Labs

=**Lab 11**= Web 3.0 is the semantic web; where the information and services are defined through tags and links, making it possible for the web to give users the desired results. Through the use of tags, the computer is able to search for content and give us our desired results. The web becomes an actual 'thinking' medium as opposed to a passive one as it is right now.

Twine is basically an information manager where users can collaborate and share information with other users. The fact that Twine incorporates tags and links for their information makes it relevant to the Web 3.0 when it comes to gathering data. The site is designed to connect users through how its content is organized and collected. =**Lab 10**= My social networking site has great visibility due to these reasons: - implementation of Twitter, YouTube and Flickr apps - I shared my website link to other social network sites - addition of bookmark tools on top of articles so exposure can be spread through Digg.com and other sites

=**Lab 9**= Wikipedia is a website that relies on the input of the user for the creation of its web pages and articles. The site thrives on users collaborating with one another -offering their knowledge to a specific article of their liking - and through this collaboration of knowledge comes out insightful articles of any subject matter ever known to mankind. Wikipedia is a encyclopedia for artists, athletes, events, and much more. In terms of transparency, there is a constant update cycle for the site as users can literally edit an article at any time. You would think a site that relies very much on its users will possess a myriad of site problems, but for Wikipedia that is simply not the case. While everyone can edit an article in Wikipedia, the site relies on a sort of editing hierarchy where a user is ranked (in terms of how good they are in handing out information) determines whether or not he can edit popular pages on the site. This system helps Wikipedia avoid in one instance - a malicious person in trying to bad mouth a celebrity's wiki page.

Wikipedia is one of the web's thriving sites due to its leniency and freedom given to its users. Fresh, updated content that has no real update cycle are just one of the reasons why users keep flocking back to the site.

Yahoo Answers is a similar site in the sense that it completely relies on its users to generate content. The way the site works is one user submits a question, and other users will do their best to answer that question. The user that submits the question, gets to rate the best answer out of all of the ones submitted and so while there might be many answers - the best one will be rated the highest and the others will be pushed all the way to the bottom. In terms of transparency, the site always generates new questions on a daily basis and this is further evident by the type of questions asked (questions referring to recent events or material).

=**Lab 6**= Archie Comics, published year 2009.

- The comic is shown through the conventional panels (self contained strip format) - use of black linework - easy to read (left to right) and with the use of minimal panels - contains the punch line within the end of the strip - use of gutter to show passing of time (sequentiality)

= = =**Lab 5**=

I believe that conventional means of mass media advertising can translate into Second Life, if they haven't done so already. Just as Second Life acts as an extension of people's lives, users in SL mimick real world activities and by doing so are exposed to 'in-game' advertising. For example, one can log into SL and turn on the television.. in order to show an accurate depiction of watching television, the developers brought in advertisements from real life sponsors such as Coke, Pepsi, etc. to act as the commercials in the television.

Basically in short, mass media advertising is required for an accurate depiction of life. Without advertisements, the world of SL would feel hollow and primitive. This is why SL makes a great advertising tool because most of the game is open ended to the user and thus they control how a particular product is being promoted by the way they interact with it in the game.

=**Lab 4**=

I agree with McLuhan on the fact that comics are extensions of photographic media. Comics are basically pictures with text attached to them. Unlike photographs however, the text is used to dictate ideas brought on by the characters and to narrate/tell the story while as photographs are not dictated by text but are open-ended in nature. Anyone can form their opinion and ideas by looking at a certain picture, and these ideas can vary from one person to the other, while as in comics - the text acts as some sort of guide and dictates what type of information the viewer consumes. Texts may still be considered arbitrary, but in my opinion they still hold some sort of meaning because readers will still form meanings out of the texts within the comic book in the form of speech, thought bubbles, etc.

=**Lab 2**=

//Can video games be considered another new mass media? What makes video games a different medium from conventional movies and music? Why are video games catching on?//

Video games can be considered another new mass media, in fact in some circles they already are fitted in that category. Video games much like film and music have the ability to reach out to a mass audience. Video game consoles sales alone are a testament to this statement especially for Nintendo's next-gen console the "Wii" (selling close to 51 million consoles worldwide). Their ability to reach out to wide array of audiences can be a testament to the different game genres from platform, sports, racing and puzzle. Not only that but within some of these game genres (MMORPGs for example) gamers have the ability to create societies in the form of clans, and create a diverse social network within their games. Video games have definitely become another medium for mass media.

Video games are a different medium compared to film and music in that the audience not only consumes the material, but they also participate in the actual process. In some open-ended games, they actually give gamers the choice of how they want the story to unfold. Video games are a much more laid back form of mass media in the sense that gamers control the pace of the game (they can run to their destination or simply walk while admiring the scenery and graphics)

Video games are catching on because they enable us consumers to partake in the product head on. We get to live in this virtual reality world where we control our very actions. In films and music, we are simply consumers - nothing less. But in video games we are able to control everything with a click of our mouse, with a touch of a button, and it is this power that draws most if not all of us consumers to this special medium.