Athens-Clarke County has no law against texting while driving, an activity which increases the chances of being in an accident eight times, said a recent study from the University of Utah.
There is a law in Athens against talking on a cell phone while driving a car. According to the University of Utah’s reports, talking on a cell phone increases the risk of an accident only four times, only half the risk level of texting while driving.
There is also a law in Athens against driving while intoxicated, where you are four times more likely to be in an accident. Therefore, a person texting on their cell phone is twice as likely to get into a car accident than if they were talking on their cell phone or intoxicated at the legal limit.
Lauren Hoffman, 22, a student from Dallas, Texas majoring in anthropology at The University of Georgia, is amused by the close calls a person can have when looking at their phone instead of the road.
“I text and drive all the time, and almost get into about 20 car accidents every day,” said Lauren Hoffman, age 22, a student from Dallas, Texas majoring in anthropology at The University of Georgia.
For teenagers, texting is the most distracting thing to do while handling a vehicle, according to a Students Against Destructive Decisions report released in 2007. The report took a survey where 37 percent of teens said texting was the most dangerous thing to do while driving; over talking on a cell phone, being in an emotional state, messing with the radio, or having several friends in the car.
“Driving with cell phone in hand has become so natural to me, it’s like texting while walking, which I guess isn’t exactly the best thing to do either,” said Rachel Barnhart, age 20, a student from Atlanta, Ga. majoring in advertising and women’s studies at UGA. “I’ve wandered out into the middle of oncoming traffic multiple times while sending a text, and one of my friends got hit by a car from not paying attention to what was going on in the road because she was texting.”
“Athens police should start worrying about texters, not slightly tipsy drivers!” said Barnhart when presented with the fact that texting is twice as bad as driving at the legal intoxication limit of a blooc alcohol limit of .08.
Legislature has been proposed to cut off a state’s federal highway funds if laws against texting while driving are not implemented in the next two years. The first wave of restricting cell phone use has hit Georgia in the past year, with the implementation of laws against talking on a cell phone while driving. Not every county has that law yet, since outlawing talking on a cell phone while driving has trickled down from the Northern states and bigger cities to the south and smaller towns.
One of the biggest concerns with implementing legislature against texting while driving is the problem of how to enforce it.
“I see people looking at their cell phones all the time, but I don’t know if they are texting or not,” said Athens-Clarke county police officer Mikal Ellis, 28.
The University of Utah report stated that there seems to be a disconnection between a person’s risk assessment and his or her respective behavior. Texting while driving is one of those risks that people are not taking seriously.
“There seems to be a carelessness on the road now, like people just don’t care whether it’s dangerous or not, because all the stress for safe driving has been focused on drunk driving and wearing your seat belt,” said John Ellis Mansour, 21, a student from Newnan, Ga. with an undecided major at Gainesville State College.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Television: Is it Hurting or Helping Children's Education?
JESSICA COLE
Athens, Ga.-- Recent studies have shown that allowing children under the age of two to watch excessive amounts of television programming can be detrimental to their learning habits later in life, according to esciencenews.com.
On the site, a professor from the
In a Thai study that was published in Acta Paediatrica in 2008, Christakis discovered that children who are under two years old and watch TV for two hours or more a day are more likely to obtain delayed language skills in later life. The study went even further, saying that toddlers between seven and 16 months old did not know as many words as children who did not grow up watching TV programming.
The review also pointed out that infants 14 months old or older learned better from real human interaction, rather than a program on a TV screen or computer screen. The study said even though children imitate what they on these programs, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are learning anything, or grasping any concepts.
So the question remains, are there any positive effects to viewing TV at a young age? And how much is too much?
Meghan Brown, a Senior at the
“It depends on the amount of TV they watch. I would say it’s had an effect on my 11-year-old brother because we always stuck him in front of the TV,” she says, “He’s gotten used to watching TV and playing video games, and those have been a big influence in his life.”
Dr. Alison Alexander, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications, specializes in the study of children’s television and the effect it has on children. Through her research, she has found that Ms. Brown’s deduction of her brother wasn’t very far from the findings of Dr. Alexander’s studies.
“It’s really important to note that TV viewing isn’t so much harmful unless it is done in excess. It’s not good because children need diversity,” she says, “One question that is needed to be asked is ‘what is being replaced’?”
But when Ms. Brown asked whether or not she thinks she’s been affected personally by the media, her answer isn’t as assured.
“To a small degree, yes, I believe I’ve been affected by it [TV]. But I think I’ve been affected less than my brother,” she said. “I don’t remember what it was like when I was little. I remember going outside more than anything.”
The same question was asked to another student around the same age as Ms. Brown, Leslie Ring, a Senior accounting major at the
When asked whether or not television effects children’s learning abilities, Ring said, “I don’t know, I think they get suckered into TV shows and then they don’t study.”
