Let’s Shop Interactively!
February 6, 2010
To fellow shoppers and anyone in or interested in advertising…
While reading about interactive media I stumbled upon a more interactive way to shop online. What if you could see the product on a person and watch how the clothing changes with movement (including the movement of dancing to music)? Check out this youtube clip that shows how Wrangler can use drag video functions so that visitors can see the clothes on a person, make the person move, or remove, unzip, and button up their products.
Great Interactive Media Idea: The Touch Screen
February 6, 2010
As digital interactivity has changed many aspects of how we do things in our daily lives, I have found one creation that I wish I had come up with first.
The touch screen has changed the way we use computers, phones, are exposed to advertisements and even how we teach our children. It has become considered the epitome of convenience as well as technological advancement.
Take, for instance, the phone as an example. Our cellular phones were great portable means of communicating but now they are much more. They are basically a computer that keeps our schedules, communicates beyond the normal voice to voice by utilizing e-mail or texting, and supplies us with Internet access, games, music or even GPS navigation.
What’s the most popular phone today that have these capabilities? The Apple iPhone that comes complete with…you guessed it, a touch screen.
One of the most exciting TED conferences of 2006 was actually the reveal of Jeff Han’s high-resolution multi-touch sensing touch screen and his statement of “there is no reason in this day in age where we should be conforming to a physical device…we have so much technology now a days that these interfaces should be conforming to us.”
To view the conference, go to: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jeff_han_demos_his_breakthrough_touchscreen.html
Why was this such a good idea? The touch screen is considered convenient because, as Jeff Han states, it conforms to us and allows us to accomplish what we want with the swipe or movement of a finger…and what is simpler then that?
links for 2009-12-11
December 11, 2009
Tweeting Your Feelings
November 21, 2009
When Courtney Love becomes a headliner for a section in CNN, many of us being to wonder where journalism is going these days; however this article asks a pretty interesting and valid question. Can the law keep up with technology?
Taking her frustration out on Twitter, Courtney Love has been accused of posting derogatory and false comments about a clothing designer after arguing over the prices of some items. Due to her tweets, she is now being sued for libel.
This story doesn’t sound too unfamiliar to us. Consider the situation between Amanda Bonnen and her landlord when she tweeted about mold in her apartment. Once the reality company found out what was said, they sued her for libel and seeked $50,000 in damages.
Although social media networks aren’t considered the most credible sources sometimes, it is definitely showing signs of impact on other’s reputation. With this in mind, I believe laws might begin to form for these types of sites eventually, especially since there have been several issues with the networking sites already.
This made me wonder: would the creation of a social media law infringe too much on our freedom of speech?
For Your Entertainment
November 18, 2009
While going through some of my bookmarked sites, I discovered a common thread. Interestingly enough, many of these are either interactive sites or webpages where the public has been the main creators of the content (they have also been saved purely for entertainment purposes). These are considered some of the most popular and most viewed websites today.
This shows exactly how powerful interactive formats and content created by the public can influence the sites traffic and interest. The focus on having an entertaining site is also a huge factor in whether or not people decided to participate or follow them.
Post Secret
Go Fug Yourself: Because Fugly Is The New Pretty
Exploding Dog
Graph Jam
A Softer World
texts from last night
Fail Blog
FMyLife
Awkward Family Photos
My Life Is Average
Chrome Experiments
Ugliest Tattoos
Etsy
Threadless
Banksy
You Should Have Seen This
Poster Boy
This is Photobomb
Passive Aggressive Notes
1000 Awesome Things
The Recyclable Paper Laptop
November 9, 2009
When I first came to Elon University for undergrad, I got a brand new Mac laptop with all the bells and whistles. Unfortunately, after four years of use my computer was considered ancient in technology years; so upon entering graduate school, I got the new MacBook Pro and several new programs. These will probably be out of date within a matter of years, like all the others I’ve had, and end up being hand-me-downs or waste.
Since thousands of people experience this every 2 to 4 years, and it’s becoming quite expensive if you ask me, designer Je Sung Parker of Yanko Design created a more eco-friendly and low costing alternative.
The Recyclable Paper Laptop looks almost exactly like any other laptop except for its cardboard like exterior. Instead of metals and plastic, the computer is made up of paper and pulp materials that can be recycled. The laptop also boasts a piece that props the computer up on the person’s knee for easier use.
The laptop itself contains a blue screen, bio chip and keyboard parts all similar to any other. Now you can purchase a computer for a much lower price and get rid of it in a more environmentally friendly manner. It’s not such a big deal anymore if your computer is out of date because it doesn’t cost much to get a newer one that doesn’t create a build up of harmful waste.
To learn more about the recyclable paper laptop visit DVICE
The Architectural Columns of the Internet
November 6, 2009
More recently, our class was asked to split into groups and form a visualization that depicted an overarching concept of interactive media and the World Wide Web.
Although most of us had thought of similar general concepts, such as choice and control or design and function, our group focused on one aspect that we feel was of high importance.
Value is a huge factor and large portion of the Internet’s foundation. Any type of prosumer will not visit a website or even go onto the Internet if it wasn’t considered valuable. This idea can be tied into the communication theory of uses and gratification.
