Postcasts are rapidly increasing in popularity because they are simple to produce and very inexpensive to deliver. Podcasts refer to the automatic downloading of MP3 audio files to a computer or MP3 player in a data structure called RSS 2.0 envelope. The term podcast is somewhat misleading because it implies that an ipod is required to podcast. Actually, podcasts can be used with a variety of digital audio formats and played on almost any MP3 player or portable digital audio device, as well as desktop or laptop computers. In contrast Vodcasting is the same as podcasting except that it uses video content rather than audio, and the content is played on personal computers or an updated digital device with video capabilities.
The two Audio podcasts that i listened to were:
a) official podcast of the Barclays Premier League, episode 11
b) a history of the world in 100 objects, episode; AHOW 30 - chinese bronze bell
I did enjoy listening to these podcasts and am continuing to use them, because audiobooks as such provide adequate resource to people who dont have time to read and want information on current events or personal interests. Podcasts can also be a helpful tool in education and business, that is can be used to listen to an instructor's lectures if missed or to create an advertisement that help draw visitors to a website respectively. This method provides better information when compared to things like blogging or formal methods like magazines and newspapers. Podcasts also has some disadvantages which include that podcasts cannot be used for two way interaction. Questions and comments cannot be added by individuals through this type of media. Secondly, individuals with a low bandwith will have a difficulty downloading podcasts.
The two Vodcasts that i watched were:
a) the avatar podcasts from absolute radio, episode: James Cameron at the BAFTAs
b) 2012 featurette: the end of the world, the actor's perspective
I did enjoy my experience with vodcasts and would surely continue to engage in watching vodcasts but personally i found Youtube and Google video much easier to use. The success behind Youtube is that individuals can upload and share videos with one another and secondly even unregistered users are allowed to use this engine, hence it makes it one of the most social and user friendly place.
The pros of vodcasts are as similar to those of audio podcasts. In addition, vodcasts allow people to download all their favorite shows and enjoy them at a convenient time slot. The disadvantage of vodcasting is that, although many people have mobile devices, not everyone does. Thus podcasting may alienate this segment of the market, leading them to look elsewhere for their entertainment and information needs. And once again according to my experience, i felt that vodcasting provides better information when compared to things like blogging, magazines and newspapers.
References:
a) http://podcasting.mynichereports.com
b) www.brighthub.com
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Experience with RSS
This was the first time i ever used an RSS news feed format via google reader, and i must say it was a very interesting and educative learning experience. RSS which also stands for Really Simple Syndication and some call it Rich Site Summary, is a format that delivers the constant changes of a web content. It is mainly used by news related sites, web blogs and other online publishers to syndicate their content as an RSS feed to whoever wants it.
A tool like google reader, solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It does so by allowing an individual to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest contents from the sites that interests him/her. By using google reader, a person can gain access to the feeds by simply subscribing to it. There are three ways to add the feeds to google reader: a) click the add subscription link and paste the address of the site that you need to add in the text field that appears, b) secondly, one can type in the keywords for a search and the reader would provide a list of web pages that contain the feeds and you can subscribe to any, c) last but not least, one can add bundles of feeds that are categorized into different labels such as news, sports, etc, this can be done by clicking on the browse for stuffs found on the left navigation page, and it would provide a list of bundles to subscribe to.
I found this technology very useful because of the following various reasons. Using google reader saves time by not needing to visit each site individually. It also allows customization, that is for example, if you are interested with sports news only, then you can subscribe to sports feeds whilst disregarding the unwanted feeds. One other factor that may also considered to make google reader a very useful tool is that it is spam free. Professionals have claimed that it is nearly impossible to be spammed on RSS, this is because you only subscribe to feeds you decide to and also that RSS are web pages, you don't have to see them if you choose not to.
References:
a) http://www.associatedcontent.com/
b) http://www.whatisrss.com/
A tool like google reader, solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It does so by allowing an individual to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest contents from the sites that interests him/her. By using google reader, a person can gain access to the feeds by simply subscribing to it. There are three ways to add the feeds to google reader: a) click the add subscription link and paste the address of the site that you need to add in the text field that appears, b) secondly, one can type in the keywords for a search and the reader would provide a list of web pages that contain the feeds and you can subscribe to any, c) last but not least, one can add bundles of feeds that are categorized into different labels such as news, sports, etc, this can be done by clicking on the browse for stuffs found on the left navigation page, and it would provide a list of bundles to subscribe to.
