[8] Blogging - Facebook, Myspace

Blogs are public diaries. They are made up of short and frequent posts, written my normal ordinary people which can be accessed by all those on the internet. They allow and expression of opinion without any sort of limitations. This replaces the idea of keeping a diary to an extent but with bearing in mind that everyone can read all that you right, it may be difficult to be totally honest. it also replaces to an extent, phone calling, texting, emailing and msn...as it becomes a new form of communication!

There are many popular blogging sites, although most sites have some sort of blogging section. The most popular are myspace.com, blogger.com and recently facebook.com. These are all social networking hosts which ‘brings people together’ using the internet. Theses social sites allow you to express yourself in how you want to be portrayed. Myspace allows you to change the background and play music when people visit your profile. People can comment on your page and have conversations. It relates to many different audiences – specifically teenagers to young adults (13-23) as it’s a way of communication. It allows people to keep in touch, reunite, meet new people, share your interests, post links, and express views.

Blogging and social networking therefore are complimentary for each other as sites like myspace and facebook replace msn in some form – but in a more public matter as what you say is available for everyone to read. It allows expression of thought and sharing photographs – all of which teenagers do but now at more convenience, and are able to comment on them, which essentially is what the younger generation are interested in.

Blogging combines many different forms of media. Videos, Sounds, Music and pictures can all be uploaded to share with others. Blogging concentrates mainly on personalisation and globalisation, as it allows you to be you and others all over the world to learn about you. Furthermore, these sites are controlled to a certain extent, to whom can visit your profile, making it slightly safer than it being totally available for everyone to see. The levels of interaction are endless – as you can keep uploading and linking to present yourself and keep communicating.

[7] Online Newspaper

The metro is a free newspaper distributed in the UK. It is available on public transport and can be found at any tube/train station. It is in the same group as The Daily Mail, The Main on Sunday and the Evening Standard.

The website displays the headlines, metro TV, The editor’s choice, the top 5 most read and Metro Favourites (Online Gambling, Travel Offers, Crosswords, Nemi Cartoons, Dating, Messageboards, Horoscopes, Metroku, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Rugby, Credit Reports and switch and save). The homepage is split into sections called News, Fame, Sport and even ‘metrosexual’ and ‘weird stuff’ – making it easier for the audience to surf and find what they are looking for with ease. The metro website also has blogs and podcasts.

The website reaps popularity from the paper as it’s the morning paper read by most people that use public transport. With this extra promotion, the website obviously gets a lot of attention. The ‘metrosexual’ section is for those that want dating tips and along the lines of passion. There is always someone ‘under offer’ in which, a person is looking for a date…adding extra interactivity to the audience. There is a ‘luuurve quiz’ which can be taken – overall making the paper less serious but with a fun side as well. You can find a date and upload your photos.
In an outrage section, the audience are allowed to express their views in forums and ‘blog room’ – with extreme headlines whose purpose is to catch the attention. There is examples of interactivity as viewers can text when convient…converging the technologies, encouraging them to use many different types of media. The metro group, although a free newspaper, receives large profits because of the mass popularity of it and their aim of making people express their views/outrage in the form of texting and other methods which all produce funding.

On the site, trailers, webzines, blogs are all posted relevant to the news or what the consumer may have read in that day. It is possible to save all the readers faveourite articles in a blog and reactions can be eexpressed. Videos can be posted on the site alongside advertisements, including updates, informations, dating sites, jobs, cinema times, new restaurants etc: all from the normal London traveller. The metro website converges many medias and is a good example of interactivity as instead of just reading, they can now comment and express in forms of texting, videos, blogging, and much more from a simple free newspaper.

[5] Capital FM - Breakfast Show

Between the hours of 6am and 9am, capital radio does its Breakfast Show, hosted by Johnny Vaughan. It is known as London’s most popular morning show, with hundreds of celebrities and game shows, drawing in millions of listeners. Most of the popular features of the show are transferred in the form of podcasts, which are downloaded by those who missed it. A popular feature is ‘Welshy Calling’ which the public can access at any time of the day.

The links on the first page are to ‘meet the gang’ that is so often talked about, ‘Welshy calling’, the most popular funny on the show, ‘Get involved’ – a level of interactivity for the public, ‘Guest Gallery’ – pictures from the station in the morning, and ‘Johnny’s interviews’ – the top celebs that come onto the show – all able for the public to access.

