Online+Media

toc Online media refers to all traditional media such as newspapers, television, magazines, radio and books, however not in print but online. Online media transforms all of these media and transmits them through one medium which is the Internet.


 * Online advertising** is [|advertising] on the [|Internet]. This particular form of advertising is a source of revenue for an increasing number of corporate websites and various companies.

There are two sides to //online advertising//, a legitimate one and an illegitimate one. The legitimate side of //online advertising// includes [|advertising networks] and [|opt-in e-mail advertising]. The illegitimate side is dominated by [|spamming].

Though the range of advertising options has expanded since in the commercialization of the Internet, the use of animations and static images is extremely popular. The ever-increasing audience of online users will likely continue to be a major advertising market. Furthermore the most interesting aspect of advertising on the internet is its interactive nature. The internet is a source of two way messaging, unlike its traditional advertising sister that offers finite information through mediums such as television screens and magazines. One great example is Hallmark's birthday card reminding feature, the user is asked to input names and birthdays, this will allowe Hallmark to contact the user whenever a birthday is coming up to send a greetings card. This allows the advertisers to communicate with the consumers rather than just present them with something and therefore helping the advertisers build personalized consumer relationships that build strong ties to the brand.

=Advertising Tactics=

A significant number of firms, from small businesses to multinational corporations, incorporate online advertising into their marketing strategy. A number of advertising techiques make overt use of color, imagery, page layout, and other elements in order to attract the reader's attention. Some users might consider these ads as intrusive or obnoxious, because they can distract from the desired content of a webpage. For example, some websites display a page of ads before they display content. Some ads move across the user's screen, fill up portions of the screen, or alter the contents of the webpage. Other methods are more subtle, such as spreading out the contents of an article across multiple pages or loading new ads while a page is being viewed. Finally, with the rise of broadband Internet access, advertisers have found a market for ads with motion video and sound. All these methods may be used in combination.

=Online Communities=

Online communities are a group of people connected to each other via the Internet. These communities can consist of chat rooms, web cams, online games, friend networks and dating networks provided over the Internet. Online communities are social groups in where there is exchange of information between different users. Examples of online communities could be a set of blog entries, email and instant messaging, P2P file transferring, [|Friendster] (online friends network), or [|Lavalife] (online dating network), are all different online communities.

Friendster


[|Friendster] is an example of an online social network and was founded by [|Jonathan Abrams] in 2002. This social network consists of every users circle of friends and one can see their friends network of friends and this effect creates a small social online community. Friendster allows you to post information about yourself such as photos and your hobbies. One can search through a list of friends and meet your friends, friends instead of meeting random people. This form of networking is far different than traditionally meeting a friend-of-a-friend because using Friendster is much easier and you don’t have to actually meet the person, you can see their profile online and even talk to them online and meet them afterwards. Also you can see all of their friends at one time instead of meeting a few of their friends at one time.


 * __Other Examples:__**

[|Hi5] "Hi5 is the place for meeting new people, connecting with friends, and sharing ideas" (Hi5)

[|MySpace] "MySpace is an online community that lets you meet your friends' friends." (MySpace)

MSN Messenger


MSN messenger is Microsoft’s instant messaging system. This virtual system that allows users with an internet connection to carry on many simultaneous conversations with people all across the world, at no expense except for that of internet connectivity.

MSN messenger has expanded since its introduction on July 22nd, 1999, and now has many more features than when it was first introduced. Microsofts instant messaging program allows you to chat with your family and friends instantly via typing text into the program. MSN Messenger shows users which of their contacts are online and which are offline, allowing you to see who you are able to contact at any time.

Recent improvements in bandwidth and software capabilities now allow users to communicate via voice, or even video conversations using this service. Furthermore, new improvements allow users to play games against their contacts such as Hexic, Minesweeper Flags, Bejeweled, Solitaire Showdown, Checkers and Tic Tac Toe. If you and your friends or family have access to a webcam you can use the videochat feature that allows you to see and talk to the person in real time.

True Poker


[|True Poker] is an online community of poker players. “True Poker is owned by a Costa Rican based corporation (TPCR Development SRL, 951-1260 Plaza Colonial Escazu, Costa Rica) whose founders combine a love of technology, a love of poker, and a high level of integrity” (True Poker). This site allows poker players to play poker online against other poker players across the world 24 hours a day. True Poker offers three different types of poker that are [|Texas Hold'em]**,** [|Omaha Poker], and [|Omaha Hi/Low Games]**.** You can register at True Poker and play for fake money or real money. This feature allows new poker players to learn the game and have fun with it before betting real money. True Poker’s community of online poker players consist of both private and public tables where you can play with your own family and friends or other poker players. [|Tournaments] are also set up where you can win money to make the online experience similar to real life poker tournaments.

=Gmail & Google Talk Community=
 * See Also: Online Gambling

Introduced in 2005 by Google, [|Google Talk] is yet another step bringing together the Google and Gmail community. It is a downloadable Windows application similar to other instant messaging applications in that it allows individuals to communicate with others within the [|Gmail] community via text messaging or voice. However, unlike other instant messaging applications, Google Talk has positioned itself primarily as voice communication software that allows individuals registered within Gmail to speak to each other as they would on a traditional telephone at no cost. Furthermore, Google Talk supports open standards, allowing users to talk with users of other 'communities' or service providers using open standards. Some disadvantages to Google Talk is that voice conversations are not encrypted, allowing the possibility for eavesdropping.

=Facebook=

Facebook is an online community created specifically for university and college students. It was launched in February of 2004, and had had much success since. It contains over 1000 colleges, and 20 000 highschools. See more.

=Works Cited=

Online Advertising. __Wikipedia Encyclopedia__.February 1, 2005. 

MSN Logo Image. 

Friendster Image. 

"Friendster." 18 Feb. 2006 .

"MSN Messenger." 20 Feb. 2006 .

Poker Table Image. 

"True Poker". 23 Feb. 2006 

LaRose and Straubhaar (2004). //Media Now. Understanding Media, Culture and Technology.// Fourth Edition. Thomson Learning