Making a podcast is something that I have been dreaming of doing since I came to Australia. I want to inspire people and make people’s day by creating contents. So it was an exciting activity where ideas and execution are two completely different stories.

CHECK OUT MY FIRST PODCAST EVER: Episode 1: Embrace your privilege and learn to focus MAN! by Epic Nugget Podcast | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Starting with drafting ideas on canva.com, among the four topics given, I right away clicked into the topic of education as I have twelve years of experience in the traditional way of teaching. In the podcast, I highlighted the convenience and the prevalence of resources online that bring student learning and engagement to a high degree. Still, education in digital media is limited by the digital divides that prevent ambitious, motivated students from the knowledge and the lack of self-regulatory lead to ineffective learning.

The recording process is a funny part. Hundreds of tapes were straight into the bin, I could not drag my voice down anymore, and I ended up having sore throat ( in satisfaction and fulfillment). Also, while recording, I did not know what I was saying, or aware of whether I am making sense of my ideas.

There are three criteria of an excellent recording I had in mind: the crispiness (quality of voice), the correctness of the content and tone. Although sometimes, everything was fantastic but the tone, I prefer it sounds more colorful instead of a boring monotone, I think this would keep the viewer’s attention.

I send creativity, energy, relatability, fun, inspiration and positivity to my audience by potraying my personalities in the podcast. So I used the analogy of “CAT in the classroom”, faking a female voice, the corny call to action at the start, visualizations of pajama, eating crackers on the bed, the term ‘ Google it’, and especially make a short beatbox as a transition between ideas.

I love the music picking part, common creative music are not as bad as I thought, and I referenced them carefully, in some podcasts I hear, like ‘the futur’ podcast, they still using common creative music, and it has done a dramatic job. I copied how they use music by placing it at places indicating a change in topic or areas where listeners might be tired of listening to give them a pause.

In the editing process, I made some adjustments to bring a clearer voice and put together ideas that I think is logical. Background noise is really disturbing despite using a good enough mic, I tried to eliminate it, but it seems best to just be reduced as I don’t wish to distort my voice. I wanted to make my voice crispy and deep to make up some of my childish voice with the hope of satisfying people and sound more professional. So, I tried to put my mouth very close to the mic, pointing it to my throat at eye level and dragged my voice down to make a drum effect.

My biggest concern is the content of the podcast, I don’t if the audience finds my content too superficial or too pale, and it might hard to understand and follow. So I sent it to my friends and have them listened to the work. One friend reminded me of my beatbox skills. I make it as transitions. The beatbox significantly affects the coherence and improvement in delivery as it pauses and separates two ideas.

REFERENCES

David P, Kim JH, Brickman, JS, Ran W & Curtis CM (2015) ‘Mobile phone distraction while studying’, New media & society, 17(10):1661-1679, doi:10.1177/1461444814531692

Davis K, Ambrose M & Orand (2017) ‘Identity and agency in school and afterschool settings: Investigating digital media’s supporting role’, Digital Culture & Education, 9(1):31-47.

Newport C (2020) Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, Portfolio.

Ma JK-H, Vachon TE & Cheng S (2019) ‘National Income, Political Freedom, and Investments in R&D and Education: A Comparative Analysis of the Second Digital Divide Among 15-Year-Old Students’, Social Indicators Research, 144(1):133–166, doi:10.1007/s11205-018-2030-0

Van Dijk (2019) The Digital Divide, Polity Press, Newark.

Ma JK-H, Vachon TE & Cheng S (2019) ‘National Income, Political Freedom, and Investments in R&D and Education: A Comparative Analysis of the Second Digital Divide Among 15-Year-Old Students’, Social Indicators Research, 144(1):133–166, doi:10.1007/s11205-018-2030-0

‘Podcast Thumbnail’ created with Canva.com

“Identity???
Pfffft… Are you talking about that little ID card you present to enter the bar?”

