Introduction

One of the assignments you probably will be required to do for Dr. James is to participate in Newsgroups.  Taking part in Newsgroups can be fun and exciting, because you will be able to observe many postings of people from different parts of the world.  On the other hand, observing Newsgroup can be boring and not interesting to look at.  Therefore, I suggest that if you have the choice to select a Newsgroup then pick one that shares your interest.  For example, because Ryan Shintani is a San Francisco 49ers fans, he selected a Newsgroup that is devoted to his favorite team.

In this report, I will try to summarize my oral presentation on Ryan Shintani of G5?s  report, answer the questions asked by Dr. James and my fellow classmates, and I will conclude by giving suggestions of some directions to take to improve this report.  Hopefully, I will be successful with all these areas.

Summary of report

I. How I found my way to my newsgroups.

Out of the thousand of newsgroups out there, Ryan Shintani chooses alt.sport.football.pro.sf-49ers, which is devoted to his favorite football team- San Francisco 49ers.  Because we are required to make web pages, he decided to make his second newsgroup as a place where he could get some information on HTML programming.   A friend of his recommended alt.hypertext (this site is no longer active).

Ryan used a program called Freeagent (which is unfamiliar to me) to view the newsgroups.  Ryan feels this program has many features that can make reading newsgroups easier.  (1) The program color codes the messages in a group, therefore, you can distinguish which postings you have done reading from the ones that are unread and new.  (2) You can use the program whether you are online or offline, therefore, gives you the option to post to a group when you are on the telephone talking to a friend.  (3) It lets you know when a message is being access from the server by placing an icon of a lightning bolt next to the message.
 

II.  What is really said in newsgroups and how it is said?

While following the newsgroups for a few weeks, Ryan made some observations.  He noticed that in most of the postings people tend to include enough of the original message in their posts.  The reason for this is to help the person reading the post get a feel of what the original question or statement was, and this helps the reader to understand the reply.

Ryan also found out from the postings that most people use the brevity rule (one-topic-per-post rule).  If you were to have three different topics, then each one would be written on each post and not four topics on one post.  He finds people that do not follow the rule to be a problem because he believes there is no logical sequence to the post.  The person who is writing the message tends to jump from one topic to another.
 

III.  To post or not to post.

Instead of just being an observer within the newsgroups, Ryan decided to take an active part by posting some of his messages.  He first posted a message on the hypertext group because he feels much safer there than the San Francisco group.  He felt that the people there were willing to answer any questions no matter how simple or stupid the question was.  Stated by Ryan, ?I was taken by surprise that people that I never met or knew would go out of their way to take the time to answer my questions?.

Ryan did not only post messages on the hypertext newsgroup but also with the 49ers group, where he had a negative experience.   In one of his messages he posted, he said the 49ers should keep Elvis Garbac and trade Steve Young.   His one posting got his flamed, which is a term used for personal attack against a post, because the message resulted to 10 negative replies against him.  The other term he learned from the newsgroups is spamming, which is when you receive many responses to your posting because it is of great interest to many people.  The difference between flaming and spamming is that the latter is positive.

With his experience with the newsgroups, Ryan concluded that people use a direct post when agreeing or disagreeing with someone?s message.  When people respond they seem to think that the post is a part of the person that wrote it.  He feels the attack is not against the material that the person wrote the attack is against the person that wrote the post.  It is a direct assault on the person.
 

Questions and Answers

Lianne Allianic
Q: What kinds of experiences did you have with newsgroups?
A:  I had many positive experiences with newsgroups and just a few negative ones.  While observing a newsgroup dealing with driving, I have notice that some people are be very blunt and defensive in their messages.  There was one where a man put a woman down because she did not quite answer the question as directly as possible one.  He told her that she should not post anything if she does not know what the question is asking.  Also, I found out that many can?t seem to control themselves when they are in the heat of the moment, therefore, they write down everything that may seem to be coming out of their mouth (i.e.. vulgarity) as a way of expression.  Overall, I had many positive experiences.  Many of those that post messages seem to care and have the heart for another human being; they are helpful and try not to offend anyone

Q: What other kinds of rules are there for posting?
A:   At first, I was not aware that there were rules for posting.  However, I know now.   I do not really know any other rules beside the brevity rule.

Q: Do you think there could be a newsgroup that would help people gain emotional intelligence so they could be safer drivers?
A:  Out of the thousand of newsgroups out there, I would think so.  If however there is none, then why not start one for all of us.  I think that a newsgroup on emotional intelligence for drivers would help many individuals.
 

