Social Media and History

Priming my self for the journey back to the US of A, I topped off the end of my FOUR FABULOUS months in BARSHAWLONA spain at  OPIUM BEACH CLUB. our FOURTH and FINAL BARC  “bigtime” DJ appearance by DIRTY SOUTH ft Dj BErrie took place on THURSDAY APRiL 28th.Most of us only knew about DIRTY SOUTH bc of the  BROmoted song ” I’m Coming Home” orignally sung by Diddy.

But it ain’t no place like home… ! My ears no longer vibrate with HOUSE music.No longer can i called myself #barshawlona. i’m back in the D… where the streets are filled with HIP HOP and UNDERGROUND RAP(Eminem BLASTS out on the radio), cars are actually AMERICAN MADE, and you hold true to being a WiNGS, PiSTONS, LiONS and TiGERS fan even if they suck.

“I’m BACKKKKKKK” tweet tweet tweet via @LSHAWTAYY detroit Legend.

Many moments of my abroad experience were tracked via SOCIAL MEDIA. Live-up dates of what i was doing and where i was doing it could have been found via MUPLOADS ( mobile uploads on Facebook), TWiTPiC ( pictures submitted via Twitter), Tweets, or status updates on Facebook.

Tweets, status updates, blogging and even email can be seen as ways to track your personal history. We don’t need diaries and note books any more, its easy to digitize it !! I am tracking and documenting my personal history via social media platforms.  I have been an avid blogger since 2004. Even though i have moved around between different blogging forums, I have continuously documented my Life. I have also created a range of blogs outside of personal life.

we have to think of journalism on a bigger scale now..!

“Journalism is distributed to anyone with a smartphone” now a days, anyone can report “what’s happening” at any given moment in any given city. My new favorite website that i follow : WIRED.COM they take note of the fact that social media is now being used as a way to document history.

http://gigaom.com/2011/05/06/how-social-media-creates-a-rough-draft-of-history/

As if Landing back in the US wasn’t enough on its own… OSAMA BIN LADEN is now known as the most LEGENDARY HIDE AND SEEK player of ALL TIMES!! after staying hidden for almost 10 YEARS – he was shot to the head !!  and how was this FIRST discovered?! TWITTER. is it a good or bad thing that the news was FIRST broadcasted via “Sohaib Athar, the Pakistani computer programmer who live-tweeted the recent U.S. military raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.”

brand/market

At a quick glance at the television, a magazine, or simply walking down the street you are bombarded with a symbol that represents a BRAND. BRANDS are ubiquitous in our everyday lives.

Do you recognize any of these symbols that represent the success of marketing? recogonize the black swoosh??  www.nike.com or how about the silver apple ?? www.apple.com. 

A simple personal or organizational website is no longer the single source of information available online about a BRAND. With the help of social media, corporations can communicate effectively to their consumers. with the click of a few buttons, the corporation can advertise their message/BRAND  from one to many.

Get the latest updates on your favorite BRAND via twitter update, or facebook page.

social media is beneficial to BRANDS because it creates a relationship with the consumer of the product and the company.

Over 54 consumers were able to show that the like the new website and 15 consumers were able to give FEEDBACK and share their opinions about the new NIKE WEBSITE. social media can benefit the image of the company. By receiving consumer FEEDBACK , the company can alter its image to further satisfy the consumers needs or wants. allowing for early detection and smooth transitions of crisis management.

social media is changing the communication with guests of the media.  it allows for a new way of attracting talent.

facebook allows users to keep in touch by posting pictures, messages, videos, audio clips, links, etc. twitter allows for an exchange of quick, frequent 140 character texts. best for one to many and the chatter surrounding a product. both of these social media services are creating customer loyalty and FEEDBACK from their consumers.

Barca give me houseee!!

Calling anyone and everyone!

