Wikihow: I Did It!

The Internet is an ever-changing environment. Through its many evolutions, the Internet has continuously pushed to become a more friendly environment for users. One of the things to come out of this evolution is the wiki page. The first question you might ask, however, is what is a wiki page? The textbook definition of a wiki is, “A wiki is a Web page that can be viewed and modified by any- body with a Web browser and access to the Internet.” wikiHow is a community-based website that allows users to help other users accomplish tasks, try something new, and read up on something that they were not originally familiar with. It is a website emerging from the Web 2.0 concept, giving users exactly what they were looking for right away. It has become popular in recent years due to the fact that users are easily able to publish their own content onto the Web quite simply. wikiHow allows users around the world to publish something they feel is important as quick as possible with minimal complications. One might ask: If it is that easy to post something onto wikiHow, how is there no duplicates? How is do you think of something that is not already posted onto wikiHow?

Above: an example of a Wikihow Page

Potential wikiHow posts are put through a rigorous screening process before being published onto the Web. While it is a difficult process to get published, it is one of the easiest sites to post original, informative content on the Internet. In addition, it builds upon Web 3.0 concepts with the ability to allow others to edit, comment, and share information to a Wiki page as easily as they are posted. This ability is unique to wiki communities such as wikiHow, and even its bigger counterpart, Wikipedia, and allows for users to connect in ways unknown before the Internet. For example, a wikiHow user originally posted a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Since its original posting, 289 other people have edited and contributed to the improvement of this post. Some modifications to the original post included the different types of chocolate chip cookies (original, vegan, chewy, vegan, oatmeal, banana -- just to name a few) as well as the actual steps of the process and the ingredients needed. The user-friendly and connectedness that a type of forum like wikiHow provides is outstanding and it is a great example of the evolution of the Web today.

Even though wikiHow is a community forum that allows for people to post whatever they want to, it is pretty easy to find a topic that hasn’t already been discussed on this forum. However, if the topic you are trying to write about has an article already posted about it, there are ways to differentiate your article from the one posted. For example, the topic for my own wikiHow project, there was already a similar topic posted onto wikiHow under the title “How to be a Pop-Punk Kid.” While the similar article was already published, I already had an idea on how to specify my topic. Instead of calling my topic “How to be Pop-Punk,” I specified how this topic related to my hometown of Buffalo, NY, making the article able to be published onto the wikiHow forum.

The first project for Web & Social Media Production was to post a wikiHow page on the student’s topic of choice. While this seems like it should be the easiest part of creating a wikiHow page, it certainly is not. It is necessary to check wikiHow to make sure the topic hasn’t already been posted on the site before deciding on a topic. However, if the topic has already been posted about, narrowing it down to a more specific topic might be the best decision. The topic I had originally chosen for my wikiHow page was on “How to be Pop-Punk”, which apparently was already posted onto the site. Since I believed this to be my strongest topic with the most information, I decided to look into how to narrow down this topic. The eventual topic ended up being “How to be Pop-Punk in Buffalo, NY” -- a topic with a lot of information and had yet to be written about on wikiHow. Writing a post for wikiHow is a unique experience that is hard to accomplish, but once you do, it is a gratifying experience. It is difficult in the sense that the article is put through an intense screening process, and if it is not written how wikiHow would like it, then it will not be published.

One way that this happens is all based on the communication of your message. One way this could happen is when you are writing about a topic, it cannot be too promotional or persuasive towards a certain product/brand. For example, if you are discussing the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies again, you cannot say to use TollHouse chocolate chips, but just regular chocolate chips. If an article is too persuasive on one topic, it won’t be posted. Another way an article may not be posted is due to copyrights. For example, in my wikiHow project, I used some of my friends’ photos for my topic since they were better than my own. Despite the fact my friends gave me permission and I did cite them as the owners of the photo, it was not enough. The admins are working with me to gain permission so that my photos may in fact be restored to page.

