Interpersonal comm.

1.       Meetup.com relates to interpersonal relations because it allows a person to create a profile (their interests) and find people who share similar interests, as well as find events to go to that involve those interests.

2.       The tool allows people to meet online and in real life through the use of similar interests and events that users can choose to go to. It allows people to create relationships through meeting one another online and offline, and allows users to add each other through Facebook.

3.       I would say the most interesting part of the website is that it is compatible with Facebook. It allows users another outlet to find interests and see the other person’s profile prior to meeting them. As well as adding another way to chat with people through Facebook messages.

4.       There really was nothing too challenging about the website, it was pretty straight forward. The only irritating thing about it was the calendar where it set the events that you could go to in a week, rather than a day, and skips months unless the “next week” button is used. It took longer than I want to admit to fully grasp the correct usage of the calendar…

5.       I think the tool complicates communication, it allows people to find groups and create events, but it also allows users to meet via Facebook, with so many different ways to communicate and plan events it just seems to hinder the actual communication between people.

6.       I got irritated by the website through both trying to find interests, and the calendar. While choosing interests I actually enjoy, I found next to no events planned. So I just kept adding them, all the way up to 600 different interests. And yet still have a total of nine events between now and January. It just seems easier to plan things one on one rather than a whole group at a time.

Blogging and me

1.       Blogging allows for people to post their mind and what they think. They can post things about who they are, or about who they want to be. People can use blogs to share things that make them unique or they can blog just to let their opinion known. Blogs let people express themselves either anonymously to avoid conflicts, or with their actual name inviting people they know to share their opinions as well.

2.       Blogging allows people to post about things that are enjoyable or disappointing. People can post about their days, problems or even what they think about the newest trend in their topic of interest. Blogging allows people to share anything they want while choosing who sees it. All the while the information is just a refresh click or a Google question away. You can find other people who deal with similar problems as you, or share the same ideas as you just by looking through blogs.

3.        I found that customizing a blog gives so many different options that unless people actually try, no two blogs could be the same. Every person adds their own personal flair into it and writes about things that interest them. Even though blogs can have the same topic, the contents will always differ as peoples own opinions twist the blog into a unique way. Being able to make something completely your own and control it from start to finish just seems satisfying in its own way.

4.       The most interesting part of blogging I found is also the most difficult. Making the blog match your own personality through colour, background, font, or even widgets takes time and just makes its all the more rewarding when you finally finish and see what all that hard work was for. With so many different ways to change how the blog looks you don’t notice how much time you spend on it until you decide to add a clock feature and notice it has been an hour since you decided on the title for the blog.

5.       I think blogging can both improve and complicate communications. People can feel like they have more of a voice on the internet since most people who view their blog won’t know who they are unless there is something to connect that person on a more personal level. And some people feel more confident through blogging or posting comments because their voice is heard no matter what and their comment is hard to overlook while in actual conversation their comment may remain unheard or just ignored. However with people becoming more confident online rather than offline they detach themselves from people and avoid actual confrontations with people.

6.       All in all I think blogging can both be good and bad. It allows people to voice their opinions on their own blogs, or on other people’s blogs through comments, where they can be constructive or hurtful with their responses. It allows people to make something all their own from the ground up. They can customize basically everything about their blog and make it their own. Being able to be completely anonymous if one chooses can be bad though as one doesn’t need to worry so much of the consequences of their words.