BLOG NUMBER 8!

The specific new media form I will be analyzing is the music streamer Spotify.  Although I am not one hundred percent I will be researching this company, I want to look into a couple other media forms but I think this will be it. The reason for picking Spotify is that is a very popular online music-streaming site in Europe and was only just brought to the US this past year. Also, the business plan for Spotify is not very successful, they are continuously loosing large sums of money but still continue to stay a running, business. They are a free online music streamer and don’t really charge for their service. I think it would be interesting to look into. 

BLOG NUMBER 7!

My favorite module would be number 6. Although I am not typically interested in technology and new innovations, I think GoogleGlass is a really really cool concept. I also enjoyed this because the product still has a lot of work to be done on it, so it will be cool to see what the final outcome is. This product is definitely the future of where media technology is heading. Google Glass was fun to explore and I even kept looking up more YouTube videos on the project, which normally I wouldn’t do. I showed these videos in my Media Management class, and everyone also thought this product was pretty cool.

BLOG 6!

From this new media and marketing class, I have learned such a great deal of knowledge about topics I was interested in, but not necessarily something I would have drove into to see how they worked. Being that I was interested in the topics, I think this made my learning curve higher. I love that each week we have a discussion and can make comments/see what other people are saying about a topic we have discussed. And it is great that we can expand on the topics on our blog, and they are a little more laid back. I know I am continually learning things that I will definitely learn in the future and relate back to further classes, which I already have been doing. The Facebook marketing and ads discussions, I have related to many of my other media classes. I really enjoyed learning about the dot-com bubble and that companies need to be more careful in where they are investing money. This class has helped in developing my knowledge of social media and how to practice and use it more efficiently.  A point that sticks out in my mind is worth of mouth marketing. It is so useful and I have begun using that more in my daily life, I now always read online reviews. I don’t think I have any improvement ideas to make to this class.

BLOG NUMBER 5!

http://socialmediatoday.com/node/646226

BLOG NUMBER 4

For me, I would open an online store depending on who the target audience is. If it weren’t a clothing store I would definitely make it online. If it were a clothing for an age group around my own, I would make it online as well. I think for an online store to be successful, it has to have a select target audience. Online you are able to see everything available; in mortar store some times they are out of product or only carry it in select store. Online you are able to read the customer reviews of a product and see what other users have said about the product. You can also have more size options and from the reviews, see how the product lasts and wears over time. One disadvantage to an online store is you cannot actually physically see the product or try it on, which is make or break it for some people. Also some things are not returnable. Online shopping is faster and a lot easier than running out to the mall. No, I don’t think brick and mortar stores will be a thing of the past. Mortar store are a social thing as well and people like to physically hold the product they are buying. It makes sense to think they possibly could since the prices are cheaper to operate with an online store, I don’t think they will disappear. 

BLOG 3!

After reading about blogs, and what is helpful to get more views and clicks on your page, there are many things I would change about mine. First off, I like how my colors stand out and grab the eye but I think I need some pictures to really keep people interested to stay on the page. Depending on what the content would be on my blog, I would probably make the background a little less busy when I am adding the pictures. As far as ads, I would place them around the sides of the blog and a few at the top. I hate when certain blogs have too many ads, and it makes it hard to actually read the information, so I wouldn’t want too many. I am really interested in hair, makeup, and celebrities, so this would most likely be the main focus of content on my page. Saying this, the ads would be relatable. I think Amazon would be a great ad to have on my page, because it continues to draw people to my page. A success blog needs to be organized and easy to use; this would also be two things I would be sure to change to make my blog more marketable. Lastly, I would make sure their was a comment section so people could get involved and say what they like or if any changed would be made. Also people could make comments and others could response, creating conversation. 

BLOG 2!

Based on what we have learnt and discussed in module 1 & 2--marketing rules and online social networking, find one example (you can use pictures or videos as supporting materials) that appropriately represents the importance of online media in marketing/ as a successful case using online media in marketing.

While many ads are coming at consumers everyday, it is obvious some do it better than others. Some believe in different marketing techniques to reach the consumers, which some work out better than others. A company that I believe appropriately represents the importance of online media in marketing is Udi's Gluten Free Foods. Once you 'like' the page, they release about one or two things daily that are helpful hints to someone living gluten free. They do not over do the amount of posts they share, so I will not skip over them because I know they are more than just posts to be 'post'. Udi also does a great job in the context of the posts they make. One post is usually a question getting their community involved while the other is helpful tips or recipes. The posts also always have links to the Udi website, bringing more views and consumers to the site. I also believe pictures are a great way to get marketing products sold, which is what they also add in almost every post. Person to person/word of mouth is a marketing tool we discussed in an early module, and Udi uses this. They are always asking the community why they like certain products or what is a favorite product they use. Udi isn't a huge company, which could be part of the reason they have such success on Facebook. They also do not currently have a lot of competitors. All in all, I believe Udi really thrives on online media marketing to get out to their consumers because they do not have really any advertisements besides online. And they are doing a great job with it!

