Contact Information:
Phone: (717)903-8290
Email: Vmangam@gmu.edu
Education:
•George Mason University: Honors Program (4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030), currently enrolled in 2 majors:
-Global Affairs Major, concentration in European Studies GPA: 3.67
-Communications Major, concentration in Journalism
•Uniwersytet Jagielloński Center for Polish Language and Culture in the World
(ul. Grodzka 64, 31-044 Kraków, Poland)
-Year long Polish Language and Culture Study
•Cumberland Valley High School
2006 Graduate with Honors
Awards Received:
•The Kosciusko Foundation Study Abroad Scholarship (2008-2009)
•George Mason University Academic Scholarship
•Dean’s List at George Mason University
•Woodman Award for American History (June 2006)
•Tau Kappa Epsilon: Mu Omega Chapter Sweetheart (2008-2009)
•National Winner: Key Club Promotional Video (2006)
•Scholastic Winner in Writing and Video Media (2005-2006)
•Mid-Atlantic Representative for Synchronized Swimming for United States Aquatic Sports (2004-2006)
•National Student Leadership Conference Participant for International Diplomacy (summer 2005)
Affiliated with:
• Phi Beta Delta (International Honor Fraternity)
• Alpha Xi Delta (Women's Social Philanthropy Fraternity)
-Position: Activites Chair
Work Experience/Internships
• State Department Intern: Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland.
•Internship: Institute for Global Engagement: Summer Research Associate
1601 N. Kent Street, Arlington, VA 22209
• Chilis Restaurant: Server
Languages:
-German (Advanced/Intermediate Level)
-Polish (Advanced/Intermediate Level)
Interests and Activities:
•George Mason University Student Ambassador
•George Mason University Honors Mentor
•George Mason University Synchronized Swimmer (Positions: Secretary and Public Relations Chair)
•George Mason University Presidential Leadership Dialogues
01 April 2010
Death of the Post
"The Washington Post, as it is now, will be dead in three years," exclaimed Mike Potts to Steve Klein's Online Journalism class on Tuesday, March 16th 2009.
Potts, a 'futurist' in the journalism world is credited with being part of the team that started Washingtonpost.com.
"News has become a plentiful commodity: we are bathing in a river of news," instructed Potts on why the news business is suffering. Why?
-Newspapers are no longer to sole source of news.
-Lack of circulation of the newspapers.
-Websites such as Craigslist had decreased the sales of classifieds.
-Advertisers are using the internet to specifically target demographics.
Potts believes that the existing news business model is broken and encouraged the students to ponder, "What happens next?"
His answer: The newspapers must morph.
-Take advantage of News aggregators such as Google News.
-Take advantage of new sources of information, such as local blogs.
-Find a niche of information people are willing to pay for, such as the Wall Street Journal
Finally, Potts told the class that the future of journalism lies in the mobile phone. Information right at your fingertips. Information that is immediate to where and when each individual person is.
Potts, a 'futurist' in the journalism world is credited with being part of the team that started Washingtonpost.com.
"News has become a plentiful commodity: we are bathing in a river of news," instructed Potts on why the news business is suffering. Why?
-Newspapers are no longer to sole source of news.
-Lack of circulation of the newspapers.
-Websites such as Craigslist had decreased the sales of classifieds.
-Advertisers are using the internet to specifically target demographics.
Potts believes that the existing news business model is broken and encouraged the students to ponder, "What happens next?"
His answer: The newspapers must morph.
-Take advantage of News aggregators such as Google News.
-Take advantage of new sources of information, such as local blogs.
-Find a niche of information people are willing to pay for, such as the Wall Street Journal
Finally, Potts told the class that the future of journalism lies in the mobile phone. Information right at your fingertips. Information that is immediate to where and when each individual person is.
17 March 2010
Chapter 8: telling stories with Video
Sometimes a story is too compelling and rich for photography to give it justice. Video has become a great tool to capture the story.
Digital Media has allowed video journalism to be come much cheaper and easier to use. It's an extremely versatile form of journalism.
For example, The Wall Street Journal online features Walter Mossberg simply talking from a home computer and uploading his thoughts. Mainstream has become completely forgiving in accepting these forms of news.
AS a journalist, one should understand how to create a video.
First, planning!
-use different approaches for different projects,
-try storyboarding to get an idea of where you want the story to go
-mix your shots, have a variety of angles and vantage points.
** According the the BBC Training and Development site, a good video sequence would consist of 5 elements***:
-close up of the specific action
-close up of the person's face
-wide shot
- over-the-shoulder shot
- creative shot
The next step, is the sound aspect of the video production.
-Learn effective video interviewing, for example: have a several pre-written questions
- use a standup and make sure to:
~have clear, concise and interesting content
~write a script and warm up
~be stable, breathe easy
~ don't be afraid to talk with your hands
-control your story with voiceovers
Now, it's time to get out there and shoot!
