citizen journalism

Power to the people

Clark Kent, Citizen journalist was the first on the scene to post the story of the Hudson River plane crash using a Twitter account via his mobile phone and this was also the case for the attacks in Mumbai. The video shows the story how Janis Krums, the citizen journalist of the Hudson plane crash is an example of how people use new technology unforeseen by the original developers.

Twitter was developed for:

"Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?" (Twitter, 2009)

It also appears now that journals from major news outlets are also tapping into the Twitter feed to get early warnings of significant events:

"On Wednesday evening, I was travelling home from a night out, glanced at my phone and saw one of the people I follow on Twitter talking about Apple's new statement on Steve Jobs' health. That meant I could get straight to work on filing a radio piece." (Cellan-Jones, 2009)

The ethical issues of the rights of the individual balanced with the need to file a story and the public's right to know has been made harder to control with the "mobility of data" (Concept 5, 2009). With all the user content uploading to sites like Flickr, Twitter and personal blogs it's become an even more important question of rights? After events like 9/11, who has the rights to publish images like "The Falling Man" (9/11 The Falling Man, 2009)?

Would you like to see images of people you know in this situation. I wouldn't.

Reference:
Twitter. (2009). Retrieved April 6, 2009, from http://twitter.com/

Cellan-Jones, R. (2009). Twitter and a classic picture. Retrieved April 6, 2009, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2009/01/twitter_and_a_classic_picture.html

Concept 5. (2009). Retrieved April 6, 2009, from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=%2Fbin%2Fcommon%2Fcourse.pl%3Fcourse_id%3D_14736_1%26sc%3D%252fwebapps%252fdiscussionboard%252fdo%252fmessage%253faction%253dlist_messages%2526conf_id%253d_23724_1%2526forum_id%253d_47938_1%2526message_id%253d_558527_1%2526thread_id%253d552622%2526nav%253ddiscussion_board%2526course_id%253d_14736_1

9/11 The Falling Man. (2009). Retrieved April 6, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXnA9FjvLSU

Copyright—Clipmaster

It's just too easy!

I was researching the furl site and I came across Clipmasters, it's a site that makes breaching copyright all too easy. Where content for the web was once the domain of the web designer and coders, it's now just a matter to cut from the source and paste into your blog. Tools that make somethings too easy are sometimes not good for us.

Blogs, what are they good for?

Absolutely nothing, say it again!

According to a post on the Uni Blackboard by Russell Show Parent Post, well almost.

My response was:

Hide Parent Post

Author: Russell Airey
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2009 11:04:49 PM WST
Subject: In response to Peters question

This is an attempt to answer the question of why im so against blogging/why i wouldnt continue to blog/etc etc.

Peter raised the question (in a round about way) and a few other students have too so ive created a new thread so i dont hijack someone elses.

here goes...


Telling the world about my life and feelings and thoughts does not interest me in the slightest.



I'd sooner do that with people I'm close to and who I love and care about and who love and care about me.



I have no need to preach to the world
what it is that makes me an individual in order to gain some sort of
inflated sense of self worth. And I don't feel the need to snoop on
others to get in on the latest gossip and exploits.



To say I have nothing to do with
blogs is a little incorrect. I in fact frequent sites such as
http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/ which provide a very clear and practical
purpose. Aside from that, I have nothing to do with any sort of "social
networking" site and beyond this course, never will.



I find sites such as myspace and
facebook unhealthy and parasitic. They encroach on privacy and foster a
welcoming environment for stalkers, bully's and many other types of low
life scum to pray on nieve and unsuspecting people.



Not to mention an extremely efficient means of spreading spam, chain letters, and spyware to the masses...



On a more technical note, they are
the classic examples of how NOT to develop websites. Take myspace for
example. Everytime you visit a page, a song and video and whatever
other rich media content has been added is loaded straight away.



