User talk:SinaOhlandt

I will be working in a group project with other students to help learn about Wikibook projects

SinaOhlandt (discuss • contribs) 16:15, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

Wiki Exercise #1 - What is a good Wiki?
In general, I do not use a lot of different social media sites, especially when it comes to working in groups. I find that most of my friends use Facebook to set up different group chats or pages to help with the organisation of clubs, events, nights out etc. The other social media accounts I have, I barely use, so I cannot really comment on whether they would be used in a similar way.

With Facebook, it is really easy to set up a private or public page and invite others into your group and then share ideas, questions or issues about certain group projects or, for example, general information about the running of a club or society within a university, school or college. Also, with the creation of these specific group pages and/ or group chats it generally prevents people randomly posting ideas on your personal timeline where a majority of friends and family can see what you are doing, although doing exactly that is still an available option.

Some of the qualitative differences I have noticed between social media engagement and the wiki engagement is that for social media, depending on privacy settings, social media platforms can be a lot safer in the way of communicating with friends and acquaintances when working in collaboration on a project. With wiki, anyone can read, comment and edit the information on a site, page or discussion, but it is just as easy to set up and communicate with people you know. Another difference is the notifications for when someone has posted something onto a discussion page or group chat. With some social media sites you can get immediate notifications, even if you do not have a tab open for the site as well as app notifications and E-mails. With wiki it seems that notifications and alerts are far less intense, but are still easily received and accessed. There is also the difference in layout from social media platforms and on wiki pages. On social media it's really easy to see who wrote what and when because of the timeline format, but with the wiki pages posts can be in a linear format, but if something is edited then the information is just updated and the post stays in the same position as before.

SinaOhlandt (discuss • contribs) 20:23, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

Marker’s Feedback on Wiki Exercise #1


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 Understanding and Engagement elements, it should give you an idea of strengths and weaknesses within the achieved grade band overall.


 * Good. Among other things, good entries 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 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. The wiki markup formatting will be very clear.


 * Although good, there’s always 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. Less instrumentally, and more in relation to this particular post, you note at one part of your post that qualitative differences I have noticed between social media engagement and the wiki engagement is that for social media, depending on privacy settings, social media platforms can be a lot safer in the way of communicating with friends and acquaintances when working in collaboration on a project. I'm just wondering what this aspect of safety is that you're addressing, and where you might take this argument - out of genuine curiosity as much as anything, but also in terms of the kind(s) of evidence and research you might draw upon to explore this further. The notifications point - yes, well observed comment. Take this further - is it (and when would it be) more advantageous to have a more immediate and persistent notification system? This is something we explore in more detail in relation to always-on, later in the module, so would thinking back to this and reflecting.


 * in addition, making more use of the wiki functionality and markup would go a long way to improving fluidity and functionality of posts. I suspect that, as you become more familiar and proficient with the platform, that this will make a considerable difference.


 * Re: responses to other people’s posts – these are fairly good, if a little brief. Remember that the comments are "worth" as much as posts themselves. The reason for this is not only to help encourage discussion (a key element of wiki collaboration!) but also to get you to reflect upon your own work. This can all, of course be used to fuel ideas that might form part of your project work. 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 beginning to discuss 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).

GregXenon01 (discuss • contribs) 17:45, 13 February 2017 (UTC)

Hi SinaOhlandt,

In reference to your point about the qualitative differences between social media and Wikipedia in terms of privacy, I do not fully agree that Facebook is safer. Yes I understand that Facebook ensures direct contact with exactly who it is you wish to speak to, however in terms of privacy I wouldn't say that makes it 'safer', but perhaps more efficient. Facebook profiles contain a lot more personal information than wiki profiles. Plus I would argue that it is more socially acceptable to have an anonymous wiki account than Facebook account. Therefore, Wikipedia does prove to have a positive side to being open and somewhat anonymous in terms of privacy as there is less chance of your identity being at risk. (Although I still completely support your point about direct communication.)

Unfortunately, I am still very new to wiki platforms and so I cannot confidently comment on your point about notifications. Hopefully over the course of this module I will be able to give a greater response.

I agree the layout is very different. Personally I find the wiki platforms to be much more formal and focussed on information. When a user signs their updated post, the time of the edit and the user's name appears and so you can still see who has edited the post - like Facebook. So I would argue that although there are some differences; this is not a qualitative difference between social media and Wiki*edia.

