The road so far…

Personally, I have never had much intention to start a blog let alone a serious weblog. However, this experience has led me to enjoy writing as a blogger. I feel, bloggers are an opportune bunch of individuals because they can express themselves and somewhat share their part of the world with others.

During the process of creating this blog, I began to understand the theories of Publication and design much deeper and clearer. I also acquired a sense of designing documents that will effectively reach out to my audience. As a blogger, I always want to maintain my goal which is to blog with a purpose. I would want readers to acquire new knowledge by reading my postings and give their personal feedbacks.

As a blogger, I have also certain standpoints on how I blog:

a. Firstly, my blog will be sensitive to all cultures, races and religions.
Kress & van Leeuwen (1996) suggest that, each culture has its own sets of meanings (pp.109).
Schriver (1997) also states that designers that fail to understand their readers’ perspectives and as a result create bias documents, will face angry audiences.
I believe in writing for all and therefore would not want to offend any readers.

b. Secondly, this blog will be designed well to suit the readers.
According to Schriver (1997), writers and designers are expected to integrate both the visual and the verbal (pp.363). This blog does not merely contain words but also acquires the use of visuals and videos. Readers are also free to leave their comments on the postings.

c. Thirdly, this blog will not go against any copyright laws.

As a final note, I hope this blog has served its purpose to give you an insight into the issues affecting Publication and Design and to inspire you to look into other issues as well.

References:

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T., 1996.Visual and verbal literacies. Reading Images: the grammar of visual design. Geelong, Vic.: Deakin University.

Schriver, K., 1997. Cahpter 6: The interplay of words and pictures. Dynamics in document design: creating texts for readers. Wiley Computer Pub. New York.

Click here, Kids!

As a kid, I remember anticipating commercials on the television. My sister and I would even remember the jingles and try our very best to sing along to it. Children are typically attracted by advertisements, due to their appealing and attractive nature. In this generation, with about 1,463 million Internet users worldwide, advertisers have begun marketing their products online (Internet Usage Statistics, 2008). Children are part of this digital community, with some kids under the age of five, accessing the Internet (Funnell, 2008). With internet readily available in schools and in most urban homes, cyberspace has become an after-school playground for kids.

Advertisers are frequently looking for new markets to target and although children may not spend as much as adults, they are more susceptible to marketing traps. In 1999, Jupiter Communications estimated that children will spend a total of $100 million in e-commerce come 2003 (Cai & Markiewicz, 2003, pp.1). Hence, children represent profit to marketers.

Children are increasingly using the Internet.
Source: sunderland.gov.uk

Now with the emergence of Internet, liquor and beer companies and, to a lesser extent, tobacco companies are switching their advertising effort to cyberspace. Strangely, these sites seem almost welcoming to children and underage youths. Critics say that, underage youths are vulnerable to advertisements in forms of games, online chat forums and other entertainment gimmicks that content messages touting drinking and smoking (Schiesel, 1997).

Cuervo Especial, a tequila drink company, sponsored a game on the brand’s Web site. It depicted a cartoonish rodent, J.C. Roadhog, racing through a desert littered with empty tequila bottles bearing the company’s label (Schiesel, 1997). The president of the Center for Media Education, Kathryn C. Montgomery stressed that marketers of alcohol and tobacco products see the Internet as a powerful tool to market their products to youths (Schiesel, 1997).

Furthermore, Web sites often lure children to give their personal information in exchange for membership, gifts, publications and prizes (Cai & Gantz, 2000). Moreover, a survey showed that children were more likely to say it was ‘Ok’ to give personal information to Web sites in exchange of a gift (Turow, 2001). This is because children have limited knowledge on the intent of such advertisements. They merely perceive these ads to be a source of entertainment. A study by Henke (1999) found that 74 per cent of the children studied thought commercial Web sites were meant to entertain (Cai & Markiewicz, 2003, pp.4-5).

