MORE Open Source!

So this is my final post. I covered all the topics because we had a few repeats like this so I'll cover it again. Open Source software allows uses to access source codes so the software can developed and modified. There is practically open source software for every conventional program out there. SourceForge is a great resource. I'm not into open source that much because I'm not much of a techy but I definitely have used a fair share of the software. I just wish I knew how to develop...

Advertising and open source stuff haven't married yet but with companies like Google who are open source proponents and advertising giants, it will happen one day. Upon doing research for another class, I've come to find out that Google has been in the open source game for a while. With things like Google Code and ownership of Android Inc., a mobile open source software company, we are only scratching the surface of advancement with this technology. It will be interesting how Google will change the dynamics of the field once it can figure out how open source and advertising can build off each other.

Well, speaking on Google and its open source endeavors, it recently released the Google Nexus One. This is its first flagship phone that they fully have all the rights to (G1 and MyTouch were also "Google" phones"). The phone runs on the Android operating system which is open source. Why is this important? Well, this makes it the only open source phone on the market. There are a few other phones that run the Android OS such as the Droid from Verizon but the Nexus One is THE phone for open sourcing apparently. Open source mobile devices allow for personalization and development by the user. They can easily make they own apps and fix bugs in the phone much more quickly than traditional updates. Should be interesting to see where this takes us.

Here's Google's Nexus One site.

Second Life

"Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe". Although I've never been interested, this game is pretty intense. You can mimic virtually ANY real life thing, even relationships. In some instances, I see where this can be beneficial to someone with low self esteem or interpersonal skill or communication problems, but Second Life is being abused in some senses. There are so many stories out there where Second Life mimics or effects people's real lives. There is some good in the idea, don't get me wrong, but something has to be done about these negative effects.

Second Life can definitely be used for advertising. If an advertiser wants to target that particular audience, they know exactly where to go. Advertising in games is not uncommon. Video games have increasingly more advertising and product placement and brand alignments these days. Lord knows how much more that will increase. Even Barack Obama's presidential campaign placed advertising in EA Games in 2008!

There is a darker side coming to light with users of Second Life-like gaming. There have been published reports from CNN breaking news of "rape games" like Second Life. Virtually reality wolds where users take advantage of innocent "characters". Horrible-i know. I guess there's no way of keeping things wholesome these days.

Here's an article on it.

Gaming, Teaching & Learning

With more and more use of the Internet and interactivity in education, it is easy to forecast an increase in educational gaming. Growing up, gaming in the classroom was mainly used as a supplement to traditional forms of education tools. Today, as technology advances and more and more people take advantage of the Internet, people are using technology for more interesting ways of teaching and learning. Now, games aren't just for "kids in the classroom". Professionals and people coming up in the academia are using educational games in their field. This is quite interesting but I feel that these games are more experience and understanding based, a modified and elevated form of education. It isn't just learning concepts such as math and spelling, it provides and understanding of a concept or real life ideas in the field that traditional academia can't.

Being that these educational games are now advancing in this manner, more around teaching an experience, advertising can and has used this for brands, products and campaigns. Interactive media such as games are very common in the field today. The education part is the twist. In the earlier stages of campaigns, especially those centered around introducing a new product or feature in a product, consumers need information so that's what we as advertisers focus on. These "educational" games can be such an easy way to engage a consumer and teach them what we need to about the product or brand in contrast to traditional media.

This is a great example!

Although it sells less of an experience related directly to what is being sold like I explained before, this particular part of Orbitz has helped to build brand awareness and equity as people have come to love these games. It helps to get impressions on the brand name and drive traffic to the real Web site where the product is actually being showed. Clever and unconventional was to work in the field is always the best way to go.

Distance Learning

Distance learning is a very interesting topic. It takes many forms but in most cases, it takes the student out of the classroom and allows them to access course material, turn in work, and take test from remote locations. This type of curriculum is becoming widely accepted and used in classes on all levels of education. There are many benefits to this including allowing those who a distanced geographically or in other outstanding situations to be educated. High schools allow virtual classrooms for students who aren't in school, need other classes that can't fit on their schedule, or just want to explore another course. I took one class in Florida Virtual School myself. What is more popular is distance education in post-high school curriculum. There are many courses offered on college campuses that are strictly online. I know I've taken a few. This form of education is very expensive whether the cost be for the provider or deferred to the user and security over the Internet is always an issue.

