Monday, November 16, 2009

Reflection

Reflect

As time goes on, we grow up reaching a stage of achievement. May it be minor or major, it is still an achievement. Here, i believe fellow students and I have finally conclude our last post, of reflection.

Doing this subject has made me realize that printed and online media play a huge role in our everyday life. It wasn't just for entertainment but as well as a gateway to the world.

Creating a weblog is not as simply as it seem, i may have another blog of my own, but its a photoblog. Where pictures do the talking. Even so, as bloggers we have rules to follow here in Malaysia. The authoritarian rule applies on the media here, but the most important rule will be not to touch on case sensitive issues like race and culture.

Everything happens for a reason, and this is one experience which we will learn; on the online world and its community.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Facebook Makes Over

Facebook makeover leaves some devotees fuming

In today’s world, technology rise faster than a child growing up. Social networking sites has bloomed from one to many now, like Friendster, Tweeter, Facebook, MySpace and others.

The main story here is, how you would feel if someone does something without your consent which the thing involves you, as well as forcing you to accept things you may not like. That is the case here where Facebook, one of the largest networking user growth in the world, they changed the layouts of profile pages of users in Facebook.


Facebook: A users profile

A comment from a representative of Facebook said that “We want to make sure it is easy for people to push and pull information in the form of bite-size content than quickly”. The representative is the Vice President of Marketing, Facebook, Chamath Palihapitaya. Which he added, everything is for the benefits of the users. Facebook maintains that the changes make pages livelier and better organised.

Reference List

Facebook Makeover Leaves Devotees Fuming, online, retrieved on 23 October 2009, from http://www.australiananit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24328928-15318,00.html

Friday, November 6, 2009

Web+Episode= Webisode

Webisodes for kids

What is a webisode you may ask? It is a cross between web and episode. It is a short episode which is aired on the internet which may be a preview, promotion of advertisements or parts of a drama or series. It is a new implementation in the media, as it plays a part as a new medium also known as web television. (as referred to itvdictionary & Wikipedia)

There are no standard rules for a time limit of webisode compared to and hour for dramas or half an hour or so. Most webisodes are standardised with the time ranging from 2-7minutes. According to producer and writer of Tiny Towns (kids webisode) Chris Cobet, “There’s something about 5minutes that seem too long for a webisode”.


Scrubs: short clips of the series on webisodes

Currently, webisode is a big hit with young adults, featuring animations and cartoons which contents are not for kids. Even so, there are still webisode for the younger ones which are much more educational and informative. There has to be a set of balance between content or the audience, as the internet is wide and anyone can access to it at any point of time.


Don't be fooled by the cuteness of the characters

The audience choose what they want to see, but there has to be a limit to what they want. For young kids, watching gore animation is not suitable for them and that’s where the parents come in to hand. Restricting audience seems impossible, but with proper guidance anything can happen.

Reference list

Guthrie, M, 2007, What's a Webisode Worth? online, retrieved on 5 November 2009, from http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/111311-What_s_a_Webisode_Worth_.php

Definition of Webisodes, online, retrieved on 5 November 2009, from http://www.itvdictionary.com/definitions/webisode_definition.html

Friday, October 30, 2009

Changes of Photography today

The power of the photograph

In today’s modern world of technology, photographs you see on printed media or online most probably have been manipulated. Before this, what you capture on the camera is what you get, it might not work the same way now. Today, with the dawn of inexpensive software, the manipulation of digital images is easier, faster and harder to detect. (The Christian Science Monitor, 2009)

“Photography we see in films, books, and periodicals is often stunning in its design, import, and aesthetics. It may also be fake, enhanced, or manufactured by emerging digital technologies that have transformed”. (K.Browser, 1998) This of course, which ethics are put inside are arguable as there are strong arguments whether to make the picture for the benefits of the people or for making it into the front page of medias.

One issue for example; Lebanon in 2006 was at war with Israel. Photographers and journalist go the extra mile to get their story as the headlines in Medias. In august, Reuters printed out images of what happens to be a bombing incident taken by photojournalist Adnan Haji. The picture, we can see that extra and thicker smoke were shown flowing up the sky, the alleged photographer, Adnan had used “clone” tool to copy portions of the smoke column and paste it in the sky, to make the smoke look more larger and darker. (Zombietime, 2006)


The manipulated photo


The original photo

Even though his manipulations really didn’t change the effect the photo to any degree, his claims was that he accidentally added the extra smoke to remove some dust fleck on the image. As it did not affect the photo to any degree, but it may have affected the people; in the first image, we can see smoke only came out from one building, but after photo manipulation, other buildings were on fire.

