POC Primer #1

P R I MER
on new media

Philippine
Online
Chronicles

What is new media? How is

it different from traditional
media? The Philippine
Online Chronicles brings
you the basic concepts,
tools and tips for navigating
the world of Web 2.0.
 Philippine Online Chronicles (www.thepoc.net) is an online publi-
cation that captures the most highly charged moments in Philip-
pine politics, sports, entertainment and culture and explores the
ideas, issues and personalities that define our society.
www.thepoc.net
POC presents a multiplicity of perspectives in a single article. It re-
ports viewpoints on the news, along with the facts of the news.
POC does not confine itself to mainstream news sources but ac-
tively cultivates alternative sources of information like blogs, stu-
dent newspapers, and other alternative publications.

Unlike traditional media, POC makes use of Web 2.0 technology.

Through its user interface, POC challenges readers to engage the
news and to ask their own questions. POC’s readers don’t just read
the news the way they do a newspaper: they can also watch vid-
eos and listen to podcasts. They can communicate their views on
FOUNDATION
what they have read, watched or heard; comment on other read-
ers’ opinions; and bookmark the articles they like.

A unique publication which distills the best of what the Philippine

press has to offer, POC sets the tone for the country’s conversa-
tions.

STAFF
Publisher Gaspar A. Vibal
Program Director Kristine E. Mandigma
Program Coordinator Rosalia E. Eugenio
Project Lead Ivy Jean Vibar
Features Editor Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Project Assistant Jan Merck Maguddayao
Copy Editors Kristina Joy Panogot, Andrea Peterson
Junior Copy Editor David Ong

Primer Contributors Jessica Marquinez, Sabrina Oliveros, Kristina Joy Panogot,

Ivy Jean Vibar

Media Editor James Felizardo

Technology Officer Jerome Dumayas
Technology Consultant Jofell Gallardo

Print Coordinator Eduardo Castro

Design Coordinator Baripov Guerrero
Graphic Artists Elvis Butihen, Primadonna Cerzo, Anna Cecilia
Morquicillo, Randy Pagatpatan

Events Coordinator Karen Louise Lucero

Public Relations/Marketing Assistant Maria Mikhaela de Leon

The POC Primer on New Media is licensed under Creative

Commons License BY-NC-SA 3.0 Philippines.
About this primer

M
EDIA. The word conjures up images of old-fash-
ioned newsrooms filled with the clatter of type-
writers; of reporters in their media jackets, clutch-
ing notepads and microphones; of cameramen toting their
equipment to cover a story. When we think of media, we
usually think of newsprint and the printed word, or of re-
porters covering a story on TV. But media is no longer lim-
ited to print and broadcast. The word “media” has come to
include not only “traditional” print and broadcast media,
but what is now called “new media,” or “Internet media.” Yes,
it’s a wired world out there now and we at Philippine On-
line Chronicles hope that this Primer on New Media will help
you navigate the world of Internet media.

New media is interactive media. From long, static web-

pages, it has evolved into dynamic, customizable websites
which allow and encourage user participation. It’s the In-
ternet with a twist. When you post an article, a video, a
podcast or a photo, you get instant feedback and reader
participation. Not only that, you also have the option to be-
come your own editor and publisher.

However, the Internet is an entirely different world, so

before you experience the Web, you may want to take a
quick dose of elementary netiquette and learn how to
avoid stumbling into the pitfalls of Internet use. You may
also want to check out the dos and don’ts of web writing
and get to know why you have to ask for permission be-
fore you copy anything.

Start writing for the Web. Enter the world of new media!
2
What is new media?
N
EW MEDIA is a general term used to
refer to all kinds of electronic com-
munications which use computer
technology. It is usually characterized by
digitization and interactivity. Although
the term “new media” became well-known
only in the 1990s, it originated in the 1960s,
when the computer network ARPANET was
born. Over the years, ARPANET evolved into
what is now the Internet. In 1991, the World
Wide Web was launched, and “new media”
became a household word.
? the other hand, is really only a part of the
An e-mail, short for “electronic mail,” is a let-
ter sent by one person to another using a
computer with an Internet connection. An
e-mail address, such as juandelacruz@web-
site.com, is needed if you want to open an
e-mail account. You can sign up for free e-
mail accounts on Yahoo and Google.
POC Prime
Primer
m r on
me on New
N w Med
Media
ia
Examples of new media
Websites DVDs
Chatrooms CD-ROMs
Forums Digital cameras
E-mail PDAs
Virtual reality environments Cellphones
p
The Internet and the World Wide Web
are not the same.
Although we often think that the two terms
are interchangeable, they are not. The In-
ternet is a computer network that covers
the whole world. The World Wide Web, on
Internet which uses hypertext transfer pro-
tocol. That’s the “http” before every Internet
address (better known as a URL or Uniform
Resource Locator) that you type in your
Internet browser’s address bar. Yes, that
means that if the first part of the Internet ad-
dress is not “http,” you are not on the World
Wide Web... but you are still on the Internet.
 3

