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Tuesday, 13 December 2016
Multimodal education for inequality: exploring privilege in visual arts students’ e-portfolio personas #8ICOM
Written for researchers interested in how technological and material inequalities become evidenced in young people's digital personas.
Here's the 19 minute 8ICOM conference talk that accompanied my Multimodal education for inequality presentation. This talk aimed to be a concise overview of my PhD research and its contribution:
"My research serves as a cautionary
tale concerning the inequalities evidenced in visual arts students’
curation of digital personas. By contrast to often celebratory accounts of
teaching contemporary digital media literacies, I describe how the technological
and material inequalities between students at a government and an
independent school became mirrored in digital portfolios.
My thesis’ research
contributions are as an Action Research project that enabled the recording
and analysis of students' differing negotiations of arts studio personas
for up to three years. It included students from very different social
backgrounds with contrasting access to media ecologies for digital
curation. I explore how young people’s e-portfolio styles mirror inequalities
in their digital curations and connections to varied affinity spaces. I also
highlight other challenges youths faced in articulating interest via
e-portfolios. For example, remediating “unofficial” cultural repertoires, such
as fashion and Manga.
In South Africa, just
doing ICT, visual arts or visual design subjects is a rare privilege. The
Department of Education’s technical report on the National Senior Certificate
reveals that a low percentage of students do subjects likely to support
access to study options in visually creative industries. In 2012, Equal Education reported that Cape Town’s schools offering
art or design until grade 12 (Matric) are predominately those serving the middle-
and upper-classes. Anecdotal
experience suggests that very few students have curricular opportunities to
experiment with online content creation. A narrow subject focus tends to
exclude inter-disciplinary productions, such as visual arts students
using ICT technologies to curate their productions. Such rigid silos ignore the
importance of hybridity in domains such as contemporary art or graphic
design. My action research project makes a small contribution to building
bridges between silos.
I helped teachers
develop syllabi that appropriated online portfolios for e-portfolio curation. Online
portfolios emerged in 2003 and visual creatives increasingly use such
services to reach web audiences. Digital portfolios are
used for varied forms of capital exchange: For example, securing academic
and vocational trajectories. Some portfolios also support commercial
transactions, such as auctions or art catalogues. Portfolio portals
provide a resource to develop extensive knowledge about the numerous
domains in visual culture. Visual creatives can also develop in-depth
knowledge by learning from others in digital affinity groups. For
emergent creatives, experimenting with portfolios can help with developing
intent around who they want to be.
My action research
project aimed to enfranchise students with fair opportunities for formally
experimenting with online content creation. I helped two educators appropriate
Carbonmade for their students to produce e-portfolios. E-portfolios were taught
conservatively as an aid to prepare for matric exhibitions. A
Bourdieusian field analysis reveals why: it was easy to source the well-resourced
sites supporting digital media prosumption. By contrast, e-portfolio curricula
had to dovetail with the DOE’s visual arts syllabus requirements. It was
a process to gain approval from the DOE, WCED and to secure buy-in from
educators.
Youth were taught and
assessed on their self-presentation as visual arts students (or
"disciplined" identities) and in organizing curricular showcases.
Students' Carbonmade entries were used by the service’s database in creating
four types of page: A 'homepage', ‘artwork project folder’ pages, an ‘about’
page and ‘search page’ results.
Carbonmade’s use was
part of a broader digital curation process, which Potter defines as new
media literacy involving intertextual meanings and strategies for different
audiences. E-portfolio curricula saw students practice the steps A. to C. of
collation, production and sharing in their digital curations. Twenty nine
students curated e-portfolio; seventeen pupils came from an elite,
all-boys, independent school’s Class of 2012. They were taught
e-portfolios from grades 10 to 12. Twelve volunteers came from a less
well-resourced, mixed sex, government school, where ICT broadband
failure delayed the bulk of my lessons to grade 11 in 2014.
The independent school’s
speedy adoption mirrored its material and technological advantages
versus the government school. van Dijk identifies five different types of
inequality and their properties shaping digital media’s usage. My research
focuses on the material and technological aspects:
Technology wise, the
independent school had a one-laptop-per-learner-policy and conspicuous
consumption of electronics was evident. Varied societies, workshops and
extra-mural leisure activities received the independent school’s
support. By contrast, the media infrastructure available to government school
learners in its Khanya computer lab were old. As an Arts and Culture
Focus school it offered some co-curricular activities, but most students
needed to leave early for safe public transport.
The results from my
sites are not comparable due to these large differences, as well as the
shorter e-portfolio syllabus at the government school. There were also
important differences in students’ vocational interests, with the
government school volunteers being more motivated to pursue visual creative
studies. Working in a creative industry seemed a prized social trajectory to
them. By contrast, many independent school students perceived such choices to
be low in prestige, versus say, finance or medicine.
After four years of
fieldwork I amassed a lot of data and my analysis followed Potter’s (2015) example. He
researched digital curation through a combination of Social Semiotics
and Cultural Theory. Given the potentially strong role of ICT
infrastructure and capital resources on youth’s curation, I added insights from
Digital Materialism (especially Infrastructure studies) and also Social
Interactionism. I also adopted Sen’s (1992) inequality approach.
I did a multimodal
content analysis on the representational and communicational choices of all
students. I then wrote 12 case studies, covering student’s diverse
circumstances and e-portfolio styles. The content analysis revealed particular
patterns in the disciplinary, extra mural visual creative and other
personas at each site. For example in
self-presentation, no government school students wrote self-descriptions
over 10 sentences long or used formal genres. Similarly, informal
mobile genres were used for self-representation in their images. Here,
youth tended to differentiate themselves through the “unofficial” visual
culture personas they shared.
Notable patterns at the independent school included the impact
of strong assessment on students’ presentation of their disciplined
identities, which predominately featured formal styles. Most students added
lifestyle personas to differentiate themselves. Several drew on differentiated
practices in tourism, watersports and music for subject matter.