Evbestie (discuss • contribs) 18:13, 9 February 2017 (UTC)

Wiki Exercise #2: Visibility and Data Trails
I originally thought that I was rather invisible online, but in a bid to actually figure this out, I decided to do the best thing and Google myself... and the results were shocking. As it turns out, I am not that well-hidden online – the entirety of the first page of Google results are correctly related to me and my movements online over the years from a childhood comment on a fan-page, through high school, college and now University. Pages even came up about profiles I had completely forgotten I had created, and those that I never use, but hope to start utilising in the future. For most of the sites that I can be found on, there is next to no information about me or my personal life, but it is quite the opposite when it comes to Facebook, which is the main site I use. Even though I have my page on private, people who do not know me (and are not logged into Facebook) can actually see some of the places I used to work, places where I have studied, languages I speak/ learned, and where I ‘currently’ live, and how many pictures I have on my page. I can only question how much is visible to those who are logged into Facebook and have a mutual friend if/when they search for me. I suppose that the main reason that I have more information available on Facebook is because I use it so often, but that I also occasionally like my friends and family knowing what I have been up to. Sometimes I do not update things, but that is mainly because I either do not want people to know what I am doing straight away, or I decide that it is just not their business to know (like my relationship status, for example). In that sense, I suppose that the information presented about me is entirely my decision. But, one of the links when I Google searched me was actually beyond my knowledge. It was a link to a site for people living in the UK and has one of my previous addresses based on the UK Electoral Roll. I’m not sure about how much more information is available on me based off of this website, but if someone creates an account, they would be able to see more information, and are able to ask for a full background check on me… and if I’m strictly honest – it is a little terrifying. I did look into potentially getting a background check on myself, but as it required I create an account and then pay approximately £15 for it, I decided against it.

Because I managed to find this I am painfully more aware of the fact that there is limited privacy in a digital age. Using any social media sites will make you more visible and prone to surveillance as the internet is a dangerous place, and even those currently unaware of it, may become a part of the dangers either as a victim to it, or a contributor. This can even be seen through the Wiki project and profile as at the end of the week, we are assessed to gain feedback on how to improve for the next part of the project. Everything we do for this will be marked down and then put towards a final grade; how we discuss things within our groups, what research we show and share, other people/ friends we comment and share our opinions with... pretty much everything we do on Wiki. Fortunately we were (hopefully) aware of this when we started the project, and it is a relatively safe project on a formalised site, which is not like a social media platform where anything can be said that could cause potential issues, but where we will be discussing ideas and opinions relating to the subject of digital media and culture. This, in a way, can also show how there is limited freedom on the internet. There is a falsehood of safety and privacy online which makes the consumers think that they are free to say and do as they please, but they are not, as the internet can be a place to keep information that was gathered offline as well (as my information about my last address via the UK Electoral Roll proves). So no matter how few or many social networking profiles someone has, and has the privacy setting on, there is still a way of having information found about where they have lived or what they have posted or said to friends online, and they will be monitored regardless of their actions.

SinaOhlandt (discuss • contribs) 11:11, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Hey Sina. I agree - it's unsettling the amount of information it would appear that anyone with an interest can access with the simplest of Google searches. In school, we learned about online safety - but predominantly in regards to the threat of online predators. Do you think it's important for students to learn earlier about managing the information they offer online? As you've said, we've come to realise that there is limited privacy, but should that be a realisation we have to come to ourselves or something we understand from a young age? FionaThacker (discuss • contribs) 09:54, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

Hi @SinaOhlandt

This was so interesting!!! I have never googled myself but after I finish writing this I am going to! Your point proves how data trails can reveal information which we ourselves may have forgotten even existed. You are right that it is our decision what information we choose to put on social media, however who has access to this is not completely clear. Perhaps it is far too broad a spectrum than what we would personally wish for.

I think all internet users must try to be aware of their own visibility and maintain control. You have written that there is a "limited freedom" online and I 100% agree.

When responding to another post I noted that Facebook privacy settings are originally set to the bare minimum; which is strange, because most users alter this to be more private. I wonder what the reason for this is? Perhaps because less privacy may equal more visibility and therefore the user will create more links with others? What do you think?

Often tagged photos and interactions with other users online can increase your visibility as your online identity will then appear on their profile and therefore more people will be able to find your account. Is this something you consider when using Facebook and other social media sites?

I agree that Wiki is a safe, academic platform. I think this module will create more awareness of our own online identities and visibility.

Evbestie (discuss • contribs) 10:40, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

Exercise #3: Information Overload!!
The fact that there is a lot of information out there on the internet makes me curious and usually eager to learn more, but as sometimes it can distract me from whatever original reasons I had for using the internet I have tried to prevent myself from getting distracted by stopping live notifications from sites, such as Facebook, or my E-mails, and I try and block the adverts that keep appearing on the sites that I use. But if I am truly honest – most of the distractions come from my wandering mind, more than the different types of information that is readily available on the internet.

