Facebook

This is the website that you use in order to use the facility:
www.facebook.com

Facebook is a recent communication network that enables people of all ages to interact with each other through comments and notices posted. Like Myspace, you can add and delete friends as you please, however Facebook profiles are more personal, giving you the option to the limit the type of people viewing your profile. Despite having said that Facebook was aimed at all ages, at the moment, it is predominantly teenagers who are using it. It seems that they have chosen to move from Myspace, to Facebook, as there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people using Facebook as their primary source for mass networking.

Having designed a made a profile that is personal to yourself, you can then start adding and making new friends. On the homepage (when signing in) you are welcomed with a somewhat notice board informing you of people that have added you and people that have added other people, outside of your network; this facility does however restrict the rights of privacy.

According to the ‘mission statement’ of the website, this networking system is used for the following things:

- Share information with people you know.
- See what's going on with your friends.
- Look up people around you.

Facebook successfully achieves this, as audiences are able to use the site to do the above things. Facebook have completetly taken for granted the advantages of the internet, using it as a broad platfrom from which networking and communicating has taken over.

Topshop Podcasts

This is the website to take you directly to the Topshop Podcasts:

http://www.topshoppodcast.com/

Podcasts are videos that have been put on the internet for people to download onto their iPods – this cheap and innovative idea probably benefits teenagers more than it does adults, purely because of the fact that more teenagers use iPods than adults.

Topshop have recently set up their own Podcasts which help [positional customers] to keep up to date with the latest fashion trends and styles.

Podcasts are a good example of convergence – combining the effects of internets and computers with the convenience of iPods. By doing this, Topshop have found a way to satisfy most of their customers – they probably think that people don’t have as much time on their hands as they used to, so by setting up Podcasts, they are finding an alternative route for their customers to keep on top of the latest trends; in return, Topshop will see customer loyalty from their purchasers.

Through Podcasts, Topshop are able to distribute their own products and in addition promote models such as Kate Moss who may have their own concessions in Topshop stores.

The Shipwrecked MySpace Page

This is the link to the MySpace page for Shipwrecked 2007:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=160284646

The MySpace page for Shipwrecked 2007 offers an array of bright colours to welcome audiences on to the page. They have taken full advantage of the extras that one might use when having a MySpace profile – they have created blogs, from which people on their Friends List can comment on. Blog entries such as those referring to a competition for fans. These blogs encourage audience involvement and because of this, are more likely to gain customer loyalty – in a sense that people will return to the site again and again as they feel that going on the site is beneficial.

The Shipwrecked page also has a video of the team members on the site – something that only a few MySpace profiles actually have. The videos are likely to encourage people to watch the show more.

The profile enables people to keep up to date with the latest Shipwrecked news as well as finding out more information about the actual members.

The profile successfully distributes and promotes events that are going on, for example a ‘Floorfillers Anthems’ club event happening on the 24th April – information for up and coming events portray the Shipwreckers site as a welcoming one and one that is trying to target older people (say in their 20s) as opposed to the teenagers who tune in to watch the program on a weekly basis.

MySpace

This is the website that links you to the MySpace website:

http://www.myspace.com/

MySpace has become a very popular communicating website, where people of all ages, predominantly teenagers, are invited to set up their own profiles and personalise them, making them open to the rest of the public for viewing and adding. All profiles are given their own individual URL, allowing non-MySpace members the chance to view a friend’s profile.

When using MySpace, you are able to go on the profiles of your friends, and leave them comments – an easy and straight forward way of interacting with people of your own age or with people you know.

The site also provides a range of different activities for one to do, for example, read books and blogs, check out your horoscopes, watch clips from movies and also watch clips from music videos.

The website successfully distributes other media sources, by having various advertisements flashing around the site, for example there are adverts on the site for ‘The Sun’ newspaper and for Orange. By doing this they are encouraging users to consume more media sources.

MySpace are using the internet as a wide base from which they distribute services to the public through adverts and through promotion from other media texts such as newspapers.

MySpace successfully offers audiences the chance to stay interactive with their friends, wherever they are in the world, through private messaging services and comments.

Windows Live Messenger

This is the site to use if you want to download the product onto your computers:

http://im.live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=MSNTDLINK

Windows Live Messenger enables people of all ages the chance to communicate with each other using a software that is compatible with most computers including Apple Macs. The service is also available worldwide, allowing more and more people to stay in contact with each other across seas.

