Website Navigation Critiques

The first website that I decided to focus on was the official website of one of my favorite musicians, Tori Amos. www.toriamos.com features an easy-to-use, yet unique style of navigation structure. The website features six navigation templates:news, music, tours, photos, press, and store. The navigation panel also includes links to itunes, twitter, facebook, myspace, and last.fm.

As the founder of the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, the site features a link to her organization at the bottom (www.RAINN.org) The structure of the site is very easy to follow laying out a quick preview of each section out on the homepage. The only thing that I saw could improve was that it had no drop-down feature for each template. The homepage was also very lengthy since it pretty much lays out every detail.

The next website that I decided to explore was Starbucks' official website www.starbucks.com. The Starbucks website features a basic overview of their coffee and who they are. It features a basic navigation structure, but unlike the Tori Amos site, it simply features a promotional video along with a panel. The panel includes: coffee, menu, coffeehouse, responsibility, card, and shop. Further down you can explore what is new in the world of Starbucks coffee as well as promotional ads. At the top, there is a search tab which allows the end user to search the site.

Because Starbucks is a corporate company, I understand the conservative use of fonts and color. I enjoy the basic layout. However, there is almost too much text in the drop down menus. The good thing about this site is that within the homepage, the enduser can familiarize themselves quickly and easily. Just like the other site, it also links to social networking with facebook,twitter,and google+.

The next website that I chose to review was www.choosemyplate.com. This is the website linked to the food pyramid. The website is a lot less complex than the other two websites I looked at. The panel features templates including: home, about us, News and Media, Site Help, and Contact Us. A lot could be improved on this website when it comes to layout options. It features a pretty blue background, but it makes eating healthy appear boring.

Using a more lively array of colors would make it pop out to the end-user. Though the colorful plate in the middle adds brightness and draws the user in, it needs to be a more active site. I do like that it features a clipboard including photos of food at the top. All in all, the homepage is informative, but it could definitely use some touch-ups.

Team Byrne

After reading through both of these articles, it ended up that I agreed more with David Byrne's "Learning to Love Powerpoint." Although Edward Tufte does make a persuasive argument in "Powerpoint is Evil," Byrne's article is significantly easier for me to comprehend.

While Tufte claims that Powerpoint "elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch," Byrne describes how useful it can really be as an art. To me, Tufte makes absolutely no sense when he argues how ridiculous it is to be taught at an elementary age. At one point, Tufte even suggests that kids would be better off if school were closed on Powerpoint presentation days. He then describes how much more constructive writing an "illustrated essay" would be for them.

I completely disagree with Tufte. Even though his argument about Powerpoint being distracting may be true at times, it is an overall decent program for everyone to use. I remember first learning powerpoint at an elementary age and finding it much more fun than just listening to a professor drone on. Being part of a technologically drawn generation, I believe that it is important for children today to learn programs like powerpoint. In the long run, it will help them become technologically advanced. I think it just gives them more of an incite to just how fun and artistic presentations can be.

Byrne states "The content, I learned, was in the medium itself. I discovered that I could attach my photographs, short videos, scanned images, and music. What's more, the application can be made to run by itself -no one even needs to be at the podium. How fantastic! Although I began by making fun of the medium, I soon realized I could actually create things that were beautiful."

photo by: Wonderlane

I agree with Byrne because even though he pokes fun at the program, he still finds it interesting and useful. The article is filled with fun facts about the program and focuses on the idea that it can be used as an "artistic agent" for presentation. To me, this was very clear and convincing.

Therefore, I am on David Byrne's team because it was clearly more interesting to read about Powerpoint as an art as opposed to reading Tufte's complaints.

Website Ideas

In my Computer Mediated Communications class, I have been asked to start brainstorming some ideas for my website. Many topics come to mind. I think that it would be a good idea to make it a Shepherd based site. At first, I was thinking on basing the website on the Shepherd Wellness Center and what they have to offer students and community. This website would include dates of events, classes offered, and information about the facility itself. Even though the center already has its own website, I think that it would be good to have one based off of the students and community.