Tara Anthony

Q: So people should not be afraid to contribute to newsgroups?
A:  I don?t think people should be afraid to contribute to newsgroups, because if you have some good things to say, then why keep it to yourself when it can benefit someone.  The only fear I would consider is what if someone opposes your opinions and you both got into a heavy debate about an idea.  You do not know this person, who might be a psycho, start stocking you.  That is scary!

Q: Should we be emotionally intelligent while participating in newsgroups?
A:  I think so, because how will we be able to relate to one another if we do not know where the other person is coming from and what our feelings are.  Emotional intelligence is a big concept to grasp and it affects everything that we are as people.  It affects us in our relationship with others, job performance, and etc.
 

Argyle Bumanglag
Q: You mentioned how being in a newsgroup is similar to talking to a friend. However, don?t you think there are some newsgroup filled with a lot of vulgarity and negative comments?
A:  Yes, there are some newsgroups that are filled with vulgarity and negative comments.  However, what I was getting at when I said participating in newsgroup is like talking to a friend is that you have the freedom to say everything (good or bad) to the people in newsgroup like you would to a friend.  If the people you encounter in newsgroup are caring and empathic towards you, then you will be able to receive the comfort that you get out from a friend.

Q: What is a flame?
A:  A flame is a negative term used for personal attack against a posting.  In other words, it could be look at as the negative comments you get in return because others did not like what you said or did not feel the same way as you do.
 

Isabel Chang
Q: Can newsgroups be good or bad? If so, how do you distinguish the good from the bad?
A:  I think newsgroup can be both, good and bad, depending on one?s taste.  For me, I consider newsgroups that are educational and have positive messages to be good.  I do not enjoy looking at newsgroup that is intended to offend or hate anyone (e.g. I hate Britney Spears).

Q: What are the differences between newsgroups?
A:  The big difference between newsgroup are the subject that they dealing with.  One newsgroup could be devoted to pet lovers, while another can be on car racing.

Q: How does one apply emotional intelligence to newsgroups?
A:   The way emotional intelligence can apply to newsgroup is by being able to relate to another individual.  If you are able to empathize with a person, then say so and let the person know ?I feel for you because I could see myself in same situation.?  What is important is that we try to understand one another so that we are able to live better lives in such a complicated world.
 

Leena-Rose Dwiggins
Q: Since you have had personal experience with newsgroups, do you feel they are a reliable source of information?
A:  I feel some newsgroups are reliable sources of information if they are able to support their claim.  If they can not, then I would think they are just an opinion.

Q: What if anything did you learn from your presentation of this report?
A:  I learned that there are some rules to consider when posting a message and many are unaware of this, which is why some negative things occur in newsgroup that should have been prevented (i.e.. offensive remarks).  Overall, I learned that the language used and how you phrase them in a sentence does make a difference.  It influences how a person attains the message and how they will reply.

Q: Do you feel this form of communication is more effective than face-to-face?
A:  I think a face-to-face communication is more effective than an interaction in newsgroups, because there are many other cues to observe, whether the person is being sincere with their opinions (i.e.. facial expressions, tune of voice, and body movement) or not.  In newsgroups, you are only able to observe what is there in the screen of your computer about a person and so you just assume that the individual is being sincere with their comment.
 

Anthony Guerra
Q: Do people actually follow this brevity rule? I never heard of it even though it sounds obvious.
A:  I?ve seen many that did not follow the rule when I was doing my newsgroup assignment and so I would think these people were unaware of such rule.  I probably would be one of this people if it were not for this report.  Therefore, I think it is wise to know something?s about posting message before you actually do one.

Q: I have noticed that people are willing to help each other. But on road rage newsgroup people are a**holes. Why?
A:  I think that it is just the topic itself.  Because it is on "road rage" many are bothered by this topic and probably feels it is appropriate to express their rage they encounter when they are on the road.  I know that it is not a smart way to do because nothing good will come out of it.  However, you need to think that there are people out there that are very stubborn to change and are not willing to be good toward another human being (that?s how life is).  We just need to hope and pray these people will become better people at some time in their lives.

Q: Is he correct that receiving lots of post is "spamming?" I never heard this use of the word.
A:   According to the report and Dr. James, spamming is the term used when you receive many responses to a posting.
 

