Final Post - Comments.

For my last KCB201 Virtual Cultures blog, I would just like to point out where I have commented on other students work.

Here they are:

1. Are we Google dependent?
2. How does technology become cultural technology?
3. Blogs and teaching: Assessing blogs in an academic setting.
4. Advertising and produsage.
5. Online social networking communities & the future.
6. Produsage? Fo Cereal!

I would just like to say that I really liked seeing other students work for a change!

The Sartorialist

Recently I have discovered a fantastic new blog that I just love to follow. I feel like a fan, which I have never really been before - even during the time The OC was airing. That's not to say I never followed anything before or watched a television show every week, but I can't say I have been really been interested in something like this before. We'll see how long it lasts! I think this is important to recognise as part of my KCB201 studies because this is an example of a rising tendency towards online content, rather than that of traditional publication.  

What is the site?

The Sartorialist. This site is a fashion blog that is posted by self-taught photographer, Scott Schuman. It shows fashion shots from all over the world and exhibits the current trends, variations of those trends, unique combinations and different personalities that show through through fabric, textures, colours and styles. The posts are a combination of stylised shots and random on the street shots. 

What is so great about it? 

This site is fantastic for several reasons. Firstly, it enables the audience to view fashions and landscapes that they may not have access to in any other circumstance. Whilst I know that photos and commentary of New York and it’s people could never be an adequate replacement of witnessing the real thing, it is far too costly for most people to visit there. University students especially. The Sartorialist himself states “I thought I could shoot people on the street the way designers looked at people, and get and give inspiration to lots of people in the process.” Katie Davis highlights the fantasy side of a blog such as this when she states “Let the Sartorialist inspire you to take fashion risks and bring high fashion looks into your own life.” I suppose this is a similar prospect to books, movies and even advertising that use the element of escapism to capture audiences. 

Why is this a perfect example of what we're studying?

Nowadays it seems that blogs can be as popular as television shows and other more traditional types of media. The continuity of blogs and the community that they create/attract make them popular as both a form of entertainment, information and social space. Frank Warren of PostSecret.com states that “one of the true beauties and powers of blogs" is to "give voice to people who are not heard." In the case of the Sartorialist, the people who have their photo taken are given the chance to display their fashion style, and people who read from home have the chance to comment on portrayals each photo gives of the subjects life and style. Schuman states “When I worked in the fashion industry (15 years), I always felt that there was a disconnect between what I was selling in the showroom and what I was seeing real people (really cool people) wearing in real life.” Convergence and the influx of techology into our lives has allowed this type of engagement with art, fashion and journalism. 

The other reason this particular site is relevant when considering blogs and their impact, is the way in which Schuman has risen from writing publicly accessible musings and posting public photos online. This excerpt sums it up:

“The Sartorialist has grown so much in just over a year and I could not be more thrilled by the community that it has created and the wonderful associations I have been able to create. If you have told me two years ago I would have a well-respected blog, a monthly page in GQ, recurring guest blogs and videos for Style.com, and countless other exciting side projects I would have kissed you - well maybe not kissed - but I would have really liked you a lot!!”  

Check out Schuman’s new junior blog, The Sartorialist Junior and another blog who has taken inspiration and layout guidance from Schuman, Beyond Boston. 

Citizen Journalism (Part 2)

Now that I have covered the basics of the issues surrounding citizen journalism, I think that it is important to look into the major ethical issues of citizen journalism and whether or not this relatively new concept will be beneficial or detrimental to our consumption of the news. 

To start with I would like to point out the views of Bruns. He states: 

“it is no longer appropriate to uphold the mirage of news as product; instead, news is a process, never finished, always continuing, and (given favorable conditions of participation in which constructive contributions outweigh disruption) gradually evolving towards a better understanding of ‘the truth,’ or at least towards the development of a widely shared consensus on what the facts of the matter at hand may be.”

This statement makes me wonder about the ‘truth’ and whether increased collaboration does indeed make more truthful news. I personally believe that it is at the discretion of the reader of traditional news to decide whether or not the information is factual or bias or shows inconsistency. I have these questions...

1. Does the introduction of this new medium applaud (or actually disregard) the general publics intelligence by allowing them to contribute the news and judge/ edit other peoples work? OR

2. Does this new medium insult peoples intelligence as traditional news consumers by suggesting that news must be 100% truthful and produced to establish a consensus? 

