Bye-Bye Paperboy

It is becoming more and more common for traditional media to be transported to the world of online; now this is becoming all too true for something we share a love-hate relationship with- Junk mail.

Apparently, anywhere from 50-85% of consumers are now using the internet as part of their buying process: retailers are taking full advantage of this and are now supplying catalogues online- and it’s working! The iNC Network reportedly reaches 3.8million consumers a month with its catalogues from various retailers. Although it appears as though it’s a win-win for consumer and retailer, it’s ultimately another blow to the traditional print-media publication.
The issues raised in this article is the rise of the digital-world and how the shift from print to online is being welcomed with open arms; we are increasing our efficiency and effectiveness, but losing our ‘paper boys’ in the process.

I believe that this is a great way to reach more people, however, the printed and tangible catalogue should still be used- the aesthetics of a damp-smelling, brightly-crowded, crinkled catalogue that you can circle and cut-out the specials from is still more appealing to myself- call me old-fashioned?

Image Source: www.news.bbc.co.uk

News Source: The Australian, October 28 2010, Matt Berriman, 'How one traditional media is fairing in the online space'

‘Virtual Suburbs’: The Blogging Classification

Just the same as everything in life itself, blogs need structure. In order to form online communities we need to separate them into our ‘virtual suburbs’. Blog classification is a necessary tool in defining our blogging identity and allowing users to identify with the right ones. Many blogs may cross into other classifications, however they all fall under one specific category, such as; Personal, business, educational, news and media, non-profit and niche.

Let me give you a tour of our typical ‘virtual suburbs’:

Personal blogs are written by individuals about personal topics such as likes and dislikes, hobbies and opinions.
Business blogs have recently embraced blogging as a way to connect with customers, grow their business and advertise their services.
Non-profit blogs allow organisations to share information about their cause, gain support and raise money.
News and Media blogs raise awareness of current affairs and provide reviews and discussions of entertainment.
Educational blogs are for use by schools and students to mentor, teach and post research and findings to help expand their knowledge base.
Niche blogs are written about very specific topics and can be collaborative or individually created.

Blogging communities are formed under these ‘virtual suburbs’ through large groups of people communicating and forming a network of ideas about one topic- these ideas and conversations travelling through the blogging communities are developing them in an evolutionary fashion, just as a neighbourhood would evolve through cultures and influences ( Jacobs, Rushkoff, 2006). Each blogging community has its own culture allowing the similar needs of strangers to debate, exchange and speculate on topics of interest that might have otherwise never existed.

Thus, the classification of blogs is like giving each blogging identity an area code to live in where their dream blog and community awaits- honey I’m home.

Jacobs, J, Rushkoff, D, 2006, “Blogs and the Communications Renaissance”, in Uses of Blogs, eds Bruns, A, Jacobs, J, Peter Lang Publishing, New York, pp.239-248.
Gunelius, S. 2010, Blogging All-in-One For Dummies, Wiley Publishing, Indianapolis, Indiana.

15 Minutes of Fame

The rise of mass media is giving more people their chance at ’15 minutes of fame’. Through internet, television and blogging applications, people’s lives are placed in the public eye. The article describes it as, ‘It spreads the word faster and wider than an atomic bomb going off; provides a powerful and anonymous forum for every opinionated nobody in the world to vent his spleen; and it's made the media industry desperately competitive to the point of tying itself in knots.’

They used the cases of Sarah-Marie from Big Brother season 1- who’s fame rose from a reality television stint where she became infamous for her ‘bum dance’- she quoted, saying “ [she] started to feel like a performing seal”. In another case, the story of Stuart Diver, who was the sole survivor of the Thredbo landslide, was unwittingly placed in the media limelight for viewers demand to sympathise with him.

The central issue is the power internet and technology is giving and taking from everyday people. The issue was defined when in 1968 Andy Warhol proclaimed, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”, whether they intend to or not. This raises questions regarding the consumer demand for constantly new and more novel things- are our attention spans that short?-And how far will the mass media go to adhere to public demand? What does it now mean to be ‘famous’ in the eyes of mass media? And how can we control unwanted attention?

I personally find that mass media is allowing everyday people to feel as though they are being heard and they are defining themselves amongst the billions of other people. The line is blurred, however, between people who place themselves in the public eye, and others who hold no control over being placed in the public eye- does mass media have its limits?

Image source: www.qbd.com.au
News source: The Sunday Age, July 4 2010, John Elder, Your Time Starts Now

New kids on the blog

The introduction of online blogging forged an association with the word ‘online community’; but is this the correct term/use of blogging? Is it a phenomenon in the social networking world of online media? And has it really affected our community?

Barry Wellman (2001) wrote, "I define "community" as networks of interpersonal ties that provide sociability, support, information, a sense of belonging, and social identity. I do not limit my thinking about community to neighbourhoods and villages. This is good advice for any epoch and especially pertinent for the twenty-first century." He identifies a “community” as a network within society, and does not ‘limit’ it to the physical sense of the word- online blogging has therefore given meaning to this by allowing the interaction of people who share information and give a sense of ‘belonging’.

