Newsvine.com

Newsvine is a news website owned by MSNBC.com.  It is not a news agency in itself, but rather draws from other news sources such as the AP.  It is editor free and allows its users to determine which news stories are the most important.

One of the ways it does this is through its "vote up" option. Each article posted on the site is accompanied by an icon that allows readers to "vote up" the article.  The articles with the most votes appear on the "top of the vine" page.  The "top of the vine" page can also be sorted by articles with the most comments.

It also allows users to start their own column to comment on events of the day.  This is essentially a blog, but newsvine and its users like to think of it as something more than that.  Users can seed in news stories from other websites as well.  Finally, users can create a community of friends whose interests they share.  You can comment on other users' articles and see what they are seeding in, etc.

Digital Divide **GRADE**

Digital divide is a subject that has been an interest of mine for a while and it was discussed briefly in class last week.  The term digital divide refers to the divide between people who can benefit from digital technology and those who cannot (Smith, 2010).  My work with IPA last semester on the broadband mapping project is closely related to this issue.

IPA’s broadband project is researching the opportunities for broadband development in Delaware.  It also aims to heighten the awareness of current broadband infrastructure and build momentum for to enhance and expand broadband availability in the state.  The belief is that most of untapped potential is in the rural portions of Sussex County.

Through the work being done it is becoming clear that there is a rather large digital divide between areas of the state of Delaware.  The broadband mapping project has illustrated this.  Some of the rural regions of Sussex County do not have access to technology like cable or fiber optics.  These places have to rely on satellite for television, and in many cases use dial-up internet connections.

While I realized this was the case in many rural regions of the country, I didn't understand the extent of the problem.  Achieving universal access to broadband should be a priority.  Notice I did not say universal usage of broadband.  This would be difficult to achieve from a socioeconomic standpoint.  But there should at least be cable in the ground that people can access if they so desire.

This has been a priority of the Obama administration and has drawn bipartisan support in Congress as well.  Broadband infrastructure development has received billions in government money.  Most recently, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more commonly referred to as the "stimulus," directed $7.2 billion for broadband and wireless internet (Condon, 2009).  More specifically, $2.5 billion has been given to the Department of Agriculture to deploy in rural areas, something that relates well to what is needed in southern Delaware.

In addition to issues of economic development, the lack of broadband penetration in southern Delaware affects local government as well.  The concept of E-government is foreign to many of these municipalities.  One of my duties during my work on the project involved locating local governments in southern Delaware to inquire about their internet capabilities.  Many responded that they still have AOL accounts using dial-up connections.  Even fewer had websites to communicate with citizens in their jurisdictions and post important announcements.

However, it must be pointed out that the digital divide is more than an infrastructure problem.  Although this is mostly the case in southern Delaware and IPA’s project, there is a greater socioeconomic issue at hand as well, and this is pointed out by the Digital Divide Institute.  The poor must be provided access in addition to the isolated.  Inner city poor with plenty of access to broadband infrastructure are unable to actually access due to economic reasons.  The institute recommends governments and businesses work together to reshape digital markets.

While this is a problem that will likely persist for some time, the active approach taken by governments through the direction of money is encouraging. 

Sources:

Condon, S. (2009, February 17). Stimulus Bill Includes $7.2 billion for Broadband. Retrieved February 2011, from CNET News: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10165726-38.html

Smith, C. W. (2010). Digital Divide Defined. Retrieved March 2011, from Digital Divide Institute: http://www.digitaldivide.org/digital-divide/digital-divide-defined/digital-divide-defined/

First Blog Post

I finally put this blog together and am ready to start posting.

I've been slow to catch on with my course work this semester, for some reason.  Maybe because I'm graduating in May.  Regardless, I'm all caught up now and should be posting regularly from now until the end of the semester.