I have a new Blog up called Undiscovered Music, reviews, interviews and new music!!
Check it out!!!
Click here to view the blog!
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Friday, 18 April 2008
My view on Google Reader
After using Google reader for a week I found the site very helpful. The majority of rss feeds that I added to the account was music related as ths is my special interest and I found that I could simply go onto this site and look at all the music news without having to search on each individual site. This made my life easier as it meant it took less time and less effort to find out about the latest gigs and news from the music industry.
The accessibility of the site I found to be quite easy as it was simple to use and efficient in delivering the data or news that I wanted to view. I did not find any major disadvantages to the site although if I was being picky I would change the layout of the website to make the webpage less cluttered and easier to read, but this is not as vital as such aspects as accessibility and ease of use!!!
Overall, I liked Google Reader because of the time it saves looking through each site as well as the use of notifications on the site when there is new news on each of the feeds you have subscribed to!
The accessibility of the site I found to be quite easy as it was simple to use and efficient in delivering the data or news that I wanted to view. I did not find any major disadvantages to the site although if I was being picky I would change the layout of the website to make the webpage less cluttered and easier to read, but this is not as vital as such aspects as accessibility and ease of use!!!
Overall, I liked Google Reader because of the time it saves looking through each site as well as the use of notifications on the site when there is new news on each of the feeds you have subscribed to!
Friday, 14 March 2008
Critical Evaluation!!!
When it came to coming up for ideas on the topic of the blog we wanted to find a niche in the market and create something unique and interesting. The Grumpy Cunts blog is a space for us to complain until our heart is content about modern life which covers anything from the trivial matter of useless junk to serious matters such as public transport and insomnia.
Initially, posting daily was quite difficult, especially as we were all allocated a time slot (mine was 3-6pm) but after a few days it was easy to get into the routine. Due to the use of time slots I feel that the blog was well organised, as we also created a private Facebook group so that we could communicate out of lesson to make sure we did not write about the same subjects! In general, I feel the group worked together well, the editor kept in contact with us and communication links were good as nobody discussed the exact same topic in any posts and everyone knew what they were doing.
The controversial title of the blog worked well as it emphasised our topic as many of the posts could incite anger or annoyance for people who like the aforementioned hated things. The banner worked very well also because it showed all six of the grumpy cunts who made up the blog!
However, as to the manner of the posts it was pretty much informal, and we were able to add in our own style of writing as our editor did not state many rules thus giving us more freedom to write our own way and express ourselves in our own manner, rather than in a precise, set way! One thing which I found quite easy was thinking of subjects to write about as there are many things, in my opinion, wrong in this world or simply annoying, but I think this was the case for most of the bloggers as we all found subjects to write about quite easily!
The target readership of the blog would have been people who have a 'chip' on their shoulder, so to speak! I feel the best way we could have promoted our blog is through viral videos and possibly producing our own short episode of a summary of the week's favourite subjects!
Aspects of the blog which we kept the same or similar throughout each post is we made sure there was at least one picture or video in the post to add interest to the post and break up the text! But other than that the style of each post varied depending on the blogger.
Overall, I think my blog posts were good, although in some of them I could have added more detail or perhaps a youtube video to back up my opinions! But, in general, the subjects I chose were varied and unique from most of the other bloggers thus adding to the individuality of this blog. If we did this again I think I would spend more time working on my posts and possibly changing the structure or content!
Initially, posting daily was quite difficult, especially as we were all allocated a time slot (mine was 3-6pm) but after a few days it was easy to get into the routine. Due to the use of time slots I feel that the blog was well organised, as we also created a private Facebook group so that we could communicate out of lesson to make sure we did not write about the same subjects! In general, I feel the group worked together well, the editor kept in contact with us and communication links were good as nobody discussed the exact same topic in any posts and everyone knew what they were doing.
The controversial title of the blog worked well as it emphasised our topic as many of the posts could incite anger or annoyance for people who like the aforementioned hated things. The banner worked very well also because it showed all six of the grumpy cunts who made up the blog!
However, as to the manner of the posts it was pretty much informal, and we were able to add in our own style of writing as our editor did not state many rules thus giving us more freedom to write our own way and express ourselves in our own manner, rather than in a precise, set way! One thing which I found quite easy was thinking of subjects to write about as there are many things, in my opinion, wrong in this world or simply annoying, but I think this was the case for most of the bloggers as we all found subjects to write about quite easily!
The target readership of the blog would have been people who have a 'chip' on their shoulder, so to speak! I feel the best way we could have promoted our blog is through viral videos and possibly producing our own short episode of a summary of the week's favourite subjects!
Aspects of the blog which we kept the same or similar throughout each post is we made sure there was at least one picture or video in the post to add interest to the post and break up the text! But other than that the style of each post varied depending on the blogger.
Overall, I think my blog posts were good, although in some of them I could have added more detail or perhaps a youtube video to back up my opinions! But, in general, the subjects I chose were varied and unique from most of the other bloggers thus adding to the individuality of this blog. If we did this again I think I would spend more time working on my posts and possibly changing the structure or content!