Young children are more susceptible to online advertisements.
Source: knightsquest.org

In addition, online advertising has become more and more interactive, with ads in forms of games designed to attract youths. These ads are child friendly and engaging that the child does not see the nature of the content.

Given the susceptibility advertising has on children, parents have an important role to play as gatekeepers. Parents need to educate their children so as to become victims of such marketing scams. They should advice their children not to give their personal information on the Web without their permission.

Parents play an important role.
Source: asdfing.com

References:
Funnell, A., 2008. ‘New research on Australian internet usage’. The Media Report. ABC Radio National Transcripts, viewed 10 November 2008, <http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2320016.htm > Janoschka, A., 2004. Web

Advertising: New Forms of Communication on the Internet. John Benjamins Publishing Company.Internet Usage Statistics, 2008. Internet World Stats, viewed 4 November 2008, <http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm>

Cai, X. & Markiewicz, K., 2003. Click here, kids! Advertising practices on popular children’s Web sites. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Marriott Hotel, San Diego, CA.

Cai, X., & Gantz, W., 2000. Online privacy issues associated with Web sites for children. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44, 197-214.

Schiesel,S., 1997. ‘On Web, New Threats Seen to the Young’. The New York Times, viewed 10 November 2008, <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E5D71030F934A35750C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all>

Turow, J., 2001. Family boundaries, commercialism, and the Internet: A framework for research. Applied Developmental Psychology, 22, 73-86.

The new age of advertising

I’ve always had an eye for advertising. I grew watching it and now have a deep passion set on working in the advertising field. Through the years, advertising has greatly changed; from early black and white print ads to interactive ads on mobile phones. However, one medium is leading the new wave of advertising and it is the online media.

Advertising is moving to the Web
Source: newworldtel.com

Today, Web advertising is becoming more and more ‘in your face’ with “pop-up” ads, ads in forms of games, ads with sound effects and jingles, ads that swim across the screen and so forth (Brian, 2002). Nearly all Web sites are filled with ads. According to Rogers (2006) and Canning (2008), figures show that online ad spending is increasing albeit the financial crisis hitting the markets. This comes to no shock being that there are about 1,463 million internet users worldwide (Internet Usage Statistics, 2008). Hence, advertisers can benefit by targeting this huge market.

"Pop-up" advertisements
Source: sysfix.co.uk

Web advertising is intensifying with interactive ads, banner ads, advertising placed in blogs and social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Bebo etc.) and even “pop-up” ads in instant messaging applications (Eg.: MSN messenger). Online companies such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN are greatly benefiting from this medium, being that their offer online products and services (Impact of Internet Advertising, n,d.). Hence, their consumers would be internet users.

Advertisements on MSN messenger.
Source: Tux Reports Network

Online advertising vs. Traditional advertising

What makes Online advertising powerful? Firstly, it’s ability to reach huge number of users from across the globe. The Advantages of Internet Advertising vs. Traditional Advertising (n.d.), states that information growth on the internet has caused the number of users and their internet usage to increase. Furthermore, online advertising is highly targeted. Online advertising offers targeting methods to ensure that those who see your ads will be most likely to purchase the product (The Advantages of Internet Advertising vs. Traditional Advertising, n.d.). Moreover, unlike print and broadcast advertising, online advertising is much cheaper and is available for long periods of time (Janoschka, 2004).

According to Janoschka (2004), online advertising is interaction-orientated and is meant to be directly activated (pp.47). Thus, unlike traditional ads, online ads are much more interactive and some even require the viewer’s interaction. For instance, ads in forms of games and “roll-over” ads. According to Walsh (2006), the advances of the Internet enable the use of many tools (hyperlinks, navigation bars, buttons etc) to attract and maintain interest (pp. 31).

Advertisers are slowly shifting to online advertising and some envision it surpassing traditional advertising. Funnell (2007) states that, change has already come especially in UK and in the States. However, traditional advertising will not fade away overnight, but with more brands considering a move to the digital world, this is soon to come.