Photo “fakery” or digital manipulation has entered a new era; anyone with Adobe Photoshop basically controls the photography world. Even so, there are many literature reviews that study this cases and nothing much can be done as it is currently the new world of modern technologies. People see what they want to see, and the media are merely providing them with it. If audiences were willing to pay more for better content, why wasn't anyone already selling it to them? There was no reason it couldn't have been done that in the era of physical media. (Graham, 2009)

Reference list

Newsom, D, Turk, JV, Kruckeberg, D 2000, This is PR: The realities of Public Relations, 7th edn, Wadsworth Thomson Learning, United States of America.

Post-Medium Publishing, 2009, How they see it, Retrieved on 30 October 2009, http://www.paulgraham.com/publishing.html

The Christian Science Monitor 2009, Seeing is no longer believing, retrieved on 30 October 2009, http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0202/p15s02-lire.html

The Reuters Photo Scandal, 2006, online, retrieved on 30 October 2009, http://www.zombietime.com/reuters_photo_fraud

Friday, October 23, 2009

Controversial front cover

Apologies for the controversial Da Vinci cover by “Tempo”

According to ABC News (2008), one of Indonesia’s top news weeklies has apologised about the cover of its latest issue which depicts former president Suharto and his children in a composition mimicking Leornado Da Vinci’s Last Supper.

Tempo featured a sketch of Suharto taking Jesus Christ’s place in the middle and surrounder by his children and thus it trigged anger from Christian community. Below are the two images of Suharto with his children and Leornado Da Vinci’s Last supper


Image of Suharto and his family


Image of Leornado Da Vinci's Last Supper


Walsh (2006), argued that the social and cultural context of readers forms a good understanding as to why the majority of Christians were offended by the image while the magazine itself claim no pun intended. Adding to an apology by tempo, Chief Editor Toriq Hadad said, “we had no intention of hurting Christians. We were only inspired by the composition of the Leornado painting, and not in the concept or context of the event of the holy bible.”

The controversy in this image is also linked to the concept of centre and margin as propsed by Kress and Leeuwen (2006). In Da Vinci’s painting, the central element is Jesus Christ while his apostles form the margins. In a remake of the painting by Tempos, the centre is Suharto while the margins are his daughters and sons. These similarities could not have been more obvious.
Furthermore, Christians were furious because it was against the Christians believes and customs. BBC (2008), states that “A religion is a set of tenets and practices” that is why it should not be a copied or criticize about cause it is a cultural believe to people.

In my opinion, this was a misunderstanding and difference of social and cultural context. It is true that Tempo has to be blamed of putting case sensitive images for they have to care about its readers like Putnis & Petelin (1996) stated. Even so, a quick thinking by Tempo to release an apology and did damage control so that nothing serious will happen and creating havoc among people. It can now be hoped that for future publications Tempo will take certain things into consideration first.

Reference List

BBC (2008) Indonesian Weekly apologies over Last Suharto Cover, viewed on 23 October, 2009 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/06/2156269.htm

BBC (2008) Religions & Ethics- Christianity, Viewed 8th November
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianethics/euthanasia_1.shtml

Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. 2006, Chapter 6: The meaning of composition Reading images, Reading images, Routledge, pp. 175- 214

Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, Professional communication: principles and applications, Prentice Hall, Sydney.

Walsh, M 2006, 'The textual shift: examining the reading process with print, visual, and multimodal texts', Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29. no. 1, pp. 24-37.

Friday, October 16, 2009

New way for Media Publishing

New forms of media publishing

As technology rise rapidly in the world today, new media are being used more than print today. Some people explain the slow death of newspapers are caused by blogs and other online sources, there are little things print media can do other than lowering their prices.

The new media took steps out of the box, when previously media are controlled by gatekeepers, but online sources like blogging today there are no restriction on what you want to share in the internet.

