Social Networking Online

Social Networking online; a combination of social structure made up of relationships and links, whether strong or weak, to people we have something in common with. As Wikipedia states, social networking has created powerful new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people, and it now seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life. The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust.

The recent growth of Social Networking online has been seen in the proliferation of sites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Friendster and Twitter. It gets people to experience these technologies in the bubble of the technology community. Their view of the world, is not aligned with what’s actually happening in the mainstream. No surprises there - they are the early adopters, the innovators and the pioneers. It’s funny however, that comparable to other services (like Twitter) the adoption amongst the tech community for Facebook has been slow: it was only when the developer network launched that it started getting the attention. People are given a forum where they have the opportunity to meet others in a familiar environment, to chat, participate in events, combine temporarily to form sub-networks, create private networks or interact in public networks.

That most commentators have no way in the world of understanding the social impact of these technologies in the demograghic where the growth occurs. We all know for example, Facebook is exploding with users - but do we know why it’s exploding? An article in the Business Week reaccounts the unimagainable impact social networking online has changed and created a revolution in our society, targeting especially on young adults and teens.

Social networking technology has changed the society all rounded. From an economically, psychologically and in sociological perspective. Newspaper and traditional media sites has added social networking-type features, letting people upload and share photos, comment on stories, and build their own customized news pages to keep up with the techonology.
It however comes to a point of social networking saturation, where people just don’t have the time and energy to join, yet one more site, create yet another profile and make even more “friends.” While social networking sites obviously serve a purpose in helping people connect, there’s only so many networks each of us can join - and only so many that will end up being profitable businesses.


Image Source : http://www.facebook.com,
http://www.friendster.com

Reference : Wikipedia, 2008, 'Social network service', viewed online 24 Sep 2008,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network

Business Week, 2005, 'The MySpace Generation 2005', viewed 24 Sep 2008,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_50/b3963001.htm

The Revolutionary iPhone

The arrival of Apple's new iPhone and iphone 3G like its predecessor is a combination of three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a wide-screen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser is making a wave out there with every single unit grabbed up in a recent release in Japan.

Apple has provided its buyers many new useful features just at the touch of their fingertips. With its sofisticated high technology, It has made some welcome changes to its e-mail client, where you can select several messages to move or delete them and even attachment support has improved too. You can now view even larger PDF documents and also view PowerPoint attachments. This powerful and cool electronic gadget available in today’s market and is one of the best smartphone available and is not surprisingly a wish on everyone's list.

The iPhone being a convergence product. It combines multiple functions into one device. Past existing products like the
N-Gage and the Nokia Communicator have been convergence device's failures. Convergence products capture the imagination of the media and public and mobile phones have been on a convergence path for years now. It started out as a basic function phone to make and receive calls, now it's basically impossible to get one without a camera, and without the ability to send text messages as well as voice messages. The device has converged with simple cameras, and added additional features such as text messaging. While there are many individuals who wish their mobile phones just made calls, it would be hard to argue that the addition of new features beyond the basics of making phone calls haven't been wildly popular with consumers.

Apple with the full-featured smartphone level of convergence has yet to really catch on with consumers, however, there are yet lots more competitors out there who are ready to re-invent and product "clone" phones like the iphone. Many other handset makers are actually riding the iPhone wave. Their iPhone clones are gaining traction, in July, Samsung model Instinct gained a responsive high response as of the iPhone. LG has also gained their share of profit from thier best-selling devices Voyager and Dare.

Apple spends copious amounts of time and energy making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. And that is exactly the type of situation where convergent devices shine. There will be compromises made and an iPhone will never handle features X,Y or Z as well as a dedicated X, Y or Z. However, the existence in greater faith of Apple's ability, it probably will continue to produce product that appeals to the masses and works great for 90% of people than any other mobile phone company to date.


Image Source : Asia's Mobile News

Reference : German, K, 2008, Will the iPhone take over the world?, cnet reviews, viewed 16 Sep 2008
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3504_7-6848590-1.html?%5E$

Regan, K, 2007, Will the iPhone turn the mobile phone world on its ear?, MacNewsWorld, viewed 16 Sep 2008
http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/55089.html?wlc=1221551013

Technology Taking Over The 'Old-Style' Newspapers

In the world that we are living now, change – technological or otherwise, is rapid and continuous, and where journals go, the rest of publishing usually follows. There are intriguing issues concerning the pressure for new modes of access, together with ‘author power’ and the response of publishers, changing business models, and the wider context set by the academy, government and the knowledge economy. Also, technology has opened up many different possibilities and created entirely new ways of publishing, and these radical alternatives, together with changing business models, have overturned the settled practices of four and a half centuries. Despite constant change, journals continue to represent the key medium for the exchange of learning and knowledge among academics and professionals around the world and provide an exciting range of possibilities for graduates looking for a career in a fast-moving and varied environment.

