How to Be a Great Host

In the reading of “how to be a great host”, the author, Gladding, compares a community network as a party and gives many advices for being a great community host. He points out that having a active managing, preparing a suitable place, inviting the guests and friends in a community, sharing a beneficial time, reserving next party and coming no troublemakers such as hackers and spammers are crucial for succeeding a party. In addition, he states that a host should make a homepage that guests can easily participate in that community. Moreover, he claims that a host should be friendly and actively paticipate in discussions and manage the homepage. Keep uploading a newly software for the security of the homepage and making some guidelines of comments for showing the direction of the homepage are also important for succeeding. Finally, a community is the place of informing people of a host's opinion, sharing information and claims each other and knowing each other.

A Social Software Tour

I decided to use one Japanese posted blog named "cocolog".

I'm going to intorduce about this bolg, that is, cocolog.

As you know, cocolog is famous Japanese blog because this blog has been used by Kaori Manabe who is a famous entertainer. People can use Cocolog for free and register in this by only 3 steps. This blog offers them many functions such as Affiliate Program, Podcasting, mobile phone version, rich-text-editor, brain-text-editor, uploading pictures & files and Application Program Interface (API) that is the interface that a computer system, library or application provides in order to allow requests for services to be made of it by other computer programs, and/or to allow data to be exchanged between them. This blog supports the blogger's XML-RPC API & Movable Type.

Framework for Developing my I.E.

A five step process based on Agre's model for participatory democratic citizenship

1.Identify developing IssueSelf-analysis: Who are you? What do you want in Life?

I will and want to spread my sticky message, that is, "All countries make the Best Partnership with All other countries". After WWII, many colonies stood on their own feet, while many conflicts among nations certainly existed and they desperated to solve. However, people who have common sense of seeking the everlasting peace seek the world that has no war and also no conflict. Thus, I want Japanese government to make a more suitable and parmanent relationship with the other Asian countries as the first step of making the world wide friendship. Therefore, I will spread my sticky message and focus on the Issue of Yasukuni Shrine, that is, the official visit of Japanese Prime Minister.

2.Research and analyse issueCredibility: Know your issue. Establish your credibility.
At first, I mentions about the history of WWII, especially focuses on the Second Sino-Japanese war. The numerous researchers has shown about the Second Sino-Japanese War as the below. "The Second Sino-Japanese War (July 7, 1937 - September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan, both before and during World War II. It ended with the surrender of Japan in 1945. The Japanese invasion was a strategic plan made by the Imperial Japanese Army as part of their large-scale plans to control the Asian mainland. The early manifestations of this plan were commonly known as "China Incidents", and according to Japanese propaganda of the time, were referred to as "incidents" supposedly provoked by China, in order to downplay Japan's illegality in these invasions. The 1931 invasion of Manchuria by Japan is referred to as the Mukden Incident. The last of these was the Marco Polo Bridge Incident of 1937, marking the official beginning of full scale war between the two countries. From 1937 to 1941, China fought alone. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Second Sino-Japanese War merged into the greater conflict of World War II" (Wikipedia). These incidents are the cause of Chinese feelings to the Issue of Yasukuni Shrine. The other Asian people has the similar each national cause.
Next, I argues what problems Yasukuni Shrine has. According to many researchers, Yasukuni Shrine has big three problems as the place of praying for WWII sacrifices by the public officials, that is, the separation of religion and politics, enshrining the A-class war criminalsin WWII and the prospectus of establishing and the history of Yasukuni Shrine. First, I talk about the separation of religion and politics. Many jurists assert that the official visit by the Japanese Prime Minister is illegal and some precedent support this juridical interpretation. However, the Supreme Court does not only agree with this interpretation, so Japanese may need to claim the change of the Supreme Court's interpretation or some amendment of Japanese constitutioanl law. In addition, enshrining the A-class war criminalsin WWII is an immoral action and stir up the victims' and their related people's feelings. Moreover, all of countries except Japan may think that this fact shows the positive and affirmative position to Japanese actions in WWII. Finally, Yasukuni Shrine states that WWII were self-defense and this shrine established for people who lived and died for the Mikado. These facts will also teach people that the public officials at least shuld not pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine.

3.Stake out a public position-your "sticky message"Audience: Who is your target group? What characteristics does this group have?

