Reflection

Less than 4 months, I have post at least 9 blog posts with different topic. As for over all, I have learned a lot about the media issue, blogging, and design for web print. For me, blogging is interesting and challenging. I could express my idea and argue about any issue that I think I don't like. Bloggers have the freedom of speech on communicating towards the viewer yet they also have the code of ethics. According to Dube, J 2007, Bloggers should be honest and fair in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. They also must respect towards sources and subjects as human beings. Therefore, in each of blog post that I wrote, I have given references list to respect and give credits towards the sources that I took.

Moreover, by adopting Morkes, J and Nielsen J (1997) on designing web pages, and supported by Reep, 2006, on principles design, therefore, in this post I have tried to give point form or subheading to attract readers attention on reading my blog. On top of that, like Schriver 1999 said that picture and text will contruct the making meaning, the blog posts have a subscription and explanation on the pictures that provided. Besides that, to maintain the principles design and attract viewer attention to stay longer into my blog, I have maintain the proportion, balance, sequence and consistency of this blog. Lastly in order to keep my blog alive, chat box is provided and I hope viewers can dropped by and give any comments about this blog.

Finally, it can be concluded that blogging is a hobby for me, reading is a must, and arguing with any theoretical supported is a law in this issue publication and design. I have learned lots from this subject. I hope my viewer could find any useful information towards any issue.

References:

Dube, J 2007, A Blogger's Code of Ethics, retrieved online on 16 June 2010, from: http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000215.php

Morkes,J and Nielsen, J 1997, Concise, Scannable, and Objective: How to write for the Web, retrieved online on 19 April 2010, from:http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html
Reep,D C 2006, 'Chapter 6: Document design' in Technical writing: Principles, strategies and readings, 6th ed. Pearson Longman, NY.

The Value of Emoticons

Do you know that, 25 years ago, Professor Fahlman from University Carnegie Mellon, came out with his idea of smiley face and now it became popular? Emoticons are a smiley face which could be simply made by typing a colon, a hyphen and hen parenthesis with little icons designed to be used for online communication. (The Media Report, October 2007)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/domness/3270483716/in/photostream/

Why emoticons are available inside an email?

Hariss, D 2009, stated that the internet “counter-culture” used the idea of emoticons to stimulate some of the cues you would use in a face-to-face conversation, and reduces the likelihood of being misinterpreted. For me personally, inserting emoticons into the email is interesting. It’s like describing your emotions towards the receiver. Hariss, D 2009 agreed that by using the common smiley faces appropriately can markedly improve the clarity of your message and it can allow you to express a wider range of sentiments and emotions in what you write. However, a suggestion from emailreplies.com, 2008, it better doesn’t use emoticons if you are not sure whether they know what it means.

How to use it?

According to the media report interview, Generation Y who grew up with texting, instant messaging, emailing, and social networking make them cares more about the proper etiquette than the older generations. By putting inside the context, we need to consider that e-mail has two functions according to the target audience which are casual and conversational email and professional email. Dumbrava, G 2006, suggested that the basic rules to be observed when writing or responding to potential employers, co-workers, colleagues or business members, the email sender should avoid using emoticons, misspellings and poor grammar, and capitalization. In the order word, to be considered as the generation Y, we need to more care on the proper etiquette especially in professional e-mail.

Source: http://college.monster.com/benefits/articles/301-entry-level-business-etiquette-101?page=3

I believed the value of emoticons is a positive cost. There is no harm to use emoticons in an e-mail because I think it’s a freedom way to express your self during the conversation with your receiver The only thing that we need to learn is how to use it in a proper way and for the right type of work.

