Reflection on blogging

The processing of creating this weblog has definitely developed new skills. Having never created one in the past and I have learnt a new way of communicating. I have Developed skills in online design and how my blog needs to be reader friendly with the correct use other white space and graphics. Learning how to include hyperlinks was also a very helpful skill.

Blogs are definitely a positive development in communication and I think they are a great way to put messages out to the global community. After creating this blog, I am inspired to continue blogging on matters or genres that interest me personally. I think it is a great way to showcase your skills as a writer, journalist, artist or designer if you have no other avenue to promote yourself or show your skills.

Kevin Rudd wants to be your friend

The Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd has decided to move into the social networking realm to try to attract more young people to politics or more specifically his party. This was carried out in the Kevin 07 campaign. Kevin Rudd now has his own Facebook page that you can join if a member.

Even though this was a helpfull tool in 2007, it became known that in 2008 Kevin Rudd banned his staff from using the social networking site because media publications were using the sites as image sources. Although this type of campaign had not been tried in the past and works to some degree, i don't think that it would have a major affect. Kevin Rudd has also been noted using Twitter to put messages out into the community and let people know what he was up to. Although these are things to attract a younger audience, it still comes back to privacy. With every young person these campaigns attract does it also attract more negative attention from the media? Does it allow them further access into personal but unnecessary areas of our Prime Ministers life?

Classifications of blogging communities

A weblog or ‘blog’ is an online website which has regular updates on news or a particular subject. It is updated by individuals or creator of the blog with commentaries or event descriptions. They can also be classified as personal commentary or opinions on particular topics as well as self promoting and advertising. some say that the classification of blogs doesn’t really exist. Anyone can create a blog on any topic they choose, from Hollywood gossip, to poetry and art. There can be endless discussions on different topics. All you have to do is find them, but it’s not always easy to filter your way through. The following will show two examples of blogging communities.

The first i would like to discuss was created by Bruce Ableson, who launched the community Open diary in 1999. It was the first blogging community that allowed readers to post comments on other people's blog entries.

The second example is a community called Blogcatalog.
“The BlogCatalog Community Blog is a place to highlight great blogs and bloggers, share the latest blogging and social media news, review tools for bloggers and keep you up to date on what's going on at BlogCatalog.”

Future concerts to be streamed from Youtube

When it comes to seeing your favourite band play live in your city, many people would find it the most exiting and memorable experience.

In the article ‘U2 Internet concert a peek at the future’ taken from The Advertiser, October 21, written by Sam Kelton, discusses how the popular group U2 will be the first band to stream an entire concert through Youtube. This, according to Kelton will pave the way for other acts to reach a wider fan based through the Internet than they were ever able to do before. Through streaming, the concert will be available on the Internet in 16 countries and will undoubtedly be breaking new ground in the media, entertainment and music industries alike.

A major reason beside the publicity this concert will bring. The music industry has noted that these are tough time and many fans struggle to afford the costs of seeing many of their favourite concerts. This method and visual aid can help increase the public appeal of a band but without effect some fans financially.

Image source: musicroom.com

New forms of publishing

Rip it up magazine is an Adelaide based publication. It covers youth, entertainment and lifestyle issues. The online Rip it up draws from three local publications including Onion, Attitude and of course Rip it up.

The layout of each publication is designed rather differently. The print version of this media is similar to that of a newspaper. It uses similar paper and is around the same size. The design includes a front cover and double page spreads of text and graphics. This is rather different to the traditional glossy magazine style that we are all familiar with.

The online version of this magazine has all the same details and information available to their audience but it’s not laid out the same. The home page has a list of links you can click on that take you to the different pages with specific information, which is also found in the printed version. According to Parker (2003, p. 278) 'Your online readers will appreciate a hyperlinked table of contents at the start of your publication'.

Another difference is that the webpage is much more eye catching due to the sharp images and background designs. Where as, the printed version shows a duller finish on the paper they use. Although colour is a useful tool to enhance an online publication it is important that you don't add too many because it can be distracting for your reader (Parker, 2003).

This does not disadvantage the reader because the information and text is much more valuablein a magazine such as this. The information is also clearly set out, which avoids complications with their readers searching for information (Parker, 2003).

Image source: Rip it up/facebook

Parker, RC, 2003, 'Designing documents for web distribution', Looking good in print, 5th edn, Paraglyph Press, Scottsdale AZ

Printcasting

Dan Pacheco is a US based online designer and online networker for some high profile publications such as the Washington Post. Pacheco helps develop the social side of these companies and has been quoted calling himself a 'print-is-dead-aholic' until recently.

