Week 13 The Final Frontier....

Well maybe not the final frontier, i don't even know why i titled my post this, i guess it just sounded cool (in a nerdy kinda way). Anyway, wow its the end of another semester, how quick time flies! So this final post (hopefully not the last from me, i kinda like getting stuff off my chest in a blog, just the last for this subject) is to be "a short summary of their class related online work/activity". Well as my blogs show I'm not the perfect example of presenting on-time postings of online work, but as they say better late than never, and i guess submitting something is better than nothing (shrug). Even though i was constantly behind (both my fault and computer troubles, not going there again lol) going over the readings and the online posts after their actual week I made me, i think learn the topics better. I really did enjoy all the interesting topics, Online worlds, online socialising, mobile phones, blogs and web 2.0 (i hope in covered them all) and i did gain a greater insight in to these new media areas and online posts/work certainly helped that. Actually engaging with the technology is more interesting and practical than theory.

I was always hesitant to set up an online identity, mainly because (one of the psych trademarks of a teenager) is that in real life i still don't know exactly what/who my own identity is. Having my identity online i guess cements it, consolidates it, makes it something separate from me and that is what i tried to avoid. Now after having a substantial presence online through a facebook, myspace, blog and various other accounts to webpages, i realise that its not that bad having an online identity and that like the web, your identity can still be fluid and change online just like it changes in real life. Anyway I hope the readers of my blog (or my one follower Meg) have so far enjoyed my online identity and getting to know me, because i know have enjoyed "webifying" myself. On a final note, my portfolio website is not entirely what i imagined (professionally and content wise) but as stated before, it will constantly change and hopefully be upgraded, but at least it reflects some part of me at that particular time and is my own individual personal web project.

Thanks for a great semester guys, Melissa and Micael, Chris, David and Katie, thanks for all your help and knowledge and Meg thanks for following my blog (effort or no effort) it made blogging so much easier knowing that hopefully i didn't sound like a idiot.....

Website/Webifying Professionalism

Well I finally got my online portfolio website sorted except still have a few linkage issues but hopefully they'll be sorted out soon. I started my website and in my mind it seems a lot different than what it looks like now but ah well, it sorta came out okay I think? I tried doing, along with the bubbles as the theme, an alternative universe type of thing with lots of different characters from different worlds, if that makes sense. Even though it didn't turn out quite like I wanted, it seems okay. My website is a little less professional and a lot less cooler than I imagined in my head lol, but then again this was my first attempt at creating a website with limited computer knowledge, so I did okay. My bubbles as the links idea didn't turn out quites like i wanted, which was meant to be the cursor when moved over a bubble, the bubble would reveal the links but unfortunately I couldn't figure that out given the amount of time I have left :( Then again I can always improve and come back to it later after uni is over and try and fix it but overall im happy with my first draft at a website.

Week 8 The Blogosphere

Okay well in answering the question about blogs dealing with contemporary political issues, i think i accidently answered that question in my week 6 post. ooops..... well the Beppe Grillo video is a perfect example of the power of blogs as a form of political activism and how blogs have changed public debate. The issue i want to deal with in my blog i wasnt really sure, i dont really have extensive knowledge of any one particular issue, my aim for my blog was simply to allow people who know me online to know me a little better as a person, if that is possible online given the whole stalker factor, but in having only 1 follower I think im pretty safe lol.

Week 7 Blogs as a communication form

Blogs are an extremely good form of communication, being online they can be viewed by a large audience and they also cover a wide range of topics such as being an informative blog (Politcal Blog) or a story/enjoyable blog (Clever Girl goes Blog). I personally enjoy the feature that blogs are easy to read and are written in a casual tone (so much more enjoyable to read than an academic article, no offence academics so of yours are good). Blogs, being online are not subjectto censorshipand governemtnal control and thus are also effective as a startegy for political activism. Here is a video (from a BCM106 Lecture)which pretty much sums up all my opinions of the power and advantages of Blogs.

