Student reporter Kara Meekins turned in a quick hit in a class exercise. Her story idea was pitched in 10 words: How did Morris Journalism become first in the Google search?
Now, can readers seek and find the search that yielded Morris Journalism Academy first? E-mail or comments accepted in answer to the question, or to just discuss the certificate that Morris is offering in its website prospectus. Or, just what is the concept of a freelance journalist these days?
Monday, May 21, 2007
McKasty Reports on Hempstead's Historic Sites
Student reporter Bonnie McKasty reports from Hempstead's historical sites for heritage travelers to consider. To view the video, click here.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Frost Photo Essay on Flowers, Mom, and Vegas
In a post turned in as a final portfolio of work for the Hofstra Journalism 80 class, student Meredith Frost used well-framed macro photos of spring flowers on the university campus to create a photo tumblelog of the last few weeks of the semester. Give it a read.
Lisa Bain on Technorati and Twitter
Lisa Bain, who completed Hofstra's Journalism 80 class in May, reports on what it feels like to learn she is on the cutting edge.
"I have officially been pulled out of my comfy spot in the middle of the internet clutter and straight to the forefront of emerging multimedia tools. I am a pioneer," she writes in an article she posted on her portfolio for this class. Give it a read.
"I have officially been pulled out of my comfy spot in the middle of the internet clutter and straight to the forefront of emerging multimedia tools. I am a pioneer," she writes in an article she posted on her portfolio for this class. Give it a read.
--Mo Krochmal
Wrapping up the Semester
By Kayla Walker
Student Editor
Emerging new technologies are constantly revolutionizing how media function. Recently, the new phenomenon that has materialized from things like wikis and blogs is accessible hyper-local journalism.
Prof. Mo Krochmal’s Online Journalism 80 class at Hofstra University has worked all semester on improving our reporting, writing and multimedia skills. As our final project, we’ve produced an entire issue of “Nassau News,” the School of Communication’s online local news coverage website.
Our stories, which focus on the Hempstead community, investigate what it means to be a resident of Hempstead, contrasted with next-door Garden City, through text, images, video and sound.
Whether you’ve spent your whole life in Hempstead or if you’ve just spent the last year here as a student at Hofstra, you’ll find something in our work that will inform you.
From focusing on veterans of war searching for employment to booming small businesses, our stories look at everything in between.
Living in Hempstead is a completely different experience than living in Garden City. With stories that compare high school athletics, music education programs and crime statistics, our “Nassau News” coverage explores the difference.
Our reporting shows that although Hempstead isn’t what it used to be, as a shopping hotspot, it’s working to become a city as well as improving its infrastructure on Fulton Ave. and at Nassau Coliseum.
However, as we’ve discovered, Hempstead is not without its problems. The village has recently been working on pollution clean-up at multiple sites as well as erasing poverty through non-profit organizations and shelters for the homeless.
Another improvement might be the town-gown relationship between Hofstra and Hempstead, whether it’s the relationship between locals and students looking for housing or the school’s administration and local government officials.
One thing that was found to be an integral aspect of Hempstead was its distinct Latin flavor. We’ve worked to uncover the best eats at a local Salvadoran restaurant as well as talking to Latinos about their issues and concerns about living in Hempstead.
Overall, our reporting works to define what it means to beliving in one of the last urban settings on Long Island, the birthplace of suburbia.
To understand exactly what it means to be a resident of Hempstead, visit NassauNews.org. To contribute to these subjects, visit our wiki for this project.
Student's Portfolio Pages
Students' Tumblr Logs
Student Editor
Emerging new technologies are constantly revolutionizing how media function. Recently, the new phenomenon that has materialized from things like wikis and blogs is accessible hyper-local journalism.
Prof. Mo Krochmal’s Online Journalism 80 class at Hofstra University has worked all semester on improving our reporting, writing and multimedia skills. As our final project, we’ve produced an entire issue of “Nassau News,” the School of Communication’s online local news coverage website.
Our stories, which focus on the Hempstead community, investigate what it means to be a resident of Hempstead, contrasted with next-door Garden City, through text, images, video and sound.
Whether you’ve spent your whole life in Hempstead or if you’ve just spent the last year here as a student at Hofstra, you’ll find something in our work that will inform you.
From focusing on veterans of war searching for employment to booming small businesses, our stories look at everything in between.
Living in Hempstead is a completely different experience than living in Garden City. With stories that compare high school athletics, music education programs and crime statistics, our “Nassau News” coverage explores the difference.
Our reporting shows that although Hempstead isn’t what it used to be, as a shopping hotspot, it’s working to become a city as well as improving its infrastructure on Fulton Ave. and at Nassau Coliseum.
However, as we’ve discovered, Hempstead is not without its problems. The village has recently been working on pollution clean-up at multiple sites as well as erasing poverty through non-profit organizations and shelters for the homeless.
Another improvement might be the town-gown relationship between Hofstra and Hempstead, whether it’s the relationship between locals and students looking for housing or the school’s administration and local government officials.
One thing that was found to be an integral aspect of Hempstead was its distinct Latin flavor. We’ve worked to uncover the best eats at a local Salvadoran restaurant as well as talking to Latinos about their issues and concerns about living in Hempstead.
Overall, our reporting works to define what it means to beliving in one of the last urban settings on Long Island, the birthplace of suburbia.
To understand exactly what it means to be a resident of Hempstead, visit NassauNews.org. To contribute to these subjects, visit our wiki for this project.
Student's Portfolio Pages
- Meredith Frost
- Ryan McCord
- Kayla Walker
- Bonnie McCasty
- Garrett Frey
- Katelin Quest
- Thomas Palermo
- Natalia Guzman
- Christopher Vaccaro
- Audra Kincaid
- Michelle Sobhraj
- Remy Melina
- Karmin Jones
- Dreux Dougall
- Kara Meekins
- Lisa Bain
- Maggie Biunno
Students' Tumblr Logs
How a Journalist Might Use Myspace to Report
By Juliette Pariente-Cohen
Student Reporter
www.Myspace.com is a social networking website that has allowed individuals all over the world to have access to online interactive multimedia. Once one has signed on to this free website, he or she automatically is able to create a webpage. This webpage gives the author access to a network of friends, personal profiles, photos, music, blogs and unlimited creative opportunities. A reader can cruise through musician’s personal profiles and upload music and videos onto a page, add celebrities as a personal friend and even take advantage of networking with potential clientele.
The opportunities are unlimited on Myspace. Politicians are even now taking advantage of this new social scene by creating their own pages and allowing potential supporters to comment and start groups on their behalf. But, it does not just stop there. Myspace has come so far that it cannot only make you, but it can break you. Because it is so easy to find any individual who has an account on the website, it gives companies easy access to a potential employee’s personal life. The way one presents themself in this website can be the deal-breaker in future employment opportunities.
From a journalistic perspective, Myspace offers the same opportunity that it offers companies who are sifting through potential employees. All a journalist needs to know is a first and last name or an e-mail address of a person. Once the journalist has that information, and if the person they are looking for has a webpage, they will be able to proceed with some very in-depth research on an individual they may be tracking for a report.
People on Myspace tend to write daily blogs, have personal pictures up and have a group of personal friends listed on their webpage. If one needs to learn a little more about the person, there is always the opportunity to discover a little more by talking to that individual’s friends. The person’s closer group of friends can be listed as his/her’s “ Top 8.”
