The“Me”diaInteractiveWheelSeptember23,2009ByShelleyRussellDavisFoulger’sEcologicalModeloftheCommunicationsProcessisgood,butnotgreat.Atfirstglance,itappearstoincludemostelementsofcurrentcommunication.Foulger’sdottedlinesbetweenthecreatorsandconsumersindicatethatthereissomecrossoverbetweenthetwo.Message,languagesandmediaareinthecentertoindicatethatmessagesaretransmittedinbetweenproducers/creatorsandconsumers/audiences.ButthenFoulger’smodeltakesawrongturn:Heassertsthatcreators“imagineandcreatemessages”andconsumers“observe,attributeandinterpretmessages.”True,butthesedefinitionsexcludethemoreactiveconsumerbase,orthe“prosumers.”Whoistosaythattheconsumersaren’ttheoneswhoarecreatingorimaginingoriginalcontent?Thisisthedefinitionofblogginganduser‐generatedinformationontheWeb.Producers,asmentionedmultipletimesinCharleneLi’s“TheGroundswell,”shouldbeconstantlyobservingandinterpretingtheirmessageaswell.Successcomesfromlisteningtoconsumersandrespondingtotheirneeds.Foulger’smodelalsoleavesouttheideathatconsumersarecommunicatingwitheachother—morenowthaneverbefore.Interpretationofmessagesoccurswithintheconsumerbase,notjustperindividualWebuser.Withallthisbeingsaid,howcanonecreateamodelthatincludesallofthenecessarycomponents?Interactivemediaisallowingforamoretransparentinformationflow,makingitmoredifficulttodefinespecificrolesinthecommunicationtimeline.Wherecanindividualsconfidentlyplacethemselvesinanyexistingmodel?WiththehelpofclassmatesPaulWagner,LindaMisiura,JordanYostandAndrewRushton,wewereabletodevelopanewworkingmodel,the“Me”dia,orthe“Me”model:Aninteractivewheelofmessageprocessing.Insteadoffocusingonadditionalplayersincommunications,thismodelfocusesontheindividual.Eachinstanceofthewheelrepresentsoneperson.Theinnerwheelportraysdifferenttypesofmessagesintermsoftheirparticipatorylevels,oropportunitiesforcreativeinputbytheconsumer.Theouterwheeldefinesthedifferentrolesthatconsumerscanplayinthecommunicationsprocess:Creators,responders,lurkersandinactiveaudience.Theouterwheelspinsindependently,therebyillustratingthatconsumersdonottakeononerole,butinsteadtheytransformdependingonthemessage,andthepersonalityoftheindividualwhoisviewingthemessage.

Thefutureofsocialnetworking:PredictionsandinsightfromaprofessionalSeptember28,2009ShelleyRussell

Today’slecturefocusedonmyresearchtopic,thefutureofsocialnetworking.Myresearchhasbeenextendedtoincludeprivacyissuesaswell.

OutofallthesourcesIhavecollectedregardingthefutureofsocialnetworking,CharleneLi’spredictionseemsverylogical.AccordingtoablogpostfromForresterResearch(http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2008/03/the‐future‐of‐s.html),Liwrites:“Socialnetworkswillbelikeair.”Shediscussesubiquitoussocialnetworkingsites,attributingthemtoanecessitythatwillpossessallofourconnections.Keytermsfromtheblogpostincludetheideaofauniversalidentity,asinglesocialgraph,socialcontextforactivitiesandsocialinfluencedefiningmarketingvalue.

Butifsocialnetworksareeverywhere,whatwillthismeanintermsofsecurityandprivacy?Therearealreadynumerousissuesrelatedtosocialnetworksandprivacy.Usersareconcernedaboutvagueprivacypoliciesandhowtheirinformationisbeingused.IspokewithMihirKshirsagar,aformerfellowatEPIC,whoofferedinsightabouthowconcernsaboutprivacywillchangeovertime:“Todaywearestillinthecollectionmode.Peoplearestilltryingtounderstandthewaysthattheirinformationiscollected.Butinthefutureitisgoingtobeabouthowinformationisprocessed,andwhatdecisionsarebeingmadebasedonthewaythatitisprocessed.”

AccordingtoKshirsagar,definingprivacyintermsofsocialnetworksissynonymouswithdefiningcontrolofinformation.Userswanttobeabletomanipulateandusetheirownpersonaldatainthewaysthatareusefultothem.Kshirsagardiscussedthefactthatintherealworld,informationiscollectedforoneuseandoneuseonly,suchasacreditcardtransaction,butthisinformationcollectioninsocialnetworksmaynotbeforjustoneuse.WearesoquicktogiveoutdetailsaboutourlivesonFacebookprofilesbecausewethinkthatitisgoingtobesharedonlybetweenourfriends.

