Hayleybell's Blog

Essay

hayleybell — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:50:09 +0000

The rapid growth of technology over the past several decades has lent itself to several societal and political implications. Most notably, the increased prevalence of the internet amongst the general population has led to a shift in the organisation and restructuring of political campaigns. In order to elucidate the effects of the internet on the political realm, this essay will examine the influence of the internet in terms of the nature of the political. Three main topics will be presented to address the uses and consequences on politics and the community. Firstly, it is necessary to preface the topic by establishing the uses and affects of the internet on politics and political campaigns. Secondly, the effect of the internet on political campaigns will be addressed by acknowledging how the presence of internet impacts on modern day political campaigns. Thirdly, the 2008 Barak Obama’s political campaign will be used as contemporary evidence of the shifting nature of the political. It is concluded that the rapid growth of the internet over the past twenty years has revolutionised the structure of political campaigns, consequently forcing the nature of the political to employ innovative new techniques to adapt to the growing demands of a contemporary population.

The first and most important topic that will be discussed is the advances in campaign techniques over the past several decades. The shift in the construction of contemporary democratic elections has seen fundamental changes in the methods employed by politicians to construct and promote their political campaigns. The advancement that is most widely recognised and revered amongst the contemporary politic realm and that will be consequently addressed in this essay is the influence of the internet. The presence of politics and political information online began growing in the early 1990’s and has continued to develop well into the twenty first century with individuals beginning to use the internet as their primary source to acquire knowledge about political campaigns (Simpson,1996).

The results of a poll conducted after the 2004 United States election highlighted this immense popularity, revealing that more than half of the electorate had used the internet to gather information regarding the campaigns (Howard, 2006). The uses of the internet extend beyond the realms of information access, with the increasing number of individuals with an online presence allowing politicians to convey information by a medium that deviates from the traditional forms. The internet’s primary influence upon politics and associated campaigns is that it allows politicians to convey a larger volume of information to a wider range of people. Moreover, this information is able to be conveyed at a much faster speed and the content easily regulated or controlled (Gibson & Ward, 1998).

Stemming from the first topic, statistics surrounding the increased use of the internet did not go unrecognised by politicians, as the inclusion of online mediums became a popular facet of campaigns by many politicians seeking to keep up with such increasing information technologies. Discussed by Carl Grafton in his review of Internet Politics, Grafton suggests that the internet is becoming a valuable tool for politicians wanting to expand their campaigns. He suggests that the successful utilization of the internet to mobilize street demonstrations, funding and campaign workers in the 2004 presidential campaigns illustrates its great potential for future organisers (Grafton, 2007).

The dissemination of information on the internet by political parties does not focus solely on rallying support. Embedded within the online political lives created by politicians is an established presence in the forms of web-sites, emails and social networking forums (Howard, 2006). These mediums allow for a more personalised and democratic approach to campaigns by creating a link between the campaign and the opinions of the public. This approach was successfully utilized by George Bush’s presidential campaign in 2004 by creating online structures through which citizens uploaded personal details, in turn allowing individuals to make personalised enquiries in addition to receiving daily emails with campaign updates (Howard, 2006). Promoting freedom of expression via website structures on forums or social networking sites is adopting and successfully utilizing what is referred to as an Edemocratic approach; an approach intended to open up channels of communication between citizens and politicians. This approach has become an integrated part of the contemporary political campaign, endorsing political expression that consequently allows for the shifting or revision of policy making or marketing approaches (Maisel, 1976).

In conjunction with the aforementioned facts, the 2008 Barak Obama presidential campaign functioned by optimising the shifting nature of the political. The Obama campaign was revolutionary in highlighting this shift, not for the fact it was particularly groundbreaking in the technology it encompassed, rather for the fact that it was the first to embrace the use of the internet and use it to its full practicality. His consistent employment of various online mediums; Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube as well as various websites proved highly effective to his campaign informing, persuading, reminding, fundraising, networking, getting the vote out and in numerous other ways (Butler & Harris, 2009). His campaign recognised the large percentage of the population with access to the internet, over 70% of all Americans (Panagopoulos, 2007), and structured his campaign strategy to focus on integrating online features as a normative part of his campaign. His use of the internet to accumulate a mass online following allowed him to incorporate traditional methods: televised coverage, print media, mail outs and public appearances. This conveyed these traditional methods to a new and shifting audience whom may not have been targeted previously, thus aligning with contemporary citizen expectations.

