Courses/Computer Science/CPSC 203/CPSC 203 2007Fall L04/CPSC 203 2007Fall L04 TermProjects/One Site Stardom

Who We Are

The Computer Geeks

Group members

Jamie-Lynn Smukowich
Paul Taggart
Fangzhi Pang
Raymond San Agustin

Initial Project Statement

We explore the issues of online Stardom that have often started with the use of online sites to exhibit a persons personality, talents and every day life. Viewers from all over the world have easily accessed information from personal blogs(online diaries), vlogs(video blogs) and personal pages. Blogs have became so common that journalists have often made their own journalistic columns on an easy accessible web page. All of this has made online stardom only a click away... and perhaps putting you on Entertainment Tonight! But do these pages help us spot fame by the "first site" or could it actually just be a step to letting go too much information? Where is the border between personal and business?

Argument

Following the development of internet, the blog and vlog have become the stages for people to exhibit personalities, perform talents and abreact emotions. With examples in mind, they could ever offer you the opportunity of becoming a celebrity. But just how safe is beginning to express yourself to the entire world? Let us explore how blogs and vlogs have created fame for few, the security issues involved and just how trustful these insights could be.

Internet Technology

what is a blog ?

Blog is the abbeviation of Web log which is a journal kept on the Internet. This journal contains the personal information about the blogger shared with the world. Bloggers are able to create their place in the big world or the internet by showing their personality, hobbies, age, name and where they live. People are able to suscribe to their blog and be notified by any updates on their lives. Blogs are often used by people to rant, explain, theorize, talk and basically express themselves through words, artwork, videos or songs and poetry through the use of simple mark up language. The most famous website is www.blogger.com

What is a vlog?

Vlog is the abbreviation of video blog which is a video journal shared with the world. This journal video contain some video screened by general and posted on the internet. Vloggers often have a youtube account that they can update and upload videos in which they maybe acting, singing, crying, yelling and sometimes just speaking their mind. With the technology and the simplicity of video and audio technology improving, it has better abled people to make great videos that could be better developed into quite sophisticated clips. People are also allowed to suscribe to catch any recent videos of their favorite people on youtube - which has grown into quite the community. People are also allowed to block and allow comments on any of their videos which could result in fans and haters leaving their two cents in a text response or even a video response. The most famous vlog website is Youtube.

Blog and Vlog Stalking

TimothyDelaGhetto2 is a famous vlogger with almost 14,000 suscribers, many fans and haters and has claimed internet fame

With this crave to become sooo popular, people often find themselves in the situation of almost desperation of being "found". This usually leads to a quite a bit of over exposure in the wide world net. People often find themselves dropping hints or even straight up saying where they are from, city, region, area codes, land marks around where they live and even their hang outs. This could in fact get you "found" - but is it by the right kind of people you're hoping for?

With subscriptions and notification, viewers have often become so indulgent in other people's lives that it could quite possibly come to the point of obsession. With that occurence, it could get messy and possibly in the most extreme cases become a safety issue for those that are writing the blogs or filming the vlogs.

And oh sure; the least of your worries is those of the extreme fanbase, it could quite possibly be those who could hate you. Blogs and vlogs are often ways of venting and "rants" are quite common in most if not all blogs. Some one is always going to complain about something, and another person could take it offensively. Flaming and angry notes or emails could be easily blocked, but when an obsessed hater comes to an extreme, there may be a need for an outside aid.In some cases certain posts can be misinterpreted and can set off unstable people causeing them to spend their endless spare time pestering,insulting, and in some serious cases stalking and exibiting violent behavior. Once targeted it would be best to calmly reconsile with that person but if inconsolable and if aggression towards you escalates it is best to inform either someone of legal authority or atleast your friends or other bloggers in the area who can support you and keep an eye out for your stalker.

Here is an example where pin pointing where someone lives could be so easy TimothyDelaGhetto is an aspiring rapper and actor that admires Will Smith (where he got his screen name one of the "Fresh Prince"'s aliases) that has a huge fan and hate base. He even has his own "Dear DelaGhetto" segment where he answers questions from fans. The segment he did above shows and states specifically his "hood", Paramount, the 562 area. He even shows his restaurant his family owns, his high school, his old house (he states 1538 cedar avenue in long beach) and even where he likes to buy his shoes and gets his hair cut.

Negative Blog and Vlog Use

Although vlogging and blogging were originally uses of ways people are able to give expression and freedom of thought and speech. There are that of which could be seriously impacting of those who read or view these things. Ranting and complaining are great ways of relieving stress and at times could be quite comedical. However when these things come to a point where they become offensive, racial, steretypical or vulgar, these things should be kept personal. They become another way that tools of media become twisted and extorted into ways of offensive and sometimes threatening manners.

Pekka-Eric Auvinen was the Jokela gun man who uploaded a vlog before he comitted his shooting

For example, below are the videos that were posted the night or days before the Jokela High School Shootings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLh3YKvx-pM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzol64R8IQo

Pekka-Eric Auvinen was someone who named himself a "natural selector" and sought out to do his work in a violent way. Auvinen used his vlog has a way to tell the world about his cause in choosing those who he saw fit as a human being. Bending youtube into a tool of negative media successfully distributed his goal and after carousing around youtube, seemed to develop a group of believers and supporters. Comments are seen both congratulating and praising Auvinen as a hero and those explaining him as a despicable person. He used a multibillion dollar company and website as a pawn in his grand scheme of his crazy idea for humanity.

