Social Networking

The phenomenon that is social networking has enormous potential to be both beneficial and harmful. Usage of these social networks provides us with oceans of information readily available at our fingertips. Maintaining contact with distant friends and family has never been easier, as geographical barriers have been broken down by these technologies. We can even observe the advantages of social networks manifesting in the workplace. According to the Freakonomics article by Stephen J. Dubner, companies, such as IBM, have created their own internal social network in order to increase utility and cohesiveness across teams.

On the other hand, social networks also provide hackers and other bad actors with more resources to commit their mischievous acts. We are publicizing more and more of our personal information these days, making us more vulnerable to these kinds of attacks. As mentioned in the BBB article, scammers can use your information on Facebook to gain access to your profile and potentially do harm.

I believe that social networking will only become more intertwined with our everyday lives. As we have already seen, this transition will compromise the amount of privacy that we keep.

1. Is MySpace Good for Society? A Freakonomics Quorum by Stephen J. Dubner. NYT Feb 15, 2008 http://freakonomics.com/2008/02/15/is-myspace-good-for-society-a-freakonomics-quorum/
2. BBB: New Wave of Phishing Scams Uses Facebook Info for Personalized Spam. January, 28, 2013 http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/BBB-new-wave-of-phishing-scams-uses-Facebook-info-for-personalized-spam-188696411.html

Blogs vs. Wiki

Blogs and wikis seem very similar on the surface. They both provide a platform for users to collaborate and share information. However, the two are very different from one another. Blogs are pages created by individuals that share their interests, hobbies and such. Fellow bloggers are free to comment on one's blog, but the creator of a blog reserves the right to regulate what is displayed on their pages. The blog in the NY Times article by James Dao chronicles the life of an Army specialist stationed at the front-line in Afghanistan. Blogs can be used collaboratively by companies looking to receive feedback on their products/services from consumers.

A wiki, on the other hand, is a collaborative work by a group of people and is meant to share information. The most significant distinction of  a wiki is that the content can be edited by anyone, and the changes are not tied to a single user, potentially compromising the integrity of the information. As mentioned in the article by Margaret Locher, wikis can be used in the workplace to efficiently organize information about new company projects.

1. "Pentagon Keeps Way Watch as Troops Blog" By James Dao, The NY Times, September 8, 2009. Available at: https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/webapps/lobj-wiki-bb_bb60/wiki/BAR01_CIS_3810_S1NT_1166_6W1/_24412808_1/Home?cmd=GetImage&systemId=Pentagon+Keeps__0.pdf

2. Wiki While You Work; The technology popularized by Wikipedia can help companies gather and manage their own collective knowledge. Here's how to get started by Margaret Locher. CIO, May 1, 2008. Vol. 21, Iss. 14. Available at: http://www.cio.com/article/2436789/time-management-productivity/more-on-how-to-build-your-own-wikipedia.html

Project Proposal

My paper for this term shall be entitled Trade-offs of Social Networking. I will be focusing my research on the intentional forfeiture of privacy in the social networking world. In my analysis, I will be weighing the benefits against the drawbacks of social networking, in relation to privacy. This analysis will be conducted through the examination of our more widely used social networks.