Progress Sheet

Planning Task Sheet

Tasks	Task Instructions	Date Completed
Brainstorm/ ideas plan/ Mood board	- Key words outlining the Key Areas of your practical piece using ICARLING with relevant examples for each point. - Find examples of the visual style of the magazine looking at colour schemes, type fonts, illustrations, graphics, logos etc. - Upload to your blog or keep in a folder.	STILL TO SUBMIT
Idea Research	- Examples of relevant magazines analysing the codes and conventions, language used and target audience using post-it notes. Keep samples in a folder for reference. - Upload to your blog or keep in a folder.	STILL TO SUBMIT
Treatment/Statement of intent	- Write an outline of your intentions using ICARLING (see worksheet) - Upload to your blog or keep in a folder.	STILL TO SUBMIT
Audience Research	- Create a questionnaire to find out WHO is the target audience for your magazine (this could be completed via Face book). - Create an audience profile for the typical reader for your product. - Upload to your blog or keep in a folder.	STILL TO SUBMIT
Production Schedule	- Outline of tasks and dates they need to be completed by using the deadlines as a guide. - Upload to your blog or keep in a folder.	STILL TO SUBMIT
Flat Plan/1st Draft	- Create the layout of the magazine in Indesign, creating areas of text/imagery, titles etc. - Upload to your blog or keep in a folder.	10th February
Draft of written articles	- Produce a draft version of the article using the appropriate language for the target audience.	10th February
Photoshoot	- Shoot a series of images using the relevant conventions for your article. - Organise models - Use appropriate lighting - Props and costume	17th February (complete during half term)
Digital layout in Indesign	- Create your magazine layout using Indesign and importing all images and text and following the conventions of your magazine.	(complete during half term) 24th February
Submit your 2nd Draft digital layout	- Submit your magazine layout in Indesign and with all imported images and text and following the conventions of your magazine.	2nd March

essay

“Marxism is no longer relevant in a society alive with plural messages and mediums”

Marxism and pluralism are two opposing theories; however in today’s society it is almost impossible to completely dismiss parts of Karl Marx theory. Karl Marx theory could easily be connected with the hypodermic needle model; this is because the media creates ideologies that the consumer has ‘injected’ in to their heads, thus changing the beliefs of the consumer. This is very similar to a Marxist theory of being in a state of ‘false consciousness’ in that the consumer just accepts that what they are being fed with is the status quo.

Karl Marx acknowledged the importance of ideas, beliefs and values with regard to class struggle in society. Marx was concerned with the fact that the ruling class in society, the bourgeoisie and capitalists, could control such ideas, beliefs and values. In the ‘German Ideology’ Marx writes:

‘The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas: i.e. the class, which is the ruling material force of the society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force. The class which has the means of material production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means of mental production…’

The ruling class controls not only the means of material production but also the means of mental production; this means that the ruling class also controls the mass media and the institutions of civil society in general.

One example of Marxism within the media is the belief that the media will ‘dumb down’ its output to achieve a larger audience. The popular ITV television programme The X Factor, available to view on several platforms, takes on the everyday person which Marx considers a proletariat and they then face a panel of judges which arguably could be considered as the bourgeoisie. The live shows allow the general public to cast votes as to which contestant they would like to remain in the competition in order to win a record contract. As the public are allowed to democratically vote this suits the needs of the viewers which distracts them whilst the media slowly feeds them ideologies, this arguably acts as a distraction as the final decision deciding who remains in the competition still remains with the judges. The viewer’s accept the judges’ final decision as if it is just the way things are, much like in Marx theory of domination that oppressed and low paid workers accept that it is the natural order of things.

In contrast with this theory is Pluralism, this theory suggests that media societies are seen as independent from the state, the theory views society as a system of varying groups and interests such as ethnicity and sexual orientation none of which are predominant.