But when asked TV personally affecting her she explained she doesn’t think she’s been affected, though she points this toward, not the actual viewing of television, but the quality of the programming.
“Think about MTV,” she says, ‘When we [her generation] watched MTV it was music videos, when you watch it now, it’s just shows like the Real World, True Life, etc. These are all reality shows. I just don’t think growing up watching music videos affects you as much.”
The “Me vs. Them” problem, the idea that “they” are affected, but “I” am immune, is something that Dr. Alexander has witnessed first hand when she teaches her students, finding that what students initially thought about how kids view TV, was changed once they were given an assignment to actually observe a child watching television. “This romanticizing of the past isn’t unusual,” she says, “but in the future the answers are going to be much more complex than we initially thought.”
Friday, September 18, 2009
Social Media Jobs--Blessings or Burdens?
ALI ROSENBERGER
Athens, Ga-- Due to the current state of the economy, jobs in many fields have been eliminated. However with the increased popularity of social networking sites, new jobs are being created in the name of social media.
Since the explosion of social media outlets, information sharing has never been so easy. Between social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, and multimedia sharing sites including YouTube and Flickr, people are coming together and making connections like never before.
With the number of people looking for information via social networks, it only makes sense that large companies and corporations jump right in. In the past few years, dozens of new positions have been made for the people whose job it is to stay up to date with social media. Titles such as social media consultant, community manager, online reputation manager, blogger outreach manager, and even social media editor have appeared on the “wanted” lists for some of the world’s largest companies.
The New York Times recently hired their first full-time social media editor, Jennifer Preston. According to the memo sent out by the New York Times—which Preston posted on Twitter—it is in her job description to concentrate full-time on expanding the use of social media networks and publish platforms to improve New York Times journalism and deliver it to readers.
The Internet and other media outlets in general have been a threat to printed publications for some time now; however social media has made the public even more dependent on the Internet as their main source for information.
Smaller publications have had to consider expanding to social media outlets to keep up with the rising trend. “My wife and I thought we could handle producing the magazine in print with just a few other writers on staff,” said Athens local Gregory Sanders, 39, managing editor at Athens Food & Culture.
The magazine was originally started in Macon, Ga., as a free guide to local restaurants and attractions. But, through print alone, Sanders worries that his magazine may not reach the high number of college students in Athens who tend to be more computer savvy.
“Our first issue just hit stands last week, and I’m already thinking I might need to hire someone to do a Web site or blog to go along with it,” Sanders said.
With the pressure of a recession and the ever fickle supply of jobs available, the explosion of new positions in the social media scene is a breath of fresh air for many soon-to-be college grads.
“I have been so nervous about graduating next year with a degree in advertising. We’re in a recession, nobody is buying anything,” said Rhanatah Griffith, 22, a senior advertising major at the University of Georgia from Atlanta.
“But now—thanks to the whole new dimension that social media has created to advertise through—there are more job opportunities for people like me, and there is a whole new frontier to master from now until graduation,” Griffith said.
Cecil Bentley, the Director of Corporate and Alumni Relations for UGA’s Grady College recognizes the shift in advertising and publication from print to digital, and the increasing need for students to build multiplatform skills to keep up with the job market.
“Many publications only exist online, and they require social networking to remain standing,” Bentley said. “Twitter and Facebook are ways to do business, they are places of constant and ongoing networking,” he said.
Bentley also said that employers are not hiring based solely on college courses taken or degrees earned. Companies are now looking for a broad range of actual, marketable skills, like how to successfully advertise using social networking sites. Since the digital age is becoming more and more like second nature to America’s youth, employers are looking to hire from the younger demographic—those who are in the know when it comes to social media.
Athens, Ga-- Due to the current state of the economy, jobs in many fields have been eliminated. However with the increased popularity of social networking sites, new jobs are being created in the name of social media.
Since the explosion of social media outlets, information sharing has never been so easy. Between social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, and multimedia sharing sites including YouTube and Flickr, people are coming together and making connections like never before.
With the number of people looking for information via social networks, it only makes sense that large companies and corporations jump right in. In the past few years, dozens of new positions have been made for the people whose job it is to stay up to date with social media. Titles such as social media consultant, community manager, online reputation manager, blogger outreach manager, and even social media editor have appeared on the “wanted” lists for some of the world’s largest companies.
The New York Times recently hired their first full-time social media editor, Jennifer Preston. According to the memo sent out by the New York Times—which Preston posted on Twitter—it is in her job description to concentrate full-time on expanding the use of social media networks and publish platforms to improve New York Times journalism and deliver it to readers.
The Internet and other media outlets in general have been a threat to printed publications for some time now; however social media has made the public even more dependent on the Internet as their main source for information.
