Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Week 14 Interactive InfoViz Active Research Assignment
View Hayes Valley in a larger map
I found Google Maps a little confusing at first. I appreciated that the instructional video had subtitles because there is no sound on the school computers. I figured out how to add information to the map markers, but I didn’t realize that I had to save it after editing each marker; when I clicked on the markers again, the information disappeared, so I had to go back and redo about half of them, which included looking up the links and the photographs for each one.
Interactive maps would be useful in online travel guides, encyclopedias, or any piece of digital information which documents a geographic location (cities in particular). As with the New York Times, they could easily be used to visualize election results. They could be used in education to provide students with an interactive and detailed view of foreign countries and/or cities, including national landmarks and points of historic interest. An interactive map would make a good application for any iPhone or other portable digital device, as it could be used by travelers to find their way around unfamiliar areas.
A timeline would be more useful for visualizing a sequence of events that has occurred over a period of time – such as a biography of a person’s life, or a series of historical events – whereas a map would be more useful for visualizing spatial information, as it may be used to depict how locations or objects are distributed in space. Aspects of both might be combined by adding graphics to a timeline that show the geographic location at which each event occurred.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Data Visualization Assignment: Correction
The widget in the previous post wasn't displaying all of my information, so here it is in list form:
Data Visualization Active Research Assignment
I had no significant issues in signing up for or using Dipity. I had never used a site like this before, and I found it interesting that the site combines aspects of data visualization with social networking. I liked the simplicity of the sign-up process (it opened in a pop-up window and only asked for the basics). When I tried to save my timeline after completing it, the last three entries seemed to disappear, but they were just in another area of the page. The timeline itself was a bit difficult to navigate; I had to zoom in to get it to display all of my data.
I think that interactive timelines can be of use in several fields, most obviously education; younger schoolchildren can better absorb notoriously dry information such as history and dates, etc., if they can look at pictures and click on links and videos pertaining to each event. Interactive timelines could also be of use in developing storyboards for films and television, as they provide an easy way to organize sequential information, and are more compact and less wasteful than paper. The military might use interactive timelines in developing attack strategies; forensic scientists could use timelines to organize data and visual information progressing from when a crime was committed to when the body was found. They might also be a useful feature in PowerPoint presentations; an interactive timeline would allow the audience to view a concise representation of the data before learning about the different components, and the presenter could easily pull up photos and links at any point in the presentation.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Social Networking Exercise - Part IV
4. Describe your ideas about the future of digital social networking services.
From what I have observed of the growth and development of popular social networking sites, there seems to be an overwhelming trend toward hypermediacy. Sites will probably try to incorporate as many diverse elements as possible in an attempt to satiate user demand for many forms of entertainment located conveniently on a single page. The social networking site will not be limited to social interactions, but will cater directly to the user’s interests. It may become more efficient at filtering out spam and friend requests from strangers with no common interests. As the number of frequently-used sites increases, there will likely be an increase in specialized sites which serve specific or closed communities. Sites may alter their content based upon a user’s city of residence in order to offer more relevant material. New interfaces will be more interactive and easier to navigate. Users will be able to upload larger amounts of content; this will make it difficult to monitor content, and there will probably be a further increase in illegal material posted to social networking sites. Users surfing on one of these sites will have multiple opportunities to connect with and send information to other popular sites. Eventually some of them may merge with others. There will be more advertising in a variety of new forms as sites try to capitalize on user traffic. Sites will compete with one another for users by adding new and innovative features and advertising themselves elsewhere on the Web. Options may be available for the user to download site applications or toolbars, enabling the user to login and access the site’s features from his or her desktop.
