User talk:Kgr00003

Online visibility is a very grey area within the online world. Users are often not fully aware of the extent of their online visibility or how to deal with it. It was not something I had ever really considered until writing this post and I am now a lot more aware of my online presence. I would say that I have am very highly visible online and have a constant presence. This is through my social medias which I use and post on every day. I share photos and posts, generally to do with what I am doing, my friends and achievements. I also contribute to online content through liking, sharing, commenting, tweeting and posting the content of other people.

My online visibility is through the mediums of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. I use Twitter and Instagram as the main way of sharing content such as photos and tweets while interacting with other content; mainly friends. Facebook is generally used to keep up with family and what they’re posting as they don’t tend to be on other social media platforms. Snapchat is generally used to share photos through ‘stories’ and to chat to friends. I choose to share my content with friends and family explicitly on Facebook, while on Twitter, I share with friends although do have a lot of people who I am following out of interest for their content that I do not know. Instagram is mainly for friends and some family, although so also follow some high-profile accounts such as celebrities. Finally, Snapchat is for friends and former schoolmates.

I would have assumed that my Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat is under my own control due to my privacy settings which make it hard for anyone to see my content unless I allow them to. They feel more secure. I feel that my Twitter account is less under my control due to having it as open, meaning anyone can see what I post without me having to accept them. This is a conscious choice as I don’t post or have anything very personal that I would be unhappy with anyone seeing.

Online visibility directly relates to the Always On theory as myself, along with others, are very rarely never offline. It is unlikely that I would log off my social media accounts and am consistently switching between apps when I pick my phone up while bored. When something happens, there is the desire or ‘need’ to post a photo or tweet to show what I am doing or when something happens. Online presence is consistently strong due to always being on. Online visibility is strong across many different platforms which is an example of media convergence with a presence not just being in one place. The different social medias interconnect with each other, showing the development in the convergence of medias. For example, you can post to Facebook through Instagram – converging across the platforms.

Therefore, I have a strong visibility online and am active nearly constantly. I feel like my content is under my control where I want it to be and is secure, being able to share it with who I want to share with.

Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 12:13, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

Comment: This was a very interesting post. It is true that you are also visible online through sharing and liking other people's content as well as creating your own. I would say that I am probably most visible on Instagram as I actively like and forward photos to my friends. I am mainly visible through what I share of other people's content than my own. I also agree that having your settings so that only family and friends can see, creates a more comfortable environment to share whatever you want and express yourself. I, too thought that the 'Always on' topic was linked to this as the more active you are online, the more visible you are. Even when I am inactive, I am still logged on. I did not realise the link between online visibility and media convergence, but your post has highlighted this for me and I will now look further into this. I do not have my accounts linked up however I have noticed that this is an option. Thanks for pointing it out to me as an example of media convergence! Dcg00003 (discuss • contribs) 15:25, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

This was a good discussion of online visibility and its relation to always-on culture. Your awareness of your own online usage also contributes to the idea of always-on. I find myself constantly checking my phone, even though there may not be any notifications, as an attempt to have something to do. Maybe next time, you could include academic sources to backup your points. Overall, this post is a good reflection on usage, as well as, online privacy. NCowling (discuss • contribs) 16:29, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

Comment:
This was an interesting discussion and I completely agree that it was eye opening to realise my own online visibility as I never really considered it before now. 'Always on' definitely relates to this topic as our online presence and want to be visible definitely makes us use our devices and social medias more and makes us accessible to others. I am the exact same and I am always on my phone when I'm bored. Really clever point about convergence, I hadn't even realised that! Overall a good, concise and well written post.
 * 1) Jeneds (discuss • contribs) 11:31, 7 March 2018 (UTC)

Comment: Like me, you relate to different online platforms like Facebook or Instagram. You wrote about that you have the feeling that your twitter account is less under your control, but have you considered the point that whatever we post, on every medium, it is kind of forever in the internet? I related to this point in my discussion myself, but while your account settings are on private, have you ever considered that people (hacker) might be able to see it nethertheless? I really like your connection with the Always-on theory, I think thats true, while we use the phone and social media every time we are bored.
 * 1) 139.153.66.42 (discuss) 12:55, 7 March 2018 (UTC) akm00018