Do some research on what camera, computer editing software, and accessories will suit your needs best.
Focus on shooting good video. Pay attention to the focus, zoom, and exposure.
Don't worry about spectacular clips. It's much more important to have solid good clear clips. Don't try to be fancy with the zoom, it takes away from professionalism. Along the same lines, aim for good audio. Use external microphones to get clearer and better sound quality.
Now comes the editing part.
-Keep it short, you don't want to bore people
-look into buying a video editing software, such as Final Cut Pro, to edit your videos professionally.
-practice visual storytelling by following some basic rules of stories, i.e. have a beginning, middle, and end!
Lastly, it's time to publish your video online.
Within your editing software, you can "export" your video to an online form. Then use a website such as Youtube.com to host your video online.
Now you have a work of video journalism online!
Digital Media has allowed video journalism to be come much cheaper and easier to use. It's an extremely versatile form of journalism.
For example, The Wall Street Journal online features Walter Mossberg simply talking from a home computer and uploading his thoughts. Mainstream has become completely forgiving in accepting these forms of news.
AS a journalist, one should understand how to create a video.
First, planning!
-use different approaches for different projects,
-try storyboarding to get an idea of where you want the story to go
-mix your shots, have a variety of angles and vantage points.
** According the the BBC Training and Development site, a good video sequence would consist of 5 elements***:
-close up of the specific action
-close up of the person's face
-wide shot
- over-the-shoulder shot
- creative shot
The next step, is the sound aspect of the video production.
-Learn effective video interviewing, for example: have a several pre-written questions
- use a standup and make sure to:
~have clear, concise and interesting content
~write a script and warm up
~be stable, breathe easy
~ don't be afraid to talk with your hands
-control your story with voiceovers
Now, it's time to get out there and shoot!
Do some research on what camera, computer editing software, and accessories will suit your needs best.
Focus on shooting good video. Pay attention to the focus, zoom, and exposure.
Don't worry about spectacular clips. It's much more important to have solid good clear clips. Don't try to be fancy with the zoom, it takes away from professionalism. Along the same lines, aim for good audio. Use external microphones to get clearer and better sound quality.
Now comes the editing part.
-Keep it short, you don't want to bore people
-look into buying a video editing software, such as Final Cut Pro, to edit your videos professionally.
-practice visual storytelling by following some basic rules of stories, i.e. have a beginning, middle, and end!
Lastly, it's time to publish your video online.
Within your editing software, you can "export" your video to an online form. Then use a website such as Youtube.com to host your video online.
Now you have a work of video journalism online!
04 March 2010
Jim Iovino Sparks Students Interest in Colloborative Journalism
Jim Iovino sparked students interests in self-starting and the expansive future of journalism on the web. Iovino, of NBCwashington.com, talked about his history of online journalism, including one of the first ever webzines or blogs, LCShockey.com.
Iovino spoke about how he wanted the local Washington D.C. website for NBC News to not merely be "pictures of anchors smiling at you," but a more interactive site that users feel really connected to the local news. NBCNews agrees with his goals and has formed a system of "platforms" with corresponding journalists. There is a group that works on broadcast, another on web, and yet another on mobile. They interconnect and make the news much more modern.
Students who were still in a hazy mood after an unplanned snowmaggedon break appreciated the funny stories and news concerning the blizzard. A particular interest was poking some fun at D.C. mayor Adrian Brody on NBC in which he stated the snow will go away when it melts.
As Iovino talked, students typed and explored NBCwashington.com to their amusement. A feature that promoted students to comment "how interesting and interactive," was the "What Locals are Thinking." Users can comment on the website and see what everyone reactions are to the news. There is also place for users to upload videos, such as the streets being deserted during the blizzard of 2010.
Iovino encouraged students to create their own blogs and to follow twitter. He spoke about how many journalists are connected this way and how the students could start being a journalist today but simply posting a blog.
Iovino spoke about how he wanted the local Washington D.C. website for NBC News to not merely be "pictures of anchors smiling at you," but a more interactive site that users feel really connected to the local news. NBCNews agrees with his goals and has formed a system of "platforms" with corresponding journalists. There is a group that works on broadcast, another on web, and yet another on mobile. They interconnect and make the news much more modern.
Students who were still in a hazy mood after an unplanned snowmaggedon break appreciated the funny stories and news concerning the blizzard. A particular interest was poking some fun at D.C. mayor Adrian Brody on NBC in which he stated the snow will go away when it melts.
As Iovino talked, students typed and explored NBCwashington.com to their amusement. A feature that promoted students to comment "how interesting and interactive," was the "What Locals are Thinking." Users can comment on the website and see what everyone reactions are to the news. There is also place for users to upload videos, such as the streets being deserted during the blizzard of 2010.
