Technologies of Politics and Control - User contributions [en]

Main Page

2012-05-09T00:50:53Z

Mvalerio: /* Class Feedback */

= Internet and Society: Technologies and Politics of Control=
'''LSTU E–120 - Harvard Extension School - Spring 2012 - Tuesdays 5:30-7:30 pm EST'''

'''[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/contact Berkman Center for Internet and Society] - 23 Everett Street - Conference room, 2nd floor'''

This course examines current legal, political, social, and technical struggles for control of the global Internet—and the content and relationships it conveys. The course focuses on the interaction of new technologies and services with emerging models of production, innovation, communication, learning, and civic engagement—looking at both the US and international contexts. Prerequisites: willingness to experiment with new technologies and to participate in class discussions, whether virtually or in person. (4 credits) '''[[course overview|continued...]]'''

=='''Syllabus at a glance'''==
{| style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"

|-
| Jan 24
| [[Politics and Technology of Control: Introduction]]
|-
| Jan 31
| [[Paradigms for Studying the Internet]]
|-
| Feb 7
| [[Regulating Speech Online]]
| ''(Assignment 1 due)''
|-
| Feb 14
| [[New Economic Models]]
|-
| Feb 21
| [[Peer Production and Collaboration]]
| ''(Assignment 2 due)''
|-
| Feb 28
| [[Copyright in Cyberspace]]
|-
| Mar 6
| [[New and Old Media, Participation, and Information]]
|-
| Mar 13
| ''No class - Spring Break''
|-
| Mar 20
| [[Collective Action and Decision-making]]
| ''(Assignment 3 due)''
|-
| Mar 27
| [[Internet and Democracy]]
|-
| Apr 3
| [[Control and Code: Privacy Online]]
|-
| Apr 10
| [[Internet and Democracy: The Sequel]]
|-
| Apr 17
| [[Internet Infrastructure and Regulation]]
| ''(Assignment 4 due)''
|-
| Apr 24
| [[The Wikileaks Case]]
|-
| May 1
|''No class - final project preparation''
| ''(Optional [[Extra Credit]] due)''
|
|-
| May 8
|Final class - wrap up and student presentations
|''([[Final Project]] due)''
|
|}

{|border="1" cellpadding="5"
|-valign="top"
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'''Course Information:'''
* [[Class Participation]]
* [[Grading]]
* [[Statement on Plagiarism]]
|
'''Assignments & Projects:'''
* [[Assignments]]
* [[Assigned Readings|Complete List of Assigned Readings]]
* [[Final Project]]

|
'''Resources:'''
* [[Recorded class videos]]
* [[Powerpoint Slides from Class]]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page How to edit a wiki]
* [http://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources/writing.jsp Extension School Writing Center]
|
'''External:'''
* [[Upcoming Events]]
* [[In the news]]
|
'''People:'''
* [[Staff Contact Info]]
* [[List of User Profiles]]
|-
|}

=='''Participating During Class (Tuesdays 5:30-7:30 pm EST)'''==
* Attend in person at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St., Second Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138 ([http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/contact directions])

You can use Adobe Connect to participate during class time. Visit [https://continuinged.adobeconnect.com/_a931819597/berkman our Adobe Connect site] and log in as guest.

We recommend that, if you would like to speak during class, you use a combination headphone/microphone to participate. Alternatively, you may use headphones along with your computer's built-in mic. As a last resort, you can use your computer's built-in mic without headphones, but please be aware that this may cause audio issues for both you and the class as a whole.

''Note: When you log in to Adobe Connect, you will log in as a guest. Please use your full name or a pseudonym that will allow us to identify who you are so we can give you credit for your class participation.''

* If you have any trouble running Adobe Connect, please go to the [https://continuinged.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm support page on Adobe Connect's site] or click on the "Help" button in the upper right corner of the Connect window.

=='''Participating Asynchronously'''==
* The recorded videotapes of the class produced by Harvard Extension School are available [http://cm.dce.harvard.edu/2012/02/22054/publicationListing.shtml here]. Videos are typically available 1-2 days after class.

=='''Contact Information'''==
* All questions, comments, etc. should be sent to: [mailto:is2013@cyber.law.harvard.edu is2013@cyber.law.harvard.edu]
** There are no set office hours; feel free to send an email, and the TAs will respond to it as soon as they can.
* If you need to contact an instructor or TA individually, please use their personal contact info located on the [[Staff Contact Info]] page.

=='''Office Hours'''==
'''Andy and Rebekah will meet with students in person or via Skype during class time on May 1. Please email [mailto:is2013@cyber.law.harvard.edu is2013@cyber.law.harvard.edu] to sign up for a 15-minute slot.'''

We have space for two students during each time slot.

5:30: Alexis // Julia

5:45: Manny // Nick

6:00: Brendan + Quynh // Stefan

6:15: Gregorian // Samantha

6:30: Yerzhan // Jennifer

6:45: John

7:00:

7:15:

=='''Class Feedback'''==
We'd love to hear your thoughts on how class is going! Please fill out this [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDZpc1l2X2VZQkEwcHRRZ1dDR2QxbHc6MA#gid=0 anonymous poll] to let us know what you think.

REQUEST: Would you please keep the Assigned Readings and lectures live after the class dismisses today? I would like to come back to it again. Thanks! [[User: Harvard212|Harvard212]] 16:08, 8 May 2012 EST

Thank you for a great semester!!!! [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 20:50, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

Final Projects

2012-05-08T20:05:32Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

{{AssignmentCal}}

'''Upload your file here: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:Upload Upload file]

Once you've uploaded your file, please link to it following the format below:

*Name:
*Title:
*Link:

If you have trouble finding the file you uploaded, check the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:ImageList list of uploaded files].

===Submissions===
'''Name''': BSK342
'''Title''': Alternative Online Destinations: A Sample Review and Empirical Analysis.
'''Link''': http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:Alternative_Online_Destinations_-_A_Sample_Review_and_Empirical_Analysis.pdf
[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 14:35, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

'''Name''': Samantha Zakuto
'''Title''': Conduct Unbecoming: Four Case Studies on the Use of Facebook by Public Educators
'''Link''': http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:SamanthaZakutoFinalProject.pdf
--[[User:Szakuto|Szakuto]] 11:35, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

'''Name''': Sofia Gunawan
'''Title''': Believability: In Evolving Communication Dynamics
'''Link''': <changing title, link will be up shortly>
--[[User:Harvard212|Harvard212]] 12:23EST, 8 May 2012

'''Name''': Carl Fleming
'''Title''': Khan Academy: Will Online Education Revolutionize (Or Simply Marginalize)
Education for Developing Nations
'''Link''': http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:Carl_Fleming_Final_Project.docx
--[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 17:12, 6 May 2012 (EDT)

Name: James Harris
Title: “Decentralization of Grassroots Movements in the Internet Age”
Link: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:James_Harris_Final_Project_FINAL.pdf
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 13:01, 7 May 2012 (EDT)

'''Name''': Jeff Kimble
'''Title''': Amazon Awaits Your Feedback
'''Link''': http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/JK_Final_Paper2.docx [[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 22:32, 7 May 2012 (EDT

'''Name''': Emanuele Dominici
'''Title''': America's Indirect Support of Terrorism: Jihadi Websites
'''Link''': http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:Emanuele_LSTU_E-120_Final_Paper.pdf
--[[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 07:51, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

'''Name''': Alex Lloyd-Evans
'''Title''': Social Structure and Hierarchy on the Cracked.com Writer’s Forums
'''Link''': Paper: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:Alex_LE_Final_Paper.docx Data Tables: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:AlexLE_Research_Paper_Stats.xlsx [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 13:40, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

'''Name''': Louis Celli
'''Title''': The Android Revolution - Will Consumers Continue to be Satisfied Living in a Box?
'''Link''': Paper: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:Assignment_4_CELLI_Final.pdf
[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 13:59, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

'''Name''': Jennifer Lopez 
'''Title''': The New Era of Online Activism: Why The Future of Power Is Us 
'''Link''': http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:LSTU_E-120_JenniferWLopez_FINAL_THESIS.pdf 
[[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 14:56, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

'''Name''': Manny Valerio 
'''Title''': Internet Fame 
'''Link''': http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/File:Final_Project_Internet_Fame.pdf 
[[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 16:05, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

 
Name: Alexis Ditkowsky 
Title: Sharing and Collaboration on Pinterest 
Link: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Spring2012-Berkman-Assignment5-DitkowskyAlexis.doc 
[[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 14:42, 8 May 2012 (EDT)

Assignment 3 Submissions

2012-03-20T20:34:28Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

{{AssignmentCal}}

This assignment is due on March 20. Grading for this assignment is on a 5-point scale; late assignments will be docked 1 point for each day they are late (assignments submitted 4 days late or later will have a maximum grade of 1 point).

Please make sure the name of your file includes your name (example: Name_Assignment3.doc) to avoid overwriting someone else's assignment. '''Upload your file here: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:Upload Upload file]'''

Once you've uploaded your file, please link to it following the format below:

*Name:
*Description:
*Link to your outline: (the file you uploaded)

If you have trouble finding the file you uploaded, check the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:ImageList list of uploaded files].

==Submission Instructions==

*Name:
*Description:
*Link to your outline:

Optionally you can use a new template to create a title box for your assignment. In order to do this use the following format:
<pre>
{{AssignmentInfo|Name|My assignment description|Link to your file}}
</pre>

If used properly you should see the following:
{{AssignmentInfo|My Name|My assignment description|http://foo.bar}}

You may also use some new templates for comments and responses.

<pre>
{{Comment|type your comment here}}
</pre>

Should look like:
{{Comment|Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor inviduntut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. }}

You can enter a response in a similar way:
<pre>
{{Response|type your response here}}
</pre>
Should look like:
{{Response|thank you very much for commenting on my assignment.}}

==Submissions==

/*********************************************************************************

/*Name: BSK342

/*Description: Assignment 3: Project Outline

/*Link to Outline: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:BSK342assignment3.pdf

/*[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 19:50, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

/*********************************************************************************/
{{AssignmentInfo|Fabian Celis|Assignment 3: The Open University's Communities|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:OU_Outline_Fabian_Celis.doc}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Stefan Cheplick|Assignment 3: Social Finance and StockTwits|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Assingment_3_StockTwits_Social_Finance_by_SC.doc}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Jeff Kimble|Assignment 3: eCommerce through the lens of Amazon|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Jeff_Kimble_--_Assignment_3.doc}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Alexis Ditkowsky|Assignment 3: Collaborative Boards on Pinterest: Clearly Not a Primary Function of the Site|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Spring2012-Berkman-Assignment3-DitkowskyAlexis.pdf}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Harvard212|Message Efficacy on Broad Spectrum Platforms|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Harvard212_Assignment3.pdf}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Emanuele Dominici|Assignment 3: Jihadi Websites and US Counter-Terrorism Strategies|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Emanuele_Assignment_3.doc}}

{{AssignmentInfo|James Harris|Assignment 3: Digital Grassroots Campaigning|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:James_Harris_-_Assignment_-3_-_Outline.rtf}}--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 16:35, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

{{AssignmentInfo|Louis Celli|Assignment 3: The Android Revolution|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Assignment_3_CELLI_Outline_NEW_PROJECT.pdf}}

{{AssignmentInfo|David Taber|Assignment 3: Coffee Shop v. Grocery Store: How architecture and code affect conversations on local news sites|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:David_Taber_outline_E-120.odt}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Marjolein Siegenthaler|Assignment 3: Outline project Airbnb.com|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_3_Marjolein_Siegenthaler.doc}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Samantha Zakuto |Assignment 3: Social Media: The Public School Teacher's Edition |//http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment3SamanthaZakuto.pdf}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Yerzhan Temirbulatov |Assignment 3: Endless War On Piracy |http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Yerzhan_Temirbulatov_Assignment3.doc}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Mike Brant|Assignment 3: Outline Are Youth Movements Moved by Online Communities?|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Mike_Brant_Assignment_3.doc}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Alex Lloyd-Evans|Assignment 3: The Cracked Writer's Forums|http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Lloyd-Evans_Assignment_3_%28Outline%29.pdf}}

{{AssignmentInfo|Manuel Valerio|Assignment 3: Internet, fame and speed to Market |http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:MPValerio_Assignment-3_Outline.pdf}}

Assignment 2 Submissions

2012-03-06T03:26:35Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

{{AssignmentCal}}

===Submission Instructions===
This assignment is due on February 21. Grading for this assignment is on a 5-point scale; late assignments will be docked 1 point for each day they are late (assignments submitted 4 days late or later will have a maximum grade of 1 point).

Please make sure the name of your file includes your name (example: Name_Assignment2.doc) to avoid overwriting someone else's assignment. ''The '''upload file''' link is to the left, under '''toolbox'''.'' Once you've uploaded your file, please link to it following the format below:

*Name:
*Prospectus title:
*Link to prospectus: (the file you uploaded)

If you have trouble finding the file you uploaded, check the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:ImageList list of uploaded files].

===Comments===
Everyone will receive an additional participation grade for this assignment. You should read through everyone's proposals after they are uploaded and add constructive comments below the proposal on which you're commenting. Comments should be submitted by March 6 so you have time to incorporate them, if applicable, into your project outline. '''Please remember to sign your comments!'''

===Submissions===
 
Name: Stefan Cheplick 
Prospectus: Social Finance and StockTwits
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Social_Finance_Internet_and_Society.doc] 
Prospectus 2: Bitcoins (in development. for fun.)
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:InternetandSociety_Bitcoins_SJC.doc] 
Comments: 

Name: Sab 
Prospectus:
Free Online High-Quality Education: The Next Revolution on Internet?[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Sab_Assignment_2.doc_-_Copie.doc] 
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 

Hi Sab, I like your topic a lot because my project has to do also with distance education online. I’m working on the Open University case. It seems that you have a specific question that is related to the emergence of high-quality student-centric education system as a true public good, and I would say your question is good narrowed, but would be better if you work in just one of the cases of the four you mentioned—Sal Khan’s project, MITx, Harvard, and the London School of Economics. I’d like to know more about Khan’s project since we already know how the online paid degrees are in Harvard. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, I find your topic very interesting! I am curious to find out how the lack of interaction between students and teachers affect the quality of online versus offline education, and how you are going to measure it? Or if you are interested in exploring how the lack of students and teachers interaction affect the quality of education, I suggest comparing a community with interaction to one without. Best, Quynh. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 22:48, 4 March 2012 (UTC) Hello, Thanks for your comments. Intercations can be measured when you have forumn, lie lectures or section, wiki. Success is measurable by the rate of drop out, the rate of success, ect. Thanks again for helping me to be more precised. --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Make sure to narrow your thesis to something you can study and argue in a quantifiable way, but this sounds like an interesting concept. How much will you be using our specific class as a source? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Our class is wonderful example of tools put in place to create interactivity between students and teachers. The quantitative part will be more an observation of the students community. When looking of forum, you can draw the best model that students are looking for. Therefore, I will try to find a way to quantify the criteria that students are looking for in an online education system.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab. You picked a wonderful topic. I completed most of my undergraduate degree through distance education, and had experienced DL at various institutions and levels. I am glad to see someone is interested in the rich opportunities DL offers.

This prospectus covers a lot of topics. With the 10-page limit you may want to narrow down to one or two. I suggest

A. the first thing you could do is to define your subject – free online education websites (e.g. MIT OpenCourseWare, Ted Talk, etc) or DL facilitated by educational institutions (e.g. Harvard Extension School, University of London International Programmes, etc), as both serve different purposes and are operated differently.

B. Out of all the areas you wish to explore, I personally would love to read about “the economic model of free online education websites” as well as “the construction of the teacher and student interactive community”. I think the quality of education and professionalism of teachers are really institution-dependent. HES here is a leader in providing quality education and best teachers because the school obviously would not like to mess up the Harvard name *grin*. But I can imagine certain institutions may not stick to the same ideal. So I personally do not find this issue worthy of much ponderance.

As for copyright of the lectures, I think it’s an interesting issue as well. I’ve once asked Professor Allan Ryan, Harvard’s IP lawyer and the instructor of HES’ IP and Media Law courses, whether obtaining the copyright of the material we use in the DE courses is an issue. He replied that luckily , the US has a law that says using copyrighted material for educational purposes is considered fair use. So we are covered in most aspects. The relevant laws are 1) Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act of 2002, and 2) amendment to the US Copyright Law section 110(2). Hope this information helps! Yep, We have seen that in class. I wwas also suprised by the fair use for non profit education prurposes.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestions. In fact, I plan just to observe the student community and try to make a matricial scheme that let emerge a model as intercativity, professionnalism of the teacher, free degree, non degree, tradename, etc. Then, I will try to see the issues that such model rise like copyright, economic model--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, your project seems very interesting and I have always thought about education, degrees and online programs. I personally think that if a person wants an education he or she can do that either by means of a computer or by going to a library. On the other hand we must consider today’s job market and the requirements (degrees) to meet in order to obtain a good job. I am curious to read your findings and I would like to wish you good luck on your paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC) Thank you so much--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great idea for a prospectus. Here are two of my immediate thoughts: I've often wondered if Khan Academy, for example, will someday be able to give out diplomas that employers respect? Since the release of Khan Academy I've noticed several other websites try to mimic it. Now Youtube is flooding with educational videos online(Google search results too). So, how will users of the Internet empower the best non-profit, online, community education platforms? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting topic and, to a degree, it somewhat overlaps with my proposed topic to study Khan Academy. As for comments, I would just echo what some others have already mentioned: try to limit the scope of your thesis. There is a lot of material to cover, and we only have so many pages. I am struggling with this myself.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab - interesting topic. I'd second (or third) the others in narrowing your thesis. DL is a huge topic. Looking forward to reading your conclusions! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:32, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:YHHsiao|YHHsiao]] 10:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: You-Hwa Hsiao 
Prospectus:
ACTA and the protests – a reaction to the governmental control extending into the cyber world[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Hsiao_assignment2.pdf] 
Comments: 
Hi You-Hwa, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) sounds like a very interesting topic. I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to monitor the anti-ACTA community while you explore the impact of ACTA on online behavior. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi You-Hwa Hsiao, I like the theme you propose and think it is narrowed to the ACTA case. You mention the question of how the ACTA galvanizes the Internet community, and that you want to follow the rest of the semester the development of this event. In this way, I would suggest your work to be more in an analytical sense than informative, developing interesting discussions and analysis with the information you will gather. Interesting topic, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I like your prospectus and your topic is relevant. In particular, I find it interesting that hacking and cyberattacks are viewed as a sign of protest and that this protest element has assumed nontraditional forms. I think that you are covering a lot of ground with your thesis and you may want to focus on a particular dimension of ACTA/response to ACTA.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I really like how you're exploring some issues of online vs. physical life in your topic. I'm interested to see not just how your project develops but how your subject develops between now and the end of the course; it's such a current and evolving thing that you may get to study some really great major events related to it even in such a short span of time! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:06, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I think your topic is very relevant and I look forward to reading you paper. I am very curious to learn about these common (are they?) norms and values of the people in the virtual world vs those in the physical world and what it is exactly that they are protesting against [[User:MSS|MSS]] 16:43, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hello, I think your topic is very much related to the course and I will suggest the Lessig framework. I will also be interested in profiling the internet users that protest on and offline. Good luck!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 18:12, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi You-Hwa, you raised many interesting questions in your prospectus. I am interested in finding out how the ACTA impact online behaviors, specifically, what are they trying to protect with the opposition? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You-Hwa, I appreciate your prospectus. It is indeed interesting in how some hacker groups are protesting by attacking websites. I think the term for these people is Hacktivists? Not sure. In regards to your paper, I am incredibly interested in how the hacker groups develop their Hacktivsim. What is their management structure? Where do they organize? How does someone become a member? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. I too am very intrigued by the whole community of hacker groups that protest by attacking websites. My only comment is that I had a difficult time truly understanding what you will be measuring when you speak of online life and virtual life. It would seem like each would have infinite things to measure, and it might be beneficial to define a short list so that the universe of things measured is well defined.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very relevant topic. Seems like you will have a lot of research. How exactly do you intend to study or measure this? Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:36, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Harvard212 
Prospectus: Being Nice and Free Speech on the Internet[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Harvard212_Assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:Harvard212|Harvard212]] 16:34 EST, 21 February 2012 
Comments: 

Hi Harvard212, I think you would have to apply what Rob said in class: cut your project in half, then in half, and whatever is left in third. This is not to say your topic is not interesting, I think it is, but—in my opinion—the question is very broad, and I would suggest to you to choose one part of being “nice” on the Internet, for example what kind of Etiquette can you find in a specific community (like we already analyzed in the Wikipedia’s case), or in a specific bloggers’ web page. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Harvard212, I'd love to hear more about the community you plan to study. It sounds like you've lined up a good framework for starting your review and it's now a matter of narrowing down the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:41, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

Agreed, this is certainly an interesting concept (what does "nice" mean? what are its implications? is it universal?) and I'll be interested to see how you narrow it down to a controlled topic for study. Be careful not to give yourself too much; tons of background research is great but its real value often comes when you can focus it on something very specific [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:16, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Sofia, I like your project very much but I too feel that it might be a bit too extensive. My suggestion would be to focus more on a single or few specific parts and then it will definitely be a great paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project is ambitious and deals with philosophical/sociological questions regarding the expansive internet and how norms can benefit the entire community. While I am not sure if a general set of norms can be established with millions of users from across the world with their own agendas and online needs, obviously Wikipedia would be a good example of norms being established and these norms are established within the websites themselves. Are you focusing more on norms or norms "as set by law"? How do norms of one website vary with another similar website based on the needs of the consumer? Good start.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:30, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. Very curious to see if you are able to find an universal meaning of "nice". I do hope you have found someone to work in a group with, as this seems like a very extensive topic and corresponding reasearch. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Harvard212, Interesting topic, but to narrow it down, I suggest choosing an online community, such as Wikipedia, and see how the "be nice" rule plays out. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:15, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I would just reiterate what certain others have pointed out above: (i) finding a definition of "nice" may be difficult and (ii) you may benefit from tightening the scope of your work. Otherwise, I think it looks like an outstanding area for research.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You certainly picked an interesting thesis! Do you plan to focus on wikipedia only, or several online communities? May be helpful to make a comparison of the social norms on various platforms. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: BSK342 
Prospectus: Community, Architecture, and Regulation in the Something Awful Forum Space
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Bsk342assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 21:30, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi BSK342, I really like your topic because part of the daily junk I find on the Internet comes from them. I know there are some very interesting forums and they have reliable information, but most of the time the information is just incomplete or not worthy to read. I only wonder how are you going to follow how members of the community engage in other spaces, because I think is quite difficult. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Cool topic. I'm particularly interested in what you observe/learn about people's willingness to pay for additional services. So often websites/applications/businesses struggle with how to monetize a good idea - perhaps your research will shed some light on this for managers of online communities. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:57, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think your project sounds interesting and you are asking many questions that applies to all types of forums and online social behavior. Although I am not familiar with the Something Awful forums, I agree with Aditkowsky that it is interesting that the site does charge a subscription fee to post comments. This could be an interesting point of departure. Is the quality of the content stronger if people are paying for access? Does the subscription fee filter out those who may not be as serious about the forum? Good work.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:40, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I definitely remember SA as a site I visited a lot when I was younger, I'm really looking forward to hearing what it has evolved into during the past years! The focus on how sites manage to monetize themselves is a very good one, and one that always seems to be such a make or break moment. I feel like SA is a place that tends to cater towards younger and more internet savvy viewers/members... how does that affect the process of attempting to gain profit off of it? Are they more likely to pay to support something they care about, or are they less likely than an older person with less internet experience who is used to paying for everything? Have fun! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. There are many of these sites which have proliferated content across the WWW. Although, I see it in trends. Goregallery was one of these sites, then it was worth1000, something awful, and so on. I think that users get a laugh out of it. It used to be emails, then it was myspace, facebook, and so on and so forth. Perhaps there is something more human in needing to share these laughs based in norms?
[[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 03:49, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

I am also particularly interested on the monetary part of your research questions. Will quality be better when paid for? Will people feel even more connected to the forum when they pay for it (us vs them?) Would it be the same if they made it free or the amount to be paid at the discretion of the user (the article of Chris Anderson,"the Long Tail" see class readings for February 14, 2012 might be useful.[[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi BSK342, I think you made an interesting proposal. I am interested in finding out why people would pay for this forum. Perhaps it is the "privilege" people buy for $9.99? I think your approach of observing how the policies and guidelines play out in practice is good. I suggest that you pick another forum (one without a privilege fee) to compare it with. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very interested in your topic, but struggled with two items: valuation and monetization. It was unclear to me how you might value the content in order to set the price. It was then unclear to me how that content may be monetized. I think it may just have been because it is such a short space to cover all these details. Good luck with the project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I wonder how you will be able to determine the motivation behind paying for the ability to post in the forums? Also think your results will be very interesting! I agree with Qdang about making a comparison. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:48, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Blake Geno 
Prospectus: Anonymity, Privacy and Evolving Tools
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Blakegeno_prospectus.odt] 
[[User:BlakeGeno|BlakeGeno]] 20:58, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 
Hi Blake, in thinking about your project, it might be interesting to select a few sites using [http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/108/ facebook connect] and evaluate how this option can impact user privacy and anonymity. It seems like this could sync up with the themes you discuss in your prospectus while also narrowing the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:03, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi Blake Geno, when you say you intend to do: “I., II., III.” I would say only one of those items should be your topic. All three of them are very interesting and surely you would find substantial information. For example, I’ve read that Facebook do not really respect anonymity entirely, that when you decide to close your page they keep the information, and also their policies change very often, and this affect the users. Do we really have privacy and anonymity in Facebook? Good luck, interesting proposals.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Blake. Your project does pose some significant questions as to the types of data that sites like Facebook collect and what that information is used for. You can define the goal of collecting information into two categories; positive (improving the user experience) and negative (selling the information for marketing purposes). Great research question. Hopefully you will be able to focus on more specific dimension of this important.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I'm interested in how exactly you are going to go about this. It could be really neat to create a whole persona with the relevant info that a website wants and then try and link it across a large number of sites that demand a log in/personal info/etc. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake, Very interesting topic! Facebook was recently the focus of CNBC 60 min., and lights were shed on the topics you are discussing in our paper, especially the targeted adversising. In the show, I remember someone saying that FB advertising was an entirely different ballgame, as people on Facebook are not travelling from A to B but like to stay on the FB page and thus "want" to be distracted by advertising, whereas advertising in a traditional way aims on how to advertise for people who are going from one website to another and are not looking for distraction. I think that this would be very intersting for your project. If you google Facebook, CNBC and 60 min, you will probably find the show. Also, this article I just read on Forbes by Kashmir Hill, called "Facebook user unwittingly becomes sex lube pitchman thanks to sponsored stories", dated Feb 28, 2012, may interest you. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:28, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Blake, your prospectus is thought-provoking and as a Facebook user I would be very interested in your findings. I do however feel that it could get a bit complicated for what concerns the appropriate research but keep up with the good work. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi BlakeGeno, your prospectus contains many interesting and ambitious questions. As a suggestion, you can narrow it down by asking what effect does user identification have on the end user? Does the requirement of user identification prevent spamming and abusive comments? I am interested in finding out how you are going to answer this. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 12:05, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Timely topic. Given the recent news on Facebook and Google and their collection of data, this is sure to be a rapidly growing area of research. If you haven't already considered it, I would be interested in learning about data collection by an entity like Facebook or Google and the relationship with tethered devices. How far does this information gathering extend without our even knowing it?
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake - sounds like you have your work cut out for you. you may want to narrow it down to only a few sites. will you study Google+ and Google's new privacy policy? [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Abby Bergman 
Prospectus Title: Pinterest: Visually Arrested 
Link to Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:ABergman_Prospectus.pdf] 
[[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 19:55, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
 Comments: 

Hi Abby, I think your proposal is very interesting, especially because it is addressing a topic we have covered in the course: the Fair Use in Copyright. I would say your results will be useful for this course because they promise to be a good example of what it is Fair Use. Good luck! great choice.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, I applaud you for finding something meaty to explore with Pinterest. I'm curious as to how you will monitor instances of reported infringement on the site. Perhaps you could figure out which companies complain the most and then intentionally post their images so you can experience Pinterest's process for addressing potential infringement firsthand? (Maybe run that by one of the lawyers in class first....) Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:11, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think you raise some important questions in regards to copyright laws and Fair Use. Your questions are relevant and you have a good thesis question. I checked out pinterest.com for the first time now and I think the Fair Use argument is validated. Good job with the prospectus!
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:55, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

This seems like a really well thought out project; you know exactly the frame you want to look at this through and I think you'll come up with some very relevant conclusions. Studying a site that is still on its way up will definitely give you a chance to keep this going and check your theories against what happens with Pinterest over the next year or two! Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Your topic, questions and overall frame are very clear. Very curious about the outcome, I would think the hosting aspect is the sting. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:42, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, recently Pinterest is popping up everywhere. I think you have a good focus by exploring the possibility for copyright infringement. Your methodology, comparing Pinterest and Google Images, and investigating Pinterest's policy on using copyrighted material and the court's opinion in Perfect 10 vs Google case, is well planned out . Good job on your proposal! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting line of research on a site that is clearly extremely hot right now. I am impressed with your level of focus this early on in the process (review of cases, case study comparisons). Good luck with this project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Jennifer Lopez 
Prospectus title: The New Era of Online Activism 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:LSTU_E-120_JenniferWLopez_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] [[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments:

Hi Jennifer, I like your proposal of analyzing online activism sites like change.org, purpose.com, avaaz.org, although I think you should choose one of these for your project. I also think the effectiveness of online activism has been proven, because we have seen cases like the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street and the Bank of America’s decision to rescind it’s proposal, but what I like of your project is that you will explain how they were effective and how the organizations began. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, I'm very much looking forward to seeing your video interviews once they come together. In additional to the perspectives of founders, I'm also interested to hear more from the participants in the campaigns you study. Perhaps you could reach out to community members as well. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:18, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Interviews is a neat way to go about this project and this is an issue that always bothers me; just how much does power or activism on the internet translate to real impacts on people's lives? Be careful to research without being biased though; as much as I generally agree with you that online activism is real-world effective, there may be some instances where it wasn't, and that could be just as interesting! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very relevant with the current affairs of United States and the world. I think it is safe to conclude that online protest movements are making a serious impact on political and social issues. As you continue your research, I would focus on how online protest movements are effective. I think your reference to Benkler's work is a good step in that direction. I think you should also explore the notion of empowerment and whether online protest sites may foster personal empowerment in the same and different ways as more traditional protest movements. What mechanisms were the same and different with the SOPA, Susan Komen and Bank of America online movements?
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:06, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Looking forward to see the video's! I second the idea of Aditkowsky with regard to the views of actual participants and also if these differ from the views of the founders. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:50, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting line of research and something that I believe is highly relevant to the real world. I would be interested in learning about what has led to the success of certain online movements and what has led to the failure of others. If you were able to boil down a set of common characteristics to successful movements, that would be impressive.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I agree that it may be a good idea to also interview participants so that you can hear their perspective on participating as well as feeling like they are working towards effecting change. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, interviewing Jeremy Heimans and creating video clips is an exciting approach to gather your data. I also like your idea of doing case studies, but perhaps just picking one from one site? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 23:56, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Just Johnny 
Prospectus: Assignmnt 2
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Johnny_Assignment2.doc The Social Network] 
Comments: A social network will be constructed for the course. Feel free to contact, as this may be a possible group project. [[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 21:48, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Just Johnny, although you mention social networks as your primary study for the final project, you address code, architecture, human behavior, interaction, norms inside it. I couldn’t grasp what was the main question you proposed, is it about the architecture of the social networks? If so, what is the discussion you’re presenting? Good luck on narrowing.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Just Johnny, I'm intrigued by your idea for creating a social network. You write that "code will be the law which dictates behavior within the site". I'd love to hear more about the underlying concept and specific vision for the site and how you plan to restrict choice and behavior through code. Also, what is the appeal of your site vs. the numerous other social networking sites and forums available to users? What is your value proposition? Looking forward to seeing how your site evolves over the rest of the semester. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:25, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 
You certainly are undertaking an ambitious project and I think your conclusions can be fascinating. I agree with a few points/questions made by Aditkowsky. From what I gather, you would like to create a Wikipedia-esque social network in which the content/services are generated by the users in a dynamic environment. You also mentioned that a screening process may be required to preserve the integrity of the site. Is this site intended to be a study or actually lead to a practical site that people would want to join? If so, I would imagine that some core service or services may need to be created to attract and motivate users to contribute to the site (i.e. Wikipedia and information). Good luck on this very ambitious concept.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:15, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

As the others have mentioned, wow! Very difficult and ambitious project, I'll definitely be following it closely. As Jimmyh mentioned, are you shooting for a broader appeal or do you think you will need to tweak your concept to focus heavily on one area in order to carve out a niche for yourself? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Very ambitious and interesting indeed! It is however not really clear to me what it is what your aiming for directly, as the focus seems pretty broad. Very curious to see how this project will turn out. Good luck with narrowing it down.
[[User:MSS|MSS]] 19:00, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

My comments are similiar to those above: first, very impresseive. Second, I had a tough time understanding the specific focus of the project. I think it sounds very interesting and I look forward to seeing how it all comes together.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You've laid out a monster of a project! Sounds fascinating. I'm also not sure what your focus/thesis is? Perhaps clarifying or narrowing your focus would be helpful. [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:08, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Just Johnny, I’m not exactly sure what your research question is. What are you trying to measure regarding social networking? Or are you trying to compare dating sites to social networking sites, such as Facebook? Perhaps you can pick two communities and compare their TOS or guidelines? Good luck! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 00:48, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Fabian Celis J 
Prospectus title: The Role of the Internet in Distance Education: The Open University Case 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fabian_Celis_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 19:09, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 
Hi Fabian, studying distance learning in the Internet age seems like a great topic - and very appropriate - for this class. One aspect that I'd like to hear more about is the creation of a classroom community despite geography. You might even consider using our class as a test case. For example, I attend class in person but for the past two weeks, I've been using Adobe Connect to participate in the robust discussion that's happening among students who are primarily not in the classroom. In a hybrid class like ours, how do you break down the wall that separates "distance" and "in-person" students to create a more cohesive community? What architecture, systems, and culture do you need to make it work? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:34, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I know you are attending this class (whether online or in person) but is there a chance you could also take the time to really dig into OU? It would be interesting to see the different ways people that use it view it as a resource; clearly everyone does not approach it with the same background, goals, or skills [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Distance education is a great aspect of how the internet has changed how we learn as individuals. I took my first live online course last semester using a program called Elluminate and I would check out how these types of interfaces can change the entire process of how classes (particularly discussion-based classes) are taught and how students can interact with other individuals from across the whole country and the entire world. A comparison of how unique methodologies specific to online education improves the entire classroom experience when compared to traditional in-classroom methods would be a good approach. Great subject and good luck with your work.

It appears you and Sab have similar topics. They both touch the distance education aspect. You should look at the two comments I've left Sab for additional feedback. I also have my cents to chime in regards to your paper. My first thought about open universities was to think of open communities on the Internet. So, wikipedia comes to mind. It would be interesting if there are any similarities or parallels in the development of an open university and an open encyclopedia. For one, both need dedicated users who are willing to operate, and care for their open platform. So my main suggestion here is to look at other open communities for similarities, and differences. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I wonder if you could use the Univeristy of Phoneix's model as a contrasting case study. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 03:26, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:27, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic, very current. I agree with Jimmyh that a comparison to traditional class room education would be very interesting. Looking forward to see how this turns out. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Fabian, it looks like we are studying similiar concepts. I am analyzing Khan Academy and its potential uses in developing nations for education. I would be interesting in sharing ideas as we continue with our research. Let me know if you would be interested.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Fabian, It is great that you are looking into distance education. Are you going to compare standard classroom education versus distance education? Or are you going to look at the tools that facilitate distance education? Or are you going to focus on the issues of distance education, such as copyright infringement? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 01:53, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: André Pase and Priscila Lollo 
Prospectus title: When two worlds collide, digital TV and online video in an age of transformation 
Research Focus: online video x tv 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assigment2_andrepase_priscilalollo.pdf Assignment 2] 
[[User:Andrepase|Andrepase]] 20:17, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi André and Priscila, is this the question you’re proposing: can the laws for the traditional medium change the development of new one? and are you going to work on this question through the Brazilian case?[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi André and Priscilla, I'm looking forward to learning more about how the Brazilian government and Brazilian companies and users are adapting to the changes in video delivery systems. I'm curious to hear more about the framework you plan to use for exploring the topic and I was also wondering if there is a specific community that you plan to follow. Since much of the class' focus seems to be on US and European examples, I think the Brazilian focus will be very interesting. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:43, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Agreed with Alexis, having this focus outside of the general scope of the class will be a great resource for all of us as far as a fresh perspective and (probably) some interesting takes on the same issues that we haven't considered! I'll be curious to see how the flow of information and law and etc. go back and forth in Brazil and this Brazilian online space. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I am really fond of your dual country approach too! Maybe for a community you can use You Tube users vs a Brazilian equivalent (if any)? [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly has wide applications to how we view television in the modern age and legal discussions will certainly abound as a result. While I sense that you are examining the laws and market dynamics of the Brazilian model, I think you may want to hone in on a particular aspect of law as it relates to online television. Does a particular legal or governing aspect of the Brazilian model properly address piracy? How does the market shape the governance of online television? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. A lot of media experts are trying to make sense of the convergence between digital TV and online video. Though really no one knows where it is headed. I personally recommend you look at some blog posts from Albert Wegner, a venture capitalist for Union Square Ventures. He thinks that television advertisements will get crushed almost exactly the same way print advertisements have suffered. Another thing I would consider looking into is the community building and social networking aspect behind digital video. For example, YouTube and Vimeo have rich interfaces where users can create their own television network, interact with their audience in real-time, and seamlessly collaborate with other users like them. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:30, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I love the comparative aspect of the proposal. I am very interested in learning how Brazil's legal structure might enable or limit the use of online video, especially realtive to US regulations.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alexis Ditkowsky 
Prospectus title: [http://pinterest.com/ Pinterest] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Spring2012-BerkmanAssignment2-DitkowskyAlexis.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alexis, I saw the Pinterest page and found it very interesting! You pose some very interesting topics in your proposal: the role of women in…?, “off-brand” style of Pinterest, and Pinterest’s norms, but I encourage you to choose one of them because for me still wasn’t clear which is your main question. Good luck with your project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis,
I would like to offer two sources which may be useful to supplement your research. The first, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), are a list of 8 goals adopted by the United Nations in an effort to eradicate poverty by the year 2015. Several of the goals involve online access for poor countries, and one goal specifically addresses gender equality. [http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals Millennium Goals Main Site] And the second source, [http://www.tigweb.org Taking IT Global], is rich in content and will provide a wealth of information and resource material. Good luck with your project, it looks interesting and informative.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli Thanks so much! I will check these out. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:47, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

That's fascinating that 80% of Pinterest users are women; do you think that this gender ratio will become more balanced as pinterest gains public fame/acceptance? I'd love to see how far you can push "off brand" uses of the site since I am always very interested in the (often incredibly clever or useful) ways in which sites end up providing something totally outside their original concept. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis, great topic! As for sites for marginalized communities by and for (mostly) women, maybe "gardenmoms" is also an interesting community to explore. It is a parenting resource website, where parents (mostly moms) ask questions to one another and exchange information. I am a member myself and think it may be right up your alley. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:27, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Pinterest does sound powerful from my limited familiarity with the website and I think your approach toward examining social norms should lead to interesting conclusions.What social norms you are focusing on? You mentioned the discrepancies between males and females in internet usage. Is this a particular norm that you will be focusing on? What feature are you examining in the "community versus collection of individuals" norm? Sounds like an interesting topic and good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Dear Alexis, sounds like a great project and already from your prospectus I have learned things that I wasn’t aware of. I agree with Louis on his suggestion of looking at the UN and their info. Good luck on your project! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

It is great that you are exploring Pinterest. It has gotten a ton of media publicity over the last few weeks. It is incredible that 80% of its users are female without ever openly saying it is a site for one gender or the other. What does this say about the community around Pinterest? The design, aesthetics, and layout? I ask myself if there will someday be the "Pinterest model" where a female specific website should look and function a certain way. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I think this is an excellent topic and I would love to learn more about it as it relates closely to my work. I work with the MDGs and helping traditionally excluded populations (women and the poor) reach those goals. If you look into the literature on adolescent girls, secondary education and economic growth, you might find some interesting information on how this could be applied.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: James Harris 
Prospectus title: The Internet and “Bridging the Gap” in Politics 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:James_Harris_Assignment_2.doc Prospectus] 
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:28, 20 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi James, I think your work will be unique because you’re addressing the internet in the political field. I personally suggest to dismiss some parts of your proposal and focus on the question you’re proposing of how social media does create the empowerment and populist energy, and you can do it with the good example of the former Vermong Governor. Through this example you can answer the questions you propose of the quick spread of information, the strategies of campains, and the flexibility of politicians due to this phenomenon. Good luck, very interesting field![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi James,
I love the concept, I’m just a little fuzzy on the thesis. Is the main focus going to concentrate on the elected-official/constituent relationship, or the paradigm shift of political campaign support? [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi James, this is a great topic not only because of the timing but also because online campaigning and fundraising have had four years to evolve since the Dean and Obama campaigns in 2007/2008. One aspect you might decide to hone in on is the relationship of politicians to their constituents on their social networking sites. For example, Sarah Palin has been known to ban commenters who disagree with her viewpoint and Anthony Weiner used twitter to send provocative messages to his followers. Those are two high-profile ways of engaging or disengaging with followers but it might be interesting to look at a politician or two who actively foster an online community and respond thoughtfully and collaboratively to criticism vs. politicians who use social media as a one-way communications street. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:42, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Taking the idea of evolution of online fundraising and campaigning, and their effects, even farther, I was reading today that one of the Republican party leadership's major reasons for supporting SuperPACs (besides the obvious) is that they felt it evened the playing field against Obama moneywise. Even though he too obviously benefits from major donations to his SuperPACs, some Republican strategists explained that the gap between his ability to raise millions in small increments and the ability of any Repub. candidate to try and do the same was just far too large to overcome. So, Citizen's United is also in some ways related to this topic! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic! As for different marketing on FB, please see my comments on Blakes prospectus above. I also very interested to see how the quick spread of information influences the political process, as this is indeed a (relative) novum, especially in politics. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 04:03, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. You may want to look into some of the background on the White House's social media initiative that was launched some time ago as well as some of the background on how members of the congress and senate have been using social media. I know alot of them have scrambled to set up social media teams to capitalize on the new media. It might be interesting to compare those who failed to use it wisely and those whe thrive with it. Some of those characteristics could be applied to campaign funding.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alex Lloyd-Evans 
Prospectus Title: Social Structure's on the Writer's Forums of Cracked.com 
Research Focus: [http://www.cracked.com/ Cracked] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:AlexLE_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alex, I saw the Cracked.com webpage, very interesting and funny! It seems you have a narrowed work to work in, because you propose to main questions to develop in your investigation : freedom of expression, and norms within the site. When you mention this is a good example of a very successful mix of controlled format and elite members of a website to control the power, I’d like to know what are your thoughts, do you agree? Is this essential to run a website like this? Good luck, interesting website![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex,
Is this line correct – “free to enter forum”? I don’t understand what that means. This looks like it will be an interesting project. I wonder if the editors will be surprised by your findings, or possibly take issue with your conclusion, depending on the outcome. I am really looking forward to reading your paper.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli I was trying to express that it is a closed forum in that you need an invite to enter, but that the invite is freely given as long as you bother to ask for it; thus it is a "free to enter" forum but not a totally open one. I just phrased it terribly awkwardly. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, unsolicited suggestion here but it would be really funny if your final project was formatted like a Cracked article and you gave the class an opportunity to post comments before the final submission. Then you could pull together a final version and comment on the process as it relates back to Cracked. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, great topic, very curious to see what your outcomes will be, especially on the question who decides and (maybe even more) on what grounds and how static vs dynamics plays a role in that aspect. I second Alexis' idea of a Cracked article format. Good luck![[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:56, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Alex, you have an interesting challenge with your empirical research project since the answers to your research questions will require you to be actively involved in the whole article submission process. Do you plan on approaching the website in a similar way that the class approached the Wikipedia assignment? Good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, your project seems very fun and interesting. I wasn’t aware of cracked.com before reading your prospectus. I would definitely suggest looking at the 1st amendment of the constitution but because of the complexity of the subject you could also consider looking at specific Supreme Court decisions. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for making me aware of cracked.com. I had not come across it before. I can't help it, but I agree with Aditkowsky's idea of submitting a cracked article format.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Jeff Kimble 
Prospectus title: Internet E-Commerce 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Jeff_Kimble_--_Assignment_2.doc] 
[[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 14:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi Jeff, your project remembers me the phrase “buyers who bought this also bought this,” and the story of the author that became famous because of the long tail phenomenon. I think from the six questions you propose, number one encloses all of the other and it’s your starting point. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff,
While I am sure there will be plenty of studies that address this, it will be nice to see the data synthesized, analyzed, and compacted into a short paper. You certainly will have lots of data to pour through. I will be particularly interested in some of your research as it will complement my project as well. Good luck, and if I run across any statistics that may be beneficial to your research, I’ll be sure to forward it along.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

