Americans Online

Week 10 Blog Post

I read an article about texting and driving. Here is the link: http://redtape.msnbc.com/2010/06/americans-overwhelmingly-think-texting-while-driving-is-dangerous-but-about-half-of-cell-phone-users-do-it-anyway-worse-yet.html

Most of what I read in the article didn’t surprise me. It is pretty typical information that many of us have heard before. The one thing that did surprise me, only at first, is that adults are the most likely to text while driving. As I said, it only surprised me for a moment. After some thought, I remembered my own driving experiences as a teenager. My hands were locked to the steering wheel and weren’t moving for anything. My phone could ring and ring, I wasn’t going to answer until I was at my destination.

Adults, on the other hand, have been driving longer and feel more confident in their abilities to handle texting and driving at the same time. I also think that texting is pretty recent obsession in the world. Children are being taught as they get older that texting and driving is not a good idea whereas the people who were already adults when the texting craze came of the world were never sat down and explained it was wrong. They hear it all the time, but it isn’t something they learned from their parents or their teachers.

As I mentioned, I would never text and drive. I don’t even answer the phone. I wait until I get where I need to go or pass the phone to someone else and tell them to answer it for me. All in all, I encourage the same when I am the passenger in someone else’s car.

 

Newsroom Ethics

Week 15 Blog Post

Here is a link to an article you need to read: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/119968/lara-logans-attack-was-an-exception-the-stories-we-miss-about-rape-and-sexual-violence-those-we-tell/

 

This article is about how rape and sexual violence are described in the media, which stories are told and which are left unreported. This article explains how the use of words to describe the occurrence can easily change our views and opinions.

My eyes felt like they were suddenly opened when the columnist points out that most writers and people focus on what the victim was doing and had done rather than the criminal or the crime itself. We completely ignore details that are important because we want an explanation of why this horrible thing happened. Many times the people who write the articles do this. They make excuses for the victim, saying she was walking in a dangerous area or she was wearing provocative clothing. None of that should matter, but that is what we look for. We should be concerned with how happened and how it will be stopped from happening again.

There is also the problem that crimes like these are never printed or reported to anyone. It is the responsibility of the news to show victims that they did nothing wrong and that the wrong was done to them. Right now, we look at victims as though they were asking for it or did something stupid to provoke an attack. They need to be shown that action will be taken against these criminal instead of giving them a lecture of walking alone at night. We need to show them that there is no shame in being a victim. The shame is on the criminal. Why do we, as a society, not look at it this way? I truly do not know, but now that my eyes have been opened, maybe I can help change the view. Even if I only convinced one person to believe this, then I have made a change.

 

Student Press Freedom

Week 14 Blog Post

If I were an advisor for a high school newspaper and a student came to me with an article that supported the idea of condom machines being installed in school bathrooms, what would I do? Would I allow him to print it? Would I advise him to write something else, perhaps? I doubt I would ever disallow someone to print anything, but I would sit him down and give him my opinion and advice on the matter. After that, I would consider it out of my hands. He has a right his beliefs.

I think the first thing I would do, is ask him why such a machine was needed. Of course, for protection against STDs and pregnancy in teens, but I mean deeper than that. Not necessary premarital sex – you can’t convert the world – but teens and sex is not a great idea. I would advise this student to bring that up in his article. If would also advise him to say that a machine is needed because of the irresponsible actions that have led to so many deaths and pregnancies in teens. He would need to explain that his support of a condom machine in the bathrooms is a last resort and he is in no way saying that because the machine is there means that teens can have sex with whoever they want whenever they want. Because teen sex cannot be stopped altogether, isn’t it better to offer protection than ignore the problem until more pregnancies and STDs are spread?

If my student, understood what I was saying and tweaked his article to encompass these things, then he would have learned a valuable lesson. If he did not understand what I was trying to get across, I still do not have the right to stop his article from being published and would probably see myself unfit to be an advisor for the school paper.

