Stereosonic drops 2010 lineup announcement

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/aust/47432/Stereosonic_drops_2010_lineup_announcement

This is a news story that is very focused to the online users of InTheMix, and typical of the hard news music stories that appear on the website.

With the topic extremely relevant, ITM has positioned itself as a website where dance music fans can come to get the last news and info on music, events and artists. This story reflects the understanding of the audience interests and demands.

The story uses hyperlinks to other related news. The use of hyperlinks specifically related to the news angle of this topic; links to the event, where tickets can be purchased, are particularly successful. This is extremely practical and useful, reflecting the understanding of audience needs, and increasing audience functionality of the site

The use of multimedia is also relevant to this site, with a video advertisement with audio from the artists playing the event (created and provided by the event organisers). While this is free promo for the event, it contains audio and visual messages, which are still very important to the story, and it is the audio that works strongest, in relation to the story, creating an atmosphere, and helping people connect the music with the artists. A hyperlink to a picture gallery of the artists is also included, and this contains visual information, further developing atmosphere to the story, and generating anticipation for the event.

Reflecting the popularity of both this event and why these stories are successful on ITM, the story has had over 150 comments made, developing opinions and the story through audience interaction (and illustrates the social network feel of the site and demographic of users). With over 115,00 users reading this story, it demonstrates that the website has a good understanding of their target audience, and ITM has developed this group well through the presentation of news and the topics. While this group may not be a niche market with over 100,000 people interacting with this story, ITM has successfully cornered a subculture of the market, through relevant news.

Porn star Sasha Grey is a DJ

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/48231/Porn_star_Sasha_Grey_is_a_DJ

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/46923/Is_this_really_the_worlds_hottest_female_DJ

This is a humorous music 'news story', often typical of the news found on the InTheMix. With a humours angle, the use of the picture works well, in an ironic sense (as it is mocking) and fits with the context of this story.

Continuing this theme of mockery, there is the use of a hyperlink, to another story linked to this story topic and an accompanying photo gallery of the world’s hottest djs. This creates an online network of linked stories, creating greater depth to the issue, and this is a technique commonly used in stories on ITM. While the gallery of the hottest female djs appears crude, (and the picture used for the gallery opening is quite provocative), there is an undertone of sarcasm throughout (this is even pointed out by the journalist u admit it is a demeaning topic).

However, in regards to how this combination of stories are presented as a network, in an online environment, (and not the content), the stories are very successful. As a network they provide extensive user interaction and incorporate many online features, through hyperlinks and images. Picture galleries work very well online and are easy for users to navigate, reflecting the interactive nature of online news. The incorporation of images help to tell a story with using only minimal text. This galley illustrates the capabilities of interactive story telling and supports the humours context, without relying on text, but using pictures to tell most of the story.

Gorillaz do epic Madison Square Garden show unleash new material

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/48252/Gorillaz_do_epic_Madison_Square_Garden_show_unleash_new_material

This story uses the online medium thoroughly by maximising the opportunities of the environment by including hyperlinks to other articles and up coming event details (where tickets can be purchased), multimedia through embedded video and audio, images and a comment section.

The article content reflects the users of this website, further demonstrating a thorough understanding of this online audience by the journalists. The picture works well, in both seeking audience attention, and in relation to the story,

One of the strongest online features in this story, is the hyperlinks to the up coming event details. In relation to the website, this works very well. With many fans reading this story, these links facilitate the ease of buying tickets and work well in relation to the story content. Being a dance music website, this option is very relevant to audiences.

The use of the multimedia; a track from the band, which is discussed, works very well, in terms of the story, and its positioning on a music news website.

Overall, all the online options create a textured and interactive story, which strengthen this story. They demonstrate the possibility of using an online environment to further develop audience understanding of a story, and enrich the online news experience for audiences. This site in particular, with a focus on music news, further lends itself well to the use multimedia when relevant to a story. This is often the case, when the primary focus of the news is music.

Ministry of Sound UK Vs. Downloaders Pt. 2: The Internet Strikes Back

Actual Screen grab of failed Minstry of Sound website 5.10.10 @ 5.44pm

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/48214/Ministry_Of_Sound_UK_vs_downloaders_Pt_2_The_Internet_Strikes_Back

http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/ministry-sound-attacked-after-filesharing-ultimatum/

This news story is an update to an older story that previously ran on the website. This story is extremely relevant, and timely to the users of the inthemix, and while the content is trivialised in a humorous way, it still has an important message. As this story is part of an ongoing issue, it creates further depth, with its placement on the website developing the issue. The hyperlink to the original story is given, and this older story also includes another hyperlink to an even older story connected to the issue. This creates a network of stories related to the issue, building a stronger story.

As with many stories presented on inthemix, the journalists have used humour to convey meaning, by presenting the news in a sarcastic and ironic way. While the angle of the story does allow for humour, the journalists are able to do this, as they are disseminating news that was originally broken from another source (these sources are always quoted). While this is not an original news story, it allows the journalists to present the facts and also include opinions that reflect the general attitude of the website and users. The ability to do this is facilitated through the online medium, which proliferates the redistribution of news. News in an online medium evolves through dissemination and redistribution through comments and the incorporation of new opinions interacting with new, rather than initially breaking the story (although for many users of this site, this will be how the news is broken). This helps online news stories evolve, and helps journalists to redistribute news that is suited to selected audiences. This story reflects this process of development.

In contrasting the two news stories (the original source as quoted by ITM and the ITM version), it is important to look at the context of the story’s environment and how this affects its presentation. While ITM is specifically dance music news related, and with The Ministry of Sound record label being dance music focused, I think the story works better on the ITM website. The Daily Swarm is focused on general music news, and while the story still works well on this site, it is more specifically suited and relevant to the users of ITM.