References:

Brian, M., 2002. . ‘How Web Advertising Works.’ HowStuffWorks.com, viewed 4 November 2008, <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-advertising.htm>

Canning, S., 2008. ‘Web ads continue to shine brightly’. The Australian, viewed 4 November 2008, <http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24614364-7582,00.html>

Funnell, A., 2007. ‘The changing face of advertising’. The Media Report. ABC Radio National Transcripts, viewed 10 November 2008, <http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2097232.htm>

Janoschka, A., 2004. Web Advertising: New Forms of Communication on the Internet. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Internet Usage Statistics, 2008.

Internet Usage Statistics, 2008. Internet World Stats, viewed 4 November 2008, <http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm>

Rogers, D., n.d. ‘Digital advertising to kick TV’s behind?’. The Future of Media, viewed 4 November 2008, <http://blog.ipglab.com/?p=283>

The Advantages of Internet Advertising vs. Traditional Advertising, n.d. Implied by Design, viewed 4 November 2008, <http://www.impliedbydesign.com/articles/the-advantages-of-internet-advertising-vs-traditional-advertising.html
advertising.html>

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.

Elections made in the digital realm?

As we all know, the past elections in Malaysia have left many shocked at the results. The elections left the dominant Barisan Nasional weakened while their challengers had succeeded in winning four states. According to Koh (2008), even the most optimistic watchers did not expect such a magnitude of victory for the opposition and a devastating defeat for the ruling coalition. Factors resulting to the defect such as economic worries, rising prices, more co-operation among opposition parties, ethnic distress and dissatisfaction with the administration were brought up (Koh, 2008).

Source: The Confessions of a Hedonese

However, this time another factor served as an underlying cause to this defeat; Malaysia’s digital media. With media blackout imposed on the opposition parties, and mainstream media controlled by the ruling party, opposition voices were mainly spread through the internet and other alternative media (Low, 2008). The internet was largely used through alternative news sites (Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini), email forwarding and also blogs which gave the public news on political talks of Opposition parties. Furthermore, video publishing sites; YouTube and Google Video supplied videos of talks and other opposition news to the masses.

Discussions held on Facebook
Source: Beneath the Red Hood

Another medium that was greatly used and perhaps is quite an interesting factor is called ‘Viral SMS’. ‘Viral SMS’ is the activity of forwarding SMS texts to a large number of people. Unlike Philippines which is commonly known as the texting capital of the world, Malaysians are probably more conservative (Low, 2008). However, the power of ‘fwd’ seem to work its ways into encouraging people to forward these SMSes to 10 or more people, encouraging an Opposition vote (Low, 2008).

An example of "Viral Sms"
Source: Beneath the Red Hood

Hence it is no doubt that, the Internet and the mobile phone has been a big influence in this General Election. The Internet and the mobile phone media are powerful tools being that they can reach wide range of audiences across geographical areas and are cost efficient. According to Lusoli (2005), evidence suggests that more likely voters can be reached online (pp.155). He also adds that political Web sites have added value through their speed and interactivity (pp.155).

More importantly, this new media establishes a relationship between voter and candidate as voters can easily give their feedback and comments to the candidates. Furthermore, new media improves voter information. Now, citizens can be better informed about the political situation in their country and be encouraged to vote.

Therefore, the development and advances of technology, continues to change the way we communicate and disseminate information. As many new media are emerging, organizations need to understand their importance and use it to their benefits as seen in this election.

References:

Koh, L. C., 2008. ‘Was this the election made on the Internet?’ The New Straits Times. Malaysia Today, viewed 12 November 2008, <http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/4209/84/>

Low, B., 2008. ‘Malaysia's digital revolution--the death knell for The Star, and the rise of the e-news portal?’ CNET Asia, viewed 12 November 2008, <http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/teteatech/post.htm?id=63002611>

Lusoli, W., 2005. The Internet and the European Parliament elections: Theoretical perspectives, empirical investigations and proposals for research. IOS Press, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Tempo Irony: Ethical or not?

I’m not a politically interested individual, nor am I that much interested in magazine covers but this issue striked me. It made me question whether such an issue was really religiously unethical or acceptable.