I am more distracted by the knowledge of a friend having messaged me, for example... or that I feel the need to listen to music that I do not have readily on my laptop or in my room, or if I have to look up a film that I either need to watch for class, or just because a friend or relative suggested that it would be interesting enough for me to watch. I do not have any foolproof solutions for not getting distracted when online, but having made sure that I turn off live notifications is already a great start, and when I need to focus on studies which require me to be online, I try to make sure that I listen to either films soundtracks, instrumental jazz and/or classical music or coffeehouse style barista music which last for a few hours at least, so I have noise which distracts me from my surroundings, and I will not be able to get too distracted by the music as there would be no lyrics or me to sing along to (though with the case of some film soundtracks, that can be a little tricky as sometimes I hear a melody and have to fight the urge to get up and dance, if singing is not an option). I suppose the reason I have for dealing with the abundance of information readily available is to make sure that if I do not need to focus on something important, I can quite happily surf the web at my leisure, but until such time, I limit myself to mere moments of curiosity if, for example, I have to write an essay or research information for a project... otherwise if I distract myself for too long, I will end up losing the motivation I need to study/ work.

Since the start of the Wikibook Project, my workflow has only slightly increased to accommodate for the demands, as I have had to focus on other work which was more demanding and needed somewhat more immediate attention. But, over the next few days I am sure that the workflow for the project will increase a lot more as I look into researching the topic with more vigour and interest, and time to do so effectively. My colleagues and I are hoping to constantly be in touch and discussing relevant facts and information that we find throughout the next week to help each other with the workflow, as well as to improve on and further any ideas that we find while researching information. It is possible that, working in a large group, that there will be times where the information we find is likely to distract us and we stray from the original group work, but sometimes getting distracted can lead someone to find an article or document that could end up helping and being beneficial to the overall project... but it can also be possible that getting distracted can lead to procrastination, and no work getting done – so I can only hope that there would be someone to remind them to get back to work before the distraction gets too off target.

SinaOhlandt (discuss • contribs) 19:08, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

Exercise 3: information overload comments
Hello there,SinaOhlandt you mentioned that you have the need to switch off notifications so you concentrate more however you choose to distract yourself from studies by playing jazz or classic music. Understanding that those are two different types of distractions. One is unwanted because it gets you distracted away from the work and one of them distracts you enough to cool off your mind and helps you concentrate and focus on some thing more. Would you agree? if so, why do you think music for many people is an escape in a way while others it can be just as distracting as the social media notification? Also would you agree that music genres or knowing the song might pay a factor where people tend to listen to something they do not know or something different to what they normally enjoy listening to?

Dalal22 (discuss • contribs) 23:29, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

Hi @SinaOhlandt

I agree that the internet and the content it provides can be a distraction. I too “mute” my notifications on social media apps to avoid getting distracted. Like you, my mind likes to wander. I had not thought about this in much extent. Perhaps this relates to the concept that technology is an extension of self. Yes, the internet can prove to be a distraction, but perhaps the user is looking for a distraction? Something which will help delay working and provide a source for procrastination. What do you think? Can the user treat information overload as an excuse for their own disinterest?

Unfortunately, I cannot listen to any music when I am trying to study. I like to be alone, in a quiet space, where I can entirely focus on my work. I love music and I can’t help but get distracted when I play it.

I agree that if I allow myself to get distracted for too long I will definitely lose my motivation to work. I lose my train of thought and become almost accustomed to wasting time procrastinating and distracting myself - most likely through social media.

In my report I focussed mainly on academic information online. Social media apps are a never ending cycle of content and so if I take a “quick break” time flies by, as more and more information shows up and it becomes addictive.

When I am trying to complete a task and I find myself veering of course, I try to constantly remind myself to stay focussed. Do you think it is possible for the overload of information to be a positive thing? Can it allow the user more access and links to a wide array of information?

I agree that my workflow now must increase as the Wikibook Project deadline approaches. Working in a large group may be challenging – it may even produce an overload of information!