Have you ever heard of a podcast?A podcast is a PERSONAL, ON DEMAND, broDCAST that is typically audio only. podcasts a fabulous venue to share and learn information about a topic because they are easy to access and free.  Anyone can create a podcast, all you need is a computer, a microphone and a connection the web. The advancement of podcasting came about in early 2004 with the advent and increasing popularity of MP3 players and iPods. These are not the only mediums in which you can listen to a podcast. podcasts because they are broadcasted on the web are easily accessible. Today, people are able to access the internet from their hand held phone… something that was basically unheard of seven short years ago.Trying to explain a podcast to someone who did not grow up in the digital generation may be difficult. I took the time to share this video of podcasting in plain english to my mom, a new user to the internet and technology.

podcasting

podcasts are ideal for someone who wants to have a quick update, background, or full emersion of a topic. podcasts cover various topics, from serious political and legislative news, rap artist’s latest song to your neighbor’s gardening skills. 

The best part is that you can watch AS MUCH AS YOU WANT , WHENEVER YOU WANT, and can be HEARD VIA MULTIPLE MEDIA OUTLETS. Podcast’s are ideal for both people who are on the go-go-go and those who just like to sit back and learn about something new. You can tailor your “podcast playlist” to YOUR interests and hobbies. They are distributed episodically and streamed on the web.Being openly accessible and available 24/7 is a perk of subscribing to podcasts.

another benefit to podcasting is the lack of a gatekeeper. anyone and everyone has the ability to produce and export media content.   i think it is important that people take advantage of the opportunity to share their experiences with the rest of the ” World”, or those who are community members to the WORLD WIDE WEB. podcasts have evolved the process of audio mediums from a PUSH to a PULL. We are able to personalize and pull our own information easily and accessibly. these are important in determining the success of your podcast.

NPR- national public radio , one of the few if not only in the US that still exists. This medium offers a variety of podcasts to listen to. It is obvious that there is something for EVERYONE by browsing through the main categories of NPR’s podcasts : around the nation, art and life, books, business, economy, food, health, music, news, politics, science, technology, US and World.

Go out and explore the WEB! find the perfect podcast for you!

Featured film : Answer This!

I LOVE ANN ARBOR! I am a 4th generation student at the University of Michigan. My Great Grandpa , my grandma, and my father attended U of M. Going to Michigan can almost be thought of as a family tradition. It is common to have a linage of family members who go to the same university.

This is an over view of the center of the University of Michigan campus also known as “The Diag“. In the center of the diag is a GIANT block M.

Many students lay out, read books, or just converse in the diag area.

When first arriving to the diag, you are brought to the center block M. There is an old story that is told about the M. It is BAD LUCK to step on the M before you take your first blue book exam.If you step on it before your exam , you are said to FAIL it.  I was told this story many years ago, and had to avoid walking on it for 18 years!

People become extremely passionate for the town of ANN ARBOR. It is a laid back and liberal city, where you can see diverse groups of people and hobbies. How can you share your passion for a city to a mass audience? Different media outlets allow for easy and accessible information. A great way to learn about another place is through film.

Answer This! Is the first movie ever filmed in Ann Arbor AND about the fabulous A2. Tonight was the exclusive premiere for cast and friends, and those who were fortunate enough to purchase tickets to the 10pm showing. The room was filled to the brim with fans, over 50 people had to stand to watch the film. No joke, a smile was on my face during the entire screening of Answer This.

The film follows the tale of LEGENDARY professor Ralph Williams and his son featured as a GSI. He taught a religion class here at the University of Michigan for many years. This class touched the hearts and minds of Michigan students forever. So much so that Chris Farah– the director of the film was inspired to create a screen play about it. He is a U of M grad who moved to LA after graduating. He and his brother co-produced the film. 

The love for the city of Ann Arbor, how academics play into it, and the passion for Bar trivia outlines the movie. The trivia pub team- The Ice Tigers defend their way to the final round in pub trivia at Ashley’s on State Street. The movie is filmed in all of the hot spots of Ann Arbor. You can see the actors and actresses strolling down Greenwood, State Street, in the diag and at Expresso Royale.

The main actors in the film are Kip Pardue aka Sunshine from Remember the Titans, Christopher Gorham aka Henry from Ugly Betty, and Arielle Kebbel from Jon Tucker Must Die.