Traditional news organizations are feeling the impact of two distinct and powerful trends: Internet news has not only arrived, but it is also attracting key segments of the news audience. The older generation also use the internet, now indispensable for work. But they are what have been termed "digital immigrants", not borned into the world of the internet. In contrast, the generations today are "digital natives", growing up with a keyboard at their fingertips. If they read news at all, it is usually online in dribs and drabs over the course of a day while doing half a dozen other things on their screen over a latte. In a recent article in the Today newspaper published by MediaCorp dated 13 Sep 2008,it indicates the drop in sales of
printed newspapers and that "Newspapers will be around but they will not be so persuasive."

The Internet has made the greatest inroads among younger and better-educated people. More college graduates under the age of fifty connect to the Internet every day than regularly watch one of the network news broadcasts. The digital tide is having less of a direct negative impact on radio and print outlets. The Pew survey finds no evidence that Internet use is driving down regular reading of daily newspapers or listening to radio news. However, all news outlets are being affected by the public's slowly declining appetite for news.

The Internet, with its headline-news format and its capacity for quick updates, is clearly attractive to younger news consumers. The Internet's hypertext-based ability to provide more depth on a subject also appeals to those with large news appetites, such as professionals, managers, and executives. As a result, the growth of Internet news has had a dramatic impact on the way people with access to technology get information on business and financial matters. For active investors the Web has largely supplanted traditional media as the leading source of stock quotes and investment advice.

As information consumers have grown more reliant on the Internet for news, they also have come to find online news outlets more credible. Ignoring the controversy over news-gathering techniques employed by some sites, those who go on line generally give Internet news operations high marks for believability.


Image Source : buzzworthymedia.wordpress.com

Reference : http://www.todayonline.com

Print versus Online Publications

Designing for print media versus designing for the web can be a completely different experience. To better understand these differences, the two can be compared in major topic areas: types of media, audience, layout, color and technology.
In print, we have to try and get our audience to stay on a page long enough to get a marketing message across. Often then not we are faced with a limited area in which to achieve this, such as a one-page magazine ad. In some cases trying to catch their attention with a book magazine cover or the first page of a brochure is a task. Print design allows us to deal with a product physically, so properties such as texture and shape helps in achieving our design goals.

On the web, we generally have to keep our audience on a specific website for the longest period of time . The amount of pages to work with can be unlimited, by entertaining the audience with snippets of content to entice them into clicking further, it prolongs the surfing time. Direct navigation buttons that leads into other pages of the site plays an important part. Both print and web design require clear and effective layout. In both, the overall goal is the same as we use elements of design (shapes, lines, colors, type, etc) to present content to the audience.

The reason i reckon why advertising online is such a miracle worker for most business owners is the fact that creating an online advertisement is much easier and time saving than a print advertisement. Every minute spent doing traditional marketing campaigns are time wasting when it comes to getting prospective clients for businesses. On the other hand, not everybody can have access to a computer, let alone an internet connection. Despite the proliferation that technological finds and equipment has made our lives easier and less stressful, some people are still reliant on the age-old, time tested stability of the paper to get information, as well as to write one for later reference. There are still instances and situations when a print flyers is better than an online advertisement. For one thing, we can always reach those that are averse to the life of technology. In addition, targeted clients can always keep flyers printing items for later reading or use. And you don’t need electricity and a modem to be able to read flyers printing message. While the traditional marketing medium still attracts a lot of traders and entrepreneurs, it just goes to show that not everything can be had online. Paper and print flyers can still work its wonders when it comes to providing prospective clients with useful information. In fact, traditional print media still makes many clients feel comfortable.

Image Source : Adrian Hughes, 123RF

Reference : Nielsen, J, 1999, Differences Between Print Design and Web Design, useit.com, viewed 16 Sep 2008
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html

Watching Television Online

Watching television no longer require you to be stationed somewhere stationary where there is a television set. The availability of TVMobile (a subsidiary of MediaCorp TV Singapore) in public transportation vehicles in Singapore now have portable television set allowing passengers and travellers to watch television programs while travelling. In addition to these possiblities for enriching viewer experience, mobile television offers the broadcaster new audiences, the teleoperators a new distribution channel manufacturing new receiver product possibilities. In addition to the availability to watch television from computers and laptops, television programs are now available on the mobile phone as well. Mobile phone that has wireless network to the internet can now watch television program with MediaCorp's latest MOBTV. This latest program from MediaCorp allows viewers to choose whichever programs they wish to watch at their own timing rather than waiting for the screening time on the television.

