Lecture 2

Web Literation was a main topic of this lecture.

Web 1. = "Information Web"(taget- companies)

Web 2.0 = "Interactive Web" (target- social groups)

Web 3.0 = "Semantic Web" (targeting individuals)

Web 1.0- "Web 1.0 (the information web), the one we all know and love, is straightforward. It’s full of content that we can surround with ads, mainly in the form of banners. Many marketers look at this as an extension of offline media – print and television. Sadly, they tend to use it the same way.

(Greg Smith, 2009 cited in Harrison:10)" - Lecture 2 slides

Web 2.0- "Produsage can be roughly defined as modes of production which are led by users or at least crucially involve users as producers - in other words, the user acts as a hybrid user/producer, or produser, virtually throughout the production process. Produsage demonstrates the changed content production value chain model in collaborative online environments: in these environments, a strict producer/consumer dichotomy no longer applies - instead, users are almost always also able to be producers of content, and often necessarily so in the very act of using it.”

(http://snurb.info/produsage) - Lecture 2 slides

Web 3.0- "Web 3.0 takes all this a step further adding machine-readable meaning to the packets of information. It is thus known to the technically minded as the semantic web. Once it is manifest the semantic web will take us to within a gnat’s whisker of that utopia in which you have the exact change for a trip from Mornington Crescent to LAX via JFK." - David Bradley 2009. - Lecture 2 slides. 

From what I gathered about Web 3.0 is that its about multi-layered questions, "meta tagging, using smart phones use to locate where people are, what they like. Essesntiall tracking peoples interests and what appeals to the individual. Quite like when you purchase something on amazon.com and there are suggestions in the 'Other books you might like" or "What other people who purchased this book also bought" - another way to squeeze a few more dollars out of users. Alternatively you could say this 'use of information' acts as a benefit to the user. I however am a tad more cynical.

Web 3.0 also refers to the use of Hyper-localisation (not too sure about the spelling on that one) which is news for your specific area. Hyper-localisation is about 'specific content delivery' meaning news your way and advertising specific to you. Although this is an interesting development of journalism, I feel that it allows ignorance of other, potentially more important issues that are happening elsewhere. For example, on channel 9 at around 5:30 (just before the news) the show Extra informs Queensland viewers on 'great banana prices' and other local topics. The boring, not so thrilling end of Journalism.

A big part of what Hyper-localisation allows is ethnocentricity. This ignorance of what is happening in other countries was discussed in the lecture. It strongly applies to Hyper-localisation.

Furthermore, online news was also discussed in the second lecture. We learnt that only 14% of people would pay for web news. How pathetic. Clearly the once exciting future of Journalism, the new world of the internet, is actually heading for the toilet. No payment means no investigative Journalism.  Only sponsored stories included, not for the benefit for the reader or the story, but so the sponsor gets coverage and the writer gets a shiny check.

Yet Bruce made an interesting point with jelly beans. He suggested that by giving us jelly beans for free (as how online Journalism has been for a few years now) and then changing your mind and saying "Hey, I want you to pay for those jelly beans actually. Pay up or give back" was seen as a rib off.
Simply because humans by nature feel that they shouldn't have to pay for what was once free. Even though we all understand that money doesn't grow on trees and EVERYTHING requires funding. At least good Journalism does.

The online Herald Sun was the first tabloid to go behind the paywall (another topic that was discussed in the second lecture) on February 27 2012. A year before this, the online Brisbane News went behind the pay wall in October of 2011. More including the Courier Mail and Brisbane Times are expected to follow eventually.

Imagine if all online newspapers went behind a pay wall and only 14% of people were interested in subscribing? Big shut downs would be the consequence. That and a overload of advertisement before hand. Where would all of the great Journalists go? Find work elsewhere would be the answer. As a result, Journalism at large would suffer. Only the sell-outs would stick around. Tis a sad place where we might be headed...