Thursday, June 17, 2010

And here goes to the end.

Throughout the learning process of issues of Publication and Design, I have acknowledged the elements in principle of design in which has guided me along the way till the end of the semester. I was very unfamiliar of such theories in principle design at the beginning point due to the lack of interest in document design. Yet as time passes, my interest has been slowly developed hence the interest in designing gets deeper. By implementing such knowledge within, it has guided me along the way from the first assignment till the last assignment. Also, the implication of the theories such as KvL, Schriver, Walsh enhances my perspectives into a more professional angle while generating into a particular document design. To conclude, learning this subject is so much of fun!

Issue No. 4: A blogger's Coded of Ethics

“It is like the vending machine the only difference if that with a blog you can coordinate with a lot of other people, not just the people you work in the same office with” Miller (2010). Once started browsing on the internet, it is inevitable to stumble across all sorts of blogs as blogging has become a social media that of, disseminate message or to express self- emotion through text. The role of a reader is differed from the role of a blogger. When one has decided to start out a blog, his or her online role will be changed immediately. Web Distortion (2009) has further elaborated the statement above that said, reader is being referred to the consumer of the content as they tend to engage themselves in content in order to generate the meaning and perspective within. Whereas blogger’s role in the World Wide Web become a creator that controls and determines the content for the reader. 

 
(source: love to know website, 2010)

The case of blogger posting blog posts comprised with offensiveness in regards of the demise of the late sultan of Johor has caused the massive arise of dissatisfaction from the public. As a result, the particular blogger was arrested and brought to facilitation for further investigations. Upon the statement above, blogging etiquette is important for bloggers to implement such propriety among themselves as self reputation will be ruined by own hands if content is not being controlled properly. Such carelessness will consequently provoke anger among the online community as well as the society. Supported by Tan (2007), blogging and commenting under a pseudonym is not going to reduce the possibility of being found out by the other as the “the big bad internet archieve is in the sphere”.  


(source: ehow website, n. d.)
The role of a blogger is associated with responsibilities towards the readers and the entire online community. There are certain web policies that are ought to be obeyed as to stay away from unwanted troubles. In order to create awareness among the online community on the web policies, Dube (2007), has modified Society of Professional Journalist Codes of Ethics namely A Blogger’s Codes of Ethics as a standard guild line for bloggers as well as online communities whereby it encompasses honesty, accountability, and eliminate harms so to serves as a reminder and a web policies specifically for the community. 


Reference:

Dube, J 2007, A bloggers’ Code of Ethics, CyberJournalist.net, viewed 15th June 2010, <http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000215.php>

Miller, A M 2010, Blog Etiquette, Ezines Article, viewed 15th June 2010, <http://ezinearticles.com/?Blog-Etiquette&id=4394105>

Tan, Z M 2007, Blogging Etiquette, Suite101.com, viewed 15th June 2010, <http://blogs.suite101.com/article.cfm/blogging_etiquette>

Web Distortion, n. d. , A Simple Guile to Blogging Etiquettes, viewed 15th June 2010, <http://blog.webdistortion.com/2009/08/12/a-simple-guide-to-blogging-etiquette/>  

Issues No. 3: Popularity of E-books- Does it do you any good?

E-books are at a popular rise and credits are given to the wonder of high technology in the present day has altered the traditional way of reading to an entire different level. More and more people have demanded the publication of e-book as virtue reading seems to be more convenient to not flip through the book while reading. Another reason that boosts the popularity of virtue reading is the launch of Apple I-pad that has drives the world into desperation to possess such electronic gadgets, Amazon Kindle and more. However, despite of all the astonishing facts on the publication on e-books that have changed people’s perception on e-books, the major impediment encountered of which, the limitation of offers on list of genres. This aspect would really disappoint people with the fact that contemporary and non-fiction is not available and most of them publishers are mostly focused on only American audience (Cornwall, 2010).

(source: will it changes you? website, 2009)


Regardless of the limitation of such electronic publication, the sales of e-books are incessantly increasing its sales ever since it was introduce. Rumor has spread that “none of the e-books are selling” in which Vitale (n. d.), an author of an e-book himself has clarify upon the statement. The sales of e-books are selling far much better than the most of the traditional books. The reason? As Vitale (n. d.) people are much engaged with the speed of the internet which retrieves any data in just a blink of an eye. The ability of deliver and retrieve information in an instant are vital for people nowadays due to the fast pace of lifestyle they are living in. Which e-book seems to fit the requirements, supported by Sasson (2010), “when you need certain information, you can get it immediately, by downloading an ebook”.

