Tellem Chris, EXCLUSIVE NEWS

There's never a right time to say goodbye
But I gotta make the first move'
Cause if I don't you gonna start hating me

Blah blah blah some soppy bits

There's never a right time to say goodbye
But we know that we gotta go
Our separate ways
And I know it's hard but I gotta do it,
And it's killing me
Cause there's never a right time
Right time to say goodbye

Have finished my 6th and final post (and incase you think i'm actually sad...and it's killing me...I'm only joking...but good excuse to mention Chris Brown eh?)
I'm out
Yezzir!

My friend's mum calls it MyFace and FaceTube

For the last assignment, I bookmarked an article by Danah Boyd (2007) called Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace. It discussed the findings of an American "study" on the use of MySpace and Facebook by youth in regards to class division, status and societal values. Boyd (2007) provides that these two sites now reflect the social economic division, with “jocks”, “preps” and generally the wealthier and better educated hegemonic teens using Facebook, and the lower socio-economic, public schooled subaltern teens using MySpace.

The goodie two shoes, jocks, athletes, or other "good" kids are now going to Facebook. These kids tend to come from families who emphasize education and going to college. They are part of what we'd call hegemonic society. They are primarily white, but not exclusively. They are in honors classes, looking forward to the prom, and live in a world dictated by after school activities.

MySpace is still home for Latino/Hispanic teens, immigrant teens, "burnouts," "alternative kids," "art fags," punks, emos, goths, gangstas, queer kids, and other kids who didn't play into the dominant high school popularity paradigm. These are kids whose parents didn't go to college, who are expected to get a job when they finish high school. These are the teens who plan to go into the military immediately after schools. Teens who are really into music or in a band are also on MySpace. MySpace has most of the kids who are socially ostracized at school because they are geeks, freaks, or queers.
- Boyd (2007)

I think this study provides a good example of how social networking sites which are designed to connect people together can also become tools of exclusion. In connecting like-minded people, obviously some people are “left out” of the group, which in regards to, say, music subcultures may not be such an issue but when it comes to dividing “social classes” such as between the rich and the poor, the highly educated and the less educated, online social networking sites may be widening already existing divisions within society. I read an interesting blog today by a fellow KCB201er "Bec"that has a more detailed discussion about the negative aspects of social networking sites (specifically, Facebook) .

After reading Boyd’s article this it made me think, does this divide exist in Australia? Before attempting to answer this question, let's think about why people use online social networking sites.

According to Shenton and McNeeley (as cited in Flew,2004) people participate in online discussion for reasons such as

- the opportunity to develop friendships and relationships that would be difficult to form “offline”
- the ability to play with personas
- to share new ideas with the like-minded
- find people with similar interests, no matter how weird or wacky these interest may seem to others
- chance to develop romantic or sexual relationships
- the freedom for those marginalised or persecuted by society to express opinions and spread opinions in ways unavailable through mainstream media

Flew(2004 ) nicely sums up the situation by stating that online participation reflects a dissatisfaction with the restrictions of “real world” communities.

So now we know why people turn to online discussion, what are some other reasons as to why people use MySpace and Facebook specifically?

To share photos
Blog
Create and invite people to events
General catch up and chit chat
Listen to music
Find out information eg. Tour Dates, Music Release Dates
Snoop on others
Gossip
Procrastinate
To publicly fight with people
(And I’m sure you can think of many others)
And what are some differences between Facebook and Myspace?

MYSPACE
Made for high school+ market
Open to all
Could say it’s more for adding friends and randoms
Can pimp yo page
Block or accept friend requests

FACEBOOK
Made for college/university (educated and elite)
Originally built on exclusivity
Have more professional groups (employers,employees etc)
One scheme fits all
Block, accept or allow access limited content

We’ve all heard that Facebook is increasing in popularity, with some electing Facebook as their first online social networking experience and other users leaving MySpace to join Facebook instead. Is it a phase or is it reflective of something deeper? In Australia I think that such a clear divide between users as in America does not exist, but maybe there is, it just hasn’t been uncovered yet. If there were to be a divide, I think “music lovers” and bands would use MySpace, to advertise their band, listen to songs etc. I also think younger users would prefer MySpace just for design reasons. For those at university or living on colleges, I think Facebook is definitely if not a preference, “the done thing”. Admittedly, I’m more of a MySpace fan just because you can “pimp your page” rather than the information based layout of face book and I like to hear the songs on people’s profiles and that’s pretty much it. Most, if not all of my friends have both accounts and in lil ‘ole Cairns I don’t think there is that a big gap between the educated and the workers, the high, middle and low classes. I think in Cairns the division is more of a digital divide nature, with those who have frequent access to the internet and those who have limited access or none at all. It will be interesting if Australian online social networkers will form a divide between Facebook and MySpace depending on social class or standing, whether the divide will be for different reasons or if there will even be a “divide”.

