Personal Portfolio (Website)

http://abarba222.wix.com/anthony-t-barba


To all my fans out there this will be my final blog! The link above connects to my personal website so if you're interested check it out. It's been a fun semester so keep an eye out for my reemergence into the blog world in the future.

Open Sky: In Space

In the last section of Open Sky, Virilio really went deep into his philosophy. It's hard to admit but for a majority of the time I couldn't for the life of me understand the ideas he was trying to get across. By no means am I bashing Virilio for his logic or writing talent but more faulting myself for not being able to keep up with his reasoning. However, I will try and attempt to give a personal interpretation of what he was saying.

From my understanding, Virilio was talking about the connection between time and space. It sounded like there is a strong connection between physical geography and how time and space can be interpreted. If you are judging these things from a country standpoint there is domestic communication that doesn't even exist from a world standpoint. My interpretation of this is that communication between relatively local people means nothing in the context of the world on a general scale. For example my contact with a friend in California when I'm in South Carolina is non-existent when you show that conversation to someone in the Ukraine.

Furthermore, on a general knowledge basis, time is different to people in different areas of the world due to that various time zones. Someone in London may have experienced a moment in the Olympics last summer that someone in the United States wouldn't even be aware of until the next day when they wake up. So, although my analysis may be way off sadly, in terms of time and space affecting the world this is what I believe Virilio was discussing.


Daily Questions to Ponder:
1) How does time and space affect people geographically?

2)How can time and space change meaning when going between domestic and international communication?

Open Sky: With A Clouded Future

In this section of the book Open Sky, Virilio talks about how technology is making everyone lazy and in turn making them want to travel less. The reasoning behind this thought is that he says if a person can just get on their computer and pull up a picture of something, such as Big Ben in London, why would they actually want to travel all the way to London in person. In Virilio's mind people would rather indulge in virtual reality than experience actually reality because it is so much easier in modern times.

However, one of the flaws in this logic is that you are removing the human element from the argument. Virilio doesn't take into account that people would rather experience something in person than virtually and financial restrictions or distance is the reason the don't get the opportunity. I still believe that if people had the choice they wouldn't be satisfied with just looking at a picture of a beautiful site when they could see it with there own eyes.

Additionally, with all the new technology, even when we do travel that technology is affecting our experience. With the distraction of iPhones, iPods, computers and so on people aren't paying the same attention to their surrounding as they used to in a new environment. The experience of traveling is getting somewhat hindered by the distractions we expose ourselves too. Even though technology like cameras and items of the sort that help us to remember a trip a good, the overall experience has become less enriching in many instances with the inclusion of phones, Mp3s and computers.

The final thing I want to talk about in this section of Open Sky is the subject of the disabling of able people mentally and physically.For instance, with the invention of the calculator people no longer have to be able to do basic math that well because they have a device that will do it for them. In the same way, people no longer have to walk across large parts of the airport because they installed moving walkways. Through the new technology we embrace, we are hurting ourselves mentally and physically without even realizing it. Our dependence on things outside ourselves is weakening our ability to perform in society.


Discussions Questions to Ponder:
1) What makes people want to travel rather than viewing a place virtually?

2) How can we become less disabled in society after we've been exposed to all these technologies?

Open Sky

Open Sky, by Virilio, from a media and communications stand point, discusses the speed at which we must process information presented to us. From my interpretation, it seems as if Virilio is saying that through a medium such as the Internet, information is flung at us so rapidly that why we think we are processing is actually just a portion of the overall message. Our minds when absorbing information at such a rapid speed try to focus on a sold object but by the nature of the beast our view is widening or branching out to catch other pieces of information also that weren't in focus mere seconds earlier.

Virilio likes to go back and forth between describing elaborate scenarios in life and applying his knowledge so it is entertaining to try and keep track of his train of thought. However, to help describe the analysis above, Virilio uses the example of skydiving. He states that as you fall closer to ther ground your eyes think they are adjusting to a certain object, however, as you continue to fall you find that object is actually widening to reveal a much bigger picture. His use of worldly occurrnces are often interplaced with his thoughts in Open Sky and Virilio uses many of these instances to put a more exciting and more stimulating spin on his argument.


Daily Questions to Ponder:
1) What is Virilio trying to accomplish through his long examples of life instances?
2) What makes Virilio's point of view appear valid?

