Category Archives: Networked Media Course

Linking out to gain a profile

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I have learned a lot in Networked Media, but probably the one thing that stands out is the hyperlink. I would see these used all the time on websites and blogs, yet I never looked into how to actually create them! I know, I should’ve just googled it. But in this course I have not only learned about hyperlinks, but I’ve also learned more about hypertext and how to best use it, how to link one site to a another site in order to increase you visibility on the net.

 

In the future I would like to work in the TV or radio scene, and I can see how these principles could be utilised in order to gain valuable results. For example, if I was in charge of promotions at a local radio station, understanding how to make our video page optimised for search engines, how to use hyperlinks to link to not only another page but also to many of our pages, or even just knowing how networks operate and grow would all be vital information and help me do my job to the best of my ability.

 

Obviously I’ve got a lot more to learn in that area, but I really feel that Networked Media has given me a good platform to move forward from. A bit of a launching pad I guess you could call it…

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48124311@N04/5345854490

 

Also, check out another reflection on the Networked Media course by Jake Farfoud.

Summer Food Truck Stop

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Well the end of semester is nigh, which means that projects and assignments are getting finished up! Thankfully our TV group in Broadcast Media have just finished our TV project, which is a nice feeling! So I thought I’d post it up on my blog.

 

Our show is based on the format of Coxy’s Big Break, and we focused on the food truck scene around Melbourne that is steadily rising in popularity. We had a great time filming down in Yarraville, and it was great to meet some of the owners of the food trucks. They are fantastic people who really just wanna make good food, meet people, and create a good vibe around the place. And I reckon they’re doing a pretty good job of it!

 

So here’s out clip:

ps. the food was pretty good too!

 

Check out Venessa’s post on Facebook’s Look Back film function, an enjoyable read!

 

 

Week 4 Workshop

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With the Australia Day holiday on Monday, week 4.1 and 4.2 combined into the one workshop on Wednesday. We were lacking numbers in class so we all gathered around the one table to begin our symposium. The topic was Network Theory, and we discussed examples of networks around us in life and learned various characteristics held by them.

 

Two important rules that explain how networks operate are the fact that networks are always growing; and as they grow, nodes link to other nodes according to preferential attachment.

 

Bryan shared an interesting example of preferential attachment as found on the World Wide Web network. He mentioned how YouTube acts as a large hub, and many people link back to YouTube from other sites such as Facebook, private websites, and blogs. The people are working in the same way as nodes because they are linking back to a site with many links already. They are working by preferential attachment, allowing the richest hubs to continue to get richer.

 

And I’m going to do the same thing right now, as I link to a YouTube video representing how a network grows in this way.

 

(Warning: repetitive music ensues)

 

 

Also, to gain an insight into the challenging life of an international student, check out Bryan’s clever blog here.

Technology and Culture

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In the introductory chapter of the Murphy and Potts reading, it was quite interesting to read about the relationship between culture and technology. Both these words are thrown around quite frequently, and as I was reading I realised that I would struggle to give a specific definition of each. Luckily, the reading covered these, even if the definitions themselves were quite general.

 

So what is technology? I like the definition by Lorenzo Simpson included in the reading:

 

That constellation of knowledge, processes, skills and products whose aim is to control and transform.

 

This definition is very broad in order to include the many aspects of political, economic, and cultural life that are a part of the contemporary world we live in. As the definition shows, technology is something that is used for a purpose.

 

It can refer to a large systems and processes, or it can also relate to the latest in electronics. However, in whatever context the term is used, technology is always used for a purpose. It is used to control objects, or to transform them.

 

How about culture? Culture is a harder one to pin down. Not only is it always changing over time, but it means different things to different people groups. The definition given by Brian Eno in the reading would have to be one of the clearest definitions I’ve heard:

 

He defines culture as ‘everything we do not have to do’

 

Think about that for a moment. There are certain things that we have to do to survive, and then culture comes into the equation when we take those things to town, so-to-speak.

 

Food is a necessity, yet eating at a fine restaurant is not a must. We need to keep warm or stay cool, but the brand name clothing we buy to do that is not as important. Everyone has to drink fluids, but if you choose to drink alcohol, juice, or coffee, you’ve acted out of your own free will.

 

There are some things in life that you just have to do, but everything over and above these could be classed in the culture category.

 

 

How Networks Operate

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The week 4.2 readings by Albert-László Barabási focus on networks and how they operate. Not only are networks found on the Internet, they are also a part of nature and our everyday social lives.

 

When describing networks, we need to remember that all networks adhere to two laws as they evolve.

