marciaforbes's blog

KDP, SEO, DRM – Acronyms for Indie Authors & Self-Publishers

KDP, SEO, DRM – Acronyms for Indie Authors & Self-Publishers
 

KDP
It’s not as easy as they say! Self-publishing is not for the faint-hearted. Apart from numerous acronyms to learn, such as the ones in the title of this blog, it’s definitely not a ‘click and go’ situation. The self-publisher should try to understand what he/she is getting into. This means reading the fine prints. There’s a great deal of that, especially from Amazon, the leading eBook self-publishing platform, with its Kindle Direct Publishing – KDP.

Mobile TV via Cell Phone in Jamaica

There was a great deal of excitement regarding the prospect of mobile TV via one's cell phone. This service was launched in Jamaica one year ago, in January 2011. This is what I wrote at the time. Today it seems the excitement has all but disappeared. The flavour of the day, March 2012, is 4G. Who knows what it will be tomorrow.

Content Drives Demand

Women in Jamaica

March 10, 2012
 

International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8. Many will argue that every day is women’s day, especially in a country like Jamaica where women make up at least 70 per cent of university graduates and occupy many middle and top level jobs. Some, like The Independent, a UK newspaper, will even argue that a country like Jamaica is in one respect the ‘best place for women’ since, according to them; women occupy a very large percentage of ‘high-skilled jobs’ – 60%. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let us pause for a reality check.

Jamaica 'Best Place for Women Who Want High-Skilled Jobs'

Adele, Celine, Whitney - Melodies that Make Us Cry. Why?

Written Feb. 22, 2012

Lime v/s Digicel - The Battle Continues

Telecoms Way from Way Back When!

Daggering Dancehall

Dancehall daggering was all the rage in 2010. The book, Music, Media & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica, captures the many relationships teenagers hold with dancehall music and their accompanying videos. This Clovis image captures the phenomenon and is depicted at the start of the final chapter of that book.

Kartel - Pet or Pariah?

Debut of Teacha's Pet 

Beyond Buttons: Social Media & Governance

October 3, 2011

Jamaica After Bruce Golding

October 2, 2011

Last week the Caribbean Journal invited me to submit my views regarding the future of politics in Jamaica after Bruce Golding. This request came on the heel of Golding's announced intention to step aside as Pime Minister of Jamaica and as leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, the helm of which he took in 2004.

A Fractious Party

Seaga Leads Shaw - Changing Politics of the Jamaica Labour Party

October 2, 2011
Marcia Forbes PhD
 

A Day in Politics is a Long Time
They say a day in the life of politics is a long time. Who would have thought that on September 25, 2011, as many of us enjoyed some rest and relaxation in preparation for the new work-week, our sleepy Sunday would have been jolted into a state of wide-eyed alertness and shock as the reality of Prime Minister Golding’s announcement sunk in? He was going to resign. That’s not normal. No matter how tarred and feathered, Jamaican Prime Minister’s and politicians in general do not resign.

The Social Impact of Jamaican Popular Music

Excerpts from July 2011 Lecture to Students from Temple University, USA 

What is Jamaican Popular Music?

What music are we talking about when we speak of Jamaican popular music? Is it music indigenous to Jamaica, created by Jamaicans or does it also include popular music consumed and enjoyed by Jamaicans?  And what about music created by Jamaicans living outside of Jamaica? 
In the research work toward Music, Media & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica, when asked to indicate which of 17 different genres they most enjoyed watching, 28.2% of respondents listed Dancehall.  Of note though is that 27% named Hip Hop as their first choice.  Reggae only attracted 17% of first choice votes.

How 'Music, Media & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica' made the List for CAPE, Sociology

Written by Marcia A. Forbes, Ph.D.
July 9, 2011

The Journey
The journey started long before July, 2011 and it did get me into trouble and a falling out with the University Press, partly it seems for insisting on CAPE students as a key market.  But, as mi Grandmother used to say, “if yuh waan good yuh nose haffi run!”  Music, Media & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica is a case study in dogged determination!! She also taught me that “is not everything good fe eat good fe talk” so I have nothing more to say about the UWI Press and this book.

Jamaican Diaspora, Social Media & Strengthening Ties that Bind

Excerpts from Keynote Address to the August 2011 Jamaica Independence Ball hosted in Atlanta by the Atlanta Jamaica Association & the Union of Jamaican Associations.

Fully aware of the power of the Diaspora and the power of new media, I frame my presentation within the context of Jamaican Diaspora, Social Media & Strengthening the Ties that Bind. 

Demands on Diaspora

Social Media & Governance - Crowdsourcing Can Help

September 20, 2011

Written by Marcia Forbes, Ph.D.

When The University of the West Indies, Department of Government asked me to lecture technocrats on social media and governance I thought, “Hmmnnn, does it mean they’re getting it?  Do they now realize that social media isn’t about to disappear and can actually serve useful purposes?”  Technology take-up lags even when use of that technology has proven benefits. 

Tweeps & Friends re Internet Access Costs

A few days ago, in my usual way of using Twitter as a sounding board....in short order 25 tweeps responded via 50 tweets/email. Tweeps love a good chat!  Not to be left behind, Facebook Friends also joined in.  It was all about the cost of internet access in Jamaica and the need to educate people re the value of the internet.  Read to the end to see important lessons I learnt from this exercise.

Tweets re How to Increase Internet Access to Households in Jamaica

Behind the Figures of ICT Indicators & Broadband Survey 2011

Greetings on this World Telecommunications Day!  I congratulate the Mona School of Business and specifically the Telecommunications Policy and Management Unit for this body of work in bringing us Jamaica’s ICT indicators and Broadband Survey. Professor Dunn has done an excellent job in presenting us with the findings. My job as discussant is to pull out some of the knotty issues as they relate to these findings. To explore the ‘So what?’ behind these statistics. To add granularity and tease out some of the implications for Jamaica as we plan our ICT future.

