‘Archive Fever’

This week I was really intrigued by the Matthew Ogle reading as it really made me think about the importance of archives in today’s society. In particular, I liked how he linked Jacques Derrida’s claim that archives not only record an event but also produce an event to the impact that social media as an archive has had on society (Ogle, 2010). His assertion that we have all become digital archivists thanks to ‘real time channels’ like Twitter and Facebook really surprised me because I hadn’t thought that my tweets and updates could be seen as a record not only of my life but the society that I was living in. In addition, Ogle’s claim that due to using the ‘real time web’ like Twitter we have developed this attitude that only the now counts (Ogle, 2010) was thought provoking as I started to realise how people today seem more concerned about been up to date rather then looking back.

I like Ogle also think that these social media sites should make it easier for people to look at their archives and that we should start valuing the past instead of just thinking about the present. However, Ogle’s suggestions that social media should make past records more accessible for their users (Ogle, 2010) may detract from the immediacy that is so central to social media sites.

Another thing that I found interesting this week in the readings was the different types of archives found in the My School website, Apartheid website and the ABC’s cyclone Yasi page. When I looked at the My School website I felt that the archive had produced this highly competitive environment where schools were pitted against each other. In contrast, the apartheid and Cyclone Yasi archive created this space for people to relate to each other in such a human way without they’re being a sense of hierarchy. I think this relates to what Derrida said about archives having the capacity to produce as well as been able to keep records. Overall I felt that all the reading material this week highlighted the diverse nature of the archive and the ability it has to create social change which I had never really thought about before so it was great to look at something that I thought was pretty bland with wonder and appreciation. 

References: 

1) Ogle, Matthew (2010) ‘Archive Fever: A love letter to the post real-time web’, Available at: <http://mattogle.com/archivefever/> [Accessed 27 March 2011]. 

2) Anon. (2010) 'Arpetheid Archive Project' [online]. Available at: http://www.apartheidarchive.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=6 [Accessed 27 March 2011].

3) Anon. (2010) 'My School' [online]. Available at: http://www.myschool.edu.au/ [Accessed 28 March 2011]. 

4) Anon. (2011) 'Cyclone Yasi: Your Stories' [online]. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/cyclone-yasi/your-stories.htm [Accessed 28 March 2011].

Mind Mapping The Actor Network Theory

Link to Bigger Mind map

Reference:
Actor-network theory 2011, Wikipedia, viewed 19th of March, 2011
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor-network_theory>

Down in the committee offices a photo by shainelee on Flickr.

I think this photo of a dull and colourless hall relates to Charlie Brooker's YouTube video on reporting the news. The idea that really appealed to me on the video was that traditional publishing platforms like broadcast news has become so predictable and unimaginative. Like this hallway there is little room for creativity in the traditional publishing platforms. On the other hand, the video also proves that digital publishing is giving people an opportunity to question these older models and look towards changing them.

Money at hand a photo by Don Hankins on Flickr.

When I fist looked at this picture it reminded me of the David Carr reading on paying for content online. Carr makes the point that legacy businesses like The New York Times need to start charging customers for content in order to survive as a business. However, I think that this is restricting people's access to information online. It also makes me think that the Internet is becoming more commodified rather than democratic which I feel the picture demonstrates.

a photo by Sultry on Flickr.

When I saw this picture I thought of the MIT Press proposal form for new authors. The form I felt put pressure on the author to think about how to market and promote their book instead of just focusing on the content of their book. I think this picture shows the process writers now have to go through to get their book published. The circles representing the various types of media and marketing platforms and issues they have to consider so that their book can be published and become successful.

Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom 0.1 a photo by MichaelKreil on Flickr.

This image represents to me what is happening in online publishing today. This was explored in the article by Steve Busfield when he argues that newspaper companies like The New York Times should not turn away from openly sharing content on their sites. I think that this is a valid point as the illustration points out; the more information that is made openly available through publishing the more wisdom people will be able to acquire.

From The Kindel to The iPad and beyond

When I first found out I would be doing a course on publishing I was apprehensive, as I had never really thought about publishing and felt that it was too complicated for me to understand. However, after reading the materials for this week I soon began to see that it’s not such an obscure subject and that it was already part of my everyday life. When I read through the history of printing I was amazed at how far we’ve come and how publishing has developed from something that was virtually non-existent 300 years ago to something that is constantly adapting and changing in the digital age. 

One of the readings that really resonated with me this week was the NPR transcript as it brought to light the different ways e-books have transformed both the publishing world and society itself. I think the underlying argument that e-books like the iPad and Kindle have enhanced rather than replaced the printed book was quiet poignant (NPR, 2010). I think that people are still drawn to the printed book as it offers them a unique experience. Having said that I also believe that e-books can offer us a whole new way of experiencing reading particularly the iPad as you can access 3D images or embedded videos. As the transcript mentions perhaps were heading towards a future where we can read a printed book and then access it online or on an iPad therefore improving our overall reading experience (NPR, 2010).

Another article that I found interesting was by John Naughton from The Observer as he made me think about the other ways that e-books differ from the printed book. The concept that e-books such as the Amazon Kindle are controlling people by monitoring the interactions they make on the device and by restricting them from sharing the content or using it for illegal purposes (Naughton, 2009), really opened my eyes to the dangers posed by these new technologies. It really made me think about how much power these new content owners have over people compared to those who distribute printed books. Though the reading added something new to the discussion of e-books rather than just focusing on the aesthetic features of these new devices, I would have liked it if he had further discussed the reasons behind this control and what it would mean for publishing in the future.

References:  
1) Naughton, John (2009) ‘The original Big Brother is watching you on Amazon Kindle’ [online] The Guardian, July 26, Available at: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/26/amazon-kindle-book-deletions> [Accessed 5 March 2011].
2) National Public Radio (2010) ‘E-Book Boom Changes Book Selling And Publishing’, [online] December 21, Available at:<http://www.npr.org/2010/12/21/132235154/e-book-boom-changes-book-selling-and-publishing> [Accessed 5 March 2011].