I buy DVDs like it's nobody's business. Needless to say, I have a pretty decent collection. But that does not mean that since I already have a pre-existing collection, I don't need to add to it. I have a pretty fast growing horror collection which consists of classics, new horror flicks, and even some remakes...like "Susperia" is a classic, "The Ring" is one of those new horror flicks, and who can forget "House of Wax" the remake (I still stand by it Paris Hilton had the best death scene in the whole movie!). And I have an fast growing Depp (as in Johnny) collection (yes I'm a fan have been since 21 Jump Street...man I'm dating myself here!) that includes classics like "Edward Scissor Hands" "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" to new films like "The Libertine" "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" and "Secret Window".
So what does this have to do with the affiliate site that I signed up with? A lot. I chose to sign up with http://www.amazon.com because it's one of my all time favorite sites. I go on there for almost everything! Especially DVDs. Yes, some of them are a bit overpriced, but some aren't too bad, and actually quite affordable for the broke college student like me. So, being curious, and wanting to build my DVD collection I decided to search for the DVD "The People Under The Stairs." (http://www.amazon.com/People-Under-Stairs-Brandon-Quintin/dp/B0000AOX0D/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8015335-8759168?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1175399486&sr=1-1)
The reason why I chose this movie out of the many that are on my list to buy is because A) it's one of those movies at the top of my list and B) because I wanted to see how much it cost (which is $10.99 for new copy or I could buy used (which I never mind and most of the time is always cheaper) for as low as $5.79)
I love "The People Under The Stair" and I love Amazon! What can I say!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
YourHub.com
After snooping around yourhub.com I came to one general conclusion. That this site, in my opinion, is very similar to the whole Myspace thing. You don't get it? Let me explain. When you first clicked onto the site there are places to share photos and stories, add new events to your personal calender, start/keep a blog, and a place for users to search for information. Myspace has all of this. The only real difference I think is that this site offers more "news." I use the word news loosely in this sense because it isn't news you would expect to find on CNN.com or MSNBC.com, or any of those newsy site. I think this is why I liked this site from the get go.
Anyway, this isn't a comparison of yourhub.com and myspace.com, it's a comparison to another visited, user driven site, blufftontoday.com. I found there to be many differences, and many similarities. One similarity is the way that both these sites make money. Both yourhub.com and blufftontoday.com make their money by advertisements, you know those flashy sidebars telling you to visit this site or that site or whatever site it may be. They're normally very annoying, but very helpful in the world of making money. However there is a difference in this. On blufftontoday.com people had the choice to also purchase ad space, another source of money flow for the site, whereas I couldn't find anything like that on yourhub.com.
Another one of those similarities is that both sites offered news, local news to their designated areas. I think this is a great feature, because lets say someone from the middle of nowhere USA wants to know whats going on in his/her town, they could simply find it by going to a site like yourhub.com, knowing that broadcast news will not show what they want to see. And a lot of that news on both of these sites are presented in a very blog like style, which I can honestly be turned off by because I'm not into the whole blogging thing (I know I've been doing this since Jan. and I'm still not used to it...I still seem to forget about this!). Yourhub.com allowed users to keep/post their own blogs just like blufftontoday.com does. The only difference here though is that blufftontoday has their blogs under three different categories: everyday blogs, expert blogs, and blogs written by blufftontoday.com staff members.
I think both sites were similar in the fact that they both offered the same amount of interactivity and use of multimedia. Which I think is a good thing since both of them are the way of the world and of the future it seems.
Another major difference is that blufftontoday.com focused on one specific location, whereas yourhub.com focused on several different locations from Florida to Tennessee to New York. I think this is both a good and a bad thing because yourhub.com does not offer every state in the US. What about all those other states are deprived services like this? Don't they deserve to blog?!
Overall, I liked yourhub.com. I thought it was more interesting than blufftontoday.com at least.
Anyway, this isn't a comparison of yourhub.com and myspace.com, it's a comparison to another visited, user driven site, blufftontoday.com. I found there to be many differences, and many similarities. One similarity is the way that both these sites make money. Both yourhub.com and blufftontoday.com make their money by advertisements, you know those flashy sidebars telling you to visit this site or that site or whatever site it may be. They're normally very annoying, but very helpful in the world of making money. However there is a difference in this. On blufftontoday.com people had the choice to also purchase ad space, another source of money flow for the site, whereas I couldn't find anything like that on yourhub.com.
Another one of those similarities is that both sites offered news, local news to their designated areas. I think this is a great feature, because lets say someone from the middle of nowhere USA wants to know whats going on in his/her town, they could simply find it by going to a site like yourhub.com, knowing that broadcast news will not show what they want to see. And a lot of that news on both of these sites are presented in a very blog like style, which I can honestly be turned off by because I'm not into the whole blogging thing (I know I've been doing this since Jan. and I'm still not used to it...I still seem to forget about this!). Yourhub.com allowed users to keep/post their own blogs just like blufftontoday.com does. The only difference here though is that blufftontoday has their blogs under three different categories: everyday blogs, expert blogs, and blogs written by blufftontoday.com staff members.
