9/11 Notes/Freewrite

Posted by FHruska on September 25, 2012
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Immediacy, Hypermediacy, Remediation all tie into digital writing as it is a way to grade how efficient and effective a piece of writing is.  Today, speed to an audience is important this means it is more important than ever before that writers are able to have their writings accessed quickly and easily.  Remediation is key to this as it is important the reader does not lose the message due to the medium.  It is already proven that people remember less of what they read on a screen as compared to paper.  Hence, it is important that writing makes a point to stick with the reader.

The main point of McLuhan was to be careful of what medium you use that the medium can sometimes drown out your message.  It is important to keep this in mind when writing to make sure the medium is not having more of an impact than your writing.  He states the importance of ideas being presented with a medium which compliments but does not over take your ideas.

I would like to know more about how writers make their work more accessible.  How does a blog gain a following and so fourth.  My concerns are limited to just using new mediums which I am unfamiliar with.

 

9/11/12 Fair Use Entry

Posted by FHruska on September 11, 2012
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After reading and watching videos on how copyright law works I found it surprising how easy it is to get permission to use copyrighted material.  In most cases as long as you are not making a profit off of copy righted material it is fair use as long as credit is given to the creator.  The two things I enjoyed learning about was that for teaching and parody copyright laws are relaxed.  I knew parody and homage had some lead way but after doing research if you are mocking or commenting on copyrighted material you are in the clear.  I found this funny as copyrighted material is okay with being made fun of but not okay with being duplicated.  Also, the term teaching is what I would have questions about.  The internet as I have stated before is still in the process of making rules.  Can I download a movie and say I downloaded the copyrighted material to teach me about the contents of the movie?  It is a sarcastic argument but one that has actually held up and created numerous problems for copyright holders.  My personal experience with copyrights is I write for an SEO company.  I elaborated in a previous post about how much trouble we go through to make sure everything is fair use.  I can only imagine what news rooms or bigger media companies must go through to avoid complications.  The specific example I like to use though is how many people are creating media for free.  A lot of people are creating big label quality projects on low budgets out of their houses.  They do this for the reputation then hopefully money.  Big labels fight hard to protect their copyrights as now anyone can create media.

9/11/12 Notetaking McLuhan

Posted by FHruska on September 11, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. 2 comments

The Medium is the Massage is the video the below notes pertain to click here to view the video.

Brief Summary

After reading McLuhan and watching the video trying to understand how he views media is difficult.  The reason he claims that illegally accessing content is because media affects us on a deeper level than we are aware of.  The repeating of the medium is the massage is important as it breaks down how media affects us today.  The mispronunciation is key as it shows us how even though the word is wrong we still get the meaning.  This is a commentary on how certain people learn and retain information based on the form of medium used.  That sometimes the medium is more important than the message.  A great modern example is Twitter started trending that Bill Nye The Science Guy is dead when he was not but due to the message being sent around so much through the medium of Twitter it was believed to be fact until an external source was checked.  We live in a day and age where anyone can go online and type anything they want.  If enough people view it and believe it to be true it does become true in a way.  The line “this is bigger than us” shows how big the digital medium has become.  He states that publication started us on the process of legality of ownership of ideas and changed how a man thought.  Now, the internet allows anyone to have an effect on someone else.  These mediums deliver powerful messages which can be misinterpreted or added to.  The danger in illegally accessing these mediums is the fact that without context these messages lose meaning.  Along with the idea of compartmentalization in which anyone can have a role in creating the medium.  It takes a minimum of three people for a message to work.  The creator must first create media, and then the media must be made accessible, so consumers can access it.  The key point McLuhan is trying to make is media is the message in which he believes the method of delivery is more important that the actual message.  This is seen more and more where internet writers get lazy due to deadlines.  Print media is failing because a newspaper is 24 hours behind at a minimum.  Whereas internet writers scramble to piece together an article as soon as an event happens.  The fact is the print writer is properly more qualified to write but the internet writer has a better medium allowing his message to be stronger.  Limited people in my generation still read the newspaper as we all have access to Google.  If news happens I want it now which is what leads to illegal downloading also.  Why drive out to the store when a person can download it go to work and have it ready when they get home all while saving money.  The problem is the internet is still relatively new and operates under a form of Marshall Law.  The federal government has been trying to regulate the internet for years and has failed at almost every attempt.  This is because the medium is stronger than the message.

