The last post talked about blogging and tweeting which consists for the most part of text. This post will cover ways of receiving information through audio and video formats exclusively. Audio
Ricky Gervais Podcast is a comedy starring Ricky, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. This show is famous having a world record as the number one podcast in the world in 2007. Ricky and Steve are actors while Karl is a gem found by the two while working at Xfm. Karl is hilarious and thinks in a very unique way. He rarely intends to be funny and in fact is rather serious, but the things he says are hilariously just mind blowing and something you would never think anyone would ever say. He almost thinks like a child in some ways. The podcasts take the listener on a journey covering many, many topics and discussing Karl's views on them, stimulated by viewers, Ricky, and Steve. The success of the series is demonstrated as there have been cartoon versions of the recordings released on tv, as well as books made available by Karl. If you are looking for a laugh, this podcast will not disappoint!
Mark Driscoll is a pastor of a mega church called Mars Hill. He puts his weekly sermons up on podcast which is very useful and extends his church to others who would otherwise never be able to hear him preach or those who miss a church on Sunday. Mark displays the image of a hip, young pastor and is up with the latest technology twittering and facebooking. He tries to understand our current culture and to incorporate his Christian beliefs in helping people see why the bible is still relevant in our culture today, pointing out that many issues we face were faced in biblical times as well. Mark is interesting because he is very modern in his practices, yet he still remains true to his beliefs.
Podcasts are great because of their convenience. Using iTunes, an individual can search podcasts in a variety of categories all across the world. Podcasts can be downloaded individually or they can be subscribed. When subscribed, new podcasts will automatically be download, and individuals can have them automatically synched to their iPod. This convenience is great. Individuals can subscribe for the podcasts they like and they will automatically be placed on their iPod for viewing. I have listened to the podcasts above before this blog post and really enjoy the convenience of having new ones that have not been listened to yet automatically placed on my iPod. This is great for listening to while driving to school, on the bus, relaxing, working, or jogging. It is almost like a radio show, except for you get to choose what you are hearing.
Podcasting provides an audio file, which is arguably more portable as you don't need to use a screen or anything and can be doing something else while listening to them. I would say it is worse in the sense that it cannot contain pictures and may not be concise, some podcasts may be long and individuals may only want information quick and concise. Podcasting is not as easy of a tool to share your own as blogging or twittering. An individual will have to record their voice and possibly use editing software to edit it, and podcasts are not as popular as these other methods. This means however that podcasts are often more professional, and edited as is necessary for becoming popular. Magazines and newspapers can provide pictures, but podcasts are good as news and information sources as they can provide eye-witness or expert interviews in audio and individuals can subscribe to types of news that interests them.
Audiobooks are good for individuals who have trouble reading or are deaf, as well as those who don't want to have to sit down to read a book. People can take the books with them conveniently in audio format and listen to it read to them as they walk or drive, etc. similar to podcasts. Also being in audio format there could be different readers for different characters and emotion could come out in their speech, helping to bring the books to life. Negatives are that the readers of audiobooks read at a certain pace, and may be too fast or slow for a reader to keep up or too slow. Also, if they are too slow it is harder for an individual to go back and listen to it again at the exact spot they left off. Audio books are good because they save paper and are cheaper than buying books, but they also have the potential to be copied and given to other individuals illegally which is not as easy as doing with physical books.
Redbull sponsors many extreme sports events to try and show off that redbull "gives you wings." In this video podcast series, basically, it shows individuals diving at various locations all across the world competitively and for fun from high heights and doing air acrobatics on their way down.
DiveFilm is a video podcasts, in high definition. It offers divers videos recorded underneath the ocean of underwater animals and plants. The best part of these videos is the quality. With an iPad, individuals can save these videos on their device in high quality, they could also be viewed on one's computer.
An example of a youtube video
Personally in terms of vidcasts, I much prefer using Google Video or Youtube over iTunes. If an individual wants videos on their portable device which doesn't have wireless capabilities, iTunes for vidcasts could be useful. In terms of those with wireless capabilities or if one is using a computer to view videos, the other two methods are better in my opinion. Both allow the ability to subscribe, upload videos in high definition or standard quality. Youtube and Google Video provide comments directly on individual videos which is not used on iTunes vidcasts. Also, iTunes vidcasts must be downloaded and stored on the computer while Youtube and Google Video can be streamed and more easily embedded into websites and shared on social networking sites. Youtube and Google Video is not as easy downloaded to store or put on another device but it is possible. Also, there are far more videos on Youtube and Google Video, and statistics on videos. This is a great alternative to watching television as individuals can choose for themselves what they would like to watch, and easily search many videos posted by anyone.
This method is different than blogging. Blogging allows more text based information, and video blogs and videos can allow emotions to be present and the point to get across in different ways. It also can bring more of a relationship between the viewers and the person blogging. In some situations individuals would prefer to watch something take place rather than just read about it in other sources of media. Youtube is far better than magazines, newspapers or television as individuals can upload videos from their point of view, whether as a commentator on a subject or of an event they witnessed. At the same time, people can upload videos from companies and sources of information that are more trusted or directly from the television as well.
