John L'Estrange 40973883

Reflection on Social and Mobile

Computing Tools

Introduction:

As human society grows along with the vast structure and availability of the internet, certain websites have spawned a range of user friendly sites which help people in their everyday lives if required. The choices become apparent as people are more exposed to the web. These sites allow user to support them with either visual or text based information structured in a way which can form potential groups for similar online social tasks. Some of these tasks can contain information about the users’ daily activities to simply displaying a collection of the users’ photo/ image collection.

This article will be looking in detail at 4 of these programs located on sites all of which contain a catchy name. These sites listed are Flickr, Facebook, del.icio.us and Twitter. These have been chosen because of the seemingly high participation of people around the globe and the different uses to why people may use such sites.

They will also be studied through means of their purpose of use, how well the site works to succeed to fulfil a social aspect online and determine positive or negative outcomes that may be resolved.

Background:

The following list studies the mentioned sites in how they were intended for use and how well they complete this intended task.

Flickr (http://www.flickr.com):

This program represents similarities towards the widely famous site Deviantart.com but with slight social and cultural differences. Flickr allows a registered user to actively create an online photo album available for use in a global scale. The user is able to upload images and save them on the assigned page, this can potentially become a large list of images and therefore forming an online picture gallery type of page. Each of these images are available for any other registered Flickr user to view and add comments to the specified picture. The reason Flickr was created was to generally give the user an opportunity to display pictures focused more around the person. These usually include family pictures, personal pictures, holiday pictures and so on. This is the concept that separates Flickr from Deviantart.com. Deviantart was created as another social/ personal image site but with restrictions that these images were generally along the lines of manipulated images either by computer instead of posting simple photographs of the user or anything that depicts an online social aspect. There are a few problems that Flcikr illustrate in respect to social context and human behaviour. One of these problems in personal opinion is that Flcikr is a good site for compiling images online available for other users to view but the question of “Will people want to view other users’ personal photos?” ie family, personal, friends etc. there are obvious issues that arise after noting this. Flickr can be taken advantage of in this case, areas of online stalking are apparent. People may not use the site as intended and basically look up pictures which take fancy and spy on online users. This may be the worst case of use for Flickr however there are issues to overcome such fears for the user as they are able to specify wether a picture is considered private to the community or not. This can also be relevant to other group member/ online friends the user may be in contact with. By acting in this method the user is able to avoid such scary scenarios. The other problem is that the amount of public viewing may be too low for a user to be happy with their profile and pictures. It would be apparent that users may register for Flickr as a result in a need to be commented on via the public to share opinions about their personal life etc. these issues can only be assumed that Flickr is used at a regular basis as it was intended. Flickr overall becomes useful usually when a user becomes a part of a group and is more actively participating among their peers. This allows a majority of people have a certain degree of privacy and visible reflection on their photos which in the end should give an amount of positive feedback upon the users’ behalf.

Figure A (Screen shot of Flickr):

del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us):

Delicious is based of the idea of an online bookmark which allows the registered user to post url sites to themselves and write down small notes about them for future reference. These sites become available to the public for viewing and commenting.

The user able to create a list of cited sites, maximum limit still undetermined but still gives the user a sense of flexibility through its use. Delicious as a site is very easy to use as there are no real complicated options any user should really need. In respect to the social context of the site, it is lacking in personal interaction between other users. The only way people communicate are via comments on a posted url or url’s that others post themselves. Such methods could also be noted as ineffective attempts of communicating apart from communicating the bookmark at hand. Like social programs, the user is able to receive url’s specifically from another user only if the registered user name in known by the sender. This allows for simple friendship qualities to arise by very simple communication via interests and genres of the shared url’s. When a url is saved, the user is able to check which other users have the same site in their collection as well. This can lead to ideas of people with similar interests of web page thus iterating the idea behind social computing but also to determine based on Delicious’s registered users, how popular a site may be in the overall community. Delicious overall can be a useful site in the eyes of the user. It allows for simple communication via interests in web sites and knowledge on popularities of sites other people have bookmarked.

Figure B (Screen shot of Delicious):

Facebook (http://facebook.com):

Facebook is a site that allows the user to create a personal online profile which is available for display to any amount of peers within your network. The site relies on the user having some frequent participation throughout their accessing their personal profile and with other friends located on the network. Facebook can resemble strong social and mobile computing aspects as it depicts an archive full of the users personal material. These methods are enhanced by the addition of simple features like an avatar picture which is used to display on the users main page, DOB, area of location, etc. The user has a fine amount of options when it comes to customising visual and textual content. These are made apparent by the great design scheme Facebook follows including small text boxes indicating a minor topic in which the user has chosen to put up for public viewing. These text boxes are one of the main ways other people/ friends interact with the user. Boxes such as “The wall” allow friends to write a comment and post it which in the end becomes a new part of the profile. This conveys strong social aspects as people tent to like small cohesive messages from their friends and will in turn be implied to send a message back. This method of communication keeps both users active in supporting their Facebook profile and eventually can find or add new friends therefore add to the amount of social belonging to the site. The method behind finding friends becomes very clear as when the user views another persons profile, they are able to view each friend that person has but only to an extent of the picture (no viewable profile). The friends box is the base starting point for anyone to make new friends. It is basically a chain process that friends the user knows, knows somebody else within a certain range from them determined by either area of living, family, school friends and so on. Follwing this chain, the user is able to keep up with their friends and their friends-friends and so on. The fact that people cannot view other profiles except by adding them as a friend stops any threat of stalking inferences people may be afraid of whilst using Facebook. Overall Facebook can be seen as a highly structured and down to earth site for simple but effective use in personal profiling. The site is capable of keeping people in touch on a daily basis with new and unpredictable features yet to be uncovered which also add to small excitements of being a Facebook user.

