talkingDigital

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What is new media? Rather, what is new about new media? Of course, the Internet has changed media and added a new dimension of communication and innovation, but when should those who produce and consume online augmented communication stop considering their methods and means as new?

Of course, the argument for new media is not new vs. old, but new vs. traditional. Traditional media comes in the form of television, radio, newspaper and magazines. However, listening to terrestrial radio via the Internet stream would most likely fall under new media. Same for television. The nightly news broadcast is a form of traditional media, but logging into the broadcast’s website to comment on a story is considered new media.

If new media is defined as online media consumption, but all traditional media outlets now have online methods of distribution and interaction, is the concept really new anymore?

So, what’s the alternative? When it comes to research, advertising and study, it is very handy to divide the media into two groups – traditional and…

How about emerging media? Emerging says it all. It’s not mainstream media, it’s not new or old. It’s emerging. A Google search suggests that others have already claimed the word emerging and associated it with specific types of media. However, the words new and social were also in existence before they were adopted into their contemporary meanings.

It’s important that those within the industry insist on using a different term for it. Otherwise, we will still be calling ourselves part of the new media 20 years after YouTube and Facebook were created. By that time, all media will be `a la carte.

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Over the past five years (maybe more) talkingDigital has changed directions many times. Most recently the site was used as the master feed for a number of podcasts. We will continue to produce podcasts and post the latest episodes here, but the content of the site will be soon be expanding.

talkingDigital is the home base for a variety of ongoing projects and experiments conducted by Adam Cochran, a professor of Mass Communication at Colorado Mesa University. For the past year and a half, Cochran has been working on an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Memphis. With the degree work completed, he now has time to work on expanding the content on talkingDigital. We hope to add more podcasts, but also post on topics that are important to the talkingDigital team.

Our passions at talkingDigital are centered around the role of technology in art, education, and industrial progress. We love politics, disruptive technologies, religion and almost any other subject that tends to lead to world-change. We hope that you enjoy the new direction and we encourage you to comment and participate in the discussions presented.

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Today was my first day teaching Content Development for Web Pages or MASS 410 as it is described in the Mesa State College course catalog.

The catalog defines the course as:

Developing content for the World Wide Web for small businesses, non-profit organizations and media from a public relations perspective.
Development of content for public relations, advertising, marketing and sales, academic and news web sites. Electronic publications and on-line publishing policies and procedures. Methods of electronic journalism.

I began the class by explaining that the class would not be a web design class. There were a buzz of joy. Only one student said she was disappointed that I would not be teaching how to design web pages.

The class seemed a little confused as I explained that they would develop websites, post articles, upload video and audio without learning how to design websites. Read the rest of this entry →