Week 12 Online Worlds

At October Country in Second Life

A Free Store in SL

At the Amusement Park

In Second Life France

Wow I was totally amazed when I became a member of Second Life, all the amazing possibilities that you can do in that world. I really enjoyed Katie's lecture and her explaining all the stuff that you can do in Second life. I knew that people used it as another form to socialise but what amazed me was particularly the learning aspect, that people go online in a virtual world to study and learn languages and other stuff and the fact that it was also used as a virtual tour guide, like wow (my picture from second life is from the virtual Champs de Ellise, i hope i spelt that right in France). I really would have enjoyed doing the reflection essay on this topic but having another major essay for another subject on the same day made me choose my reflection essay topic of Mobile Phones. This was also very interesting but there is some new and exciting quality about second life and online worlds that is more exciting to Mobile phones (sorry).

Anyway socially Second life was an interesting experience, I made 5 friends really easily they were so helpful and friendely in showing me place to go, do and see and even helping me with basic functions to use Second life. They even gave me locations to free stores and one of my Friends even gave me money (5 linden dollars)to use on the bumper cars at an amusement park (how nice!).They also have many social norms that are different from real life. Although I never did it bumping into other people is seen as quite inappropriate and so is the use of typed slang or bad language. I tried really hard not to type txt language and use correct English but i couldn't stop my use of emoticons, but nobody said anything about it which was good. I unfortunately didn't get a chance to see other social behavioural norms, except i really enjoyed how they used initiation/place cards when you visited different islands, describing all the things you can do and see there and their regular social events.

On the discussion of Landamoo's decision to kill Mr Bungle, I'm not sure if that measure was necessary, because death is final and ultimate and offers no second chances. But then again its not real life and therefore they couldn't really effectively enforce/constrain him legally, so death was the best option. Although I'd rather use the term 'ejected' from the online world rather than death.

Week 6 Web Theory

Part 1: Passivity and Activity
To be honset due to the bad condition of my home PC computer (the family computer), my computer mediated activity isl imited to just checking/receiving/replying to emails, the internet and using word to type up assignments. None of these uses are relatively active as I dont rely on them to much to communicate. Unlike games or other creative content, using these functions on the computer does not really increase my need for further engagement or investment with them. My needs of these uses similarly does not really change.

Part 2: Exemplars to the Cultural production Thesis
Firstly, to bring everyone (and myself) up to speed, The Cultural production thesis refers to new media and computer mediated communication and how it allows for greater production by consumers in creating new or improved media content. Old media technologies such as the radio and television cannot do this. Content is consumer/user generated and can include blogs, videos on youtube, artwork of favorite TV shows/movie uploaded to fansites, and soooo much more.Doing an assignment about the movie Juno and its online fansite last semester was interesting. I was amazed at the amount and range of consumer generated content on Juno. I could get free ring tones of movie quotes and consumer made tshirts, posters and art created by fans.

Being new to Blogger, I don't exactly know how to leave comments on other Blogs, at least I've added them (the correct term for blogger is 'follower' sorry for the confusion.) Anyway looking/reading other peoples excellent blogs, I feel like I've just been talking a lot of bull on mine :( Anyway unlike mine everyone is generally up to date on their posts unlike my mixed mash of posting form different weeks. They also have decorated ther is soooo much more and better than mine (hopefully this will change by end of semester), they also seem to post more concisely and to the point than me which makes for easier reading (I will definitely have to work on these blog points).

Week 5 Web 2.0, Children and New Media Uses

Toys/games have I believe, always shaped children's identity. Kids have always become emotionally attached to toys/games, I used to have my absolute favourite toy (too embarrassing to mention) when i was little. I still see it now at my work in a video store with kids crying over having the latest Dora the Explorer or Ben10 DVDs. With new media and computer mediated communication, however I think (just an assumption) it fosters a greater connection to toys then normal non-digitised toys. Computer mediated communication, toys and games are very interactive and therefore increases connection in the relationship between the kids and their game/toy. This has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of computer mediated games/toys is that they are so interactive, that they expand and engage with kids imaginations. Disadvantage is that it could be another great method of marketing and commercialisation. I still dont exactly know where to stand on the issue, except that I know I wish I had some of these cool games/toys when I was a kid.

Week 11 Mobile Media

Week 11, yay no work this week but a little holiday! (Aim of the postthis week was just to trick my follower Meg into thinking I had a real post for this week, sorry meg ;) ) Come to think of it I actually better do a real catch up post........

