Reflect

It's now time to reflect on what I've learnt in IPD. It's been a challenge, I admit. I'm not particularly fond of always using technology and basing all my assignments on terms that go whoosh over my head and methods where I zone out after hearing step 1. But it's been fun too, learning new things and trying new ways of doing things.



Issues in Publication and Design - I love the name though :) I think it's a very good subject to take if you want to get a broader view of the world and the role media plays in it. My scope has been widened indefinitely and without a doubt it's thanks to all those gruelling hours in front of a screen, typing monotonously till your fingers feel like dropping. As they always say, no pain, no gain.

The current platform on which media stands in society today is fast enlarging, both in height and width, and I think that the media will continue to play a significant role in the trends and norms of our communities we live in. There are so many grey areas though, ones where debate would be highly desired for the sake of opinion-sharing. IPD has taught me that the media is not all about fun and games after all, and there actually is a big, scary world out there.

The Rise

Something's creating ripples. Yet another medium. Yet another way to communicate. In the article, The Rise of the Mobile Video Blog, the idea of this unique way of communicating is analysed and further studied. Fast mobile connections and huge amounts of space are now allowing people to upload videos into phone from anywhere, and because they even have an editing feature, you can just keep and send the really good bits (Simmons, 2008).

(Source: www.notesfromtheslushpile.co.uk)

Before, it was just another phenomenon. Now, it's a signature, a personal stamp that sets people apart from others. As Motorola's Natalie Harrison says, "People really want to be able to tailor it, to personalise it, and send it to their friends." Mobile editors have become real sophisticated over the years, allowing layers of music, graphics and other enhancements to be removed or added. Vlogs are video blogs, blogs that focus primarily on video as their medium of communication. For entertainment, news and even subject purposes, vlogs are becoming very popular Even companies have realised the popularity, with Adobe coming up with vlogging software, Vlog it! (Adobe, 2009).

As Cookman (1993) says, design needs to be effective communication. With the rise of vlogs, not only are designs more personalised and unique, they are also edited to make it as effective as possible. The rise of mobisodes have also rocked the planet. Mobisodes are mobile episodes, shows that last approx. 1-3 minutes, designed for mobile phones and mobile users (Hart, 2009). The audience is now the mobile generation, the purpose to adapt to the mobility of the generation today and the context is one of a society that relies on speed and convenience for success. The function of a medium is to sell, entertain, educate or foster some change in a person (Bear, 2006). Mobisodes and vlogs are definitely selling.

(Source: www.saatchikevin.com)

References

2009, 'Adobe: Vlog it! : Create Vlogs, Video Blogs Software', Adobe, accessed 15 June 2009, http://www.adobe.com/products/vlogit/.

Bear, JH 2006, 'Form and Function in Design and Publishing', About.com, accessed 15 June 2009, http://desktoppub.about.com/od/graphicdesign/a/formfunction.htm .

Cookman, B 1993, ‘Desktop design: getting the professional look’ in Design Basics, Blueprint, London

Hart, J 2009, 'Mobisodes: short films and series for mobile phones', The Telegraph, accessed 15 June 2009, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/5164648/Mobisodes-short-films-and-series-for-mobile-phones.html .

iObama

(Source: www.dimpost.wordpress.com)

Barack Obama is without doubt one of the most influential men of this time, and the iPhone is one of the most influential gadgets. Put them together, and you get a bomb blast. Yes, volunteers decided to take technology to Obama's side, creating a new application for the iPhone which allowed users to see their friends and family based on battleground states in the then upcoming elections. In the article Obama uses iPhone to win support, Shiels (2008) writes at how the gadget is being turned into a political recruiting tool.

Using the mobile phone is a way to get to the grassroots, the people who matter the most in the election, explained one of the volunteers who helped develop this application. Features include notes on which friends have been called, who they are supporting and if they need a reminder on election day. It indeed became a very handy-dandy tool for Obama, because look who won the election.

Talking about this in terms of Publishing Issues, the audience, purpose and context come into play (Norman, 1990)

Audience
The audience were the Americans - people who could vote in the elections and actually affect the way the election would turn out. According to Schriver (1997), the audience's impressions and perceptions are key to them being convinced of its effectiveness, so the application had to be well-presented and persuadable of political success.

Purpose
Having a purpose to get votes was a primary reason for its success, as it had a specific goal and could turn all its efforts to achieving it.

Context
There are two kinds of contexts - situational and culture. For Obama, it was being in the States, which is technologically advanced and living in a tech-savvy culture that made this move a very wise political decision.