Figure C (Screen shot of Facebook):

Twitter (http://twitter.com):

Twitter is a simple conceptual program based on a user’s real time status. Although the site design may seem of a poor quality, the use can be quite effective depending on what kind of person the user is or whether they are busy during the day. Twitter allows the registered user to define at a point in time “what they are doing”. Certainly this question highlighted on screen at first was quite confusing and confronting until the real purpose was revealed. The user can type in the activities they are currently progressing in or can set up a daily plan etc. basically the user can outline to other Twitter users and friends what they will be doing for a certain amount of time similar to a real time journal but more focused towards the users friends or work people. The other people are able to determine the exact notion of that users actions and can act accordingly or can be simply notified. Instances in which Twitter may be useful is if a user is expected online at a certain time but have been cut short and is required to go shopping. That user is able to leave a small message on Twitter notifying anyone in relation that they will not be back until a while later. There is but an obvious issue of stalking inferences as that people are able to view and know specifically what the other user is doing. A scary thought but is always a potential threat while using Twitter. On the other side is the idea of a user telling a simple lie. Users are not mistaken by telling small lies on Twitter as it is their right to say what they like but not so much as the users viewing the false message. Twitter can in the end save peoples time and will not need to worry about the where abouts or actions of their fellow peers.

Figure D (Screen shot of Twitter):

Focus:

A focus point to be clearly addressed throughout discussing these social computer sites is the idea behind Conversation. Each of the chosen sites mentioned have different methods of conveying a message but some not so greatly as the next.

As above the Delicious site was made for personal Url bookmarking specifically. Delicious cannot create a sense of conversing between peers but merely an assumption of what the user requires in the form of a hyperlink to a web site.

Twitter in respect to conversing has limits to whether or not the messages posted on screen can be classified as conversation. Users who use Twitter as how it is intended cannot give a strong conversation to another. Twitter is practically a global message board only readable by the people the user has added thus not a global conversation board. Users however may take advantage of Twitter in a way to produce a notion of conversing through twitter as long as they refer to one person only but this would only then become a more complicated and confusing version of instant messaging programs. Twitter overall has the potential to become a tool used for social conversation but only to a point in which it would become confusing and inefficient. Flickr forms areas for conversation while basically posting personal photos and actively viewing other users’ photos. The comment function is the central method of conversing with another person in Flickr. It allows each user to freely type constructive or simple comments surrounding the certain images posted. A simple picture is worth one thousand words they say but also produces a starting point for user to user conversations and may potentially gain a new insight from one another. Although this method may seem satisfactory to present a conversive mode, it still lacks real time functions and is usually restricted towards the photo itself.

Facebook provides acceptable functions for conversing but is still not at a high enough point to be considered a great conversive tool. The social communication about the users identity is the main priority of Facebook and not necessarily conversation. Again Facebook allows users to communicate via textbox like windows and make simple comments or questions about the person or photos they have of themselves. These comments however still fall in the similar category of email like messages as they will not be detected until the user checks their profile the next time they log in. Even though Facebook is not the strongest tool for conversing but the idea is still firmly present at least.

Reflection:

Through this article one question arises based on all of the discussed sites:

“What degree of awareness must the user provide to support these social mobile programs?”

A user who uses Facebook will vary in respect to time and consistency. Facebook tends to be a low maintenance journal with plenty of options. This does not interfere with the users daily life as even though they may have messages, they may not be inclined to check up on their status on Facebook to see whether someone has posted a new message or picture etc. this will most likely apply to the users on the other side. Facebook can almost feel like an email system at times but not as serious as emails usually are therefore a daily check on Facebook would be fine in most users book. There is more of a luxury sense to using Facebook than needing to be aware of individual status.

Twitter is a site that would have to keep running for the user to track the actions of their peers. Users don’t always have to check on what others are doing all the time but may be persuaded in possible cases of sudden change. Users can only assume that a user on the other end is currently doing what they say they are doing thus can carry on with their own business. The only time where awareness must take place is when a message changes within a certain timeframe therefore indicating new change to a user’s action.

A user provides limited awareness towards using Delicious. Users are not interested in what other people usually have to offer in Url form but only for what they need. Users can use Delicious as a search tool based around the degree of high rated sites and allows the user to search accordingly. The most awareness a user will usually need while using Delicious is to keep a track of which sites are important to them most and if a person has sent them another Url link.

Flickr stimulates users creatively while being able to post comments towards other users. A user should have a casual amount of awareness towards Flickr as some comments may be constructive feedback towards their images or even destructive in another case. Most users would be inclined to verify the status of their photos and comments and on the other hand are able to comment and view other user photos. a user can provide any amount of awareness towards Flickr if they use it for general purposes but if any greater ie. Groups or work, greater awareness must be apparent.

Conclusion:

In conclusion the four sites discussed in this article had been general social and mobile computing technologies, many of which are used by people world wide. The way people communicate, act and portray themselves in accordance to time and space can all be noted down by simply using such web sites. Any person can become a user and participate in these broad networks without having to sacrifice a majority of their day to verify their status for each site. Most sites are user friendly and influence a formal amount of social context throughout the network. These sites however do not offer full social dynamics of the real world, this includes formal face-to-face contact, emotional contact or other elements of communication which users loose while conversing synchronously.

Bibliography:

1. Twitter. (2007). Retrieved 17/8, 2007, from http://twitter.com/home

2. Facebook. (2007). Retrieved 17/8, 2007, from http://uqedu.facebook.com/profile.php?id=715841185

3. Delicious. (2007). Retrieved 17/8, 2007, from http://del.icio.us/A.Einstein

4. Flickr. (2007). Retrieved 17/8, 2007, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/53151484@N00/1142484496/