The trend of watching television online has been popular and is constantly evolving, The part of persuading evolution is getting more people to utilise the Web as a method of watching TV and video. The internet has now been used in place of TV set and the quality of the video and audio are far better than the most common TV sets. The high resolution and mesmerizing quality of audio and video of the PC has made this facility an attraction among TV viewers.

The new comer in the luxurious TV viewing arena not only satisfy viewers with quality but it also comes with a financial gain. It can be view from any PC linked to the internet connection. When connected, viewers are offered with plenty of channels and endless selection of excellent picture quality, what more..its free.


Image Source : MediaCorp

Reference : Riley, D, 2004, Online television viewing up, The inquisitr, viewed 16 Sep 2008
http://www.inquisitr.com/2903/online-television-viewing-up/

Media Rush on Coverage of Beijing Olympics 2008

While the world's been looking forward to the Olympics, it has finally started with a fabulous opening ceremony yesterday.

I was on a flight on my way to Beijing just when the ceremony started. Somehow, the Chinese on board the aircraft on their way back home knew exactly when the ceremony was taking place and cheered among themselves. Olympic spirit was definitely in the air and it seemed everyone was singing one of the official Olympic songs, "Beijing Huan Ying Ni," which translates to, "Beijing Welcomes You." The song, made by 100 well known artists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan for the 100-day countdown for the games, is reminiscent of "We Are the World," and it's easy to find yourself singing along with the catchy chorus.

I managed to speak to a group of reporters and television crew members from Indonesia travelling to Beijing to do the coverage of the Olympics highlights. it was for a special documentary to be broadcast about Asian countries playing host to the grand Olympics event. As the world is looking closely on how the Chinese counry will be handling on such a huge event, media from all over the world sprung to cover every preparation details of the highly anticipated event.

As anticipation grew throughout the flight, there were loud applause when the aircraft finally touched down at Beijing airport. It was however sad that it was not one of Beijing's finest air quality days. It was still gloomy, air filled with smoke and pollution. This is somehow the biggest setback the Chinese authorities could have tried even harder to prevent.

As i was on a short working trip to Beijing, I felt unfortunate that I wasn't one of the lucky ones to get a ticket to the coveted event. But on second thought, watching the repeat broadcast of the opening ceremony on CCTV (China Central Television) and thereafter all the games sequences from the comfort of my air-conditioned hotel room wasn't so bad at all — as I saw spectators sweat and fan themselves throughout the broadcast. I can only imagine how hot those athletes must have been as they paraded into the stadium, particularly for the teams wearing suits. Now that the long-awaited game event has started in Beijing, there's be more exciting highlights coming ahead with media from all over the world bringing the event on live broadcast to its country.


Image Source : Clive Rose/Getty image

The Thoughts Before I Started Blogging

There are things worth saying, and there are things worth doing. Then there's also most of the internet.
There are 10's of thousands of blogs being posted all over the net, I ponder about the fact that everyone has a blog, my girlfriends are posting their new findings from new romantic dining places to the most frustrating anger venting about their work at the office and their bosses. If there's a weakness to most blogs in the immense blogosphere, I perceive it to be a disconnection from the reality of daily life. Most of the time it seems blogs are esoteric rambles that result in wasted hours making superficial connections with complete strangers all over the world. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I think it's fantastic that people can span the globe with the clickety-clack of caffeine-frenzied fingers and meet intriguing people of diverse backgrounds from anywhere.

And if you believe it, that's something we can offer that the hot air coming from much of the blogsphere cannot. Any astronomer will tell you that hot air creates turbulence that disturbs your vision, but they'll also tell you that few people outside (even inside) the ivory tower are excited by charts and equations. The astronomers are under VERY few illusions about how popular academicese is.

It's all very well, then, for us to make these speeches to captive audiences who have paid thousands of dollars as the price of admission. They have to listen if they want to pass our courses, or, at least, reduce thousands of dollars worth of dissonance. But can we get people surfing for free to stop and notice, agree, and maybe change the way they think just a smidge? It'll be exciting to find out.

From a new blogger’s perspective, it surely demonstrates terrific response reaction from them, but then is the story of “is” really worth talking about? Don’t we have something else more meaningful, something more constructive to be covered? The philosophy of blogging is to gauge readers in conversations by forming communities.
In between those extremes of exploration and consternation, I found myself using this spot for sharing, pimping, contextualizing, opining, pointing and anything else under the sun I found valuable and interesting.


Image Source :Alexandr Stepanov, 123RF