Students’ contrasting e-portfolio styles marked
their unequal access to ICT infrastructures. The
content analysis showed that youth did not have equal opportunities, but
the formal and extra-mural advantages of the better-off were amplified at both
schools. For example, students from homes supporting “free”
internet access created better organized and more extensive showcases than
under-, or non-, connected classmates. Young people’s disciplinary and
“unofficial” e-portfolio personas evidenced privilege. Youth’s online access for developing academic
cultural capital online could be likened to museum visits. As can be seen
across all these digital curation practices, limited internet access
seriously hampers one’s opportunities to engage with exhibits or in developing
one’s own.
This points to the importance of each young
person’s digital hexis in developing e-portfolio styles. Young
people with a history of access and use of ICT were advantaged in having foundational
digital literacies for e-portfolio curation. By contrast, those
inexperienced with scanners, desktop computers, internet browser use and local
area networks, had to play ‘catch up’ in class.
To situate how
material and technological inequalities become evidenced in e-portfolio
curation, my research links young people’s habituses to their affinity spaces. Each
individual's habitus comprises different habituses. My research focuses on four;
the secondary school habitus, a primary home habitus, a vocational habitus and the mediated
preferences in the digital information
habitus. The secondary habitus links directly to the legitimated affinity
spaces supported in classroom arts studio practices. Other affinity spaces tend
to relate to “unofficial” personas.
Here follows case
studies for five enthusiastic students, who differed in terms of the
material and technological resources available in their habituses and affinity spaces:
A White, independent school
student, George went beyond want his educator expected by using a fine arts
gallery metaphor while closely reproducing the disciplinary identity. His
benchmark example evidenced a fandom for fine art, which was unusual
amongst his peers. George was privileged to attend both international and local
galleries, and also pursued this fandom in online affinity spaces. Keen to do Medicine,
George’s assessment strategy foregrounded his observational drawer and painter
personas to achieve the best possible grades from his markers. Although he
published extra-mural photography and designs to Instagram, Deviantart and
shared them via social networks, George’s assessment strategy avoided
mentioning such “unofficial” accounts in his e-portfolio.
Nathan, was a Black,
government school student. Despite also being a fan of art, Nathan could not
do visual art or e-portfolio production outside class. His digital
information habitus was heavily constrained and this was mirrored in an
e-portfolio curation of four images and a brief self-description. Privacy
concerns also shaped his concise profile and decision not to add a self-image.
Unusual in expressing dissatisfaction with his
e-portfolio at the curriculum’s end, Nathan did ‘not really’ believe his
e-portfolio might support his vocational objectives in design.
Masibulele also attended
the government school. His case highlights some assimilatory challenges that
Black students might face in producing visual arts e-portfolios: a first-language
isiXhosa speaker, Masibulele chose to use English instead for an
international audience. He did not share traditional mixed-media productions
as he perceived that these productions were not what was expected in arts
class. For the same reason, he also did not initially share his fashion
labels’ creations. Despite his educator’s inclusive approach, exclusion
of traditional and fashion repertoires shows how students might conceal
cultural capital from home. This suggests strategies of assimilation in
respect of the predominately taught Western fine arts canon and observational
drawing and painting studio practices. His case also highlights how particular
types of visual culture (surface, media and genre) embody social distinction,
albeit moderated within “multi-cultural” repertoires.
Melissa’s case
illustrates the influence of global youth culture and gendered
strategies on self-naming practices. She used a well-resourced home environment
to explore “unofficial” Japanese Manga, Anime and calligraphy practices.
The influence of Japanese pop-culture was also evident in the pseudonymous
identity choices she made. Such privacy choices reflected shared concerns
with her female classmates about unwanted audiences and the dangers of
cyber-bullying and sexual harassment. Her well-developed digital hexis had a
downside; while she did use a pseudonymous identity, her contact email address
featured her full name. Melissa linked to a separate deviantArt profile
to share Gothic and other interests with potential to be misinterpreted by a
religiously conservative audience.
Kyle’s case highlight
the ease of extra-mural interests dovetailing with dominant cultural capital
being remediated into e-portfolios. A White, independent school student, Kyle shared exclusively resourced sports and
photographic productions that dovetailed with his school's institutional
cultural capital. Kyle could easily access professional photographic and
videographic equipment and focused on ‘point-of-view’ work in extra-mural
productions from grade 11. He took travel photography and combined his
enjoyment of wave-boarding with technicity to shoot and edit professional-looking
videos. YouTube was used to research video techniques, such as
achieving the right frame rates to show a giant wave break. Kyle also used
Flicker to research productions by photographers with similar lenses and
cameras to him.Kyle linked to his Flicker and Vimeo accounts from his
e-portfolio. After matric, Kyle became the most successful prosumer amongst his
peers with over 30,000 followers of his Instagram account and high quality
prints of his work are available to buy via society6.com. While Kyle and
Melissa’s examples show what is possible for young people as prosumers, it also
suggests the reproduction of advantage via high volumes of capital needed to
develop a prosumer identities as a semi-professional photographer or aspirant
animation producer.
I had hoped that my
action research would support new literacies and equality. By contrast,
it seemed to contribute to the reproduction of symbolic advantage: Under-resourced
students did not create disciplinary showcases and faced challenges in
adding cultural repertoires. Well-resourced students created showcases,
adding distinctive prosumer identities, while negotiating their disciplinary
personas with more exclusive ones. While e-portfolio production is still being
taught at the private school, it’s NOT for government school students. That is a pity; both
Masibulele and Melissa used their e-portfolios to successfully apply for tertiary
studies - Masibulele did surface design and Melissa Fine Art. Despite her
passion for animation, Melissa went on to study Fine Art, evidencing the
importance of educational investment in dominant high culture.
Similarly, Masibulele's parents would like him to transfer to studying
architecture.
Both Melissa and
Masibulele are fortunate relative to their government school peers in being
able to progress into tertiary habituses rather than being unemployed. Ironically, despite facing the least challenges in e-portfolio curation, Kyle
and George went on to study outside visually creative industries: George
entered medicine and Kyle business science.
My content analysis and
case studies suggest the importance of material and technological resourcing
in young visual artists’ e-portfolio curations. In
particular, resource-intensive communications may not accurately reflect
young peoples’ intensions and abilities: inequalities in some
teenagers’ digital information habituses meant that under-resourced sign-makers could not fully
express their curricular interests. In addition to missing social
information, inexperience with software also led to mis-identifiers misrepresenting
what youths wanted to express.
