"Inside the Mind of Google"

I was surprised at how low key the actual Google headquarters is. It's very laid back and open-minded, and I think that's one of the things that has made it so successful. It seems more like a vacation resort than an actually company. The lay out is simple. The creativity though is outrageous, and I think that as long as those aspects of the company are kept that Google will continue to be successful.

I also had no idea how much more there was to Google than just the search engine I see on my homepage. This video really opened up my mind to how big of a company Google is and how rapidly it is growing. Of course there are things like the privacy issue that can scare the average user, but I'm not sure if I really want one company controlling all of my internet usage.

Google is expanding by competing not just against one company like Yahoo! but by taking on multiple companies that provide a variety of services. This video made me question if Google is soon going to be too big for its own good. I don't deny that I enjoy using it, but what's the future for this company? How is the future of Google going to affect me?

I bought a pet iguana...

"Where good ideas come from"

This video made me think about what I've been doing with all these connections that the internet has provided for me. We've developed a world of always being distracted and always multi-tasking, but that doesn't mean that we're multi-tasking in a healthy way. When I multi-task, that means I'll be on Facebook, typing out a tweet, and watching TV all at the same time. This isn't really the way I want to be spending my time though. It's just what I've become accustomed to.

I have found that in the past year I have become so used to tweeting random thoughts, that my regular thoughts are now disorganized. It's true that the internet allows me to share my thoughts with others and start a discussion about something. That seems to be one of the good uses I have discovered from the internet. However, these ideas and discussions quickly fade out because of how easy it is to get distracted when one is online. 

Overall, I think that the internet can be used as a good thing. It allows me to share my thoughts and strike up new ideas with others. However, the way I'm currently using it doesn't allow me to fully take advantage of all the benefits that come with the connections it provides.

The Virtual Revolution: "The cost of free information"

When people hear the word "free," they don't often stop and consider the cost. If something is free, there's no cost attached, right? Wrong. Someone, somewhere, has to pay for whatever it is that is "free" and costless to you. That's especially true in the world of the web.

How does Google and Facebook make all their money? People say that these are huge, profitable companies, but since us, the consumers, aren't paying for the services then we don't really concern ourselves with how the companies are getting the money. The way they get their profits is by selling our information. Not our personal information usually like SSN, address, name, etc, but our likes and dislikes. They sell ads that are specific to the things that we search for or "like." 

Do you ever wonder why when you search for something on Google, an ad comes up that is advertising something related to the search topic? Well that's how Google is getting its money. That is our "price" for these "free" services. Is that something that we as consumers are okay with? Are we willing for these sites to track our interests just so we don't have to pay money for the service? How free are these free services?

Music Licensing

Music licensing and fees are all around us whether we realize it or not. Every time a song is played, fees are being paid just so you can hear that song. It seems ridiculous, but that's how these artists make their money. Even though I personally do not have to pay fees to listen to the radio, the radio station itself needs to. If I want to use music at a party, I have to pay fees. It's kind of ridiculous to have all these fees just to listen to music, but there are different companies that are out there to help simplify the process for you.

If these fees weren't paid for these licensed songs, I would be majorly affected in that I couldn't listen to any of my favorite songs. Although not everyone agrees about how much money these artists really should get when a song is paid, we can agree that they deserve recognition for the song. This recognition, though, is given in the form of licensing fees.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-licensing.htm

Citation Builders

Between Son of Citation, EasyBib, and CiteFast citation builders, Son of Citation was the easiest website to navigate and use. EasyBib was also fairly easy to use and had the most accurate citation according to Purdue Owl. Son of Citation only left off the medium in its citation, while Cite Fast had additional information such as edition and publishing state. I have used both Son of Citation and EasyBib in the past and will continue to use them both, but I will have to pay closer attention to their citation formats.

"The Virtual Revolution: The Great Leveling"

This video did not really identify anything I had not already realized about the Internet and the web. However, it did get me thinking about how all of this did not evolve overnight. The Internet was not just there as soon as the first computer was built. Just like anything else, it took steps for us to get where we are today.

We're not done evolving web, either; new websites are being put up everyday. So just like it took us to time to get here, it's going to take us a lot of time to continue to advance what we're already doing. Eventually, we may "burn out" on the web and get tired of it. On the other hand, maybe we'll never get tired of it. That's not something that is in the foreseeable future, though. We'll just have to let the Internet advance and let new things be invented as we continue exploring this phenomena.

Facebook Privacy

It seems like every time Facebook updates the "face" of your profile, homepage, etc. your privacy settings change too. For me, this means going back through and trying to make everything private again even though I've done it a hundred times before. You have to go through menu after menu and individually customize settings, and it's a pain. I think this is part of the reason why people don't even bother to care about their online privacy anymore. It's such a hassle to update, and it doesn't seem worth it, yet this is something that we've put upon ourselves. We might complain about privacy settings, yet we just go with the flow and let Facebook update for us even if we don't want to. I think because of these online issues that even in the "real world" privacy isn't private. People are used to being able to see everything about a person online that they forget you can't do that in person. This privacy issue just isn't about Facebook; it's starting to affect our real lives too.

Privacy Policy Comparison

I ranked Microsoft Skydrive, Dropbox, iCloud, SugarSync, Google Drive, and Box in order from most safe to least safe when it comes to your personal information.

Microsoft Skydrive (Source: http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/fullnotice.mspx)

• Uses cookies
• Collects your information from third parties
• Will not share your information outside of “Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates” without your permission and allows you to choose what information is shared
• May disclose your information in legal matters

Dropbox (Source: https://www.dropbox.com/terms)

• Permission to pass on your files to third parties
• Permission to use your feedback you provide to them

iCloud (Source: http://www.apple.com/privacy/)

• May share your information with its affiliates
• May ask for your SSN in certain circumstances
• Uses your information when you enter promotions, contests, and sweepstakes
• Uses cookies
• Collects and stores your specific computer information; may use to market and advertise
• May make personal information available to certain strategic partners
• May share information with companies that provide services, such as credit processing
• May disclose your information in legal matters
• May use and share your location information
• Your information "may be transferred or accessed by entities around the world"

SugarSync (Source: http://www.sugarsync.com/privacy.html) 

• Stores your files on servers and files are kept 90 days after you delete them
• "no access to your Facebook or Twitter account nor do we store your login information."
• Uses cookies
• Does not share your information with third parties without your consent
• May provide personal information to affiliates
• " May use third parties to perform services related to our operations such as a payment processors" which then have access to your personal information and are required to follow the SugarSync privacy policy

Google Drive (Source: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/)

• Associates your phone number and other device properties with your Google account
• May collect and process your location information
• May collect and store your personal information onto your device
• Uses cookies
• May show others your Google Profile if they know your email address
• May process your personal information on a server outside of your home country
• May share your personal information with other companies, when you grant permission to do so
• Your information is available to your domain provider
• May provide your personal information to affiliates
• May share non-personal information publicly and to partners
• Restricts access to personal information to Google employees

  Box (Source: https://www.box.com/signup/g)

• May receive your information from other companies
• May request information during surveys, contests, and sweepstakes
• Collects device information 
• Uses cookies
• May store information on systems in the US and around the world
• May share non-personal (aggregate) data with partners and advertisers
• Past information about your account may be available to your email domain administrator
• May disclose your information in legal matters
• Gives you opportunities to connect with third parties, your permission required
• May share personal information during a merge or acquisition