I found this post very interesting. I especially enjoyed hearing how you choose to never log out of your social media accounts as you are fully aware you will always come back to them and want them there and open at a minute's notice. It is interesting how our uses of social media and our objective to remain somewhat private online also collides with 'always on' theory as we couldn't have one without another and our need to be always online also makes us feel as if we may need to be constantly sharing. Definitely a very good read! I also enjoyed hearing how you use Snapchat in order to stay in touch with old school friends as you used to see them on the daily and now with snapchat you are able to stay up to date with them daily still as most people post on Snapchat everyday, even while you may be miles away from them.

I'm in the same boat as you with Twitter also- it is my most open platform of all.

Thank you for the thought-provoking post! I enjoy your writing style. I hope that your collaborative essay is going well! I cannot wait for Thursday for it to be handed in and finished with!

Digitalmediafiend (discuss • contribs) 22:23, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed my post and it made you think. It is something I am very aware of as it is such a massive presence in our lives, especially being in the generation in which social media really took off with, it's something that I was aware of developing and growing throughout the years. Snapchat is great for keeping up with friends from school as even though you might not speak to them anymore, it's nice to see what everyone is getting up to! I hope that yours is going well also, very much so looking forward to it all being handed in and then the Easter holidays! Good luck with the rest of semester. Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 09:34, 27 March 2018 (UTC)

I can definitely relate your discussion of the way in which you delineate your experiences with each social media platform based upon who you intend share with. Like you, I consider my Facebook page to be mostly for my family members, while my Twitter and Instagram are more focused on sharing with my friends. Based on this post, I think you've got a great base for collaborative essay. Good luck to you working on it! Mom00107 (discuss • contribs) 19:30, 28 March 2018 (UTC)

Annotated Bibliography
Kennedy, H. (2016). Social Media Data Mining Becomes Ordinary. Post, Mine, Repeat. 1-17. DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-35398-6

Within this first chapter of Kennedy’s book, she looks at the issue of social media data mining. This involves the continuous gathering of information and how much information can be stored about people and what they are doing and/or saying online. Through social media data mining, private and confidential personal information can be learned about a user. This kind of information is gathered by platforms that predict influence and reputation, generally used by companies to further their businesses. Kennedy further introduces how the public and users of these accounts are becoming more aware of data mining and this awareness is being spread through social media and social spheres. Social media data mining is a normal, everyday practice that affects everyday people and Kennedy explores this within her book. The aims of Kennedy in this book are to find out how small data mining becomes even more big and worrying, rather than just focusing on high profile cases of it. She seeks to find out who is doing the data mining through focusing on social media data mining activities from ‘ordinary actors’, whom are councils, museums and universities to name a few. Kennedy aims to discover what kind of data mining is too far and to contribute to debates and to answer the question “can social media data mining ever be considered acceptable or used in ways we find acceptable?”. Kennedy researches data mining through a variety of methods. She interviews workers in social media data mining companies and within public sector organisations. Kennedy looked at students doing internships in the industry to understand what goes on within businesses. She worked with scholars and colleagues to understand and explore the data mining industry. Also held 10 focus groups with social media users to understand their perspectives on the issues. Kennedy’s scope on this issue was that she will look at positive and negative contributions and all aspects of social media mining, such as who and what is reading, sharing and how influential and active they are. The usefulness of this research to the collaborative essay being studied on the module is how it relates to Always On Culture as Kennedy researches social media which is what Always On Culture is centred around. She is looking at the tracking of data of those who are consistently and always online and sharing their personal information, essentially just another level to add to the Always On debate. The limitations of this study are that social media data could be inaccurate as may not explicitly be true or accurate and platforms and interests are constantly changing so could be hard to keep track. Therefore, Kennedy finds that data mining is commonplace in our society and can impact everyone, with academic investigating and research allowing for a deeper understanding of data mining to raise awareness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_mining

Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 18:21, 11 March 2018 (UTC)

I had never heard of the concept of 'data mining' before, this post was very helpful in my understanding of it. One of my main issues with social media is that I do not know exactly who can gather my information and habits, and what they can do with them. I would not have guessed that there were actual companies that gather this data. To me, this is a worrying prospect. If people are being employed specifically for this purpose, then this is going to issue increase. I believe this piece of research would fit perfectly into your research on the 'Always On' Culture as our contributions online are what fuel the need for this 'service'. I find this topic very interesting and I should read this article in order to find out exactly what my information is being used for. This could either increase or reduce my anxiety around the topic. However, I believe it is important that all social media users should learn exactly what their information is being used for and who exactly has access to this. Dcg00003 (discuss • contribs) 18:56, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

I'm glad I was able to help you learn something new about this aspect of the online world. It is worrying when you start to think about it too much as we never really know who has access to our information, no matter what steps we take in an attempt to protect our information. I also agree that if there are companies who are specifically created in order to mine data then won't this just increase the issues? Does this issue relate to what you are studying for your collaborative essay? I also agree that we should be kept fully aware of what our information is used for, this may evem result in people more willingly releasing their information if they know where it is going, they might be happy to help companies with their research. I think it should definitely be an opt in/out system concerning data sharing. What do you think? Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 10:30, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

I 100% agree that it should be optional for our information to be used for company research. I think that in a way this could relate to the internet of things, particularly when it comes to the hacking side of 'IoT', which one of the girls in my group is covering. Essentially both are resulting in people getting ahold of our information that we have not authorised access to. I saw in the news just this morning that Facebook has come under fire as a company has used personal details of the site's users in order to influence political elections! This is perhaps relevant to what you will be discussing in your essay. If not, it is still a very interesting topic to read into as it is something that could potentially effect us. This is a very harrowing thought as social media already has such a huge influence on our generation. The thought that this can not only influence us but be used to manipulate us is extremely concerning. I am not quite sure if there is a way to stop this happening! Had you heard about this issue? Does this put you off using social media platforms? Dcg00003 (discuss • contribs) 11:37, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

That's interesting to hear about it relating to the Internet of Things, I hadn't realised that it did so it's interesting to learn about! Yes, I had heard about this issue, one of the girls in my group posted the link to our Wiki page as it relates to our essay and also work done previously on the module. It 100% is concerning, I'd not realised this was such a massive issue in this way, if that makes sense? It scares me to think that maybe our information isn't as protected as we would expect.. makes you think. I don't think it majorly puts me off using social media, ust to probably keep an eye of what I'm posting/allowing to be online. What about you, how does this affect the way in which you see social media? Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 21:42, 22 March 2018 (UTC)

I agree, I think it makes me more wary of using the site and being aware of these issues is important. However, I do not think that I post or share enough about myself to be at risk of being manipulated in this way. I think that for some, perhaps those that post more about their personal lives and spend a lot of time on social media should keep in mind that these go on. It is just extremely worrying that something as serious as elections can be manipulated as this has a drastic effect on the world around us. Dcg00003 (discuss • contribs) 11:18, 23 March 2018 (UTC)

Data mining is such a huge part of the online world even though many people are not aware or do not pay attention to it. Kennedy brings forward an important question as to whether social media data mining can prove useful to the every day internet user and I think you have covered this well. The link between social media data mining and always on culture is also very interesting. It begs the question if we are so willing to put all this information about ourselves online, is it therefore okay for companies, big or small, to use this information for their own benefits? I, too, am looking into always on culture and agree that this research is very relevant to the topic. If we were not "always on" the likelihood of this much of our personal data being available would be much lower. But because we are constantly updating the world with our thoughts, feelings, whereabouts and more, outside parties can use this to their advantage. Personally, this information about data mining makes me want to review my security settings on my social media accounts. Jfm00011 (discuss • contribs) 00:01, 16 March 2018 (UTC)