Blog Entry ONE!

How many social networking sites are you using? Currently, I am using 4 different social netowrking sites, some more than others. The sites I use are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. How often do I use them? I would say that I check all of them at least once a day. I check twitter the most on my phone through out the day, but when I'm on my computer I usually always have Facebook up. Instagram I also check on my phone and Pinterest will usually be up if I'm watching TV or something. Although Pinterest is my networking site that is the least used, I like it the best. It has such a variety of things you can look at, and gives you so many different things you can make or design. It definitely knows how to take up your time. 

Blog Assignment 7

The images I choose to compare and contrast, are from the same animated short made by Pixar. The short is called Vgel and is about three minutes long. Although the video does not have words, it is clear what the animators are trying to convey. The smaller birds are rude to the bigger bird, and the smaller ones end up losing in the end, so the moral of the story is, you should get to know someone before you judge them. The smaller birds judges the bigger one because obviously he was bigger than them. They based their judgment off of the color and lighting of the larger bird. The hue of the smaller birds is a gray color, becoming more saturated towards the lower half of their bodies. The larger bird has a blue hue, and it as well becomes more saturated towards the bottom of the body. The hue of the beak on both birds is yellow, with not saturation. The bigger bird has more brightness to his hue than the smaller ones, which could come off as intimidating, leading to why the smaller birds were mean to him. The overall size and hue of the larger bird, make for the mood of the short and add to the symbolism. The lighting and saturation of the birds hues, makes the viewer focus attention of certain parts of the birds body. The bigger bird is lighter and brighter, so the viewer pays more attention to him. The light and dark colors add the mood, they created it. The smaller birds are dark, which represents that they are not very nice to the larger bird. The color of the birds created emotion and symbolism. The shadows around the birds body, like under their eyes for example gives shape to the angry expressions they are making. While the two birds (smaller ones and the larger one) do have some characterizations that can be compared together, the different elements of each, makes the mood of the short. Both types are similar, but the color and lighting make them their own. 

Blog Assignment 5

Listening Framework

(simplified)

Listening Phase I (Rhythm)

Tempo (Slow Medium Fast)

Moderato

Source (where the Rhythm is coming from?)

Keyboard, Voice, Drums

Groove (describe how the personality of the rhythm)

Upbeat, Funky, Behind the beat

Listening Phase II (Arrangement)

Instrumentation (Which instruments drive the song?)

Drums, Keyboard, Maracas, Voice, Bongos, bass

Structure/Organization (how is the song built? Order, Patters, etc)

Intro, verse, bridge, chorus, verse, bridge, rap/vocal solo, bridge, chorus

Emotional Architecture (Draw How the song builds and drops.)

The song starts off slow and depressed, and as the source and tempo picks up, the song becomes happy and light

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

- Height (high and low of frequency) 

  Medium amount of heigh

- Width (stereo panning left/right)

  High Width

- Depth (Layers of instruments - via loudness) 

Very deep, many insturments

Listening Phase I (Rhythm)

Tempo (Slow Medium Fast)

Starts off andante and towards the middle and end moves to moderato

Source (where the Rhythm is coming from?)

Piano 

Groove (describe how the personality of the rhythm)

Jazzy, Flowy, Powerful

Listening Phase II (Arrangement)

Instrumentation (Which instruments drive the song?)

Piano, Voice, Violin

Structure/Organization (how is the song built? Order, Patters, etc)

Call and response. Verse, bridge, chorus, verse 2, bridge, chorus, vocal solo, chorus.

Emotional Architecture (Draw How the song builds and drops.)

Starts off slower and sad, and as the song continues on it picks up and the tempo moves a little faster. Becomes a bit more happier and hopeful. 

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

- Height (high and low of frequency) 

Very high frequency, a lot of height

- Width (stereo panning left/right)

  Normal panning

- Depth (Layers of instruments - via loudness) 

