Scooping Where You Sleep

Twitter is the ultimate instant news source.

Reporters have the ability to tweet from anywhere with cell reception or Internet access, and most put this on-the-go capability to use every day.

An article from Poynter. reported that because journalists were tweeting and updating statuses about being arrested at Occupy Wall Street. While this use of social media is effective, some critics argue that the arrested journalists actually scooped their own newsrooms.

Although an official statement was released by the journalists' newsroom denying that the employees' tweets scooped employers, there is an idea that other news sources could become obsolete.

The biggest (actually, shortest) obstacle for Twitter's takeover of breaking news is 140 characters long. Limited to 140 characters, Twitter is heavy with headlines but short on content.

For a quick news fix, Twitter should be the go-to; however, other media, such as print and online newspapers, television, and radio, are better equipped for whole articles and in-depth pieces.

Photo by Creative Commons

Video Blog

Read more...

Taking Care Of Business

With the sun shining and the busy time of finals approaching, many college students are feeling a lack of time to complete everything.

However, if a student wants to receive good grades for the end of the term, he/she must decide to prioritize what is most important to get accomplishments completed. With teachers piling on the papers, tests, stories, and quizzes, many students feel overwhelmed and unable to accomplish these goals.

Journalist students are not allowed many opportunities to get off track. To be involved in journalism, a person is constantly reporting, advertising, and researching for the next story he/she will deliver. How can a person maintain his/her focus consistent.

One good tip for students is to take advantage of writing lists. Lists benefit journalist students especially because writing a list of daily plans, homework, and meetings is a great way helping to manage his/her time. Seeing a schedule planned out for when there is free time to study or relax helps students know when to fit homework and other events in.

Another good tip is to not cram everything in at once. Whether it's allowing time to go for a run to clear the mind or watching a television show, taking small breaks in between tasks allows a person to tackle assignments with fresh eyes and a clear head.

One last tip is to remember to get enough sleep at night. Although it's the end of the year and people want to spend time with classmates, getting the right amount of sleep at night allows students to feel alert and more energetic throughout long days rather than simply going through the motions.

While receiving a lot of pressure from teachers, coaches, parents, and peers, students must remember that staying calm and balancing time evenly is the best solution to helping stay focused.

Although a person may feel frustrated, panic can take over a person's life and put him/her under additional unneeded stress.

Finishing the school year off with good grades and completed tasks can allow a person to feel great. Living a healthy lifestyle of rest and maintaining focus can allow a person to prevent stress.

So whenever you're feeling down in the dumps and like it's impossible to finish, always remember to take a deep breath and smile.

Photo Credit: Technical Significance via Creative Commons.

Read more...

Media Evolution

This week I saw a video discussing the future of journalism. One comment made in this video by a professor at Columbia University was that no new media has ever truly replaced its predacessor.

I absolutely agree.

A common discussion topic these days is if print news will cease to exist due to the advances of Internet news. Some say yes and some are skeptical.

First there was the newspaper, followed by the radio, followed by television and finally the Internet came to be. Everytime a new media was introduced the fear was the older media would vanish.

We know this isn't necessarily the case. Television didn't make radio obsolete, not widely as used but definately not obsolete.

Instead I think media evolves from others instead of knocking them out. Check a car there is a radio in there and it gets used.

As for newspapers daily editions may not occur forever but I'd say no matter what the Sunday newspaper will always be there for enjoyment.

Photo Credit:Creative Commons

Read more...

Addicted Gamers

With the iPad 2 being revealed earlier this month gamers are wanting to know what apps they should be downloading.

Angry Birds is still at the top of the must have games for the iPad.

Angry Birds is a puzzle video game in which players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs placed on or inside of diverse structures. The objective is to destroy all the pigs on the playfield.

Doesn't sound too glamorous, but gamers find it very addictive.

Another addicting game for the iPad is Fieldrunners.

Fieldrunners is a tower defense video game. There are eight different types of weapons that are used to destroy the different characters that are attempting to make it across the field.

The player's objective is to create some type of maze to keep the characters from reaching the opposite side of the field.

Fieldrunners doesn't sound too entertaining, but from my experience it is. I have spent hours creating different types of mazes to make it to the next level.