I think both sites were similar in the fact that they both offered the same amount of interactivity and use of multimedia. Which I think is a good thing since both of them are the way of the world and of the future it seems.
Another major difference is that blufftontoday.com focused on one specific location, whereas yourhub.com focused on several different locations from Florida to Tennessee to New York. I think this is both a good and a bad thing because yourhub.com does not offer every state in the US. What about all those other states are deprived services like this? Don't they deserve to blog?!
Overall, I liked yourhub.com. I thought it was more interesting than blufftontoday.com at least.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Blufftontoday.com
I was expecting the normal newsy site to review this week. But I was almost surprised to see that, as much as it news site this was, it really wasn't. Or so it seemed it wasn't, if that makes any sense.
Blufftontoday.com looked almost bare in comparison to the other sites reviewed. The site offered blogs (community, expert, and staff), news, local traffic, the news that was featured in the actual paper, events, audio and visual, and living in Bluffton. It had all the standard features of a web site, just like the others, however, this particular sites offered three different kinds of blogs. Community blogs are where any person can post a blog on any subject they so choose. For example, one person chose to write about the marvels of modern medicine and another person wrote another blog about the poor and how much they receive from the government each year. Then, there's the experts blogs. These are blogs posted by people, "experts" on many different subjects. And the last of the three kinds of blogs were staff blogs, and without really needing to be explained they are blogs written by the staff of Blufftontoday.com. As much as I hate the whole blogging thing, I thought this was a really good feature because it offered an array of different subjects written by an array of different people, from every day people like you and me to people who know more on certain subjects to people who write news for a living.
Another feature that I liked was that it offers the sites visitors a place to upload photos and advertise. I think this is a way this site makes living a little more easier for people, and it just shows that people have little time and little patience to actually do something so simple as to put an ad in a paper.
As for multimedia, I think the site offered a decent amount of it. Nothing more or less than all of the other sites. It offered a place for photos, audio files, videos, a place for slide shows to be viewed, maps, and even a place for visitors to upload their own videos. This is one feature that I don't think other sites have had. I can imagine that a lot of people would take this for granted because it makes it easier and everything is clicks away.
I couldn't really find where this particular site makes it's money, but my one guess would be from the site letting people post ads. Users have two options, they can either place a free ad but there are some guidelines and regulations concerning those, or they are allowed to place paid ads.
As for the content on this site, most of it, I think, is generated by the news of Bluffton, I guess. A lot of it also seemed to be blogs.
As for what this site didn't do well, I was honestly bored when reviewing this site. Most of the other sites pretty much kept my interest, except this one...there are only so many blogs a person can take in one setting you know!
Blufftontoday.com looked almost bare in comparison to the other sites reviewed. The site offered blogs (community, expert, and staff), news, local traffic, the news that was featured in the actual paper, events, audio and visual, and living in Bluffton. It had all the standard features of a web site, just like the others, however, this particular sites offered three different kinds of blogs. Community blogs are where any person can post a blog on any subject they so choose. For example, one person chose to write about the marvels of modern medicine and another person wrote another blog about the poor and how much they receive from the government each year. Then, there's the experts blogs. These are blogs posted by people, "experts" on many different subjects. And the last of the three kinds of blogs were staff blogs, and without really needing to be explained they are blogs written by the staff of Blufftontoday.com. As much as I hate the whole blogging thing, I thought this was a really good feature because it offered an array of different subjects written by an array of different people, from every day people like you and me to people who know more on certain subjects to people who write news for a living.
Another feature that I liked was that it offers the sites visitors a place to upload photos and advertise. I think this is a way this site makes living a little more easier for people, and it just shows that people have little time and little patience to actually do something so simple as to put an ad in a paper.
As for multimedia, I think the site offered a decent amount of it. Nothing more or less than all of the other sites. It offered a place for photos, audio files, videos, a place for slide shows to be viewed, maps, and even a place for visitors to upload their own videos. This is one feature that I don't think other sites have had. I can imagine that a lot of people would take this for granted because it makes it easier and everything is clicks away.
I couldn't really find where this particular site makes it's money, but my one guess would be from the site letting people post ads. Users have two options, they can either place a free ad but there are some guidelines and regulations concerning those, or they are allowed to place paid ads.
As for the content on this site, most of it, I think, is generated by the news of Bluffton, I guess. A lot of it also seemed to be blogs.
As for what this site didn't do well, I was honestly bored when reviewing this site. Most of the other sites pretty much kept my interest, except this one...there are only so many blogs a person can take in one setting you know!
