The first chat room that I checked out was one that I frequent. It goes by the name Ka Leo O Hawaii, which may seem familiar to most of you UH students because it was named after the campus newspaper. It would seem appropriate to gives this name to a chat room, which means "The Voice of Hawaii" in Hawaiian, because after all, one might imply that this chat room is made up of a number of "voices" in Hawaii. This chat room is based on the Big Island of Hawaii and is filled mainly with college students from most of the Hawaiian islands, with Oahu having the most amount of users or "chatters" in this case (although there are some Guam and mainland folks, as well). I log onto this chat room by using the unix prompt and typing in "telnet", followed by "open", and the address to this chat room which is "interpac.net 7000" at the prompt.
I have to admit that this was the first time that I actually observed the users here, mainly because of what this assignment called for. I noticed that the people in this chat room meet on a regular, almost daily basis. What started off as mere chats have blossomed into close friendships in the virtual, as well as real life world for many. Couples who have met in this chat room make promises to meet each day at a certain time in a certain room (this talker has many rooms within it, not just one main room). The users here have a fairly close relationship. I know of many who have met and hang out in real life regularly. There are also many gatherings for the users of this talker such as watching movies as a group, picnics, and even karaoke nights.
The users here tend to talk about life in college, in Hawaii, and just about anything and everything that comes up for discussion. Some nights could be the backdrop for many deep topics of conversation such as sex (that's a popular topic here!), addiction to the Internet, and even the latest gossip or happenings in the media. One of the advantages here is that you, as a chatter, can either talk openly with a group of people, or privately via certain commands you type to direct certain things to the particular user(s) you choose to talk to. From my own opinion and from what I have observed, the users here get many things out of frequenting this chat room. They not only get fun and friendship, but they also get help if needed from other users, a form of entertainment, and some company on a lonely evening. Some people log onto here to "escape" from the pressures and problems of real life; to get their minds off of bothersome issues and come here to have fun and forget (temporarily) what waits for them in the real world.
When I logged on, there were very few users. I would say, myself and two other people, but they were not saying anything. The users here tend to meet very casually; all the chatting here takes place in one room, as compared to the number of different rooms that the previous chat room I mentioned has, and unlike the previous chat room I discussed that allows you to talk privately with another person so that no one else can see what you are saying, every word you say is totally in the open here. It is not very intimate or personal as the "Ka Leo O Hawaii" chat room is. The good thing about it is that you are able to speak your first language here and teach others if you want to.
"Fashion Net Chat" was another chat room that caught my eye as I searched Yahoo for different chat rooms. People here can do a number of things, besides chat. In addition to live chatting, this chat room includes message boards on which people can state how they feel or write about things such as fashion, beauty, modeling, and health/fitness for all to see. There is also online shopping here, which can be thought of like a "virtual department store", services which include classified ads, and even selected sites such as Armani Exchange, Aveda, Donna Karan, Lancome, Elle, Gap, and a number of other popular name brand homepages.
Basically, people log on here to find information concerning fashion, as well as chat with others who share a passion for it. People pass on beauty or health to one another, and also are able to talk with others who love what they love--fashion! They can benefit by a number of different ways through eachother and find some type of "belongingness" or "membership" here.
This first forum that I visited was called the "Star Wars Chat Trivia and RPG Forum". Unfortunately for me, I was unable to chat because my Web browser is not Java enabled and it requires one to have Java in order to chat. So, I decided to just check the site out for a bit. I found that this forum was a place where all Star Wars fans from anywhere in the world can meet to talk about Star Wars themed RPGs and quiz each other about trivia pertaining to Star Wars. The neat thing about this was that people could even create and organize their own trivia contests! I think this is a great place for all Star Wars fans to come together and share with eachother their knowledge and opinions about Star Wars.
This forum is definitely an original one! "Your Movie Reviews" allows anyone who would like to do their own personal movie review to send it via e-mail in the Web browser. This site provides wanna-be movie critics an opportunity to be "heard" on line, allowing full usage of their creative writing talents and opinions. Unlike the other chat rooms, this site does not have an interactive live type of chat. Instead, it just posts up people's movie reviews periodically. I guess you could think of it as you, the writer, having a type of interaction with the site as well as others who log in to read your review.