It’s a wired world

out there
T
O KEEP abreast of the latest happenings
around the world, people in the olden
days got their news and information
from town criers, who shouted headlines at
the top of their lungs and told the rest of
their stories for money.
Technological advancements became im-
portant for the efficient exchange of infor-
mation. Town criers were replaced by news-
papers, radio and eventually television, and
handwritten manuscripts were replaced by
printed books.
These days, people rely on a variety of
sources, which can be categorized into of-
fline and online media.

? people can listen to radio stations online

An avatar is an image that a person uses to
represent himself on the Internet. Avatars
usually appear next to the names of people
who use online forums and chat programs.
They also appear on people’s profiles on
websites.
Offline media usually includes traditional
sources of information such as radio, tele-
vision and printed material such as news-
papers, magazines and books. They are
“offline” because they are not connected to
the Internet.
Online media, on the other hand, typically
includes computers with Internet connec-
tion, and other gadgets which are capable
of accessing the Internet such as cellular
phones and Blackberry devices.
These devices are able to take over some
of the functions of traditional media. Using
an Internet-connected laptop, for example,
via radio streaming, look at clips of televi-
sion shows via video streaming, and read
newspaper articles posted in blogs.
While offline media remains an important
source of information, the popularity of on-
line media makes it a good alternative for
people who are able to access the Internet.
?
An Internet forum or message board is
a website you can go to and have discus-
sions with other people. You use a forum
by “posting” messages under a particular
topic (called a “thread”), which other fo-
rum users have already put up or you can
start yourself. You post a message by typing
what you want to say in a space that’s pro-
vided and then clicking a “submit” or “post”
button. Once submitted, what you wrote
will appear on the forum along with other
people’s posts.

POC Primer on New Media

4
Experience the Web
A
BLOG,
or “web log,” is like a diary or a
journal, except that it can be found
on the Internet and can be easily
viewed by the public. While most bloggers
(people who maintain blogs) use their blogs
to regularly share personal experiences,
others use theirs to report and comment
on politics, sports, travel, entertainment,
the arts or any other topic of interest. Peo-
ple also enhance their blogs by putting in
photos, video clips and audio files. Bloggers
usually allow others to comment on their
posts, making blogs less private and more
interactive than traditional diaries.
What you need in order to blog
A computer
Internet access
A blog account
Topics to write about
Time for writing
On the other hand, a microblog is a form
of blog that lets users create short posts or
updates which can be viewed either by ev-
eryone or by a small group of friends. Users
can either post text (140 – 200 characters),
links, smileys, photos and videos, not just
through the microblog site but also through
text, instant messaging or e-mail.
Blog sites
Blogger Wordpress Multiply LiveJournal
Microblog sites
Twitter Plurk
Wiki sites
Wikipedia WikiPilipinas WetPaint
Social networking sites
Friendster MySpace
y p Hi5 Facebook
POC Primer on New Media
A wiki is a website that lets anyone add,
remove or change the text, photos, videos
and other files that are on its webpages. Just
as anyone can edit an existing wiki, anyone
can also start a wiki on any topic. Because
of this, wikis are very useful in building
websites that share as much information
as possible. For example, an ordinary web-
site might have an article about basketball
which discusses its history and its rules but
does not include a list of famous basketball
players. The article on basketball would
always be incomplete, unless the person
who wrote it changes it later. However, if
this article is on a wiki-powered website,
anyone who thinks the article is incomplete
can immediately add the information he
wants to be included. The result would be
an article that is continuously updated and
improved.
Social networking is a way by which people
can meet new contacts or find old friends
by using specialized websites like Friend-
ster, Facebook and MySpace. People do this
by putting their profiles, contact informa-
tion, photos and other personal details on
these sites, making it easier for other users
to find people with whom they share inter-
ests, activities or backgrounds. Once users
of the same social networking site have
found each other, they can interact using
the site’s features, such as messaging, chat,
forums, blogging, photo sharing and com-
menting on users’ profiles. Social network-
ing websites also let their users keep track
of who they are connected to.
 5
? they’ve posted their favorite links, other
RSS stands for “really simple syndication” social bookmarkers can check them out
or “rich site summary.” Web users subscribe and vote for which links they think should
to RSS feeds to automatically get updates be promoted. Links that get the most votes
from news websites, blogs and other media are then featured on the site, making social
sites whenever these post new articles and bookmarking a way of determining and ad-
other content. vertising popular websites.

