Digital Camera Review, pt 2

part two of a one week look at Digital Camera Review...

Official Reviews vs. User Reviews:
The site offers substantially more 'expert' reviews than user reviews. I think this is due to the amount of different cameras listed, many of which are not sold in regular electronic stores and are less commercially popular. The user reviews are limited in what is included, but the official reviews are extensive and seemingly well researched.

An example of official review...

This site's major downfall is that it is very specific in its readership. At times the information featured in the review is overwhelming and goes on for numerous pages which could cause less camera knowledgeable individuals to lose interest.


User added content is less well researched and more focused on personal experience with the given camera. Many times the comments are misspelled and seem to be written during a passionate camera induced rage. See below;

Some user review/opinions...

Credibility:
I find the reviews credible but am concerned that the site's vast participation of paid experts leaves opportunity for product placement and false achievement. But compared to the user generated reviews I find the articles very well researched. They answer almost every question that one could have but if there is still something missing it can be found through participation in the discussion board. Once again I would highly recommend this site for photographers or camera enthusiasts because it had more information in one source than I have come across on any other site.

Digital Camera Review

Basic Information:
Digital Camera Review is a website aimed at tech savvy individuals (unlike myself). It is a sister site focused on reviews to the larger Technology Guide. The site has other specific review sites for laptops, desktops, printers etc.

Features:
The site allows viewers to research digital cameras whether by reading reviews, flipping through the discussion page, or viewing sample images/video. The reviews seem to be written by official site reviewers rather than submitted by users of the site which allows the details in the articles to be extensive, usually spanning more than three pages. There is a section for user comments/opinions which makes for large amounts of content on a given camera.

Above is the basic information for a camera review which includes the lowest price found, a star rating out of five, a basic piece of information and a pro/con list. The extended review offers extremely detailed information regarding the function and design. I really enjoyed the fact that it offered a large amount of sample images or videos taken by that type of camera.

One thing that makes the site unique is its "shop and compare" option which allows the user to either enter a specific model camera or to search through the many different kinds to find one that best suits your needs according to their recommendations.



The discussion section can be very helpful for people with varying knowledge about cameras, from no knowledge at all to expert. There are categories like "What camera should I buy?" as well as more specific threads to discuss details about a certain camera/model.


If you have some knowledge of digital cameras and like to be the first one to try out new technologies than the "News" section could be quite helpful. They are frequently updating the articles and are very up to the minute.Overall, I find this site to have a very specific purpose but still to be greatly helpful when you are in the market for a new camera whether it be a basic one for vacation pictures or for professional photographers.

Figuring Out Hi5, 2

Part two of a one week look at Hi5...


Voice of Hi5 vs. Voices Within Hi5:
I think Hi5 is fully aware that the majority of its members are in it for compliments and even go as far as encouraging "flirting" by stating "meet and date the hottest people online" (as seen below).



When looking over the different groups one has the option to join it is very obvious that Hi5 is more popular in countries other than the U.S. When I searched groups that were written in English and aimed at Americans I found badly written descriptions that had many members.



What Are the Members Like?
The members seem to all be after the same thing and that is positive feedback on their photographs and the hope that someone will find them attractive and express that attraction publicly. When I did a search of members between the ages of eighteen to thirty-five who were interested in "making friends" the majority of the primary pictures were of scantily clad men and women who received feedback in the likes of "you're so hot." Below are two random profiles I came across that included their primary photo and some information that they wanted to share…




Is It Even Worth It?
I think that if you enjoy playing low-tech internet games and "flirting" with strangers from all over the globe, than this is the place for you.




Are you a member of Hi5? Are your experiences similar or vastly different? Leave a comment with your stories below.

Figuring Out Hi5:

My Social Networking Background:
In the past I have never been the kind of person that has had a large interest in social networking websites. I didn't get a Myspace until my best friend used my email address to make on for me preloaded with pictures and friends and I didn't get a Facebook until I was looking up a future dormitory roommate who didn't' have a Myspace. I have difficultly in figuring out how to easily navigate those types of websites but I now use Facebook frequently throughout the day.

