Blog Post 1!

In many ways, I think multimodal and multimedia can be used interchangeably, but I do think there are a few differences.  Multimodal usually refers to the delivery of the text, show, poster, etc. and how the different modes are used to get a point across.  I believe multimedia is usually seen as the different mediums used to provide the different modes.  For example, an advertisement that is shown on television, a magazine ad, or a pop up online are different uses of multimedia advertising, but the different modes and use of language and vision in the advertisement would be considered multimodal.

Linguistic:  I thought the statement used a very interesting choice of words.  "As directed by the President" implies that if he hadn't provided any assistance to the Japanese at all.  It seems to me that a catastrophic event of this size would have made a spoken speech, instead of a few written sentences.  It almost seems as if the US is saying 'if the Japanese really need help we can help them, but if they can fix things by themselves, it would be better.'  The statement is very short and to the point, there is no unneeded information.  It is also not very comforting to the disaster, it has a more informative tone, it basically informs the public that America said they would help.

Visual:  The biggest difference I notice when looking at these Twitter profiles is the color choice, and the avatar picture.  The profile on the left choice green and blue layout which can be viewed as more calming cool colors, and that person has a real picture as her avatar.  The profile on the right uses a happier color, light blue, and a more comedic cartoon avatar.  This could reflect the personalities of the 'twitterers.'  The profile on the right looks like their Twitter is used more for fun and the other could be used more for business or in the professional world.  I have only had my twitter for a couple days, so I haven't picked an avatar yet, but my background template is light blue with clouds looking like the sky.  I chose this one because it was a very carefree color scheme.

Aural: There is an interesting use of music in this clip.  It is rather loud for the usual background music, but it fits into the tone and the message of the clip very well.  Because of this relaxing music, the tone of the clip becomes informative and laid back.  If there had been another type of music in the background, it would completely change the tone, possibly making the message invalid because there is no connection between music and point.  The narrator clearly emphasizes certain words and ideas that she wants to get across.

Spatial: I think the WSU homepage is very attractive to the eye.  However, I do find it hard to navigate.  My eye is first drawn to the changing pictures across the front.  There are some navigational tools along the top of the site, and under the main pictures.  The layout shows the viewer that they should read certain articles that the university is promoting.  The navigation buttons along the button don't stand out a lot and almost look like an after thought.  The site would look completely different if the center and the bottom were swapped.  It would completely change the focus of the homepage.

Gesture: I watched Obama's statement on Libya.  I did not find his choice of gestural action effective.  He kept his hands folded, and only turned the pages of the speech he was reading.  He nodded his head periodically, just like everyone else giving a speech they have to read by looking up and down at notes.  It made his speech seem like he has no opinion about the subject and is just going through the boring motions of making speech.  With more hand motions and interaction with him and the audience, he could have made his speech much more effective.