Post 12: "Paper" Proposal Main Argument

For the "paper" accompanying my final project, I will be creating a short video which will address the interaction of theory and practical application on the Clemson Online Film Festival website. I plan on using screen shots of my website as I discuss the theories that came into play during its creation and its use. I have decided to use all 4 of the books that we have read in class, but I feel that my main argument would be about how my project relates to and bolsters the claims of McChesney's book: Communication Revolution. My paper will not only show the need for a grassroots form of media, it will also show the barriers of such an alternative media.

Communication Revolution has a clear connection to my project’s goal of encouraging creative output outside of the corporate media system. I think McChesney would be pleased to see a grassroots film effort like this, but perhaps disappointed in its limited scope. I for one, would welcome a government grant to help me build such a website and connect it with a local television station, and even video production courses here on campus. Theoretically there is a great deal more that I could do to strengthen the areas of film production and criticism in the Clemson community, however a lack of time and money will most likely keep this a small operation. It is only due to the availability and relative inexpense of current technology (the availability of the internet, the advent of internet video and of social networks) that my modest site is even possible. I agree with McChesney that these new technologies have given us an opportunity to include small-time productions as part of the media, but disagree that the window is closing on us. It remains to be seen, though.

Post 11: Group Success

Both of the reasons for group failure which I discussed in my last post, can also lead to group success. Groups do need to stick together and work in unison towards a common goal. Social pressures can ensure that everyone gets along and ensure that a hierarchy remains intact. A very strong group structure, like that in the military, can be used to make sure that everyone is moving in the same direction.

Informational influences can benefit a group in a similar way. Without any informational momentum, a group would spend days or weeks exploring every single one of their options. Eventually an idea (hopefully a good one) needs to gain traction and get team support to go forward and get the actual project finished. The key is to find the balance between having too much or too little social and informational influence and to decide what is appropriate to the project at hand. For example, I know how frustrating it is when a group of people can't decide where to eat for dinner. In this case, they have too little social and/or informational influence. If almost everyone really wants Mexican, than this works out much better. However if everyone in congress suddenly decides that building a bridge across the Atlantic is necessary, this may not lead to a desirable outcome.

Post 10: Group Failure

Group failure is a common problem, and according to Sunstein actually becomes more and more common as groups get larger. This because of two reasons: Informational and Social Influences. Informational influences may convince an otherwise skeptical decision maker about a particular course of action, simply through the inertia of the idea being repeated and build upon. Social influences work in a very similar way but depend on the person's need to fit into a group, as opposed to their ideas themselves being changed by "logic."

I would imagine that social influences are easier to recognize and in some situations fairly easy to fix. If a company discourages their employees to think outside the box or even think out loud, then they obviously have this problem. Some corporate cultures, or even individual manager's temperaments can add to this problem. If employees believe that "the nail that sticks out is the one that gets hammered down." than this is definitely a problem. To fix this, managers need to be convinced that encouragement of new ideas is a necessary step to improve their company's ability to survive in a changing environment.

Informational influences can remain less of a problem if decision makers are encouraged to play "devil's advocate" and by comprising decision groups out of diverse backgrounds to result in a wide variety of thoughts and opinions coming to the group.

Final Paper

Here is a section from my paper to give you an idea of the theme:

The buzzwords viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. The goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to identify individuals with high Social Networking Potential (SNP) and create Viral Messages that appeal to this segment of the population and have a high probability of being passed along. The success of viral marketing campaigns can be partially attributed to the use of hypermediacy to satisfy the publics need for immediacy in their media environment today. This paper will seek to establish a link between Bolten and Grusin’s remediated self and viral campaigns by investigating the marketing of Warner Brother’s The Dark Knight.

Companion paper

For my companion paper I would like to explore the juncture that externally funded research in AAH has reached, how we arrived here, and what forms of communication will aid in the navigation of this juncture for the success of future researchers in our College. My primary audience for my project is faculty and graduate students in the College of Architecutre, Arts and Humanities at Clemson University.

In order to successfully navigate this juncture, communication on externally funded research needs not only to be useful, but credible. Remediating the current AAH Research website is a starting point. Providing a variety of ways to access information will enable diverse individuals to access information to his or her preference. The remediation will hopefully project a professional and credible author that is concerned enough to tailor the site to multiple preferences. Below is a proposed outline for the paper.

I. Critical juncture in the research culture at Clemson University and the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities.
a. Why are we at this juncture?
b. What means of communication that have been, and will be ,effective to address the past and look forward to the future?
i. Possible social influences and informational pressure
II. Remediation of the AAH Research website will attempt to begin the remediation of a research culture.
a. Why attempt to remediate the website?
b. What are the potential obstacles?
c. What is the possible impact on the current research culture?
III. What social and informational influence does the current research culture have on this project?ie
a. Group failure
b. Cascades
IV. Future projects

Main Argument

My target audience: people from all different cultural, ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds who consider themselves "smart phone users" & who wear clothing (...you never know).

A 2008 article written in Information Week titled "Smartphone users want to have more fun" stated that smartphone applications that kill time are more often downloaded by users than productivity applications. On March 27, 2009, ABC News' Ned Potter reported on the "Top 7 Smart Phone Applications to Make Your Life Easier," listing them as follows:

1. Booty Cellar - the application that lets you receive tips on getting pregnant in "fun, digestible text messages"

2. Scan Life - this application lets you scan just about anything with your phone and it will immediately look up user reviews, sale prices, sale locations, or just about anything else you want to know about a particular thing or product.

3. Financer  - it is an application that acts as a portable electronic ledger and instantly lets you export your transactions.

4. i-Fitness - suggests work-out routines to keep you in shape

5. ReQall - uses speech-recognition and GPS-tracking to record notes and to-do items and send you a reminder as you get closer to a location where you need to go. ex- pick up dry cleaning -> as you approach your dry cleaners, your phone would remind you to stop there. 

6. Fast Food Calorie Counter

7. i-Breath - application that lets you check your breath's alcohol level before getting in the car and driving over the legal limit

After seeing all of these application that were rated as the "top" ones, my main argument for this project became even clearer to me, and I have broken it down into the following points:

- people are in a hurry and life is hectic, so why not have an application that can take the stress out of dressing each morning and therefore allow them extra time to spend doing something else.

- Smart Phones are extremely popular world-wide. People from all different background use them everyday. By making an application that is useful for people everywhere and from every background, I am able to tap into this huge market of phone applications and potentially have a great selling product that is useful to everyone. 

- Through this application, people can think outside the box! People tend to wear the same combination of clothing over and over again. With this, they will be able to see a wide range of different clothing combinations, allowing them to think of the clothes in their closet as exciting again and full of endless possibilities (this is also a good thing in a time of economic crisis, when people don't have as much money to spend on new clothing).

Crunch time: Week 5 post 2

Dear Class,

Our session is running surprisingly short on time. Gone are the grandiose visions of sweeping and revolutionary projects. I’m now confronted with a basic reality…I’ve got six days to “get it done.”

