New Media and Social Change

2011-01-18T14:53:00.000-08:00

Alyssa Salem

The Cluetrain Manifesto- Reflection Paper

Technology has taken a front seat in the marketing world and while new technology is being developed every day we are still left wanting more. And while it may seem that the large corporations who own this technology are the ones with the power , it is necessary that we take a step back and realize that we hold most of the power in the new world of Web 2.0.

Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger, co-authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto, discuss the reasons behind why Web 2.0 has become truly revolutionary in today’s marketplace. This discussion stemmed from the authors’ original thesis, which stated that markets are conversations and if you think about it for a little while you will realize why all markets are essentially one big conversation.

For example think about the last time you ordered something on-line. While putting in your credit card information allows you to purchase the product, there are so many details that go into making that final purchase decision. Many companies now allow consumers to rate the products on their website, which in turn allows future consumers to read through more information before making a decision. These reviews are not edited, so even the negative reviews are available to the public. Consequently, you can see why this is a perfect example of how markets are conversations. People are able to post back and forth to each other on these sites and let fellow consumers know how they personally felt about the product.

Also as discussed in Chapter 3- Talk is Cheap by Rick Levine, the percentage of “raw” content that is published these days is much higher than in traditional media. This is because the cost of publishing on the web is very cheap and many times even free. I really liked this point because it makes you realize why on-line conversation has become so popular. It is cheap and easy and has a fairly quick response time. Who wouldn’t like a form of conversation like that?

However, one particular market that needs improvement when it comes to Web 2.0 conversation is customer service. Customer service via the Web is so impersonal because the same service is provided for millions of different users worldwide. You click a few buttons and you may answer a few questions but nothing is actually being done to make the experience more personal for the customer. Maybe in the future virtual customer service will improve, but as this point I personally have no idea how companies would even go about improving on it.

The authors also talk a lot about social networking sites and how they have created a new platform for friendships. But if you look beyond the face value of sites like Facebook and Twitter, you will realize that they have become so much more than just social networking sites. These sites have become a primary source for today’s news. Personally through Twitter, I have found out about an upcoming snowstorm or the stats on the next election before I ever picked up a newspaper or heard it on the news. With this said, we must remember that this is the information age and the people are always left unsatisfied and wanting more. Because Web 2.0 is so user friendly, we must remember that all of the information we read is not always correct. I believe that as users we should remember to pick and choose what information we feel is trustworthy. I know it is easy to get lost in the shuffle but not all of the information of the web is valid and we must remember to do our research before trusting in a source.

News is not the only thing that is different on the web. As discussed in Chapter 4-Markets are Conversations by Doc Searls and David Weinberger, advertising has taken a whole new tone on the web. In this chapter the authors discuss how TV is the best medium for advertising and the Web is the best medium for sales. Before reading this I never really thought about advertising this way before but if you really think about it it’s true. If you see a product you like on TV and want to learn more about it the first thing many people do is check it out on the Web. If you really like the product you can order it right there at that very moment. So even though many companies advertise on the Web, in the end these advertisements are more like sales because the products are available through the same medium they are being advertised on. Additionally, an advertisement on the Web can take you from a small advertisement to an electronic storefront in a matter of seconds. I personally like to shop in an actual store where I can see and test the products I am purchasing, but with the new fast-paced lifestyles many people are leading it is not surprising that many people do most of their shopping online.

While reading The Cluetrain Manifesto, I also began to reflect and think about Web 2.0 and how it has affected my life. For instance, on Facebook I have over 1,000 friends but in the real world I would have never kept in touch with this many people at this point in my life. Many of my friends from high school would be mere memories. I wouldn’t be asking them how college is going over a simple wall post or discover that some of them are living in a whole other part of the world. Is this normal to be in contact with so many people or are we wasting our time staying virtually connected when we could be doing so many other things with our free time? Is it really necessary to know what everyone is doing at every second of the day on Twitter? I guess this stems from people just wanting more and more information and never being satisfied, but sometimes I feel that some information especially about peoples whereabouts is just irrelevant and can even cause harm. Think about it, a pedophile or stalker can look at someone’s Twitter and find out where they are and at what time according to the time they posted. So while I agree that Web 2.0 is an amazing new market and form of conversation, I think we should really pay close attention on what information we choose to share.

