The journey, although brief (it was only within a span of a week, if you noticed), has been a meaningful and inspirational journey. I must admit, choosing a platform to conduct this assignment was a tough one as I was contemplating on either WordPress or Blogger. But seeing as I already have an account in Blogger, I might as well use it. And yes, I am much more familiar with Blogger. The next ordeal was choosing the name. I had a few in mind, but none seemed to fit. Thus, that is where I discovered the Neophyte’s Raison D’être.
As the author of this blog, I knew that I had a purpose and that is to discover the media and the phenomenon behind blogging (aside from doing this for my assignment). I kept in mind to note the sensitive culture we have in Malaysia when it comes to explicit contents and with that, ethics come into the picture as well. Last but not least, the design of the blog. I purposely chose this very simple layout to avoid any problems about blog visibility and the complaints of a black layout.
And with that, my journey as the neophyte for the subject ‘Issues in Publication and Design’ begins.
I have learned many things along the way. Blogging was more than just expressing yourself through words on the Web. Web designs were more than just a picture, content, and a layout. YouTube, despite its success and phenomenon, still have its supposed setbacks may kick in somewhere in the near future.
Wikipedia, although its contents are highly dubious, can still be trusted if researching with caution. Advertising online has its advantages and is promised to have a bright future. Micro-blogging revealed to me that blogging has taken a step further to allow users to blog wherever and whenever they can.
Last but not least, the wonders of ‘alternate reality games’, a genre that was never known to me until today. And Breathe, an ARG that combines both Internet and real life.
All these forms of media have told me the one thing that they all have in common; they cater for the audience. All the theories and guidelines concerning the aspects of design conform to the fact that the audience is still, in the end, the one who will be using the documents. So long as the audience finds the document interesting and user-friendly to their liking, it will be considered as a successfully designed document.
Like all good things, there is always an ending. And for that, I bid you my fondest farewell and my deepest gratitude for walking with me through this journey. I hope that you too have learned something today.
Thank you, and farewell.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Breathe With Me - a view into the alternate world of ARG
There are all sorts of games out there ranging from your traditional board game to ones that are highly advanced with technology such as the PlayStation 3, PC games, and many more. You would find all sorts of genre amidst the many games available out there. Among them would be the video game genre, MMORPG (short for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game).
But if you think I will be talking about games like World of Warcraft or Ragnarok Online, you thought wrong.
This is a genre unlike any other. One might call it a video-game set in the real world (and by that I meant the world that we live in, nothing on 3D environment, etc), while others might call it a complete alternate reality of this world.
Yes, my fellow readers, this is an Alternate-Reality Game (ARG, for short). As there are many ARGs out there, I will be focusing on an upcoming ARG called Breathe, a multimedia, multi-part film project (Terdiman, 2008).
(An Example of an ARG. Source: Violette'sDream.com)
An ARG is basically a game that features a story behind its game. Yes, it is similar like most video games you see, but really, an ARG does not need an actual platform to be played on. The players use the media that is available to them (text messaging, phone calls, etc) but what really pulls these players together is the Internet. According to Stewart (n.d.), creator of an ARG called 'The Beast', it is like a story that has been broken into pieces and it’s up to the players to piece the information back together, using whatever means they have to communicate from one another.
Most video games have ARGs as a way to promote their upcoming video games (Andersen, 2008).
Here is an example of an already complete ARG, Violette’s Dream (link), which was conducted through a blog.
As for the upcoming ARG, Breathe , it is said to be an ARG unlike any other. According to Terdiman (2008), Breathe is an ‘equal parts cinema, ARG, dance club, and social network’. Yomi Ayeni (Terdiman, 2008) said that Breathe will be a multistage, interactive murder mystery with a time line.
(The official webpage of 'Breathe'. Source: CNet News)
The players will interact with one another through their available media, but it will mostly be done online. Breathe starts its promotion like most ARGs, subtle and secretive with a mysterious air, through dance club-oriented Web sites (Terdiman, 2008). The story revolves around mysterious and unusual deaths and it is entirely up to the players to investigate the story behind these deaths by aiding the lead detective to solve this case.
But unlike most ARGs, Breathe also incorporates the real world where the players would be urged to go to the nightclubs themselves to investigate the case there and may end up mingling with various characters from the developing story (Terdiman, 2008).
Breathe will only begin its official launch by 2009. As of now, they are currently hoping to partner with nightclubs that can hold thousands of people in hopes to carry out different projects in different cities (Terdiman, 2008).
This is probably the first ARG of its kind to incorporate real-world investigations for the story. Sadly, these features are only available in the US as Malaysia is still considered very new to video games. It would be no surprise if no one in Malaysia has ever heard of such a genre. But should it happen to arrive here, I would be more than happy to be part of one.
