Globalization of News Events

Gaza Crisis Continues...

Gaza crisis: 'More than 100' killed in Israeli strikes

Retrieved from BBC News.

Key points: 

• More than one hundred people have been killed on the Gaza strip
• More than one hundred rockets have been fired on Israel by militants
• Continuing to secure a ceasefire
• Gaza on Sunday - the bloodiest day so far
• Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organization

Choice words: fatalities, militants, ceasefire, truce, terrorist, launch, rockets, conflict, Palestinians, Israelis.

Israel Bombing Kills Militant In Gaza Strip

Retrieved from NPR (NPR retrieved from The Associated Press).

Key points:

• Palestinian death toll driven up to 100 from monday's attack on the Gaza strip
• Senior militant was intended victim
• Sharp spike in civilian casualties
• Israel and Hamas open to diplomatic solution
• Israel rocket defense system has intercepted hundreds of Palestinian rockets.
• Death toll much higher for Palestinians than Israelis
• Majority of Israelis support the offensive
• Egypt is trying to manage a ceasefire

Choice words: Palestinians, Israelis, death toll, casualties, militants, ceasefire, diplomatic solution, offensive, truce, rocket defense system.

Israel Keeps Up Gaza Bombardment

Retrieved from Al Jazeera News

Key points:

• Overall death toll reaching 105
• Strikes have lasted 6 days now
• 8 journalists were injured when the Shuruq tower and another media building, were hit
• Ramez Harb was the intended victim of Monday's second attack attempt on the media building
• Over 640 rockets have hit Israel while over 300 have been intercepted by their missile defense system
• Egypt is brokering peace talks and ceasefire
• International leaders will be visiting the area to help relieve the events
• 84 percent of Israelis support the attack on Gaza, though only 30 percent support the actual invasion.

Choice words: Palestinians, Israelis, death toll, strikes, Shuruq Tower, victim, rockets, Egypt, ceasefire, UN, international leaders.

Similarities:
All three sites did a great job in delivering the information of what is going on in regards to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict going on. In all three articles, they give the necessary key points to the events happening within the last week or so. They also give statistics of casualties, as well as others, that have happened throughout the course of this conflict. They provide testimonies and quotes given from both sides, too!

Differences:
Their structures were quite different. For example, the article on NPR, I feel had a bit more voice in it's content vs. the other two, of which were more like statistics with brief quotes from their sources. Also, the NPR was written under one heading, while the other two had their article split into different sections; covering different aspects of the information.

Surprised?
Unfortunately, I can't really say what surprised me because I knew right from the beginning that the articles would probably be written differently, highlighting different aspects of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It was also quite evident what the purpose was of each article; one was used to have more of a background of information while giving statistics, while the other two mainly displayed statistics and information with no voice or "stamp" of some sort by their authors saying "hey, I wrote this". Almost as if this articles were written by anonymous writers without care of any recognition.

"Alone Together"

During the four hours of "Alone Together" I did not use my phone for any reason, nor my MacBook, nor any other device used for accessing the internet or any form of social media. There was a point, probably about 2 hours and 45 minutes into this experiment, where I pulled out my phone. Luckily, I remembered to just shut my phone off which probably saved me from compromising the experiment. During this experiment, I spent my time in the company of my two very good friends, Parker and Kyle. When I mentioned to them doing this experiment, they were happy to participate. For the first hour and a half or so, we simply gathered in their living room and put on some music while discussing the events going on in the world today. The artist we listened to was Tycho, which is somewhat a mostly calming electronic listed genre of music. The thing of which we discussed the most was, of course, the election results and our over-all opinion of how our country, mainly President Obama, will continue to progress, or digress (hopefully not). Near the conclusion of that topic, we somehow got to talking about our thoughts and overall feelings of the new movie that came out starring Tom Hanks, Cloud Atlas. This part of the discussion lasted about 25-30 minutes mainly do to that fact that there was so much to take away from the film. If you ever get the chance or have 3 hours of free-time, I highly recommend that you go see this astonishing movie and if you do, make sure to pay very close attention to everything! To top the 4-hour time period off, we decided to watch The Amazing Spiderman, which is another movie that I highly recommend seeing. It's much better than the original with Toby McGuire.