The evidence presented suggests the influence of the internet has worked to transform the foundation of modern political campaigns. It’s consistent presence in recent contemporary campaigns functioned by both highlighting the internet’s popularity and demonstrating its ability to function as an effective political tool, sending a message to audiences who may not have been reached before.

Bibliography

Butler, P., & Harris, P. (2000). Considerations on the evolution of Political Marketing Theory. Marketing Theory, 9 (2), 149 – 164.

Gibson, K.R., & Ward, S.J. (1998). U.K Political Parties and the Internet. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 3 (3), 14 – 38.

Grafton, C. (2007). Book Review: Internet Politics. Social Science Computer Review, 25 (1), 129 – 131.

Howard, P. (2006). New Media Campaigns and the Managed Citizen. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Maisel, L. (1976). Changing Campaign Techniques. California: Sage Publications.

Panagopoulous, C. (2007). Technology and the Transformation of Political Campaigns. Social Science Computer Review, 25, 423 – 424.

Simpson, D. (1996). Winning Elections: A Handbook of Modern Participatory Politics. USA: Longman Publishers

Week 9 Tutorial Task; Essay Research

hayleybell — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:11:15 +0000

Reading through the list of topics for the on-line essay due in my blog for week twelve, after much deliberation I decided I would go with the following topic for my essay:

What are the uses/limits of the internet in terms of politics and/or democracy? Should we rethink the nature of the political? What happens to the nation/state in the age of networks that have the potential to span the
whole planet? What has happened to the idea of “community” in the age of networked digital media? Discuss with an example.

The tutorial task this week therefore is centred around gathering and ascertaining resources that are useful in answering my essay question. More specifically, the task is to find five books or journal articles and write a short summary that addresses the following points.

What is the key argument or information in this resource?
Is the view or information the same as the other resources you have found?
How does it contribute to your argument?
Is there a quote that describes the main point of the article?

Journal Article 1 – Book Review: Internet Politics by Carl Grafton

As this journal article is a book review, a key argument or core assertion is never developed, rather, the article functions as merely a summary of the key concepts within the book. There were three main facets of the article that were particularly relevant to my article.
E-democracy - governments receiving citizen feedback via the internet, the increase in governmental documentation on the internet.
E-mobilization and E-campaigning – the internet as a key medium for organisers wanting to mobilize street demonstrations, funding or campaign workers.
E-government - reducing administrative costs and increasing government effectiveness. Government developed over the internet is associated with a large potential to save costs e.g paper to electronic payments, document management etc.
As this is the first source I have researched I am unable to compare its content to other resources I have found.
This source contributes to my argument as it covers the first point of my essay question; what are the uses/limits of the internet in terms of politics and/or democracy. Furthermore, the identification of the affect of the internet on politics and how it is consequently utilized provides the foundation for and gives me stimulas material to develope my argument and think about the second part of my essay question; should we re-think the nature of the political?
As this article functions more of a summary rather than an article that seeks to develope an argument on the topic, there were no direct quotes that described the main point of the article as such.

Journal Article 2 - Mass Media and Community Public Opinion by Phillip Tichenor and Daniel Wackman

The key information present in this article is a study of study involving a conflict between a city council and a state agency. Moreover, the main argument of this paper is to explore the extent that overall agreement by the community regarding political ventures is affected by exposure to media content.
This resource differs from the first article as it focuses more on the community and how their political opinions are formed and affected by the media rather than focusing on how political campaigns are become increasingly prevalent on the internet.
This resource contributes to my argument as the opinion of the community is central to my argument as it is their opinion that is of utmost importance and consideration by political parties when framing their approach to their campaigns.
Although this quote does not summarizes the article on a whole, I think it is important as it addresses the potential there was for such varied societal opinion before the internet became commonplace in every household.
“

The principal hypothesis of the study is that persons in the

community whose exposure is limited primarily to metropolitan

media will have less agreement with government officials on the

conflict issue, compared with persons depending heavily upon

the local media.

