This being my second time in DKIT, I was wondering how much the college would have changed and evolved.The only major change I noticed was they removed the automatic door, put in a revolving door and removed the nice water feature out of the reception area, which seemed to me as more of a step backward rather than progress, but then again that is purely from an aesthetic point of view.
The classroom still seems to have heating that kicks in on only the warmest of days(solar powered heating it would seem). The course starts at 6 pm so by the time I get in the well and coffee dock are closed, which is a bit annoying to say the least. A few times especially in the labs, other students were making a lot of noise and messing around with each other, very distracting, I mean this isn't a playground its a place of learning, this kind of behavior shouldn't take place here.
Advancing
This is not to say that I have noticed nothing that has been improved upon. The WiFi hotshots in the college has been great improved. Facebook is now being used (apparently) by lecturers to contact students, whereas back when I was previous in DKIT the only way to access Facebook was by using proxy site,not that I ever did that of course.
The computers in the labs run smoother too and the software has been kept up to date. Moodle is a new type of platform to me, it has great benefits and saves students hours and scribbling down notes for hours and hours, giving them a more time to listen and participate in class discussions. While this software is useful, the DKIT platform is still a bit rough around the edges and could really use a bit of fine tuning, as it can be hard to navigate and access the content that you are looking for.
Lecturers are more accepting of mobile phones now and the need for them which is pretty impressive too as when I started in DKIT in 2003, phones had to be off, now they have to be on, tweeting during talks and discussions, its pretty impressive.
Personally
Its hard when looking at the changes in the college to not look at the myself, I'm a little bit older now and a lot wiser, less college nights out and more nights in studying.
It has been a while since I was last in college and even longer for some others in the course,but a lot of the lecturers like Colin Cooney and John Sisk, I had been taught by previously,so it was good to know what to expect from them.
The course itself have given a vast array of new skills,reeducated me and brushed up my old knowledge, showing how important the internet is and how other areas are affected.
The point here is that my experience in DKIT has been a good one, Moodle has helped in with that, as have the lecturers. The course itself is actually enjoyable.Even with the one or two bad points I mentioned and I would recommend this course in DKIT to other people. The college itself has changed, maybe so have I.
I'm sure at this stage everyone has heard about Netflix, if you haven't you've been living in a cave with no sunlight and definitely no WiFi in it, first thing find a new cave with WiFi. Netflix is an on demand streaming media service
which has been taking the world by storm, streaming a list of shows direct to your TV via a streaming device (PS3, Xbox etc) and to smart phones and tablets. At first Netflix was just seen to competitors as a fad something that would die down after time, how wrong they were.
Growth
Netflix started up in 1997 as a DVD delivery company and then moved to on demand streaming media service, by the year 2007 Netflix got to announce their billionth DVD delivery. By the time they were streaming Netflix were building up a huge customer base in 2013 it was reported that Netflix had 40.4 million users worldwide and late in the fourth quarter of 2014 it was reported that they had amassed 33.1 million U.S. subscribers.
Variety
Netflix have seized a huge market by making their service available across a huge amount of media. The PS3,PS4, Xbox, Smart TVs and smart phones are just a small number of devices of which Netflix library can be displayed on. They are also branching out in new countries and building new library's for these countries the Irish and English market would be one such example of this.
Netflix unlike other media providers try to learn from their customers and allow you to rate your shows and they link you to other shows in accordance with your taste.
Netflix have also secured huge deals with TV giants like AMC, showtime and FX. And with new shows being made for Netflix itself with House Of Cards and getting prime time of the Breaking Bad spin off "Better Call Saul" the possibilities are endless.
The Death Of Satellite and Cable?
Once people have been hooked into Netflix they start to lose faith in regular TV, this is not every person mind you, but there is a huge amount of people in america and even some in Ireland who are canceling their subscriptions to their providers in favour of Netflix. A graph here, done by Experian Marketing
Service, taken from the huffington post, shows the rise of people who have cut their cable cords in america in favor of Netflix. Experian claim that users of high speed internet have stop subscribed/or never subscribed to cable companies have risen to 44% in 3 years. If this decline in cable in america continues it could lead to a future where most young adults don't pay for cable anymore. It can however be moderated by limiting your download limit, which most cable companies have control over in america as well.
In Ireland and the UK Netflix main competitor is Sky TV and in 2012, Netflix were running at a loss to battle them
"Our international losses are nearly $100m a quarter. We are investing heavily in acquiring customers but that’s what you need to do if you want to take on Sky. Sky is a powerful, formidable competitor.”
Were the words of Reed Hasting Chief Director of Netflix's.And once they entered the UK in 2012 they amassed a following of 1 million subscribers, as of August 2013 that number jumped to 1.5 million.Some people in Ireland have replaced their sky subscription with a Netflix account.
