For my final project, I will be discussing how people have shared recipes through YouTube, blogs and websites. Hence, the title, “Food & Multimedia.” It’s interesting how multimedia has changed the way people cook and bake, and how people are able to share their recipes with others. I offer my perspective on food blogs and why they are great for food lovers and people who are getting into food and baking. I also share a recipe of my own and my favorite food bloggers/YouTubers. I learned a lot throughout the semester and share my first-hand experience with food blogging on Jaihe’s Kitchen. I had mixed-feelings about it but now that the semester is almost over, I definitely find the experiencing rewarding and something I’ll carry with me throughout my life. It was a great learning experience and I now know what goes behind the scenes of a food blog and how much work goes into one. I have so much respect for food bloggers. Although I don’t plan on writing anymore posts on Jaihe’s Kitchen, I will continue to share recipes on my blog, With Her, Having Coffee. I had a lot of fun creating this e-book and will utilize Microsoft Publisher in the future for other projects. I actually had no idea Windows laptops had their own version of Pages. I hope you enjoy reading my e-book and look forward to seeing everyone else’s.
Author: Sarah Jaihe Lee
Too Extreme
This article from The New York Times was really interesting and was one of my favorite ones we had to read this semester. It is actually pretty interesting that we had to read this article for this week because I came across a post on facebook today and it basically sums it up.
A. said “You’ve changed” to B. and he screen-shotted a post he made back in 2011. That was 3 years ago! It is pretty crazy how he found that post and it re-surfaced on the web. 28 people saw and liked the post as well so it is not just between them. The article talks about how people are not able to reinvent themselves due to how much information is out there: As social-networking sites expanded, it was no longer quite so easy to have segmented identities…the idea of the home self, a work self, a family self and a high-school friends self often arouses suspicion. Moreover, far from giving us a new sense of control over the face we present to the world, the Internet is shacking us to everything that we have ever said, or that anyone has said about us, making the possibility of digital self-reinvention seem like an idea from a distant era. In 2011, B. was a freshman in college. He is most likely not the same person he once was and has changed over the years. However, his past is still out there in the public for everyone to see.
I think it is ridiculous that Stacy was not able to get her teaching degree because of a picture she posted online. I also think it is ridiculous that the 16 year old girl got fired for posting “I’m so totally bored” on facebook. Stacy probably worked really hard to get her degree and to find out that she cannot get it because of a picture is a little extreme. Lets keep in mind that she was 25 years old at the time. She was not partaking in underage drinking or doing anything illegal. That is why I think it is unfair and ridiculous. But hey, I do not make the rules. I guess we could all learn from her situation: do not post anything online that could be used against you. It is definitely easier said than done. I follow a girl on twitter and she has posted things about her job and doing homework while her boss is out. If he saw that tweet, could she have gotten into trouble? Would she have been fired? That is a really scary thought. It is scary that we cannot post our true thoughts and feelings without risking our jobs or potential jobs in the future. What is the point of having social media if we cannot truly express ourselves? If someone is posting something that could damage the reputation of the company or business or is offensive, then I think it is fair and reasonable if their boss chooses to punish or fire them. However, if an employee is posting something like “I’m so totally bored” and they have an office job, I do not think it is a big deal. Look, we are all human beings. If I was that girl’s boss, I would not get mad or offended. I would put myself in her position and tell her that tweeting things like that is unprofessional and she should think of ways to keep herself busy. Plus, she was only 16 years old at the time. I am sure she did not know any better. She could learn from her mistake and grow from them: By “erasing external memories,” he says in the book, “our society accepts that human beings evolve over time, that we have the capacity to learn from past experiences and adjust our behavior.” In traditional societies, where missteps are observed but not necessarily recorded, the limits of human memory ensure that people’s sins are eventually forgotten.
