From my last post you can see that their are a wide variety of blogs in cyberspace which all perform different functions for different purposes. Through my own blogging experience I have discovered the joy of blogging and the positive effects it can have not only on society but also on oneself. I have found that blogging fulfills my desire to express my opinion and articulate my thoughts for others to enjoy and I think this is the attraction for many bloggers.
I have also learnt about the differences between using online technology for publishing and using the more traditional print options. The online world is very unique in that it allows us to change and mould our publications depending on our needs at the time. For example, I could go back and change this post tomorrow or the next day or the next day, as often as my opinion changes. I can also include links and references to other sites and other opinions which can provide the reader with more information in an instant, while they are still interested and intrigued by what I am saying. This is not the case for print publications in which the author must commit to the written word before it goes to publication and any extra information or direction given by the author must be further pursued with much more effort on the reader's behalf. There are also physical differences to consider such as the difference between reading from a screen as opposed to a piece of paper. These are all important issues which one must consider before choosing a mode of publication. They each have their advantages and disadvantages and this is the thing about publications, choosing the right mode for your purpose is half the battle.
For me, this blog provided me with easy access (from home or university) and with a platform within the cyber world to express myself. This blog is about expression and discussion however there are a number of reasons why people blog. Some people are committed to providing a professional arena in which to present themselves to the world. Others want the ability to perform as professionals and blogs give them this opportunity; to be a professional ameture. Some people also want to start a place where communities can come together in support and discussion. And some people use their blogs as a launching platform in which to encourage the reading of their other pieces of work. Being an enthusiastic writer, this could be the next step for me!
Whatever the purpose or intent of a blog, one thing remains the same; it is accessible adaptable. I think blogging is here to stay and I think the future will see a refinement of the way in which we all use blogs. I think there will be less of the Diary style blogs as social networking sites are becoming more prominent. I also think there will be an increase in serious discussion in blogs for all facets of life as people start to see the potential of weblogs. I am all for the development and useage of blogs! Bring on the future!
A way to keep informed about current media issues, including weblogs is to visit some of these sites on a continual basis:
ABC Media Report (used frequently in this blog): http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/default.htm
The Australian (in particular the Media section): http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
Crikey, a site in which people are starting to earn a living from blogging, perhaps as part of a News blog: http://www.crikey.com.au/
Pool, an ABC initiative which sees the implementation of creative commons licensing so that people can legally share their creative content: http://www.pool.org.au/
Produsage, an informative site about the concept of user-led content creation: http://produsage.org/
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Week Twelve: ABC Media Report
Article from: ABC Media Report
Title: A Taxonomy of Blogs
Presenter: Anthony Funnell
Date: September 25, 2008
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2372882.htm
In this segment Anthony Funnell speaks to Maragret Simons about the different types of blogs that currently exist in cyberspace (like this one!). She classifies these types of blogs in nine categories.
Types of blogs:
Title: A Taxonomy of Blogs
Presenter: Anthony Funnell
Date: September 25, 2008
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2372882.htm
In this segment Anthony Funnell speaks to Maragret Simons about the different types of blogs that currently exist in cyberspace (like this one!). She classifies these types of blogs in nine categories.
Types of blogs:
- Pampleteering blog: in which the author or authors present a strong point of view on a issue or a collection of issues. (eg. this blog by Andrew Norton, a public intellectual http://andrewnorton.info/)
- Digest blog: a collection of articles or links on a topic, or a summary of an issue in which the author or authors do not neccessarily add anything.
- Advocacy blog: similar to a pampleteering blog but the author has a vested interest in the subject matter and tries to push a particular point of view.
- Popular Mechanics blog: often written by enthusiasts, authors of this type of blog explain how to do something. (eg. this blog about how to tie a tie http://www.kinowear.com/blog/how-to-tie-a-tie-the-pursuit-of-the-perfect-knot/)
- Exhibition blog: when the author displays some of their (or others) creative pieces such as art, poetry, writing etc. and then discusses it. (eg. the blogs at http://www.pool.org.au/, mentioned in my previous blogs)
- Gatewatcher blog: the authors of these blogs keep an eye on the media and critique the way they are doing things. (eg. this comprehensive collection of blogs for this purpose http://gatewatching.org/)
- The Diary: in which the blog functions like a diary and people put up photos and information about themselves.
- The Advertisement: when a blog's sole purpose, whether obvious or not, is to promote and advertise a product. (check out this one for coke zero http://www.thezeromovement.com/default,10,home.sm)
- News blog: in which the author tries to break the news of the day, week etc. before other 'professional' news corporations.
