Chapter 13:
I enjoyed reading chapter thirteen on Advertising in our text as I learned about an area of business that I was not very familiar with. In particular, the concept of “brand image” when creators of advertisements add perspective and a twist to a brand name often referred to as “spin” first introduced by David Ogilvy in the 1950s. What the text doesn’t specifically mention is when developing a product’s brand image a company really needs to know and understand their target audience in order for the image to resonate with its consumers.
With the onset of the digital age and the fact that product companies are utilizing the Internet to reach their target consumers, I see “viral advertising” or as the text describes it as word-of-mouth testimonials as playing an important role in generating interest and exposure for products in the market place. What better publicity than consumers’ testimonials on blogs. So one question I have is have advertising agencies figured out how to track and measure the effects of “buzz advertising” in a campaign?
An interesting “factoid” that I found worth noting as it pertains to the CPG industry which I am in is that many retailers own their own factories for producing their own store’s brand a.k.a private label product. In particular the Kroger chain owns 41 factories that produce 4,300 store-brand products for its grocery shelves. (Vivian p. 331) As an aside, I think with our current economic situation private label brands will gain popularity.
“Advertising and the End of the World” film:
In this film, narrator Sut Jhally says advertisers’ main goal is to cut through the clutter and appeal to our emotions which as we know are within our limbic brains. The film uses many persuasive techniques to convey its messages one being repetition of ideas to strongly emphasize their position. Group dynamics such as “we” was also used by the narrator appealing to viewers as humans helped create the hole in the ozone layer and need to be part of the solution. In between discussion points the film used a production technique similar to the image of static on a television channel when a station isn’t broadcasting a picture. This noise and image tapped into my reptilian part of the triune brain used as a technique to keep the viewer focused. Many of the advertising clips shown in this film were focused on images vs. words thus further stating the epistemological shift that is part of our 21st century media culture.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Final Paper: Due Monday, April 13 in class
Sara Kutchukian
April 12, 2009
MCM 120-01
Media Mania – A Day in the Life of Savvy Sara
April 12, 2009
MCM 120-01
Media Mania – A Day in the Life of Savvy Sara
Where are media taking us? Can you imagine life without one of your most trusted forms of media? Are all of the media we are exposing ourselves to enabling us to make wiser decisions in life? As I look at my own life and my interactions with various forms of media I wonder am an easy target for advertisers? If I don’t think I need too much convincing then am I really a savvy consumer of media? See for yourself as you learn how a typical day unfolds for me in this world of mass media hyper commercialism which I have chosen to actively engage in.
It’s 5:21 a.m. and I wake to the sound of the BBC “news” broadcast on VPR on my clock radio. I finally roll out of bed at 5:39 a.m. after hitting the snooze button twice. Hearing the news in the early hours of the day begins to engage my neocortex as I absorb and think about the information I am listening to. For me the BBC is a trusted source of “news” and it’s not uncommon for a broadcast to include convincing testimonials by experts to strengthen their positions on any number of “newsworthy” segments. The BBC does a good job at conveying a multitude of value messages both good and bad which for me usually legitimizes the information I am receiving. As an avid listener of public radio I found it interesting to learn from our text that even as mainstream radio’s audiences are shrinking with the onset of new media like MP3 players the public radio audience is growing. Public radio has a growing and loyal audience for news and public affairs which historically mainstream radio has turned away from. Radio station owners made a decision early on to veer from “promoting citizen participation in the life of the community and public affairs that it was all but forgotten.” (Vivian 204)
While standing at the kitchen counter vigorously drinking a glass of orange juice and eating a bowl of cereal, I find myself briskly scanning the headlines of The Burlington Free Press online from my iPhone. As I haven’t had a subscription to a local newspaper since growing up when my family received two local papers and The Boston Globe, I feel this gives me the opportunity to better connect with the community I live in. Now my neocortex is really cooking with grease as I read the local headlines. This paper is particularly good at connecting with its readers through its portrayal of just your ordinary citizens which many Vermonters can relate to. Getting my news online is both convenient and very appealing at a time when we are seeing many newspapers closing its doors due to the recent economic downturn and our text makes the point that “people are finding alternatives for news, many of them online.” (Vivian 100) Therefore, as our guest speaker Brad Robertson of The Burlington Free Press told us it has become a priority of newspapers to strengthen their web content as we experience this aesthetic shift with many 21st century media consumers preferring to read their “news” on the Internet.
