COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

1. Reposting images
   • Most images used in theplutoblog.com are not owned by PLUTO. If you decide to repost the images in this website, please credit the photographer and/or creator. All images have the photographer listed within the post itself. If you are not sure about the copyright of the image, simply leave a comment in the post you found the image in and I will get back to you within a few moments. 
2. How are comments moderated?
   • All comments posted to blog posts on PLUTO will be first reviewed by a moderator to ensure they meet community standards. This process should only take a few moments. Your comment will appear on the site after it has been approved.
     • I also ask the community to self-moderate and abide by the rules outlined in this guide. I believe anyone can add to the discussion on the many posts. 
3. What kinds of comments are removed?
   • Spam
     • Do not flood the comments with multiple messages that say the same thing. Messages promoting businesses, special deals, sales, and others will be removed. 
   • “Trolling”
     • Please remain relevant in and on the topic. If one is to purposely deviate from the conversation or post inflammatory comments, they will be removed. 
   • Racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination
     • Attacking a group of people or making statements against groups are not allowed anywhere in this site. PLUTO is a safe and open space for people of every form. 
   • Offensive usernames
     • If your username includes words that are offensive or abusive, your comment will be rejected and removed.
   • Targeted attacks
     • Attacks against the writer, against other commentators will be rejected and removed. Name-calling, threats and verbal abuse is not tolerated.  

IMPLEMENTATION

The guidelines will be displayed in my ‘about’ page where it provides easy accessibility. The ‘about’ page is the only part of the blog that is relevant to the website itself and not the content. 

The guidelines will be further implemented by the comments be moderated. When one makes a comment, it will sends an email to me to moderate the comment. Based on my short, but hopefully effective guideline for comments, I will then examine each comment before deciding whether to post or reject.

These are the right guidelines for me, because…

Firstly, because my blog is image focused, people may want to share the images. The majority of the images are not mine, but I make sure to credit the original creator or photographer within the posts the images can be seen in. Therefore, making the guideline for crediting the originator is vital. 

Like the article by the Guardian said about the ideal commentary space: “comments threads are thoughtful, enlightening, funny: online communities where readers interact with journalists and others in ways that enrich.” 

My hopes for PLUTO is to have an open and safe space for people to enjoy the content that is being presented and discuss their likes and dislikes. People sharing their thoughts on the blog, the posts, and the content itself can help make my blog better and more tailored towards my audience. Essentially strengthening the connection between blogger and reader. It also makes it possible for the readers to be visiting the site more often if they enjoy what they see. 

In addition, the Pluto Blog is not only a place for me to showcase my favourite creative works by people in the fashion industry, but also—hopefully—a place where readers can also share some of their favourite work in the comments by linking to editorials, photographs, biographies, videos, and other forms of media. As much as I try to learn and open myself up to new people, I absolutely adore discovering new things from people who are much more educated than me in subject of fashion photography. 

Having a more rigorous moderating system and guidelines will help with targeted harassment and “trolls” that seem to find the most discreet websites on the Internet to infuriate and bamboozle the community. As stated by the Time article, “what trolls do for the lulz ranges from clever pranks to harassment to violent threats,” is not something I ever want to see in PLUTO. Arguably, the Internet is for an open arena of comments and it’s “undemocratic” to close off certain opinions. However, just like the everyday life, when we talk to people in person, we expect certain behaviours like being polite. By having a moderator system in place for comments will help implement the notion of ‘treat others the way you want to be treated’.

Featured image by Elizaveta Porodina for Vogue Arabia (2019), starring Adriana Lima.

Other than the Pokémon reading for this week, the other readings were inaccessible. Therefore, I took it upon myself to research a little on the notion of ‘transmedia’. According to Terry Heick (2019), transmedia is defined as “a narrative that extends beyond multiple media forms that also plays to the strength those forms” (para. 1). Based on this definition and in the context of the process post prompt’s question on implementing “more transmedia integration,” my plan is simply to be active in my online presence when it comes to my blog.

