The Next New Thing

All sorts of new media technologies have already been thought of and created, but living in New York its easy to get idea's from daily life. An idea I have always had but have never implemented is a social Google Maps-type website which would allow users to get together and, in a collaborative fashion, post information about transportation in their neighborhood. There is currently no single place to go for bus schedules or alternate side parking schedules in New York City. Due to the shear amount of bus stations and blocks with street cleaning, it would be very difficult for one person to gather all this information into the website. A community based wiki-like site where everyone can just place points on a map an input information about their own block or neighborhood would be quickly populated and very useful to me and others in the city.

Our Class Wiki - So Far

As the Editor of the New Media in Web Design page on our class wiki I intend to both improve, and add to this page in meaningful ways. Firstly, there are several mistakes made by the previous editor, mostly relating to grammar and capitalization of terms. I will be fixing the content that is already there as well as bringing it up to speed with the current times. The information in the wiki is dated by about half a year or more, and I intend to freshen it up with new examples of new media websites and their designs. I have looked into Twitters latest redesign of their homepage, Facebooks new layout, and many other new media sites which seam to have moved a little farther from the simplistic designs seen in the early days of Web 2.0. I will leave information about Web 2.0's past designs and improve on it by providing more current examples as well.

About My Term Research Paper

For my research paper I focused on how the traditional print media is being forced to make its shift over to the internet and utilize new media technologies. I found that a surprisingly large share of traditional media companies are taking steps towards utilizing new technology in disseminating information. That being said, they are still years behind the first adopters of these technologies such as bloggers and wiki users. In my paper I go over the history of what led to this new media revolution, as well as the steps an organization can take to make sure it stays alive through the process. I also discuss the downfall of print media, the differences between print and online publications, and how several companies have gone completely digital by shutting down their print divisions.

This transition from print to digital is one that is closing in on us faster and faster, and new media is not only making all this possible, but it is also fueling the push towards abandoning print publications. I feel that this topic needs to be addressed in detail, and my paper provides the history, as well as the groundwork for the future of both print and new media.

Privacy & Confidentiality

In a world of Facebook and Myspace you can already log in and find someones name, birthday, and even phone number within seconds. Through Twitter or Facebook status updates you can often even see what they had for breakfast, and now with sites like FourSquare, which allows you to check in at locations throughout the city, you can see where they are at any given moment and how often they go there.

Of course, with all this information being updated every minute, the issues of privacy and confidentiality come up a great deal. While all of social media's users are voluntarily posting everything there is to post about themselves, they are often doing so without recognizing the consequences. It is not until someone you don't want having that information uses it against you that you realize exactly how important your privacy is.

We live in a world where most people are used to having their every move chronicled online, but should that be the case? Most social networking sites provide privacy settings that, when used correctly, can help protect your information from the people who you don't want having it. The problem with these settings is that they are usually opt-in, not opt-out. This means that by default all your information is out in the open, for the world to see.

The next time you update your status, fill out a profile, or check-in somewhere, think about who may be seeing this information, and what they may be using it for. If there is even a single friend, family member, or boss who you do not want seeing what you are about to post, then perhaps you should hold of posting it until you properly configure your privacy settings.

Advice to Baruch College

There are several ways Baruch College can make use of new media to improve the college. New media can be used for either marketing efforts or in the classroom to assist in the education. Various technologies can be used for one or both of those purposes for little to no cost to the college.

Tools like Twitter and Facebook could be used for marketing purposes to get the word out there about Baruch and its many offerings. The college's various departments already have accounts on these social networking sites, so my suggestion would be to make a general Baruch College account which would be used for promotion. It could be used to generate buzz by holding giveaways and using other such gimmicks to gain followers, and thus get the college's name out there. Perhaps even a creative video on YouTube could go viral and make the college known around the country. Something well produced, and funny, could go a long way towards promoting Baruch College.

Secondly, blogs, wikis, and Twitter could also be used in the classroom for students to share their knowledge. Much as they are used in this online class, they could be used for traditional classes and would allow students to continue the discussion outside the classroom. Having a place for students to post articles and information they have come across could be of great advantage. Allowing students to connect through groups on sites like Facebook where most already have profiles could provide them with an opportunity to network outside of the classroom as well.

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds, such as Second Life, create a platform for us, as individuals, to be whoever we want to be. The potential is endless, as are the uses. More than allowing us to be whoever we want though, virtual worlds also allow people from all over the world to connect and meet no matter where they are. It is this aspect of virtual worlds that I feel is important for their future. Although Second Life's popularity has diminished in recent years, the concept of virtual worlds opened a new world, literally, to both individuals and corporations.

