QotW9: Citizen Journalism--> STOMP

“Personal journalism is not a new invention. Anyone with a computer or cell phone can post in online forums” (Gillmor, 2004).

Citizen journalism is the act of citizens playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information. Citizen journalism should not be confused with civic journalism, which is practiced by professional journalists. Citizen journalism is a specific form of citizen media as well as user generated content (“Citizen Journalism”, 2007).

Citizen journalism is also known as "participatory journalism". The intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires (“Citizen Journalism”, 2007). Citizen journalism that was "by the people" began to flourish, enabled in part by emerging internet and networking technologies, such as weblogs, chat rooms, message boards, wikis and mobile computing (“Citizen Journalism”, 2007). The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others (“Citizen Journalism”, 2007).

According to Gillmor (2004), journalism has become only more slightly transparent in recent years but the public is demanding more transparency in their own field, and is doing some reporting on their own when media, like newspaper, fails to respond in satisfying ways.

In Singapore, citizens now have a channel for them to be a “journalist/reporter”. The channel is called STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print). It integrates content and activities in the three platforms of print, online and mobile. These three platforms will enable STOMP to interact and engage with Singaporeans in exciting new ways (“STOMP”, 2006).

STOMP will deliver content which is interactive and which will help develop new communities of Singaporeans bonded together by shared interests. Access to the website is completely free and as for SMS and MMS, only normal telecom charges apply to users (“STOMP”, 2006).

The Straits Times Editor Han Fook Kwang explained, “In the new media environment, newspapers have to be more than just passive providers of news. They have to engage their readers in areas which appeal to them. We have to provide readers with new avenues to express themselves, to enable them to interact with us, and among themselves. STOMP will enable us to do this. We want STOMP to become a forum of lively discussions - whether the topics are weighty national issues or where to get the best bak chor mee.” Through this interaction, The Straits Times aims to strengthen its relationship with readers and reach out to non-readers (“STOMP”, 2006).

Therefore, with the above stated features of STOMP, I personally feel that STOMP is an ideal form of citizen journalism for Singapore. However, as the saying goes, “nothing is perfect”, hence certain features of STOMP may be changed or added so as to improve it.

(1) Organization
I feel that the website seemed a little messy with too many things shown at once. My first impression was that "how do I know what news have been published?" Being a reader, I suggest the news should be archived and grouped into their related categories for easier viewing. Groupings may include political, entertainment, educational, gossips etc. Also, a list of news that have been published may be included so that people who wish to share their news will know if it has been reported. (Till now, I still have yet really figure out how to view all the news in there =p)

(2) Remarks

Since I am now a blogger, I feel that a comment section does help to flourish ideas and keep the web interactive. Hence, if a comment section is added beside the news uploaded may be a good idea for people to share their views (just like what the newspaper have now, known as the reader’s response etc).

In conclusion, STOMP promotes citizen journalism. I quote Gillmor (2004), “we’ve seen how modern communications give anyone who cares for the tools to learn more –far more- about people and organizations that in the past tried to ration news. What’s more, once someone finds out something, she can spread the word globally. But newsmakers need to embrace this new reality, not fight it.” Thus, the creation of STOMP by The Straits Time is a great idea and a good option for Singaporeans to report what they see and feel, despite that few sections should be improved for a better “STOMP”.

Reference:

Gillmor, D. (2004, July). We the Media: Chapter 1, 3 & 9. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://download.nowis.com/index.cfm?phile=WeTheMedia.html&tipe=text/html

STOMP. (2006). About us. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://www.stomp.com.sg/about/about.html

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, 28 March). Citizen Journalism. Retrieved 30 March, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism

its been a long time since im like this.....

24.03.07 is a bad day.. supposed to be a nice day.. wads wrong?! almost everything doesnt go right!! wads the matter?! i hate it..... it doesnt turn out the the way i meant.. =.....( dun ask mi wad happen.. im DOWN DOWn DOwn Down down.....

QotW8: Blogs = greater democracy in Sg??

Basic background about a blog on politics:
1) Blog’s Title: Singapore Politics, (URL): http://singaporegovt.blogspot.com/
2) Blogger’s name: Thrasymachus
3) Blogger’s occupation: Citizen blogger
4) Blog’s Date of Birth: June 27, 2005
5) Technorati Rank: 139, 300 (58 links from 31 blogs)

There are a number of posts that are attention grabbing in this blog which includes the NKF incident, building of casinos etc. However, I have chosen to read the blog post on Short stories of three emperors. The title caught my attention as it sounds interesting. The tone of the blog is friendly as well as critical. This can be seen in its content and the comments from its readers. Some of the content includes:

1) “Well, everyone is well acquainted with this blog writing on Singapore Politics (as suggested by the title of this blog…duh…)” (Thraymachus, 2007).

