Thursday, March 29, 2012
This video is in response to the CNN article that asks:Have the online comment sections turned into a joke? On some sites, yes. Yahoo answers and yahoo's front page articles are know for having off topic comment sections. There are also a lot of website with great comment sections. I do often find a lot of comment sections helpful. They allow users to respond to the article, share ideas, ask questions.
This audio is in response to the CNN article that asks:Have the online comment sections turned into a joke? On some sites, yes. Yahoo answers and yahoo's front page articles are know for having off topic comment sections. There are also a lot of website with great comment sections. I do often find a lot of comment sections helpful. They allow users to respond to the article, share ideas, ask questions.
This is my video in response to the CNN article about the effect of mobile devices like the Ipad2 on news. Mobile devices increase the amount of news that a user will read. News venues are losing ad revenue and could start charging for a subscription. Hopefully, news agency will not engage in yellow journalism. Also, bloggers might experience an increase in visitors if news websites begin charging for a subscription.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A Discussion of Mobile Devices and News and Online Comments
Here is my discussion of online comments,
Here is a video of Aaron discussing mobile devices and news,
Michael Zaruba shares his opinions on digital technology news and news site commenting
For this audio/video post, I interviewed Michael Zaruba, a computer science major here at the University of Maryland and also a dedicated internet and news site surfer. He noted that he is a major advocate of CNN.com and also the Baltimore Sun. When asked about his opinions on the consumption of news on newer digital media, he responded as such:
Similarly, when asked about his opinion on news site comments, Zaruba responded as such:
Though these are brief interviews, and do not necessarily address the articles, the information relayed is, I believe, concise and relevant to the topics.
Similarly, when asked about his opinion on news site comments, Zaruba responded as such:
Though these are brief interviews, and do not necessarily address the articles, the information relayed is, I believe, concise and relevant to the topics.
Jeff's Article Responses
My response to the Comments Article
Craigs Response to the Mobile Device News Article
Craigs Response to the Mobile Device News Article
Steven Ma - Responses to CNN articles
Video Interview on Online Comments
Listen and watch to Steven as he responds to two CNN articles! S
pecial Guest star: Peyi Runsewe and his opinions on online comment sections!
Online Comments and Mobile News Consumption: Opinions
Kris Salvador responding via audio boo to online comments
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Inequality of Technology: A Danger to Society?
The constantly increasing use of technology in our society has provided us with so many advantages in all aspects of our lives. But does it provide ALL of us with these advantages? The article that I read this week explored the inequalities that exist from the rapid spread of technology. Just this past weekend, there was a gun threat on campus and the university immediately notified its students via email. It didn’t occur to me until after this reading this article; but what about all of the students who don’t have smart phones? What if there was an actual gunman rather than just the threat of one? How would students without email on their phones be notified of the emergency? Our reliance on technology has become a danger in situations like this. Sending an email notification that there is a gunman on campus would not be enough to alarm the entire student body in a timely manner. What are your thoughts on the University of Maryland’s dependence on technology?
Americans Are Using Cell Phones for Reasons Other Than Making Calls
This report shows how Americans are using their cellular phones for a variety of reasons. The top five uses of cellular phones (other than making calls) were found to be: text messaging, taking pictures, sending pictures/videos, accessing the internet and sending/receiving emails. Cellular phones are now being used as phones, cameras and computers! It would be interesting to see how much people use their phones for other purposes in comparison to how much they use their phones to make phone calls.
Mobile phones may increase the risk of cancer
The Interphone International Study Group has recently conducted a studytrying to determine if mobile phone use increases the risk of cancer, particularly of the brain. They focused on four different types of brain tumors that most absorbed radio frequency electromagnetic fields, those of which mobile phones emit during use. The results showed that the evidence of the study was “limited” in terms of glioma and acoustic neuroma and “inadequate” to come to a conclusion of the other types of cancers. However, the information gathered was substantial enough for Dr. Jonathan Samet, the Chairman of the Working Group of Scientists that had been conducting this study, to state that there could be some risk of cancer caused by mobile phones, and we must keep an eye on it. The use of mobile phones has increased over the years and still continues to do so. Long-term, heavy use of mobile phones must be evaluated in the future.