Many other ideas also come to mind. I am also a huge fan of the Communications Department and was thinking about creating a website specifically for the Comm. Program and developing ideas from that. This site would include lists of events as well as descriptions of the classes offered. It would be really cool to have a website that truly captures the students and faculty of the Comm. Department. We are very much like a family here, so I think that it would be interesting to make a website that is basically about "us." The website could also include updates about Comm. graduates and what they have been up to after graduation. It would also be really exciting to work on with the new studio coming in.

Other things that come to mind include a website about coffee and coffee-drinking. As a college student, I love coffee. Many people don't know much about how many different types of beans there are and where they come from. It would be cool to have a whole website about types of coffees. It could include recipes, information about the different regions the beans come from, and about the coffee-drinking experience itself. Who doesn't love shops like our local Lost Dog Coffee or Port City Java? The website could also focus on the local shops and what they have to offer.

Another idea I had was to create a website featuring day trips. There are so many historic locations around this area and many people don't realize it. The day trip website would include features that show you how to economize your day trip or mini vacation. It would feature tabs like which restaurants to eat at, which hotels to stay at, and which hot spots to check out. Places like Washington D.C. or Ocean City are right nearby and offer so many activities to make your day trip/vacation fun.

There are so many ideas that come to mind, but it is difficult to choose. I'm not very sure which one would work out better, but I am excited to get started. In a few days, my ideas could change. This is what I have for now.

Comm 203: Wrapping Up Communication and New Media

It is now time to close this blog for my Communication and New Media class. The class gave me a really good incite on how the media works. It was a great way to learn the basics of media literacy and how media technologies affect society today. The course helped me learn exactly how media technologies have impacted culture all over the world. I had a fantastic time learning the basics of digital media production and media literacy. Through blogging, movie editing, presentation, graphic story-telling, and sound design, we accumulated knowledge that I never thought possible. The possibilities are endless in the field of Communications and I truly enjoyed everything the semester had to offer me. Next semester, I will continue to blog for my future classes in Communications. I look forward to what the next semesters have to bring.

In case anyone was interested, this was the selected winner from the Tori Amos video contest that took place a few years ago. I am a huge Tori Amos fan and remember when this contest actually went on. I wish I had had the time and skills at the time the contest took place. It's fun to see exactly what can be done with this type of project.



Zepronepsid

Comm 406: Relay and Public Service Advertising

In our Public Relations group for Relay, we are working to maintain the public image for the campaign. Our job is basically to make sure the students as well as the community in Shepherdstown,WV are aware of what the campaign is actually about. We are basically the information providers. Our jobs include sending out press releases and making sure that information and ads for the campaign can be put into newspapers, fliers, etc. For each idea, our group has come up with various events. For all of the events, we decided that it would be a good idea to create a "like" page on Facebook. We also thought about building dinners and bake sales (which would raise money) around each event. For the Pirate theme we thought it would be a good idea to have a movie night at the opera house showing "Pirates of the Caribbean" which would also raise money. We also thought that it would be a cool idea for everyone to change their language to "pirate" on Facebook for that day. For "Rockin' Relay" we came up with the idea of having a Rockband contest where you would donate money to play the game. The winner's name would be posted on Facebook after. For the superhero theme, we thought of having everyone change their Facebook picture to their favorite superhero for the day. We also brought up having a Spiderman web-shooting contest in which people would donate to play. We also thought it would be a good idea to give all the cancer survivors capes to wear during the events. We thought that advertising all of these events at local schools would be affective. Fundraisers at these local school could also help to raise money. Even though we have all of these ideas, I think that they could use some extensive work. Comparing it to the "Public Service Advertising," article, it seems that we have a lot more work to do. I think that Relay for Life needs to be thoroughly researched in regards to just how much Shepherd University has raised in the past years. It would also be good to see where we rank in comparison to other universities. The most important thing that we would need to do would be to stress that Relay for Life is not only for Shepherd students. We need to come up with some other good ideas to urge the Shepherdstown community that all of the events are open to general public as well. In order for this campaign to be effective, we need to make sure that students as well as general public know what Relay for Life is all about. The campaigns that I read about in the article were successful because of their constant drive to stress the issues as well as come up with creative events. I think that our events are very creative, but there is always room for improvement.