According to a CNN article by Mark Tutton called "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life" some companies are using Second Life to allow employees to interact, no matter where they are physically located, and hold meetings within a virtual world hosted on the companies own private network. Given sufficient development of these systems, the possibilities are endless. Imagine a world where nobody has to leave their home to go to work. Without geographic limitations, the possibilities for productivity are endless.

Likewise, the possibilities are endless for non-corporate clients too. With the advent of virtual worlds you can have entire family reunions from the comfort of your home, just by having everyone log on to a specific server at a specific time. The possibility for creativity is similarly limitless because your identity in this world is limited to just how you were born. Your avatar and your virtual character can be an expression of who you've always wanted to be.

Not all these things are good, however. The big fear, depicted in the movie Surrogates, is that humanity will cease to interact in real life. On a smaller, and more immediate, scale it is important to realize that nothing can truly replace face to face interaction. Meeting in virtual worlds may be more convenient, but they may not be as persuasive. Having the real life and in person aspect to any interaction is very important and that is something virtual worlds will never be able to compensate for.

When Second Life was first developed it was the hot story. Everyone saw it as the future for both companies and individuals. Once the hype died down, however, so did Second Life. I see a reincarnation of virtual worlds in the future that, like Second Life, will try to bring in the masses, but for the time being I think that we can only make use of the bits and pieces of information gained from Second Life. Telecommuting, for example, is becoming a big part of organizations, but its still not quite the same as logging in to a virtual world. Perhaps as telecom telecommuting uting grows, there will be a push for new virtual world technologies and we will see growth in the field.

Twitter Discussion

Having a discussion on Twitter is unlike most other forms of communication, with the exception of maybe text messages, because you are so limited in what you can write. Twitter forces you to really think about what you want to say and cut it down to only 140 characters.

Unlike Blackboard Discussion Boards and even in class discussion, you don't have a limitless space to get your thoughts out. Instead you are forced to put out concise and short 140 character sound-bites which you must then make sure will be understood the way you intend them too.

Although the space is limited, when you put all the little bites together with a hash tag and are able to see them as a long string on a particular topic of discussion, you can really see the use of it and Twitter becomes a good way to communicate and share ideas.

Social Networking

Social Networking has overtaken the lives of most people I know. Whenever I go out there is at least one person in the group, at any given time, updating their Facebook status, tweeting about where they are at the moment, or even using Foursquare to check in at our current location. This kind of always-on availability of people has changed the way most social interactions occur. Virginia Heffernan writes in "Being There" for the New York Times that "The current friendliness of handheld devices to Facebook (and Twitter and MySpace) has made it more likely that when a pal — the Jägermeister-besotted Sean, say — writes that he’s stumbling home, he is stumbling home, right then, and simultaneously apprising his friends via his mobile." Much like my friends who are constantly letting their entire network know where they are.

This, of course, has benefits and disadvantages like any other technology. These days I could know all about the life of a friend who I haven't seen since elementary school, including what he had for breakfast, who he's hooking up with, and where he's working these days, without even seeing him once. (Same goes for knowing what my girlfriend is doing without having to ask.) But is that really a benefit? Sure, I am able to use social networking to reconnect with old friends and keep informed on their lives, but do I really want that many friends? Furthermore, do I really want that many people knowing what I had for breakfast? With 500 Facebook friends and 150 Twitter followers I guess the answer is yes, I do, but the point is that with all the benefits of connectivity that social networking provides, it has its dark sides too.

Its not just our friends who can make use of all the information we are putting out either. Companies have begun to tap into this social market by creating apps and add-ons which allow us to do their advertising for them. Dominoes pizza for example posts your order on Facebook, if you allow it too, shows your friends what you ordered, and even how soon it will be delivered. I know I've certainly seen a friend order food, and decided to do the same right then and there. Games on my iPhone post my high scores to Facebook and Twitter and encourage friends and followers to try and beat them, thus getting them to buy the app because if I'm playing it, it must be good. Right?

There's no doubt about it that social networking is fun and in many ways even beneficial. As long we are aware of the privacy lost when using all of these technologies I think there is no reason for them to not continue to prosper in the future. All the dark sides and negative effects of privacy lost can be mitigated by proper use and education, and the benefits are there to be shared by all. I feel we are moving into more and more intrusive social applications and towards an ever-more connected world. Applications such was FourSquare and Gowalla which use your iPhone's GPS to check you in at various locations throughout your day are lots of fun, albeit a bit creepy, and can be used to compete with friends over who goes somewhere most. This kind of social geo-tagging, in my opinion, is the wave of the future.

