Tag Archives: Process Posts

Week 10: The Analytical ABC’s and the Editing Blues

After weeks of making small and dramatic design changes to my blog, I finally feel ready to buckle down and start the next massive task: editing all of my posts. I began this tiresome (but necessary) task by going through my movie review posts and adding embedded videos. I wanted to add trailers to my content posts because I wanted to reduce my audience exit rate. Even though I don’t have information about why my audience exits my website, I understand that many people want to watch trailers, not just read reviews. If I did not have trailers available, people would have to leave my website to find them (and there’s no guarantee they’ll come back). Another simple but important change I made to some of my posts was adding links to other articles I’ve written. For example, in my review for Searching, I added a note stating, “If you enjoy mysteries, you may also enjoy the TV series The Five (available on Netflix).” I decided to link to other articles after hearing Monique Sherrett’s lecture on audience and analytics. Monique discussed the importance of user engagement: how long do people spend on each page, how many pages do they view before exiting, how many users return (Sherrett). Linking to other shows and movies users might like can help increase their engagement, and potentially increase their interest in my website.

(An example of the changes I made).

After Monique’s lecture for our class, I also began thinking more critically about goals and objectives for my blog. Monique explained that goals are broad statements about actions we want people to take, whereas objectives are measurable, specific, actionable, and achievable (Sherrett). My first goal is that I want to increase the page views for my TV Reviews category. In order to create a more specific, measurable and actionable objective, I looked at my Google analytics to better understand my viewers’ behaviours. I was surprised to see the TV Reviews category already had over 50 page views because I created this section more than halfway through the course. After checking the views, I created an objective: I want to have more than 100 views for the TV Reviews category on my blog by December 31, 2018.

I looked at the Acquisitions section of my Google analytics in order to create a plan to achieve my objective. The following graph shows the breakdown of how people enter my website:

This chart made me realize that no one is finding my website through social media because I have not linked my blog on my social media accounts. I originally avoiding providing a link to my blog because I felt nervous about my friends and family reading my work, but I’m going to try adding the link to see if this helps to increase the number of people entering my site.

In order to increase the interest in TV Reviews, I’m also going to try posting for this category more often. I focussed on my Movie Reviews for my weekly posts, but once the semester is over I will have more time to post more frequently in both categories. If I post more often, this might result in more viewers returning to see what’s new. I can also try linking more related TV shows to movie reviews. There are many ways to increase views!

 

Work Cited

Sherrett, Monique. SFU Publishing 101, 30 October 2018, Harbour Centre, Vancouver, BC. Guest Lecture.

Week 9: My Infographic

I had very little experience with creating infographics. I’m not capable of making one from scratch so I opted for the free ones! Thankfully, I’ve used Piktochart to create mine and it’s very simple. With free software (and limited knowledge of the software), I came up with a very simple one.

my desktop screen

I wasn’t comfortable showing who I am online because I still have this unfamiliarity with blogs. So, I focused on my own online activities and how that represents me.

Discord and Reddit are big time spenders I have online. I like to be on Reddit because I can browse for news and find updates on topics that I follow. I don’t usually engage because I’m content with reading. I occasionally comment, but I prefer to stay anonymous. I use Discord because a few of my close friends are on there, and it’s an easy way to communicate when we play games online. These 2 are part of my online self. I am active in my own circles, but curious in others.

Instagram is the closest platform for me that represents my ideal online. I also want to create content that’s eye catching and interesting. I do have pieces of my personal life on there, but I try to keep it vague. I use it the most often because it’s a good aggregation of content that I want to see (especially the many dog accounts). All this combined represents who I am online, and I kept the theme neutral to focus on these aspects.

Process Post Week #10 – Google Analytics

This past week I spent an extensive amount of time on Google Analytics and was surprised by the amount and variety of data being tracked from my blog.

While viewing real-time reports I did not see any data as nobody was viewing my blog at that time. To see these reports in action I decided to share my blog’s link with family and friends. Within a matter of seconds, I saw a spike in the number of active users and so I began to view the real-time reports. The location and traffic sources reports were not very helpful as I already knew the location of viewers and how they had accessed my blog. However, the content report was interesting as it enabled me to see what was being read and how many people were viewing my content.

This week I set up a goal to see how many readers view a series which I recently started. I have assumed the role of a general manager and I am attempting to lead my team to the Stanley Cup. I was ecstatic when I saw success in the real-time conversions report which showed that people were reading this series. I have found that setting up goals is a useful way to track certain aspects of my blog. I believe that this is something that I will continue doing to further enhance my blog. For instance, as mentioned in last week’s process post if I pursue sponsorships to monetize my blog, I will track those specific posts to see how readers engage with the content.

