BLOG POST: MY NEW MEDIA CLASS - SO FAR

New media has been able to come about because of the large advances in technology we have had in society. New media has made a huge impact on corporations as well as individuals. One of the main advances of technology that has affected new media is digitalization. With digital cameras, and digital television sets, we are now able to much more readily convert information we understand, to information a computer can understand. In the past, you would have to scan a picture to get it into a computer. With many pictures, you would have to scan many times. However, now all we need is a simple plug to connect a digital camera to a computer and the picture files will load much more quickly than it would have taken to scan. With the social networking technology of new media, we can easily post our digital pictures online and share it with the world and get feedback.

I believe that new media was built on and by the internet, so the internet is very important to media. The forms of new media we have talked about, such as blogs, wikis, social networking websites, and open source software, all stem from and thrive on the internet. Blogs are a very simple way to express yourself; you do not need any special programming knowledge. All you need is a computer, and an internet connection to share your thoughts with other people. Wikis are the same way; without the internet to provide a place for people to work together and collaborate on projects, wikis would not exist. Today, even our phones are connected to the internet, as people with blackberries get extremely frustrated if they cannot update their twitter accounts because there is no internet service where they are.

New media has been replacing old media in that people old technologies are becoming outdated or inconvenient. For example, home telephones are not used as often anymore because cellular phones can go with you wherever you go. Also, cellular phones are able to connect to the internet and have access to a wealth of information. For example, if you needed the answer to a question, you could ask your cellular phone, and through “speech recognition software,” your phone could use a program to “interpret your verbal request, and then [pump] the answer to your phone’s screen in the form of a Web link to the answer” (Pogue, 2008). Basically, in terms of phones, new media can do everything old media can, and more.

However, in some instances, new media has helped to enhance old media. For example, in journalism, there are still people who prefer reading the newspaper to find out the news. However, due to the growing popularity of blogs, journalists have gone to reporting through blogging websites. Blogs often give off the impression of genuine thought, so people are more attracted to reading them. Also, software developers create programs, but these programs often do not satisfy everyone. That is why software has been enhanced with open source. People are able to see the code of the software and customize it to their liking. In the television industry, channels are allowing free episodes to be viewed online in order to compliment their television shows. For example, “NBC says 7 our of 10 viewers were spurred to watch some shows on telveision only after sampling them first online” (Holson, 2008).

Holson, Laura M. "Who Needs a TV? I’m Watching on a Laptop." The New York Times 3 Dec. 2008.

Pogue, David. "Yahoo’s Answer to Speech Recognition for Your Cellphone." The New York Times 10 July 2008.

BLOG POST: BLOGS vs. WIKIS

Blogs and wikis are similar in that they both are examples of new media. Both of these forms of media exhibit obvious signs of communication that more than just one way. Both blogs and wikis have spurned the formation of hundreds of communities, as people like to write about their passions. As people write about their passions, other people with the same passions like to comment and respond back, or even criticize and change what might be factually wrong. Blogs and wikis also spurn creativity. As more people comment and submit their input, more ideas are exchanged and even greater perspectives are seen. By having more points of view, people can take the best of all worlds and make incredible innovations.

The difference between blogs and wikis is that a blog is usually a diary or a journal of some sort. It is one person writing about his/her life or thoughts, which are posted in reverse chronological order with the most recent posts first. In a blog, whenever the person makes a post, other people have the ability to comment on that post, and respond back, either positively, negatively, or neutrally. Blogs are mainly a creative tool, as the blog writer posts his points of view, and other people comment back, offering their insights. One of the main appeals of a blog is that most popular ones are often “[written] in their own voice, free from censorship or corporate review” (Barbaro, 2008).
Wikis on the other hand, are more of a collaborative tool. People work together to try to give the most comprehensive and factual information on a subject. Wiki users can change information other posts, as they are all working on one article. Because some wikis are sometimes “open-source projects to the extreme,” people must check the article regularly to make sure it remains factual (Goodnoe, 2005).

Convergence is important in today’s networked world because corporations as well as people cannot stick to just old media. Nowadays, many people rely on the internet to get up-to-date information. Outdated can mean five minutes ago. Companies that focus on reporting the news cannot rely on simply distributing newspapers anymore; they must expand to other mediums of communication. Writers must set up blogs in order to get people to read their material, because people are no longer reading newspapers. The people of today thrive on interaction, which is why it is important to “establish two-way communication between established media and readers” (Gill, 2004).

Blogs can be used for collaboration because when one person makes a post, others reply and comment on that post, whether agreeing, disagreeing, or adding information and knowledge in some way. The original poster could then reply back, offering his other insights on the subject. By constantly replying to each other with new points of view, ideas are exchanged, resulting in collaboration.

