Saturday, November 6, 2010
Looking Back
During the past 13 weeks, I had learned a lot from the course, Issues in Publications and Design. I learned that writing a blog isn’t just all about opinions. It is all about providing the correct information to netizens complete with theoretical support. Hence, there is a lot of research and theoretical readings need to be done to support the points that the blogger is writing.
One of the things that I’ve learned is that text and images must be balanced so that an effective message can be conveyed to its audience (Schriver 1997). Therefore, images, graphics and diagrams are included to complement my weblog post so that the readers will have a better understanding.
Another thing that I’ve learned is that bloggers like us needs to be sensitive to our readers, as mentioned by Putnis and Petelin (1996). We must be ethical and not offend anybody, especially political parties. In Malaysia, one of the issues that must not be touched on is cultural issue, as it is the most sensitive issue.
In conclusion, I would like to thank this course for giving me an opportunity to see a clear picture on how blogging is done in a appropriate way.
Thank You.
(202 words)
References:
Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, Professional communication: principles and applications, Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Schriver, KA 1997, 'Dynamics in Document Design: Creating Text For Readers', Wiley Computer Publisher, New York
♥Michy Oon
2:27 AM
Blogging: Freedom of speech which is not so ‘free’ after all.
A blogger causes a stir and a public firestorm when he posted an insulting comment on his blog regarding the late sultan of Johor. The man was then arrested and remanded for investigations and as many as 30 police reports were made against him. His postings also attracted more than 1,000 comments which express their dissatisfaction towards his rude and excessive action while some had also threatened him with death threats (Shadiqe 2010).
Being a blogger, one must have blogging etiquettes, just like professional writers. Thornton (2010) states that in order to blog with integrity and ethically, one must refrain from writing harmful things about another because it may lead to lawsuits for defamation of character. Furthermore, he also mentioned that blog traffic might be driven away from a particular blog due to the negative tone he/she used. CyberJournalist.net (2003) wrote in Bloggers' Code of Ethics that one must ‘show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by Weblog content’. Yapp (2010) suggest three principles to consider before posting things online:
1. The issue of responsibility.
Every move that you made comes with responsibility. Just because one has the freedom of speech on the net doesn’t mean he/she can do anything they like.
2. The issue of accountability.
One may think that they could hide anonymously behind the net, but the reality is that they could never get away with what they post.
3. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Logical and impassive arguments should be used instead of insensitive comments which can be legally-challenged.
Personally, I do agree that all of us have the freedom of speech, but we are not allow to mention things that are sensitive to others, especially to the country fearing that the authorities may take action against us. In the article, it is mentioned that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would investigate the blogger. This would bring our country’s image down as we may be classified as uncivilized. On the other hand, as written in my previous blog post, bloggers such as Jeff Ooi and Raja Petra Kamarudin voiced out their opinions on blogs which allows Malaysians to see a different side of our government and know the truth. In conclusion, bloggers must be sensitive on what they will be writing on, or they will end up being caught.
(391 words)
References
♥Michy Oon
2:16 AM
Politicians: Twitter much?
Politicians are now turning to Twitter because of its mobility and speed. Fans of these politicians are able to get instant updates on what their politicians think and their thoughts on a particular issue. As such, mass media such as televisions, newspapers and radios are not able to provide such inclusive news, which are from the minds of these politicians themselves. Furthermore, Twitter helps politicians to connect to their voters instantly, and it allows short status update, unlike long winded blogs.On the other hand, politicians such as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim uses twitter to counter attack the claims against him whereby the opposition attempts to demonize him through the mass media which is linked to the government (Zahiid 2010).
Source The Daily Anwar Ibrahim
In this new era, as mentioned in my previous blog post, readers are no more considered as readers, they have already evolved into ‘produser’. Even politicians themselves are a ‘produsers’; they are involved in produsage which is “the collaborative and continuous building and extending of existing content in pursuit of further improvement” (Snurb 2007). A recent issue happened created a controversy between 988 Chinese radio station host Jamaluddin Ibrahim and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong when Selangor State Assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim mentioned on his tweet which says – ‘“Jamal asks why wks* sends his 2 children to international school?” (Tan 2010). In this situation, Teng might have heard Jamal said and tweeted it which leads to the controversy.
In my opinion, although Twitter is a vast and fast media, but one must be extra careful when tweeting. Erwin (n.d.) notes that ‘to ensure that messages are conveyed in a sensitive fashion, all communicators and writers must be aware of the cultural and social contexts in which information is received’. Just a tiny little mistake and it can cause a huge controversy. Readers are now ‘produser’,which means they are able take for granted what they politicians have to say, retweet it and change in to another new text. Therefore, politicians must be extra careful when saying something or they could lose their current status.