I don’t view this final project submission as the end of the road for my little brain child. Instead, I view it as the end of its infancy. I’m hoping you will provide your feedback and possibly author an article for the wiki. As members of the class in which the Palmetto Film Society was birthed, I think it’s fitting I waive the “Palmetto Patron” contribution of $1 for the first six months :). The first project is a “People’s Guide to 2009 Film.” Each entry provides an overview of the film, the reasons for its inclusion (including what made it noteworthy, to what audience would it appeal, and background on the film).

My vision began with a very broad picture…to remediate the concept of the film patron and raise funds for artistic and cultural activities in South Carolina. I became convinced by my research that there are not enough forums for people who appreciate film (aka patrons) to explore and discuss it. Sunstein’s comments regarding Wiki’s and solutions to social influences and Powazek’s design principles for the community heavily influenced me. I am in the process of engineering the home site of the Palmetto Film Society as a result. Be on the lookout for the “grand unveiling” on Monday.

Essentially, my core audience is anyone with an interest in good film. I cannot define what constitutes good film to others besides me. Using Sunstein’s arguments, a large enough aggregate can produce knowledge as an alternative to the market system currently employed. In short, provided I cast a wide enough net, appeal to the “right” membership, and set an appropriate environment for conversation, an alternative to the corporately controlled free market system may result.
After all, who better to dictate a list of films worth watching than the patrons themselves?

My central argument contains three conclusions. First, that the patrons can aggregately explain film value effectively using a wiki. Further, through the appeals I establish to the potential patron pool through my digital design and content, I can develop a membership base which will self-police and produce a quality product. Finally, that this enterprise can be self-sustaining financially and generate resources to share with artistic and cultural outlets in South Carolina.

Info. Pressure & Social Influence

Information Pressures & Social Influences

Negatives implications:

• Deferring all of the answers to a few people, instead of hearing the thoughts of the entire group can be a big mistake
• People influence each other and even though the answer might not be the correct one, others will not speak-up against it due to information and social pressures
• Leads people to not say what they believe is right and to not share their knowledge with the group
• Cascade effects
• Group polarization

Positives implications: 

• Some people should not express their opinions because what they say is untrue
• They allow people with bad ideas to be silenced and therefore allowing those who know better to do all of the talking
• It can help lead people in the right direction by avoiding "bad signals" (Sunstein, 216)

Even with all of these various positive and negative implications that are tied to social influences, as well as information influences, the members of the group will be the determining factor of how the group 'unit' works or fails. Depending on the space they are using to accomplish their goal, the goal itself, and those involved, many different and unpredictable results can take place. 

Social influences and informational pressure

I suppose informational pressure and social influence all depend on what type of group environment we are participating in as well as our own personalities. Some individuals like to work in groups while other prefer to work alone. Some like face-to-face settings and others prefer an on-line environment.

When a group is productive, it relies on its members to do their own part within that group. Sustein argues that groups are more productive if the members are told, before deliberation begins, that "different members have different, and relevant information to contribute" (212). Another option is for the leader to not voice his or her opinion in order to have a positive deliberative experience. If everyone in the group feels his or her opinion will have a positive impact they be more likely to share their thoughts.

On the other hand, if a group relies solely on the information from the group leader to make a decision, the end result may be failure. The influential individual in the group may not be correct in his or her assumptions, but are adverse to change because of their terministic screen. If the group relies solely on the information from the leader in making a decision, the end result may be failure. By doing so those individuals are conceding to the language of the majority, and not voicing their opinion in order to conform in order to be accepted.

The Internet (open source software, wikis, etc) have opened up the door for more individuals to share their knowledge and ideas on various topics. These formats provide a widely dispersed nature of information and collective most often are accurate. I believe we will see more of these types of group environments and open souce format in the future.

Week 5 Post 1: Wiki-freedom...wiki-tastic...and wiki-godfather

It’s hard to run any kind of internet search without crashing directly into one of the largest (and most controversial) websites on the internet: Wikipedia. Wikipedia, a massive open f/oss encyclopedia written by any and all wishing to contribute, provides a remarkable case study for dialog on informational pressure and social influence. For that reason, it is the subject of this blog posting’s response.

First, let us begin by revisiting the challenge of information pressure and social influence. According to Sunstein on page 86, information has an almost viral nature to it.

“First, information held by all or most group members is likely to influence individual judgment, and those judgments will in turn affect the judgments of the group. Second, shared information, simply because it is shared, is more likely to be explored during group discussion.” (86)

One infested with shared by a majority of group members as individual, the group has the metaphorical equivalent of the common cold. The group is constrained by and into the domain(s) already maintained by the majority members.

It’s democracy…by required assent. Or what the character Michael Corleone would call "an offer you can't refuse."

This can unfortunately mean that original thought is harder to come by. The group has a majority which has already “made up their mind” and is willing to impose that will. Diversity of thought suffers…through a desire to comply with the majority, the minority is “e-elbowed” out of the conversation. Further, through information cascades, the group consensus becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Rather than using dialog as a means of producing shared understanding, it becomes a blunt tool by which the preconceived majority opinion becomes the group’s opinion.

All is not lost.

Let’s now turn our attention to Wikipedia. As Sunstein notes on page 151, “Specialists are regularly surprised to see a great deal of accuracy, as well as astounding currency, in Wikipedia entries…” Wikipedia grows at a phenomenal rate, due to the active involvement of a large number of participants. Authorship is communal. Individuals are not recognized in the process. Any user can edit, create, or dispute the neutrality of a given piece. In this case, have we perhaps found our escape from the shackles of informational and social pressures?

I cannot speculate an answer to that question. However, I think this is a case where social pressure becomes a positive thing. In wiki-etiqutte, users are expected to share their knowledge. They can do so through authorship of new articles or correcting mistakes in existing ones. The pressure is not to conform to the existing presentation of information, but to build and nurture it. There’s a safe harbor for doing so. Between the environment and group ethic, Wikipedia has far more users working for it than against it.

In group settings, informational pressure and social influence can almost make existing beliefs viral. Groups become a means of reinforcing beliefs rather than creating new ones. That changes rapidly, one would hope, in the case study of Wikipedia. The information aggregation specific to a wiki can use these phenomena as a source of strength.

I do not like working in groups or teams. Well, at least large groups and teams. My ideal group size would be two people working as a team. Three or four or five heads is not always better than one or two and Sunstein provides some great insight into why this is the case. Sunstein argues that a person is wrong more often than is right, therefore, the more people working in a group, the likelihood of the group making the correct decision approaches zero. I was quite taken aback with this statement as this seems counterintuitive.

Also, informational influence and social pressure can limit the teams perspective. Remaining open to dissenting and diverse views is therefore critically important. This would seems easier with more group members as there would be a greater number of views and experiences from which to draw a solution or conclusion to the problem. The best group decisions, for instance, result in part from arguments spread between numerous individuals

OAR (Of a Remediation)

Sometimes I think I have more fun with the titles of my posts than the actual post themselves. I guess this makes sense considering I want to be a copywriter, a master of the headline. Anyways, that was a bit of a tangent, my apologies.