Kshirsagarofferedareal‐worldexampletoillustratethewaysthatsocialnetworkingsitescancollectpersonalinformationfromusersandmanipulateittotheiradvantage:

“IgotoaDunkinDonutstogetadonut.IknowthatthestoreownerknowsIambuyingthis.IgivemoneyandIgetthedonut.Thatinformationisbeingcollectedinaveryspecificcontext.Imagineifthesamestoreownerthencollectsinformation

abouthowmaydonutsIhaveboughtinaperiodoftime.Thensomeoneelsecomesandbuysthatinformation.Thentheyuseittomarketmorethingstome.MaybetheywillsellittomyinsurancecarriersotheycanseeifIamatariskofaheartattack.”

Thefactthattheaboveexamplecouldbecomearealityinthenearfutureisstartling.Howcanwemaintaincontrolofourinformationifitisbeingcollectedandexchangedamongstthird‐partyWebsiteswithoutourconsent?

PrivacylawsinEuropeandCanadahavebeenre‐workedandextendedtoincludeprotectionofprivacyandpersonalinformationonline.WehavenotyetadaptedourlawsintheU.S.;althoughtheWhiteHousehashiredasocialmediaarchivistandisclearlyawareofthegrowingpresenceandimportanceofsocialnetworkingsites.Hopefullythesechangeswillhappensoon,asmoreandmoreorganizationssuchasEPICtestifybeforeCongressandworktoenactchange.

SearchengineoptimizationandsitemaintenanceOctober4,2009

ByShelleyRussell

Afterreading“BetheMedia”Chapter9,IfoundthatIlearnedmanyimportanttipsaboutsearchengineoptimizationandtheimportanceofknowingthetoolsthatareavailabletoaidinthecreationandmaintenanceofWebsites.

WhileIamlearningalotabouttheWebdesignprocessintheiMediaprogram,Ihadnotreadmuchaboutspecifictoolsavailabletoinsurethatasitewillgainanaudienceandremaincompetitive.85percentofuserswillfindasiteusingsearchengines,soitisessentialtoimprovepagerankthroughkeywordsandmeta‐tagsontheWebsite.

Whenreadingthechapter,IwassurprisedthatmanyofthetoolsavailabletoimprovepagerankareeasytoapplytoaWebsite.DuringtheDigitalMediaWorkshopinAugust,IbecamemoreskilledatusingDreamweaver,butIwasnottaughtabouttheimportanceoffillinginimagetagsandestablishingatitlepageforaWebsite.ItissosimpletotitleaWebdocument,butmanystudentWebsitessay“Untitled”atthetopoftheWebsitewindow.Thisaloneisenoughtogreatlydecreaseapagerankbecausethesitewillnotbesearchfriendly.

IfthemajorityofWebusersrelyonsearchengines,itisalsoimportanttoutilizeoff‐pageoptimizationfactors,whichMathisonsaysareevenmoreimportantforrankingthanon‐pagefactors.Thesefactorsincludecommentingonblogsordiscussionboards,publishingstoriesonotherWebsites,orsubmittingarticlesto

directories.

Thebiggesttake‐awayfromthischapterissomethingthatIampushingmyselftodoonaregularbasis:WhenyouhavecreatedaWebsiteanditisfinallyonline,theworkisfarfrombeingfinished.Makingthesiteliveisjustthefirststep.Foranysortofsuccess,creatorsmustbeconstantlyactiveontheWeb.TheyarenotjustcreatorsofWebsites,butparticipantslookingtospreadabrandanddrawinusers/readers.Itismyinstincttocreatesomething,displayitandthenmoveontoanotherproject.ButaWebsiteisnevercomplete.Contentanddesignmustremainup‐to‐date,andtheaudiencebaseshouldcontinuetogrowwithaddedeffortinspreadingawarenessaboutthesite’spresenceonline.5effectivefreetoolstopromoteyourbusinessandselfusingWeb2.0October7,2009

ByShelleyRussell

1.Blogging

Bloggingisagreatwaytoexpressyouridentity,goalsandideasonline.Withenoughefforttoconsistentlytagandcategorizeposts,aswellaspromoteyourblogonexternalWebsites,itispossibletogainafaithfulfollowingandexpandyoursite’saudience.

Frommyreadingandclassdiscussions,themostimportantthingaboutstartingyourownblogisto:a)Writetobescanned,andb)Writewiththeattitudethatpeoplearereadingyourblogpostsandareinterestedinwhatyouarewritingabout.

