Intro

Purpose:

To alter my audience’s point of view on various issues involving technology, the media, language and document design, with various sources nodding in my direction

What is a Blog:

Webster’s dictionary defines a blog as a “diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page.” More importantly, it says that blogs are “typically updated daily” and that “blogs often reflect the personality of the author.” (Watson, Boodram, Moaz, & Reynolds, 2005)

Blogging as a Current Phenomenon:

There are many reasons attached to why many individuals spent hours on the computer rambling their thoughts onto cyber space waiting for someone to leave a comment and label their paragraphs as a good piece of writing or a thought provoking read. Like never before, blogging has unleashed a movement encouraging many to pen down their thoughts and activities of the day regardless if they sparked writing flair or not. (Catalano F, 2005) Thanks to the herd mentality in all of us, many have conformed to the world of blogging, allowing anyone and everyone to take a peek in each others’ minds and each others lives. (Catalano F, 2005)

Without the phenomenon of blogging, can you see all bloggers writing journals about their lives? Most certainly not.

So is it safe to say that majoirty of bloggers blog to seek attention?
This harsh statement is somewhat true to a certain extent. But to put it in a different manner, I would say people just want to be heard.

Blogging allows one to unleash their burdens, happiness, sadness, curiousity and many other feeligns but most importanly, blogging allows one to unleash life. Blogging enables us to unleash our lives into words, without borders and restrictions, exposing our inner self to the world and ultimately, to be heard. (Catalano F, 2005)

Classifications of Blogs

By Genre :. political blogs , travel blogs , fashion blogs , football blogs , niche blogs

By Media: vlog , linklog , photoblog , tumblelog

By Device: moblog

Blog Communities

Blog communities is a term to describe a group of bloggers with a common theme. Maybe it be the same interest, the same group of friends or the same neighbourhood, blog communities reveal bloggers that are connected in some way or another. (Kinkeldei B 2007).
Blog communities can be a term to describe the group of people using the same blogging platform, for example, blogspot or xanga. Besides that, blog communities can be defined as communities which links an individual and other independent blogs of a number of people through a shared interest – the same cause, similar political views, business interest and so on (Kinkeldei B 2007). Nuffnang Malaysia, and Bloglah.org are examples of blog communites in Malaysia.

Designing for Online VS Designing for Print

Print and online sites are examples of multimodal texts which incorporate various elements. (Walsh, 2006) With salience, framing and information value, print and online web pages are represetnted at it’s best to attract the audience (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1998) However, designing for online is more vast and open compared to print with various modes such as sounds, animations, hyperlinks and so on to attract it’s audience. (Walsh, 2006). The deisgner is given more to work with and the end result would definitely look more appealing to the audience.

Although text and still pictures are the only modes of print, restricting a desginer’s options to salience, framing and information value to capture his or her audience, (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1998) the reader is captured into the print document paying full attention to all its details.. However, in text layout Diane Reep (2006) states, readers only 'scan' websites and they hardly read every single line and they only seek the information they want on the website.

New Forms of Media Publishing

Once again, technology has stunned us with new forms of media publishing such as vlog, photolog, linklog, moblog and others.

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References

Catalano F, 2005, The Journal, Why Blog?, viewed 1st November 2007, <http://www.thejournal.com/articles/17616>

Kinkeldei B 2007, Whitepaper Blog Communities: Forging Connections and Promoting Growth Through Blog Communities, 21 Publish Cooperative Publishing, viewed 30 October 2007, http://www.21publish.com/pub/21publish/blogging-whitepaper.pdf

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 1998, ‘Chapter 7: Front pages: (the critical) analysis of newspaper layout’, in Bell, A & Garret, P (eds) 1998, Approaches to media discourse, Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 186-219.

Watson S, Boodram C, Moaz L, and Reynolds S, 2005 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, Briattanca Publications

Reep, DC 2006, Technical Writing, 6th edn, Pearson/Longman, New York.

Walsh, M 2006, ‘The ‘textual shift’: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol 29, no. 1, pp. 24-37.

Sex Sells!

Yes, Sex sells. Infact, sex sells a lot! Look around you. Advertisements everywhere compete for our attention. (Levit, 2001) We can’t help but see an image of a man or a woman who are sexualy appealing to us in one way or another. Sex appeal improves the effectiveness of an advertisement mainly because, we human beings are attracted to sex. It’s just the way we’re created.

A good looking woman is more likely to grab a guy’s attention compared to a puppy, regardless of how cute it may be. (Levit, 2001) The advertisement is also likely to attract a fair share of female audience with the advertisement potraying the dream body or a fantasy hairdo which leaves many women drawn to the advertisement.