Taking the time to consider all of the remediations we have encountered during the short semester, not many of them seem to be revolutionary. For something to be considered revolutionary, it must have had a profound effect on society, changing the way we operate in the world. Only one remediation comes to mind that fulfills these requirements. That, of course, being the Internet. The Internet has truly revolutionized the way we live today. We find our news online, buy clothing, books, music, etc. online, and connect with people all over the world in an instant. Nothing more revolutionary than that. In fact, the Internet has turned the great wide world into a global marketplace of ideas and information. This is something that has never been accomplished before.

Every bit of media, pictures, video, audio, etc. has been remediated in some way on the Internet. To me, the Internet is the remediation of all remediations.

Group failure

We have probably all been in groups that make great decisions and in groups that make poor decisions. How do we determine what went wrong when groups fail? Groups sometimes fail to make the best decisions based on the information the members of the group actually have. Sustein argues that group members often silence themselves based on the views of other in the group because of two reasons, information and social influences (65-69).

"If members are listening to one another, they might defer to leaders or to the apparent consensus and thus silence themselves" (67). A group will not be "smart" if its members imitate one another, be afraid to voice their own opinion, or wait for someone to tell them when and what to do. Groups tend to be wise only if individual members act responsibly and their own decisions. Incentive to make an individual decision is also productive. If each member is encouraged to voice his or her opinion and experiences on a subject, more often the group will keep an open mind about the subject.

In addition to information and social influence, some bad decisions are often the result of conditions outside of the groups control: time restraints, financial limitations and a host of other issues which encourage poor choices. These types of limitation should be recognized by the group and addressed. This type of acknowledgement could lead to more open discussion and possible options based on the limitations.

When a group is productive, it relies on its members to do their own part within that group. For those of us who sometimes wonder if it is really worth the extra effort to go that extra mile, to speak up in the last minutes of a meeting, or volunteer to take on a leadership role in a group, we need to keep in mind that the bottom line is that our actions matter, even if we do not understand the entire picture at the time. .

Got groupthink?

It seems like a simple task to work together. More heads...wider skill sets...more "man or woman" hours available for the task...

What could possibly go wrong?

Not a rhetorical question...answer: a lot.

I've seen many a group fail miserably and spectacularly. A part of me believes they fail more than succeed. Having reviewing Sunstein...and the many reasons in which a group can fail...I can see why!

Sunstein begins by recognizing that there are four basic means for eliciting and aggregating information. Each has the potential for failure. For instance, in deliberation, pre-existing biases can be reinforced (p. 48). The very start point of these discussions can be flawed (aka "anchored" p. 34). Throw in a bit of diversity suppression ala our previous discussions, and it's easy to see what can trigger the failures.

However...I'd like to talk about what can go "right." When does a group become functional? Sunstein offers several lessons...

First, from page 57, groups are limited. Deliberation does not always result in closer proximity to "truth." And they do not always do better than statistical groups. In short, teams "become" functional and are not born that way.

Next, informational infliuence and social pressure can limit the teams perspective. Remaining open to dissenting and diverse views is therefore critically important. Teh best group decisions, for instance, result in part from arguments spread between individuals (Sunstein p. 63).

On a closing note, there remains the vexing issue of the jury theory...if each individual in the group is wrong on average more often than right, the likelihood of the group making the correct decision approaches 0% as the group size increases.

So much for strength in numbers!

Group Failures...Oh My!

Group failures can be caused by many different underlying reasons – from the stars not aligning themselves right that day to fundamental character and belief system differences between members. According to Sunstein, there are two sources that cause group failures: informational influences and Social pressures (65). 

Information influences prevent those of differing views from expressing their opinion and standing up for what they believe is right, just in the same way as social pressures do. Most people would not get up and say to a group of anti-gun supporters that they think children should have a right to carry weapons at the age of 15!

Ways to minimize the potential of group failures are talked about anytime a “group” of people come together and set up guidelines. In my opinion, group failures can only be reduced when all members involved are willing to give it their all and make any effort necessary to keep the end result in mind. If everyone is on the same track and not just floating around aimlessly in their own world, success is more likely to happen.

Week 4 Post 2: A matter of revolution

From the arrival of the written word to the development of high speed internet access, policy and technology are closely intertwined. McChesney stresses this point. And I’d tend to agree. Regardless of whether one views these changes as productive, moral or not, I believe it’s a safe bet that all would agree that the rapid development of information technology was a hallmark of the second half of the 20th century.

Rather than rehash those conclusions, I instead would like to take this opportunity to explore a new direction. Simply put, what do those technological revelations have to do with being and communicating the human experience? I believe it is this question which drives the participation post prompt supplied by Dr. Fishman.

Our remediatons thus far have included computer games, digital photography, computer enhanced art and graphics, film and virtual reality. The World Wide Web, technically not more than a forum for these remediations, is also in practice a remediation of each of these. And, as Bolter and Grusin note, each media is a remediation of previous media.

This implies that all media are equally revolutionary and repetitious. Aristotle once said that there’s nothing new under the sun. Not much has changed in that respect. A film remediates story and photography using sound and motion picture. The photograph chemically and/or digitally remediates the painting. Video games, well, remediate whatever the designer chooses using digital art and user interface. And, yet at the same time, each is revolutionary in its own right. You cannot fly…unless in a plane or playing a video game.

In short, the technologies are not revolutionary. What becomes revolutionary is the possibility each media suggests to us individually. A photograph of an area we’ve never seen may inspire us. We begin to visualize, when seeing a beautiful sandy beach with blue sky and clear, warm ocean water, how tranquil and relaxing life must be there. But…it could be a picture outside war-torn Bosnia for all we know from a glance at the picture.

As such, I view every remediation as equally revolutionary and not.

Revolutionary remediation

Over the last decade so much has been remediated. We can look at the telegraph, telephones, books, and literacy itself. The invention of the telephone remediated communication in itself, and has continued to remediate itself over time. This form of communication has transformed from the party line, to dial tone, to push button, to cordless, to wireless. We not only talk on our phones, but we text, watch television, surf the web, compose documents, and the list goes on.
We can also say the same for written communication. Seldom do we sit down and write a letter by hand using pen and paper. Email, the web and social networking sites have replaced pen and paper.
Are there any forms of remediation that are truly revolutionary? I suppose I consider the Internet revolutionary. After all, it has change we conduct business, teach classes and basically communicate. This form of communication has also eliminated some stereotypes and racial and ethnic barriers. We communicate, play games and conduct business real time with individuals across the globe.
As time goes on, I believe the term literacy will be redefined. It will no longer be the ability to read and write, but the ability to navigate, communicate, interact as well as read and write in a new digital world. Only time will tell, but if you are not able to communicate digitally, you are missing out on the transforming world we live in today.

The Truly Revolutionary Remediation

Looking back at all of the various remediation techniques discussed in Grusin and Bolter's book, the one that I believe to be most revolutionary seems to be the creation of the World Wide Web. Their are so many various components that have become a unified body over time, giving us the World Wide Web. In terms of what proceeded it, many different medias were remediated by its creation, some include:

• The Internet remediated the telegraph
• E-mail and file transferring remediated books, letters, and technical reports
• The speed at which information is transmitted
• Paintings
• Photographs

Since the Web's "creation", life itself has been remediated. The world has become much closer, people from different parts of the world are able to communicate with one-another, communication can take place instantaneously as opposed to waiting one month for a letter to arrive. Things such as social injustices that could not be seen by the outside world prior to the web, can now be transmitted world-wide in the click of a mouse. Demographic and soci-economic barriers have been broken down by its creation - allowing people from every color, nationality, religion, and social status to be at the same level and have the same status when using the web, also making the information accessible to all people interested in search of something. 