Podcasts and videocasts are recorded au- ?

dio and video files that people can distrib- Whenever you’ve found a webpage you’d
ute over the Internet. They come as single like to visit again, you can bookmark it.
files or as part of a series, and can be shared,
subscribed to and downloaded automati- dress of a website as a link in your browser,
cally. They are usually recorded in mp3 or so you don’t have to search for that website
mp4 format, making it easier for listeners or type its address all over again when you
to download and play them on personal need
eed to return
etu to it.
t.
computers and portable media players. The
term “podcast” comes from the combination Podcast sites
of the terms “iPod” and “broadcast,” while My Podcast PodServe Switchpod
“videocast” is a combination of “video” and Audio/Video streaming sites
“broadcast.” Some people use podcasts and YouTube Imeem
videocasts for the same purpose as blogs. Photo sharing sites
Flickr Photobucket Imageshack KodakGallery
Streaming is the process by which users can Social bookmarking sites
quickly watch or listen to video and audio DiggD gg del.icio.us
de . c o.us StumbleUpon
Stu b eUpo Reddit
edd t
files found on the Internet. Streaming a file
is different from downloading it. When you Photo and video sharing is the practice
download a video or audio file, you have to of putting one’s photos and videos onto
wait for the entire file to be transferred from a website to show them to other people.
the web and saved onto your computer This is done by transferring or uploading
before you can play it. When you stream a files from your personal computer onto a
video, however, you can begin watching it website like Multiply that will keep, arrange
even if the data transfer from the web to a and display your photos or videos, just as if
computer program is not yet finished. Also, these were in a traditional album. To make
the file being streamed would not be stored sure that not everyone using the Internet
in your computer. Whenever you watch a can see your personal photos, some web-
video or listen to a song on websites such sites let you choose the people who can
as YouTube and Imeem, you are actually view your online albums. These people
streaming it. usually have to be registered on the photo
sharing site you’re using.
Social bookmarking is a way by which
people share links to their favorite web- ?
pages. Instead of saving links to an Internet A web browser is a computer program that
browser as is done in traditional bookmark- lets people view and use text, photos, vid-
ing, people into social bookmarking save eos and other information on the Internet.
the links they want to share or remember Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are ex-
to a social bookmarking website. Once amples p of web browsers.

POC Primer on New Media

6
Internet with a twist
T
HE TERM Web 2.0 was coined in 2004 by
O’Reilly Media to refer to the changes
taking place on the World Wide Web.
Web 2.0 sites are more dynamic and interac-
tive and enable users to participate actively
in the site and even to personalize their use
of the site to some degree.
Web 2.0 is Internet times two. It goes be-
yond the traditional use of the Internet as a
network and information resource. Though
not all sites on the Internet embrace the
Web 2.0 idea, more and more are jumping
on the bandwagon, joining the sites that
have made their mark on “netizens” (Inter-
net citizens).
The website of the
British Broad-
casting Company
(BBC) (http://www.bbc.co.uk) might not
be one you would expect to be Web 2.0—it
is, after all, maintained by one of the world’s
biggest traditional media companies. How-
ever, it is able to offer users loads of services.
BBC allows its users the option to customize
the way they get BBC news and information,
and which news and information they want
to see. The items on the BBC front page are
movable—if you want the weather news to
be on the left part of the page instead of on
the right, then you can click and drag it to
its new position. If you want to see weather
conditions in four other countries, you can
tweak the weather box to show them all in-
stead of only data for the Philippines. Then,
if you suddenly decide that looking out the
window is a good enough way to know if
there’s a storm coming, you can delete the
weather box from the page.
POC Primer on New Media
Flickr (http://
www.flickr.
com) is an image
management
and content sharing website. Instead of just
serving as a place to store images and vid-
eos for viewing, it allows users to arrange
their photos into albums, and also allows
other Flickr users to join in the cataloging
process by tagging and placing their own
notes on the media. Users can form com-
munities to talk about their photos, and
give awards to users with work that they
especially like. One great thing about Flickr
is that it also allows users to specify how
they want their work to be used, through
Creative Commons licenses. For example,
they can choose to allow their pictures to
be “remixed” for use in another person’s
work of art, allow their images to be used
for commercial purposes, or keep the im-
ages private.
WikiPilipinas.org (http://
wikipilipinas.org) is an
online, free content ency-
clopedia. It is maintained
by a community of users,
with articles being written
collaboratively by people around the world
in an effort to build the largest Philippine
knowledgebase. With a few exceptions, the
contents of WikiPilipinas can be edited at
any time, by anyone with access to the In-
ternet. There are no limits to the choice of
topic—the articles should only be placed
within the Philippine context. Articles can
be written in various Filipino languages as
well as in English and Spanish languages.

