My Portfolio Page

Here is the link to my portfolio page. Enjoy.

Netiquette with Nicole

This is my viral video. I decided to create a cartoon that criticizes online habits that I find stupid or annoying. I chose to do the cartoon style because it gives me more freedom as to what I can show and this is the first time that I have ever done anything like this so I wanted to experiment. If I were to do this again I would have borrowed an actual audio recorder because I used my digital camera to record my voice and no matter what I tried I couldn't get rid of the noise in the background. Also, because of the low file size requirement, the low quality affected the contrast of the colors. I'll put the color pallet into greater consideration next time. But overall, I'm happy with it and I hope everyone else likes it.

Barack Obama's Blog

I regret to say that I do not have much interest in politics. Mainly this is because I believe I lack enough knowledge about the candidates, system, issues and so forth to state an intelligible opinion. However, I decided to take this opportunity to research Barack Obama, a candidate that seems to be pretty popular in the younger demographic. After skimming through his blog, I see that it does state the youth as being a large, supportive group for Obama. It mentions an increasing group on Facebook and encourages others to join. The blog helped me learn about his platform, particularly concerning his views on the war, minority/immigrant/women’s issues, global warming and so forth. I believe educating the audience on his platform is very important when it comes to a candidate’s blog so I believe it does the job. The blog includes video, letters, articles, photos, bulletins so it is very interactive in nature. The different mediums on the internet are touched and handled well in this blog so that part is successful. To reach the blog’s full potential, perhaps Obama can write more blogs himself. This can portray a more personable side and help the audience relate with him as a human being. I believe this is an important characteristic when it comes to candidates running for office. This is why they shake hands and kiss babies. The blog entries seem to be about the people his platform is based on. This is evident in the photos and letters. Again the Facebook group creation targets the youth. I believe the main purpose of the blog is to create an up-to-date log of what Obama is doing, where is is and what he will be doing/where he will be going. Again I wish that there were more personal blog entries from Obama himself to generate a greater difference from other online news sites that merely report. I also believe that Obama looks at the different comments to get a feel for what his supporters are interested in or want from him if elected or to get more support for election. In the entry about college tuition, people comment and respond to other people's comments much like a forum. I'm sure this is a very easy way of getting into the minds of Obama's supporters.

Viacom's Case Against YouTube

In an article in the Washington Post, Viacom tries to explain why they are litigating YouTube and Google for several copyright infringements. This litigation is based on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA protects service providers by not holding them responsible for the content that users upload. Viacom explains this exclusion does not apply to YouTube because YouTube has knowledge of the copyrighted material and gains profit from the distribution.

I admit that I search for copyrighted material on YouTube. I do this mainly because of the convenience. If something big happens on television and I miss it, YouTube is the first place I go to rather than searching for it on a news' or network's website. Mainly because I feel their websites are cluttered with other things that I am not interested in. I am reminded of the famous headbutt by France's Zinedine Zidane during the World Cup in 2006. There were several versions of the event displayed on the home page, ready for my viewing. This was what everyone wanted to see and YouTube was the medium that supplied it in an easy and efficient way. It was on the homepage because the users were searching for it, linking to it and so on. However, I understand the concern of broadcasting such media and not compensating the correct people. I believe that YouTube is a wonderful service. I want these videos to appear on YouTube. But YouTube can search their archives for pornographic and hateful material so it would be logical to assume YouTube can also search for copyrighted material. But I believe this task would be more time consuming because YouTube would have to be on top of what is "in" in viral video and what people are searching for. I don't believe it would be a logical task to get rid of all copyrighted material. Perhaps a hit quota can be enforced for material to be viewed by YouTube for copyright infringement. I am not an expert on the language in the DMCA so I really can't say whether I completely agree with it. However, I believe it is important to protect copyrighted material and also the service providers involved. But there will always be a gray area and I can reasonable assume that Viacom's legal battle will not be a quick victory if at all. One thing giants like Viacom should take away from YouTube is that there is a very big market out on the internet for instant gratification viral video. Websites should archive their videos in an easy to search database. YouTube itself has flaws in its search. These corporations should learn and evolve. They would be stupid not to because whether or not they decide to be a part of this market, consumers are going to get what they want one way or another.

My Podcast

For my Podcast, I interviewed Nick Lyons, a fellow Interactive Multimedia major, about The Soul of Athens project and his opinions concerning the field of web design. For the most part, I enjoyed recording the interview. The only thing that annoyed me was that it took forever to find a “quiet study room” to use in the library and then when I finally did, the connecting room was filled with people who were watching a film of some kind and laughing very obnoxiously. This situation was, however, unique to me and I think I successfully worked my way around it during the editing process. Editing is my favorite part anyways.

Although I haven’t had much experience in Podcasts before this class, I am quickly realizing how important it can be to an individual or business. A business can stream monthly updates for stockholders or interested customers. Individuals can document their progress professionally or just as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family. I also see it useful when someone wants to hear the news but does not have the time to sit down and read a paper. Instead they download a Podcast and listen to it in between errands. The benefits range from professional to solely as entertainment purposes. However, during the editing process, I couldn't help but think of ways post-production can warp my message. I think listeners give a certain level of trust to the provider and if I wanted to be taken seriously, I shouldn't mess around with the audio in a way that would solely benefit me or my intentions.