Also, journalists can not only conduct research on a specific person, but also conduct research on a whole generation of individuals. Myspace is currently the world’s fifth most popular English language website, the fifth most popular website in any language and the third most popular website in the
Currently, Myspace a reported 230,000 new registrations per day. It is growing fast, and at this rate it may become the most popular site on the web.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Torn by Twitter
By Natalia Guzman
Student Editor
In the hustle and bustle of today’s news and communication, journalists are presented with two constant themes: a need for brevity and a need for speed. The Internet has been the most constructive vehicle in meeting such criteria but it is the tools within it that have left online journalist anything but speechless.
Blogs, v-logs, tumblrs, Second Lives are all novel and creative tools in online communication. It wasn’t until a visit to our class from Steve Rubel, blogger for Edelman PR firm, that we heard of the latest and most innovative tool yet: Twitter.com.
Twitter is another form of posting news and blogging on the Internet but this site has found its niche. Twitter.com gives a new meaning to brevity and speed since bloggers can post on it not only through the website and by instant messaging but via text as well.
The site allows individuals to post news, comments, or random thoughts at any moment from their cell phone in 144 characters or less. Twitter.com has roughly 100,000 members and was about to meet what could be its most conservative critics yet: our online journalism class, Journalism 80.
Although Twitter.com has found a niche in online journalism, its actual usability and innovativeness left the Journalism 80 class torn. Half of the class felt that Twitter is an excellent way of communicating with the masses and sharing a common goal and agenda with a community. On the other side of the spectrum, students felt that Twitter was just another name for the same old instant messaging and blogging tools. The site may actually live up to its reputation of being the quickest, briefest online blogging yet, but proves to be a work in progress. The feature that makes this site a cut above the rest is it’s the ability to post via text at any given moment, but its most important feature is also the sites most unreliable and dysfunctional element.
Twitter Steps up Instant Messaging
Twitter is a great tool for small businesses that have employees working on the road or off location. For a person without such occupational responsibility, it may be more effective and easier to get one’s point across by using AOL Instant Messenger or basic email. However, in large groups like a company or a class, communication between 10-15 people isn't easy to accomplish without a program like Twitter. Overall, it's another smart program that people can utilize.
Twitter Destined for Stardom
Twitter offers a service that provides many different and unusual takes on blogging. An important part of this product is the extremely short postings, limited to 144 characters. Users can post Twitter entries and read other’s entries, which is standard today in blogging. If you're not familiar with Twitter, it's pretty easy to get a grip on it -- think instant messaging with a group. You post a short message via IM, through the Twitter website or other utility and other Twitter users who are "following" you will see your message. Some have called Twitter a form of microblogging and that is probably a helpful way of looking at this service.
Most regulars of the site describe Twitter newbies as being somewhat under-whelmed by the site. Plenty of people feel that you should persevere somewhat in order to reach a positive mindset of what you just did.
With all that being said, Twitter seems destined for stardom -- it has a rapidly growing community of users who have proved they will continually spend hours every day posting messages.
Twitter said it had roughly 100,000 members as of late March, and membership has been doubling every three weeks. Twitter members are exchanging an astonishing number of updates every hour. Nothing looks like it's going to get in the way of Twitter's rise to the top in the world of online messaging and blogging.
Can’t Teach an Old Blogger New Tricks
It may seem like a harmless and quick way to blog, but Twitter tools dangerously resemble the stalking that can be achieved by browsing through a mini-feed on Facebook. However, instead of the website doing the stalking for you, individuals broadcast what they are doing in 140 characters or less, whenever they please. And forget about the restraints of not always having a computer around -- Twitter can be accessed via mobile phone text message or instant message, as well as on the Twitter web site.
Twitter could be a great tool for business partners that need to keep in touch. But, e-mail on PalmPilots and Blackberries provide a similar way to communicate -- without telling the whole world. Or, why not just send a text message directly?
During a test of the site, a timely message did not post via text message and the Twitter screen name remained off-line each of three attempts (on three different days) to activate it. When it finally showed up, days later, the Web site had already proven to be the most reliable way to post.
While Twitter can alert a member of friends' posts by cellphone, the costs can add up -- unless you have a text-messaging plan that can be wasted on posts.
The amount of random information of friends and strangers streaming through could be entertaining when bored, but if I know whom I want to communicate with, I would use a different method.
Twitter Gives Journalist a Voice
Want your voice to be heard? What better way than a public forum like Twitter? It offers a citizen journalism forum in an AIM setting.
Quick Easy–in, Easy-out
Twitter is better than Second Life, and I often find myself comparing it to MySpace. I view Twitter as a mini version of My Space because the writer can still keep in contact with friends and family spanning the globe without all the unnecessary drivel that pastes the rest of the screen. Quick. Easy-in. And easy-out.
Twitter Falls Short
I don't believe Twitter is all that revolutionary, compared to other Internet sites of the same capacity. If I didn't have to use it for class, I would never be on the site again. I am not nearly as impressed with it as I was with Second Life.
T.M.I. -- Too Much Information
What makes Twitter different than a standard blog? Twitter is a writer’s thoughts sent via text or instant message, in addition to the web. Writers can now keep friends and colleagues updated on their every move, minute by minute. Personally, I feel Twitter is creepy. I don’t need to know that John takes his break at 9:17 a.m. on Tuesday.
A Bumpy Test Drive for Twitter
Twitter lets me delete my ‘friends’ easily, with a convenient “d friend" next to them all. Unfortunately, the site doesn't let me add people as easily, since I don't think I can see half my classmates, who joined the service to test it out.
Want Fries with That?
Most users of the Twitter messaging network post random, often funny, trivialities. For example, a recent message by Julien Simeoni wrote about paying €2 for a bacon cheeseburger in Dublin.
What You Want, When You Want It
Twitter reveals a random pattern of updates: members post blogs about current events; the day’s breaking story, and the latest controversial issues.
Twitter Broadens Blogging Bounds
Twitter can become addictive with its random comments and worldwide exposure. The site allows its users to view comments about virtually anything from people all over the world. Users comment in many languages. People tend to leave comments about their daily duties like where they are going and what they're doing. The most fascinating part is that users can see how people in other parts of the world live. If written in English, one can noticeably see the daily actions of someone living in China or Europe.
The site goes beyond what we're used to. It stretches across the world and gives us new ways of spending time on the Internet.
Although Twitter is a useful tool to keep in touch with friends and family, it is also a valuable tool for journalists and others to gather quickly in the masses with the same agenda in mind.
Stranded on the Information Superhighway
Twitter.com brings fast paced communication to the public. However the technology is not all that reliable. Not all posts (whether made from an internet browser, AIM, or a cell phone) actually make it on to the site to be published on the Internet. If the posts don’t make t on the site, speed means nothing.
A Community Builder for the Online World
Twitter is a blogging website that gives people the opportunity to be involved and have a voice in the interactive web community. It is unlike any other site that I have ever heard of or been involved in. People post weekly, daily and even hourly tidbits of information that usually express the person’s state of mind. Originally, when I started using Twitter I was one of those individuals who posted what I was doing at that very moment. But, what I learned was that I wasn’t taking full advantage of the essence of this website, which is to give some information that isn’t just about me, but rather about something I could contribute to this interactive community. Other bloggers’ were posting links of articles that they had found online, while I was talking about my plane landing. Although, I should be more technologically savvy, I am sad to say I still have a lot to learn. But doesn’t everybody.? The problem is keeping up and not being left behind.
