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Why Is the Internet Good? The Internet is good because it provides access to information on a 24-hour basis, allows for communication between people all across the world and allows for the information provided to be updated quickly. Many different kinds of people benefit from the Internet. Consumers benefit because they can access information from users of products they are considering buying. They can then make a decision to purchase a particular type of product based on how well it works for other people. Teachers benefit because they can find resources to support student learning as well as Web apps that students can use to do interesting work. Business people benefit because they can advertise their products to the entire world for relatively little money. Families and friends benefit because they can keep in touch with each other even across great distances through social media. Job seekers benefit because they can find possible jobs online and can apply over the Internet, saving postage stamps and time. People with specific interests such as comparisons between Old, Middle, and Modern English can find resources and other people who share that same interest. Artists and crafters can find examples of other people’s arts and instructions for how to create various kinds of projects. People with new theories or sets of ideas can put them on the Web without having to go to a paper publisher. People who love watching the news can find live reports online from many sources. People who need to find long lost family members or friends can often do so.
Have you ever wanted to try out a new personality? Since we're stuck with ourselves, day-in and day-out, our own personalities might sometimes feel a little tired from time to time. So what can we do about this? There are, of course, costumes, which are probably the reason so many people look forward to Halloween -- they can be their favorite superhero for a night and revel in a little creativity. But not all of us are willing to play dress up throughout the calendar year, mainly because doing so violates generally held social norms. After all, most Web sites that offer some kind of online community allow their users to create avatars, an electronic image that represents the person controlling it. Generally, members can be as creative as they like with their avatar, either fashioning it as close to their appearance and personality as possible or creating an entirely different personality.
One of these social networking services is Zwinky, a service launched in 2006 and owned by InterActiveCorp (IAC). Zwinky lets its members create their own cartoonish, large-headed and big-eyed avatars, which they can use in several different ways. One thing to keep in mind: Zwinky is open to anyone age 13 and older. If you're younger than 13, you won't be allowed to make your own account, not even with parental permission. Zwinky profiles can also be set to "private" if you're 18 or older, but profiles of Zwinky users younger than 18 are automatically set to private. So how does Zwinky work? What can someone with a Zwinky avatar do? And what kind of place is Zwinktopia, anyway? This may be a slightly unfamiliar approach for members of other social networking sites -- most simply request that you create a username and password and fill in some personal information, including e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
Zwinky, however, requires you to download a Zwinky icon onto your Web browser, which users click on to access the program's interface. When you've successfully installed the Zwinky program and opened up the program window, it's time to customize your Zwinky character. Every Zwinky has a personal wardrobe, which users can access by clicking on the "Open Wardrobe" button near the bottom of the screen. You can manipulate a Zwinky's appearance to make it look however you want, and users choose traits including gender, skin tone, hair style and color, and more. To move a Zwinky from one place to the next in a specific area, members simply use the mouse to point and click. You can make new friends or see a list of the ones you already have by clicking on the "View/Add Friends" button at the bottom of the interface. This button allows you to either send an e-mail to a fellow Zwinky requesting friendship or to see where in Zwinky's world your friends are.
If a friend is online, clicking on your friend can bring you straight to him or her, call up that person's profile or let you send that person a Znote. Of course, if another Zwinky bothers you or makes you uncomfortable, you have the option of blocking him or her from chatting with you. After choosing outfits, accessories and physical features for your Zwinky, you'd embed the avatar into other social networking sites like MySpace. However, on the previous page we talked about moving your Zwinky avatar around. If you embed your Zwinky into a Web page, isn't it just stuck there, with nowhere to go? The name of the location is, of course, Zwinktopia. Similar to other virtual worlds like Second Life and Club Penguin, Zwinktopia allows you to take your personal Zwinky avatar into an animated, video-game-like realm to roam, chat and play games. Many of the locations are based on real-life establishments -- everything including arcades, coffee shops and dance halls are fair game in Zwinktopia.
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