Exegesis

Introduction:

The central node of my web presence was my blog “Cassie’s Wonderland” and the joining nodes were Delicious, Flickr and Twitter. The main theme was book critic and the purpose of the presence was to give people feedback on popular literature and the ability to interact and participate in literature debates with those who also enjoyed reading. I have achieved this by giving users the ability to get both a visual and textual idea of the literature that I have discussed and multiple avenues to discuss and debate.

Web 2.0 Tools:

If it were not for the World Wide Web the construction of my web presence would not have been possible. The World Wide Web is an “information super highway” and is optimal for the construction and connection of my web presence. I connected my three nodes to my central node and users were able to share and comment on content within my web presence through protocols such as: HTTP, HTML, TCP, URL and FTP.HTTP stands for hypertext transfer protocol and was used to understand the hypertext documents. HTML stands for hypertext mark-up language and was used to construct my hypertext document.TCP stands for transfer control protocol and allows for the transfer of information through the network. URL stands for the universal resource locator and tells users how to communicate on the World Wide Web and FTP enables file transfer in the network. By using all these protocols for the World Wide Web I constructed my web presence and shared information with users who were then able to share more information with me and comment on my web presence(2008, We knew the web was big).

However Web 2.0 tools have really enabled me to create the essence of my web presence. The applications allowed me to create my blog and connecting nodes. Due to its interactive capabilities users were able to comment on the information they read in my blog and external nodes. Large numbers of users can read and comment at any time and they can subscribe to the RSS feed of my blog and follow me without even being on my actual page. There are 6 key components of Web 2.0 most of which I have made use of in my web presence: search, links, authoring, tags, extension’s and signals. Search, allows users to find what information or application they are looking for on the World Wide Web. Users can generate their own links to certain pages or between multiple social networking sites. Multiple users can contribute to any one piece of information on the web and through tags they can highlight subjects to which they find interesting. Through extensions we are able to interpret user preferences on the World Wide Web and there are signals which enable users to view new and upcoming content. Web 2.0 has turned society into a ‘participatory culture’ and the idea of simply going to a web page and viewing its information has transformed into something more participatory and influential to the way we communication and share content on the web (2006,Best).

Central Node:

When choosing the layout for my central node I wanted the main focus to be the review so I made it the central object for my blog. Users had to understand furthermost the reason for my starting this blog and its main purpose and function so I put the about me section at the top of the blog. Of course they had to know the name of my blog so that went at the very top. To the right of my blog I had recent posts, so it was easy for users to navigate and find what they wanted to read on my blog. Below that I had a “Find Me” section where I posted all the links to my other nodes. At the bottom of the column I had the blog archive so that if users needed to located specific blogs it was still easy to navigate. Then at the bottom I have my followers list, this is the least interesting part of my blog so it belongs at the bottom where least important information is. At the bottom of my blog I have the home page link so as soon as people finish reading the blog they can go back to the home page. And of course the website attributes at the bottom of the page because it is the part of the blog that no user is going to take the time to read. Being a book critic theme I had free rein on colour and text choice. I chose a background layout of scribbled pictures because it represented imagination, the centre point of literature. The heading text represents typewrite writing, which is what the first authors wrote in. The text had to be clear and precise so that readers could understand it. I used purple as the main colour theme because it is neutral; it doesn’t make the page seem dominated by either female or male characteristics. All these elements make my blog seem inviting and the perfect forum for literary discussion. I chose a blog because of the ease of publication, I was able to blog my thoughts fast and efficiently and I was able to host it anywhere on the world wide web and with the Blogger website I was able to set up a blog quickly and make it look professional and suite the main theme of my web presence (2008, state of the blogosphere). As well as this a blog provided the necessary security protection of my online identity and I could choose what information I did and did not want displayed.

Twitter, Delicious and Flickr:

Through my blog users could comment on each post and discuss what they thought of the book I had just reviewed. Through Twitter they can communicate with me and follow the authors and book distribution companies. Through Delicious I shared more background information about both the book and the author which could lead to further discussion on both the context and construction of each book. Lastly through Flickr I shared images of the book covers, authors and characters of the book if they were regenerated in movies. I ended up linking my bookmarks to twitter as well so that users could follow the new bookmarks I found on Delicious on their own Twitter pages. Through Flickr I encouraged users to share their favourite book covers as well creating a visual imagery of the books that I was reviewing. I ended up asking users to post a link to an image of their favourite book cover of a particular book as well this it would lead to further debate about the appropriate cover for the book I had just reviewed. Through my web presence users can share their online identities through their love of books, the main focus of web presence encompassed the creation of a forum for literature appreciation (2008, Cox). Through fair dealing I was able to tag certain photos within specific galleries on Flickr, so for each book that I review a created a gallery which I then added images that related to that book and its author. Under Fair Dealing I was using these images for criticism and review as well as research and study therefore I voided copyright issues (2007, Privacy and Social Networks).