Week 4 Social Interaction, Networks and Exchanges

No online work for that week as we were meant to be doing our reflection essays, but i thought I didn't wanna leave my follower of 1 hanging so i thought I'd write a post anyway..... I'm was a little confused about the whole reflection essay thing, at the time I had never written one usually had just done essay that had the traditional question and answer structure. But after getting my essay back and with lots of comments to improve on hopefully I can improve on that mark in my next reflection essay (or at least pass).

Week 3 Webifying Myself

Personally webifying myself creating an online persona) was a little confusing at the start of the semester with so many options to go with, using a myspace, facebook and a blog. In finally deciding on my website plan and layout, Ive decided to use my blog as a page about myself I guess, as well as having the online posts of the weekly work. My myspace and facebook, originally I was going to use facebook as a contact/communicate page and myspace would be the basis of my site due to its simplicity of CSS. However, I still couldn't get around the whole socialising/professionalism dilemma of using myspace as my portfolio (myspace socialising feature and design and a portfolio's professional aspect), so i decide dto use myspace as another contact/communicate page, even if now my website page is less professional than i imagined. Hopefully it will all work out in the end........

Week 10 Mobile Communication (b) Practical Exercise 1

So here is my Mobile communication project that I did with Melissa, gotta love obsessive Disney fans.......lol
Exercise 1
Production Process Report
Concept-Original ideas- rapping to polyphonic ring tone, but found 'Under the Sea' from the Little Mermaid and decided to sing it instead.
Costume-Using the materials available (pens, highlighters, etc) we coloured our hands into the characters Flounder and Sebastian- used the Internet to locate pictures of these characters to help us
Content-Song lyrics were downloaded and printed from a Disney song lyrics website to help us with our production
Location-Difficult to find an isolated location, which would allow us to record without any interruptions. Eventually decided to record against a purple wall, which we used to symbolise the sea.
Production-Utilised both phones in our production- one to provide the polyphonic audio sound, the other to record the video. Took two takes to maximise the production quality of our piece
Post Production-Were not able to post onto the computer using bluetooth, will continue later and attempt to edit the 3 scene music video and post it later for inclusion on our websites.

Week 10 Mobile Communication (a) Theory

Mobile Images
Okay well firstly to get the ball rolling, I have a crappy/old Nokia 3200 so my use of other media functions on media converged mobile phones is limited. I don't even use the camera anymore it is that bad and pixelated compared to modern mobile phones and their 3.0 megapixel camera (hint the jealously). Although I do agree with Goggin that photography and the reduced value of pictures is changing due to mobile phone cameras. I mean with new mobile phone data capacities, hundreds of pictures can be stored in one device and can easily be deleted and shared with others. This is true as back in the day of film cameras you only had one shot and you didn't know how it turned out or who had their eyes closed until you developed the film. If the photo is bad, you can now easily delete and start again on mobile digital camera phones. While i don't usually take many pictures, i do regularly receive them from a friend who sends me random photos of anything they find interesting. The portability of mobile phones has allowed anyone to take photos anywhere and easily share them which makes for good socialising and is a good conversation starter, but this also has implications on security, personal space and journalism which for the sake of boring everyone again, I'm not going there.

Text messaging
I love using text messages. I so prefer using it to actually calling someone which i find a little invasive and too personal. Text messaging allows you a little more time to think and plan your answers which is great for someone like me so i don't accidentally put my foot in it. Its shorter than an email which is great because as in typing right now, it can be a long process. Text messages are short and therefore sweet! lol. Also i love the fact that text messaging requires a slightly different slang language which is also helpful that my parents don't understand it. this i guess leads into the generational gap of the use between SMS and calling. My parents don't know how to use it and therefore prefer calling which is more familiar to them, from telephone use. This as well as the other awesome feature of SMS which i have already described is what makes me prefer texting to calling. Texting is also described by Goggin as being more closely connected with teenage identity and culture but this will eventually change as those teenagers such as myself get older (scary thought I know). However, I do call people like my family and work as calling to me is a little more formal and personal, whereas I text my friends which is more casual. My calling and texting preferences I guess changes on the relationship of who I am trying to communicate with.

