Part I - The following are privacy policies from their respective websites:

Facebook

• Facebook may retain the details of transactions or payments the user makes on Facebook and will only keep a user's payment source account number with their consent.


• Signing up for Facebook requires that one give them their name, email, gender, and birth date, as well as giving the user the option of providing additional information to help friends find the user. Sometimes, they may ask for additional information for security reasons. A user can visit their profile at any time to remove personal information.


• Facebook does not own or operate Facebook-enhanced applications or websites, so when a user visits applications and websites they are making their Facebook information available to someone other than Facebook. To help those applications and sites operate, they receive publicly available information automatically when a user pays them a visit. Facebook, however, gives you tools to control how information is shared.
  

Google accounts

• Google asks for your personal info when you sign up, and may request your credit card info for certain advertising services (maintained in an encrypted form). They may combine your submitted information with information from other Google services or 3rd parties to improve quality of services (which you can opt out of).


• information that you provide to another website using a Google service may be sent to Google, and is processed under Google's Privacy Policy, but Google still encourages you to read their privacy policy as they may have a different one.
  


• Google sends one or more cookies when you visit it to identify your browser to improve service quality, as well as for storing user preferences and improving search results and ad selection.

Wells Fargo

• Wells Fargo does not sell customer information to third parties.


• Wells Fargo does not sell customer information with outside parties that may attempt to market their services.


• Physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards meet or exceed federal standards in regards to protecting consumer information.

iTunes

• Apple does not sell or rent contact information of its users to other marketers


• Apple believes it may help the customer to make certain personal information about them available to companies that Apple has a professional or strategic relationship with. These companies (obligated to protect the user's information as well) may help us process information, extend credit, fulfill customer orders, deliver products to the user, manage and enhance customer data, provide customer service, assess your interest in our products and services, or conduct customer research or satisfaction surveys.
  


• At times apple may be required by law to disclose personal information for issues of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance.

Xanga

• Unless specifically stated otherwise (e.g. on the page where you submit the information), any information that you choose to fill out on our profile pages will be posted on your Xanga site and will be potentially accessible to the entire world.


• Your email address is never publicly displayed by Xanga. But when you email someone through Xanga, your email address will be revealed to them (e.g. as the “from” or “reply to” address on the email you send through Xanga). In addition, Xanga has a search feature that allows others to search for you by your email address, but you can control whether you appear in these search results by using the settings inside your Xanga account.


• Xanga users have “Privacy” options to help them control the visibility of their posts. They can choose from: private (visible to only that specific user when logged in), protected (visible to only a set group of individuals, or simply visible to everyone EXCEPT a group of individuals), or public. Xanga may access any portion of the user's website for operational purposes.

Part II - My custom settings for each of these accounts are listed below.

Facebook
My instant messaging screen name and cell phone number (which I do not provide to Facebook to begin with) are set to be visible to anyone in my networks. The default option was for them to be visible if provided, but I do not like the idea of having them available to anyone, so I chose not to provide them.
My websites are set to only be visible to friends from my Texas A&M network. This is a custom setting and just another precaution I wanted to take to keep my blog from being visible to people I absolutely have no connection with.
My email addresses are only accessible to my Facebook friends. I changed this so that I would not have people contacting me without my permission.

Google
My profile picture is set to be visible only to those with whom I have accepted a chat request. I was suprised that this was a default setting, and I chose not to change it because I do not mind my friends seeing my picture.
My google profile itself is set to private and is only visible to me. I am relatively certain this is a default setting as I had no idea a profile existed in my name to begin with. I did not change this setting because I think that Google has a lot of information about me and I do not want it available to everyone.
In the event that I lose my password, I have a security question set up that I must answer before I have it sent to an alternate email address. I like the precaution because I have important information on my account and do not want it to be easy to obtain.

Wells Fargo
They are all default settings. I cannot change them because they are the bank's standards, but I do not mind because I feel that my information is secure.
Wells fargo has a secured log on, so that outside sources cannot access your personal information, so basically by default I have all of my personal information protected.
I have a security question in case I forget my password.
My bank accounts are also set to where only the last 4 digits of the account number are visible.
My account also logs me off if I leave it alone for 5 minutes, to protect my identity.

iTunes
I have a security question in case I forget my password. This default setting makes me more at ease in the event that I forget my password, because then some random person will not be able to get my account information.
I have to re-enter my password every time I make a purchase. Also a default setting, but I like that it is something I cannot change because then no other perosn can use my account on my computer without my authorization.
iTunes has a credit card number saved to my account to make transactions. A personal setting, this setting allows me to make transactions easily. However, it kind of makes me nervous having my credit card linked to anyone else but me.

