SW MCDM Blog

New Blogs!

2007-04-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Stephanie's original blog for for the University of Washington course for the Department of Communication degree in Master of Communication in Digital Media.

Visit all of Stephanie’s school blogs at Blogger, Vox and Wordpress .

"User Friendly?" - Design should NOT be complicated - Geek Squad to the rescue!

2007-03-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

View at YouTube early premonitions of computer Help Desk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pyjRj3UMRM

Is it the machine, design, or the human?

Team 3 Meeting Notes

2007-02-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

Team 3 wiki

Next meeting - Friday March 2: Chloe, Luke, Tony, Stephanie meet 4pm, Luke will meet up at 6pm, Kristina at work.

Tuesday Feruary 26 continued discussion of wireframe and deliverables - see wiki.

Tuesday February 20 made draft wireframe, continue working on deliverables - see wiki.

Sunday February 18 5pm via IM Discussed design ideas and deliverables - see wiki.

Tuesday February 13 Discussed and distributed assignments - see wiki for details.

Tuesday February 6
Audience and contributors - college students and exceptional high school students. Goals, what do we really want to provide? Content sections: opinion, school papers (e.g. take a media law class and post course work on site for others to learn from your research). Determining success: if we're profitable as a nonprofit! (raise money for scholarships, potential publishing contact, solicited advertising), number of readership/visitors, usability, original content (not available), Interaction/incentives: -best paper gets published or wins a scholarship prize - similar to http://www.threadless.com/ -multimedia (e.g. podcast, video) not limited to written Real-life events Tone of site feel/branding: formal and edgy, youthful (college), academic yet human and interesting (not boring!), credible! Next meeting…figure out exactly what our next moves are and goal.

Sunday February 4 via IM
Kristina set up our group wiki – http://theyown.pbwiki.com/• Project Idea – a resource page for students who are interested in media careers with content accepted from students. • Class presentation – discussed readings and assigned who will present what on Tuesday February 6 (meet before class).

Tuesday January 30
Established point of contact (Stephanie) and shared contact info. • Discussed Team Roles – consensus was to have people assigned to three plus roles based on interest with one main person/ manager for each role. • Handouts – reviewed individually and together. • Viewed websites where people submit stories; they are a webmaster: http://english.ohmynews.com/index.asp http://www.fark.com/

Week 8 -- Applicable Technologies

2007-02-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

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Everyone:Web Redesign, Chapter 6, Phase 4 : Production and QA (eReserve)
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Finally, the production phase! Production is easy one only needs to “create a website that looks and works the same for every user.” No worries, no need for the big team, everything is simplified…wrong! Just when you thought it was almost complete, you have to deal with code, web standards, templates, and again the favorite term “usability.” The goal is ironically to be simple and straightforward so get in gear with the production team needed for all the testing ahead.

Phase 4 stresses the importance of setting HTML guidelines and Quality Assurance (QA).

HTML guidelines: Avoid “duplication of effort; code each HTML page only once.” Remember, “the first HTML template sets the standard for globals such as navigation; table structure; HTML font usage; ALT, COMMENT, and TITLE tag treatments; and so on.” HTML is the base; each site feature requires some technical specification. Part of planning for successful, timely, project completion includes addressing this in the design.

QA: Preventative trial and error behind the scenes before the big launch. Provided the budget allows, extensive test planning is recommended. One has to make sure the website works for all platforms such MAC, WIN, UNIX etc. or browsers including AOL, Firefox, IE, Netscape, Opera etc. (universal web standards and less choice are sounding pretty good right now…someone needs to dictate computer code to the world…maybe not). Using bug tracking tools to help identify and fix bugs are advised.

Following the planning advice in Phase 4 promotes ultimate website happiness – a bug free, aesthetic, user friendly site!

Week 7 -- Color and Typography

2007-02-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

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Everyone: Web ReDesign 2.0: Chapter 5, Design Visual Interface ;
Aesthetic Experience and the Importance of Visual Composition in Information Design ;
Web 2.0: Mistaking the Forest for the Trees? ;
Give Customers Short Paths To What They Want, a Gartner Report (eReserve)
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Web 2.0 is about all about the USER! Putting them in control so that they are satisfied and the purpose and popularity of a site is also satisfied.

In Mistaking the Forest for the Trees, Tim O’Reilly’s definition is quoted:
Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.

Greenzweig’s article on Aesthetic Experience emphasizes the connections between aesthetics & information content, and text & image. Both are relevant for a gratifying user experience.

Web redesign 2.0 accentuates that good visual interface incorporates coordination and testing of:
-flow and functionality
-graphic template
-style guide

With the user in mind, reading after reading stresses planning; coordination and testing for successful web design. Common sense is more important than showcasing the latest technology or displaying lavishly useless creativity. The number one rule – unless there is a purpose, leave it out! Simplicity is better. These issues need to be addressed when connecting design aesthetic and information, all the while keeping in mind the user and their level of expertise. One does not want to alienate beginning or advanced users because the user is the sole purpose of designing a webpage; in order to do this one must remember the target audience.

Best advice - plan to make sure you have time to test your designs (color, typography etc.) for usability :-)

Entertainment Sites

2007-02-15T00:31:00.000-08:00

Small Group 2-Entertainment

Definition:
Entertainment Website – sites people go to in leisure time for amusement/fun

Content: music, movies, plays, books, games, sports, celebrity

Design / what makes the genre "self-apparent":
Flashy
Color
Interactive (e.g. videos, podcast)

http://webstyleguide.com/site/entertainment.html
http://www.bandhosts.co.uk/

Sites which epitomize the genre:
http://www.eonline.com/
http://www.wwe.com/
http://www.blizzard.com/
http://www.foxhome.com/foxhome_main.html
http://www.image-entertainment.com/ (not an entertainment site but promotes entertainment)

A site that visually breaks the genre norm:
http://imdb.com/

Week 6 -- Web Site Genres

2007-02-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

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Everyone:
No reading - book reviews due this week!
Post to your blog a short blurb about what you are reading - title, author, why you picked the book and some key points/arguments
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Title – Dan Gilmor

Author – We the Media: Grassroots Journalism By the People, For the People

Why – I chose this book for its renowned critique of critical issues surrounding the inevitable combination of technology and media which impacts webdesign message and content.

