Hi guys!
This week's lesson made me reflecting about my usual imprudence in using the web. I've always been aware of the risks we may run when putting personal information on the web but I think that so far I considered the matter not as seriously as it should be taken. Few days ago I realized that, "Googling" my name, everyone can see a lot about me, including the marks of my exams, my university grants, my facebook profile, poems I wrote in other blogs, info about my family... All of this really struck me! I tried to modify privacy settings in my Facebook account, but unfortunately nothing changed! (I am still wondering why...). Concerning information on my university carreer, I can do nothing at all to eliminate them from the web and this is quite frustrating. I think it's a violation of my privacy too. However, as neither I am an intelligence officer yet - :) - nor I have ever use my financial details on the web, the fact that anybody can retrieve some of my personal data online does not bother me too much.
I should probably begin to avoid giving too much information about my interests, thoughts and ideas on the profiles of social networks as they allow people to know too much about me and this is not always a good thing: indeed, I hate people chatting behind my shoulder! However, I must admit that I often enjoy writing my thoughts on the web because it's a good way to share them with people I know who are living far from me. Sometimes it is also a pleasure to receive feedbacks on a post, a statement or a piece of work I wrote as a personal reflection: other people's advice or judgements, being positive or negative, give me the possibility to discuss my own ideas and improve both my way of writing and of thinking.
Another issue is that of plagiarism. We dealt with it from the point of view of other authors writing on the web and we learnt how to avoid copying their ideas in producing a piece of writing; but what about if someone could copy our own work? I usually write my poems on Facebook and I've never thought that there is the real possibility that other people make my words theirs. So now I'm asking myself what I can do to solve the problem... Actually, I cannot find a proper solution! Should I buy the copyrights of my work? Or stop publishing poems on the web? I think there's no way out... I will run the risk. Maybe one day, when I become a famous writer, I' ll protect my production in some ways... :)
That's all folks!
See you soon :D
Sara
Learning with youtube
17 anni fa
Hi Sara!
RispondiEliminaYou're right, the Internet is a wonderful but dangerous tool! We have to learn to use it properly. I'm scared about putting info about me on the web right now and I don't know how to protect my works, just like you. What can we do? I have no idea...but you're right again in saying we're not VIPS now, so who cares if someone steals our ideas? I think nobody is really interested in our papers or thoughts now. So, don't worry, be happy!! : )
Now, feedback! I feel you're making fewer mistakes, you know? That's good! Anyway, let's start!
You wrote: "...made me reflecting...", but you need the basic form after "make", so write "made me reflect".
Then you wrote "All of this really struck me", and you forgot the "s" in the verb.
Then you made a typing mistake with the word "career".
Finally you wrote "too" without putting the comma before it, and I guess it's better to put it.
That's all for now!
See you tomorrow! : )
Hi Sara,
RispondiEliminathis is the first time that I face with a technological problem, and the bad thing is that I can do nothing to solve it:-(!!
As an avid web "prosumer" (like Sarah says) I wrote you comment and then stored it in Google.docs. Unfortunately today it seems to be not working!I'll try again later and I'll post it as soon as possible!
Sorry, bye
Anna
Dear Sara,
RispondiEliminaI'm glad to announce that I finally succeded in retrieving the text of your feedback!
Voilà, here it is!
I read your post and I think the same as you. As far as critical websurfing is concerned, we all have to pay attention to what we are doing, otherwise our next step could be very dangerous!! I also think that you are right when you say that the Web is a perfect means for sharing thoughts, artistic creations or simply for entertaining ourselves looking at what other people are doing. So far as facebook or other social networks are concerned, the fact is that if we have decided to take part to them, we should be well aware that almost ALL the information we put about ourselves will be shared amongst the other networkers in the community. If we don't want to share with others we simply should not take part in it!
And now, let's start with the grammatical "check up"!
In the first sentence you wrote :"...made me reflecting". I checked the verb to make with the meaning "far fare qlcs a qlcn" and discovered that it is followed by a bare infinitive and not by an -ing form. Anyway, I've already found this construction in some lyrics and poems..maybe it's a particular way of expressing and not properly a mistake.Let me know if I'm wrong!
Then you wrote: "so far I considered the matter not as seriously as it should be taken". Here you used the verb "to consider" before the comparative structure, and the verb "to take" after the modal "should". This is a typical example of linguistic interference between Italian and English: the subject is you, so you have to keep it until the end of the sentence. Remove the verb "be taken" and simply write "as I should".
Immediately after, you wrote :"Few days ago I realized that,"Googling" my name..". Here you forgot to put the preposition "by" before the present participle "Googling". The participial clause here has an adverbial meaning and the-ing clause indicated "the method or means used", that is, the consequence of googling was to discover that our names are included in the Web. I made this mistake several times until Sarah corrected me (thanks!).
Oh, before I forget, Web should be typed in capital letters, just like Internet and Net!
Then you wrote: "indeed, I hate people chatting behind my shoulder". This sentence sounds too much Italian, better you write "..chatting behind my back".
Well,I think it's all for now, hope my corrections are right and helpful!
See you tomorrow, bye!
Ps: I'm looking forward to see you on libraries, think you have talent as a writer (I read you short poem,I liked it!)!
Anna
Hi Anna!!
RispondiEliminaI have just read your feedback... a little bit late I think!
thank you very much for the linguistic feedback, it has been really useful because you suggest me some tips that can really improve my knowledge of English! I didn't know that the verb "to make" requires the base form afterwards; and I really thank you because I would have never been able to identify the wrong use of subjects in this sentence: "so far I considered the matter not as seriously as it should be taken".
Thank you also for appreciating my poems! :)
see you soon for our last lesson :)
kizzez