Chosen Website 'www.Newsnow.co.uk'

News Now has often been described as a roll on news portal providing the latest news as close as five mintues before the event or act has even taken place. Most fields of interest are covered along the left hand side of the page from finance, current affairs, sport and arts and entertainment. As a user i find the site beneficial when i seek information on Chelsea Football Club. By selecting Sport >Football>Premier League teams > Chelsea i can receive team news, results and transfer gossip much quicker than i would do via Sky sports News and so on. You can also input a date if you wish to recieve information on a topic that was more popular weeks before.

The website appears to cover a wide audience of different cultures acting as a more efficient way to find the latest news on what the user is searching for, http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/ We can imagine a wide range of users from different cultures ethnic backgrounds and class using the site. From business executives searching for the latest news on finace to those obsessed with celebrity gossip or sport it seems the site covers a wide variety of interests. The feeds often tend to lead the user to an online article or news report which usualy at the bottom offers the oppurtunity for a response via commenting therefore suggesting although news now doesnt have its own forum or chatrooms it does indeed encourage interactivity. A common disadvantage of using is the site is that articles and feeds are sometimes misplaced due to key words being misinterpreted for example an article on a chelsea flower show may end up in the chelsea football club feed. Due to the fast pace of activity on the site their isnt enough time to monitor and correct these errors.

Week 4 Community 1,2

In comparison to social communities online communities are often praised as being more beneficial saving time and energy although ideas regarding its main purpose are often overlooked. The online communities available may in fact be a reflection of a physical lifestyle which in turn through shared interests views and time people feel they belong to an 'online family'. 'This idea overlaps with an idea of community based in ties of family, work and economic relations that may often be associated or represented through physical location.' (Lister:2003 pg 174) It can be argued that online communities in fact discourage the diversity and range of contribution the internet tends to offer as interaction between online users of different values, interests and lifestyles are broken as people fall into their own sub categories online. Although its audience is diverse the users that belong to these specific communities do share characterisitics. The net does often offer a public sphere where citizens can engage with one another to discuss and debate on specific topics which can in effect influence actions. The common perception that through the public sphere opinion can result in political action is in fact evidence of how online communities can be empowering or rather disempowering as many are led to believe in conspiracies that the public sphere is dictated by those of wealth and power as much goes unheard or ignored.

Sound on Sound Magazine Forum

The Sound on Sound Magazine forum has been highly beneficial to musicians, sound engineers and artists nationwide. Hundreds of threads are created daily allowing users to seek advice on information ranging from setting up music equipment to mix downs and mastering audio. Highly qualified audio engineers who write for the actual magazine also contribute by posting in these threads to make sure accurate and use full advice is being shared. Some of these threads listed down the page include Newbies, Music Recording Technology, PC Music, Mac Music , Mastering and Studio Design and Acoustics. The site is well organised making the desired subject of interest easy to access and comment on. Most users are friendly and willing to help and guide each other in the right direction due to their shared views and interests in music. Constructive criticism is delivered as artists enter a quest to find a desired sound. You can leave a question in the forum and have the website email you to let you know if youve had a response which is usually in a short space of time as the forum is so popular.

http://www.soundonsound.com/forum

Web forums !

The self presentation of online users in forums vary as many attempt to voice their opinions to the online community. Web forums often act as a medium which through interaction, users can seek advice , express their opinions and contribute in debates which meet their interests. The dynamics of web forums allow participants to form a relationship with other users, without having to reveal their identity therefore giving way for discussion that can be stretched further than an offline general conversation or debate, as aggressive and heated responses online seem harmless. Confidence and the ability to voice an opinion face to face are not required giving shy characters the opportunity to be heard . There are however many disadvantages when using online forums today. Inaccurate information or advice can be communicated between users which can misguide and confuse subjects whilst extreme views have often insulted and offended people over the Internet. Many would argue that now there are moderators and forum administrators who can can track offensive behaviour and block targeted users though it sometimes seems hard to evaluate what should be allowed as many believe they have a right to express their opinions . Many conspiracy's are also developed and encouraged through web forums for example the tragedy of 9/11 has been picked apart and probed without the consideration of those who lost lives, family and loved ones.