My favorite Video Blogger 

Angela Braniff is a YouTube blogger who uses her videos to educate moms with traditional family values. She covers topics such as homeschooling, daily routines, housekeeping, culinary, holidays, and raising young children. I find that if I can relate to a community of followers, then its time well spent on YouTube. Influencers  She is effective in drawing in subscribers with camera lighting, camera angles, voice over, and smooth transitions between scenes. Each video is organized in chapters and is easy to reference. Also, Angela’s logo is visible in the video on the bottom right corner to brand her channel. This makes a statement when your publishing content. Supporting small business as an entrepreneur is important to me. She makes a fair number of new videos every week that will review products and how-tos. I also follow podcasts that center around web development and gardening. There is so much information available in audio that makes podcasts better than written text. Saves on time and energy.  

When it comes to podcasting, global ideas are better shared. They are an effective means of being able to engage media while multitasking. That is where podcasts have an advantage over YouTube blogs. Audio publishing if done the right way inspires the audience. They have a way of looking at different viewpoints into others’ lives while also avoiding media bias.  Certain ASMR or meditation videos coupled with calm audio has a large market. I personally use white noise videos to fall asleep. I also use podcasts while working out when I get bored of the same playlists.  

I don’t really listen to podcasts however, there is one that I check up on once a month. The Cali Death Podcast is a podcast where members from various death metal bands interview other death metal bands. I think this podcast is very popular among those interested in the musical genre. To be able to hear personal stories and band members perspective of their own music is highly interesting to me. The production value is fairly low as it seems to be more of a hobby than a full time job. Regardless, the content they create is informative and keeps my attention.

I think publishing podcasts is a great way to make a living, so long as there’s an audience for your content. Many people listen to podcasts on a daily basis. Podcasts make it possible for people to enjoy media while taking care of other tasks, since your eyes and hands are free. Everyone is always busy so podcasts seem like the most convenient way to take in media.

I don’t really listen to podcasts regularly but when I have listened to them I’ve enjoyed Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History series which looks at various episodes of history (typically war or some other variety of of conflict) and The Always Sunny Podcast which is hosted by the cast of the show It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. 

I’ve listened to these podcasts at different times to get different things out of it. For example I listened to Hardcore History while working a boring office job doing data entry. It was a passive experience, much like listening to a lecture in a class or watching a movie. There weren’t occasions to react with laughter which would have disturbed office tranquility, or calls to answer questions like a lecture would have entailed.

I think that something like Hardcore History is better suited as a relaxing, informative, and reflective experience. The end goal is knowledge is transmitted to you and your role is to relax and absorb it, or be able to work while listening. I think this is one of the great strengths of podcasts and audio as a medium is that it can accompany other activities quite well. With a movie, book, or game your eyes or hands are occupied respectively, restricting what you can do while consuming the content.

The Always Sunny Podcast has a different purpose for me. I listen to that when I want to be a little more engaged, less contemplative, and laugh a lot. The medium of sound is well suited to this is a different way than the quiet, informative podcast. The nature of the show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is almost improvisational, all the characters are bunch of socially maladjusted weirdos. In the podcast it’s functionally like an overheard conversation. Where several very funny people are in place riffing about silly things with each other.

I engage with the Sunny podcast for fun and laughter. It’s a conversational, casual experience that feels like hanging out with friends and shooting the breeze. I engage with Hardcore History for informational and (somewhat) educational content about everyone’s favorite historical subject: war! Overall these thing are similar in that they are audio recordings but they are different in the “intended” emotional response that they produce, and by extension they activity they are suited to accompany.

I have not listened to a podcast so I listened to an episode of “This American Life”. The specific episode that I listened to was called “Family Dig”. The effective theme of this particular podcast is storytelling. The hosts are able to bring in different people, and have them tell stories. A narrator and music add the entertainment value and also help keep the audience engaged while the episode goes on. The people behind the podcast are also great at organizing the story in a way that is interesting and makes you want more. 

The podcast as a form of information and entertainment is top-tier. With how many people are on the go in the current era, it provides a way to be entertained or informed while you’re on the go. It’s easy enough to have a pair of earbuds or even just listen to it in your car during your commute. A lot of popular podcasts are also available “free” through services that many people already have. The first that comes to mind is Spotify. If you pay for a Spotify subscription you have access to tons of podcasts. Podcasts also allow people to multitask, which is what a large number of listeners do. You don’t need to be visually engaged with the medium so that allows the listener to drive, clean, or do homework while still engaging with the content.

