New Media in Entertainment

From Baruchnewmedia

Online social networking focuses on building online communities of people who share similar interests and/or activities, and who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social networking services are web-based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact like e-mail and instant messaging services.

Some social networking sites are

Facebook Applications

Facebook have many web-based applications for users to play games. One application, which is particularly great for students interested in the equities market, is called Friend Stock. Friend Stock teaches Facebook users how to buy, boost, and sell stock. This game gives people an idea of how the stock market works.

Restaurant City is another application in Facebook, where users can design their own restaurants and trade food with other users to create food recipes. Moreover, users can hire and fire their employees. Users need to use their knowledge to manage their restaurants in order to earn more money and higher popularity.

Facebook also have applications that users can share with their friends for entertainment purposes. Graffiti, similar to the painting software on computers, is one of the first applications which allow users to draw funny or interesting pictures on friends' profiles. Another popular Facebook application for entertainment purpose is Superpoke. The Superpoke application provides a more entertaining version of the original "Poke". It allows you to do other actions such as throwing a cow or nicer things like doing a waltz rather than just virtually poking your friends. This application allows users to remain in contact with friends without having to hold a full conversation or exchange of words. It's good for people who are too busy to actually have a conversation and just want to check in on their friends.

Downsides to Facebook

Facebook can be your best friend or your worst enemy especially when it comes to employment opportunities. There have been many instances where the boss is added as a friend and the statuses and profile may have to be filtered especially about the job in order not show a conflict of interest. One huge downside of Facebook is the privacy options; you cannot hide certain information from friends added to the network. This means if a status is written stating negative comments about your place of employment, chances are if your boss is added to the network they will be able to see that particular status.

Here are some examples of Facebook GONE WRONG!!

Twitter

READ http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5641893.ece

New Media in Music

The New Media and Music section of our course wiki will touch base on many new ways that people combine New Media and New Music. New media is used in the music industry for the sole purpose of being more convenient for consumers. The use of new media in music allows consumers to purchase music from the commodity of their home to the occupied streets of the city. This allows music to be more accessible for people anywhere from their home computers, to their laptops, to even thier cell phones. New Media also allows music producers to be more creative in the ways they form new sounds and add new flavors to their music. Now that we have so much technology, new media allows an endless amount of creativity and commodity to be used in the music industry.

In continuing the innovation of New Media standards and web 2.0, a new website dedicated to music called Imeem was launched, It is a free music service that allows users to listen to music in various languages.

The concept of music marketing is taken to a whole new level when it comes to new media. The world has moved passed the downloading of music illegally era because the entertainment industry has made it easy for people to download easy and cheap music. Also it has become easy for labels to offer coupons and free downloads that enable people to try the music before they buy the whole thing. The majority of these new options are available through sites such as ITunes, Rhapsody and a few others. These sites connect the likings of other people to show what people like in reference to the songs they have already chosen. It creates a community among the users and categorizes them into the music genres or artists that they like.

This has been a huge move for the industry because the music industry was all but dead due to the increasing amount of people who stopped buying music all together because it was free and they no longer had to hold the CD anymore. Everything became digital. However, in combination with the federal government cracking down on these sites for copyright infringement, the innovation of these online sites where you have to pay for the music saved the industry. These sites are run by advertisements(mostly by labels for their bands or artists) and the money that people spend on the music. The site gets a cut of that money and the artists get the majority of the money.

Major music downloading sites include:

Source: http://www.musicbizadvice.com/a_little_history_on_music_piracy%20.html

The Public Record

The Public Record is a musical endeavor spearheaded by ex-Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. The website is a place where Tommy Lee along with his new band, Project Mayhem, keep fans up to date as to the production of their new album. This website though takes the production of said album in a whole new and exciting direction. Fans are able to download the individual"skeleton" tracks of a song, play along with it at home, upload what they have recorded, and submit it for consideration by Tommy Lee and his production team. Accepted submissions could be heard on their next album, or modify entirely the musical direction of the song they played on.

From the website:

— About The Public Record
The Public Record is the host for a totally new interactive recording concept. Imagine not only being able to play on your favorite artist’s latest release, but actually influencing the musical direction of the recording. The Public Record bridges the gap between artist and fan; pro session player and amateur musician. It is the hub where you can stay informed on the progress being made on a record that is as much YOUR record as it is the artist’s. Those bands featured on The Public Record will be utilizing the wealth of talent from those who ultimately care about their music the most-the fans.
All you need is to have access to basic digital recording software and an internet connection. With that, you will be able to download early stage “skeletons” of the material and will be given the opportunity to shape the progression of those songs. Unlike releasing stems for remix after the record is complete, you will be collaborating on what will become the official version of that song. Your riffs, vocals, sound effects, counter melodies, or whatever inspires you, can be submitted for a chance to be included into the final mix. Simply log in, download those work-in-progress tracks into your digital audio workstation (ProTools, Logic, Garageband, etc.), record all your best ideas and then upload them to www.ThePublicRecord.com.
The Public Record gives everyone a chance to freely share in the creative process of professional music production from the comfort of your bedroom, garage or home studio..

Besides the obvious user-generated content that site is based upon, the website exemplifies convergence by incorporating many other aspects of new media. There are blog like comments, youtube video links, a twitter feed, ect...

References

http://www.thepublicrecord.com

New Media in Radio

Audio broadcasting service transmitted via the Internet.

Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as web-casting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless means. Internet radio involves a streaming medium that presents listeners with a continuous "stream" of audio over which they have no control, much like traditional broadcast media; in this respect, it is distinct from "on-demand" file serving. Internet radio is also distinct from pod-casting, which involves downloading rather than streaming. Many Internet radio "stations" are associated with a corresponding traditional (or "terrestrial") radio station or radio network. Internet-only radio stations are independent of such associations.

Internet radio services are usually accessible from anywhere in the world. For example, one could listen to an Australian station from Europe or America. Some major networks like Clear Channel, in the US, and Chrysalis, in the UK, restrict listening to in country, because of music licensing and advertising concerns.[citation needed] Internet radio remains popular among expatriates and listeners with interests that are often not adequately served by local radio stations (such as progressive rock, ambient music, folk music, classical music, and stand-up comedy). Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music—every format that is available on traditional radio stations.

Some internet radio stations:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_radio

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/clear-channel.jpg

Not Downloading, Just Listening

Another section where music has become integrated with the process of new media is where sites place music on the internet for people to only listen to. Myspace, Pandora as well as YouTube where you have an option to create your own play list of your favorite music videos or just play the ones that have been already created. Just about every local radio station give people the ability to listen to music on their computers or phones. Myspace is pretty much done by each individual artist or label, putting their music up on their page for people to listen to for free. In this they hope that people will listen to their music, like it, then go out and purchase the album(in CD form or digital) to make them money.

Pandora is a little different. This run more like an actual radio station, where the music is set up like playlists. These playlists change depending on your ratings of the songs that you have listened to. You can use the options: like, don't like for songs, bands or genres. This puts the control split between the user and the computer that generates the playlists.

Finally we come to radio stations websites. Here is all run by the programmer of the station. Aside from the few sites that let you listen to songs off of their playlists freely, most sites will just live stream their broadcast online. this caters to the people who sit at a computer all day and want to listen to their favorite station. The main difference here is that the user has no choice over the songs just the ability to listen to the radio through their computer.

New Media in TV

Tivo is a HD DVR that allows users to watch and record their favorite shows whenever they want to. It allows up to 2 different programs at the same time, therefore, users won't miss their shows when they air at the same time. What's interesting about this device is that it also allows you to control live TV by having features such as fast forward, rewind, pause up to 30 minutes, among others. It also lets the user search for the shows they want to watch or browse the TV listings by searching by categories, actor, director, etc. Found out more on [1]

Furthermore, Blockbuster partnered with Tivo in order to deliver movies to their subscribers through it. [2]

New Media in Fashion

Designers Go Live Online By Pia Bhattacharya

If you didn’t have the golden ticket to attend New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park this year, designers offered another alternative for fashion lovers. It is becoming a popular trend for fashion moguls to broadcast their shows online, often live. The result is a front row seat for anyone who wants a first look at their latest creations. Among the designers that used this new platform were Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, and Roland Mouret. According to Style.com, Louis Vuitton broadcasted the show live from Paris to popular social-networking site, Facebook.com. The shows were also broadcast on Youtube.com. Yet another use for new media has been found in the form of fashion.

Shei Magazine

Digital Distribution

This section gives a background on what digital distribution is and what aspects of entertainment it is affecting the most.

Virtual Worlds

What are virtual worlds?

A virtual world is an interactive cyber environment where multiple users interface online. Virtual worlds also known as "digital worlds. It allows users to create avatars of themselves or anything they want to be in virtual worlds. They can develop an avatar to either be completely identical to their present personality or create someone else.There are six types of virtual worlds.

Shared Space: the world allows many users to participate at once.
User Interface: the world depicts space visually, ranging in style from 2D "cartoon" imagery to more immersive 3D environments.
Immediacy: interaction takes place in real time.
Interactivity: the world allows users to alter, develop, build, or submit customized content.
Persistence: the world's existence continues regardless of whether individual users are logged in.
Socialization/Community: the world allows and encourages the formation of in-world social groups like teams, guilds, clubs, cliques, housemates, neighborhoods, etc.

Purposes of the Virtual World:

Virtual worlds have been created for many different purposes. The largest and most common type of virtual world is the Playing Game. Virtual worlds have also been built for other purposes than gaming. The following part summarizes a few ways in which virtual worlds are currently used:

Commercial Gaming

Commercial gaming worlds focus on fiction, such as character focused avatars. Avatars progress through an interactive narrative storyline and a competitive event. It’s strongly focused on fantasy, science fiction, and anime genres of literature and film. The majority of virtual worlds today are commercial gaming worlds. Many great sites contain comprehensive lists of commercial gaming worlds. Here are a few:

GameSpy: GameSpy, also known as GameSpy Industries, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software.
MPOGD: The Multi-Player Online Gaming Directory (MPOGD) is a site dedicated to providing information about multi-player online games. MPOGD contains daily news, in-depth game reviews, editorials about current hot topics in multi-player online gaming, a forum system where game developers and players interact, and the MPOGD Game of the Month Poll.
GameSpot: GameSpot is a gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The content produced by GameSpot staff, also allows users to write their own reviews, blogs, and post on the site's forums.

Socializing / Online Community Building

There are many commercial communities in virtual worlds that focus on socializing rather than gaming. These worlds offer a more open-minded experience, and are influenced by the culture of chat rooms. Additionally, virtual world games are incorporated into a social world. Participants are not essentially there to win or play a game, but rather to socialize with others. In many cases, participators create and decorate a personal space such as a home, room, or apartment. In Social worlds’ users set their account based on romanticize versions of reality.

One of the most popular versions of virtual world are Massive Multi-player Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG's). Millions of users are playing popular mmorpg's such as World of Warcraft or Ragnarok Online (which apparently has more players than World of Warcraft). These people play for various reasons; some play for fame and fortune (virtually), some play for friends and family, some play for relationships, and even some play to escape from the real world. What makes mmorpg's attractive is the sense of a fantasy world where people can role play the character they want to be. Also the game is easy in the beginning, allowing beginners to enjoy the game and draw them in. The online community in mmorpg's is identical to the real world; there can be inflation/deflation of the in-game currency, community continues to grow bigger and larger, etc. This similarity is one of the draw-in features of mmorpg's.

Education

Some virtual worlds are created for educational purposes. In most cases, educational virtual worlds are sponsored by academic institutions or nonprofit organizations, and some, by corporations. Educational virtual worlds are set up in a variety of forms, such as “3D recreations of museum and gallery spaces, computer programming tutorials, virtual libraries, and meeting spaces for online university courses.” Active Worlds Educational Universe is one of the oldest and largest networks in virtual educational worlds. In addition, Adobe Atmosphere is being used to build virtual worlds for educational purposes.

Political Expression

Virtual worlds are also used for political expression and debate. There are many virtual worlds on gaming, socializing, and learning, but there are very few virtual worlds for political debating. Among the few political virtual world is AgoraXchange.

Need for a Corporation

Virtual worlds enable a company to do several things: provide a meeting place; engage in v-commerce (buy and sell goods and services); allow advertising and product placement (rent or build billboards and use other "in-world" channels to advertise products, or place products in high-volume parts of a virtual world where they will be exposed to "traffic" by visitors); or build organizational experience in a virtual environment where mistakes and failures can safely occur. They also enable "v-CRM" virtual Customer Relationship Management: companies can reach out and collaborate with their customers in new ways.

Medical

Virtual worlds can also be used to help hospitalised children (suffering from painful diseases or autism for example) to create a comfortable and safe environment which can expand their situation, experience interactions which they may not have been able to experience without a virtual world, healthy or sick. Virtual worlds also enable them to experience and act beyond the restrictions of their illness and help to relieve stress. They may also be able to socialise, form friendships and relationships much more easily and avoid the stigma and other obstacles which would normally be attached to their disabilities. This can be much more constructive, emotionally satisfying and mentally fulfilling than passive pastimes such as television watching, playing computer games, reading or more conventional types of internet use.

Military Training

Virtual world technologies are used in interesting ways by the U.S. military. America's Army is used as a tool to recruit potential soldiers. For example, companies like Forterra Systems are working with military groups to develop training simulations. Forterra Systems, Inc. is a 3D graphics software company headquartered in San Mateo, California that produces private and secure MMO virtual worlds for corporate, government, defense, medical and educational clients. Forterra Systems also shares a close history with the MMOG.

A majority of Americans do not know about virtual. However, as time passes by, people are getting familiar with virtual worlds. Consequently, many problems have arisen: people are stealing others’ design; teenagers are facing cyber bullying; and so forth. According to the article “What kids learn in virtual worlds,” virtual worlds “encourage kids to play games, dress up online characters, and buy virtual goods to decorate their in-world homes or avatars.” NBC news claimed, “the sex, porn, drugs, and suicide that occur are also in the virtual world.” Therefore, virtual worlds are experiencing real problems.