Be careful not to get too broad with your data collection and lose sight of a focus, but this sounds really neat. One interesting aspect might be considering age. Aditkowsky's comment about the difference between perception and reality with online markets and community rings true to me, and I think the fact that I'm 22 has a lot to do with that. My parents are 65 and no force on Earth could convince them to use an online market over a brick and mortar one if there was any conceivable chance that the good existed in both formats. Anyway, enjoy! I'm looking forward to reading your results. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff, one thing you might consider exploring is how some people feel that e-commerce signals the end of a community even though many e-commerce sites actually promote a sense of community (e.g. etsy) and bring people together in spite of their geographical differences. This [http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/12/independent_bookstores_vs_amazon_buying_books_online_is_better_for_authors_better_for_the_economy_and_better_for_you_.html Slate article] and the flurry of comments might be interesting for you to check out, although it doesn't focus on the online community angle. Cheers! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:59, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

You have a great topic and I like your approach. From what I can tell, you are dealing with a variety of discussion topics. From a personal standpoint, I would recommend focusing on how online shopping has changed consumer behavior. This direct can provide great insight into how these online sites market themselves. Good topic and good luck! --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Louis Celli 
Prospectus title: e-commerce Taxation 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Assignment_2_CELLI_Research_Prospectus.doc The Future of e-commerce Taxation] 
Comments: 

Hi Louis, your topic is interesting since it deals with taxation across states, I just would say you have to choose less questions from the list you’re proposing in order to have a more specific theme to work on during your research. It’s also valuable that you want to propose an e-commerce tax structure for all the states, but how are you going to measure the impacts and its viability? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis, your project sounds really interesting - I'm looking forward to seeing how your research comes together and what your final recommendations are. The scope does seem a bit daunting, though. Perhaps you could focus in on the impact to sellers and buyers, for example, and on the changed transaction experience for users. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:10, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

This sounds very ambitious and interesting, not to mention extremely relevant. The flat tax concept sounds workable and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your results; I also selfishly hope you really delve into the legal/historical precedents for all of this quite a lot, since I love history and I feel like that's an area that could bear quite a lot of original thought. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Louis, I really like your topic a lot. I think it is great that you are actually doing research to reach an potential taxation solution/recommendation, which I assume will form the basis of your argument. Good work!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis your project seems very interesting and it will be definitely exploring a very problematic world. I was just curious of one aspect, and I hope I didn’t get this wrong but you are trying to develop a tax system for all of the 50 states correct? And if so, my feelings are that it could be a bit complicated to have all 50 states agree on one tax rate. Do you think this will be a major issue or it can easily be overcome? Also, you probably have thought of this already since you mentioned constitutional aspects but I just thought of Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 while first reading your prospectus. Anyways it sounds really interesting and I will have great pleasure in reading it once it will be completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Emanuele Dominici 
Prospectus title: Terrorist Websites 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Emanuele_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 16:06, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Emanuel, your topic is very interesting, I assume you will research those laws that go in favor, or at least don’t prevent these terrorist organizations of continuing their activities. It would be interesting to know what legislation acts due to the foreign nature of these organizations. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Emanuele,
This is going to be an exciting paper indeed. This is a whopper and you might have trouble containing it to 10 pages. The First Amendment question might be a great place to start, then begin to wind in the Patriot act, while comparing it to the Espionage act of 1917. I can’t wait to read this paper, good luck![[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Emanuele, very interesting topic. I'm trying to remember the show I listened to over the summer about infiltrating online forums that are used for recruiting new members. The story also touched on the use of video games for recruitment. I'll send the link once I remember what the show is.... Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:26, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Wow, I wish I'd had this idea/had the sort of expertise and background you do to do it justice. I'm curious about how you'll make distinctions between "terrorist websites" that exist with the specific purpose of encouraging/recruiting to/supporting terrorism and simply anti-U.S. or very pro-militant Islam. The line is so blurry as to barely exist in most cases, which is obviously where the gov't runs into so much trouble in these types of efforts. Really looking forward to this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Emanuele, You are engaging into a very difficult and complex element of the internet. The American-born cleric who was recently killed in Yemen heavily relied on the internet to communicate with terrorists and many of the foiled terrorist attempts are linked to him. I think he would be a good starting point in your research. Good luck.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks everyone for your precious advice and nice comments, I will definitely take into consideration your comments and I do realize that I have to narrow it down a bit. Thanks again![[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Julia Brav 
Prospectus title: [http://ask.metafilter.com/ Ask MetaFilter] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:JBrav_LSTU_E-120_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 17:41, 21 February 2012 (UTC)Jlynnping
 

Hi Julia, I think your project will be interesting, and as for Brendan Long’s proposal about Q&A sites, I’d like to know more about the level of reliability of the answers one can find in this type of sites, and also who decides if the information is right or wrong. I’m not familiar with Q&A sites so I’m sure your project will help me to understand their structure better and how they function. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Julia, I really like how interactive your project is and how participating in the community is an important part of your research methodology. While moderation and desire for quality are two reasons why people might choose Ask MeFi over other sites, I'd be curious to hear more about how you find the quality and depth of responses on the site. For example, while other Q&A sites might be more of a free-for-all, are there times when quantity is of greater benefit than tightly proscribed quality? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 01:40, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting, I'm still not convinced that I'd be willing to pay the $5 when it's so easy to get info from other sources on the web, especially if you know how to look. I like how involved in one community your project is (mine is similar in that I'm really trying to get a feel for a specific site and a specific group). I'm interested to hear more about how their process works! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your paper sounds fairly broad at this point. I think it is interesting how the website moderators are actively involved with the content of the website and how they interact or dictate the social norms would be interesting. Good luck.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Ah Metafilter is interesting. As its competitors in Yahoo Answers, Google Answers, Facebook, and Quora. MetaFilter fascinates me, however, because it does have the same venture capital funding or silicon valley press like the competitors I've listed above. How has it managed to keep its community intact? What is driving the content and hits on Google? I'll be interested to see why and how the MetaFilter community is better structured than its rivals. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 Name: Samantha Zakuto 
Prospectus title: Managing a Flexible Work/Life Balance: Legal Ramifications of Facebook 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:2012_02_-_SZakuto_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Samantha, your topic is very interesting, of course offense is evident in the cases you gave as examples, but your question of why one employee was fired and the other not is the starting point of your investigation. As for the prohibition in Missouri of having contact between teachers and students, it seems unfair and this would not prevent ruinning the reputation of others, so the results of your investigation abouth the legislation applied in these cases promess to be interesting. Good Luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Samantha, this is a really interesting topic and there are numerous directions you could take it. If you're interested in honing in on the relationship between offline and online behavior and speech, I can send over a bunch of readings about student free speech in schools. Additionally, the boundary between online/in school is still hotly debated - the Supreme Court recently refused to hear appeals related to online attacks against school officials and students ([http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/court-rejects-appeals-in-_0_n_1210399.html Huffington Post]). Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:00, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting idea that is sadly relevant to my life and I suspect many others in the class. I don't really like having a Facebook and I police it pretty carefully, but it's also the only way I have of contacting the vast majority of people who are my Facebook friends. I'm especially interested on the ways in which the location you access a site from (home vs. school or work) can impact how liable you are for punishment. That is a very interesting and muddy intersection of internet life and brick and mortar life. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very interesting and pertinent to many issues we face today. I think that there is a battle between free speech and the effects of that free speech in the professional sphere. Even though, say, a school teacher does have the constitutional freedom to write some bigoted post on his or her Facebook page, the effects of that speech can be pronounced on that person's school. In a number of cases, teachers are either suspended or dismissed for Facebook comments in which there are two sides; those who say that he is simply exercising free speech and those who believe that no one of that opinion should be teaching children. Interesting topic.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Nicholas Thibodeau 
Prospectus title: Anonymous 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Thibodeau_Assignment_2.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 17:59, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Nicholas, your topic is very interesting, although there are limited resources of information of anonymous, as you mention. As I have understood, anyone can be part of anonymous, that’s what it is so difficult to identify their structure and how they function, but perhaps the more interesting part of your investigation would be why have they been successful in some cases. Good luck in your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Nicholas, I'm looking forward to learning more about Anonymous in your final report. While this may lead you to murky legal waters, it would be cool if you could find a way to engage with the community in some way, or at least explore the process of how one becomes a part of Anonymous. Here's what came up first when I Googled "how do you join anonymous": [http://thehackernews.com/2011/03/how-to-join-anonymous-hacker-identity.html The Hacker News]. It's very Matrix-y. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:08, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Absolutely something I want to learn more about, looking forward to this. If you find a way to contact them (or research this otherwise but not sure how you would) I'm very curious about the number of people versus the actions performed by Anonymous. Is it a broad based group? Is it just a few key individuals who do the most high-profile things, simply supported by a large group that agrees with those actions? etc. Good luck finding them! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Nicholas. Your topic sounds challenging since there doesn't seem to be a spokesman representing this movement or public statements. You will also be exploring how the "political protest" intersects with online technology. Are there other hacker groups like Anonymous? Are their tactics the same or different than Anonymous? Good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Quynh Dang 
Prospectus title: [http://answers.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Agj1j2NWf7soiMwgqNKlvo6e5HNG;_ylv=3 Yahoo! Answers] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Quynh_Dang_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:14, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Quynh Dang, the Q&A sites are a new topic for me, so I hope throughout your project I’ll became more familiar with them. As for the Julia’s project and Brendan Long’s project, which are also addressing this topic like yours, I’d like to know how do they manage the level of reliability of the answers. I also would like to see the results of your investigation, especially the part of the incentives they give to promote the participation of more people. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Quynh, two things come to mind when reading your prospectus. 1) What's the value to you of having more points, particularly since there isn't a chat function and the users are anonymous? 2) You might want to connect with Julia Brav, who is evaluating Ask MetaFilter. Perhaps you could develop some sort of collaboration? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Definitely talk to Julia Brav, you have an interesting opposite to her project's subject in some ways, especially with what behaviors are encouraged within the site. I assume that simply by getting so much information, sheer mass filters out the worst effects of a totally open system... but maybe not? The point system seems like an equal motivator to both useful and spammy and unhelpful activities, so I'll be curious what your conclusions are about how that plays out in actuality. Good luck with your research! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Quynh. I think ''Yahoo! Answers'' is an interesting site that I have participated in. One of the problems with ''Yahoo! Answers'' (which I do not find with other sites such as Wikipedia) is that the validity of the answers provided is based on the number of answers submitted (as well as the rating system which you described). I have participated in Yahoo Answers in the past and often receive 2-3 answers at the most, which doesn't make me feel confident that I am getting the right answer. I think a fascinating point of focus is the "competitive" element of the scoring. Do gaining points and achieving different levels encourage better answers or cause competitive respondents to provide less accurate answers for the mere aspiration of gaining points? Good luck with your project. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Christopher Mejo 
Prospectus title: Building a New Online Community in Drupal 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_project_prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:chrism|chrism]] 18:40, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Christopher, sorry if my question is trivial but what do you mean by saying that you will have to contemplate several non-democratic values to make sure your website runs smoothly? And also I’m curious if you’re creating this website to answer the questions of your project about freedom of expression and reputation of the website. Good luck with your website and final project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Christopher, I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to attract readers and community members to your site. What's the value proposition? Do people want financial and investment advice from their peers? Who is your target audience and what sites are they currently engaging with and how are they engaging with them? Developing your own site and attracting users in the next two months is quite an undertaking - maybe there's a way to explore the issues you raise in your prospectus by looking at existing forums for where people discuss finance? I can't say I go to this kind of site myself but [http://www.finance30.com/ Finance 3.0] came up during a Google search as did this article [http://www.accountingdegree.com/blog/2009/50-awesome-social-networks-for-finance-geeks/ 50 Awesome Social Networks for Finance Geeks]. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:22, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Agreed @Aditkowsky, I'll be interested to see what approach you take towards building up site membership. You may want to find a more specific niche that you notice is going unfulfilled on some of the main financial websites. I'm also interested that you're intentionally using advertising from day 1- it'd be great if you could find some way to get feedback from site viewers on how that affects their feelings about the site as a whole. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project sounds very challenging and will require a detailed understanding of programming which I assume you have. As I understand it, the niche of the site will be economics/investment. I would be interested in knowing whether governance techniques for other sites will be the same for an investment basics site. One can only assume that the nature of governance (and the personal information provided) will be different between a financial site and say a video game or online game site (perhaps not).--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Brendan Long 
Prospectus title: Question & Answer Website Services and the Impact of Social Media 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_Project_Prospectus_-_Long%2C_Brendan.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 19:47, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Brendan, since you mention you will provide a timeline and historical content of the Q&A sites and social media, and also a comparison of them and impact of the social media on them, I would suggest your work to be more focused on the analysis of the information you find. This means that although the overview of Q&A is necessary for your work, we already know more or less the social media, and I like to read about your question of Q&A functions within these sites, which is a topic totally new, at least for me. Good luck, very interesting![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Hi Brendan,
Cool idea. I’m not on facebook, so I wasn’t aware that there was a separate section for answer seekers. I use dedicated Q & A sites quite a bit. The one’s that make me register before looking at them, I usually pass by. Mostly, I use sites dedicated to Android programming, other IT community sites, specific auto repair questions, and one legal questions site. On two occasions, I paid a small fee for “good” answers on JustAnswers.com.
The sites I have found to be credible and useful are; avvo (A V V O - looks like a W when they are close together).com for legal questions, JustAnswer.com (this is the site where I agreed to “donate” a token fee for a correct answer), forum.xda-developers.com for some of my Android questions, liliputing.com (again for Android), and Cyanogenmod.com (yep, again for Android stuff).
It’s been my experience that experts tend to collect in likeminded online communities. I’m not sure what social network sites offer, but I think that intrinsically technical question seekers might need to go outside of the general social network platform in search of community sites dedicated to the specific topic. It will be a really interesting study – I’m looking forward to seeing your results. Best of luck. [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Brendan, Julia Brav and Quynh Dang are also looking at aspects of Q&A sites - it might be fun to try to find a way to work with them. In terms of your prospectus, I'm most intrigued by how successful Q&A is on social networking sites. What are the benefits and challenges? And how much is success dependent on your personal ability to engage your friends/contacts/followers vs. a larger community's engagement with a dedicated Q&A site? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:29, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

It seems one like one major thing that the Q and A sites have going for them is that they've managed to entrench themselves in certain communities already; fans of certain types of video games know the best sites, engineers know the best sites for that, etc. It'll be interesting to see what you find with social media sites and how they are going to try and balance their broad appeal with an attempt to create very specifically useful Q and A sections. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

So your main goal is to examine how social media can influence the popularity (and authenticity) of Q & A sites? I would imagine that social media can be viewed as a means for advertising or popularizing Q & A sites. Would your focus be on how users of a Q & A site may choose to popularize that site through their Facebook or twitter accounts? One interesting point may be to examine the behavior of users who choose to popularize Q & A sites through social media. Do they feel that a certain answer is significant that everyone should know? Is a certain type of answer or topic the reason why they would likely integrate social media? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Hope Solomon 
Prospectus title: Communicating with Constituents through Twitter 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Hope_Solomon.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Hds5|Hds5]] 14:22, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Hope Solomon, it seems that architecture and norms used on twitter have favored the political leaders in their campaigns. I wonder if there’s any limitation to its usage for political purposes, and if so you include them in your project. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Hope, this is a great topic and I look forward to following your research for the rest of the semester. It might be helpful to identify different kinds of twitter "engagement" and make an attempt at quantifying them. For example, how many @ replies are there vs. general status updates? Is there some way to evaluate the "quality" of the tweets? Do the politicians make use of hashtags and, if so, to what effect? It might also be interesting to note the number of followers at the start and end of the project. And finally, by the end of the project, do you have any best practices for politicians for how to engage their community and get (or at least seem like you're getting) things done? Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:38, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great idea- how will you deal with the fact that many politicians Twitter feeds are at least partially actually managed by a series of pr experts/interns who follow set instructions for the material they post? I obviously don't know if this is true for the specific ones you mentioned, but it would be an interesting extra layer where the format of the site actually creates a false sense of closeness for subscribers. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great topic!Is Twitter more a tool for the politicians to advertise themselves rather than an interactive tool between constituent and politician? Is there solid evidence that Twitter really has initiated change (constituent protest on Twitter leads to reforms by politician)? I look forward to reading your paper. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I can say from experience, Twitter has been the most beneficial platform to me. I have made invaluable connections, found work, and interacted with some interesting people. I've often thought about Twitter's community and communication guidelines. Why are they so effective? What drives the tweet traffic on Twitter? I concluded that it is powerful and effective because it is completely open. There are no walls to stop anyone from interacting or sharing information with anyone else. It is the first entirely open communication platform. I am writing my prospectus on StockTwits, which is an app similar to Twitter. We should talk if you would like to field an interesting discussion. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:51, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Yerzhan Temirbulatov 
Prospectus title: Endless war on piracy 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:YerzhanTemirbulatov_EndlessWarOnPiracy.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Erzhik|Erzhik]] 20:42, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Yerzhan, I think your second question is the center of your investigation, because you can investigate what were the effects of the shutting down of Megaupload. As for the question of SOPA/PIPA and ACTA role in the online copyright piracy, I would say this would not be certainly defined in the near future, at least in the next weeks—just my opinion. Good luck!, interesting project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Yerzhan, I'm very interested in the discussion of Russian torrent sites, particularly since so much of the class discussion is geared toward the US. I'd love to see a comparison between a site like Megaupload and the leading Russian torrent sites, and I'd also love to learn more about emergence of Tribler and its potential impact on file sharing. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:47, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly is relevant to the course discussion. I am not sure if it will be too challenging to analyze the effects of the megaupload closure since the arrests occurred not too long ago (maybe I'm underestimating the dynamic quality of the internet). Good luck with your work. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting extension of the discussions we've had in class, I'll be interested to see how good the statistics you can find are. Is this the sort of thing where the given statistics are totally trustworthy? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Tara Baechel 
Prospectus title: The Internet, Adoption and the Privacy of Minors 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Baechel_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:TBaechel]] 21:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Tara, your proposal is very interesting and I’d like to know who was the actor that promoted this change you have noted in this website. In the second part you propose, I’d like to know what are the reasons of the people who adopt a child when they do not have the resources to support the adoption costs. Is there any kind of abuse they have detected and they decide to help these children? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, I think you raise really interesting questions about whether the release of private information online helps or hinders adoption agencies' marketing efforts. I might suggest that instead using fundraising websites set up by parents as a complement to your main research topic, you could look to forums/discussion boards that include potential and current adoptive parents. What can you learn about their preferences from monitoring those communities? What might adoption agencies learn that could affect the way they communicate with parents pursuing adoption? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:56, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is powerful. My brother adopted two children many years ago and he never had this wealth of information on perspective children. I think that moral issues may arise (as you mentioned) regarding the type and amount of information released concerning these children, both in the adoption process and many years later when these children are part of the internet public record. Hopefully you will be able to find more focus as you continue your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting, and the point about this information coming back to haunt the children later in their life is a very strong one that hadn't occurred to me. Do you think that the lack of information, while better for the children, may actually deter potential parents to some degree? I know adoption is something that people generally are very committed to if they are considering it, but would a lack of information actually hinder the ability of some sites/groups to draw in possible adoptive parents? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, from your prospectus, your project seems very interesting but also very difficult. I have some knowledge even though limited of the minors world and legal issues. I worked in the DA’s Office Domestic Violence Unit and I personally encountered many problems regarding information and minors. Because of this, I am very eager to read your final project once it is completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Manuel Valerio 
Prospectus title: Internet, fame and speed to Market 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:MPValerio_Assignment-2_Internet_Fame.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Manuel, I think indeed this phenomenon of being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation is very interesting. It reminds me the Youtube phenomenon, which you can also take a look at, in which a random video becomes famous and the producer receives a call with a great amount of money for advertisement. But I didn’t grasp the essence of the question you will work on, is it what influences this rapid change? Good luck!, interesting idea.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Manuel, in addition to the ideas you raise in your prospectus, I'd be interested in hear more about the specific role of an online community (or communities) in propelling a person or product to prominence. What quality of the community and what actions taken by the users contributed to the outcome? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:04, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Manuel, I did not really get your research question. What answer are you planning to give? How do you plan to sue Lessig framework. I am unsure about the claim that it is really new and the role of internet. I will maybe also see the connection with other media such as tv shows. Best of luck!!!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 15:16, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is interesting and I too have wondered how the internet has sped up fame for a particular star. You seem to be focusing on blogging, which may pose complications since there are many other online avenues that can contribute to the rise of a popular musician or actor. To separate blogs from youtube, review sites and music sites may be challenging. Are you focusing on the collective blogsphere of amateur individuals, or professional blogs written by well-known bloggers?--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

One interesting aspect of this is whether the "fame" produced by an internet-fueled sudden rise to stardom is as permanent as fame that came through more traditional channels would be. Look at the Lana Del Rey pushback with her terrible performance on SNL; since then she has done much better on Letterman, but her album has been regarded critically as pretty average, and that sudden internet fame may end up disappearing as quickly as it came. Blogs are very focused in the moment, especially pop-culture ones. Is that really conducive to creating long-lasting success? I'm really looking forward to reading this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Marjolein Siegenthaler 
Prospectus name: Airbnb.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Marjolein_Siegenthaler.doc 
Comments: [[User:MSS|MSS]] 22:13, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Marjolein, your project seems interesting, especially when regarding the vandalism question. When reading the case you presented, I remembered the several cases of vandalism that have taken place through Facebook. But thinking deeply, I think in the facebook cases it’s the user’s fault, because he was who agreed to have appointments with unknown people, and in the case of airbnb.com the user would have to prove that it was actually the website’s fault because of the information exchange limitation. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein, I think looking at the rules and norms for airbnb is a great topic. You might consider looking at [http://www.couchsurfing.org/ Couchsurfing.org] as a point of comparison since the culture explicitly values the connection between hosts and guests. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Marjolein, I am personally interested in your subject because few days ago a friend of mine told me to put my vocational house on it. Regarding, your question, I will also check what kind of policy do airbnb put in place to refrain such behavior, like credit card number given to the police, check of the identity, etc? And how does this comply with the protection of privacy? I like the idea of Adi to compare policy with other similar websites. Best of luck.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:42, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great research questions, this seems like a nightmare of potential legal problems that could be tied up across different national systems. What if they went back to their country before you realized they damaged your home? How do you even get at them? But at the same time, it seems like the site would be wise to totally protect itself from any liability, and function only as an intermediary, with no guarantee. If they could be found responsible for damages they'd be doomed, and very open to possible scamming too. Neat project. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein,
I thought I'd send you a link to coverage on AirBNB from Gawker (http://gawker.com/airbnb/), stemming from the singular incident described in your prospectus. These reports have an overwhelming negative (and arguably libelous) slant (but that's Gawker for you). I hope that these might be useful in your investigation.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Marjolein, Your topic certainly touches upon some general legal arguments that may apply to any media outlet in which there is a transaction of some sort. If you look at newspapers that have “want ads” and postings, an argument could be made that the newspaper is in some way liable since there was a payment for the want ad to be published. Your questions on how the site regulates the type of information provided, and whether that regulation diminishes or increases the chances that arrangements not working out, should lead to interesting avenues of thought. I would consider examining policies on two different fronts; how the regulation of information attracts users, and how the regulation of information increases the likelihood of transactions working out.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

In terms of community devlopment, AirBnb is an interesting case. Like the people mentioned above, a single incident where a AirBnb user trashes another AirBnb user's apartment can break the entire community. What is worth looking into here is the fragility behind the AirBnb community. In addition, what are the steps AirBnb is taking to support that fragility? I'm also curious to hear what your opinion is on AirBnb and hotels. Would you rather use AirBnb or a hotel? Why? What is AirBnb doing with its community and users that is worse or better than a hotel? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:54, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein-
I literally was talking about Airbnb with a friend who recently started using their services when I came across your prospectus. Very interesting idea for I had not known about it till about an hour ago. He stated that they now have an insurance policy (around $50k) for such incidences. I wonder what they do to suppress some of the bad press, as any business would. I also wonder what type of personality and what circumstances would drive someone to let strangers into their homes. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 02:58, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Gregorian Hawke 
Prospectus name: twentymine.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Talk_to_Strangers_v1.0.odt 
Comments: 

Hi Gregorian, wow your case really surprised me, I think you probably had been for a while in this community to receive this computer parts, isn’t it? As for your proposal, I wonder how will you measure the level of trust between members of a community. I’m also interested in your results of which environment is more likely to have trust among its members, because it seems that in the videogame environment the level of trust is high after some time. Good luck, very interesting proposal![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Gregorian, I love your Minecraft story and I think it would be very interesting to focus in on this community. Maybe you could look specifically at your own relationship with the members of your sub-community and the ways in which you built trust through gaming together. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:19, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Gregor, Your idea and the way you connect the “small talk” and the trust that can come up from it is interesting. Some features of the some community seem to increase the trust between the users. I will be very interested in the result of your study. And if, except yourself, other users have similar experiences to share. I never did! Good luck
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:57, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hey Gregorian, I think the idea of looking at the internet as a forum for non-monetary, trust-based material exchanges is a good one. It would be great if there was one community you could look at where those exchanges have succeeded and failed, or where there are formal or informal criteria for when a level of trust has been established to allow a transaction to take place. [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:34, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great anecdote from Minecraft! You may want to come up with a very simple survey to measure "trust," ie. a number scale from 1 to 10 and they rate how much they would trust a stranger in real life, in Minecraft, on a gaming forum, etc. Might help you to quantify answers a little better. I know this will be a fun one to read! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I like the psychological/behavioral aspect of your topic. I think that internet users in online communities may develop a sense of trust in much the same way that all of us do in our everyday lives; we develop trust by interacting with someone continuously. However I think that trust in today’s digital age is weighed against the potential misuses of that trust (i.e. fraud, identity theft). Of course trust is also built on common interests and can be augmented by exchanging advice that leads to a more rewarding product or discussion. Your topic is a bit broad but I think you can find some interesting conclusions about trust and how the internet has shaped that trust.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Gregorian-
I wonder if any analogies can be made between those that give unknown graduates money to pay down their student loans. There have been cases where a graduate sets up a website and random people donate untold amounts to help someone they don't know out. I wonder if the same underlying phenomenom exists between your idea and this trusting of the money to actually go to where it was intended. I suppose with donation idea there is no feedback besides a possible thank you email. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 03:07, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Mike Brant 
Prospectus Title: Children for Peace/Youth for Peace Online Community 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Children_for_Peace-Youth_for_Peace_Online_Community_-Mike_Brant.doc 
[[User:Mike|Mike]] 22:35, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Mike, congrats, more than a project for our class you’re developing a project to promote peace in the world. I think the main question you’re trying to answer is how the other organizations have reached the international spectrum, so once you have understood how they did it, you can start implementing the results in your own project. Good luck with this project!, and hope you can take to the international step.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Mike, you raise some interesting points in your prospectus. I wonder about some of the challenges of using an online platform for engagement with kids (at least in the US, there are [http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/coppafaqs.shtm lots of rules] governing communications to children under the age of 13) and about how you might connect with kids/youth who have limited or no access to the Internet. Perhaps your research will help address some of those issues. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if I have well understood your objective is to create a community of children willing peace and acting in different way for it. Your research question is about the online norms to regulate this community? As a consequence, I would rather stick on this and see the censorship issues and also investigate on how to deal with kids rather than go to see the success of peace teaching in the world which is a totally different and hard subject? Best of luck!! By the way, no website yet about this project?--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if there is another website you know of that is focused on fostering international dialogue amongst youth, you might want to just focus on that one community? [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

It seems to me that a site that children could actually access and participate in would need to have stronger regulation than just "golden rule" and the basic Wikipedia sort of social contract, as successful as it has been. This may be my bit more pessimistic view of human nature online, but I think that it is hard to market a site related to youth and children if they can't participate much on it, and hard to market a site children can participate in without pretty clear and strong protections for them... I'll be interested to see what you conclude. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

While I consider your goal of a peace-oriented website to be a valiant effort, I am not sure if you can regulate “negative” material that almost certainly will abound if users are left to contribute to the materials, which in turn could lead to political problems. I am just not sure how you could regulate the recognition of problems if the goal of the website is to find a peaceful solution to those problems (perhaps it is just the political scientist in me). UNCESCO, is, if I’m not mistaken, a United Nations organization, and therefore likely works with the various other UN groups on their specific goals. You are dealing with an interesting political issue as it relates to online forums and good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: David Taber 
Prospectus: Coffee Shop vs. Grocery Store: Where and how local news is discussed on the web
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:David_Taber_prospectus_E-120.odt] 
Comments 
[[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 16:15, 23 February 2012 (UTC) 
I could have sworn I uploaded this on Tuesday, but it appears I forgot to hit submit. Sorry! 

Hi David, I think your topic is very interesting in the sense that this is a unique environment for local participation, ulike the Globe. By the way, why do you prefer “local” instead of “hyperlocal,” I personally like more hyperlocal because it gives a far more local sentiment than the Globe, which apparently is local but it covers foreign affairs. I think your results on the structure comparison will be very interesting. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi David, I really like your concept and I think it also touches on the issue of fair use we read about this week. It might also be interesting to note how much of the original article is reposted and how much additional commentary Universal Hub makes on the article. I've found that commentors can often be negligent when it comes to reading the original source so you might want to take that into consideration when evaluating the differences in comments. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear David, I thing you have found there a real way to compare 2 comparable materials and will have great and maybe unexpected results. What will be interesting is if you find comments from a common commentator to see the difference in the speech depending on the website. I would also link your comparison to the difference in the tons adopted by both websites that can influence the content of the comments left. Best of luck!
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:05, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

What a great way to be able to study the effect of the form information is presented in, nice idea. My instinct is that certain people will heavily trust one or the other more, even if the same info is given in both. I'm also interested in how certain info (say a very serious and depressing story) would be altered in order to fit into both? How does that work, if a particular story doesn't really feel natural to appear on the Hub site? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 

 
Name: Carl Fleming 
Prospectus Title: Khan Academy 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fleming_Assignment_2.doc 
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 18:17, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments 

Hi Carl, I find your topic very interesting in part because I’m also interested in distance education. I’m working on the Open University case, but I’m anxious about your results of the Khan’s Academy. Sab is also working on this topic, but she has four topics: Khan’s Academy, MITx, London School of Economics, and Harvard Distance Education. Since we already know how the paying distance education works, I’m interested in your topic because it is totally free and it will probably be a competition in the education field in the near future. Good luck, very interesting topic![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very amazed to discover your prospectus as it is very similar to mine. Regarding your first question I am wondering if the success of the Academy lies on the architecture, your answer will be very interesting to me, or if it lies on the way Kahn taught the subject. My feeling is that the second option is the right one. As for your second question, this article and especially the comments associated to it can help you to get some answer. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/ff_khan/all/1
As for me, Kahn Academy is a wonderful free supplement to traditional offline education but does not reach the objective targeted. This is, as Gates says, a first step to the Revolution.
I like your research questions but I am losing some logical links with the methodology used. Why not focusing on the use of the Academy in the traditional education space in California, and check the result of the evaluation, if any, on “impoverished” students.
Same for “Critique of the Academy”, I do not see the link. I would rather focus on the constructivism, the interactivity and the quality of the teaching (cf. the article).
 --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting question, I'm glad so many people are focusing on education from a variety of different angles. I feel like some very relevant conclusions could be drawn from compiling the 5 or so different reports that look at the intersections of internet and education. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Carl,
I was really excited to see that you're focusing on Khan Academy (I learned about it only recently, and I've since become semi-addicted to doing practice questions). I think a comparative study of the Academy's architecture vs. that of traditional education methods could yield very interesting results. I'd also be curious to hear your thoughts on user-coaches (that is, how any user can theoretically provide coaching in addition to Sal Khan's coaching videos), and how you think that adds or detracts (or both) from the Academy's overarching mission.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:14, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Assignment 2 Submissions

2012-03-06T03:10:12Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

{{AssignmentCal}}

===Submission Instructions===
This assignment is due on February 21. Grading for this assignment is on a 5-point scale; late assignments will be docked 1 point for each day they are late (assignments submitted 4 days late or later will have a maximum grade of 1 point).

Please make sure the name of your file includes your name (example: Name_Assignment2.doc) to avoid overwriting someone else's assignment. ''The '''upload file''' link is to the left, under '''toolbox'''.'' Once you've uploaded your file, please link to it following the format below:

*Name:
*Prospectus title:
*Link to prospectus: (the file you uploaded)

If you have trouble finding the file you uploaded, check the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:ImageList list of uploaded files].

===Comments===
Everyone will receive an additional participation grade for this assignment. You should read through everyone's proposals after they are uploaded and add constructive comments below the proposal on which you're commenting. Comments should be submitted by March 6 so you have time to incorporate them, if applicable, into your project outline. '''Please remember to sign your comments!'''

===Submissions===
 
Name: Stefan Cheplick 
Prospectus: Social Finance and StockTwits
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Social_Finance_Internet_and_Society.doc] 
Prospectus 2: Bitcoins (in development. for fun.)
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:InternetandSociety_Bitcoins_SJC.doc] 
Comments: 

Name: Sab 
Prospectus:
Free Online High-Quality Education: The Next Revolution on Internet?[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Sab_Assignment_2.doc_-_Copie.doc] 
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 

Hi Sab, I like your topic a lot because my project has to do also with distance education online. I’m working on the Open University case. It seems that you have a specific question that is related to the emergence of high-quality student-centric education system as a true public good, and I would say your question is good narrowed, but would be better if you work in just one of the cases of the four you mentioned—Sal Khan’s project, MITx, Harvard, and the London School of Economics. I’d like to know more about Khan’s project since we already know how the online paid degrees are in Harvard. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, I find your topic very interesting! I am curious to find out how the lack of interaction between students and teachers affect the quality of online versus offline education, and how you are going to measure it? Or if you are interested in exploring how the lack of students and teachers interaction affect the quality of education, I suggest comparing a community with interaction to one without. Best, Quynh. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 22:48, 4 March 2012 (UTC) Hello, Thanks for your comments. Intercations can be measured when you have forumn, lie lectures or section, wiki. Success is measurable by the rate of drop out, the rate of success, ect. Thanks again for helping me to be more precised. --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Make sure to narrow your thesis to something you can study and argue in a quantifiable way, but this sounds like an interesting concept. How much will you be using our specific class as a source? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Our class is wonderful example of tools put in place to create interactivity between students and teachers. The quantitative part will be more an observation of the students community. When looking of forum, you can draw the best model that students are looking for. Therefore, I will try to find a way to quantify the criteria that students are looking for in an online education system.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab. You picked a wonderful topic. I completed most of my undergraduate degree through distance education, and had experienced DL at various institutions and levels. I am glad to see someone is interested in the rich opportunities DL offers.

This prospectus covers a lot of topics. With the 10-page limit you may want to narrow down to one or two. I suggest

A. the first thing you could do is to define your subject – free online education websites (e.g. MIT OpenCourseWare, Ted Talk, etc) or DL facilitated by educational institutions (e.g. Harvard Extension School, University of London International Programmes, etc), as both serve different purposes and are operated differently.

B. Out of all the areas you wish to explore, I personally would love to read about “the economic model of free online education websites” as well as “the construction of the teacher and student interactive community”. I think the quality of education and professionalism of teachers are really institution-dependent. HES here is a leader in providing quality education and best teachers because the school obviously would not like to mess up the Harvard name *grin*. But I can imagine certain institutions may not stick to the same ideal. So I personally do not find this issue worthy of much ponderance.

As for copyright of the lectures, I think it’s an interesting issue as well. I’ve once asked Professor Allan Ryan, Harvard’s IP lawyer and the instructor of HES’ IP and Media Law courses, whether obtaining the copyright of the material we use in the DE courses is an issue. He replied that luckily , the US has a law that says using copyrighted material for educational purposes is considered fair use. So we are covered in most aspects. The relevant laws are 1) Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act of 2002, and 2) amendment to the US Copyright Law section 110(2). Hope this information helps! Yep, We have seen that in class. I wwas also suprised by the fair use for non profit education prurposes.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestions. In fact, I plan just to observe the student community and try to make a matricial scheme that let emerge a model as intercativity, professionnalism of the teacher, free degree, non degree, tradename, etc. Then, I will try to see the issues that such model rise like copyright, economic model--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, your project seems very interesting and I have always thought about education, degrees and online programs. I personally think that if a person wants an education he or she can do that either by means of a computer or by going to a library. On the other hand we must consider today’s job market and the requirements (degrees) to meet in order to obtain a good job. I am curious to read your findings and I would like to wish you good luck on your paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC) Thank you so much--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great idea for a prospectus. Here are two of my immediate thoughts: I've often wondered if Khan Academy, for example, will someday be able to give out diplomas that employers respect? Since the release of Khan Academy I've noticed several other websites try to mimic it. Now Youtube is flooding with educational videos online(Google search results too). So, how will users of the Internet empower the best non-profit, online, community education platforms? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting topic and, to a degree, it somewhat overlaps with my proposed topic to study Khan Academy. As for comments, I would just echo what some others have already mentioned: try to limit the scope of your thesis. There is a lot of material to cover, and we only have so many pages. I am struggling with this myself.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab - interesting topic. I'd second (or third) the others in narrowing your thesis. DL is a huge topic. Looking forward to reading your conclusions! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:32, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:YHHsiao|YHHsiao]] 10:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: You-Hwa Hsiao 
Prospectus:
ACTA and the protests – a reaction to the governmental control extending into the cyber world[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Hsiao_assignment2.pdf] 
Comments: 
Hi You-Hwa, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) sounds like a very interesting topic. I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to monitor the anti-ACTA community while you explore the impact of ACTA on online behavior. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi You-Hwa Hsiao, I like the theme you propose and think it is narrowed to the ACTA case. You mention the question of how the ACTA galvanizes the Internet community, and that you want to follow the rest of the semester the development of this event. In this way, I would suggest your work to be more in an analytical sense than informative, developing interesting discussions and analysis with the information you will gather. Interesting topic, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I like your prospectus and your topic is relevant. In particular, I find it interesting that hacking and cyberattacks are viewed as a sign of protest and that this protest element has assumed nontraditional forms. I think that you are covering a lot of ground with your thesis and you may want to focus on a particular dimension of ACTA/response to ACTA.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I really like how you're exploring some issues of online vs. physical life in your topic. I'm interested to see not just how your project develops but how your subject develops between now and the end of the course; it's such a current and evolving thing that you may get to study some really great major events related to it even in such a short span of time! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:06, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I think your topic is very relevant and I look forward to reading you paper. I am very curious to learn about these common (are they?) norms and values of the people in the virtual world vs those in the physical world and what it is exactly that they are protesting against [[User:MSS|MSS]] 16:43, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hello, I think your topic is very much related to the course and I will suggest the Lessig framework. I will also be interested in profiling the internet users that protest on and offline. Good luck!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 18:12, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi You-Hwa, you raised many interesting questions in your prospectus. I am interested in finding out how the ACTA impact online behaviors, specifically, what are they trying to protect with the opposition? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You-Hwa, I appreciate your prospectus. It is indeed interesting in how some hacker groups are protesting by attacking websites. I think the term for these people is Hacktivists? Not sure. In regards to your paper, I am incredibly interested in how the hacker groups develop their Hacktivsim. What is their management structure? Where do they organize? How does someone become a member? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. I too am very intrigued by the whole community of hacker groups that protest by attacking websites. My only comment is that I had a difficult time truly understanding what you will be measuring when you speak of online life and virtual life. It would seem like each would have infinite things to measure, and it might be beneficial to define a short list so that the universe of things measured is well defined.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very relevant topic. Seems like you will have a lot of research. How exactly do you intend to study or measure this? Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:36, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Harvard212 
Prospectus: Being Nice and Free Speech on the Internet[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Harvard212_Assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:Harvard212|Harvard212]] 16:34 EST, 21 February 2012 
Comments: 

Hi Harvard212, I think you would have to apply what Rob said in class: cut your project in half, then in half, and whatever is left in third. This is not to say your topic is not interesting, I think it is, but—in my opinion—the question is very broad, and I would suggest to you to choose one part of being “nice” on the Internet, for example what kind of Etiquette can you find in a specific community (like we already analyzed in the Wikipedia’s case), or in a specific bloggers’ web page. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Harvard212, I'd love to hear more about the community you plan to study. It sounds like you've lined up a good framework for starting your review and it's now a matter of narrowing down the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:41, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

Agreed, this is certainly an interesting concept (what does "nice" mean? what are its implications? is it universal?) and I'll be interested to see how you narrow it down to a controlled topic for study. Be careful not to give yourself too much; tons of background research is great but its real value often comes when you can focus it on something very specific [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:16, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Sofia, I like your project very much but I too feel that it might be a bit too extensive. My suggestion would be to focus more on a single or few specific parts and then it will definitely be a great paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project is ambitious and deals with philosophical/sociological questions regarding the expansive internet and how norms can benefit the entire community. While I am not sure if a general set of norms can be established with millions of users from across the world with their own agendas and online needs, obviously Wikipedia would be a good example of norms being established and these norms are established within the websites themselves. Are you focusing more on norms or norms "as set by law"? How do norms of one website vary with another similar website based on the needs of the consumer? Good start.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:30, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. Very curious to see if you are able to find an universal meaning of "nice". I do hope you have found someone to work in a group with, as this seems like a very extensive topic and corresponding reasearch. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Harvard212, Interesting topic, but to narrow it down, I suggest choosing an online community, such as Wikipedia, and see how the "be nice" rule plays out. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:15, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I would just reiterate what certain others have pointed out above: (i) finding a definition of "nice" may be difficult and (ii) you may benefit from tightening the scope of your work. Otherwise, I think it looks like an outstanding area for research.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You certainly picked an interesting thesis! Do you plan to focus on wikipedia only, or several online communities? May be helpful to make a comparison of the social norms on various platforms. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: BSK342 
Prospectus: Community, Architecture, and Regulation in the Something Awful Forum Space
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Bsk342assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 21:30, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi BSK342, I really like your topic because part of the daily junk I find on the Internet comes from them. I know there are some very interesting forums and they have reliable information, but most of the time the information is just incomplete or not worthy to read. I only wonder how are you going to follow how members of the community engage in other spaces, because I think is quite difficult. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Cool topic. I'm particularly interested in what you observe/learn about people's willingness to pay for additional services. So often websites/applications/businesses struggle with how to monetize a good idea - perhaps your research will shed some light on this for managers of online communities. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:57, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think your project sounds interesting and you are asking many questions that applies to all types of forums and online social behavior. Although I am not familiar with the Something Awful forums, I agree with Aditkowsky that it is interesting that the site does charge a subscription fee to post comments. This could be an interesting point of departure. Is the quality of the content stronger if people are paying for access? Does the subscription fee filter out those who may not be as serious about the forum? Good work.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:40, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I definitely remember SA as a site I visited a lot when I was younger, I'm really looking forward to hearing what it has evolved into during the past years! The focus on how sites manage to monetize themselves is a very good one, and one that always seems to be such a make or break moment. I feel like SA is a place that tends to cater towards younger and more internet savvy viewers/members... how does that affect the process of attempting to gain profit off of it? Are they more likely to pay to support something they care about, or are they less likely than an older person with less internet experience who is used to paying for everything? Have fun! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. There are many of these sites which have proliferated content across the WWW. Although, I see it in trends. Goregallery was one of these sites, then it was worth1000, something awful, and so on. I think that users get a laugh out of it. It used to be emails, then it was myspace, facebook, and so on and so forth. Perhaps there is something more human in needing to share these laughs based in norms?
[[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 03:49, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

