Weekly Readings 10… Who Found My MoJo?
I related to this week’s reading instantly! I too have had access to the internet via my mobile phone now for at least a year. I am aware of the packages available for the internet from my phone, and I always and rather interested how to use it. I do fear the cost though. I also find myself a bit reluctant to new technology when I am already comfortable with what I am using (ie; my home computer!).
Recently I have had friends around me who have purchased the iphone, initially they were like me reluctant and nervous of the price. However, the iphone is remarkably easy to use and the internet side of things seems to be growing with phone like these and the Nokia and Ericson phones that are now also available.
I think for this reason journalists should be so aware of the technology. Citizen journalism is getting easier and more available. Why bother carrying around a laptop, a camera, video recorder and so on when one device can do it all… instantly! Surely this should eliminate any fears of expense in the long run?
Have a look at the below…more iphone incentives! (here is URL if the video does not appear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWihclXsXDY)
Weekly readings 8…. STOMP
This week we were introduced to another citizen journalism site. Or you might call it a site for grassroots journalism.
Aiming more towards the demographic of students… but slowly reaching older people, STOMP is an attractive, low key forum site aimed at producing citizen journalism stories. I think its successfulness can be blamed on the attractiveness of the site. It is a low key, casual mannered website, making anyone no matter what their reporting or writing skill are like, feel welcomed. This is supported seeing as though the most popular parts of the site are the talk-back forums.
The demonstration from this week’s reading on the health clinics was a prime example of citizen journalism in action at its most effective time. A story posted by an ordinary person reached so many people that it actually made it to the newspapers, and as a result the health clinics opening times changed. This is also evident when people send through images by their mobile phones that reach the newspapers!
I think it’s great that people like us have a place where we can express our thoughts and know through evidence that we are being heard.
Weekly readings 7….
I had a look through the gallery websites, picasa definitely is the most easiest to use. It only takes 30 seconds to sign up, with no over invasive questions. I created a slideshow, but for some reason the link does not convert into the slideshow…however I’m sure you can imagine what it looks like!
For reference here is the link;http://picasaweb.google.com/dannihicko/ALJ301?authkey=Ghmlc3DZJD4#5249176486453420658
I think websites like this allow for a more personalised blog. Visual imagery always aids in a stronger interest and understanding of a topic.
This week further explored these kinds of tools. The opportunities we have on the internet to express ourselves are growing. It’s hard to determine what the most effective tool is… podcasting, blogging…vblogs and so on, but as we are discussing, they are all growing in popularity. I think especially podcasting. I had a look through the nova100 website. It is a really good example of utilising podcasting.
We now have the ability to tune into shows that have already aired. It really is a new era in media.
Check out the Hamish & Andy show, from fox fm: http://www.fox.com.au/shows/hamishandandy/listen/podcasts
A fantastic example of podcasting, this site updates the show daily a really funny listen!
Weekly readings 9… Vblogs
My interpretation of a vblog is simply a combination of blogging and podcasting… nothing different just a video image of the person… When reading through the material on vblogs and doing some of my own research I came to realise that isn’t a vblog the definition of YouTube?!
Seems like a strange assumption to make but really, a vblog is the same as what I’m writing now but instead I would be videoing myself speaking, but saying the same information… YouTube is a resource so many of us have utilized in ALJ301 this semester, a tool for examples of multimedia journalism. So when I had a browse of vblogs on YouTube, I realised so many of the videos stored on this site are just people’s interpretations and explanations of topics whilst recording a video of themselves… in other words a vblog.
I don’t think vblogs will take over from blogging… I think the whole idea for a lot of bloggers is to put pen to paper.To let other users comment or respond to the topic… this is difficult with vblogs. Information seems to be more honest and free flowing when it is written, furthermore, vblogs is not for everyone. It requires confidence and the person needs to be engaging for it to be effective.
Check out the following vblog… all very similar on youtube.. very tedious and unstimulating… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlOgCUu6l5E
I think individually podcasting or blogging is a more effective tool and definatley more accessable for people. Seeing a video of someone opens up to many mediums of interpretation, clouding the view the person may be trying to get across.
Weekly Readings 6 : New Tools
I think the most relevant and exiting revolution in new tools for journalism is moblogs.
This really is the break-through in the new multi-media journalist. The mobloging tool allows any individual to report on breaking news. As long as you have a camera and text message abilities with your mobile phone, you are able to moblog.
Check out the following clip from youtube. This man demonstrates a step-by-step explanation of moblogging and how to publish blogs via your mobile phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRIXV967ev8
Furthermore, I think that podcasting has become absolutely huge. Especially for radio stations. Many radio shows can now be watched on the internet introducing a new era of radio. The Hamish & Andy show is a prime example of utilizing the podcast tool. It allows listeners to really get involved with the show and to be able to listen to all the highlights. See their site with all their daily podcasts http://www.fox.com.au/shows/hamishandandy/listen/podcasts?page=2/.
This site is a really good example of multi-media tools. It is updated after each radio show and utilises the tools for blogging and podcasting immensely. Furthermore, it utilizes mobile sent photos or from digital cameras and creates articles on the show from everyday people. Therefore reiterating the point that anyone has the ability to be a reporter.
Week 5 Blog: ohmynews.com
Ohmynews.com is a dominate source when it comes to online news. It has gained national and international usage, where it allows every citizen to act as a reporter. This has changed the media world, where now regular citizens can act as journalists to produce news. The accessibility of ohmynews, makes it attractive to users. Feedback is a constant source of ohmynews, allowing all members the chance to agree/disagree/refine articles, furthermore the ranking system allows for credibility of the source and information provided. The availability of the site and the workers behind the site allow for it to be a 24-hour operation which again attracts individuals from all over the world to be involved. This South Korean website proves that citizen journalism is a successful form of participatory culture that fosters a positive and democratic community.
