From M/Cyclopedia of New Media
KCB336 New Media Technologies
My Personal Page
Personal Details
Name: Sophie Jane Best
DOB: 11 March 1983
Country: Brisbane, Australia
email Sophie Best
Academic Details
Degree: BBus (Public Relations)/BCI (Media & Communication)
Student Number: 04144325
Year: 3rd
Expected completion: Mid-2006
KCB336 Details
To be completed in semester two of 2004, worth 12 credit points.
- Aims:
- Develop an understanding of key technological changes associated with new media-related phenomena such as digitisation, ocnvergence, interactivity, the Internet and multimedia.
- Develop a capacity to identify and critically assess the impact of new media forms, and the transformations wihtin existing media forms, arising from such technological changes.
- Develop the ability to recognise and evaluate the relationship between new media forms and the social, cultural, economic and political context of their development.
- Develop an understanding of the distinctive aspects of online technologies in media production and other contexts of communication.
- Assessment
- Annotated Bibliography
- 10 Books/websites/articles in relation to virtual communities
- Proposal for Major Project
- Major Research Project
- Virtual communities in Public Relations - the opportunities and problems they are creating for the public relation practice
- Links
Main Page
QUT Homepage
KCB336 OLT site
Sophie Best 16:41, 12 Aug 2004 (EST)
Annotated Bibliography
The Importance of Virtual Communities to Public Relation Practice
- Gingrich, Gerry. (2003) Managing IT in Government, Business & Communities, United States of America: IRM Press, ISBN 1931777403.
- This book provides research and findings about the issues and challenges 'information resource practitioners' (Gingrich, 2003: 2), such as public relation practitioners, are encountering when managing an organisation's resources and communication in today’s economy. Gingrich (2003: 1) examines society’s ever-increasing reliance on virtual technologies for 'communication and information management', and how this affects how organisation’s are communicating and managing stakeholder, consumer, and other public's relationships in order to maintain sales, profit and competitiveness in the economy. The book consists of a number a of articles written by various authors, each presenting practical solutions to implementing new communication technologies, and justification as to the advantages they provide in today’s business environment. Of particular interest are chapter 14 where the concept of virtualisation and its role in society is discussed; chapter 16 where effective interorganisational communication, relationships, alliances and networks is explored; and chapter 18 where the use of the Internet for improving project management functions is examined. 'The articles in this volume illustrate new organisational, leadership, and management approaches to information systems and technology' (Gingrich, 2003: 3).
Sophie Best 18:08, 12 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Goldstein, S. Z. (2000) ‘Corporate Communications: A Futurist Vision’ in PRSA Practical Public Affairs in an Era of Change, United States of America: PRSA newsletter April 2000.
- This article provides foresight into how public relation practitioners will be required to work in the future, and the subsequent need to quickly and effectively uptake the innovations currently occurring in technology and telecommunications. Goldstein (2000: 1) offers insight into the impact innovations in technology and telecommunications are having on the business world, and how this is 'redefining corporate PR'. Goldstein (2000: 1) argues the importance of a proactive approach by public relation practitioners to managing the direction of influence from the innovations occurring, and current failure to do so; 'we’re reacting to today’s realities rather than influencing them'. The article focuses around the view that the innovations occurring are forcing the quantity, quality and speed of communication worldwide to expand; are impacting on public opinion; are increasing competition for reaching and affecting key constituencies; and are questioning media ownership, all of which are contributing to how organisation's perform and are perceived. Goldstein (2000: 5) cites these trends in order to then highlight the different type of communication support required today and in the future, and the potential position it places the practice of public relations as a 'catalyst for change'.
Sophie Best 18:52, 12 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Hagel, John. & Armstrong, A. G. (1997) Net Gain: expanding markets through virtual communities, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, ISBN 0875847595.
- This book provides an understanding of how virtual communities come into existence and maintain existence, and what the characteristics are of the information they create and knowledge they store. Hagel and Armstrong offer insight into new market opportunities obtained from the development of virtual communities, centered on the theory that new technologies, such as the Internet, have enabled content and communication to be combined which provides a virtual community business model - a model the author's believe will 'become a central feature on the business landscape of the future' (Hagel & Armstrong, 1997: 10). Hagel and Armstrong (1997: 5) provide an understanding of the basic principles of successful community development, through to the view that virtual communities will become commercial enterprises forming a profit motive believed to 'enhance and expand the basic requirements of community - trust and commitment to each other'. Finally, Hagel and Armstrong (1997: 212) examine how the spread of virtual communities will alter traditional business, and argue that they will 'unalterably transform the business landscape', in order to highlight the need to confront new media technologies 'head on' or lose out altogether.