? features designed to enrich anybody’s mu-
A chat program or chat client allows peo--
ple to quickly send and read each other’s
messages over the Internet. While exchang-
ing e-mails is like exchanging letters, ex-
changing messages through chat is more
like talking with another person face-to-
face. This is because chats happen so fast—
in “real time,” as they say. All you have to do
is type your message in a chat window, and
your message will instantly appear on the
screen that both you and the person you’re
chatting with can see. The person you’re
chatting with can quickly type a reply—and
from there, your conversation can go on
and on and on. Skype, Yahoo! Messenger
and Windows Live Messenger are examples
of chat clients.
Last.fm (http://
www.last.fm) is not
just an mp3 down-
load site. Though it
allows musicians to
upload their music for download or online
listening by fans, it has a bagful of other
7
sical experience. It takes the principles of
social networking and databases to bring
music appreciation to a whole new level of
cool. Using an application called “Scrobbler,”
which has to be installed on your computer
in order to be used, Last.fm takes note of
what songs you listen to using your com-
puter’s media players and suggests new
artists and songs you might be interested
in. It also suggests users you might like to
befriend because of your similar musical
tastes. Just like Flickr, music in Last.fm can
be tagged, and users can form communities
to discuss anything under the sun. Users
can also make their own Last.fm “radio sta-
tions,” which play only the music they want
to hear, as well as create their own music
blogs and personal music charts.
?
Tags are keywords people use to classify the
articles, photos, videos and other files they
put on the web. Because tags are basically
like labels, they help people searching the
web to find what they need more easily.
POC Primer on New Media
8

Ask for permission

before copying
A
NY WRITTEN or artistic work created by most common licenses used nowadays are
a person belongs to him and as such, the Creative Commons and GNU licenses.
other people have to get his permis-
sion first before they can copy or use his ?
work. These works are called “intellectual A search engine is a tool you can use to
property.” Some people let others use their quickly find information or files like photos
work for free, while others may ask for pay- and videos on the Internet. For example,
ment. The right of a creator to control the if you’re looking for information on José
use of his work is called “copyright.” Under Rizal but don’t know where to find it, you
Philippine law, copyright is automatically can type “José Rizal” in the search engine
invested from the moment a work is cre- box and click “search” or “go.” The search en-
ated, and the creator doesn’t need to do gine will then show you different websites
anything more to claim his right. where you can learn about him. Here’s a tip:
It’s best to type specific terms. If you only
If a written work, artwork or photograph want to find information on José Rizal’s po-
is accompanied by the words “All rights re- etry and not on his whole life, just type “José
served,” it is protected by copyright. Bear in Rizal poetry” or “José Rizal poems.” This way,
mind, however, that since copyright is auto- the search engine will give you a list of his
matic, even works which are not marked “All poems straight away—and you won’t have
rights reserved” are copyrighted. In either to go through all the pages about Jose Rizal
case, you should ask the author’s permis- before getting what you really need.
sion first and wait for him to give it before
using his work. The GNU Free Documentation License
(GFDL) gives other people the right to
However, written or artistic works of the copy, distribute and even revise a work, as
government or one of its agencies are usu- long as both the original and the revised
ally in the public domain. This means that works are distributed under the same li-
they are free to be used by everybody. cense. Also, the work must give credit to all
Works previously covered by copyright en- the people who revised or contributed to it.
ter the public domain fifty years after the GFDL is the license used by Wikipedia and
death of their creators. WikiPilipinas.

Other creators choose to give away their
works for free. Some release their works
entirely into the public domain and give up
control of the way these will be used. Some
let others use their works for free under cer-
tain conditions spelled out in a “license.” The
Creative Commons licenses let creators
set their own conditions on how their works
may be used. There are four general condi-
tions which may be combined to create a
Creative Commons license.

