Online Social Networking : A Revolution

Early forms of online social networking dates back to 1985 through online communities such as The Well, Theglobe.com, Geocities and Tripod.com. These online communities allow individuals to connect with each other via chat rooms and sharing personal information and ideas. People are doing networking online 25 years ago, which is as old as I am. And the concept has not changed much. We are all exploiting the Internet to expand our social networks and connect with friends.

Over the years, there are notable changes in the interface and the portal of these social network sites. Now, users can create their own profile, including music, pictures and create groups for people with the same affiliation to congregate together online.

Friendster was once considered the hippest social networking sites in the early 21^st century amongst my social circle. However, it failed to maintain that position since the virtual invasion of Facebook and Twitter. Hardly anyone I know doesn’t have at least an account one of these sites. These days, when I meet new people, instead of exchanging numbers we add each other on Facebook. Even popular stars and well known people connects with their fans on these portals.

References:

Wikipedia contributors. "Social network service." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Jan. 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.

Image Source:

http://www.colorado.edu/atlas/social_network_logos.jpg

e-Everything

Everything is turning into e-Something these days. Everything is going online. From your bills to newspapers, music, movies, games, government related services, mails and the list goes on.

For the older generation it is something to adapt or learn altogether. As much as it intends to be convenient, it comes across being an exasperating experience to first time users. As easy internet banking can be, my mom refuses to give it a try despite the fruitless attempts of tutorials given to her. She still prefers her ATM. She says it’s easier like that.

Like everything else, there is usually a limitation or glitch in the system. It is a rarity that anything man made is foolproof or flawless, even Superman has his Kryptonite and not forgetting that the mighty Titanic sank. Internet is a vast medium that is free and available to all, even to hackers and anyone else with malicious intents. I am one of those unfortunate Netizen that got shafted by cyber attack. It is every Internet user nightmare to get a call from the bank verifying an online transaction on my credit card from a country that is half way around the world at 2 in the morning. Ironically, I am relieved that the bank personnel were vigilant in monitoring clients’ accounts and was swift to take action despite the consternation from the whole incident.

Did you know that the term bug was coined by Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper discovers a moth trapped between relays in a Navy computer in 1945. She calls it a "bug," a term used since the late 19th century to refer to problems with electrical devices. Murray Hopper also coined the term "debugging" to describe efforts to fix computer problems.

Reference:

Krebs B, 2003, A Short History of Computer Viruses and Attacks, The Washington Post, retrieved online on 31^st December 2009 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50636-2002Jun26.html

Image Source:

http://www.mayfairfcu.org/On-Line%20Services%201.gif