A Child Named... Facebook?

Yes, it's true. An Egyptian man, Gamal Ibrahim, named his daughter Facebook in honor of the social networking website that has helped Egypt in its time of panic. A report from globalpost.com was quoted saying:

"The girl's family, friends, and neighbors in the Ibrahimya region gathered around the newborn to express their continuing support for the revolution that started on Facebook."

Facebook has become incredibly popular in Egypt in regards to organizing the protests and ridding President Mubarak from his leadership position. But, is naming a newborn child "Facebook" going too far? What are your thoughts?

WVU and New Media

West Virginia University is one of the first universities in the country whose Career Service Office has made their own Facebook page. An article titled "WVU 'Likes' New Media for Reaching Students in the Digital World" says:

"If we can make information accessible to them where they already are, which is logged into their Facebook page,” Sarah Rotruck Glenn with WVU Career Services said, “I think it's going to make a tremendous difference in the amount of students that we're able to reach.”

"Fans" of the Career Services page can now see job openings, career tips, and events pop up in their Facebook news feed, which students likely check more than the career services website.

The career service at WVU is not the only facility that's really embracing new media. Their library is also "going digital" by allowing their students to take pictures of bar codes to reserve books, checking an online seating chart to see if there are available computers in the library, and even allowing students to reserve a study room through their website. 

A girl at WVU scanning a barcode to locate a book in the library.

Why is WVU going to such great lengths to use new media in their daily activities?

"It could keep studying and job-hunting as much in student's minds as their Farmville crop, or at least somewhere in the same thought process."

What other universities will be next?

Photo credit

Grammy Awards Live Blogs

It's the biggest night for music. Tonight is the Grammy Awards! And, like many award shows, this one is no different with the live blogging that will be going on this evening. PEOPLE Magazine is known for their Live Grammy Awards Blog, which allows readers to chat with one another about the nominees, the performances, the fashion, and much more.

Prefix Magazine is another site that is known for having a great Live Blog about the Grammy Awards. You can see what their 2010 Grammy blog was like here and a screenshot of the updates below:

I'm excited to see who wins the awards tonight, but I'm also really interested in seeing these live blog updates and how timely and accurate they are.

Let's just hope Christina Aguilera remembers her words this time... Too soon?

one

THOUSAND VISITORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DeZeen

Welcome to DeZeen. A perfect resource for graphic designers, architects, furniture designers, critics, and, well, anyone who is the least bit interested in innovative design. The fact that DeZeen is a design site indicates the level of graphic clarity, organization, and credibility of the website itself. DeZeen hits all three components of my ideal website: visual appeal, a variety of interesting topics, and the ability to be understood and accessed by the general public. Apart from these characteristics, DeZeen is easy to navigate, its headings bolded and located at the top of each post, while the quick blurbs of hyperlinked information provide just enough data to reel you in and click 'more.' Ross-Larson would approve.

I love everything about this website- I visit it frequently to keep up with global architecture, competitions, installations, and job postings. Yet, the amount of creativity and innovation that is exhibited by DeZeen makes it accessible to everyone. The ideas and products that people create are truly astonishing. Check out this article on scarves that transform into inflatable bicycle helmets upon sensing abnormal movement:

User feedback is encouraged: the bottom of each page contains a box for user comments, and the ability to directly link to wordpress, facebook, twitter, and openid.

Just above these boxes are "see also" headings that exhibit two or more design features of a similar category to the current topic. For instance, the futuristic bicycle helmet page links to smoking hoods designed for smokers unable to smoke in public buildings and urban camouflage vending machines, backpacks, and purses. The creativity of the projects speak for themselves. A site so full of interesting material, its only vice is the inability to view all the products at once. However, even the navigation of DeZeen is made simple by the keyword tags, blog archives, and search boxes. The concept of the graphic design of this site, and the concepts that make up this concept ultimately create a site arguably more interactive than most.

Still not convinced? Take a look at the image below. How could you not be interested?

You know you want to.

Guess what!?

I'm a hip-hop lover...bet you didn't see that one coming.

