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.
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