POC Primer on New Media

 9
Attribution (BY) means that the work must Creative Commons Philippines has come
be credited to its original creator. up with Creative Commons licenses that do
Share-Alike (SA) means that the work must not conflict with Philippine laws and may
be distributed under the same license. be used in the country. The Philippine On-
No Derivative Works (ND) means that revi- line Chronicles licenses its content under a
sions of the work are not allowed. Creative Commons license.
Non-Commercial (NC) means that the work
may not be used for commercial purposes. Philippine Commons Licenses
Attribution (BY-3.0-PH)
Since most websites have rules governing Attribution-Non-Commercial (BY-NC-3.0-PH)
the use of their content, you should read Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works
these rules first. If you wish to use any con- (BY-NC-ND-3.0-PH)
tent from the site in a way not covered by Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-Alike
the rules, contact the site administrators for (BY-NC-SA-3.0-PH)
permission. If granted, this permission will Attribution-No Derivative Works (BY-ND-3.0-PH)
usually be for a specific purpose only. For Attribution-Share-Alike (BY-SA-3.0-PH)
example, you might be permitted to use a
photograph, but not to make any changes
to it; permission to make changes would
have to be explicitly granted.

POC
PO
POCC Pr
Primer
Priimer on
imer
ime on New
New Media
Med a
10

Pitfalls
of Internet use
P
EOPLE GET a lot of benefits from the hoaxes, Snopes (http://www/snopes.com)
Internet. But for every fun thing that is a good site to go to.
exists, there are also many things that
can make users’ lives miserable. ?
If you have ever received an e-mail from
For example, e-mail is one of the most use- someone claiming that he needs your
ful things about the Internet. Letters can be help to move millions of dollars out of his
sent and received with only a few clicks of homeland to save such from getting into
a mouse button. Instead of weeks, as it was the wrong hands, and offers you a large
in the olden days, people get their letters percentage of the total amount for your
in only a few minutes. However, one of the help, you have encountered one of the old-
downsides to having an e-mail account is est scams on the Web. This is the Nigerian
spam, which are unwanted messages sent scam, also known as a “4-1-9” or “Advance
via e-mail (by a person or by Internet-con- Fee Fraud” scheme, so named because the
nected applications called “bots”) to a large original letter was supposedly from Nigeria.
number of e-mail addresses. These messag- The e-mail sender will trick you out of large
es are usually not about important or per- amounts of money which he will suppos-
sonal issues but are used by advertisers to edly need to pay for the facilitation of the
sell products. Most e-mail service providers funds transfer. You’ll never get the funds he
have spam protection, which sends spam to promised, however, because as soon as he
a different folder than safe e-mail messages. gets your money, he’ll disappear. Other ver-
Spam has to be handled with care because sions of this scam announce that you have
they often lead to harmful websites. won in a million dollar sweepstakes that
you never entered in the first place. Yes, and
A scam, on the other hand, is an advanced those text messages you receive on your
form of stealing. Scammers make people cellphone telling you that you won a Bang-
give up their cash, possessions or private ko Sentral raffle. If they ask you for money,
information without them knowing what it most definitely is a scam. Don’t give them
really happened. There are lots of scams on anything.
the Internet, with con artists taking advan-
tage of careless web surfers. The tricks they Like its English homonym, phishing scams
play may range from news hoaxes to com- offer bait to try and hook Internet users
plex schemes cheating people out of large into revealing private information about
amounts of money. Examples of scams in- themselves such as credit card numbers
clude get-rich-quick investment schemes and passwords. Phishing messages target
or fake contest win notifications. The rule a large number of people, and purport to
of thumb in identifying scams? If an offer have come from well-known institutions
is too good to be true, it could be a scam. such as banks, the government or popular
For more information on Internet scams or shopping sites. They may appear in e-mail

POC Primer on New Media

 11

messages, instant messenger chats and refine a program by rewriting its code, the
fake web sites. Phishing scams include fake building blocks that make it work. Posi-
shopping site account registrations and tive hacking is good, as programmers are
bank account detail verifications. One way able to make computer applications work
to protect yourself from phishing schemes better than they did originally. The nega-
tive kind of hacking is when programmers
is to never trust sites that have strange ad-
dresses or have addresses that imitate a use their abilities to illegally access files or
trustworthy site. networks. This is dangerous, as hackers are
able to use all sorts of sensitive informa-
Hacking is a word used by people in com- tion for their own benefit. Hackers who can
puter-related fields to refer to two kinds break into bank computers, for example,
of computer programming—the positive can access credit card details and use other
and the negative kind. The positive kind of people’s money to buy what they want.
hacking is when programmers are able to

