Stop the MERGER!!

Getting straight to the point I feel that the plans to merge Alcoren State and Mississippi Valley with Jackson State is totally unfair. I do not think that Haley Barbour thought this plan out clearly. It has been said that the idea has been brought up in order to save money but in actuality money will not be saved but instead more money will be needed to make the change happen and to keep it up. I feel that by doing this merge it takes away from the history of each school. It defeats the purpose of all the hard work it took for us to get where we are now. Why can't ways be thought of to make more money to separately add to each school to make it better individually?

If we merge then it truly takes away from the college experience, the rival games and most importantly the history behind each college. I love my school--Jackson State University and I am pretty sure all the students that attend Alcorn and Valley love their schools as well. When I first heard about it I could tell that many people for against this and some were even highly upset about the idea. Once again I agree that it is time to have an honest discussion about our HBCU's. The idea has been thrown around that some of the community colleges should be closed down or merged. On that thought I do not feel that is necessary. Although, they are community colleges they too have history. But the idea to close down a few branches of the same community college would not be such a bad decision.

My mother is an alumni of Jackson State University. She was a senior at JSU when they had the Gibbs-Green shooting on the campus so she was apart of history. When I asked her about her views on the idea she said, "I feel that it shouldn't happen." She is totally against this. She then went on to tell why she felt that way, "because Jackson State is a historically black college and if he [Barbour] wants to merge something...why not Ole Miss and Mississippi State." Even my aunt who did not attend JSU is against the idea and I totally agree with them as well.

Television & The Holidays!

Every morning around 2 A.M. me and my aunt sit in the chair to watch Cold Case. I love Cold Case, CSI: Miami and Without a Trace. Basically any kind of show like those. Is television still the center of family activities? I would say yes. If we go buy a new movie we will all get around the living room and watch it. Or if one of our favorite shows are on we'll all watch it. Right now, as I write this we are sitting in the living room watching The Closer on TNT. My family just likes to watch television shows about mystery and solving cases. We're not really a sports family so at this time we're not watching the football game but maybe later on tonight.

On Monday, in no particular order, we watched the News, then it was a TV show named The World's Strictest Parents, Click and then I got on the computer to do some work and network. Later on I came back for the early morning routine of watching Cold Case. After their two shows I went to bed. I guess I like those shows so much because of how they go by finding the killer. Its always a joy in trying to figure out who did it and why. If I wasn't going into Mass Communication Forsenic Science would have been my next choice. On Tuesday, beside watching my routine episode of Monica: Still Standing on BET it was about the same as Monday and Wednesday as well. My brother came over and we watched some basketball game on television. On Thanksgiving day we ended up not watching the game. After we ate we sat around and talked and watched whatever was on the television that caught our attention.


My folks are some what just like me. We like to watch the same things maybe except for reality shows. The only time they watch those are when I am around. On Friday morning I got up early enough to watch Bringing Home Baby on TLC. Its another one of my favorite shows beside A Baby Story or the documentaries they show on that channel. Today is Saturday and I have watched several different shows. I think I woke up and started watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Throughout the evening my family and I flipped back and forth through the channels until I came across my favorite show The Game. It was the last episode of season 3 where Melanie (Tia Mowry) was getting married to Derwin (Pooch Hall). After that, Diary of a Mad Black Woman came on but I did not want to see that so I changed the television to watch Click again.


As I conclude this blog, nothing seems to be catching me and my aunt's attention so I think we're just going to watch The Incredibles, the cartoon movie about the family of crimefighting superhero's.

MC Practical: Family & Communication!

As I have spent quality time with my family over the Thanksgiving holiday I have paid close attention to how they communicate and the new media that they use. Over the break I was around my aunt and my parents the most. Each person has their own cell phone but the house phone is used more than anything. My aunt only uses her phone when she is out of the house but she stays on the house phone quite a lot. She doesn't have texting on her phone so she talks more. My dad does not too much use his cell phone nor does he use the house phone. He is more of a interpersonal communicator. When it comes to communication he doesn't too much use phones. My mom on the other hand has learn to text. So she uses the cell phone every now and then to talk and text but is mostly on the house phone as well. When someone texts her phone she'll text back. So talking and texting is equal with her.


No one in my immediate family is on Twitter or Facebook. You could say that they are technologically declined. No social networking for them. One day this week though my father attempted to search the net to look for some information on something. My mom is a little more computer illiterate then my dad and aunt but they have not yet to make their way to social networking. There are no computers in house besides my laptop when I come home. On Thanksgiving day my aunts son came over to eat. He is 49 years old and he frequents the social networks from time to time and uses his phone to talk, text and download ringtones. He has a Myspace and Facebook page. He doesn't too much change his status or update his page too often though.