Reference:
Stewart, S., n.d., What is an ARG?, Alternate Reality Games, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.seanstewart.org/interactive/args/
Terdiman, D., 2008, Inviting the audience to be part of the film, Gaming and Culture, CNet News, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10078732-52.html
Andersen, M., 2008, Velvet Assassin Sent Us Alternate Reality Gaming Gold, ARGNet, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.argn.com/archive/000725velvet_assassin_sent_us_alternate_reality_gaming_gold.php
But if you think I will be talking about games like World of Warcraft or Ragnarok Online, you thought wrong.
This is a genre unlike any other. One might call it a video-game set in the real world (and by that I meant the world that we live in, nothing on 3D environment, etc), while others might call it a complete alternate reality of this world.
Yes, my fellow readers, this is an Alternate-Reality Game (ARG, for short). As there are many ARGs out there, I will be focusing on an upcoming ARG called Breathe, a multimedia, multi-part film project (Terdiman, 2008).
(An Example of an ARG. Source: Violette'sDream.com)An ARG is basically a game that features a story behind its game. Yes, it is similar like most video games you see, but really, an ARG does not need an actual platform to be played on. The players use the media that is available to them (text messaging, phone calls, etc) but what really pulls these players together is the Internet. According to Stewart (n.d.), creator of an ARG called 'The Beast', it is like a story that has been broken into pieces and it’s up to the players to piece the information back together, using whatever means they have to communicate from one another.
Most video games have ARGs as a way to promote their upcoming video games (Andersen, 2008).
Here is an example of an already complete ARG, Violette’s Dream (link), which was conducted through a blog.
As for the upcoming ARG, Breathe , it is said to be an ARG unlike any other. According to Terdiman (2008), Breathe is an ‘equal parts cinema, ARG, dance club, and social network’. Yomi Ayeni (Terdiman, 2008) said that Breathe will be a multistage, interactive murder mystery with a time line.
(The official webpage of 'Breathe'. Source: CNet News)The players will interact with one another through their available media, but it will mostly be done online. Breathe starts its promotion like most ARGs, subtle and secretive with a mysterious air, through dance club-oriented Web sites (Terdiman, 2008). The story revolves around mysterious and unusual deaths and it is entirely up to the players to investigate the story behind these deaths by aiding the lead detective to solve this case.
But unlike most ARGs, Breathe also incorporates the real world where the players would be urged to go to the nightclubs themselves to investigate the case there and may end up mingling with various characters from the developing story (Terdiman, 2008).
Breathe will only begin its official launch by 2009. As of now, they are currently hoping to partner with nightclubs that can hold thousands of people in hopes to carry out different projects in different cities (Terdiman, 2008).
This is probably the first ARG of its kind to incorporate real-world investigations for the story. Sadly, these features are only available in the US as Malaysia is still considered very new to video games. It would be no surprise if no one in Malaysia has ever heard of such a genre. But should it happen to arrive here, I would be more than happy to be part of one.
Reference:
Stewart, S., n.d., What is an ARG?, Alternate Reality Games, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.seanstewart.org/interactive/args/
Terdiman, D., 2008, Inviting the audience to be part of the film, Gaming and Culture, CNet News, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10078732-52.html
Andersen, M., 2008, Velvet Assassin Sent Us Alternate Reality Gaming Gold, ARGNet, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.argn.com/archive/000725velvet_assassin_sent_us_alternate_reality_gaming_gold.php
Micro-Blogging - Blogging Short and Sweet
There is blogging; there is video blogging or rather, vlogging for most people. And recently, blogging has taken steps to turn micro and compact. From there, a new form of blogging takes place in the media of today; micro-blogging.
(An example of a micro-blogging website)
Micro-blogging has its features similar to blogging (hence, it retains the name ‘blogging’ in it). However, unlike blogging where you can write as long as you want, micro-blogging allows its users to type in brief 140-character updates on the go through a mobile device, instant messenger, or the web (Gershik, 2008; Glaser, 2007).
Micro-blogging has their own services such as Jaiku, Plurk, Yammer, and such. However, the most popular micro-blogging service would be Twitter. Twitter was developed in 2007 and was made popular amongst technology experts at the 2007 Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas (Glaser, 2007).
Of course, to most of us, we do not really see the use of micro-blogging as we can just blog normally. This would probably apply to blog addicts, but to some other people, micro-blogging has proven to be quite useful. Glaser (2007) states the media companies such as BBC, The New York Times, and Al Jazeera are trying out Twitter as a way to send messages and link to stories in a short span of time.
As of now, Twitter seems to be the one taking over the micro-blogging community. But soon, a new micro-blogging service would join the ranks of Twitter. Developed by Evan Podroumo, the co-founder of Wikitravel, it is called Identica (Terdiman, 2008).
In short, micro-blogging is still a very new addition to services like blogging and vlogging. Perhaps in years to come, micro-blogging would be of great use, particularly to media companies.
Imagine all the updates you can do within minutes. Grand, isn’t it?
