Crowdsourcing!

Hey guys, sorry it took a while for me to get this done and posted. I hope I didn't inconvenience you in any way. Here's my idea: HowYouAreAlive.com. The first impression when going to the site would be a simple page that just asks the viewer to upload a photo/video or tell a story about something that makes them feel "alive." Then after navigating away from the home page, one could view a gallery of these submissions, read stories, read about the goal of the site, or log in to the site with a username. By creating an account with the site, people could join interest groups and follow what other group members are posting. The goal of this site would be to just see how differently everyone looks at life, and what unique things make people feel truly ALIVE.

Crowdsourcing Participation

#1: I participated in the Collected Visions crowdsourcing project. The links to search images and write a photo essay were not working. So instead I just uploaded my own photo that others could search and write essays about. They ask to know basic information about the photo you upload and the background story for it. I emailed this site with my submission and information. Here is the screen shot of that e-mail:

#2: I participated in Sarah's crowdsourcing project: myamazingbutt.com. Here is the screen shot of my image I uploaded:

#3: I participated in the Man with the Movie Camera crowdsourcing project. I imitated scene eight, with the oncoming train shot. Since I didn't feel like putting my life in danger by actually filming an oncoming train, I interpreted the suspense and movement with an oncoming skateboard. I took the video with just my mobile phone, as I've been doing all semester. Here is the screen shot of me uploading the video:

Reading Questions 4/16

Participative Systems Question:
At what point is the artist actually detached from his or her work because of its own interactivity? For instance, if the computers in "The Lovers" somehow evolved and interacted to create something remarkable and unexpected, would this still be considered the artist's doing?

Crowdsourcing Question:
Do you feel like projects such as crowdsourcing are more like an artistic display of the public's creativity, or more like a survey of society and its opinions?

This is my music. My passion. My lifestyle.

Here's my screen shot of my YouTube mixer. It's a little small and messed up, and the title didn't get included in this but I promise it's there, I just had problems doing a screen shot on my Dell. I had a few problems with this project and needed a lot of help, but I fell in love with my idea, and I feel that it definitely represents what I wanted it to even if it's not perfect. The top video should be played first, because it is the longest and serves as a soundtrack for the rest of the mixer. It was really hard to try to get everything to sound good together, but I did what I could. This project was meant to convey a feeling of nostalgia for those who are as deeply involved with the electronic dance music scene as I am. For some of us, it's not just the type of music we're into, but it's also our inspiration, basis for emotions, home for memories, and it is our lifestyle.

Manovich Reading Questions

1. How exactly do you think "new media" is making the viewer follow the artist's mental pathway as his or her own? Or do you believe the viewers are still able to form their own thoughts about the media?

2. Do you feel that viewers were forced to "bridge the gaps between unrelated images" before this age of new media?