The presenters are all funny and this is why they are made to be so popular. The interviews are full of silly questions, which the audience are left laughing and interacting with the studio, giving them more of a personalised experience. The technologies don’t vary from the capital fm website, as they are connected but Johnny continues to allow you to download, watch and listen and involving the specific features of the breakfast show which have proved to be popular. To keep it part of the capital website, there are the usual news and weather updates, play lists, links to other shows through out the day, a timetable of ‘who’s on when’ and of course the opportunity to listen live.

The show is carried on by having the element of humour, for example, the competition ‘Welshy Calling’ allows a listener to win a ‘toaster’, but Johnny ensures that they always win as the correct answer is emphasised. Unlike other shows in its time slot, the family humour keeps listeners tuned in, unlike more serious issues discussed on other stations.

[4] Radio Station

Capital fm, 95.8 is one of the most popular stations playing round the clock. The website contains station updates, music, presenter profiles, local rolling news and sport updates, entertainment and games. The website gives a further insight into the studio and the music that is provided by the radio station, and doesn’t specifically replace anything. The technologies involve webcam, podcasts, online radio, and internet.

There is a lot of interaction through the site, especially into the studio itself. There is an opportunity to watch the presenters in the studio by webcam and hear it on the radio. The interactivity that the station has is that the audience participates 24 hours a day by call, text, email and the various competitions and games throughout. The audience range is large as it attracts members of all ages and genders and is a family show which keeps the station so popular. The music is generally up-to date, but classics are played at various stages depending on the radio show and presenter. The bulk of the music is chart music and can be found on the play list on the website, this is more aimed at the younger teenage generation.

The website is FULL of links, to news, to listen to the radio, to take part in competitions, to weather updates, to podcasts of spectacular moments in the show, or a daily ‘funny’ like ‘welshy calling..’ which is available for download every day.

The phone number and text number is very clearly positioned, encouraging people to take part with the show. There is also a chance to be interactive by joining the VIP club by signing up online. This allows you to access behind the scenes, reap the rewards, get to know everything first and it’s totally free in the form of an email to you inbox every month. The next most obvious is ‘listen now’ converging the radio technology online. Overall, this means that the station can be listened to with out a radio or without even being in London.

There is also a search option which helps the listener get straight to what they are looking for with convenience and ease making it more personal as they are finding surfing incredibly easy.

[3] Channel 4 - Ugly Betty

The Ugly Betty website gives a further insight into the programme that has become so popular in recent weeks specifically for those that are interested in the programme (narrow-casting). When first entering the page, there is a large photograph of Betty with the caption ‘Fashion has a New Face – Brand new comedy for Friday Nights’ which clearly promotes the time and provides a quick synopsis. There is clear promotion on the homepage to interest potential audience, for example a little passage which creates enigma, leaving the audience wanting to know more…’How can an ordinary girl – a slightly plump plain-Jane from Queens – possibly fit in?’ There is a clear box with the times that the show is aired on all 4-related channels..(C4, E4) so the audience is provided with the essential information. For those already interested in the programme, there are many games and extras for them to look into. For example on the homepage there are character profiles, a chance to get to know Betty, Photo galleries, and to remake her face with T4 (a channel 4 production) and a chance to watch clips.

Extras include episode guide, the show, cast, gallery and forums, which give the chance for the audience to be interactive. There is a chance to catch up with missed episodes on 4OD – with further promotion for this sister channel. The forums allow the viewers to discuss the programme, allowing for a worldwide reach on a similar interest point, creating an online community. Channel 4 can also use the forums to keep track of how much interest there is in the programme and what is liked and disliked. This keeps it effective.

The website originally was available before the programme was on air, so that those that had heard about it before hand could get ahead before it was aired to the public. There was a chance to watch trailers and video clips which would hook potential or keen viewers before they had even experienced an episode.

Dulux sponsors the show and there is a set place in which the Dulux film repeats. Other sponsors have adverts that pop up in the middle of the screen which are hard to avoid. The more popular the show becomes, the more interested brands become in advertising with them. This makes it more and more appealing and expensive.

[2] Channel 4 News

By clicking on the News section on the homepage browser, you are directed to the Channel 4 News Page. It replaces the newspapers and the television show as it provides the same information but with more ease.