Here is the beginnings of my profile...

Purposes, Missions and Goals:
On it's About Me page, Hi5 boasts that it creates a global community made up of millions of users. According to their website they are the 3rd largest social media site. But after conversations with friends, very few people in my circle of friends had heard of the site and not one had a membership there. It seems to have a large focus on nearly outdated types of media like elementary computer games, giving cartoon "gifts" and using avatars in combination with real photographs.



What Is Different About Hi5:
This site is similar to other social networking sites in that it has an option for "status updates" and options for uploading photographs. Hi5 allows its members to create a cartoon avatar resembling them. If you enjoy playing computer games than this is the site for you because there are hundreds of options. On the site they explain that what makes their site different is "More You, More Social, More Fun." I would have to argue that most of the things they listed are found on the other top social networking sites like the capability to listen to music, customize your profile and finding friends based off of region or common interests.






Part two to follow…

Template Switch 1 and 2

I chose my current template because I wanted to use a similar template as my Personal Blog. When creating that I wanted something simple with more neutral and natural colors because I thought it reflected the types of recipes I would include throughout the blog such as home style cooking and making things from fresh and natural ingredients. I am not sure that the current template really suits the subject matter, possibly too plain and dull.


I enjoy the mix of festivity with the soothing red colors and round blurs of light behind it. I really do like this one and it's going to make me pretty sad to change it again (although I might return to it after this experiment is over with). I think the mixing of reds, creams and grays are more attention getting than the last template I chose. This template seems to suit my subject matter better, complimenting the exploratory nature of it.



For the second template switch of the evening, I chose a brightly colored theme made up of filled bookshelves. I think this one is appealing to the eye and fun but overall maybe too focused on books which goes against the posts that I have that are not focused on books and literature. Although on second though I realize that I've written about a few authors and shared my love of libraries numerous times. I think what bothers me the most about it is how it draws the eye because generally I'm a no frills kind of person.

My Top Five Blog Tips

Tip 5: Write about things that are currently relevant.

Reason: With the millions of blogs on the internet there is no doubt that someone else is writing about similar topics as you. We live in a society of breaking news every few seconds and writing about an article you read three months ago that has no current and direct relevance just makes the reader want to move on to something else.

Example:



Tip 4: Keep in touch with your readers.

Reason: Be sure to encourage interaction in the form of questions, contests or surveys. Also be sure to reply to the comments you receive to show appreciation for your audience.

Example:


Tip 3: Stay active!

Reason: Posting once a month won't make the audience believe that you are really invested in your project. Frequent posts are absolutely key.

Example:



Tip 2: Determine your audience.
Reason: By determining your audience you are realizing who will find your posts interesting and what kind of things people like that could appreciate. If you can't describe your audience in a sentence or two you may want to focus on a more specific theme in your posts rather than a compilation or various and unrelated topics. Remember to be clear in your purpose.
Example:


Tip 1: Be true to you!
Reason: As silly and clichéd as that sounds, I feel as though this is the most important thing when making a blog. It's easy to realize if what you are posting is interesting to your audience by considering if it would be interesting to you. If it is, keep it, if it's not start over.

Example:

Blog Review Part II: Jules Food

This week I was taking a look at the recipe blog Jules Food. I noticed that through reviewing the blog that I gained a better appreciation for it and all simplistic blogs because when it comes down to it, I want a blog with good recipes not a lot of flash.

Structure:
The blog posts are of similar nature making them very easy to navigate due to their similar format.

Balance:
There is a even balance of photography to writing and the step by step photos from different angles and appealing and draw the eyes downward.



Color:
The site uses darker colors like a black background and gray type, which allows the photography to stand out. (Notice how great that cherry pie looks)



Clarity:
Being that the author is a photographer (and one with a hobby of photographing food) the images are great and really give a good impression of what the final product of the recipe will come out like if done correctly. The impressive images keep the audience moving from recipe to recipe and spending a lot of time reading the posts.