And that is my initial thoughts about the term “IDENTITY”. Fortunately, having a chance to study the media at #ALM102 broaden my premature mindset about how this whole stuff works, but I am convinced that I just “Start the ball rolling” on this field.

Coming back to the title, in this massive, transformative, and crazy online world, are we losing our identities? or such development gives us opportunities to foster our own self-image online?  Using the scholarly resources to analyse my personal identity created on social media platforms, this blog introduces the terms online identity, authenticity, and self-presentation in the social media realm.

One of the most prominent and endless battles I realise is whether technology and the internet positively or negatively affect us as human beings. Participating in one of the Making Social Media’s seminars, Adam Brown, my lecturer, brought up one of his blogs which showcases a fascinating and controversial issue of the online realm by criticising Prince Ea’s video. My question to reinforce this topic is this blog’s title: “IDENTITY: We LOSE, or we EARN?”

After reading Adam’s Twitter post carefully and rewatching that video from Prince Ea, I came to a conclusion that:

“no one is wrong, and they are all excellently making sense of their perspectives.”

Another one pops up:

“but both of them are just too extreme about the use of technology. I am in the middle.”

Adam Brown and Prince Ea are like Tyler Durden vs Himself in Fight Club.

Readers may ask:” Hey Thien, so, how does it relate to that fancy title of identity? And what about your point of view?”

On the topic of identity online, Smith and Watson explain, identity online is what people construct based on their physical self’s characteristics, mindset, and belief. However, it is manipulable, which means people can use it for their rational purposes (2014:83).

My viewpoint is highly influenced by the book I recently read called Digital Minimalism. The author, Cal Newport (2020:xiii), claims that these “tools”, which are smartphones, wireless internet, digital platforms, are “triumphant innovations” that bring billions of people together and deliver sensational utilities to support our identity. Still, they are complicated because of their ubiquitous harms and benefits. The main idea is not anti-technology, but it’s about selectively optimising the gadgets for our purposes and decluttering online activities that do not fit our core values.

What I learned is, we need self-awareness, understand are our core values, and acknowledge our purposes of using the media to maximise its potential, not just unconsciously and mindlessly use these devices. For example, Suppose Adam’s on-air reason is to educate and direct his student to the right mindset for the best media practices. In that case, his goal as a social media lecturer is to guide them towards appropriately using the tools in ethical behaviour, and he did it fascinatingly well. On the other hand, if Prince Ea’s ultimate destination is to wake up those who let technology overrun them, then his speech and identity created for this mission have done a dramatic job.

Kudos to both of them.

Reflecting on my use of media before I came to Australia, I used to be pretty much that regular guy who desperately needed Prince Ea’s wake-up call and Adam’s wisdom to control my appetite of consuming media in a superficial manner, instead start producing meaningful content. For instance, I used to waking up and spending hours in bed to count the likes and comments of the brand new image uploaded or some silly quotes I came up with about “life” that convey a high dose of embarrassment after a few years looking back.

 I really felt lost back then…

As Anna and Julie state, becoming a celebrity in digital media has been more accessible due to the “proliferation of self-representation”. The identity constructed online turns into a commodity that is possible to trade legally or be stolen (2014:11). After a year, I become aware of my relationship with technologies and media. I was authentic about my posts, but it wasn’t enough. I need to be more serious and organised. My “self” online, then, is authentically constructed with credibility and sincerity in a formal way (Smith and Watson 2014:75). It is also interwovened with my unique personalities, characters. On platforms such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, following Marshall statement: ’It is highly conscious of a potential audience as much as it is careful preening and production of the self.’ (2010:40) I tweeted my conclusion, MY IDENTITY IS FOSTERED by using social media purposefully.

REFERENCE

Marshall PD (2010) ‘The promotion and presentation of the self: celebrity as marker of

presentational media’, Celebrity Studies, 1(1):35-48, https://doi.org/10.1080/19392390903519057

Newport C (2020) Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, Portfolio.

Poletti A and Rak J (2014) ‘Introduction: Digital Dialogues’, in Poletti, A and Rak, J (eds.)

