A regular topic of discussion at the Extension School is the need for an online community. I've heard other students talking about it in person, usually before class. HESA has made promises, but these were never followed through. I've talked about it on Harvard Extended with other students, and thought about setting up a bulletin board, but never got around to it.
Well, someone has finally stepped up to the plate and created an online forum to discuss issues related to the Extension School. It's called, simply, Extension Student, and it's pretty good. It has the basic attributes of a discussion forum -- you can create a discussion, respond to other's comments, modify your profile and hide your identity. The basic requirement to join the community is a Harvard FAS or Post Harvard email address, which are available to all Extension School students and alumni. However, non-students may browse some of the topic areas, which is great for people who are interested in learning more about the HES programs and community.
I've visited Extension Student and responded to some of the threads, and I encourage other members of the community to check it out as well.
I've also asked the creator of Extension Student, a former classmate of mine, if he's interested in being interviewed about this project, and am awaiting his reply.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Content analysis advice
I came across a great quote by Philip Stone, the author of the General Inquirer content analysis program:
Also, this is the 300th post on the Harvard Extended blog in nearly two years. On average, I have been posting about once every two days. If I have the time, I'll compose a "best of" post in the few weeks, to point new readers to some of the more interesting pieces. In the meantime, the best way to navigate this blog is to follow the topic tags at the bottom of each post, which will take you to a reverse-chron list of all of the posts in that particular topic.
"Doing content analysis by hand will reduce even the most fanatical post-modernist to pleading for a computer."The source of this quote is a very good overview of CCA/CATA techniques.
Also, this is the 300th post on the Harvard Extended blog in nearly two years. On average, I have been posting about once every two days. If I have the time, I'll compose a "best of" post in the few weeks, to point new readers to some of the more interesting pieces. In the meantime, the best way to navigate this blog is to follow the topic tags at the bottom of each post, which will take you to a reverse-chron list of all of the posts in that particular topic.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
New media projects: Web video and Tech Dispenser
One of the best aspects of my current job at Computerworld is that I am often involved in many new media projects for the Computerworld website. I was hired in early 2005 to get Computerworld's blogging area and editorial webcasts off the ground, but since then I have also helped develop Computerworld's podcasts as well as user-generated/community content offerings such as Shark Bait. Currently, I am involved in two new editorial initiatives: Web video programming and Tech Dispenser.
The event video is a sponsored daily recap and interview show from one of Computerworld's largest events, Storage Networking World. The event ended this morning, and we created three episodes in all. The second episode will give you a good idea of what the program is about in terms of the format and content:
SNW In Focus, day 2: Mini SANs and the UK's fastest supercomputer
This is not the first time I've worked with video -- my first job in journalism, back in the mid-1990s, was working as a newswriter and narrator for an English-language TV program at the China Television Company (CTV, 中國電視公司 or 中視 in Chinese). Then, as now, producing professional-quality video programming was an extremely labor-intensive effort, requiring a great deal of teamwork and coordination. I know there is a big movement toward vlogging and user-submitted video content a la YouTube, but anyone interested in sponsoring or creating professional, TV-quality content should know that it's not as easy as it looks. My colleague Lucas Mearian and I were the faces of Computerworld Events: SNW In Focus, but behind the scenes there was a video production crew working full time, not to mention additional help from editors and online production staff back at Computerworld HQ in Framingham. Despite all of the work required, we consider the program a success, and look forward to doing similar editorial video programs in the future.
The second new initiative that I am involved with at Computerworld is Tech Dispenser. This is an editor-driven blogs aggregator that I think could be a useful alternative to traditional, algorithm-driven aggregators like Megite.
Wait a second, you say: Aren't you the same guy whose research interests include advanced data-mining technologies and computer content analysis? What have you got against algorithms and existing aggregators that highlight interesting news and blog content in the giant, semi-structured database that is the Web?