Distance education can be helpful in any field. In many instances, people start their career and realize they want to do post-graduate work. Many jobs will pay for this while you still work for the company but it is difficult to truly go to school and work a full time job. Many turn to online coursework through universities. The University of Phoenix is a well known online education institution that many people have received degrees from the school. I know I want to go directly into the advertising field after I graduate so I will probably resort to an online university to further my education.

Here is a distance learning college guide!

There are so many resources like this where you can find information about distance learning coursework. I know I saw an ad for an online marketing program from the University of San Francisco based out of Tampa and immediately got interested. That is potentially what I will go with when I decide to continue my education. With Google at peoples' disposal, finding distance education programs of any sort should be hard at all.

Webinspiration: Social Tools Concept Map for Advertising

Here's my Concept Map!

Open Source Software

Open Source software can easily become one of the best innovations of our time. With people knowing so much about technology where they can create software or modify open source software to cater it to their needs is mind boggling. Open Source software allows people to access source codes so they can understand and manipulate everything about it. Open Source software is used by many as alternatives to software that you have to pay for like word processors or photo editing programs but the true gem in these programs is the access to the source code. This allows for so much innovation and creativity.

Open Source software can be used in the advertising field in many ways. I know that use of of Audacity and the VLC player is wide spread across the field. There are some in the field that can code so they really are the ones that can benefit. They can use the source code to cater programs to whatever they need in particular situations or even just general use in their office. I know there are probably so many more that are widely used that I'm not even aware of in the field but I'm sure their out there.

This Open Source software could be a break through in the advertising field.

With Google making 97% of its billion dollar quarters from its advertising programs, Web advertising is venturing into a great realm of new opportunity. Openads, an open source software, is one of the only ad servers that are free (dated article). Ad servers allow you, along with AdWords, to control what ads appear on your site so you can cater them to your viewers. If ads are actually links to what your viewers want to see and are reliable, this could really help you out.

Social Bookmarking!

Social Bookmarking is a very good innovation. Innovations like this, Google products and even YouTube, people are becoming more and more connected and are able to help each other. Social Bookmarking takes the idea of bookmarking pages you like on your browser but streamlines it through tagging then allows you to share with others. I know my bookmarks bar is practicully rendered useless at this point because it has so much stuff on it. I totally lose sight of sights because I bookmark others, pushing previous bookmarks back out of sight. With Social Bookmarking, tags allow to easily recall sights that you're looking for.

With so many resources, blogs and inspirational sights used be graphic designers like myself in the field, its easily to lose bookmarks or get very unorganized easily. Social Bookmarking can definitely solve this problem. The other thing is the fact that you can share our bookmarks can really help your peers. I could see it being really helpful if one team of designers creates one social bookmarking identity and everyone simply adds to that one account. That could be a great project and can be very helpful for a collaborative group.

This link I found (interestingly enough only opened in a GoogleDoc) from the Educause Learning Initiative. They discuss several topics pertaining to Social Bookmarking and is a good read. One thing I thought was interesting was that they pointed at Social Bookmarking's amateur aspect. There's no mediation so people can easily leave out necessary tags and such. Maybe sights such as Delicious can scan tags and create tags on its on and then allow the bookmarker to add their own personal tags.

GoogleDocs & our Future

In MANY fields of work, collaboration and group work is the way to get things done. Google is the leader in Web innovation and the future of how we will use the Web. Those clever minds over there created GoogleDocs. This entity is the ultimate collaboration tool. Instead of modifying documents through making copies on every machine of every collaborator, GoogleDocs makes ONE document, spreadsheet or presentation that everyone can edit in one spot. This streamlines the group's work. They don't have to sit there and cross reference six different documents when editing.

This will be immensely big in Advertising in the future. For example, we edit copy all the time at my job and several people always do it. We have an external server where we save all documents and files so there's only one file that everyone accesses. This is exactly what GoogleDocs does but just widens the range of who can be a part of the collaboration. People outside the office or company may not have access to the server so they can't access the files but with their unique invite through email, they can!

Here's a very comprehensive article about what GoogleDocs is, how it works and the future it can have from How Stuff Works. With Google's innovation, the sky is the limit at this point. Google has so much that it either has or that it can create to incorporate into what it already has. I think adding in a chat applet and/or video conferencing feature would really be amazing. GoogleMeetings maybe?? Not to mention the consideration of translation. There could almost be a deterioration of language barriers across the world. Imagine what that could do for International business and commerce?