Post 9: Revolutionary Remediations

After thinking about the prompt, I can't say for sure that any one remediation is more revolutionary than any other. I think that we tend to focus on the technological advances themselves that may result in opportunities for remediation, but as we have learned remediation has been occurring since people first spoke, danced, or drew "realistic" figures in the dirt.

Despite this fact that remediation occurs everyday, it may be true that there is more remediation occurring now than at any previous time in history. Technological advances have allowed remediation to become easier. Now it is possible for most Americans to take pictures, scan books, download recipes off the internet onto their iPod, make them, and then send their suggested changes to be read by hundreds of people. I would argue that none of this remediation is exactly new, but that it has become a more important and pervasive part of our everyday lives.

If I did have to pick one thing that has revolutionized remediation, I would say that the internet, in all its glory, has connect more people and more media to each other than any single remediated work, or any other technology. I certainly wouldn't pick virtual reality.

Post 8: The Virtual Self

The Virtual Self is the eventual goal of the ongoing quest for pure transparency. Bolter and Grusin describe how virtual reality tries to get rid of remediation and attempts to immerse the viewer in a real world. They describe virtual reality as having 6 different dimensions of movement, as in film (although not controlled by the viewer) and in real life. But the virtual self comes into play for any publication.

For example, in a website, we need to think not just of our audience's ability to use the site, but also how they may identify with it. Perhaps having a more friendly, colloquial style of writing and a relaxed, inviting layout would help our audience identify with the site and its message. Though, some publications lend themselves more to this way of thinking. If we are designing a video game we may need to focus more on the virtual self than in text, but even in text it exists. We all know the feeling of being completely immersed in a good novel and become emotionally and mentally attached to the characters and storyline, even if we do not see everything from the main character's point of view in our mind's eye. I would argue that these situations have much more transparency than any 5-minute virtual reality session.

The Virtual Self on a Monday

In the world of virtual reality and/ or the realm of digital publishing, individuals are able to move about a city or work out a problem on their own, based on their own decisions, personal motives, etc. In doing so, the individual is able to gain a sense of self worth that they might not have otherwise had access to. By doing so, members of the community who might have otherwise felt empowered or might not have stood up and said something if certain situations were face-to-face, now feel the power and ability to come into their own skin and cross new boundaries.

In terms of digital publishing endeavors, we must think of not only building communities for people to become a part of and find their own “sense of place and being”, but also think of the what it means for people to finally feel they have the means to speak up. This can create many problems when it comes to hate groups or speaking up against social justices, but this can also be a way of bounding people together and making them realize they are not alone in the world of “the virtual self”. According to Bolter and Grusin “the freedom to be oneself is the freedom to become someone (or something) else” (pp. 247). 

Post 7: Silencing

Silencing can occur in any group decision as well as in many other social interactions in everyday life. An frequently occurring reference of this self censorship in Infotopia is the "Daily Me." Sunstein argues that if citizens only view news and information that already agrees with their current views, then they will not have all of the relevant information to truly make the best decision and furthermore, will not be well-informed or well-rounded in general.

In another one of Sunstein's books Why Societies need Dissent, he states that "People silence themselves not because they believe they are wrong, but because they do not want to face disapproval." I think this is certainly true in group decision making processes and this disapproval can be either overt or subtle. This type of silencing most certainly occurred prior to the war in Iraq, as well as in the Columbia disaster.

Silencing is a problem that mostly occurs in social deliberations, but it can even happen in a market system. Just recently on the news I heard a low-level executive at one of the major recently failed banks talk about how after she argued against the bank's aggressive encouragement of selling loans, she was discouraged from speaking again, and eventually fired. The strong motive of profit was not enough to keep the problem of silencing at bay or enough for the stock market to accurately gauge the worth of these banks' assets.

Post 6: Informational and Reputational Cascades

Informational and Reputational Cascades interplay a great deal with Digital Publishing. Cascades can infect any type of decision making process, and also can be seen through user's interactions with digital publishing as well. When creating a digital product, teams of producers must be aware of cascades in the creation process, and also must be aware of how their products (blogs, social networks,comment boxes) may add to (or help control) the problem of cascades.

Throughout Infotopia, Sunstein argues against deliberation as the only decision making process used in most situations today. Deliberation has its drawbacks. Informational influences and social pressures can often lead to group think, which can result in some very poor decisions. As an alternative to pure deliberation, Price systems can employ a large group of knowledgeable people to estimate on a certain topic, which can give surprisingly accurate information. However, cascades can invade both of these processes.

One of the biggest drawbacks to deliberation are reputational cascades. This occurs after a member (possibly a senior manager) puts forth a potentially bad idea. As more and more people comment positively on that idea, it becomes more and more difficult for a dissenting opinion to be expressed about the idea. Each new person that approves the idea strengthens it to the point where it may be disastrous to one's reputation to argue against it.

Informational cascades are similar but do not depend on one's protection of their own reputation to be propagated. Information cascades occur frequently in market systems as well as in any type of information that is spread quickly. Informational cascades occur when a erroneous fact is stated and repeated by others before it has the chance to be argued against or proven wrong. Sunstein discusses how a false statement on a blog or a fad in a market system can quickly gain traction and become a runaway train of lies and deceit (my words not his).

Both types of cascades can occur in traditional or new decision making processes, so no matter what system(s) are being used, any decision makers need to be aware of these two types of cascade pitfalls.

Virtual you

What is it that makes you...you?

It's important to note that the concept of identity has an inherently rhetorical nature. We defined this construct - identity - as our perceptions and perspectives. Then, that concept was expanded to include "cultural," "gender" or "organizational" identity.

Wow, it's shadowy. Any sophist would smile. Could you imagine the lost chapter of Phaedrus...what is identity? I don't know Socrates. How about you tell me? I can't. I'm just a midwife assisting in the birthing of new ideas.

Alright - enough making fun of Plato. Let's get down to brass tax.

The virtual self, as Bolter and Grusin notes, remediates those items usually seen as a part of identity. Relationship of self to visual surroundings? Bolter and Grusin (page 244) note six different ways to change it. For instance, "situated viewing can be seen as corresponding to cultural relativism..." (244). Vision? "Vision can also be construed as involving the viewer in the world by reducing the abstract to the visual." (p. 249). In short, "virtual reality offers a remediated definition of the self as a new kind of camera, for unlike traditional cinema, virtual reality enables the viewer to control the placement and duration of each "shot" and thus to manipulate her perspective." (248). In changing how things are "seen," we change how things are "understood," and thus virtually remediate the self.

What does this mean to digital publishing endeavors?

Folks - you are no longer structured to the rules of print media. Traditional media requires pretty straight-forward symbolism. You have text and possibly graphic. By convention, the readers move from left to right, top to bottom. Provided they have the same language education and similar identity, the graphics and text you produce will have the same meaning.