Smaller publications have had to consider expanding to social media outlets to keep up with the rising trend. “My wife and I thought we could handle producing the magazine in print with just a few other writers on staff,” said Athens local Gregory Sanders, 39, managing editor at Athens Food & Culture.
The magazine was originally started in Macon, Ga., as a free guide to local restaurants and attractions. But, through print alone, Sanders worries that his magazine may not reach the high number of college students in Athens who tend to be more computer savvy.
“Our first issue just hit stands last week, and I’m already thinking I might need to hire someone to do a Web site or blog to go along with it,” Sanders said.
With the pressure of a recession and the ever fickle supply of jobs available, the explosion of new positions in the social media scene is a breath of fresh air for many soon-to-be college grads.
“I have been so nervous about graduating next year with a degree in advertising. We’re in a recession, nobody is buying anything,” said Rhanatah Griffith, 22, a senior advertising major at the University of Georgia from Atlanta.
“But now—thanks to the whole new dimension that social media has created to advertise through—there are more job opportunities for people like me, and there is a whole new frontier to master from now until graduation,” Griffith said.
Cecil Bentley, the Director of Corporate and Alumni Relations for UGA’s Grady College recognizes the shift in advertising and publication from print to digital, and the increasing need for students to build multiplatform skills to keep up with the job market.
“Many publications only exist online, and they require social networking to remain standing,” Bentley said. “Twitter and Facebook are ways to do business, they are places of constant and ongoing networking,” he said.
Bentley also said that employers are not hiring based solely on college courses taken or degrees earned. Companies are now looking for a broad range of actual, marketable skills, like how to successfully advertise using social networking sites. Since the digital age is becoming more and more like second nature to America’s youth, employers are looking to hire from the younger demographic—those who are in the know when it comes to social media.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Spotify, Beacon for the Music Industry
By: Blakeney Spong
New music streaming Web site offers free access to millions of songs and play lists
ATHENS, Ga.-The new online “jukebox” Spotify may be the key to successfully putting the music industry at ease in this digital age. Already blazing a trail, Spotify is registering approximately 500,000 new users daily throughout Europe, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
Since the launch of iTunes in 2003, the online music mega-store has been responsible for 70 percent of all online music sales, including over 6 billion songs in its six years of operation. Despite the company’s success, it won’t be able to compete with the allure of a free product.
From Ruckus to Pandora, free music services have popped up all over the nation trying to bridge the gap between music consumers and the way they get their music, because not everyone wants to buy it (hence the trouble with piracy in the music industry). Plenty of people would rather stream music for free on their computers.
“Having music on my iPod or in my car is great, but what’s even better is having unlimited access to music that’s free,” said Lewis Brown, a Marketing major from Nashville, Tenn.
Spotify was founded in Stockholm in 2006 and launched in the UK in 2008. This online “radio station” provides a free 6 million track catalogue and as of March 2009, a clientele of over 1 million members.
Members who use Spotify can instantly access any song in the catalogue and create/share playlists with other users. Members using Spotify for free are subject to minimal amounts of advertising; however, a premium subscription is available. This level of membership costs around $14 per month and allows users full access to the catalogue ad-free, a higher sound quality, travel access and exclusive offers.
Another advantage of a premium membership is the ability to use Spotify on an iPhone. Apple recently approved a free application that allows premium users to search for new music and stream play lists from the Web site.
The partnership will be a huge asset to Spotify as far as giving consumers an incentive to buy a premium membership instead of using it for free. Although the benefits for Spotify may be easily understood, the motivations behind Apple’s support are a little unclear.
“Spotify has got so much buzz right now that it may be the next big thing, like Twitter and Facebook. It’s worked in Europe and now it’s coming over here and I’d be willing to bet that they [Apple] got a piece of it. They see the writing on the wall. They’re in the business of selling iPhones. iTunes is a big part of their revenue, but they sell iPhones,” said Bruce Burch, director of UGA’s Music Business Program.
In addition, Spotify now sells MP3 downloads as well as allowing users to just play songs. Currently, it links users to songs or albums from 7Digital (an online music store based in London), but Spotify is also negotiating with iTunes and Amazon.
In addition to creating headway for the music industry as an acceptable business model for the future, Spotify is also opening new roads on the promotion side of the music business by allowing unsigned artists to upload their music. With help from sites like http://www.dittomusic.com/ and Record Union, unknown artists can get their music directly to listeners on Spotify.
“I’ve talked to radio stations in Atlanta before and they won’t play your music unless your signed or on the top 50 on the charts. I would use it [Spotify] because any way to get your music out there when you’re unsigned is good because you need the publicity,” said Tanna Key, a 15-year-old aspiring musician from Rome, Ga.
