WEEK 6- WEBSITE ANALYSIS!!!

The Lincoln University website, is a website that is used by possible students who wish to apply there, as well as by parents and teachers. It is also used by the students themselves in order to access the Portal and Blackboard for learning materials. I have decided to look at Lincoln Uni website for my analysis task because it is a website I personally use quite a lot and also think it is a good website to analyse.


When considering the structure of a website there are key concepts that must be addressed; A well structured website will include navigation menus located either at the top or down the side of the page. It's sequence should also be structured in a logical way, for example the ordering of the information, usually the sequence will follow a linear path. It should also be logical for the visitors of the site to be able to instantly find what they are looking for. There is also the concept of hierarchy and themes. Pages that are all related to the same subject content should be grouped together and a natural hierarchy of placing importance on the main places should also be evident.



When you first arrive at Lincoln University's home page, immediately I can see the use of graphics, text modification and use of different colours. The use of colours are not necessarily attractive and eye catching however the image of Lincoln University and the Brayford is attractive and invites the user in, without saying so the image is a form of persuasion saying 'this is where you could study'. In terms of the websites structure, the main navigation links are situated down the side of the page where users would expect to find it. There are also options located in the middle, I would say these options were the main subjects that people using the website are looking for. So the website homepage has a good structure as is it fulfilling the users needs and requirements. Hypertext is an important in analysising a websites structure, I think that hypertext definately shapes the experience of using the web. If websites have a lot of hypertext and visual images etc then I would say that I would pay more attention to that website. The structure is logical and is echoed by many other educational websites as well as websites in general.

The website is about university level education so it is of a educational culture. The website offers a chance to study for a degree and offers information about possible courses. So it is a a cultural institution where people of higher education can gather and find out more about further education. It also offers the students and lecturers of Lincoln a chance to gather and find more learning materials on their courses. The ideology is about furthering ones own knowledge and is also saying that University is the best way to do this. I think this website differs to other websites with another subject content as it does not offer a forum type website, it is a place where people can go to find out information and also to communicate with university staff.

The sense of Community on this website lies in the different people that play a part in the university. The language is obviously of a formal nature as it is an educational institution. There are certain copyright laws that have to be fulfilled on a website such as this. However the content, of the courses is freely available to all which is what all websites should offer,openness- information should be free. The blackboard and Portal are operated by a user name and password, so visitors are not able to enter these and access information unless they are a student or a Lecturer. The content of this website can be trusted as it is from a established source(the university), it would not be in the university's interest to provide content that is false also the content is not uploaded by just anyone, it will have been done by website designers and university staff.

In terms of produsage, this website does not allow others to contribute content, however it is a produser of content that is widely available to all. There will have been discussions with different people of what content to put on the website and also to an extent intercreativity because it would have taken stages to build this website.

As I said earlier, there is not forum on the University page as the website is not that type of interactive site. People are however, able to contact the university via email. If you go on the staff and student link, there are other links that lead to the student Union website etc. In a way students are interacting with the site through blackboard and also the the portal.

"Gatekeeping is the process through which ideas and information are filtered for publication. The internal decision making process of relaying or withholding information from the media to the masses"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatekeeping_(communication))

I think that the information on this website is quite open, it describes the courses and offers open days for possible students. It offers information about the university itself. Remember that this website is made to impress as the university want to persuade, and invite people in to make them study here against hundreds of other universities. They cannot hold back certain information because this could cost them places. Once again this differs to other websites as its content is about one thing 'studying', it just not offer general information about life. Users of this website will be be searching for something in particular and will want to find this information quickly and efficiently.

The appeal for me personally, as a user is obviously I am a student at the University of Lincoln and use this website a lot for work and finding out information regarding my course but also as I think University websites are very important on the Inet. The website offers insight into a place you may choose to spend 3 years of your life studying at, so if the website offers a range of information and is presented and structure in a way that is easier fo the user. As well as being attractive and professionally appealling then the website has done it's job.