It's true, I might come to class in a suit from time to time, and occasionally I'll rant about technicalities of content and the value system of Americans. But beneath my icy exterior there beats a heart, and the beat is one of West, Fiasco, and Kweli. That's right, from rocking my hood on the Island to reading under trees in the "'ber," if you see me with earbuds in, odds are I am bumping some illmatic stuff.

Hi, my name is Jordan, and I love hip-hop.
Now that we've met, lets move onto the new media stuff.

My love of hip-hop is obviously limited by what I am able to find on the internet. Let's be honest here, all 5'8" of me is not going to any rap battles in D-town anytime soon. So often I'll scour the web for some legitimate rap/hip-hop content, for free of course. So yesterday I came across this gem. Current hip-hop is a great website for the genre because it is expansive and easy to navigate and use.

Lets start first with design.

When you initally click on the website there are no sleek opening sequences or obscure titles to get through. You are simply greeted by a list of what is hot at the moment.

Exhibit A:

MY MUSIC FEED

The latest from artists you follow

• PLAY DOWNLOAD

  

  Wiz Khalifa (ft. Chevy Woods)

  Taylor Gang15 comments
• PLAY

  

  Big Sean (ft. Chris Brown)

  My Last13 comments
• PLAY DOWNLOAD

  

  Trey Songz

  6 Foot 7 Foot Freestyle9 comments
• PLAY DOWNLOAD

  

  Sean Kingston

  Party All Night (Sleep All Day) (Urban Noize Remix)2 comments
• PLAY DOWNLOAD

  

  Trey Songz

  Look At Me Now (Triggamix)2 comments
• DOWNLOAD MIXTAPE

  
  

View

Right on the homepage there is this list of what should interest me and I am offered the options of playing it or downloading it right on the spot. It is a simple and straight forward way to get you straight to the content that you are craving.

What I like best about the design is the multitude of options on each tab, which include: my, home, songs, artists, and mixtapes. Each individual page is bursting with new tracks to sample or download. Yet the website manages to do this without the pages getting cluttered or overwhelming. Instead there is a simple black backdrop with varying colors for options. Download is blue, play is orange, albums are hyperlinked in beige. The website designer is smart because he realizes that the true hip-hop listener wants nothing more than easy access to otherwise inaccessible content.

That brings me to content. It's enormous.

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

ARTISTS

this bar of the alphabet is under the "artists" tab. Simple enough, no? Well under each letter there is a list of at least 30 rappers that you have never heard of. Sure they will offer you the popular ones too, Kanye has lots of love on this site, but underground emcees get a chance to promote their music for free through this site.

The site also offers mixtapes, which are harder to obtain because they are not as heavily marketed as full length LPs. Mixtapes offer the audience a raw listening experience that they would have trouble finding on Itunes. Unless I went through times square hunting down aspiring rappers selling mixtapes for 5$, I would have trouble finding their material. Thanks to this comprehensive website, I'll never want for rap again.

Navigation wise, the website follows suit with the design and content: straightforward and simple. But what pleases me the most is the ability to play music straight form the site in a constantly alternating playlist. Click on a "play" icon next to a song, then immediately at the top of the page a music player will pop up plays the song automatically. The listener can pause, play, alter volume, as well as add it to a list of favorites or share the song on Facebook or Twitter.

The website is a free and simple way to access an overflowing goblet of hip-hop gold, and I'm glad I found it.

Gilt Groupe: There's Something for Everyone!

This past year, I joined a clothing and accessories website called Gilt Groupe that offers discount designer products for a considerably lower price for a specific time frame. The website's About section offers a more in-depth understanding of the site's function.

Gilt Groupe provides invitation-only access to highly coveted products and experiences at insider prices. Each day, Gilt offers its members a curated selection of merchandise, including apparel, accessories and lifestyle items across the women’s, men’s and children’s categories. In addition, we provide the best in home decor and entertaining essentials, along with luxury travel packages and fantastic offers on local services and experiences. Most sales start at noon ET and last only 36 hours, making Gilt.com an exclusive shopping destination for luxury at up to 70% off.

Gilt is a website that I religiously check -- we're talking every day, sometimes more than once a day. I get emails of the latest sales sent to my phone and check them as soon as I have computer access. It's definitely my favorite site for discount clothing, over the other ones that I check regularly, mainly HauteLook and RueLaLa.

