I recently was checking out Facebook’s blog and noticed a new addition! Similarly to Technorati or Google Trends that allow people to track what people are doing online and with their blogs: Facebook’s new addition will allow people to track trends and see what the buzz is on wall posts! Basically the tool views all the wall posts made and categorizes them by words and phrases.
To read the blog post, click here!
Thanks Roddy!
The whole “Wiki” idea really blows my mind. I think it is a great site and I have used it many, many times, but to be honest I am shocked at how accurate it is. Who would have thought that an open information site that allowed ANYONE to edit the published material would be so successful?
Sometimes I can be quite a skeptic about things online – and because of this, I have tried to find errors on Wikipedia. Though I haven’t given a ton of time to this project, I have to admit I didn’t find many. For that reason, I must agree with Dan Gilmore and go on record by saying, “people are generally good.” It really is as simple as that. They are getting more tech saavy, efficient and are utilizing the free speech aspect that online publishing allows them.
I love the idea of WikiTravel. Sure, any blogger could include travel tips on their blog- but because of the nature of this site, a greater number of people can post their opinions and experiences, as well as there is a much larger audience that visits Wikipedia. I wish I would have known about WikiTravel before I studied abroad last winter! I could have saved myself from some horrible, over-priced meals and tourist traps!
On a completely different note, I wanted to address the question that Kathy Gill presents to our class for this week’s discussion: “what’s the difference between “personal” journalism and “news”? To me, this issue is one that is important to bring up. In my opinion, this is one of the largest reasons that blogs aren’t as comprehensive or trustworthy news sources. An author can post any story and portray it however they choose, based on their opinions. If this is so, readers are getting a very skewed vision of what the news is. Whereas, if viewers watch the news on television or read the newspaper there still is bias (but not quite so obvious) and they receive a report on a wide variety of topics. Instead of just focusing on what is “interesting” in their opinion, like blogs.
Yes, blogs serve a distinct purpose. And yes, viewers should realize that they are only receiving one person’s opinion and only part of the news coverafe when viewing blogs, but still… “personal journalism” is still not as accurate or comprehensive as traditional news.
I would still rather get my news coverage from an online newspaper, than a source of “personal journalism”. Newspapers cover all stories and present it in a way that is professional, easy to read and is a credible source that I can trust. Maybe I am too old-fashioned, but I’ll save my blog surfing for Perez-Hilton – my guilty pleasure and the best way to procrastinate (second to facebook, of course!).
1. In order to share the wealth of knowledge that each one of our classmates has: What is your homepage? Which websites are you “addicted” to? Who is the blogger that you trust most?
2. How do you think blogs have changed media coverage on the war, compared to wars in the past? Do you think blogs and social networking have made beneficial changes to the topic of war, or negative? What ethical issues surround the topic of blogging about the war?
In my opinon, one of the best parts about the web is that anyone who has access to the internet can voice their opinion for the world to see. The freedom of expression and written/spoken word enables an unlimited number of people to act as “gatekeepers” of knowledge. However, just as it was discussed in the chapter, “Here comes Everybody” gatekeepers “provide a necessary or desireable social function, but also control the function.”
Because these “gatekeepers” control the function, many readers will trust anything they see that is published online. How does one know if a blog, specifically one reporting real news stories, facts or data is really trustworthy? For those that are more skeptical of blogs, I think it is because of lack of trust in who the author is.
If anyone can write anything they want online, how do you know what to read and believe? The internet is not tangible and therefore, anyone can claim to be someone they are not and publish their work. I suppose the best way to avoid this problem is to always make sure you check up on the credentials people say they have and don’t believe them 100% unless you have proof that they are who they say they are. This issue however, is one that I think will always hold blogs back from being a more trustworthy and/or popular means of news than other outlets, like television or radio.
The article discussed the issue of scribes in the past and how their jobs were made obselete with the invention of newer technology. While I know the advancement of a “bigger, better and faster” world is uncontrollable, (mainly because people are greedy and nothing is ever good enough) I’m starting to question if making such big advancements in the digital media industry is going to bring more good than bad.