The top story is centralised on the page and has a bigger picture than anything else on the page. This is then followed by 3 other news stories, with pictures and simple descriptions. For all of these stories, there is a chance to ‘watch the report’, in which a video screen appears and you see the reporter, making it a interactive event as the audience is choosing what they want to watch and when. This makes the experience of watching the news personal and non-linear. At the top of the page, there is a banner with rolling news, for convenience for the audience to instantly see the current news. If the mouse is then moved on top of the banner, the news pauses and gives the audience a chance to click on the headline and further read into the story.

On the left hand side of the page, the news is categorised into UK, World, Society, Politics, Business and Money, Arts and Entertainment, Sport, Science and Technology and Weather. Under the ‘top stories’ we are able to see the top stories in each of these categories, some of which are links to videos. This allows the audience to easily concentrate on the areas in which they are interested in. There is a regional page for weather in the form of a map. It allows you to check the weather for your area and across the world.

The right hand side of the page shows a section ‘from the editor’ displaying the videos, blogs, and interactive features. Channel 4 also gives the opportunity for viewers to catch up with the last seven days news, in case you have ‘missed the show’.

A News podcast from channel 4 radio is available allowing audiences to listen rather than watch or read the news, at there own convenience and timing, rather than having to wait for the news show.

In the ‘comment’ section, there is a chance to get to know the presenters, reporters and correspondents giving the audience the chance to read biographies and comment on their individual blogs. There are ‘newsroom blogs’ in which you can read up about the behind the scenes. There is also a forum in which viewers can share opinions on stories. This gives the viewers a more personal insight and be more interactive in the way the news is discussed and who by.

You can also subscribe to the channel 4 website and get the news emailed to you on a daily basis.

[1] Mainstream Broadcaster

Channel 4 is a leading mainstream broadcaster website which essentially replaces TV guides, magazine articles, news, and in effect television with the new 4OD (on demand). This is relevant as it is more available and targeted at the new, younger, teenage generation as it gives them the opportunity to get everything on a single site. The site is mainly factual including programme information, TV listings, the current news, and appeals to the audience by including an entertainment section full of games, music, viedo clips, webzines, podcasts, comedy etc: a lifestyle section which targets the interests of the consumers by having categories such as cars, sport etc: a documentaries section for those interested in culture and science. There is also lots for the audience to interact with such as interviews, highlights and clips from shows.

Channel 4 have identified their policies in fulfilling audience satisfaction within their institution. These consist of (a) demonstrating innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes, (b) appealing to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society, (c) making a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and (d) exhibiting a distinctive character.

As a whole, there is much for the audience to relate to and therefore caters for many social groups and a global audience, as there is a large reach for potential users of the services that channel 4 provides. The main target audience of the website is the new younger generation due to the vast amount of time spent on the net, and soon the site will be able to be an alternative for the actual television. Even now the site offers catch up on 4OD, recap summaries, watching key chips from a programme, and more interactive aspects which allow a deeper understanding of a programme and lets them get ahead of the programme. We are now able to access and consume lots of diverse media in a single place and are now more involved with programmes through interactivity and networking.

The technologies used are very similar to other internet sites and Channel 4 specialises in keeping them basic so that everyone is able to use it and benefit from it. The layout is simple and clear with a large browser on the left of the page which is differentiated by categories of interest. The bulk of the page is simply the key features that are currently available, advertising three main ‘picks of the day’, alongside easy to read TV listings and a small news update. Under the browser, there is a ‘top shows’ box which gives a quick link to the individual website for the show. There is also a search bar, which will take you straight to any page that you are looking for with ease. An A-Z of all channel 4 programmes is also available alongside a sitemap. There is also institutional links and advertisement for Channel 4’s sister sites that are labelled at the top of the page and the logos are at the bottom; these include E4, More4, 4Radio, 4OD and Film4. They are managing to converge the technology and achieving vertical integration through the web television and mobiles. They can distribute through downloads on the mobile and computer, which essentially creates a young, ‘funky’ image for channel 4 and the ability to market their media products with as much exposure as possible through means of downloading, gaming and advertising.

There are many interactive features that the website links to. For example I have picked ‘Deal or No Deal’ which is sponsored by the phonebook. There is a chance to play deal or no deal and win prizes. They get to be the contestant and eliminate boxes to get an offer from the banker. There is an opportunity to win cash prises. The site also offers audience tickets, a classic show vote and a hall of fame, which is commonly referred to on the show.