Key points/arguments:

Covering several topics, the book addresses how technologies such as weblogs, rss, mobile camera phones, etc. will and are currently transforming the roles of journalists, big business, politicians, government and more. The book also discusses the legal issues and implications of new technology in the United States including free speech, privacy, trolls, trust and creative commons. Gilmor advocates the idea of creative commons limiting his copyright with “some rights reserved” to 14 years and publishing the book online for individual use. He ultimately encourages experimentation, conversation and dialogue sparked from the ideas in his book.

Week 5 -- Information Architecture

2007-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

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Everyone:
Web ReDesign 2.0: Chapter 4, Develop Site Structure
Blueprints for the Web: Organization for the Masses
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Group 3 also reads:
Cognitive Psychology & IA: From Theory to Practice,
Usability experts are from Mars, graphic designers are from Venus,
Visible Narratives: Understanding Visual Organization

What are the threads that unite these readings? Are there best practices that can be devised from these?
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Cognitive Psychology – helps to better understand and deliver good user experience.
• Categorization – be broad to include the most common approaches while realizing accommodating everyone is impossible.
• Visual Perception – proximity and similarity (i.e. gestalt design theory), how the human eye groups and understands images.
• Transference – learned expectations of behavior (e.g. one expects the scroll bar to be the same), can either be positive if expectations are confirmed or negative if resulting in an error.

Usability vs. Graphic Design – the battle between…
• Simple vs. Flashy
• Left vs. Right brained
• Masculine vs. Feminine
• Mars vs. Venus
-Can these opposites resolve issues and settle for “Peace Love and Understanding?”
-A happy medium between practicality and innovation in design is necessary to result in the desired positive user experience; balance and compromise!

Visual Organization – understanding both sides…
-“Interactive design [is] a seamless blend of graphic arts, technology, and psychology.”—Brad Wieners Wired, 2002
-“We find that people quickly evaluate a site by visual design alone.” —Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility, 2002
-“Visual designers working on the web need an understanding of the medium in which they work, so many have taken to code. Many have entered the usability lab. ”
• Visual Communication – personality/look/feel/vibe of an organization
• Principles of Perception – proximity, similarity, continuance, and closure (see gestalt)
• Visual Hierarchy and Weight – text and image layout through color, shape, size, etc.

Common themes/uniting threads from the articles:
1. Goal of a website is to create a positive user experience that also visually reflects the client’s desired image and please the user.
2. Considering, understanding and balancing all sides of usability and design are key to success.

Imaginary Forces Website

2007-01-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

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Task exercise - Go to Imaginary Forces
 Using your blog as a notepad, track/log your steps as you complete these two tasks
 Find their project featuring web videos (what's its name - how many "clicks" and "backtracks" to find it? is this a reasonable task? do you see how this task differs from "find a project"?)
 Find a map to their east coast office (did you note any "error" message?)
 What was this experience like? Also, please comment on the visual/interface design, based on what you learned from the readings. Did the site behave like you expected or like you would have wished?
 Note: This is the type of analysis you'll do for the design analysis project due at the quarter's end ...
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Finding Web Video:
• Click on web link.
• Click “projects” receive Quicktime error start over
• Click on web link.
• Click on “projects”
• Select from list of “featured projects”
• “interactive”
• Click on Honda web videos

Directions to east coast office:
 Imaginary Forces icon
 contact
 map and driving directions

Experience:
Because the first click results in error, many might want to give up on this site immediately.
After exploring more the site seems interactive, however the disappearing/hidden “imaginary forces” content icon is frustrating as well as the back button taking you out of the site.
Hidden icons make the user feel a sense of loss of control which is not desirable.
The artistic features are somewhat aesthetically pleasing but do not win points for bad usability.

Recommendation:
Make the site more “user friendly,” explaining user friendly is difficult, however one goal would be to have more user control when viewing the site with a constantly visible content bar.

Expectations:
My expectations going into the site were already geared toward difficulty so I explored more than I would normally. Expectations were confirmed but I imagined more difficulty, please note that is “imagined” and not “wanted.”

Week 4 -- Task Identification

2007-01-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

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Everyone:
Gestalt Principles of Perception and Gestalt theory in visual screen design: a new look at an old subject
Two essays from Don Norman based on concepts from The Psychology of Everyday Things. Affordance, Convention and Design and Affordances and Design ; HCI Design

How do these HCI design principles relate to Gestalt Theory?
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Gestalt Principles of Perception things are “more than the sum of their parts:”

Figure and Ground – merging together as one; illusion.
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/YoungGirl-OldWomanIllusion.html

Similarity, Proximity or Contiguity, Continuity, Closure, Area, Symmetry – all basic and important principles for artistic design, how the human eye creates images; in websites we want the eye to like what it sees!

Human-Computer Interface Design
Computer interface design has certain expectations such as the mouse cursor or scroll bar. Without those recognizable conventions, a website appears to be out of place, confirming Gestalt Theory where design is heavily connected to perception. He “eight golden rules of interface design” emphasize features that allow the user to feel familiar and at ease explaining that creativity is only great if it still offers simplicity and clarity in design. The Gestalt Theory is helpful for the visual aspects affording basic principles to follow in order to create something aesthetically pleasing to the eye. A website should satisfy the audience artistically and practically.

