Animoto- Digital Storytelling

Animoto is a form of digital storytelling that has brought a whole new life to posting pictures. Hence how it got its quote “The End of Slideshows.” Animoto is a slideshow but in movement and not just flip the page movement, it can twist and turn, fade, everything. It is also very simple, all you do is choose your own personal photos stored on your computer, upload them, choose a song and Animoto does the rest. And what I mean by Animoto doing the rest is unlike PowerPoint where you have to sit there and listen how long it takes each slide to turn and will it be long enough for the audio I am playing. Animoto simply and automatically sets up your slideshow so the photos follow the song. If it is a long or short song no worries! All Animoto will do is either keep a picture up longer or have the pictures on a fast pace. All videos up to third seconds are free! Anything over that is a cheap monthly fee but having a site that practically throw your digital stories together for you fast and easy, you can’t beat that!

I can use Animoto in the advertising field by creating pictures and videos for upcoming events and it would be a great promotional tool. It will allow viewers to get a great outlook on what they will be experiencing if they attend our events.

I chose the video called “Animoto Promo” because it was one of the tools we used in class and even when class ended I wanted to do more. Animoto is able to document someone’s life experiences and feelings through the use of story and digital media. This video will help you get a glimpse on how you use Animoto.

Podcasting

Podcasting is digital media files that viewers subscribe to and are able to listen to through computers or downloaded on MP3s and Ipods. Digital media files can be audio or video which makes it possible for listeners to subscribe to their favorite radio station, individual, or certain topics. When creating a podcast who have to be aware of the sound quality and background noises when recording (also known as white noise). Tools you would use to make a podcast is a microphone, audio editing software, a website or houst upload your podcast, and an RSS feed. You are then able to record an audio file and edit the mistakes. Additional sounds and effects can then be added on to make your file even more attractable to viewers. In class, we learned about Garbage Band which is an audio program that allows you to upload your files to a blog. Garbage Band offers many great tools such as audio recording, virtual software instruments, editing, and music lessons!

Although i think podcasting is a great idea I personally don't believe it comes in great use for my field of advertising. TV advertisement I find as greater professional aspect that will make our consumers more interested in our products. However, if i were to focus on getting a brief message across on a blog or website I would apply to podcasting. Podcasting is a good way for getting the voice out there about our products we are trying to share information. Especially with it being easy and free I would apply it to very minor advertisements that I present.

At first when I heard about podcasting I was unclear on exactly how you use it. I found a great video called "How to Create a Podcast" on youtube that shows step by step how you would build your very own podcast. It explains to you what you need before getting started and what each button does. Take a look and I am sure you would want to try it out yourself!

Social Networking

Social networking is online tools that keep people connected from around the world. Social tools such as twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are being used by millions of people everywhere from elementary students to grandparent. You are able to connect with friends, promote a business, and share opinions on products with friends and family. Even help fight a cause or cure, such as making people aware of breast cancer month or a marathon for diabetes. In class and online we discussed whether social networks are viewed as positive or negative. While some see it as a negative I see these tools as a positive! I believe that these networks are a way for people to express themselves and get their word out to people. Having such a big world it’s hard to reach people but being able to have fan groups and events that link others is very useful and affective! Social networks are certainly a way to practice social skills because you still have to connect with people that are professionals through emails and videos, communicating to people one on one and being able to present a topic and hold that topic. Also, it is a great tool to get in touch with peers and classmates when needing to figure out a homework assignment or a restaurant to eat at. It is a much faster tool to look for ideas and opinions then any other resource! A great thing about these networks is you can connect with people ALL around the world and still keep in touch with sending pictures and emails for free. It is just the beginning of social tools and many more networks and applications will be revolutionized throughout these upcoming years.

Using tools such as Facebook and twitter are great tools I can use for advertising. By applying Facebook use while working in my field I can promote my advertisements and products by creating what Facebook calls a Facebook group or an event. How it works is by making for instance a Nike Show Ad Group and I am able to share this with my fellow friends. Who from their can share with their peers by just a click of a button. This is a quick way to get my product out their and noticed by thousands. Also, Twitter is a good for my field because I am able to view people’s opinions’ good or bad about our advertisements. Getting viewers perspectives only makes the advertisement even better because it will be what people want! Therefore, social networking applies greatly to advertisement although it may not be creating the ad, it is the eyes and voices that help our business to grow.

I choose a link that relates to our topic of discussion in class about the pros and cons of social networking. Take a look on this websites to find why social tools are believed to positive to some and negative to others. Once you are done reviewing the pros vs cons you can then decide are you for social networking or against?

Social Networking Pros and Cons

Visual Literacy

Visual literacy is the ability to interpret and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image.One may ask well what exactly does that mean? After never using photoshop until EME 2040 I learned by using visual literacy it is using a piece of your imagination. For example in class our professor showed us a picture of a monkey and throughout the slide show that monkey appeared on the beach, the Eiffel tower, just about anywhere you can name. And how that monkey got there was by cropping the monkey out of your own photo or a cited photo and to use photoshop techniques and piece together images that you will like to see your image perform. While it may sound easy there are certainly a lot of steps you will need to learn as a first time user. But shortly after you will get the hang of it and it will be a piece of cake! A great quote that I read from our visual learning e-Reading online is "The image survives the subject and becomes the remembered reality." (John Szarkowski). By exploring a photo through one lens it will install that image in your head and explore beyond just a photo.

As an advertising major I can find great use of visual literacy because visual literacy catches the eye of the people and that is exactly what my job intails. Trying to promote a product that viewers will remembered! Such as coca-cola commercial or billboard, I can design an image or slides of the coca-cola bottle and place it with people at the beach or people enjoying a refreshing coke float with their family at home. Visual literacy allows me to design an image that I want people to capture, a photo cant always have exactly what you want in all the time but being able to play around with a photo you can portray the exact image you are looking for. So certainly applying visual literacy to promote my advertisement will come in handy in the future.


I chose an YouTube that captures the great understanding of what visual literacy is and why it is so important. It explains to us that we all the see the world differently through one eye but lets see the world through one lens together and find the true meaning of the image is trying to capture. Don't just scan pictures, look at the expressions of the peoples' face and trying to feel like you are in their shoes even if the picture takes place accross the world. So, take a look at this video and look beyond just the image!

Concept Map

http://mywebspiration.com/publish.php?i=387040a28331

The Life of Melissa

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