From what I have observed of the growth and development of popular social networking sites, there seems to be an overwhelming trend toward hypermediacy. Sites will probably try to incorporate as many diverse elements as possible in an attempt to satiate user demand for many forms of entertainment located conveniently on a single page. The social networking site will not be limited to social interactions, but will cater directly to the user’s interests. It may become more efficient at filtering out spam and friend requests from strangers with no common interests. As the number of frequently-used sites increases, there will likely be an increase in specialized sites which serve specific or closed communities. Sites may alter their content based upon a user’s city of residence in order to offer more relevant material. New interfaces will be more interactive and easier to navigate. Users will be able to upload larger amounts of content; this will make it difficult to monitor content, and there will probably be a further increase in illegal material posted to social networking sites. Users surfing on one of these sites will have multiple opportunities to connect with and send information to other popular sites. Eventually some of them may merge with others. There will be more advertising in a variety of new forms as sites try to capitalize on user traffic. Sites will compete with one another for users by adding new and innovative features and advertising themselves elsewhere on the Web. Options may be available for the user to download site applications or toolbars, enabling the user to login and access the site’s features from his or her desktop.
Social Networking Exercise - Part III - Design Analysis of StumbleUpon
2. Design Analysis of StumbleUpon
I chose to join the social networking service StumbleUpon. It does not cater to a specific community; it is a general interest site through which users can select their personal interests from a list and browse through pages which appeal to those interests. Users rate postings, write reviews, and may add postings to a favorites list. Communication between users may take the form of comments on a particular page, or occur privately through the site’s mail service. Social objects include “fave” (favorite), review, and “stumbler” (a user of the site). The main goal of a user is to build a collection of pages on topics which interest him/her, and to review and rate pages positively or negatively, which affects how many other users may visit a particular page. (User pages with more favorites will usually get more hits.) Likewise, social verbs include “to fave” (mark as a favorite), to view, and to review. The social goals attained by these have been adequately described above. There are no units of currency or social status on this site; social status is measured through the prominence of one’s user profile (i.e. the number of hits it receives). Profiles may be customized with user interests, political and social beliefs, relationship status, etc., etc., and users may subscribe to others’ profiles based on these expressed interests as well as “favorites” lists. When I joined the site, I filled out a simple one-page form with username, email, and other basic info. Then I was taken to a page with a long checklist on which I could check off my personal interests (Arts, Cats, Bizarre/Oddities, etc.) so that the site could immediately take me to pages which matched those interests. Since I joined, I have added a few pages to my favorites list and talked to one person on the site.
My profile page.
The "Discover" page, showing recent user posts and the number of views for each.
I chose to join the social networking service StumbleUpon. It does not cater to a specific community; it is a general interest site through which users can select their personal interests from a list and browse through pages which appeal to those interests. Users rate postings, write reviews, and may add postings to a favorites list. Communication between users may take the form of comments on a particular page, or occur privately through the site’s mail service. Social objects include “fave” (favorite), review, and “stumbler” (a user of the site). The main goal of a user is to build a collection of pages on topics which interest him/her, and to review and rate pages positively or negatively, which affects how many other users may visit a particular page. (User pages with more favorites will usually get more hits.) Likewise, social verbs include “to fave” (mark as a favorite), to view, and to review. The social goals attained by these have been adequately described above. There are no units of currency or social status on this site; social status is measured through the prominence of one’s user profile (i.e. the number of hits it receives). Profiles may be customized with user interests, political and social beliefs, relationship status, etc., etc., and users may subscribe to others’ profiles based on these expressed interests as well as “favorites” lists. When I joined the site, I filled out a simple one-page form with username, email, and other basic info. Then I was taken to a page with a long checklist on which I could check off my personal interests (Arts, Cats, Bizarre/Oddities, etc.) so that the site could immediately take me to pages which matched those interests. Since I joined, I have added a few pages to my favorites list and talked to one person on the site.
My profile page.
The "Discover" page, showing recent user posts and the number of views for each.
