Social Networking

Social Networking has brought our world closer together. With the use of Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, friends can keep in touch. In high school, a friend already attending college first introduced me to Facebook. I could not believe my eyes that something like this existed. It was incredible to me that you can be friends with people in your college that you do not even know personally and just meet up with them at the bar if you find something you like about them physically or even if you just have something in common. The friend that introduced me to Facebook had a girlfriend he met on the website and they were so perfect for each other which made me so excited to receive my college email to join the network (this is when Facebook was only for college students). Once I joined, I learned that you could find people that were attending the same University as you at the same time. This made me feel more comfortable to know people before I got to college. This introduction allows you to receive more information about the person then you would in face-to-face interaction. You can know how they look, what they like to do for fun, their favorite movies, etc. It was amazing how much you can learn about a person from one Facebook page. Then, I looked up my roommate. This was another amazing feature because we were able to communicate about who was bringing what to the apartment instead of just having to get there and bringing the same stuff. Other then getting to know people at your own university, I was able to meet my friend’s friends from their universities as well as keep in touch with high school friends. Then I started to get group initiations like “people who attended camp cedar like summer 2003” and there I got to be part of a network of all my old friends from camp. Some lived in Israel and all over the USA. I was able to catch up with them and see what they have been doing for the past 8 years. Now, Facebook is open to the public, everyone can join as long as they have an email. My mom is part of the Facebook community. She has the most wonderful time with it because she has been catching up with her old friends from high school. My mom for example, recently got divorced from my father and she has met up with a high school friend who also just got divorced. They went on a few dates and have been having a very nice time. I think it is so amazing that Facebook reconnects people and keeps people in touch. Without Facebook I would feel unconnected because I am so use to looking at it daily to see what everyone I know is up to. Here is a funny video I found that jokes about what Facebook is.

1 comment February 26, 2009

Carnival!!!

This whole week in Europe there has been the celebration of Carnival. Carnival is the week right before lent and it’s a masquerade party with parades and mobs and mobs of people. I decided to go to the one in Sitges because it is conveniently located thirty minutes outside of Barcelona.

Promoters had buses planned to take Americans here studying abroad for 27 Euros but I made the smart decision to go on renfe, which only cost me 4 Euros. Plus with the train, you could decide when you want to get there and come back instead of being there on an actual schedule.

My friends and me left around 11 pm since the parade was starting at 12. I have never seen the renfe station so packed with people. Not only people but people in costumes. It was so funny to see everyone all dressed up and how interesting choices of costume people chose. The train ride was also very funny since everyone was under consumption of I do not even know what.

Finally we arrived to what I would like to say one of the craziest nights of my life. I thought the train station was packed with people and that was not even close to how many people were outside in the streets. Everyone was full out in costume and makeup, singing and dancing, and watching the parade. Not only was it cool but also it was beautiful to see how into people get into this celebration.

There were people of all ages; from babies to grandparents, which I also found very interesting because being an American, I would never bring my one-year-old child to Carnival.

The parade was incredible. Such great music, costumes, and dancers. I loved every single cart that went by but my favorite has got to me these girls whose boobs were out and looked like they were suppose to be sexy but were really scary looking with masks on.

By 2:30 the parade was over and we were all dead and ready to get back to Barcelona. We ran through the mobs of people to get back to the train station and what is suppose to be a 5 minute walk took about an hour since there were so many crowds to walk through. The train station also had a 3-hour line to get on the next train but my American friends and me did some sneaky moves and cut the whole line!

All in all, this was the most amazing experience I’ve had in Barcelona. It really showed me how passionate the people were about Carnival and how everyone gets together no matter what age or race to celebrate!

Add a comment February 25, 2009

Multimedia Storytelling and Media Convergence

Multimedia Storytelling has taken over the formats of most websites that are produced today. The whole phenomenon of multimedia storytelling was formed because of the help of media convergence. Media convergence helped form multimedia storytelling because it allows the producer to have all types of media on one website. Now days, all types of media are put together to make things easier to understand and enjoy. For example, now with multimedia storytelling and media convergence, one can read the newspaper online and see a video clip all in one. This is an example of media convergence because you read the newspaper on a physical paper and watch the news on TV. Now you can read and watch all on the computer together on one website. Media convergence has made the audience get every part of the information together. If you read something and do not understand it, you can watch the video to make things clearer.

Multimedia storytelling gives the viewer control of what they want to read and what they do not. They can choose to read and watch a video of one part of a story and ignore others. This is a form of freedom for a reader which differs from the news or newspapers because the author is choosing for you what you have to know. Multimedia storytelling also makes the story very interactive. You can click through different parts and have some enjoyment in a story by getting different points of view in a story.