  Not a lot of depth, only 3 aspects of sound go into the song

The two songs I decided to compare were Take Care by Drake feature Rihanna and Turning Tables by Adele, both songs represent different music genres. Drake represents the hip/hop R&B genre while Adele represents soul. Both of the songs are two of my favorites, but they are vastly different in many ways. The lyrics of the songs have different meanings as well. Turning Tables portrays a girl trying to stay away from her boyfriend and moving on. The song makes you feel how hard it is for her to get over him and how she needs to turn her life around. The lyrics of Take Care represent a guy trying to take care of a girl who just had her heart broken. He is understanding that she is hurt and is trying to convey he is a better option than her last boyfriend. The harmony in Turning Tables provides a calm or somewhat depressing mood, while the harmony in Take Care is more upbeat, the mood is positive and energetic. The musical qualities also differ in each song. The timbre in Adele’s song, is simple, it is very crisp. On the contrary, the timbre in Take Care is complex, a lot of elements are around the vocals. Take Care has a high intensity and low pitch, while Turning Tables has a soft intensity and a low and high pitch. The pitch in Turning Tables easily moves from a low to a higher pitch throughout the song. Another element that is different within the songs is organization, the Drake song is chaotic, it is put into a different organization through out the whole four minutes. Adele’s song has an ordered organization, call and response of verse and the chorus. Something that is similar between these two songs, is how the tempo changes, both start at andante or moderato and move to moderato or allegro, they build up as the song goes on. I enjoy both the songs in different ways, it depends on what kind of mood I am in. If I need a song to calm me down or something relaxing to listen to, Adele is my favorite artist to listen to. While, if I am need the mood for some upbeat music, Drake is my go to man. 

blog assignment 4

This clip, from Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas will always remind me to be kind to strangers. The clip uses literal sound and disassociated sound to represent what is going on in the clip. Literal sound like the the piano playing and disassociated like the knocking on the door. This scene doesn't make very good use of deep semantic listening even though there is some dialogue because the tones and dialogue of the characters is casual. The the scene there are a few examples of space. Directionality is used as well as distance. Empty distance is shown between the price and Forte while is moving to play the piano. Figure and ground are used and illusion to represent illusion, the audience was perceiving a noise overlapping when in reality, their was minimal overlapping. The makers of this clip used recognition, speed and loudness to represent time. 

Blog assignment 3

http://changethis.com/manifesto/66.01.Brainwashed/pdf/66.01.Brainwashed.pdf

Seth Godin in his article Brainwashed, seven ways to reinvent yourself, believes throughout our whole lives we have been brainwashed into being average. Through school, work, creation, we have been taught that being average is the best and safest way to get what you want. Godin believes it is up to us (society) if we want to change this, it is our choice. Today we have more opportunity than ever before, and with the seven levers available, one can reinvent themselves. The seven layers include, Connect, Be generous, Make art, Acknowledge the lizard, Ship, Fail, and Learn. Make art, the concept of making art isn’t literal in this context, making art reefers to having interactions with other people, the possibly of creating something new. Acknowledging the Lizard can stop art from being created, its the worrying part of our brain. Ship, the concept of shipping is being one of the few who can get things done and achieve outcomes.

In the world we are living in today, opportunity is brighter than ever. Our generation has more resources and freedom to be successful than ever present before. Seth Godin explains this in his article, Brainwashed. From birth, we have been brainwashed into being average, we have been taught average stuff (i.e. math) in average ways (by teachers, bosses etc), and believe this is the best way to get what we desire. But Godin explains how useless this concept really is. He believes with todays‘ opportunity, you have the ability to reinvent yourself using seven different levers; Connect, Be generous, Make art, Acknowledge the Lizard, Ship, Fail and Learn. All of these play a large part in being successful and possibly changing how you view or think about your future or what you are doing with your life. These seven levers are greatly related to the blog we are creating in class. We are making art with these blogs, acknowledging and pushing away the lizard, we are shipping our ideas out onto the web in hopes of creating outcomes. This blog is giving us the opportunity to be more than average.
“Art is an original gift, a connection that changes the recipient, a human ability to make a difference”- Seth Godin. This concept of making art, relates greatly to our blog and creative assignments. In our creative assignments, we are working with each other to create something that has never been created, and this is art. This blog is making me a better student because it is pushing me to create something new, art, and is pushing me to use new ideas and take risks in hopes of being rewarded (with a good grade and learning experiences).
Worrying is a natural human emotion, and to stop it one must acknowledge the lizard. Being made fun of is the lizard’s worst nightmare, so it can quickly shut down, making art stop, Steven Pressfield calls this “the resistance” This blog encourages the class to take risks and push the lizard away. The blog and the lizard are making me a better person, letting me understand that sometimes risks lead to being rewarded.
The ability to ship, I believe is the most beneficial to me. “..making them happen and creating outcomes that people seek out”. These blog exercises make a better student and go along with ship because its making me and the class get things done. And acknowledging that it is okay to fail. I want to be a person a ships, and the blog is allowing me to do that.

Blog assignment 2

In the article, Finding your Howl, by Jonathon Flaum, he references a story of a wolf without a howl. In the 1970’s only 14 red wolfs remained in the wild, so they were taken into captivity so they wouldn’t become extinct. As an experiment, the wolves were let back out into the wild to see how they would live, they did fine, minus one thing, they didn’t know how to howl. Mumon decided to go out and find his howl. He only found it once he went out on his own and made his own experiences and gained his freedom.