I am also particularly interested on the monetary part of your research questions. Will quality be better when paid for? Will people feel even more connected to the forum when they pay for it (us vs them?) Would it be the same if they made it free or the amount to be paid at the discretion of the user (the article of Chris Anderson,"the Long Tail" see class readings for February 14, 2012 might be useful.[[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi BSK342, I think you made an interesting proposal. I am interested in finding out why people would pay for this forum. Perhaps it is the "privilege" people buy for $9.99? I think your approach of observing how the policies and guidelines play out in practice is good. I suggest that you pick another forum (one without a privilege fee) to compare it with. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very interested in your topic, but struggled with two items: valuation and monetization. It was unclear to me how you might value the content in order to set the price. It was then unclear to me how that content may be monetized. I think it may just have been because it is such a short space to cover all these details. Good luck with the project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I wonder how you will be able to determine the motivation behind paying for the ability to post in the forums? Also think your results will be very interesting! I agree with Qdang about making a comparison. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:48, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Blake Geno 
Prospectus: Anonymity, Privacy and Evolving Tools
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Blakegeno_prospectus.odt] 
[[User:BlakeGeno|BlakeGeno]] 20:58, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 
Hi Blake, in thinking about your project, it might be interesting to select a few sites using [http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/108/ facebook connect] and evaluate how this option can impact user privacy and anonymity. It seems like this could sync up with the themes you discuss in your prospectus while also narrowing the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:03, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi Blake Geno, when you say you intend to do: “I., II., III.” I would say only one of those items should be your topic. All three of them are very interesting and surely you would find substantial information. For example, I’ve read that Facebook do not really respect anonymity entirely, that when you decide to close your page they keep the information, and also their policies change very often, and this affect the users. Do we really have privacy and anonymity in Facebook? Good luck, interesting proposals.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Blake. Your project does pose some significant questions as to the types of data that sites like Facebook collect and what that information is used for. You can define the goal of collecting information into two categories; positive (improving the user experience) and negative (selling the information for marketing purposes). Great research question. Hopefully you will be able to focus on more specific dimension of this important.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I'm interested in how exactly you are going to go about this. It could be really neat to create a whole persona with the relevant info that a website wants and then try and link it across a large number of sites that demand a log in/personal info/etc. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake, Very interesting topic! Facebook was recently the focus of CNBC 60 min., and lights were shed on the topics you are discussing in our paper, especially the targeted adversising. In the show, I remember someone saying that FB advertising was an entirely different ballgame, as people on Facebook are not travelling from A to B but like to stay on the FB page and thus "want" to be distracted by advertising, whereas advertising in a traditional way aims on how to advertise for people who are going from one website to another and are not looking for distraction. I think that this would be very intersting for your project. If you google Facebook, CNBC and 60 min, you will probably find the show. Also, this article I just read on Forbes by Kashmir Hill, called "Facebook user unwittingly becomes sex lube pitchman thanks to sponsored stories", dated Feb 28, 2012, may interest you. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:28, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Blake, your prospectus is thought-provoking and as a Facebook user I would be very interested in your findings. I do however feel that it could get a bit complicated for what concerns the appropriate research but keep up with the good work. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi BlakeGeno, your prospectus contains many interesting and ambitious questions. As a suggestion, you can narrow it down by asking what effect does user identification have on the end user? Does the requirement of user identification prevent spamming and abusive comments? I am interested in finding out how you are going to answer this. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 12:05, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Timely topic. Given the recent news on Facebook and Google and their collection of data, this is sure to be a rapidly growing area of research. If you haven't already considered it, I would be interested in learning about data collection by an entity like Facebook or Google and the relationship with tethered devices. How far does this information gathering extend without our even knowing it?
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake - sounds like you have your work cut out for you. you may want to narrow it down to only a few sites. will you study Google+ and Google's new privacy policy? [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Abby Bergman 
Prospectus Title: Pinterest: Visually Arrested 
Link to Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:ABergman_Prospectus.pdf] 
[[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 19:55, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
 Comments: 

Hi Abby, I think your proposal is very interesting, especially because it is addressing a topic we have covered in the course: the Fair Use in Copyright. I would say your results will be useful for this course because they promise to be a good example of what it is Fair Use. Good luck! great choice.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, I applaud you for finding something meaty to explore with Pinterest. I'm curious as to how you will monitor instances of reported infringement on the site. Perhaps you could figure out which companies complain the most and then intentionally post their images so you can experience Pinterest's process for addressing potential infringement firsthand? (Maybe run that by one of the lawyers in class first....) Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:11, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think you raise some important questions in regards to copyright laws and Fair Use. Your questions are relevant and you have a good thesis question. I checked out pinterest.com for the first time now and I think the Fair Use argument is validated. Good job with the prospectus!
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:55, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

This seems like a really well thought out project; you know exactly the frame you want to look at this through and I think you'll come up with some very relevant conclusions. Studying a site that is still on its way up will definitely give you a chance to keep this going and check your theories against what happens with Pinterest over the next year or two! Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Your topic, questions and overall frame are very clear. Very curious about the outcome, I would think the hosting aspect is the sting. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:42, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, recently Pinterest is popping up everywhere. I think you have a good focus by exploring the possibility for copyright infringement. Your methodology, comparing Pinterest and Google Images, and investigating Pinterest's policy on using copyrighted material and the court's opinion in Perfect 10 vs Google case, is well planned out . Good job on your proposal! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting line of research on a site that is clearly extremely hot right now. I am impressed with your level of focus this early on in the process (review of cases, case study comparisons). Good luck with this project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Jennifer Lopez 
Prospectus title: The New Era of Online Activism 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:LSTU_E-120_JenniferWLopez_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] [[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments:

Hi Jennifer, I like your proposal of analyzing online activism sites like change.org, purpose.com, avaaz.org, although I think you should choose one of these for your project. I also think the effectiveness of online activism has been proven, because we have seen cases like the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street and the Bank of America’s decision to rescind it’s proposal, but what I like of your project is that you will explain how they were effective and how the organizations began. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, I'm very much looking forward to seeing your video interviews once they come together. In additional to the perspectives of founders, I'm also interested to hear more from the participants in the campaigns you study. Perhaps you could reach out to community members as well. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:18, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Interviews is a neat way to go about this project and this is an issue that always bothers me; just how much does power or activism on the internet translate to real impacts on people's lives? Be careful to research without being biased though; as much as I generally agree with you that online activism is real-world effective, there may be some instances where it wasn't, and that could be just as interesting! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very relevant with the current affairs of United States and the world. I think it is safe to conclude that online protest movements are making a serious impact on political and social issues. As you continue your research, I would focus on how online protest movements are effective. I think your reference to Benkler's work is a good step in that direction. I think you should also explore the notion of empowerment and whether online protest sites may foster personal empowerment in the same and different ways as more traditional protest movements. What mechanisms were the same and different with the SOPA, Susan Komen and Bank of America online movements?
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:06, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Looking forward to see the video's! I second the idea of Aditkowsky with regard to the views of actual participants and also if these differ from the views of the founders. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:50, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting line of research and something that I believe is highly relevant to the real world. I would be interested in learning about what has led to the success of certain online movements and what has led to the failure of others. If you were able to boil down a set of common characteristics to successful movements, that would be impressive.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I agree that it may be a good idea to also interview participants so that you can hear their perspective on participating as well as feeling like they are working towards effecting change. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, interviewing Jeremy Heimans and creating video clips is an exciting approach to gather your data. I also like your idea of doing case studies, but perhaps just picking one from one site? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 23:56, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Just Johnny 
Prospectus: Assignmnt 2
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Johnny_Assignment2.doc The Social Network] 
Comments: A social network will be constructed for the course. Feel free to contact, as this may be a possible group project. [[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 21:48, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Just Johnny, although you mention social networks as your primary study for the final project, you address code, architecture, human behavior, interaction, norms inside it. I couldn’t grasp what was the main question you proposed, is it about the architecture of the social networks? If so, what is the discussion you’re presenting? Good luck on narrowing.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Just Johnny, I'm intrigued by your idea for creating a social network. You write that "code will be the law which dictates behavior within the site". I'd love to hear more about the underlying concept and specific vision for the site and how you plan to restrict choice and behavior through code. Also, what is the appeal of your site vs. the numerous other social networking sites and forums available to users? What is your value proposition? Looking forward to seeing how your site evolves over the rest of the semester. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:25, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 
You certainly are undertaking an ambitious project and I think your conclusions can be fascinating. I agree with a few points/questions made by Aditkowsky. From what I gather, you would like to create a Wikipedia-esque social network in which the content/services are generated by the users in a dynamic environment. You also mentioned that a screening process may be required to preserve the integrity of the site. Is this site intended to be a study or actually lead to a practical site that people would want to join? If so, I would imagine that some core service or services may need to be created to attract and motivate users to contribute to the site (i.e. Wikipedia and information). Good luck on this very ambitious concept.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:15, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

As the others have mentioned, wow! Very difficult and ambitious project, I'll definitely be following it closely. As Jimmyh mentioned, are you shooting for a broader appeal or do you think you will need to tweak your concept to focus heavily on one area in order to carve out a niche for yourself? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Very ambitious and interesting indeed! It is however not really clear to me what it is what your aiming for directly, as the focus seems pretty broad. Very curious to see how this project will turn out. Good luck with narrowing it down.
[[User:MSS|MSS]] 19:00, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

My comments are similiar to those above: first, very impresseive. Second, I had a tough time understanding the specific focus of the project. I think it sounds very interesting and I look forward to seeing how it all comes together.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You've laid out a monster of a project! Sounds fascinating. I'm also not sure what your focus/thesis is? Perhaps clarifying or narrowing your focus would be helpful. [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:08, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Just Johnny, I’m not exactly sure what your research question is. What are you trying to measure regarding social networking? Or are you trying to compare dating sites to social networking sites, such as Facebook? Perhaps you can pick two communities and compare their TOS or guidelines? Good luck! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 00:48, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Fabian Celis J 
Prospectus title: The Role of the Internet in Distance Education: The Open University Case 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fabian_Celis_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 19:09, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 
Hi Fabian, studying distance learning in the Internet age seems like a great topic - and very appropriate - for this class. One aspect that I'd like to hear more about is the creation of a classroom community despite geography. You might even consider using our class as a test case. For example, I attend class in person but for the past two weeks, I've been using Adobe Connect to participate in the robust discussion that's happening among students who are primarily not in the classroom. In a hybrid class like ours, how do you break down the wall that separates "distance" and "in-person" students to create a more cohesive community? What architecture, systems, and culture do you need to make it work? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:34, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I know you are attending this class (whether online or in person) but is there a chance you could also take the time to really dig into OU? It would be interesting to see the different ways people that use it view it as a resource; clearly everyone does not approach it with the same background, goals, or skills [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Distance education is a great aspect of how the internet has changed how we learn as individuals. I took my first live online course last semester using a program called Elluminate and I would check out how these types of interfaces can change the entire process of how classes (particularly discussion-based classes) are taught and how students can interact with other individuals from across the whole country and the entire world. A comparison of how unique methodologies specific to online education improves the entire classroom experience when compared to traditional in-classroom methods would be a good approach. Great subject and good luck with your work.

It appears you and Sab have similar topics. They both touch the distance education aspect. You should look at the two comments I've left Sab for additional feedback. I also have my cents to chime in regards to your paper. My first thought about open universities was to think of open communities on the Internet. So, wikipedia comes to mind. It would be interesting if there are any similarities or parallels in the development of an open university and an open encyclopedia. For one, both need dedicated users who are willing to operate, and care for their open platform. So my main suggestion here is to look at other open communities for similarities, and differences. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:27, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic, very current. I agree with Jimmyh that a comparison to traditional class room education would be very interesting. Looking forward to see how this turns out. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Fabian, it looks like we are studying similiar concepts. I am analyzing Khan Academy and its potential uses in developing nations for education. I would be interesting in sharing ideas as we continue with our research. Let me know if you would be interested.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Fabian, It is great that you are looking into distance education. Are you going to compare standard classroom education versus distance education? Or are you going to look at the tools that facilitate distance education? Or are you going to focus on the issues of distance education, such as copyright infringement? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 01:53, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: André Pase and Priscila Lollo 
Prospectus title: When two worlds collide, digital TV and online video in an age of transformation 
Research Focus: online video x tv 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assigment2_andrepase_priscilalollo.pdf Assignment 2] 
[[User:Andrepase|Andrepase]] 20:17, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi André and Priscila, is this the question you’re proposing: can the laws for the traditional medium change the development of new one? and are you going to work on this question through the Brazilian case?[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi André and Priscilla, I'm looking forward to learning more about how the Brazilian government and Brazilian companies and users are adapting to the changes in video delivery systems. I'm curious to hear more about the framework you plan to use for exploring the topic and I was also wondering if there is a specific community that you plan to follow. Since much of the class' focus seems to be on US and European examples, I think the Brazilian focus will be very interesting. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:43, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Agreed with Alexis, having this focus outside of the general scope of the class will be a great resource for all of us as far as a fresh perspective and (probably) some interesting takes on the same issues that we haven't considered! I'll be curious to see how the flow of information and law and etc. go back and forth in Brazil and this Brazilian online space. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I am really fond of your dual country approach too! Maybe for a community you can use You Tube users vs a Brazilian equivalent (if any)? [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly has wide applications to how we view television in the modern age and legal discussions will certainly abound as a result. While I sense that you are examining the laws and market dynamics of the Brazilian model, I think you may want to hone in on a particular aspect of law as it relates to online television. Does a particular legal or governing aspect of the Brazilian model properly address piracy? How does the market shape the governance of online television? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. A lot of media experts are trying to make sense of the convergence between digital TV and online video. Though really no one knows where it is headed. I personally recommend you look at some blog posts from Albert Wegner, a venture capitalist for Union Square Ventures. He thinks that television advertisements will get crushed almost exactly the same way print advertisements have suffered. Another thing I would consider looking into is the community building and social networking aspect behind digital video. For example, YouTube and Vimeo have rich interfaces where users can create their own television network, interact with their audience in real-time, and seamlessly collaborate with other users like them. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:30, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I love the comparative aspect of the proposal. I am very interested in learning how Brazil's legal structure might enable or limit the use of online video, especially realtive to US regulations.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alexis Ditkowsky 
Prospectus title: [http://pinterest.com/ Pinterest] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Spring2012-BerkmanAssignment2-DitkowskyAlexis.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alexis, I saw the Pinterest page and found it very interesting! You pose some very interesting topics in your proposal: the role of women in…?, “off-brand” style of Pinterest, and Pinterest’s norms, but I encourage you to choose one of them because for me still wasn’t clear which is your main question. Good luck with your project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis,
I would like to offer two sources which may be useful to supplement your research. The first, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), are a list of 8 goals adopted by the United Nations in an effort to eradicate poverty by the year 2015. Several of the goals involve online access for poor countries, and one goal specifically addresses gender equality. [http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals Millennium Goals Main Site] And the second source, [http://www.tigweb.org Taking IT Global], is rich in content and will provide a wealth of information and resource material. Good luck with your project, it looks interesting and informative.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli Thanks so much! I will check these out. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:47, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

That's fascinating that 80% of Pinterest users are women; do you think that this gender ratio will become more balanced as pinterest gains public fame/acceptance? I'd love to see how far you can push "off brand" uses of the site since I am always very interested in the (often incredibly clever or useful) ways in which sites end up providing something totally outside their original concept. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis, great topic! As for sites for marginalized communities by and for (mostly) women, maybe "gardenmoms" is also an interesting community to explore. It is a parenting resource website, where parents (mostly moms) ask questions to one another and exchange information. I am a member myself and think it may be right up your alley. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:27, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Pinterest does sound powerful from my limited familiarity with the website and I think your approach toward examining social norms should lead to interesting conclusions.What social norms you are focusing on? You mentioned the discrepancies between males and females in internet usage. Is this a particular norm that you will be focusing on? What feature are you examining in the "community versus collection of individuals" norm? Sounds like an interesting topic and good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Dear Alexis, sounds like a great project and already from your prospectus I have learned things that I wasn’t aware of. I agree with Louis on his suggestion of looking at the UN and their info. Good luck on your project! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

It is great that you are exploring Pinterest. It has gotten a ton of media publicity over the last few weeks. It is incredible that 80% of its users are female without ever openly saying it is a site for one gender or the other. What does this say about the community around Pinterest? The design, aesthetics, and layout? I ask myself if there will someday be the "Pinterest model" where a female specific website should look and function a certain way. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I think this is an excellent topic and I would love to learn more about it as it relates closely to my work. I work with the MDGs and helping traditionally excluded populations (women and the poor) reach those goals. If you look into the literature on adolescent girls, secondary education and economic growth, you might find some interesting information on how this could be applied.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: James Harris 
Prospectus title: The Internet and “Bridging the Gap” in Politics 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:James_Harris_Assignment_2.doc Prospectus] 
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:28, 20 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi James, I think your work will be unique because you’re addressing the internet in the political field. I personally suggest to dismiss some parts of your proposal and focus on the question you’re proposing of how social media does create the empowerment and populist energy, and you can do it with the good example of the former Vermong Governor. Through this example you can answer the questions you propose of the quick spread of information, the strategies of campains, and the flexibility of politicians due to this phenomenon. Good luck, very interesting field![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi James,
I love the concept, I’m just a little fuzzy on the thesis. Is the main focus going to concentrate on the elected-official/constituent relationship, or the paradigm shift of political campaign support? [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi James, this is a great topic not only because of the timing but also because online campaigning and fundraising have had four years to evolve since the Dean and Obama campaigns in 2007/2008. One aspect you might decide to hone in on is the relationship of politicians to their constituents on their social networking sites. For example, Sarah Palin has been known to ban commenters who disagree with her viewpoint and Anthony Weiner used twitter to send provocative messages to his followers. Those are two high-profile ways of engaging or disengaging with followers but it might be interesting to look at a politician or two who actively foster an online community and respond thoughtfully and collaboratively to criticism vs. politicians who use social media as a one-way communications street. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:42, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Taking the idea of evolution of online fundraising and campaigning, and their effects, even farther, I was reading today that one of the Republican party leadership's major reasons for supporting SuperPACs (besides the obvious) is that they felt it evened the playing field against Obama moneywise. Even though he too obviously benefits from major donations to his SuperPACs, some Republican strategists explained that the gap between his ability to raise millions in small increments and the ability of any Repub. candidate to try and do the same was just far too large to overcome. So, Citizen's United is also in some ways related to this topic! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic! As for different marketing on FB, please see my comments on Blakes prospectus above. I also very interested to see how the quick spread of information influences the political process, as this is indeed a (relative) novum, especially in politics. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 04:03, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. You may want to look into some of the background on the White House's social media initiative that was launched some time ago as well as some of the background on how members of the congress and senate have been using social media. I know alot of them have scrambled to set up social media teams to capitalize on the new media. It might be interesting to compare those who failed to use it wisely and those whe thrive with it. Some of those characteristics could be applied to campaign funding.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alex Lloyd-Evans 
Prospectus Title: Social Structure's on the Writer's Forums of Cracked.com 
Research Focus: [http://www.cracked.com/ Cracked] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:AlexLE_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alex, I saw the Cracked.com webpage, very interesting and funny! It seems you have a narrowed work to work in, because you propose to main questions to develop in your investigation : freedom of expression, and norms within the site. When you mention this is a good example of a very successful mix of controlled format and elite members of a website to control the power, I’d like to know what are your thoughts, do you agree? Is this essential to run a website like this? Good luck, interesting website![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex,
Is this line correct – “free to enter forum”? I don’t understand what that means. This looks like it will be an interesting project. I wonder if the editors will be surprised by your findings, or possibly take issue with your conclusion, depending on the outcome. I am really looking forward to reading your paper.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli I was trying to express that it is a closed forum in that you need an invite to enter, but that the invite is freely given as long as you bother to ask for it; thus it is a "free to enter" forum but not a totally open one. I just phrased it terribly awkwardly. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, unsolicited suggestion here but it would be really funny if your final project was formatted like a Cracked article and you gave the class an opportunity to post comments before the final submission. Then you could pull together a final version and comment on the process as it relates back to Cracked. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, great topic, very curious to see what your outcomes will be, especially on the question who decides and (maybe even more) on what grounds and how static vs dynamics plays a role in that aspect. I second Alexis' idea of a Cracked article format. Good luck![[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:56, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Alex, you have an interesting challenge with your empirical research project since the answers to your research questions will require you to be actively involved in the whole article submission process. Do you plan on approaching the website in a similar way that the class approached the Wikipedia assignment? Good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, your project seems very fun and interesting. I wasn’t aware of cracked.com before reading your prospectus. I would definitely suggest looking at the 1st amendment of the constitution but because of the complexity of the subject you could also consider looking at specific Supreme Court decisions. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for making me aware of cracked.com. I had not come across it before. I can't help it, but I agree with Aditkowsky's idea of submitting a cracked article format.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Jeff Kimble 
Prospectus title: Internet E-Commerce 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Jeff_Kimble_--_Assignment_2.doc] 
[[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 14:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi Jeff, your project remembers me the phrase “buyers who bought this also bought this,” and the story of the author that became famous because of the long tail phenomenon. I think from the six questions you propose, number one encloses all of the other and it’s your starting point. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff,
While I am sure there will be plenty of studies that address this, it will be nice to see the data synthesized, analyzed, and compacted into a short paper. You certainly will have lots of data to pour through. I will be particularly interested in some of your research as it will complement my project as well. Good luck, and if I run across any statistics that may be beneficial to your research, I’ll be sure to forward it along.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

Be careful not to get too broad with your data collection and lose sight of a focus, but this sounds really neat. One interesting aspect might be considering age. Aditkowsky's comment about the difference between perception and reality with online markets and community rings true to me, and I think the fact that I'm 22 has a lot to do with that. My parents are 65 and no force on Earth could convince them to use an online market over a brick and mortar one if there was any conceivable chance that the good existed in both formats. Anyway, enjoy! I'm looking forward to reading your results. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff, one thing you might consider exploring is how some people feel that e-commerce signals the end of a community even though many e-commerce sites actually promote a sense of community (e.g. etsy) and bring people together in spite of their geographical differences. This [http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/12/independent_bookstores_vs_amazon_buying_books_online_is_better_for_authors_better_for_the_economy_and_better_for_you_.html Slate article] and the flurry of comments might be interesting for you to check out, although it doesn't focus on the online community angle. Cheers! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:59, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

You have a great topic and I like your approach. From what I can tell, you are dealing with a variety of discussion topics. From a personal standpoint, I would recommend focusing on how online shopping has changed consumer behavior. This direct can provide great insight into how these online sites market themselves. Good topic and good luck! --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Louis Celli 
Prospectus title: e-commerce Taxation 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Assignment_2_CELLI_Research_Prospectus.doc The Future of e-commerce Taxation] 
Comments: 

Hi Louis, your topic is interesting since it deals with taxation across states, I just would say you have to choose less questions from the list you’re proposing in order to have a more specific theme to work on during your research. It’s also valuable that you want to propose an e-commerce tax structure for all the states, but how are you going to measure the impacts and its viability? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis, your project sounds really interesting - I'm looking forward to seeing how your research comes together and what your final recommendations are. The scope does seem a bit daunting, though. Perhaps you could focus in on the impact to sellers and buyers, for example, and on the changed transaction experience for users. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:10, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

This sounds very ambitious and interesting, not to mention extremely relevant. The flat tax concept sounds workable and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your results; I also selfishly hope you really delve into the legal/historical precedents for all of this quite a lot, since I love history and I feel like that's an area that could bear quite a lot of original thought. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Louis, I really like your topic a lot. I think it is great that you are actually doing research to reach an potential taxation solution/recommendation, which I assume will form the basis of your argument. Good work!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis your project seems very interesting and it will be definitely exploring a very problematic world. I was just curious of one aspect, and I hope I didn’t get this wrong but you are trying to develop a tax system for all of the 50 states correct? And if so, my feelings are that it could be a bit complicated to have all 50 states agree on one tax rate. Do you think this will be a major issue or it can easily be overcome? Also, you probably have thought of this already since you mentioned constitutional aspects but I just thought of Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 while first reading your prospectus. Anyways it sounds really interesting and I will have great pleasure in reading it once it will be completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Emanuele Dominici 
Prospectus title: Terrorist Websites 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Emanuele_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 16:06, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Emanuel, your topic is very interesting, I assume you will research those laws that go in favor, or at least don’t prevent these terrorist organizations of continuing their activities. It would be interesting to know what legislation acts due to the foreign nature of these organizations. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Emanuele,
This is going to be an exciting paper indeed. This is a whopper and you might have trouble containing it to 10 pages. The First Amendment question might be a great place to start, then begin to wind in the Patriot act, while comparing it to the Espionage act of 1917. I can’t wait to read this paper, good luck![[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Emanuele, very interesting topic. I'm trying to remember the show I listened to over the summer about infiltrating online forums that are used for recruiting new members. The story also touched on the use of video games for recruitment. I'll send the link once I remember what the show is.... Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:26, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Wow, I wish I'd had this idea/had the sort of expertise and background you do to do it justice. I'm curious about how you'll make distinctions between "terrorist websites" that exist with the specific purpose of encouraging/recruiting to/supporting terrorism and simply anti-U.S. or very pro-militant Islam. The line is so blurry as to barely exist in most cases, which is obviously where the gov't runs into so much trouble in these types of efforts. Really looking forward to this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Emanuele, You are engaging into a very difficult and complex element of the internet. The American-born cleric who was recently killed in Yemen heavily relied on the internet to communicate with terrorists and many of the foiled terrorist attempts are linked to him. I think he would be a good starting point in your research. Good luck.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks everyone for your precious advice and nice comments, I will definitely take into consideration your comments and I do realize that I have to narrow it down a bit. Thanks again![[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Julia Brav 
Prospectus title: [http://ask.metafilter.com/ Ask MetaFilter] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:JBrav_LSTU_E-120_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 17:41, 21 February 2012 (UTC)Jlynnping
 

Hi Julia, I think your project will be interesting, and as for Brendan Long’s proposal about Q&A sites, I’d like to know more about the level of reliability of the answers one can find in this type of sites, and also who decides if the information is right or wrong. I’m not familiar with Q&A sites so I’m sure your project will help me to understand their structure better and how they function. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Julia, I really like how interactive your project is and how participating in the community is an important part of your research methodology. While moderation and desire for quality are two reasons why people might choose Ask MeFi over other sites, I'd be curious to hear more about how you find the quality and depth of responses on the site. For example, while other Q&A sites might be more of a free-for-all, are there times when quantity is of greater benefit than tightly proscribed quality? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 01:40, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting, I'm still not convinced that I'd be willing to pay the $5 when it's so easy to get info from other sources on the web, especially if you know how to look. I like how involved in one community your project is (mine is similar in that I'm really trying to get a feel for a specific site and a specific group). I'm interested to hear more about how their process works! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your paper sounds fairly broad at this point. I think it is interesting how the website moderators are actively involved with the content of the website and how they interact or dictate the social norms would be interesting. Good luck.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Ah Metafilter is interesting. As its competitors in Yahoo Answers, Google Answers, Facebook, and Quora. MetaFilter fascinates me, however, because it does have the same venture capital funding or silicon valley press like the competitors I've listed above. How has it managed to keep its community intact? What is driving the content and hits on Google? I'll be interested to see why and how the MetaFilter community is better structured than its rivals. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 Name: Samantha Zakuto 
Prospectus title: Managing a Flexible Work/Life Balance: Legal Ramifications of Facebook 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:2012_02_-_SZakuto_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Samantha, your topic is very interesting, of course offense is evident in the cases you gave as examples, but your question of why one employee was fired and the other not is the starting point of your investigation. As for the prohibition in Missouri of having contact between teachers and students, it seems unfair and this would not prevent ruinning the reputation of others, so the results of your investigation abouth the legislation applied in these cases promess to be interesting. Good Luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Samantha, this is a really interesting topic and there are numerous directions you could take it. If you're interested in honing in on the relationship between offline and online behavior and speech, I can send over a bunch of readings about student free speech in schools. Additionally, the boundary between online/in school is still hotly debated - the Supreme Court recently refused to hear appeals related to online attacks against school officials and students ([http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/court-rejects-appeals-in-_0_n_1210399.html Huffington Post]). Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:00, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting idea that is sadly relevant to my life and I suspect many others in the class. I don't really like having a Facebook and I police it pretty carefully, but it's also the only way I have of contacting the vast majority of people who are my Facebook friends. I'm especially interested on the ways in which the location you access a site from (home vs. school or work) can impact how liable you are for punishment. That is a very interesting and muddy intersection of internet life and brick and mortar life. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very interesting and pertinent to many issues we face today. I think that there is a battle between free speech and the effects of that free speech in the professional sphere. Even though, say, a school teacher does have the constitutional freedom to write some bigoted post on his or her Facebook page, the effects of that speech can be pronounced on that person's school. In a number of cases, teachers are either suspended or dismissed for Facebook comments in which there are two sides; those who say that he is simply exercising free speech and those who believe that no one of that opinion should be teaching children. Interesting topic.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Nicholas Thibodeau 
Prospectus title: Anonymous 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Thibodeau_Assignment_2.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 17:59, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Nicholas, your topic is very interesting, although there are limited resources of information of anonymous, as you mention. As I have understood, anyone can be part of anonymous, that’s what it is so difficult to identify their structure and how they function, but perhaps the more interesting part of your investigation would be why have they been successful in some cases. Good luck in your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Nicholas, I'm looking forward to learning more about Anonymous in your final report. While this may lead you to murky legal waters, it would be cool if you could find a way to engage with the community in some way, or at least explore the process of how one becomes a part of Anonymous. Here's what came up first when I Googled "how do you join anonymous": [http://thehackernews.com/2011/03/how-to-join-anonymous-hacker-identity.html The Hacker News]. It's very Matrix-y. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:08, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Absolutely something I want to learn more about, looking forward to this. If you find a way to contact them (or research this otherwise but not sure how you would) I'm very curious about the number of people versus the actions performed by Anonymous. Is it a broad based group? Is it just a few key individuals who do the most high-profile things, simply supported by a large group that agrees with those actions? etc. Good luck finding them! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Nicholas. Your topic sounds challenging since there doesn't seem to be a spokesman representing this movement or public statements. You will also be exploring how the "political protest" intersects with online technology. Are there other hacker groups like Anonymous? Are their tactics the same or different than Anonymous? Good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Quynh Dang 
Prospectus title: [http://answers.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Agj1j2NWf7soiMwgqNKlvo6e5HNG;_ylv=3 Yahoo! Answers] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Quynh_Dang_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:14, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Quynh Dang, the Q&A sites are a new topic for me, so I hope throughout your project I’ll became more familiar with them. As for the Julia’s project and Brendan Long’s project, which are also addressing this topic like yours, I’d like to know how do they manage the level of reliability of the answers. I also would like to see the results of your investigation, especially the part of the incentives they give to promote the participation of more people. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Quynh, two things come to mind when reading your prospectus. 1) What's the value to you of having more points, particularly since there isn't a chat function and the users are anonymous? 2) You might want to connect with Julia Brav, who is evaluating Ask MetaFilter. Perhaps you could develop some sort of collaboration? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Definitely talk to Julia Brav, you have an interesting opposite to her project's subject in some ways, especially with what behaviors are encouraged within the site. I assume that simply by getting so much information, sheer mass filters out the worst effects of a totally open system... but maybe not? The point system seems like an equal motivator to both useful and spammy and unhelpful activities, so I'll be curious what your conclusions are about how that plays out in actuality. Good luck with your research! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Quynh. I think ''Yahoo! Answers'' is an interesting site that I have participated in. One of the problems with ''Yahoo! Answers'' (which I do not find with other sites such as Wikipedia) is that the validity of the answers provided is based on the number of answers submitted (as well as the rating system which you described). I have participated in Yahoo Answers in the past and often receive 2-3 answers at the most, which doesn't make me feel confident that I am getting the right answer. I think a fascinating point of focus is the "competitive" element of the scoring. Do gaining points and achieving different levels encourage better answers or cause competitive respondents to provide less accurate answers for the mere aspiration of gaining points? Good luck with your project. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Christopher Mejo 
Prospectus title: Building a New Online Community in Drupal 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_project_prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:chrism|chrism]] 18:40, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Christopher, sorry if my question is trivial but what do you mean by saying that you will have to contemplate several non-democratic values to make sure your website runs smoothly? And also I’m curious if you’re creating this website to answer the questions of your project about freedom of expression and reputation of the website. Good luck with your website and final project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Christopher, I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to attract readers and community members to your site. What's the value proposition? Do people want financial and investment advice from their peers? Who is your target audience and what sites are they currently engaging with and how are they engaging with them? Developing your own site and attracting users in the next two months is quite an undertaking - maybe there's a way to explore the issues you raise in your prospectus by looking at existing forums for where people discuss finance? I can't say I go to this kind of site myself but [http://www.finance30.com/ Finance 3.0] came up during a Google search as did this article [http://www.accountingdegree.com/blog/2009/50-awesome-social-networks-for-finance-geeks/ 50 Awesome Social Networks for Finance Geeks]. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:22, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Agreed @Aditkowsky, I'll be interested to see what approach you take towards building up site membership. You may want to find a more specific niche that you notice is going unfulfilled on some of the main financial websites. I'm also interested that you're intentionally using advertising from day 1- it'd be great if you could find some way to get feedback from site viewers on how that affects their feelings about the site as a whole. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project sounds very challenging and will require a detailed understanding of programming which I assume you have. As I understand it, the niche of the site will be economics/investment. I would be interested in knowing whether governance techniques for other sites will be the same for an investment basics site. One can only assume that the nature of governance (and the personal information provided) will be different between a financial site and say a video game or online game site (perhaps not).--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Brendan Long 
Prospectus title: Question & Answer Website Services and the Impact of Social Media 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_Project_Prospectus_-_Long%2C_Brendan.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 19:47, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Brendan, since you mention you will provide a timeline and historical content of the Q&A sites and social media, and also a comparison of them and impact of the social media on them, I would suggest your work to be more focused on the analysis of the information you find. This means that although the overview of Q&A is necessary for your work, we already know more or less the social media, and I like to read about your question of Q&A functions within these sites, which is a topic totally new, at least for me. Good luck, very interesting![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Hi Brendan,
Cool idea. I’m not on facebook, so I wasn’t aware that there was a separate section for answer seekers. I use dedicated Q & A sites quite a bit. The one’s that make me register before looking at them, I usually pass by. Mostly, I use sites dedicated to Android programming, other IT community sites, specific auto repair questions, and one legal questions site. On two occasions, I paid a small fee for “good” answers on JustAnswers.com.
The sites I have found to be credible and useful are; avvo (A V V O - looks like a W when they are close together).com for legal questions, JustAnswer.com (this is the site where I agreed to “donate” a token fee for a correct answer), forum.xda-developers.com for some of my Android questions, liliputing.com (again for Android), and Cyanogenmod.com (yep, again for Android stuff).
It’s been my experience that experts tend to collect in likeminded online communities. I’m not sure what social network sites offer, but I think that intrinsically technical question seekers might need to go outside of the general social network platform in search of community sites dedicated to the specific topic. It will be a really interesting study – I’m looking forward to seeing your results. Best of luck. [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Brendan, Julia Brav and Quynh Dang are also looking at aspects of Q&A sites - it might be fun to try to find a way to work with them. In terms of your prospectus, I'm most intrigued by how successful Q&A is on social networking sites. What are the benefits and challenges? And how much is success dependent on your personal ability to engage your friends/contacts/followers vs. a larger community's engagement with a dedicated Q&A site? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:29, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

It seems one like one major thing that the Q and A sites have going for them is that they've managed to entrench themselves in certain communities already; fans of certain types of video games know the best sites, engineers know the best sites for that, etc. It'll be interesting to see what you find with social media sites and how they are going to try and balance their broad appeal with an attempt to create very specifically useful Q and A sections. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

So your main goal is to examine how social media can influence the popularity (and authenticity) of Q & A sites? I would imagine that social media can be viewed as a means for advertising or popularizing Q & A sites. Would your focus be on how users of a Q & A site may choose to popularize that site through their Facebook or twitter accounts? One interesting point may be to examine the behavior of users who choose to popularize Q & A sites through social media. Do they feel that a certain answer is significant that everyone should know? Is a certain type of answer or topic the reason why they would likely integrate social media? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Hope Solomon 
Prospectus title: Communicating with Constituents through Twitter 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Hope_Solomon.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Hds5|Hds5]] 14:22, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Hope Solomon, it seems that architecture and norms used on twitter have favored the political leaders in their campaigns. I wonder if there’s any limitation to its usage for political purposes, and if so you include them in your project. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Hope, this is a great topic and I look forward to following your research for the rest of the semester. It might be helpful to identify different kinds of twitter "engagement" and make an attempt at quantifying them. For example, how many @ replies are there vs. general status updates? Is there some way to evaluate the "quality" of the tweets? Do the politicians make use of hashtags and, if so, to what effect? It might also be interesting to note the number of followers at the start and end of the project. And finally, by the end of the project, do you have any best practices for politicians for how to engage their community and get (or at least seem like you're getting) things done? Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:38, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great idea- how will you deal with the fact that many politicians Twitter feeds are at least partially actually managed by a series of pr experts/interns who follow set instructions for the material they post? I obviously don't know if this is true for the specific ones you mentioned, but it would be an interesting extra layer where the format of the site actually creates a false sense of closeness for subscribers. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great topic!Is Twitter more a tool for the politicians to advertise themselves rather than an interactive tool between constituent and politician? Is there solid evidence that Twitter really has initiated change (constituent protest on Twitter leads to reforms by politician)? I look forward to reading your paper. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I can say from experience, Twitter has been the most beneficial platform to me. I have made invaluable connections, found work, and interacted with some interesting people. I've often thought about Twitter's community and communication guidelines. Why are they so effective? What drives the tweet traffic on Twitter? I concluded that it is powerful and effective because it is completely open. There are no walls to stop anyone from interacting or sharing information with anyone else. It is the first entirely open communication platform. I am writing my prospectus on StockTwits, which is an app similar to Twitter. We should talk if you would like to field an interesting discussion. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:51, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Yerzhan Temirbulatov 
Prospectus title: Endless war on piracy 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:YerzhanTemirbulatov_EndlessWarOnPiracy.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Erzhik|Erzhik]] 20:42, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Yerzhan, I think your second question is the center of your investigation, because you can investigate what were the effects of the shutting down of Megaupload. As for the question of SOPA/PIPA and ACTA role in the online copyright piracy, I would say this would not be certainly defined in the near future, at least in the next weeks—just my opinion. Good luck!, interesting project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Yerzhan, I'm very interested in the discussion of Russian torrent sites, particularly since so much of the class discussion is geared toward the US. I'd love to see a comparison between a site like Megaupload and the leading Russian torrent sites, and I'd also love to learn more about emergence of Tribler and its potential impact on file sharing. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:47, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly is relevant to the course discussion. I am not sure if it will be too challenging to analyze the effects of the megaupload closure since the arrests occurred not too long ago (maybe I'm underestimating the dynamic quality of the internet). Good luck with your work. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting extension of the discussions we've had in class, I'll be interested to see how good the statistics you can find are. Is this the sort of thing where the given statistics are totally trustworthy? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Tara Baechel 
Prospectus title: The Internet, Adoption and the Privacy of Minors 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Baechel_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:TBaechel]] 21:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Tara, your proposal is very interesting and I’d like to know who was the actor that promoted this change you have noted in this website. In the second part you propose, I’d like to know what are the reasons of the people who adopt a child when they do not have the resources to support the adoption costs. Is there any kind of abuse they have detected and they decide to help these children? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, I think you raise really interesting questions about whether the release of private information online helps or hinders adoption agencies' marketing efforts. I might suggest that instead using fundraising websites set up by parents as a complement to your main research topic, you could look to forums/discussion boards that include potential and current adoptive parents. What can you learn about their preferences from monitoring those communities? What might adoption agencies learn that could affect the way they communicate with parents pursuing adoption? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:56, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is powerful. My brother adopted two children many years ago and he never had this wealth of information on perspective children. I think that moral issues may arise (as you mentioned) regarding the type and amount of information released concerning these children, both in the adoption process and many years later when these children are part of the internet public record. Hopefully you will be able to find more focus as you continue your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting, and the point about this information coming back to haunt the children later in their life is a very strong one that hadn't occurred to me. Do you think that the lack of information, while better for the children, may actually deter potential parents to some degree? I know adoption is something that people generally are very committed to if they are considering it, but would a lack of information actually hinder the ability of some sites/groups to draw in possible adoptive parents? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, from your prospectus, your project seems very interesting but also very difficult. I have some knowledge even though limited of the minors world and legal issues. I worked in the DA’s Office Domestic Violence Unit and I personally encountered many problems regarding information and minors. Because of this, I am very eager to read your final project once it is completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Manuel Valerio 
Prospectus title: Internet, fame and speed to Market 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:MPValerio_Assignment-2_Internet_Fame.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Manuel, I think indeed this phenomenon of being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation is very interesting. It reminds me the Youtube phenomenon, which you can also take a look at, in which a random video becomes famous and the producer receives a call with a great amount of money for advertisement. But I didn’t grasp the essence of the question you will work on, is it what influences this rapid change? Good luck!, interesting idea.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Manuel, in addition to the ideas you raise in your prospectus, I'd be interested in hear more about the specific role of an online community (or communities) in propelling a person or product to prominence. What quality of the community and what actions taken by the users contributed to the outcome? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:04, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Manuel, I did not really get your research question. What answer are you planning to give? How do you plan to sue Lessig framework. I am unsure about the claim that it is really new and the role of internet. I will maybe also see the connection with other media such as tv shows. Best of luck!!!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 15:16, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is interesting and I too have wondered how the internet has sped up fame for a particular star. You seem to be focusing on blogging, which may pose complications since there are many other online avenues that can contribute to the rise of a popular musician or actor. To separate blogs from youtube, review sites and music sites may be challenging. Are you focusing on the collective blogsphere of amateur individuals, or professional blogs written by well-known bloggers?--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

One interesting aspect of this is whether the "fame" produced by an internet-fueled sudden rise to stardom is as permanent as fame that came through more traditional channels would be. Look at the Lana Del Rey pushback with her terrible performance on SNL; since then she has done much better on Letterman, but her album has been regarded critically as pretty average, and that sudden internet fame may end up disappearing as quickly as it came. Blogs are very focused in the moment, especially pop-culture ones. Is that really conducive to creating long-lasting success? I'm really looking forward to reading this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Marjolein Siegenthaler 
Prospectus name: Airbnb.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Marjolein_Siegenthaler.doc 
Comments: [[User:MSS|MSS]] 22:13, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Marjolein, your project seems interesting, especially when regarding the vandalism question. When reading the case you presented, I remembered the several cases of vandalism that have taken place through Facebook. But thinking deeply, I think in the facebook cases it’s the user’s fault, because he was who agreed to have appointments with unknown people, and in the case of airbnb.com the user would have to prove that it was actually the website’s fault because of the information exchange limitation. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein, I think looking at the rules and norms for airbnb is a great topic. You might consider looking at [http://www.couchsurfing.org/ Couchsurfing.org] as a point of comparison since the culture explicitly values the connection between hosts and guests. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Marjolein, I am personally interested in your subject because few days ago a friend of mine told me to put my vocational house on it. Regarding, your question, I will also check what kind of policy do airbnb put in place to refrain such behavior, like credit card number given to the police, check of the identity, etc? And how does this comply with the protection of privacy? I like the idea of Adi to compare policy with other similar websites. Best of luck.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:42, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great research questions, this seems like a nightmare of potential legal problems that could be tied up across different national systems. What if they went back to their country before you realized they damaged your home? How do you even get at them? But at the same time, it seems like the site would be wise to totally protect itself from any liability, and function only as an intermediary, with no guarantee. If they could be found responsible for damages they'd be doomed, and very open to possible scamming too. Neat project. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein,
I thought I'd send you a link to coverage on AirBNB from Gawker (http://gawker.com/airbnb/), stemming from the singular incident described in your prospectus. These reports have an overwhelming negative (and arguably libelous) slant (but that's Gawker for you). I hope that these might be useful in your investigation.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Marjolein, Your topic certainly touches upon some general legal arguments that may apply to any media outlet in which there is a transaction of some sort. If you look at newspapers that have “want ads” and postings, an argument could be made that the newspaper is in some way liable since there was a payment for the want ad to be published. Your questions on how the site regulates the type of information provided, and whether that regulation diminishes or increases the chances that arrangements not working out, should lead to interesting avenues of thought. I would consider examining policies on two different fronts; how the regulation of information attracts users, and how the regulation of information increases the likelihood of transactions working out.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

In terms of community devlopment, AirBnb is an interesting case. Like the people mentioned above, a single incident where a AirBnb user trashes another AirBnb user's apartment can break the entire community. What is worth looking into here is the fragility behind the AirBnb community. In addition, what are the steps AirBnb is taking to support that fragility? I'm also curious to hear what your opinion is on AirBnb and hotels. Would you rather use AirBnb or a hotel? Why? What is AirBnb doing with its community and users that is worse or better than a hotel? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:54, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein-
I literally was talking about Airbnb with a friend who recently started using their services when I came across your prospectus. Very interesting idea for I had not known about it till about an hour ago. He stated that they now have an insurance policy (around $50k) for such incidences. I wonder what they do to suppress some of the bad press, as any business would. I also wonder what type of personality and what circumstances would drive someone to let strangers into their homes. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 02:58, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Gregorian Hawke 
Prospectus name: twentymine.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Talk_to_Strangers_v1.0.odt 
Comments: 

Hi Gregorian, wow your case really surprised me, I think you probably had been for a while in this community to receive this computer parts, isn’t it? As for your proposal, I wonder how will you measure the level of trust between members of a community. I’m also interested in your results of which environment is more likely to have trust among its members, because it seems that in the videogame environment the level of trust is high after some time. Good luck, very interesting proposal![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Gregorian, I love your Minecraft story and I think it would be very interesting to focus in on this community. Maybe you could look specifically at your own relationship with the members of your sub-community and the ways in which you built trust through gaming together. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:19, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Gregor, Your idea and the way you connect the “small talk” and the trust that can come up from it is interesting. Some features of the some community seem to increase the trust between the users. I will be very interested in the result of your study. And if, except yourself, other users have similar experiences to share. I never did! Good luck
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:57, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hey Gregorian, I think the idea of looking at the internet as a forum for non-monetary, trust-based material exchanges is a good one. It would be great if there was one community you could look at where those exchanges have succeeded and failed, or where there are formal or informal criteria for when a level of trust has been established to allow a transaction to take place. [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:34, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great anecdote from Minecraft! You may want to come up with a very simple survey to measure "trust," ie. a number scale from 1 to 10 and they rate how much they would trust a stranger in real life, in Minecraft, on a gaming forum, etc. Might help you to quantify answers a little better. I know this will be a fun one to read! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I like the psychological/behavioral aspect of your topic. I think that internet users in online communities may develop a sense of trust in much the same way that all of us do in our everyday lives; we develop trust by interacting with someone continuously. However I think that trust in today’s digital age is weighed against the potential misuses of that trust (i.e. fraud, identity theft). Of course trust is also built on common interests and can be augmented by exchanging advice that leads to a more rewarding product or discussion. Your topic is a bit broad but I think you can find some interesting conclusions about trust and how the internet has shaped that trust.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Gregorian-
I wonder if any analogies can be made between those that give unknown graduates money to pay down their student loans. There have been cases where a graduate sets up a website and random people donate untold amounts to help someone they don't know out. I wonder if the same underlying phenomenom exists between your idea and this trusting of the money to actually go to where it was intended. I suppose with donation idea there is no feedback besides a possible thank you email. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 03:07, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Mike Brant 
Prospectus Title: Children for Peace/Youth for Peace Online Community 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Children_for_Peace-Youth_for_Peace_Online_Community_-Mike_Brant.doc 
[[User:Mike|Mike]] 22:35, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Mike, congrats, more than a project for our class you’re developing a project to promote peace in the world. I think the main question you’re trying to answer is how the other organizations have reached the international spectrum, so once you have understood how they did it, you can start implementing the results in your own project. Good luck with this project!, and hope you can take to the international step.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Mike, you raise some interesting points in your prospectus. I wonder about some of the challenges of using an online platform for engagement with kids (at least in the US, there are [http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/coppafaqs.shtm lots of rules] governing communications to children under the age of 13) and about how you might connect with kids/youth who have limited or no access to the Internet. Perhaps your research will help address some of those issues. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if I have well understood your objective is to create a community of children willing peace and acting in different way for it. Your research question is about the online norms to regulate this community? As a consequence, I would rather stick on this and see the censorship issues and also investigate on how to deal with kids rather than go to see the success of peace teaching in the world which is a totally different and hard subject? Best of luck!! By the way, no website yet about this project?--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if there is another website you know of that is focused on fostering international dialogue amongst youth, you might want to just focus on that one community? [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

It seems to me that a site that children could actually access and participate in would need to have stronger regulation than just "golden rule" and the basic Wikipedia sort of social contract, as successful as it has been. This may be my bit more pessimistic view of human nature online, but I think that it is hard to market a site related to youth and children if they can't participate much on it, and hard to market a site children can participate in without pretty clear and strong protections for them... I'll be interested to see what you conclude. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

While I consider your goal of a peace-oriented website to be a valiant effort, I am not sure if you can regulate “negative” material that almost certainly will abound if users are left to contribute to the materials, which in turn could lead to political problems. I am just not sure how you could regulate the recognition of problems if the goal of the website is to find a peaceful solution to those problems (perhaps it is just the political scientist in me). UNCESCO, is, if I’m not mistaken, a United Nations organization, and therefore likely works with the various other UN groups on their specific goals. You are dealing with an interesting political issue as it relates to online forums and good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: David Taber 
Prospectus: Coffee Shop vs. Grocery Store: Where and how local news is discussed on the web
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:David_Taber_prospectus_E-120.odt] 
Comments 
[[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 16:15, 23 February 2012 (UTC) 
I could have sworn I uploaded this on Tuesday, but it appears I forgot to hit submit. Sorry! 