As a pathfinder project,
mine has opened up much to explore:
> How can the middle-class underpinnings of the initial pedagogy be adjusted to better accommodate all students?
> How do online portfolio styles change as youth become professionals or hobbyists?
> My research took place in relatively well-resourced English secondary schools, but what about other languages and resourcing?
> Digital portfolios increasingly serve to access tertiary education, but how are they assessed?
> How can the middle-class underpinnings of the initial pedagogy be adjusted to better accommodate all students?
> How do online portfolio styles change as youth become professionals or hobbyists?
> My research took place in relatively well-resourced English secondary schools, but what about other languages and resourcing?
> Digital portfolios increasingly serve to access tertiary education, but how are they assessed?
To close with a
speculative proposition; Bourdieu foregrounded disinterested aesthetic
dispositions as a key marker of Distinction in 1979. As prosumers increasingly make both their
tastes and work digitally visible, are we not witnessing an emergent form of
social distinction, a ‘Distinction 2.0’? Perhaps researching individuals’
distinctive curations of digital personas can provide as interesting insights
into Postmodern societies, as understanding French people’s contrasting
aesthetic dispositions once did in the Modern!
Sunday, 1 April 2012
10 tips to lower your student costs.
Written for students, tightfisted or otherwise...
After 11 tips on getting the most value for your PhD, here's 10 easy ways to reduce select costs in your student budget. If, like me, your grant barely covered your living expenses; your part-time pay always arrives too little, too late; and everyone confuses you with a social worker holding a "will work for nothing" placard, it's time to make like Tony and fight back. So, I'm kick-starting celebrations of "National Tighfisted Students Day" with a list of all the low-cost options cash-strapped students should take full advantage of:
1. Get recharged.
I'm not promoting squatting close to the campus and stealing from its electrical supply, but you should at least ensure that you your laptop, mobile phone and all else electrical and portable gets recharged at your campus, daily. Frankly, if it's good enough for the well-paid domestic worker to do at Mom's, it's good enough for us low/no- income scholars. And with the way local electrical prices are rising, it may make the difference between that hot date happening at the Wimpy... or, heaven forbid, Engen corner bakery {that's at year end, of course!}
2. Cheap, but cheerful food.
Eating off campus is like traveling around the EU and choosing to eat in its most expensive country, Switzerland. Just plain stupid; who wants to feel guilty about pooing R 500 down a loo? Fortunately, you're not going to spend even a twentieth of that as you take a long walk around your sprawling university campus to find out where the best subsidized food and drink is.
4. Market your University, for less.
Yes, you can declare your allegiance satorially, and be cheap at the same time; freshers' week is not the best time to buy University clothing for less... please contain yourself until year-end exams; prices tank as stock is cleared and you score.
5. Save on textbooks.
It may be convenient to buy all your textbooks at the local bookshop, but it's expensive. "Time is money" and since you've probably got a lot of the former, you should dispose it by sourcing your textbooks from less expensive sources, including; your campus' second-hand book store, noticeboards and online (simply ordering new textbooks online can save you stacks). You should also see what's available under open educational resources; such as free course materials, and check-out your libraries.
6. Free computer internet access.
If you live in the developing world, a nice perk of University life is internet access at speeds that are faster {at the very least in theory} than many entry-level subscribers get outside the Ivory Tower. Plus, your available download sizes are probably larger, too.
7. Free entertainment.
As all study and no play makes for a dull student life, it's important to take advantage of the free entertainment you can. Fortunately, you are in the right place; plenty of bandwidth, many "academic" servers and loads of time for techies to crack on, means that free entertainment (via peer to peer, intranets and other services) is easy to obtain; you just need to know who to ask... Of course, copyright infringement is not endorsed by me, your academic institution or your country's laws. So, understand its consequences. If its scary, you can always take out music and films from your university library...
8. Free condoms.
Speaking of risks, it's not funny to pay a hundred bucks for that Contempo Rough Riders or Durex Natural Feeling Lubricated box, when you can get free condoms @ your local university toilet? Since they are no longer stapled onto flyers, nor come in Chinese sizes, you can be confident that they will work as well as the ones you previously paid for (you know, 98 times out of 100, IF perfectly used).
9. Student card freebies.
11. Free water.
While it's unlikely to see the sharp price rises like electricity, it's always useful to fill up your water bottle at the start of the day and do a number two at its end.
I hope that this has helped you gain a few new ideas to cut down on your student expenses. Please use the comment box below to suggest any others (especially those relevant to South African students)? Ta muchus.
P.S. And if you need more, there are 50 tips on moneysavingstudent.com; mostly geared for those in the US. I could not Google anything for ZA locals, so this is my contribution!
After 11 tips on getting the most value for your PhD, here's 10 easy ways to reduce select costs in your student budget. If, like me, your grant barely covered your living expenses; your part-time pay always arrives too little, too late; and everyone confuses you with a social worker holding a "will work for nothing" placard, it's time to make like Tony and fight back. So, I'm kick-starting celebrations of "National Tighfisted Students Day" with a list of all the low-cost options cash-strapped students should take full advantage of:
1. Get recharged.
I'm not promoting squatting close to the campus and stealing from its electrical supply, but you should at least ensure that you your laptop, mobile phone and all else electrical and portable gets recharged at your campus, daily. Frankly, if it's good enough for the well-paid domestic worker to do at Mom's, it's good enough for us low/no- income scholars. And with the way local electrical prices are rising, it may make the difference between that hot date happening at the Wimpy... or, heaven forbid, Engen corner bakery {that's at year end, of course!}
2. Cheap, but cheerful food.
Eating off campus is like traveling around the EU and choosing to eat in its most expensive country, Switzerland. Just plain stupid; who wants to feel guilty about pooing R 500 down a loo? Fortunately, you're not going to spend even a twentieth of that as you take a long walk around your sprawling university campus to find out where the best subsidized food and drink is.
3. "Free" lunch, coffee and tea.
