Social networking sites have become an important tool especially to young adults. In harnessing its potential use in education, students and lecturers should invest in social networking sites to interact and socialize among themselves.
This new dimension allow individuals to connect with their old friends, gather information or any other use that could benefit the individuals. In the West, teachers and students has been using social networking sites as a communication tool. The bi-directional process allows them to communicate and share comments in order to have a better understanding on the learning subject.
Example of social networking sites that have been used are Twitter, Friendster, Myspace, Facebook and Orkut. These digital natives in higher education allow the teachers and learners to express and communicate which help them to enhance their profile, talent and experience.
The emergence of various applications help to create a good environment for the lecturer and student. Higher institutions such as colleges and universities should consider in integrating social networking sites into their academic practice, so that students can gain access to the latest update on current issue or address their concern or problem.
Reference
Abro, M.-u.-R., Li, Z., Chhachhar, A., & Hassan Gillani, S. (2014). Social Networking Sites’ Usage Trends and Adoption Among University Students: A Descriptive Analysis. New Media and Mass Communication, 47-52.
Hamat, A., Embi, M., & Abu Hassan, H. (2012). The Use of Social Networking Sites among Malaysian University Students. International Education Studies, 56-66.
Helou, A., & Ab.Rahim, N. (2014). The Influence of Social Networking Sites on Students’ Academic Performance in Malaysia. International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, 247-254.
Have you heard about the latest delicious audio in town? On 1 April 2017, Media Prima Radio Networks has proudly launched a new initiative, AIS KACANG and has become a hub of the first audio podcast in Malaysia. Interested to know what AIS KACANG is all about? Ais Kacang is a form of digital media consisting of a series of various episodes of audio files that can be subscribed to and downloaded through web streaming or through smart phones.
Ais Kacang offers listeners original programming content in Malay, English and Chinese with latest and trending topics in the country. Some of the programmes are The Balls, The True Me, How to Adult (English), Face off With Fara, Yu Laser, Paranormal, Tolong Ketawa, Why Bother? By Diva AA (Malay), Gossip Talk at Mahjong Table, Feng Shui (Chinese) and many more features well-known as well as undiscovered speakers. Not only that, everyone can start their own podcast by submitting their show and partnering with Ais Kacang at https://www.aiskacang.com.my/submit-podcast/.
According to the chief executive officer, Media Prima Radio Networks, Seelan Paul, “The Ais Kacang podcast aim to capitalise on the popularity of podcasts globally and adapt it for Malaysian consumers. It will indeed complement our radio stations by providing a new platform for our audience. MPRN also harness the power of our digital platforms that has almost 7.7 million followers. Through this platform, we can provide our clients with another viable alternative and wider reach to advertise and promote their products and services aimed towards the digital community.”
Ais kacang is available to stream via www.aiskacang.com.my, App Store and Google Play. – Source: Facebook
Reference
marketing-interactive.com. (2017, March 8). Retrieved from Advertising Marketing: http://www.marketing-interactive.com/media-prima-radio-networks-launches-3-new-initiatives/
Gamification is the process of adding game-like elements to something as to encourage partaking. In other words, gamification is about transforming something, which is hypothetically boring and uninteresting into a game for people to engage in.
Various professions use gamification to improve productivity or simply to increase active participation. Significant progress can be tracked and learning new stuff that has a steep learning curve can be made more fun when it is ‘gamified’. The engagement through apps and websites will help drive people’s participation, which develops long-lasting relationships for brands, encouraging people to meet personal challenges or even learn new tools or software.
In the context of advertising, gamification is a concept that has been adopted very effectively by well-known global brands such as Nike, Starbucks, McDonalds, Coke, Magnum, Samsung as well as countless others to build lasting relationships with their customers as well as serve as a means for continued communication. It also creates a somewhat addictive experience from the trill of achievement as well as the social gratification and a sense of accomplishment on the online/social media space.
