Just a reflection.

An effective blog is one that practices the concept of social semiotics, summarized as the study of meaning making by people socially and culturally. To do this, you must ensure that the content in your blog involve a degree of probability in the way meanings take place within the given context.

Bloggers must blog in an ethical manner to avoid copyright infringement. Those using another person’s materials such as music need to obtain the permission of the owner and to cite them after each post (South 2011). They must also pay attention to the content of their blog to avoid postings that appear as slander or offensive to other people (Gunelius 2011). They must remember that their blog is public and accessible by anyone. 

In addition, bloggers must have the skills to design their blogs in an effective manner to woo readers. Diane Gilleland suggests bloggers to include an amount of blank space between the contents in a blog post to make it easier for the readers to read (Gilleland 2011). Alignment is also an important aspect of blog design, making the blog post to appear harmonious (Gilleland 2011).

Source: Craft.

Alignment is an important factor in blog designing.

Color consistency is also important in blogs to avoid making your blog appear either too plain or too patterned (Gilleland 2011). 

A blog can be colorful:

Source: Craft

Of plain but still attractive:

Source: Craft

References:

Gunelius, S 2011, Top 3 Blogging Rules, About.com, viewed 29 October 2011, <http://weblogs.about.com/od/bloggingethics/tp/Top3BloggingRules.htm>.

South, H 2011, Avoiding Copyright Infringement, About.com, viewed 29 October 2011, <http://drawsketch.about.com/cs/resources/a/copyright_3.htm>.

Gilleland, D 2011, Four Tiny Blog Design  Principles That Make a Big Difference, Craft, viewed 30 October 2011, <http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/07/four_tiny_blog_design_principl.html>.

Online videos news stepping UP !

Is this a long-term trend or just a fad that will go away within time?

Source: Web Video Player

We cannot deny that online videos are used more and more for news coverage today.

Megan O’Neill talks about the prevalence of online videos used to cover news on media websites as opposed to the traditional way of consuming news: reading long articles (2011). Through a survey done by Douglas Simon, it has been reported that online media has now ‘officially become a video programming network’ (O’Neill 2011). Furthermore, this trend is seen as one that will continue to grow and increase (O’Neill 2011).

This situation is related to the topic on the rise of new forms of media publishing, or new media, as I have previously covered in a blog post. To recap, new media is defined as interactive forms of digital media including blogs and text messaging and yes, the use of online videos to cover news.

Based on the article, I have to agree that the online videos have become the dominant method to reporting and presenting news. I will further elaborate my thesis on the basis of the principle of multimedia news and the principle of web genre evolution and audiences’ expectations.

On the basis of the principle of multimedia news, Michael Malone from Broadcasting & Cable explains that there is an increase in newspaper companies practicing reporting news using online videos in due to the race to capitalize on the popularity of broadband video (Burn 2007). Also, online videos tend to be short and provide interaction between the news and the readers. As readers today have shorter attention span, this method of news reporting benefits them.

The principle of web genre evolution also aid in reasoning my thesis. Conforming to a society of digital media, Lars Erikson and Carina Ihlstrom wrote in their article that web news sites are evolving into ‘live news’ format or online videos, where news are reported as they occur (2000, p.9). However, this new form of news reporting might just be causing newspapers to step-down as online videos act faster by publishing ‘live’ news prior to the printed newspaper (2000, p.10). In terms of audience’s expectations, online video news reporting is more preferred today as the contemporary audience expects convenience and interaction when receiving news. With the use of online videos, the audience is given just that.

Source: Channels.com

Many are attracted to the format of online video news are the news are current and live.

So don’t be surprise if the traditional newspapers die out in the future.




Reference List:


Burn, D 2007, 'The Rise of Multimedia Reporting', AdPulp, viewed 29 October 2011, <http://www.adpulp.com/the_rise_of_mul/>.


Eriksen, L & Ihlstrom, C 2000, Evolution of the Wed News Genre: The Slow Move Beyond the Print Metaphor, media release, 33rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, viewed 30 October 2011, <http://origin-www.computer.org/plugins/dl/pdf/proceedings/hicss/2000/0493/03/04933014.pdf?template=1&loginState=1&userData=anonymous-IP%253A%253AAddress%253A%2B%2B60.254.175.23%252C%2B%255B140.98.196.191%252C%2B%2B60.254.175.23%252C%2B203.176.151.253%252C%2B127.0.0.1%255D>.