 

Slick Oil

Week 12 Blog Post

The BP Oil spill in 2010 was a disgrace. There is no other way to put it. When we first learned about the leak, we were informed it was under control and everything was going to be fixed soon. As the weeks went on, the public discovered that BP was not as truthful as they claimed to be. There were no back-up plans for spills or damage to the equipment and they were still trying to figure something out. While the world thought everything was under control, things were getting farther and farther out of hand.

If I were a PR executive, I would have probably come right out and said what was going on. I would have admitted the mistakes the company had made concerning plans and maintenance. I would have been honest. That may not have helped their image in the beginning, but in the long run, they could not have been accused of lying to the public. Instead going back and forth with answers and contradicting themselves, I would have at least kept the same story from start to finish.

To help better the image of the BP Oil Company, I might have tried to focus the attention on what the company was doing for the families of the people who had died in the accident. The media seemed to focus on the survivors and, in my opinion, that undermined the deaths. Other than that idea, I’m not sure how much “face” could have been saved for the BP Oil Company

 

Non-profit News Online

Week 11 Blog Post

Here is a link to a news site that is completely supported by donations: http://www.propublica.org/

I seriously doubt some of the stories on this site would ever be published in newspapers or on sites funded by advertisements.

When reading news stories funded by advertisements or owned by people with certain views, you are obviously reading a biased story. You will get some news, but it is arranged in such a way to promote the beliefs that the companies would like you to adopt or to promote products or companies they would like you to invest in. It is very rare just to have a raw story anywhere.

That is one of the great advantages of donation funded news sites. You get the whole story and the real story. They aren’t trying to advertise anything. They aren’t trying to change your political views. They are trying to inform you of what is going on in the world.

The only disadvantage that I see is the fact that the news site might be persuaded by large donors to print certain stories or types or types of stories. It would be hard to resist a large donation even if the donor is asking to have a biased story printed. If this were to happen, we might as well just read the regular newspaper or from the advertisement funded sites.

 

Meta-Advertising

Week 13 Blog Post

These two commercials for Kotex Tampons are definitely a new way to advertise. Here is the first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOM4AMV050A (Kotex, “Obnoxious”)

Here is the second:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRf35wCmzWw (Kotex, “Apology”)

Take a look.

I have to admit that these made me laugh. They were just so bold and truthful when it comes to tampon commercials. They did spark my interest in the product and I am not likely to forget the commercial anytime soon. Still, I highly doubt I would buy that specific brand because it told me absolutely nothing about it. So you have a witty commercial. What makes your product better than the products with the typical commercials?

This third commercial is for Dove Soap. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U (Dove, “Evolution”)

Again, it is truthful and bold. Most people claim that they know what goes in to making a person “fit” for an advertisement, but I doubt half the country does. Still, this commercial is just like the Kotex commercials. It tells me absolutely nothing about their product and why it is better for me to use.

These are both clever attempts at a new type of advertising, but that is all they are – a new type of advertising. I am sure that there are people out there who will go out and buy these products because of these commercials. I might try them out as well, but it will be because they are on sale or I have a coupon.

1000+ Channels and Nothing On

Week 9 Blog Post

The question of TV content was raised. We have hundreds of channels, but very little variety concerning the types of shows. Why would this be? I don’t have a solid answer. I am one of those people who doesn’t watch TV because there is a slim chance that anything on will interest me.

All these reality shows and series that have no substance have completely taken over the channels. It seems to me that people no longer want to, for lack of a better phrase, come away with something. They want to be able to sit down in front of their TV and watch a show that they don’t have to think about or learn anything from. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that. Who doesn’t want to come home from work and just unwind for a bit with some mindless TV show?

I used to watch the History channel and the Discovery channel constantly, but now, even those shows seem to be less interested in facts and more interested in a good story that they can turn into a costume drama. I really believe that people just don’t want substance anymore.

If I could add anything to the channels, it would be the old fashioned entertainment shows. Yes, they were talk shows, but in the 60’s and 70’s people were more interested in the guest stars that came on to sing and dance. They talked about real things instead of all this celebrity gossip. I suppose I would also like to see more educational channels concerned with facts and learning.

Still, let the world watch what they want. I have my books to keep me.