A New Way to Say the Same Old Thing
With the advent of Myspace, FaceBook and AIM, Internet technologies that allow people from all over the world to post and maintain contact with each other are all the rage. One that seems to particularly be taking off is Twitter, a site used by professionals, such as Steve Rubel, a blogger for the Edelman PR firm, as much as it is by individuals looking to keep in contact with relatives overseas, make new friends, chat amongst old friends, or pursue a romantic or personal relationship.
However, for a website that might be set up in a different fashion, it seems rather ordinary. Like Myspace, Twitter allows one to make their group and their personal account private or public, and post to other public accounts and groups. One interesting thing about Twitter, however, that separates it from some of the other web pages like it, is the ability to send updates to one's phone in the form of a text message. Twitter could evolve to be the news distribution format of the future.
Brief pieces created by citizen journalists can be sent to cell phones, promoting the need for journalists of today to take a lesson in brevity. As for now, however, Twitter provides Internet users with yet another reason to avoid making physical contact with people, and head for a computer instead -- a new place, if you will, to say the same old thing.
Student Editor
In the hustle and bustle of today’s news and communication, journalists are presented with two constant themes: a need for brevity and a need for speed. The Internet has been the most constructive vehicle in meeting such criteria but it is the tools within it that have left online journalist anything but speechless.
Blogs, v-logs, tumblrs, Second Lives are all novel and creative tools in online communication. It wasn’t until a visit to our class from Steve Rubel, blogger for Edelman PR firm, that we heard of the latest and most innovative tool yet: Twitter.com.
Twitter is another form of posting news and blogging on the Internet but this site has found its niche. Twitter.com gives a new meaning to brevity and speed since bloggers can post on it not only through the website and by instant messaging but via text as well.
The site allows individuals to post news, comments, or random thoughts at any moment from their cell phone in 144 characters or less. Twitter.com has roughly 100,000 members and was about to meet what could be its most conservative critics yet: our online journalism class, Journalism 80.
Although Twitter.com has found a niche in online journalism, its actual usability and innovativeness left the Journalism 80 class torn. Half of the class felt that Twitter is an excellent way of communicating with the masses and sharing a common goal and agenda with a community. On the other side of the spectrum, students felt that Twitter was just another name for the same old instant messaging and blogging tools. The site may actually live up to its reputation of being the quickest, briefest online blogging yet, but proves to be a work in progress. The feature that makes this site a cut above the rest is it’s the ability to post via text at any given moment, but its most important feature is also the sites most unreliable and dysfunctional element.
Twitter Steps up Instant Messaging
Twitter is a great tool for small businesses that have employees working on the road or off location. For a person without such occupational responsibility, it may be more effective and easier to get one’s point across by using AOL Instant Messenger or basic email. However, in large groups like a company or a class, communication between 10-15 people isn't easy to accomplish without a program like Twitter. Overall, it's another smart program that people can utilize.
--By Chris Vaccaro
Twitter Destined for Stardom
Twitter offers a service that provides many different and unusual takes on blogging. An important part of this product is the extremely short postings, limited to 144 characters. Users can post Twitter entries and read other’s entries, which is standard today in blogging. If you're not familiar with Twitter, it's pretty easy to get a grip on it -- think instant messaging with a group. You post a short message via IM, through the Twitter website or other utility and other Twitter users who are "following" you will see your message. Some have called Twitter a form of microblogging and that is probably a helpful way of looking at this service.
Most regulars of the site describe Twitter newbies as being somewhat under-whelmed by the site. Plenty of people feel that you should persevere somewhat in order to reach a positive mindset of what you just did.
With all that being said, Twitter seems destined for stardom -- it has a rapidly growing community of users who have proved they will continually spend hours every day posting messages.
Twitter said it had roughly 100,000 members as of late March, and membership has been doubling every three weeks. Twitter members are exchanging an astonishing number of updates every hour. Nothing looks like it's going to get in the way of Twitter's rise to the top in the world of online messaging and blogging.
--By Maggie Biunno
Can’t Teach an Old Blogger New Tricks
It may seem like a harmless and quick way to blog, but Twitter tools dangerously resemble the stalking that can be achieved by browsing through a mini-feed on Facebook. However, instead of the website doing the stalking for you, individuals broadcast what they are doing in 140 characters or less, whenever they please. And forget about the restraints of not always having a computer around -- Twitter can be accessed via mobile phone text message or instant message, as well as on the Twitter web site.
Twitter could be a great tool for business partners that need to keep in touch. But, e-mail on PalmPilots and Blackberries provide a similar way to communicate -- without telling the whole world. Or, why not just send a text message directly?
During a test of the site, a timely message did not post via text message and the Twitter screen name remained off-line each of three attempts (on three different days) to activate it. When it finally showed up, days later, the Web site had already proven to be the most reliable way to post.
While Twitter can alert a member of friends' posts by cellphone, the costs can add up -- unless you have a text-messaging plan that can be wasted on posts.
The amount of random information of friends and strangers streaming through could be entertaining when bored, but if I know whom I want to communicate with, I would use a different method.
--By Thomas Palermo
Twitter Gives Journalist a Voice
Want your voice to be heard? What better way than a public forum like Twitter? It offers a citizen journalism forum in an AIM setting.
--By Kara Meekins
Quick Easy–in, Easy-out
Twitter is better than Second Life, and I often find myself comparing it to MySpace. I view Twitter as a mini version of My Space because the writer can still keep in contact with friends and family spanning the globe without all the unnecessary drivel that pastes the rest of the screen. Quick. Easy-in. And easy-out.
-- By Ryan McCord
Twitter Falls Short
I don't believe Twitter is all that revolutionary, compared to other Internet sites of the same capacity. If I didn't have to use it for class, I would never be on the site again. I am not nearly as impressed with it as I was with Second Life.
--By Meredith Frost
T.M.I. -- Too Much Information
What makes Twitter different than a standard blog? Twitter is a writer’s thoughts sent via text or instant message, in addition to the web. Writers can now keep friends and colleagues updated on their every move, minute by minute. Personally, I feel Twitter is creepy. I don’t need to know that John takes his break at 9:17 a.m. on Tuesday.
--By Lisa Bain
A Bumpy Test Drive for Twitter
Twitter lets me delete my ‘friends’ easily, with a convenient “d friend" next to them all. Unfortunately, the site doesn't let me add people as easily, since I don't think I can see half my classmates, who joined the service to test it out.
--By Garrett Frey
Want Fries with That?
Most users of the Twitter messaging network post random, often funny, trivialities. For example, a recent message by Julien Simeoni wrote about paying €2 for a bacon cheeseburger in Dublin.
--By Kayla Walker
What You Want, When You Want It
Twitter reveals a random pattern of updates: members post blogs about current events; the day’s breaking story, and the latest controversial issues.
--By Remy Melina
Twitter Broadens Blogging Bounds
Twitter can become addictive with its random comments and worldwide exposure. The site allows its users to view comments about virtually anything from people all over the world. Users comment in many languages. People tend to leave comments about their daily duties like where they are going and what they're doing. The most fascinating part is that users can see how people in other parts of the world live. If written in English, one can noticeably see the daily actions of someone living in China or Europe.
