Mobile Movie Downloads

For the first time - some in the region can legally download blockbuster films from kiosks at public places as Sony Ericsson unveiled the first ever mobile movie download kiosks in Asia. During the first phase of the roll out, some 80 kiosks will be available in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Consumers can easily browse and purchase their desired blockbuster movies which costs the same as buying a physical DVD.

Giving a boost to the entertainment experience of customers who desire content-on-the-go, these kiosks offer the convenience of speedy downloads of bulk content at an affordable price and directly onto their mobile handsets.

Sony Ericsson users can also download games and music tracks from these kiosks straight into their mobile phones. Just a hitch though, consumers will not be able to transfer the downloads onto their desktop computers or other devices.

Industry watchers say that although the digital download market is small now it is set to increase and predict that the lines between television, the Internet and the physical DVD will soon become blurred.

Resource & Image:

http://www.hardwarezone.com.ph/news/view.php?id=12502&cid=5

Print and Online Publication

Publishing a magazine or newspaper, especially with the rising costs of print and distribution and diminishing interest among advertisers has prompted many to turn to online media. This move to bridge the gap between the print and the online media, induces increment in readership and also establishes engagement with the readers. Features like the weblogs, audio clips, video clips, photo galleries, guestbooks, and hyperlinks of related websites, further enhances the look and the content of the written articles.


One such example of a printed publication that has a subsidiary online version is The Straits Times. The straitstimes.com provides readers with more extensive coverage of news and reaches out to a wider scale of audience especially the young, tech savvy generation. It offers up-to-date contents with immediacy and gives its readers a chance to feedback their opinions. All contents are archived in a searchable database and can be accessed at anytime without restrictions.

When it comes to recommending products or services, the online community plays a very active role. Blogs and discussion forums are often a buzz with information exchange. Online publication have transcended the level of interactivity and currency beyond what any print publication can offer. It is only a matter of time before the online media totally replaces the print.

Images:

http://www.straitstimes.com/

Blogging - A Reflection

Whenever anyone mentioned the word Blogging, all that came to my mind was, that it was some sort of teenage fascination with the cyber world. I had this perception that blogging was for high school kids with too much free time who had nothing else better to do than just post their views online. That was until i embarked on my blogging journey. Little did i know that this assignment was going to change my perspective of blogging for good and forever.
When i started this blog i had no idea whatsoever on how to even create a decent post. But now, thanks to the user friendly, step by step guide on blogger.com, not only am i able to create a post, but also insert images, hyperlinks, adjust the font types, colours and the layout of my blog. Other aspects i discovered about blogs were, posts appear in reverse-chronological order and it allows for uploading of videos and music.

I have also come to realize that blogs are a powerful communication tool. It allows you to debate, discuss and form opinions instead of accepting what is shown on the broadcast media. Interacting with other bloggers broadens the mindset about issues.

Although i have yet to receive a comment or a visit to my blog, i am pretty sure that i will keep posting my comments and making my opinions heard.

Images:

http://www.cosmogirl.com/blog/cosmogirl-stringer

Blogs - Classifications and the Communities

The reason why weblogs are so popular is because of the fact that it is written from the point of view of an individual, in an informal tone and it can be updated as frequently as one would like to. Netizens are often spoiled for choice with the availability of different types of blogs to pen their thoughts. Here are some classifications of the different types of blogs:

1. Personal Blog - an online personal journal by an individual

2. Corporate Blog - a private blog used to enhance interpersonal relationship in a corporation or used externally for branding, marketing or public relations purposes

3. Question Blog - also known as the Qlog, answers questions, which can be submitted via email, telephone or VOIP

4. Media Type - Videos blogs (vlogs), Link blogs (linklog), Photo blogs (photoblog), Mobile devices e.g. phones, PDAs (moblog)

5. Genre Type- Political blog, Travel blog, Fashion Blog, Spamming blog (splog)

A blogging community is just like any other community that comes together because they share similar interests. What keeps them integrated is the topic at hand and the mutual awareness between them which is developed by leaving comments on or providing links to and from each others blogs. LiveJournal and TravBuddy are examples of blog communities that differ in genre.


Live journal is a typical personal online journal which also operates as a discussion forum or a social network. LiveJournal states that 19.3 million journals and communities have been created since 1999 and 226.7 thousand entries have been posted in the last 24 hours (as at 25/03/09 12.01pm).