Honestly, it worries me that people have access to so much information with the click of a button. This may seem strange, but sometimes I worry if things are getting “too convenient”. What happened to the days when people had to actually work to find answers, research using books and real-life sources, or have a personal conversation IN PERSON? I mean come on, we don’t have to even leave our house anymore… we can buy groceries, shop for clothes and other necessities, have access to entertainment and stay in contact with friends and family without having to glance away from the computer.
Don’t get me wrong- I love technology and use it everyday, but I just worry sometimes that personlization, social skills and personal interaction are all being replaced by computers and before we know it, we’re going to be walking robots - incapable of doing anything without the internet.
1.) In your opinion, what is the most detrimental result of the internet?
2.) Which other outlets of news and journalism ( besides newspapers) do you forsee as becoming obselete?
My first thought while reading Dale’s blog post was “What a brilliant idea!”. I can’t count the number of times when I’ve watched the news and heard the same story with the same details over and over again. Especially with big stories that are slow to develop, a way of receiving news updates and tracking the development of a news story easier would be greatly beneficial. I sometimes wonder if journalists and news reporters are actually reporting new details or regurgitating the same information with small tweaks because they don’t have anything new to broadcast. It would be nice to see more of a “timeline”, like Dale said.
I wonder how a new system of updated, instant reporting online would affect the pace of traditional journalism that is already dying. I would think that because so many Americans are getting their dose of daily news online, that a convenient system like this would only make the end of newspapers come sooner. Essentially, a new system like this would make life far more efficient for everyone – why would anyone continue to read newspapers?
An idea like this could also be really useful to broadcast journalism. If this were linked with a program like Tivo, people who wanted to view their news on the television could get what they wanted to see whenever they wanted. Specific news stories could be downloaded onto their Tivos and special “updates” could be identified, so viewers wouldn’t have to waste their time viewing bits about stories they already knew about. News stories could be categorized and then a “timeline” type program could appear, giving the beginning, middle and current status of a news story. Viewers could then watch the updates as they happen. I think this would really work well and be really popular.
1.) What do you forsee as the pros and cons of this new style of online journalism? How do you think the invention of this would affect other forms of media?
2.) How do you think new systems of reporting like the ones discussed in the article and in my post would be beneficial to people? Are they just enabling Americans to become more lazy and rely on technology to do all the work?
Many of us that attend the University of Washington, or live in America have heard of Amanda Knox. If you haven’t you probably don’t pay attention to the news or picked up a Daily in over a year. It seemed the press’ coverage of this news story had cooled down, until recently when a special news program aired on channel 7, Saturday night.
Watching the show sparked connections between class material and Amanda Knox. In the “We are Media” online reading, an interesting point was brought up about privacy on the web. The author noted that with the increasing levels of technology and the capabilities of digital cameras and mobile-camera cell phones, there is severe decrease in the amount of privacy we have. “Keeping secrets, moreover will be difficult for businesses and governments.” (14).
However, I believe this idea extends to other areas as well, specifically pertaining to individual people. Sometimes bloggers forget that their online posts have the capability to be viewed by millions. Anything you post online is public, which makes keeping secrets really hard.
I tied this idea to the Amanda Knox story because of the high levels of attention the media has placed on Amanda’s facebook, myspace and blog sites. For those of you who do not know, Amanda’s social network sites and blogs exposed some interesting facts about her. These include pictures of her engaging in acts involving alcohol and drugs. In addition, she had also posted essays and other commentary about her life about topics such as rape and casual sex. The Italian police and news reporters have had a hay day with this information, because they believe that what she has posted online is an accurate portrayal of who she really is – and it could very well be.
This is important because the life she leads on the internet is now endangering her chances of getting out of jail. Now what is interesting here is the fact that online blog posts and social networks enable you to be anyone you want to be. No one knows for sure if what is online is an accurate portrayal of who someone really is, many times people make up things that they post, enabling them to have multiple identities or alternative personas.