I found this technology very useful because of the following various reasons. Using google reader saves time by not needing to visit each site individually. It also allows customization, that is for example, if you are interested with sports news only, then you can subscribe to sports feeds whilst disregarding the unwanted feeds. One other factor that may also considered to make google reader a very useful tool is that it is spam free. Professionals have claimed that it is nearly impossible to be spammed on RSS, this is because you only subscribe to feeds you decide to and also that RSS are web pages, you don't have to see them if you choose not to.
References:
a) http://www.associatedcontent.com/
b) http://www.whatisrss.com/
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Twitter & Blogging
Twitter is one of the most widely used social network base by people to connect themselves to the world. Twitter has different uses by different people. It can be used by a company for marketing its products or coordinate business, it can be used by a family to keep in touch with relatives, can be used by media to keep its people informed about worldly events and news, and can also be used by a writer to build up a fan base.
In twitter people can send and read messages known as tweets. These are text based posts of up to 140 characters. Tweets are displayed on the author's profile page and is delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Thus i believe that twitter is one of the best ways to share and discover information of what is happening around the world.
In contrast a blog is used to describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. It is frequently updated and ranges from personal to political views that focus on either one narrow subject of a whole range of subjects. Much of the blogs that i encountered throughout my learning process with blogging, focus on particular topics that include web design, home staging, sports, mobile technology and much more. Some were personal journals that presented the author's daily life and thoughts.
One blog under technology posted by Leslie Grandy (January 2010) talked about how consumers can optimize and extend capabilities of their Smartphone operating systems because mobile devices have become much more like handheld personal computers. It mentioned that a company named FIXMO is trying to enhance and maximize the usability of Smartphone. They are planning to do so by adding features like Flame Retardant, which would automatically silence the phone during and incoming sms, call or email when the calendar notices that you are in a meeting.
Another interesting blog from Google revealed that US democratic leaders were shocked to witness the winning of Scott Lee Cohen as their party's nomination for lieutenant governer, who was arrested four years ago and accused of holding a knife on his former girlfriend's neck.
Comparing twitter from blogging, I found that twitter was much faster, in the sense that it allows quick feedbacks from a diverse group of people, although blogging also allows this feature which can be one of the similarities between the two, but it is at a slower pace. Another issue was that blogging allow indepth posts where a person can freely and easily express him/herself, whereas tweets confine us with only 140 characters at a time, and thus much information cannot be expressed in one post.
I believe that both these networks are the best social networking site that connect the world as one family. Both blogging and twitter have proven to have positive affects on the world, whereby people can meet, share ideas, share problems of the everyday life and feel secured about their lives by the network of friends they create whos care and share with them.
References:
1) www.technorati.com/technology/gadgets
2) www.problogger.net
3) www.politicalwire.com
In twitter people can send and read messages known as tweets. These are text based posts of up to 140 characters. Tweets are displayed on the author's profile page and is delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Thus i believe that twitter is one of the best ways to share and discover information of what is happening around the world.
In contrast a blog is used to describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. It is frequently updated and ranges from personal to political views that focus on either one narrow subject of a whole range of subjects. Much of the blogs that i encountered throughout my learning process with blogging, focus on particular topics that include web design, home staging, sports, mobile technology and much more. Some were personal journals that presented the author's daily life and thoughts.
One blog under technology posted by Leslie Grandy (January 2010) talked about how consumers can optimize and extend capabilities of their Smartphone operating systems because mobile devices have become much more like handheld personal computers. It mentioned that a company named FIXMO is trying to enhance and maximize the usability of Smartphone. They are planning to do so by adding features like Flame Retardant, which would automatically silence the phone during and incoming sms, call or email when the calendar notices that you are in a meeting.
Another interesting blog from Google revealed that US democratic leaders were shocked to witness the winning of Scott Lee Cohen as their party's nomination for lieutenant governer, who was arrested four years ago and accused of holding a knife on his former girlfriend's neck.
Comparing twitter from blogging, I found that twitter was much faster, in the sense that it allows quick feedbacks from a diverse group of people, although blogging also allows this feature which can be one of the similarities between the two, but it is at a slower pace. Another issue was that blogging allow indepth posts where a person can freely and easily express him/herself, whereas tweets confine us with only 140 characters at a time, and thus much information cannot be expressed in one post.
I believe that both these networks are the best social networking site that connect the world as one family. Both blogging and twitter have proven to have positive affects on the world, whereby people can meet, share ideas, share problems of the everyday life and feel secured about their lives by the network of friends they create whos care and share with them.
References:
1) www.technorati.com/technology/gadgets
2) www.problogger.net
3) www.politicalwire.com
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