Reflection

The past few months have been a definite learning experience, especially through the managing of this blog. It has introduced me to the complexities of the blogosphere as well as the new digital media revolution. The Internet has become an important part of many people's lives, and the many facets of communication that employs it have become even more popular than their traditional counterparts. Blogging, I have learned, is also an excellent form of communicating to an audience. Covering the issues in publication and design has enlightened me of the many things we should be aware of when publishing for an audience, such as sexism and privacy. Not only has it taught me about issues, but research about Facebook and Twitter privacy and credibility has given me more knowledge about using these sites. This has definitely been a learning experience.

Tradional and eMagazines

With the rise of the Internet, along with the rise in the number of people who have access to the World Wide Web - in the United States alone, 82 percent of Americans are connected to the Web and spend an average of 19 hours online (Cyberjournalist, 2010). As such, there is a lot of potential in reaching audiences through the web, especially for magazines and newspapers.

Currie Sivek (2010) writes about how traditional print craft and gourme

t magazines are turning to creating online versions of their magazines that offer a variety of graphics and visuals such as videos and user-friendly interfaces. While these online versions are more expensive, they are more interactive than print magazines, giving users more options.

When going through information in a website, readers will have a lot more choice as to how they gain meaning from the page as there are a lot of different pathways depending on their interest (Walsh, 2006). There are a lot more options to be had with an eMagazine as, with the use of touch screens, issues can be carried around with them in portable devices such as iPhones and iPads. The following image shows the visuals of an online magazine.

Image from downloadsoftware.com

This could explain why eMagazines are getting more popular than their traditional print counterparts. A survey conducted by the Magazine Publishers of America showed that 12% of all new yearly magazine subscriptions came from the Internet (Leggatt, 2010). In comparison, newsstand sales have fallen by 9.1% in the United States and magazine distribution has reduced due to cost reasons (Krashinsky, 2010).

Hence it can be seen that online magazines are steadily rising in popularity. A combination of more attractive elements and the modern technological changes are the catalysts of this shift from traditional print magazines to online variations. In order to keep up with the times, print based companies should look into moving their businesses online.

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References

Currie Sivek, S 2010, ‘Gourmet Live, Quilt eMag rethink magazines in digital form’, PBS 9 August, viewed 14 November 2010, http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/08/gourmet-live-quilting-emag-rethink-magazines-in-digital-form221.html.

Krashinsky, S 2010, ‘Magazine sales hit hard at newsstands’, Globe and Mail 9 February, viewed 14 November 2010, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/magazine-sales-hit-hard-at-newsstands/article1460947/.

Leggatt, H 2010, ‘MPA: Internet largest subscription source for magazine’, BizReport 13 July, viewed 14 November 2010, http://www.bizreport.com/2010/07/mpa-internet-largest-subscription-source-for-magazines.html#.

New report: Internet more important than newspapers but still not trustworthy 2010, Cyberjournalist, viewed 14 November 2010, http://www.cyberjournalist.net/new-report-internet-more-important-than-newspapers-but-still-not-trustworth/.

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.

The credibility of Twitter

The creation of social networking sites has allowed individuals to create profiles of themselves online and interact with other user profiles. But as is the case with all things online, there is total animosity – you never know who you could be talking to online. That is the issue being faced by Twitter, a social networking website which offers microblogging services.

Owens (2009) writes about the frequent occurrences of imposters on the site and the question of whether or not journalists should be allowed to quote users of the site for the very same reason. A new law in the state of California prevents people from impersonating others online with the intention to harm another person – so there is now a legal way of dealing with these impersonators (Gaudin, 2010). New York and Texas are soon to pass this law as well.

While this does take a step in preventing fraud on the internet, it still brings up the question of whether there should be a new code of journalism ethics to encompass the credibility of digital media. In fact, the standards editor of the New York Times has declared that no Times reporter is allowed to use the word ‘tweet’ as it has not yet acquired the status of standard English (English, 2010). English (2010) goes on to describe how a report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development stated that the information on the Internet has the potential to spread rumours and incorrect information.

Not only that, information on Twitter is not exactly complete as it has a maximum of 140 characters. It can be concluded that while Twitter has become an excellent platform of communication, and that steps have been taken to grade the authenticity of its celebrity users, for the time being it is better for journalists to avoid using it as a source of information for their reporting.

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References

English, K 2010, ‘English: Is Twitter a threat to journalistic credibility?’, Star 19 June, viewed 13 November 2010, http://www.thestar.com/opinion/publiceditor/article/825223--english-is-twitter-a-threat-to-journalistic-credibility.

