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Ever since i answered the question on Lui and visual metaphors in new media i have been very conscious of the examples that seem to be everywhere in different websites!
One that really struck me as innovative and particularly creative was the WorldVision 40hr Famine website that adopted a comic book style. Their design has cleverly incorporated visual metaphors such as : the comic book capital block letter writing, jaggered speech bubbles, and iconic black and white boxes for lettered information (such as the date in the first image)
Another website i came across was a Sydney based copyrighting and creative commons website called Scriibe…The website took a completely different approach, drawing on the diary metaphor. The graphic at the top of the site looks like a coloured pen sketch onto the diary paper as well as the ‘handwriting-like’ font. The site looks like this:
It’s amazing how much Lui’s readings has made me observe the construction of websites. So many that i had never realised are harking back to old media metaphors to naturalise their medium and make users feel comfortable with the format.
Recently i stumbled upon the website ‘Scribd’ which has amassed millions of books and documents which can be downloaded, sent to your mobile or sent to a s friend. Firstly, i was interested in what i had found (for another essay’s research purposes) but then i realised the impact this would have on the transition from old to new media.
The website is basically a preservation tool, unlike any other website i’ve come across. To me, the value of transferring all of these precious pieces of literature is immense. It is a truism that books will not last forever, we have already lost so many valuable transcripts, stories, poems, documents to conditions out of our control. The amount of history we’ve lost is unfathomable but with the rise of the internet and digital age i think the chances of history being preserved are much greater.
Each book or document is supplemented with a record of how many people have also read the document as well as quotes from viewers. With sources that vary from ’15 facts Jonny Depp didn’t teach you about pirates’ to President Obama’s speech as well as cook books and old classics, it’s understandable why the site has been dubbed ‘YouTube for documents’.
Interestingly, it has made several connections with online social media, encouraging viewers to follow the site on Twitter and ‘like’ it on Facebook. The site typifies the transfer from old media to new media and preserves well loved classics.
Facebook has been playing dirty lately…
Recently, they admitted to hiring PR firm Burson-Marsteller to tackle some concerns they had about Google’s privacy issues. Very sneaky.
It was Chris Soghoian, the US blogger that was used as a pawn in facebook’s game to inform the public about Googles intrusion into ‘their deeply personal lives’…Faceboook was later made to confess that they had actually hired the PR firm to advertise these stories but wanted to remain anonymous because they were just informing the public by bringing information to attention.
The Google feature, Google Social Search/Circle is not widely known but it takes data from social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites and brings up your information in their results. Generally, the feature was created to supplement their information by bringing in that which exists on social networks too.
However, the whole thing has become much of a saga, causing quite some embarrassment to the PR agency and Facebook, who are denying all claims that they were taking part in a vengeful ‘smear campaign’. Burson-Marsteller are also back-peddling fast, stating
Call me a cynic, but i don’t really see why Facebook is so worried about our privacy when they’re not liable. I think that it’s more realistic to assume Facebook has gotten a bit worried about Google’s access to their information and feels like they’re encroaching. Google would also be using the information gathered by Facebook to advertise on their site without Facebook seeing a penny.
Competitive anyone?
Twitter has been successful in their tax break proposition. With talk of moving out of San Fransisco where they are now located, the company was given a significant tax break ensuring that they stay. There’s no question that Twitter is growing by the day. Reportedly, it has tripled its size in one year (acorrding to San Fransisco Examiner) and is now a working group of 350. With the stature it has gained since 2006, no wonder the city is keen to keep them around.
San Fransisco superviser, Jane Kim says, ““We are really excited that a business that has been grown here in San Francisco is willing to stay here and grow with The City”.
However, there is concern that such a break (1.5%) will encourage other corporations to do the same. Another San Fransisco superviser, John Avalos has said, “I’m concerned about it opening the floodgates for other corporations to extort tax breaks from the Board of Supervisors,”.
Sounds to me like twitter is doing a bit of blackmail…
For a easy cartoon explanation:
Olivia Chapman 