The Audience and You

When writing a blog or for an online source what you first may think about is the audience you are trying to reach with the message you want to portray.  When thinking about your audience you have to consider what topics will pull your reader in and what writing style will keep them interested.  Writing is a complex process that may accept some forms and reject others. Although your reasoning may appeal to a reader in one instance doesn't mean it will apply to the reader's opinion in all instances.

There are said to be seven steps that go into understanding your audience.  These steps include, listing your major audience, gathering information about your audience, listing major characteristics for each audience, gathering your audiences' questions, tasks and stories, using your information to create personas, Including the persona's goals and tasks, and using your information to write scenarios for your site.

Every channel has a channel of more interest at the time so with all of Furman tunnels apparently falling down, even Furman and it's other tunnels are more courageous at this moment. Your major audience regardless of size is always what you are trying to appeal to. However, this audience's desires may change over the course of time. It is the web designers job to figure out what the key desires are for that audience and to bring them to the forefront of the website in order to make the audience as happy as possible.

No matter what the case is for an individual audience, it is essential to keep the target audience interested and happy with the information being displayed upon a website. The audience is the key to success for a blog or website so no matter what society deems the best it is up to the main group to decide what their particular audience prefers.



Daily Questions to Ponder?

1) What makes the audience so important for a website?

2) Is the audience a good scale for what is popular?


 

A Clash of Two Titans: Video

Evaluating The Web

Chapter 6 in writing for digital media starts off with a description of the Gestalt theory. Basically, this theory states that the whole is different from the sum of its parts. When considering this theory in the context of working online, it's important to remember the complexity that goes into every aspect of a web page. Sometimes when working online it's difficult to make sure the various parts of a website add up to support the entire product. From my personally interpretation of this theory, I see it as even though the web page may appear presentable as a whole, different aspects like hyperlinks, photo credits, spelling and so on may not be up to par or make sense with the rest of the page.

When dealing with the parts of a web page there are a lot of editing and style desitions that need to be made. First off, if you design a website to fit a certain template it's typically best to keep that style consistent through the pages of your website. The reason you would want to do this is because it makes your website look more unified and easier for the viewer to remain invested in what you are trying to show them. When it comes to editing your site, there are a few things you must take into account. For instance, there are obvious things such as spelling and grammar and then there are other aspects tougher to keep consistent with like photo credits, hyperlinks, and page breaks.

Finally, something crucial to the validity of your web page are the correctness of your references, dates, names and professions along with other criteria that may go along with classifying someone or something. Your website can look as professional as possible but if you have incorrect information presented publicly it will immediately discredit the rest of your site. Faulty hyperlinks and misspelled words are problems but they are salvageable situations to have on a web page but it is difficult to recover from incorrect personal or factual information.

Ultimately,  the various parts of a website all need to be checked, maintained and presented properly to insure the overall quality of your website. Even though online sources change and are presented so rapidly it is important to do your best to edit and style your final product properly.


Daily Questions to Ponder:
1) How do you determine the proper words an phrases to hyperlink?

2) How can poor editing effect the credibility of your website?

Video Storyboard

 

Putting Everything Together

Although the main characters are often given the credit for the quality of a movie or TV show, it's the post-production editing that pulls together everything and defines the story. Without editing, there would be no sound effects, special effects, color changes, or animations inserted in to the production. If we think about all these things many of them are in fact what makes the final product make sense and so entertaining.

When considering the the merits of editing animated movies are a very good example. If you think about all the things that go into editing an animated film or TV show, it is a long and complicated process. Since animated shows don't have human actors you need to create voices for all the characters to go along with their animated bodies. That's beside the fact that with animation you need to create each character, every background, and all the scenes that go into your story because there are no real life backgrounds to use. Additionally, all the sound effects, color changes and graphics must be added to these animated shows and movies. Virtually, every aspect of animation uses post-production editing to create their final product.

Editing helps show what the video camera, actors and director cannot. Before going into the post-production editing stage it's necessary to shoot enough video so that after editing there is enough time in the movie or show left to fill in the allotted or target time. Although, editing tools are generally fairly easy to understand and execute, it takes an experienced editor to not just edit but create a story through the whole process.