Week 5- Topic 2:Question A

A) What do you understand by the words 'produser', 'produsage' and 'inter creativity'. Are they useful in understanding collaborative creation of online content?

These answers where taken from Axel Bruns (2006) ‘Towards Produsage: Futures For User-Led Content Production’ . This can be found at the below address.

http://snurb.info/files/12132812018_towards_produsage_0.pdf

I understant the term 'produsers' to exist in an enviroment were a production of ideas can take place, which breaks down the boundaries between producers and consumers. This allows all participants to be users as well as the producers of information and knowledge.

Burns coins the term 'produsage' to mean "the collaborative and continious building and extending of existing content in pursuit of further improvement" This exists in websites such as Wikipedia, whch is a collabrative open source software.

Inter-creativity, meaning the internet + creativity. This is the creativity that takes place on the internet between users.

I think that all of these terms are useful in understanding the collaborative creation of content online, because it shows the different stages in which creativity takes place.

Week 5- Discussion: Blogs and their development.

A blog is a term used to describe a website that has regular commentarys, descriptions of events and other features such as audio and video (Wikipedia)

Different types of Blogs include:

• Personal Blogs
• Corporate Blogs
• Question Blogging
• Vlog-video blog

there is also the case of genre, blogs can be classed in genres such as

• Political blogs
• Travel blogs
• Fashion blogs
• Music blogs and so on...

I looked at a number of blogs on the internet, once of which I am personally interested in. Stephen Fry has a blog on his website. I found his blog to be interesting and impressive because of the layout and use of graphics and it was also nice to see that famous person blogging about everyday things that you and I can relate to.

I also looked at a number of my friends blogs on Livejournal(LJ) which weren't necessarily informational on an education point of view, but allows them to share their feelings on matters.

I also looked at travel blog, I found this particulary interesting as my brother went travelling and we were able to access his adventures through his blogs and pictures. It allows users to upload pictures, videos of their travels and keep in touch with their loved ones.

Does anyone else know of any useful blogs that can show how author and respondents can present themselves and share ideas?

References:

http://www.travelblog.org/

http://www.stephenfry.com/blog/

http://www.livejournal.com/

Week 5- Topic 1 Pt 2

c) Are those who want to make DIY news online, best thought of as part of an alternative culture(that also exists offline) or is it more diverse than that?
DIY Culture is defined by George McKay as "a youth centred and direct cluster of interests and practices around green radicalism, direct action politics new musical sounds and experiences"

I don't quite understand this question but what I think its asking is are these 'new' journalists making alternative news to the mainstream online, part of a different culture. Well yes, I suppose they are. I would consider them part of the growing online generation. It is much easier to get published online, to say whatever you want and for other people to respond and agree etc. However I don't think this exists offline because it can only really take part online, this type on interaction with blogging etc.

d)Is open news quality news?

"Open publishing means that the process of creating news is transparent to the readers" (par 17 line 1)

I wouldn't say that open news is necessarily quality news. I think that open news allows us to see the decisions that are made between news teams and why exactly some stories make the headlines while others don't. It is clear from reading paragraphs 17 and 18 that well researched news stories on the Inet are often replaced quickly and so often people do not even have a chance to read them before they are replaced with a newer story. In fact one point mentioned is that one of Indymedia’s slogans is “everyone is a journalist." which reiterates my point earlier that anyone can post news/information on the web and be a self proclaimed journalist thanks to the Inet culture.

e) Can open news ever be completely open? Do people take different (possibly unequal) roles in collaboration?

I think that 'open news' will never be able to be fully open, because how will we know what we are reading is true? If anyone has the opportunity to become part of this new culture of alternative journalists on the Inet, then who knows what kind of stories could be written and published. If the information does not come from a reliable source then how are we able to trust it??