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.”

This quote speaks to me because everyone is always saying “go after your dreams”. I think it is an important aspect to always go after what you desire and live in the moment. If things keep getting put on the back burner, they will never be accomplished.
‘Dream as if you’ll live forever’, in the article Brainwashed by Seth Godin he talks about how worrying and being afraid to do something can lead to goals not getting completed. We’re too worried of being let down or laughed at. This can be why dreams don’t become reality. This quote is painted on one of my walls at home to always have high hopes for myself and don’t stop believing what I am capable of doing. In this major and work force (media) to become high up and be successful and have a known name, it is a goal to complete your dreams. My dreams are to work as a top executive in some type of media business. I know that it takes a long time to get to this point, but I have my whole life. This quote always inspires me to be creative because I know to be successful you have to use your creativity. My dream depends on creativity. For my dreams, I’m going to have to find my ‘howl’. This quote helps me understand that everything doesn’t always happen quickly or right on time, that it takes time and effort for your dreams to become reality. I am going to have to go out in the world and be on my own and go through my own experiences to find my ‘howl’ and complete this dream I have.
‘Live as if you’ll die today’, I feel this part of the quote really goes well with finding a ‘howl’. I think this is saying that every experience needs to be taken advantage of. Mumon in the short story, had to learn from all of his experiences to gain his howl back, and he did that everyday. This quote encourages me to be creative everyday. That to complete my dreams, I am going to have to be creative everyday to get there. Finding my howl will have a price to pay, is it worth it just to complete your dreams? I believe yes because one gains so much more than they are losing. Their is no quick way to get where you want to go and no escape from what we have to do. We are destined to repeat what we do each day, which is not a good thing. ‘Live as if you’ll die today’ is a constant reminder to be creative and do something different each day. “..not be satisfied with achieving anything less than our genuine howl”, this might be the new quote on my wall.

Blog assignment 1: Hero

Lady Aqua

Color:

This super hero lives underwater, but can come up and live on land whenever she is needed by society. Her main hue is blue, so she can blend in with her surroundings, but she can change her value and saturation when she is on land to blend in more or camouflage herself. The image moves from saturated to desaturated right to left, the left side has a higher addition of white than the right side. Contrary to that, the right side has a darker value, the blue on this side is a lot darker than the left side. This image represents a monochromatic color scheme.

Light:

The lighting in this image makes one focus on the hero. With the light shinning down, it represents ‘goodness’ like the heavens are shinning down on Lady Aqua. The background is in the shadows to be hidden, and to not take any attention away from the hero. The color of lighting in this image would be yellow and blue. The blue representing a diffused light, while the yellow represents a harder light. The beam of yellow light shining down on her has high intensity, while the background light is diffused. The light is moving in a vertical direction.

Shape:

Lady Aqua over all has the shape and most of her body movement coincide with the shape of a triangle. This shape represents good, forcing your attention upward, towards the ‘gods’ and ‘heavens’. The lighting makes you focus on the outsides of the object (body) and if it would be in movement or not. The bottom of this object is made of strong stone, which represents the bottom half of Lady Aqua’s shape, her legs and feet. Both are ready for action and to save the day.

Blog assignment 1: Villain

Villain: Count Cruella
Color:

This villain is known for stealing grape juice, so now her body has turned purple and she only wears purple clothing. The hue is purple, with a high and low intensity. The image is mostly saturated with a little bit of desaturation throughout. The value of the purple gets very high, almost looking black in some spots. The color scheme in this image is monochromatic. Purple is the specific hue being used, but throughout the image it is saturated differently. Since color schemes are effected by background, if a black object was placed on top of the purple image, the more saturated colors wouldn’t appear to be as dark as they are.

Light:

The lighting in this image hides the villains identity which is an important aspect to being a ‘bad guy’. The bright light behind the mans body brings attention to him and gives shape to the mans body, but nothing else can be detected about his appearance. The shadow gives a sense of depth, and creates emotion, making one feel uneasy. The image moves from hard to diffused light, hard being the black shadows, the mans body and the soft light is the ground. The light is moving in a vertical direction.

Shape:

A villain is someone who always needs to be ready for attack. They should be large and fit. This image displays a square shape, which gives off force and dominance. The lines of his arms, show that he is moving, pushing someone away from him and drawing our focus towards his direction of movement. They are in this position because they are ready for movement and physical contact. The position gives him power. The lighting of the image makes one focus more on the movement of his arms, then of his locked, powerful legs.

Song

Welcome to the 8am Lab!