If Guys Used Polyvore...

Awesome by sfinckel featuring Poetic Licence shoes

man time by lhartle on Polyvore.com

man stuff by quotedbysarabeth featuring La Perla

fail by quotedbysarabeth on Polyvore.com

Jersey Shore by rsengewalt featuring American Eagle Outfitters

Man Stuff by kkicher on Polyvore.com

Cretive Gallery Status

Well, since the tape recorder wouldn't focus and had to be repaired over Thanksgiving break, my parents are coming to shop in Morgantown this weekend and I will video then. I still plan on videotaping my dog and cutting it up with text; he entertained my entire extended family all of Thanksgiving day so I'm hoping he will be entertaining enough to watch on a little video.

I will need help with cutting video and inserting music when I get my footage.
Do I need to do anything else? The term 'gallery' mkes me think that I need lots of things to show the class.

Multimedia Art Blogging

Ok this is dumb but I really want to do a video of my dachshund. It woulld be funny and lighthearted. I would play the song "Low Rider" throughout the video and talk about how I could technically get in lots of trouble for posting the video with a copy of the song. I'd mention a lawsuit Lawrence Lessig writes about between a mom who YouTubed her baby dancing to Prince and Prince's record label. Hopefully this would point out the irony of something so harmless becoming center of a serious legal situation.

Dachshund movie

Polyvore Final Draft

Polyvore: The Win-Win in Multimedia Authorship

Blog post on Project

I may I think a detournement creative gallery would make a pretty cool statement. My multimedia gallery willtalk about any inconsistencies in the web site and how these inconsistencies really limit the creative expression for users that the website advertises. the creativity that the I'd like to do it in collage format as contributors to Polyvore would ordinarily do.

WLSC Chamber Choir Italy Tour '06

View WLSC Italy Tour 2006 in a larger map

Brainstorming for Creative Gallery

I love the detournement ideas--I could do a collage in which the articles of designer brand clothing on Polyvore go back to other countries and working conditions, or a comment on how the look of these items reflect body types that aren't appropriate or healthy. The best idea to me however would be to show that no matter how creative the collage its still an advertisement for something else and is constrained by the limits of what companies have created and that lesser known companies aren't featured as options for artwork.

Polyvore Research Paper Draft

Polyvore: The Win-Win in Multimedia Authorship (Draft)

The most successful part of my draft? I would say the intro is very strong and my description of the relationship between users, businesses and the web page addresses the strengths of this harmonious multimedia authorship. I ran into a weak spot while trying to get my draft to transition into copyright law and how Polyvore fit into that as well as contrasting Polyvore with negative websites. I feel like I'm just writing a description of each website I've Diigo'ed and relating it to Polyvore rather than extending applicability right now.

Polyvore Research Diagram

My Polyvore Google Docs Research Diagram can be found here.

Polyvore Research Presentation

I just figured out how to display my Polyvore slideshow directly on my blog!
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Research Blog Update

I have progressed in my Diigo bookmarking to finding good and bad examples of multimedia authorship issues. The best examples make a point to address the author or author's limitations, and to have that information available in an easy to find, easy to read link available on the homepage of the website. They provide the user with satisfaction that their contribution was appreciated, the business with promotion of their material and the website as the hub interaction center. Now I need to understand the legal basis for all of this and the applicability of the good principles for the not so good websites.

My Diigo references for my multimedia authorship research can be found here.

Polyvore Reflection

I feel like I'm running out of things to add about this topic. I'm not sure what the research proposal needs or what direction I should go with it, and I would really appreciate some feedback. I allude to applicability in the research proposal of this website to other websites, but I don't think I can just figure all that out and still have a good research proposal with the amount of time I'm given to do this. I want to keep the research centered on Polyvore and theorize to applicability of this website's standards on other websites. Either way, some input would be nice..

What is a Multimedia Author?

A multimedia author becomes an intangible, abstract figure the moment his or her work is released to the masses or the instant that person employs another medium for enhancing his submission. In my opinion, the term “author” is no longer appropriate: the individual who submitted the original piece has become a collaborator whose input was merely a piece of the overall picture that constitutes the submission. As the author used other forms of media in submitting the work, it is arguable that the entire submission is truly the result of one person’s creativity, anyway. As every part of the process is so dynamic—Foucault, in his argument, calls into question the consistency in which an author even exists in creative endeavors—where one person’s input ends and another individual ‘s incorporations begin is nearly impossible to pick apart.
I call for a change in terminology. As an author is considered to exist before every part of the work, according to Barthes, this word is inaccurate in its labeling. The proper term should depict an individual who created something, to be sure, but also characterizes an individual who used other methods, was influenced by other people and other mediums (duh, multimedia), and created a dynamic collaboration that may or may not still be embellished by other people. Although the “multimedia” aspect of “multimedia author” seems pretty much on target, the “author” part of the term should change to “transposer” or “embellisher” or “collaborator.” The work could then be called “a _____ (literary, scientific, artistic, et cetera) collage, implying reference to the medium in which it was submitted as well as other fellow collaborators whose contributions should be recognized, as well.