At first, this experiment was hard to perform. This is due to all of us living in a highly developed digital world, where technology excels above all else. It was especially hard for me because I have a new smartphone where I have spent a lot of time customizing it with new applications, forwarding all email accounts to it, creating task lists, and let's not forget how addicting FaceBook is for everyone with a smartphone. It was almost as if I felt naked. The thought of getting an important call, text, email or notification, kind of put me on the edge. But once I began to occupy my mind with other things like our discussions we had, not using my smartphone was an easy thing to forget. I was also a bit more focused on my surroundings and much more observant. Having access to handheld technology is a fairly large distraction to many. I know that on many occasions (everyday), I tend to be trying to hold up a conversation with others while checking FaceBook at the same time. This could be due to my ADD but that is besides the fact. I didn't really notice anything different about Parker or Kyle's actions, but they did notice things about me in the beginning of the experiment where I was first coping with the loss of use of my smartphone. For example, I fidgeted a lot with my hands and was in constant motion of some sort most of the time. Again, I have ADD so this could be due to the fact I didn't have something to keep my mind and hands focused on, but this could be hard to determine. All in all, this was an eye-opening experiment and I'm very glad that this wasn't supposed to be a 24-hour experiment as opposed to a 4-hour one.

Niche Product

This assignment asks us to create a "niche product" and talk about ways we can use online tools to generate publicity for your niche product. For example, today (11/5/12) in class we talked about digital avatars so considering the information that is still fresh in my mind--my product is going to be a digital avatar specifically used for social networking. The way it works is unimportant. To start off, I would simply use FaceBook to initially introduce my product to the web. Since I already have close to 800 friends on Facebook, I would start off by creating a page for my product that my friends would be able to "like" and figure out some basic information. The reason why I would use FaceBook first is because it's a social networking site which lands in my niche category. Starting out with FaceBook is useful because the newsfeed shows when you and your friends "like" something, which tends to start a cycle of "likings". 

FaceBook is obviously just one of many things that I would do. Since FaceBook created pages are limited to the amount of content and creativity you can have, I would most likely use the "Wix" site to create my own website for my niche product and I will also provide a link to from the created FaceBook page. This site will have plenty of information and the site name will be very appropriate in case someone is already looking for my type of product on Google. That way when, for example, someone searches for social-networking avatar, my site would be more likely to be ranked higher on the search results. Going even further, I would probably take advantage of our Edgewood community by possibly asking others in the IT sector to review my product and possibly give some feedback, of which I will then ask someone involved with maybe "Wingra Weekly" or other campus news outlets to write an article or a review. I will also post that information on to the FaceBook page, as well as the Wix website. Social networking seems to be a good start for almost any type of product because millions of people use FaceBook every day.

Case Study #2

What does a well-branded digital presence look like?

1. Tina Su - thinksimplenow.com

Tina's site is all about how to better one's self. She presents a good example of a well branded digital presence throughout her site and is quite convincing in her manner. Her name is not in the site domain name but I think the reason is due to the fact that the website is not about her, but more about what she is trying to accomplish. Her site comes up first on google when typing in the search terms too which is great! She also has a photo of herself on the homepage which makes it welcoming and shows her viewers that she is a friendly person. The site has advertisements and allows it to be liked on FaceBook and twitter so you know that her site is out there.

2. Trisha Torrey - everypatientsadvocate.com

Trisha's site is about advocating for patients dealing with medical problems. Right away there is a welcoming photo of herself on the homepage and an about page as well. Their are ads and links for other websites, as well as being able to be liked on Facebook, so you know that her site is out there. She has blogs and links to other websites, as well as a way to get ahold of her on a "contact" page. When you search her name, as well as patient advocating, she is the first 5 results that show up on google which is great!