Questions With Discussion 

Do you believe the medium is more important than the message?

I disagree with his McLuhan’s assertion that the medium is more important than the message.  It is about understanding your audience.  To say the medium is the message is to dismiss the power of your message.  Mediums should be used to enhance and distribute your message not be the only message.  Too often ad campaigns fail because they want to use a new medium rather than focus on their message.  You can see this where news commenters use slang that they are obviously unfamiliar with which kills their message.  I laugh every time I see a news caster in his sixties say “follow us on Twitter” as it is obvious he has no idea how important following them on Twitter actually is.  It is important to understand your message then apply the right medium.

Do you believe technological mediums are killing messages?

I do believe this to an extent.  As now it seems more important to get a short message to a bunch of people.  The reason for this is we live in a world with free information.  Media producers just need to get the word out and hope everyone jumps on their phone or pc to learn more.  The message is still there but it is changing.  Before the message was what sold your product not the medium.  Now, the medium is used to let people know about your product then use the web to make a decision.

Has Free Information Led To A No Man’s Land?

I use the term no man’s land to describe the internet as that is what it embodies.  The simple fact that I can create a virtual avatar or representation of myself online that differs from who I am has never been seen before.  Now, if someone says something and I don’t know it Google does.  The access to illegal downloading has also led to this problem.  That with illegal downloading the question of have you heard the new album, seen the newest movie, read the latest book is all minutes away online.  This access to “free” information has led to many legal battles as the ethics are argued over the benefits.  When civilization first formed a set of rules was needed to keep people in line.  The internet can be viewed as a new civilization where the laws are still being hashed out.

Experience With Discussion

I am all too familiar with copy right law due to me writing for an SEO company.  There are a lot of things which you cannot say or do due to regulations.  There is also an extensive list of rules and regulations which pertain to formatting.  The problem with this is a lot of times I will write and then have to edit or find new information because my source is copy righted.  This can get complicated and tedious.  Fair use is a word we bounce around all too much because finding reliable fair use information is critical to my job.  All it takes is one lawsuit and an SEO company can go under.

The Above Image is Only A Small Amount of the Digital Mediums Available

 

Works Cited

McLuhan, Marshall. “The Medium Is the Massage Part 1 – Marshall McLuhan, Quentin Fiore & Jerome Agel 1967.” YouTube. YouTube, 31 Jan. 2010. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8YYM_7KUpw>.

McLuhan, Marshall. “The Medium Is the Message.” N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <https://www.blackboard.odu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3150326-dt-content-rid-351374_2/courses/201210_FALL_ENGL307T_22761/McLuhan-MediumMessage.pdf>.

9/11/12 Note Taking Bolter

Posted by FHruska on September 10, 2012
Posted in: reading notes. Leave a Comment

Before talking about Bolter if anyone wants to know everything there is to know about copyright law check out http://www.copyright.gov/title17/ it reads like any legal document does but it is easily navigated.

 

Brief Summary

I do not mind a lot of reading if the author can keep me interested and present new information.  I felt Bolter was a little long winded and provided too many examples to get across his point.  His main point being mediation has existed for quite some time it is just the form of mediation that is being re-branded.  For me the point of any writing has been for it to be redistributed.  This is not to say the author does not deserve compensation.  I feel though if a writer writes solely for compensation than their work will be sub par.  The people who excel in writing, music, film, or art are the ones who are truly passionate about what they create.  Plenty of people download these things and most of the time it is due to the fact paying to see it is not worth it.  Most people I know if they like an artist, musician, writer, or producer will pay to see their work that way more can be produced.  The ability to access something doesn’t correlate to lost sales.  There are tons of things I have watched on Netflix where if I had to pay individually to watch those movies I never would.  The medium are switching as now films can be seen on Netflix and their subscription fees still allow studios to receive money back.  Also, seeing a painting online is not the same as seeing it in a gallery.  The photo montage example given is great as it displays how seeing an image for only a second does not give the same effect as owning the image.  I am against illegal downloading as it expanded to all forms of media.  Just because I do not enjoy someone’s work does not mean I should get access to it for free.  Although, through YouTube and the internet you can usually find a decent amount of any ones work put up by them.  Everyone hears about how hard it is to make a living being an artist.  This is due to illegal downloading being so easy.  The problem is not illegal downloading but rather artist failing to gain support.  I refer back to Netflix where maybe free content actually boost an artist reputation.  Plenty of indie bands have put their full albums up online or for a minimal fee.  They do this to get their name out so they can make money off of merchandise and live shows.  This shows a shift in mediation where no longer is the content what is valuable but rather what the content can generate.  The problem with new media is now anyone can publish their content.  This had led to plenty of independent musicians, producers, and writers to be able to make a living.  Before, the internet you needed to be signed to a big name.  Now, anyone can use the internet to independently publish their work.  This is what big labels are fighting against not that illegal downloads are hurting their sales but now anyone with a computer can cut them out.  Mediation will always exist but when independent content creators can do the same quality work as big labels the industry is forced to change.