Website
After listening to the many interesting presentations my classmates gave on their favorite websites, I sat back and thought about what site, out of many, would I choose to visit. Now, I could easily say YouTube, but the fact is, I visit that site pretty often. I did find one site that caught my eye immediately...Pitchforkmedia.com. As a fan of music, I like non tradition, not so mainstream kinda stuff (not that I don't listen to any mainstream stuff, cause I do...and as Burt form The Used put it "so what!"), and this site seemed to offer any music fan, especially indie music fan, a lot. I really liked the general lay out of the site, it was very easy for me to navigate. I liked how it offered reviews and features...two things I love reading! Just out of curiously, one of my fave indie musicians is Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, and he seems to be gaining some headway, so I thought I'd search him on Pitchfork, and not only did they review his albums, but they also gave news about who he's been collaborating with, upcoming tours in support of his new CD coming out, I believe in April, and about the new cd too! And to boot, they had several pages of news about him! I was happy. Pitchfork is one of those sites that I will definitely keep checking on!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Multimedia
In this day and age, I think it is safe to say that multimedia is a huge part of a website, of who we are as people and as consumers, and that it is here to stay. No matter what kind of website a person visits there is bound to be some sort of multimedia from videos to pictures to movies to music. I can't tell you how many times I've personally taken advantage of all the multimedia on the web...I've downloaded plenty of music, I've watched plenty of music videos or other videos, and I've even viewed a countless number of pictures. And this multimedia is found everywhere, from news related sites like CNN.com to social networking sites like Myspace. Because of this use of multimedia, I think more people are bound to come to visit these sites, because who just wants to read news, if they could see it in a picture or better yet, a video!? It seems like there are no limitations. Multimedia is everywhere, and it is always changing. As long as it serves a purpose there is a need and want for it, which means, in my opinion that, multimedia will progress into something even bigger than what it already is.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
1, 2 Freddie's Coming For You, 3, 4 You Better Lock Your Door, 5, 6 Grab Your Crucifix, 7, 8 Gonna Stay Up Late, 9, 10...Never Sleep Again
What ever happened to watching a horror movie and being so terrified that you couldn't bear to shut your eyes when you finally crawl into bed? What happened to monsters under your bed (Puppetmaster)? Or in your dreams (does Freddie, ring a bell)? Or deranged serial killers who only need to be remembered by one name (I can name at least 4...Angela, Jason, Michael, LEATHERFACE!)? Whatever happened to a killer being so scary that you never see him or know who he is (Black Christmas)? Whatever happened to things that go bump in the night (Susperia, The People Under The Stairs)? Whatever happened to demonic possessions actually being scary, and not funny (The Omen, The Exorcist, The Evil Dead)? Whatever happened to the horror movie?
I'll tell you what happened...Hollywood happened!
Any horror fan will tell you that Hollywood has had a definite effect on the horror movies that are sweeping into our movie theaters. Horror movies today will never compare to the cult classics of yesterday. And no matter how hard Hollywood tries to remake such classics they will never be the same.
What triggered these thoughts of mine? Well, I started thinking about this last night after my friends and I went to see "Dead Silence," a movie I was hoping was going to be better than what it actually was. Ok, so there's a local legend of Raven's Fair that if Mary Shaw visits you in your dreams, dare not scream cause she'll cut your tongue out, just as it happened to her. Well, Mary Shaw is back for her revenge with none other Billy, #57 of her 101 children, her dolls (ventriloquist dummies, actually). It starts out when the lead character, Jaime, comes home to find his wife dead, her tongue cut out, of course. Obviously, the dummy that was sent to her by an unmarked sender, is all to blame. So, Jaime heads back to his home town of Raven's Fair for some answers, but you shouldn't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong. That's rule number one of all horror movies! So, he finds out more about Mary Shaw, and to his (and to the audience's) surprise, Mary Shaw's one goal was to create the perfect doll...out of human remains. She's also out to revenge all those who took her tongue and her life...even years and years after the event. It sounds really good right? Unfortunately, the film didn't pan out that way.
I'm not one for spoiling a movie, so I won't continue on with what actually happened. I will, however, point out some things that stood out to me, both good and bad.
The Good: it was good to see an original, not another remake! Also, the special effects weren't the hyped up, over the top effects that every movie today seemingly has to have. And above all, the story was somewhat original. What other horror movie has a ventriloquist dummy in it? Let's see, Chucky was a doll, and Puppetmaster had puppets. Nope, no ventriloquist dummies here! And I even liked the fact that instead of a doll (cause it's been done plenty...besides the whole Chucky thing, there's Dolly Dearest, don't forget that one) I also liked the fact that it was about something from the past, something that no one thinks of as being scary.
The Bad: The lead actor who played Jaime. He wasn't a strong enough actor for this part. Also, the plot line in general. It could have been a really good movie, but it used all the same cliches, which made it predictable. For example, Jaime, is informed by the undertakers wife, Marion (who seems a big off her rocker holding a stuffed crow, but is the smartest person in the whole movie) to bury the doll. Well, of course Jaime listens, and he goes in the dead of night, to the cemetery to bury Billy. Well, what do you think is going to happen, Billy is not going to stay placed in his doll sized coffin, and he's going to appear, just at the right moment, at the drivers side of Jaime's car! Duh, we all knew that was going to happen. The dialog was also a bit cheesy...."Don't laugh, I've got a gun, I'll shoot you!" Well, what else are you supposed to do with a gun!?!? And I need to mention Donnie Wahlberg...yes you know him as the bad boy of New Kids on the Block...yup he was in it. (honestly I wanted him to break out in song and dance...oh oh oh oooh, oh oh oh...the right stuff!)