3. Jason O'neill - pencilbugs.com

Jason's site is about becoming a teen entrepreneur and presents tips and links on how he got started and how you can get started as well. Their is an "about" page but the site focuses more on his invention of the pencil bugs rather than him personally (in my opinion)--unfortunately no photo on the homepage of himself. But it is well-branded because he has advertisements, articles about his invention including one on Forbes magazine, and he is also likable on FaceBook and Twitter. 

4. Johnny - johnnyjet.com

Johnny's site is clearly more commercial than personal but does have an extended "about" page where he tells an interesting back-story. The one thing I noticed right away was that I wasn't sure what his last name is? Johnny Jet? Sounds to commercially friendly to be a real name, well, last name anyways. Other than that, he has plenty of photos and videos upon his travels and seems like a happy, well-off dude, that has found his passion in life. He has links to other sites as well as expedia.com for comparing flight prices, kudos! He is also likable on a number of web sites. Great job Johnny!

Linkedin

Linkedin is more of a site for social resumes. Seems like people go on their to create an online basic profile of themselves where they brag about their degrees, life accomplishments, and qualifications. The sites seem kind of bland but I suppose they meet the goal of a well-branded citizen. Again, they are very boring though. I looked at Thomas Clifford and Paul Copcutt and they were both damn near the same thing! Lame!

5 Criteria to be a well-branded college student:

1. Appear to be friendly and professional - when someone is looking for help on a subject, or more specifically, a person, when they find that person they want to know if this is the type of person they are looking for. Of course the terms of which they are needed DO matter. But, most of the time a friendly and professional person is preferred.

2. Get your name out there - the more your name is used in your website, especially in the site name, the more likely you are to be found. Especially when it comes to SEO's, your name in the search terms does matter, not always depending on your credentials and site affiliations, but the more your name is used, the more you will most likely be found.

3. Political/Religious views - unless your website or blog is focusing on the matter, leave these views out of it. Imposing your views on others is not the best thing to do. If you are the opposite views of them that could leave to potential problems. 

4. Site links - only give links to other websites that are related to what you are trying to convey in your own website. So try to leave out a link to your ACTUAL FaceBook page and create a separate FaceBook page that is more professional and is centered upon your website focus. This is appropriate so that employers don't see a bunch of photos of you being wasted out on the town.

5. Security - assure your site viewer that any information transferred will be secured and not leaked to other forms of advertising, employer websites, etc.. Visitors feel better knowing that their identities will be safe in your hands.

My well-branded digital presence

The only thing that I need to work on is mainly my professionalism. It is clear, especially once you see my Wix site, that I am friendly, outgoing, and like to have fun. But, as you will see, my home page is filled with pictures of me and friends drinking/having a good time, which is not the best from an employers aspect. Though, I did that because I wanted to have fun with the project and have it be interesting looking and fun, while completing the terms of the assignment. If the assignment was to create a well-branded digital presence in which I would use to be potentially hired by someone, I most certainly would have taken a different approach to my Wix site (in fact, I still might choose to do so in case my site is viewable somehow by future employers). 

Downtown Community Adventure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Ij5FgwEss

YouTube was giving me issues so I could only post the link vs. the actual video.

In-class Usability Study 10/24/12

Craig's List

http://madison.craigslist.org

The purpose, as well as the intention of this site, is to allow its users to post links about products or services they wish to sell. Also, it is a great site to go to if you are looking for a new job because employers tend to use craig's list as a cheap and affordable way find new employees. 

The content is also organized in a well-manored way. The content is divided into categories of what you are looking for as well as a search bar if you happen to not know which category what you are looking for would be in.

The interface is very consistent. There are basically only 3 page styles to navigate from: the main page, the page listing the posts, and the page that is the actual post. They are all also consistent in style and font. There are no outstanding graphics either so it makes the load times a lot quicker for the user. 

The navigation is all links so it makes it pretty easy to navigate and not get lost in the website. The intent of each link is obviously stated because you are going to craig's for the obvious reason of buying, selling or looking for a job. 

The overall goal of this site is met so I would conclude that this website is an obvious success. Adding anything more to this website would be unnecessary because it would draw away from the overall goal and purpose if this website. 