Gaudin, S 2010, Facebook and Twitter acquire new bill that kicks out imposters, Techworld, viewed 13 November 2010, http://news.techworld.com/security/3239081/facebook-and-twitter-acquire-new-bill-that-kicks-out-imposters/?olo=rss.

Owens, S 2009, How celebrity imposters hurt Twitter’s credibility, PBS, viewed 12 November 2010, http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/02/how-celebrity-imposters-hurt-twitters-credibility051.html.

Facebook and data protection

In the world of social networking, Facebook is undeniably the most popular platform for connecting with friends and family. The amount of information put up by individuals on the website is extensive – ranging from e-mail addresses to self portraits and locations of studying and working institutions. Hence it is in the best interests of society that the website be professional with protecting the privacy of its users.

However, a recent discovery by Wall Street Journal showed that information contained on the website was being sent by third party applications to external companies who create databases of people and trace them online (ABC News, 2010).

This unnerving bit of news brings up the question of just what the Facebook team is doing to protect the well-being of its users. The recently passed Malaysian Personal Data and Protection Act 2010 appears to be one way in which the Malaysian government aims to provide a safeguard to “regulate the processing of personal data” (Chia & Woo, 2010). Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, the Information, Communication, Culture and Arts Minister, says that the bill aims to protect personal information such as religious affiliation, health and physical appearance (The Star Online, 2010).

However, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are not included in the act as they are not commercial transactions (Foong, 2010). Because the government does not regulate these sites, it is impossible for them to control the data being presented there. Conversely, the Act does help when it comes to companies who want to use their clients’ personal information, as it requires their consent.

In order to protect the privacy of their users social networking sites should provide a walkthrough for its users and guide them in a step by step manner through their privacy options. A straightforward walkthrough which should be taken by all users should be done as it was found that most Facebook users are not aware of their privacy options.

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References

ABC News 2010, ‘Facebook admits privacy breach’, 19 October, viewed 11 November 2010, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/19/3042594.htm.

Chia, B & Woo, WK 2010, Introduction to the Malaysian Personal Data and Protection Act 2010, Wong & Partners, viewed 11 November 2010, http://www.worldwideerc.org/gov-relations/global-tax-legal/Employment%20Law/Introduction%20to%20the%20Malaysian%20Personal%20Data%20Protection%20Act%202010.html.

Foong, CL 2010, ‘Personal data and the law’, Star 14 November, viewed 11 November, http://xes.cx/?p=4698.

Star Online 2010, ‘Parliament: Personal Data Protection Bill passed’, 5 April, viewed 11 November 2010, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/5/nation/20100405210518&sec=nation.

Sexism and cultural context

In the Guardian article ‘Time to Kick the Sexism out of Advertising’ by Kathryn Perera, she writes about sexism evident in advertisements, especially around the time of the 2010 World Cup. She also criticises the United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for the way it regulates content in advertisements allowed to be shown to the public. Her stand is obvious – why is there not more consideration for sexist content in advertising and how it may offend?

This situation is an example of how cultural and situational contexts should be taken into consideration when creating messages for an audience. As mentioned by Schriver (2006), readers naturally bring a lifetime of information with them in order to interpret verbal and visual cues. Especially now with the rise of feminist movements, more people are being educated that it is degrading to stereotype genders. In this case, the issue is sexism, which is seen through the use of women in advertisements as “… sex objects, domestic archetypes, or pure props in male-driven scenarios” (White, 2010). However, there is also sexism towards men, whereby they are portrayed as brainless and unable to perform household chores such as cooking and cleaning (Edaburn, 2009). However, sexism towards women is more evident than that towards men. The following is a video which parodies the typical route taken by most advertisements which stereotypes male and female types.

Many women and men find sexism offensive, which may in turn bring a negative reaction towards the advertisement in question as all sexist portrayals are degrading. The Malaysian Code of Advertising Practice 2008 states that “advertisements must not identify or type each particular … sex with vocations, traditional values and backgrounds”. Therefore, advertisers in Malaysia are expected to take into account that sexism in their advertisements is offensive to the Malaysian public.

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References

Edaburn, P 2009, Does sexism still reign in TV advertising?, The Moderate Voice, viewed 9 November 2010, http://themoderatevoice.com/27132/does-sexism-still-reign-in-tv-advertising/.

Perera, K 2010, ‘Time to kick the sexism out of advertising’, Guardian 29 June, viewed 6 November 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/29/kick-sexism-out-of-advertising.