The site goes beyond what we're used to. It stretches across the world and gives us new ways of spending time on the Internet.
-- By Michelle Sobhraj
Business in the Front, Party in the Back
Although Twitter is a useful tool to keep in touch with friends and family, it is also a valuable tool for journalists and others to gather quickly in the masses with the same agenda in mind.
-- By Max Landau
Stranded on the Information Superhighway
Twitter.com brings fast paced communication to the public. However the technology is not all that reliable. Not all posts (whether made from an internet browser, AIM, or a cell phone) actually make it on to the site to be published on the Internet. If the posts don’t make t on the site, speed means nothing.
-- By Audra Kincaid
A Community Builder for the Online World
Twitter is a blogging website that gives people the opportunity to be involved and have a voice in the interactive web community. It is unlike any other site that I have ever heard of or been involved in. People post weekly, daily and even hourly tidbits of information that usually express the person’s state of mind. Originally, when I started using Twitter I was one of those individuals who posted what I was doing at that very moment. But, what I learned was that I wasn’t taking full advantage of the essence of this website, which is to give some information that isn’t just about me, but rather about something I could contribute to this interactive community. Other bloggers’ were posting links of articles that they had found online, while I was talking about my plane landing. Although, I should be more technologically savvy, I am sad to say I still have a lot to learn. But doesn’t everybody.? The problem is keeping up and not being left behind.
-- By Juliette Pariente-Cohen
A New Way to Say the Same Old Thing
With the advent of Myspace, FaceBook and AIM, Internet technologies that allow people from all over the world to post and maintain contact with each other are all the rage. One that seems to particularly be taking off is Twitter, a site used by professionals, such as Steve Rubel, a blogger for the Edelman PR firm, as much as it is by individuals looking to keep in contact with relatives overseas, make new friends, chat amongst old friends, or pursue a romantic or personal relationship.
However, for a website that might be set up in a different fashion, it seems rather ordinary. Like Myspace, Twitter allows one to make their group and their personal account private or public, and post to other public accounts and groups. One interesting thing about Twitter, however, that separates it from some of the other web pages like it, is the ability to send updates to one's phone in the form of a text message. Twitter could evolve to be the news distribution format of the future.
Brief pieces created by citizen journalists can be sent to cell phones, promoting the need for journalists of today to take a lesson in brevity. As for now, however, Twitter provides Internet users with yet another reason to avoid making physical contact with people, and head for a computer instead -- a new place, if you will, to say the same old thing.
-- By Bonnie McKasty
Monday, April 23, 2007
Rough and Tumblr
By Lisa Bain (LCBain@gmail.com)
Student Editor
I remember using our first home computer, an old Apple II [http://www.apple2.org/] with the black background and pretty green text. My dad is a full-on computer nerd, so we were always at the forefront of new technology and to see how quickly things change.
This is reflected in the world of online media, which changes, literally, by the minute. The focus for today: Tumblr. Tumblr is yet another innovation in the world of multimedia resources. This site allows you to organize and post links, photos and other web content with a simple mouse click.
This week, our journalism class took to the task of creating our own Tumblrs (many of which you’ll find links to in the articles that follow) and familiarizing ourselves with one more new tool. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive. If you’d like to create your own Tumblr, feel free to visit tumblr.com. It’s easy -- we promise!
Technology is Tumbling
Tumblr is another new tool in the workshop of online media. Not only can people put links to their favorite and most pertinent websites, pictures, photos, videos and quotes -- they can have their own web page, which is easy to navigate and set up.
Tumblr is a relatively unknown feature on the Internet and is sure to gain popularity, especially with the likes of Second Life, Twitter and Eye Spot all grabbing seats at the table of media plenty.
People are able to use this as a business agenda file website, with links to daily news information. Also, professors like Mo Krochmal, of
Some are more comfortable with sending links to people in e-mails, but this site allows you to put as many links as you want on a web site. Then, you can send one link, which is clean and smooth.
If you're looking for a job, or trying to impress a recruiter for internships or monetary positions, send out a Tumblr link with your material on there. If they've never heard of it, then you're one step ahead of them and on your way to teaching people about the rapidly growing innovations of our technologically-enhanced society.
You can also change the look and feel of your Tumblr on the settings page. The color scheme, overall structure, font sizes and shapes can be adjusted with a few easy clicks.
Check out 
my Tumblr.
-- By Chris Vaccaro (C.R.Vaccaro@gmail.com)
What Have You Got to Lose?
Tumblr has been added to my daily web-surfing routine. Perhaps, someday, it could be moved up in the rotation. But for now, Tumblr is like that rookie baseball player, who surprised everyone by making the big league team. You don’t expect a lot out of him, yet he adds another dimension to your repertoire, and most importantly, completes your lineup.
How many times a day do you cut/copy and paste links that you would normally bookmark? I have been looking for a tool like Tumblr since I began using the Internet as a primary source for information.
Journalists of the technology era can now add another tool to their ever-growing apparatus. Best of all, Tumblr is easy to find. A typical Tumblr site is like an Internet menu, only you don’t have to visit an assortment of restaurants to order your favorite dishes from around the globe.
-- By Ryan McCord
Stumbling Into Love with Tumblr
While skeptical at first, constructing and using a tumblelog was quite simple. With a bookmark located on my toolbar, adding a Web site to my tumblelog could happen in an instant—with the click of the mouse. Customers then have an option to add a description.
In just second a few seconds, members can quickly share with colleagues, friends or family. This tool offers multimedia options that are easy to navigate and can be customized for each personality. You could use it at work, but its simplicity allows even those less “computer-literate” to be successful in producing a Web site. Unfortunately, one feature not available is an option to add more than one picture in each post.
Tumblr allowed at least one individual to step out and share their thoughts with the world, after keeping a journal for over five years. Virginia Tech’s tragedy reminds us to always appreciate those close to us. Why not take a few seconds to share something special with them? Every journalist should keep a multimedia diary, using this system, to organize work and home.
-- By Maggie Biunno
Tumblr Blog Experience
Tumblr.com is a convenient site for organizing data. It’s a great place to post links I want to remember, so that I can keep track of important sites. Designing my blog was fast and uncomplicated, thanks to simple instructions and a preview section where I can see how my blog will look even before I save the changes. This feature is very helpful for people who do not know how to use HTML codes, although Tumblr also allows users to design their blogs with HTML if they prefer to.
Uploading images is also an easy feature to use -- the only problem I had was that I could not upload .png images that I wanted to put in my description. Other than that, I had no problems when posting images to my blog.
In my Tumblr, I posted links to sites having to do with the class, new technology that’s soon going to be available to consumers, and random interesting gadgets. One feature that I think will come in handy is the ability to decide how many posts will be visible on the blog at a time. I like to be able to scroll down a page and see all of my posts, rather than having to go back a page or two.
Overall, I’ve found that the Tumblr blog was extremely easy to design, update and edit.
http://remy-melina.tumblr.com/
-- By Remy Melina remy.melina@gmail.com
Fooled Around and Fell in Love ( With Tumblr)
Normally, I am very hesitant about revealing personal information to anyone or anything, especially online. Some people in my family, and those I know, have had problems with online fraud and stolen credit card information, some of which has taken them months to straighten out. (If you are one of these people, you can click here: http://www.ic3.gov/ to report a claim.)