Iovino encouraged students to create their own blogs and to follow twitter. He spoke about how many journalists are connected this way and how the students could start being a journalist today but simply posting a blog.
Claudia Holland Speaks About Copyrights
Claudia Holland, George Mason University's Copyright Officer, spoke to students of Comm 361: Online Journalism.
Ms. Holland's presented information via a slide show to show students how intricate the laws were concerning copyright. Many students seemed to be surprised at just how many things were copyrighted and how easily it was to steal something in today's modern world. For example, a student could upload a poem on to the internet and someone could steal it. The discrepancy lies in the matter of what is free on the internet and when someone needs to copyright it.
The University's policy of copying was brought up and again appeared to be much more detailed than students expected. A copy of the University policy can be found online.
One student pondered, "What about Modern Art? Andy Warhol used Campbell soup as part of his art." Holland responded, "Warhol said he was making something new. That is the argument concerning modern Mashups today. Where is the line between art and copyrighting?"
The topic of music seemed to stir many of the sleepy-eyed students. Steve Klein, professor of Online Journalism, picked up on sudden tension in the room and proposed, by a show of hands, who had downloaded music legally, illegally, and still download illegally. Holland appeared to be surprised and miffed at the amount of the students who download illegally, while the students merely stifled laughs and shared knowing eye glances across the room. Holland was quick to mention the University's policy of file sharing but did not appear to convince many students in the room.
To contact George Mason University concerning their policies on copyright please email copyright@gmu.edu or access their website.
Ms. Holland's presented information via a slide show to show students how intricate the laws were concerning copyright. Many students seemed to be surprised at just how many things were copyrighted and how easily it was to steal something in today's modern world. For example, a student could upload a poem on to the internet and someone could steal it. The discrepancy lies in the matter of what is free on the internet and when someone needs to copyright it.
The University's policy of copying was brought up and again appeared to be much more detailed than students expected. A copy of the University policy can be found online.
One student pondered, "What about Modern Art? Andy Warhol used Campbell soup as part of his art." Holland responded, "Warhol said he was making something new. That is the argument concerning modern Mashups today. Where is the line between art and copyrighting?"
The topic of music seemed to stir many of the sleepy-eyed students. Steve Klein, professor of Online Journalism, picked up on sudden tension in the room and proposed, by a show of hands, who had downloaded music legally, illegally, and still download illegally. Holland appeared to be surprised and miffed at the amount of the students who download illegally, while the students merely stifled laughs and shared knowing eye glances across the room. Holland was quick to mention the University's policy of file sharing but did not appear to convince many students in the room.
To contact George Mason University concerning their policies on copyright please email copyright@gmu.edu or access their website.
02 March 2010
Chapter 11: Building a Digital Audience
Journalism is typically in disarray and the book questions whether marketing and analytics can save journalism. Journalism needs to apply business sense to survive.
Smart business decisions are critical to digital journalism. Journalists should pay attention to:
-tracking your content
-web analytics
-search engine optimization
-effective headline writing for the web
-distribution through social media
Measuring journalism: Journalists should develop a culture and processes to track and measure one's work product. This is essential to competing in today's data world.
It's imperative to track all that you publish! Track the baker's dozen:
total news stories per day
news stories by topic or section
total blog posts
blog posts by specific blog
slide shows per week
video stories per week
podcasts
news updates
breaking news email alerta
SMS or other mobile new alerts
Email newsletters that are not sent automatically
twitter, facebook or other social network posts
user-generated content
Set Benchmarks to reach goals to improve your "company" of journalism.
It is also important to track your audience.
Use Web analytics softwares to track users such as Hitbox.
Identify key date points:
-page views
-visits and unique vistors compared
-engagement and referrers
Take advantage of search engines such as Google and the new Bing.
In order to take advantage of search engines, learn about:
-spiders and robots
-indexing
-queries
Journalists can use search engines to research their topics.
Journalist can also use search engines to grow one's audience by understanding these rules:
-content is king
-linking is queen
-make sure your links make sense
-title tags
-HTML meta tags
Then a journalist should apply these rules:
-write effective Web headlines
-Write for teaders and robots
-make good headlines better by: using keywords, conversational language, and don't be afraid to inject a little attitude.
Use social media to in order to distribute channels.
Target specific channels such as Blogs, flicker and youtube.
Smart business decisions are critical to digital journalism. Journalists should pay attention to:
-tracking your content
-web analytics
-search engine optimization
-effective headline writing for the web
-distribution through social media
Measuring journalism: Journalists should develop a culture and processes to track and measure one's work product. This is essential to competing in today's data world.
It's imperative to track all that you publish! Track the baker's dozen:
total news stories per day
news stories by topic or section
total blog posts
blog posts by specific blog
slide shows per week
video stories per week
podcasts
news updates
breaking news email alerta
SMS or other mobile new alerts
Email newsletters that are not sent automatically
twitter, facebook or other social network posts
user-generated content
Set Benchmarks to reach goals to improve your "company" of journalism.
