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Interesting article on potential free broadband internet implementation in New Zealand. Kim Dotcom is proposing free broadband to all New Zealanders through an attempt to connect New Zealand to the United States via a $400 million Pacific Fibre cable.  Brings up notions of access to technology - and would be interesting to explore what this kind of access would mean for Canada - allowing all Canadians to access free broadband internet. 

Reinventing the news story into aggregated briefs, fixing "what older media organizations had demonstrated they couldn't, and effectively doing it all on the backs of existing media properties." Reading news as units of information.

downloaded this app - still think it has a ways to go in terms of content (ie not enough)

Very fitting for our PC8005 readings, as well as what we're learning in Professor Fung's class. Another example of how technology and new developments can leave a lot of people behind, unless they adapt to new forms of technology quickly! 

This article from the summer discusses First Nations leaders use of social media in the recent AFN election for National Chief. It is interesting because it talks about the impact of new new media for voters in remote communities. 

The Circa app for news just launched and I'm already pretty obsessed with it. For my personal life I love this because it is a quick easy way to catch up on daily news. From a communication perspective it makes us rethink what is essential to a news story. Instead of lengthy (or even short) news stories, Circa packages up facts, quotes and photos into a very easy to read format. This app speaks to our constant need for information.

News organizations sometimes post content that was apparently captured by citizen eyewitnesses without any clear attribution as to the original producer. Citizens are posting copyrighted material without permission. And the creator of some material cannot be identified. All this creates the potential for news to be manufactured, or even falsified, without giving audiences much ability to know who produced it or how to verify it.

Interesting Pew study on consumers becoming content creators which is changing the face of global and local news production

I mentioned Myspace a lot in the discussion for next week. Here is an example of a social media that essentially died but is trying to come back. Aggressively. The interface seems to highly draw upon Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest... Will the redesign work? Do we want a Twitter-Facebook hybrid? Or do users like having them separate? What will the new Myspace mean for communicators who use social media?

VenueSeen is a new company that allows companies to use Instagram for advertising campaigns. The tool aggregates photos that have been labeled with  specific hashtag and brings [the Instagram user] to the company's campaign page.  Instagrammers can then claim their photograph and collect prizes, coupons, and other incentives the company may have put in place. Price for a campaign can range from under $1000/month to tens of thousands depending on the scope and reach of the project.

An older article from 2011; however the topic resonated with me in light of the recent suspension of columnist Margaret Wente. "Changes in media and technology are rippling through our society, shifting the power structures that have traditionally shaped the public square of news and information in America."

Okay, this article definitely needs to be read with a critical eye. But it's an interesting look at how Fbook will be highlighting privacy features for new members.

Interesting article on the increasing trend of live-blogging in mainstream news coverage - specifically refers to two Toronto-based start up companies: ScribbleLive and CoveritLive.  The Globe and Mail for instance used ScribbleLive to cover Hurricane Sandy. 

How was this affect how you get your news?

I will be paying - can't live without my morning globe and mail

People will start going to free sites to get their news.

The past few years have seen a steady influx of new investment, new companies and new opportunities in education technology. With this demand comes personalized learning, including mobile apps for learning. Good article!

You can now promote your posts onto your friends' news feeds by paying Facebook to do it. What does this change mean for users? I see this being used for promoting when people enter contests eventually. What will this mean for business exposure?

On Saturday evening, Iceland took an important first step toward rewriting its constitution, as the majority of population of the small island nation voted in favour of using a crowdsourced draft as the basis its new constitution.

This article is interesting, but what strikes my attention is that there seems to be no regulations on apps being sold to the public. Would you buy an interactive app of Einstein's brain for $9.99? In the article, it states that it could "spark a whole new generation of neuroscientists," but there is debate as to whether anyone (most importantly Einstein) would want a "circus made of his remains." Yikes.

For all you "micro-bloggers" out there, this article examines where Twitter will go next including ideas for a broader platform with more value and the ability to download all your old tweets. 

Foxconn, which makes high tech parts for companies such as Apple, has been criticized for the poor conditions of its factory complexes. Breaking news of this riot forces me to wonder: "My iPhone, at what cost?" This is purely speculation, but could consumer demand for the iPhone 5 be exacerbating supply problems?