Easy­to­usebloggingsites:‐WordPress‐Blogger‐Tumblr

2.Facebookfanpages

Morethan10millionFacebookusersbecomefansoffanpageseachday.Thisisquitealargefollowing.CampaignslikeTGIFriday’sWoodyBurgerpromotionbecameinstantlysuccessfulviafanpagesduetothespreadabilityofinformationinthatmedium.

AparticularlyusefulaspectofFanpagesisthatuserscaninvitefriendstobecomeafanofthatpage.Bands,individualartistsandbusinessesaretakingadvantageofthesepagestointeractwithconsumers.

Keyconceptsaboutfanpagesinclude:

‐Creatingapagewiththeintentiontointeract.

‐Makinganefforttoreadusercommentsandrespond—eithergenerallyortospecificcomments.

‐EncouragingfansofthepagetoparticipateontheWallandwritemessages.

3.Twitter

AsidefromcreatingabasicTwitteraccountandworkingtoachievealargeamountoffollowers,Irecentlycameacrossaninterestingadvertisingtool.WhileworkingonaclassprojectinvolvingtheWater.orgWebpage,therewasanoptionformetodonatemyTwitterstatus.

Essentially,thisstatusdonationmeansthatbysubscribing,Iamallowingwater.orgtore‐TweetselectmessagesonmyTwitterpage.ThisisaneffectivemarketingtoolbecausemanyofmyfollowersonTwittermaynotbeawareofWater.orgortheircurrenteffortstoconquerthewatercrisis.

Thisre‐Tweetingtoolisveryeffectivefornon‐profits.

4.MySpace

MySpaceisaveryeffectivetoolformusicians.Asimpleprofileset‐upallowsartistsorbandstolistinformationaboutupcomingconcerts,allowuserstolistenordownloadsongsfromabuilt‐inplayeronthesiteandinformviewersaboutnewevents.

Userscaninteractwithartistsorbandsbypostingcommentsontheprofilepage.AsthecreatorofthatWebpage,itisimportanttofrequentlyofferupdatesorrespondtooccasionalcomments.Usersneedtofeelliketheirvoiceisbeingrecognized.

Byparticipatingmoreinthediscussionaspectofyoursite,youwilllikelygainamoreloyalfanbasethatappreciatesyourefforttocommunicatewiththem.

5.YouTube

Someofthemostlow‐budget,small‐scalevideoshavebecomeviralonYouTube.Takethisvideoforexample:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFpbXJuQYnE.Adrivertakestheircarthroughthewrongentranceofagate.“DriverFail,”postedonfailblog.orgOctober6,hasalreadyachieved116,392viewsonYouTube.

BycreatingaYouTubecounttopostinteresting,funnyorcompellinginformation

online,thereisachancethatpeoplewillchoosetosubscribetoyourchannel.Gainingsubscriberswilllikelyincreaseifyoupromotethesevideosonblogs.

ThenicethingaboutYouTubeisthatvideoscaneasilybeembeddedandsharedonpopularsocialnetworkingsiteslikeFacebook.ItisalsoasimpleprocesstoembedaYouTubevideoonablogsuchasWordPress.

Mostoftheabovetoolsworktogetherandthereareelementsofcrossoverthatallowanindividualorbusinesstoeasilyuseandincorporatemostofthesetoolsintheirstrategyforonlinepromotion.ViralvideoqualitiesOctober12,2009

ByShelleyRussell

Classdiscussiontodaywascenteredonviralvideo.

Someofmypersonalfavoritesincludethefollowing:

Babyattackedbycat:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjgrCzf0oZMVodafone:TheMayfly:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvC_KHU4AqEOK‐goontreadmills:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RAReporterfail:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVR1JunnuGESoundofMusic(CentralStationinBelgium):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k&feature=related

Todayinclass,groupdiscussionledustodevelopalistofqualitiesessentialinanyviralvideo.

Thisiswhatwecameupwith:

1.Humor

2.Shockvalue

3.Inherenttalent

4.Candidmomentscaughtontape

5.Extremenaturaloccurrences

6.Remixesandmash‐ups

7.Goodpacing

Inadditiontocertainqualitiesthatshouldbepresentinsomecapacityinviralvideos,contentisalsoessential.Mygroupidentifiedfivecategoriesthatcanaddtothespreadabilityofvideosonline:

1.Children

2.Groupsofpeople(Thrillerprisondancevideo,ImprovEverywhereteam,HeyJudeinTrafalgarSquare…etc)

3.Originalmusic

4.Animals

5.Celebrities(Althoughcelebritiesarebynomeansessentialinviralvideos)

Anotheraspectthataddstothesuccessofviralvideosistheabilityforuserstorelatetothecontentorthesubjectsinthecontent.AnyonecaneasilycreateandpostvideosonYouTube.InthinkingaboutsomeofthemostpopularvideosontheWeb,mostofthemhavenothingtodowithfamousfigures,butinsteadcapturefunnyorinterestingmomentsaboutaveragehumanbeings.

