Screen versus Print Document Design

Discuss briefly with application to document examples, three main considerations of designing (involving layout & writing structures) for the screen versus print documents.

The three main considerations of designing for the Screen Documents versus Print Documents include:-

 

Factor #1 Documents Structure

According to Farkas (2005, p. 10), the print documents primarily through the use of headings to make sure the document is made explicit to the readers. For example, a corporate report may use headings and also sub-heading to describe different divisional statement within the organisation.

A Sample of Corporate Report For Yamana

(Source: Yamana 2011)

On the other hand, Farkas (2005, p.11) further suggested the use of links is the most important means of establishing explicit structure for screen documents. Using this weblog as example, the hyperlink is necessary to show the reference sources of the codification to prevent plagiarism penalised.

 

Factor #2 Documents Layout

Print document is 2-dimensional design, which document is displayed in pages, but substantial interplay between different spreads is rare (Nielsen 1999). Furthermore, Nielsen (1999) also stated that there is a fixed size canvas for each view of design unit. For example, often a big canvas when designing newspapers.

The Layout of Spanish Newspaper

(Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html)

Besides, the screen document is 1-dimensional design (Nielsen 1999). Fundamentally, it is a scrolling experience for the user, as the layout of this weblog. However, there is different ways of scrolling for different users based on their reading experience (Nielsen 1999).


Factor #3 Documents Content

The content of print documents is finalised before the publication (Kardys 2010). It means the layout will rely on a predetermined amount of copy, which is a typical description for newspaper.

However, the content of screen document is ever changing (Kardys 2010). In other words, a solid web design has to be able to accommodate different types and amounts of content.

References

Farkas, DK 2005, ‘Explicit Structure in Print and On-Screen Documents’, Technical Communication Quarterly, vol.14, no.1, pp. 9-30, <http://faculty.washington.edu/farkas/Farkas-ExplicitStructure-TCQ05.pdf>.

Kardys,D 2010, Difference between Print and Web Design, viewed 25 August 2010, <http://www.wsol.com/White_Board/Design_Advice/PrintVsWeb.aspx>.

Nielsen, J 1999, Difference between Print Design and Web Design, viewed 25 August 2010, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>.

New Forms of Media Publishing

Discuss in-depth the newest trends/issues pertaining to one new publishing form and relate to how it has altered communication in a new media ecosystem.

As rapid expansion of the internet in recent years has caused the emergence of new media, which includes online journalism, vlog such as Youtube, Micro Blogging such as Facebook, and Twitter, and Social Networking sites are the latest trends (Thorsten et al. 2010, p.311).

New Media of Communications

(Source: http://www.penn-olson.com/)

According to Sula (2011, p. 2), in the business environment, the social networking, for instance, Facebook has encouraged marketers revamping the marketing strategy from mass orientation to a customised or individualised orientation.

This is because a two-way communication will be built up between the customers and the company through Facebook. By this way, customers are allowed to share their experience, and information will be exchanged in a real time. Thus, customer relationship management has been enhanced, and then allow the company better serves their customer’s needs and wants.

As a consequence of a more effective social connection by the new media, it has caused marketers shift from traditional media such as TV, newspaper, and magazine to a new media trend as their main communicational tool with key customers (Thorsten et al. 2010, p.311).

Therefore, the moving from traditional media to new media has shifted human’s learning process as information receiver from print-based text to multimodal text, which involves the integration of spoken or written language, images, music and sound of communication rather than single mode (written text) of communication (Walsh 2006, p. 24).

Thus via Facebook, the customers are freedom to choose the pathway of communication (by photos, or by written text, or by emotion icon) with the company to make an interaction, but not just get the information from a piece of paper as in the traditional media such as newspaper.

Asus using Facebook as Communication Tool with Customers

(Source: Facebook 2011)

References

Sula, JG 2011, ‘New Media Impact on Society’, viewed 24 August 2011, <http://snl.depaul.edu/writing/New_Media's_Impact_on_Society.pdf>.

Thorsten, et al. 2010, ‘The Impact of New Media on Customer Relationships’, Journal of Service Research, vol. 13, no.3, pp. 311-330, <http://jsr.sagepub.com/content/13/3/311.full.pdf+html>.

Walsh, M 2006, ‘‘The Textual Shift’: Examining the Reading Process with Print, Visual and Multimodal Texts’, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 24-37 <http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=063500573261111;res=IELHSS>.

Explain Briefly Types of Blogging Communities & Methods to Build Blogging Communities. Then, Discuss the Structure of One Blogging Community in Brief.

