Blog Questions: Internet use in my family (Coursework Sample)

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Blog Questions
Internet use in my family
Undoubtedly, the Internet has become an important tool of communication and a source of information in everyday life. The Internet is used by individuals of all ages through different means and for different purposes. In my family, everyone uses the Internet, but in completely different ways and for different purposes. I use the Internet for three main purposes: for communication, education, and as a source of information. Technology introduced many communication tools that require only a connection to the Internet. I communicate with my friends and relatives without making phone calls by means of smartphone applications, such as WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat and many more. I also use the Internet to communicate through social media networks including Twitter and Facebook. In addition, I use the Internet for formal communication, such as contacting professors. Besides communication, the Internet plays a significant role in my education. I use the Internet to access e-textbooks, participate in group discussions, and do research on online databases. I also use the Internet as a reliable source of information. I can read articles on different topics from politics, sports, movies, and even music through the Internet.
My Internet use practice starkly contrasts to my father’s Internet use tendency. I use my smartphone, tablet and a laptop for different Internet uses. On the contrary, my father uses only his smartphone and an old desktop computer in his study room to access the Internet. My father hardly uses the Internet. In fact, he never uses the Internet on his mobile phone unless he has received an email notification. While I use the Internet daily, my father can spend up to three days without accessing it. He does not use the Internet for social networking. Rather, he only uses the Internet to respond to emails or search for a really important issue. For example, my father would read about the issue reported briefly in television news online.
Websites with good web designs
The key elements of effective websites include good appearance, content, usability, functionality, and search engine optimization. The best websites reflect the best practices of the above elements. The Harley-Davidson Motor Company and the Morgan Pierpont Library are two organizations that have exemplary websites. Harley Davidson is a leading motorcycle company in the United States, and the company’s website ( HYPERLINK "-davidson.com" -davidson.com) communicates why it is great at its best. The website has an excellent web design and appearance that is based on shades of grey and black and exquisite pictures of motorcycles and riders dominating most pages. The main objective and use of the website is to market motorcycles, and it does so efficiently. The website is very informative about the company’s products and retraces the company’s history to 1901. Users are informed on how they can purchase motorcycles and motorcycle parts. Besides the content, the site is very user friendly. The Harley-Davidson site is designed to allow users to choose their location and access the version of the site at that location. In addition, users can easily customize designs of their future motorcycles through the website, locate dealers, buy online or even buy souvenirs from the company’s museum.
The Morgan Pierpont Library in New York is a repository of arts dating back from the Medieval Period. The library’s website ( HYPERLINK "/" /) is a simple website excellently designed to inform and attract people to the library. The first thing a visitor views on the library’s website is the library’s location. The website also informs the visitors on the opening hours of the library and provides more information on what is expected of visitors and the experience they will have in the art library. The site is user friendly, and all topics are listed, enabling visitors to access whatever they want through a single click from the homepage. Through the site, users can explore the art collection in the library and make purchases too. While most websites use the footer design to provide information about the website, support and business contacts, the Pierpont Morgan library uses a distinct header style. This header style is a distinct web design that ensures that viewers do not have to scrawl to the bottom of the page to view the library’s contact information and social media integration.
Web history: Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is credited as one of the most important people in the Internet history in the first decade of the 21st century. Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook, a social network which is now a global phenomenon. With his friends, Zuckerberg developed and co-founded Facebook in the Harvard University dormitories (Burrell 5). The social networking site was initially intended to serve as a communication platform for campus students, but its success led to a global expansion. Social media plays a key role in the Internet today, and media networks such as Facebook have shaped the history of the web and its applications.
Zuckerberg is aged 29 and was born in 1984 in New York. He was one of the best in class and was fascinated by computing and software development since he was young. While his peers played games, Zuckerberg loved creating them. When he joined Harvard, he wanted to create an Internet based program through which university students could communicate and interact with each other. This was the idea that led to the birth of Facebook. In 2007, when Zuckerberg was just 23 years old, he became a billionaire as a result of the success of Facebook (Napach 3). Zuckerberg is one of the iconic figures in the history of the Internet, and as Facebook continues to grow and dominate over other social media, he will continue to be one among the most famous and influential people in the world.
4. Internet Use in Generation X and Y
Cohorts of people born in a particular period are referred to as ‘generations’. Generation X includes all people born between the year 1965 and 1980. On the other hand, Generation X comprises people born in the 1981-2000 period (Wolfinger and McCrindle 43). Gen Y individuals are also referred to as millennials because they were the last generation of the past millennium. A study, conducted in 2013 by eMarketer, reported that approximately 93% of Gen Y individuals and 89% of Gen X individuals used the Internet (4). The study also found that 84% of millennials (Gen Y) use social media, while only 66% of Gen X individuals are present on social networks (Cohen 4). Gen Y was also found to account for most video views online as well as highest use of the Internet on mobile phones and the Internet.
Generation X comprises of the middle aged adults in their 40s and 50s. This cohort of people uses the Internet primarily for email communication and as a source of information. Gen X individuals are working parents, and they may use the Internet for work purposes or to keep up with subscriptions (Cohen 4). On the other hand, Generation Y (Millennials) are young people born during the era of technological advancements and use Internet as a communication tool. Gen Y is more technology proficient compared to Gen X and uses the Internet in different contexts including communication, social media, research, online shopping and characterized by more frequent use of the Internet. Compared to Gen X, Gen Y takes part in social media and accounts for the majority of Facebook members and YouTube video views (Cohen 3).
5. Public relations (PR) online
The Internet is an effective public relations tool for all organizations and individuals. The Internet enables companies to market their products and brands effectively by creating a good corporate image and attracting customers to their products. An effective PR use of the Internet should pass the message as well as create a good image of the organization. PR Newswire, a company that offers press release business solutions leads by example through having an effective PR strategy. On its website ( HYPERLINK "/" /), the firm outl...