Devon Bowie's E- Portfolio - Final Blog Post

I approach the end of my first year of Journalism, and my Proofreading and Copy-Editing class. I have learned much about blogging, and have even somewhat kind of embraced Twitter. I'm probably not going to use it much, but I no longer hate it with such a vigorous passion that I once did. I'd agree with Kevin; however, that this class does need a name change.


Through my blogging, I have learned other things as well. Though I could have blogged before this class (Though I'd likely screw up formatting and tags), through the research for the blog posts I have done, I gained knowledge. The Vice Guide to Liberia, for instance, which I watched for one of my posts. In that video series, I learned much about something that I otherwise would have known little about, and gained +1 Wisdom. I also levelled up and evolved into Charizard.



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Picture taken from Bulbapedia, a Pokemon wiki.
Yes, there is a Wikipedia dedicated to Pokemon.

Final Blog Post, Aden Cruz

I can't believe the end of this school year is nearly here. What I can believe (and have realized), however, is that I started this semester not knowing how vast and important the world of blogging and online content production is. I first opened a blog account back in March 2008, and I have yet to make any blog posts in those accounts due to an underlying fear that I had of the unknown consequences of blogging. After the blogging experiences that I’ve had in this class, I will certainly be making the blog entries I’ve been longing to compose since March 2008, Wordles and all!

Speaking of Wordles, my favourite part of this course is having learned ways of utilizing online resources such as Wordles and ToonDoos to add to and compliment blog posts. Realizing the benefits of these resources is extremely valuable, as I believe these are tools that I can use in order to rise above the sea of online content that is out in the World Wide Web. Catching readers’ attention is difficult with text alone, learning to utilize images and graphics has been very beneficial.

Just as important, however, are the other content addressed in this class. Understanding the importance of editing and fact checking for example is crucial in order to produce content that is responsible and respectable. Honing the skills to detect “Crap” is essential in bringing the readers credible stories as we learn to recognize credible sources. Recognizing bias and preventing it from our own copy is also critical to producing good and balanced journalism. Knowing how to effectively edit for the Web is critical for content to be easily read online. Understanding the importance of participatory and social media, adapting to it, then utilizing it is key to attaining and keeping readers.

Claire Theobald made a brilliant comparison when she wrote in her final blog post, “Great writing, is like an orchestra. When played correctly, all of the elements come together and form a piece of music that lifts the soul and shares an experience with all who sit to listen.” I completely agree, and I believe that what I have learned in this class will aid in having “…all the elements come together…” in my future journalistic endeavours.

Comments I have made:
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Activity related comments:
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Note
Image Source: Swarthmore Blog

External Links (also in copy)
Create a Wordle!

Internal Links (also in copy)
Claire Theobald's final blog post

Final Blog Post, Shannon Findlay

Since beginning my University studies in journalism, I've learned to expect nothing as nothing is what it seems. When I began the "Copyediting and Proofreading" course I anticipated a class filled with looking through texts in search of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and factual slip ups. I would never have foreseen the online direction in which we have taken. Up until this year I was blissfully unaware of the many different facets from which news can be drawn. Blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter, and on occasion, even Facebook can all be ways to find out what's going on in the world and community.

Before this class, blogging was a foreign concept to me. I had heard many people were making their voice heard through personal blogs, but for me the idea had thus far seemed unappealing. Now I have written my own blogs, and they are displayed in public domain for anyone to see and admire. What I once scoffed at, I can now understand the value in. Employers need not look far to find examples of my skill with the written word. An audience for my work can be established before I ever become published. Blogging can open doors for an aspiring writer if they know how to use it effectively and make the most of it.

I not only have learned to maneuver my way around a blog site, but can also use a myriad of other tools the Internet has provided for my disposal. Cartoon creating sites, Wordles, slide share technology, timeline creators and so on. Before this class I had no knowledge of even the existence of such technologies, but now I am capable of using them to enhance blogs, or any other project I undertake. Katrine said it best in her blog when she stated, "Whether for or against the media's use of Internet, social media, blogging, etc., it is necessary to know these communication tools when aspiring to become a journalist."

Where is the future heading? No one really knows. We can all speculate, but at the end of the day, they are just guesses with no clear answers. The best method to tackle the future of journalism is simply to be open to change and constantly learning. I may not keep up a blog of my own, but I will maintain the knowledge of how to use it. I'll remember the importance of editing, such as when to double check for maximum accuracy, and I will be ready for change. Knowledge is power. With the drive to never stop learning and adapting, I can only become more ready to take on whatever the future may bring.