I found this segment very interesting and the range of blog types very well defined. It lead me to start thinking about what kind of blog I am currently posting out in cyberspace and I think that the thing about blogs is that don't always fit entirely in one category. I think this blog is a combination of a pampleteering blog, because I am sharing my point of view on a wide range of topics, and a digest blog, because I am presenting a summary of articles which inform the reader on certain issues in publication and design.
I think that these classifications show a wide range of possibilities for people to blog according to their needs and purpose. I have found that blogs are not one dimensional, they are not all the same and they are not all written by ametures who want to whinge and complain. They serve very important and useful functions in society and provide people with a voice to express themselves, whether it be about themselves, their opinions, their creativity, their products or their personal lives. Blogs have a world of possibilities!
Other Links:
Margaret Simons explains, in more detail, types of blogs and includes examples: http://www.creative.org.au/webboard/results.chtml?filename_num=229836
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Week Eleven: The Australian
Article From: The Australian
Title: InStyle in makeover mode as mag redefines celebrity
Author: Sally Jackson
Date: October 20, 2008
Link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24519648-7582,00.html
Keeping on the topic of design changes to publications, this article discusses the changes to be made to InStyle magazine in a bid to lift sales and revamp its look. The article suggests that another reason for the changes is based on the idea of what a celebrity is. New editor of the magazine, Kerrie McCallum, suggests that celebrities are no longer just the A-listers of Hollywood but now also include others that excell in their craft, from chefs to jewellery makers.
This shift in thinking may have spawned the changes taking place at the magazine but it is the design issues I am most interested in. From time to time it is important to refresh a publication to appeal to a new audience to achieve a new purpose. It is clear from this article that the producers and editors of InStyle magazine clearly have this objective in mind; that is, appealing to a new audience. In order to achieve this the magazine needed to undergo some research into what the target audience of the magazine desired from the publication and then revamp it to suit their needs.
The magazine is now including different sections and more of what the readers want. The magazine is trying to put a face to it's people behind the scenes by including pictures of each section's editor, in an attempt to make the magazine more relatable. The readers have also been informed of these changes as the have been publicized in this article and possibly many more.
In this day and age it is important to stay new and fresh as the technology and possibilities are constantly changing. Staying ahead of the times becomes increasingly important and so does being in touch with your audience in order to deliver. Without doing so, we could be asking InStyle who?
Other links:
InStyle website: http://www.instyle.com/instyle/
Title: InStyle in makeover mode as mag redefines celebrity
Author: Sally Jackson
Date: October 20, 2008
Link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24519648-7582,00.html
Keeping on the topic of design changes to publications, this article discusses the changes to be made to InStyle magazine in a bid to lift sales and revamp its look. The article suggests that another reason for the changes is based on the idea of what a celebrity is. New editor of the magazine, Kerrie McCallum, suggests that celebrities are no longer just the A-listers of Hollywood but now also include others that excell in their craft, from chefs to jewellery makers.
This shift in thinking may have spawned the changes taking place at the magazine but it is the design issues I am most interested in. From time to time it is important to refresh a publication to appeal to a new audience to achieve a new purpose. It is clear from this article that the producers and editors of InStyle magazine clearly have this objective in mind; that is, appealing to a new audience. In order to achieve this the magazine needed to undergo some research into what the target audience of the magazine desired from the publication and then revamp it to suit their needs.
The magazine is now including different sections and more of what the readers want. The magazine is trying to put a face to it's people behind the scenes by including pictures of each section's editor, in an attempt to make the magazine more relatable. The readers have also been informed of these changes as the have been publicized in this article and possibly many more.
In this day and age it is important to stay new and fresh as the technology and possibilities are constantly changing. Staying ahead of the times becomes increasingly important and so does being in touch with your audience in order to deliver. Without doing so, we could be asking InStyle who?
Other links:
InStyle website: http://www.instyle.com/instyle/
Change to The Media Liftout in The Australian
Highlighting an important issue which links both design and audience issues, I'd like to mention the changes to the Media liftout in the Australian. The liftout used to be published weekly, appearing in the The Australian each Thursday, and the section also had its own link on the Australian website. Suddenly, without warning, the newspaper has changed certain fundamental aspects of its design, causing confusion amoungst it's readers. The Media liftout now appears in Monday's Australian and currently does not have its own link on the website.