Document deisgners strategically places various elements in a document to highlight the intended object which serves to grasp the attention of it’s auidence. Various elements of a document contain different degrees of salience and attracts its audience as far as its capability. (Walsh, 2006) In this case, companies incorporate images of sexually appealing images to appear salient to ensure the audience is ensnared. Salience is created through relative choices in color, size, sharpness and placement. Often, vectors created by the shape and placement of elements help lead the eye from one element to another, in order of decreasing salience such as the image below. (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1998)

In order to ensure that the audience is fixed on its intended target, a document designer would faithfully ensure the size of the salient object dominates the picture. It is safe to say that you will never see an image of a bikini model on the cover page smaller than another element in a document.

It is also important that text and visuals are orchestrated together harmoniously to complement each other to bring out the best of a document. (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1998). Even with sexually enticing images, advertisments would not attract or sell if the combination of text and visuals are not binded apropriately. Hence it would work otherwise and appear as a sexually offenseive image.

For instance, in The Unitend Kingdom, posters for an energy drink were banned due to complains that the advertisement promoted sexual violence. (Bbc News, 2002)
The drink's maker Shark AG, told the ASA it used the idea of a shark attack "because it combined a humorous reference to the product and a light-hearted word play on the colloquial term "sharking" - or the search for a partner. (Bbc News, 2002)

The wrong combination of text and visuals would destroy the message that the document attempts to portray. So does sex actually sell?
It does if you know the right recipe of text and visuals.


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References

Bbc News, 2002, 'Sexually offensive' drinks ad banned, viewed 31st October, 2007 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/2087060.stm>

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 1998, ‘Chapter 7: Front pages: (the critical) analysis of newspaper layout’, in Bell, A & Garret, P (eds) 1998, Approaches to media discourse, Blackwell, Oxford,

Levit M, 2001, Ezine Articles, Sex in Advertising: Does it Sell?, viewed 30th October 2007, <http://ezinearticles.com/?Sex-in-Advertising:-Does-it-Sell?&id=14551>

Walsh, M 2006, ‘The ‘textual shift’: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy

Shrt Msging?

"My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc."


This was part of an essay of a 13 year old Scottish girl, who wrote her entire essay in “short text system.” What she was trying to convey in her essay is actually as below; (Bbc News, 2003)


"My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place." (Bbc News, 2003)


Some may say it’s faster, cheaper, easier and more convenient. But should we compromise these small perks with language? Is technology to be blamed for the deteriorating standard of grammar and language? Global citizens living in the technological era has conformed to the short text system when using the internet or mobile phones. Some may say it’s faster, cheaper, easier and more convenient. But should we compromise these small perks with language?

Teenagers are not the only ones to be blamed as this alarming way of writing has also been exercised by working adults in touch with technology. Schirato & Yell (1996) said that people make meaning according to who and where we are socially and culturally. Due to the current teenage obsession of the cyber world, many innocent minds are forced to conform to the mainstream of abbreviations, internet slang’s, and loosened grammar. (Grant, 2002) This disease catches on to the fast paced working world where everything is fast and simple, bringing down well educated individuals along with the rest.

Although the text is recognisable and readable, drawing upon already established and shared set of meaning, (Schirato & Yell, 1996) Kress & van Leeuwen proves that that different cultural backgrounds and knowledge are deeply interrelated with the interpretation of meaning. Therefore, abbreviations can mean something to a person and something else to another. For instance “ASAP” would mean as soon as possible to some, but for people in Malaysia “ASAP” is smoke in the Malay language.

The “short text system” should be highly discouraged as it deteriorates the stadard of language. For many, it is also unreable as we share different backgrounds as cultures contrast. Lts cumbine R F-erts 2 work 2rds a fu2re 2 Nsre R Niuspapers Rn’t pblished dis wy. (Let’s combine our efforts to work towards a future to ensure newspapers aren’t published this way)

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References


BBC News, 2003, Is txt mightier than the word? viewed 22 October 2007, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2814235.stm>

Grant A. G, 2002, Communication Technology Update, Oxford University Press; Fifth Edition.

Schirato, T & Yell, S 1996, Framing context, St. Leonards, NSW.

Communication Murdered By The Internet?

With emails and instant messaging programs such as MSN, the world has been brought closer together. But what has the whole internet frenzy done for the growth of communication? Yes, the internet certainly has made communication faster and easier, but has it taken more than it has given?

Communication is defined as "the process whereby humans collectively create and regulate social reality" by Sarah Trenholm and Arthur Jensen (2007) in their book Interpersonal Communication. Communication through the internet completely destroys the entire authenticity of communication, missing out on the whole “communication experience.” While users of the Internet are technically still speaking the same language and viewing identical material, only the first step in the communication process is being accomplished. (Ridolfi, 2000)

Facial expressions, hand gestures, tone of voice and many other factors contribute to the whole experience. These essential details are pushed aside as the internet is substituted as a medium of self expression. The internet, having multimodal functions such as hyperlinks, audio/visual aids and emoticons entice users in communicating through the internet, forcing internet users to be contented with communication of a lower class. (Walsh, 2006).