Sophie Best 19:14, 12 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Holtz, S. (1999) Public Relations on the Net, United States of America: AMACOM, ISBN 0814479871.
- This book provides insight into the importance of the internet and its associated new media technologies to the practice of public relations. It offers a number of practical applications to implementing the internet into public relation practice, and justifies the advantages obtained and its importance in today’s ever-changing technological world. Holtz defines the practice of public relations, and states the impossibility of achieving a complete win-win situation for the organisation and the public, but highlight’s the Internet’s ability to provide solutions to achieving such an objective. Holtz (1999: 16) offers insight into the characteristics of today’s economy – 'networked, based on quality, customised and customer-driven' – and the influence this has on how communication occurs. Holtz (1999: 124) highlights the power of 'many-to-many communication' and the ability the Internet has to achieve this through its tools of - Internet discussion groups, email, distribution lists, newsletters, subscription mailing lists, and virtual communities. Holtz also highlights the pull mechanism of the Internet as a significant influencing aspect on audiences, and as the grounding to an increased public relations effort achieved if new media technologies, such as the Internet, are used effectively.
Sophie Best 21:20, 12 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Joinson, A. N. (2003) Understanding the Psychology of the Internet Behaviour, New York: Palgrave McMillan, ISBN 0333984676.
- This book provides an insight into the psychology of the Internet and what future new media technologies may entail in their design. Joinson (2003: 2) focuses his book around the concept that 'the internet is about communication, not content', exploring the psychology of the Internet from tools through to behaviour, negative and positive, intra and interpersonal aspects, and to future predictions. The most relevant chapters are the last two which focus on how the Internet is used, the effect of its use, computer-mediated communication adoption, and the trajectory to forecasting the future of the Internet. Advantages that the Internet has provided to the communication process are highlighted and discussed, such as, feedback loops, anonymity, ability to reveal, gather and store more information, synchronous and asynchronous interaction, impression management, and uninhibited communication, just to name a few. Joinson (2003: 199) presents the view that the unique part of the Internet is that 'wholly new, unforeseen ways of interacting will develop' with the current Internet behaviour informing the future behaviour using future communication technologies.
Sophie Best 22:04, 12 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Maclaran, P. & Catterall, M. (2002) 'Researching the social Web: Marketing information from virtual communities', Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol.20, no.6, pp.319-326.
- This article provides an argument that marketers are not using the Internet effectively in business and are at risk of losing a communication channel which consumers are rapidly up taking and relying on as their main source of information and public opinion formation. Maclaren and Catteral (2002: 1) offer the view that the Internet is a 'many-to-many communications' medium but marketers are currently only focusing on one-to-one communications through it, ignoring the increased 'proliferation of Internet discussion groups and chat rooms' where consumers are interacting with one another, and thus where there is an opportunity to obtain rich information and insights into consumer demographics and opinions. The article explores how the asynchronous and synchronous communication occurring online has led to the development of virtual meeting places constituting communities - that is, virtual communities - and how the 'study of virtual communities can provide rich insights for marketers' (Maclaren and Catterall, 2002: 1), and goes on to describe these online environments - boards, rings, lists, dungeons, and chat rooms - in order present an understanding of their importance to a brand's perception and market position, and ultimately the need to create a brand community for consumers, before consumers create it for the brand.
Sophie Best 22:45, 12 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Mayne-Wilson, M. (2003) PR and the Net, e-PublicRelations: Brisbane, PowerPoint slides.
- This lecture provides a brief overview of online marketing and its evolution, online communities and what they mean to the public relation industry, trends in online media relations, and advice on how to use the web in a crisis. Mayne-Wilson highlights the important changes that characterise the business world of today, and the tools which have emerged from the Internet and other new media technologies for public relation practitioners – online communities, newsgroups, chat rooms, bulletin boards, email discussion groups, online editions, e-zines and webzines, online radio, search engines, blogging, e-media release, and online media rooms. Mayne-Wilson (2003: 4) offers an understanding of 'media in cyberspace', its advantages and challenges, and a case study that highlights the successfulness of a public relations campaign using the Web and its associated new media technologies in the case of a crisis situation for an organisation.
Sophie Best 06:25, 13 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Rheingold, H. (2000) ‘Community Development in the Cybersociety of the Future’ in Gauntlett, D. Web. Studies: Rewiring Media Studies for the Digital Age, London: Arnold Publishers, pp.170-177.