The person who says "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" (or TANSTAAFL) is a smart economist. YOU can enjoy a few free lunches at no financial expense, if you try hard enough. Whether it's an important donor's talk, an open conference or a university workshop open to the public, you can find events where you'll spend your time, but leave with a full tummy and wallet, too. You can also find places where coffee and tea is free; such as student information office or research area. So, hunt these down to enjoy the "free" benefits of you student fee and VAT contributions.
4. Market your University, for less.
Yes, you can declare your allegiance satorially, and be cheap at the same time; freshers' week is not the best time to buy University clothing for less... please contain yourself until year-end exams; prices tank as stock is cleared and you score.
5. Save on textbooks.
It may be convenient to buy all your textbooks at the local bookshop, but it's expensive. "Time is money" and since you've probably got a lot of the former, you should dispose it by sourcing your textbooks from less expensive sources, including; your campus' second-hand book store, noticeboards and online (simply ordering new textbooks online can save you stacks). You should also see what's available under open educational resources; such as free course materials, and check-out your libraries.
6. Free computer internet access.
If you live in the developing world, a nice perk of University life is internet access at speeds that are faster {at the very least in theory} than many entry-level subscribers get outside the Ivory Tower. Plus, your available download sizes are probably larger, too.
7. Free entertainment.
As all study and no play makes for a dull student life, it's important to take advantage of the free entertainment you can. Fortunately, you are in the right place; plenty of bandwidth, many "academic" servers and loads of time for techies to crack on, means that free entertainment (via peer to peer, intranets and other services) is easy to obtain; you just need to know who to ask... Of course, copyright infringement is not endorsed by me, your academic institution or your country's laws. So, understand its consequences. If its scary, you can always take out music and films from your university library...
8. Free condoms.
Speaking of risks, it's not funny to pay a hundred bucks for that Contempo Rough Riders or Durex Natural Feeling Lubricated box, when you can get free condoms @ your local university toilet? Since they are no longer stapled onto flyers, nor come in Chinese sizes, you can be confident that they will work as well as the ones you previously paid for (you know, 98 times out of 100, IF perfectly used).
9. Student card freebies.
If you absolutely have to buy something, be pro-active and find out whether you get a student discount. It never hurts to ask. Just keep flashing your student card for a bit more credibility.
10. Free transport.
Save your travel money; use your university's buses or vans when traveling from campus to campus, or places nearby...10. Free transport.
11. Free water.
While it's unlikely to see the sharp price rises like electricity, it's always useful to fill up your water bottle at the start of the day and do a number two at its end.
I hope that this has helped you gain a few new ideas to cut down on your student expenses. Please use the comment box below to suggest any others (especially those relevant to South African students)? Ta muchus.
P.S. And if you need more, there are 50 tips on moneysavingstudent.com; mostly geared for those in the US. I could not Google anything for ZA locals, so this is my contribution!
Saturday, 10 December 2011
iTunes US Store music single and album costs versus local online prices.
Written for South African iTunes US Store users and online music buyers.
I recently enjoyed reading Thyon Design's blogpost on Apple's failure to offer games, music, books, movies and television shows to South African consumers. Interestingly enough, Apple calls its local offering an "App Store" to clearly differentiate its local offer from an iTunes Store. Further, a search for 'itunes store' on www.apple.com/za shows no results. Apple is certainly consistent in its online message that there is no iTunes Store for South Africans (if only local resellers would modify the international marketing material they use to reflect this truth, too!).
Given Apple's opaqueness (at best) around its future plans for launching an iTunes ZA Store, I agree with Thyon Design that the best course of action is to organize an iTunes (US) Store account. Once done, It's simple to buy online from iTunes voucher sellers including; wildtwig.com, mediawob.co.za, mp3sa.co.za, Maximus Cards, Evo Points and cardscodes.com.
As I use my iTunes US account to buy music only, it is interesting to compare pricing there for popular music albums and singles versus local online retailers prices for similar pop products:
Cost per voucher.
Let's say one pays a premium of $3 on a $25 a voucher, which one purchases on a South African credit card via PayPal. This translates into paying 10% extra on every online purchase versus a US consumer.
Cost per song.
So, a $0.99 cents song actually costs $1.09. Multiply that by today's exchange rate ($ 1 = R 8.232) and one pays R 8.97 per song. By comparison, Look and Listen charge between R 9.99 and R 10.99 per song on their most downloaded mp3s list, while OMusic charges either R 9.99 or R 11.99.
Cost per album.
For pop music albums (predominately by international artists) you pay either R 69.99 or R 99 on Look and Listen for any of its top ten and R 99.99 to R 129.99 for pop albums featured on OMusic's banner ads. In the iTunes store the cost ranges from $ 9.99 to $ 14.00. At today's exchange rate, that is between R 82,24 and R 115,25 per album (this excludes the voucher surcharge).
What does this mean for the South African consumer?
While it is at least 10% cheaper to buy singles using the iTunes US Store, South Africans will find it cheaper to buy select albums locally. This is interesting as I mistakenly assumed before writing this post that both songs and albums would inevitably be cheaper given the relatively huge US market. Despite the smaller South African market, our exchange rate and much lower level of competition, it seems that local online retailers believe our market is not willing to pay album prices at US prices. I'll definitely keep this in mind for future online album shops :) !
I recently enjoyed reading Thyon Design's blogpost on Apple's failure to offer games, music, books, movies and television shows to South African consumers. Interestingly enough, Apple calls its local offering an "App Store" to clearly differentiate its local offer from an iTunes Store. Further, a search for 'itunes store' on www.apple.com/za shows no results. Apple is certainly consistent in its online message that there is no iTunes Store for South Africans (if only local resellers would modify the international marketing material they use to reflect this truth, too!).
Given Apple's opaqueness (at best) around its future plans for launching an iTunes ZA Store, I agree with Thyon Design that the best course of action is to organize an iTunes (US) Store account. Once done, It's simple to buy online from iTunes voucher sellers including; wildtwig.com, mediawob.co.za, mp3sa.co.za, Maximus Cards, Evo Points and cardscodes.com.
As I use my iTunes US account to buy music only, it is interesting to compare pricing there for popular music albums and singles versus local online retailers prices for similar pop products:
Cost per voucher.