Perception and Prevention
One should be able to navigate effortlessly and accomplish their objective when visiting a site. Keeping things simple is sometimes the best option, especially to avoid functionality frustration. Having a similar menu on each page or opening in a new window allows one to avoid going back in search of the original page. The goal is not to get “lost” in a site but rather feel like you are able to do and find everything you desired from the site; perceived affordances.

Question: What sites maximize these design principles and satisfy you as the audience?

Week 3 -- Project Management User Centered Design

2007-01-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

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 Everyone:
Notes on Design Practice: Stories and Prototypes as Catalysts for Communication, Thomas Erickson [A version of this paper appeared in Scenario-Based Design: Envisioning Work and Technology in System Development. (ed. J. Carroll). New York: Wiley & Sons, 1995.]
Information Interaction Design: A Unified Field Theory of Design, Nathan Shedroff
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Communication – the word no one can escape. Every aspect of life can be improved or degraded by it. One thing which can be certain is most things are not usually hindered by communication but more likely the lack of. When describing design Erickson writes “it is also very much a social process in which communication plays a critical role” explaining how designers must communicate with users and their own organization. Terms such as “team building,” “collaborative,” “involve” characterize the successful practice of design. Something that stood out to me was the discussion of stories and their importance to compliment information gathering. Design is a collaboration of research, ideas combined with skill in communication and story telling to seamlessly satisfy the audience and design team.

One size fits all? Shedroff says, “Many people create or engineer interactions, presentations, and experiences for others. Almost all interactions—whether part of a book, a directory, a catalog, a newspaper, or a television program –can be created or addressed by one process.” The fact that some things stand the test of time over and over again regardless of technology advancement is comforting to hear. The design process is a foundation; building blocks which can be carried from one area to the next. Like many things learned in the classroom they have a purpose outside too.

Snow Day Continued - Assignment 4

2007-01-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

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Assignment 4:
Final assignment has three parts:
1. Make sure you have a blog post that specifically outlines your goals and the roles you are willing (and not willing) to take for the team. This is very important -- it may result in a realignment of the class.
2. Find two or more sites that reflect the end product you think you'd like to produce (or be able to produce by the time we conclude in June) - either as an individual or through group effort. Post these to your blog by Monday (when reading is due). Give us the URL and your reasons for selecting them.
3. Finally, think about standards and adoption (fall quarter lessons!) as it relates to interoperability of instant messenging clients. Why do you think IM is not as seamless as e-mail? Share your arguments for or against interoperability in IM.
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1. My goals for the quarter are to create group success with everyone having a role which suites their talents and interest best.
2. Websites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website#Types_of_websites
Something clean and simple - http://www.localnewscomesfirst.com/
Something colorful - http://www.nick.com/
3. IM is not as seamless as e-mail because it is distracting, has not reached critical mass and is not a supervening necessity at work. In the office there are many options for communication, in-person, phone, email. Each of those interactions allows someone to respond in their own scheduled convenient time. IM however requires instantaneous response which at times may be best but lacks time for reflection and quality of the response. However if used similar to a scheduled video conference meeting those issues could be solved. The most pressing reason hindering IM adoption is that email is more widely known as one of the first popular work tools and IM does not offer something more competitive over email. IM is like a written phone conversation; useful but is not necessary. Email on the other hand has become necessary reaching critical mass from supervening necessity, which is why companies will more likely offer and require use of an email address but not an IM.

Goals and team roles reassessed

2007-01-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

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Now, rethink your goals in the light of what has been expressed by the class. Post to your blog three personal goals (design, group dynamics, whatever) for our next five months of working together. Also list two team roles that you are willing to take on and two that you would prefer not to be assigned. Try to express this as a story (narrative) rather than a bulleted list.
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Goals for the next couple quarters ~
It is a shame that a genie can only grant three wishes as it is always hard for me to decide what I truly desire…for this quarter I will try to narrow it down to three. First I would like to better understand my strengths in a team and design role. Second I will strive to “stretch” myself by learning the technical side of design, i.e. computer skill. Third I want to master efficient research/writing skills.

Team roles ~
In the past I have usually taken the role of an organizer and mediator, gathering people together initiating team roles, responsibilities, deadlines and acting as a neutral party communicator to help resolve any conflict that may arise in the process. Those are two roles that come naturally to me. Other roles I enjoy are the creative aspect, coming up with ideas and imaginative content. A role that I am capable of is researching; although it is not my favorite. When it comes to creativity and research I can get carried away and need to remind myself to come out of dream clouds back to reality. There are no roles that I am absolutely against. My overall goals with team roles are for everyone to have a role that matches them :-) your unique talents!

Snow Day Assignment - Virtual Project Management

2007-01-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

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Assignment 1 Scenario:

You have been made project manager for a web redesign for your corporate
internal (intranet) website. Employees in the division are geographically
dispersed, and your boss told you that your team will come from all parts of
the division. This means that most (maybe all) of the work is going to need to
be performed via a virtual team.

What are the benefits and drawbacks to such an arrangement? How will you help
the team develop a feeling of "we-ness"?

Thinking back to teams that you have worked on before ... what made them
effective or not? Why?
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The drawbacks to working across time and space are simply not being able to interact in-person along with the time difference of spread out geographic locations. The benefits to such an arrangement are an emphasis on written communication over spoken.

To develop a feeling of "we-ness" I would recommend constant written communication and clearly assigned group roles. Additional communication could be done via phone and/or virtual teleconference.