 

1. Networks are always growing, little by little, node by node. They don’t stay the same size.

2. Network nodes link with one another based upon  preferential attachment. Nodes usually link to hubs that are already linked to many other nodes rather than linking to a less connected node. In other words, nodes prefer to link to popular ones, rather than linking to any old node.

 

The reading shares how the network of Hollywood actors works according to the laws above. The producer chooses actors that have had many roles in the past, because he knows that popular actors will draw bigger crowds than lesser-known actors.

 

Actors with more links have a higher chance of getting new roles. Albert-László Barabási

 

Thus, the richer get richer idea is at work here. Popular actors get chosen, whilst making it harder and harder for new actors to enter the scene.

 

It also works in a similar way in the network of employers. When we go to an employer to find a job, we hand in our resume. Will he choose to hire us? It depends whether you have enough links on your resume and life experience to warrant a job. The employer is usually looking to hire the person who has the most links to the relevant skills, good character, or work ethic required in the vacant position.

 

In the same way as the Hollywood example, a well-rounded worker with impressive links to the right areas should never have trouble finding work. This is because of preferential attachment, the fact that employers are looking for the best option or choice available.

Networks are all around us

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In lieu of the Australia Day Monday classes, we watched a video at home about the power of the Six Degrees of Separation. It was pretty amazing to see how the discovery of network science is opening the way for further understanding of so many different problems and areas of life.

 

 

Everything appears to be connected in ways that were absolutely unpredictable just ten years ago, or even five years ago. Professor Marc Vidal

 

It’s going to completely change the way we think about the world. Duncan Watts

 

The World Wide Web would be an obvious way that we are connected these days, yet the Six Degrees networking idea is relevant to many examples in life. The video shares how a network is often made up of hubs and nodes of various types and sizes. When I think of hubs around the world, this could be cities, schools, the local supermarket, or even a waterhole that people flock to on a hot day. These are examples of places that are a hub for people, and therefore an area where networking is at play.

 

Last night I was at the Melbourne Airport, and I feel a place like that gives great insight into the world as a small network. As I wandered through the International  Terminal, I saw many flights on the departure board heading out to all areas of the globe. So many people were all gathered together at the airport from different countries, cultures, and social networks.

 

And it makes me wonder, if we gathered everyone inside the airport at one time and represented the portion of the world population that they are each connected to, imagine the number of people right across the world that would have connections with the small collection of travellers gathered here in Melbourne!

 

It is for this reason that the video mentions the danger of viruses breaking out in airports. If a virus is spreading at an airport, then travellers will be taking that virus over to their destinations, allowing the virus to spread across the world much quicker than if it was contained in one particular area.

 

Networking is an intriguing subject, and one that I’m sure will continue developing over the coming years. I will be more aware of networks around me from now on, and I’m sure I’ll be surprised at the amount of times that I notice networking at work.

 

For a in-depth look into the Six Degrees idea, read Esther’s post.

Week 3.2 Symposium on Hypertext Narrative

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The Wednesday workshop of week 3.2 felt a little bit of a hump day of sorts for me. After this class, we would have a full week off due to the Australia Day holiday on the Monday, and we would also be exactly half-way through the Summer Semester!

WooHoo (printable)

 

But let’s not get too carried away.

 

In this symposium we were tackling the topic of hypertext narratives. It was mentioned that hypertext is quite a unique technology, and therefore cannot be compared to print media. The hypertext narrative must be treated as its own entity.

 

A question was then raised about why we need or would want a text with no clear meaning? And I must say that I struggle with this notion as well. If we direct the meaning of a text, then what’s the point of us reading it? If I’m the one designing or determining the storyline, then it kinda loses the significance in my eyes. I may as well be the author of the book, writing it for another’s enjoyment. When I’m reading a book, I’d probably rather that someone else has placed the contents together in a way that they feel would be best for me.

 

I dunno, maybe we’re just so used to books, magazines, newspapers and print media in general. Or is it just human nature to want something definite, rather than having a choice of how a narrative might end? Maybe we’ve been trained to just be passive readers, and therefore we have trouble adapting into the active reader mindset?

 

I guess it comes back to viewing print media and hypertext in a different light to each other. Hypertext is fluid, whilst print text is stationary. They do differ, so there must be a place for both these days. We just need to learn to enjoy and value the unique qualities of both.

 

You should also read Jake’s enlightening post, Reconfiguring Narrative.

Hypertext to change how we read

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A book that never ends.

Infinite book

It is an interesting concept, and one that is described in the Douglas reading.

 

What if you had a book that changed everytime you read it? Michael Joyce

 

What the? I had never heard of such a book until I encountered the topic of interactive narratives. An interactive narrative is a story in which the reader determines the path that the narrative may take. The author provides many alternative routes that the reader can explore through in order to discover a new storyline every time they read it. Indeed, there may be so many combinations of possible narratives that even the author may not have even thought of every path that the story may take.