While standing at the kitchen counter vigorously drinking a glass of orange juice and eating a bowl of cereal, I find myself briskly scanning the headlines of The Burlington Free Press online from my iPhone. As I haven’t had a subscription to a local newspaper since growing up when my family received two local papers and The Boston Globe, I feel this gives me the opportunity to better connect with the community I live in. Now my neocortex is really cooking with grease as I read the local headlines. This paper is particularly good at connecting with its readers through its portrayal of just your ordinary citizens which many Vermonters can relate to. Getting my news online is both convenient and very appealing at a time when we are seeing many newspapers closing its doors due to the recent economic downturn and our text makes the point that “people are finding alternatives for news, many of them online.” (Vivian 100) Therefore, as our guest speaker Brad Robertson of The Burlington Free Press told us it has become a priority of newspapers to strengthen their web content as we experience this aesthetic shift with many 21st century media consumers preferring to read their “news” on the Internet.
In the meantime, the kids have woken up, they are dressed and ready for the day and we are driving towards Burlington, the first stop is daycare and then it’s on to work for me. Immediately the music requests come in from my son so I plug in the MP3 player and I select one of our household’s favorite artists, Dan Zanes. As music is such an important part of our family’s lives our children have already been exposed to many genres of music in their youth. As we listen to the lyrics of Dan Zanes it feeds my limbic brain. His quirkiness and comical demeanor and the values which are embedded in his music coincide with strong personal values that I share. Call me old fashioned as downloading music from the Internet is clearly the latest rage, I am still one to support the music industry by buying the actual cds. As we experience this technological shift in where we acquire our music, the recording industry has been slow to react to consumer behavior. Whether it’s illegal downloading or purchasing from iTunes, our text points to the fact that downloading music from the Internet is on the rise and the recording music industry has had to move quickly to get on top of the downloading technology with new retailing models as traditional brick-and-mortar stores’ music sales are declining. (Vivian 137)
As the day quickly passes and even though I find e-mail consuming large portions of my work day, I still get home at the end of the day and one of the first things I do is get on the Internet and check my personal e-mail accounts. I vividly remember when we had an account with AOL in the early days the famous words “you’ve got mail”. Whether it’s “surfing” the Web, “Googling” a topic, shopping on-line, reading blogs, or interacting in the social media space, the Internet has a strong presence in my daily life. The author of our text says that “the Web enables people to be their own editors, choosing what to read and watch rather than having those decisions made by faraway editors.” (Vivian 254) As I experience this personal shift by actively participating in the Internet craze I often feel like a young child as I experiment in this new media landscape learning new skills all the time. Watching the Internet develop over the past ten plus years I am able to see what an impact it is playing in business today. As both consumers and purveyors of media we have embarked on this cultural shift where advertisers and businesses are now tracking consumer behavior through the websites visited with the goal of understanding and relating more directly with consumers.
Dinner is just about ready so I quickly switch gears and help get food on the table. In the background we turn on “the tool of the government and industry too which is destined to rule and regulate you.” (Frank Zappa) Whether it’s watching the evening “news” with Brian Williams and then Katie Couric the stories all start sounding the same. In between the brief snippets of information at this time of day the advertisements are usually one drug commercial after another. Advertisers almost have you convinced that you have some sort of condition that you begin to wonder if you really might need the latest drug that they’re pushing. I’ve refused to be a complete slave to the tube as we’ve held off getting a satellite dish and cable doesn’t come down our road. My parents’ generation the television seems to always be on for background noise. That would seem to make sense as our text book says “that almost every household in the U.S. which has at least one television set on average, the television is playing about seven hours a day in those households.” (Vivian 209) Many people in society have abused television to the point where being a couch potato is an accepted form of activity and the allure that it once stood for in the golden years has long been forgotten.