Reference:
Glaser, M., 2007, Your Guide to Micro-Blogging and Twitter, Media Shift, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/05/your-guide-to-micro-blogging-and-twitter135.html
Gershik, S., 2008, What is Micro-blogging?, The Innovative Marketer, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.theinnovativemarketer.com/2008/05/what-is-microbl.html
Terdiman, D., 2008, Taking Twitter with open-source software, Gaming and Culture, CNet News, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10058946-52.html
(An example of a micro-blogging website)
Micro-blogging has its features similar to blogging (hence, it retains the name ‘blogging’ in it). However, unlike blogging where you can write as long as you want, micro-blogging allows its users to type in brief 140-character updates on the go through a mobile device, instant messenger, or the web (Gershik, 2008; Glaser, 2007).
Micro-blogging has their own services such as Jaiku, Plurk, Yammer, and such. However, the most popular micro-blogging service would be Twitter. Twitter was developed in 2007 and was made popular amongst technology experts at the 2007 Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas (Glaser, 2007).
Of course, to most of us, we do not really see the use of micro-blogging as we can just blog normally. This would probably apply to blog addicts, but to some other people, micro-blogging has proven to be quite useful. Glaser (2007) states the media companies such as BBC, The New York Times, and Al Jazeera are trying out Twitter as a way to send messages and link to stories in a short span of time.As of now, Twitter seems to be the one taking over the micro-blogging community. But soon, a new micro-blogging service would join the ranks of Twitter. Developed by Evan Podroumo, the co-founder of Wikitravel, it is called Identica (Terdiman, 2008).
In short, micro-blogging is still a very new addition to services like blogging and vlogging. Perhaps in years to come, micro-blogging would be of great use, particularly to media companies.
Imagine all the updates you can do within minutes. Grand, isn’t it?
Reference:
Glaser, M., 2007, Your Guide to Micro-Blogging and Twitter, Media Shift, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/05/your-guide-to-micro-blogging-and-twitter135.html
Gershik, S., 2008, What is Micro-blogging?, The Innovative Marketer, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.theinnovativemarketer.com/2008/05/what-is-microbl.html
Terdiman, D., 2008, Taking Twitter with open-source software, Gaming and Culture, CNet News, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10058946-52.html
Advertising Online - Advantages?
(An example of VideoEgg's advertisement. Source: Adweek)
Online advertisement network, VideoEgg, is offering a new video format for brand advertisers that charges the advertisers only if a user interact with their ads. This works when users move their cursors to that particular advertisement. A short clip will be played without users having to leave their current browsing page. Unlike the annoying pop-up advertisements, VideoEgg is considerate enough to leave the ad viewing to the users’ choice (Morrissey, 2008).
That was one of the many advertising strategies used online.
You eliminate something, and something better comes up. Advertisements, as annoying as it may seem, are beginning to pick up its pace, especially when advertising over the Net. Palaniappan (2008) lists some of the advantages one would find when advertising online:
a) Targeted Ads
Online advertising offers targeting methods assuring that the visitors who see the advertisements are the visitors they were aiming for. Much like how New York Times did with their deal with LinkedIn, a social network sites for professionals, targeting their customers via the information on their profile (Waters, 2008).
b) Tracking Conversions
You can see how well your advertisement is doing through advertising online.
c) Advertising Cost
Advertisers can fix their costs and budget. And of course;
d) Cheaper Advertisements
it is cheap too.
e) Wider Targets
The Internet is known for its vast network worldwide. Hence, advertising online would take advantage of this vast network.
Seeing how things are as of now, it seems that the future of online advertising looks bright.
Reference:
Morrissey, B., 2008, VideoEgg Tries ‘Cost per Engagement’, AdWeek.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3ica0ebb59d5d28e8c6ac4ee6233d13f31
Palaniappan, V., 2008, The Benefits of Advertising Your Business Online, Ezine Articles, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-of-Advertising-Your-Business-Online&id=933260
Waters, R 2008, ‘New York Times in social network tie-up’, Financial Times Limited, 22 July, viewed on 13 November, 2008, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/22864702-5818-11dd-b02f-000077b07658.html
Wikipedia - A Trusted Content?
Who does not love information, especially when there you have an endless array of information at hand? Before, it was Encyclopaedia Britannica during the time of Web 1.0, but it suffered mostly from fact omission (What-is-What.com, 2008). Eventually, this was replaced by another encyclopaedia; Wikipedia.
Wikipedia, derived from the word ‘wiki’ which means ‘quick’ in Hawaiian (What-is-What.com, 2008), is a very big database filled with all sorts of information. Imagine the thickest encyclopaedia you have seen; now imagine it thicker, growing day after day with more updated information. That is Wikipedia.
Since its first creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown to include 8.2 million articles in 253 different languages (Clark, 2007), surpassing that of Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Yongle Encyclopedia of 15th century China (Clark, 2007).