Let's say one pays a premium of $3 on a $25 a voucher, which one purchases on a South African credit card via PayPal. This translates into paying 10% extra on every online purchase versus a US consumer.
Cost per song.
So, a $0.99 cents song actually costs $1.09. Multiply that by today's exchange rate ($ 1 = R 8.232) and one pays R 8.97 per song. By comparison, Look and Listen charge between R 9.99 and R 10.99 per song on their most downloaded mp3s list, while OMusic charges either R 9.99 or R 11.99.
For pop music albums (predominately by international artists) you pay either R 69.99 or R 99 on Look and Listen for any of its top ten and R 99.99 to R 129.99 for pop albums featured on OMusic's banner ads. In the iTunes store the cost ranges from $ 9.99 to $ 14.00. At today's exchange rate, that is between R 82,24 and R 115,25 per album (this excludes the voucher surcharge).
What does this mean for the South African consumer?
While it is at least 10% cheaper to buy singles using the iTunes US Store, South Africans will find it cheaper to buy select albums locally. This is interesting as I mistakenly assumed before writing this post that both songs and albums would inevitably be cheaper given the relatively huge US market. Despite the smaller South African market, our exchange rate and much lower level of competition, it seems that local online retailers believe our market is not willing to pay album prices at US prices. I'll definitely keep this in mind for future online album shops :) !
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Want an individual, non-commercial, ZA domain? Fokof.
Forgive me for occasionally using my research blog as a blue-sky thinking space, whilst venting the frustrations of a South African wanting a better consumer experience; whether it's about television, buying music or the Apple third-world product experiences at first world prices (see iTunes Store, my exhibit "F"). Not only is writing these concerns a bit better than keeping such thoughts in my head to stress on, but I really do not have a better alternative; do forums exist in which customers can criticize companies for services they "should be" (not "are") delivering? Thought not! So, I feel justified in roping my research blog in as a stand-in soapbox...
My current concern is justifying the choice of the .co.za domain name for one's research blog in the absence of better, local alternatives for South African consumers. I have recently assisted Associate Professor Laura Czerniewicz (@Czernie) with hosting and publishing her Wordpress blog; the site is hosted by the environmentally- friendly GetGreen (who were very helpful with facilitating a speedy domain purchase, hosting and linkage).
The choices they could offer for a personal domain are shown on this screen grab:
Like all local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) I have used (or use), this list's options offer no second and first level domain combination appropriate for an individual researcher stressing the local context of her research:
.co.za =commercial, but local.
.com = commercial, american or international.
.net = commercial, international, generally used as an alternative to .com.
.org = non-profit organization, international.
.biz = commercial, international.
.info = informative internet resources, international.
.mobi = used for mobile devices, international.
.co = international, country code top level domain used by Columbia.
.co.uk = commercial, United Kingdom businesses.
.de = international, country code top level domain used by the Federal Republic of Germany.
.es = international, country code top level domain used by Spain.
.us = international, country code top level domain used by the United States of America.
.ca = international, country code top level domain used by Canada
.com.au = international, commercial domain used by Australia
.net.au = international, commercial domain used by Australia
.eu = international, country code top level domain used by the European Union
.in = international, country code top level domain used by India
.asia = international, domain sponsored by the DotAsia Organization
.me = country level domain used by Montenegro, with a few exceptions
As you can see, Laura chose the "lesser of two weevils" by selecting a co.za address to show local context, whilst also unavoidably signifying her blog as a "co.mmercial" (as I have also done, but via Gridhost).
This is a systemic problem that is not the ISPs' fault; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.za shows that there are simply no domain addresses available for individuals to buy: for example, the academic second level domains (ac.za and school.za) are strictly for organizations (universities and schools, respectively), rather than individual staff...
It is frustrating that South African customers do not have any second domain choice (i.e. like name.za {an extension of .name domain}) to reflect their non-commercial, local context. Frankly, in a Web2.0 context where it has become very easy to publish online, this seems like a bad hangover from the predominately corporate publishing in the World Wide Web preceeding it :( ...
If you are also concerned about this omission, kindly add your comment below. This will help me to raise awareness of this problem online (and off). "Thank you", "Nkosi", "Baie Dankie".
My current concern is justifying the choice of the .co.za domain name for one's research blog in the absence of better, local alternatives for South African consumers. I have recently assisted Associate Professor Laura Czerniewicz (@Czernie) with hosting and publishing her Wordpress blog; the site is hosted by the environmentally- friendly GetGreen (who were very helpful with facilitating a speedy domain purchase, hosting and linkage).
The choices they could offer for a personal domain are shown on this screen grab:
Like all local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) I have used (or use), this list's options offer no second and first level domain combination appropriate for an individual researcher stressing the local context of her research:
.co.za =
As you can see, Laura chose the "lesser of two weevils" by selecting a co.za address to show local context, whilst also unavoidably signifying her blog as a "co.mmercial" (as I have also done, but via Gridhost).
This is a systemic problem that is not the ISPs' fault; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.za shows that there are simply no domain addresses available for individuals to buy: for example, the academic second level domains (ac.za and school.za) are strictly for organizations (universities and schools, respectively), rather than individual staff...
It is frustrating that South African customers do not have any second domain choice (i.e. like name.za {an extension of .name domain}) to reflect their non-commercial, local context. Frankly, in a Web2.0 context where it has become very easy to publish online, this seems like a bad hangover from the predominately corporate publishing in the World Wide Web preceeding it :( ...
If you are also concerned about this omission, kindly add your comment below. This will help me to raise awareness of this problem online (and off). "Thank you", "Nkosi", "Baie Dankie".
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Buying from the iTunes US Store in South Africa
Written for South African iTunes users wanting to buy their favourite music online.
Having exhausted the wait for music to be sold via iTunes South Africa's store, whilst bemoaning the absence of great variety in local online equivalents, I decided to follow MP3SA's instructions on setting up my "US" account.
Despite initial reservations at potential technical aggravations, the process was surprisingly hassle-free. Once done, I used MP3SA and MediaWob to purchase iTunes vouchers. Both rely on PayPal to settle voucher payments; so register with it in advance (or check your credit card details are current). MP3SA's delivery was slower: MediaWob emails a voucher number straight away, but MP3SA first authorizes an online account before you get a voucher number (this can take up to 48 hours). Since both sites' voucher denominations may vary in availability, it's useful to check both before purchasing.
