Down With Webster- Your Man

Podcasts & Vidcasts

For the first step of this assignment, I listened to 2 podcasts on iTunes. Due to the fact that I had never listened to podcast before, I was unsure if podcasts would be something that I would enjoy. However, after looking through many podcasts, I found many that were very interesting to me. As I looked through the different podcast sections, I chose to look in the comedy section to look for my first podcast, and found many Dane Cook podcasts. After listening to a few Dane Cook podcasts, I realized that I was really starting to enjoy listening to podcasts. More specifically, I particularly enjoyed listening to podcasts because they are funny and allow for the ability to view stand-up comedy without having to rent it, buy it, or look for it on television. The first podcast I chose to listen to was called "The Secret," where Dane Cook talks to an elderly man who says the secret to a great and lasting love is to cheat. This podcast was very funny, as Dane Cook always is. The second podcast that I listened to was called "Stuff You Should Know." Under this podcast there was a playlist of different things to know. I decided to watch the one called "Why do humans have body hair?" This was about the different types of hair on a human body – head hair, arm hair, underarm hair. This podcast also explained at what stages in our lives that different areas of hair begin to grow. One of the speakers’ theories as to why we have hair in places like our head, is to protect us from the sun.

After my experience with podcasts, I would definitely listen to podcasts again. With that said, I would rather listen to a podcast than read a magazine or newspaper because by listening to podcasts, you have the benefit of hearing the person speak - the tone of voice they use, and the degree of emphasis they put on their words. As this is not something that is possible through magazines and newspapers, it makes sense to say that both magazines and newspapers are less personal and realistic than podcasts.

In comparison to a blog, it is generally easier to find a podcast that interests you. Although people all around the world blog each and everyday, it becomes a challenge to find a blog that may interest you. Also, blogs tend to provide information that is opinionated, whereas podcasts are more factual or real.

The development of audiobooks has provided a new way of reading books. However, there are both pro's and con's to an audiobook. I know a few people who have purchased an audiobook for school related assignments. I believe that one of the major reasons that people use audiobooks is because they are not interested in sitting down to physically read a book. Another reason people turn to audiobooks is because they do not have the time to read. Many people also use audiobooks to listen to "hard to read" books, such as Shakespeare. I remember using audiobooks in my high school English classes when we had to read Shakespeare novels. As we listened, it was easy to understand the words as we followed along in our books. However, there are also con's to an audiobook. When reading a book, it allows you to create your own picture with the words that you are reading, where when listening sometimes the words are too fast and some parts are missed. As well, many of the readers of audiobooks sound very monotone. When reading the novel yourself, it is easy to use your imagination to bring life to it. After comparing audiobooks to real books, I would say that I enjoy both methods of “reading,” but the situation and time available would determine which is more appropriate at the time.

The second part of the assignment required me to find a vidcast. As I had never had the experience of watching a vidcast before I was excited to finally have the chance to. I enjoyed vidcasts as you have the ability to see what the people look like when they are speaking. Again, I looked through the comedy genre, and found a vidcast about stand-up comedy. The vidcast was called “Math” by the comedian Eddie Gossling. It was a very funny vidcast as Eddie Gossling described how without math, you can not get a good job, and that this is one of the reasons why he is a comedian. The next vidcast that I watched was about the movie “The Hangover.” The vidcast showed author interviews, bloopers, and deleted scenes from the movie. The next step was to watch a video on You Tube. I chose to watch my latest favourite song – “Your Man” by Down with Webster. The video’s title was "Down with Webster - Your Man - OFFICIAL Video Music Video – HD.” The song is a guy singing to a girl about “being her man,” and all of things he will do for her. I have attached this video to my blog above for you to enjoy!

I personally think that YouTube is so successful because it is convenient, easily accessible, and free. For example, it can be accessed on the internet all over the world, and has such a wide variety of genres to choose from. YouTube provides access to music videos, television shows, and other educational videos that are not accessible anywhere else. This is one reason why I always turn to YouTube for television shows I have missed or music videos I haven’t seen. YouTube is also a good source of news around the world, as well as, the latest celebrity gossip. Finally, YouTube is a great way for the average person to make themselves known to the public, as they can upload personal videos onto the YouTube website.