In the end, editing can take an average movie and make it great or take fantastic filming and make it terrible. The purpose of good editing is to make the movie flow smoothly as if no one ever interfered. Poor editing is so noticeable because it steals your attention from the movie or show and focuses it on the production quality. That's why editing is possibly the most important part of the entire film production process.  


Daily Questions to Ponder:

1) Is editing more important to some movie genres than others?

2) When does editing start to decrease the overall product of a film or show?

A Scary Good Point of View

In today's reading the main topic is point of view.  What I mean by point of view is, in terms of filming, the way the camera shots help tell the story. There are a number of ways you can use point of view to change the meaning of the story you're telling. Often times you can use specific points of view for specific genres like action, romance, horror, etc. The key behind choosing which point of view you want to use to tell your story is first deciding what perspective you want the storyteller to take.

What I want to focus primarily on in this post is the point of view used in horror movies. Since it is October and my favorite holiday is Halloween, I figured it would be fun to take a further look into what makes the horror movies my friends and I enjoy so much so good. One of the most famous point of views used in scary movies is the long-moving camera shot. This is where the audience is looking through the eyes of the monster or predator in the story. Such examples of this are movies like Predator, Halloween, and many werewolf movies.  The long-moving camera point of view utilizes the ability to show the unsuspected prey being watched which helps build suspense.

By using this point of view along with reaction shots of terrified victims suspense is instilled into the story making it more enjoyable to watch for those who appreciate the genre. Without using the right point of view, the entire movie can be compromised because the story wouldn't be conveyed to the audience the right way. This is the same for all movie genres. If a director tried to use the horror movie point of view for a romantic movie the main character would come across as a stalker rather than being portrayed in a good light. Choosing the right point of view is vital to telling a story properly. More so than any other aspects of movie making, point of view is probably the most crucial.



Daily Questions to Ponder:

What points of view work for seemingly polar opposite genres?

Does the main villain or the point of view used make a horror movie scarier?

Podcast

Reading Between the Lines

One of the focuses of today's article was the relationship between horizontal and vertical lines. It may seem absurd to think that orienting an image so it follows horizontal lines as opposed to vertical lines would make a difference, but there is a lot of evidence behind this idea. When an image or object follows horizontal lines it appears more tranquil and welcoming. On the other hand, when an image or object follows vertical lines it comes across as more powerful and dynamic. There are numerous examples that help prove this point.

When dealing with horizontal lines some examples you can examine are traditional one story houses and movie covers. If you look at the structure of a one story house, it extends outwards but doesn't rise high into the sky. The horizontal line of the house makes it feel like a more welcoming, family environment which is important when finding a home. From a different angle, you can look at horizontal lines for conveying emotion on a movie cover. For comedies or romantic movies, like Super Troopers, there are multiple people on the conver making the case look wider and is more inviting to viewers looking to relax.

When dealing with vertical lines, there are other examples to examine such as high rises and action movie cases. High rises, or skyscrapers, are built straight up on a vertical line. Due to this fact, skyscrapers seem exciting, adventurous and appear to defy gravity. Countering the horizontal line movie cover example, action movies often follow a vertical line design. If you look at the movie cover of Braveheart, the vertical line design gives Mel Gibson, who is features alone on the cover, a sense of intensity, aggression and dominance.

It's surprising how fixing an object or image on a horizontal or vertical line can make people look at it differently. The subtleties of a change in orientation can turn an image from being powerful to being calmer and more tranquil. Understanding these important ideas of design can help you improve your media literacy and design skills.

Daily Questions to Ponder:

1) What does an image that follows horizontal and vertical lines convey?

2) What examples are there of objects or images that don't follow this idea?

Picture Perfect

In today's article on Multimodal Polyphony I was intrigued by the section on framing and cropping photography. It's amazing how by moving the focus of the picture or by cropping out certain parts of a picture you can convey an entirely different idea apart from the whole.  Additionally, you can use different photography techniques like the "golden section" in addition to cropping and framing to create the best product of the image you're portraying.

The golden section is when you divide a picture into three sections horizontally and vertically. By doing so, you give you're photograph a sense of depth and you can use natural elements, such as the horizon or color levels, to break up the photograph and key in on the most important parts. The golden section holds very similar concepts as another method of photography taking called the "rule of thirds." This is where an image is broken into sections and the goal is to place the key features of the image on the horizontal and vertical lines along with the meeting points. In both methods, the main idea is to adjust a photograph through framing and cropping so that the main features of the image you want to show stand out the most.