All in all, I learned a lot from the article and find it interesting that seventy percent of U.S recruiters report that they have rejected candidates because of information found online, like photos and discussion-board conversations and membership in controversial groups.” I also found it interesting that the permanent memory bank of the web increasingly means there are no second chances – no opportunities to escape a scarlet letter in your digital past. Now the worst thing you’ve done is often the first thing everyone knows about you. That is a pretty scary thought. I definitely learned through this article that you should think before you post anything. I guess I will now go onto my facebook and twitter and make sure everything I have ever posted won’t put me in jeopardy in the future. Wish me luck!
First Life
This virtual world, called Second Life, is actually quite interesting. I have never heard of it and and highly doubt that I would have known about it if I had not read the article. It reminded me a lot of Sims. Do people still play that game? I personally never played it so I am not sure if I would actually like Second Life. It does not sound appealing to me but I can understand why it would appeal to some. Like any game, we can often times lose ourselves in it. If we live in a virtual world, it may be hard for us to separate reality with fiction. That is one reason why I don’t play virtual games. I know that games, in general, can be addictive. If someone has a perfect life, lots of friends, the ability to fly and teleport in Second Life, it would be very easy to prefer that life to real life and that can be very dangerous. The article says, The result is a self-contained universe that’s highly stylized and unapologetically indulgent. Trees can be purple, or planted upside down; avatars walk, run, fly and abruptly teleport from place to place; and it is common to encounter people wearing not only the obvious spoils of do-it-yourself perfection like DD breasts or diamond pinkie rings but also added flourishes, like dragon wings, tiger tails or top hats that stretch four feet into the virtual sky. I know this is far-fetch but if a girl is unhappy with her appearance in real life and goes onto Second Life to create an unrealistic version of themselves, that could be damaging for the person’s self-esteem. Or if a guy doesn’t have a great social life but has a lot of friends in the game, they may forget that they aren’t that popular in real life and when they come back to reality, they can become depressed and unattached to the rest of the world. It’s not good to be in your own little bubble in any situation. The article says that having an avatar may be less weird as the Internet begins to speed up but I do not think that is the issue. The issue is living in two different realities.
But what’s the difference between Second Life, Facebook, twitter and tumblr? Do we always accurately portray ourselves on social media? Does it seem like we have more friends and are really popular on Facebook than in real life? Are we always those cheerful and fun, loving people that we come off as in our profile pictures? The answer is no. And it is no one’s fault. It’s actually pretty difficult to be the exact same person online as in real life no matter how hard we try. We will always seem a little cooler on the Internet because we create an image that people see. For example, I enjoy an occasional beer here and there with my friends but I don’t post pictures every single time we drink on my Facebook because that would make me look bad and people might see me as a hard-drinker or a party person. In reality, I am not. The majority of the time I am doing homework, sleeping, running, eating or spending time with my boyfriend. It is so easy to be one person online and another in real life, which is why it is important to be careful with what you choose to share in public. I think we forget sometimes that facebook and twitter are public spaces. Whatever we choose to share will in someway influence the way people see us.
I definitely prefer real life over a make-believe, indulgent world. Nothing is ever perfect and trees are not purple. At least the ones I’ve seen. I will never have DD breasts without plastic surgery and my name will never be Marshmella. Yeah, I guess it would be nice to escape reality once in a while but my life or reality is not something I need to escape. I like my life, I like who I am and am happy with my imperfections. I find no need in creating a perfect version of myself in a virtual game because it will never change the fact that I’m not perfect. I choose to stay in the first life.
My Thoughts On Intellectual Value
The article was very interesting and although it was long, I actually enjoyed it. It’s pretty cool that it was written in 1995 and almost everything Esther Dyson talks about is happening right this moment. How did she predict that? Is she psychic? Anyways…the main example I used for understanding the article was youtube. Now a days, people are really creative, thinking of new concepts and making their videos look very professional. However, I don’t think the quality is necessarily going down. I think the quality of the videos are actually going up. Everyone I watch on youtube has invested in professional lights, equipment, cameras and video editing programs. Back then, people just got by with their webcams. Now, it’s almost a given that a video will have 720 HD.
