Class Highlights

I'm not lying when I say that I learned a lot in this class. I am a journalism major, so learning all the different things that go on with media was super interesting to me.

The first "Aha!" moment that I had was when we learned about product placement. When watching movies...and I watch a lot of movies...I never really paid attention to the amount of products that are featured in films. Now, I watch a movie and almost everything that is a product catches my eye. I didnt realize there was so much of it in movies.

Next, I really enjoyed learning about Public Relations. I have never really considered the career of Public Relations, but after reading chapter 12 which was all about it, I was very interested in the job. I feel like it might be something that I want to pursue someday...maybe after being a journalist I can switch over.

One more "Aha!" moment that I had this quarter was when we were learning about advertising. I found it really interesting to learn about all the different categories of techniques that advertisments use in order to catch the eye of the viewer. I watch tv now, and when I see a commercial some of the techniques stick out to me.

Overall, this quarter was really interesting and I think all of the things that I learned will be helpful in my career.

Media Ethics/Media Law

I found a story about a police officer from Ontario, California who is going to court for "employee privacy rights in the workplace." This officer, Quon, was given a company cell phone and a limit for how many "work related" text messages he can send per month. Apparantly, this officer didnt follow the rules and used his phone for personal use..mainly to sent racy text messages to his wife, his girlfriend, and another officer. The boss was getting tired of the excessive charges that Quon was costing him, so he checked the text transcripts. What he found were the private text messages that Quon sent. Quon decided to sue to phone company and the city for an invasion of privacy. Here is more of detail of the story :)

Propaganda in Advertising/PR

This ad is a perfect example of the propaganda techniques.
One of the techniques used is "Beautiful People." This is Isaiah Mustafa and, lets be honest, he is quite attractive. Women are already interested in watching this commercial because there is a good looking man talking, and he is shirtless....and in a towel. He starts off by talking about how your man could be more like him if he uses this body wash, and the women are now interested in having their men be like him.
Euphoria is also used in this advertisement because Isaiah shows all the things that could be yours, if only your man used Old Spice body wash. He is on a boat, he's holding "two tickets to that thing you love," and then he's holding diamonds. Those three things are super appealing to the average American.

I absolutely love this commercial because it is so different from other commercials, it is super entertaining, and sticks in my mind. If I were a man I would probably start using Old Spice, not because I want to smell like him, but because the commercial really caught my eye.

Internet

I use the internet for shopping all the time. I find it super convenient to be able to sit at home and avoid lines and crowds of people at malls. I know my size in clothing so it is easy for me to order what I want from all stores, and if by chance I don't like it by the time it gets to my house, I can simply send it back and exchange it or get my money back. Online shopping is great. However, there is a chance that you can get carried away with online shopping.
I have a friend that is addicted to buying things from Amazon. She rushes home from school everyday to be home when the UPS or FedEx guys arrives so that she can sign for her package. Half of the time she doesn't even remember what she ordered until she opens the package. Her dad had let her use his debit card to buy something one time, and the card information remained on the site because Amazon does that for easier checkout. She figured out that she could just log on and buy without having to ask again for her dads information. This became a problem and when he got his card information in the mail, it showed that she had spent well over $350 on Amazon in one month. She is still paying him off, but I know that she is trying to cut back on the spending.
Its very simple to get carried away wen it comes to online shopping because its easy to just open up the internet and buy. If you're careful, it's a blessing, but if you're not, online shopping can be dangerous.

Television

Length: 2:06
Description: This video shows the excessive amount of violence that is in television shows, and the astonoshing part is that the violence is mostly in children's shows/cartoons.
Chapter 1: Media Contraversies Chapter 9: Television "Perpetuating Violence"
Quiz Question: Has media violence been shown to have a greater impact on men or women?
Answer: Men

Movies

I am a huge movie fan. I love to watch movies...all different kinds. The year 2010 was not the best year for movies in my opinion. I ended up going to the theaters a lot to see a bunch of different movies; however, there werent many that stood out. When trying to decide what my favorite movie this year was, three come to mind. I love funny movies, and I thought that Due Date was great. I am also a sucker for anything that has to do with sex and the city, so Sex and the City 2 would be another one that tops my list. But the one that takes the cake would have to be Toy Story 3.
I have always been a fan of the Toy Story movies and it seems to me that each new one that come out gets better and better. This particular one touched on all the emotions and I feel like if a movie can do that, then they are able to reach out to all different kinds of viewers and please everyone. I saw this movie the day that it was released in 3D at the theaters, and although I am not a huge fan of 3D movies, I was very pleased with this one. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/toy_story_3/
Trying to come up with my all time favorite movie is super hard. There are so many that I like, such as, Pretty Woman, Sex and the City 1 & 2, Bad Boys 2, but there is one in particular that stand out from the crowd. Remember the Titans is a movie that I can watch over and over and over again and never get sick of it. This is one of the only movies where the football seems real and is based off of a real story. This movie never fails to make me sad, happy, and entertained.  http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/remember_the_titans/

Magazine Proposal

To whom it may concern,

I have an idea for a new magazine. Every team in the NFL has many faithful fans that would enjoy to hear all the news about their teams. This magazine would be made twice a year, and each team would have their own magazine created. Being that I am a niner fan, I chose to make the 49er prototype.
This magazine would be different from other magazines because it would be about one team only and would have many different articles about the entire 49er foundation, not just the players. It is a magazine that would have 32 different versions released at once, on for each team in the NFL.
This magazine would be for all ages. The articles would be designed to make sense to all readers. There wouldnt be too much "football talk" so that even those who dont know every detail about football would be able to understand. But it would also target the football fanatics because the articles would be about what the fans want to know. This is the perfect magazine for the "Die-Hard 49er Fan."
Most sports magazines talk about all the different teams, but this one would be only about the 49ers. The readers would be able to find out how events happening in the NFL would affect this individual foundation.
As far as advertisers go, GMC would be our biggest advertiser. GMC is a sponsor of the 49er foundation so they would have most of the advertisements in the magazine. Nike would also be an advertiser because they sell cleats and sports clothing. Under Armour would be another advertiser because that is what the players wear, so Under Armour could get 49er players to model their products. Beer companies, like Budweiser, would also be an advertiser because beer goes with football like peanut butter and jelly. Our last advertiser would be Doritos. Chips go along with football as well so they would definitely be interested in advertising in our magazine.
Five articles that would be included in the premier edition would be:
1. Our New Man - Jim Harbaugh joins the 49er organization
2. Destination Santa Clara
3. Lockout: Friend or Foe?
4. How to get season tickets
5. 49er Alumni - Where are they now?
The cover of this magazine would be a picture of Jim Harbaugh. Right now, he is the biggest thing to be happening to the organization and I believe that niner fans are really interested in learning more about him. The other articles would be listed on the cover so that they buyer can learn what is going to be on the inside before they purchase the magazine. If we make the articles appealing enough, many niner fans would be interested in reading the articles. The cover wouldnt be too flashy because football isnt a glamorous sport. We just want to get our information across in a clear and concise way.
I hope you enjoy the idea for NinerNation. And remember, each team would have their own magazine completely dedicated to their team.

Thank you for your time.