Identity Technologies: Constructing the Self Online, The University of Wisconsin Press,

Madison.

Smith, S and Watson, J (2014), ‘Virtually Me: A Toolbox about Online Self-Presentation’, in

Poletti, A and Rak, J (eds.), Identity Technologies: Constructing the Self Online, The

University of Wisconsin Press, Madison.

Are you dreaming of having 6.000+ views, shares, and likes? Look!! Garyvee produced 6.000+ POSTS…BARELY on Instagram HERE IS HOW HE DID IT.

Yes! You are reading it right, 6.000+ posts BARELY on Instagram, there are tons of valuable content being uploaded EVERY SINGLE DAY on more than 20 social media, podcasts, blogs platforms.

I am so passionate and feeling honored to “critically” analyze this phenomenal entrepreneur and his extraordinary works as he genuinely stands for hard-working, consistent, and revolutionary.

Okay, that is enough for 15 seconds of worshiping.

Let’s CRITICALLY put Gary’s empire on the surgery table. We will see why Garyvee’s media strategy is so impactful and compelling.

Background

Gary Vaynerchuck immigrated to the US in 1978. He has been showing his entrepreneurial DNA from such a young age by selling baseball cards and opening a lemonade franchise. He wrote the first piece of content when he was 30 years old (now 45). Hence Gary became one of the first internet and social media crusaders in the technology and business field (Forbes 2017). Gary’s content focuses on self-help, media strategy, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.

Gary’s media strategy and tactic ANALYSIS

I found out he shares a “step-by-step” guild with us on how he scales his personal brand business and how he can create heaps of different content daily on this article.

NOW stop skimming for 10 seconds, carefully read the paragraph above and answer this question:

Do you recognize what makes him phenomenally successful?

You are right! It is the ability to give values, provide benefits and help the audiences and communities with what they expect from your content, not just barely banging what you enjoy communicating to the media (Quinn-Allan & Bennett 2014:6).

You may ask:

“will giving values itself determines the presence of your social media presence engaging and powerful?”

-Good point… but NOT REALLY.

Flashing back to one of my previous blogs writing about what makes a successful content strategy, Johnston and Rowney (2019:19) point out 4 points to make an effective strategy.

Okay, let’s find out if Gary’s in-depth strategy on producing content fits what is described above.

Gary documents his life instead of trying to create at the first stage of his strategy. As a result, the original products are more authentic, natural, and especially they convey many golden nuggets that he doesn’t even have to brainstorm but simply take out what is running in his mind. In this way, Gary saves a chunk of time, brain cells, and effort to optimize his massive content production.

Quinn-Allan & Bennett (2014:4) highlight the concept of dialogic communication, which demonstrates the opportunity for the organization and its audience to form a solid relationship and contribute to the trust bank by mutually listening, sharing, and avoiding one-way communication.

According to Quinn-Allan & Bennet (2014:7), to build relationships and trust with the target audience, the communicators have to qualify two keys roles: creating and curating content. To solve this, focus on giving the active users (who most likely engage, share and benefit from your content) opportunities to speak and be heard.

Gary has successfully applied this concept by profoundly focusing on LISTENING to the audience. He read and replied manually to the comments on his posts to locate the most trendy concerns and then generate them to enhance, add-in, and make these minor contents look fascinating, fresh, and engaging to people (GaryVeeTV 2020).

After analyzing comments and concerns, Gary and his team take the best moments and keynotes picked by the community and audience. These items are then edited, customized, and presented with innovative designs and titles. Then they are transformed into various forms of media (podcasts, blogs, gifs, memes, quotes, stories, etc.) to upload on social media platforms like Facebook Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.

As a result, one keynote from the big project can: (Gary Vaynerchuk 2018)

1. Be made into 30 pieces of content
2. Reach 35 million views
3. Distributed to more than 20 different social media platforms.
   