To define what is a Blogging Community? How do bloggers create a community?

Blood (citied in Branum 2001) defines blogging community as ‘bloggers compiled lists of other blogs that they found interesting and programmers began to develop tools to mechanize the process of frequently updating blogs.’

Thus, in the blogging communities, bloggers can exchange ideas and comments for the purposes of socialise, make friends, etc (AirAsia Pesta Blogging Communities Trip 2009).

As suggested by Webpodge (2007), one of methods to create blogging community is through Drupal. There are several steps to be followed to create a blogging community:-

Step #1 Install Drupal

Step #2 Activate the Blog Module

Step #3 Install TinyMCE WYSISWYG Editor Module

Step #4 Install Image Attach Module

Step #5 Embrace Your Creativity!

Drupal - Powering Millions of Websites and Applications

(Source: Drupal 2011)

Explain Briefly the three types of Blogging Communities. Then, Discuss by Applying onto One Blog Example, the Structure of ONE blogging community from Nancy White’s analysis.

According to White (2006) in her article, there are three main patterns of blogging communities, they are:-

Type #1 Single Blog/Blogger Centric Communities

(Source: White 2006)

This blog is owned by alone owner or organisation. The rules and norms of engagement to maintain the ‘discipline’ of online discussion would be set up by the owner, the central blogger’s control.

In subject matter, conversational topic will be derived from central blogger, while commenters can either giving their response or run away without any controllable to the topic discussion.


Type #2 Central Connecting Topic Communities

(Source: White 2006)

This blogging community formed from a variety of blog’s links into a network system. The network shared a common passion or topic with a particular party or issue identification. There is no single technological platform for topic centric communities.

Global Voices which aggregates blogs from developing countries for the purpose to get attention from the main stream media about the issues in those countries, that I believe is a representative example for topic centric communities. For example, a heated discussion in Global Voices for Malaysia by 2011 is Bersih 2.0 Rally 709.

Global Voice - Citizen Media Stories from Around the World

Source: (Global Voices 2011)

Type #3 Boundaried Communities

(Source: White 2006)

Boundaried communities are collections of blogs, where blog readers hosted on a single site or platform. Typically members are offered the chance to create a blog through register and ‘join’ the community.

References

AirAsia Pesta Blogging Communities Trip 2009, What is A Blogging Community?, viewed 23 August 2011, < http://www.thetraveltart.com/what-is-a-blogging-community/>.

Branum, JM 2001, ‘The Blogging Phenomenon: An Overview and Theoretical Consideration’, Theories of Mass Communication, Southwest Texas State University, <http://www.ajy.net/jmb/blogphenomenon.htm >.

Webpodge, 2007, How to Create a Blog Community Website with Drupal, viewed 23 August 2011, <http://webpodge.com/2007/03/02/how-to-create-a-blog-community-website-with-drupal/>.

White, N 2006, Blogs and Community: Launching a New Paradigm for Online Community?, The Knowledge Tree, viewed 24 August 2011, <http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2006/edition-11-editorial/blogs-and-community-%E2%80%93-launching-a-new-paradigm-for-online-community>.

Classification of Blogs & Opinion about the Most Appropriate Classification Approach

As suggested by Belardo (2010), there are five (5) main types of blogs which could be classified as:-

1. Collaborative Blog

2. How to/Tutorial Blog

3. Travel and Cultural Blog

4. Fashion and Lifestyle Blog

5. Personal Blog

Type #1 - Collaborative Blog

The collaborative blog consists of multiple authors. Based on certain theme, resources behind the concept is pull together from several writers.

 

Bit Rebels Consist of Many Different Kinds of Theme Blogs

(Source: http://www.bitrebels.com/)

 

Type #2 – How To/Tutorial Blog

In simple, this is one type of blog about teaching. Information provided by authors in the blog about certain event, e.g. How to build a blog.

Tutorial Blog About Search Engine's Photo Optimisation

(Source: http://tutorialblog.org/)

 

Type #3 – Travel and Cultural Blog

Travel and cultural is the best description for travelling enthusiast. Issue about trips experience, and travel related issues are the focus for this type of blog.

Blog for Latest News and Updates of Culture for Travel

(Source: http://www.culture-4-travel.com/culture-blog.html)

Type #4 – Fashion and lifestyle Blog

The fashion and lifestyle blog is to provide bloggers the latest fashion trends, and one way for them to follow a trend.

Blog for Jinxedaposed Shows Collection in New York

(Source: http://fashiondesignandlifestyle.blogspot.com/)

Type #5 – Personal Blog

Personal blog is about sharing personal experience without business purposes. This is the most common blogs types. According to Technorati (2010), personal blogs consists of 65% and remain the backbone of the blogosphere.