The use of such sites as grown
exponentially so fast, that it has exceeded the use of bandwidth used
by illegal downloading! (gah can't find the source on that >.<)



Having been a network admin for a
number of different organisations, the single biggest issue I faced was
network congestion and bandwidth usage which was largely a result of
constant social network use. Surprisingly, illegal downloading was not
a problem (it did consume a lot of bandwidth, but its rate of increase
was minimal and could easily be catered for). When you have a dozen
teenagers on a single connection each with half a dozen
myspace/facebook pages open, simultaneously refreshing all pages and
from time to time proclaiming: "someone left me a comment!!" its not
hard to see why lol.



I guess that alone is not a great
reason to dislike social networks, but if you wanted a full
explanation, id be here till next week explaining.



Im expecting to kick up a stink about this now, but there it is!

"In principle I agree with you on the personal blogs, I don't give a damn about other peoples lives in which I have no contact with BUT, I do like blogs as an information service such as http://twipphoto.com/ and other educational sites. My experience with my own blog for NET11 has been one of self awareness and for this it's worked incredibility well. Putting my thoughts into typed words certainly encourages me to think about the process more than just my nebular brain waves. I haven't decided if I will continue blogging once I've finished this unit but there is a good possibility I will, even if it's only for a therapeutic reasons. I'm not sure if I care if others don't even read it, it's just for personal self reflection." (Gardner, 2009)

Like Russell, I too was very skeptical about the vale of personal blogs, see "First Thoughts". Now my views have changed—I have very much enjoyed NET11 and have equally enjoyed blogging. Putting my thoughts into words has help cement the ideas I've been studying and has become more of a personal journey than anything else. I still don't see myself following other peoples personal blogs—my life is as full as I can cope with just now and I just don't need to read sagas or another Greek tragedy. I feel personal blogs are a bit like this blog, just a method of recording one's thoughts, a pseudo dairy but in this case live for anyone to read—even if I don't care if others read it or not!

The blogs I like the most are the aggregate sites or blog filters like the Adobe news, it give me access to a whole heap of blogs in a particular field I'm interested in and perhaps would not of otherwise find through my own searches. It's a very convenient method to surf the web.

The fact is, blog sites are, as they say, only limited by your imagination, they are an incredible tool for people to showcase their creative side and gives the blogger a voice in a crowded world. It can be a fantastic ego booster, therapeutic, an outlet for a hidden genius or for just plain fun.

Have a go!


Reference:
Gardner, L. (2009, April 2). In response to Peters question. Message posted to Discussion board electronic mailing list, archived at http://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=%2Fbin%2Fcommon%2Fcourse.pl%3Fcourse_id%3D_14736_1%26sc%3D%252fwebapps%252fdiscussionboard%252fdo%252fmessage%253faction%253dlist_messages%2526conf_id%253d_23724_1%2526forum_id%253d_47944_1%2526message_id%253d_585326_1%2526thread_id%253d567152%2526nav%253ddiscussion_board%2526course_id%253d_14736_1


What a bugger of an address!

Curtin logo use part 2

The definitive answer

Under the Curtin Policies and Procedures page on the web site you can download the "Logo Use Procedures". Under point 5.5 subsection 3 is states:

"External requests for the use of the logo must be addressed to University Marketing in writing. In
making a case the applicant for the use of the logo must state:
the purpose of the use of the logo;
the proposed format of the use of the logo; and
the date(s) or periods when the logo will be used."(Logo Use Procedures, 2004)

"External requests" are defined in section 4 as:

"Outside Agencies
Includes students, staff and organisations whether or not affiliated with Curtin." (Logo Use Procedures, 2004)

So the first answer is NO but if you ask real nicely it maybe a little yes.


Reference:
Logo Use Procedures. (2004). Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://policies.curtin.edu.au/local/includes/getdoc.cfm?url=https://ecm.curtin.edu.au:443/alfresco/gd/d/workspace/SpacesStore/116ebc3d-ff02-11dd-92c2-39e23a1f1a54/Logo%20Use%20Procedures.html?guest=true&policyId=959f55ad-fec2-11dc-b6c5-253dc30d60f2

Curtin logo use

Yes another post for today.