The principal hypothesis of the study is that persons in the community whose exposure is limited primarily to metropolitan media will have less agreement with government officials on the conflict issue, compared with persons depending heavily upon the local media.”

Journal Article 3 – U.K political parties and the Internet: “Politics as Usual in the New Media”

The information in the article presents a report of a study that examines the effects of U.K political parties use of the internet in political campaigning competition.
The information presented in this paper acts as a somewhat extension of the first resource, Internet Politics, as it discusses the findings of the report and identifies how political campaigns have utilized the internet and to what extent this has been successful.
It contributes to my argument as it provides answers and concrete examples that address the first two points in my essay question. Furthermore, its findings provide a base from which further research regarding this topic can be conducted.
A quote from the article that is particularly assistive to my essay question is the six crucial ways in which the internet differs from traditional forms of media. This quote can be taken from the top of page 15 in the article.

Journal Article 4 – Technology and the Transformation of Political Campaign Communications by Costas Panagopoulos.

The information in the article highlights and demonstrates the effectiveness of the internet has on political campaigns by using two key examples; Barak Obamma and Hilary Clintons 2007 campaigns.
The information in this article is similiar to that of the previously mentioned resources. However, this article provides a more contemporary perspective as it relates to a highly regarded campaign within the last two years. Additionally, it discusses the specific aspects of the internet used by politicians and what opportunities the internet provides regarding the political.
It contributes to my argument as it fleshes out how internet campaigns can span the whole planet, an important question that is listed within my essay question.
“ A wide range of technological developments, including the Internet most notably although not exclusively, have transformed the landscape of modern political campaigns” I found this quote summed up the premise of the article and highlighted how this resource links to my essay question.

Journal Article 5 – Access to the Internet in the Context of Community Participation and Community Satisfaction

The information in this article focuses on how the internet affects society among different groups in the context of their access to media and technology.
This resource is different from other sources as it focuses more in the implications the internet it has on society rather than discussing its effects.
This article functions by balancing out my argument by demonstrating the adverse effects the internet has.
A quote that I found particularly relevant to my argument and one that touches on the premise of one of my previously mentioned sources is the following :
“Yet another domain of extensive research on the internet centers on the concept of the digital divide. The digital divide captures the critical gap in society in the context of who does and who does not have access to theinternet (Hindman, 2000).”

Lecture 9; CyberUtopia

hayleybell — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:05:03 +0000

As I was unable to attend the lecture yesterday, I was quite dismayed to find that there were no lecture notes posted in regards to the topic this week – CyberUtopia. Moreover, I was disappointed as various fellow classmates told me that this lecture was one of the most funniest and entertaining lectures of the semester thus far. Although unable to speak for other students in the course, the term CyberUtopia was one that was completely foreign to me. In my attempt to firstly ascertain a basic understanding of what this phrase meant, I went to my first port of call, one that I have already expressed a deep fondness for already on my blog – Google. Disheartened would be an understatement that described my feeling when my usual trick of typing define: Cyber Utopia into the Google search bar came up with the fateful message

No definitions were found for Cyber Utopia

Nonetheless, after continuing my research I was able to ascertain a broad meaning of what cyber utopia is.

“Cyber Utopia is a non-existent Internet. Its a place where data could be sent anywhere to anyone in a matter of seconds. It is a place that truly does not exist though we are forced to think it does”
(http://www.designbizonline.com/Cyber-Utopia.html)

Something that resonated strongly to me about Cyber-utopia was the following excerpt below.

“Do you want a successful place where your members can freely talk, but without paying any money? Its hard to believe how much more Forum, or worst yet, Search Engine hosting costs so much more than normal web hosting. Most peoples Forums or Search Engines might take up to a max of a few megabytes. Yet hosting services want to charge much more than actual web hosting. Even though it could be argued that they developed their software so it takes more, well, that is not true either. “
(http://www.designbizonline.com/Cyber-Utopia.html)

After reading through the e-lit blog group netpoetic.com, I was able to draw parallels between the aforementioned explanations of Cyber-Utopia and the premise of this site. Started by none other than Jason Nelson, this sites endeavor is to provide a space where individuals can apply for a pass and then freely and to a point, post unmoderated content such as poetry and literature on the site. This site optimizes what Cyber-utopia seeks to address – providing a free space where users have the option to share their creations freely (within reason of course) with other users.

