Transitions Used in "Maus"

     The book "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud examines the six different panel-to-panel transitions used in graphic novels.  The first transition is called moment-to-moment and requires little closure, which refers to understanding the whole picture by just observing parts of it.  When using this type of transition, frames literally transition from one moment to the next.  The next type of transition is referred to as action-to-action and features one subject who is completing some action, such as a car driving in one panel and the next panel the car has crashed into a tree.  Another type of transition is called subject-to-subject and refers to panels that remain in the same theme but move from different subjects.  Scene-to-scene is also a type of transition that refers to panels that travel across different settings or time.  A fifth transition is called aspect-to-aspect and shows different aspects of a setting.  Finally, non-sequitur transitions have no logical relationship. (McCloud, 70-72)

Photo by: mikefats

     "Maus" by Art Spiegelman is a popular graphic novel which uses some of these transitions explained by McCloud.  One example of a transition used in this graphic novel is scene-to-scene.  At one point in the story, the father is complaining to his son about the dinner they just ate.  In response, the son tells his father that he just wants to here more about his past, specifically when he was drafted in 1939.  After this scene, the next panel takes the reader right on the battlefield in 1939.  After one more panel, the son interjects to ask his father a question about his army training and the scene returns back to the present day.  Eventually, though, the scene is transformed back to the past. (Spiegelman, 44-46)
     Another example of a transition used in "Maus" is moment-to-moment.  In the story, the son and his wife are in bed when the phone rings.  From that point the panels show the son reach over to the phone, answer the phone, talk to into the phone with his father's dialogue coming out of the phone, hanging up the phone, and then speaking to his wife and getting out of bed.  There is very little movement of characters and closure between panels.  Most of the picture is drawn out for the reader. (Spiegelman,

Photo by: Virany

96-97)
     A final type of transition used in "Maus" is action-to-action.  At the very beginning of the story, the son is shown as a child roller skating home with his friends.  As he is skating, his skate becomes lose and he falls to the ground as friends quickly skate away from him.  In this scene, one subject is performing an action in one panel that leads to a consequence in the next panel. (Spiegelman, 5)  Overall, the author is effective in using different transitions to tell his story.  Although he tends to use many scene-to-scene transitions and moment-to-moment transitions, he mixes it up by using others at times as well.

Comm 450 Blog 3 First Impressions of Internship

     After being in the Platinum PR office for a few weeks now, I must admit that most of my experiences have not exactly matched my original expectations of this internship.  However, I am not saying this in a bad way.  After spending most of my summer working at my part-time job, I am unfortunately used to the strict, hostile environment I am generally forced to work in.  Personally, I tend to be much more open minded and laid back, as long as everyone is working and getting their jobs done.  The older I get, the more I realize that some people just do not feel the same way about life as I do and that is okay.

     Luckily for me, though, I feel as if I fit in more with the other employees and enjoy my work environment more at Platinum PR.  In fact, in just these few weeks I have learned a lot about the business and about public relations in general.  I have been exposed to different, effective tools public relation specialists can use and I've learned more about what a public relations business actually does on a day to day basis.  I feel fortunate that I have the opportunity to work here and learn.  All of the employees have been incredibly helpful and friendly when I have questions and I am truly looking forward to all of the important things I will learn throughout the rest of the semester.  As I continue to keep a journal of my experiences across the semester, I feel confident in saying that I will be able to share valuable and positive experiences.  

Comm 450 Blog 2 Why Businesses Should Use Social Media

Photo by: birgerking

     According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, social media is defined as "forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content".  Although this definition does not mention anything specifically about marketing your business or company, using forms of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and many more, to create an online community to share your business's information can be a great way to help achieve success.  Today, so many people are using the Internet; why not get your business involved in this revolution?