To do so, not only do I post at least once a week for my regular blogposts outside of PUB 101, but I also share posts in respect to the blogposts in my social media account. The channel I am currently using is Instagram. Through Instagram, especially with the algorithm now, people won’t necessarily see all the posts I would share. This may seem like a negative, but as a benefit, it allows me to share as many posts as I want without it being a nuisance to my audience. 

The reason why Instagram remains my medium for transmedia storytelling is because my blog is mainly focused on images. Other than Instagram, photographs are not exactly the focus for other media sites. Pinterest can work, except I can be more active in Instagram than Pinterest since I am already an active member in my personal accounts. 

In addition, the reading: “Pokemon as Transmedia Storytelling,” says that transmedia “does not simply disperse information: it provides a set of roles and goals which readers can assume as they enact aspects of the story through their everyday life” (para. 7). In relation to my choice of Instagram is that part of its worth is the notion of being able to keep track—and sometimes in real-time—of other people’s lives. By immediately sharing new posts in the Instagram account, it tells my audience that I have a new blog post on my website—if they wish to view it. 

Links to References:

1. https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/the-definition-of-transmedia/
2. https://kevinbrittenylauren.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/pokemon-as-transmedia-storytelling/

Featured image photographed by Nick Knight for the Gareth Pugh’s F/W 2017 collection.

Since this week’s process post prompt does not really offer a question to be answered, I will assume it is something about analytics and “data trails.”

Google Analytics Discoveries

Regarding analytics in context of my website, one of the most important discoveries for me was finding out that I have a greater presence on a desktop rather than a mobile phone. In a way, it was shocking to me, because arguably, people’s lives are revolved around our smartphones. The website’s accessibility of a smartphone however can be challenging. When I tested the website out on my iPhone, the structure wasn’t particularly the best. It is not my intention to make people scroll all the way down to see my posts, for that, I can only blame the template that I have chosen. Another discovery in my analytics was that people tend to stay quite a while on my posts—in terms of Internet time—approximately 30-seconds to 50-seconds. This surprised me, because I did not think my content would be intriguing. But I guess images help a lot, and possibly creating short paragraphs that are spread out within a post in coherence with images help make the posts more interesting.

Data Trails

As for data trails, I have not thought about it…until now. Though now that I come across the term, “data trails,” I do beckon the thought of how long mine might be. To begin with, almost everything nowadays is or will be digitalized. Artificial intelligence (AI) has made it efficient for some people to multitask in a busy contemporary setting. Like Suzanne Norman (2015) says in her article, “[AI] is used to enhance the customer experience; to making shopping easier.” It makes it easier, because systems can collect data through our motions, voices, and even eyesight through recognition software to identify different qualities of our beings and then tailor our likings or desires into a compact system. I am no stranger in using AIs. For anyone using Apple products, Siri is a significant feature in Apple products and I have utilized the function a few times while multitasking. Siri has definitely made working easier and more efficient, because I don’t have to worry about getting smaller things done that may slow my actions. As I have mentioned before, I do not even think about my digital trail. Which suggests that I don’t attempt to minimize my digital trail.

However, I am ambivalent on the idea of data trails. I can contest that everything around us are becoming digital which can cause some issues. For example, by deliberately offering information of my locations, information about my contactless cards and banking information: I have given my security essentially to digitized programs in my smartphone to make my life simpler and more readily accessible. The security issue that is questioned by the article, “Digital breadcrumbs: The data trial we leave behind,” is about the information that I knowingly give up and if the information “can be used against us?” My answer is yes. As a communication major, I have learned over the semesters that information technology can easily be hacked and spied on by the people around us and even by the government.

Despite the pros and cons of data trails, it is essential to comprehend that information is becoming digitalized for convenience. Our knowledge and lives will be infused with computerized systems and that is something—I don’t think—anyone can avoid.

Featured image photographed by Helmut Newton for Vogue US (1995). Outfit: Thierry Mugler.