What if...
You could make them fly? The pictures move on them? They can respond as they read? There's an objective and procedurality containing rhetorical elements?

Not only have the rules for production and interpretation changed, we've monkeyed with what it means to be an audience or reader. They are participants; and there's a thin line between the page and the person. I think that's what Bolter and Gusin mean when they say:

"This is not to say that our identity is fully determined by media, but rather that we employ media as vehicles for defining both personal and cultural identity." (pg. 231)

We cannot so easily separate perspective from presentation, self from position...and digital media remediates both.

It's not a power to take lightly.

Tonight's Presentation

Hi Class,

Enclosed please find the link for tonight's class, in case you'd like to revisit it. Having played with Prezi, I now strongly recommend it. Great program, and takes not too long to learn.

To play this - note the lower left hand navigation window (it looks like a play button).

Enjoy-
Glen

http://prezi.com/131700

Silencing

When I saw the prompt for today’s post I thought silencing?? After thinking about it--well it is something we are all guilty of. After reading Sustein, my thoughts on silencing are related to group silencing and social silencing.

Silencing in collective decision-making I believe refers to group members’ unwillingness to express unpopular opinions, and the reluctance to publicly express private concerns about collective problems if the individual believes that other members are likely to disagree with them. It is somehow easier to just remain quiet at times.

One example of group silencing I can think of is the decision to go to war with Iraq. It was revealed some time ago that many individuals close to Bush knew the “evidence” intelligence had that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction were not credible, but those individuals chose to remain silent. Was it fear of being alienated by the group, the President or by all of the citizens of the US?

I also think of social silencing which, involves social comparison, and begins with the reasonable suggestion that people want to be perceived favorably by other group members, and also to perceive themselves favorably. Once they hear what others believe, they often adjust their positions in the direction of the dominant position. For example, a 14 year old will likely not sit at a lunch table with other kids that are not in his or her peer group, or that are “different” for fear of being exiled from his or her current social group. Remaining silent and ignoring the “other” kids is easier than having to explain yourself to your peers.

Silence, silencing and silent

A moment of panic sets in...What in the world does the term "silencing" mean? Clearly, to discuss it, I must understand it's definition. I begin by reviewing my reading notes...to no avail. Then I examine the glossary of each required book. Nada.

Hmmm...this doesn't sound so good for the home team. Then again, in the absence of a previously supplied explicit definition, I can take this as my opportunity to define (based on the readings) what I believe this term means.

Glen's dictionary: Silencing is a process by which information is not elicited or aggregated.

Sunstein, page 7, indicates that there are four mechanisms by which information is elicited or aggregated. These include statistical averaging (e.g. surveying), deliberation, price system, or use of internet. As Sunstein then discusses, there are several ways by which each method can obtain inaccurate information. For example, in the dark side of the jury theorem, the likelihood of the group being correct approaches 0% as the population increases and each individual member is more likely right than wrong. For a more detailed description, see page 28.

Ugh - so much for "strength in numbers!!!"

The umbrella term I've selected to apply to these various means of knocking the wheels off the wagon for each method is "silencing."

Example 1: Anchors. I begin with the "knowledge" that the world is flat. I decide not to finance shipping too far into the Atlantic for fear that my boat will fall off into nothingness. As a result of my biased start point, I've failed to discover the American Continent (the "dark ages" example).

Example 2: Minority silencing. As the only 6'10" member of the class, I have some strong views on ergonomics. Door frames which are only 6'8" from the ground, ceiling fans hovering at 6'5" and water fountains 3' from the ground all bug me. Yet, due to the absence of height diversity on the design team, these usability issues abound. (the "height design" example. see Sunstein pg. 70 for a good discussion of diversity in deliberative teams).

Example 3: Amplifying errors. Closely connected to the information cascade previously discussed. This occurs because commonly shared information is more likely to be discussed (Sunstein pg. 84). For instance, our class is derived from the MAPC program. Therefore, we've all gained exposure to rhetorical theory. We can chat social constructionism pretty openly. It's a safe topic. Therefore, that's something we talk about openly.

Why Didn't You Say Something???!!!!

If I have learned one thing from the world of the Internet, it is that word spread at an enormously fast rate as soon as it enters into digital publication. According to Sunstein, people who do not disclose information they hold and who follow the lead of those who have come before them, fall under the title of information cascades (p. 89-90). Reputation cascades, Sunstein says, are people who "think they know is right, or what is likely to be right, but they nonetheless go along with the crowd in order to maintain the good opinion of others" (p. 91). In terms of everyday life, I have issues with reputation and information cascades. It is one thing to not speak up about your friends outfit or new hair style because no one else is telling her that it looks bad, but it is another to stand by and let your friend get run over by a car because no one else was speaking up and telling her to watch out! However, when it comes down to digital publishing, I have an even bigger issue with information and reputation cascades.

When I think of the word reputation, I always first think of it in terms of high school 'clicks' and who was 'the cool kid' in class (I know that the word means much more then in just those terms, but for the purpose of this argument, I am using it in this context). To me, the MySpace Hoax that resulted in the death of a 13-year-old girl is a very good example of the significance of reputation cascades to digital publishing. 

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

If someone had spoken up before-hand and not gone along with the crowd, making sure that Meagan knew that she was not alone and that she did have people who cared about her, maybe she would not be dead right now! With the ability to spread the word at an enormous fast speed and to thousands of people at once, this example shows how not speaking up against something that you know is wrong and just going along with the crowd becomes even more dangerous/ creates an even bigger impact when using digital media. 

Cascades

OK, just for fun I want to share my thoughts while reading. At some point I had a visual of Plato and Gorgias playing ping pong with Aristotle as the referee, and Burke as the endorser of the tournament. A bit far fetched, but Sunstein refers to language and symbols(121) referencing Burke in relation to our acceptance of ideas, and Aristotle (119,121) being correct about group deliberation that if most say it is right, then it must be. Plato (216) as Sustein argues “if you start a cascade with correct information it is beneficial, however; the full truth is inaccessible to the few, and hence deference to autocrats and confident planners is a big mistake.” Also, it appears to me there is a Sophistic overtone throughout the book. Just my perspective I suppose, but I did get a chuckle at it all.

It is a tough pill for us to swallow that yes, we actually at one time or another have participated in both informational and reputable cascades. Sustein argues that hidden profiles are closely related to informational cascades and involve a deliberative process (88). The deliberative decision will not reflect the overall or aggregate knowledge, of those in the group but that individuals in the group are following the lead of those who came before (90). The influential individual in the group may not be correct in his or her assumptions, but are adverse to change because of their terministic screen. In reputable cascades people think they know what is right or what is likely to be right, but they nonetheless go along with the crowd in order to maintain the good opinion of others. By doing so those individuals are conceding to the language of the majority, and not voicing their opinion in order to conform in order to be accepted.

With regard to digital publishing, take for example, the Internet, wiki's and blogs. These are more collective, and one’s professional or social hierarchy does not play such an important role as in a professional meeting. That pressure to be accepted in the reputable cascades is not as front-and-center in on-line digital environments as it is, say, in a meeting.