I do not know if it has been created yet, but wikis can be used for academic purposes, in which students collaborate on solving homework problems. For example, if the professor gives students a set of problems to study for the final, a wiki page can be created where the students collaborate on an explanatory solution to the problem set at hand.

Goodnoe, Ezra. "How To Use Wikis For Business -- Wikis -- InformationWeek." InformationWeek | Business Technology News, Reviews and Blogs. 10 June 2009 .

Gill, Kathy E. "How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere?" May 2004. June 2009.

Barbaro, Michael. "Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog." New York Times 3 Mar. 2008.

Summarization of "Is MySpace Good for Society?" Freakonomics Article

Is MySpace good for society?

Nicole Ellison says that the main concerns of social networking is that we are putting too much of ourselves out there and the main challenges are privacy and safety issues. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

William Reader is saying that as social networking increases, people find more people who have similar interests as them, allowing them to socialize together. Because people are meeting other people that they have things in common with, it is less likely that people will hang out with people more different than them, decreasing diversity in cliques.

Steve Chazin says that while we have received many benefits from social networking, we have also incurred many costs. We as a society have become too dependent on new media technology such that when our internet connection goes down, we feel isolated.

Martin Baily is saying that social networking websites have detracted us from personal face-to-face interaction with other people. Though in some ways, our lives have improved, we have had to change our way of life. He feels that in the end, the world will most likely get a net benefit from social networking. However, in its beginning stages, everyone must be careful and wary of potential abuse of social networking services.

Judith Donath says that social networking has vastly increased our social circle of friends, at the cost of actually “knowing” our friends. While social networking provides us with a low cost way of maintaining connections with people, it is bad in that it devalues of the meaning of a friend. On the other hand, social networking may encourage the tolerance and acceptance of a diverse set of cultures.

Danah Boyd says that social networking has fostered relationships, learning, and creative expression, although media often likes to focus on the negative aspects of it. Danah argues that social networking does not create problems, but often simply makes it more apparent, as it acts like a magnifying glass, showing the good, as well as the bad of society.

BLOG POST: CHECKING OUT SOME SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

I am very familiar with facebook, seeing as how it is the only social networking website I use. My impression is that facebook is relatively plain, with mostly the same layout for every user. However, in contrast to the other social networking websites, facebook is a lot more interactive than the other social networking sites, because there are many applications on which people can interact with each other, aside from the regular facebook. For example, on facebook, you can install applications that allow you to play poker with friends, play scrabble with friends, or test your IQ against your friends. My impression of facebook is that it is a social networking website primarily designed to aid old friends as well as new in keeping touch with each other, with options such as “people you may know” and the tagging of albums. Another purpose that has grown out of facebook is a planning tool, allowing for people to plan events large and small.

I notice that while facebook wins in the applications department, myspace is definitely more customizable in terms of sheer appearance and aesthetics. While facebook forces you to keep the basic standard layout, myspace allows you to change the entire background of your page, making it much more personalized and basically your own website. Also, myspace allows for you to add a music playlist to your webpage, a feature I do not believe that facebook has. This playlist option makes your page more personalized as it sets a certain tone and gives a certain flavor whenever somebody visits a given person’s myspace page.
One negative aspect of myspace is the amount of spam and “fake” people that want to add you as a friend. Another troublesome point is the ridiculous amount of ads.
My impression is that while facebook is for people to reconnect with each other, myspace is more of an individualized social networking website. Myspace, as the name applies, provides a place for a person to express him or herself, whether through visual art or music. People then connect with each other based on if they like or are interested in the myspace page they see.

Friendster is basically a lesser version of facebook, as it is even more basic. This social networking website is essentially facebook without all the applications. They display sections with personal information but lack customization tools and tagging of pictures to my knowledge. In my impression, it is a stripped down version of facebook. You might as well use facebook because there is a greater chance that people you know are using it.

Twitter is the simplest social networking website, as it does not even have any personal information section. In my opinion, it is part facebook and part myspace. Twitter is like facebook in that it is essentially your “facebook status” and connecting with different people. It is like myspace in that you can customize your page to an extent, and is also about personal expression. In my impression, twitter takes social networking and whittles it down to its very basic core, which is people following and listening to other people’s thoughts; and adds a little bit of flare with a hint of customization.

What is New Media?

