A Final Comparison of News Oriented Websites
In comparing six different news oriented websites I found that while the industry has a predominant theme to it; each site’s individual characteristics are aimed specifically at its preferred audience. The fascinating part of this study was that some large companies like the Washington Post neglect to put enough resources into website for it to [...]
Read morePassive Aggressively Wasting Time
Two recent articles I read at first had few things in common until I realized that one seems to explain the other. The first, an article about new technologies that allow you to unleash your anger against individuals in your community online, caused me to wonder what happened to not holding a grudge. Yes, it [...]
Read moreWhat could be better than the iPhone?
For me, the digital divide is the distance between the technology and the people who can use the technology. One example of this that I find particularly intriguing is the iPhone and At&t’s rate plans. This gadget has changed many people’s minds about how much data could be processed within a tiny handheld device. Almost [...]
Read moreThe New Public Sphere
While reading about developing wireless technologies, I was again reminded of the incredible copper and fiber optic network which holds together the United States. Just as our country has become increasingly more dependent on internet resources, other developing countries will likely become dependent and wireless technology will offer a much cheaper solution . Entrepreneurs are [...]
Read moreWho designs these news sites?
I reviewed several news websites including the Washington Post, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the San Jose Mercury News and the Star Tribune. All of these news sites were relatively similar in their complexity and appearance except that the Washington Post was left aligned instead of centered. The Star Tribune also used a light blue background instead [...]
Read moreVirtual Customer Service
One of the most frustrating jobs I’ve had was being a support specialist for a small technology company that was a third party provider of online music for universities. In 2006 many small tech companies such as the one I worked for were getting on their feet and realizing that they could provide a service [...]
Read moreEvaluating News Sites
Analyzing content on The Washington Post website was not something that I expected to take several hours. My initial response was that although it is a powerful site it is lacking design and precision. The main menu bar was the equivalent of several signs with one word all glued together and even within the menus [...]
Read moreCampaigning in the 21st Century
Up until recently, a simple voters pamphlet was the way many Americans received valid, printed information about candidates. Newspapers and TV have also provided background information about candidates for many years, but neither of these formats provided the abundance of information (true and false) that the internet currently carries to the majority of homes, business’s, [...]
Read moreAnd the war goes on, another battle rages…
Microsoft Silverlight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverlight The Wikipedia page for Microsoft’s Silverlight online media platform was filled with scripting terms and technical jargon. Fortunately all of these terms were hyperlinked and the definitions were easily accessible. I found in-depth information as to the video formats Silverlight is able to decode and also some idea as to how difficult [...]
Read moreMobile Broadcasting
This presentation examines the validity of mobile broadcasting as a new technology of online news. In 2008 only about a third of Americans had a phone capable of receiving these broadcast and only 2% of subscribers used it. This technology is rapidly developing while new business models for delivering it are much more sluggish and [...]
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