Raquel Lampe's Blog

Apple launched its new MacBook Pro in October and it more powerful than ever before. It is equipped with a brand new Touch Bar, making it remarkably more expensive than previous models. The laptop also does not come in 32GB option and all connectors have been replaced with USB-C ports. Aside from the criticism the laptop received, the new MacBook Pro has already outsold all of its Windows-based competitors by a significant margin.

According to a report by Slice Intelligence and reposted by Mashable, “the sales of the new MacBook Pro in the first five days surpassed the sales of key competitors such as Microsoft’s Surface Book, Dell XPS 13 and 15, Lenovo Yoga and Asus Chromebook Flip even though all these devices have been on the market for over a year.”

After watching the MacBook Pro launch and reading this article, I’m honestly not surprised. Apple has always dominated the market, whether it was launching the iWatch or iPhone. It’s simple: people love their products.

Although I have heard some good things and some not so good things about the new laptop, I’m debating whether or not to update my current model. Right now, I have the 2015 Macbook Pro and I constantly wonder how I went this long without it. Apple has never disappointed me with their products (besides their crappy phone batteries) and even though Mac’s tend to be more expensive than PC’s, they are definitely worth the money.

According to Facebook’s third quarter earnings, the majority of Facebook users access the social network strictly on a mobile device. One of Mashable’s articles this week explained how of Facebook’s monthly 1.79 billion users, more than 1 billon of those are ‘mobile only,’ and that number is only going to get larger. Once again, Facebook “beat expectations” and is making the company more money than ever. Also, the majority of the company’s ad revenue also comes from mobile ads.

Personally, accessing Facebook on a mobile device is ten times easier than doing it on the computer. Tagging people in a post, uploading photos or updating your status can all easily be done from your phone. For example, uploading photos to Facebook from a mobile device is easy and convenient. Instead of downloading all the photos to a desktop and THEN uploading them to Facebook, users can simply select which ones they want to upload to the site from their device. The number of users that access social media strictly on a mobile device will continue to grow and it will be interesting to see how much that number will increase in the following years.

Twitter announced on Thursday that it will discontinue the app, Vine, in the next few months. Due to the app being discontinued, Twitter also announced that 9% of the workforce will be laid off. Vine users shouldn’t worry as no vines will be taken down immediately and account holders will be able to retrieve and download all of their previous submissions. There were several reason’s behind the apps downfall. One of the reasons had to do with the inability to compete with rising social media outlets, such as Instagram and Snapchat, apps that “were somewhat easier to use and executed faster on product enhancements.”

Personally, Vine came and went for me. I’ve had a vine account since I was in high school, but I would never post content, because I enjoyed watching other users 6 second clips instead. At one point, Vine was the hot new app and social media platform I could spent hours on. Over the past couple of years, the apps popularity diminished for me as I turned towards Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. I’m interested to see what Twitter has in mind now that Vine is dead. Is a new app in the works?

Take a look at the Storify I published here.

The article I chose this week is yet another topic I personally relate to. Writer, Terry Heaton focused on New Pew Research’s recent statistics stating that young adults prefer to read news online rather than watch it. Heaton goes on to explain the two important reasons why this is occurring: reading over watching is a lot faster and the wasted time of advertising that is meant for a different media platform.

I absolutely agree with Heaton’s reasonings. As I stated in a previous blog post, I hardly watch television and when I do, it’s never to watch the news. I believe reading news online is more beneficial than watching it on tv, because you can scroll through stories you’re not interested in and read the ones that you are. Watching it on television does not allow viewers to do that since news outlets cover all different kinds of news during their program and could possibly not touch on something viewers want information about.

Being able to access news online is convenient and something I will always take advantage of. Now that newspapers are getting published less and less, how long will it be till online news completely takes over?

*Graphic courtesy of Pew Research Center

Are app owners suffering from a lack of originality and creativity? Mashable’s article focused on how WhatsApp will soon look similar to Snapchat.

The update will allow users to add doodles, text, emoji and captions to photos and videos that are able to be shot and shared within the app. Front-facing flash will also be added to the app, increasing the users ability to have better lit selfies.

Earlier this year, Instagram followed in the footsteps of Snapchat, adding a feature called Stories to their app. This update was a complete duplicate of Snapchat’s feature, including the name. Aside from Instagram, Facebook also added a new Snapchat-like camera feature within its News Feed.

Ever since Instagram introduced their copied update, I have utilized their “stories” option once. Snapchat now and always will be my go to app when sharing pictures, videos and stories, as it is the original creator of snapchat stories, lenses and filters.

If future apps continue to steal Snapchat’s features, each app will end up blending together and essentially lack originally and creativity. Personally, Snapchat is the only app I use daily, so no matter what a new app update introduces, it’s very unlikely that I will utilize it.

After completing the Functional Web Design course on NewsU, I made three changes to my blogs appearance.

First, I added a search bar so users can find previous posts much easier. Second, I added a social media widget underneath to gain more audience attraction to my Facebook and Instagram. Once I have created my LinkedIn account, I will add that to the list as well. Third, I changed my header image to something more seasonally appropriate. Since I don’t have a main news story and photo to place hierarchy on, I thought adding a fall photo seemed a bit better.

The article I chose this week is a topic that hits pretty close to home. It was a bit short, but made up for it by being jammed packed with facts and statistics, allowing for proper credibility.