Jeffrey Simms Photography

Comm 203: Vals Survey

The Vals survey considers my first type as a striver and my second type as an experiencer. First of all, strivers are fun-loving and motivated by how much they achieve in life. They also seem to be concerned about the approval and opinions of others. For strivers, money defines success and dont have enough to get what they really want. Strivers look up to individuals with money and measure success by it. It also says that they favor stylish products that often wealthier people tend to have. Strivers are basically people who strive to become the most successful by having the nicest products which value "greater material wealth." They are consumers and shopping is considered a social activity as well as an opportunity to demonstrate their wealth (even though they may not be that wealthy).They are also often impulse buyers. A lack of skills and sense prevents them from moving ahead. To be honest, I don't think that I really fit into the opinions of others category because I am just me and never really cared what other people thought about me. However, I do agree that I do like to be fashionable and I would like to have nice things even though I do not own anything like them right now. I don't think that money measures success but I do enjoy a few of the finer things in life in general. I am not much of a shopper in real life at the moment so I don't know how this could be very accurate in that sense. But I it is true that I don't have much money, yet I would love to have a few of the finer things in life. Overall I do agree that I am somewhat a striver, but my second type as an experiencer sounds like me as well. My second type is an Experiencer. Experiencers are motivated by self-expression and easily enthused by new possibilities. They seek excitement, variety, and like to enjoy the "risky, new, offbeat" types of things. They are very socially active and spend a lot of money on fashion and entertainment. Experiencers like to have the "cool" things in life and like to experience what's cool. I think that this sounds a good bit more like me than striver. I am very much an experiencer in life and like to have the coolest new gadgets that I can find. I do in fact spend a lot of my money on clothing, cd's, movies, and games. I believe that my second type, the Experiencer is correct in evaluating my Vals type. Perhaps I am a mixture of Striver/Experiencer because a lot of the traits seem to merge together.

Comm 203: The Maxx

The article focuses on the understanding of the "original and adapted media" shown in "The Maxx." The article talks about how the movie was adapted from the first 11 comics. "It can help us see more precisely what comics can easily do that television has traditionally had difficulty doing, and vice versa."(Smith)In the movie, the same size frame is used on television just like it was used within the comics. Surprisingly, the expressivity used while keeping all the frames gave off a similar effect to that of the actual comic (even though the standard television frame had to be used). The difficulty comparing the comic to the televison series is that the comic was able to use different sets of frames. In order to express these frames, "The Maxx" movie/television series had a camera set up at certain lengths such as vertical camera movements substituting for tall or think frames used within the actual comic. Here, the expressive device used would be giving off nearly the same effect as the visual medium used within the actual comic. It is also shown when the wide frames in the comic are transferred in to horizontal camera lengths in the movie. To communicate these frames within the movie, it was simply all about the camera movement and how to get the viewer to follow the movie in the same way they would view the frames. So in a way, comics communicate in a very cinematic way because of the moving frames and pictures used within them. "Once "The Maxx"'s animators understood the value of using frames-within-the-frame, they then recognized that one need not present frames one at a time as television tends to do. They realized that they can present multiple frames on the same screen, treating that screen more like a comics page. They could arrange frames on that page-screen to lend their animation some of the expressive capability of comics." (Smith)Here, he is basically saying that the multiple frames being used within the same screen makes the television screen much like that of the actual comic page used in "The Maxx."