Remorse: The feeling I have leaving this Course

2010-05-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

You know when people tell you about the one teacher who had a significant impact on their college career, the one teacher who really helped them? Yea well, I never felt that way. I mean I have liked teachers, but since I have left high school I have not found a teacher that I have deeply respected and genuinely liked conversing with.

..... that is until now.

In my eyes Professor Littau is one of the best things that has happened to Lehigh's journalism department in years. Before his presence in the department, most if not all the classes were tailored towards the idea of print journalism and theories/concepts. Professor Littau has designed a class that I think should be a requirement for all journalism students in the future.

His class was innovative, interactive, and enjoyable at the same time. It wasn't just hours of lecture from the professor and silence from the students like many of the courses I have taken here at Lehigh. It was thought provoking and hands-on, which enabled us to truly learn what were being taught.

As media is now looking more and more towards the internet, I believe that is it necessary for all journalism students to learn the ins and outs of social media by gaining experience from directly working with sites such as Twitter and Blogger. I also think that is is necessary to learn how to use a camera and edit film. All these skills will inevitably be practical down the road at some point in all our lives.

Let's Take a Look at the Materials, Hand-outs, and Books!

2010-05-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

While I believe that most of the material in this class was valuable, I do believe that some material was more valuable than others.

I'll take a different approach when evaluating the materials and start with the ones I think that we could have done without. After reading through some of my classmates posts, I have to agree with Allie Rolnik when she said that we could have done without the books. I think the books would have been a good suggestion to buy, but I don't think that they were necessary when pertaining the the actual coursework. A lot of our work was hands on (which I loved!), but because of that we really didn't need the books to guide us along the way since we were essentially guiding and teaching ourselves day by day. However, I will say that if anyone wanted learn and read more about today's media that the books would serve as a great guide.

Hand-outs, however, are another story. I think the handouts are absolutely essential to the proper functioning of this course. Without the handouts, I feel like we would have been asking Professor Littau one million questions a day and therefore probably drive him up a wall. The handouts enabled us to properly work with Windows Movie Maker, blogs, and twitter. They were extremely detailed so that very few questions needed to be asked during lab time. So keep the handouts coming Professor Littau!

Finally, when it comes to the Kodak camera we used I absolutely loved it. I know some people say that we could have had a more expensive camera or maybe one that looked more professional, but I think this camera was just fine for what we were trying to accomplish. And yes, while the sound wasn't always completely clear that was easily fixed by attaching the lapel mic to the camera in one quick and easy step.

Self-Evaluation

2010-05-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

Me: Mom, there is a new class being offered at Lehigh and I'm not sure if I should take it or not.

Mom: What's it about?

Me: Well the title of the class is Multimedia Reporting, it seems like it is going to cover a lot of information. Here I will send you the link the professor posted on Youtube, I think it will give you a better understanding of the course.

Mom: Ok, I'll call you back after I take a look at it and let you know what I think.

........................................ 2 minutes later....................................

Mom: Alyssa, are you serious?

Me: What are you talking about?

Mom: Of course you should take this course! Why would you even question it? If you don't fill out an application I will be very upset with you. This class has something different to offer and I think you will get a lot out of it.

Me: I guess your'e right. I just wasn't sure since it is a new class but I guess I will never know unless I give it a try.

.... Thank god I decided to call my mother that day.

On the first day of class I wasn't sure what to expect. I actually don't think I had any expectations at all. And maybe that was for the best. Because whatever I could have expected to gain from this course could never compare to the copious amounts of skills that I have learned.

The thought of me editing film and audio with little to no supervision before this class...... no way.

The thought of me starting, designing, and maintaining my own blog before this class..... no way.

The thought of me producing and publishing a website before this class..... no way.

The thought of me being technologically and social media savvy before this class.... no way.

