REFLECTION

In this study of document design and publications, I've learned that there are many things that are taken for granted but are extremely important to make any publication successful. Kress and Van Leeuwen (2001) states that semiotics still play a role in today's world of globalization where the barriers and the ever shrinking lines that defines a culture slowly fades into a westernize culture. When it comes to document design, everything from the placement to the content of the document is taken into consideration and is critical in hitting the correct target audience. In today's robust and expanding world, one medium is never enough and this is also includes documents. When it comes to publication, every mediums must come into play for further support the ideal and further satisfy the needs of target audience. Many issues that may seem like ten years ago will seem like a lot today due to the every changing culture and the norms practiced by the societies of the world.

SOMETHING New

As time passes so change has to come, this is the same thing when it comes to the internet that is always reinventing itself. First it started with the internet itself, and then came Google and Yahoo that totally revolutionize the way people search for information. Then there was Napster, a download engine that helped users search and download music with ease. Then there were the P2P programs that allowed users to share file, music, videos over the internet. People are always finding new was of making something interesting and appealing towards the users. Today the latest trend is facebook, a program that allows users to meet other people online. This dynamic isn’t something new but the ability to mix in other software to further personalize any users profile is. More than 70 million people visit the site regularly. This makes this a new phenomenon, one where it can be further exploited to convey messages. It has become so popular that even politicians and major companies have associated themselves with it. According to Alexa, the website's ranking among all websites increased from 60th to 7th in terms of traffic, from September 2006 to September 2007.

Who does this belong to?

There is just so much information that can be downloaded from the internet, but does it mean everything that you take from it is legal? Under the Copyright Act of 1987, (www.lawyerment.com.my) anything from an idea to computer software can be copyrighter. This is a big issue today with piracy and copyright infringement being a common occurrence. It is important if one wants to take anything from anyone to ask permission first. Many people take things likely and forget that it is a huge offence to infringe someone’s work or ideas. For example, we as students have to cite the authors of the principles so to credit them for their work. For the students, this is considered very lenient because in the real working world, before citation can even be made, permission or a settlement must be finalized before anything can be published. A simple mistake like forgetting to cite an author could mean a fine or worst, time in the cell. Today, almost everyone downloads illegally and by the law everyone should be arrested. There was a case in china where a father of two was sued by 7 music companies because his children downloaded songs illegally. This is the time where everything should be protected and when one is borrowing from another, proper permission should be asked.

Would you rather take the hard copy or the soft one?

The argument in publication these days are, “which would you prefer to read from? The hard copy of the soft copy?” Trying to find just that right mix has always been plaguing publisher of al kinds, but even now the two mediums cannot survive without each other. In an age where everything is advancing at an extremely fast rate, publishers must both mediums to further enhance and expand the readership. Oakley Todd (2005) said that we as humans do things cognitively and the internet has had such a major impact on the world. Yahoo.com (yahoo.com) has predicted that about 10% of the 600 million of the world’s population owns a personal computer. So with these facts, it is obvious that the internet is the way to go. But wait, what about the other 90% of the world population that doesn’t own a personal computer? What about the people that actually prefer having a tangible form of reading rather then from a screen? This is why both mediums must come into play. Different people always have different preferences and to maximize the readership, a mix of both must be done.

The Law

source: www.newsblab.com

Many may think that one can get away with posting anything on the internet but this is not true. Under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act (1998), it is stated that it is illegal to post anything that would be against the government or anything that promoted any issues that goes against the governments believes. This means that anyone that breaks this ruling will be head in contempt of the government and will be trialed in court. This is a strict and serious business, where anything can be posted in the World Wide Web. Gate keepers are the people that scan through the web, looking for anything that could spell rebellion against the country and from there action will be taken. Even simple pictures that are post could degrade the reputation of an organization. From the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com), an Ellen Simonetti was fired from Delta Airlines for posting pictures of herself in company uniform posing in a improper manner. "Gosh, it's a little tiny sliver of my bra, it's not like a bright red push-up bra," she said. "It's not like I worked the flight like that." From this sort of issues, other problems will arise making a seemingly small problem a big one. After Ellen Simonetti was fired from her job, she went on to sue Delta Airlines for sexual discrimination and this further lead to a vigorous and painful lawsuit. There is always someone watching, the internet may be big but certainly not big enough.