As with all video games there are secret cheat codes and hints that can be discovered on the Internet. However, I warn those of you who are tempted to search for these cheats. It takes a great deal of fun out of the game, and I have found that after finding the solution I become bored with the game.

Photo Credit: Bonnie Phelps via Creative Commons

Read more...

Why Should We Blog?

At the beginning of enrollment in BNR class, a majority of Simpson College students had never contributed to a blog in their life.

Many students pondered about this whole blogging business at the beginning of this course. Why would we need blogs? What are we going to write about for our blogs? How are we going to know what we're blogging about is useful? How do people even use blogs?

Traditionally, blogs started out as being a sort of online diary for people across the world. However, as blogging became more popular, many businesses and journalists decided to contribute to the blogging world to gain publicly.

Blogging has helped the journalist world in all different aspects. Once writers have exposed their work online, they are easily able to catch reader's attention. In result, they can receive feedback and gain subscribers to read their daily postings.

As you continue to blog, you will notice an improvement in your writing skills. For those who have previously blogged, think back to the very first blog you wrote. Now snap back to the present. Your writing portfolio and skills have improved tremendously because of your frequent interaction with writing.

What if you aren't interested in blogging for journalist purposes and promoting business? There are still many different reasons you can post your blogs online.

One last pro of becoming a blogger is you can even make profit from blogging. A lot of people blogging have not found themselves becoming a blogger to make money, but find out later that will end up doing so.

An unknown author once said, "Blogging is the new poetry."

If you have never blogged before reading this article, please consider the benefits of blogging. Go ahead and give starting your own blog a shot.

Photo Credit: Tutor2U @ Creative Commons

Read more...

The Internet Age in Journalism

Journalists have to know how to use the internet if they're going to be successful today. But when they start relying on the internet for all their facts, things get messy. So when is the internet useful, and when is it harmful to your story?

Catherine Wylie, a journalist in training and writer for The Graduate Times, talking about the importance of being internet savvy as a journalist. For much of her life she was internet-phobic, but now is an avid blogger and Twitter member. As a journalist, the internet is an easy way to publish work for the masses and find information. But the information found is not always reliable.

So how can you make sure your information is reliable?

First, stay away from Wikipedia facts. As the story of Shane Fitzgerald, a college student who posted false quotes by French Composer Maurice Jarre who had recently passed away, shows us, Wikipedia isn't reliable since it can be edited by anyone. If you insist on using Wikipedia, you should check out the sources at the bottom. These may be much more reliable and contain much of the information found on Wikipedia.

Second, just because it's everywhere on the internet, doesn't mean it's true. Tweets from the Arizona shooting of Gabrielle Giffords claimed the congresswoman was dead. News channels picked up on these tweets and other reports of her death and reported it across the nation. Soon it was confirmed that the Congresswoman was actually alive and in surgery at an Arizona hospital, even though it was widely reported across the internet an TV.

Last, don't use the internet as your only source. Sure, it has a lot of good information, but the internet shouldn't be the only source of information you ever use. Interviews, newspaper, TV shows and many other things can have a positive impact on the story you're writing and add depth you wouldn't have gained from using the internet alone.

The internet is an important tool in journalism if you use it correctly. The internet can help you get your work out there and amass fans and hopefully a job that pays well. But if you use it incorrectly and report false facts, it can also ruin your career. Use the internet wisely and you can save yourself from many mistakes.

Photo Credit: Jcarranzz, WikiMedia via Creative Commons. Sérgio Savaman Savarese, Flickr via Creative Commons.

Read more...

Internet vs Journalism. Ding!

In this day and age, the Internet is a big buzz and everyone is using it for everything. Literally. When it first came about, the original users most likely didn't have a clue what it would become. And what exactly has it become? For America, it has become a huge part of everyday life that we depend heavily on.

This generation has grown up on the Internet and it seems that we do not know a world without it. I can honestly say, that I log on to Facebook approximately ten times a day. Embarrassing, I know. But it's the truth! We also get the chance to whip out our phones and text our friends, "Hey, what's up?" when we are bored or we want to hang out. Our parents had to physically go to a telephone and dial the person's number, to reach them. As a college student, I notice that I use the Internet all the time for research. There is a thing called the library, that students back then had to use in order to do their endless researching. My point is that people had to do much more effort and take much more care to get things done.

