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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 have a professional look and feel. Unlike their neatly printed newspaper, their homepage looks like a massive collage of text blocks and images.
I’ve had a hard time deciding exactly why I don’t visit news sites. One simple is answer is that I just done have the time, but after doing this study I think there’s more to it. When I browse through them its overwhelming. How could I possibly consume all of the stories when there’s thousands of pages of text, dozens of videos and hundreds of pictures? One plug-in I sometimes use when viewing media intensive sites is cooliris for firefox. This allows me to view all of the images with captions and the videos but unfortunately none of the websites I viewed for this study had strict enough code to allow it to work. In many ways this only reinforced my previous opinions of these types of sites. Those who are leading the newspaper business are still so wrapped up in a printable model, they don’t focus on transitioning to multimedia representation that can make consuming the news much easier. In a world that is increasingly interconnected there will soon be no excuse for not providing the most up-to-date methods for covering the news.
If I were rating these sites on how well they were “networked” into other sites and on their RSS feeds, the Cincinnati Enquirer would be on top of the list. In terms of covering world news and the use of multimedia including 3D modeling, graphs and mapping the BBC wins hands down. If its variety you want then newsvine has stories from almost all of the sites combined. With a local perspective, I think the San Jose Mercury news site is a very appealing and well designed. In any case, the time and place we live in requires that if we want all the facts we often need to visit multiple outlets to get them no matter how well their site is designed or how many podcasts they offer.
Posted 11 months, 4 weeks ago. Add a comment
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 might be nice to have a place to vent but what does someone have to do to deserve such tormenting and how much time should you waste doing it? The second article provided somewhat of a context for such actions and caused me to decide that digilantism is most likely a by-product our increased need to feel that we are in control.
Digital devices such as laptops, Tivo’s, iPods, cell phones, and on-demand services have made us quite irratable when we dont get what we want when we want it. This seems to be transferring over into our public lives. If people dont do what we want, when we want, do we really need to write about the incident online? Can we not simply excuse their actions and recognize that most things are caused by circumstances outside our control? I’ve been quite amazed at social parameters that have been setup by the internet. Many concepts such as digilantism have been around for centuries but the internet has created a way for this type of gossip to spread much faster. These types of technologies are causing people to only see materials that fit their agenda instead of offering an overall perspective on a matter.
As a member of the younger generation and often a proponent of new technologies I was surprised to find myself on the conservative side of the matter. Yes, I do things like get angry at other drivers and watch TV. Fortunately though, I realize the enormous amount of time that can be wasted by participating in activities such as posting about everyone I don’t like or watching countless hours of television.
1. How might technologies such as the printing press be compared to digital video recording technology?
2. In your own life, what technologies like do you use that could be considered a time waster?
3. What kinds of systems should be implemented to utilize these same technologies in a positive way? (i.e. online lost and found)
Posted 1 year ago. 1 comment
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 two years after its release many people like myself are wondering why has it not come down in price? More tech savvy people are wondering why so many fundamental features got left out. The internet without Adobe Flash, Skype, keychain password storage, or cut and paste? Worse yet, why is it required that you purchase a data package along with your phone contract when it works on normal wi-fi? There’s no doubt the iPhone was impressive and proved that there is a need and desire for such a device; however new developments are being made and currently companies like Nokia are learning from Apple’s mistakes. As more and more people are becoming accustom to smartphone devices, there is not only a squeeze to fit everything into a smaller container but also for cellular providers to fit everything into a lower monthly rate.
Business Week ran an article in December, 2008 which talked about Nokia’s new N97 phone and also some of the problems Nokia has faced in the last two years. After the release of the iPhone and new Blackberry’s, Nokia market share dropped to roughly 50% and continued to drop in the second quarter of 2008 down to 48%. The article quotes a Gartner analyst stating “Nokia has suffered tremendously from not having a touchscreen device, there’s no way around that,” (Ewing, 2008). To put this in perspective, I think it is fare to say that smartphone devices with capabilities such as a touchscreen, GPS and the internet (at least wi-fi and including flash) are in high demand and in some cases a necessity for certain jobs and lifestyles. In response to the iPhone, Nokia is in the process of developing the N97 which has several more features (including Skype Lite) and will likely be sold without being locked down to a carrier. For Nokia this maybe the only chance to regain some of the market and they are taking it very seriously. Large mobile providers such as Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T are holding on as tight as possible, but this new wave of mobile devices is sure to cause some major hurdles.
In an effort to lower monthly rates and take advantage of the features that are now being offered, people are slowly turning to voice over internet application such as Skype. Many new smartphones (except the iPhone) are java-enabled and may even come preloaded with a version of Skype made especially for cell phones. With this software users can instant message or make calls without having to burn up their minutes. People who use this service purchase an unlimited data package from their carrier or avoid this altogether by using public wi-fi. The advantages of using such a service cause people like myself who cannot afford a cellular data plan to take a second look at purchasing a smartphone. Being able to purchase a plan with half the minutes will save me approx. $30 a month which can then be spent on unlimited data. Now for around $60 a month I can get unlimited minutes (using Skype voIP) and internet use. This makes purchasing a smartphone much more enticing and helps me avoid being a victim of the digital divide.