Flew,T. (2004). Virtual Cultures.In T. Flew. New media:an introduction. (pp.61-82). Melbourne:OUP.

Boyd, D. (2007). Viewing American class divisions through facebook and myspace. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/ClassDivisions.html

Why everyone wishes they could CRANK DAT

After being reminded about Soulja Boy by a comment left by a reader...



"Who's Soulja Boy, and what in the heck is that dance?"

If you haven’t heard of Soulja Boy or the Crank Dat/Crank That song and dance, you’re missing out on what is one of the most successful cases of harnessing online user participation. Hate him or love him, or plain don’t care, with a massive following and a record 3 million downloads of the smash hit, “Crank Dat", Soulja Boy at only 17 years of age has experienced a level of success to be envied by any modern day musician.

How in the heck he achieve this?

Online Promotion:“You Look Better On MySpace”
Unlike other popular artists, Soulja Boy first self -promoted via the internet rather than through agents and the traditional music industry process. Unlike other popular artists he also had an established fan base before even signing to a label( Interscope Records). From humble beginnings, he was eventually able to access technology to enable him to produce his songs, promote and distribute his music through the internet. In the early days, he uploaded his songs to SoundClick,then created his own website, before uploading his songs and videos to YouTube where he has his own channel and the social networking site MySpace, where his profile has over 42,218,889 views.

Hustling 2.0: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T M-Y H-U-S-T-L-E”
One technique used by Soulja Boy to help him reach the masses was what has been labelled by Reynolds (2007) as “Hustling 2.0”. Basically, Soulja Boy would rename his songs as the number 1 song at the time and other popular tracks so that when people downloaded the “song” it would actually be a Soulja Boy track (Reynolds,2007). This can be very annoying for a downloader after a specific song, but judging from Soulja Boy’s popularity maybe listeners were not all that frustrated with receiving a random song.

Convergence: "Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, Drag and drop it, zip - unzip it"
Convergence is “where old and new media collide, where grassroots and corporate media intersect, where the power of the media producer and the power of the media consumer interact in unpredictable ways” (Jenkins, 2006).

In regards to technology convergence, rather than just seeking traditional methods of exposure such as airplay on radio and TV, Soulja Boy has used social networking sites, video sites, mobile phones, user created content and physical spreading and sharing of the Crank Dat dance to promote himself and his music. One of the themes used in the “Crank Dat” video clip is actually technological convergence, for the clip depicts the various ways his song has been listened to, viewed and shared.

User Participation:"Clap your hands everybody.And everybody just clap your hands"
Instead of trying in vain like other artists(eg. Prince) to control the use of their music online, Soulja Boy gives users the freedom to use his music . In a nutshell, a key to Soulja Boy’s success is “ his active encouragement of fans to sample, remix, mashup, and perform his "Crank Dat" song through whatever media channels they want” (Jenkins, 2007)He encourages users to create videos using his music, uploads fan videos to his own website and even posted an instructional video for the “Crank Dat” dance to encourage people to learn the steps. The “Crank Dat” dance has been hailed as the “modern day” and “hip hop” Macarena, and the official video clip and instructional video have been hugely popular, as have many of the user created videos of the dance.

Xiaochang (2006) points out, this story is not just a matter of grassroots distribution in a web 2.0 environment, for the content has been changed and tweaked and made appropriate by a variety of groups. While Soulja Boy may have been the artist and performer – the “origin” of the song, he is no longer the centre, as it has become more about the participating community that has formed around the song.( Xiaochang, 2006). Rather than just passively watch the video and listen to the song, users are performing, filming and uploading their own versions. Some of those who have cranked it online include Beyonce, young ballerinas, Winnie the Pooh and professional footballers . This huge amount of user participation involving the song can be attributed as a main reason behind the song’s popularity, for as Xiaochang (2006) provides that people weren’t just commenting on “Crank Dat”, but were responding in a very immediate, productive and creative way.