   By continually providing catchy and genuine content, Garyvee’s content strategy shows up to be incredibly influential and effective in the long run because he understands the public on social media is not only expecting creative, engaging, and entertaining content, but it is also crucial for the content to be authentic and truth claims (Livingstone, 2008; Marwick and Boyd, 2011; Couldry, 2012 cited in Motion, Judy, et al. 2015:17). 

However, please note that Gary has been grinding on this strategy for more than 11 years. Initially, he has been working hard, facing continuous failures and setbacks only by himself without the current team to gain such experience and mindset, which shapes an inspiring Garyvee today.

To achieve the before-mentioned success, you have to work your tail off, producing and documenting yourself every day to build a foundation of content, as Gary said:

” Being an entrepreneur takes an incredible amount of self-awareness and sacrifice to execute successfully.” (GaryVeeTV 2019).

Personally, I feel so privileged to be born at this age where everything is on set, the only thing required is my willingness to delay gratification and the courage to get as many failures as possible.

Thanks for following through from top to bottom. I hope this article will give you more perspectives on how the media works and touch a bit on entrepreneurship. I will catch you guys on another blog of mine, cheers and have a good day.

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REFERENCE LIST

Forbes (21 December 2017) Forbes Releases List Of Top Social Influencers In Three Categories — Food, Tech/Business And Kids, Forbes, accessed 1 February 2021, <Forbes Releases List Of Top Social Influencers In Three Categories — Food, Tech/Business And Kids>.

GaryVeeTV (14 May 2019) ‘What all successful entrepreneurs have in common’, GaryVeeTV, YouTube, accessed 1 February 2021,<What All Successful Entrepreneurs Have in Common – YouTube>.

GaryVeeTV (3 Dec 2020) ‘Why Building a Community and Replying to Every Comment Matters’, GaryVeeTV, YouTube, accessed 1 February 2021,<Why Building a Community and Replying to Every Comment Matters – YouTube>.

Gary V (2018) The GaryVee Content Strategy: How to Grow and Distribute Your Brand’s Social Media Content, Mission, accessed 1 February 2021,<The GaryVee Content Strategy: How to Grow and Distribute Your Brand’s Social Media Content | by Gary Vaynerchuk | Mission.org | Medium>.

Johnston, J, & Rowney, K (2019) Media Strategies: Managing Content, Platforms and Relationships, Taylor & Francis Group, Sydney.

Motion, J, Heath, RL, & Leitch, S (2015) Social Media and Public Relations: Fake Friends and Powerful Publics, Taylor & Francis Group, London.

Quinn-Allan D & Bennett E (2014) Social media in Public relations: theory and practice, 4th edn, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

-ALJ112

The industrial industry has been replacing by the informational industry for years that artificial intelligence, machine and technology are in a fast-growing pace. Hence, many aspects of journalism are vitally required to change.

Broadcast journalism on TV is no longer holds much interest within families because people are connecting to the globe’s information 24/7 via social media and digital platforms.

It is convergence media time, TV broadcast and newspaper are losing their position in the media.

The rise of social media and the convenience of the internet has affected the nature of journalism dramatically.

Fewer people watch breaking news at the specific frame time on TV or in the newspaper.

As a result of the current changes, everyone has their breaking news delivered straight into their pockets.

Yet, the information industry not only gives journalists a better way to deliver the news, but it also makes them more than just “texts and figures”.

The combination of visual, sound, movement, and graphic effect makes journalism even more potent on transferring news to consumers.

But the question is, is journalism change or it is metabolising?

Accuracy, credibility and ethic are the unalterable core values of journalism.

However, everyone nowadays can freely share their thoughts on social media and acting as a journalist by posting information that “sounds” right, but it’s out of nothing.

By this scenario, the news is hardly considered as news.

Consequently, fake news becomes significantly popular that consumers have to be more active and responsible for sorting out the genuine news from a credible source.

And within the current situation of Covid-19, fake news is sprout stronger than ever, the media giants Google, Facebook, Twitter, especially journalisms are fighting their best against fake news.

