DMC Subject

INFORMATION SHARING

Information sharing is describes the exchange of data between various organizations, people and technologies.

There are several types of information sharing:

• Information shared by individuals (such as a video shared on Facebook or YouTube)
• Information shared by organizations (such as the RSS feed of an online weather report)
• Information shared between firmware/software (Such as the IP addresses of available network nodes or the availability of disk space)

There are several top information sharing tools in the internet. I will give you the pros & cons of each site in order to have a clear view what is the usage of each site in the information sharing terms.

1. DROP BOX APPLICATION


Advantages of Dropbox:

• 2GB free (only signup required)
• Has its own folder within Windows Explorer or the Macintosh Finder so you can easily drag-and-drop files and folders into the 'Dropbox' folder
• Continues to synchronise files even if you modify them
• Allows you to recover deleted files and folders via the Dropbox website
• Allows you to make specific files and folders public via the 'Public' folder; upload screenshots, etc
• Allows you to upload and download files and folders via the Dropbox website at any time
• Low cost paid plans starting at $9.99 per month (can be purchased in the UK too) for 50GB of space. And you can upgrade your plan to a maximum 100GB space (if you require more storage you'll need to contact Dropbox about it for a bigger plan).
• Available on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux (apps are also available for iOS, Android and BlackBerry).

Disadvantages to Dropbox:

• Microsoft's Windows Live SkyDrive offers 25GB of storage versus Dropbox's 2GB of storage.
• The service provider did not responsible if any information leaks through the storage system.

2. Social Networking

Advantages :

• Facebook has become a professionally developing site rather than just a social network.
• Social Networking has revolutionized the way we think and opened wider perspectives.
• Social Networking are global and 24/7.
• Social Networking should be harnessed by 21 century teachers with enthusiasm.
• Use Facebook for personal contacts and wide our contact around the globe .
• Social Networking are an extension of discussions. 
• Social Networking create friends which lead to face to face meetings.
• Share worksheets/mind maps for students, time-saving.
• Twitter tags can inform parents’ of students’ progress.
• Non-native teachers are also exposed to real language in the modern world.

Disadvantages :

• All Social Networking are time-consuming.
• Some teachers find Social Networking too daunting to tackle.
• Social Networking can become addictive. They can take over your life, leaving little time for family and friends. Knowing when to stop is crucial – try to switch off!
• A person can be cheated by a fake user profile.
• A person can be stalked by others users.

Situation

We all being shocked by earth quake in Aceh recently. The earth quake happened in 5pm (local time) but before 7pm (local time) most Malaysian who has FB,Twitter & other social networks has being alert about the earth quake and potential Tsunami that can hit west Malaysia especially Penang, Langkawi. This news spread fast via social networks, without those social networks it is impossible Malaysia can be alerted about the earth quake because prime news in Malaysia only on air in 8pm.