Next New

With so many new "new media" ideas always being produced and invented, I am always amazed at what people come up with next. So thinking of a new idea for new media is a bit difficult. The one thing I do know is when inventing something think of a problem in your own daily life and solve it- you will most likely create something useful for yourself and others.

One thing I always do after coming home from class is to rewrite my notes and then type them onto my laptop. The rewriting is a way for me to remember the material but typing them up is a hassle, because by then I just want to be done. So to solve this problem I always think of having a machine that could read my handwriting and rather than scanning them into a pdf file converting them to a Microsoft Word document that is editable. I think this will make it easier for people like me who still writes things down rather than initially typing them in class. I would call this next new thing a NoteExport.

P2P

Through filesharing you are able to download content such as movies, songs, books and other media content that is stored digitally. Peer to Peer filesharing is a way for users to share and gain access to files through a network that other users are connected to as well. You can search through the content of other users and download what you want. This is an easy way to distribute or give access to information stored digitally. Using P2P filesharing became quite popular when the fileshare program Napster was developed in 1999.  More common today and widely used P2P fileshring sites and programs such as dropbox, frostwire and the pirate bay.

What people don't always remember or think about when file sharing is the unethical behavior of it. We all want credit and even monetary consideration for our ideas and thoughts but it is becoming increasingly harder to do that in certain industries because of filesharing. I agree with Tim Kuik when he says "there is a paradox in the way the public views copyright online and offline. “If you put 200 VCRs in your garage and start making and selling copies of films, you will get a visit from the police,” he said. “If you do it from a Web site, everybody says, ‘Hey, freedom of information’ ”." read the rest of this article here: NY TIMES.

WIki so Far...

This semester I have been working on the Baruch New Media wiki a part of a collaboration between all of the students past and present of the Principles of New Media CIS 3810 course. Thus far throughout the semester I have been using the class wiki to not only create pages but edit other pages as well. I have talked about various interests of mine and how they relate to new media including gaming and the PS3 game Assassins Creed. One of the topics I have posted about on the wiki is New Media and how it relates to Customer Relationship Management. I have posted articles about how new media has been used to complain about big name corporations and companies.

I created a category entitled Love, which talks about dating and relationships through new media and dating websites which have become very popular in new media. The glossary is very helpful and I have added a term as well. There are also many interesting articles in the Current Events category and I submitted an article by Rachel Aviv. I have also revised some of the work done by other students (not much but some). Although I have been unable to upload any files I have added links to other sites and articles.

Privacy and New Media

When it comes to new media you have to think about privacy and confidentiality. With the explosion and popularity of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites where one’s personal life may be an open book there have been many questions as to what is private and what is not. People have lost their jobs over their Facebook profiles and things they have posted online. A big question when it comes to Facebook, Google and other popular websites that have tons of information about millions of people is what are they doing with all the information they have about us? Some people are very concerned about this and what could happen while others are not that worried. People respond by making their Facebook pages private and being aware of the content they post.

New media has sparked this discussion about what is private and what is public information. When someone blogs about their life and their feelings online is this just as private if they wrote in their diary and locked it with a key or is it up to the hosting website if the content you post should be shared publically? These issues have been fought in court including in criminal cases and class action lawsuits.

Advice to Barcuh

As a happy Baruch College student there are not many times I have complaints or want changes; but if I was hired to make new media/ technology related changes there would be many ideas I would come up with. One of the first new media implementations to the college I would make is voice-recorded courses.  After being in class and being a very active class member I know the importance of an in class setting and the dialog that takes place. When a student misses class or is not able to keep up with the professor during a lecture it is very hard for them to catch up even if they are able to get the notes from another classmate. Having the ability to go back and listen to the class at another time would be very helpful for studying and staying on top of the material. This could also be good for more technical courses where a lot of information is being given and there is not a lot of time to go over things multiple times.