Week 2 Wikipedia

New Media Communication definitions on Wikipedia

New Media^^^^^Multimedia####### Web 2.0
Interpersonal Communication***** Blog$$$$$HTML
CSS +++++Keitai Culture%%%%%Online/Virtual Worlds

My wikipedia edit has a little bit of an interesting story and I have to tell it because the link is a little creepy/weird..... Anyway when trying to edit an article on Wikipedia I found it really hard. Not the process, its really easy to edit content on Wikipedia (set up an account and then edit page tab and away you go just like typing a document), its just I really didn't have any interesting or extensive knowledge on a particular topic. I did the usual trying to add something/edit my suburb's page, the sport I play, etc but the pages were already so extensive and i couldnt really add anything. I was stumped for a while but then I thought I'm an identical twin so that's got to be something Ican right something about. Unfortunately, this page was already so full with information, that i was stuck in the same position as before.But then I stumbled on the page Parasitic twin and I finally was able to edit something. In the popular culture section of the page, I added information about the character Aunt Voula mentioning she had a parasitic twin in the movie 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. So finally I edited something on Wikipedia, so please dont be alarmed when you follow the link 'Parasitic Twin' lol, I'm not weird/creepy, I hope.........
My Wikpedia Edit Link

Week 1 Face to Face vs.Online Communication

Okay well, not sure if im meant to go back this far and post this but we are meant to cross post everything so here goes....

Well I prefer to use both in different circumstances which is similar to my text vs. calling mobile phone use. Briefly, they both have useful advantages, face to face is quicker, you can say a lot more things in a conversation; quicker than typing, its also not confined to just speech but also includes body language and emotions.Online communication is confined to just written text which relies on the individual interpretation of the individual. This can lead to increased miscommunication. However, Online communication crosses geographic boundaries and is somewhat a different type of communication with its own separate social norms and customs, relying on language and I guess therefore fosters different relationships or different aspects of relationships (used solely to communicate or just in certain instances, etc).

Week 9 Telephone to Mobile Phone

Okay well here goes my first online post of the weekly posts I should have already started for my digital communication class. Sorry I know they're out of order/mixed up and late but ah well better late than never right? I hope so.......... Well i might be off to a good start because this one isn't late, right on time in the right week (not a catch up post). Anyway this week I'm discussing how the phone represents interpersonal communication and my own personal use of phones in my house from the telephone to mobile phone. Sorry will eventually get the hang of writing it so my posts don't sound like a question and answer survey.

Well firstly the phone is closely connected with interpersonal communication. The phone connects people in personal voice communication that transcends geographical and time barriers. Which in time of the telephone back in the day of its introduction was a pretty amazing feat. It connected people on a much more personal level than the letter, as people communicated using their voices as in a real conversation. People could thus react and communicate personally with different voice intonation, sounds, etc. It was almost instant too and thus way faster than the letter. I remember reading some where about some fears people had about the telephone disintegrating the value of the written word and changing the English language. Also there were fears about the social and moral implications of the telephone as there were theories that the telephone quickened social relationships, as in the faster the communication between two people, the faster the relationship progresses. While there was some basis in these theories, generally they were a little dramatic and overexaggeratory. But then again there are always these initial fears in society when new technologies emerge. These fears similarly reoccurred with the mobile phone, text messaging or SMS was disintegrating the value of the written word and language, being mobile equalled more faster connectivity and communication between two people and therefore faster relationships. The interpersonal features of the telephone similarly transcended into the mobile phone except now the Mobile phone is more mobile and portable. Thus people are more likely to be connected in communication but this also impedes a little on personal space and privacy. The Mobile phone socially, is expected to always be on and therefore connected, so people can contact you anytime anywhere which can be a little invasive. Wow didn't realise how much I had written and there are still many more issues about mobile phones to discuss!