(source: Search Engine People website, n. d.)

Although the traditional book publications are at stake, people are dealing with it by forsaking it and switch their preference to e-books due to the convenience that have brought upon thus making a massive transformation by enhancing their reading ability. Other than that, e-books are just as commendable as traditional books, or even better. According to Hamm (2009), e-books have a high credibility on its informative recommendations as it comes with references in which enable readers to refer as a supplementary readings. 

(source: BizNomic website, 2010 )

Think about the convenience provided by such electronic publications, it has undeniably and lucratively entailed its impact upon people, yet there are still people outside who does not fancy the concept of e-books. In other words, the preference towards electronic publication is highly subjective as the preference is depending on readers accordingly.


Reference:
  • Cornwall, D 2010, E-books popularity on the rise, ABC.net, viewed 15th June 2010, <http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2010/s2849989.htm>


 
 
 

Issue No. 2: Effective use of social media- another alternative of increasing sales of magazine?

Due to the rise of popularity of social networking sites, a wide range of magazines have also progressively joined the online community as such genre has now flourished its way of endorsing its genre through social networking sites as this alternative way of promoting not only increased the sales of magazine, but also becomes an social media that provides useful information for its reader through Facebook and twitter. The wonder of social networking sites allows such magazine publications to provide a “real time voice” for its audience as to keep them up-to-date upon the ongoing incidence occurred. As such magazine publications made its way through social media, it gives encouragement for marketing advertisers to merge, simultaneously generating new marketing ideas upon enhancing the printing editions to a whole new level.

As social networking sites have flooded all over on the internet, such magazine has made its way in building up a reputation. It has now engaged with its reader in a more personal and “intimate” way by just one-click thus causes the recognition of the magazine continue to rise. As Matt Milner, vice president of social media and community for Hearst Magazines Digital Media describes that “social media transcends departments - it's beyond edit, beyond sales. It will inform more and more content decisions in a good way” (Sivek, 2010).


(source: twitter wire, 2008)

Brown (2009) explained that social media is bound to be combined with continuum, whereby it is classified in two categories:

1. the social side of continuum

2. the media side of the continuum

For media publication such as the magazines are bound to be engaged with its readers through the content. That said, the theory of social side of continuum is perfectly applied in media publication as Brown (2009) indicated that “the intimacy of scale matches the intimacy of sale”. So to say, social media works perfectly well in such merge of magazines as business-relationship is needed in generating an ideal relationship with its audience that simultaneously leads to the goal of attaining “the best-selling magazine”. Moreover, the concept of instant yet effective messages seems to be working rather will in regards of the modern society today. As said by Penman (1998), “a document’s functionality is dependent on its structure matching reader’s reading habits, expectation and context of use”.


(Lewis,2010)

Whereas for the media sides of continuum, high involvement of categories is essential for a business to bloom when engaging with its audience as compared to the low involvement of categories (Brown, 2009). In other words, it is more effective if a wider range of audience in involved in promoting a certain event. To be exact, Facebook and Tweeter would be the significant media tools in spreading messages as such social networking sites comprise of billions of people all over the world. Hence the intended goal would be easier to achieved.



Reference :

  • Penman, R 1998, Document structures and readers’ habits’, Communication News, Vol. 11 pp. 10-11.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Issue No.1: Violation of Privacy = Imperilment among Internet Users

As the social networking sites has dominates the World Wide Web (WWW), it has also prevailed over the ways of communication among internet users to a astonishing level that of, it seems to be highly appealing and predominating the mass media by its unique way of dissemination of message among public. Supported by Kang (2010), “10 billion Tweets sent and 400 million Facebook users signed, people clearly want to be heard and seen and able to hear and see others on social networks”. Despite of the “perfections” that have brought upon due to advance of technology, inevitably, users somehow has confided the severity of privacy invasion in social networking sites. Concerns regards to such invasion were palpably detected among internet users as to reduce divulgement on such unsanctioned intrusion. Consequently, focus is successfully directed to the authorities seeing that ethical in media publication is cognizant thus they decided to give it a stroke in respect of suppressing regulation according to the violation on user’s privacy.