Click this link for examples of multimedia storytelling: click here (my favorite is the Barbie one, celebrating Barbie’s 50th anniversary. )

2 comments February 23, 2009

Milano

This weekend I had a great surprise! My father and baby brother came to Barcelona to visit me. I was soo happy to see them!! I took them to the most important places to see in Barcelona (see “things to see in barce” blog for most important). They really enjoyed it here. On Friday, we went to Milan. My dad had to go for business so he invited me to come. We flew Clickair; it was very cheap and clean. I have never flown this airline before so I was pretty nervous boarding the flight. I also have heard horror stories but they are all false, Clickair was fine and safe. If you fly into Marpensa airport, then I advise you to take the bus or train into Milan. This airport is extremely far from Milan, about 40 minutes, so it could be very expensive. The bus cost seven Euros and the train cost eleven Euros, plus it’s much faster. In Milan it is most important to see the Duomo Cathedral. This is the largest Gothic cathedral and the second largest Catholic cathedral in the world. It was the most beautiful I have ever seen. I would say the Vatican plus the Duomo are about on the same level. Around the Duomo there is also a beautiful square with many people hanging out. Across the square there is a beautiful entrance to a shopping are where you can find the nice brand stores plus affordable ones. If you want really good shopping, then go to Montenapoleone. Here you can find the typical Italian designers like Prada, Armani, and Versace. The prices are also cheaper then the states plus you get your tax back. Friday, I did all the touring and then Saturday I joined my dad on his business trip to Carrrara and attended his meetings with him. I felt like I saw much on Friday and Sunday, so I believe Milan could be seen in just a few days. I have been to many places in Italy before and did not really have the feeling like I was in Italy when visiting Milan. The reason why is because Milan is considered to be the “new” part of Italy, while places like Rome and Florence are more historical. If you do not have much time and want to visit Italy, I would not recommend going to Milan because there is so much more to see in other parts of Italy.

TIPS:

-I have traveled all over Italy and Milan has been my least favorite so if you have only a short time in Italy, don’t make Milan a priority.

Add a comment February 23, 2009

Citizen Journalism= True Jounrnalism

“The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others. For example, you might write about a city council meeting on your blog or in an online forum. Or you could fact-check a newspaper article from the mainstream media and point out factual errors or bias on your blog. Or you might snap a digital photo of a newsworthy event happening in your town and post it online. Or you might videotape a similar event and post it on a site such as YouTube.”

This definition was given by researcher Mark Glaser on http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/your-guide-to-citizen-journalism270.html.

With this definition as well as my extensive research plus class lecture on citizen journalism, I recognize along with accept the fact that citizen journalism does exist in our world today. If citizen journalism is good or bad, helpful or destructive, real or fake is all relative. We are all citizens in the world we live in and although we do not have the educational background to be a journalist of the New York Times, we all have the eligibility to spread information from person to person. A mother teachers her daughter about life, a father teacher his son about sports, a teacher teaches students language and math, a grandmother history, etc. A journalist has the power of spreading their story in a local or national newspaper and reach millions.

With the new media, anyone can use the same tools as a journalist to spread information. For example, with blogs, one can comment or correct what a so called “real” journalist has spread. This is a way that true information is always given to the mass population. If there was not such thing as a blog or other ways for the average human being to counteract a piece of information that was given, our world would be filled with puppets who receive information from the news and accept what ever is being told as true.

Another thing I really like about citizen journalism besides giving the average individual a voice is that its enjoyable. With youtube and the ability to make your own websites, anyone can spread a light type of information. Its not just information written by a journalists and gone through dozens of editing so that it is not controversial. Citizen journalism can use foul language, can poke fun at the president, and give and all around truthful beliefs. In the New York Times a reporter can not say how stupid George Bush or how fat Oprah is. In personal websites and blogs though, one can truly speak their mind and use the language and words that they wish to use.

Overall, citizen journalism is a genuine kind of journalism which gives everybody a voice in our should be free country.

1 comment February 16, 2009

Figueres, Girona, and Valencia

On Friday, CEA took us to Figueres and Girona. We arrived in Figueres to see the Dali Museum. I personally love Dali, so I found this museum to be amazing. My favorite Dali piece was the one of the clocks because it is just such a classic.
Then we had lunch time in this town which I did not like because there wasn’t many places to eat and this town was just very small.