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Wikipedia Posting

My contribution to my group's Wikipedia article can be found here

My heading is "Distinguishing Features."

Revised Polyvore Research Proposal

I am planning my research proposal on the positive aspects of multimedia authorship interactions on Polyvore, the fashion website few people have heard about that I bookmarked and outlined for class. For those of you who hadn't heard me talk about it, this website collects images from fashion magazines, artwork, photos, and catalogs, and links them all to its website, including prices and source. Users then browse the images and combine them into ‘sets,’ which other people can view and rate. I've never submitted one, but I've created several, and it's addicting. Sometimes the pieces are so good a magazine will choose to use the set as a feature, in certain cases giving money to the creator of the set and lots of publicity for the company or companies with the items in the set. Most of the less costly pieces end up selling out, and the creator at the very least becomes the featured person on the website's homepage. I would like to use it as a model for mutually beneficial multimedia authorship procedures.
I really think the website is a win-win for all parties involved: the business contributes the clothes and the images which people see through this website and purchase, the users take those images and collaborate them into a collage of art, which they receive credit and acclaim from peers and sometimes from magazines for, and the website receives the hits as a kind of hub reference for fashion and creativity. I would plan to go into a great amount of detail on that process and then apply it to a real world example of this process not working--illegal music downloading like Napster or Morphius, for example, YouTube, or perhaps Facebook. By comparing what works to what doesn't work, perhaps I could outline possible solutions for creative websites like these. I also want to tie this into law—how to implement a creative website using other original works without violating copyright laws.
Would defining exactly what a user will get out of this help ensure that no one is unhappy with the end result? I think if it were obvious where these definitions were there wouldn't be these authorship discrepancies. I also think websites should be held accountable for not having this information user friendly and readily accessible at all times.
How does this work with copyright law? If a multimedia source credits all original authors, does that somehow work its way around copyright law?
Is there a disclaimer section in the website and what are the laws or rules governing the appearance of the disclaimer or lack thereof?
Is there some way of doing this with music downloading and crediting original authors for good PR, as Polyvore does?
How did Polyvore get the rights to the images and links to the clothing on the retailer websites?
Can people claim as much of the art produced as their own in the artwork section as they do in the interior design/clothing section?
Do retailers have to pay to be featured on this website? Is this a subtle form of advertising to be featured as opposed to the blatant, put an ad on the website method?
Is this the evolving face of advertising or integrated marketing communications?
I would like to define exactly where authorship begins and ends in users submitting their own pieces. It seems that they still own their work to some degree after publishing it to the website, but the website can feature it and have other contributors make as many spin-offs as they want. Still the original receives credit in number of vies and favorites and sometimes contest winning features. So what do contributors agree to when they hit 'submit'? that the website can feature, emphasize, and publicize the work as little or as much as they want, but when it gets huge recognition, the creator still receives the money and recognition? Where is the line drawn? What makes this concept different from music downloading--could a deal like this be struck in other areas of more controversial multimedia authorship? for example, some people don't intend for their multimedia works to become famous or to receive so much recognition. could a deal like this apply to them? I would like to examine the applicability of this website to other situations and try to explain why it would work or what the other problematic situations need to change in order for this kind of mutual recognition to work.
If it cannot work, I would like to be able to explain why, as well.
The most intriguing thing about this is that I think it provides a yes and no answer to Sandy's question of 'Is it possible to remix something so that it becomes entirely yours?' by answering, 'Well, it's my remix, but the components are someone else's.' It is the best of both worlds.
References:
1. The Cheeseburger Network. I Has A Hotdog: Loldogs N Cute Puppies. http://ihasahotdog.com/. 09/10/2009.
2. Olandoff, Drew. “That’s Not What I Ordered…” Blame Drew’s Cancer! Proudly Partnered With Livestrong ©. http://blamedrewscancer.com/. 09/10/2009.
3.100 Word Stories…Keep It Brief. http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com/. 09/10/2009.
4. FOX Forums. House Fan Fics (PG13 or Under). http://forums.fox.com/foxhouse/messages.

