Week 8 - Spot.us

I think Spot.us is a really great example of the new opportunities available in journalism now. I like the idea of community funded journalism as a way for individuals to directly choose the type of news they want to receive. Most people can choose whatever venue they like best to receive their news from, but they really don't have any say on what gets published or covered. Spot.us gives readers the option to support their newspaper and see that their money is going to exactly what stories they are going to want to read.

I also like the fact that David Cohn and Spot.us uses freelance writers, including high school students, to produce news on all different topics. I believe that high school students, or any other good journalist, can produce an interesting and sophisticated article that functions as well as and article from high status reporters for the New York Times or other newspapers. I think freelance writers are a really valuable asset to Spot.us because their news is coming from several different people of diverse ages and backgrounds, producing more well-rounded news that will be applicable to a larger demographic.

Week 7 - The Recording Industry

The recording industry definitely isn't what it used to be to new artists. It used to be that recording artists needed a major record label to gain any fame or money from their music. The Internet has revolutionized what it means to be a musical artist just as it has changed any other form of media including TV, radio, newspapers, and books.

I'm not convinced that it's a negative thing that artists don't need the help of major record labels. Recording companies are in the business because they make enormous amounts of money off of the talent of others. As an artist, I wouldn't want to be dependent and indebted to people that are really only concerned with how much money I am going to make them. And now, it's becoming more and more common for artists to take a more independent route with their musical careers. The Internet is the greatest resource available to them because it gives the potential to reach millions of people for not a lot of money.

I think record labels are definitely moving in the wrong direction by always playing it safe and only signing artists that fall into the category that everyone will love. I get really bored of the same pop music on the radio and the same song format for everything. That's the reason why I don't listen to the radio very often. I can find more interesting and different music by searching on iTunes or the Internet or other sources for new songs and artists to listen to. New artists would be crazy not to utilize the Internet as their main source of publicity.

Week 6 - Ohhh, Facebook.

I think our society has been putting Facebook on a pedestal for some time now and the pedestal is being built up higher every day. The time we spend on Facebook collectively is truly excessive. No, we don't need to know what our friends ate for lunch or that they found out their name is super sexy! on the How Sexy is Your Name? quiz. We don't need to flip through hundreds of pictures of our semi-acquaintances. But the truth is, we like to. In fact, we're somewhat addicted to it.

Addiction might be too strong of a word though. I know that I check my Facebook a few times in a day when I have a spare minute. I believe that I could stop using Facebook altogether if I wanted to, or had to, without suffering any permanent damage.

Facebook is just like any other form of technology in the sense that it has its advantages and disadvantages. It's an advantage to stay in touch conveniently with friends and family all over the country and the world. It's a disadvantage to learn more about people than you wanted to via their Facebook page. I don't believe that Facebook is dramatically changing how society interacts. I'm sure there are some people who would rather stay in on a Friday night and Facebook stalk all the people who are out having fun. But I don't think Facebook is making us anti-social. Social networks are handy on many levels: personal, social, and business-related. Of course Facebook is going to cause some problems for some people. I think the good outweighs the bad for Facebook though.

Week 5 - Blog Police

The article I read was very interesting with its concerns of the freedom of iternet blogging in Algeria. I believe that blogs fall under the First Amendment rights of the Constitution with regards to freedom of speech. The idea of an internet police monitoring blogs in the United States is pretty ridiculous to me. I believe that blogs should not be used as a platform for cyberterrorism, but at this point in time, I think an internet police force is not necessary. Blogs are becoming more and more popular, but I they still are not as effective as mainstream news for starting social revolutions criticizing government and politics.

Blogs are not as sophisticated as print published media sources, and not as reliable as far as facts or news events because most are just opinion blogs from a single individual. A blogger has to work amazingly hard to gain the same type of credibility that a journalist is automatically given when they write for publications such as the New York Times. However, blogs are a very important part of society and democracy because they are an outlet for the opinions of individuals which are valued in the United States compared to countries such as Algeria.