Amy Hayashida
Q: Do you think that usually if people are participating in newsgroups they generally are more apt to help someone?
A:  Not necessarily.  I know many people that tend to go the extra mile for others who do not participate in a newsgroup(s).  Therefore, I do not think an individual should use as a form of measure on how willing one is to help someone if they participate in newsgroups.
 

Dr. James
Q: Why do people spend a lot of time on newsgroups?
A:  It could be because they find newsgroups interesting and entertaining.  In addition, they experience a sense of joy to be participating and have eventually made some friends with the people in newsgroups.

Q: Should young people participate in newsgroup?
A:  I think young people could participate in newsgroup, but not mandatory.  If young folks feel they have something to contribute, then why not participate.  Young people should have the freedom to say what they feel in newsgroups, however, there should be some censorship to which newsgroups they can take in to prevent corruption of the mind.  For instance, I wouldn?t let my 13-year-old cousin be viewing a newsgroup dealing with sex when I know she is not ready to be expose to it or be getting her education from this particular site.

Q: Is the class "Web QDC Discussions like a newsgroup? Explain.
A:  I think so, because we are able to view and post message to one another.  However, because we are being graded with our participation in QDC I think that there is not much flexibility of what we can say.  We have to be aware that if we oppose something we cannot easily says so in my opinion.  In addition, it seems that it is only the students of Dr. James that is taken part in the discussions and not anyone else.  I think that if the QDC web discussion is more available to everyone in the world, then it will be a newsgroup.
 

Cindy Melo
Q: What were your initial reactions about newsgroups? After utilizing it yourself, how have your experience/reactions change?
A:   At first, I thought that participating in newsgroups would be a waste of my time when I could be doing something more productive.  However, because of the newsgroup assignment we had to do, I was able to change my mind.  Observing newsgroups for three weeks have opened my eyes to ideas that I was not aware of people.  It had made me become much more open-minded.

Q: On our QDC discussions, do you think that some students are hesitant to completely voice out their ideas/opinions because it?s "being monitored."
A:  Like what I have said before when I tried to address one of Dr. James? question, I think that because we are being graded or monitored we (students) have some hesitance to say what we feel.  We do not have the flexibility to voice our opinion, which in some ways are limiting our complete feelings on the subject.
 

Sandee Uyehara
Q: What is your opinion on newsgroups? Do you like to participate in them?
A:  Newsgroups can be very beneficial to an individual depending on the person.  For me, I think it is good because I was able to learn some lessons out of it and therefore, I like participating in them.

Q: Did you ever post any criticism on any newsgroups?
A:  I have not tried posting any negative ones because I am not the type of person to do so.  I believe the saying 'keep the bad comments to yourself and only say aloud things that are good'.
 

James Yang
Q: What are the benefits of utilizing a newsgroup?
A:   A lot of information and can be a form of entertainment.

Q: Is it possible to develop a relationship with the people you are interacting with in the newsgroup?
A:  Mostly it could be possible to develop a relationship with the people.  First of all, I think that you should let them know if they could be one of your friends or ask their permission if you could get to know them better.  It is wiser to be aware of this ahead of time.
 
 
 

Reactions to Questions and Answers

I think I did a better job on this second oral presentation report than I did on the first one.  I was more prepared and was not nervous.  As for the questioned asked, I noticed that I received more questions this time around probably because my audience knew more of the subject I was presenting.  Therefore, they had some ideas of what to ask me.  In addition, the question asked required more of what I felt and experience on the subject than acquiring the answers from the report or text.  I tried to answer each question truthfully.  Overall, I think that I have spend more time on this report than compared to my first oral report.
 

Comparison with my fellow classmates

Because this is an extra report that we could use as an extra-credit, not many people have done it yet.  Therefore, there is not much I could compare my report with.  Overall, I have a positive feeling that everyone will try to make a good and presentable report .
 
 

Suggestions for Future Generation
1.  Prepare yourself to spend sometime viewing the report on the web and taking notes.  Make an outline of what you will present and some prospective questions that students might ask.  If the report is very vague, then try viewing other reports on the same topic.  As a presenter, you want to show that you know what you are presenting, therefore, you need to do some research.  When you are presenting, you can include in your presentation that you went the extra mile to get your information if you want to.

2.  It would be interesting if you are able to give some examples of some newsgroups out there and how people behave in them.  Then, provide a worksheet where your audience can guess what newsgroup(s) each posting belongs.  Better yet, have your audience divide themselves in groups of five and have them demonstrate what they consider is a newsgroup.