Companies of all shapes and sizes have begun to use games to revolutionise the way they interact with customers and employees, becoming more competitive and more profitable as a result (Edery & Mollick, 2009). This means the future of personal communication for brands with their customers is now becoming a more participatory means of communication, going beyond the traditional, one way communication model.
Gamification can also be viewed as a means of self-expression and in today’s day and age where Generation Z is spending incredible amounts of time of social media platforms. Creating an environment whereby gamification becomes part of the metrics can add value to a brand’s image, especially since every brand wants to be on top of the mind of their intended target audience. Case and point would be the very recent explosion of Pokémon Go onto digital space, which very quickly became a global sensation, reiterating the fact that socially, gamification is changing the way we interact with people and the world around us.
In a nutshell, gamification is probably the start of a new beginning of possibilities in the way in which marketers and advertisers reach their intended audience. While the need for instant gratification is ever so evident in today’s fast paced digital world where a multiscreen presence has diluted our focus and attention span, gamification done creatively could serve as a means to help hold the attention span of target audiences of brands for perhaps a tad longer.
References
Chou, Y.-k. (2017, January 12). Yu-kai-Chou: Gamification & Behavioral Design. Retrieved from http://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/top-10-marketing-gamification-cases-remember/
Edery, D., & Mollick, E. (2009). Changing The Game : How Video Games Are Transforming the Future of Business. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Fullerton, L. (2017, April 13). The Drum. Retrieved from http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/04/13/study-teens-college-students-favor-snapchat-while-gen-z-spends-up-11-hours-day
Hall, M. (2014, May 13). The Innovative Instructor Blog. Retrieved from http://ii.library.jhu.edu/2014/05/13/what-is-gamification-and-why-use-it-in-teaching/
Social media has evolved into such a powerful tool in the world. The biggest evolution is the live video function that Instagram and Facebook have applied to their application. This live streaming video started in 2016, but evolved in 2017 and is making a huge impact to everyone including digital advertisers and marketers. Prerecorded videos are still something vital in reaching consumers, but a business that uses real time videos has a much larger impact on the business.
Live video will become extremely famous in 2017 because it allows the brands to instantly engage with its users with any scripts, editing and the contents are authentic. Facebook is the reason for live video to become so famous because previously businesses are afraid to use that approach in fear of lack of control towards the content. But when Facebook decided to use it, everyone started to follow the trend. The founder and CEO of LOUD RUMOR, Mike Arce said that “Video is going to become the face of business in 2017,” because it provides marketing for fitness studios and gyms which definitely needs a visual representation to display the workouts. This also means that decision makers have to start making videos about their company with real people to catch up with this trend.
According to Heidi Besik, the group product marketing manager for Adobe Social, social media platforms like Facebook are challenging the traditional media in adding revenues to the business. In fact, bigger events will be more viewed using videos on social media. Hence, due to the preferences of the consumers on these types of media, brands will need to find a team dedicated to creating videos that shall assist in maintaining consumers’ interest towards their business, or else they might be left behind in this vast evolving technological world.
It has been a great scene and noise about the releasing of Beauty and the Beast in Malaysia. As most people knew, there have been havocs on the gay scenes that local censor sought over four minutes of edits involving “gay moments”. On the other hand, Disney insisted not to cut any scenes from the movie or it will not be released in Malaysia at all.
Let me lead you to the chronology of how this noise of releasing this movie started. The movie claimed to have the gay moments, Josh Gad’s portrayal of LeFou as smitten with the handsome cad Gaston (Luke Evans). As we know, Malaysia does not support LGBT and those scenes can only be depicted if it is represented in a negative way. So, it has been a pending review from Disney since they refused to cut any scenes from the movie as this is the first time they are releasing a movie to feature an ‘exclusively gay moment’.