It is also important to track your audience.
Use Web analytics softwares to track users such as Hitbox.
Identify key date points:
-page views
-visits and unique vistors compared
-engagement and referrers
Take advantage of search engines such as Google and the new Bing.
In order to take advantage of search engines, learn about:
-spiders and robots
-indexing
-queries
Journalists can use search engines to research their topics.
Journalist can also use search engines to grow one's audience by understanding these rules:
-content is king
-linking is queen
-make sure your links make sense
-title tags
-HTML meta tags
Then a journalist should apply these rules:
-write effective Web headlines
-Write for teaders and robots
-make good headlines better by: using keywords, conversational language, and don't be afraid to inject a little attitude.
Use social media to in order to distribute channels.
Target specific channels such as Blogs, flicker and youtube.
Chapter 10: Managing News as a Conversation
With the future of journalism, journalists can use news as more of a conversation due to internet tools such as blogging!
For example, one can make conversation through news stories that contain comments link on a news site.
Another way to make conversation is through social networking such as connecting to facebook .
News conversation is important as users can provide tips, links, additional insight or even clarify a post.
For journalists to achieve a build and manage a community online. First it's important to make news participatory and allow users to contribute information such as photos, video, event listing, edits, etc. A great example of this is wikipedia!
Second journalists must actually interact by editing and providing feedback.
Third, collaborate with your community by adding information and value.
Link journalism allows journalists to collaborate.
An important key to collaborative journalism is to keep conversations accurate and ethical.
One way of accomplishing this is to set guidelines for participants.
Try to monitor offensive postings on sites. Delete comments if need be.
Understand your legal responsibilities.
Correct errors. Make sure readers know that the comment has been corrected so that attribution is given.
For example, one can make conversation through news stories that contain comments link on a news site.
Another way to make conversation is through social networking such as connecting to facebook .
News conversation is important as users can provide tips, links, additional insight or even clarify a post.
For journalists to achieve a build and manage a community online. First it's important to make news participatory and allow users to contribute information such as photos, video, event listing, edits, etc. A great example of this is wikipedia!
Second journalists must actually interact by editing and providing feedback.
Third, collaborate with your community by adding information and value.
Link journalism allows journalists to collaborate.
An important key to collaborative journalism is to keep conversations accurate and ethical.
One way of accomplishing this is to set guidelines for participants.
Try to monitor offensive postings on sites. Delete comments if need be.
Understand your legal responsibilities.
Correct errors. Make sure readers know that the comment has been corrected so that attribution is given.
23 February 2010
Chapter 3 Crowd-Powered Collaboration
Journalism in a modern society can be helped by gathering information from the "crowd."
Crowd Sourcing: a group of committed individuals can come come together to provide value for a website and outperform a small group of experienced professionals.
Open-Source reporting: using transparency to provide a benefit for your audience and acquire benefits.
Pro-am journalism: allows users to publish comments on the same platform that journalists write on.
Crowdsourcing is popular cause "citizens are desperate to broadcast their message to their communities, i.e. blogs. Crowdsourcing also provides more stories and human elements that journalists can use. For example, during the Florida hurricanes in 2004, journalists used information via crowdsourcing.
Open-Source reporting is important as modern journalism needs to be transparent, authentic and collaborative. It welcomes the audience's feedback. It started through email and now has evolved into on website tips.
An interesting take on this is beatblogging. Beatbloggers report on a specific topic and receive feedback on that topic.
**Links! Linking expands the web and can further peoples knowledge when journalists link information into their webstory.***
Pro-Am Journalism: DIY journalism allows people to be their own journalists. A popular known form of this is CNN's iReport.
Print journalism has tapped into the power of web journalism. For example, newspapers have print-only community newspapers.
Basically, online journalism and print journalism's future is towards a collaborative effort with the audience.
Crowd Sourcing: a group of committed individuals can come come together to provide value for a website and outperform a small group of experienced professionals.
Open-Source reporting: using transparency to provide a benefit for your audience and acquire benefits.
Pro-am journalism: allows users to publish comments on the same platform that journalists write on.
Crowdsourcing is popular cause "citizens are desperate to broadcast their message to their communities, i.e. blogs. Crowdsourcing also provides more stories and human elements that journalists can use. For example, during the Florida hurricanes in 2004, journalists used information via crowdsourcing.
Open-Source reporting is important as modern journalism needs to be transparent, authentic and collaborative. It welcomes the audience's feedback. It started through email and now has evolved into on website tips.
An interesting take on this is beatblogging. Beatbloggers report on a specific topic and receive feedback on that topic.
**Links! Linking expands the web and can further peoples knowledge when journalists link information into their webstory.***
Pro-Am Journalism: DIY journalism allows people to be their own journalists. A popular known form of this is CNN's iReport.