Cell Phones May Not Be Threatening Yet, But They Will Be
It has become somewhat of a fad to claim brain cancer will come from talking on the cell phone. I have heard the claim over the years, but never believed there to be a relation or a danger is using my cell phone frequently. However, some people did take the claim seriously and some tests were run. One test run by The Interphone Study Group tested the relationship between brain cancer and cell phone use. Their conclusion proved there to be little to no relation between health and cell phones, however they did note the population they used in the study didn't use phones as nearly much as they are used in today's society. If they ran their test again would they find a relation? Another group, The International Agency for Research on Cancer ran tests seeking a relation and again did not find anything significant. However, while their evidence didn't result in any significant cases of brain cancer, there was significant reason to believe there would be risks in the future. Due to their study and conclusion for the future, more tests should be run to grade how users in today's society may be affected. We are using cell phones at a much higher rate now and the risk of health relations can only be growing.
From Generation to Generation – Breaking Down Mobile Telecommunications
For a while, many were uneducated as to what the “G” stood for when describing various mobile telecommunications such as 1G, 2G, and 3G. More and more users out of today’s six billion mobile phone owners are becoming enlightened to the meaning of these designations: first generation, second generation, third generation, and so on. The 4G, fourth generation wireless standards for cellular communication, is the most recent of all generations although its presence in Asian countries will be delayed.
Mobile telecommunications has vastly improved from the days of the first generation to the present fourth generation. The most notable improvement is obviously speed; 4g boasts a downloading speed of 100Mbps (megabits per second – a rate of data transmission) whereas 1G was not even capable of downloading text messages.
However, such innovation in mobile telecommunications unfortunately is associated with some drawbacks. The cost of maintaining an intensive system such as 4g is much higher than previous generations. This may not prove too prohibitive for today’s users though, as they only grow more and more hungry for mobile speed. With advancements in the telecommunications will also be upgrades in maintenance which may quell large costs. For a more in-depth view of the evolution between generations, be sure to read the article from Cool PC Tips.
Mobile telecommunications has vastly improved from the days of the first generation to the present fourth generation. The most notable improvement is obviously speed; 4g boasts a downloading speed of 100Mbps (megabits per second – a rate of data transmission) whereas 1G was not even capable of downloading text messages.
However, such innovation in mobile telecommunications unfortunately is associated with some drawbacks. The cost of maintaining an intensive system such as 4g is much higher than previous generations. This may not prove too prohibitive for today’s users though, as they only grow more and more hungry for mobile speed. With advancements in the telecommunications will also be upgrades in maintenance which may quell large costs. For a more in-depth view of the evolution between generations, be sure to read the article from Cool PC Tips.
Sources:
Phone Radiation Has Possible Cancer Risk
According to two studies, one by the Interphone Study Group and the other by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, radiation emitted by cell phones has a possible chance of causing brain tumors such as glioma and meningioma. There is some correlation between time spent on the phone and the chance of having a brain tumor; however both of these studies resulted in them saying more research was necessary and no conclusion could be made. While more evidence may be needed to conclude that cell phone radiation causes cancer, I am sure emitting radiation, even if it is a small amount each day, cannot have a positive effect on your head. So while there is no proof that cell phones will kill you down the road, I am advising you to be careful of the possible risks and take precautions against it. Try using headphones or a wireless bluetooth set so less radiation reaches your skull. Furthermore, cnet, a popular and reputable technology site created a list of the least emitting radiation cell phones for each cell phone company. Next time you buy a new phone, check how much radiation it is emitting. You may just be saving your life.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Lightbulbs the solution to the mobile spectrum
Frequent mobile users may not like being limited by bandwidth, but none of the major wireless carriers offer unlimited data plans anymore. An analysis by Kevin Peter, explains the differences between 1-4G technologies. These technologies make the magic of mobile devices possible, connecting us with the internet anywhere we are. However these technologies are part of the reason why bandwidth is limited, not because they cannot provide the bandwidth but because it is expensive to give millions of people access to these technologies. It costs money for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc to buy licenses from the FCC to use these frequencies and spectrums, which trickles down to us customers. Harald Haas offers a solution to increase the mobile spectrum and the bandwidth capabilities for mobile devices. Next time you might have to watch your head, since your lightbulb might be transferring millions of dollars across the globe.