White (2005) describes them as, “ecosystems of people writing about things they care about”- thus blogs began to take the form of niche’s just as our physical communities had niche’s of businessmen, families, ethnic or the elderly. Blogging established a new platform for which our physical pockets of communities could interact within a wider community- the internet.

Currently, blogpulse.com has identified 149,393,857 blogs, 47,118 of those being created within the past 24 hours- the rapidly growing blogging network is a new phenomenon in social interaction amongst a wider “ecosystem”. It is though that this phenomenon will soon become ‘a thing of the past’, however it is clear that there are many uses for blogging being invented every day- such as blog mentoring communities, implying that the blogging ‘community’ has a lot more to give to our community.

Wellman, B, 2002, “Physical place and cyberplace: the rise of networked individualism”, in Community Informatics: Shaping Computer-mediated Social Networks, eds B, Loader, L, Keeble, Routledge, New York, pp.17-42.

White, N. 2005, 'How Some Folks Have Tried to Describe Community'. Retrieved 28 October, 2010, from http://www.fullcirc.com/community/definingcommunity.htm

Whack a Pollie?

A recent ‘grab’ for votes by the Liberal Party has been developed into an arcade game for voters, as seen on the party website, in which you can attempt to ‘give Labor a Whack’.

It is a similar version to ‘whack a mole’, however the ‘moles’ appear as Julia Gillard, Peter Garret, Wayne Swan and Penny Wong. As each politician pokes their head out of the hole, the debt and boats rise in the background, giving a metaphoric meaning to the trouble these political ‘moles’ are causing. This is one of two games which the Liberal party has released during their campaign, in an attempt to appeal to a younger audience, to which the internet has proven to be a great messenger for the politicians.

The central issues this new-age form of campaigning brings to light, is the loss of formality and maturity in campaigning for the countries votes- do we just simply need to be entertained to know where to place our votes? And has the internet become a great messenger or menace for political campaigning?

I personally believe that the internet has proven to be a great messenger for this political campaigning, however the intention to appeal to a younger audience through games loses the maturity and respect for the parties at play.

Image Source: http://whacklabor.liberal.org.au/
News Source: The Australian (Online), August 20 2010, Simon Canning, ‘Liberals and Labor go online’

"Boom, Blog it"

Adam Stacey is amidst the London Bombings and also the discussion of the new development of blogging, specifically ‘citizen journalism’ blogs, and it’s newfound importance in the media world.

It describes the ‘arrival’ of this alternative media source as being first-hand and first-minute accounts of the London Bombings in 2005- “even before the emergency services reached the injured...victims and witnesses were taking pictures, posting them...to find friends and bloggers around the world.” The article states how an image taken by an eyewitness was a crucial picture used in mainstream media sources. A statement made in the article shows the perception of alternative media, such as bloggers, against the mainstream media, “often bloggers and the media are portrayed as being in mortal combat”- the London bombing being the perfect example of how both alternative and mainstream media can be useful when working together.

The eyewitness who took the photo and then posted it on his blog took a very ironic position on the advantages of citizen journalism, he believes, “if you’re in the right place at the right time, boom, blog it.” Ironic in the sense of being ‘in the right place’, blogging news events as they occur gives more than just the facts that mainstream media provides- it gives a personal account with raw thoughts- something mainstream media could never provide.

Image Source: http.moblog.net/view/77571
News Source: www.theage.com.au/news/national/byour-stories-picturesb/2005/07/07/1120704496850

The Print Mouse Vs. The Online Elephant

Print publication is seemingly becoming the mouse trapped under the online elephant’s foot- but I put forward this question; is it possible the elephant will ever cower in fear of the print publishing mouse?
Okay, in plain English: Can print publishing ever rise above the online publishing giant?
The growth of technology has opened opportunities within this world thought never possible- this includes the readily available form of online reading and publishing. However, we cannot fault the design advantages of reading printed material.

“As a general rule, always design for the worst possible circumstances.”
Online reading is much harder than reading a printed document due to the harsh projected light from the screen, as opposed to the light-absorbing paper. This means that the focus on a printed document is much higher than online. - That’s one for the mouse, and elephant, zero.

Print material holds a linear reading path; there is a beginning and end point, all defined by the author. Conversely, the online reading path is non-linear and defined by the reader’s needs and interests. The loss of authorial power has been replaced with the freedom of the reader to find the information they want- whether this is a win or loss for either publishing animal, it’s entirely up to you.

The format of an online document always gives a sense of incompletion- it can be easily changed, placing higher pressure on the correctness of the online publication. Printed publication cannot be easily changed, and although it gives an approving sense of finality, print publications can quickly become out-of-date. It’s a clear tie between these publications.

And it’s game on for the publications- The online giant shows strength in interactivity and maintaining up-to-date information, whereas the readability of the print mouse gives the reader a higher focus. And depending on whether you are a reader or author, your ability to define the reading path will determine your conqueror- the mouse or the elephant?

Parker, R, 2003, “Designing documents for web distribution: Looking good in print”, 5th Edn, Paraglyph Press, Scottsdale Arizona.