Xanga
My account is set to Protected so that I am the only one who can see it other than people I have approved to see it. I had this account when I was a freshman in high school, so the reason I changed it to that setting was to keep child predators from getting information about my life, classes, school, etc.
On my profile, my first name is the only real personal information about me, so that, again, people would not figure out everything about me.
My posts are set to be visible to my approved list of users, but some of them are customized to be visible to just me or a specific person. I did this to give some privacy to things that were only meant for certain people to hear.
All of my settings for Xanga, additionally, were customized.

Yahoo vs. Skype vs. Google - Video Communication Lab

For this assignment, I was asked to compare and contrast the pros and cons of different video-chat or teleconferencing options. The following are features of each service in regards to the Interface, Ease of Use, and Quality of Yahoo, Skype and Google services.

Interface

• Yahoo: This interface has icons illustrating the component you can use to communicate with another user during a video call. The interface is also set up to look like an old-school, AOL Instant Messenger box, and is in a separate window (which is placed on the right side of the computer screen) than the Yahoo email account. There are initially drop-down menus with options of communication methods, including video-chat. A buddy list, compiled of members of the user's address book, is in the window. There are also ads at the bottom of the window. When new calls are being made to the user, a little box pops up in the lower right-hand corner of the computer screen.
  
• Skype: In the bottom of the Skype window (located on the right side of the screen, like Yahoo), a call and end button are conveniently placed. All the user has to do is click on the contact's name and press the call button to start a video chat with them. Skype's window also has several, self-explanatory tabs with pictures to help those of us who are visual learners (tabs include: History, SkypeFind, Call Phones, and Contacts). There is also the option of putting a button into an internet browser to open skype.
  
• Google: G-chat has a pop-out option that the user can use if they prefer to have their chat in a separate window. Otherwise, the list of contacts and options is located on the left side of the window containing their gmail account. With user action, this can be moved to a different spot in the window. There are icons next to the names of all the the contacts, indicating whether they're in the mood to talk, have video-chatting capabilities, etc. By scrolling over the contact names, the user can choose to email, chat, or video chat with a contact. The user can even bring up recent conversations they have had with that person. The interface of G-chat is very minimalistic.
  

Ease of use

• Yahoo: There are buttons illustrating user actions, and many options to choose from on the drop-down menus. The buddy-list-esque feel to it makes it easy to see who's online. Users can also send photos and documents without leaving the video-chat window at all. The scribbler feature makes it easy to illustrate something or do something humorous.
  
• Skype: It can automatically sign you on when you start up your computer. Most of the options, such as starting a video call, are located visibly in the window, so a video call is just a few clicks away. There are also options the user can set to indicate whether or not they want people to chat with them, making it easy to show the mood of the person.
  
• Google: The fact that it is in the email inbox makes video calls very accessible for gmail users. Rolling over the contacts for the option is an easy way for Google to hide all of the options that many users do not use, and allows it to fit easily into the inbox window. All the user has to do to end a video chat is exit out of the window that appears in their gmail account. There are no extra window to slow computer speed, either.

Quality of service

• Yahoo: the video is a relatively high-resolution for video calls. The voices are pretty clear as well, though the sound itself does not sound very good. The chat conversation pops up right away in its respective section of the window. There is some lag with the chat and video, though.
  
• Skype: the quality of the video is also great. Much like a real telephone call, there is a bit of a wait before the chat actually connects with another user. The sound is not very clear, and is kind of grainy. There is a small lag, but nothing that is terribly distracting from the conversation.
  
• Google: G-chat video quality has the least resolution, and the sound is very similar to Skype. However, there is not really a lag.

Yahoo’s quality is great, and I was pleasantly surprised when we used it in class. Visually, it is pretty easy on the eyes, with its easy-to-see buttons for chatting options and preferences. I thought the scribbler option was creative, and the internet games are nice because both parties can play easily. There are lots of customization features with Yahoo, which is an added bonus. For me, however, Yahoo lacks depth. I have to log into my email account again to use its features in another window. There are a lot of scroll down menus, which are confusing, and do not really help me chat with other people. The chat ended when we tried to use the scribbler option, which would have been frustrating if I was trying to video chat with someone I had not seen in quite some time. It looks really good when the user first uses it, but there are definitely a lot of kinks Yahoo needs to work out.

