From Journalism to PR: The 'Other' Side of the Divide

Developing trends in journalism have included everything from new ways of news gathering to upgrading to digital news spreading. But beyond the 'traditional' ways of thinking about technological advances in journalism, there is yet another developing trend: journalists are now transitioning into the realm of Public Relations.

This is an interesting, and to some, quite a daring move for journalists who at one time thought of PR work to be 'less worthy' than that of reporting.

Investigative reporter Nick Davies, who is also the author of Flat Earth News, has been studying these recent changes since 2007. Many 'high profile' journalists have been on the move since then, including former BBC technology editor Darren Waters, who is now the managing director Monument PR Worldwide, and Rav Singh, who became the special projects consultant at The Outside Organization.

A career recruitment consultant even said the number of clients she receives who are journalists looking for a career in PR has gone up by '100 per cent, year on year'.

Why the shift?

It's pretty evident that journalism is changing a lot at the moment. Journalism's low pay and demanding working hours have been the cause for reporters to move toward PR. It can also be noted that the print-news industry in general has suffered from the decline in advertisements, increased competition from online sources, and the recession, resulting in reduced budgets for all.

In addition, the image of public relations has changed as well. Once frowned upon, PR has gone from being a bit of a 'second rate' reporting firm to a communications output machine with better pay.

All the more reason for PR firms to take journalists into employment with open arms.

Journalists have what's called 'news sense' -- meaning, they know what their audiences want and tailor their press releases accordingly. Jez Ashberry, a former editor and journalist, says that journalists often make the best PR professionals because of their ability to be resourceful, quick-witted, write well and know what is of interest.

Many firms and agencies are taking advantage of these skills by hiring experienced journalists to write and create compelling material in 'non-traditional' PR ways.

However, there is some danger: journalism is often times 'one dimensional'. Public relations, on the other hand, often requires a wider range of other skills that involve more than just writing.

Public relations agencies have taken it upon themselves to make transitional courses in 'journalism-to-PR' to help their employees make the transition with the hope of breaking some of the 'journalist mindset.'

This shift in professions has not only emphasized a growing trend, but also the wide range of possibilities available for aspiring journalists and communicators.

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Straight Statistics of Americans and their Technology

Americans' technology have an increasing amount of ownership throughout time whereas some of the newer devices haven't taken off yet.

Inthe digital age people use an abundance amount of technology throughout their daily lives. Among these people, I have found statistics specifically referring to America.

Cell phones are popular among the digital age are seen just about everywhere you turn. Eighty-five percent of Americans now own cell phones and 96 percent of 18-29 year olds own a cell

phone of some sort.

Desktop and laptop computers will almost be a necessity in the near future. Seventy-six percent of Americans own either a desktop or a laptop computer.

Although the rising popularity of the mp3 player has not reached its peak, it is still lower than I anticipated for the statistics that I found. A little under half of Americana adults own an mp3 player, which was an increase from the 11 percent in 2005.

A step down from mp3 players, gaming consoles such as the Wii, Xbox, or PlayStation, are shown to be owned by 42 percent of Americans.

Among the newest devices such as the e-Book reader and tablet computers, five percent own a

e-Book and only four percent own a tablet computer.

The statistics are based on a survey of 3,001 American adults (ages 18 and older) conducted between August 9 and September 13, 2010. Download the document HERE for specific detail on the statistics.

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Digitalized America

Today's world is filled with digital technology and it is hard to imagine our lives without it.

Much of today's technology makes it convenient to perform tasks in the journalism world. Many devices are now available for you to be able to write, access news, friends, information, and entertainment from where ever you may be.

These days it seems as if everyone has a cell phone and/or iPod or iPod Touch. Both of my grandmothers own one and so does my youngest cousin who has had her cell phone since the 6th grade.

Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project researched seven main appliances of today's age.

Research shows that now 85 percent of Americans now own a cell phone of some kind and is also now a necessity of modern communication. Another fact is that 96 percent of Americans ages 18-29 own a cell phone.

47 percent of Americans own a MP3 player such as an iPod, iPod Touch, or Zune.

Recent technology like the iPad, Kindle, and the Nook are vastly changing today's journalism by making paper media available through their services. These devices are proving their popularity and have a steady increase in purchases.

