Multimedia Tools Taking Flight

In effective writing, writers have long been taught the importance of “hooking” the reader; structuring the written content in such a way that the reader will have a desire to keep reading more. However, as much of the communication that takes place on ICT platforms today involves far more than mere text, it is essential to know how to “hook” the audience not only with words, but with the variety of multimedia tools that are now available. Multimedia adds a new dimension to the consumption of online content such that the audience is doing far more than simply reading and imagining; they are actually experiencing. Effective use of multimedia allows the audience to live the content being presented to them, and in so doing, they are able to form a much more vivid memory of the information and more easily retain it, which is really what makes multimedia such an incredibly powerful communication tool.

            I think video or any form of visual storytelling is the most effective multimedia tool, as it combines both sight and sound to create a much more unique experience for the audience. Essentially where sight and sound are combined, a message is able to be communicated on two fronts. Whether it be the music, narration, background color, or animations, each of these things is capable of conveying either a mood, emotion, or some other sensory experience that contributes to the overarching message that is trying to be conveyed. The more a message can speak to the different senses (sight, sound, etc.) of the audience, the more effective it will be.

            One example of how multimedia tools have been effectively employed can be seen in the assortment of interactive, multimedia segments NASA has available in its multimedia gallery. In trying to communicate something as complex as the universe and space technologies, multimedia can play a huge role in simplifying such content into terms that almost anyone can understand.  One particular example I found featured a history of the Apollo missions, which began with a comic/storyboard style account of the first moon landing, and was narrated but interspersed with actual radio transmissions from the first moon landing. This multimedia segment also had a photo gallery, videos with actual footage from the mission, and an interactive map of the lunar landing site that the audience could explore.  

           Another great multimedia example from NASA’s multimedia gallery described the capabilities and functions of the International Space Station which used a digital diagram of the space station in which the audience could zoom in to a particular part of the space station by clicking on one the capabilities, which then brought up a video that described that component of the station. These videos also had music with a pioneering, adventurous theme, which served to create a more intense experience and convey the sense of exploration and adventure that is typically associated with space travel. Each of these examples clearly illustrates the power of multimedia tools as they can turn something as complex as rocket science, into an experience that all can enjoy and learn from.

Link to NASA multimedia gallery:
 http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/mmgallery/#.VFZjuBauQTD

Blogging Best Practices

The blog I chose to review was a current events blog called “Who What Why: We don’t cover news- We uncover truth.” The blog consists of articles written on various national and worldwide events, however the authors work to approach these stories from an angle different than that of the mainstream media while striving to reveal the underlying context behind each of the stories. The article I read to glean insight into the substance and structure of this blog was entitled, “America’s Policy: War Now, Justifications Later” (McNamara, 2014).

In my observation, this blog does an exceptional job at putting complex world issues into terms that a mass audience can easily understand. What makes the blog particularly effective at communicating information, especially to those who may not be well-versed in the topic at hand, is the fact that it does not simply present evidence to support and explain each article. Instead, the blog takes it a step further by skillfully embedding links within the text of the article to enable readers to easily access critical background information that helps quickly bring any reader up to speed on the underlying pieces of the story that help put it into its full context.  The authors’ straightforward, easily digestible prose, coupled with the links to backstory information is constructed in such a way that it assumes the audience knows very little about the event being discussed, which is why it is so effective at communicating these complex stories.

Since blogging is a much more open-ended and more loosely regulated means of publishing than mainstream media online reporting, I think one of the most essential blogging best practices is, the need to support any content that is published on a blog with evidence that is readily accessible to the audience. It can be much more difficult to assess the validity of information provided in a blog format, so providing quick links to the various sources that were used is all the more important when communicating information via this particular medium.  In addition, it is important not to write in an overly technical manner and instead use language and arrange the story in a way that is easy for people from very divergent professional backgrounds to understand.