Friday, 7 March 2008
Tacky Youtube videos
Ok, so on You Tube there are lots of funny, good clips and some that could be classed as at least 'interesting' but there are quite a few out there which make you think; "what made them think that people would want to watch this?" or just simply; "wtf???".
But nonetheless there are people out there that do watch these clips and one video in particular which I feel has received way too much publicity is Chris Crocker. If you havent heard of him he is an American transvestite who often posts video blogs stating his opinion. His most popular blog post is the "Leave Britney alone" post which gained 17,373,256 views and many spoofs and links to this video.
I mean, come on people, it is a guy dressed as a girl ranting about what he doesnt like or if people bitch about him. Who wants to watch that?? Seriously, what is so great about this video? It is a guy pretending to cry about paparazzi and press crowding Britney Spears, does he not have a life?
But nonetheless there are people out there that do watch these clips and one video in particular which I feel has received way too much publicity is Chris Crocker. If you havent heard of him he is an American transvestite who often posts video blogs stating his opinion. His most popular blog post is the "Leave Britney alone" post which gained 17,373,256 views and many spoofs and links to this video.
I mean, come on people, it is a guy dressed as a girl ranting about what he doesnt like or if people bitch about him. Who wants to watch that?? Seriously, what is so great about this video? It is a guy pretending to cry about paparazzi and press crowding Britney Spears, does he not have a life?
Thursday, 21 February 2008
What's all the fuss about?
One of the big debates going on at the moment is the subject of illegal downloading. The latest suggestion which has come out of the houses of parliament is that anyone in the UK caught downloading illegal music, films etc will have their internet limited and even banned.
However, I dont think this is right. First of all I believe that singers and bands do not lose out as much as music labels and the individuals lead us to think they are. This is because, in my opinion (and the opinion of many others I have spoken to) if I hear a song I like and if I were to download other songs by the same singer and like it, then I would go out and buy the album. So, by having the facility to download the songs for free you are encouraging listeners to find out more about the singer/band, thus making it more likely for them to go out and buy the cd!
Also, with software like Limewire, can you technically class it as illegally downloading? The reason I say this is because what the users are merely doing is file sharing. If file sharing is classed at illegal than surely sites such as Facebook and Myspace are illegal, as on these sites you can share pictures and videos, which is exactly what you do on Limewire.
I can kind of see their point of view, but why spend all that money on tracking illegal downloaders just so rich celebrities can get some more money? Wouldn't the money spent tracking downloads be more suitably used to track paedophiles online more, or simply to the emergency services or the nhs?
Haven't the government got better things to do with their time than making sure celebrities and music labels get more money? Obviously not!
However, I dont think this is right. First of all I believe that singers and bands do not lose out as much as music labels and the individuals lead us to think they are. This is because, in my opinion (and the opinion of many others I have spoken to) if I hear a song I like and if I were to download other songs by the same singer and like it, then I would go out and buy the album. So, by having the facility to download the songs for free you are encouraging listeners to find out more about the singer/band, thus making it more likely for them to go out and buy the cd!
Also, with software like Limewire, can you technically class it as illegally downloading? The reason I say this is because what the users are merely doing is file sharing. If file sharing is classed at illegal than surely sites such as Facebook and Myspace are illegal, as on these sites you can share pictures and videos, which is exactly what you do on Limewire.
I can kind of see their point of view, but why spend all that money on tracking illegal downloaders just so rich celebrities can get some more money? Wouldn't the money spent tracking downloads be more suitably used to track paedophiles online more, or simply to the emergency services or the nhs?
Haven't the government got better things to do with their time than making sure celebrities and music labels get more money? Obviously not!
My Review!
Ok, so the Youtube video I have decided to review is one of Perez Hilton's blog entries. Perez Hilton is an American celebrity who is well known for uncovering who is gay in the world of celebs! He is also a source of much celebrity gossip from Britney Spears being in rehab to the latest news from award ceremonies.
The entry I picked was the new year video in which he predicts what will happen in 2008! This is a very simplistic video blog as all that was needed was; himself, a computer and a webcam with a microphone. Yet his name has become infamous among celebrities and the public alike!
But what is so attractive about Perez Hilton? Well, apart from his ever changing hairstyle and colour, he is not afraid to say what he thinks. He has his own website which is http://www.perezhilton.com/ which is where he has his own blog with all the latest celeb gossip, along with his video blog!
The entry I picked was the new year video in which he predicts what will happen in 2008! This is a very simplistic video blog as all that was needed was; himself, a computer and a webcam with a microphone. Yet his name has become infamous among celebrities and the public alike!
But what is so attractive about Perez Hilton? Well, apart from his ever changing hairstyle and colour, he is not afraid to say what he thinks. He has his own website which is http://www.perezhilton.com/ which is where he has his own blog with all the latest celeb gossip, along with his video blog!
Saturday, 2 February 2008
The history of blogs and bloggers!
The history of blogs (or weblogs) go back as far as the early nineties. But as to who the first blogger was, this is unclear as the definition of blog has evolved during this time and different people added to this evolution of the word thus making it difficult to pin point the blog to be created!!!
