Amateurs, User-generated Contents

I don’t have much experience with user-generated content, but I don’t really agree with what Keen said. First of all, people have the right to express what they want to say. You don’t have to be an expert to have your opinion. Who is to say what is right and what is wrong? The web opens up for anyone to voice his or her opinion. I think it is good that people are willing to share what they know and what they think. Secondly, what is high quality information? In the information age, the person who is using the information has the responsibility to verify the information that they are planning to use. Even information from the experts need to be check over before we can trust them. In a sense, the information from Wikipedia is just the same as the information from any expert. Third, I don’t think that people generate their own video just because of the “digital narcissism”. As point out by Ze Frank, people created their own video because they have the ability to do so. In the past, creating their own videos is very expensive. But now, anyone can do it. Software like Camtasia and Premier Pro are available to anyone. I think people just want to try new thing. It is fun to create your own video. The last reason is that people want more freedom. As from Dr. Hall’s video blog, people keep saying that they can make the video however they want, and no one is there to tell them what to do. The video doesn’t have to be informative; it can be purely for fun and enjoyment, like the link to YouTube. In the end, I think that user-generated content is bringing people closer together. Everyone is able to express themselves and share their own little story with everyone on the web.

My only experience with user-generated content is Wikipedia or maybe YouTube. I like them both. With Wikipedia, I can find almost all topics that I encounter on daily life. I am not saying it is very accurate, but as least it provides me the basic definition and terminology. For example, I can find lot of information about supply chain management from this page, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain_management. For YouTube, I don’t use it often, but I enjoyed it every time I see a funny video clip. It makes me happy, and that is what is important.

Web Usage

Describe how you use the web in your daily life (activities, applications, sites etc.)

The first thing I do when I wake up is to check my email account. It is important for me to know if the professors send out any important message. The the second thing I check is blackboard for any announcement. I often use google to do research for the assignment or when I need find some information. When I have nothing to do, I often go to Chinese websites to read stories. These sites are manage by people who make money through advertisement. Sometime, I watch video clips on YouTube or Tudou, another Chinese video site.


Do you, in general, think the web is a good or bad thing in terms of its effect on people and society? Why or why not? How does this relate to your own experience?

I think that the web has it benefits and drawback.

The benefit of the web is very obvious, the easy access to information. Today, people can find anything they can think of on the web. Whether it is information about some thing or a product, the web provide a list of sites that have the relate information. The web also allow people to communicate easily. For example, I use MSN to make a video call to my family in Vietnam so I can see and talk to them. Even e-mail is a communication method prefer by many professors and students.

The drawback is that people are less responsible for their action when they are using the web. Some people post nasty comments on the site about something they don't like, which they wouldn't do in front of people. They can just make up a random user name and no one know who they are. Also, the web make it hard for people to protect copy right. People can use the information they find on the web as their own and take credit for it. It is hard to find the original work to verify the information. Downloading also become a problem. People can upload and download anything on the web, which is illegal in most cases. For me, I like to download new songs from the web onto the computer, though I never use them to make profits.