Audio Formats

There is so much more to audio than sound. Being that all we need is a basic understanding of audio file formats for whatever use we need it for, I feel as though we (especially my generation) take it for granted. Even the way we manage and handle audio files has come so far and we just take it for it is and accept. I remember when CD's were really starting to phase out tapes. I remember the FIRST CD I bought in 3rd grade (possibly '97 or '98). TODAY, only ten years later, CD's can be considered irrelevant with the abundance of digital MP3 file usage. It's crazy. The speed that technology is moving at is scary, as we already discussed. I can't even imagine the advances that my children will deal with. They will probably be advancing on a YEARLY basis a compared to out decade changes. I wonder what my parent's think about this as they can remember as far back as records and ATRAC's.

Understanding audio and its file formats can be very important in my field. Whether you're a designer, director or manager, I'm sure you would have to have at least basic knowledge of it. Audio is used in commercials, presentations, sound bites and many other instances in the Advertising field. As a graphic designer, I primarily work with print and Web material. In my office, we create videos as well and at times, I may have to assist with that. Audio is almost always included.

Sometimes, audio files don't come in file types that are ideal for projects. There is plenty of free software out there than can fix this problem. Switch Sound file converter does that. This easy to use program only takes MP3 and WAV files as input BUT it can output these files to 21 other file types for whatever your needs may be. I definitely could see myself using this one day.

My Sound Project (Podcasting Lesson)

My sound was inspired by the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case. In light of Sara Ragle Weddington

visiting UF (story here) to speak, I thought it was fitting to make a slight commentary on

the issue. I believe that choice is circumstantial when it comes to the abortion situations

but i feel like pro-choice and choice advocates get caught up in their view points and lose

sight of other factors in situations. With this sound project, I took actual audio from the

case that is available online here and layered the case name and number over the argument.

The argument is Weddington's conclusion first said coherently representing choice advocates

then incoherently to represent anti-choice. I think it makes an interesting composition

and interesting commentary.

Sounds in the advertising field can be a wonderful enhancer to presentations or even actual

ads. In most media other than print, there is an audio element that adds to composition

whether it be a voice over, someone speaking to the audience or simply just music. I think

so of the more memorable ads not only have interesting imagery but interesting audio.

Here is my project!

Visual Literacy

Visual literacy is communication in its purest form as all forms including alphabets were spawned from it. This led to phonetics and the ability to communicate through verbiage. Visual literacy is one of the most important steps in primary learning. Consider a child. They do not speak first, the begin by understanding what they say and then begin to communicate through that avenue. Children are more inclined to draw as there is an easier route to communication in it. Visual literacy and communication can be broken down into elements that build on each other starting with the dot, going to the line and so on until you reach dimension and motion. Understanding these elements isn't something you can pick up over night and can take a fair amount of brain capacity to understand....but this is visual literacy on the grander scale of humanistic intuition.

Basic visual literacy comes from an academic approach. Advertising depends on visual literacy from consumers. In order to understand an ad, a person must be able to understand both images AND the copy: this is vis. lit. In order to be in the field, the creative side at least, there must be a high degree of visual literacy within that person. I do want to make it clear there is a connection between understand imagery and verbal communication. In order to read and write, one must be able to visually comprehend letters and words. This ties back into the field because people are forced to expand the comprehension boundaries with irregular types and unorthodox type presentations.

Here is an Web site on visual literacy and its learning.

The site presents curriculum for visual literacy but also explains its important and its place in culture. The activities are interesting. Try them out!

Designing Instructional Media

There are four key guidelines when creating materials for instruction or learning: contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity. Contrast deals more with color where there should be a contrast of color between your background and your text. Yellow text and blue backgrounds work well but color isn't necessary. White on black or black on white work just fine. Repetition calls for consistency. Our learners should use their cognitive energy towards the content, not navigating through the material. Alignment deals with the alignment of the information. As with Repetition, we don't want to confuse our viewers. Everything should be clear and easy to read. Proximity is a consideration of grouping and associations. We do not want those who are looking at our presentation to have to use cognitive brain power to try and understand what they're seeing. Amongst these guidelines, there are certain design principles that should be followed. for example, using white space especially for young learners, using phrases and key words, organizing with boxes and keeping use of intricate and fancy fonts at a minimum. These elements help to create east reception for viewers to your information.