Caribbean Studies Association on the Late Professors Chevannes & Nettleford and Book Review by Prof. LeoRhynie

Fortuitous

It is entirely fortuitous that Professor Elsa LeoRhynie's review of my book, Music, Media & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica, has been published in the same Caribbean Studies Newsletter as Professor Peter Figueroa's Eulogy to Professor Barry Chevannes.   Barry wrote the foreword to my book and died only days after its launch in Jamaica.  Having been critically ill in hospital, due respect was paid to him at that event. 

The Psychology of Marketing – Do you know why you buy?

Background 

This presentation was made at the one day marketing seminar hosted by final year marketing students from the University of Technology at the Jamaica Conference Centre.  Hundreds of students, staff and supporters attended.  I was quite impressed with the quality of the discussions which followed each presentation.  Other speakers included former Minister of Energy and Telecommunications, Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell, Mr. Wayne Chen, Businessman and Chairman of the Jamaica Employers' Federation and the Urban Development Corp and Professor Ross, Department of Marketing, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.

PRESENTATION

The Old Men & Old Ways

Whither ICT for Jamaica?

Congratulations to all the Graduates. Today marks the official closure of the ICT Training programme so generously facilitated by the Government of India, and which included several partners for its successful execution. The Government of Jamaica, HEART Trust NTA and its subsidiary agencies and the Excelsior Community College have all been critical to the success of this ICT Training Centre, a Centre of Excellence.

A Spotty Track Record in ICT

Effective Sexuality Communication for Social Transformation Reframed as “Meet Me Inna de Rampin Shop & on Facebook”

The topic given to me by the Jamaica Theological Seminary was ‘Effective Sexuality Communication for Social Transformation’. When I first saw this topic, I said WOW, that’s quite a mouthful and quite a task for me to take on! Social Transformation, that’s a huge challenge. And in today’s Jamaica, seeming impossibility, so entrenched are our formal and informal institutions and our practices. So far gone is the erosion of our moral and ethical standing as a people as daily we are exposed to the lies and deceit of the Manatt Phelps Phillips and the Finsac Enquiries. Both brought about by the incompetence of our leaders and seen as reality TV, especially MPP, with audiences cracking up over the theatrics.
 

Kartel Lectures UWI – Tweets Compiled

Controversy accompanied Jamaica's popular DJ Vybz Kartel's 'lecture' at the University of the West Indies.  As soon as I got home from the event I posted a series of tweets.  Based on the numeorus references and retweets (well over 100 after first 12 hours) and requests pertaining to these tweets, I decided to compile them for posterity and clarity and to include all those posted between Thursday, March 10th through to Saturday, March 12, 2011.  They are numbered and presented in chronological order and represent my tweets only and not the various responses and comments to them.

UWI Panel Discussion –Social Impact of Jamaican Popular Music

Feb. 26, 2011

Greetings
I am delighted to be here with the other panellists – Professor Freddie Hickling, Dr. Donna Hope and Mr Cordell Green -- exploring and discussing Jamaica’s popular music. I have no doubt that this will largely centre on dancehall. I thank Professor Claudette Williams of the Cultural Studies Department, University of the West Indies, for inviting me to participate.

THE IMPACT OF MUSIC ON THE PSYCHE OF CHILDREN – HOW IT AFFECTS BEHAVIOUR & PERCEPTIONS

Institute of Jamaica
Audience –Adults & Children
February 21, 2011

Thank you for inviting me to share some thoughts with you today about the ways in which music can influence us.
There are many schools of thought about music and its ability to influence our thoughts and our behaviours—to get into our minds and make us think and do certain things:

Black History Month Sensitization

Address to Students at Spanish Town High School, Jamaica
February 14, 2011

Why Black History Month
The idea of Black History Month came about as one way of remembering the journeys of African peoples away from their continent to other lands far away. In remembering this, we honour their struggles and successes. Since 1976, now 35 years ago, Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States of America (USA), Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). The UK is also called Great Britain and is made up of England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. So, we see that Black History Month is celebrated in many other places apart from Jamaica. In the USA they mainly call it African-American History Month.

Me & My Mobile -- Buju Live via Mobile Phone

Content Drives Demand

I heard it first on radio via talk show host, Ragashati, Mr. King of Mixup!! Good for LIME I thought, who better than Raga to make this announcement. After all, King Raga has afternoon radio locked into sorting, swiping and similar sexual stimulations. LIME was therefore guaranteed a large audience for the announcement that its trade-in offer of your old cell phone, from whichever provider, for one of its new mobile TV phones was sold out by Friday afternoon, January 14th. This came after only a couple days of the offer being publicized and from all reports was a great surprise for LIME—hence the fact that they ran out of instruments so soon, leaving many would-be mobile TV watchers very disappointed.

Riding a Camel Across the Great Sahara!!

Memories of Egypt -- Riding a Camel & Much More!!

I told him I had to ride a camel.  I didn’t bargain for a horse as well—and for one full hour in the sands of the Sahara!  An Egyptian man is hard pressed to take ‘No’ for an answer. 

Memories of Egypt -- Cairo the City that Never Sleeps!!

Memories of Egypt—Cairo the City that Never Sleeps
After a few false starts I finally arrived in Cairo, Egypt. As one photo exhibition pronounced, “Yes, Egypt is an African country”. It’s situated right up there to the north of the huge continent. Cairo is one of the largest cities in Egypt and boasts anywhere from 15 to 18 million people, depending on who you believe.

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