I mention these changes because I believe it is important to maintain consistency and sequence in any publication to avoid confusion and discourage the audience from continuing to read the publication. Consistency and sequence are two of the most important issues in design and should not be overlooked. If people do not recognise or cannot find what they are looking for they will go elsewhere, which was what I was tempted to do last week when looking for my media news on the Australian website. So this is a warning to any potential designers, keep the design aspects the same each time or, if you have to change it, let us know!
By the way, the media section is now located under the IT section on the Australian website: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
I mention these changes because I believe it is important to maintain consistency and sequence in any publication to avoid confusion and discourage the audience from continuing to read the publication. Consistency and sequence are two of the most important issues in design and should not be overlooked. If people do not recognise or cannot find what they are looking for they will go elsewhere, which was what I was tempted to do last week when looking for my media news on the Australian website. So this is a warning to any potential designers, keep the design aspects the same each time or, if you have to change it, let us know!
By the way, the media section is now located under the IT section on the Australian website: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
Monday, October 13, 2008
Week Ten: ABC Media Report
Article from: ABC Media Report
Title: Mankind is no Island
Presenter: Anthony Funnell
Date: October 9, 2008
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2384099.htm
In this segment, Anthony Funnell speaks to the director of the winner of the New York Tropfest short film festival. The director and his producer shot the whole three and a half minute film on their mobile phones and edited it on a budget of $57 on their computer.
I found this concept quite interesting when reading the transcript for this article. I think it is incredibly inspiring and creative to see directors and producers embrace such a low-scale medium and make something artistic and creative. It just goes to show the direction we are heading in where we are truly embracing the 'anyone can do it' attitude. I think that gives scope for people to try new things and find new talents in ways which were in the past seen as just for the professionals.
I don't agree with critics when they say that this kind of participatory creativity will make professionals obsolete. Instead I think it provides people with another direction to go and another space in which to enjoy and express their creativity. I think the world would not accept an amature-only film industry - or any other for that matter. I think there needs to be professionals and amatures and they can co-exist. It offers the population more choice, and inspires them to do something they thought they couldn't do.
After watching this film (link below) I felt so inspired to go out and make my own on my mobile phone just for the fun of it and I think that's a positive thing, that I am motivated by this to do more with my time than sit in front of the TV and kill brain cells. I'm all for alternative art and new technologies, the more choice the better! Without it, I wouldn't be sharing my thoughts with the rest of the world through this blog and would therefore have no mode of expression.
Watch the award winning film at: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDxe9gK8Gk or go to www.youtube.com and search 'Mankind is no island'.
Title: Mankind is no Island
Presenter: Anthony Funnell
Date: October 9, 2008
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2384099.htm
In this segment, Anthony Funnell speaks to the director of the winner of the New York Tropfest short film festival. The director and his producer shot the whole three and a half minute film on their mobile phones and edited it on a budget of $57 on their computer.
I found this concept quite interesting when reading the transcript for this article. I think it is incredibly inspiring and creative to see directors and producers embrace such a low-scale medium and make something artistic and creative. It just goes to show the direction we are heading in where we are truly embracing the 'anyone can do it' attitude. I think that gives scope for people to try new things and find new talents in ways which were in the past seen as just for the professionals.
I don't agree with critics when they say that this kind of participatory creativity will make professionals obsolete. Instead I think it provides people with another direction to go and another space in which to enjoy and express their creativity. I think the world would not accept an amature-only film industry - or any other for that matter. I think there needs to be professionals and amatures and they can co-exist. It offers the population more choice, and inspires them to do something they thought they couldn't do.
After watching this film (link below) I felt so inspired to go out and make my own on my mobile phone just for the fun of it and I think that's a positive thing, that I am motivated by this to do more with my time than sit in front of the TV and kill brain cells. I'm all for alternative art and new technologies, the more choice the better! Without it, I wouldn't be sharing my thoughts with the rest of the world through this blog and would therefore have no mode of expression.
Watch the award winning film at: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDxe9gK8Gk or go to www.youtube.com and search 'Mankind is no island'.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Week Nine: The Australian
Article from: The Australian
Title: Exclusively online new readers are less informed
Date: October 6, 2008
Author: Annette Nazaroff
Link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24449672-13243,00.html
This article explains research conducted at the media agency, Total Advertising and Communications, into the news consumption habits of 200 Australians. The research found that overall Australians are consuming more news due to the internet, but over less topics. This is because one can specialise their search for news using the internet as opposed to newspapers or radio. However the research also found that those who read newspapers usually ended up reading an article that they hadn't planned to, meaning they become more knowledgable over a wider range of topics than internet news readers.
