jou330002

Topic 10: Multimedia Integration and Interactivity

2006-04-08T21:11:00.000-04:00

Multimedia is rather loosely defined as any combination of text, sound, and graphics. Websites that incorporate video, music, and/or Flash files would be considered multimedia sites. Of course, the Internet was first created to support text, and thus multimedia presents some challenges to website design especially in the areas of accessibility and security. Viruses and Trojans can be embedded in multimedia files or as email attachments, yet cannot be embedded in text. How does one describe a picture or video to a blind person or a piece of music to a deaf one?

Still, multimedia does have its place on the Internet and is becoming an important component of web design. The key question then becomes: when is it appropriate (or even necessary) to use an animation, a sound file, or Flash in a website? What kinds of information are best disseminated/consumed using these formats?

Internet TV broadcasting also has the potential to impact web design in a large way. Internet radio and "podcasting" are also becoming increasingly common. Is it likely that various media will converge? If so, how is this likely to change our world?

Finally, interactivity is perhaps what sets the Internet apart from other media. How has interactivity impacted web design and how can we design interactivity into a website? Should we?

Topic 9: Internet Marketing/Advertising

2006-03-31T13:50:00.000-05:00

Making a buck online has been a relevant topic since the Internet commercialized in the mid-90's. What are the traditional ways that people advertise on the Internet? How successful have "push" and "pull" methods been? ScanOnline Marketing from Wikipedia.

The recent trend is to emphasize search engine prominence. If search engine links are indeed the best way to get consumers to one's site, then how does one improve one's search engine location?

The real goal is not to get someone to visit your website, but to get someone to keep coming back to your website time and time again. What methods are used to establish consumer loyalty online?

What do you think of the IAB? You may also be interested in reading the following article: Advertising Media.

Topic 8: Designing for Wireless/Mobile Devices

2006-03-24T08:34:00.000-05:00

People are increasingly accessing the Internet via mobile devices such as PDA's and cell phones. What implications does the use of mobile devices have for website design and Internet publishing? Scan here. Is it necessary to develop a whole new set of HTML tags specifically for mobile devices? Consider:

screen size
availability of color and fonts
dependence on batteries
connection problems
and how people use these devices to acquire information.

Designing for mobile devices is likely to big in the future as the number of users increases. Would this be something that you would be interested in? Why or why not?

Topic 7: Archiving Digital Documents

2006-03-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

As with print publications, it is necessary to have some system for archiving digital materials as parts of our historical and cultural heritages. Archiving digital publications can be somewhat of a challenge. This is especially true of online newspapers since they frequently change content. What methods are currently in use for archiving digital materials? Why is it necessary to archive materials? What should be archived and for how long? Consider the rise of XML, Dublin Core, DOI's, metadata, and PURL's. Why do graphics and other multimedia files present such obstacles to archivists?

On an interesting sidenote, take a trip down memory lane on the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archives.

Topic 6: Information Graphics

2006-03-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

Information graphics such as weather maps, knowledge maps, charts, and graphs are becoming increasingly common in print newspapers and magazines. Check out The National Weather Service, Google Earth, and An Atlas of Cyberspaces to get some examples.

Scan Blackwell & Engelhardt's article and Tufte's site to get a better idea of the state of the art.

What burdens do information graphics place on designers and users in terms of resources, cognitive load, cultural expectations, and the dissemination and consumption of information? Are these burdens compensated well enough through the use of information graphics to justify their inclusion in digital publications? Consider the need for data, updating, costs, and the variety of skills necessary for their creation.

Topic 5: RSS and News Aggregators

2006-02-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

RSS is becoming an increasingly common way for people to disseminate and access news. However, RSS is still not very well supported by browsers and may require other software to be read. What are the pro's and con's of RSS, and how is RSS changing news consumption?

In similar vein, Google News and Yahoo News are news aggregators that could possibly be changing news consumption also. How do Google and Yahoo chose the news stories displayed? Is this a problem? How does this impact copyright? If you were an online news source, would you want to have your news articles displayed on one of these aggregators? Why or why not?

Topic 4: Critique of Online Newspapers/Magazines

2006-02-17T07:59:00.000-05:00

Take a look at some of the newspapers listed here and/or some of the magazines listed here. Consider the design of these sites: navigation, organization of content, display, use of color, use of graphics and fonts, use of white space, use of interactive features such as blogs & hyperlinks & newsletters & promotionals & feedback, and layout. Is the use effective? Does it make you want to revisit the pages? Is it targetted for a specific audience?

Now, take a look at some newspaper websites in Kentucky by visiting the KPA member's list KPA Members. How do these local newspapers compare with their national/international cousins? How well do they match the needs and expectations of local users?

Be sure to provide the URL's for any sites cited. How could local newspapers better utilize existing technology to increase user engagement?

RJT

Topic 3: Online/Citizen Journalism

2006-02-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

The Internet has opened up many new venues for journalism and journalists that change the ways in which "news" is accumulated, researched, displayed, and disseminated. First take a look at CNN's Online Newsroom Exposed to get an idea of how online journalism works. Next, take a look at the Institute for Cyberinformation to get a comprehensive picture of network publishing. Finally, consider the impact of several new movements such as Citizen Journalism by viewing the J-Lab Institute for Interactive Journalism to see how technology is being used to increase civic engagement.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online journalism? Where do you see online journalism going in the future? What is the role that Blogs play in civic journalism? How do online journalists make a buck?

Topic 2: Writing for the Web

2006-02-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

Last week, we talked about most of the differences between digital and print publishing & design. The key differences seem to be: navigation, access, and how people interact with the content. This week, we will focus specifically on writing for the web. Take a look at the following article by Jakob Nielsen that links to many articles about this week's topic:

http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/.

Scan several of those articles, and consider the following questions.

How do people read on the web, and thus how should people write for the web?

How much does writing style depend on context (writing for different audiences or for different purposes such as advertising or providing information about an organization)?

How can we best utilize interactivity giving users control over what they read, how much they read, and the appearance of the text?

Do you agree that content organization is the key factor for writing for the web?

Consider the content of our course project. Feel free to discuss this week's topic using examples from the JAT website.

RJT

Topic 1: Print vs. Web Design/Publishing

2006-01-27T09:24:00.000-05:00

Designing and publishing something online and something on paper are two very different experiences. Read THIS ARTICLE to get some ideas about the differences between the two. Also consider the different expectations people have of print and digital formats. People know what a book is, but are they familiar with e-books? Are there intrinsic differences between print materials and digital materials in terms of portability and accessibility? Should an online version of a newspaper be different from the print version? How about advertisements? Should a magazine ad, a TV ad, and an ad on the Internet be the same? Generally, how does the design of print publications differ from digital publications housed on the Internet?

RJT

Internet and Privacy

2006-01-25T07:22:00.000-05:00

Greetings All,

Last week we talked a bit about security and privacy issues on the Internet. One of this week's top news stories is the federal government's request to some of the major search engines/directories (Yahoo, MSN, Google...) for their search data for a month's period last summer. How do you feel about this request and the fact that such data exist on a server somewhere? How do you feel about the fact that all of your financial transactions, academic records, and other information about you is sitting on a server somewhere and the government can ask to access those records for no apparent reason? Just curious.

RJT

Net Lingo

2006-01-23T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

I am not a big fan of some of the conventions used for typing messages online. However, you might want to check this out just for reference: Net Lingo.

RJT

Welcome

2006-01-19T17:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the JOU 330-002 Blog!