Creativity And New Media 10/29

SOUNDCLOUD: As someone who's generally shied away from social media - I do find it particularly useful when it comes to finding new content.  In this case, music. On www.soundcloud.com one is able to stream their own music creations or edited versions of their favorite artists.  Although I don't have the skill set (or rhythm) to produce my own song I've included a screenshot of one of my favorite content creators.  As you can see one is able to upload his/her mixes to the website and share them with followers.  As we are constantly searching for new sources of content it is becoming clear that maybe the best source of this content is each other.  We are all creative in one way or another - why not share it?

CIS3810 - Creativity

When it comes to technology, creativity and innovation are synonymous. We are in an an unprecedented period when it comes to the expansion of the internet and the limitless possibilities that it presents us with.  This can be examined in many ways but I'd like to focus on what I believe to be the two most important:  the consumer's response to creativity; the creator's interpretation of creativity.  In other words, we as consumers of content have consistently demanded more creative and innovative forms of information and entertainment.  From a creators's standpoint: in order to maintain and continue to attract consumers they have no choice but to be creative and innovate; if they don't they will disappear.
In a New York Times article titled, "Disney Tolerates A Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?" the author discusses a YouTube parody that depicts Disney characters in a fictional rap music video.  The author cites Disney's traditional, conservative stance on its characters and their representations.  However, in this case Disney doesn't seem to have a problem with the video; or they at least aren't voicing it.  I think this is the case because Disney recognizes that this type of content, although not necessarily aligned with their own values, nonetheless attracts attention.  It reminds people of Disney's presence and characters - and in today's world, that's important.
Creativity is essential.  Given today's collaborative environment we must learn to interpret things in a different way.  In a  new way. In a way that guarantees that our ideas stay relevant - even if they aren't exactly as we intended.

Blog 10/22: Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

I'm not very well versed in the realm of virtual worlds.  And so, this week's readings were particularly interesting.  Before I began to analyze the different ways in which these worlds can be used, I first thought about who is actually using them, today.  The first article I read (http://www.forbes.com/sites/dianemehta/2013/04/30/after-second-life-can-virtual-worlds-get-a-reboot/), addresses this question quite well in their summary of a program called Second Life. Specifically, the program was popular with people who were seeking an outlet - a world in which they can be someone else. Although I admit that at times this concept sounds interesting; in terms of socialization, what are people finding in these virtual worlds that they cannot find in "real life"?  This question, and perhaps stigma is, in my opinion, the reason why these virtual worlds have struggled in the past.  Because it's still not ok to talk about your virtual life in real life. To answer the first question, the original and most popular way that virtual worlds are being used are for social purposes.  I think that this trend will continue. However, I don't think that it will become widely adopted until we can agree, as a society, that it is equally as acceptable to socialize via the internet as it is to do so face to face.

The second article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22Avatar.html?_r=0) from the New York Times, takes a different look at virtual worlds - from an economic/e-commerce perspective. I was surprised to learn that virtual worlds were in 2009 a $2 billion industry - in real life dollars. Given that the article was actually written in the depths of a recession, it was surprising to me that there was such volume in the sector and even more surprising that Second Life reported at 94% surge in their virtual economy.

I think that people are clearly longing for an outlet.  A place were they can be who they want, when they want, and can actually afford to do so.  However,  I would make the argument that we should be focusing our energy and attention in improving our status in the real world rather than online.  We tend to get caught up in technological changes, we invest our time and money into them - and then realize that they were only fleeting.  Real life is here to stay.

Blog About Twitter 10//15

To be honest - this week has been my first experience having an actual discussion via Twitter.  Reluctant at first, I am starting to learn that it can, in fact, be helpful.  However, in order for it to be truly effective one needs to be constantly in touch with his/her Twitter account.  More specifically, as Professor Weisel suggested, Twitter can become confusing when tweets aren't referenced immediately. Referred to as "re-tweeting",  in order to maintain the fluidity of the conversation, one must be aware of who tweeted and when.  I can imagine that during a substantial exchange between users, the exact progression of the conversation could, potentially, become misleading. However, once one becomes attune to how Twitter works it can be the ideal platform for a real-time exchange between participants around the world.
I would say that Twitter needs to continue to integrate their messaging service with real world applications.  More specifically, I value the information and exchange that is available - but I don't want to constantly check my browser or phone for an update.  If Twitter can come up with new ways of making their feeds "jive" with real world applications it would make the company even more valuable - especially as they approach their IPO.

Social Networking Sites 10/15

It's been a long time since I've used any of the referenced social networking sites.  Probably because I value privacy over publicity.  However, I have at a certain point in time used all of the following: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  I've gathered impressions of each of these and they are detailed below.
I think it's interesting that as new of a concept as social media is, each of the above services has carved out its own niche in society. I think each of them accomplishes their perceived goals reasonably well.  For example, Facebook, in my mind, is the social media platform of choice for connecting friends - just friends.  Although many businesses, groups, organizations, etc. have a presence on Facebook, my impression is that these users should focus on exploiting other services (e.g. Twitter).  As I tweeted on my twitter account, many businesses (large and small) are finding that they can successfully reach their clientele through twitter in real time.  I think that this is something that would be considerably more difficult through Facebook.
The one social media platform that I do currently use is LinkedIn.  Although not extensively, I have had moderate success connecting with colleagues through the service, however, this has yet to lead to any substantial opportunity.  Perhaps I need to further explore these platforms - and I look forward to doing so through CIS3810.

Social Networking 10/8

It's interesting to note that social networking began (for most of us) on just that, a social level.  As its efficacy has been reinforced by the successes of Myspace and Facebook, corporations began to embrace the utility of connecting people in new ways.  In regard to collaboration, the ease of virtually connecting with a co-worker, whether he shares an office or is working remotely, is unprecedented and I would argue universally valued.  However, a direct result of this ease is a decrease in peer to peer interaction. Although it's probably still too early to make a definitive judgement, many would argue that this lack of personal interaction is resulting in diminishing social skills, and ability to collaborate on an more direct, impromptu way.
As outlined in a 2007 BloombergBusinessweek article Why Is Nissan Mimicking Myspace?, Nissan Motors actually created their own social networking system exclusively for employees. Inspired by a similar network introduced by IBM Social Networking At IBM in years prior,  Nissan's system allows employees to share raw information, ideas, and create special interest groups. I would be curious to see how viable this network actually is today, given that it was created over 5 years ago. Also, is this type of network appropriate in all types of industry?  For example, it seems only natural that a technology innovator like IBM would adopt this sort of idea.  However, how approrpriate is this idea for an automaker? Is it necessary? How will these companies measure any increase or decrease in productivity resulting from this type of experimentation?