Screen vs. print document design

Print Design

Newspaper and magazines has a huge canvas for designers to play with, such as double page spreading, colours, size and quality of the paper to attract reader’s attention. Besides that, high quality printed images can be different from screen images in terms of the resolution as the colours that be shown in the webpage are not as sharp compared to the printed images and it requires more time for the internet user to download a high resolution picture by using internet (Nielsen J, 1999).

Larger size design such as billboard and posters can attract reader’s attention by using the size advantages.

Apart from that, printed design can be 2-dimensional layout with much attention paid to layout and it’s possible to allow readers to turn the page to find out the story behind (Nielsen J, 1999).

Screen Design

Screen design is simultaneously 1-dimensional and N-dimensional design. However it’s possible for a screen design to come out with small amount of 2-dimensional layout by using the reader’s scrolling experience to oppose to a canvas experience (Nielsen J, 1999).

Besides that, screen design will allow users to locate more information by using features such as hyperlinks to direct readers to another website for more information. Next, with the “print screen” features in computers, it will also allow users to save the image they want without taking any physical space (Nielsen J, 1999).

In conclusion, both printed and screen designs have advantages and drawbacks both of the design can catch reader’s attention based on different situations.

Reference

Nielsen J, 1999, “Difference between Printed Design and Web Design”, viewed 25^th August 2011, < http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>

New forms of media publishing

According to the research done by IDC, people now spend twice as much time surfing the Web as they do watching TV. It shows that internet is the medium on which users spend the most time which are 32.7 hours per week, as compare to magazines which is 3.9 hours (Lewin J, 2008). In this case, it shows that people today are engaging themselves with high technology to obtain their information.

Firstly, YouTube had become a powerful tool for media publishing where allows user to upload video clips of TV shows, films and music videos. However there it might rise up the copyright issue between the publishing companies. In the year 2007, a group of music publishers had joined a class action lawsuit filed against YouTube on the video sharing issues (Sandoval G, 2011).

Besides that, the explosion in social media over the past couple years resulted many of the international brands are getting attention of their core demographics on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. According to Philip Keightley, traditional publishing world has suffered audience decline through the increased competition offered by a fragmenting media market (Keightley P, 2010). Hence, it results that the new forms of media publishing has altered the communication in a new media ecosystem.

Next, iPad had made a change in the new media ecosystem by making entries for magazine and newspaper to enter the new ecosystem with their applications which differs to the traditional media that are created by hierarchical organizations that are built for commerce. A new media ecosystem refers to online communities that discuss and extend the stories created by mainstream media (Lasica, 2003). Besides that, it allows publisher to save their distribution cost by engaging themselves in the world of internet (Alveras, 2010).

Reference

Alveras M, 2010, “The iPad and the Media Publishing Industry”, viewed 24^th August 2011, <http://smokingapples.com/opinion/magazines-ipad/>

Lewin J, 2008, “People Nows Spend Twice as Much Time on the Internet as Watching TV”, viewed 24^th August 2011, <http://www.podcastingnews.com/content/2008/02/podcasting-statistics-television/>

Keightley P, 2010, “More Brands Need To Become Social Media Publishers”, viewed 24^thAugust 2011, <http://socialmediatoday.com/philipkeightley/186787/more-brands-need-become-social-media-publishers>

Sandoval G, 2011, “YouTube, music publishers settle copyright beef”, viewed 24^th August 2011, <http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20093663-261/youtube-music-publishers-settle-copyright-beef/>

Lasica JD, 2003, "We Media", viewed 14th November 2011, <http://www.hypergene.net/wemedia/download/we_media.pdf>

Explain briefly types of blogging communities & methods to build blogging communities. Then, discuss the structure of one blogging community in brief

There are 3 types of blogging community according to Nancy White (2006) which are:

Blogger Centric Community

Blog that are owned by 1 organization but there are many authors in writing the blog. Hence, there is little opportunity for members to change and adapt to the environment.

Topic Centric Community

Blogging community that bloggers discuss on a specific niche topic. However it is difficult to search for people that had the same specific niche of interest and this will results in the slow growth of the community.

Boundaried Community

Community sites such as Myspace and Yahoo 360 where blogs are connected with social networks sites or forums. In this case, it allows bloggers to obtain easier accessibility to other blogger’s blog.

There are 8 tips to build up a blog community according to Darren (2009):

1) Starting with using comments - Interact with other bloggers.

2) Reader center post - Answering and inviting relevant questions to other bloggers

3) Interactive tools and projects - Use quiz or competition to attract other readers.

4) Invite reader generated content – Make sure the content attracts reader’s attention.

5) Become a cheer leader – Identify opportunities to cheer the community along.

6) Give readers jobs – Moderate comments and judging the competition.

7) Set readers homework – Encourages reader to report what they’ve done.

