BLOG UPDATE!

HI ADAM!

Well, I just wanted to say an extra big THANKYOU for making me backup files! As the weeks have been going on, I have somehow managed to simply "save" my posts as opposed to posting them, but luckily, I have backup! ;)

So here's all the weeks post in ONE BIG POST for your viewing!

WEEK 5

FRIENDS: I believe this image is a true representation of "friends" as it is a group shot of me and my posse at my birthday! I think by any outsider viewing this photo they would recognise from the smiles on everyone's faces that we are having a good time together, and it would be appropriate to assume we were 'friends'. This photograph was taken on a kodak 5.0MP digital camera.




HIGH-TECH: I thought that this photograph represented "high-tech" because I was surprised when I boarded a plane to ROCKHAMPTON of all places, to see a video screen in the back of the domestic, lower-class scum $39 seats! How far technology has come! This photograph was taken on a 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone camera.



SUMMER: This photograph represents "Summer" as it is the beautiful Stradbroke Island Coastline on a beautiful summer day. (Ok, that was a little corny even for me..) It was taken on a 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone Camera. But how awesome is the quality?! I was surprised!

UNCONVENTIONAL: I took this photo outside the Griffith University Library one day, after looking up from my seat to see someone had placed a stuffed koala in the tree! Now if that's not unconventional, what is?! It was taken on a 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone Camera.

UNIVERSITY LIFE: This is a photograph of my desk at hom. It signifies the everyday life of a university student. It has everything you could ever want: mess, books and most importantly, a laptop! This photograph was taken on a 5.0MP Kodak Digital Camera.

THANKYOU, THAT IS ALL!

WEEK 6

FRIENDS: Me and all my friends?! Perhaps multiple personalities? Can someone with scitzophrenia be friends with themself? hmmm... I used photoshop to merge together 9 photographs that I took on my 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone camera.

COMMUNICATION: As opposed to the regular "Do not feed the ibis" signage that is apparent around Southbank, I decided to photograph an Ibis, and for reasons unknown even to me put the words under the photograph using photoshop. This "communicates" the message in a new and innovative way. This photograph was taken on a 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone camera.

NEWSWORTHY: I captured the easter bunny! TOTALLY NEWSWORTHY! I didn't do a lot to this photograph in photoshop, but I did sharpen the image and alter some of the colours. This photograph was taken on a 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone Camera.

POPULAR: I was walking past a cafe one day and beside the menu was this "Vote for pedro" sign! Very popular! It was around the time when Napolean Dynamite came out. I altered the image by finishing the letters on the words because they weren't coloured in properly! I thought I was clever anyway! This photograph, like most others was taken on my 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone Camera.

GAMES: Fun and games at Southport Sharks! Go the Sharkies! I used the "contrast" feature in photoshop to alter this image. It was taken on a 5.0MP Kodak Digital Camera.

CELEBRITY: This was as close to a celebrity as I could find, and the quote is rather good too don't you think? This is a poster on our wall in the backroom of the shoe shop I work in. Cool don't you think? I used photoshop to crop this image. It was taken on a 2.0MP Motorola Mobile Phone Camera.

WEEK 7

This week comprised of me working on my assignment. YAY for me!

WEEK 8

As an avid msn user, it has always been important to me to keep up to date with my friends online. It sometimes seems as though technology has tended to take over much of my life, and msn eats away at a real lot of time without realising! One night, I sat in front of my computer with just the idea of saying hi to a friend overseas, and next thing I knew, I had skipped dinner, missed all my fav. Television shows and had been sitting in the one place in front of my laptop for 5 hours straight. What is even more confusing is I did not realise I had been sitting there for that long. I was lost to a world of technology.

Earlier this year, some of my friends decided to create a profile on second life. I really didn’t understand the phenomenon, but it was explained to me as a virtual world cross between an internet chatroom and a version of the Sims software.