Skype has lots of options. I did not realize until doing this research that, on Skype, I can shop online or play games with another user, which is different than the standard “let’s have a Skype-date” option; Skype does a great job of allowing users to relate to each other on more than just a visual level. Users of Skype can play games together rather than just talk about what they’re going to do when they see each other. It also signs you on automatically when starting your computer, so that you do not have to worry about remembering to sign on for that important call. While it can be annoying, Skype offers a simple tutorial to help users get started and get the most out of it. However, with so many options, Skype overwhelms me. I personally do not use it very often because I get so confused sometimes. A major drawback to the games option is that the user has to download another application to play them. Also, to make calls to a cell phone, the user has to pay for it, which, to me, makes it a pointless option.

Google’s service is easy to use with the roll-over feature, and I like that it is already in your email inbox. It makes it less of a pain to use G-chat, because I do not have to log into another account for another service – I can do anything I want (messaging, email, video calling) in one place, without having to open up another window. Google clearly displays who is online and who has video-calling capabilities, which is very user friendly. The stream also appears right in my inbox, and I can minimize it anytime I wish to. Cons to Google’s option are that there are not a whole lot of options. I cannot send pictures to another user while I am chatting, but I have to email files and minimize the chat before I can do so. There also are not any games or scribbling options for chatters, which makes G-chat seem to be a more business-like option. The quality of the video and audio is also not that great, but then again, if I am multi-tasking, I do not really need great quality of video.

Google wins the Google vs. Yahoo war again for me, because of its great functionality and usefulness. I would like to see Google add more options like Yahoo and Skype have, such as file sharing and games, but since the user is already logged onto their email account, that may be an irrelevant or redundant wish. Skype has the most options, such as games, online shopping, and telephone calling but so many options can be confusing compared to G-chat’s useful features.

La Belle-tique, Modern Clothes for the Vintage Girl: Lab Assignment #14

To improve your boutique (La Belle-tique: modern clothes for the vintage girl), the three options that would be to your best benefit are Zen Cart, Magneto, and Presta Shop. I am happy to help you find an option that is most suitable for you, and hope that you will feel more at ease about expanding your boutique to the internet after this proposal.
All eCommerce options give the user the chance to give customers sales and promotions on the website. However, the options for how the user may do so vary between softwares. Magneto has the best selection of choices – the user can use coupons, emails, percentages off marked on the website, etc. Whatever the user has in mind to make garments fly out the (electronic) door is pretty much fair game. Presta Shop’s approach is great as well because the user can include free shipping, as well as price reductions and gift vouchers. While Zen Cart’s items can be market as “free” or “inquire for price,” the software does not give the user as many options to choose from aside from a fixed price, a price markdown, or an additional percentage off. I know from experience that online discounts make me more willing to buy items off of a website, because I feel like I am getting a better deal than I would in the store.
SSL Security is important to the consumer when credit card fraud can happen in an instant. SSL security software encrypts, or scrambles, the data about a client, so that if a potential crook was trying to use it, they would have to decrypt everything before they could get what they wanted. Both Presta Shop and Magneto have this feature. Other than having a CVV2 verification feature, Zen Cart does not offer much security for online transactions. While most customers do not think about this when they initially shop on your website, the ones that do will be deterred by the lack of security (I know that I would). It would also be detrimental to your reputation as a business owner if something fraudulent ever happened at the customer’s expense, even if the actions causing the incident were not your own.
Additionally, each brand of software has a PayPal option included for use. This makes it easier for many users to access their credit card information, and therefore, buy more stuff. PayPal completes the transaction for the vendor, and all the vendor has to do is just ship the item and collect the profit. I shop on Ebay quite often, so I find PayPal convenient and easy to use, because I do not have to create a different account for any other website that uses PayPal services as well.
For the technology-confused user, HTML coding and customization of the storefront may be a concern. Obviously, no vendor wants to have a dull website that does not draw potential customers in to buy the product. Zen Cart offers an extensive template customization system, while Magneto does not have HTML-free customization. Presta Shop has a “back office” feature to help the user tweak the look of the storefront. The option that will give you the most creative liberty is important, as I am certain you would like your website to look as creative as your actual store.
As an online shopper myself, I tend to dislike when I am limited on shipping options, or when the least expensive takes a month to get my purchase to me. Presta Shop offers shipment tracking and gift-wrapping, but does not seem to give the customer free reign over how they want their purchase shipped to them. Magneto has the option of adding every possible shipping rate (from UPS, UPS XML, FedEx, USPS and DHL) to your storefront, which is great if you have a picky customer. Zen Shop has multiple options for shipping carriers, as well as a shipping estimator, which the customer can use prior to check out.
To give my opinion, I believe that Presta Shop is the best option, because it will give you a good amount of customization options, while keeping the security and professional aspects of your business at the heart of the storefront.