A personal example of a successful team project – thinking back to the keys of past effectiveness:
• Created a timeline with incremental deadlines
• Assigned work fairly – took into account members’ interests and strengths
• Diverse personalities worked well together – we had an online cheerleader who kept our inbox full of updates, a researcher who constantly shared information, a creative person who brought unique ideas to make our project standout, a diligent worker who was always willing to take on additional assignments
• Helped one another – saw success as our team as a whole (i.e. "we-ness"), not individually

Obstacles – How we overcame them:
• Sick team member was bedridden for most of the quarter – we made an extra effort to communicate with her via email and phone
• Stressing for time – helped everyone stay on track by checking in and sharing information
• Fear of presenting – “practice makes perfect,” we made time to rehearse so everyone was comfortable presenting our final findings.

Most importantly we HAD FUN and thought about the AUDIENCE using creative ways to improve the assignment, making everything aesthetically pleasing, adding music and pictures to add ease to heavy information.

Week 2 -- Project Management

2007-01-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

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 Everyone:
"The Publishing Team," Chapter 11. Content Critical: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through High-Quality Web Content by McGovern et al ; "Web Team Roles," Chapter 2. Real Web Project Management
by Shelford et al; Web ReDesign 2.0: Chapter 3, Define The Project
 Blog your reading assignment: Two "ah-ha's" from these readings as well preliminary thoughts on your goals for the quarter and how these readings might apply to your goals.
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“Ah-Ha’s”:
Everything is reliant on a team even digital media. According to “The Publishing Team” the term “webmaster” is meaningless because working with the web requires more. A successful project is the result of many efforts combined into one through teamwork. There are many roles to play as described in “Common Web Team Roles” and knowing the purpose of each is essential for productive interaction which is why training and communicating are always suggested. This is similar to the concept of education and schooling – it is important to understand the basics of many subjects while at the same time emphasizing your specialty in order to work with others, seeing the big picture and using your expertise for the benefit of the whole. Teamwork is inescapable!

All this talk about timelines, questions and goals are important! “Define the Project” says “set parameters and expectations – develop methods for clear communication throughout the project’s lifecycles.” This holds true for any project. All the team projects I’ve ever worked on whether middle school science projects, college business projects or work projects share a similarity, success revolves around understanding and execution. Communicating specifically what you intend to accomplish, how you intend to accomplish it using realistic time schedule and distribution of work among the team recognizing members’ strengths and weaknesses keeping the flow of communication each step of the way! Most problems can be prevented or resolved from constant communication and that is very valuable especially when time and success mean money. Taking the time to talk pays off!

Goals: for the quarter are to better understand team roles, gain knowledge and skill that will enable me to tackle any design project with technical know-how and confidence. To explore talents, strenghts and weaknesses in the design process, master the basics, creating a foundation for the future.

*Over the Holiday - Digital Xmas & Lifeblood of the Digital World

2007-01-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

DIGITAL Christmas

Inside a warm home, sharing memories, chatting, eating and exchanging gifts with family and friends gathered around the fireplace watching “It’s A Wonderful Life”. The holidays are a time of celebration and togetherness. Every year our family spends Christmas at “Grandma’s house” where we play games and have a shared experience of family time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws and cousins. This year togetherness was individualized by digital gadgets separating everyone from the communal Christmas experience. Instead of listening to Grandpa tell stories and watching old family film clips on a reel, each did their own thing; grandpa got his first DVD player and thus watched his favorite comedian on DVD, grandma asked mom for assistance with her computer, uncle showed his latest design project accessible via his latest PDA (personal digital assistant) while cousins played games on their psp (PlayStation Portable) and watched downloaded movies from their iPod. Gone are the days of “mass media” family time where you sit down to watch one show all together. Today you can be in the same room but in a different world…digital device choice makes that possible.

ELECTRICITY – the bloodline of the digital age: thoughts from the December windstorm and week-long power outage

A world where everything is at your fingertips with the touch of a mouse can be cut off by the disappearance of energy i.e. a power outage. Over the past 48 hours and currently still, much of Western Washington, myself included (I finally made it to one of the last lights standing, downtown Seattle to run the laptop) is forced to do without electricity after Thursdays wind storm. Washingtonians and the digital generation are at a loss, sent back to caveman days without their necessary digital tools (computer – no “Google it” solution, phone – no cell and dead landline, credit – cannot buy your way out) to survive.

Blackness throughout, trees fallen through roofs, houses flooded by excess rain and clogged drains, drivers fighting for the last drop of gas, hour long grocery store lines for one cup of drip coffee (Starbucks natives in times of desperate measure). When there is no power to run gas for transportation, generators, computers, phone and landlines are down…people go back to basics – in search of food, water, shelter and heat. Nature is powerful until humans can control it, watch out! It is more than an “inconvenient truth!”

Lessons from the power outage:
• Never underestimate the fury of the weather!
• Proceed with caution at your own risk if caught driving a vehicle in super speed wind or areas without traffic lights.
• It is never possible to be too prepared! (Mom…I’m listening now  I have the space blanket, flashlight, first aid, emergency food etc.)
• Required class – Cave Man 101 – how to build a fire, hunt and find food and locate water in a non-electric world.
• Discover/invent the source for limitless energy fast – solar, wind, water, gas, electric, battery, future-power so if one fails another is ready.
• Be thankful if you are lucky enough not to live in a frequented blackout prone part of the world.

My Christmas and birthday wish (on the 18th):
• Please restore power (that may help with my other wish)
• Peace in every heart throughout the world 

Week 9 -- 28 November - Snow Day!

2006-11-28T21:51:00.000-08:00

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Blog Assignment #1
Think of some piece of technology that you have recently purchased or a piece of software or feature of an existing piece of technology that you have recently started using. (For example, I recently upgraded my version of MSN Messenger.)