*Note: image from newmediachatter.com

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Final Blog Post, Jayme Hagen

The way people want to receive their news has changed greatly over the past decade, as it does every decade. There has been a shift in the way consumers want their information.

Links

Links to relevant articles are mandatory in providing accurate background information and allowing the consumers to do some of their own fact checking.

Subheads

The way consumers want to see articles set up has also changed; they no longer want to see an article with one headline and text. Many subheads dividing the article into sections is much preferable. The consumer wants to be able to scan the article for information that he finds relevant; accurate subheads make this easier.

Lists

Lists are an effective tool to use in your articles because:

• they catch the consumers eye
• they are easily scannable
• they do a good job in summing up ideas

Personally, I find all of these things a little disheartening. A journalist can no longer write long articles because people will not take the time to read them. If people are really interested in a subject, should they not want to read the whole article?

New Technologies

Being able to post video and audio clips very easily has increased the accuracy of the news. You are now able to hear for yourself exactly what a person said with as little editorializing as possible, something that has been wonderful for journalism.

Journalism 2.0

Since these technologies are available to almost everyone, almost everyone is able to post their opinions. Whether or not they use this new power to do accurate reporting or simply to slander a person or company is up to them. As consumers, we have a greater responsibility to fact-check the articles we are reading through.

Fact-checking

Personally, even with all the inaccuracies found on blogs, I think they are a good thing. With everyone able to report, you are given more opinions on a subject and a more accurate overall view can be seen. People should always be doing their own fact-checking, blindly believing what a website says, whether than website is credible or not, is never a good idea. Now, if the articles are properly sourced, you are able to check links for yourself to verify authenticity.

As a journalist, I will do my best to learn these new technologies and use them in a way that makes what I am reporting on as accurate as possible. Limiting the amount of editorializing in my writing is priority number one, so the use of audio and video clips will play a vital role in this. Linking is an easy, but effective way to allow readers to fact-check, so I will do my best to maintain links and ensure they bring the consumer where it should go.

This year

To sum up, I learned the internet changed things. I also learned, like Joan Jett, "I don't give a damn about my bad reputation." I will be as objective as possible when I am writing an article, but I will do what I want in my spare time. A wise reporter once said, "Each journalist has biases too, it goes along with being a human being. However, this is not a negative thing." We are journalists, but we are people first.

Image taken from API Gamepro.

Here are some comments I have made throughout the semester:
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Final Blog Post, Ricki Cundliffe

At the end of the day, the most important thing I took away from this class was how to properly proofread, as well as how to blog in order to add to the World Wide Web. I think there's a huge difference between personal websites, and public blogging sites (which I never really thought of before). Also, I learned a lot about internal/external links, and how to properly cite sources. I didn't really realize what an important role technology plays in journalism now-a-days!

I had never blogged before taking this class, because I didn't really see the point of it. However, I liked reading some of the blog posts from fellow classmates, and being able to compare and contrast the views between everyone. Personally, I'm not sure if my own blog posts really added anything to the online world, but hey, I tried right? I don't know if I will go on to blog on my own time, but I'm happy that I know what it's all about and how to do it properly. If you were to continue on blogging, I think it would be important to expand your writing in a sense that more research should be done, and more specific topics should be tackled.

I've also gotten out of the habit of "txtspk," or whatever it's supposed to be called. I never thought twice before about putting the number "2" rather than spelling out the word, and I would type things like "b/w," rather than spelling out the word "between." After learning to properly blog, though, I think it's important to take that extra few seconds to properly spell and punctuate, because who's to say that someone will actually understand the "txtspk?" Meanwhile, I don't want my work to look unprofessional or rushed, because that automatically takes away credibility/reliability.

I learned what the proper signs are to edit, and I think it's something that should be taught much earlier in life (before post secondary school). Every teacher has a different marking and editing system, and I think these signs should be universal in order to prevent confusion and 15 different students shouting out, "I don't get what this says!" Personally, I like structure and obvious outlines, so as a journalist, I would like to see these signs taught (preached, basically) in order to teach people to properly edit work at an earlier age. After all, editing and proofreading is the final step in creating a great piece of writing.

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