Contradictory research: Do face-to-face interactions facilitate anti-social behavior?
A study I read explored the effects that face-to-face interaction had on cell phone use. The study hinted at the idea that the more face-to-face interactions that one had, the more they would use their cell phone. Considering that a lot of research theories say that Internet media use usually facilitates anti-social behavior, I thought it was interesting that this study predicted the inverse, claiming that face-to-face social interactions encourages media use via cell phone. So if both concepts are true, then that means that the more you interaction with people in person, the more you will use your phone. And the more you use your phone, the more anti-social you will become. Talk about a catch 22 situation.
Explanation of Differences between Generations of Mobile Services
This article attempts to explain the differences between 1G 2G 3G and 4G Mobile Services, which are all different generations of mobile device protocols for transmitting data. Each of 1G 2G 3G 4G were developed sequentially and were built using more and more sophisticated technology to improve quality. In some cases, a new generation required significant infrastructure changes, which contribute to the increase in prices. The technology of circuit switching allowed for the first G's and the development of new generations has been relatively quickly thereafter. For example, packet switching improved call quality in 3G. This allowed for other services to be provided like streaming video, as seen in the "triple play service". The improved networks have contributed to the reduction in differences in availability of technology, a topic discussed in class.
Link to article
http://kevin-peter.hubpages.com/hub/3G-and-4G-Mobile-Services
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Cell Phones: Are the Benefits Greater than the Detriments?
Although communication through cell phones is considered to be the most efficient out of any technological communication, is its’ use taking away from society? The study I read this week shows that interpersonal motives push towards cell phone use, but how interpersonal is a text conversation? Although I use a cell phone everyday to communicate, I do believe that it takes away from interpersonal relationships, social skills, and society as a whole. Simply sending “smiley’s” back and forth diminishes social skill for FTF communication in the future. Some people believe it is a good thing to talk through cell phones because it can eliminate possible awkwardness, but it is that elimination that is diminishing our generation’s social skills. Do Cell Phones take or give more regarding our society?
Check out this link: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/cellphones-social-skills-28929.html
What Does it (Grey) Matter!?: The Impact of Overly-Utilizing Your Celluar Phone and What You Can Do to Avoid It
Intergroup studies report, from a decade long span of experiments/interviews starting in 2000, that the relative risk for glioma (a type of tumor) to be “greater in temporal lobe of the brain” and “tended to be greater in subjects who reported usual phone use in the same side of the head as their tumor on the opposite side.” According to Dr. Jonathan Samet of the University of Southern California, the studies also has shown strong enough results to elevate the risk to a 2B classification (the agent is possibly carcinogenic to humans), meaning that we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phone and cancer risk. But what does this all mean to you and me? Almost nothing if you were to ask me. Although the study is heavily credible due to its well-developed methodology upon various demographics, this doesn’t mean that we should keep our calls or cellular phone use in general to a minimum, just utilize your cell phone in a safer way with the technological advances we have today to easily avoid these risky effects. Changing your cell phone communication towards methods like texting more, talking on the phone through specialized ear buds, or simply buying lower radiation-emitting smart phones can drastically change your intake of these radio frequencies. So really, from what I’m hearing, the study is just ground-breaking in proving a risk majority of people already suspected; but it more importantly proves to be more of an ear-opener to those who may be overly utilizing their phone in a more hazardous or inefficient way when it comes to their preservation of health. So as a short PSA: text more people! and tell your mom you have to call her back because she’s increasing the growth of tumors in your temporal lobe.
