Inventions of new technologies have, throughout history, posed problems for the way news should be delivered. News has evolved from telegrams/print to radio to television to internet. Each medium has its own unique way of presenting information that had to be carefully worked to better fit the public. Today's medium of choice for most young people- the internet- is no different.
For the purpose of this blog, I looked into 4 newspapers' websites... my hometown newspaper, The Morning Call, Knoxville's newspaper, the Knoxville News Sentinel, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. The first thing I noticed as I pulled up these various sites was that they all have at least one color picture on the upper half of the main screen. This is most likely to catch the eye of the viewer without having them scroll down.
They all also have other things in common, such as search bars to search the web or their own site, numerous links, videos, a place for the viewer to contribute, and advertisements. I think all of these things help "upgrade" their online publications. You can't get interactive links, polls, and user-contributed content from any other medium as of now.
It is important for these newspapers to understand their audience. They realize that it is most likely a younger audience who will view their sites. In order to capture this particular audience's attention, personally I would make sure there was a lot of interactivity. Our generation is now used to a lot of things being instant and fitted for them with the evolution of the internet. I would make sure my site is prompt with up-to-the-minute news updates and plenty of room for feedback.
As for what gets reported and what doesn't, I feel that the newspapers now have got it right for the most part. With the internet compared to print, there is more room for various stories that maybe wouldn't have made it to the paper. Audiences like to feel included in their community and in its news, so I would make sure to try and get out on the streets and talk to real people. I would then make sure my site included a lot of these people's stories and news that involved them.
If I had a choice, I would choose to follow the current trend and publish news on the internet. I feel that it is much more interesting to have videos and polls online than to just read a story's words. I always enjoy to have an image or two that goes with the stories I read in print, and with the internet, it is possible! I also think it has a possibility of bringing a community together in ways print couldn't, especially by getting everyone involved!
12.02.2007
11.28.2007
The ever-evolving internet...
Have you ever had that feeling of just total helplessness? Well, that's how I feel every time my internet stops working or I am traveling without it, or even when I forget my cell phone. It's like I cannot be connected to the world without these things. I feel as if I am going to miss something big!
I think that the internet is everywhere! My parents just bought a fairly new device from Verizon that lets you access the internet through broadband anywhere that there is a cell phone tower. To me, it is incredible. All though I don't pay for internet capabilities on my cell phone, the mere fact that I could be connected anytime, anyplace if I wanted to, is also incredible!
Even though I am only 21 years old, I feel old when I think of what computers and the internet used to be like. I can still hear the sound of my computer dialing-up to AOL in my sleep! And I still remember how mad I used to get when I would be chatting with my friends and someone in the house would pick up the land line and... boom... I'd be kicked off! Some great fights started in my house because of that very reason!
Those were the times of Web 1.0... we no longer live in that era, but we will forever remember the "old" internet. The internet of the past, as I like to refer to it, was more of a place to send a quick email to a family member or friend. There wasn't much else to do but email, IM, and go into chatrooms.
The internet today is much different. Some people refer to it as Web 2.0... the next generation in internet! A blog by a man named Joe explained it pretty well to me. He says Web 1.0 is about writing, Web 2.0 is about reading, along with many other great comparisons.
As Tim O'Reilly explains in his article, What is Web 2.0, it seems to me as if Web 2.0 is easier to use, and more user-oriented. This can help the media use the internet because more people will spend more time searching the internet for interactive uses. The internet has become much more of an entertainment vice as well as for receiving information.
I think that the internet is everywhere! My parents just bought a fairly new device from Verizon that lets you access the internet through broadband anywhere that there is a cell phone tower. To me, it is incredible. All though I don't pay for internet capabilities on my cell phone, the mere fact that I could be connected anytime, anyplace if I wanted to, is also incredible!
Even though I am only 21 years old, I feel old when I think of what computers and the internet used to be like. I can still hear the sound of my computer dialing-up to AOL in my sleep! And I still remember how mad I used to get when I would be chatting with my friends and someone in the house would pick up the land line and... boom... I'd be kicked off! Some great fights started in my house because of that very reason!
Those were the times of Web 1.0... we no longer live in that era, but we will forever remember the "old" internet. The internet of the past, as I like to refer to it, was more of a place to send a quick email to a family member or friend. There wasn't much else to do but email, IM, and go into chatrooms.
The internet today is much different. Some people refer to it as Web 2.0... the next generation in internet! A blog by a man named Joe explained it pretty well to me. He says Web 1.0 is about writing, Web 2.0 is about reading, along with many other great comparisons.
