Josephine’s Online Technology Journal

 I believe I asked everything that the MTV specifications asked for. Starting from not using other company’s pictures/ logos/ and songs; I didn’t break the copy rights rule. In the beginning of the movie, I gave my title: “MTV goes out for ice-cream”. I exported in the 2010 folder as an AVI file. My MDI is appropriate for kids, teens and adults of all ages. Lastly, I didn’t include any racism, unethical things, dangerous, violent nor legally objectionable materials.

In the very beginning of the project, I worked hard on getting to know the whole project. The task that we had to do for criterion A helped me a lot. I visited the mtv and me asia site and read and answered their questions (by changing them into my own words), viewing some other examples of the MIDs that other kids made, and by viewing the original logos of MTV. I answered all the questions and did what the task asked me to. By looking back to my plan now; I think I used my time wisely in order to complete criterion A.

For criterion B, I had to think a little bit. This is where I had to start making a storyboard for my MID and starting planning ahead. I am quite familiar with how to plan when making movies, how to make it sort of interesting and fun. This is because we made an AOI movie by using movie maker last year in IT. However, that was different to this one. I guess the fact that people all over the world will watch my MID (through TVs and the Internet) scared/ freaked me out. I tried my best to be accurate, thought about what exactly to do, and made my final decisions when I started drawing the storyboard.

Now that I have finished making my MID and posted it on the blog; I think I followed a good example of criterion D. My MID is exactly 20 seconds long. Although it is my second time mentioning it, I followed all the specifications for the requirements of MTV and Me. I tried my best to make it less boring. Any text readings are pretty long so that people will have enough time to read them. I spent enough time making the MID and I’m proud that I’ve made it! Uploading the MID took me quite a while because I had to figure out how to export it as an AVI file. Once that was done, I saved it under the 2010 folder. Ms. Wilson transformed it into a different file- and I uploaded it on mtvasia.com; under Enkhzaya’s account. If I can redo my project again, I would like to make it more “professional”-ish. It seems as if my project has used so much childish things starting from the subject of “ice-cream”. It would most likely be appealing for small kids, not teens nor adults. I’m glad the project is finally finished!!!!!:D

post comments~ ^^*

 Duration (how long will your MID be?)
I think my MID will be about 30seconds to 1 minute long. I don’t want to make it really long because it will only just make it harder to create it; and probably bore the viewers. Probably 50 seconds will be just perfect- especially if I am going to make my MTV+Me on flash.

Music (what music will you use and why?)
I am thinking to use a fun song; a song that is really short and exciting. I’ll have to go back to the songs from the music file of the MTV folder. Because my MID won’t be that long; I might just have to use one part of a song. All the songs are boring, dull and long to be honest. But the most okay one is: fast_deepbeats

Technical specifications (be specific about your design)
I will be using “Macromedia flash” software for this project. I am not really confident of what to use- but I don’t want to use other programs because it will take time to download, reset, etc etc! I will follow the design specification that was copied and pasted from the site. It needs to be 10 MB size with 25 FPS, and 441.kHz. I won’t forget to put a title for my MID (which I will make after the project is done), I will make the MID original and exclusive, I will just send a file instead of sending a non-returnable item. And finally, I won’t be sad even if MTV rejects my project…:)

MTV logo (which one will you use and why?)
I will use the original logo of MTV. If I can make the logo look exactly the same as the original one, then I would like to make a new one of my own, with my own design. If that turns out to be impossible, I will using “MTV_logo_white.jpg”. As I have mentioned in my investigation, I liked this logo because it was plain and clean.

Actors, drawings, photos? (describe your video in detail)
Well, I will be using Macromedia Flash for the project. I won’t need any actors for my MID. I will just use flash software, and a couple of photos and drawings from other sites. My video will be about 50 seconds long (I think). It will be like a short little animation that I am going to make. To give you a vague idea of what it’s like- it’s going to be about……ice-cream flavors!