Lab Assignment #11

I suppose this is a really old radio, the authentic vintage look that everything modern tries to copy. It's interesting to me that there's still a metal antenna on it that looks extendable - I haven't seen one of those in a long time, not even on automobiles. This makes me nostalgic for the days of bunny ears on TV sets and for the sound of my mom's Volvo's radio antenna coming out of the front of the car when I was a little kid. Those times were much simpler; these days it's all about how much music you can have to choose from, rather than just sitting back and actually listening to it.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/3441169791_c8bcd773c0.jpg








A regular alarm clock-radio. I have one that sits beside my bed, and the quality is terrible because I can never get quite the right signal from my antenna. Still, I don't see myself upgrading to a WiFi radio anytime soon, as I have adapted to other forms of getting my music fix when I wake up in the morning.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/76/167554247_79feb0b17a.jpg












These days it seems they can make everything old new again. This is a WiFi radio made to look like a classic radio one might find back in the 40's or 50's (or at least that's my guess... I obviously wasn't alive back then).
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3593/3567599841_c6666d770c.jpg









This is a WiFi transmitter... we're definitely not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. It's pretty insane how much technology has evolved from phonographic radios to this photograph here. Everything is computerized in this day and age, but my question is "why doesn't it sound like it's live yet?"
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/3113532375_f429580226.jpg








I'm kind of in awe of how little is required to send out a radio broadcast. Still, It does look complicated. I wonder what a radio transmitter would have looked like 30 years ago, or even when radios were first invented, if the machine is as large as it is now.
Image located at: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/2766542684_9a3e93c944.jpg
























The video discusses the many advantages to taking up photography as a hobby or even a career. It also tells about different aspects of the film industry (like availability of jobs) and how innovations are constantly being made in the photography world.

The World of Mobile Music - Lab Assignment #9

This week, we're venturing into the music industry to see what options there are for online streaming.

MC Solaar (Hip Hop/Rap)
• Pandora’s first five song artists: Guru, NTM, Torpedo Boyz, Tandem, Supreme NTM
• LaLa’s related artists: Saian Super Crew, Sniper, Manau, Sinik, TTC
• Grooveshark’s top 5: Black-Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Dead Prez, Grand Puba, Fort Minor
• LastFM’s picks: IAM, Oxmo Puccino, Akhenaton, Doc Gyneco, Fonky Family

Carla Bruni (French Pop)
• Pandora’s first five song artists: Nouvelle Vague, Ingrid Michaelson, Coralie Clements, Feist, Cat Power
• LaLa’s related artists: The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Feist, The Temper Trap, Mumm-Ra
• Grooveshark’s top 5: Serge Gainsbourg, Sia, Etienne Daho, Vanessa Paradis, Broken Social Scene
• LastFM’s picks: Coralie Clement, Keren Ann, Camille, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy

Andrea Bocelli (Classical, Opera)
• Pandora’s first five song artists: Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Michael Buble, Il Divo
• LaLa’s related artists: Susan Boyle, Josh Groban, Sarah Brightman, Michael Buble, Bing Crosby
• Grooveshark’s top 5: Kronos Quartet, Michael Buble, Luciano Pavarotti, Hayley Westenra, Vittorio Grigolo
• LastFM’s picks: Luciano Pavarotti, Il Divo, Josh Groban, Placido Domingo, Sarah Brightman

Conor Oberst (Indie, Folk)
• Pandora’s first five song artists: Ryan Adams, Neva Dinova, Damien Rice, Sufjan Stephens, the Beatles
• LaLa’s related artists: Okkervil River, Monsters of Folk, Blitzen Trapper, The National, David Sitek
• Grooveshark’s top 5: The Honorary Title, Damien Rice, Metric, Rocky Votolato, Colin Meloy
• LastFM’s picks: Park Ave., Desaparecidos, Commander Venus, M. Ward, Simon Joyner

Alicia Keys (Soul, R&B)
• Pandora’s first five song artists: Ne-Yo, Aaliyah, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, Beyonce
• LaLa’s related artists: Mary J. Blige, Destiny’s Child, R Kelly, Usher, Beyonce
• Grooveshark’s top 5: Kelly Clarkson, Usher, Maiysha, Anthony Hamilton, Mary J. Blige
• LastFM’s picks: Amerie, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, Aaliyah, Mariah Carey

Janis Joplin (Rock)
• Pandora’s first five song artists: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Etta James, The Beatles, The Doors
• LaLa’s related artists: The Band, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Jimi Hendrix, Boz Scaggs
• Grooveshark’s top 5: Supertramp, Bee Gees, Melissa Etheridge, Wilco, Eric Clapton
• LastFM’s picks: Big Brother & the Holding, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin

My thoughts on the experiment:
Personally, I prefered Grooveshark's choices over the other stations' selections. Grooveshark does a great job of mixing the artists, while still adding new and different (but still related) artists into the mix. Pandora is great because it finds what a user likes, but the skip count feature is frustrating and annoying, and I find I often end up hearing the same songs over and over. The other two websites seemed to just find the most popular related source, which doesn't necessarily have any relation at all to the actual artists (I was not a fan.).