Everybody in my house reads the newspaper regular. Especially my auntie and my mom. My dad doesn't read the newspaper that often but you can mostly find him with his reading glasses on and his face in a Tradewind magazine. We use to get the local paper sent to our house but it only comes out on Monday and Wednesday so they stopped getting it sent to the house. My cousin on the other hand, my aunt's son, stays in Alabama and he reads the newspaper everyday. My parents get their intake on whats going on from the news on TV. Over the break my mother listened to the radio. It was a gospel station that had a preacher doing a sermon. But they are always listening to the radio. In my family on my mother and I have iPods. She hardly uses hers though. The last time she did it was over the summer when she went on her daily walks. I use mines more than her though. When it comes to listening to music in my immediate family it is in the car with the cd player or on the music channel on TV.


All in all, the members in my family that I am mostly around the most when I am home are 50 and above. So, they are not really too equipped with the new media. They have cell phones but are not fully using it to it full advantages. My mom and dad know how to text better than my aunt does but my mom knows how to text better than my dad. Like I stated earlier they kind of know how to use the computer but are not internet smart. The only media that is used around this house with them are the TV, the radio, and cell phones.

MC Practical: Chris Brown's Upcoming Concert Tour!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Jamilah Vaughn

Royal Phoenix PR Firm

662.888.0990

jamilah8828@yahoo.com

Chris Brown's Upcoming Concert Tour

R&B Sensation is Back At it Again

(MARKS, MS) -- November 26, 2009 --America's number one hearthrob, singer, actor and award winning Chris Brown is back at it again with his upcoming concert.The natural born entertainer is putting together The Fan Appreciation Tour-a 19-date trek that takes the "Forever" singer to intimate venues and clubs "conceptualized for and with 'fans only' in mind," starting in Houston on November 14th 2009 till December 15th 2009 at The Nokia's Theater in New York. Tickets will go on sale immediately.

Chris is no stranger to sold-out concerts and he is back to regain his title as arena's number one headliner. Chris wants to put on the tour for all his loving and supportive fans that stood by him during his time of absence due to the incident between him and his former girlfriend, Rihanna. A portion of the proceeds from the tour will be donated to Best Buddies International, a non-profit organization devoted to providing friendships, jobs and leadership opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales will also go to The Jenesse Center, another not-for-profit organization.

Besides rewarding his fans by playing intimate venues, Chris Brown plans to meet his fans by offering special meet and greet opportunities. His junior album is set to be release sometime this year towards the end of the month. Dates will be posted later on for that and tour dates will as well. For more information you can go check out Chris's official website, chrisbrownworld.com or mechanicaldummy.com. #####

Sarah Palin's New Book

Alaska Politician Releases a Book

(MARKS, MISS)--November 10, 2009--Alaskan Governor who was Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2008, Sarah Palin is releasing her first highly anticipated book titled, "Going Rogue: An American Life." It will be released on Tuesday, November 17th 2009. It will outline her path to presidency.

There will be interviews held. In a world exclusive, Oprah Winfrey will interview Sarah Palin for an episode on the Oprah Winfrey Show that is schedule to show Monday, November 16th 2009, a day before her book releases. This will their first time meeting and doing an interview. More information can be found on the oprah.com. ####

*Sending out press releases are one way to get information out about a celebrity or anybody who is trying to get promoted. Although this is one way there are other avenues to give your client the best possible media attention. A press kit is done, the publicist will book interviews for their client whether it is for a television show, for a magazine, or at a radio station. Clients can do public appearances such as book signings or meet and greets. Mostly anything that helps get the client none to the public. I am majoring in Mass Communication with a concentration in public relations so this is some of the things I will be doing for my clients. In this field I want to become a publicist who will work for a record label helping to perfect and promote the image's of artist (my clients). This is my dream job that I am so passionate about.

*Later on in life I want to be a public relations specialist and open up my own PR Firm. This is my dream job. Writing these press releases were kind of hard because I did not know what was actually suppose to go in them and what I was allowed to say or what was too much information. It was easier talking about Chris Brown because I am a fan and I know more information on hm than Sarah Palin. Hopefully as time passes and I get into my higher courses I will learn. It was interesting doing this assignment though.

MC Practical: Advertisement!

