The Next New Thing

The gaming industry is huge and it's growing at a fast rate.  The rise of the popularity of smart phones as gaming platforms has taken the gaming industry to new levels. When playing games, one of the most satisfying thing is getting a new "achievement".  A new achievement might get u a new token, or a new tool to help you in the game.  A service or system that gives you physical rewards for achievements in games will be a great addition to the games. Foursquare has just started to give rewards to users who have reached levels of check-ins. I think the same can be applied to games.  In order for this to work, companies might have to be negotiated with.  These companies will want to come on board since the platform or service will serve as another advertisement and marketing mode. Coupons, discounts, redemption codes, consumer items and free games can be some of the rewards.  Players will be rewarded for playing and companies getting an opportunity to promote products and services to a large pool of gamers.  A free cup of coffee for every golden egg found in Angry Birds will be nice.
 

Our Class Wiki- So Far

My contributions to the class wiki will be part of the New Media in Sports section.  I am currently doing research on some of the new ways live sports and its coverage is delivered to viewers.  One of the main parts of my research is in the mobile phone applications, especially the Foxsoccer application for iphone, the Espn mobile app for iPhone and Android and the Cricinfo application for iPhone.  I currently use these apps and have consulted online technology reports, along with my own experience, to provide the benefits of these new media, and also the ways in which they could be improved.

P2P File Sharing

File sharing is the process of providing access and opportunity to download digital media that is stored on one computer to a mass of people.  Digital media files have become the main means of storing movies, music, software programs, and office documents.  
P2P file sharing, or Peer-to-Peer file sharing, is the transmission of files which have been broken down into millions of bits.  An entire network of computers, each of which have the files, contribute to the transmission by providing parts of the files.  When another member of the network gains access to the files, they become part of the distribution system since other users can now get parts of the files from them.  P2P is a very easy and quick way to gain access of files.  
There were and are many P2P networks, many of which have been deemed to be illegal. P2P networks, which use Bit Torrents, can be a very useful tool for sharing files.  However, these networks provide the opportunity to share large amounts of copyrighted material.  Networks such as Pirate Bay, Napster and Limewire, have been hit by legal action and shut downs.  Chris Nuttall, of the Financial Times, stated that P2P file sharing is so popular that it accounts for between 40 and 50 per cent of all internet traffic.  There is an ongoing fight by the media companies wanting to protect their properties. It seems as though this fight will go on for some time because of the sheer size and scope of P2P sharing.  It should be remembered that P2P sharing is a very valuable platform if used legally.  It is the rampant sharing of copyrighted material that is the problem.  Sharing an entire file is illegal, but many P2P members point out that they are each only sharing parts of files.  The legal fight continues.
 

Privacy and Confidentiality

Participating in new media can involve disclosure of great amounts of personal information.  With this disclosure the issues of privacy and confidentiality have become a major talking point and critical issue in the world of new media.  

New media encourages interaction and involvement in posting to the web.  We would like to think that this information is safe and secure and only viewable by those who we intend to view and access it. This is sometimes not the case and it can have negative impacts.  It takes a lot of time and effort to configure privacy settings.  This is the main critique of the way Facebook has it's privacy settings laid out.  Users are also auto enrolled in any new service where personal information is required.

Private information is not only subject to being seen by fellow users. This information has become increasingly valuable to marketing firms. Many businesses are modeled solely around collecting personal information on the internet and creating huge data mines. This information can be packaged and sold to marketing companies who in turn can be more efficient in their targeted advertising.  

The popularity of using new media has resulted in an enormous amount of personal data on the internet.  New issues now exist in this new world culture.  Privacy and confidentiality can be upheld, but it is of a minuscule amount where this is totally the case.

Advice To Baruch College

One of the main aspects of new media is the interaction it encompasses.  Web 2.0 can be used by a college of Baruch stature to further improve the college experience of current students.  It can also be used as a means of attracting prospective students to the college.

Baruch has entered the world of online classes, wikis, and other collaborative items built into those media.  It has been a success so far since the quality is impressive. There are ways in which I think Baruch can improve its use of new media.  The college has a great website, but there is room for a greater integration of student comments and advice.  I would suggest a new section for collaboration where current students can post their comments on issues and suggestions for improvement of the college.  This service can also be used as an information tool for prospective students especially current high school seniors.  A direct link to current students can be the best and most helpful way of answering questions that they would have.  