There is an alphabetized list of the most recent movies out and in order to read the movie review, you simply click on the particular movie you would like to read about. I think this is a great site to visit for people who are interested in contributing their own personal movie review or if they would like to read what others have submitted.
As soon as I logged on to "Femme Forum", I noticed how nice and pretty this site was. As you can probably tell, this site is aimed especially for women and invites women from around the world to share with other women their works which could take various forms such as artwork, gardening tips, recipes, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, news, etc. Bascially, it's anything that a woman would like to share. This site is very informative, allowing women to share all types of information with other women. Like "Your Movie Reviews", this site also does not have a chat link, although it would be a good idea if it did. It may be easier for women to chat live with other women about various female issues instead of having to go through the trouble of submitting whatever it is via e-mail. Nonetheless, this site is excellent at keeping females a priority, allowing exchanges between women from all over the world. As Sharon, who maintains this site states, "this site is created for women, about women, or anyone who identifies as being a female." I couldn't have said it any better.
Being a Bush fan, I decided to check out the "Bush Fan Club". This site is maintained by Bush fans from around the world and includes a variety of things that people can do once at this site. Not only can people read about the Bush band itself, but also get concert information and reviews, see photos and even read poems here, too! There is also a chat room called the amBush Cafe Chat Room, but since my browser does not support Java, I was unable to chat. One of the best things about this site is that people here can get involved directly and indirectly. There are various contests or polls that take place; currently, they are asking for fans to submit their entries for a new domain name. There is also something called "pen pals", where Bush fans can e-mail eachother. This is an excellent meeting place where Bush lovers can not only meet and talk with other Bush fanatics, but also learn more about the main reason for it all, Bush.
The "WSU Anime Club" aims at bringing the world of Japanese animation into the American outlook. This club, unlike the Bush Fan Club site, does not have a chat room, but it does hold weekly meetings at the WSU (Washington State University) campus to discuss various topics of anime. I think the bad thing about this is that it is limited to those who are actually a part of the Washington State University campus or live nearby. All those who are not able to attend these meetings have to settle for what is on line, which include a library (I was unable to access this because it said that they were currently updating the database), the latest showings of Japanese animation, and links to different anime pages. Fans of Japanese anime are able to share and gain information with eachother here, which is the good thing about it.
"The Global Knowledge Base" is a very informative site. Here, one can contribute as well as browse the site for free. It shares free information and services of all types. One of the features of this site is the Global Journal. This is a medium used to share any type of information and opinions with eachother, as well as provide important information and facts to everyone. This site also provides free Homepages to businesses and contains a variety of links. Some of which include jobs, chats/forums, events, shop, bookmarks, download software, etc. I checked out the chat link and as soon as I logged on, I noticed that the users were chatting in different languages. I figured that since this site is a "Global" knowledge base, it would be normal for the multilanguages.
People would check this site out for a variety of services; whatever people are searching for, they probably can find it here. It's like a reference site where people can gain information.
Free webspace for artists can be found at "Art4all.com", an online art gallery. People, whether artists or not, can submit art, free of charge, to be inlcuded in their art gallery. This site also includes a chat link and also provides services such as classifieds, discussions, gallery links, and even a search link. I tried to log onto the chat link, but since I do not have Java, I was unable to.
People who log on to this site would be able to gain more information about art, as well as contribute their artwork and see works of art done by others. Not only all of that, but this site provides services relating to art that would be useful to anyone.
Membership is required at the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force. This lobby site contains different articles concerning gay and lesbian issues, as well as updates and what's new concerning the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Task Force. It also includes press release of videos, etc.
Lesbian and gay people would be able to log onto this site, if they are members of this lobby, to find out information about the happenings and news with their group. They would log onto this site because it provides a sense of membership with fellow gay and lesbians.
The Automobile Protection Association (APA) is described as "a non-profit auto industry watchdog; a consumer advocacy organization which lobbies for improved safety standards." They "work extensively for improved legislation, industry sales practices and automobile safety."
Membership is also required here and this site provides a link to publications on automobiles (an Auto Price Guide) and also offers services to help with purchasing or maintaining automobiles. This is an excellent site for people to check out if they are in need of more information concerning their automobile or truly care about their car and the full protection of it.
"Concerned Counseling" provides access to counselors online. There are conferences with these counselors which are held in chatrooms. This site also lists some schedules of conferences so that anyone who is interested in "attending" will be able to. There is also a schedule of events, a live chat/bbs (bulletin boards) link, and even surveys and tests that one can take online.