The fact of the matter is, cropped and framed photographs are more aesthetically pleasing and can relay more meaning than a photograph unchanged. Human error can account for many flaws or question marks in the meaning of a photo. It is only trough the use of cropping and framing that the author can really focus on what they desired to show. With the technology to shape and fix up photographs it has really improved newspapers, magazines, and television and internet pictures.



Discussion Questions to Ponder?

1) What is the difference between the golden section and the rule of thirds?

2) What percentage of magazine photos are cropped or framed?

Imagined Communities

Something I pulled out of this week's article was the idea of imagined communities. This idea was first presented by Benedict Anderson and came about do to the invention of the newspaper.  The basic idea of the newspaper creating these "imagined communities" where through the reading of news around the country we are now connected with one another from further distances. The reason Anderson described these new communities as imagined is because the newspaper caused a relationship between unseen others who don't have physical contact with each other.

The imagined community is a very interesting concept. Imagine living years and years ago before newspapers or any form of mass communication and think about how isolated everyone was. You lived within your community or city and had no idea what was going on in other parts of the country. It would take days to weeks just to hear important news from a few states away. But, with the arrival of the newspaper, people from different states were given the opportunity to feel more united with each other despite their physical distance. Now rather than be in the dark about important occurrences nationally, people were able to form these imagined communities of information.

However, now that the technology involved in mass communication has grown and improved, we are even more connected with one another and our imagined communities are even larger. New technology like the internet and television have given us the chance to not only connect with others in our nation, but also with people from all over the world. Additionally, with the invention of things like web chat and messaging system, our distant communities are becoming less and less imagined. We can now put a face to the people we at one point could only imagine even if there is still no physical contact with them.

A Clash of Two Titans

Since the creation of DMU at Furman University there has been a fight for intramural supremacy between the independent club and the Sigma Nu Fraternity.  These two sides have combined for 9 out of the last 10 intramural championships going into the 2013 season.  Now the question is, can one of these teams continue their dominance and if so who will come out on top? Click the "show info" button  in the top right of the screen after following the link below to receive the full effect.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87942998@N06/show/

Photoshop Before and After

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The Center of Attention

Something I found interesting in today's reading, "Reading Images: The Meaning of Composition," was the idea of where an image should be placed on a page. Basically, the most important feature of an image is supposed to be placed in the center of the image.  Surrounding this center image are what is called the margins. This is where secondary images are to be place or other relevant factors to the image.

The center image is what is supposed to draw in the viewers attention. Being the main point of the picture, it is generally larger and more detailed than other objects in the image. Everything within the picture is centered around the idea of that center image.

What is placed in the margins comes into play when thinking about how to support your center image. The main purpose of the margins are to play off of the center image and convey further meaning within a picture about the center image. How an artist wants to use the margins is up to them though.  You can either us a square grid format, or, there is a way to give your margins a more circular form around the center image. Whichever way an artist chooses to format their picture, they must always make sure the images in the margin positively relate to the image in the center.

However, this idea of having a center image with margins somewhat contradicts another form of picture formatting. According to the rule of thirds one should create a grid within their picture and have the main focus lie on one of four main focal points in each quadrant of the image.  This style is suggested because it is said that the human eye is immediately attracted to one of these four points.

Determining which style holds more merit is up to what the artist is trying to show the viewer. In both cases the viewer is being attracted to a main point in the image and is instantly shown what the artist wants to convey. In the end, the main image will end up being the center of attention.  



Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1) Is the center image or rule of thirds style used more professionally?

2) How do you decide the size of your center image compared to your margins?

True Beauty

Something I pulled from the article, "Viewers Make Meaning," was the concept that images are judged by two values, aesthetics and taste. Aesthetics is how visually pleasing an image or thing is according to an individual. Taste is the cultural perception of what beauty is based on experience, social class, background or education level. It takes a combination of these two values to truly interpret the beauty of an image.

The general aesthetics of an image is left up to the interpretation of an individual.  For instance, mountain landscapes with colorful rainbows are more aesthetically pleasing than most things to me, however, a sandy beach right before sunset may be more aesthetically pleasing to someone else. People are attracted to things that are aesthetically beautiful. Most would rather see a happy couple holding hands than a murder scene for instance due to the graphics of each image. Which brings us to the second value of taste.