Free, Downloadable, Music - Lab Asignment #10

Here are the songs I found that could be put on an iPod touch. Enjoy!

1. last.fm:
   Sufjan Stevens - Henney Buggy Band
2. itunes.com:
   Easton Corbin - A Little More Country Than That
3. vampireweekend.com:
   Vampire Weekend - Horchata

Podcast Options - Lab Assignment #8

For this assignment, we were asked to find ten podcasts from 5 different categories, and give the facts on each podcast - the name of the publisher, the category, the podcast's format, the frequency of updates and new podcasts, the projected audience, number of subscribers and (finally) corporate sponsors for the website.
All of the following podcasts were found at podcastalley.com. The website sorts them into genres to help users figure out which of them pertains to their interest.

harrypotterpodcast.com
Publisher: harrypotterpodcast.com
Category: Arts
Format: Fan-Fiction
Frequency: Several times a month, but not necessarily weekly.
Audience: Harry Potter Fans (i.e. 10-30 year old English speaking males and females who probably grew up with or just greatly appreciate J.K. Rowling's literary masterpiece)
Subscribers: 112
Sponsors: Google

Great detectives of old-time radio
Publisher: Adam Graham
Category: Arts
Format: Audiobook
Frequency: Daily, Mon. - Sat.
Audience: Men and Women older than the age of 40, who are probably upper-middle class (have free time on their hands) and who also enjoy listening to things that they may have grown up with.
Subscribers:97
Sponsors: Google, Priceline, Netflix

Free Talk Live
Publisher: Josh, Julia, Nick, Wayne, Dale, Mark and Ian
Category: Society & Culture
Format: Talk Show
Frequency: Daily
Audience: Twenty and Thirty-Somethings that probably do not align themselves with a political party and consider themselves free-thinking individuals.
Subscribers: 44,020
Sponsors: Google, Berkey Light Water Filters, sakalcai.com

Best of the Left
Publisher: Jay
Category: Society & Culture
Format: Talk Show
Frequency: Once or Twice a Week
Audience: Liberals - most likely males and females above the age of 18 who are interested in liberal politics and do not live in the Southern United States
Subscribers: 2,118
Sponsors: Google

Accio-Potter Wizard Radio
Publisher: Alex Heule, Jay Grandi, Michael Hickey, Microsoft Same
Category: Music
Format: Music
Frequency: Monthly
Audience: Again, Harry Potter fans - most likely High School and College Students, ages ranging from 10-30 who speak English and are fans of the books
Subscribers: 314
Sponsors: Google, Kawasaki Parts, Online Gambling

Film Penguins
Publisher: Andrew and Mark
Category: TV/Film
Format: TV/Film
Frequency: once a week
Audience: females in their 20's who are movie buffs.
Subscribers: 8
Sponsors: Google (SonyPictures.com/IceCastles, us.penguingroup.com)

Talk Trek
Publisher: different for every episode
Category: TV/Film
Format: TV/film relating to Star Trek
Frequency: once a week a new video is published
Audience: Star Trek fanatics, most likely post-adolescent males
Subscribers: 99
Sponsors: Google (gk2gk.com, fanscast.com)

ESPN Radio Podcast
Publisher: ESPN internet ventures
Category: Sports/Recreation
Format: Sports News
Frequency: once a day; Monday through Friday.
Audience: male gender, 13-50 year olds, who like sports.
Subscribers: 12
Sponsors: Google (SportManagementDegrees.com, combatcast.net)

New England Patriots Podcast
Publisher: New England Patriots ("club") and Internet Commerce Company
Category: Sports/Recreation
Format: Sports News
Frequency: once a day; Monday through Friday.
Audience: male gender, 13-50 year olds, New Engalnd Patriot fans.
Subscribers: 5
Sponsors: Google (proshop.patriots.com, NFLshop.com)

Keith and the Girl
Publisher: Keith and Chemeda
Category: Top 10 Podcast
Format: Comedy Talkshow
Frequency: once a day; Monday thru Friday.
Audience: females and males early 20's to mid 30's.
Subscribers: 38826 votes
Sponsors: Google (voices.com, wellsfargo.com/student)