Archive for Comm 361
February 6, 2012
Textbooks Going Digital
In this day and age everything is going digital. It reminds me of a song from my childhood that was aptly named, “Going Digital”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhUSvMKkidYThe latest item to begin its transition into the digital platform is the textbook. That might seem like a blessing on the back. Some would think that chiropractors had stock in the textbook publishing companies. Now, there are e-books and on paper that sounds like an amazing advancement!
But alas, this movement has had a rocky start. First of all, not all companies have gotten on board with this new trend. They are choosing to make only a select few of their textbooks available online, and then they can’t seem to find a platform reliable enough to support it. My question is, how can regular books be seamlessly made into e-book files but textbooks are so difficult?
Even Apple iBooks is having issues with compatibility for textbooks. If we’re truly going digital then I would suggest perfecting the capability before mass marketing it for $15 a download.
AppleTV to out Genius, Netflix?
I just happened to be scrolling through the MacRumors blog when I came across an article that caught my attention. I remember Professor Klein mentioning in class on Thursday that Netflix was set to lose a majority of its streaming titles because other mediums are producing platforms of their own.
Apple has released it’s Genius for AppleTV menu option. It’s not the same as Netflix, obviously. You will still have to purchase every time you want to see a title rather than paying one monthly fee to get near unlimited titles. Genius seems to operate much like it’s iTunes’ counterpart works where it screens your interests and produces a list of titles that appeal to you.
It seems to be an interactive way of watching your favorite TV shows and movies. Is it on the same level as Netflix? In my opinion, no. While Netflix has had many hang ups in the past year, they still prove to be a leading source for producing streaming media. I’m not just saying that because I am a loyal user of the product…
Or maybe I am. Regardless, Netflix has a good thing going. Because $8 a month sounds a heck of a lot better than $4.99 per title.
Hey, that’s just me. You’re free to make your own judgments.
February 2, 2012
Briggs Chapter Two: Advanced Blogging
This chapter teaches you how to create and maintain a fully functional blog. I found this to be extremely helpful because I currently blog for an online magazine called Chaos where I post twice a week on the top trends of men’s fashion.
After reading this chapter I’ve thought about reevaluating the way I write for my blog posts. Sometimes I get wordy and write more like a novel than a direct piece of work that persuades a consumer to do or not do thing. Other than that I didn’t really learn a lot of new things from this chapter. I’ve run and maintained more than one blog in my past and I know how to explore different widgets and settings to optimize my experience as a blogger.
It was certainly a great refresher though!
Briggs Chapter One: We are all Web workers now
I like to think of myself as a very technologically driven person. My Macbook is always within arm’s reach as is my smart phone, but when it comes to the super technical things I tend to have a bit of a struggle. Case and point — the use of code. To clarify, I don’t have a problem with coding things once I know it. It just takes me forever and a day to retain the information. So, needless to say I saw those beautiful code boxes in this chapter and clutched my pearls in fear.
Fortunately for me, a lot of the concepts mentioned are skills that are already present in my little bag of skills. I’ve taken several computer classes in the past so this material isn’t anything new to me. This chapter has just provided me with different platforms to look at, which is probably force me to step out of my comfort zone a bit. I am a loyal user to programs and software. When I find something I like, I stick to it. But this chapter has shown me that I should at least attempt to experiment with other readers so that I have a stronger wealth of knowledge.
Briggs Introduction
For me the entire introduction had something of a hidden doomsday feel to it. So often I hear people speak about print media as if the internet was a cancerous cyst that has doomed the world of journalism. I shouldn’t say doomed, rather it has changed the entire game. The world of journalism has been forced to evolve, and for me it shouldn’t be a reason to worry or despair. It is a challenge.
Doesn’t everyone like a good challenge?
In a world where it’s possible for anyone to sit at their computer and give their opinion, how do you stand out? The same way you stand out in every other avenue in life. Find a way to make it your own. Separate yourself from the crowd. These changing waters do not intimidate me, as I think I have the skills and potential to separate myself from the ever growing pool of “journalists”.
Journalism isn’t dying. It is simply being remodeled and I, as a technological person, am excited to see how the revamp comes together.
Okay, I read the article and here’s what I think.
Personally, this article appealed to me. Mainly in the section that talks about how readers have good judgment. I believe that to be true, because no matter what you have an opinion on something and that drives what you choose to or refuse to read or acknowledge.
With a platform like the internet it is much easier to focus only on things that appeal to you, where as with a newspaper you are required to purchase the entire thing. I can’t think of a place where you can just go and request the style section only. But with online media you’re able to just subscribe to the RSS feed for the section that you’re interested in.
While I think moving towards a more digital platform I feel like people are going to lose out on general knowledge and news. When you got the entire newspaper you had the information in your hands and often times things caught your eye while you searched for the section that you wanted to focus on, thus whether you wanted to or not you had the potential of “stumbling upon” new information. With things like RSS feeds you don’t have to look at other things to get to your end goal.
You begin and end where you want to.
