Well this will be my last post for this subject. It has certainly been unexpected but interesting. When I enrolled in this subject I was under the impression (and was told) that it was about websites and that designers would be teamed up with 'coders' and they would work on creating a website together. What a shock it was when I found out that it didn't really have anything to do with creating websites at all! However, I was interested in learning how to make a podcast and I have learnt valuable skills and about various applications along the way. I'm glad that we learnt how to use flash, because I really wanted to learn how to use it but was rather unmotivated to do so outside of class and I didn't really have time. At least with the flash lessons, I did learn more about making websites so I am pleased about that. It was interesting to see what people's interests were, regarding online multimedia in the presentations and in a sense it was a way for me to get to know other members in the class, whom I normally wouldn't talk to because I don't know them and they're not in any of my other classes.
This subject has certainly opened up avenues that I would like to explore including itunes, garageband, audacity and flash. I'd also love to check out websites like deviant art and myspace in the holidays and see how I can benefit from them.
Tomorrow is the day that all of this is due and once I hand in my CD, I will know that I am much more aware of the online multimedia that is out there and will participate in it more in the future. Chow!
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Last batch of presentations
Well this is the last week of presentations and next week it's all about our blogs. I hope that mine is sufficient and will earn me a good mark.
The first (or second last) presentation depending on how you look at it was by Karen. She talked about You Tube and concentrated on the social aspect of it. It is a place to upload and share your videos. Most of the company's revenue comes from advertising. A vast majority of video uploads are by everyday people. I thought it was good that uploaded videos are in categories such as vehicles (which I thought was a little odd), comedy, sports, music, films, games and blogs. It's good that there is a search bar that makes it easy to find songs and videos. Anyone can view videos but you have to register to upload. The concept of tags is a really good idea and it makes it easier for people to find songs and videos on You Tube. I didn't know that You Tube was known for it's good compatibility standards. I found it interesting that you could collect videos you've viewed and save them to your favourites folder. Karen mentioned the term "channel" and I found it odd but interesting. I think a better word could have been used to describe your personal space but I suppose now that so many people use You Tube that it doens't really matter to them. I didn't know that you could invite friends on You Tube but it's a good idea. It's similar to Friendster in that way. It was good that Karen covered the social impact however, I found the presentation to have too much text on screen and I think it could have been more effective with just some short dot points. She made a good point though that people can be more expressive online rather than face to face and I think that this is so true.
The last presentation for this subject this term and possibly for ever is by Melissa. It was good that she started off with an introduction and briefly summarised what she was going to talk about including a history, overview, what it is, what it's used for. Ebay was started in the US by a man called Pierre. He became fascinated with selling goods on the net and the idea of auctions. It's not like normal shopping because individual people choose what they want to sell and at what price. I never thought about the no. of people behind ebay who keep it running. I thought it was good that there was a place to receive community feedback and it was good that Melissa went through the main links. I found it odd that they made a distinction between a member and a seller. I understand that a member is just someone who buys off ebay but doesn't sell any products but it was a little confusing. You have to be over 18 to register. I found the feedback star glossary a really interesting concept with all the coloured stars. It's good that you can ask questions, comments and that it keeps people up to date. Overall, a good presentation.
The first (or second last) presentation depending on how you look at it was by Karen. She talked about You Tube and concentrated on the social aspect of it. It is a place to upload and share your videos. Most of the company's revenue comes from advertising. A vast majority of video uploads are by everyday people. I thought it was good that uploaded videos are in categories such as vehicles (which I thought was a little odd), comedy, sports, music, films, games and blogs. It's good that there is a search bar that makes it easy to find songs and videos. Anyone can view videos but you have to register to upload. The concept of tags is a really good idea and it makes it easier for people to find songs and videos on You Tube. I didn't know that You Tube was known for it's good compatibility standards. I found it interesting that you could collect videos you've viewed and save them to your favourites folder. Karen mentioned the term "channel" and I found it odd but interesting. I think a better word could have been used to describe your personal space but I suppose now that so many people use You Tube that it doens't really matter to them. I didn't know that you could invite friends on You Tube but it's a good idea. It's similar to Friendster in that way. It was good that Karen covered the social impact however, I found the presentation to have too much text on screen and I think it could have been more effective with just some short dot points. She made a good point though that people can be more expressive online rather than face to face and I think that this is so true.
The last presentation for this subject this term and possibly for ever is by Melissa. It was good that she started off with an introduction and briefly summarised what she was going to talk about including a history, overview, what it is, what it's used for. Ebay was started in the US by a man called Pierre. He became fascinated with selling goods on the net and the idea of auctions. It's not like normal shopping because individual people choose what they want to sell and at what price. I never thought about the no. of people behind ebay who keep it running. I thought it was good that there was a place to receive community feedback and it was good that Melissa went through the main links. I found it odd that they made a distinction between a member and a seller. I understand that a member is just someone who buys off ebay but doesn't sell any products but it was a little confusing. You have to be over 18 to register. I found the feedback star glossary a really interesting concept with all the coloured stars. It's good that you can ask questions, comments and that it keeps people up to date. Overall, a good presentation.