Week 5- Topic 1

This weeks topic answers are taken from Graham Meikle's: Indymedia and The New Net News which can be found here:

http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0304/02-feature.php

a) What do you think constitutes 'news' on the web?
In today's analysis of online news a key concept has been introduced by Robert Burnett et al 'Informational News'. They regard the impact of the Inet as a 'transformation in Journalism' where now the user has a greater involvement in the news. People now often look to a broader source than BBC news, ITV News for their news, looking for alternative new stories etc. However what constitutes 'news' on the web? New media forms offer enhanced flexibility, access to news 24hrs a day, audio and video. How people recieve and consume the news is an important factor to consider... People look for information of weblogs, newsgroups. People don't simply access the BBC 24 for their news, they opt for much more broader sources. Information/News can be discovered anywhere on the Inet. This change in peoples attitude to where they recieve their information is leading to a change in journalism, and to a 'new kind of journalist'. This leads me to question b)


b) Are there 'new kinds of journalists' online? If so, how?
Because of the increased demand for 'new and alternative' news, new types of journalists are arriving. Anyone can become a journalist in terms of the Inet, as people know find their news from weblogs etc. People for example, Perez Hilton (a celebrity gossip queen) started a website and published stories about stars and befre you know it, hundred of people where flocking to his website to find out the latest gossip. The Inet has opened up hundreds of opportunities for journalists to get their work seen. Does anyone else know of anyone who has shown that anyone can be a journalist? Or how the Inet has changed the consumption of news?

c,d,e,f will follow

Week 4: Key Points from: ‘Blogs as Virtual Communities: Identifying a Sense of Community’ Pt 2

Can blogs be 'Virtual Communities'?

In order to establish whether blogs have the characteristics of a V.C, we must identify whether blogs have characteristics of a virtual settlement and what their sense of community is.

Blogs can be about personal thoughts, a topic or a journal etc. There is usually a place where readers/subscribers of the blog can post comments. This creates interaction.

Blogs can also have links to other internet sites-developing networks of 'blogroll's which refer to one another.

Do these features make blogs a V.C?

A virtual settlement requires one to one communication/interaction, which a blog does have between a the reader and author (through posting comments). However some blogs do not have a place to comment, making these non-interactive blogs. So this would exclude blogs from being a V.C but perhaps it could be considered as a virtual settlement.

Lurkers- these are members of a V.C who regularly participate by reading messages but do not contribute anything back. They are seen as negative because they do not contribute anything to the V.C

Week 4: Key Points from: ‘Blogs as Virtual Communities: Identifying a Sense of Community’ Pt 1

These key points are taken from, Anita Blanchard (2004) ‘Blogs as Virtual Communities: Identifying a Sense of Community’. This can be found at the web address below.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/blogs_as_virtual.html

Virtual Community- Should blogs be considered as virtual communities too?

The importance of virtual communities

• For social reasons- to replace to loss of relationships of people who are perhaps isolated.
• It allows people from all over the world to connect
• People in virtual communities could develop social relationships and connect with like minded others

Ther term "Community" implies an emotionally positive effect and creates a rewarding experience for participants.

To establish what a V.C is, we must first consider the virtual settlement within which the V.C exists. This is define by Jones as the place where people interact. Postings, Structure and content all make up the virtual settlement.

Sense of Community (SOC)

• The FtF( face to face) define this as: Feelings of membership- identifying with, belonging too, the community.
• Feelings of Influence- being influence, influencing etc
• Integration and Fufilment of needs- being supported by others in the community
• Shared emotional connection- feelings of relationships, shared history etc.

Week Four- Topic One-(d)

d) p184-5 To what extent can 'ordinary' Net users become products of culture, rather than people who 'respond' to culture supplied for them?

I think that to a great extent 'ordinary' net users can become the products of culture. The internet allows people to create their own cultures which people can choose to follow, as oppose to those that are already handed to people. Facebook for example has exploded on the interactive media front. People can join groups about almost anything. Myspace has allowed music culture to develop enormously we now see a new type of subcultures emerging regularly, indie kids, emo's etc. Lister argues that the web has intergrated itself into every level of culture. "every, cultural institution, every artist and TV programme has its own site" (pg185) The internet allows us to become producers in our own right.

Week Four: Topic One- b & c

b) Does the net provide a 'public sphere' where citizens can engage with each other? If so how, and are there limitations?

