Volume 94, Issue 3 - My High School Journalism
Volume 94, Issue 3 - My High School Journalism
Volume 94, Issue 3 - My High School Journalism
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8 In-Depth Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior <strong>High</strong> Nov. 5, 2010<br />
Technology Addiction<br />
Number one weakness for teenagers<br />
The Facebook Fad<br />
Stories by Ashley Ebelsheiser and Mindy McMullen<br />
Spread Editors<br />
With population on the rise, it is hard to ignore the ever-growing Facebook<br />
community. With 500 million active users, this social network site<br />
is the largest in the world, nearly doubling since 2009. If the word hasn’t<br />
spread far or fast enough, Facebook is a social networking site that allows<br />
its users to add each other as “friends,” upload videos and pictures and<br />
update your status to let everyone know what you’re doing. If that isn’t<br />
enough to fathom, Facebook users can also add applications, join groups<br />
and even “Facebook stalk” their friends.<br />
Junior Andrea Pingel had a few good things to say about the site. “I like<br />
that I can keep up with all the latest goings-on without being nosey.” Pingel<br />
also likes being able to share pictures between her and her friends.<br />
Pingel makes appearances on Facebook a couple times a day for about<br />
10 to 20 minutes. This is nothing compared to senior Cameron Altman<br />
who said that he gets on Facebook on average three times a day for about<br />
30 to 45 minutes.<br />
With how often people are getting on Facebook, the number of ways to<br />
access it are growing as well. Not only can Facebook users get on their<br />
computers to get the latest gossip, but they can also use their iPods, gaming<br />
systems and cell phones. “I usually get on during class on my phone,”<br />
said Altman, while Pingel said that her iPod is the easiest way to check out<br />
who’s doing what this weekend.<br />
Downfalls that Altman notices about Facebook is internet bullying. “Yes,<br />
I have done it, but it gets out of hand sometimes.” Pingel finds the major<br />
flaw to be that people push aside more important things like homework.<br />
Search engines are some of today's most popular sites on the World<br />
Wide Web. They're available to anyone with internet access and provide<br />
information about almost any subject that you type in. One of the most<br />
well known of these search engines is ChaCha.com.<br />
ChaCha is an online instant chat search tool.<br />
Scott Jones, the creator of ChaCha, told USA Today about his new<br />
search engine, ChaCha.com. “Yeah, it takes Google two-tenths of a second<br />
to show you a page of results, but on average it takes people 11<br />
minutes to find what they want,” said Jones. Many of today’s search<br />
engine inventors try to create something better than Google.com, which<br />
has a hold as the top search engine.<br />
Chris Meyer, CEO of Monitor Networks agreed with Jones. “You have to<br />
learn how it (Google) hears. It doesn’t learn how you talk,” said Meyer.<br />
Google was launched in 1998. The inventors originally named the site<br />
BackRub but after a year decided on the name Google. As of December<br />
2008, Google employed 20,222 people.<br />
ChaCha.com was created in November 2006 and the mobile answers<br />
text service was launched in January 2008. Today, Cha Cha employs<br />
50,000 guides across the U.S. Many might wonder how ChaCha can<br />
afford to pay 50,000 people. “The key is advertising,” Jones said. “First<br />
because users have to wait while an expert digs around for stuff, Cha-<br />
Cha can play a very targeted, valuable video ad. Then because the experts<br />
will know exactly what each user is looking for, ChaCha can serve<br />
up ads that hit their mark.” Those ads are worth two or three times<br />
Google's keyword ads.<br />
ChaCha has developed into one of today's most well known sites. Everyday<br />
an average of 10 million people use ChaCha as their search tool.<br />
www.littledodger.net<br />
-Photo by Sam Foster<br />
Sophomore Joey Gerdes sits at his computer enjoying features<br />
Facebook has to offer. He is one of many at risk of a technology<br />
Both Pingel and Altman agree on their number once annoyance with<br />
Facebook. “I hate it when people get on Facebook, post their entire life<br />
and then complain about others knowing their business,” said Pingel. Altman<br />
and Pingel give the advice that if people don’t want everyone to know<br />
what they’re doing, they shouldn’t post it on Facebook.<br />
The New Google Internet Secure?<br />
When dealing with a lot of people in one place at one time, a priority<br />
presents itself. Providing protection for people and the things they're doing<br />
is important for law enforcers everywhere.<br />
Police men spend everyday trying to create a secure environment for<br />
people walking the busiest streets and traveling from place to place. However,<br />
one of the busiest places on earth doesn't have a police force. Or<br />
does it?<br />
Being aware is the most important thing to do when surfing the web.<br />
Risks present themselves when they're least expected. Something as innocent<br />
as a pop up add might lead to a harsh computer virus. One of the<br />
biggest risks on the internet is the chance of meeting an online predator.<br />
In a news report on channel WSFA12, Prattville Police Department explained<br />
the process of catching an online predator. Heather Brown and<br />
Sgt. Gary Graves are a part of the police department's computer forensics<br />
unit.<br />
“I would say in the first two to three minutes, the conversation turns to a<br />
sexual nature,” said Brown. Brown and Graves pose as 12 or 13 year olds<br />
to lure predators. The team works hundreds of cases that concentrate on<br />
arranging meetings and making arrests.<br />
A predator situation can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Social<br />
networks such as Facebook or <strong>My</strong>space pose the biggest threats towards<br />
minors because the kids don't realize who they might be really talking to<br />
or who's really looking at their profile. The sites continue to work towards<br />
creating a fun and safe environment on the web. However, complete security<br />
is almost impossible when trying to get to know someone.<br />
While being on the internet, being aware and secure should be the first<br />
and foremost things that come to mind.