The key function of the software is Instant Messaging, however there are some other tasks that you can also do when using the product. Here is a list of some of the things that you can do:

- You can use the product to consume media, such as music and movies.
- communicate with other people by leaving offline messages for them when they sign in
- you can download music via links from other peoples music library
- send music and videos and files to people
- you can have video conversations and talk with friends using a microphone
- you can go on webcam
- you can have large group conversations
- you can produce your own videos using webcam

This service is brought to you by Microsoft Windows, and has increasingly become a vital software for the majority of teenagers to have.

As well as using MSN to interact with friends and family by using your computer, you can also use your mobile phone aswell. On some mobiles, such as 3G ones, you can download the programme onto your phone and use it from there. There obviously aren’t the luxuries, such as using webcam to see each other; however the basic format still enables you to talk to your friends using a free service.

On the homepage of the programme (when using it on a computer) there is always a permanent advert bar, hosting an array of different subsections and web-pages, for example there are sometimes adverts for casinos and e-shopping. This encourages audience consumption of media sources, inviting them to download songs and to buy new clothes.
Windows Live Messenger is a prime example of good interactive service for the public which also promotes and distributes various other media forms.

TeenVogue Online Magazine

I used the following websites:

http://www.teenvogue.com/
http://www.teenvogue.com/style/coverlook/2007/03/willaholland_20070313
http://boards.teenvogue.com/index.jspa
http://www.teenvogue.com/style/tips/search

On logging onto the Teen Vogue website, you are automatically welcomed with a window which tells you how to subscribe to the magazine for a mere 80¢ per issue. Teen Vogue have had this window installed for instant viewing every time someone signs onto the website, to ensure maximum promotion of the magazine, and therefore an increase in sales, as this price is much lower than the retail price the magazine is sold at in shops.

The bright colours, such as reds and yellows, that audiences are welcomed with on the homepage, immediately indicates the intended target group – this magazine is obviously aimed at girls aged between 12 and 18 – the title of the magazine also gives this away.

The Teen Vogue website enables young girls to be in control of what they do; a slight spin-off of the hit selling Vogue magazine which is targeted at women of all ages, predominantly women who are interested in fashion. However this magazine allows maybe the children of the women who go and buy Vogue to have something of their own to read – from this they gain independence and a mind for fashion.

This website shows the convergence of magazines and the internet – over recent years it has become more common to have e-magazines. The Teen Vogue website successfully combats the idea of only being able to read magazines in the product form. The website offers audiences the chance of reading certain articles from the current issue of Teen Vogue, such as the cover story which is all about Willa Holland (a star from the OC) – you can also go behind the scenes of the interview with the young start – something that you wouldn’t have been able to do by just reading the magazine at home.

This website also gives people access to certain forums, where they can interact with people all over the world who share the same interests as them. People post relevant posts about style and clothing, where other people are entitled to voice their own opinions on the topic.

This website is very fashion orientated – providing young girls with tips from real fashion designers about how to ‘put a fresh spin on the plain white tank with homemade rosettes.’ Giving them free information like this, allows them to relate to their audiences more.

This website successfully interacts with its audiences, and allows its audiences to interact with other people; it also provides people with information they may not have been able to obtain from just reading the normal magazine. In addition this is a much more convenient and cheaper method of keeping up to date with the latest articles that Teen Vogue offer to the public.

Timbaland Video - YouTube

I used the following website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qXlBkyDRE4

To back up my YouTube case study, I have decided to look into a specific video to see what the site offers audiences.

I have chosen to look at the video for Timbaland’s new song ‘Give It To Me’. When using the search bar at the top of the page, you can type in anything that is related to the song, giving audiences the chance to feel free and open when using the site. This function enables people to type in anything, even if they don’t know the title of the actual song, by typing in a word that relates to Timbaland, then they are sure to find the video they are looking for.

When clicking on your preferred video, you are welcomed with a list of related videos that may appeal to you. This function encourages audiences to use the YouTube service again and again, as by using it they may find something new to watch, that they may not have watched without being on the site.

Underneath the selected video, there are an array of subtitles including ‘login in to rate’, ‘save to favourites’, ‘add to groups’, ‘share video’ and ‘post video’. These options also promote interactivity for audiences, as they are invited to interact with other members by leaving comments and rating certain videos.

The iPod Nano

I used the following website:

http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/

The iPod Nano is a thinner design of the actual iPod, and it comes in 5 different colours. In comparison to the original iPod, it has a brighter display and has up to 24 hours of battery life. It comes in a range of different sizes – 2GB, 4Gb and 8GB, therefore ranges in price according to the size of the product. The most amount of songs that one can store on ones iPod is 2,000 – a relatively smaller number in comparison to that of the original iPod, however this smaller and more convenient product is more likely to attract the younger and more innovative audiences, that are teenagers and young adults.

