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.

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

• 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

I would try to talk to/get information from

• Eyewitnesses
  
• Family/friends of Lincoln
• Andrew Johnson (named president after assassination)
• Police for info about the murder
  

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

The interactivity of the multimedia would be particularly helpful in bringing viewers to the site. I know that I, personally, enjoy when I can be involved with a story in any way!

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!

Class video

Phone Meeting

I was a little nervous to speak on the phone with someone who I'd never met before. Once I was on the phone, though, it felt very comfortable. I felt like I was talking to someone who I've known for awhile, actually! Although we couldn't talk long, Peggy and I talked about what my preferences in the class, how my writing was, and what I am looking forward to in the future. She also complimented me on my Q&A assignment and let me know that I asked great questions. It's nice to hear that kind of positive feedback!

Having Peggy work with us this year was definitely a different, but exciting, experience. She is experienced in the online field and works for MSN.com in New York. Since she knows and understands exactly what this field of work is looking for, she then relayed these things to us to benefit those who are looking to work in online journalism. I'm glad we had the chance to work with a professional in the field!

This semester, I have learned a lot about online journalism that I never would have known otherwise. I am getting pretty good at linking things with HTML for sure!! I learned that online journalism is more than just transferring news to a website. It's about related material and interactivity. Website viewers expect more than just the print newspaper. They want to be able to jump around the site quickly and effectively. If a news website posts a story, but no other links to previous material about that story, viewers may go to a different website to find more information.

I may not be interested in writing for news, but this class has helped me broaden my horizons and see what else is out there in terms of jobs. I never knew how many people it took to run a news website! Also, I have become familiar with what it takes to write news for online so if one day I change my mind, I have some experience already!