Classroom Group Review

CONFUSION MAKES HATE

2009-03-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

After an explosive response directed to me, not doing a job, that we had discussed in the "ROLES" section of this blog log; I was casted aside as not working with the team. It seems that they were right. I had done a rushed job of getting them the video even so compromising my source who at least had more patience than my editors and team players. I could list their actions but I don' want to spend more energy on the negative aspects. After all, if this was a real life professional situation, I would have quit, given the miss-communication factors on all sides. The parameters of my production methods were set by the Web Manager Ken, and they are as follows:

1.) use an external mic

2.) make the videos more concise (i.e. fucking edit them a bit)

3.) try and keep the swearing down

4.) don't expect others to do your work, I edited that last thing in about 1hr, it's a piece of piss...use Imovie

Given these parameters I understand more clearly my job can only do what is available to me. My fixes to the above parameters are compromises for time management and the tools I have to accomplish my task. As this is not a real company I cannot expect them to give me the tools to use. Plus I have other personal issues that do not allow me to check out equipment from the store rooms. Taking all of that into consideration, I will still try to full fill my duties as best as is possible.

1. Mics are embedded in almost all video equipment including simple digital cameras plus if I want to make the production louder than the original recording I always use an external MP3 recorder. (Note: Because my source did not know I was publishing the material I could not give my editors the full version)

2. Edit the footage (again this should have been explained to me when we talked about "ROLES" Professional standards in the past have had a team of experts to work in each area so that organization helped distribute the final product on deadline.)

3. No Vulgarity (I understand the validity in this matter but do not accept it as the brief and home statement of the website clearly identifies with a alternative "MOLE" like status in it's content. After all I am the eco-warrior not the eco-doctor. Vulgarity brings clarity and humor depending on the person perceiving the information. In Linguistic terms it is used as exclamation. In structural terms exclamation is not necessary unless the object is not clear. As this is video I do not see "shit" in my video neither do my viewers thus it is only verbal excitement from me the director of the full edit and idea that I want to portray.) None the less I will try my best in the future to use as little or not vulgarity and when it is used I will edit it out!

4. I own a PC. I like PC's. I use Windows based programming tools and OS; I will thus use WMV to compress and edit my video footage.

Just Not Getting the Job Done Period

2009-03-23T03:20:00.000-07:00

As discussed earlier on, the people on team team are not at all in sync with each other or even the full detailed specs of each individual role, this includes myself but, tomorrow will be the ultimate test, having spoken to Ken over the weekend asking him to make some basic proofreading correction to my review of Trevor Baylis after Mike and Ken spent so much time and energy making corrections and criticizing my production. Tomorrow, hopefully we can re-group learn what our roles are and start to take more responsibility, time management and execution of our product which is the live material already available to the public (if anybody has been to the site the flaws are much more exaggerated due to the fact of the amount of basic errors). Patience must be met with equal opportunity and enthusiasm on any team project.

Communication Failure and General Management Issues

2009-03-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

I have been having issues with two other members of my team. Ken and Mike. My problems with Mike are rather petty and personal. I have as a result spoken openly to Mike about my personal dislike of him so thus hoping to keep our communication strictly on a professional communication basis. So far so good.

As for Ken our web manager, there are not problems per say at neither personal nor professional reasons but there seems to be a lack of communication in general, starting from his end of the project. I have written and email and extracted myself from the structure we all agreed to by posting our work on word-press. No-one, even after today asking Max to give me a course on it has explained me how to use the word press format. As to not use this as an excuse (the lack of communication standards I have decided to send my content to Ken, so that he can send it to the relevant editor, sub editor, proofreader.

I have also asked him and spoken to other members of our team asking them what role they would think suitable for me. Ken has made the point that my grammar is "Americanized" and I often have the habit of creating and using words that do not exist (Googling is not a word per-say but words of such as long as they are not going to be published are irrelevant is usage unless the reader cannot understand what is being portrayed.)