I didn't necessarily have any concrete goals before starting this class, but I can tell you one thing now. I know feel that I can reach my goals much easier because I know have concrete skills that I can offer to a potential employer. I know have something to show them when they ask for a sample of my work. But most importantly, I can now honestly look a potential employer in the eye and tell them that I am indeed fit for the job.

There's a First Time for Everything: First Podcast of the Semester

2010-04-07T11:42:00.001-07:00

2010-04-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a slideshow from a day at the New Bethany Ministry Soup Kitchen!

Warning: Final Project Under Construction

2010-03-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

So after a few months of learning how to properly use Windows Movie Maker, we have finally made our first video that is based on the final project. My group decided to do ours on hunger and homelessness in the Lehigh Valley. The first place we visited were the New Bethany Ministries, which are located on a few minutes from campus. I hope you enjoy the video and just remember the project is still under construction and there is still a lot more great footage to come!

Collaborate and then Navigate

2010-03-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

The second map I am featuring on my blog today is a map that the entire class worked together. This map features the public data on Megan's Law registered sex offenders in the city of Bethlehem, PA. Our professor enabled this collaboration by e-mailing each of us the map. After he did this, each group was responsible for finding the sex offenders within a certain zip code. I have to admit that it is kind of scary once you take a look at how many we found.

View Megan's Law: Registered offenders in Bethlehem, PA in a larger map

Lehigh Valley movie theaters- For all your viewing needs!

2010-03-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today in lab we learned how to navigate, search, and create our own maps on Google. The map I personally created features various locations of movie theaters in the Lehigh Valley. So on the next rainy day or on the next day you have nothing to do, feel free to take a look at my map so that you can find the theater closest to you!

View Lehigh Valley movie theaters in a larger map

2010-03-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here is this week's movie file, Our first in TV-Style!

2010-03-03T12:33:00.000-08:00

Here is my group's video lab for this week! It's the first one we have done in TV-style, which basically means including different elements such as voiceovers in the background to make it seem more like a story you would view on your local news channel. I hope you enjoy it and I hope to be using the microphone more in the future for better sound quality!

The Kodak 1080P- Seems to be making students Furious, Instead of Curious

2010-03-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Dialogue

Me: Hey, my name is Alyssa Salem and I am conducting interviews about the recent snow storms for my multimedia reporting class. Would you mind taking a few minutes out of your time to do an interview?

Potential Intervieweee (or so I thought): Absolutely not!!!!!! Can't you see I am busy here? I mean it's four o'clock week, don't you have anything better to do with your time?

Ok, so I exagerrated a little. But in reality some people are just really rude when it comes to interviewing. Today I went to Ulrich to find some potential interviewees, and there was one girl sitting at a table all by herself waiting for the post office employees to get off their 15-minute break. Naturally, since she was just waiting around I figured that she wouldn't mind doing a short 2-minute interview. Boy was I wrong.

As soon as I started appraoching her I got a sense that she wasn't going to be the world's most pleasant human being. And when I asked her about the interview, this became even more apparent. Flipping through her pile of mail, she refused to even make eye contact with me and simply stated in a very annoyed tone: I'm really just not in the mood right now.

You're really just not in the mood right now?? Should I tell that to my teacher next time I have a presentation or exam? I'm sorry Professor but I'm really just not in the mood to make my presentation right now. I mean I have nothing else better to do but I just don't feel like it. Yea, just imagine what her professor would have said to that.

I'm sorry I don't mean to go on a rampage, I just wish people would be a little more considerate sometimes in life. Like Scott Hamilton once said, "the only disability in life is a bad attitude."

Hey do you have a minute?.... uhhh I don't think so

2010-02-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

Putting together and editing clips is a task in itself, but lately I have been feeling like getting the actual footage seems to be the hard part.

As I went on my journey this weekend to interview people on campus about the recent snow storm, lets just say people were a little less than willing. Even as I motioned for people's attention outside of Coppee Hall they still completely ignored me, keeping headphones in tact while walking straight ahead as if I did not even exist.

When I finally ran into some people who were willing to be filmed, they still made me feel like i was wasting their time. I tried to be as quick as possible, but sometimes it is hard when you are trying to film things in the right light while following the rule of thirds at the same time.