Jenkins (2006) points out the distribution of media content across various media systems, competing media economies and geographical locations is heavily dependent on the active participation of consumers. Soulja Boy has recognized the worth of user created content, encouraged users to use and interpret his music and dance in any way they like, and continues to promoted his music through avenues (eg. Using MySpace and YouTube) that others too have used, but failed to use effectively. Whether you think the song is the best thing since the invention of Aussie Rules, or think Soulja Boy is another unwanted gangster wannabe, Soulja Boy has become a prime example of an artist who has risen to success (even if it turns out to be short lived) through convergence and harnessing produsage and user participation.

Jenkins, H. (2007). Hustling 2.0:Soulja boy and the Crank Dat phenomenon. Retrieved May 11, 2008, from http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/10/hustling_20_soulja_boy_and_the.html

Jenkins, H. (2006). Introduction: “Worship at the altar of convergence”. In Jenkins,H. Convergence culture:When new and old media collide. (pp.1-24). New York:New York University

Reynolds, C. (2007, October 03). The rise of Soulja Boy Tellem. Artistdirect. Retrieved May 11, 2008 from http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/news/article/0,,4434940,00.html

Xiaochang, L. (2006, November 06). [Interview with Nora Young, host of Spark radio, podcast and blog]. Xiaochang Li on Web 2.0 and the success of Soulja Boy. Retrieved from Radio One CBC on May 12, 2008 from http://www.cbc.ca/spark/blog/2007/11/xiaochang_li_on_web_20_and_the.html

YOOOUUUU

A reader who commented on a previous entry about Open Source and Citizen Journalism mentioned the urban artist Soulja Boy. While the comment was more about how I could have discussed YouTube as a medium for citizen journalism, I thought I could put Soulja Boy to good use in a different entry. So thanks reader "Thomas" for the tip.

I won’t lie, I too have “Cranked Dat” a few times (possibly bordering on a regular basis) and I do not think there are many of my friends who haven’t attempted. In fact to my disbelief and shock I caught one quiet, shy and conservative housemate looking up the dance on YouTube last weekend. I’m yet to find any of them on YouTube just yet though. The appeal? The song itself honestly, is nothing special. The lyrics (definitely do not) hold any deep and meaningful sentiments and the dance itself is a whole lot of snapping, cranking right and left and pretending to be superman; anyone can do it, you don’t need to be JT or Chris Brown to be able to “Crank Dat”. I have a memory of a group of friends all learning the dance before hitting the clubs, and I think it is that feeling of community and connection that stems from the dance on song that might have something to do with the popularity of the song, because it’s certainly not the song itself...

Lions and tigers and bears!Oh My!

Video found here
According to Bruns (2008), open source translates to the principles of produsage and can be applied to citizen journalism, for they are all based on wide scale participation, enabled by websites and other forms of community organisation tools.

So what is open source? One definition is that “Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in” (Open source initiative, 2007).

In comparison, Bruns (2008) provides the example of closed source as industrial and traditional models such as Windows Office whereby the core intellectual property is protected and highly confidential with only a select group of developers allowed to work on the project. This is because if anyone gained access, they could slightly reprogram and rebrand the software and provide access to the masses. Goodbye Microsoft business model.

Microsoft business model:
Small group of developers -> goods produced->distributed to consumers->consumers purchase goods->$$

Open source on the other hand, is as Bruns (2008) explains, programs such as Linux, firefox and open office, which are alternatives and compete with “traditional” programs of a closed source nature. Basically, with open source software for example, anyone can further develop a program, meaning there is never a “finished product” but instead, continual enhancements and quality improvements.
Available freely (not for commercial sale) ->anyone can download, edit and further develop

So, open source is common property,for “anyone can see it, anyone can use it, anyone can edit as well” (Bruns, 2008 podcast). How does this tie in with citizen journalism? Because anyone can read citizen journalism articles, anyone can be a citizen journalist, and the editing process can, depending on the site used, require editing by a “coordinator” or be entirely driven by community evaluation.

