Girl Talk Case

The Girl Talk case has a particularly interesting nature because of its ability to withstand lawsuits. We discussed in class how, with all the different sampling and use of popular mainstream music to create mashups, Girl Talk has yet to be sued. This brings up the issue of "fair use" and "transformative use", which is basically using just enough copyrighted material without infringing on the creators rights and transforming it into something new.After reviewing certain aspects of the case, and listening to the mashups, I fully believe that Girl Talk is within it’s rights to use the copyrighted material that it has in its works, simply because there is never a significant amount of the work being used, and he takes the work and completely turns it into something that it wasn’t before.

Also, I do agree with what we brought up in class when we talked about how some of the artists that had been sampled from can actually credit some of their popularity to Girl Talk’s mashups. He could essentially be giving these unknown artists free publicity because people start questioning who the original artist is, and how their music sounds.  

It is my opinion that, with the popularity of Girl Talk’s mashups as well as his recognition in magazines like The Rolling Stone, if he were truly infringing on anyone’s copyright and it was significant enough to be taken to court, he would have been already. I do not think the artists he samples from are unaware of their works being used, and because there is no copyright police, they would’ve taken him to court already. 

http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/how-important-is-website-interactivity-01248595#dHSpDiBiWklTKGZC.97

This article discusses how important it is to have website interactivity, and how the interactivity of a website can determine the website's credibility. This can be a problem when a serious business creates a website and keeps things very static online. We assume that business isn't credible, as if their credibility is linked directly to how they manage their online presence. The article also briefly discusses how to make a website more interactive for the sake of your online presence and business, like adding in comment sections and linking the business site to a social media site.

Using the methods in the article, we would be able to measure interactivity by the number of clicks, comments and forums, and social media followers we gain. These are all methods of measurement that we discussed in class. If the website has enough to click on, that increases the interactivity for the user. If we have a discussion thread or comment forum, we are able to measure how engaged the users are with the content and website. And if we connect the website to social media platforms, we can measure how many people are diverted to our social media page by clicking the hyperlink.

Online Identity

Now and days, authenticity is more relevant and more important when it comes to building your online brand and its role within social media. Potential employers look to social media and web searches when looking for the perfect candidate for a job position. Your online presence has become more and more important, and from the perspective of the employer, authenticity is key. If a person has a positive online brand, you know that they either live cleanly, or they are motivated enough to keep their online brand professional and courteous.
I see the argument for anonymity when it comes to an online presence, especially when it comes to the release of important information that people need to inform themselves but would otherwise be robbed of. But I agree with Mark Zuckerberg when he speaks of an online identity being authenticity: a person isnt just two sided, or black and white. There are gray areas in everyone's personality that may come out online as opposed to in person. So the argument can be made that ones online personality may even be more genuine than their face to face personality. Ones online presence allows a person to become anyone they want to be, because they are hidden behind a computer screen. Relating back to my first point, it is increasingly important, however, that you watch what you put online because of who can see it.