Week 6 Tasks.

6.1) Think of a CofP to which you belong (or have belonged) explain in your seminar forum how your example fits into Wenger's model.

Wenger describes Communities of practice as being "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly" and stated that there are many different types of communities of practice and that people are involved in a lot more than they may realise. A 'COP' which I belonged to was my school orchestra back when I was thirteen to sixteen. Everybody was in the orchestra for the same reason, they wanted to play their instruments and make music. The interest of everyone was the same, their aims were the same, the contribution people had obviously differed, the conducted and teacher obviously had the leadership role or the 'expert' role as Wenger and Lave describe it. The purpose and the goal of the orchestra was to become a well tuned and coordinated group and to play concerts to as many people as possible.

Communities of practice is a 'group of individuals participating in communal activity, and experiencing, continuously creating their shared identity through engaging in and contributing to the practices of their communities'. The identity that is created by others when being involved in groups such as a school orchestra is being a 'Band geek', 'Uncool' and just generally being a 'nerd'! This obvioulsy depends on what sort of school you go to, mine was far to into the music side of things, so the identity that was put upon you wasn't to negative!

Week 6- Website Analysis....

The website I am going to look at for our brief website analysis is gigsandtours.com a well know and used online ticket distributor and music event promotion site. I chose this site as I use it every time I want to find out what bands are playing, artists tour dates and to purchase tickets to see my favorite bands. The site is one that is used by thousands of people everyday and is certainly one of the major site used for purchasing music event tickets.

I shall look in to the following aspects when analysis the website.
The structure and the general navigation, the 'Culture' of the site and finally the appeal for me as a user and anyone else that may use this site.

Any website needs to be well structured in a way so users can understand and work their way around the site, the information and content needs to be laid out in a logical way and an easy navigation system must be in place, normally in the style of a search engine. Links should be easily visible and clear on what they are linking the user to.

When loading on to the homepage of gigsandtours the first thing I tend to notice is the contrast in colour, the black and red really stand out against one another and secondly I notice the scrolling text along the top, which gives names of various other artists who have tickets available. The front page changes regularly depending on whether or not other well know artists have released ticket for tour dates. The page has a search engine down the left hand side where you would expect to see one, allowing users to find the artists or band they want with the littlest amount of effort that is required, along with links to the other available pages just above, such as 'Artists/Gigs A-Z' and 'Order Tracker'. The names and pictures of the latest artists to release tickets that are on the home page are also direct links to their list of dates, Lister et al states that hypertexts "[guide] the reader beyond the immediate text to necessary contextualising information" (2003:23) gigsandtours is full of these links, the majority of all the text visible is a link to further information.
The information on the website has a 'sequenced' structure and is very much organised in an orderly fashion and in a way you would expect.
I feel the most important section of the site is that or 'Artists/Gigs A-Z' (As seen above) due to the fact the main purpose of the site is ticket purchasing and this page allows you to find the artist or gig (E.g festivals, concerts.) that you are looking for. This page is laid out in an alphabetical format, and again has many links to other pages showing various artists under their alphabetical letter. This allows users to find the artist they are looking for with total ease, and come across other artist that are listed under that letter. Each artists name is a link to another page where it shows the dates and places they are playing as well as allowing users to see if there are still tickets available. I think this website is easy enough for anyone to navigate around.

The culture of this site is very much that of 'music culture' the site is for music lovers, about music and allowing users to get the chance to see their favorite band or artist live. The interest of the users will be that of music, there is however no specific genre that the site caters for, it advertises every type of music from commercial pop, indie, alternation and folk.
There is always a question of trust when it comes to websites, can you trust what you are reading? can you trust the people who have control of the website? Users of this website put their trust in the site and those controlling it every time they visit it. If the site states a show has sold out, users take this information and don't question it, but how do they know this is the truth. The site its self is a leading ticket distribution site and therefore user take what is say as the truth. I think the ability to trust the website is made easier due to the fact that it is not an open website i.e. the users are not able to contribute to the site. Also the content is licensed, as site selling gig tickets have to have the correct licensing and have to have gone through the correct legal processes to sell items such as this. There is no need for copyright issues as all the information provided is trade marked and licensed accordingly. There is small print at the bottom of every page, showing who controls the website and that all images and text has been given permission to be used. It also states that the information on the site is correct at time of publishing, this almost provides them with a back up in case a users attempts to purchase an item, when it has in fact sold out.
There is no element of produsage with in the site, due to the fact tickets are sold legally by the company, users are not able to contribute to the site and there is not type of forum or interactivity in place.