(Source: www.scommerce.org)

Using technology was a smart move, because people are already comfortable with technology and what it can offer. People are getting used to the idea that technology can do many things, and when previous knowledge can be used and applied when seeing something new, it becomes more effective (Walsh, 2006).

Personally, I think Obama's supporters were plain smart.

References

Norman, D 1990, The Design of Everyday Things, Doubleday Business, Missouri.

Schriver, KA 1997, 'Chapter 6' in Dynamics in Document Design, Hoboken, New Jersey.

Sheils, M 2008, 'Obama uses iPhone to win support', BBC Online, accessed 15 June 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/7649753.stm .

Walsh, M. 2006, "‘Textual shift’: Examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts," Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol.29, no.1, p.24-37.

Pay once, get all

Nokia is doing something new. And so are the record companies. In the article Nokia offers unlimited music for one-off fee, Sabbagh (2008), writes on the latest combat against piracy and illegal downloading. Finally, ten years after it all began. It's about time.

What's the weapon? A mobile phone, called Comes with Music, entitles buyers to download any song they want for twelve months after they purchase the phone, download it into a handset or computer, and keep it, yes, forever. Nokia has partnered with Universal Music, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner Music - all record companies that have tried to sue people who pirated songs on the Web. In addition, it has also partnered with indie bands. Nokia and the record companies have their own deal going on, so it seems ready for success.

(Source: www.musically.blog.com)

According to Reep (2006), form has function. And a mobile phone that lets you download music is a pretty smart idea. Now with our generation all gung-ho for speed, mobility and convenience, a portable downloading machine is quite attractive. Not only does its form appeal to users, but it's also well-designed for easy downloading. And having your own mobile phone full of songs you have chosen would also make it extremely personalised and unique. However, according to Orlowski (2008), it's not as free as it looks. A lot of technicalities and copyright issues have been overlooked, hence possibly proving problematic in the future.

The bottomline is this - all they want to do is get rid of song downloads and peer-to-peer sharing. These piracy issues have been pressing the record label industry for over ten years. This issue needs to be addressed by national level authorities (IFPI, 2004). Personally, I feel it's a price that comes with developing technology. Opening the door to technology will definitely make the world smaller and erase old boundaries. In my opinion, I don't think it plans on setting new ones.

References

2004, 'Music Piracy issues should be urgently addressed by high-level EU delegation to Russia', IFPI, accessed 15 June 2009, http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/20040421.html .

Orlowski, A 2008, 'Nokia's free music offer isn't so free', The Register, accessed 15 June 2009, http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/02/nokia_comes_with_strings/ .

Reep, Diana C. 2006, ‘Chp 4: Principles of Document Design,’ in Technical Writing, 6th ed., Pearson Edu, Inc., New York, p.173-190.

Sabbagh, D 2008, 'Nokia offers unlimited music for one-off fee, Australian Media, <http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24440421-15306,00.html>.

Facebook's been booked

Yes, that's right. The Facebook, prime social networking site has gotten some of its devoted members fuming. According to ABC (2008), the new look of Facebook has left many of its users unhappy and disgusted with the changes. In the article Facebook Makeover leaves some devotees fuming, we read of how groups have launched and popped like poppies all over the Facebook platform in retaliation of the new look. Members joining by the thousands with many voicing out their dislikes is giving Facebook a headache, or is it?

(Source: www.agros.org)

According to Naughton (2006), the web is a pull medium. We like to use it because we're in charge. We control what information we receive and what we give out. With the new look, it seems as though Facebook users are losing control. They like what they're used to and don't like the change. Nikki Gerwel, in a 'Who hates the new Facebook' forum, writes, "... I like good change, but not crappy change... the changes are horrible" (ABC, 2008). The users didn't seem to be very happy. Audience acceptance was going down the drain.

But Facebook was undeterred. It staunchly stood by its choice to make the changes, with Vice President of Marketing Chamath Palihapitiya saying, "We want to make sure it is easy for people to push and pull bite-sized information" (ABC, 2008). Also, Facebook wanted to cut the clutter. According to Vella (2008), Facebook's facelift was for the purpose of providing a cleaner, more organised look for its diverse user base. According to Kress & van Leeuwen (2006), layout and design are key elements in bringing value and meaning, which audiences relate to. Therefore it is essential that the layout and design of Facebook is what the audience are happy with.

There is a thin line between endeavouring to keep customers happy and knowing what is good for the company and acting on it. Personally, I believe that Facebook did the best thing for its company because inevitably all those people who joined the groups against Facebook's new look still stayed on, got used to it and are still avid users of Facebook today. It seems to be a big hoohah for nothing, after all.

