Multimedia Tools

 multimedia tools and post the links to the blog to support your thinking.

            For this blog I will discuss some of the ways in which messaging can be improved by multimedia. Some of these different multimedia tools have more of an impact which I will also discuss. The fact that we now live in a technological age is basic knowledge and this has made most people less patient. This has given rise to the need for more websites that are creative with the multimedia tools that they use to grab the attention of the audience and therefore to get their message across. When I use the term multimedia tools I am thinking about using pictures, video & audio clips, and slideshows on different websites to get the attention of the intended audience.           

            The use of different multimedia can add great improvement to, not only a website, but also anything from presentations to even this blog. The tools being used must also be chosen wisely and have a point and not just placed somewhere to just have it there. For me personally I do not want click on a website to just find nothing but words lining the entire page. I want to see different tools and especially pictures or videos if they are called for. In general a site only has just a few seconds to catch my attention and if it does not than I will usually move on to another. The more that my senses are engaged than the more likely that I will stay on the site.

            For an example I will use a picture I took during one of my times in the downtown area of where I live.

The way that I think that the use of this picture will enhance my blog is that for anyone that comes to my blog that also lives in the same town as me will automatically have a connection with me. This is a picture of a statue in front of the old courthouse here in Knoxville Tennessee that many people will take pictures in front of. Already I believe that my blog is more impressive than it would be if all I had was just words in that the use of this picture engages the senses of the eyes.

            Although the use of pictures on a site is important, for me, the best tool to use is the use of videos. The reasoning behind this is that it not only engages the eyes but also the ears and the general emotions of a person. The video that I will use is a video that I produced and shot for the church that I attend for their Thanksgiving service. The reasoning that I think that this is a great example is that, not only am I proud of it but, this video has a lot of emotion in it while doing the interviews.

(Tarr)

Not only do you get the video but you also get the audio which uses two of the different tools for multimedia use. This is a traditional video with both audio and video clips but what about using audio with mostly still pictures. The next video is exactly this.

(Tarr)

This video is one of the promotional videos that I recently done for a Christian mission out in Arizona. Although I do not feel that this example is as powerful as the previous video, it still goes to show the impact that using the multimedia tools can have on presentations. The pictures were provided by the President of the organization and I provided the audio and little bit of video that was used.

When it comes to attempting to have an impact on either websites or presentations the use of multimedia can have a huge impact of the quality. The ability to use plug in a audio or video clip is not enough though in that the clips to be used should be carefully chosen.

References

Tarr, N. (n.d.). GreatOneProductions. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiGI2huVUyRK6NhPofF8s1A

Blog Best Practices

Choose a blog and analyze the functions and substance of the blog as a form of writing and information delivery. In your opinion, what are the “best practices” when creating a blog to ensure appropriate form, function, and substance? Provide a link when responding to classmates and post your opinion along with your rationale.

            The blog that I choose to analyze for this blog can be located at http://blog.hubspot.com/. This is a blog by Hubspot that is a Cambridge, MA based video production company.

            One of the blogs that caught my eye with this blog is that it deals with some of the skills needed for a high quality video production and the steps needed to be taken. I received my undergraduate degree in Video/TV Production from Johnson University and am currently working on my Graduate degree in Marketing. While working on my undergraduate degree I had the opportunity to do some freelance work with everything from radio spots to two different Christian based feature films. This blog was chosen in that it shows a lot of the skills I learned while working on my undergraduate but in a way that any person can understand without spending the time and money on a higher educated degree.

            The layout of this blog is pretty basic but the authors do give pretty of links with they give a stat or a link to a video or picture that they use. The delivery of the information is well done in that the information is easy to locate without having to search. If you are not able to find something that you are looking for than there is a search box that can be utilized. One aspect of this blog that I found to be a good decision is that they list the contact information and the locations of this business on the footer of each page. The reasoning that I find this important is in that it makes the company accountable for everything that is posted on their page. This simple action, of having a contact page, is one of the best practices to me for the reason stated above and also it gets the companies information out there without the person having to search for it,

            From a design standpoint the blog is pretty standard but this is also important in that the site is not too busy and the eyes focus on where the author means for them to be focused on. As stated above the substance of the entire blog is really well organized by topics and the information within each general topic is straight to the point without fluff.

            When it comes to what are the “best practices” in blogging I do not think that there are set guidelines and therefore this idea is subjective to the person. As long as the information is correct that the blogger is giving than all else should be good. The design of sites is also very subjective but as a standard I do not think there should be too much going on in the page or the viewer will not know where to focus on and will usually just leave. I think that the authors of blogs should also check the links on their blog post to always make sure that the link is not broken and still goes to where the author intends it to go. Also another important aspects that bloggers should also be aware of is who holds the rights to whatever form of media that they intend to use. For any publisher or blogger, getting the right permissions is also the best practice that should always be followed. 

Press Release

Create a press release for Joe Paterno’s death (review the Media Dead Wrong to Repeat False Report of Paterno's Death article discussed in the 5-1 Discussion). Craft an accompanying Facebook post.

