Post-Mifflin Pre-Finals PumpUP !

So if you're reading this, congratulations on coming out victorious after another successful Mifflin !! (I use the term 'victorious' loosely, of course.) 

This wasn't my first rodeo, and by rodeo I mean Mifflin and by 'not my first' I mean it was my second, but I'd say it was a whole lot more fun than last year! While I did not spend the majority of my time on Mifflin (Don't Go), I did shimmy on over there for a little  bit, just to check it out. I remember last year the streets were so crowded you could barely get by without getting stepped on, spilled on and smacked. And cell phone reception? You had to go 2 blocks over just to get a signal! This year, however, no one was in the streets (unless you were in handcuffs.) and overall a whole lot less people went to Mifflin all day.

One thing we did learn from this year's Mifflin: what goes online stays online, the most innocent of things can go viral, and even the best intentions can be misconstrued. Our very own Dean of Students Lori Berquam advised her students to be cautious and thoughtful on attending Mifflin this year. Little did she know she would be up next on the Billboard's Top 1 Hit Wonders of 2012 (watch out Rebecca Black). But is it wrong to use social media to try and relay a message to a large body of adolescent students? Are there always going to be just as high risks as rewards when you put yourself on the Internet?

Anywho, now that Mifflin is over, our belts fit a little more snugly, our eyes look a little more droopy, and our braincells are a little more deady, WE'RE HEADIN OVER TO HELEN C. WHITE!!! Get ready for finals folks, College Lib will be packed (and it is all quiet all the time. seriously there is a man who enforces these rules quite diligently). So get your Jimmy John's on speed dial, bust out the sweatpants and download Self Control on whatever computer you're using. (Because you don't want to end up like this guy.) But actually folks, take advantage of the Self Control app, turn OFF your cell phones (seriously it's not that bad, I don't have a phone more than I do #RIPMifflin2012) and hit the books! You can do it!

In almost a week we'll all be heading home for the summer, traveling all over the world to various places, or if you're REALLY cool staying in Madison for the summer!

(Did you hear the Terrace got new Mendota Blue chairs!? How neat is that!)

What did you think about this year's Mifflin? What kind of things do you do when you're studying for finals? Are you traveling any neat places this summer? Where is Waldo?

Do tell!

Satie Klavin

Don't Go?

Well, everyone, the Mifflin Street Block Party is less than one week away. While I think many people are excited, the recent buzz around the event has not been all positive. Dean of Students Lori Berquam became famous, (or maybe infamous,) last week for posting a video telling students not to go to Mifflin. After much criticism, the video was removed almost as soon as it was put up, however once things are on the internet, as we have learned, they do not simply go away. Here is the video:

And here is a remix made by students:

Now I will not comment on what I think about the content in the video. However, two things that relate to media fluency can be taken from this situation. One, like I said, internet content does not simply just go away. (A great meme could be made out of that idea.) Second, whether people criticize Berquam or not, she got her message of safety and advice across. Everyone can make fun of her, but the internet has proven once again that it reaches students in a strong way.

Hope you enjoyed the videos and understand I am not ripping the message. I just wanted to place a spotlight on a specific UW example of how quickly a simple message can turn into collaborative production and remix videos.

Have a great day!

-Woey

Club Bucky

It's that time of year again badgers, Club Bucky is back!  For all of you upperclassmen out there that think you are too cool to go, consider this: Free Chipotle and Milios! What college student can resist free food, loud music and fellow badgers?  You can find out everything else you need to know through none other than social media! Check out the event page on Facebook HERE and spread the word on Twitter by tagging #clubbucky or #acm, (All Campus Party).  This is in fact and ALL campus party, so come enjoy, you're not too cool, I promise.

Check out the progress the giant tent that will host the party has made in just one day!

Go have fun!

-Dubs

Opinion Leader

Well, it has been a week since I reached out to everyone I could think of on Twitter that is famous, and no one has commented on our blog. I have to say I am just a little surprised that only one person, Josh Sitton of the Green Bay Packers, responded. Sitton says he tried, but it did not work. While I find this a little hard to believe since all you have to do is click comment, I was pleased he at least messaged me to let me know. I guess we'll just have to keep trying.