*wks refer to Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong
(354 words)
References
Zahiid, SJ 2010, Blogging is so yesterday, politicians turn to Twitter, The Malaysian Insider.
♥Michy Oon
2:13 AM
Facebook: Safe or not?
Facebook has definitely invaded the privacy of its users as they announced that they share the user’s details with other website intentionally or unintentionally. Access to Facebook user’s names and their friend’s names are provided by applications developers to database firms. Facebook say that they will introduce new technology privacy setting to avoid misconduct by application developers and would disable apps that violate the terms and condition (ABC News 2010).
Musil (2010) mentioned in recent news that application developers are selling Facebook user’s information to a data broker and it resulted them into a six-month suspension. Facebook developers even mentioned that many Facebook apps that are popular were transmitting user IDs to at least 25 data and advertising firms, which allow one to search for user’s names as well as their friend’s private information.
(Source.thesecuritypub)
One of the cases that happened is about Beacon advertising services, where it was initially intended to inform users when the user’s friends made a purchase or are involved in activities outside Facebook but instead it shared information of users that is not agreed to be shared (Laudon & Laudon 2010, p. 434). It is unethical that this private information is shared amongst websites but Facebook had considered the privacy issue as their top priority. Facebook has then taken action by improving on the privacy settings and even collaborate with McAfee to offer their user’s a six month internet security suite (McAfee 2010).
(Source: Technorati)
In my opinion, although Facebook had improved its privacy settings and even allow users to select their settings according to their preference, it still may be insufficient for its users. An experiment done online where Sandro (2009) test the capability of Facebook’s privacy settings and found out that if one were to privatize their photo albums, hackers can still hack into these albums and get hold of those pictures. In conclusion, despite the privacy issues faced by many Facebook users, millions of users still log onto Facebook everyday because of the importance of social networking, as well as the applications such as games, polls and many more interactive items.
CNN Campbell Brown and Katie Linendoll talks about Facebook privacy issues
(346 words)
References
Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, Management information systems: Managing the digital firm, 11th edn, Pearson/Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
♥Michy Oon
2:03 AM
The cartoons which are not so humorous after all
The internet article summarizes the controversies between the Danes and the Muslims because of The Cartoons that Shook the World that occur four years ago. Danish newspaper published 12 caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that raise anger, rage and ferocity amongst Muslims around the world. Due to these illustrations, around 450 people were killed and some 800 were injured. This issue had affected the Danes as they are advised not to travel to Muslim’s country, and the exports of Danish goods were halt. The author of The Cartoons that Shook the World, Professor Jytte Klausen, indicates that Muslim’s may have misunderstood the meaning of the caricatures as some didn’t depict the Prophet at all(The Book Show 2010).
The cartoons that was published.
(Source:Brenda Patricia Noland Mora)
The main issue would then be audience perception due to different cultural backgrounds, hence different ideologies. Van Dijk (n.d.) notes that ‘ideologically based social representations of (and about) groups’ is part of the factor that creates racism. As stated in the article, certain group felt personally offended although the cartoonist drew the cartoon as an attack on the Danish newspaper, not on the Prophet Muhammad.
Also, Cass (2006) as cited by Mora (n.d.), mentioned that ‘“it is forbidden to depict any of the Prophets” in order to avoid iconic veneration, according to the Sunni Muslim tradition’. Many thought that the cartoons were unethical to even depict the Prophets, let alone the Western’s negative portrayal of the Prophet.
This then leads to the issues of regulations and ethical publishing. While Binderup (2007, p. 405) argues that “from a liberal egalitarian perspective”, ‘freedom of speech’ should prevail despite being culturally offensive, Wallace (1955, p.2) notes that “there are ethical standards which should control any situation in which speaker and writer endeavor to inform and to influence others”. In this case, the Danish newspaper failed to consider the possible reaction from the Muslim community in Denmark which cause them to take the issue to a higher level, in Middle East.
In my opinion, while controversy may lead to high level of publicity, there is a limit and publishers and writers should respect other races and carefully consider the subsequent consequences. Yes, one might think that the issue is not that serious, but because of different ideologies amongst culture, it may lead to rage and anger among many, due to what they perceived. What you and I perceive the cartoon as may be different from others’.
(401 words)
References
Binderup, L. 2007, Global freedom of speech. TRAMES: A Journal of the Humanities & Social Sciences, 11, 403-418.
Cass, P. 2006, A dozen Danish cartoons and the wrath of the Muslim world, Pacific Journalism Review, 12, 148-154.
Wallace, K. 1955, An ethical basis of communication, Quarterly Journal of Speech, 4, 1-9.
♥Michy Oon
1:48 AM