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
screenshots
Here are the screenshots that I used in my presentation. They are much smaller than they are supposed to be.. not sure why... but anyway if you click on them they come up a little bigger. Sorry about that.
Saturday, 2 June 2007
websites and resources
For my presentation, I got information from the following resources:
-http://imagine-msn.com/Messenger/Post/ but in particular
-http://imagine-msn.com/Messenger/Post/Applications/Default.aspx
-http://www.ebuddy.com/
-http://www.icq.com
-emails I received about Windows Live Messenger
-the program itself - looking at the interface
I will post up the screenshots I used in my presentation as well. It will be up soon. Here are some screenshots that was part of my research but ones that I didn't use in my presentation.
This shows you how to share an activity with an online contact
This shows you how to change your status to either online, busy, away, appear offline, be right back etc.
How to change your display picture. Your dp as it is known, is a picture that you either find interesting or that represents something you like, or it can just be a photo of you and/or any other person.
This is an easy way to check your email without having to go to hotmail.com
This is what the conversation window looks like when both people are using a web cam
This shows you how to set up Windows Live Messenger for your mobile
It's an easy interface that allows you to call landline or mobile phones from your computer
You can share a slideshow with people you are chatting with. The window just expands to make room for the photos
You can have fun with other contacts via video call
This is the page that comes up when you go to webmessenger.msn.com
-http://imagine-msn.com/Messenger/Post/ but in particular
-http://imagine-msn.com/Messenger/Post/Applications/Default.aspx
-http://www.ebuddy.com/
-http://www.icq.com
-emails I received about Windows Live Messenger
-the program itself - looking at the interface
I will post up the screenshots I used in my presentation as well. It will be up soon. Here are some screenshots that was part of my research but ones that I didn't use in my presentation.
This shows you how to share an activity with an online contact
This shows you how to change your status to either online, busy, away, appear offline, be right back etc.
How to change your display picture. Your dp as it is known, is a picture that you either find interesting or that represents something you like, or it can just be a photo of you and/or any other person.
This is an easy way to check your email without having to go to hotmail.com
This is what the conversation window looks like when both people are using a web cam
This shows you how to set up Windows Live Messenger for your mobile
It's an easy interface that allows you to call landline or mobile phones from your computer
You can share a slideshow with people you are chatting with. The window just expands to make room for the photos
You can have fun with other contacts via video call
This is the page that comes up when you go to webmessenger.msn.com
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
More presentations
Today I will hand in my mp3 recording on CD. I'm glad that that part is over! Now to concentrate on my blog. There were two more presentations today.
The first one is by Logan. He talked about the AFL Dream Team. It has been operating since 2002 and can be found at the following website: www.sportal.com.au. There are a number of dream teams including AFL, NRL, V8 and F1. Logan has his own team called the Cougars but it's not going very well. There is a "fantasy football competition" which is based on real statistics.
The home page has information about a players total score for the year, the ladder and round by round performances. The team page has the entire list of players. The stats centre has stats on players, who's improving and players of the week. The coaches box was where players can post comments to or on each other. I thought it would be more about the coaches themselves. I found it interesting about trading players if they were injured for example to bring up the average. I'm just wondering if people have a choice in whether they are traded. Logan also talked about a number of forums such as www.bigfooty.com. I also thought it was interesting that podcasts were used.
The second presentation is by Tristan. His talk is on Triple J Unearthed. The website is: www.triplejunearthed.com
It started in 1995 and was similar to the battle of the bands. It was originally for rural towns but is now open to people in Sydney and Melbourne. Last year the competition moved onto the internet. It found over 100 new artists including Missy Higgins and Grinspoon. The website is a place to plug your own bands and to check up and coming artists. You can also vote for artist's that you like. There are guest reviews, like the latest one by Josh Pyke, featured playlists, charts and latest uploads.
On the band's profile page there is information about the band, their influences and who they think they sound like. I liked the idea of the Unearthed jukebox where you can add songs to your playlist. I thought it was an interesting idea. The charts page shows the top 100 bands and the top 25 for each genre. On the resources page I thought it was good that it tells you how to do recordings and make MP3s etc. This website had podcasts too. I found it interesting that songs had to between 3-5 minutes to be considered for radio. Although this makes sense, it sort of is unfortunate for bands who have songs over this time limit. Triple J Unearthed is basically a way to get your stuff out there, just like myspace but you can actually enter competitions and win money. Since the competition has been hosted online, it is easily accessed by anyone.
The first one is by Logan. He talked about the AFL Dream Team. It has been operating since 2002 and can be found at the following website: www.sportal.com.au. There are a number of dream teams including AFL, NRL, V8 and F1. Logan has his own team called the Cougars but it's not going very well. There is a "fantasy football competition" which is based on real statistics.
The home page has information about a players total score for the year, the ladder and round by round performances. The team page has the entire list of players. The stats centre has stats on players, who's improving and players of the week. The coaches box was where players can post comments to or on each other. I thought it would be more about the coaches themselves. I found it interesting about trading players if they were injured for example to bring up the average. I'm just wondering if people have a choice in whether they are traded. Logan also talked about a number of forums such as www.bigfooty.com. I also thought it was interesting that podcasts were used.