Back in Febuary 2008, an Indonesian magazine called ‘Tempo” published on its front cover an illustration depicting former president Suharto and his children in a composition that parodied the ‘Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci (AFP, 2008).

To be more exact, the cover of the February 4-10 edition of Tempo featured an illustration of Suharto, who died a month earlier, taking the role of Jesus Christ in the centre of the table while being surrounded by his three daughters and sons, instead of the apostles (AFP, 2008).

This triggered complaints and criticism from many Christians which lead about a dozen representatives from various Christian and religious groups to visit Tempo’s office to ensure their complaints were heard. They asked the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs to look into Blasphemy charges under the Indonesian Criminal Code against the magazine.This soon followed with Tempo’s chief editor Toriq Hadad giving his full apology on behalf of the company to Christians and those offended by the sketch (Lacey, 2008).

Tempo's front cover
Source: Indonesia matters

The orginal painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
Source: Indonesia matters

Lately, there has been some dispute about whether Tempo needed to apologise or even face blasphemy charges for its actions. Indonesian journalist Pak Nurrohman questioned how blasphemy was considered a crime when the Indonesian constitution offered religious freedom and freedom of expression (Lacey, 2008). Other journalists also stood up and argued that Tempo should not have apologized.

However, Christians and other religious groups felt otherwise. They felt Tempo was suggesting that Suharto was in some ways a similar version of Jesus Christ and this offended them. So, should Tempo have apologised? According to Staff editorial (2006), religious sensitivity should be considered when publishing. The writer adds that people need to understand the various cultures that thrive in order that religious injustice can be avoided. Many argue that such articles are published to exercise freedom of speech. However, the writer states that there is a fine line between free speech and trying to start racial conflicts (Staff editorial, 2006).

Kress & van Leeuwen (1996) suggest that, each culture has its own sets of meanings (pp.109). Holiday & Hasan (1985) agree saying that, in any culture, there will be many modes of meanings (pp.4). Hence, writers and editors should be aware that different cultures may have their own set of meanings and be respectful of them. They should opt not to publish materials that could offend a certain religion, race or culture. Thus, writers, editors and publishers have a big responsibility to carry out.

References:

AFP, 2008. ‘Indonesian weekly apologises over Last Supper Suharto cover’. ABC News, viewed 1 November 2008, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/06/2156269.htm>

Halliday, M. A. K. & Hasan, R., 1985. Language, context and text: aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective, Deakin University, Victoria.

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T., 1996.Visual and verbal literacies. Reading Images: the grammar of visual design. Geelong, Vic.: Deakin University.

Lacey, T., 2008. ‘WHAT IT MEANS…OIC debate on Islamaphobia Dakar 13-14 march’. Yemen Times, viewed 1 November 2008, <http://www.yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1140&p=local&a=6>

Staff editorial, 2006. ‘Religious sensitivity should be considered when publishing’. View Points Online, viewed 1 November 2008, <http://media.www.viewpointsonline.org/media/storage/paper753/news/2006/03/09/Opinions/
Religious.Sensitivity.Should.Be.Considered.When.Publishing-1663023.shtml>

Photojounalism or visual deception?

As a child, I always had an idea of black and white pictures when the phrase photojournalism came to mind. Somehow, looking at black and white pictures gave me a sense of truth and excitement and this was the picture I had of photojournalism.

A century ago, people believed what they saw in photographs but with the dawning of the digital age, many visual representations that seem to be true are not. Photojournalism, the profession by which journalists take news-editorial photographs for print, broadcast and online media is losing its faith. Lately, critics have questioned the use of gruesome images, photographers hounding celebrities, picture manipulations, negative stereotypical visuals and so forth (Emery and Smythe, 1995).

What has caused this change? According to Emery and Smythe (1995), the advances of computer technology has enabled anyone to produce and disseminate visual messages in great numbers across the world. These advances have made it possible for individuals to use softwares for purposes like photo manipulation.