Fun fact, yours truly earned my 15 minutes of fame by taking on a small extra role in the film. Look out for me in the lecture hall scenes! Other friends of mine that are Michigan students are also featured in the film: Emily Smith, Adam Bleznak (Alumni), and Nelson Kazan.

IF YOU BLEED MAIZE AND BLUE, THIS MOVIE IS FOR YOU!or if you just want to learn about Ann Arbor! 😀

Keep a look out during the Summer of 2011 for ANSWER THIS!

Photo from the premiere of Christopher Gorham, myself ,and Ralph Williams (actors from the film)

gOBAMA!

Barak Obama is noted as one of the first presidential candidates who really took advantage of SOCIAL MEDIA . His campaign basically invented the idea of politics 2.0. What do might I mean by politics 2.0? and what was learned from Obama‘s campaign?

> Micro-politics : noting that most people are NOT interested in politics,Obama learned that every single person is a universe. Stressing personal communication he wanted to figure out what individuals or individual groups of people are interested in.

>Politics out of politics : media broad casted political forums can take place in multiple forms. They are not just televised debates or speeches, but are Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Obama‘s campaign exemplified the benefits of using SOCIAL MEDIA FORUMS. This would be the most successful route in reaching the “Y-GENERATION”- those who were born after the year 1982.

> Addressing Individuals : not only did Obama’s campaign obtain mass amounts of money in relation to his rival candidates, but a majority of this money came from donations that were LESS THAN $100. Proving that many people can come together and make a fortune.

MYBARAKOBAMA.COM was a website created by his campaign that gave citizens an opportunity to SHARE their points of view and CONNECT with other typically like- minded citizens. This image can be found on the website.

– He basically created his OWN SOCIAL NETWORK of followers. There are over 2 million profiles created on the website.

> Pay attention to details :  Obama made sure that he ALWAYS looked presentable, in put together outfits, spoke appropriately, and maintained well behaved.

In addition to his own SOCIAL NETWORKING website Obama relied heavily on FACEBOOK! Top Ten reasons why FACEBOOK worked for his campaign:

1. Facebook gives transparency- there is nothing to hide on facebook

2. Facebook molbilizes people – the viral capacity is HUGE , many people can be connected and share in ONE place.

3. Facebook and “micro feelings”/ “micro points of view” – any little tiny thing you promote can be easily passed on and gain a larger amount of “friends” or “followers”

4. Facebook communicates – images, posts, and opinions are easily accessible and shared

5.Facebook creates politics out of politics- Obama was able to figure out what different types of citizens were interested in by CONNECTING on facebook. Then he was able to COMMUNICATE what they wanted to hear about.

6.Facebook connects people – although you may not personally know hte person you are COMMUNICATING with you, you can still easily share your LIKE MINDED ideals and opinions. Others may also be able to share their information.

7. Facebook works for citizens – it is easily accessible and is shaped by the people who use it.

8. Facebook is global- everyone around the world can be informed about this topic.

9. Facebook and creativity- people can express and promote their opinions in a creative manner.

10.Facebook humanizes – makes Obama seem like a real person who the individuals feel they have a relationship with.

Obama BRANDED himself as a moment of HOPE.

Catalan News Agency

Last week the Journalism 2.0 Class took a  field trip to the Catalan News Agency. This is one of the top agencies for broadcasting in Catalunya, and it is SOLEY broadcast ed in ENGLISH.

http://catalannewsagency.com/

Unfortunately due to travels, I was unable to attend the class field trip. I have decided to look to their website for information.

CNA aka Catalan News Agency has a very straight forward and aesthetically appealing website. CNA focuses on Politics, Business, Society & Science, Life & Style, Culture and of course, SPORTS!

TOP HIGHLIGHT STORIES

Explore Catalan Culture

>Barcelona’s main public library to be built next to the Ciutadella Park.The Library’s construction will begin in 2012 and last three years, it will cost 37.4 million euros. Miro finally deicded where to place his 5 floor library containing up to 600,000 volumes of books.

Explore Catalan Sports

>Alberto Contador has won the centenary edition of the ‘Volta Ciclista a Catalunya’, Catalonia’s cycling Tour. Barcelona takes pride in being able to host the finish line for the cyclying tour.