Above: the first photo, taken by my friend Mariah Howe, restored to my Wikihow page

With these restrictions, you may wonder how exactly you can get your ideas across to the web on your wikiHow page. However, there are many ways around it. You can use some of your own photos, even if they aren’t the best, so long as they help to support your topic and go along with the wikiHow page. In addition, you can use your own words and many other forms of media to help you. For my own wikiHow page, most of the information came solely out of my own thought process. But, I asked my friends to help me along the way. I asked them, “When you think of Buffalo & pop-punk, what comes to mind?” Most of them came up with the same ideas as I did: Pizza, Mighty Taco, going to shows downtown, buying records, love the city. Their ideas helped to solidify my own as well as helped me to improve upon my own work. If you are stuck, you can also use some of the other related wiki pages to help you with your information and to boost your own page.

The World Wide Web: What's So Cool About It?

What Do I think of the Web?

In my 20 years on this Earth, the Web has evolved in ways I couldn’t have even imagined. Web 1.0 was what was commonplace during the early years of my life. During the Web 1.0 days, the Internet was static, not exciting or interactive in the slightest. It was used mostly for adults trying to grow their businesses and achieve the status of “being on the Web.” The next step in the evolution of the Web was obviously Web 2.0. The hype of Web 2.0 from Web 1.0 was definitely worth it, since it has provided us with some of the most important creations of our time. Web 2.0 is the internet that most of us are familiar with today. It began its onset during my childhood, and us Millennials were all for it. Web 2.0  is the Web that allowed for things like social media, to Barbie.com, and AIM to all coexist in the same place. It was all about being the involvement of Web users, allowing the common person to post on the Web as easily as they were able to access it. Some of the positives would be the websites and everyday aspects of our life that have come out of Web 2.0. Could you imagine what life would be like without Google? How about even dictionary.com? I certainly would be lost without things like that, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the onset of Web 2.0. However, this is a negative thing at the same time. People have become reliant on the Web every day, which would have never happened if it was not for the onset of Web 2.0. The Web still continues to evolve to this day, and the next step is in the very near future: Web 3.0. Web 3.0 has already begun to show itself through our Web 2.0 platforms. It is a quick, easy connection to the Web, no matter where you are. It is the collection of databases in order to connect to exactly what you are looking for. Examples of Web 3.0 concepts that I have already encountered include Spotify creating a playlist of “new artists to discover” from what you have been listening to. Another example would be suggested followers on Twitter based on what you already see on the website, a similar feature to Facebook’s customized ads. Web 3.0 is taking us in the direction of customization of the Web to each person accessing it. This is a positive thing to some extent, since you will be able to see what you actually wanted to see on the Internet. However, it is also negative since it is just allowing for people to become more and more reliant on the Web as a whole. All in all, the evolution of the Web is a huge development in my lifetime, and it is a great resource we are so lucky to have.

The World Wide Webolution

The year is 2016 and most of the world’s population could not go a day without the Internet. The World Wide Web was introduced to the public in 1991. It was met with little fanfare and honestly, most people did not even know what it was. The beginning stages of the World Wide Web were very basic and boring. Web 1.0, as it is known today, was static, simple, and not very user-friendly. Most of the web was read-only and definitely was not interactive. As more and more people began to enter the confines of the Web, an upgrade was definitely needed. Web 2.0 was Web 1.0’s hyped-up younger brother, a complete 180 from its older counterpart. There were many differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, but the biggest difference was the user-friendliness. Web 2.0 allowed for interactive web pages that kept its users engaged and on the Web for hours. In addition, Web 2.0 led to more communication between users all over the World. Web 2.0 led people to those who were interested in the same ideas. An article in Scientific American exemplified the power of Web 2.0 in relation to science. This is just one little sliver of the impact that Web 2.0 has had on consumer and public consumption of media amongst other things. Web 2.0 has also lead to the creation of social media, another huge catalyst to the public’s consumption of the web and media itself. If it wasn’t for the onset of Web 2.0, the Internet might not have become as an important part of society as it is today. The most recent evolution of the Web is the Web we are coming to know: Web 3.0. Web 3.0 is a concept that has developed out of the depths of Web 2.0, taking user-friendliness to the next level. The evolution of the Web to Web 3.0 has also been inspired by the need for the web to become portable. In the last 10 years or so, we have seen the web transform into something we can take anywhere, at any time. Web 3.0 allows for this to happen. Web 3.0 is a concept that is based solely on the user and its preferences. It is all about the individual, giving the user what they want, when they want. The Web has done its best on evolving with the times and giving the user what it wants and it will continue to evolve with the coming times.

