HTTPS protects me from fraud

          The special protection layer that is added to websites that ask you for personal information is called secure socket layer. It is added automatically to websites such as ebay, paypal and chase, three websites I use constantly. I never noticed there was a difference in the website name when I typed it in the address bar. HTTPS stands for hypertext transfer protocol secure. It protects against fraudulent charges.

          When hearing about this protection layer, it excited me. I just automatically trusted sites such as ebay and amazon and would put my credit card information as if nothing bad could possibly happen. I’m happy to know that the creators of these sites thought about protecting their consumers.

          I shop constantly on ebay because a lot of products can be found cheaper online than in stores, especially books. I buy almost all of my textbooks off of half.com, which is an affiliate of ebay. I actually plan on ordering my photography class supplies off of ebay over winter break, because the paper I have to print my pictures on is super expensive and can only be found in certain stores.

          “Secure Sockets Layer uses a cryptographic system that encrypts data with two keys. When a SSL Digital Certificate is installed on a web site, users can see a padlock icon at the bottom area of the navigator. When an Extended Validation Certificates is installed on a web site, users with the latest versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera will see the green address bar at the URL area of the navigator.” Source: HTTPS: What it is and how it works?.

I noticed that Paypal has a green shaded bar on the address bar but when I check my online bank statements on chase.com, it’s a blue shaded bar, meaning Chase doesn’t have an extended validation certificate installed on their website. I check my Chase online bank statement on a daily basis because I don’t have a bank here in Pensacola. I still trust Chase’s website because it still has the https on the address bar and it is my bank, so why would it screw with me?

I wanted to test out the theory about the extended validation certificates. I checked multiple online banking sites and found three sites that had green address bars, 5/3 bank, Citibank and Bank of America. When I went to purchase an item from Amazon, their site name was blue, not green. It’s nice to see which companies have been protecting people for the longest. I will continue shopping online, it is a lot easier than in the store, you don’t have to deal with the other crazy customers, but I will continue searching for the https in the address bar and the padlock icon on the status bar.

Newspapers cannot die

     No matter how much information is put on the internet, newspapers will never die. There will always be someone out there that would want to read a hard copy of the newspaper. It's called a newspaper, not newsnet.
     Whenever I'm back at home in South Florida, my parents have a subscription to the newspaper and get it delivered to our front door daily. There will be sections of the paper that will go unread for weeks at a time but at some point my mom or dad will have read most of each issue.   
     I have compared the hard copy of the newspaper to the newspaper online format and I’d rather have the hard copy in my hands with the ink rubbing off onto my fingers than read across a computer screen. I would only go to the internet to find out additional information on a topic that couldn’t fit in the hard copy version. When you’re sitting in front of a computer screen and reading for hours at a time it can actually hurt your eyes and you need time to relax your eyes to look at something else. When you read a newspaper, you don’t need to adjust your eyes and it won’t damage your eyes either.
     I know that the money for newspapers comes from advertisers and I know it can be hard to get advertisers to pay for an ad in the paper, but I’d rather see an ad in the newspaper than online. Don’t advertisers know that there is a way to adblock on the internet? So even If they pay to have advertisements on the website of a newspaper, people don’t necessarily have to see them if they have an adblock program.

Me photographing the homecoming soccer game on Oct. 15.

     I am also studying print journalism, not internet journalism. I’m hoping that by the time I graduate, there will be jobs out there for me. I don’t want my work on the internet, I’d rather it be in print. I’m more of a photographer and I think it’s a lot easier for people to steal or copy my work when it’s produced online than when it’s produced in print. I also know that because I’m a photographer, I may actually have it easier than reporters, because I don’t have to stay with a specific publication, I can easily go from newspapers to magazines and of course to the internet.
     Newspapers have been around for more than 300 years as compared to the internet’s 40 years. I don’t see newspapers disappearing very easily.