I guess, being nice (which isn't often for me) I would grade "Dead Silence" between a very low C or a high D. Was it a good movie? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes, to laugh at. Does it need to be a part of my DVD collection? Definitely...NOT!
After thinking about all of this, I went on to think about remakes and I became curious to find out what movies are going to be remade. This is what I found:
"Halloween" is being remade by Rob Zombie. "The Birds," "Susperia," and "The Evil Dead" are all films that are being talked about to being remade. Isn't it enough that they made "The Evil Dead" an off-Broadway musical, which I won't lie, want to see! God, I hope not. Now, if they remake "Sleepaway Camp" we'll have big problems. They got it right the first time around, why try to top that?
And just for sheer enjoyment, my top 5 horror movies:
(New/Remakes)
5. House of Wax
4. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
3. The Ring
2. The Hills Have Eyes
1. The Amityville Horror
(Cult Classics)
5. Susperia
4. The Evil Dead
3. The Exorcist
2. The Omen
1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
I'll tell you what happened...Hollywood happened!
Any horror fan will tell you that Hollywood has had a definite effect on the horror movies that are sweeping into our movie theaters. Horror movies today will never compare to the cult classics of yesterday. And no matter how hard Hollywood tries to remake such classics they will never be the same.
What triggered these thoughts of mine? Well, I started thinking about this last night after my friends and I went to see "Dead Silence," a movie I was hoping was going to be better than what it actually was. Ok, so there's a local legend of Raven's Fair that if Mary Shaw visits you in your dreams, dare not scream cause she'll cut your tongue out, just as it happened to her. Well, Mary Shaw is back for her revenge with none other Billy, #57 of her 101 children, her dolls (ventriloquist dummies, actually). It starts out when the lead character, Jaime, comes home to find his wife dead, her tongue cut out, of course. Obviously, the dummy that was sent to her by an unmarked sender, is all to blame. So, Jaime heads back to his home town of Raven's Fair for some answers, but you shouldn't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong. That's rule number one of all horror movies! So, he finds out more about Mary Shaw, and to his (and to the audience's) surprise, Mary Shaw's one goal was to create the perfect doll...out of human remains. She's also out to revenge all those who took her tongue and her life...even years and years after the event. It sounds really good right? Unfortunately, the film didn't pan out that way.
I'm not one for spoiling a movie, so I won't continue on with what actually happened. I will, however, point out some things that stood out to me, both good and bad.
The Good: it was good to see an original, not another remake! Also, the special effects weren't the hyped up, over the top effects that every movie today seemingly has to have. And above all, the story was somewhat original. What other horror movie has a ventriloquist dummy in it? Let's see, Chucky was a doll, and Puppetmaster had puppets. Nope, no ventriloquist dummies here! And I even liked the fact that instead of a doll (cause it's been done plenty...besides the whole Chucky thing, there's Dolly Dearest, don't forget that one) I also liked the fact that it was about something from the past, something that no one thinks of as being scary.
The Bad: The lead actor who played Jaime. He wasn't a strong enough actor for this part. Also, the plot line in general. It could have been a really good movie, but it used all the same cliches, which made it predictable. For example, Jaime, is informed by the undertakers wife, Marion (who seems a big off her rocker holding a stuffed crow, but is the smartest person in the whole movie) to bury the doll. Well, of course Jaime listens, and he goes in the dead of night, to the cemetery to bury Billy. Well, what do you think is going to happen, Billy is not going to stay placed in his doll sized coffin, and he's going to appear, just at the right moment, at the drivers side of Jaime's car! Duh, we all knew that was going to happen. The dialog was also a bit cheesy...."Don't laugh, I've got a gun, I'll shoot you!" Well, what else are you supposed to do with a gun!?!? And I need to mention Donnie Wahlberg...yes you know him as the bad boy of New Kids on the Block...yup he was in it. (honestly I wanted him to break out in song and dance...oh oh oh oooh, oh oh oh...the right stuff!)
I guess, being nice (which isn't often for me) I would grade "Dead Silence" between a very low C or a high D. Was it a good movie? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes, to laugh at. Does it need to be a part of my DVD collection? Definitely...NOT!
After thinking about all of this, I went on to think about remakes and I became curious to find out what movies are going to be remade. This is what I found:
"Halloween" is being remade by Rob Zombie. "The Birds," "Susperia," and "The Evil Dead" are all films that are being talked about to being remade. Isn't it enough that they made "The Evil Dead" an off-Broadway musical, which I won't lie, want to see! God, I hope not. Now, if they remake "Sleepaway Camp" we'll have big problems. They got it right the first time around, why try to top that?