When I log onto Gilt Groupe, I'm immediately taken to the women's clothing and accessory page. It's straightforward and presents a drop down menu at the very top, with the various categories: women, men, children, etc. The viewer can set their Gilt homepage to whatever category they want -- mine is set to women's. Just below that is a big visual: the main event of the day. Here's an idea of what the main page looks like:

Directly below the main event are the other events of the day.

The visuals on the site are extremely vibrant and immediately draw the viewer in. Even if I don't know the brand, I'm captivated and click "Go" because I'm drawn in by the opening images. All the images are set against a black back drop so each photo stands out and the viewer isn't distracted by a loud background. My eye is automatically drawn to the brighter images and after glancing over those, I follow the site left to right, top to bottom. Each image also has a "Go" icon that you can click on and it takes you to the sale for that brand.

The site is extremely straightforward. It shows the original price, the sale price, an image of the item, and the choice to click on the image and view it from different angles. There's no extra add-ons or advertisements on the sides of the site like many others, so the viewer can focus on the products rather than be distracted by meaningless side bars. In terms of the site's content, each brand has about 40 items, some a little less, some a lot more. There's a broad range of tops, dresses, bottoms, shoes, and bags -- pretty much something for every kind of shopper. And there's men's and children's clothing, items for your home, even discount travel like hotels. This site can appeal to the working class, families, those who love to travel, or someone just looking for a nice gift.

I think Gilt is extremely easy to find my way around, even when I was new to the site. It can appeal to a broad range of people - not just women who are stereotypically into fashion. I love the simplicity of the background with extremely vibrant images that draw the viewer in and I plan to take note of this effective layout for my own website.

It's All About PEOPLE

      I know I myself, have been a People lover for years. In my opinion People Magazine does a great job with keeping its readers engaged. It doesn't just appeal to one target audience which is a major plus. Recognized by many because of its famous white and pale-baby blue logo, People is considered to be one of the most reliable and factual websites for 'celebrity gossip.' (and no it is not a tabloid!)

      According to Ross's Writing For the Info Age, People Magazine follows the first precept of the book immaculately. Ross's first precept says,

"Keep your writing light, especially at the beginning, to engage your readers, not repel them. Second slide your content into layers of progressive density and detail, so that your readers skip across the surface and go deeper only when they find what engages them."

      For some reason I can't quite explain, People seems to know how to lure readers once they're on their site. Rather than repelling readers, People Magazine is able to organize the content of their site in a manner that is appealing to the eye of the reader. By layering the content with a premiere layer that consists of a title, a subtitle, message statement, and list of contents, they allow the readers to access multiple interactive routes; they aren't limited to just one. Below is a snapshot of People Magazine's homepage. This is an example of what one would see if they entered the sight today, February 8, 2011. Today's current 'Top Story' is not surprisingly, one of Lindsay Lohan. Categorized as 'breaking news,' this story is titled "Lindsay Lohan To Be Charged with Felony Grand Theft: If convicted of stealing a necklace, the actress potentially faces several years in state prison" (with a little READ IT link if you want to read more). Now this is just an excerpt from the first page.

  

Example of layer 1 (Title, subtitle, message statement, and list of contents)

      After exploring through the first level of content on People's homepage, you then decide you are interested in this Lindsay Lohan story and you decide to click 'READ IT'.

Example of layer two (Summary, short or long)

      Once you have clicked 'READ IT' you then find yourself here: "Lindsay Lohan To Be Charged with Felony Grand Theft." With her picture right besides the story, the site allows the readers to either 'tweet', 'like' or 'share' the information on the article as a whole. This enables the readers to interactively involve themselves within the stories they are reading.

Example of layer three (Text, divided into sections with content-laden titles and headings)

      After you have read the text which was divided into a different section with content-laden titles and headings, you then find yourself at the bottom of the article that leads you to the 'PEOPLE TV Archive' where you can discover other important documentation that will allow you to dig deeper on Lindsay.

Example of layer 4 (Attachments, for important documentation that allows you to keep third layer uncluttered) 

      As you can see, the way in which editor, Larry Hacket and the other developers of People Magazine and its' website, have designed it in a way that is both navigable and appealing. They have a general topic whose content fluctuates daily along with an audience that constantly yearns for more gossip. They have a purpose to disseminate celebrity gossip and entertainment news on a regular basis (that varies in length). Essentially, you can see why People Magazine is considered to be a top-notch source for celeb news and information. Do you think People has done a sufficient job incorporating Ross's ideas?