Pluralists see society as a complex of competing groups and interests, none of which are predominant all the time. Media organisations are seen as bounded organisational systems, enjoying an important degree of autonomy from the state, political parties and institutionalised pressure groups. Control of the media is said to be in the hands of an autonomous managerial elite who allow a considerable degree of flexibility to media professionals. A basic symmetry is seen to exist between media institutions and their audiences, since in McQuail’s words the ‘relationship is generally entered into voluntarily and on apparently equal terms’… and audiences are seen as capable of manipulating the media in an infinite variety of ways according to their prior needs and dispositions and as having access to what Halloran calls ‘the plural values of society’ enabling them to ‘conform, accommodate or reject’. (Gurevitch et al. 1982: 1)

Within todays’ society with the introduction of new digital media technology where on websites such as the BBC the audience are able to vote on polls for what they want to see and write feedback society is much more alive with plural messages and mediums. The audience are those who decide according to a pluralist view, if they don’t like what they see on television or read in print products, and then ratings and circulation figures fall and the media organisations respond by catering for the needs of the audience. On the subject of the media displaying political bias then it stems not from the media itself, but from the consumers, in any case the plurality of different viewpoints guarantees that there is no overall bias. For example if a person doesn’t like the ‘pro-Tory’ line of The Times, then there are other options such as The Guardian.

The pluralist theory accentuates that society is made up of several interacting but competing sections, which have more of less, equal access to resources and influence.  Pluralists produce plenty of evidence which in today’s society makes Marxism appear irrelevant, such as the media do not occupy the power as governments hold legislations against media owners having too much power ruling out such trends in ownership as vertical integration. Vertical integration is considered as unfair as it not only denies competition the chance to survive as smaller companies can’t compete with the lower prices, secondly it reduces the choice of its consumer as one person or groups views or products can become too dominant, a prime example of the argument surrounding Rupert Murdock and his dominant media empire.

The sociologist Habermas came up with the theory of ‘The Public Sphere’, this arguably ties in with democratic pluralism as within his theory he describes the public sphere as ‘a discursive space in which individuals and groups congregate to discuss matters of mutual interest and, where possible, to reach a common judgement’. The public sphere introduces the idea that through social interaction people are able to communicate amongst each other in order to reach a judgement, this denies the Marxist belief that audiences are controlled by people more powerful to them as different social classes could congregate and discuss anything of interest, thus making their own verdict and not being forced to believe the opinion of others.

Digital Britain Report

  1)      What is the purpose of the report?

The purpose of the Digital Britain Report is to check how digital technologies adapt and improve over time. It also works try and improve new technology for the use of other people, always working to make its technological advances easy for the use by general consumers.

2)   What are the 5 main objectives set out by the report?

·         Modernising and upgrading our wired, wireless and broadcasting infrastructure to sustain Britain’s position as a leading Digital Economy.

·         Securing a range of high quality public service content, particularly in news.

·         Providing a favourable climate and innovation in digital content, applications and services.

·         Developing the nation’s digital skills at all levels.

·         Securing universal access to broadband, increasing its take-up and using broadband to deliver more public services more efficiently and effectively.

3)  What are the 7 main achievements that the report highlights?

·         An analysis of the levels of digital participation, skills and access needed for the digital future, with a plan for increasing participation, and more coherent public structures to deal with it.

·         An analysis of our communications infrastructure and capabilities, an identification of the gaps and recommendations on how to fill them.

·         A statement of ambition for the future growth of our creative industries, proposals for a legal and regulatory framework for intellectual property in a digital world, proposals on skills and a recognition of the need for investment support and innovation.

·         A restatement of the need for specific market intervention in the UK content market, and what that will demand of the BBC and its role in digital Britain. What that means for the future of the C4 Corporation. An analysis of the importance of other forms of independent and suitably funded news, and what clarification and changes are needed to the existing framework.

·         An analysis of the skills, research and training markets, and what supply side issues need addressing for a fully functioning digital economy.

·         A framework for digital security and digital safety at the international and national levels and recognition that in a world of high speed connectivity we need a digital framework not an analogue one.

·         A review of what all of this means for the Government and how digital governance in the information age demands new structures, new safeguards, and new data management, access and transparency rules.