After getting through the dinner hour we start heading upstairs at 7pm to get the kids ready for bed which entails getting their pajamas on, washing up and then they begin to unwind as we read them books. Lately our son has been interested in reading I Spy’s and Where’s Waldo’s which are developing his skills of concentration and object identification. Then he usually picks out one of his many Thomas the Tank Engine books where phrases like “I’m old square wheels”, “cinders and ashes”, “ you pouty puffer” and “you’re a galloping sausage” come alive from the pages in the stories. Our daughter on the other hand loves hearing Peggy Rathman’s Ten Minutes to Bedtime, Is Your Mama a Llama or any book with animals. As these days children’s books are primarily what I’m reading we try and pick books with strong value messages. I often read book reviews on Amazon.com in search of new children’s books. In our household going to the bookstore is considered a fun outing and it’s not uncommon that we can spend quite a while there. So even though our text points to a “growing concern that young people are drifting away from books and people are increasingly alliterate, meaning that they can read but choose not to” (Vivian 71), I feel as long as I can instill in my children the importance of reading by making it a fun activity then I can only hope that they will not become one of these statistics.
With the kids all tucked in bed I retreat back downstairs where for the last few hours left in the day I can truly find some time to unwind. Meanwhile my husband has cued up the dvd player with the movie we received from Netflix titled Tune in Tomorrow the documentary of the Waterbury, VT based WDEV community radio station. In reflecting on this film what filmmaker Ed Dooley does so well is interview respected individuals in the community whose testimonials reinforce the importance of community radio as a cornerstone to a community offering unique programming with flexibility at a time in commercial radio where robo-programming is the norm. Since viewing the film I find myself streaming the live audio from 9 to 11am through my headphones while at work. What I value in community radio is that during talk shows when listeners call in it is refreshing to hear the perspectives of my fellow Vermonters from all sides of the issues. Additionally, I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything. As I often prefer watching independent films which make their debuts at the various film festivals as our text mentions “for those films that are produced by the so-called independent studios once they establish a track record they end up being acquired by a major studio.” (Vivian 168) So these days it seems even more difficult to find a truly authentic independent film and Tune in Tomorrow seems fits this description.
Well it’s now that time in the evening when I find myself beginning to dose so I pull myself off the couch and head upstairs to get ready for bed. Once in bed I usually thrust one last ditch effort to glance at a magazine that is sitting on the floor by my bed. Tonight I chose National Geographic Adventure where I’m taken to east Africa and retracing the steps of an elephant that walked hundreds of miles in the story The Secret Lives of Elephants. In this feature article the author uses scientific evidence as it sites leading experts in the field and rhetorical questions to further engage the reader. Unlike earlier in the history of magazines where icons such as Life and the Saturday Evening Post had an appeal to most readers our text mentions “when the industry was reinventing itself it sought slices of the mass audience, not the whole.” (Vivian 118) Thus the couple magazines that I currently subscribe to like Yankee and National Geographic Adventure would fall into this category of a niche media appealing to specific populations within society. As I near the end of the article I find it getting harder and harder to stay awake so I put the magazine on the floor, make sure my alarm is set and shut off my light so that I can do it all over again the next day.
I’m surprised I don’t dream more about my daily experiences with mass media and if I did, would they be nightmares? Life is like a train that is moving at high speed looking out the window the landscape is changing and I’m not sure where I’m going & when I’ll be getting off. I’m feeling excited to be living in a time where I can actively engage in the making of media tools. I don’t think we’ve yet realized the impact the digital age is having on our lives. Will we slow down to catch our breath and if we do will we skip a beat? What will our media landscape look like in a year, in five years or even ten years out and will any or most of the media platforms be a just a memory and stories we can tell our children and grandchildren? Only time will tell.
Dinner is just about ready so I quickly switch gears and help get food on the table. In the background we turn on “the tool of the government and industry too which is destined to rule and regulate you.” (Frank Zappa) Whether it’s watching the evening “news” with Brian Williams and then Katie Couric the stories all start sounding the same. In between the brief snippets of information at this time of day the advertisements are usually one drug commercial after another. Advertisers almost have you convinced that you have some sort of condition that you begin to wonder if you really might need the latest drug that they’re pushing. I’ve refused to be a complete slave to the tube as we’ve held off getting a satellite dish and cable doesn’t come down our road. My parents’ generation the television seems to always be on for background noise. That would seem to make sense as our text book says “that almost every household in the U.S. which has at least one television set on average, the television is playing about seven hours a day in those households.” (Vivian 209) Many people in society have abused television to the point where being a couch potato is an accepted form of activity and the allure that it once stood for in the golden years has long been forgotten.