     

SHEI Magazine: Integration of Content, Design, and Navigation

Although there are a lot of websites out there that integrate content, navigation, and visual design really well, I decided to focus on a website that I know a lot about. Since my sophomore year at Michigan, I have written for SHEI Magazine. Recently, the layout team at SHEI has relaunched the site and it looks amazing! Before looking at the content, navigation, and visual design of the site, I thought it would be a good idea to give you guys an understanding of what the site is actually about.

Founded in 1999, SHEI Magazine is a global arts, design, pop-culture, and fashion magazine produced by University of Michigan students in collaboration with members of the Ann Arbor community. SHEI works with a team of remarkably talented student journalists, photographers, stylists, and graphic designers. Our goal is to bring the latest designs, extraordinary artists, and amazing ideas from around the world to the wonderful University of Michigan campus.

In our class, we have seen a variety of different sites. Some of us have complained that the New York Times is not easy to navigate. Some of us haven't loved the textual elements of certain sites. What we've learned, however, is that the content/textual elements, the design of the site, and the overall navigation of it all need to work together to make it a (quote-un-quote) "good" website. And, although I may be biased, I think that SHEI is an excellent example of a website that integrated all of these features very well.

As a senior columnist for SHEI, I can guarantee you that the content on the site is not only well-written, but interesting to a variety of people. The site has posts about fashion, art & design, lifestyle, pop culture, and much more. Readers can search the popular posts, the most commented posts, or the recently-added posts, in addition to being able to click on tags that will bring them to certain articles. For example, I really enjoy the fashion posts on the site, particularly the ones that focus on trends on the red carpet. The tags and search option allow me to narrow down the articles and focus solely on what I enjoy reading: Red Carpet Trends. How about that for navigation? Another aspect of SHEI's navigation that's worth noting is that the site updates daily, but not multiple times a day. Although some may argue that this is problematic for a blog, I never find myself confused or anxious when looking for a particular article. Navigation on the site is easy for a variety of reasons, one being that there's not a surplus of information. Navigating through the site is convenient for readers and viewers because it's so self-explanatory. There are only five categories of articles to choose from and the hyperlinks are bolded and colored, making them more noticeable.

Although everyone would like to believe that judging a book on its cover isn't the right thing to do, when it comes to websites, we all judge them based on their appearances. An article on XPL discussed the important of website visual design. It said:

...46.1% of users evaluated a website based on its visual appearance, while only 14.1% evaluated it based on its reputation.

The chart below shows what people judge a website on:

That means it's important for a website to look good. If I could describe SHEI's online blog in one word it would be: sleek. The white background and purple and black font make it not only easy to navigate, but easy to read. The pictures definitely draw in my attention and the site is not text-heavy. Below is a screen shot I took of the site:

Needless to say, I'm pretty impressed with the visual design SHEI decided to go with for the site. It's visually stimulating, but not visually overwhelming, a problem that I've seen on a number of websites.

Like I said, many websites pride themselves on good integration of textual, design, and navigation features, but I felt like showing a University of Michigan blog might serve as inspiration for our upcoming website projects.

It's That Time of Year Again: Superbowl Sunday

     In 2010, the average 30 second spot for a Superbowl advertisement was approximately 2.7 million dollars. Ads ranged from food and beverage companies like Doritos and Coke, to car companies like Chrysler-dodge, Audi, and Volkswagen.  Just to give you a little background as to what I am referring to, I attached the embedded version of one of the 2010 Doritos snack commercials. 

     At least for my family, this commercial definitely did what it was supposed to do in regards to attracting the consumers attention. Not only did a tear come out of my eye as a result of excessive laughter, but I'm pretty sure my 14 year old brother wanted my Dad to go out and buy a bag of Doritos after he saw this. Although not appealing to all, there is definitely a target audience that this commercial hones in on. In my opinion, I would say that its targeted to males of all ages, males that are attracted to females, and males that like to snack, with a tone that is definitely witty, sarcastic, and outright hysterical.