This brings up a question. What has the Internet done for journalism? For a few years now, newspapers around the U.S. have declined in circulation. It is so much easier to get on the Internet and click a few clicks to get a colorful article, than picking up a newspaper. I don't think there is nothing terribly wrong about this, but journalists now have to appeal to their audience and give them what they want.

In print form, there was an audience that would take time and find time to read the newspaper. The current audience, is more busy with their own lives and have a short attention span. Due to this fact, journalists have to condense their articles in order to keep their audience's attention. I also don't think there is anything terribly wrong with this concept, but there is something lost in journalism when the writers don't take the same amount of effort to get the nitty gritty and making sure the editing is just right.

Blogs are making it pretty big right now. Heck, I'm writing one! But with these new 'in' things, the Internet has made it increasingly possible to express one's opinion. Because of this, anyone who feels they have something to say, will write and blog what they feel. This could perhaps, bring down the quality of some blogs. It used to be that journalism was the facts. But now, we are all smothered with opinions and "I's" and "you's". It is, after all, hard to write in this world without being first person.

So now the question is this. Should newspapers go out of style and be posted on the Internet? Should blogs be looked at more carefully? Can we as America, be proud to say that we have evolved and erupted this Internet sensation that is going to be passed down to our kids and generations to come? These are very broad questions, but we do need to think about them and what the Internet could possibly come to, in the future.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Read more...

Countdown to the "IPcalypse"

It's said to happen on February 2 around 4 a.m. The Internet is scheduled to run out of current IP addresses. So what exactly does that mean for you?

Basically, your IP address is your way to use the Internet and every device you use. Whether it's a smart phone or computer, it gets a unique code called an IP address. You don't get the same address every time you use the Internet, but pretty soon you may not get any at all.

Today we use a system called the Internet Protocol version 4 (or IPv4) to give out those codes and there are about 4 billion to give out worldwide. That probably sounded like plenty back when this standard was introduced in 1981, but it was hard to foresee a computer in every home along with extra devices using the Internet.

Now, when we do run out of IP addresses, it won't mean the internet is over, so don't panic quite yet. We have guardian angels that foresaw this dilemma long before we did and created a system called IPv6.

The difference with this system is, instead of using just numbers, it will include letters in the code, making it a much bigger source for IP addresses.

Ideally, when we switch to this new system, people won't see or notice a thing. The only real problem that could happen in the days of "IPcalypse" is if enough networks don't move in a timely fashion. In this case, some people would literally see nothing because of their inability to connect to the Internet.

So I'm glad we had people to see this coming way before the deadline because, what if we weren't prepared in some way? Because of the fact that the Internet has become such a huge part of most people's lives and in some cases the internet is their life, I can only imagine their panic, anger, and inability to really live their lives.

So, as epic as the "IPcalypse" may sound, don't get too worked up about the transition because it will slip by around 4 a.m. on February 2 while you dream .

Read more...

RockMelt, the social browser

RockMelt is an intricate social browser that organizes social media with your browser better than browsers currently available internet users.

As users of the internet in the digital age, many are looking for new browsers that will meet specific needs.

The RockMelt is ultimately a social media enhanced Google Chrome. The RockMelt browser is almost an exact replica of Google Chrome other than the two vertical columns.

A visual for the browser is in the video displayed below.

Although there are many extensions that give social media components to other browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox, RockMelt operates if and only if you put in your Facebook login.

As it can be anticipated, making it a requirement to put in your Facebook credentials in order to even just use the browser, will be a huge drawback.

I guess in the end it will all depend on what you want out of your browser.

Many people that will enjoy this browser will be the people that are wanting to naturally incorporate social media with their browser.

Since it is in the early beta stages of development and you have to sign up in order to get the browser, an alternative for a social browser right now is the Flock browser.

Just from the looks of it, it seems as if the RockMelt will be the simplified version of Flock making it a little less intrusive, and that much more appealing to users wanting a compatible social media browser.

Find out more about RockMelt's blog here.