The second presentation is by Tristan. His talk is on Triple J Unearthed. The website is: www.triplejunearthed.com
It started in 1995 and was similar to the battle of the bands. It was originally for rural towns but is now open to people in Sydney and Melbourne. Last year the competition moved onto the internet. It found over 100 new artists including Missy Higgins and Grinspoon. The website is a place to plug your own bands and to check up and coming artists. You can also vote for artist's that you like. There are guest reviews, like the latest one by Josh Pyke, featured playlists, charts and latest uploads.
On the band's profile page there is information about the band, their influences and who they think they sound like. I liked the idea of the Unearthed jukebox where you can add songs to your playlist. I thought it was an interesting idea. The charts page shows the top 100 bands and the top 25 for each genre. On the resources page I thought it was good that it tells you how to do recordings and make MP3s etc. This website had podcasts too. I found it interesting that songs had to between 3-5 minutes to be considered for radio. Although this makes sense, it sort of is unfortunate for bands who have songs over this time limit. Triple J Unearthed is basically a way to get your stuff out there, just like myspace but you can actually enter competitions and win money. Since the competition has been hosted online, it is easily accessed by anyone.
Saturday, 26 May 2007
status:complete
Yay! I've edited my voice recording. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to save it as an MP3. Do I export it to itunes? I tried that but then I can't set any options. Maybe I have to do that before I export it. Hmm.. I will try that. Anyway.. I should have it done by Wednesday. I need to also have a look at macjournal. I'm not sure if it's on these uni computers but it is the recommended way to save my blog entries. I'm just relieved that I have a recording at the moment and that it works.
Thursday, 24 May 2007
Editing the recording
Last night I tried dragging my audio file into my garageband recording seeing that it didn't save properly and I could see it but I couldn't hear it. I was totally freaking out because I had my volume up to the max.. but after trying it today at uni.. and with Damien's help I realised that my version of Garageband is too old. So I'm going to have to edit my recording at uni, which should be fun seeing that the uni computers are so slow.
my presentation notes
Here are my presentation notes on Windows Live Messenger.
Windows Live Messenger is the newest version of the MSN messenger programs. MSN messenger has changed and developed immensely over time and today there are hundreds of features available. It is the leading chat program however; there are a number of other versions including ICQ, web messenger, Mac messenger, and e-messenger, which is now called e-buddy. The attraction to web and e-messenger is that you don’t have to install the programs on your computer, and can access them via the web. E-messenger’s attraction was that you could add people using yahoo and not just hotmail users. As you can see e-buddy now has options tailored to different networks. Now, however, Windows Live Messenger allows you to add hotmail, gmail, Yahoo and Bigpond users as well. The only disadvantages are that you do have to install it onto your computer and it doesn’t run on Macs.
Most people have heard of MSN messenger, if not Windows Live Messenger itself. So I decided to do a survey on people who use Windows Live Messenger and find out how often they use it, why they use it and what is the best feature or thing about it. I surveyed 12 people, 10 were uni students and 2 were school students. Out of the 12 participants, 10 use Windows Live Messenger everyday and the other 2 use it once or twice a week. It can be addictive, mainly because you’re interacting with real people so there’s always something new to talk about and to share with other people. Some answers for why they use Windows Live Messenger were to chat, which was the most popular but in particular chatting with multiple friends at a time; to keep in touch with friends; to communicate with people all around the world; to share files; because they thought it would be cool and it’s new; it’s free; and to play games.
There were a variety of answers to what’s the best thing about Windows Live Messenger. These included appearing offline without actually being offline, the ability to transfer files or photos, the option to reply anytime and sending offline messages, group chat, because it’s free, it’s private-you talk to who you add, chatting real time with friends and family around the world, emoticons, avatars or display pictures and the option to upload your own, video call, design of the program- layout, visuals, and because it’s established and most people use it.
Through conducting this survey, I realised that there are a lot of options and features that people don’t know about and also take for granted. Windows Live Messenger is well designed and the possibilities of interacting with people all around the world are amazing. For one, I conducted my survey primarily through Windows Live Messenger, the medium itself and could therefore reach people in other states easily to get a broader perspective.
When you open the program, this window pops up, where you enter your email address and password. It then moves to this window where you can see all your contacts. You can put them in groups eg. Family, uni and you can see who is online and offline. By double clicking on a contact’s name, you open up the conversation window. On the right, there’s the other person’s display picture and your display picture, which you can hide and change. The bottom panel is where you type your message and the one above it shows all the messages already sent and received. These little faces down here are where you’ll find emoticons, winks-animated clips, nudge-which shakes the other person’s window, send a voice recording, and you can edit the colour and font of your text and change the background image. There are dynamic backgrounds available, which have self-moving or interactive elements.
The icons up the top allow you to invite someone to this conversation, share files, start or stop a video call, call a contact, see activities, games and block this contact. With Windows Live Messenger you can also send messages via sms and have a personal status message in addition to your name. There’s also Windows Live Spaces, which is based on the myspace concept but it’s not as developed. You can also search for contacts and things on the web through the program.