 

Question/Discussion

I would like to pose one question which covers this topic entirely.  Why has mediation became such a problem and is it a problem?

As stated in my summary mediation only hurts big labels that spend millions on promoting.  With the dawn of the internet independent producers are exceeding to the levels of big name companies simply by having large internet followings.  The shift is occurring in rather than labels tracking down the next big thing, spending millions promoting them, setting up doors, branding merchandise, etc.  independent producers are doing the same thing with the backing of internet supporters.  As stated before major label companies would never dream of saying here download our content from free from our website and if you want you can donate or buy some merchandise.  The independent side does just that and the model is working.

Mediation as a distraction

Bolter speaks about how the flight simulator allows a user to remove themselves from the real world.  That this 3D electronic medium is so life like that people forget they are in front of a computer.  This is not a new phenomenon like he makes it sound.  People have been using media for years to escape from where they actually are.  Picture the grade school student reading a comic book inside his textbook that is escapism.  He is using that media to escape the fact he is sitting in a class room.  Just because new media can present a better display does not make it any different than how that grade school student reads his comic.  Grant it he may now read his comic book on his laptop rather than in paper format but the premise stays the same.  I would like to follow up with how do you use media to escape reality and when do you forget you are simply reading a book or in front of an electronic medium?

Connections to Course Outcomes

This reading connects directly to the course as before we start digital writing we must make sure we are not violating any copy right laws.  All too often you hear of someone being made an example of and being sued for copy right infringement.  I’m sure most of us have come across a link that is down due to copy right infringement.  In a day and age where a piece of media can bounce around the internet from a thousand different places in a couple of minutes it is important to make sure the creator gets credit.  The money may not be in the physical media but if the creator is forgotten along the process than his reputation is never built.  We would all hate to make a great piece of media and have it seen by millions to ultimately gain no credit.  That may be a vain look at things but how often do you read an article and look at the author.  Anyone who uses an image posting site knows that images bounce around endlessly where tracking the original poster may become near impossible.  The issue we need to be concerned about with this class is making sure the copy right holder is acknowledge to the full extent the law requires.

These warnings are commonly ignored but they do clearly state the consequences for ignoring them.(http://www.movlic.com/k12/copyright.html)

 

Works Cited

Bolter, Grusin. “Remediation.” Https://www.blackboard.odu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3150305-dt-content-rid-351364_2/courses/201210_FALL_ENGL307T_22761/Bolter_Grusin-remediation.pdf. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012.

9/4/2012 Free Write

Posted by FHruska on September 5, 2012
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The skills required to make the video and upload it to YouTube are all parts of new media.  Prior to new media these videos could only be made by broadcasting companies with large budgets.  Now anyone with a decent video camera which can be bought for cheap if you know where to look can make a video and upload it to the internet.  The now generation takes on a new meaning as a constant complaint about my generation is the need for instant gratification.  Ask me any question if I don’t know my smart phone certainly does.  This ability to access information has both helped and hindered my generation.  Due to information being so easily accessible we are learning more but retaining less to memory.  The need to have it now has led us to believe we won’t need it later.

Play, performance, simulation, and appropriation all tie into the video.  As the video is a great example of people working together to create media which can be viewed by a mass of people.  These people can then interpret the video much as we have in class.  My terms tie more into the discussion of the video than the actual video itself.