The Key Problem is ORGANIZATION

Roles of the Team

2009-03-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

Today we assessed who is assigned to do what.
Roles Include as Follows:

Ken: Web Manager, Post Editor, Writer
Mike: Proofreader, Multimedia Editor, Writer
Paul: Sub-Editor (All Sections), Sub Editor Multimedia, Writer
Max: Proofreading, Multimedia Contribution, Writer
Jack: Sub-Editor, Proofreading, Writer

Sub-Editing Roles

2009-02-25T10:28:00.000-08:00

Every buisness has its checks and I suppose the print media whether they be online or print have editors and sub-editors who counter check productivity according to each section that is to be covered in any issue. Thus todays discuss involves discussiong about assigning people to roles that will help us help each other in editing and revizing one another's work.

On a professional scale this is of the utmost importance as it teaches us to keep in hinesight our personal agendas outside of the realm of actual material being published. In essence a clearer anylsis of our written work can be viewed, commmented and corrected to perfection.

Feature Ideas 101

2009-02-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of ideas for some feature stories that I will be writing about on the website will be:

1. The Wind Up Trevor Baylis MP3 Player

2. The Toughest Phone on the Market

3. Hybrid Cars that Run on Cost and Eco-Efficient Energies

4. Combining Old Technology to create New Technology (Churnology)

Content

2009-02-17T05:55:00.000-08:00

On the evaluation of content a group production had been initially started by Mike but sitting on my own I want to write and compare notes with the rest of my group. We had basically agreed to a website with a key focus on how technology has effected and continues to effect traditional media outlets, such as video games, music, and film. The website was designed to tackle the alternative media on an "underground" theme which will attempt to shy away from mainstream media.

Directing an understanding of intro or pitch to the website I will suggest that not only the repetitive usage of the words "Tech" or "Mole" will play much of a role in the actual feature writing and content of the articles to be written. Tech being a shortened version of the word technology and mole being a word to describe an undercover agent or small animal that boroughs through the ground. Keeping that in mind the content should not sway away from technology which is a broad term but keeping it in that underground term "alternative."

Pitch from my angle is as follows:

Techmole is a website that involves itself with the alternative mole like way that technology boroughs through all aspects of life carrying with it the very essence of technological advancement. The world of technology is changing not only the way we view media but how media is viewed by its audiences, thus information is opening new gateways in our everyday usage of the tools of technology and their technical uses.

Search Engine Optimizing

2009-02-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

SEO is an interesting tool of how users recognize your site information but sustains the over usage of key words. It appears that the word "technology" alone in January 2009 gets just over 2 million hits. The shorter version "tech" receives just under 1 million hits. Both of these words will probably be used without much editorial effort over and over during our coverage of topics on the website.

I did a separate search on the word "mole" which has a surprising 300,000 hits in January alone. Interesting, seeing as how the name of the website is techmole.co.uk.

Free Enterprise Vs. Mimimalistic Utopia

2009-01-27T06:37:00.000-08:00

I suppose this entry is a detailed reason of psychology behind the communication factors of any industry where group work is essential in the flow of production. I felt like keeping my mouth shut during this democratic vote and as I expected my view on creating a minimum amount of people 10 people per group would be rejected as we live in free-enterprise system thus the majority minus myself would reject the utopian form of thought in a process that would entail smooth production vs quantity. Quality vs quantity to be exact, but we will tell shortly the outcome of this interesting debate.....yet to be decided, I'll have a fag and press my point, or maybe not.....its been decided then utopian ideas do exist. I am in a group phase one begins, dynamic psychology first. Apart from that an idea of tech ideas is swarming.

On the topic of broad content our group including Ken (mouthpiece), Mike, Paul, Max, we have gone for Techmoles.com a production yet undecided in the overall content but as you can see the Utopian idea allows for easier content decision. Yet, to be decided is who might actually from the write up and concept idea behind the production teams resposbility. Again, biting my tongue on this one, experience I may have on a professional level but may, just maybe I'll save myself the useless amount of uneccessary debate!

Written Daily Posts, 2 or more full length news features per week.