Works Cited:
Ewing, Jack (2008, December, 02). Nokia’s N97 Smartphone, a Laptop in Your Pocket. Business Week, Retrieved Mar. 05, 2009, from http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2008/gb2008122_820144.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories
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 not the only ones who can benefit from the new capabilities that come with being provided access to the world wide web. Even villages that rely completely on agriculture will benefit from the ability to find and share information about their crops, weather patterns and medical treatments.
As these new technologies develop, I find it imperative that national governments help to ensure that it is in the best interest of their citizens but not make unneeded restrictions or profits. Much like public schools and hospitals, information centers that are connected to world wide web are becoming a fundamental pillar to civilization. The major challenge in providing universal access to cyberspace are language barriers. Fortunately, most computers are able to overcome this and provide translations in many common languages which will enable nearly everyone to participate in the new public sphere. With technologies like wi-fi and cellular internet, the world wide web is becoming less of a luxury and more of a public space. Even here in the U.S., wireless technologies such as our local provider, Clearwire, provide the cheapest solution for people who live in areas that are not connected via land line.
1. What would be the advantages of developing countries building wireless networks and providing computers instead of schools?
2. How can governments support universal access and cause it to drive economic development?
3. How do you envision the expansion of wireless networks? will there always be a fee associated with accessing the internet or will communities decide that it is too important of a resource to limit those who cannot afford it?
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 of a white background. In my opinion all of these sites are terrible! Why not make these sites much simpler and give people what they really want, an uncluttered site were everything is categorized and easy to find? I dont care if there is a link to every story on every page, if I want a specific story I will search for it on google, not look through every link on a page for it.
Washington Post – What I like most about this site was the “Understand More About” box in every article which uses interactive media to show subjects which are related to the news story. I also like that they display the top viewed stories on the top of the home page. What I hate about this site is that it is left aligned instead of centered. Of all the sites, this one used the most interactive media.
San Jose Mercury News – This was my favorite site because of its simplicity and color scheme. It also did not require a login to view any stories. Everything was spaced out well and there were very few distractions.
Cincinnati Enquirer - The only thing I liked about this site was that on the front page they have a long list of links to news stories without additional clutter. Several times when I clicked on stories it asked to fill out a survey before I could continue.
Star Tribune – This site had the most ads by far and many of them were extremely annoying (approx. 7 large ads per page). They also used very little interactive media and the pages load very slowly.
I did not get this post done by the deadline because I was under the impression it was due by March 2nd as originally posted. I’ve also had many other assignments to get done and did not check the group assignment page for a few days.
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 that was in demand. The hard part for them was generating enough revenue to keep themselves afloat before their angel funding or venture capital ran out. Because of this I noticed that these types of companies put large amounts of money into design, sales and marketing and as little as possible into developing the product and testing its functionality.
While sitting in meeting after meeting to discuss how each department was doing, there was not once that I could report that my department was up to par. I constantly filed tickets with the dev. team to fix bugs, add user requested functionality, and create easier methods for us to be able to solve the users problems. All of this was wasted effort due to the fact that their was simply no resources for doing such a thing.
In the case of bigger companies, such as amazon and ebay, that are publicly traded and making a decent profit I have a much higher standard for how my transactions should take place. Often I buy things from online stores that do business through Amazon or eBay and for the most part these alternative stores provide decent service for a much lower price. In the rare case I buy from a major online store, I expect the same kind of service I would get if I was shopping at a regular store. If I can’t find something and no one is there to help, I’m not going to stay long. Many times I have gone to an online store and spent time adding several items to my cart only to have their server time out and leave me hanging much like a clerk on the phone. Instead of online customer service, I like to think of it as virtual customer service. Its “almost, or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition” customer service (Oxford American Dictionary).
1. In terms of online customer service, what are some ways that online retailers can improve the user experience?
2. How important is speed in regards to customer service? How do speed and functionality relate?
3. What concepts can the smaller companies learn from the big guys and what can the big guys learn from the little guys?
Leading the small group discussion gave me the feeling that I was showing three people at a time a small glimpse of the future. Although there were many distractions in the room I was impressed at how focused everyone was on my presentation. After getting through the first round I was much more comfortable because I realized people wanted to hear it and talk about it. Not only did I get lots of well-thought out questions, I also got many ludite responses such as that mobile broadcasting technology may continue to advance but people cant handle anymore bombardment. Everyone seemed to want to discuss the technology which made me feel like I was actually teaching something that was useful.