4)     What were the Governments targets by 2012?

·         Deliver the Universal Service Broadband Commitment at 2Mbps (in more than one in ten households)

·         Public support for the network, so customers in the Final Third, who can’t be reached by the market, can enjoy next generation broadband.

5)      What examples does it outline that the internet is useful for other than social networking?

·         Communication

·         Self-Publishing

·         Job Applications

·         Online Banking

·         Online Shopping

·         Health Services

6)       What is the fundamental reason for improving Digital Media in Britain?

Building a Digital Knowledge Economy

7)         How does the digital sector in Britain compare to other countries?

It says that the digital communications through network are getting much better in other countries than Britain, eg) countries around the Pacific Rim are adopting next generation networks. Elsewhere in Europe, Germany, France and Finland they have all adopted national broadband or wider digital strategies.

8)    Indicate some of the negative factors for people not accessing the internet.

·         They are unable to access some information.

·         People without the internet are expected to be at a considerable disadvantage. This is because people expect that more vital services will be delivered solely online in the future, or be provided offline in a way that penalises people who access them in this way, perhaps at a higher cost or lower quality. It is expected that people could lose access to a wide range of services and activities: shopping, banking, school work, public services, and downloading TV content.

·         There’s less access available to entertainment.

9)        What percentages of jobs require digital skills?

90%

10)      How many people in Britain still do not use the internet? What were some of the main reasons for people still not using the internet?

15 million adults

·         Financial/ resource exclusion such as can’t afford or no computer accounted for 30% and the remaining 18% intended to get internet access at home within the next six months. This evidence suggested a strong correlation between experience of the internet and the intention to receive it at home – 72% of this group were internet users outside of home.

·         42% of people interviewed were willing to pay something for an internet connection, 13% would get it if they could get a free internet connection and a computer, but 43% would not get it even if both were free and said that it was irrelevant to their lives.

·         Within the 30% of those in the financial/ resource exclusion group, two subgroups were identified – 26% were those whose main reason related to costs or equipment and 4% were those who said they did not have the knowledge or skills. 55% of those who cite cost live in social category D/E homes.

·         Awareness of the internet has widespread with only 3% of respondents saying they have never heard of it. Use outside the home also varied widely: 32% of respondents used the internet outside of home; 24% were non-users with indirect access via family or friends carrying out tasks on the internet on their behalf; and 43% were non-users without access either directly or indirectly.

·         Within the self-excursion group, two subgroups were identified: 37% for whom the internet was not of interest and 5% who said they did not need it at home because they were happy with the access they had. Respondents who said they were indifferent tended to be older and did not use the internet.

11)   Indicate 6 positive factors of increasing digital participation in Britain?

·         Online Shopping

·         Wider access to entertainment

·         Better access to television.

·         Better control over under-age children

·         Easier to do school/general work at home

12)   Give some examples of how you think improving access to broadband to all homes will vastly improve people’s lives.

I think that having the internet accessible in every household gives potential to students that come from a lower social category to have a better education, I think it could also prevent students being teased for not accessing the internet as plenty of students speak about videos on YouTube for example and if someone didn’t have access then they would feel outcast. Another advantage of having the internet available to households is that it could introduce people to job opportunities, it could improve awareness about embarrassing situations as e-mail is available and online healthcare, I think that it would make people much more open minded to technology as a whole if broadband was introduced to every household. However I think this providing the access is used correctly and not for illegal reasons as the internet plays a role in plenty of crime.