When you download Windows Live Messenger, I think there is an option to receive emails that inform you of the latest features and provide simple steps to show you how to use them. For example, this is an email I received and it’s talking about a new feature, making PC-to-PC voice calls. It provides a screenshot or visual and step-by-step instructions on how to perform that task so that the user can read about it but also know how to access that function. The email also lists other new features that you can find out more about if you wish. It’s a good way of letting users know what they can do and also to get more people to use it.
There are so many advantages and features in Windows Live Messenger. The conversations are instant and in real-time. You can customise it; send offline messages which is a new feature where the person you’re sending the message to doesn’t have to be online at that time and they receive the message next time they log on; it’s an easy way to keep in touch with people all around the world; you can chat to more than one person at a time; you have the option of simply typing messages or using a web cam and microphone; you can play games with other users; send & receive files instantly; use and change your display picture; and group chat.
Now there’s even a dual mode cordless phone that works with Windows Live Messenger, which you use to call any of your contacts. It works in the same way as the application on your computer, where you can see who’s online and get notification of emails.
You can also set up a sharing folder with a friend, where you drop in photos etc and you can see it even when one of you is offline. There are a number of games you can play. These include; supreme air combat, battleships extreme, jigsaw too, tic tac toe, sudoku too, hexic, checkers, solitaire showdown, bejeweled, minesweeper flags, backgammon, 7 hand poker, reversi, quarto, adopt your own pet and brain battle.
As you can see there are a lot of possibilities available through Windows Live Messenger. It combines elements of all the best free software such as skype, hello, and e-buddy, that allows you to chat, send photos, use a web cam and talk with a microphone. It’s a really good communication tool but beware, it is really addictive and you can find yourself on there for hours.
Windows Live Messenger is the newest version of the MSN messenger programs. MSN messenger has changed and developed immensely over time and today there are hundreds of features available. It is the leading chat program however; there are a number of other versions including ICQ, web messenger, Mac messenger, and e-messenger, which is now called e-buddy. The attraction to web and e-messenger is that you don’t have to install the programs on your computer, and can access them via the web. E-messenger’s attraction was that you could add people using yahoo and not just hotmail users. As you can see e-buddy now has options tailored to different networks. Now, however, Windows Live Messenger allows you to add hotmail, gmail, Yahoo and Bigpond users as well. The only disadvantages are that you do have to install it onto your computer and it doesn’t run on Macs.
Most people have heard of MSN messenger, if not Windows Live Messenger itself. So I decided to do a survey on people who use Windows Live Messenger and find out how often they use it, why they use it and what is the best feature or thing about it. I surveyed 12 people, 10 were uni students and 2 were school students. Out of the 12 participants, 10 use Windows Live Messenger everyday and the other 2 use it once or twice a week. It can be addictive, mainly because you’re interacting with real people so there’s always something new to talk about and to share with other people. Some answers for why they use Windows Live Messenger were to chat, which was the most popular but in particular chatting with multiple friends at a time; to keep in touch with friends; to communicate with people all around the world; to share files; because they thought it would be cool and it’s new; it’s free; and to play games.
There were a variety of answers to what’s the best thing about Windows Live Messenger. These included appearing offline without actually being offline, the ability to transfer files or photos, the option to reply anytime and sending offline messages, group chat, because it’s free, it’s private-you talk to who you add, chatting real time with friends and family around the world, emoticons, avatars or display pictures and the option to upload your own, video call, design of the program- layout, visuals, and because it’s established and most people use it.
Through conducting this survey, I realised that there are a lot of options and features that people don’t know about and also take for granted. Windows Live Messenger is well designed and the possibilities of interacting with people all around the world are amazing. For one, I conducted my survey primarily through Windows Live Messenger, the medium itself and could therefore reach people in other states easily to get a broader perspective.
When you open the program, this window pops up, where you enter your email address and password. It then moves to this window where you can see all your contacts. You can put them in groups eg. Family, uni and you can see who is online and offline. By double clicking on a contact’s name, you open up the conversation window. On the right, there’s the other person’s display picture and your display picture, which you can hide and change. The bottom panel is where you type your message and the one above it shows all the messages already sent and received. These little faces down here are where you’ll find emoticons, winks-animated clips, nudge-which shakes the other person’s window, send a voice recording, and you can edit the colour and font of your text and change the background image. There are dynamic backgrounds available, which have self-moving or interactive elements.
The icons up the top allow you to invite someone to this conversation, share files, start or stop a video call, call a contact, see activities, games and block this contact. With Windows Live Messenger you can also send messages via sms and have a personal status message in addition to your name. There’s also Windows Live Spaces, which is based on the myspace concept but it’s not as developed. You can also search for contacts and things on the web through the program.
When you download Windows Live Messenger, I think there is an option to receive emails that inform you of the latest features and provide simple steps to show you how to use them. For example, this is an email I received and it’s talking about a new feature, making PC-to-PC voice calls. It provides a screenshot or visual and step-by-step instructions on how to perform that task so that the user can read about it but also know how to access that function. The email also lists other new features that you can find out more about if you wish. It’s a good way of letting users know what they can do and also to get more people to use it.