You can find a siderbar of widgets to the right of the 2 column website.

The first widget is for “Catalan Views” – one of them is by Jori Vaquer the director of CIDOB and the second is by Josep Gonzalez the president of PIMEC(SME Association).   These are the top opinions by produced by the Catalan News Agency. The second widget is an advertistment for FC Barcelona!

Click! To buy FC Barcelona tickets to the next game here April 6th. If you haven’t been to a game yet, I have heard it is well worth it !! I am trying to attend this game with my roommates.

The third widget hosts “Special” news stories to view – today’s happen to be on “science in catalonia” and “Debate:Open to the world”.

Then there are a few different options on how to subscribe to the Catalan News Agency’s website.

The website’s sidebar also lists its latest and most popular stories! and last but not least there is a translator button! This is helpful for those people who cannot understand ENGLIGH.

This news agency covers ALL Catalunya, not just the city of barcelona! it is interesting that they would chose to put an advertisement of the futbol team as the second widget on the sidebar. The FB Barca futbol team is a part of the Catalan Identity.

Below is a video of The Catalan News Agency

The Catlan News Agency Website is very basic and straight forward, it has a great visual appeal and its easy to navigate through. I would give this web page a high rating on its quality.

“buy it,use it, break it , fix it !” – Technologic

We are said to be the a part of the  “TECH” (technology) generation – in that our daily lives are being enhanced, influenced and possibly even revolved around a technological device. The advancement of technology in our CURRENT day and age is moving rapidly. Just a short 40 years ago the most unthinkable technology products were being produced such as the POCKET CALCULATOR and the first microwordproccessor! NOW we can send and receive SMS, PICTURES, VOICENOTES, VIDEOS, or upload our CALENDAR and ADDRESS BOOK, play GAMES, and even watch TV from ONE small HAND HELD MOBILE DEVICE. It is honestly UNBELIEVABLE and SURREAL to see what technology has allowed humans to do today.

Music Artist’s have caught on to the TREND of TECHnology and have produced songs about how COMPUTERS and TECHnology are being used to enhance and update society.

SOME LYRICS:

“Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail – upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick – erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick – rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip – unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it,
View it, code it, jam – unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch – update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax – rename it,
Touch it, bring it, Pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start – format it.”

THE MUSIC VIDEO by DAFT PUNK!

When I decided to be a Communications major at The UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN I knew the next FOUR years of MY LIFE would revolve around the MASS MEDIA.

[[Wikipedia states that the “Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies, including the Internet, television, newspapers, and radio, which are used for mass communications, and to the organizations which control these technologies. Mass media play a significant role in shaping public perceptions on a variety of important issues, both through the information that is dispensed through them, and through the interpretations they place upon this information.

The also play a large role in shaping modern culture, by selecting and portraying a particular set of beliefs, values, and traditions (an entire way of life), as reality. That is, by portraying a certain interpretation of reality, they shape reality to be more in line with that interpretation. ” ]]

In America, we are constantly BOMBarded with the HOTTEST and LATEST trends, places to JET set off to or “proper” food to eat for a mid day snack by the MEDIA. The MASS MEDIA is a fascinating thing-  not only does it allow for people all over the world CONNECT, PLAY, AND EXECUTE their wildest dreams, but it allows them to do this in a matter of SECOND.

With the advent of the WORLD WIDE WEB in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s and the first search engines by TIM BERNERS-LEE the technological world would be forever altered. No longer would unimaginable technological devices be subjected to the wood-works of the a TV run by a satellite  but to being able to VIEW TELEVISION on your MOBILE DEVICE! My ancestors would NEVER believe their eyes if they were to cross paths with an iPAD.

The WORLD WIDE WEB has given kids, parents cousins aunts, uncles, sisters and brothers the OPPORTUNITY to download their FAVORITE TV SHOW that they missed earlier that day, week, or even month ago. Not only does almost every single television station or network have an online and interactive website but they also have a tab where users can WATCH EPISODES! it is like a DREAM COME TRUE – to be able to ACCESS and WATCH your favorite shows FOR FREE!!