A podcast I like to listen to is The Brian Buffini Show by Brian Buffini that my dad introduced me to a while back. The majority of the podcast themes are about how to handle money while working and communicating with others. I felt like the podcast are helpful to me because they give good advice about communicating and interacting with other people. I do not listen to it often, but every now and then I will come back and I will listen to it.

I think that digital publishing through audio is a good way because  of how it allows the listeners to just listen and not have to look at any screen or a speaker. Sometimes someone would like to listen to something and does not want to have keep looking at a different direction. I know for me that there are times that I just want to listen to a story while I clean or do homework without getting distracted because of video aspect. Audio publishing work so well because they are designed for people to just listening and not watching. They can add sound effects and music while the listeners can use their imagination to fill in the visual aspect. Because they are designed for just listening, people can play them and can be doing a different task all together while listening into the podcast or audiobook. Overall, I cannot think of any thing that would make audio publishing bad.

I primarily listen to one podcast on Spotify and it’s called Crime Junkie. It’s a true crime podcast that discusses recent and old murders, kidnappings, and otherwise missing people. They do deep research on each person they cover, and discuss different possibilities or events that led up to the event.

I have tried listening to different podcasts before, both in the true crime genre and outside it, and could never settle down on one besides Crime Junkie. The way they produce their episodes seems more professional and well-thought out compared to the others I tried. Their audio quality is good and they use atmospheric music in just the right spots to increase the feeling of mystery and horror. They cover the situation, walking through it bit by bit to unfold the story for the listener. They will sometimes interview people involved in the situation they’re covering, such as a victim’s family member or friend. At the end of their podcast, if a victim is still missing or there’s unknown aspects, they advocate for people to contact certain authorities or organizations if they have any information. All of these things combined create a well-produced podcast, at least in their case. As there aren’t any visual elements in the podcast, they have to focus on audio quality and how they present themselves and the situation.

Through Crime Junkies, I’ve discovered my love for watching and listening about true crime. I think it’s in part because I enjoy horror movies and stories, and there’s always an element of horror in true crime. It’s mysterious, scary, and morbidly interesting, especially since true crime is of course real.

Favorite Daily Podcast:

Favorite Weekly Podcast:

My favorite podcast is Morning Wire. I came across them when I saw the news industry imposing negative news to gain interest and some of the news are not things that are the things that I need or want to know. This podcast gives me the news that I need to know, and they do an exceptionally excellent job at it. They are amazingly effective as they give me the news that I need to know. The subjects that they talk about are normal news topics like money, politics, and accusations. Sometimes I have trouble keeping up with all the things that are going on in the world we live in. so a podcast like this is informative. They are highly effective with the work and the podcast comes out daily. Publishing audio works is highly effective because it means less reading and more learning, especially for someone who learns in audio form preferably. Podcasts are great and give my eyes a break from staring at a screen and allow me to just listen and learn. Sometimes podcasts like this one may assist someone in their career for example someone that utilizes social media as a career could use these podcasts to keep up with the trends and investigate it more for research. I also like the NSLS weekly podcast for motivational Mondays because leaders get to highlight their experiences and give experience on a variety of topics to motivate others during the week which also is a benefit for podcasts. I do not see a downside other than podcasts that do not interest you or if you are deaf, you will not have access other than that it is positive and benefiting. 

My favorite podcast and one of the only podcasts I really like listening to is called “SHE” with Jordan Lee Dooley. I think that she produces really great content specifically towards women and more on the motivational and helpful side. I think the most effective thing about the main theme of the podcast is that Jordan has her “brand” already made from things outside of her podcast, as an author and a woman of faith. The topics really change weekly on her podcast which is really something I enjoy, there is rarely an episode with just her talking. In each episode, she brings in someone to talk on a new topic related to something women are interested in (for example “The Busy Womens Guide to Wellness). And any of the things she talks about solo are still just as good and as relevant to the other ones with guests.

I really like the idea of audio things. Whether that is a podcast, a video blog, or an audiobook. I think that we are always listening to things. I know that I personally cannot stand silence, it makes me nervous and uncomfortable, therefore I am always listing to something. As I’m typing this now I have “Gilmore Girls” running in the back, when I go to sleep I listen to classical panio-type music (yes, like the one babies listen to, to go to sleep), when I workout I listen to music and when I walk or hike I listen to a podcast. I think that because of how busy I am (and because I hate silence) this form of digital publishing is very effective. I think that a podcast is an effective digital publishing format because it is great for on-the-go and listening only. I don’t really sit and listen to podcasts I listen to them when I’m moving and doing something to fill the sound and I think that this make is effective for anyone else who might be like me.