Traditional news media operates in a closed way, a select group of editors, journalists and company owners determine what is “news” and what information will be accessible to readers. So like with closed software production, only a few are privy to what is going on “behind the scenes” of traditional news production.

Citizen journalism operates in a more open system, anyone with access to the internet can publish stories or deending on the website, comment on the work of others. Editors such as those from OhmyNews (a hub for citizen journalism) may edit the stories to ensure the quality of writing is high enough or alternatively, stories are instead evaluated through the feedbank of readers for example.

Like open source, produsage efforts such as citizen journalism involve open participation, communal evaluation of contributions, fluid heterarchy, allow “leaders” to emerge depending on topics and knowledge levels, and “rankings” based on merit and quality of contributions (Bruns, 2008b).

Open source operates in a heterarchical and meritocratic system. Contributors and contributions are ranked by the value and merit of their contributions. Should they continually contribute quality submissions, they may then become an esteemed member of the community (Bruns, 2008 podcast). Furthermore, Bauwers asserts that the motivation for participation in open source projects is generally not motivate by money, but for the increase in use value and one’s personal learning, development and reputation (as cited in Bruns, 2008). Oh My News arguably operates in a similar manner, though articles are ranked by editors authors may receive a small payment (as in 20 odd dollars). This amount is insubstantial and most contributors do not write stories chiefly for monetary gain, for if one was interested in making money, they would probably do so through a different avenue. OhmyNews citizen journalists can also earn money through a “tipping jar” system. Readers of articles can also indicate the value of the article by donating money to the authors through the website. One writer however, Kim Young-oak, a Harvard-trained classics scholar, received more than $30,000 from one article that was rejected for publication by mainstream media (Lee, 2007). This large amount donated by readers indicates the high level of interest and quality of the article.

Elliot (as cited in Bruns, 2008) points out that when specific members of a community assume a gatekeeper role, this can restrict free flowing contributions. This is evident with traditional news that goes through the gate-keeping process, and as a result certain views are privileged and certain topics covered depending on the choice of journalists and editors. While editors at Oh My News for example could be seen to be “leaders”, “coordinators”, or “gatekeepers”, they do not restrict stories due to the “importance” of the topic in their own eyes, but are more concerned with content quality control. Coordinators of open source and produsage processes, according to Bruns (2008) exert influence to guide processes in beneficial in the overall development of projects. This can be said for the editors at OhmyNews who oversee and edit articles to maintain quality rather than to privilege certain views. OhmyNews, stories that are not formally adopted by the site’s editors are not classified as “articles” and are placed in a separate section from the “approved” articles, so that readers are aware that while the stories are accessible, there may be inaccuracies in the pieces. The CEO (Oh Yeon-ho)of OhmyNews has compiled 10 preconditions for User Generated Content, and presented these at a UNESCO conference last year. These elements which focused of credibility, responsibility, influence and sustainability provide a good foundation as to the basic essentials required to provide value and credibility. While these ideas which are not new, they are still valuable concepts for use in the present and future.

I guess one could say that open source and citizen journalism represent a decentralization of power and control of traditional business models.. Now that online, people can create content, continually enhance, change and comment on content why should they just be satisfied to read stories written by one or two journalists, edited by one or a small group of people and sent straight to the printers? With closed source software, only developers really get to “see” what’s going on. Arguably it is the same with traditional print media, sure editors read over work and “fix” parts, but how can they be really sure about the accuracy of the stories they edit if they were not at the scene, or interview themselves and are editing work depending on their perspective. Newspaper readers and news consumers can only assume what they are reading/listening to/watching is correct and true, they don’t really know what goes on “behind the scenes”. Traditionalists may point out that the continual enhancement and updating of news stories, ability for communities to evaluate work and the “open” nature of citizen journalism fails to provide quality and consistency.As Bruns (2008) points out,however, there is as much irresponsible blogging as poor journalism and the standard people would like blogs to be are standards that most industrial journalists can’t even reach.


Bruns, A. (2008). Open source software [Podast:KCB201 virtual cultures]. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology

Bruns, A. (2008.) Open source software development: Probabilistic eyeballs. In A. Bruns, . Blogs, Wikipedia,second life, and beyond: From production to produsage. (pp. 37-68) New York: Peter Lang.