Vodpod:Embedtheseeminglyun­embed­able!October15,2009ByShelleyRussellUponcompletingmyroughprototypeformyMemoryallassignment,IwasquiteexcitedandwantedtopostitonmyWordpress.Unfortunately,theembedcodewasn’tworkingandIwasn’tsurewhy.ThenIfoundtheproblem.IhadcreatedmyprojectinVuvox,andwhileVuvoxvideoscanbeeasilyembeddedinmostWebsites,Wordpressisnotcompatibleforsomereason.Luckily,IfoundVodpod,ausefultoolthatallowedmetoeasilyembedmyprojectonmyWordpressaccount.Byvisitinghttp://vodpod.com/wordpress,Isimplydraggedthe“PosttoWordpress”buttontomytoolbar,andwaseasilyabletocapturethevideoIwantedfromVuvox,pasteinthelinkandpasswordtomyblog,anditinstantlyappearedasapost.

Aftermyquicksuccesswiththefreetool,IwenttoVodpod’ssitetolearnmore.Bysigningupforafreeaccount,usersgetaccesstoa“ShareVideo”buttonthattheycanplaceontheirtoolbar.MembersoftheVodpodcommunitycaneasilycreatelistsoftheirfavoritevideosandsharethembyclickingthebuttonontheirtoolbar.Inaddition,VodpodcangrabandembedvideosintothefollowingWebsites:WordpressBloggerTwitterFacebookTumblrTypepadMySpaceTherearesomelimitations.Forexample,whileVodpoddidembedmyVuvoxvideo,Wordpressdoesnotsupportthefull‐screenoptionformycollage.IendedupcreatinganewaccountwithBloggerforthisreason.Also,therearesomesitesthatdonotallowVodpodtograbvideos.AdditionalVodpodresourcesinclude:VodpodonTwitter:http://twitter.com/vodpodVodpodblog:http://blog.vodpod.com/Vodpodgeekblog:http://geekblog.vodpod.com/HowbeingasocialmediaexpertcanearnyouanewcarOctober21,2009ByShelleyRussellFordMotorsislaunchinganewcampaigntosellcarswiththehelpofindividualswhohaveestablishedasocialmediapresenceonline.Ford’sFiestaMovementlaunchedearlierthisyear.Thecompanychose100agentstoperformmissionsoverasix‐monthperiodwhilebloggingabouttheFordFiestaanddrivingthecararoundwhileperformingthemissions.OneoftheseagentswasoneofiMedia’sown,DavidParsons.ParsonshasbeenbloggingabouthisexperienceswiththeFiesta,andmoreinformationabouthisexperiencescanbeaccessedviahisblog:http://giveusafiesta.tumbler.com.Moreinformationisalsoavailablehere:http://fiestamovement.com/agents/view/88.

Whilechancesforapplyingforthiscampaignhavelongpassed,FordMotorshasannouncedtheirnewFusion41campaign.ThecompanyislookingforeightownersofFordFusionorFordHybridownerstoparticipateinarelayrace.Eachofthechosenownerswillputtogetherateamoffourfriendsandpassoffthecarforadurationofthreeweeks.Eachteamwillreceivea2010FordFusion,accompaniedbyfreegas.Socialmediapresenceandexperienceofteammembersiskey,becausethecompetitionrequiresthatmembersdocumenttheirexperiencewiththeFordFusiononlineviablogging,videos,andothersocialmediadevicessuchasFacebookorTwitter.Thewinnerofthecompetitionwillgettokeeptheir2010FordFusionandthevehiclewillbepaidinfullbyFordMotors.Thefourfriendsonthewinningteamwillreceivegasforayear.ManyofusintheiMediaprogramhavebeenwonderinghowbloggingcanbebeneficialtoourlives.Weareeitherconfusedaboutwhyweorblogging,orsearchingformeaningbehindthewordswearewriting.ThiscouldserveasananswerforanylostiMediabloggersaboutthere.Evenlosingteamshavesomethingtogainbecausetheywillhaveexperiencedthepowerofsocialmediaatitsbest—incorporatingvideoandtextintomultimediapresentations,allowinginterestedWebsurferstofollowthemontheFordFusionrelay.InterestedparticipantshaveuntilNovember6thtoapply.Competitionrulescanbefoundhere:http://fordvehicles.emipowered.net/fusion41/register/?Twitter–AclassroomrequirementOctober23,2009ByShelleyRussell

IntheiMediaprogramatElon,weworktoestablishouronlineidentitiesthroughtheuseofsocialmediaplatformssuchasbloggingandmicro‐mediaoutlets,butimaginehavinganentireclassdedicatedtoonesocialmediasite.