Think about why you made this decision - what factors caused the "adoption."
Now - talk about your experience ... and then think about the theories
we've talked about in class. Which theories help explain your behavior?
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Since beginning MCDM I bought a new laptop and had one of my friends from a Microsoft family set it up. He insisted on installing Opera 9.0 to avoid problems that come with the Microsoft Explorer, agreeing that avoiding viruses is a good idea, I decided to join the Opera community.

My experience has been positive…that is until the past week…I began having trouble connecting to wireless, opening email, websites and video stream…the screen screamed (not literally) error, error! So, I downloaded Explorer 7 which works just as well…I’m sure my Opera trouble came from the secret Microsoft monopoly police told to catch non-Explorer users (just joking!).

The decision to switch to Opera models the five steps (Knowledge, Persuasion, Decision adopt/reject, Implementation, Confirmation) of the Everett Roger’s Linear Innovation-Diffusion theory (process by which innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among members of a social system). I was informed of an alternative, Opera, through my social circle and persuaded to adopt it. However, after difficulty using the new browser, I became an “un-gratified” user, and thus as an unintended consequence resulted in my returning to the critical mass (point at which enough individuals have adopted an innovation so that the innovation’s further rate of adoption becomes self-sustaining) Microsoft Explorer.

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Blog Assignment #2
This one is more fun, possibly more so for us old folks than you youngsters. :)

How have you used information/communication technologies over the course of the past 2.5 days -- since snow began falling on Sunday. How has the ubiquity of the Internet changed your behavior? In other words, in some pre-Internet storm/event ... how did you communicate? How did you learn about the storm/event?
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The past couple days I have been sick and indoors semi-away from life, weather and technology (sad, sad) – missing out on the fun snow days I remember, back when my family moved from Seattle to the middle of nowhere (or so I thought at the time, we live in suburb-boonies i.e. unincorporated King County, close enough to the city but far enough to feel out of touch with civilization at times) and the few neighborhood kids on our hill would trek through the woods for snowball fights, angel and snowman making after eagerly listening to the radio and TV report that school was cancelled!

Normally I learn about a storm/event after the fact, by being in it, or beforehand from my dad’s cautioning (he is a daily viewer of the TV news), a storm is coming, be prepared! In Washington I’ve learned to wear layers, ready for any weather…the only reliable forecast is “dark through the evening, with widely scattered light in the morning, and the possibility of showers 24/7”. Because I live in the techie NW I should have a PDA or latest Microsoft gadget to check weather but I don’t, I check the sky for clouds or no clouds and hardly carry an umbrella (a native Seattleite). With the exception of my 7th grade science class which had a tower cam at our school feeding weather pictures to the Internet and local news, today was the first time I checked the weather online (after seeing blankets of white outside, I wanted to find out how many more pretty snowflakes might fall…I didn’t find a number for that but rather the temperature, hourly forecast and driving conditions). This proved to be a convenient experience provided the electricity and wireless were still connected; I plan to use this feature for the remainder of winter in hopes of finding more days to use my ski pass.

Today my communication behavior was relatively the same, telephone calls (relatives and supervisor from work telephoned to see how I was doing, surviving sickness and snow and I phoned out to cancel appointments), in-person communication (being stuck at home I was privileged to listen to my dad’s stories of road ice, random drivers and frozen water pipes) along with computer connection (com class online – I could definitely get used to virtual/telecommute on snow days!).

Week 8 -- 21 November - Online Media

2006-11-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

Reading:
We The Media
Group 4 - Chapter 7, The Former Audience Joins The Party
Everyone - Chapter 12, Making Our Own News

Assignment:
General reaction to Gillmor's thesis: anything new for you? What do you disagree with? What are the implications for the media, politics, governance for the US and the world?

Reaction(s):
In the chapter “Making Our Own News,” Dan Gilmor introduces the Internet as the “most important medium since the printing press…anyone can be a writer…and for a global audience (216),” something he describes as “more democratic” and “messy.” This is so true, in a world where the net is the printing press for all people where the audience can play an active role through mail lists, web sites, blogs, SMS and RSS (listed as innovative tools that overturn a top-down hierarchy) and where anyone can write the news – trusted sources become an issue. Having learned about Wikis through this class I discovered the collaborative contributions which make up Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit,” in conversation with some friends, not all had realized that. One person’s response was, “That’s horrible! I’ve been using this for school and any random Joe can write something?!” Not until describing how it could mean people are likely to edit out misinformation, did my friend see some restored benefit in Wikipedia. Gilmore quotes a Wikipedia founder defending its trustworthy, neutral tone “The only way you can write something that survives is that someone who’s your diametrical opposite can agree with it (149).” This is definitely an example of a format where the audience is more engaged; they make the news and check it too.

Open and free information transforms “Big Media.” Gilmore uses his book as an example of what he views as a “creative commons” where “some rights are reserved,” challenging the traditional copyright license by making it available for free download on the web. I agree that as a business model, it may be beneficial for the potential of more circulation, however whether that translates into more money is questionable. Only time will tell, Gilmore mentions that technology change occurs so fast that it is difficult to keep up but that is the fun part – “the conversation continues.”

Implications:
In the chapter “The Former Audience Joins the Party,” Gilmore writes about the big deal in blogging. He discusses bloggers who reported what the news lacked on Iraq and how it is a great source for non-profits and alternative media, even suggesting a future business model where citizen’s will fund journalists to investigate and blog the news they want to hear. Will this change the newspaper and “Big Media” establishment in the US?