All day I have watched and paid attention to the advertisements on television. Lately all have seen were commercials on the upcoming sales different stores will be having on Black Friday. For example, everyday throughout the week each channel was showing Black Friday sales. Those stores include Best Buy, Circuit City, Walmart and even car dealerships. The one I saw the most of was the one for a shoe and clothing store named Okuns. Their sale was buy one, get one half off for everything.

The only newspaper I was able to read while over the break was Monday and Friday--The Panolian, a local newspaper for the Panola County area. There was an advertisement for Treasurer Loans which is a loan company. Another was for Caldwell Insurance, Johnson's Furniture and The Dickins Funeral Home in the Monday paper. There were a lot of diverse ads and markets in the newspaper. From Serta Mattresses to Insurance and Furniture store ads in the Friday paper. Although there was a wide range of ads both newspapers had the same ones. Since I could not come across any other newspapers I went through some magazines like Seventeen and the Cosmopolitan. In the back of the magazines there were a whole two pages of different ads, from Shampoo that will grow your hair longer and thicker in thirty days to stores that sold lingerie.

As for Television commercials and advertisements there was one on the Downy product. Another was Cash4Gold which was offering 25% more cash if you sent in your old jewelry. All this was VH1 while watching Trading Spouses on Monday night. As I was watching Forrest Gump on Spike TV there were commercials advertising JC Penny's and Payless. Majority of the advertisements were for upcoming movies like Precious and Armour which I hear are two great and highly anticipated movies.

I feel that in order to understand and scrutinize media advertising you do not need to be a critical consumer. But I would not like to go into this area in Mass Communication. For the most part as I watched all the advertisements they begin to repeat themselves. Even when I changed the channels.

Does The Media Act Responsibly? Ethically? Define Defamation.

Does the media act responsibly or ethically? Tough question. In order to answer this one must first know what rules the media follow or should follow to act resonsibly or ethically. I would say that the media does not act responsibly all the time. In some ways the media acts responsibly but that is rarely. Sometimes the media promotes what is called the "American Dream." They give people the false perceptions of how it is said people should look, live, act and what they should wear. For example, the media portrays the images of being skinny and having a model type body. People who are not skinny and unhappy with their weight look at those model images and look for ways to become that. For some people, they end up having a low-self esteem, being unhappy and even committing suicide. When in all honesty being skinny or big-boned is not bad as long as both types are healthy. When it comes to information like news and things that go on that may or can harm people then the media acts responsibly. An example of this would be for instance if something happened in your state or area that the police did not want the general public to know at the time, often to protect the integrity of an investigation or even to avoid embarrassment to their department. However, media representatives act under responsibility to present certain information regardless of the desires of the law officials. Here is an article talkin about the media not being ethical.

Does the media act ethically? Ethically is defined as being in accordance with the accepted principles of right and wrong that govern the conduct of a profession. Honestly, taking a wild guess I would say yes. The media does act ethically according to the definition. The media does have ethical obligations to present only the information they believe to be factual. In law, defamation is the communication of a statement that makes a claim expressly stated or implied to be factual. It is usually, but not always, a requirement that this claim be false and that the publication to communicated to someone other than the person defamed. It is also known as slander(for spoken words) and libel(for written or otherwise published words)

Edward Bernays?? ...& PR today!

The question this week is who Edward Bernays? Has todays PR changed or is it the same template? How did Tylenol use PR to save the company? Before I proceed to answer the blog topic I would like to say that I am excited that we are on Public Relations now because that is my field of study.

Edward Bernays was known as the father of Public Relations and an American pioneer in the field of Public Relation. Bernay was the first to attempt to manipulate public opinion using the subconscious. He felt this manipulation was necessary in society, which he regarded as irrational and dangerous as a result of the 'herd instinct'. Bernays was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life Magazine.

Has PR changed or is it the same? For the most part Public Relations is the same with more modern ways added to it. Public Relations is the practice of managing the communication between an organization and its publics. Public relations gains an organization or individual exposure to their audience using topic of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. Traditional media publications are laying off journalist, consolidating beat reporters, shrinking their print editions, and many publications are shutting down entirely. It has been said that blogs are increasingly sprouting to replace traditional media with a more sustainable low-cost business model and are gaining more of a following. Blogs have a lower over-head costs than traditional media and are often said to provide better news coverage and analysis. The article link will provide those who do not know what PR is with more information.