To simplify the drama, the movie is finally released on 30th March 2017 in Malaysia and rated as PG 13 rating. After all the hoo-ha, I strongly believed that it is essential that our censors take good responsibility on managing and controlling all the movies before they are released in Malaysia. Overall, reviews mentioned that the gay scenes in the movie have been too much hyped rather and making Malaysians more interested and curious to watch the movie to know what’s in for them for all the hyped gay scenes. Anyways, all issues have come to the end, hope to see a lot more of Disney remake movie in the future.
The United States aggression of air strike in Syria on April 7, 2017 seems to be crossing the red lines that could lead into a war with Russia. It does not end there, another complicated scenario has emerged as the US sent the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and several warships towards Korean peninsula in a show off force by Trump administration a few days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its coast. But will there be a war? Is there any possibility that the US could attack North Korea?
According to Foster (2017), the US is highly improbable to attack North Korea because it could escalate tensions and possibly lead to nuclear war. On Tuesday, North Korea media clearly stated a warning for a nuclear strike on the US and will defend itself against any sign of American provocation or aggression with “a powerful force of arms”. State news agency KCNA quoting North Korea’s foreign ministry saying that the measures taken by the US naval deployment showed a reckless action of invading that has reached to a serious level. A report by BBC stating that the deployment has shown that North Korea is not wrong in developing nuclear weapons capability as it is use as self-defense and to break the initial attack of the enemy.
Previously, US President Donald Trump said on Twitter that he would “solve the problem” of nuclear threats alone if China – North Korea’s closest ally did not give greater support in employing pressure on its neighbours. The tweet came in after a meeting with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president in Florida last week.
The meeting was likely to be one of US moves to persuade China to enforce existing restrictions on North Korea more meticulously. South Korea and China, a powerful ally of Pyongyang has warned that tougher sanction will be imposed on North Korea if it is continuously launching more missile tests in the future.
US and North Korea relationship is in a crucial state since a decade ago especially with several critical issues of nuclear weapons, development of long-range missiles and North Korea threats to strike the US. However, the battle seems a never ending story with each nation trying to provoke each other. In the end, will the war really happen? or is it just some sort of sheer intimidation?
References
BBC News. (2017, April 11). North Korea lashes out at US Navy strike group move. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from BBC News: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39561410
Foster, A. (2017, April 11). USA v North Korea? Will the US attack North Korea? Retrieved April 12, 2017, from Express.co.uk: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/790229/USA-v-North-Korea-will-US-attack-Pyongyang-missile-tests-nuclear-threat
Utusan Online. (2017, April 12). Korea Utara sedia berperang. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from Utusan Online: http://www.utusan.com.my/berita/luar-negara/korea-utara-8232-sedia-berperang-1.468299#nav-allsections
Located at the east coast of Malaysia, Perhentian Island is now a famous tourist spot. The breath-taking view at Perhentian Island is just so mesmerizing. Perhentian as translated in English means a place to stop, looking back at the history of Terengganu where this was the place for traders who travelled between Malaysia and Bangkok. This island consists of two parts which are Small Perhentian Island and Large Perhentian Island. Small Perhentian Island is the 13th best beach over the 100 best beaches in the world listed according to CNN.com.
To reach Perhentian Island, there is no other way except using boat facilities which will enquire you to endure some of back pain or the impact of inertia. This is due to the boat collision with high waves and it will take you around 20-30 minutes to reach the Island from Kuala Besut Jetty. However, first, you must not take a flight to Kuala Terengganu even though Terengganu is the owner of this Island. You need to arrive at Kota Bharu which is the neighbour of Terengganu in order to reach the Island faster and easier. You can always book the taxi or van provided at the airport or pre-booked by package.
Well, after the pain enduring moment, you will feel that it is worth it because when you reach there all you can see are beautiful white sand, blue sky, and obviously the greenish-bluish colour of the ocean. You can hear the sound of the waves and the breeze of the sea is just refreshing. There is no transportation at the Island; all you need to do is walk! No need to worry because it is totally walking distance to walk around the island, and if you need to travel to nearby islands you can always take sea taxi. This is why the Island is still beautiful and unpolluted. Some of data network might be available but only in the selected spots. But who will care about Internet when you already in a paradise?
