Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tradtional Views: Online vs. Traditonal Journalism

We live in a world filled with online new sites, magazine and blogs. The world of journalism has exploded online and continues to expand daily. With every form of journalistic media available to us with the click of a button, what is happening to traditional journalism?? In an article by Denishia Salter a Journalism Major at Seton Hill University she discussing the every growing world of online journalism and its effect on the traditional journalism. With online journalism more accessible, cheaper and more convenient what chances do traditional newspapers and magazines really have? Are we as a society going to eliminate print journalism all together? Is online really better? In her article Denishia write about her decision to compare print vs. online for herslef. Using as her subject one of the most popular magazine in existence , the Cosmopolitan. While comparing the online version to the print Denishia found that online isn't always better. Online pop ups, advertisements and videos continually popping up while reading the online magazine became quite annoying. She even found that the online magazine did not giver her access to all the articles from that issue. Not to mention that all the money generated from these magazine comes from the purchase of print versions. Though there may be benefits to online journalism, does it take away some of the fun? Does online ruin the effects the magazine has when a bunch of girls huddled together on the back of the school bus gigling while they fill out the question to the "what kind of dater are you" quiz? Or what happens to the fun of ripping out the pages of your favorite celebrity hunk and pinning it on your wall? Can online journalism ever replace the experience of traditional print journalism? As far as Denishia concerned, no, as long as print journalism is making money, traditional journalism is here to stay.

Paper or Plastic? This question was posed in the second article I found discussing the issues of traditional vs. online journalism. The debate this time was between paper books and the ever popular Kindle. In an atricle by Allan Mott entitle Paper or Plastic?: Books vs. Kindle Showdown he poses a series of situtaion in which he compares using the kindle vs. paper books. Using satire Mott give example of situation where at times books are the better choice and at other times the kindle wins. So what is your opinon? Is the kindle changing the future of publishing? Do we still have a need for paper books. My personally opinion books are a classic form of literature that will never die. While the kindle is useful in the packing and caring of numerous books at a time, can it ever replace the feeling of curling up by the fire with your favorite worn out novel in your hand? Are we willing to give up the sound of each turn of the page or the smell of the musky worn out paper? While the kindle will continue to grow in popularity and has its use, paper books are irreplaceable. Books have been around for thousands of years, they stand the test of time and in my opinion no Kindle is about to show up and replace them.

http://www.newmediaskool.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=169:online-journalism-vs-print-what-happens-to-the-traditional-journalist&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50
http://www.bookgasm.com/features/books-vs-kindle/

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Blogging: Social Media

There was once a time when fashion shows were reserved for the elite. The only way you were getting your foot the door was if you were a designer, model or big time celebrity. But recently sitting front row at every major fashion show are some familiar faces. These are the faces of today's top fashion bloggers. Girls like you and I who got their big break, believe it or not, from blogging. Their "claim to fame" are their very popular blogging sites. Blogs they set up to report on today's latest fashion trends, parties and upcoming shows. Little did they know just how far these little blogs would take them. With increasing popularity in their blogs, girls like Rumi Neeley, founder of fashiontaost.com, and several others are gaining celebrity status in the ever so elite world of fashion. Designers have recognized the amount of traffic these blog receive and have taken full advantage. Sending bloggers new clothing, purses and accessories, designer all over are cashing in on the free advertisement. Not only are these blogger receiving merchandise they are also being invited to attends several major fashion events, signing endorsement deals, and some even get lucky enough to land modeling contracts. Most of these girls have become style icons themselves, making designer even more eager to feature their products on these blogs. These girls have taken their simple blogging pastime and turned it into a full blown career. Blogs have allowed these girls to reach audiences world wide, something that was not possible before blogging. Fashion bloggers have manage to squeeze their way into the once closed off world of fashion and are taking the public with them. Giving blog readers the inside scoop on toady's fashion world.

Not only are the bloggers themselves benefiting from this blogging phenomenon, but we as a public are as well. The general public can now access details on major fashion event, shows and campaigns, that before were keep under lock. Thanks to these bloggers we are able to see what goes on behind the scenes of major fashion shows. Like never before, the public has access to these events and all their inner workings. Numerous blog sites are set up to keep fashion crazed audiences in the loops. With just the click of a button we can access photos and videos from the top couture fashion shows around the world, something that wasn't possible a few years back. Fashion week 2011 was a perfect example of how social media has altered the fashion industry. Videos and photos were being updated on popular fashion websites by the minute during top designer shows. Viewer gained their own front row seat to these once private shows. From the comfort of their own homes, fashion fan were able to tune into designer hottest runway spectaculars. Blogging has become am major part of how designers and companies promote their products. Products feature on these popular fashion sites can sell out in minutes. If its on the blog its obviously something "fashionistas" around the world will want to have.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/put-yourself-in-the-front-row-20110914-1k9g3.html
http://heartifb.com/2011/05/09/the-rise-of-the-superblog/