- This article provides an understanding as to how the commodification, disinfotainment and globalised aspects of today’s world are relying on 'rapidly self-innovating technological infrastructure' (Rheingold, 2000: 170). Rheingold explores the many-to-many environment of the net from its impact on society, to how communication is occurring, through to its impact on the public sphere and the subsequent new role it is forcing the journalism industry to take on. Rheingold (2000: 173) presents the view that virtual communities are a 'non-profit industry' and will be valued the most for their 'self-organisational aspects', continuing on to explain how virtual communities differ from many other aspects and tools of the Internet in regards to the speed of creation and the requirements for sustainability that they necessitate – an affinity, a social infrastructure, and skilled human facilitation. Rheingold (2000: 175) explores the concept of virtual communities replacing Main Street as the 'domain of our social life in which such a thing as public opinion can be formed' – the new public sphere - and the importance this has on the role of the media as a means of communication dissemination and influence, focusing on journalists as a means to extrapolate to other media organisation's and people.
Sophie Best 07:32, 13 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Schuler, Douglas. (1996) New Community Networks Wired for Change, New York: ACM Press Books, ISBN 0201595532.
- This book provides an overview of how people, groups, and organisation's are 'building community networks' which are presenting a 'new kind of dialogue' (Shuler, 1996: 3), because they are creating a forum that allows voices unheard before to be heard. Schuler offers insight into how to build your own community network and the critical issues that will sustain it and make it successful, using case studies to exemplify the findings, and finally explains the short- and long-term issues for community networks, providing a number of reference material for further information on such topics. Schuler presents extensive information on the issue of the impact of technology in a number of communication situations, from society, democracy and equity, to education and health, through to media and corporate and government organisation's. Shuler’s in-depth exploration into technology’s role and influence in communities provides an invaluable resource as to how communication has evolved due to the development of new media technologies and the many attributes important about this new form of communication, especially to organisation’s.
Sophie Best 08:08, 13 Aug 2004 (EST)
- Turnbull Porter Novelli. (2000) 2000 PRIA State Awards for Excellence Category 8: Multimedia Communication Entry: National Youth Week 2000, Victoria: Department of Education, Training & Youth Affairs.
- This case study provides an insight as to how new media technologies, such as the Internet and Internet-based tools can be used in a public relations campaign, and provides actual statistics and facts of the augmented results achieved from using such new media tools compared to having used traditional tools. Turnbull Porter Novelli (2000: 1) managed and coordinated a national event for Australia’s National Youth Week in 2000 in order to achieve a number of objectives focusing around capturing 'the attention of young people' and youth organisation’s, celebrating the achievements of young Australians, and raising cash and sponsorship for the event. The communication objectives relied on new media technologies as the main tool to achieving objectives and overall success for the event, and the evaluation at the end of the campaign, accurately portrays with facts how new media technologies significantly contributed to the ability of achieving the campaigns objectives and goals, and thus the success and continued success of the event.
Sophie Best 08:32, 13 Aug 2004 (EST)
Project Proposal
Virtual Communities in Public Relations
The importance of virtual communities to the public relations practice. The opportunities and problems that virtual communities are providing to PR practice, and the lack of uptake of new media technologies and why this is important to change into a proactive approach by PR practitioners towards new media technologies.
This is the link to the page that will have my project proposal on it, the associated Reference list, and it will have links to my future wiki pages for my research project:
Virtual Communities in Public Relations
Virtual Communities in Public Relations Reference List
Sophie Best 15:38, 7 Sep 2004 (EST)
Research Project
I have undertaken research into the importance of virtual communities to the public relation practice. The opportunities and problems that virtual communities are providing to public relation practice, and the lack of uptake of new media technologies and why this is important to change into a proactive approach by PR practitioners towards new media technologies. An outline of my research can be found in my Project Proposal.
Having defined my topic this way, the following are the areas I have written about, and are the links to the pages on which my research can be found:
Virtual Communities in Public Relations - Social Implications
Virtual Communities in Public Relations - Social Implications
Virtual Communities in Public Relations - Redefining the Communication Process
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Redefining the Communication Process
Virtual Communities in Public Relations - Opportunities
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Opportunities
Virtual Communities in Public Relations - Communities in Progress
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Communities in Progress
Virtual Communities in Public Relations - Major Trends
Virtual Communities in Public Relations – Major Trends
Sophie Best 13:41, 15 Sep 2004 (EST)