Talking about the audiences, the changes in media consumption of publics affects the role of journalism but it benefits both. (Naughton, 2006) By giving the right information to what readers want, it also benefits the journalist by having a communication and interaction between both reader and journalist. Take Malaysia Kini for today, they serve news daily on their site, and comments and opinions from readers are put up as well with the specific journalist replying from time to time.

There is one slight problem in the new media, using Namewe as an example; he made a video criticizing the bad qualities of Malaysian and its people, posting it on you tube with approximately 500,000 views. With that video on the new main stream media has caught the attentions of authorities back in Malaysia. He was then asking to return from Taiwan where he was studying and proper judgement was given to him. There are pro’s and con’s of new media. Locally it is restricted while around the globe, there is total freedom of speech.

Reference list

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyiBvJtJ5Z4, viewed on 16 October 2009

Naughton, J, 2006, Blogging and the emerging media ecosystem, Reuters Institute, viewed on 16 October 2009, http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/discussion/blogging.pdf

Friday, October 9, 2009

Online Vs Print

Designing for online vs print

Online and print have different ways to broadcast news or messages to the people. They differ from type of media, audience, layout; color and etc.

Type of media

- Print media: (Newspapers, magazine, advertisements, products)

- Online Media: (Blogs, Websites, Social networks, emails)


Audience

- Print: The target audience are more generalised and creativity plays importance when printing out on print.

- Online: Designing for online have to stand out from the rest as there are many other sites out there that could attract the public and targeted audiences.


Layout:color

- Print: layout has to be arranged neatly and properly to catch the audiences eyes. According to Kress& Leeuwen (2006), readers read from left to right or right to left considering their cultural background.

- Online: Vibrant colors have to be used in layouts of an online design. Right colors and design, makes the audiences wants to finish browsing the site till the end.


According to Kress & Leeuwen (200), salience is a feature or some features of an element that makes it entrancing or the ‘degree to which an element draws attention to itself. In addition to that, Walsh (2006) said that responses in an audience are usually achieved by the choices of color, size, angle.

Reference List

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading Images: Grammar of Visual Design, Routledge, London.

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


Friday, October 2, 2009

Blogging, Creating and One Community

Blogging Community, Creating a Blogging Community and One Blogging Community

Blogging community is where bloggers that has common and specific interest blogs or also interaction between readers and bloggers. According to Nancy White (2006) in recent years, the ascendancy of blogs has introduced a new platform for communities.

There are three parts of blogging community as stated by Blogs and Community readings.

- Bounded communities – collection of blog hosts on a single site or known as social networking

- Topic centric community – communities grouped together with same/shared interest

- One blog centric community – an interaction and relationship between primary blogger and people around them.


Creating

With this three parts, one can create a blog by firstly knowing what genre or type they want to do, then registering on a free domain for blogs. The World Wide Web (www) has many informations on all types of blog, once a blog is created, links of other sites, postings, tagging of other people and also comments can be commented by readers and also be replied to.

One Blogging Community

Shown above are the types and parts of blogging communities. Using one blog centric community as an example; which our Ex-Prime Minister is currently doing. Tun Mahathir, Malaysian’s ex-premier is connecting with the public still, by using his blog. Interaction of all races as he uses two common languages in Malaysia. Notes or comments send to him are being replied from time to time. That is part of blogging community of a primary blogger and those around them.

Reference List

White. N, 2006, Blogs and Community - launching a new paradigm for online community? 11th edition, http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2006/edition-11-editorial/blogs-and-community-–-launching-a-new-paradigm-for-online-community

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed's Blog; http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/

Friday, September 25, 2009

Classification & Opinion

Classifications of blogs & opinion about the most appropriate classification approach

Classification of blogs

Types & Genre

In today’s blogging world, there are many types of blog that exists; which are commonly viewed in Malaysia. Below are some of the types and genres of certain blog with screen shots for some blogs.