Redeeming the vouchers in the iTunes US Store was simple. However, buying, downloading and navigating the store at the same time could be an unreliable (and irritating) experience. Given my laptop's temperamental network card, Telkom's dodgy traffic shaping and other potential networking issues between SA and the US, this was not suprising. However, I will think twice before downloading a double-album for two hours...
That said, the variety on the US store is superb and I look forward to using it for music I can't find on local equivalents; travisnoakes, rock on :) !
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Where to buy mp3s for your SA iTunes collection
Written for South African iTunes users struggling to buy music online.
By 2013, South African iTunes users can mark a whole decade of music NOT being sold through their digital music player of choice. Clearly, banking on a 21st century service for Mzansi music fans was utopian, so here's an update on earlier advice for local iTunes users on the best legal alternatives:
With its combined local and international offerings DSTV's Omusic is probably the closest one gets to the iTunes US store's range. Unlike other stores, you must pay upfront into a digital wallet. Choosing a song adds it to your download list and subtracts from your wallet. Music can be downloaded from the site directly or downloaded from an emailed link. Just be careful, there is a three day time limit to download the music straight after you have paid for it, so be careful if ordering many songs by different artists.
Rhythm Music Store.com is the self-described "South African Music Portal" and offers a wide range of local music. Mostly priced at R7 a song, the store offers a nifty browser-based music player which scrolls through an album giving 30 seconds playtime to each song. This is a nifty way to tell whether one should buy a select songs or an entire album. The purchasing process is smooth, one only pays on checkout and there appears to be no time limit for downloading the music one has paid for.
Music Overtone promises "High Quality South African Music" and its catalogue seems mostly Cape-based. One can easily preview an album selection with the site's music player. Clicking on the album's artwork allows one to view a track- listing to play individual tracks. For fans of tightfist.com, there are also eight albums that offer free downloads. However, as one can only select singles as there are no separate prices for albums one cannot "save" while bulk-buying.
If these three sites don't satisfy you, then it's time to get an US iTunes Store account by following the steps at MP3SA or MediaWob. After doing that, you can buy your iTunes vouchers locally and redeem them through the US-store.
If you've got any other sites you like or suggestions, please add them as a comment. Thanks!
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Some problems a future Apple (South Africa) should tackle.
Written for South African Apple Mac users and prospective buyers.
Thinkertoys is a book with many "thought experiments" one can practice to improve one's creativity. An exercise I've found particularly useful in management is "drawing a trouble tree". The idea of this exercise is simply to list all the problems one could potentially face in a situation and to identify those that should be tackled first. Ideally one would work through all the branches until the tree is just a "trouble-free" trunk :) .
As an Apple user, I've begin to wonder whether its benefits are worth the high premium one pays for it locally. Particularly given the difficulties one faces in finding well-priced, compatible accessories and appropriate, speedy technical support. If Apple ever plans to represent itself directly in South Africa, here are the trouble-tree's branches I humbly suggest it hacks away:
1 High premiums for products that do not offer the same advantages for users from developed markets:
Thinkertoys is a book with many "thought experiments" one can practice to improve one's creativity. An exercise I've found particularly useful in management is "drawing a trouble tree". The idea of this exercise is simply to list all the problems one could potentially face in a situation and to identify those that should be tackled first. Ideally one would work through all the branches until the tree is just a "trouble-free" trunk :) .
As an Apple user, I've begin to wonder whether its benefits are worth the high premium one pays for it locally. Particularly given the difficulties one faces in finding well-priced, compatible accessories and appropriate, speedy technical support. If Apple ever plans to represent itself directly in South Africa, here are the trouble-tree's branches I humbly suggest it hacks away:
1 High premiums for products that do not offer the same advantages for users from developed markets:
- Whether its thanks to the taxman, transport fees or a greedy local distributor, it's a lot more cost effective to order a Mac in the US and courier it to SA than to hope to find a reasonably priced Mac in your local supplier's shop.
Once you've got your Mac, some Apple software offers limited functionality in the local context: - iTunes South Africa only offers iPhone apps, so iTunes only offers value if you own an iPhone and are interested in purchasing its widgets.
- You have to organize a foreign iTunes account if you want to buy music, videos, etc. While this results from local licensing problems, the fact that Apple does not communicate about its intentions to improve this locally is a silent PR problem.
- Like the Macs themselves, .Mobile Me membership is completely over-priced for the local market. The fact that the price shown to customers is in Euros simply reflects how little Apple is interested in pricing .Mac for locals. This is particularly problematic, given that the "freemium" competition from Google (and other web2.0 services) and Apple's seeming disinterest in providing a competitive "tiered" service that offers users lower prices for less use.
2 The availability of technical support for Apple products is weak.
- Apple only offers technical support for the iPhone in South Africa. If one has a problem with any other product one can only rely on support from local resellers.
- If a reseller (or third party) cannot fix the product you bought for them, you effectively have to find a backyard Mac repair specialist... or pay for a new product.
- Effectively, this means that Apple may not deliver on its brand promise of high reliability to you, since the high premium one pays may not include a warranty and/or a maintenance agreement.
My bad experience in the branches of point 2!
The motivation for this post is my recent poor experience with a Mac laptop I bought locally online, just two years ago: in the past month, my laptop's airport network service inexplicably began either to turn itself off or simply disconnect from my home network, refusing to reconnect. Since I'm a researcher, being connected to the internet is highly important and its a big time-waster to have to power down and restart several times, just to have web access!
Since I occasionally saw error messages indicating my laptop could not see my airport card, I organized that my authorized Apple reseller replaced the card. This took two weeks, but did not fix the problem. My reseller then offered to reinstall my Operating System. Again, this did not fix the problem. The reseller's technician said that "a circuit on the motherboard has lost integrity". He suggested three options to me:
1. Replace the motherboard for about the cost of new laptop.
2. Pay a technician to replace and/or re-solder the faulty processor chip.
3. Organize a wireless adapter.
Since I assumed that the last option would be the cheapest and simplest, I bought a Linksys wireless adapter, as recommended. Unfortunately, though, its boxes claims to be Mac compatible only extended to pre-Snow Leopard versions of the Mac OS! The reseller then organized a more recent Linksys wireless adapter. Although this one claimed to be compatible with my laptop, it did not produce readable packets when the technician tested it. The reseller is currently trialing another wireless adapter; while I hold thumbs and hope I don't have to try the 2nd option...