 
(source: thenutgraph, 2009)
 
(facebook, 2010)

 (homorazzi, 2009)
Privacy is an essential element among every human being as it secures, or isolates ones’ delicacy and freedom from being intimidated from the context surrounded, also to sustain moral values in which lie within an individual. Aristotle (Plaisance, 2008, p. 172) implies such term as “Privacy was essential for individuals to pursue virtue by “turning away” from the masses”. Therefore, to circumvent privacy from being “terrorized” by unwanted disturbance surrounded is bound to be the most appropriate thing to do at this point. In regards, media ethics play a fundamental role in mending the strife, in hopes of putting everything back on track otherwise; audiences of would gradually develop resentment towards the particular media by presenting negative public judgment. Certain theories that are being pertained are then identified as these theories deemed to be the appropriate ones in coherence to the ethics of publication. The foremost pertinent that of, deontological theory hypothesized by Kant whereby Wimmer & Dominick (2005) has explicated ethical in publishing must comprised along with moral laws that outlines the importance of appropriate implementation in all publication. In other words, media ethics are significant in order to reduce the offensiveness in publications, conversely generates popularity in pursue of success. 
Personally, violation of privacy on social-networking sites is still an ongoing issue that has yet to be solved. The massive arise of invaders has never yet reduces its quantity or worse, cases of such issue increase as time passed by. To attain a promising result to eliminate such issue from perpetuating, serious endeavors are obliged to make by the authorizes once and for all.


References:

    Monday, April 19, 2010

    2e. Good design for screen genre (based on group presentation 1)

    Reep (2006) stated that a good document design is identified based on its graphic aids as well as the content. In my opinion, a good document design can be determined when the prose and visual are well-combined with one and another that eventually leads to the understanding among the audience towards its content. As described by Kress van Leeuwen (2006), a stronger message can be created when visuals and text blend well among another. Other than prose, the principle of design is important towards a document design as it serves as a standard guideline for designers in creating a good document design.

    In my first group presentation, my group mates and I have worked well together in creating a power slides. The design principles such as the proportion and consistency of the design were well applied throughout the slides. Proportion is referred to the size and placement of text, graphic aids used as well as the format element for the page (Reep 2006). The example is shown as below:

     
    (slide1)


     
    (slide 2)



     
    (slide 3)

    This slides showed that how the sequence of the points and picture that are combined perfectly to increase the understanding towards the topic. Graphic aids are also being used to further elaborate the content as it catches the attention audience better. A visually understandable format is just as important as getting the content right (Olshavsky, 2003). This statement is support by Reep (2006) as she pointed that “Each design feature should be the size that is helpful to the readers and appropriate for the subject.”





    References:

    • Reep, DC 2006, Chapter 6: Technical Writing of Document Design, 6th edn.
    • Olshavsky, R, 2003, Six Tips of Improving your Design Documentation, viewed 15th 2010,
    • Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. 2006. Reading Images. Chapter 1: The semiotic landscape: language and visual communication.

    2d. Discuss in-depth the newest trends & issues pertaining to it and relate to how it has altered communication in a new media ecosystem.

    The internet nowadays has brought human life to a whole new level; it has also altered the traditional way of writing and publishing in the media that is subsequently easing human life. Naughton (2006) describes this statement as “all ‘old’ media were new media once.” The new forms of media publishing are now available anywhere and easily accessible on the internet. And here I am going to show a few which are:

    1. Micro blog
    2. E-news/ E-magazines/E-books
    3. Videolog/

    Mirco blog is defined as short posts that are kept together by common authorship and it is controlled by the author, Böhringer (2009). Besides, Macmillan Dictionary (2009) also stated that “the appeal of microblogging is its immediacy and portability, with updates which can be sent or received in a variety of ways including on mobile, handheld devices.”


    Take Twitter for example. It is an aggregation of a microblogging tool and social networking sites that is used to enhance the relationship among people by adding followers or the other way round. The limitation of characters is also one component that makes it a micro blog.



    (Source: social networking software, 2008)




    (Source: ETCleanFuels.org, 2010)

    E-news/E-zine/ E-books are also a form of media that publishes articles in electronic format through the internet (bookjobs.com, 2010). In short, information can be obtained by anyone around the world as long as the internet connection is available.



    News article in Malaysia that is posted on the internet.
    (Source: sun organization, 2009)



    (Source:edwardkhoo, 2009)


    Videolog or Vlog is one of a well known form of publishing media that sends information through videos and it is commentary by the public. As described by Idweaver (2010), it offers a genuine platform in communicating and researching target audience.

     
    (Justice for Altantuya and Dignity for Malaysia)



    References: