Reflection


        Blogging has gain its recognition as a worldwide phenomenon that has taken everyone by storm. There are challenges to blogging and starting out as a beginner blogger is not easy. Zúñiga et.al (2011) agrees that as bloggers mature into the blogging world, one starts to understand the functions and the power of blogging. Writing for a blog is different from writing for a magazine or a newspaper. A blog does not comply to certain writing guides that magazines or newspapers have to follow. Casual language is allowed to be used writing for a blog. Jargons, and the use of 'I' to refer to the first person can be used because the ones who would be reading the blog would be those from the same community and society. Hence, the shared norms of communicating. To conclude, bloggers have it easy compared to those writing for a more professional published materials.


References
Zúñiga, H.G.D, Lewis, S.C, Willard, A, Valenzuala, S, Lee, J.K 2011, 'Blogging as a journalistic practice: A model linking perception, motivation, and behavior', Journalism, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 586 - 606, viewed 4 June 2012, <http://jou.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/12/5/586.full.pdf+html>

Sex and ... no just sex!


        It is amazing how good and effective advertisers uses sex to sell us something that we don't need whether it be underwear, lingerie, fragrance, and clothing. An article http://www.dailylife.com.au/dl-beauty/the-highly-sexual-art-of-selling-perfume-20120518-1yvd4.html by Daily Life writes about females being portrayed in a sexual way almost submissive in advertisements that tries its very best to sell to the public a fragrance they don't need. What can be question is that if advertisers are already making fragrance ads look like soft-core porn, what would be the future of advertisements?

        According to Gill (2009), this sexualization culture is turning into a 'pornified' culture whereby women and men are portrayed in a sexual way in advertisements. A Calvin Klein ad of its new perfume uses Eva Mendes as its spokesperson where Mendes is seen naked on the bed and half of her breast is shown to the camera. That would be a very good example of how advertisements are turning into pornographic business. The phrase 'Sex sells' is taken to a literal meaning by advertisers. This point of view is supported by Lazar (2009) when she writes that traditional media portrays women in a narrow, stereotypical passive and as a sexual object. Products as diverse as transmissions, after-shave lotion, liquor and hair dryers, to name a few,are being promoted by female models in various states of undress. (Reidenbach & McCleary, 1983) It is uncertain when did the sexualization of women began but it is widely used worldwide. Most advertisements, if observed, the camera becomes the male gaze
whereby the camera is position in a way how a male would see a female. Moreover, the reason why this has continued because is it actually effective on both sexes. Males would buy that fragrance because they like the model in the ad or a present to the girlfriend or wife. Females, on the other hand, has the desire to be the models in those ads as that is the most effective way to attract a male counterpart.

        To conclude, it is important to note the power of sexualization that is highly effective but it is good to understand the fine line between a classy advertisement or pornographic advertisement.

References


Gill, R 2009, 'Beyond the ‘Sexualization of culture’ thesis: an intersectional analysis of ‘sixpacks’,‘midriffs’ and ‘hot lesbians’ in advertising', Sexualities, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 137 - 160, viewed 3 June 2012, <http://sex.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/12/2/137.full.pdf+html>

Lazar, M.M 2009, 'Entitled to consume: postfeminist femininity and a culture of post-critique', Discourse & Communication, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 371 - 400, viewed 3 June 2012,<http://dcm.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/3/4/371.full.pdf+html>

Reidenbach, R.E, McCleary, K.W 1983, 'Advertising and male nudity: an experimental investigation', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 444 - 454, viewed 3 June 2012, <http://jam.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/11/4/444.full.pdf+html>

Photo-shocked


        How many of us uses Adobe Photoshop to edit the creases and pimples in our face? I'd say a good 5 out of 10 people. But what if the pictures you get in newspapers had been edited to make you believe things they want you to believe? http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/north-korea-restores-order-to-kim-funeral-with-photoshop/ displays an article that talks about how the North Korean Central News Agency had sent a edited picture using Photoshop to a Germany-based European pressphoto agency. This picture was captured during the procession of the late Kim-Jong Il but as one can see below, several men were literally cropped out of the picture.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/images/International/ap_kim_jong_funeral_jp_111229_wblog.jpg

         As the media, I dont think it is right for a newspaper to do that as the role of the media is to report the truth and not alter the fact. This crosses the boundaries of photojounalism ethics. According to Mitchell (2000), the camera is an extension of a journalist when it becomes a commentator which can comments through its images, it can interpret the scenario and it can picture the world as how the journalist wants it to. Therefore, a picture from a journalist holds quite some power in the media. It tells how a scenario went down. Yung & Kelly (2008) states that although journalist have objective reporting in mind, the subjective influence of media personnel, and media organization is always present. It could be possible that the journalist from the Korean Agency had wanted the picture out the way it was taken but knowing how Korea is a authoritative country whereby order is prime, wanted the side people out of the photo as it does not show the lines being proper. Moreover, the accountability of the news agency is questions as according to Laitila (1995) the function of journalism ethics is to very first address the accountability to the interested parties mainly the state, the public, the sources and the advertisers. The accountability of the Korean News Agency is definitely tarnish as the public are starting to question if that picture is the only picture that had been edited before being published by various other media. 