Based on our societal acceptance of certain things and our being averse to others, our taste is shaped to view certain images more than others. Like in the previous example of the couple holding hands and the murder scene, in our society, love is supposed to be beautiful and murder is supposed to be looked down upon. For this reason, we find the couple holding hands more aesthetically pleasing because that's what our culture accepts.

Now that we have a criteria like taste when deciding the beauty of an image, society always has some sort of influence when interpreting how aesthetically pleasing that image is through our eyes.



Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1) Can we determine the aesthetics of an image in the modern day without the influence of taste?

2) How does the taste of Americans in art compare to those of the people in Africa?

Changing the World One Photograph at a Time

It's easy to forget all the uses of photography.  People tend to forget that with all the entertainment shots taken by the paparazzi and the high importance we place on celebrities and athletes that photography plays a much larger role in society. For instance, just a few examples of how photography is used includes for surveillance, medical diagnosis and studying populations.

The reason photography became so popular when dealing with celebrities dates back to the 19th century with carte de visites, or visiting cards. Many people in the early 19 century began getting portraits of themselves and their families after the invention of photography. These photographs were then placed upon calling cards, often by the middle and upper class that became known as a carte de visite. The most desirable of these carte de visites were those of famous people such as the British Royal Family and American General George Custard.  

Those carte de visites played a major role in the development of celebrities in the upcoming centuries. What was once a simple calling card developed into numerous magazines and newspapers covering the lives of our society's most famous citizens. However, although this form of photography brings us the entertainment we desire in today's society, their are much more important uses of photography the purely for celebrity reasons.

We also use photography to watch over our prison systems and streets to make sure illegal actions are taking place. We use photography to check for disease within people or to check on our teeth.  And, we use photography to better understand various cultures and societies around the world.

Even though people primarily consider photography as a means of entertainment, it has advanced our society in ways many people seem to forget. Photography has helped change and improve the lives of people since its invention back in the early 19th century.    
 


Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1) Without the invention of photography would we be able to reach the scientific accomplishments we have in the past few centuries?

2) In what ways have the carte de visite changed over time? In what ways have they stayed the same?

Women Play Sports: Fact or Fiction?

One thing that caught my attention from the article, "Framed and Mounted," was the way the media treats women athletes.  If you open any sporting magazine at random, it's likely you will find article after article of men's sports only to be broken up by pictures of women models or athletes in provocative clothing or situations that have little to do with sports.

This is something I have never consciously noticed but can easily reflect back upon.  I am a big fan of fantasy football magazines and I'll buy one or two every year the league draft comes around.  The magazines are packed with pictures of male football players often framed in the most athletic plays they made the previous season.  However, every twenty pages or so is a picture of a women dressed in skimpy clothing advertising something that has little to do with football.  The only time women seem to get attention in sports is when they look sexy, have a personal life story, or break a world record.

Whatever the case is, rarely does reporting and pictures regarding women's sports have to do with sports.  While men are made to look fierce, women are subjected to a subservient athletic role and appear emotional or are being embraced by a male after a game or event.  It's almost as if the media doesn't want women athletes to be viewed as athletes when photographing them.

As long as the media continues to portray women athletes more as models or focus on their personal lives primarily, society will continue to struggle to view them as true athletes.


Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1)Why do women athletes subject themselves to this kind of treatment?

2) What will it take for women's athletics to gain respect?

A Picture Says 1000 Words

Photography has gone through many changes over it's long history, from Roger Fenton's wagon full of photography equipment to modern day digital cameras.  The capabilities digital cameras can achieve are exponentially better than the original technology.  When it used to take days to print a photograph onto paper it now takes a matter of minutes. The entire process now includes snapping a picture, uploading it to a computer and printing off the final copy.  Additionally, real time photography was impossible in the the early version of cameras in the 19th century. Now, with the technology of modern cameras, actions shots are not only possible but relied upon for today's journalism and reporting.

Sporting events have come to rely on action photography due to the live action nature of the industry. As new technologies begin to replace old ones, photography remains valid and crucial in the realm of sports. Through voice clips and videos, nothing compares to the quality and emotion of a well timed photograph.  Photography can catch every moment of ecstasy and despair expressed by an athlete in the heat of battle at the exact moment it occurs.

