Hi5 - www.hi5.com
What is the brief or focus of this community?
It allows its members to keep in touch with their existing friends or make new ones from different parts of the world, build own page and express what’s important to them, show off their photos, listen to music they like and watch and share videos.
What services are provided? How interactive is this site? How can people contribute?
In hi5, users create an online profile in order to show information such as interests, age and hometown and upload user pictures where users can post comments, leave testimonials and give ‘Fives’ to their friends. Hi5 also allows the user to create personal photo albums and set up a music player in the profile. Users can send friend requests via e-mail to other users. When a person receives a friend request, he or she may accept or decline it, or block the user altogether. If the user accepts another user as a friend, the two will be connected directly or in the 1st degree. The user will then appear on the person's friend list and vice-versa.
Some users make their profiles available for everyone on hi5 to view. Others make it viewable only to those people who are in their network. The network of friends consists of a user's direct friends (1st degree), the friends of those direct friends (2nd degree) and the friends of the friends of direct friends (3rd degree) (wikipedia, 2008).
The users can also create their interest groups in given category (e.g. music, family and home etc) that the other users can join and get involved in discussions.
Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment on why people choose to contribute to this community. What is it they are seeking?
Hi5 gives its users ability to connect with other people with similar interests from around the world. Comments and ‘Fives’ can contribute to creating sense of belonging, being loved and therefore increasing self-esteem. Hi5 gives its members opportunity to get/give advice, exchange ideas and make new friends/reconnect with old ones.
Cut and paste an example of the type of topics being discussed (you may have to provide a context to your excerpt).
In a group called ‘Dogs’ topic ‘Any Advice?’ is discussed:
- Looking forward to getting my beagle.......... in 7 months, any advice, tips, or suggestions anyone ?, All will be much appreciated. Thanx
Reply
Posted by Jennifer
- Hmm 7 months should be strong enough. Just make sure it get good food hehe. Hmm for me, i dun feed wet food becos food get stuck in thiers teeths.
Ok dun know much about beagle hehe take good care of it ok as it is a short fur should not be diffcult to mantain hehe.
Reply
Posted by Kenny
Considering material presented during the course make comment on the potential ethical issues that may arise in this community e.g. lack of identity and accountability.
Some ethical issues taken into account when using hi5 may include:
• Being mindful not to post information that would make it easy for a stranger to locate you
• Offensive photos
• Misuse of information
• Online bullying
• Creating a made-up profile
• ‘Getting tagged’ – posting embarrassing photos of friends without letting them know
Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment on the benefits this community holds over traditional notions of community e.g. communities reliant on geographic proximity.
• No distance – members from different parts of the world can easily contact each other
• Making friends from all over the world without leaving the house
• Ability to express yourself through personalising your page
• Excitement of getting new comments or ‘Fives’
Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment what this community lacks or cannot provide which traditional communities can.
• Members cannot have person-to-person interaction unless they live not far away from each other and decide to meet
• Message misinterpretation
• Involves sitting in front of computer opposed to getting out of the house and doing stuff
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