        Thus, editing a picture within a newspaper does not comply with the national jounalism ethics which is to report the truth.

References

Mitchell, J 2000, 'The ethics of photojounalism', Studies in Christian Ethics, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 1 - 16, viewed 3 June 2012, <http://sce.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/13/1/1.full.pdf+html>

Yung, S.K, Kelly, J.D 2008, 'A matter of culture : a comparative study of photojournalism in american and korean newspaper', International Communication Gazzette, vol. 70, no. 2, pp. 155 - 173, viewed 3 June 2012, <http://gaz.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/70/2/155.full.pdf+html>

Laitila, T 1995, 'Journalistic codes of ethics in Europe', European Journal of Communication, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 527 - 544, viewed 3 June 2012, <http://ejc.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/10/4/527.full.pdf+html>

Culture shock?


        As a multi-racial country living harmoniously among each other, Malaysia sure knows how to prioritize its Muslim religion to protect themselves well. The article http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2011/08/17/109.html talks about how the Home minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had rebuke The Star newspaper over their spread on the different places of food that the public can go during the puasa month. The Star had recommended a restaurant that serves the best pork ribs in town which does not comply with the Muslim faith as according to Fonte & Horton-Deutsch (2005) Muslims aren't allowed to drink alcoholic beverage and eat pork as it is deemed as non-halal. Thus, The Star will publicly apologize for its mistake. What interest me is that, does it mean that just because its the puasa month that the other races be neglected?

        Even so Malaysia's a Muslim country but it is also a democratic state whereby the Constitution of Malaysia states that Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation. So, why must The Star be reprimanded for only posting one restaurant that serves pork? According to Rostbøll (2011), the freedom of expression is understood as freedom to express oneself within certain restrictions that is seen necessary. I do believe that The Star was trying to cater to everyone's needs as Muslims are not the only ones who reads the daily paper. However, what I do agree about is that perhaps the title of the spread should have change from 'Ramadhan Delights' to its original name 'Dining-out'. It would seem more appropriate. Nevertheless, it is a mistake that The Star had to be held for because of its neglect on small details but it was definitely overly taken a back by the Government. It was a story that should not have blown up to the scale that it was.

        In a nut shell, tolerance is key in maintaining harmony within a country. The Star admits that it is their fault for committing a mistake but the Government could have lessen the critiques that The Star editors had to take.


References
Fonte, J, Horton-Deutsch, S 2005, 'Treating postpartum depression in immigrant muslim women', Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 39 - 44, viewed 2 June 2012, <http://jap.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/11/1/39.full.pdf+html>

Constitution of Malaysia (Cmwth)

Rostbøll, C.F 2011, 'Freedom of expression, deliberation, autonomy and respect', European Journal of Political Theory, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 5 - 21, viewed 2 June 2012, <http://ept.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/10/1/5.full.pdf+html>

Censorship in Malaysia has taken itself to an extreme whereby almost anything that is not in the favour of the Government would see itself charged through the various censorship laws available for their use. The article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17112635, talks about a book titled 'Where did I come from?' written by Peter Mayle that is banned by the Malaysian government for being explicitly talking about sex. The children's book that is to help parents educate their young children about sex and contraception is said to be too visually explicit by the Malaysian Government. If the book was really banned, a fine up to RM 20, 000 could be implied upon any who distributes or sells the book based on the Printing Presses and Publication Act of 1984.

In my opinion, the question of what should or should not be censored comes to mind. According to Lent (1974), Malaysia's press is controlled by the legislations and ownerships of media which. This leads to the passing of the Printing Presses and Publication Act of 1984 that has strict regulations on the print media.
The Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 states that any publication that is to produce materials that are obscene or otherwise against public decency shall be guilty to a fine of up to RM20, 000 or no more than three years jail sentence. What is interesting is that, the moral responsibility of parents to educate their young about sex and contraception is in a knot with the legislation at hand. Cornwell & Welbourn, 2000 cited in Izugbara 2007, states that sex education within a home is necessary for children to get accurate and adequate information. Therefore, parents either use other mediums to teach their children on sex or they shy away from the topic.

