Advice to Baruch College

Baruch seems to be well on its way incorporating new media in to the curriculum. A few things I would suggest would be a wiki for students and prospective students that gives a student's perspective of the school and answers questions from a student's point of view.

Also I would recommend that more classes move to a hybrid model like the CIS 3810 I am in right now. This model helps students stay engaged in the course while out of the classroom.

Also I think the school should set up a system that helps instructors use the available technology more effectively. I think a lot of professors are interested in using new media technologies to improve their courses but may not have the time or expertise to do it. It would nice to have lectures available for download to students who miss the class but I see that some students may use it to replace actually going to the lecture and if it were a discussion class it would not be an ideal alternative. This issue would have to be considered.

How do we distinguish “new media” from “old” media?

I think the most basic difference between old media and new media is that old media was a very much of a one way street where new media allows for consumers to interact with media and help shape it. Think of Walter Cronkite's sign off at the end of the news cast: "and that's the way it is." This implies that the news is set in stone and cannot be changed. While it is true facts are facts and we can't change the past, new media allows the the consumer to react to the information and in some cases modify it by promoting a different perspective of events.


We also distingush new media from old in how and when we consume our news and entertainment.

News can be gathered from many more different sources with new media: bloggers, podcasts, e-zines, and many websites. Old media news was defined by newspapers, radio and television, that put distribution and editorial control in a select few.

The entertainment industry has also been greatly affected by new media technology.

Old media platforms such as radio, television and movies are not the consumers only options any more. The same content is now available in many different forms and formats. These allow for a wider audience and give the consumer the opportunity to consume the entertainment products at any time. Just as old media news was limited to a few select outlets, old media entertainment was also limited.


New media technology has given the individual distribution opportunities that were not available just a few years ago. YouTube and MySpace are two of the more popular examples of new media distribution.

With the adoption of new media technologies and practices by old media companies I think the lines will continue to blur between the two and through convergence we will eventually see no real difference between the two.

What have been some of the effects of the new media on society?

I think one of the biggest effects of new media on society is that it helps people understand and respond to the effects of globalization.

New media has empowered the individual. In the old media model people were considered the audience, with a one way flow of information from media company to consumer. With the participatory nature of new media there emerges a conversation between content creator and consumer. The lines between the two have blurred.

Understanding that what happens half way around the world does impact one's life is important. With new media individuals gain a sense of being a "citizen of the world." I think this leads to greater individual responsibility and concern about what affects all of us (such as the impact of global warming).

Also I think there is also an explosion of creativity with the emergence of the new techologies in new media. Society benefits from this type of collaboration with new products and ideas.

Useful Mashup: NYC Taxi rates

Here's a really useful mashup that blends Google maps with an estimate of cab fare. Just put in the starting and ending locations and voilà you have the price. I needed to check how much it would cost to get to LGA from my apt. and luckily we just had a class on Convergence of new media and discussed mashups! I think I typed into Google "NYC cab fare mashup" And up came my answer. Yikes! I am blogging on a Google owned site about a mashup that I found using Google search and the map for the mashup is a Google Map. Google knows way too much about me!

NewsTrust.net reviewing online news

I just found the site while reading an article online. Founded in 2005, NewsTrust helps people find and share good journalism online. It has an impressive list of financial supporters, from the MacArthur Foundation to Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. The site includes member's reviews of news stories. I'll have to keep an eye on this site.