Starting a business

So here is what I've been busy with besides getting a degree:

If you want to do some creative business, you can just leave a comment or two or three...

Strangers keeping tabs on South African Internet tabs

In the light of ample incidents of online hacking all over the world in the past year, Stellenbosch University Computer and Information Science expert, Christo Goosen says ordinary South African Internet users are fish in the nets of governmental, enterprise and criminal online surveillance.

Systems which watch mislead and attack Internet users "usually can't think like humans to identify particular targets", Goosen explains.

"Just think of fishing with a net. It cannot catch the specific fish the fisherman favors. It catches all the fish in the area."

Goosen refers to a streaming video by the online security company Norse DarkMatter, to illustrate why all people should be concerned about their Internet security. The video visually maps a small percentage of the online attacks, as they happen, across the world.

In the video coloured rays, representing various online attacks, beam from the country they are launched into the area they are aimed at. Every second manifold attacks light up the world map.

 

Norse DarkMatter use less than 1% of their collected data to create a daily 
visualisation on their website of a small percentage of live 
online attacks across the globe.

The Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute's website explains that hackers often want control of everyday users’ computers, because it “gives them the ability to hide their true location as they launch attacks, often against high-profile computer systems such as government or financial systems”.

 

"Even if you have a computer connected to the Internet only to play the latest games or to send email to friends and family, your computer may be a target. Intruders may be able to watch all your actions on the computer, or cause damage to your computer by reformatting your hard drive or changing your data."

 

The Institute explains that hackers exploit loopholes in your computer’s software, employ viruses or use the often default public access settings of software applications, like chat programs, to gain access to your computer.

 

This year, LinkedIn, a professional social network, used by more than 2,2 million South Africans by 2013’s year-end, made confidential user information vulnerable to hackers with their advertising tactics, leaking many private email addresses.

 

A year ago thousands of thousands of South Africans' credit card details were stolen from fast food restaurants databases, like KFC.

 

Stellenbosch University System Administrator, Hilton Gibson, explained in a recent lecture on Internet security, at the university, why the Internet is a platform for information insecurity.

"The internet was never designed to be secure," he says.

"It was designed for the American military for military computers to talk to each other without fuss - without passwords and security," Gibson explains.

Goosen's tips to try avoid unwanted surveillance

- In South Africa, every time we buy a simcard, we sign a document named RICA (Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act). Rica enables the government to keep tabs on our communication, if they see it necessary.

- Be wary of any operating systems (like windows and mac), or services (like Dropbox, iCloud, Google, Facebook and Amazon) that originate from America. The American government and the NSA (National Security Agency) have legal access to information on American systems and services, under specific circumstances. It's almost impossible to avoid all these programs, so just be aware of the information you store on them.

- Watch out for services where your information is stored on a company server (like at your work). According to some countries' legislation and the company's usage policies, this information can be classified as the company's property. Check out your work contract - it is quite common for companies to keep an eye on your communication and Internet usage, at work. Your use of work facilities and work Internet is usually subject to their rules.

- Use open-source information, services, software or operating systems. The fact that the information is open to the public usually means the rights of the users are prioritised above that of the company. It also usually means users can review the available information.

- Make use of the privacy settings on web pages and services. Facebook is a good example of a service that gives users a good deal of power over their privacy.

- Don't put information on the Internet that you wouldn't give to a stranger on the street.

- Use encryption. Encryption hides the information of messages between the sender and the receiver.

- Use software like Tor. Tor is a system which encrypts your information and hides the sender and the recipient’s address while information moves across the Internet.

- Consider using Tails Linus. Tails Linux is an operating system, automatically used by Tor, for any communication via the Internet. Tails Linux should preferably be put on a flashdrive. It need not be installed on your computer to function. Tails doesn't store your computer information and once you remove the flashdrive, no one will be able see such records.

- Never click or download things you don't know the content of or trust the origin of.

The serious need for great South African teen media

The 10 - 19 year old age group which represents about a fifth of the South African population, according to Statssa's latest census figures [1765 kb], have scarcely any media publications available to them other than social media.  