When you sit and think about how our nation has evolved it makes you realize that we can still only move forward.

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Newspapers are Saved

According to a recent article on Mashable, the iPad is going to save newspapers. The iPad offers many features that make reading news on the go easy thanks to a large screen, interactive features, and quick downloads. In order to utilize all of this, however, you actually need to own an iPad.

Current figures show that Apple has sold approximately 3.27 million iPads, and the number is expected to increase. And while many people have indicated that they wish to purchase an iPad at some point, not everyone is willing (or have the finances) to fork over $500.

iPads do seem like a good way to enhance more readership in newspapers, simply because this is a device that can easily be carried. While people might be able to look at newspapers on their phones, it is hard to read the tiny text, and scroll back and forth, up and down to get the full story. Some people have laptops, but those can be bulky, and not convenient to carry with at all times. So why would people choose to carry an electronic device instead of just hit up a newspaper stand?

First off, there is the large variety of newspapers that are already online, several of which are free. When you go to a newspaper stand, there are many selections as well, but it isn't practical to buy five different papers when you could simply have five different windows open on an iPad. With the iPad, you can download the newspaper apps, and open them that way.

Secondly, while there are some free newspaper apps, not all of them are free. For the ones that do cost, the price is generally around three bucks, and that is a one-time deal. How nice would it be not to dig the change out from under the couch each morning to buy your daily newspaper? Already the Wall Street Journal has had more than 650,000 downloads, many of those with paid subscribers.

Even though there seem to be many benefits of using the iPad for newspapers, there are also downsides. There is of course the possibility that you set it down somewhere and someone else walks off with it. Just like a computer or phone, you could accidentally dump water on it, leave it in the hot sun, etc. and fry it. And what about when the iPad updates (like so many devices do), are people going to pay each time to get a new one?

I think that utilizing the iPad to read newspapers is a good idea, though it may not be as practical in a few years. Newspapers are not going to make money at it unless they charge consumers to download their apps. I am anxious to see how this pans out in the coming years.

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What Is All the Fuss About???

The ever popular mobile game Foursquare is set to hit 4 million users this week.

According to an article by Jennifer Van Grove, it was reported to online site Mashable that Foursquare will reach its 4 millionth member some time this week. That number has come as a surprise to many since it was only 50 days ago that Foursquare gained 3 million members.

For those who do not know what Foursquare is here's a brief explanation. Foursquare is a mobile social media game in which users check in when they reach a destination listed by Foursquare. Users earn points and badges for where and how many times they check in during a month.

Users can also track where their friends are through foursquare and it links up to other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Now why has Foursquare seen such a huge rise in usage? Well it appears to this blogger that Foursquare is sort of an interesting social media tool that society can use. However what is really the point of Foursquare.

To me it just seems like another crazy game that can distract people from important events in society. It seems like people would spend more time trying to rack up points at different places when they could be doing something more productive with their day.

Now I have never used Foursquare so in essence I should not judge a book by its cover, but it really seems pointless to me. My honest opinion is that Foursquare holds no true value in society. It may be a good and fun way to track your friends and others but it really seems like a waste of time.

Maybe I am wrong but this just seems like another social media entity that is taking over our society and whether it is for the better or not who knows. In my opinion we would be better off without distracting games like Foursquare.

At some point there has to be too much in regards to the social media options. I think sticking with things such as Facebook and Twitter are good because they can actually provide some newsworthy information. Foursquare and its counterparts do not do any of that. Some of this social media stuff is really just becoming a waste of time.

Photo courtesy of Flickr, Nan Palmero

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Gates Foundation Plans to Boost Education with $20 Million Fund

Aiming to improve America's education system, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on Monday, Oct. 11 an initiative to help college students succeed with technology.

As reported by the New York Times,
the $20 million fund is being targeted to community colleges in order to boost college graduation rates among low-income and minority students.

“We’re living in a tremendous age of innovation. We should harness new technologies and innovation to help all students get the education they need to succeed,” Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Gates Foundation, said.

The initiative is called the 'Next Generation Learning Challenges' and it will provide financial grants for organizations and entrepreneurs to develop efficient online learning tools.

With a total fund of $20 million, grants will range from $250,000 to $750,000 for those applicants with top-rated proposals. Furthermore, the program will also allow current successful educational programs to expand and affect much larger groups of students.