An argument could be made that a digital publications, such as the Daily Me can perpetuate informational cascades by allowing the individual user to censor information he or she does not wish to receive. If an individual is deflecting information that is not of interest, will it not be more difficult to make informative decisions when one finds themselves in an informative cascade?

Take me to your leader: The vexing problem of cascades

"So, Glen, what do you think about ****'s idea?"

I know how the story goes at this point. It's a horrible idea. Anyone with half a brain will agree. It won't work...it overlooks critical information...it's just bad.

Then again, two people have said they like it. And the boss suggested it.

"Great idea, sir/ma'am. I think this will help solve a lot of problems." I manage a smile. My boss nods his/her approval.

And like that, I've participated in a cascade.

It's human nature to be agreeable. We want to be liked. And we tend to fold like an Iraqi tent to fit in. It doesn't take very much for us to outsource our opinion.

I remember from my studies of Psychology reading the landmark conformity studies. Milgram, for instance, in which participants will inflict (to their knowledge) physical damage on other people for no real reason. Or, in a study whose name I can't recall, the participant will knowingly give the wrong answer to agree with the crowd.

Likewise, the next time you happen to stop by a Craps table (Vegas or elsewhere)...watch how people are betting. What you'll find, I suspect, are a lot more "right way" than "wrong way" betters. In Craps, a player can bet for or against the player. It's usually more popular to bet against the house...you get to cheer when the house loses. The wrong way better collects as the players lose...and it's generally a lonely road.
Statistically they're the same bet. Yet the popularity, the camaraderie, and the "fitting in" are powerful siren songs.

I tend to be a contrarian. To my detriment at times, I share what I think whether it's agreeable or not. This nasty habit has gotten me in trouble. But it's also something I don't always stick to!

Cascades are essentially when information is sequentially shared, and those later down the line are less likely to risk alienating the crowd or the information already supported by several people. There's a pressure to conform.

Digital publishing, however, remediates "time" and "authority." Plus, it's a space conducive to keeping anonymous. Blogs...wikis...twitter...permit people with limited technological skill to share their ideas. It results in decreased pressure to "fit in." Theoretically, at least, it's more "aggregating" and less "deliberating."

Notes on Monday's Class:

Re: Digital Publishing on Digital Publishing projects:
The published component of the project should be about 15 minutes long, and should make use of a technology (or technologies) *other than* the ones you identified as already knowing. Instead use something(s) you think you might use as a platform for your final project. This means, for instance, that if you want to do a presentation, you won't use powerpoint. If you want to do handouts, you won't rely on MS Word (although you can use it and Photoshop etc. to get started composing.) If you are aiming for a movie as your final project, try to make a simple video for your presentation. If you want to created a dynamic website, think about an interactive web page or two for this presentation. Use this as a miniature "dry run" for testing the technology you want to use for your final project.

Re: the final projects: There will be three primary criteria for assessing your final projects. First, I'll be looking at how well you've accomplished your goal of either creating or critiquing change via digital publishing media. Secondly, I'll be looking for evidence of engagement with the principles that we're talking about (both theoretical and design-based), and lastly, I'll be looking for evidence of your having learned a new digital publishing skill-set. (These are all important.) In each case, complete mastery will be less important than engagement.

Digital Publishing on Digital Publishing

Here are the assignments and support people for your chosen topics:

July 20 (next week)

Bryan: Dreamweaver (with support from Glen and Diana)

Glen: Captivate

July 27 (week after next)

Brandon: Flash (with support from Glen and Rita)

Rita: Flash (with support from Glen and Brandon)

Diana: Final Cut Pro (with support from Bryan)

Continuing to take shape

Website Contents

My vision for a digital publication continues to evolve...A draft of the website content appears below.

Some of the initial specs include some form of updatable calendar, the ability to accept donations (paypal perhaps?), and a restricted access element. Perhaps some form of member directory deserves consideration...

More on that soon :).

Post 5: Details of Project

Clemson Online Film Festival

I hope to create an online space for Clemson filmmakers to be able to post their productions, view and comment on others' works, and to create a space for filmmakers, actors, and artists to join together for projects.

Timeline:
July 15: Print and distribute fliers, talk to Clemson tv channel about getting the word out, talk to student newspapers
July 20: Set up website and test-run video, list serve and comment functions, review advertisements
July 27: Add student films to website and encourage comments
July 31: Put finishing touches, fix any problems with the website

Critical Tasks:
The most important and potentially challenging task of this project will be getting other students and filmmakers involved. Although Clemson is only a medium-sized university, I am sure that there are a number of student filmmakers or students interested in film. Also, it may be hard to reach these students, so I will attempt to advertise using various methods. I will attempt to reach students through the use of fliers, the Clemson radio and television station (http://www.clemson.edu/studentaffairs/studentmedia/index.php), and the local student newspapers. Reaching students will be all the more challenging due to the current time of year. At the very least, I will have a website set up and ready to go for incoming fall students to join.

The website will have two main purposes: to showcase student's works and to have a meeting space for filmmakers, writers, actors, and artists interested in working together. To accomplish this, the website will need to be able to host video, allow for comments on video and allow for members to post messages that can be sent to members who want to sign up for the list serve. This will allow students to get in touch with each other. I don't think this website would last as a meaningful resource for student filmmakers if the only communication occurred completely within the confines of the website. Members would need to be reached via email to get together or answer questions about a project.

To be honest, I am not sure of all of the necessary technologies needed to accomplish this. I am well aware of how to post video online, which will require Flash, and Adobe Media Encoder (or Apple Compressor). I am confident that (with the help of some knowledgeable friends and guides on the Internet), I will be able to set up a comment box under each video and a list serve for members, but I'm not sure how to accomplish this just yet.

Testing the effectiveness of this project may be hard to do. I think this would be ideal, but given the short time frame of this assignment, I feel that it may be impossible. I suppose that if people use the site than it was effective. That is to say that if comments are posted on the site and questions or proposals are sent out to the list serve, than the site was a success. However, I am not sure of how many posts would constitute a successful website. One thing that I will certainly consider is to allow members to comment on the site itself and suggest ways of improving it. I plan to keep this website going after Digital Publishing ends in August, but even if the site is a complete failure, I feel that it will be a worthwhile endeavor to test the film making interests and talents of Clemson as a whole.

Rough project description

I feel the most rewarding project for me to pursue for this course will be digital narratives and InfoEd tutorial for the AAH Research website. This project has the potential to impact any faculty and/or graduate student in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities that wish to pursue externally funded research.