Twitter and facebook have seen an extraordinary rise in membership and usage.  These services can be used to send messages and alerts to current students. CUNY has an alert system, but my guess is that more students will join the facebook or twitter notification group of Baruch than that currently enrolled in the service provided by CUNY. 

These are some of the ways that I think Baruch can use new media.  A wonderful consequence of new media is that many new ideas have come from the users and ended up being integrated into new media services. 

My Term Research Paper

My research paper tackled the topic of blogging and the methods and measures that should be put into practice to ensure a blog is successful in making money.  Information needed to compose my paper was obtained from books purchased from Amazon and the Google book store, along with papers and articles from the LexisNexis Academic Library.  Doing this project has helped me understand the scope of blogging and the ways it can be used.  However, mostly I have learnt about the important steps that should be considered by anyone wishing to make money using this form of new media.  Before doing this paper, I did not have enough of an appreciation for things such as Search Engine Optimization, the moderation of blogs and building relationships with other bloggers. Blogging exploded during the 2000’s and has become a multimillion dollar business platform.  Businesses and individuals alike can take advantage of the opportunities that it brings.  Since it can be a viable income generator, it is important that missteps not be taken.  I was curious about what practices should be carried out and hope that the information in my paper can help someone fulfill their bogging ambitions and make money at the same time.

Creativity and New Media

I have done or been in a few YouTube videos before.  I am also a regular user of Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and a few more forms of new media.  However, I used this opportunity to create a Second Life account.  I have heard about second life, but have never experienced or seen it in action. 

I created my avatar, but it doesn’t really look like me.  Maybe later I will customize it further and change my look.  Upon starting, you go through a welcome and instructional screen. 

I decided the stress of my job and busy week in college warranted a visit to a nice relaxing place.  I went to London Hyde Park in London and it was actually relaxing.  I loved the scenery and the music was awesome.

I also met a few other Second Life users, some of whom were dancing.  I would have joined them, but I need some practice since they were very good.  One dancer even collapsed after some rigorous moves. 

I am developing an appreciation for second life and the nature of the great work that was put into the environment to make it look as real as possible.  Since I’m in London, I will take a trip to the city center tonight.  

Creativity

Web 2.0 is built on the contributions of people.  We are web 2.0.  The very nature of Web 2.0 fosters and stirs the creative instincts and abilities of people.  Whether it’s a YouTube video, an avatar, or even the ability to fit a full message or idea in 140 characters or less, the creative mind is at work.

I think YouTube is the form of new media that allows for some of the most creative works.  People who would have never done videos or video editing if there were not a platform like YouTube make most YouTube submissions. Some of the more creative video submission types are “mashups” and remixes.  One of the most viewed mashup is the Soulja Boy and Winnie The Pooh video.  In this video, Winnie and his friends  are edited to dance to Soulja Boy’s “Crank That”.  There can be a copyright issue involved, but Brook Barnes of The New York Times states “Nickelodeon- part of Viacom, sees the humorous videos as fair use of its copyrighted content”.  This is a great example of a big company letting YouTube users use its content to make creative works. 

We were blessed with the talents of Rebecca Black (ahem), and her wonderful video (ahem).  This is a goldmine for those who like to create mashups and remixes.  There are already dozens of mashups, lets see how many more will soon pop up.  

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are computer-based environments in which users live and experience events through an avatar. This type of new media is greatly used and explored in many video games like World of War craft. Second life is also a popular version of a virtual world. Apart from games, virtual world can also be used in research into many ideas, policies and products where a lot of information on consumer and human behavior can be attained.

Virtual worlds can be very beneficial if used in the right ways. It can allow policy makers to test policies and their impacts in a way that brings it close to the way natural sciences are tested. These uses can be extended to businesses and even provide health care providers with another way of training health care practitioners. In the article "Avatar II: The Hospital" Dr Greci says that "virtual worlds enable a much more immersive experience and it doesn't interrupt a hospital's regular business". Virtual collaboration is now a tool that many businesses use and it is becoming more common. In the CNN article “Going to the virtual office in Second life”, Mark Tutton states, “The ability to collaborate effectively using virtual tools may now become an increasingly important skill as technology offers more options than, say, video conferencing.