I am swaying towards the notion that whilst the news should be widely shared and people should have the right to express their opinions on news items without the traditional gatekeeping that occurs in newspaper and magazine production. However, I also believe that those with journalism qualifications and experience should have the right to be the providers of quality news - that is what they are trained for and they bare the responsibility of being answerable to the reading public. 

From the Week 10 reading I found this concept really interesting as well. 

The Four Principles of Produsage: 

1. They must enable open participation in and commu-nal evaluation of content contribution 

2. They must allow for the emergence of fluid heterarchies and an ad hoc meritocratic governance in and by the communities which emerge from this process

3. They must allow for content and process to remain unfinished and continuing

4. And (perhaps most importantly) they must avoid the perception that content created in the process is intended to fall under the ownership of the news organization, providing rewards only for the corporation rather than also for individual participants. 

These all address the strategy and participation involved in citizen journalism. As a media and communications student I acknowledge that online citizen journalism is an alternative outlet for a different type of news and expression of ideas and I believe that Bruns is correct in his directives. 

The fourth point is especially relevant in today’s converging society. When large companies own citizen journalism outlets there can be perceived censorship of the publics work.

It’s tricky to get your head around all of the issues surrounding such a concept as citizen journalism. I think the increase of new technology has complicated the issue of honest journalism and whilst it increases the chance for everyone to have their say published, the idea of a collaborative system is very much confused by issues of ownership, fair critiques and honest/ethical contributions and the issue of sustainability. 

My final point is the issue of which articles, contributions and internet postings to call citizen journalism. In recent times, the publication of videos and articles have allegedly increased cyber-bullying and defamation. The online (often worldwide) spread of content such as this, happens long before anyone has a chance to edit, alter or evaluate it. Does this count as citizen journalism - it comments on current happenings, and is published online by an everyday person. 

Where does one draw the line??

Citizen Journalism.

Who knew that I would be so interested in citizen journalism??

Maybe it comes from several years aspiring to be a magazine editor before realising the fickle nature of the industry and peanuts-for-pay. But I do have a keen interest in publishing and hope to write freelance when I finish uni, so this topic has got me hooked. 

I have identified several important topics of discussion when considering citizen journalism. These are:

1. The impact of citizen journalism on traditional news and entertainment publications.

2. The way in which citizen journalism has enabled everyday people to contribute to online news and to which extent this is possible.

3. The ownership of online citizen journalism sites and the possible censorship involved. 

4.  Is every piece of footage and blog content about current events citizen journalism? How does this fit into Axels idea of citizen journalism being community based, monitored and collaboration.?

I would like to start by drawing your attention to this YouTube clip: 

This is a great overview of citizen journalism, and explains the way it has infiltrated daily life. The way in which our involvement with news has changed dramatically in my lifetime and I am only (nearly) 21. 

When beginning to look further into the phenomenon changing news production around the world, it was ironic that I first turned to traditional print stories (online at least) written by professional journalists. Factiva provided me with some interesting articles about the way in which citizen journalism is spreading and what kind of effect it is having on the journalism industry. 

This one took my eye: “Move Over: Journalists Will Have to Share Their Space”

As an ex-journalist the author of this article is very much on track. Even after all the time he has had working in the print industry he has found it easy to switch over, though not completely, and contribute to online news. I love that he points out the need for multi-media platforms when producing news, in order to provide a fantastic service that people will love. It is the publications that were solely reliant on advertisers that are failing to stay in the race. The article states “Reporters, feature writers and commentators are getting used to making podcasts and videocasts. They are producing copy for instant transmission on the net while managing to provide added value for their contributions to the printed newspaper.” Advertisers have seen the sense in using sites with large amounts of daily traffic to display their ads, rather than use newspapers. In this case it seems convergence is a necessity rather than a novelty. 

This slideshow covers the main points well: 

| View | Upload your own

I am unsure of whether or not the increased accessibility to reading an producing news is beneficial to society, or if it will simply cause more controversy and make news ‘cheap’. More on this in my next post...

To Be Continued.

