Tag: filter

WOTs Up?

WOT is a Firefox add-on that attempts to collect and convey “reputation” information about web sites. The free download allows you to both access reputation data and contribute your own impressions (offer testimony).

Once installed, you will note a symbol in the toolbar of your browser (it looks like a LifeSaver to me). The color of this icon indicates the overall reputation of the site you are visiting.

WOT

Clicking on this icon opens up a window offering additional information. You contribute your input by clicking on the individual sliders.

WOT

If you want, you can use the preference panel for this add-on to block sites that are not considered safe for children.

At face value, this approach appeals to me. I like the idea of a warning system more so than a filtering system and I like the idea of participating in the process. I wonder if this system would address some of the concerns of the proposed DOPA legislation. For example, as I understand DOPA, commercial social software sites would be blocked. Consider an app such as blogger.com. While the service is a commercial social software site, access is really to individual blogs (i.e., the URL is unique). It would seem a system such as WOT would offer reputation stats for individual blogs.

I wonder if “WOTs Up” is original. 😉 Probably not.

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Reality Check! Cindy’s adventures in the real world.

Cindy provides this account of yesterday’s adventure.

The schools in our region have agreed to form a consortium in order to secure prof. development resources from the state. They bring in some external “trainers” for some things and rely on local people for others. Cindy was a local person involved in providing sessions on new technology opportunities.

So – Cindy is doing a session on teacher and student blogging. Those of you who have done tech training in an unfamiliar setting can probably appreciate how this goes. She decides to begin by showing them a blog aggregator and explain how to locate and follow useful blogs. It turns out bloglines.com was blocked by the state filtering service.

“I tried showing the the blogspot site I created when I spent the summer in Japan,” she said. It was blocked. “I thought it might be an objection to blogger.com, so I tried showing them the .mac blog I created this summer. It was blocked too.”

“Maybe the Internet wasn’t working,” I volunteered.

“No, I was able to show them Anderson Cooper’s blog,” she replied.

“This makes no sense to me,” I said. “Do you think the group responsible for the banned list knows that Anderson Cooper works for CNN.” (previous caustic comment on filtering)

“Can’t you unblock sites.”

“Sure,” she responded. “But they can’t. They would have to locate the person that has that authority and ask that it be done. Teachers, particulalry those less interested in technology, often won’t do this. It works or it does not and they just move on.”

“So, what did you do to fill out the time allocated for your session.”

“I told them they had to speak up.”

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Blocking disruptive technologies is futile

I have run into a number of issues within the last couple of weeks that have reminded me of the concept of disruptive technology.

These issues include:

  • DOPA – legislation proposed to require schools to block commercial networking sites
  • Net neutrality – issue of whether service providers should be able to prioritize what users access (e.g., preventing dsl providers from slowing access to VOIP)
  • Educational institutions concerned with built-in video capabilities of new Apple computers

What these issues have in common is a perceived threat from new capabilities of technology. Internet users may use VOIP rather than the phone because VOIP is less expensive than long distance. Kids in schools may access inappropriate web content or take pictures and use them inappropriately.

Will attempting to block these “opportunities” be productive?

  • If VOIP is valued, those who access VOIP using DSL will move to cable.
  • If MySpace is valued, kids will access from home.
  • If generating digital images or video is valued, kids wanting to capture images will use their cell phones or home computer.

Technologies with wide appeal have a way of surviving.

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