TravBuddy is a site that allows users to find travel buddies planning to travel to the same places at the same times, create travel based blogs, upload travel photos and review bars, restaurants, hotels and attractions.


Resources:
http://blog.jackvinson.com/archives/2006/06/26/blogging_and_communities.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Images:
http://www.livejournal.com/

http://www.travbuddy.com/

Print VS Online Design

With the world wanting news and information on demand, relying totally on print media to do the job is rather unfair. Accuracy, Brevity and Currency is what most of us look out for when we need information and mobile phones and the Internet have contributed greatly to the way we access information. Being able gain information on-the-go has made online media the preferred choice of medium among many of us. This differences between the two media extends all the way to their designing formats as well. Let me highlight a few.


Print publication has the freedom to choose from a wide range of fonts as long as it does not compromise on readability. Whereas in the case of online publication, specific fonts which are available on a wide range of computer systems have to be used. Therefore choice of fonts types are rather limited for an online publication. And if a non-web-safe font is used it may get substituted with another type that is available on the computer system.


Page layouts for print is static, therefore text and pictures remain consistent. But since online publications consist of graphics, hyperlinks, animations and other elements, the layouts are usually more fluid to allow more information to get across as little space as possible.


With resources like discussion groups, forums, online seminars, online media provides a greater level of engagement and interactivity between the content and the user. Print does not allow real-time interaction and basically lets the eyes walk, selectively looking at information objects and using spatial juxtaposition to make page elements enhance and explain each other.

As Nielson (1999) states what may appear to be a great print design is likely to be a lousy web design. There are so many differences between the two media that it is necessary to take different design approaches to utilize the strengths of each medium and minimize its weaknesses.

Resources:

http://www.subhub.com/articles/20060809_7

http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/printvsweb/a/print_vs_web.htm

http://www.distilled.co.uk/blog/web-design/what-makes-designing-for-the-web-different-to-designing-for-print/

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html

http://www.reencoded.com/2008/02/17/the-differences-between-print-and-web-design/

Images:

http://info.library.unsw.edu.au/psl/skills/direct/itet_lilt/module1/weblibrary.htm

http://www.artyfactory.com/graphic_design/typography/typography_3.htm

http://www.layout-werbeagentur.de/

http://www.interactivegym.com/teams/mens/Interactivity/07results.asp

Blogging - A Phenomenon

It was in the year 1993, that Dr. Glen Barry invented Blogging. What began basically as a web based commentary that functioned by linking one website or an article to another soon evolved into phenomenon. The term "Weblog" was conceived by Jorn Barger in 1997 and was later shortened to just "Blog" by Peter Merholz in 1999. To date there are many different types of blogs, not just varying in its content but also in its delivery. People post their views about almost anything and everything under the sun. From politics to personal activities, one can find millions of postings on almost any topic. Considering its vast number of followers and its popularity, blogging which is a social media, is definitely much harder to control than its counterparts broadcast or print media.

It is an undeniable fact that blogging has totally changed the conventional way of communication. But what is of utmost concern is that the emergence of blogging has brought a range of legal liabilities and other often unforeseen consequences. Defamation, Political Dangers, Personal Safety are just a few to name.

With the formation of blogging communities and the birth of the Blogsphere, the blogging phenomenon is definitely here to stay and for a long time. A word of advice for those who intend to stay connected with the rest of us (yes! even i have been bitten by the blog bug), stop wasting time and jump in the bandwagon. We gonna go for the ride of our lives!


Resources:
http://www.ajy.net/jmb/blogphenomenon.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Images:
http://annarbor.hmcc.net/files/media/ads/Phenomenon-Series-Ad.jpg

http://www.conseilsmarketing.fr/category/referencement

My Humble Blog Beginnings...

Welcome to Kavitha's Media Blog! This blog has been produced as part of an assignment for my Issues in Publication and Design Module. My blog aspires to be an informative online resource, mainly containing issues relating to communications and the media. In it, i will also be discussing about blogging, issues affecting media, considerations when designing for print and online. Upon the completion of my assignment i hope to gain better knowledge of the blogging world and be a responsible and credible blogger. So without any further due, let me embark on my blogging journey....