O'Neill, M 2011, '85% Of Media Websites Now Use Online Video To Cover News', Social Times, viewed 29 October 2011, <http://socialtimes.com/85-of-media-websites-now-use-online-video-to-cover-news_b60505>.

Why iPad newspapers is a big NO-NO !

Source: sfnblog.com

How about reading your favorite newspapers from an iPad?

That might seem to be the very thing happening today.

The iPad-only newspaper shows significant changes from the traditional hold and fold newspaper format to one that comes in a tablet format, is online and electronic (Trotter 2011). Many view the tablet as a convenient source of information as readers can easily click on different links on the iPad, bringing them to other pages and at the same time assist in their learning (Trotter 2011).

I have to disagree. I opine that traditional, hold and fold, newspapers are a more convenient source of information as compared to the iPad-only newspaper. To support my thesis, I will use the principle of iPad usability to aid in my reasoning.

In 2010, Jakob Nielsen did a survey on 7 Mac users, who have 3 months of experience using Mac products, testing out iPad applications and websites through the product (Nielsen 2010). Nielsen discovered that there were a handful of iPad usability problems that the participants faced. One problem that occurred was the inconsistent interaction designs for applications on the iPad. Different applications on the device require different methods to produce the same result (Nielsen 2010). For example, touching a picture on one application may lead you to another page whereas the same action will produce no result on another (Nielsen 2010).

Soure: iPad Application Developer

The sensitivity of the touch screen on the iPad often appear as an inconvenience to the users.

The same survey was conducted in 2011 with 16 participating iPad users whom all have 2 months of experience using iPad (Nielsen 2011). The survey required the users to test a total of 26 iPad applications and 6 websites (Nielsen 2011). Nielsen still found some issues relating to its usability although year has passed and improvements have been made (Nielsen 2011).

In my previous blog post on print vs. screen documents, I wrote that navigations on the web are important and responsible for readers to help them understand a document better. It turns out that they can be a problem too: Nielsen explains that certain applications on the iPad featured too much navigational links which complicate things (Nielsen 2011). There was also the issue of the sensitivity of the screen where users may be brought to unwanted pages or a site being closed due to an accidental click of a wrong button on the device, caused by the touchable areas being too close together (Nielsen 2011).

Thus...

All these only go to show why traditional newspapers are a more convenient source of information for the public. 

To read the original newspaper article on the topic, click here.

References:

Nielsen, J 2010, iPad Usability: First Findings From User Testing, Useit.com, viewed 29 October 2011, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-1st-study.html>.

Nielsen, J 2011, iPad Usability: Year One, Useit.com, viewed 29 October 2011, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad.html>.

Trotter, C 2011, 'iPad-only newspaper furthers media trend', the Centro, 17 February, viewed 1 November 2011, <http://www.thecento.com/news/2011/feb/17/ipad-only-newspaper-furthers-media-trend/>.

Y U hack my phone ?!

How far do journalists really need to go to get news and information for the public?

Source: The Hindu

Source: Press TV

The phone hacking scandal caused by the Murdoch media empire made headlines for days.

Tristan Stewart-Robertson explores the issue of  Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World (NOTW), hacking into the phones of the public people to obtain information which in turn will become news published to the public (2011). This has brought into the consideration of tabloidization and the invasion of privacy. Some see the public as the one to be blamed as they have an insatiable appetite for information, whereas others see the topic of phone-hacking as the need for media outlets to create a sensational pieces of news to sell their product due to competitions with other media outlets (Stewart-Robertson, 2011).

I believe that the UK phone-hacking scandal demonstrates the clash of privacy with need to know. I will use both the principles of tabloidization and the principles of the invasion of privacy to support my thesis.

In his journal article, Frank Esser describes ‘tabloidization’ as the result of commercialized media usually pressured by the advertisers to reach a large audience (1999, p.291). An alternative definition to it, as Howard Kurtz believes, is the ‘decrease in hard news such as politics and economics and an increase in soft new such as sleaze, scandal, sensation, and entertainment’, is more precise and explains the basis of the UK phone-hacking issue, where it has been reported that the media is often under pressure to feed the ever-existing news appetite of the public which can be very demanding (2009, p.293). Darrell West opines that the reasons for tabloidization include the need for profit and pressure from other competing media outlets (West, n.d.). Hence, journalists often cross the line of privacy to obtain information.