Woey

RateYourStudents.com?

So we all just got done choosing our classes (Thank God). While I'm parying to the wait list gods I was thinking about how I definitely used RateMyProfessors.com to help me make my schedule. So we are talking about online identity this week and how we are perceived online and it made me think about this website.

People on RateMyProfessor.com are bluntly honest and I can't help but wonder if professors looks at the comments their former students write about them. I think I would if I was a professor. Something to think about is that a professor could look at their negative scores and try to improve from that and become a better teacher. But their online footprint makes them out to be this horrible person when they might be nice in real life.

So, I started to think what if the tables were turned? What if professors could post what they think of us as students and help them make their decisions on whether to let us in their class or not. Things would be very different. I could admit that I am a lazy student in some courses and a teacher's pet in others, it depends on the class. So if one professor made a comment about me online, that's 'who I am' in real life.

What are your thoughts on this? How would you feel if the tables were turned and there was a RateYourStudents.com? Would you have good or bad reviews?


-Zaquisha

How Does the Web Perceive You?

The Web is currently trying to take over people's identities and companies like Facebook are trying to reach this goal within the next few years.  It's frightening to think that the Web can have more control over your personal identity than you, yourself.  In my opinion, that's not the way it should be.  Facebook is creating our identity based on what we post and who we interact with, which lets us have almost complete control over.  Facebook is trying to create a single identity for each individual, and according to psychologists we have may identities.  Google is perceiving our identity based on what links we click on and what we search for.  We may not realize it, but what we do in our own private settings has an affect on us as well.  We may not consciously think of Google as creating an identity for us as much as Facebook.  We have to be cautious, realizing that everything we do on the Web is creating an image that reflects on who we are as a person.  Our Web identities could potentially hurt us in the future, or maybe they already do.


-Wrianna Besely

On a Mission

We are trying to get someone important people in the public sphere to comment on our blog, and we will not stop bugging them until they do. If any of you famous people out there are reading this, just click on the comment section below and post as a guest using your name or URL. If you could somehow confirm it is you, that would be great.

So far we have asked some Packer players and college sports figures and we think this is a good way to get the word out on our blog. Cross your fingers.

Packer Player Update

We are still waiting to hear from our favorite athletes. Here is a Twitter convo we have going with Josh Sitton of the Green Bay Packers:

@jsitton71 there is a blog post just for you to comment and I get extra credit points if you take 2 seconds to do so. http//madtownmindset.blogspot.com/


@jweiss713 I tried bro. Didn't work




Now we are working out the kinks, but that is clearly a start.

Packers Please Post!

We want comments. We want interaction. Why not go to Twitter to ask some Packer players to post? So that's what we did! Here's to hoping our guys in Green and Gold see this and comment. XLVII!

H3y U R a QT ;)

Something that we don't realize today is that the majority of us are fluent in another language that we see every day. Text lingo, online slang, call it what you want, but these abbreviations like 'omg', 'wtf', 'nm', or 'ttyl' were not always around.

I remember my mom called me a few weeks ago and asked me, "What does 'LMAO' stand for?" I laughed as anyone my age would, but looking back it makes me realize that it is like a foreign language to some people.

Almost everyone has those friends on a social network who TyP3 liik3 DiS && Itz s00 Ann0yInG! Or we may catch ourselves being lazy and abbrivating sentences like "OMG WTH!?!" And without even thnking twice, we can decode what someone is trying to say, or easily know the words of what each letter stands for.

25 years ago, no one would have known our slang and typing styles that we see and use today. But as fasicnating as that is, is that a good thing? I would say probably not. Multiple times I have heard teachers rant about how lazy we are getting when it comes to writing, and that the amount of spelling and grammar mistakes are increasing with each generation.

Possibly text lingo is to blame for this. Why would a 6th grader learn how to spell the word 'tomorrow' when online they just use 'tomm' or 'tmrw'? And maybe that's the most practice they get at spelling is through online socialization.

I think that the excuse used to be on our older cellphone we would have to press a button multiple times to get to certain letters and abbreviating was faster and more convienant. But why do we do it while on the computer? We have a whole keyboard there and pressing a few extra keys can take less than 2 seconds.