Print journalism has tapped into the power of web journalism. For example, newspapers have print-only community newspapers.
Basically, online journalism and print journalism's future is towards a collaborative effort with the audience.
18 February 2010
Chapter 6: Visual Storytelling with Photographs
Digital Photography has changed photography as now anyone can take a picture, upload, and have it published.
It is important to know the basics of photography, such as composition in today's journalism world.
Digital cameras are great tools as the allow people to
-take as many pictures as they want
-immediately see if the picture they took is one they want
-upload photos, anytime, anywhere
-avoid having to purchase film
-easily edit photos
Make sure to understand the new copyright laws concerning photos on the internet. Don't Steal!
Camera Basics:
There are two kinds of digital camera, the "point and shoot" which is an all-in-one camera that is compact and easy to use and the "DSLR" which captures better photos but is expensive and tricky to use.
Basic camera functions are:
-Camera Modes
-Zoom
-Flash
-View/Delete
** An important tip for a good picture is to have quailty lighting such as 1) natural light only 2) a flash as the primary light source or 3) a mix of the both. **
When shooting mug shoots, there are also many tips of the trade:
-avoid high-noon sunlight and strong backlight
-try to photograph when the skies are overcast, or try to photograph in a situation that replicates overcast skues
-use a flash as a last resort
-pick the right background, as least busy as possible
-position the subject away from walls
-make sure there isn't anything "growing" out of a person's head, such as a telephone pole
The biggest mistake new photographers make is not having enough TIME to take decent photos.
Since journalists normally take more photos than needed, be careful in selecting a "good" photo. A fresh eye is always helpful.
Keep your photos well organized on your computer for easy access. There are many editing softwares for all types of photographers to help suit your needs.
Here are some helpful hints to prepare an image for online publishing:
-Edit a copy of the photo (never use the original.)
-Crop the Photo.
-Resize the Picture.
-Modify the resolution.
-Tone and color correct the picture
-Save a Web version.
-Keep it simple.
Journalism Next recommends using the software "Photoshop Elements" to edit photos for journalists.
It is important to know the basics of photography, such as composition in today's journalism world.
Digital cameras are great tools as the allow people to
-take as many pictures as they want
-immediately see if the picture they took is one they want
-upload photos, anytime, anywhere
-avoid having to purchase film
-easily edit photos
Make sure to understand the new copyright laws concerning photos on the internet. Don't Steal!
Camera Basics:
There are two kinds of digital camera, the "point and shoot" which is an all-in-one camera that is compact and easy to use and the "DSLR" which captures better photos but is expensive and tricky to use.
Basic camera functions are:
-Camera Modes
-Zoom
-Flash
-View/Delete
** An important tip for a good picture is to have quailty lighting such as 1) natural light only 2) a flash as the primary light source or 3) a mix of the both. **
When shooting mug shoots, there are also many tips of the trade:
-avoid high-noon sunlight and strong backlight
-try to photograph when the skies are overcast, or try to photograph in a situation that replicates overcast skues
-use a flash as a last resort
-pick the right background, as least busy as possible
-position the subject away from walls
-make sure there isn't anything "growing" out of a person's head, such as a telephone pole
The biggest mistake new photographers make is not having enough TIME to take decent photos.
Since journalists normally take more photos than needed, be careful in selecting a "good" photo. A fresh eye is always helpful.
Keep your photos well organized on your computer for easy access. There are many editing softwares for all types of photographers to help suit your needs.
Here are some helpful hints to prepare an image for online publishing:
-Edit a copy of the photo (never use the original.)
-Crop the Photo.
-Resize the Picture.
-Modify the resolution.
-Tone and color correct the picture
-Save a Web version.
-Keep it simple.
Journalism Next recommends using the software "Photoshop Elements" to edit photos for journalists.
16 February 2010
Going Mobile
Cell phones have allowed information and "breaking news" to spread faster. New Mobile reporters can report at any time, their deadline is right now!
Mobile Journalism: More than 2/3s of Americans of ALL AGES own cells. Journalists are trying to take advantage of this by publishing material for mobiles.
Making Mobile Journalism: KEEP IT SIMPLE
-Choose your story
News that the users what right this second, such as sporting events
-Gear up and get out: Report on the go
~become a gearhead,a journalist who constantly mobile reports with the most
advanced and up to date technology
~ OR become a light packer, a journalism who only sometimes reports
immediately and only needs the basics
If your a gearhead, here are some recommended equipment: Laptop computer, internet connection, camera, video camera, tripod, audio recorder, head phones, microphone, and of course, cell phone.
A light packer? You really only need a smartphone!
There are many options to publish your stories via mobile journalism.
1) A common way is through microblogging, such as on Twitter.
2) Or if you have a laptop, using a regular blog such as blogger.com is a great idea.