My favorite podcast would have to be The Colin and Samir Show. I don’t really consume it on podcast streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, but I consume their video podcasts on YouTube. Colin and Samir are a YouTube channel of two dudes who give advice on creating content, and they also interview big creators and talk for more than an hour about their story, success, and the current creator economy. The main reason I love it so much is because it’s educational for my interests, but even more than that, they tear down the veil and get into the nitty-gritty of what it’s actually like being a content creator. Lots of YouTube videos you would just casually watch, but they really show the details of the business side of YouTube, which is extremely interesting as it’s a growing industry.

I think that podcasts specifically are one of the most lucrative forms of media right now. The thought that you can start a podcast network from just talking with your buddy every week is a real possibility. TMG Studios is a great example of that. But podcasts are great because if they’re filmed, you can upload that to YouTube as a video podcast. You can also upload it to streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can get lots of sponsors because of the length of the episodes as well. But the best thing about podcasts is that there is so much content produced that it could be edited down into highlights and clips that can go on short form platforms as well, building your reach. Video blogs are also a great style of content, since it makes you feel like you’re a part of someone else’s life. Audiobooks are similar to podcasts, but don’t have any of the benefits that I laid out above. The only benefit to an audiobook is that it is immediate payment of the content.

Audio is a great side of digital publishing that still has tons of potential in the market. Right now it seems like everybody has a podcast, but it is easy to succeed if you take the right steps in promoting yourself outside of the podcast streaming platforms. Everyone who drives to work has three options: Drive in silence, drive with music on, or drive with a podcast or audiobook on. For me, I love spending long drives or long periods of monotonous work while listing to a podcast. And with more hyper attention media on the rise, consuming podcasts can be the thing to do while doing something else, if it isn’t already.

“To make a book is to actualize its ideal space-time sequence by means of the creation of a parallel
sequence of signs, be it linguistic or other.” (Carrion)

Two lines before this quote, the author also mentions how in books, the old art is just written text, but the new art is making books. These section of the reading really solidified what we have been learning since the beginning of this course, and how a book is more than just words on a page. It can be much more than that, and for this upcoming project, I’m excited to make it feel more like flow of information, or more like a symphony of words. That sounds melodramatic, but I think I’d be more interested in books nowadays if they had a greater arc and flow of a story than just chapter after chapter. In the project, you can use multimedia to help convey your topic, and myself and the other group members are excited to incorporate those elements into our site in order to make it more interesting. There are so many details that many people don’t even think about when consuming a piece of media (or art rather). For example, the editing in a video or film can really make the story. Another example is that most music today is far more layered and complicated than people realize, all because they don’t listen to it at a loud enough volume. The amount of times I’ve been in a car with a friend who doesn’t want to turn the music up because “it’ll be too loud,” but they won’t end up hearing all the artistry that the producer and artist have intentionally put in the songs. This is connected to the project because the group can turn this into an immersive experience while also being educational. I’m excited to work on this project and see what the finished product will be like.

“AD/HD might more appropriately be named the ‘search for
stimulation’ disorder.” (190)

I try not to make my whole personality about my ADD, because I know a lot of people who do and it annoys the hell out of me. Like we get it, you just got your medication, I’m happy for you, but we don’t have to talk about it all the time. The section that the author brings up about AD/HD is very interesting and true however. The quote above really encapsulates what it is like to live with AD/HD. You’re constantly looking for instant gratification in forms of short bursts of dopamine, whether that be scrolling on TikTok, texting lots of people at once, or doing twenty different things simultaneously. You can’t focus on anything if it doesn’t fulfill your stimulation, which is why students with AD/HD tend to struggle in school since homework assignments can seem pointless at times. For me right now, I’m writing this blog while listening to a classical study music playlist on Spotify. It helps me focus while my hearing is stimulated because if I don’t then I’ll start to think about different things and get distracted from my schoolwork. Hayles also mentions how more and more young people are being affected by the media they consume, leading to AD/HD habits built in the brain. Lots of my friends have developed this, and some have even been prescribed medication for their struggles in school, yet choose not to take it. They never struggled with school before, but now they are. I think that COVID could have impacted this, since more young people are addicted to their phones and the social media apps that are on it more than ever. These apps rewire your dopamine receptors to always seek stimulation to keep you on their app, so of course kids are going to have trouble focusing in school.