Multi-linear and multi-directional view points are favoured among many internet users due to its simplicity, allowing users to multitask. (Walsh, 2006) Through this, internet users can not only converse to various people at the same time through different approaches of the internet such as email and instant messaging, but accomplish other things while on the computer.
The internet creates a wall for many to hide behind. Some people develop split personalities when they communicate on the internet and in real life situations. This results many to be so comfortable behind that wall that they limit themselves when it comes to real life situations.

These people aren’t able to communicate and express their thoughts verbally and are afraid to cross that line. Due to a person’s blunt communications skills, a person may be able to communicate his or her thoughts with the assistance of the internet but fail so accomplish so in real life. (Cohen, 2002) For instance, a person would easily be able to talk to a person of the opposite sex or a complete stranger online but fail to do so in real life. The internet pampers many people by swindling the whole communication process.

Atrocious grammar and spelling has also been the product of the dependency of internet communication. Abbreviations, internet slang’s, and loosened grammar rules have affected languages ever so greatly. Will these repercussions of internet communications ever be battled, or will our leaders of tomorrow be intoxicated by second degree communication?

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References

Cohen J, 2002, Fearlessly Communicationg and Talking with Confidence, viewed 23rd October 2007, <http://www.earthlingcommunication.com/blog/fearlessly-communicating-and-talking-with-confidence.php>

Ridolfi K, 2000, Column Renaissance, Global Village of The Damned, viewed 22nd October 2007, <http://www.earthlingcommunication.com/blog/fearlessly-communicating-and-talking-with-confidence.php>

Sarah T and Arthur J, 2007, Interpersonal Communication, Oxford University Press; Fifth Edition

Walsh M 2006, ‘“Textual shift”: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, Australian journal of language and literacy, Vol. 29, No. 1

Spyware!!

Spyware is a computer program that installs itself without the knowledge of the user, aiming to hijack the system in the computer.

After installing itself, it monitors the behaviour of the user and collects various personal information on the personal computer. Spyware programs interfears the user’s activity and begins harmful attacks to the computer such as redirecting web browser activity to affilliated spyware websites, download viruses and change the settings on the user’s computer.

With the information collected, spyware sends personal information to various advertisers which will lead to spam of advertisements and pop ups in various programs on the computer such as email, instant messaging programs, web browsers and so on. For instance, if a user was browsing through a sports clothing website, spyware will study the user’s behaviour and will then lead the user to various pop ups and advertisements on sports goods.

This is also dangerous as many internet users release important personal information such as credit card numbers, telephone numbers, bank account numbers and so on. Hackers tend to send spyware in order to obtain important information such as these and dissapear without a trace.

Spyware often appears in attractive pop ups which are salient to most computer users. Salience is created through relative choices in color, size, sharpness and placement. (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1998). Colourful and attractive pop ups ensnares many users to click on its application enabling spyware to install itself after the user is directed to a third party website.

Just as pictures with text help enhance the meaning of a document, (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006) these pop ups not only contain attractive images but manipulative texts that persuade internet users to download spyware such as “Click Here and Win a Free I-Pod.” Internet users, enticed by the image of an i-pod on the advertisement accompanied by such manipulative text will definitely cause the widespread of spyware. The wide spread of spyware has lead 90% of all computers which are connected to the Internet infected with spyware. (barracudanetworks.com, 2005)

Considering these dangerous spywares have access to information such as credit card numbers, house addresses, and telephone numbers, this plague should be tracked down and destroyed immediately to ensure the safety of all internet users.

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Referencing

barracudanetworks.com, 2005, Spware Safety, viewed 23rd October 2007 <http://www.barracudanetworks.com/newsletter/Barracuda%20Spyware%20Firewall%20Datasheet%2020050516.pdf>

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 1998, ‘Chapter 7: Front pages: (the critical) analysis of newspaper layout’, in Bell, A & Garret, P (eds) 1998, Approaches to media discourse, Blackwell, Oxford,

Walsh, M 2006, ‘The ‘textual shift’: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy

Reflection

Throughout the whole blogging process, I have enchanced my knowledge in document design and fully understand the purpose of various elements in a document. Each element has it's role to play and can not be simply designed according to personal preference.

With the knowledge of salience, framing and information value, the design of the blog is consturcted to attract the audience in every possible manner.(Kress and van Leeuwen, 1998)

As Halliday (1985) stated that context of culture is necessary for a text to be fully understood, I ensured the content and style of writing related to my audience.

I also added pictures to text to help my audience understand and digest the content as Kress & van Leeuwen (2006) suggested that it would enchance the meaning of the document and attract the audience.

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Halliday, M & Hasan R 1985, Language, context and text: aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective, Deakin University, Victoria.

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading images: the grammar of visual design, 2nd edn, Routledge, London, chapter 1: ‘The semiotic landscape: language and visual communication’.