This is just the beginning of virtual worlds. It is difficult to predict the future of virtual worlds and whether virtual worlds can be used to advance society. Even though few businesses are using virtual worlds to promote their businesses, it is clear from the current boost in virtual world users that more companies will be using them to advance their businesses. In addition, as technologies develop, virtual worlds will be used for all types of purposes. We can hope that virtual worlds will be give us a friendly, informative place to learn more about them in the future.

References:

Spore

Spore is a single-player video game that is a great example of User Created Content in entertainment. This game uses a "Creatiolutionism" theme, and allows users to create their own species. Starting as a micro organism, it evolves from a single cell organism into a complex animal with social needs, and after finally mastering its planet it is then able to conquer space and interact with alien species from other planets across the galaxy. The way a user plays during each given playthrough will affect the personality of their species which can be seen.

Spore also has an agreement with YouTube allowing the players to upload videos of their creature's activity directly from within the game. Although there is no direct interaction with other players in the game, each player's creatures can be uploaded to a central database and distributed to other players for interaction in their own games. Those species' personalities will also change depending on the way that species was played in the original creator's game. The creator will also be able to see statistics on how other players interacted with their species through the in-game "MySpore Page".

Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore_(game)

Online TV

Online streaming episodes of television programming became very popular in 2008, and even more popular in 2009. The noticeable popularity of these websites streaming free tv episodes, such as Family Guy, Burn Notice, House M.D. and others, is finally being recognized by the industry ,as it is becoming a lucrative business.

The following websites offer free television programming at HD quality.

Hulu

The following websites offer free episodes of shows and even movies!!!

Another popular online streaming video website is Youtube, which has been around since 2005. Youtube is an online community that allows users to share their videos by uploading them onto the website. Not only can you view Youtube videos on your web browser, you can also view Youtube videos on your mobile devices now.

Here are some other sites similar to Youtube:

Additional Tv Sources

You can't be a computer addict and a TV addict at the same time, not unless you start watching TV on your PC. Don't bother to connect your TV tuner card. No TV tuner card is required, when you have something called the Internet. So order your popcorn and settle down for your favorite shows.

South Park Stream Sites:

The Simpsons Stream Sites:

Family Guy Stream Sites:

List supplied via ~"http://www.instantfundas.com/2008/01/120-sites-to-watch-tv-and-movies-online.html"

Books and Reading

Book End How the Kindle will change the world. By Jacob Weisberg

The Kindle will change the world, I'm doing my best not to become a Kindle bore. When I catch myself evangelizing to someone who couldn't care less about the marvels of the 2.0 version of Amazon's reading machine—I can take a whole library on vacation! Adjust the type size! Peruse the morning paper without getting out of bed!—I pause and remember my boyhood friend Scott H., who loved showing off the capabilities of his state of-the-art stereo but had only four records because he wasn't really that into music.

SINGLE PAGEYahoo! Buzz FacebookMySpace Mixx Digg Reddit del.icio.us Furl Magnolia SphereStumbleUponCLOSESo apologies in advance if I'm irksomely enthusiastic about my cool new literature delivery system. Like the early PCs, the Kindle 2 is a primitive tool. Like the Rocket e-book of 1999 (524 titles available!), it will surely draw chuckles a decade hence for its black-and-white display, its lack of built-in lighting, and the robotic intonation of the text-to-voice feature. But however the technology and marketplace evolve, Jeff Bezos has built a machine that marks a cultural revolution. The Kindle 2 signals that after a happy, 550-year union, reading and printing are getting separated. It tells us that printed books, the most important artifacts of human civilization, are going to join newspapers and magazines on the road to obsolescence.

Though the PC and the Internet taught us all to read on screens, they have not actually improved the experience of reading. I remember Bill Gates, in Slate's Microsoft years, mentioning in an interview that he read our webzine printed out—a tribute that underscored an inherent flaw. For all their advantages in creating and distributing texts, screens have compromised, rather than enhanced, the feeling of being transported into a writer's imaginative universe. You can't curl up with a laptop. Until now, Gutenberg's invention had yet to be surpassed as the best available technology for reading at length or for pleasure.

For the rest of the story follow the link below

http://www.slate.com/id/2214243/pagenum/all/

New Media in News

During the 2008 Presidential Elections, Facebook and ABC News collaborated in a partnership to allow users to view ABC News’ political coverage on the elections. Using the ABC News application on Facebook, users were able to view reports as well as take part in debates and polls, and share it with friends and family.

This was the first time a social networking group signed with a news group.

ABC News

New Media in the Movie Production

Modern movie production including animation movies use new media technology.

New media in the movie production has seen a huge transformation over the time.In class we talked about virtual world and i remember watching how big studios are using it to make daring stunt movie without jeopardizing the life of the actor.A new movie of Tarzan did not use real animals such as lions that once terrorized the movie crew members.

Retrieved from "http://baruchnewmedia.com/wiki/New_Media_in_Entertainment"