FACEBOOK

Facebook is a social networking service launched in 2004 and was created by Mark Zuckerberg; it is privately owned and operated by Facebook Inc. Facebook was created with the intention of allowing peers and families to communicate whilst away at university, allows students to make new friends or to communicate about essays due with class mates, however since then the reasons behind the expansion of Facebook is to allow people to meet new friends.  The social networking site as of July 2011 has over 800 million active users and according to Social Media Today, in April 2010 41.6% of the United States population had a personal Facebook account. Facebook is worth approximately $15 billion, companies such as Microsoft purchased a share of 1.6% of Facebook which cost $240 million. As of April 2011, Facebook has over 2,000 employees and offices in 15 different countries.
Most of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising, Microsoft is Facebook’s exclusive partner for serving banner advertising, and therefore Facebook only serves advertisements that exist in Microsoft’s advertisement inventory. Facebook is used for many different things depending on the user, some bands use Facebook to promote themselves, students use the site to interact with other students, generally the whole sites purpose is to allow its users to meet new people or interact with friends. Despite controversy Facebook has made many changes in an attempt to increase its privacy as pictures, personal information and contact information are shown on personal profiles, the site allows its users to communicate either privately through messaging or chat or publically using wall posts. Facebook is free to use and only makes a user’s name accessible to others, users are able to control who can search for them in privacy settings, there are regular updates made to the site offering much more privacy and features for its growing amount of consumers.
Facebook is accessible on most platforms, it can be downloaded as an application on iPhones, Blackberry’s can access the site, most mobile phones with internet either come with a Facebook application and when they don’t it’s easily accessible using 3G. Primarily Facebook is an internet social networking site but many handheld devices such as iPads and some iPods can access the website also. Facebook was originally named ‘Facemash’ and then ‘The Facebook’ created for students to communicate around Harvard University in America, however it eventually ended up being accessible by other universities in the Boston area. Finally it expanded to all universities and high schools around America for people aged thirteen and over to use, however it was discovered in May 2011 that there are 7.5 million children under the age of thirteen using Facebook, thus violated the sites terms. Facebook is globally known, there are a few countries that have banned access to the website for various reasons but it is still to this day the most used social networking site.

Web 2.0

The term Web 2.0, invented by Tom Berners-Lee, is associated with web applications that allow people to participate with information sharing, the working with different products or systems without restriction, user- centered design and the working together to achieve a goal on the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 site allows its users to communicate and work with each other in social media as creators of their own content, which in contrast with websites is a breakthrough as websites only allow viewing of content that was created for the viewing of others. A few examples of Web 2.0 are social networking sites such as facebook and twitter, blogging sites such as tumbler, file sharing sites and wikipedia where multiple people can define things to inform others.

Web 2.0 has had a great deal of impact especially in education. Many colleges use Web 2.0 as students can use a college blogging site such as www.blogger.com to interact with other students which proves very advantageous in a student’s learning curve as when a topic on a certain subject proves difficult they are able to view input from other students, which in turn helps with the completion of set tasks. Alongside this many students use social networking sites, particularly facebook, to interact with each other. This is again advantageous as it not only allows relationships between students to develop creating a much more comfortable atmosphere but colleges can create pages within the social networking site which informs students about set tasks and deadlines. There are a variety of benefits in Web 2.0 as its consumers are to an extent the creators, this is advantageous as it allows room for rational debate and participation, there’s also room for intertextuality as links can be posted about magazine subscriptions, new television shows and advances in technology which promotes businesses from all different platforms.

There are disadvantages of Web 2.0 though as there is possibly too much freedom, it leaves room for SPAM and ‘trolling’ by irrational users. Trolling has been a problem within the Web 2.0 community as the use of this means that radical trust is involved, however some users purposely post things on to websites with the intent to receive an emotional reaction from other users whilst being able to conceal their identity and remain anonymous. Web 2.0 was surrounded by controversy due to people trolling, after the suicide of Alexis Pilkington, anonymous posters began trolling for reactions across various message boards, referring to Pilkington as a ‘suicidal slut’ and posting graphic images on her facebook memorial page. Across media platforms Web 2.0 has been criticized as the freedom given means that false information can be written as fact by users, which then brings the gate-keeper principle in to the subject as something that was heard could be misperceived and then explained on sites as fact. In the United Kingdom any contributions made to the internet are covered by the Communications Act 2003, sending messages that are ‘grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character’ is an offence, two persons have been imprisoned in the UK for trolling already.