Gamers can gain numerous hours exploration and wonder in a world that they can only experience through a virtual world platform. Problems arise when a user gets addicted to the virtual world and forgets or ignores the real world that surrounds him. Virtual world can become an addiction and a threat to social skills.

Online games that are based on virtual worlds are a great example of how it can promote creativity among its users. To go beyond normal life and into a created world with different ideas and situations requires creativity and continually encourages further creative actions as time goes on.

Virtual worlds will continue well into the future. It is not hard to think that these worlds will be more widely incorporated in the commerce and business world. Product demonstrations, vacation locations and attractions are some of the ways that this new media can be put to use and evolved.

Blog About Twitter

I signed up for Twitter for a few reasons but mainly to try it out and see what all the buzz was about.  I thought it would be a great way to follow some of my favorite people like certain tech journalists and celebrities.  Twitter also became a part of my online computer information systems class where an exploration and discussion with my classmates on Twitter was required.

Twitter is great for following your favorite people.  However, when it comes to having a discussion on twitter there are some advantages and disadvantages.  There are also some differences between the discussion on Twitter and the Blackboard Discussion board that many CUNY students use. 

One of the main things that someone will notice when having a discussion on Twitter is the rapid replies that come in your group of followers.  This is not the case with Blackboard.  Unlike Blackboard, users of Twitter are not confined to their computers, but have access to the service from many mobile phones.  A twitter feed is easier to make into a habit of constantly refreshing and replying to messages.  This is not the case in blackboard. 

Many users of Twitter often complain about the 140-character limit on posts.   On Blackboard, there is not a limit that I know of.  This allows for more detailed answers and responses.  Twitter does have some third party services like Twitlonger which allows for longer posts, but it is not in the culture of twitter to send very long messages.  One great tool that can be used in Twitter for discussions in the ability to provide links to web pages that pertain to the topic at hand and that might be of interest to your followers.

Twitter is a great tool and if used properly can host a discussion, but I feel that many students will miss the more cultured Blackboard Discussion board. 

Social Networking Sites

Social networking has become one of the most popular forms of new media.  The amount of people who communicate and have profiles on these sites in general continues to show steady growth.  There are many social networks with many similar and unique features.  Facebook has become the most successful and populous of these sites but other social networking sites have great features. 

Facebook’s rise as the most popular social network with over 500 million users is not surprising.  Its interface is very streamlined and simple.  Users are able to join networks based on location, schools, and businesses.  It hosts photos, which can now be uploaded at high quality.  Wall posts and comments are easy to manage. Facebook’s messaging system is the best of the social networks. Facebook’s search is speedy and useful.  Finding users and groups are really simple and fast.  Among other great features are the numerous applications that the platform supports and the integration of many websites, mobile applications and games.  However, it is easy to see how many people might get confused on how to go about setting their privacy and account setting to their liking.  There are many layers of settings that can leave a user confused.  The ever-growing number of applications that request access to your information compounds this problem.

MySpace is the social network that got replaced as the most popular by Facebook.  MySpace profiles are highly customizable with html codes that are readily available online. Recently, a more streamlined design to the site has been implemented.  A news feed similar to that of Facebook is now in the user’s home page.  MySpace is a great music discovery tool since its artist pages are great.  Music players embedded in page profiles also extend music discovery.

Hi5 is the first social network that I joined as a teenager.  The site looks a lot like MySpace.  Profiles can be customized with various patterns and there is messaging functionality.  However, there was a lot of spam coming through in my inbox.  The music player is great and is also a great music discovery tool.  Like MySpace and Facebook, privacy can be customized as to who can view your profile.  Hi5 seems to be really popular in South America, from where most of my friends joined. 

Twitter is a bit different from MySpace, Facebook and Hi5.  The site focuses on short messages sent out to the public.  Twitter is great for following celebrities and friends.  It can also act as a supplement or even a replacement for an RSS feed. News is not put out on twitter very quickly, and links to news and blogs can be included for further reading.