Overall, watching vidcasts was a great experience. I will definitely do it again, and I will recommend it to anyone I know who has not tried it. They are a great source for real life footage of events, as newspapers and magazines only show still photos. In my opinion, vidcasts are a better way to provide information than blogging, because with vidcasts people can not only hear what is being said, but can also watch it too. With respect to different types of learning, vidcasts involve both visual learning and auditory learning, which allows for different types of learners to benefit from vidcasts.

And so we meet again...

As I am experiencing this whole world of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) for the first time, I was quite pleased to learn that it was possible to view all of the newsfeeds that I visit daily, all in one place! After viewing the introductory video I soon realized how easy it was to use Google Reader. Most importantly, the video helped to demonstrate the 3 different ways that a site can be added onto your Google Reader. The most common way of adding a site onto the feed, is to simply click the "add a subscription" button and type in the website address. However, if by adding the subscription does not work, you may have to subscribe to the websites feed directly. A second way to add a site is to look for an orange button with 3 lines in it, which represents the sites feed symbol, and if this is visible on a website it will in most cases link you to the feed directly. Interestingly, most browsers will let you connect to the feed and subscribe to the feed on the same page. If this is not the case with the site that you are on, you can simply copy and paste the address into the "add a subscription" box again.

When I first started using RSS I began by adding the few websites that I visit numerous times a day. I was able to find these feeds extremely easy, and I can see this reader being very helpful to people who follow feeds daily, like myself. I know that I will continue to use Google Reader and learn more and more about it each time I use it. I can officially say that I love RSS and the fact that its so convenient! I have been able to save a lot of time by logging into Google Reader to view the latest news on my favourite websites. I have since learning about this assignment, shared the RSS experience with my family and friends. Therefore, this was overall a great learning experince that I can continue to pass on to friends and family, as I know many people who check newsfeeds on the web several times a day.

My first official blog...

Well since this is my first time blogging, I can officially say that I am new to the blogging world. Personally, it is not something that I have ever thought to do, or wanted to do, but it is evident that many people make blogging a part of their everyday lives. Blogging in many ways can provide comfort, form friendships, and seek answers. It can be used to display emotion, opinion, or to simply ask a question. Blogging can also be used for both personal and/or business purposes. All in all, blogging can connect people from all around the world with similarities and differences.

Blogging can affect the world in both negative and positive ways. In many cases, blogging results in positive outcomes such as a gain in knowledge, or a formation of relationships between the people who read and respond to one’s blog. Blogging is also a way for people to promote and market their business online. It allows for feedback, which can benefit many businesses in the long run. After reading many online blogs, I realized however, that blogging can become negative when it is based upon negative opinions or attitudes towards certain people – specifically well-known people. It can really just become another spot for assumptions and false information to be spread around.

Blogger was very easy to use once I got started. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect blogging to be like, but blogger has made my experience much more enjoyable than expected. I have also learned that blogging isn’t really as time-consuming as I thought it was. Creating my blog on blogger was a fairly quick and smooth process. I also was surprised to discover how personal one can make their blog. Blogs can include pictures, colours, links, and the fonts that allow each person to make their blog uniquely theirs.

As for the blogs that I read online, many were very useful. I pictured a blog to be posted by just any ordinary person on their own thoughts and opinions. I soon discovered that there were blogs with real information, such as the latest movies and sports blogs. I found that the movie blogs were very interesting, as they provided me with interesting information about some of the new movies that are out or are coming out. Some of the business blogs were also interesting as they provided insight as to what some of the big worldly businesses are up to these days –businesses that I didn’t even know existed.

Since I am also new to Twitter, I took some time to roam around and get to know how it works. I have come to the conclusion that blogging on blogger is much easier and faster than setting up a Twitter account and then trying to understand how it works and the point of it, in reality. I still do not understand Twitter’s purpose, as Facebook, MySpace, cell phones, and MSN Messenger are all capable of updating people on one’s life, as it is. So I can officially say I am not a fan of Twitter myself, and from many of the review blogs I have read about what people think of Twitter, I would say that it is really a mixed bag. Some people find it very useful for whatever their personal needs are, but others, like myself, do not have any specific need for it. Many people have expressed through their blogs that they find the repetitive updates that people provide on Twitter to be of great nuisance. I can agree with those people, as I feel that it is only the people who are closest to me who I care about enough to hear about their hour-to-hour life updates. From this, I can honestly conclude that I will probably never use Twitter again, but I will definitely consider blogging again now that I know how easy it really is to do.