Debate the following proposition: Books are an obsolete medium

I feel that eventually books will become less and less useful as the age of the internet becomes larger.  Much like we see with movies, today we are watching them online instead of purchasing them.  I feel that there is a certain history of books and they should not disappear altogether, but it won’t hurt if fewer books are produced.  The ease of using your computer to access a book is just convenient and many would take this to their advantage.  Many college students are setting trends by using computers to download textbooks and a popular program called e-books. Also, people like their information consolidated, for example, more information means a bigger book and more space.  In today’s society people do not want to take up space for multiple textbooks, therefore, storing their information in a computer on files is more conservative and helps to consolidate.  Going back to how books are becoming more outdated, today’s technology is overcoming books.  Technology as we know it is going to change faster than we can handle and we will not always be able to adapt with the time, meaning that they will still have books being available to those who like this old age.  You can’t expect everyone to just adapt to using a computer to get your books because some do not have the experience or the fortune to do this.  It’s just something that comes and those who want to adapt will and those who don’t will not jump on this advantage.  Things come and go, but not everything is for everyone because different people like different things.  In my opinion, I believe that eventually books will become scarce, but not impossible to find. 

How do conglomerates affect print publishing? Are there positives and negatives associated with conglomerates?

Authors and photographers have rights to their intellectual property throughout their lives, and their family members have rights for seventy years after their death. The length of the copyright protection has grown over the years. This life-plus-70-years standard was set by the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. People who support this law use examples such as poor writers and their impoverished ancestors, but actually the people who benefits from this are more likely to be transnational publishing conglomerates. However, copyright is supposed to place time limits on those rights to make sure that outdated works may include new creative efforts, therefore, the extended copyright protection angers new creative actions, including poetry and song lyrics on the internet.  This includes many copyright issues with songs being released on the internet the same day a CD is released or sometimes even before if the songs leak and appear on a website.  People will then download the songs off of the internet and create their own CD for free, which is illegal. There are both positives and negatives associated with conglomerates and these are the arguments made amongst the groups who benefit from it and those who are harmed from it.  Others follow the notion that some copyright infringements serve a higher social purpose, such as education, and should be allowed.  For example, making single copies for personal use would be one of these “infringements.”  If a student makes a copy of a course packet, it is considered fair use and no copyright royalty is owed.  However, if the student were to ask someone at a copy shop to make the copies for them then there is a copyright violation.    

What are the main copyright issues for print media?

The main copyright issues that face print media are that cracking down on photocopying copyrighted documents.  This is affecting students greatly because it is prohibiting their learning experience.  This issue we face is crucial because it affects a great amount of people, particularly anyone who makes a photocopy of a picture, textbook, or a website.  These circumstances that we are put into leaves us little choice but to either pay the copyright fee or more likely make it your own by reading and putting it in your own words.  These rules have gotten stricter due to the internet becoming more popular; mainly speaking of electronic distribution of copyrighted material.  There are things that are accepted for students to do in order to avoid copyrighting and this can be helpful to those who take advantage of it.  This includes single copies for personal use, citing short passages from scholarly works, and making multiple copies for your peers.

What are the main trends in book publishing?

As many new trends arise in the book publishing field, the main trends include more and more books being published and more people purchasing them.  These books are being purchased by students, consumers, and businesses.  Another trend is that large publishing houses are consolidating due to the fact that smaller publishing houses are coming about, as well as people self publishing their own manuscripts.  These new smaller publishers reach less people than the larger book publishers.  The internet also plays a large role in book publishing with new electronic publishers including online sources.  Competition in this field have increased overtime because of technology rising.

5.)    The internet is run by long-distance carriers, and local connections to those nodes are handled by Internet Service Providers and local telephone companies.  The Internet Service Providers supply basic internet connections and can sometimes even provide content, for example, American Online. However, most content providers are independent and both Internet Service providers and content providers remain separate.  Also, non-profit organizations help run the Internet , such as MERIT network in Michigan.  The Internet is made-up of high-speed digital lines that are leased by the regional networks from long-distance telephone companies.  Locally, ISPs lease or own high-speed phone lines that connect local users to the Internet.  The assignment of addresses and domain names is an important issue.  ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers decides who gets the rights to domain names and charges an annual fee to the domain owners.  