If we keep getting lazier and lazier each generation, will our writing and spelling suffer?

-Zaquisha

If you're looking for a great Italian restaurant on State Street, Tutto Pasta would definitely be the place to go!  It is a little more expensive and upscale, but it's definitely worth the price.  They offer plenty of pasta dishes, pizza, and delicious appetizers.  It would be perfect for a date night with that special someone or a birthday dinner with friends.  My favorite dish here is the Tutto Pasta.  It is their signature dish and is nothing like you have ever tasted before! Simply delicious!  Go check it out!




-Wrianna Besely

Inside Wisconsin Basketball

Hey everyone, its Dubs here with an inside look at Wisconsin basketball!  First year team manager Brandon Zall has been kind enough to answer a few questions about the program, Bo Ryan and even a little about the role of social media in the lives of student athletes.

Dubs: What are your main duties as manager? 

Brandon:  Managers are hired to make life easier on the coaches, staff and players. Jobs are wide ranging and there are many of them. These jobs include but are not limited to: running autograph requests from individuals and charities, setting up equipment before practice, wiping sweat if players fall during games and practice, taping opponents games so coaches can watch  

The Kevin Bacon Game

There is a little game people play called the Kevin Bacon Game. In this game, players name their favorite actors and then they try to connect them with Kevin Bacon using movies and co-actors. The idea is that any actor is related to Kevin Bacon within six roles.

This is a play off of the "six degrees of separation theory" in which people believe we are all connected with in six hops to everyone else in the world. This video explains it a little bit better.

It is long, but if you jump around a bit you get the idea. So do you believe the theory is true throughout the world? Are you connected in some way to every person in Denmark, Russia, and Ethiopia? Share your thoughts on the theory. 

Spring "Break"

Hello everyone.

After reading Satie's post below, I got to thinking that: how much break do we really get?

I will never be one to complain about a week off of classes, and I know it makes a huge difference when you are heading to Florida or Cabo to get out of the freezing Madison atmosphere every now and then, but is this break a really a break?

Let me explain a bit. I have a test and three papers due the week I get back to Madison. None of the work is too grueling, but work is work. I have decided not to worry one bit about any of it this week, but I can't imagine most people are on the same page as me. I just don't want to deal with the stress. However, think about the kids who are in Florida soaking in the sun all week, having a few sodas, and meeting a few friends. They will come back on a plane or long car ride exhausted. They may have the times of their lives, but is it really a break. To be honest, break is all about what you make it. I just feel like tests, papers, and projects are a little unfair to be assigned right away afterward. These are just my thoughts.

-Woey

Spring Break!

Hey Everyone! Spring Break is right around the corner!

 

Whether you are going here:

 

Doing some of this for the week:

Or even maybe a little of this...

 

 

It will be nice to have a week off of school, a week out of the classroom, and hopefully a week back home!

Now that you don't have class for a week, do you find yourself on the computer more or less? Are you constantly checking your cell phone the same amount? Do you find yourself utilizing different types of social media with all your free time?

Let us know! And be sure to take lots of pictures for us !  

<3 Satie Klavin

Wikipedia Overload?

What percentage of the time do you think Wikipedia pops up on the first page of results when you enter a Google search? 100%? 95%? At least 3 quarters of the time, right? Actually no, its less than 50% according to a recent study.  The biggest reason Wikipedia doesn't appear more often is the types of searches being made.  There are two different kinds, "informational" and "transactional".  Of course Wikipedia dominates the results market in the informational category appearing on the first page 60% of the time but when it comes to transactional, people shopping for clothes, music, cars etc. they appear less than 40% of the time.  Yes, yes I know that these percentages are still pretty high for a single source, but relative to what the perception of Wikipedia on Google it is much lower. Wikipedia may not have the stranglehold on Google as people perceive, but none the less they are a powerhouse in the informative realm of the Internet and will be for decades to come.

Check out more about the study and its process here.
Wikipedia Study

Online Overtime

Have you ever taken a college course online? Have you ever had an interactive class online? Do you have online homework assignments due every week? Have you ever sat at the computer, pounding the keyboard in frustration?