After getting through the dinner hour we start heading upstairs at 7pm to get the kids ready for bed which entails getting their pajamas on, washing up and then they begin to unwind as we read them books. Lately our son has been interested in reading I Spy’s and Where’s Waldo’s which are developing his skills of concentration and object identification. Then he usually picks out one of his many Thomas the Tank Engine books where phrases like “I’m old square wheels”, “cinders and ashes”, “ you pouty puffer” and “you’re a galloping sausage” come alive from the pages in the stories. Our daughter on the other hand loves hearing Peggy Rathman’s Ten Minutes to Bedtime, Is Your Mama a Llama or any book with animals. As these days children’s books are primarily what I’m reading we try and pick books with strong value messages. I often read book reviews on Amazon.com in search of new children’s books. In our household going to the bookstore is considered a fun outing and it’s not uncommon that we can spend quite a while there. So even though our text points to a “growing concern that young people are drifting away from books and people are increasingly alliterate, meaning that they can read but choose not to” (Vivian 71), I feel as long as I can instill in my children the importance of reading by making it a fun activity then I can only hope that they will not become one of these statistics.
With the kids all tucked in bed I retreat back downstairs where for the last few hours left in the day I can truly find some time to unwind. Meanwhile my husband has cued up the dvd player with the movie we received from Netflix titled Tune in Tomorrow the documentary of the Waterbury, VT based WDEV community radio station. In reflecting on this film what filmmaker Ed Dooley does so well is interview respected individuals in the community whose testimonials reinforce the importance of community radio as a cornerstone to a community offering unique programming with flexibility at a time in commercial radio where robo-programming is the norm. Since viewing the film I find myself streaming the live audio from 9 to 11am through my headphones while at work. What I value in community radio is that during talk shows when listeners call in it is refreshing to hear the perspectives of my fellow Vermonters from all sides of the issues. Additionally, I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything. As I often prefer watching independent films which make their debuts at the various film festivals as our text mentions “for those films that are produced by the so-called independent studios once they establish a track record they end up being acquired by a major studio.” (Vivian 168) So these days it seems even more difficult to find a truly authentic independent film and Tune in Tomorrow seems fits this description.
Well it’s now that time in the evening when I find myself beginning to dose so I pull myself off the couch and head upstairs to get ready for bed. Once in bed I usually thrust one last ditch effort to glance at a magazine that is sitting on the floor by my bed. Tonight I chose National Geographic Adventure where I’m taken to east Africa and retracing the steps of an elephant that walked hundreds of miles in the story The Secret Lives of Elephants. In this feature article the author uses scientific evidence as it sites leading experts in the field and rhetorical questions to further engage the reader. Unlike earlier in the history of magazines where icons such as Life and the Saturday Evening Post had an appeal to most readers our text mentions “when the industry was reinventing itself it sought slices of the mass audience, not the whole.” (Vivian 118) Thus the couple magazines that I currently subscribe to like Yankee and National Geographic Adventure would fall into this category of a niche media appealing to specific populations within society. As I near the end of the article I find it getting harder and harder to stay awake so I put the magazine on the floor, make sure my alarm is set and shut off my light so that I can do it all over again the next day.
I’m surprised I don’t dream more about my daily experiences with mass media and if I did, would they be nightmares? Life is like a train that is moving at high speed looking out the window the landscape is changing and I’m not sure where I’m going & when I’ll be getting off. I’m feeling excited to be living in a time where I can actively engage in the making of media tools. I don’t think we’ve yet realized the impact the digital age is having on our lives. Will we slow down to catch our breath and if we do will we skip a beat? What will our media landscape look like in a year, in five years or even ten years out and will any or most of the media platforms be a just a memory and stories we can tell our children and grandchildren? Only time will tell.