You're right, I feel that people are not fully aware of the extent that data mining goes to when it comes to our online information. How aware were you of data mining before this exercise, as I personally found that it made me more aware. I think you're right in your point about if we choose to put all this information online, then is it really a massive issue if big companies use it? We are both studying Always-On culture so it's interesting to see your opinions on it as it generally reflects my own. My security settings on my accounts are different depending on the social medias, for example, my Facebook is quite private and secure however, my Twitter is completely open. There is also the question of that does it matter what privacy settings we have? Does this really make a difference to how much information companies can mine? Thoughts? Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 10:24, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

It is definitely a worry of mine that no matter what our privacy settings companies can still get a hold of this information. You hear stories of people getting ads based on private conversations they've had that social media sites should not be able to tap into. I wonder how many people actually take this into consideration, or whether they know about this intrusion and just carry on despite know that companies are taking this information. Jfm00011 (discuss • contribs) 19:58, 22 March 2018 (UTC)

I agree with you there, it's really worrying that they have access to this information as this should be entirely private unless consented. I guess we are all like that, everyone is kind of aware of what's going on, however most just choose to ignore it. I could probably be said as guilty for that also, what do you think? Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 21:42, 22 March 2018 (UTC)

Like many other people, privacy settings on my accounts are something that I worry about but also careful about. For example, on Facebook I have strict settings on who can friend me, message or view any of my stuff. Also, I usually do not like pages, groups and more because I know that Facebook is tracking me and using that information to advertise products. On the other hand, companies offer free Wi-Fi for costumers. Though, many may not know that the free Wi-Fi comes with a cost. The minute you accept the terms and conditions page you give the company permission to access and keep your information while you receive the ‘free’ Wi-Fi service. In general, when it comes to surfing on the web, I am fully aware that every website is tracking my every move. Therefore, I have downloaded Ghostery on my computer which allows you to view and block trackers on websites you use. Celine Hunt (discuss • contribs) 23:47, 27 March 2018 (UTC)

Reflective Account
The Wikibooks platform is a dynamic and technological platform that provides users with the ability to upload and edit content on anything they please. It is highly interactive in the way in which users can edit each-others content and have discussions on the platform. For my groups collaborative essay, we researched and wrote up our essay on the topic of the Always-On culture. Through Wikibooks, we were able to discuss and upload notes and suggestions on our group discussion page which aided the process of being able to build the essay. This was beneficial as it allowed for everyone to keep track of what was going on and we were all able to see what each other was discussion, allowing for the ability to keep a steady flow between information without having to meet up in person.

Wikibooks has a strong community aspect due to the pages being accessible to all and the ability to edit and add content as everyone wishes, along with having discussions. Everyone can contribute and help each other which provides the community aspect of the site. This was displayed to me throughout the process of creating our collaborative essay as we all worked together through the site, along with contributing to other class-mates pages. We all helped each other out, whether it was to help someone who was confused, provide links to something they could be interested in or just to provide general support and discussion on different topics, such as online visibility. Through this nature of community, Wikibooks is a highly collaborative platform that helps bring people together equally.

Wikibooks has a large emphasis on visibility, however, this may not be necessarily a bad thing. You need to visibility function when using this site as you need to be able to see who has uploaded and edited what information as it allows for you to keep track over who is contributing and can then discuss directly with them. Each upload or edit needs to be signed off by the user, which provides them with the ability to see the user name and the date and time of which the edit or upload was made. It also allows with the ability to see if any users from other groups had made any changes to our discussion page and therefore made sure there were no mix ups. This kind of online visibility is highly positive and beneficial to the platform and its functions and helped to further the aspect of community on the site as you got to know each user.

I found that interacting with my group over the Wikibooks discussion page was useful for keeping track of each person and what stage they were at with their own notes and information. We were all able to help each other out if we found any useful information or someone needed help. This allowed us to only need to meet every so often as we were regularly keeping in touch with each other over the platform. However, the Wikibooks platform was less helpful when it came to having discussions that needed quick responses and were less information full. Using another platform such as Facebook messenger would have been a lot more appropriate.