Once I did get all my footage, there was one strong overall consensus about the snow storm: Lehigh sucks at notifying students. One poor kid that I interviewed even went to this early class on that Wednesday morning because he had no idea that classes were cancelled. I mean come on Lehigh you charge us practically $50,000 dollars a year in tuition so I think the least you can do is shoot us a short e-mail to let us know classes are cancelled during a snow storm. It seems that more people found out about the storm through social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, which I find kind of sad even though they same to be the new means of on-line communication.

In the end, both of these issues could have been solved within 2 minutes. Students agreeing to do a 2-minute interview and for the Lehigh staff to stop being lazy and send out a simple e-mail stating "school is cancelled."

Example: Proper Lighting is a MUST----Lab 4

2010-02-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

Here is Lab # 4. Allie's intro is a bit dark, so next time we will make sure to angle to camera for proper lighting and to follow the rule of thirds!

Zzzzzzzzzzzz.....Finally woke up from my blogcation

2010-02-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

I would like to start off by apologizing for my extended blogcation. If you have been following my Twitter page , you are already aware about the stress I am feeling due to summer internship applications and the resumes/cover letters that go along with the dreadful process.

Anyway, the snow really got in the way of Lab#4 for all of us. I mean I must admit that I was thrilled to hear that we would be getting the day off, but after realizing the copious amounts of work that I must catch up on and get done on my own, I kind of wish that the storm hadn't his us so hard. I personally like to get my labs done during class time so that Professor Littau can take a look at them and assure me that I have finished my work completely and correctly.

With that said, I hope I am able to put the footage from this week together properly by solely reading the assignment. My end product probably won't be perfect, but hey I'll give it my best shot.

P.S.- I am going to start closing out my blogs with little personal rhymes of the day so here it goes

When your brain starts feeling fuzzy as if it is storing fog, let your thoughts go and write them on your blog

Lisa- Sorority Chef Extraordinare

2010-02-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

This is the video that I worked on in Lab 3 today! This is by far my favorite piece of video that I have produced yet. In this lab we learned how to work with the actual audio on a video piece and how to mute it or add audio to different sections of video. Even though it might not be the longest or most complex piece, I feel that the end product is very clean and put together and I hope you enjoy it!

Fade In, Fade Out

2010-01-28T12:03:00.001-08:00

This video is the same as Interview B, except for an added transition fade between the introduction and first question title page.

2010-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

This interview was mostly uneditted except for a title bar and credits page.

Inrerview B- Lab 2

2010-01-28T11:56:00.000-08:00

In this interview, I cut out my questions and embedded text instead.

Preparing for Lab #2: Interviewing Around Campus

2010-01-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I'm a little nervous for the editing we will be doing in Lab #2. You see the thing is I am more of a hands on learner and today in class we learned more through visuals and note taking. I think I might have to go to office hours tomorrow just to run through it with Professor Littau a bit so that I am not completely lost in class on Wednesday.

On another note, I'm curious to see what will we will be interviewing people about on Wednesday. Will it be a specific topic or will we just be able to roll with it like we were able to in lab last week? I kind of hope we get to pick what we want to interview about. I just think it is so much more interesting to see what people in class come up with on their own and hopefully through these various trial interviews we can pick a topic for the project we will be working on over the course of the semester.

First Lab of the Semester!

2010-01-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

I know this sounds completely cheesy, but working on the first lab today really got me excited for this class. I know sometimes it is necessary to take a class where most of what you learn is why something works or why something is necessary in the real world. But sometimes I just want to learn HOW to do something, for example how to upload videos and cut clips like we did today in class. I feel like all the tools we will be learning in this class will all be useful and pratical at some point in the future since everything in our society today seems to be completely technology and multimedia oriented.

Today wasn't full of lecture from the teacher and silence from the students like most of the classes I have taken here at Lehigh. It was a highly interactive experience where we all got to use the actual camera and take video on day 2 of class. I am really excited that we jumped right into working instead of just talking about it. I already know how to download a clip, where to find it, and how to post it on youtube. Again, I know this sounds cheesy but I think a lot of us feel the same and I can't wait to see what we will be learning next.