Lou Veyret's posterous

My long weekend in Perth..

After a whirlwind trip to Perth, I thought I would share some of the places that I've visited while I've been here.

I went to Greenhouse for and enjoyed a delicious, healthy breakfast. Highly recommend checking it out.

Following a guilt free breakfast, we decided to master Jacob's ladder and then marvelled at the Perth landscape from Kings Park.

We took a train to Freemantle, and spent the afternoon with a couple beverages and some yummy nibbles at Little Creatures. For a couple night time drinks, we went to the Brisbane Hotel and the Malt Supper Club.

We still have several hours left until our flight home, so we might visit Miss Maud or get the ferry to South Perth.

Some photos to come soon!

Posted July 24, 2011

My best day

The culmination of information via social networking sites means that individuals need to be more considered in their approach to online media. This representation of ourselves forms our online persona, which can sometimes be carefully constructed through considered posts and messages, or an unthoughtful approach of scattered messages, or something in between.

Baron’s chapter “My Best Day” provides a comprehensive analysis on the types of messages left on AIM. This can be almost lifted and applied directly to Facebook status updates, particularly with the immediacy and distribution that this section of the site provides.

Within the recent developments of the Facebook status update - The filtering and tagging functionality – this further adds to the points mentioned in the article, on the appearance provided by association with popular figures and those who are “social motivated”.

In the similar way that individuals construct their AIM or Facebook status updates to reflect an persona, there has been some considered, yet humourous, analysis of Facebook profile pictures completed. A blog post by College Humor defines the different types of facebook photos, which correlates with the “My best day” theory, which the subject could “stage herself as she wished to be seen by her friends”:

What your profile picture says about you:

You, but a professional headshot
This works perfectly, as long as every moment in your life is also airbrushed and creatively lit.

Further to this, there are more posts available online about creating the perfect profile picture, including Mashable’s post on “5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Profile Picture”. The prevalence of these posts about creating online personas, and morphing with the offline persona will mean that there will be more emphasis on the intersection of behaviours in the future.

References:
Baron, N.S. 2008. Always On: Language in an online and mobile world. Chapter 5 “My Best Day” pp.71-98

Hofstetter, Steve. " What Your Facebook Profile Picture Really Means" College Humor. 2 Dec 2009. Web. 11 May 2011. < http://www.collegehumor.com/article/5783900/what-your-facebook-profile-pictur...>.

Silverman, Matt. “5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Profile Pic” Mashable. 12 April 2010. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://mashable.com/2010/04/12/profile-picture-tips/>.

Posted May 15, 2011

The importance of collaborative tools

While reading Lanier’s “You are not a gadget” one line of Lanier’s book really proved to me the changes in software, and technologies in general, will have a big impact of the ideas in the future:

“As long as you are not defined by software, you are helping to broaden the identity of the ideas that will get loaded in for future generations”

I agree with Lanier – to be free from the constraints of technology, means there is more opportunity through a myriad of sites, application and open source. I would suggest that the rise of open source materials means the identity of ideas provides a catalyst for further innovation by technologists.

This can be demonstrated by some of the co-collaborative sites that have emerged in recent years. Ross Dawson, a futurist blogger suggests that “Crowdsourcing in the broadest sense will be one of the fundamental platforms of the emerging network economy. As such it’s pleasing to see that Australia is becoming a hub for a number of the most significant crowdsourcing platforms globally”.

These crowdsourcing platforms built on collaborative technology, with the capability built in for agile development, will be the direction of new media and affect consumer behaviour in the future – where individuals will participates at each stage of creation, production, distribution or other channels. This is already evident in popular sites online like Etsy or Threadless.

It is imperative that technologists understand the implications that their software has on their sites, applications and tools they build for future generations, and the culture of sharing and collaborating.

References:

Dawson, Ross. "Australia is becoming a global hub for crowdsourcing platforms" Trends in the living networks. 24 Feb 2010. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://rossdawsonblog.com/weblog/archives/2010/02/australia_is_be.html>.

Lanier, Jaron. (2010) You are not a gadget. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, pp. 3-23

Posted April 26, 2011

Transparency in new media..

Flew (2008) provides a comprehensive view of new media by outlining some of the new themes prevalent today. While some of the themes he has listed such as, “collective intelligence”, “participation” and “security and surveillance” are mentioned, a separate concept that needs to be included and addressed is the idea of transparency.

If you ask someone these days an example of transparency within new media, it is almost guaranteed they will refer to the almost clichéd response – Wikileaks. A definition sourced through a simple search referred me to this definition from the Hypertensive Journalism blog:

Transparency is about sharing where you got your information and providing your readers with proof and research in order to prove your credibility. (May 7, 2011)

The concept of transparency in this sense correlates with the ideas of participation and interactivity referenced in Flew’s book. This interactivity ‘identifies the distinctive properties of new media that make it more open and interactive than traditional communication technologies. Kenney and colleagues (2000) argue that new media requires a rethinking of traditional sender-receiver models of communication, since ‘Interaction...demands a two-way (or multi-directional) model of communication. With the interactive features of new media, the receiver is recognised as an active participant’ (Kenney (2000) in Flew, 2008).

Another element of transparency within the new media space is the compensation within the blogosphere. The new regulations put in place by the US Federal Trade Commission in 2009 means that bloggers need to disclose any relationship between that individual and the company. A simplified explanation can be found on Youtube.

Within the embedded video, “Robert Scoble and Scott Bourne talk new media transparency” – the discussion has been triggered by transparency with payments for media companies.

Flew has a provided a comprehensive list of key concepts for 2008, but it is evident by these recent examples that a list such as this needs to be revised as new trends and themes emerge.

References:

Flew, T. (2008) New Media: An introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 21 – 37
20 key new media concepts
FTC Endorsement Guides. Youtube. 16 Oct. 2009. Web. <http://youtu.be/DBMlq3R85Xk>.
McLoughlin, Laura. "What Is Transparency?" Hypertensivejournalism. 7 May 2011. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://hypertensivejournalism.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/what-is-transparency/>.
Robert Scoble and Scott Bourne talk new media transparency. Vimeo. 13 Jun. 2008. Web. <http://vimeo.com/1168143>.

Posted April 20, 2011

University..

So when I started blogging several years ago it was during my under graduate years studying public relations.

Now I'm back completing my post graduate studies and am back doing more university blog posts. So be prepared, the next few coming up will be for my digital cultures subject. Thanks!

Posted April 14, 2011

Remembering the past..

The last few weeks have been tough. One of my friends tragically passed away and I have been trying to cope with the loss.

Previously, one of the best ways to remember memories of a loved one was to flick through a photo album or share stories. Usually this would be a physical photo album or in person, and I would be able to recall the memory by looking through photos, captions and reflecting upon memories.

Now after two years that have included two similarly upsetting events, I've noticed the impact Facebook has had on me. It has served as a digital tribute to my friends lives. Whereas there has been much discussion upon privacy and security online, this is one area of the net that i see great benefit, particularly in seeking solace.

Rest in peace, Anna.

Posted November 11, 2010