Reflective ‘meta’ post June 12, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in Uncategorized.add a comment
Firstly, I’d like to start with listing my 3 nominated blog posts:
– Data. Everywhere.
– Web 2.0
– Folksonomy & Taxonomy
I can honestly say that overall this unit has been one of my most thought provoking and I have almost certainly learnt the most from it throughout the semester, and will undoubtedly continue to branch off from topics studied and continue to do so. The lectures and tutorials were a great help, both informative but not to the point of being spoon fed information, they allowed individual research and learning which I feel help me direct myself towards certain interests of my own, making the unit more enjoyable.
For my blog, I have researched and browsed sites and other blogs that are interesting to me, and have included content that I feel relevant both to the unit but also my own interests. This gives it a more personal feel and gives it some direction and chance for further development down the track. In each blog post I reflect on either the lecture, tutorial, major piece of assessment we are working on at the time or a discussion relevant to networked media, often presenting the topic in a format understandable to myself and re-written in my own words, with further research to prove so.
My audience specifically for this blog is the NMP crowd, as this is why I have created it in the first place. For obvious reasons, the blog deals with topics relevant to NMP, although does have other links and discussions about artists and filmmaking. So in retrospect in could appeal to a more creative audience, although their interest might fade through only the limited entries regarding these areas in comparision to those about networked media. I didn’t manage to gather an audience though, as my blog doesn’t turn up in search engines or anything of the like and I’m not sure how to make that happen, so it limits the audience to those who I give the URL to. This group consists of the NMP blogroll, and selected family and friends. I did – upon request – post the URL to my blog on a friends facebook page, and this resulted in quite a few people having a look. Although I received feedback from it on my facebook page and in person, as opposed to on my actual blog. I assume this is due to people only following this link due to boredom or curiousity, not because they are genuinely interested in the topics and specifics on networked media production. So it didn’t get directed to the right audience unfortunately. This then resulted in a low level of connectivity between my blog and other social networks. Like I said it did interact with facebook, although not at a very high level.
I think that the connectivity of a blog is due to multiple factors though, not just one. Often if the author of a blog is consist and loyal to writing frequently, it is likely to attract more hits. It shows that this person is devoted and a committed socialite, an online contributor and thus is more likely to have something interesting to say than someone who delves online and posts their thoughts once a month. This is not always the case, but an audience may tend to think that if a blog hasn’t been updated recently it may have been binned or abandoned with irrelevant topics. And that then provides the next point, that the topic or subject of a blog can determine how well it connects and links with other forms of social networking or social media, such as an interaction between facebook or twitter. A current, frequently updated blog discussing popular topics such as video games or photography would usually have a much broader audience than one focusing on a more abstract or specific theme such as folk dancing. This can be refered back to the theory of the ‘long tail’, with more generic topics being more popular and others being less sought after, thus more generic subjects having greater connectivity with other sources and a wider audience. The friends of a blogger can also contribute – if they have popular friends, their followers may stumble across and simply browse their friends blogs, sometimes discovering new blogs and subscribing. Also, if someone has a large group of followers or subscribers, it is often assumed that their blog is more interesting than those who have little or none. This prejudice often leads people to pay more attention to those more popular blogs, which just fuels this assumption as more popular blogs just gain more and more social awareness and are connected to a wider network.
The internet is basically a massive source of data through which I frequently use to gather information through search engines such as google, or use for social networking through sites such as facebook and flickr. Personally, these are my two greatest uses for the internet, and this blog potentially could be become part of my web world permanently, encompassing both these aspects as it is a form of social networking and provides specific information to a wider audience.
Project B – Blog Post Rationale June 2, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in Project B.Tags: athens, creative commons, google, greek, maps, networked media, Project B, rationale, riots
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From the word go I have anticipated creating option B – a ‘Geo Narrative’ – as I found it the most appealing and thought it outlined my strengths more so than the other options, which would hopefully result in a better mark (honestly). The most difficult part was thinking of a good story, something original and NOT in Canberra. I tossed up ideas about a Nazi concentration camp I visited in Germany, or a shipwreck holiday, but ended up with my experience in the Athens riots in December 2008 whilst backpacking through Europe. I settled on this because it was true, so I could write about what I knew, I had photos and video footage from the event, and I could almost guarantee no one else had ever done this story.
6 of the images were mine, and the further 5 were others work, which I was unable to remix due to copyrights. I found 3 of my images through Creative Commons, which in my experience I’ve found to be an invaluable site for exchanging work informally, but with formal copyrights applied. The rules are clear and concise, which makes it really easy to recognise how you can and can’t use certain images for certain purposes or in specific ways. Because none of my images were being used for commercial purposes, I had hardly any trouble having pictures excluded from my search because of copyright issues.