What’s different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these “worlds” compared to that of regular msn, is that it is just that. A whole other world to which you can be whoever you want, customise a little virtual person to represent you, and travel around a created simulation while you chat to your friends. I think the 3D aspect makes a huge difference, as it draws people in to what they are doing, as opposed to simply seeing words typed on a screen. The colours and effects make these worlds interesting, and keeps users occupied for longer periods of time than they would say, spend on msn. (apart from my 5 hour stint!)

These kinds of applications lead us from the regular typing of chatrooms into a whole new dimension. By just checking out these sites, some may be surprised at the technology behind them. Not that it’s a new thing, but the combination of chatting and a game like environment is like no other.
I am proud to say however, that these virtual worlds are not something that I have succumbed to. I still use msn occasionally, but in the last few months have made a conscious decision to stop sitting in front of my computer screen and get out to actually see my friends face to face!

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WEEK 9

ESSAY ESSAY ESSAY!

WEEK 10

I found this week’s exercise on Microsoft Word very simple. This is due to my completion of a course last year directly relating to these programs. I have little to report! (Also, I left this tutorial early because I finished at superman speed!) I did spend some time helping the girl next to me though!

WEEK 11

Excel spreadsheet wotk. Like our Microsoft Word Tutorial Last Week, this week I breezed trough the tutorial with ease! Not bad for someone who screams at computers hey!

WEEK 12

EXAM REVISION DAY! YAY for Adam!

WEEK 13

Thanks Adam for a great Semester! BYE BYE FOR NOW!

and finally,

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Assessment Item #2: Essay
By: Brooke Penfold
Student ID: s2589028

How blogging has changed the interaction between celebrities and the general populace.

Gone are the days of face-to-face interaction. Gone are the days of having to meet with someone to tell them about your life. The information age has altered our society in a way no other form of advanced communication has, and all due to society’s want for a technological revolution. You no longer have to turn on the television or open a magazine to hear what the latest A-list celebrity is doing. In this new information age, celebrities are delving into the technological world and creating their own media in the form of weblogs. Weblogs, or simply ‘blogs’ as they are commonly known, can be defined as “a personal Web site that provides updated headlines and news articles of other sites that are of interest to the user, also may include journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user.” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/weblog

By celebrities creating their own little piece of cyber-culture, the once-known interaction between the entertainer and the viewer has altered. The world of blogs has changed the contact between celebrities and the general populace. To gain a better understanding of the true impact of this technological phenomenon, it is important to note how weblogs have changed throughout history, how celebrities use blogging to self-promote, how people make a living out of celebrity blogging, and what impact this writing mechanism has on the world at large.

The exact date when weblogs became popular is unknown, however, in 1998 Jesse James Garrett, editor of Infosift, began compiling a list of weblogs that were similar to his own. (Blood, 2000) People began to read the weblogs on this list, and from there, the trend caught on. People from around the world began compiling lists, detailing events and merging links to create their own webpages to which they could be credited. (Hewitt, 2005: IV) It’s important to note that this reformation of technology only happened less than a decade ago. This means, that of the hundreds of thousands of bloggers out there now, not one of them were sitting in front of their computer screen editing their latest site this time ten years ago. In the year 2000, there were thousands of recorded weblogs, and this phenomenon has grown rapidly over the past few years. (Meloni, 2006: 7) These blogs included topic-oriented blogs, examinations of life, reflections on the media, forms of journalistic outlets and links to other sites. Now, there are tools available on the world wide web to help users create their own weblogs, and it is an easy way to create your own piece of cyber-culture in just a few clicks. http://blogspot.com

It didn’t take long for this cyber-culture to catch on in Hollywood. These days, celebrities from across the world use blogs as an outlet just like the rest of the population. Celebrities no longer need to pay publicists to promote them (not that this matters in regards to the outrageously huge amounts they are paid), and they no longer need to rely on advertising campaigns to be noticed. Thanks to technology, they can use the internet to self-promote. (Rogers Publishing, 2006:Vol 79, Iss. 19; pg. 97) Many celebrities use blogging as an outlet to the world. http://www.bloggersblog.com/celebritybloglinks However, just like the general populace, what they post on these blogs are not necessarily true. In fact, it is suffice to say that most of what they write is less believable then the latest media-concocted story in the weekly magazines. A-list stars such as Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears use their sites to cry out to fans for support. You wont see them spending hours behind a computer screen talking about the latest political movement or climate shift. These girls are all about promotion. It’s the love them or hate them attitude that enables these stars popularity regardless of their intellectual ability. People search blogs to keep updated with their favourite celebrities lives, as they believe that receiving the information first hand lets them in on a piece of the celebrity’s world.