Regarding the place to stay, there are few resorts and chalets or even campsite for you to choose. There is one resort called D’Rock Garden where you can experience living in simple but nice house, and don’t forget to request for a sea view! For campsite, there is Awatif campsite and the best Awatif cafe will offer you is the fresh coconut juice and the famous keropok lekor (Terengganu most favourable local food). There is also a bar that will entertain you with great fire shows for you to have fun under the sky full of stars. According to a data provided on Terengganu government website, there are more than 1000 of chalets and rooms there.
Famous activities on the Island are snorkelling and scuba diving. The remarkable experience to see the underwater creatures like corals, Dory fish and turtles will leave you the unforgettable memories for your lifetime. And the best part here is to not forget to experience jungle trekking moment and get to the windmills at Small Perhentian. It takes you around 30-40 minutes depending on the speed of walking to get up there. Once you reach the windmills area you will feel so relieve and enjoy the beautiful scenery from the windmills point. It is the leftover projects from the government where the government wanted to implement the effort of absorbing energy from solar and windmills. However, the project is a fail and it is left behind until some people found it and make it one of the best scenery at Perhentian Island, is it an Instagram worthy picture taking side.
However, you need to beware of the monsoon season, the islands effectively close between September to February. Best times to visit there are any time in between early of March to late of October, preferably in the middle of this time. Outside that window you might find accommodation but restaurants and bars are closed. Make sure to bring your sunblock and sunglasses and pretty beach dress and enjoy your moment!
Can we differentiate culture that is printed or broadcasted in advertisement? If yes, meaning we know other culture very well even though we do not living in it. Why? This is due to Globalization.
Globalization has given opportunity for international organizations to make a mark on their business footstep in many places around the world. Somehow, the challenges to fit into other countries culture will be a crucial task. Like how Nike released their first ‘Pro Hijab’, many judgement and impressions were commented online whether positive or negative it is the challenge that Nike should have to accept as a global brand.
Manal Rostom jogs wearing Nike’s new hijab for Muslim female athletes – (Source: indianexpress.com)
Some people were pleased that Nike has made sport hijab for women to be comfortable in doing sport, yet the advertisement that was released by Nike in promoting the ‘Pro Hijab’ has also created negative comment where people do not agree with Nike by showing women with ‘Pro hijab’ wearing inappropriate attire as a Muslim women .
Ayam Goreng McD, ‘Halal’ logo at the bottom of the ads – (Source: mcdonalds.com)
For organizations to succeed in the global market place, understanding consumer culture values are the root to influence their behaviour in buying. Culture ‘speaks’ trough words or images in advertisement as it is the most culture-bound element of the marketing mix. The use of images, jargon, colours, etc. can contribute to positive or negative reactions to an advertisements and thereby the product in itself (Khanna, 2014). For instance, McDonald’s Malaysia showing ‘halal’ logo in every of their ads in Malaysia as to build confidence to match the majority culture in Malaysia which is Muslim.
Advertisements are made for identification, information and persuasion on product or services that are usually paid by the advertisers to release their ads either in print or broadcast media. By making ads that fit the country’s culture, people’s reaction will be positive as they feel they are being appreciated and respected. In Malaysia, since we have diversity in culture, advertisers seem to play roles as culture unity in Malaysia where many advertisements are viewing culture values of each religion or ethnics like Petronas ads, Maybank ads and etc.
Petronas Ads, from left Harvest Day print Ads, middle Hari Raya Ads and lastly Deepavali Ads – (Source: petronas.com)
Advertisement has powerful influence towards people as it has the possibility to change people’s behaviour and values. Understanding a country’s culture core values is essential to avoid blunders in ads that might offense the viewer beliefs and values.