The 'Next Generation Learning Challenges' program aims to incite the use of interactive applications like virtual simulations, interactive video and social media, thus, reinforcing students’ learning.

This program would also support the availability of OpenCourseWare, free and open digital publications of university-level educational material that can benefit students and professors as well.

Organizations supporting the initiative include: the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, EDUCASE, and other three nonprofit organizations; all with expertise in educational leadership and management.

As current and coming generations of college students experience constant technological changes, I believe initiatives like these are the best approach not only to improve education but also enhance society with more high-skilled individuals.

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Twitter connects Obama to youth

On October 14th, President Obama took action to reach out to the young people  by holding a live, interactive, commercial-free discussion on MTV, BET, CMT, and others.  

The discussion was open to 225 young people in the audience and anyone with a Twitter account.

By using the hastags #mygreatesthope and #mygreatestfear, all users able to voice their hopes and fears to the president.

Many concerns were addressed at the chat. Some of which included: violence in schools, legal immigration, crime among young people, increasing the rates of black men and women in college, and fears of America turning into a communist country.

Obama answered each concern individually, enforcing the idea of unity by saying, "We're all Americans. We all want the best for this country. We may have some disagreements in terms of how to get there, but all of us want to make sure our economy is strong, the jobs are growing..."

Politically speaking, this type of discussion can enforce a sense of unity among the youth for the future. Obama is known for reaching out to the young people. He is putting forth effort to get the youth involved with issues of their nation by using Twitter and MTV (popular mediums) as means to connect.

Other media platforms that were used included MTV.com, BET.com, and CMT.com where the chats were streamed live. Not only was media used to help viewers interact with Obama, but the discussion could be viewed by way of television or Internet, which increased viewer ratings.

These forms of media should  be attributed to the unity of the nation because only a select number of individuals would have been able to contribute to the conversation without them. By using Twitter to help viewers interact, the opinions of all young people were heard and addressed.

There is much thanks to be given to technology and media for opportunities like this to be made possible.

To view a clip from the discussion, visit http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/582038/a-conversation-with-obama-begins-with-a-question-on-healthcare.jhtml.

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Social Media and Advertising

As social media like Facebook and Twitter grow, banner ads are becoming less common.

Banner ads are usually rectangular and placed above, below, or on the either side of a Website.

Even though these ads may be annoying to the average consumer, a good chunk of money is spent on them each year. Last year, $23 billion was spent on Internet advertising with one-third of that being spent on advertising involving banner ads.

Twitter and Facebook are affecting banner ads quite a bit because from my personal experience I haven't seen many banner ads on those forms of social media.

One thing that social media has been a helping hand with is the ability to customize ads based on the user's interaction or interests.

Have you ever noticed how the ads, usually on Facebook, involve your interests?

Google's managing director for media and platforms for the Americans thinks 75 percent of ads will be "socially enabled" by the 2015.

That means that the new advertising formats would allow for "on-the-fly" customization while the user currently interacts with the site.

I find this to be interesting because now social media isn't simply just for personal use. It's becoming a tool for companies as well.

Even though banner ads aren't doing so well right now there will be a new generation that evolves from that failure.

You can go to Dorian Benkoil's blog, "As Social Media Grows, What Will Become of the Plain Old Banner Ad?," for more information.

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Reality is Made for TV After All

Reality TV isn't the only thing presenting reality with an agenda like a soap opera; a recent rescue of 33 miners could be the script for a movie.

Every trapped miner has a story line. Each is a well developed character with a family waiting on the surface for their rescue. Each had a will to live, and each appeared to be "resurrected" from the earth.


When a person sees this kind of story in the news, it can stir questions about reality versus scripted reality. How much of what is shown on TV a true replication of reality--even when it is reported?
It is a strange thing to think about. How much of reality is actually shown as reality?

Over the years there has been more and more distrust of the government. It would seem like if they can't trust the government they would then turn to the media (an establishment supposedly free from the government) in order to find truth. However, the public should perhaps be cautious about putting this kind of trust in the media.

We've all heard about or been warned about biases. We all have one and we all use one--but maybe more importantly, we all are exposed to information that has been filtered through a bias.