"The Tylenol Crisis" is when Tylenol had several cases of people dying after they took Tylenol. Each Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule in question were each found to contain 65 milligrams of cyanide. The publicity about the capsules immediately caused a nationwide panic. After this crisis, Johnson & Johnson was faced with quite a dilemma. They needed to find the best way to deal with the tamperings, without destroying the reputation of their company and their most profitable product, Tylenol. Many marketing experts thought that Tylenol was doomed by doubts that the public may have had to whether or not the product was safe. "I don't think they can ever sell another product under that name," advertising genius Jerry Della Femina told the New York Times in the first days following the crisis. "There may be an advertising person who thinks he can solve this and if they find him, I want to hire him, because then I want him to turn our water cooler into a wine cooler'' said Knight. The public relations decisions made as a result of the Tylenol crisis, arrived in two phases. The first phase was the actual handling of the crisis. The comeback of both Johnson & Johnson and Tylenol, was the second phase in the public relations plan. The planning for phase two began almost as soon as phase one was being implemented. The company immediately alerted consumers across the nation, via the media, not to consume any type of Tylenol product. They told consumers not to resume using the product until the extent of the tampering could be determined. Johnson & Johnson, along with stopping the production and advertising of Tylenol, recalled all Tylenol capsules from the market. The recall included approximately 31 million bottles of Tylenol, with a retail value of more than 100 million dollars. The rest of the information can be found in this link: "The Tylenol Crisis".

New tools in the news!

What is news? Deciding what is newsworthy is not an exact science. News values are formed by tradition, organizational policy, and economics, and, more recently, by the digital revolution. Nonetheless, news is said to have five core elements that characterize new that is worthy. First it is timely. Yesterday's news is old news. No one really wants to hear about what happen yesterday but what happened earlier that same day. Secondly, its proximate, readers and viewers want to learn about their neighborhood, town, or country. Thirdly, news is prominent, the more important a person, the more valuable he or she is as a news source. Next, news is consequent, events that affect a great number or people have built-in news value. And lastly, it holds humans interest, those are stories that arouse some emotion in the audience--stories that are ironic, bizarre, uplifting, or dramatic.

The way news works in today's age is different from the past. As pointed out by Randy Reddick and Elliot King in The Online Journalist, in the past elite media organizations would send reporters to power centers and other locations where news usually happened to cover events. Today's reporters can sit at his or her desk and instantly access documents, databases, government records, and expert sources. There is really no more going out to look for news when they can just receive it at their desks. New skills are needed in order to make the most efficient use of the new tools. For example, the 21st century journalist must be able to perform Web searches, download data files and analyze them with spreadsheets, set up listservs, and use geographic mapping software. Those skills are generally lumped under the term computer-assisted reporting. Although the changes brought by the move to digital media are extensive, there are still some constants.

In my mass communications class we went to interview someone at a news station. Our interviewee gave us a tour around the place. In the production area we saw all the buttons on the production board. Tools that use to be used in the production room have changed or improved compared to what is used today. News stations now use the internet more than it use to be used. Most of all news stations have an online website. As for the news channel that I watched it did not seem biased or stereotypical. Now what news stations can do is report more news that people need or want to hear. Here's and research article on the topic: New news, old news.

The World Wide Web...

The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. With a web browser, one can view Web pages that may contain text, images, video, and other multimedia and navigate between them using hyperlinks. Before the existence of the World Wide Web there was not really too much of anything we could do. The things that could be done were improved once the World Wide Web was invented. The World Wide Web has changed the way we live our lives true enough. We can now pay our bills over the internet. We can check our bank accounts over the internet. We can shop online, watch movies and videos, we can send pictures, have long distance conversations through the world wide web. There is so much. The internet is a promotion place for anybody trying to get known. For example, people who want to become apart of the music industry.

Is it okay to say that for most of us the internet is our friend. The World Wide Web allows us to look for jobs and apply for them. It allows us to search different colleges and apply to those colleges. And for those of us who are already in college we can go online to make up our schedule, pay for tuition, and even complete registration. Although as for me I would rather tend to all that stuff with someone directly, face to face. Once again the World Wide Web gives us the privilege to do a lot of things. There are hardly any limitations to what one can do over the internet. Relationships are able to be made through the World Wide Web. We can even create our own websites to further promote a business and/or other things. I am currently in the process of trying to find a way to create a free website to promote myself for my future career. Some of my favorite things to do through the World Wide Web is networking, uploading pictures to my Facebook or Myspace, downloading music. Most of all online shopping even though that sometimes has its quirks.

Is it Facts or Feelings??