8) Give multiple avenues to ‘join’ or be a ‘member’ – Use hyperlinks at other social networks, forums to attract readers to join.

Reference

Rowse D, 2009, “8 Tips for Building Community on Your Blog”, viewed 23^th August 2011 <http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/02/28/8-tips-for-building-community-on-your-blog/>

White N, 2006, “Blogs and Community – launching a new paradigm for online community?”, viewed 23^th August 2011<http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/2006/12/blogs-and-community-launching-new.htm>

Classification of blogs & opinion about the most appropriate classification approach

According to Martha (2011), blogs can be classified into 5 categories which are corporate blog, niche blog, personal blog, forum blogging and review blog.

Firstly, corporate blog are blogs that are used officially with organization purpose. In a corporate blog, company’s information and latest update are easily being found and most of the corporate blogs will provide a space for their customers to leave their comments about the goods and services that are provided by the organization.

Sources - "http://www.lenovoblogs.com/"

Niche blog refers to blogs that related to specific niche such as gaming, technology and music where bloggers only provide information on a particular topic.

Sources - "http://www.wired.com/gamelife/"

Besides that, personal blog are usually used by blogger to keep track of their life and also a place to express themselves. Therefore, personal blogs are commonly written in personal language and also includes the emotional attachment of the blogger in the blog. Some of the blogger choose to privatize their personal blog.

Sources - "http://willysr.blogspot.com/"

Forum blogging is a place where blogger can share their thoughts about blogging, express things and provide opinion on how to improve in blogging.

Review blog allows blogger to share their review about the product that they used. For example, mobile phones, computers or even foods.

Sources - "http://yourshoppingkaki.blogspot.com/"

However, Chang & Yeh (2008) proposed a different ways to classifications different blogs in 2 approach, which are the motive-based classifications which refers to the bloggers motive to create a blog such as idea exchange and emotional expression. The second approach is content-based approach which classifies blogs according to subject matter such as online diary or life experience.

I agree more on Chang & Yeh's perspective as it provides a wider ways to classify blogs.

Reference

Martha, 2011, “What is Blogging and Types of Blogs”, viewed 22th August 2011, < http://hellboundbloggers.com/2011/02/27/types-of-blogs/ >

Chang HC & Yeh K, 2008, "Clarifying the difficulties and management of blogging", viewed 14th November 2011, < http://jitas.im.cpu.edu.tw/2008-2/1.pdf >

Blogs as current phenomenon & benefits of blogging to the community

According to Dave Sifry, the CEO of Technorati mentioned that the blogosphere continues to grow at a quickening pace (.

In the year 1999, Cartmeton Barret had published a list of 23 Blogs that are exist at the time and it's being projected that the number will increase to 126 million 10 years later.(Extraincomesimplified, 2011) This phenomenon also indicates that the emergence of the internet in today's world whereby people today's are engaging themselves into the world of internet which also resulted the emergence of new media..

By creating a weblog, users are able to share their information such as Food, Travel and even doing some business such as Clothes and Digital Devices.

In Malaysia, blogging has the potential to serve as a democratizing force in the country with the little freedom of expression in the blog. Apart from that, despite the fact that the government has promised not to censor the Internet and allowing bloggers to operate without a publishing license, bloggers are will subject to a wide range of laws such as Part 5, Section 3.5 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Code states: “The Online environment is not a legal vacuum. In general, if something is illegal ‘off-line’, it will also be illegal ‘on-line’. In this matter, the relevant existing laws apply”. (Sandra CS, 2011)

Blog places an impact in the education today as Williams and Jacobs found out that students were highly positively of the use of blogs as a learning tools and it also increases interactively and reflective activities. Besides that, using blog as a learning tool will tend to increase the student-relationships in this conversational atmosphere. Hence, it provides an active learning environment and also encourages critical thinking in the discussion (Helena SYS & Chan YM, 2008).

Reference

Sandra CS, 2011, “Blogging in Malaysia: Hope for a New Democratic Technology?”, viewed 20th August 2011, <http://www.cprsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/drupal/Sandra_Smeltzer.pdf>

ExtraIncomeSimplified, 2011, "The Blogging Phenomenon Explained", viewed 14th November 2011, < http://www.extra-income-simplified.com/Blogging-Phenomenon.html>

MasterNewMedia, 2006, "Blog Usage Statistics and Trends: State Of The Blogosphere", viewed 20th August 2011,

Helena SYS & Chan YM, 2008, “Educational blogging: A Malaysian university students' perception and experience”, viewed 20th August 2011, <http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/song.pdf>>

Purpose of my blog

Coming out with a weblog will allow me to share my opinion on topics that I wish to discuss about. I can achieve it by using features such as hyperlinks, discussion box and comment boxes. In this case, my target audiences will be people that are interested in Issues and Publications and Design.