GriffithUniversityinAustraliaisdoingjustthat.

Recognizingthegrowingimportanceforcommunicationsprofessionalstohaveawell‐establishedonlinepresence,theuniversityrecentlyupdatedtheircommunicationscurriculumtoincludeaclasswithafocusonTwitter.

JournalismstudentswillnowworktodevelopafocustotheirTweetsthattheymaybeabletouseinthefutureastheygrowasaprofessionalonlinefollowinggraduation.So–nomore“Justwenttothegym”or“Sotiredtoday,sandwichfor

lunchnow”Tweets.Injust140,howcanonestructureastatementofvalue–attractingviewersandhopefullyholdingtheirattention?

GriffithUniversityjournalismstudentswillsoonhavetheanswers.

AsreportedinanarticleinMashable.com,manystudentsattheuniversitywereunawareofTwitter,ordidn’tunderstandthepurposeofthesite.Theschoolispushingaheadwiththecoursedespitemixedfeelings.

WhileitwouldbeachallengetofocusasemesteronthelogisticsofwritingforTwitter,theclasswilllikelyremainvaluabletothejournalismstudentsatGriffith–whetherornottheyendupusingTwitterinthefuture.Morethanlearninghowtogetone’smessageacrossin140characters(includinganyhyper‐links),studentsarelearningaboutclean,concisewriting–writingthatcouldultimatelyearnthemmorereadersandhelpthemgainpopularityontheWeb.

Whilemanynewspapersandradiostationsaremovingcontentonline,theaudiencethereisdifferent.Websurfersarefacedwithanendlesssupplyofinformation.Uponsearchingforkeywordsoraspecificnewsstory,usersexpecttobeabletoquicklyviewcontentwithminimalscrollingoverasmalltimeperiod.Thiscannotbeachievedwithwordiness.WhileaclassonTwittermayseemlikeachallengetosome,orpointlesstoothers,therealkeyiscondensinglanguagefortheWeb;creatingcontentthatisscannableandaccessibletomostusers.

Also,withTwittergainingpopularity,journalismandcommunicationsprofessionalswillneedtolearntousethesetoolsandstayup‐to‐datewiththelatestdevelopments.Eventoday,itisalmostimperativethatoneestablishthemselvesviaablog,Twitter,orevenboth.

MoreinformationonGriffithUniversity’snewcoursecanbefoundhere.Socialmediatools:Greatmarketingpotential,butarecompaniestakingfulladvantage?October30,2009

ByShelleyRussell

Arecentarticlein“PRWeek”magazineoutlinedtheimportanceofsocialnetworkinguseamongcompanies,intermsofvarioususesofsocialmediatools,andtheinfluencethatcustomerfeedbackhasonbusinessstrategiesandproducts.Thereportwascenteredonthemagazine’s2009SocialMediaSurvey.

AccordingtothearticlewrittenbyKimberlyMaul,mostcompaniesturntosocial

networkingastheirsocialmediamarketingtoolofchoice.Oneofthemoststrikingstatisticsfromthearticleisthat37percentofcompaniesdonotusesocialmediatoolsasawaytomarkettoconsumers.Thisisasignificantportionofbusinesses.Whilesomenon‐participatingcompaniesmayhavemadethechoiceafterstudyingcustomers’socialtechnographicsprofiles,thisstillleavesmanycompaniesoutofthesocialmediasphereforotherreasons.

Itisinterestingtothinkaboutthereasonswhycompanieschoosetostayoutofthesocialmediasphere.Statisticsfromthestudyreportthat53percentofcorporationssaythata“lackofinternationalresourcesandtime”istheirbiggestbarriertobecominginvolvedwithsocialmedia.43percentchoselackofknowledgeandexpertise.

SmallercompaniesmaynotbeabletodevotethetimetoTweet200timesadaylikeGeneralMotorsdidinJune,butpostingseveralTweetsadayandoneblogpostseveraltimesaweekismoreeffectivethannosocialmediapresenceatall.

UponsearchingmynameinGooglesearchatthebeginningoftheiMediaprogram;mynamedidnotappearuntilthefifthorsixthpage.NowafterusingTwitterandbloggingfrequently,validlinkstomynameappearonthefirstsearchresultspage.Buildinganonlinepresenceiscrucial—especiallyforbusinesseswithcustomersthatspendalotoftimeonline.