 What is MTV + Me?
According to the site, MTV + Me is really about what we do; the netizen. It’s like a campaign that works to showcase the netizen’s work on. This includes producing MIDs for MTV. It’s a great opportunity to show how much you love and adore MTV and to show what you are capable of doing.

What is an MID?
MID equals to MTV plus ID. It’s one of a TV channel that is an indent for MTV that incorporates the MTV logo by any kind of art form. This means that it can be set in an action, 2D, 3D, stop-motion animation, photography, and anything in between.

What is the brief or theme?
There is no themes or briefs. Anyone can make a free MID according to the style that they want to- as long as it does not contravene any broadcast regulations. It is important that the MTV logo is implied (applied and showed) cleverly and correctly.

How does the campaign work?
The campaign works by someone first submitting their work online (to the required technical specifications). The MTV will then assess the quality of the submissions and select the best works out of all the senders each week. For those whose works are selected, MTV works with them to make their work broadcast quality. Once that is done, they put the work on MTV.

During (How long should your MID be)?
The MID needs to be from 05”, 10”, 30”, or 60”.

Music (What’s important to know from this page)?
It is good if you compose your own original music for the MID. If you don’t know how to compose one; or if you can’t, then it is better to work with someone who can. All MIDs need to have an original music. However, MTV also provides with a selection of music beds/ audio templates online just incase anyone wants to use them.

Where do i get the MTV logo?
Go to: www.mtvasia.com/mtvme/downloads.html
You can get the MTV logo and it’s guidelines from this site.

Technical specifications

Discussion: The rules to follow are quite simple and obvious; but they are really easy to forget once we start working on them- and send them to MTV.

What do I get at the end of this?
If you do a real good job; then your work can probably end up being posted on MTV. If it picked, you can leave your own name at the end of the spot. You can also get your hands on exclusive MTV premiums. Every each year, MTV hands out special awards honoring the best MIDs produced. If your work is featured, there are high possibilities that you will be offered an internship with the On-Air Promos department!

Comment on the blog about the guidelines
The guidelines are really easy to follow and learn. It suggests how you should design for each logo; and what you cannot do. It’s really straight to the point so that the makers can get the message. It shows some examples of what others made previously.

View MTV logo formats (which one appeals to you?)
The logo under the file “MTV_logo_white.jpg” appealed me the most. It looks really simple and cool. There was another one with black.jpg but it looked sort of too plain. This logo has a black background and a white logo picture. Black and white makes a fabulous combination and I thought it was really really appealing.

Watch and comment on each MID (who made it? How long is it? What techniques did s/he use? Do you like it?)
I watched two galleries on the site: shapeshifting 2 and shapeshifting 1. They were both created by Aras Darmawan, Netherlands. Each is like about 30~50 seconds long. They used a technique of one object (a coffee cup and a microphone) evolving, changing, blasting, moving and transforming itself into a new object: a logo of MTV. I do like both of them a lot because they are creative and cool~

Describe a detailed test or method from evaluating your finished project.
In order to evaluate my finished project, there are several ways to check whether or not if it is good. First, I can post it on my blog and ask my peers and Ms. Wilson to have a look at it and comment- how I should improve it, etc. Once I finish editing all the changes and make sure that I have followed all the technical specifications; I can post it (or send it) to MTV. If MTV approves it, then it definitely means that it was good enough! But before sending it or even posting it on my blog, I will have to closely make sure that I have followed all the requirements. I will have to go back to my investigation and look at what i did.

How did it go?

I just finished posting my plan on my blog- and editing “Dondurma” article on Wikipedia. It seriously is a breathtaking moment right now for sure! Everything went well according to my original plan. Thanks to my investigative skills on learning how to edit a page on Wikipedia; I now have a thorough understanding of what to do now. It didn’t take me that long figuring out what to do or anything. However, the bit about writing what and how to write the reference was definitely confusing! BUT- I did make myself understand it right before I edited the page.