Press Release:

            The ability to have a job is hard enough in this culture and economic times, but the fact of working at the same job for close to 60 years is usually unheard of. Joe Paterno did exactly this with his career with Penn State.  

            On January 22, former Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno (JoePa) passed away at the age of 85 due to complications from lung cancer. Joe Paterno started worked on the Penn State coaching staff in 1950 as an assistant and became the head coach in 1966. During his career, Joe Paterno won 2 National Championships, 24 Bowl game wins out of 37 appearances and also received the award for Sportsman of the Year.

            Mr. Paterno is survived by wife Suzanne, 5 Children, and 17 Grandchildren. Joe will be missed by all those whose lives he touched throughout his life and career.

Facebook Post:

            Long time Penn State head coach, JoePa, passed away on January 22, due to complications from lung cancer. For full report and more information can be found at http://natetarr.blogspot.com/. 

Social Media Tools

For this blog the assignment I will be looking at some of the different social media tools that I use and the impact that they have to reach the audience. These different social media tools are laid out in a website by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U). The three different sites that I will be discussing is Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and will also place links to these different sites.

            The first tool that will be discussed for its impact will my Facebook page. One of the best ways for the use of this site is the unprecedented reach that this site has to reaching an audience. With this idea in mind, I use this site for mostly personal use with keeping in touch with old friends and family that live on the other side of the country. This site also can be used for professional use but I personally do not use this site for the professional use since I believe that there are different sites that are more equipped to be used with a more professional mindset.

            One of these sites that I think is more equipped for professional use in mind is my Twitter Page.  One of the reasons that I fell that this is more equipped for professional use is the fact that this site has been used during national crisis for up-to-date details of events. I have only recently started using this site so I am still just figuring everything out, but so far I am pleased in the idea the reach that this site can have when reaching an audience. However, one of downsides to this site is the fact that whatever post you make cannot exceed the 140 character limit that is in place. Even this can be a blessing for the professional side of social media. The way that this can be a good thing in professional use is that it makes the person get to the point with the post instead of keep going on without a clear point.

            The last, and most important, social media tool is my YouTube page. The reason that I say this site is best is that I use this site strictly for professional use. I do a lot of freelance work with video projects and therefore I use this site to showcase examples of my video work to potential clients. I am a very visual person so the use of pictures and video is very helpful to me so this site, to me, has the greatest reach when it comes to attempting to reach an audience. This site has the ability to be used for both personal and professional use and therefore combines the important factors that both the other sites contain but places it into one package together.

            These different social media tools all have their own important factors with reaching an audience Social media is a great way to find people with the same views as yourself and also to get a message out. Each tool has its own pros and cons when it comes to this end and therefore the combination of different tools is the best way to get your message out rather than just sticking to one tool all the time.

LINKS:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

References

Tarr, N. (n.d.). GreatOneProductions. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiGI2huVUyRK6NhPofF8s1A

Tarr, N. (n.d.). Nate Tarr. Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nate.e.tarr

Tarr, N. (n.d.). TarrNate. Retrieved from Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarrNate

U, S. D. (n.d.). New Media Tools. Retrieved from Aids.gov: http://aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/index.html#tool-bookmarkingNew

            

Unrestricted Web Publishing

            For the assignment this week we are to visit an online article and determine the validity of the sources that are used. The guidelines to use to research each source is from the document listed below (Montecino, 1998). While searching for an article to do for this blog I found it hard to find one with at least a few cited sources, but found an article about the recent wildfires in Northern California (Gunnison & Nagournay, 2014). The main source that is used for this particular story is the New York Times website and also some quotes from the District Attorney for El Dorado County Vern Pierson. The story follows the wildfire that is believed to be due to arson in Placerville, California. Since it has been started the fire has been given the name of “King Fire” and has engulfed over 71,000 acres.

            For researching the main article page of being on New York Times makes the article seem to be a good source. The article meets all of the qualifications in the above mentioned article to be a reliable source. I have used this site on several occasions for both breaking stories and also the entertainment side of things with seeing what is going on in the lives of celebrities. With my history of using this site for news I have never question the validity of any of the stories. With regards to the Montecino article, according to the domain name this is a commercial site and therefore one of the main jobs is to bring in money usually from advertisement. One aspect of the article that helps develop its validity is the fact that there is contact information for the actual building to be able to do your own research or to ask questions. This article uses good information and seems to be used to give information of this horrible event that is happening in the state of California at this time. 

      One of the reasons that I find this article to be interesting is that I have been out to the area that this wildfire is effecting and also have a sister that lives just North of this area. Although my sister and her family are okay she tells me that she can stand on her front porch and see the smoke rising into the sky from this fire.

            One thing that really helped me with the credibility of this source is the history that the New York Times has since it has been around for several years and seem to be concerned with only given factual information. The problem, to me, of unrestricted web publishing is the same as plagiarism. I say this to the point that everything must be checked and therefore writers must be careful of what we do put onto the web. All-in-all though this is a great website and I use this site, and will continue to use, to get information and news of the day that interest me.