Web 2.0 has impacted the expectations of audiences in many ways, there are positive effects such as easier interaction allowing a business’s product for example to be improved due to rational debate etc. However alongside this it has impacted the expectations of the consumers negatively as now not all information on the internet as a platform is believed to be valid.

main points used in debate

1.     A massive clean-up operation is getting under way in areas affected by the riots across England.

Twitter and Facebook users are harnessing the power of social networking to co-ordinate operations.
In London, Croydon, Hackney and Enfield councils have already sent teams out to begin the clean-up.
The Association of British Insurers said the total cost of repairing the damage in the capital alone could run into tens of millions of pounds.
An account on Twitter called @riotcleanup has so far attracted more than 70,000 followers and is helping people to co-ordinate efforts in the English capital.

2.     A separate website dedicated to the clean-up has also been created. "This is not about the riots. This is about the clean up - Londoners who care, coming together to engender a sense of community," it states.

3.     A Twitter spokeswoman said after the meeting that it was "always interested in exploring how we can make Twitter even more helpful and relevant during times of critical need".
She added: "We've heard from many that Twitter is an effective way to distribute crucial updates and dispel rumours in times of crisis or emergency."
A Facebook spokesperson said: "We welcome the fact that this was a dialogue about working together to keep people safe rather than about imposing new restrictions on internet services."
The company said it had highlighted the role Facebook played during the riots, such as people staying in contact and organising the clean-up.
"There is no place for illegal activity on Facebook and we take firm action against those who breach our rules."
A spokesman for Blackberry maker Research In Motion said the meeting was "positive and productive".
The company said: "We were pleased to consult on the use of social media to engage and communicate during times of emergency. RIM continues to maintain an open and positive dialogue with the UK authorities and continues to operate within the context of UK regulations."
A number of people have appeared in court in recent weeks for organising or attempting to organise disorder on social networks.

4.     The main Facebook page set up in memory of Mark Duggan, the Tottenham resident whose death last week triggered the weekend riots, on Monday sought to distance itself from the violence.
The tribute page, which had close to 10,000 fans at the time of writing, on Saturday called for users to share videos and pictures of the torched double decker bus and police cars "to send the message out as to why this has blown into a riot".
On Monday the page struck a more conciliatory tone as unrest spread further across the capital. "If people cared about this 'Tribute' page, they will stop burning & looting. Those who encourage it, well you need to grow up. Mark's family do not need this!" those behind the page posted.

clean up

England riots: Twitter and Facebook users plan clean-up

Hundreds of people turned out at Clapham Junction to tidy up

Continue reading the main story

England riots

• Analysis: The riots data so far
• Riot convictions: How tough are they?
• What has happened to rioters in court?
• What is the impact of a criminal record?

A massive clean-up operation is getting under way in areas affected by the riots across England.

Twitter and Facebook users are harnessing the power of social networking to co-ordinate operations.
In London, Croydon, Hackney and Enfield councils have already sent teams out to begin the clean-up.
The Association of British Insurers said the total cost of repairing the damage in the capital alone could run into tens of millions of pounds.
An account on Twitter called @riotcleanup has so far attracted more than 70,000 followers and is helping people to co-ordinate efforts in the English capital.
Artist Dan Thompson, 37, was behind the initial Twitter campaign, but since then has watched it take on a life of its own with local clean-up projects organised around the country.
"The footage last night of high streets and independent shops burning was terrifying to watch and I wanted to find a way to help that was quick, simple and practical," said Mr Thompson, from Worthing, who runs the Empty Shops Network.
The campaign began with just 10 people, said Mr Thompson, but has ballooned to see thousands up and down the country head out, broom in hand.
He said seeing hundreds of people in Clapham waving brooms in the air was a symbol of what Londoners and the British stand for, "It's phenomenal," he said.
He added that when Boris Johnson visited the area this afternoon there were cries of "Boris where's your broom?" before the London Mayor got stuck in to help volunteers.
A separate website dedicated to the clean-up has also been created. "This is not about the riots. This is about the clean up - Londoners who care, coming together to engender a sense of community," it states.
Others around the country are using the hashtag #riotscleanup to arrange to meet up and help clear areas around their homes.
'Strangely emotional' Twitter is awash with heart-warming stories about people gathering to clean up riot-hit areas.
"Nicole", who is volunteering, tweeted: "Police at Clapham Junction just got spontaneous applause as they came through the crowd!"

