"Tumour Diary"

For those of you who know me I am a big BBC news supporter. Recently I have been following the blog of Ivan Noble. Ivan is a online science and technology writer for BBC news. In 2002, Noble was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Faced with this life changing situation Noble decided to share his story with the online world. He decided he would take his readers on a journey of his life starting from when he was first diagnosed. His blog was a public diary for the world to see. He would discuss having a good day or having a bad day. If he was going for surgery he would post a blog "Going to Surgery" and let his readers know. Eventually Noble developed more than a few readers, he gained a fan base. People from all over the world were following his blog. His fans were eager to find out what would happen next in Noble's life. Would he need another surgery? How is he handling the new drugs? Readers were over-joyed when his son was born and watching him juggle two children. Readers from all over the world-from England to India-would post on his blog letting Noble know how happy they were for him. However there was always the scared thought that would cross all the readers minds: What if this was his last blog post? When his last post eventually does come there is an outpour of comments.
Many readers expressed how thankful they were that Noble would open himself to the world and allow us to experience this very intimate time in his life. He has helped so many people deal with their battles against sickness, smoking or any other life problem.
Why I was so intrigued by Ivan Noble's blog because it brought a new meaning, to me at least, of the power of online networks, specifically blogs. Noble has shown us how real relationships can be developed online. This is an example of the connection people can have with each other. I know for myself, I really underestimated how therapeutic blogging can really be. We often talk and think about online forums and tools in such a very technological way that we can easily forget the emotions that can be associated with online practices such as blogging. It is often discussed how the technology has both made us more connected but separated us at the same time. Ivan Noble's blog is definitely an example of bringing people of all walks of life, from all over the world together at one meeting place. I highly recommend everyone to read Ivan Noble's blog. It is so inspiring and gives a new light of the possibilities of online forums.

Collaboration Celebration!

There is no denying the importance that online communities have served. IReport.com is apart of CNN which encourages citizen journalists to contribute stories. The site uses the phrase “Unedited. Unfiltered. News” –the stories posted by ordinary citizens are raw. They are not edited or checked by CNN before they are posted. CNN uses many of these posts on air for the rest of the public. I think this is a great testament to the power of citizen media. Whether or not you see citizen journalists as real journalists or not, the truth of the matter is mainstream media is taking note of the great power citizen journalists/media has and its effects on not only getting people’s attention but making real change in society. Take Jena 6 for example. This was a story that had been going on for a couple months before it was presented to the mass public. This story which took place in a remote small town in Louisiana was able to be brought to the forefront of news media because of citizen media. It makes me think, if it were not for online communities would we have even known about the Jena 6 situation? One of the things I find most appealing about citizen journalists is that it puts the power in citizens’ hands. Instead of being dictated by mainstream media what news is most important, citizens can choose what they believe needs coverage. I came across a website called spot.us. The purpose of the site is to have “community funded reporting”. How it works is citizen journalists can hirer professional journalists to investigate stories that are important but are overlooked in mainstream media. I find this grassroots website especially significant because it represents a shift in how we find and report news to a collaboration of independent reporters, community members and news organizations.

Tony Blair on Citizen Media

The students of CS400H are not the only ones talking about the significance of citizen media. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair knows better than anyone how powerful citizen media is when it comes to politics. For Blair, this was especially evident during the war in Iraq. He looks back at the Gulf War, a time when media had restricted access to live footage of the war. However, today we see things have changed. He refers to citizens as having a “transformative role” in reporting world issues.
With citizen media giving an unmediated reality of war political agendas can be interfered. Surely, there were many images and video footage that several governmental officials did not appreciate being put out for public viewing.
LiveLeak.com is a website that citizens and politicians alike have become acquainted with. It’s a site where citizens upload their own personal footage of an event or situation relevant to world issues.

This raises question to how powerful ordinary citizens have on the ideologies of the world. I think the War in Iraq is a prime example of this. President Bush and his allies did everything in their power to convince the world that this war was justified still many were able to prove otherwise. So the question stands, does technology today give citizens the potential to be more powerful than politicians? Do citizen media pose as a threat to politicians? I would think so.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/podsandblogs/2007/01/blair_talks_about_citizen_medi.shtml

Citizen Media and Contribution

Hello Hello Everyone!
So as my first blog I must say this is quite unusual for me. As someone who is heavily dependent on technology such as the Internet it amazes me (and many of my friends) that I have never had a blog. I am not one to put out my thoughts and opinions in this way but I figure why not try out this 'blog thing'. I named my blog "Curiosity Killed the Cat" because I am constantly looking to discover new things, new ideas, ask questions, and discuss different topics. My hope is that this blog will be a comfortable platform to discuss things openly in a light-hearted manner while still being respectful and mature.
Citizen media is something that this seminar (CS400) has made me become more aware of. Today everyone is able to voice their opinions with multiple platforms to do so. I find it interesting how not only citizen media but citizen participation/contribution is effecting traditional journalism. Reflecting on past news headlines such as the July 7th London bombings, Hurricane Katrina, and 9/11 we were able to experience these incidents in an exceptional way due to citizen contribution. Videos and pictures contributed by ordinary citizens really enriched the content of reporting and journalism. Today we see that this kind of content is now expected in journalism. During the inauguration of President Barack Obama CNN was asking viewers to send their personal pictures and video footage of the inauguration. The fact that we are all able to contribute to news and information circulation and it is being valued speaks highly to our democratic practices of our society.