Others that I know who have signed up for a Facebook or Myspace account have been stalked online, or had to deal with people who bully through the web. Though I have been encouraged by friends (especially long-distance ones) to sign up for a Facebook, MySpace, or other such web account, I have adamantly refused, again and again. I just don't feel comfortable.
So, when we were asked to create a Tumblr account, of course I was naturally thrilled (insert sarcasm here). However, after fooling around with making my Tumblr page, I realized this was something I actually liked.
One of the main reasons I liked it, is the security features the site offers. Tumblr does not ask for any information, besides your name, email address and a password of your choice. Editing is very easy, as are changing settings on one’s Tumblr page; and passwords can be updated at anytime.
Organizing one's page is almost effortless, as a person only has to click on the picture of the thing they would like to import onto their Tumblr, then copy and paste the link or picture (or type in text) and click to publish it. Layout is also simplified, and users are allowed to preview and change their site's look at anytime.
An important feature for me, that I found particularly inviting, was the fact that there was no way to contact me on the site. None of my personal information (email address, screename etc.) are featured on the site. Also, the site does not allow people to post a response to anything you put on it, eliminating the stalking and online bullying anxiety one might face with a Myspace or Facebook account. This might be because of the nature of Tumblr itself, creating a place where people can easily post to the web, but not necessarily keep in direct contact with each other.
Of all the websites we have used this year, I have definitely liked this one the best, and truly felt comfortable with using it. However, should you feel concerned, unsafe, stalked or bullied using any website, go to http://www.isafe.org/ for more information on how you can get help.
Tumblr: Half The Effort, Twice The Fun
Need an interesting and innovative way to keep track off all those important, random, or just plain interesting bits of information gathered from the Internet? Want some place to store pictures, movies, conversations, links and quotes? Ever just want to make a short post, instead of putting the time in to really blog? Then Tumblr.com is for you; this is what that site was made for.
Forget opening multiple browser windows, saving web pages to history, or logging instant message conversations. All that can be done on Tumblr, and it can be shared with the rest of the world. It is the perfect (and free) service to use to mini-blog. Tumblr allows you to create a "tumblelog.”
Tumblr is quick, easy and, yes, even a bit fun. In fact, it is simpler to use than some blog interfaces. All that needs to be done is to pick what kind of media you want to post on your tumblr: regular post, photo, quote, link, conversation or video. Once selected, you need only to plug in the information you want to see appear on your tumblr and, ta da, you're done!
Tumblr.com really does seem like the way to go and, even though it was made for mini-blogging, that doesn't stop you from posting a larger amount of text every once in awhile. It allows for more content and detail than a service like Twitter (twitter.com), without making you put in the extra effort in that you would for a regular blog entry. I had a ton of fun with it because I didn't feel the pressure to explain everything I posted. (http://www.audra.tumblr.com/) The links and pictures often just spoke for themselves.
According to Tumblr.com's FAQ page, Tumblr was inspired by project.ioni.st (http://project.ioni.st/). It was created by a small web-development company, based in
Rise of Tumblr
Tumblr is an up-and-coming service that lets you set up a "tumblelog". This is a way to post small items such as pictures or links. This makes blogging an activity that is shorter in length, but perhaps in the hope that members will post more often. Tumblr seems to be a really nice fit for some bloggers thus far. It is also somewhat limited in the way it can be customized, which is a tool to help fight against having a poor community.
Tumblr is worth the sign-up, just to check out the design and setup. It follows all the usual current trends of blogging, like clever writing and exquisite style fonts. It appears to be basic and broken down to the simplest point, which is a good change of scenery nowadays, at least in my opinion. The stuff to do on the site is extremely accessible and fast-paced. All in all, it seems that the blogging community can't help but be in love with Tumblr
-- By Thomas Palermo
A Tumblr Experience
Tumblr.com is a useful tool in multimedia journalism. Somewhat like Twitter, Tumblr is a website where users can post ideas, links, photos and videos. This is another aspect of citizen journalism. As I browsed others' Tumblrs, I found many users paying tribute to the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. Students have posted comments, pictures and videos pertaining to this tragedy.
In my own tumblr, I created a log of the progress of Alex Rodriguez as he continues his amazing run in April (http://kquest.tumblr.com/). I like how Tumblr allows you enter links, and headings to the links, and it automatically creates a link with the title you enter.
-- By Katelin Quest
Did Yah Get that Thing I Sent Yah?
Tumblr may be the next big thing in link-sharing since the birth of e-mail. Whenever I find something interesting online and want to share it, the person I want to share it with is undoubtedly offline.
It's a pain to get them the link on their time, so they can view it when they want. Sure, I could e-mail it, but most e-mail filters block links in e-mails, and designate links in short e-mails as spam, making my message a pain to send or receive.
My latest solution is posting the links on my Tumblr page, with a name or group that might enjoy the link. This weekend with Tumblr, I just sent the link to my Tumblr page to everyone and told them to take a look.
Steven Mashburn, a former coworker and friend, enjoyed reading the links, and asked me to update it regularly. "Garrett, you should continue this. I think you may make the next big blog." That may not be the case, due to lack of initiative, but the Tumblr medium of website-posting is a fast and easy method of distributing links, posts and content quickly from your web browser, all without leaving the page you are currently viewing.
It does lead to impulse posting, but that isn't a problem, as deleting a post is just as easy as adding one. And finally, I can stop asking people "Did yah get that thing I sent yah?"
-- By Garrett Frey
Tumblr
I actually really like using the “tumblr”. I don’t have that many pieces on there yet, but it seems to be a personal diary of everything you are interested in showing to the world. It’s very much like a Facebook or Myspace page, without the extra items that people often put on there. Plus, you can customize your layout and pictures anyway you choose. It’s not half bad!
- By Dreux Dougall
No-Fuss Tumbling
Tumblr, the site that hosts “blogs with less fuss,” is a great tool for storing links. One can post photos, blog entries, links, quotes, conversations and videos with one click of a button. I recently used Tumblr to post links that I was using in a group project. My group members were able to access each link through an organized, aesthetically appealing web page. The site was so easy to use, and my group members commented that it was much better than receiving links in an e-mail. I will definitely continue to use Tumblr when the situation calls for it.
· By Kayla Walker (walker.kayla@gmail.com)
Tumblr: Blogging Through Headlines
Tumblr is blogging through headlines. Thoughts and opinions can be expressed through the headlines one chooses to post on their site.
The site allows friends to share what they think are the most important news stories, or something they feel others would enjoy. Instead of having to e-mail a friend a story, you can simply send the url of your Tumblr site, filled with as many stories as you like.
Tumblr takes the blogging experience to yet another level. Though the site offers blogs, pictures, video and other multimedia features, its main focus is the headline-posting capability. It can also be easily accessed through an individual url, and doesn’t require being a member or a log in process, which is different from other sites such as Twitter.
The site is innovative and different and has various uses with its adaptable features. This site sets itself apart from all the numerous blogging sites available on the Internet.
-- By Michelle Sobhraj (m.sobhraj@gmail.com)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Sports Video in the Palm of Your Hand
By Chris Vaccaro
Student Reporter
Pure Digital has struck gold with its hand-held video camera. With the click of a couple buttons, you’re able to take clear video footage, which you can then upload to your computer from the handy built-in USB cord.
Student Reporter
Pure Digital has struck gold with its hand-held video camera. With the click of a couple buttons, you’re able to take clear video footage, which you can then upload to your computer from the handy built-in USB cord.