I used to create music covers on youtube and didn’t have any real equipment. I simply used my webcam that came with my laptop and edited the video with windows movie maker. However, after a while, I felt like my videos weren’t good enough to upload and share. I felt they were inadequate with the rest of the videos that were being recorded in actual recording studios and were edited by professionals. It is hard enough to get noticed and recognized on youtube, so if you’re equipment isn’t up to standards, your video will probably get a couple hundred to a thousand views (if you’re lucky). At least, this is what I have experienced. And honestly, that sucks because a lot of people have real talent. They just won’t get noticed because they aren’t recording in a studio. I feel like a lot of artists think real musicianship means recording in a studio and sounding perfect. The quality has definitely gone up but are they really staying genuine and true to the music? Or, are they just doing it to get recognized and become famous? I really don’t know. I’m not saying that this applies to all musicians on youtube. I’m just raising the question. And I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate these qualities. I love artists such as Madilyn Bailey, Boyce Avenue and Sam Tsui, don’t get me wrong. They sound amazing and if you have the opportunity to record in a recording studio, and have your song edited by a professional, why would you pass it up? It’s just something I’ve noticed these these past couple of years.
I miss those old qualities of youtube, when people recorded themselves with their webcams and the material/video was raw. No special effects, no big sha-bang. Am I the only one? But then again, I don’t know what I would do without high quality videos. They are visually appealing and sound great. Esther also mentions that content will be free. That’s definitely the case for youtube. You don’t have to pay for anything. However, some youtubers now advertise products or have their own makeup/clothing line. Thus, you have to pay for “follow up services.” They’ll leave a link to their products or a personalized link to make a profit, and that’s how they make a living off of youtube. Esther also mentions that advertising will be much higher quality and that is definitely the case. Advertisements on youtube have become advanced and are visually appealing.
It’s interesting how Esther brought up the fact that creators face an eternal problem: the value of work generally won’t receive recognition without wide distribution. Only by attracting broad attention, can an artist or creator hope to attract high payment for copies. However, if a creator decides to distribute their work, there’s a chance that someone out there will steal their ideas and claim it as their own. I’ve seen that happen before and people have called others out. There’s definitely some risk involved. I also think she’s right when she says, “The trick is to control not the copies of your work but instead a relationship with the customers – subscriptions or membership. And that’s often what the customers want, because they see it as an assurance of a continuing supply of reliable, timely content.” People I follow always say they see their subscribers as their own friends and it’s because they form a relationship with them. They wouldn’t be able to make a living off of youtube or get opportunities without us and we wouldn’t be entertained or knowledgeable on certain things without them. We rely on one another. What are your thoughts on the article?
E-Book: #TasteBud Magazine
Our food group (Ariel Kramer, Melanie Thomas, Sarah Jaihe Lee, Amanda Grabanica and Christina Caputo) created a Spring/Summer issue of #TasteBud Magazine, a quarterly magazine focusing on reviews, conversations about various issues concerning food and everything in between. There are five articles in this issue: “If You Didn’t Post It, You Didn’t Eat It,” “Macaron Day 2014,” “The TASTE of Summer,” “A Sweet Desire for your #TasteBud,” and “Budding This Spring.” Sarah traveled to New York City over spring break and talks about her experience at Macaron Day 2014, Melanie gives her personal review of Cookie Rush, a made to order cookie establishment that recently opened in New Brunswick, Christina discusses local farms and market, recommends some in the area and lists what’s in season, while Ariel discusses the topic of “food porn” and the concept of posting pictures of our food onto instagram and finally, Amanda discusses summer foods, drinks and delicious/healthy alternatives for the usual BBQ options that are available. We hope at least one article appeals to you and your interests involving food, and you learn something new. That is our main goal, to educate, inform and entertain. We also aim to give our own perspectives on food and see it through different angles. That is the great thing about food, it isn’t one dimensional. There are so many different topics of discussion within the food category, which is why we had an easy time picking a topic that personally interests us. We had a good time creating this E-Book and appreciate the visual aspect of the project. We look forward to seeing everyone else’s!
I love YouTube
Youtube DOES change everything. I definitely have to agree with that. I’m so glad we were given this article to talk about because I love watching videos off of yt. I can honestly say that I watch yt more than I watch television.