So what does that mean for reality TV? Most would agree that it isn't exactly representative of true reality. Instead, reality TV does a lot to influence our perspective on reality.

It's our job to filter out what we want to believe and what we don't. It's our job to question what is presented as 'reality' no matter what source it comes from.

Finally, it is our job to remember that everything is presented through and experienced through certain biases and the only way to truly understand the information is to understand what parts of our own perspective are influenced by these biases.

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More Scientific Journalism is a Necessity

"Food, Fuel & Society: Stories of a Changing Landscape" was the name of the Symposium held at University of Missouri on Tuesday, October 12th to discuss Science Journalism. Ira Flatow, a radio and television journalism who hosts National Public Radio's Science Friday, was the keynote speaker for the event.

Lasting all day and broadcasted online and by many Midwest radio stations, this Symposium discussed topics such as agriculture production, food and fuel issues and immigrant farm workers.

These are all issues that Flatow would typically talk about on Science Friday, which always focuses on science, technology, environmental and health issues.

According to a study, the public wants to see more science in the news. Science Friday has over 73,000 followers on their Twitter page, over 14,000 Facebook fans, over 1.5 million subscribers to their podcasts and a website with high traffic.

There numbers demonstrate that there are people wanting and receiving scientific news. However, there are a few problems that make it difficult to include science in the media.

1. ) Science is being ignored
Many stations and newspapers are eliminating science coverage because of the total complications with including it. For example, in 2009 the Boston Globe completely eliminated it's scientific coverage.

2.) Science is often "dumbed down"
Many scientific facts are not common knowledge and it can be difficult for the average person to grasp some scientific facts. Media outlets want to entertain, not educate, so science news is being shared in simpler terms that don't get the point across instead of being fully explained.

3.) Poor communication
There are not enough scientists sharing their facts and knowledge with those writing. Journalists can't write stories about something they know nothing about, and it's hard to dig up true scientific facts to accurately report. Scientists and journalists must learn to further collaborate.

These problems may be hard to overcome, but it's crucial that we do so. Bill Allen of Missouri School of Journalism says that student journalists need to get out and understand the importance and complexity of scientific topics and learn how to effectively relay them to the public.

Flatow agreed by saying, "If you teach people to be good story tellers, they can tell a story about anything and make it interesting- even science."

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Want to be seen in Times Square? Like Corona.

Corona Light is turning to Facebook in efforts to attract more young consumers. According to a recent blog, all you have to do is find the Corona Lite Facebook group, "like" them, then upload a photo of yourself on their Times Square app.

And if you happen to be in the New York City area any time between November 8th to December 6th, you may just see your face over Times Square.

While this may not seem like someone over the top, it is interesting that no one else has ever really tried this before (as far as companies go). What better way to attract more consumers than by offering them the chance to see their face blown to mammoth proportions over one of the busiest cities in the US?

Not only may this mean more sales for Corona, but Times Square may also see a surge in tourism, with people wanting to chance seeing themselves.

It also appears as though Corona is attempting to be somewhat responsible, because whenever I attempt to go to their Facebook page, it simply redirects me to my homepage. While this may be a glitch, I also feel as though this may be happening due to the fact that I am under 21. I think this is a smart move on their part, because they will look more responsible to parents and potential future business partners.

If more companies tried this form of advertising, do you think they would have the success? Like Corona's Facebook page, and see if your face appears on Times Square.

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Why Journalism is Shaped by Search Engines

Being in the age of the internet, when we look for news, where is the first place we go?

Online.

But what about from there? Usually to Google, or some other type of resource commonly known as a search engine.

Search engines anymore are the channels that take us directly to an online news source. Whether it be a news website, a blog, forums, or any number of online-based periodicals, search engines direct our flow of gathering news. By typing in key words or phrases, the 'web master' knows to collect all relevant materials that could supplement your search...in mere seconds. -Talk about efficiency.

But often times the channels search engines use gets cluttered with a lot of the 'junk' that's out there. So while you may search for a specific topic or item, the likelihood of getting results that seem unrelated increases.

For journalists, this is incredibly problematic if you want your work to get read by the most readers possible; you want to be the first search result that comes up on any designated search or browser.