Examples of Online Stardom

Mario "Perez Hilton" Lavandeira

A popular online gossip blog that has become one of the most world renown internet blogs on the planet.

Not only has he been able to create a simple free blog space and create a name for himself, but he has created an almost infamous enterprise on for online celebrity gossip, by creating monetary gain, a huge fanbase and hatebase around the world and even his own television show and his famous MVA special. He has created quite a controversy around plagiarisms, copyrights and celebrity worry. Truly an example of a blog spot gone Platinum.

Perez Hilton's website http://perezhilton.com/

WWTDD

Full name of WWTDD is What Would Tyler Durden Do. Based on Brad Pitt's Fight Club character, an anarchist with nothing to lose. Basically, if any other blog were to rival Ms. Perez Hilton, it would be this one. Because this blog focused on bringing you the newest gossip and news about rich and famous celebrities, he spares no feelings. If you're sick of seeing Perez, this would definitely be a great blog to see. Although this writer has decided to stay anonymous, their fame cannont be over looked. He has successfully been able to pull off his entries with a clever arrogance that keeps you reading.

Esmee Denters

Esmee Denters is a internet celebrity who has made it big at the age of only 19. Maybe you do not know who she is, but I can tell you her soulful voice has issued to each corner of the world through the internet. She was noticed by posting amateur videos of her singing popular songs on youtube. The talent of this Netherlands girl was rapidly awared by people all over the world. When she was 18 years old, she had been signed as the first artist on the new Tennman Records label headed by singer Justin Timberlake. If you have anymore interest in her, you can visit http://www.youtube.com/user/esmeedenters to hear her voice and visit http://www.esmeeworld.com/ to know more about her.

Marie Digby

You can use many nouns to define Marie Digby, a singer, songwriter, a guitarist or a pianist, but you do not know which word could absolutely describe her versatility. She start her singer career through the internet. She gradually became famous after she sang a cover of 「Umbrella」by Rihanna. From them on, the attentions of many radio stations and disc companies were attracted by this very young girl. She has become one of the successful artists who were noticed through the internet and eventually her cover was featured on the famous show The Hills Are you interesting in her? I introduce you to a good place to find her. The website address is http://www.youtube.com/user/MarieDigby

Chris Crocker

Do you know how long it would take to make one person become a internet celebrity from a general fan. The answer is the time used to post a video. Chris Crocker is one of the fans who I mentioned before. After this emotional fan posted his video to support famous singer Britney Spears, Crocker's videos have received a combined 40.2 million plays on MySpace and his vlog channel on YouTube with over 48.7 million views. There has even been many rumors of him recieving a deal for his own reality TV show after his infamy as the boy who cried Britney.

you can enjoy crocker video on http://www.youtube.com/user/itschriscrocker

Safety Lessons in Blogging and Vlogging

Identify how much information you are willing to give

Personal information is often best kept to being personal and at most those you trust. Pictures, addresses, phone numbers and any other personal information of your loved ones should be absolutely secured or even be asked for permission before hand. Your own information is left up to your own judgment. Decide exactly how much information you are willing to give out and if so understand the consequences of doing so. Often times an email is just enough for someone to contact you, especially if they want you for their next hit TV show. Understand that offline, your security isn't as easy as contacting an administrator or blocking them.

Indentify How You Seem From Others

With comment features, people are entitled to give their opinion if granted so. You may recieve flaming from people you do not wish to offend and understand that some things aren't percieved as successful as they should be of original entitlement and understanding. Have someone proof read your blog, or even edit it based on other people's comments - criticism is important in every aspect of writing and filming. Planning before hand about how people might react and understanding your plan of action to them is a very good technique in dealing with them. Sometimes just apologizing could be the best thing as well, written blog or vlog entries as an apology is a very effective way of making it up - especially when often times people just want to be recognized.

You are NEVER alone

Administrators are always there to ensure that everyone is having an enjoyable time on their site, and when breached, administrators sometimes are not able to see everything. Inform them about any material that is offensive or vulgar but keep in mind, they are screening your writing and filming as well! In case times are escalating to measures that seem beyond your control, there are outside forces you could contact like your local Police department and the people who run the site. They are more than glad to help.

Conclusion

After the appearances of blog and vlog, humans were provided a free stage to exhibit personal talent and emotion. That is the merit of blogs and vlogs. Lots of people with ability were scouted because they exhibited their talents over the web. It also creates lots of new celebrities who are rapidly being noticed by innumerable people through the internet. We can say that the internet is the most useful propagandistic floor that can make whomever become a celebrity and bring lots of profit at any moment. On the other hand, blogs and vlogs also bring up some transgressive danger. For instance, someone's privacy photo is thieved to insult them or someone's intimincy is boomed across the net. These activities have been classified crimes. I even heared someone say that writting blog is a activity of speaking to themselves. I hope everyone could accurately use blogs and vlogs but not use them to hurt someone else. Let blogs and vlogs be a clean stage for people to show themself, please.