My answer to that is best summed up on a recent post on my Computerworld blog:
The event video is a sponsored daily recap and interview show from one of Computerworld's largest events, Storage Networking World. The event ended this morning, and we created three episodes in all. The second episode will give you a good idea of what the program is about in terms of the format and content:
SNW In Focus, day 2: Mini SANs and the UK's fastest supercomputer
This is not the first time I've worked with video -- my first job in journalism, back in the mid-1990s, was working as a newswriter and narrator for an English-language TV program at the China Television Company (CTV, 中國電視公司 or 中視 in Chinese). Then, as now, producing professional-quality video programming was an extremely labor-intensive effort, requiring a great deal of teamwork and coordination. I know there is a big movement toward vlogging and user-submitted video content a la YouTube, but anyone interested in sponsoring or creating professional, TV-quality content should know that it's not as easy as it looks. My colleague Lucas Mearian and I were the faces of Computerworld Events: SNW In Focus, but behind the scenes there was a video production crew working full time, not to mention additional help from editors and online production staff back at Computerworld HQ in Framingham. Despite all of the work required, we consider the program a success, and look forward to doing similar editorial video programs in the future.
The second new initiative that I am involved with at Computerworld is Tech Dispenser. This is an editor-driven blogs aggregator that I think could be a useful alternative to traditional, algorithm-driven aggregators like Megite.
Wait a second, you say: Aren't you the same guy whose research interests include advanced data-mining technologies and computer content analysis? What have you got against algorithms and existing aggregators that highlight interesting news and blog content in the giant, semi-structured database that is the Web?
My answer to that is best summed up on a recent post on my Computerworld blog:
The aggregators are extremely efficient in finding and highlighting news or topics of discussion, but there is a flaw that all share: An inability to identify quality content. Computers are good at counting the number of links pointing to a specific blog post, or measuring the number of topical keywords in a news article. But they are incapable of spotting a scoop, let alone an elegant analysis of a technology trend. Hence, we see lots of highlighted articles and blog posts on the aggregator sites that are simply repeating what someone else has already said, or weak writing samples that are a waste of readers' time. A few sites use deceptive SEO techniques and other weaknesses in the algorithms to manipulate the aggregators to get their articles or posts to the top positions, and on several occasions I have seen suspected astroturfing campaigns highlighted on the blog aggregators.Tech Dispenser hasn't launched yet, but I am interested in seeing how the tech blog community reacts to the idea. Besides driving traffic to blogs that participate in the Tech Dispenser blog network, the site also includes a revenue share model that should appeal to many tech blog writers.
Thesis update: Conditional approval!
Earlier this week my thesis director conditionally approved my thesis. This is big news for me; it means the content and structure are basically final (I still have to add a brief explanation in one part of chapter 3, eliminate one of the appendices, and perform a handful of other minor tweaks).
After I have made the edits, it's off to the copy shop to print up a draft for the ALM research director at the Extension School to review. He'll be looking for formatting problems, but I am not too worried about this -- I referenced the Chicago Manual of Style and ALM Thesis Guide throughout the writing process, and don't think I'm too far off the mark.
When the thesis is finally approved and bound, I'll post a copy on Harvard Extended. I have also been lobbying the Extension School to submit ALM theses to UMI/ProQuest or other electronic databases, so the global scholarly community can access them, but it seems that the program doesn't have the resources to make this happen. It's a shame -- if the only place people can access ALM theses is in the Grossman Library, then the impact of Extension School research upon our respective disciplines will remain limited.
After I have made the edits, it's off to the copy shop to print up a draft for the ALM research director at the Extension School to review. He'll be looking for formatting problems, but I am not too worried about this -- I referenced the Chicago Manual of Style and ALM Thesis Guide throughout the writing process, and don't think I'm too far off the mark.
When the thesis is finally approved and bound, I'll post a copy on Harvard Extended. I have also been lobbying the Extension School to submit ALM theses to UMI/ProQuest or other electronic databases, so the global scholarly community can access them, but it seems that the program doesn't have the resources to make this happen. It's a shame -- if the only place people can access ALM theses is in the Grossman Library, then the impact of Extension School research upon our respective disciplines will remain limited.
Friday, April 13, 2007
A painful case
There is a disturbing piece of news reported by The Crimson earlier this week, which came out of an investigation conducted by a Harvard College student and blogger named Kameron Collins '09. The news concerns a 30-something former Extension School student named Michael Godelia, who has allegedly been passing himself off as a Harvard College undergraduate, and until recently was sitting in on classes and gaining access to Harvard facilities -- including Lamont Library and undergraduate dorm rooms.
From the Crimson article by Anna Tong:
But the most interesting comments come from a commenter who claims to be Godelia. This commenter vigorously denies a variety of criminal charges and claims made against him, and further states that he is a Harvard undergraduate.