I have a suspicion that these online posts and profiles will continue to be used by police and the federal government in their investigations. While part of me thinks this is a great idea, I also see many flaws in it.
1.) Do you think the police should use personal blogs and social network profiles to assist with investigations? If so, how accurate do you think they are?
2.) Think about your own personal blog and or facebook-like profiles. Do you have information or images posted that people could twist and make you appear to be someone you’re not? What do you think the implications of this are? What kinds of precautions do bloggers and online gurus need to take?
Because I am new to the “World of Blogging”, I found the article entitled, 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web to be interesting and useful. In this blog entry, I will highlight the tips that I enjoyed learning about the most. As lame as it may be, I am going to use Perez Hilton’s gossip blog as a good example of how to use these tips.
1. Write for a Reason
“Write honestly. Don’t hide, and don’t stop short. When writing about things that matter, you may be tempted to flee to safe, familiar havens: the familiar, the sentimental, the fashionable. Try to find the strength to be honest…”
Perez, the hottest gossip guru has a blog that is nothing but his brutally honest opinion. Celebrity gossip is the sole purpose of this oh-so popular blog and I believe one the main reasons is because he is not afraid to speak his mind. People enjoy reading his blog because he will tell it how it is (or how he thinks it is) and will say things that are normally too rude for anyone else to share, especially publicly.
2. Write Often
Another reason I believe Perez’s blog has gained so much popularity is because it changes so frequently. He adds new posts so often that his biggest fans feel the need to check the blog multiple times per day! In addition, his humor is consistant and his celebrity gossip is reliable and accurate.
3. Relax!
“Don’t worry too much about correctness: Find a voice and use it. Most readers will overlook, and nearly all will forgive, errors in punctuation and spelling.”
This last tip is probably one of the most important in blog writing. What makes each blog so unique is the style and word choice that each author uses. In my opinion, the style can make or break a blog. In Perez’s blog he uses loads of trendy phrases, makes up his own terms and isn’t afraid to be vulger and very conversational. All of the posts are short and sweet and use a style that makes readers feel he is talking to them.
1.) What is your personal opinion of the Perez Hilton website, and why?
2.) How do you think Perez Hilton’s website has changed the Hollywood scene? Do you think he has made more friends, or more enemies?
This is my first blogging class, and to be honest- I really do not have much expererience with blogs. With the lack of free time in my life, I am lucky if I have time to check and respond to all my e-mails, let alone take the time to read random blogs online. However, because of this, I was really interested in taking this course. I have always wanted to learn more about blogging and start one myself, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity.
As a senior in the Communication Department, I have taken numerous classes about media and have constantly been taught about the history, life cycle and trends of media. A large portion of my studies have also included monopolization and media conglomeration. In a majority of my communication classes, my professors have reminded me of the conglomeration that is occuring in the media industry. Because I despise the fact that journalism and media is soley-owned, I am a big fan of the idea of blogs and what they have the capabilities to do. I love the fact that blogs are encouraging and enabling people with the chance to speak their minds about any topic, at any time. It is definitely time that something like this was created.
It really is no surprise to me that blogs have become as popular as they are today. Practically every aspect of our life is online. Shopping, researching, information, business and communication is all conducted online. With the invention of Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms and other “messaging” means, it is no wonder that blogs would come about. In We the Media, the author notes that we had many forms of communication in the past such as the telephone (one to one), broadcasting (one to many) we were due for a new means of communication which enabled “many to many” correspondence. Blogs will, in my opinion, continue to be influential in how we as citizens receive our news and share our opinions.
It will be interesting to see how blogs continue to shape the face of the media industry as well as how the journalists and media professionals plan on competing with the free blogs that are consuming the internet. Especially in the upcoming election, I have already started to see implications of blogs and how they are affecting American citizen’s opinins of the candidates and campaigns.
Discussion Questions:
1.) In what ways do you think the creation and rise of blogs will help and hinder the upcoming presidential election?
2.) What are the differences between online logs such as facebook and myspace from blogs? Would you consider online social networks a kind of blogging?