If you are not completely convinced yet, here are some important reasons to start using social media:

1. Have direct interaction with customers.  The best type of interaction between businesses and customers is genuine.  If businesses stay genuine with its customers, customers will likely respond well the business.  Most people prefer businesses that take time to listen and reward customers.  Social media is a great way to achieve the type of interaction many customer want.
2. It is cheaper than other forms of advertising.  Signing up for a Facebook, Twitter, and many other forms of social media is free.  Combine this with the fact that it is pretty simple to use and quick to set up, it's hard to find a reason not to utilize the tools.
3. Has the potential for more customers.  Millions of people use the internet daily.  According to ebizMBA.com, the estimated amount of unique visitors each month for Facebook alone is 750,000,000!  Unfortunately, not every single one of those visitors will make it to your company's page, but if even a small percentage of people using Facebook see your page, your clientele will expand.  And, the great thing about Facebook is that when one person likes your page or comments on your post, all of their friends can see that, opening up so many more opportunities every single time you get a new like.  Remember, these statistics and facts are strictly for Facebook.  Using other forms of social media will enhance your potential for customers even more.
4. Become closer to customers and gain their trust.  Studies have already shown that customers are more likely to trust a company using social media.  According to an article by Curt Finch, 82% of people surveyed said that they are more likely to trust a company who communicates via social media.  Trust not only leads to more sales from individuals, but those individuals are more likely to suggest your business to others as well.
5. Receive direct feedback and ideas from customers.  Social media allows customers and potential customers to communicate directly with the company.  If this type of communication is not ignored, businesses can understand what customers are looking for and the types of things that either want or expect from your company.  They can also offer their feelings on what the business is currently doing right and wrong.  Therefore, improvements and adjustments can be made.
6. Directly explain mission of business to customers.  Studies also show that individuals are much more likely to buy from a business that directly explains its mission and values via social media, especially when that business's top officials are involved in social media.  

If you are still not convinced, many more rewards and research are out there to prove the importance of social media in businesses.  It's at least worth a shot!

Comm 450 Blog 1 Social Media

Photo by: sitemonkeysupreme

    In the last several years, social media has truly reinvented business marketing and its successful strategies.  It is not impossible to have a successful business without employing the help of social media, but it just doesn’t make sense.  Granted, some business owners, especially small business owners, may feel overwhelmed or helpless when it comes to social media.  After all, many times they cannot afford to outsource the work and may feel inadequate to fill the position themselves.  But, they may just not understand some simple steps to take to improve their businesses and marketing strategies. 

Here are some easy ways to help build any business’s social media:

1.      Put yourself out there on the web.  Developing websites can be difficult and confusing, so not everyone can do it.  Unfortunately, that may be a job for a specialist but you can always give it a try.  YouTube and Google can give a lot of website development help.  If you are not prepared to develop a website, though, developing Facebook and Twitter pages are pretty self-explanatory.  Use your Smartphone (if you do not have one I am sure someone you know does) to upload some quick photos, update statuses occasionally with important news, interact with your clients and customers, and show the public what your company is all about.

Photo by: Colin ZHU

2.      Start a blog.  Sites like Blogger.com are easy to set up and use.  You can even link your blog back to your Facebook page or your Website.  This is a great way to put your company out there and gain a following.  Readers can respond to your blog and you can show off your company’s personal style.

3.      Send out email blasts.  Once you have gained even a small following, sending out a mass email to remind customers about important information can be very beneficial for your company.  But remember, make sure to only send emails out for important information so people do not unsubscribe or become tired of receiving emails.  This is a less personal communication between you and your customers, but if used correctly can be effective.

4.      Do not over do it, but genuinely interact with customers.  Updating posts frequently and sending out email blasts often may seem like a good idea, but it can be too much.  In order for people to not become bored or tired with your company, only special announcements and information need to be updated.  Also, if you do not update every day with unimportant news, individuals will respect your posts more and will be more likely to think your posts are worth paying attention to.     

Introduction of Gaming Topic

By: Joe Shlabotnik

     In today's society, video games are virtually unavoidable.  Most people have either played, seen, or at least heard of video games.  Although video games are increasingly popular, there is a lot of debate about the negative effects.  For example, teaching young children violence is a huge video game controversy and worthy of being investigated.
     However, with so much worry and emphasis put on the negative effects of video games, sometimes the positive effects go unnoticed.  Fortunately, more research is being devoted to determining the positive effects on children, adults, and older people.  For example, one article by Art Markman of Psychology Today examines a study that was done to compare extensive video game players and non-players.  The study found the video game players were just as accurate at performing object finding tasks as non-players but were much faster in doing so.  Another article by Chacha Tumbokon lists many positive and negative effects of video games, but the positive list tends to be much longer.  For instance, she discusses that playing video games can help children become better listeners and problem solvers, assists in hand-eye coordination, and can even help develop math and reading skills.
     So, with this school of thought that believes video games can have a positive effect on people of all ages, throughout the course of the semester, I plan on blogging about the positive effects of video games, including finding research that either supports or disproves positive effects, focusing on different positive effects, and focusing on the different positive effects for different age groups.  As I began to do more research, though, other topics and ideas may present themselves for blogging.