 Although photography has its own special niche, especially in the world of sports and journalism, there may come a time when video or other technologies over run this form of media.  In an ever growing nation of over stimulated people, everyone wants more instant gratification and spends less time observing what's in front of them.  However, the emotions a still picture can convey are too great at the moment for society to write off that form media as a whole.


Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1) Will women's sports ever earn respect in photo journalism?

2) Will professional photographic equipment ever become small enough to carry in one hand? 

The Wonderful World of Blogging

As new technology as improved and become more appealing to users, blogging has turned into something more than just a hobby for many people.  What was once a fun pass time can now be viewed as a profession for some accomplished bloggers. Beyond that, blogging has also become another outlet for journalism.

At first, blogging was viewed as an unreliable source of journalism. However, after the 2004 court case that said if a blogger "engages in journalism" they are protected by journalistic rights, blogging has become more and more of a legitimate source of journalism.  In fact, a majority of people look to blogging for their news now over professional journalists because of the transparency in their opinions on a matter and the tendency to report news honestly.

Even if bloggers may never be viewed as professional journalists, some have certainly been able to make a profession out of blogging. Whether it is by finding a niche market or gaining mass popularity over the years, blogging has become somewhat of a lucrative industry for those who can harness a following.  Now you may be wondering, "how can someone earn money by simply writing a series of blogs." If you are lucky, or talented, enough to secure a dedicated following, businesses are willing to pay you to put advertising on your blog page. Although this may cause some inconvenience for your viewers, it is impossible to avoid ads if you want to make money. But, if your content is desirable, a few ads shouldn't make your viewers deviate from your page.

Blogging is both revolutionizing the world of journalism and expanding the job market at the same time. However, not all blogs are well written or deserve attention, but that is bound to happen with the sheer number of users who have the capability of blogging. If you know where to look, who to follow or what to write about, blogging can be valuable tool in your life.http://express.howstuffworks.com/gif/wq-money-woman.



Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1)  Is journalism losing or gaining credibility in the blogging realm?

2) Are advertisements helping or hurting blogging?

Connecting the Past and Future

Over the course of history new technologies have changed our society.  As discussed by Rettberg in chapter two of his book, the invention of the printed word increased literacy in society from 20-30 percent to 70-90 percent in nearly less than 200 years.  Now we have evolved from the printed word to digital text and while at the time the printed word allowed for so many more people to access texts, the internet and more specifically blogs have the ability to reach an exponentially larger number of people.

Along with the increased literacy the printing press brought to society, it also brought an increase in an isolationist mentality among people.  Since people no longer needed to listen to someone read literature aloud and they could silently read text on their own, there was less reason to gather in public.  Plato feared this occurrence for he believed discussing oratory in public was essential to society and literature only made people forgetful.

The internet and blogging has certainly opened new windows whiles closing others after its invention.  Although the public forum has become more private, blogging allows everyone with internet access to communicate at all times with the entire world.

When blogging, it is important to understand the best way reach out to viewers. Mark Granovetter came up with a theory called the "social network theory" that states rather than maintaining strong ties with limited acquaintances it is better to find weak ties with many people because that is how new opportunities present themselves.

From the early limitations of creating and finding texts to the easy access of writing and viewing a blog, society has developed and changed exponentially in just a few hundred years.    



Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1) With all the modern technology we posses, would Plato be able to give any merit to resources like blogging even though the interaction isn't face to face?

2) Are weak ties in the social network theory really that valuable considering the fact that your acquaintance may not know you well enough to try to help you.?

Media Critique of CNN.com

What is your first impression of the site? Think of the "3 second rule."

First impressions of the cnn.com site: It looks easy to navigate, it does a good job of using big pictures to pull the reader in, and it is very political.

How does this site establish credibility? How does it establish trust? Or does it?  It is easy to use and navigate with high quality graphics.  It also uses links that are relevant to the site, and because it's easy

 to use and the journalist seem credible that makes it easy to connect with and in turn more trustworthy. Due to the transparent nature of CNN to discuss more liberal themes it makes the site seem more genuine.