Though “new” media seems like it can be defined by specifying a time period, it isn’t really that easy. What defines new media is the wave of new forms of communications that has impacted the world. The 5 C’s does an adequate job of describing new media. First and foremost, communication has been the primary running theme in new media. Unlike old media, which was normally just one-way communication (people telling you things), new media allows for two-way communication or more. For example, websites of old media would simply present you content, and you would either take it or leave it. In new media, people present content, and you would have the ability to either change it or respond to it.

In certain forms of new media, people are able to collaborate on projects. For example, wikis allow everyone to contribute useful information to a project, tweaking things to perfection. Because people love to show off their knowledge, anyone who can help will help. Having environments in which anybody is able to voice their opinions or thoughts is a defining characteristic of new media.

Another theme in new media is community. In old media, people would just post up whatever they wanted for people to see. In new media, there are now forums for groups of people of similar interests to gather and share. This is especially prominent in video game cultures, where people who play a certain game gather together to discuss strategies and other aspects of the game.

Because of all this collaboration and communication within communities, much creativity has been spawned. As people come up with different ideas, other people who see these ideas are inspired and influenced to create new and even more innovative ideas. Convergence is also another factor when discussing new media. Because of the technology of new media, companies can no longer stick to their old guns if they want to survive. They must learn how to speak to the new audience in a genuine “voice, free from censorship and corporate review” (Barbaro, 2008). That is why journalistic companies, previously focused on newspapers, are now focusing on blogs in order to “establish two-way communication between established media and readers, allowing readers to interact with journalists and news organizations” (Gill, 2004). Corporations that had invested heavily in old media must converge with new media in order to be successful.

What comes of this is that new media is media where many people work together and expand their horizons. Unlike old media, new media is about different points of view, and exploring other perspectives and viewpoints.

Barbaro, Michael. "Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog." New York Times 3 Mar. 2008.

Gill, Kathy E. "How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere?" May 2004. June 2009
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Description of Term Project

(I e-mailed this to you on Monday, Professor)

I would like to do my term project on virtual communities and its effect on globalization. In particular, I want to research how the advertising industry has been affected now that people all around the world have formed groups with similar interests. I want to explore if advertising has become easier due to these communities, and if so, how much easier and if it has a great impact. For example, “Second Life” is a virtual reality game in which advertisers have taken advantage of to sell their products and services. Globalization can be defined as viewing the world as one seamless market and I would like to research how companies have decided to advertise to online cultures and communities, when the people that compose them are so diverse.


- Kwok Tse

Introduction and something else.

Hello everyone, my name is Kwok Tse and I am currently a rising senior at Baruch College majoring in accounting. I am taking this class as part of my third minor (my other two minors being philosophy and information technology), which is "information technology and social responsibility."

I was originally scheduled to take a law class this summer, but the course was canceled, so I was left with many other options. I decided to take this class to jumpstart my third minor. Coming into this class, I expect it to be about new and innovative ways in which people communicate with each other, especially through advertising. At the end of this semester, I hope to learn a little more about the world around us and the technology it possesses.

Baruch College was originally my last choice on my list of post-highschool plans. However, aside from the lack of dorms, Baruch College has actually worked out extremely well for me. Going here has allowed me to earn good grades, a more than affordable tuition, and to intern year-round in the city. I am currently interning in the tax department at PMI Global Services Inc.

The company I work at does not have a history of hiring interns that have graduated college, so I have many options to explore. I plan to get an MS in taxation after I graduate Baruch College, but after that, my plans are still up in the air. I have always had a passion to help people and joining the Peace Corps has been a goal of mine for a while now. Perhaps after I finish graduate school, I will join the Peace Corps before I start embarking on other journeys in my life.

Here are some websites that I visit often that might interest you.

http://www.gmail.com
The website I visit most often, Gmail provides a great service since I can easily organize my e-mail and I can collaborate with friends through e-mail much more easily. I can search for past conversations as there is ample space to hold my files so that I never have to delete anything. The best part about gmail has to be gchat. I rarely use AIM anymore since most of my friends use gchat and it automatically saves all my conversations so that I can always look back on them.

http://facebook.com
What is there to say, everybody uses facebook nowadays. This social networking website is a great way to keep in touch with old friends and have fun with old and new friends alike. With so many applications added everyday allowing for more interaction between users, it is hard to get bored with this website. Facebook is also a great place for viral marketing as interesting news spreads quickly on a website like this.

http://www.oddee.com
Oddee.com is a very interesting website about the world around us. This website is basically a blog where people make posts about the "top 10 most 'blank'". For example, there are posts such as "the top 10 worst photoshop mistakes" or "the top 10 most creative advertisements." These blog posts are guaranteed to amaze you, entertain you, and make you laugh. Check it out and you won't be disappointed.