#ALM102

Week 9: Loglines and Intro to Storyboards

This week’s activity is about revisiting activities of the weeks before week 6 (5 ways evaluate creativity, 4 criteria, archetypes…), with a purpose of creating 5 stream stories for storyboards.

1/ Multiple of unexplainable phenomenon cause the death of the queen bee when she leaves home. Other bees travel to the past to prevent death, and the only way is to give her enough love in 1 day.

2/ The very last beehive is going to disappear, and there will be no bee, honey left. Leading to ecological imbalance and lead to the death of thousands of children and older people and animals. A group of urban middle-aged people make an effort to rescuing the bees and save other’s lives.

3/ A single mother wants to help her bullied son to be no longer bullied, so she feeds him with honey every day. After a while, benefits come to her son. He is now 100% changed in his outlook and health; girls start gathering around him. Her son uses this way to help the other students too.

4/ Stuck in the crisis of his career for so long, Barry decides to leave everything behind and start building his life again by raising bees on his rooftop. Ten years later, he helps thousands of people by sharing honey.

5/ Bear is no longer the biggest enemy with bees. Instead, they start to cooperate and produce more bees by using each other advantages. Bear helps to build a big factory and bee work as a scientist.

#ALA102

1/ Background

Rooftop honey is an Australian honey brand located in Melbourne with a goal of bringing, raising bees in the city of Melbourne, and moreover, protecting the ecosystem of bees.

Based on Rooftop honey’s facebook posts, I find out most reactions come from middle age (45-65 years old) female who are living in Australia, specifically Melbourne.

-Link:

• https://www.rooftophoney.com.au/pages/about
• (https://www.facebook.com/rooftopbees)
  
  

People from 45 to 65 is approximately 10% of Melbourne’s population (Abs cencus)

Link:

• https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC21629?opendocument)

Visual Capitalist’s shows that package food and Health (Cough medicine, vitamins) product increase tremendously, which explained people are more aware of their safety and health.

-Link:

• https://www.visualcapitalist.com/shoppers-buying-online-ecommerce-covid-19/

Relating to the Covid-19 situation, Honey product is a good product to be promoted more prominently because of its benefits fit people’s awareness in these days.

People willing to pay more for honey product for their family members, especially their parents because the virus is more dangerous with old people from 50 years old with chronic conditions (Health gov)
Link:
 https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/what-you-need-to-know-about-coronavirus-covid-19#who-is-most-at-risk)
Competitors:

Melbourne Honey is a close competitor located in the city of Melbourne, but its media seems as strong and professional as Rooftop honey

Link: https://www.facebook.com/melbournehoney/?ref=page_internal

Another more competitive Honey business is Upper Beaconsfield Apiaries- Vichoney but the distance is about 50 km south-east of Melbourne.

Link: https://organichoney.melbourne/

https://honeyfingers.com.au/
As a big competitor with Rooftop honey, Honeyfinger is standing out with their art using honey

• Rooftop honey is quite famous among its competitors

Challenges:

• Less media post: Honey rooftop will attract more audience by produce more posts consistently about different ideas (Corona virus, information post, etc) but should be relative to honey and their brand image.
• Lack of interactive activity: create more reactive activities like give away honey or poll and survey that provide audience honey and brand’s information.

Archetype:

• Hero: provide strong health benefits and superb services (Sparkol, 2015)

Link: https://www.sparkol.com/en/blog/the-12-brand-archetypes-all-successful-businesses-are-built-on

2/ Objective:

Persuasion:
Short-term: encourage the target audience to try local’s products by pointing out the social and customer benefits such as more convenience, push the bee product’s economic, cheaper price
Long-term: Encourage the target audience to switch their honey provider to rooftop honey, persuade non-honey user to try our honey and promote them to be our loyalty customers by keeping in touch and provide continuous activities’ offers that both benefit everyone

Behaviour
Short-term: create give away and poll, survey provide brand’s information
Long-term: Appeal people to join buying the product for charity, learning to protect bees and its ecosystem, and courses.