 

Radio vs. Audio

Week 8 Blog Post

The radio can be my best friend sometimes. I use it to drown out noise outside of my bedroom while I am working, to drown out my own thoughts at times and as background noise for those days I can’t concentrate in the silence. Most of the time, it is just a sort of company. I don’t actually hear what is playing.

I think most people turn on the radio for the same reasons I do. They might be driving home from work at night and just need to hear something to keep the loneliness at bay or to keep them alert and aware.

There are many people who listen to talk stations and news stations. It is probably easier for them to get their news driving on the way to work or home from work than it is to sit down and read the paper or access the web. Talk radio stations are like news stations. They keep their listeners informed about what is going on in the world, whether it is current events, politics or celebrity gossip.

There are obviously advantages to having so many different types of radio. There is something for everyone to listen to and no one seems to be taking over and trying to push others out. There are just far too many stations.

 

Paying for Music

Week 7 Blog Post

This article on Salon.com, http://www.salon.com/technology/the_gigaom_network/tech_insider/index.html?section=tech_insider&blog=/tech/giga_om/tech_insider/2010/04/23/can_p2p_be_made_to_pay

, argues for music providers to start working with music file sharing instead of trying to put a stop to it. We all know that stopping this file sharing is a losing battle. Companies have to accept this and move on. They have to embrace and adapt.

The article above provides three suggestions on how to pay these companies that provide the music. Out of the three, I think that Ad-supported P2P and user donations will be the most successful with ad-supported as the one on top. Think about it, how many times do we click an interesting advertisement on the side of our Facebook profiles or on Youtube.com? Most of us don’t even realize what we are doing. It is already a huge source of income for thousands of companies. Making the ads on the music sites about the music and the artists is a perfect idea. If we hear a song we like, we want to learn about it and the artist in the hopes that it will lead us to more songs we will enjoy.

I am not sure how successful the user donations would be. I support it because I have many friends who are artists and can’t afford to have their songs given away for free. These donations show them that they are supported and appreciate the way other paychecks never could.

I don’t download music off the web. I rarely buy CDs even though I listen to a lot of the same bands over and over again. If I really like a song I will find it on Youtube.com and add it to one of my playlists there. I don’t have to worry about soring CDs or keeping up with an mp3 player or I-pod. It suits me since the only time I really listen to music is at my desk. I don’t like having headphones in my ears. I like to know what is going on around me and hearing the sounds of the world.

I think that my view is probably pretty average. I know that kids are going to download songs the cheapest way possible and no parent wants their child coming to them every five minutes so they can pay for a song. Children are notorious for clicking ads that interest them. Ad- supported P2P just seems like the right course of action no matter how you look at it.

 

Robin Hood Review

Week 6 Blog Post

I have recently seen the new Robin Hood movie with Russell Crow and Cate Blanchett. It is the typical Robin Hood legend about a man brave enough to stand up to tyranny and help those incapable of helping themselves in the face of poverty.

The character Maid Marian tends to break the usual gender roles of the time period in which the movie was portrayed. She was never submissive and always stood up for what she believed in. She was never afraid to speak her mind and she protected those she loved with ferocity. Although women are more outspoken and tend to break their gender roles today, it is always nice to encourage this with characters such a Marian.

This movie also has a good lesson about social classes. Prince John was portrayed as childish and malevolent although he was king. Robin Hood, in the lowest social class of the time, was mostly a good, noble man who cared for his friends and the people as a whole. This shows that title and status mean nothing in terms of what type of person you are.

There was quite a bit of violence in the movie, but I think that it helped portray how brutal the time period was. Not everything was historically accurate, but there is a history lesson about medieval warfare hidden in the battle scenes that you simply can’t get from a textbook. There may not have been a strong enough message about solving problems without violence, but there was a definite attempt to convey that when Robin Hood stood up and brought the country together as a whole with a single speech rather than letting them fight amongst themselves. Teamwork was the underlying message if you looked past the violence.

All in all, this was a movie worth watching. Good made a stand against evil, people worked together and watched out for one another, love conquered and healed many wounds, and most importantly, people stood up to protect their homes.