Comm 203: The Web at 20

The most salient point in this article is that the Web "as we know" it is being threatened in a lot of ways and we need to preserve it with our human rights. It is basically saying that we, as humans with rights to use the web, should care because it has become an important resource in our world. We need to make the web more valuable by using it correctly. The threats to the web's universality are the most recent. Social networking sites like Facebook, Linked-In, etc. are valuable because they store so many bits of important information such as who is who in a picture, birthdays, likes, and email addresses. But it is only within these sites that you can access this data. You cannot use this data because the site blocks off other websites from accessing the same data because it is "walling them off." "You can access a Web page about a list of people you have created in one site, but you cannot send that list, or items from it, to another site." It is saying that social networking sites become central platforms for locking you into that website once you've entered bits of information. This, therefore, makes the internet vulnerable to becoming fragmented. The drive to preserve the principles of the web is basically what this article is telling us to do. We also need to have legal standards to preserve our privacy within the web since linked data confronts problems in that sense. We as web users need to preserve the web as it is so that our future generations will be able to use it and create even better things with it.

Comm 203: 3-D

I have to say that I do agree with what the author is telling us here. They are basically saying that the experience of 3-D is really not that "big of a deal" when you're seeing a movie. The basic point here is that even if it is in 3-D, it still does not change the movie. The movie is going to be the same movie not matter if it is in 3-D or not. People who say that it gives them a sense of actually being there probably just mean that it gives them a different feel. But the truth is, it is not really that mind-blowing when you think about it. 3-D is only merely effects added to the experience of the movie but does not change the movie itself because it is still the same exact movie. The experience cannot make you feel like you're really there if you are not there because it will never be the same representation of the way we truly see things in real life. Three-dimensional movie-seeing experiences only have to do with the experience of seeing the movie itself, but in the end the movie does not change whether it's in 3-D or not. The movie theatres like to over-price these things just like their popcorn and soda because they know that people want to make the EXPERIENCE more fun an exciting. But nonetheless, the movie is still the same movie and it does not change the experience of real life.

Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comm 203:Most interesting thing in class to date.

The one thing I have found most interesting in this class was when we went over the five key concepts and questions to media literacy.As a class, we have learned that being media literate gives us a framework to "access,analyze,evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms." It also helps us to build and understanding of the actual roles that media plays in society.When we learned to analyze advertisements and as well as other forms of media such as videos,pictures, and songs we used five key concepts and questions to gain a better understanding. I found this method very creative and easy to use in analyzing media. I think that it helps our minds develop and open up to newer and different ideas that we may have not even thought about before. There is nothing better than building a mind more open to ideas that are different from your own perspectives about the world and how to read things.

Five Core Concepts
1.All media messages are constructed
2.Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
3.Different people experience the same message differently
4.Media have embedded values and points of view
5.Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.

Five Key Questions
1.Who created this message?
2.What techniques are used to attract my attention?
3.How might different people understand this message differently from me?
4.What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
5.Why was this message sent?

We learned that using these core concepts and questions can help us in analyzing ads and gain better understanding of the various messages being sent. We did a project using this method in order to analyze advertisements as well as other media. My project focused on how to analyze an advertisement. In the project, I went through each step and thought carefully about each concept and question for every possible answer i could find in what the message was saying. I just think that this was the most interesting thing in class to date because it taught me how to open up and think in different ways in order to read messages in media.I am very much enjoying this class to date and look forward to each class. I enjoy the lectures because they are so open and allow us to discuss our thoughts freely.

Graphic Novels: Jason Shigna's "Meanwhile"