Evbestie (discuss • contribs) 10:20, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

Hey SinaOhlandt - when you do settle in to complete the Wikibook project, what sources and information do you think you'll use? Do you find some resources easier to manage and easier to concentrate on than others? If so, why do you find them easier? FionaThacker (discuss • contribs) 10:35, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

Hi there SinaOhlandt! I agree with you that with other more pressing deadlines, my workflow for the WikiBook has slightly suffered. After the third Lab class, I feel that everybody is more confident on the platform which will help get the WikiBook done more efficiently. I think since the WikiBook is accessible 24/7, it will be much easier to contribute to and will have a more productive workflow than any other group project as almost every time you log in there is new information from other group members. Emmamchristie (discuss • contribs) 11:59, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

Hi @SinaOhlandt, I can totally relate to how the internet can be viewed as a distraction at the same time as being a good learning environment. I often get distracted when researching information for essays, for example when I start looking at the essay topic I will find some relevant information but then I end up on a completely different topic which has no connection to what I should be researching. I’ve never thought of turning off the notifications before, I normally switch my phone to silent but I have not turned them off on Facebook, does it really help or is it more of a distraction knowing that someone could be trying to get hold of you? I definitely agree with you about losing motivation when I get distracted, it’s especially difficult to get motivated about an essay when you know your favourite show on Netflix has new seasons to stream. For the Wikibook Project, what is the biggest distraction that might deter your workflow? Shakeygravesbeattie (discuss • contribs) 13:32, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

Hi @SinaOhlandt I totally agree with you in terms of your post. I really like how you have stated that information and distractions do not just come from technology all of the time, I think a lot of people misunderstand this and just typically blame technology on being the cause of distractions etc! I enjoyed reading your post and found it very relatable, keep posting and giving me lots of info as I enjoy your posts! Eilish2 (discuss • contribs) 00:18, 4 March 2017 (UTC)Eilish2 Eilish2 (discuss • contribs) 00:18, 4 March 2017 (UTC)

Wiki Exercise #4: Wikibook Project Reflective Account
After a few weeks of learning about how to use Wikibooks and researching topics for our group project due last week, I feel that the overall collaboration on and off-line were all very successful. Although a majority of the overall group never met, the online collaboration in the discussion page was of a really good standard and for the group members I met up with we managed to be very productive and worked well together to give each other ideas and how to work through our section of the chapter.

The weekly tasks were very helpful in preparing for the project as it helped us learn more about how to use the platform and how to use it as a more professional networking and discussion site instead of us reverting to the usual social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. It also prepared us for the amount of information that was readily available for us to research for the project and for our interest as well. I found that some of the information available on the internet can sometimes be shocking, and that no matter how much someone can strive to be as private and hidden as possible, there will always be information available online about you somewhere. The individual tasks also showed how we can use the discussion page for the chapter our groups were working in and how to organise and arrange things so it can be aesthetically pleasing as well as filled with information and ideas for others to read and understand easily.

Learning about the Wikibooks has also taught us to be more aware of how the internet and social media can work for and against us. The projects have shown us how we can be lead or trick ourselves into a false sense of security through our social media sites as we will put our security settings on what we think is the maximum setting, yet information about us can still be found elsewhere or maybe even through a different site which can be really alarming when we think we have protected ourselves. I really enjoyed looking into the visibility and data trails because of how surprised I was at the amount of information I could find about myself, and this led me to find a topic of interest to write about in the final project chapter. Unfortunately, with the relentless amount of information available, I found writing up my findings really difficult as it usually ended up sounding like I was varying from the original point I was writing about, and at one point even took the drastic measures to just re-write everything and try again. I realise now that that might have been a mistake, but I feel better haven written something more specific to the section I was working on than having information that was perhaps relevant elsewhere in the project.

I liked working on the project and weekly tasks, but having been in a large group for our chapter, I think that perhaps it would have been good at one point to have met up with everyone rather than just the people in our LAB classes as I like meeting people face to face and discussing things in person. I can understand that others might have very busy schedules and not have had the time to meet up, but I think ideas would have been easier to bounce off each other and improved on in a face to face conversation as sometimes they can be lost in the discussion page if they are not specifically linked to people within the group. Also, it would have been more difficult to show thought processes online had all seventeen of us met in person. Overall, I think we all did really well on the project and discussion although a few of us were unused to the platform and formality of the Wikibooks site we all improved our capabilities of writing, editing and researching the appropriate information that was needed to complete the project in time.

SinaOhlandt (discuss • contribs) 11:10, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

Comments on Exercise #4


Hi there!

As you highlighted this project was particularly unique because the group project has been completed without the entire group ever physically meeting! The digital age indeed!

I completely agree that the weekly exercises really guided the learning experience and provided excellent preparation for the project. The exercises and the project have also stimulated greater interest in the digital media module overall, which will prove to be valuable in the final essay.

Unlike you, I did not feel it was necessary for the whole group to meet in person, but I understand why you would have preferred this. I feel it would have been impractical and extremely difficult to organise a physical meeting in such a large group. Additionally, I think everybody’s points were equally heard through the Wiki platform, which may not have been the case in person.