I can see how this research highlights an important point about news consumption, however I also think that we could increase the range of topics explored by users on internet news websites by changing the design of them. Consumers want to find things easily and quickly and this is why they are opting for reading the 'top stories', because every news website has them and promotes them on every page. Maybe some of the websites could include lesser known stories under headings such as 'points of interest' or 'story of the day'. People aren't going to go searching for something they know nothing about or don't even know exists, that is why news websites need to show users what kinds of stories are avaliable. I think they would be more effective if websites were set up so that the unknown stories flocked the pages and the user had to go in search of the well-known stories. But then again, I'm sure big business wouldn't make as much money that way so what would be the point?
The article also suggests that if you "put a group of solus internet consumers in a room together, they would be less likely to know about the same news items" as a result of being able to specifically search news based on their own interests. I don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing and could even be a way to introduce people to more news items. Think about it, if a class of say 25 high school students all searched news items of specific interest to themselves on the internet and then shared their finding with the rest of the class, everyone in that class would know 25 times the news they had on their own. If they had all simply read The Advertiser or The Australian, this would not happen, they would all know the same news. Internet news provides us with a special opportunity to find things of interest to us and as long as we share our findings with others and do not live in an isolated world, that can only be a good thing!
Title: Exclusively online new readers are less informed
Date: October 6, 2008
Author: Annette Nazaroff
Link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24449672-13243,00.html
This article explains research conducted at the media agency, Total Advertising and Communications, into the news consumption habits of 200 Australians. The research found that overall Australians are consuming more news due to the internet, but over less topics. This is because one can specialise their search for news using the internet as opposed to newspapers or radio. However the research also found that those who read newspapers usually ended up reading an article that they hadn't planned to, meaning they become more knowledgable over a wider range of topics than internet news readers.
I can see how this research highlights an important point about news consumption, however I also think that we could increase the range of topics explored by users on internet news websites by changing the design of them. Consumers want to find things easily and quickly and this is why they are opting for reading the 'top stories', because every news website has them and promotes them on every page. Maybe some of the websites could include lesser known stories under headings such as 'points of interest' or 'story of the day'. People aren't going to go searching for something they know nothing about or don't even know exists, that is why news websites need to show users what kinds of stories are avaliable. I think they would be more effective if websites were set up so that the unknown stories flocked the pages and the user had to go in search of the well-known stories. But then again, I'm sure big business wouldn't make as much money that way so what would be the point?
The article also suggests that if you "put a group of solus internet consumers in a room together, they would be less likely to know about the same news items" as a result of being able to specifically search news based on their own interests. I don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing and could even be a way to introduce people to more news items. Think about it, if a class of say 25 high school students all searched news items of specific interest to themselves on the internet and then shared their finding with the rest of the class, everyone in that class would know 25 times the news they had on their own. If they had all simply read The Advertiser or The Australian, this would not happen, they would all know the same news. Internet news provides us with a special opportunity to find things of interest to us and as long as we share our findings with others and do not live in an isolated world, that can only be a good thing!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Week Eight: The Australian
Article from: The Australian
Title: Without Fear or Favour
Author: Miriam Cosic
Date: August 23, 3008
Link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,24225531-28737,00.html
This article dicusses a decline in quality journalism and uses the examples of Google News and Yahoo News to illustrate this point. These two sites do not hire reporters, editors or journalists to investigate news and present it to the public. Instead, these websites use specially designed software to scan for the most popular news stories and uploads them to their websites. These popular news stories are not checked for their credability and are often written or influenced by PR people or government agencies to benefit or promote particular members of society.
I find this idea quite disturbing as, throughout my studies, I have learnt that the media is supposed to be a watchdog for what is happening in society, not an advertising or propoganda medium. I feel that there is a place for people to share their views an opinions but the news is not this place, especially not when there is no distinction between what is supposed to be 'news' and what is 'opinion'.
Title: Without Fear or Favour
Author: Miriam Cosic
Date: August 23, 3008
Link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,24225531-28737,00.html
This article dicusses a decline in quality journalism and uses the examples of Google News and Yahoo News to illustrate this point. These two sites do not hire reporters, editors or journalists to investigate news and present it to the public. Instead, these websites use specially designed software to scan for the most popular news stories and uploads them to their websites. These popular news stories are not checked for their credability and are often written or influenced by PR people or government agencies to benefit or promote particular members of society.
I find this idea quite disturbing as, throughout my studies, I have learnt that the media is supposed to be a watchdog for what is happening in society, not an advertising or propoganda medium. I feel that there is a place for people to share their views an opinions but the news is not this place, especially not when there is no distinction between what is supposed to be 'news' and what is 'opinion'.
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