I found the information regarding the use of Curtin Uni logo, it was hiding in someone's blog. see LavaTiger. (gee they make it difficult to find things at the uni.) This ties in with my post on the future direction of emails see post. The collective working as a group is far more efficient than the individual. I'm sure I saved lots of time not searching the Curtin site to thoroughly but getting the info from another NET11'er who was luckier in their searches than I was. Great work LavaTiger!

Individual thought wins again, or is that collective?

Copyright—How much money do you have?

Only fools tread where copyright lawyers are keen to prosecute

I don't pretend to be a copyright lawyer but it would appear from the copyright website that if I intend to use the Curtin logo on my blog I need to show that I have "Fair Use" rights.

The Fair Use rights are:

1. "the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work." (Copyright website, 2009)

There's a do-it yourself version which you can dial in your opinion and come up with the answer.

(Fair Use Visualizer, n.d.)

But if your still not sure you can ring a lawyer.


(ask a Lawyer, n.d.)

I wonder, if you end up going to court do the lawyer uses the "Fair Use Visualizer" and will it depend on how much you pay the lawyer to how far he spins the wheel.

You can avoid the problem altogether and just purchase an image from one of the may image libraries such as istock for as little as $1 for web use, granted it's not the Curtin logo.

As for using the Curtin logo on my blog it would appear from the dial a rights (wheel of fortune) that I could use the logo if I argued "Fair Use" under the terms of not for profit educational purposes. However, if the Uni decided that I have used the logo inappropriately that somehow degrades or devalues the logo by associating my work with the Uni, then the Uni may have other views. You know the saying, all views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Uni.
So in answering this I tried to find the information on the Curtin web site but had no luck, so sent an email to the Vice Chancellor office to ask permission to use the Curtin logo on my blog, I'll post the response when I receive it.

Well I just received the first response and that was:

Dear Lawrence,
Thank you for contacting OASIS Central.
As you are a Open University student please contact Open Curtin directly regarding this enquiry.
Open Curtin: +61 8 9266 2102 , opencurtin@curtin.edu.au
Kind Regards,
Louise (Louise, personal communication, April 2, 2009)

I think finding the answer to using the Curtin logo will be problematic and just lead me on another wild goose chase.

So for the independent thought criteria—if I real need to use the Curtin logo on my blog with the accompanying defamatory text that's scandalous, then I would publish the blog somewhere on a pacific island like Vanuatu or the Cocos islands where international law is clouded by the beautiful blue sea.

And NO, I haven't breached any copyright law with my images, (I think) I used my camera in public space. As for the screen shots, hell I don't know, I suspect if it's used for educational purposes then it's probably fine.

Reference:

Copyright Website. (2009). Retrieved April 2, 2009, from http://www.benedict.com/Info/Info.aspx


Fair Use Visualizer [image] (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2009, http://www.benedict.com/Info/FairUse/Visualizer/Visualizer.aspx

ask a Lawyer [image] (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2009, http://www.benedict.com/Info/FairUse/Visualizer

hot tip options

Optional ‘standards’ task
Think about any differences between the articles: for example, is the advice in Nielsen’s paper -- written in 1997 – still current?

I believe all the three sites are basically giving the same advise for writing for the web.

1. start with your best information first, give the critical data first and they might read on if they need to.
   
2. structure the text so it can be quickly scanned (read).
   
3. don't write too much, people don't have time to read epic tales.

However, some differences do start to appear on Jerz site which I believe is due to the natural progression of the web—improvments in graphical user interface and web applications. You just need to look at Nielsen's site to compare how web site design has progressed due to the increased bandwith and more powerful computer processing. Nielsen's site has a 90s feel about it, a garish colour scheme and a design that reflects the web from the past.
Jerz has included some general design advise for page development that is aimed at reducing reader interference by not including distracting page elements well as breif writting methods. Nielson has included information regarding low literacy that crosses over the same boundary.

However, read between the lines, the advise on all three sites are still current. It just shows that when researching, you need to take in multiple view points and get a second opinion to achieve a balanced web site.

Anyway, this is getting too dry again, where's the jam?