The MSN--Online Relationships

The MSN indeed enhances the interpersonal relationships. I have been using the program for few years. From the MSN 6.0 to the 7.0 beta test, the MSN has continuously improved its program and provided better service to serve the users. For me, the MSN enables me, on some degree, to keep in touch with my friends and family. From the very begining, there were only 8 people in my address book, but now, I already have 50 people. I don not talk to these 50 people at the same time, but as long as I want to talk to some of them and if they are online, I can immediately communicate and maintain our relationship.

However, even though the MSN is convenient for people to interact with each other through the Internet, for those who do not use the MSN like my parents, I only can keep in touch with them through the telephone. I feel that the online relationship tends to be shallow; for example, people tend to transmit simple and short messages to discuss with others on MSN. Although they can talk for a long time, they can not invlove the real face-to-face communication and they have limitation to express their true emotions online as the computer can not tell the person's really feeling. Moreover, Rowland (1999) points out that the computer can not feel a person's pain and love, it is not conscious; however, consciousness only exists in hunman. Only human can tell others their emotions. Comparing the online chatting and real face-to-face communication, I still prefer the real face-to-face communication.

Reference,

Rowland, W. (1999). Can the Net Think? Spirit Of The Web. (pp.333-342). Tornoto: Key Porter Books

Online Safety

An annony thing happehed to my friend Anne last Saterday. When she was using the MSN chatting with her friend, another person, supposed to be a guy, added her name and wanted to talk to Anne. Anne thought that was one of her unfamiliar firends so she accepted and talked to him. However, the guy started to show some porns and talked about some dirty words to Anne. She eventaully knew that the guy was not her friend but did not know and foncused how the guy got her msn address.
After hearing Anne's story, I started to think aboout the issue of the online safety. More and more people use the MSN chatting with friends and getting some information. However, how many peopele know that the person they are talking to are exactually the peson they know in person since the MSN does not require people to use their real name. Hence, according to the MSN's website, http://www.msn.staysafeonline.com/, it teaches us how to stay safely when chatting with firends or families online:

1. Do not share your personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, credit card
numbers, or photos with the person you do not know; Keep your information in private.
2. When you feel comfortable for the cahtting content or the Internet screen, log out or turn off
the computer.
3. Do not meet the person who you do not know in operson.
4. Download the program of anti-virus software on your computer.
5. when you are chatting with a friend, let the third person join your chatting activities.
6. Keep in mine that not everyone on the MSN is who they said they are.

According to the lecture, when people use the tchnologies, they are also spied by others(Smith, January, 25, 2005). Many of us do not know how to avoid strangers when they talk to us as they know how to get our MSN addresses. We are spied since the MSN undermines our freedom. Hence, poeple should be careful and consider issue of online safety when using the MSN (Smith, January, 25, 2005).

Reference

Smith, R. (January, 25, 2005). Week 3: Information society. Presented at a CMNS 253 Lecture at Simon Fraser university

MSN. (2004). Staying safe online. Retrieved February 28, 2005, from: http://www.msn.staysafeonline.com/

MSN 6.2 Vs MSN 7.0 Beta Test

I just updated the MSN system from 6.2 to 7.0. As the MSN 7.0 is still progressing, it just offers the beta test. The MSN 7.0 remians all functions of the MSN 6.2 such as the signs of the offline, busy, away, and online messages; which are favorable for people to notice the states of others. For example, if my friend's sign shows "offline", instead of waiting for her, I can switch to talk to others who are online. Moreover, I can show the sign of "away" in order to avoid talking to someone who I do not want. Both the MSN 6.2 and 7.0 provide some silly cartoons to vivify coversations as well as emotions, and they offer online photo sharing. By using the webcams, users are able to see each other online, even though some webcams are not clear enough to transmit the images. However, if two people use different MSN programs; for instance, one uses the MSN 7.0 and the other uses the MSN 6.2, they can not use the webcam as the MSN 7.0 does not accept MSN 6.2 in some degree.

