Creative Use of New Media

As a marketing student, I find New Media to be a great tool for promoting business and reaching out to customers. Nowadays, we no longer have to rely on word-of-mouth about the quality of a particular product, or ask friends if the new restaurant down the block is any good. We have New Media tools to aid us in our research of such matters! We can screen through countless reviews on sites such as Yelp or Citysearch which are great because they put the tools provided by New Media to local use. Our previous assignment required us to explore about the various uses of Twitter, which prompted me to create a Twitter account for a local business I am helping to promote. As of now, I believe I am the only follower, but I hope that soon that number will grow. The business is a jewelry store and piercing parlor in the East Village called "Jewels 32." New Media is very versatile when it comes to creative marketing: I have helped  generate a page and write content in Yelp and Google for Jewels32 and create small web promotions (a feature available on both sites). Yelp, Google and Twitter make it very easy to "get your business out there." All I had to do was fill in the pre-generated text fields in the content wizard to provide some interesting and useful info about Jewels 32 and add a few pictures to make the page more appealing. What is also great about these sites, is that they incorporate the social networking aspect into them. Users can post reviews, and the business owner can post responses, etc. In Yelp, there is a whole community of Yelpers, where the number of reviews you post is counted and you can even upload a pic of yourself. Here are the links to the webpages for Jewels 32 where I've helped write the content:
Yelp! for Jewels 32, Place page on Google Jewels 32, Twitter for Jewels 32.

Creativity and New Media

New Media provides an amazingly simple way for us to share our creative ideas with others. Because new media is so accessible it becomes the perfect tool for fostering creativity. Youtube provides us with great examples of how ordinary people can create original content. All someone needs to produce a Youtube video is already available to them in their homes, and does not involve much more than a webcam and a computer. That is why user-generated content is so great- the person has full control over their creativity, being the writer, director and producer all at once. The distribution of user-generated content is also easy, and does not cost anything, since millions of people are already flocking to sites like Youtube on a daily basis. An article featured in The New Yorker "The New Math of Mashups" by Sasha Frere-Jones addresses some issues which arise when users choose to modify original content produced by someone else into a creative remake. The modification can be anything from layering music onto a video that is not its original soundtrack, to completely "mashing" two separate contents together, like two (or more) songs that become one. Because of many governing copyright laws, it sometimes becomes difficult to distinguish what should be deemed as original creative content. On one hand, the content used in creating the mashup is often protected under copyright and is the original creative idea of someone else, and therefore it is sometimes seen as piracy to redistribute it without the permission of the artist. Yet on the other hand, the person who put the mashup together expressed creativity through the process of editing the content, and recognizingly altering it without denying its source. Therefore it becomes difficult to define mashups as piracy, while it also remains difficult to say that the artist no longer has a creative claim over the content. An example of this mentioned in the article is the famous remake of Jay-Z's Black Album, remade into The Grey Album by adding content from the Beatles White Album. While the album was very popular on the charts, EMI records was unhappy with the distribution of it, as the content used to create the music album did not originally belong to the person who created the new album. Yet others seem to recognize the creative effort put into remaking existing content into  new content. The New Yorker article mentions a remake of Madonna's "Ray of Light" and the Sex Pistol's "God Save the Queen" which gained recognition and approval from both artists. The most interesting point made by the author, is that these remakes can be seen as a sort of consumer-dissatisfaction, wanting to improve on something already existing to become better. New Media certainly plays an important role in fostering such creativity by enabling us to share content more freely when we choose to make those improvements, or simply express new ideas through the use of old content.