Schriver, KA 1997, Dynamics in document design: Creating texts for readers, Wiley Computer Pub., New York.

White, D 2010, Selling stereotypes: Sexism in advertising, University of Missouri-Kansas City, viewed 9 November 2010, http://info.umkc.edu/womenc/2010/10/18/selling-stereotypes-sexism-in-advertising/.

The New Generation of Media Publishing

Because 'new' media could mean a lot of different technologies in different contexts, I will first define what meaning I am using in this post. Hence, this post will center mostly on the Internet aspect of new digital media, as it has brought along the most change amongst society today.

Image from mariapianegro.org

Straubhaar and LaRose (2004) cite the Pew Research Center when they say that the internet is now rivaling conventional print media as a source of news. Online news sources and political blogs have gone as far as influencing outcomes of electio

ns, as mentioned in an earlier blog post. In Malaysia, the rise of Malaysiakini.com provided an alternative view of the country compared to print publication which is tightly controlled by he government (Chin, 2003).

The emergence of online news and blogging also raises the question of whether or not bloggers can be considered journalists. Three bloggers were brought to court in 2005 for releasing information about an Apple product – because they were not 'legitimate members of the press', Apple took action (Hempel, 2005).

The emergence of new websites such as Flickr has brought on the emergence of 'user-generated content', so while conventional media are still creating content, others are also able to do so (Naughton, 2006). YouTube in particular is a useful tool for showcasing talent online for others to see. Many YouTube users such as Colbie Caillat and Marié Digby later went on to be international celebrities after posting their videos online and garnering fans.

As can be seen, the Internet has changed the landscape of communication greatly. The best way to succeed in this environment would be to adapt to the changes in technology.

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References

Chin, J 2003, 'Malaysiakini.com and its impact on journalism and politics in Malaysia', in Asia.com: Asia encounters the internet, eds KC Ho, R Kulver & K Yang, London, pp. 129 – 142.

Hempel, J 2005, Are bloggers journalists?, Bloomberg Businessweek, viewed 29 September 2010, http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2005/tc2005037_7877_tc024.htm

Naughton, J 2006, Blogging and the emerging media ecosystem, Reuters Fellowship, University of Oxford, viewed 29 September 2010, http://reutersinstitude.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/discussion/blogging.pdf.

Straubhaar, J & LaRose, R 2004, Media now: understanding media, culture and technology, 4^th edn, Wadsworth, California.

Blogging -The Online Community

According to Kinkeldei (2007), a blog community could be a group of bloggers using the same platform such as Blogger and Xanga or even group blogs which are run by several people at once contributing to the same site. From a business standpoint, these communities are a way of connecting with other communities with similar interests (26weekplan, 2010).

The blog community should be extended externally through mediums such as Facebook and Twitter to reach a larger audience (Reed, 2009). Using permalinks – permanent links – is a good way of making sure that URLs from the blog will be able to gain traffic from search engines because of the use of keywords (Samuda, 2010). RSS - really simple syndication - feeds allow viewers to know when a blog has been updated. Comments on a blog allow the readers to interact with the author(s) regarding the topic discussed, allowing more interactivity and community-building. Tags are also a good way of maintaining viewer interest – delicious tag clouds for instance keep track of a site’s most popular bookmarks and allows easy navigation through related pages and links (Kinkleldei, 2007).

White (2006) lists three types of blogging communities. In the single blogger centric community, there is usually only one blogger and visitors to the blog can get further acquainted with the blogger and the regular people who comment and join in the discussion. The second kind, the central connecting topic community, is a vast group of blogs which are linked and connected over a shared passion or topic, such as food bloggers and sketch bloggers. The third kind of community, the boundary community is defined by White (2006) is the situation whereby many bloggers share the same blogging platform such as Myspace.

The Meek is an example of a single blogger centric community, since that it is a webcomic site updated solely by Der-shing Helmer. Since that is centers around a webcomic, it is also part of a larger community of webcomics which are linked to each other. There is also an RSS feed and this blog contains a comments section for viewers to post thoughts on the comic strips and an external link to a LiveJournal page devoted to the comic which encourages a sense of community amongst readers.

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References

26weekplan 2010, Blogging communities – Marketing plan week #10, online video, viewed 26 September 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJR_7cPhxUM.

Helmer, D 2010, The Meek, viewed 28 September 2010, http://www.meekcomic.com.