With the print title, Seventeen magazine, closing it doors at the end of 2013 and its rival, Saltwater Girl magazine, announcing the dawn of the final "collectors issue", TeenZone is only competitive teen magazine available on the market.

"There’s definitely a drop in teens’ access to magazines, especially in South Africa, but coupled with that is a dramatic increase in teen voices in the online space," contends former Seventeen magazine editor, Janine Jellars.

Educational psychologist, Elana Burger, believes contemporary teenagers use social media to vent their emotions and to find for like-minded people, because there is a lack of a suitable place to do so. 

However neither dying tradition teen media and user generated teen media offer teenagers a constructive and safe forum they need to resolve serious and age related issues. 

"Media, like blogs, can serve as containers for the very intense emotions teenagers feel. However people who will take advantage of such information, also have access to it. Teenagers also have a free pass to age-inappropriate content online. whereas parents are often too overcome by anxiety to offer teens a judgement free space to explore  their issues," explains Burger.

Burger believes teenagers are in need of a  non-judgmental platform and a guiding voice in the media.

This three-fold issue concerning teenagers' access to teen content -  too little teen media, the constrained one-way communication in print media and harmful content online - may provide the perfect opportunity to initiate great teen media.

"Teenagers are in a identity-seeking phase of their life's," says Burger.  

We have to offer our teenagers, the near-future driving force of our society, access to constructive media platform. 

Butt naked Peaches make sells

 Pic from RocketNews24, you'll find some more there too.

These suggestive peaches are sold in China, as an ad initiative to boost dipping sells of peaches, reports Steven Le Blanc and Masami M on RocketNews24. 

11 Differences between online and print journalism (plus their most surprising similarity)

1. Their stereotypical characters

If you could summarise all the stereotypical ideas of print journalism in a character, it would be a stuck-up, die-hard white newspaper man. Yes, print journalism is considered so old-school, that it is still sexist and racist too. The new millennium never dawned for this poor fellow of 105. He’s stuck in the 90’s, the 1900’s.

Online would be a multitasking underdog. Everything this underdog does amounts to entertainment and NOTHING else. People Facebook the ugliest dog contest winners and unsubstantial news stories, ALWAYS for fun. 

Post by World's Ugliest Dogs.

Breaking News @Verbalkint74 your favourite beer is finally here - Amstel Lite is coming pic.twitter.com/6xxNX2hhR6
— Bruce Whitfield (@brucebusiness) July 31, 2014

2. Their "type"

Online journalists don’t have a type. Google maps. Twitter. Youtube. Soundcloud. Vimeo. Everything goes. This is me blogging a timeline of all the different types of media tools I've used in the last few days, which I timeline JSed: 


Print journalists favour the paper, pen and a good old SLR camera - which I cannot illustrate on this blog, because I'm blogging.

3. The body parts they use

What print journalist do with their feet and their mouths, online journalist do with their fingertips. Online journalists prefer to tweet. Print journalists prefer to talk. Unfortunately online journalists can’t screenshot the emotion in interpersonal conversation. Unfortunately print journalists can’t always get hold of well-known people (who often seem to tweet all time).

Zayn's tweet to Louis Zayn's smiley Zayn's tweet to 5sos Zayn's new icon Zayn's create a TT world ZAYN I LOVE YOU #LouisAnswerYourPhone
— ♡For The Life♡ (@SmiileofLouiis) July 31, 2014

4. How impatient they are

A newspaper layout by Coat of Arms. The pen might
be mightier than the sword, but Photoshop
still makes both look better.

Print journalist work on deadlines determined by print times, whereas online journalists work on deadlines determined by the office hours of the internet. FOMO (fear of missing out) is applicable term to describe the state of an online journalists mind.

Journalists will always be missing out on the latest breaking news online. There is no limit to how much each content creator can publish via links and added webpages. Print journalists pick and choose stories based on the limited time and space they have.  

5. Who they hook up with

Online journalists hook up with everyone. You can hyperlink any number of words to other websites of media platforms. It’s considered common courtesy to do so, when you source something from someone else.

In print “hooking up with everyone” is considered a characteristic of a niche group with the mantra “sleep their way to the top”.