Virtual Worlds

Recently, Virtual Worlds have become a hot topic in the online community. This form of social-networking seems to be gaining increased recognition from the entertainment industry, to corporations and even branches of government. The most widely known virtual world  today is Second-Life. In Second-Life you can create an avatar and explore the realms of this 3-d world and even build it. While many view Second-Life as merely a game, there is strong evidence that it has become much more than that.
One of the innovative uses for virtual worlds is holding events and meetings. Virtual meetings save time and costs for the attendees, are easier to organize, and allow more people to "sit in" on them. A great example of putting this form of new media to use is given in the article "Forget C-SPAN: Congress Goes Interactive" by Mike Musgrove. The article discusses how a congressional hearing was held both in real life and virtual life simultaneously, the goal of which was to discuss issues that arise from using virtual platforms like Second-Life, such as child-safety, crime, and possible uses for non-profit organizations. 
Another interesting use of virtual worlds that also fosters creativity is discussed in th NY Times article "No Budget, No Boundaries: It's the Real You" by Ruth La Ferla. The article discusses how many budget-conscious people choose virtual shopping over real life shopping, since they basically "get more bang for the buck." In virtual world's like Second-Life almost anyone can afford luxury clothes and vehicles for a very small price, and thus express their personal style more freely. What struck me the most, was the mention of a fashion talk-show held inside the virtual world. This leads to the conclusion that virtual worlds are a great platform to promote and create new fashions, a virtual aspect real-world brands can capitalize on. 
"I've Been To that Club, Just Not in Real Life" by Dave Itzkoff is about the author's experience in a replica of in virtual Lower East Side Manhattan. The "VLES" was created as part of an MTV project to promote their network brand. While this is a great use for a company like MTV, the article also points to another idea: virtual Worlds can allow us to experience actual places and neighborhoods that we can't travel to in real life. 
Another pro of virtual worlds is the social networking aspect. An example of this is mentioned in Itzkoffs article, when a VLES user tells him during a real-life encounter that there is a greater chance of having a conversation with someone working for a company like IBM, MTV, etc. in a virtual world. 
While these may seem like great pros to using virtual worlds, there are also negative aspects. One being that he line between reality and virtuality gets blurred for many people. Although virtual worlds are certainly more interactive than Facebook, they are still 'virtual' and can not substitute real life interactions entirely. Many people may devote too much time to using virtual worlds and neglecting the actual world. 
Another negative aspect is that virtual resources bare no impact on real life. It doesn't actually matter if you own a house in a virtual world, if you are struggling to keep up with real life expenses. What is worse, many people spend actual hard-earned money on virtual shopping, as opposed to buying a necessity in actual life. 
While it is a tempting idea that the virtual worlds of the future will involve 3-D glasses and simulated perception like many Sci-Fi movies portray, I think it is highly unlikely to become the reality. Virtual worlds are probably best used for meetings that may involve distant travel, as it is an efficient tool for that. However even this can be argued since you do not actually need a virtual world to hold an internet meeting, since a webcam would probably be a better/closer to life option. 
Virtual worlds also seem to be creating a small degree of chaos in real world economics, since virtual things are bought and sold in virtual worlds with real money. If mismanaged this can have a negative impact on the users since one must trade dollars at an exchange rate for virtual dollars, and this exchange is not technically part of the global market. An interesting article I cam across on the web regarding this issue http://www.economist.com/node/7963538?story_id=7963538.

Blog about Twitter

How does a Twitter discussion compare to a BlackBoard Discussion? To an in-class discussion?


This was my first time using Twitter for a class discussion. It was also my first experience using Twitter. The assigned articles made me more curious about this type of media.It is certainly different using Twitter to have a discussion versus having the class discussion on Blackboard, which can be compared to an online forum and is more organized. On Blackboard you can keep a clear record of who wrote what in response to what in particular. You also have a lot more characters which enable for more complete expression of ideas. Twitter limits you to 140 characters, and the result is one separate thought, as opposed to a logical sequence with an intro an conclusion. Also, if everyone is tweeting at the same time, it can become difficult to keep track of the direction of the discussion. This is one of the differences between Twitter and a classroom discussion, since in class everyone speaks one at a time, making it easier to follow through on any particular concept. Also, Twitter generates small separate discussions  within discussions. Normally we would simply have not time to voice each and every thought that comes to mind in a classroom. Twitter allows us to do this, and this is a positive aspect of the use. 