Blogging has changed the world and will continue to do so. Blogging allows information to be posted, whether anonymously or with proper authorship, with far more freedom than other sources of media. Rather than having to be filtered through certain lenses, or appealing to certain types of people, blogs allow people to write whatever they like. Rather than having some sort of bias through a media source, they show a more personal perspective. As well, it is a free source. Blogs have the potential to help businesses, music groups, celebrities, etc. to share information. Blogs also allow creativity, through changing font color, size, pictures, videos, links, other means of formatting and even the ability to add HTML. Blogging allows any individual to become a source of information for the whole world wide web. It allows the ability to add certain labels and be searched for through search engines. It also allows individuals to save drafts, publish, and make changes they feel necessary. Some blogs even include spell checkers. The downfall to blogging is that all information may not be legitimate, and on the internet bloggers could even pose to be individuals they are not.
Blogger
Blogger from what I have saw so far is very useful, allowing comments, many formatting choices, the ability to add gadgets to a blog. Also the ability to follow other blogs, have followers, and to use a Google account is very useful. HTML editing allows nearly absolute freedom to the blogger. Blogging also allows posting by email or mobile phone. It allows a personal profile for each blogger or follower. It also allows the option to moderate comments which are posted.
Here are three examples of blogs on the internet (click titles for a link):
Fail Blog is essentially a blog full of videos and pictures of ridiculous, embarrassing events that no one would want to happen to them and are out of the ordinary. The video above gives an example of a fail, a car that is supposed to provide safety ends up causing an accident on a track. The blog is intended for laughs. It gives individuals the ability to upload their own "fails" as well as the ability to rate "fails" and add them to their favorites under a Cheezburger account. Also featured is the ability to subscribe for "fails" by email, or RSS feed, search fails, find a random fail, or look at fails in the hall of fame.
Lifehacker is mainly a technology blog. A variety of bloggers write articles on Lifehacker concerning various tips and tricks for computers or just time-saving ideas in general. Blogs are either general or can fall into the category of mac, windows or linux. Additionally, viewers can share information with the editors of the site. All posts include tags which makes it easy to search for and find posts that appeal to different needs and items. All posts can be commented on and rated as a post that you found useful. Posts can be tweeted, shared on facebook, emailed, or submitted to digg. Also, updates can be sent through email. The site is very useful for individuals looking for ways to make something work better, just interested in the latest technology, or for those that have information of their own to share.
Dummie Funnies is hosted on blogspot. It is a political satire/comedy blog. The blog is run anonymously by an individual who calls themself "PJ-Comix." The blogger mainly picks on democrats in the U.S. in their blog. In their posts, they explain some background on the post and their feelings on an issue. Then a scenario is played out between individuals in satire of an event or issue, where they explains what they feel is really occurring in politics. This blog is good for either those who are right-wing and follow American politics that want a laugh or see their perspective, or those who are more left-wing and might want to comment in the posts about their own views on the satire.
Twitter Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging site where individuals can post 140 character limited tweets. Though this may sound limiting, it allows concise updates to events that are occurring, little thoughts, and allows individuals to tweet a reply to another user. As well pictures can be shared through a partner site, Twitpic, and links can be posted and shortened through bit.ly. Twitter also allows individuals to follow other users or be followed by others to be updated on each others tweets. Additionally, users have the ability to change the background of their pages, install widgets to put updates on other sites, and create a live stream to view tweets with a certain tag. Users can also update twitter from other sites or text message. Applications also can be used, and individuals can preset tweets to send at certain times while they are away. Many celebrities use twitter to update fans of their activities, and companies also use it to advertise. The site is useful for finding information on a current event and was even used by individuals to send quick updates during the Haiti earthquake to let people know where help was needed. Posts can be private to only those approved of or public to the whole world.
Blog or Tweet? Blogging and tweeting both seem to have disadvantages and advantages. Both can be useful for finding out information from a non-traditional source of media. The biggest difference of the two methods of communication is content. Twitter is more limited in content, but this is intentional so that people will write tweets that are to-the-point and concise. They can only contain text, but this allows links to other sites and other content. Twitter is easier to follow because it revolves around one site, and allows real-time updates on an unlimited amount of tags. Also, many different tweets from different individuals that are being followed can be updated real-time on one page. RSS feeds can update individuals on blogs, but twitter allows a central location for all tweets. Blogging is more complex, it is not concise and to-the-point as often. It appears to be more in-depth than twitter and better for those who want more content in their posts and descriptions of information they are seeking. Blogging allows more perspective in posts and more creativity. It seems blogging is intended to be a bit more formal than twitter, with editing, publishing, saving drafts and having so many formatting options. Twitter is more relaxed, and easier to just send a quick update. Both have their advantages and they can in fact tie together. Tweeting may be useful for updating followers when a blog has a new post, and someone who finds a person's blog or twitter interesting may want to check out to see the individual's more complex and thought out thoughts, or more concise updates or information. Whether an individual uses tweeting or blogging for sharing and receiving information depends on what type of information they are interested in.
Ricky Gervais Podcast is a comedy starring Ricky, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. This show is famous having a world record as the number one podcast in the world in 2007. Ricky and Steve are actors while Karl is a gem found by the two while working at Xfm. Karl is hilarious and thinks in a very unique way. He rarely intends to be funny and in fact is rather serious, but the things he says are hilariously just mind blowing and something you would never think anyone would ever say. He almost thinks like a child in some ways. The podcasts take the listener on a journey covering many, many topics and discussing Karl's views on them, stimulated by viewers, Ricky, and Steve. The success of the series is demonstrated as there have been cartoon versions of the recordings released on tv, as well as books made available by Karl. If you are looking for a laugh, this podcast will not disappoint!
Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 