To conclude, the Wikibooks platform is hugely beneficial to an academic project such as this one as it allowed for us to keep up to date with each other and then build and structure our final essay easily. I enjoyed being part of a community that shared and uploaded information while helping each other out and building our work together.

NOTE: Slightly late upload due to being in Wales and not being able to connect my laptop to the internet to upload until now

Kgr00003 (discuss • contribs) 17:23, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Comments

Hi Kristin, I agree completely about how useful Wikibooks is as a platform, especially when it came to working on our collaborative essay. Being able to keep track of what everyone was posting and therefore having the capability to follow them up on something they had written was a huge benefit. Another aspect that I found really helpful was the familiarity of the site. As Wikibooks is a side project for Wikipedia, it shares a lot of the same looks and set up. For example, when figuring out how to structure the essay and our work towards it, being able to look at actual Wikipedia pages, not even ones about the subject, was a huge help. Because we have encountered pages like this before, we were familiar with the sort of structure and what we were aiming for.

The community aspect of the site was extremely evident while we were doing our collaborative essay, even when we were communicating with other groups. Not only could we help our other group members, but we could look at other groups’ discussion and essay pages, and offer any advice. This could be about something like a useful source, or perhaps even just how to best take advantage of the Wikibooks platform and all the features the site offers. They could then return the favour, meaning that we would all benefit from the community nature of the platform.

I agree when you said that Wikibooks has an emphasis on visibility, as the ability to track what everyone has contributed to a page means that no change is undocumented. People will generally sign off every comment, again encouraging this visibility. You could also argue, however, that the platform still has some of the anonymity that we see on many platforms online. Each user will go by and sign off with their username, which does not have to be their actual name. It is also their choice as to how much personal information they would like to give about themselves, like we see on many social media sites.

Perhaps we could look at the link between Always-on culture and platforms like Wikibooks, that encourage users to seek to improve their books by adding more information and interacting in more discussion. When previously discussing Always-on culture, we have been looking at social media and surveillance, but how has this platform been affected by people’s constant attachment to the network? People are constantly seeking information, so this would surely have an effect on the type of sites like this, where you can not only find the answers you are looking for but also add information that you yourself have that could be of use to others. It is definitely an interesting idea to think about, and consider in what ways has this affected the way we search for information. Jfm00011 (discuss • contribs) 21:42, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

INSTRUCTOR FEEDBACK: DISCUSSION, ENGAGEMENT, CONTRIBS

 * Engagement on discussion pages of this standard attain the following grade descriptor for contribs. Whereas not all of the elements here will be directly relevant to your particular response to the brief, this will give you a clearer idea of how the grade you have been given relates to the standards and quality expected of work at this level:
 * Good. Among other things, good contributions will make a clear point in a clear way. They will relate concepts to original examples in a straightforward fashion. They will make effective use of the possibilities of the form (including formatting, links, as well as perhaps copyright-free videos and images, linked to from Wiki Commons). They may also demonstrate a broader understanding of the module's themes and concerns, and are likely to show evidence of reading and thinking about the subject material, discussing this in a transparent way with fellow researchers on the Discussion Pages. The wiki markup formatting will be very clear.

Students should be engaging at least once a day, for the duration of the project. The following points illustrate how this engagement is evaluated.


 * This was clearly not the case here – only 7 days registered as having logged a contrib. However, when you did engage, these were significant entries in terms of moving the project forward, and an appropriate level of engagement is in evidence.

Evidence from contribs to both editing and discussion of content (i.e. volume and breadth of editorial activity as evidenced through ‘contribs’). These are primarily considered for quality rather than quantity, but as a broad guideline: o	Each item on a contribs list that are 3000+ characters are deemed “considerable” o	Each item on a contribs list that are 2000+ characters are deemed “significant” o	Each item on a contribs list that are 1000+ characters are deemed “substantial” o	Items on a contribs list that are <1000 characters are important, and are considered in the round when evaluating contribs as a whole because of their aggregate value


 * Several contribs registered as being under 1000 characters, and a couple that could be regarded as “considerable” contribution to the project.