Closing
In closing it I would be wise for Sky to fear Netflix, true sky have many channels, but Sky commands a price of €28 a month and that's before you make it HD then its another €15 a month and then the movies can be free for a month or so but in the end it adds on another €28 a month euro. So €71 euro later you can have what you could possible have on Netflix for €6.99, Netflix provides shows in super HD 1080 pixels (providing your TV can support it) for no addition cost.Sky's main pull is the sports package which netflix can (currently) offer, but if your luck enough to live close enough to a pub with live games televised (like yours truly) maybe you don't need it. I am one such person who has canceled his Sky subscription in favour of Netflix and I have never looked back.
Some of you may have heard of the console wars that occurred on the lead up to Christmas last year with Microsoft releasing the new Xbox one and Sony releasing the new PlayStation 4, both companies hoping to out do the other. As with previous years Sony let Microsoft go first to show of their console to the world. It got mixed reactions.
It seemed to be more of an entertainment system than an actual gaming console, which disappointed players, but Microsoft weren't finished there. They went on to say that the system must always be connected to the internet and that there would be a charge to unlock preplayed games, something that had never existed before, at this stage Sony had only shown their controller not their console or any plans, now it was their turn. The console was smaller had similar specifications and they sent a message to Microsoft about not charging for preplayed games and not always being online.At the end of the video is a cheeky step by step how to share your games on PS4
Some Xbox fans started to jumping onto the PlayStation bandwagon. Microsoft had to change policy fast to save their "loyal fans", they quickly changed the always on policy and paying for preplayed games was also scrapped.The PS4 however still come in about €100 cheaper. On black Friday Xbox seemed to
out sell the PS4 worldwide, what was not mentioned however was that PS4 was only released in 2 markets, whilst Xbox 1 had been released in 13 markets.
Resolution?
Pretty soon it became apparent that the PS4 had far superior graphic than that of the Xbox 1. The PS4 can offer from 1080 pixels at 60 frames per second, whilst the Xbox 1 can offer 720 pixels at 30 frames per second for most games currently. PS4 got even more praise for it graphics when the director of the gaming brand metal gear solid Hideo Kojima announced
"I think, between the home consoles available in the domestic market, the PS4 is the best.It’s also excellent for graphics, being able to render 1080p at 60fps with room to spare. Since it does it a little better than other hardware, the image quality of the PS4 is the most beautiful. It’s the closest to the photorealistic quality we are aiming at.”
Sony Is also locking down deals with companies like ubisoft for exclusive content on games e.g. Assassins creed IV black Flag.And is helping indepent game developer make games for the console, something Xbox 1 were previously not going to do either but backtracked on.
Sales
Sony on the 18th of April 2014 have announced the 7th million sales of their PS4, whilst Xbox have announced the sale of only their 5th million Xbox one.
Sony have really pulled ahead of Xbox, even if it is still early in this race. In fact for the last 3 months Sony have been significant ahead of Xbox in console sales.
Closing Doors
Xbox are lagging behind due to the botched launched, which aliened at lot of gamers and perhaps only appealed to the avid gamer. Xbox need to do something to atone for this and bring gamers back, perhaps drop there price in line with that of the PS4. PS4 look to be rising steadily and have over a 100 games in the pipeline for this year alone, at this time and for the foreseeable future PS4 is leading the current generation console
So I decide to take a week and track how my media exposure actually breaks down. It would be fair to saythat I was quite surprised by the amount that I
am. The biggest change I have noticed has been my smart phone and how i use it. I mean all of us these day use it everyday.
It Begins
Its starts in the morning its my alarms it wakes me up, then i'll have a look at the news on it, check my Hotmail for any e-mails, the check my Facebook and because I have to use it now even my twitter. I'm not saying its replaced everything in my life I still need my big TV and my laptop for downloads and such. The phone has become very useful but I still prefer the bigger laptop screen for certain tasks.As afternoon approaches I get stuck into moodle, check DKIT web mail, maybe write a blog or do a project. By lunch time take it easy maybe watch some tv, or check out facebook. Then into either into study or training and by end of that stage its six or seven.On the days I head to college I have noticed I use my phone a lot more than I usually do perhaps to kill the time on the bus, something I hadn't noticed till starting this blog. By the end of the night i might drop a few text messages and watch a little TV. I Drew up a pie chart to illustrate the roughly how my media exposure breaks down
Where It all Goes
From the pie chart most of my exposure comes from the internet laptop, closely followed by the internet on my phone. Quite surprising really, it makes me wonder how much it was back before smartphone. TV is quite low again and I had to take in whatever my someone else might be watching whilst I was in the same room I would still be exposed to it even if I was not fully aware of it.