The younger audiences are using this product as a key fashion accessory – many have taken this from various celebrities that have been spotted with their iPods. This product has completely revolutionised the way in which people listen and store their music.

When purchasing an iPod, you must also download the software iTunes, which enables you to buy and download various songs off the internet and also store all your tunes in an easy-to-use music library. In addition you can also shop for movies, TV episodes, audiobooks and free podcasts, from relatively cheap prices.

The key company behind the iPod family is Apple – this worldwide company has been able to produce a product which has taken overnight success due to a number of different reasons – celebrity endorsement, worldwide advertisement and also mass appeal to the product. Because of the introduction to this ‘perfect’ product, Apple have seen a massive increase in sales and popularity and loyalty from customers.

This converged product is just one example of the miniaturised products from the original 80GB iPod – users are able to sync up their iPods with their iTunes, and therefore use both their computers and mp3 players in order to achieve maximum pleasure when listening to their favourite songs, wherever and whenever they are.

Channing Tatum Website

I used the following sites:

http://www.channingtatumonline.com/
http://www.channingtatumonline.com/gallery/index.php

This website is dedicated to actor/model Channing Tatum and has been set up by fans. The site offers fans the chance to see exclusive pictures of him, videos of the actor and other media sources of the actor. The site allows people to download wallpapers and screen savers of Channing directly onto their computers for absolutely free.

The website is updated on a regular basis, enabling people to keep up with the latest news on Channing himself.

The website provides an interactive service for its users allowing them to access forums enabling them to communicate with fellow fans; you can also post comments for the owner of the website to see, from this they are able to improve their services to the public.

When clicking on the gallery section of the website, you are welcomed by a selection of subtitles, which show you different images of him, for example you can see photos idea for desktop wallpapers, pictures from different photo shoots, magazine scans and various events that he’s attended. This means that the audience are more likely to come back to the website, as they know it’s regularly changed, keeping up with the latest stories about their favourite actor.

YouTube Website

I used the following website:

http://www.youtube.com/

The YouTube website enables people the chance to watch and upload videos of their choice – this worldwide phenomenon allows people of all ages to engage with each other via comments and through watching videos and clips from TV episodes and films.

This website offers people the opportunity to watch anything they could ever want to watch, from music videos to illegal gang videos and from films to TV programs.

YouTube distributes lots of different media sources to the public at a free cost – because of this, YouTube probably earn their money from the various different companies which supply the website with its goods to advertise and market.

The website also offers people the chance to keep updated with blogs from different YouTube staff members, where different employees inform audiences what videos they’ve recently been watching. This facility enables people to feel more involved within the process of the whole YouTube network, and are more likely to use the website again as they feel welcomed and comfortable when using the site.

The iPhone

I used the following websites when getting my research:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/
http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/wireless.html
http://www.apple.com/iphone/phone/

The iPhone is yet to be released, and by looking on the website, we can clearly identify the target group by which Apple are going to aim their new product at. This state of the art gadget is a prime example of convergence – the combination of 3 amazing products, will make life so much easier for older teenagers and young businessmen/women. The combination of a camera phone, computer and iPod will certainly attract a mass audience.

This outstanding new lightweight product has an entirely new interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, which allows you to control everything with just your fingers. If you want to make a call, then all you have to do is browse through your phone book and pointing your finger on the preferred name. By using touch-screen format, they are combining the advantages of products such as hand-held organisers with a basic format that is the iPod. This will attract a wider target audience, giving them a more modern way of using such a simple feature.

The iPhone automatically syncs with your PC, Mac or internet service, transferring all of your contacts into a phone book – it also allows you to choose what voicemail messages you listen to first, just like with email. This enables people like businessmen and women to use such products as transferring files across from one platform to another has been made simpler.

The iPhone also has a 2-megapixel camera and a photo management application that goes far beyond anything on a phone today. You can sync photos from your PC or Mac, and you’re ready to browse or email them with the flick of a finger. Here we see a combination of a camera and a phone - this is a good example of convergence.

Unlike normal mobile phones, with the iPhone, you can do more than one thing at once – you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background over Wi-Fi or EDGE.

The revolutionary touch screen enables you to glide through your music library via Album Covers, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page — all by simply using iPhone’s multi-touch display.

The iPhone uses wireless communications – it supports EDGE network, Wi-fi and Bluetooth which links to Apple’s new, remarkably compact Bluetooth headset. This again shows good use of convergence - the features of up-to -date laptops have been incorporated into a simple mobile phone format, allowing people to access the internet wherever they may be.

Apple have successfully incorporated a number of different products into one – they have taken technology to a completely different level. The new iPhone offers everything that anyone could ever need; it is certainly going to prove a successful purchase for previous Apple customers.