And just for sheer enjoyment, my top 5 horror movies:
(New/Remakes)
5. House of Wax
4. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
3. The Ring
2. The Hills Have Eyes
1. The Amityville Horror
(Cult Classics)
5. Susperia
4. The Evil Dead
3. The Exorcist
2. The Omen
1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Cover Letter/Headline
I guess if I were posting something on Craigslist, the headline that I would use would be something along the lines of: Recent Communications Graduate Seeks Writing Job in Professional Journalism Field. I think that says it all, it says my status as a college student and my major, it states what I actually want to do within my field, and it states the actual field of work that I want to work in.
As for my cover letter, I would definitely tell who I am, the position I am seeking within my professional field, and of course contact information. However I would not put my last name, my home address, or any phone numbers on there considering Craigslist is an online site and anyone who is anyone can view it. Within the body of my cover letter I will also express my qualifications for the position I am seeking, I would list computer skills, people skills, and maybe even why I should be selected for an interview among the masses. Without even thinking, I would also include a Thank You to whomever is considering my resume, and I will also mention at the very ending of my letter that I am available for an interview at the employers earlier convenience.
I have a cover letter written already, however it needs some desperate tweaking considering I haven't updated it since this past summer. It's now spring, and it's about time for a tweak.
As for my cover letter, I would definitely tell who I am, the position I am seeking within my professional field, and of course contact information. However I would not put my last name, my home address, or any phone numbers on there considering Craigslist is an online site and anyone who is anyone can view it. Within the body of my cover letter I will also express my qualifications for the position I am seeking, I would list computer skills, people skills, and maybe even why I should be selected for an interview among the masses. Without even thinking, I would also include a Thank You to whomever is considering my resume, and I will also mention at the very ending of my letter that I am available for an interview at the employers earlier convenience.
I have a cover letter written already, however it needs some desperate tweaking considering I haven't updated it since this past summer. It's now spring, and it's about time for a tweak.
NJ.COM
Shockingly, I've actually been on NJ.com before. A friend of mine likes to tell me about different websites and cool stuff on the web, and this is one of those places she told me to check out, probably for a job or something!
Anyway, I liked this site right off the bat. I felt that it had a lot to offer, but not so much that I was overwhelmed like many of the other sites reviewed for this class. It offered the standard categories: news, entertainment, sports, a living section, cams & radio, forums, and even local new. Pretty standard, right. Well, one thing this site offered, unlike most others, was that it had a "marketplace" a place were people can search classified adds from newspapers like The Star Ledger, The Reporter, Hunterdon County Democrat, The Warren Reporter, The Jersey Journal, The Times, Today's Sunbeam, and many more papers found within New Jersey. I liked this feature a lot because, honestly who likes to and has time to sit a read the boring classified section of their newspaper. At least on NJ.com, you could simply look online where the color isn't only just black and white, it makes it easier for the reader, and it is more convenient. Let's face it we live in a very fast pace world, who doesn't want fast paced news? Or classifieds for that matter?
One think that I didn't like about the site was that it doesn't offer the 'news site' feel like CNN.com or MSNBC.com did. It had news, important news too, but I think, for the me the site seemed lively, and not so newsy. Another thing that I didn't like was the fact, whenever you clicked on let's say "local" or "cams and radio" or "forum" you were directed a page asking for your zip code, the year of your birth, and if you were male or female. What does that matter to a news site? Another thing that lent itself to seeming unlike most newsy sites.
I noticed right away that there was a whole section dedicated to multimedia, Cams and Radio. In this section you find links to local New Jersey radio stations, like Seton Hall's WSOU. You could also listen to many of the radio stations listed right through the NJ.com site. Yet again, making it easier for the person with little to no free time on his/her hands. Also, it had a local cam of three things that were currently happening at Point Pleasant Beach. I did check it out, however, my computer is terribly slow, and my patience tends to run lower than normal on mornings! Just another example of wanting everything fast paced!
As far as interactivity, I felt that this site was pretty much the same as other sites reviewed. Of course there were places to e-mail different people at NJ.com, and the forums, which offered a wide variety of topics to talk about like New Jersey in Iraq or a forum on Springsteen and the Sopranos, or about certain sports teams like the Nets. But mostly, all topics focused around New Jersey.
A lot of the media outlets that contribute to NJ.com I would say would have to be the many New Jersey Newspapers, some of which are listed about (The Star Ledger, The Times, Hunterdon Country Democrat, Bridgeton News, Today's Sunbeam, The Reporter, Independent Press, The Express Times, Gloucuster County Times, The Warren Reporter, and el nuevo) With that, I think a lot of ways this site brings in money is through the use of those media outlets. For example, a person can subscribe to any one of these papers through NJ.com. You can't tell me that NJ.com does not get a percentage of that money? Of course they do, after all in many ways they are advertising for these papers. Other ways, I suppose, the site makes money is by advertisements in general, because there seem to be an awful lot of them.
I could definitely see this site being useful and impacting the users because it does offer so much. High school students can search for nearby colleges to apply to, college students can begin to job hunt, and adults can still job hunt (if in the market for a new job), find local news about what's happening in their part of Jersey, and still use the same facilities as high school and college students. To say the least, the site accommodates everyone who could possibly visit.