There are so many advantages and features in Windows Live Messenger. The conversations are instant and in real-time. You can customise it; send offline messages which is a new feature where the person you’re sending the message to doesn’t have to be online at that time and they receive the message next time they log on; it’s an easy way to keep in touch with people all around the world; you can chat to more than one person at a time; you have the option of simply typing messages or using a web cam and microphone; you can play games with other users; send & receive files instantly; use and change your display picture; and group chat.
Now there’s even a dual mode cordless phone that works with Windows Live Messenger, which you use to call any of your contacts. It works in the same way as the application on your computer, where you can see who’s online and get notification of emails.
You can also set up a sharing folder with a friend, where you drop in photos etc and you can see it even when one of you is offline. There are a number of games you can play. These include; supreme air combat, battleships extreme, jigsaw too, tic tac toe, sudoku too, hexic, checkers, solitaire showdown, bejeweled, minesweeper flags, backgammon, 7 hand poker, reversi, quarto, adopt your own pet and brain battle.
As you can see there are a lot of possibilities available through Windows Live Messenger. It combines elements of all the best free software such as skype, hello, and e-buddy, that allows you to chat, send photos, use a web cam and talk with a microphone. It’s a really good communication tool but beware, it is really addictive and you can find yourself on there for hours.
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
podcasts on comics
If anyone is interested in comics follow the link and you'll find a series of podcasts related to various comics. I thought I'd post it up since this subject is all about doing podcasts. http://goldenagecomics.libsyn.com/
The time has come..
Today is the day that I give my presentation. Argh! My throat is not clear at all!
Amanda's presentation is today too. She's speaking on online forums. There are all sorts of forums- from gardening to gaming forums. Forums are different to chat programs in the sense that the information can be looked on and more people can access them. The term 'forum' is one of many that describe what it denotes. Other terms used include web forums, message boards, and online forums. There are sub forums that are basically topics and subjects. Forums are like containers where members of the community can create their own thread. A 'flat' thread is in chronological order and a threaded post is in reply to a 'mother' host. Many forums ask people to register to become members and this requires usernames, passwords, and sometimes email addresses to verify. Forum features include custom avatars, custom signatures and online profiles. The point system is quite an interesting part of forums. Forums are made up of administrators, moderators and members. Members can edit posts, start new threads and comment on other people's posts. There is also forum etiquette, such as no double posting. This is where people post in response to their own post without a post by someone else inbetween.
I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen with my recording- and it did! :( I have no idea where my garageband file has gone!! Well, at least I can use my other recording and drag it into garageband.. I guess it's just a harder way to do it or maybe it wont be as good a quality. I hope I can still edit my presentation well. Oh well, this part is over, now it's time for the technical part. Wish me luck cos I'm going to need it!
Oh and today in class after the presentations we looked at the different publish settings for flash files. I was familiar with the flash and HTML formats but I was unaware of the options that protect your file from being imported when online. This subject has encouraged me to get into flash and understand it more because I haven't really used it much at all but I know that it is a very useful program.
Amanda's presentation is today too. She's speaking on online forums. There are all sorts of forums- from gardening to gaming forums. Forums are different to chat programs in the sense that the information can be looked on and more people can access them. The term 'forum' is one of many that describe what it denotes. Other terms used include web forums, message boards, and online forums. There are sub forums that are basically topics and subjects. Forums are like containers where members of the community can create their own thread. A 'flat' thread is in chronological order and a threaded post is in reply to a 'mother' host. Many forums ask people to register to become members and this requires usernames, passwords, and sometimes email addresses to verify. Forum features include custom avatars, custom signatures and online profiles. The point system is quite an interesting part of forums. Forums are made up of administrators, moderators and members. Members can edit posts, start new threads and comment on other people's posts. There is also forum etiquette, such as no double posting. This is where people post in response to their own post without a post by someone else inbetween.
I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen with my recording- and it did! :( I have no idea where my garageband file has gone!! Well, at least I can use my other recording and drag it into garageband.. I guess it's just a harder way to do it or maybe it wont be as good a quality. I hope I can still edit my presentation well. Oh well, this part is over, now it's time for the technical part. Wish me luck cos I'm going to need it!
Oh and today in class after the presentations we looked at the different publish settings for flash files. I was familiar with the flash and HTML formats but I was unaware of the options that protect your file from being imported when online. This subject has encouraged me to get into flash and understand it more because I haven't really used it much at all but I know that it is a very useful program.
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Oh no!
Well as I do the finishing touches to my presentation for tomorrow.. I have found some of my screenshots to be missing. I must have deleted them accidentally so I have to go and take some more. Oh well, shouldn't take too long. I think I shall try and play with editing a voice recording in Garageband today because I am still unsure about doing it. Anyway, I am feeling better so fingers crossed for a clear recording tomorrow!