The Morning Vybe With Martin Jay And Lucy Ambache (Radio Show)

The websites used were the following:

http://www.choicefm.com/sectional.asp?id=1640
http://www.choicefm.com/blog.asp?id=13180
http://www.choicefm.com/Article.asp?id=1961
http://www.choicefm.com/sectional.asp?id=7517

Wake up every morning to the sound of Martin Jay and Lucy Ambache – their radio show starts at 6 in the morning and finishes at 9. The show is predominantly aimed at people who have to get up early in the morning to go to either school or work. They help London’s listeners get up every morning, by playing the most recent R&B songs.

The website offers listeners a range of different things to do – you can read blogs and biographies of the DJs, catch up on interviews with celebrities they’ve previously had on the show and also interact with the Morning Vybe team themselves!

When clicking on the blogs page, you can read diary accounts from the DJs about what their currently getting up to. At the moment, they are currently broadcasting their morning show from Bahamas, so on the blogs page, you are welcomed with what’s going on over there.

To give the audience an insight to who they are actually listening to every morning, there are biographies of Martin Jay, Lucy Ambache and Andre Morgan (newsreader) on the site – from this you can read personal interviews with them and learn more about what the enjoy getting up to in their spare time. You are also given the opportunity to send an email to your favourite DJ.

Keeping on the theme of interviews, you can also recap over interviews that have happened in the past with some of their celebrity guests, such as Beyonce and Janet Jackson. This service provides listeners the chance to ‘recapture the jokes and celebrity secrets’ that they may have missed first time round.
The website for the Morning Vybe radio show presents listeners with an interactive service where they can catch up on back-dated information.

Choice FM Website

The websites I used were the following:
http://www.choicefm.com/
http://www.choicefm.com/sectional.asp?id=266
http://www.choicefm.com/sectional.asp?id=11704

The Choice FM Website is a site predominantly targeted at teenagers and young adults; however the range in different radio shows allows people of different ages and races to also tune in. Shows such as the Morning Vybe with Martin and Lucy, Super Jam with Daddy Ernie and the Angie Le Mar show provide entertainment for people with different interests and likes and dislikes.

The homepage for this website contains images and small blurbs about different events and themes, such as competitions and The African Caribbean People’s Awards. The clear and colourful homepage attracts the audience through its usage of Flash adverts at the side of the page and its array of images scattered across the middle part of the page. The information on the homepage is likely to change on a regular basis, in order to keep audience up to date with changes being made.

There is also a permanent toolbar at the top of the page, which gives you the choice of doing a number of different things. For example, you can join ‘AX-S’ which is unique to the website, where you can sign up to receive behind the scenes info on Choice FM and experience Super-hi stream audio along with message boards and competitions. Another thing that the toolbar offers is interactivity for the audience – you can choose from a selection of different activities, such as viewing pictures, talking to people and watching the studio ‘wapcam’.

The luxury of the studio wapcam enables fans to watch what’s going on in the studio directly on their phone. This convergence of both mobile phones and the internet, offers the audience something that they’ve never been able to do before. By doing this, Choice are providing audiences with different ways in which they can keep in contact with the radio station, other than the traditional methods which were through radio.

In addition to the Choice FM website promoting its own company, it also promotes other companies, in a toolbar on the left hand side of the page. Every time you go on the site, the advertisement changes – sometimes it could be advertising McDonalds, others it could be promoting Jobcentre.

This website successfully achieves the ideas of convergence and interactivity; it has combined two media technologies together in order to produce an effective result of offering people the chance to keep up to date with action inside the studio as well as keeping up to date with info outside the studio. Choice gives the audience a chance to give them their own feedback about the Station – from this they can see how to improve their Station in order to provide their audience with the best service around.

Shipwrecked Website

The websites used:

http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/S/shipwrecked/index.html
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/S/shipwrecked/gossip/

The Shipwrecked website is based on the programme which is shown on both Channel 4 and E4. As the show is predominantly targeted at teenagers aged around 15-20, the website represents this. The layout of the site is very island-based – the theme is clearly sun, sea and sand.

The site offers the public a number of things to do, including finding out the latest gossip on the islands, see who’s on what island and you can also join the forum and interact with other Shipwrecked fans.

Like our own theme of keeping blogs, the team members also get the opportunity to do this. Every week a different member of Shipwrecked gets to write a blog about the week’s events – on the homepage, we are welcomed with the most recent one, then underneath that, we have a catalogue for the backdated blogs. This feature of the website enables audiences who may have missed that week’s episode to catch up by reading the blog, therefore offering the public an option of coming onto the website, and reading more information about the programme. From this, they are invited to vote for their favourite Shipwrecked member – this involves the audience and from this Channel 4 are able to rely on the opinions of the public in order to carry out certain features for their shows, such as the team member who receives the highest number of votes at the end of the series, wins a prize.

