Do you think of any of your experiences online in terms of ‘space’?

I do not consider my online experiences in terms of “space”. For me, online participation is a simple process, where I do not feel any kind of connection with the space. Of course, every person experiences different things and we cannot say that he is wrong or right. “Space” is something immeasurable and subtle. That is why it is hard to “grab” the space and say that we are caught in it or pressured by it. My online participation is a mere participation, nothing more. I interact with people, get necessary information, find sources, but all of these do not imply that I am in a space. The feeling of “space” depends only on human perception and cannot be interpreted one-sidedly.

Is Wikipedia a reliable resource ?

In my opinion, Wikipedia is not a reliable resource. The reason is that the information presented in it is short and not comprehensive enough. It lacks good argumentation and scrutinized scientific research. In academic writing Wikipedia is not worth of citing, because a lot of facts are omitted and the reader gets only half of the information. Wayne Bivens-Tatum, Princeton University, gave a good quote on this issue: “Relying on the Wikipedia for academic research seems a sloppy and negligent way to work.”(http://www.wikitruth.info/index.php?title=Is_Wikipedia_reliable%3F) Another point of view was suggested by the Dean of York University, Paul Axelrod, who said: “I would advise teachers not to accept any student essays that use Wikipedia as a source.” Having considered those two statements, we can draw a conclusion that Wikipedia is not a strong tool to use.

Victoria’s site

I find Victoria’s site (http://newinfotech2.wordpress.com/) very interesting, because there is a lot of information on Rakhat Aliyev’s detention and divorce. She posted materials that are of a great significance for Kazakhstani people, because everything connected with Aliyev is a hot topic nowadays. I found lots of important facts due to those articles and I think they help to understand what is the current political situation in Kazakhstan and to see all of its drawbacks and demerits. In my opinion, Victoria’s site will be interesting for all the visitors, because it contains all the necessary information to be investigated on the topic.

Ohmy News

If to talk about the users of Ohmy News (http://english.ohmynews.com/), it should be said that they are variegated. First of all, this site is used by common people. It implies that everyone has the opportunity to get the information on what is going on in the international arena, and that everyone is enabled to be well-informed. Every person, who follows the course of events, is a user of this site. Secondly, journalists  should also be mentioned as the users. They read the articles on the site for the reason of getting some interesting ideas. They seek additional information in order to investigate an issue, they are eager to find something that will help them in making their journalistic activities stronger. By and large, from my point of view, the users of the site are divided in the following categories: common people and professionals.

different communities

I went to Nataliya M.’s site (http://nitech.wordpress.com/) and read her opinion on community. She says that she attends vocal classes two times a week and that this has become her constant place to visit. She considers this activity as being part of a community and I agree with her. According to her words, she has the same interests and beliefs that her instructor has. Also Nataliya says that she appreciates prospects and objectives that her community wants to acccomplish in the future. In my opinion, this example illustrates the importance of having the same goals within the community, because only through this sense of ”unity” people can turn their work into a successful experience.

what do you get out of being part of a community?

I think the most important thing that we get out of being a part of a community is that we have an opportunity to interact with different people. For example, I used to write for KIMEP Times. The most exciting part was interviewing outgoing and interesting people. A very good trait of being able to participate in a community is that you contribute to something that is of interest to you. And you are not alone in doing that. There are other people who help you in fulfilling your tasks.

What is journalism?

Journalism is a field where you collect, process, analyze and disseminate  information. The aim of journalism is to inform the audience and to get the feedback. Journalism is a creative profession, where it is important to be transparent, objective, credible and truthful in reporting. Otherwise, journalism will suffer.  A reporter is responsible for whatever he writes in his articles, because public perception of things is really vulnerable. As a journalist you have to be aware of everything, you have to seek something new and share your views with the rest of the world. And while doing that you have to know your audience, and you have to be able to foresee its reaction. Journalism is not only about writing and reporting, it also involves being a good psychologist. You are dealing with people and you have to know how to influence them. It is not an easy thing to do, but nevertheless, most of the journalists have this ‘gut feeling’ of things. In my opinion, journalism is so diversified, that it includes every single profession. Sheer professionals in journalism are people who are not only well-trained, but are those who bring extra ‘something’ to their jobs.

My online beat

I chose the topic of classical music for my online beat. The theme itself is of great interest to me, and that is the reason why I decided to focus on this specific issue. Classical music has always been my inspiration and became an integral part of my life. I started seeing many important things that I have never even realized, and that helped in determining what is essential and what is not. There is a magic in classical music; it turns over your life and makes your life experience even more exciting.

When talking about classics, I refer to Sarah Brightman, who is an extremely talented singer. Her angelic voice can strike a chord in your heart and can make you obsessed with her music. Here is a link to her site: http://www.sarah-brightman.com/, where you can find whatever you need to know about Sarah. Of course, there are lots of other sites dedicated to her, but this one is the best among all of them.

how is the internet similar to or different from other types of media like print, radio, and television?

In my opinion, Internet should be considered as different from other types of media.  Internet itself is unique and can’t be compared to print, radio or television. It accomplishes its own goals through its own path. Since the influence of Internet is very huge nowadays, people started ignoring other media outlets. The reason is that they think that Internet is more interesting. They see it as a way of entertainting themselves and as a tool which can help them to get the information quickly.

Internet as a source of news

In my opinion, Internet is a very good source of news. There are lots of reasons which confirm this idea. First of all, it should be said, that news that are posted on the Internet is very easy to find. It is a great advantage, because you can get any kind of information on any kind of topic. You don’t have to skip through the pages of a newspaper or a magazine in hopes of finding necessary material, you just use the easiest way to do that through the Internet services.
Another reason of using Internet as a news source is that you have many options to choose from. The implication lies in the variety of newspapers that are offered on the net. Usually we buy several newspapers and are quite satisfied with everything that is written there, but Internet suggests us even more sources, and that helps us to broaden our scope and to assess current events objectively.

My favorite source for news is http://edition.cnn.com/ Everyday I read articles from the site and find them very interesting. Another source that I use is The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/), which is also very useful to read. Those two sites provide me with everything I need to know on certain issues that are happening in the world and after reading them I don’t need any other newspapers.