Sunday, 20 May 2007
my presentation
This past week I have been gathering all my information and material for my presentation and typing it up. I think it might be a bit too long at the moment especially since I am showing screenshots as well, so I'll have to read through it again and make a few adjustments. While writing my speech, I realised that there are so many things I could say about Windows Live Messenger. There are so many features and things you can do, and even though I use it everyday, I don't know every possibility available with the program. There are a number of things that are related to Windows Live Messenger but aren't actually part of the original program. Like IM- which is something you can sign up for and for every IM message that you send, a small amount of money goes to some kind of research or organisation that helps with people in need.
Now there's emails about WLM, and Windows Live Spaces, which are things I will be talking about in my presentation. I am actually sick at the moment so I am hoping and praying that I can get through my presentation without it sounding awful especially because it's being recorded!
Now there's emails about WLM, and Windows Live Spaces, which are things I will be talking about in my presentation. I am actually sick at the moment so I am hoping and praying that I can get through my presentation without it sounding awful especially because it's being recorded!
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Week 9
We're already up to week 9 and that means that my presentation is due next week. I have an idea of how I want to present my topic but it's going to take a fair bit of work. Because I'm doing my presentation on Windows Live Messenger, I can't simply go onto the internet and show everyone from there. So, I have to use a lot of screenshots so people have something to look at while I am talking. I've got the screenshots that I want to use, it's just putting it together. I think I'm going to try and do a flash presentation but I'll see what happens.
It's time for Timmy's presentation. He is talking about myspace and how bands use it as opposed to individuals.
Myspace was created as a social network service. However, it is now also used as a personal network and Tim is covering this from a musician's perspective. He has a space for his own music at myspace.com/mungoraye and also one for his band at myspace.com/justlikejosiah. Myspace can be used to post gig dates and have a photo gallery. It's basically a way to get your work out there and is really good for people in the music industry or wanting to break into it. There were issues regarding ownership of material but now the conditions have changed and bands can retain all ownership rights when they upload any pics, music, videos etc. It was good presentation, very concise.
The second presentation was by Luke. He was talking about using the internet in terms of the fear gaming clan. He clarified that a clan is a group of people who play online games. Fear is the game the involves powerful weapons and fighting the opposition. People from teams and groups. Teamspeak is a website that is basically a server and chatroom that allows players to talk to each other with the use of microphones. Luke's clan called [MOB] has a website and people can join their clan and get help to become a better player. There's another website called Joomla where members can post a notice, gaming time and email to members. At first I was really confused what Luke was talking about but as he went on I got a gist of what it was.
We continued on with our flash websites today and learnt how to make each individual page and how to rename buttons and frames to make coding easier. With the buttons, there are so many possibilities when you go in and edit them. They can rotate, change colour or size when you hover over them or after you click them. It's quite open to your imagination. I had never used behaviours before, only actions so that was quite interesting and I think it is actually an easier way to attach scripts to various components.
It's time for Timmy's presentation. He is talking about myspace and how bands use it as opposed to individuals.
Myspace was created as a social network service. However, it is now also used as a personal network and Tim is covering this from a musician's perspective. He has a space for his own music at myspace.com/mungoraye and also one for his band at myspace.com/justlikejosiah. Myspace can be used to post gig dates and have a photo gallery. It's basically a way to get your work out there and is really good for people in the music industry or wanting to break into it. There were issues regarding ownership of material but now the conditions have changed and bands can retain all ownership rights when they upload any pics, music, videos etc. It was good presentation, very concise.
The second presentation was by Luke. He was talking about using the internet in terms of the fear gaming clan. He clarified that a clan is a group of people who play online games. Fear is the game the involves powerful weapons and fighting the opposition. People from teams and groups. Teamspeak is a website that is basically a server and chatroom that allows players to talk to each other with the use of microphones. Luke's clan called [MOB] has a website and people can join their clan and get help to become a better player. There's another website called Joomla where members can post a notice, gaming time and email to members. At first I was really confused what Luke was talking about but as he went on I got a gist of what it was.
We continued on with our flash websites today and learnt how to make each individual page and how to rename buttons and frames to make coding easier. With the buttons, there are so many possibilities when you go in and edit them. They can rotate, change colour or size when you hover over them or after you click them. It's quite open to your imagination. I had never used behaviours before, only actions so that was quite interesting and I think it is actually an easier way to attach scripts to various components.
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
Week 8 summary
First up today is Tom. His presentation is on online communities, but on deviantART in particular.
Online communites give people the ability to have an online persona. Some online communities are myspace, bebo and deviantART.
DeviantART shows the potential of young artists. It is an online community that allows interaction between people all over the world. There is free membership and it is driven by comments and interactions of the people. Each person has a gallery which other members can view and comment on. There are also groups within this community. For example, kids with guns (www.kwgcrew.org) has a site about all kinds of graffiti and stencil art with threads on other art types as well. I think it's a good idea to involve user's designs for the banners on the webpage and I like how it changes every time you reload the page. People feel a freedom showing their designs online because the online persona does not have to match their "true" personality. I found this topic interesting because I myself am thinking of ways to get my design work out there and this is one option that has a lot of potential.
The second presentation is by Robert. His presentation is on myspace.
Myspace is a social website for a network of friends and blogs. It is found at www.myspace.com. On the site you can search for films, alphabetically if you prefer. Under events, it now has information about gigs and events in Australia. You can edit the HTML of your myspace page if you are fluent with html or css.