Underlying Differences In College Students Usage of Mobile Devices
In today’s age, the use of technology as a means of communication appears to be increasing at an alarming rate. In the study, The Effect of Gender, Ethnicity and Income on College Students’ Use of Communication Technologies, conveyed that although communication technologies are very popular among college students there are differences in who own and use them. They measured the different patterns in student usage of cell phones and instant messaging. They focused on three main differences: gender, ethnicity, and income. Results illustrated that females and white students were more than twice as likely to own a cell phone then men and African American students. Students income that ranged from $100,000 to $139,000 were more than three times as likely to own a cell phone then those with lower incomes. Nonetheless, African American females from higher income families were seen to have a higher text message activity and spent a greater amount on their cell phones per week.
College students are evident to be higher cell phone users as a means of communication for several reasons. Many use them for safety and to keep in contact with friends and family. Technological advances have also contributed to the increasing usage of cell phones. With the introduction of “smart phones” making it easier for students to stay connected to the Internet, cell phones are more popular than ever. Cell phones are creating easier access to social networks and communication through instant messaging and text messaging.
As in regard to the measurements conducted in the study, it was shown the men and women use technologies in different ways. Female college students are more likely to use the Internet for academic purposes, compared to males who play games and look up news and sports. As far as ethnicity and income, they appear to have created a technological gap. It is said that white and Asian American students are more likely to use the Internet more than other genders and ethnicities. Overall the study concluded that women owned and used communication technology more than men. Women spent more time on their cell phones and sent more text messages than men. The study also examined that ethnic differences produced a difference in technological usage and how they use this technology.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Ford gives 100 socially vibrant individuals Ford models to promote business
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MyVoice only uses social media for advertising
For companies with small budgets and an even smaller target audience, social networking may be the only option for advertising. MyVoice, a start-up communications aid company exclusively uses online media for advertising.Lil B uses the Internet to Gain Success
Rapper Lil B for years now has self promoted his music through the internet. He is said to have released around 6000 songs online which can all be downloaded for free. He claims to have 155 myspaces, a youtube channel with 24,000 subscribers, various tumblrs, blogs and twitters, and a facebook account with 48,000 followers. He manages all of the media sources himself in order to maintain the integrity of his business. Lil B's career has taken him to internet fame, gaining him a massive cult following. He once claimed to spend around 22 hours a day on the internet! Although his music is controversial and unconventional, he achieved iconic status through relentless and aggressive internet promotion. Based God breaks it down himselfRead more
HBO's True Blood Uses Social Media to Connect With Viewers
The popular HBO vampire television show, True Blood, has been utilizing social media since the beginning as a promotional tool. The show was piloted in 2008 and created reality games as well as websites to introduce the fictional world to viewers. As well, the show sent individuals samples of the Tru Blood drink to create an online buzz through blogs. Today, HBO focuses greatly on Facebook to engage fans. With 7.8 million Facebook fans, the company constantly updates its Facebook page through promotional contests, episode summaries and quotes from the show. This past summer, a Facebook application, Immortalize Yourself, was launched. This interactive application, creates a video that incorporates the user as well as his Facebook friends into a shareable short movie focused around the True Blood environment and plot. Most importantly, it is a customized and personal video that helps the user gain a unique experience. Lastly, True Blood stays active on Twitter through posting of quotes and promotion of products (DVDs, comic books). Check out their twitter and see for yourself: @TrueBloodHBO. To learn more about True Blood's social media strategies, you can read more here.