To conclude, censorship holds a strong power in Malaysia as it determines what is fed to the public. The role of media to inform is now controlled by what the Government wants to inform the public about.

References

Lent J.A 1974, 'Malaysia's guided media', Index on Censorship, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 65 - 75, viewed 1 June 2012, <http://ioc.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/3/4/65.full.pdf+html>

Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 (Cwlth)

Izugbara, C.O 2007, 'Home-based sexuality education : nigerian parents discussing sex with their children', Youth & Society, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 575 - 600, viewed 1 June 2012, <http://yas.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/39/4/575.full.pdf+html>

Print vs. screen designs

Aspects used to design a print would differ from design a document on a screen. To illustrate, the author would use an example of a document from print and screen to compare.

The above shows an example of a newspaper article. Hiligoss & Howard (2002) suggest that the spacing in between lines should be even. As one can see from the above, each line is evenly spaced out which allows reader to have a constant flow of reading compared to having all the lines being clustered into groupings. Print uses newsprint which is easily identifiable through its texture and size compared to the article online where no paper was used. Therefore, that't what that defines a print document such as above. Often enough, print documents uses pull quotes to create a focal point at attract the readers to focus on the subject that the author wants to emphasize. As one can see from above, there are different focal points where one can focus on, the headline, sub heading as well as mini pull quotes all around the paper. 

This, on the other hand, is an example of a news article on the web. First and foremost, according to Morkes & Nielsen (1997) credibility is an important issue on the web. Since the web is free for everyone to use, it becomes a vast empty space where anyone can state one's opinion without going through licencing or any legal restrictions. Information should be able to be easily scanned. This in a sense not by using a conventional scanner but rather how fast a reader can pick up what the important points are within that article. Use of bullets as well as eye catching headliners and bolding of important information can help the reader scan through the article before actually reading it. Lastly, Morkes & Nielsen (1997) also states that readers like to read the conclusion and summary up front of the article. Rather than narrating the whole story as in the print newspaper, online papers should use concise story telling in order for the readers to get the gist of the story within 5 mins of reading the article. 

To conclude, one can see the differences between print and screen documents but there are certain similarities which does in fact begs the question of whether different principals should be applied for a piece of information that uses different medium to reach its targeted audience. 

Reference List

Hiligoss, S, Howard, T 2002, 'Visual Communication: A Writer's Guide,' Longman Publications, second edition, New york, viewed 13 April 2012, <http://www.ablongman.com/mycomplab_content/pdf/long_hilligoss.pdf>

Morkes, J, Nielsen, J 1997, 'Concise, SCANNABLE, and Objective: How to Write for the Web,' viewed 13 April 2012, <http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html>

Issues within the upcoming of New Media

Ever since the Internet came into the lives of society, media had a new form. SearchSOA's (2000) website states that new media takes form through multimedia as well as hypermedia whereby one form of media can be linked to another. Youtube is a form of new media that has gained the favour of society ever since its inception. It has become the new medium for the public to get information regarding politics, environment, entertainment and so forth with an interactive visual display of using videos. According to Hansen et. al (2011), Youtube is seen to be watched for more habitual entertainment compared to political use.

Naughton (2006) suggests that broadcast TV is eventually losing its dominance because of the net that has given society different alternative forms of media for the source of information. Youtube can be considered one of the different forms of new media that has changed the dominance over broadcast TV. Therefore it shows that the new media ecosystem is progressively taking over traditional media.

Youtube has helped society receive news in various occasions. In the 2009 tsunami that left thousands dead, Youtube was one of the major contributors in spreading the news. Videos that locals had taken of while the tsunami had happened became a hit among the world. Therefore, Youtube has become an alternative news reporting media that the public can rely on.

Reference list
Hansen G.L, Haridakis, P.M, Sharma, R 2011, 'Differing Uses of YouTube During the 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Election,' Electronic News, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1 - 19, viewed 12 April 2012, <http://enx.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/5/1/1.full.pdf+html>

Naughton, J 2006, 'Blogging and the emerging media ecosystem,' viewed 12 April 2012, <http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/discussion/blogging.pdf>


SearchSOA (2000) New media, viewed 12 April 2012, <http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/new-media>

The Blogging Community

According to Graves (2007) offers a point of view whereby community is based on a particular culture where communication is key to create a reality that can be maintained, repaired and transformed. By applying this to a blog, the blogging community was hence created. A community that shares information whether personal or of interest with others through the cyberspace of blogging creates a sense of belonging from one to another. White (2006) suggests that the blogging community is broken up into three parts, the one blog centric community, the topic centric community, and the boundaried community. White further elaborates that the one blog centric community is a community that revolves around the blogger(s) and the commentators. Tools such as Wordpress, Blogspot help create a domain for these communities to exist. On the other hand, the topic centric community is a community based on the topic at hand rather than the personal profile of the blogger(s) whom uses hyperlinks to link each other to information regarding the topic. Lastly, White states that the boundaried community are members that register and 'join' a community and are given the chance to create their very own blog. Such sites include, discussion board, myspace.com, social networking features, and etc.

