Website Analysis - Hypertext (Part 5)

Hypertext also plays a very important role in this particular website. Hypertext is a text which is “ not constrained to be linear and has links to other texts”(http://www.w3.org/WhatIs.html).The homepage is made up of hypertext links which allows the audience to make informed choices about what they actually want to read. The homepage shows the main entertainment headlines then maybe a few sentences underneath, if the audience wish to read further they have to make a choice of whether to click on the “Full story” link or not. This is allowing the audience to interact with the website. This website would not be able to work without this. There can be at least 30 entertainment stories a day and therefore if these were all to be shown, in full, on the homepage, the audience would be overloaded with information and are less likely to want to read any of the news that is in front of them. By having the hyperlinks it allows the user to read all stories clearly whenever they wish.

Website Analysis - Voting and Forums (Part 6)

Another way they also try and introduce as much interactivity as possible is the fact that they also introduce voting systems sometimes about “Best Dressed” etc. When you vote and submit your answer it will come up with what the majority of the readers also think. If they agree with what you think you are automatically more inclined to think that you are in the right and that your answer actually matters. This is just yet another way of drawing the audience in and letting them get more involved (interactive). This also shows another example of technological determinism as these sorts of voting systems have only been seen more recently with the expansion of such user generated websites.

As with many websites you have to be a member if you wish to take part in the forums or leave messages on the message boards. This makes the audience feel safer when commenting on such message boards as they know that the provider does have the details of the users and could therefore stop anything untoward from happening. Therefore the audience may be more inclined to say what they feel within discussions. But I know from my experience that I am less likely to comment on such message boards if I know that I have to sign up to the website, give my details and log in everytime I go onto the website. Considering I use the website everyday this could become quite tedious. But this idea also links back to the idea of identity as, for example, when people log in they provide a “screen name” which they can totally make up. This then adds to the persona they want to be seen as on the website which might be totally different to that of real life.

Website Analysis - My Opinion (Part 7)

I’ve got to say that heatworld.com is one of my favourite websites and I use it nearly everyday. I interact to a certain degree by only choosing to read the full stories of the articles which I actually find initially interesting. I also find it interesting voting on certain topics to see if everyone else agrees with my way of thinking. But something I don’t really take part in is leaving messages on the message boards or forums. Firstly as previously stated, you have to be a member, also many of the discussions that take place are very trivial, meaningless and not something which I personally want to be a part of. For example here is a link to a storey about what Cerys Matthews is wearing, if you read through all the comments you can see that may of them are petty and some don’t even make any sense, http://www.heatworld.com/Article/4615/Cerys+Matthews/Yikes!+What+the+HELL+is+Cerys+wearing

David Gauntlett - Identity

I remembered reading an article last year about identity. I read over the article again and found it quite interesting reading david's ideas about new media and how it has progressed over time.

Heres the link if you fancy having a quick read!

http://theoryhead.com/gender/interview1.htm

Task 2 - Message Boards-Heatworld.com

I have been a fan of this website since it started up although i have never commented on any of the message boards, nor have i commented on any message boards come to that.
The message boards allow people to have their own say, many can spark of reactions which can even lead to very heated arguments over the message boards. This website is based on celebrity news and many people believe that they know celebrities inside out because they haveseen them photographed all the time, etc. This therefore means that people fel like they can express themselves much more and many give their views on what they think celebrities should do.

In real life would you think it was correct to tell someone what they should do with their life?

For example, on the message board linked to the story about cheryl and ashley coles current relationship, one girl states "I dont think he deservs another chance". This girl doesnt know anything about their relationship other than what she has read in the media. Therefore how does she have a right to make such a comment? The fact is such message boards allow you to say exactly what you think. Your name doesnt need to be shown when you make a comment, therefore, no one knows anything about you which leaves way for you to say exactly what you feel.

On the other hand, you can also say things that you would not normally say. For example you could agree with a certain comment or idea that in real life wouldnt be your way of thinking. But because no-one knows you they dont necessarily think what you are saying is true or false. Therefore as well as being able to express what you really think you can easily express ideas which are totally against what you think in order to be included in certain conversations.

Wek 3 - Task 1 - Identity

Many people feel more comfortable talking to someone over the internet as they feel they can express themselves much more as you dont have to talk to someone face to face. This is how paedophilia has become so much of a problem in recent years. With the continued advancement of technology such as the internet, it has become easier for people to talk to complete strangers. You cant see the person you are actually talking to and therefore if you dont know them it is very easy to put on "mask". If you dont necessarily like something about yourself, eg the colour of your hair, you can easily make it up and no one would be any of the wiser. This is why some men can easily pretend to be other young girls or boys in order to befriend children and take advantage.

Will continued advancement in technology make it so such paedophillia can become more uncontrollable?

Week 2 - Task 1

I believe that there are many similarities and differences when comparing oniline and face-to-face subjects. Obviosuly you are learning the same subject but in a very different way. The seminar can basically commence when you want it to and therefore means that work is more likely to get done as people can do it whenever they are free. Whereas is a seminar you need to be there at that particular time, for example, someone may be ill therefore they miss the seminar. With online seminars they can still attend but from home.

Although initially the whole process seems quite difficult to get used to, after the first couple of weeks I now know what is expected of me and i am now able to write much more freely. This brings me to another point. In face-to-face seminars I sometimes dont like answering questions because of the fear that the answer will be wrong and ill get funny looks. When blogging it is much easier to say points which you would otherwise keep to yourself therefore making it much easier for me persoanlly to express myself. The fact that everyone can see what im writing does worry me a bit but not as much as it would in a normal seminar!Does anyone agree with me?