Myspace is very similar to Friendster, which is the online community that I use. Myspace seems to be more worldwide though, whether Friendster seems to be very popular within the asian community. I think it's a great way to show people your work, music, photos etc.
There is also a third presentation today by Daniel. His topic is MP3s and itunes.
MP3s are available from sites like yahoo.com, bigpond.com and MP3.com. Bigpond runs competitions to get people to buy music through their site. MP3's have a small file size but also a small loss in file quality. iTunes has information about bands, news, rss feeds and of course music. From the iTunes application, you can go to the iTunes store which has information about Apple Products and accessories. iTunes is a good application to use because it acts as a proper music library. iTunes now allows bands to sell their songs online however it does get a profit of approximately 50c/download. If you want to buy music, a 30 second clip is provided so you can try before you buy.
I didn't know that the iTunes store had tv episodes for free download and that you can subscribe to them. That sounds really cool and I think I may try that one day!
Online communites give people the ability to have an online persona. Some online communities are myspace, bebo and deviantART.
DeviantART shows the potential of young artists. It is an online community that allows interaction between people all over the world. There is free membership and it is driven by comments and interactions of the people. Each person has a gallery which other members can view and comment on. There are also groups within this community. For example, kids with guns (www.kwgcrew.org) has a site about all kinds of graffiti and stencil art with threads on other art types as well. I think it's a good idea to involve user's designs for the banners on the webpage and I like how it changes every time you reload the page. People feel a freedom showing their designs online because the online persona does not have to match their "true" personality. I found this topic interesting because I myself am thinking of ways to get my design work out there and this is one option that has a lot of potential.
The second presentation is by Robert. His presentation is on myspace.
Myspace is a social website for a network of friends and blogs. It is found at www.myspace.com. On the site you can search for films, alphabetically if you prefer. Under events, it now has information about gigs and events in Australia. You can edit the HTML of your myspace page if you are fluent with html or css.
Myspace is very similar to Friendster, which is the online community that I use. Myspace seems to be more worldwide though, whether Friendster seems to be very popular within the asian community. I think it's a great way to show people your work, music, photos etc.
There is also a third presentation today by Daniel. His topic is MP3s and itunes.
MP3s are available from sites like yahoo.com, bigpond.com and MP3.com. Bigpond runs competitions to get people to buy music through their site. MP3's have a small file size but also a small loss in file quality. iTunes has information about bands, news, rss feeds and of course music. From the iTunes application, you can go to the iTunes store which has information about Apple Products and accessories. iTunes is a good application to use because it acts as a proper music library. iTunes now allows bands to sell their songs online however it does get a profit of approximately 50c/download. If you want to buy music, a 30 second clip is provided so you can try before you buy.
I didn't know that the iTunes store had tv episodes for free download and that you can subscribe to them. That sounds really cool and I think I may try that one day!
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
Week 7- Presentations begin!
This is the first week back to uni after the mid-session break and the presentations begin!
WARNING: Make sure your presentation is actually recording in Garageband before you start! That is totally something that I would do- do my speech without recording it! I'm a bit worried about that now...
Man.. setting up is taking forever!! Uni computers have issues... lots of issues. Even the good ones. I am getting sleepy.. very sleepy..
Anyway, the first presentation today is by Paul. His topic is: Something Awful forums
Summary:
www.somethingawful.com is a comedy website that basically bags out everything and anything. You have to pay US$9.95 upfront to become a member and this is the only fee unless you get banned and want to rejoin or if you want to buy a customised avatar for yourself or someone else. The fee keeps undesirable people out of the forums.
There are other options that you can pay for such as:
-Avatars
-unlimited access, forums
-archives
-free of ads
-change user name
-banner - non-profit, selling something
I found it interesting that people's post count decrease if they post in the FYAD forum. It was also good that Paul explained some of the terminology used on the website. I liked how internet humour is described as humour that wouldn't exist without the internet. Photoshop Friday sounded like an interesting thread too.
This week after Paul's presentation, we looked at creating a webpage in flash. I hadn't tried making one in flash before because we learnt how to use Dreamweaver in a previous subject. Flash is so much easier though and it seems more reliable. You can basically make anything a button and layers make the whole thing so much easier! I will definitely be using what I learnt in future projects, possibly even my own website for my online portfolio.
Oh and just so I remember later, after my presentation do this:
Garageband -> Save -> Share -> Export to Disk
WARNING: Make sure your presentation is actually recording in Garageband before you start! That is totally something that I would do- do my speech without recording it! I'm a bit worried about that now...
Man.. setting up is taking forever!! Uni computers have issues... lots of issues. Even the good ones. I am getting sleepy.. very sleepy..
Anyway, the first presentation today is by Paul. His topic is: Something Awful forums
Summary:
www.somethingawful.com is a comedy website that basically bags out everything and anything. You have to pay US$9.95 upfront to become a member and this is the only fee unless you get banned and want to rejoin or if you want to buy a customised avatar for yourself or someone else. The fee keeps undesirable people out of the forums.