Current situation and significance

AAH has traditionally been known as a predominately humanities teaching college. Externally funded research has not been deemed a top priority. President Barker’s implementation of the Top 20 road map has challenged AAH to assist in increasing Clemson’s research goals of exceeding $100 million a year in research support by the year 2011.
Another factor that has prompted the necessity of research is the lack of state funding. With state funding recently being drastically cut, our institution must find other ways of funding, and one primary way is through research. The state budget will continue to be cut and those cuts will be passed down to the departments. The departments now have no other choice but to scale back if other funding is not secured. Research at Clemson University has become a necessity instead of an option—a necessity that has thrown many areas of the University into a state of crisis.
The completion of “The Grant Writer’s Guide” housed on the AAH Research website is one of many steps the Office of Research and Graduate Studies will take to assist the College to succeed in acquiring research funding, and the benefits associated with this funding. The guide is a good first step, but requests have been made to make the site more modular. The idea of the digital narratives originated recently when several faculty members made such a suggestion. Some individuals may prefer to watch a video of a seasoned grant writer over reading a wall of words on an unfamiliar topic. Because of budget cuts, I have been asked to assist in other areas which have limited my time to work on the website. By developing the project for this course, I would be able to learn new technology that I otherwise would not have the time to do.
I propose to complete two digital narratives that relate to style in proposal development, and developing relationships with funding agencies (two areas that I have received numerous requests for more information). I also would like to propose developing an Adobe Presenter presentation on getting registered with InfoEd, a research opportunities search engine, that automatically searches, based a faculty member’s key words and send the information via email to that faculty member. The only resource currently available is a workshop that is offered by the Office of Sponsored Programs a few times a year. By having this training web based, the faculty member or graduate student can register at his or her convenience.

Time line

July 13-19
Film 2 digital narratives
Begin editing narratives
July 20-28
Finalize edits
Compose InfoED tutorial in Adobe Presenter
July 29-August 2
Load on the AAH Research website
Quick usability test

I have access to a digital recorder that I will be able to use in filming the narratives. Depending on the footage, these may be interview type videos, or still shots. I will work in the MATRF lab with the technology in editing the videos. I believe I am able to obtain a license for Adobe Presenter. I used the software once before, and I anticipate I will be able to maneuver through it without too many obstacles. Given the time constraints, I hope to be able to administer a quick usability study before the due date of the project, and actually posting these documents live on the website.

McChesney

I must admit I found Communication Revolution rather interesting. Finishing the first chapter I flipped to the front of the book to review the title again, Communication Revolution. My reason for looking was because I found many similarities to Thomas Kuhn’s argument in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. We talk about how science is made by scientists sweeping up the corners, if you will, trying to find that gem, or something that was left behind while staying within the confines of what is deemed acceptable by the “community.” Making a high level claim early in ones career is simply unacceptable. McChesney posits a similar argument in the field of communication when he reflects on his years as a graduate student and as his research evolved. Many researchers, although they were well known, made high level claims that were outside of the communication field inflexible box, and were deemed “horses@!#” (43) regardless if those claims were legitimate or not.

McChesney argues throughout the book that the United States is at a critical juncture as we are undergoing a communication revolution in which new trends in the mass media are being developed, and if not kept in check the corporate structure may destroy the under represented, smaller companies. McChesney contends this trend will continue if the public does not come to grips with the fact there is a problem and the people of the United States need to be made aware of the political situation. “The vision we had for Free Press was pretty simple. Our goal was to make media policy making a political issue in the US. We thought that the core problem was that the media system was based upon policies made in the public’s name without the public’s informed consent” (154). He goes on to elaborate on six lessons that must be addressed while “we” are this critical juncture. One of his lessons is “people actually cared enough about media issues to organize around them” (158). Because media plays a key role in a free society, the people are more than capable in organizing around the cause if they are given enough information to build an argument.

If the United States has a better understanding of the ruling discourse in the communication industry, the people may be more willing to get involved in order argue for the policies McChesney argues for:
· Wireless internet for all United States citizens
· Policies to support nonprofit media
· Informative political advertisements during elections
· Limitations of commercialism in the media (especially children’s programming)
· More competitive commercial media markets that allow for smaller media companies

This argument is one that will shape and determine the future of communication as we know it today, and for the future of our children.

Remediation

Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin offer a theory of mediation for our digital age. They argue that new visual media achieve their cultural significance precisely by paying homage to, rivaling, and refashioning such earlier media as perspective painting, photography, film, and television. They call this process of refashioning "remediation," and they note that earlier media have also refashioned one another: photography remediated painting, film remediated stage production and photography, and television remediated film, and radio.

Bolter and Grusin offer what I believe is a perfect example of remediation on page 40-41. Here they show the front page of the USA Today from January 25, 1998 and the USA Today web site from the same day side-by-side. The web site attempts to emulate the experience of reading a printed version of the newspaper, and I must admit, they do quite a good job in this attempt. Compare that to the USA Today website today. Immediately you can see how the website has transformed itself into a new medium which is in stark contrast the the simple remediation of the past. Readers today are looking for richness in their experience. It is as much about the multimedia experience as it is about the content that they are viewing.

Television news programs on Fox News and CNN are also examples of remediation. I tried to find a photo of a typical newscast but failed to find one that illustrated my point. Take a look at Fox News Channel sometime (channel 16 on Northland Cable, haha). What you will find is the anchor in the main frame with a news ticker at the bottom and three smaller frames to the side which show the top news stories of the hour. To me, this seems like an emulation of the front page of a newspaper with the main story front and center with small snipits on the side about other tops stories from the day.

What do you think about the way online news has changed? How do you prefer to view your news? Text, video, podcast?

So Many Possibilities...

Coming up with a project idea for this class has not been easy. I have tossed around many different ideas, but I think that I have finally narrowed it down to one original idea: "Taking the Stress out of the Dress". My proposed idea is to create a program that would help take the stress out of the everyday hassle of getting dressed. I know this might seem like a girly idea or something that has no significance what-so-ever to some people, but I believe that once you hear me out, you might be able to see the benefit and utility behind my project.

I have been working full time throughout the summer and one thing that I have noticed to be a problem is the everyday necessity to wear "work" clothes. Some days I have to be dressed up more then others and I have found this task to be a dreadful one. Men can say that they don't care about how they look, but we all know this isn't true- and women can say they just want to be "comfortable", but lets be real - when you have to wear high heels everyday, there is no such thing. What I am proposing is a software/website/program that would take the stress out of the process that every person goes through each day. My project would take the guess work out of finding the "perfect" outfit for that day.

The program would have a picture of you stored in it and it would be three-dimensional, as well as interactive. You would be able to take pictures of your clothing and import them into the program, setting up a "closet" that looks like the one you have at home. Each day, or week, or whenever you wanted to, you would fill-in certain criteria, including:

• dressy/casual/semi-casual/sporty/comfortable
• work/school/interview/meeting/club/date/happy hour
• temperature outside

and from there the program would be able to search through the database of clothing in your "closet" and pick out your outfit for the day. You would be able to see what it would look like on- from the shoes, watch, and belt to shirt and pants. If you didn't like what the program picked out as an outfit, you would be able to modify or press "next" for more dressing options. 

How I will actually accomplish this program/software/website is still to be determined. My audience is every person - male or female- who gets up every morning and wonders what they will wear that day. From high school, college, and graduate student, to professionals and retirees, I believe that this would appeal to a large audience. To my knowledge, nothing like this exists. I don't think that you have to be fashion forward and obsessed with the way you look to use or have a need for such a program. It is for the everyday person who is in a hurry and doesn't care to spend hours choosing the "right" outfit each day. 