Is It Too Much
Is the media exposure too much? Personally I don't see a problem with it, we have easier lives due to it and knowledge at our finger tips, its almost impossible to escape and would we really want to? Well that question is really up to you the reader is it?
I leave you with this video on media as food for thought
E-business is huge and it is only getting bigger, it is taking people away from the day to day high street shop and moving them to digital stores. Why are people adopting to this method of buying?There are six main factor that customers equate as benefits or opportunities, which we will examine.
Content
People aren't going to spend money unless they have all the information. With this in mind a phrase was coined "content is king", this basically means the more in-depth, detailed information websites will help support the buying process for consumers.It can also help encourage product usage.
Customization
Here the website provides different content tailored for different users. This can be done by the users buying habit. An example of this would be amazon
recommends or e-mail alterts. This is an essential method as it makes the customer feel important and special. The level of customization is dependant on both the site and the information the customer can give eg. buying habits, likes etc
Community
This allow the consumers to discuss topics via chat-rooms, forums, blogs etc, it can allows possible consumers to get first hand reviews of products from other buyers, sometimes on a one to one basis.
Convenience
The pure ease to to see a product and buy it from you desktop or laptop at your fingertips 24/7 365 days a year. Ok there are some restrictions you can't have a test taste of any food you may buy over the internet, but you can read enough reviews to get a good idea whether or if it your type of thing or not.Also maybe you can't leave the house your tied you looking after kids, you still need to go shopping, online takes a lot of the hassle out of bring the kids along, it can also be good in times of sever weather. It can also take the pain out of Christmas shopping and some of the finance but we'll cover that later.
Choice
The web has vast array of sites to visit and stores to choose from. Look at sites like amazon, e-bay and play.com and the amount of products that they sell.So we can buy directly or we can go through third parties. Tesco.com have an interesting platform, they are giving their consumers a wide array of products (e.g. finance,travel,mobile phones,groceries etc) with more information than you can physically get in their stores, so it beg the question why shop in their physical stores? Go online.
Cost Reduction
If you walk into a store odds are you'll just have to settle for the prices, or walk or drive to the next type of store that stocks the product that you are looking for. With the internet you don't have that, its widely seen as a place as low-cost place of purchase and i can attest to that a just bought a game for my PlayStation 3 that is €59.99 in town for €34.99 on play.com. You will often get a good deal online as the trader has fewer overheads e.g lower staff and distribution cost.
You can compare the price of hundreds of different traders instantly with the click of the mouse.
Here is a video with a few advantages of shopping online some of which this blog has already talked about others that are common sense.
So what does all this mean, is the internet infallible?That we should just shop
online?Dead are the days of the high street shops? No There are also may disadvantage or challenges to to e-business. So what are these disadvantages that would act as barriers to consumers to adoption of the internet, we will examine them
Lack Of Security
Most payment is done via credit card/visa and may sites will also take down your personal details e.g name age, e-mail etc. What is their system is hacked all your details including your credit card/debit card is in someone else's hands,for example Sony PlayStation's network was hacked and
over 77 million peoples credit card information details was stolen, even with such a big company like Sony with all their security they were still hit, does this mean no-one is completely safe?Also some sites can be clones of others and ask you to enter you credit card/debit details to gain access to your cards. Sure new payment methods like Paypal and others have increased security but the threat is still there.
Lack Of Trust
A lot of websites ask you for a lot of details that seem a bit excessive, name address, e-mails, date of birth, mobile number, the list goes on, whats next blood type? This can make consumers very nervous and can also tie in with lack of security and fear that these details can get out, other just don't like to give out all this information period. Sites have improved on this however by asking these question periodically at different logins.
Deceptive Product
The product may look fantastic in the picture but what you can get may be a below par product. This is especially common in clothing items, thats why when buying them you must keep your confirmation slip as well as the image provided.
Transportation
This can looked at from a couple of different angles. If your ordering from outside the EU expect to pay a lot for transportation cost, some sites lay out the transportation cost out for you in black and white, whilst others have it almost hidden and you end up paying more than you intended. Then you have to add waiting time to it, this could restrict you to being house bound waiting on a package that may or may not arrive. Finally when that is all done it could end up in the wrong persons house or even the wrong country.
Here is a short video on some of the disadvantages of online shopping
So in a nutshell that is the opportunities and challenges a customer faces when thinking about buying online, but which way is the right one. the answer is, there isn't one. Both have great points and it is up to the individual to make his or her own mind as whether or not to buy online. Personally for me I will continue to buy online as for me the opportunities outweight the potential challenges.