The Lonely Biscuits Use Facebook and Twitter to Promote Their Laid Back Music
Many bands get looked over every single day because they have bad promotion skills. The Lonely Biscuits, formed by three freshmen at Belmont University, have been using their connections with friends and family on Facebook and Twitter to promote themselves to popularity. They have a Twitter and Facebook page of their own and each use their own Facebook page to promote their band. In my opinion, The Lonely Biscuits have succeeded in using Facebook and Twitter to attract followers from all age groups (myself included). They posted one of their music videos on Facebook and Twitter and reached 30,000 views in two weeks. They currently have 3,100 followers and have already opened for popular bands We the Kings and The Fray, if you are interested look to their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter or check out their website http://thelonelybiscuits.com/and listen to some good music.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Social Networks Help 2012 NBA All-Star Game Garnish 241 Million Followers
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| Twitter has become a large advertising engine for the NBA |
So what we've done is made it a real priority to reach out to those fans directly and integrate with our partners in that outreach."
Hashtag Hunger Games: A promotion through Twitter
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| The Hunger Games comes out March 23r |
If you are an avid Twitter or Facebook user you have probably seen someone post their excitement in regards to the upcoming Hunger Games movie. Based on the successful book trilogy written by Suzanne Collins, the Hunger Games hopes to impress not only its loyal fans, but skeptical new ones through Twitter promotion. In order to generate buzz for the upcoming film, Lionsgate has created trending hashtags catered specifically to cities all around America - Philadelphia (#HungerGames24PHI), Boston (#HungerGamesBOS), Salt Lake City (#HungerGamesSLC) and San Francisco (#HungerGamesSF). Furthering the movie's promotion, Lionsgate will give away 24 tickets (mirroring the 24 tributes featured in the story) to 4 cities based on the amount of tweets featuring the city's Hunger Games hashtag. Lionsgate has also made unique twitter accounts and Facebook pages for the 12 districts located within the story. By representing The Hunger Games world through social media, Lionsgate has been able to promote its movie beyond normal commercial means. Engaging promotional events such as the 24 advanced screening tickets allows fans to spread information of the movie to those who are new to The Hunger Games trilogy. Although the movie still has 2 weeks before official release, The Hunger Games' campaign through social media already has a large following, hungry for the movie itself. Don't believe me? Check out the amount of tweets each Hunger Games hashtag has!
Sources: Hunger Games utilizing social media to promote its release
Domino's Pizza Humanizes Itself With Interaction Through Social Networking Sites
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| Domino's advertising their social network accounts on their official page |
Domino's Pizza ended 2009 with a new marketing campaign that relied on airing all their dirty laundry, and then vowing to fix those problems. The phrase "tastes like cardboard" became a driving point and it seemed the worn out company was attempting to reinvent itself. With a YouTube account, Domino's uploaded that particular commercial and many other videos that tried to show consumers that the company was making an honest effort at improving their taste and image. They even held a contest asking people to send in pictures of their delivered pizza for a chance at winning $500. This fan interaction through YouTube was also mimicked on other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. At the time of this posting 5,712,569 fans have liked their Facebook page, and their Twitter boasts 124,097 followers. The wall posts on their Facebook are casual and fun, garnering much response from their fans through likes and replies. The page also utilizes a tool called the "Think Oven" where fans can respond with ideas and suggestions for the company, as well as small contests offering cash prizes. The Twitter account is no different, with @ replies to fans about things from good customer service to negative feedback on the food, and occasional offers and contests being promoted through tweets. Soon after the first commercial, Domino's stock saw a surge of 3.14%, and the company has been able to maintain steadily growing sales over the past two years. It seems Domino's has adapted to modern society that devours these social networking sites, and through their personal interaction with everyday fans online, have successfully rebuilt their image and brand.
University of Maryland Using Facebook to Promote Events
Over the last few years, Maryland has used Facebook to promote its events to students. SEE is one of the best examples of an on campus organization using free social advertising well. During the my three years at UMD, we have had several major comedians come visit campus to a sold out Cole Field house. Although there are no hard numbers, anecdotal evidence shows that many of the attendees heard of the event on Facebook. This month Seth Meyers will be on campus. It was announced on Facebook and gained over 1000 attendees within days. The word spread like wildfire and tickets were old out in less than an hour. SEE is constantly updating their Facebook and Twitter pages with new events, and for students like me its a fantastic, quick and easy way to get information.
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