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Organizational Uses: Social Media

Social media seems to be taking over the world. As our main source of social networking, its hard to find someone who hasn't heard of sights such as Facebook or Twitter. Not only have these sights dominated social communication and the way we interact with friends and family, they are now taking over the marketing world as well. Everyone from major celebrities to multimillion dollar corporations depend on the the exposure they now gain through followers on popular social media sights. With hundreds of thousands of followers, these popular businesses profit from this type of marketing, but what about those of us who aren't as well known in the public eye? How do small businesses reap the advantages that are possible with social media marketing? In an article by Fox News entitled "How Small Buisnesses Can Use Social Media for Branding" they dicusss need to know basics for small buisness oowners to succesfully use social media. First and foremost know your target audience. Successful marketing hinges on the fact that you as a buisness owner know exactly who you are trying to reach with your marketing. Once you know your target audience, entrepreneur can use Facebook for advertisement. Small business owner Johnson Bailey is hard at work getting the word spread on his unique scented candle company. Using sites like Facebook, Bailey is able to direct advertisements toward certain groups that will appreciate his product rather than waste money in general advertising where only a small portion of the audience will find interest. With social media Bailey is constantly able to keep ads up to date and edgy. With unlimited uses, social media seems to be the best way for small businesses to jump into the big world of marketing.
http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/technology-web/2011/05/20/small-businesses-use-social-media-branding/

The second article I selected discusses social medias influence on religion. In an article done by USA today, we are asked the question, Are Social Media Changing Religion? As the boundaries between public and private become blurrier due to the ever growing use of social media sights, what is happening to these religious communities? With the sharing of information at the forefront of everyones mind, there has been a major shift in what society considers private. Congregations everywhere have turned to sharing and networking in small groups. Churches have always been a places where people can go to find sanction. They have always been sacred and holy places used for worship, not sites used for group therapy and social networking. This shift in the way we worship has some people beginning worries. While many feel comfortable with sharing there life struggles, beliefs and hope with those around them, what happens to those who still prefer to worship alone? Problems surface when open worship becomes a badge of faithfulness. Are those who choose not to share left feeling inadequate or marginalized? Is the use of social media in the world of religion such a good idea? Some believe it's not, other welcome the change, either way social media is changing our world in more ways then one.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-06-21-column21_ST_N.htm

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Social Media: The Big Seven

How many of us use twitter? I personally haven't jumped on the twitter train quite yet. Who is really interested in the day to day activities of my life? After all isn't twitter simply one more social tool we use to keep in contact with friends and family? Well according to a Times article by Steven Johnson twitter has taken on a much more important role in our world today. With only 140 character posts twitter has amazingly become one of the largest platforms for government, large corporations and us as citizens to get our opinions and messages out there. Twitter has given a voice to those who may never have had a voice before. Online debates over twitter are constantly on going. One messages is posted and next thing you know it has gone viral. Opinions and ideas are pouring in. People who may never have expressed their thoughts before are now actively involved in the issues they find important. Twitter has opened up our world of communication like never before.

With the popularity of twitter on the rise all eyes are watching. Messages posted through twitter spread like wild fire, so what better way to get your message out there. Twitter itself has led to even more virtual technology. The #hashtag and @tag were created after Twitter, to further allow users to include information in their posts. We see apps and twitter programs that have been developed so users can tweet from their cell phones. Twitter has become so accessible and easy to use that it cant help but gain new users every day.


In the world of social media, such as facebook and twitter, we have almost unlimited access to information about our friends and family in just the click of a button. Where they are, what they're doing, who they're with, these questions are all easily answered thanks to the wide spread of social media. But when is all the information maybe just a little "TMI"? With facebook trends like "25 things about me" where users post 25 things about themselves on their feed, are we taking the sharing of our personal information just a little to far?

According to a Times article by Claire Suddath entitled "25 Thing I Didn't Want to Know About You" she discusses the issue of too much information. With social media tools opening the world of communication and sharing have we as a society crossed that line between public and private? Are we making ourselves look bad by posting things like "I like to sing in the shower" or "I eat Cheerios in bed"? Is this type of information sharing really necessary or beneficial? Some might argue that it is all in good fun, and millions of facebookers out there will defend these type of activities. With a society that is living our lives online we need to asks ourselves when is it all just a little "TMI"?