As Tim O'Reilly explains in his article, What is Web 2.0, it seems to me as if Web 2.0 is easier to use, and more user-oriented. This can help the media use the internet because more people will spend more time searching the internet for interactive uses. The internet has become much more of an entertainment vice as well as for receiving information.
11.14.2007
President Lincoln assassinated
President Abraham Lincoln was shot late Friday night while attending a performance at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was officially pronounced dead Saturday morning. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and two other accomplices are currently at large. A $100,000 reward will be paid by the War Department for the apprehension of these criminals.
Multimedia
Multimedia
- Video of the shooting or of Booth getting away
- Time line of Lincoln's life and Civil War
- Information (Pictures, Biographies) about the three involved in the killing- John Wilkes Booth, John H. Surratt, and David C. Harold
- Interactive map of the theatre and surrounding areas
- Pictures/description of weapon(s) involved
- Photo slideshow of President Lincoln and his life
- Area for user-contributed media
- Description of who to call if reader has any information
- Eyewitnesses
- Family/friends of Lincoln
- Andrew Johnson (named president after assassination)
- Police for info about the murder
11.13.2007
Magazine story pitch
If I could choose any story to pitch for the website of the magazine, Cosmopolitan, I would choose to write about interesting events around the country that readers could enjoy. I know that the audience of Cosmopolitan would appreciate this type of article because the magazine focuses on ways to enjoy yourself and have a good time!Here's what I would pitch:
- The title would be "50 events in 50 states"
- It would be a continual feature story, running monthly with different events each month
- Still pictures of the event
- Personal opinions from those who has already attended events (MOS type)
- Video clips, if possible
- Interactive map, with interesting facts about each location
- Poll to see what events are most popular with the readers
- Message board for opinions on events for next issue
11.12.2007
Social Networking
Facebook could not have found me at a better time in my life.
I had just moved 600 miles from home in August of 2004. As soon as I got to my dorm, the buzz was definitely all about this new social networking site, Facebook. I was feeling a little homesick so I decided to see what this site was all about. Ever since, I have been able to keep in touch with my friends and sisters back home without racking up the phone bill. It's been so easy to share our new lives with each other through pictures.
A few months after I had signed up for Facebook that I heard about Myspace. I figured that since I had so much success with Facebook, I would see about this site as well. To my dismay, as soon as I signed up, I kept receiving dirty messages from guys and the occasional girl, too! It wasn't until I made my account private that I actually started to enjoy Myspace.
Facebook has become a little too much for me these last few months. They now allow anyone to create applications that can be used on your profile. Many of my friends, and myself included, have allowed our profiles to become a jumbled mess. While the applications let a little more personality shine through, I think Facebook could do without it.
On the other hand, I never really got into Myspace as much as I got into Facebook. I think the reason for this is that it was always pretty difficult to navigate through the site. I would get a lot of error messages and I would give up on it. It's very easy to get hacked into on this site as well! I also think that Myspace needs to be more filtered. There are a lot of fake accounts out there, and a lot of them are pretty risque. Also, there is not enough protection from kids getting on these sites. I think I would like Myspace more if they tightened the security and made it more user-friendly!
I had just moved 600 miles from home in August of 2004. As soon as I got to my dorm, the buzz was definitely all about this new social networking site, Facebook. I was feeling a little homesick so I decided to see what this site was all about. Ever since, I have been able to keep in touch with my friends and sisters back home without racking up the phone bill. It's been so easy to share our new lives with each other through pictures.
A few months after I had signed up for Facebook that I heard about Myspace. I figured that since I had so much success with Facebook, I would see about this site as well. To my dismay, as soon as I signed up, I kept receiving dirty messages from guys and the occasional girl, too! It wasn't until I made my account private that I actually started to enjoy Myspace.
Facebook has become a little too much for me these last few months. They now allow anyone to create applications that can be used on your profile. Many of my friends, and myself included, have allowed our profiles to become a jumbled mess. While the applications let a little more personality shine through, I think Facebook could do without it.
On the other hand, I never really got into Myspace as much as I got into Facebook. I think the reason for this is that it was always pretty difficult to navigate through the site. I would get a lot of error messages and I would give up on it. It's very easy to get hacked into on this site as well! I also think that Myspace needs to be more filtered. There are a lot of fake accounts out there, and a lot of them are pretty risque. Also, there is not enough protection from kids getting on these sites. I think I would like Myspace more if they tightened the security and made it more user-friendly!
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