Another new media implementation to the college I would make is interactive academic advisement sessions. A lot of students need to ask questions regarding their courses and their progress towards degree completion.  Having dealt with the lines and wait times I know it can be very frustrating discouraging. This is especially a hard situation because you don’t get to spend much time with an advisor once you do get in their office.  If students were able to have online sessions or conversations with advisors it would be more helpful and less time consuming. Overcrowding and congestion would not occur and the advisement office can be used for more serious matters that had to be deal with in person. I think this would be a more efficient way to deal with issues that one may not want to spend an hour waiting on line for.

One last piece of advice for implementation of new media would be for there to be more online/ interactive courses. I think that because so many students have different schedules it makes it really hard to schedule courses that fit your schedule and allow you to take the courses you need or want. Of course there definitely are some things and some courses that you need to have an in class structure for but I do believe there could be a lot of positive outcome from the implementation of more online courses. I think it adds to the growth of a student by completely allowing them to be responsible for the way they learn and how they structure their time for the class. I know that taking an online course has been very rewarding and should be if not mandatory a lot more available to students of all disciplines.

Creativity and New Media

I use new media so often that sometimes I don't realize it! As I was thinking of doing this assignment I thought about my love for video games and how often I find myself creating characters to fight battles with and how often I find myself more preoccupied with their clothing and how they look I forget that I am trying to complet a mission. I have decided to display my favorite fighting character for one of the games I enjoy playing with users from all around the world Soul Calibur V. I designed everything about this character with the customizing options available - her hair, clothing, fighting style, sound of her voice etc is all customized by me. The weapons I give her allow her to be stronger, or in some cases weaker in order to make her move faster or deflect pain. I named her Alanta Jane (on the left in the photos below) and actually created her specificaly for this project and will use her in the last mission:



She is fighting here.....

 

 

 

Creativity

Creativity

 

New media fosters creativity in many ways. The architecture of new media that we are seeing today is in my opinion what truly inspires this new creativity of music and the way we are consuming the music and how we are creating the music as well. Sasha Frere-Jones says "Armed with free time and the right software, people are rifling through the lesser songs of pop music and, in frustration, choosing to make some of them as good as the great ones." (The New Math of Mashups from The New Yorker Magazine 2005. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/01/10/050110crmu_music). Because of the ability we have acquired through new media and different modes of creating we have become empowered to be not only the consumers of music and other creativity like filmmaking and photography but to be the producers of the content we want to hear. I have many a friends who have been the producers of mash-up music, you-tube videos, and even film making/ photography because of the accessibility of new media and the ideas that were projected onto them with the abilitites of new media. The fact that almost everyone has a Facebook page and is posting photos of themselves, links to other sites with media and video content, etc. is a small but huge in itself example of how everyone is able to be the inventor and sampler of new media and be a part of it. This shows a lot of insight on how much new media is affecting us by pushing us to be creative without realizing it. When we customize settings to be what we want them to be and look how we would like them to look we are creating and thinking about being creative all the time.

 