Volunteers in Camden turned out to clean up

The BBC's Vanessa Barford, also at Clapham Junction, said there were cheers as firefighters left the scene of a party shop set alight on Monday night.
"About 50 people who have been waiting to help with the clear up operation waved brooms in the air in celebration," she said.
BBC journalist Michael Hirst said about 300 to 400 people had gathered at Clapham Junction station.
"Sunshine, high spirits, lots of joking and a community vibe," he said of the atmosphere.
"Andy" from London told the BBC: "On the train out of Waterloo I can see loads of people with brushes, gloves and dustpans heading to join the cleanup: London at its best."
Others, including many celebrities, heaped praise on volunteers who are trying to reverse the damage caused over the past three nights.
Comedian Dave Gorman tweeted: "Went to bed depressed by the news. Now feeling strangely emotional as I read about @riotcleanup. Amazing."
Chef Jamie Oliver tweeted: "Sadly my restaurant in Birmingham got smashed up windows, all gone whole area closed, can't open, staff and customers all safe!! Thankfully. God bless the communities getting together to sort this out #riotcleanup - people who care about their country!!
And Stephen Fry tweeted: "I do hope that if I was in London now I'd be as good & brave & kind as all those who are agreeing to meet & help clean up."
'Cleaner than usual' Lewisham resident Claire Parkinson assembled a team of 20 people following disturbances in the area.
Ms Parkinson said the initiative was as much about showing support for businesses as about clearing up the damage.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

There's so many people wanting to help clean up that people are being sent away”

End Quote Reverend Sally Hitchiner St John's Church, Ealing

"We want to see if they need any help - even if it is just getting them a cup of tea.

"We also want to show that we are not all bad - a lot of people are going to feel down after these events."
She added that Lewisham was "cleaner than usual" following the council's own operation.
In Ealing, where shops and restaurants were damaged, the clean-up operation is in full swing.
Reverend Sally Hitchiner said the area was "totally ransacked" on Monday night.
"A number of people in my church have taken a day off to come down here," she said.
"There's so many people wanting to help clear up that people are being been sent away because the clean-up is happening so quickly."
In Croydon, people were being signed up to help out with the clean-up efforts at East Croydon railway station.
Croydon Council has drafted in extra resources to help clean up areas, make businesses secure and help the community rebuild.

Continue reading the main story

What you will need

• Bin bags
• Brooms
• Dustpans
• Gloves
• Duct tape
• Marker pens

• Riot Clean Up

The council said it had already rehoused people whose homes were destroyed by fire or sealed off by the emergency services.

A spokeswoman for Hackney Council in north London said it had sent teams out "as soon as it was safe".
She added that the clean-up was "more or less finished".
In Enfield, roads closed after the riots reopened and Chris Bond, the council's cabinet member for the environment, praised street workers for their work enabling the town to reopen for business.
"This shows we will not let these criminals beat us," he said. "We will not surrender our streets to these mindless morons."
'Not in my city' Further afield bartender Charles Jupiter set up the Liverpool Clean Up group on Facebook.
About 100 people turned out to help the 21-year-old clean up the Toxteth area, which was targeted in the early hours.

Charles Jupiter said Liverpool was ready if rioters struck again

"I thought, 'Not in my city'," Mr Jupiter said.
"People were posting, 'I'm embarrassed to be English, I'm embarrassed to be from London or Liverpool'."
And he warned would-be rioters: "I hope it doesn't happen again tonight, but if it does, we will be out here again.
"There are far many more decent people in Liverpool than those few who rioted."

spokespeople on social networking and BBM

25 August 2011 Last updated at 16:31

Social media talks about rioting 'constructive'

Comments (558)

More than 1,400 people have appeared in court in connection with the riots

Continue reading the main story

England riots

• Analysis: The riots data so far
• Riot convictions: How tough are they?
• What has happened to rioters in court?
• What is the impact of a criminal record?