References

Gunnison, R. B., & Nagournay, A. (2014, September 18). Man is Arrested as Norhtern California Wildfire Rages, Threatening Thousands of Homes. Retrieved from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/19/us/king-fire-in-northern-california-spreads.html?ref=us

Montecino, V. (1998, August). Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources. Retrieved from mason.edu: http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm

Social Media and Truth.

For this week I will be discussing social media and its use of both research and what is true when it comes to social media.

1. Name one thing you learned using social media site today and explain why you believe it is true.

I believe that one of the most interesting thing that I have learned this week –via- social media is the identity of “Jack the Ripper”. I have always been interested in history, especially when it comes to issue like The Ripper and the Salem Witch Trials of 1690. One reason that I find this story interesting is that during the time there were no leads to the identity of the killer or reasoning behind the killings. According to the article the writer states that DNA was retrieved from a shawl that was left at one of the crime scenes leading to the identity (Writers, 2014 ). One issue that I have with this thesis of the identity is the idea of the shawl being left behind. All the readings that I have done and documentaries I have watched regarding this legend always said that there were no evidence ever left behind. The idea that evidence was left behind make it hard for me to believe this article completely. With the idea that the DNA was taken of the shawl brings another question to mind. The question of where they had DNA of the immigrant that they believe to The Ripper to make a match? With all that said I do believe that if they were able to get a sample of DNA then the case has been solved. If so then, for me, it has lost some of the magic in that the idea that these murders were done and no one know who the attacker was always fascinated me.

2. What source did you use to acquire this information? 

After first siting a post on my Facebook wall I clicked on the link and it took me to the Herald Sun website in which is where I read the report.

3. Are social media sites reliable for obtaining credible information?

I believe that the different social media sites can be a great tool to get different stories and be transported to more reliable sites. The use of social media as a tool is a great thing, but if using social media is your only tool for finding reliable and credible sources than that is where the problem lies. With this idea I am also aware that it is very easy to falsify a story on the different social media sites. As stated above, the use of social media sites in search of stories can be a great tool but generally causes more work than normal. When using a social media site the need to dive further into the story and make sure of the sources used is more important than ever. Another issue that can arise with using social media as your go-to for news is the ability to personally check the sources is limited. Take a local news story for instance, if I wanted to check something out personally I could. All I would have to do is just drive to the location and check for myself. As with the above story, if I wanted to check the sources or evidence I would have to traveling a lot further and currently do not have the time.

References

Writers, N. (2014 , September 7). DNA tests "prove" that Jack the Ripper was a Polish immigrant named Aaron Kosminski. Retrieved from Herald Sun: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/dna-tests-prove-that-jack-the-ripper-was-a-polish-immigrant-named-aaron-kosminski/story-fni0xs61-1227050842205?nk=d016626647cec73934266a95afd9182d

Influence of the Media

Throughout the history of mankind, the ability to communicate with others has been the top condition for both survival and community. The first known instance in which humans have tried to reach out for more than face-to-face communication were the cave drawings dating back to 15,000 BC (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). This indicates the importance of communicating with others even for the primitive race during these times.

            Now let us fast-forward a few thousand years to the age of technology and new techno-toys. The rate that in which technology advances is mind blowing and will only get faster. On a personal level the main form of New Media that I use, not only on a daily level but, on a hourly level is my smart phone. I use this device for all my contacts, calendar, and will even sometime use it to actually talk to someone on the phone. It is weird that something that derived from the old land line services can now be used for so much more than just to talk to people. As I am writing this I am at work in the local airport waiting to clock in and I currently have seven people around me in which all of them are on their phones in one way or the other. Not one of them are actually talking on the phone through. Other than using my phone for work or emergency reasons the next big way that I personally use my phone is to keep up with news of the world.

            At this time I am a full time supervisor and also taking two graduate level classes for working on getting my Masters of Arts degree. For this reason I do not have the time to get my news from the traditional sources of watching the news programs on the television of reading a newspaper. The main way that I get my information on either the events of the day or a news story is usually from my Facebook account. In this way I am able to pick which stories I am interested in and weather I want to spend the time to read it or not. Although this is my main source for news I am aware for the need to be cautious of what I read in the truthfulness. I do sometime find my viewpoint on any given story influenced by what others are saying on Facebook. I love to take in all the different viewpoints of others before I decide in full what I fell about any subject, but in the end I do lean toward what I believe is right within my soul.

            I do believe that social media and the different forms of new media are a positive aspect of influence. In this way the idea of always having to keep up with the technology, and that if we do not use all the available tools that we have. Janet Kolodzy call this idea “convergence journalism” in her book on this subject (Kolodzy, 2013). The tools that she mentions are the different new media tools such as video, graphics, and social media.

References

Kolodzy, J. (2013). Practicing Convergence Journalism-An Introduction to Cross-Media Storytelling. New York: Routledge.

Kovach, B., & Rosenstiel, T. (2010). Blur: How To Know What's True In The Age Of Information Overload. New York: Bloomsbury.