You're also allowed to steal 15% of the content from the people you hook up with online.  You can create an entire article based on the 15%'s of your hookups, if you like. In print journalism, this is not okay. It's rude, lazy and it's a one way road to a law suit.  

This is Sarmiza Bilcescu - Alimanisteanu. "She was the first woman doctor of law in the 
world,"according to Gruiadufaut. I did'nt speak to Sarmiza or Gruiadufaut, but I'm allowed to 
take the info if I quote and link them. Plus the copyright of this picture expired years ago. Note 
my use of old pictures throughout the article. Yeay for legal stealing!  Erm...aggravating I mean. 

This is online and it's big head. 

6. How big their head is

Online heading tend to be much longer and more descriptive than print headings, whereas print headings are to paper space. Print headlines tease you, while online gives it all up and makes long promises of things to come.

“Oh online journalism, the nerve you have,” the stereotypical print journalist said while yawning at his newspaper.

9. How they use lists

Online journalists like to list their content in their headlines. Please see the heading of this article as an example. Print journalists like to list stats and selected facts, not headings.

10. How personal they get

Hey you, thanks for reading my online piece.

Print journalism as an industry would like to express their regret that readers are converting to online content supporters.

11. Where the punch hits

The punch in print articles can either be in the first two lines of the article, or at the end in magazines. Refer to the last line of this article as a reference to the popular location of punch lines in online journalism.

3 Similarities

Neither print nor online journalism came into being with Adam and Eve. Both are man-made and evolving fields. Neither is perfect, but a merger might be. If print and online weren't so stubborn, we might formulate the perfect application of new to age old media tools and skills to produce great journalism, irregardless on which platform you read/see/hear it. 

 Journalists unite and celebrate the hybrid of old-school and online journalism, because it's hipster and interesting and this picture is legally available to me.

Students' horrible reaction to Saltwater Girl magazine's bringing our their very last issue

FIRST, MY REACTION

Earlier I wrote about about the magazine that inspired me to try and change the world by going into media. In July 2013 they closed their doors. 

Jill Greenberg'S work captures how I feel about
 Saltwater Girl closing.

Yesterday Saltwater Girl made the announcement on their Facebook page that they would be reopening temporarily to bring out a final issue. 

Post by SWG Magazine.

Jill Greenberg's monkey portrait describes how
I feel about Saltwater Girl bringing out another issue! 

The funny thing is, they never even mentioned closing down anywhere before. Just a silent disappearance. 

STUDENTS REACTION

I took to the streets of Stellenbosch to find out what the girls in my area thought of Saltwater Girl closing down and bringing out another, but "collectors" issue. The most horrible part: they didn't even know.

Nicola Erasmus, Annieka Mostert and Jamie Gellatty are
shocked finding out that Saltwater Girl is closing down.

Nicola Erasmus, Annieka Mostert and Jamie Gellatty use to read Saltwater Girl when they were younger, but started reading other titled when they left high school. They feel like the last issue is a good thing for young teens.

"I use to love Saltwater Girl. I subscribed to it.I couldn't wait for the next issue." says Nicola. 

Tshidi Green and Noluvo Vee Ntsanguzi were also clueless
about the magazine closing and the coming of the last issue.

Upon hearing that the magazine was closing, Noluvo Vee Ntsanguzi said she would definitely buy it, but that she felt she was not a surfer nor the outdoorsy type Saltwater Girl caters for. 

Jaycee Kimberley and Patience Jonas didn't know about the last "collectors" mag.

Jaycee says she would purchase the issue if Saltwater Girl invested in more promotion to make her aware of the mag and if it had more student-orientated content. Her buddy, Patience, agrees.

"When you see it on the shelves it seems very childish," she says. Patience adds that she would buy the last issue if it was affordable, as she believes most magazines are too pricey these days. 

Jaycee Kimberley, Melissa Plaatjie, Patience Jonas and Marshca Vraagom are either shocked to find out about Saltwater Girl's existence or that they will be shutting it's doors.

Philippa Dietman feels a bit sad. Stephanie van Zyl is just stunned she didn't realise the mag
she never read had disappeared.

Philippa Dietman says she bought the mag when she was "young and into it", but she wouldn't buy it now that she's all grown up. 