Anyway, I liked this site right off the bat. I felt that it had a lot to offer, but not so much that I was overwhelmed like many of the other sites reviewed for this class. It offered the standard categories: news, entertainment, sports, a living section, cams & radio, forums, and even local new. Pretty standard, right. Well, one thing this site offered, unlike most others, was that it had a "marketplace" a place were people can search classified adds from newspapers like The Star Ledger, The Reporter, Hunterdon County Democrat, The Warren Reporter, The Jersey Journal, The Times, Today's Sunbeam, and many more papers found within New Jersey. I liked this feature a lot because, honestly who likes to and has time to sit a read the boring classified section of their newspaper. At least on NJ.com, you could simply look online where the color isn't only just black and white, it makes it easier for the reader, and it is more convenient. Let's face it we live in a very fast pace world, who doesn't want fast paced news? Or classifieds for that matter?
One think that I didn't like about the site was that it doesn't offer the 'news site' feel like CNN.com or MSNBC.com did. It had news, important news too, but I think, for the me the site seemed lively, and not so newsy. Another thing that I didn't like was the fact, whenever you clicked on let's say "local" or "cams and radio" or "forum" you were directed a page asking for your zip code, the year of your birth, and if you were male or female. What does that matter to a news site? Another thing that lent itself to seeming unlike most newsy sites.
I noticed right away that there was a whole section dedicated to multimedia, Cams and Radio. In this section you find links to local New Jersey radio stations, like Seton Hall's WSOU. You could also listen to many of the radio stations listed right through the NJ.com site. Yet again, making it easier for the person with little to no free time on his/her hands. Also, it had a local cam of three things that were currently happening at Point Pleasant Beach. I did check it out, however, my computer is terribly slow, and my patience tends to run lower than normal on mornings! Just another example of wanting everything fast paced!
As far as interactivity, I felt that this site was pretty much the same as other sites reviewed. Of course there were places to e-mail different people at NJ.com, and the forums, which offered a wide variety of topics to talk about like New Jersey in Iraq or a forum on Springsteen and the Sopranos, or about certain sports teams like the Nets. But mostly, all topics focused around New Jersey.
A lot of the media outlets that contribute to NJ.com I would say would have to be the many New Jersey Newspapers, some of which are listed about (The Star Ledger, The Times, Hunterdon Country Democrat, Bridgeton News, Today's Sunbeam, The Reporter, Independent Press, The Express Times, Gloucuster County Times, The Warren Reporter, and el nuevo) With that, I think a lot of ways this site brings in money is through the use of those media outlets. For example, a person can subscribe to any one of these papers through NJ.com. You can't tell me that NJ.com does not get a percentage of that money? Of course they do, after all in many ways they are advertising for these papers. Other ways, I suppose, the site makes money is by advertisements in general, because there seem to be an awful lot of them.
I could definitely see this site being useful and impacting the users because it does offer so much. High school students can search for nearby colleges to apply to, college students can begin to job hunt, and adults can still job hunt (if in the market for a new job), find local news about what's happening in their part of Jersey, and still use the same facilities as high school and college students. To say the least, the site accommodates everyone who could possibly visit.
Monday, March 12, 2007
How Could You Forget That Yellow Bird
Not for nothing, I'm a college senior who is graduating this coming May. And as a senior in college I think it's pretty pathetic how professors still treat students like incompetent babies...who can't handle real work! I'm sick of doing pointless assignments that are a waste of my time. What's the point of these assignments, can someone please tell me? Cause honestly, I'm stumped!
As a college senior also sick of all the stupid games that the college itself plays on its students. For one thing when I register for a certain class, I expect it to be the class I registered for, I expect it to be the same class as it was described to me countless times by my advisor and by course catalogs. I don't expect to walk into a class that I need to take for my major and that will only help my career in the long run only to find out that this class isn't what was expected. In fact, to find out that the class has nothing to do with what it supposed to be about, but the course was changed! Well if it was changed, well then don't you think that the students taking this class should have been made aware of it so that they can decide whether or not they want to take this class? Oh no, of course not, that would be...dare I say it...considerate!
As a college senior, I'm also sick and tired of receiving grades that I surely don't deserve because let's see, I'm not the teachers favorite or pet. I shouldn't have to prove myself to anyone, especially a professor who is honestly no better than I am. It's been like this for years now, and I'm soooooo incredibly over it. I'm sick of receiving a passable grade because maybe I don't talk as much as the next person, I'm sick of not getting graded on the actual content of the work I do. I'm not sorry that I'm not like every other person in my classes, or that I speak freely on whatever I choose. I'm not sorry that when I raise my hand in class to answer a question, I never seem to get chosen because let's face it, the professor would much rather talk to the student of their choice, because let's see, maybe that professor favors him or her over the other people in class, other people who may be more capable, other people who are actually interested in learning...and not wasting mommy and daddy's hard earned money.
It's about time professors got off their high horses and realized that students work just as hard as they do, if not harder. It's about time that students started to earn respect and rightful grades that they receive because of the work they do rather than the way they look. It's about time I get out of Monmouth University!