I decided to review a unique comic called "Meanwhile" by Jason Shigna. The comic directs the reader with tabs at each side of every page. This allows readers to choose the next step in their adventure/adventures reading it. The comic allows readers to go through it not only once, but various times. This may seem time consuming, but it is a very fun and unique experience. Though it will take time to go through each and every different path while attempting to avoid destroying mankind, it could become quite addicting. Your story starts out with the main character/hero Jimmy who is deciding whether to buy a chocolate or a vanilla ice cream cone. From here on, your story begins with this type of everyday choice. The comic allows you to choose your own adventure which is very similar to books from childhood. Further into the story when Jimmy(you) meets Professor K, you are given chances to play with one of three inventions:a memory transfer helmet, a time machine, and a Killtron 2000 (destroys the planet). Once you get familiar with the types of choices you make, the choices begin to get more difficult such as deciding to kill everyone on the planet or deciding to travel through time. Overall, the comic is based on the decisions you make much like role playing video games such as Fable II for Xbox 360. The branching story definitely communicates in many ways through words, pictures, and frames. The way it is framed through branches communicates that you are able to decide your story and control what is going to happen. It gives the reader the benefit of going through the story various times. Like in all comics, each picture communicates what Jimmy (you) are going to be doing. The pictures mostly describe an action or an option of what you will be choosing between. Words are shown in the puzzle-like storytelling comic to describe the action in situations you get into throughout the storyline. The comic uses simplistic language which makes it easy for the reader to find out exactly what they will be getting theirselves into. The colors of the pictures give into each feeling and a sense of where you are. For example in the lab with Professor K, blues and oranges are used to give it a more scienfific feel. The beautiful thing about this comic is that as the reader, you have the right to choose which paths you will take and which story the graphic novel will tell. The whole thing is very mathematical and the various options you have available as a reader is just mind blowing. The unique non-linear fashion is a very creative idea given you are reading through pipes which move you onto the next panel.

Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

In Advertising and Imagery class, we discussed the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. The goal of the campaign is to make women comfortable and confident in the way they look. It' sthe idea that you can just be who you are, look the way you do, and not have to feel bad about it. This campaign boosts women's self-esteem and lets them know that they don't need to be the skinny, young conditioned super model to be beautiful. The campaign features print ads, television commercials, and public relations meetings which stress the confidence that women should feel about their own unique beauty.

This is an excellent campaign because it concentrates on the positives of self-esteem and recognizes real, everyday women. The image shown is from Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. One signifier is the young woman's confident facial expression. Her expression signifies that she feels happy, confident, and proud of the way she looks. She confidently shows off her freckles, unafraid of what people have to say. She truly feels beautiful :).

lifestreamer

Semiotics: The Signifier and Signified

Semiotics is defined as the systematic study of signs, or, more precisely, of the production of meanings from sign systems, linguistics, and non-linguistics. There are two parts of a sign. One part is the signifier, the form which the sign takes. The other part is the signifier, which is the concept it represents. Signification is the relationship between the signifier and signified. In class, we were asked to chosse an ad and explain one sign and what is signified from it. We then had to come up with the additional signs and find signifieds of our own.

My partner and I chose an ad for a German Doc Morris Pharmacy condom. We chose the facial hair (hair and mustache) as our first sign. The facial hair, which resembles that of Adolf Hitler, signifies that the next Hitler could possibly be conceived in the act of unprotected sex. It signifies this by warning people that having unprotected sex, that they might be blamed for the next Hitler. The sperm itself signifies the one possible cell that is going to become the next historical villian. The millions of other sperm cells surrounding the main one (Hitler) signify the other potential cells to be conceived. The blue shades, which color the ad signify the relaxed effect of the safety you will feel if you do have protected sex. The condom itself represents the product available for the actual proctice of safe sex. It signifies the safety of using it. The blank white background signifies the sexual purity, or in a way, cleanliness (I know it sounds funny) of having protected sex and implies that it will be okay if you use the condom.

adweek

Comm 203: Media Literacy:Take 1

Intertextuality can be defined as "the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts." A text is basically like a set of symbols used to transmit some kind of a message to inform others." We are discussing media objects as texts and not messages because sometimes there can be certain biases towards what the message actually could be. The answer to this is that all of us are correct in the way we perceive certain objects/texts/messages. All of our perceptions are correct depending on what background culture/knowledge we have or don't have. Texts can be either opened or closed. The difference between them is that an open text can be read in various ways, but a closed text has a direct meaning. In the end, all texts are polysemic when read. They can have signals that have various different effects on the viewer. Texts can and always are interpreted in different ways. This depends on the culture or background of the audience it is being presented to. If you take a look at the photo presented in this assignment, some may say it appears to be very "sexy" or "attractive." Others may read it as being a "gang rape" and become offended by the message it is sending off. It is not at all clear exactly what the person who created this ad was thinking. The way we read text is always different depending on the audience it is given to. It all depends on how we perceive the world as a whole. The beauty of the ideas behind text and intertextuality is that we are able to communicate in ways never thought of before. It is good to become more open-minded about these ideas and different perceptions because there clearly is not only one particular view of the world. There are various views and I think that reading text through the eyes of others is an important step in seeing the world in different lights and communicating this way.

litnotes

Gotcha! What worked?What didn't work?