Maulreportedthat59percentofcompaniessaidthatnospecificfundingwassetasideforsocialmediainteractions.Whilemanycompaniesmaybeawareofsocialmediatools,theyarenottakingadvantageofthosetools.TherearesomebusinessesthatmaybereluctanttospendmoneyduetothedifficultyinprovinganyReturnonInvestment(ROI).WhileROImaynotbeeasytomeasure,anyamountofcustomerresponsethroughsocialmediaisasignthatcompanyeffortsarenotgoingunnoticed.

Ford’sdigitalandmultimediacommunicationsmanagerScottMontyhastherightidea:“Oursocialmediastrategyisprettysimple.Itisessentiallytohumanizethecompanybyconnectingourconstituentswithouremployeesandwitheachotherwhenpossible,toprovidevaluealongtheway.”

Companiesmustrelinquishsomecontrolwhenmovingtosocialmediaplatforms,understandingthatwhileallfeedbackonthesitesmaynotbepositive,thereisultimatelyvalueinengaginginthisformoftwo‐waycommunicationwithcustomers.

Readthefullarticlehere.

Howtostandoutamidsttheinformationoverload:ProsandconsofvariouscommunicationmethodsNovember2,2009ByShelleyRussellInthefuture,wewilllikelyseealargemovementinmobiletechnologyasasourceofcommunicationforbusinesseslookingtomarketproducts,ornewspapersreachingouttoreaderswithmobiledevicesforstoryupdatesandbreakingnews.Currentlythereisaknowledgegapformembersofoldergenerationswhodonotusecellphones,butsoonalmosteveryonewillhaveamobiledevice.TheUnitedStatesisbehindintermsofcellphonetechnology.Japancellphonecompanieshaveexcelledinresearchandproducingmoredurable,capablemobilephones.MobiledeviceswilllikelybealargecomponentofWeb4.0.MoreWebsitesarebecomingcell‐phonecompatible,andmostphonesallowusersInternetaccess.Marketerswillbeabletoreachconsumersalmostinstantaneouslyviae‐mailnewsletters,textmessagingalertsorsocialmediaavenues.Butthereareprosandconsassociatedwitheach.Dependingonone’saudienceandcommunicationsstrategy,sometoolsmaybemoreappropriatethanothers.Theprosandconsarelistedbelow,followedbyanoverarchingprosandconslistforthemobileWebingeneral.E­mailnewsletters:pros—‐usuallythereisanopt‐inandopt‐out‐allowsfortargetaudience(peoplegenerallychoosewhichnewsletterstosubscribeto)‐youcanattache‐mailstoanalyticsprogramsandmonitoraudiencebehavior.‐youcanhiree‐mailclientsandcompaniestomanageyourmailinglist(theywillupdateitdependingonwhosubscribes/un‐subscribes)‐youcanrentlistsofsimilartargetaudiencesandsendoutane‐mailstoexpandyourcontactlistcons—‐somepeoplehavetroubleviewingthegraphicsdependingone‐mailclients‐someheavygraphicimageswillnottranslateaswellonmobilephones‐knowledgegapofusers‐alotofuserssubscribeandmayjustdeletethee‐mailintheirinbox‐managingane‐maillisttakesworkandtimetokeepthelanguageandcontentcurrentanduser‐appropriate‐securityissues:youmustprotectthepersonaldataofusers.

text/SMSalerts:pros—‐feelsmorepersonaltotheconsumer‐someSMSalertsallowyoutoreplyandofferfeedback‐reachesconsumerimmediately‐opt‐in/opt‐outoptions‐youcanhavedataaboutconsumers’locations,allowingyoutomarkettoageographic‐specificconsumerbasecons—‐limitedcharactersforeachmessage‐intrusive‐limitedintimeframeofsendingmessages‐opt‐outscanbemoredifficultwithtextmessaging—normallyyoucanopt‐outbyreplyingtothetextwith“STOP,”butthereisaknowledgegapandnoteveryoneisawareofthisoption.socialmedia:pros—‐humanizeslargercompaniesespecially‐socialnetworkingsites(SNS)havetheirownculture—thiscanbehelpfulfortargetingaudiencesandrelatingtoconsumersonamorepersonallevel‐Groundswell—youcanlurkandgetvaluefromsocialnetworksandeasilygetfeedbackfromcustomers‐contentpostedintherightwayonSNSisveryspreadablecons—‐learningcurve‐moreresearchandtimemaybeneededtounderstandthelanguageandonlinecultureofsocialnetworkingmembers‐perceivedbarriertoentry—notallgenerationscanunderstandtheusesofsocialmediaorrelatetotheconcept‐certainSNSarenotmobile‐devicefriendlyMobileWeb:pros—‐alwayswithyou,andyouarealwaysconnected‐contentproducersareforcedtocreateacleanerdesigninterface—lessclutterandmoredirectinformation‐ifyoucan’taffordacomputer,youcanprobablyaffordamobilephoneandgetInternetaccess‐fortheconsumer,thereisnotasmuchadvertisingonmobileWebsites‐fortheadvertiser,limitedadspaceisaplusbecausetheyarenotcompetingwithotheradsorcompanies