Since coming to college, watching tv has never made it on my priorities list. I’m not one of those people (nor have I ever been) who sets aside time at night to watch my favorite show when it airs on tv. I don’t watch shows; I don’t keep up any. Nowadays, there is nothing on tv I consider worth watching.

I believe a tv is great for two reasons. 1) it’s wonderful background noise and 2) I love watching the Packers. The only reason I have cable tv in my apartment is because our landlord pays for it. If that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t have it and could definitely live without it. Reading, writing and spending time with friends and family are things I would much rather be doing than sitting in front of the tv.

The article mentioned a statistic that surprised me a bit. “The study of adults 18 and over found people watched an average of four hours and nine minutes of live TV a day, with another 30 minutes of DVR-shifted TV.” Personally, I find that a bit high, but this is also coming from someone who rarely watches tv. If viewers are using apps more and tv less, how much more time are people spending using apps if they’re averaging four hours a day watching tv?

Statistics show that users are spending an hour and 43 minutes a day on their phone and another 32 minutes on their tablet. This seems a bit on the low side, especially if the use of apps are significantly increasing. Since our generation is becoming extremely tech savvy and a bit too reliant on our phones and computers, I’m interested to see how next years statistics play out.

After scrolling through my subscriptions on Feedly, the article I chose this week is from FishbowlNY. Yahoo revealed that hackers stole data from 500 million users back in 2014, yet the hack was reported just a few days ago. The article was very brief and to the point, although it left me feeling uncertain.

I’m very cautious when revealing information online (address, phone number, birthday) because although websites say they are secure, I never fully trust that they are. I believe that 9 times out of 10, when a website is hacked and information is stolen, it goes unreported so users won’t feel insecure when revealing personal information. Hence the situation Yahoo is currently in.

My favorite (sarcasm) piece of the article is the final paragraph: “If you are a Yahoo user, it’s time to change that password and any other password that’s remotely similar to your Yahoo one. Then cross your fingers and hope for the best.” How touching. I believe Yahoo owes present and future users an explanation regarding their website security.

The first blog I chose is Cool Hunting Today. Its content ranges from technology to food and drink. One of the reasons I chose this blog is because it gives off a very modern feel. By scrolling down, the site features their top 3 stories of the day- the main headline, a brief summary underneath and a transparent photo that has to do with the story. The blog also heavily focuses on pictures which adds to it’s modern-like feel.

Its greatest strength is how easy the site is to navigate. The left side of the screen features links to read, look, link, buy, listen and travel- the 6 key content items the blog focuses on. Cool Hunting Today also features links to their about page, email subscriptions and how to join their team.

Their blog heavily focuses on audience building as they have included all of their social media sites, ranging from Facebook to YouTube. Although not all of the sites have been recently updated, users are still able to see older content.

The second blog that I chose is Simply Recipes. Its content is strictly food related. The main reason I chose this blog is because I love food, but who doesn’t? Since this is my first semester living in an apartment, it’s my responsibility to learn how to cook/follow a recipe.

The blog does not stand out in any particular way, as it features a warm natural based color scheme. Links to featured recipes with chicken, beef, pasta, fish and seafood are located on the left. Vegetarian, vegan, budget and quick and easy recipes are also included on the left side underneath the options mentioned above. By scrolling through the site, I was surprised by how many different pictures and articles of recipes the site featured.

Its greatest strength is how organized it is. It is very easy to navigate and locate a certain recipe, whether you’re cooking with chicken or rice. The site also offers seasonal recipes and a full recipe index.

Their blog focuses on audience building as they have linked all their social media sites on the right side of the main page. Users are also able to add Simply Recipe on Snapchat- a big way to get the younger generation involved.

The third blog I chose is Mac Rumors. The site features stories ranging from the new iPhone 7, to older ones about the iPod nano. The blogs color scheme is not very appealing and its content is a tad unorganized.

For it being a blog strictly about Apple products, I found it very undeveloped. The blog does not display many pictures, but heavily focuses on videos. One video I found to be very interesting was the ‘iPhone 7 swimming test.’ The video shows the new iPhone being submerged in water to see how long it will work for now that it is water resistant. The blogs greatest strength is how many videos it features. I’m a big fan of Apple products and tend to do a fair amount of research before purchasing a new apple product, so in this case, videos are ten times better than pictures.

Their blog also focuses on audience building as all of their social media sites are located at the top right of the main page. Users are able to follow them on Twitter, like their posts on Facebook or add push notifications to their computer.

Today I am talking with 2 students about the upcoming UW-Whitewater Commvergence event. This event will take place on Friday, April 8th from 8:30 to 2 pm in Hyland Hall. Early registration is $25 or $30 at the door on the day of. Katie Campbell, part of the planning committee for the event is here to better inform students about Commvergence.

Katie Campbell: Commvergence is essentially combining market industry trends for advertising, marketing, public relations and we are bringing in current industry professionals to give us some insight into what they do, how they do it and what’s coming up in those fields.

Commvergence is an annual event and senior, Courtney Ellis is very excited to attend.

Courtney: I’m really intrigued and interested in what these producers and news anchors are going to tell me about the world out there and how it is in their job and what struggles they had.

If you are an advertising, public relations, or marketing major, be sure to check out Commvergence on Friday, April 8th. For Webhawk News, this is Raquel Lampe signing off.