    In 2011, the average 30 second commercial slot actually increased. This year, there was an average cost of 3 million dollars (with a slight increase of .3 million). Looking at a commercial with a different tone, I really enjoyed the 2011 Chrysler advertisement about importing automobiles from Detroit. Marshall Mathers, known to modern day society as 'Eminem,' said "This is the motor city and this is what we do"in reference to the production of cars in Detroit. The tone of this commercial is one that is almost dark, gloomy, reflective, yet also inspiring. I loved the way they incorporated Detroit into the automobile commercial because I don't think Detroit has been getting the credit that it deserves recently. Especially with all that has occurred during the economic crisis, this commercial shows that "detroit is not dead" and how it can still be promising. 

     I loved the way they played Eminem's song at the end of the commercial, "8-mile," which takes place in Detroit, and the way they pan the camera onto the car as it's emerging onto the highway with the quote "The Chrysler 200 has arrived" dissolving on the screen. Seeing this helped bolster the message Chrysler was trying to convey to the consumers. I thought this commercial did a good job in amalgamating local elements with broader elements that would normally attract a local interest; this commercial also appeals to a larger audience outside of Detroit as well. When I watched the Superbowl XLV ads, I did my best to focus on how the creators of these advertisements were trying to lure me in to their product (specifically how they depicted the products, the tones at which they were set, and the overall setting in which they were filmed). 

     What were your favorite Superbowl Ads for 2011? Do you think the ads did a good job isolating their target audiences? I think for this Superbowl more than any other, I was especially critical of the ads because of our discussions in class on advertisements and their effects on consumers. 

Weather Blogging?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the Midwest has been experiencing some pretty bad weather conditions. Classes canceled, cars stuck in the snow, people slipping on the ice outside of their house (maybe that's just me). Well, it turns out new media sites allow people to view these horrible weather conditions as soon as they begin. ChaserTV Live Weather Video OnDemand allows users to view videos, comment on the videos, and post their own weather experiences for others to read. A post on January 31st by dmoran (a meteorologist named David Moran) read:

Around a foot of snow will be possible across parts of Central Oklahoma, with 15-18 inches of snow possible in parts of Northeastern Oklahoma. Unlike Central Oklahoma, where the transition from freezing rain to snow will occur fairly quickly, I think the transition in Eastern Oklahoma will take a bit longer and significant icing will be possible in parts of Southeast Oklahoma.

The above image captures the storm that took place in the Central Plains a couple weeks ago around the Middle Mississippi River Valley.

I did a bit of research and, apparently, the blog is pretty new, but it definitely allows for interactivity-- a topic that we've been discussing heavily over the past few days. I'll be checking back regularly to see if the website has enhanced any of its features.

Until then, keep warm! And use some new media to check out the weather.

Who's in control

Interactive media asks us to identify with someone else's mental structure...the computer user is asked to follow the mental trajectory of the new media designer

This quote from The Myth of Interactivity is at the crux of Len Manovich's argument. Is interactivity just a ruse to get us to feel more involved? In my personal opinion:...well its not so black and white. Yes, I agree with Manovich in saying that in the end we are at the mercy of the designer and that they are creating the tunnel through which we funnel our intellect and mental energy. However, it is also true that the user chooses to go to that website, he/she chooses what to click on and how long to stay on the site itself. The designer needs the user just as much as the user needs the designer. It is simple supply and demand, and a perfect example of a symbiotic relationship.

I think that when Manovich says that the user follows the "mental trajectory of the new media designer" he is only considering certain types of new media and he does not fully grasp the breadth of the new media world. It should be noted though that this work was published in 2002 so we can not totally put Manovich to task for his dismissive view on new media. It is entirely possible that at the time that new media, and the internet in particular, was in its infancy. It is highly likely that interactivity at the level that we are used to now was no more than a myth. 2002, this is before myspace and facebook, it is before youtube, it is before the exponential growth of the blogosphere; new media has evolved dramatically in the past eight years.