9-4-12 Note Taking

Posted by FHruska on September 3, 2012
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9-4-12 Homework Robust Note Taking Assignment

The world creates new and better technological mediums at an accelerated rate.  With these technological advancements becoming relevant in the academic world it is necessary for students to learn how to properly use these programs properly.  Some of the new skills required to succeed are:

Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving

Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation

and discovery

Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world

processes

Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content(http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF)

Media has a broad definition encompassing numerous meaning by different people.  At its core though it is a way to communicate with a broad group of people through a transferrable medium whether it is on paper or online media affects our daily lifes.  Media can be broken down a few ways the most common is new media and old media.  These terms tie directly into new media which is defined by the use of digital media as a social skill.  New media is characterized by literacies include the traditional literacy that evolved with print culture as well as the newer forms of literacy within mass and digital media.  This contrast with old media in the way of old media does not use the internet.  Old media is forms of media that existed prior to the internet such as radio and newspaper.  This is not to say new media is better than old media just that new media has become more accessible to a generation that spends increasingly more time online.  The term digital media has become frequently used with the dawn of new media.  Digital media is simply any information which uses the internet as a medium to grant access to users.  We can discuss why digital media has become so popular in recent years and its potential effects on old media.  This brings us to digital writing which can be viewed as creating media for the internet.  With the dawn of social networking and blogging there are literally millions of people digital writing whether they are aware of this on not.  One of the best examples of this is how twitter has affected box office sales for movies.  Another topic to discus in class is how does access to close to unlimited digital media created by tons of digitals writers affect our perception of something.

 

To understand the transition from old to new media check out this timeline.

 

Personal Experience

I work as a customer service representative for a grocery store and a lot of our better discounts require internet access.  To get coupons mailed to your house you need to sign up for the mailing list.  We also have digital coupons which you can load onto your discount card.  A major complaint we get is from the older generations saying they are not online hence they cannot get the discount.  I already considered it crucial to be online to survive in today’s digital age so it is a concern for the older generation that how much longer before they need to learn how to use the internet to operate within society.  We also sell money orders which are bought constantly when bills come due this baffles me as I do not know who wouldn’t use online bill pay and save the cost of buying money orders.  The reason people not having internet baffles me is I write for an seo company which means a majority of my income is earned online from home.  When I started working for the seo company I was writing about 100 post a week without being involved in the publishing aspect.  Now, I write close to 300 post a week and am involved in the publishing.  My seo company is never at a lost for work.  This shows how important it is to companies to be recognized online.  Most companies which use seo have surveys about how you heard about them to test if seo is working.  The most common response is through a Google search.  I take pride in seo as it is impressive to see a small company go from the back pages of Google to one of the most prominent search results.

 

To better understand my relation to seo and my appreciation for digital writing here is a picture which explains how much digital media affects the world today.

 

Figure 1 Seo Process (http://www.seoservicesgroup.com/seoservices.html)

 

 

Figure 2 An example of the tools used in new media (http://blog.yert.com/2008/10/20/yerts-new-media-tools/)

 

Works Cited

Http://teklaszymanski.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/sample_0.jpeg. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://teklaszymanski.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/sample_0.jpeg>.

 

Jenkins, Henry. “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century.” Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century>.

 

“SEO Services.” Affordable Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://www.seoservicesgroup.com/seoservices.html>.

 

Shedden, David. “New Media Timeline (1969-2010) | Poynter.” New Media Timeline (1969-2010) | Poynter. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/business-news/transformation-tracker/28803/new-media-timeline-1969-2010/>.

 

“YERT’s New Media Tools.” YERTblog » Blog Archive » YERT’s New Media Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://blog.yert.com/2008/10/20/yerts-new-media-tools/>.

My Digital Writing Free Write

Posted by FHruska on August 29, 2012
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I was told by my professor to write ENGL 307 at the top of my post so I could keep track of what I did on the first day.

Digital writing is writing that uses a technology based medium to display written information.  I participate in this by writing for a seo (search engine optimization) company.  With everything being Googled now it is important that companies have their names recognized by search engines.

Facebook is considered digital writing now so that counts as another form of digital writing.  I also work as a customer service representative hence most of what we write down is taking in digital format.

 

The video in class made me think of digital writing in how the actors used nouns as verbs.  Google is an interesting word which can be used multiple ways.  It is the name of a search engine website but has become a verb in the context of “Google it”.  They also reference Wikipedia in the same fashion even though Wikipedia does get a bad reputation for its ability to be freely edited by anyone.  The fact still remain at the time of writing this Wikipedia has over four million articles available.  The reason there is such a comprehensive list of articles ranging from breaking news scientific discoveries to articles on a supporting character that guest starred on one episode of your favorite show is because anyone can write an article.  Before, the dawn of the internet you had to be considered a professional to contribute to an encyclopedia.  Now, anyone who has a passion about a topic can go online do their research and contribute to this amazing resource.