The appeal of the website for myself is due to my interest in music, I love music in general and I'm always looking to see who's playing a gig somewhere near. The fact that the website is update regularly tends to mean I check it quite a lot to see if any new bands or artists have released tour dates. The site appeal to anyone who likes music, anyone who wants to take the time to go and see a band, I would guess that the majority of the users are teenagers and young adults due to the fact the artists listed on the site are very contemporary. The site obviously lists the artists and then shows you where there playing, what time the gig starts, who is supporting the band (If there is a support act) and the age of the show, the price of general admission ticket and the terms and conditions, all this information is what a user wants to know before purchasing a ticket, this gives an informational and professional feel and appeal to the website making the user feel more at ease about the reliability of the site.

Week 5- Meikle reading Cont.

D)Para 18 Is open news quality news?

I don't think that all open news is quality news, although it does allow us to see a large amount of information and get a lot of different views on various matters, but sometimes people may not have their facts write, the idea that 'everyone a journalist' is all well and good, but it does allow the chance for people to read incorrect information. There is also the problem mentioned in para 18, where stories can be replaced by other stories so fast that people may not even have chance to read them, it anyone can access the site to change the 'news' peoples opinions on whats the most important story might not be the same. The news is always changing and theres always a newer story.

E) Para 19 Can open news ever be completely open? Do people take different (possibly unequal) roles in collaboration?

I don't think open news will ever be completely open manly due to the fact anyone can contribute, anyone can add a story or change one that has already been posted, but how will we as an audience know if what they are saying is totally true. I think any open site you should be careful with when it comes to using it as a source to find out facts, as there is no way of knowing if what your reading is true, unless its on a closed professional specialised site.

Week 5- Meikle reading.

A) para. 7-9 What do you think constitutes ‘news’ on the Web?

After reading through the reading and concentrating on these paragraphs, the concept of 'news' on the web has some what changed over the years, the introduction of Robert Burnets term 'informational news' (para 7)changed the whole idea of the news, stating that there has been a transformation with the news online and that the users have become much more involved in creating the news. The fact there is a much wider range of news to discover on the internet and how its become much more of a search for information. 'News is a wider search for information by web users' (para 7). People don't just look to BBC news or ITV news anymore they search the internet to find out about things that otherwise they may not have know about, their not just getting one persons/corporations view they can get as many as they please, 'audience members are transformed into researchers' they find their own news.

B) Para 9 Are there 'new kinds of journalist' online? If so, how so?

With the change of News Online and the amount of news there is, journalism has changed somewhat, and it seems that anyone can be an online journalist, with the use of blogging and with sites like the wiki sites where anyone can contribute, 'newsgroups and Weblogs are considered as additional sources for information retrieval', the internet has changed the concept of a journalist and any one who sees them self as a bit of a writer can publish their work online allowing everyone to see it. I do think people still tend to trust sites, like the bbc and professional news site more than blogs ect for gaining information, but it time this may very well change.

C)Paras 14-15 Are those who want to make DIY news online, best thought of as part of an alternative culture (that also exists offline) or is it more diverse than that?

Thinking about this question had confused me and I'm not to sure about my answer! But here goes!!!
DIY Culture is described in para 14, by George Mckay as 'youth-centred and -directed cluster of interests and practices around green radicalism, direct action politics, new musical sounds and experiences', this to me suggest that its a culture that wants to be heard and that wants to be taken notice of. I think that this DIY news online and the whole DIY culture is part of an alternative culture, that are trying to get the idea of anyone being able to tell their opinions and be a journalist, I guess its part of the online culture and the idea of being whatever you want to be online...... Ideas on this question would be great?!

Week 5 - Research into Blogs continued.

