Celine C.

Do take a look at my recent blog post on Online Hypertext Lecture to get a better idea of what I’m learning in Networked Media. In this post, I jot down notes from a video recording of a lecture that has been posted online. I also bring in my own example to better illustrate what I’ve understand from the lecture.

A few problems that I’ve encountered when blogging:
Some of my blog posts are not ‘bloggy’ enough in a sense that they either do not contain enough links, images or other medias. For example, ‘Blogging by Jill Walker’, this is a post where I jot down notes from a book reference for the previous individual essay.
On the other hand, some blogs have very little or no relation to course materials. For example, ‘Pawpaws’, in this post I wrote about my love for this Aussie tropical fruit which is not available in my home country.

It is interesting how this week’s lecture is conducted online in the form of a downloadable video recording. This only reinforces the video’s title – Online Hypertext Lecture, as we would most commonly relate Hypertext to the World Wide Web. Hence, watching a video on the Internet that discusses about Internet is most reasonable. The video was made available as a link on Seth’s blog, which takes us to the actual video upload on the rmit networked media webpage.

I now make an effort to provide a link to a topic that I’m discussing on to further enhance my blogging experience, which makes blog posts more informative for my readers and my own future reference. Providing a link to Seth’s blog as above, I’m trackbacking his blog and he will receive a pingback as a notification that his blog has been linked to.

In the online video, the lecturer, Miles talks about:
Dialogue – We engage and understand medias as they are, for example, we watch a horror films and categorize it as a horror film because we are being informed of what defines a horror film through a ‘dialogue’ with previous horror films that we have seen before.
Multiplicity of voices – Miles emphasize that we don’t only have one voice. We all have different way of speaking when we converse with different people in our lives, for example, friends, teachers and parents. He states that in blogs, we can use a variety of voices as we blog about different topics. For example, a more academic post will be written more formal manner.
Hypertext – Miles: “It’s digital; so it’s computer and computational, multi-linear reading and writing system.” He says that Hypertext in some way or other be related to online media. He says an author cannot write about Hypertext and publish it as a book. In comparison with printed media, Miles states that “there is no page 2 in a Hypertext” as there are multiple ideas engaged with one topic at one time.
Links and Distance- An edit in a film or song is like a link in Hypertext. Two shots in one film as compared to two links in a hypertext is equally far apart from each other that is brought together to make sense.
Moments of Risk – When we click on a link, we don’t know where we will be brought to. Therefore, there is a set of rules has been set, a web homepage has to be titled ‘Home’ so we know where will are going.
Repetition – It is vital to restate a point made in a hypertext to explore the other possible choices – links, that readers can be taken to. This helps to present the reader with multiple viewpoints and be given the opportunity to choice their decide on the best choice based on the different interpretation of each individual.

Explore these questions: What happens if there is no beginning, middle or end? How will links change the way you structure your essay?

If a print essay does not have any one of the following beginning, middle or end, it would most likely make very little sense to the reader. But if we were to place links within the essay, it will not only bring up new ideas within the topic that is discussed but also make the essay more comprehensible. As Miles state that there is no last page on the internet, the number of links to a hypertext is infinite. One idea can be linked to another idea and so forth. Links will allow us to structure an essay with less emphasis on the arrangement of information. When readers browse through the variety of ideas presented, they will be able to bring all the ideas together and make sense out of it. We can add images in the hypertext essay to further reinforce our statements and keep the readers. Links can take an essay to any direction.

I’m going to use a Volkwagon advertisement to illustrate how a film edit is like a link in a hypertext that helps make a media comprehensible.

“Best Volkwagen Commercial – VW “Robbie Williams” Classics, YouTube.

In the video, we see girls screaming and running frantically after a Volkswagen car but we have no idea why. We are shown a small portion of the driver’s appearance but still have no idea what’s going on. However, we finally make sense when towards the end of the advertisement, the film cuts to a billboard advertisement with Robbie Williams endorsing Volkswagen, photographed next to a car that looks exactly like the one we see in the previous shots. We finally gather that the girls are running after the car because they thought they saw Robbie Williams.

As I have stated above, links in hypertext essays will help readers better comprehend the ideas that we are presenting as it serves as a link between ideas.

In the Networked Media lab today, we are told that internal and external links are required to be incorporated in the upcoming blog skills test.

an example of an internal link:

In ‘Song Cover’, I included a link to youtube video of a cover of my favourite Bruno Mars’ song.

an example of an external link:

In Wikipedia, song covers are defined as “a new performance of a previously recorded song”.

We are also required to tag and categorize all the blogs that we have written so far in order to archive the blog posts. We are encouraged to add more new categories.

This is all because we will need to include a tag and category widget to our blogs.

We are also required to include network badges to make our blogs more ‘bloggy’ or more connected to the network. One of the ways to do this is to link it to our facebook account, delicious, etc. To do this, go to widgets, add a ‘text’ widget and drop the javascript there. It functions to ‘feed’ the blog.

Also, we are to add link categories. Prior to this, we are to add new categories (not categories for blogs post), and we are able to add people’s blog into these categories.

Both of these blog features are to help link two websites. I’m still pretty confused on which meant which. One of it notifies the person who’s being linked and commented on the author’s own blog. I think it’s trackback? More information on Trackbacks and Pingbacks here.

I’m currently doing my research on blogs and links and have been reading Jill Walker’s Blogging:Digital Media and Society Series

In Chapter one, she gives readers a brief idea of what Blogging is. Below are some notes:
• Blogs are defined as entries that are regularly updated
• Personal home pages are forerunners to weblogs
• Unlike blogs, web pages are published even before the creator has completed building it.
• Justin Hall is the first diarist (the next closest thing to a blogger in 1994). One of Justin’s 1996 diary entry
• Some of Justin’s diary pages are organized chronologically. Some by categories.
• Justin hand coded his diary entries and only started using blogging softwares in 2003.
• in the early 1990s, weblog had a different definition. It was used by web administrators to refer to the number of visitors.
• Jorn Barger named his web site Robot Wisdom: A weblog by Jorn Barger. It was the first time the word ‘weblog’ is used in this sense.
• Blogs in the past did not contain much text. Only links with little or no commentary. Look at Jorn Barger’s older 2000 entry

As Seth has advised not to include class attendance in the 6 criteria, this is an updated version of my 6 criteria.

6 Criterias:

1. I will perform research across a variety of mediums in order to complete the individual essay.
2. I will make a minimum of 3 blog posts each week to keep track of lecture notes and new ideas.
3. I will practice close reading skills over a variety of reading materials including and excluding class materials to help contribute in completing the group hypertext essay.
4. I will utilize the learning web links provided in the Networked Media blog to help me better understand HTML coding.
5. I will ensure that my group members and I have good communication to ensure a smooth and efficient group collaboration.
6. I will not hesitate to raise my hand and ask questions in class in the event I face difficulties in class activities.