Polyvore Research Proposal

I am planning my research proposal on the positive multimedia authorship interactions on Polyvore, the fashion website few people have heard about that I bookmarked and outlined for class. For those of you who hadn't heard me talk about it, this website collects images from fashion magazines, artwork, photos, and catalogs, and links them all to its website, including prices and source. Users then browse the images and combine them into ‘sets,’ which other people can view and rate. I've never submitted one, but I've created several, and it's addicting. Sometimes the pieces are so good a magazine will choose to use the set as a feature, in certain cases giving money to the creator of the set and lots of publicity for the company or companies with the items in the set. Most of the less costly pieces end up selling out, and the creator at the very least becomes the featured person on the website's homepage. I would like to use it as a model for mutually beneficial multimedia authorship procedures. I really think the website is a win-win for all parties involved: the business contributes the clothes and the images which people see through this website and purchase, the users take those images and collaborate them into a collage of art, which they receive credit and acclaim from peers and sometimes from magazines for, and the website receives the hits as a kind of hub reference for fashion and creativity. I would plan to go into a great amount of detail on that process and then apply it to a real world example of this process not working--illegal music downloading like Napster or Morphius, for example, YouTube, or perhaps Facebook. By comparing what works to what doesn't work, perhaps I could outline possible solutions for creative websites like these. I also want to tie this into law—how to implement a creative website using other original works without violating copyright laws.

The most intriguing thing about this is that I think it provides a yes and no answer to Sandy's question of 'Is it possible to remix something so that it becomes entirely yours?' by answering, 'Well, it's my remix, but the components are someone else's.' It is the best of both worlds.

References:
1. The Cheeseburger Network. I Has A Hotdog: Loldogs N Cute Puppies. http://ihasahotdog.com/. 09/10/2009.
2. Olandoff, Drew. “That’s Not What I Ordered…” Blame Drew’s Cancer! Proudly Partnered With Livestrong ©. http://blamedrewscancer.com/. 09/10/2009.

3.100 Word Stories…Keep It Brief. http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com/. 09/10/2009.
4. FOX Forums. House Fan Fics (PG13 or Under). http://forums.fox.com/foxhouse/messages.

Response to Readings #1

I have frequently wondered, while writing something that to the best of my knowledge is original, what the chances are that a certain well formed phrase of mine would be similar to something someone else may have typed up. It's really a game of guessing a statistics, and since my middle school years, it has bothered me. Of the myriad documents and entries everywhere, confounded by multimedia authorship today, there are bound to be writings that possess some random quality that may be characteristic of my work, and it leads me to wonder if I could ever truly have an original thought. Is everything I write a regurgitation of something else, tucked away in memory or subconscious? It makes me wonder if I should shun some of my favorite authors--Kingsolver, Irving, Grogan, and many more--for fear that my admiration will lead me to emulate a style that is not really mine. Maybe I exaggerate, but plagiarism is so broadly defined that the distinction is rarely as clear as I need it to be.
Although writing does make me apprehensive in that respect, I can identify with the business view as well. Money makes the world go around, and everyone needs to make a living. Yet when the money making inhibits the spread of creative influence, I would argue that measures must be taken to balance the two extremes. In order for that to happen, two things must occur: there must be a definitive line between plagiarism and legally using another individual's work, and the stigma from building on what another author has said must be lifted. If that means reference pages must accompany novels, than maybe they should be considered. But this must be done in some way so that the business extreme isn't being catered to--the story of two lovers being torn apart by extenuating circumstances shouldn't have to reference Romeo and Juliet.

If only there was an easy way to do that.

English 303

My family didn't get a computer until I was in middle school, but my grandparents and cousins had one before that and I used them at school, so I would say that I grew up a digital native. I have had a cell phone since 8th grade, and an ipod since high school.

We used the internet to play games when I was younger, but I pretty much did homework and instant messaged my friends in high school.

The earliest thing I remember doing on the web is playing computer games with my older cousin Justin: Asteroids, Wing Commander, and a few others.

I use the web to check my bank account balance, email (MIX and AOL), and for homework, research, Facebook, and to log hours for volunteer work and tutoring. I no longer use AIM--I hate it. I have no Myspace. I'm looking into using Skype in case I am accepted to study abroad and need a cheap way to call my family at home.
I hate using aspects of the web I'm not familiar with for classes, it stresses me out until I get the hang of it, so the first few weeks of 303 and 305 aren't going to be fun. Other than that, it's okay.

I have my English 303 and 305 blog, but I have no webpage. I spend 2 hours a day on the web, depending on what writing I'm doing (mostly essays and email, etc.)

I'm familiar with all of Office 2007, Publisher 98, and Adobe Photoshop.