Read more...

Social Media Privacy Is A Problem

It was discovered last week that Facebook apps have been leaking user profile information to third parties on the web.

According to the article by Samuel Axon, when users would click on an ad on Facebook, or also on MySpace because the same happened there not too long ago, the site would leak profile information of the users who accessed the ad to that ad's company.

Axon points out that not only are Facebook and MySpace vulnerable to this problem but almost any social media site could be vulnerable.

The problem is an issue of privacy. Many social media sites will say that they offer their users a great deal of privacy protection yet there are still problems like this occurring.

People who do not want their private information going out to people they do not know can have a tough time controlling it. Mainly the reason they have a problem is that they do not know how to go about setting their privacy to correctly hide their information.

Also as the article points out the Internet is set up in a way that it allows companies to know the exact web address from where users click onto their ads. It is a problem that has been around forever but nobody really knows about it.

However in light of the social media boom and more personal information being displayed on the web it is becoming a more prevalent problem.

How do we go about fixing privacy on the Internet? That is a question that I cannot answer. I would love to see some sort of safeguard put into place to protect people's privacy, especially with social media outlets, but the odds of that happening are a long shot.

For the time being users just have to be smart. Take the time and read through the privacy rules and settings on your social media pages. Make sure you know the sites rules and you can then set your page to the setting you want. That, for now, is the only way you can help protect your personal information on your social media pages.

Read more...

Paradox Over Internet Privacy

This past week, President Obama introduced a radical proposition that could end with the concept of Internet-communication as we know it.

On September 27, the New York Times reported on new regulations being considered by President Obama's administration that would allow national security officials to wiretap all kinds of online-communication platforms. This bill would require all Internet-based communication companies to redesign their servers and adhere to federal security measures of wiretapping laws.

Although the bill won't be submitted to lawmakers until next year, the bill is already rising doubts and criticism. Among the opposers, one of them is Christopher Calabrese, Legislative Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Mandating that all communications software be accessible to the government is a huge privacy invasion," Calabrese said.

From e-mail to Facebook and even mobile texting, law enforcement would be able to tap private communication software and track conversations in an effort to identify possible threats to the U.S., including terrorist attacks.

Furthermore, another concern brought by this bill is the possible damage to all online-communication systems in the U.S. Bruce Schneier, a security technologist, expressed his concern of the bill in a special report by CNN.

"Communications systems that have no inherent eavesdropping capabilities are more secure than systems with those capabilities built in," Schneier continued "Any surveillance system invites both criminal appropriation and government abuse."

In other words, not only will it be easier for federal security to spy on people but criminals would be more likely to do it as well, which I think defeats the purpose of increasing security measures.
Obviously, this new bill would have a drastic impact on individuals' privacy.

The free and open sharing of ideas and thoughts and the private communication scheme provided by the Internet years ago, could be seriously damaged if this law were to be approved.

Of course, security is an important issue, but will you be willing to give up your privacy for increased security?

Read more...

News stories becoming less newsworthy

Does it ever seem like all you see online are topics about who's going to rehab, who got divorced, who wore what to the latest fashion show, or stories about the "bare-foot bandit"? Why have newspapers (both online and in print) chosen to run more articles on seemingly unimportant topics as opposed to the real issues? Because those are the types of stories that sell.

Based on a recent article Washington Post writer Paul Farhi writing for the American Journalism Review, consumers are more interested in these types of topics than they are ones that thirty years ago would have been considered newsworthy.

Farhi states that if you check out any major news network, you will find a list of top-viewed and most recommended links and videos to watch (CBS, NBC, ABC to name a few). Go to one now and see what you find. Chances are the top hits are not all going to be on the war in Iraq or what the Tea Party is up to, but articles that have headlines that jump out. Novelty is becoming increasingly more important these days.

Does that mean that these topics are any less important than they were in the time of Walter Cronkite and Peter Jennings? Not necessarily, but the people behind the scenes of newspapers have realized that they just aren't going to bring in the money as they once did.