What is the general writing style? CNN tries to maintain a certain level of objectivity but at the same time it has more liberal biased. For example when looking at the headlines most involve democratic issues.

Does the writer IDENTIFY with his or her readers, or not? How (or why not)?  CNN is a more general news oriented site so it is a lot harder to identify with its readers as opposed to a blog or more opinionated text.

Does the writing style get to the point?  Yes, because there is an introduction paragraph that tells the reader the premise of the article and the author immediately goes point by point on his or her facts.

How is it arranged? Is it arranged in inverted pyramid style?  It is arranged in inverted pyramid style which helps capture the reader allowing him or her to receive the most important information first.

Is content shaped for scanning? How is the content layered?  It is easy for scanning the way the article is laid out with many bold subtitles and bullets.  It uses much of what Nielsen recommends for scan-ability so it is layered well.

Is the tone or rhythm of the site consistent throughout? Yes, because CNN has "naturally practiced journalist" which means they know to use short sentences, direct statements, and inverted pyramid style to keep the reader interested.  There aren't many if any outrageous claims to turn off the reader.

How does the use headlines?  CNN uses headlines for the various topics like politics or entertainment with a list of headlines related to those fields within their respective section so it doesn't cause the reader confusion.

How does it use links? Effectively or not? They use links effectively for the most part but there were a few curious links that were not related to the specific story.

How is multimedia used? Is it distracting? How is it displayed on the site? Does the multimedia tell the same story as the text, or a different side of the story?  Multimedia is used down both sides of the page during the articles so it is kind of distracting to see links to other articles and videos when trying to read an article.  It does not tell the same story as the text.

How does the site "package" stories?  Every story starts with a big picture but remains text for the rest of the article.  It has hyperlinks sparingly in most articles.  It includes story highlights and each article comes with related articles and pictures down the side bars.

How are the graphics used? Graphics are cluttered throughout the site but the are consistent. It can encourage use because they help a reader read more in depth into a topic but it's also distracting because there are so many.

Can each page stand on its own? Yes, because each page has a big picture and headline that draws you in.

How is the navigation?  Do you get lost? Do you always know where you are? How (or why not)?  It is easy to navigate and hard to get lost because they have separate categories for the reader to look through and it always has the navigation bar at the top of the page.

How does the site incorporate/interact with its audience? How does it embody the social aspect of the internet (or does it)?  It always has a picture and it has many categories that try to appeal to a broad audience.

Being Hyper on the Internet

The internet has created a realm where users are able to navigate through and find information at speeds never before capable.  For this reason, people have begun to expect quicker, easier access to the content they desire.  The information gathered from my reading of Chapter 4 of, Writing for Digital Media, shined light on how hypertext and hyperlinks can assist in the quick navigation of online media.

Hypertext and hyperlinks are text with the capacity to bring the reader either to a different part of the page or to a related source with one click.  This capability allows the reader to gather more information on a topic faster while still being able to remain focused on the topic their researching.

It's important to remember a few key points when using hyperlinks according to Brian Carroll and they go as follows:

1.  They bring the readers to supporting evidence and primary sources without disturbing the flow of the main body of text.
2.  They help readers predict more or less where the link is taking them.
3. The hyperlink uses the fewest amount of words possible so it doesn't clutter the Web page. 

 Furthermore, the same rules apply to hyperlinks as they do to the main body of text.  Consistency and clarity is key to good hyperlinking. If the link sends the reader somewhere confusing or disrupts their ability to navigate the Web page, the reader is likely to leave your page.  If text and link color of your hyperlinks don't maintain consistency, your page will look poor aesthetically and possibly confuse the reader.

Hyperlinks and hypertext are valuable tools to use when writing online.  It's crucial you understand how to use them properly and are positive they contribute to the navigation of your page and do not hinder it.


Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1) Does a hyperlink in the middle of a body of text distract the reader from the main purpose of the text? 

2) Can bad hyperlinking ruin a good article?

Transformers: Rise of Digital Media

In, Writing for Digital Media, by Brian Carroll, chapters 2 and 3 discuss the changes occurring in writing when moving from analog to digital media.  For example, you have a much better opportunity to express your thoughts and opinions online than you would through print media.  Because of this, it is necessary that readers understand the credibility of the author and not assume every piece of work is truthful or of high quality.

