Week 1 -1

What have been your prior experiences with Web 2.0 technologies?

I cannot really recall when was my first encounter with web2.0 or when was the time i heard about the term Web 2.0. Maybe in Dr. Reiser’s Trends and Issues course, or earlier. However, before I knew this novel term, I have already used its technology. I have used MSN’s spaces as a web log for about 4 years. I used it as an electronic diary and share my thoughts with my friends and family. After I left my home country and came to FSU for my study, I began to increasingly write on my MSN spaces blog entries, because I want to keep records about my life in America and share them to my loved one who care about what happen to me in a foreign country. Also, I can check how my friends are doing by viewing their MSN blogs.

Unlike in America most young people using ICQ, Facebook or MySpace, in Taiwan we like to use MSN’s messenger, MSN space blog, and other social networking website to connect with friends. We can easily check friends’ MSN blogs by clicking the asterisk symbols on MSN messenger. In addition to its convenience to link to MSN blogs, I also like its permission restriction function because it allows me to select who can check my blog. This is because I didn’t wish to totally share my personal life in public to people who I don’t know. On top of MSN’s photo sharing function, I also use other web-based photo sharing websites, similar to Flickr, but they are hosted in Taiwan, and only have Chinese version platform. Initially I used them to share my trips’ photo with my friends. Increasingly, I also use them for store my family’s photos. Youtube and Myspace were used for me to upload my nephew’s videos and share to my entire family, especially to my brother, who is also overseas.

These web 2.0 technologies are useful tools for me to keep in touch with my family and friends in Taiwan. Although my family and I talk to each other via Skype every week, we still rely on using Web 2.0 technologies to share videos, photos, and life experience. It’s also very convenient to us because we don’t need to worry about the huge video/ photo file transmission problem.