One very interesting development from the internet that really intrigued by was when we learned about OSSGs and WIKI. I found it interesting that people have turned such a random and chaotic place such as the internet into somewhere where people can go onto to find information or help. Truthfully I would rather get my information from educated people in person, but often nowadays I find myself and others going onto the internet to find answers to there problems. The reading by Martin Tanis and by other authors we have read have already described the precautions you must take when finding information online so I will no talk about it here, but what I have found is that besides really sketchy OSSGs, sites such as WebMd and Wikipedia offers very reliable information. What I find even more interesting is that a site such as Wikipedia which can be edited and rewritten by anyone is so well constructed and the information there is very reliable. Also sites such as ask.com, and yahoo answers, a place where people can post there questions much like a forum, can almost always get back reliable and helpful answers.
The reason I find this to be very interesting is to be honest I think most people who post on the internet are sadly extremely childish, and well most of the time morons, and what they post most of the time is just mainly trash. What I am talking about for example is sites such as youtube, or any online forum. Most of the time you see rediculous comments that are just simply trash. (you guys know what I am talking about and I am not going to post it here) I am sure that for sites such as Wikipedia there need to be numerous mods. to edit and make sure the things posted are not simply trash and the information is valid, but I as surprised that the site is not overrun with these kind of comments that overun youtube.
A site that I found that interested me probably the most was a site called 4Chan. On this site there is a box where you can upload any picture, and comment and you are given a random number and you can post anything on the site so that everyone can see it and really your identity is completely anonymous. The reason that I bring this site up is because I kind of think that it is the perfect example of both the trash and the intellectual side that the internet can provide. The main 4Chan site is set up into different forums (ex. health, sports, random...etc) and surprisingly even though users are givin complete anonymity and have the freedom to post whatever they want wherever they want, most people follow these suggested guidelines and what people post most of the time is very helpful. Then again when scrolling through the posts I also find those trash comments and pics such as nude pictures.
Another site that I found somewhat interesting and is constructed sort of like wikipedia was a site called urbandictionary.com. On the site people can post there definition of words (mostly slang and acronyms) and I find a lot of the definitions for words hilarious but at the same time it is the correct slang that is used by a lot of people. There is also a up/down system kind of like the like/dislike system that facebook uses so that people can give feedback on how good the definition of the word means.
Overall I find that from the idea of OSSG's and forums the internet has evolved infinitely into a vast pool of information. It is a great place to go on and find quick information, but ultimately I would always check the information later on because you never know how accurate the things you get off the internet really is. I dont really think these "childish" behavior of people to post trash on the internet well ever change but hey if you can stand to filter out all the trash, you can always find something useful.
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