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Annotated Bibliography

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Nylund, Viktor. “Marketing and Advertising to Children: The Issues at Stake.”The Gaurdian. UNICEF, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

 

Viktor Nylund is a senior advisor of corporate social responsibility at UNICEF. His main claim is that children are much more vulnerable to marketing campaigns and that businesses need to be conscious of this idea. He also contends that children are becoming much more independent, to the point that children are becoming their own focus group, making independent purchases and having influence on purchases in the household. He mainly focuses his attention on entrepreneurs and people in the business world. As a senior advisor at UNICEF, he has a natural bias towards protecting consumers from morally questionable business practices, regardless of profits. This helps us because it reminds us that our marketing to children has to be socially conscious, and if we behave in this

 

Fromm, Jeff. “The Crucial Fact Most Marketers Miss About Millennials: Big Changes for Gen Y Marketing.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 23 Sept. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

 

Jeff Fromm is the president of FutureCast, a firm that focuses on marketing to millennials. He has five main claims: millennials are less concerned with environmentalism after becoming parents, millennial parents are more politically diverse than ever, millennials tend to have less friends when they become parents, millennials are very concerned with privacy, and millennials spend more money when they become parents. He writes to mainly business owners and advertisers marketing to millennials. While not a millennial himself, he does have three children who are millennials, which inform his bias in the field. There is a lot of fat in this article that won’t be helpful, but the main points are incredibly useful in terms of marketing to this new generation of parents.

 

Final

Innovation That Would Be Pretty Neat

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Imagine you are writing a story longhand. The pen hits the paper and you’re just going. Not every word is perfect, the phrasing isn’t on point, and you’re not sure how to spell every word. But it’s not about that. It’s about getting it on the page. Once your done, you have all these marks and scratches and weird stuff that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But it’s there. Why can’t we get that satisfaction on a computer? We have to go to a tab to figure out the changes we’ve made along the way. Even then, there’s no emotion to it. It just outlines when you made changes. Why can’t the way we write be like the way we write? So here’s the pitch: an interface that mimics the visualization of an artist going insane. Actual marks on the page. Imagine microsoft word, but every time you hit the backspace, the letter doesn’t go away. A line just goes through it. You see the changes you’ve made right there as though you have written it longhand, except for it’s accessible to everyone. You don’t have to deal with your own garbage penmanship. All that chicken scratch is right there for you.

This inkling first came about while we were reading something I’m not allowed to talk about on the internet, but those in the know will know what that is.

But this really relates to the Kari Kraus reading. That was all about how the way we’ve read in the past and the way we read now and the way we will read in the future are all connected. In order to innovate, we have to manipulate, make new things happen. But what of the old way? One could argue the way we track changes in word processors is more efficient and less messy. But what happens to creativity? Isn’t that supposed to be messy? What I’m trying to do with this idea is make computing less robotic and more human. We don’t think by separating our mistakes and our final outcome. We think about all of the at the same time. Whether it be for research or the next young adult novel, the most important part of writing is rewriting. With the system we have now of looking at revision, there’s no soul. The objective is to hide the mistakes and provide a perfect piece. But the problem is in our mistakes we find the best work. Young writers have a tough time with editing themselves. This new system would make it easier to visualize the editing process and learn from the natural cutting and adding that happens in writing. The current system is taking away from the old system of editing effectively. Learning from our mistakes rather than getting rid of them. Nothing shows that humanity isn’t perfect like chicken scratch in a moleskin. Why are we going away from that?

Reflections

Track Changes Questions

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On page 9 in Track Changes you say that with electronic word processing one can “always change the text today instead of tomorrow.” Why is this exclusive to electronic processing? It is unclear to me why this point is about the relationship between writing and word processing and not just a point about procrastination on a general level.

In terms of George R.R. Martin’s (among others’) unwillingness to change the way they write to newer forms, is this always to make sure the writing is in its purest form, or can the writing benefit from changing the formula and allowing access to maybe different ideas? Can maintaining the same tool cause a rut?

Are the ideas of tacit knowledge and materiality inherently linked, or is tacit knowledge more based in physicality?