Spotify is not yet available in the U.S because of licensing restrictions, but is expected to launch here at the beginning of next year and join several countries across Europe. According to Burch, these restrictions probably have to do with getting record labels on board.
“Getting a major record label to sign on is difficult because everybody wants to wait and make sure it’s going to work,” Burch said.
The hype about Spotify is generating a lot of interest in the U.S, especially with the recent display of support from Apple.
“It’s a really exciting time for the music industry. Anything could happen,” said Meredith McBee, a 21-year-old student senior in the Music Business Program. “Spotify’s proof of that.”
Edited by Jessica Cole
New music streaming Web site offers free access to millions of songs and play lists
ATHENS, Ga.-The new online “jukebox” Spotify may be the key to successfully putting the music industry at ease in this digital age. Already blazing a trail, Spotify is registering approximately 500,000 new users daily throughout Europe, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
Since the launch of iTunes in 2003, the online music mega-store has been responsible for 70 percent of all online music sales, including over 6 billion songs in its six years of operation. Despite the company’s success, it won’t be able to compete with the allure of a free product.
From Ruckus to Pandora, free music services have popped up all over the nation trying to bridge the gap between music consumers and the way they get their music, because not everyone wants to buy it (hence the trouble with piracy in the music industry). Plenty of people would rather stream music for free on their computers.
“Having music on my iPod or in my car is great, but what’s even better is having unlimited access to music that’s free,” said Lewis Brown, a Marketing major from Nashville, Tenn.
Spotify was founded in Stockholm in 2006 and launched in the UK in 2008. This online “radio station” provides a free 6 million track catalogue and as of March 2009, a clientele of over 1 million members.
Members who use Spotify can instantly access any song in the catalogue and create/share playlists with other users. Members using Spotify for free are subject to minimal amounts of advertising; however, a premium subscription is available. This level of membership costs around $14 per month and allows users full access to the catalogue ad-free, a higher sound quality, travel access and exclusive offers.
Another advantage of a premium membership is the ability to use Spotify on an iPhone. Apple recently approved a free application that allows premium users to search for new music and stream play lists from the Web site.
The partnership will be a huge asset to Spotify as far as giving consumers an incentive to buy a premium membership instead of using it for free. Although the benefits for Spotify may be easily understood, the motivations behind Apple’s support are a little unclear.
“Spotify has got so much buzz right now that it may be the next big thing, like Twitter and Facebook. It’s worked in Europe and now it’s coming over here and I’d be willing to bet that they [Apple] got a piece of it. They see the writing on the wall. They’re in the business of selling iPhones. iTunes is a big part of their revenue, but they sell iPhones,” said Bruce Burch, director of UGA’s Music Business Program.
In addition, Spotify now sells MP3 downloads as well as allowing users to just play songs. Currently, it links users to songs or albums from 7Digital (an online music store based in London), but Spotify is also negotiating with iTunes and Amazon.
In addition to creating headway for the music industry as an acceptable business model for the future, Spotify is also opening new roads on the promotion side of the music business by allowing unsigned artists to upload their music. With help from sites like http://www.dittomusic.com/ and Record Union, unknown artists can get their music directly to listeners on Spotify.
“I’ve talked to radio stations in Atlanta before and they won’t play your music unless your signed or on the top 50 on the charts. I would use it [Spotify] because any way to get your music out there when you’re unsigned is good because you need the publicity,” said Tanna Key, a 15-year-old aspiring musician from Rome, Ga.
Spotify is not yet available in the U.S because of licensing restrictions, but is expected to launch here at the beginning of next year and join several countries across Europe. According to Burch, these restrictions probably have to do with getting record labels on board.
“Getting a major record label to sign on is difficult because everybody wants to wait and make sure it’s going to work,” Burch said.
The hype about Spotify is generating a lot of interest in the U.S, especially with the recent display of support from Apple.
“It’s a really exciting time for the music industry. Anything could happen,” said Meredith McBee, a 21-year-old student senior in the Music Business Program. “Spotify’s proof of that.”
Edited by Jessica Cole
Athens Music Industry Adopts Twitter
Athens Music Industry Adopts Twitter
By Christopher Benton
The blank (screen) generation is all atwitter about Twitter, tweets, (hash) tags, and other jargonic miscellany associated with the “micro” blog. With its sub-text-message mantra of “140 characters or less,” Twitter is breaking down the former walls of communication and eliminating the middleman. The effect of this is clear in the music industry, which is rapidly adopting the technology for various forms of promotion. Many local members of the Athens music community are finding ways to use Twitter, too.
“I just got one,” Andrew Dykes, a solo folk artist who plays under the pseudonym Green Gerry, said. “I was hesitant to use Twitter at first, but then my friend made me one. I mostly use it so fans know what I’m up to…”
For Dykes, Twitter is not just a one-way interface with fans, but a dialogue. And while he may use Twitter to publicize himself and reach out to fans, his fans have also reached back, even sometimes helping him while on tour:
“Whenever I’m on tour, the question is, like, ‘Do I have to sleep in the car again tonight?,’ and there’s this mad search to find someone to stay with and couch-surf. But when I started posting on Twitter that I was looking for somewhere to stay in town, I’d sometimes get like 5 replies.”
Twitter may frequently be about self-promotion but sometimes, the self-promotion needs self-promotion. This need for meta-promotion is one of the service’s main drawbacks, at least, that is according to Daniel Clower, a local booker and band manager.
“When I was an intern working with social media for a PR company…we made a few [band] Twitters but the problem we had was getting people to follow. Even for our larger groups with tens of thousand of MySpace friends, we couldn’t even break a thousand on Twitter…The question was, ‘How do people know this Twitter even exists?’”
Clower tried advertising various Twitter accounts on other social media sites like MySpace and Facebook, but still to no avail.
“We quickly realized we were pushing the wrong content…publicists may run MySpace pages but when fans see a Twitter I think they want a personal connection to the band, so bands should operate their own accounts.”
While the “If you build, they will come” adage may not work in the Twitter world, there does seem to be a correlation to the amount of the “Tweets,” or posts a user makes, with the amount of people who follow.
Adrian Zelski, lead singer in the reggae band DubConscious agrees. “We have a twitter but I stopped tweeting when we got really busy and I purchased the club [New Earth Music Hall]…last time I checked, I think we had at least one thousand less followers."
Consistency may be the key, and while his band may have stopped “tweeting,” Zelski hasn’t given up experimenting with uses for the service for his other ventures. Zelski’s newly opened music venue “New Earth Music Hall,” on West Dougherty St. has a new Twitter account. So far, it’s mostly a forum for announcing shows and drink specials.
It’s not just the artists, their publicists, and the symbiotic venue system that has the Twitter bug, the publications that cover the whole thing has it too. Michelle Gilzenrat, music editor for local magazine Flagpole, has been tweeting for over a year, mostly announcing secret shows and posting local music news. The speed of Twitter’s service was especially useful this May: when the Georgia Theatre caught fire around 7 am, Gilzenrat’s Twitter was constantly updated with instantaneous news about the event, hours before Flagpole’s official site could post the same news.
Twitter may be a useful tool for music industry, but it is still just one pillar of a much more vast structure needed to promote music. Publicist Michelle Roche, who runs the local PR firm Michelle Roche Media Relations, likes the new tools offered by the Web 2.0 paradigm, but issued a warning in her address to UGA’s chapter of International Association of Business Communicators a year ago:
“Although MySpace Music, Facebook and Twitter and all these other so-called ‘social media’ tools are allowing musicians to connect directly with fans, and publicize themselves, there is still a definite need for music publicists.”
Twitter is far from the ultimate promotional tool, but it certainly has been a game changer for the music industry. And as Twitter further develops, it seems local musicians will find even newer, cooler ways to utilize the service.
By Christopher Benton
The blank (screen) generation is all atwitter about Twitter, tweets, (hash) tags, and other jargonic miscellany associated with the “micro” blog. With its sub-text-message mantra of “140 characters or less,” Twitter is breaking down the former walls of communication and eliminating the middleman. The effect of this is clear in the music industry, which is rapidly adopting the technology for various forms of promotion. Many local members of the Athens music community are finding ways to use Twitter, too.
“I just got one,” Andrew Dykes, a solo folk artist who plays under the pseudonym Green Gerry, said. “I was hesitant to use Twitter at first, but then my friend made me one. I mostly use it so fans know what I’m up to…”
For Dykes, Twitter is not just a one-way interface with fans, but a dialogue. And while he may use Twitter to publicize himself and reach out to fans, his fans have also reached back, even sometimes helping him while on tour:
“Whenever I’m on tour, the question is, like, ‘Do I have to sleep in the car again tonight?,’ and there’s this mad search to find someone to stay with and couch-surf. But when I started posting on Twitter that I was looking for somewhere to stay in town, I’d sometimes get like 5 replies.”
Twitter may frequently be about self-promotion but sometimes, the self-promotion needs self-promotion. This need for meta-promotion is one of the service’s main drawbacks, at least, that is according to Daniel Clower, a local booker and band manager.
“When I was an intern working with social media for a PR company…we made a few [band] Twitters but the problem we had was getting people to follow. Even for our larger groups with tens of thousand of MySpace friends, we couldn’t even break a thousand on Twitter…The question was, ‘How do people know this Twitter even exists?’”
Clower tried advertising various Twitter accounts on other social media sites like MySpace and Facebook, but still to no avail.