Modeling Reality With Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds can be used in many ways.One way and a very special way one internet site Naughty Auties is using its virtual world is to allow people with autism and their friends, families, co-workers and others to interact with each other in a way that is comforting to those on the spectrum of Autism and allows them to become informed on the subject of autism and helps those with the diagnoses. "The graphical representations of real people create a "comfort zone" that can coax users out of their shells and get them communicating with others, he said. "You're on your own computer, in your own room, your own space," Savill said."( iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction by Nicole Saidi, CNN, March 28, 2008. available from: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText). Another way virtual worlds can be used is the way MTV uses the virtual world of VLES (Virtual Lower East Side), where you can go to clubs and walk the streets of the lower east side without having to leave your house. You have a chance to feel the texture of the space without ever being there a chance to know what the inside of a bar that you only heard of looks like. You don't need to be famous or know someone who knows someone you only need a computer and you are right there with the action just without all the action. This is very impressive but is not what everyone wants. For example what about the people who actually live there or own the places that are replicated? “It takes something that was a neighborhood, and now it belongs to everybody else,” said Clayton Patterson, a photographer who has been shooting in downtown Manhattan for more than 25 years. “It’s the complete denial of your space, a complete theft of what it was that you lived in for years.” ("I've Been in That Club, Just Not in Real Life" by Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times, January 6, 2008, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/arts/television/06itzk.html*) 
Virtual worlds are also used for game playing such as PS3's Home a virtual world I myself sometimes reside. It is a community of PlayStation 3 users where you can interact with other users and play games or just chat and even compete in competitions. You can go dancing and purchase clothing, apartments, etc. In many virtual worlds you are almost forced to be creative in your own way by creating your avatar piece by piece (from head to toe). You are the designer of your space and have the ability to be as creative as you want. These Virtual worlds create a space or being creative.
Now the pros of Virtual worlds are many but some of them are simple and very cut and clear: it is a place where people can interact and do things they normally would not be able to do or experience. It is a way for people to take a break from everyday life and stress and also a way for our big world to become a little smaller and more accessible. These worlds allow you to be everywhere and anywhere you want to be but also nowhere at all in some senses. You can have friends and feel comfortable even if that is not what your everyday life consists of. For those who are shy it gives them a place to be friendly and outgoing. They are a place where people can be creative and expressive, share ideas and enjoy the ideas of others.
The cons are that as many good people there are out there there are just as many people who do not have good intentions and Virtual worlds just as other spaces on the Internet are a place where they can exploit others and even cause harm to the infrastructure of the site with user created content, they can be a place where bullying and harassing can happen with or without monitoring. They can cause people to forget about the real world they live in by spending too much time in the virtual world and allowing it to consume them in many ways. Spending too much real money in the virtual worlds can become a problem as well as the content is not always free. ( I found myself spending 150-200 dollars on clothes for my avatar in PlayStation 3's Home per month before I stopped spending money in the Virtual World). It can also become stressful as in some virtual worlds especially gaming ones if you are not actively in the virtual world you can somewhat lose out on the rewards/ perks and you can find yourself feeling obligated to be there more often. 
Virtual worlds will continue to grow and will continue to look like the actual world we live in until it surpasses the world we live in or the world we live in will move on and find another way to live without having to actually go through the motions. I expect to see more than virtual worlds for fun and entertainment but more sophisticated ones where you reality and virtue-ality are inseparable.

TWITR: Blog About Twitter

Twitter discussions are different from BlackBoard discussions as well as a class room discussions because you are  limited to how much you can say whereas in class and on BlackBoard you have space to say more and the ability to express yourself in as many or as little words as you feel comfortable with. This could be looked at in two ways it could be looked at as a restraint or as a way for students and people to get strait to the point. Forcing one to a limited number of characters also force them to get their ideas out simpler and get the most important feelings out for them. A class room discussion is the most personal because you can visually see the expressions of those you are engaging with and have a more engaging experience. This allows you to watch the non verbal communications that are a huge part of communicating with others. It is sometimes difficult to gage what someones tone is through just reading their comments and thoughts. The compassion can come off as as being obsessed, the humor can off as offensive, and many other intentions can be misconstrued. When it comes to BlackBoard discussions it is a great way to participate i conversations with classmates and even professors. It allows creative and discussions based on a common interest- the class the students are participating in. It is helpful for students to help other students with confusing matters of the class and get others perspective on the same topic. It serves as a live discussions and an archive of discussions about one topic or about several sub-topics of a overall general topic.
I personally think in-class discussions are more fulfilling but feel that BlackBoard discussions allow for a more thought provoking discussion as you have time to let the thoughts marinate before you respond and make a comment based on what you think after research or reexamining the topic. In order I like in-class discussions, BlackBoard discussions, and then Twitter as a way to communicate for educational purposes.

