Online Journalism

Don’t know what microblogging is? How about Twitter? Twitter is the best example of microblogging as its most popular platform. Microblogging is really quite simple: You are your own publisher of anything piece of writing in 140 words or less (called a “tweet” on Twitter). It is a more effective way to report and follow news than anything else because of it’s real time feed function. Microblogging also allows for more interaction among users: You can “retweet” what someone else says, use a “hashtag,” which allows users to see all tweets related to a specified subject, or direct a tweet to someone using @example.

“Journalism without photographs is like writing without words,” says according to Mark Briggs, author of “Journalism Next.” In this day and age, we are lucky to have digital technology because it’s made our life much easier. No more taking those big bulky cameras out to site.

Some old-timers might relish in classic technology and not realize the advantages of digital photography such as:

- Taking as many pictures as you want

- Seeing the picture you took on your camera there and then

- Uploading pictures to the web for your network to see

- Editing the pictures on a computer

- Not needing to purchase film every 24 pictures

Some of the best software to use in conjunction with digital photos:

iPhoto, Windows Photo Gallery: Good for basic photo editing

Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket: Good for managing your photo collection online

Photoshop Elements, Pain Shop Pro: Good for advanced photo editing

Photoshop: Good for serious photographers and web designers

For more tips on taking and editing photos, check out this tutorial:

Click here to view the embedded video.

According to a research poll in the Daily Telegraph, children living in the United Kingdom receive their first cell phone at the age of eight. Similarly, two-thirds of all Americans own a cell phone.

Shocking?

Amusing?

Boring?

Well, either way, we can all agree that mobile journalism is changing the news world. It brings the story a more personalized view point all the while telling it as soon as it happens. Some questions to ask yourself before pursuing a story through mobile journalism.

• Will the audience benefit if I tell them this story?
• Will the journalism be better if it’s done on location and with urgency?
• Will quick video footage or sound reporting help people understand the story?

If the answer is  to most of these questions, then maybe you should use mobile technology to report.  A few examples of times when you should use mobile journalism:

• Criminal and civil trials, especially when the verdict is being read
• Important speeches
• Breaking news
• Public gatherings such as protests
• Sporting events
• Grand openings in the area

Some items to take with you when reporting mobile:

• Laptop, iPad or some type of computer
• Internet connection
• Camera
• Video camera
• Audio recorder
• Tripod
• Cell phone!

In the end, enjoy yourself. Do what makes your comfortable. Tell the story, not your opinion (unless asked). And have fun.

Happy reading!

Image via Wikipedia

Microblogging. Most of us know what it is, we just don’t know it.

Microblogging “allows users to publish brief text messages, usually no more than 140 characters, with links to other Web sites, photos or videos. Messages can be submitted in a variety of ways, including text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail, digital audio or simply posting to the Web. In other words, you can go to the microblog, or you can have it come to you.”

Recognize it? Sounds a lot like Twitter.

As Professor Klein and our guest speakers have talked about, Twitter is absolutely essential to being a journalist or reporter in today’s world. It may change eventually or re-invent itself, but Twitter isn’t going away.

And that’s a good thing, because Twitter is probably the most efficient way to receive news and definitely the fastest. When Twitter is used in the right manner, it can be the best tool for a journalist. You can break news. You can let people know what you’ve just had published. You can use it to get tips or feedback from citizens in the area you cover. You can gain a larger audience, which is always great. You can interact with your audience.

“One great thing about Twitter–and this is why it is so useful for student journalists–is that after a while it trains you to look for interesting things around you (and think how you can communicate that in 140 characters). Those who write off the minutiae of Twitter need to realize: it’s the writer who makes it interesting.” — Paul Bradshaw