3) Mobile video, allows a journalist to stream videos from anywhere to the web or even a video player.
4) Mobile multimedia: A journalist can concentrate on each element of video, sound, and text separately and upload together.
Finally, it is important to note Mobile crowdsourcing. News corporations can benefit from photos, videos, etc. that are sent in from the actual users. This helps research out to the audience and had a personal element. A great example was the coverage of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration in which users sent in photos of how they were viewing the ceremony.
Mobile Journalism: More than 2/3s of Americans of ALL AGES own cells. Journalists are trying to take advantage of this by publishing material for mobiles.
Making Mobile Journalism: KEEP IT SIMPLE
-Choose your story
News that the users what right this second, such as sporting events
-Gear up and get out: Report on the go
~become a gearhead,a journalist who constantly mobile reports with the most
advanced and up to date technology
~ OR become a light packer, a journalism who only sometimes reports
immediately and only needs the basics
If your a gearhead, here are some recommended equipment: Laptop computer, internet connection, camera, video camera, tripod, audio recorder, head phones, microphone, and of course, cell phone.
A light packer? You really only need a smartphone!
There are many options to publish your stories via mobile journalism.
1) A common way is through microblogging, such as on Twitter.
2) Or if you have a laptop, using a regular blog such as blogger.com is a great idea.
3) Mobile video, allows a journalist to stream videos from anywhere to the web or even a video player.
4) Mobile multimedia: A journalist can concentrate on each element of video, sound, and text separately and upload together.
Finally, it is important to note Mobile crowdsourcing. News corporations can benefit from photos, videos, etc. that are sent in from the actual users. This helps research out to the audience and had a personal element. A great example was the coverage of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration in which users sent in photos of how they were viewing the ceremony.
13 February 2010
Chapter 4: Microblogging: Write Small, Think Big
After bloggging, came Microblogging, a 140 word blog that allows for quick, short updates. The most popular microblogging service right now is Twitter. Facebook NewsFeed is also a form of microblogging, which allowed the website to surpass Myspace in popularity.
After the San Diego fires in 2007, Twitter really took hold as citizens were able to quickly "tweet" about road closing and other issues due to the fire. This soon promoted "impromptu journalism," and evolved into a source of breaking news journalism.
By using Microblogging as an RSS feed, website such as Twitter helps journalists understand their readers as readers can provide feedback and tweet about what interests them most. Microblogging can also give journalists leads to important stories as well.
In order to have a successful microblog, Mark Briggs of Journalism Next suggests an 80/20 rule. Microblog 80 percent of what the online reading community wants, and 20 percent of self-promoting, such as links to personal blogs or asking for help.
As Twitter is the most popular microblogging tool, it is important to learn the basics of "tweeting."
First, make sure you know what your going to do with your twitter. Having a goal helps give the microblog have a purpose.
Luckily, there are only a few Twitter terms that need to be learned:
-DM: Direct Message
-@: For a reply, it precedes your name in your reply message to a tweet
-Tweet: the equivalent to a post on regular blogs.
-RT: Retweet, reposting what someone else said.
-Hashtag: a label for a tweet that should be grouped with others tweets
Some basic rules of Tweeting, is to Post, Read, Reply, and sometimes send direct messages.
A good way to receive a following on Twitter, is to follow other's microblogs.
It's much easier than people think. Listen to your internal thoughts and comment on things in this world.
One of the best innovations is the ability to tweet from a cell phone, such as an IPhone or Blackberry.
After the San Diego fires in 2007, Twitter really took hold as citizens were able to quickly "tweet" about road closing and other issues due to the fire. This soon promoted "impromptu journalism," and evolved into a source of breaking news journalism.
By using Microblogging as an RSS feed, website such as Twitter helps journalists understand their readers as readers can provide feedback and tweet about what interests them most. Microblogging can also give journalists leads to important stories as well.
In order to have a successful microblog, Mark Briggs of Journalism Next suggests an 80/20 rule. Microblog 80 percent of what the online reading community wants, and 20 percent of self-promoting, such as links to personal blogs or asking for help.
As Twitter is the most popular microblogging tool, it is important to learn the basics of "tweeting."
First, make sure you know what your going to do with your twitter. Having a goal helps give the microblog have a purpose.
Luckily, there are only a few Twitter terms that need to be learned:
-DM: Direct Message
-@: For a reply, it precedes your name in your reply message to a tweet
-Tweet: the equivalent to a post on regular blogs.
-RT: Retweet, reposting what someone else said.
-Hashtag: a label for a tweet that should be grouped with others tweets
Some basic rules of Tweeting, is to Post, Read, Reply, and sometimes send direct messages.
A good way to receive a following on Twitter, is to follow other's microblogs.
It's much easier than people think. Listen to your internal thoughts and comment on things in this world.
One of the best innovations is the ability to tweet from a cell phone, such as an IPhone or Blackberry.