Wikipedia could probably be the world’s biggest and best online encyclopaedia out there if not for one very big setback; the option to edit its contents.
Bosworth (2004) states that anyone is free to edit the contents of Wikipedia’s article, even though the administrators of the website does re-edit biased articles. One such case was regarding the American politics during the past election cycle. The articles on George W. Bush and John Kerry were constantly re-edited by supporters and detractors (Bosworth, 2004). The sad thing is, most people tend to do their references from Wikipedia, especially when they know the contents can be edited.
Then again, Wikipedia is still heralded as the eighth most-visited destination on the Internet (Alexa, 2008). It is an encyclopaedia with a simple interface, user-friendly, as I would call it. Staying true to its root name, ‘wiki’, it certainly does provide you with information swiftly.
So long as people exercise caution when browsing through Wikipedia, it would prove to be a very useful tool for research.
Reference:
Clark, D., 2007, What is Wikipedia and What is It Good For?, LewRockwell.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/clark-d1.html
WhatIsWhat.com, 2008, What is Wikipedia?, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://what-is-what.com/what_is/wikipedia.html
Bosworth, A., 2004, What is Wikipedia…And How Does It Treat History?, History News Network, George Mason University, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://hnn.us/articles/8837.html
Alexa.com, 2008, Wikipedia, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia
Wikipedia, derived from the word ‘wiki’ which means ‘quick’ in Hawaiian (What-is-What.com, 2008), is a very big database filled with all sorts of information. Imagine the thickest encyclopaedia you have seen; now imagine it thicker, growing day after day with more updated information. That is Wikipedia.
Since its first creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown to include 8.2 million articles in 253 different languages (Clark, 2007), surpassing that of Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Yongle Encyclopedia of 15th century China (Clark, 2007).
Wikipedia could probably be the world’s biggest and best online encyclopaedia out there if not for one very big setback; the option to edit its contents.
Bosworth (2004) states that anyone is free to edit the contents of Wikipedia’s article, even though the administrators of the website does re-edit biased articles. One such case was regarding the American politics during the past election cycle. The articles on George W. Bush and John Kerry were constantly re-edited by supporters and detractors (Bosworth, 2004). The sad thing is, most people tend to do their references from Wikipedia, especially when they know the contents can be edited.
Then again, Wikipedia is still heralded as the eighth most-visited destination on the Internet (Alexa, 2008). It is an encyclopaedia with a simple interface, user-friendly, as I would call it. Staying true to its root name, ‘wiki’, it certainly does provide you with information swiftly.
So long as people exercise caution when browsing through Wikipedia, it would prove to be a very useful tool for research.
Reference:
Clark, D., 2007, What is Wikipedia and What is It Good For?, LewRockwell.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/clark-d1.html
WhatIsWhat.com, 2008, What is Wikipedia?, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://what-is-what.com/what_is/wikipedia.html
Bosworth, A., 2004, What is Wikipedia…And How Does It Treat History?, History News Network, George Mason University, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://hnn.us/articles/8837.html
Alexa.com, 2008, Wikipedia, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
New Media - YouTube
New media could mean a lot of things, especially in the current fast-moving world of today. With Internet gearing this world, it comes as no surprise that the possibility of creating a form of new media as a current trend is there. In regards to this, I would like to note a particular new media of my liking, and arguably, one of the biggest phenomenons out there.
From the bowels of the wondrous generation of Web 2.0 comes the Net’s most highly viewed video streaming site, YouTube.
YouTube kicked off in 2005 in California by three ex-member of the initial team that was behind PayPal, an online payment service (Caragea, 2006). It is a video streaming website and offers free sign ups and video uploads for its users. Since its launch, NielsenNet (Smith, 2006) stated that YouTube drew 19.6 million visitors, triple the amount of visitors since January. Note that this article was written in the year 2006, and YouTube only appeared in the 2005. One year, and it already drew 19.6 million visitors.
It is now the year 2008. Think about it.
The YouTube phenomenon helped raised its name to the top; but how could it be? Were there calculations involved? Were there strange and intricate forces working behind it? Dvorak (2006a) denies it all. While most people are concerned about the amount of money that can be made through YouTube (supposing it does charge for video uploads and sign ups), Dvorak was more concerned about its phenomenon.
One that was clearly understood is the ‘incredible desire people have to share video clips with each other' (Dvorak, 2006a). The next reason, which is also the biggest reason for Dvorak, would be YouTube’s simplicity to uploading video. And the best thing is this: they can pretty much upload videos in any format.
It is no wonder this trend could kick start so easily.
However, Dvorak (2006b) also notes that its free service may be the one thing that might bring its downfall.
But as of now, YouTube remains free for all.
In addition to that, here is a video from YouTube for your personal viewing. This video won YouTube’s Best Eyewitness Video with the viewer number of 10 million, and still counting (Johnson, 2007).