Link to Blog: http://whowhatwhy.com

References

McNamara, R. (2014, October 21). America's policy: War now, justifications later [Web log post]. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from http://whowhatwhy.com

SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE:

Penn State Student Website Reports Joe Paterno has Died

UNIVERSITY PARK, Jan. 22, 2012 -- Today, a Twitter post from the Penn State student website, Onward State, reported that famed Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno, has died. While there has not yet been any official statement from the Paterno family confirming the report, the death of Joe Paterno would be yet another blow to the Penn State community as it continues to grapple with the repercussions of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.

Joe Paterno’s death raises questions as to what the future of the Penn State football program will be and whether or not his legacy will be marred by his alleged involvement in the cover up of the scandal. As a man who dedicated so much of his life and had such a powerful impact on the Penn State community, the loss of Joe Paterno will be felt by faculty, students, and alumni alike.

News of Paterno’s death has already begun widely circulating throughout social media circuits.  Should the Paterno family or Penn State University release an official statement confirming his death, many will likely be struggling not only with the loss of a collegiate football icon, but also with the controversial circumstances under which his legacy came to an end.

SAMPLE FACEBOOK POST:

Today, a Penn State student website reported that Joe Paterno has died. Neither the Paterno family nor the university has released an official statement confirming Paterno’s death, but the news is circulating rapidly via social media channels. The news comes on the heels of what has already been a difficult period for the Penn State community following the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal, and has left many wondering what the future of the Penn State football program holds.

Exploring Social Media Tools and Experiences

Three of the social media tools that I have had experience using are social networking sites, Blogs, and Webinars. With regard to social networking sites, I primarily use Facebook. My experience with Facebook has been generally positive because ultimately, social media is what you make of it. While there are certainly ways Facebook can be used negatively, such as in instances of cyber bullying or spreading negative propaganda, I personally have used it primarily to stay in touch with a vast network of family and friends who I likely would not have been able to do otherwise. Facebook has enabled me to share everything ranging from athletic accomplishments to some of my personal artwork, and likewise, it has given me a means to see all of the interesting events taking place in the lives of many of my friends and loved ones. I also like how Facebook tries to innovate and evolve new ways of getting people to interact with one another in the cyber sphere.

The other social media tool I have just recently gained experience with using is, Blogs. As this post demonstrates, my graduate studies at Southern New Hampshire University have afforded my the opportunity to experiment with blogging using Google's Blogger. I have enjoyed learning to communicate using blogs because I view blogs as a forum designed specifically to share your own thoughts, observations, and ideas of the world, while generating discussions that those following the blog can partake in. In some ways, blogs are like a digital version of the classical Greek style of learning and teaching, where knowledge was acquired through questioning and having an open dialogue over a particular idea or observation.

Lastly, a very unique social media tool that I have worked with in the past are Webinars. I am currently enrolled in a Voice Over instruction program through Edge Studio, and many of the lessons for how to establish a career in the Voice Over industry are conducted via Webinars from the social media company, Citrix. In addition, because people from all over the country enroll in this program, many of the personal coaching sessions with professional Voice Overs are done using Skype. I partook in one such coaching session and felt that the feedback the coach was able to provide was just as valuable as if the session had been done in person.

The social media tools that I think will reach audiences most effectively are social media sites such as Facebook. With the number of regular users these sites have when compared to some of the lesser known social media tools, I think these sites will continue to be at the forefront of communicating information. Social media sites are firmly entrenched within our culture and it has become easier and easier to communicate with mass audiences with the click of a button. While all of the social media tools listed above have played a significant role in changing the way we communicate, none has had more of an impact than social media sites owing to the incredible reach they give to each and every individual user.