Blogs Part 2

After looking closer into the ideas and concepts of blogs I've decided to look at a few to try and understand their uses and different ways 'bloggers' try to get their opinions across.
Firstly I looked at a 'Vlog' that I found on youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pdNLY5-wCY&feature=related) its a blog by the actress Kat Dennings. I chose to look at her blog due to the fact it incorporates the previously mentioned celebrity theme. She uses her blog very light heartedly and as a way for her to mess about and tell her fans about her life, I also think she uses it as a way to show of her acting abilities, as in a few of her blogs she pretends to be other people and puts on fake personas, which I guess is quite clever for her to do so.
I then looked at blog specifically for music, there are many websites dedicated to music blogs for example, http://www.livemusicblog.com/ , http://www.musicblog.ro/ and http://topsites.blogflux.com/music/ each site has millions of blogs to look through, many concentrating on specific genres of music, there's something for every taste! The blogs allow users to talk about their favorite bands, genres, albums ect as well as talking about concerts allowing bloggers to give a review, along with discussing upcoming events. I looked closer at one music blog http://www.themodernmusic.com/ Which I think you should all have a look at, the way its set out and the types of music is talks about suggests that it could appeal to a very wide rang of people. The blog is used to review albums, give track listings and rate the music, it also looks at new videos and artwork that have been released, it gives links to other websites that relate to the artists, such as their websites, myspace pages and last.fm, this is a good way to get artist out there and heard of. The use of attaching images, audio and videos is used consistently through out and seems to be a typical feature of music blogs.
Political blogs were another area I looked into; they are obviously much more serious and tend not to be so visual as other blogs, their all about the information.
http://www.voidstar.com/ukpoliblog/ This is one example of a political blog that I came across while researching, a lot of it is users commenting on what they've heard politicians or groups say and giving their opinion on the matters that they have arisen, they talk about policies and there is even blogs for specific areas of the country, allowing people to feel like they are invovled when it comes to their local policies.

Week 5 - Research into Blogs.

Blogs part-1

Before this unit I wasn't that familiar with blogs, I knew a few people who talked about having one and posting their thoughts on it, but I like many others thought that there just for people who want to moan about their life and all their problems, which personally I don't want to read about strangers problems!!! Maybe that's just me!
Blogs were originally named 'weblogs', they are a website that is maintained by individuals with regular updated commentary on various different subjects. Blogs are an interent diary or journal that the writter or 'blogger' will write about their observations and opinions on any matter, they can also provide links to other websites that they feel are useful within the area they are looking out. Blogs can be on anything from politics, pop culture, news, travel, music and computer issues (gaming or other) there are specific blogs for specific areas, art blog (artlog) , Photographs Photoblog) , Videos (Vlog) , sketches (Sketchblog) and so on. There is even a form of 'Micro-blogging' which is were users do very short posts on their blogs.
Apparently the first blog was in 1992 according to (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-blogs.htm) and they gained major popularity after 2000.
The fact users can comment on others blogs is a very important part of the blogging world, most people who use blogs want comments and feed back to know if people are actually reading their posts and it also allows the chance of converstations and debates to arise.
A common use of blogs is that of letting family and friends know what you've been up to, I know people who have used blogs when they've been away traveling, allowing anyone they know to see what they've been up to, adding images and video's also gives peoples relatives and friends a better insight into what they've been doing.
Blogs are also used to promote products, aritst, movies etc, as well as being a good way to provide research information, I've never really thought about blogs in this way, that people could use them to update others on research their undertaking and obviously we all now know they can be used for eductaional purposes. The obvious fact is that blogs are spreading! Everyone seems to be using them, even celebraties have their own blog these days. but this in turn course controversy, people are able to talk about others in any way they please, sometimes leading to harsh comments and judgements.

Part 2 to come, where I will look closer at some online blogs.

Week 4 - Topic 2

Social networking sites.

It today's society the majority of people I know use some form of social networking site, whether its facebook, myspace, bebo or Last Fm, its become part of teenage and even adult culture within this country and as far as I can see many others all over the world. I have accounts with three of the previously mentioned, Myspace was the first social networking site I used, it was the most popular when I was 14 and what all my friends were using! Then out of know where Facebook appeared, now being one of the leading social networking sites, everyone of my friends use it and it seems to have taken over from myspace, myself and a few of my friends still use myspace but I don't check it as regularly as I do with Facebook, which is at least once a day! Its scary when you thinking about it and how much impact one site has. I like many others don't like to admitt how much we check facebook and use it to keep friendships when apart. The sites are obviously very usefull to keep in touch with others especially when your at university and away from home, I myself don't use these types of sites to make new friends, that all seems a bit odd to me and when some one I don't know trys to add me as a friend I tend to denine it as you never know who they really are, and to me the way you make friends is by meeting people face-to-face through school, uni, other friends etc.
Last Fm is quite different from the other two where by it is more for a specfic type of person, its a music site, so those who subcribes tend to be massive music fans. I hadn't heard about the site up untill the middle of last year. Users have to register to the site that then links to the itunes or music player they have on their computer which then registers every time their listening to a song, this then gets out on to the users home page and turned into a chart for your weeks music and an overal chat which shows what they have been listening to most. The site then takes in to consideration what a user has listened to and recommeds other artists and band within a similar gener etc. The site allows you to add any other user and has a neighbour section where it shows you other users who have a very similar music taste. It then has a 'shout box' where you can comment on other users pages. I don't talk to anyone on this site really and I only know two people who use it!!! And as I mentioned early I don't like talking to strangers on the internet!