Source: Informm's Blog

This image lays out more of News of the World's phone-hacking crime.

Clarence Jones writes that technology enables the media to intrude into the private lives of just anyone (Jones 2005). The reason the media practices the invasion of privacy to get their news may be because the Bill of Rights protect the citizens from intrusion from the government, but not from private media companies or journalists (Jones 2005). Thus, journalists have less respect for a person’s private life. Some journalists even hack into the phones of public figures in hopes that they will obtain sensationalizing information which could help create a stir in the news.

Therefore, saying that the UK phone-hacking scandal shows clash of privacy with need to know would be precise.


To read the original newspaper article on the topic, click here.

References: 

Esser, F 1999, ‘Tabloidization of News: A Comparative Analysis of Anglo-American and  German Press Journalism’, SAGE, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 291-324.

Jones, C 2005, Invasion of Privacy, Winning with the News Media, viewed 26 October 2011, <http://www.winning-newsmedia.com/privacy.htm>.

Stewart-Robertson, K 2011, ‘UK Phone-Hacking Scandal Shows Clash of Privacy with Need to Know’, MediaShift, 7 July, viewed 26 October 2011, <http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/07/uk-phone-hacking-scandal-shows-clash-of-privacy-with-need-to-know188.html>.

West, n.d., The Tabloidization of the Media, Inside Politics, viewed 27 October 2011, <http://www.insidepolitics.org/ps111/tabloids.html>.

You removed THE HILLARY CLINTON from the newspaper ?!

Is news really all that reliable and trustworthy? How sure can we be that what is presented to us is true?

The article by The Guardian examines the issue of a picture which have been altered and published to the public by Di Tzeitung, an Orthodox Jewish newspaper (2011). The paper removed the image of the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the counterterrorism director Audrey Tomason from the picture, explaining that it was immodest of their culture to publish images of females to the public (The Guardian, 2011). After reading the article, I would have to say that we cannot rely on the media entirely as they practice picture manipulation.

The following is the original picture:

Source: The Guardian

The following is the altered picture:

The Source: The Guardian

My thesis can be related to the principle of picture manipulations in the media. Professor Paul Martin Lester mention in a chapter of his book that picture manipulations have been a part of photography ever since it was introduced to the public (Lester 1995). It has even been practiced during the period in which the First World War took place, primarily for propaganda purposes (Lester 1988). 

Technology in today's society. 

In today’s society, picture manipulations have gone to a whole new level as we have all the convenient computer programs such as Adobe Photoshop to aid us in doing so (Lester 1995). Although photojournalism has a tendency to reveal truth in the pictures, more photojournalists are manipulating pictures to create an illusion in the public’s mind.

My thesis can also be explained using the principle of distrust in the media. Adrian Monck reminds the public that the media business primarily aims to grad the public’s attention, thus making it a very competitive business which may explain why both journalists and photojournalists may exaggerate their work in hopes that it will only be able to grab the public’s attention (2008). In an article by The New York Times, Richard Perez-Pena found a survey concluding that the public’s trust in the media has increasingly declined as the public are finding reporting as biased and inaccurate (2009). 

A survey of 1,506 people revealed that 63% of the public view newspaper articles as inaccurate and often favored one side or the other (Perez-Pena, 2009). Thus, with principles regarding the rise in the practice of picture manipulations and distrust in media, my thesis is proven; that the media should not be relied on too much.


To read the original newspaper article on the topic, click here.




Reference List:


Lester, P 1995, Photojournalism Ethics Timeless Issues, College of Communications, California State University, viewed 26 October 2011, <http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/photoethics.html>.




Lester, P 1988, Faking images in photojournalism, College of Communications, California State University, viewed 25 October 2011, <http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/faking.html>. 

Perez-Pena, R 2009, 'Trust in News Media Falls To New Low in Pew Survey', The New York Times, viewed 26 October 2011, <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/business/media/14survey.html>.


2011, 'Orthodox Jewish paper apologizes for Hillary Clinton deletion', The Guardian, 10 May, viewed 25 October 2011, <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/10/jewish-paper-apologises-hillary-clinton>.

Print Document vs. Screen Document.

Print and screen documents require similar design considerations, yet distinct ones. Similar is to say that when it comes to designing for both documents, the genres, purposes, context, and target audience must be considered (Hilligoss 2002). I will point out three differences when designing documents for the print and screen. 