Hi David, I think your topic is very interesting in the sense that this is a unique environment for local participation, ulike the Globe. By the way, why do you prefer “local” instead of “hyperlocal,” I personally like more hyperlocal because it gives a far more local sentiment than the Globe, which apparently is local but it covers foreign affairs. I think your results on the structure comparison will be very interesting. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi David, I really like your concept and I think it also touches on the issue of fair use we read about this week. It might also be interesting to note how much of the original article is reposted and how much additional commentary Universal Hub makes on the article. I've found that commentors can often be negligent when it comes to reading the original source so you might want to take that into consideration when evaluating the differences in comments. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear David, I thing you have found there a real way to compare 2 comparable materials and will have great and maybe unexpected results. What will be interesting is if you find comments from a common commentator to see the difference in the speech depending on the website. I would also link your comparison to the difference in the tons adopted by both websites that can influence the content of the comments left. Best of luck!
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:05, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

What a great way to be able to study the effect of the form information is presented in, nice idea. My instinct is that certain people will heavily trust one or the other more, even if the same info is given in both. I'm also interested in how certain info (say a very serious and depressing story) would be altered in order to fit into both? How does that work, if a particular story doesn't really feel natural to appear on the Hub site? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 

 
Name: Carl Fleming 
Prospectus Title: Khan Academy 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fleming_Assignment_2.doc 
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 18:17, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments 

Hi Carl, I find your topic very interesting in part because I’m also interested in distance education. I’m working on the Open University case, but I’m anxious about your results of the Khan’s Academy. Sab is also working on this topic, but she has four topics: Khan’s Academy, MITx, London School of Economics, and Harvard Distance Education. Since we already know how the paying distance education works, I’m interested in your topic because it is totally free and it will probably be a competition in the education field in the near future. Good luck, very interesting topic![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very amazed to discover your prospectus as it is very similar to mine. Regarding your first question I am wondering if the success of the Academy lies on the architecture, your answer will be very interesting to me, or if it lies on the way Kahn taught the subject. My feeling is that the second option is the right one. As for your second question, this article and especially the comments associated to it can help you to get some answer. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/ff_khan/all/1
As for me, Kahn Academy is a wonderful free supplement to traditional offline education but does not reach the objective targeted. This is, as Gates says, a first step to the Revolution.
I like your research questions but I am losing some logical links with the methodology used. Why not focusing on the use of the Academy in the traditional education space in California, and check the result of the evaluation, if any, on “impoverished” students.
Same for “Critique of the Academy”, I do not see the link. I would rather focus on the constructivism, the interactivity and the quality of the teaching (cf. the article).
 --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting question, I'm glad so many people are focusing on education from a variety of different angles. I feel like some very relevant conclusions could be drawn from compiling the 5 or so different reports that look at the intersections of internet and education. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Carl,
I was really excited to see that you're focusing on Khan Academy (I learned about it only recently, and I've since become semi-addicted to doing practice questions). I think a comparative study of the Academy's architecture vs. that of traditional education methods could yield very interesting results. I'd also be curious to hear your thoughts on user-coaches (that is, how any user can theoretically provide coaching in addition to Sal Khan's coaching videos), and how you think that adds or detracts (or both) from the Academy's overarching mission.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:14, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Assignment 2 Submissions

2012-03-06T03:07:53Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

{{AssignmentCal}}

===Submission Instructions===
This assignment is due on February 21. Grading for this assignment is on a 5-point scale; late assignments will be docked 1 point for each day they are late (assignments submitted 4 days late or later will have a maximum grade of 1 point).

Please make sure the name of your file includes your name (example: Name_Assignment2.doc) to avoid overwriting someone else's assignment. ''The '''upload file''' link is to the left, under '''toolbox'''.'' Once you've uploaded your file, please link to it following the format below:

*Name:
*Prospectus title:
*Link to prospectus: (the file you uploaded)

If you have trouble finding the file you uploaded, check the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:ImageList list of uploaded files].

===Comments===
Everyone will receive an additional participation grade for this assignment. You should read through everyone's proposals after they are uploaded and add constructive comments below the proposal on which you're commenting. Comments should be submitted by March 6 so you have time to incorporate them, if applicable, into your project outline. '''Please remember to sign your comments!'''

===Submissions===
 
Name: Stefan Cheplick 
Prospectus: Social Finance and StockTwits
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Social_Finance_Internet_and_Society.doc] 
Prospectus 2: Bitcoins (in development. for fun.)
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:InternetandSociety_Bitcoins_SJC.doc] 
Comments: 

Name: Sab 
Prospectus:
Free Online High-Quality Education: The Next Revolution on Internet?[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Sab_Assignment_2.doc_-_Copie.doc] 
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 

Hi Sab, I like your topic a lot because my project has to do also with distance education online. I’m working on the Open University case. It seems that you have a specific question that is related to the emergence of high-quality student-centric education system as a true public good, and I would say your question is good narrowed, but would be better if you work in just one of the cases of the four you mentioned—Sal Khan’s project, MITx, Harvard, and the London School of Economics. I’d like to know more about Khan’s project since we already know how the online paid degrees are in Harvard. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, I find your topic very interesting! I am curious to find out how the lack of interaction between students and teachers affect the quality of online versus offline education, and how you are going to measure it? Or if you are interested in exploring how the lack of students and teachers interaction affect the quality of education, I suggest comparing a community with interaction to one without. Best, Quynh. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 22:48, 4 March 2012 (UTC) Hello, Thanks for your comments. Intercations can be measured when you have forumn, lie lectures or section, wiki. Success is measurable by the rate of drop out, the rate of success, ect. Thanks again for helping me to be more precised. --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Make sure to narrow your thesis to something you can study and argue in a quantifiable way, but this sounds like an interesting concept. How much will you be using our specific class as a source? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Our class is wonderful example of tools put in place to create interactivity between students and teachers. The quantitative part will be more an observation of the students community. When looking of forum, you can draw the best model that students are looking for. Therefore, I will try to find a way to quantify the criteria that students are looking for in an online education system.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab. You picked a wonderful topic. I completed most of my undergraduate degree through distance education, and had experienced DL at various institutions and levels. I am glad to see someone is interested in the rich opportunities DL offers.

This prospectus covers a lot of topics. With the 10-page limit you may want to narrow down to one or two. I suggest

A. the first thing you could do is to define your subject – free online education websites (e.g. MIT OpenCourseWare, Ted Talk, etc) or DL facilitated by educational institutions (e.g. Harvard Extension School, University of London International Programmes, etc), as both serve different purposes and are operated differently.

B. Out of all the areas you wish to explore, I personally would love to read about “the economic model of free online education websites” as well as “the construction of the teacher and student interactive community”. I think the quality of education and professionalism of teachers are really institution-dependent. HES here is a leader in providing quality education and best teachers because the school obviously would not like to mess up the Harvard name *grin*. But I can imagine certain institutions may not stick to the same ideal. So I personally do not find this issue worthy of much ponderance.

As for copyright of the lectures, I think it’s an interesting issue as well. I’ve once asked Professor Allan Ryan, Harvard’s IP lawyer and the instructor of HES’ IP and Media Law courses, whether obtaining the copyright of the material we use in the DE courses is an issue. He replied that luckily , the US has a law that says using copyrighted material for educational purposes is considered fair use. So we are covered in most aspects. The relevant laws are 1) Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act of 2002, and 2) amendment to the US Copyright Law section 110(2). Hope this information helps! Yep, We have seen that in class. I wwas also suprised by the fair use for non profit education prurposes.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestions. In fact, I plan just to observe the student community and try to make a matricial scheme that let emerge a model as intercativity, professionnalism of the teacher, free degree, non degree, tradename, etc. Then, I will try to see the issues that such model rise like copyright, economic model--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, your project seems very interesting and I have always thought about education, degrees and online programs. I personally think that if a person wants an education he or she can do that either by means of a computer or by going to a library. On the other hand we must consider today’s job market and the requirements (degrees) to meet in order to obtain a good job. I am curious to read your findings and I would like to wish you good luck on your paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC) Thank you so much--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great idea for a prospectus. Here are two of my immediate thoughts: I've often wondered if Khan Academy, for example, will someday be able to give out diplomas that employers respect? Since the release of Khan Academy I've noticed several other websites try to mimic it. Now Youtube is flooding with educational videos online(Google search results too). So, how will users of the Internet empower the best non-profit, online, community education platforms? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting topic and, to a degree, it somewhat overlaps with my proposed topic to study Khan Academy. As for comments, I would just echo what some others have already mentioned: try to limit the scope of your thesis. There is a lot of material to cover, and we only have so many pages. I am struggling with this myself.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab - interesting topic. I'd second (or third) the others in narrowing your thesis. DL is a huge topic. Looking forward to reading your conclusions! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:32, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:YHHsiao|YHHsiao]] 10:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: You-Hwa Hsiao 
Prospectus:
ACTA and the protests – a reaction to the governmental control extending into the cyber world[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Hsiao_assignment2.pdf] 
Comments: 
Hi You-Hwa, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) sounds like a very interesting topic. I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to monitor the anti-ACTA community while you explore the impact of ACTA on online behavior. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi You-Hwa Hsiao, I like the theme you propose and think it is narrowed to the ACTA case. You mention the question of how the ACTA galvanizes the Internet community, and that you want to follow the rest of the semester the development of this event. In this way, I would suggest your work to be more in an analytical sense than informative, developing interesting discussions and analysis with the information you will gather. Interesting topic, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I like your prospectus and your topic is relevant. In particular, I find it interesting that hacking and cyberattacks are viewed as a sign of protest and that this protest element has assumed nontraditional forms. I think that you are covering a lot of ground with your thesis and you may want to focus on a particular dimension of ACTA/response to ACTA.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I really like how you're exploring some issues of online vs. physical life in your topic. I'm interested to see not just how your project develops but how your subject develops between now and the end of the course; it's such a current and evolving thing that you may get to study some really great major events related to it even in such a short span of time! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:06, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I think your topic is very relevant and I look forward to reading you paper. I am very curious to learn about these common (are they?) norms and values of the people in the virtual world vs those in the physical world and what it is exactly that they are protesting against [[User:MSS|MSS]] 16:43, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hello, I think your topic is very much related to the course and I will suggest the Lessig framework. I will also be interested in profiling the internet users that protest on and offline. Good luck!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 18:12, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi You-Hwa, you raised many interesting questions in your prospectus. I am interested in finding out how the ACTA impact online behaviors, specifically, what are they trying to protect with the opposition? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You-Hwa, I appreciate your prospectus. It is indeed interesting in how some hacker groups are protesting by attacking websites. I think the term for these people is Hacktivists? Not sure. In regards to your paper, I am incredibly interested in how the hacker groups develop their Hacktivsim. What is their management structure? Where do they organize? How does someone become a member? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. I too am very intrigued by the whole community of hacker groups that protest by attacking websites. My only comment is that I had a difficult time truly understanding what you will be measuring when you speak of online life and virtual life. It would seem like each would have infinite things to measure, and it might be beneficial to define a short list so that the universe of things measured is well defined.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very relevant topic. Seems like you will have a lot of research. How exactly do you intend to study or measure this? Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:36, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Harvard212 
Prospectus: Being Nice and Free Speech on the Internet[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Harvard212_Assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:Harvard212|Harvard212]] 16:34 EST, 21 February 2012 
Comments: 

Hi Harvard212, I think you would have to apply what Rob said in class: cut your project in half, then in half, and whatever is left in third. This is not to say your topic is not interesting, I think it is, but—in my opinion—the question is very broad, and I would suggest to you to choose one part of being “nice” on the Internet, for example what kind of Etiquette can you find in a specific community (like we already analyzed in the Wikipedia’s case), or in a specific bloggers’ web page. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Harvard212, I'd love to hear more about the community you plan to study. It sounds like you've lined up a good framework for starting your review and it's now a matter of narrowing down the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:41, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

Agreed, this is certainly an interesting concept (what does "nice" mean? what are its implications? is it universal?) and I'll be interested to see how you narrow it down to a controlled topic for study. Be careful not to give yourself too much; tons of background research is great but its real value often comes when you can focus it on something very specific [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:16, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Sofia, I like your project very much but I too feel that it might be a bit too extensive. My suggestion would be to focus more on a single or few specific parts and then it will definitely be a great paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project is ambitious and deals with philosophical/sociological questions regarding the expansive internet and how norms can benefit the entire community. While I am not sure if a general set of norms can be established with millions of users from across the world with their own agendas and online needs, obviously Wikipedia would be a good example of norms being established and these norms are established within the websites themselves. Are you focusing more on norms or norms "as set by law"? How do norms of one website vary with another similar website based on the needs of the consumer? Good start.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:30, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. Very curious to see if you are able to find an universal meaning of "nice". I do hope you have found someone to work in a group with, as this seems like a very extensive topic and corresponding reasearch. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Harvard212, Interesting topic, but to narrow it down, I suggest choosing an online community, such as Wikipedia, and see how the "be nice" rule plays out. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:15, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I would just reiterate what certain others have pointed out above: (i) finding a definition of "nice" may be difficult and (ii) you may benefit from tightening the scope of your work. Otherwise, I think it looks like an outstanding area for research.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You certainly picked an interesting thesis! Do you plan to focus on wikipedia only, or several online communities? May be helpful to make a comparison of the social norms on various platforms. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: BSK342 
Prospectus: Community, Architecture, and Regulation in the Something Awful Forum Space
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Bsk342assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 21:30, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi BSK342, I really like your topic because part of the daily junk I find on the Internet comes from them. I know there are some very interesting forums and they have reliable information, but most of the time the information is just incomplete or not worthy to read. I only wonder how are you going to follow how members of the community engage in other spaces, because I think is quite difficult. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Cool topic. I'm particularly interested in what you observe/learn about people's willingness to pay for additional services. So often websites/applications/businesses struggle with how to monetize a good idea - perhaps your research will shed some light on this for managers of online communities. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:57, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think your project sounds interesting and you are asking many questions that applies to all types of forums and online social behavior. Although I am not familiar with the Something Awful forums, I agree with Aditkowsky that it is interesting that the site does charge a subscription fee to post comments. This could be an interesting point of departure. Is the quality of the content stronger if people are paying for access? Does the subscription fee filter out those who may not be as serious about the forum? Good work.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:40, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I definitely remember SA as a site I visited a lot when I was younger, I'm really looking forward to hearing what it has evolved into during the past years! The focus on how sites manage to monetize themselves is a very good one, and one that always seems to be such a make or break moment. I feel like SA is a place that tends to cater towards younger and more internet savvy viewers/members... how does that affect the process of attempting to gain profit off of it? Are they more likely to pay to support something they care about, or are they less likely than an older person with less internet experience who is used to paying for everything? Have fun! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. There are many of these sites which have proliferated content across the WWW. Although, I see it in trends. Goregallery was one of these sites, then it was worth1000, something awful, and so on. I think that users get a laugh out of it. It used to be emails, then it was myspace, facebook, and so on and so forth. Perhaps there is something more human in needing to share these laughs based in norms?
[[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 03:49, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

I am also particularly interested on the monetary part of your research questions. Will quality be better when paid for? Will people feel even more connected to the forum when they pay for it (us vs them?) Would it be the same if they made it free or the amount to be paid at the discretion of the user (the article of Chris Anderson,"the Long Tail" see class readings for February 14, 2012 might be useful.[[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi BSK342, I think you made an interesting proposal. I am interested in finding out why people would pay for this forum. Perhaps it is the "privilege" people buy for $9.99? I think your approach of observing how the policies and guidelines play out in practice is good. I suggest that you pick another forum (one without a privilege fee) to compare it with. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very interested in your topic, but struggled with two items: valuation and monetization. It was unclear to me how you might value the content in order to set the price. It was then unclear to me how that content may be monetized. I think it may just have been because it is such a short space to cover all these details. Good luck with the project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I wonder how you will be able to determine the motivation behind paying for the ability to post in the forums? Also think your results will be very interesting! I agree with Qdang about making a comparison. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:48, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Blake Geno 
Prospectus: Anonymity, Privacy and Evolving Tools
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Blakegeno_prospectus.odt] 
[[User:BlakeGeno|BlakeGeno]] 20:58, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 
Hi Blake, in thinking about your project, it might be interesting to select a few sites using [http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/108/ facebook connect] and evaluate how this option can impact user privacy and anonymity. It seems like this could sync up with the themes you discuss in your prospectus while also narrowing the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:03, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi Blake Geno, when you say you intend to do: “I., II., III.” I would say only one of those items should be your topic. All three of them are very interesting and surely you would find substantial information. For example, I’ve read that Facebook do not really respect anonymity entirely, that when you decide to close your page they keep the information, and also their policies change very often, and this affect the users. Do we really have privacy and anonymity in Facebook? Good luck, interesting proposals.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Blake. Your project does pose some significant questions as to the types of data that sites like Facebook collect and what that information is used for. You can define the goal of collecting information into two categories; positive (improving the user experience) and negative (selling the information for marketing purposes). Great research question. Hopefully you will be able to focus on more specific dimension of this important.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I'm interested in how exactly you are going to go about this. It could be really neat to create a whole persona with the relevant info that a website wants and then try and link it across a large number of sites that demand a log in/personal info/etc. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake, Very interesting topic! Facebook was recently the focus of CNBC 60 min., and lights were shed on the topics you are discussing in our paper, especially the targeted adversising. In the show, I remember someone saying that FB advertising was an entirely different ballgame, as people on Facebook are not travelling from A to B but like to stay on the FB page and thus "want" to be distracted by advertising, whereas advertising in a traditional way aims on how to advertise for people who are going from one website to another and are not looking for distraction. I think that this would be very intersting for your project. If you google Facebook, CNBC and 60 min, you will probably find the show. Also, this article I just read on Forbes by Kashmir Hill, called "Facebook user unwittingly becomes sex lube pitchman thanks to sponsored stories", dated Feb 28, 2012, may interest you. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:28, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Blake, your prospectus is thought-provoking and as a Facebook user I would be very interested in your findings. I do however feel that it could get a bit complicated for what concerns the appropriate research but keep up with the good work. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi BlakeGeno, your prospectus contains many interesting and ambitious questions. As a suggestion, you can narrow it down by asking what effect does user identification have on the end user? Does the requirement of user identification prevent spamming and abusive comments? I am interested in finding out how you are going to answer this. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 12:05, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Timely topic. Given the recent news on Facebook and Google and their collection of data, this is sure to be a rapidly growing area of research. If you haven't already considered it, I would be interested in learning about data collection by an entity like Facebook or Google and the relationship with tethered devices. How far does this information gathering extend without our even knowing it?
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake - sounds like you have your work cut out for you. you may want to narrow it down to only a few sites. will you study Google+ and Google's new privacy policy? [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Abby Bergman 
Prospectus Title: Pinterest: Visually Arrested 
Link to Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:ABergman_Prospectus.pdf] 
[[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 19:55, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
 Comments: 

Hi Abby, I think your proposal is very interesting, especially because it is addressing a topic we have covered in the course: the Fair Use in Copyright. I would say your results will be useful for this course because they promise to be a good example of what it is Fair Use. Good luck! great choice.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, I applaud you for finding something meaty to explore with Pinterest. I'm curious as to how you will monitor instances of reported infringement on the site. Perhaps you could figure out which companies complain the most and then intentionally post their images so you can experience Pinterest's process for addressing potential infringement firsthand? (Maybe run that by one of the lawyers in class first....) Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:11, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think you raise some important questions in regards to copyright laws and Fair Use. Your questions are relevant and you have a good thesis question. I checked out pinterest.com for the first time now and I think the Fair Use argument is validated. Good job with the prospectus!
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:55, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

This seems like a really well thought out project; you know exactly the frame you want to look at this through and I think you'll come up with some very relevant conclusions. Studying a site that is still on its way up will definitely give you a chance to keep this going and check your theories against what happens with Pinterest over the next year or two! Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Your topic, questions and overall frame are very clear. Very curious about the outcome, I would think the hosting aspect is the sting. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:42, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, recently Pinterest is popping up everywhere. I think you have a good focus by exploring the possibility for copyright infringement. Your methodology, comparing Pinterest and Google Images, and investigating Pinterest's policy on using copyrighted material and the court's opinion in Perfect 10 vs Google case, is well planned out . Good job on your proposal! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting line of research on a site that is clearly extremely hot right now. I am impressed with your level of focus this early on in the process (review of cases, case study comparisons). Good luck with this project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Jennifer Lopez 
Prospectus title: The New Era of Online Activism 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:LSTU_E-120_JenniferWLopez_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] [[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments:

Hi Jennifer, I like your proposal of analyzing online activism sites like change.org, purpose.com, avaaz.org, although I think you should choose one of these for your project. I also think the effectiveness of online activism has been proven, because we have seen cases like the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street and the Bank of America’s decision to rescind it’s proposal, but what I like of your project is that you will explain how they were effective and how the organizations began. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, I'm very much looking forward to seeing your video interviews once they come together. In additional to the perspectives of founders, I'm also interested to hear more from the participants in the campaigns you study. Perhaps you could reach out to community members as well. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:18, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Interviews is a neat way to go about this project and this is an issue that always bothers me; just how much does power or activism on the internet translate to real impacts on people's lives? Be careful to research without being biased though; as much as I generally agree with you that online activism is real-world effective, there may be some instances where it wasn't, and that could be just as interesting! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very relevant with the current affairs of United States and the world. I think it is safe to conclude that online protest movements are making a serious impact on political and social issues. As you continue your research, I would focus on how online protest movements are effective. I think your reference to Benkler's work is a good step in that direction. I think you should also explore the notion of empowerment and whether online protest sites may foster personal empowerment in the same and different ways as more traditional protest movements. What mechanisms were the same and different with the SOPA, Susan Komen and Bank of America online movements?
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:06, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Looking forward to see the video's! I second the idea of Aditkowsky with regard to the views of actual participants and also if these differ from the views of the founders. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:50, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting line of research and something that I believe is highly relevant to the real world. I would be interested in learning about what has led to the success of certain online movements and what has led to the failure of others. If you were able to boil down a set of common characteristics to successful movements, that would be impressive.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I agree that it may be a good idea to also interview participants so that you can hear their perspective on participating as well as feeling like they are working towards effecting change. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, interviewing Jeremy Heimans and creating video clips is an exciting approach to gather your data. I also like your idea of doing case studies, but perhaps just picking one from one site? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 23:56, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Just Johnny 
Prospectus: Assignmnt 2
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Johnny_Assignment2.doc The Social Network] 
Comments: A social network will be constructed for the course. Feel free to contact, as this may be a possible group project. [[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 21:48, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Just Johnny, although you mention social networks as your primary study for the final project, you address code, architecture, human behavior, interaction, norms inside it. I couldn’t grasp what was the main question you proposed, is it about the architecture of the social networks? If so, what is the discussion you’re presenting? Good luck on narrowing.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Just Johnny, I'm intrigued by your idea for creating a social network. You write that "code will be the law which dictates behavior within the site". I'd love to hear more about the underlying concept and specific vision for the site and how you plan to restrict choice and behavior through code. Also, what is the appeal of your site vs. the numerous other social networking sites and forums available to users? What is your value proposition? Looking forward to seeing how your site evolves over the rest of the semester. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:25, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 
You certainly are undertaking an ambitious project and I think your conclusions can be fascinating. I agree with a few points/questions made by Aditkowsky. From what I gather, you would like to create a Wikipedia-esque social network in which the content/services are generated by the users in a dynamic environment. You also mentioned that a screening process may be required to preserve the integrity of the site. Is this site intended to be a study or actually lead to a practical site that people would want to join? If so, I would imagine that some core service or services may need to be created to attract and motivate users to contribute to the site (i.e. Wikipedia and information). Good luck on this very ambitious concept.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:15, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

As the others have mentioned, wow! Very difficult and ambitious project, I'll definitely be following it closely. As Jimmyh mentioned, are you shooting for a broader appeal or do you think you will need to tweak your concept to focus heavily on one area in order to carve out a niche for yourself? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Very ambitious and interesting indeed! It is however not really clear to me what it is what your aiming for directly, as the focus seems pretty broad. Very curious to see how this project will turn out. Good luck with narrowing it down.
[[User:MSS|MSS]] 19:00, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

My comments are similiar to those above: first, very impresseive. Second, I had a tough time understanding the specific focus of the project. I think it sounds very interesting and I look forward to seeing how it all comes together.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You've laid out a monster of a project! Sounds fascinating. I'm also not sure what your focus/thesis is? Perhaps clarifying or narrowing your focus would be helpful. [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:08, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Just Johnny, I’m not exactly sure what your research question is. What are you trying to measure regarding social networking? Or are you trying to compare dating sites to social networking sites, such as Facebook? Perhaps you can pick two communities and compare their TOS or guidelines? Good luck! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 00:48, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Fabian Celis J 
Prospectus title: The Role of the Internet in Distance Education: The Open University Case 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fabian_Celis_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 19:09, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 
Hi Fabian, studying distance learning in the Internet age seems like a great topic - and very appropriate - for this class. One aspect that I'd like to hear more about is the creation of a classroom community despite geography. You might even consider using our class as a test case. For example, I attend class in person but for the past two weeks, I've been using Adobe Connect to participate in the robust discussion that's happening among students who are primarily not in the classroom. In a hybrid class like ours, how do you break down the wall that separates "distance" and "in-person" students to create a more cohesive community? What architecture, systems, and culture do you need to make it work? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:34, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I know you are attending this class (whether online or in person) but is there a chance you could also take the time to really dig into OU? It would be interesting to see the different ways people that use it view it as a resource; clearly everyone does not approach it with the same background, goals, or skills [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Distance education is a great aspect of how the internet has changed how we learn as individuals. I took my first live online course last semester using a program called Elluminate and I would check out how these types of interfaces can change the entire process of how classes (particularly discussion-based classes) are taught and how students can interact with other individuals from across the whole country and the entire world. A comparison of how unique methodologies specific to online education improves the entire classroom experience when compared to traditional in-classroom methods would be a good approach. Great subject and good luck with your work.

It appears you and Sab have similar topics. They both touch the distance education aspect. You should look at the two comments I've left Sab for additional feedback. I also have my cents to chime in regards to your paper. My first thought about open universities was to think of open communities on the Internet. So, wikipedia comes to mind. It would be interesting if there are any similarities or parallels in the development of an open university and an open encyclopedia. For one, both need dedicated users who are willing to operate, and care for their open platform. So my main suggestion here is to look at other open communities for similarities, and differences. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:27, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic, very current. I agree with Jimmyh that a comparison to traditional class room education would be very interesting. Looking forward to see how this turns out. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Fabian, it looks like we are studying similiar concepts. I am analyzing Khan Academy and its potential uses in developing nations for education. I would be interesting in sharing ideas as we continue with our research. Let me know if you would be interested.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Fabian, It is great that you are looking into distance education. Are you going to compare standard classroom education versus distance education? Or are you going to look at the tools that facilitate distance education? Or are you going to focus on the issues of distance education, such as copyright infringement? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 01:53, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: André Pase and Priscila Lollo 
Prospectus title: When two worlds collide, digital TV and online video in an age of transformation 
Research Focus: online video x tv 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assigment2_andrepase_priscilalollo.pdf Assignment 2] 
[[User:Andrepase|Andrepase]] 20:17, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi André and Priscila, is this the question you’re proposing: can the laws for the traditional medium change the development of new one? and are you going to work on this question through the Brazilian case?[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi André and Priscilla, I'm looking forward to learning more about how the Brazilian government and Brazilian companies and users are adapting to the changes in video delivery systems. I'm curious to hear more about the framework you plan to use for exploring the topic and I was also wondering if there is a specific community that you plan to follow. Since much of the class' focus seems to be on US and European examples, I think the Brazilian focus will be very interesting. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:43, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Agreed with Alexis, having this focus outside of the general scope of the class will be a great resource for all of us as far as a fresh perspective and (probably) some interesting takes on the same issues that we haven't considered! I'll be curious to see how the flow of information and law and etc. go back and forth in Brazil and this Brazilian online space. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I am really fond of your dual country approach too! Maybe for a community you can use You Tube users vs a Brazilian equivalent (if any)? [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly has wide applications to how we view television in the modern age and legal discussions will certainly abound as a result. While I sense that you are examining the laws and market dynamics of the Brazilian model, I think you may want to hone in on a particular aspect of law as it relates to online television. Does a particular legal or governing aspect of the Brazilian model properly address piracy? How does the market shape the governance of online television? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. A lot of media experts are trying to make sense of the convergence between digital TV and online video. Though really no one knows where it is headed. I personally recommend you look at some blog posts from Albert Wegner, a venture capitalist for Union Square Ventures. He thinks that television advertisements will get crushed almost exactly the same way print advertisements have suffered. Another thing I would consider looking into is the community building and social networking aspect behind digital video. For example, YouTube and Vimeo have rich interfaces where users can create their own television network, interact with their audience in real-time, and seamlessly collaborate with other users like them. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:30, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I love the comparative aspect of the proposal. I am very interested in learning how Brazil's legal structure might enable or limit the use of online video, especially realtive to US regulations.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alexis Ditkowsky 
Prospectus title: [http://pinterest.com/ Pinterest] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Spring2012-BerkmanAssignment2-DitkowskyAlexis.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alexis, I saw the Pinterest page and found it very interesting! You pose some very interesting topics in your proposal: the role of women in…?, “off-brand” style of Pinterest, and Pinterest’s norms, but I encourage you to choose one of them because for me still wasn’t clear which is your main question. Good luck with your project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis,
I would like to offer two sources which may be useful to supplement your research. The first, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), are a list of 8 goals adopted by the United Nations in an effort to eradicate poverty by the year 2015. Several of the goals involve online access for poor countries, and one goal specifically addresses gender equality. [http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals Millennium Goals Main Site] And the second source, [http://www.tigweb.org Taking IT Global], is rich in content and will provide a wealth of information and resource material. Good luck with your project, it looks interesting and informative.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli Thanks so much! I will check these out. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:47, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

That's fascinating that 80% of Pinterest users are women; do you think that this gender ratio will become more balanced as pinterest gains public fame/acceptance? I'd love to see how far you can push "off brand" uses of the site since I am always very interested in the (often incredibly clever or useful) ways in which sites end up providing something totally outside their original concept. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis, great topic! As for sites for marginalized communities by and for (mostly) women, maybe "gardenmoms" is also an interesting community to explore. It is a parenting resource website, where parents (mostly moms) ask questions to one another and exchange information. I am a member myself and think it may be right up your alley. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:27, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Pinterest does sound powerful from my limited familiarity with the website and I think your approach toward examining social norms should lead to interesting conclusions.What social norms you are focusing on? You mentioned the discrepancies between males and females in internet usage. Is this a particular norm that you will be focusing on? What feature are you examining in the "community versus collection of individuals" norm? Sounds like an interesting topic and good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Dear Alexis, sounds like a great project and already from your prospectus I have learned things that I wasn’t aware of. I agree with Louis on his suggestion of looking at the UN and their info. Good luck on your project! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

It is great that you are exploring Pinterest. It has gotten a ton of media publicity over the last few weeks. It is incredible that 80% of its users are female without ever openly saying it is a site for one gender or the other. What does this say about the community around Pinterest? The design, aesthetics, and layout? I ask myself if there will someday be the "Pinterest model" where a female specific website should look and function a certain way. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I think this is an excellent topic and I would love to learn more about it as it relates closely to my work. I work with the MDGs and helping traditionally excluded populations (women and the poor) reach those goals. If you look into the literature on adolescent girls, secondary education and economic growth, you might find some interesting information on how this could be applied.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: James Harris 
Prospectus title: The Internet and “Bridging the Gap” in Politics 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:James_Harris_Assignment_2.doc Prospectus] 
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:28, 20 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi James, I think your work will be unique because you’re addressing the internet in the political field. I personally suggest to dismiss some parts of your proposal and focus on the question you’re proposing of how social media does create the empowerment and populist energy, and you can do it with the good example of the former Vermong Governor. Through this example you can answer the questions you propose of the quick spread of information, the strategies of campains, and the flexibility of politicians due to this phenomenon. Good luck, very interesting field![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi James,
I love the concept, I’m just a little fuzzy on the thesis. Is the main focus going to concentrate on the elected-official/constituent relationship, or the paradigm shift of political campaign support? [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi James, this is a great topic not only because of the timing but also because online campaigning and fundraising have had four years to evolve since the Dean and Obama campaigns in 2007/2008. One aspect you might decide to hone in on is the relationship of politicians to their constituents on their social networking sites. For example, Sarah Palin has been known to ban commenters who disagree with her viewpoint and Anthony Weiner used twitter to send provocative messages to his followers. Those are two high-profile ways of engaging or disengaging with followers but it might be interesting to look at a politician or two who actively foster an online community and respond thoughtfully and collaboratively to criticism vs. politicians who use social media as a one-way communications street. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:42, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Taking the idea of evolution of online fundraising and campaigning, and their effects, even farther, I was reading today that one of the Republican party leadership's major reasons for supporting SuperPACs (besides the obvious) is that they felt it evened the playing field against Obama moneywise. Even though he too obviously benefits from major donations to his SuperPACs, some Republican strategists explained that the gap between his ability to raise millions in small increments and the ability of any Repub. candidate to try and do the same was just far too large to overcome. So, Citizen's United is also in some ways related to this topic! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic! As for different marketing on FB, please see my comments on Blakes prospectus above. I also very interested to see how the quick spread of information influences the political process, as this is indeed a (relative) novum, especially in politics. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 04:03, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. You may want to look into some of the background on the White House's social media initiative that was launched some time ago as well as some of the background on how members of the congress and senate have been using social media. I know alot of them have scrambled to set up social media teams to capitalize on the new media. It might be interesting to compare those who failed to use it wisely and those whe thrive with it. Some of those characteristics could be applied to campaign funding.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alex Lloyd-Evans 
Prospectus Title: Social Structure's on the Writer's Forums of Cracked.com 
Research Focus: [http://www.cracked.com/ Cracked] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:AlexLE_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alex, I saw the Cracked.com webpage, very interesting and funny! It seems you have a narrowed work to work in, because you propose to main questions to develop in your investigation : freedom of expression, and norms within the site. When you mention this is a good example of a very successful mix of controlled format and elite members of a website to control the power, I’d like to know what are your thoughts, do you agree? Is this essential to run a website like this? Good luck, interesting website![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex,
Is this line correct – “free to enter forum”? I don’t understand what that means. This looks like it will be an interesting project. I wonder if the editors will be surprised by your findings, or possibly take issue with your conclusion, depending on the outcome. I am really looking forward to reading your paper.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli I was trying to express that it is a closed forum in that you need an invite to enter, but that the invite is freely given as long as you bother to ask for it; thus it is a "free to enter" forum but not a totally open one. I just phrased it terribly awkwardly. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, unsolicited suggestion here but it would be really funny if your final project was formatted like a Cracked article and you gave the class an opportunity to post comments before the final submission. Then you could pull together a final version and comment on the process as it relates back to Cracked. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, great topic, very curious to see what your outcomes will be, especially on the question who decides and (maybe even more) on what grounds and how static vs dynamics plays a role in that aspect. I second Alexis' idea of a Cracked article format. Good luck![[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:56, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Alex, you have an interesting challenge with your empirical research project since the answers to your research questions will require you to be actively involved in the whole article submission process. Do you plan on approaching the website in a similar way that the class approached the Wikipedia assignment? Good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, your project seems very fun and interesting. I wasn’t aware of cracked.com before reading your prospectus. I would definitely suggest looking at the 1st amendment of the constitution but because of the complexity of the subject you could also consider looking at specific Supreme Court decisions. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for making me aware of cracked.com. I had not come across it before. I can't help it, but I agree with Aditkowsky's idea of submitting a cracked article format.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Jeff Kimble 
Prospectus title: Internet E-Commerce 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Jeff_Kimble_--_Assignment_2.doc] 
[[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 14:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi Jeff, your project remembers me the phrase “buyers who bought this also bought this,” and the story of the author that became famous because of the long tail phenomenon. I think from the six questions you propose, number one encloses all of the other and it’s your starting point. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff,
While I am sure there will be plenty of studies that address this, it will be nice to see the data synthesized, analyzed, and compacted into a short paper. You certainly will have lots of data to pour through. I will be particularly interested in some of your research as it will complement my project as well. Good luck, and if I run across any statistics that may be beneficial to your research, I’ll be sure to forward it along.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

Be careful not to get too broad with your data collection and lose sight of a focus, but this sounds really neat. One interesting aspect might be considering age. Aditkowsky's comment about the difference between perception and reality with online markets and community rings true to me, and I think the fact that I'm 22 has a lot to do with that. My parents are 65 and no force on Earth could convince them to use an online market over a brick and mortar one if there was any conceivable chance that the good existed in both formats. Anyway, enjoy! I'm looking forward to reading your results. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff, one thing you might consider exploring is how some people feel that e-commerce signals the end of a community even though many e-commerce sites actually promote a sense of community (e.g. etsy) and bring people together in spite of their geographical differences. This [http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/12/independent_bookstores_vs_amazon_buying_books_online_is_better_for_authors_better_for_the_economy_and_better_for_you_.html Slate article] and the flurry of comments might be interesting for you to check out, although it doesn't focus on the online community angle. Cheers! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:59, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

You have a great topic and I like your approach. From what I can tell, you are dealing with a variety of discussion topics. From a personal standpoint, I would recommend focusing on how online shopping has changed consumer behavior. This direct can provide great insight into how these online sites market themselves. Good topic and good luck! --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Louis Celli 
Prospectus title: e-commerce Taxation 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Assignment_2_CELLI_Research_Prospectus.doc The Future of e-commerce Taxation] 
Comments: 

Hi Louis, your topic is interesting since it deals with taxation across states, I just would say you have to choose less questions from the list you’re proposing in order to have a more specific theme to work on during your research. It’s also valuable that you want to propose an e-commerce tax structure for all the states, but how are you going to measure the impacts and its viability? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis, your project sounds really interesting - I'm looking forward to seeing how your research comes together and what your final recommendations are. The scope does seem a bit daunting, though. Perhaps you could focus in on the impact to sellers and buyers, for example, and on the changed transaction experience for users. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:10, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

This sounds very ambitious and interesting, not to mention extremely relevant. The flat tax concept sounds workable and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your results; I also selfishly hope you really delve into the legal/historical precedents for all of this quite a lot, since I love history and I feel like that's an area that could bear quite a lot of original thought. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Louis, I really like your topic a lot. I think it is great that you are actually doing research to reach an potential taxation solution/recommendation, which I assume will form the basis of your argument. Good work!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis your project seems very interesting and it will be definitely exploring a very problematic world. I was just curious of one aspect, and I hope I didn’t get this wrong but you are trying to develop a tax system for all of the 50 states correct? And if so, my feelings are that it could be a bit complicated to have all 50 states agree on one tax rate. Do you think this will be a major issue or it can easily be overcome? Also, you probably have thought of this already since you mentioned constitutional aspects but I just thought of Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 while first reading your prospectus. Anyways it sounds really interesting and I will have great pleasure in reading it once it will be completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Emanuele Dominici 
Prospectus title: Terrorist Websites 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Emanuele_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 16:06, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Emanuel, your topic is very interesting, I assume you will research those laws that go in favor, or at least don’t prevent these terrorist organizations of continuing their activities. It would be interesting to know what legislation acts due to the foreign nature of these organizations. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Emanuele,
This is going to be an exciting paper indeed. This is a whopper and you might have trouble containing it to 10 pages. The First Amendment question might be a great place to start, then begin to wind in the Patriot act, while comparing it to the Espionage act of 1917. I can’t wait to read this paper, good luck![[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Emanuele, very interesting topic. I'm trying to remember the show I listened to over the summer about infiltrating online forums that are used for recruiting new members. The story also touched on the use of video games for recruitment. I'll send the link once I remember what the show is.... Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:26, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Wow, I wish I'd had this idea/had the sort of expertise and background you do to do it justice. I'm curious about how you'll make distinctions between "terrorist websites" that exist with the specific purpose of encouraging/recruiting to/supporting terrorism and simply anti-U.S. or very pro-militant Islam. The line is so blurry as to barely exist in most cases, which is obviously where the gov't runs into so much trouble in these types of efforts. Really looking forward to this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Emanuele, You are engaging into a very difficult and complex element of the internet. The American-born cleric who was recently killed in Yemen heavily relied on the internet to communicate with terrorists and many of the foiled terrorist attempts are linked to him. I think he would be a good starting point in your research. Good luck.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks everyone for your precious advice and nice comments, I will definitely take into consideration your comments and I do realize that I have to narrow it down a bit. Thanks again![[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Julia Brav 
Prospectus title: [http://ask.metafilter.com/ Ask MetaFilter] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:JBrav_LSTU_E-120_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 17:41, 21 February 2012 (UTC)Jlynnping
 