My sticky message is "All countries make the Best Partnership with All other countries". My focus is stopping the official visits to Yasukuni Shrine for making the friendship with the other Asian countries. My target group is the group of public officials. They may have the weakpoint and I think that it is the public opinion or the consensus because they, especially assembly members need many votes to be elected.

4.Build social networkOrganisational base: Who is your organisational base? How will you develop it?

My organizational base is Asian people, especially Japanese. In addition, I think that many experts and representatives who have same opinion with me are one of the most important base.

I will spread my message by propaganda (advertisement) in the famous search engine and H.P. or Blog (Web log). In addition, I have already made my blog, so I will ask them to attach my link to other Webpages. Utilizing Pop-up system and Affiliate Program can be one method of spreading my message.

I may mainly use SNS called Mixi and the system of a chain mail. I will make my batton that included my sticky message and hand to my relatives. Then, they will hand to thier relatives.

I will send my sticky message attached with 3 reasons for my message and my H.P.'s URL.

I wiil make the place of discussing my message in my blog. If people who accepted my message and are interested in it, they will visit my blog.

5.I.E. homepage: Stake out a personal public presence.Design: Your I.E. homepage will connect- 1) you to nodes 2) nodes to your sticky message 3) nodes to nodes. What socail software (e.g. blog, wiki, podcast, RSS, bookmarking system, SNS, etc.) will you implement?

I will make my I.E. map that included my sticky message, my 3 reasons and my URL by using Gliffy and then, spread my sticky message as a map by some methods.

I'm going to make the discussion room in my blog, so people who accepted my message and are interested in it will visit my blog and they can discuss about my I.E.

Test Recording

powered byODEO

Issue Entrepreneurship: Map the structure of your IE network.

Your message.

1. What is your sticky message? (Barabasi 3) What is the idea you wish to promote or issue/problem you want to try to 'solve'?

Public officials such as the cabinet members should not pay a homage at Yasukuni Shrine!

In addition, Japanese had better to establish a new war memorial for praying war sacrifices by all of people.

3 reasons

Illegal: Japnese constitutional law prescribes the separation of religion and politics.

Morality: Many people such as other Asian people feel displeasure. etc...

Political Purpose: The official or private visit by public officials represented by the Prime Minister takes place many diplomatic problems.

tentative slogan
For normalizing diplomatic relationships! For making a world wide peace/ good cooperation!

'Knowledge of social network.

2. Who is your strategic social group? Can you identify and define the organizational base you will need to develop and/or tap into?

Civilian or Public officials
Japanese or the other Asian people
NGO or Goverment or Yasukuni Shrine
Religious people such as Shinto priest

Strategy for network building.

3. How will work to create your organizational base? How will you spread and encourage others to take up your message?

I will spread my message by propaganda (advertisement) in the famous search engine and H.P. or Blog (Web log). In addition, I make my blog or H.P. and ask them to attach my link to other Webpages. Utilizing Pop-up system and Affiliate Program. SNS is also useful.
I will also use a chain mail.

I will send my sticky message attached with 3 reasons for my message and my H.P.'s URL.

I wiil make my H.P. as the place of discussing my message. If people who accepted my message and are interested in it, they will visit my H.P.

Answers to Questions about Agre, p. 201, pp. 211-214

Agre, p. 201, pp. 211-214p. 211

1. What is the central problem for citizens in democracies?
The centaral problem that the citizens faces is how to participate meaningfully in a society of hundreds of millions, that is how the citizens can communicate and tell their messages to the millions of people.

2. What skills do citizens need?
They need skills for building social capital and participating in the collective production and circulation of political arguements.

3. What term does the author use to describe the process citizens use to promote their concerns about an issue?
"An Issue Lattice" (p.212 l.18)

4. What steps are the four steps in this process?p. 212-214 Write two of your own questions on the ideas and issues raised in this section. Lead a class discussion next session.

The process that citizens use to promote their concerns about an issue has four dimensions (steps).

The vertical dimension: Individuals who stake out a given issue on the national level will generally network with those who stake out the same issue on either the global or the regional level.

The geographic dimension: Individuals who stake out issue in a given geographic jurisdiction will generally network with their counterparts in other jurisdictions.

The Institutional dimension: Individuals who stake out a given issue within one institutional context will generally network with those who stake out the same issue in other institutions

TheIdeological dimension: Individuals who stake out ideologically related positions on different issues in similar institutional locations will generally network with on another

This four-dimensional lattice structure is the essence of civil society.