In the future I think I would probably avoid using Slideshare. It is an easy way to show many people who can not all watch the same screen, for this purpose though, it only limited my ability to add media to the powerpoint (movies other than on youtube cannot be used).
Posted 1 year ago. 1 comment
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 were advertisement which made no sense in that location. After reading several articles I began to realize it was quite easy to navigate around and luckily with my bug-me-not user name I was able to see everything. While testing the home page in IE 7 (XP) I noticed that over 1/3 of the page is just advertising, but much less appears on Firefox (OS X).
I’ve never been particularly impressed with The Washington Post Newspaper and their site left me feeling the same way. I haven’t had time to do anymore as this analysis took much longer than expected (just counting the blogs took quite some time). I will work on the next analysis on Thursday.
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, schools, and now personal cell phones. The most important element in-terms of finding truthful information continues to be the source and now (thanks to the internet) we have millions to choose from! Like many other technologies, the burden is on the consumer to choose what he/she thinks is best.
I’ve always preferred to view technologies such as campaign websites as being neutral. Yes, I can appreciate the amount of information that is available by simply moving my fingers around a computer, but having access to more information only causes me to be more indecisive about what I think is right. The model that was formed around the Dean campaign was especially appealing to me because it shows that face-time is still the most important factor when it comes to a political campaign. Using internet technology as a catalyst for providing preliminary information and a sign-up process was highly effective and will likely be used over and over again. Other methods of attracting visitors and donations, such as those implemented on the Bush and Kerry websites, often lead only to more confusion and frustration for those who are unable to view the site correctly or find the information they are looking for.
For several years I’ve been interested in the phenomenon of website creation. Because it only takes a young child and a capable computer to publish, it has become quite common for people who have very little experience to be employed as content creators. Another low paying technology job at many small companies and especially campaigns is product testing. In some cases these people are just volunteering instead of donating to the campaign.
The idea of a web presence stood out to me while reading several articles about campaign websites. Wikipedia had a definition that seems to be right in-line with how I think about it. “Web presence refers to the appearance of a person or organization on the World Wide Web”. This factor is becoming increasingly more important to every person who wishes to be an active member of our capitalist society.
1. Should standards be enforced for creating websites? on what level?
2. How does web presence apply to online campaign sites?
3. What can be done by voters and consumers to premote a higher standard of web presence?
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 it is to develop using the Silverlight framework. This Wiki was originally created by the
A few weeks ago while surfing the open web, I came across a site that alerted me that Microsoft’s web video solution- Silverlight was no longer in its testing stage. While this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, I was anxious to test it out and see if it is competition for Adobe’s Flash Video products. I quickly found that a Wikipedia page offers a very valuable resource for doing informal research. Two sites that were suggested on the Silverlight wiki were the Hard Rock Cafe and NBC’s Bejing Olympics Site.
I was quite impressed with the Wiki. It offered just enough knowledge about the product for me to decide that Silverlight is a major competitor to Flash because it is cross-platform (Mac+Windows and soon- Linux), amazingly designable, and supports high-definition VC-1 streams and soon it will also support H.264(Quicktime Video). Another advantage to Silverlight for some companies is it includes a Digital Rights Management component which limits users access to content which has been downloaded to their computer. I expected this article to be pro-Microsoft and in some aspects it was, all-in-all though it offered a fair analysis.
Another article I found in my quest was in the Wall Street Journal European Edition in December of 2008. The article was titled: Microsoft targets Adobe in Web design — Software titan uses its muscle to lure rival’s core Flash customers over to competing Silverlight technology.
This article boldface’s the rivalry that is now raging between Adobe and Microsoft for the leading web media platform. The abstract states that “Adobe’s Flash player is installed on about 98% of Internet-connected PCs, and Silverlight is only installed on about 25%, according to Adobe and Microsoft”. It also makes the point that many web designers do not like Microsoft and will therefore be less likely to develop content for Silverlight. Further, Microsoft has offered many companies such as CBS sweetheart deals which include things like free development and support.
The Wiki seemed to only cover the technical portion of Silverlight and left out some of the types of things I was looking for such as where Microsoft is sitting in regards to profits. I was impressed with the way all of the terms I needed to understand the article were hyperlinked and how much technical data was listed about the platform.
Many readers depend on the Wall Street Journal to help predict all kinds of markets. For this reason I expected a highly critical article such as the one I found. Both of these articles were credible yet together they provided a much more thorough understanding than either could have done on their own. Without first reading the Wiki I would have had a hard time understanding exactly why Silverlight is competing with Flash and what the benefits of Silverlight are.
Works Cited:
Microsoft Silverlight. (2009, February 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:01, February 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft_Silverlight&oldid=270377606
Ben Worthen (2008, December 18). Microsoft targets Adobe in Web design — Software titan uses its muscle to lure rival’s core Flash customers over to competing Silverlight technology. Wall Street Journal (Europe), p. 4. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 1613896251).
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