Hulu: Television Without Limits

Everything in technology is advancing. The way we read is being advanced through Amazon's Kindle. The way we listen to music is always improving thanks to Apple. Now, thanks to Hulu, an online video service which viewers can watch their favorite shows on-demand, TV is now getting an upgrade.

This is for those who want to watch their favorite shows online, but do not have the time to. For instance, there are some BNR female students who like to watch "The Bachelor," which airs Monday nights on ABC. If one should be unfortunate to miss an episode, it's right there waiting for them the next morning on Hulu.

Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu, released a statement telling consumers why Hulu is the way to go to watch their favorite shows. He argues three points which are simple to understand:

1. Traditional TV has too many ads.

2. Consumers want convenience.

3. Hulu is a great marketing force for consumers to decide what shows they like and want to throw out.

Traditional television will not go away. Hulu will just be another resource for those on-the-go to watch what they want, whenever they want. Convenience is endless, and for the consumer in today's age, it's a busy consumer's best friend.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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Avoiding Collapse Through Blogging

The media as we know it may soon be coming to an end. In a recent article for MediaShift, writer Roland Legrand tells of how another media scholar and writer, Clay Shirky, believes that traditional media outlets have become too big for their own good, destining them for collapse. This may seem disconcerting to journalism students such as myself, however, as Legrand continues he details several ways future journalists can save themselves in the face what I am titling, with inspiration from John Stewart, "mediapocalypse."

In examining the newspaper industry, it becomes evident that the structure and functioning of a large newspaper remains extremely complex. First, as Legrand points out it must employ, reporters, editors, news managers, graphics editors, printing, and sales and circulation departments. Also, with new online technologies, papers must employ people involved in digital news, who produce stories and video often 24 hours a day.

With all this complexity and need for employees, Shirky points out that traditional media entities will soon not be able to produce profit and will collapse in on themselves. Yet, in his article Legrand provides a well argued case for how blogging can help. First, blogs provide an interactive community and running them is far less complex. In following three simple rules, Legrand believes individuals and newspapers can find success with blogs.

First, newspapers must keep their blogging staff at a minimum and utilize simple software. Using simpler software will make the blog more manageable and limit the need for a more complex technical staff.

Second, blogs must be run similarly to small businesses. Although Legrand does not expound on this idea, in my opinion, this rule involves a local and creative approach to the news.

Lastly, bloggers must be granted freedom of control over their blogs. While it may be tempting for large news organizations to enforce too much control over bloggers, ultimately this will limit the creativity and life of the blog.

I agree that Legrand's approach to blogging is good sound advice for students such as myself. The last concept he discusses is the blog's ability to create a personal brand for an individual blogger, an idea that will come in handy for journalists after "mediapocalypse." As we've discussed in class, there remains a good chance that future journalists may someday be forced to take control of their own business and work independently. So, take Legrand's advice and continue to develop your brand as a blogger, your future may depend on it.

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Further Thoughts on Twitter

In a recent Beginning Newswriting and Reporting class discussion, our professor urged the class to remain faithful Twitter users, as familiarity with the program will be a necessary skill for those of us entering a journalism/communication field. Then, searching for a blog topic I came across an article on MediaShift, written by media consultant Ian Capstick. This article, entitled "PR Pros Use Twitter to Reinvigorate Brands, Engage in Conversation," offered excellent advice on using Twitter and social media that greatly added to my understanding of the class discussion.

For starters, Twitter offers a new platform for businesses to communicate with their audiences. The article focused mainly on the ways in which the hospitality industry uses the tool specifically, Fairmount Hotels and Resorts. The company, which operates hotels and resorts across the globe started using Twitter to communicate deals and savings to interested audiences, with each individual property maintaining its own account. Since using Twitter, the company has seen higher occupancy rates after posting "online only discounts."

"I really found the genuine ability to connect with people valuable," said Brian Simpson, Fairmount's director of social hospitality.

It has been shown that Twitter has provided an excellent platform for reaching audiences for some companies, but has failed to do so for others. According to Maggie Fox, CEO of the Social Media Group, who has acted as Ford's social media consultant, tweeting consistently remains the most important and crucial aspect of using Twitter as a profitable business tool. Under this model, the number of tweets a company offers a day does not play as large a role, as long as tweets are coming consistently. We have discussed this in class and it seems only common sense that professionals would offer this advice.

However, for some companies, even consistent tweeting has not worked. In this case, Twitter simply may not be a viable communication platform. Another PR professional mentioned in the article, Steve Rubel, advises that the most important aspect for companies interested in utilizing Twitter or social media is analyzing the audience to understand what platform will deliver the message best. "Too many people start with the tools first. Thats like buying paint before you have a floor plan," said Rubel.

I strongly agree with Rubel on this point, as I have seen numerous student organizations on campus set up Twitter accounts, despite the fact that a majority of Simpson students do not utilize the platform. While I certainly am not criticizing student groups for using Twitter, in fact, I encourage it, I question whether or not it truly works as a communication tool with students at this point in time. Despite this, I hope to see students continually develop their use of Twitter and encourage anyone interested in further information to read this article and research further.

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