Discerning the Truth in the Era of Unrestricted Web Publishing

Today I read an article from the New York Times by Somini Sengupta entitled, "Ebola Presents Challenge, and an Opportunity, for U.N. Leader." The article focused on how U.N. secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, is taking steps to help the U.N. play a greater role in the ebola epidemic, while at the same time pointing out the U.N.'s limitations in this humanitarian endeavor. The article drew on multiple sources which consisted of leading experts in the fields of international relations and humanitarian crises. These sources included Jean-Marie Guehenno (president of International Crisis Group), Margaret Chan (director general of the World Health Organization), and Samantha Power (American ambassador to the U.N.). With the exception of Samantha Power, I had not been familiar with many of the experts who were cited in the article, so I did a quick Google search of their names and was able to find multiple other sources that could corroborate their positions and credentials. All of the sources the author used were highly credible owing to the credentials they possessed and the experience they had in international humanitarian crises of similar size and scope as the current ebola epidemic.

While the article contained comments from leading experts in the field, I was unable to find an actual list of sources that could help verify that the comments included in the article were in fact what each expert actually said. While the New York Times has a relatively positive reputation with regard to its reporting, this still shows how in a world of unrestricted Web publishing, a comment from a source could potentially be modified or taken out of context, and the audience would have little way of knowing. Without an actual list of sources detailing who said what and when, the audience simply has to put their trust in the credibility of the author and the reputation of the news source, which falls short of what is needed to determine whether a piece of information is in fact true.

References

Sengupta, S. (2014, September 19). Ebola presents challenge, and an opportunity, for U.N. leader. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/19/world/africa/ebola-presents-challenge-and-an-opportunity-for-un-leader.html?ref=world&_r=0

A New Way of Knowing

I know the things I know through a combination of life experiences, my education, and the various forms of media I consume on a daily basis. I would differentiate between things "I do know," due to their being corroborated by multiple sources/experiences, and things "I think I know" by virtue of the fact that I have not yet come across an additional source or had an experience that can be used to confirm or deny their validity. However, irrespective of what I know or just think I know, I am a believer in the Socratic principle that true wisdom/knowledge can only be gained if I operate under the assumption that I know nothing, and I do my best to approach life in that way.

One new thing I learned from social media today was how sugar activates the same receptors in the brain as cocaine and how the excess sugar in American foods is creating an epidemic health crisis. This information came from a movie trailer for a documentary called "Fed Up," that one of my Facebook Friends had posted. Although there were limited details on the production of the documentary and the sources/methodology that was used, the information presented seemed to be credible owing to the various subject matter experts in the field as well as health conscious public figures such as former President Bill Clinton who were seen giving interviews throughout the trailer. The professional backgrounds of these individuals seemed to allude to the documentary's credibility as a viable source of information regarding America's poor nutrition practices and the impending health ramifications.

While there is certainly a great deal of misinformation that easily gets circulated on social media sites, social media can be a reliable source of information if we use it as our means to connect to credible news sites and well-established organizations and companies. We may not be able to completely control the information we receive through social media sites, but we can at least tailor our use of these sites to make sure that they can work to our advantage. Taking measures to filter what information we allow to populate on our social media pages can make social media sites not only a valuable source of accurate information, but a highly efficient one as well. 

The Influences of New Media

The forms of new media that I use on a daily basis are primarily social networking sites such as Facebook as well as various miscellaneous online forums that pertain to a particular subject I may be interested in or that I am seeking to gain more knowledge on. With a seemingly constant information flow of major events, stories, and ideas being spread by an ever growing number of people, I have learned to take every piece of digital information I see with a grain of salt instead of blindly accepting it at face value.  I view the information I consume not necessarily as the truth, but rather as a small piece of a complex puzzle that will ultimately help lead me to the truth. For the most part, new media has been a positive influence, in that it allows for an incredible variety of perspectives and facilitates open dialogue. This serves to create a greater number of puzzle pieces that can be used to construct an even more detailed account of the truth. However, new media does have the potential to negatively influence us. As easy as new media has made it for people to rapidly disseminate accurate, factual information, it has made it just as easy for people to disseminate biased, falsified information.  The trouble arises when we act on such false information as if it were the truth, which can result in anything ranging from internal societal divisions, to major geopolitical upheavals. In the age of new media, we must strive to seize the many blessings it offers while staying on guard of its potential to become a curse should we fail to develop ourselves into a media literate citizenry.