Open Source Software... And Sharing

The notion of sharing is a thought that comes to mind when thinking about Open Source software and the development of software through collaborative measures. It is a simply concept “to share”, but as in kindergarten, it is still a tricky skill to manage. 

Whilst researching this topic I came across a fantastic video, Elephants Dream, made entirely on Blender, apparently it is the first ever. Firstly, I love that this type of content can come from someone’s brain and secondly I am in awe that this can be done at home on your PC. I went to Blender to see how this type of content is created and had little luck. It seems that whilst this software is now available to everyone, you still have to have a certain level of skill to use it. Eventually I found a good overview on Wikipedia (which is an example of open source collaboration itself). 

So check out this video:

In past years, this type of content was not even available in the cinema yet. On the Elephants Dream website admirers and other creative minds have lefts comments suggesting that the makers of Elephants Dream use their music and have left links to their proposed songs. 

This is a remix of Elephants Dream using a song written for it (an example of open source collaboration within itself):

The reading by Axel Bruns states that...

“while the project originator, by virtue of that role, necessarily is an initial leader of the project, they also need to be able to step away from that role enough to enable others to provide leadership in areas of project development where their skills are most effectively utilized: “the next best thing to having good ideas is recognizing good ideas from your users. Sometimes the latter is better.””

This is where the notion of sharing comes in. I think that it is a skill to be able to produce something and then allow it to be added to and changed, sometimes completely by the end, from what you intended it to be. In the creative industries, where the cultural capital is very important, it is essential to remember that it is the thought that it worth the most, and that the finished product would not have been developed at all if it wasn’t for your initial contribution. 

Bruns also points out ...

“project are evaluated by the community at large— such communal evaluation will highlight those elements which should be included in the overall development project, and will point out those elements to be excluded as not meeting sufficient standards.”

Wikipedia is the most obvious example of this type of evaluated community sites. Entries can be added to, then the information that has been added will be analysed by other readers and flagged if it is incorrect or not substantial enough. Entries are also flagged if they need to be updated or if there is not sufficient information in it. 

These are just two of the major concepts in open source software development. The fact that word-class projects such as Elephants Dream can be produced at home on your PC though free software I find amazing. I am of the generation who’s parents did not have computers, so it is just phenomenal that all of this has occurred in the last 15 years. The other most important issue surrounding open source software is the fact that so many people contribute in order to develop a product that is specific to their own taste. the cultural capital of such projects is huge and generally priceless (I assume it would cost a lot for companies to try to monopolise all of these ideas and pay each contributor).

I have never really looked into internet “sharing” before, but I am glad I did. 

Reference:

AB. "Open Source Software Development: Probabilistic Eyeballs." Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life and Beyond: From Production to Produsage, ch. 3. (CMD)

Today is a very busy day for blog posts.

After my efforts this morning, I have been thinking about the blogs that I read sometimes and the blogs I read nearly everyday. Although it is not quite as embarrassing as religiously following Perez Hilton or Celebrity Fix, I do have some internet weaknesses that I would normally keep to myself. But in the interest of honest KCB201 blogging, I will share. Plus I am sure there are classmates that will love these sites as much as me. I have included a brief review of each one:

Girl With a Satchel:

This is my favourite blog at the moment, which is written by ex-Girlfriend-Editor Erica Bartle, because it discusses lots of interesting pop culture. I really love the magazine reviews and recently contributed as a guest reviewer because I was looking into working in the magazine industry. I am not sure now whether or not I want to work in magazines, but I love the blog anyway and it gives me somewhere to get myself published!

4 Inch Heels Only:

Currently in the news for controversially bitching (I mean exposing, of course) about staff members of staff at ACP magazines and other people involved in the fashion, magazine and beauty industries. There was an especially controversial article about 4 Inch Heels, which you can read here, and as a work experience student myself at magazines I know exactly what MagHag is talking about.

Mamamia:

This is written by Mia Freedman, icon of the magazine world, about pop culture, fashion etc (generally along the lines of the content usually covered by women's magazines). After writing This in response to 4 Inch Heels Only I am not really as interested as I was previously. It just shows that reader sensitivity it still necessary, even online.