Printcasting is the term I want to discuss today, which Pacheco has been working to develop. It involves using the web approach to designing print media and creating niche publications. This, according to Pacheco, reaches people on a more personal level in comparison to large corporate news feeds. It also includes the idea of having local entries to these types of niche publications, in other words ‘citizen journalism’. Some will adopt the idea of blogging and translate that to print so it is community based. The idea of ‘citizen journalism’ is already highly debated and therefore we will all probably hear a lot more discussion about this new type of new medium.

To the right is an example of printcasting. It is a newsletter for the Bakersfield High school and uses a web style format for print. As you can see the eye is drawn down the page rather that from top left to bottom right.

Image source: www.printcasting.com/user/62

Print vs Online design

The principles of design must be taken into account for both print and online material. Although there are many differences in design of the two mediums these principles still have to be demonstrated, but in varying ways. According to Reep (2006, p. 135) “the Principles of design are qualities important to any visual presentation regardless of topic or audience”.

The principles of design are; Balance, proportion, sequence, and consistency. The difference in the two mediums is evident in the way the audience reads the material or information. When reading from print, one will generally scan over the whole page from one point to anther. When print is presented the designers can choose to emphasise certain areas of information due to its importance, as well as including the use of graphics to attract emphasis. Online designs are constructed differently to help cater for the audiences roll in searching for information. Most website allow the reader to scroll down the page to follow the material or search for more information.

White space, colour and typography must also be taken into account when designing for print and online. White space is very beneficial to website designers because it allows for the audience to follow the information more efficiently (Reep 2006). Although white space is also useful in print design, it is evident that a lot more information can be packed into print mediums versus the online. This can be done because the audience will generally read from the top left hand corner, ending at the bottom right. The information is laid out in print with this in mind. This in comparison to reading, and scrolling down a webpage in search of information.

Image source: blog.bigpromotions.net/index.php/2009/02/
Reep, DC 2006, 'Document design', Technical writing: principle, strategies and readings, 6th edn, Pearson/Longman, New York

Do we really have privacy?

Privacy and the Internet is a topic of continuous debate. Youth and the Internet puts alarm into some of the older generations fearing for the lack of privacy in our lives. Internet privacy refers how much information you choose to release about yourself on the Web and how much can people access. 

The youth of today are living their social lives through a lot of online communities. Many people post photos from digital cameras to their personal sites. Originally most photographs used in this manner would have once needed permission from all the people featured in the picture before posting it. 

A lot of media outlets now use these social networking sites as a source of information about people who are somewhat unsuspecting. I think the problem with release personal information on the Internet is that many people are unaware of the real dangers until they are in the situation of identity theft and more. 

A recent article from The Advertiser, written by and mother, was stressing to parents of these dangers. Her daughter (Ashleigh Hall) was lured through Facebook by a man posing as a 16-year-old boy and was murdered. The man was a registers sex offender. There are definitely extreme cases, but we should all be aware of the dangers of outing our private information and pictures where anyone in the world can see them. 

Image source: lawiscool.com/.../

Blogs: the new phenomenon

Weblogs are becoming increasingling popular in todays society. They are used for many different purposes and anyone can create one. Up to 5 years ago blogs would have been used alot for media discussions and even professional journalism. Weblogs are described as a new phenomenon because so many people have started their own on their personal area of interest. Many Blogs are text based but there has been an increase in many visual blogs such as Art and photography. The following quote is taken from Kress (1997, p. 54) and it dicusses how changes in society and technology have allow different distribution channels to expand helping to develope this 'new phenomenon'.

"these have had positive effects for groups previously excluded, marginalised or oppressed, so that social groups and communicational changes tending to greater informality cannot be said to have just a technological origin: social, political and technological elements coincide"

The Internet has allowed individuals in society to put their personal message out there, even as a form of personal advertising. Blogs have affected the community in many positive ways. Another example is the many music blogs about local music and musicians that helps to promote local talent. This emphasis the social advances made through technology whereas two decades ago there were few avenues to get your message or talent out to the world. Blogs have helped to concret visual communication as being just as important as the written word, with some focusing on different images with little text. According to an authoritive source there have been drastic changes in media and the differen forms of communications available (Kress, 1997).

Kress, G 1997, 'Visual and verbal modes of representation in electronically mediated communication: the potentials of new forms of text' in Snyder, Ilana (ed) 1997, Page to screen: taking literacy into the electronic era, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards