youtube video "starting out on BAPP"

I had fun creating my "starting out on BAPP" youtube video. I experimented using some features on my Mac computer like green screen and scrolling text. I used two images to represent interaction which seems to be a large part of the BAPP course. Hope you enjoy it.

In all good cinemas from Friday..
You tube link.

Professional Communications Course Reader

The Professional Communications Course Reader provided is centred on Web 2.0. Its aims are to inform, encourage and stimulate the reader to explore debates and theoretical perspectives on the role of web 2.0.

Tim O’reilly defines what he constitutes as Web 2.0 system by developing a  "meme" charting concepts, ideas and processes. Looking at the meme I can see how it provides support for social and business enterprises, but I am also made aware that the same tools currently cripple sales in the entertainment industry e.g. unsanctioned pirate copies of video and music being transferred online.

The reader suggests, “there are three particular competencies that are relevant to the positioning of web 2.0 within professional practice and the work place”. "Architectures of Participation", "Remixable Data and transformations" and "Harnessing collective data". 

I decided to examine the information provided and the potential outcomes.

• Architectures of Participation

 Taking part as well as interaction and creation are a part of the fundamental process known as cultural consumption and cultural production (Bourdieu 1993; Duncombe 1997; McCarthy & Jinnett 2001; O’Hagan 1996; Schuster 1991). 
By making participation accessible to all, cheap, easy and quick increases calibration, resulting in building successful relationships and the democratisation of media (Hamilton 2000). Ullrich et al (2008) describes the process as the ‘architecture of assembly’. Users are encouraged to be self empowered, take control of data production and the access other people have to their data, this concept is known as “The democratisation of the web”

I was reading in The Republic of China there is not a free flow of information over the Internet. The government censor the Internet and social networking. I believe this stunts global creativity and calibration. The distortion of truth is also banned in The Republic of China. The advantages would be, less potential for customers to be bamboozled by misleading advertisements.

One of the advantages of being behind the confines of a computer is, individuals are able to participate and send comments while remaining anonymous. 

 

• Remixable Data and transformations

 Originating from rap and hip-hop music, reusing and rearranging data for a new purpose from each other to maintain and nurture dialogues. A fusion of production and usage known as “Produsage” Burns (2007), where we participate as both the producer and consumer.

Having the ability to remix data encourages companies to be competitive, forcing them to upgrade products and services which benefit the consumer e.g. IPad, Amazon kindle and Blackberry PlayBook. Virtual data can be constantly edited and improved. I think that we are bombarded with so much uncensored and opinionated information having to cipher out what is factual and what is not. I also believe that an influx of similar repetitive data can subliminally dictate the choices we make e.g.  “vat to rise”, “spending cuts” resulting in spending choices.

• Harnessing collective data

 The amalgamation of combined information from participants can result in self-service problem solving online discussions, harnessing information from someone who has asked a similar question. Companies use web sites (e.g. www.amazon.co.uk) to gain statistics from people who have viewed their pages for various purposes and to recommend similar items of interest to them. When booking a hotel I always check www.tripadvisor.co.uk to get customer feedback before making a purchase.

I rely on web tools so much; it’s hard to think how I survived without them.  Society also forces us to be cyber literate with online banking, airport check in and online customer care self service help desks.

The course reader has highlighted the dependency I have on both my mobile phone and computer as they have the ability to access web 2.0 tools. Having a contingency plan in place if servers go down seems paramount. Backing up my important data to disk is something I am now considering.

Self-driving cars.

I have been reading an article about google developing technology to create self-driving cars.
After discussing the advantages and disadvantages of web 2.0 and the Internet with fellow students at university, a few questions spring to mind:

1. What would happen if someone was able to hack into your system once you imputed your journey route? 
2. What would happen if the system or servers went down while travelling on a long journey or built up road? 
3. Will people stop taking driving tests, resulting in less revenue for some governments? 
4. Will UK parking posts and fees be eliminated if you can program your car to self-drive itself home? 
5. Will there be an Iphone app? 

I can’t wait to find out...

The point of power.

PHOTO: www.weirdwarp.com

I had a very good session on campus. The theme of the discussion led by Alan Durrant was “Do web based technologies advance professional practice?” We formed groups to discuss, research, site evidence and make proposals on the topic, then gave a short presentation afterwards. The participants in the group I was a part of were L. Weir, E. Burket, S. Edwards, C Morgan. We examined the question in more detail, dissecting it into three segments.

1.  What is web based technologies?
2.  What are some of the key purposes web base technologies enhance?
3.  What is professional practice?

We were provided with a Professional Practice Course Reader on Professional Communications Technology 2010/2011 and additional exerts of text from Dr Burns. As a group we decided to primarily cite our own experiences, using evidence from the texts provided to support our opinions.

The course reader mentions web 2.0 platforms like social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter), web based tools like e mail, YouTube and blogs aimed “to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users”. As the majority of the group were from a performance art background, we discussed how web based technologies enhance our careers. The group commented on how there were more sites and more auditions as a result of web 2.0, leading to more job opportunities. We all recognised that professional practice was how we conducted ourselves, managing and marketing our career. There was a heavy emphasis on “reputation” P. Nottingham (2010) and how it precedes you.  . Also the benefits of being known for having a good professional work ethic within your social network M. Iles.

As web based technologies proved to be an extensive subject we picked three topics to discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of:

• Social Networking
• Professional casting websites
• Gmail

The general advantages for these three web 2.0 tools were the speed in which communication could be shared or collaborated. “Produsage” Burns (2007) where we participate as both the producer and consumer on a global scale. Further, the cost effective nature of using the Internet to send data rather than using textiles, making the whole process “greener” and more environmentally friendly.

The disadvantages were, once data is sent over the World Wide Web, the sender no longer has complete control over its usage by third parties, leaving reputation at risk or being a potential victim of fraud and hacking. It could also lead to people in society having a dependency on computers, creating anti-socialism resulting in individuals becoming recluse.

PowerPoint presentation.

Initially when undergoing the group exercise I wondered how we were going to gel as a group. Although some groups tend to go through the "forming and storming" stages, our group dynamic worked well and we were able to performing without any major glitches. I enjoy working as part of a group as you have the opportunity to collaborate with others which provide more ideas and varied viewpoints, often resulting in a much richer out come from being able to pool information.       

Overall, all PowerPoint presentations on the day went well and were short and concise. I found another group’s presentation interesting. They discussed the possible advantage of increased accessibility to information on the Internet resulting in more informative choices made by consumers e.g. tomatoes, and as a disadvantage how information can be distorted "tinned tomatoes". It led me to think that the Internet has really opened up the monopoly from larger companies on products, enabling customer to “shop around” for the best choice that suites their needs.

Upon reflection, if the group I was in had the opportunity to use the Internet, our presentation had the potential to be even more attention-grabbing, by adding some visual interactive elements like videos. I was just glad that the projector was working, so I didn’t have to repetitively look down at my notes during the presentation. What I took from the day was a great tip on ciphering through large amounts of text and compiling evidence from tutor Paula Nottingham. Also a few basic fundamentals of how to use PowerPoint from Sheika Edwards. I had been meaning to learn more about it but the opportunity hadn’t yet presented itself.