Have a look at the following cip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xse5aKtJQg. A great video on digital journalism and discusses ohmynews.com.
Like the practices of ohmynews, it has a look at online collaboration with users to gain information, ideas and clarity on issues.
I think the excitement of online journalism and especially ohmynews is clearly the popularity of it. It is obvious that citizens trust this site as a form of reliable news information.
Originally a South Korean website from 2002 ohmynews has come a long long way and educated a lot of people whilst creating opportunity for everyday people to report on breaking news.
Weekly Readings Week 4- ‘Drawings from the killing fields of Darfur’
I viewed the presentations from the ‘Drawings from the Killing fields of Darfur’. I’m still so shocked about the situation in Darfur. This was the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The tragedy was of the 180,000 people who were slaughtered and the millions of people escaping burned villages, women raped and men killed.
The journalist used still images and statistical evidence. Alongside that the personal experience from Dr Annie Sparrow emphasised the tragedy. This technique of the presentation showed a different angle to the presentation. Having still images accentuated what the journalist wanted to show.
This presentation showed a non-linear representation of the news as it was told from personal experiences of Dr Sparrow and what she saw, rather than just passively receiving information and creating a story.
I found the first video (after the intro) very impacting. The commentary gave the statistics, whilst the pictures supplemented the heartbreak. They created an emotional element to the story especially the close-up photo of the young girl…they were traumatising to view. To somehow understand the fact the young children have been scared with the violence and killing is saddening. Furthermore the wreckage of homes, the innocence taken from mothers, and the killing of men is impossible to comprehend.
The only difficulty I had seeing these presentations was the layout… It may have been easier for audiences to view the information if it was captured into one video rather than segmented, where some videos seemed more like slabs of information and harder to take in.
Check out the presentations:
http://www.smh.com.au/multimedia/darfur/darfurSMH.html
Weekly Readings 2 – “Why and How Convergence is Accuring”
This chapter reiterates the highly evolving media world.
Time is everything.
The demographic that are still using print, television and radio as their main source of news and events are ageing. The demand for instant headlines is high. The analysis of these headlines seems to be lowering. People want the news instantly and the detail follows later. Imagery and audio are being used in ways that were never thought possible, or acceptable.
Therefore it is deemed necessary to develop a new way for news to reach the public faster-online news being the obvious choice. Being able to deliver the news instantly via the web has opened up more windows of opportunities for presentation and information gathering.
It is clear to see how convergence will offer the journalists a way of interrelating different mediums to create a more efficient, accurate and information rich coverage. Once journalists can mix the print, radio, television sources together it could act as a very strong basis for a company to produce news, catering to all areas of customer demand.
The hurdle that needs to be properly addressed is the prior training and crossover to multi-media journalism. As demand is strong for instant news, legal guidelines need to be strictly adhered to as it may be so much easier for these factors to be overlooked when a story can be published so promptly.
Weekly Readings 3- “User-Generated Content and The Changing News Cycle”
This article educated my understanding on the news cycle immensely. Although already aware, I found myself completely naive to the reasons behind all the advancements in multi-media journalism. I was overwhelmed to learn how much the world relies on blogs nowadays. I was particularly shocked to find that in America two-thirds of the 50 million people who read daily newspapers read blogs. It is clear that people see blogs as a trustworthy and informative way to read media news. The question that I can’t quite get my head around is that the growing popularity of blogs and online media may one day actually overtake print and television. That is a huge concept to understand and comprehend. Companies with experts in their fields and who completely obey and are aware of the legal liabilities may actually be in trouble. It’s amazing to think that people like you and me could potentially be in a place where an event or crisis is taking place, and we have the power to literally act like professional journalists or photographers. This puts strain on the industry and definitely would concern workers in the field, when the online media is growing so too is the access from ordinary people to report on breaking news and events. This new media is obviously the form of moblogs, allowing information to be published instantly. Allowing us to show people events as they happen. To see the decline in print and television news should really alert people about the seriousness of this development. And to really ask yourselves where will news be in the next decade? Why wouldn’t the public want news as it happens… why would we stay faithful to print and television if we can get access to other devices faster?
Week 1 : Future of Media
The 2008 Media report touched on the multi-media journalist idea. It was a prediction of the future of the media industry and what developments are expected to immerse from the predictions. Media agency Zentith Opti media, predicts outdoor advertising is expected to be the fasted growing market from 2007-2010. I find this interesting when all the hype in these articles and reports are based around online advertisements and technology advancements, therefore seeing outdoor advertising (ie; billboards) was a surprise. Although mediums such as television may decrease with the online demand, however, outdoor would not be expected to be affected. The 7 forces for shaping media were placing emphasis on the internet and consumption, which will grow as broadband takes over internet connections. The availability to new technology should result in fragmentation as there will be so many options for the public to choose where to access their news. It will just depend what is the quickest and easiest. Therefore, audiences may be more widespread causing decreases as individuals may jump onto pay tv and pick what news they want to watch and what specific story they want to hear and this can happen instantly with a 24 hour news channel. This therefore brings the issues of revenue for the future and how the fragmentation of the audiences will drop their audience figures and ultimately decrease their revenue.
The Flow Economy Framework idea again brings concerns for companies. As it’s now realistic and possible to create a company with all of; standards, relationships, connectivity, interfaces, content, services’. Is this why companies like Apple dominate the market as opposed to companies like ‘hp’ although successful not as known as they do not focus on all of the elements? Could this lead to problems for companies that specialise?