(Battle at Kruger by David Budzinski. Source: YouTube)
Reference:
Battle at Kruger, video streaming, YouTube.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM
Caragea, S., 2006, The YouTube Phenomenon, Softpedia, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-YouTube-Phenomenon-23600.shtml
Dvorak, J.C., 2006, Missing the Point about YouTube, MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid={29399E0D-DBFD-4DA3-BB53-1E09BAD7F66B}
Dvorak, J.C., 2006, The YouTube Phenomenon, PCMag.Com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2010339,00.asp
Johnson, B., 2007, 10m viewers for YouTube phenomenon, guardian.co.uk, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/10/newmedia.news
Smith, T., 2006, YouTube Phenomenon Keeps Growing, CBS News, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/04/earlyshow/contributors/tracysmith/main1864812.shtml
From the bowels of the wondrous generation of Web 2.0 comes the Net’s most highly viewed video streaming site, YouTube.
YouTube kicked off in 2005 in California by three ex-member of the initial team that was behind PayPal, an online payment service (Caragea, 2006). It is a video streaming website and offers free sign ups and video uploads for its users. Since its launch, NielsenNet (Smith, 2006) stated that YouTube drew 19.6 million visitors, triple the amount of visitors since January. Note that this article was written in the year 2006, and YouTube only appeared in the 2005. One year, and it already drew 19.6 million visitors.It is now the year 2008. Think about it.
The YouTube phenomenon helped raised its name to the top; but how could it be? Were there calculations involved? Were there strange and intricate forces working behind it? Dvorak (2006a) denies it all. While most people are concerned about the amount of money that can be made through YouTube (supposing it does charge for video uploads and sign ups), Dvorak was more concerned about its phenomenon.
One that was clearly understood is the ‘incredible desire people have to share video clips with each other' (Dvorak, 2006a). The next reason, which is also the biggest reason for Dvorak, would be YouTube’s simplicity to uploading video. And the best thing is this: they can pretty much upload videos in any format.
It is no wonder this trend could kick start so easily.
However, Dvorak (2006b) also notes that its free service may be the one thing that might bring its downfall.
But as of now, YouTube remains free for all.
In addition to that, here is a video from YouTube for your personal viewing. This video won YouTube’s Best Eyewitness Video with the viewer number of 10 million, and still counting (Johnson, 2007).
(Battle at Kruger by David Budzinski. Source: YouTube)
Reference:
Battle at Kruger, video streaming, YouTube.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM
Caragea, S., 2006, The YouTube Phenomenon, Softpedia, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-YouTube-Phenomenon-23600.shtml
Dvorak, J.C., 2006, Missing the Point about YouTube, MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid={29399E0D-DBFD-4DA3-BB53-1E09BAD7F66B}
Dvorak, J.C., 2006, The YouTube Phenomenon, PCMag.Com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2010339,00.asp
Johnson, B., 2007, 10m viewers for YouTube phenomenon, guardian.co.uk, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/10/newmedia.news
Smith, T., 2006, YouTube Phenomenon Keeps Growing, CBS News, viewed 13 November, 2008
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/04/earlyshow/contributors/tracysmith/main1864812.shtml
Online Media VS Print Media
Reep (2006) states that when creating a document, it must always have its purpose and maintain its design principles. Hence, its design is of the utmost importance because it serves its purpose to guide, attract attention, and to reflect the intended message to the mass audience. Principles would fall under its rules of proportion, balance, sequence, and consistency when designing a document.
One would wonder why it is that print is still around when the technology of Internet is already a part of most of our lives. Well, we assume that that would eventually replace print media once and for all. However, that possibility of that happening is still a long way to go, and with paper still available in the world, we still put it to good use.
Over the years, the online media has been the print media’s sole competitor. Sure,
online media would have more audience on that vast plane called the Internet, but print ads are catching up too, creating more innovative ideas and witty designs to attract attention. And of course, despite technology, not everyone in this world is 24/7 online.
Especially when they are driving.
Speaking of driving, I came across a print advertisement by Volvo while surfing.
“Volvo For Life” is a known tagline for their brand and the range of cars that they built, simply because they are built to last for a very long time. They conform to Reep’s (2006) purpose by guiding and attracting readers, and also reflecting their intended message, which is, their tagline. Literally. As for Reep’s (2006) principles, all match up to it, particularly for her ‘consistency’ as Volvo’s advertisements are known to be of the same kind.
Now, as for websites, they do conform to Reep’s (2006) principles and purpose in design. But at the same time, they also have their own set of rules to go about. Chomski (n.d) lists his 10 layout rules when it comes to web design;
Sadly, not all websites play it this way. According to Nielsen’s (2008) research, some of the neglected usability aspects are homepage usability, search, accessibility, and the web presence.