One of the most interesting and exciting Gilmore assertions is on the “evolutionary and revolutionary” potential of blogs: “American’s protected by the First Amendment, can generally write blogs with few consequences. However, in country after country where free speech is not a given, the blogosphere matters in far more serious ways. This is the stuff of actual revolution (140).” In strict repressive regimes, Persian or Chinese weblogs for example, can bring free speech to citizens forced to live in silence. While blogging can come with consequences such as being jailed, it offers hope for some voices to be heard. Can the Internet provide free speech to the world? Will it be the Gandhi of the Information era for political and government change?

Week 7 -- 14 November - Activism Politics

2006-11-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

Group 4 - Reading:
Netizens: An Anthology, The Net and the Future of Politics: The Ascendency of the Commons . FOCUS On pp1-5, 10-12, 15-22, 24-25

Assignment:
Synthesize reading(s) and supplement discussion material with at least one additional reading per group member. Blog, a reaction to the assigned reading(s)* that includes a short abstract (with link) of the supplemental resource. Posts are due 6 pm day of class.

Netizen’s transcribes the two-week November 1994 Virtual Conference on Universal Service and Open Access to the Telecommunications Network (see NTIA) as an example of public and open discussion to examine e-government.

Views on Internet and democracy:
• 19th Century Political Theorist, James Mill – democracy as desirable but impossible to maintain.
• Recent Scholar Professor Christopher Lach –is the press and modern journalism equivalent to a public forum for representative government?
• Traditional town meeting limitations – is everyone allowed to speak?
• At the conference – Internet identified as a public good.

Optimism at the conference:
“The development of the Internet and of Usenet is an investment in a strong force towards making direct democracy a reality. These new technologies present the chance to overcome the obstacles of preventing the implementation of direct democracy…Usenet newsgroups are discussion forums where questions are raised, and people can leave comments when convenient, rather than at a particular time and at a particular place…newsgroups and mailing lists prove that citizens can both do their daily jobs and participate in discussions that interest them within their daily schedule (2-3).”

Over ten years later government net uses are still being envisioned…UW Professor Philip Howard quotes in his book on page 36 about digital democracy:
“The general public will have ready access to government information and services over their computers. The internet will be an agent for democracy, as each community has an electronic town hall…citizens will vote from home by computer on daily and weekly issues which are raised by their elected representatives (Bainbridge 2003, 320).”

Internet Access in Libraries:
The ALA (American Library Association) includes the Internet as part of its Intellectual Freedom policy. Libraries defend the use of the Internet for everyone and try to resist filtering, however the courts upholding CIPA in 2003 required libraries receiving public funds to limit the sites which are accessible to children.

Questions:
• How do we create a public forum through the net?
• How do we use communication technology to drive direct democracy?
• Is accessing the Internet a citizen right?

DEFINITIONS:
NTIA~ National Telecommunications & Information Administration – a former branch of the US Department of Commerce sponsored the email and newsgroup conference).

Intellectual Freedom~ Intellectual freedom is freedom of the mind, and as such it is both a personal liberty and prerequisite for all freedoms leading to action. Moreover, intellectual freedom, protected by the guarantees of freedoms of speech and press in the first Amendment, forms the bulwark of our constitutional republic. –American Library Association, Office of Intellectual Freedom, Intellectual Freedom Manual

CIPA Children’s Internet and Protection Act~ forces libraries to filter the content of computer usage.

SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCES:
Howard, Philip N. (2006). New media campaigns and the managed citizen. Cambridge, NY: Cambridge University Press.
A University of Washington professor, Howard uses an ethnographic approach to examine the “networked computer” and “political campaign establishment.” Survey data and social network analysis provide an evolutional look at political campaigns over time from 1996 to 2004.

Lord, Catherine. (2006). Intellectual Freedom: Understanding and Supporting Access. King County Library System, Training 10 November 2006.

ALA website

Week 6 -- 8 November - Community

2006-11-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

NOW THIS IS REAL DEDICATION TO YOUR JOB!!! (Vaun your cartoon reminded me of this…one of the reasons I avoid spending a lot of time online outside of work and school)

Reading:
"Communities in Cyberspace" - eReserve.
Chapter 18 and Conclusion, Winston.

Assignment:
What types of community have you experienced online? How have they differed from off-line communities? What characteristics of the Internet (the computing network) affect the growth, power, effectiveness of online communities?

The first online community I joined was my 4th grade classroom in 1995; we played an Oregon Trail game with everyone in the class. In middle school, I entered the world of email but only checked it by the prodding of friends who would tell me face-to-face “I sent you an email, open it!” In high school I never caught onto IM or Live Journal, the joke became if you want to get in touch with Stephanie, you better track her down personally…she’s not online and never answers her cell phone. Finally when I studied abroad I joined the group of IM users and our Euromasters email group. I joined Facebook and MySpace too with friends and relatives nagging; my 14-year-old cousin told me all her friends are online and if I am her friend then I need to have a picture, profile and music on MySpace, so she set me up with that. My 11-year-old cousin sends me online jokes. Even my mother and grandmother seem to check email more then me sending lots of forwards, links and videos from YouTube, information and more from their own email networks. Now I am linked to online spam groups!

Only through necessity (school, work and social pressure or time/distance issues) am I present in online communities. In that sense I feel old-fashioned, I have not been super active in many online communities but I am active in other groups within my community (Kiwanis, Sorority, Honor Societies, Politic & Law Groups etc.). For me, Winston’s comment may have some truth: “Beyond the hype, the Internet was just another network. This is to say its social effects could (and would) be as profound as, for example those of that far more ubiquitous network, the telephone. As profound…and as unrevolutionary (336).

However, when distance prevents face-to-face communication, online communities are great. They allow people to create loose and tight networks of friends, colleagues, acquaintances, stay in touch and even develop close relationships. I believe most people are impacted by face-to-face communication and an online community can be used to reinforce face-to-face communication (e.g. setting up meeting times or events in real life). I tried an online class once but quickly switched back to a normal classroom as I prefer a combination of communication interaction (face-to-face in addition to written and virtual).