Hi Julia, I think your project will be interesting, and as for Brendan Long’s proposal about Q&A sites, I’d like to know more about the level of reliability of the answers one can find in this type of sites, and also who decides if the information is right or wrong. I’m not familiar with Q&A sites so I’m sure your project will help me to understand their structure better and how they function. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Julia, I really like how interactive your project is and how participating in the community is an important part of your research methodology. While moderation and desire for quality are two reasons why people might choose Ask MeFi over other sites, I'd be curious to hear more about how you find the quality and depth of responses on the site. For example, while other Q&A sites might be more of a free-for-all, are there times when quantity is of greater benefit than tightly proscribed quality? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 01:40, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting, I'm still not convinced that I'd be willing to pay the $5 when it's so easy to get info from other sources on the web, especially if you know how to look. I like how involved in one community your project is (mine is similar in that I'm really trying to get a feel for a specific site and a specific group). I'm interested to hear more about how their process works! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your paper sounds fairly broad at this point. I think it is interesting how the website moderators are actively involved with the content of the website and how they interact or dictate the social norms would be interesting. Good luck.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Ah Metafilter is interesting. As its competitors in Yahoo Answers, Google Answers, Facebook, and Quora. MetaFilter fascinates me, however, because it does have the same venture capital funding or silicon valley press like the competitors I've listed above. How has it managed to keep its community intact? What is driving the content and hits on Google? I'll be interested to see why and how the MetaFilter community is better structured than its rivals. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 Name: Samantha Zakuto 
Prospectus title: Managing a Flexible Work/Life Balance: Legal Ramifications of Facebook 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:2012_02_-_SZakuto_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Samantha, your topic is very interesting, of course offense is evident in the cases you gave as examples, but your question of why one employee was fired and the other not is the starting point of your investigation. As for the prohibition in Missouri of having contact between teachers and students, it seems unfair and this would not prevent ruinning the reputation of others, so the results of your investigation abouth the legislation applied in these cases promess to be interesting. Good Luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Samantha, this is a really interesting topic and there are numerous directions you could take it. If you're interested in honing in on the relationship between offline and online behavior and speech, I can send over a bunch of readings about student free speech in schools. Additionally, the boundary between online/in school is still hotly debated - the Supreme Court recently refused to hear appeals related to online attacks against school officials and students ([http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/court-rejects-appeals-in-_0_n_1210399.html Huffington Post]). Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:00, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting idea that is sadly relevant to my life and I suspect many others in the class. I don't really like having a Facebook and I police it pretty carefully, but it's also the only way I have of contacting the vast majority of people who are my Facebook friends. I'm especially interested on the ways in which the location you access a site from (home vs. school or work) can impact how liable you are for punishment. That is a very interesting and muddy intersection of internet life and brick and mortar life. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very interesting and pertinent to many issues we face today. I think that there is a battle between free speech and the effects of that free speech in the professional sphere. Even though, say, a school teacher does have the constitutional freedom to write some bigoted post on his or her Facebook page, the effects of that speech can be pronounced on that person's school. In a number of cases, teachers are either suspended or dismissed for Facebook comments in which there are two sides; those who say that he is simply exercising free speech and those who believe that no one of that opinion should be teaching children. Interesting topic.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Nicholas Thibodeau 
Prospectus title: Anonymous 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Thibodeau_Assignment_2.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 17:59, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Nicholas, your topic is very interesting, although there are limited resources of information of anonymous, as you mention. As I have understood, anyone can be part of anonymous, that’s what it is so difficult to identify their structure and how they function, but perhaps the more interesting part of your investigation would be why have they been successful in some cases. Good luck in your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Nicholas, I'm looking forward to learning more about Anonymous in your final report. While this may lead you to murky legal waters, it would be cool if you could find a way to engage with the community in some way, or at least explore the process of how one becomes a part of Anonymous. Here's what came up first when I Googled "how do you join anonymous": [http://thehackernews.com/2011/03/how-to-join-anonymous-hacker-identity.html The Hacker News]. It's very Matrix-y. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:08, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Absolutely something I want to learn more about, looking forward to this. If you find a way to contact them (or research this otherwise but not sure how you would) I'm very curious about the number of people versus the actions performed by Anonymous. Is it a broad based group? Is it just a few key individuals who do the most high-profile things, simply supported by a large group that agrees with those actions? etc. Good luck finding them! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Nicholas. Your topic sounds challenging since there doesn't seem to be a spokesman representing this movement or public statements. You will also be exploring how the "political protest" intersects with online technology. Are there other hacker groups like Anonymous? Are their tactics the same or different than Anonymous? Good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Quynh Dang 
Prospectus title: [http://answers.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Agj1j2NWf7soiMwgqNKlvo6e5HNG;_ylv=3 Yahoo! Answers] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Quynh_Dang_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:14, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Quynh Dang, the Q&A sites are a new topic for me, so I hope throughout your project I’ll became more familiar with them. As for the Julia’s project and Brendan Long’s project, which are also addressing this topic like yours, I’d like to know how do they manage the level of reliability of the answers. I also would like to see the results of your investigation, especially the part of the incentives they give to promote the participation of more people. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Quynh, two things come to mind when reading your prospectus. 1) What's the value to you of having more points, particularly since there isn't a chat function and the users are anonymous? 2) You might want to connect with Julia Brav, who is evaluating Ask MetaFilter. Perhaps you could develop some sort of collaboration? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Definitely talk to Julia Brav, you have an interesting opposite to her project's subject in some ways, especially with what behaviors are encouraged within the site. I assume that simply by getting so much information, sheer mass filters out the worst effects of a totally open system... but maybe not? The point system seems like an equal motivator to both useful and spammy and unhelpful activities, so I'll be curious what your conclusions are about how that plays out in actuality. Good luck with your research! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Quynh. I think ''Yahoo! Answers'' is an interesting site that I have participated in. One of the problems with ''Yahoo! Answers'' (which I do not find with other sites such as Wikipedia) is that the validity of the answers provided is based on the number of answers submitted (as well as the rating system which you described). I have participated in Yahoo Answers in the past and often receive 2-3 answers at the most, which doesn't make me feel confident that I am getting the right answer. I think a fascinating point of focus is the "competitive" element of the scoring. Do gaining points and achieving different levels encourage better answers or cause competitive respondents to provide less accurate answers for the mere aspiration of gaining points? Good luck with your project. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Christopher Mejo 
Prospectus title: Building a New Online Community in Drupal 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_project_prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:chrism|chrism]] 18:40, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Christopher, sorry if my question is trivial but what do you mean by saying that you will have to contemplate several non-democratic values to make sure your website runs smoothly? And also I’m curious if you’re creating this website to answer the questions of your project about freedom of expression and reputation of the website. Good luck with your website and final project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Christopher, I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to attract readers and community members to your site. What's the value proposition? Do people want financial and investment advice from their peers? Who is your target audience and what sites are they currently engaging with and how are they engaging with them? Developing your own site and attracting users in the next two months is quite an undertaking - maybe there's a way to explore the issues you raise in your prospectus by looking at existing forums for where people discuss finance? I can't say I go to this kind of site myself but [http://www.finance30.com/ Finance 3.0] came up during a Google search as did this article [http://www.accountingdegree.com/blog/2009/50-awesome-social-networks-for-finance-geeks/ 50 Awesome Social Networks for Finance Geeks]. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:22, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Agreed @Aditkowsky, I'll be interested to see what approach you take towards building up site membership. You may want to find a more specific niche that you notice is going unfulfilled on some of the main financial websites. I'm also interested that you're intentionally using advertising from day 1- it'd be great if you could find some way to get feedback from site viewers on how that affects their feelings about the site as a whole. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project sounds very challenging and will require a detailed understanding of programming which I assume you have. As I understand it, the niche of the site will be economics/investment. I would be interested in knowing whether governance techniques for other sites will be the same for an investment basics site. One can only assume that the nature of governance (and the personal information provided) will be different between a financial site and say a video game or online game site (perhaps not).--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Brendan Long 
Prospectus title: Question & Answer Website Services and the Impact of Social Media 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_Project_Prospectus_-_Long%2C_Brendan.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 19:47, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Brendan, since you mention you will provide a timeline and historical content of the Q&A sites and social media, and also a comparison of them and impact of the social media on them, I would suggest your work to be more focused on the analysis of the information you find. This means that although the overview of Q&A is necessary for your work, we already know more or less the social media, and I like to read about your question of Q&A functions within these sites, which is a topic totally new, at least for me. Good luck, very interesting![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Hi Brendan,
Cool idea. I’m not on facebook, so I wasn’t aware that there was a separate section for answer seekers. I use dedicated Q & A sites quite a bit. The one’s that make me register before looking at them, I usually pass by. Mostly, I use sites dedicated to Android programming, other IT community sites, specific auto repair questions, and one legal questions site. On two occasions, I paid a small fee for “good” answers on JustAnswers.com.
The sites I have found to be credible and useful are; avvo (A V V O - looks like a W when they are close together).com for legal questions, JustAnswer.com (this is the site where I agreed to “donate” a token fee for a correct answer), forum.xda-developers.com for some of my Android questions, liliputing.com (again for Android), and Cyanogenmod.com (yep, again for Android stuff).
It’s been my experience that experts tend to collect in likeminded online communities. I’m not sure what social network sites offer, but I think that intrinsically technical question seekers might need to go outside of the general social network platform in search of community sites dedicated to the specific topic. It will be a really interesting study – I’m looking forward to seeing your results. Best of luck. [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Brendan, Julia Brav and Quynh Dang are also looking at aspects of Q&A sites - it might be fun to try to find a way to work with them. In terms of your prospectus, I'm most intrigued by how successful Q&A is on social networking sites. What are the benefits and challenges? And how much is success dependent on your personal ability to engage your friends/contacts/followers vs. a larger community's engagement with a dedicated Q&A site? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:29, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

It seems one like one major thing that the Q and A sites have going for them is that they've managed to entrench themselves in certain communities already; fans of certain types of video games know the best sites, engineers know the best sites for that, etc. It'll be interesting to see what you find with social media sites and how they are going to try and balance their broad appeal with an attempt to create very specifically useful Q and A sections. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

So your main goal is to examine how social media can influence the popularity (and authenticity) of Q & A sites? I would imagine that social media can be viewed as a means for advertising or popularizing Q & A sites. Would your focus be on how users of a Q & A site may choose to popularize that site through their Facebook or twitter accounts? One interesting point may be to examine the behavior of users who choose to popularize Q & A sites through social media. Do they feel that a certain answer is significant that everyone should know? Is a certain type of answer or topic the reason why they would likely integrate social media? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Hope Solomon 
Prospectus title: Communicating with Constituents through Twitter 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Hope_Solomon.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Hds5|Hds5]] 14:22, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Hope Solomon, it seems that architecture and norms used on twitter have favored the political leaders in their campaigns. I wonder if there’s any limitation to its usage for political purposes, and if so you include them in your project. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Hope, this is a great topic and I look forward to following your research for the rest of the semester. It might be helpful to identify different kinds of twitter "engagement" and make an attempt at quantifying them. For example, how many @ replies are there vs. general status updates? Is there some way to evaluate the "quality" of the tweets? Do the politicians make use of hashtags and, if so, to what effect? It might also be interesting to note the number of followers at the start and end of the project. And finally, by the end of the project, do you have any best practices for politicians for how to engage their community and get (or at least seem like you're getting) things done? Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:38, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great idea- how will you deal with the fact that many politicians Twitter feeds are at least partially actually managed by a series of pr experts/interns who follow set instructions for the material they post? I obviously don't know if this is true for the specific ones you mentioned, but it would be an interesting extra layer where the format of the site actually creates a false sense of closeness for subscribers. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great topic!Is Twitter more a tool for the politicians to advertise themselves rather than an interactive tool between constituent and politician? Is there solid evidence that Twitter really has initiated change (constituent protest on Twitter leads to reforms by politician)? I look forward to reading your paper. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I can say from experience, Twitter has been the most beneficial platform to me. I have made invaluable connections, found work, and interacted with some interesting people. I've often thought about Twitter's community and communication guidelines. Why are they so effective? What drives the tweet traffic on Twitter? I concluded that it is powerful and effective because it is completely open. There are no walls to stop anyone from interacting or sharing information with anyone else. It is the first entirely open communication platform. I am writing my prospectus on StockTwits, which is an app similar to Twitter. We should talk if you would like to field an interesting discussion. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:51, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Yerzhan Temirbulatov 
Prospectus title: Endless war on piracy 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:YerzhanTemirbulatov_EndlessWarOnPiracy.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Erzhik|Erzhik]] 20:42, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Yerzhan, I think your second question is the center of your investigation, because you can investigate what were the effects of the shutting down of Megaupload. As for the question of SOPA/PIPA and ACTA role in the online copyright piracy, I would say this would not be certainly defined in the near future, at least in the next weeks—just my opinion. Good luck!, interesting project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Yerzhan, I'm very interested in the discussion of Russian torrent sites, particularly since so much of the class discussion is geared toward the US. I'd love to see a comparison between a site like Megaupload and the leading Russian torrent sites, and I'd also love to learn more about emergence of Tribler and its potential impact on file sharing. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:47, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly is relevant to the course discussion. I am not sure if it will be too challenging to analyze the effects of the megaupload closure since the arrests occurred not too long ago (maybe I'm underestimating the dynamic quality of the internet). Good luck with your work. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting extension of the discussions we've had in class, I'll be interested to see how good the statistics you can find are. Is this the sort of thing where the given statistics are totally trustworthy? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Tara Baechel 
Prospectus title: The Internet, Adoption and the Privacy of Minors 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Baechel_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:TBaechel]] 21:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Tara, your proposal is very interesting and I’d like to know who was the actor that promoted this change you have noted in this website. In the second part you propose, I’d like to know what are the reasons of the people who adopt a child when they do not have the resources to support the adoption costs. Is there any kind of abuse they have detected and they decide to help these children? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, I think you raise really interesting questions about whether the release of private information online helps or hinders adoption agencies' marketing efforts. I might suggest that instead using fundraising websites set up by parents as a complement to your main research topic, you could look to forums/discussion boards that include potential and current adoptive parents. What can you learn about their preferences from monitoring those communities? What might adoption agencies learn that could affect the way they communicate with parents pursuing adoption? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:56, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is powerful. My brother adopted two children many years ago and he never had this wealth of information on perspective children. I think that moral issues may arise (as you mentioned) regarding the type and amount of information released concerning these children, both in the adoption process and many years later when these children are part of the internet public record. Hopefully you will be able to find more focus as you continue your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting, and the point about this information coming back to haunt the children later in their life is a very strong one that hadn't occurred to me. Do you think that the lack of information, while better for the children, may actually deter potential parents to some degree? I know adoption is something that people generally are very committed to if they are considering it, but would a lack of information actually hinder the ability of some sites/groups to draw in possible adoptive parents? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, from your prospectus, your project seems very interesting but also very difficult. I have some knowledge even though limited of the minors world and legal issues. I worked in the DA’s Office Domestic Violence Unit and I personally encountered many problems regarding information and minors. Because of this, I am very eager to read your final project once it is completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Manuel Valerio 
Prospectus title: Internet, fame and speed to Market 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:MPValerio_Assignment-2_Internet_Fame.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Manuel, I think indeed this phenomenon of being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation is very interesting. It reminds me the Youtube phenomenon, which you can also take a look at, in which a random video becomes famous and the producer receives a call with a great amount of money for advertisement. But I didn’t grasp the essence of the question you will work on, is it what influences this rapid change? Good luck!, interesting idea.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Manuel, in addition to the ideas you raise in your prospectus, I'd be interested in hear more about the specific role of an online community (or communities) in propelling a person or product to prominence. What quality of the community and what actions taken by the users contributed to the outcome? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:04, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Manuel, I did not really get your research question. What answer are you planning to give? How do you plan to sue Lessig framework. I am unsure about the claim that it is really new and the role of internet. I will maybe also see the connection with other media such as tv shows. Best of luck!!!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 15:16, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is interesting and I too have wondered how the internet has sped up fame for a particular star. You seem to be focusing on blogging, which may pose complications since there are many other online avenues that can contribute to the rise of a popular musician or actor. To separate blogs from youtube, review sites and music sites may be challenging. Are you focusing on the collective blogsphere of amateur individuals, or professional blogs written by well-known bloggers?--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

One interesting aspect of this is whether the "fame" produced by an internet-fueled sudden rise to stardom is as permanent as fame that came through more traditional channels would be. Look at the Lana Del Rey pushback with her terrible performance on SNL; since then she has done much better on Letterman, but her album has been regarded critically as pretty average, and that sudden internet fame may end up disappearing as quickly as it came. Blogs are very focused in the moment, especially pop-culture ones. Is that really conducive to creating long-lasting success? I'm really looking forward to reading this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Marjolein Siegenthaler 
Prospectus name: Airbnb.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Marjolein_Siegenthaler.doc 
Comments: [[User:MSS|MSS]] 22:13, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Marjolein, your project seems interesting, especially when regarding the vandalism question. When reading the case you presented, I remembered the several cases of vandalism that have taken place through Facebook. But thinking deeply, I think in the facebook cases it’s the user’s fault, because he was who agreed to have appointments with unknown people, and in the case of airbnb.com the user would have to prove that it was actually the website’s fault because of the information exchange limitation. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein, I think looking at the rules and norms for airbnb is a great topic. You might consider looking at [http://www.couchsurfing.org/ Couchsurfing.org] as a point of comparison since the culture explicitly values the connection between hosts and guests. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Marjolein, I am personally interested in your subject because few days ago a friend of mine told me to put my vocational house on it. Regarding, your question, I will also check what kind of policy do airbnb put in place to refrain such behavior, like credit card number given to the police, check of the identity, etc? And how does this comply with the protection of privacy? I like the idea of Adi to compare policy with other similar websites. Best of luck.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:42, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great research questions, this seems like a nightmare of potential legal problems that could be tied up across different national systems. What if they went back to their country before you realized they damaged your home? How do you even get at them? But at the same time, it seems like the site would be wise to totally protect itself from any liability, and function only as an intermediary, with no guarantee. If they could be found responsible for damages they'd be doomed, and very open to possible scamming too. Neat project. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein,
I thought I'd send you a link to coverage on AirBNB from Gawker (http://gawker.com/airbnb/), stemming from the singular incident described in your prospectus. These reports have an overwhelming negative (and arguably libelous) slant (but that's Gawker for you). I hope that these might be useful in your investigation.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Marjolein, Your topic certainly touches upon some general legal arguments that may apply to any media outlet in which there is a transaction of some sort. If you look at newspapers that have “want ads” and postings, an argument could be made that the newspaper is in some way liable since there was a payment for the want ad to be published. Your questions on how the site regulates the type of information provided, and whether that regulation diminishes or increases the chances that arrangements not working out, should lead to interesting avenues of thought. I would consider examining policies on two different fronts; how the regulation of information attracts users, and how the regulation of information increases the likelihood of transactions working out.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

In terms of community devlopment, AirBnb is an interesting case. Like the people mentioned above, a single incident where a AirBnb user trashes another AirBnb user's apartment can break the entire community. What is worth looking into here is the fragility behind the AirBnb community. In addition, what are the steps AirBnb is taking to support that fragility? I'm also curious to hear what your opinion is on AirBnb and hotels. Would you rather use AirBnb or a hotel? Why? What is AirBnb doing with its community and users that is worse or better than a hotel? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:54, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein-
I literally was talking about Airbnb with a friend who recently started using their services when I came across your prospectus. Very interesting idea for I had not known about it till about an hour ago. He stated that they now have an insurance policy (around $50k) for such incidences. I wonder what they do to suppress some of the bad press, as any business would. I also wonder what type of personality and what circumstances would drive someone to let strangers into their homes. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 02:58, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Gregorian Hawke 
Prospectus name: twentymine.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Talk_to_Strangers_v1.0.odt 
Comments: 

Hi Gregorian, wow your case really surprised me, I think you probably had been for a while in this community to receive this computer parts, isn’t it? As for your proposal, I wonder how will you measure the level of trust between members of a community. I’m also interested in your results of which environment is more likely to have trust among its members, because it seems that in the videogame environment the level of trust is high after some time. Good luck, very interesting proposal![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Gregorian, I love your Minecraft story and I think it would be very interesting to focus in on this community. Maybe you could look specifically at your own relationship with the members of your sub-community and the ways in which you built trust through gaming together. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:19, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Gregor, Your idea and the way you connect the “small talk” and the trust that can come up from it is interesting. Some features of the some community seem to increase the trust between the users. I will be very interested in the result of your study. And if, except yourself, other users have similar experiences to share. I never did! Good luck
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:57, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hey Gregorian, I think the idea of looking at the internet as a forum for non-monetary, trust-based material exchanges is a good one. It would be great if there was one community you could look at where those exchanges have succeeded and failed, or where there are formal or informal criteria for when a level of trust has been established to allow a transaction to take place. [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:34, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great anecdote from Minecraft! You may want to come up with a very simple survey to measure "trust," ie. a number scale from 1 to 10 and they rate how much they would trust a stranger in real life, in Minecraft, on a gaming forum, etc. Might help you to quantify answers a little better. I know this will be a fun one to read! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I like the psychological/behavioral aspect of your topic. I think that internet users in online communities may develop a sense of trust in much the same way that all of us do in our everyday lives; we develop trust by interacting with someone continuously. However I think that trust in today’s digital age is weighed against the potential misuses of that trust (i.e. fraud, identity theft). Of course trust is also built on common interests and can be augmented by exchanging advice that leads to a more rewarding product or discussion. Your topic is a bit broad but I think you can find some interesting conclusions about trust and how the internet has shaped that trust.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Gregorian-
I wonder if any anlalogies can be made between those that give unknown graduates money to pay down their student loans. There have been cases where a graduate sets up a website and random people donate untold amounts to help someone they don't know out. I wonder if the same underlying phenomenom exists between your idea and and this trusting of the money to actually go to where it was intended. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 03:07, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Mike Brant 
Prospectus Title: Children for Peace/Youth for Peace Online Community 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Children_for_Peace-Youth_for_Peace_Online_Community_-Mike_Brant.doc 
[[User:Mike|Mike]] 22:35, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Mike, congrats, more than a project for our class you’re developing a project to promote peace in the world. I think the main question you’re trying to answer is how the other organizations have reached the international spectrum, so once you have understood how they did it, you can start implementing the results in your own project. Good luck with this project!, and hope you can take to the international step.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Mike, you raise some interesting points in your prospectus. I wonder about some of the challenges of using an online platform for engagement with kids (at least in the US, there are [http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/coppafaqs.shtm lots of rules] governing communications to children under the age of 13) and about how you might connect with kids/youth who have limited or no access to the Internet. Perhaps your research will help address some of those issues. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if I have well understood your objective is to create a community of children willing peace and acting in different way for it. Your research question is about the online norms to regulate this community? As a consequence, I would rather stick on this and see the censorship issues and also investigate on how to deal with kids rather than go to see the success of peace teaching in the world which is a totally different and hard subject? Best of luck!! By the way, no website yet about this project?--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if there is another website you know of that is focused on fostering international dialogue amongst youth, you might want to just focus on that one community? [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

It seems to me that a site that children could actually access and participate in would need to have stronger regulation than just "golden rule" and the basic Wikipedia sort of social contract, as successful as it has been. This may be my bit more pessimistic view of human nature online, but I think that it is hard to market a site related to youth and children if they can't participate much on it, and hard to market a site children can participate in without pretty clear and strong protections for them... I'll be interested to see what you conclude. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

While I consider your goal of a peace-oriented website to be a valiant effort, I am not sure if you can regulate “negative” material that almost certainly will abound if users are left to contribute to the materials, which in turn could lead to political problems. I am just not sure how you could regulate the recognition of problems if the goal of the website is to find a peaceful solution to those problems (perhaps it is just the political scientist in me). UNCESCO, is, if I’m not mistaken, a United Nations organization, and therefore likely works with the various other UN groups on their specific goals. You are dealing with an interesting political issue as it relates to online forums and good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: David Taber 
Prospectus: Coffee Shop vs. Grocery Store: Where and how local news is discussed on the web
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:David_Taber_prospectus_E-120.odt] 
Comments 
[[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 16:15, 23 February 2012 (UTC) 
I could have sworn I uploaded this on Tuesday, but it appears I forgot to hit submit. Sorry! 

Hi David, I think your topic is very interesting in the sense that this is a unique environment for local participation, ulike the Globe. By the way, why do you prefer “local” instead of “hyperlocal,” I personally like more hyperlocal because it gives a far more local sentiment than the Globe, which apparently is local but it covers foreign affairs. I think your results on the structure comparison will be very interesting. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi David, I really like your concept and I think it also touches on the issue of fair use we read about this week. It might also be interesting to note how much of the original article is reposted and how much additional commentary Universal Hub makes on the article. I've found that commentors can often be negligent when it comes to reading the original source so you might want to take that into consideration when evaluating the differences in comments. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear David, I thing you have found there a real way to compare 2 comparable materials and will have great and maybe unexpected results. What will be interesting is if you find comments from a common commentator to see the difference in the speech depending on the website. I would also link your comparison to the difference in the tons adopted by both websites that can influence the content of the comments left. Best of luck!
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:05, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

What a great way to be able to study the effect of the form information is presented in, nice idea. My instinct is that certain people will heavily trust one or the other more, even if the same info is given in both. I'm also interested in how certain info (say a very serious and depressing story) would be altered in order to fit into both? How does that work, if a particular story doesn't really feel natural to appear on the Hub site? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 

 
Name: Carl Fleming 
Prospectus Title: Khan Academy 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fleming_Assignment_2.doc 
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 18:17, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments 

Hi Carl, I find your topic very interesting in part because I’m also interested in distance education. I’m working on the Open University case, but I’m anxious about your results of the Khan’s Academy. Sab is also working on this topic, but she has four topics: Khan’s Academy, MITx, London School of Economics, and Harvard Distance Education. Since we already know how the paying distance education works, I’m interested in your topic because it is totally free and it will probably be a competition in the education field in the near future. Good luck, very interesting topic![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very amazed to discover your prospectus as it is very similar to mine. Regarding your first question I am wondering if the success of the Academy lies on the architecture, your answer will be very interesting to me, or if it lies on the way Kahn taught the subject. My feeling is that the second option is the right one. As for your second question, this article and especially the comments associated to it can help you to get some answer. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/ff_khan/all/1
As for me, Kahn Academy is a wonderful free supplement to traditional offline education but does not reach the objective targeted. This is, as Gates says, a first step to the Revolution.
I like your research questions but I am losing some logical links with the methodology used. Why not focusing on the use of the Academy in the traditional education space in California, and check the result of the evaluation, if any, on “impoverished” students.
Same for “Critique of the Academy”, I do not see the link. I would rather focus on the constructivism, the interactivity and the quality of the teaching (cf. the article).
 --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting question, I'm glad so many people are focusing on education from a variety of different angles. I feel like some very relevant conclusions could be drawn from compiling the 5 or so different reports that look at the intersections of internet and education. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Carl,
I was really excited to see that you're focusing on Khan Academy (I learned about it only recently, and I've since become semi-addicted to doing practice questions). I think a comparative study of the Academy's architecture vs. that of traditional education methods could yield very interesting results. I'd also be curious to hear your thoughts on user-coaches (that is, how any user can theoretically provide coaching in addition to Sal Khan's coaching videos), and how you think that adds or detracts (or both) from the Academy's overarching mission.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:14, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Assignment 2 Submissions

2012-03-06T02:58:34Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

{{AssignmentCal}}

===Submission Instructions===
This assignment is due on February 21. Grading for this assignment is on a 5-point scale; late assignments will be docked 1 point for each day they are late (assignments submitted 4 days late or later will have a maximum grade of 1 point).

Please make sure the name of your file includes your name (example: Name_Assignment2.doc) to avoid overwriting someone else's assignment. ''The '''upload file''' link is to the left, under '''toolbox'''.'' Once you've uploaded your file, please link to it following the format below:

*Name:
*Prospectus title:
*Link to prospectus: (the file you uploaded)

If you have trouble finding the file you uploaded, check the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:ImageList list of uploaded files].

===Comments===
Everyone will receive an additional participation grade for this assignment. You should read through everyone's proposals after they are uploaded and add constructive comments below the proposal on which you're commenting. Comments should be submitted by March 6 so you have time to incorporate them, if applicable, into your project outline. '''Please remember to sign your comments!'''

===Submissions===
 
Name: Stefan Cheplick 
Prospectus: Social Finance and StockTwits
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Social_Finance_Internet_and_Society.doc] 
Prospectus 2: Bitcoins (in development. for fun.)
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:InternetandSociety_Bitcoins_SJC.doc] 
Comments: 

Name: Sab 
Prospectus:
Free Online High-Quality Education: The Next Revolution on Internet?[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Sab_Assignment_2.doc_-_Copie.doc] 
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 

Hi Sab, I like your topic a lot because my project has to do also with distance education online. I’m working on the Open University case. It seems that you have a specific question that is related to the emergence of high-quality student-centric education system as a true public good, and I would say your question is good narrowed, but would be better if you work in just one of the cases of the four you mentioned—Sal Khan’s project, MITx, Harvard, and the London School of Economics. I’d like to know more about Khan’s project since we already know how the online paid degrees are in Harvard. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, I find your topic very interesting! I am curious to find out how the lack of interaction between students and teachers affect the quality of online versus offline education, and how you are going to measure it? Or if you are interested in exploring how the lack of students and teachers interaction affect the quality of education, I suggest comparing a community with interaction to one without. Best, Quynh. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 22:48, 4 March 2012 (UTC) Hello, Thanks for your comments. Intercations can be measured when you have forumn, lie lectures or section, wiki. Success is measurable by the rate of drop out, the rate of success, ect. Thanks again for helping me to be more precised. --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Make sure to narrow your thesis to something you can study and argue in a quantifiable way, but this sounds like an interesting concept. How much will you be using our specific class as a source? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Our class is wonderful example of tools put in place to create interactivity between students and teachers. The quantitative part will be more an observation of the students community. When looking of forum, you can draw the best model that students are looking for. Therefore, I will try to find a way to quantify the criteria that students are looking for in an online education system.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab. You picked a wonderful topic. I completed most of my undergraduate degree through distance education, and had experienced DL at various institutions and levels. I am glad to see someone is interested in the rich opportunities DL offers.

This prospectus covers a lot of topics. With the 10-page limit you may want to narrow down to one or two. I suggest

A. the first thing you could do is to define your subject – free online education websites (e.g. MIT OpenCourseWare, Ted Talk, etc) or DL facilitated by educational institutions (e.g. Harvard Extension School, University of London International Programmes, etc), as both serve different purposes and are operated differently.

B. Out of all the areas you wish to explore, I personally would love to read about “the economic model of free online education websites” as well as “the construction of the teacher and student interactive community”. I think the quality of education and professionalism of teachers are really institution-dependent. HES here is a leader in providing quality education and best teachers because the school obviously would not like to mess up the Harvard name *grin*. But I can imagine certain institutions may not stick to the same ideal. So I personally do not find this issue worthy of much ponderance.

As for copyright of the lectures, I think it’s an interesting issue as well. I’ve once asked Professor Allan Ryan, Harvard’s IP lawyer and the instructor of HES’ IP and Media Law courses, whether obtaining the copyright of the material we use in the DE courses is an issue. He replied that luckily , the US has a law that says using copyrighted material for educational purposes is considered fair use. So we are covered in most aspects. The relevant laws are 1) Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act of 2002, and 2) amendment to the US Copyright Law section 110(2). Hope this information helps! Yep, We have seen that in class. I wwas also suprised by the fair use for non profit education prurposes.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestions. In fact, I plan just to observe the student community and try to make a matricial scheme that let emerge a model as intercativity, professionnalism of the teacher, free degree, non degree, tradename, etc. Then, I will try to see the issues that such model rise like copyright, economic model--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sabrina, your project seems very interesting and I have always thought about education, degrees and online programs. I personally think that if a person wants an education he or she can do that either by means of a computer or by going to a library. On the other hand we must consider today’s job market and the requirements (degrees) to meet in order to obtain a good job. I am curious to read your findings and I would like to wish you good luck on your paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC) Thank you so much--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 12:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great idea for a prospectus. Here are two of my immediate thoughts: I've often wondered if Khan Academy, for example, will someday be able to give out diplomas that employers respect? Since the release of Khan Academy I've noticed several other websites try to mimic it. Now Youtube is flooding with educational videos online(Google search results too). So, how will users of the Internet empower the best non-profit, online, community education platforms? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting topic and, to a degree, it somewhat overlaps with my proposed topic to study Khan Academy. As for comments, I would just echo what some others have already mentioned: try to limit the scope of your thesis. There is a lot of material to cover, and we only have so many pages. I am struggling with this myself.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Sab - interesting topic. I'd second (or third) the others in narrowing your thesis. DL is a huge topic. Looking forward to reading your conclusions! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:32, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:YHHsiao|YHHsiao]] 10:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: You-Hwa Hsiao 
Prospectus:
ACTA and the protests – a reaction to the governmental control extending into the cyber world[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Hsiao_assignment2.pdf] 
Comments: 
Hi You-Hwa, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) sounds like a very interesting topic. I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to monitor the anti-ACTA community while you explore the impact of ACTA on online behavior. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi You-Hwa Hsiao, I like the theme you propose and think it is narrowed to the ACTA case. You mention the question of how the ACTA galvanizes the Internet community, and that you want to follow the rest of the semester the development of this event. In this way, I would suggest your work to be more in an analytical sense than informative, developing interesting discussions and analysis with the information you will gather. Interesting topic, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I like your prospectus and your topic is relevant. In particular, I find it interesting that hacking and cyberattacks are viewed as a sign of protest and that this protest element has assumed nontraditional forms. I think that you are covering a lot of ground with your thesis and you may want to focus on a particular dimension of ACTA/response to ACTA.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I really like how you're exploring some issues of online vs. physical life in your topic. I'm interested to see not just how your project develops but how your subject develops between now and the end of the course; it's such a current and evolving thing that you may get to study some really great major events related to it even in such a short span of time! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:06, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I think your topic is very relevant and I look forward to reading you paper. I am very curious to learn about these common (are they?) norms and values of the people in the virtual world vs those in the physical world and what it is exactly that they are protesting against [[User:MSS|MSS]] 16:43, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hello, I think your topic is very much related to the course and I will suggest the Lessig framework. I will also be interested in profiling the internet users that protest on and offline. Good luck!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 18:12, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi You-Hwa, you raised many interesting questions in your prospectus. I am interested in finding out how the ACTA impact online behaviors, specifically, what are they trying to protect with the opposition? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You-Hwa, I appreciate your prospectus. It is indeed interesting in how some hacker groups are protesting by attacking websites. I think the term for these people is Hacktivists? Not sure. In regards to your paper, I am incredibly interested in how the hacker groups develop their Hacktivsim. What is their management structure? Where do they organize? How does someone become a member? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. I too am very intrigued by the whole community of hacker groups that protest by attacking websites. My only comment is that I had a difficult time truly understanding what you will be measuring when you speak of online life and virtual life. It would seem like each would have infinite things to measure, and it might be beneficial to define a short list so that the universe of things measured is well defined.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Very relevant topic. Seems like you will have a lot of research. How exactly do you intend to study or measure this? Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:36, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 10:52, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Harvard212 
Prospectus: Being Nice and Free Speech on the Internet[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Harvard212_Assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:Harvard212|Harvard212]] 16:34 EST, 21 February 2012 
Comments: 

Hi Harvard212, I think you would have to apply what Rob said in class: cut your project in half, then in half, and whatever is left in third. This is not to say your topic is not interesting, I think it is, but—in my opinion—the question is very broad, and I would suggest to you to choose one part of being “nice” on the Internet, for example what kind of Etiquette can you find in a specific community (like we already analyzed in the Wikipedia’s case), or in a specific bloggers’ web page. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Harvard212, I'd love to hear more about the community you plan to study. It sounds like you've lined up a good framework for starting your review and it's now a matter of narrowing down the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:41, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

Agreed, this is certainly an interesting concept (what does "nice" mean? what are its implications? is it universal?) and I'll be interested to see how you narrow it down to a controlled topic for study. Be careful not to give yourself too much; tons of background research is great but its real value often comes when you can focus it on something very specific [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:16, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Sofia, I like your project very much but I too feel that it might be a bit too extensive. My suggestion would be to focus more on a single or few specific parts and then it will definitely be a great paper. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project is ambitious and deals with philosophical/sociological questions regarding the expansive internet and how norms can benefit the entire community. While I am not sure if a general set of norms can be established with millions of users from across the world with their own agendas and online needs, obviously Wikipedia would be a good example of norms being established and these norms are established within the websites themselves. Are you focusing more on norms or norms "as set by law"? How do norms of one website vary with another similar website based on the needs of the consumer? Good start.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:30, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. Very curious to see if you are able to find an universal meaning of "nice". I do hope you have found someone to work in a group with, as this seems like a very extensive topic and corresponding reasearch. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Harvard212, Interesting topic, but to narrow it down, I suggest choosing an online community, such as Wikipedia, and see how the "be nice" rule plays out. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:15, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I would just reiterate what certain others have pointed out above: (i) finding a definition of "nice" may be difficult and (ii) you may benefit from tightening the scope of your work. Otherwise, I think it looks like an outstanding area for research.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You certainly picked an interesting thesis! Do you plan to focus on wikipedia only, or several online communities? May be helpful to make a comparison of the social norms on various platforms. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: BSK342 
Prospectus: Community, Architecture, and Regulation in the Something Awful Forum Space
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Bsk342assignment2.pdf] 
[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 21:30, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi BSK342, I really like your topic because part of the daily junk I find on the Internet comes from them. I know there are some very interesting forums and they have reliable information, but most of the time the information is just incomplete or not worthy to read. I only wonder how are you going to follow how members of the community engage in other spaces, because I think is quite difficult. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Cool topic. I'm particularly interested in what you observe/learn about people's willingness to pay for additional services. So often websites/applications/businesses struggle with how to monetize a good idea - perhaps your research will shed some light on this for managers of online communities. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:57, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think your project sounds interesting and you are asking many questions that applies to all types of forums and online social behavior. Although I am not familiar with the Something Awful forums, I agree with Aditkowsky that it is interesting that the site does charge a subscription fee to post comments. This could be an interesting point of departure. Is the quality of the content stronger if people are paying for access? Does the subscription fee filter out those who may not be as serious about the forum? Good work.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:40, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I definitely remember SA as a site I visited a lot when I was younger, I'm really looking forward to hearing what it has evolved into during the past years! The focus on how sites manage to monetize themselves is a very good one, and one that always seems to be such a make or break moment. I feel like SA is a place that tends to cater towards younger and more internet savvy viewers/members... how does that affect the process of attempting to gain profit off of it? Are they more likely to pay to support something they care about, or are they less likely than an older person with less internet experience who is used to paying for everything? Have fun! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. There are many of these sites which have proliferated content across the WWW. Although, I see it in trends. Goregallery was one of these sites, then it was worth1000, something awful, and so on. I think that users get a laugh out of it. It used to be emails, then it was myspace, facebook, and so on and so forth. Perhaps there is something more human in needing to share these laughs based in norms?
[[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 03:49, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

I am also particularly interested on the monetary part of your research questions. Will quality be better when paid for? Will people feel even more connected to the forum when they pay for it (us vs them?) Would it be the same if they made it free or the amount to be paid at the discretion of the user (the article of Chris Anderson,"the Long Tail" see class readings for February 14, 2012 might be useful.[[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi BSK342, I think you made an interesting proposal. I am interested in finding out why people would pay for this forum. Perhaps it is the "privilege" people buy for $9.99? I think your approach of observing how the policies and guidelines play out in practice is good. I suggest that you pick another forum (one without a privilege fee) to compare it with. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 11:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very interested in your topic, but struggled with two items: valuation and monetization. It was unclear to me how you might value the content in order to set the price. It was then unclear to me how that content may be monetized. I think it may just have been because it is such a short space to cover all these details. Good luck with the project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I wonder how you will be able to determine the motivation behind paying for the ability to post in the forums? Also think your results will be very interesting! I agree with Qdang about making a comparison. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:48, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Blake Geno 
Prospectus: Anonymity, Privacy and Evolving Tools
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Blakegeno_prospectus.odt] 
[[User:BlakeGeno|BlakeGeno]] 20:58, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments: 
Hi Blake, in thinking about your project, it might be interesting to select a few sites using [http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/108/ facebook connect] and evaluate how this option can impact user privacy and anonymity. It seems like this could sync up with the themes you discuss in your prospectus while also narrowing the scope. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:03, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Hi Blake Geno, when you say you intend to do: “I., II., III.” I would say only one of those items should be your topic. All three of them are very interesting and surely you would find substantial information. For example, I’ve read that Facebook do not really respect anonymity entirely, that when you decide to close your page they keep the information, and also their policies change very often, and this affect the users. Do we really have privacy and anonymity in Facebook? Good luck, interesting proposals.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Blake. Your project does pose some significant questions as to the types of data that sites like Facebook collect and what that information is used for. You can define the goal of collecting information into two categories; positive (improving the user experience) and negative (selling the information for marketing purposes). Great research question. Hopefully you will be able to focus on more specific dimension of this important.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

I'm interested in how exactly you are going to go about this. It could be really neat to create a whole persona with the relevant info that a website wants and then try and link it across a large number of sites that demand a log in/personal info/etc. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:25, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake, Very interesting topic! Facebook was recently the focus of CNBC 60 min., and lights were shed on the topics you are discussing in our paper, especially the targeted adversising. In the show, I remember someone saying that FB advertising was an entirely different ballgame, as people on Facebook are not travelling from A to B but like to stay on the FB page and thus "want" to be distracted by advertising, whereas advertising in a traditional way aims on how to advertise for people who are going from one website to another and are not looking for distraction. I think that this would be very intersting for your project. If you google Facebook, CNBC and 60 min, you will probably find the show. Also, this article I just read on Forbes by Kashmir Hill, called "Facebook user unwittingly becomes sex lube pitchman thanks to sponsored stories", dated Feb 28, 2012, may interest you. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:28, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Blake, your prospectus is thought-provoking and as a Facebook user I would be very interested in your findings. I do however feel that it could get a bit complicated for what concerns the appropriate research but keep up with the good work. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi BlakeGeno, your prospectus contains many interesting and ambitious questions. As a suggestion, you can narrow it down by asking what effect does user identification have on the end user? Does the requirement of user identification prevent spamming and abusive comments? I am interested in finding out how you are going to answer this. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 12:05, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Timely topic. Given the recent news on Facebook and Google and their collection of data, this is sure to be a rapidly growing area of research. If you haven't already considered it, I would be interested in learning about data collection by an entity like Facebook or Google and the relationship with tethered devices. How far does this information gathering extend without our even knowing it?
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blake - sounds like you have your work cut out for you. you may want to narrow it down to only a few sites. will you study Google+ and Google's new privacy policy? [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 22:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Abby Bergman 
Prospectus Title: Pinterest: Visually Arrested 
Link to Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:ABergman_Prospectus.pdf] 
[[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 19:55, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
 Comments: 

Hi Abby, I think your proposal is very interesting, especially because it is addressing a topic we have covered in the course: the Fair Use in Copyright. I would say your results will be useful for this course because they promise to be a good example of what it is Fair Use. Good luck! great choice.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, I applaud you for finding something meaty to explore with Pinterest. I'm curious as to how you will monitor instances of reported infringement on the site. Perhaps you could figure out which companies complain the most and then intentionally post their images so you can experience Pinterest's process for addressing potential infringement firsthand? (Maybe run that by one of the lawyers in class first....) Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:11, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I think you raise some important questions in regards to copyright laws and Fair Use. Your questions are relevant and you have a good thesis question. I checked out pinterest.com for the first time now and I think the Fair Use argument is validated. Good job with the prospectus!
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:55, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

This seems like a really well thought out project; you know exactly the frame you want to look at this through and I think you'll come up with some very relevant conclusions. Studying a site that is still on its way up will definitely give you a chance to keep this going and check your theories against what happens with Pinterest over the next year or two! Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Your topic, questions and overall frame are very clear. Very curious about the outcome, I would think the hosting aspect is the sting. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:42, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Abby, recently Pinterest is popping up everywhere. I think you have a good focus by exploring the possibility for copyright infringement. Your methodology, comparing Pinterest and Google Images, and investigating Pinterest's policy on using copyrighted material and the court's opinion in Perfect 10 vs Google case, is well planned out . Good job on your proposal! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting line of research on a site that is clearly extremely hot right now. I am impressed with your level of focus this early on in the process (review of cases, case study comparisons). Good luck with this project.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Jennifer Lopez 
Prospectus title: The New Era of Online Activism 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:LSTU_E-120_JenniferWLopez_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] [[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments:

Hi Jennifer, I like your proposal of analyzing online activism sites like change.org, purpose.com, avaaz.org, although I think you should choose one of these for your project. I also think the effectiveness of online activism has been proven, because we have seen cases like the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street and the Bank of America’s decision to rescind it’s proposal, but what I like of your project is that you will explain how they were effective and how the organizations began. Very interesting, good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, I'm very much looking forward to seeing your video interviews once they come together. In additional to the perspectives of founders, I'm also interested to hear more from the participants in the campaigns you study. Perhaps you could reach out to community members as well. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:18, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Interviews is a neat way to go about this project and this is an issue that always bothers me; just how much does power or activism on the internet translate to real impacts on people's lives? Be careful to research without being biased though; as much as I generally agree with you that online activism is real-world effective, there may be some instances where it wasn't, and that could be just as interesting! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very relevant with the current affairs of United States and the world. I think it is safe to conclude that online protest movements are making a serious impact on political and social issues. As you continue your research, I would focus on how online protest movements are effective. I think your reference to Benkler's work is a good step in that direction. I think you should also explore the notion of empowerment and whether online protest sites may foster personal empowerment in the same and different ways as more traditional protest movements. What mechanisms were the same and different with the SOPA, Susan Komen and Bank of America online movements?
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:06, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting! Looking forward to see the video's! I second the idea of Aditkowsky with regard to the views of actual participants and also if these differ from the views of the founders. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:50, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting line of research and something that I believe is highly relevant to the real world. I would be interested in learning about what has led to the success of certain online movements and what has led to the failure of others. If you were able to boil down a set of common characteristics to successful movements, that would be impressive.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I agree that it may be a good idea to also interview participants so that you can hear their perspective on participating as well as feeling like they are working towards effecting change. Good luck! [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:04, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jennifer, interviewing Jeremy Heimans and creating video clips is an exciting approach to gather your data. I also like your idea of doing case studies, but perhaps just picking one from one site? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 23:56, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Just Johnny 
Prospectus: Assignmnt 2
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Johnny_Assignment2.doc The Social Network] 
Comments: A social network will be constructed for the course. Feel free to contact, as this may be a possible group project. [[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 21:48, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Just Johnny, although you mention social networks as your primary study for the final project, you address code, architecture, human behavior, interaction, norms inside it. I couldn’t grasp what was the main question you proposed, is it about the architecture of the social networks? If so, what is the discussion you’re presenting? Good luck on narrowing.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi @Just Johnny, I'm intrigued by your idea for creating a social network. You write that "code will be the law which dictates behavior within the site". I'd love to hear more about the underlying concept and specific vision for the site and how you plan to restrict choice and behavior through code. Also, what is the appeal of your site vs. the numerous other social networking sites and forums available to users? What is your value proposition? Looking forward to seeing how your site evolves over the rest of the semester. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:25, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 
You certainly are undertaking an ambitious project and I think your conclusions can be fascinating. I agree with a few points/questions made by Aditkowsky. From what I gather, you would like to create a Wikipedia-esque social network in which the content/services are generated by the users in a dynamic environment. You also mentioned that a screening process may be required to preserve the integrity of the site. Is this site intended to be a study or actually lead to a practical site that people would want to join? If so, I would imagine that some core service or services may need to be created to attract and motivate users to contribute to the site (i.e. Wikipedia and information). Good luck on this very ambitious concept.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:15, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

As the others have mentioned, wow! Very difficult and ambitious project, I'll definitely be following it closely. As Jimmyh mentioned, are you shooting for a broader appeal or do you think you will need to tweak your concept to focus heavily on one area in order to carve out a niche for yourself? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Very ambitious and interesting indeed! It is however not really clear to me what it is what your aiming for directly, as the focus seems pretty broad. Very curious to see how this project will turn out. Good luck with narrowing it down.
[[User:MSS|MSS]] 19:00, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

My comments are similiar to those above: first, very impresseive. Second, I had a tough time understanding the specific focus of the project. I think it sounds very interesting and I look forward to seeing how it all comes together.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:13, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

You've laid out a monster of a project! Sounds fascinating. I'm also not sure what your focus/thesis is? Perhaps clarifying or narrowing your focus would be helpful. [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:08, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Just Johnny, I’m not exactly sure what your research question is. What are you trying to measure regarding social networking? Or are you trying to compare dating sites to social networking sites, such as Facebook? Perhaps you can pick two communities and compare their TOS or guidelines? Good luck! [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 00:48, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Fabian Celis J 
Prospectus title: The Role of the Internet in Distance Education: The Open University Case 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fabian_Celis_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 19:09, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 
Hi Fabian, studying distance learning in the Internet age seems like a great topic - and very appropriate - for this class. One aspect that I'd like to hear more about is the creation of a classroom community despite geography. You might even consider using our class as a test case. For example, I attend class in person but for the past two weeks, I've been using Adobe Connect to participate in the robust discussion that's happening among students who are primarily not in the classroom. In a hybrid class like ours, how do you break down the wall that separates "distance" and "in-person" students to create a more cohesive community? What architecture, systems, and culture do you need to make it work? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:34, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

I know you are attending this class (whether online or in person) but is there a chance you could also take the time to really dig into OU? It would be interesting to see the different ways people that use it view it as a resource; clearly everyone does not approach it with the same background, goals, or skills [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Distance education is a great aspect of how the internet has changed how we learn as individuals. I took my first live online course last semester using a program called Elluminate and I would check out how these types of interfaces can change the entire process of how classes (particularly discussion-based classes) are taught and how students can interact with other individuals from across the whole country and the entire world. A comparison of how unique methodologies specific to online education improves the entire classroom experience when compared to traditional in-classroom methods would be a good approach. Great subject and good luck with your work.