- Government’s Blog
o Politician and public figures connecting with the public

- Personal Blogs
o Ongoing diaries and journal of personal life

- Corporate Blogs
o Fully businesses purposes to promote communication corporately

- Media type of Blogs
o Contains mostly videos, photos and links

- Travel Blogs
o Guide to travel locally or around the world

- Shop Blog
o Selling and buying of items from clothes to car parts

- Information Blog
o Giving out information on anything that the public wants

- Photo Blog
o All posts are mostly on photographs by amateur and pro photographers


- And other blogs which are not locally looked into as well as, what readers want to see

Media Type

- Vlog


(Video Blog, a larger number of audience and fully video blog)

- SketchBlog


(Daily updates of drawings or cartoons online)

- Photoblog


(A blog specifically for photographs)

MoBlog


- Only photos and videos taken directly from mobile phone can be uploaded on this blog

Reference List

Moblog, N.A, camera phone mobile blogging community, retrieved on 25 September 2009, http://moblog.net/home/

Vlogblog, N.A, Vlogging Video Blogging, retrieved on 25 September 2009, http://www.vlogblog.com/


Smith. T, 2006, Power to The People, Social Media Tracker Wave 3, Universal McCann

Crosby. C, 2009, Technorati's Stae of the Blogosphere 2009, viewed on 25 September 2009, http://www.slaw.ca/2009/11/09technoratis-state-of-the-blogosphere-2009/

Friday, September 18, 2009

Today's Blogging World and it's Benefits

Blog as current phenomenon & benefits to the community

Current phenomenon of blogging

A look into the digital world today, blog is now the biggest online phenomenon as a mainstream media. People who blogs are called “bloggers”, and right now, there are thousands of blogs on the net. (Dvorak, 2002) Technorati reported that 100,000 new blogs is created every day and 1.3 million blog post written. (BBC, 2006)

Blogging has bloomed widely since the beginning of internet, across the world until here in Malaysia, where it has become a trend to have one today. The reason why people are using blog today is because of the easy access of any site that supplies free blog sites, as well as cheap to maintain, or some bloggers earn money by blogging with selling items or posting advertisements by companies and getting paid for it another is also expressing what they want without anyone stopping.

Benefits to the community

With blogging, it has been created a closer bond between people. For example, government with the public; Malaysia for example, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has a blog where he shares his ideas and interact with the people with feedback from them. Other parts of the world are doing the same as well, to gain public’s confidence and transparency in the government.

Malaysian media system is under the authoritarian theory, a blog is the best medium to express a person’s thoughts and feelings with no editors controlling. Even so, the public decides what they want to see at the end.

BBC, 2006, Blogging ‘set to peak next tear’, retrieved on 17 September 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6178611.stm

Dvorak, J.C, 2002, The Blog Phenomenon, retrieved on 17 September 2009, http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,12899,00.asp

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, 1Malaysia, viewed on 17 September 2009, http://www.1malaysia.com.my/

Crosby. C, 2009, Technorati’s Stae of the Blogsosphere 2009, viewed on 17 September 2009, http://www.slaw.ca/2009/11/09/technoratis-state-of-the-blogosphere-2009/

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Document Design

What makes a good document?


In forms of writing to the views and liking of the audiences is what makes partial of a good document. Based on the presentation slides by my group, which the presentation title was Learning for doing: Interpreting static texts via rhetorical analysis, by Todd Oakley. There are certain improvements to make the presentation much better after learning from readings given.


- the old presentation -

- a better version of slides -

According to Reep, 2006, a document design refers to “the physical appearance of a document”. Where document designs are things to consider as well making the document much more presentable. As a result, “a good document design helps readers read efficiently, emphasizes the most important contents and encourages readers to feel good about a communication” (Putnis et.al, 1996).


- example of old slide -


- new slides with better design and view -

While another change that can be made to the presentation will be suiting the audiences. The primary audience will be the lecturer while secondary fellow classmates, therefore, changes have to be made to accommodate both audiences with their needs, the accessibility of the information, and their reaction upon it. (Putnis et.al, 1996) The lecturer has already known about the topics and readings, therefore we have to think out of the box to give the lecturer something worth her time and listening for. That is why; adding more examples or scenarios can help better understanding and clearer explanation to both audiences.

Reference;

Putnis & Petelin, 1996, Professional communication : principles and applications, Writing to communicate, Ch. 7.

Reep, Diana C., 2006, Technical writing :Document design, Ch. 6.

Olshavsky, R, Six Tips for Improving Your Document Design, accessed on 11th September 2009, http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/six_tips_for_improving_your_design_documentation

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Purpose of the creation of the weblog

This blog is created specifically for an assignment based course work, having in mind to include studies that were taught and readings that was presented in classes. This blog makes off with target audience which are students taking the similar subject or other interested students.