I chose these nodes because they are a part of popular culture therefore it would attract users to my blog. My blog as a form of self expression, users could say whether or not they liked the book I reviewed, whether they disagreed with comments I had made etc. My web presence generated a social media river for users, it says that each user has a profound appreciation of literature and they enjoy participating in literary debate. Through tagging bookmarks on Delicious and Twitter or photos on Flickr users show that part of their identity is their appreciation for books (Helmond 2010).

Problems and Issues:

The main problem I had was using Twitter, other than that it was making sure I didn’t breach copyright with the images I posted and linking my nodes to my central node effectively. The social networking site Twitter had many functional problems while I was creating my account. When I went to upload a profile picture the option was missing and I had to go to the help centre and post a complaint. Then when I was creating lists for my individual books, the lists keep malfunctioning and not updating when I added new links. In the future I would take out the Twitter node and change it for a Facebook account dedicated to my book review because I use a Facebook account regularly and hardly ever have half the difficulty updating a profile picture or creating a group. Another problem was linking my external nodes to my central node, after linking it and testing it a few times I got it though, trial and error is what solved this problem for me.

Conclusion:

I think my web presence was effective in communicating the theme however it did not collect any users yet. Perhaps this is because people haven’t found my blog yet, but never the less it does not deter whether or not my web presence was effective. Through creating this web presence I have developed a better understanding of having an online identity and how I can use the web 2.0 tools to communicate, collaborate and share content on the World Wide Web.

References:

-          (2007). Doug Engelbart 1968 Demo - 3 of 9. Retrieved April 1st, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYCMlMidvTM.

-          (2007). newmedia2.jpg [Image].: schwartztronica.

-          (2008). We knew the web was big. Retrieved April 4th, 2009, from http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/we-knew-web-was-big.html.

-          Best, D., 2006. Web 2.0 Next Big Thing or Next Big Internet Bubble? Lecture Web Information Systems. Techni sche Universiteit Eindhoven.

-          2008). State of the Blogosphere 2008. Retrieved May 14th, 2009, from http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere//.

-          (2007). Social Networking in Plain English. Retrieved June 4th, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7gWEgHeXcA.

-          Cox, K. (2008). How to Find Flickr Photos with a Creative Commons License. Retrieved June 9th, 2009, from http://www.slideshare.net/karenprek/how-to-find-flickr-photos-with-a-creative-commons-license-presentation?

-          Wolk, D. (2009). Future of Open Source: Collaborative Culture. Retrieved June 12th, 2009, from http://www.wired.com/dualperspectives/article/news/2009/06/dp_opensource_wired0616.

-          (2007). Privacy and Social Networks. Retrieved May 14th, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc&.

-          Tama Leaver (2007) ‘It’s a Small World After All: From Wired’s Minifesto to the Twitterati’, Tama Leaver dot Net, March 11.
Available:http://www.tamaleaver.net/2007/03/11/its-a-small-world-after-all-from-wireds-minifesto-to-the-twitterati/

-          Anne Helmond (2010) ' Identity 2.0: Constructing identity with cultural software.' Anne Helmond. New Media Research Blog. Available: http://www.annehelmond.nl/wordpress/wp-content/uploads//2010/01/helmond_identity20_dmiconference.pdf

-          Lefever, L. (2008) Twitter in Plain English. Retrieved June 16th, 2009,
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is one book that I have always wanted to read however never really had the patience for. In order to understand the story you have to read every page over and over to get a grip on the language. There are moments where you beg for clarity so you can simple understand whether or not anybody is getting married or kissing!

This is the ultimate fairytale and in coincidently the fairy tale that Jane Austen herself never got. I have recently watched the autobiography of Jane Austen. Her tragic history is what made her novels so riveting and inspiring. At a young age she met a young man whom she fell in love with, however do both of their financial circumstances the two were forced to go their separate ways and Jane never fell in love again.