Why do I love yt? Well, I love it because I get to choose what I watch and there are no commercials (I have ad-blocker). Also, I find that yt channels and youtubers, in general, are much more creative, authentic and real. I can relate to them and I like that they are just regular people, like you and me. Okay, maybe not all of them. Some youtuber’s are now considered youtube celebrities, such as Jen Im from clothesencounters, Jessie and Jeana from PVP and Bethany Mota. Although they are considered youtube celebrities, at the end of the day, they are still just normal people. They didn’t start their channels to make money and they didn’t sign a contract with a management company. They made a channel because they genuinely wanted to create videos, share their life and put it online.
I truly admire youtubers who put in time and effort to make their videos look awesome. A lot of people don’t just upload videos anymore. They spend countless hours editing their videos and adding special effects. And they don’t hire people to do it for them (usually). I know for a fact that Judy edits her own videos, even with twin babies and a toddler. I applaud her. I also get inspired by videos I see on yt and learn a lot. For example, I am subscribed to a lot of chefs such as ByronTalbott, FoodWishes and Laurainthekitchen. I have made recipes from them and they always come out great. I love how I have the ability to save the video or add it to my playlist to view later. I can’t do that with my television because it doesn’t come with recording features. It makes it a lot easier to write down a recipe because of the playback features. I can make a recipe that was uploaded in 2010, tomorrow.
I also love yt because of the music. I love going onto yt to listen to my favorite artists, and discover new ones. I don’t have to pay for songs, unlike iTunes and can watch music videos. Yt has turned into my version of MTV, since MTV doesn’t actually play music videos anymore. It’s awesome that we are able to listen to music from other countries. I enjoy listening to k-pop on occasion and their music videos are so cool. Yt is also great because of the community. I can see what everyone is thinking or feeling by reading their comments. Most of the time, the comments are positive and supportive. I have to admit, however, it can also be a little mean and catty. I have seen so many negative and mean comments throughout the years and it sucks that you can’t prevent anyone from leaving them. You can delete them, but you can’t prevent it (at least I think). I definitely think the comment section has its pros and cons. Pros: you get immediate feedback and can communicate with other users and the youtuber. Cons: people can hide behind their username and leave mean, offensive or negative comments. Nobody likes that!
Here are some of my favorite youtubers:
ItsJudysLife: Judy Travis and her husband, Benji record their lives (every single day) and are considered vloggers. However, Judy also has her own beauty channel called It’s Judy’s Time and Benji has his own food channel called BenjiManTV. They have a beautiful daughter named Julianna and Judy recently gave birth to twin girls. I watch her vlogs almost everyday, either right before bed or in the morning since she uploads her videos late at night.
ClothesEncounters: Jen started this channel with her friend Sarah. However, they parted ways and Jen took over the channel. She styles outfits, does hauls, monthly favorites and is extremely cool! She has awesome style, is really pretty and has a great personality.
Hello October: Suzie specializes in beauty, hair and skincare. However, she will upload hauls and monthly favorites as well. I guess you could call her a lifestyle youtuber. She has her own blog, which I also follow and is very knowledgeable. She’s Lily Collin’s look-a-like!
What are your favorite channels?
It’s All About Personal Preference
After reading all 5 opinions, I came up with my own thoughts on the topic of e-books. I got something out of everyone’s opinions except for Maryanne W.’s. I got a little lost after she brought up Socrates and Aristotle. Nonetheless, everyone has their own perspective and attacks the question from different angles.
I’ve never read anything off of a kindle or an e-reader but I have read pdf files and assigned readings off of my computer screen for school. Personally, I don’t find myself reading faster or slower than if I were to read off of paper. However, something does happen to me psychologically. Whenever I open a pdf file, I scroll down to see how long it is. If it’s longer than 20 pages, I immediately get turned off and begin to mourn inside. Therefore, reading a book vs. reading online definitely affects me. It’s important to note that reading online or off of an e-book and reading a book or on paper both has its pros and cons, as you can see:
E-Book Pros: It’s comfortable and portable
Cons: It’s awkward flipping through the pages when you have to look up a certain word or passage and the illustrations tend to have poor resolution
Reading on screen Pros: You can look up a word to find any passage or sentence
Cons: You can get distracted and check your email, Facebook, blogs, etc.
