WebQuest Information for New Media Technology

Look - I've simply pasted the crucial WebQuest information into the Blog. Some links need updating, andI will do this shortly. Please post in any good sources you find.

Areas to find out about:

Industry
Who is pushing this development - companies & organisations - and why
Benefits for industry - and any problems
Audiences
Who is taking this technology up, or is targeted by it
How are they using it (and how does this compare with how industry wants them to
Benefits for audiences - and any problems

General Sources of Information for ALL TOPICS

BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk
     Search for wide range of news articles
Media Guardian
http://media.guardian.co.uk/
     Search for wide range of news articles on media. You may need to register: email address: pphilpot@ednet.harlow-college.ac.uk; password: media – or register yourself (free).
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
     Online, open source encyclopedia – use with care, but good with new technologies (benefits of cybercommunism, yes?)
P2pnet.net
http://p2pnet.net/
     “The original digital media and p2p news site” – p2p=filesharing
Wired News
http://www.wired.com/
     US-based new media magazine
Screen Digest: Global Media Intelligence
http://www.screendigest.com/
     UK media research company with a surprising amount of information available free
ZD Net UK
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/
     New media technology news & information site aimed at business

Interactive Television

The Interactive Television Dictionary & Business Index
http://www.itvdictionary.com/
     Large and authoritative US site all about Interactive television (ITV in America). Includes guides, definitions & even little tests
Interactive Television Alliance
http://itvalliance.org/
     US trade association. Site has clear information & a little history of Interactive Television
White Dot: the international campaign against television on http://www.whitedot.org/
A Guide to Interactive TV
     A thorough attack on Interactive TV from a US & UK-based organisation that campaigns against TV
Oyster on http://www.oyster.co.uk/
The Betrayal of Interactive Television
     pdf pamphlet on problems with Interactive Television from viewpoint of a British iTV advertising and design agency

Mobile Phones & Media

ZD Net UK
The Matrix - coming to a mobile phone near you
     Streaming Media Europe: With phones like the Nokia 3650 able to stream full-motion video, who needs a land line?
Japan Media Review – internet and wireless sections
http://www.japanmediareview.com/japan/internet/section.php
http://www.ojr.org/japan/wireless/section.php
     Japan is held to be a generation ahead of Europe & America in mobile phone use – see how their use is different
Opera Telecom
http://www.operatelecom.com/index.asp
     Company selling services for broadcasting and streaming video on mobiles
From BBC Online
Microsoft makes mobile media push
     “As Microsoft unveiled its MSN Music service, hardware firms have shown off gadgets that work with the new service.”
News item on Silicon.com
RealNetworks signs mobile streaming deal with O2
     Developments in streaming media to mobiles

Downloads and Digital Rights

BBC News
Fight for the right to copy
     “Who wins in the battle over peer-to-peer networks will shape the digital world, argues technology analyst Bill Thompson.”
Internet piracy figures 'triple'
     The number of internet users who illegally download films and TV series has tripled over the past year
Electric Frontier Foundation
http://www.eff.org/
     US-based organisation defending users’ freedoms
Motion Picture Association of America - Antipiracy
http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/
     Hollywood’s defence against you downloading pirate films - may be dodgy link - look elsewhere on site.
Washingtonpost.com
Tech Firms to Seek Legal Protection From Pirating
     Major Internet companies fight Hollywood studios attempts to limit copyright
Umair Haque's Bubblegeneration
The New Economics of Music: File-Sharing and Double Moral Hazard: Part 1: Why the Music Industry is (Really) Broken
     Detailed account from blog on "the strategy and economics of innovation"
Extreme Tech -"Deep technology for enthusiasts and professionals"
Expensive Anti-Piracyware Threatens Open Standard
     "A handful of technology companies are overcharging for anti-piracy software needed for digital music stores on the Internet, preventing the emergence of open standards"

Digital Photography

PC Plus
Complete guide to digital photography
     Guide from website of computer magazine
Photos Leave Home
http://www.photosleavehome.blogspot.com/
     Blog on personal photography and the web
INCITE
Digital photography
     Complex but brief statement about how digital photography users upset industry aims
The Thompson Organisation:
The impact of Digital Photography on Journalism Online
     Page on use of digital photography in journalism
Bradley University
What is "Digital Photography?"
     Simple account of digital photography, with links
ComputerWeekly.com
Implementing digital image photography in the building industry
     Business applications of digital; photography - article on business computer magazine website

Digital Cinema

BFI - British Film Institute
Digital Test Bed
     The Digital Test Bed at the National Film Theatre is the main UK and European facility for exploring the digital distribution and exhibition of film
The End of Celluloid: Film futures in the digital age
http://www.endofcelluloid.com/main.html
     Website of Matt Hanson, The End of Celluloid: Film Futures in the Digital Age (Rotovision, 2004) – interviews and additional textual material from book (in library!) on developments in digital imaging techniques
Stage4: UK art/technology ezine + independent webcaster
Is Digital the Future of Cinema?
     Yes, it claims
Institute of Electrical Engineers
Digital Cinema: A Slow Revolution
     Digital cinema offers a high-quality image, unaffected by repeated showings. So why can’t you see it at your local multiplex?
Screen Digest: Global Media Intelligence
Digital Cinema Business Models: The Global Outlook
     summary of detailed report on the business problems of digital cinema

Digital and Internet Radio (+ some material on audio downloads)

BBC Digital Radio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/digitalradio/
     Explanation & guide from main digital radio broadcaster
Digital Radio Development Bureau
http://www.drdb.org/
     UK trade organisation – try also link to consumer site for a simpler sell
DAB Digital Radio
http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/dab.html
     Clear account of DAB on UK site aimed at general public – with clear explanations
BBC Online
Podcasts bring DIY radio to the web
     Good account of podcasting, with useful links attached
Podcasting Yet?
http://www.createyourpodcast.com/
     How to make money from podcasting? Site is selling stuff, but indicates potential for anyone to start internet radio & podcasting

Audience Research
This is a skill you will find very useful in the A2 year, and it will also greatly impress the examiners this year - they want you to actively find things out yourself, and new media technology is such a developing area that often there is no established research. There is material on this in the last chapter in Studying the Media.

Questionnaire
Do a simple questionnaire for users of a technology. What aspects do they use, why? Who are they? - sex and age, possibly income/social grade. How do they rank various types or uses of the technology? There might be other factors. Make your questions as closed as possible: yes/no, lists of choices, figures or a 5 or 7 point Likkert scale for opinion. Let your lecturer check it before you use it!

Focus Group
As used in market research and politics! Get a group of users (or non-users) of the technology together, and get them to talk freely about the aspects of it. You observe and take notes, or prompt with questions to get them talking. Good at getting range of individual opinions.