 

 

Hypertext is a perfect technology to use to create interactive narratives. Books have lasted throughout the centuries, but now people are intrigued by this new way of storytelling. Douglas shares of the potential of hypertext, suggesting that much discovery and further exploration of the technology is still to come.

If the book is a highly refined example of a primitive technology, hypertext is a primitive example of a highly refined technology, a technology still at the icebox stage.

 

Douglas mentions how interactive storytelling meets a desire that many readers have – a desire for the inexhaustable story. A book no longer has to stay the same every time you open it up. It’s like the reader is given a role in authorship. I feel a great example of this is in video games.

 

In many video games, the participant controls characters as they journey through their own world. Someone had to create this world and all the various scenarios that the character could enter into, yet once it has been designed and completed, that’s when the game player comes in and chooses how the story will be told.

 

Take Grand Theft Auto for example.

Grand Theft Auto V

A complex city has been designed and put in place, along with many challenges, opportunities, and nice cars to drive around. The ‘reader’ is then free to explore the city and create the narrative based on what he wants to do. People can play the game many times and encounter different scenarios every time. That’s why people are drawn to the games, because the experience isn’t the same every time.

 

And I think it is similar with hypertext narratives. People enjoy being able to come back to a book later on and explore a totally different storyline, a whole new experience, and a brand new ending.

 

 

While you’re reading, check out James’ post Before HD there was Kodachrome.

 

Want to know more on interactive narratives? Here’s a short clip sharing how they have been used to gain a profile in the business scene:

Just one cog in the chain…

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Week 3.1 Symposium

chain

You may think of writing as an individual task that we do on our own. If this is the case, think again!

Monday’s symposium made me think again. We discussed how through the rise of hypertext, we now need to write with the awareness that we are writing as part of a larger discourse. It’s not just the content that I’m creating, because my content is just one chunk of many other texts on the internet that can all be related, linked, and read together.

The little network we have amongst our class is a great example of this. We are all writing our own posts and creating our own work, yet we are constantly linking to each other’s posts. We read one post then follow the link to another post and read what they have to say. In this way, we are encountering a larger discourse, not just each individual article that we read.

And through hypertext and hypermedia, we as readers can become active readers not just passive. We can direct our own reading, choose which link we will click on, and have an endless reading experience if we so desire.

Another topic that came up in the symposium was that creative discourse is a collaborative task. Our input joins up with other online contributions to form the discourse.

And I feel that a great example of this in our course would be our wiki pages. We are working in groups of three or four people to create a creative, informative wiki page about the topic we have been given. We each contribute our own work onto the wiki, and as we do this the finished product is achieved.

It is an interesting process to work with others to achieve the desired outcome, but it is an activity that we are involved in every time we post onto our blogs. We are part of a much larger discourse than we may imagine, and our input adds to the rich, diverse, range of opinions and perspectives that floats around the World Wide Web.

Wednesday Symposium week 2.2

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The temperature hit 41 degrees on Wednesday for our Networked Media workshop, but inside RMIT it was a very comfortable 20 degrees. In fact, I almost had to grab a jumper it was that cool! The attendance was a little light on due to the weather, but for me uni was the best place to be on a day like that.

 

The symposium was a useful time of discussion as we looked into the readings and other topics that came up. We spoke about how the readings were relating to how to store knowledge and information in a useful and practical way. And then delving into how accurate that information is anyway.

 

We also looked at hypertext, and understanding how it can be used to include information that links to other information. Nelson wasn’t fully sold on the idea of hypertext because at that time it was fully textual. However, nowadays hypertext has been broadened to include ‘hypermedia’, for audio/visual media can also be linked in this way.

 

The symposium then took a bit of a random tangent off in the direction of web search engines. Elliot brought up an interesting point, saying that large Internet providers are currently debating how much search engine results should be tailored based upon the individual’s past web history, browsing interests etc. They are worried that having the results focused too heavily to match the individual’s characteristics, they may in fact be limiting the individual from accessing areas of the Internet. It’s complex, I know!

 

Finally, we were introduced to two types of determinisms – technical and social. These terms are used to describe society’s relationship with technology, or how technology relates to us.

 

Technical determinism is the idea that the advent of new technologies determines the way that society and cultures operate. And then the social determining of technology is the idea that if society wants a particular technology, they’ll probably find a way to achieve it.

 

Personally, I feel that both ideas can be true at times. Technology has definitely changed the way that we operate, and I believe that if society wants and needs a certain type of technology, they’ll work to either achieve it or find something that would do a similar job.

 

Over and out.