As one can see from Kenny Sia's blog, it is a one blog centric community as the commentators are socializing within the means of the blog. What is written in the author's blog, is to my opinion, pure gibberish which is there for the sake of writing something for his community to comment upon. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that, the important component of this community is the identity of the blogger himself as the community he builds revolves around him.

Reference List
Graves, L 2007, 'The Affordances of Blogging : A Case Study in Culture and Technological Effects,' Journal of Communication Inquiry, vol. 31, no. 4, pp.331 - 346, viewed 10 April 2012, <http://jci.sagepub.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/content/31/4/331.full.pdf+html>

White, N 2006, 'Blogs and Community - Launching a new Paradigm For Online Community?,' The Knowledge Tree, edition 11, viewed 10 April 2012, <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

Blogs are currently on the rise and it is getting harder to classify blogs into aspects that we, as readers know. How do we know a blog is written for political ideology or just for leisure purposes? Blogs are currently getting more ambiguous. However, a taxonomy is used to give readers a general classification of a particular blog. Blogs can be classified into two, filter - style and free - style.

Filter-style
According to Wang (1999, cited by Branum, 2001), filter-style blogs are blogs similar to early blogs whereby the author focuses on linking sites/or articles that the author finds suitable to his/her readers. This type of blogs is aimed at building a network between the readers and the author by giving links that would have aspects in common.

Free-style blog (Journal style)
Ozawa (2001, cited by Branum, 2001) states that these kinds of blogs are focused less on the external world and more on the internal world of the author. Therefore, the author's interests and problems becomes the main topic for the blog. In other words, the blog is functioning as an online journal for the author but is allowing strangers to read whatever the author writes.

In opinion, a free-style blog gives the author more freedom to write his/her opinions but differs from the point of maintaining a blog. To conclude, classification of blogs may help how readers know what blog it is that they want to read but does it all matter? Or does the author is of importance rather than the content as for example Kenny Sia's blog or Xia Xue's blog whom are famous bloggers but content wise, are almost nothing.

Reference List
Branum, J.M 2001, 'The Blogging Phenomenon: An Overview and Theoretical Considerations,' JMBZine.com, December 2001, viewed 10 April 2012, <http://www.ajy.net/jmb/blogphenomenon.htm>

Blogosphere

        It can be seen that blogging has become a global phenomenon that is spreading like wildfire. However, how far has this 'fire' spread? According to Pyra (1999, cited by Branum, J.M 2001), Blogger that was generated by the San Francisco-based Pyra Labs introduced blogger in 1999 which now has almost more than 150 000 users. Based on the above, one can see that within just 3 years, the amount of registered users had increased potentially. 

        According to the State of the Blogosphere' website (2001), 69% of bloggers in their survey suggest that personal satisfaction is the way to measure the success of one's blog whereas professionals, Corporates and entrepreneurs suggest that the amount of unique visitors determines success. This goes to show that different people measure success of their blogs differently. 

        It can be seen in Malaysia that the Prime Minister's blog is trending because of the number of unique visitors per day. Society goes there to retrieve information or give comments on different agendas. It is quite influential on the public as it can be seen as a tool for propaganda to influence the public. On the other hand, Mahathir's blog is also very influential and has been a form of communication with the previous prime minister. It functions the same as the Prime Minister's blog to spread propaganda because the content is filled ideologies from Mahathir. Therefore, political interest can be seen in blogs in Malaysia.

References
Branum, J.M 2001, The blogging phenomenon: an overview and theoretical considerations, Southwest Texas State University, viewed 23 March 2012, <http://www.ajy.net/jmb/blogphenomenon.htm>

State of the Blogosphere 2011, State of the Blogosphere 2011, viewed 23 March 2012, <http://technorati.com/social-media/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2011-part2/>

The reason why this blog is created

Why should this blog be of interest to you?

This blog is to explore the issues that arise in publication and design. It is also an attempt to look into the ideology of a document design that would help shed some light onto becoming a good designer. This blog is aimed at those who are interested in becoming a good document designer which uses the principals that adheres to certain guidelines.