Week 4 - Topic 3

Music sharing online.

File sharing and online downloading considerably change the way music is consumed. Before we were able to download music of the internet you had to go out and buy the CD or way back the Tape. Now a days any type of music is right at your finger tips. There's no need to even leave you house. I think downloading has increased the different types of music people listen to, its a much easier way to get music and therefore encourages people to try new stuff. I still like to own the actual CD but the cost is what puts me off, if you can download something for a lot cheaper then surly you'd do that.
Any band could 'make it' through social networking sites and content sharing sites as anyone and everyone can gain access to them. Sites such as Myspace and Last Fm allow any one to put their music online and try and spread the word. This obviously means their music can reach those it wouldn't otherwise. Myspace allows you to send message to users telling them about your band and encouraging them to listen to the music. Last Fm is slightly different, as it takes in consideration to what music a user listens to and then reccommends other artists that are similar, allowing users to find new music, any artist can register and use this site.
I think this has and will continue to change popular music, the more bands and artists people find out about the wider their range of music taste, obviously the more fans a band has the more albums and download sales they get increasing their popularity and therefore allowing any band/artist to become part of the 'Popular music scene'. I know a lot of bands that I've liked and my friends have never really listened too and just said no I don't like them, but as soon as the music has been aired on the radio or become 'big' they decide that they too love that band!!!
The idea of maybe not needing media companies as people can produce and distribute their products with out the need for anyone elses help is an interesting one. I think its great that underground bands can produce their own music with the new technologies of computers and home recording systems and that they can then put it online for anyone to listen to for free with out the need of a record company or a label. However I do think there is need for record labels as with out them bands would have a lot less chance of getting their music on the radio and published in magazines and other mediums, there own media they could use with out one would be the interent and can you become popular just through the interent????????..........

Week 3 - Second life.

Second Life.

So the online world of second life is one that I myself have encountered. For As media studies at college we had to sign up and look at the different functions and the way people use it.
I did not like it! I think online worlds are a very strange concept and don't see the appeal of talking to strangers online, especially in a virtual form of yourself.
It claims to be largest internet user created 3D virtual world community and incorporates everything from the real world into the virtual community. Registration is free, but many actually gain money from the site, by charging user to get into virtual night clubs and members only clubs. Users create an avatar and try to create a life for themselves, they interact with others via an instant messenger service and create their own friend lists through the social networking site, they can join and create groups and it even has its own currency called the linden dollar, which is used to trade goods with others, such as property, land etc.
There are many different parts to the virtual world and user can travel from one part to another by flying, the world incorporates all areas of real life, education, religion, the arts, music, embassies and even has live sports! The avatars that are created emulate everything that a real person does, they eat and go out. ( I didn't stay on it long enough to see if they go to the toilet!!!)
Users can have relationships with one another and even emulated physical relations and go on to create a family.
Business are even starting to use second life as a form of advertising, such as advertising artists and bands, by creating an avatar for them.

I may add some more to this post later on!

Week 3 - Who Am We.

Turkle

This reading covers many interesting points and Turkle's ideas can easily been seen in every day.

The first main point about the several selves and the way you can be several different things all at the same time, you can create any identity, have any carrier. It goes on to talk about the idea of people in today's society are more interest and more impressed when they see a simulation on an online world, than anything they see right in front of there eyes in the 'real' world. How has society come to this, why are we more interest in whats happening online than in the actual world we're living in, is it because we have more control online, we can essentially do what we like. We don't have to live in just this one world, online we can be in as many worlds as we wish all at once, Turkle talks about windows and how this can be done, and how 'real' life is becoming just another 'window'.

The article describes how computer have changed over time and how when they were first released they were nothing more than a giant calculator and now they are all about simulation and creating something new and being able to interact and create your own life and style.

When talking about the game Sims and how the boy in the article tells of how it takes up much of his conversation with his friends, to me this does not seem health and is scary how much computers and games really are taking over peoples life's. It goes on to talk about children in general and how they seem to be fading the lines between computer and human distinction, the idea of a computer being conscious and the intelligence people give it again seems strange to me.

The article then goes on to talk about MUDs, and how users of these types of online environments are not just users, but creators of media content and that with out these users, the worlds would not develop in the way they have.

To me it feels the people who part take in these MUDs or any kind of online world can easily let them take over from their 'real' world. This is not a good thing in my opinion, people need to be in the real world and take notice of whats going on, not just sit in front of the computer screens and pretend to be something there not and act out their dreams in a different form.