Functionality:
This blog is very easy to navigate and its lack of advertisements makes the site feel more personal making it unique among a sea of similar food blogs. There are many links and thumbnails



I think that I was drawn to this page because of its commonality with my own blog Practical, Homemade. Jules and I both share an interest in making and sharing food as well as collecting recipes from friends and family as well as recipes found on sites like Food Gawker, that I visit almost daily. I also think that our sites are similar in the fact that the recipes frequently don't pass on unhealthy things like butter and oil, so I can appreciate that.

Once again, I recommend checking out this blog and giving one of Jules' recipes a try.

Blog Review: Jules Food

The last time I wrote a blog review it was of a more well know blog called Blue Ridge Baker. This time around I chose to feature a lesser-known personal blog I found through the amazing website Food Gawker. I get a lot of inspiration from recipes on that site and it gives smaller food blogs a chance to showcase their work.

This week I'd like to introduce you to Jules Food. The author is a photographer and states an interest in photographing food, which is very evident in the posts.



Purpose:
The purpose of Jules Food is for the author to share recipe recommendations that are not only tasty but appealing to the eye as well. The author also boasts in her "About Me" section her interest in trying "ugly" foods too.

Audience:
The main demographic of this blog seems to be people who frequently view other food blogs. Many times there seems to be a sense of community in recipe sharing sites as authors blog and reblog each others posts.

Message:
This blog seems to have a large focus on the virtual community and frequently features other people's recipes with links for the site where it was originally posted sending more views to these other blogs, which I really enjoyed because it made it easier to come across some great sites.



Organization:
The page is set up featuring the most recent posts in the larger left column and thumbnail links on the right of older posts. This is a good way to look at a lot of recipes at once to find something irresistible.

Style:
The page is simple and easy to navigate. Due to the nature of the blog being lesser known among food blogs, there are no advertisements, which is great because it's gives less distractions and more recipes. With its simple black background and minimal text I really enjoy the posts and appreciate the effort to keep the page all about food.



I highly recomend giving this blog a try if you are looking at recipes requiring easy to moderate skill. But for now I might try that apple cake.

Design: Whipped

Structure:

Each post is written in a similar manner no matter the topic. That technique not only makes it easier for the author but easier for the reader when searching for something because they know what to expect, something of similar structure to a former post.

Balance:

The blog as a nice post to advertisement ratio. Many times food blogs can be overwhelming with large amounts of ads but this site has few, one being an award for www.babble.com's "Top 50 Mommy Food Bloggers" of 2010. There is also a nice balance of interactivity and personalization found in little notes or surveys.

Color:

As I mentioned in an older post, the blog uses neutral colors similar to colors found in natural cooking with the occasional bright outstanding advertisement on the right side of the page. The chosen colors reflect the theme of family cooking inside of a typical home.

Clarity:

It is easy to find something specific you may have seen before. There are clear categories at the top of the site's page such as recipes, topics, links, and about. It takes little time to figure out the purpose or motivation behind the blog as well as to find something new and interesting to look at. I like the tool that post thumbnail views of related posts on the bottom of the page, so I added one to my blog.

Functionality:

The blog is very clear and easy to navigate. There are minimal advertisements although some posts seem as though there was some incentive in posting other than to share a good find. The drop down links at the top of the page feature clear categories to navigate through just recipes, restaurant or event recommendations and related articles.


www.whippedtheblog.com

Content: Whipped

www.whippedtheblog.com

Purpose:

The purpose of the blog is to share recipes and related stories to an audience who will find them useful. The author also shares a lot of recipes with special significance to her Greek upbringing so there are a lot of Greek recipies.

Audience:

The blog is created by a mother in Chicago so many of her restaurant recommendations or recipe choices are relevant to other Chicagoans. This is especially true of the her inclusion of many Greek recipes because as we know there are many Greek people living in Chicago. Her posts are also aimed at people who cook for family gatherings, typically mothers.

