Telecommunications tug of war?

When I first read about the idea of telecommunications companies getting to control the speed of certain sites and whatnot, I didn't like it. At all. I guess I can't really picture anything different though--the internet has always been a neutral party.. and I like it that way! I can see where the companies are coming from (every business anywhere is always looking for new ways to look at things, new ways to be competitive, new ways to get the leg up on the competition), but my first inclination says that, hey, if Google is doing better than Yahoo because consumers like the pages better, then why not let it continue? I like how I have the ability to choose which search engine I use, the freedom to buy the things on the websites that I want, or the ability to use my favorite networking tool all based on my preferences. It's annoying when I have to use something just because it's the only thing available. If only one search engine worked at the coffeeshop I was in, I would use it, but only because I need one. It would be annoying if I wanted to use something else, but I guess I would live with it. 

And you know... maybe this is only because this is what I'm used to. Maybe it wouldn't rock my world like I think it would. Who knows. I guess we'll just have to see what the new developments in the laws shape out to be. And who knows... I just might get involved. I guess we'll just have to see what the future brings. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012100094.html

Email Etiquette

To me, some things are obvious when emailing. There is a time and a place for everything. It is not the right time to send a million smiley faces, winks, and lol's inside an email intended for one's professor. Actually, I don't think it should ever be the right time for a million winks in one email... but that is not the point. We read a few articles for my JCOM 2160 class about what one should and should not do in an email (mostly relating to corporate emails), and to be honest... I was kind of surprised. There was a lot of useful information in the articles (such as using active voice instead of passive), but a lot of it was stuff that was just a given for me. 

For instance,

- DON'T USE ALL CAPITALS (IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING)

- Don't forward chain emails ("send this to fifty people or your grandmother will get hit by a bus")

- Read the email before you send it

- Don't reply to spam

These all seem fairly straightforward, so it makes me wonder how many people out there really don't know proper email etiquette.  

Car Radio

Most of the time while I drive my car around, I have some sort of music on. Usually it is a cd. Sometimes it's the radio. The radio is not as enjoyable to listen to due to the amount of commercials on it as compared to how many are on a cd. (as in some vs. none) However, occasionally the non-music tidbits can be interesting. A day or so ago I remember there was some celebrity news update stuff going on, and the dj mentioned mischa barton. This story was interesting to me because it actually related to stuff I've been learning in my PR class. Apparently she had posted some recent pictures of herself on a/her blog of her vacation in Goa. This reminded me of the Ivy Lee/railroad case we read about in our textbook, so I went and dug a little deeper into it. Upon looking at the blog, I noticed she had left the photos the same--as far as I could tell--as when they were taken. I found a few other blogs pointing out the lack of cellulite-removing airbrushing in these pictures as well. This is an interesting PR move to me! Perhaps by introducing her beach pictures on her own blog, it isn't quite as sensationalistic as the random paparazzi shots that turn up in the tabloids. A picture that many are already familiar with, readily given, seems to fascinate a smaller number of people looking for that negative coverage. Great PR move! Gotta love history...

http://mischabarton.celebuzz.com/2009/01/relaxing-in-goa.php?bfm_index=0&bfm_page=0