My Favorite Blog

As much as it pains me to admit, TMZ is currently my favorite blog on the Internet.  Celebrity gossip…  Why are we so interested in celebrity gossip?

Humans are insatiably curious beings. Curiosity is ingrained in the body’s neurology, empowering our learning, our discovery, and even motivating our actions. Add celebrities into the mix and we are curious about how the elite live with fame and fortune – sometimes a life to which we aspire.  Call it pathetic (maybe it is) but TMZ feeds this desire for such information while feeding and sustaining the desire for more content on the subject. This has led it to be one of the Top 5 Most Popular Blogs in the world!

What sets TMZ apart from its competitors is their ability to stay on top of breaking news.  TMZ has built a reputation for being the first to report a breaking news story and the facts tend to be accurate.  So people have built trust with the brand.  Plus they have a staff of bloggers so they can post multiple stories per day, which encourages users to visit multiple times throughout the day.

My only critique is that TMZ will sometimes cover irrelevant and non-news-worthy stories on slow news days.  Instead of scratching the bottom of the barrel, I suggest covering a relevant world news story.  Here’s a recent example to illustrate my point.  As the Paris attacks were happening, I was jumping from website to website to get the latest breaking news.  I even went to TMZ but they were not covering it the same way CNN and Fox News were.  Now I understand they are a celebrity gossip brand and covering other news stories is outside their scope.  But they have built loyalty and trust among their users for celebrity breaking news, so they should occasionally cover other types of news.  Something as catastrophic as the Paris attacks would warrant them to operate outside the scope.  I don’t think users wouldn’t reject that.  I certainly wouldn’t.

Week 10 Reflection #DigCommSU

I can’t believe the end is here… The end of class that is.  This has been an exciting and informative semester.  Not only did I get chance to learn how we got to where we are in Communication technology but I also have a sense of where we are going.  Also, my eyes have been opened on things like, the definition of social media, the digital divide, and future of advertising.

The Internet hasn’t killed off other forms of communication.  Instead it has caused those mediums to reinvent themselves.  That’s the beauty of Digital Convergence.  It has led to efficiencies for both the consumer (faster service) and the company (reduction in operating cost).

Where are we going?  Artificial Intelligence.  Already, we are seeing drones being used to drop packages and pizzas.  This is just the beginning my friends!

Great semester taught by great professors and shared by great students.  I think that’s a great way to end this painful blogging experience 🙂

Week 8 Reflection #DigCommSU

Remember that movie starring Dustin Hoffman called, “Death of a Salesman”?  Well this week in class we talked about “Death of the Journalist”.  What does the future hold for journalist?  Who the hell knows?  One thing is for certain though, the future doesn’t look bright if newspapers, magazines, cable news, etc. don’t quickly reinvent themselves.

Advances in technology has drastically changed the way journalist conduct business.  Not only are they competing with citizens but citizens are no longer consuming news in the traditional forms (newspaper, nightly news, etc.) which they once did.  This has also had an effect on advertisements.  Instead of dumping tons of money on newspaper ads, company’s are redirecting those funds (and in many cases spending a lot less) to posting ads customized to their target audience online.  Google ads is just one example of how marketing online has revolutionized the ad business.

I enjoyed the lecture this week.  Everyone was engaged and had thoughtful comments to make.

Week 7 Blog

Hello readers (all three of you plus mom)

Sorry I didn’t deliver great insights last week. I was too busy studying for a mid-term exam.  I haven’t taken a mid-term in over eight years, so it was quite nerve wracking.  Anyways, back to the blog (which by the way I hate writing more than you hate reading)….

This week we will look at analytics, a topic that greatly interests me.  Thank God we are past the laws.  I can’t stand lawyers or rules.  Analytics on the other hand, are cool.  I love to see what drives consumer interest and that’s what google analytics allows you to do.  So many business decisions can be made with greater confidence with 24/7 access to real data.  As long as the collection of that data is accurate, decision makers can take a lot of the guessing out of their work.

Although we are only spending the next week or two on this topic, I would love to see a course dedicated to this topic alone.  We tend to forget sometimes, that the biggest part of Communication is listening.  We think of nifty ways to deliver our message.  But sometimes all we need to do is listen to our audience.  They will tell us exactly what they want to hear and how they want to hear it.

Week 4 Reflection #DigCommSU

Call me naive but I was astounded to see how much of our world does not have access to communications technology.  Things I take for granted like a cell phone, laptop, wifi, tv, etc. are a luxury or completely nonexistent in a large part of the world.  And in the case of the digital divide, the gap between the haves and have nots is mind boggling.

Those who do not have access to technology are disadvantage and by not having the technology it makes it almost impossible to rise above the despair they find themselves in.  After all, technology is vital to leading a prosperous life.

So how do we address this inequality?  That was the conversation we began in class this week and will continue on throughout the semester.  I certainly don’t have all the answers but I can say one thing for sure.  I’ll never throw out an old equipment.  Someone, somewhere can make use of my “old” cell phone, laptop, or television.  No more taking the digital age for granted.

Week 3 Blog #DigCommSU

I used to wrongfully think of social media strictly in the context of FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  However, after this week’s lesson, I know recognize these websites as only a sliver in the proverbial social media pie.  The professor’s lecture and mobile app assignment, had me reconsider the definition of social media.  For those of you interested, I suggest checking out Brian Solis’ Social Media Prism.  It’s an excellent way to visualize the breadth of social media.  Although it’s impossible to simply define social media, reviewing the prism will help you expand your current understanding of social media.

Every student presented a mobile app they like to frequently use.  The purpose of this exercise was for us to recognize the social elements of so many different apps.  This also helped expand on our definition.  I presented Fandango (the movie app).  Prior to this class, I would’ve never considered the app as a social media application.  Like I said, my understanding of social media was restricted to sites like Facebook and Twitter.  But now I know why and how, Fandango is also apart of our social media world.

Week 2 Blog

It felt right to discuss the birth of the Internet at our 90s week themed class. I particularly enjoyed the class’ discussion on defining the Internet and the Dot Com bust.

So what is the Internet?  How would you define it, if asked?  Not as easy as it seems, huh?  I was actually amazed at how difficult it was to define the Internet in a coherent sentence or two.

The course’s text book and professor’s lecture provided a wealth of information on the birth of the Internet. Certainly learned many things I never knew before.  For instance, the Internet was developed by our military.  I always thought Al Gore invented the Internet!?!?  (joke).

Week 1 Post

This is my first blog post ever!  How exciting.

Truth be told, I only created this site because it was a requirement in a course I’m taking called “Introduction to Digital Communication” at Syracuse University’s New House School of Communications. I’m hoping this will turn into something I love and continue to do for many years to come.

As minor as this may sound, my favorite take away from the professor’s lecture this week was: not all media criticism has to be negative.  Sure, I always knew about constructive criticism.  But when it comes to the media, I never thought we could actually provide constructive criticism.  Most of what I hear (and tend to give) is negative.  But I think this is great.  The course is helping me become a true critic of the media.  Someone who truly understands what is good or bad about a particular video/article I’ve just read.