Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
We the Media
The back of Dan Gillmor's book We the Mediawrites, "We the Media has become something of a bible for those who believe the online medium will change journalism for the better."
I've been studying online journalism for four years now. I believe it is the direction the industry is already- for better or for worse-- but I don't believe Gillmor's book will be the bible of online medium.
He writes about RSS feeds, camera phones, and P2P like they are the future-- buddy, they are the present and probably soon to be past. I have expiration radar for technology: when my friends start using it, it's outdated (and they most recently caught on to sharing music).
I did like Gillmor's historical recap in the beginning. He writes about the age of pamphleteering and "the pamphleteers who, before the First Amendment was enshrined into law and guaranteed a free press, published their writing at great personal risk."
Many feel bloggers service the public much like those in the past who circulated pamphlets. Gillmor writes, "Even more important were the (at the time) anonymous authors of the Federalist Papers." Is the blogosphere not the same? Are the anonymous posters not creating, amending or correcting potentially historically changing records of the present? Ideas about blogging and citizen activism are interesting and debatable. Gillmor does a good job covering the citizen's new role.
Chapter 10, Here Come the Judges (and Lawyers), attracted my attention. In conjunction with this class I am also taking one about Internet law. Gillmor recounts blogging and libel repercussions, the Jason Blair incident and plagiarism, as well as revealing trade secrets and copyright. He never comes to a conclusion on how to solve the legal issues, but instead writes recaps about each one.
The chapter Next Steps was a bit disappointing. It offered vague solutions to gaps the industry cannot afford to leave unsolved. Gillmor wrote about obscure laws-- Metcalfe and Moore-- that really have no real-life application. I would like to know about Shield Laws, protections, where lines are going to be drawn. I think the chapter scapegoated the real issues instead of offering innovative ideas.
The last chapter, Making Our Own News, was useful. "We are still in a top-down mode and don't realize that the conversation is more important than our pronouncements," Gillmor writes. I agree. He then writes about Creative Commons and the benefits copyright can have if used appropriately. This I liked because the idea of a Creative Commons is appealing and sites that operate on such standards (creativecommons.org) are wonderfully helpful.
Despite some of the outdated material, I have to give the guy credit. Six months on the Internet is old news and this book was published two years ago. I'm trying to imagine what I was learning my sophomore year and I believe it was RSS and digital cameras. The truth is a text book does not belong in an online journalism class because once it's published some techy will have release a whole new way of creating and accessing news.
To most benefit students is to assign them to research the Web. Quit reading about how the Internet is changing and get online to figure it out yourself.
I've been studying online journalism for four years now. I believe it is the direction the industry is already- for better or for worse-- but I don't believe Gillmor's book will be the bible of online medium.
He writes about RSS feeds, camera phones, and P2P like they are the future-- buddy, they are the present and probably soon to be past. I have expiration radar for technology: when my friends start using it, it's outdated (and they most recently caught on to sharing music).
I did like Gillmor's historical recap in the beginning. He writes about the age of pamphleteering and "the pamphleteers who, before the First Amendment was enshrined into law and guaranteed a free press, published their writing at great personal risk."
Many feel bloggers service the public much like those in the past who circulated pamphlets. Gillmor writes, "Even more important were the (at the time) anonymous authors of the Federalist Papers." Is the blogosphere not the same? Are the anonymous posters not creating, amending or correcting potentially historically changing records of the present? Ideas about blogging and citizen activism are interesting and debatable. Gillmor does a good job covering the citizen's new role.
Chapter 10, Here Come the Judges (and Lawyers), attracted my attention. In conjunction with this class I am also taking one about Internet law. Gillmor recounts blogging and libel repercussions, the Jason Blair incident and plagiarism, as well as revealing trade secrets and copyright. He never comes to a conclusion on how to solve the legal issues, but instead writes recaps about each one.
The chapter Next Steps was a bit disappointing. It offered vague solutions to gaps the industry cannot afford to leave unsolved. Gillmor wrote about obscure laws-- Metcalfe and Moore-- that really have no real-life application. I would like to know about Shield Laws, protections, where lines are going to be drawn. I think the chapter scapegoated the real issues instead of offering innovative ideas.
The last chapter, Making Our Own News, was useful. "We are still in a top-down mode and don't realize that the conversation is more important than our pronouncements," Gillmor writes. I agree. He then writes about Creative Commons and the benefits copyright can have if used appropriately. This I liked because the idea of a Creative Commons is appealing and sites that operate on such standards (creativecommons.org) are wonderfully helpful.
Despite some of the outdated material, I have to give the guy credit. Six months on the Internet is old news and this book was published two years ago. I'm trying to imagine what I was learning my sophomore year and I believe it was RSS and digital cameras. The truth is a text book does not belong in an online journalism class because once it's published some techy will have release a whole new way of creating and accessing news.
To most benefit students is to assign them to research the Web. Quit reading about how the Internet is changing and get online to figure it out yourself.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Facebook gets facelift
Big Changes Coming to Profile Pages on Facebook
Basically, Facebook held an hourlong meeting with the media to announce changes that will come to profile pages on its site. Read the story here.
More to come...
Basically, Facebook held an hourlong meeting with the media to announce changes that will come to profile pages on its site. Read the story here.