The following layout describes, in depth, the details of our visualization that portrays the importance of value and its connection to interactive media.
Visualization – Architectural Columns
The six different types of prosumers: Creators, Collectors, Joiners, Spectators, Critics and Inactives, are structurally important when it comes to the architecture of the Internet. We felt that they uphold and formed the value of the content that is presented online.
To visually depict this, there are six columns that are each labeled as one of the prosumer types. These columns then connect and support the top of the structure (or triangle) that would be labeled as Value. The space or section between the columns and triangle will contain overarching concepts that relate to that particular prosumer.
For example:
Creators (Column) and its relation to the Value (Triangle)
- Content is determined by the creator
- Usability, Design and Function – determined in part by creators
- Control – making content, crafting presentation
Joiners (Column) and its relation to Value (Triangle)
- Content is seen as something to bookmark or be a part of
- Connectivity- they want to be a part of it
- Choice- decided to join
Critics (Column) and its relation to the Value (Triangle)
- Feedback- to make it more valuable
- Choice – decide to voice opinion, participate in discussion
- Connectivity – feel like contributing to site, part of the content
Collectors (Column) and its relation to the Value (Triangle)
-Quantity over quality – amassing content for value
-Choice – choosing which to “collect”
-Attachment/connection to the pieces by having them in a “collection”
Spectators (column) and its relation to the Value (Triangle)
-Choice – choosing to “watch and learn”
-Time – time spent watching gives value, done passively w/ little effort (doesn’t require large time investment)
-Silent participation – connecting vicariously through others
Inactives (column) and its relation to the Value (Triangle)
-Choice – ultimate choice, choose to reject, not participate at all
-Learning why adds value – why inactive to change to an active prosumer
-Can diminish value if number is too great, not enough “adding value”
| Creators | Joiners | Critics | Collectors | Spectators | Inactives |
| Content | Content | Content(Feedback) | |||
| Choice | Choice | Choice | Choice | Choice | |
| Control | Control over collection (Quantity over quality) | Can negatively impact value | |||
| Connectivity | Connectivity | Connectivity | Connect (vicariously) | ||
| Time | |||||
| Usability, design, function | Learning Why |
Google Analytics and Conversion University
November 4, 2009
During our course today, we were briefly introduced to Google Conversion University. This online tool focuses on analytics and offering companies a sophisticated and easy to understand their current and possible audiences.
This web analytic site, Conversion University, first started in August of 2007 during a time when the market for businesses relying on analytics was small and the sites that offered this same help were considered very complicated or unclear. With these outside factors, Google’s site was seen as a huge improvement.
Google Analytics Executive Brett Crosby stated that the goal of Conversion was to, “increase the level of sophistication for people who are first time users who aren’t web analytics experts by nature, that they can get right in, the data is immediately obvious what to do with it, and then also allow the analysis, the deeper dive guys, who have been there for a while doing this stuff, to refocus their efforts on getting into the product, we’ve added a lot of tools for those guys that do those things, and we’ve taken out some of the things that don’t need to be…that we can automate.”
It has an interface that is easy to use and navigate as well as so many tools available that it provided lots of information and wasn’t dumb down. Any business using this online tool could add reports to the interface, e-mail reports and export items. Other tools that can be utilize through Google Analytics along with the Conversion University include:
Adwords: used to drive more traffic to site
Google Analytics: used to understand ROI and tracking
Website Optimizer: a free tool that is a platform for multivariate testing
Conversion University and all of Google’s analytic tools help companies manipulate and customize their campaigns and websites in order to attract others as well as improve them for their current visitors.
To learn more about Google Analytics and the tools offered you can visit and watch the product tour video on:
http://www.google.com/analytics/
links for 2009-11-03
November 3, 2009
Relationships through technology
November 2, 2009
A lot of people have stated that my generation is losing a certain something in their relationships with others because they communicate through a technological medium; and in some cases that may be true. However, Stefana Broadbent recently gave a speech, which was present on TED, that contrasted these thoughts.
The Internet has connected many people world wide and not only enables intimacy, but has become a norm in our society’s culture. This made me wonder. In the future, will technology be part of the glue that holds them together or strengthens the relationship?
Broadbent explains how she delved deeper into this topic by interviewing several people and the person they talked to the most. These relationships ranged anywhere from close friends and family members to significant others and spouses. These interviews revealed things like:
- A person may have hundreds of friends, but really only keeps in touch and are good friends with a small handful of them.
-Massive communication through texting, IMing, Facebooking, and other Internet and technological forms are being done at 11 am.
- Facebook communication is one of the most popular forms of media used to socialize with others.
- Of all the contacts a person has in their phone, 80% of the calls they make are only to a group of four people.
- It is becoming more and more popular to Skype with family members to feel like they are in the room. Many people, who have relatives that are far away, Skype in the morning or at night to have breakfast or dinner with them.
- Texting acts as little reminders that tell the other person things like “have a good day”
- Today’s children are being taught to understand and utilize these methods of communication due to the growing need to use it in many professions and (when encouraging independence and taking them on trips away from home) helping them learn how to keep in touch while in different locations.
People are constantly using these forms in order to connect with others and the numbers are only growing. Knowing this, how big a part, do you think, will technology and the Internet play in our relationships in the future?