12 February 2010
Chapter 2: Advanced Blogging
Every college journalist should have a blog to work on web writing techniques.
Blogging is an expansive tool of conversation and a modern news source.
However, blogs are not magical. It takes skill, practice and patience to learn to blog well.
First, blog basics:
**The history of blogging can be followed with the history of the internet but the turning point in blogging popularity was a result of the 9/11 attacks**
Blogging and journalism are still evolving together with innovation and experimentation.
So you want to become a blogger now?
First, it's important to learn the language stated in Mark Briggs Journalism Next.
-"Post: An entry on a blog or, as a verb, to make an entry on a blog.
-Permalink: A link available on each post that provides direct access to that post, usually with comments visible.
-Trackback: A mechanism for communication between blogs, enabling one blogger to let another know that he or she is linking to their material.
-Blogroll: A collection of links usually found on the sidebar of a blog.
-Vlog: A blog that features video commentary as its primary medium.
-Moblog: Blogging from a mobile device.
So let's get started!
First decide what you 1) what to name your blog 2) think of a description for your blog and 3) what will you write about? What is the point?
Now, choose a blog system to upload your posts on to. Decide on a name and theme.
Next, customize your blog with fonts, colors, etc. Look into adding a widget, a tool used to add extra functionality to one's blog.
Now you have a blog, but how do you get readers? Think of what the readers wants to read. Make sure your ideas are clear and organized and be an "authority" on something. Also, make your posts scanable, include links and have an overall good attitude.
**It's much more colorful to add pictures and images.***
Here's a few last second tips to create a successful blog:
-Make sure you post as often as possible, at least once a day if possible to keep your readers attention.
-Participate in blogging communities to gain readers.
-Create an RSS feed to link to other blogs.
Blogging is an expansive tool of conversation and a modern news source.
However, blogs are not magical. It takes skill, practice and patience to learn to blog well.
First, blog basics:
**The history of blogging can be followed with the history of the internet but the turning point in blogging popularity was a result of the 9/11 attacks**
Blogging and journalism are still evolving together with innovation and experimentation.
So you want to become a blogger now?
First, it's important to learn the language stated in Mark Briggs Journalism Next.
-"Post: An entry on a blog or, as a verb, to make an entry on a blog.
-Permalink: A link available on each post that provides direct access to that post, usually with comments visible.
-Trackback: A mechanism for communication between blogs, enabling one blogger to let another know that he or she is linking to their material.
-Blogroll: A collection of links usually found on the sidebar of a blog.
-Vlog: A blog that features video commentary as its primary medium.
-Moblog: Blogging from a mobile device.
So let's get started!
First decide what you 1) what to name your blog 2) think of a description for your blog and 3) what will you write about? What is the point?
Now, choose a blog system to upload your posts on to. Decide on a name and theme.
Next, customize your blog with fonts, colors, etc. Look into adding a widget, a tool used to add extra functionality to one's blog.
Now you have a blog, but how do you get readers? Think of what the readers wants to read. Make sure your ideas are clear and organized and be an "authority" on something. Also, make your posts scanable, include links and have an overall good attitude.
**It's much more colorful to add pictures and images.***
Here's a few last second tips to create a successful blog:
-Make sure you post as often as possible, at least once a day if possible to keep your readers attention.
-Participate in blogging communities to gain readers.
-Create an RSS feed to link to other blogs.
Chapter 9: Data-Driven Journalism and Digitizing Your Life
The world is exponentially becoming more and more globalized everyday. In order to be on the forefront of journalism, one must digitize one's personal journalism.
But first, one should digitize one's life!
How?
-Organize one's email by using tools such as folders
-Find the right personal productivity tools, such as a virtual office to store documents
Now, Data Driven Journalism
Why? Journalism on the web can be much more colorful and informative, i.e. using web links in text.
Every story is filled with information. By using weblinks or databases, a reader can find out more information.
By telling stories with data, readers can read the actual information and decipher the information.
The internet also helps journalism by allowing journalists to research information online.
Finally, sharing data (API) allows anyone to tap into information journalists have collected.
Sharing Information is one of the best tools the internet has given us.
One of the best was to organize information is through spreadsheets and databases which are easy to use with programs such as Excel or Google Docs.
Map Mashups helps users find stores, products, etc in a certain location such as Google Maps. Journalists can use Map Mashups to direct users to the story's location. This can be especially useful in "Breaking News" scenarios.
-These maps can be interactive for users with programs such as UMapper.
But first, one should digitize one's life!
How?
-Organize one's email by using tools such as folders
-Find the right personal productivity tools, such as a virtual office to store documents
Now, Data Driven Journalism
Why? Journalism on the web can be much more colorful and informative, i.e. using web links in text.
Every story is filled with information. By using weblinks or databases, a reader can find out more information.
