Reflections

Finally,this journey is coming to an end.

This blog have helped me grow up, and in realising the production of each blog post takes time and effort and careful referencing to have credible information. Blog is not only for interaction purpose but also educate ourselves in becoming a better writer.

The importance of theories and principles in document design can really improve and attracts the attention of other bloggers and the culture while blogging, to be sensitive in order not to offend any other bloggers. Always maintain a balance platform for myself and my audience in this blog to avoid miss-communication.

All the research and knowledge while creating the post are precious and exciting. The knowledge that I gained when I was writing for each post will definitely contribute to my future endeavours.

Finally, the most important part of blogging for me is being ethical at all times. Always clarify the source and would not publish any material that is harmful or offensive that will raise an issue in the blogging community. Respect other bloggers so that other bloggers will respect me.

Video Blog: Entertainment purpose?

Video blogging has become a trend nowadays. It allows us to share experience with others from the internet as well as getting response from viewers. However, this new trend has raise a few issues over the Internet.

When we have blog, we have journalist-wanna-be competing with the reporters of getting their hands on the latest information and sharing them at the first place with their audience. Now we have video blogging, where everyone can broadcast themselves and who knows, become a celebrity over-night, if your video blog is good.

Image 1. (http://blog.karachicorner.com/blog-images/109/video-blogging-guide.jpg)

Video blog is becoming a market, according to Hitwise (via TVWeek), the top "how-to" searches for the four-week period ending 26 January, 2008 were the following:

a. How to tie a tie
b. How to...
c. How to have sex
d. How to get pregnant
e. How to write a resume
f. How to win the lottery
g. How to kiss
h. How to lose weight fast i. How to lose weight
j. How to solve a Rubik's Cube

Image 2. (http://www.christmastree.org/youtube.jpg)

Copyright issues are also popping up as more and more people get into vlogging. Vloggers sometimes use copyright music in their vlogs, but they are unclear about whether the practice falls under the heading of fair use or not (Dean, 2005).

As it comes to publishing issue, YouTube went down for nearly two hours recently in February due to the Pakistani government's move to block the video sharing site from its citizens. But the outage extended far beyond Pakistan's borders to the U.S., Germany, China, Russia, Australia, and the U.K (Vlog Blog 2009).

Upon taking offense to content they deemed insulting to Islam, the Pakistani government ordered PCCW, the main ISP in the country to block the whole site. PCCW went about this task by hijacking a YouTube web server address. However, upon discovering the source of the problem, YouTube was able to convince PCCW to cease the hijack (Vlog Blog 2009).

On the most latest 'professional journalism' today, most of us have to take the blame. With the readers always demanding now! now! now! it eventually leads to believe what comes before our eyes first - the first hand information is the truth. Even if we get to see the news on YouTube, we won't learn the whole story. Unfortunately nobody cares, because as soon as they think they get the first hand information, it start spreading fast, especially with the help of technology and social networks.

Whether the users are going to treat vlog as a serious media or just an entertainment is still uncertain. But there is definitely censorship and regulations need to be implemented in this vlog era before it gets out of hand, although this medium is currently enjoyable and entertaining.

Reference:

TVWeek 2008, How-To Videos Big Boom for Video Sites
Accessed 15 November, 2009
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/02/howto_videos_big_boon_for_vide.php

Wired 2005, Blogging + Video = Vlogging
Accessed 15 November, 2009
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2005/07/68171?currentPage=2

Vlog Blog 2009, Pakistan Breaks YouTube
Accessed 15 November, 2009
http://www.vlogblog.com/index.php/archives/2008/02/26/pakistan-breaks-youtube/

Simmons, D, 2008, Rise of the mobile video blog
Accessed 15 November, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7392594.stm

Effect of New Media on the World

Image 1. (http://www.anonymous-proxies.org/2009/07/freedom-of-speech-censorship.html)

The internet provides us a platform to retrieve information and exchange information with people. According to Schmid (2009), the protection of freedom of speech is widely enshrined in international and domestic law including the United States Constitution (First Amendment), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 19), and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 10).

However, freedom of speech will never be permitted completely as it serves many functions. What happens when human beings have too much freedom in something, they tend to violate it. In today's world, freedom of speech and freedom of expression is guarantee, but it will never be absolute.