I would say yes the Internet does provide a public sphere, in that the Internet encourages us to 'take part in debate' and it allows people to interact with the media giving their own thoughts on topics. The internet enables people from different nationalities, countries, ethnicity etc to communicate with one another, this would not of been possible before. Communication on the net includes, MSN, email, bulletin boards and forums. It also allows people to interact with the media on issues such as politics, culture and religion etc. The internet has had a massive effect on the way information is distributed to the masses, and how people find out information. Many things now, are reported on the net before they even reach television. If the internet had been around when Goebbels and the Nazi Party were in power, who knows what would of happened, it would of been easier for people to rebel with the ability to make websites, blogs etc and not have it traced back to you.

c) To what extent are 'dangerous materials' prominent on the internet (or junk and jerks)? What do their existence mean in terms of the 'freedoms' the net allows? Is freedom always positive?

While freedom is usually associated with being positive, this is not the case on the net. For starters anyone has the means to post pointless, offensive material on the internet. As Lister puts it 'Nor is cyberspace necessarily a safe space for online masquerade' pg181. Masquerade is a key term in this quote. Paedophiles can use masks in order to 'groom' children, by pretending to be a 11 year old girl/boy, there are able to withold information and lie to get what they want. There is also the example of hackers, people can hack into your computers and steal valuable information and details in order to gain for themselves. The Internet if not used correctly is a very dangerous place for people.

I'm having internet trouble and this keeps crashing so will post now before it dies again.

Week Four- Topic One- a

a) p. 174 What do you think of the notion that online community can be empowering/disempowering?

In answer to question I think that being part of an online community can be empowering and disempowering. Both empowerment and disempowerment can be considered in the case of online communities because there are different aspects that are both negative and positive in online communities. Rheingold holds the view that being part of an online community is an actual place. A place where he and others can take comfort and find fellowship amongst others by publishing posts about personal feelings and situations. In the example Rheingold uses of Jay Allison, who posted a message about his daughter's illness. Many responded with similiar heartwarming stories, this gives the writer a sense of empowerment as well as connecting on an emotional level to others in the online community. However the counter argument is held by John. P Barlow who ironically was the author of the declaration of independence for cyberspace. Barlow notws that in online communities there is a lack of diversity of age, ethnicity and social class. He also says that communication is disembodied so this presents a view of disempowerment because there is a lack of shared adversity.

b/c/d will follow tomorrow.

Week 3 Discussion- Lambdamoo

Lambdamoo could be considered a chatroom, the 'moo' is a text based virtual community where thousands of users have developed different rooms that users can navigate from one to the other. The rooms range from indoor rooms to outdoor rooms. It is an online community that is of the variety 'Moo'. You can create your own persona, and develop rooms that fit with your interests etc. Lambdamoo has just over 3000 users, who regulary use it. It enables people to build 'cyber relationships' with other moos. This online community requires a software programme called telnet, once you have this you are able to begin as a guest character and then build up your persona. It claims to be as 'real as the real world' but can it really people when people are spending hours sitting on a computer, in a made up world? The moo, includes politics such as voting and ballots. It is effectivey a MUD that allows users to interacts with other users, in virtual rooms which they are allowed to create.

Week 3 Reading notes- Turkles & Lister

Some key points I found were of use from this weeks reading pages 164-172 Lister, and Turkles 'Who am We':

• Identity experiments in cyberspace in can be presented in two paradigms the first it, represent a retreat from or an alternative to social reality. The second paradigm understands cyberspace not as a seperate or distinct 'realm' but as part of our already existing social reality.
• The 'virtual' and 'real' need a framwork to determine the different experiences of the two.
• Andrea Bakers study of online relationships has shown that these interactions are infact every bit as real as 'real' life realtionships.
• Levy- "In cyberspace apparently we all leap from virtual place to place, change our shape, split and transform ourselves".
• Doreen Massey- We are all subject to the effects of networks, but not in the same way. Where some people may leap from network to network, others have the power to determine who gets to leap. Massey sees that different social groups will react different on cyberspace, some people are more in charge and some intiate the flows and movement while others are more on the recieving end.