Lee,D. (2007, June 18). Citizens are the media in S. Korea. Los Angeles Time. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from http://globaltechforum.eiu.com/index.asp?layout=rich_story&doc_id=10938&title=Citizens+are+the+media+in+S.+Korea&categoryid=30&channelid=4

Open Source Initiative. (2007)Home. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from http://www.opensource.org/

Yesh yesh yesh yesh. These are keepers.

Flashing...lights, lights, lights, lights

NEWSFLASH!

Conventional media outlets and media moguls are no longer in denial about the power of the internet and its users and produsers and the threat they pose to traditional operating/business models.

According to Trendwatching.com (as cited in Bruns 2008), from Web 2.0 a new generation of users has emerged, Generation C. This group of users did not suddenly just “appear” but are from a long line of models concerning the emergence of informed and active consumers or users, from Alvin Toffler’s ‘prosumer’, to Charles Leadbeater and Paul Miller’s description of the ‘pro-am’ trend, John Hartley’s concept ‘citizenconsumer’ and Yochai Benkler’s ‘common-based peer production’ (Bruns 2008). Generation C has not formed from an age demographic, but is composed of those who have the ability to use technology to collaboratively create, edit and share content. As discussed in my previous blog, users are no longer restricted to passive consumption of information and content as with Web 1.0 and Generation C represents the group who will really use the internet. What does this mean for companies such as traditional news media outlets? For a starts it means such companies and business will have to:
- adapt to the online environment because the number of “inky finger” consumers is declining,
- find a way to embrace, incorporate or at least acknowledge user created content and produsage or otherwise try and compete with a consumer trend that with or without their approval will continue
-understand the behaviour and usage of the internet by Generation C and not only try draw this group to their business, but discover how the business can cater for this group

Currently, Australia has one of the most concentrated media sectors in the world and Rupert Murdoch owns a majority of news publications in Australia as well as other media assets locally and also internationally. Now, even though Murdoch may have what some have described as a “stranglehold” over Australia’s media, even as a self proclaimed “digital immigrant” he understands the power of online and user created content. His acquisition of popular social networking site MySpace, shows that maybe he understands technology and its users better than he knows. Or maybe he’s just a damn good businessman. Either way, his online acquisitions show that he and News Corporation are no longer ignoring, hoping and praying that the digital revolution will just disappear and know that their ability to adapt to the online environment is vital.

Murdoch (2005) acknowledges that in regards to news “they [consumers] want to question, to probe, to offer a different angle”. When you look at online newspaper articles on sites such as The Daily Telegraph, topical news items and even stories one would think no one would be interested in, have pages of comments posted by users wanting to have their say on an issue and offer their insight. Then there are those users who actually want to create content, such as:
- citizen journalists who upload news videos to YouTube or publish reports online
- users who want to tell others about what is happening in their lives and connect with friends and likeminded people on sites such as MySpace
-people who want to discuss and comment upon issues through sites such as Blogger
- users who want to tag and share useful sites with others using Delicious and the like
-those who want to engage in produsage, edit and enhance existing content on Wikipedia

For Generation C in particular, as the group with the skills to use the technology available to them, there are many ways for them to create and provide personalised, individual and alternate content and views and enhance existing knowledge to fuel collective intelligence. But where and how do traditional companies fit in?As Murdoch (2005) points out, “they [consumers] want control over their media, instead of being controlled by it”. Recognising the need to encompass this change in consumerism, Murdoch (2005) suggested the following changes

- Encourage readers to engage with editors and reporters through online discussion
-Experiment with using bloggers to supplement online news coverage
-Possibility of incorporating audio, video clips and podcasts

Now that companies (or at least some) recognise and acknowledge the changes in consumer behaviour, (particularly with regard to online content creation), have some ideas as how to implement user content and involve users, perhaps another topic for discussion is how intellectual property legislation and copyright laws will protect users and their creations and deal with communal content ownership and online content that continually evolves and changes, which therefore cannot be dealt with in the same manner as “finished” product.

Bruns, A (2008). The future is user-led:The path towards widespread produsage.Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://produsage.org/files/The%20Future%20Is%20User-Led%20(PerthDAC%202007).pdf

Murdoch, R. (2005) Speech by Rupert Murdoch to the American
Society of Newspaper Editors. News Corporation. Retreieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_247.html