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!