Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds can affect how everyday things are run. IBM is an innovative company that revolutionized how we get data. With their Watson Data Platform, retrieving data is easier than ever. Instead of having to sort through hours of data, Watson allows you to organize all relevant data into useful information. This allows people to take the newfound information and apply it directly to their fields of work. 

Virtual worlds can also bring people together. For companies with offices around the world, it might be difficult to get everyone in the same physical room. But through virtual worlds, people can attend a meeting without physically being together. While this is great for some people, it raises many safety concerns. By sharing information in the virtual world sensitive information may be leaked and pose real-life threats. 

Creativity lives in virtual worlds because there is so much inspiration. In virtual worlds ideas can be shared and improved upon. It harbors creative ideas and allows them to grow. I think in the future there will be more virtual worlds with their own audiences. They will become larger and include more people. Once the information is digitalized it stays there forever and the span of networks it touches will increase. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/#566181e1143b

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/01/ST2008040103032.html

Social Networking Sites

In recent years, social media has had huge presence on the Internet. Many people use social media to get their news, stay connected with loved ones, and stay entertained. Four social media giants, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, topple over other networks.

Facebook is the largest of all social media networks with 1.15 billion daily users. The site is easy to navigate through and very modern looking. On the right hand side panel there are advertisements that make it seem a little cluttered. But the platform as a whole is organized. The left hand side panel has quick links to groups, favorites, and applications.

The Twitter homepage is similar to the Facebook homepage. All of the Tweets from the people you follow take up most of the space and trends are on the side. The color scheme is also similar. They both use blue and white, but Facebook's shade of blue is darker.

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Instagram does not have much copy to read. The majority of the space is taken up by photos taken by its users. They recently launched a feature that allows people to share photos and videos temporarily.

LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows you to connect with colleagues and peers. It is different from the other platforms because it's not as casual. The website itself has a darker color scheme and a more serious tone.

Blog about Twitter

Twitter is a social media platform that allows anyone with Internet access to view. It is widely available and stretches across the globe. It is meant to be a casual interface where people can interact and connect virtually. Discussion boards on BlackBoard can be used for the same purpose. However, it can only be accessed by the people who are in the class or group. It is a more professional environment to share thoughts with peers and add input. On Twitter, there is a 140 character maximum per Tweet. But on the discussion board, we have an unlimited amount of space to express our thoughts.

Social Networking

Social networking has transitioned from being a a part time hobby to a full on lifestyle. It has created jobs and industries that were never foreseeable in the past. According to Fred Vogelstein in his article, Great Wall of Facebook, companies can be proactive in their marketing initiatives. They can buy ad space on the networking site and based on recent searches by the user, the company's ad campaign will show up. These targeted ads will lead to more sales and business growth. The downside of this is that users can feel like their privacy is being violated. By sharing the user behavior, Facebook is allowing outside companies to see what their users are interested in. Many users feel like their searches should be private and not sold to other companies as profit.

Another way companies can use social networking is by keeping up with their employees. Since everyone on social media is either posting a status, a picture or a tweet, peers can stay connected with each other. This builds relationships between colleagues making the work environment friendlier and more inviting. According to Clive Thompson in his article, Brave New World of Social Intimacy, some people enjoy being able to see what's going on in other people's minds. By sharing thoughts on social media, colleagues will have more to talk about than just work.