The government and police have not sought any new powers to shut social networks, the Home Office said after a meeting with industry representatives.

Instead they held "constructive" talks aimed at preventing violence being plotted online through existing co-operation, the Home Office said.
The meeting with representatives from Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry was held in the wake of English city riots.
The prime minister has said police may need extra powers to curb their use.
Networks such as Blackberry Messenger - a service which allows free-of-charge real-time messages - were said to have enabled looters to organise their movements during the riots, as well as inciting violence in some cases.
Criminal behaviour Following Thursday's meeting, a Home Office spokeswoman said: "The home secretary, along with the Culture Secretary and Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne, has held a constructive meeting with Acpo (the Association of Chief Police Officers), the police and representatives from the social media industry.
"The discussions looked at how law enforcement and the networks can build on the existing relationships and co-operation to prevent the networks being used for criminal behaviour.

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version

Nick Clegg: ''We are not going to become like Iran or China. We are not going to suddenly start cutting people off''

"The government did not seek any additional powers to close down social media networks."
Dispelling rumours Prime Minister David Cameron has also said the government would look at limiting access to such services during any future disorder.
A Twitter spokeswoman said after the meeting that it was "always interested in exploring how we can make Twitter even more helpful and relevant during times of critical need".
She added: "We've heard from many that Twitter is an effective way to distribute crucial updates and dispel rumours in times of crisis or emergency."
A Facebook spokesperson said: "We welcome the fact that this was a dialogue about working together to keep people safe rather than about imposing new restrictions on internet services."
The company said it had highlighted the role Facebook played during the riots, such as people staying in contact and organising the clean-up.
"There is no place for illegal activity on Facebook and we take firm action against those who breach our rules."
A spokesman for Blackberry maker Research In Motion said the meeting was "positive and productive".
The company said: "We were pleased to consult on the use of social media to engage and communicate during times of emergency. RIM continues to maintain an open and positive dialogue with the UK authorities and continues to operate within the context of UK regulations."
A number of people have appeared in court in recent weeks for organising or attempting to organise disorder on social networks.

Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan and Jordan Blackshaw were jailed for four years for incitement on Facebook

Jordan Blackshaw, 21, from Marston, Cheshire, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, from Warrington, Cheshire, were jailed for four years for online incitement.
Blackshaw had created a Facebook event entitled "Smash Down Northwich Town" while Sutcliffe-Keenan set up a Facebook page called "Let's Have a Riot in Latchford". Both have said they will appeal.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old David Glyn Jones, from Bangor, north Wales, was jailed for four months after telling friends "Let's start Bangor riots" in a post that appeared on Facebook for 20 minutes.
And Johnny Melfah, 16, from Droitwich, Worcestershire, became the first juvenile to have his anonymity lifted in a riot-related case for inciting thefts and criminal damage on the site. He will be sentenced next month.
Plotting violence In the aftermath of the riots, which spread across England's towns and cities two weeks ago, Mr Cameron said the government might look at disconnecting some online and telecommunications services if similar circumstances arose in the future.
"We are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality," he told MPs during an emergency session of Parliament.
Tim Godwin, the Met police's acting commissioner, also said last week that he considered requesting authority to switch off Twitter during the riots.
However, he conceded that the legality of such a move was "very questionable" and that the service was a valuable intelligence asset.
Meanwhile, Guardian analysis of more than 2.5 million riot-related tweets, sent between 6 August and 17 August, appears to show Twitter was mainly used to react to riots and looting, including organising the street clean-up.
The newspaper found the timing of the messages posted "questioned the assumption" that Twitter was used to incite the violence in advance of it breaking out in Tottenham on 6 August.
Currently, communications networks that operate in the UK can be compelled to hand over individuals' personal messages if police are able to show that they relate to criminal behaviour.
The rules gathering such queries are outlined in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).

bbm positive effect

London riots: BlackBerry to help police probe Messenger looting 'role'

Met police claim popular, encrypted and free Messenger service fanned riots in Tottenham and helped organise looting

• • reddit this

• Josh Halliday
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 8 August 2011 19.20 BST
• Article history

BlackBerry has promised to help police investigate claims its Messenger service helped fuel and organise riots and looting in Tottenham, north London. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

The maker of the BlackBerry, Research in Motion, said on Monday night that it would co-operate with a police investigation into claims that its popular BlackBerry Messenger service played a key role in organising the London riots.

