Attention and Detection

The real question is how does one find something that is worth reading. To get someone to read whatever you write is no easy task. It could be a clever title, or a funny picture. To gain someone's attention as well as time requires some sort of planning. This will then intrigue readers to pay attention to what you are saying and read the following write up. One good example of catching attention is emails. When reading the headline, whatever it maybe encourages us to check out what it might be. It could be an email about getting back a job offer acceptance, or a newsletter you may be subscribed with new information being shared. Words have an impact on how you may approach them and could either interest you, or dissuade you. There is a lot of information to take in, so much that it is sometimes hard to keep up what is in front of you. One good way to overcome this is becoming more mindful. This could include keeping a set of tasks to do everyday, having a set time routine to complete those tasks, and having a time to focus on those tasks while having limited breaks (The Pomodoro Technique is one of the practices mentioned). 

With the use of words to attack you, they can also deceive you with misleading information. Much of the internet will include information that is not true and has much intentions that is truly meant to fool those who encounter it. It maybe difficult to determine what is bad information, sometimes looking at the url may be event enough. The dot org meaning coming from a certain organization, sometimes the organization running these websites have darker motives on being formed. It is simple to look a website and decide that the information is heavily flawed and and may not be aware that their information is actually wrong. Being able to detect good information from bad information is a skill as well. The Crap Detection is one of those skills useful for this. Search engines are designed to display websites and articles with the word or phrase when typed into the system. The keywords will pull up websites with the best approximation of what is being searched such as looking up a country. The first thing that would be displayed would be Wikipedia since it is a popular organization used to explain almost anything. The next to be displayed maybe either the country's government website, or a credible website that is known for expelling the geography of the searched country. Google if searched properly could lead to Google Scholar which displays college credible sources reviewed by professors of various credible universities.

From these two chapters, they are meant to explain how to use the internet properly. Inform the readers, either truthfully or inaccurately. Chapter one focuses on how the internet engages users and how to focus when working with it. Chapter two explains how easy it is to believe anything on the internet and how to avoid misinformation while on there. Wether it's for researching on unfamiliar topics or starting something from scratch, the internet can be a tool if used at its potential. 

- Reingold, H.(2012) Net Smart How to thrive Online, MIT Press (Chapters 1-2)