Online Research

1. Online Research Shannon Wilson

2. How have your research skills developed? • Since the beginning of AS, the ways in which we are able to obtain information has radically changed. My knowledge and understanding of existing internet tools and social media has improved dramatically, meaning I was enabled to research materials related to my coursework faster and easier. Realising there are more ways to finding out information rather than the standard Google route, I was able to use social bookmarking sites such as www.delicious.com. Using this was proven extremely effective, I used ‘the crowd’ to help find good websites linking to vivid research articles concerning the recent tragedies of the Chilean miners. This linked in greatly with our radio drama as it was based mainly on this current affair – giving us an insight to the angle we should have taken when informing our audience of the fictional tragedy that took place within our coursework. In addition, obtaining audience feedback using online websites such as www.surveymonkey.com and social networking sites like Facebook during the research and planning of my AS magazine allowed me to ensure that the contents of my coursework had the highest degree of appeal possible – containing material that my target audience had suggested via the surveys.

3. How were you able to listen to other drama’s on-line? • Having access to computers inside as well as outside of lessons meant I was enabled to gain access to existing radio dramas via the internet. Online websites such as www.youtube.com as well as those found during further research – www.audioboo.fm for example, meant we were able to listen to well known radio dramas such as The Twilight Zone. This had greatly influenced our piece as elements such as the short disclaimer at the beginning of the piece inspired us to include one at the start of our coursework. In addition, we were able to track down dramas from their original sources such as www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 - linking us to several episode of the nation’s favourite radio drama The Archers. Again, this had a great influence on the final copy of Into The Darkness.

4. How could you find out about magazines online? • Online photo sharing social networks such as www.flickr.com provided several images of front covers, contents pages and double page spreads of existing magazines – allowing me to develop my research further and influence my own work. However, www.delicious.com allowed me to obtain research on a more detailed level. Making use of the ‘search delicious’ box in the right top hand corner, I was provided with several URL links to a variety of websites containing facts and figures on existing magazine producers, i.e – circulation figures, frequency, and so on. From this, I was able to conclude exactly what it was that made a magazine so successful and use these elements within my own work.

5. How did on-line magazine sites influence content? • Existing popular magazines often offer their own websites which allow you to browse and gain an insight to the types of things the magazine has to offer. Taking full advantage of this, I used the websites of existing magazines such as www.kerrang.com and www.qthemusic.com in order to obtain ideas as to what makes a music magazine successful. Although these examples differ to the particular music genre that I had chosen, I took several elements from their front covers, contents and features and replicated them into my own work.