After testing the unit out at a high-school sports event, I’m convinced that this camera can be very useful for journalists. Not only are you able to record what you want, when you want it, but you can upload the footage onto a news website and create a video gallery, which adds a digital element that more and more people are craving.
The Wall Street Journal wrote a review on the camera, which fits into your palm, and they said, “it’s stunning and simple to use,” and they were right on target.
You press the red button in the center of the unit to record and stop, and you press play or delete to review or discard your video.
The 1.25-inch LCD monitor, which is the only area you can view the objects you're shooting, is just big enough.
The only negative feature is that it doesn’t have great zoom. But when buying or using it, you have to realize it’s not meant to compete with a camera that has 800X visual maximization, it’s simply a video camera to put in your pocket and use freely, with no hassles or worries.
When trying to use the software that comes with the camera, it’s helpful for organizing your videos into separate folders, yet if you don’t check your my documents folder you won’t be able to find where the videos are stored for you to edit them in a different program.
By using the website eyespot.com, I was able to make a "mix" in less than 15 minutes, using the footage I had taken at a Rocky Point High School baseball game. The quality of the online video mixer was great and the transition from the device to my computer, and eventually, to the program was simple.
Also, be warned, it takes a long time to make a movie mix, which is Pure Digital's way of putting together a prepared movie with music to your video. It’s a great idea, but I sat at my computer for 30 minutes and it was only 75 percent complete when I couldn’t take it anymore.
Pure Digital offers 30- or 60-minute cameras that range in cost from $80-$150, depending upon the seller.
[Click here to view the video clip recorded for this review.]
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Journalism Students React to Second Life
By Meredith Frost (Mfrosty17@gmail.com)
Student Editor
Interested in purchasing your very own
Second Life allows users to create their own environment, dance, and socialize with other users (called “residents”) from all over the world, and, ultimately, take on another existence completely.
Developed by Linden Lab in 2003, this multimedia phenomenon now has over 4.9 million people “living” in this Second Life.
But just like in the real world, Second Life also carries its own flaws and criticisms. From overzealous sexual content, to troubleshooting Internet connection problems, the Second Life virtual world is a different experience for every individual -- positive or negative.
Get a Life … or Two
A famous quote goes something like this "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." But this is the 21st century -- and if your life is really all that bad, why not just make a new one? And while you're at it, make it sexy.
This additional existence, a virtual one, comes courtesy of Second Life, an online game much like "The Sims" created for adults by Linden Lab. Free to "basic" members, and $10 per month for an official account. Second Life allows users to fill any voids in their physical universe with virtual ones; enabling members to fly, dance, interact with good-looking characters, personally speak to strangers around the world, and drive interesting cars and vacation for free (with basic membership).
It is also a place gaining a record amount of usership, according to CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen in the article "Is Virtual Life Better than Reality?"
As Second-Life users in total spend an interesting average of "$6 million a month” in "virtual goods" such as furniture for virtual houses and clothing for their online physical persona or "avatars."
What is most interesting about Second Life is, despite the official sign-up regulations against obscene conduct while in the virtual world, over seven of the many places available to teleport to involved extremely sexual conduct and images.
In teleporting to one room innocently labeled a nightclub, avatars and their respective users are brought into a world of topless virtual female bartenders, erotic decorations and other users from around the world who are no stranger to explicit innuendo. The avatars themselves carry a strong overtone of sexual expression, as basic members wanting to represent themselves as female are confined to choosing between several women characters bearing little clothing, or suggestive animals, like the bunny dressed in a bikini.
Visually, male’s avatars are more conservative looking, but many users make up for this with bawdy comments. In this virtual world, it is not uncommon for avatars to ask for contact information, tell a naughty joke (within the guidelines of course) or frequent the "nightclubs" to interact with other like users. Those who would like to keep sexual conduct out of the virtual world can seek refuge (among other places) in Second Life's wildlife center, up in the air, or on the road, as the game allows avatars to act out a user's more innocent dreams by driving interesting cars, looking great, and even flying around the online community.
So, perhaps if your life isn't everything you want it to be, or virtual cleavage happens to be your thing; it might be of interest to try out a free "Second Life" account .
The best things in life are free. Well, maybe virtually.
--By Bonnie McKasty
(bonnie.mckasty@gmail.com )
Live Your Real Life, Not a Second
I dropped from the sky like a baby coming out of its mother's womb, yet this wasn't actually me, it was my avatar, "Bauer Writer," being placed into Second Life.
What's that? It's literally a second life for us humans -- a virtual program where we can interact with people across the planet as someone else.
I was naked when I first was placed into the system and quickly was given a pair of jeans and a white t shirt. I also have a slick haircut and if you looked quick he looked like James Dean for a second.
Instead of blogging about the basics of the program, why not talk about the negatives of it? People use with this program as a barrier from their real life, pushing their problems away to take on the role of someone else and talk to another person, who is probably feeling the same way.
Sure, it's interesting at first, but after the original 10 minutes or so of hunting around this virtual amusement park of dance clubs, city skyscrapers and rural atmospheres with volcanos, you realize this isn't realistic and a waste of time, since you can be out there doing real things that you'll remember forever, not what Bauer Writer is doing.
Aside from being a way to pawn of your real life misfortunes, the program has been known to destroy personal computers and only easy to download with a wide bandwidth server.
You can't fix computers in Second Life and your avatar sure isn't going to pop out of the computer to help you.
--By Chris Vaccaro
(C.R.Vaccaro@gmail.com)
Second Life Offers More than Sales and Sex
Second Life, the virtual networked world, offers a unique educational opportunity. Peter Yellowlees, a professor of psychiatry at
This isn’t the only distinctive experience floating around Second Life.
According to Dr. Mary Ann Allison, a professor at
“The students would create things like movies and art in order to share their experiences,” Allison said.
Stanford and
“The classroom is an important part of the college experience -- it’s not the only important part, but it is important and lessons are getting boring, I know I get bored up their [using traditional methods],” Allison said.
Allison suggests that our society is “breaking apart and reshaping” and that we need to teach children how to use participate in things like gaming and virtual worlds in a good way, “Telling middle-school children not to like Facebook is like telling them not to like chocolate; instead of avoidance we should teach them how to participate in a networked society in a way that’s healthy.”
“The chances are zero that this type of program will go away,” Allison argues, “I don’t think it should, I mean scientists are able to make their [Second Life] avatars the size of molecules so they can work inside virtual chemical compounds—they’re able to learn more about how science works with this program. That’s incredible.”
--By Kayla Walker
(Walker.Kayla@gmail.com)
Second Life: Praises and Knocks
The mainstream press has struggled with how to characterize Second Life. The term "3-D online virtual world" doesn't exactly associate itself as just being a game, which most people would probably just refer to it.
Second Life is a 3-D online virtual world, where avatars do the kind of stuff real people do in real life. Buying and selling things, gamble, play games, and have sex. Second Life is definitely missing something, possibly lacking a designed conflict and end objective.
Still, Second Life estimates it going at 4 million strong online community? All you have to do is talk to the people who log in under an assumed name, to hear the praises of Second Life.
To start off, there is plenty of money to be made, the game's currency, Linden Dollars, is convertible to real
To every positive there has to be a few negatives. Recent statistics indicate many people's real lives have begun to spill over increasingly into their online lives. Researchers are actually wondering how virtual behavior influences real behavior in the real world.