Recently, photo manipulation has been greatly criticized among journalists. Photo manipulation seems to be a common term in photojournalism today. In fact, it is commonly used in photographs that sometimes even we can’t easily distinguish its forgery. So, where does this leave a profession whose mission was to deliver instant, realistic and “eyewitness” accounts of people or events across the world? (Newton, 2001).

In 2006, Patrick Schneider, a staff photographer at the Observer was fired when the publication discovered that he had enhanced the image. The picture depicted a Charlotte firefighter on a ladder, silhouetted by the sun. However in the original photo, the sky was brownish-gray skies instead of being deep red like the manipulated version (Winslow, 2006).

Source: National Press Photographers Association

Los Angeles Times staff photographer Brian Walski also received the same fate. In 2003, he combined two images of the war in Iraq and his work was published in the Times and other newspapers. Another case is when editors at el Nuevo Herald decided to manipulate two photographs and combine it into one image to send a message that prostitution was ignored by Cuban police (Winslow, 2006). However, in this incident no one at was disciplined or fired for producing or publishing the fake photograph.

Source: National Press Photographers Association

So, can photojournalism and visual truth coexist in the future? Photojournalism is changing in the digital era where more and more computer advances are replacing traditional tools and equipments. Now, with digital cameras and numerous editing softwares, photojournalism is in doubts. However Emery and Smythe (1995) stress that, “no matter how the tools of journalism change, fundamental ethical concerns still apply”. They add that, unethical issues in photojournalism will be continually discussed in the future in hopes that credibility can be achieves in this field.

References:

Emery, M. and Smythe, T.C., 1995. Readings in Mass Communication. Brown & Benchmark Publishers, viewed 12 November 2008, <http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/photoethics.html>

Winslow, D. R., 2006. ‘A Question of Truth: Photojournalism and visual ethics’. National Press Photographers Association, viewed 12 November 2008,
<http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2006/08/ethics.html>

Newton, J., 2001. The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

The Blogging Phenomena

The Blogging Phenomena

As of 2008, Technorati has indexed a record of 133 million blogs since 2002. Data further records that there are over 175,000 new blogs every day, on which updates of over 1.6 million posts are made per day or over 18 updates a second.

Source: concurringopinions.com

Blogs also have many trends that might differ in different countries. The blogging trend is very much embedded in the American culture, but Europe and other parts of the world are soon catching up. According to Mackenzie (2006), in Europe personal diary-style blogs are very popular.

Blogging in Asia is also becoming increasingly popular through findings stating that half of those online own a blog (Moyes & Collette, n.d.). According to research, Asians primarily blog to maintain and build their social connections, and as means of expressing themselves. 53% stated that they decided to start a blog to share a diary or photo album with loved ones (Moyes & Collette, n.d.).

In Malaysia, political blogs seem to be the strongest in the country with blogs like http://www.jeffooi.com/, http://blog.limkitsiang.com/ and http://rockybru.blogspot.com/ in the lead (Alang, 2007). However, political blogs make up a small part of the blogging landscape in Malaysia. According to Ooi (2007), a large number of blogs are about food, the social scene, family life, books and hobbies (pp.38).

Blogging does benefit the community in many aspects. In Malaysia,
strong blogs especially political ones give the society a wider cope
on the political situation of the country. They expose citizens to both
sides of the field; the government and the opposition parties. Most
commonly, blogs provide a platform for family and friends to keep
connected and to share memories with each other. 

Businesses in Malaysia have also turned to blogs to grow their businesses and build business relationships. Blogs selling products and blog-cum-boutique are increasingly popular in the country. Lately, some businesses are interested in advertising on famous blogs such as kennysia.com or blogs that are relevant to that of their business. Hence, blogs have different benefits in different situations and to each individual.