It appears you and Sab have similar topics. They both touch the distance education aspect. You should look at the two comments I've left Sab for additional feedback. I also have my cents to chime in regards to your paper. My first thought about open universities was to think of open communities on the Internet. So, wikipedia comes to mind. It would be interesting if there are any similarities or parallels in the development of an open university and an open encyclopedia. For one, both need dedicated users who are willing to operate, and care for their open platform. So my main suggestion here is to look at other open communities for similarities, and differences. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:23, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:27, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic, very current. I agree with Jimmyh that a comparison to traditional class room education would be very interesting. Looking forward to see how this turns out. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Fabian, it looks like we are studying similiar concepts. I am analyzing Khan Academy and its potential uses in developing nations for education. I would be interesting in sharing ideas as we continue with our research. Let me know if you would be interested.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Fabian, It is great that you are looking into distance education. Are you going to compare standard classroom education versus distance education? Or are you going to look at the tools that facilitate distance education? Or are you going to focus on the issues of distance education, such as copyright infringement? [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 01:53, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: André Pase and Priscila Lollo 
Prospectus title: When two worlds collide, digital TV and online video in an age of transformation 
Research Focus: online video x tv 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assigment2_andrepase_priscilalollo.pdf Assignment 2] 
[[User:Andrepase|Andrepase]] 20:17, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi André and Priscila, is this the question you’re proposing: can the laws for the traditional medium change the development of new one? and are you going to work on this question through the Brazilian case?[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi André and Priscilla, I'm looking forward to learning more about how the Brazilian government and Brazilian companies and users are adapting to the changes in video delivery systems. I'm curious to hear more about the framework you plan to use for exploring the topic and I was also wondering if there is a specific community that you plan to follow. Since much of the class' focus seems to be on US and European examples, I think the Brazilian focus will be very interesting. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:43, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Agreed with Alexis, having this focus outside of the general scope of the class will be a great resource for all of us as far as a fresh perspective and (probably) some interesting takes on the same issues that we haven't considered! I'll be curious to see how the flow of information and law and etc. go back and forth in Brazil and this Brazilian online space. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I am really fond of your dual country approach too! Maybe for a community you can use You Tube users vs a Brazilian equivalent (if any)? [[User:MSS|MSS]] 02:07, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly has wide applications to how we view television in the modern age and legal discussions will certainly abound as a result. While I sense that you are examining the laws and market dynamics of the Brazilian model, I think you may want to hone in on a particular aspect of law as it relates to online television. Does a particular legal or governing aspect of the Brazilian model properly address piracy? How does the market shape the governance of online television? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting topic. A lot of media experts are trying to make sense of the convergence between digital TV and online video. Though really no one knows where it is headed. I personally recommend you look at some blog posts from Albert Wegner, a venture capitalist for Union Square Ventures. He thinks that television advertisements will get crushed almost exactly the same way print advertisements have suffered. Another thing I would consider looking into is the community building and social networking aspect behind digital video. For example, YouTube and Vimeo have rich interfaces where users can create their own television network, interact with their audience in real-time, and seamlessly collaborate with other users like them. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:30, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I love the comparative aspect of the proposal. I am very interested in learning how Brazil's legal structure might enable or limit the use of online video, especially realtive to US regulations.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alexis Ditkowsky 
Prospectus title: [http://pinterest.com/ Pinterest] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Spring2012-BerkmanAssignment2-DitkowskyAlexis.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alexis, I saw the Pinterest page and found it very interesting! You pose some very interesting topics in your proposal: the role of women in…?, “off-brand” style of Pinterest, and Pinterest’s norms, but I encourage you to choose one of them because for me still wasn’t clear which is your main question. Good luck with your project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:03, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis,
I would like to offer two sources which may be useful to supplement your research. The first, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), are a list of 8 goals adopted by the United Nations in an effort to eradicate poverty by the year 2015. Several of the goals involve online access for poor countries, and one goal specifically addresses gender equality. [http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals Millennium Goals Main Site] And the second source, [http://www.tigweb.org Taking IT Global], is rich in content and will provide a wealth of information and resource material. Good luck with your project, it looks interesting and informative.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli Thanks so much! I will check these out. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 20:47, 26 February 2012 (UTC) 

That's fascinating that 80% of Pinterest users are women; do you think that this gender ratio will become more balanced as pinterest gains public fame/acceptance? I'd love to see how far you can push "off brand" uses of the site since I am always very interested in the (often incredibly clever or useful) ways in which sites end up providing something totally outside their original concept. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:46, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alexis, great topic! As for sites for marginalized communities by and for (mostly) women, maybe "gardenmoms" is also an interesting community to explore. It is a parenting resource website, where parents (mostly moms) ask questions to one another and exchange information. I am a member myself and think it may be right up your alley. Good luck! [[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:27, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Pinterest does sound powerful from my limited familiarity with the website and I think your approach toward examining social norms should lead to interesting conclusions.What social norms you are focusing on? You mentioned the discrepancies between males and females in internet usage. Is this a particular norm that you will be focusing on? What feature are you examining in the "community versus collection of individuals" norm? Sounds like an interesting topic and good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Dear Alexis, sounds like a great project and already from your prospectus I have learned things that I wasn’t aware of. I agree with Louis on his suggestion of looking at the UN and their info. Good luck on your project! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

It is great that you are exploring Pinterest. It has gotten a ton of media publicity over the last few weeks. It is incredible that 80% of its users are female without ever openly saying it is a site for one gender or the other. What does this say about the community around Pinterest? The design, aesthetics, and layout? I ask myself if there will someday be the "Pinterest model" where a female specific website should look and function a certain way. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:39, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I think this is an excellent topic and I would love to learn more about it as it relates closely to my work. I work with the MDGs and helping traditionally excluded populations (women and the poor) reach those goals. If you look into the literature on adolescent girls, secondary education and economic growth, you might find some interesting information on how this could be applied.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: James Harris 
Prospectus title: The Internet and “Bridging the Gap” in Politics 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:James_Harris_Assignment_2.doc Prospectus] 
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:28, 20 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi James, I think your work will be unique because you’re addressing the internet in the political field. I personally suggest to dismiss some parts of your proposal and focus on the question you’re proposing of how social media does create the empowerment and populist energy, and you can do it with the good example of the former Vermong Governor. Through this example you can answer the questions you propose of the quick spread of information, the strategies of campains, and the flexibility of politicians due to this phenomenon. Good luck, very interesting field![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi James,
I love the concept, I’m just a little fuzzy on the thesis. Is the main focus going to concentrate on the elected-official/constituent relationship, or the paradigm shift of political campaign support? [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi James, this is a great topic not only because of the timing but also because online campaigning and fundraising have had four years to evolve since the Dean and Obama campaigns in 2007/2008. One aspect you might decide to hone in on is the relationship of politicians to their constituents on their social networking sites. For example, Sarah Palin has been known to ban commenters who disagree with her viewpoint and Anthony Weiner used twitter to send provocative messages to his followers. Those are two high-profile ways of engaging or disengaging with followers but it might be interesting to look at a politician or two who actively foster an online community and respond thoughtfully and collaboratively to criticism vs. politicians who use social media as a one-way communications street. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:42, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Taking the idea of evolution of online fundraising and campaigning, and their effects, even farther, I was reading today that one of the Republican party leadership's major reasons for supporting SuperPACs (besides the obvious) is that they felt it evened the playing field against Obama moneywise. Even though he too obviously benefits from major donations to his SuperPACs, some Republican strategists explained that the gap between his ability to raise millions in small increments and the ability of any Repub. candidate to try and do the same was just far too large to overcome. So, Citizen's United is also in some ways related to this topic! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great topic! As for different marketing on FB, please see my comments on Blakes prospectus above. I also very interested to see how the quick spread of information influences the political process, as this is indeed a (relative) novum, especially in politics. [[User:MSS|MSS]] 04:03, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Very cool topic. You may want to look into some of the background on the White House's social media initiative that was launched some time ago as well as some of the background on how members of the congress and senate have been using social media. I know alot of them have scrambled to set up social media teams to capitalize on the new media. It might be interesting to compare those who failed to use it wisely and those whe thrive with it. Some of those characteristics could be applied to campaign funding.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alex Lloyd-Evans 
Prospectus Title: Social Structure's on the Writer's Forums of Cracked.com 
Research Focus: [http://www.cracked.com/ Cracked] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:AlexLE_Assignment_2.pdf Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Alex, I saw the Cracked.com webpage, very interesting and funny! It seems you have a narrowed work to work in, because you propose to main questions to develop in your investigation : freedom of expression, and norms within the site. When you mention this is a good example of a very successful mix of controlled format and elite members of a website to control the power, I’d like to know what are your thoughts, do you agree? Is this essential to run a website like this? Good luck, interesting website![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex,
Is this line correct – “free to enter forum”? I don’t understand what that means. This looks like it will be an interesting project. I wonder if the editors will be surprised by your findings, or possibly take issue with your conclusion, depending on the outcome. I am really looking forward to reading your paper.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

@Louiscelli I was trying to express that it is a closed forum in that you need an invite to enter, but that the invite is freely given as long as you bother to ask for it; thus it is a "free to enter" forum but not a totally open one. I just phrased it terribly awkwardly. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 23:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, unsolicited suggestion here but it would be really funny if your final project was formatted like a Cracked article and you gave the class an opportunity to post comments before the final submission. Then you could pull together a final version and comment on the process as it relates back to Cracked. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:48, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, great topic, very curious to see what your outcomes will be, especially on the question who decides and (maybe even more) on what grounds and how static vs dynamics plays a role in that aspect. I second Alexis' idea of a Cracked article format. Good luck![[User:MSS|MSS]] 03:56, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Alex, you have an interesting challenge with your empirical research project since the answers to your research questions will require you to be actively involved in the whole article submission process. Do you plan on approaching the website in a similar way that the class approached the Wikipedia assignment? Good luck!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Alex, your project seems very fun and interesting. I wasn’t aware of cracked.com before reading your prospectus. I would definitely suggest looking at the 1st amendment of the constitution but because of the complexity of the subject you could also consider looking at specific Supreme Court decisions. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for making me aware of cracked.com. I had not come across it before. I can't help it, but I agree with Aditkowsky's idea of submitting a cracked article format.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Jeff Kimble 
Prospectus title: Internet E-Commerce 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Jeff_Kimble_--_Assignment_2.doc] 
[[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 14:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 
Comments: 

Hi Jeff, your project remembers me the phrase “buyers who bought this also bought this,” and the story of the author that became famous because of the long tail phenomenon. I think from the six questions you propose, number one encloses all of the other and it’s your starting point. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff,
While I am sure there will be plenty of studies that address this, it will be nice to see the data synthesized, analyzed, and compacted into a short paper. You certainly will have lots of data to pour through. I will be particularly interested in some of your research as it will complement my project as well. Good luck, and if I run across any statistics that may be beneficial to your research, I’ll be sure to forward it along.[[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 

Be careful not to get too broad with your data collection and lose sight of a focus, but this sounds really neat. One interesting aspect might be considering age. Aditkowsky's comment about the difference between perception and reality with online markets and community rings true to me, and I think the fact that I'm 22 has a lot to do with that. My parents are 65 and no force on Earth could convince them to use an online market over a brick and mortar one if there was any conceivable chance that the good existed in both formats. Anyway, enjoy! I'm looking forward to reading your results. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jeff, one thing you might consider exploring is how some people feel that e-commerce signals the end of a community even though many e-commerce sites actually promote a sense of community (e.g. etsy) and bring people together in spite of their geographical differences. This [http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/12/independent_bookstores_vs_amazon_buying_books_online_is_better_for_authors_better_for_the_economy_and_better_for_you_.html Slate article] and the flurry of comments might be interesting for you to check out, although it doesn't focus on the online community angle. Cheers! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 22:59, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

You have a great topic and I like your approach. From what I can tell, you are dealing with a variety of discussion topics. From a personal standpoint, I would recommend focusing on how online shopping has changed consumer behavior. This direct can provide great insight into how these online sites market themselves. Good topic and good luck! --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Louis Celli 
Prospectus title: e-commerce Taxation 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Assignment_2_CELLI_Research_Prospectus.doc The Future of e-commerce Taxation] 
Comments: 

Hi Louis, your topic is interesting since it deals with taxation across states, I just would say you have to choose less questions from the list you’re proposing in order to have a more specific theme to work on during your research. It’s also valuable that you want to propose an e-commerce tax structure for all the states, but how are you going to measure the impacts and its viability? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis, your project sounds really interesting - I'm looking forward to seeing how your research comes together and what your final recommendations are. The scope does seem a bit daunting, though. Perhaps you could focus in on the impact to sellers and buyers, for example, and on the changed transaction experience for users. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:10, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 

This sounds very ambitious and interesting, not to mention extremely relevant. The flat tax concept sounds workable and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your results; I also selfishly hope you really delve into the legal/historical precedents for all of this quite a lot, since I love history and I feel like that's an area that could bear quite a lot of original thought. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Louis, I really like your topic a lot. I think it is great that you are actually doing research to reach an potential taxation solution/recommendation, which I assume will form the basis of your argument. Good work!--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Louis your project seems very interesting and it will be definitely exploring a very problematic world. I was just curious of one aspect, and I hope I didn’t get this wrong but you are trying to develop a tax system for all of the 50 states correct? And if so, my feelings are that it could be a bit complicated to have all 50 states agree on one tax rate. Do you think this will be a major issue or it can easily be overcome? Also, you probably have thought of this already since you mentioned constitutional aspects but I just thought of Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 while first reading your prospectus. Anyways it sounds really interesting and I will have great pleasure in reading it once it will be completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Emanuele Dominici 
Prospectus title: Terrorist Websites 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Emanuele_Assignment_2.doc Final Project Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 16:06, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Emanuel, your topic is very interesting, I assume you will research those laws that go in favor, or at least don’t prevent these terrorist organizations of continuing their activities. It would be interesting to know what legislation acts due to the foreign nature of these organizations. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Emanuele,
This is going to be an exciting paper indeed. This is a whopper and you might have trouble containing it to 10 pages. The First Amendment question might be a great place to start, then begin to wind in the Patriot act, while comparing it to the Espionage act of 1917. I can’t wait to read this paper, good luck![[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Emanuele, very interesting topic. I'm trying to remember the show I listened to over the summer about infiltrating online forums that are used for recruiting new members. The story also touched on the use of video games for recruitment. I'll send the link once I remember what the show is.... Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 23:26, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Wow, I wish I'd had this idea/had the sort of expertise and background you do to do it justice. I'm curious about how you'll make distinctions between "terrorist websites" that exist with the specific purpose of encouraging/recruiting to/supporting terrorism and simply anti-U.S. or very pro-militant Islam. The line is so blurry as to barely exist in most cases, which is obviously where the gov't runs into so much trouble in these types of efforts. Really looking forward to this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Emanuele, You are engaging into a very difficult and complex element of the internet. The American-born cleric who was recently killed in Yemen heavily relied on the internet to communicate with terrorists and many of the foiled terrorist attempts are linked to him. I think he would be a good starting point in your research. Good luck.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks everyone for your precious advice and nice comments, I will definitely take into consideration your comments and I do realize that I have to narrow it down a bit. Thanks again![[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Julia Brav 
Prospectus title: [http://ask.metafilter.com/ Ask MetaFilter] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:JBrav_LSTU_E-120_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 17:41, 21 February 2012 (UTC)Jlynnping
 

Hi Julia, I think your project will be interesting, and as for Brendan Long’s proposal about Q&A sites, I’d like to know more about the level of reliability of the answers one can find in this type of sites, and also who decides if the information is right or wrong. I’m not familiar with Q&A sites so I’m sure your project will help me to understand their structure better and how they function. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Julia, I really like how interactive your project is and how participating in the community is an important part of your research methodology. While moderation and desire for quality are two reasons why people might choose Ask MeFi over other sites, I'd be curious to hear more about how you find the quality and depth of responses on the site. For example, while other Q&A sites might be more of a free-for-all, are there times when quantity is of greater benefit than tightly proscribed quality? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 01:40, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting, I'm still not convinced that I'd be willing to pay the $5 when it's so easy to get info from other sources on the web, especially if you know how to look. I like how involved in one community your project is (mine is similar in that I'm really trying to get a feel for a specific site and a specific group). I'm interested to hear more about how their process works! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:41, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your paper sounds fairly broad at this point. I think it is interesting how the website moderators are actively involved with the content of the website and how they interact or dictate the social norms would be interesting. Good luck.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 19:20, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

Ah Metafilter is interesting. As its competitors in Yahoo Answers, Google Answers, Facebook, and Quora. MetaFilter fascinates me, however, because it does have the same venture capital funding or silicon valley press like the competitors I've listed above. How has it managed to keep its community intact? What is driving the content and hits on Google? I'll be interested to see why and how the MetaFilter community is better structured than its rivals. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:43, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 Name: Samantha Zakuto 
Prospectus title: Managing a Flexible Work/Life Balance: Legal Ramifications of Facebook 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:2012_02_-_SZakuto_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 

Hi Samantha, your topic is very interesting, of course offense is evident in the cases you gave as examples, but your question of why one employee was fired and the other not is the starting point of your investigation. As for the prohibition in Missouri of having contact between teachers and students, it seems unfair and this would not prevent ruinning the reputation of others, so the results of your investigation abouth the legislation applied in these cases promess to be interesting. Good Luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Samantha, this is a really interesting topic and there are numerous directions you could take it. If you're interested in honing in on the relationship between offline and online behavior and speech, I can send over a bunch of readings about student free speech in schools. Additionally, the boundary between online/in school is still hotly debated - the Supreme Court recently refused to hear appeals related to online attacks against school officials and students ([http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/court-rejects-appeals-in-_0_n_1210399.html Huffington Post]). Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:00, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Interesting idea that is sadly relevant to my life and I suspect many others in the class. I don't really like having a Facebook and I police it pretty carefully, but it's also the only way I have of contacting the vast majority of people who are my Facebook friends. I'm especially interested on the ways in which the location you access a site from (home vs. school or work) can impact how liable you are for punishment. That is a very interesting and muddy intersection of internet life and brick and mortar life. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is very interesting and pertinent to many issues we face today. I think that there is a battle between free speech and the effects of that free speech in the professional sphere. Even though, say, a school teacher does have the constitutional freedom to write some bigoted post on his or her Facebook page, the effects of that speech can be pronounced on that person's school. In a number of cases, teachers are either suspended or dismissed for Facebook comments in which there are two sides; those who say that he is simply exercising free speech and those who believe that no one of that opinion should be teaching children. Interesting topic.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:24, 3 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Nicholas Thibodeau 
Prospectus title: Anonymous 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Thibodeau_Assignment_2.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 17:59, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Nicholas, your topic is very interesting, although there are limited resources of information of anonymous, as you mention. As I have understood, anyone can be part of anonymous, that’s what it is so difficult to identify their structure and how they function, but perhaps the more interesting part of your investigation would be why have they been successful in some cases. Good luck in your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Nicholas, I'm looking forward to learning more about Anonymous in your final report. While this may lead you to murky legal waters, it would be cool if you could find a way to engage with the community in some way, or at least explore the process of how one becomes a part of Anonymous. Here's what came up first when I Googled "how do you join anonymous": [http://thehackernews.com/2011/03/how-to-join-anonymous-hacker-identity.html The Hacker News]. It's very Matrix-y. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:08, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
 

Absolutely something I want to learn more about, looking forward to this. If you find a way to contact them (or research this otherwise but not sure how you would) I'm very curious about the number of people versus the actions performed by Anonymous. Is it a broad based group? Is it just a few key individuals who do the most high-profile things, simply supported by a large group that agrees with those actions? etc. Good luck finding them! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Nicholas. Your topic sounds challenging since there doesn't seem to be a spokesman representing this movement or public statements. You will also be exploring how the "political protest" intersects with online technology. Are there other hacker groups like Anonymous? Are their tactics the same or different than Anonymous? Good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Name: Quynh Dang 
Prospectus title: [http://answers.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Agj1j2NWf7soiMwgqNKlvo6e5HNG;_ylv=3 Yahoo! Answers] 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Quynh_Dang_Prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:14, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Quynh Dang, the Q&A sites are a new topic for me, so I hope throughout your project I’ll became more familiar with them. As for the Julia’s project and Brendan Long’s project, which are also addressing this topic like yours, I’d like to know how do they manage the level of reliability of the answers. I also would like to see the results of your investigation, especially the part of the incentives they give to promote the participation of more people. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Quynh, two things come to mind when reading your prospectus. 1) What's the value to you of having more points, particularly since there isn't a chat function and the users are anonymous? 2) You might want to connect with Julia Brav, who is evaluating Ask MetaFilter. Perhaps you could develop some sort of collaboration? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Definitely talk to Julia Brav, you have an interesting opposite to her project's subject in some ways, especially with what behaviors are encouraged within the site. I assume that simply by getting so much information, sheer mass filters out the worst effects of a totally open system... but maybe not? The point system seems like an equal motivator to both useful and spammy and unhelpful activities, so I'll be curious what your conclusions are about how that plays out in actuality. Good luck with your research! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Quynh. I think ''Yahoo! Answers'' is an interesting site that I have participated in. One of the problems with ''Yahoo! Answers'' (which I do not find with other sites such as Wikipedia) is that the validity of the answers provided is based on the number of answers submitted (as well as the rating system which you described). I have participated in Yahoo Answers in the past and often receive 2-3 answers at the most, which doesn't make me feel confident that I am getting the right answer. I think a fascinating point of focus is the "competitive" element of the scoring. Do gaining points and achieving different levels encourage better answers or cause competitive respondents to provide less accurate answers for the mere aspiration of gaining points? Good luck with your project. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Christopher Mejo 
Prospectus title: Building a New Online Community in Drupal 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_project_prospectus.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:chrism|chrism]] 18:40, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Christopher, sorry if my question is trivial but what do you mean by saying that you will have to contemplate several non-democratic values to make sure your website runs smoothly? And also I’m curious if you’re creating this website to answer the questions of your project about freedom of expression and reputation of the website. Good luck with your website and final project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Christopher, I'm curious to hear more about how you plan to attract readers and community members to your site. What's the value proposition? Do people want financial and investment advice from their peers? Who is your target audience and what sites are they currently engaging with and how are they engaging with them? Developing your own site and attracting users in the next two months is quite an undertaking - maybe there's a way to explore the issues you raise in your prospectus by looking at existing forums for where people discuss finance? I can't say I go to this kind of site myself but [http://www.finance30.com/ Finance 3.0] came up during a Google search as did this article [http://www.accountingdegree.com/blog/2009/50-awesome-social-networks-for-finance-geeks/ 50 Awesome Social Networks for Finance Geeks]. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:22, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Agreed @Aditkowsky, I'll be interested to see what approach you take towards building up site membership. You may want to find a more specific niche that you notice is going unfulfilled on some of the main financial websites. I'm also interested that you're intentionally using advertising from day 1- it'd be great if you could find some way to get feedback from site viewers on how that affects their feelings about the site as a whole. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Your project sounds very challenging and will require a detailed understanding of programming which I assume you have. As I understand it, the niche of the site will be economics/investment. I would be interested in knowing whether governance techniques for other sites will be the same for an investment basics site. One can only assume that the nature of governance (and the personal information provided) will be different between a financial site and say a video game or online game site (perhaps not).--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Brendan Long 
Prospectus title: Question & Answer Website Services and the Impact of Social Media 
Prospectus:[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Final_Project_Prospectus_-_Long%2C_Brendan.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 19:47, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Hi Brendan, since you mention you will provide a timeline and historical content of the Q&A sites and social media, and also a comparison of them and impact of the social media on them, I would suggest your work to be more focused on the analysis of the information you find. This means that although the overview of Q&A is necessary for your work, we already know more or less the social media, and I like to read about your question of Q&A functions within these sites, which is a topic totally new, at least for me. Good luck, very interesting![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Hi Brendan,
Cool idea. I’m not on facebook, so I wasn’t aware that there was a separate section for answer seekers. I use dedicated Q & A sites quite a bit. The one’s that make me register before looking at them, I usually pass by. Mostly, I use sites dedicated to Android programming, other IT community sites, specific auto repair questions, and one legal questions site. On two occasions, I paid a small fee for “good” answers on JustAnswers.com.
The sites I have found to be credible and useful are; avvo (A V V O - looks like a W when they are close together).com for legal questions, JustAnswer.com (this is the site where I agreed to “donate” a token fee for a correct answer), forum.xda-developers.com for some of my Android questions, liliputing.com (again for Android), and Cyanogenmod.com (yep, again for Android stuff).
It’s been my experience that experts tend to collect in likeminded online communities. I’m not sure what social network sites offer, but I think that intrinsically technical question seekers might need to go outside of the general social network platform in search of community sites dedicated to the specific topic. It will be a really interesting study – I’m looking forward to seeing your results. Best of luck. [[User:Louiscelli|Louiscelli]] 
Hi Brendan, Julia Brav and Quynh Dang are also looking at aspects of Q&A sites - it might be fun to try to find a way to work with them. In terms of your prospectus, I'm most intrigued by how successful Q&A is on social networking sites. What are the benefits and challenges? And how much is success dependent on your personal ability to engage your friends/contacts/followers vs. a larger community's engagement with a dedicated Q&A site? [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:29, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

It seems one like one major thing that the Q and A sites have going for them is that they've managed to entrench themselves in certain communities already; fans of certain types of video games know the best sites, engineers know the best sites for that, etc. It'll be interesting to see what you find with social media sites and how they are going to try and balance their broad appeal with an attempt to create very specifically useful Q and A sections. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

So your main goal is to examine how social media can influence the popularity (and authenticity) of Q & A sites? I would imagine that social media can be viewed as a means for advertising or popularizing Q & A sites. Would your focus be on how users of a Q & A site may choose to popularize that site through their Facebook or twitter accounts? One interesting point may be to examine the behavior of users who choose to popularize Q & A sites through social media. Do they feel that a certain answer is significant that everyone should know? Is a certain type of answer or topic the reason why they would likely integrate social media? --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Hope Solomon 
Prospectus title: Communicating with Constituents through Twitter 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Hope_Solomon.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Hds5|Hds5]] 14:22, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Hope Solomon, it seems that architecture and norms used on twitter have favored the political leaders in their campaigns. I wonder if there’s any limitation to its usage for political purposes, and if so you include them in your project. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Hope, this is a great topic and I look forward to following your research for the rest of the semester. It might be helpful to identify different kinds of twitter "engagement" and make an attempt at quantifying them. For example, how many @ replies are there vs. general status updates? Is there some way to evaluate the "quality" of the tweets? Do the politicians make use of hashtags and, if so, to what effect? It might also be interesting to note the number of followers at the start and end of the project. And finally, by the end of the project, do you have any best practices for politicians for how to engage their community and get (or at least seem like you're getting) things done? Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:38, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Great idea- how will you deal with the fact that many politicians Twitter feeds are at least partially actually managed by a series of pr experts/interns who follow set instructions for the material they post? I obviously don't know if this is true for the specific ones you mentioned, but it would be an interesting extra layer where the format of the site actually creates a false sense of closeness for subscribers. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Great topic!Is Twitter more a tool for the politicians to advertise themselves rather than an interactive tool between constituent and politician? Is there solid evidence that Twitter really has initiated change (constituent protest on Twitter leads to reforms by politician)? I look forward to reading your paper. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

I can say from experience, Twitter has been the most beneficial platform to me. I have made invaluable connections, found work, and interacted with some interesting people. I've often thought about Twitter's community and communication guidelines. Why are they so effective? What drives the tweet traffic on Twitter? I concluded that it is powerful and effective because it is completely open. There are no walls to stop anyone from interacting or sharing information with anyone else. It is the first entirely open communication platform. I am writing my prospectus on StockTwits, which is an app similar to Twitter. We should talk if you would like to field an interesting discussion. [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:51, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Yerzhan Temirbulatov 
Prospectus title: Endless war on piracy 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:YerzhanTemirbulatov_EndlessWarOnPiracy.doc Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:Erzhik|Erzhik]] 20:42, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Yerzhan, I think your second question is the center of your investigation, because you can investigate what were the effects of the shutting down of Megaupload. As for the question of SOPA/PIPA and ACTA role in the online copyright piracy, I would say this would not be certainly defined in the near future, at least in the next weeks—just my opinion. Good luck!, interesting project.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:16, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Yerzhan, I'm very interested in the discussion of Russian torrent sites, particularly since so much of the class discussion is geared toward the US. I'd love to see a comparison between a site like Megaupload and the leading Russian torrent sites, and I'd also love to learn more about emergence of Tribler and its potential impact on file sharing. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:47, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic certainly is relevant to the course discussion. I am not sure if it will be too challenging to analyze the effects of the megaupload closure since the arrests occurred not too long ago (maybe I'm underestimating the dynamic quality of the internet). Good luck with your work. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting extension of the discussions we've had in class, I'll be interested to see how good the statistics you can find are. Is this the sort of thing where the given statistics are totally trustworthy? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Tara Baechel 
Prospectus title: The Internet, Adoption and the Privacy of Minors 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Baechel_Assignment_2.pdf Prospectus] 
Comments: 
[[User:TBaechel]] 21:25, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Tara, your proposal is very interesting and I’d like to know who was the actor that promoted this change you have noted in this website. In the second part you propose, I’d like to know what are the reasons of the people who adopt a child when they do not have the resources to support the adoption costs. Is there any kind of abuse they have detected and they decide to help these children? Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, I think you raise really interesting questions about whether the release of private information online helps or hinders adoption agencies' marketing efforts. I might suggest that instead using fundraising websites set up by parents as a complement to your main research topic, you could look to forums/discussion boards that include potential and current adoptive parents. What can you learn about their preferences from monitoring those communities? What might adoption agencies learn that could affect the way they communicate with parents pursuing adoption? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:56, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is powerful. My brother adopted two children many years ago and he never had this wealth of information on perspective children. I think that moral issues may arise (as you mentioned) regarding the type and amount of information released concerning these children, both in the adoption process and many years later when these children are part of the internet public record. Hopefully you will be able to find more focus as you continue your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Very interesting, and the point about this information coming back to haunt the children later in their life is a very strong one that hadn't occurred to me. Do you think that the lack of information, while better for the children, may actually deter potential parents to some degree? I know adoption is something that people generally are very committed to if they are considering it, but would a lack of information actually hinder the ability of some sites/groups to draw in possible adoptive parents? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Tara, from your prospectus, your project seems very interesting but also very difficult. I have some knowledge even though limited of the minors world and legal issues. I worked in the DA’s Office Domestic Violence Unit and I personally encountered many problems regarding information and minors. Because of this, I am very eager to read your final project once it is completed. Good luck! [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 11:21, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Manuel Valerio 
Prospectus title: Internet, fame and speed to Market 
Prospectus: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:MPValerio_Assignment-2_Internet_Fame.pdf] 
Comments: 
[[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 21:38, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Manuel, I think indeed this phenomenon of being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation is very interesting. It reminds me the Youtube phenomenon, which you can also take a look at, in which a random video becomes famous and the producer receives a call with a great amount of money for advertisement. But I didn’t grasp the essence of the question you will work on, is it what influences this rapid change? Good luck!, interesting idea.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Manuel, in addition to the ideas you raise in your prospectus, I'd be interested in hear more about the specific role of an online community (or communities) in propelling a person or product to prominence. What quality of the community and what actions taken by the users contributed to the outcome? Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:04, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Manuel, I did not really get your research question. What answer are you planning to give? How do you plan to sue Lessig framework. I am unsure about the claim that it is really new and the role of internet. I will maybe also see the connection with other media such as tv shows. Best of luck!!!--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 15:16, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Your topic is interesting and I too have wondered how the internet has sped up fame for a particular star. You seem to be focusing on blogging, which may pose complications since there are many other online avenues that can contribute to the rise of a popular musician or actor. To separate blogs from youtube, review sites and music sites may be challenging. Are you focusing on the collective blogsphere of amateur individuals, or professional blogs written by well-known bloggers?--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 22:56, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

One interesting aspect of this is whether the "fame" produced by an internet-fueled sudden rise to stardom is as permanent as fame that came through more traditional channels would be. Look at the Lana Del Rey pushback with her terrible performance on SNL; since then she has done much better on Letterman, but her album has been regarded critically as pretty average, and that sudden internet fame may end up disappearing as quickly as it came. Blogs are very focused in the moment, especially pop-culture ones. Is that really conducive to creating long-lasting success? I'm really looking forward to reading this one. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Marjolein Siegenthaler 
Prospectus name: Airbnb.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_2_Marjolein_Siegenthaler.doc 
Comments: [[User:MSS|MSS]] 22:13, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Marjolein, your project seems interesting, especially when regarding the vandalism question. When reading the case you presented, I remembered the several cases of vandalism that have taken place through Facebook. But thinking deeply, I think in the facebook cases it’s the user’s fault, because he was who agreed to have appointments with unknown people, and in the case of airbnb.com the user would have to prove that it was actually the website’s fault because of the information exchange limitation. Good luck![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein, I think looking at the rules and norms for airbnb is a great topic. You might consider looking at [http://www.couchsurfing.org/ Couchsurfing.org] as a point of comparison since the culture explicitly values the connection between hosts and guests. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear Marjolein, I am personally interested in your subject because few days ago a friend of mine told me to put my vocational house on it. Regarding, your question, I will also check what kind of policy do airbnb put in place to refrain such behavior, like credit card number given to the police, check of the identity, etc? And how does this comply with the protection of privacy? I like the idea of Adi to compare policy with other similar websites. Best of luck.--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:42, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great research questions, this seems like a nightmare of potential legal problems that could be tied up across different national systems. What if they went back to their country before you realized they damaged your home? How do you even get at them? But at the same time, it seems like the site would be wise to totally protect itself from any liability, and function only as an intermediary, with no guarantee. If they could be found responsible for damages they'd be doomed, and very open to possible scamming too. Neat project. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein,
I thought I'd send you a link to coverage on AirBNB from Gawker (http://gawker.com/airbnb/), stemming from the singular incident described in your prospectus. These reports have an overwhelming negative (and arguably libelous) slant (but that's Gawker for you). I hope that these might be useful in your investigation.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:25, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Marjolein, Your topic certainly touches upon some general legal arguments that may apply to any media outlet in which there is a transaction of some sort. If you look at newspapers that have “want ads” and postings, an argument could be made that the newspaper is in some way liable since there was a payment for the want ad to be published. Your questions on how the site regulates the type of information provided, and whether that regulation diminishes or increases the chances that arrangements not working out, should lead to interesting avenues of thought. I would consider examining policies on two different fronts; how the regulation of information attracts users, and how the regulation of information increases the likelihood of transactions working out.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

In terms of community devlopment, AirBnb is an interesting case. Like the people mentioned above, a single incident where a AirBnb user trashes another AirBnb user's apartment can break the entire community. What is worth looking into here is the fragility behind the AirBnb community. In addition, what are the steps AirBnb is taking to support that fragility? I'm also curious to hear what your opinion is on AirBnb and hotels. Would you rather use AirBnb or a hotel? Why? What is AirBnb doing with its community and users that is worse or better than a hotel? [[User:Scheplick|Scheplick]] 14:54, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Marjolein-
I literally was talking about Airbnb with a friend who recently started using their services when I came across your prospectus. Very interesting idea for I had not known about it till about an hour ago. He stated that they now have an insurance policy (around $50k) for such incidences. I wonder what they do to suppress some of the bad press, as any business would. I also wonder what type of personality and what circumstances would drive someone to let strangers into their homes. Hope this helps. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 02:58, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Gregorian Hawke 
Prospectus name: twentymine.com 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Talk_to_Strangers_v1.0.odt 
Comments: 

Hi Gregorian, wow your case really surprised me, I think you probably had been for a while in this community to receive this computer parts, isn’t it? As for your proposal, I wonder how will you measure the level of trust between members of a community. I’m also interested in your results of which environment is more likely to have trust among its members, because it seems that in the videogame environment the level of trust is high after some time. Good luck, very interesting proposal![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Gregorian, I love your Minecraft story and I think it would be very interesting to focus in on this community. Maybe you could look specifically at your own relationship with the members of your sub-community and the ways in which you built trust through gaming together. Have fun! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:19, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Gregor, Your idea and the way you connect the “small talk” and the trust that can come up from it is interesting. Some features of the some community seem to increase the trust between the users. I will be very interested in the result of your study. And if, except yourself, other users have similar experiences to share. I never did! Good luck
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:57, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Hey Gregorian, I think the idea of looking at the internet as a forum for non-monetary, trust-based material exchanges is a good one. It would be great if there was one community you could look at where those exchanges have succeeded and failed, or where there are formal or informal criteria for when a level of trust has been established to allow a transaction to take place. [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:34, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Great anecdote from Minecraft! You may want to come up with a very simple survey to measure "trust," ie. a number scale from 1 to 10 and they rate how much they would trust a stranger in real life, in Minecraft, on a gaming forum, etc. Might help you to quantify answers a little better. I know this will be a fun one to read! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I like the psychological/behavioral aspect of your topic. I think that internet users in online communities may develop a sense of trust in much the same way that all of us do in our everyday lives; we develop trust by interacting with someone continuously. However I think that trust in today’s digital age is weighed against the potential misuses of that trust (i.e. fraud, identity theft). Of course trust is also built on common interests and can be augmented by exchanging advice that leads to a more rewarding product or discussion. Your topic is a bit broad but I think you can find some interesting conclusions about trust and how the internet has shaped that trust.--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: Mike Brant 
Prospectus Title: Children for Peace/Youth for Peace Online Community 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Children_for_Peace-Youth_for_Peace_Online_Community_-Mike_Brant.doc 
[[User:Mike|Mike]] 22:35, 21 February 2012 (UTC) 

Hi Mike, congrats, more than a project for our class you’re developing a project to promote peace in the world. I think the main question you’re trying to answer is how the other organizations have reached the international spectrum, so once you have understood how they did it, you can start implementing the results in your own project. Good luck with this project!, and hope you can take to the international step.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Mike, you raise some interesting points in your prospectus. I wonder about some of the challenges of using an online platform for engagement with kids (at least in the US, there are [http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/coppafaqs.shtm lots of rules] governing communications to children under the age of 13) and about how you might connect with kids/youth who have limited or no access to the Internet. Perhaps your research will help address some of those issues. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if I have well understood your objective is to create a community of children willing peace and acting in different way for it. Your research question is about the online norms to regulate this community? As a consequence, I would rather stick on this and see the censorship issues and also investigate on how to deal with kids rather than go to see the success of peace teaching in the world which is a totally different and hard subject? Best of luck!! By the way, no website yet about this project?--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Mike, if there is another website you know of that is focused on fostering international dialogue amongst youth, you might want to just focus on that one community? [[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 19:20, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

It seems to me that a site that children could actually access and participate in would need to have stronger regulation than just "golden rule" and the basic Wikipedia sort of social contract, as successful as it has been. This may be my bit more pessimistic view of human nature online, but I think that it is hard to market a site related to youth and children if they can't participate much on it, and hard to market a site children can participate in without pretty clear and strong protections for them... I'll be interested to see what you conclude. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

While I consider your goal of a peace-oriented website to be a valiant effort, I am not sure if you can regulate “negative” material that almost certainly will abound if users are left to contribute to the materials, which in turn could lead to political problems. I am just not sure how you could regulate the recognition of problems if the goal of the website is to find a peaceful solution to those problems (perhaps it is just the political scientist in me). UNCESCO, is, if I’m not mistaken, a United Nations organization, and therefore likely works with the various other UN groups on their specific goals. You are dealing with an interesting political issue as it relates to online forums and good luck with your research. --[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:59, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 
Name: David Taber 
Prospectus: Coffee Shop vs. Grocery Store: Where and how local news is discussed on the web
[http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:David_Taber_prospectus_E-120.odt] 
Comments 
[[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 16:15, 23 February 2012 (UTC) 
I could have sworn I uploaded this on Tuesday, but it appears I forgot to hit submit. Sorry! 