Here’s the link to my site on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dondurma

I made a HUGE mistake! Due to my ignorant investigative skills; I did not notice that this Turkey ice-cream had a name called “Dondurma.” On wikipedia, they do have an article related to it. However, there aren’t many information related to it. I am still planning to work on this article, but expand more on to it. The text that are in bold are the information that I copied from Wikipedia. The ones that I added are in plain.

Dondurma
Dondurma (Turkish: Dondurma, “freezing”) is the name used for ice cream in Turkey. In English it specifically refers to Turkish ice cream. It is common knowledge that all ice-creams are made out of milk; cow’s milk. However, in some unique countries such as Turkey, they have their traditional ways of making an ice-cream with goat milk. Their ice-cream was first originated in a region of Turkey called “Karaman Marash.” ²

<Description>
Two features distinguish Turkish ice cream: texture and resistance to melting. It is much tougher and chewier than that of the ice cream used in sundaes, gelato or commercially produced ice cream; the unusual texture is produced by the use of salep and mastic resin as thickening agents, together with other flavorings. It is sometimes sold from carts as street food, where the mixture is churned regularly with long-handled paddles to keep it workable.

The Kahramanmaraş region is known for its distinct dondurma, Maraş dondurması, which contains more salep than usual; it is much tougher and stickier, and may even require a knife and fork to eat.

The popularity of the salep flavor in Turkish ice cream has caused a decline in the populations of the region’s wild orchids. For this reason it is illegal to ship true salep out of the country.[1]

Dondurmas usually cost about $1~2. There are 100 different various flavors of dondurmas.

<Shops>
Dondurmas can easily be purchased in big markets of Turkey everywhere. “Yasar” is a famous and the biggest company name that produces ‘dondurmas’. “Marashu Dondura” and “Mado Dondura” are part of “Yasar’s” branches. Yasar’s director is named “Mehmet Kanbur”. His family has been running the company for 4 generations. The company was established in 1990. They maintain in the fields of buying, marketing, depot, and trasnportation in Kucukbakkalkoy in 2000, in Dudullu in 20903 in 1050 m2 area.³

<Nutrition facts>
Dondurmas don’t include agglutinin when making the ice-cream. Instead, they include short chain and medium chain fatty acids. Dondurmas have softer curds which helps digest the ice-cream faster for little children. There are lower levels of lactose (4.1 percent versus 4.7 percent in cow’s milk). This is an advantage for lactose-intolerant people. Dondurma also outweighs ordinary ice-cream made out of cow milk by: 13% more calcium, 25% more vitamin B, 47% more vitamin A, 134% more potassium, 200% more niacin, 300% more copper, and 27% more antioxidant selenium.²

2Naver Kowledgeins, “Turkey Ice-cream.” Naver. 2004, February 8^th. 24 April 2008
<htttp://kin.naver.com/detail/detail.php?d1id=9&dir_id=90208&eid=AtvOotFWWPh/yLBlaCXcxdZ8vjbLQxUX&qb=v7C80iC+xsDMvbrFqbiy&pid=fsjN9doQsDhssu/Stg4sss?160117&sid=SAac2y6FBkgAAEh4OVw>

 3“About us”, Yasar Dondurma. 25 April 2008
<http://www.yasarlojistik.com/aboutus.asp>

List of things that I should have done in order to know at the end of the project:
-Did I include a correct format of MLA bibliography?
-Did I actually gather information from a reliable source?
-Do I have at least more than 2 sources to back up my research?
-Did I use my time during class effectively?
-Did I get my assignments done on time?
-Did I do a thorough, wide range of research (meaning that I used more than one site on the Internet?

What should I include?
First off, although including a correct MLA bibliography for this class project is important; it is also important that I actually have a reliable source to backup my research. For the last project, it was easier for us to gather information from government based organization- which are definitely reliable. However, since ‘dondurma’ is not a subject that everybody really knows, I will definitely need a reliable source.