As more and more news gets shifted to online sites and in digital form, news writers must be aware of the many changes that are occurring in the methods which people gather their news.

Ross Dawson is a globally recognized entrepreneur and speaker, specializing in business strategies and consultant work for various firms. Dawson recognized seven key issues to consider as news continues to make its way on to the world wide web.

1. Traffic online provides substantial media income.

The more hits an article or a site has in a given time frame, the more money that source receives from advertisers also wanting to get views for potential sales.

2. Headline writing is becoming its own art form...and possibly even a science.

You won't just bring in the traffic by having a play-on-words field-day in a headline. While it may seem witty, you can't deceive the readers. If they expect one thing, but find another when they actually get the article, they'll leave immediately. Headlines need to be sharp and to the point, but compelling enough to draw in an audience.

3. Feedback has become faster and more accurate.

Instead of mailing in to the editor of a paper, readers can post replies, critiques, and reactions in a comment box below an article in seconds. Editors can easily read up on responses to news, see what's the most popular, and organize the top viewed news quickly. It makes balancing advertising and editorial interests much easier.

4. There must be a balance between commercial interests and media integrity.

No one wants to be overwhelmed by advertisements...and especially if they influence readers' opinions of the news. Ads need to be positioned in objective areas so they don't distract from the news itself. -Otherwise the audience won't want to read the story.

5. Recognizing that content influences search visibility.

Writing search engine-friendly text helps information get searched more easily. By using keywords, links, and trending topics, journalists can assess their audience to know what they're looking for. By doing this, the rate at which their news will be viewed increases dramatically.

6. Performance-based pay for journalists will increase.

A lot of writers only get paid for what they write, and some get paid on how much their work gets viewed. This is known as pay-per-view journalism. If journalists know their livelihood depends on writing, they'll be more intentional on making it search-friendly to get more views...because everyone wants to get paid.

7. Using advertising to gain online traffic.

As much as ads can be a pain, they're the sustaining factor of a search engine. Without them, companies like Google, Bing, and Ask.com wouldn't be able to sustain themselves for very long. Some ad companies have even begun 'bidding' on frequently searched terms as a way to gain traffic and support their own agenda.

In short, the online mode of news gathering, specifically through search engines, can change the way we view and interpret the news. By recognizing these changes and their impact on journalistic writing and reporters, it can help shape our attitudes toward this 'new' medium.

(so when newspapers eventually die out, we have a suitable 'back up plan')

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Better to Threaten Than to be Nice

Interestingly enough, a study, done by the University of Arizona, shows that threatening government agencies works better than taking the nice and friendly approach.

This study sent different government agencies letters to request public records. Some agencies were sent a friendly and polite letter, others were sent neutral letters and the rest were sent a "legalistic letter that threatened litigation for noncompliance."

Of the friendly and neutral letters sent out, half responded. Surprisingly two thirds of the agencies who received the threatening letter responded back, and more quickly to top it off.

To most the friendly letter would seem to get more responses. "Treat other how you want to be treated", right? Guess not.

To have a better chance at getting the information and in a timely manner sending a threatening letter is your best option.

The Student Press Law Center offers assistance to journalism students looking to obtain public records from stubborn government agencies.

Many still say to first use the friendly and polite approach because it can result in a more pleasant response. Then if this doesn't get journalists what they want they should send them a threatening letter.

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Rumors Upgrade From Bathrooms To CellPhones

Back when I was in middle school I found out all the gossip from the bathroom doors or by word of mouth. No matter what it is rumors are bad, but people still continue to spread them or talk about them.

Today rumors are spread easier and faster due to easy access of text messaging, e-mail, and other forms of social media like Facebook. One simple click of forward and the original message can be send to anyone on a contacts list.

In an article I read this is exactly what happened to a Duke student. She made a list about some one's sexual life and all their partners and sent it to only three people and before she knew it basically the entire campus knew about it.

She did not intend for it to spread at all and not that fast. She talks about how she regrets sending the message out. This is why you have to be careful what you say and who you tell things to.

When it comes to the Internet anything posted or submitted because it is that easy. Especially videos, pictures, and conversations. Anyone can post a video now a days to hurt some one's reputation.

It is starting younger and younger because kids ranging from 3rd-5th grade now have cell phones. It is crazy to think that little kids have this technology and who knows who well they are monitored with it.