Moreover, most of my audience seems to be situated in the lower mainland, however, one reader is from Poland. I am hoping to expand readership by growing my brand on social media. Furthermore, I was surprised to see that I have more new visitors compared to returning visitors. I believe that this will be beneficial as I continue to grow my blog, but I hope that these new visitors will return in the future. Again, analytics will assist in this regard.

I was fascinated by the user explorer report as it provided a detailed analysis of a device’s path on my blog. The ability to track which pages are viewed the most is very helpful as it shows me what viewers are reading and which content I should be publishing more of or less. Also, due to the ability to track browsers, operating systems, devices, and their screen resolutions I will now be able to optimize my blog for these specific viewers.

The user flow report provided me with an overview of how users navigate my blog. Where they go first, what they do next and where they drop off. Understanding these elements will be beneficial to potentially re-organize my content. If viewers are flocking to a particular order when they view content, I believe that this could be a sign to re-order my blog to their convenience.

After diving into the analytics of my blog I look forward to spending more time viewing reports of interactions with my blog and hope to continue improving it by making it more interesting and engaging for readers.

Process Post – 7

This week, I’ve been trying to set up the Google Analytics plugin for my blog. By installing Google Analytics, it can help me look at different user statistics on my blog. This will allow me to identify demographics on my website, user behavior on different pages (how long people stay), and adjust my site functionality accordingly. That being said, I had trouble setting up the Google Analytics plugin, because somehow it wouldn’t let me authenticate my google account. Thus, I tried using an alternative produced by Monster Insights, which also produces Google Analytics but simply an alternative plugin. I was able to authenticate my Google account for this plugin, however, it seems to be malfunctioning because it wouldn’t display any user activity (page views and sessions show 0). This means that there’s definitely some malfunction because I’ve visited the sites myself, my classmate has visited it, and my TA Ellen has also viewed it.

In conclusion, I will be focusing on setting up and troubleshooting Google Analytics plugin in the following week. Perhaps I will look at more forums and videos as guides.

PROCESS POST: Create an Ad (week 9)

Considering the content of my site, I think that monetizing it would look like finding a creative way to raise money for NightShift Ministries. I saw another organization do a campaign for youth homelessness, and I think it would work extremely well in the context of my blog. The idea is that people would volunteer to sleep outside for one night and ask their friends and family to support them in this by donating money towards NightShift. The goal of my blog partnering with NightShift for this campaign would be to raise awareness for people sleeping on the streets throughout the cold winter months, and to raise funds towards the meals and other resources that NightShift provides for these people each day.

The call to action on social media would look a bit like this:

On November 27, sleep outside with us and help us to reach our goal of raising $1000 towards NightShift Ministries, an organization that supports our friends who sleep on the street every night. To sign up, click here! To donate, click here!

I would aim for this to be a full campaign, partnered with NightShift, that would draw attention to both their organization and what they do to support the vulnerable in Surrey, as well as drawing attention to the stories told through my blog.

Another idea I had is to do a “Closet Cleanout” campaign to encourage people to donate clothing they aren’t wearing to NightShift. This would be held at NightShift, and all clothing brought would be donated to them. Additionally, I could get the name of my site out into the public because a lot of people are interested in helping others in the winter time. It would be a good opportunity for me to get the name of my blog out there, while simultaneously drawing in clothing donations for the organization.

The call to action on social media would be a version of this:

Do you have any extra coats, sweaters, gloves, or boots? Winter is approaching, and our friends are living on the street. Participate in our Closet Cleanout with NightShift on November 22nd to give to those in need.

These ads would be posted on Instagram and Facebook. I would post them on Instagram because that’s where my target audience (young adults) would most likely see the ads. I would post them on Facebook because Facebook is a very events based app. I would hope that these ads would draw attention to homelessness in Surrey, NightShift, and my blog.

Week 9: Follow Me On My Data Trails

I must admit that I am not overly paranoid about the data trails I leave behind. I used to be extremely uncomfortable with the idea that I can be easily tracked, but for some reason that fear has subsided. Maybe that has something to do with the fact my data trail has not visibly affected my day-to-day life. Maybe that has something to do with how much work it is to avoid creating data trails. Maybe I’ve just given up. Regardless, I know Amazon, Google, Facebook, and more have absorbed mass amounts of information about me. I found Suzanne Norman’s (2015) article on “trying not to drop breadcrumbs in Amazon’s store” interesting because I didn’t expect the store not to accept cash. Our digital-focused world is increasing the difficulty to avoid leaving breadcrumbs.

