" and "World Wide Web"

Overall the history of the Internet is amazing!! I can't wait to see what the Internet holds in the future!

Until the next chapter...
~Bre~

Lecture 3 and 4

This lecture was the materical for both lectures 3 and 4, as lecture 3 was a public holiday.

We spoke about camera angles and how different shots mean different things. I think that mostly camera angles are rather obvious, but I found it quite interesting to see how they are used to portray the "Who, What, When, Why, Where and How" of a film.

It was also interesting to see how just the Angles, but the spaces used in the shot. i.e - head space and such.

The rules such as the rule of thirds and the 180 degree rule were also extremely interesting things that I had never thought about before.

Overall it was some really interesting material that I learnt!! I hope I can now analyze movies and interpret them a little different when watching them through gathering this new information!

Until the next chapter...

~Bre~

10 Questions

Here are 10 questions from the tutorial task that I had to answer WITHOUT google or any popular search engine. Let's see how nerdy I can get!








1. What did Alan Turing wear while riding his bicycle around Bletchley Park?



Gas Mask (Lecture Notes)







2. On what date did two computers first communicate with each other? Where were they?

1969. UCLA (ucla.com)










3. What is Bill Gates’ birthday and what age was he when he sold his first software?


Born on Oct. 28, 1955. He was 13 When he first created and sold his first software. (Off Microsoft.com)








4. Where was the World Wide Web invented?

CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), in Switzerland. (Yahoo! Answers)

5. How does the power of the computer you are working on now compare with the power of a personal computer from 30 years ago?

Many advances have occurred in the past 30 years if technology. This includes more space, data and memory. (Common Knowledge) :)

6. What is the weight of the largest parsnip ever grown?



8 pounds 6 ounces. (Ask.com)







7. When did Queensland become a state and why is the Tweed River in New South Wales?

June 6, 1859. Tweed river was a convenient landmark to make the distinction between NSW and QLD (http://www.qld.gov.au/)









8. What was the weather like in south-east Queensland on 17 November 1954?
Cyclone (Bureau of Meteorology)










9. Why is is Lord Byron still remembered in Venice?

He was a leading poet, and commonly known as the "Don Juan De Marko" of Venice, for his romance and antics with women. (Bing.com)

10. What band did Sirhan Chapman play in and what is his real name?

Black Assassins - Stephen Stockwell. (Bing.com)

Extra Stuff.....

How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the Internet?

Pages go in order of relevance to your key search words and by popularity!

who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?

By companies that pay for search engines to put their business up the top! The businesses that have paid this fees have their adds up the top of the page.

what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?

Personally, I prefer using 'Google' - It's all about the was I was brought up with technology. When I was younger, the way to search on the Internet was google, no questions asked. I didn't even know that there were other search engines for years! I believe that it has a larger variety of sources and websites, and is also so plain and simple to use. The home page is never cluttered, type in what you're looking for, and BAM! there's your answer, first link on the page. Yes, I love google.

I also don't mind using "Yahoo! Answers" every now and then. You ask a question, and the wider public answers it for you. Sometimes it can be more reliable, especially when asking for personal opinions!!

My e-love life

Yes, I admit, I've been having an e-love life for the past, ohhh, I don't know, 6 years?

No, I don't mean dating online or falling in love with my World of Warcraft soul mate some where on the other side of the world. No, this love life is my love of the Internet. It all started when I was, oh, say, 12? *remembers in a dream like sequence*

I was possibly the only kid in my grade 7 class without MSN messenger. My parents refused to let me have MSN, because it was 'dangerous' and 'a waste of time'. I remember constantly begging my parents to let me have MSN - after all, I was allowed a computer in my room, but not MSN - how cruel! After months of begging, they still didn't give in. So, I went out to a friends house and created one. Yes, I created an MSN account that I would never use, but still, it meant I had one.

From there on in my love for technology only grew. I found Neopets, which was, at the time, the greatest website of all time. In about grade 8 My parents gave in, and let me have MSN, after I told them all the benefits of keeping in touch with my new 'high-school' friends. In about grade 9 I decided to create a 'MySpace'. It was all the rage, what, with changing background and songs along with commenting all your friends. It was all about who had the best home page and who had the most comments and friends.

I now also have a music myspace. It's about the only thing I use myspace for now days.

I jumped on the 'facebook' and 'twitter' bandwagons pretty quickly after they came out. I love using twitter, even with being called a 'twit'. I love to follow D list celebrities and politicians, as I believe they have the most interesting things to say.

I am often sceptical about social networking sites however. I see issues such as the multiple suicides due to bullying, and it really worries me. I try to analyse everything I am thinking before I post something on a website, because I am well aware that once things are on the Internet, they are out there for everyone to see. Especially as I want to follow a career as a politician, you would have for something as silly as a photograph of you partying get out.

But social networking sites aren't all doom and gloom. As longs as they are used properly then they can be lots of fun. After all, those facebook quizzes are ever so accurate, Looks like I'm marrying someone with the initials I.E - Thanks Facebook!! Now, I can scan all my future partners to make sure they have the right initials before we start dating.

I love Internet Explorer. Who knows, I might just marry it!

Until the next chapter.....

Bre
xx :)

the new reality...

I found this video on the Internet, and I found it really interesting. It talks about how the new technologies virtually drown out all old forms of communication. Videos, Newspapers and even P2P file sharing is all available for free on the Internet, causing leading businesses to fold their companies and focus just on their online counterparts. i.e - BBC and Life magazine.

It goes on to predict that most sources such as TV and Radio will only be used by online users, forcing a collapse in the television market. This video is quite a reality hit, and I'd definitely recommend taking a look. Although some of the information is quite far fetched, and not really backed up by any facts other than speculation, it is still a good watch, as long as it is taken light-hearted, and not literally.

Until the next chapter...

Bre

xx

Introduction to me!!

Well hello there! Thanks for coming to my blog! I shall try to make it as riveting as possible!

My name is Breanna Rose, but I get called Bre for short. I am 17 years old and am studying a Bachelor of Communication at Griffith University (Nathan Campus).

I have started this blog for the subject "New communication technologies". Basically I have to post a few time every week about my thoughts on the subject, plus, my tutorial activities - Fun stuff!

But, firstly, before I talk about boring old uni work, perhaps you'd like to know a little bit about me? (If not, go to page three, skip past the emerald forest, battle the three headed pig, then, deliver the secret package to the queen, then, once you have completed this quest, you may go on to my other posts!)

I work at a video store, which sounds like a great job, but takes a portion of my soul every time I go to work. I also work for Brisbane City Council. Well, I lie. I am employed with BCC, but only did a little bit of seasonal work. But still, the title "Casual Support Officer" has a nice ring to it. (Which I technically am)

I do voluntary work for Cr Shayne Sutton, Labor Leader of the Opposition. She is such a wonderful lady to take me under her wing, and I absolutely soak in all the information that I learn while I am in the office! I am majoring in Politics, and hope to eventually become a politician or work in the political sphere.

Well, I think that's about all for now.

Until the next chapter...
~Bre~