Lets see just how interactive websites can be today:

First: anyfilms

This is a fantastically designed and conceived concept for a website. What it really does is appeal to the average computer user's desire to have a place in movies and control what they see. The second person narrative, which is so rarely used, is now at the users fingertips. 11,000 options according to the website. Thats 11,000 movies that a user can, if given the time and a lack of things to do, through his/her own volition. How is that for interactivity Manovich? True, the designer of the website created all of the outcomes him/herself. But does that change the user's ability to interact with the results? Does it make his power any less potent and real? I would say no. The designers objective is the please the user and the user's objective is to be pleased, they need to interact in order to achieve their objective. That is pure interactivity at its finest.

A lesser example of interactivity, and one that is completely in keeping with Manovich is the 2008 year in ideas, published by the New York Times. As mckenna pointed out, there is no motivation for the user to scroll through the different options except for some innate desire to learn more. And who does that? The New York Times, which is notoriously and embarrassingly unable to keep up with the progression of new media, thinks that by allowing the user to click while staying on the same page, that they are introducing a theme of interactivity. What they are really doing is fooling the user into thinking that they are given choices to the outcome of the site. In the end, the information is completely dictated by the New York Times. There are choices, yes, but they are limited and don't change from user to user.

F is for fail (nyt.com)

Innovative Interactivity?

In Lev Manovich's book, the Language of New Media, he describes what he believes is the Myth of Interactivity. His main argument centers around the idea that with interactivity, we are simply going along with other people's thought processes, rather than creating our own associations.

Mental processes of reflection, problem solving, recall and association are externalized, equated with following a link, moving to a new page, choosing a new image, or a new scene. In short, we are asked to follow pre-programmed, objectively existing associations. The interactive media asks us to identify with somebody's else mental structure. 

Whether you agree with his perspective or not, in this blog post, I attempt to evaluate six different interactive websites according to his views. 

For my first website, I immediately went to the Subservient Chicken, fast-food giant Burger King's new advertising campaign. I had never heard of the Subservient Chicken before so when I arrived at the website and was greeted by a man standing in his living room in a chicken suit, I was instantly amused. I initially typed in rudimentary commands such as "dance" and "jump," which the chicken performed with some difficulty I might add, and then submitted more obscure ones. I was amazed that the chicken could perform a broad range of activities, until I began thinking about the technological aspects behind this website. Was this actually a live stream of man in a chicken suit performing tasks 24/7 for the public? Could the chicken see me laughing through my webcam the same way I could see him? I briefly considered these options before looking it up on Wikipedia.

On the page, a man in a chicken costume performs a wide range of actions based on a user's input, showing pre-recorded footage and appearing like an interactive webcam. There are more than three hundred commands that the Subservient Chicken will respond to, including: Michael Jackson dance moves, do the YMCA, and make a sandwich. 

The Subservient Chicken. Image courtesy of Burger King.

 While I was slightly surprised to find out these were pre-recorded moves, I was still highly amused by the site. I typed in some of the strange commands from Wikipedia like "Michael Jackson thriller" just to see if the chicken could really do it. And he can. While all the footage is pre-recorded, the Subservient Chicken is still an extremely interactive website because users can enter literally anything they want to see the chicken do and it will interpret the command, classifying it as one of their existing moves, and then perform it for the viewer. This concept contradicts Manovich's argument because we are not following a pre-programmed association or someone else's mental structure, but rather coming up with our own words and phrases to dictate the chicken's actions, thus revealing us inner thoughts.

The next site I chose to look at was Moodstream. As I entered the site, I immediately recognized that it provided music according to your mood, but wasn't sure of what it did much farther than that. I think the blog Lifehacker does a really great job describing what Moodstream really is.

Moodstream is an interesting mashup of several forms of media, designed to bring you music, images, and video in sync with the mood you're in—or the mood you want to be in!—through a simple interface. Moodstream streams music accompanied by images and video clips to create a sort of audio-visual ambient mix.

Users can select moods from a pre-set wheel including excite, refresh, intensify, simplify, stabilize, and inspire. Or they can determine their own mood on five different scales, setting the dial anywhere between the extremes of each emotion.

Moodstream. Image courtesy of Lifehacker. 

 

 

 

In combining a user's emotions into a music database, Moodstream creates an experience different from most other audio related sites. Its emotional appeals allow users to express their inner thoughts and feelings and creates an extremely personalized experience. There are an infinite number of mood combinations, which allows the user to feel unique. The overall concept of this site contradicts on of Manovich's point in The Myth of Interactivity that in new media, we are simply "following pre-programmed, objectively existing associations." On the contrary, Moodstream allows users to create their own experience and develop their own associations and are not following someone else's mental process.



