Goarmy.com, eonline.com and blog.johnkerry.com:
brands within the participatory culture domain
All of the three web sites can be approached in terms of brands. All names: military and defense organization (“unstoppable team”) U.S. Army, a person J. Kerry (“courageous leader”), E! (“number one entertainment”) are promoted and advertised to be associated with certain psychological meanings. One can see how internet affordances extend traditional means of branding and understanding of what can be branded.
www.goarmy.com: join the unstoppable team
Goarmy.com[i] “viewsers” face U.A. Army logo everywhere, which almost always is in the left upper corner of web-site (isn’t it the best noticed place according to the psychology of reading?), it marks the beginning and the end of videos etc. All the “heroic” images, sound vocabulary (like word “Soldier” starting with big “S”) and writing style, solemn opening music and the background music of the same spirit used in the videos, all together make up U.S. Army logo and name to be associated with such notions as strength, fulfilled expectations, self-confidence, opportunities, adventure and more “practical” things such as education, career and social benefits. Of course, these words are used in most of the texts to “promt” the user what idea U.S. Army name carries and goarmy.com helps to spread.
The web site also creates an image that U.A. Army is an organization which offers many exciting fields of work, “more than you would ever expect”, but all the activities in the army are even more respected and more rewarding! U.S. Army is an image brand in that extent that it presents a certain way of life with clearly espoused values. Web site adds possibilities to “experience” it (e.g. with U.S. Army game), or to hear “real” stories, “word of mouth” (e.g. recruiters’ profiles).
At the first sight it may seem that US army defines the soldiers career as suitable to any sorts of people (e.g., in terms of race and gender: one of the “index” photos that meets goarmy.com visitor is with a dark-skinned mail, a white mail and a woman…), however most of arguments are devoted to the young people (until 34) who might become U.S. Army soldiers (e.g., even on-line survey is only for those who consider possibility to become a militant, if you to the first question you answer that you’re looking information for somebody else, it’s written that you’re not the target audience “of research”. I would say of the whole web site). So, nationality and age are main segmentation variables.
As for on-line participation, multimedia gallery, virtual game, “recruiters chat”, all may make one feel owning multiple possibilities and ways of using the goarmy.com space. I would say that this is more sophisticated use of internet design affordances, goarmy.com is a really good database of army rules and source of appealing information on army. As for the user freedom, the space is regulated by provider – user relationship. E.g. “recruiters chat” is not working round the clock, so discussions meet the framework of time. When it works, you can enter the room with your nick (no need for registration, what is quite inviting). Here again, if you ask leading recruiter what you’re expected to ask you get really fast the answers and links to your answers (works like a well organized mechanism, like an army…). But if you ask something more irrelevant like “why did you choose to go to army” (I did) you simply get no reaction. You’re not in the community. You’re not a target worth to work with.
www.eonline.com: be entertained by E!
E!Online website is a part of E! Networks, strongly connected to the E! Entertainment TV, so I would say that E! is a brand and the website broadens the scope of associations related with the E!, mostly with TV programs. To please the consumers (I’d think mostly teenage and young women) and to use all possibilities to reach them, the entertaining news on entertainment can be accessed on-line as well. The writing style and design of web site also represents E! philosophy to be a “world of style, beauty, fashion and home design”. So this is the brand attached with additional psychological meanings: you can be so close to the glamour of celebrities, even closer with goods from E! shop, or if not, a pinch of irony is added so that you would have opportunity not only to envy but also mock at the shine of
E!Online site as an extention of E! Entertainment Television (many links to TV program and news connected to it are placed on the most visible spots of web site), this site is made to be especially appealing for those interested in
www.blog.johnkerry.com: support Kerry
John Kerry’s blog also carries a certain brand – politician John Kerry is a “commodity”, there’s logo “John Kerry President” with a flag, all consisting of 3 symbolic American colours. John Kerry’s name is a brand even though the most important aim of “John Kerry for President, Inc” is not to earn money directly but to get political power. However, both politics and money is always about power. What is more, the web site also claims to earn money: e.g. it’s offered to “Put your money where your mouse is!”, you can also buy t-shirts, cups with the campaign logos, which means direct profit.
Kerry’s brand is aimed to be associated with the words “courage” and “audacity”, also with the “lifetime service” for the nation (these words are slogans from posters also used as main arguments in discussions by the supporters’ community.