“We quickly realized we were pushing the wrong content…publicists may run MySpace pages but when fans see a Twitter I think they want a personal connection to the band, so bands should operate their own accounts.”
While the “If you build, they will come” adage may not work in the Twitter world, there does seem to be a correlation to the amount of the “Tweets,” or posts a user makes, with the amount of people who follow.
Adrian Zelski, lead singer in the reggae band DubConscious agrees. “We have a twitter but I stopped tweeting when we got really busy and I purchased the club [New Earth Music Hall]…last time I checked, I think we had at least one thousand less followers."
Consistency may be the key, and while his band may have stopped “tweeting,” Zelski hasn’t given up experimenting with uses for the service for his other ventures. Zelski’s newly opened music venue “New Earth Music Hall,” on West Dougherty St. has a new Twitter account. So far, it’s mostly a forum for announcing shows and drink specials.
It’s not just the artists, their publicists, and the symbiotic venue system that has the Twitter bug, the publications that cover the whole thing has it too. Michelle Gilzenrat, music editor for local magazine Flagpole, has been tweeting for over a year, mostly announcing secret shows and posting local music news. The speed of Twitter’s service was especially useful this May: when the Georgia Theatre caught fire around 7 am, Gilzenrat’s Twitter was constantly updated with instantaneous news about the event, hours before Flagpole’s official site could post the same news.
Twitter may be a useful tool for music industry, but it is still just one pillar of a much more vast structure needed to promote music. Publicist Michelle Roche, who runs the local PR firm Michelle Roche Media Relations, likes the new tools offered by the Web 2.0 paradigm, but issued a warning in her address to UGA’s chapter of International Association of Business Communicators a year ago:
“Although MySpace Music, Facebook and Twitter and all these other so-called ‘social media’ tools are allowing musicians to connect directly with fans, and publicize themselves, there is still a definite need for music publicists.”
Twitter is far from the ultimate promotional tool, but it certainly has been a game changer for the music industry. And as Twitter further develops, it seems local musicians will find even newer, cooler ways to utilize the service.
The Concert Experience -The 3D industry tries to tackle live music events
An environmental economics major at the University of Georgia spent $12.50 on what could have cost over a hundred dollars to see her favorite band.
Two summers ago, Roxanne DeMarco, 19, went to see “U2: 3D.” She admitted she idolizes Bono and was grateful for the chance to avoid the insane ticket prices to see her favorite band play a concert in South Africa. She got to experience this while sitting in the Washington D.C. Museum of Natural History.
“It felt like I was really there,” she said. “I was rockin’ out in my chair.”
A 3D concert is a recorded concert of a band that is released across the country in movie theaters to try and convey a “live performance.” Filming events in 3D was intended to be an inexpensive and effective way for fans to see concerts and sports.
The first major band to try it was U2 in 2008. “U2:3D” spent 586 days in almost 700 theaters worldwide. It was followed by “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds” and “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.”
“The bands that make these are giant powerhouses that are making even more money for already very well off bands,” said Bruce Birch, the director of UGA’s Music Business Program. “But they are a way for a band to reach an audience who might not be able to afford a live concert ticket.”
These 3D music experiences, however, have struggled to find a mass audience. “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience” ran for 35 days in theaters and only made $23 million worldwide. On their World Tour 2009, the brothers have already made almost double that in just the first 2 months of touring. The tour ends on Nov. 26.
“3D concerts released in movie theaters are gimmicks pissing on the true art of making a movie,” said Alec Wooden, executive editor of Athens Blur Magazine, a local music magazine.
Nathan Bach, member of unsigned Dear Savannah respects the art, but doesn’t think it can replace the real experience.
“Technology will never be able to replicate what a live show can do,” he said.
Compared to the profit made by 3D concerts, animated 3D movies’ have a much better track record when it comes to profit and audience satisfaction, according to one UGA alumni.
“Everyone loves movies that Pixar makes in 3D,” said Rebekah Madebach, who majored in Management in Terry College of Business. “I can’t wait for ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to come out.”
The 3D film “UP” made over $400 million worldwide, and the smaller budgeted horror film, “My Bloody Valentine 3D”, made over $93 million. In the 3D “sports world”, ESPN tried to broadcast NFL Network's presentation of Oakland at San Diego last fall in 3D to a not so agreeable response.
“I tried to sit through it, but couldn’t,” said DeMarco. “But the boys seem to enjoy seeing the continuous shots of the cheerleaders in 3D.”
ESPN is tried their second attempt on Saturday, Sept. 12, to a much better reaction. The University of Southern California vs. Ohio State was shown in USC's Galen Center on Saturday and simultaneously at venues in Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas.
Josh Miller, art history major at USC, can’t afford football tickets, but was able to see the game at the Galen Center.
“The coolest part was watching the punt return,” he said. “It made me realize how scary it is to have 11 guys running at you, ready to basically kill you.”