As a future PR person I need to get more in tuned with the news. I am not one who can say that I know a lot about MSNBC or Fox News. Although when I did watch the at home it was Fox News that I watched. I have yet to understand how things go on in the new business or how journalist and reporters go about doing things. Before this Intro. to Mass Communication class I really did not think that a news anchor/reporter could be biased and that all they did were report the story the way they were told or the way that it happened. So I am still learning.

Right now I am watching a video of a reporter on MSNBC's website. The story is about the escalation of money feud between John and Kate Gosselin. The reporter tells both sides of what John and Kate are each saying. They then shows a snippet of John Gosselin saying something about it. At the end the reporter asked, "Do we care about this, honestly?" Fox News seems to focus more on politics. I saw more political reports than anything else. MSNBC seems to be have more reports on things that go on with celebrities including politics and all that other stuff.

I hear that Fox News is one biased news channel. Maybe that is said because they throw in their opinions when giving its viewers the story. The slogan says, "Fair and Balanced" but some may disagree with that. As I watched the two reporting's were they objective? Were they free of bias? Was it based on facts rather than opinions and feelings? In a way I feel that MSNBC was kind of nonobjective because at the end the reporter added her two cents. The video I watched about the jet that overshot the airport giving by Fox News seemed okay. I did not hear to many of their own opinions. I feel that it was objective. They gave information from the pilot and other primary sources. This time around Fox News did not add there opinions but the reporter at MSNBC added hers.

I am What I watch!

As of now I am at home for the weekend so when I am here in my room I watch more TV than I would at school. This is maybe because I share a TV with my roommate and at home it's my own TV. Right now I am tuned into the Food Network channel watching Ace of Cakes. I like seeing them make the different cakes. Do I watch a lot of television? I would say so so but not too much. I would like to start watching the news more. That is something I really need to do more. In high school I did watch Fox news almost everyday at 5:00 after the Maury Show but since I have gotten to school that has changed. Since I am a little busier now than I was I mostly watch TV around 7 or 9:00 and earlier on the weekends. I have a routine that I try to keep up with. Most of everything I like to watch comes on at night on Tuesdays and Thursdays sometimes Monday. So every Thursday at 9 I am tuned into The Real Housewives of Atlanta as of now. On Tuesday I was tuned into Tiny & Toya until the season was over and on Mondays I used to make sure I watched Runs House or Daddy's Girls.

I would not say that I have a TV habit. I would say that what I do take the time out to watch on TV relates to my personality in many ways. I watch a lot of reality shows, fashion shows, forensic science episodes and even cooking shows. I love reality shows like The Real Housewives of Atlanta because they are a group of talented, wealthy and pretty black women. I see what I want to be in the future in some of them when it comes to a loving family, the clothing lines, owning my own business, living in a big house, making money and just being known world wide. I love fashion. One day I dream to be apart of something dealing with clothes whether its opening up a boutique, learning how to sew, creating my own line (with someone else or by myself) or just walking down the runway during Fashion Week in New York. At one point in my life I wouldn't have mind majoring in something dealing with Forensics. CSI: Miami is my favorite.

Basically whatever I watch it ties in with things I want to accomplish in life. I am a very versatile person with a lot of things on my to do list in life. They say, "You are what you eat" but I would rather say, "I am what I watch." Just like the books I read or write, the TV shows I watch give me a chance to live in someone elses life just for a few minutes until I can make it possible in my own life. And I am patiently waiting on Monica's season of Still Standing to come out Tuesday. Here are just a couple links to some of the networks that show the shows I like to watch: http: CWtv, BET, TLC and Bravo. Television is how I stay intuned with what is going on in the world and my future.

Movies Today vs. Years Ago!

Over the years the process of motion pictures have expanded or improved. Something that is now so big was once so small. Motion pictures were possible because of two quirks of the human perceptual system: the phi phenomenon and persistence of vision. In the early 19th century, a host of toys that depended on this principle were created in Europe. Later on other things like the Kinetoscope was perfected my Williams Dickinson. Nickelodeons were soon created and it cost a nickel just to see a short 1-minute film. As time passed movies were made longer but the cost to make the movie got higher as well. Different theaters and film productions were becoming available. MPPC (Motion Picture Patents Company) was formed to restrict movie making to the nine companies that made up the MPPC. But by 1917, the organization has lost it power. Hollywood became the central area for filming and production and a star system was made. Constantly, different changes were happening in the film industry and motion pictures went from no sound to sound in the late 1920's. Warner Brother's made this step. When the Great Depression hit the novelty of sound gave a boost to the film industry and it was regarded as Depression-proof industry. From 1960 and on up the industry continued to grow. More money was being made. More money were put into creating and filming the movie.