It also allows you to interact with people who you may not usually interact with. If you are stuck on a particular topic you can post queries on the forum and anyone who can help will reply. This shows increased interaction as people may feel less contious typing a reply into a computer than telling the answer to someones face in the seminar.

I have to admit that I already feel i am learning alot more about the subject than i think i would in a normal seminar. Whereas it may seem quite easy to miss a normal seminar, here the work needs to be done (although it is over a 1 wk time period) or else you could easily fall behind. By initially being told to read other peoples blogs, it brings up ideas which i may not have thought about. In seminars people need to think on the spot, here they are able to think about things much more thoroughly. Therefore the subjects being discussed are much more in-depth and relevent, therefore i feel we are learning more.

Although one problem with online seminars is the fact that it can take a while to get comment/reply about ur blog. Therefore you may not know whether what you are saying is correct or whether or not other people agree with you, so this can be frustrating sometimes. Therefore it may be a good idea to have more interaction with tutors even if it is just over the forum.

New Media - An intrusion of our privacy?

As new media continues to develop at a rapid pace we are faced with new technologies which not all of us agree with. The increased crime rate on our streets has lead to an increase in the number of cctv cameras we are now able to find. Many beleive this is a good use of technology and can lead to criminals being prosecuted. Others feel that we are now living in a 'Big Brother' style world where our every movement is monitored and we are no longer able to have the privacy we would have had 20 years ago. This privacy/safety relationship would not need to be questioned had technology advanced enough where cameras can record every detail of peoples lives. Therefore although this sort of technology may enrich our lives greatly it can also hinder in a massive way.

Personally i do feel alot safer knowing that cameras are there, for example, when im out shopping. I know that if someone were to get mugged the chances of finding the suspect are much higher when they have been recorded on video. Although i do realise that misuse of such
technology can lead to an invasion of privacy which we didnt sign up for.

What do you think? Should we allow technology to control our lives in such a way?

Task 3 - Technological Determinism

Daniel Chandler states that according to technological determinists, particular technical developments, communications technologies or media, or, most broadly, technology in general are the sole or prime antecedent causes of changes in society, and technology is seen as the fundamental condition underlying the pattern of social organization (http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/tecdet/tdet02.html).

If such technology as emails and websites had not been developed then many organisations would not be able to work as effectively or as efficiciently as they do today. Questions may take days to be answered leading to contracts, etc taking even longer to be completed. Therefore the fact that technology keeps advancing further means it must be a good thing. The introduction of digital media is going to increase efficiency and quality of such works. It will mean more work will be able to be conducted with a shorter length of time and the work that is produced will be of higher visual and audio quality. Although the cost implications of the new digital switch over, for example, are high, it will mean an improved viewing quality for the audience, therefore society will advance showing just what digital media can do to our communities. But this could be a matter that it is what we want socially. We want an improved viewing quality, we want to be able to complete processes as quickly and as easy as possible. Although we do want these as a society, the fact is that they will change the way we live whether it help or hinder what we do.

MUD's and MOO's

I really did not understand much about these so if anyone would like to enlighten me then feel free........thankyou!!!

Task 1

Email is a 'store and forward method of composing, sending, storing and receiving messages over electronic communication systems' (www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm). They allow mass communication to a wide audience. An email can be of any length and can be sent anywhere in the world for free. This means it is a quick, easy and simple way of relaying information over a wide area. It doesnt even matter about time delays as the recipient can open the email whenever they are next available to do so. From the click of a button you can also send the same email to many different people. This saves time in the workplace when, for example, memos are being distributed, therefore leaving more time for more important tasks. Although I dont use email regularly, i do use it when communicating with lecturers as it is a very simple way of asking questions without having to actually go and find the lecturer in question. Therefore, for this reason I find them very useful.

Usenet and Bulletin board systems work in a similar way to emails in the way that they are able to be viewed by many people but then sender only has one original copy on the bulletin board. The problem with this is that people will have to make an effort to look at this bulletin board to get vital information. Whereas with an email, it pops up in your inbox and is therefore much more difficult to ignore. But bulletin boards do allow many people to see information which may only take seconds to put up. Although I have no personal experience with bulletin boards i can see how they have there uses as they are not very time consuming and can reach a very large audience.

Chat rooms and messenger services are very easy to use and can send messages instantly and you know the receiver will receive the message straight away. But this does therefore mean the recipient has to be present, therefore times may need to be arranged beforehand in order to relay the information. It is also very difficult to relay the same information to more than one person without relaying the whole conversation again which can be very time consuming. Chat rooms can also be dangerous as you dont neccesarily need to know the person you are speaking to. Whereas with msn you need to add the person onto your address list meaning you are most likly to know the person. This is the way of communicating which i use the most. It is quick and easy and information can be relayed whenever you feel is necessary. Although i do get frustrated when having the same conversation with several people as it means retyping alot of stuff which you have already said.

MUDs and MOOs are 'multi-user text based virtual realities accessible via the internet' (www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/projects/jtap/reports/teaching/moo.html). These are used alot within the 'gaming world' with the example being Dungeons and Dragons and have to admit that i hadnt really heard of them and do not know much about them even after researching them. I would be grateful for any help with this.

Websites are incredibly popular within today's society and there are millions of them available providing much detail on anything you want to know. They can be very helpful because they are quick and simple to use and much information can be gathered from the click of a button. It has to be said though that not all information may be accurate and it can lead to some information getting into the wrong hands, for example, bomb makers, suicide attempts, etc. I use the internet on daily basis whether it is to go on social netoworking sites or to check the lates celebrity news or to do something connected with work. They are very helpful and i probably could live without them!