Eventually, once I figure out how to create this idea, I would also like to add a "sharing" feature (this is my social media component). One that would enable you to send your suggested outfit to friends and let them tell you what they think (this is the girly part). Girls want to know what their friends will be wearing to the party they are going to or the club they will go to that night- with this feature, they could compare outfits and talk about them in the comfort of their own homes. As we get more into the class and I learn more about this project, I hope that my idea will become more clear and that I will find a way to get this created.

1......

Like Brandon said, better late then never, right? My name is Rita and I’m going to be in my second year of MAPC. I graduated from Georgia College & State University with a BA in Mass Communication, with a concentration in Public Relations, a BA in French, and a minor in Business Communication. Over the past year-and-half I have worked for the Georgia Transplant Foundation as the Public Relations and Marketing Assistant. I have recently earned the longest job title I have ever had by being promoted as the Public Relations, Marketing, and Special Events Assistant (nonprofit = lots of shoes for one person to fill).

With my background in the world of mass communication, digital publishing has been involved in many aspects of my education and career. However, having graduated in May 2008 – in pre-Twitter, but in the heart of Facebook- new ways of publishing are coming up every minute, making it critical for me to stay informed and up-to-date with this rapidly growing world of digital publishing. I find the manner in which the practice of journalism is transforming and changing at such a fast pace as something that is extremely fascinating and something I am interested in learning more about.

Project Ideas

So I am having a difficult time coming up with a project. My creative juices seem to be squeezed dry at the moment. After a conversation with Dr. Fishman, she said there was another route you could take with the project, and you could analyze a digital publication. We briefly discussed viral campaigns, and I think I will take this route. I have been researching movies that had viral campaigns (Cloverfield, Snakes on a Plane, The Dark Knight) as well as other genres (Television - Fringe, LOST). Since m interest are in advertising, I am attempting to find an advertising campaign that was strictly viral. I know there are some, so I will find them eventually. If...when I find one, I will most likely go that route. That's all for now, see everyone Monday.

Project ideas

I am exploring two ideas that could possibly result in a project for this course. My first idea is remediating text from the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities AAH Research website into 2-4 digital narratives on various step in the proposal development process, and possibly an additional Breeze presentation on how to search for external research funding. I have been redesigning the AAH Research website for the last seven months in an effort to provide more “useful” information pertaining to research for faculty and graduate students interested in pursuing externally funded research. To date I have developed “The Grant Writer’s Guide” that is a step-by-step process for individuals that are just getting their feet wet in the pool of research. While I have received very positive feedback on the guide, I believe making the site more modular would appeal to multiple audiences. Currently, the site is more-or-less a wall of words with graphics that accompany each page. My idea is to interview seasoned grant writers in AAH, and in other colleges on campus, on a few of the topics to give a more personal approach pertaining to the subject, and the website itself. That would give the user the option to review the site, watch a video, or both.

My second idea stems from a brochure I recently developed for a “pay for procedure” health facility in Atlanta, Ga. A very close friend of mine is a nurse that volunteers her time at this facility. It is not a “free” clinic, but a health facility that offers basic health care. Services offered are limited to non-emergency, non-surgical services and each service or procedure has a fee associated with it with payment is rendered at the time of service. The majority of patients come in for flu shots, sports physicals, childhood vaccinations, and basic cold and allergy cases. Insurance is not accepted or processed in that the majority of these services may, or may not be covered under corporate or individual policies. After I completed the brochure, I inquired about a website for the facility. The stake holders indicated they did not have anyone with experience to build a website, but would like to find someone to volunteer their time to build and maintain a site for them.

I suppose what I need to determine is which project can be completed in the allotted time frame, and also which would be the most rewarding for me to work on.

Hello All!

I know I am a little late to the game here, but better late than never! I am Brandon Watt,a second year MAPC student. I believe I know most of you, but for those that do not, here is a little information about myself.

My undergraduate degree was in Marketing from Clemson University. My interests are wide, but I am most passionate about advertising. I love trying to find new and creative ways to communicate to consumers, to the masses. I find this task to be difficult, stimulating and rewarding. So why I have chosen to take this class you may ask? Well, the obvious reason, there are online, interactive pieces to almost every advertising campaign. And let's face it, reaching people digitally can be much different than traditional messages. Also, I simply wanted to expand my skill set as I plan to enter the workforce in the near future.

As to what I believe "digital publishing" to be. Well, I just had a conversation with Dr. Fishman about this, so I could cheat a little and give one of those definitions, but I will refrain. Basically, I am not sure what exactly digital publishing entails, but I am poised to discover just that as we move through this short semester. Well, that's all for now. See everyone Monday!

Post 4: Communication Revolution

In his book, Communication Revolution, Robert McChesney argues that the United States is currently undergoing a communication revolution in which new forms of media and new trends in communication are being developed, but that large corporations are reaping most of the rewards. He argues that we are now at a critical juncture, and we, as a nation must decide to act and demand that communication, especially journalism, remain under control of the populace, rather than a select few. Because of the rapidly-changing field of communication, practices are being formed that will affect our future, but most of these practices are being shaped by corporate interests.

It has been stated that new technologies and trends in communication are a result of the free market system and the product of a few entrepreneurial geniuses. McChesney argues that most of the communication accomplishments that we have seen in the last two decades are the result of subsidies and political policy. In the introduction, McChesney lists just a few policies that he would like to see made in the near future:

Wired and wireless internet as a birthright to all Americans
Competitive commercial media markets that allow for smaller media companies
Policies and subsidies to support nonprofit media
Truly informative political advertisements during elections
Limitations of commercialism in the media, especially in children's programming

These ideas initially seemed somewhat radical to me, but I certainly can see the political and social benefit from allowing all citizens access to the internet. Poorer citizens are at a distinct (and unfair) disadvantage without the internet, especially now, when it is so necessary for finding opportunities and information.

In chapter 3, McChesney discusses his 5 "truths" of recent media. These are that
our media system was created by public policy, that the first amendment was meant for all citizens, not just corporations, that our current media system is not a free market system, and that the current policy-making process is dominated by corporate interests and needs to be better understood and harnessed by other citizens.

So how does this related to digital publishing. Digital publishing, in all of its various forms, make up the bulk of the recent changes to our communication system. The advent of the internet, cable systems, even newspapers, now all rely on digital publishing in multiple ways. All of this new media is a double-edged sword. It changes the game for both the major corporations, smaller media outlets, and all American citizens.

I used to work as a photog (cameraman) for the ABC news affiliate in Gainesville, FL. We absolutely needed digital publishing to do our jobs. Our reporters did their initial research on the internet, our editors downloaded video via satellite, and I used digital video cameras and editing software to shoot and edit footage. Each of these was a major improvement for the overall product at the end of the day. Quite literally, our news station would not exist without these means of digital publishing. The small market of Gainesville did not use to be able to support its own local news station, but because of the proliferation of these technologies and techniques, it became feasible. The company that owned our news station only owned one other television station and a few publishing companies. That may sound like a media corporation, but compared to the few giants of television news, our parent company was tiny. McChesney argues that large media giants have been benefiting more than smaller companies from new technologies, but that with more political involvement, citizens can ensure that the media is not controlled by only a select few.