Write two of your own questions on the ideas and issues raised in this section. Lead a class discussion next session.

5. He states that "Above all, the issue lattice is sufficiently complex in its detailed workings that it will never emerge without high levels of political skills diffused throughout the society"(212).

What are high levels of political skills? At first, what are political skills? In addition, how are high levels of political skills spreaded? Is it really that the society spreads them?

6. Can be the ideas of Issue Entrepreneurship spreaded by his methods? How can people know about Issue Entrepreneurship and the methods of it for spreading? By Education? or By Self-effort? or By his introduced ideas (methods)? or All of them?


7. Based on the ideas and issues raised on these pages, what additions, deletions, or modifications suggest themselves to you in planning and implementing your Issue Entrepreneurship? Tell about your ideas.

Before reading this assignment, I did not know and concern about the effect of Issue Entrepreneurship to the democracy well. However, After reading this, I noticed the effectiveness of it and the method and key factors for spreading own messages. I will and also want to try to practice this method!

Issue Entrepreneurship: My First Attempt

My sticky message is this: We should not pay the homage to Yasukuni Shrine and Japanese should establish a new war memorial for paying the homage.

I will try to spread my sticky message by using SNS called mixi. At first, I make a batton of my sticky message and then I requset my friends to spread my batton. If this attempt succeeds, many people who use mixi and thier friends will know my sticky message.

Reply to Kota's Summary

I think that Kota's summary omitted the details of the example part. I agree this attempt because the readers can understand the main claim of the authors except the deatails of the example. In additon, I think that Kota's last sentence of "Also they regard the recent technological revolution in the Internet like blog and wiki as an important factor for the development of democracy." is his reaction and this sentence can utilize for understanding because this actually catches the fact.

A Brief Summary of Kahn and Kellner pp.183-185, pp.190-198

According to Kahn and Kellner, online communities can be used to promote participatory democracy and social justice on local and global scales by using the Internet, the new informational and communicational technologies. This is the main thesis of them. In addition, there are the reactions to recent users of the Internet, that is, terrorists, reactionaries and many kinds of ordinary people. In the example of Iraq War, terrorists certainly used the Internet for their actions and purposes, however, many kinds of ordinary people also used the Internet for promoting democracy and this effect is bigger than the effect of terrorists. Thus, the Internet can promote democracy.

My Issue Entrepraneurship 1(Final)

Your message.
1. What is your sticky message? (Barabasi 3) What is the idea you wish to promote or issue/problem you want to try to 'solve'?

I want to try to solve the issue of Asian diplomacy.
'Yasukuni Shrine should be non-religious.
''Japanese should pray for the victims of WWⅡ at Tidorigafuti instead of Yasukuni Shrine. "
"Public officials should not visit and pray at Yasukuni Shrine by 3 reasons."

'Knowledge of social network.
2. Who is your strategic social group? Can you identify and define the organizational base you will need to develop and/or tap into?

Civilian
Japanese
Asian people
NGO
Goverments
Religious people

Strategy for network building.
3. How will work to create your organizational base? How will you spread and encourage others to take up your message?

I will spread my message by propaganda (advertisement) in the famous search engine and H.P. or Blog (Web log). In addition, I make my blog or H.P. and ask them to attach my link to other Webpages. Utilizing Pop-up system and Affiliate Program. SNS is also useful.



Tell about (and show) my early ideas for your Issue Entrepraneurship

Some inspiring projects

Responds to Questions of Barabasi: The Sixth Link pp. 25-35

1. What is the principle of six degrees of separation? What number of social links does any one person need to be connected to global society? p. 30

The principle of six degrees of separation is the idea that people live in a very dense web and they can easily interconnect from one person to another. In order to be connected to global society, it will require barely more than one social link per person.


2. How is the fabric of society today different from pre-internet society? p. 31

In the fabric of society today, people can get more information and get them quicker than that of pre-internet society because informational nodes are more densely than that of pre-internet society due to the Internet.


3. How many more links separate any pair of web pages compared to people in society? What can explain the difference? p. 34

Any pair of web pages is separated by approximately nineteen links, while people are separated by six social links. Thus, the separation of web pages needs thirteen links more than that of people.


4. So far, what ranges of separation have network scientists discovered in different kinds of networks? p. 34

Network scientists have discovered that species in food webs are two links away from each other, molecules in the cell are separated on three chemical reactions, scientists in different fields of science are separated by four to six links and the neurons in the brain of the C. elegans worm are separated by fourteen synapses.