Week 3 Topic 3 cont....

Identity and Relationships online-Part 2

D) What kind of risks are involved in online self-expression? Online relationships?

I feel there are many risk with online relationships and self-expression. Firstly, can you class what users have online as a relationship? To me you can only truly have a relationship and build a friendship once you've meet the other person face to face, I suppose you can find things out about a person and know things about them, but I don't think you can actually know them! Secondly with a online relationships can you ever know what your being told is true, whether people are what they tell you they are, some people also get to involved with others from online words, and claim to have an intimate relationship. This seems very strange! The risk with self-expression online is again this can get out of control, if a user is that free about their speech and their opinions they may offend others with in the online forum/world etc, this could then lead to further implications, such as online bullying.

E) If you are participating in online social interactions might you shape your identity and expression to 'fit' that group?

I think it is very likely that participants of online interaction may change their identity to fit in with the group of a certain forum, world, site etc. They may want to try to fit in due to the fact something is seen as being 'cool' among their peers and its the 'in' thing to use or talk about. People may also want to change their identity to fit in as they just purely don't want to feel out of place and to give them that confidence that they may not have in the 'real world'. It depends on the user as to whether they change and adapt their identity for online interaction, some may not as they like standing out and they want to be different and have the opposing view on something.

F) If you are a 'digital presence' how can you be manipulated by others?

I'm not totally sure what 'digital presence' means, but I think its if you are an internet user and you have a virtual version of your self, or you use online interaction you can have this so called 'digital presence'. You are present within the online community. I think you can be manipulated online, a while known mediated type of manipulation online is that of the grooming of children by a pedophile, using their false identity and enticing children to them. People are also frequently manipulated into giving their personal details and bank details by fraudsters. (I want to add to this answer but can't think of anything and staring at its not helping so I will post it and then come back to it!)

Week 3 Topic 3

Identity and Relationships online.

This topic seems to be one that many have a strong opinion on, every one has their own identity unlike anyone else. That was until the internet. This form of new media has allowed anyone with access to it a chance to create another or even many different forms of identity. Is this wrong? I feel it depends on how the person is going about it, if there creating a whole new identity that is totally different from their 'Real life' identity to me that seems slightly strange, but for many it might be a way of escaping from their 'Real Life' and a way to start over. But there is always the well known risk with this sort of thing, if people are able to recreate their identity to anything they please, how do we know what their really like? There's no way of telling if some one online is really the thirteen year old they claim to be or whether there actually a fifty year old man. This is the scary thing about identity online.

A) Is with holding one's identity ethically wrong?

I think it all depends on the situation, I think everybody has the right to withhold their identity when online if there doing so to protect themselves. For example if your on an online chat room or forum and some strangers are talking to you, I think its a good idea not to give out your personal information, such as your full name, where you live etc as you can never be sure who your talking to even if they don't withhold their identity as they maybe lying. However there are some cases where you have to give your identity on the internet such as purchasing online, online banking etc. If you were to give a fake identity you wouldn't end up with the products you order. This is a harder question than I first thought, I want to immediately say no it is not wrong as you never know who your really talking to or in some cases building relationship with, we all know about the pedophilia and the grooming that has taken place online, but some people online may be genuine and on their to make friends and to find people who have the same interests as them.

B) Should we always use are full name?

As I've mentioned above, I do not think this is always a good idea, people can find out other sorts of information just by giving them your full name. And in extreme case can cause identity fraud. However full names on sites such as facebook and myspace I think are fine, due to the security of the sites, and the fact that if you make your profile private which it is always best to do, no one can see your profile unless you let them, by making them a friend.

C) Far from adapting a 'mask', isn't one appeal of the Net that you can express your true self among like minds?

I think the net does let you express your true self, for those who may be to insecure in real life to be who they really are, the internet can be a major source of expression. Some people maybe interest in something that none of their 'real life' friends are interested in and they know of no one else who is. Forums on specific topics allow these people to express themselves and their interest with people who will appreciate it, making them feel much more comfortable talking about their opinion and no one will judge them like the may do in the 'real life'. Others online will also have no idea to the user background, allowing them to feel free of anything that drags them down in the real world, such as family troubles. The net allows these people to feel empowered and change the things they don't like about themselves in 'real life', for example really shy people may join a forum or online game, and decide they don't want to be shy and their going to say exactly what they feel and express themselves loudly and be proud of this.


Here is half, the other half of this topic will be posted later today.