What the Internet is Doing to Journalism
In his article, Joel Achenbach discusses the transformation journalism and journalists have undergone in order to survive on an online platform
What’s more important, newsworthiness or “eyeballs”? Many online journalists have compromised substance for whatever hot topic will pull in the most viewers.
But what does that mean for journalism? if the future of journalism is online, and online journalism favors stories about celebrity dogs, is that all that people will read in the future?
Achenbach makes it a point to distinguish between good reporting and just plain marketing, and I have to agree with him. Journalists shouldn’t tailor what news is considered newsworthy to the number of eyeballs it’ll draw in. news is news.
Posted in comm361 ,deena elrashed Tagged: achenbach article, personal blog item February 14, 2012
How to Write a Successful Blog
8 tips to help get the most out of your blog
- organize your ideas. outline and plan your thoughts before putting them down. A confusing page makes for a confused reader. confused readers move on to other pages.
- be direct. keep your sentences short and simple. blog entries should vary in length, but should never be too long.
- present your personality. pick a particular topic or area, and stick to it. Your readers will know what to expect and it’ll give you the opportunity to claim a niche.
- make your posts scannable. bullets and number lists are a great way to do this. It’ll make scanning your page easier on the reader.
- use specific headlines. it’ll help your reader know what to expect and it’ll help make your page easier to locate in a search.
- try to post to your blog as often as possible. If a reader comes to your page multiple times to find that nothing has changed, they may just move on to one that has.
- read other blogs. They’ll help you stay on top of whats going on and will offer constant inspiration.
- set up an RSS feed!!!
Posted in briggs ,comm361 ,deena elrashed Tagged: Briggs, chapter 2 February 5, 2012
Knowing the Web
If you want to get out all that you can from the internet, you have to understand what it can do for you. Here’s a list of a few key terms, as laid out by Briggs…
RSS Feeds
stands for really simple syndication. allows you to subscribe to an information feed that gets delivered directly to you. This is an invaluable tool because as a journalist, you should need to consume the most information possible, most efficiently.
FTP
stands for file transfer protocol. FTP is a simple method of transferring data from one computer to another. It comes in handy for hefty files ( like photos or video) that e-mail can’t handle.
Web Pages
It’s a document created with an HTML code stored on a computer that is running as a Web server. Here’s who it works:
- Web browser finds Web page on Web server
- Web browser retrieves Web page from Web server, makes a copy on local computer
- Web browser displays Web page on local computer.
CSS
stands for cascading style sheets. allows web designers to express their creativity in web browsers. A basic understanding of CSS and how it works will allow you to tweak and edit so that your web page looks just the way you want it to.
XML
stands for extensible markup language. helps categorize information by content, simplifying search capabilities.
Posted in briggs ,comm361 ,deena elrashed Tagged: Briggs, chapter 1 February 5, 2012
Journalism is NOT dead!
People are always talking about journalists like they are the last of a dying breed, but Briggs makes it a point to dispel this myth. Journalism is not dying, it is evolving and it is improving.
At the turn of the last century, the emergence of the telephone service shook the field of journalism to its core. What would become of journalists? Journalism survived and improved because of this technological advancement; just as it will now.
Briggs lists three reasons why it is a great time to enter into the field of journalism:
- Journalism has a bright future: journalism isn’t going anywhere. The model may be changing, but the need for information from the consumers is still just as strong.
- The Future is in your hands: For once, employers are seeking the ideas and opinions of the younger generation. This is your chance to take an active part in determining the path of journalism
- Journalism will be better than it was before: It’s going to be a rough transformation for some, but in the end, it will be more efficient and beneficial than ever before.
Posted in briggs ,comm361 ,deena elrashed Tagged: Briggs, introduction February 5, 2012
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