Understanding Comics and Maus

By: MnGyver

     The popular graphic novel "Maus" by Art Spiegelman is the touching story of a Jewish father explaining his horrifying journey through the Holocaust in Europe to his son, who has never had the best relationship with is father.  However, as his son ages, he realizes the importance of family and makes an attempt to reconcile any negative feelings with his father by trying to understand his hardships throughout his life.

By: davidsilver

     The textbook "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud is an excellent reference for delving into comics on a deeper level to truly understand them as an art form, define them, and examine popular comic techniques.  Being a person who has never read many comics, this book is a valuable resource if you are interested in truly understanding any graphic novel.

     So, when I began reading "Maus" I found that the first several chapters of "Understanding Comics" is very helpful to help understand some of the styles that were used.  One concept that was expressed is the idea that simple images and styles can actually be used to better illustrate more complex, less simple stories (45).  This is a very prominent concept in "Maus".  For instance, "Maus" tells a very complex and dark story.  One man is essentially telling his son, and the whole world, his personal experience during a time that many cannot even begin to imagine.  However, the author chooses to illustrate the Jewish characters as mice instead of people.  Furthermore, the author illustrates the Nazi characters as cats.  From a young age, kids learn that cats hunt and chase mice.  Other cartoons, such as "Tom and Jerry" show us that cats have a rivalry with mice and are much bigger animals.  In a sense, they can be viewed as bullies.  Although the overall concept of "Maus" can be hard to understand or imagine, the concept of a cat and mouse rivalry is easier for most to fathom.  Overall, "Maus takes a very simple style to express a very complex idea.

By: Raios de Luz - Gláucia Góes

Production Quiz Comm 360

     After gaining the opportunity to work with class members to create, produce, and edit a fifteen minute round table discussion, I have realized many things.  I really enjoyed some aspects of the entire project, but others aspects were not as enjoyable.  To begin, I really enjoyed the organization of the whole project.  I am a very organized person and work best with an organization that fits me, because organization can come in many different forms.  Luckily, the producer of the show was very dependable and reliable.  He was able to allow everyone to participate by starting discussions and gave everyone clear direction as to jobs.  Thus, everyone was given the chance to basically participate where they wanted to but no one was left to do everything by themselves.  For instance, I was selected as host and although I finalized the script, almost everyone put something in to it.  Another aspect of the project I really enjoyed was just being given the opportunity to gain experience at something I could potentially  make a career out of.  Not only will I have an upper hand on other applicants in the future because of my resume reflecting my experience, but I will also be able to prove myself since I have the experience.  Finally, I also liked the fact that it was completely student run.  The professor must have had a lot respect and confidence in the class to step back and let the students take control.  We were able to gain experience contacting guests and dealing with all the problems that occur naturally in a studio production.
     Although there were many things I enjoyed about the project, there were some less than enjoyable times as well.  The biggest turn off for me was that not everyone in the group was as focused or determined as others.  This is a reoccurring problem when working in groups and I tried as much as possible to pull people back on topic, especially during brainstorming.  Even though the entire process did not go as smoothly as I would have preferred and some could have brought more to the table, I feel that the group really came together to produce an excellent broadcast.  Dealing with a diversity and individuality will be something I will face often in the future and it is best to determine the most appropriate ways to deal with the situation.  The only other part of the production that I really didn't like was after we had finished shooting.  Because I wasn't the editor, I felt that there really wasn't much for me to do.  There wasn't another show in the future to plan for and I also felt that there was too much time devoted to editing.  The show could have been edited in a couple of days instead of more than two weeks.  After we had commenced filming, only a few people actually  had something to do.  However, if I really had wanted to I could have probably been more involved in the editing process, especially because I have experience using Final Cut.  In the end, though, a few people took over the editing and I am excited to see the final product during our last class.