I actually found it very interesting to discover how user data is analyzed from a business perspective. For this week’s lecture, we had Monique Sherrett present and discuss website monetization. Monique (2018) discussed how Google Analytics can provide information that can help improve your blog, such as knowing what people click on, how long they spend on pages, and what time people are typically accessing your website.

This lecture also led me to consider the possibility of monetizing my website. I don’t think my website would make any considerable amount of money, but I wouldn’t mind having affiliate ads or partnerships with specific theatres or movie companies. I don’t think these types of advertisements would take away from the integrity of my work because I am still focused on discussing movies, not theatres. If people were on my website and decided they wanted to buy tickets through my affiliate ads, great. If not, I’m fine with that too. Making money isn’t my focus.

Roshane encouraged us to consider what kinds of ads we would have on our websites. When I thought about different partnerships or affiliate advertisements I could have for my movie review blog, I thought of three potential companies: Cineplex, Landmark Cinemas, or Atom Tickets. Cineplex would be a great partnership because they are a large company and they often have a wider range of films than Landmark Cinemas (mostly because they have larger theatres). On the other hand, I have a more personal connection with Landmark Cinemas because I have worked at the Guildford location for just shy of seven years. Atom Tickets seems like a neutral company because their focus is allowing users to purchase tickets and concession in advance, skip the lines, and receive rewards. However, Atom Tickets currently only provides tickets for Landmark Cinemas, so these advertisements would still feel tied to Landmark.

I didn’t create an advertisement, but here is an example of my personal experience and love of Landmark.

I am in the red power ranger suit, and my coworker and manager are the other two power rangers. We did this promotion for the release of the new Power Rangers movie and had prize wheels, colouring stations, and more. I would be happy to partner with Landmark because they are a theatre that knows how to have fun and create “movie magic” for their guests.

 

Works Cited

  • Norman, Suzanne. 2015 “Trying not to drop breadcrumbs in Amazon’s store.” http://publishing.sfu.ca/2016/03/breadcrumbs-of-data/
  • Sherrett, Monique. October 2018. Presentation on monetization and Google Analytics. Lecture at Simon Fraser University for Publishing 101.

Week: 3- process posty; Mapping the Online Persona


My PUB 101 content would go in the drop-down menu on the left-hand side with other subjects that I want to talk about in my blog. And under the PUB101 tab, it includes process posts and any other assignments related to this course. I also want to add some sort of graphic that captures the essence that my blog displays. 

  • This was my first idea of what I wanted my site to look like. 
  • My second design as I figured out my website. 

Process Post 8

After reading my last peer review done by Cherie, I realized I have to make my website more marketable. Since I wanted to build a following with my photography account on Instagram. I have decided to share a link to it on every blog post. Asking my readers to spread the word about Let’s talk about Art History. I have chosen to use my Instagram account to spread the word about my blogging site because between 2017 to 2018, Instagram gained 200 million more users. This app is growing ever so fast and is very visual based, similar to my art blog.  Also, I have left my personal email if anyone has any questions about me.

This is the links that show at the end of every blog post. I intentionally put it at the bottom of the page after the reader has finished reading so it is not much of a distraction.

Essay 1: Social Media is Capitalistic, Not Democratic

On February 2014, Facebook introduced an update called the real name policy (Bivens, 2017). This introduction increased gender identifications from 2 to 58 (Bivens, 2017). As an attempt of inclusivity, Facebook is perceived to be giving a democratic response to a growing concern of minorities in online spaces. More users can now choose who they identify themselves as without compromising their self-identity. However, after the policy has been implemented, many queer and LGBTQ members reported that they can no longer access their profile because their names do not fit with their supposed identity (Bivens, 2017). Facebook may be giving power to its queer users, but I argue that’s not the case. I argue that social media is capitalistic, not democratic. LGBTQ users’ names and genders are to fit in the heteronormative standard in order for marketers and the state to keep track of its citizens through surveillance and protection (MacAulay & Moldes, 2016). Non-binary users are always recoded back to the binary system, exposing the inauthentic gesture of Facebook as inclusive and democratic (Bivens, 2017). LGBTQ users’ fluid and changing experiences cannot be truly represented online. Thus, hindering their entrepreneurial pursuits and community building (Lingel & Golub, 2015).

On Facebook’s Help Center, there is a section that acknowledges names on Facebook (Facebook, 2018). Aside from the things to keep in mind, the standards specify that the name should appear on and ID or part of their ID document list (Facebook, 2018). This means that an expected first and last name must be created for the user. This may not necessarily reflect on queer identities and that already causes conflicts. 

