Print Design Vs Online Design

Both are about designing, so what differences do they have? I came across this article and made a summary of the author’s points about print design vs. web design.

Print Design:

1) Bigger design canvas (eg. newspapers)
2) Able to accommodate larger pictures
3) Higher resolution pictures
4) 2-dimensional
5) Faster response time in turning a page
6) Lower user engagement as print is just a visual tool

Web design:

1) Smaller design area
2) Cannot accommodate big pictures, otherwise users have to scroll the webpages
3) Lower resolution pictures for faster downloading
4) 1-dimensional
5) Slower response time as time is needed to load webpages, especially so if there are heavy graphics or videos
6) Higher user engagement as the web can show moving images or videos under user controlNielsen, J 1994, Differences Between Print Design and Web Design, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>

Here's another good article about print design and web design.

Miller, E 2009, Designing For Print vs. The Web, About.com, <http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/printvsweb/a/print_vs_web.htm>

The New Media

Media has evolved much in today's world. In the past, media consists of only print, television, and radio. Since the last 2-3 decades, they have gone onto the internet. We see many printed formats such as magazines and newspapers available online. Even television shows and movies can be found. I definitely see this as a benefit.

New media "radically break the connection between physical place and social place, making physical location much less significant for our social relationships" (Croteau and Hoynes 2003,p.311).

True enough, we no longer need to travel to the place to know what is happening at the end of the other world. By just logging onto the Internet, we can get all the news we want. We do not have to sit by the television or radio at a fixed time. New media has allowed us to access news and other information at any place and any time.

Croteau, D, Hoynes, W 2003, Media society: industries, images and audiences, 3rd edn, Sage Publications, London.

Media Related Links

Here are some useful and interesting links related to media.

1) Media Channel
2) Media Awareness Network
3) International Media and Newspapers
4) Global Media Issues
5) Australia Broadcasting Corporation
6) Tyndall Report
7) Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC)
8) White Dot

Types of Blogs

There are so many blogs being created every other hour. There are different classifications of blogs. Blogs are classified based on the type of content, or how the content are delivered.

Blogs are categorised as follows :

1) Personal - This is often regarded as the most common. It is maintained by an individual and the blogs typically is about his/her personal life and comments/opinions on certain topics. Some personal blogs have become very popular and garners a lot of strong followers, for instance

2) Corporate/Business - These are usually more for sharing expertise and to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation.

3) Genre - Travel, food, sports, political, media, etc.

4) Media type - Vlog is a blog that consists mainly of videos. Linklog is one that comprises mainly of links.

Hesseldahl, A 2004, Best Blogs, <http://www.forbes.com/2003/04/14/bestblogslander.html>

SG Blog Awards, 2010 <http://sgblogawards.omy.sg/category/>

WordPress.com, 2010, Types of Blogs, <http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs>

Security and Privacy Issues with Social Networks

Facebook has been constantly facing security and privacy issues. Looking through across many news articles , it is discovered that many  users complain the lack of privacy controls over their profiles and information. Recently, a group of five users sued a social network for being for not delivering its promises to give users strict control to data uploaded on profile pages.


Nevertheless, there was a couple of articles that teaches us on how to enable privacy settings on Facebook and other social networks.I feel that if one joins such a social network, he or she must be prepared to face certain privacy (or security) issues. Social network(s) definitely entails the sharing of certain personal information. There are also many other examples of people putting up inappropriate images of themselves onto the Internet. When these pictures get circulated, they cry foul. If one does not wish to share such information or not let others know what they have been up to, then do not put them on a public platform.

1) Feeling exposed on Facebook? Scrub it out
2) Veil what you like on Facebook


Asiaone.com 2010, Five users sue Facebook for being too a social network,
<http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20090819-161927.html>

Consunji, B 2010, The new reincarnation of Facebook,
http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/Features/Story/A1Story20090401-132496.html%20%3E

Blogs as a new phenomenom

In today’s modern society, people across the globe use web-blogging as a form of communication to express themselves. Blogging seems to be a digital and modern version of those handwritten diaries. In the past, when there was no internet , people can only express their thoughts by writing down on their diaries or sent letters to convey or express their emotions to their recipient. Things change tremendously over the past decades. With modern technology such as the I-Phones, IPad, Blackberry –bloggers are just a click away to blast their messages online. Bloggers write basically anything they feel worth expressing and sharing with other. McLeay (2006) states that blogging gives people a chance to express themselves, be their own editors and from this people adopt a sense of academic power as they are providing information.

Diaries can be locked away from prying eyes but not blogs . They are free-for- all to see. I can see the benefical and downside of it. One recent example is the role of the social media & its impact on the Singapore General Election 2011. The social media and internet has bring people from all walks of life and background to be socially connected . With Facebook and Twitter, ones feed was constantly flooded with varying opinions, ranging on which candidate was not worthy to where the hottest battle was shapping. Blogs creates broader discussions with people you don't even know. This led to strangers having heated debates , rebutting comments contrary to their political beliefs, an even going as far as blocking users who disagreed with them. News was also spreading like wild fires about one of the general election candidate whose past was dug up, leading to that unfortunate picture of her posing with Kate Spade bag. This has caused the citizens to question on the candidates caliber and the perception of the people towards the People Action Party ( PAP).