Facebook, way to go. You're earning your money the smart way (:

References

2008, 'Facebook Makeover leaves some devotees fuming', ABC, accessed 15 June 2009, <http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24328928-15318,00.html>.

Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. 2006, Reading images, Chapter 1: The semiotic landscape: language and visual communication.

Naughton, J 2006, 'Pulling power of knowledge is a win-win for buyer and seller', Marketing Weekly, accessed 15 June 2009, http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-33988463_ITM .

Vella, M 2008, 'Facebook's Big Facelift', Business Week, accessed on 15 June 2009, http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2008/id20080514_205389.htm .

The New Red

There are so many forms of media publishing today. The Web has created channels and access to so new forms of publishing that the old time users of the super huge computers would never have imagined, not even mentioning the newspaper publishing houses or book companies.

Newspapers have decided to go online: e-newspapers, magazines have become e-zines (online form), blogs enable people to share information, and forums provide avenues for live discussions (Koval, 2005). New media is all about style. It is about the way information is expressed and conveyed just as much as the information itself (Everett & Caldwell, 2003). Not only that, but with the rise of social networking sites, the world has just gotten smaller. These new forms of media, which rely on digital and computerised mediums to convey their messages across, are constantly changing our world. Blogs are hitting it big time, as are networking sites like Facebook.

(Source: www.seomoz.org)

Another huge phenomenon in new media that is sweeping across is YouTube, a place for you to share your videos and perhaps even get spotted. This is a new form of media that is overtaking any form of advertising or such, because it is personal and encompasses all mediums of communication - sound, movement, and colour. Also, its comments feature allows for interactivity, one of the main reasons new media is so popular today.

(Source: www.rhizohm.net)

References

2009, 'You have the right to remain silent' in Barmaid Blog, accessed 14 June 2009, http://barmaidblog.livejournal.com/54723.html.

Everett, A & Caldwell, JT 2003, New Media: Theories and Practices of Digitextuality, Routledge, London.

Koval, R 2005, Big Ideas: 23 October 2005, Radio Transcript, ABC Radio National, accessed 14 June 2009, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bigidea/stories/s1485827.htm .

West, A 2003, Big Ideas: 23 October 2005, Radio Transcript, ABC Radio National, accessed 14 June 2009, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bigidea/stories/s1485827.htm .

Do you know what I know?

Blogs. Everyone seems to have one. Whether they are simply rambles and rants of everyday life or platforms for shouting out views on social and political change, blogs have by far become integrated into today's technology-savvy generation. The term 'blog' was coined from its original combination of two words, web and log. Today, blogs are all over the Web, personalised and individual.

(Source: www.sepetnie.blogspot.com)

A blog is a personal and usually non-commercial website that uses a dated log format (Webopedia, 2009). It enables users to record and post information or data in text, image and now video form for viewers to see (NetAlert, 2009). According to NetAlert (2009), blogs are currently very popular with teenagers aged 13-19 and young adults in their twenties. The number of blogs has increased greatly, with advertising group Universal McCann in March 2008 that 184 million people have started a blog (Caslon Analytics, 2009). This shows how far the phenomenon has spread and the depth of its penetration.

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One popular blog is Waiter Rant. To this day, people still do not know who Waiter Rant actually is. This is one of the allowances, whether good or not you decide, new media has. There are many other bloggers like him, such as the author of Barmaid Blog, who relishes in the fact that she's still at large (Barmaid Blog, 2009). A definite downside to the explosion of new media is that they can be dangerously inaccurate at times (West, 2003). This is due to the openness the Web offers as well as the lack of filters for information.

The benefits of blogging surpass individual zones. According to NetAlert (2009), blogs are a way for individuals to publish their thoughts and opinions on issues important to them. This is a good gauge of public opinion and can help state apparatus maintain a watch on the community. Other benefits of blogging include business and marketing strategies, as blogs are low cost and help build brands (Suarez, 2006).


References

2009, 'What are blogs?' in NetAlert: Australian Government, accessed 15 June 2009, http://www.netalert.gov.au/advice/services/blogs/What_are_blogs.html .


2009, 'Why are blogs popular and what are their benefits?' in NetAlert: Australian Government, accessed 15 June 2009, http://www.netalert.gov.au/advice/services/blogs/Why_are_blogs_popular_and_what_are_their_benefits.html .

2009, Blogging: Statistics and Demographics, Caslon Analytics, accessed on 15 June 2009, http://www.caslon.com.au/weblogprofile1.htm .

Suarez, L 2006, '10 Great Strategic Benefits of Blogging' in IT Toolbox, accessed 15 June 2009, http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/elsua/10-great-strategic-benefits-of-blogging-9233 .