In advertising class, we completed a tween phone campaign titled "Gotcha!" After reviewing our ads in class, we discovered some things that worked and other things that didn't work. Our weakest ad was the one we did for National Geographic Kids. This ad features a giraffe and a fish underwater separated by a yellow strip of text. The text states "on land or underwater, we gotcha covered." In class we discussed how this ad can be very misleading. If you take a close look at the ad, it could imply that the phone could actually be used while underwater. The phone is not waterproof, but this ad tends to imply that it is. The message that we were really trying to send off is that no matter where your children are, you will still be able to reach them. Better photos of the giraffe and fish also could have been used in this ad. I think that maybe if we worked on improving the slogan and improved our images, it would have turned out a lot better. I do think that our other ads worked out pretty well.

The ad that we used for the Girl's magazine probably could have been better if we had tinted the black and white photo of the shoe. Other than that I think that it still brought about the clear message that at that age girls are thinking about love.The bright pinks helped the phone show through. A lot of grown women can even remember drawing on their shoes. So I think that we did a good job of connecting with the audience on that one.

Our best ad was the one we did for the Game magazine. It features a cute colorful robot representing the fact that this is a phone you will be able to have fun with. The bright blue background brought out the colorful little robot really well. The slogan "the phone you can play all day with" really brought out the meaning of the ad and what the phone can actually do.

Comm 203: Where the Jobs Are!

In Chapter 2 of the Media Career Guide, I was able to look at the many possible jobs that are available to me as a Communications major. The chapter discusses the six common media job types which are management, sales, creative, technical, finance, and legal positions. It also runs through the eight common media business areas. Obviously, the business areas are where we will make the money. Looking at all of these makes me really excited to get into what I'm doing with my degree. Researching, I found that if I worked in advertising, I could make a really good amount of money. As an Advertising Production Manager, you are responsible for the "production staff, collaborating with art directors, fulfilling client needs and expectations, approving layouts, conducting press checks, and approving materials to submit to publications" It's basically coordinating and scheduling the activities with the outside world that your agency is in contact with. You really have to understand all the phases of advertising production in order to fit this position. I thought it was really interesting looking and there is a good amount of money in advertising (especially if you're a manager of some sort).

In Institutional Communications and Training, you are working for corporate, government, non profit companies. One could also say that working for the government is another excellent way to earn money. One of the positions I found interesting in this section was the Desktop Publishing Specialist. As the specialist, you would "prepare reports, brochures, books, cards, and other documents for printing. They create computer files of text, graphics, and page layout. They work with files others have created, or they compose original text and graphics for clients." You can make up to $52,000 a year which is still a decent profit to live on and it's a cool job.

http://pagerankstudio.com/Blog/2010/08/desktop-publishing-specialist-job-description-education-and-training-requirementscareer-salary-employment-definition-and-nature-work/

I can honestly see myself in any position of communications but the one that striked me the most was the television industry. I think it would be awesome to start out as a Production Assistant for a television station. With this job, you can easily move your way up fast. Even though the tasks aren't the greatest, it is still a job that you can make about $100 a day with. It looks like it wouldn't be too bad of a position to start with. Researching, I found that you do the basic everyday tasks like picking up/delivering tapes, setting up the snack table for the director/talents, cleaning up after the set. It may not seem interesting at first, but it's a good position to start out with and if you're lucky you might get in good with the director which will give you an opportunity to move up a position.
"And while most of the work can be annoying, it's also an incredible opportunity to learn how a TV show gets made. That's why so many people start out this way. When you're a PA, you'll learn about the whole process, from beginning to end. And if you're good, you might get to do things like sit in on production meetings and observe the director or editor working."

http://www.ehow.com/how-to_4845386_become-tv-production-assistant.html

It was just amazing to me to find out just how many jobs and opportunities I actually have as a Communications major. This section really broke it down well into categories I could understand and made it easier to see which directions I like the most. I can still see myself in any position dealing with communications. Any of the positions listed within the text would definitely suit me well.