One of my images was from the direct website of a place I referred to – Athens Backpackers. I emailed the hostel, which was the owner of the image, and requested permission to use it, explaining my topic of the riots, the assessment piece and criteria, as well as providing a link to the direct outline. I was granted permission, provided it was used only to demonstrate what the apartments looked like, which in turn I think worked out in their favour as it promotes their website and accommodation facilities, and now has spread further across the web to a broader audience and expanded their networks.
My final piece of work from an outside source was a video I found on Youtube, which was a news report about the riots. I wanted to use a news report as I felt that it would outline the situation and better explain the story in a more interesting, formal and clear way than if written or from just an amateur film. Gaining permission to use this video was frustrating, as it needed to be obtained from a company which usually takes longer as opposed to personally from an individual. Fortunately it was created by an online news company, who operated solely through the internet and were able to respond to my email and grant permission. The company was also based in the middle – east, and focused mainly on European and third world issues, which gave it an advantage over Australian news stations due to its location and access to information and footage – another reason I chose this company.
This was not the case when I requested to use an audio file from the ABC website though. I wanted to use an audio file, which was an interview in relation to the riots. I emailed ABC almost 5 weeks prior to the due date with similar statements as I mentioned when emailing Athens Backpackers, although I still didn’t get a reply. Even though it was myself being interviewed, I didn’t want to breach any copyright laws so had to result to publishing only the transcript and a link to the audio file. It didn’t have the desired effect but it was the best I could do.
I’d never created my own map in ‘Google Maps’ before, so initially found it confusing. That was resolved by watching the 3 or so minute tutorial and that pretty much solved all my issues. The previous assignment I did, creating an online exhibition, had taught me all my html skills so I was knowledgeable in that regard and didn’t have any problems knowing how to embed images or videos, and knew my way well around editing text with html.
This task of creating a geo narrative through visual images can be related back to networked media, as this is a collaboration of work coming from various sources over the internet, which is being redistributed in a different format and the content recycled. This project requires an online community to contribute and participate in the creation of a unified piece, and decentralize it from being the work of a sole author – myself. This assessment piece encompasses everything learnt in the entire unit as it is a production of networked media.
I have embedded my map below, titled ‘Greek Riots’ and posted the direct link for it underneath that. Enjoy!
Week 14 June 1, 2009
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This week I’ve basically just been working on my Project B. I’ve decided to create a Geo Narrative, actually I decided this a while ago but I have a bad habit of changing my mind at the last minute with things that are crucially important.
I’m finding it so frustrating contacting certain people regarding the copyrights to things I’m using in my assignment. I emailed ABC news – well the website – a request to use something and they still haven’t replied…its been 3 weeks! I understand that they’re a massive, multi million dollar corporation with probably no time to deal with petty requests like mine but that doesn’t make it any less annoying. I’m tempted to just take it without permission, seeing as it’s an interview and it’s me that they’re speaking with, but I don’t want to risk breaching any copyright laws and getting in trouble…ahhh…the frustrations of someone trying to obtain copyright permission.
Apart from that my project is coming along relatively well. I’ve written out the story and plotted my points, it’s just a matter of sorting through everything I’ve got and putting certain pieces in certain places. I was a little concerned as I’ve spoken to a few others doing the geo narrative, and they’re doing about 20 points with an absoloute novel at the bottom apparently. I was under the impression that it said in the outline that it was to be 10 – 12 points…and that anyone breaching these directions would be penalised. Apparently not. I wish exceptions such as these were listed in the outline, as I probably would have more points and depth to my story. I don’t wish to re-arrange and re-write my whole story though, as I feel I have abided by the guidelines and shouldn’t have to add to the criteria when it states that what I have done is exactly what is requested. So I won’t. I will be thoroughly disappointed if it does though…
Data. Everywhere. May 12, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in Data Visualisation.Tags: Data Visualisation, infograph, US federal budget, we feel fine
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This weeks topic was data visualisation. I was unfamilar with what exactly this was until the commencement of this unit. The name gives a pretty acturate description though I suppose, I knew what data what and I knew what visualisation was, so put two and two together and thought it must be an image or something visual of information. This could be a very basic definition in essence, although I have developed a more thorough understanding of what it can and actually is.
Data visualisation is about the representation of a large amount of data – or information – sometimes of abstract or non physical artifacts, representing something complicated in a way which is useful and understandable to humans. The representation is usually visual, because humans are good at perceiving and measuring differences in scale, colour, shape and recognising absence or movement and positioning. These help us distinguish between things easily, as unlike computers we cannot easily process massive amounts of information and data quickly or efficiently.