Anyway better be moving on to the next paragraph. It was amazing to read the Goggin article (2008) 'Re orientating the Mobile: Australasian Imaginaries' because in detailing the history of mobile phones in Australia, it was exactly detailing the history of the phone in my house! In the early 90s, my family had one telephone and it was one of those old turn the dial ones, i know how vintage, lol. Anyway a couple of years later we went the next step and got a push button telephone which was like wow. The in about 1995, my mum got a mobile phone for work, she worked in an office as a human resources manager and it was one brick of a mobile phone that was connected to our car, with push buttons and a tiny screen to show you the numbers of the incoming calls. In about 1999-2000 my mum got an actual 'mobile' phone a Nokia 3310? i think? it was the model before the massively popular 3315 (which my sister later got). She used the phone for work and we were allowed to contact her in emergencies only! lol her having a mobile phone at the time I thought was sooooo cool. When my sister got a 3315 which everyone in highschool was getting at the time, i think began the transition of mobile phones, from work tools to social accessories, for my anyway. I got my first and only mobile phone when i was in year 9 of highschool (i was 15), which was a Nokia 3200. Not only was it my first mobile phone, which was a reason for wowness, but it was the first commercial phone to have Internet capabilities and polyphonic ringtones which was another reason for wow. However, like a year later a better phone with those capabilities came out and now after having the same mobile for 5 years now, my mobile is archaic and should be in a museum! lol I never updated just because i never had the money to and it does the job i want it to do, which is simply to txt and call people and connect with them.

Blog Ettiquette?

Well, so much for all my enthusiasm in the first two blogs, i haven't touched this blog in almost a weeks, bad form already I know. Its not that i haven't wanted to, its just with uni winding down, my assignment intake is winding up unfortunately. News update from the last blogs- I finally got photoshop! its official! yay! not that I'm any good at it, I'm constantly searching the internet for instructions on how to use it but its fun to use and makes my website assignment really fun to do also. Anyway, i finally set up the basis of my website on google sites but it is still really bare. No work and not even a background yet, unfortunately I'm a bit behind on it due to other assignments but its getting there slowly.

Anyway Ive realised that I'm going on a tangent again, the real topic of this post was to talk about blog etiquette. After writing my second post and checking it on my blog profile, i was absolutely amazed to find that i already have a follower, Hi Meg! Anyway maybe she accidentally pushed a wrong button or actually willingly follows my blog (for some reason which i have no clue given that my blog is not all exciting or interesting), i don't know but i now have a blog follower. This makes me wonder. Is this follower system like the myspace/facebook friend etiquette where it doesn't matter who asks to be your friend but you must accept so as to not look like a b*$%@, what I meant to say was that is it online socially polite for me to follow meg's blog? I don't know? Another random thing i want to point out is that i really don't like this word 'follower', it just sounds too creepy, cult-like and stalkerish that someone follows you online. Maybe another word would do the job other than 'follower' but sitting here trying to think of one, I really cant think of any.

p.s meg I will eventually get around to reading your blog, sorry :)

The Beginning Part 2......

Continuing from the first post, this blog is meant to or is going to supplement my "Website Portfolio" which i have to create for my digital communication class, sort of like an online resume. Anyway, my personal flaw since my birth I'm assuming, is that i am soooooo indecisive! ask my family and seriously they wont deny it. It took me my whole summer holidays which is like 8 weeks or more to decide what uni degree i wanted to do or even if i wanted to go to uni. I'm still not even sure if I'm doing the right one and the concept of majors just complicates thing even more. I guess uni degrees is sort of an legitimate excuse as "it is a big decision" (sigh), but to stress my indecisiveness I still havnt started my online portfolio because of all the options and directions i could take with it. Just when I think i have a good idea, i soon find flaws with it, or think of something which seems better at the time. Anyway I've spent weeks thinking of what to do for the online portfolio and getting past the initial obstacles of creating a "professional" yet casual web identity and overcoming my limited computer skills and have finally thought of an idea. While its probably corny and made of pure cheese, i seem to like it(longer than what my short attention span allows) and besides its getting too close to the deadline to think of any others. Inspired by my sisters computer default desktop page, the ideas talk I had with my tutor Chris and this awesome website i found called Web Designer Wall (link is http://www.webdesignerwall.com/trends/single-page-portfolio-sites/ ) I decided to go with bubbles. I thought that being a portfolio website about me, i felt that having a photo of me was necessary i guess, as it is a website about me (great observation i know). I thought that in having a simple one page website, it could be a picture of me blowing bubbles and the bubbles would be my hypertext links to my myspace/facebook/blog pages and my work (which consists of nothing as I'm an amateur and not a professional graphic designer who usually have awesome portfolio websites). I know it sounds so corny but in my head the idea seems okay. I'm still a little undecided if i want to apply this theme to all my sites (myspace/blog/facebook), i want them to link but am leaning towards a small link but with different aspects of the idea such as this blog being called speech bubbles and centered around a different comic book theme. I don't know yet its still sort of a draft in my head.