Scotland Yard vowed to track down and arrest protesters who posted "really inflammatory, inaccurate" messages on the service, and the social networking websites Twitter and Facebook.

Patrick Spence, the managing director regional marketing at Research In Motion (RIM), confirmed that the BlackBerry manufacturer had contacted police to assist with the investigation.
However, the statement prompted fears from some BlackBerry users that their private messages could be handed over to the police.
"We feel for those impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can," Spence said. He added that RIM complies with UK legislation on the interception of communication and co-operates fully with the Home Office.
RIM refused to comment further or answer a series of questions on the statement.
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) appears to be the favoured method of planning the unrest that has swept across north London since Saturday evening. Unlike text messaging or Twitter, BBM is a free, private social network where almost all messages are encrypted when they leave the sender's phone – meaning that many messages are untraceable by the authorities.
RIM can be legally ordered to hand over details to police of users suspected of unlawful activity. However, the Canadian company would be likely to resist those demands and the content of users' inflammatory messages would be encrypted. The manufacturer has previously insisted that even it cannot unscramble users' messages when sent on the devices.

Although Twitter and Facebook have played a key role in past unrest in the capital, the Tottenham riots are thought to be the first in the UK so heavily orchestrated using BlackBerry Messenger.

The "broadcasts" – which are sent instantly from one-to-many BBM users – have been reposted and amplified on Twitter and Facebook. Evidence of rioters planning where to hit next spread quickly on the networks as the police struggled to keep up.
One BBM broadcast posted on Monday evening appeared to urge protesters to go looting in Stratford, east London. "If you're down for making money, we're about to go hard in east london tonight, yes tonight!!" it said. "I don't care what ends you're from, we're personally inviting you to come and get it in. Police have taken the piss for too long and to be honest I don't know why its taken so long for us make this happen. We need a minimum of 200 hungry people. We're not broke, but who says no to free stuff. Doesn't matter if the police arrive cos we'll just chase dem out because as you've seen on the news, they are NOT ON DIS TING. Everyone meet at 7 at stratford park and let's get rich."
Another broadcast implored protesters to "unite and hit the streets" in Kilburn, north-west London. On Sunday BBM users were urged to head to Oxford Circus for "pure terror and havoc & free stuff".

Steve Kavanagh, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, said that "really inflamatory, inaccurate" messages on Twitter were mainly to blame for the disorder. "Social media and other methods have been used to organise these levels of greed and criminality," he said at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Asked whether those behind the messages could be arrested, Kavanagh said: "Absolutely." He added: "That investigation is already under way and that is exactly the sort of thing we are looking at."
The main Facebook page set up in memory of Mark Duggan, the Tottenham resident whose death last week triggered the weekend riots, on Monday sought to distance itself from the violence.
The tribute page, which had close to 10,000 fans at the time of writing, on Saturday called for users to share videos and pictures of the torched double decker bus and police cars "to send the message out as to why this has blown into a riot".
On Monday the page struck a more conciliatory tone as unrest spread further across the capital. "If people cared about this 'Tribute' page, they will stop burning & looting. Those who encourage it, well you need to grow up. Mark's family do not need this!" those behind the page posted.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/08/london-riots-blackberry-messenger-looting


THIS SHOWS HOW MEDIA HAS HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT AS WITHOUT BBM AMONGST OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES IT WOULD BE HARDER FOR THE POLICE TO FIND CRIMINALS INVOLVED IN THE RIOTS.