The Chronicles
February 2011
Salutations dear readers and fellow Laurentian neighbors,
Last October my article explained what the Internet is and how it is composed of two main services: Communicating
(e.g. e-mail) and the "Library" (Information). This month I'd like to take a closer look at what we can find in this Library. In a traditional library, there are many kinds of books contained within - fiction, non-fiction, reference books etc. So too on the Internet Library. If we understand the nature of each type of Site, we can find the answers we are looking for with more precision and ease.
There are Informational Sites - places where to find information. We go on these sites to READ (or look at pictures, or listen to music). It is a static, uni-directional transfer of information from the computer to us. A fantastic site which I have recommended and made reference to often is www.wikipedia.org (the largest encyclopedia in the world); another example is my very own web site (www.monamilordi.com). Actually there are many millions Informational Sites.
There are also Forums which are equally Informational Sites which provide however a bi-directional flow of information. They offer us the ability to ask questions to specialists on a variety of subjects. For example, you may be interested in gardening, cooking, cars and/or travel. Once you become a member of the site (most often for free), you can Login, submit your question(s) and receive answers from the specialists or "gurus". I have found these to be an indispensable tool before I travel and for my computer queries.
Blogs (Web Logs) provide commentary or news on a particular subject whilst others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images and links to other blogs, Web pages and other media related to its topic. They are usually maintained by a "regular person" with near-daily entries of commentary, descriptions of events or other material such as graphics or video. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments.
A Social Networking Service is an online service focused on building and reflecting social relations amongst people who share interests and/or activities. It is a place where people meet in cyberspace to chat, socialize, debate and network. The main types of social networking services are those which contain "categories" (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-descriptive pages) and a recommendation system based on trust (for example a thumbs up for a movie, song, artist). The most popular Networking Sites are Facebook, MySpace and Twitter (in North America) and Google's Orkut (in Brazil and India) as they have combined many of these ideas in one location.
So, does that make things a little clearer? One last thought, you may notice that some of the Web sites referred to above form an amalgam of the two basic services offered on the Internet ... Welcome to the wonderful world of what I like to call "Comminformation"!
Take good care of yourselves,
questions.monamilordi@gmail.com
This article originally appeared in Main Street – The Laurentians' English Language Community Newspaper.