Hi David, I think your topic is very interesting in the sense that this is a unique environment for local participation, ulike the Globe. By the way, why do you prefer “local” instead of “hyperlocal,” I personally like more hyperlocal because it gives a far more local sentiment than the Globe, which apparently is local but it covers foreign affairs. I think your results on the structure comparison will be very interesting. Good luck with your project![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi David, I really like your concept and I think it also touches on the issue of fair use we read about this week. It might also be interesting to note how much of the original article is reposted and how much additional commentary Universal Hub makes on the article. I've found that commentors can often be negligent when it comes to reading the original source so you might want to take that into consideration when evaluating the differences in comments. Good luck! [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 16:41, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear David, I thing you have found there a real way to compare 2 comparable materials and will have great and maybe unexpected results. What will be interesting is if you find comments from a common commentator to see the difference in the speech depending on the website. I would also link your comparison to the difference in the tons adopted by both websites that can influence the content of the comments left. Best of luck!
--[[User:Sab|Sab]] 14:05, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

What a great way to be able to study the effect of the form information is presented in, nice idea. My instinct is that certain people will heavily trust one or the other more, even if the same info is given in both. I'm also interested in how certain info (say a very serious and depressing story) would be altered in order to fit into both? How does that work, if a particular story doesn't really feel natural to appear on the Hub site? [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

 

 
Name: Carl Fleming 
Prospectus Title: Khan Academy 
Prospectus: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fleming_Assignment_2.doc 
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 18:17, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
Comments 

Hi Carl, I find your topic very interesting in part because I’m also interested in distance education. I’m working on the Open University case, but I’m anxious about your results of the Khan’s Academy. Sab is also working on this topic, but she has four topics: Khan’s Academy, MITx, London School of Economics, and Harvard Distance Education. Since we already know how the paying distance education works, I’m interested in your topic because it is totally free and it will probably be a competition in the education field in the near future. Good luck, very interesting topic![[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 00:24, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

I am very amazed to discover your prospectus as it is very similar to mine. Regarding your first question I am wondering if the success of the Academy lies on the architecture, your answer will be very interesting to me, or if it lies on the way Kahn taught the subject. My feeling is that the second option is the right one. As for your second question, this article and especially the comments associated to it can help you to get some answer. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/ff_khan/all/1
As for me, Kahn Academy is a wonderful free supplement to traditional offline education but does not reach the objective targeted. This is, as Gates says, a first step to the Revolution.
I like your research questions but I am losing some logical links with the methodology used. Why not focusing on the use of the Academy in the traditional education space in California, and check the result of the evaluation, if any, on “impoverished” students.
Same for “Critique of the Academy”, I do not see the link. I would rather focus on the constructivism, the interactivity and the quality of the teaching (cf. the article).
 --[[User:Sab|Sab]] 13:49, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Interesting question, I'm glad so many people are focusing on education from a variety of different angles. I feel like some very relevant conclusions could be drawn from compiling the 5 or so different reports that look at the intersections of internet and education. Good luck! [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:22, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Carl,
I was really excited to see that you're focusing on Khan Academy (I learned about it only recently, and I've since become semi-addicted to doing practice questions). I think a comparative study of the Academy's architecture vs. that of traditional education methods could yield very interesting results. I'd also be curious to hear your thoughts on user-coaches (that is, how any user can theoretically provide coaching in addition to Sal Khan's coaching videos), and how you think that adds or detracts (or both) from the Academy's overarching mission.[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:14, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Copyright in Cyberspace

2012-02-28T20:55:11Z

Mvalerio: /* Class Discussion */

{{ClassCalendar}}
'''February 28'''

The Internet has enabled individuals to become involved in the production of media and to distribute their contributions widely at a very low cost. The former bastion of the entertainment industry is opening up to what many are calling a democratization of culture. The copyright doctrine of fair use seemingly bolsters the right to "recut, reframe, and recycle" previous works, but the protection fair use gives to those re-purposing copyrighted material is notoriously uncertain.

Digital and file-sharing technologies also spawned the proliferation of sharing of media and music, which has led to a number of controversial legal and technological strategies. The "notice-and-takedown" provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") allow Internet service providers to limit their liability for the copyright infringements of their users if the ISPs expeditiously remove material in response to complaints from copyright owners. The DMCA provides for counter-notice and "put-back" of removed material, but some argue that the statutory mechanism can chill innovative, constitutionally-protected speech.

This class provides an overview of some major copyright law concepts and takes up some of the issues swirling around copyright in cyberspace.

<onlyinclude>
== Required Readings ==

* [http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 1, "Copyright Basics" (.pdf)]
* [http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107 17 U.S.C. § 107 (“Limitations on Exclusive Rights: Fair Use”)]
* [http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/512 17 U.S.C. § 512(c) (“Information Residing on Systems or Networks at Direction of Users”)]
* [http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/Remix_9781849662505/chapter-ba-9781849662505-chapter-0001.xml Lawrence Lessig, Remix, Bloombsbury Academic (2008) (CC BY-NC 3.0), Ch. 1, "Introduction"]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/technology/24google.html Miguel Helft, "Judge Sides with Google in Viacom Video Suit," NYTimes.com (June 23, 2010)]
* [http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/12/copyright-infringement-defendants-turn-the-table-on-righthaven335.html Jeffrey D. Neuburger, "Copyright Infringement Defendants Turn the Table on Righthaven," Mediashift (December 1, 2011)]
* [http://www.boston.com/ae/specials/culturedesk/2010/11/cooks_source_probably_shutting.html Steve Greenlee, "Cooks Source probably shutting down," Boston Globe CultureDesk (November 17, 2010)]
* [http://futureoftheinternet.org/reading-sopa Jonathan Zittrain, Kendra Albert, and Alicia Solow-Niederman, "A Close Look at SOPA," The Future of the Internet Blog (December 2, 2011)]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/opinion/what-wikipedia-wont-tell-you.html?_r=2 Cary Sherman, "What Wikipedia Won't Tell You," NY Times (February 7, 2012)]
* [http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120208/01453517694/riaa-totally-out-touch-lashes-out-google-wikipedia-everyone-who-protested-sopapipa.shtml Mike Masnick, "RIAA Totally Out of Touch: Lashes Out At Google, Wikipedia And Everyone Who Protested SOPA/PIPA," TechDirt (February 8, 2012)]

== Optional Readings ==

* [http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2011/02/02/super-bust-due-process-and-domain-name-seizure.html Super Bust: Due Process and Domain Name Seizure]
* [http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/comics1 Creative Commons: A Spectrum of Rights (comic)]
* [http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/recut_reframe_recycle/ Center for Social Media, Recut, Reframe, Recyle] (full report optional)
* [http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8647956476676426155&q=545+U.S.+913&hl=en&as_sdt=2002 MGM v. Grokster, 545 U.S. 913 (2005)] (Sec. II, pp. 928 - 937)
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/nyregion/09potter.html?_r=1 "Rowling Wins Lawsuit Against Potter Lexicon" (J. Eligon, NY Times, 9/8/08)]
* [http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/830/index.html New York Times Bits Blog: Mixing It Up Over Remixes and Fair Use]
* [http://www.eff.org/files/20030926_unsafe_harbors.pdf EFF, Unsafe Harbors: Abusive DMCA Subpoenas and Takedown Demands]
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/03/15/concrete-steps-congress-can-take-protect-americas-intellectual-property The White House Blog: Concrete Steps Congress Can Take to Protect America's Intellectual Property]
</onlyinclude>

== Class Discussion ==

Wanted to share this informative article from Life Hacker [http://lifehacker.com/5888488/how-youre-breaking-the-law-every-day-and-what-you-can-do-about-it?utm_source=Lifehacker+Newsletter&utm_campaign=e57b84fd87-UA-142218-1&utm_medium=email "How You’re Breaking the Law Every Day (and What You Can Do About It)"] that gives a general overview of copyright law, how to protect yourself, (with an illustration of "derivative works" featuring Hitler) & talks about Lessig's bit on Breitz, Girl Talk, and "quoting."
[[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 18:47, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Just wanted to share an interesting post from The Wall Street Journal Law Blog on trademark infringement and online shaming: [http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/02/23/shame-on-you-trademark-holders/ Shame on You, Trademark Holders] 
[[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 14:21, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

A relevant article for this week is one about [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/technology/24google.html?pagewanted=2 domain name seizures]. Also, muckrock.com filed a FOIA request on behalf of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz Aaron Swartz] (founder of Demand Progress, or maybe better known for his break in to JSTOR @ MIT and subsequent arrest a couple years ago) with the DHS requesting [http://www.muckrock.com/foi/view/united-states-of-america/domain-name-seizures/329/ records related to domain name seizures of many websites]. I am kind of blown away by this practice and fairly certain it would have happened more frequently if SOPA had been passed.

Now, turning my attention to this week's readings. Is it just me, or does Cary Sherman and his misinformation/twisted view of reality remind anyone else of Fox news? Anyways, the Intro to Lessig's "Remix" touched on a few (well, a lot) things that I found very interesting. I liked his exploration of creativity and the description of music as more interactive. Music is very much about its audience, and how that audience interprets and interacts with said music. To me, this helps to show how the current copyright statute is archaic in a sense. The bit about Breitz's issues with the Lennon installment shed light on the true (and many times ugly) face of copyright holders and the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, it does seem to be the case that the "collateral damage" in these instances is creativity, as Lessig wrote. Breitzs' installments (which I saw in Berlin) were wonderful, and I'm surprised Ono didn't respond like Marley's widow, Rita. At least Breitz persevered and touched the lives of the fans and exhibit viewers.

I very much enjoyed the article that responded to Sherman's op ed piece. The government and the entertainment industry have not been able to keep up with the net. The net is too transformative for bureaucracy and old fashioned "cronyism." Even the VCR was labeled "pirate technology" (from "Remix") at one point. I think it will take awhile for the laws, policies, and the entertainment industry to catch up with the generativity of the net. Heck, it took America awhile to come to terms with Elvis' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_thrust pelvic thrust]. [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 23:52, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

February 28: Copyright in Cyberspace
[[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 17:10, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

I've been waiting for the right time to share this link, I think this is it. Whenever TPB (The pirate bay) gets send a cease and desist letter they post it and their (often funny) response here [http://thepiratebay.se/legal]. (Some replies contain NSFW language). 
[[User:Gregor|Gregor]] 14:21, 27 Febuary 2012 (UTC)

I have been particularly sensitive of copyright laws since I am interested in music recording and video. Lawrence Lessig’s article ''Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy'' does bring up an important point; do companies really stand to lose profits by targeting artists who may use short clips of their copyrighted material or are these cases mostly based on ideology and principle with little concern for lost profits? In the case of Stephanie Lenz and the Youtube video of her child dancing to Prince, clearly Lessig is correct in pointing out that the inclusion of Prince music in the video would not cut into the album sales. The clip was short and the sound quality was poor. In fact, popularizing the clip through the video could only broaden interest in Prince’s music and may lead to additional sales.

In the case of Gregg Gillis who remixed existing clips, I think his response to the copyright infringement law suit was apt; “This wasn’t something like a bootlegging case.” While Gillis’s music involves hundreds of different clips and I can only assume that no one single clip defines an entire song, certain copyright infringement cases are trickier. For example, rapper Vanilla Ice’s hit song ''Ice Ice Baby'' clearly took the entire bass line of the Queen song “Under Pressure” and used the clip repeatedly throughout the song. While Vanilla Ice never credited Queen, he would ultimately be forced to pay royalties. Therefore it may be a little more nuanced between Gillis’s case where the sum of the clips is more important than any one clip and Vanilla Ice’s situation where a single clip makes up the entire song.
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:52, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

I found this week’s articles very interesting. Copyright has always been an interesting subject to me and I have found myself once doing extensive research on it and involving my lawyers as well for a specific case which I thought to be copyright infringement. Right out of college I found a temporary job working in a museum in Rome, Italy. In the meantime a photographic contest ended with a winning picture of an area of the Museum which had me at the center of it walking away from the photographer with no idea that I was in it. At first when I found out I thought it was simply funny but then the Museum started using that picture for numerous publications and advertising it in subway stations and around the city. Everyone knew it was me and all my friends recognized me; the Museum director even complimented me but when I talked to my lawyers to find out whether or not it was an infringement of copyright laws, I was told that it was indeed but unfortunately since my head was turned it wasn’t that easy to determine whether or not the subject in the picture was actually me. I also enjoyed Lessig’s article especially the sections concerning John Lennon since I am also a big fan and the first story about the 18 month old child dancing to Prince. In the article it said that the child was recorded for about 29 seconds and I must say that regardless of the other possible issues concerning the case, I have listened hundreds of times to songs for free on websites like amazon.com which reproduce quotes or samples for 30 seconds and allow you to listen to all of their repertoire for that time as many times as one wants. For what concerns Helft’s article on Google’s victory, I don’t know if I really agree with it and the Safe Harbor clause in general. It was always said that “ignorance of the law is no excuse” so why would someone be protected for not controlling what is infringing the law and what isn’t on their own website? I still have trouble understanding this decision. About the Cooks Source article instead, I think that if someone published their story online, then they would at least have to be notified if someone would like to use it for their own purpose. In the articles talking about SOPA and PIPA and the misleading and biased information found on Wikipedia I thought a lot about our first assignment and how Wikipedia does have rules but as we can see once again, many users do not respect them and then cause public disputes. Once again, I think that Wikipedia should find a way to better enforce their rules and take care of any articles which infringe their policies somehow. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 18:13, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

"That’s partly because “old media” draws a line between “news” and “editorial.” Apparently, Wikipedia and Google don’t recognize the ethical boundary between the neutral reporting of information and the presentation of editorial opinion as fact. " -Cary H. Sherman.

That quote felt pretty representative to me of how intentionally blind Sherman seemed to be making himself in that NYTimes op-ed. Has he seen Fox News or MSNBC? It's difficult to find a headline or story on either that isn't skewed pretty heavily towards that networks opinion on the political issues of the day. Ditto Wall Street Journal (spent at least 2 weeks pretending the Murdoch phone tapping case didn't exist) and many many other newspapers. The response article did a great job responding to his claims and bringing up the point that it is NOT "democracy" to have major industries create, fund, and often even write major bills that lawmakers then pass out of fear of angering major powers. It isn't necessarily good that a massive internet spasm of anger can have the same sort of effect, but at least it proved it can sometimes counter the more traditional abuses of power and influence. Until we arrive at independent and thoughtful politicians who aren't beholden to fundraising reality (here's my plug for election reform, national popular vote, and capped public campaign funding) the internet is a valuable resource for leveling the playing field.

One thread through a lot of the articles was the way that this new frontier sometimes flip-flops or skews the traditional power dynamics. In one article we saw a big company bullying individual bloggers for profit, but in another we saw Google and Youtube triumphing over Viacom in a very similar way that also benefited the little people of the internet... not least the average users who so constantly depend on Youtube for the service it has come to dominate. In other cases, Google is the giant invading our privacy, and at other times an individual, a blogger or a group actually spend their whole time online spreading lies or spewing hatred, or even just writing viruses to ruin everyone else's day. Depending on the issue, and the exact circumstances, it can be hard to see who is David and who Goliath... and who we should be rooting for. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:46, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

--I agree with AlexLE that it is sometimes difficult to know who to root for. It seems to be more clearly divided right now between old media and new media, but I think that will change in upcoming years with some of the new media becoming more "evil." What do you guys think about Google's massive bundling of products/services and new service terms? Are they the next "evil?" A throwback to our first class meeting: [http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/french-regulator-warns-google-privacy-policy-15807618#.T00d7coZ8nU Google's new privacy policy may violate EU rules] [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 18:39, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Copyright, intended to protect creative work by giving authors or creators exclusive rights, in some cases hinders creativity. Well put by Lessig, obtaining legal permission is a time consuming process, which impedes collaboration and generation of new ideas. I feel that copyright should protect from stealing, such as direct piracy of music and sharing those files with others. However, I agree with the idea that fair use should be “transformative,” taking an original work and adding new ideas and opinions to it. The use of original work as the “raw material” promotes creativity, as in Girl Talk’s remixes and SilviaO’s voice. Another example is by Neuburger, who believes that inventing a Barbie doll requires more creative work than editorial opinions, and posting of such on a website increases “discussion and exploration.” [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 18:07, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Lessig really laid out a great example of the ridiculous extremes a money-driven corporation will go to, in order to protect their “bottom line” of profit. It evades common sense, as he made clear by his pointing to the fact that the lawyer fees incurred in warning the mother who shared the video far excelled any possible damages or loss of profit she could have caused. The example of Beitz and the reactions of different copyright holders really shines the light again on human nature. Some people just care about business, seeming to have little concern for art, creativity, or what the artist probably really cared about in the first place, while others are just more human, as could be seen in the difference between Yoko Ono and Rita Marley. Obviously new possibilities for creativity, free from the constraints of the traditional controlling powers, is considered an exciting new horizon by some, and a menace by those who have controlled the entertainment industry until now. It seems to me that trying to stop this new movement is like trying to stop the rain. You might stop a few drops only, and anyway, the rain is beneficial.
I was glad that Google stood up to Viacom. I do agree that copyrights have their place, and that the concept of asking someone permission to use their material is right, but the voice that Youtube and other such media provides for individuals to express themselves, is also an important new element in society, and should be protected. There must be a balance. If control is too extreme, we lose elements of freedom of speech.
About the SOPA/PIPA debate, it does seem apparent to me that those who have been on top, making the money, want to stay there, and as often happens, have ways to manipulate the lawmakers to favor them. I find it hard to trust someone like Cary Sherman, who is good with words, but does not seem to tell the whole story or distorts it to the public. Of course there should be reasonable copyright protection for artists and intellectual property owners, but looking at those laws and Jonathan Zittrain’s comments on them, it seems that the intention of those laws is not to protect anyone, but to control everyone.[[User:Mike|Mike]] 17:39, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

I too enjoyed the article responding to Sherman's piece. I recently came back from a conference on leadership and innovation where nearly everyone in the audience was in agreement that government has been unable to keep up with not only the generativity of the internet, but also the generativity of entrepreneurship as a whole. There was a large cry for government to step up to the plate and get ahead of the curve in order to create structures and frameworks within which the internet and entrepreneurs can grow. At present, we either lack structures, have antiquated structures or have created forwardlooking structures that undercut much of what innovators are trying to accomplsih. This must be addressed before larger issues and collapses occur.
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 18:24, 28 February 2012 (UTC)
 
Prior to this week's readings, I assumed that the blogging convention of excerpting and linking to an original source was not only the polite and proper behavior but that it was also legal. While the Righthaven example clarifies that "fair use is a fact-sensitive evaluation that can't readily be made on a class-wide basis", it doesn't establish that excerpting and linking is protected as fair use. I also assumed that mash-ups of clips, music, etc were also generally protected but the U.S. Code on the "Limitations on Exclusive Rights: Fair Use" does not describe these scenarios. I appreciated Professor Tim Wu's comment that "it is time to recognize a simpler principle for fair use: work that adds to the value of the original, as opposed to substituting for the original, is fair use" because mash-ups and reappropriation do result in new work with new meaning and, as Lessig writes, we need to consider "the harm to a generation from rendering criminal what comes naturally to them". [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 18:55, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Just like everyone else here, I too really enjoyed Masnick’s article, which criticized Sherman’s opinion of the public response to PIPA and SOPA. I think everyone agrees with Masnick’s opinion that the industries are frugally trying to recover themselves by hiding behind legislation that infringes upon the rights of neutral parties. I wish he would have spoken more about Section 230, and how internet providers are protected by it, as well as the Limitation of Liability that we also read. These to contradictory laws provide more fodder for opponents to the two bills. But I think Zittrain gave the best analysis of SOPA and PIPA, in that they hold the internet content providers liable in direct contrast to Section 230. Thus the backlash to these bills centers around not copyright, but rather the right to free speech of a neutral party who happens to be an intermediary. While Section 230 gives content providers greater freedom than any other form of press, I think content providers still see themselves as a form of press (which is arguably true), and thus these bills are a direct infringement on First Amendment rights.

Additionally, Masnick had another article on the site in which he explores the idea that the industries’ business model is outdated. His analogy was that of horse carriages versus cars. Carriage manufacturers though they were in the horse carriage business rather than personal transportation business, thus their surprise when carriage sales fell off with the advent of cars. Similarly, the MPAA and RIAA are not in the making film/music business, but rather the delivery business, being theaters, cds, and digital downloads; the general gist is the easy and manner of conveyance of the film or music (including concerts). Masnick points to their business model as being outdated. He indicates that rather than continue to promote theaters, radio and cds, they should adapt to the emerging new digital medium and conveyance through the internet, just as they did when tapes and vhs came out.[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 19:55, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Mashnick's article was especially compelling and further evidence to his point could be substantiated from what Renee Marie Jones said in the response section to Zittrain's article: "And the Swiss government just finished a study that shows that unauthorized downloading for private use costs the media industry exactly nothing, and that the downloaders typically spend more real money on media products than the general public. So, in Switzerland, at least, acts that the RIAA, MPAA and others classify as “stealing” will remain EXPLICITLY LEGAL. The Swiss are telling the media companies that they should embrace the new technologies and accept them as an opportunity. In the US we are trying to stamp out the new technologies so the media companies can go back to selling vinyl records and movie tickets without competition." [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 20:55, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

== Links ==

Assignment 2 Submissions

2012-02-21T21:38:29Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

Peer Production and Collaboration

2012-02-21T21:11:17Z

Mvalerio: /* Class Discussion */

{{ClassCalendar}}
'''February 21'''

The free software movement is one example of a trend towards distributed volunteer networks of individuals collaborating on collective projects that were formerly the domain of the for-profit private sector. In this session, we explore how far such peer production can go in redefining the economic and social structures of modern society.

==Assignments==

[[Assignments#Assignment_2:_Prospectus|Assignment 2]] due

==Readings==

<onlyinclude>
* Yochai Benkler, [http://mitworld.mit.edu/play/394/ News, Information and the Wealth of Networks] (watch from 8:32 to 26:07)
* Joseph Reagle, [http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/06/reagle-nrhm-special-collab-norms.html ”Be Nice”: Wikipedia Norms for Supportive Communication]

== Additional Resources==
Joseph Reagle's book: [http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/ Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia]

The following audio streams from NPR may be interesting:
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4986453 Wikipedia, Open Source and the Future of the Web]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6051103 Wikipedia Wins Users and Critics by Jenny Lawton]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4506421 Wikipedia's Growth Comes with Concerns by Laura Sydell]
</onlyinclude>

== Class Discussion ==

February 21: Peer Production and Collaboration

I think it was rather interesting how Uricchio described Benkler and Jenkins as having reciprocity in that they come from two different directions (culturally or socially), but occupy the same terrain. Can't wait to hear more in class. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 21:11, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

[[User:Just Johnny|Just Johnny]] 17:09, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Great discussion with Yochai Benkler on economics of social production and politics. The Diebold example is a perfect indication of showing how this system of the “structured web” is effective in "offering visibility to more people" and easier for each "individual and small group to speak and be heard." Has anyone by chance seen the HBO documentary, ''Hacking Democracy''? If not, check it out ([[http://www.wanttoknow.info/electionsvideodocumentary]]), which gives a more in depth and detailed insight into the investigation Bev Harris and her associate Kathleen Wynne (Black Box Voting, Inc.) did to expose security weaknesses in electronic voting systems. Also demonstrates the "battle with institutional ecology" and how Benkler indicated the law usually "favors the incumbents and institutions” which is what you see happening in Harris’ case. Imagine if Harris would have started this investigation now with the increasing amount of online power that stems from individuals in the social sphere? Or for example, what we’ve recently seen with the power of public influence on legislation like SOPA/PIPA or with the Komen debacle. Could Harris have gone further or have state/county officials act much quicker? Possibly. I do agree and believe that it is easier to make a change or create these ''movements'' where “networked” individuals are banding together to act for various reasons be it politics, social injustice, etc and as Benkler puts it now on a “global, not only local" scale. [[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 23:30, 20 February 2012 (UTC)

Very impressive points by Benkler, great summation. I'm very curious about his idea that even further expansion of the sorts of things that are peer sourced will continue inexorably. I agree with him, but I can't see how that will work in some cases where the goods are too integral to a specific industry or company's survival. It may be well and good that the online group can produce wiki entries or sift through pictures of Mars, but what happens when the task that needs to be completed is one that only a small handful of extremely highly trained experts can do? What about heart surgery techniques, or certain complex nuclear systems? The examples I make aren't perfect but I hope the point is clear. Those experts need a large framework both to be created and supported as they work (through the large cost of schooling, training, getting experience, sustaining work with expensive materials, etc.) Whether the companies pay that or whether the "future experts" pay it themselves with the promise of a high-paying job that will recoup their expenses when they become full experts, that is still a very very expensive system. Can it exist in a world where there is so much less profit attached, and where the other functions that company used to perform and fill its coffers with are now totally outsourced to the online crowd? I know this is in some ways a rehashing of the classic "Innovation is Good and Can Happen Free!! vs. You Have To Allow Patents and Profit or Innovation Dies!!" argument, but I'm curious about the ripple effect that can have. ([[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 01:58, 21 February 2012 (UTC))

I found Yochai Benkler’s speech to be very interesting, especially when he talked about individuals’ contribution to information in the BBC example that he gave. Another interesting aspect was that concerning democracy and the open sources of information. For what concerns the Reagle article on Wikipedia, I found it to be very true. I have noticed on various occasions that disputes are very common over Wikipedia articles and they can be characterized by a variety of reasons going from differing personal ideals to politics and many other issues. The point is that people should focus more on the reason for which Wikipedia was created and put aside hatred and personal issues/debates and cooperate to make Wikipedia a better source of learning and not a forum where an online battle should take place. I really enjoyed the statement regarding conflict as being “Addictive as cocaine” and totally agree with it since human beings are attracted to conflict to a certain extent. I also agree with Reagle when he states that “The relative “anarchy” of wiki culture, the malleability of Wikipedia content, the pseudonymity of contributors, and its consensus-based decision-making make Wikipedia particularly vulnerable to such strategic action.” [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 15:51, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

I found one portion of Reagle's "Be Nice" article to be particularly interesting: his contrasting of the challenges (disputes, etc.) created by online interaction against the positives of collaboration (discussion boards and other collaborative tools). In particular, some of the elements of a positive prosocial community are (i) "behavior that is intentional, voluntary and of benefit to others"; (ii) relationships that rely upon "trust, empathy, and reciprocity"; and (iii) community character that is facilitated by "cultural norms" that enhance the well-being of a community. In my opinion, the first two items are fairly easy to define and can be measured when assessing online activity. The third, however, "cultural norms", seems too amorphous to define. What cultural norms exist in a new environment that attracts users from all over the globe from different cultures and age groups? I dont believe there is a starting point for cultural norms within Wikipeia to begin to assess how one may have veered off from those established norms. [[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 19:00, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

I was quite fond of Benkler's analysis of peer collaboration. It certainly is present today, but I'm curious to know what he thinks the depth of it could be. It seems as though he leaves it open-ended to allow for peer collaboration on multiple levels, with no end in sight. I could see this in highly specialized fields as well, including open heart surgery. While those that can perform at such a level are few and far between, that does not preclude that they would be able to network and learn from each other. In this sense it seems as though there is no field that could not be touched by peer collaborations.

I do wish, however, that Benkler would have spoken more about Linux and the emerging network that this enables. He did show the graphic, but it was fleeting; Linux is much deeper than just digging into the pockets of Microsoft. Being an operating system, it enables everything that a computer, microchip, or any kind of electronic device is able to do. Through peer collaboration it is able to supersede the proprietary systems such as Windows or Macintosh. What is great about this is that every part of the system can benefit from the collaboration, to the point where it can become greater than any other system because it has enabled so many options that were either limited on other machines for financial/profit or control purposes or were not incorporated because they had not been considered as a viable option for the OS. Furthermore, being a system that is open to modification, it also enables integration of other devices and electronics into that system that are not enabled in other operating systems.

But the drawback to these systems are the individuals or groups that differ in opinion, much like Reagle spoke of. Since group collaboration is seems to be the greatest emerging economy, not only will it enable more through the long tail, but it will also have more detractors because of the long tail. But it seems as though these are weeded out eventually through either fracturing, or through stifling. However, with the mass advent of the Cloud, as well as multiple devices completely incorporated with one another, it seems as though it will only be a matter of time. I'm very curious, though, to know how this will play out with legal norms of the institutionalized ecology, since those laws and regulations exist for tangible objects in specific areas, rather than virtual objects in an international arena.[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 19:22, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

@Cfleming27 I believe that it may be possible to define Reagle's "cultural norms." Reagle acknowledges that users of Wikipedia have developed a set of norms, constellation of values, and common lingo. A basic norm or value that exists without boundaries and can be translated into any common lingo in any language is the concept of the “golden rule.” Reagle quotes Bowles & Gintis on page 3, “cultural traits governing actions” that “enhances the average level of well-being.” Can cultural norms be defined as something that enhances the average level of well-being similar to the golden rule? [[User:Hds5]] 15:29, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

When reading the article about Wikipedia I was amazed at the volume of various articles and guidelines that sought to maintain a neutral point of view, how to avoid disputes and engage in a collaborative effort. I initially wrote my assignment 1 on the NPOV and looking back didn't realize how many other guidelines that can be found by wandering down that path to become fully informed. In my article I outlined that one of the drawbacks to Wikipedia is in the quality of tools used to edit the pages. I noted while they are generally easy to use for editing bodies of main text, it can be difficult to edit something more complicated like a table which contains cells, where you have to rely on the ability to analyze raw code. I liken this to the ongoing disputes that exist regarding cooperation and NPOV. As good as it currently is, Wikipedia needs to become more accessible to additional would-be users. This includes not only improving the code editing tools but also the ways in which NPOV is maintained. I believe the best way to do this is to improve systems that make it easier for people to collaborate on disputes which impede the desired end result (peer production!) is the generally accepted neutral truth. Much like a wizard is used to create a letter or resume in MS Word, automating the way that people engage in disputes that make it easier for people to recognize points of contention and address them in a collaborative effort will improve the end product and please critics. [[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 20:40, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

I found the contrasts between Benkler and the “Be Nice” article interesting. Benkler believes that the internet has led to more social “sharing, collaboration,” and “exchange,” such as on discussion boards and Wikipedia. The “Be Nice” article emphasized how disputes on Wikipedia can be counter-productive. Since Wikipedia is open for editing by anyone, disputes can hard to avoid since people can be defensive and hold grudges, while others enjoy instigating disputes, such as “vandals” and “trolls.” I find it interesting and agree that disputing is addicting, since some people with big egos do not like to admit they are wrong. [[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 21:09, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

== Links ==

Assignment 1 Submissions

2012-02-07T20:12:44Z

Mvalerio: /* Submissions */

{{AssignmentCal}}

===Submission Instructions===
Please make sure the name of your file includes your name (example: Name_Assignment1.doc) to avoid overwriting someone else's assignment. Grading for this assignment is on a 5-point scale; late assignments will be docked 1 point for each day they are late (final deadline: Tuesday, February 7, 5:30pm ET).

''The '''upload file''' link is to the left, under '''toolbox'''.'' Once you've uploaded your file, please link to it following the format below:

* Name:
* Link to rule: (the Wikipedia editing policy you chose)
* Link to article: (the Wikipedia article you edited)
* Link to report: (the file you uploaded)

If you have trouble finding the file you uploaded, check the [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Special:ImageList list of uploaded files].

===Submissions===
Name: Harvard 212 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: Public Good [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_good Public Good] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Harvard212_Assignment1.pdf Assignment 1] 
[[User:Harvard212|Harvard212]] 12:09 EST, 7 February 2012

Name: Alexis Ditkowsky 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-Pesa M-Pesa] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Spring2012-BerkmanWikipediaAssignment1-DitkowskyAlexis.pdf Assignment 1] 
[[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 17:51, 4 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Jeff Kimble 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Jeff_Kimble_--_Assignment_1.doc] 
[[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 19:07, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Abby Bergman 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research No Original Research] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China Digital Divide in the PRC] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:WA_1_article.doc Assignment 1] 
[[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 02:43, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Alex Lloyd-Evans 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1956 United States presidential election, 1956] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:AlexLE_Assignment_1.pdf Assignment 1] 
[[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 15:27, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Emanuele Dominici 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio Operation Gladio] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Emanuele_Assignment_1.doc Assignment 1] 
[[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 16:29, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: James Harris 
Rule:[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Ownership_of_articles Ownership of Articles] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Republican_primary,_2012 Florida Republican Primary, 2012] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:James_Harris_Assignment_1.doc Assignment 1] 
--[[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 23:00, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Quynh Dang 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_cuisine Vietnamese Cuisine] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:QuynhDang_Assignment_1.doc Assignment 1] 
[[User:Qdang|Qdang]] 05:57, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Jennifer W. Lopez 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change.org Change.org] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:LSTU_E-120_JenniferWLopez_Assignment_1.pdf Assignment 1] 
[[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 08:45, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Julia Brav 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research No Original Research] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_knitting Finger Knitting] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:JBrav_LSTU_E-120_Assignment_1.pdf Assignment 1] 
[[User:Jlynnping|Jlynnping]] 16:21, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: André Pase 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research No Original Research] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Calibur_V Soul Calibur V] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Andre_pase_assigment1.doc Assignment 1] 

Name: Priscila Lollo 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniella_Cicarelli Daniela Cicarelli] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Priscila_Lollo_Assignment_1.doc Assignment 1] 

Name: David Taber 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Ownership_of_articles Ownership of Articles] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_war Culture War] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:David_Taber_Assignment_1.odt Assignment 1] 
[[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 17:04, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Marjolein Siegenthaler 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Ownership_of_articles Ownership of Articles] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_Netherlands Copyright Law of the Netherlands] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_1_Marjolein_Siegenthaler.doc Assignment 1] 
[[User:MSS|MSS]] 17:36, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Carl Fleming 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC One Laptop Per Child] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Fleming_Assignment_1.doc Assignment 1] 
[[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 17:52, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name:Nicholas Thibodeau 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: Public Good [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech Free Speech] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:NJThibodeau_Assignment_1.pdf Assignment 1] 
[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 18:28, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Brendan Long 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hamilton_Gordon Albert Hamilton Gordon] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/sites/is2013/images/Assignment_1_-_Long%2C_Brendan.doc Assignment 1] 
[[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 19:25, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Samantha Zakuto 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC One Laptop Per Child] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:Assignment_1_Samantha_Zakuto.doc Assignment 1] 
[[User:szakuto]] 19:25, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Name: Manuel Valerio 
Rule: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view Neutral Point of View] 
Article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire_plc] 
Report: [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2013/Image:MValerio_assignment1.pdf] 
[[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 20:12, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Paradigms for Studying the Internet

2012-01-31T17:06:49Z

Mvalerio: /* Class Discussion */

{{ClassCalendar}}

'''January 31'''

Before we can even begin exploring the who's, what's, and why's -- we need to answer the critical question of '''how.''' Indeed, the phrase "studying the web" could embrace a staggering world of possible routes to explore, even before beginning to examine its relationship with society and culture. We need something to guide us through this massive field of (very interesting!) foxholes, and link the ideas we encounter into a consistent piece. We need some kind of structure to allow us to ''understand'' what we are looking at, the same way a chemist thinks of things in terms of atoms and molecules, or a philosopher can think about things in terms of schools of thought.

This class will explore different frameworks for studying the web, which will structure both the discussion and topic matter covered in the course, as well as the methodology that you should apply to your assignments.

<onlyinclude>
== Readings ==

* [http://www.benkler.org/Benkler_Wealth_Of_Networks_Chapter_11.pdf Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks] (Read pages 379-396. The rest of this chapter expands the discussions of each layer in more detail, if you want to read more about them)

* [http://yupnet.org/zittrain/archives/13 Jonathan Zittrain, The Future of the Internet, Chapter 4,The Generative Pattern]

* [https://www.socialtext.net/codev2/what_things_regulate Lawrence Lessig, Code 2.0, Chapter 7, What Things Regulate]

== Optional Readings ==

</onlyinclude>

== Videos Watched in Class ==

== Links ==

For people interested in a more technical primer on the architecture of the web, how email works, etc. check out ethan zuckerman and andrew mclaughlin's [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/digitaldemocracy/internetarchitecture.html Introduction to Internet Architecture and Institutions]

== Class Discussion ==
Lessig’s view on the “Principle of Bovinity” with regards to steering the mass toward a way of being or thinking is an appropriate thought. However, in this unique situation, as opposed to the examples given of the past (i.e. seatbelts, discrimination, drugs, etc), internet regulation has an inherent property of being connected. What I mean to say is that you may steer groups toward a thought or way of being through whatever means (architecture, laws, norms, market) for after a while, they will be disconnected from the original pioneering idea. With regards to the internet though, there just seems to be too many means of communication that the original ideas will continue to be re-introduced, and hence the mass will never forget. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 17:06, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

I find it very interesting to observe Lessig's constraints in action. I also find some of the examples troubling, and the likelihood of feedback loops disturbing. Take for example, privacy policies and user license agreements. As people get used to the idea of having information online, such as facebook or the now largely irrelevant myspace, internet privacy becomes less of a priority. The social norm becomes a lower expectation of privacy. Since few people thoroughly read privacy policies anyway, a company can start putting things in them that are not in the user's best interest. This becomes the market norm, because it gives a company a slight competitive edge. Because it helps them to become better integrated, companies now start encoding this lower level of privacy into their applications. Now, users may figure out what is happening, but because it is less outside of their societal norms, consumers shrug, say everyone else is doing it (market norm), and maybe things wouldn't work the same without doing things this way (architecture), and change their societal norms. Meanwhile, laws are kept nonrestrictive, because the companies make money from this level of expectations (market constraints acting on legal constraints), there is little pressure from consumers (societal constraints), and it would be difficult to figure out how to do it anyway because of how things are programed (architecture).

I'm not saying that this pattern has to happen, but it certainly can. As a change gains momentum, it can become very difficult to stop. I wonder if there is any particular constraint that is more or less likely to change the others.

[[User:BlakeGeno|BlakeGeno]] 05:08, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Not sure this is exactly how we're supposed to use this section, but I though I'd post a few of my thoughts on the readings for comment and discussion, and I'd love any criticism since I'm not someone with much of a background at all in these areas:

The point in Benkler about Lessig's "Principle of Bovinity" highlighted one of the most interesting aspects of the readings to me: How easy it is to fall into the trap of oversimplifying and assuming that a lot of these issues of control and technology boil down to what will be a recognizable total victory for one side and total defeat for the other. The ratio of creators of technology to consumers does not have to become fully in favor of the business/government creators in order for them to win; it just has to get close enough, resulting in a herd of consumers who are unable to break out of their pattern of accepting technologies exactly as they are when purchased. This reduces the generativity (from Zittrain) that can produce the sort of unanticipated evolutions and improvements that drive technology and innovation forward, often in ways that are more to the benefit of the public than to the groups who are trying to impose their specific type of control.

Indirect and hidden regulation of how these technological resources are used is troubling not only because it (obviously) attempts to stifle this sort of unintentional and often subversive innovation but also because it (less obviously) has a major effect that we often cannot easily perceive on the forces that control our interactions and creations online (law/norms/architecture/market/etc., from Lessig). None of those forces exist in a vacuum. So, not only is one possible outcome to the current technological/cultural upheaval a victory for the strictly control-oriented creators where the majority of people become simple consumers, it is quite possible that many will not even notice the driving factor behind that change. As someone who isn't very adept at using the internet as a creator anyway, that was a troubling conclusion for me.

On a mostly unrelated note, the other most interesting aspect of the readings for me came in Zittrain, where he noted that while the PC and Internet are almost endlessly adaptable, we have often been dealing with problems by making the problems RELATIVELY smaller, and not actually in any way solved (his examples being increased bandwidth for ISPs to deal with spam and more computing cycles for PCs to deal with malware). This reminded me of a presentation I just saw that was given by the head of the EPA for the New England region. He pointed out that for the last 30 years or so, the EPA was solving problems with an equal level of total disregard for sustainability. If water was dirty, create a water plant to purify it, and who cares how much power that takes! It is only in the last few years that a realization has really taken hold that we are unsustainably wasting energy, even in the pursuit of worthwhile results. Now, for example, some purifying plants are being powered by solar, not coal, with the same direct results (pure water) and much better side benefits (no pollution, endlessly renewable resource). Early on in any new field or technology, it is easy to simply minimize and defer issues, but that practice is never sustainable, and a day will come when specific problems actually have to be solved. It would be nice if we could all do ourselves a favor and reach that point voluntarily for internet/computing, and not through necessity. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 21:03, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

I really appreciated Benkler’s exploration of how the "industrial producers of information" have a vested commercial interest in controlling information and communication at the expense of the commons, and how the US Government’s focus has been on restricting freedoms as opposed to upholding rights (Lessig). To appropriate language from the 9/11 Commission Report [http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Exec.htm], many Internet users believe the “need to share” trumps the “need to know”, which is disruptive to the off-line status quo that clearly delineates between producers and consumers.

The idea of “need to share” also has important tie-ins to innovation and collaboration, two benefits of an unrestricted (or minimally restricted) Internet that are currently threatened. Benkler questions the concept of innovation based on exclusive rights as opposed to innovation from commons- and services-based sources, and the legal framework for valuing the former over the latter. Additionally, to mash-up Zittrain and Lessig, the features and benefits of a “generative” system - leverage, adaptability, ease of mastery, and transferability - can be seriously constrained by the interaction of law, social norms, the market, and architecture on users.

All of this leads me to wonder why more companies don’t see disruption as opportunity rather than a crisis. The marketplace is clearly communicating to them that their current model is headed for obsolescence and that this might be a great opportunity to build on some of the ideas and innovations already floating around. It’s also interesting to me that the US’s “capitalist” system seems more willing to protect current industry leaders than to step back and permit a true competition over ideas and users in the marketplace.

@AlexLE Thanks for bringing up the insidious impact that a lack of accountability/transparency can have on "law/norms/architecture/market." There were so many great topics in this week's readings - looking forward to discussing them in class.
[[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 19:48, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Once again, I enjoyed reading Zittrain’s discussion of generativity, which he defined in terms of “unfiltered contributions” from a wide-range of diverse audiences leading to “unanticipated change”.

Especially interesting was his discussion of the “generative pattern,” which demonstrates how an idea, such as Wordpress blogging software (which I use daily), can start in relative obscurity. When first launched, it was only partially developed, yet it was put out on the internet for others to use (and fix later, another use of the procrastination principle). As with other open source projects like OpenOffice, contribution to the Wordpress community is encouraged, which results in even greater use. According to the Wordpress developer's site, updates to the software are made nearly every single day.

As with other generative software, when Wordpress was launched, no one could have foreseen the “unanticipated change” brought about by the widespread use of this blogging software. But, as with other generative technologies, people new to the neighborhood have started abusing the "openness" of the system. One such example is the wide-spread use of Wordpress software (free, easy to use) to host spam sites and scraper websites. To help curtail these abuses, the Wordpress community created an easy form for people to report spammers (http://en.wordpress.com/report-spam/). This is just one example of the Wordpress community’s attempt to curtail abuse. Another issue frequently discussed on Wordpress forums is the unreliability of many plug-ins created by amateur developers. Trusting users (such as myself) have discovered the hard way that installing a Wordpress plugin can have a catastrophic impact on your blog (the dreaded socket error). Undoubtedly, according to Zittrain's concept of a generative pattern, there will be more and more movement towards “enclosure” in the Wordpress community to prevent such abuses going forward.

Lessig’s discussion of the four types of regulation and their interdependence was also enlightening. Clearly, undesirable behavior on the internet can be curtailed by more than one means. Of course, this brings SOPA and PIPA legislation to mind, making one wonder if there is a better way to attain the same goal without directly threatening punishment for the undesirable behavior.

Perhaps an indirect approach, for example, altering the social norm, could be just as effective. For many Americans, sharing software and music is seen as perfectly acceptable behavior. People like to share things they enjoy with other people. However, if doing so becomes unacceptable in the eyes of most Americans, overall behavior would start to change. Clearly, this is a complex issue, but Lessig does an excellent job of communicating alternatives to direct legislation, which often has far-reaching consequences, far beyond the original scope of what was intended by the law. [[User:Joymiller|Joymiller]] 02:37, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Benkler’s essay on laws that regulate the internet is interesting in the sense that our internet behavior with the internet can be seen as a reaction to regulations. We logically believe our online behavior is based on our own desires and consumer needs when in fact our behavior can be a function of the copyright infringement laws imposed upon us. Benkler indicates that “laws do affect human behavior by changing the payoffs to regulated actions directly” and that “they also shape social norms” (386). The jaywalking example is effective in demonstrating how a variety of other behaviors can be affected by a law.