As a South African consumer, I blame Apple's lack of consideration of the local market for this brand failure; not its resellers. While I have enjoyed the benefits of being in Apple's walled garden (especially great product design, durability, no viruses and automatic back-up), this experience has led me to question whether I am being reasonable in only using one operating system at home. I'm now giving serious thought to a new option 4; buying a netbook running either Canonical's Ubuntu or Google's Chrome OS!
1. Replace the motherboard for about the cost of new laptop.
2. Pay a technician to replace and/or re-solder the faulty processor chip.
3. Organize a wireless adapter.
Since I assumed that the last option would be the cheapest and simplest, I bought a Linksys wireless adapter, as recommended. Unfortunately, though, its boxes claims to be Mac compatible only extended to pre-Snow Leopard versions of the Mac OS! The reseller then organized a more recent Linksys wireless adapter. Although this one claimed to be compatible with my laptop, it did not produce readable packets when the technician tested it. The reseller is currently trialing another wireless adapter; while I hold thumbs and hope I don't have to try the 2nd option...
As a South African consumer, I blame Apple's lack of consideration of the local market for this brand failure; not its resellers. While I have enjoyed the benefits of being in Apple's walled garden (especially great product design, durability, no viruses and automatic back-up), this experience has led me to question whether I am being reasonable in only using one operating system at home. I'm now giving serious thought to a new option 4; buying a netbook running either Canonical's Ubuntu or Google's Chrome OS!
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Where to buy DRM-free MP3s online
Written for internet-connected, iTunes and Mac OS-using, (South) Africans
If, like Steve Jobs, Mark Shuttleworth and I, you believe that the Digital Rights Management-free music is ultimately the way to go, then your options for purchasing music online in SA are still suprisingly limited :(.
As Lloyd Gedye wrote, despite the example of the success of the iTunes music store (launched way back in April 2003!) and EMI's success with moving away from DRM-protected music, the South African music industry is still dead-set on enforcing DRM! So much so, that typing in 'buy mp3' into its website's search engine delivers no results. DOH!
So, what options does this leave you with; as a socially-responsible customer, who wants to own (not rent!) the music you buy online? Here are three suggestions:
1 Get DRM-free MP3s from overseas
Check-out how to buy music from Amazon relatively easily at http://www.tuaw.com/2007/09/25/amazon-mp3-a-quick-review. Alternatively, try prefueled.com or mp3.com.
2 Buy from your local...
You can buy proudly South African, DRM-free mp3s online from these shops*:
Rhythm Records offers mp3s from R 7 a pop!
Music.Overtone focusses on "high quality South African music".
3 Do the iTunes Music Store work-around...
Visit MediaWob to buy a voucher that you can redeem through the iTunes Music Store. The process is easy.
* Please note that this is not an exhaustive survey; these are the DRM free sites I could find through search engine look-ups. Please post other shop suggestions. Thanks!
Related links
Your 99c belong to the RIAA – Steve Jobs
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/07/your_99c_belong/
Waiting for iTunes to come to SA? Don’t. Use Amazon MP3!
http://www.jasonbagley.com/2007/09/27/waiting-for-itunes-to-come-to-sa-dont-use-amazon-mp3/
Find South African Music is a resource for promoting and exposing South African music to the world.
http://www.findsamusic.co.za/
If, like Steve Jobs, Mark Shuttleworth and I, you believe that the Digital Rights Management-free music is ultimately the way to go, then your options for purchasing music online in SA are still suprisingly limited :(.
As Lloyd Gedye wrote, despite the example of the success of the iTunes music store (launched way back in April 2003!) and EMI's success with moving away from DRM-protected music, the South African music industry is still dead-set on enforcing DRM! So much so, that typing in 'buy mp3' into its website's search engine delivers no results. DOH!
So, what options does this leave you with; as a socially-responsible customer, who wants to own (not rent!) the music you buy online? Here are three suggestions:
1 Get DRM-free MP3s from overseas
Check-out how to buy music from Amazon relatively easily at http://www.tuaw.com/2007/09/25/amazon-mp3-a-quick-review. Alternatively, try prefueled.com or mp3.com.
2 Buy from your local...
You can buy proudly South African, DRM-free mp3s online from these shops*:
Rhythm Records offers mp3s from R 7 a pop!
Music.Overtone focusses on "high quality South African music".
3 Do the iTunes Music Store work-around...
Visit MediaWob to buy a voucher that you can redeem through the iTunes Music Store. The process is easy.
* Please note that this is not an exhaustive survey; these are the DRM free sites I could find through search engine look-ups. Please post other shop suggestions. Thanks!
Related links
Your 99c belong to the RIAA – Steve Jobs
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/07/your_99c_belong/
Waiting for iTunes to come to SA? Don’t. Use Amazon MP3!
http://www.jasonbagley.com/2007/09/27/waiting-for-itunes-to-come-to-sa-dont-use-amazon-mp3/
Find South African Music is a resource for promoting and exposing South African music to the world.
http://www.findsamusic.co.za/
Saturday, 20 December 2008
Hey! Mr South African Music Industry...
This post is written on behalf of South Africa's Mac-using, internet-connected, music buyers.
"Hey! Mr South African music industry, provide a better shopping experience to me,
I'm not pirating, this Mac-user just wants to buy mp3's so easily,
I'm not traveling to your store, being ripped-off no more or changing to a friggin' PC."
Apologies to Bob Dylan's 'Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man'
Instead of emailing each one of you Music CEO bigwigs, I'm just going to blog my thoughts on what I think each-and-every South African, Mac-using, internet connected music buyer is looking for:
1 Convenient access to music
My music is on Mac. Your website doesn't work on Mac. I don't see why your failure to implement web standards should be the problem of every Mac-loving South African... Musica, Pick 'n Play, Look and Listen... I'm talking to you! Then let's not even get into the delay of launching iTunes' Music Store. Sony BMG, you suck! Guess I'll be using Amazon until you sort this out for me....