The PEW Research conducted a survey on 1197 self-identified LGBT adults 18 years or older asking about their online use (PEW, 2013). Eighty percent of respondents use sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but the survey shows prohibiting behaviours online (PEW, 2013). Fifty six percent of surveyors said that they have not revealed their sexual identities online, and 83% do not regularly discuss LGBT issues online (PEW, 2013). LGBT groups experience different treatment in these online spaces, but still continue to use it. With Facebook’s real name policy, there was an attempt to be inclusive. Facebook is now in support of these minorities, and empowering them through their profiles. But as seen in MacAulay & Moldes, Bivens, and Lingel & Golub’s works, Facebook is driven by capitalistic notions, disguising their authentic gestures to mask its market driven responses.

MacAulay & Moldes acknowledges that Facebook uses the real name policy to justify legal precedents and cite harmful actions towards others such as harassment, impersonation and trolling (2016). While these seem legitimate concerns, they find that they’re less interested in protecting them rather than making the users ‘transparent to the market and the state’ (MacAulay & Moldes, 2016). A key concept they identify stemming from queer theory is normativity (or heteronormativity). This is described as a regulatory system that naturalizes sex and gender (MacAulay & Moldes, 2016). This process of normativity means that agents and groups take the effort to impose and force individuals to fit into existing systems to keep order or regulate easier. Heteronormativity then entails that binary systems (male and female) are the correct and only way to follow due to economic and legal precedents. This means that anyone who deviates from it are not ‘performing correctly’ (MacAulay & Moldes, 2016). Data collection is another issue that they bring up because this forces users who actively avoid as part of Facebook’s marketer aggregation. They have to choose between binary choices that will not fit them, and that can result in their accounts being banned or ultimately not use the service anymore. A democratic practice in social media will allow any individual to self-express and create within their own public spaces, but the notion of heteronormativity does not give that space to queer users. It simply favours what funds the company running the service. They also cite the increase of market shares that occurred in 2014 after the real name policy was introduced. Market shares in 2011 decreased to 19.82 USD after reports of fake users on Facebook surfaced and after the real name policy was implemented, the shares rose to 78.02 USD in December 2014 (MacAulay & Moldes, 2016). The theory of normativity serves as a great interest to what can be marketed and how that affects minorities who want to use Facebook. And these experiences continue to exist.

Bivens examined Facebook’s gender coding system and found that when coding the genders, females were assigned 1, males were assigned 2, and the ‘undefined’ were assigned 0 (2017). This undefined category has been the standard for coding non-binary genders and how that allows Facebook to include so many gender options. On one hand, the number 0 allows for the existence of non-binaries, but does not exactly fit into the binary code (Bivens, 2017). Bivens found that later updates to the code see that newly assigned genders and their code will default to the undefined because the codes were not established since creating it (2017). The 56 additional genders are now, in the back end, defaulted to 0 even if it is given a defined gender (Bivens, 2017). This allowed Facebook to easily aggregate data that can be sent to marketers who are only interested in the binary genders (Bivens, 2017). The nuances and multiple gender identities have been devolved to 0 and continuously will not receive the technological support on Facebook. These regulations are masked as authenticity, and it does not seem democratic. Rather, it forces its users into shaping to what is acceptable online and what numbers can be easily assigned to them so that it can be quickly shared and sold online. 

It does not support the lives and work of other members of the community too. Drag users are greatly affected by restricting user information flexibility to fit with their fluid and changing personalities to continuously be entertaining drag queens (Lingel & Golub, 2015). Online identity work has become an extension of their own work, and that continuity allows them to stay connected with their fans and fellow queens. It supports them in a capitalistic sense that allows them to advertise their shows and market their identities, but it does not allow multiple identities (Lingel & Golub, 2015). This, again, falls into the notion of normativity where they are forced into one trackable identity. Facebook acknowledges an inclusivity of users, but does not acknowledge multiple and fluid online identities (Lingel & Golub, 2015). Instead, it advocates a unifying and unitary profile (Lingel & Golub, 2015). While drags do not represent the majority of the LGBTQ community, these collective experiences contribute to a shared, limited, and constrained online experience that does not allow the desired expectation to freely express themselves. Rather, they have to fit the normative mold to appease Facebook’s marketers and regulators. The real name policy is just another example in online social spaces that operates to generate revenue. Facebook acts for money, not for its users.

Reference

Bivens, R. (2017). The gender binary will not be deprogrammed: Ten years of coding gender on Facebook. New Media & Society, 19(6), 880–898. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/10.1177/1461444815621527.