I believe a reason for the switch in headline "stories" is the changing audience. Younger consumers tend to be more aware of what is going on in the world without needing to be reminded of it 24-7. We have access to all these amazing online tools and resources to allow us to get short tidbits of stories without needing to sit down and read a newspaper to do so. For the older generation, however, they still rely on newspapers to get their information (and do they honestly care if Britney has cleaned up her act).

While is is unnerving to think that we care more about people's personal lives than we do real issues, hopefully newspapers and online sources alike can find a way to continue attracting consumers to their products, so that we do not lose anything and everything newsworthy.

We have magazines and tabloids for a reason, and newspapers should not feel that they need to compete with them.

Read more...

200 Transformational Moments

In a recent article at Poynter Online, Bill Mitchell writes about "200 Moments that Transformed Journalism," as compiled by David Shedden, Poynter Library director.

Shedden selected 200 moments that occurred in the years 2000 through 2009, using the New Media Timeline; a resource he created and has maintained to track the evolution of news since the invention of the Internet in 1969.

As Mitchell said in his article, "there's often no way to tell, in the moment, whether any given development signals a passing fancy, a seed of destruction or a glimpse of tomorrow. But there's nothing like a little hindsight to provide some context."

"Not all of Shedden's 200 moments are as consequential as his first entry for the year 2000 -- the acquisition of the Time Warner media empire by that once feisty startup known as America Online."

It's an interesting list and I have to agree with Mitchell. Some selections, "seemed to have little to do with the news at the time," but you be the judge. Take a look and see what you think. At the very least, it will provide some interesting conversation around the office water cooler!

Read more...

News is the New Social Experience

Today, Americans can get their news from multiple news vehicles. The Internet and mobile technology have changed the way people consume the news, and have turned the absorption of news into a social experience.


People's relationship with news is constantly changing because of the Internet. Six in ten Americans get news from a combination of online and offline sources everyday.


Research shows that while online, most people used between two and five online news sources and 65% do not have a single favorite website for news. Only 21% say they use only one site for their news and information.


News is becoming personalized, participatory, and portable. According to this article:

• Personalized: 28% of Internet users have customized their home page to include news from sources and topics that particularly interest them
• Participatory: 37% of Internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commented about it, or disseminated it via postings on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
• Portable: 33% of cell phone users now access news on their cell phones.

What does all of this mean? This multi-media platform environment is becoming a shared social experience. People are posting news stories to their Facebook feeds, swapping links in emails, and highlighting news stories in their Tweets.

The Internet has surpassed newspapers and radio in popularity as a news platform on a typical day. It ranks just behind TV.

Read more...

Will Newspapers Last 10 More Years?

Is newspaper extinction really 10 years away? The way technology changes on a daily basis, I personally don't think it will take 10 years. Do you?

According to James Tyree, CEO Mesirow Financial Inc., who led lasts October's buyout of the Chicago Sun-Times' publisher, "Newspapers have got a good strong 10 years."

C'mon, Mr. Tyree! Do they really have that long? Can they survive for a whole decade in this 24-hour news cycle, gotta have it now, world we live in?

In this article, which I found on Poynter Online, Tyree goes on to say, "By then you'll have to evolve into something else -- maybe five years evolve into something else -- or you'll just be out of business."

I think newspapers are on their way to being history in far less than 10 years.

Read more...

Internet: A Stronger Force Than Realized

Hope for Haiti Now

What were your plans last Friday night? For over 36 million people, their plans included viewing a live broadcast of "Hope for Haiti Now," a Haitian earthquake relief benefit in which over 100 celebrities entertained viewers.

"Expect this to dominate both the Internet and the television tomorrow night," wrote Mashable's Samuel Axon, regarding Friday night's broadcast of "Hope for Haiti Now." Axon was right. The event aired all over the world via television and live streams on the Internet.

The big surprise was not how much the benefit raised, almost $60 million, but rather how many viewers it received. Sixteen million viewers tuned in to watch the event from their television screens. However, a whopping 20 million people caught the benefit online. Axon also stated that over 30 networks were involved in the "Hope for Haiti Now" broadcast, including MTV, CNN, CBS and other major networks.

The fact that more viewers caught the broadcast online than on television goes to show how much the times have changed. The Internet has come a long way already, but is still becoming an increasingly powerful force in terms of how they present the latest news to the world.

Read more...