Another very interesting problem is sex, which is running rampant on Second Life. While liberal- minded Internet users may not be too bothered by swinging clubs or brothels, some are hoping this doesn't become somewhat problematic, as it usually tends to be.
--By Thomas Palermo
(Thomas.Palermo@gmail.com)
(Virtual) Reality Check: Second Life
Last night I was approached by a shirtless male carrying size “C” breast implants, sporting a vintage carnie mullet that complemented the vulture-looking wings gracing his backside.
No, it wasn’t a dream, the carnival was not in town, and this interaction occurred hours after I left a sporting event at Nassau Coliseum. In fact, the scene happened on my computer in the comfort of my own home, just moments after I signed into the virtual reality web world known as Second Life.
After this stranger asked me If I knew where to find night crawlers, I got the heck out of there, locked the doors, and tried to clear my mind by working on the “to do” pile that has accumulated some serious girth.
How could I embark on an alternative lifestyle that demands plenty of time, effort, and money such as Second Life when there is a growing list of challenges that I need to confront in order to fulfill my destinies in the life that counts?
Second Life doesn’t completely turn me off. For every handful of nincompoops roaming around in general admission, there is an occasional refuge to use your time constructively. Second Life Library 2.0 exhibits some promise, as well as
For $295 a month, an individual can purchase his or her own island. For such an outrageous bag of coin, I’m not sleeping in a straw hut with a volleyball. The premium package better come equipped with Playboy Mansion 2.0; and throw in Ginger and Maryann for no additional fee.
If virtual reality is in anyway going to be a staple in the future of journalism, then I’m pursuing the wrong profession.
Meanwhile, my Rubik’s cube-skills development has been stuck in neutral for five years running and my Sport Illustrated for Kids crossword puzzles aren’t going to fill themselves out. In translation, there are better ways to waste my time.
--By Ryan McCord
(rjmccord91@gmail.com)
Second Life, and Health
Second Life, a booming virtual world with over an estimated 3 million residents, created and operated by Linden Lab in
In November, the National Library of Medicine/Greater Midwest Region awarded a $40,000 grant to the Alliance Library System, which provides consumer health information services in the virtual world of Second Life.
The Alliance Second Life Library also provides training programs, outreach to virtual medical communities, consumer health resources, and one-on-one support to Second Life residents.
Stroke victims have a strong presence in the virtual community, in which they see themselves as customizable avatar that can walk, swim, ski, dance and even fly. There is several stroke survivors' group in the virtual world, such as the Second Life Stroke Support Group, which aims to overcome depression.
Doctors are discovering through research that participating in Second Life has positive effects on stroke victims mentally and physically.
These promising results show that virtual-reality therapy helped patients use their weakened legs and ultimately walk better after they used the video training for an hour a day, five days a week for more than a month. The study, released by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in 2005, used 10 stroke victims that had an average age of 57 and that had weakness on one side of their body.
The games were used to improve the victims’ range of motion, balance, mobility, stepping and walking skills. The games simulated going up and down stairs, deep-sea diving with sharks and avoiding obstacles when snowboarding. The small study reported that after the stroke victims played the virtual reality game, their ability to walk eventually improved, despite the fact that the patients had all had strokes more than a year earlier, a time frame when further recovery is unlikely.
According to the lead author of the study, Sung H. You, assistant professor of physical therapy at
The surprisingly positive and promising results of this study will undoubtedly continue to encourage the medical community to invest in more in therapeutic ventures in Second Life.
--By Remy Melina
(remy.melina@gmail.com)
Second Life Gives People a Second Chance
Escape to a fantasy world, where anything goes. Could this be the next best thing to happen to those who wish they could make some changes in their lives? Well, it could be possible through Second Life.
Second Life is a virtual reality program that allows people to escape the problems of the real world and experience a whole new perfect life beyond their imagination. This virtual reality world allows users to create their own physical image; therefore, anyone can look like a supermodel or professional athlete. Second Life also allows anyone to become what he or she wishes to be, like a CEO of a major company.
In Second Life, people have no inhibitions because it’s a world where anything goes, unlike the real world. There is a wide range of non-stop activities for anyone to become involved with, things from discos, carnivals, movies, pageants, school, and so much more.
Second Life has been around since 2003 and has grown tremendously to an estimated population of 4,941,322 from all over the world. It has become so popular that major businesses have invested millions of dollars into this program. On the other hand, other businesses have installed software into their systems to prevent employees from using Second Life because it will affect the productivity of their corporations.
Second Life is the next big wave in technology advancement; it has already begun to be taught at schools. Some say that this program has gone too far. But, whether it is or not, without a doubt this is affecting peoples' lives.
--By Karmin Jones
(Karmin.Jones@gmail.com)
Escape Temptation and be a kid again in Rachelville
Second Life wasn't always full of sexual content and wandering naked avatars. Some innocence still exists, if you dig deep enough to find it.
A posted bulletin at the library on
Rachelville on Second Life is full of vibrant colors, flowers and even an anthology of children’s literature. However, the original Rachelville existed through pictures drawn by a little girl from her hospital bed as a distraction from her acute myelogenous leukemia.
Rachelville remains a memorial for Rachel Sowers of Topeka, Kansas, who is pictured on the location. She died at the age of seven on
It’s not as easy to find sites like Rachelville amongst the strip clubs and erotic photo studios in Second Life; even a search of the word “children” resulted in several mature sites -- eliminated only by deselecting the “mature” option. Some other children’s locations included malls, foster homes and adoption areas. Rachel’s parents, Bill and Diana Sowers, left this advice -- “Remember that within each of us is a child like Rachel with gifts to share, stories to tell, songs to sing . . . worlds to create."
It seems as though the minds on Second Life have imagined far more than a little girl could even fathom. The gifts being shared on Second Life, for little extra money, are a different kind of “package.”
--By Maggie Biunno
(Maggie.Biunno@gmail.com)
It’s all Business in this Fantasy World
Second life, a virtual meeting spot, differentiates itself from other similar networks like MySpace and Facebook because it offers a way for the user to create a whole new persona, in a type of fantasy world. People are obviously embracing this, as Second Life currently has an estimated millions of registered users.
Businesses are seeing this as a huge communication vehicle that can help them meet many of their target audiences at once, as well as untapped ones. All varieties of advertising are used on this site.
Swedish officials recently opened up an embassy in the place user’s call "in world." Calvin Klein has launched a perfume in a world where there is no smell. Toyota created an island as a promotion for their new “Scion” where users can take the car for a virtual test drive. Before the opening of the movie “300,” Warner Brothers used Second Life as a way to endorse the flick. Director Zack Snyder said, “The opportunity to promote the film in Second Life was an interesting and innovative way to market films and talk about films."
Second Life even has its own currency in
Although Second Life is a dream land, it seems as though the same rules as well as norms still apply in regard to business practices. Money steers this world as much as the real world. This space is a huge opportunity for businesses to promote their products at a low cost to a huge amount of people.
By Kara Meekins
(kmeekins28@gmail.com)
Second Life: Better than your Average Video Game?
Second Life seems to be the new video game of 2007. The site involves many of the same aspects, but yet creators have constructed this for groups of all ages with various purposes. But how does it differ from your typical video game?