My Life In Sepia

hayleybell — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:49:43 +0000

My 23^rd of September started off like any other, a day of assignments and last minute study awaited. With assignments due the next day and a week’s break only 2 days away I was torn between wishing for time to go slower and to go faster. By 11:30 I decided to end my vampire like avoidance of natural light and made my way down to the kitchen. It was at this point I realised one of three things: A) the world was ending B) I had developed a rare disease that changed my vision to sepia, or C) it was dusty outside. The dust was amusing as I watched my tiny dog sneeze and then step back in shock from her own sneeze only to sneeze again.

The dust became much less funny when I was forced to go outside in a bid to save white bed sheets from becoming dangling art works. Once outside my dust allergies came to the fore and several sneezing fits ensued. As Brisbane was overtaken with dusty excitement I was sneezing until my nose falling apart was a legitimate fear. The only thing that occurred more than my sneezing? Facebook posts about people sneezing from the dust.

(http://www.news.com.au/gallery/0,23607,5060682-5007150-1,00.html)

Week 8 Tutorial Task; Political Participation Via The Internet

hayleybell — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:49:28 +0000

For this weeks tutorial task, we were required to identify opportunities for political participation on the internet. How many of the following can you achieve while sticking to your political beliefs?

Sign an e-petition
The e-petition I decided to sign was one that I found particularly relevant to my own personal situation; The Vehicle Registration 20% Increase.
(http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_QLD/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1261&lIndex=-1)
I had no issues signing this petition as it is one that affected me and I was therefore willing to sign it. This e-petition was located on the Queensland Parliament site.
What is Barak Obamma up to today?
The most prevelant issue that Barak Obamma is currently addressing is the Health Insurance Reform. He has delivered several speeches regarding this issue. An approach which he utilized to promote this issue was delivering a message that was uploaded directly onto his Facebook site via the link below.
(http://www.facebook.com/barackobama?ref=pdb)
The notion of cyber politics; a political presence on the web to promote campaigns, is one that is a crucial part of the Obamma campaign. His online presence does not stop at Facebook, as various links to his Twitter accounts and Myspace page and discussion Forums.
Who are my Local, State and Federal Representatives
Local Representative: Gail Mcpherson
State Representative: Steven Robertson
Federal Representative: Graham Perrett
What do you think of the Australian Government’s plans to censor the internet (the so-called “Clean Feed”)?
This internet censhorp is a plan that ALP endeavour to implement as mandatory in Australian. This differs from usual censorship products in that every internet connection in Australia will be subject to the filter (including schools, homes and corporations), rather than traditional software or network proxies which are typically used for organisation or home use.
(http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=cleanfeed)
I think that this censorship plan is wrong on several levels. Not only are internet companies opposed to this plan but Australians have demonstrated and indicated quite definitively that they are not in favour or such censorship plans. Moreover, these cencorship plans did not stipulate the content that would be banned which lends itself to the idea that this process is a slippery slope towards the government operating as a dictatorship rather than a democracy.
What place does censorship have in a democracy?
The premise of a democratic society is directly contradicts censorship. The only censorship that should occur within a democratic society is one that the people elect themselves.

Lecture Eight; Cyber Politics and Edemocracy

hayleybell — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:06:44 +0000

This week, I found the content that was covered particularly interesting. Moreover, the clarification of two key terms – Cyberpolitics and eDemocracy, set the precedent for the remainder of the “lecture.” (considering there was no actual lecture)

Cyberpolitics is a term that refers to the politics and political exchanges that goes and occurs via the medium of the internet. An article from the American Behavioural Scientist by Rita Whillock that addresses cyber politics, in its most simplest form, involves information dissemination, communication exchange and the formation of electronic political coalitions across the internet. Moreover, research suggests that uses are well educated in regards to the content on the internet and want unfiltered access to information they deem that is necessary and appropriate to making decisions. (Whillock, R,. (1997) Cyber-Politics: The Online Strategies of ’96. American Behavioural Scientist 40 (8), 1208 – 1225.)