Kinkeldei, B 2007, Whitepaper blog communities: Forging connections and promoting growth through blog communities, 21Publish, viewed 27 September 2010, http://www.21publish.com/pub/21publish/blogging-whitepaper.pdf.

Reed, M 2009, How to build an online community, Community Spark, viewed 27 September 2010, http://www.communityspark.com/how-to-build-an-online-community/.

Samuda, RD 2010, 8 effective SEO techniques every Wordpress blogger should use, Blogging Pro, viewed 27 September, http://www.bloggingpro.com/archives/2010/06/14/8-effective-seo-techniques-every-wordpress-blogger-should-use/.

White, N 2006, Blogs and community – launching a new paradigm for online community?, The Knowledge Tree, viewed 27 September 2010, http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2006/edition-11-editorial/blogs-and-community-%E2%80%93-launching-a-new-paradigm-for-online-community.

A Look at Classifying Blogs

There are many ways to label a blog but not one definite one. Wordpress (n.d.) has nine general categories of blog types, as does Margaret Simons (2008). However, while both are listing blog genres, they do have their similarities and differences. For instance, Simons’ ‘Diary’ and ‘Popular Mechanics’ label is the same as Wordpress’ ‘Private’, ‘Personal’ and ‘How-To’ categories respectively. These only cover subject blogs. The image below shows the many types of topics a single blogger could cover.

Image from topleftdesign.com

Other types of blog mediums which also circulate the Internet include sketch blogs and video blogs which allows people converse directly with their viewers (Betancourt, 2009). Therefore, these blogs are classified according to their medium. Another form of categorising blogs is by target audience. Similarly, the author of the blog can define its classification – some blogs are handled individually as personal websites but others are managed by corporations to reach out to customers (Effective Corporate Blogging, 2009).

Then there are blogs which combine many mediums and subjects at once, which is the reason why there is trouble when it comes to finding a niche where each of them can fit neatly into. Blogging using many different mediums is effective because it allows the blogger to connect to its audience from multiple angles (Cheuvront, 2010).

In my opinion, the subject classification of blogs is the more effective mode of categorising. While it does not take into account medium and target audience, it does give a clear idea as to what the blog’s purpose is. Therefore, it is the best way to direct those interested in that particular subject towards the blog.

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References

Betancourt, L 2009, The complete guide to video blogging, Mashable, viewed 25 September 2010, http://mashable.com/2009/10/09/video-blogging/.

Cheuvront, M 2010, Connect with consumers from multiple angles using multiple mediums, Social Media Marketing, viewed 25 September 2010, http://www.socialmediamarketing.com/blog/connect-with-consumers-from-multiple-angles-using-multiple-mediums.

Effective Corporate Blogging 2009, Global Audit Information Network, The Institute of Internal Auditors, viewed 25 September 2010, www.theiia.org/download.cfm?file=96697.

Simons, M 2008, Towards a taxonomy of blogs, Australian Policy Online, viewed 25 September 2010, http://www.apo.org.au/commentary/towards-taxonomy-blogs-0.

Wordpress n.d. Types of blogs, viewed 25 September 2010, http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/.

The Blogosphere

Image from pamorama.net

The above image is an artist's rendition of the blogosphere. It has expanded magnificently over the past decade, booming from 4 million tracked blogs in 2004 to over 70 million in 2007 (Sifry, 2007). While more recent numbers are not supplied by Technorati, it can be assumed that the number has increased since then as the penetration rates of internet to the world population has risen by 444.8% over the last decade (Internet World Stats, 2010).

According to Rick Murray (2006) in an Edelman report, blog readership varies depending on the market, in this case, the geographic location. The same report notes that Asians read more blogs compared to Westerners - for example, the Japanese preferred to blog about daily lives (Kurosawa, 2006) while the British write about news and politics (Davies, 2006). A little closer to home, ten of the most popular blogs in Malaysia according to traffic include mostly politics and lifestyle themed blogs (Wong, 2009).

Modern society's exposure to these online weblogs has made them into a new form of media with its own degree of influence. A study conducted by Jupiter Research found that blogs have effects on public discussions and buying habits (Regan, 2006). In Malaysia, political blogs have an impact on the elections within the country - politicians who blog are more likely to garner votes compared to non-bloggers (Gong, 2010). This could be seen during the 2008 general elections where the opposition coalition won 82 out of 222 Parliamentary seats. Because the little control the government has on online material alternative media which are both anti-government and not exclusively pro-government is able to reach the masses. Hence, the society benefits by getting a broader perspective on the political landscape. As such, there are endless possibilities that can be achieved with the use of blogs.