The 3D industry is growing, and it seems that every type of event will eventually try it, even if they don't make a large profit. The economy right now is forcing businesses to try any cheaper way possible to make money, and 3D concerts or events are no exception.
“This Is It”, a film about Michael Jackson with behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage will be the next film to feature digital 3D music sequences. It is scheduled to be released Oct. 30.
edited by Kristin
Two summers ago, Roxanne DeMarco, 19, went to see “U2: 3D.” She admitted she idolizes Bono and was grateful for the chance to avoid the insane ticket prices to see her favorite band play a concert in South Africa. She got to experience this while sitting in the Washington D.C. Museum of Natural History.
“It felt like I was really there,” she said. “I was rockin’ out in my chair.”
A 3D concert is a recorded concert of a band that is released across the country in movie theaters to try and convey a “live performance.” Filming events in 3D was intended to be an inexpensive and effective way for fans to see concerts and sports.
The first major band to try it was U2 in 2008. “U2:3D” spent 586 days in almost 700 theaters worldwide. It was followed by “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds” and “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.”
“The bands that make these are giant powerhouses that are making even more money for already very well off bands,” said Bruce Birch, the director of UGA’s Music Business Program. “But they are a way for a band to reach an audience who might not be able to afford a live concert ticket.”
These 3D music experiences, however, have struggled to find a mass audience. “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience” ran for 35 days in theaters and only made $23 million worldwide. On their World Tour 2009, the brothers have already made almost double that in just the first 2 months of touring. The tour ends on Nov. 26.
“3D concerts released in movie theaters are gimmicks pissing on the true art of making a movie,” said Alec Wooden, executive editor of Athens Blur Magazine, a local music magazine.
Nathan Bach, member of unsigned Dear Savannah respects the art, but doesn’t think it can replace the real experience.
“Technology will never be able to replicate what a live show can do,” he said.
Compared to the profit made by 3D concerts, animated 3D movies’ have a much better track record when it comes to profit and audience satisfaction, according to one UGA alumni.
“Everyone loves movies that Pixar makes in 3D,” said Rebekah Madebach, who majored in Management in Terry College of Business. “I can’t wait for ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to come out.”
The 3D film “UP” made over $400 million worldwide, and the smaller budgeted horror film, “My Bloody Valentine 3D”, made over $93 million. In the 3D “sports world”, ESPN tried to broadcast NFL Network's presentation of Oakland at San Diego last fall in 3D to a not so agreeable response.
“I tried to sit through it, but couldn’t,” said DeMarco. “But the boys seem to enjoy seeing the continuous shots of the cheerleaders in 3D.”
ESPN is tried their second attempt on Saturday, Sept. 12, to a much better reaction. The University of Southern California vs. Ohio State was shown in USC's Galen Center on Saturday and simultaneously at venues in Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas.
Josh Miller, art history major at USC, can’t afford football tickets, but was able to see the game at the Galen Center.
“The coolest part was watching the punt return,” he said. “It made me realize how scary it is to have 11 guys running at you, ready to basically kill you.”
The 3D industry is growing, and it seems that every type of event will eventually try it, even if they don't make a large profit. The economy right now is forcing businesses to try any cheaper way possible to make money, and 3D concerts or events are no exception.
“This Is It”, a film about Michael Jackson with behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage will be the next film to feature digital 3D music sequences. It is scheduled to be released Oct. 30.
edited by Kristin
Social Media Goes Academic
By Kristen Luca
Facebook may soon be coming to a classroom near you.
Or at least one of its companions in the social media market may be. Services like Facebook, Twitter, and del.icio.us are not going unnoticed on college campuses. Two University of Georgia professors have decided to work with those services in their classrooms.
Karen Russell, associate professor at Grady College, uses several social media platforms in her courses.
“Since I teach PR and social media is important ... I try to expose them all to social media,” Russell said.
She connects with her students through del.icio.us, a social bookmarking Web site. Russell assigns her course readings through the service, which is a place for Internet users to share and distribute links.
While Russell uses delicious, Scott Shamp, director of the New Media Institute at UGA, utilizes Facebook, a popular social network for college students. Facebook is another popular social networking Web site, which allows users to make profiles and create groups based on interests. Students are required to have a account to join the class Facebook group, which is used to send out readings, answer student questions, and deliver assignments. Shamp could not be reached for comment, but his teaching assistant Cindy Reynolds spoke on the use of Facebook in teaching the “Introduction to New Media” course.
“Some of them didn’t want to join,” Reynolds said, “but we made them. It’s a New Media course and they need to use new media.”
Facebook facilitates class communication for her course. For instance, according to Reynolds, she gets asked the same questions by students repeatedly, and the Facebook group cuts down on the time spent answering them by allowing her to answer the question once.
