Multimedia Tools

Multimedia enhances our messaging in a variety of ways. SMS (text messaging) is the most well known form of messaging in the world of modern technology.  With our little cell phones we are able to send words, photos, sounds, and videos to the intended recipient. As an iPhone user, I am also able to send contact information from my address book and information about my current location via maps. This allows me to communicate easier with the person on the receiving end of my messages. With multimedia I can relay information quickly and more accurately.

Multimedia is not simply limited to our phones. Using computers, there are other elements of multimedia, which can easily be accessed.  Educational Technology Resources (https://aartechresources.wikispaces.com/Multimedia+Tools) shares an array of multimedia tools. Being a MAC user, I am most familiar with iMovie. I have used this application on various projects. In Spanish class I used it to create videos of me telling stories in Spanish. I created videos in high school as a means to summarize what I learned. I also used it in college when doing presentations. This multimedia tool I feel is more so useful when sharing information or knowledge.

The Krazy Coupon Lady - Best Blog Practices

Recently, my sister got me into the crazy world of couponing. I loved watching the show Extreme Couponing on TLC, it was amazing to see how much groceries would be purchased for so low, or nothing at all—there were even times the guests on the show would go home having earned money after all their coupons! Couponing is a very cut-throat world, and with deals only lasting a week it is also a very quick-moving world. Which is why as a coupon newbie, I found a blog to follow that not only breaks down the deals and the rules.

The Krazy Coupon Lady (thekrazycouponlady.com) is a blog focused on extreme couponing. The site shares nation-wide deals from all major grocery and retail stores. Jumping into the coupon world can be hectic in the beginning, so to have a breakdown of the specials from each store is very helpful. Also, every store has a particular set of rules couponing customers are supposed to use. This is to make sure fraud is avoided, as that is a crime punishable by law.

The best practice when creating a blog varies on your content and audience. The Krazy Coupon Lady’s websites seems overwhelming by the amount of posts she has, but they are all organized by store and date. I feel like for a couponing site, this is a great way to deliver information to readers being the in-store specials vary by date and store.

I have been couponing for almost three months, and so far my “stock pile” looks really good. My husband believes I have an obsession with body wash, as that is what I tend to buy the most of. I am excited as to how far my couponing will go with the help of the Krazy Coupon Lady. Maybe one day I will be working on a coupon blog of my own!

Joe Paterno Death - Press Release

(January 22, 2012) It has been reported that American college football legend, Joe Paterno, has died due to conditions related to his lung cancer. CBSSports.com, The Huffington Post and People.com hastily reported his death and have been under heavy backlash as a result. They were repeating fabricated information from, Onward State, a student run publication based in the Penn State Community.

In college, Paterno played quarterback and cornerback at Brown University. Following graduation, he went on to coach at his Alma Matter and eventually going to Penn State as an assistant coach. Joe Paterno was made head coach when then head coach Rip Engle announced his retirement in February 1966. Under his coaching, Penn State won multiple bowls and championships; Paterno has a total of eighteen bowl victories.

Joe Paterno was an American legend and ultimate sportsman, who will be remembered in college football history for many years to come. His family will hold a private funeral on January 25.

Face Book Post

“College football legend Joe Paterno’s family officially announced his death Sunday morning. Previous reporting of his death was a hoax.”

Social Media Tools

Mobile

Approximately forty-five percent of adults in the United States own smart phones. Of cell phone users, approximately eighty percent send or receive text messages, fifty-five percent access the Internet via mobile, and fifty percent utilize their email via mobile. These statistics, according to aids.gov, are relevant for reaching out to a larger amount of people. Aids.gov allows users to access their material via mobile to access HIV information, locate testing sights, and fundraising. Mobile is used for a variety of reasons; mine comes in handy for reminders of events and shopping specials.

Social Network Sites

Approximately sixty-seven percent of adults who are online use social networking sites. Forty percent of cell phone owners use a social networking site on their phone. Facebook has one billion active users as of October 2012 and 584 million Facebook users log on to the site daily. In 2014, FaceBook launched sponsored posts allowing users to increase the number of views to their postings. This is intended to expand businesses to a wider demographic in the hopes of growing the business. For more information on FaceBook sponsored posts visit https://www.facebook.com/business/boosted-posts.

Podcasts

Approximately seventeen percent of monthly online users reported viewing video podcasts only, thirty-one percent reported to listening to audio only, and fifty-two percent reported viewing and listening to both video and audio within a given month. Podcasts have become increasingly popular with Apple users. With the recent iOS 8 update, there is an integrated podcast app, which users cannot delete. There are over a thousand free audio and video podcasts for listeners and viewers.

Aids.gov utilizes all three of these social media tools, along with others, with a variety of content intended for users to increase their knowledge of AIDS and HIV. Mobile and social networks are the most popular forms of media tools. Podcasts is more recent, and users are still becoming accustomed to it—I have been an Apple user since I was fifteen (I am currently twenty-two) and I have yet to access a podcast. Mobile and social networks are more likely to reach audiences more effectively being they are already used by a high amount of people and podcasts are relatively new.

Q: How do you know what you know?

A: I know what I know because of my studies or from personal experiences.

Q: Name one new thing you learned using a social media site today and explain why you believe it is true.

A: Today, using a social media site I learned about the respiratory virus that is spreading among children. The virus, EV-D68, causes coughing and wheezing in its hosts and has caused some children to be admitted to the ICU; the virus has spread to approximately ten states so far.

Q: What source did you use to acquire this information?

A: I first saw a posting about this virus on Face Book and I looked it up for further information;  I used USA Today to acquire more information about it.

Q:  At times, are social media sites reliable for obtaining credible information?

 A: Yes, this is a straightforward story and is not requiring a lot of sources to verify the information. The main source which information is needed from is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Social media is helping with spreading awareness about this virus.

For more information refer to:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/09/08/respiratory-virus-midwest-children/15269751/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/08/midwest-enterovirus-hospitalizations/15277115/

Influence of the Media

Q: What forms of new media do you use daily? 

A: On a daily basis I use mainly use social networks such as Instagram, Face Book and Twitter. These  allow me to receive updates instantly as they are posted. Also, I keep myself informed with what is happening in the news being I do not watch television and cannot keep up with the news that way. 


Q: How has new social media influenced your perspective of events? Are these positive or negative influences?

A: New social media has allowed me to be more informed of events as they are occurring. I have also learned that when reading about these events, I cannot simply rely on one source to form an opinion. I read multiple sources, and gather an idea based on facts reported. My perspective of events are negative, being events reported are often biased based on the source.