References:

Dumbrava, G & Koronka , A 2006, Writing for Business Purposes: Elements of Email Etiquette', Annals of the University of Petrosani (Economics), vol.6, pg.61-64, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://www.upet.ro/annals/pdf/Annals-2006.pdf#page=61

Email etiquette, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://www.emailreplies.com/#top

Harris, D 2009, Electronic Mail Etiquette,

retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://www.pmail.com/etqtte.htm

The Media Report 2007,Emoticons and email etiquette, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2007/2064342.htm

Google and the 'Elephant Library'

As the generation Y-ers who like to consume any advanced technology, I would like to say that Google is one of the most powerful search engine that I preferred. Imagine when your tutor ask you to provide at least 5 references in your essay writing, will you go to library and borrow the 5 thick books and bring it back home? For me personally, google-ing is more effective rather than finding manually inside your text book. According to NPD, 95% of google users finding what they are searching for all or most of the time, and eight in 10 users choosing Google because it delivers the best results.

NPD Online Research, in which Google placed first overall among 13 search and portal sites for user satisfaction and loyalty.

The Elephant Library

A reading from The NY Times article 'An Elephant Backs Up Google's Library', discussed about google books library project that gives users access to the complete text of books that are in the public domain, and the snippets of books that are protected by copyrights. The library project called as Hathi Trust, which is means in Hindi for elephant, an animal that is said to never forget. It includes libraries at 12 Midwestern universities like the University of Michigan, the University of lowa and the University of Illinois, plus the 11 libraries of the University of California system. They aimed to make easier for people to find relevant books especially the books that they wouldn't find any other way such as those that are out of print. Meanwhile, its respecting authors and publishers' copyrights.

The Google Books project is aiming to scan and digitise millions of titles, making them searchable online

Sources: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/651136/Google-Books-project-to remove-European-titles.html

How Google Books Library Project does looks like?

Full view: we can available to see every pages of the books because it's out of privacy or the publisher/author has asked permission for fully viewable

Limited Preview: only can see a limited number of pages if the publisher/ author has given permission

Snippet View: similar like a card catalog, only can allow to display a few sentence that you search in context.

No Preview Available: we only able to see basic information about the book.

Source: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/screenshots.html#fullview

And it affect us!

Lots of controversial happened towards this project in term of copyright law. A comment from Nick Taylor, president of the New York - based Authors Guild, "This is a plain and brazen violation of copyright law," which is seeking class action status. "It's not up to Google or anyone other than the authors, the rightful owners of these copyrights, to decide whether and how their works will be copied." However, when we look at the viewer side like me, I won't think so much about the law, as long I could enjoy the efficiency that google gave to me.

Like Cope & Kalantiz, 2000, said, in the realm of literacy education there is much discussion of the textual shift, and thus 'paradigm shift' (Bearne, 2003) that has occurred for today's students whose environment is filled with visual, electronice and digital texts, those texts that are referred to as 'multimodal'. This is the reason why lots of people will like to go for internet and google as the preference.

Supported by Morkes & Nielsen 1997, in their study of how people read on the web, they found out that people prefer to scan rather than read, want text to be short and to the point, and detest overly hyped promotional writing. In this case, Google has tried to shift the theory from Morkes & Nielsen because Google used the full-text searchable as possible through a virtual or electronic card catalog. In the other words, it has fit the convenient for reader to find out the key point on the reading itself. I think Google has affect the readers and block us from reading a text if it wanted to. Therefore, I think Google and the 'Elephant Library' has succeed finding the demand of the generations Y wants.

References:

Google Books Library Project - An enhanced card catalog of the world's books, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/library.html

Helft, M 2006, An Elephant Backs Up Google's Library, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://bit.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/an-elephant-backs-up-googles-library/

Mills, E 2005, Authors Guild sues Google over library project, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://news.cnet.com/Authors-Guild-sues-Google-over-library-project/2100-1030_3-5875384.html

Morkes J & Nielsen, J 1997, Concise, Scannable, and Objective: How to Write for the Web, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: htpp://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html

Press Center 1999, Google Ranks First Overall in Third-Party Survey of Search and Portal Users, retrieved online on 15 June 2010, from: http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/pressrelease9.html