I like to personally use the following websites to watch television shows will here in BARCELONA 😀

It is unfortunate that because I am located in another country (SPAIN) that my home networks of the united states will not allow me to access their online episode viewing, leaving me to have to watch them else where!

www.ch131.com

www.sidereel.com

www.watchtvsitcoms.com

www.hulu.com

Time to go watch Tv!! if you would like to guess what it is I am watching CHECK out the “ABOUT ME” section at the top of the page for my favorite tv shows!

Media Convergence and Storytelling

Media Convergence is more than a shift in technology, the convergence alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences. It is an ONGOING process, occuring at VARIOUS intersections of media technologies, indsutries, content and audiences. There are 5 processes of MEDIA CONVERGENCE according to Henry Jenkins : technological, economic, social, cultural and global.

Media convergence is the merging of mass communications outlets—print, television, radio, the Internet along with portable and interactive technologies through various digital presentation platforms.

The emergence of the internet and the digitization of information has led to an increase in media convergence. the internet allows for information to travel easily adn globally. people can send images, movies, songs and other types of multi-media with the click of a button! Media convergence allows for the users of the internet to INTERACT with the multi-media content.

Media Convergence allows mass media professionals to tell stories and present information and entertainment using a variety of media. THey can spread the story in a multitude of media outlets. People could watch a video on the tv, on the computer, on an ipod or even on their mobile phone.  americans are using their mobile phones for EVERYTHING these days. Instead of just having a simple phone with SMS, we now send eachother videos, have applications that can do anything and everything for you, and even SEE the person you are talking to!!

technological convergence this would be the digization of all media content. about one hundred years ago, television and radio never even existed. people would be entertained by the stories their families told or acted out. the transition of technology from the creatation of the TV to watching moves in a theatre revolutionized the media world. people were able to  rent VHS tapes to watch their favorite movies, now we can easily find these movies online with our computers or even download them to our ipods! its fascinating!!

THE iPHONE! the iPhone is one of the most incredible technological devices out on the market right now. You can ¨get an app¨for everything! want to know how to make an asian stir fry dish ? theres an app for that! when you are traveling ina new city and want to find the nearest burger joint?? there is an APP for that! You want to watch the hott new KAYNE west music video RUNAWAY – you can on your IPHONE!!

Tweet Tweet

Microblogging – it can be characterized as a brief posts typically under 140 characteristics of what is happening. According to WIKIPEDIA – Microblogs “allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images, or video links.

 Typically blogs are seen as long dragged out posts with many hyperlinks, images, videos and other forms of multi-media.  Microblogging does share these forms of multi media but maybe just not as extensive. Microblogging may show you one direct link, or one image vs many. An advantage to Microblogging is that it is short , efficient and straight to the point.  I find that microblogging is more convient to my upbeat lifestyle.

The top microblogging website today would be Twitter! Twitter is a social networking and microblogging website where users can connect, share, and inform( in addition to many other things). Twitter gives you the option to protect your tweets( the message that you post in 140 characters or less) or show them publicly. Many business companies and celebrities use twitter as a way to gain a following. The average joe is also commonly found on twitter. People use Twitter as a way to stay in touch with friends or share information with them about anything and everything.  Twitter took off in 2006 and was created by Jack Dorsey.  Today Twitter is estimated to have 190 million users, generating 65 million tweets a day and handling over 800,000 search queries per day. You can join today at TWITTER.COM

If you still don´t really understand what TWITTER is all about, please watch this video :

I love using Twitter to get news and keep up with my friends lives. I also created a public twitter account for Journalism 2.0 @barshawlona 

A few issues arise with microblogging such as PRIVACY and SECURITY. although TWITTER has protected tweets some people still feel like their information can be easily distributed.  People feel nervous about their information being so public, but in my opinion thats just what you have to deal with while posting things on the internet.

I would be more concerned about having someone stalk you. If you are posting where you are and what you are doing at all points of the day someone could easily follow you literally!! It is important to share your information wisely.