Social Networking Sites

Social Networking sites vary in layout and how you are able to communicate with others.
Comparing Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn we can easily see the differences in 
layout. The impression of each of these sites vary from person to person based on what they are looking for and how they want to express themselves. As everyone has a different agendas when logging into these sites; and different aspects. For me my impressions of each site is based o my use for each.
For example Facebook is a social networking site that I use for keeping in touch with old and new friends, participate in special groups where myself and the members have a common interest; for example a group for just my family, for posting pictures, links, and articles that I find interesting. My impression of the site is a good one when used in a positive way. I do also know there is a side of Facebook where people use it for not so many pleasant ways; but this does not hinder my good impression of the site. I think it is user friendly and has may good uses for individuals and businesses alike. Out of 5 I would rate this site a 4.5.
MySpace on the other hand is a site that has its ups but it also has many downs. Although you are able to do things that make you feel empowered such as create the look and layout for your own page and even do cool things like add music to your page, favorite videos and other things it makes each page very hard to look at when it comes to finding things. I find it very hard to navigate through each individual page and sometimes hard on the eyes based on the individuals creativity. I was never really into this social networking site and still find it filled with ads everywhere and confusing at some point, even frustrating. Overall I would rate the social networking site a 2.5 and only because I am considering the way it turned heads into the direction of social networking.
When I think of Twitter I think of it's simplicity because of the restraints that it has on its users. Only allowing a person to use a limited number of characters. I also like the idea of following people and businesses that you like, and the ability to have people following you. I feel it is an easy way to know what people are thinking and feeling at that moment. It also has the capabilities to make your profile unique and layout up to you. You also get to feel more connected to those people you would not have access to such as celebrities that we like and are interested in. Twitter makes me think of text messages- with the exception that they are for the world and not just an individual. My overall rating for this social networking site is a 4.5.
LinkedIn is a very impressive social networking idea and platform. In this space you are able to have a professional footprint online and follow companies and organizations you are interested in as well as post your resume, professional profile, and thoughts regarding professional/ educational issues etc. This platform has allowed individuals to obtain jobs and represent the company they work for. You are able to recommend those you worked with and post your educational background. I feel this social networking site is a good platform used by students and professionals of all backgrounds and positions. News is posted that is tailored to you and what you have shown interest in. You are linked to a network of people that you have worked with, go to school with and other people you know in a social/ professional network. Special groups for companies, schools, and types of employees exist among many other special groups. Overall this has to be my favorite social network site and based on impression and personal use of the site I give it  a 5.

Social Net'g

There are so many ways social networking is being incorporated into everyday life but it is also being incorporated by the business world and even in politics For example our President was able to get a huge following and raise a lot of money by having his campaign use Marc Andreessen to set up its' social network campaign. And "As a result, when he arrives at 1600 Pennsylvania, Mr. Obama will have not just a political base, but a database, millions of names of supporters who can be engaged almost instantly." ("How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power," by David Carr, The New York Times. November 10, 2008; athttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/business/media/10carr.html). As we have seen he continues to use social networking throughout his time in office. This idea and implementation of social media proves just how strong these tools we call social media are. Society is benefited not only able to have their way of saying something through their votes but now a different voice that can be used publicly, and instantly in front of other viewers including the President himself. 
Companies also have found ways of using tools like twitter, Facebook etc to connect to consumers and customers. It is very easy to like a restaurant on Facebook or follow a business on twitter. They use this platform to not only gather a database of information on those people but to also receive feedback and comments from those they are servicing good and bad. This also allows for others to see how others are feeling about similar products, companies, businesses, and even people.
The downfall of this medium is that when incorporated, companies, businesses, and politicians alike are all under the watchful eye of these tools. People can instantly give their opinion about things said or done by a company, business, or politician without the full background making it impossible for these players to have a chance at making sound decisions with out the public intervening with it's watchful eyes and words scrutinizing and sometimes even cheering them on every step of the way.
If the system of social networking is the vehicle used by companies to make decisions based on consumer feedback this can be a dangerous approach as "Vassilis Kostakos, an assistant professor at the University of Madeira in Portugal and an adjunct assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), says that rating systems can tap into the “wisdom of the crowd” to offer useful insights, but they can also paint a distorted picture of a product if a small number of users do most of the voting." (Can you trust crowd wisdom? by Kristina Grifantini, MIT Technology Review, Sept 16, 2009. Available at: http://www.technologyreview.com/web/23477/?a=f). 
Social Networking is a powerful tool and can be used in many ways the future of social networking is not only is it here to stay but there will be many new attempts at changing the way it is used by consumers and the average day person. Innovation is happening everyday with social networking if I had to take a stab at what I think the future looks like for social networking I would think or hope that the future will hold changes that will make many people angry, happy and some will be oblivious to the changes around them. The changes should concern privacy and ethics. I also feel a lot or at least a portion of these changes will come strait from government choices as to what is allowed and not allowed ( although these changes will be hard to make without violating freedom of speech laws). I also believe there will be the next big thing. The same way we watched MySpace swallowed by Facebook there will be others and they will be even louder than the voice we have now with the social networking tools that are already available to us.