References
Khanna, N. (2014). The Role of Culture in Advertising. A comparative analysis of selected Nike print advertisements from the U.S. and Japan.
Living in the globalized world, it’s hard for us to keep up with trends and also demands. Our life must be at par with the development and advancement of technologies and that makes life harder. Some may be lucky enough to secure a job while there are some who are still struggling in finding one. However, can pursuing a master’s degree help an individual to secure a job? How about joining a graduate certification course?
A master’s degree is a graduate degree awarded by a renowned accredited institution to show that the candidate has achieved mastery in any field of study whilst a graduate certificate is a short period of courses offered for professionals in order for them to acquire additional skills and knowledge that would help boosting their career life. There are a lot of differences between a master’s degree and a graduate certificate that a candidate might want to consider before pursuing their dreams.
The reason why one needs to set goals if they are interested in pursuing a master’s degree or joining a graduate certificate course is because, there are a lot of sacrifices need to be done such as; time and money. The first and main thing that needs to be considered is the fees. It is obviously not cheap for a master’s degree programme, however, graduate certificate courses happen to be cheaper. Apart from that, time is another thing that an individual needs to take count. A master’s degree may take up to a minimum of 2 years of study whilst a graduate certificate might be shorter than that depending on the type of course or field of study chosen.
Nevertheless, a master’s degree and graduate certificate vary in a way that a master’s degree could help a particular individual to earn more in comparison to the graduate certificate. It also somehow opens more career opportunities. In Malaysia, a graduate certificate is not that popular as not all fields require a certificate in comparison with a master’s degree where nowadays it has become some sort of a trend among graduates to further their studies to secure a better career life.
In conclusion, interested candidate may want to do some research in considering which path is the best and what are the main goals in obtaining both master’s degree and graduate certificate. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses that would bring benefit at the end of the day. So, think wisely and make the right decision. Good luck in choosing the right path!
Recently on 4th April and onwards, the incident of the chemical attack in Syria has been discussed highly across the country and internationally. The chemical attack intended to kill the victims slowly, without mercy, hence leaving them to suffer before they die. This was the attack; an airstrike released the poisonous gas on the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, and after a few hours, another airstrike bombed one of the clinics treating the victims. What happens to the victims were, after breathing in the poisonous gas, the victims were left squirming, choking, troubling to breathe or foaming at the mouth. Masses were killed and these include the children. Even the rescue workers became sick dealing with the victims.
There are many chemical attacks in Syria before, but as reported by New York Times, it is the Worst Chemical Attack in Years in Syria. Not saying that the past attacks are not important, they are still considered as cruel, damaging and extremely inhumane. However, this recent attack has managed to gain the attention of people around the world. It is very paradoxical in a sense that fortunately, people start to give their attention to the crisis in Syria and give support and aid, yet unfortunately the attention, support and aid most come by when the situation has become worst. Yes, it is understandable that being humans, we can’t help ourselves from forgetting certain things, even though there are times we choose to forget and ignore. Here, the media play a massive role to inform and remind us of what happen. That is why most of the time, people’s attention, support and aid are seasonal, because the media reporting is seasonal too.
Still, the media have been a good platform to share information as well as to encourage support from people across the world. For example, if not because of the viral videos and photos of the attack on social media, the Malaysians would not have known the news soon enough. At the same, the media report a lot of finger-pointing from different sides. Some headlines are … U.S. Blames Assad, and … Russia ‘failure allowed Syria chemical attack’. All hat and no cattle.
“Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.”
– Benjamin Franklin
The chemical attack in Syria is indeed cruel and extremely inhumane. It is worth concerning and to give attention. Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Even though, people’s attention, support and aid, and media reporting are seasonal; we should be critical in getting ourselves involved in this issue, not just the crisis in Syria, but also any kinds of social crisis and problem like human trafficking, poverty, etc. Let’s get involved, teach, preach and spread information, donate, give prayers and more efforts can be made. Together, let’s make this world a better world!