As a college senior also sick of all the stupid games that the college itself plays on its students. For one thing when I register for a certain class, I expect it to be the class I registered for, I expect it to be the same class as it was described to me countless times by my advisor and by course catalogs. I don't expect to walk into a class that I need to take for my major and that will only help my career in the long run only to find out that this class isn't what was expected. In fact, to find out that the class has nothing to do with what it supposed to be about, but the course was changed! Well if it was changed, well then don't you think that the students taking this class should have been made aware of it so that they can decide whether or not they want to take this class? Oh no, of course not, that would be...dare I say it...considerate!
As a college senior, I'm also sick and tired of receiving grades that I surely don't deserve because let's see, I'm not the teachers favorite or pet. I shouldn't have to prove myself to anyone, especially a professor who is honestly no better than I am. It's been like this for years now, and I'm soooooo incredibly over it. I'm sick of receiving a passable grade because maybe I don't talk as much as the next person, I'm sick of not getting graded on the actual content of the work I do. I'm not sorry that I'm not like every other person in my classes, or that I speak freely on whatever I choose. I'm not sorry that when I raise my hand in class to answer a question, I never seem to get chosen because let's face it, the professor would much rather talk to the student of their choice, because let's see, maybe that professor favors him or her over the other people in class, other people who may be more capable, other people who are actually interested in learning...and not wasting mommy and daddy's hard earned money.
It's about time professors got off their high horses and realized that students work just as hard as they do, if not harder. It's about time that students started to earn respect and rightful grades that they receive because of the work they do rather than the way they look. It's about time I get out of Monmouth University!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
I Can't Find A Way Out, And The Clocks Are Broken, Leaking Time...One More Second I Might Die
I mentioned awhile ago how I had my own zine, and how I missed it a lot. Well, instead of complaining about it, I got up and did something about it. I stared a new zine. Something I really, really happy about. And what makes it better is that I just did my first interview for it with a really talented, really amazing band!
ljworld.com
So this was more of a site I was expecting to review, unlike buzzmachine.com. This site was a lot more news heavy than that last one. Even though, like I mentioned several times before I don't like newsy sites, but it beats blogs!
This site offered a lot of the same features as Lawrence.com, maybe because the two are related to one another. This site featured loads of entertainment news, like drink specials, places to eat, where to go bar hopping, both music and movies, travel, and even webcams (that was something I don't remember on lawrence.com). As far as real news related topics, ljworld.com offered the standard sections: local news, weather, school news, crime, state/regional news, obituaries, births, weddings, podcasts, photos, and many more.
This site was very much like all the others, however there were features that separated them. One of those features was under the news section there was a section called Most E-Mailed Discussions Stories and Most Active Discussions. Under the first of the two, it discusses recent stories that have appeared on the site within the past 12 hours. I like this feature a lot because it gives people the chance to catch up on news they may have missed or may not have paid attention to. And what's good about this is that it says it is updated every 10 minutes. Talk about on top of the news! As for the second of the two mention sections, being curious I poked around and found out that these are stories that have appeared on the site, however have readers comments...almost like a message board.
There is so much stuff featured on this site. And as much as it could be a good thing, it could also be a bad thing. For me, it was overwhelming. I didn't know what to check out first. I also think that with all that offered information it may make it harder for readers to find one particular thing that they may be looking for. Because of that I think it could really turn people off.
As for multimedia, I think it's no more or no less than lawrence.com. It offered podcast, which seem to be all the craze now, it offered music downloads/mp3s, it offered videos, message boards, blogs, and all the stuff that goes along with multimedia and keeping in touch with everyone else around you.
I think this site really works...at least it wasn't a blog!
This site offered a lot of the same features as Lawrence.com, maybe because the two are related to one another. This site featured loads of entertainment news, like drink specials, places to eat, where to go bar hopping, both music and movies, travel, and even webcams (that was something I don't remember on lawrence.com). As far as real news related topics, ljworld.com offered the standard sections: local news, weather, school news, crime, state/regional news, obituaries, births, weddings, podcasts, photos, and many more.
This site was very much like all the others, however there were features that separated them. One of those features was under the news section there was a section called Most E-Mailed Discussions Stories and Most Active Discussions. Under the first of the two, it discusses recent stories that have appeared on the site within the past 12 hours. I like this feature a lot because it gives people the chance to catch up on news they may have missed or may not have paid attention to. And what's good about this is that it says it is updated every 10 minutes. Talk about on top of the news! As for the second of the two mention sections, being curious I poked around and found out that these are stories that have appeared on the site, however have readers comments...almost like a message board.
There is so much stuff featured on this site. And as much as it could be a good thing, it could also be a bad thing. For me, it was overwhelming. I didn't know what to check out first. I also think that with all that offered information it may make it harder for readers to find one particular thing that they may be looking for. Because of that I think it could really turn people off.
As for multimedia, I think it's no more or no less than lawrence.com. It offered podcast, which seem to be all the craze now, it offered music downloads/mp3s, it offered videos, message boards, blogs, and all the stuff that goes along with multimedia and keeping in touch with everyone else around you.