Friday, April 10, 2009
For Monday, April 13th: Blogging Chapter 12 (Public Relations)
Chapter 12:
In reading chapter 12, I found it interesting to learn about the “dialogic” approach which has evolved emphasizing an approach to PR that is different from the traditional communication through the mass media broadcasting messages. This approach focuses on having a dialogue with and listening to your many publics, stakeholders, and consumers; one that is grounded in the social sciences. It’s about developing relationships and communicating with various publics versus sending mass messages to them in hopes that they will relate to them. To me it is a very targeted and deliberate kind of communication and as the text says “a two-way street for communication”. I see this as a great way for PR professionals to really understand and connect with their target publics.
Many PR professionals today say that PR has to re-invent itself with the onset of the digital media. Traditional tools once used to communicate with the media are outdated and no longer effective. It seems to me that this field is on the brink of great opportunities as professionals learn to leverage Web 2.0 in order to connect with their stakeholders, consumers and various publics. My question is will the Web be able to save a profession that has received a lot of negative feedback and be successful at re-inventing itself?
A “fact” I found interesting which is worth noting is traditional news/press releases today are primarily issued by public companies as a way of tracking events and information. The 21st century news release has been reinvented and gone digital, the social media news release. Since it is transmitted via the Internet it is interactive in nature with links to related blogs, websites, videos, etc. that are supportive collateral.
“Toxic Sludge is Good for You”
In previous comments by my colleagues it was noted that the film begins with a “Sci-Fi” like music, somewhat gloomy tones tapping into the limbic brain. Though this film’s main premise is that the PR industry main purpose per Professor Stuart Ewen is “to permeate messages that are designed to effect public behavior and thought”, this generalization obviously gives a negative connotation for the PR industry. In the example of the “Toxic Sludge is Good for You”, and the campaign by the Water Environment Federation it is worth noting that this organization was government funded by the EPA for its educational campaign. So it’s no surprise that the government would want to put their own spin on this idea of toxic sludge, renamed biosolids, as a good thing for the environment. I would challenge Professor Ewen in his last comment when he says that “In order to change and challenge the propaganda apparatus the only way to do it is for the communications system and the tools of public expression to become things that are more and more in the hands of ordinary people. Unless we begin to have a more democratic creation of the media environment the current system is not going to change. But the possibility is there and the tools are within reach.” Without knowing exactly when this film was created I can already see that today the PR industry is in the process of changing how it communicates with its publics. Through the Web PR professionals are realizing that they can no longer project their messages to mass media, but rather they need to communicate with ordinary people through blogs and other chat areas and engage in one to one conversations in order to connect with their publics.
In reading chapter 12, I found it interesting to learn about the “dialogic” approach which has evolved emphasizing an approach to PR that is different from the traditional communication through the mass media broadcasting messages. This approach focuses on having a dialogue with and listening to your many publics, stakeholders, and consumers; one that is grounded in the social sciences. It’s about developing relationships and communicating with various publics versus sending mass messages to them in hopes that they will relate to them. To me it is a very targeted and deliberate kind of communication and as the text says “a two-way street for communication”. I see this as a great way for PR professionals to really understand and connect with their target publics.
Many PR professionals today say that PR has to re-invent itself with the onset of the digital media. Traditional tools once used to communicate with the media are outdated and no longer effective. It seems to me that this field is on the brink of great opportunities as professionals learn to leverage Web 2.0 in order to connect with their stakeholders, consumers and various publics. My question is will the Web be able to save a profession that has received a lot of negative feedback and be successful at re-inventing itself?
A “fact” I found interesting which is worth noting is traditional news/press releases today are primarily issued by public companies as a way of tracking events and information. The 21st century news release has been reinvented and gone digital, the social media news release. Since it is transmitted via the Internet it is interactive in nature with links to related blogs, websites, videos, etc. that are supportive collateral.