More to come...
Monday, May 19, 2008
Athens water quality
The recent boiler order affecting thousands of on-campus residents left many people wondering how clean was the water they consume.
Through these photos, I dispel the rumors that urge consumers to drink only from a Brita filtering device. The water in Athens, although threatened from aging pipes and potential exposure to chemicals, is currently safe to drink.
This slide show comes just in time for the summer heat!
Click here to view flickr slideshow
Click on photos to see captions.
Through these photos, I dispel the rumors that urge consumers to drink only from a Brita filtering device. The water in Athens, although threatened from aging pipes and potential exposure to chemicals, is currently safe to drink.
This slide show comes just in time for the summer heat!
Click here to view flickr slideshow
Click on photos to see captions.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
MTV to revive print journalism?
Here's hoping MTV can help make newspapers cool againby Chuck Barney
God bless Amanda Lorber, a senior at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla., who says “Journalists are the most important part of the world.”
Oh, a woman after my own heart. Say it loud and proud.
Amanda is editor-in-chief of the Circuit, an award-winning student publication that serves as the setting for MTV’s new reality series “The Paper” (10:30 p.m. EDT Mondays).
You heard right. A school newspaper. On MTV.
The show marks a real departure for the youth-centric cable network. It’s not “The Real World,” or “Laguna Beach,” or “The Hills.” Rich, hot-looking kids aren’t making out in Jacuzzis. They’re not slamming shots in some raucous club. They’re not prancing about in skimpy bikinis on spring break.
Instead, the show just focuses on smart, normal kids going to class, sacrificing large chunks of their social lives and pouring their passion into a ... newspaper.
Excuse me while I clear the lump in my throat.
And now permit me to ask: Can MTV actually help to make print journalism cool again? Oh, one can certainly dream.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Interviewing Stefanie Klaus
On the Sunday of Ohio University's annual mom's weekend, fifth-year senior Stefanie Klaus spoke with me about her mother's battle with breast cancer. Just seven months ago, Karen Klaus died after fighting six-years to beat the disease. This interview was the first time Stefanie spoke in great detail about her experience.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Journalism Day
The panel I was fortunate enough to attend on Wednesday was called Widening the Net: Political Campaigning and New Technologies. The gist of the discussion was how political candidates utilized alternative methods to combat opponents.
Rosemary Palmer and Anthony Fossaceca opened the panel with a review of Palmer's 2008 campaign for congress, which began as an idea when she lost a son to the Iraq war.
Palmer knew her political experience would be critiqued from the get-go because her only previous experience was at a local office in New Jersey. This put her at a serious disadvantage, especially against incumbent Dennis Kucinich.
But Palmer and Fossaceca had an idea that seems to match the slogan, "go big or go home." The Palmer campaign went for Kucinich and held nothing back. They ran campaign ads similar to the one below (*this part amended thanks to Fossaceca's comment below).
Kucinich campaign
It was this ad and others like this that brought attention to the previously unknown candidate. She became a name among bloggers-- a sign you really know you've made it big. Fossaceca also said that soon after donations-- small, but frequent-- entered the picture and Palmer became a player in the campaign.
They had money to create devices like this...
Bus video
But what is even more notable about the Palmer campaign is she allowed her constituents to guide her. Using You Tube and the Web she listed two potential Super Bowl advertisements and asked for users to vote for a favorite. She then wrote that if a few thousand donated only $5 each, the ad could potentially run during the Super Bowl.
Palmer didn't acquire the amount she needed for a spot during the football game, but her innovation did get picked up by television media and they ended up broadcasting the winning video.
Super Bowl Ad #1
Palmer lost the congressional campaign by a few votes, but in her mind she perceived the campaign as a victory. She is now known as the "Internet candidate" for the techniques she used and the precedent she set.
Rosemary Palmer and Anthony Fossaceca opened the panel with a review of Palmer's 2008 campaign for congress, which began as an idea when she lost a son to the Iraq war.
Palmer knew her political experience would be critiqued from the get-go because her only previous experience was at a local office in New Jersey. This put her at a serious disadvantage, especially against incumbent Dennis Kucinich.
But Palmer and Fossaceca had an idea that seems to match the slogan, "go big or go home." The Palmer campaign went for Kucinich and held nothing back. They ran campaign ads similar to the one below (*this part amended thanks to Fossaceca's comment below).
Kucinich campaign
It was this ad and others like this that brought attention to the previously unknown candidate. She became a name among bloggers-- a sign you really know you've made it big. Fossaceca also said that soon after donations-- small, but frequent-- entered the picture and Palmer became a player in the campaign.
They had money to create devices like this...
Bus video
But what is even more notable about the Palmer campaign is she allowed her constituents to guide her. Using You Tube and the Web she listed two potential Super Bowl advertisements and asked for users to vote for a favorite. She then wrote that if a few thousand donated only $5 each, the ad could potentially run during the Super Bowl.
Palmer didn't acquire the amount she needed for a spot during the football game, but her innovation did get picked up by television media and they ended up broadcasting the winning video.
Super Bowl Ad #1
Palmer lost the congressional campaign by a few votes, but in her mind she perceived the campaign as a victory. She is now known as the "Internet candidate" for the techniques she used and the precedent she set.
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