Fruity Beauty:

This is a blog written by Zoe Foster, former Cosmopolitan and Harpers Bazaar editor, about beauty products, techniques and other industry (magazine and beauty) related stuff. Recently, and after many bitchy comments by readers that were unwelcome by Foster, she started to blog less. Her blog is also a question of integrity as she receives products to endorse by companies. I am unsure whether I agree with the attitude of Foster in her response to the comments she didn't like, as when you open up the option for people to comment, you should take the bad with the good. I don't think it is realistic for bloggers to expect only positive comments.

I really find the conversation interesting the comments, and think that it has totally changed the workplace envrionment as the person in front of you could be blogging about you. I also think that the nature of the industry has allowed anyone to participate like I did - although I strongly believe that having you work published on someone elses blog is more credible than simply posting it yourself. Nearly the same as being published in print.

Hyperlocal

"The net effect of all of this is the increasing availability of fine-grained information about locales. This information is both interesting and valuable. It is sought after by people living in these places and by advertisers who are trying to reach these people. A handful of startups are recognizing the big potential of local information - relevance. In this post we look at different aspects of the hyperlocality, from satellites to local blogs, and ponder how this information will be organized and monetized."

When I read this article I became alarmed at the naivety of today's society, then calmed myself, trying to believe that this was just a scare tactic. Do other people find it alarming that with the combination of blogs, myspaces, localized forums, global forums, online shopping, browsing and posting, google maps, flickr, itunes...authorities and everyday people could work out who you are, where you live, what you look like and what time you eat you Froot-loops in the morning??

I don’t think I like that everyone has access to everyone else's business. I know what you put on the internet is for public consumptions, but who really thinks that their posts on one blog can be linked to a forum, to their house and to their social wellbeing. 

Need a break - freaking myself out!!!

I think an example of hyperlocal information is this Road Trip Nation. I think the fact that you can travel around the countryside, posting as you go makes time and space feel completely irrelevant. I have a friend who is doing it this year. 

Catering to Everyone

Reading the Week Four texts, I became aware of how much is involved in sorting through content in order to show the public commodities that will be successful. I never realised that it took more money, effort and time to selectively publish, sell or broadcast than just showing it all. 

The passage entitled The Long Tail by Chris Anderson suggests that it is most beneficial to put content out there in the hope that someone (maybe just one) will take it up. This totally contradicts the traditional notion of selling to the masses. Not everyone will always like what is on offer then, and are more likely to consume something that appeals to them. 

I do not believe that this could have happened before the introduction of the internet into everyone’s homes. The issue of identity is often associated with the purchase of goods, especially clothing, music and viewing habits (videos, dvds, internet content etc.). Previously, some people would have been embarrassed to purchase certain content from stores, or play the music out loud on a music player without headphones. 

Of course it has been seen in the past, and is still, as money making. A lot of the time people will purchase a song or clothing because that is what is ‘in fashion’, whether they like the item or not. Anderson states “ For too long we've been suffering the tyranny of lowest-common-denominator fare, subjected to brain-dead summer blockbusters and manufactured pop. Why? Economics. Many of our assumptions about popular taste are actually artifacts of poor supply-and-demand matching - a market response to inefficient distribution.” According to trendwatching.com the focus is now shifting from mass produced items and now, it is about hyper individualization “where it is all about 'me' (for better or worse), where being special will lend consumers status, to be mass is now every consumer's nightmare.”

That is why Anderson refers to the distribution of all content in order to cater for niche markets, and indeed everyone at the same time. At trendwatching.com they have called it “NOUVEAU NICHE: the new riches will come from servicing the new niches!”. 

EXAMPLE from Chris Andersons “The Long Tail” 

As fast as Rhapsody adds tracks to its library, those songs find an audience, even if it's just a few people a month, somewhere in the country.

This is the Long Tail.

You can find everything out there on the Long Tail. There's the back catalog, older albums still fondly remembered by longtime fans or rediscovered by new ones. There are live tracks, B-sides, remixes, even (gasp) covers. There are niches by the thousands, genre within genre within genre: Imagine an entire Tower Records devoted to '80s hair bands or ambient dub. There are foreign bands, once priced out of reach in the Import aisle, and obscure bands on even more obscure labels, many of which don't have the distribution clout to get into Tower at all.

This is an interesting topic for me, as it seems that we can all have whatever we want, whenever we want it. Check out this article, and tell me, does this new call for catering to niche markets contribute to our Generation Y bratiness?