Comm 203: Comm. & New Media Intro Blog

I expect to learn a lot from this introductory class to communications. I am very interested to learn more about the media and its impact on culture and society. The study of media itself is fascinating because it deals with how we perceive things and how we express them. What we have learned about mediation so far is that it is the "force" of communication.I am a "Star Wars" nerd so I love that we use the word "force" to define it. Mediation and communication are the two institutions of media.

Today we find ourselves learning to communicate through blogging, sound design,graphic stories, and presentation, etc. Social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have helped the world of communication become what it is today. Learning more about the world of communications will help us all to become more literate to the world itself. Many businesses and ad campaigns have realized that using social networking sites like the ones mentioned before can help them look better. The more interactive a business is with their customer, the more the customer will appreciate them and buy their product. In this sense, by keeping up with the technologies available to you; you may find yourself to be more successful because you have communicated so well.

In the world we live in today, technology keeps advancing to benefit us and make means of communication faster, stronger and better.

How the Social Media Campaigns Effect Society

Today the social media is something that is used everyday in order to interact with the world. Sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are used globally! The Forbes article discusses that using these websites for advertising is an overall successful technique. The article focuses on how Old Spice used sites such as Facebook and Twitter to socialize and break their backs in order for consumers to consider and purchase their product. Showing feedback to your consumers is a really good way to gain their attention in advertising.

At the end of the article it mentions that keeping the message "compelling and interesting enough that a viewer or participant wants to share it with a friend" is key to a successful campaign. Much like the ad campaigns discussed in the article, is McDonald's. Not only are they worldwide, but they sponsor the Olympics and have lots of celebrity sponsorships. McDonald's now uses Facebook and Twitter to get out information about new promotions, products, and specials. It is a great way to make their brand an everyday part of the consumer's life. It was a big deal when they started advertising their espresso McCafe specialty drinks in order to compete with Starbucks expensive prices. The ads speak to us by implying that paying that much for a coffee is ridiculous and can be avoided by buying their brand at a lower cost.

photo from ursonate

My Favorite Ad Campaign

I have always been a sucker for looking over the ads in my favorite magazines. I like ads that can not only grab the reader's attention, but make them think and reflect on themselves. An advertisement should be something that not only gains your interest, but makes you want to think and possibly act on what you are seeing.

Advertising campaigns work to grab interest by using various techniques: unique graphics, appealing colors, celebrities or people an audience will recognize, etc. To get back on topic I would like to say that I enjoy those "got milk?" ads. You know the ones where you get to see all of your favorite celebrities sporting the famous milk mustache? I also like the "my anti-drug" advertisements. I think that using celebrities is one of the best ways the media can grab an audience's interest because these are people they will recognize. Recognizing someone famous is always a great technique because you are guaranteed a response whether it be good or bad.

The "got milk?" ads are always enjoyable to look at and see which star is gonna be sporting the milk mustache next. The ads are effective because they also give a description about how much dairy we should consume. It makes the reader want to drink more milk and eat more dairy which in the end helps the milk industry! :)

Photo from Joshua 9000

What I hope to accomplish in Advertising and Imagery!

In my Advertising and Imagery class I hope to learn about the importance of advertising and how it influences the media today. I hope to learn how to create and develop advertisements. I am a Communications major and this class seems very interesting and fun! I would also like to learn more working with iMovie,Photoshop, etc. I am interested in the cultural and political influences of advertising. I'd like to learn where it all comes from.  I look forward to working with Monica and the class! : )

Photo from jenmiville