Draft: How to be Pop-Punk in Buffalo, NY

Pop-Punk is a subgenre of the alternative music scene that has held audiences captive since the early 2000s. Starting with bands such as Blink 182, then to bands like Fall Out Boy, and into today with bands such as State Champs, it is a genre that has constantly evolved while also managing to stay the same. You may ask, how does one fit into this friend-loving, hometown-hating scene that is pop-punk, especially in a town filled with so much pride (Buffalo, NY), but here are a few steps on how to succeed in doing so.

1. Like the bands! Especially the local ones! Buffalo, NY is a relatively well-known city in America and it is frequently referenced by many artists (see: Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties, Such Gold) You should always support the nationally touring bands, they travel to Buffalo from all over the country, and they need your support to keep going. However, it’s even better to support the local acts so they can get off the ground and become the next big national touring act. Local pop-punk bands include, but are not limited to: Pentimento, Head North, The Traditional, Well Kept Things, Super American, I Can See Mountains
2. Support the local venues/promoters! Go. To. Every. Show. You. Can. Attend. If you don’t go, the scene will die off and that would be the end of that. There are so many cool venues in the greater Buffalo area that are perfect for pop-punk shows. Some of those venues include (but again, are not limited to): Town Ballroom, the Waiting Room & the Studio at Waiting Room, and Sugar City. If not, suffer through the loss of many, many shows (see: closing of Club Infinity & Xtreme Wheels in 2013)
3. Collect Records! If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past 2 years or so, you’d already know that collecting vinyl records is hip again. It’s a great way for bands to make money off their music again, as well as being a great collector’s piece for die-hard fans. While you can find a lot of the popular records of today at your nearest Urban Outfitters or Hot Topic, there are some great local shops too. These shops, Record Theatre and Black Dots to name a few, also carry rare and used vinyl as well. Record collecting is a very important step in your achievement of pop-punk status.
4. Eat Pizza (and other things too!) Honestly, what food is more associated with pop-punk than pizza? Even though no one is really sure where this started, it is the staple food for the genre. Buffalo is home to some of the best pizza places in the country. You can stop and get your pop-punk pizza fix at any pizza shop in the area while still maintaining your cred. If you decide to skip the pizza, Mighty Taco is a good substitute.
5. Hate (while also simultaneously love) Your Hometown! In any generic pop-punk song you will hear about at least one of three things: girls, friends, and hating your town. Pop-punk is all about getting out of your hometown and hating it for all that its worth. In Buffalo, however, there is a different philosophy: love it with all that you got. People from Buffalo love their hometown, and despite most bands talking about their hatred for their towns, this is a thing Buffalonians just can’t hang with. So go ahead and sing the lyrics, but deep down, Buffalonians could never hate their town.

Tips on being Pop-Punk in Buffalo:

•  Despite the fact that you are going to get hot and sweaty at the show, at least one item of outerwear is needed to survive waiting outside in Buffalo. Acceptable choices are (but are not limited to): beanies, flannels, leather jackets, jean jackets, etc.
• Any “pop-punk" outfit should include at least 3 of the following: a beanie, Vans, skinny jeans, band merch, flannel, etc.
• Everyone knows everyone in the scene, so don’t be alarmed when your now-boyfriend happens to be friends with all of your show friends
• People are overly-friendly in Buffalo, get over it. If you think it is weird that the girl behind you in line is talking to you, leave.
• Tattoos are not only accepted, but encouraged.
• Scream the lyrics as loud as you can, and don’t forget to angrily point your finger at the band.