Next is Samsung's AnyFilms, an interactive website allowing users to create their own films. This is the only information users are given, which creates an element of uncertainty.

10 characters. 1 event. A mysterious suitcase. A fascination with underwear. 10 possible endings. 11,000 ways for the story to play out. Samsung bring you the future of entertainment. Configure and re-configure the story to pick up different clues as you try to figure out exactly what happened. 

Users can choose four of six icons and place them anywhere on the grid to determine the content of the movie. The icons are violence, phone, liquor, underwear, flowers, or bathroom. Users are enticed to continue to make short films of about five minutes, each different combination revealing more about the plot and the outcome of the story. This site definitely has a more cognitive appeal than something like Moodstream, but still contradicts Manovich's idea that interactivity is going along with someone another person's thought process, rather than developing your own associations. Users of AnyFilms create their own movie shorts through their own thought processes, discover content and reach outcomes based on their own placement of icons, not someone else's.

Another example of interactivity is featured on the New York Times Website, titled Year in Ideas 2008. It's the eighth issue for the New York Times online magazine and is a compilation of "an alphabetical digest of ideas, from A to Z (almost), that helped make the previous 12 months, for better or worse, what they were." Users hover their mouse over each letter and a scroll of ideas pop up, which can be anywhere from one to seven depending on the letter. These ideas range from quirky innovations like "Air Bags for the Elderly" to more serious like "Imaginary Kidnappings" in Mexico.

Year in Ideas 2008. Image courtesy of the New York Times.

While scrolling through and choosing ideas based on the letter is an interactive feature on the New York Times, the concept as a whole does not require much effort on the user's part. Because of this, I think the Year in Ideas 2008 reiterates Manovich's Myth of Interactivity. Users are following a pre-existing format rather than creating their own and can read about the ideas presented but cannot add their own thoughts or comments. They are simply clicking on provided hyperlinks and essentially following the structure set by the New York Times, rather than one they create on their own.

One of the last examples is Dove's advertising campaign, Waking Up Hannah. The beginning screen says:

Got a minute? Got 5? Even better. Hannah has a busy day ahead of her as she tries to make it to her blind date. But you get to control how she handles it. We'll take care of the first scene, and then, it's over to you.

Users then continue to the opening scene, a combination of still shots and video from a night of partying until we see one woman waking up in the morning, hungover, but desperately needing to start her day. From there, we choose one of three Dove products, each having a different effect and starting her on a different morning path. Throughout the rest of the film, users can change to a fresh perspective by clicking on the shadow version of Hannah, which transitions them to a new scene. This site reminded of Samsung's AnyFilms because users can choose the plot, style, content, and outcome of the film short. But in Waking up Hannah, users play an interactive role throughout the entire movie, whereas on AnyFilms, the user's role is strictly at the beginning and they remain spectators during the video. Again, this site contradicts Manovich's views on interactivity because users are creating their own associations, rather than following another person's thought process.

On a more personal note, I found this site to be somewhat boring and lost interest fairly quickly. Not only did the woman's acting bother me, but it lacked the same depth that AnyFilms offered. I had no interest in starting over from a new perspective to see where Hannah's adventure took me like I did with the mystery film from Samsung. How this was ranked as one of the top interactive sites baffles me.

The final example is The Barbarian Group, an interactive marketing website. The group has designed and executed all the previous interactive sites, with the exception of the New York Times Year in Ideas. Possibly their most famous, at least most referred to, are the Subservient Chicken and AnyFilms. The company is devoted to "delivering the best possible experience for the consumer" by using "all skills in service to provide the best interactive marketing possible." The site allows users to look through their portfolio of all the companies they've done projects for with links to these sites and a blog that they can comment on. While the site itself isn't as interactive as the projects they've worked on, users can still browse at their own pace and find their own way through the site. 

This has been my analysis of six different interactive website examples in relation to Manovich's Myth of Interactivity. Now it's your turn. What's your take on the interactivity of these websites? Do they reinforce or contradict Manovich's ideas?