Check Out Social Networking Sites

Social Networking has become a phenomenon that has missed very few people. Everyone I know is on one social networking site or another. From Facebook, to Myspace, to LinkedIn, even my mother has an account on at least 2 of them. For many people it started with Friendster. As the first glimpse into social networking for many people Friendster provided an opportunity for people to connect online, post pictures, leave comments, and do all the usual things you can on any social networking site.

These days Friendster appears to be nothing more than a dead framework for what once was a social networking site. My time on the site recently yielded nothing more than deleted profiles, empty profiles, or spam profiles. Not much there.

Next came MySpace. MySpace aloud for more creativity with the ability to create custom profiles, upload music, and pretty much do whatever you wanted to your page. As MySpace exploded everyone under the age of 30 seemed to have one, but just as quickly as it came up, it was all but destroyed by Facebook. These days MySpace seams like a post-apocalyptic burying ground where few profiles are still active, and the rest are just littered with spam and abandonment.

Facebook provides a much cleaner feeling, without crazy colors, loud music, and annoying pictures that overtake a MySpace profile. Facebook provides a clean and productive network with many features as well as security which doesn't allow anyone who isn't in your network to see your information. Still the number one choice for social networking it seams like Facebook will remain the most popular until something new comes along.

Finally, there are alternative social networking sites that are created for specific reasons. LinkedIn for example is a site for professionals. Those looking to network with colleagues past and present join LinkedIn and ask for recommendations and references. Seeing as building your professional network is vital to success, LinkedIn can be a very important too for your career.

From Paperboys to Modems: Print Media's Move to the Internet

Its no secret that publishers of traditional print media, such as newspapers and magazines, have long started putting their content online. However, with decreased readership of the traditional paper copies, mass adaptation of the internet, and wireless devices that can receive content on the go, many content producers are struggling to keep the business model which has worked in the past afloat. People simply aren't reading as many newspapers or magazines in print form as they used to, and companies are being forced to adapt by finding ways to profit from their online offerings. Some print publications, such as Ziff Davis Media's PC Magazine, are being cut completely and replaced by online versions, while others, such as the New York Times are losing money on the print business while trying to stay afloat. For my research paper I intend to analyze this phenomenon by examining other such occurrences, industry reports, and interviews with publishers and editors of both traditional and new media.

What is New Media?

As the internet evolved from static web pages to dynamic sites which provide users with all sorts of interactive functionality, a revolution in how we consume media, and the types of media we do consume, began to take form. Emerging technologies provided new mediums for distributing content and helped democratize its production. With sites like YouTube, Blogger, and Wikipedia you no longer needed a production company or a publication company to produce content. Anybody is now able to log on and put out everything they have to say within a matter of minutes, and distribute it to the world. The internet has revolutionized the way content is produced and distributed and has created an entirely new form of media on an entirely new medium.

This "new media" consists of various technologies, all using the internet as a platform. By connecting millions of people worldwide the internet has allowed us to share text, video, audio, and images in various forms and use them all to publish our own content without having to go through the traditional channels. Furthermore, the internet has allowed us to connect to each other, via social networking sites, and help further propagate this content across various networks. The social aspect of new media is very important in that most Web 2.0 technologies incorporate some sort of interactivity. It is everyones ability to share and to comment on everybody else's work that has really revolutionized our media intake.

Clive Thompson, in a Wired article titled "Clive Thompson on How YouTube Changes the Way We Think", talks about a YouTube user who stitched together 2000 comments he had received on a video into a voiceless montage. He says " All these people from across the globe convey something incredibly evocative while remaining completely mute." It is that ability to express yourself without having to stand out that has made new media so democratic. By providing a voice to the masses we are able to rid ourselves of the biases of traditional media, and give power back to the masses.

With this newfound shift of power, traditional media is being forced to adapt or back out. Newspaper revenues are down, television viewership is heading in the same direction, and all-in-all old media forms are slipping. It is no surprise viewers prefer content they can be a part of, rather than something produced by money-minded executives and they are making their voices heard on the internet. As grim as it sounds, this doesn't necessarily mean the end of old media though. Rather than throw in the towel many traditional outlets are starting to adapt by incorporating Twitter, Facebook, and even YouTube into their broadcasts. By connecting the new with the old they are attempting to retain an audience and prosper in the future. What the actual effect will be is yet to be determined.