Like the article says technology is not all bad. It is a good thing to be knowledgeable of it. However, people need to use it for the right things and not to bash other people's reputations.

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New Trend in Social Media

Facebook and Twitter have quickly become a huge part of our lives. We are connected to these sites whenever, and where ever. With them easily accessible through our laptops, iTouch, or mobile device. It doesn't stop there.

There are many social media sites that offer things that others do not. For example, Facebook is used more for staying connected with those in your network. While Twitter is more news informational by having links connected to their posts.

A recent social media service such as Stickybits and Bakodo allows a user at any given moment to let any smartphone owner to pull out their device, load a barcode scanning application, scan a code and complete activities or gain access to large amounts of immediate relevant information.

This creation of social media and barcode scanning is making it's own name called "social scanning." This barcode scanning behavior is used at a location tool for those who like to share their location with friends on sites.

Stickybits allows users to add video, text, photos and audio to the barcodes they scan in the physical world via iPhone and Andriod apps. Barcodes also help people tag, share and connect around items.

There is also a program called "Official bits" that allows companies to be more brand friendly to claim their brands and to highlight their own content.

iPhone has an app from Bakodo that first came out at as a comparison shopping tool but is now converting to more of a social scanning status.

I wonder how long this social media will last, because the act of scanning a barcode other than working at a store seems odd.

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Another Blow to Legacy Media Courtesy of Online Media

Why is it that many legacy media types are jumping ship to online media?

In an article I read today by Mark Glaser, he (Glaser) conducts an interview with the "dean of media critics" Howard Kurtz. It was announced this week that Kurtz would be leaving the Washington Post after 29 years to join Tina Brown's online only Daily Beast. Why, would a journalist/critic such as Kurtz, leave the Washington Post to join an online only media source that has been losing money since it started?

Well that just seems to be the growing trend among old fashioned journalists. Many of whom are leaving the traditional media market to join the ever growing online media market. Kurtz is quoted in the article as saying he "was enticed by the prospect of working with Brown, and helping to shape a start up."

Here's what I think. This move is definitely a blow to traditional media. Seeing a well known journalist make a move to a strictly online media source has to raise some eyebrows. In reality however I feel Kurtz has made a wise decision.

Online media is where journalism is heading. It is only a matter of time before we start seeing more and more print newspapers fade away due to lack of revenue and/or readership. As much as I wish this was not the case, it is.

Kurtz is all the wiser for making the jump now and getting his foot in the door before the proverbial herd follows. Whether or not Kurtz has success in this start up venture remains to be seen. If he does then great. If not then I'm sure there will be yet another online media source he could go to because lets face it, legacy media outlets are fading fast. Online media is quickly moving from the future to now. The only thing to ask now is who goes next?





Photo courtesy of Yan Arief, Flickr

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Patch Journalists Give Back to their Community

Patch journalist, Elizabeth Shemaria, takes advantage of Patch's "Give5" program to bring awareness of journalism to fifth grade students.

Patch, a community-specific news and information platform, has its professional editors, writers, photographers and videographers to participate in a program called the "Give5" program. This program allows Patch employees to give back to their community.

Patch is all about making your life better by giving you quick access to the information that is most relevant to you.

Elizabeth Shemaria, editor for Danville, CA Patch, shows this program in full swing.

Shemaria wrote an article on participating in the program by volunteering at Greenbrook Elementary. Here she taught fifth graders about writing and different types of journalism.

While she was there, she introduced different types of stories. They listened to a radio story, watched a video story and looked at an interactive timeline.

Other elements that she talked about how you can tell a story with writing and photos, and how sound and video clips reinforce your news story's credibility.

All in all, Shemaria was impressed with how much the students wanted to learn, and how much they already knew about her job.

Shemaria's contribution to her community has given insight to these fifth grade students about the basics behind what a journalist does. More about the local patch team for the Danville, CA Patch.

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Get the Interview

Sitting on the other side of the table in the office can be difficult to grasp sometimes.

Many people are not comfortable interviewing other people. As a journalist, you cannot fear interviewing people or introducing yourself to perfect strangers.

Being personable is simply part of a journalist's job. It is an absolutely necessity to have.

This last week, for many students in class, was the first time interviewing someone for a story.

