New Forms of Media Publishing

Newest Trends
The new forms of media publishing that people are into these days are Photolog and Vlog. One of the famous photolog website is fotolog and for vlog, of course the ever infamous youtube. However we have to ask ourselves what are the benefits and issues surrounding these two newest trends.

Vlog

• Benefits - Youtube is a well known vlog in the Wold Wide Web. According to squidoo.com, some of the benefits of youtube is that you can upload videos that allow other other web users to either watch the videos online or download it to their own computer. The greatest benefit is that it is free.
  

• Downside - Though youtube is considered as beneficial to web users but it is not to some companies. Youtube faces a lot of problems dealing with copyright. BBC news (2007) reported that several companies are suing youtube over copyright issues. As reported in the BBC News last year, Viacom which is a company that owns MTV and Nickelodeon, is suing youtube for publishing Viacom's show illegally. A lot of companies are losing money and worried of their existence.

(source from: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/15/1352207&tid=95&tid=14)

publishing videos without the permission of the owner

Moblog

• Benefits - The benefit of having photolog is that it allows internet users to share photos with their families and friends online. Therefore they can keep in contact and maintain their relationships.
  

• Downside - The down side of it is that some of the photos you can't distinguish whether it is authentic or fake. According to The Reuters Photo Scandal website, internet users can be mislead by what is presented in the photos. There has been a lot of issues regarding photos that had been edited using photoshop software. Photos can be alter by either combining two photos into one, changing its colours and pixels resolution and even enhancing an element in the photos. Adnan Hajj is a freelance photographer who got into trouble for editing the original photos.
  

(source from: http://www.edwincarter.me.uk/theory/photos/bb/GiantCat2E.jpg)

an element in the photo was edited

Reference List;
1. Benefits of Registering with YouTube 2008, Squidoo.com, viewed in 1 May 2008, at 2008http://www.squidoo.com/Benefits_of_Registering_With_YouTube

2. Streaming Future for Internet Users 2007, BBC News, viewed in 1 May 2008, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7017794.stm

3. The Reuters Photo Scandal 2006, zombietime.com, viewed in 1 May 2008, at http://www.zombietime.com/reuters_photo_fraud/

4. Viacom will sue YouTube for $1bil 2007, BBC News, viewed in 1 May 2008, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6446193.stm

Designing for Online Vs. Print

(online)

VS.

(print)

The way audience read online and printing is very different. According to Dr Jacob Nielsen's study, 79% of web users only scan a webpage instead of reading thoroughly. This is because reading from the computer's monitor is 25% slower than reading from print and also staring too long at the monitors can increase eye strain. Based on his study, he found that web readers are three times more likely to limit in-depth reading to short paragraphs than newspaper readers. This is because online content has no 'control' over what the audience has to read. Print content controls what the audience is reading and what they are going to read whereas online content allows the audience to be the active. Example of a badly design websites:

(source from: http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/)

This website demonstrate what makes up worst website.
Click on the picture to further view the website.

Improvement
Ways to improve online content to be more appealing to the audience is by improving its scannability. According to Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006), element such as arrangement and visual appearance of writing contributes to meaning. In the first and second law of Gestalt by Bernhardt (1986), stated that balance or equilibrium with other elements in the field and a good contrast is important so that the audience doesn't have to strive for closure. According to Nielsen, the information displayed on the websites should be simple and precise.


Which is better?
Neither is better than the other because everyone has different interest. Some people prefer reading the print content like newspapers while others prefer reading online.

Reference List:
1. Bernhardt, S.A 1986, 'Seeing the text', College Composition and Communication, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 66-78

2. Kress, G. & V Leeuwen, T. 2006, Reading Images, Chapter 6: The meaning of composition

3. Nielsen, J, 1997. How Users Read on the Web. Viewed on 1 May 2008 at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

4. Redshaw, K 2003, Web Writing vs Print Writing, Kerryr.net, viewed on 1 May 2008 at http://www.kerryr.net/webwriting/guide_web-vs-print.htm

Classification of Blogs & Example(s) of Blogging Communities

Variation of blogging

Subject Matters:

• politics
• fashion
  
• history
  
• law
• technology
  
• sport
  
• travel
• food

Media types:

• vlog - is short video blog, is a term use to describe a blog that contains video clips. Examples of vlog are youtube.com and veoh.com.

• linklog - is a blog that consist of other blogs' URL and you can link to those blogs. Example of a linklog is Lisanova.
  

• sketchlog - is a blog that consists of images, especially sketches and other drawings. Example of a sketchlog is rob-sheridan.
  

• tumblelog - is a short and concise blog that provides little or sometimes no commentary at all. Example of a tumblelog is projectionist.

• photolog - is a blog that contains photos, where the photos is the primary element not the text. Example of a photolog is photoshack.
  

• splog - is short for spam blog, it is actually a fake blog solely made to promote affiliated Web sites.
  

Device:

• moblog - is short for mobile blogging. it is a blog where Mobile Phones acts as another device to publish blog entries. Example of a moblog is flickr.
  

(source from: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3809188252404769645&postID=668239486628193705)

Status of Publishers:

• corporate and business blogs
  

What is a blogging community and how to create one?
Blogging communities are people who have similar area of interest and discuss in a group or in this case a blog. Ways to created a blogging community is by using hyperlinks, forums, tag links, chat space and comment post. This will allow the audience to be interactive with the blog they are reading and it will help increase the number of viewers.




Reference list:
1. Blogging, The Phenomenon: Text Based 2006, Thinkquest, viewed on 1 May 2008 at http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01130/typesofblogs_textbased.html

2. Hi-tech ways to stay in touch 2007, BBC News, viewed in 1 May 2008, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7082566.stm

3. The 8 different types of blogging in 2008, MakeYouGoHmm .com, viewed in 1 May 2008, at http://www.makeyougohmm.com/20080124/5040/

4. What is Splog? Splog Explained 2005, The Internet Patrol, viewed in 1 May 2008, at http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/what-is-a-splog-splogs-explained