Aside from celebrities creating their own weblogs, aspiring journalists also make a living out of celebrity escapades through the internet. (Mills, 2005: 72) Online gossip blogs took the world by storm in 2000 when celebrity popularity escalated and people wanted to know more about the A-list crowd before magazines were published. Blogs can be updated instantly. Unlike magazines that have to wait until all staff meet deadlines, and television between scheduled programs, blogs can be updated in the moment. (Verini, 2005: 9.1) Using technology such as video phones, digital cameras, blackberrys etc, the community can access the latest gossip of celebrities as it is being recorded. Often, the latest celebrity scoops are first seen online, as these gossip blogs steal traditional media’s thunder and advertising revenues. http://www.laineygossip.com was the first gossip blog to publish that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie planned to have their baby in Africa. Due to this scoop, among others, the woman behind the website, Elaine Lui, has been able to make her blog her primary source of income. (Rogers Publishing, 2006:Vol 79, Iss. 19; pg. 97) Through generating advertising revenue and continuing to deliver on-target information to the public, the technology of weblogs has changed her life. The best blogs, which are deemed popular by the amount of hits on their website, generate advertising revenue through the Blogads Network. Perhaps the most famous blogger is Perez Hilton of http://www.perezhilton.com, who continually gets the inside gossip and whips up media frenzies week after week. He is one of the top bloggers registered in the Blogads network, and charges advertisers US$5000 for a one-week premium spot on his site. (Rogers Publishing, 2006:Vol 79, Iss. 19; pg. 97) This alone shows the magnitude of this form of technology and the power of blogs in this information age.

However, Blogging is not just about technology, it’s about people, and the communities they make through interaction via the web. (Meloni, 2006: 7) Unlike traditional forms of media, bloggers use a combination of personality, humour and alalysis to keep people interested in reading their blogs. A lot of the time controversial subject matter is recorded online, and with worldwide reach one person’s view can have a large impact, especially considering how large the site is and subscribed readership. Celebrities have a larger reach within society as they can concoct their own stories and post them online, to which thousands of fans read and digest. The real question is how much of what we read online can be believed? Due to the internet being an open source of information, anyone can go online and create a pseudonym for themselves, posing as a different person, in a different place. We as readers have the obligation to decipher what we read instead of simply believing all that is put before us. Especially where celebrities are concerned, the fans out there need to be critical in what they deem to be true. Therefore, by analysing the effects of blogging, it can be seen that this technological advancement has had a huge impact on the world at large, and all things considered, it is evident that this form of technology can only become more and more popular in the years to come.

List of References

Books and Journal Articles

Hewitt, H. 2005, Blog: Understanding the information reformation that’s changing your world, Thomas Nelson Publishing, Tennessee.

Meloni, J. 2006, Blogging in a snap, Sams Publishing, USA.

Mills, J. 2005, Barons to bloggers: confronting media power, Thomas Nelson Publishing, Tennessee.

Rogers Publishing, 2006: Canadian Business. Toronto: Sep 25 – Oct 8, 2006, Vol 79, Issue 19; pg. 97

Verini, J. New York Times Company, New York, Feb 27, 2005, pg. 9.1

Websites

Blood. R, 2000, "Weblogs: A History and Perspective", Rebecca's Pocket. http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html Date Accessed: April 24, 2007

Creation of blogs, http://blogspot.com/

Dictionary reference: define weblog, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/weblog

Hilton, P. 2006, Celeb Gossip, http://www.perezhilton.com

Lainey, L. 2007, Lainey Gossip, http://www.laineygossip.com

Writers Write Inc, 2005, Celebrity Blogs, http://www.bloggersblog.com/celebritybloglinks