The beginning of the blog era started in 1983 when a man called Brian E Redman set up a webiste within a forum. On the site he posted summaries of any interesting threads or posts he found. However, this was using a service called Usernet, as the idea of html and the internet had not yet been invented! This was ran from 1983-84 and was called mod.ber.
In 1992, Tim Berners Lee posted the first ever webpage on the internet which contained links to new websites as they came online.
One of the first known bloggers on the internet, was a university student called Justin Hall who reported on his life whilst attending Swarthmore college in America. This was one of the first bloggers who wrote what we would now call a blog. However, there were several people who helped blogs evolve into what they are today!
One of these people is a guy called Jorn Barger who was the editor for a website called Robot Wisdom, in which he posted entries, containing comments and links! His contribution to the history of blogging is that he changed the definition of a weblog into what it means today!
This was in December 1997!
November 1998 Cameron Barrett releases the first list of blog sites on Camworld.
Early 1999- Peter Merholz anounces that he will pronounce weblog as we blog thus the word was then shortened to blog.
July 1999- A site called Pitas appears, becoming the first free build your own blog tool on the web.
August 1999- Pyra release Blogger (the site you are on now) which has become the most popular blogging tool based on the net, thus also making blogging more popular among many internet users.
By the end of 2000 there are thousands of blogs based on many topics, some full of news and articles, others more of a personal account.
By 2001, blogging had become such a phenomenon that how to manuals appeared. These mainly focusing on writing technique. As well as this schools of Journalism satrted to analyse blogs, comparing blogging to journalism.
From 2002 blogs were and are still known for their ability to break, spin and shape the latest news and as time has passed these sites have had more coverage as more people have noticed blogs such as Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, a blog set up in 2000 focusing on news items and Rebecca Blood's blog, Rebecca's notebook about other bloggers and journalism, which lead her to write the book 'the weblog handbook'.
In 2004 blogs had become mainstream and were often used to air opinions on political issues. This lead to the release of Global voices online, which "aggregates, curates, and amplifies the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore". This meant that bloggers from around the world were becoming more known. This site is now linked with Reuters and is often responsible for breaking news stories from around the globe.
In January 2006 Fortune magazine announced eight business bloggers who were not to be ignored; these were: Peter Rojas, Xeni Jardin, Ben Trott, Mena Trott, Jonathan Schwartz, Jason Goldman, Robert Scoble and Jason Calacanis.
and finally, in 2007, Tim O'Reilly proposed a Blogger's Code of Conduct.
The beginning of the blog era started in 1983 when a man called Brian E Redman set up a webiste within a forum. On the site he posted summaries of any interesting threads or posts he found. However, this was using a service called Usernet, as the idea of html and the internet had not yet been invented! This was ran from 1983-84 and was called mod.ber.
In 1992, Tim Berners Lee posted the first ever webpage on the internet which contained links to new websites as they came online.
One of the first known bloggers on the internet, was a university student called Justin Hall who reported on his life whilst attending Swarthmore college in America. This was one of the first bloggers who wrote what we would now call a blog. However, there were several people who helped blogs evolve into what they are today!
One of these people is a guy called Jorn Barger who was the editor for a website called Robot Wisdom, in which he posted entries, containing comments and links! His contribution to the history of blogging is that he changed the definition of a weblog into what it means today!
This was in December 1997!
November 1998 Cameron Barrett releases the first list of blog sites on Camworld.
Early 1999- Peter Merholz anounces that he will pronounce weblog as we blog thus the word was then shortened to blog.
July 1999- A site called Pitas appears, becoming the first free build your own blog tool on the web.
August 1999- Pyra release Blogger (the site you are on now) which has become the most popular blogging tool based on the net, thus also making blogging more popular among many internet users.
By the end of 2000 there are thousands of blogs based on many topics, some full of news and articles, others more of a personal account.
By 2001, blogging had become such a phenomenon that how to manuals appeared. These mainly focusing on writing technique. As well as this schools of Journalism satrted to analyse blogs, comparing blogging to journalism.
From 2002 blogs were and are still known for their ability to break, spin and shape the latest news and as time has passed these sites have had more coverage as more people have noticed blogs such as Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, a blog set up in 2000 focusing on news items and Rebecca Blood's blog, Rebecca's notebook about other bloggers and journalism, which lead her to write the book 'the weblog handbook'.
In 2004 blogs had become mainstream and were often used to air opinions on political issues. This lead to the release of Global voices online, which "aggregates, curates, and amplifies the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore". This meant that bloggers from around the world were becoming more known. This site is now linked with Reuters and is often responsible for breaking news stories from around the globe.
In January 2006 Fortune magazine announced eight business bloggers who were not to be ignored; these were: Peter Rojas, Xeni Jardin, Ben Trott, Mena Trott, Jonathan Schwartz, Jason Goldman, Robert Scoble and Jason Calacanis.
and finally, in 2007, Tim O'Reilly proposed a Blogger's Code of Conduct.
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