There are many social networks of various popularity and functionality.  Most share a lot of similar features, but there are always some distinguishing features among them.  I think Facebook will continue to dominate the social networking arena, but Twitter will also have strong gains in the number of active users.

Social Networking

Social networking has become a main part of the online activities of Internet users. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter now have a diverse user base and are not just limited to a particular age or local demographic.  There are numerous uses of these technologies to users with most of the advantages relating to keeping constant contact with friends, family and associates.  Social networking makes staying in contact simple and eliminates the problem of locale.  The internet and these social networking sites has enabled us to stay in contact with friends, make new associates and engage in forums with people of similar interests and lifestyles across the globe.

Businesses and corporations can also benefit from social networking.  Many corporations have their own profiles on social networking sites.  These profiles can provide another outlet for communication with customers and potential customers.  New products have another mode for exposure.  Some companies have used the huge database of user profiles such as those in LinkedIn to offer job interviews to highly qualified and potentially valuable talented individuals.  In the article Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting, a recruiter is quoted as saying “Social networking technology is absolutely the best thing to happen to recruiting — ever”.  In today’s competitive world, having the best and the brightest working for you can make all the difference in the direction your company goes. 

There are, however, a few drawbacks of this technology.  Privacy issues are a growing concern.  Users desire privacy of various degrees.  The ability to easily customize privacy settings is not yet perfect.  The enormous amounts of data that are being collected and stored are a great cause of concern.  Many users are concerned as to who has access to this data and how it is being used.  The changing landscape of how we communicate and how we value friends can also be a cause for concern.  William Reader, a professor of psychology, commented on the blog Freakonomics, "Anyone can post "u r cool", on someone's "wall" or "poke" them on Facebook, but genuine smiles and laughs are a much more reliable indicators of someone's suitability as a faithful friend". Traditional means such as face-to-face communication and interaction are suffering as a result of new high tech means.  Traditionalists will lament the lack of this interaction and the effect it could have on the next generation’s ability to properly communicate with each other.

The future of social networking might involve a more involved business sector, that may use the networks as a hiring gadget linking people of various skills to appropriate jobs in a more efficient and numerous manner.  Social networks with more efficient advertising placements are becoming a reality and they will continue to improve as we share more information.  This can be seen as mainly a good thing but the privacy issues will arise.  Hopefully the future holds some sort of fix to the way our privacy is handled and results in a more eased minded world of social network users. 

Blogs vs. Wikis

Two prominent members of the new media family, Blogs and wikis are very similar while different.  They are both great web 2.0 vehicles, which allow for the sharing of views and knowledge of numerous topics.  The differences between blogs and wikis mainly lie in their layouts, contents and contributors.

The layout of blogs resembles traditional newspaper and magazine articles.  The posts in the blog are listed in reverse chronological order and there access to archived blogs if needed.  There are many gadgets that can be attached to blogs such as a blogroll, which provide links to other related and interesting blogs.  One of the main items on a blog is the comment section, which follows each individual blog post. This is where the conversation and interaction from readers take place. Blogs are mainly a one-person contribution media, but the comments section opens an opportunity for collaboration of some sort. In her work, "How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere?" Kathy E. Gill describes blogging as the best example of “participatory journalism”.  Blogs are great for providing the latest news, reviews, opinions, personal reflections and search for feedback.

Wikis look like a more traditional information source.  The pages of a wiki are provided through links.  These links give way to both internal wiki pages and external links.  Wikis are great resource tools, and the layout is also great for manuals, online courses, and collaborative document writing.  The wiki is a great collaborative tool since it is created and edited by many users.  However, discussions and comments are better carried out on blogs.  This view is shared by Ezra Goodnoe of www.informationweek.com who wrote, “Wikis are structurally capable of handling conversation, but it is not their forte; instead, wikis excel at collaboration.”

Blogging Perfection

Blogs have become one of the most popular forms of new media and the blogosphere has become a key component of the Internet.  Bloggers use their online work not only as diary and journal entries but to also take advantage of the financial opportunities available. By way of consulting scholarly research and advice from leading technology industry advisors, along with my personal opinion, I aim to provide some guidelines for creating attractive and appealing blogs that keep readership and enjoyment to the maximum.  The various ways of generating income from this form of new media will also be explored since it has become essential to many.