Social Networking Sites

There are many social networking sites available for our use today. Through them we can interact with peers, friends, family, coworkers and even make use of these sites for business purposes. The most widely recognized social networking sites today are Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. Despite sharing the common purpose of brining people together and facilitating the exchange of information all three are distinct. Facebook seems to attract college students and recent graduates, as well as young professionals as the primary users. Facebook combines the idea of public forums, with private chat, and visual information sharing through video and photo albums. It is also a great networking tool for professionals, and allows to gain many new connections and knowledge. Facebook can also be used as a mini-ebay, with an application to buy and sell things within your area. It also hosts various free games. However, mostly Facebook is used to stay in touch with friends as a permanent substitute to personal emailing.
Myspace, originally used to keep in touch with your friends and meet new people, is now mostly used by bands to promote themselves. The amount of links sent by emerging artists is sometimes overwhelming. Yet it is a great free marketing tool, that also allows us to tap into various parts of the music culture, and discover new things. The layout of Myspace changed significantly from how it used to be a few years ago, now conforming to the popular templates of today's social networking sites.
Twitter is a great tool for live updates on what's going on with your friends, favorite celebrities, and the rest of the world who uses this amazing tool. Twitter enables you to send out a message to various followers at once, and thus is more of a public tool (especially with integrating mobile phone technology), versus posting something to Facebook which your friends may or may not see. This feature makes Twitter better at connecting large groups of people instantly when compared to MySpace or Facebook. The layout of Twitter is simple, easily customizable, and the tweets are easy to post. Twitter reminds many of us of mini-blogs, which are updated frequently.
Another social networking site which gained popularity a few years ago is "Friendster." Friendster is a site for online gaming similar to the games offered on Facebook, where you can collaborate with others in playing the games. Although I am not an avid game player, I believe that a teenage crowd would find this site very useful as a social pastime where they could also communicate with their friends and be entertained at the same time. In conclusion, Facebook seems to have combined a lot of the best features from many different social networking and sharing sites (Flickr, Photobucket, Friendster), and that is probably one of the reasons it has become so popular.

Social Networking

Social networking sites are gaining increased popularity what seems by the day. The phenomenon of Facebook has now become an everyday part of our lives. While the original idea behind this type of new media was to connect people instantaneously through making use of the world wide web, it seems the purpose of social networking sites has evolved beyond that to encompass other aspects like business and politics. Today, among other things, the uses for social networking media serves as a platform for political discussions and campaigns. There are various groups which one can sign up to and interact with others regarding political opinions and events. The New York Times article by David Carr "How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power" mentions how social networks are a great and inexpensive way for politicians to promote their party and connect with their supporters, President Obama being a prime example of success in this. Others, are harnessing the rich resources of social networks for research purposes and business innovation. The article "Carnegie Mellon students to exploit social networks to predict success of Internet startups" by Alpha Doggs provides us with an example how social networking sites could be used to forecast successful business models through conducting user questioners. 

While these are only a few examples how social networking sites can benefit the business and political sphere, whether they benefit us our not in their original purpose of connecting people remains questionable. The New York Times article "Antisocial Networking?" offers two different perspectives on the matter. One being, with increased use of social networking sites and mobile devices, actual social contact, physical and vocal has gone down for many young adults and teens. The article states that a study concluded that on average, young people use some form of media like texting or internet to interact with peers for a whole seven and a half hours a day! This seems like a significant amount of time devoted to contact with others, without actually having any actual contact. Children spending more and more time using social networking sites instead of using the time productively or for engaging in social events physically seems to be an evident downside to social networking media. 

Another opinion expressed in the same article however, states that social networking actually benefits society. An example of a young boy who is otherwise shy socially is given, to show how sites like Facebook actually help some young people develop necessary social skills. A second positive example is that social networking media like Twitter can assist in planning events with friends, and is a complement to peer interaction, rather than a barrier.  

