Flickr
What can I say about Flickr without sounding like a gushing teenage Bieber fan? Since creating an account last year I have up
loaded almost 1500 photos. Well, 1,417, but I’m sure I’ll hit the 1500 mark soon. I have met the most interesting people, shared amazing photos and experiences, and learned new photographic tricks. The networking aspect is pretty cool, too. My photos have been invited to join galleries (including several created by the Calgary Cultural District) and various Flickr groups. For me, the appeal of Flickr is sharing my creative or journalistic photographic endeavours, learning from like-minded photographers, and the comments! The comments can become epic when a large number of people view your photo. It’s all I can do to keep from becoming a comment groupie ... oooh, I gotta go ... someone just commented on my recent upload.
YouTube
Last night, on the CTV’s 6:00 evening news there was a story of a drunken man riding outside of the C-Train between the Sunnyside and downtown stops. A student had captured him clinging to the wiper blades between cars with her cell-cam and posted it to YouTube. In last night’s newscast, police indicated that the rider could face criminal charges. That is probably why this morning I see the video has been deleted. The ride occurred last week and did not become news until the video was posted to YouTube, yesterday. The thing is, an ordinary person, a student, suddenly became a journalist. Sure, lots of people use YouTube to share family events (like the Bieber’s talent contest video), teach new skills, or self-promotion. The real power of YouTube is how the average Joe (or Josie) is able to make or break news. Some might say it’s a voluntary Big Brother thing, with thousands of cell-phone eyes watching. On the other hand, the person capturing the video runs the risk of personal injury, just like a paid journalist. For adrenaline junkies, this is probably what makes YouTube appealing. Then there’s the whole society/media communication discussion. Basically, YouTube has changed and continues to change how we see and interact with each other.
What can I say about Flickr without sounding like a gushing teenage Bieber fan? Since creating an account last year I have up
loaded almost 1500 photos. Well, 1,417, but I’m sure I’ll hit the 1500 mark soon. I have met the most interesting people, shared amazing photos and experiences, and learned new photographic tricks. The networking aspect is pretty cool, too. My photos have been invited to join galleries (including several created by the Calgary Cultural District) and various Flickr groups. For me, the appeal of Flickr is sharing my creative or journalistic photographic endeavours, learning from like-minded photographers, and the comments! The comments can become epic when a large number of people view your photo. It’s all I can do to keep from becoming a comment groupie ... oooh, I gotta go ... someone just commented on my recent upload.YouTube
Last night, on the CTV’s 6:00 evening news there was a story of a drunken man riding outside of the C-Train between the Sunnyside and downtown stops. A student had captured him clinging to the wiper blades between cars with her cell-cam and posted it to YouTube. In last night’s newscast, police indicated that the rider could face criminal charges. That is probably why this morning I see the video has been deleted. The ride occurred last week and did not become news until the video was posted to YouTube, yesterday. The thing is, an ordinary person, a student, suddenly became a journalist. Sure, lots of people use YouTube to share family events (like the Bieber’s talent contest video), teach new skills, or self-promotion. The real power of YouTube is how the average Joe (or Josie) is able to make or break news. Some might say it’s a voluntary Big Brother thing, with thousands of cell-phone eyes watching. On the other hand, the person capturing the video runs the risk of personal injury, just like a paid journalist. For adrenaline junkies, this is probably what makes YouTube appealing. Then there’s the whole society/media communication discussion. Basically, YouTube has changed and continues to change how we see and interact with each other.
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