As an avid video game fan (aside from Destructoid.com), my two other favourite haunts would be the ATLUS Message Board and its so-called boycott board, ARLUS. Forums are probably one of the most important element on a website because this is where your source of feedback would spring up from; the audience.
ATLUS is a video game company that releases games and is primarily known for their Shin Megami Tensei and Trauma Centre series. The official forums is where they have updates on their latest games and give people room to discuss about their games. It is also the place where they can interact with the people working in ATLUS USA themselves, the administrators of the boards.
This is ARLUS, a boycott forum made by a group of members formerly from ATLUS forums to boycott ATLUS forums due to an ‘unjust’ act they did upon these members. Much like ATLUS, I also receive my updates on video games here. But unlike ATLUS forums, here, I have the freedom to talk about other video games aside from ATLUS-made ones.
Concerning the designs, ARLUS’s designs were fashioned from ATLUS Forum’s previous layout. The designs are simple, easily accessed, and they hardly boast much on graphics, which allows them to have a faster loading time (this conforms to Chomski’s 10 layout rules).
Although ATLUS Forums pretty much runs the same design as any other forums, its new layout proved to be difficult to manoeuvre. Black is not a good colour to go along with another white background. The huge contrast is just one thing; graphic-wise, ATLUS has more to offer and it seemed a little too much for one to see (in regards to the photoconsumption rule).
The fact that I hardly go to ATLUS forums nowadays pretty much shows why.
Reference:
Chomski, B., n.d., 10 Layout Rules, 10-layout-rules.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.10-layout-rules.com/index.html
Nielsen, J., 2008, Aspects of Design Quality, UseIt.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/quality-correlations.html
Reep, D.C., 2006, ‘Principles of Document Design’, Document Design 6th Edition, Pearson/Longman, New York, p. 134 - 136
One would wonder why it is that print is still around when the technology of Internet is already a part of most of our lives. Well, we assume that that would eventually replace print media once and for all. However, that possibility of that happening is still a long way to go, and with paper still available in the world, we still put it to good use.
Over the years, the online media has been the print media’s sole competitor. Sure,
online media would have more audience on that vast plane called the Internet, but print ads are catching up too, creating more innovative ideas and witty designs to attract attention. And of course, despite technology, not everyone in this world is 24/7 online.
Especially when they are driving.
Speaking of driving, I came across a print advertisement by Volvo while surfing.
“Volvo For Life” is a known tagline for their brand and the range of cars that they built, simply because they are built to last for a very long time. They conform to Reep’s (2006) purpose by guiding and attracting readers, and also reflecting their intended message, which is, their tagline. Literally. As for Reep’s (2006) principles, all match up to it, particularly for her ‘consistency’ as Volvo’s advertisements are known to be of the same kind.
Now, as for websites, they do conform to Reep’s (2006) principles and purpose in design. But at the same time, they also have their own set of rules to go about. Chomski (n.d) lists his 10 layout rules when it comes to web design;
- Consider the theme
- Consider the photocomposition (in terms of pictures, logos, and colours)
- Smooth and user-friendly navigational system
- Consider the structure of links in regards to the navigational system
- Loading time (avoid big graphics or huge flash animations and keep things minimum
- Consider the compatibility (different people, different browsers)
- Banner page; its purpose is similar to that of a newspaper frontpage headline
- Content; be interesting
- Presentation of the content; but don’t make it too plain
- Feedback; cater for your audience, not for yourself
Sadly, not all websites play it this way. According to Nielsen’s (2008) research, some of the neglected usability aspects are homepage usability, search, accessibility, and the web presence.
As an avid video game fan (aside from Destructoid.com), my two other favourite haunts would be the ATLUS Message Board and its so-called boycott board, ARLUS. Forums are probably one of the most important element on a website because this is where your source of feedback would spring up from; the audience.
ATLUS is a video game company that releases games and is primarily known for their Shin Megami Tensei and Trauma Centre series. The official forums is where they have updates on their latest games and give people room to discuss about their games. It is also the place where they can interact with the people working in ATLUS USA themselves, the administrators of the boards.
This is ARLUS, a boycott forum made by a group of members formerly from ATLUS forums to boycott ATLUS forums due to an ‘unjust’ act they did upon these members. Much like ATLUS, I also receive my updates on video games here. But unlike ATLUS forums, here, I have the freedom to talk about other video games aside from ATLUS-made ones.
Concerning the designs, ARLUS’s designs were fashioned from ATLUS Forum’s previous layout. The designs are simple, easily accessed, and they hardly boast much on graphics, which allows them to have a faster loading time (this conforms to Chomski’s 10 layout rules).
Although ATLUS Forums pretty much runs the same design as any other forums, its new layout proved to be difficult to manoeuvre. Black is not a good colour to go along with another white background. The huge contrast is just one thing; graphic-wise, ATLUS has more to offer and it seemed a little too much for one to see (in regards to the photoconsumption rule).