Message:

Using food and experiences to make memories and conversations for the future. The author refers to her blog as a virtual dinner table and invites people to pull up a chair.

Organization:

Each post features either a recipe of the author's or a food/event related article. But each is post is dedicated to one topic at a time which makes it easy to search for a specific recipe.

Style:

This blog uses subtle natural looking colors that make the food seem even more fresh and delicious. The most brightly colored things on the page are the few advertisements on the right side of the page. The blog's title is a handwritten looking chalk colored font, once again giving the feeling of homemade/handmade, which is the ultimate appeal of the site.

A Necessary Discussion

Before this assignment I had never heard of Creative Commons or anything like it. I think the idea is really fascinating when looking at the kind of works created from multiple original sources such as songs or videos (Like "Party and Bullshit in the USA") I was under the impression that the only kind of copyright protection was full protection or none at all, never knowing that there was something in between. I feel as though the main argument for full copyright protection has to do with money. I imagine that if I asked a young artist just starting out how he or she would feel about giving permission to people to use their works to create something else, they would be interested but if I were to pose that same question to a well known artist who makes their living from their work, the answer may be different and more hesitant to let such works be shared for free. This is the predicament of the music industry today. In a time when so many artists are using small portions of older works in their own, this discussion is a necessary one. Being a Creative Nonfiction major here at Columbia, I come across various works featuring appropriation in my studies. The most recent would be Carla Harryman's book "Adorno's Noise." Although the book was hard to get into at first I really enjoyed it once I figured out a way to read it that would make it more easily understood. I see no problem with appropriation or sampling in music because when the dust of the arguments clears, and newly formed works are released they can be something new and interesting.

Is Biggie Rolling In His Grave?

When thinking about mash-ups one would rarely assume that Miley Cyrus and Biggie Smalls would make a good combination but through my search on YouTube I stumbled across what has stood the test of months as my favorite mash-up on the internet. It's obvious title is "Party and Bullshit in the USA" which is a mash-up of Biggie's song "Party and Bullshit" and Miley Cyrus' song "Party in the USA." Whether it's at a birthday party, an impromptu dance party after a night of drinking, or while doing homework -my group of friends always seem to be playing it at just the right time. With music's powerful influence over the fun times we have with friends, it's hard to imagine those same memories without it. I feel the need to note for my reputations sake being that I'll most likely never meet any of you in person, that if it were not for this mash-up, I may have never really enjoyed a Miley Cyrus song and even though it's not her fault I can't see past her father, the man who is most known for his mullet and the song "Achy Breaky Heart."
Many can't imagine Biggie would be too happy with this as seen by the comments left on YouTube, one user said (warning, strong language to follow)…

If Biggie knew his shit was getting remixed with this God damned Hannah Montana BULLSHIT, he would fucking roll over in his grave.

This was a common thought among other users but a few came to the defense of the artists involved (even though neither had anything to do with the creation of this version). One user who did said…

Everyone is saying that biggie would be rolling in his grave n
shit. bullshit, this sounds sick, who cares who its remixed with. if it
was with like beyonce or something and it sounded good would you be fucking bitching? its a good as mix, like it or not.

Terrible grammar aside, the user has a good point. Are we as listeners close-minded when it comes to genre mixing simply because of the difference alone? I personally love the idea of a mash-up by someone not involved in the making of the two or more songs and think that this kind of creativity should be encouraged by the artists themselves.