This week in class we discussed the "Do-It-Yourself" concept regarding education. In today's world, industries are moving more and more rapidly towards online sites, and surprisingly enough, institutional education isn't too far behind.


It's undeniable that today the value of a college degree just isn't what it used to be. More and more people are going to college, and more and more people are taking the necessary classes to get a degree online. The job industry is more competitive than ever, and college admittance is just as competitive.


I think this whole "DIY" college life is an interesting opportunity as well as a potential threat. The self-motivation required to sit down, learn, teach yourself the material will take you far in the real world. At the same time, what's stopping someone from just cheating their way through online education, grabbing their degree and running off into the world?


As our world is moving more and more towards the online-o-sphere, where do we go from here? (Did not mean to make that rhyme.) Do you think online education is a good thing, or is potentially threatening to the major educational institutions all over the world?


Spill!
Satie Klavin

Are We Really Ourselves Online?

Would you choose your profile picture to be one of you the minute after you've woken up at 8 a.m.? Un-showered, bed head, and a rough face? Or a picture of you from your awkward middle school stage?Would you post your most personal feelings when you hit low points as statuses or tweets? Chances are, the answer to these questions is No.

We choose only the best pictures of us to put as our main pictures online. The one in which we are wearing a cool outfit, our hair is done, our smile is nice, or one showing off an exotic place we've been to. We untag the "ugly" pictures of us where we were caught off guard, or ones that are embarrassing to us.

People choose what they post online as well, and it's always "the best". For example, if you are going on vacation, your class got cancelled, or anything cool that you can brag about, it makes a good status. Even if we are bored, but in a cool location, "OMG Arizona is soo much fun! Never want to go back to cold Wisconsin!" When in reality you can't stand hanging out with your grandparents in old people land for another minute and going home to see your friends would be really nice.

I guess the point of what I'm getting at is, most peoples' identities online are false representations. They might not be who you really are, but rather an awesome, "perfect" representation of whom you'd like to be perceived as. And this is because Facebook and Twitter and other social networks changed the world of first impressions. No longer may your first impression be in person, it might be on a computer screen of a stranger you have no knowledge of. So, we show off our best, whether it's a picture of us at our "best", or a post bragging about our "best" moments.

I just made this post to start conversation and get other peoples' thoughts on this idea of online identities. What are you opinions and concerns of this?

-Zaquisha

           There have been more than a few instances in my academic career when a book I need for a class is either way to expensive for what I intend to use it for and not available at the local library, so just like every other problem in my life, I turn to Google.  Many times it is very easy for anyone to go to a library and read the entirety of a book, but Google wanted to take that convenience one step further by creating a digital catalog of over eighteen million books.  They were quickly sued for copyright infringement and eventually settled out of court in which stipulations were created to dictate what Google could and could not do.  Without getting into too much detail, Google ended up only being able to provide one fifth of each book, for the majority of the books it digitized. Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig uses a great example to convey the potential impact of this cut in content due to copyright laws; he presents the situation of a child going to a library to do research for a project, “…You do not want them to have access to just 20 percent of each book they read…You want them to browse: to explore, to wonder, to ask questions.” Both my mind and my wallet sure would appreciate it if Google could produce the entirety of those eighteen million books.  In today's day and age or free online content, it is hard to believe this dream is too farfetched.  


-Adubs 

Do you want to try this bowl of delciousness!?  Well you definitely can because it's available on state street at Red Mango.  Red mango is a frozen yogurt & smoothie shop.  What it offers are: All-Natural Frozen Yogurt in several different flavors, Fresh Fruit Smoothies, Probiotic Beverages, Artisan Hot Chocolate, and Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits.  Not going to lie, I visit here almost every week.  I'm addicted, but the on the bright side it's healthy for you.  Zagat ranked Red Mango #1 twice!  They were top ranked for "Best Smoothie/Frozen Yogurt" and "Top Healthy Options Within the Quick Refreshment Chains" in 2011.  If you have not been here before, I would highly recommend you take a visit!  You will probably become addicted, just like I have.






-Wrianna Besely