Reflections

Questions for Kari Kraus

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1) Concerning “The Hollow” do you think that this perspective of viewing certain books as relics or “artifacts” of their own time could be marketable on a small or large scale? Could this be the next hipster thing to do, acquire books that seem stuck in their time and laugh at them?

2) Concerning the “five observable structuring affordances of the traditional book” set out by Matthew Kirschenbaum, are there certain limitations that you believe don’t apply to some books, specifically the finite and bounded observation? Are there any changes you would make to the list? (Not including e-books)

3) Concerning The House of Her, would it be possible to compose a narrative using a platform like twitter in an effective enough way as to draw in public interest? What would need to be done for it to happen? Do things like this exist today, but maybe not in a way that most people are expecting?

Midterm

Podel Castro: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Podcasts

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Have you ever heard of Scott Aukerman? What about Marc Maron? Perhaps you have. Perhaps you’re not hip and you haven’t. But one thing is certain: you probably wouldn’t even know those names could be combined in those ways if it weren’t for podcasting. This innovative digital audio platform burst onto the scene in 2005. Well, “burst” may be a strong word. Not gaining much traction until The Ricky Gervais Show brought it into the mainstream, podcasts went from boring to exciting to so-last-year to what it is now. So how are podcasts doing now? Well they’ve definitely gained popularity, and for good reason. Podcasts have made careers for many successful individuals, make good business sense, and provide a respite from the your run-of-the-mill radio content.

Remember that Scott Aukerman fellow I mentioned before?  You may know his work as a writer on the Emmy nominated Mr. Show with Bob and David, or as the creator and director of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. On May 1, 2009, he began doing a radio show based on a live stand-up show he hosted at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles called Comedy Death-Ray Radio. He decided to start podcasting the show one Episode 2, and it grew into a podcast network and production company called Earwolf. This little radio show gave Aukerman great opportunities. Due to the podcasts success and the popularity of the live show in LA, Aukerman began producing short interview segments for the Independent Film Channel to air between their regular programming, with guests like Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, and Paul Feig. This lead to Aukerman getting his own sketch show on IFC, changing the name of the podcast and live show to Comedy Bang! Bang! to accommodate it. The show is currently in the middle of its third season, and has a forty episode pick-up for season four.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDkIluEDqlA&list=UUXzSegaGejGCrxtaBCpFhZA[/youtube]

This is an example of what one might find on Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crpbo2A1hoM&list=UUAy4_9g22xCsEJBYkpq9jow[/youtube]

This is a bit from Comedy Bang! Bang! the television show.

Marc Maron has a similar story. Widely regarded as the premier comedy podcast, WTF with Marc Maron skyrocketed Maron from little-known, resentful, bitter stand-up comedian to one of the most well known and respected comics in the business. He since has had a stand-up special on Netflix called Thinky Pain and his IFC sitcom Maron is currently in its second season. Podcasts are an incredible way for talented people to display their artistic vision the way they want to, and can lead to more mainstream success. The ability of podcasts to have a both wide and very specific appeal is what makes the medium so diverse and important to today’s culture.

So hosting a podcast can get you a television show. Great. But can podcasts sustain themselves? Something like podcasting can’t possibly be profitable, right? Wrong. While podcasts seemed to hold little appeal in the beginning, much like anything, an audience has grown over the years. Tom Webster, vice president at Edison Research, told the Washington Post “Five years ago, podcasting was very much a hobbyist’s activity and many people weren’t making them to make money. But audience sizes have grown consistently, and each listener is listening to more shows as part of their weekly habit. That’s brought major producers to embrace podcasting.” I highly doubt that the embrace is due to artistic expression. The reason podcasts can be profitable is an intimacy. Podcast fans feel a connection to shows they are fans of in a way that is distinct from television or films, or even radio shows. Because of the vast podcast marketplace, one feels like they’ve discovered a gem when finding a good podcast. Unfortunately, this sort of attitude toward podcasting may be the reason why the industry may never become a giant business. According to Christopher Matthews of Time magazine, “The average Hardcore History listener… is protective of the show not only because it offers a unique product that can’t be found anywhere else. They’re also protective of the show, and even willing to back it voluntarily, because they know it might otherwise go away… For this reason, podcasting may never become big business in the classic sense of the term.” However, this is better for podcasting as a whole. Maintaining this smaller business model leaves far less risk of compromising the integrity of the show, which is part of the draw of podcasts, getting a product you wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere.