The internet not only provides universal access to free speech, it also promotes the basic concept of freedom of speech. If you believe that there is an inherent value in truth, that human beings on overage and over time recognise and value truth, and that truth is best decided in a free marketplace of ideas, then the ability of the Internet to promote freedom of speech is very important indeed (Internet Freedom of Speech, 1996 - 2009).

Citizen Journalism

With the advance of latest technology, everyone can be a reporter, and everyone stands a chance to voice out their opinion. Doesn't necessarily have to be on television, they can get the same coverage in the Internet by blogs, twitter, and other social networks.

A issue is easily spread globally, according to Nash (2008), journalist-wanna-be bloggers are hiding behind their screens writing about what they feel like saying with no consideration to the outcome and aftermath of what a single word might produce. He goes on saying, if we take a look at the current situation in Lebanon, it is all revolving around irresponsible leaders and media individuals going on and on with no limitation or boundaries, yet we keep hearing about real heroes talking about people issues and concerns being thrown behind bars.

As good as blog is a good alternative media, with too many bloggers and reporters competing with each other coming up with new information would make the Internet become an unhealthy place for readers to seek information and reliable source.

Censorship & Regulations

Censorship and regulations comes in place when information contains sensitive or offensive material. It is needed, whether is in the Internet media or the print media. However, the methods of suppressing free speech and the methods of censoring are very different. Censorship is primarily technological, and thus technological answers may found to prevent censorship, though making it politically or legally unacceptable can work.

Suppression of free speech, on the other hand, is primarily political and legal, and in order to truly win the battle for free speech, political and legal power will need to be brought to bear. For example, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, editor of Malaysia Today, was apprehended under Sedition Act for the articles he wrote countless time, due to his sedition and defamation act towards the politicians in Malaysia.

So, I guess, censorship are not always evil. Bloggers need some boundaries, especially Internet allows anyone to share information anytime anywhere, and some don't even bother clarifying the content of the post and ended up falling into the category of defamation or lack of accuracy in reporting.

Ethical Publishing

Not much people are careful with what they post anymore, as long as it hit the daily requirement and the information is fresh, that's all it count. According to Hunter (2000), ethical standards in publishing continue to rise. Many of these guidelines would have been considered excessive even 10 years ago, not because they had no practical significance but because many medical researchers did not consider such activity as dual publication to be unacceptable. But attitudes have changed significantly, and for the better, as much more thought and debate have been concentrated on these issues.

Reference:

Schmid, NE, 2009, the effect of new media censorship on the world - NMI White Paper Accessed 10 November, 2009
http://www.newmedia.org/articles/the-effect-of-new-media-censorship-on-the-world---nmi-white-paper.html

Internet Freedom of Speech, 1996 - 2009
Accessed 10 November, 2009
http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ip_speech.htm

Instablogs 2009, Blogging, Citizen Journalism and the Alternative Media
Accessed 10 November, 2009
http://nash79.instablogs.com/entry/blogging-citizen-journalism-and-the-alternative-media/

Censorship and Free Speech 2006
Accessed 10 November, 2009
http://www.jerf.org/writings/communicationEthics/node5.html

British Journal of Anaesthesia 2000, Ethics in publishingl are we practising to the highest possible standards?
Accessed 10 November, 2009
http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/341

The Right to Publish vs. The Right to Read

What is electronic reading devices? It offers required features for readers and provide enjoyable reading experience online. It is a place that allows publishers and authors to submit their books for inclusion in the electronic reading device.

Electronic reading devices like Amazon's Kindle are set to enter the mass market, Bookseller Barnes & Nobles is expected soon to launch its own e-reader, the top US bookstore chain launched its world's largest online bookstore in July, 2009 (Australian IT, 2009).

Unfortunately for Google, it was on the verge of settling a mammoth lawsuit with US publishers. A final court hearing took place on November 9 on the settlement, which would entail Google's helping to set up a book registry to track down and pay rights holders (Australian IT, 2009).

In the Google Books Settlement Agreement, it stated -

On November 13, 2009, the parties filed with the Court an Amended Settlement Agreement and a motion for preliminary approval of the amended settlement. The parties' motion also seeks Court approval of a Supplemental Notice, which, if approved, will be sent out in early December, 2009. If you're an author, publisher, or copyright holder, please visit the settlement administration site for information.

Image above shows that currently, Google is only able to show a few snippets of text for most of the in-copyright books they've scanned through their library project.