“Toxic Sludge is Good for You”
In previous comments by my colleagues it was noted that the film begins with a “Sci-Fi” like music, somewhat gloomy tones tapping into the limbic brain. Though this film’s main premise is that the PR industry main purpose per Professor Stuart Ewen is “to permeate messages that are designed to effect public behavior and thought”, this generalization obviously gives a negative connotation for the PR industry. In the example of the “Toxic Sludge is Good for You”, and the campaign by the Water Environment Federation it is worth noting that this organization was government funded by the EPA for its educational campaign. So it’s no surprise that the government would want to put their own spin on this idea of toxic sludge, renamed biosolids, as a good thing for the environment. I would challenge Professor Ewen in his last comment when he says that “In order to change and challenge the propaganda apparatus the only way to do it is for the communications system and the tools of public expression to become things that are more and more in the hands of ordinary people. Unless we begin to have a more democratic creation of the media environment the current system is not going to change. But the possibility is there and the tools are within reach.” Without knowing exactly when this film was created I can already see that today the PR industry is in the process of changing how it communicates with its publics. Through the Web PR professionals are realizing that they can no longer project their messages to mass media, but rather they need to communicate with ordinary people through blogs and other chat areas and engage in one to one conversations in order to connect with their publics.
Friday, April 3, 2009
For Monday, April 6: The Internet (Read and Blog on Chapter 10)
Chapter 10:
In reading chapter 10 it was interesting to learn how the Internet as a mass medium communication vehicle is still in its infancy. Advertisers are seeking out web sites where potential consumers frequent to pitch their products and target their messages to. We are seeing a huge shift in advertisers no longer utilizing traditional media platforms as in newspapers, magazines, radio and television which are costly but rather choosing the Internet to get to their target audiences. Personally I think this is a huge arena that we’ve barely scratched the surface on and we don’t fully know the impact it can have on a business. Developing metrics to track web traffic of consumers is what CPG, consumer packaged goods companies are now looking to do. It’s a very exciting time to be involved in digital media as it’s vastly changing the landscape of how we once viewed business in a traditional setting.
The text mentions that major media companies are all trying to get a piece of the action in terms of the digital age we are currently in. Many companies are collaborating to offer services. As we continue to see a convergence of media technology via the Internet the fear is that “the Internet will lose its diversity through ownership consolidation.” My question is if it looks as though we are headed in that direction will we see government intervention in regulation to control media conglomerates from over stepping the boundaries?
A “fact” worth noting is that in the Middle East and Africa combined there are only 7.5 million Web users which is a problem if our goal as a society is access for all.
My experience with e-mailing and the Internet dates back to the mid to late ‘90s after college. I can remember sending e-mail between ’96-’98 from an old black and white Apple computer that my husband had while we were living in North Carolina. Since our e-mail account was with AOL at the time we could receive IM (instant messages) from friends while we were on-line. I vaguely recall searching for a home to buy on the Internet 10 years ago upon moving to Vermont. It was when we moved to Vermont and we acquired a lap top computer that I really began “surfing” the Web and making purchases and researching products, etc. These last 10 years seem a bit of a blur in terms when I really got sucked into the Internet. I would also say that as the Web has changed and grown I have not kept up with its potential in terms of new sites and social networking. (I have realized through this class that I want to change that in me and become more web savy.) It’s hard to imagine life without the Internet and I wonder how people of my parents’ generation can possibly go through life without utilizing it. However, growing up pre Internet wasn’t all that bad either.
In reading chapter 10 it was interesting to learn how the Internet as a mass medium communication vehicle is still in its infancy. Advertisers are seeking out web sites where potential consumers frequent to pitch their products and target their messages to. We are seeing a huge shift in advertisers no longer utilizing traditional media platforms as in newspapers, magazines, radio and television which are costly but rather choosing the Internet to get to their target audiences. Personally I think this is a huge arena that we’ve barely scratched the surface on and we don’t fully know the impact it can have on a business. Developing metrics to track web traffic of consumers is what CPG, consumer packaged goods companies are now looking to do. It’s a very exciting time to be involved in digital media as it’s vastly changing the landscape of how we once viewed business in a traditional setting.
The text mentions that major media companies are all trying to get a piece of the action in terms of the digital age we are currently in. Many companies are collaborating to offer services. As we continue to see a convergence of media technology via the Internet the fear is that “the Internet will lose its diversity through ownership consolidation.” My question is if it looks as though we are headed in that direction will we see government intervention in regulation to control media conglomerates from over stepping the boundaries?
A “fact” worth noting is that in the Middle East and Africa combined there are only 7.5 million Web users which is a problem if our goal as a society is access for all.