Social Networking Exercise - Part I
1. History and Use of Social Networking
I first heard about Myspace in 2004, but did not sign up for it until 2006, by which time all my friends were on the site and it was easier to have a Myspace page than to be without one. I still have a Myspace page but rarely check it. Sometime during the past month or two I finally got a Facebook account under much the same conditions (people kept asking me, “Why don’t you have a Facebook?”) and, while I am not very active on it, I would say I now visit Facebook more frequently than Myspace, because not many people are on Myspace anymore. In general, after doing hours of online homework, I prefer not to spend too much of my free time on the computer, but these services can be useful for staying in touch with old friends.
I first heard about Myspace in 2004, but did not sign up for it until 2006, by which time all my friends were on the site and it was easier to have a Myspace page than to be without one. I still have a Myspace page but rarely check it. Sometime during the past month or two I finally got a Facebook account under much the same conditions (people kept asking me, “Why don’t you have a Facebook?”) and, while I am not very active on it, I would say I now visit Facebook more frequently than Myspace, because not many people are on Myspace anymore. In general, after doing hours of online homework, I prefer not to spend too much of my free time on the computer, but these services can be useful for staying in touch with old friends.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Virtual Worlds Assignment - Design Questions, Part II
6. I attempted to talk to another avatar but I didn't really know what to say to carry on a conversation. I don't know anybody in this game.
7. The economy of this world is based on YoCash and Coins, which can be earned by working in a factory. My avatar works in the factory, earns money, and is then able to buy clothing, music, furniture, etc. from the shops.
8. My favorite in-world activity was attending the event, because of all the interesting objects that were in the apartment. The avatars had interesting looks as well. I liked that I was able to explore different rooms.
9. In-world objects tell you how to operate them through text that pops up or a highlight that appears when you hover over the objects. For example, this is what happens when I hover over the couch in my apartment and then click on it:
10. One aspect of this world that I see as directly related to the Chaper of HOH entitled "Agency" is the fact that one can create events, personae, and spaces within the virtual environment, yet all of the creative options have been "pre-set" by the game's designers. According to the reading: "There is a distinction between playing a creative role within an authored environment and having authorship of the environment itself. Certainly interactors can create aspects of digital stories in all these formats, with the greatest degree of creative authorship being over those environments that reflect the least amount of prescripting. But interactors
can only act within the possibilities that have been established by the writing and programming. They may build simulated cities, try out combat strategies, trace a unique path through a labyrinthine web, or even prevent a murder, but unless the imaginary world is nothing more than a costume trunk of empty avatars, all of the interactor's possible performances will have been called into being by the originating author."
For example, one can pick flowers to put in one's apartment, but only from the list of flower arrangements available. True originality is technically impossible.
7. The economy of this world is based on YoCash and Coins, which can be earned by working in a factory. My avatar works in the factory, earns money, and is then able to buy clothing, music, furniture, etc. from the shops.
8. My favorite in-world activity was attending the event, because of all the interesting objects that were in the apartment. The avatars had interesting looks as well. I liked that I was able to explore different rooms.
9. In-world objects tell you how to operate them through text that pops up or a highlight that appears when you hover over the objects. For example, this is what happens when I hover over the couch in my apartment and then click on it:
10. One aspect of this world that I see as directly related to the Chaper of HOH entitled "Agency" is the fact that one can create events, personae, and spaces within the virtual environment, yet all of the creative options have been "pre-set" by the game's designers. According to the reading: "There is a distinction between playing a creative role within an authored environment and having authorship of the environment itself. Certainly interactors can create aspects of digital stories in all these formats, with the greatest degree of creative authorship being over those environments that reflect the least amount of prescripting. But interactors
can only act within the possibilities that have been established by the writing and programming. They may build simulated cities, try out combat strategies, trace a unique path through a labyrinthine web, or even prevent a murder, but unless the imaginary world is nothing more than a costume trunk of empty avatars, all of the interactor's possible performances will have been called into being by the originating author."
For example, one can pick flowers to put in one's apartment, but only from the list of flower arrangements available. True originality is technically impossible.
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