6.)    After doing research on the privacy and security practices on the Internet, I am aware that there are many phishing scams and thieves who make fake e-mails or web addresses and try to obtain anything that can lead to access of my accounts or personal information.  Also, many scam e-mails contain viruses that can seriously damage your computer and make it easier for someone to hack into it.  In order to protect my safety, I will no longer open e-mail attachments from unknown correspondents, click on Web links sent to me in an e-mail, even if it seems like an organization or an institution I might trust, or respond to requests to verify the receipt of an e-mail to an unknown party.  It is always important to read user and privacy agreements and check for spyware when downloading, especially file-sharing software.  There has been an incident where I received an e-mail saying I won a prize and was randomly chosen from a name database that had my name because of the e-mail I used on a website.  I usually would not open or read e-mails that I do not recognize, however, the e-mail was very believable because it said it was from a car dealership and was the same kind of car that I own.  I thought twice and decided to look up on Google if this prize was a scam or not.  It turned out that this e-mail has been being sent out for a while and it was a scam that asked for your name and some information and there was no prize and would try to hack into your computer after responding to the e-mail.  Now, if it is not an e-mail from a friend or website that I have registered for and recognize, I do not open the e-mail and instantly remove it from my inbox.  There is also a website that looks almost exactly like Chase Bank’s if you do not directly type it into the search engine and search for it and look through choices instead.  It is very important to keep your e-mail private because even by going into a chatroom, someone can view your e-mail and send you spyware or viruses.  I find it very important to practice these safety tips to avoid any issues with hacking, scams, or viruses.

1.)    The major types of content on the web include electronic publishing, which are online versions of conventional print publications, entertainment, which grew from the file sharing craze such as Napster and iTunes, online games,  which is also entertainment but because of its intense interacting it is placed in its own category, portals, which are the web pages that users launch when they first log into the Web, search engines, such as the most popular, Google, communities, such as social networking like Facebook and MySpace, blogs, which are a cross between a personal web page or diary, and electronic commerce, such as businesses that make sales directly to consumers.

2.)    A good Web page would cause people to stay on the web page for a longer amount of time or to even return back.  One way to have a good Web page would be to use eye-catching colors and attractive layouts from magazine pages.  Also, people searching the web prefer short content items, about a screen full.  This way the web surfer does not get overwhelmed or confused easily and leaves the site quickly.  A good web page can be achieved with a good design, which should contain lots of empty dark, white, or black space, including small print, flash animations, and large graphic design spaces.  The Web pages should give all the pages in a site a consistent look and feel, providing navigation aids and minimizing download times.  If there are slow-loading animations, even an artistic page would be considered a bad design.  Lots of text and buttons is not something people remain interested in or attract towards.

3.)    Software manufacturers develop applications for personal computers.  Personal computer operating system software is dominated by Microsoft through Windows and through many application categories, such as Microsoft Word for word processing and Internet Explorer for Web browsers.  Software is increasingly being bought and downloaded over the internet.  Hardware includes makers of computers, which are further subdivided into super computers, mainframes, mini computers, workstations, and personal computers, computer storage devices, such as disk drives, and their peripherals, such as printers and modems.  In the personal computer market, Dell and Hewlett-Packard are the leaders.  Apple and IBM first started the trend of personal computers, however, they are now minor players.

4.)    Internet service providers connect users to the Internet and provide e-mail accounts.  The industry leaders include AT&T, Comcast, and AOL, which together account for nearly half of all US internet subscriptions.  ISP’s have high-speed connections to the internet from telecommunications carriers, local phone companies, or are connected with companies that provide their own network connections. There are currently over 300 ISPs in the US.  Content providers are those who create web pages and are made by in-house design departments.  For example, Amazon, has in-house staffs along with thousands of large and small companies that are not directly related to the media business.  This includes traditional graphic design, advertising, and public relations firms that have entered the market.  Also, services create raw information that others shape into information services. Therefore, anyone who has ever created a homepage is considered a content provider.