The fact that I hardly go to ATLUS forums nowadays pretty much shows why.
Reference:
Chomski, B., n.d., 10 Layout Rules, 10-layout-rules.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.10-layout-rules.com/index.html
Nielsen, J., 2008, Aspects of Design Quality, UseIt.com, viewed 13 November, 2008 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/quality-correlations.html
Reep, D.C., 2006, ‘Principles of Document Design’, Document Design 6th Edition, Pearson/Longman, New York, p. 134 - 136
Monday, November 10, 2008
Blogs Abundant and Their 'Clans'
In regards to my last post, the amount of blogs within the blogosphere reaches up to 133 million from the year 2002 as mentioned by Technorati (2008). Note that the year 2002 is the year where Web 1.0 was slowly turning its course to Web 2.0, and later it fully develops into the Web 2.0 we know of today (O’Reilly, 2005). So 133 million blogs in the year 2002 as its starting point, and imagine the amount of blogs there are out there at this moment. Grand, isn’t it?
Of course, the more blogs there are hanging around in the blogosphere, the more types and genre we would find. However, classifications for blog types would differ from one person to another. But in a whole, EGM (2006) has managed to classify the many types of blogs into three categories;
a) Producers
i. Blogs with original contents written by the author of the blog themselves.
b) Reviewers
i. Blogs that take their contents elsewhere and rewrite it, often expanding the topic or taking it off to a different direction. ‘The hallmark of these blogs is that they don’t simply point to the source material; they riff on it somehow.’
c) Pointers
i. In other words, linkers. They link the readers to contents found elsewhere that pertains to their topic.
There may be disputes on the fact that the Reviewers can be considered as rip-offs and such. But, like many things in this world, one cannot exist without the other. EGM (2006) clearly states that these blogs are connected, one way or another, and one needs the other for support and its contents.
The 3 Categories of Blogs (source from EGM)
As for the topic, style, format, and audience, EGM has pretty much covered them all.
And as for the blogging ‘clans’, they are mainly from the many genres of blogs out there. White’s (2006) research on blogging communities revealed that there are three types of blog community:
a) Single Blog/Blog Centric Community
a. Stephen Downes
b. Evil Genius Marketing
b) Topic Centric Community
a. Global Voices Online
c) Boundaried Community
a. MySpace
b. Friendster
It is through those types of community would one find the methods to create a blogging community. As for me, my blogging community would fall under the Boundaried Community cum Topic Centric Community called Destructoid.
As an avid video game fan, this community appeals to me as they discuss about the topics that is of interest to me. Their features range from reviews of video games to community blogs and podcasts. Of course, as this is considered as a Boundaried Community, I must register have access to their features.
But this is just one community out of millions in the blogosphere.
Reference:
O’Reilly, T., 2005, What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, O’Reilly Media Inc, viewed 10 November, 2008,
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html?page=1
EGM, 2006, Three types of blogs: Producers, Reviewers, and Pointers, Improving Customer Experience, viewed 11 November, 2008,
http://www.evilgeniusmarketing.com/ice/direct_link.cfm?bid=F1C806E8-A81C-4D15-58A7EB5FA7EFF8C6
Technorati.com, State of the Blogosphere 2008, viewed 11 November, 2008 http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
White, N., 2006, Blogs and Community – Launching a new paradigm for online community?, Full Circle Associates, viewed 11 November, 2008,
http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/2006/12/blogs-and-community-launching-new.htm
Of course, the more blogs there are hanging around in the blogosphere, the more types and genre we would find. However, classifications for blog types would differ from one person to another. But in a whole, EGM (2006) has managed to classify the many types of blogs into three categories;
a) Producers
i. Blogs with original contents written by the author of the blog themselves.
b) Reviewers
i. Blogs that take their contents elsewhere and rewrite it, often expanding the topic or taking it off to a different direction. ‘The hallmark of these blogs is that they don’t simply point to the source material; they riff on it somehow.’
c) Pointers
i. In other words, linkers. They link the readers to contents found elsewhere that pertains to their topic.
There may be disputes on the fact that the Reviewers can be considered as rip-offs and such. But, like many things in this world, one cannot exist without the other. EGM (2006) clearly states that these blogs are connected, one way or another, and one needs the other for support and its contents.
The 3 Categories of Blogs (source from EGM)
As for the topic, style, format, and audience, EGM has pretty much covered them all.
And as for the blogging ‘clans’, they are mainly from the many genres of blogs out there. White’s (2006) research on blogging communities revealed that there are three types of blog community:
a) Single Blog/Blog Centric Communitya. Stephen Downes
b. Evil Genius Marketing
b) Topic Centric Communitya. Global Voices Online
c) Boundaried Communitya. MySpace
b. Friendster
It is through those types of community would one find the methods to create a blogging community. As for me, my blogging community would fall under the Boundaried Community cum Topic Centric Community called Destructoid.