The second term, eDemocracy, is one that I have been exposed to briefly in my other studies and is an extension of the first aforementioned term discussed; cyber politics. eDemocracy refers to the internets contribution to the political world. It covers everything from campaigning to promotion in addition to the forum sites that are constructed as a means to discuss political issues. Up until completing an assignment on Barack Obama in the first semester of my studies, I was completely naive to the contribution the internet to the political world. Delving in to the subject further, it became obvious that various politicians now have an active presence on various popular social networking sites as a means to further promote their political campaigns. Sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter are all social networking sites and facets of the internet that are now being successfully utilized by politicians.

Security breaches in the form of computer hackers was discussed. The Youtube video below sumarises this section of the article. Furthermore, it outlines the potential dangers and acknowledges the severe impact that computer hackers can have on various industries.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F30NbJChNTI)

Cyberpunk is acknowledged as an outlet for political expression on the internet. Although a term that is foreign to me, as suggested by the name the term is an amalgamation of cyber and punk. A more accurate description of the term is that cyberpunk a science fiction genre based in the possibilities inherent in computers, genetics, body modifications and corporate developments in the near future.

(http://fistfightatthearthouse.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/cyberpunk-1.jpg)

..Cyberpunk..?

Week 7; The Free Software Definition

hayleybell — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:53:44 +0000

The Free Software Definition is an article on the GNU Operating System that sets out and defines the conditions and elements of Free Software. Initially, after reading the article before the commencement of the lecture – although it was simply structured and fairly straight forward, I found it difficult to retain the information as I could not relate or think of any specific examples of free software. After the lecture and viewing Free Software Alternatives folder relevant to this week however, the content on the page The Free Software Definition substantiated the material covered in the lecture.

The comparison between free speech and free beer is set up early within the article to illustrate to the reader that free software is a matter of liberty, not of price. Essentially, a users access to Free Software comes in conjunction with four associated freedoms.

The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (Freedom 0)

The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish (Freedom 1)

The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour (Freedom 2)

The freedom to improve the program and release your improvements to the general public, so that the whole community benefits.

The overall impression that can be deduced from the aforementioned list of freedoms is that it significantly reduces the amount of copyright issues that arise in regards to the utilization of various software programmes. Furthermore, it clearly articulates what free software entails. The term open source is linked to the phrase Free Software. This prompted me to identify what ‘open sources’ and ‘free software’ I use. Software such as Mozilla Firefox (which I use as my main web browser) as well as audacity and several photo editing softwares are all programmes that can be reffered to as an “open source” and are ones that I as a user rely on.

Tutorial Task 7; Create a video

hayleybell — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:54:21 +0000

For this weeks tutorial task we are required to make an original three minute video. The video I have attached documents my holiday to Sydney earlier this year.

Week 7; Creative Commons

hayleybell — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:54:30 +0000

The article Creative Commons by Corey Doctorow is essentially discusses two main ideas. The first half of the article traces copyright back through history, highlighting the advantages, disadvantages and advancements that have occurred. The latter half of the article discusses what Creative Commons seeks to do: their objectives, services and how and where they operate.

As mentioned, the article commences by prefacing the reader with background information regarding copyright. A summation of the first paragraph indicates that initially, for the vast majority of the time that copyright has been in place, it has not been something applicable to a broad range of works. Rather, copyright was only granted and applied to a very specific and unique group of works. More specifically, governmental associations only granted copyright to authors who had or were registered with national libraries. This method proved adventagoues in the sense that copies of the copyrighted work were held in the respective governments repositories, thus making it easier to locate and identify the individual creator of the work if they needed to be contacted.

The first move that changed the way in which copyright was seen and applied was the duration of copyright was extended. Ultimately, the effect which this had was one that turned copyright from something potentially temporary to something that was definitively permanent. As the scope of copyright expanded, the section of the article that resonated strongly to me as an individual in 2009 is the effect that the computer and in particular, the internet, had on copyright. Although not particularly familiar with some of the jargon present in the article, Doctorow describes the difference between “meatspace” and cyberspace. When read in context with the article, the term meatpsace seems indivicative of real life / the physical world. As asserted by Doctorow, conversations or discussions held in the real world are not recorded. The things you do or do not say are not open to violating or teetering with the boundaries of “copyright”. Applying this notion to my own personal circumstances, it becomes obvious how ludacris the concept of copyright would be when regarding day to day conversations. If someone came up to me at Uni, for example, and suggested that I had violated their rights by talking about something they claimed as being unique to them, I have to admit I would probably laugh. However, in referance to the blog’s for example, as these are used for assessment and various stipulations are in place by the Blog host site surrounding privacy, copying the work from another blog could have serious implications as your words are essentially published – making them open to potential breaches of rights.
Creative Commons therefore, offer an approach to copyright that has not previously been covered regarding the issues authorship and copyright. They form their approach on a set of basic terms. Individuals are required to fill out a licencing form. Present on this form are the following questions: allow commercial uses of your work & allow modifications of your work as well as prompting you to select the jurisdiction of your licence. Overall – Creative Commons seeks to do two main things.