HerschMaggler - The video critque (lawlz)

YouTube Videos

1. Apple Maps Dark Knight Parody Movie HD

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llyq-zyE-wU

HerschMaggler: To start things out, this video was presented in high definition (if your computer allows) so the quality is quite good. This also means it probably took awhile for the creator to upload it to YouTube. This video is a parody of the iPhone Maps application that uses actual footage from "The Dark Knight". The scenes were edited together to not make the video 10 minutes vs. just a couple. The creator edited the scenes together quite well and actually made me forget that "original" scene from the movie. He used Apple music in the background throughout the whole video but the volume was not too high, so as to not take away from the commentary going on. The video also uses the Apple commercial intro and outdo (hopefully he has proper permission). The voiceovers also were edited in quite well and didn't leave me confused as to what was happening. All in all, the video was very smooth and most importantly, made sense! The funny thing is, is I bet this video could be used for an actual commercial for Apple.

2. Christopher Walken Reads "Honey Boo Boo"!

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzIsz3fU9xQ

HerschMaggler: This video, created by ScreenJunkie, has Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell and Sam Rockwell using their dramatic talents to reenact scenes from America's #1 child-beauty-pagent-coupon-queen-sketti-eatin' show, "Here comes Honey Boo Boo". To start things off, this video was not presented in HD but considering its content, it does not affect the video at all. The video has a nice edited intro that ScreenJunkies uses in all of their videos. There is music in the background that you can hear throughout the video just enough not to drown out the commentary. When the interview is being conducted with the actors listed above, the ScreenJunkies also provides subtitles, which allows viewers to know what is said considering that all three actors have very distinguishing voices and accents. Since it was set up like and interview, the shots were as well. The shots were spot on and no extra footage was left in the video. All in all, the video was very smooth and well edited! It even had links you could click on to go to other videos made by ScreenJunkies (i'm sure this is an added feature by YouTube). 

3. Songify This: Winning - a Song by Charlie Sheen

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QS0q3mGPGg

HerschMaggler: In this video, Schmoyoho (YouTube screen name), does what he does best and that is songification of damn near everything. This songification is a compilation of Charlie Sheen interviews that were broadcasted on the "Today Show" and on CNN. This video quality is not in HD but it is meant to be humorous so it does not affect the viewing experience. The video is also a "remix" and uses actual footage but in order to make it "songified", the movie is choppy because many words are repeated (as well the scenes). Schmoyoho uses autotune for Charlie's voice making it quite comical and there are also scenes where Schmoyoho himself is singing which was edited in nicely. Since I have seen other videos by Schmoyoho, I know that he always has an outro tune of him singing about his videos and posting more--he does this in this video as well.

Vimeo Videos

1. Wax Tailor feat. Aloe Blacc - Time To Go

Link: http://vimeo.com/50366872

HerschMaggler: I will start out by saying that this video just made my day! This video is a tale of a crochet quadropus, that travels the land turning things blue. What is unique about this video is that it uses A LOT of still-framed shots that were strung together, as well as animations, to create this video. It features Aloe Blacc for the music and the video itself was created by "Oh Ya Wow". You can obviously tell it is built upon still-frame shots, which the creators did an amazing job of making it look very real. The music follows around the shots very well too and fades out in the end along with the screen that fades to black. The video itself uses real shot photos, as well as (at least I think) mashing it with other photos and maybe even a little clipart as well. All in all, a great video! I even shared it with all my friends on Facebook.

2. Nitro Warriors - A Stop Motion Animated Film

Link: http://vimeo.com/49275293

HerschMaggler: This video from Vimeo (much like the above one) uses still-framed shots, once again, to create a life-like video. The intro was well edited in the beginning, letting the viewer know who created this video. What surprises me is that this entire video was shot from a mobile phone! That's awesome! This stop motion animated film depicts an intense police chase that involves toy cars. In the movie there are crashes, chasing, helicopter operating, and even a flying car ending that were all accompanied by good sound effects. Only problem really was that the sound effects were very loud, almost too loud for my liking. The shots were done well too: some up close, others from above, and even some that were in first-person to second-person view. All in all, this video was edited well but could have used a better outro instead of just fading to black.