As an avid video game fan, this community appeals to me as they discuss about the topics that is of interest to me. Their features range from reviews of video games to community blogs and podcasts. Of course, as this is considered as a Boundaried Community, I must register have access to their features.
But this is just one community out of millions in the blogosphere.
Reference:
O’Reilly, T., 2005, What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, O’Reilly Media Inc, viewed 10 November, 2008,
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html?page=1
EGM, 2006, Three types of blogs: Producers, Reviewers, and Pointers, Improving Customer Experience, viewed 11 November, 2008,
http://www.evilgeniusmarketing.com/ice/direct_link.cfm?bid=F1C806E8-A81C-4D15-58A7EB5FA7EFF8C6
Technorati.com, State of the Blogosphere 2008, viewed 11 November, 2008 http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
White, N., 2006, Blogs and Community – Launching a new paradigm for online community?, Full Circle Associates, viewed 11 November, 2008,
http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/2006/12/blogs-and-community-launching-new.htm
The Blogging Phenomenon
Since the revolutionary shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, the blogging phenomenon is becoming more and more apparent today. What was once known as ‘personal websites’ has now evolved into ‘blogs’ (O’Reilly, 2005). With the blogosphere reaching 133 million from the year 2002 (Technorati, 2008), blogs can now be found in many different types of genres ranging from music to economics.
The Size of the Blogosphere (Source: Technorati)
One might argue that blogs are no different from personal websites if we consider it from the perspective of purpose, or in other words, raison d’etre. But in reality, blogs are far more different from those as they allow a two-way communication between the readers and the author (Cronin, 2006).
Hence, this is also another reason why political blogging is becoming more obvious in Malaysia’s blogging trend and its popularity has grown tremendously after the recent March 2008 elections (Attan, 2008).
In terms of benefits, the people would most definitely benefit from these blogs, particularly from the political blogs. In regards to the current elections, the people would be able to know their leaders and their ideals through these blogs. The same applies for the other genres.
So, it goes without a doubt that the blogging phenomenon is becoming more evident in today’s world.
Reference:
O’Reilly, T., 2005, What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, O’Reilly Media Inc, viewed 10 November, 2008,
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html?page=1
Cronin, J., 2006, The Business Blog VS The Real Estate Website, Ezine Articles, viewed 10 November, 2008,
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Business-Blog-VS.-The-Real-Estate-Website&id=309711
Attan, A., 2008, Trends and Future of the Malaysian Mass Media, University Malaya, viewed 10 November, 2008
http://web3.bernama.com/ssig/kcent/material/Ahirudin%20Attan.pdf
Technorati, 2008, State of the Blogosphere, viewed 10 November, 2008
http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
The Size of the Blogosphere (Source: Technorati)
One might argue that blogs are no different from personal websites if we consider it from the perspective of purpose, or in other words, raison d’etre. But in reality, blogs are far more different from those as they allow a two-way communication between the readers and the author (Cronin, 2006).
Hence, this is also another reason why political blogging is becoming more obvious in Malaysia’s blogging trend and its popularity has grown tremendously after the recent March 2008 elections (Attan, 2008).
In terms of benefits, the people would most definitely benefit from these blogs, particularly from the political blogs. In regards to the current elections, the people would be able to know their leaders and their ideals through these blogs. The same applies for the other genres.
So, it goes without a doubt that the blogging phenomenon is becoming more evident in today’s world.
Reference:
O’Reilly, T., 2005, What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, O’Reilly Media Inc, viewed 10 November, 2008,
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html?page=1
Cronin, J., 2006, The Business Blog VS The Real Estate Website, Ezine Articles, viewed 10 November, 2008,
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Business-Blog-VS.-The-Real-Estate-Website&id=309711
Attan, A., 2008, Trends and Future of the Malaysian Mass Media, University Malaya, viewed 10 November, 2008
http://web3.bernama.com/ssig/kcent/material/Ahirudin%20Attan.pdf
Technorati, 2008, State of the Blogosphere, viewed 10 November, 2008
http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
Friday, November 7, 2008
First Step
First and foremost, this blog is not here to flood you with endless rants but rather, to discuss and further understand the issues that fly about this phenomenon that is blogging. My audience would be none other than you and anyone else who would like to achieve a better understanding of this topic.
Why a blog? Simply because blogs have the 'potential to incorporate words and images in complex structures with logos, menu bars, video clips, and many more'. Thus, this eliminates the linear style, creating a multi-directional path for you readers (Walsh, 2006).
To achieve a goal is what most people would aim for; the same goes for this blog, and I hope that upon embarking this journey, there will be answers waiting for the both of us.
With that, I bid you welcome to the Neophyte's Raison D’être; a beginner's journey with a purpose in mind.
Reference:
Walsh, M., 2006, 'The 'textual shift': Examining the reading process with print, visual, and multimodal texts', Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, p. 30
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