3/ Target audience

Middle Age parents who will buy it for people they care

• Are the most responsible for their family’s health especially their parents and young children who are the main victim in this Covid-19 pandemic
• Population : 1,6M/ 4,5M Melbourne
• Income level: $673 AUD/ week (Abs census)
• Care about other’s health
• Building and keeping relationships

Link: https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC21629?opendocument)

4/ Single minded proposition:

• It is a gift for everyone’s health
• Show people that you care
• A gift that saves lives
• Give it a try and you will be in love
• Best honey for worthiest health

5/ Substantiation (Rooftophoney)

• Sometimes you are struggling with what gift is budget but valuable for everyone then Honey with a variety of health benefit is the best choice for you and your family
• One honey product you buy from us, many bees will be saved
• Buy from locals will push the economy

Link: https://www.rooftophoney.com.au/pages/about

6/ Tone of voice

Sweet voice with informative content about why rooftop’s product helps both people and bees ecosystem

7/ Media requirements

• 30s Youtube video and repost on Facebook
• Blog posts

8/ Mandatories

Logo and Web link, facebook link

#ALM102 Week 8

Step 1: FACEBOOK OUTDOOR ADVERTISMENT ADJUST

Headline: Fake news is not our friend

• Modify: Fake news aren’t mate

Body copy: Employing fact-checker globally, updating high-end technology to prevent fake news are our responsibility. Bringing you the authentic news on your new feed.

Call to action: Click here fb.me/fbchangesAU to follow our battle against Fake News

Insert: Facebook logo

Step 2: next level editing

Body copy: Fake news in our hand, you take the rest

Step 3: Ad’s mistakes

Mistakes
1/ Pharrel Williams is quite not a suitable person to represent issues that relate to seriousness, tragedy and Laws because he is recognized with fun, energetic and youth lifestyle. Maybe, his image may attract young people but not in a serious way.

2/ This poster makes me mainly think about the image of Pharrel Wiliams, his music, shoes not about drive safe.

3/ There are too much logos. The ad needs more related image that evokes people with driving safe like Accident, car, road, or at least some messages that describes texting will harm of leave behind some consequence.

Step 4: Make the ad’s message better

Professional males aged 30 – 50

1. Not the time to say goodbye. Dont text and drive
2. OH a messa…ccident. Keep it later, focus driving
3. Text and drive mean dead and die
4. The latest news talking about your death. Don’t text and drive
5. After your phone check is your accident news
6. Don’t look at me mate! Look at the road
7. Costly 1 second. Focus driving
8. Driving and see you in a car accident news on your phone.
9. Don’t let the last message happens.
10. Mind the road, save your life, don’t text and drive
11. Don’t let a message ruin your life. Don’t text and drive

MY CHOSEN HEADLINE :

“OH a messa…ccident. Keep it later, focus driving”. the message describes what runs in everybody head when they received a message when they are driving, it is just a flash of thinking, not even finish your thinking, you are still able to cause an accident . I like it because it links the word “Message” and “Accident” together in order to make people’s brain process the meaning of the message. When they puzzled it out, they will able to know why message is relating to accident and a message while driving can quickly cause a tremendous consequence.

#ALA102

The story is about a man who attempt to shop healthily, he has his shopping list which is all about healthy products. Then he stops at the grocery store and pick all the goods he needed. After getting everything, he goes to the cashier and suddenly see Rooftophoney product which satisfies his list from the top to toe. He decides to leaves behind all the stuff and only get the honey. Realizing the man wastes time to be in the store for just 1 single product, the cashier tells him to shop this product online next time.

#ALA102

Researching TREND, PRODUCT and get to know AUDIENCE.
5x each and Sketch the ideas

Because the target audience is the YOUNGSTER, so i tried to look for the trends that most Youngsters are interested in.
GAME, SNEAKER, SPORT and LOOK cool is the the main key words here.