Blogs & Wikis

Blogs are defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as: "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also: the contents of such a site". Blog is a short term we use for Weblog; this was first used in 1999. What I love and like so much about this is that a single user or person in society rather with access to a computer and something to say, can freely and openly express their ideas and feelings with just themselves able to view their thoughts or others in the world.
These Blogs can be used for collaboration in school, for religious groups, people with the same ideas and or feelings about a subject/topic matter; other uses for collaboration can be more professional for example colleagues sharing information and other work related information, a place for companies and organizations to use to share with their consumers updates etc and a space to also receive feedback. There are many ways we can collaborate through blogs and they can be very useful or dangerous depending on the users o host of the blog as we have seen or heard about such as hate blogs and blogs used for cyber-bullying.
A wiki is defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as "a Web site that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections". the first known use of a wiki is in1995, four years before there were blogs. In my opinion I think this is because companies are always looking for new ways to improve and be "ahead of the game" or "cutting-edge". Perfect example the Internet was not created for the general population use but as a way to allow the United States Military the capability to communicate with each other no matter what and no matter where; a sense of globalization. Information sharing was the essential and most important factor and I think it still is.
Wikis allow for companies to exchange information and make inferences on the information they are receiving.Jimmy Wales answering the question When seeing wikis popping up in your organization what does that mean he responded "Obviously people are finding them useful, so that means there’s some need to collaborate that’s not being satisfied well enough by other tools."(Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on making the most of company wikis. A Conversation with Jimmy Wales by Gardiner Morse. Harvard Business Review, April 2008. Available at http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2008/04/wikipedia-founder-jimmy-wales-on-making-the-most-of-company-wikis/ar/1 )
People want to collaborate and it seems like doing it on a computer in a safe place without having to directly confront anyone or feel obliged to feel a certain way helps them do it more effectively and perhaps honestly.
There are many similarities and also differences in wikis and blogs.
Some similarities are the 1.ability to post and comment on a website that can be publicly viewed by others 2. the ability to collaborate 3. companies can use both or either blogs or wikis 4. wikis and blogs have been evolved tremendously in the past 15 years where companies and individuals are finding them more useful and popular.
Some major differences are that 1. wikis are used for companies and not individuals ( also from the same article mentioned "Thousands of organizations, from Microsoft to the FBI, use wikis to aggregate the knowledge of their far-flung employees, creating a place for them to electronically converge and collaborate on everything from planning meetings and documenting best practices to brainstorming about new products and processes.-. A Conversation with Jimmy Wales by Gardiner Morse. Harvard Business Review, April 2008." 2. on a wiki although there is the ability to respond there is also the ability for other users to edit the post that are posted by other users which is not the case with blogs 3.wikis atmosphere is more professional and more of a knowledge sharing space rather than a place for gossip, journals, and other uses.
There is a lot to say about wikis and blogs but one of the most important thing is for companies and individuals to realize this world out there and the way it is collaborating with the world we live in today. Our lives and work spaces have been changed and in many cases improved if these applications are used properly.

New Media's Effect on Customer Service

I am going to look at the effect's of New Media on Customer Service. I will Examine the pros and cons of New Medias approach on customer service and how it elates to overall customer satisfaction with companies who have implemented New Media ideas into their customer service processes compared to the companies who have chose to stick to a more "Old Media" approach to customer service. Is there a correlation between the two and if so is it positive or negative. I am looking to understand New Medias effect in areas that effect a large portion of the population without any option for the consumer if wanting to deal with a particular company.