Instead she wrote their love story in many different ways and in the end of every novel everyone lived happily ever after, most of the time extremely rich as well! Her sister Cassandra was too unfortunate in love and through Janes writing she was given her happy ending too, over and over again.

I found this story of courage, determination and above all things love utterly inspiring. The novel Pride and Prejudice tells the story of the Bennet family who are of poor background and rely on marriage in order to give their children a better life. In coincidently this is much the same as Jane Austen’s family dynamic. Elizabeth who is much like Jane herself is a strong minded, intelligent young lady who refuses to settle for less than the best when it comes to love. Her sisters Jane, Lydia, Kitty and Mary are in the same situation as herself, if they do not want to end up as maids they have to marry up.

Following the arrival of a new, rich and hansom suitor Mr Bingley the girls go into an absolute frenzy when he takes an interest in Jane. As well as this his best friend Mr Darcy a rather unpleasant young man takes a secret interest in Elizabeth who despises him upon meeting him and Mr Bingley. As the story develops the both sisters fall  in and out of love and have their hearts broken until the very end where amazingly enough all is well, Elizabeth falls in love with Mr Darcy and Jane with Mr Bingely and they all get married and live happily ever after.

Throughout the story I found the witty banter thoroughly amusing, especially when it came to Caroline Bingley and Elizabeth Bennet. The two may not have been matched in social standing but in wit they were equal competition. Upon the introduction of Mr Darcy I knew immediately that he would fall in love with Lizzy, how could he not? She mates him in every way, stubborn, opinionated and born to be royalty. I found Mrs Bennet entirely obnoxious and annoying, however through all that we see a caring mother who only wants the best for her children no matter the way she goes about it. Although the story line is predictable the witty banter and hilariously embarrassing scenes between all characters makes up for it!

I found myself utterly enthralled in the story and wanted to join the Elizabethan times for a second. However the storyline is at risk of being lost on those who have no patience for the language thoroughly different from modern literature. I fear that this amazing literature will be lost to future generations as we grow further away from formal language and our vocabulary is taken over by slang. So for those of you who are interested, you are in for an amazing journey of the heart, stick with it! You will be ever so grateful in the end.

J

The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

Next up in wonderland we have HARRY POTTER.

Now I don’t care what age you are, you are never too old to read about Harry’s adventures. In today’s blog I thought I would try something different and talk about each individual character and their developments over the four individual books and the relationships between them and other characters. I have recently re-read the endings of all 7 books and I thought watching all the movies again wouldn’t hurt J

So let’s start with Harry, as a character, this boy could kick superman’s but any day. He is a wizard and luck seems to always be on his side when it comes to getting out of a tight stitch. He has a warm and caring heart and is always willing to play the hero when no one else will step to the plate. After all the misfortunes he has had, what with the loss of his parents, godfather and close friends in the final book, he has turned out alright! I thought JK was really clever in putting him and Ginny together because they are perfect for each other! In the final battle with Voldemort he really shows readers that he only wanted to bring peace back to the wizard community by sacrificing his life. This comes as a shock to us however when you think about it how else could it have happened? He was the ultimate hero and in order to play that role he had to die for first. Now down to the relationship he has with Hermione and Ron, Hermione is his sister she has always been with him when things have got tough and in the final book she stayed when Ron walked out. However Ron is his best friend, the person he can muck around with and share ‘boy things’ they have a brotherly bond which allows them to be mates for life. Then there is Hagrid... well we love him because he’s big, he’s clumsy and let’s face it a grandfather role for Harry and he loves Harry like he was family.

 Lastly and most importantly his relationship with Dumbledore. From the beginning  we could tell the two of them were meant for greater destiny’s. Dumbledore was Harry’s hero; all heroes have those who they always turn to for help. The two developed a very tight bond over the years and shared their most delicate secrets and in the end proved to be powerful threat to Voldermort. When Dumbledore died Harry was once again faced with the death of someone that he cared about, it seems that he is always surrounded by the death of those he loves the most. Harry immediately assumed the position of the new Dumbledore; he left school and set out to start what his predecessor had started.

Dumbledore was always the most powerful wizard, whenever he was not around Harry was portrayed as the hero but as soon as Dumbledore entered the scene Harry transforms back into the school student he really is. Dumbledore is kind, caring and very intelligent, as a character he is perfect, flawless. This explains why readers felt a great degree of sadness when he died, I myself cried but I always had a sneaky feeling that he would return one last time.