2) “Politically, Loong’s era was as strong, if not, stronger than the times of Emperor K & G” (Thraymachus, 2007).

3) “Emperor K was the longest reigning emperor in the country’s history” (Thraymachus, 2007).

4) “Emperor G was a tough but very hard-working ruler. G continued an era of continued peace and prosperity as he cracked down on corruption, waste, and reformed financial administration” (Thraymachus, 2007).

5) “Since his birth, Emperor K set his sights for Loong to ascend to the throne. Emperor G was merely the “seat-warmer” for 14 years, for Loong to attain maturity and prevent any accusations of going against traditions given his young age” (Thraymachus, 2007).

6) “Lovely story. Hope someone can do it into a movie. Sure can sell well particularly if some historic re-enactions of local incidents are shown.You are great as always T! –Scratcher” (Thraymachus, 2007).

From the above blog, we can see that people are voicing out their views and sharing with the public. Singapore is a democratic country and its citizens place great importance in the issue of democracy in modern political life. Therefore, do blogs allow for greater democracy in Singapore? Personally, I feel that it does.

Many groups on the Internet are actively promoting democracy. As quoted by Thornton, “virtual communities could help citizens revitalize democracy” (2002). In addition, “claims being made for the Internet as a global force for democracy have been ambitious, though with time they have become more realistic” (Thornton, 2002).

Why do I say that blogs allow for greater democracy in Singapore? As cited in Thornton (2002) article, the reasons are as follow:

(A) “The concept of democracy demands that all parties that might be affected must be included; that they can interact in a free, equal and easy manner; that there be no restrictions on topics; and that the outcomes can be revised” (Thornton, 2002).

--> As the concept of democracy has been defined, blogs definitely allows individuals to interact within online communities freely and at ease. The blogger and the public can exchange views and make themselves heard. Hence, democracy exists in blogs.


(B) “A democratic public sphere means that there must be opportunities for subordinate groups to convince dominant groups that their concerns are legitimate and worthy of debate. Democracy is dependent on citizens’ ability to act on the results of their debated and the information they gather” (Thornton, 2002).

--> Other than the public, government politicians can also view these political blogs. As long as blog entries and comments are added, opportunities are created for the blogger’s thoughts to be seen by people. This is also a way for citizens’ view to be communicated to the leaders, thus proving democracy existence in blogs as its definition is stated above.

(C) “Internet’s potential for democracy: (1) the anarchic nature of the Internet, (2) interactive features which allow direct feedback to individual articles and opinions, (3) the possibility for web sites to create content primarily through the contributions of its readers, and (4) longevity of materials” (Thornton, 2002).

--> Lastly, blogs are online dairies; hence its access is through the Internet. And as seen above, the characteristics of the Internet supports democracy in online communities like blogs. In blogs, people interact with each other via comments and its blog posts. Bloggers share their content while readers provide feedbacks. Also, such responses will be organized in reverse chronological order and will be always on the web site for as long as the site exists. Therefore, with the features of blogs matched with the potential benefits of the Internet, blogs does allow greater democracy in Singapore.

In conclusion, blogging is a channel for people (be it the majority or minority) to voice out and be heard. It is done without much restriction. Therefore, blogs create greater democracy in Singapore.

References:

Thornton, A. (2002, October). Does Internet Create Democracy. Retrieved March 23, 2007 from http://www.zip.com.au/%7Eathornto/thesis_2002_alinta_thornton.doc

Thrasymachus (2007, January). Short stories of three emperors. Singapore Politics. Retrieved March 23 from http://singaporegovt.blogspot.com/2007/01/short-story-of-three-emperors-well.html

QotW7: Online communities-- twitter.com??

“Community refers to a set of social relationships that operate within specified boundaries, a sense of common character, identity or interests and encompasses both material and symbolic dimensions” (“Virtual Communities”, 1995). Communication and community often revolve around the issues of bringing people closer together. It organize social relations.

“A virtual community or online community is a group of people that may or may not primarily or initially communicate or interact via the Internet. Online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other in real life” (“Virtual Community”, 2007).

“Twitter is a social networking service that allows members to inform each other about what they are doing and what they think. It allows users to send messages via phone or instant messaging. Two SMS gateway numbers are available - one for USA and one UK number for international use. Users can receive updates from other selected users via web, IM, or SMS” (“Twitter”, 2007).

Therefore, after stating the definition of online communities and discussing what does twitter.com does, I do consider Twitter as an online community. Reasons are:

1) “The social realm of community encompasses social interaction, solidarity, and both individual and institutional relations” (“Virtual Communities”, 1995).

--> The functions of twitter.com do fits in the social realm of community. In Twitter, there is ongoing social interaction. Individuals can choose to set their account to private, which only allow friends who they invites to talk to them or they could be in the public timeline where anyone can be chatting together. In addition, the signing up for twitter may make users feel a sense of belongingness to the group, hence fulfilling the institutional relations as stated above.