POC Primer on New Media

12
The dos and don’ts
of Web writing
W
the Web is different from
RITING FOR
writing for a newspaper or a mag-
azine. Instead of reading every
page thoroughly, readers on the Internet
usually only scan material to see if there’s
anything that interests them. Also, they
don’t read pages in sequence, but tend to
jump from page to page depending on
what they want to read. If they don’t find
what they are looking for, they leave, since
there are millions of other websites they
can go to.
Do
Summarize first. The first paragraph has to grab
the reader’s interest.
Write concisely and frugally. Try to say as much as
you can in half the number of words.
Write for scanning. Use highlighted keywords,
meaningful sub-headings and bulleted
lists.
Use hyperlinks. They are a good way of giving
your reader more details without making
your article too long.
Use the inverted pyramid style of writing. Start with the
most important information, going down
to the least important.
Stick to the point. Tackle only one topic per ar-
ticle as much as possible.
Cultivate a voice. A distinct voice helps capture
readers’ interest.
POC Primer on New Media
Think globally. Your article must be understood
by people in other countries who will read
it.
Don’t
Write in passive voice. Using active voice makes
your article more interesting.
Expect people to read everything. Web readers have
short attention spans.
Put everything in one page. Web readers get tired of
scrolling down too much.
Write very long articles. Unless it’s an in-depth look
at something.
Start writing on the Web.
A blog is a good place to start. So are wikis
like WikiPilipinas. Other websites, such as
the Philippine Online Chronicles, encour-
age writers to contribute content. There are
also websites where you can showcase your
writing and build a portfolio of your works,
such as Writing.com and Triond.
?
A hyperlink is a word, phrase or picture in a
website that you can click to go to anotherr
webpage. Oftentimes, you would know a
word or phrase is hyperlinked because it iss
underlined or has a different color than the e
rest of the text.
 13

Elementary
Netiquette
T
HE world of the Internet has its own Don’t
code of conduct, called netiquette, Type in ALL CAPS. It is the Internet equivalent of
short for “network etiquette.” Here are shouting.
some of its basic rules. Use too many smileys. Sometimes posting smileys
without text is considered spamming.
Do Forward jokes or chain e-mails unless the recipient asks you
Be polite. Remember that other users are peo- to. Again, not everybody appreciates them.
ple too.
Be kind to newbies. It’s a stage everyone goes ?
through. The term “flaming” is said to have been de-
Research before asking for help. Most information is rived from the Fantastic 4’s Human Torch,
already on the Internet; you only have to who says “flame on” and “flame off ” to con-
look for it. trol his powers. People in the earliest Inter-
Use proper grammar and correct spelling. LOLspeak or net forums used the same words to sepa-
chatspeak may look cute, but not every- rate their statements venting their anger
body appreciates them. or strong emotions from their serious ones.
Read and follow website or forum rules. Some behavior The term later came to refer to abusive at-
may be allowed in certain websites but for- tacks online. In a “flame war,” users trade in-
bidden in others. sults in what becomes a forum free-for-all.
Post topics in their proper forum threads. If not, your While some websites view flame wars with
post might be locked or deleted, and you some degree of tolerance, flaming is gener-
might even be branded a troll. ally considered bad behavior online.

? Is there a difference between a “newb”

An Internet troll, like the ugly mythi-
cal creature that does mischief and evil, is
someone who posts controversial or irrel-
evant material just to provoke people into
reacting or to disrupt a discussion. As in the
fishing term “trolling” which means the act
of slowly dragging bait in the water to at-
tract fish, a troll deliberately provokes other
people into reacting to his posts. Veteran
users often tell the newer ones “do not feed
the troll (DNFTT),” meaning that they should
not react to the troll no matter what he says
because it will only encourage him to go on
with what he is doing. The best way to make
a troll go away is to ignore him.
and a “noob?”
Although they started out as two different
spellings of the same word, the two have
taken on different meanings. “Newb” is short
for “newbie,” someone new to the Internet
or to a particular site or game. Newbs usual-
ly observe proper netiquette and although
they make mistakes, it is due to their inexpe-
rience. A “noob” on the other hand is some-
one, often a newbie, who breaks the rules of
netiquette and fails to learn from his experi-
ences. Calling someone a “noob” is often an
insult, so be careful how you use the word!

POC Primer on New Media

www.thepoc.net

A project of Vibal Foundation