Hermione and Ron. Well what can we say? They are the ultimate best friends to Harry, they become his family and that’s why it was so important that the two of them never died because they are a great part of the person that Harry has become. However being the best friend of Harry Potter has its downfalls. This was visited in the final book when Ron had had enough and stormed out of Harry’s life and adventure for a few chapters, this is important because as the reader we finally realise that being the best friend of Harry Potter has its perks but it also has a heavy downside, let’s face it, every year at Hogwarts all 3 face certain death!

But in the face of disaster Hermione and Ron finally found love in the last book! I think I can speak for everyone when I say ABOUT TIME. I think I read the part where they kiss for the first time 4 times over before I let it sink in haha. Their relationship was bound to happen, when they both have so little and so much in common. Hermione is a nerd and Ron is lazy but they both fight alongside each other with Harry and have shown courage and strength in the toughest of situations, that’s bound to create some sought of bond.

I’m going to some this up with saying what ending was my favourite out of the entire series and why.

Hmmm

Got it, the last book, I loved how Molly stood up to Bellatrix Lestrange and how Harry died but came back to kick some Voldermort butt. I liked how as a reader we got to see two different endings; the first was when Harry died. Rowling showed us what would happen of Harry did not defeat Voldermort, which in itself is very clever because we all assumed he would win! Then the second ending Harry does not die and defeats Voldermort and everyone lives happily ever after. We knew how it was all going to end and so did Rowling, however she showed us the possibility of it being completely different, and a world without Harry Potter.

Hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did, however if you didn’t, let us know!

Image available from: http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/c3/c17536.jpg

J

Updates!!

Ok so over the last couple of days i have been doing up my other social networking sites which are linked to my blog. Mainly i have been looking at Flickr, i have downloaded several photos of book covers, these are my own book covers which i thought i would share with you. Now majority of these books we have already looked at however, some we have not. These other covers are what we will be looking at, these include, Jane Austins Pride and Prejudice and the first installment of the Ellie Chronicles by John Marsden!
As well as this i have linked my bookmarks from Delicious with Twitter!

So i'll be keeping you posted!

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

So this week i have finished re-reading “Looking For Alibrandi” and once again it has left me with a sense of family, ambition and overall zest for life. Looking for Alibrandi tells the life story of Josephine Alibrandi. Josie lives with her mother and is the product of teenage love, she has never known her father until now, she is 17 and doing her HSC at Saint Martha’s College, an all girl school where all that matters  “is what you father does for a living” (chapter 1). Josie has had to face many years of racial prejudice for being Italian and having no father in her life.

As well as being a book, “Looking for Alibrandi” is also a well renowned Australian movie. And i consider it one of the best representations of literature through film. My favourite character would have to be...Jacob. He is the hot bad boy with a soft side that wins Josies heart, im a sucker for the damsel in distress so i absolutely loved the chapter when Jacob beats up a guy who was harassing Josie, he comes in at exactly the right moment (as heroes do) and saves josie and consoles her afterwards. They cut this chapter out of the movie because it didn’t fit with the screen narrative, i agree but in the book i think it fits just perfectly!

The saddest part would have to be when John Barton commits suicide, this affects the development of Josie’s character in a major way. She moves away from being the young teen princess hoping to become the next prime ministers queen. When he dies she realises that not everything works out the way you planned. I think it was also important in her relationship with her dad as well, he comes to her rescue and we as the readers see the true bond between this father and daughter.

Josies relationship with her father is complex at the best of times, in the beginning she hated him and wanted him dead. However as the story develops she opens up her heart to him and even encourages her mother to do so again. With the absence of a father, Josie and her mother have developed a very close bond that her friends don’t understand and it represents this reality in the real world. The readers are called to feel sympathy for Josie when she tells of how children couldn’t play at her house because she was considered a ‘bastard child’ and how being ‘cursed’ meant her, her mother and her grandmother had no right to belong. The idea of a cruel society is explored here as we are shown the negatives of divorce or unwanted teen pregnancy and the ramifications of that on the future of the child involved.

