The People Who Shape the Web: Editing the Facts

So who are the all-important people that build, create, mold and scrape away all the excess bits of junk on the internets?
>>US. (not as in the United States, but WE THE PEOPLE OF THE EARTH).

How did this happen? Aren't the power-elite or an organized team of Bill Gates/Steve Jobs-type computer nerds in charge of our global source of information and internet-entertainment? (Where do you think World of Warcraft came from??)

Hmm. Let's see.
I guess that's what people DIDN'T want. It was believed that a magical internet dragon called Puffy or Tim O'Reilly (whichever you think sounds better, it's up to you) sparked a campaign unifying and giving control for all the global-villagers with access to the internets.
According to the magic dragon:

"Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform."


With these new-found magic powers and n00b-ish enthusiasm, the global-villagers got it on; realizing that they could use certain parts of their human body, called fingers, to type out words into their computers instead of using them for farming, flipping pages of books, dwarf-tossing, and other useful activities, they began what is known as The Revolution of Internet by:

1. Creating social-networking sites where they could make alliances with people they don't even know
2. Share videos and music online legally (their own home-made footage) and illegally (other people's work)
3. Changing and editing hard, factual information concluded by extensive back-breaking research which was accepted by professionals and scholars for centuries only to have it all replaced to suit their own beliefs on Wikipedia
4. Starting their own newspapers and journals on the web; discussing their own mundane interests and lifestyles (called blogging) where others can come and read and send love mail or hate mail to the writer (called commenting)
5. Making searches for information easier by tagging and keywording articles available on the web (this is one thing that was made respectably convenient)

"Wow," the villagers thought, "we finally have meaning to our lives! Thank you Mr. Puffy-slash-Tim O'Reilly! What should we do now?"

"Use your imagination--it's all UP TO YOU. That's why I gave you these powers. To finalize this turnover of power, you must go and capture the notorious Web 1.0 who has been static for years." The dragon replied, "Hunt it down and slice off its head thusly, and I shall reward thee 19 million points and lollipops for everyone!"

Henceforth, the global villagers took over the Internet, and made it a (slightly) more enjoyable experience for everyone.

They lived happily ever after, and went for ice-cream together every consecutive weekend.

Here's a video I found on the always-reliable YouTube on Web 2.0: (made with stop-motion)

World's Town

Hello bloggeurs of le web.

It seems funny that the students of COM 125 are REQUIRED to start their own blogs, when some have been blogging as a personal hobby for some time now.. (not me though). Huh.

Anyhoo, it isn't surprising that many of us (in this generation) are proficient with the internet and its different services and functions. As a child, I grew up playing games in the garden with my siblings, drawing, squashing bugs and running around like the hyperactive kid I was (or still am). However, by the time I was in primary school, computers started sprouting out from nowhere; research was no longer conducted in the school library--instead the INTERNET made projects easier to carry out, and every kid I knew had an e-mail, and was actively engaged in (the now old-skool) windows messenger. Wonder if people actually remember what an "encyclopedia" is anymore...

With this interconnected network of networks, our world is becoming increasingly smaller, and our social circle is getting gradually larger, and larger and LARGER.
The World Wide Web offers convenience to its users and allows people to interact in the comfort of their own vicinity; be it at home, at the office/school or even on the go with the augmented popularity of internet-enabled mobile phones. Through internet access, web monkeys can contact/interact others through:

1. E-mail (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and whatnot)
2. Have live chat conversations with peers through Windows Messenger, ICQ or SKYPE
3. Join thousands of annoying social network websites, such as MySpace, Friendster, Hi5, and (the big momma of them all) FACEBOOK.
4. Watch videos and movies or listen to music online--FOR FREE (o rly? no wai!) @ YouTube, Veoh and Yahoo Launch.
5. Send viruses, hack accounts, steal money, view pornography (these are optional and unpreferred).

With the emergence of this great invention, we no longer need to make long-distance phone calls to friends and family, write lengthy and costly letters to people overseas, or go and visit someone to see how they are doing. The world is now digitalized, and as Marshall McLuhan famously mentioned, the world is becoming a "Global Village" with the advancement of public media.

In the words of former U.S. president, George "Dubbya" Bush: "...there's rumors on the INTERNETS".