Major differences I see online: (1) people write differently than they speak, (2) its easier to put up a façade online. Sometimes there is a place for written communication and other times spoken. Otherwise, online communities are similar to real-life communities, you only matter if you show up and participate. Like any communication, it has to be a habit. At the moment I have a habit of showing up more in face-to-face, online is just a habit I am lacking.

The Internet’s open characteristic and bridge through time and distance makes its development widespread – but its growth is only as continuous as humans will use it.

Week 5 -- 1 November - Personal Technologies

2006-10-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Reading:
"Ecologizing Mobile Media," by Howard Rheingold. 2004.
Chapter 1 & 3 from The World is Flat, 2nd edition, 2006.
Group 4 Chapter 2, Flattener 7 & 8

Assignment:
General reaction to Friedman's thesis, anything new for you? What do you disagree with? What are the implications for the US economy and position in the world?

Chapters 1 & 3: While I Was Sleeping & The Triple Convergence
Friedman expands on globalization by adding new ideas based on technology and people as driving forces. He states “Globalization 3.0 is shrinking the world from a small size to a size tiny and flattening the playing field at the same time…the thing that gives it its unique character – is the newfound power for individuals to collaborate and compete globally…in globalization 3.0 you are your own ticket agent” (10 & 174). His thesis takes globalization to a personal level where technological communication allows the individual to become the revolutionary. Through stories and experiences, Friedman provides examples for his theories from his travels in India, discussions with business owners, CEOs and others. He explains what he views as “the truth that no one wanted to tell you: The world has been flattened. As a result of the triple convergence, global collaboration and competition – between individuals, companies and individuals, companies and companies, and companies and customers – have been made cheaper, easier, more friction-free, and more productive for more people from more corners of the earth than at any time in the history of the world” (200).

I would agree with the “flattening” idea that technology allows people to be more connected than ever. Rheingold’s commentary on the mobile phone shows people can be “always in touch and always reachable,” evidence for a flattened world. However, I would disagree that the world is flat due to the disparities that still exist. Rheingold comments there is a “divide between the "know- how" and "don't-know-how" populations.” India, China, Africa and other places in the world are still not up to speed with flattening technology, even with bustling big cities that appear as proof of globalization. On a grand scale they are mirages in the desert. The rural world, even in America is not yet living in a flat universe because there is not a level playing field for the “haves” and “have not’s.”

For the US economy, a flattened world implies a more competitive world where the US may no longer have a top position. However a flattened world also ironically suggests an even playing field, so will the US economy and other nations’ be equal?

Group 4 - Freidman’s Flatteners:

Flattener 7 – Supply-Chaining, Eating Sushi in Arkansas
Sam Walton’s goal of “saving a few pennies here and there” resulted in Wal-Mart mastering the supply chain in a flattened world. Despite the critics, the company’s innovation in applying technology to increase the efficiency of buying and selling goods through manufacturing and delivery methods have made them number one and attracted Japanese partnership with Wal-Mart teaching Seiyu “its unique form of collaboration: global supply-chaining to bring consumers the best goods at the lowest prices” (140). In a “flatten world” this is the sharing of commerce where Arkansas business methods are in Japan and Japanese sushi is in demand in Arkansas.

Flattener 8 – Insourcing, What the Guys in Funny Brown Shorts Are Really Doing
UPS (i.e. the guys in the funny brown shorts) take the Wal-Mart model to the masses allowing small companies to have the same advantage by offering insourcing. “Insourcing – a whole new form of collaboration and creating value horizontally, made possible by the flat world and flattening it even more…Insourcing came about because once the world went flat, the small could act big – small companies could suddenly see around the world (143).” The brown shorts guys are “creating enabling platforms for anyone to take his or her business global or to vastly improve the efficiency of his or her global supply chain” (150). *Could this be the model for online grocery delivery and all other Internet buying?

Week 4 -- 25 October - Diffusion of Innovation

2006-10-23T00:10:00.000-07:00

Reading:
"Technologies of the Third Mediamorphosis," by Roger Fidler (eReserve)
"As We May Think," by Vannevar Bush from The Atlantic Monthly, July 1945.

Assignment:
Discuss the effects of applying computing power to communication. What might Bush forecast today, if he were looking to 2050?

Computing power to communication ~ Fidler relays the history of a variety of communication technology over time. Once a world before computers, communication is now connected to computing power. Communication is instantaneous and no longer blocked by geographic barrier. The effects he sees are “powerful agents of technological change…a profound influence upon nearly every individual, society and culture…Human notions of distance, time, and reality itself have been radically altered by the new forms of media that have only recently emerged and diffused throughout the world” (107). Is McLuhan’s global village coming to life, getting rid of our isolation-independent past and bringing us more together? Maybe not a communal village but instead exists a concept of world-wide mass media and connection on demand. In an online world computing power connects us everywhere - in work, school, home and all the domains of human life.

Bush forecasts 2050 ~ Using both imagination and scientific knowledge, Bush was a visionary psychic. He talked about versions of digital cameras and computers before their time. If looking toward the next 50 years he would likely forecast more uses of scientific capabilities that help keep records faster, smaller, and more accessible to the human...something the size of a peanut that has all the capabilities of a man’s brain? He might advocate or attempt to inspire more valued everyday uses for war technologies. By speculating new supervening necessities and predicting unintended consequences Bush would inadvertently name the next “Information Revolution.”

As long as someone can imagine it, the future of communication and computing power is unlimited…to be continued…2050.