Turkles 'Who Am We':

• Turkle researched into how the computer profoundly shapes our ways of thinking and feeling.
• Turkles looked as MUDers conversations and found that they quickly turned into multiple personae and romance. Showing how pcs change our lives as well as ourselves.
• "The Internet links millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way we form our communities.
• People are using computers to become comfortable with new ways of thinking about evolution, relationships, sexuality, politics and identity.
• Windows allows us to be in several contexts at once, in MUD, chatrooms, email, microsoft word.
• A decade ago it was unthinkable to believe that a computer could change peoples views, and who they are.

Week Three:Topic 2- Identity Pt2

d)What kinds of risk are involved in online self-expression? Online relationships?

If we consider some points raised in today's lecture about online relationships, the question is can it be considered as a relationship, if you have never actually met someone. The risks that can be involved with creating an avatar, is that while your avatar may appear tough and you can hide behind a mask, peoples emotions can get hurt. There are also risks of identity theft and also Paedophiles. The internet make it easy for anyone to remain anonymous, and can be hiding who they really are. There is also a risk of expressing oneself online because if you express parts of your identity that others do not know and feel accepted online there is always the chance that people can alienate themselves with real life and become obsessed with this fake world where they can be themselves

e) If you are participating in online social interaction might you shape your identity and expression to ‘fit’ that group?

If someone is participating in an online social interaction site them the might perhaps change their identity to 'fit' in with other people. This is not necessary a good thing and could be dangerous for someone. If someone does not fit in in life, and turns to the internet to find friends and people with similiar interests, moulding themselves to fit with someone elses views could be a negative thing as there could be people with extreme views and idea's out there. However it could also be a good thing, because people can feel as though they truely belong somewhere there can adapt their personalities, and share views with similiar like-minded people. I think this quote is significant in the case of identity and the internet" Internet discourse constitutes the subject as the subject fashions him or herself" (Poster 1997:22) (text wasn't showing up in black)

f) If you are a ‘digital presence’ how can you be manipulated by others?

I didn't really understant the term digital presence, i take this to mean someone who uses the internet... People can be manipulated in many ways on the internet, as I said earlier. Paedophiles can use the internet to groom children, and people can also groom people into giving out important imformation about about their identity, in order to gain from this information. You can also be manipulated on forums into agreeing with other peoples points just to fit in.

Week Three:Topic 2 - Identity

Identity, everyone has one and people are known by their identity whether through their name, ethnicity or religion. But what happens when someone chooses to withhold certain aspects of their identity. Or even to change parts of their identity, to make a false identity. The CMC- study of computer-mediated communication suggests that different forms of computer-based communication will impact on how we present ourselves. The Internet allows us to experiment with other parts of ourselves, take risks or even express a part of one self that is not possible in everyday "meatspace". This leads me to the first question...

a) Is withholding one’s identity ethically wrong?
In certain situations I believe that withholding one's identity is not wrong, perhaps if you are talking to a stranger online it would not be a good idea to divulge your identity. If we look at in terms of it being ethically wrong, I would say so yes, we all have an identity it allows the government to keep in control of crime etc. The Internet allows the freedom to change ones identity and feel comfortable with who you are. However withholding one's identity in other circumstances is different for example entering fake details in a banks registration etc.

b) Should we always use our full name?
If we know that a website is secure, and the security is high on it then we should use our full name, however if the website is not known to us and does not appear trustworthy or display signs of it being secure then I would think not. Identity fraud can occur from the slightest piece of information.

c) Far from adopting a ‘mask’, isn't one appeal of the Net that you can express your true self among like minds?
On the Internet, people often use nicknames or 'handles' that allows people to change their persona. This acts as a mask, because people can hide behind their made up persona. It enables people to interact with people who share similar interests to their own. Theoretical framework has shown that identity is anything but fixed, and is understood as a fluid process. Therefor people can change their identity, when and were it suits them.

d,e and f will follow