‐GPSfunctioninthephonesenableforaneasiersearchaboutbusinesses,restaurantsorshopsinthearea.cons—‐somesitesaren’taccessibleviathemobileWeb‐limitedaudience—notallphonescanaccesstheWebandnotallcustomersenableit‐browserplatform—itisunsurewhichbrowserisgoingtocomeoutontop‐searchingtheWebonmobilephonescanbetediouswithphonesthatdon’thaveafullkeyboard‐somemobileplanscanbeexpensivetoaddInternet‐currentbatteryliferunsoutquicklyifyouusethemobileWeblikeyouusetheWebonyourcomputer.Webredesignsuccessstories:YahooandMSNNovember4,2009ByShelleyRussellTwomajorWebcompanieshaverecentlycompletedWebsiteredesigns.Whilethedesignsthemselvesaredifferent,bothhavesimilarthemes:

1. Simplicity2. Personalization3. Integrationandlinkstosocialmediatools

Yahoo!Yahoolauncheditshomepagere‐designinJuly2009.Thesite,whichremainsoneofthemostvisitedsiteswithathird‐placerankingonAlexa.com,receivesmillionsofpageviewseachday.WhileYahoo’soldinterfaceusedtobeclutteredandjumbledwithtext‐heavysectionsandminimaluseofimagesorgraphics,thesite’snewdesignisverypurposefulandeffective.Theredesignmaintainsthesamelayoutandoveralllookandfeel,buttheplacementofelementsandtheirpresentationismoreeffectiveforusers.ThetopfourstoriesonYahooarenowshownintheformofaninteractivemenu—userscanselectimagesandseeaphotopreview.Inaddition,aslidingbarwasaddedatthebottomofthegraphicsothatprevioustopstoriescanbeeasilyaccessedfromthatsectionofthesite.

InsteadofusingtheleftpaneloftheWebsitetolinkexclusivelytootherYahoopages,thesidebarnowincludesbuttonsformediatools,suchasFacebookandFlickr.Thesitehasalsoworkedtointegratepersonalizationintotheinterface.The“MyFavorites”sectiongivesuserstheoptionofchoosingtheirfavoriteapplicationsandsavingtheminonelocation—makingtheinterfacemoreusefultothem.AccordingtoarecentarticlefromAdotas.com,Yahoo’sredesigneffortshavebeenasuccess.Timespentonthehomepagehasincreased20percent.Thearticlealsoreportedthattherewasa76percentincreaseinclick‐throughratesofstoriesplacedinthe“Today”sectionofthesite.Customizationhasalsodrawninmoreusers.Theadditionofmorechoiceandcontrolhelpedtodrawawiderandmoreloyalaudiencebase.Morespecificsabouttheredesigncanbefoundhere.MSN.comThenewhomepagedesignplansforMSN.comwerelaunchedtoday.Theoldpagewasmuchmoreclutteredandtextheavythanthenew,simplisticdesign.Thesiteisstillinitspreviewstage,butpresentsamucheasiernavigationandinterface.Thenewdesignpromotestheuseofvideoandcustomizationfeatures.Userscanspecifysettingsfortheirhomepage,aswellasstreamfeedsfromsocialmediatoolssuchasWindowsLive,FacebookandTwitter.Yahoo’shomepagedoesnotyetofferaTwitterapplication.AccordingtoAlexa.com,MSN.comremainsoneofthemostpopularWebsites,rankingineighthplace.Thesite’sintegrationwithBing,anditscleanerdesignwillmakeitmorecompetitivewithtopsitessuchasGoogleandYahoo.Readmoreabouttheredesignhere.Spacetourism:Ausefulventureorawasteofmoney?November9,2009ByShelleyRussellIntwoyearstime,$4millioncouldearnyouatriptoouterspace.In2012,GalacticSuiteissettobeginaccommodatingguestsatthefirsthotelinspace.AccordingtothearticleonYahoo,guestswillspendeightweekstrainingforthetriponanislandintheCaribbean.Followingthetraining,thetriptospacewilltakeadayandahalf.Guestswillspendthreedaysintheresort—wearingVelcrosuitsinordertostickto

