WELCOME TO COM597C

OK, here we go. This is the central meeting site for the 2009 class. This site will have the schedule, grades and resource information. The class blog site is our content repository. I will start it off with a few optional articles to read. The first is more in the pop culture realm than academic, but I found it an interesting analysis of how changing the way we deliver the media changes the message. The medium is the message, and all that. This is a Vanity Fair article (albeit dated) from two years ago on the politics of YouTube. I won't claim to agree or disagree; only that it is a perspective worth noting.

Also, I will need your e-mail addresses and blog urls sent to me so I can get the list coordinated. Please get it done by midnight, Sunday June 28.

If in your academic travels you bump into something we might want to review please pass it on to me or post it in your blog. I think we learn more from each other than we do from the book. Besides, it is critical that we stay current on the shifting technology of web delivered media.

The Syllabus is posted as a word document in the file section, if you need it.

This is where I will post articles, links and resources that I bump into that I feel might be helpful to you. Additionally, I will use the class hash-tag on Twitter to let you know I've found something. None of these resources are required reading unless I clearly say so. They are just things I think you will enjoy or find enlightening. The first two are two survey presentations by the Edison Research Group.  They were specifically created for radio executives but the information is very pertinent to the discussions in our class. The first is titled "The Infinite Dial" and is the research I have referenced in tonight's class. The second is I a nice report on podcasting. As if you don't have enough to read, I have provided two additional files for you. One is a great (and insanely dense) "bible" that will give you clear insights and definitions on the technology of video and television. Consider yourself warned, this is a major gear-head paper and most will find it rather arcane. But there are always a few folks in class who are seeking a deeper technical knowledge on the topic and I will continue to do my best to provide that information. This paper is published by the Quantel Corporation and can be downloaded from their site. I have parked it here to make it a little easier to find. I was doing some research on Brightcove (you will hear more about them as we explore syndicated video distribution models) and I came across this article in PC Magazine (not exactly the last bastion of academic rigor, but hey, you take the information where you find it.) This article is a nice quick review of a few of the exploding video distribution sites on the web.