Books/reading on paper Pros: You can write in the margins. It’s cheap, easy to read/mark up and “above all else, beautiful” (David G.).
Cons: You can’t look up a word or passage via ctrl F
Thus, reading online or on paper is all about personal preference. Personally, I don’t mind reading a book. Like Gloria M. says, you don’t get interrupted with paper books: “It’s not only an escape into a world of literature but it’s an escape from my digital devices.” I also don’t mind reading online because I can easily look up any word or passage, words I don’t know at Dictionary.com, and it’s portable. However, I do find myself getting distracted when I’m reading online. Before I started writing my response, I checked Facebook once and in between reading, I checked my email to see if I got any word back from the numerous jobs I applied to.
Whether you appreciate beautiful books, like myself, and enjoy having the physical copy in your hands or you enjoy reading off of an e-reader or laptop at a coffee shop, it doesn’t really matter. It isn’t affecting anyone around you nor does it seem to be affecting your brain. Sandra even says that “anecdotal evidence suggests that people may read as quickly on electronic readers as they do on paper. ” Therefore, our brains may not even notice when we’re reading offline vs. online. However, we may deeply engage ourselves with the text when we aren’t distracted by facebook, twitter, email, etc. How can we absorb information if we don’t spend more than 3 minutes on the text and move onto something else? So, that’s definitely something we should take into consideration.
What are your thoughts?
The Multi-dimensional Woman
When I first opened the link, I thought “oh no, another 7 page article – great.” However, little did I know, it was about something I am completely fascinated with – a website targeted towards a woman who has many different hobbies and interests. I read every last word of the article because the writer writes well and the topic is interesting. A man starting a website targeted towards a female audience? Hm, that’s different. I loved that she included how the website started, what they stand for and the controversial beginning. If I never read the article, I probably would have never heard about the website.
I went onto the website and love how there is no pink anywhere. Although it’s a little funny if you think about it; that a website doesn’t have a “girly” color anywhere on the website to get a message across. Or, perhaps, it’s not funny at all. The fact that they even thought of doing this says something. It says that when you think of girls and women, you automatically think of the color, pink. I love what the magazine stands for and what they’re all about. Not every woman is passionate about beauty and fashion. Some enjoy reading, cooking and learning what’s going on in the world. And some women enjoy both! And that is what the magazine is all about. How could a modern woman not support it?
Providing a fresh spin on news, entertainment, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, books, and any and all subjects that concern women.
When I started my blog, I didn’t want to focus on beauty or fashion because I felt like that was expected of me. I wanted to discuss real issues, share my thoughts with the world, and talk about what I’m genuinely passionate about. I wouldn’t consider myself a beauty guru or a fashionista, so why would I create a blog focused on that? I never wanted to be someone I’m not. Yes, I do write about makeup and an outfit I wore but every post isn’t about that. I am much more interested in food and lifestyle. At the same time, I do struggle with the idea that my blog isn’t reaching a large audience because of that. Sometimes I feel the need to have more “girly” posts but I have to stop myself because I want to stay genuine to myself. It’s great if you’re genuinely interested in beauty or fashion and want to start a blog about it. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, I’m not interested enough to write or talk about it all the time.
Bustle is sending a great message to young girls and women out there. They’re saying it’s cool to want to know how to put on blush the correct way and know what’s going on in the world. I love that they aren’t generalizing women or putting us all into one category. The modern woman is multi-dimensional and they are fully embracing that. We need more websites like this.
I liked their facebook page today and I’m already loving the content their sharing. They shared a quote by one of my favorite actresses, Rashida Jones and another one by Kristen Wiig. Both of them are empowering.
What are your thoughts on the website? Do you support a website targeted towards a female demographic?
P.S I love that this week’s blog prompt was open-ended. Can we have more of these?
