Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds can simulate the real world in different needed areas, such as healthcare and business. In "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life," Tutton elaborates on the benefits virtual meetings bring to businesses, such as privacy in a company's own network and "work" in a whole range of environments such as auditoriums and collaboration pods. In addition, virtual worlds help reduce traveling costs for employees since they would not have to travel overseas to meet up with employees in other countries. The article continues to mention a virtual meeting tool IBM produces called Sametime 3D, where employees from different businesses can share ideas and collaborate in a 3D world. In this way, creativity is encouraged because "the environment was so engaging" (Tutton). However, some cons that associate with virtual meetings are lack of relational trust and relationship-building, since an online relationship can never equate to the value of meeting up face-to-face. 

Some other negative aspects of virtual worlds are the behavioral outcomes that may occur after a person is engrossed in an online world. "Virtual World May Impact Real-World Behaviour" from Health24 delivers a connection between how you treat others in the real world and the character that you become online. For example, if you play a hero in an online simulation, you are more likely to act kindly towards others in reality. On the other hand, if you replicate a villain virtually, you are more likely to act deviously towards others in reality. 

The future of virtual worlds will increasingly blend what is real and what is online together. For example, 3D virtual reality is now a new aspect of technology that makes it easy for people to experience the new and the unknown in the safety of a familiar space. 

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References:

Tutton, Mark. "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life." CNN. Cable News Network, 09 Nov. 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/index.html>.

"Virtual World May Impact Real World Behaviour." Health24. N.p., 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.health24.com/Mental-Health/News/Virtual-world-may-impact-real-world-behaviour-20140210>.

Blog About Twitter

Twitter vs. Blackboard

To start off, Blackboard's creation was solely meant to be an educational platform between students and faculty. In a Blackboard discussion thread, it is a lot more formal than a simple Twitter conversation. Tweets can only hold a maximum of 140 characters, while a Blackboard discussion post can be an essay. With that being said, tweets allow classmates and faculty to connect on a real-time schedule, while Blackboard posts are edited on multiple occasions to ensure accuracy and correct grammar. However, as a student, I would prefer having a class discussion over Blackboard rather than Twitter. One reason for my preference is because it is difficult to shorten my thoughts to 140 character or less, and as a "grammar nazi", I would have to sacrifice good grammar in exchange for more of my thoughts published on a tweet.  

Twitter vs. In-Class Discussion
There are more differences than similarities when comparing Twitter with in-class discussions. In-class discussion motivates individuals within a whole class to participate in the discussion being held, while Twitter's discussion only goes forward throughout a wider span of time. When the class is over in-class, the discussion is over. A Twitter discussion can go on for days, or can even be re-ignited over years if an old Tweet is found through the use of a hashtag. In addition, a person can verbalize his/her thoughts without limitations, as opposed to Twitter, where thoughts need to be shortened and succinct. 

Social Networking Sites

Facebook
- Real time status updates
- A lot going on at once
- Real time chat option available
- High user population
- News feed is tailored to the user
- Home page is the central hub 
Twitter
- Real time status updates
- Usage of hashtags
- Hashtag trends show what Twitter users are talking about
- No private real-time chat option, private messages only
Pinterest
- Home page is tailored to the user
- Home page feels a bit overwhelming, since multiple pins go across the web page and vertical as well
- Peaks creative users' interest 
- Private message option only 
Tumblr
- Home page is tailored to the user
- Private message option only 

Overall, all four social networking sites have their home pages tailored to the user. Personalization is what defines a person's profile, and central hub (home page). Pinterest and Tumblr appeal to creative minds.

Social Networking

In a corporation, social networking can be utilized through human resources in recruitment. Today, job seekers are not surprised at all about that fact and most job hunters seek to refine and polish their online social media presence in order to improve their personal images. This makes them more desirable to employers so that in turn, organizations will proactively seek to hire them. LinkedIn is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, social media communities used for career purposes. The relationship is two-fold, as job seekers want to put themselves out there, and recruiters can easily identify top talent in a simple manner. LinkedIn is essentially a recruiter's best friend, since it allows them to "find [talent] faster using a vastly increased network of contacts" (Langfitt). Recruiters can also use other more personal social media mediums to uncover how a potential best-fit candidate for an open job position carries him/herself on an everyday basis. For example, a recruiter at any large corporation would want to make sure a potential candidate does not divulge confidential information in online communities, such as Twitter. Aside from corporate, social networking can be used to bring people together of course for a variety of common interests and purposes, no matter the physical distance. These technologies allow people to converse in the comfort of their own homes and their phones, behind a screen. It is also easy for people to come together for a larger societal meaning and purpose, which is why hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter and #PrayForParis emerge. 