There are other options that you can pay for such as:
-Avatars
-unlimited access, forums
-archives
-free of ads
-change user name
-banner - non-profit, selling something
I found it interesting that people's post count decrease if they post in the FYAD forum. It was also good that Paul explained some of the terminology used on the website. I liked how internet humour is described as humour that wouldn't exist without the internet. Photoshop Friday sounded like an interesting thread too.
This week after Paul's presentation, we looked at creating a webpage in flash. I hadn't tried making one in flash before because we learnt how to use Dreamweaver in a previous subject. Flash is so much easier though and it seems more reliable. You can basically make anything a button and layers make the whole thing so much easier! I will definitely be using what I learnt in future projects, possibly even my own website for my online portfolio.
Oh and just so I remember later, after my presentation do this:
Garageband -> Save -> Share -> Export to Disk
Saturday, 21 April 2007
Features
I did some research today on Windows Live Messenger and one of the new features of this version of msn is that you can also talk to people using Yahoo. They created this image to explain the new connection:
It's pretty cool because you can keep in touch with so many more people. Here is a screen shot of a messenger window. I think I will talk about each button and what each allows the user to do.
It's pretty cool because you can keep in touch with so many more people. Here is a screen shot of a messenger window. I think I will talk about each button and what each allows the user to do.
Friday, 20 April 2007
Find that feed
Hey, I found this website that helps you find RSS feeds as I was having trouble as I mentioned in my previous post. It's called find that feed
What??
I'm trying to add del.icio.us as an rss feed to my blog but when I went to the website there wasn't an "RSS" button in the URL bar. I'm sure there was one when I went to the site at uni..?? Is there a setting to show RSS feeds? I guess I'll have to try and find other ones.. do the feeds we put on our blog have to relate to this subject? I hope I find some answers soon!
Monday, 9 April 2007
RSS Feeds
I know this post is a bit late.. but I've been in Melbourne the past week at AGideas, which was awesome by the way. Oh, and while I was away I was surveying people for my presentation so I did do some work! If anyone uses Windows Live Messenger and wants to take part in my survey (it's only like 3 questions) then please comment on this post!
I think RSS feeds are a really good idea. It's really handy to have the one linked to the ba-ma site because you can see the latest posts and don't actually have to go to that website. I haven't added any other ones yet but I do plan to soon.
I liked playing with the movie thing in flash.. it was quite interesting to see what you can do. I had no idea! I really want to learn flash more but at the moment I'm just teaching myself the basics.
I think RSS feeds are a really good idea. It's really handy to have the one linked to the ba-ma site because you can see the latest posts and don't actually have to go to that website. I haven't added any other ones yet but I do plan to soon.
I liked playing with the movie thing in flash.. it was quite interesting to see what you can do. I had no idea! I really want to learn flash more but at the moment I'm just teaching myself the basics.
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Audacity
It was interesting to look at Audacity because I don't have the program at home and had never used it. There are so many programs for just about anything out there and I think it's good to keep up with new software developments especially if they make your job easier and quicker. I'm not sure if I'll use Audacity to edit my podcast though because I can only use it at uni. I have Garageband at home so it would be better to use but I really am not sure at how to edit my recording. I think I need to do a mock recording soon and try editing it in Garageband. I'm a bit worried now because I won't be here next week and that will be the last teaching lesson for this subject really. Argh!
Well, on the positive side, I have definitely decided on Windows Live Messenger as my presentation topic and have started to survey people about it. I am also getting emails from msn and some of them are about Windows Live Messenger so I am using them as a start with my research. I will put some screenshots up here soon.
Well, on the positive side, I have definitely decided on Windows Live Messenger as my presentation topic and have started to survey people about it. I am also getting emails from msn and some of them are about Windows Live Messenger so I am using them as a start with my research. I will put some screenshots up here soon.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
last week's class
Last week in class I was very intrigued to see what you could do in Garageband. I had played with it before but I didn't really know how to use the synthesised instruments and had no idea that you could compose a song from a few notes played by a "dance kit"! I really want to try this when I get a chance because you could do some really cool stuff with that. I'm really into music, writing and composing, although I haven't done that for a while. But it would be a good avenue for me to test some of my work out.
So I still need to decide on a topic for my presentation. At the moment I think I'm going to talk about MSN messenger, but in particular Windows Live Messenger. I figure that I use it a lot but I haven't used the Live version for that long and I certainly don't know everything about it. I might conduct a survey asking people why they use it, when they use it, what advantages they think it has..and any other questions I can think of.
I hope that I can understand the technical side of this subject and can successfully make a podcast! I guess only time will tell..
So I still need to decide on a topic for my presentation. At the moment I think I'm going to talk about MSN messenger, but in particular Windows Live Messenger. I figure that I use it a lot but I haven't used the Live version for that long and I certainly don't know everything about it. I might conduct a survey asking people why they use it, when they use it, what advantages they think it has..and any other questions I can think of.
I hope that I can understand the technical side of this subject and can successfully make a podcast! I guess only time will tell..
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
First post
Today was our first class for MPI208. The subject sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to learning how to make podcasts. I had fun playing in photo booth as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)