Through Josies Grandma we see the effects of war and arranged marriages on young men and women. Josies grandma was forced into a loveless marriage which forced her to face harsh conditions, be taken away from her family and denied her chance at true love. This is the real tragedy. She was a young girl who had her whole life ahead of her until it was all taken away and reality was pushed upon her. This story shows Josie that not everything is black and white, in the beginning of the book she loves but loathes her grandmother because she has a childlike understanding of her. However in the end she matures and realises her grandmother is not perfect, she is a person and was once young and foolish like Josie is at times. In conclusion, this book teaches us about culture, race and family and the various values and ideas they hold within society.

Cant wait to hear you’re feedback! Did some of you not like it? Who thought certain things and characters could have been done differently?

References: image availabel from: http://thecia.com.au/reviews/l/images/looking-for-alibrandi-poster-0.jpg

Updates!!!

Hey there fellow bookworms.
You may have noticed that i have recently added a find me tab!
Here are three difference links to other websites realted to what we are talking about here.

So feel free to follow me on Twitter where i myself follow authors, book stores and anything relating to my passion for reading. As well as this i have created seperate lists for each book that i review! So go and check out that.

On delicious i have added a monumentous amount of bookmarks regarding the books mentioned here. I have found stuff on the movies relating to these books as well as fun quizzes and storyline parody (make sure you check out Harry Potter Puppet Pals HILARIOUS).

And lastly i have a flickr account where i go around finding various images that relate to each book, such as the various book covers and if there is one movie trailers for the books hollywood debut. In thinking about this i thought i would set you all a challenge, post a link to your favourite book cover of any of the books we have discovered, there are many different versions, especially when the movies come out. It seems whenever movies come out of books, the new cover represents the movie and it becomes increasingly difficult to find the original. Amazing!

So go on out and have a look around i cant wait to hear from you all whether its through a bookmark on delicious, tweet on twitter or a tagging on Flickr!

ps: the up and coming books I'm reviewing are: Harry Potter (one in particular), The Twilight Series (yes I'm doing a combined blog, i have a few comments that i think many of you will agree with), Looking for Alibrandi (one of the classics) and the last shall remain a mystery ;)

:)

Tomorow When the War Began

So a few months back i saw the new trailer for “Tomorrow When the War Began” and my first thought was AMAZING. So being the true book nerd i am i went to Collins and bought the book. I thought it was fantastic! I finished it in a week and there were times when being anti social were better than missing one moment of the TWTWB action!

I loved the way Ellie was the narrator, she really puts you inside the story and makes you feel the fear and deep emotional connection each of the characters have with themselves and one another. It made me question what i would do were i in the same situation as they were. Would i be brave and stand up? Or give in at the risk of death or imprisonment. My favourite character would have to be Homer, rebel without a cause who turns out to be a true born leader ready to serve and save his country.

I thought the relationships within the novel were quite complex considering the entire group were not properly acquainted until their trip away at the beginning of the story. However the relationship between Homer and Fi was very cliché, the high school bully falling for the rich golden child but in saying that the moments where Ellie talks about their relationship and how they behave around each other made my heart melt. Ellie and Lee on the other hand: steamy much. I knew from the beginning of the book that they were going to be interesting, i love that Lee is war efficient yet his main joy in life is music and how Ellie has always been a happy go lucky outspoken teen but she turns out to be amongst the bravest of the group, turning out to be the first to kill an enemy soldier.

Now let’s get to the important stuff, the action scenes. I thought the imagery was amazingly well done, not many authors can pull of an action without the reader wanting to skip to the ending to see how it all pans out. I loved reading every moment of blood, sweat and tear because it made me feel as if i was there with them living the action! I think the most exciting scene was the blowing up of the bridge, talk about amazing. I know it should be considering it is the climax but how amazing! Ellie running back to the group with bullets flying past her, inches from death but dancing right on its door step.

In saying all this though, i thought the ending was a bit of a morale kill, however after reading the second one this seems to be one of the main techniques. It says to the reader that this war is far from over, there is no time for relief after the climax, we, like our characters, have to keep fighting until the enemy is run off our shores. I thought Kevin really showed true potential though, taking Corrie to hospital knowing that he might be shot or tortured on arrival. Throughout the book he seemed like he wanted to hide out in Hell forever until the adults freed themselves and came and rescued him. However he redeemed himself in the end and his honour was restored.

All in all congratulations John Marsden, one of the best books i have read in ages you will defiantly give Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling a run for their money!

Can’t wait to hear all your feedback guys!

Later xx

References:
Tomrrow When the War Began
By John Marsden
Picture Reference: http://www.thebookabyss.com.au/