Facebook (2018). What names are allowed on Facebook? Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/help/112146705538576?helpref=faq_content.

Lingel, J., & Golub, A. (2015). In Face on Facebook: Brooklyn’s Drag Community and Sociotechnical Practices of Online Communication: IN FACE ON FACEBOOK. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 20(5), 536-553.

MacAulay, M., & Moldes, M. (2016). Queen don’t compute: Reading and casting shade on Facebook’s real names policy. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 33(1), 6-22.

PEW Research Center (2013, June 13). A survey of LGBT Americans: LGBT adults online. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/06/13/a-survey-of-lgbt-americans/.

Social Media Lacks Democracy (Essay 1)

Democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political beliefs, in the popular city of Athens. The first time anyone used democracy was around 508-507 BC. Now we can see it almost all around the world. Some people believe that democracy is even starting to appear on social media; however, I think the opposite. Democracy is not present online because the way social media works, isn’t the same as how a democracy works. Democracy is supposed to be for the common people and with minimum government interaction, while online users are being censored for what they post. Also, the way people act online isn’t the same as a democracy.

 

Democracy is about treating every citizen equally, on the internet some people get a bigger voice than others. Social media filters out who gets a voice and who doesn’t get a voice according to their power. Alex Jones is an American Radio show host and conspiracy theorist whose information was censored on social media. He had four pages on Facebook that were shut down for ‘using dehumanizing language to describe people’ (Hern, A 2018). A few hours after the Facebook ban, Youtube proceeded to terminate his account as well. The power of facebook shutting down and terminating accounts, is an example of social media controlling people’s voices and not letting them be heard, which is the opposite of how democracy works. On the other hand, American President Donald Trump is able to embarrass a senator over twitter saying “lightweight senator _@RandPaul should focus on trying to get elected in kentucky— a great state which is embarrassed by him.” (7. Lightweight (n.d.). Because Trump’s twitter is viewed as a platform for the general public’s interest, twitter excused his inappropriate tweet. Allowing Donald Trump to be able to get away with saying similar statements as Alex Jones is an example of abusing freedom of speech. Faust Rossi, an attorney from the United States Department of Justice Honors Program, also states “Freedom of speech is said to be the most cherished of our constitutional rights.” (Gold, L n.d.). Not limiting the power of government and censoring people’s voices and uncensoring some, contrasts what democracy represents.

 

Fake news has always been an issue throughout all news sources. Now that majority of the people (67 percent of American adults) get their news through social media, fake news has started to become a popular trend. Weather it is someone’s strong belief or just a joke, the internet has been trying to diminish the presence of fake news. Facebook has started to hire fact checkers to scan many articles. This doesn’t represent democracy because whoever published a fake news article isn’t being treated equally, compared to someone who hasn’t. Although the fake news is incorrect it is still someone’s voice that is being deprecated. Similarly if a parliament member isn’t having an equal voice compared to others, then it’s tainted the democratic system.

 

The internet is becoming increasingly popular with adults. A study conducted by The Pew Research Center showed that, 67 percent of adults get their news from social media. This is problematic because people are tailoring only what they want to see online. David Robson said, “Although millions of people are using the internet to expand their horizons, many people are doing the opposite, creating a daily me that is specifically tailored to their own interests and prejudices.” This is creating something called an ‘echo chamber’. An echo chamber is designed to segregate people from other political views. Ideally this is not a trait that a parliament member in a democratic system would want to have. In a democratic parliament, members are allowed to have different opinions; however, each member is encouraged to be open to hearing other people’s beliefs, to have a strong committee. Democracy is about hearing everyone’s opinions and settling with what is best and what majority agrees upon.  

 

Social media has never played such a big role in society before. The way that social media works doesn’t run in a democratic way. People aren’t being treated equally online and is controlled by large firms that act likes governments. Furthermore, people are being trapped in ‘echo chambers’ that are separating everyone apart and not keeping in mind of the majority. Social media is separated into two parts, one the people who have a big enough following to have a say and two the people who have little followings with not much say. Social media does not create democratic spaces for people to have a voice.

Sources:

Pew Research Center. (2017, November 08). Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://marketingland.com/pew-research-center-says-45-americans-get-news-facebook-228001

7. Lightweight. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/pictures/flji45elmm/7-lightweight/#536045ae1624

Hern, A. (2018, August 06). Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify ban Infowars’ Alex Jones. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/06/apple-removes-podcasts-infowars-alex-jones

Gold, L. (n.d.). Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2011/03/free-speech-central-democracy-rossi-says