By telling stories with data, readers can read the actual information and decipher the information.
The internet also helps journalism by allowing journalists to research information online.
Finally, sharing data (API) allows anyone to tap into information journalists have collected.
Sharing Information is one of the best tools the internet has given us.
One of the best was to organize information is through spreadsheets and databases which are easy to use with programs such as Excel or Google Docs.
Map Mashups helps users find stores, products, etc in a certain location such as Google Maps. Journalists can use Map Mashups to direct users to the story's location. This can be especially useful in "Breaking News" scenarios.
-These maps can be interactive for users with programs such as UMapper.
Chapter 1: We Are All Web Workers Now
Basic Web Technologies:
-How Web Browsers Work
-How to Make RSS work for you
-How FTP tranfers large files over the Web
-How HTML, CSS, and XML work
First! Digital Information:
*Bits and Bytes of information ranging in kilo, mega, and giga
*Files, i.e. PDFs or video clips
How does the Internet Work?
Internet = World Wide Web? NO!
The web does NOT include email, instant messaging, and file transfer.
How Web Servers Work?
***"Web server is a special type of computer that stores and distrubutes information over the Internet.***
But HOW?!? By the URL or Web Address! and the IP address (a unique, numeric identity of the webserver location) and a domain name (a "human readable" web address)
Web Browsers: A tool to access the internet (think Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari)
Cache: temporary storage of all the files one downloads while browsing the web :)
***Plug-ins and Extensions such as Adobe can make surfing the Web even more colorful and fun! ***
What is an RSS? RSS is Really Simple Syndication. It allows the reader to subscribe to certain information for constant delivery.
So How do I set up a RSS and subscribe to these "feeds" of information? Simple!
-Choose if you want an
A) Web based reader (such as gmail) or
B) Stand Alone Readers such as NewsGator or
C) the best of both worlds, such as Netvibes, or
Pageflakes
-Select the information you want
-Add it to your feeder
So what is the FTP? FTP is File Transfer Protocol or moving HUGE files email can't handle.
To do this one must:
-Set up an FTP Program such as CoffeeCup, ACE, Mac, Fetch, etc.
-And one is ready to transfer files
Web Design Basics: Not So Scary?
-Learn HTML and the basics for the FUTURE OF JOURNALISM
-Use a text editor to help with HTML such as Notepad
**helpful hint: images are a great way to liven up a page
The most know HTML editing software is Adobe Dreamweaver. And tutorials can help with more information.
Next WebDesign tool is... CSS or Cascading Style Sheets. CSS helps makes a website look "nice" with font styles, size, line-spacing, etc. Tutorials can also be found for CSS.
Finally, XML or Extensible Markup Language which allows readers to subscribe to a feed to receive updates. Of course, tutorials can be found on XML as well.
-How Web Browsers Work
-How to Make RSS work for you
-How FTP tranfers large files over the Web
-How HTML, CSS, and XML work
First! Digital Information:
*Bits and Bytes of information ranging in kilo, mega, and giga
*Files, i.e. PDFs or video clips
How does the Internet Work?
Internet = World Wide Web? NO!
The web does NOT include email, instant messaging, and file transfer.
How Web Servers Work?
***"Web server is a special type of computer that stores and distrubutes information over the Internet.***
But HOW?!? By the URL or Web Address! and the IP address (a unique, numeric identity of the webserver location) and a domain name (a "human readable" web address)
Web Browsers: A tool to access the internet (think Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari)
Cache: temporary storage of all the files one downloads while browsing the web :)
***Plug-ins and Extensions such as Adobe can make surfing the Web even more colorful and fun! ***
What is an RSS? RSS is Really Simple Syndication. It allows the reader to subscribe to certain information for constant delivery.
So How do I set up a RSS and subscribe to these "feeds" of information? Simple!
-Choose if you want an
A) Web based reader (such as gmail) or
B) Stand Alone Readers such as NewsGator or
C) the best of both worlds, such as Netvibes, or
Pageflakes
-Select the information you want
-Add it to your feeder
So what is the FTP? FTP is File Transfer Protocol or moving HUGE files email can't handle.
To do this one must:
-Set up an FTP Program such as CoffeeCup, ACE, Mac, Fetch, etc.
-And one is ready to transfer files
Web Design Basics: Not So Scary?
-Learn HTML and the basics for the FUTURE OF JOURNALISM
-Use a text editor to help with HTML such as Notepad
**helpful hint: images are a great way to liven up a page
The most know HTML editing software is Adobe Dreamweaver. And tutorials can help with more information.
Next WebDesign tool is... CSS or Cascading Style Sheets. CSS helps makes a website look "nice" with font styles, size, line-spacing, etc. Tutorials can also be found for CSS.
Finally, XML or Extensible Markup Language which allows readers to subscribe to a feed to receive updates. Of course, tutorials can be found on XML as well.
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