Rachel Giles thinks the collectors issue is a rad idea. "It was such a big part of my childhood," she says. 


A real goodbye

I am really happy Saltwater Girl returned for a decent goodbye. Maybe after the publication of the last issue, I might find a different reaction. One I was looking for, for my beloved Saltwater Girl. Tears, buckets full of tears.

For the time being me and my friends will make a scene of our own about it.  

SWG REACTION

Saltwater Girl reacted to this article with a pretty glimmer of hope.

LOL. Who said anything about #goodbye , what if this is just the start.. #glasshalffull RT @ctrl_minds: http://t.co/zhTz3rEAjH #BPhil2014
— SWG Magazine (@Saltwater__GIRL) July 30, 2014

MY REACTION TO SWG'S REACTION

Please, please let it be a glass half full...
Thank's Jill Greenberg for bearing with me.

Content marketing: a quick step guide to making money and dying too

"One day I'm make a magazine that makes me feel excited about my life." (Little teen me)

Seems like THAT'S not going to happen easily. 

"Content marketing IS the future," chants a speaker on entrepreneurial journalism. Things have changed, she says, you're no longer a publication writing for an audience, you're a publication with an audience and corporate companies use you to push their products. 

Errrrm…So I'm the 'via'… 

Big ass company: "We will tell this target market that they WANT this Brand of glue, because it will show others they are rich and savvy and … and … and will say this to them VIA Ctrl_minds publication."

Me: "No, big ass company, I'm not the 'via' for making other people feel they NEED glue to be accepted. NO." 

Big ass company: "So how you going to make money?"

Me: "Errrrrmmm. Dunno. 
...
……um… ………………………………………………….………………………………
… ………………………………………………….but………………………..
………………….eh……...
…   …………..………………………………………….………………………………
………um

Maybe I'll do just a LITTLE content marketing just to get by" [then I curl up and let out little sobs until I decide I'd rather do some emotional eating]

[I flip open a magazine with muffin nr. 2] 

"Sheesh, this magazine makes me feel bad about myself. Everyone's so successful and impeccably dressed and everyone has matt perfect skin and stuff"

[more sobs, more muffins]

Little teen me comes out and remarks: "One day I'm make a magazine that makes me feel excited about my life."

Image if now-me actually flipped open a magazine that made me feel better about myself, maybe then I'd pull myself together. Maybe all I needed was a little less "you need to be like this" or "that". Maybe I just wanted to feel like I'm fine just the way I am.

What if old-me makes a mag that teen-me or now-me flipped open and it made them feel shitty about themselves like ALL the other ads and content marketing publications.

I don't know how I'm going to make money Big ass company, maybe one day I'll work for you? But I can promise you this: I will not be killing the teen-me's or now-me's like so many of your publications do. I'll do something different. 

If you don't like that I prioritize the messages I give to people above the money I make, I'll just go eat my ready-mix muffins for dinner and be poor and do my own thing. 

But I'll have just one. And I'll enjoy the heck out of it, because I won't turn to emotional binge eating or sobbing after feeling so shitty from your ad-pushing-content. 

I'll read my mag and get excited about all the wondrous things there are to try. Probably free stuff. 

I won't be able to get Woolies and I'll probably do tedious design jobs (like moving around jik bottles on a pamphlet) to get by. 

But I won't have to deal with pushing people content that I present as 'life' and that makes life a truckload better anyways. And maybe someday it'll make life a little less shitty for teen-me's too.

HASHTAG_I'll_get_some_bling_for_that

HASHTAG_LINK_a_golden_halo_I_mean 

I'f you're not sure what Content marketing here are some PRishly or Marketing definitions (journalist should NOT see it this way):

"Content marketing creates interest in a product through educational or informative material. Successful content marketing relies on providing 'consistent, high-quality content that solves people's problems'" - http://www.natedesmond.com/the-beginners-guide-to-content-marketing/

"Content marketing is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers. This information can be presented in a variety of formats, including news, video, white papers, e-books, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, question and answer articles, photos, etc" - http://www.omedia24.de/trends/trends-2014-im-online-marketing-content-marketing/

[thank you Wikipedia for 'aggravating' these sources in one place]