References:

Alang 2007. 'Strongest blogs in Malaysia'. Samsulzamzuri, viewed 5 November 2008, <http://www.samsulzamzuri.com/2007/04/08/strongest-blogs-in-malaysia/>

Moyes, N. & Collette, M.,n.d. 'Blogging Phenomenon Sweeps Asia'. Xinhua-PRNewswire, viewed 5 November 2008, <http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-28-2006/0004480819&EDATE>

Mackenzie, K., 2006. 'European bloggers find their voice'. Financial Times, viewed 4 November 2008,http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=European+bloggers+find+their+voice&y=1&aje=true&nclick_check=1&ct=0&id=061010001665&x=9

About Us 2008, Technorati.com, viewed 27 April 2008, <http://technorati.com/about/>

Ooi, Y. 2007. Blogging thrives in Malaysia. Communication World.

Blogging Genres and Communities

The growing numbers of blogs not only make up for an explosion of posts and updates but also diverse genres of blogs. What makes it more interesting is that each individual may have their own set of blog types; some self-created while others adopted.

Basic taxonomy of blogs can be seen in Technorati’s website. They have classified blogs into six different topics:

1. entertainment,
2. lifestyle,
3. sports,
4. business,
5. politics and
6. technology.

Whereas, personal blogs such as Creative Think have created their own set of blog types; which are

1. "Distraction" blogs,
2. "Archive" blogs,
3. "Conversation" blogs, and
4. "Democratic" blogs.

Hence, there is no strict standard to follow when it comes to blog classification, instead individuals decide which set they may follow.

According to White (2006), the online community has been an important component of the internet, though it mainly formed around email lists, bulletin board and forums. Lately, the growth of blogs has paved the way for communities to interact on a new platform. Blogging communities usually form around a shared interest or a driven passion (Vinson, 2006). One Tree Hill Blog, a site for fans of the television series ‘One Tree Hill’, existed due to the huge number of online fans. Created by two avid fans, the site has everything from news, episode ratings, and pictures to episode spoilers.

Source: One Tree Hill Blog

Such blogs create a blogging community platform for readers by allowing them to leave comments on individual postings. This gives them the opportunity to communicate with the blogger and also the community. Another tool that makes a blogging community is the outbound links. Outbound links allow visitors to view the resources the blogger might read. As a result, readers get to have a look into the world in which the blogger operates (Vinson, 2006).

Outbound links
Source: Smoblog.com

So, blogging communities are very much similar to everyday communities, apart from the online tools they may have. Vinson (2006) states that blogging communities are joined by their common interests and by that interest are held together.

References:

Blog directory. Technorati, viewed 7 November 2008, <http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/>

Vinson, J. 2006. ‘Blogging and communities’. Knowledge jolt with Jack, viewed 7 November 2008, <http://blog.jackvinson.com/archives/2006/06/26/blogging_and_communities.html>

Von Oech, R. 2007. ‘A taxonomy of blog ’. Creative think, viewed 7 November 2008,
<http://blog.creativethink.com/2007/03/a_taxonomy_of_b.html>

White, N. 2006. ‘Blogs and community – launching a new paradigm for online community? ’ The knowledge tree, viewed 7 November 2008,
<http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2006/edition-11-editorial/blogs-and-community-%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%80%9C-launching-a-new-paradigm-for-online-community>

The Battle between Online and Print

Print has existed since the thirteenth century, making writing prominent and providing a medium for communication (Barnes & Palmquist, n.d.). However in the 90s, a new form of medium was created which we simply know as ‘The Internet’. Therefore, document designers now have to analyse the two different mediums to effectively design the piece.

In print documents, reading is usually from left to right and top to bottom. As suggested by Kress & Van Leeuwen (1998), in printed texts reading is linear and strictly coded (pp.205). However, for the web content is read in an F-pattern. Readers will first read in a horizontal movement across the upper part of the content, then move below and read the second horizontal movement before scanning the content’s left side in a vertical movement (Nielsen, 2006). Hence, document designers need to take these points into consideration when designing. Schriver (1997) suggests that, readers will rely on familiar cues provided by the document designer when reading text (pp.379).

