Volume 94, Issue 3 - My High School Journalism

8 In-Depth Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010
Technology Addiction
Number one weakness for teenagers
The Facebook Fad
Stories by Ashley Ebelsheiser and Mindy McMullen
Spread Editors
With population on the rise, it is hard to ignore the ever-growing Facebook
community. With 500 million active users, this social network site
is the largest in the world, nearly doubling since 2009. If the word hasn’t
spread far or fast enough, Facebook is a social networking site that allows
its users to add each other as “friends,” upload videos and pictures and
update your status to let everyone know what you’re doing. If that isn’t
enough to fathom, Facebook users can also add applications, join groups
and even “Facebook stalk” their friends.
Junior Andrea Pingel had a few good things to say about the site. “I like
that I can keep up with all the latest goings-on without being nosey.” Pingel
also likes being able to share pictures between her and her friends.
Pingel makes appearances on Facebook a couple times a day for about
10 to 20 minutes. This is nothing compared to senior Cameron Altman
who said that he gets on Facebook on average three times a day for about
30 to 45 minutes.
With how often people are getting on Facebook, the number of ways to
access it are growing as well. Not only can Facebook users get on their
computers to get the latest gossip, but they can also use their iPods, gaming
systems and cell phones. “I usually get on during class on my phone,”
said Altman, while Pingel said that her iPod is the easiest way to check out
who’s doing what this weekend.
Downfalls that Altman notices about Facebook is internet bullying. “Yes,
I have done it, but it gets out of hand sometimes.” Pingel finds the major
flaw to be that people push aside more important things like homework.
Search engines are some of today's most popular sites on the World
Wide Web. They're available to anyone with internet access and provide
information about almost any subject that you type in. One of the most
well known of these search engines is ChaCha.com.
ChaCha is an online instant chat search tool.
Scott Jones, the creator of ChaCha, told USA Today about his new
search engine, ChaCha.com. “Yeah, it takes Google two-tenths of a second
to show you a page of results, but on average it takes people 11
minutes to find what they want,” said Jones. Many of today’s search
engine inventors try to create something better than Google.com, which
has a hold as the top search engine.
Chris Meyer, CEO of Monitor Networks agreed with Jones. “You have to
learn how it (Google) hears. It doesn’t learn how you talk,” said Meyer.
Google was launched in 1998. The inventors originally named the site
BackRub but after a year decided on the name Google. As of December
2008, Google employed 20,222 people.
ChaCha.com was created in November 2006 and the mobile answers
text service was launched in January 2008. Today, Cha Cha employs
50,000 guides across the U.S. Many might wonder how ChaCha can
afford to pay 50,000 people. “The key is advertising,” Jones said. “First
because users have to wait while an expert digs around for stuff, Cha-
Cha can play a very targeted, valuable video ad. Then because the experts
will know exactly what each user is looking for, ChaCha can serve
up ads that hit their mark.” Those ads are worth two or three times
Google's keyword ads.
ChaCha has developed into one of today's most well known sites. Everyday
an average of 10 million people use ChaCha as their search tool.
www.littledodger.net
-Photo by Sam Foster
Sophomore Joey Gerdes sits at his computer enjoying features
Facebook has to offer. He is one of many at risk of a technology
Both Pingel and Altman agree on their number once annoyance with
Facebook. “I hate it when people get on Facebook, post their entire life
and then complain about others knowing their business,” said Pingel. Altman
and Pingel give the advice that if people don’t want everyone to know
what they’re doing, they shouldn’t post it on Facebook.
The New Google Internet Secure?
When dealing with a lot of people in one place at one time, a priority
presents itself. Providing protection for people and the things they're doing
is important for law enforcers everywhere.
Police men spend everyday trying to create a secure environment for
people walking the busiest streets and traveling from place to place. However,
one of the busiest places on earth doesn't have a police force. Or
does it?
Being aware is the most important thing to do when surfing the web.
Risks present themselves when they're least expected. Something as innocent
as a pop up add might lead to a harsh computer virus. One of the
biggest risks on the internet is the chance of meeting an online predator.
In a news report on channel WSFA12, Prattville Police Department explained
the process of catching an online predator. Heather Brown and
Sgt. Gary Graves are a part of the police department's computer forensics
unit.
“I would say in the first two to three minutes, the conversation turns to a
sexual nature,” said Brown. Brown and Graves pose as 12 or 13 year olds
to lure predators. The team works hundreds of cases that concentrate on
arranging meetings and making arrests.
A predator situation can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Social
networks such as Facebook or Myspace pose the biggest threats towards
minors because the kids don't realize who they might be really talking to
or who's really looking at their profile. The sites continue to work towards
creating a fun and safe environment on the web. However, complete security
is almost impossible when trying to get to know someone.
While being on the internet, being aware and secure should be the first
and foremost things that come to mind.