Because of the smaller market nature of podcasts, the majority of them have little to no overhead in terms of what they can and cannot release to the public. According to Scott Cornell of the Houston Chronicle, “Podcasting allows the creator greater freedom in terms of presentation.” This gives podcasters a big leg up against traditional radio. From a journalistic standpoint, it allows reporters to be completely biased free. Many news outlets are owned by large corporations, which can lead to dishonest reporting and, in turn, the betrayal of the purpose of new media: to inform citizens of the goings-on in government policy and behavior. From artistic point-of-view, content providers are simply more free to try out different styles and produce a more raw and pure piece of entertainment.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE8m475Vhys[/youtube]

No one can explain the difference between podcasts and radio quite like the afformentioned Marc Maron. WARNING: Mild language.

While podcasts are seen as widely positive, some see it as just another fad. Critics compare it to blogging, saying that anyone can create a podcast, so there is no quality control. There is no way to determine whether or not a source is credible. But these are the exact same arguments that have sprung up when anything new on the internet happens. These issues have been disproven time and time again.

It seems that the rise of the podcast is not going to be leaving anytime soon, and I’m happy for it. Podcasts provide an exciting new entertainment and informational medium, that can give truly talented people a way to express themselves and put out content they truly believe in. They remain profitable in a small business venture, while maintaining integrity in their product. The great DVR for radio is going to stay relevant for a long time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to catch up on mine.

 

Works Cited

“Paul Rust — New No No’s | Comedy Bang Bang | Video Podcast Network.” YouTube. Ed. Earwolf. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

“Scott Aukerman.” On Earwolf. Earwolf Media, LLC, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

“Comedy Bang! Bang! – Anna Kendrick Time Travel.” YouTube. YouTube, 22 July 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

“Maron – Podcast vs. Radio.” YouTube. YouTube, 9 July 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

Matthews, Christopher. “Despite Being Oh-So 2005, Podcasting Is Drawing Listeners and Advertisers Alike | TIME.com.” Business Money Despite Being OhSo 2005 Podcasting Is Drawing Listeners and Advertisers Alike Comments. TIME, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

Kang, Cecilia. “Podcasts Are Back – and Making Money.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

Cornell, Scott. “Pros & Cons of Podcasting.” Small Business. Houston Chronicle, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
Reflections

This is my Timeline. You can find it by following the link.

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Making this timeline was like cooking in the middle of the night. You wake up at 2 am and want some pizza, throw a frozen one you got at CVS 3 days ago, accidentally fall asleep, wake up an hour later in a panic because you remember the pizza, and then you realize you never turned on the oven. The reason I say this is because going through my day I would just remember super important stuff that I forgot to put in there. Stuff that clearly had an impact on me that I just sort of forgot. Like the fact that I have to relate everything to frozen pizza.

Like with all presentations, I had to make it fun. Not necessarily while working on it, but for the future when I’m presenting it. Everyone in class is required to listen to me talk for 5 minutes, so I may as well make it fun. I realized through this timeline that everything I have done prepares me for delivering information in an entertaining way. My brother and dad both have ADHD, and are also the most hilarious people I know. So I had to keep their attention, through jokes and being interesting. An uninteresting person can only fake being interesting for so long. I’ve grown up in an environment where being entertaining is a survival skill. I don’t really have the physique of someone who can afford to not have a personality. I hope the presentation reflects that.

Here is a link. I bet it will take you somewhere, preferably on the interenet: http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/336105/This-Is-a-Good-Timeline-Worthy-of-an-A/

Reflections

Introduction to Sakshi Agarwal

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This is a picture of Sakshi Agarwal from 2 years ago.

Sakshi is a first year student at Gallatin. She studied at Dubai International Acadamy in the United Arab Emirates. She enjoys the Mentalist, is interested in martial arts.

She wants everyone to be fully aware of this fact:

Sakshi is also a fan of white ladies who don’t like war:

She seems to not have a birthday.

This is the conclusion of the introduction.