The F-pattern of reading web content
Source: grumpycoder.co.uk

In contrast with print documents, content for online documents must be concise and straight to the point. This is because, users are most likely searching for specific information and do not intend to waste time reading clutter (Nielsen, 2008).

Print documents allow document designers to design their document strikingly and in doing so add impact to the piece. This is because print is ‘in-your-face’ within a second (Nielsen, 1999). Hence for the web, salience needs to be included in order that users are enticed to read on. For example, in blogs links, user-friendly navigation buttons, concise content and good graphic elements should be considered.

References:

Barnes, L. & Palmquist, M., n.d. ‘Online Vs. Print Publishing’. Colorado State University, viewed 9 November 2008,<http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/onlinepub/index.cfm>

Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. 1998. Front pages : (the critical) analysis of newspaper layout. Blackwell, Oxford.

Nielsen, J., 2008. ‘Writing Style for Print vs. Web’. Jakob Nielsen Alertbox, viewed 9 November 2008, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/print-vs-online-content.html>

Nielsen, J., 2006. ‘F-Shaped Pattern for Reading Web Content’. Jakob Nielsen Alertbox, viewed 9 November 2008, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html>

Nielsen, J., 1999. ‘Differences Between Print Design and Web Design’. Jakob Nielsen Alertbox, viewed 9 November 2008, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>

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

New Forms of Media Publishing

The digital age has brought with it the advances of technology and enabled easy and fast communication to those near or far, through forums, blogs, internet publications and so forth. Today, we find ourselves with endless options on which media to choose to publish our writings.

Here are some new forms of media publishing:

1. YouTube
2. Vlogs
3. Video Podcast
4. Photoblog
5. Lifecasting

These new trends are gaining popularity while some are already well known. Although some of us may be less inclined to use these forms of communication, we cannot deny the benefits it provides. For instance, Vlogs allow us to express authentic, unfiltered views through video (Garfield & Tarnes, 2006).

Stand out sites are like Rocketboom which is a daily 3-minute news video blog with its correspondents collaborating from around the world (Garfield & Tarnes, 2006). It has gained much popularity because it demonstrates the democratization of media every day because users act as their own producers.

Recently, YouTube and CNN jointly co-sponsored the Democratic and Republican presidential debates that intended to bring standard televised events to the digital age. Not only were viewers able to share and distribute the video, but the debate questions themselves were in forms of videos sent in by YouTube subscribers (McCarthy, 2008).

Being that YouTube is currently the king of video sharing (Smith, 2006); the creators took this opportunity to create more publicity for the company while giving their subscribers the chance to be part of the debate. Hence, new forms of media publishing does benefit users and with the advances of technology, it will continue to.

References:

Garfield, S. & Tarnes, D., 2006. ‘Media Revolution: Podcasting (Part 2)’. NewEnglandFilm.com, viewed 10 November 2008, <http://newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/2006/02/podcasting.htm>

McCarthy, C., 2007. ‘YouTube,CNN aim to 'revolutionize' presidential debate process’. Cnet news, viewed 10 November 2008, <http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9729506-7.html>

Smith, L., 2006. ‘YouTube and you – how video sharing will change the way you communicate’. Simply Communication, Gatehouse Consulting Ltd.

Blogging with a purpose

Greetings! Welcome to my blog and my rants. I believe in blogging with a purpose, for form without function is merely a waste of time or rather web space. Hence, my blogs aims to explore the issues pertaining to that of publication and design. This blogs intends to reach not only media students and peers but also others interested in the issues discussed.

According to Willersdorf et. al., (2006), one of the greatest strengths of the blog is its ability to reach a large number of people with the least amount of effort, regardless of location or time zone (pp.12). For this reason, I have chosen to use a blog to mirror my opinions and discussions to the masses.

Source: http://runningthroughrain.wordpress.com/category/blogging/

Reference:
Willersdorf et. al., (2006). BLOG – PHENOMENON: A study in the credibility of news blogs and its role in instigating changes in traditional newspapers and journalism education in Singapore and Australia. RMIT University.