According to Collins, research by the Crimson has determined that Godelia has never been a Harvard College undergraduate. I am not even sure he formally entered the ALB program at the Extension School, although he reportedly took several semesters of HES classes, ending last fall. The HUPD is "aware" of Godelia, and earlier this week a Law School employee removed him from a class he had been sitting in on, says the Crimson.
What's my take? It's one thing for Harvard Extension School students to participate in community activities, Harvard organizations, and academic activities that are open to all -- clubs, panels, the Graduate School Council, Phillips Brooks House, etc. It's something else for a handful of students/former students to misrepresent themselves, crash classes, and gain access to restricted areas of campus, such as undergraduate dormitories, using confidence tricks or expired IDs. It's happened before, as this Crimson article about Edward F. Meinert Jr. describes.
Considering the tens of thousands of students who have taken HES classes, and the thousands who have graduated from HES programs, these cases should be seen as isolated incidents. Unfortunately, they reflect very negatively on the Extension School -- one comment on the Harvard College blog mentioned earlier called for Extension School students to lose their FAS computing privileges, and this week I noticed a referrer in my website logs from Google based on a Google search for "Harvard Extension School get rid of it" from a Harvard IP address. The Extension School community doesn't deserve this type of treatment -- we study hard and contribute to the University academically and in other ways. But the Extension School's image nevertheless suffers greatly when cases like this come to light.
Note about comments:
I have disabled comments for this thread. This is the first time I've had to do this, but I feel it's necessary owing to the issue being discussed and the fact that I can't verify the identities of who is posting comments.
April 17: An emailed comment from an ALB candidate named Richard:
From the Crimson article by Anna Tong:
"I was walking out of a final and he told me he liked my jacket, and started talking to me," said James B. Onstad '09. "We talked for maybe half an hour and over the next year he contacted me a few times through Facebook. He always had business schemes he was trying to pitch to me."Collins, the blogger, knows Godelia, and researched his past after participating in an on-campus panel together. What he found was disturbing enough that Collins opted to write a blog entry entitled "Have you seen this man?"
Joseph K. Cooper '07 said Godelia has shown up to parties in his Currier House suite uninvited. "This guy was very strange," Cooper said. "He asked a couple of sophomore girls where they lived, and asked for the layout of Currier. It was very off-putting."
At this point, we do not know how Godelia has managed to access Lamont Library or a House's dining hall, as these and many other Harvard buildings and facilities require a student ID for access, unless one has bought a Special Borrower Card for special access to Harvard libraries.**The blog investigation carried out by Collins generated dozens of comments from other undergraduates (including some supporters) who recalled interacting with Godelia.
Recently, Godelia also has been spotted at several parties on campus, including post-initiation celebrations at the Harvard Advocate. An e-mail over the Advocate's e-mail list from the group's President cited that several members complained of Godelia's inappropriate behavior at an Advocate party. The e-mail, which was accompanied by the photo seen above, alerted members that Godelia was forbidden to enter the building under any circumstances. The e-mail both identified Godelia and reminded members of the seriousness of sexual harassment.***
Godelia was already known to some Advocate members because he had earlier attempted to Comp the magazine, though his Comp was cut short when members realized that the man -- believed to be 32 -- was not a registered undergraduate, or for that matter, a Harvard affiliate.
According to an online article (linked above) from Baylor University's student newspaper, The Baylor Lariat, Godelia -- nicknamed "The Loose Cannon" -- was asked not to return to the campus after an 11-day stakeout that ended with Godelia being arrested, charged with burglary of habitation, and asked not to return to campus.****
*Confirmed by FAS and relayed by a Crimson Reporter: Michael Godelia is, in fact, NOT -- nor was he ever -- an Undergraduate at Harvard College, despite claims to the contrary. Godelia was previously registered at the Extension School. He is not enrolled in the Extension School this semester.
**Visit here for more information on Special Borrower Cards.
**Direct quotes from this e-mail have been retracted due to confidentiality.
***The accuracy of the Baylor article has also been disputed, though because I have not found that the article was retracted citing factual inaccuracy and has since remained available since it was originally published 1996, the link will remain available on this post.
But the most interesting comments come from a commenter who claims to be Godelia. This commenter vigorously denies a variety of criminal charges and claims made against him, and further states that he is a Harvard undergraduate.