"All Art is Theft"

"All Art is Theft" explains nonfiction author David Shields who has written such books as "Enough About You: Notes Toward the New Biography" and "The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead" has published a new book that was released this past February titled "Reality Hunger: A Manifesto." The book, made up of many instances of appropriation, has caused some controversy both in the nonfiction/publishing world as well as in the media. A New York Times book review states that "One way in which the book expresses its thesis is in its organization: it is made up of 618 numbered paragraphs, more than half of them drawn from other sources, attributed only at the end of the book". (Sante) I cannot help but think of Andrew Keen. Would he appreciate Shields' revolutionary text for its use of writing taken from expert authors? Or banish it to the back of the bookshelf for its use of appropriation that he condemns in the video we watched? The New York Times describes the book by saying…

Consider the state of literature at the moment. Consider the rise of the memoir, the incidences of contrived and fabricated memoirs, the rash of imputations of plagiarism in novels, the overall ill health of the mainstream novel. Consider, too, culture outside of literature: reality TV, the many shades and variations of documentary film, the rise of the curator, the rise of the D.J., sampling, appropriation, the carry-over of collage from modernism into postmodernism. Now consider that all these elements might somehow be connected, might represent different aspects of some giant whatsit that will eventually constitute the cultural face of our time in the eyes of the future. That is what David Shields proposes in “Reality Hunger: A Manifesto." (Sante)


The book has become one of the most talked about nonfiction books of this year, landing Shields an interview with Stephen Colbert on his show, The Colbert Report. In the interview Colbert mentions the fact that the pages of Shields' book that included the citing for the excerpts have dotted lines on them. We learn that it is a gesture for the reader to cut those pages out of the book and the inclusion of the pages was a decision by the publisher. So where do you stand on the issue of appropriation in books, music, on blogs, or anywhere else it can be used? Is this a nonfiction manifesto or a product of a lack of creativity?

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
David Shields
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Even My Anecdotes Are Outdated; or, Why I Am More Like Your Grandparents Than You'd Assume

Have you ever noticed the raised print of a novel? Have you noticed the smell of a newly cracked open book when you can tell that you were the first? Or even the scent of a very old book from the library, left untouched for so many years that when opened tells you the story of when it was left in the rain or had water spilled on it, evident by the smell of slight decay of its inner sheets? Well I have. I could be strange or you could be losing touch with the lovely creation, the print publication. I am a senior, creative non-fiction major and have spent many hours tracking down the obscure or out of print publications listed on an upper level class syllabus. The internet* has made this search easier or even more possible than in past decades. Regardless, my love of various kinds of paper or strategic type placement and font keeps me constantly in the library- what a wonderful place. Each print book is so unique with its various editions and design depending on region or date. The discussion on the superior method of viewing texts has been something I have been faced with throughout many conversations in classes or with friends. Although print books may not be as easily accessible as an e-book could be, I simply prefer the ability to hold the story within my own hands, the dog eared pages and highlighted passages to return to at another point. I may be the equivalent to the grandparent who refuses to use cd's and still prefers records, trading convenience for familiarity.

*Spell check wants me to capitalize internet? It feels so wrong.

The Creation Of The E-book And What That Could Mean For Libraries

Since the creation of movable type or the printing press, books have been something exclusive to privileged individuals, privileged meaning those who could afford to purchase such things as well as those who were educated enough to be able to read them. At one point this was may have been the case here in the United States with the things in which we view electronic texts (computers, e-book readers and hand held music players). Although things like music players and e-book readers are still difficult for many people to have significant exposure to, computers are wildly available and accessible at schools and libraries among other public places. I have had the privilege to have use of many of devices previously mentioned and although they may seem more convenient at times I still prefer the relatively unchanged paper book. The creation of libraries in almost every city has made books something that most people can enjoy and experience. The price of books is somewhat problematic at an average of $15-20 for a single paperback. What seems so interesting at times is the decreased price of e-books, an average 50% less than conventional books. One would assume that those who posses the disposable income to purchase an e-book reader would be able to handle the cost of a paperback book, but alas, the complications in life arise. As you can surely tell by now, I am a huge fan of libraries. I think that they are great additions to communities that help increase literacy and general education, but if print books become less convenient and more and more uncommon, what of the libraries? Will they replace the bookshelves with lcd screens and monitors with seats just inches from the screen. But I digress.