The gossip section of the site shows recent video clips of events that have happened over the past week. At the moment, there are videos of Stevie’s 21st Birthday, love-making going on, on the islands and also a video showing how some of the members are going to break the rules. This feature of the website enables the audience to watch more specific parts of the show, and they may even get to see things that aren’t actually shown on the actual programme – a bonus for all Shipwrecked fans.

This website is very interactive – the audience can get very involved in the show; this is always a good thing as it means that Channel 4 can give the public what they want.

More4 Website

The websites used:

http://www.channel4.com/more4/?hpos=More4
http://www.channel4.com/more4/yoursay/index.html

The More4 website is again aimed at all ages – the website has links to different sub-sections, for example, Drama, Competitions, Documentaries and Forums.

On the homepage, there are images showing the different programmes that are going to be shown this week on the channel; the audience are being informed of times of shows – this is an attempt at ensuring that the public know the times of the programmes, thus increasing the potential viewings for that show.

There is a section on the website, which is dedicated to what the public think – Your Say – here, you fill out a form and give your opinions on the programmes that are shown on the More4 channel – this audience involvement enables Channel 4 to improve their services for the public. By giving the public what they want, they are more likely to maintain customer loyalty, thus increasing viewings and sales.

The More4 website offers audiences to read into the bios of different personalities that appear on More4, for example you can find out more about Kevin McCloud from reading a short paragraph on him; in addition, you can watch a video of his interview. This service provides the audiences with more information about TV presenters and DJs, giving audiences the chance to relate more to the people they previously saw as just presenters.

This website offers the same as what the Channel 4 website does, however it breaks things down more easily – giving separate links to sub sections which you maybe would have had to go into other departments on the actual Channel 4 website.

Channel 4 Website

The websites used:

www.channel4.com
http://www.channel4.com/interact/?hpos=Interact
http://www.channel4.com/community/
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/games/index.html?intcmp=homepage_box2
http://www.e4.com/
http://www.channel4.com/film/?hpos=Film4

The Channel 4 website offers things for most age ranges – people from as young as 13 can watch programs such as T4 (only shown at weekends), and people as old as 60 can tune in to the news programmes such as Channel 4 News.

The Channel 4 website offers the audience an array of things to do – there are interactive services, where you can visit various forums for particular programmes such as Lost and Deal or No Deal. Within the forums, you can join up, and talk to other people who enjoy watching the same programme as you. Debates and issues are brought up in the forums regarding the programme, from which you can voice your own opinions.
The layout of the forums page is clear and easy to use – there are pictures showing different characters from different shows representing the different forums open to the public. From this, the audience are made more aware of different shows that are shown on Channel 4, which they may not have known were shown on that channel.

Under the interactive section of the site, there are also competitions which are open to the public, from which you complete a quiz about the hit sitcom Friends, in hope of winning a pair of hair straighteners – as you can see, this competition is aimed more at the female sector of their audiences, which is fine, as there are enough things on the website aimed specifically at men. For example, there is a Games section on the website aimed more at the male audiences. This colourful homepage markets online games, giving you links to play the games for free. The Games page also invites the audience to voice their own opinions – you can choose your top 5 4games (Channel 4’s very own games), from which Channel 4 will be able to see what games are hits and which are not. From this Channel 4 are able to see what improvements can be made to the games on their site.

As Channel 4 is a mainstream broadcaster, the website has links to related TV channels such as E4 and Film4 – from there you can find out more information on the regarding programmes shown on the specific channel. For example the Film4 website offers the audience the service of finding out cinemas nearest to them and also the chance to search through 15,000 film reviews.

This website successfully offers an interactive service for audiences of all ages – you are invited to use the site which is easy to navigate around, and is also provides information for you if you have a particular interest in a specific game or film.

DORAEMON DAAAA!!!!! ~ HAGU SHICHAO! ~

Match Point Website

Just seeing if i can successfully link a website to my page :)

Here is the link to the Match Point website that I studied.

At a later date, I will do another analysis of another, more interactive website.

Oh the link worked...yay :)

Kirsty:)

I never knew until now that i loved Mishael so much, i dont have the guts to tell him so hopefully he'll se it on my blog

TESTING TESTING...1.2.3...

HI MISSS :)
my blog woooooooooorks!!!
xxx

Welcome to your new tech blog!

Hi kirsty! happy blogging from Ms B