There are more and more production companies today. A few old ones are still around, have changed names or have died out to make way for new companies. Motion picture in the digital age is a lot more improved then in the past. It continues to make billions of dollars. Many big-budget motion pictures such as Superman Returns and Miami Vice, were shot with digital cameras. Digital distribution is much cheaper. Movies can be sent on disc or electronically by satellite or optical fiber or even the internet. The biggest problem with moving to such a system is that most movie theaters are not yet equipped to handle digital distribution or projection. Converting theaters to the new technology will require a significant financial commitment. There are also several revenue streams for the motion picture industry: (1) money taken in at the U.S. box office, (2) revenue from the international box office, (3) sales and rentals of DVDs and tapes, and (4) miscellaneous video sources such as pay-per-view and video-on-demand. A lot is done in order to make a movie, finalize everything once its done, promote the movie and get it out there for people to see. The process seems long but its a good money making industry.

Not only has changes been made in those areas of the filming industry but in other areas as well. As for as actors and actresses there are a vast variety of different races in the movie business. There aren't only whites but black, Latinos and other races. There are different movie plot being shown on the big screen. More independent film companies are out. Basically the world of motion picture is more diverse now than it was 10-20 years ago. Here's a link that can provide more information for you on this topic.

Diversity in Music...

Is music changing? I can say yes to that. The top 5 albums on the Billboards are the Backspacers by Pearl Jam, The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z, Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace, I Look To You by Whitney Houston and The Time Of Our Lives by Miley Cyrus. Is there diversity in music? Ofcourse there is. Starting with genres, there are several different genres. Some artist today can fit in more than one of those genres. On the Billboard Charts there is diversity. The Pearl Jams are more of a rock band and Jay-Z is more of Hip-Hop. I also noticed that there is a slight diversity in age of these top 5 artist. Instead of people listening to a certain type of music they have broaden their horizons and sought interest in other types. Artist also are moving out of one particular sound. For example, Lil' Wayne started out as rap or hip-hop but he is now adding a little rock into his songs.

On another note album sales are dropping. Artist may be saling a good amount of ablums but without free downloading tools and sites more CD's could be sold. Now adays you have people who would rather download an album for free instead of buying it for the regular price. With the free use of Limewire and Bearshare are reasons that play apart in the decline of CD sales of an artists album. I only buy CD's if I just totally like a person and want to support them. For example Chris Brown, every album he has come out with I have supported him and brought the album. Even when he put out Dual Editions of the same album I purchased it also. The artist Keri Hilson is another person whose CD I have purcahsed recently. They are not the only artist I really like because when it comes to music I love it. Music plays apart in why I chose the career path that I have chosen.

In my opinion the two best inventions that have come out is the ipod and ringtones. I love them with a passion. When an ipod first came out I wasn't too excited or fond of it. I felt like I didn't care if I had one or not but once I got one I liked it and now my ipod is like my baby. Beside the fact that I they created text messaging on cellphones the only other reason I like cellphones is because of the ability to have ringtones. Without it I don't think a cellphone would interest me as much as it does. When it comes to ipods and ringtones I believe they have a positive affect on CD sales. I say this because hundreds and thousands of people buy ringtones and artist get money from people purchasing their songs as ringtones. Ringtones help artist make money as well. iTunes also sell songs that send at least a certain percentage to artists. The only negative effect I feel that iTunes might play on a CD sale is that you can Limewire music and add it to your iTunes playlist that will get transfered to your ipod. But there is an article about a lawsuit demanding the end of iTunes. It basically states that CD sales dropped because of iTunes. I disagree to that though. You have some people who don't condone using Limewire or "stealing" music as some call it so they would rather buy an artist album or purchase songs off of iTunes.

FRee BLOG!

Well at this moment I am sitting in my room. I am very, very, very sleepy. I can not go to sleep just yet because I have this blog to write and I've been sitting here trying to think of something to write. I see its kind of hard when you don't have a topic to really write about. I also have a test in my art class that I need to study for. I will as soon as I finish this. But I am so sleepy.