Personal Blog for Sharing Individual Activities,

Thoughts, and Inspirations

(Source: http://willysr.blogspot.com/)

As compared to A Taxonomy of Blogs by Simons (2008), the blogs classification derived from Belardo (2010) is much simple, clear and well partition.

In my opinion, most bloggers are searching for the topics which they are most interested and enthused, for example, a beginner of blogger may search more information about blog creation from How to/Tutorial blog. In the topic context, there is some overlapping in A Taxonomy of Blogs, for example, some contents in News Blog may overlap with latest argument in Pamphleteering Blog.



In a short word, Misty Belardo’s blog classification better in term of topic as compared to A Taxonomy of Blogs by Margaret Simons.

References

 

Belardo, M 2010, The 5 Types of Blogs | Which One Suits You Best?, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.inkrebels.com/insp/the-5-types-of-blogs-which-one-suits-you-best/>.



Simons, M 2008, ‘A Taxonomy of Blogs’, The Media Report, viewed 21 August 2011, <http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2372882.htm#transcript>.

Sobel, J 2010, State of the Blogosphere 2010 Introduction, viewed 21 August 2011, <http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2010-introduction/page-2/>.

 

Blogs as Current Phenomenon & Benefits of Blogging to the Community

What’s the size of current blogosphere?

According to Technorati’s latest report - State of the Blogosphere 2010, the significant growth in number of weblog (English language) is continued. There is an increase from 50 million in 2006 until over 200 million blogs at the start of 2009 (Jim 2010).

Weblog Cumulative: March 2003 to March 2007

(Source: Sifry's Alerts)

However, these numbers change every day, when including non-English blogs in the total number, it is estimated over 1 billion blogs worldwide. This equates to 1 out of every 6 people in the world with a personal weblog (Jim 2010).

What’s the Trend in eg. Middle East, Asia & Malaysia?
In US, according to Technorati (2010), the two most popular social media - Twitter and Facebook still the first choice for most bloggers in their microblogging purposes compared to previous years. However, in 2010, the key trend is the significantly increasing in mobile blogging (tablets and smart phones).

What Types of Blogs are Prevalent in Certain Countries?

In Malaysia, there is a tight control toward press dissemination especially in the aspect of political issue. However, blogging has emerged as a main outlet for political expression by Malaysian citizens due to the prosperity of internet usage in recent years.

According to Ulicny (2011), recently, Malaysian bloggers have become more activate in confronting about the corruption issue within the national government. E.g. a significant event – 709 Bersih Rally is triggered mainly through blogosphere for the political purposes, i.e. Political Blogs.

What are the Benefits of those Prevalent Blogs (As Above) to the Community in Malaysia?

The prevalent of political blogging in Malaysia has created advantages to Malaysian community.

According to Gong (2009, p. 3), blogging is a significant factor which caused Barisan National (BN) lost its two-third majority in parliament in 2008 election.The enhanced opposition parties plus forces of blogging have contributed Malaysia entering into new era with new policy.

The new policy - deliberative democracy promised provides more rights to people in political freedom, dissents and criticism rather than only focuses on the elite deliberation as in old policy of consociational democracy (Azizuddin & Sani 2009).

References

Azizuddin, M & Sani, M 2009, ‘The Emergence of New Politics in Malaysia from Consociational to Deliberative Democracy’, Taiwan Journal of Democracy, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 97-125, <http://www.tfd.org.tw/docs/dj0502/097-126%20Mohd%20Azizuddin.pdf>.

Gong, R 2009, ‘Internet Politics and State Media Control: Candidate Weblogs in Malaysia’ in Political Effects of Blogs in Malaysia, Stanford University, pp. 1-25, <http://www.cprsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/drupal/Rachel%20Gong.pdf>.

Jim 2010, So How Many Blogs Are There, Anyway?, viewed 21 August 2011, <http://www.hattrickassociates.com/2010/02/how_many_blogs_2011_web_content/>.

Sobel, J 2010, State of the Blogosphere 2010 Introduction, viewed 21 August 2011, <http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2010-introduction/>.

Tan, CH 2011, Bersih 709, viewed 20 August 2011, <http://tanchiahui.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/bersih-709/>.

Ulicny, B 2011, ‘Modeling Malaysian Public Opinion by Mining the Malaysian Blogosphere’, VIStology, Inc. Framingham, MA, pp. 1-11, <http://vistology.com/papers/VIS-SBP08%20.pdf>.