Fan Culture Presentation

I never really thought that tv shows have Facebook pages. I can see where this would help promote the show. My question is if the page is run by the network or production company is it then controlled by them. Do the fans really have the freedom to discuss and chat about the show? This seems to defeat the purpose of a fan page. I can see that there are advantages from the presentation. If you are a sports fan, you can get the latest info and stats on the teams and their players. This could be really useful for things like fantasy football and baseball. From what they showed us, I think that some types of fan pages can be fun and interesting.

Fan Culture and Social Networking lecture

     I have not personally used social networking in reference to being a fan of any kind but I do see how it can bring that world together. The example in the lecture about Survivor was interesting. I am not a fan but I can see both sides of the argument for/against the cheater website. The clues presented, and discussed, would be fun, sort of like a mystery. This type of website is not good for the network. If people think that they have it all figured out the ratings could go down, except probably the last show to see the results. Since ratings mean money this would be bad for the show producers. I think I will stick to the real shows.

   I found the Harry Potter part of the lecture to be really interesting. The young lady's development of the online paper is an interesting section of fan culture. What a great way for people, kids in particular, to expand their imaginations while learning to cultivate their writing skills.  I am sure that this is not the only way that kids use fan culture to develop these skills. I do understand why the corporation with the copyrights to whatever characters are being used would be worried and even upset by the use but the good, I would think, outweighs any real or imagined bad that they think may happen.

Crowdsourcing

We discussed three ways that are used for crowdsourcing: disaster and disaster relief, government and businesses. We are see the business usage and may even participated in it. We talked about how businesses use it for development of new technologies and business improvements but many are using crowdsourcing for advertisement because it is relatively cheap. If you have Facebook and decide to like something, you are crowdsourcing through advertisement. That “like” shows up on your friends’ pages and then they may decide to “like” it too. It then shows up on their friends’ pages. Even if you just glance at your friend’s “like” you are seeing the ad. This equates to cheap advertising.

In the lecture, it was amazing how most people picked the same place and time for the meeting. I understand why most of us picked the commons area of Meggers Hall. The time is what I found to be the most amazing. I would like to know why that actually happens. The second experiment, the candy bars, was really cool too. The range of numbers did not surprise me but the result being so close did. When you think about all the possibilities the result is amazing. I think that we only touched the surface on the subject of crowdsourcing.

Dana

The Death of Newspapers

2) What role do newspapers have in creating and maintaining a community identity?

   Newspapers become part of the community by publishing articles that are relative to the area. They talk about politics, natural disasters and things that happen locally. These subject are not things that national papers feature because most of the nation does not care what is happening in Rice Lake, for instance. A local newspaper may take a subject that is affecting the nation but tell how this has an impact in the area. The paper makes the community more a part of the nation by doing this but they also prints stories that is uniquely local. The paper may write about a local hero or an upcoming art fair. It may tell about improvements around the area or a new business. All these things mean little or nothing to a nationwide audience. By telling these stories, the local paper becomes an important part of the local community.

   Another way that the paper is important to the community is it keeps people informed that do not have access to the internet. Many people either have no internet or do not know how to use it. By keeping the hard copy available to people, all people then are able to keep up with local, regional, national and world news. This is important because then everyone is able to make educated decisions or just be a part of the community.

Social Networking & Professional Persona

     I found the presentation to be interesting because I have a small business. The group gave some very good reason as to why having your business on a social networking site is an advantage. They talked about being able to create and develop the brand. Making a social network page is free advertising that has the potential to reach a huge audience. When people like your page and add it to theirs then other people are able to see it. This is a terrific way for a business' audience to grow.

     I would like to have learned more about the uses for the personal business persona. They touched on it but it was basically the same info we got in class. This is the area of information that would pertain to most of the students when they finish school.

   

  I do believe that what you have posted on the internet, whether on Facebook or any other social networking page, can affect your job possibilities. The article, "Is Your Online Identity Spoiling Your Chances?", believes that it does.  Consider looking at a person's page that has a lot of kittens, you would get the impression that the person is sweet and might not have strength needed to be a salesman. This may not be true but we get impressions of people by things that we see associated with them. We need to be careful of what we post for pictures and messages. Out of context, we can be taken in a totally different light.

  In the article, Mike Aiken does not believe to be true unless it is for high executive positions. I am not quite so sure that he is totally right. If there are several people that fit the bill for a job then something needs to tip the scales to make the decision. It may be something small that we take for granted, like our email address. I have a friend that works in human resources at a Target store. She said that when they are considering someone the email address is something that they look at. Target feels that it give they an idea about the person.

  Overall, many employers may not have the time or resources but we should think before we post. You may find that perfect job. That employer may be the one who feels the internet is an eye into who they are hiring or is employed by them. I think that a person should think about what they post. Is this what you would say in front of a potential employer?