I think this site really works...at least it wasn't a blog!
Buzzmachine.com
So, when this was assigned I assumed that it was going to be another news oriented site. Well, I got a surprise because in my opinion, it wasn't at all. In fact, it was more or less a blog! How exciting....
So I read a little bit to see what had to be said. I read thinking maybe this guy keeps a blog on current events, news, that is happening in the world. The first thing I read was a comparison of first class flights from two different airlines. The second was a video from YouTube of IdolCritic. The third thing I read was something about a megapaper and innovation and combing the two. I was confused a bit, I guess I don't get it! Speaking of not getting it, there were links within this piece about getting it and not getting it, and if clicked on it didn't take you to a new website that may have offered new information about the subject, but took you to a previous blog post. Interesting.
As assigned, I dug around into the archives buzzmachine.com had listed. I didn't want to choose an archive from a month ago, because that to me really isn't digging deep. So I decided to go into the March 2006 archive, from one year ago. A year ago he discussed the coming about of TiVo in "Exploding TV." In this piece he actually linked to another site, not just another past blog! WOW! He linked to a Reuters article about this subject. Unfortunately, when I clicked on the link to see if this link was relevant to what was site, the page was no longer available.
It seems that every time he links to an outside source he has to one up them and link again to buzzmachine.com.
As far as multimedia is concerned, I didn't notice too much. The only real multimedia feature I found was the YouTube video of IdolCritic. I guess American Idol still is news! Or maybe it's just a way to get people to read what you have to say? I don't know, I HATE American Idol, I think it's pointless as is most of television today. And it's not even like any of the Idol winners are doing amazingly well, with the exception of Kelly Clarkson...maybe because she broke away from Simon's brothers record label who all winners are forced to sign with?!?! I mean whatever happened to the last winner, whose name escapes me at the moment? And what ever happened to that really big guy who had one song that I wouldn't even consider a hit, or a one hit wonder for that matter? I guess American Idol is important news, even just to blog about...hey I just blogged about it so it must be important!
One feature, that I'll admit, I liked was how it had key tag words or phrases telling the readers what a post was about. I think this made it easier for people to decide if they wanted to read whatever that specific blog was about.
I didn't find this site to be interactive, except if you include the fact that you can e-mail the creator. But is that really interactivity? I mean, Paris Hilton fan sites offer a contact? So is that interactivity? In comparison to the other sites reviewed, this site isn't interactive in my opinion...but maybe I just could not find the interactivity.
I don't like blogs...I don't like reading them...I don't like writing them. I understand this is like the way of writing for the future, but I'm an old fashioned kind of gal. As much as I hate news oriented sites, I'd take one over a blog any day!
So I read a little bit to see what had to be said. I read thinking maybe this guy keeps a blog on current events, news, that is happening in the world. The first thing I read was a comparison of first class flights from two different airlines. The second was a video from YouTube of IdolCritic. The third thing I read was something about a megapaper and innovation and combing the two. I was confused a bit, I guess I don't get it! Speaking of not getting it, there were links within this piece about getting it and not getting it, and if clicked on it didn't take you to a new website that may have offered new information about the subject, but took you to a previous blog post. Interesting.
As assigned, I dug around into the archives buzzmachine.com had listed. I didn't want to choose an archive from a month ago, because that to me really isn't digging deep. So I decided to go into the March 2006 archive, from one year ago. A year ago he discussed the coming about of TiVo in "Exploding TV." In this piece he actually linked to another site, not just another past blog! WOW! He linked to a Reuters article about this subject. Unfortunately, when I clicked on the link to see if this link was relevant to what was site, the page was no longer available.
It seems that every time he links to an outside source he has to one up them and link again to buzzmachine.com.
As far as multimedia is concerned, I didn't notice too much. The only real multimedia feature I found was the YouTube video of IdolCritic. I guess American Idol still is news! Or maybe it's just a way to get people to read what you have to say? I don't know, I HATE American Idol, I think it's pointless as is most of television today. And it's not even like any of the Idol winners are doing amazingly well, with the exception of Kelly Clarkson...maybe because she broke away from Simon's brothers record label who all winners are forced to sign with?!?! I mean whatever happened to the last winner, whose name escapes me at the moment? And what ever happened to that really big guy who had one song that I wouldn't even consider a hit, or a one hit wonder for that matter? I guess American Idol is important news, even just to blog about...hey I just blogged about it so it must be important!
One feature, that I'll admit, I liked was how it had key tag words or phrases telling the readers what a post was about. I think this made it easier for people to decide if they wanted to read whatever that specific blog was about.
I didn't find this site to be interactive, except if you include the fact that you can e-mail the creator. But is that really interactivity? I mean, Paris Hilton fan sites offer a contact? So is that interactivity? In comparison to the other sites reviewed, this site isn't interactive in my opinion...but maybe I just could not find the interactivity.
I don't like blogs...I don't like reading them...I don't like writing them. I understand this is like the way of writing for the future, but I'm an old fashioned kind of gal. As much as I hate news oriented sites, I'd take one over a blog any day!
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