5. What does research suggest about the fundamentals of networks? p.34-35

The Research suggests that the average separation of nodes in a network is so dense.


6. What is your estimate of your personal number of connections to society? What connections are your strongest?

My personal number of connections to society is perhaps about 40.
My strongest connection can be ICU (students).

Talk about our answers to questions on Barabasi, pp. 25 - 35

Reply to Kota's answers:

Reply to Kota's Issue Entrepreneurship

I think your strategy is useful and you had already identified your social network.
However, I have some questions. What specific points of Japanese Educational system should be reformed? What is the Liberal Educational system? That is, what factors does the Liberal Educational system have? What are many educational problems in Japan?

I hope my reply will be helpful for you!

Reply to Kota's Summary and Reaction (The Third Link: Six Degrees of Separation, pp. 25-35)

I think Kota's summary is well-organized and he parphrased so well. Thus, I want to refer to his style of the summary to my next summary.

In his reaction, he claimed "Barabasi seemed to ignore the influence on human interrelationship by technology". I think it's agood point and agree with his opinion because he suggests his own example. His example is also believable for me. Thank you for your good reaction.

Discussion Question

What do you think about that "the dream of Tim Berners-Lee in 1980" (30)? Do you think his dream come true? In addition, why?

Issue Entrepreneurship 1

Your message.
1. What is your sticky message? (Barabasi 3) What is the idea you wish to promote or issue/problem you want to try to 'solve'?

I want to try to solve the issue of Asian diplomacy and terrorism.
'Yasukuni Shrine should be non-religious.'
'Japanese should pray for the victims of WWⅡ at Tidorigafuti instead of Yasukuni Shrine.'
'The countermeasures in U.S. against recent terrorism may provoke (pick) with terrorists.'

Knowledge of social network.
2. Who is your strategic social group? Can you identify and define the organizational base you will need to develop and/or tap into?

Civilian
Japanese
Asian people
U.N.
NGO
Goverments
Religious people

Strategy for network building.
3. How will work to create your organizational base? How will you spread and encourage others to take up your message?

I will spread my message by propaganda (advertisement) in the famous search engine and H.P. or Blog (Web log). In addition, I make my blog or H.P. and ask them to attach my link to other Webpages. Utilizing Pop-up system and Affiliate Program. SNS is also useful.

The Personal Reaction to the Third Link: "Six Degrees of Separation" of "Linked" by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

Barabasi emphasizes that the world is very small by "the highly interconnected nature of these networks" (34). This reality is so different with their impression, so it's amazingly. It can be stated that the explanation of the author is mistaken at least one point, that is, utilizing the statistical mechanics. The reason why utilizing them is unuseful for the explanation is that statisitics are after all within the supposition. Social psychology states that the statistical hypothesis often occurs mistakes, for example, the judgements of DNA for identifying the identical person. In addition, it cannot be the evidence for ninteen degrees of separation in all Web even if "all other networks studied so far display a separation between two and fourteen" (34). The reason why people think so is only caused by human impression, that is, people are apt to believe the examples and apply one result to another case. However, social psychology also shows that the reality and truth is usually very different from human impression. For example, people believe that crimes have been increasing since before, but they have been decreasing since 1950 in the real in Japan. Moreover, other explanations of the author are believable. Thus, after all, it could be claimed that the assertion of the author is the right.

A Brief Summary of the Third Link: "Six Degrees of Separation" of "Linked" by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

Barabasi asserts that people "live in a small world because society is a very dense web" (30) by using many examples of the very small number of links that can connect two randomly selected nodes in a network. There are his examples. First example is so-called “six degrees of separation”. It originates from "Karinthy's 1929 insight that people are linked by at most five links" (27) and this concept was rediscovered by Staley Milgram's experoment in 1967. The result of his experiment showed people that the distance between two randomly selected persons are only 5.5 on average in the United States. Originally, Milgram's study was confined to the United States, however, John Guare spreaded his vision that "six degrees applied to the whole world" (29) by his play. Next example is in a network of Webpages within Notre Dame University. This experiment was conducted by Barabasi and two other people and the result of this is eleven clicks away from each other, so "there are eleven degrees of separation at Notre Dame". In addition, final example is also Barabasi's experiment. As a result, he estimated that the number of links that people need to connect two documents in World Wide Web is 18.59 on average by utilizing the statistical mechanics. Thus, there are "ninteen degrees of separation" (34) in the full Web. In short, Barabasi emphasizes that the world is very small because of "the highly interconnected nature of these networks" (34).