Below I found at great example of a data visualisation of the US federal budget…
As exemplified in the lecture, here is a still image of the data visualistion example from ‘We feel fine’, which is an extraordinary piece of work. This specifically is the style ‘madness’, in which each dot represents a different feeling, with colours symbolizing emotion and size representing the scale in which this emotion is expressed. This way of representing all the information gathered from the web is much easier for humans to understand and recognise the vast majority of people feeling certain things, as opposed to looking at sheer numbers. This is a form of passive observation.
This site has a great visualization of an infograph representing how many sugar cubes are found in certain beverages. Originally, infographs and data visualisation seem almost the same, if not exactly, but they do have a difference. Typically an infograph deals with a signifcantly smaller amount of information or data than that of a data visualisation, you can see with the comparison between the visual interpretation of how much sugar is a bottle of coke, which is a small amount of information, whereas the ‘we feel fine’ picture is dealing with thousands and thousands of emotions, which is a huge amount of information. And although an infograph does deal with less information, it still presents to us a better understanding of something had we seen it visually as opposed to through raw data or numbers.
I came across this video on youtube about the Google API for data visualisation. It’s only short, but it briefly shows how the API works, and the transition from raw data in an excel-like spreadsheet, to a visual graph or similar. It is an example of how much easier these graphs are to understand and comprehend differences between pieces of information as opposed to the spreadsheet, and shows how easy and simple it is to use this Google API to create personal data visualisations.
Multiplicity. May 10, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in Multiplicity.Tags: multi - tasking, Multiplicity
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Unfortunetly this week I was keeling over dead and becoming great friends with my toilet bowl – otherwise known as having the flu – and couldn’t make the lecture or tutorial. But I’ve learnt that the main topic was multiplicity, which seems pretty daunting. Apparently it’s being able to do multiple things at once, something computers are very good at, but humans lack. Maybe if we had hands like this we’d have a bit more success at multi – tasking…
Web 2.0 May 3, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in Web 2.0.Tags: gadgets, Networked Media Production, The long tail, Web 2.0
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Web 2.0 is the new generation of web 1.0 put simply, or the new generation of ‘web masters’. It enables more user friendly services and content, as well as more interactivity between not only creators/publishers and users, but amongst the users themselves. The internet now isn’t just the internet, it’s an experience which we get involved in. The net is now not only created by web designers and IT professionals, but to the general public as well, sites such as facebook and myspace enabling everyone to create their own website with multiple gadgets of web 2.0.
It seems that the net didn’t have a choice to upgrade really. The world is rapidly getting used to controlling their own technology and for everything to be interactive, for example game consoles like playstation or wii, and not only being able to choose from hundreds of television stations but the ability to do things like VOTE or POLL through your television!! Even the transition from VHS to DVD, before we just put the tape in and it played. Now, we pop a disk in and can play the movie, select scenes, watch trailers, see bloopers, watch ‘the making of’ – the list goes on. If the internet didn’t adopt this ‘user involved’ theme that is being applied globally, it would have been left behind.
Web 2.0 runs off user participation and generated content – that such as comments, tagging, ratings, forums – and the whole reason this works so well is because of the massive user base. The more people using a service the better it becomes, creating the ‘network effect’.
These are just a few video’s on Youtube I found that explain in a brief way what web 2.0 is, one more technical and the second is a more basic interpretation.
Mashup of all the currently leading industries in Web 2.0, which is what web 2.0 is all about – creating a rich user experience – and I personally enjoy looking at this picture.
This evolution of Web 2.0 has also resulting in new trends, such as ‘the long tail’, first coined by Chris Anderson in 2004, who compares it to Amazon.com – as done in the lecture also. The long tail basically is a term which reflects the way in which Web 2.0 has so much more diversity and choice in smaller, more specific categories.
As the picture above demonstrates, the specific end of the spectrum is known as the long tail. For example, Amazon.com offers a vast range of specific or alternative books, which are sold in small amounts. This virtual world of infinate books is far outselling that of physical bookstores, that ultimately run off the sales off a small range of books selling in large quantities. This is the ‘long tail’ effect.
Week 7 – April 30, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in Production Project A.Tags: Exhibition, Networked Media Production, Production Project A
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So the deadline draws nearer. And nearer. And then it’s there.
This week I also managed to have a browse through the NMP blogroll and came across some really interesting blogs I enjoyed, with some great content. I’ve developed a newfound love for the Swedish artist Erik Johansson who I discovered whilst browsing through Clare Barnes blog, who displayed some of his creative work. It’s got me stumped on how he creates these images, as I’ve been working in Photoshop lately for another unit and couldn’t do something like this if my life depended on it…
I’ve found a few other artists and blogs that have some great graphics such as Nathan Sawaya (who is a LEGO artist!)
