Definitions of terms

GNU: Stands for Gnus Not Unix
The two operating systems have been confused in the past so with this operating system they specifically named it that way so as to not link the two. This software is non-proprietary and free and the only restriction is that you cannot limit the distribution of it.
Source : Webopedia

Free software:
This refers to software being simply that free. But it takes it a step beyond that too. If you go out and buy Windows XP you will not be able to decode every little bit of it. There will be certain parts that are owned by the company and they don't want you to know about it. Free software apparently takes a different more educated approach. These are the basic principles behind free software.
The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.
The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits.
Source: FSFE

Copyleft: Richard Stallman is the father of Copyleft. This term refers to free software in that it has to have a General Public License included with every copy. This seems to be exactly like Free software. You must not inhibit the sharing of free knowledge.
Source: Copyleft

OpenSource:

This term refers to code that is free to all. This allows everyone to not only see all the code but they are also allowed to change it. This is something that Microsoft definitely does not allows to do. What I think is interesting about this is that it forces you to learn about programming. But also it allows everyone easy access to code of a program.
Source: Open Source Definition

Wikipedia to publish print version

Wikipedia Print Version Article

So far in my years at this college every professor has told me not to use Wikipedia as a resource, but with a print version I believe it should now be acceptable. Would you not agree?

Web Research website 1 & 2

Greencar.com

What are the group's specific causes?
To inform people about electric cars and offer a unique perspective absent from mainsteam media.

How big is it?
This group seems to be a magazine/ journal dedicated to green cars. It has the overall look of a very professional website.

How is it funded?
It is a magazine so is most likely funded by the sales of that magazine.

How long has it been around?
It has been read for over 16 years

How is the website Structured?
The website seems to be structured like any car advertising website with many pictures and links to all sorts of articles.The navigation is easy to use and all the links work. Interestingly thought the website has links to all sorts of other information regarding alternative fuels and organizations for a greener planet.

Describe the groups online activism.
Considering the group does have links to other websites of all alternative fuel and electric cars I would consider this a great website, but it does not really ask anything of the reader except to buy the magazine. It is not asking for a greener car it seems like it is simply selling a magazine dedicated to it.

Critique the website. Does the website succeed? Is it readable and well written?Does the website's look and feel fit with and help convey the group's over all message?
This website seems like many other websites out there. Although it is a car website it is primarily dedicated to green cars it seems more like a mainstream website where you can come to get some information for greener cars.

Conclusion:
This website seems like a quick reference to small journal articles regarding reviews of greener cars out there. It seems more like a buy buy buy website though offering tabs grouped with others like buy a new and used car. And if you go to them you can be linked to any car out there. This seems odd because this website claims to be green, but links you to non-green cars. It seems like this website could improve itself by getting away from the money making side of green cars and looking at them as a solution and not as a way to make money.



EV1 website

What are the group's specific cause(s) and activities within your larger topic? It seems like this small website is definitely aimed to inform. It looks backwards though at the mistakes of the past and compares them to the mistakes of today. It does not seem to be a formal organization but more like a website simply devoted to informing people about the EV-1.

Describe its website: How is the website structured? Static webpages? Blog? Wiki? How easy is the navigation to follow? (ie, How successful is its information architecture?) What does the group want the website to do?
The website seems to be structured in a very chaotic way. It is linked to news articles which provide information but all have pictures of the EV-1. It seems like whomever is writing these articles is very slanted in the way they write. But the actual content of the website is chaotic because it is all just one long long page. It needs to be categorized so that a clearer message can be readable to the masses. There are even times when information is repeated which shows that some clarifying would be helpful.

Describe the group's online actitivism: How does the group use the website to reach out to members? Nonmembers? Are there opportunities for read-write communication? Does it offer downloadable resources? What does the website ask its readers to do?
This website definitely wants to inform people about the website, and aside from asking people to buy the DVD there are no real ways they are asking for money in any way. This is obviously different from Greencar.com It does seem like it is updated regularly though.

Critique the website: Does the website succeed? Is its content well documented? Is it fair and balanced? Is it readable and well written? Is its rhetorical tone scholarly? Friendly? Polemical? Does the website's look and feel fit with and help convey the group's over all message? Is the hosting application appropriate the website's content and goals? I think the website does an alright job of getting their information across, but if the websites goal was to convince people to stop buying internal conbustion engines and switch engines that I believe it fails. The DVD of which I have seen does a great job, but this website seems to just be an angry previous owner who is still mad that their car was taken away. It doesn't to me seem to be scholarly because it has such a biased way of writing their articles.

Conclusion: I believe this website could definitely be better. It already has a name that everyone knows was the beginning of the green car in mainstream but this website is so poorly configured that it probably would not attract the attention of anybody looking for more information on the green car movement. I think it could definitely be improved but it lacks cohesion.

Censorship in school

According to this article Battling Censors
schools are now censoring the children so that they cannot go to myspace. Not only can they not go there, but they can't visit any websites that have "my space" on the page.
Let me tell you a little something about myspace. Myspace uses HTML which stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. This is a simple yet elegant code that most of the internet is based on. Despite taking a class on HTML back in my community college days, when I started using myspace I did not remember how to use the code, but through using the website and customizing my page I learned a great deal on HTML. Not only have I learned how to use the code but I have also learned a plethora of information on human relationships. Why on earth would a Learning institution want to block children from learning? I believe and this is what I want to talk about mostly in my project for this class is that all information should be free and that all humans should be free to view it. The second some organization starts blocking websites is the second they become all the more seductive. As humans we want what we can't have. And everyone knows that these children are going to visit the website any way they can. So why try and stop them. If I was a teacher I would give an assignment to the children such as edit your myspace page to show a unique video quality or picture. I would be surprised to see what they come up with. This would force them not only to learn, but also they would have fun while doing it.

Response to Intro and Chapter 1 of

Cyberactivism intro and chapter 1 response. The intro pretty much just threw out a lot of questions as to whether or not the internet is good. It did provide a great example of what the internet can do, like the Nike e-mail.
The first chapter cited three examples:
Haunting of geocities
Marketplace
Clipper
All of these were affected by online activism but only two were successful in their attempts. My opinion on the matter is that it is absolutely wonderful that we can have such an effect where we used to have none at all, but because of the internet we now can. My question was why did the author include the one story of how the Clipper was set as a standard? This shows that no matter how much the people try sometimes they cannot help anything. Perhaps this shows that the power of the internet is still growing. If the people and online activism always worked then thats all that would ever be done to change something. Online activism does not always work, but it does provide a new outlet to express our ideas.

Website for political Ads

http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/index.php