I can see myself using this medium in the future. I can definitely see myself using it for entertainment purposes. If I choose to freelance or commercialize my talents I can create a Podcast for my portfolio site that lets potential customers know of any projects I might be working on currently or any new skills I’m developing. I enjoyed doing it so the possibilities seem endless.

Common Sense When It Comes To Blogging

Based on the Wired article Internet Names The Wrong Killer I believe that the media and the general public should start using their common sense when it comes to relying on information released on the internet. It does not take much skill to voice one's opinion, release edited photos or video, etc. to the internet. One does not need a permit or some form of education to do so. That is what makes the internet great. It is a medium to spread a message, no matter what message that may be. But, to be a knowledgeable user, one must take all uncredited or novice blog information with a grain of salt. The internet can be a dangerous place. It can screen adult content to minors, spread viruses and be a means of identity theft. I believe that if we protect ourselves from these things, we should also protect ourselves from believing false information.

As I had stated in the previous blog, there are several ways of weighting the reliability of a certain blog's creditability. This should be the first thing taken into account. Anything from sources to content can help distinguish opinion from fact. Also, in the case of the Virginia Tech Killer, the people who find the information can be a big clue as well. The article labels there researchers as "internet sleuths claiming to be in-the-know." To me, these nameless people appear to be unexperienced and unreliable. Who knows what their intentions were? Perhaps they fall into the same genre of people that send around those bogus "Bill Gates will buy you a birthday cake if you send this to forty people in the next forty minutes" e-mails. In this case, they targeted an innocent person perhaps to gain some limelight. I believe Media also has a responsibility of screening their supplied information and sources before releasing it on their medium, which would be seen as more credible.

Even though I find it ridiculous, I have accepted the fact that the internet is a huge resource for finding almost everyone's dirty laundry. One can look your address up on Facebook, plan out your schedule based on researching your classes, extracurriculars and circle of friends and then look up the fastest way of getting to your house on Mapquest while at the same time avoiding traffic. This of course is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to potential stalking possibilities based on the internet. This is why I believe internet common sense also involves self-responsibility. If one chooses to write a blog or join a community such as Facebook, he or she should educate themselves about all the potential benefits and risks first. Once you release a picture or comment out on the internet, it is then out of your control forever. If you can think of at least one person who you don't want to see whatever it is that you are releasing, then don't release it. It is important to make use of self-restraint for the sole purpose of your own privacy. If you are feeling brave and believe you can trust certain people, there are privacy settings that you should take advantage of. I, being a member of both Facebook and MySpace, make use of these options while at the same time editing my profile to only the things that I want others to see. Finally, it is important to know that people are dumb and/or malicious beings, as this certain situation shows. Even if you do take precise precautions when releasing information, know that it can always be edited, hacked and spun into something demonic. These "internet sleuths" were looking for an Asian male with knowledge of guns, that was disgruntled in one way or another. They found their target and everyone else with a desire for information hopped on the bandwagon.

Blogs & Freedom of Speech

The article Legal Showdown in Search Fracas gives an example of how one company, Traffic-Power.com, is suing a blog for comments left on the site that expressed negative opinions about the company. I believe that someone should have the right to sue based on comments from a blog, but only under certain circumstances. The article mentions a few. The information must be proven false and that it had a substantially negative impact on the party. Also, I believe opinions should be weighed on the expertise of the person who posts them. If someone posts a negative and/or false comment about a company while openly expressing their position there, I believe that holds merit to sue. However, I do not believe internet service providers, blogs and so on, should force or be forced to give away the real identities of their users. This feature should be completely optional based on the users preference. I believe this holds true for tangible forms of expression as well. Letters to the editor in a newspaper can be published anonymously, authors write under false names to protect their privacy and the same goes for poems and works of art. Most people do not want to cause trouble, and for them, attracting attention means trouble. I believe everyone has the right to voice their opinion and not have to be scrutinized over it. They can just be an anonymous voice, which sometimes can generate more of a movement than "Steve, the plumber, from Illinois" can. Most importantly, some people feel safer by remaining anonymous. If one chooses to stand out by naming themselves then it should be their choice, not an enforcement.

I believe some blogs can be taken as seriously as a text book, while others can be created solely for entertainment purposes. A blog can be proven credible by making the credibility of the author known. The author can retain some privacy by giving out his or her credentials but withholding his or her name. Listing sources is another way of gaining credibility. Most importantly, I think much of a blog's credibility is created in the mind of the reader. They will come to their own conclusion by what information is presented. A man might believe the rantings in a blog of a UFO hunter to be completely true. It can be very subjective. Most importantly, I believe blogs should remain almost completely unregulated. Blogs should be free to express their opinions; comments and all. But at the same time, there should be a watchful eye searching for explicit, adult or grotesque subject matter. Also, drawing attention to yourself by confessing to five mass murders should be taken seriously. Even a priest has to draw the line during confession once in a while.