I found some helpful tips for those of you who may have struggled or just want to improve.

Ten Tips for a Better Interview can be helpful for knowing the basic guidelines.

Tip 1: Be prepared and don't ever think you'll be fine if you slack a bit.

Tip 2: Make sure the person you're interviewing knows exactly what you are wanting to write about.

Tip 3: Be punctual. Do not be late as it gives a horrible first impression, and many people that are interviewed have busy schedules.

Tip 4: Be observant during the interview to sort of gain a better understanding of the person being interviewed.

Tip 5: Be polite. Manners are a must when interviewing people. After all, they do not have to let you interview them.

Tip 6: Listen intently but if you don't understand something, speak up. Most people being interviewed are happy to explain things further.

Tip 7: Remain silent sometimes. If the person being interviewed doesn't like a question you might have asked they may become silent. Do not break the silence, usually the other person will get too uncomfortable and break the silence with the answer.

Tip 8: Make eye contact. The interview should flow sort of like a conversation, which makes your interview more personable and go better as a general rule.

Tip 9: Before leaving ask the person if there was anything you missed, and thank them for their time.

Tip 10: Review the notes you take after the interview and don't wait until the day your story is due.

Bonus tip: Take some kind of a voice recorder. For more information on that, check out Top Tool for a Journalist.

With those tips taken into consideration, you will become a pro-interviewer soon enough.

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Microsoft Falsely Uses "Angry Birds" Image

Through one way or another, everyone seems to have heard of Angry Birds- an addicting app for the iPhone, as well as numerous other phones, that has sold over 6.5 million copies, making it the prime example of an app success story.

Angry Birds gained further attention when recent promotional images for the Windows Phone 7 showed an icon of the game, leading viewers to believe Microsoft's smart phones would now have the app.

In a Twitter post, however, Angry Birds developer Rovio Mobile denied the claim.

"We have NOT committed to doing a Windows Phone 7 version. Microsoft put the Angry Birds icon on their site without our permission," the company said.

Microsoft later admitted that it had made a mistake, saying that the Angry Birds application was accidentally included on the website.

This is an obvious case of Microsoft jumping the gun with a promotional add. Microsoft may have been making arrangements with Rovio for the use of its app, but I think that it's safe to say that any agreement is now off.

Rovio is- to say the least- angry. And, it should be. The image of Angry Birds belongs to Rovio, and the fact that Microsoft used it without Rovio's permission is wrong.

Yet Microsoft fans shouldn't give up hope just yet. Rovio said in later tweets that "

We could do a WP7 version of Angry Birds, not the issue. We have not agreed to do that (yet). Will support all relevant platforms.”

I think that if Rovio is smart, it will work with Microsoft. The company will make big bucks if it expands its market to Microsoft users.

Furthermore, Microsoft should play a little nicer with Rovio and other developers if it want Angry Birds and other must-have apps that smart phone users now crave.

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Google Cars: Cool and Intriguing

Google announced its enrollment in what could be a benchmark in technology this past week.

Being more specific, according to the New York Times, Google has been working on self-driven vehicles controlled by artificial-intelligence software that allows for a human-like driving experience.

These robot-cars equipped with a GPS receiver, motion sensors, and videocameras, are capable of replicating human decisions based on the proximity of objects around the car.

These modified cars have been set and tested on San Francisco's streets without any human intervention except for a person behind the wheel and a technician to monitor the navigation system in case anything goes wrong. Fortunately, all tests have been successful.

As stated in the official Google Blog, Google's goal in the development of this technology is "to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use."

Google's initiative to increase public safety and develop once-dreamed robotics is amazing, unfortunately this technology is far from reaching consumers and it makes me wonder: would this become something like the iPad?

Sure the iPad is revolutionary and allows people to multitask, but not everyone can afford one and some even think it's a waste of money.

If self-driven cars were to become only appealing and affordable to a few people, then Google's new technology wouldn't be as beneficial for society as they wish.

I believe this technology would just be useful to mark another crucial moment in U.S. history concerning technological research and development, thus, I doubt this technology could be profitable and reach a large amount of consumers.

What's your opinion on Google's innovative technology?

Note: Pictures and video of the modified cars can be found in the original NY Times report.

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