Let's get connected

The entire time I was reading The Cluetrain Manifesto I was constantly shaking my head in agreement with everything that Christopher Locke was saying. I must admit that I am a couch potato who just sits and passively watches what the TV gives me. Although I am connected to the internet and have been for many years, I know I don’t take full advantage of all that it has to offer. Email is the way that I “connect” with people. I know that there is so much more out there and this class is showing me that. By creating my blog and checking out everyone else’s blogs, I am seeing the true possibilities of the web.

The internet is quickly becoming more than just a tool, according to E-Commerce News. More people are using the internet for entertainment purposes and it has passed television for the first choice in media. Instead of just using the web as a way to connect people, as Locke points out, people are becoming more receptive to using it for more "media- oriented" purposes. The web is continuing to grow and the way people use it is continuing to change. I can't even imagine how the internet will change and develop in 10 years.

Like Locke points out, the average person has things to offer and the web gives them that chance. Unlike a business, which is run by the few, the web was created on the concept of the many. Anyone can get connected and give their input. Locke believes that companies need to accept the internet and embrace the possibilities that if offers them, even if they feel that it is forcing them to lose control. Everyone is in this thing together and companies have nothing to be scared about. Locke repeatedly talks about how everyone is just human beings and if companies would just get over themselves, the web wouldn’t be so scary. In her post, Deanna talks about how companies are creating intranets so people within companies can communicate with each other. Companies need to accept all of the wonderful opportunities that the web gives them and by creating intranets they are heading in the right direction.

In class a while ago, when Gilbert was telling us about blogs and the freedom that they offered us, he compared, or contrasted them, to blackboard. While blackboard is watched over by, “The Man,” blogs are free. The school can censor and watch what we say on blackboard and the freedom we think we have is really non existent. The web is our opportunity to say what we want to say and be heard.

The internet makes me feel very connected to people. Thanks to Lania, I have started reading Rosie O’Donnell’s blog. I am now obsessed. I was a fan of her show, so I love reading her blog because it’s almost like her show is back, but it is much more personal. I feel like I know her. Instead of just watching her on TV and not being able to respond or give feedback, her blog gives people that opportunity. The fact that I have a blog and Rosie has a blog is just bizarre to me.

While I agreed with almost everything Locke said throughout the article, Joy found problems with Locke. I really do believe that the internet was created on the concept of knowledge and wanting it to be more available to the masses. Unlike Joy, I don't believe that everything comes with a price. The internet connects people, dispenses knowledge and makes everyone feel a part of the process.

Unmade in America

Barry Lyon’s essay details the troubles with outsourcing and how it is affecting and how it will continue to affect America. Lyon sees many problems with the “Command and Control” model. One major issue that he continues to bring up in the article is how the United States is relying so heavily on other countries to do everything for us. Companies are outsourcing so many jobs that could be done in the U.S. just so they can be produced faster and cheaper, but that is not always the case. An article in The New York Times this week reveals that companies that outsource jobs don’t always save money.

Although people may believe that being able to produce things faster and cheaper is good for everyone involved, Lyon brings up a good point about the possibility of a shutdown in the production of goods. If something happens to go wrong in China and that is where a company's products are being made, then that company is then affected. Lyon believes that this leaves the entire global economy at risk for a global catastrophe. Chris and Alexis also mention this downside in their posts.

While reading this article, it was sometimes easy to fall into the thinking that if it is possible to produce a product in China cheaper than it is in the U.S., then why not do it? The foreign companies would bring, “better services, lower prices and more jobs.” Yes, it would produce more jobs, but not in the United States. Why would our government continue to let outsourcing continue at the costs of millions of American citizen’s jobs?

Some people do believe that outsourcing is the answer. Fox News lists many sites for outsourcing that accentuate the positives. I had no idea Fox News would see the good in outsourcing!