Our next stop was Girona which I also loved. There were two parts to this city, the old and the new. The old was just fascinating. There was so much Jewish history which I really enjoyed to listen too because I feel like I have not learned anything Jewish yet. This is where the Jews had a ghetto and had to stay inside during certain hours. We also got a tour of a very nice cathedral.   

On Saturday morning, a few of my friends and I took the train into Valencia. This is where Florida State University has there campus in Spain so I was very excited to see where some of my fellow students were studying. We arrived to our hotel very early in the morning to check in. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which was the nicest Holiday Inn I have ever seen. It was also a great location, right near the museums. First we went to the city of arts and sciences and entered the Museum of Science which was incredible. My favorite floor was the one about the human body. I learned a lot. 

Since it was Valentines Day, my friends and I entered the historic city to walk around and explore and have a nice romantic lunch. The historic city was beautiful and very different from the city of arts and sciences. We had a wonderful lunch and just went back to the hotel early since we were traveling for so many hours.

The next morning we did not have much time so we just went to the Plaza de Toros for a Sunday market. I got a lot of junk food and it was just great!

1 comment February 15, 2009

Quick Day Getaway to Sitges

Sitges, located thirty minutes outside of Barcelona, is a perfect getaway for a weekend where you only have a day or two to spare. Luckily, the weekend CEA decided to bring us to this beach town, I did not have any travel plans. As we got off the bus, we felt the crisp air from the beach blowing in our faces. This was the first time in a while I had seen beautiful sunshine and surfers enjoying their time in the ocean. We walked through the boardwalk to this church on the top of this cliff which looked like a light house. It was very interesting to see a church directly located on a beach. Must be a famous location for weddings.We only had a few hours there and after seeing this church we went shopping. There were great stores for shopping which I did not expect from this small beach town. I really enjoyed it here and would definitely return with my bathing suit and towel once it gets warmer.

We also got to tour the Torres winery. I was not happy with this tour because it was very commercialized. On a tour of a vineyards there should not be a movie and a Disneyland ride. The wine was not even good. This was a disappointment and I do not think this place should be seen.

TIPS:

-Sitges is only a 30 minute train on Renfe. Great weekend getaway.

-Very good shopping and restaurants

-For beach whether it is also excellent to sit by the beach there.

Add a comment February 9, 2009

Things to see in Barce

I think these sites are worth seeing:

-The Sagrada Familia:built by Gaudi and never finished so 30 other architects have been finishing it.

-Parc Guell: a very beautiful hike that leads you to Gaudi’s house. You can also see a fantastic view of Barcelona

-The Chocolate Mueseum: very fun and childish, statues made out of choclate.

-The gothic quarter: where you could see the old quarter along with the Jewish quarter.

-Born: very hip, the soho of Barcelona

-Las Ramblas: every weekend las ramblas is filled with people dressed up in costumes, animals for sale, and clowns. It is also a great shopping area.

-Port Olimpic: the beach area, during the winter it is nice to eat lunch by the beach but as it gets warmer it will be the best place to go!

-FC Barcelona: Since football is the sport to watch in Barcelona, you should come catch a game and see the passion people have

for their team.

Add a comment February 7, 2009

Weekend in Switzerland

This weekend I flew into Geneva where I took a 3 hour train into Interlaken. When we arrived in Interlaken, we walked in the

freezing cold to our hostel. The hostel is called Balmers. Many American students stay there, it seemed to be the place to

stay.  In this hostel there is a club in the basement which I found pretty funny. Since I traveled with a group of 13, we got a

room for all 12 of us. I felt like I was in camp again, all 13 of us in bunkbeds, singing songs and being loud and crazy. That

night, we just went to dinner and then hung out in the hostel to be social and meet new people. The next morning I went skiing

on the Swiss Alps. It was incredible, probably one of the best times ive ever had skiing. It was warm, like in the 40´s, sunny,

and just gorgeous. I also had an amazing lunch on the top of the mountain. After a full day of skiing, we went to the typical

Swiss dinner, fondue! Cheese fondue to be exact. I was in heaven. After dinner we went to the local Hooters to drink beer and

eat some more. We were so burnt out from skiing that we went to bed early. The next morning we had to catch the train back

to Geneva to catch our flight back to Barcelona. It was a very quick but fun vacation and I would definetly recommend

Switzerland as a place to visit!

TIPS:

-dont go here unless you are going to do some sort of physical activity whether it be skiing, sledding, sky diving, etc. Theres really not much else to do here but that.

-very expensive town: Both Interlaken and Geneva. 

-To get from Geneva to Interlaken is 90 euros unless you go with a group  of 1o people or more. If you do then they give you 10% off.

Add a comment February 2, 2009