A AE

Until then I give up.

I really had a hard time preparing my speech. I didn’t want to talk about personal stuff. On the other hand, going through a hard time in my life, all I could think about was that personal stuff. So, I started with a little autobiography, then explained what I’m doing and what I’d like to do in future. After I prepared my speech I felt such a big relief. Talking about myself helped me feel better. I definitely recommend it.

I joined Michigan Toastmasters a week ago. I went to two meetings.
I was a guest at the first one. At the second meeting, I was a member. We are meeting on Tuesdays at the Michigan Union. Check out this URL if you live in Ann Arbor: http://www.umich.edu/~mtoast/

Instead of posting the whole paper, I decided to post parts of it that could be of interest to others. Unfortunately I will be able to do this after I am done with my classes. 3 days to go!

to work on this goal..

I cut my own hair after realizing that I don’t like long hair. But I knew I was going to have my haircut in a real salon. I did a pretty good job though. I felt like a spy, cutting my own hair in the bathroom :)

I have submitted three short papers, but I didn’t upload them here because I didn’t think they were good. My final paper is due on Friday and I will upload it here. After I am done with my class, I will be able to use 43T just for fun and maybe to get used to blogging.

People flock to 43T because it delivers something they need and can’t find elsewhere. This might seem obvious but it is the most important quality of an online community. However, an important fraction of members just write down their goal and visit them occasionally. Maybe this is because their goals are of immediate reach. The goals differ a lot in terms of proximity. Maybe 43T may implement time frame for goals to motivate members more.

I will get a .com domain name and it will host my ultimate web page.

It has been almost 4 years. Time flies!

I emailed the toastmasters group in my school and asked them if they are going to have meetings over the summer. We’ll see what happens.

It was awesome!

I am working on this although I didn’t post anything. The class is really intense and I am planning to organize my writings soon. There are some questions that I am working on right now. I think it would be useful to write them down. (I might add to this post from time to time)

1. What kinds of conflicts arise and what are the mechanisms to handle them?
2. 43T doesn’t have a formal reputation system. What are the current rating features and how would the community be affected by the introduction of a reputation system?
3. Social presence/comparison processes?
4. Goal setting and effects on self-evaluation/self-regulation?

to have a summer job at Robot Co-op.
Are you guys looking for interns?

Greetings,

I am studying 43things for a project in a class that I’m taking this winter semester, namely eCommunities: Analysis and Design of Online Interaction Environments. This study is not for advancing general knowledge and it’s not going to be published. I’m just trying advance my own knowledge about how online communities function. At the end of my study, I’ll write a term paper that describes 43things’ purpose, the technologies used, roles, identifiers and identities, intergroup relations, norms of behavior, and governance mechanisms. If you like, you can learn more about the course at http://icd.si.umich.edu/684.

I will be a regular user of 43things. Sometimes, I will take notes about my observations. I will keep interesting things people have written and shared on their pages. I may also contact other users directly via messages. I will begin those messages by introducing myself and explaining what I’m doing. If any user that I contact doesn’t want to interact with me, I will not further try to interact with her or him. Also, I will make every effort to contact people of age 18 or more. If you are under 18 and I unknowingly or mistakenly send you an email, please ignore it. I’d appreciate it, if you send me a message and inform me about the situation.

The information I have collected will be saved until I have completed all necessary analyses for my class project. From time to time I will post some notes in my entries connected to this goal. Please note that I will not save the data I have collected for more than two years under any circumstances.

The data that I gather will remain confidential to the extent allowable under local, state and federal law. If my paper refers to individuals or quotes what individuals have said or written, the paper will not refer to them by name or username.

If you have any concerns what I’m doing, you may contact me by email at verraux@lycos.com or contact Professor Resnick at presnick@umich.edu.