My experience with e-mailing and the Internet dates back to the mid to late ‘90s after college. I can remember sending e-mail between ’96-’98 from an old black and white Apple computer that my husband had while we were living in North Carolina. Since our e-mail account was with AOL at the time we could receive IM (instant messages) from friends while we were on-line. I vaguely recall searching for a home to buy on the Internet 10 years ago upon moving to Vermont. It was when we moved to Vermont and we acquired a lap top computer that I really began “surfing” the Web and making purchases and researching products, etc. These last 10 years seem a bit of a blur in terms when I really got sucked into the Internet. I would also say that as the Web has changed and grown I have not kept up with its potential in terms of new sites and social networking. (I have realized through this class that I want to change that in me and become more web savy.) It’s hard to imagine life without the Internet and I wonder how people of my parents’ generation can possibly go through life without utilizing it. However, growing up pre Internet wasn’t all that bad either.
Monday, March 30, 2009
For Tuesday, March 31: Listen to "The Sweet Remains," Prepare a Question for Special Guest Rich Price
After having explored the band’s website I learned that they play in NYC at the Canal Room the 3rd Sunday of every month. They describe it as “in the round, living room-style.” I’m not sure what that means and I’m wondering if you could elaborate on that?
Where do you find the inspiration for most of your lyrics? How has the Internet leveraged your band that you feel a traditional record label would be unable to do? What do you see as the future of music via Web 2.0? Do you have any plans and/or desires to be signed by a major label? Where in Africa were you born?
Where do you find the inspiration for most of your lyrics? How has the Internet leveraged your band that you feel a traditional record label would be unable to do? What do you see as the future of music via Web 2.0? Do you have any plans and/or desires to be signed by a major label? Where in Africa were you born?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
In Class Film: "Tune in Tomorrow" - What Makes Community Radio Unique?
Characteristics which make “community radio stations unique”:
- It’s not uncommon to hear people you know being interviewed on the air.
- Issues that are discussed during talk shows are current, relevant issues to your immediate surroundings which one can easily relate to.
- It would seem as though since it offers a little but about everything that one could find interest in something.
- It’s flexible and adaptable to programming based on what’s happening.
Since watching the film, I found out that it was shown at this year’s Green Mountain Film Festival which just concluded in Montpelier. I enjoyed the film so much that this past Thursday and Friday at work I listened to the live streamlined programming from 9 until 11am. I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything.
- It’s not uncommon to hear people you know being interviewed on the air.
- Issues that are discussed during talk shows are current, relevant issues to your immediate surroundings which one can easily relate to.
- It would seem as though since it offers a little but about everything that one could find interest in something.
- It’s flexible and adaptable to programming based on what’s happening.
Since watching the film, I found out that it was shown at this year’s Green Mountain Film Festival which just concluded in Montpelier. I enjoyed the film so much that this past Thursday and Friday at work I listened to the live streamlined programming from 9 until 11am. I appreciate what Bill McKibben said in the film that community radio like WDEV can be appealing to listeners because you can take an interest in learning a little bit about everything.
For Monday, March 30th: Television (Read and blog on Chapter 9 and Chapter 20)
Chapter 9:
In reading chapter 9 it was interesting to learn about the paradigm shift we are currently experiencing with regards to television viewing. People are not revolving their schedules around television programming but rather they are watching television when it is convenient for them. With the onset of mobile devices network television has created short episodes for viewing on portable devices which are about one minute in length called mobisodes. From what I understand since people are no longer necessarily watching television from their living room televisions and are on the move some are opting to watch from their mobile devices in between checking e-mails and surfing the Internet. These mobisodes could be seen as a marketing scheme by television producers to get viewers to watch the full length episodes at a later time.
In this chapter we also learned about webisodes which are “four minute mini-movies on the Web which are usually sponsored by major brands and sometimes the advertisers are part of the story line.” My question is are webisodes just a phase in advertising or will they gain popularity as marketing on the Internet evolves?
One “fact” I learned from this chapter is that the Fox network didn’t arrive on the scene until 1986.
Chapter 20:
In chapter 20 towards the end after all of the discussion on ethics I was really struck by the fact that plagiarism is somewhat of an accepted practice in journalism. This idea that story swapping through the Associated Press is quite common and neither the AP or other journalists give credit to the sources seems a bit bizarre. The text attributes this “borrowing tolerance” to the fact that everyone is under pressure to collect information quickly and get it out to the public that it has become a common practice.