1. Allow you to keep copyright of your work
2. Allow people to copy and distribute your work provided they give you credit on the conditions you supply on your licence.

Upon the commencement of the article, however, I found several questions and doubts regarding Creative Commons start to emerge. Conditions such as once you release a work under a CC licence you can not take it back as well as the fact that these licences don’t over rule “fair use” (which is described by Doctorow as “hard to manage” but is combatted by Creative Commons by suggesting that it is vital to free expression) prompt me to wonder if there are still glitches that need ironing out in regards to Creative Common’s method to address copyright. Regardless however, the article provided interesting insight into this companies approach to authorship and copyright. Perhaps further discussion with peers and tutors will resolve my suspected qualms.

Lecture 6; Video Consumption and Production

hayleybell — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:57:40 +0000

As the title suggests, this week’s lecture revolves around two key terms: consumption and production.

It is true that as individuals, we consume information on a mass scale every day. Either consciously or subconsciouly, the consumption of information is a facet of life that individuals are faced with and forced to deal with every day. I am often aware and am able to recognise the extent that society is constantly exposed to, bombarded with and often forced to consume information. As outlined in the lecture, the consumption of information that we as consumers are faced with is generated and produced by the media.

The “big” screens of life re-itterates the advantages available consumers. Mediums such as Cinema, Television and computers are now all commonplace items and acitivities prominent in the vast majority of individuals lives. By viewing and partaking in activities that involve the aforementioned mediums, it became clear to me how I as an a consumer was being a passive recieiver of such content and information as information is readily and easily able to be broadcast to me as the user.

In direct contast, the “small” screens of life discussed the use of ipods and mobile phones and their role in promoting consumers to take an active role in the production of their own creations and products. I found this section very relatable. Up until recently, I have never thought of myself as technoligically savy in any sense of the word. However, through the need to access information quickly in addition to being somewhat addicted to the internet, I have found solice in a device that was extensively discussed in the latter part of the lecture; the mobile phone. The ability to access the internet on the phone in itself has several advantages; tv shows, podcasts, film clips etc are now available to be downloaded virtually at the click of a button. Additionally, several types of phones now come with features such as video cameras, voice recorders and other such elements which allow consumers to produce and compile material.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDxe9gK8Gk&feature=fvst)

The above example of a short film shot on a mobile phone illustrates and highlights the ability mobile phone users have in regards to the creation of their own entertainment.

Highlighting my naivety in regards to the resources available for individuals to produce their own creations were sites such as fanfilms, trailer mash and ireport. Fanfilms allows users to create or re-create there version of a popuar film or create their own and upload it onto the site. The site is separated by categories and all films on the site are available to be commented on or voted on once an individual has registered with the site.
Trailer Mash is a site that centres around ‘re-cutting’ technology; re-cutting and mashing up sections from movies and creating a new trailer for the respective film. After visiting the site, below is an example of a trailer evident on the site that I found to be demonstrative of the effectiveness of re-cutting which in turn is the premise of the whole site.

(www.trailermash.com) // (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpVW2bR0r3I)

The last site that was discussed was Ireport. The site’s slogan – Unedited. Unfiltered. News. cleary establishes what the site entails. The site is a user generated site that allows users to submit stories to the site that are in no way confirmed as being sound and accurate. The site gives users the opportunity to discuss or “report” on elements or topics that they feel have been marginalised, not accurately represented or that are simply of interest to the user.

Whilst I’m sure creating my own short video will not be impossible, having seen the quality of video’s created by other people – I know it will be a long while before I will have the confidence to upload my piece for the world to see!