Publishing for Print and Online

TodayOnline

With the internet overtaking traditional media such as print, competition between the two has grown stiff. The gloves are off, and apparently the survival of the traditional media in the digital age would be to embrace the new media.

Many publications have been turning to create online versions. Magazines, newspapers and even our local TV guide have online variants.

Publishing for the web is very different from print publishing. The very same advantages you would assume from online publishing are also disadvantageous if used incorrectly.


In print media the colour model used would be CMYK, transfering pictures and images is not as simple, as a cut and paste. CMYK prints would appear different as online publishing has an RGB colour model. Besides colour modes, colour schemes are also very important. Colours chosen should provide substantial contrast to ensure legiblilty of the text. Strong colours should be used sparingly, and plenty of white space should be afforded unlike in print, white is a waste of space and paper!

Today Print Version

Considerations have to be made for feedback, in an online publication. Quick links must be readily available to the reader and easy to use navigation bar also make it an easier read.
A site search should be available for the reader to aid him in his search. The key here is to make it easy to navigate. Just like a newspaper is divided into sections, the online version of a newspaper should be divided into different sections or pages. Hyperlinks to the various sections should be available on the navigation bar at the top of the page.

The template of the webpages of the website should be the same throughout, any changes would add confusion to the reader, and make the website look disorganized. The same cannot be said for print publications, where every page looks different, a too uniformed look may bore the reader.

The amalgamation of both the new media and traditional media have led to hybrid solutions to convey messages and have effectively changed the way people communicate everyday.


Image Resource: Today Online,
References: Designing for the Web, Print International

Blogging and Politics

Well, with the recent General Elections still fresh on our minds, we all remember how important a role the social media played in the results of the polls. Many voters turned to the internet for updates, views and videos of our favourite candidates during the hustings. After recent global changes taking place with the effect of social media, a revolution in Egypt, and the U.S. Presidential elections a couple of years ago, our very own political candidates embraced and harnessed the immense power of the internet for publicity, and to convey their messages to voters.

Almost weed-like, political blogs started sprouting up with citizens having their say. Many of us logged on political forums such as The Online Citizen and The Temasek Review. Videos were posted on YouTube with footage from the political rallies held. The entire online community was abuzz with election fever, something never seen before in a politics indifferent nation like Singapore. Everyone felt empowered and that their vote would make a difference.

Candidates saw this revolution take place right before their eyes and almost immediately joined in the online banter. However, as powerful a tool as it is, it is ultimately a double edged sword that the candidates would wield.

Nicole Seah

Many candidates updated their blogs daily, their Facebook pages were updated hourly and for some by the minute, thanks to smartphones. With such a fervour online, comparisons were made between candidates. Everyone had something to say about them, which ultimately sparked off a rivalry between Tin Pei Ling from the ruling party and Nicole Seah from the opposition.

A fierce onslaught on Tin Pei Ling ensued with many netizens slamming her for her lack of experience and her inability to express herself. Many videos from her past as a student, at work, and at play appeared on the web. It just goes to show how easy it is to dig up historical data on a person with the power of the social media.

Tin Pei Ling

The final straw was when an insidious comment appeared on Nicole Seah's Facebook page apparently posted by Tin Pei Ling on Cooling Off Day (a day before Polling Day where political candidates are not allowed to publish or speak to the public). The comment was quickly deleted within 20 minutes but it had already gone viral by then, resulting in an uproar online. Tin Pei Ling subsequently dismissed the allegations and laid the blame on her political aide for posting the comment.

On the other hand, Nicole Seah gained much popularity online, voters quickly fell in love with her charisma, and personality. It did help that she had a pretty face and was also the youngest candidate to ever stand for elections. She had also scored so well that there were reports she was offered endorsements with a local watch shop chain.

The power of social media is an explosive tool just like nitroglycerin, care and consideration should always be used when handling it.


Image Resource: Chance Counter, Breaking News
References: The Temasek Review, The Online Citizen, The Chance Counter, Breaking News

Poking and Liking: A guide to social networking

For the longest time, socializing online has always been a great way of keeping touch, discussing, chatting, making new friends, and even finding love. In its infancy, there were Bulletin Boards, dial up modems to a MS-DOS screen, you could chat, post comments and even have a go at simple role-playing games. You could be anyone, your very own superman, and nobody would be the wiser. Then came Internet Relay Chat, or IRC, a real-time live chat portal where users logged on and joined different channels which had individual themes. It brought like-minded people together everyone had his or her own online persona and nickname. When the web started looking prettier online forums were introduced. Very much like focus groups, forums had its own themes, forums are web based and are viewed with an internet browser. With its wide spectrum, users were able to sign on for memberships to these forums, there were outings organized where they could actually meet and discuss their interests, make new friends or just hang out.