I have to mention that in order to have access to the counseling online, you must register yourself and sign up for it. This means providing personal information about yourself and since I did not feel comfortable doing so, I chose to refrain from it. This really is an informative site where people from all over can chat, get counseling and have conferences with experts, share your experiences with others, and learn more about yourself as an individual.
"The Well" is a unique online gathering place where intelligent and uninhibited conferences take place. According to the site, "Conferences are the heart of The WELL, and a vibrant online community emerges
from conversations in these members-only spaces. Each Conference has a distinct flavor and crowd, and regulars check in frequently to offer expertise, debate ideas, play word games and indulge in banter and
gossip."
This is a great place for conversing with other people and having all around type of fun. Members here have the option of playing games if they don't feel like talking. This could be a type of entertainment for those who are looking for some kind of social life and it can all be done from a computer at home (very convenient!).
"The Gamer's Inn Game Room" is the first type of game room that I have ever visited. It was quite an experience! This site features their own collection of games which are meant to challenge and bring fun and excitement to players. Some games here include a Cyber Arcade, where players can win cash by playing and winning the games, and Trivia, where players can also win cash and prizes. BlackJack, Draw Poker, Classic Concentration and Hangman are among other games that people can play.
This is the next best thing to actually going out to a real life arcade! You are in the comfort of your own home, and you are not spending a dime! One of the good things about this site is that they are constantly adding new games and keeping the old ones! I would assume that people of all ages would come here for entertainment and fun because this site not only offers games directed to adults, but also some games for the younger crowd.
"ClassicGame.com" is a lot like The Gamer's Inn Game Room in the sense that it offers a variety of board and card games such as Backgammon, Chess, Checkers, Bridge, Poker, Gin, etc. The unique thing about this site is that people are able to play Java-based games here with OTHER people on the Internet, which could be thought of as a more competitive way to play. This is a great site to visit for people to visit if they are bored and want something to keep them company.
"Cafe de Paris" offers "live chatting in a virtual Paris cafe." This was a different type of experience for me! I felt like I visited Paris without leaving home! Some of the things that is offered here is the opportunity to make new friends, chat, and get travel, restaurant and hotel tips/suggestions from others (who have either been to Paris or are currently living there). I logged on to the chat room and found that people there generally speak French so I was unable to understand what they were saying. I think this would be excellent for people who are thinking of visiting Paris, who have already been there and would like to go back (virtually), and for those who would like some information about Paris and what it has to offer.
Asako Shinagawa (G5) gives her own insights and the insights of others such as Dr. James about the topic of Cyberspace. Ms. Shinagawa tells of her first interactions with this whole "netizen" issue because prior to taking the class, she had very limited computer experience. Slowly, after reading into what Dr. James and some students explain about what Cyberspace is, she developed her own view about Cyberspace. According to her own personal hypothesis, we exist as netizens on the Internet and our personalities tend to change in cyberspace. She also states how the dual existence of netizen and citizen will slowly merge in the future.
Leslie Francis (G5) describes in her own experiences with newsgroups in her report. She tackles the different reasons why people would post messages on newsgoups such as the tendency to have similar interests. Ms. Francis also talks about how she went from being an observer of newsgroups to an active participant of them. It seems like her initial participation in newsgroups dealt with basic, minor kinds of topics and as she got the hang of things and became more familiar with newsgroups, she participated in more serious types of topics within newsgroups.
May Rose Isnec (G5) discusses her experiences with two newsgroups in which she actively participates in, alt.tasteless.jokes and soc.culture.filipino. She describes them to be like "yin & yang", where one is meant to be amusing and offer some laughs, while the other is more conversational, where participants are speaking in different Filipino dialects (Tagalog, in her case). Ms. Isnec talks about how she became an active newsmember in both newsgroups and how the alt.tasteless.jokes newsgroup does have a tendency to be less personal and pokes fun at different types of people. She did, however, find the soc.culture.filipino newsgroup to be much more supportive of her new adventures with newsgroups and she enjoys frequenting and posting at that particular one.
My Personal Exploration Through Cyberspace
Chat Rooms 
Fashion Net Chat
Femme Forum
Clubs
Art4all.com
Lobbies
Internet Cafes 
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