Additionally, when online your writing style has to change.  Everything needs to become more to the point  and shorter paragraphs are necessary to maintain attention.

Of course, the more we become accustomed to new media the more visually stimulated we all want to be.  So, when creating your website, blog post, etc, it's necessary to make content easy to find, easy to read and have your display be aesthetically appealing. You may also want to consider the inverted pyramid style of writing to catch the reader's attention. This is where you present the most important or interesting facts first. 

Easy navigation of your content is crucial so the reader doesn't get frustrated or bored. You want to orient users towards the important information and messages you are trying to convey while maintaining consistency and repetition with your text and format so they don't feel lost. 

Although digital media has changed the field of journalism in many ways, some aspects have remained the same.  No matter if you're working through digital or analog media, your writing needs to stay clear, concise, complete and correct.



  Discussion Questions to Ponder:

1) Can non-professional journalists become considered credible journalists on the internet or will their writing forever be viewed as opinion pieces or "hogwash" by the professional journalistic world?

2)If a website or blogger only posts once a week could they ever become popular, or will our need for immediacy prevent them from ever becoming relevant?

Gone In 4 Paragraphs

  
In response to reading, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr, I am going to attempt to write this blog post in four paragraphs or less. My reason being is that in this article, Carr talks about how new technologies, mainly the Internet, are shortening our attention spans and making it more difficult to immerse ourselves into what we read.  He pools together various opinions from fellow scholars in an attempt to show us that the convenience of the Internet is even hurting those who have invested their careers in reading and becoming educated so it is reasonable to believe that we are all being affected. Carr tries to state this point by using a quote from Bruce Friedman that states, "Even a blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much too absorb."

 However, in the process of trying to articulate his theory, Carr unknowingly, I would assume, proves his point.  The article is seven single spaced pages of text and uses some examples, which are in my opinion, too loosely associated with the debate.  Needless to say if a well-educated, seasoned scholar like Friedman has trouble paying attention for more than four paragraphs, an undergraduate student like myself wasn't going to survive the entire article. 

 The fact of the matter is Carr was right.  Although Google may not be making us dumber, it's efficiency is shortening our attention spans.  As much as I hate to admit it, I began losing focus after a few pages and needed to check ESPN.com in order to give my brain a break.  Maryanne Wolf stated my situation perfectly when she said, "We are not only what we read, we are how we read."  Meaning, as Carr paraphrased it, "efficiency [and] immediacy may be weakening our capacity for deep reading.”

The Internet has done some amazing things for our society, such as, providing us with endless amounts of information or granting us immediate knowledge on any subject we can imagine.  However, there are some downsides to this new technology and one happens to be our inability to maintain focus for long periods of time.  It's not necessarily a bad thing but it is something our society as a whole needs to start accounting for.  Seeing as this is my fourth paragraph I've probably lost a majority of you all by now, but, that is just the reality of the world we live in today.

Discussion Questions to Ponder:

Are humans doomed to the short attention spans we've created for ourselves or is there a way to teach our brains to think deeper again?

If the Internet took down advertisements and pop-ups (aka distractions) could we learn to read deeply on the Internet?

Digital Communications Introduction

Welcome to my new blog for digital communications.  The reason I chose to write my blog through this platform is because I used Blogger last semester in my Mass Communications class and it worked smoothly, was easy to become accustomed to and gave you the ability to present images and videos in a creative manner.  My decision with the font and text size was based on my desire to present my blog in a professional way where the text is meant to relay information as straight forward as possible and have the images and paragraph structure keep the readers attention at the same time.

After completing this Digital Communications course I hope to be able to create and maintain my own website, use blogging and other social media to connect with my peers and better understand emerging technologies in our world today that I haven't yet mastered.

As far as a career goes I am still trying to figure out my life's path.  One aspiration of mine is to create my own business that will someday grow into an international company.  However, my less exciting alternative to that plan is to join a marketing firm and hopefully find work in the creative aspects of marketing and advertising products.  Additionally, I've considered being a bartender for the first couple years out of college before going to grad school simply because it seems like fun.

One topic I would like to explore through digital media is how education varies from country to country, how the United States stacks up against other countries in this regard and how social factors in different countries contribute to that country's levels of education among their population.

My next blog post will come in the next couple days and I look forward to continuing with this blog throughout the rest of the semester.