New Communication Librarian: Mildred Joseph
Mildred Joseph will be the new Communication Librarian at the University of Houston Libraries starting August 1, 2008. If you have any questions about or suggestions for library resources and services, please feel free to contact Mildred.
Searching Content of Political Speech Videos
Google has developed new technology to help people search the content of political speeches. From the Google blog:
… With the help of our speech recognition technologies, videos from YouTube’s Politicians channels are automatically transcribed from speech to text and indexed. Using the gadget you can search not only the titles and descriptions of the videos, but also their spoken content. Additionally, since speech recognition tells us exactly when words are spoken in the video, you can jump right to the most relevant parts of the videos you find. …
This new search feature might be of interest to those in Rhetoric and Political Communication.
Doctor-Patient Communication Videos
VideoMD is a site on which visitors can view videos on different health topics that were uploaded by doctors:
VideoMD was created by physicians, for physicians and their patients. Our mission is to strengthen the relationship between doctors and their patients. Using contemporary technology to help physicians fully educate patients on their specific healthcare concerns, the bond between doctor and patient will be changed forever. … VideoMD proves that with modern video capabilities on the internet, combined with an array of searchable content features, video is the best resource to give patients information that they need in an easy and understandable format.
This site might be of interest to those studying Health Communication and Public Health.
Online Videos and Identities
A post on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Wired Campus Blog (Anthropology professor, now a YouTube star, says Web video can help people craft their identities by Jeffrey R. Young) discusses the social impacts of online videos:
Michael Wesch, an assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, set out to study the culture of YouTube users, and he ended up becoming a video star in the process. He and his students have been lovingly documenting how people are using their Web cams to express themselves, and his short videos about the new ways the Web is connecting people have been viewed millions of times.
But when Mr. Wesch gave a talk at the Library of Congress on Monday, one audience member essentially asked: So what? Why should anyone care about a subculture of homemade video makers, or the fact that some people watch amusing clips on the Internet instead of looking at TV? “I don’t understand how this is going to impact my life,” said the questioner, who said she’s only ever watched one YouTube video.
“It will impact politics - it will impact who gets elected this year,” said Mr. Wesch. “And I think it can be argued that Obama would not have taken the election without social media. Clinton with her machine would have just ran right over him.”
The post has an accompanying video and has generated interesting comments.
Mike Wallace Interview Online
The School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin has made available a series of interviews conducted by Mike Wallace:
In the early 1960’s, broadcast journalist Mike Wallace donated 65 recorded interviews made in 1957-58 from his show “The Mike Wallace Interview” to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. The bulk of these were 16mm kinescope film recordings, some of the earliest recordings of live television that were possible, and that survive today. Many of these have not been seen for over 50 years, and they represent a unique window into a turbulent time of American, and world history. From Senators to strippers, Ku Klux Klansmen to Nobel Prize winners, Mike Wallace has interviewed them all, and we invite you to view The Mike Wallace Interview.
Growing Traffic for Magazine Web Sites
A recent research study indicates that more people are drawn to magazine Web sites to view their contents. From the press release:
Consumer magazine websites averaged 70.7 million unique monthly visitors* during the first quarter of 2008, it was announced today by Nina Link, President and Chief Executive Officer, Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). That marks an 11.9% increase over the same period in 2007, when 63.2 million unique visitors logged onto magazine websites. This gain reflects more than three times the rate of growth for the overall U.S. Internet audience, which rose 3.7% in the first quarter. The information is based on a MPA analysis of Nielsen Online-supplied data from 337 consumer magazine brands online.
…
“Magazine brands online are getting ‘stickier’ with web audiences, as the latest data shows,” said Ms. Link. “Publishers are increasingly employing the latest digital innovations to broaden their reach and appeal to an audience that has a clear hunger for magazine online content and communities.”
Library Hours during Summer 2008
The M.D. Anderson Library has shorter opening hours during the summer:
- Monday-Thursday: 7 am - 10:45 pm
- Friday: 7 am - 5:45 pm
- Saturday: 8 am - 5:45 pm
- Sunday: 1 pm - 10:45 pm
Remember that we provide the same good services even though the opening hours are shorter. The student lounge remains open 24 hours every day. Have a great summer!
Facts about Television
The U.S. Census Bureau has made available statistics about television and the TV industry:
73.2 million
The number of households with cable television in 2006. Two-thirds of households with a TV have cable.
Source: Table 1099, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s1099.xls>1,704
The projected average number of hours an individual (12 and older) will spend watching television in 2008. That comes out to 4.7 hours of TV watching per day. In 2000, the average number of hours spent watching TV was 1,502, or 4.1 hours per day.
Source: Table 1098, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s1098.xls>$364.79
The projected average amount consumers will spend on cable and satellite TV in 2009. In 2000, the average amount was $173.58.
Source: Table 1098, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s1098.xls>
If you are looking for articles on Media Studies, the databases, Communication & Mass Media Complete and LexisNexis Academic, will be useful. For other relevant library resources, refer to the Communications database list.
Stream: Culture, Politics, Technology
Stream: Culture/Politics/Technology is a new open access communication journal:
Stream is a peer-reviewed e-journal published by the Communication Graduate Student Caucus, Simon Fraser University.
Stream provides a unique forum for emerging communication researchers in Canada. Encompassing three often-overlapping streams of culture, technology and politics, this journal challenges conceptions of these subjects with innovative interpretations of disciplinary boundaries.
Thanks to Open Access News for noting this new online journal.
For other open access Communication journals, take a look at this section of the Directory of Open Access Journal.
Internet and Consumer Choice
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a report, The Internet and Consumer Choice, that discusses how the Internet has become a major information source for consumers. From the report:
- The internet helps music buyers connect with artists and learn more about music, but it doesn’t strongly influence what or how they buy
- The internet is an influential source of information and options for those purchasing feature-rich items such as cell phones
- The internet is an efficiency-enhancer in searching for new housing
- Few internet users bother to rate or comment on their purchase, even for a digital good such as music
How will the findings affect the business of online advertising and marketing?