3.)One Show

The One Show website shows all of advertisements’ best work that was awarded by them and goes as far back as the 1991 showcase.  This website was particularly interesting to me because of all the creative ads that are posted and that won throughout the years.  It is a part of the Organization called The One Club, which offers several programs throughout the year, including a college competition to win an award for an advertisement.  Also, included on the website is a section of Press releases concerning the One Show of all the news about the Organization.  An article posted yesterday titled, “The One Club President to speak at 17^th annual China International Advertising Festival”, speaks about the Annual China International Advertising Festival (CIAF) being held on Friday, October 22nd in Nanchang.  The One Club’s president, Kevin Swanepoel, will join with a group of executives and “speak to attendees about the importance of creating engaging content no matter what media is used and the need to focus on storytelling and engaging consumers in a conversation” (http://www.oneclub.org/oc/press/?id=124).  The article states more about the event and the speakers who will be attending.  Swanepoel said, "I'm thrilled to return to the China International Advertising Festival. The One Club is deeply committed to supporting the work of our friends in China and we're gratified to see it's rise into a major player in the international advertising world."

2.)Media Bistro

Media Bistro is a website that lists many articles from different websites and newspapers, such as the Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, NY Observer, and many more concerning the media.  Also, it offers courses and helps people who are looking for jobs by having job listings regarding the media.  The website makes it very convenient and quick for people who are interested in reading about the media, without having to search through other topics or articles.  On the first page of the website there is a list of all recent articles and news about the media.  For example, one article titled, “Exclusive: NBC Local Media Sets 'Nonstop' Launch Dates” is on the first page that the website directs you to once you type it into the search engine.  The article is from yesterday afternoon, however, there are even more recent articles from the same morning posted on the website.  This particular article is about how NBC Local Media is going to have nonstop multicast channels, adding the 24/7 channels to Philadelphia on October 25^th and Washington DC on October 27^th.  It states, “Each channel will feature around eight hours of local programming, as well as franchise programs such as Talk Stoop and lifestyle shows such as First Look and Open House from NBC's LX production wing. The channels are expected to grow their local output over time” (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/458817-Exclusive_NBC_Local_Media_Sets_Nonstop_Launch_Dates.php?rssid=20068).  This is a useful and helpful article with information that someone might want to know or be interested in.  This is one of the many valuable and attention-grabbing articles on the website regarding the media.

1.)Advertising Age:

The website, Advertising Age, focuses on creative advertisements and campaigns for well-known companies, such as HP, Microsoft, Starbucks, Adidas, Honda, and much more.  Advertisements are successful if they are able to grab the consumers’ attention and attract them to the product or company that is being promoted.  The website itself attracts people by showing a list of drawings, photographs, and much more of popular advertisements and campaigns made by different agencies that have their own original thoughts and ideas.  One specific ad that automatically caught my attention was Microsoft.  The title was, “Microsoft: Always Beautiful”, which I thought was a great brief and insightful way to attract someone to look further into what the ad was about.  It is promoting the new features of Microsoft’s IE9 Beta.  The picture is simple with gray-toned colors of different shapes.  The agency is called Big Spaceship, and you can see a connection with the agency and the picture that was created.  It states that Always Beautiful is “an art-driven interactive experience that allows users to create one-of-a-kind visual pieces out of an archive of web-inspired imagery, set to a soundtrack from recording artist Ming” (http://creativity-online.com/work/microsoft-always-beautiful/21600).  This is one of many eye-catching ads on the website to help promote agencies whose goal is to develop creative ads and campaigns for companies.

What are the good things that advertising does for you and for society?