How will I know if I did a good job?
I will be able to know that I have done a good job by the comments and the grade that Ms. Wilson will give me. I am also planning to get my article edited and be read by other classmates- so that they can give me some comments of how I did, and how I can improve. Once I post it up on Wikipedia and no one changes it; it probably would mean that they didn’t bother deleting it since it was good! Lastly, I can go back to read all the rubrics in the assignments- making sure that I followed all the requirements.

Explain the project, discussing its relevance to you and your life

This project is continued with our last one- “Wikiality”. We are supposed to find any article on Wikipedia that has inadequate information. Or you can even create a new article if there is no subject related to it! Well, first off, Wikipedia is an extremely famous and a popular site for all netizens and students across the globe. It would definitely be nice if everything on the site is 100% accurate, however, by the fact that anyone can log in and edit/delete/add anything makes it a few percent unreliable. For the last project, we worked together in groups to get some general idea and learn how to deal with Wikipedia. This time; it is strongly based on an independent work. This project gives each and one of us great opportunity to improve us investigative skills by both trying to research an inadequate article as well as researching more information related to it. If the topic is related to important issues in life, then probably it could be helpful.

Method for finding an inadequate section
1) First serf through Wikipedia any topics that interest you or the ones that you are concerned about. It is better if you deeply know about that topic.
2) Check whether or not they have inadequate amount of information
3) If you can’t find any article that has ‘inadequate’ amount of information; then you should look for a new article that you can create new.
4) Double check that the new article you are trying to write is not listed anywhere on Wikipedia.
5) If you are editing the article; go back to the page.
6) Read the article carefully 3 times
7) Now that you know what is on the article; research the topic on other sites
Find information to make the article better

Comparing this method to the method that I did with the last project, I think I changed a couple of them. Because this project is about finding inadequate information on an article, it takes more to research and investigate; rather than finding an information that is inaccurate. I changed my mind because I wanted to be more accurate, and have a guideline for the project.

I chose a topic on “Goat milk ice cream”. I was hoping Wikipedia would have some information written on it; however, there is no article written related to it. Ms. Wilson said it’s okay!

Brainstorm of what new information I will need to include in my paragraph(s)

The information that I will write about the goat milk ice cream will be brief and in general:
-what they are
-how they are made
-what they taste like
-some companies that make goat milk ice creams
-different flavors
-how much they usually cost
-where you can buy them (in what countries)

Research to back up your list of ideas, crossing of any list items for which you cannot find reliable citations

Seems as if all the necessary information that I need to research are all on a Korean website. I visited a couple of different blogs and they have some really good information. I will have to translate them and write it on Wikipedia. This, however, could be a problem since the Wikipedians might not approve it and delete my work! Here are some links to the sites that I’ve visited today.

http://kin.naver.com/detail/detail.php?d1id=9&dir_id=90208&eid=icWf5LbM546Ew6UOZeCFAu34jymKhR78&qb=v7C80iC+xsDMvbrFqbiy&pid=fsjN9doQsDhssu/Stg4sss–160117&sid=SAac2y6FBkgAAEh4OVw

http://kin.naver.com/detail/detail.php?d1id=9&dir_id=90208&eid=YYmdAtfyTjv3VegF4b0zlt7unSkI9UKy&qb=v7C80iC+xsDMvbrFqbiy&pid=fsjDaloQsCwsscPkEvwsss–312631&sid=SAajbfagBkgAAB6bII0

The first one has information how to make goat milk ice cream. The second one is about more in-depth infos!

 Evaluate your finished wikiality against your own design specification
For the first part of the design specification, the guiding questions that I wrote were:
-did we include a correct format of MLA bibliography?
-did we follow what criterion B asks for?
-did we use our time during class effectively?
-did we get our assignments done on time?
-did we do a thorough, wide range of research (meaning that we used more than one site on the Internet?)
-did all of the members in our group do our work together?
These were the design specification/ questions that I tried to answer after editing the Wikipedia. Yes, now that I’ve finished the project, I think that I followed everything. Although it was more like an individual project, I did include a correct format of MLA bibliography, everything that criterion B asks for. Moreover, me and my group members used our time effectively by using the class time to complete our tasks. Lastly, we double checked whether or not the sources we used were appropriate and reliable.