In today's social networking world, we have the heavy weights of Facebook and Twitter, both are hybrids of blogging, forums and IRC. You are able to chat with your friends, join fan pages, create your own fan pages, and provide your own daily updates to your friends. So, how does one keep track and make sense of all this?

Joining the bandwagon of social networking now are employers. Employers are turning to  social networking sites such as Facebook to view the profiles of candidates. So unless you intend to see a demise in your career, and future aspirations, do take note of your regular posts, inappropriate photographs and other would be controversial information you have on your own page. I've listed below a few Dos and Don'ts. For more details click on the following link: CNN.com/living

1. Do update your profile regularly
2. Don't badmouth your current or previous employer
3. Do join groups...selectively
4. Don't mention your job search if you're still employed
5. Do go on the offensive
6. Don't forget others can see your friends

Social networking has been around for a long time, the groups we belong to, for example our own demographics, the sports we participate in, the jobs we hold are all part of our social network. So the way we communicate and interact with these groups can and should also apply to social networking on the internet. Hey, if you're new to all this you might want check out this site for some handy tips About.com/webtrends or The Digerati Life.


Image Source: The Digerati Life, Webdonuts.com
References: CNN.com/living, The Digerati Life, About.com/webtrends

What is Social Media?

In its broad context, social media can be defined as a social instrument of communication. Social networking sites such Twitter and Facebook have grown substantially over the past 3 years. Social media trumps the traditional media as it allows interactivity. This allows you to input your own thoughts into the matter, unlike in traditional media, you could only read, listen and watch.

This two-way process engages the audience and provides them with a unique experience everytime. Not only does the audience have the opportunity to communicate with the publisher, they get to interact with other readers as well.

This interactivity can be found particularly on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Highly customizable, they can be used both by businesses and individuals. An individual's circle of friends can be included in your daily posts, uploading of photos and even, through wonder of GPS, the places you've visited today. Your friends may comment on your posts or "like" it. Businesses on the other hand use it as a tool for marketing. Having followers on Twitter and Facebook, companies have formulated entire campaigns just based on the social media phenomenon. Various strategies such as viral marketing, have been devised to utilize the power of the social media.

Image source: Caught Offside
References: About.com/Webtrends

Blogging and the age of Social Media

So I have started my own blog, http://movmin.blogspot.com/. Aptly named Movie Minutes, it provides bite sized bits and reviews of the latest movies hitting the screens. It's my very first so, I'm still trying to tweak how it looks, and getting used to the weblog template tools available to me.

When I was first assigned this task, I was thinking, "Oh no, I'm gonna have to do a 16 year old girl's Dear Diary," And then it hit me, blogging is very much similar to being a columnist in your daily broadsheet. I love film and the art behind the development of a great movie. Why not contribute my own critiques and publish them online?

Blogging first started to gain popularity in the early 2000s. Individuals have many reasons to blog, some seek fame, some seek attention, some need the space to vent, and some use it as an avenue for business like blogshops which are very popular here. Funny terms started to crop up when I googled the term blog. For example:

Blogosphere: The collective community of all blogs.
Bloggies Awards: One of the most popular blog awards.
Photoblog: A blog containing mostly photos uploaded constantly and chronologically.
Vlog: A video blog.
Moblog: A blog featuring posts sent by mobile phone.

For the full list please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogroll#B

So much to learn! So little time! I'm 32 years old and always thought blogging was for the younger Gen Y crowd. I was pleasantly surprised to find a vast variety of blogs available online, some were interesting reads, some were political, and some were just down right nasty. Adding to that, most of the top blogs are written by The Ancients (People very much in my age group and some older).

Writing and designing a blog was pretty much like being in charge of your own magazine article. You get to design how it looks, you can change the fonts, colours, backgrounds and layout. You may include pictures, videos, and even links to your favourite websites. Thanks to the handy software provided, these tasks are really easy and can be done by almost anyone.

Fast forward to today. Enter the realm of Facebook and Twitter. Social media has taken the world by storm and in my next post, I'll delve deeper into what it is and how it has changed the way we work, live and play.

Image Source: The Funny Times, Ban The Spam
References: Wikipedia's Glossary of Blogging