According to Collins, research by the Crimson has determined that Godelia has never been a Harvard College undergraduate. I am not even sure he formally entered the ALB program at the Extension School, although he reportedly took several semesters of HES classes, ending last fall. The HUPD is "aware" of Godelia, and earlier this week a Law School employee removed him from a class he had been sitting in on, says the Crimson.
What's my take? It's one thing for Harvard Extension School students to participate in community activities, Harvard organizations, and academic activities that are open to all -- clubs, panels, the Graduate School Council, Phillips Brooks House, etc. It's something else for a handful of students/former students to misrepresent themselves, crash classes, and gain access to restricted areas of campus, such as undergraduate dormitories, using confidence tricks or expired IDs. It's happened before, as this Crimson article about Edward F. Meinert Jr. describes.
Considering the tens of thousands of students who have taken HES classes, and the thousands who have graduated from HES programs, these cases should be seen as isolated incidents. Unfortunately, they reflect very negatively on the Extension School -- one comment on the Harvard College blog mentioned earlier called for Extension School students to lose their FAS computing privileges, and this week I noticed a referrer in my website logs from Google based on a Google search for "Harvard Extension School get rid of it" from a Harvard IP address. The Extension School community doesn't deserve this type of treatment -- we study hard and contribute to the University academically and in other ways. But the Extension School's image nevertheless suffers greatly when cases like this come to light.
Note about comments:
I have disabled comments for this thread. This is the first time I've had to do this, but I feel it's necessary owing to the issue being discussed and the fact that I can't verify the identities of who is posting comments.
April 17: An emailed comment from an ALB candidate named Richard:
... It's important to remember that organizations with a high status level always have impersonators. There are people who try to pass themselves off as royalty and people who try to pass themselves off as VIPs to get into Hollywood parties. This kind of behavior isn't new or unique to Harvard.
On the other hand, one important distinction that needs to be stressed is that there is a world of difference between a degree candidate and an extension student. I don't think that the writers at the Crimson understand that point nor do I think that members of the extension community make them aware of that error. Furthermore, I would argue that the bar needs to be set higher for the Extension School degree programs. I think we would go a long way towards alleviating concerns about the extension population if we took steps to improve the quality of that same population. Until we do, we'll see more of this kind of thing since the Harvard name draws too many strange characters to the program.
The key to the future of HES is establishing it as a distinct but high-quality program. I feel no need to convince others that I'm part of the College and I'm perfectly happy with my status as a HES degree candidate.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The ALM thesis forum
There's a great project underway at the Harvard Extension School to organize an ALM thesis forum. This is a live event in which students working on their theses can give presentations or readings to an audience consisting of other students, their thesis directors and advisors, family, friends, and any other interested members of the Harvard community. There will be several nights of presentations in late May, organized according to concentration. It's a great opportunity, and I intend to give a presentation to discuss my own research into Chinese foreign policy views of Vietnam during the Deng Xiaoping era, based on a computer content analysis of New China News Agency reports.
If you have gone through the formal thesis registration process and are now working on your thesis (or recently completed it) you should have received messages from the Extension School or HESA's ALM liaison Jim Brennan. Contact them if you are interested in finding out more information.
If you have gone through the formal thesis registration process and are now working on your thesis (or recently completed it) you should have received messages from the Extension School or HESA's ALM liaison Jim Brennan. Contact them if you are interested in finding out more information.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Delayed posts
Sorry for the delay in updating Harvard Extended. Our family moved in the last week of March, and I only got Internet service earlier this week. In the next week I hope to have a thesis update, and maybe even another installment of the ALM interview series.
I also hope to post here or on my Computerworld blog a description of a very interesting lecture I attended at the Harvard CGIS on Friday. It was entitled "Kill all these Chinese Gold Farmers: Transnational Conflict and Cooperation in Virtual Worlds". The speaker was Dr. Aaron Delwiche of Trinity University in San Antonio, and he described some very interesting social trends taking place in virtual gaming environments. Stay tuned ...
I also hope to post here or on my Computerworld blog a description of a very interesting lecture I attended at the Harvard CGIS on Friday. It was entitled "Kill all these Chinese Gold Farmers: Transnational Conflict and Cooperation in Virtual Worlds". The speaker was Dr. Aaron Delwiche of Trinity University in San Antonio, and he described some very interesting social trends taking place in virtual gaming environments. Stay tuned ...
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