Evaluate your finished Wikiality against my design specifications (edited and published in Wikipedia)
After our group finished writing the sources and making a few adjustments about Tsagaan Sar on Wikipedia; our group logged into the Wikipedia site (just as how Ms. Wilson told us to). From here, we edited what we had to and included the citations as well. All in all, I think our group did a good job in editing and adding new information. When we checked later on, our group’s work wasn’t deleted or even changed. This clearly indicates that our alteration was good enough that no one actually DIDN’T do anything to it~

Evaluate your work at each stage of the project (A,B, and D)
For the first criterion A; our class started off with answering a couple of questions related to Wikipedia. I was in the same group with Jonathan and Jun Pyo. If looking back in the earlier entries, it can be seen that all of our group members were diligent and hard working. Through the questions that we were supposed to answer, I learned how Wikipedia cannot be a good source of information. Before learning this project, I didn’t realize how Wikipedia cannot be as accurate as any other sites. Although many teachers did inform us about this issue; it seemed to me that everything on Wikipedia were true. However, for the 100^th time, I came to an understanding that Wikipedia CANNOT always be accurate or reliable. This was the first part of investigation. The second part of the investigation was to choose a certain topic in Wikipedia and find any errors and then edit it. We chose ‘Tsagaan Sar’, and we found at least two or three mistakes. This task finishes by researching some information.

Moving on to the next criterion, B, I actually had to do a thorough research, and strike out the information that we changed. We were told to use reliable source of information- more like a government based site. I believe we visited three sites. We cited all the three sites in MLA bibliography format. The next thing I did was to write design specifications. I had to think a little bit when writing it- since it concerned all of our group members.

Coming to the last section of the criterion D, we were supposed to log into Wikipedia page, and edit it. We did so, just as how the instruction paper told us to. We had to first figure out these codes for writing “in text citation” and other things. We first entered a different category site. Once we got it, we changed it, edited what we had to say, and SAVED it!

But before movign on, let me talk more about the editing process. In the beginning of the project, we sort of had a trouble choosing a topic. We tried various topics such as: transformer, clover field, mongolia, etc. We suddenly thought about Tsagaan Sar, since it was our first week after we came back from the Tsagaan Sar holiday. We printed out what it was written on Wikipedia. As a group, we went over through each information and made notes if they were true or not. I believe we found about three errors! So in order to make sure that it was actually WRONG; we asked several Mongolian students. The next step was to research on the Internet for a correct answer. Now, this point was important since you needed to use a reliable source. Reliable source, as in probably government based sources is what I am talking about. We split the work by making one person take charge of each mistaken information. Next, we were to strike out the incorrect information and write down how we were going to change it. This was mainly what we did for criterion D. Then, we went back to the sites and put them in a correct MLA bibliography format. Finally, just as I’ve mentioned above, we logged into Wikipedia and changed what we had to- and lastly saved the work. All in all, I can’t reallly say we faced any difficulties along the way. This is because we used our time wisely during class the whole time. All of us worked well together- and we were all good supporters for one another. I remember one time when the Internet wouldn’t work fast enough during class, and we had to wait for long time to open up a new site. Other than that, I really enjoyed this project~!

Test the wikiality according to your plans under investigation
There isn’t anything specific that I can write about this work. For the investigation of our project, we first worked as a group and then worked individually. Overall, I think our group has accomplished our goal. I mean, the main goal for this project was to find a mistake in Wikipedia and correct it, by using a reliable source of information. Our group did so; and therefore I believe that we DID accomplish it successfully. Oh! One reason why our project was successful was because so far, I don’t think anybody has changed our work. This means that the readers do agree with what we have added- and therefore they did not bother changing it again!