blog 4,Feb.17th Readings

Reading Assignment February 17th.
The speaker in podcasting clip is giving a nice review of podcasting, its implication, its application, implementation, validation of organization and changing media.
As mentioned by the speaker, podcasting applies to everyone in an organization, it could be a non-profit organization, educational, business, or academia. Podcasting applications are very broad and wide it’s in associations or in corporations.
The key point is the communication and the focus is on e-mail, the way we communicate in the world is changing, the change of pace of media, we can implement podcasting for the success of an organization.
The other key point is the strategy of podcasting, establishing innovations, broad contacts, pioneer in communication internal podcasting and communication, for example in academics, about the student’s curriculum, class notes, course material, etc. In business, build your audience, look for feed backs from company, frequent, timely, relevant and targeted contacts. Provide opportunities to experiment, what’s working the best for the company, update the customers, the more often your name is out in the public more popularity you will gain. Same works for the non-profit organizations, like place of worships, churches, temples or mosques, people solicits or ask for donations and contributions. Even if you are not producing, you can participate in it, you can sponsor it.
Another key point is the cross over in above three is the same medium of communication, such as e-mail, Webs, on-line, print or television. Speaker is saying the podcasting is the perfect extension of communication, extending messages to all different organizations, entertaining, accessible, energizes the communication effectively.
Per speaker validation of podcasting, audio, video, e-mail are all very effective and very dominant, most of the people check their e-mail pretty frequently. Podcasting is customer retention media. Blogging is another communication tool, which is becoming a common media in business and social world. Search is very timely and relevant short medium. On-line media and advertising is very popular, you can buy on-line any specific thing, geographically at any location any time. The three critical elements are target, relevant and measureable.
Compounding communication, the relevant audio, video, television, digital, all have individualized media experience. For publishing of relevant content there are libraries, archives. Key uses of podcasting, you innovate, use in education as in giving the educational messages, publication by getting the company name out and public relations podcasting by media relations, e.g. advertising, marketing, sponsoring and content sponsoring to politics and interviews.
Can blogs revolutionize progressive media?
The article is about the blog’s popularity, and how it has affected the political environment.
Key point according to the article by Lakshmi Choudhry, blogs are becoming very popular in general and specifically successful for the Democratic Party leadership, through the net roots. There is Internet, e-mails and message boards, blogs are much cheaper, faster and interactive for voters, they are very helping towards the campaign as compared to the news papers or television media.
Another point by the writer, blogging encourages a participatory media, computer savvy people participate in putting their ideas through blogs on Internet without the fear of being penalized by any one and all different opinions are converged through the Internet. Per, author,p.4, “ blogs- and more broadly, netroots tools- have the potential to become engines of truly democratic, bottom-up, issue-rich political participation”.
In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” is about the impact of Internet on our brains and how are thinking are changing.
The main point is people spend so much time on Internet, it is kind of addictive, if you go to one Web site that can take you to several other sites, where you can get enormous amount of information in such short period of time, as compared to reading a book. Although some people still enjoy reading a book while sitting or relaxing in their comfort zone. As mentioned by the author in the article, p.2, “Marshall McLuhan pointed out in the 1960’s, media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way net distributes it”.
The idea pointed out in Erick Schmidt’s words, in the article, p.7, “Google is motivated by a desire to use technology, to solve problems that have never been solved before.” This seems so true sometimes, but not always.
The challenging question from this week’s reading is about the belief that our “brain circuits” can be re-wired? I really do not agree with this, may be more explanation might change my mind.
Discussion Questions:
Are the blogs safe enough for anyone to put their opinions freely?
Why the word “podcasting” is unknown to the general public? When it sounds like such a useful tool as mentioned in the clip.
From this week’s learning, podcasting clip was the most informative, I will try to introduce podcasting at my business, work and academia as well.