When I look back at major changes in my online behavior as a result of copyright laws, iTunes comes to mind. Naturally I have been concerned about any ramifications related to illegally downloading software. The copyright laws required the end users to purchase entire albums which can restrict access to newer, lesser-known music; Apple responded to these laws by providing a legal service that allowed for individual songs to be previewed and downloaded, and the nature of our internet behavior, particularly concerning internet music exploration changed, all because of internet laws. How we view music and the internet now is fundamentally different than prior to iTunes. [[User:Jimmyh|Jimmyh]] 17:50, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

All of the readings for this week were very interesting and were able to get me thinking about how some of the concepts cited in the works can be tied to my everyday usage of certain programs. At one point in the Benkler article it almost seems to me that the author is trying to give a symbolical picture of two entities such as the big industries or the "giants", and their opposition formed by the majority of the population, in a perennial contrast. On one hand, the big industries are trying to protect their economic interests, while on the other hand, the majority of the population is trying to resist against this forced regulation. It also seems to me that when something new is discovered for the first time, as soon as people learn about such unregulated and innovative feature, they try to exploit it to their own benefit. But after some time, the founders or industries realize that they have to protect their "money making machines" from public and unregulated usage; therefore laws in regards are passed, patents are deposited, trademarks are extended etc. in order to contrast this phenomenon. I personally recall what was done in order to fight or at least limit piracy in the music industry a few years ago. Once, anyone was able to illegally download music from programs such as "emule" or "bearshare", where chances of actually getting caught were very little but at the same time these actions violated certain federal laws enforced by the F.B.I. So what has been done after that, was that instead of downloading illegal music, which would "violate the law" and also result risky for what concerns contracting computer viruses, was transformed in a just process where songs could be bought for one dollar or so on specific programs, the most famous being "iTunes". This allows artists to make some profit from their work but at the same time it allowed people to buy the songs at a cheap price and most importantly, in a legal manner. For what concerns "sharing", I once heard by a friend that "if you upload material on a specific program, you are allowed to download other stuff without facing legal charges", but then the question is: how does someone regulate that "material sharing"? it was very easy for anyone to just download without uploading anything in return. But returning to the authors, the most interesting part for me was Lessig's "principle of bovinity", described by Benkler and how he explains the principle of controlling a large number of people or animals in a metaphorical sense with little resources and very few rules, although constantly enforced. In conclusion I personally think that the whole process of protecting and regulating the usage of a given site or program is just part of a never ending cycle where someone creates a program for instance, which will be then used and abused, with subsequent establishment of laws and protection which will just be overcome and the whole cycle will start again. Perhaps this is a pessimistic view of how things are actually functioning but my feel is that this process is just like a virus vs. antivirus eternal battle. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 18:56, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Politics and Technology of Control: Introduction

2012-01-24T21:40:16Z

Mvalerio: /* Class Discussion */

{{ClassCalendar}}
'''January 24'''

The Net has great potential for “good” (e.g. innovation, economic growth, education, and access to information), and likewise is a great platform for the bawdy, tawdry and illegal. Is this platform about fundamental social, political and economic change, or about easier access to pornography, cheap pharmaceuticals, free music and poker at home? This question leads us to a host of interesting issues that weave their way through the course related to openness, access, regulatory control, free speech, anonymity, intellectual property rights, democracy, transparency, norms and values, economic and cultural change, and cyber-terrorism, as well as scamsters and thieves.

== Preparation (Assignment "Zero") ==

* Reflect on what you believe are the most significant social, cultural, political or economic changes associated with the spread of digital technologies?
In a few sentences, please offer 2-3 examples in the Class Discussion section below and be prepared to discuss them during class.

<onlyinclude>

== Readings ==

* [http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~zs/decl.html John Perry Barlow, A Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace]

* [http://www.legalaffairs.org/printerfriendly.msp?id=961 Jack Goldsmith & Tim Wu, Digital Borders]

* [http://futureoftheinternet.org/ Jonathan Zittrain, The Future of the Internet - Chapters 1 & 2]

== Optional Readings ==

* [http://www.cluetrain.com Chris Locke, Doc Searls & David Weinberger, Cluetrain Manifesto] (just the manifesto)

</onlyinclude>

== Videos Watched in Class ==

== Class Discussion ==
''The most significant changes and challenges brought on by digital technologies.''

What comes to mind immediately is the use of Twitter and Facebook with regards to the Arab Springs and Occupy movements. Economically, the 2010 "flash crash" and dynamics behind with regards to global economies are of significance. Also, as cloud computing is becoming more abundant, I wonder what role it will play with regards to this spectrum. [[User:Mvalerio|Mvalerio]] 21:40, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

With the spread of digital technologies there have been many changes in the social, cultural, political and economic aspects in the world. For example, in the social aspect, the necessity to be with others has been decreasing over time due to social media and smart devices. It comes to mind the now popular image of a group of people being together in a table but chatting in their smart phones, or the number of friends one can have from other countries. Likewise, in the political field we can say that the Internet propitiated the Arab Spring, helping countries in the Middle East like Egypt, Morocco and Libya to fight against their leaders. Finally, we have seen a cultural change in how people get informed and interpret information; before the digital technologies were part of our lives, people read only the local newspapers, but now people can read foreign newspapers, magazines, blogs and different sources of information, and judge by themselves whether inside their countries the news are being properly transmitted or not.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 19:21, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

<div style="background-color:#CCCCCC;">'''Please remember to sign your postings by adding four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>) to the end of your contribution. This will automatically add your username and the date/time of your post, like so: [[User:RobF|RobF]] 14:15, 15 January 2012 (UTC)'''</div>

The largest changes I see are in expectations and perceptions of the world, especially resulting from the amount of, and lack of standardization and quality controls on information available. I will use the hypothetical example of a car company to illustrate: Because there is so much information available on this hypothetical car company, anything that happens, whether good or bad, has the potential to be widely publicized. Let's say they have a part that failed on some cars, and instituted a recall. In the past, if this was a small issue, it could be done quietly. With the easy access to information, what was previously a small recall, only impacting a few customers (inevitable with such a complex product), it may make big news. Or it may go unnoticed in the flood of information available, even if it was in reality, rather serious. If a potential customer is trying to decide on a car to buy, they may learn of this recall, and have second thoughts. This may be for legitimate reasons, or it may be something that is not the company's fault, and possibly other companies the customer is considering may even be much worse. But, seeing this safety recall, and becoming concerned, the potential customer may now purchase a car from a competitor. The information in an improper context may give the customer a false impression. It may also be something that is not normally considered important. A dashboard gizmo may be something most car companies don't normally consider as important, and doesn't undergo as rigorous as testing. A simple recall, and the problem is a non-issue safety wise. But that's not how the customer perceives it. A similar example can be found in employers screening job applicants with a web search. If there are say, embarrassing photos found of the applicant at a party in college, this may seriously harm the applicant's chances. All the while, the other 4 applicants may have even worse pictures, but they simply don't come up to the top of the search results. These types of possibilities change both how we perceive the world, and what we expect out of entities in the world, because of the mere possibility of data being discovered. [[User:BlakeGeno|BlakeGeno]] 19:18, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I think digital technologies' most significant effects so far have included fundamentally altering how people view themselves w/r/t society as a whole. Previously people viewed themselves as either being recognized or ignored by media that monopolized the civic discourse on many levels, now there are plenty of platforms for people to present themselves and be legitimated on their own terms. Tools and platforms for creating and distributing art (movies, music, podcasts etc.) certainly play a role in that, but so have social networking platforms, where folks can connect with other like-minded people and coordinate brick and mortar, face-to-face interactions (movie screenings, lectures, art shows, discussion groups, etc.)[[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 04:12, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Despite the assigned articles we just read about some of the ways governments try to limit online activity and sharing, to me the most significant changes brought about by the spread of digital technologies are all related to freedom of information and the vast amount of information now accessible. This has political implications in both huge and radical ways (like the way Twitter is used as a organizing tool in many of the Arab Spring movements) and in smaller ways that fit within existing political structures but empower the average person much more (with the internet, I can check any American Senator's voting record, write a letter directly to my congresswoman, etc.). It also has cultural and social implications in the way ideas spread and are shared and altered. Regardless of where you are born or living, you can find people who hold almost any political/social/cultural/religious views online somewhere, and make that your primary community, rather than the one you physically live in. The sheer amount of information and connectedness made possible by the spread of digital technology are at the heart of most major changes based off that technology. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 16:34, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Freedom. Users have the ability to post any piece of information they wish using digital technologies. This platform is free and happens in real time causing an immediate impact. Put to good use these, digital technologies such as Twitter can connect high school friends in a matter of minutes. Likewise, the same communication method could be used to post a video bullying classmates for being different. The impact of both situations is immediate and with real consequences. The question remains how much policing is necessary to continue maintaining an accessible environment. HopeS 17:15, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

"Perfect enforcement" by the government utilizing the internet and the growing number of tethering devices is a an area of interest of mine. One would be wise to question the extent to which we are likely to be monitored by the government, knowingly or unknowingly, as technology grows. In addition, I am also interested in the drastic political change that social media is capable of spurring. I am interested in learning more about the extent to which governments may be involved, now and in the future. Lastly, I would like to explore potential innovative educational opportunities that may be created in developing nations with the advent of virtual classrooms and online academies. [[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:34, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

The Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace treats the internet as if it were a public good. However, it does not consider that the Internet is not free and therefore it can and will be regulated to a certain extent. Governments will seek to regulate the Internet on some issues, while corporations that subsidize news, Web content, and even access - via mobile devices will censor the net on other issues. The remaining "free space" of the Internet and pressure that the public at large can apply to advertisers and commercial interests that build out the infrastructure access to the web, is the space that will be left over for this utopian "social contract" that will enforce Web behavior. Demands for increased access and less regulation will be met with the challenges of governments and entities that will provide that infrastructure, perhaps shaping the Internet in a very different way, and this is what I see as the next big challenge of the digital age. ˜˜˜˜ Rberk2012 20:27 January 23, 2012

I believe the most significant change brought forth by the internet has been the globalization of the marketplace. First, firms now have the capacity to do business without any real barriers, and in real-time. A small business in Germany, for instance, can now conduct business with a small business in the United States. Communication barriers have been eliminated. Firms can communicate with each other cost-effectively and immediately through things like Skype/VOIP and email. This also holds true for the business-to-customer relationship with the substantial role eCommerce plays for the majority of the population. Secondly, I believe the dissemination of information is another significant change. Questions and curiosities that may have taken a vast amount of personal time and research can now be accessed almost instantaneously via a cell phone with apps like Wikipedia. Similarly, one can even attend school without ever stepping foot into a classroom. [[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 02:10, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

With digital technologies, access to information is available for everyone to access immediately. This can have both positive and negative consequences, depending on your vantage point. Consider WikiLeaks.org: For the government, it represents a gross breach of national security, but for concerned citizens, such organizations provide a public service, forcing the government to be more transparent. This raises a number of important questions regarding freedom of speech, privacy, regulatory controls, and even third parties on the web that host or store popular/unpopular content on their servers. Who has the authority to say what content is appropriate for public consumption? Anyone with access to the internet can publish anything they want, and unlike WikiLeaks, may make no attempt at redacting sensitive material. As Zittrain points out, the internet was designed to be “generative”; it was created to “accept any contribution”. Should the government have the power to censor such content, even if it stored outside of U.S. jurisdiction? If so, where does this censorship end? [[User:Joymiller|Joymiller]] 02:14, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Instant consumption of accessible information in an international context. Users have the ability to obtain as well as post unfiltered real-time data through an assortment of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. As the speed of information increases through these media sources, it becomes more difficult to verify the legitimacy of these sites. Readers must process the unfiltered information analytically and are obligated to perform own due diligence. Big business and government have acknowledged the use of social media as a tool to create a more efficient marketing plan through sentiment analysis. [[User:Szakuto|Szakuto]] 02:36, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I am very interested in the digital divide from generational, economic, and geographic perspectives. When I was living in South Africa, the impact of slow, unreliable, and expensive Internet controlled by an entrenched monopoly had a very noticeable effect on my organization's ability to meet international expectations and on the degree to which people were willing and able to interact with new technologies. As certain regions blaze ahead digitally, it seems that other regions will only fall further behind the rapidly increasing expectations for connectivity, productivity, and innovation. I’m reminded of a section of Paul Collier’s The Bottom Billion (which I admittedly haven’t read recently so apologies for mangling this) where he discusses a window in the the 1970s where Africa had an opportunity to be competitive with Asia in manufacturing and the textile industry but, missing its opportunity, was unable to find a competitive toehold later resulting in severe economic ramifications. I’m interested in exploring how disparities in opportunity and access can be addressed and how the egalitarian, democratic ideals of many Internet users can be leveraged to reach out to people who are currently excluded from the system. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:48, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

The most significant changes brought on by digital technologies have been the increased ease-of-access to information around the world, the result of which has been a domino effect still taking place. The transfer of technology that is studied in economics, where a lesser developed country gains from the investment of a richer one, is taking place in the form of the spread of information around the world. This mass transfer has triggered milestone events in academics, economics, science and government. Significant challenges that may come from these rapidly developing technologies will be a divide on the interpretation of what they were developed for ("social" news vs traditional news media) and ultimately if they can be used to improve the quality of life for the majority of people. [[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 02:50, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

It is my understanding that the most significant changes that digital technologies brought on us, is how we access information we are looking for. In the past, we relied on books and libraries to provide us with any kind of information even though most of it was outdated, but today we can gain access to any type of information within minutes and information that is up to date and always updating. With this, of course we have noticed challenges it has given us. We cannot know what information is reliable, and which is not. [[User:Erzhik|Erzhik]] 11:05, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

In the recent years, advances in the digital technologies have changed the world communicate and the way we live. Information are accessible at our palm. It has decrease the distance of time and space as communication is now very convenient with the creation of smartphones and the various social media people use to keep in touch with each other. We also moved from being passive consumers to active creators of news which were not available for us before. The interactions we experience through the technology also created a new common ground for us to understand different culture and people from all around the world. However, the advantages of these connections also bring into light many questions. For examples, how those informations are used and where to draw the line of privacy in regards to what we share. [[User:Selina2012|Selina2012]] 14:07, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I believe that people’s lives have changed drastically over the past years because of the Internet. From my point of view, I don’t need to go out and buy a newspaper to know what is going on, but simply turn on my computer and go on Wikipedia or any news website. Another example concerns communication; I live in Italy and yet I can follow lectures and be enrolled in a degree program without having to physically be in the classroom. A few years ago I interned at the District Attorney’s Office, and among other duties I was asked to search for criminal history of certain suspects; what I thought would be a lengthy task, involving thousands of paper files, actually took me less than a minute by accessing a specific online database. In conclusion, I feel that digital technologies have made life easier and have allowed people with limited resources to gain knowledge by simply surfing the web. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 16:05, 24 January 2012 (UTC) Emanuele

While Arab Spring and Wikileaks immediately jump to mind when I think of major events and changes that were enabled by digital technologies, only recently did those events became a real force. While the freedom to immediately access an abundant amount of information (and information overload) in many countries is certainly a significant change brought on by digital technologies, the community should be seriously considered as well. I think our sense of community, for good and bad, has changed with the advent of digital technologies. You can be connected to so many people over the Internet in an instant and your community is independent of your geographical location. Examples include blogging, social platforms like Facebook, MMOs like WoW and Call of Duty, Quora, Reddit, and Internet Relay Chat (and tons more!). [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 05:24, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

The most profound challenges visible today regarding the advent of dynamic digital technologies seems to be the wanton attempts at futilely regulating internet access and use, (e.g. Stop Online Piracy Act, [SOPA], Protect Intellectual Property Act, [PIPA]), and a topic that Cory Doctorow refers to as "The Coming War on General Computation" (a topic that the introduction of Jonathan Zittrain's book, which has conveniently been assigned as required reading for this course, hints at discussing in some depth). The debate on legislature like SOPA and PIPA arrives at a question quite familiar to the citizens of a post 9/11 society (Patriot Act, NDAA 2012), should individual freedoms, privacy, or constitutional rights be violated in the interest of the rights of copyright holders or government interests? The answer, it seems, should of course be no. The debate, however, is somehow being held on the floors of the United States Congress, and Senate. With regard to general purpose computers, the discussion circles around special purpose devices. Zittrain calls the iPhone and the XBox "sterile appliances tethered to a network of control." Perhaps he's right, as mobile devices recently took heat for hosting key logging/location monitoring software made to fit on your cute little smartphone by Carrier IQ. Similarly Sony took heat for prosecuting hacker George "Geohotz" Hotz and Alex Egorenkov "graf_chokolo" of "fail0verflow" for installing Linux onto the Playstation 3 after Sony removed their "Other OS" support. The topic under debate here, should individuals be able to use something they purchased in legal ways to do whatever they see fit? Ultimately the challenges we face are indicative of the greatest advent to come out of the Technological Revolution, the ability for individuals to disseminate information and rally support against corporate and government interests.

Doctorow, Cory. "The Coming War on General Computation" Keynote Speech 28c3 Conference 2011. Video. Web 1/24/2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUEvRyemKSg

Doctorow, Cory. "The Coming War on General Computation" Keynote Speech 28c3 Conference 2011 Transcript. Web 1/24/2012.

https://github.com/jwise/28c3-doctorow/blob/master/transcript.md

Kravets, David. "Carrier IQ Explains Secret Monitoring Software to FTC, FCC" Wired 14 Dec 2011. Web 1/24/2012.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/carrieriq-ftc-fcc/

Wikipedia. "Sony Computer Entertainment America v. George Hotz." Web 1/24/2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment_America_v._George_Hotz

Zittrain, Jonathan ''The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It.'' Introduction. 2008 Yale University Press. HTML Version. Web 1/24/2012.

http://yupnet.org/zittrain/archives/6

[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 16:30, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I think that digital technologies have increased the pace of life. For instance, a letter sent by original mail takes much longer to receive than one sent by email. This means that you can (and are expected to) reply much sooner too. Further, I think that digital technologies require a different set of skills for various professions. I am originally from The Netherlands and used to be a lawyer there. I find that it is not not only important how much you know, but also how fast you can find something, e.g. case law, rules and regulations or any informaton about a person or a company. The internet, but also various other (digital) databases, have made the latter much easier. The ability to use these digital technologies have become very important. Digital technologies have also a big impact on maintaining relationships. I live and have lived on another continent and in a different time zone for almost two years now, but thanks to Skype, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp and email, I am still very much involved in and informed on the lives of my friends, family and former colleagues overseas.[[User:Marjolein Siegenthaler|Marjolein Siegenthaler]] 18:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

In the social sphere, I would say that digital technology has brought people closer together because it is so much easier to communicate by email. There are even fast and, it seems, often successful services for mates to find each other.
In all of the social, cultural, and political areas, I think it is easier to sway the masses with trends and fashions, and many people easily follow along with whatever is portrayed as the in thing. News reaches people more quickly, and can easily be manipulated, depending on who is in control of the media. On the other side of the coin, social media such as Face Book, Skype, and Youtube make it possible for many opinions to be aired publicly, not only the voice of the news media. These capabilities were not so readily available before the spread of digital technologies.
Trade and commerce can be transacted much more quickly than ever before over the internet.[[User:Mike|Mike]] 18:26, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I would be quite remiss if I did not mention the numerous freedoms that digital technology, the internet included, provides. Not only is communication enabled on a greater, more accessible, real-time platform, but also the freedom of the content of that communication. While these freedoms have granted exceptional benefits, ranging from market-level trading (as is done between the European, East Asian, and American Markets), to revolutionary movements (the Arab Spring), they also come with drawbacks. These drawbacks are based upon the legal standing of communication in those countries where it can be an issue. Once digital technology is broken down to its basic form, it is merely a means of communication, no different than a print newspaper, a poster board, a phonograph, or a TV or radio signal. All of these forms of communication have limits on their communication, either through decency laws, copyright protection, or FCC regulation. The internet, or any digital medium for that matter, does not necessarily fall under a specific, current legal code, particularly because of the anonymity of the internet, including the anonymity of nationality. Unfortunately old legislation that is applied to current digital medium was written for tangible, real items, rather than virtual items as a digital medium. This creates the problem of controlling or regulating that medium to conform to established standards for non-digital medium, and unfortunately, that is increasingly difficult given the propensity of the digital world to exist outside of borders, and outside of jurisdictions.[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 18:33, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

To even begin to quantify the changes that technology has brought to our lives, good and bad, would be an enormous task. But, from a largely legal perspective, I would say that the greatest change in our societies and lives is our understanding of privacy. For ever piece of digital technology that we enjoy there are potential losses to our privacy. Right at this moment I am withing three feet of three different machines that could be used to not only track my location at any time, but could also be monitored to trove my emails, text messages, and phone calls. These "not really consented to" examples are only one aspect. In addition, we now live in a time when even the privacy afforded by something being in the past is lost. How many 15 year old girls out there will post racy pictures of themselves on facebook or tweet idiotic nonsense and have it reappear in decades to come because of the potentially indelible nature of the internet and all information fed to it. Also, we live in a time when almost any aspect of a person's life could be affected by their credit score, but it is at greater risk of violation than s preacher's daughter with a six pack. All our money and personal information is becoming virtual, yet there is no real protection against that being used; if someone wants it they will get it. It worries me that the risk of all this change in legal privacy is not entirely a reality to us yet.
[[User:Cmartis|Cmartis]] 19:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Along with all the good uses of technology available today, we cannot overlook that shady people and their organizations utilize those same tools to harm society and cultures. One example is Child trafficking which has grown in part as a result of the advances in technology and the use of the internet which vehicle makes the demand market grow tremendously and easily obtainable by traffickers and buyers worldwide. Secondly Auctions are held in live mode where a buyer or a john can view children’s’ photographs and make the deal all via his/her computer. Thirdly, child sex tourism is one of the world's largest industries, which also feeds off of electronic communications and child trafficking continues to grow rapidly, where it has surpass the illegal gun trade and perhaps it will surpass the illegal drug trade. It has become integrated into the economy of many countries. However it underscores the fact that child trafficking and slavery truly represent the trading of children as tinny commodities whom are traded for money and profitability increases with each trade, and the vicious cycle continues when advances in technology fallen into the wrong hands. Sophia 11:51, 24 january 2012 (UTC)

First thing that comes to mind is easy accessibility to information, how we quickly receive and disseminate data, and communicate with one another enabling new forms of human interaction through various devices, social media, news sites, etc . Also, new platforms that provide millions to rally against badly written legislation (SOPA/PIPA) or support various causes in developing countries, and voice political concerns/opinions that can now be heard on a global scale. As digital technologies have increased, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in how we use and link traditional communications such as mobile and TV, driving necessary recalibrations in advertising, commerce, agriculture, business, education, health, etc. It’s quite remarkable that a 19 yr old can start a blog from a remote location (parent’s house in Scotland) and turn it into one of the world’s largest news websites with 50+ million monthly page views and a substantially growing business with 50+ employees in just a short time. Or how the continuous spread of online education efforts are wearing down traditional views on schooling. Or how Google has completely changed the way we seek information and Facebook has revolutionized how we’re connected through social media becoming one of the world’s most powerful and universal platforms across many countries, ages, races, etc. Or how a 26 yr old professor is using machine-learning programs similar to what Google/Facebook uses to develop AI programs that uncover how genes lead to disease. These digital breakthroughs are reshaping and redefining industries, cultures, the way we interact, and changing our way of life around the globe.[[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 20:01, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I like to think about two big changes Internet provoked in communication. The first one is how it keeps turning tangible media obsolete, providing instant access to content that had to be transported. For books, as example, you have to go to a bookstore and if it was out of stock had to wait to arrive, something that changed to an instant buy behavior. The other point is how it changed the way we communicate with our family. We use to spend money on long-distance phone calls, that now are made using Skype. Not only this, the fact that you are not paying for each minute makes a huge impact on conversations, for some people making them longer chats.[[User:Andrepase|Andrepase]] 20:06, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Politics and Technology of Control: Introduction

2012-01-24T21:40:01Z

Mvalerio: /* Class Discussion */

{{ClassCalendar}}
'''January 24'''

The Net has great potential for “good” (e.g. innovation, economic growth, education, and access to information), and likewise is a great platform for the bawdy, tawdry and illegal. Is this platform about fundamental social, political and economic change, or about easier access to pornography, cheap pharmaceuticals, free music and poker at home? This question leads us to a host of interesting issues that weave their way through the course related to openness, access, regulatory control, free speech, anonymity, intellectual property rights, democracy, transparency, norms and values, economic and cultural change, and cyber-terrorism, as well as scamsters and thieves.

== Preparation (Assignment "Zero") ==

* Reflect on what you believe are the most significant social, cultural, political or economic changes associated with the spread of digital technologies?
In a few sentences, please offer 2-3 examples in the Class Discussion section below and be prepared to discuss them during class.

<onlyinclude>

== Readings ==

* [http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~zs/decl.html John Perry Barlow, A Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace]

* [http://www.legalaffairs.org/printerfriendly.msp?id=961 Jack Goldsmith & Tim Wu, Digital Borders]

* [http://futureoftheinternet.org/ Jonathan Zittrain, The Future of the Internet - Chapters 1 & 2]

== Optional Readings ==

* [http://www.cluetrain.com Chris Locke, Doc Searls & David Weinberger, Cluetrain Manifesto] (just the manifesto)

</onlyinclude>

== Videos Watched in Class ==

== Class Discussion ==
''The most significant changes and challenges brought on by digital technologies.''

What comes to mind immediately is the use of Twitter and Facebook with regards to the Arab Springs and Occupy movements. Economically, the 2010 "flash crash" and dynamics behind with regards to global economies are of significance. Also, as cloud computing is becoming more abundant, I wonder what role it will play with regards to this spectrum.

With the spread of digital technologies there have been many changes in the social, cultural, political and economic aspects in the world. For example, in the social aspect, the necessity to be with others has been decreasing over time due to social media and smart devices. It comes to mind the now popular image of a group of people being together in a table but chatting in their smart phones, or the number of friends one can have from other countries. Likewise, in the political field we can say that the Internet propitiated the Arab Spring, helping countries in the Middle East like Egypt, Morocco and Libya to fight against their leaders. Finally, we have seen a cultural change in how people get informed and interpret information; before the digital technologies were part of our lives, people read only the local newspapers, but now people can read foreign newspapers, magazines, blogs and different sources of information, and judge by themselves whether inside their countries the news are being properly transmitted or not.[[User:Fabiancelisj|Fabiancelisj]] 19:21, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

<div style="background-color:#CCCCCC;">'''Please remember to sign your postings by adding four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>) to the end of your contribution. This will automatically add your username and the date/time of your post, like so: [[User:RobF|RobF]] 14:15, 15 January 2012 (UTC)'''</div>

The largest changes I see are in expectations and perceptions of the world, especially resulting from the amount of, and lack of standardization and quality controls on information available. I will use the hypothetical example of a car company to illustrate: Because there is so much information available on this hypothetical car company, anything that happens, whether good or bad, has the potential to be widely publicized. Let's say they have a part that failed on some cars, and instituted a recall. In the past, if this was a small issue, it could be done quietly. With the easy access to information, what was previously a small recall, only impacting a few customers (inevitable with such a complex product), it may make big news. Or it may go unnoticed in the flood of information available, even if it was in reality, rather serious. If a potential customer is trying to decide on a car to buy, they may learn of this recall, and have second thoughts. This may be for legitimate reasons, or it may be something that is not the company's fault, and possibly other companies the customer is considering may even be much worse. But, seeing this safety recall, and becoming concerned, the potential customer may now purchase a car from a competitor. The information in an improper context may give the customer a false impression. It may also be something that is not normally considered important. A dashboard gizmo may be something most car companies don't normally consider as important, and doesn't undergo as rigorous as testing. A simple recall, and the problem is a non-issue safety wise. But that's not how the customer perceives it. A similar example can be found in employers screening job applicants with a web search. If there are say, embarrassing photos found of the applicant at a party in college, this may seriously harm the applicant's chances. All the while, the other 4 applicants may have even worse pictures, but they simply don't come up to the top of the search results. These types of possibilities change both how we perceive the world, and what we expect out of entities in the world, because of the mere possibility of data being discovered. [[User:BlakeGeno|BlakeGeno]] 19:18, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I think digital technologies' most significant effects so far have included fundamentally altering how people view themselves w/r/t society as a whole. Previously people viewed themselves as either being recognized or ignored by media that monopolized the civic discourse on many levels, now there are plenty of platforms for people to present themselves and be legitimated on their own terms. Tools and platforms for creating and distributing art (movies, music, podcasts etc.) certainly play a role in that, but so have social networking platforms, where folks can connect with other like-minded people and coordinate brick and mortar, face-to-face interactions (movie screenings, lectures, art shows, discussion groups, etc.)[[User:David Taber|David Taber]] 04:12, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Despite the assigned articles we just read about some of the ways governments try to limit online activity and sharing, to me the most significant changes brought about by the spread of digital technologies are all related to freedom of information and the vast amount of information now accessible. This has political implications in both huge and radical ways (like the way Twitter is used as a organizing tool in many of the Arab Spring movements) and in smaller ways that fit within existing political structures but empower the average person much more (with the internet, I can check any American Senator's voting record, write a letter directly to my congresswoman, etc.). It also has cultural and social implications in the way ideas spread and are shared and altered. Regardless of where you are born or living, you can find people who hold almost any political/social/cultural/religious views online somewhere, and make that your primary community, rather than the one you physically live in. The sheer amount of information and connectedness made possible by the spread of digital technology are at the heart of most major changes based off that technology. [[User:AlexLE|AlexLE]] 16:34, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Freedom. Users have the ability to post any piece of information they wish using digital technologies. This platform is free and happens in real time causing an immediate impact. Put to good use these, digital technologies such as Twitter can connect high school friends in a matter of minutes. Likewise, the same communication method could be used to post a video bullying classmates for being different. The impact of both situations is immediate and with real consequences. The question remains how much policing is necessary to continue maintaining an accessible environment. HopeS 17:15, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

"Perfect enforcement" by the government utilizing the internet and the growing number of tethering devices is a an area of interest of mine. One would be wise to question the extent to which we are likely to be monitored by the government, knowingly or unknowingly, as technology grows. In addition, I am also interested in the drastic political change that social media is capable of spurring. I am interested in learning more about the extent to which governments may be involved, now and in the future. Lastly, I would like to explore potential innovative educational opportunities that may be created in developing nations with the advent of virtual classrooms and online academies. [[User:Cfleming27|Cfleming27]] 22:34, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

The Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace treats the internet as if it were a public good. However, it does not consider that the Internet is not free and therefore it can and will be regulated to a certain extent. Governments will seek to regulate the Internet on some issues, while corporations that subsidize news, Web content, and even access - via mobile devices will censor the net on other issues. The remaining "free space" of the Internet and pressure that the public at large can apply to advertisers and commercial interests that build out the infrastructure access to the web, is the space that will be left over for this utopian "social contract" that will enforce Web behavior. Demands for increased access and less regulation will be met with the challenges of governments and entities that will provide that infrastructure, perhaps shaping the Internet in a very different way, and this is what I see as the next big challenge of the digital age. ˜˜˜˜ Rberk2012 20:27 January 23, 2012

I believe the most significant change brought forth by the internet has been the globalization of the marketplace. First, firms now have the capacity to do business without any real barriers, and in real-time. A small business in Germany, for instance, can now conduct business with a small business in the United States. Communication barriers have been eliminated. Firms can communicate with each other cost-effectively and immediately through things like Skype/VOIP and email. This also holds true for the business-to-customer relationship with the substantial role eCommerce plays for the majority of the population. Secondly, I believe the dissemination of information is another significant change. Questions and curiosities that may have taken a vast amount of personal time and research can now be accessed almost instantaneously via a cell phone with apps like Wikipedia. Similarly, one can even attend school without ever stepping foot into a classroom. [[User:JeffKimble|JeffKimble]] 02:10, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

With digital technologies, access to information is available for everyone to access immediately. This can have both positive and negative consequences, depending on your vantage point. Consider WikiLeaks.org: For the government, it represents a gross breach of national security, but for concerned citizens, such organizations provide a public service, forcing the government to be more transparent. This raises a number of important questions regarding freedom of speech, privacy, regulatory controls, and even third parties on the web that host or store popular/unpopular content on their servers. Who has the authority to say what content is appropriate for public consumption? Anyone with access to the internet can publish anything they want, and unlike WikiLeaks, may make no attempt at redacting sensitive material. As Zittrain points out, the internet was designed to be “generative”; it was created to “accept any contribution”. Should the government have the power to censor such content, even if it stored outside of U.S. jurisdiction? If so, where does this censorship end? [[User:Joymiller|Joymiller]] 02:14, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Instant consumption of accessible information in an international context. Users have the ability to obtain as well as post unfiltered real-time data through an assortment of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. As the speed of information increases through these media sources, it becomes more difficult to verify the legitimacy of these sites. Readers must process the unfiltered information analytically and are obligated to perform own due diligence. Big business and government have acknowledged the use of social media as a tool to create a more efficient marketing plan through sentiment analysis. [[User:Szakuto|Szakuto]] 02:36, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I am very interested in the digital divide from generational, economic, and geographic perspectives. When I was living in South Africa, the impact of slow, unreliable, and expensive Internet controlled by an entrenched monopoly had a very noticeable effect on my organization's ability to meet international expectations and on the degree to which people were willing and able to interact with new technologies. As certain regions blaze ahead digitally, it seems that other regions will only fall further behind the rapidly increasing expectations for connectivity, productivity, and innovation. I’m reminded of a section of Paul Collier’s The Bottom Billion (which I admittedly haven’t read recently so apologies for mangling this) where he discusses a window in the the 1970s where Africa had an opportunity to be competitive with Asia in manufacturing and the textile industry but, missing its opportunity, was unable to find a competitive toehold later resulting in severe economic ramifications. I’m interested in exploring how disparities in opportunity and access can be addressed and how the egalitarian, democratic ideals of many Internet users can be leveraged to reach out to people who are currently excluded from the system. [[User:Aditkowsky|Aditkowsky]] 02:48, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

The most significant changes brought on by digital technologies have been the increased ease-of-access to information around the world, the result of which has been a domino effect still taking place. The transfer of technology that is studied in economics, where a lesser developed country gains from the investment of a richer one, is taking place in the form of the spread of information around the world. This mass transfer has triggered milestone events in academics, economics, science and government. Significant challenges that may come from these rapidly developing technologies will be a divide on the interpretation of what they were developed for ("social" news vs traditional news media) and ultimately if they can be used to improve the quality of life for the majority of people. [[User:Brendanlong|Brendanlong]] 02:50, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

It is my understanding that the most significant changes that digital technologies brought on us, is how we access information we are looking for. In the past, we relied on books and libraries to provide us with any kind of information even though most of it was outdated, but today we can gain access to any type of information within minutes and information that is up to date and always updating. With this, of course we have noticed challenges it has given us. We cannot know what information is reliable, and which is not. [[User:Erzhik|Erzhik]] 11:05, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

In the recent years, advances in the digital technologies have changed the world communicate and the way we live. Information are accessible at our palm. It has decrease the distance of time and space as communication is now very convenient with the creation of smartphones and the various social media people use to keep in touch with each other. We also moved from being passive consumers to active creators of news which were not available for us before. The interactions we experience through the technology also created a new common ground for us to understand different culture and people from all around the world. However, the advantages of these connections also bring into light many questions. For examples, how those informations are used and where to draw the line of privacy in regards to what we share. [[User:Selina2012|Selina2012]] 14:07, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I believe that people’s lives have changed drastically over the past years because of the Internet. From my point of view, I don’t need to go out and buy a newspaper to know what is going on, but simply turn on my computer and go on Wikipedia or any news website. Another example concerns communication; I live in Italy and yet I can follow lectures and be enrolled in a degree program without having to physically be in the classroom. A few years ago I interned at the District Attorney’s Office, and among other duties I was asked to search for criminal history of certain suspects; what I thought would be a lengthy task, involving thousands of paper files, actually took me less than a minute by accessing a specific online database. In conclusion, I feel that digital technologies have made life easier and have allowed people with limited resources to gain knowledge by simply surfing the web. [[User:Emanuele|Emanuele]] 16:05, 24 January 2012 (UTC) Emanuele

While Arab Spring and Wikileaks immediately jump to mind when I think of major events and changes that were enabled by digital technologies, only recently did those events became a real force. While the freedom to immediately access an abundant amount of information (and information overload) in many countries is certainly a significant change brought on by digital technologies, the community should be seriously considered as well. I think our sense of community, for good and bad, has changed with the advent of digital technologies. You can be connected to so many people over the Internet in an instant and your community is independent of your geographical location. Examples include blogging, social platforms like Facebook, MMOs like WoW and Call of Duty, Quora, Reddit, and Internet Relay Chat (and tons more!). [[User:Aberg|Aberg]] 05:24, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

The most profound challenges visible today regarding the advent of dynamic digital technologies seems to be the wanton attempts at futilely regulating internet access and use, (e.g. Stop Online Piracy Act, [SOPA], Protect Intellectual Property Act, [PIPA]), and a topic that Cory Doctorow refers to as "The Coming War on General Computation" (a topic that the introduction of Jonathan Zittrain's book, which has conveniently been assigned as required reading for this course, hints at discussing in some depth). The debate on legislature like SOPA and PIPA arrives at a question quite familiar to the citizens of a post 9/11 society (Patriot Act, NDAA 2012), should individual freedoms, privacy, or constitutional rights be violated in the interest of the rights of copyright holders or government interests? The answer, it seems, should of course be no. The debate, however, is somehow being held on the floors of the United States Congress, and Senate. With regard to general purpose computers, the discussion circles around special purpose devices. Zittrain calls the iPhone and the XBox "sterile appliances tethered to a network of control." Perhaps he's right, as mobile devices recently took heat for hosting key logging/location monitoring software made to fit on your cute little smartphone by Carrier IQ. Similarly Sony took heat for prosecuting hacker George "Geohotz" Hotz and Alex Egorenkov "graf_chokolo" of "fail0verflow" for installing Linux onto the Playstation 3 after Sony removed their "Other OS" support. The topic under debate here, should individuals be able to use something they purchased in legal ways to do whatever they see fit? Ultimately the challenges we face are indicative of the greatest advent to come out of the Technological Revolution, the ability for individuals to disseminate information and rally support against corporate and government interests.

Doctorow, Cory. "The Coming War on General Computation" Keynote Speech 28c3 Conference 2011. Video. Web 1/24/2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUEvRyemKSg

Doctorow, Cory. "The Coming War on General Computation" Keynote Speech 28c3 Conference 2011 Transcript. Web 1/24/2012.

https://github.com/jwise/28c3-doctorow/blob/master/transcript.md

Kravets, David. "Carrier IQ Explains Secret Monitoring Software to FTC, FCC" Wired 14 Dec 2011. Web 1/24/2012.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/carrieriq-ftc-fcc/

Wikipedia. "Sony Computer Entertainment America v. George Hotz." Web 1/24/2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment_America_v._George_Hotz

Zittrain, Jonathan ''The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It.'' Introduction. 2008 Yale University Press. HTML Version. Web 1/24/2012.

http://yupnet.org/zittrain/archives/6

[[User:BSK342|BSK342]] 16:30, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I think that digital technologies have increased the pace of life. For instance, a letter sent by original mail takes much longer to receive than one sent by email. This means that you can (and are expected to) reply much sooner too. Further, I think that digital technologies require a different set of skills for various professions. I am originally from The Netherlands and used to be a lawyer there. I find that it is not not only important how much you know, but also how fast you can find something, e.g. case law, rules and regulations or any informaton about a person or a company. The internet, but also various other (digital) databases, have made the latter much easier. The ability to use these digital technologies have become very important. Digital technologies have also a big impact on maintaining relationships. I live and have lived on another continent and in a different time zone for almost two years now, but thanks to Skype, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp and email, I am still very much involved in and informed on the lives of my friends, family and former colleagues overseas.[[User:Marjolein Siegenthaler|Marjolein Siegenthaler]] 18:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

In the social sphere, I would say that digital technology has brought people closer together because it is so much easier to communicate by email. There are even fast and, it seems, often successful services for mates to find each other.
In all of the social, cultural, and political areas, I think it is easier to sway the masses with trends and fashions, and many people easily follow along with whatever is portrayed as the in thing. News reaches people more quickly, and can easily be manipulated, depending on who is in control of the media. On the other side of the coin, social media such as Face Book, Skype, and Youtube make it possible for many opinions to be aired publicly, not only the voice of the news media. These capabilities were not so readily available before the spread of digital technologies.
Trade and commerce can be transacted much more quickly than ever before over the internet.[[User:Mike|Mike]] 18:26, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I would be quite remiss if I did not mention the numerous freedoms that digital technology, the internet included, provides. Not only is communication enabled on a greater, more accessible, real-time platform, but also the freedom of the content of that communication. While these freedoms have granted exceptional benefits, ranging from market-level trading (as is done between the European, East Asian, and American Markets), to revolutionary movements (the Arab Spring), they also come with drawbacks. These drawbacks are based upon the legal standing of communication in those countries where it can be an issue. Once digital technology is broken down to its basic form, it is merely a means of communication, no different than a print newspaper, a poster board, a phonograph, or a TV or radio signal. All of these forms of communication have limits on their communication, either through decency laws, copyright protection, or FCC regulation. The internet, or any digital medium for that matter, does not necessarily fall under a specific, current legal code, particularly because of the anonymity of the internet, including the anonymity of nationality. Unfortunately old legislation that is applied to current digital medium was written for tangible, real items, rather than virtual items as a digital medium. This creates the problem of controlling or regulating that medium to conform to established standards for non-digital medium, and unfortunately, that is increasingly difficult given the propensity of the digital world to exist outside of borders, and outside of jurisdictions.[[User:Nthib|Nthib]] 18:33, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

To even begin to quantify the changes that technology has brought to our lives, good and bad, would be an enormous task. But, from a largely legal perspective, I would say that the greatest change in our societies and lives is our understanding of privacy. For ever piece of digital technology that we enjoy there are potential losses to our privacy. Right at this moment I am withing three feet of three different machines that could be used to not only track my location at any time, but could also be monitored to trove my emails, text messages, and phone calls. These "not really consented to" examples are only one aspect. In addition, we now live in a time when even the privacy afforded by something being in the past is lost. How many 15 year old girls out there will post racy pictures of themselves on facebook or tweet idiotic nonsense and have it reappear in decades to come because of the potentially indelible nature of the internet and all information fed to it. Also, we live in a time when almost any aspect of a person's life could be affected by their credit score, but it is at greater risk of violation than s preacher's daughter with a six pack. All our money and personal information is becoming virtual, yet there is no real protection against that being used; if someone wants it they will get it. It worries me that the risk of all this change in legal privacy is not entirely a reality to us yet.
[[User:Cmartis|Cmartis]] 19:20, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Along with all the good uses of technology available today, we cannot overlook that shady people and their organizations utilize those same tools to harm society and cultures. One example is Child trafficking which has grown in part as a result of the advances in technology and the use of the internet which vehicle makes the demand market grow tremendously and easily obtainable by traffickers and buyers worldwide. Secondly Auctions are held in live mode where a buyer or a john can view children’s’ photographs and make the deal all via his/her computer. Thirdly, child sex tourism is one of the world's largest industries, which also feeds off of electronic communications and child trafficking continues to grow rapidly, where it has surpass the illegal gun trade and perhaps it will surpass the illegal drug trade. It has become integrated into the economy of many countries. However it underscores the fact that child trafficking and slavery truly represent the trading of children as tinny commodities whom are traded for money and profitability increases with each trade, and the vicious cycle continues when advances in technology fallen into the wrong hands. Sophia 11:51, 24 january 2012 (UTC)

First thing that comes to mind is easy accessibility to information, how we quickly receive and disseminate data, and communicate with one another enabling new forms of human interaction through various devices, social media, news sites, etc . Also, new platforms that provide millions to rally against badly written legislation (SOPA/PIPA) or support various causes in developing countries, and voice political concerns/opinions that can now be heard on a global scale. As digital technologies have increased, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in how we use and link traditional communications such as mobile and TV, driving necessary recalibrations in advertising, commerce, agriculture, business, education, health, etc. It’s quite remarkable that a 19 yr old can start a blog from a remote location (parent’s house in Scotland) and turn it into one of the world’s largest news websites with 50+ million monthly page views and a substantially growing business with 50+ employees in just a short time. Or how the continuous spread of online education efforts are wearing down traditional views on schooling. Or how Google has completely changed the way we seek information and Facebook has revolutionized how we’re connected through social media becoming one of the world’s most powerful and universal platforms across many countries, ages, races, etc. Or how a 26 yr old professor is using machine-learning programs similar to what Google/Facebook uses to develop AI programs that uncover how genes lead to disease. These digital breakthroughs are reshaping and redefining industries, cultures, the way we interact, and changing our way of life around the globe.[[User:JennLopez|JennLopez]] 20:01, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

I like to think about two big changes Internet provoked in communication. The first one is how it keeps turning tangible media obsolete, providing instant access to content that had to be transported. For books, as example, you have to go to a bookstore and if it was out of stock had to wait to arrive, something that changed to an instant buy behavior. The other point is how it changed the way we communicate with our family. We use to spend money on long-distance phone calls, that now are made using Skype. Not only this, the fact that you are not paying for each minute makes a huge impact on conversations, for some people making them longer chats.[[User:Andrepase|Andrepase]] 20:06, 24 January 2012 (UTC)