Second Life allows its players to travel to different sections of the world, totally live and interactive -- with the ability to chat -and are able to see and interact with characters all over the world that have logged on to the site. The disadvantage that comes along with the ability to chat is that you must have Internet access in order to use it.
The site also offers places not completely suitable for children. Perhaps if Second Life was a little more restrictive in terms of what members were allowed to upload on the site, more members could easily enjoy it.
I, for one, would probably not be a continuing user of the game due to its high influx of “mature” sites. So is Second Life really better than your actual video game? No, I think not. Video games have game ratings. Internet based games, don’t.
--By Michelle Sobhraj
(m.sobhraj@gmail.com)
Virtual Reality in the Corporate World
Beet.tv.com captured some of public relations expert Steve Rubel's, thoughts
In a piece on Beet.tv.com on
Realistically speaking, Second Life is becoming increasingly popular with the media. Second Life, with over 360,000 avatars created, is often blown out of proportion in terms of its popularity. The service is fairly new and has not fully caught on in the public relations world. Text 100 International has become an early participant in seeking real-world commerce from Second Life.
According to Radley Moss, director of media inquiries (Radleym@text100.com ) Text 100 will work with clients to illustrate the benefits of Second Life in their businesses by facilitating virtual press conferences or new ways of demonstrating products to employees or customers. The Second Life office will also provide benefits to the Text 100 staff, such as allowing them to view training sessions within the virtual world.
--By Katelin Quest
(kquest1@gmail.com)
Lag Issues and Slow Loading Makes Me Prefer My First Life
Due to a few technical issues, my adventures into Second Life, a virtual meeting space/chat room was bizarre at best. Most of the time, upon signing in, I appeared in an area naked, as my clothing just failed to load. Given a few minutes, most of the time, my clothes would find their way back onto virtual me. Some days I was not so lucky, and I felt like a "virtual streaker" the entire time I was signed on.
That may be frowned upon had I been conducting business in the virtual space. Another issue was the "full server" error I received frequently, where I was unable to walk onto the street a few feet in front of my avatar's feet. Other people seemed to walk freely back and forth, but for some reason, I was stuck walking into an invisible wall. This looked awkward. What if I had to meet someone behind this wall?
Due to intermittent lag in my connection, which appeared on every computer and connection I tested the program on, I was unable to walk forward with any speed. I sort of jumped forward slowly, appearing inches further every second or so. My solution was to fly, which appears to be a skill given to all people in Second Life. My only issue with flying around is that I'm not some sort of superhero, and had I been conducting any sort of business, I would rather walk in like any normal person.
This product seems to have an emphasis on emulating a real-world business situation, and I feel flying may detract from that.
--By Garrett Frey
(garrett.frey@gmail.com)
Second Life: a New Outlet for Sexual Perversion and Cyber Sex?
Second Life is a remarkable website. It gives individuals the ability to lead a virtual life. As a citizen of this resident-created virtual land you have the ability to create property, sell it, buy islands and network with others.
One can express one's self through an avatar that can be morphed into an exact replica of yourself, or the total opposite. There are no restrictions; you can control the color of nail polish on your toes, to the size of your breasts. But is this taking it a step too far? Not only can you control breast size, you can flaunt them too! You have the literal option of taking your clothes off.
My first experience on this site was exhilarating, it was a whole new wave of freedom. Yet, it uncomfortable at the same time.
I was interviewing some individuals from the
As an avid swimmer, I threw myself off his balcony and into the blue abyss, (Which he directly proceeded to follow me into). When he started trying to figure out my real name, I knew it was my cue to bounce.
As if Casanova wasn't enough for my first virtual encounter, I met another strange individual in the Time Square room. This suave German and I had some language barrier problems. But we all know the virtual language of picking somebody up. Between odd silences he started to flex his muscles for me; I left.
So what it all comes down to is: What are the website’s true intentions? And my verdict is: to each his own. If you are here with business in mind, the possibilities are endless. This virtual community can be a new segment for online polling, you can advertise businesses, network and even sell property. But, if you are here for pleasure this is a whole new level of online dating. People tend to lie about what they look like anyways, now they can create a face to put their fake name to.
--By Juliette Pariente-Cohen
(juliette.parientecohen@gmail.com)
Second Life and Sexual Subcultures
With news organizations like Reuters and USAToday interested in Second Life -- (so much so that Reuters has a reporter in the world -- one would think that this is no ordinary Internet fad. But there is also a great deal of controversy concerning the amount of sexual content in this online universe and the sexual subcultures that it harbors.
Almost anywhere I went in Second Life -- shopping malls, beaches, dance clubs, promotion companies etc., had advertisements that were filled with sexual content. It was only when I did more specific searches that I got away from the general sexual vibe.
This seems to be true for many users. "The sexual content is both pervasive and surprisingly non-extensive. On one hand, it would take like 5 minutes to find a virtual strip club. On the other hand, I've flown about SL for hours and never run into anything even remotely pornographic, and instead found tons of really creative things, said Oliver Blankes (his Second Life name), a SL user.
Iris Ophelia, another SL life user agrees "Second Life only seems like sex and perversion if you give it a passing glance, just like the Internet. If you take the time to understand it, that side is a lot less visible." Still it is present and strong.
One of the most interesting and misunderstood of these sexual groups/fetishes that I ran into is that of the furry fandom. Wikipedia defines the furry fandom as "a subculture distinguished by its enjoyment of anthropomorphic animal characters. Examples of anthropomorphism in the furry fandom include the attribution of human intelligence and facial expressions, speech, bipedalism or walking on two legs, and the wearing of clothes. Members of this subculture are sometimes known as furry fans, furries, or simply furs."
In Second Life a user has the option to be a human or to walk around in different skins, that of animals, dragons etc. If one chooses to be an anthropomorphic animal, they are considered a furry.
Some of the most exclusive areas of sexual activity seem to be that of the furry fandom. There are tons of clubs, beaches, and other places that are specifically for furries only.
While many of these places seem to be the most scandalous and questionable to people, they can be the most open and understanding.
Take for example
"This Club is open to all whether you are gay, bi, straight, furry, human, purple, green, your head backwards or, dead. Anyone is welcome here and everyone should respect that. We do all that we can to avoid discrimination. If you feel discriminated against for any reason -- please contact a staff member as soon as possible so we can help you. This club is intended as a safe and sane place for everyone to enjoy good music, dance, shop and socialize."
The staffs on the
So the worry over sexual content and the furry subculture seems to be only as big as the user allows it to be. "I have spent lots of time on SL. Ran into like one furry ever," said Blankes. "I think it's part of the way SL works."
--By Audra Kincaid
(audra.kincaid@gmail.com)
F-f-f-f-f-frightening?
Second Life is a chance to live in another world and explore other realms of possibilities. Second Life is scary. As a journalist exploring Second Life I realized that most of the people who I talked to, were only interested in one thing . . . meeting me in real life. This is the aspect of Second Life that I found surprising because I figured that if you join a virtual world and can become part of that community, you wouldn't want to meet someone outside of this stratosphere.
However, I realized that just as with everyday chat rooms, some people join second life as a form of online dating. I talked to two men, Harry Bronco, and Thomas Shandy, (their Second Life names). Both were only interested in meeting offline. So I worry about the privacy settings that Second Life offers because it seems that even in a virtual world, these people want to the real thing.
--By Dreux Dougall
(dreux.dougall@gmail.com)
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