Anyway going on the bubbles idea i realised i needed photoshop. Problem is i don't have it. I used it in high school a couple of years ago and had so much fun with it, but never actually got it. It would make it sooooo much easier for me to make my website, using photoshop. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has it so i could borrow it to use but i thought i could download a version off the Internet (hopefully for free? maybe). I ended up downloading a trial version of Photoshop 6.0 and loved using it, got started, but problem no.2, i couldn't save my work as it was only a trial version! cue the stressing! I was so annoyed yesterday because i really wanted to finish this website before the end of the uni break and actually for once finish an assignment on time. Anyway that began my photoshop search today, in about 6 different stores, hoping that i could buy an older version of photoshop (my limited computer knowledge prevented me from knowing that this is impossible, which i know now). Anyway found out at the many stores i visited that you cant buy older versions of photoshop and the new one CS3 is about $1000! plus that one is also on its way out as Adobe have just launched there new CS4 which is even more expensive! i was prepared with my emergency $300 but not for a $1000 hit! Pictures of an even more amateur and badly done website attempt entered my mind. However, by an impossible stroke of luck, at the last store i visited one of my friend's brother worked there (which i didn't even realise). Luckily, he said that he had photoshop and he would give it to me for free (in an under the table sort of deal, as legally working in an electronics store he shouldn't be doing this). At that moment i could seriously hear the heavens open up and the angels sing. Okay maybe that was a little over the top, but i was so relieved and happy that i could get photoshop and actually start my assignment (without having to part with more than $300). While this saga is not entirely over as i still haven't actually got the program (getting it tonight), i still feel a little relieved and hopefully all will be well tomorrow in starting my dismal attempt at a website.

The Beginning Part 1..........

Why is it so hard to start a blog? Seriously, I mean literally setting it up is so easy and simple thanks to websites like blogger, but why is it so hard to just start writing? I've just caught myself staring at the computer screen and realised that after an hour I still haven't written anything! I think it might be the fact that this blog is not devoted to a specified topic, so therefore I really have nothing specific to talk about and/or begin with? Or i might just be thinking too much into it and really its just my indecisiveness that is really the factor increasing the complexity of this modern (and in my opinion) elusive philosophical question. Okay well, I've found myself rambling on again (and possible talking a lot of s#@*, i mean philosophy?! what am I getting myself into?), but at least i found a way to start my blog, so that's a plus? anyway my blog is hopefully a better extension of my terrible earlier blog posts on my facebook site (which I'm hoping in vain that no one can be bothered to read), which were for my digital communication class at uni. I was meant to talk about the triumphs and frustrations of the course, but mine turned out to be large whinge fests of all the difficulties I had with computers in trying to do some of the assignments required for the course. Blogging for me, at that time seemed to be such a boring unnecessary task that only die hard fans of something, would do (no offence to regular blog users). Now after more education and understanding about blogs, i have to say I'm reformed (to an casual user extent). Blogging doesn't seen that all that bad and not as exposing as i once thought it was. I still feel it is a little unnecessary and is an unpurposeful task for me anyway, just because I feel i really don't have anything interesting/intelligent to say, or lead an interesting life to post about. Then again, does the content need to be interesting? Even if no one reads your blog I guess sometimes it always healthy to get stuff off your chest or your mind, instead of becoming a repressed loner who wants to kill their high school/work/college (sorry about the bad generalisation/stereotype). Anyway, again found myself on a tangent the point that i was meant to be getting at was the purpose of my blog. My blog I have decided, even if i still haven't created my portfolio website yet, is going to be a part of my "about me" section of my website. My blog i guess will tell people a little bit about me, my thoughts and ideas, maybe even boring normal day to day life's encounters? Its also going to document my interactions with my digital communication course so my posts are going to be catch ups on the work I've missed and/or forgot to blog about (decided to be brutally honest here). So that's my goal for my blog summed up in what I hope hasn't been such along and drawn out blog post.

The beginning I have put in two parts mainly because today has been a big event for my blog and website and I'm not sure if one blog post could handle such an amount of dramatic events. lol. I'm not even sure if future posts will be as exciting and riveting as the beginning and I'm not even sure if I'm blogging about the right stuff for my digital communication class but i guess its all trial and error and I'll just have to wait and see.