2) “Communities contain social interaction, a shared value system and a shared symbol system. Community within cyberspace appears to emphasize a shared belief in the principles of free speech, individualism, equality, and open access the same symbolic interest” (“Virtual Communities”, 1995).

--> Twitter is similar to IRC-Internet Relay Chat. People in twitter can communicate with each other by typing words and it will appear on the screen and instantaneously seen by other recipients. This way of communication allows free speech of people in the community. Also, as one of the option, people can set their profile to private, hence this enables “friends-only” environment. And this is understood that friends usually have shared values and beliefs.

3) “Community can indeed exist in cyberspace where people gather on a central common ground to share the prosaic and the profound, the small facts and large events that become landmarks in a community’s life” (“Virtual Communities”, 1995).

--> Twitter, as discussed, let people communicate via the Internet. Things that people talk about online vary. The topics range from academic to personal life etc. From such sharing of information, the characteristics of a community are clear.

4) “The ability to network, gain knowledge, or find communion within cyberspace is, according to Rheingold (1994), the social glue that binds formerly isolated individuals into a community” (“Virtual Communities”, 1995).

--> The internet has made the world a smaller place. Individuals from different parts of the world can now “meet” and communicate together. By sharing information (which reminds me of online gift economies), people are able to gain knowledge and learn more things even when they have yet got any experience on any particular thing. Twitter is also an online community which enables networking and sharing, thus binding people.

In conclusion, from the above four main points, it is obvious that Twitter is an online community as all the features of online communities fits well when describing twitter.com.

References:
Fernback, J, & Thompson, B (1995). Virtual Communities: Abort, Retry, Failure?. Retrieved 15 March, 2007, from http://www.rheingold.com/texts/techpolitix/VCcivil.html

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, 14 March). Twitter. Retrieved 17 March, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Twitter&oldid=115023086
Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, 15 March). Virtual Community. Retrieved 17 March, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virtual_community&oldid=115123017

my day today..

=( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =(

>= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >= >=

..........depends on how u wana c it..........

QotW6: Privacy, Surveillance, Sousveillance (Blogs)

Firstly, “privacy is the ability of an individual or group to keep their lives and personal affairs out of public view, or to control the flow of information about themselves” (“Privacy”, 2007). Personally, I feel that the people with the least amount of privacy are the celebrities. And this is of course caused by reporters whose job is to invade their privacy.

Secondly, “surveillance is the monitoring of behavior” (“Surveillance”, 2007). The most common used equipment for monitoring behavior is the closed-circuit television (CCTV). It is found in high security places and even in neighborhoods nowadays.

Lastly, “sousveillance is the recording of an activity from the perspective of a participant in the activity (i.e. personal experience capture)” (“Sousveillance”, 2007).

Being a blogger, I post my life stories online for academic purpose and for my friends and the public to know more about me. My friend once told me it is alright to blog personal things and reveal everything about myself because the general public do not know who I exactly am thus I have no reason to be embarrass as I would not even meet them. However, I do refrain from revealing too much as I believe there must be a minimum level of privacy that I should have. Hence there are certain personal things which I do not blog about but write it down in my personal diary. This is the ONE way I negotiate my privacy in the blogosphere. This is because I know that it is difficult and impossible to control others to not read things that I do not want them to and I cannot blame people for reading my blog as I am the one who post it up.

As said, “In the age of the Internet, we are experiencing ‘omnipticon’ in which the many are watching the many, even though no one knows precisely who is watching or being watched at any given time” (“The Naked Crowd”, 2004). Though the Internet allows anonymity, privacy is still at risk. This is because, “in a world where status is constantly shifting, we feel increasing pressure to expose details of our personal lives to strangers in order to win their trust. We are increasingly forced to interact with strangers whom we will never meet face-to-face” (“The Naked Crowd”, 2004). Privacy is important to everyone. It makes me feel safer and gives me a sense of individuality. For others, they may refuse to expose themselves due to the fact that “revealing one or two personal details to strangers is inevitably a trivializing experience that leads us to be judged out of context” (“The Naked Crowd”, 2004).

I am sure nobody likes their privacy to be invaded, be it in the online communities or real world. Hence, we must be able to protect ourselves and determine which information to be revealed. If we were to reveal everything to others, we will just be a transparent being. To that extent, when people have discovered everything about us, they may think that we are boring instead of praising us for being so honest.

References:
Rosen, J. (2004). The Naked Crowd. Retrieved March 9, 2007, from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, 9 March). Privacy. Retrieved 10 March, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, 7 February). Sousveillance. Retrieved 10 March, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, 9 March). Surveillance. Retrieved 10 March, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance

“Bonus Mission #1: Safety measure or invading privacy??”