Week 3 -- 17 October - Diffusion of Innovation

2006-10-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

Reading:
Chapters 2 & 3 from Media, Technology and Society, 1998.
Informing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman, 1990.
"Determining Uses and Gratifications for the Internet," from Decision Sciences, Vol 35 No 2, March 2004.
Optional: "Around the World Wide Web in 80 Ways: how motives for going online are linked to internet activities among politically interested internet users," from Social Science Computer Review, Vol 21 Issue 3, 2003.

Assignment: Discuss the importance of "supervening necessity" - can you think of other examples? What about the law of unintended consequences? How might U&G theory apply to your research this quarter?

“Supervening necessity” is a critical component of the model for change presented in Media, Technology and Society. Described as a social driving force, it pushes an idea to become an invention recognized and desired in the social sphere. It is significant because without the need for a prototype, it disappears and never reaches the masses. In terms of a business model, supervening necessity would be the demand, without it a product has no success. For example, Bill Gates vision of a PC being desired in every home did not become a reality until supervening necessity made it so. The same can be seen with the cell phone replacing landline telephones, records changing to tapes and cd or radio’s popularity shift from AM to FM. Every technology lives or dies based on supervening necessity, it is the lifeblood for a new idea to become common phenomena.

The “law of unintended consequences” encompasses the unforeseen, unplanned outcomes or results of something. In the article “Informing ourselves to death,” Postman eludes that computer technology may not be that great because while accessing more information can be useful, an unintended consequence is too much that people “drown” in information overload. In other words, something great is most likely not that great because of negative unintended consequences and the human dilemma. Postman quotes “We have met the enemy and he is us.” With that view, every technology will have a downfall or undesired effect. For example the Internet is a great tool with a negative consequence being that it also allows people to use it for harmful, dishonest purposes such as sending viruses or engaging in criminal activity. However if supervening necessity is at work, a new idea will come about to address a destructive unintentional consequence of an invention by making a solution needed and thus the cycle of change continues.

User and Gratifications theory related to my research: For all proposed topics, political campaign use of digital media, online dating, and profitability from online advertising, knowing why and what individuals want from their online interaction is useful. People want to get what they want and suppliers want to give them what they want for both to be happy. For example, campaigners, dating services and advertisers want to know what you get out of their service in order to persuade your opinion or become a constant user or buyer. They want their product/service to become supervening necessity and thus they want to know your use and gratification.

Choosing a research topic - help!

2006-10-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Help me decide! I am debating several topics and seeking your input to choose the best topic for my research this quarter:

1. The use of digital media in political campaign advertising: How political campaign advertising methods have evolved since the Internet.

2. Online dating: In the U.S. online dating and personals are the largest source of paid content on the web according to a study by the Online Publishers Association and comScore Networks. Questions – How do individuals find partners? Does the internet change how people meet their mate?

3. Online advertising: What is the most profitable and successful way to advertise on the web? A history of online advertising and how it impacts traditional advertising markets, i.e. newspaper/magazine, TV, radio.

4. A different topic/question related to the three above??

Week 2 -- 11 October - Communication Theories

2006-10-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

Reading:
[Winston] "Introduction" and "Chapter 1: The Telegraph," from Media Technology and Society.
[SANMT] "Social Aspects of New Media Technologies," from Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, 1994. (eReserve)
[Economist] "How the Internet killed the phone business," from The Economist, 17 September 2005 (eReserve)

Blog Assignment: Two "ah-ha's" from these readings as well as how they might apply to your possible research interests.

Summary: Winston sets the stage for his book using a model for electronic communication change involving the past/future, competence/performance, science/technology and the social sphere. SANMT, the authors discuss new media as “extensions of older forms” with examples of cable TV, email and telephone. Economist, the author suggests “voice over internet protocol” (VOIP) as the future of the telephone, using Skype as the example.

1st Ah-ha: New technology is not as new as one may think? The opening statement in SNMT builds on the idea that new media is only an improvement on previous forms, which coincides with Winston’s model where he states “Information Revolution” is the wrong term to use for the current state of electronic communication systems. Both readings explore the reasoning behind new technology and why individuals choose to become users. Winston’s model where “ideation” transforms into “prototypes” or “inventions” of new technology makes sense – everything is an idea first in the mind and then reality. In order to become reality there is a process, the next step in his model are social forces and the need for something. With a social need, an invention or new technology can reach what SANMT refer to as “critical mass,” the point where something is universal. This would seem to be a clear and logical process but as Winston points out it is not a universal hypothesis where A and B lead to C. In both readings, new technology has many aspects to its creation from ideas and needs but neither is able to define into law the exact process of how new technology comes into being. Each can only look to back in time and the only constant in history is change which yes, includes looking to the past and improving on the present for the future, which is where the connection of something new not being that new can be made.

2nd Ah-ha: The future is free? The Economist could be an example of how SANMT is correct in stating that new media is not always as new as one thinks, if Skype is only an improved extension of the telephone offering free, accessible service. However, we have yet to see the effects of Winston’s “social sphere” and whether or not the necessity is there to bring it to reality and reach SANMT’s critical mass. There is a demand for telephone-type communication, free and easy-access communication, and profitable communication technology. Each demand has common and opposite interests. If one looks to the past for the future because technology is never that new, then the only thing certain is – nothing is free, but we can be optimistic.

Possible Research Interests: Solve the chicken and egg question – which came first, technology or the user?; What drives communication technology: imagination, need, profit or the four major gratifications as stated in SANMT (entertainment, personal relationships, personal identity, surveillance)?; Does the “Information Revolution” exist?; What is the future of the telephone? – How can free technology be profitable? – case studies Skype and email in the workplace.

First Blog!

2006-10-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

First Blog test - it works!