New way of workplace communication and collaboration

Yesterday I was watching an interesting documentary on Science Discovery channel about new technologies and inventions in our lives. One of them was also Cisco's modern workplace which was a very useful convergence of different communication channels and tools. The company's services make communication and collaboration with bussines partners and co-workers simple and fun. I've published a short presentation of their services/ideas of modern workplace which are for me very important, because with contemporary information and messages floods our lives are getting complex and difficult but with solutions like this we can make our work a lot easier.

I'm aware that a small portion of technological determinism is present in this post but I still think of this Cisco's intelligent system as a sign of future development. Do you agree with me? :-)

Invasion of privacy or Google Maps Street View

4 years ago media and public made a lot of noise when Google started upgrading their Maps function with 3D or street view - in this purpose they used 360 degrees panoramic cameras at a height of about 2.5 meters attached to cars while driving through city's streets and recording all the action/happening going on that time and later published online. This was at first actually very interesting and positive function brought by “new media” technology where you could admire lots of cities on the world just by entering this Google mode. But soon there were complaints pouring in from all over the world saying that Google’s invading people’s privacy – there were for instance pictures of men leaving strip clubs, sunbathers in bikinis, and people engaging in activities visible from public property in which they do not wish to be seen publicly. Google said that the photos were taken from public property – but they recorded things and actions which were taking place on private property – so their “all-seeing eye” was aimed also there where “it shouldn’t be”.

For instance, in Germany, where the debate on surveillance is tinged with memories of the role played by the Nazis' Gestapo and the East German Stasi secret police, doubts have been raised about the transparency of the project, which Google calls a helpful tool. Critics say it invites abuse. They argue that thieves could use it to identify targets, security firms could use it to pitch sales, job seekers might find their homes scrutinized by employers and banks could inspect the homes of loan applicants.

Google’s argument would be in place if they won’t be making this street view from a higher perspective, above protection walls, fences and hedges which are designed to prevent public insight into private properties.

In my opinion this is a very interesting case of new communication technology (cyberspace) meeting reality laws and social rules (some European countries have laws prohibiting the filming without consent of an individual on public property for the purpose of public display). This example is evidence that borders between “offline” and “online” worlds are blurring and intertwining.



You can check some of questionable photos on this links:

http://www.streetviewfun.com/2009/nice-view-2/
http://www.streetviewfun.com/2007/sun-bathing-girls-in-a-park/
http://www.streetviewfun.com/2009/is-it-hot/

What do you think, do you welcome Google’s doing or do you feel this as invasion of people’s privacy?

Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39302384/ns/technology_and_science/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Street_View_privacy_concerns
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article1870995.ece

Why is Facebook becoming so popular?

This is the question I've been asking myself for some time now. What are the reasons for enormous and extreme Facebook growth/expansion? Why are 8 new profiles created every second? Why are people intensely using this social network? And most importantly, why is the society extending their (real) lives with engagement in virtual communities?

I'm aware of the fact that offline and online lives can't be separated anymore and are becoming more and more connected and intertwined, so the boundaries between them are practically blurred. But still, what force drives all of us to spend time sitting behind the computer screen rather face-to-face with friends in your favorite bar?

With a little help of Google I found a list of different reasons which could be answers to my questions:

Easy connection with friends. The main reason is probably that people can easily connect with their friends and their loved ones through the site. The news about your friend who is in another continent can easily reach you in just a matter of seconds, and vice versa.

Share photos, videos, events. Another reason why Facebook is so popular is that it is possible for a person to upload an unlimited number of photos, and put them in an album on their profiles. Facebook is a place to brag and boast activities, events and places that one has been to. A person can easily become popular through the unique and weird photos that he or she posts.

It's all about the games and apps. Facebook has a wildly extensive library of addictive games and add-ons that keep people coming back to the site. Many of the social games available reward their players for spending lots of time online to complete game objectives. Many people will spend countless hours on these online games, and periodically check their News Feed to see if anything interesting is happening.

It plays to people's vanity. People like to talk about themselves, especially when they think they have an audience. Many people post many updates every day on how their day is going. Me, myself, and I — in other words the site is all about you (or me rather). People love to talk about themselves and Facebook capitalizes on that to the extreme. You set up a profile featuring… Look at your options — edit my profile, view videos of me, view photos of me, what’s on your mind, and write something about yourself to name a few features. It’s perfect! Even keeps track of the number of friends you currently have to compare with others in the epic quest to have the most Facebook friends.

People are social animals. There will always be a social network available for people to use online. Right now it's Facebook. In two or there years it might be something new or it could still be Facebook. The future is unclear, but what is known is that Facebook has carved its place in history as the preeminent social network at the time of this writing.

Facebook satisfies people’s curiosity. Admit it. You’re a Facebook stalker. Half of your Facebook friends you would never call to chat with, but you don’t mind surfing through their pictures or watching their videos or reading their wall posts. According to the psychologist, the social network keeps users in a neurotic limbo, not knowing whether they should hang on in there just in case they miss out on something good.

In my opinion this are some relevant reasons for Facebook’s popularity but I’m still not fully satisfied – I think there’s something more to it, but I haven’t discovered it yet.

What do you think? Is there something else that attracts millions of people to Facebook?

Sources:

http://www.worthwhile.com/blog/why-is-facebook-so-popular/

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-is-Facebook-So-Popular?&id=4130894

http://www.knowswhy.com/why-is-facebook-so-popular/