The Internet has always been a great source of information but over the years the "information highway" has had speed bumps and roadblock thrown up in its path. In some cases this has been justified and some sites might have malicious coding or inappropriate content. Sites are sometimes block on laptops, desktops and other media devices by parents using parental locks. This is understandable to most of us that some content is not suitable for minors.In a more general term censorship on the web is about blocking certain webpages, this can be done by parents, governments and even consumers (pending they have the right software).With this in mind it brings up the issue how much of information on these sites are being kept from us and is it right or wrong, how can citizen journalism thrive if different sites are locked down?
Citizen Journalism
Different countries control information differently, for instance take a look at China. The Chinese government have control shape independent media like blogs and forums as they see fit and they have full control over all state news. In fact on the 27th of December 2007 a man named Hu Jia was arrested due to his blogs being "subverted state authority", this man who had fought to protect endanger animals and was later awarded a human rights prize by Europe. In this type of censorship citizen journalism isn't extinct it was never born. Of course this is only one country and very few European countries work this way. In England and Ireland no such limits or put on most information. I want to revisit a question a ask earlier " how can citizen journalism thrive if different sites are locked down?", the answer social media.
Social Media
Look at Facebook, Twitter or any social media service, everyone on has something to post and therefore everyone has a story to tell. Whether people realise it or not they are journalist in the broadest term of course and news in this media can spread like wildfire.The way of the future through citizen journalism and it will change how we look at things and we receive and disseminate information.
Of course this does have down side as well, as people can be their own journalist on these sites, but does this mean they can say whatever they want? The answer is not always.
For example a student was jailed for 56 days after he tweeted racist comments about Bolton Wanders footballer Fabrice Muamba, who had collapsed on the pitch and was fighting for his life. The student claimed he was drunk at the time and deleted the tweet. This is a good the side of censorship in the authors opinion,but this is only one occasion that a persons comments were seen as offensive taken down and punished, so many more go unpunished. For example a 15 year old Ciara Pugly took her own life after internet bullying.
Necessary Censorship
So then with citizen journalism some type of censorship is required but then you must ask yourself where does censorship begin and where does it end, is the onus on the government to enforce censorship or the site itself to ban the content and what other means if any should be taken.
Social media sites lately are taking more responsibility to deal with these issues, but their is certainly a long way to go before it is perfected.
Mobile phones (smart phones) encompass everyday life, we use it to keep in contact with our friends and family and with current innovations and apps, we use it for news, the weather reports, even for avid gamers.Is this a really a good thing, or are we too dependent on them,it is true that some people are addicted to their smartphone.
Negative sides
Seventy-six percent of people don't leave home without their phone, if they did most would go back for it , does this mean we are slave to our phones?It is true that phones can be somewhat of a nuisance with networks offering you deals via text messages, companies ringing you for surveys, people being able to contact you at any stage and with GPS your location isn't private anymore.People have become some dependent on smartphones, thirty-one percent of people would rather get rid of their TV than have to part with their phone.In this day and age its not unusual to see a group sitting at a table in complete silence tapping away at their phones, tweeting,facebooking etc, smartphones can stunt face to face interaction. It is more so seen with the youth of today it seems more comfortable to be speaking to each other through these tweets and sending images over snapchap.
Positive Sides
Then on the other side of the coin we have instant communication, we have instance access to information. Shopping online has become more and more popular and easier to do, at least fifty-five percent of smartphone shoppers will make a mobile purchase once a month. This can be due to the fact that we can buy so easily,we can do price comparison with difference stores, research products at any stage.They can also be used for different types of apps and media such as movies,books,music,games.
Avid gamers are on the rise sixteen percent of people use their smartphone for gaming.Candy crush has been one such app that has taken the mobile network by storm and with an average of forty-six million users monthly, who hasn't used it on their phone to pass the time and then become engrossed with it.This has been a huge advantage to business in M-Commerce and they have built up huge markets from these upsides. Social networking is very big in this day and age for keeping people in contact and business advertising and most smartphones come with Facebook installed on it. This is much handier than having to head back to a desktop or even a laptop, especially considering eighty-six percent of people use their phones for social networking and sixty percent of them use at everyday. Phones nowadays are like Swiss arm knives they have built in applications like alarms, calenders, calculators,mp3 players etc, somethings that years ago we would have had to carry separately can now all be found on one device, now you may not use all the tool on this "Swiss army phone" but whoever uses all the tools on the knife, I mean the corkscrew wouldn't open anything really, has never worked for me anyway.
Moodle is a new type of platform to me, it has great benefits and saves students hours and scribbling down notes for hours and hours, giving them a more time to listen and participate in class discussions. While this software is useful, the DKIT platform is still a bit rough around the edges and could really use a bit of fine tuning, as it can be hard to navigate and access the content that you are looking for.