Facebook is not the only option for classrooms. In addition to del.icio.us, Karen Russell uses Twitter. “My favorite by far is Twitter. [My students] will tell you I’m addicted to it,” she said.
Twitter is a microblogging service allowing users to update their page with messages of 140 characters or less. Users can choose to receive updates, called “tweets,” from other accounts, as well as reply to tweets and hold conversations.
Russell uses Twitter to communicate with her students. “I could do the same thing by e-mail,” she said, “but doing it by Twitter forces them to use it.”
Russell said that social media allows her to connect to students on a more personal level, since her students often use their Twitter accounts to comment on their personal lives. She said that the technology gives her the ability to get to know students in a different way.
However, some are resistant to the idea. Ricky Contes, a third-year English major, said he would be uncomfortable if a professor required him to use social media for class. Even with services like Twitter, which do not offer as many potentially personal details as Facebook, he said he would object to their use in a classroom setting. Contes also said that if social media and academics were combined, “I would never get anything done.”
When Russell first started using Twitter for class, in the summer of 2008, students’ reactions were similar to Contes’s. “Let me tell you,” she said, “at first they hated it.”
This semester, however, her students have been more agreeable. The Web site’s popularity has reached the point where her students already have accounts before coming to class and she has received positive feedback about it. She also uses other Web sites like PROpenMic, an online community for PR students, educators, and professionals.
A student who has not used social media in class before seemed to reflect that attitude. Katie Wyke, a fourth-year English major, said that she would enjoy using social media for coursework.
“It’d be easy to get on it. I’m on it anyway sometimes,” said Wyke.
While social media have become more popular, convenience and a personal quality have now extended that reach to desks in UGA classrooms.
Edited by: Christopher
Facebook may soon be coming to a classroom near you.
Or at least one of its companions in the social media market may be. Services like Facebook, Twitter, and del.icio.us are not going unnoticed on college campuses. Two University of Georgia professors have decided to work with those services in their classrooms.
Karen Russell, associate professor at Grady College, uses several social media platforms in her courses.
“Since I teach PR and social media is important ... I try to expose them all to social media,” Russell said.
She connects with her students through del.icio.us, a social bookmarking Web site. Russell assigns her course readings through the service, which is a place for Internet users to share and distribute links.
While Russell uses delicious, Scott Shamp, director of the New Media Institute at UGA, utilizes Facebook, a popular social network for college students. Facebook is another popular social networking Web site, which allows users to make profiles and create groups based on interests. Students are required to have a account to join the class Facebook group, which is used to send out readings, answer student questions, and deliver assignments. Shamp could not be reached for comment, but his teaching assistant Cindy Reynolds spoke on the use of Facebook in teaching the “Introduction to New Media” course.
“Some of them didn’t want to join,” Reynolds said, “but we made them. It’s a New Media course and they need to use new media.”
Facebook facilitates class communication for her course. For instance, according to Reynolds, she gets asked the same questions by students repeatedly, and the Facebook group cuts down on the time spent answering them by allowing her to answer the question once.
Facebook is not the only option for classrooms. In addition to del.icio.us, Karen Russell uses Twitter. “My favorite by far is Twitter. [My students] will tell you I’m addicted to it,” she said.
Twitter is a microblogging service allowing users to update their page with messages of 140 characters or less. Users can choose to receive updates, called “tweets,” from other accounts, as well as reply to tweets and hold conversations.
Russell uses Twitter to communicate with her students. “I could do the same thing by e-mail,” she said, “but doing it by Twitter forces them to use it.”
Russell said that social media allows her to connect to students on a more personal level, since her students often use their Twitter accounts to comment on their personal lives. She said that the technology gives her the ability to get to know students in a different way.
However, some are resistant to the idea. Ricky Contes, a third-year English major, said he would be uncomfortable if a professor required him to use social media for class. Even with services like Twitter, which do not offer as many potentially personal details as Facebook, he said he would object to their use in a classroom setting. Contes also said that if social media and academics were combined, “I would never get anything done.”
When Russell first started using Twitter for class, in the summer of 2008, students’ reactions were similar to Contes’s. “Let me tell you,” she said, “at first they hated it.”
This semester, however, her students have been more agreeable. The Web site’s popularity has reached the point where her students already have accounts before coming to class and she has received positive feedback about it. She also uses other Web sites like PROpenMic, an online community for PR students, educators, and professionals.
A student who has not used social media in class before seemed to reflect that attitude. Katie Wyke, a fourth-year English major, said that she would enjoy using social media for coursework.
“It’d be easy to get on it. I’m on it anyway sometimes,” said Wyke.
While social media have become more popular, convenience and a personal quality have now extended that reach to desks in UGA classrooms.
Edited by: Christopher
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)