An example of a print document; 

Source: Score Hero

An example of a screen document;

Source: Crunch Base

Firstly, navigation is important for readers to be able to understand the text as they go through the documents. On a screen document, there will be links as navigators for the readers (Hilligoss 2002). As Jakob Nielsen mentions, ‘moving around is what the Web is all about’ (Nielsen 1999).  Links enable users to go from one site to another for continuous reading (Hilligoss 2002). However, print documents come with a table of contents to inform which topic/ news is on which page (Hilligoss 2002). Navigation for the print also requires page-turning and thus considered limited as compared to screen documents (Nielsen 1999).

Secondly, dimension varies for both. Print documents are 2-dimensional (Nielsen 1999). Designers can control what the readers will see as they also determine the size of a page (Hilligoss 2002). Screen designers, on the other hand, cannot control what Web users will see as they have cannot determine the size of each user’s computer monitor (Hilligoss 2002). Hence, screen documents need to readjust itself to fit into the screen of different users (Nielsen 1999). This directly goes against the nature of the designer’s work (Nielsen 1999).

Thirdly, how significant points are presented in both forms vary. For a print document, the typefaces of texts help signify certain information. This is done through using bigger letters or the bolding of certain words (Hilligoss 2002).  For a screen document, this is done through what is known as the ‘inverted L’ format (Hilligoss 2002). Significant information such as the company’ logo or name is often placed on the top left whereas information such as ‘About Us’ is placed on the left side of the screen (Hilligoss 2002).

An 'inverted L' format: 

Source:Susan Hilligoss

References:

Hilligoss, S 2002, Visual Communication: A Writer’s Guide, 2^nd edn, Pearson Education, viewed 23 August 2011, <http://www.ablongman.com/mycomplab_content/pdf/long_hilligoss.pdf>.

Nielsen, J 1999, Differences Between Print Design and Web Design, Useit.com, viewed 23 August 2011, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>.         

New Media?

New forms of media in today’s society have challenge the world of media publishing as we previously know it to be. Now, information is easily found on the Internet. According to an article by Vin Crosbie, approximately one billion people in the world use the Internet to provide and receive news information (Rebuilding Media, 2006).

Source: Reuters

Twitter has now altered the roles of traditional journalism in today’s new media ecosystem. As reported by Gary Lee, ‘over the next 30 minutes’, he writes, ‘2.3 million Tweets will fly’ (Journalistics, 2011). 

Source: Arkarthick.com

Is Twitter the new journalism?


Twitter has reached out to people faster than the mainstream media. Examples include the explosion in Virginia and the tornado in Colorado (Rowse, 2008). Thus, it is seen by many as a news platform. In fact, Twitter has been so influential that journalists are pushed to join the social network to use it as an additional tool to their profession (Berkowitz, 2008). 

Source: Trade Newswire

New media concepts require that a person has a device with access to the Internet, such as mobile phones and computers (Aids.gov, 2011). New media concepts believe in greater connections and collaborations between people from one place to another (Aids.gov, 2011).

These ‘new media’ are referred to as ‘multimodal texts’. In her article, Maureen Walsh defined the term as containing more than one mode of communication (Walsh 2006). Communication may take place through written language or the digital media. (Walsh 2006). 

The affordance of Twitter – allowing status updates in 140 words – enables users develop a language on their own that is brief and straight to the point (Rook, 2011). Also, Twitter is real-time messaging, as compared to mainstream media such as newspapers (Rook, 2011).  


No wonder so many start to refer to Twitter to get their daily dosage of ‘news’, even well-known news stations now feel the need to have an account if they want to stay in the game - 

Source: Wired

Source: BBC

:)

References:

Berkowitz, L 2008, US: Twitter, the new breaking news warning system, Editors Weblog, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2008/05/us_twitter_the_new_breaking_news_warning.php>.

Rook M 2011, Digital Scholarship, Krause Innovation Studio, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.personal.psu.edu/sum16/blogs/innovation_studio/2011/08/digitalscholarship.html>.

Rowse, D 2008, Twitizen Journalism: Can Twitter Be a Real News Platform?, Twitip, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.twitip.com/twitizen-journalism-can-twitter-be-a-real-news-platform/>.

What is New Media 2011, Aids. gov, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://aids.gov/using-new-media/basics/what-is-new-media/>.