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References

Edelman 2006, A Corporate Guide to the Global Blogosphere, StrategyOne, viewed 21 September 2010, http://www.edelman.com/image/insights/content/whitepaper011107sm.pdf.

Gong, R 2010, Internet politics and state media control: Candidate weblogs in Malaysia, Communication Policy Research South, viewed 24 September 2010, http://www.cprsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/drupal/Rachel%20Gong.pdf.

Internet World Stats 2010, Internet Usage Statistics: The Internet Big Picture, Miniwatts Marketing Group, viewed 21 September 2010, http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm.

Regan, T 2006, 'Blogs now have a world of influence', The Christian Science Monitor, 17 May, viewed 24 September 2010, http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0517/p14s01-cogn.html.

Sifry, D 2004, State of the Blogosphere, Technorati, viewed 21 September 2010, http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000245.html.

Sifry, D 2007, The State of the Wide Web, Technorati, viewed 21 September 2010, http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000493.html.

Wong, A 2009, Top 100 Malaysian Blogs, Rice Blogger, viewed 24 September 2010, http://www.riceblogger.com/top-100-malaysian-blogs/.

Document Design

The creation of MS Powerpoint changed the landscape of presentations everywhere, be it in the classroom or in a business meeting. So what is the point of a powerpoint? Seth Godin (2001) explains how a powerpoint presentation aids in selling an idea, and how it can appeal to both sides of a reader's brain - emotionally and factually. The trick is to know the best way of harnessing this tool to enhance your presentation.

To communicate with the right brain, a presentation must be easy on the eyes. The best fonts to use in a powerpoint - especially sentences - are sans serifs as they are easier to read (Canali De Rosi, 2004). The size of the text is also a crucial detail so that it is easier for people in the back to follow the slides (Russell, n.d.). Garr Reynolds (2005) lists a point from Tom Peters about how simple visuals are the best way to go, without any extra clutter.

Image from www.intuitive.com

The above slide illustrates the error that many people commit whereby too much information is dumped into one space, making it uninteresting to read. The plain choice of background design also throws people off. Layouts should be simple without any busy backgrounds which may reduce the readability of the text (Russell, n.d.). Similarly, transition effects should be avoided, as well as sound effects as they may only irritate the audience and draw attention away from your slides (Hyatt, 2007). Furthermore, the use of pie charts and diagrams are a good way of presenting information. The slide below demonstrates a good combination of pie chart, image and declarative sentence to give support to a message.

Image from presentationzen.blogs.com

Hyatt (2007) also mentions how the slides are supposed to complement your speech, and are not meant to be the center of attention. Dave Taylor (2006) agrees, saying that a speaker who is passionate about the topic at hand will have the attention of his or her audience. Hence, the effectiveness of a powerpoint presentation relies on its design and the capability of its speaker in presenting the material.

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References

Canali De Rosi, L 2004, Best Fonts For An Effective Presentation, MasterViews International, viewed 3 September 2010, http://masterview.ikonosnewmedia.com/2004/10/26/best_fonts_for_an_effective.htm.

Godin, S 2001, Really Bad Powerpoint (And How to Avoid It), Do You Zoom Inc., viewed 3 September 2010, http://www.sethgodin.com/freeprize/reallybad-1.pdf

Hyatt, M 2007, Five Rules for Better Presentations, Michael Hyatt, viewed 3 September 2010, http://michaelhyatt.com/five-rules-for-better-presentations.html.

Reynolds, G 2005, Tom Peters on Presentations, Presentation Zen, viewed 3 September 2010, http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/07/in_may_tom_pete.html.

Russell, W n.d., 10 Tips for Successful Business Presentations, About.com, viewed 3 September 2010, http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpointinbusiness/tp/bus_pres_tips.htm.

Taylor, D 2006, Use Powerpoint to Enhance Your Presentation, Not Cripple It, The Business Blog, Intuitive Systems, viewed 3 September 2010, http://www.intuitive.com/blog/use_powerpoint_to_enhance_your_presentation_not_cripple_it.html.

Purpose

Image from http://www.drjeffcornwall.com

Over the course of the next few months, this blog will address and discuss issues regarding publication, design and media. In a fast-paced world where news travels fast and visuals are key to attracting the attention of the public, there isn't a scarcity of discussion that can be held about these main issues - be it in the form of print or digital media. This blog is targeted towards university students who are enrolled in media-related courses as well as professionals who specialize in the field.