I think that advertising is great because what better way than getting a message or product across then to make it funny or adventurous.  Advertisers think of ways to get their point across by making their commercial or ad jump out at you so you will keep watching it.  They do not want to make you fall asleep while trying to convey their message.  First off for me I enjoy watching advertisements that are creative and mostly funny in my opinion.  Everyone likes a good laugh and what better way to get people on board then to make them laugh.  If you have a dull advertisement people will think that your product is dull as well.  I believe that others also like to watch how advertisers create their ads to get people to listen and enjoy watching them as long as they do not put you to sleep.  Ads can also be informative and let you know something you may not have previously known.  For the most part I think that are good for me and the rest of society because they are no harming anyone in any matter.  Some commercials you see are about harmful stuff, for example cigarettes.  This can help people significantly because when they see what they actually due to you people may be convinced to stop.  Most of those commercials show the horrible things that happen and are very graphic.  This may be disgusting to watch, but then again it is the truth and that is what advertisers are trying to get across in that specific ad.  So for the most part advertising is good for society and is informative, whether it is a product they are coming out with or a message that they want you to listen to advertising is helpful.

What target markets do you belong to, and how do advertisers reach each of your aspects?

I think that I personally belong to several different target markets, but if I had to pick one I would say the technological market suits me best.  I chose this market because I am very advanced with new technology that comes out since I do not like letting my self fall behind the times.  In today’s society it is extremely hard to keep up with all the new technological advances that are coming out, but I try my best.  Another target market that I fall into can be media and culture because I always like to know w hat is going on, whether it have to do with athletes or famous people.  I try to keep on top of everyday things that change not just significant changes that happen every so often. I believe that advertisers just recently started targeting college students for certain markets because they see that we are trend setters and pass along things quickly.  That is what they want to get their message across quickly and efficiently.  Advertisers know that by targeting students their message will get across and spread vastly throughout their college campuses.  The target markets are chosen very carefully because obviously you are not going to target a 75 year old woman for professional football that is not good advertising.   Advertisers carefully choose target markets and it takes a lot of research to help target a specific group for their message or new product.  I also think that most peoples are not subsidized to one specific market and many are targeted by multiple markets because different things interest different people.

If the conventional network TV model is in fact dying, what do you think should replace it?

If the conventional TV model is dying, I feel as they are to blame themselves because of the same old stuff being played.  The TV networks know that as the years go on change is coming and they have to change with the age.  No one wants t see the same reruns or the same people over and over.  It is something people just do not want and television networks are responsible to satisfy their customers.  The television age is slowly declining until a hit series that will spark the interest of users once again.  A great example is the HBO series Sopranos because before this hit series was out in the early 2000’s TV was slowly declining.  This attracted those from different backgrounds not just conventional TV network viewers.  I think if conventional TV should happen to die we now have on demand which should overthrow the old system.  This new technology allows us to watch what we want when we want which is what everyone wants.  The new technology should be something similar to the old model just with a better spin off so those who want more and want something specific can have that.  Something that came out and failed was interactive TV.  The new technology that we have today seems to be doing the job and has no complaints because we watch what we want and also have the option to leave regular programming on.  The conventional TV model is not completely dying, but I feel as if it is on its way out.

Fox Channels Blocked in Dish Network Dispute

In my article titled “Fox Channels Blocked in Dish Network Dispute” the two duels over a new contract.  As a consequence of the two disagreeing Dish network customers woke up Friday October 1^st only to find that FX, National Geographic Channel and Fox’s regional sports networks had disappeared.  The two companies say that neither one are the cause for the channels disappearing and blaming on another for the disagreement.   The customers are estimated at 14 million for Dish and just think of how they feel with the loss of popular channels.  If Dish network does not come to peace soon with Fox it can be a major fault for their company because many popular channels will be removed.  This will include all channels that fox owns as well as various sports channels.    Fox has 19 regional sports channels which many will be unsatisfied if removed, but Dish agreed to give customers the NFL network and others to compensate for their loss.  The Dish network claims that Fox wanted an amount that was unreasonable and not to their liking.  The two are going to keep disputing until they come to a reasonable agreement where both parties will benefit.  As of now the two have websites set up helping support their respected companies.  The television business can be tough when negotiating new TV contracts and here is a great example of why it is complicated to make everyone happy in the business world.  Both parties in my opinion will come to a common ground where they can both be satisfied as well as the customers of the Dish network. 

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/fox-sports-channels-blocked-in-dish-network-dispute/#more-45347