The MSN has become useful and popular seems obvious. Peole frequently use it to chat with others. With upgrade program of the MSN 7.0 which provides more advanced functions for users to animate thier interactions. For example, the MSN 7.0 adds functions of winks, nudge, download packs, games, activities, and deluxe display pictures. Firstly, users can express their emotions by sending kisses, hearts, and some cartoons to others by using "winks". Secondly, by sending the "nudge", the MSN window, both our own and the person who we are contacing, will "shake". Thirdly, because the MSN 7.0 beta test does not yet offer the function of "download pack", once it is available, users can use it to catch emotions, winks, display pictures, and setting background from the MSN. Fourthly, if users are memners of Instant Games Clubhouse member, the MSN 7.0 offers online games for them such as chess club, bankshot billiards club. Fifthly, using "activities", users are able to share some information suchas files, photos, and calendars. Finally, "deluxe display pictures" will be able to vivify display pictures even thouth the MSN 7.0 bets test does not yet offer this grogram (Warren 2004).

Although the MSN 7.0 offers more updated programs to serve users; however, in some degree, the MSN 6.2 and MSN 7.0 can not use together. If the person A is useing MSN 7.0 and the person B is using MSN 6.2, when the person A sends the "nudge" to the person B, then the person B can not reveive the information. In this circumsatnce, only the person A's MSN window will "shark". Therefore, in order to use the updated functions of the MSN7.0 to animate online conversations, it requires users to use the MSN 7.0

Reference

Warren Tom. (2004, September 30) Exclusive: MSN Messenger 7.0 . Retrieved February 11, 2005, from: http://216.239.63.104/search?q=cache:PVU8Ti9nQeYJ:www.neowin.net/comments.php%3Fid%3D24503%26category%3Dmain+what+is+MSN+Messenger+7.0&hl=zh-TW

Instrumentalist ----Postive & Negative

Seeing my shy 13-year-old cousin used the MSN system to chat with his friend all day today with out leaveing the computer room, I start to carefully consider about the concept of the "black box" of the technology and the perspective of the instrumentalist (Smith, January, 18, 2005).

According to the lecture (Smith, January, 18, 2005), the positive of the instrumalist is that technologies are seen as social creators and people use them as tools to slove problems and satisfy thier needs. Before using the MSN, my cousin liked to use the telephone. Every time he used, he would spend at least 2 hours chatting with his friends since he does not like face-to-face communication. However, the annoying thing that caused him not able to chat with his friends frequently was that spending long time using the telephone would result a expensive payment. Fortualtely, by the invention of the MSN, he found that the online chatting system faciliates him to maintain communication and social interactions with his friends. Also, since the MSN is free, he even can invite several people to join the discussion group; whereas the telephone can not do that. Therefore, MSN satisfies my cousin's needs and sloves his problem of pay lots of expensive phone bills; and it is obvious viewed as positive.

However, when I saw my couisn sitting on the chair and using the MSN to chat with his friend for a long time, I started to worry about the negative impact of the MSN. Also according to the lecture (Smith, January, 18, 2005), the negative perspective of the instrumentalist is that technologies are sometimes viewed as negative social outcomes. When my couisn spent long time on the MSN, he participated less outdoor activities and social interaction with others in real life; as a result, he becomes even shyer and have difficulity using face-to-face communication. He also can not magange his time well in doing school works because the simulate life on the MSN seems more vivid. Therefore, the MSN should be regulated. The current MSN system does not set any limitation for peopele who want to use the system so everyone can use it. In my opinion, perhaps setting a regulation that only allows people to use the system when they reach the age of 19 or older can reduce the negative impact on young people since they have less abilities to control themselves for time management; also young age people should participate more outdoor activities in order to learn social interactions with others.

Reference,

Smith, R. (January, 18, 2005). Week 2: The Introduction of Information Technology-The New Media. Presented at a CMNS 253 Lecture at simon Fraser University