In advertising, these ideas are extremely important. First of all, there are many presentations and instances to use these guidelines and principles whether it be for clients or fellow coworkers. Not only that, in designing any type of material to be presented to consumers, you should aim to present a clean, efficient and clear presentation of what you want them to take from it. Many times I see ads where people do so much with imagery, text and audio but the consumer can't come away with what the product was or even who the brand is. It's sad but that is the firm's fault. As a designer, I find myself making simple and safe work. After this, I don't mind because I know my viewers aren't struggling to understand what they're seeing and are simply taking the information in.

This presentation goes through key elements of a good powerpoint presentation. They hit on similar points discussed in the class presentation on designing instructional media and even used some of the same terms. My problem is although the information makes a great presentation, the presentation itself isn't following its own advice. Great info. Horrible presentation.

WEB 2.0

Web 2.0 is today. It is the ability for Internet users to not only access information but share and find it in a variety of ways through avenues such as Blogger, Flickr, or Twitter. Sharing and creating is the basic idea between these applications. This creates networks and communications between people, software and WEb sites and creates communities among them. Applications can be found today that can do practically anything on the Web. The question was posed....are we the machine or is it using us? In many instances, the argument can be made for both sides. Yes, you update your accounts and statuses and customize almost everything so you become it but consider how Internet experiences are now being tailored to you. Ads and Web content, even shopping suggestions are being formulated by what you look at at. The machine is essentially watching and using you to help its creator. Personally, I don't mind. As long as privacy stays true, I'm all for advancement and personalization.

In the advertising field, Web 2.0 tools are extremely important. Social Networking has easily become an advertising avenue: there isn't one company or brand that doesn't have a Facebook fan page and/or a Twitter account. Consumers want access to brands...they want tot feel like they are a real person in sense. With brand loyalty and sentiment association that can change in minutes due to information being disseminated, brands need to reach and share as much with consumers as possible in order to hold no only their attention, but their dollars. Web 2.0 will not slow down at any point in the near future but with Augmented Reality on the forefront, Lord knows how far technology will take us in the near future.

This video is a comprehensive, in-depth and more academic look into Web 2.0 presented by explainingcomputers.com . In the video, the presenter hits almost every base of Web 2.0 usability in a general sense with a focus on the bigger names such as Google and Social Networks. It explains some of the back end understanding of things.

21st Century Skills

21st century skills are a blend of content knowledge, specific skills, expertise and literacies that a essentials to succeed in our world too. There are several core subjects when it comes to 21st century skills as well: English, reading or language arts, World languages, Arts, Mathematics, Economics, Science, Geography, History and Government and Civics. After the general knowledge of these subjects is assessed, students must be able to comprehend and apply them to life, which is what I take as literacy, in terms of 21st century interdisciplinary themes. I feel that the overarching reason we have this skill set is to apply technological advances to problem solving so we can have more comprehensive and intelligent solutions.

These skills are ABSOLUTELY essential to success in the advertising field. A comprehensive tool box of the skills can help a student candidate become an amazing asset to firm's or company's team. To me, the themes become more important than having a grasp on the subjects. For instance, a sense of global awareness is truly imperative to understanding consumers, products and trends as extending your sights to the international level can open and explain so much more. The skills and tools that are also described can surely not only help candidates within my field but candidates in ANY field. I understand why 21st century skills are important and I support a stress being put on them.

Following suit with some of our more intriguing videos we have seen in class, this fairly new YouTube video analyzes 21st century skills, where we stand with it and even where we should go with it (broadly). It uses information presented i class but expands on it to present better understanding of the material. I agree with the video, especially since statistics were shown. School is to prepare students to work. If there are deficiencies in candidates in terms of what employers what, then we have a major problem.

Copyright Law...?

This is very intriguing to me. I wonder if other producers of copyrighted material feel this way?

I understand the music and movie businesses have been extremely hurt by illegal downloads/"sharing" but I was one to always question the validity of paying for my entertainment. It just never made sense for me. It almost something that you can't combat in todays day and age. Its every where and everybody does it. They have to come up with another solution to their problem....with the "they" referring to entertainment industries.