The layout of the story on The Daily Swarm is very weak and disjointed, it does not flow easily, and is not presented well (it looks very cheap and the layout has a cut and paste feel, which fails to maximise the opportunities of an online environment, despite the picture accompanying the story is much stronger than ITM). As with ITM this story was developed from an older story. The content however is very basic and devoid of opinion, and like ITM, this story has been taken from another electronic dance music website (hence the literal cyt and past feel of the layout which appears to be how the news story was constructed), which appears to be the original online source http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=12519 (the news on this site is also presented with less opinion and humour than ITM, focuses only on facts. The layout is stronger than The Daily Swarm, although in comparison to the IMT, its weaker. The ITM presentation of news is much bolder and fresher. The colour scheme, layout, font size, picture use and headline position convey stronger presentation of news in an online medium).

While there is a lack of multimedia across all sites telling this story, this could be due to lack of relevant available material. However, with MoS being a dance music label, and on the story being on dance/music news website, film clips of recent MoS tracks could have been incorporated. Any music on a music news website would work.

The story is strongest on the ITM website, with clear layout and a consistent flow of information, with strong use of hyperlinks.

Dance music shut out in 2010 ARIA nominations

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/aust/48165/Dance_music_shut_out_in_2010_ARIA_nominations

This is an extremely newsworthy topic, and highly appropriate to the users of this website, through its relevance to user interests. This story demonstrates the understanding of the audiences and users of this website by the journalists who have created this online dance music news.

There is a regular pattern in the story structure on this website. Following this pattern, this story uses 2 hyperlinks in the establishing paragraph, to create a fuller issue for readers.

While this story works well in content and structure, it has a major weakness. In an online environment, and given the story content, and its context on a dance music site, it could use the opportunities of an online platform, by enhancing this story through embedding music video’s of the tracks discussed, or more specifically, video footage from the parts of last years ARIA awards which are discussed.

With so much opportunity to incorporate multimedia, it is disappointing, and I think could have helped further convey meaning to the audiences and in an more interesting way by allowing more user interaction. The lack of relevant multimedia in this story is a weakness. Multimedia is often critical to conveying meaning on an online platform, but on a dance music website, multimedia is even more fundamental to the environment, especially with the ease of finding the relevant material in this case, and the topic of this story.

As is also the trend with topical news stories on this website, there is high user interaction with the comment function, which develops the issue through user opinions. This is useful as these opinions are from users who feel affected by the news, and therefore their comments are relevant, and develop the issue for other readers, creating a wider story and adding additional information.

Sydney's Home club bans rattails

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/aust/47987/Sydneys_Home_club_bans_rattails

http://www.inthemix.com.au/gallery/snap/30879/photo/1269753/The_Clubbing_Shtlist

This story is a humorous news story that has been developed from the news angle. It is topical and of interest to the communities that engage with this website.

As this is quite a small story, relevant hypelinks (2) to similar stories and issues are included in the opening paragraph, to give further depth to the issues, and relevance to the users of the site. These work well, in developing a larger issue for the readers.

The picture accompanying the story quite humorous, and corresponds well. Although, possibly unrealistic, it helps convey some of the humour, and there is a strong relationship between the text and picture, and what is being conveyed to the users.

A debate amongst users is encouraged, and being a topical issue, there are a large number of responses. These helps develop the issue, for those engaging in the comments, and those who read the story, through the opinion of others which are relevant, or who are affect by the story.

The story is accompanied by a picture gallery that ran at the same time as this story, exploring other clubbing faux pas, by visually exposing them. This works well in relation to the story, and further developing this story from a humorous angel.

While this story has a strong emphasis on humour, it works well in an online environment, particularly with the use of the picture gallery. It is relevant to the users of the site. The journalists demonstrated a through understanding of the story in terms of context in its position on the site, and reader interests/issue. Overall, in and online environment, and on this website, the story works very strong.

It is the use of humour that attracts audience’s interest, and much of this is done through the use of visuals and headline.

Ou est le Swimming Pool proceeding with album release

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/47796/Details_emerge_on_the_death_of_Ou_Est_Le_Swimming_Pool_singer 


http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/47821/Ou_Est_Le_Swimming_Pool_proceeding_with_album_release

These two stories are follow up stories, to the news that broke last week, of the death of Ou est le swimming pool lead singer Charles Haddon.

The first story works very strong, in providing further details to the initial story. With a hyperlink to the first story, in the opening paragraph, it connects the two stories, creating a fuller image of the details.

Again, as this is the continuation of a topical issue, there has been significant comment interaction form users, who have helped to further develop the story, through their own opinions.

The second story this week, which still develops the initial story, is very relevant to the users of the site. As the band was due to release and album, and tour Australia, the journalist has fully understood the news demands of the sites users, and uses both the online medium and site well for this story.

While the positioning of the story is strong and with the initial story still trending in the top ten read stories by the site users, it appears necessary that this story include a hyperlink back to the original breaking story, which it successfully does.

Working as part of a connection of stories about the issue, this story takes full advantage of the context of this news in an online medium, by including multimedia discussed in the story.

With the multimedia relevant to the news discussed, it works well as a interactive and practical illustration. Also, being a film clip on a dance music news website, this also compliments the stories online environment, and is appealing to readers of the story.

This is a very successful story in sharing news, both through the use of hyperlinks and multimedia, which helps enrich the users understanding of the story.

The positioning of the story on this site has also been crucial, confirming the journalists understanding of the sites users and how they interact with news.

This is an example of how a story can be constructed for an online environment. This story maximises the full use of tools available in an online environment to communicate with users across a number of mediums. Whilst telling the same story, these messages all work together to create a richer experience for the users, who has a better understanding of the story.