I enjoyed reading your personal experience of the project. What critical concept from the module have you encountered which you believe offers an intellectual insight into collaborative knowledge building and the peer review process? In my post for this exercise I discussed the concept of being “always-on” with credit to the work of Danah Boyd. There are obviously other influential theorists in this field such as Sherry Turkle, but I did not mention this work simply because of the word count. Other concepts such as convergence media also relate to the project. What concept did you find to be most prominent overall? Did this influence how you tackled the project and the exercises?

Evbestie (discuss • contribs) 22:11, 16 March 2017 (UTC) Evbestie (discuss • contribs) 22:14, 16 March 2017 (UTC) Evbestie (discuss • contribs) 00:39, 17 March 2017 (UTC)

Content (weighted 20%)
The introduction section here is a little brief, however it draws its strength from being well written, in an accessible language. In addition to this, very usefully, each section has been laid out in bullet point format, with a very brief summative sentence for each section. The sections themselves represent wide coverage of many of the main issues surrounding privacy in contemporary popular culture.

However, of particular use here – and very much a strength of the chapter as a whole, is the section that draws together the issues raised here, and applies these to other areas of the wikibook as a whole, explicitly making more of the platform than would otherwise have been, had the groups decided to write this chapter in isolation. To be clear, the execution of this section could have been better – greatly improved through more systematic use of interwiki links to draw attention to the specific pages, sections and issues from the various pages in the wikibook which you were commenting on. Another specific section here that could have been improved is the section on celebrity vlogging. Whereas it is true that there hasn’t been a lot written on this (yet – there is a growing interest in the scholarship, and we can expect much more appearing in the short term), it should have been acknowledged that the scholarship on celebrity culture as a whole is very well established, and that most of the issues raised in relation to YouTubers (e.g. “the price of fame”, privacy issues, and the implied “fair game” logic) are covered in existing debates on celebrity. All that said, the potential for this last section was recognised and other parts of it fully engaged with existing research in the field, and therefore is rewarded.

Structure-wise, the chapter seems to hang together fairly well – the definitions section at the beginning, whilst by no means exhaustive, gives the reader a sense of the subject matter under discussion early on, and also some useful working definitions of key terms used. Some typo errors and inconsistency of formatting appear dotted throughout, but these are not the norm for this chapter. Odd inclusion of bibliographical material of theorists, but no discussion or application their ideas in that section (especially in the case of Fuchs, where it lists a few of his research association and academic achievements. A little bit more joined-up work would have improved on this section enormously.

The unusual step of including a survey and posting the results here is an extremely useful one. Something that absolutely HAS to be thought through in ALL future work is that if one is conducting a survey (even if for demonstration purposes, as included here) or indeed ANY work with people, one must go through an ethics approval process – this is to ensure no harms (relative or absolute) occur for researchers or participants. This process will become more apparent later in the degree programme, particularly in final year projects. The glossary is really useful – not quite exhaustive, but good for quick reference purposes. Use of interwiki links in here would have been useful. The references section again evidences research, reading and sharing of resources. Some of the formatting seems to go awry towards the end, so a little more joined-up thinking there would have been useful, but overall good.


 * Good. Your contribution to the book page gives a good brief overview of the subject under discussion in your chosen themed chapter. There is a good range of concepts associated with your subject, and the effort to deliver critical definitions, drawing from relevant literature and scholarship, and your own critical voice in the building of a robust argument is very much in evidence. The primary and secondary sources you found about the chapter’s themes cover a good range and depth of subject matter.

Wiki Exercise Portfolio (Understanding weighted 30%)

 * 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.


 * Reading and research:
 * evidence of critical engagement with set materials, featuring discriminating command of a excellent range of relevant materials and analyses
 * evidence of independent reading of appropriate academic and peer-reviewed material to a wide degree
 * Argument and analysis:
 * well-articulated and well-supported argument through highly original judgement relating to key issues, concepts or procedures
 * evidence of critical thinking (through taking a position in relation to key ideas from the module, and supporting this position);
 * originality in evidence of relational thinking (through making connections between key ideas from the module and wider literature, and supporting these connections);
 * significant evidence of independent critical ability

Engagement (weighted 50%)

 * Evidence from contributions to both editing and discussion of content suggests minimally sufficient standard of engagement (i.e. volume and breadth of activity as evidenced through contribs)
 * Acceptable engagement with and learning from other Wikipedians about the task of writing/editing content for a Wikibook
 * Limited reflexivity and creativity, and a somewhat insecure management of discussion pages