John Kerry’s official blog seems to be devoted to all the citizens of the
Community consists of Kerry’s fans; one can feel even like in some sect because of the nonnegotiable vocabulary (he's brilliant and has ton's of charisma..., Oh good, giedre... stick around here, the TRUTH will set you free (the Patriot Act WON'T!) and accuracy they follow Kerry’s actions (Kerry on CNN! stops going discussion the moderator and states briefly what he is speking) and the vocabulary used to describe the candidate campaign.
The participation element in web sites
As for internet use, first of all Kerry’s team is proud of having a blog (“Have you looked at the Bush web site yet? See if you have a chance to talk/blog freely” wrote one Kerry’s fan “calif dem” is comments board). Kerry’s web site serves as a data of media announcements related with him, also an archive of his campaign.
Blogging is used as a means to extend the candidate’s and all his team’s closeness to all the nation. E.g., everyone who enters the comments board is met with welcoming message. The discussion seems to be regulated by several people who try to make all visitors feel at home and stimulates participation by asking questions (probably they are just starry eyed Kerry lovers-volunteers). By the way, Kerry’s fans are eager to discuss in polite manner even if you express dislike of their candidate (“if you are a seeker of info, why would we kick you out? you haven't been disrespectful. there are lots of folks here who supported other candidates in the primaries, and are now supporting Kerry wholeheartedly. Seek, and ye shall find. John Kerry for President” wrote rayd8)
As far as primary online participatory space regulation is concerned, if you want to be a member of E!Online or Kerry for President community you should be a registered member. in E!Online site you can “gossip” with others interested in celebrities lives. You feel best if you’re a fan and share the same values with other members of community.
In Kerry’s and goarmy.çom sites the main synergies are build along I would call the ideological lines: a visitor can reward mostly by participating in communities if they support expressed ideas, they can use not only well prepared data bases but also experience collective knowledge. For web site creators it’s important to have a wide circle of ideology supporters, also information providers (internet environment makes audience’s activity visible) and as big as possible but obviously smaller circle of directly acting people who become volunteers in presidential campaign or army soldiers.
In E!Online environment one can also enjoy epistemaphilia. If you become E!online insider (it’s officially allowed to people from 13 year old), more participation can be experienced: on-line message boards, “hottest gossips” with exclusive Ted Alerts!, news letters, more multimedia pieces are accessible to you. Most of activities can be reached through “fun stuff” zone, e.g. you can play games and try to be a paparazzi, or “match your favorite stars with their significant others” etc. Of course the “stars” are the figures in the games and you’re the better player if you read more E! gossips… simple relation, just be more in the glamour pop stars life and sooner or later this will bring benefit for E! producers. Corporate structure of all E! organization (which mostly fulfill media functions) lets producers benefit directly; the fact that user is here and now means profit (mostly e.g. from advertising, also from on-line shop). E! brand is surrounded by much information and images that encourage you to entertain yourself and to consume the same time, what means profit for E!Online producers.
You are culture!
These are examples how the notion “participatory culture” has become an important part of commercial domain; the role of audience now changes from passive consuming to active participation. To but it simply, for businesses this means that they should frame own corporate structure and performance according to the changes in social environment and value system; businesses should widen their understanding of profitable activities and should be considering novelties of culture[ii] if they want to earn money. “Participatory culture” can’t be taken from the context of “culturalization” economics in general. I would say that all three “meanings” [iii] covered by one quite a vague term “culture” are of increasing importance in the whole Western civilization.
When we speak of commercial domain and culture, the fact that the notion “participation” comes with the trends of shifting boundaries between “high culture” and “low culture” or more generally the boundaries between professional and amateurish participation in activities which can be called “cultural”, is also very important. To this extent the vagueness of the notion “culture” makes even more difficult for scholars to categorize, name and research present multiple changes and tendencies in the landscape of culture economics, culture of economics or cultural economy as a whole complex notion within the social sciences.
As the scope of the activities that can be treated as economic is growing as well, scarcely is it possible to mark the boundaries between commercial and public domains. The notion “participate” means to take part, if you’re a consciously acting member of some community, then it gets some features of public social network. As interactive technologies makes your actions more visible than ever and makes much of your activities a certain form of labour, how can you distinguish what is commercial and what is public.
Even the notion “participatory culture” sounds as appealing as if it was devoted to attract, as if it was branded: you participate, you’re culture!
P.S. As I don't understand Dutch I haven't been looking for additional argumentation in web site http://www.missiondecision.nl. However, those 3 websites provided be with much input to cope with…