Google as a potential uploader are generating a lot of conflicting interest. For the benefits of the users, it uploaded books all with full text searches available and are now seen as a potential threat.

The Book Rights Registry will be required to search for copyright holders who have not yet come forward and to hold revenue on their behalf, under the revised settlement. Copyright holders can now choose to make their books available for free or allow reuse under Creative Commons, as well have the option to modify or remove restrictions placed on Google's display of their books, such as limits on the number of pages that users can view or print (Cnet News, 2009).

Although Google has offered a compensation settlement of $60 per book to authors, as well as 63% of the revenue online reading, Zhang, who met with executives from Google on 2 November, rejected the offer as unacceptable (Grimmelmann, 2009).

Right now, Google is trying hard to seek rights to scan and display pages out of books to create a modern day like the Library of Alexandria. However, some others thinks is not fair, when too much power lies in the hands of one company.

Reference:

Australian IT 2009, Book trade seeks a deal with Google
Accessed 10 November, 2009
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/book-trade-seeks-a-deal-with-google/story-e6frgamo-1225785656214

Google 2009, Google Books Settlement Agreement
Accessed 15 November, 2009
http://books.google.com/googlebooks/agreement/

Cnet News 2009, Google Books settlement sets geographic, business limits,
Accessed 15 November, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10397787-93.html

The Laboratorium 2009, GBS: More Moot Criticism
Accessed 17 November, 2009
http://laboratorium.net/archive/2009/11/17/gbs_more_moot_criticism

The Right To Blog

According to theStar Online, freedom of speech is the freedom to express your opinion/mind in the right manner so as not to infringe on the rights of others for peace, respect and basic human rights. In other words, we need to think before we voice out our opinion so that it is done in a peaceful manner and with respect for others.

Journalist and author Antony Loewenstein released his new book named, The Blogging Revolution in 2008, which examines the power of blogging in six different countries - Iran, Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt.

Image 1. (Amazon.com)

Censorship of the Web is growing and is now done on every continent. Traditional 'predators of press freedom' - Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Libya, the Maldives, Nepal, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam - all censor the internet now. In 2003, only China, Vietnam and the Maldives had imprisoned cyber-dissidents. Now more countries do (WorldPress.org, 2006).

I have to say, in Malaysia, I feel the 'freedom of speech' restrictions when I blog. I am blogging at risk of confrontation, imprisonment, and other personal risk. And I do believe, in Malaysia, blogging doesn't give us the right to say anything, any time, in any way, without repercussions. We may have freedom of speech, but not freedom after speech.

In London's BBC (2006), it welcomed the new internet craze in an article titled, "Why we are all journalists now," goes on and explaining the blossoming of citizen journalism stands as one of the Internet's most exciting developments. With millions of bloggers, tens of millions of internet posters, and hundred millions of readers, online sources have radically reshaped the way we access our daily news (WorldPress.org, 2006)

Image 2. (Google Images)

London BBC (2006) also said, while mainstream news organisations initially expressed doubt about the news value of online sources such as blogs, whoever launched their blogs are frequently maintained by some of their most distinctive voices.

Image 3. (Google Images)

Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression. Like all journalists and publishers, bloggers sometimes publish information that other people don't want published. For example, publish something that someone consider defamatory. However, the same law sometimes doesn't apply on blogger and reporter because the blogger may not have the benefit of training or resources to help them determine whether what they're doing is legal (Electronic Fronter Foundation, 2009).

Both bloggers and journalist are benefiting from having blogs, as Mathew Ingram said, "... the blogging process and publishing style and ethic are applicable to virtually every kind of reporter or journalist." (Technorati, 2009).

Reference:

theStar Online 2008, Are Malaysians ready for freedom of speech?
Accessed 8 November, 2009
http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=18812

Media Report 2008, The Blogging Revolution
Accessed 9 November, 2009
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2351985.htm

WorldPress.org 2006, Blogs and Freedom of Speech
Accessed 9 November, 2009
http://www.worldpress.org/2373.cfm

Electronic Frontier Foundation 2009, Blogger's Legal Guide
Accessed 9 November, 2009
http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal

Technorati.com 2009, Mathew Ingram Interview: SOTB 2009
Accessed 9 November, 2009
http://technorati.com/blogging/article/mathew-ingram-interview-sotb-2009/