Social networking media will likely continue to play a large role in every aspect of our lives into the future. Many business are already using social networking media proactively as a form of advertisement and presence in the online community through creating a Facebook page, etc. Activist groups are also finding a hub on social networking sites since they facilitate communication, and and are a great way to promote a cause since it is easy to capture the attention of many people at once. The development of Twitter is very significant in terms of the evolution of social networking, since it provides real-time updates of information which can be sent out to a mass amount of people. This also makes it a very potentially powerful advertising tool for any business, more of which will grow to use it in the near future.    

Blogs Vs. Wikis

New Media offers a variety of ways to share information. The emergence of various blogs and wikis allows users themselves to generate content and use it; it also allows the person to have control over the content that is generated. Convergence of this type creates a need for someone to moderate the contributing process on informational sites such as Wikipedia. In an online environment where anyone can add information anonymously it is sometimes difficult to distinguish which information can be considered reliable and which can not. This issue is brought to light in an online article by CNN entitled "Wikipedia: No Longer the Wild West?" by John D. Sutter. The article discusses how with increased use and popularity Wikipedia is in need of people who will verify the accuracy of content posted to the site, something which is somewhat of a departure from the original purpose of Wikipedia where everyone can contribute freely. The article states "Since Wikipedia was founded in 2001, a number of sites have popped up employing its basic philosophy that users can control the content of the Web." However since so many of us are turning to Wikipedia to actually verify information, or gain detailed knowledge of a topic we are interested in, it becomes a necessity for the information on the site to have some credibility. In the generation of Web 2.0 users, we no longer seek out information in libraries and scholarly journals, or through newspapers or from the primary source. We are so used to "Googling" and "Wikiing" everything and that becomes the primary source of gathering information for us. Unfortunately, as stated in this article, there are certain ethical issues that arise from having the power to use this technology, since users are ultimately themselves the one's who are producing the content. An example given in the article is information regarding deaths of two senators appeared on Wikipedia which was false.
Although most people seem unhappy with the idea of appointing people to moderate the content posted to Wikipedia, it becomes evident that it is a necessity in an online community which is becoming more complex as the article mentions. It also becomes evident that Wikis are also being used for more practical purposes, and therefore need some degree of control as to the content posted to them. An innovative use of the technology is mentioned in the article in The New York Times "An Internal Wiki That Is Not Classifies" by Noam Cohen. The State Department has managed to utilize the Wiki technology in a collaborative way to gather biographical information about diplomats. The "Diplopedia" allows for free-flow of information about one's political career, thus allowing for better networking and preparation for important meetings. What is interesting is that the site pretty much works as a a normal Wiki and there are no restrictions on what someone could post. The catch is however as the article points out, that posts can be "traced back to the user", therefore this creates a sense of responsibility over what information someone posts, unlike the anonymity users enjoy on Wikipedia.
What follows is the question of how much freedom does the user actually have in contributing his/her content to the web, if sites such as Wikipedia were to be controlled? The article "Wikipedia: No Longer the Wild West?" lead to an answer from a different perspective saying that "Others see the change as a sign that these communities of online volunteers are getting more complex and they may need more rules." The fact that people are volunteering to edit the content on Wikipedia also ensures that it is ultimately still us, users who have the control.
As far as fear of lack of generating original content goes, as is also mentioned in the same article, there already exists a good solution: blogs. After all, Wikipedia is an informational resource which is more of a collection of facts rather than opinions, different from a platform for creativity found on Youtube, Blogger, Flickr, Myspace, etc... These sites provide the user with freedom to express their creativity through video, audio, pictures, opinions, and are the hub for sharing original content with the rest of the online community. Blogs, for example, are great for self expression wher anyone can become an author. The author can choose to document his/her day, analyze current events and give their opinion, post original stories or poems, and exchange opinion through the comments section. Many business also run their own blogs, and example being the fashion Magazine "Vanity Fair". Essentially, both Blogs and Wikis provide us with interesting information. The difference however lies in the type and quality of information each offers.