Week 8 tasks Part 1 and 2:

During the Microsoft Office Exercises i had minimal trouble completing the Word tasks as i am familiar with this program, however it helped me realise that there were still a few things, such as adding contacts, that i had to learn. overall the word exercises didn't have to many serious problems, but for those little niggling problems i had i was able to sort them out myself. This software is useful to me as it enables me to write letters, that are meant for multiple people and only have to write them out once, it is also useful in writing and creating documents.

However the Microsoft Excel Exercises troubled me. Having not being familiar with this program or having much experience with it, i struggled completing the tasks. I found the entering and presenting data tasks easy, yet had problems with the formulas exercise. The problem was in how to set the formulas to the different cells. The solution to this however was through copying and pasting the formula. Next up was the inserting graph task, i found this task as relatively easy, however had a tough time picking which graph would suitable represent the information. Finally was the Macros task which yet again proved to be my kryptonite. I struggled to come to terms with the gains and losses idea, yet once fully explained to me i had the general idea, and the task was achievable. i feel that this software would be important in working with facts, figures, and numbers.

Virtual Worlds and Instant Messaging:
Being a local on the MSN scene, looking at the site Active World was very different form of instant chatting and messaging. Active World gives u a much more 3d look at the chatting world, and enables multiple conversations to go ahead at once. Also once inside the Active World it was quite clear that there is a social status. As being a new user i was being bullied, and attempted to be intimated by the frequent users. This i think is a form of the whole cyber bullying scene. With older, more frequent users controlling the conversations taking place in Active World, the messaging becomes less personal and harder to distinguish between who are people you know, and who are cyber strangers. With my however i am comfortable with the MSN version of chatting, as i am empowered in deciding who i talk to, and what the conversation is about.