Destroying some level of centralism that Hulu strived to create comes as a double-edged sword for both Hulu and the programs not offered on Hulu. Ease of navigation of a site and casual viewers of a program not offered on Hulu, seem to be an issue glossed over by networks resisting to centralize its content.

Designed almost to be annoying, major TV networks websites are difficult to navigate to full episodes. Although not clear if this done intentionally to force viewers to watch the programming on TV, this truly comes an aggravation to a growing new user base that are strictly online TV content viewers. This sometimes constant flipping through websites to view a particular show can drive away viewers from a show. Centralizing online TV content provides an environment that is consistent for users and that is hassle free.

Aside from the poor navigational abilities of a TV network site, there is also another major side effect of having decentralized content. Hulu’s current site layout allows users to stumble upon new TV series and allow many users to be just casual viewers of a show. As one that casually views, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, I will be less likely to view these shows now.  Having centralized TV content allows viewers to freely roam from show to show and watch a program that would never have been watched by a viewer in the first place. Some shows watched on Hulu are not avidly watched, but just casually viewed. Programming, such as comedy programming, doesn’t have a strong connection with all viewers, but is enjoyed every once in a while. Removing programming from a centralized area, like Hulu, decreases the chances for a program to be “casually viewed.” For a major TV network to take a program out of a central source, especially a comedy program, goes back to an old saying “out of sight out of mind.”

In the end, these issues are viewed as “trivia” and not important enough to be considered when TV corporations and networks only truly care about the “Almighty Dollar.”

It was such an exciting opportunity to create one of my first usernames… it was chance to create an awesome online version of myself. I remember creating my Red Alert 2 multiplayer account, I sat for hours thinking of a username and sadly… all that came to mind was Smokey3000. Although not the greatest username to choose, it was still a start to a whole new virtual life. Since I began that life, it has multiplied into several different virtual lives; all with a different purpose in mind.

Since the era of “Smokey3000“, the internet has evolved, making many of these lavish virtual personas take a back seat when it comes to things like social networking. Although virtual personas still exist, they more or less co-exist with our “real” identities online. Ever since many services like Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter have made their appearances on the web, users have let down the mask they hide behind and actually let some of their real self shine through. This evolution of the internet and introduction of these services has made many online social venues a little less fake.

With a more security conscience internet society and relatively safe places to interact, internet users have stepped out of their shells and are more willing to be honest and just be “themselves.” I wasn’t very quick to jump on the social networking bandwagon. I perceived many of these social sites as playground for identity theft and perverts. Once this concept of putting yourself out on the internet matured, I eventually made a Myspace account. This wonderful notion of being yourself on the web quickly caught on with me and eventually much of the world followed suit.

On the web today, there is more of a balance between fictional characters we’ve created for ourselves and the real us. Many users still enjoy living a virtual life, but this is not done so to an extreme anymore. What is more common nowadays is striking a balance between the two. There is a great deal to benefit from letting a little bit of your true self hang out on the internet from staying in contact to friends to blogging/commenting about your opinions. But don’t get me wrong, I still love kicking a little butt on Team Fortress 2 as DeltaDart.