Photo 1

Photo 2


Photo 3

The above 3 photographs were taken at the lift of a HDB flat. Photo 1 shows that the lift area is fixed with CCTV and the area is watched 24 hours everyday. "Surveillance in many modern cities and buildings often uses closed-circuit television cameras. Although surveillance can be a useful tool for law enforcement and security companies, many people have concerns about the loss of privacy" ("Surveillance", 2007). As the bonus task, we are supposed to take pictures of interesting things that people do but relate it to the topic, that is, privacy. I thought of taking pictures of people really doing funny things but my camera was not always ready to catch these good stuffs, so I decided to take pictures of stationary things yet related to the topic.

Regarding the 3 pictures, I had mixed feelings. I know that the purpose of setting the area under surveillance is for the safety of the residents. Just like Photo 2, it allows others to see what is happening in the lift. This is especially beneficial for the elderly. For example, if they were to fall in the lift, someone will see it through the TV outside the lift and hopefully provide help. In addition, this prevents thieves and robbers to carry out their evil plans as their identity will be exposed and revealed as they are being "featured" on TV.

On one hand, I am for the idea of CCTV due to its benefits. On the other hand, I feel that other than pros, there are cons too. Firstly, I have a few doubts and thoughts about the CCTV:

1) I wonder do they taped down what happens everyday and keep records so that if things like crimes happen, the police can reference and attain some clues?

2) Even if so, meaning that if everything is recorded, would it not cost a lot of money for the electricity, film etc?

3) Also, even with the CCTV, will anyone help out in times of need (e.g. robbery)?

4) Lastly, the main issue I find disturbing is the invasion of privacy. Though having CCTV in neighbourhoods does improve security and safety, I feel that the privacy of the residents are invaded too! As seen in Photo 3, even the staircase areas are under surveillance! If I am a resident living there, I will feel very resticted and feels uncomfortable when I am constantly under watch. Living in such an environment will definitely make me feel more tensed. Personally, I am someone who do a last check on myself before leaving the house. However, there are others who would "tidy" themselves on their way down the stairs or lifts. (I mean adjusting their clothes or maybe digging their nose.) Hence, with the CCTV, whatever that people do, they are watched! (= invading privacy)

As cited, "The growing pressure to expose ourselves in front of strangers has obvious and important consequences for a democracy’s ability to strike a balance between liberty and security" ("The Naked Crowd", 2004). In this case, we are exposed to our neighbours. There is only a fine line bewteen security and privacy. Hence, is CCTV at the lifts and stairs area a safety measure or is it an invasion of privacy? Well, I guess this will be up to individuals to decide.


Reference:

Rosen, J. (2004). The Naked Crowd. Retrieved March 9, 2007, from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2007, 9 March). Surveillance. Retrieved 10 March, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance

Yeah, 1 MONTH!! =>

Though I missed the actual date, on the 2nd, our 1st month anniversary arrived!! haha.. happy.. Though we din go out for movie etc, we still spent the day together.. He took part in TKD pattern team so we went to watch the competition.. As blogged in the previous post, his group won the GOLD award!! We were all very super duper happy!! haha.. I teared too.. I feel so proud of them.. they defeated NTU!! quite surprised oso.. haha.. Anyway, they did it!! WELL DONE & KEEP IT UP!! I oso took many photos of my qin ai de boyfriend.. he is so my darling!! haha.. =p

CONGRATS to team Ee Jang!!

Once again, CONGRATS to all the 4 champions of IVP'07 TKD Ee-Jang team!! Zhi Jie, Joanne, Sin Wee & Yang Theng, im So proud of u all!! WELL DONE!! WOW, U ALL DEFEATED NTU AND WON THE GOLD AWARD!! U ALL DESERVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND HUGZ!! Thanks for bringing SIM TKD so much "rong yao".. haha.. all ur efforts, sweat, blood, etc were not wasted!! I noe u all train alot n practice long hours.. so, really, U ALL R THE BEST!! haha.. keep it up!! more golds to come ya..

Special mention of coach(es) and members: (from my pt of view, sorry if i miss out anyone)

Coaches, thanks for all the advice, help etc..

1) Jason (Ze Xiang)--> sorry about disbanding of chil jang, but im sure ur glad too.. haha =p
2) Alan (Guo Liang)
3) Joseph

Members, excellent job!!

1) Jack
2) Joanne
3) Sin Wee
4) Yang Theng

BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF U, WITHOUT EACH OF U WONDERFUL PEOPLE, THIS WOULD NT COME TRUE!!

IVP' 07 GOLD AWARDS!! YEAH!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!

lastly, let me THANK all the supporters too!! (Ee Lin , Alfian, and Joanne's two frens..
Though im not in the team, i part of SIM TKD ok.. haha.. so forgive me for sounding so excited!! heez..