•	Engagement with and learning from the community on Discussion Pages o	Evidence of peer-assisted learning and collaboration o	Evidence of reading, sharing, and application of research to the essay o	Evidence of peer-review of others’ work


 * This was the strongest element of your contribution. You clearly pushed your arguments and encouraged others to comment/respond, helped others in their work, and there’s plenty of evidence of reading, application and discussion of ideas.

•	Reflexive, creative and well-managed use of Discussion Pages o	Clear delegation of tasks o	Clearly labelled sections and subsections o	Contributions are all signed


 * You were clearly collaborating on the discussion page. Some of the organisation here is a little haphazard, but overall the discussion is easy to follow. You have also signed where necessary, so it’s easy to see where your contribs fit into the overall discussion.

•	Civility. Your conduct is a key component of any collaboration, especially in the context of an online knowledge-building community. Please respect others, as well as observe the rules for civility on wiki projects. All contribs are moderated.


 * You conducted yourself well. Good work!

GregXenon01 (discuss • contribs) 12:08, 23 April 2018 (UTC)

Instructor Feedback on Wiki Exercise Portfolio
Posts and comments on other people’s work, of this standard, roughly corresponds to the following grade descriptor. Depending on where your actual mark is in relation to the making criteria as outlined in the relevant documentation, it should give you an idea of strengths and weaknesses within the achieved grade band overall.

Excellent. Among other things, these entries will probably demonstrate a complex, critical understanding of the themes of the module. They will communicate very effectively, making excellent and creative use of the possibilities of the form (including links, as well as perhaps copyright-free videos and images, linked to from Wiki Commons), and may be written with some skill and flair. They will address the assignment tasks in a thoughtful way. They will make insightful connections between original examples and relevant concepts. They will be informed by serious reading and reflection, are likely to demonstrate originality of thought, and will probably be rewarding and informative for the reader. The wiki markup formatting will be impeccable.


 * This work is at the lower end of this grade band, so there’s clearly room for improvement here. I think in order to engage with the wiki exercises a bit more, it might be useful for you to look at the Grade Descriptors and (especially for this, perhaps, the Understanding) criteria in the module handbook to get more of an idea of how to hit those targets. Although there is some good use of embedding links and so forth, making more use of the wiki functionality and markup would have gone a long way to improving fluidity and functionality of posts.


 * Re: responses to other people’s posts – these are especially good. I like that you have framed some of your responses as questions to solicit discussion (this is, arguably, what discussion pages are all about!) and also that you have engaged in discussion in an open and critical way (that is to say, you've responded to what other people are saying and are contributing meaningfully to discussion - arguably the civic element of wiki that you ought to be thinking about, which you clearly are). I like that you have framed some of your responses as questions to solicit discussion (this is, arguably, what discussion pages are all about!) and also that you are discussing in an open and critical way (that is to say, you've responded to what other people are saying and are contributing meaningfully to discussion - arguably the civic element of wiki that you ought to be thinking about, which you clearly are).

General:
 * Reading and research: evidence of critical engagement with set materials; evidence of independent reading of appropriate academic and peer-reviewed material. Clear evidence here


 * Argument and analysis: well-articulated and well-supported argument; evidence of critical thinking (through taking a position in relation to key ideas from the module, and supporting this position); evidence of relational thinking (through making connections between key ideas from the module and wider literature, and supporting these connections); evidence of independent critical ability. Again, some excellent work in evidence. This is especially the case in sustaining discussion, and in soliciting responses from others in peer-review.


 * Presentation: good use of wiki markup and organisational skills. To reiterate, more could have been done here.

GregXenon01 (discuss • contribs) 10:49, 9 May 2018 (UTC)