thewalls.TheBarcelona‐basedcompanywilllaunchguestsintospaceviaRussianrockets.Ifoundthistopicquitesuitableformyfinalface‐to‐facetopicbecauseitexpressedwhatwehavebeentalkingaboutandresearchingthroughoutthesemester:Thefuture.Thisfutureisveryreal,andinmanywayswearealreadylivingit.Fiveyearsago,ahotelinspacewouldseemimpossible.Itstillseemsimplausiblenow.Itisunimaginabletothinkthatspacetourismcouldbecomeaboomingindustry.WhenIreadabouttheupcomingspaceresortIwasexcitedabouttheopportunitiesavailable,suchasthefactthatguestscouldorbitearthin80minutes,seeing15sunsetseachday,orthatthisresortcouldmakespacetravelmoreaccessibletothegeneralpublic(well,thegeneralpublicwhohas$4milliondollarstospare).Andthatbringsmetomyconcerns.Thecostisobviouslyabigone.Ifspacetourismdoescatchon,thecostwilllikelydecreasesignificantly,butatthemomentthereareveryfewpeoplewhocanaffordtheexpensivevacation.Butaffordingitisonething.Whohasthetimetotakeeightweeksoffofworktocompleteaspace‐trainingprogram?Billionaires,apparently.Asidefromcost,Ialsohaveconcernsaboutsafety.TheseissuesarenotaddressedontheWebsite.Ifdisastrousaccidentscanoccurforprofessionalastronauts,thensurelytheycanhappenwitharocketfullofcivilians.Iamcuriousastohowtherocketwillattachtotheresort,aswellashowexpensiveitwouldbetomaintainthestructureinspace.AsreportedonYahoo,43guestshavemadereservationssofar,andGalacticSuiteiscurrentlyacceptingreservationsfromtheirWebsite.WhileIthinkthatsuccesswiththisprojectisbeneficialtothoseinterestedinspaceandspacetraining,thecostandsafetyconcernsmakemewonderifsomethingsshouldjustbelefttotheprofessionals.IGFEgypt:PanelonthemobileWebNovember15,2009

ByShelleyRussell

Iamcurrentlysittingintheconferencecenter,finishingupa13‐hourworkdayattheInternetGovernanceForuminSharmelSheikh,Egypt.OneofthemostinterestingsessionsthatIattendedtodayhadtodowiththemobileWeb.IwasabletobrieflyspeakwithkeynotespeakerTimBerners‐Leefollowingthesession.

SomeofthemainpointsfrompanelistsincludedtheneedforWebcontenttobetailoredtosmallerdevices,aswellasthepressingissueofexpandingcontentontheWebtocomefromnon‐Westerncountries.Inorderforunder‐developedand

developingcountriestobeabletoaccesstheWeb,itisessentialforcontentontheWebtoappealtothem.Withbillionsofdocumentsavailableonline,verylittlecontentisappropriateorunderstandabletoindividualsinAfrica,SoutheastAsiaorLatinAmerica.

Iwasabletolivetweetduringsomeofthesessions.TheTwitterfeedforImaginingtheInternetcanbeaccessedhere.

Thefollowingaresomememorablequotesfromthesession:

TimBerners­Lee:

“InGhana,thegovernmentwaslessworriedaboutconnectivityandmoreconcernedwiththeirbeingenoughcontent.Thereisnorealizationthattheycouldactuallycreateitonline,ortattheycouldgotoastreetmapandenterinformation.ThereisacultureshockthatthisisnotAmerica’sInternet.”

“Wehavealwaysfoundinthepastthattheopenworldbeatstheclosedworld.WhenAmericaOnlinetriedtoputthemselvesonlinewithoutacknowledgingtheWeb,itdidn’twork.Everybodyelseisalwaysgoingtobebigger.Theopenplatformisveryimportantandweshouldpushforit.”

NiiQuaynor:“NetworksinAfricaarefragile,andcoverageisnottotalinseveralAfricancountries.Theuser‐interfacemaybecomeaprincipalaccessinstrumentforpeopleinAfrica.TherehasbeenafocusondevelopingapplicationsforUI’s.”

YoshikoKurisaki:“Technologyalonedoesnotchangeasociety.Butifitisusedappropriatelybythepeople,ithasthepotentialtochangethesocietyforthebetter.Thefocusshouldbeonthepeoplewhoareatthefarendofthedigitaldivide.”

LeslieMartinkovics:“Broadbandinfrastructureisanabsolutelyvitalcomponent.Broadbandinvestmentscreatejobs,stimulatesdemandforrichercontentandfuelsthegrowthofadynamicglobalInternet.”