2 Access to thorough back-catalogues of local and international music
OK. Since your website didn't work, I've walked into your store and you only had the most recent albums of my new favourite artists... but I want albums from Guster and Watershed's back catalogues! Oh, and there's no convenient way to order in-store... Too bad, I'm walking out, empty-handed and wallet-full. I mean, didn't you read the Long Tail?
3 Create exciting buying experiences
I'm demanding, I know, but how about tying-in custom product bundles with discounted gold-circle seats, single remixes with club complimentaries, etc. would do wonders for sagging customer loyalty. We're in an experience economy, after all!
4 A bit of value-add
I know the more I pay you, the more profit you make. So, I'm not expecting your pricing to change BUT I've spent gazillions on music in this lifetime with no recognition (AKA value-add) from you, Mr Scrooge Mc'Label. Wouldn't it be cool if you provided me with the odd ringtone-or-two, bulk-purchasing options online, special offers to concerts, decent recommendations on new buys... or even just updates on the bands I like? Yip, I think it's about time to be changin'. Oh, and if a new version of an album I own is released with bonus tracks, please prompt me to check out the the songs I don't have. Who knows, I just might buy them!
5 Automatic, accurate indexing of the music I buy
OK. So I put your band's CD in iTunes and guess what... the song's name is the artist's name, there's no album artwork or lyrics, the genre's completely wrong... Now, I've got to spend my time sorting this out (like the anorak I am). Now, imagine thousands of iTunes users having to do this... a loop is a loop is a loop! Can you not share our pain AND fix it, huh? Well, at least for contemporary releases. And I bet you could enlist die-hard fans to help with accurately cataloguing your older material. This brings me to...
6 South African music that's ready-indexed
OK. So not everyone's into Jonny Cooper's Swingin' Safari, but do I have to be the first to index all its track titles, composers, etc? Well, yes, if I want to be able to tell track 1 from 2! Then there's no artwork. Bummer. So, now I've got to do a Google search. And failing that, I'll scan the artwork in myself. This is not an unusual experience when importing local artists' music into iTunes. Yes, I do have too much time on my hands, but I could be using it better!
7 Partner-up
My health has improved and my medical insurer's rewards program wants to reward me. Now, wouldn't it be cool if I got some tunes from you to motivate me even further on the ol' glide master? It would also be sweet if you sponsored social networks where I could easily share my enthusiasm for music, too.
OK, which of my musical Santa CEOs is going to deliver first; earning increased loyalty and respect? This music buyer is not a cash cow or criminal, he just wants a 21st Century service for Mac-users in South Africa, capisch.
"Hey! Mr South African music industry, provide a better shopping experience to me,
I'm not pirating, this Mac-user just wants to buy mp3's so easily,
I'm not traveling to your store, being ripped-off no more or changing to a friggin' PC."
Apologies to Bob Dylan's 'Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man'
Instead of emailing each one of you Music CEO bigwigs, I'm just going to blog my thoughts on what I think each-and-every South African, Mac-using, internet connected music buyer is looking for:
1 Convenient access to music
My music is on Mac. Your website doesn't work on Mac. I don't see why your failure to implement web standards should be the problem of every Mac-loving South African... Musica, Pick 'n Play, Look and Listen... I'm talking to you! Then let's not even get into the delay of launching iTunes' Music Store. Sony BMG, you suck! Guess I'll be using Amazon until you sort this out for me....
2 Access to thorough back-catalogues of local and international music
OK. Since your website didn't work, I've walked into your store and you only had the most recent albums of my new favourite artists... but I want albums from Guster and Watershed's back catalogues! Oh, and there's no convenient way to order in-store... Too bad, I'm walking out, empty-handed and wallet-full. I mean, didn't you read the Long Tail?
3 Create exciting buying experiences
I'm demanding, I know, but how about tying-in custom product bundles with discounted gold-circle seats, single remixes with club complimentaries, etc. would do wonders for sagging customer loyalty. We're in an experience economy, after all!
4 A bit of value-add
I know the more I pay you, the more profit you make. So, I'm not expecting your pricing to change BUT I've spent gazillions on music in this lifetime with no recognition (AKA value-add) from you, Mr Scrooge Mc'Label. Wouldn't it be cool if you provided me with the odd ringtone-or-two, bulk-purchasing options online, special offers to concerts, decent recommendations on new buys... or even just updates on the bands I like? Yip, I think it's about time to be changin'. Oh, and if a new version of an album I own is released with bonus tracks, please prompt me to check out the the songs I don't have. Who knows, I just might buy them!
5 Automatic, accurate indexing of the music I buy
OK. So I put your band's CD in iTunes and guess what... the song's name is the artist's name, there's no album artwork or lyrics, the genre's completely wrong... Now, I've got to spend my time sorting this out (like the anorak I am). Now, imagine thousands of iTunes users having to do this... a loop is a loop is a loop! Can you not share our pain AND fix it, huh? Well, at least for contemporary releases. And I bet you could enlist die-hard fans to help with accurately cataloguing your older material. This brings me to...
6 South African music that's ready-indexed
OK. So not everyone's into Jonny Cooper's Swingin' Safari, but do I have to be the first to index all its track titles, composers, etc? Well, yes, if I want to be able to tell track 1 from 2! Then there's no artwork. Bummer. So, now I've got to do a Google search. And failing that, I'll scan the artwork in myself. This is not an unusual experience when importing local artists' music into iTunes. Yes, I do have too much time on my hands, but I could be using it better!
7 Partner-up
My health has improved and my medical insurer's rewards program wants to reward me. Now, wouldn't it be cool if I got some tunes from you to motivate me even further on the ol' glide master? It would also be sweet if you sponsored social networks where I could easily share my enthusiasm for music, too.
OK, which of my musical Santa CEOs is going to deliver first; earning increased loyalty and respect? This music buyer is not a cash cow or criminal, he just wants a 21st Century service for Mac-users in South Africa, capisch.
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