A question I have is I wonder how often high profile members of society like celebrities call press conferences to divulge information about themselves that if left unsaid would surface in the media due to the unethical practices which journalists often engage in inorder to break a newsworthy story. It’s as if celebrity figures are under extreme pressure to make statements about their personal situations when in fact the information might not be that important but because they live such high profile lives they feel as though they don’t have any other choice. And it would be better for them to set the record straight. I was disturbed to read about how Arthur Ashe for somewhat forced to announce that he had AIDS nearly twenty years ago.
A “fact” from this chapter is that in all the media ethics codes which exist today gifts and bribes are not condoned yet it seems as though it’s a common practice by many.
Television Experience:
Until enrolling in this class I had watched my share of television over the years. I’ve often viewed my time in front of the tube as a way to unwind and relax after the kids have been put to bed. One could argue that I could pick up a book and read which is much more stimulating and engaging for the mind but sometimes when you’ve had a long day and you find yourself laying on the couch with the television on it doesn’t really matter what you’re watching because you’re not paying that much attention to it. It’s a mindless distraction that allows you to relax. I haven’t found that I’ve missed watching television too much over these last few months and I guess if it was that important I could record the shows for viewing at another time. I must admit that I haven’t discovered watching television episodes on the Internet yet. As an aside, since moving to Vermont 10 years ago the road we live on doesn’t get cable and I have refused to get a dish because we get all the major networks with rabbit ear antennas.
In reading chapter 9 it was interesting to learn about the paradigm shift we are currently experiencing with regards to television viewing. People are not revolving their schedules around television programming but rather they are watching television when it is convenient for them. With the onset of mobile devices network television has created short episodes for viewing on portable devices which are about one minute in length called mobisodes. From what I understand since people are no longer necessarily watching television from their living room televisions and are on the move some are opting to watch from their mobile devices in between checking e-mails and surfing the Internet. These mobisodes could be seen as a marketing scheme by television producers to get viewers to watch the full length episodes at a later time.
In this chapter we also learned about webisodes which are “four minute mini-movies on the Web which are usually sponsored by major brands and sometimes the advertisers are part of the story line.” My question is are webisodes just a phase in advertising or will they gain popularity as marketing on the Internet evolves?
One “fact” I learned from this chapter is that the Fox network didn’t arrive on the scene until 1986.
Chapter 20:
In chapter 20 towards the end after all of the discussion on ethics I was really struck by the fact that plagiarism is somewhat of an accepted practice in journalism. This idea that story swapping through the Associated Press is quite common and neither the AP or other journalists give credit to the sources seems a bit bizarre. The text attributes this “borrowing tolerance” to the fact that everyone is under pressure to collect information quickly and get it out to the public that it has become a common practice.
A question I have is I wonder how often high profile members of society like celebrities call press conferences to divulge information about themselves that if left unsaid would surface in the media due to the unethical practices which journalists often engage in inorder to break a newsworthy story. It’s as if celebrity figures are under extreme pressure to make statements about their personal situations when in fact the information might not be that important but because they live such high profile lives they feel as though they don’t have any other choice. And it would be better for them to set the record straight. I was disturbed to read about how Arthur Ashe for somewhat forced to announce that he had AIDS nearly twenty years ago.
A “fact” from this chapter is that in all the media ethics codes which exist today gifts and bribes are not condoned yet it seems as though it’s a common practice by many.
Television Experience:
Until enrolling in this class I had watched my share of television over the years. I’ve often viewed my time in front of the tube as a way to unwind and relax after the kids have been put to bed. One could argue that I could pick up a book and read which is much more stimulating and engaging for the mind but sometimes when you’ve had a long day and you find yourself laying on the couch with the television on it doesn’t really matter what you’re watching because you’re not paying that much attention to it. It’s a mindless distraction that allows you to relax. I haven’t found that I’ve missed watching television too much over these last few months and I guess if it was that important I could record the shows for viewing at another time. I must admit that I haven’t discovered watching television episodes on the Internet yet. As an aside, since moving to Vermont 10 years ago the road we live on doesn’t get cable and I have refused to get a dish because we get all the major networks with rabbit ear antennas.
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