Backtracking to recruitment strategies, there is a dark side with social networking. As millennials are entering the workforce and acknowledging how their social media identities are synonymous to their real-life identities, they especially value their online privacy. As the article "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do" states, "the majority of young adult users of Facebook are engaged with managing their privacy settings on the site at least to some extent...". It is also imperative that recruiters are mindful to not show bias towards certain candidates if they are of a certain ethnicity, age, or gender. Bias can be easily created through social network searching. 

I believe social networking will continuously evolve in a way that will make every member of society have to play a part in social media. The big social media greats such as Facebook and Instagram have already started to incorporate new and exciting technology such as 360 degree live video and live coverage of live events. It would not be a surprise if the workers of these companies are actively seeking ways to make their product a "must" for all people, and to further their reach and influence even more.   

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References:

Langfitt, Frank. "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting." NPR. NPR, 22 Nov. 2006. Web. 06 Mar. 2016. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522523&sc=emaf>.

Parry, Marc. "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do." The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 July 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2016. <http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/who-cares-about-facebook-privacy-students-do/25877>.

Blogs vs. Wikis

Blogs and wikis have their share of similarities and differences on the online platform. Let us focus on wikis first. Wikipedias, wikis for short, can be seen as supposed "friendly battlefields" where users from all over the internet "fight" for their ideas to take center stage on webpages. With easy access, it is simple for anyone with a laptop to share his/her ideas with the world, and to have another person edit that person's ideas as well. On the other hand, blogs can be seen as more "private" spaces, where the owner has full control over the content that is displayed. Blogs can be used for collaboration through links to external blogs and the use of comments as well.

Many companies utilize wikis to allow their employees' thoughts to roam free in a safe and open online community space. With these wikis, collaboration can occur in a converged space on "everything from planning meetings and documenting best practices to brainstorming about new products and processes" (Morse). This is an example where organization on paper meets online easy-access planning, a strong emphasis on the importance of convergence in today's world. However, the more users that are involved in a wiki, the higher the chance for disputes. In a NY Times article called "A Rorschach Cheat Sheet on Wikipedia?," psychologists have expressed their disagreements on the availability of answer material to one of the oldest and most widely used psychological tests in the world (Cohen). With Wikipedia's free flowing culture, there are bound to be plenty of differing opinions as to how wikis should be run, and the level of content supervision. 

A new use for a wiki could be a wiki where songwriters and composers gather together to co-write a musical composition. Wikis could be especially useful for collaborating on lyrics if lyricists live in different time zones.   

References:

Cohen, Noam. "A Rorschach Cheat Sheet on Wikipedia?" (2009): n. pag. NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Web. 28 Feb. 2016. <https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/webapps/lobj-wiki-bb_bb60/wiki/BAR01_CIS_3810_NET2_1162_1/_23151070_1/Home?cmd=GetImage&systemId=Has+Wikipedia+Created+a+Rorschach+Cheat+Sheet__0.pdf>.

Morse, Gardiner. "Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales on Making the Most of Company Wikis." Harvard Business Review (2008): n. pag. Web. 28 Feb. 2016. <https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/webapps/lobj-wiki-bb_bb60/wiki/BAR01_CIS_3810_NET2_1162_1/_23151070_1/Home?cmd=GetImage&systemId=Wikipedia+founder+Jimmy+Wales+on+making+the+most+of+company+wikis__0.pdf>.

  

Beyond Pushing Paper: Human Resource Management and New Media

As a human resources (HR) major, I would like to research how new media has made an impact on the area of HR management, how HR has benefitted from these new technologies, and new emerging trends between HR and new media in the near future. The three areas of new media I would like to focus on in connection with HR are: social networking/media, online video conferencing/live streaming, and existing business communication platforms. As active undergraduate students, it can be assumed that most have been through one or more stages within a business's recruitment pipeline. It is a known fact that social media plays a decisive part in our modern era for recruiters/hiring managers, and is an extremely useful new media product to aid in informing web users about new job openings as well. This research paper will go beyond what is known to the average public, and will dive deeper into real-life examples of the positives and negatives of the new age technologies mentioned alongside human resources.