Digital Portfolio: “Best Thing I Ever Ate – College Edition”
Since our group loves and is focusing on food throughout the semester, we wanted to share and discuss our favorite dish. We all have one, whether it is a classic Italian dish, a family favorite, or a popular dish from an established restaurant. We are sure at least one dish will catch your attention. Sarah and Christina talk about restaurant favorites while Melanie, Amanda and Ariel talk about family recipes that have soul and taste delicious. We got our idea from the show, “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network, where celebrity chefs talk about their favorite dish and personal experience with it. They then either visit the establishment or eat the dish in front of the camera, making viewers salivate. Since we are all in college and have not gotten the opportunity to taste as many dishes as the chefs, our dishes are relatively simple and classic. That is also why we decided to add the “College Edition” at the end. We hope our dishes speak to you and captivate your taste buds. If you have not yet tried them, we recommend that you do! They are very easy to make at home and are easily accessible, and we sure plan on eating or making them in the near future. We decided to crowd-source by getting sound clips from collaborative websites where people upload and share for free. These clips add a different dimension to our podcast and create a live audience atmosphere, which we were aiming for.
We hope you enjoy it – Check it out here!
Group Members: Ariel Kramer, Melanie Thomas, Christina Caputo, Amanda Grabanica
Mixed Feelings About Crowdsourcing
I never really thought about that question until now. But if you really think about it, I guess the most obvious answer is: yes. If we have hundreds of people submitting work, photographs and created content, then what makes it special? Instead of focusing on the individual and their work, our focus is on quantity, quality and the amount we have to pay to own rights to it. The reason why the original Mona Lisa is special is due to the fact that there’s only one original. If there were multiple “originals” displayed in every museum, the value would go down.
In terms of the article, I feel like some people may care more about what they can get out of something, like iFilm and Michael Hirschorn, for example. It seems like Hirschorn is more concerned about his business and making money from other people’s work, which is why he purchased iFilm in the first place. He doesn’t really care about all the submitted videos if they’re “crap.” He will only look at the top 20 or the most popular ones. Thus, he doesn’t value individual talent. He values money and making a profit. Personally, I can understand it but I don’t fully support it. As I was reading the article, it seemed a little selfish. Those people who submit videos put in time and effort. However, that is completely disregarded if it’s not a good one. A video can be good and entertaining, but if it’s not what Hirschorn is looking for or can’t sell, then it’s basically not going to be used.
However, if an individual decides to publicize their work or sell it at an affordable price, I don’t find anything wrong with it. I believe this type of crowdsourcing will be successful down the road because it’s already popular. There is something called Creative Commons, where Flickr users offer their photos under a Creative Commons license. I first discovered this through a blogger who talked about using other people’s photos without permission and possibly getting sued, even though you gave them credit or linked back to the original. The images on Flickr are free, I believe, and the photographer doesn’t get any money if you use it. To me, that is very smart and seems genuine. These people don’t care about making money and just want their images to get noticed. They want people to use them as they wish and don’t expect a huge sum of money in return. Hence, the non-profit. Like I mentioned in my previous post, if something is free, it will generally be successful.
Although crowdsourcing is becoming more popular and prevalent in today’s society, I hope we don’t sacrifice the integrity of our work. And although some things don’t necessarily cost anything, sometimes keeping things private and to yourself is better than releasing it to the public. In today’s world, everyone wants to share everything. We share our photos, feelings, thoughts, favorite songs, videos, etc. on social media. It comes to a point where nothing is private or sacred anymore. Instead of writing our thoughts down in a diary, we will share them on a facebook statuso. Instead of taking photos and printing them at Target, we upload them onto facebook in a virtual photo album. Instead of displaying our birthday cards on our walls or shelf, we display them on instagram so everyone knows we’re admired and loved. You get my point.
Overall, I think crowdsourcing can be used for good but to a certain extent. If crowdsourcing means making a profit or owning rights to something so you can get money from it, then I don’t necessarily agree with it. However, I do understand why it exists. People have to make a living. I get that. However, we shouldn’t forget the person behind the photograph, video, etc. and forget its value.
Intro. to Multimedia Comp SP14 