Reply to Takako's Summary and Reaction

I think her summary is well-organized, too.

Moreover, I think Takako is very thoughtful and critical person because of her reaction.

Reply to Emi's Summary

I think Emi's summary is well-organized and easy to understand, in addition, her final sentense that "The aim of this book is getting you to think networks, and step out the box of reductionism and explore" clearly shows a main idea of the author. However, her summary may be shortened because her summary is a bit long.

Reply to Mio's Summary and Reaction

I think her summary is easy to read and understand. In additon, the final paragraph of "Nothing can happen individually. Everything is connected to everything else. Network exists everywhere. We must cast an eye for them" shows main ideas effectively.

In her reaction, I agree that "the author uses examples effectively to describe that networks exists everywhere and everything is linked to everything to else".

Reply to Seiji's Summary

I think that Seiji's summary is so abstract, but contains the author's purpose of that paper. Thus, I could get some information about that paper.

Reply to Hiroko's Summary and Reaction

I think Hiroko's summary was clearly written and her last part of summary is especially well-organized. I could not summarize well about the last part of that paper, but she summarized so well and I could make sense about ideas of the last part.

Hiroko stated that "the idea is trend of today. It is useful to see the world, but it is also temporal view like the way in the past. I am interested in until when the paradigm is valid or dominant", so I could understand her interest and it is a curious point.

Reply to Taketei's Summary and Reaction

I think that Taketei's summary is easy to read, so I can understand immediately. In addition, Taketei pointed out same contents with me and also Taketei refered to the damage occured by MafiaBoy. I did not refer that point.

Moreover, Taketei's reaction is completely different with me. Taketei stated "It is interesting to compare MafiaBoy and Paul even though one is a destroyer and the other is a builder. MafiaBoy became the master of the network taking only one day, whereas Paul accomplished the network taking his whole life" in her reaction. I could not find this point and this point is also interesting for me.

Reply to Kota's Summary and Reaction

I think Kota's summary was well-organized and I can understand main ideas of this paper.

In addition, Kota stated that "Barabasi seemes to unconsciously assume that people in the whole world do not realize the importance of network, but his perception is nearsighted because such people are actually limited to modern Western people, and before the modernization of the world, relationism was not hidden, but very popular" in his reaction. This is so interested for me because I thought his perception shows an important message to people in the world. Even I still think his perception is not uncorrect, however, I become to think his opinion has ceratainly some mistakes after reading Kota's reaction. Thus, I think Kota's reaction is so well and critical.

The Reaction to the First Link of "Linked" by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

Barabasi told very interested story of two different people who are masters of the networks. In additon, the author emphasize his anticipation to the importance of networks. It can be agreed that his expectation to networks will be recognized by ordinary people. The reason why it can be agreed is that two successful people utilized the structure of this world, that is, people live in an interrelated world at all the time. Thus, all people have their own networks because people cannot be alive without the relationships to human beings. Therefore, the network is an indispensable factor for people. By the way, it cannot agree and make sense about why they became very contrary people. Thus, it can be suggested that the author should focus on that point as additional point.

A Brief Summary of the First Link of "Linked" by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi wrote "Linked" which claims "How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life".
In the first link, Barabasi introduces with two contrary people. The one was named the MafiaBoy who is a fifteen years old boy and attacked Yahoo's computer system in 2000. The other was named Paul who spreaded the Christianity around the World by using theology and social networks effectively two thousand years ago from the MafiaBoy. These two men were certainly "masters of the network", but so different at the point of using their skills. MafiaBoy destroyed the network of computers and Paul utilized the social and religious links of that time. The reason why they were successful is that people live in an interrelateded world.

My Techno-Biography

My name is Kenta Iuchi. I have experienced many movements for my farther's business. My hobbies are reading novels, comic books and so on and watching TV, playing the video games and Net surfing. My characteristics are maybe shy and earnest.

When I was twelve years old, I met the personal computer for the first time in my elementary school. Now, I mainly use my personal computer for shopping, Netsurfing, playing the games and watching the movies. In addition, I have used the mapping tool in the ELP class by Owen, it is an useful tool for my studies and also a good experience for me. Finally, I am joining the SNS called mixi and utilize some free mail services for each purpose.

Please talk with me without constrait!