I believe that hyper attention in media is essential to success in media. Multimedia, hyperlinks, and engagement is all crucial to the business of digital publishing, especially social media. But if it’s referring to only text based mediums, I’m not sure it will apply. One thing that may occur would be a decrease of a market for those mediums, since more people are flocking to hyper-attention mediums and platforms.

If we put hyper-attention aspects in traditional books, it will take away from the traditional reader’s experience. For some today, it could make a book more readable, since it would be more stimulating. But for traditional readers, a switch in the medium to include multimedia, hyperlinks, and engagement aspects would not be wanted.

For myself, I have an in browser extension that reads your page like text-to-speech. It helps me comprehend whatever I’m reading even more, and helps me not get as distracted.

Digital books for my college courses have been interesting so far. The online textbooks usually have good built in features like search, a table of contents side menu, hovering over certain words will give you their definition, etc. Those can help a good amount when you are trying to read a big chapter. Including videos can also be a good idea for digital books to try, that way you can have a break from reading a focus on the video, almost like a break.

I do not listen to many podcasts, but one that I have consistently found interesting is Psychology in Seattle. Dr. Kirk Honda is a psychotherapist and professor based in Seattle who hosts the podcast/Youtube channel. I find reality television entertaining, so what drew me to Dr. Honda’s channel is that he reviews reality television shows and gives his opinion on the people in the shows and situations.

Reality television is known for being very dramatic, so the concept of a therapist reviewing these somewhat outrageous shows drew me to his channel. I usually watch/listen while I am drawing when I do not have to deeply concentrate on something.

I think that his channel is effective because he discusses a topic that many people share an interest in while giving educational insight. He doesn’t dramatically change the format of his videos or set up from video to video, so it’s familiar and comfortable each time. It’s a simple setup in his home where he is just sitting in front of a camera, which makes the experience comfortable and entertaining.

I think that podcasts and audio-based videos are very useful, especially with people now being more multi taskers. Many people may not have the time to sit and watch something for a few hours, but they can enjoy listening to something entertaining while doing something else. This is an effective publishing format because it is convenient for those who listen to things. It’s easy to just put something on in the car without taking your attention off of the road, and you are still entertained. While cleaning or running errands it provides an easy way to keep people connected to their interests.

I don’t personally listen to podcasts or watch video blogs, but for the sake of this blog post, I did find a video blog by Weylie Hoang on Youtube about her seven-day road trip from California to Oregon. In watching this video blog some of the things that I noticed is that not only did Hoang discuss her itinerary on her seven-day road trip, but she also discussed some of her own personal thoughts on mental health and well-being. This addition of added dialogue through the use of voice-overs made her video blog really engaging. Additionally, the use of multiple short video clips showcasing her and her partner, things she was doing, or just the scenery really made the video interesting and engaging. I also noticed that she added background music as well so that we are just listening to the sounds of the video clips which works to create an experience for viewers.

Now, in the discussion of my thoughts about publishing audio in the form of podcasts, video blogs, and audiobooks I find that they can make the experience more engaging for viewers/ listeners viewing/ listening to these publications. When we use audio to tell a story, particularly in podcasts and audiobooks, we can create an immersive experience for listeners and allow the ability for these listeners to paint of picture in their mind of what it is that they are listening to. However, when it comes to video blogs we can use visuals and audio to create a very interesting story and experience for viewers. I believe that these forms of digital publishing can be very effective, especially for those who wish to listen or watch rather than read.

“This is not to say that a text is poetry because it uses space in this or that way, but that using space is a characteristic of written poetry.” (Carrión) 

The space in which our story interacts plays a pivotal role in how the audience understands the hero’s journey. It will navigate in such a way as climbing a hill and then falling off a cliff. When we learn a new coding language, there is inevitably a mental block that someone must fight through. That block causes long pauses in practice time. It is likely hard to get back to where you were before. The phrase rings true. Use it or lose it. The road traveled is often narrow, rocky, and full of bugs. No pun intended. For the media design, ASCii often uses spaces in between characters that illustrate pictures. Emerging in the late 1970’s early 80s with bulletin board systems. These pictures are somewhat poetry in a sense built around 128 perfectly monospaced characters. 

Ascii art of Marshall McLuhan
by Jessica Grubbs

The “space” is also in the way the character falls about into code blocks in almost a comic book fashion. The journey of a self-taught programmer moves in a sequence of common events that likely happen from the fear of coding or just the burnout. From HTML and CSS to JavaScript and its many frameworks, once a programmer sticks to their goals and puts in the umpteen hours of practice, will it finally click. This sequence of spaces turned into events will illustrate the feelings programming students all come to face.