And this blog has some amazing creative art such as those below – unfortunately I couldn’t find out who the original artists were though!! 😡
Folksonomy & Taxonomy April 6, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in categorising.Tags: folksonomy, taxonomy
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Taxonomy and folksonomy were discussed in week 6’s lecture and tutorials. Although both are methods of categorising things (in an online sense), each way differs and can be a better or worse was of categorisation, depending on the user and what they’re searching for.
Taxonomy is the process of categorising or classifying something hierarchically. It is an exclusive search, and pieces of information are easily accessible if the user knows specifically what they’re searching for. It ususally consists of lists of headings, upon which are divided into subheadings, and then these are divided again into subheadings, and again and again and so forth. The process can be quite tedious if the user is conducting a broad search or is uncertain which category their desired content would be under. Libraries are an example of taxonomical classification, as a book may appear under multiple searches back is physically in only one spot. The picture below is an example of taxonomical structure – as you can see how from one category it has been continually subdivided to reach a single ‘species’.
Folksonomy is the process of categorising something thru collaborative ‘tagging’. Tags are words that people apply to pieces of information so that when other users search this word, everything that has been ‘tagged’ with that word should come up. Folksonomy allows the public to read/see/view an article, and apply multiple tags to it. This makes a much broader search, as things can be tagged as any topic, even conflicting tags such as ‘ugly’ and ‘beautiful’ can be applied to the same piece of information. It is a less formal method of categorisation, and has its downfall when people associate articles with irrelevant tags and things completely unrelated to what the user actually wanted to appear. The title ‘folksonomy’ was derived from the fact that the ‘folk’ are the ones who classify pieces, not the experts who most of the time general people can’t relate to or don’t understand the technical tags they may apply to something. Folksonomy redistributes the work to dozens, hundreds or thousands of users instead of centralising everything to what one person thinks. Below is an image of a folksonomic structure of someones flickr account – these are all the ‘tags’ associated with all the images, the larger words being tags used more frequently.
The main difference between taxonomy and folksonomy is that taxonomy is often classification, or associated with a certain category from the perspective of one person. Folksonomy allows any individual or user to tag an article, piece of information, picture, etc, with any description they see fit and which appropriately can be associated with it. Whilst they both has positives and negatives, folksonomy seems to be taking over search techniques – especially with the internet – relying instead on the work of multiple users opinion as opposed to individual.
Blog Compare March 30, 2009
Posted by angelacrilley in Blog surfing, Film.Tags: Blog Customization, Deltora Quest, Emily Rodda, Film, Production Project A
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So no lecture week 5.
Gave me a little – although much needed – time to carve up the world wide web and begin our Production Project A. I’ve decided to create an online exhibition, mainly because this particular task interests me the most of all the options. But I also feel that the learning outcomes of this option will be most beneficial to myself and I will enjoy doing the project more. I hope. And if someone enjoys doing something they produce better results. That’s how I’m looking at it anyway. I’m just using ‘tumblr.com’ as a base and creating a few extra pages under one account. It’s not much to look at at the moment, but it’s a work in progress. My exhibition will be about archery, it’s a more alternative subject, which I wouldn’t mind learning more about in this process.
I found during the tutorial this week when we looked at everyones blogs individually and gave constructive criticism was a great opportunity to observe how everyone else was going with the unit. Although I’ve had a few peeks already at others pages, there were quite a few points I wasn’t aware of could boost or enhance your page, so now I feel I’ve got something to work off and improve on. I found a few other people’s blogs browsing the net that have really interesting and creative design styles applied.
I wasn’t exactly searching or concerned with specific content, more the basic layout and structure of the page, hoping I might come across a style that appealed to me and I could maybe mimick or apply a few of its features. The customization of the blogs listed on this page are all very diverse, and some of them seem to have unlimited gadgets and widgets which is food for thought.
I was also just browsing through some of my old childrens books last week and came across my beloved Deltora Quest Series. Don’t know if too many older people have read them but they’re basically a fantasy series which I’ve always thought would make an amazing film. I even wrote into the author, Emily Rodda, a while ago suggesting that, only to be dismally rejected.
But searching through youtube I found a few clips where the book has been made into a video game, and the graphics used are brilliant and really capture the characters as I would have imagined them. The voiceover is in Chinese or Japanese (not really sure) but I just thought if anyone who may have read the books has ever thought the same thing. I don’t think I’ll ever dismiss the idea of wanting to see the books on the big screen, either animated or with actors.
Ang.Crilley 