On another note, I am anticipating the remaining events of this week. I can't wait till Friday gets here just because its Friday and that means I will have no class and no homework. Also on Friday BET will be here for the BLACK COLLEGE tour and I am little excited about it. I just hope it does not rain on our parade. I would like to be able to be outside on the Gibbs-Green Plaza instead of the Walter Payton (if it does rain). This will be the first year that I will be able to take part in something like that and I am more than ready to see what it is all about. There will be camera's and celebrity artist and all that good stuff. Things like that are right up my alley. It has media and mass communications written all over it in its very own way. I love the entertainment world and being in the mix of things. Maybe one day when I start working as a TV show host on one of BET's shows I'll get to come back with them to Jackson State for the Black College tour. That would be real nice.

There is a game on Saturday against Southern. It is an away game but the game will be played here so we will have to buy tickets. I do not think I will be going. Not because I will have to buy a ticket but the game just will not be the same without the whole band playing and I probably won't have a way to it since my friend is going home this weekend for Valley's Homecoming game. But that will be alright. This will give me the chance to get some well needed rest and do some well needed homework. So, now I am about to sign out and go study for a few minutes or at least till I fall asleep.

Digital Books, Magazines & Kindles!

Digital books are simply electronic copies of your favorite titles. You can download digital books and read them immediately so there is no waiting for shipment and in most cases, they are price competitive with their 'hard copy' counterparts. Digital books also offer the convenience of size and portability, you can store your own personal library of eBooks on your PC, Laptop or hand held device. If you're still confuse on just what they are the link can provide a little bit more information. Magazines are publications that are issued periodically usually bound in a paper cover, and typically contains essays, stories, poems, etc., by many writers, and often photographs and drawings, frequently specializing in a particular subject or area, as hobbies, news, or sports. And Kindles are basically an electronic book device that allowes you to store several different books onto it.

Are digital books and magazines going to end what we know as leisurely reading? I say no to that question. As I've stated in earlier blogs I feel that as long as there are people out who prefer to use magazines and digital books then they will not die. I have recently been introduced to kindles; which is basically a wireless book. As for me, I would definitely rather have the hard copy of whatever book I was reading in my hand. The kindle probably would not become a favorite of mines or even used by me unless it was a necessary thing to have in school. Maybe as time continues to pass, maybe in ten to twenty years magazines will slowly evaporate. Digital books will probably still be around but the Kindle will probably be used more around that time. For example, in the 90's cassette players were the thing then cd players came out and cassette players seem to have went away. Before cassette players there were record players and they soon went out of style. There are a few that still may be around in some homes. So I feel, as of now that digital books and magazines are not coming to an end as leisurely readings. And maybe in ten-twenty years they still will not have disappeared. It all depends on what the people want and the economic.

Print and Newspapers: Are They Dying?

Are print and newspapers dying? That is kind of a tough question. When it comes to my thoughts on that matter I would have to say that they are not dying. I say this because they are still being used by several people. I will also say that they are just not used as much as they use to be. Print and newspapers are considered old media. I do believe that when it comes to teenagers they will pick up a magazine before they grab a newspaper. Though, when it comes to the more older people they would prefer a newspaper. Now adays, there are some 'hip' middle age people who are intuned with both the newspaper and print, including new media as well.

A poll was taking on askville.com and the results were just about equal. Everyone either said they still read both or they chose the newspaper over print or vice versa. On newstex.com, an article called, Are Print Newspapers Dying A Slow Death? states that "the future of print newspapers look grim." The Pew Research Center's did a 2008 survey on new media consumption and the results showed that 39% of respondents read a newspaper the day before they took the survey, which had lowered from the 2006 survey results of 43%.

Magazines are said to have a worser fate than newspapers. Newspapers are daily updates and analysis with local content and advertising. Almost all papers now are available online for those who may not do the paper thing. Magazines are typically monthly, meaning out of date content, and advertising lacks a local connection, mostly national brand advertising. Newspaper audiences are measured by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Newspaper readership has declined for the past several decades, but online readership is growing. The article I found on THE STUDIO BLOG can give further information on print media.

After doing a little research I still will conclude with the same answer I started with. Print media and newspapers are not dying. The number of people who read them are slowly declining over the years and as more new media is becoming available. Though, as I've stated in previous blogs, as long as there are still more than enough people around that prefer newspapers or print over online newspapers, blogs or any other new media then newspaper and print will not completely die out--not as of now anyway.

MC in Today's Society???

In today's society there are so many new methods of Mass Communication developing daily. Its role in society now is still similar to what it was in the past. The difference is that there is now a variety of ways to get the message out to the people. Once newspapers were a big way of getting information out to people but now it seems like the newspapers is slowly disappearing and being taken over by the internet, blogs, news websites or other new media. Sometimes I worry about the future of journalist, print production and even publicists. With so many new ways to do things there are no reasons to use certain things that were necessary in the past.

Although, new ways are coming out Mass Communication would never die. I say that because without Mass Communication no society can exist, must less develop and survive. Mass Communication is the technological means of sending information, ideas and opinions from a mass communicator to a complex audience. It is also defined as compromising the institutions and techniques by which specialized groups such as broadcasters, film producers and publishers employ technological devices to disseminate symbolic content to large heterogeneous and widely disperse audience. When it comes to the future of newspapers or any other old media vs. new media an article titled, WSJ: The Future of Newspapers made quite a few good points. In my opinion old media will never fully die out because there are still people who do not have the skills or the technical knowledge to use the new media so they still prefer the old media better.

No matter what Mass Communication still holds a great big importance in our lives. It is the root of everything that we do on a daily basis. When it comes to fashion, movies, music, TV shows and even school Mass Communication plays a part in it. Many eyebrows may raise when they read 'school' but yes it does play a role in it too. As I learned in my textbook, scholars study it to better comprehend the process and to develop theories that explain and predict how the media operate. People make careers out of it. For soceity to exist period, certain communication needs must be met. Here's another link on James Love, Director of CPTech elaborating on the gradations of credibility between old and new media.

Mass Communications Is...

When I look at the word Mass Communication all I can think about is any and every media outlet that allows the world nationally and internationally to receives information. Mass communication is the media—the way information is distributed and received. It is how the world takes in news. It is also any form of communication--world wide. If broken down the terms could be easily defined. When I see the term ‘mass’ it makes me think of the words ‘wide’ and ‘range’. The term ‘communication’ referring to the ways people can receive information.

Museum.tv gives a good description of what the word means. It states that Mass communication" is often used loosely to refer to the distribution of entertainment, arts, information, and messages by television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, recorded music, and associated media. This general use of the term is only appropriate as designating the most commonly shared features of such otherwise disparate phenomena as broadcast television, cable, video playback, theater projection, recorded song, radio talk, advertising, and the front page, editorial page, sports section, and comics page of the newspaper.
In this usage "mass communication" refers to the activities of the media as a whole and fails to distinguish among specific media, modes of communication, genres of text or artifact, production or reception situations, or any questions of actual communication. The only analytic purpose this use of the term serves is to distinguish mass communication from interpersonal, small-group, and other face-to-face communication situations. A second use of the term involves the various criteria of massiveness which can be brought to bear in analyses of media and mass communication situations.

The term "mass communication" is a term used in a variety of ways which, despite the potential for confusion, are usually clear from the context. These include (1) reference to the activities of the mass media as a group, (2) the use of criteria of a concept, "massiveness," to distinguish among media and their activities, and (3) the construction of questions about communication as applied to the activities of the mass media. Significantly only the third of these uses does not take the actual process of communication for granted.

The Introduction of Jamilah

Hey! My name is Jamilah Chantal Vaughn. I am a sophomore, Mass Communications major here at Jackson State University. As of now I reside in McAllister-Whiteside dorms. I am 19 years of age and when I graduate from Jackson State University I plan to move to Atlanta, GA and get my Master's while I work at a job that is in my career field. I plan to become a Publicist, perferably an Entertainment Publicist at a Record Company. At that Record company I will be like an image consultant to artists that are signed to the label.

My job will mostly consist of making their image look good to the public eye. I will be writing press releases, booking interviews with talk shows, even magazines and so on and so forth. After a few years I want to open up my own Public Relations Firm. Once I become established in the business I may move to New York City where there are more job opportunities there and also higher wages. I chose Mass Comm. as a major because I always told myself that I wanted to do something I loved and this was the major that would allow me to do just that. I am happy with what I chose so far. I love to write so in my spare time I write books that I one day hope to publish in the urban books genre. I have already tried looking into many different avenues of publishing. As of now self-publishing is a really big thing I want to do but then again its hard to trust certain companies and that makes me want to go to a publishing house where I would have a better chance--safer chance.

I have a passion for fashion and on my list of things to do before I depart this earth I want to create a clothing line. I would love for that line to go nationwide or at least do as well as Kimora Lee Simmons line, Baby Phat and Jay-Z's line, RocaWear. When it comes to technology I would like to say that I am on top of my game. Every now and then I like to visit other people's blogs or check out Mediatakeout.com to get the scoop on what is new with the celebrities. I am a Facebook.com, myspace.com and twitter addict. Although I am mostly on Facebook and just getting use to twitter. So, this is a little bit about me and some of the things I love to do.