Brave New Media, Katrine Sorensen

Live it, learn it. As the name implies, new media is a relatively new phenomenon to society; Therefore, people will have to adjust to these new ways of communicating, just as our forefathers adjusted themselves to massive technological leaps that changed both the structure of society and the way society was viewed. However, every time a new invention becomes integrated into our lives we have to make a new set of 'rules' to control the negative impacts on human interaction. Kevin Penny writes in his blog post Journalism 2.0: benefit or burden?: "Although I will digress that the Internet supplies vast amounts of information to the general public, we as a society must learn to use it responsibly." I think that the problem not only lies with the internet, but with many other technologies; the cellphone is a good example of a piece of technology where people have had to come up with some kind of behavioral code surrounding it: is it ok to drive while talking on your cell? Is it fine to discuss your sex life on the phone while riding the LRT? Most of it is common sense, but it is important to acknowledge the new problematics that arise when a new medium is introduced.

Which brings meto social media. I find it surprising that young people who have grown up in an era saturated with digital discourse keep making the same mistakes again and again: publishing material via social media sites such as Facebook that should never have been published. Why don't we learn from the mistakes of others? College students from Australia had to learn the hard way that you cannot get away with publishing antisemitic material when an article about the mishap was published in Sydney Morning Herald. Yes, it was probably meant as a harmless joke, but the repercussions from the joke may be severe when it is 'out there'. Future employers will be wary to hire people who do not understand how to behave online.

As journalists it is important to remember that you are a professional who represents the company at all times - they own your name so to speak. It is problematic if a journalist publishes material on Facebook or Twitter that shows lack of judgement. Especially journalists who have had a virtual feeding frenzy over the many slips of tongue online should know better. Which makes the case of the British journalist Rod Liddle even more ludicrous. According to an article by The Daily Telegraph, Liddle wrote the following on in a blog for the British newspaper The Spectator: "The overwhelming majority of street crime, knife crime, gun crime, robbery and crimes of sexual violence in London is carried out by young men from the African-Caribbean community." Biased? The British Press Complaints Commission seemed to think so when they censored the blog for the first time in Britain.

The concept of privacy is being redefined with all the new forms of communication available. Even on a private Facebook page (as private as it can get), Facebook owns the right to the material published. Personally, I think that it is a bit scary that I don't have any control over what happens with the material I publish online, and it takes away the fun of Facebook when you have to take responsibility of every single silly comment ever made. Caution is advised, and I almost miss the good old Windows pop-up boxes: "are you sure you want to post this comment?". As jarring as it sounds, perhaps we will have to start censoring ourselves online?

Note: image from rextnt.com

The Power of Blogging, Katrine Sorensen

One of the advantages of blogging for journalists is the exposure it creates. One of the important upsides is that it is possible to publish material without having to go through an editor; in fact, blogging can be considered a playground where writers can show off their talent, or as Megan Perras describes it in her blog post about citizen journalism: 'open mic night'. If used correctly, blogging could be opening the door to a job in the industry, just like a talented singer can be spotted at an open mic night. The independence makes it a very attractive medium for journalism students or young journalist since it can be very hard to get material published without any experience or contacts because it takes no prerequisites to write for a virtual audience. But what does it take to reach this virtual audience?

A good example of a career altering blog is Julie Powell's blog 'The Julie/Julia Project'. Powell was an aspiring but struggling writer who decided to start blogging about her attempt to cook her way through the culinary classic 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' by Julia Child. The blog became immensely popular, newspapers and magazines wrote stories about Powell and her blog, she wrote a book about it, and, finally, a film was created recently based on the stories of Julie and Julia. The moral of the Julie Powell story: do not ignore blogging as a medium, writers cannot afford to underestimate the free publicity. Powell's blog cannot be scrutinized enough for techniques used to catch the interest of the public; in addition, a list of the most popular blogs (updated daily) can be viewed at Technorati's website for further inspiration to the ambitious blogger.

However, the blogger who pursues a career in professional writing will have to tread carefully into the realm of blogging; although blog writers have a level of freedom with style, content and use of language that they will never experience in the publishing industry, they will also have to rely on their own editing skills since no editor will examine their copy. One of the pitfalls of blogging is that all errors will be painfully obvious to all of cyberspace and hence potential employers. Therefore, getting into the habit of writing blogs and, in particular, editing blogs is very good practise for the future. Especially with the increased pressure on the editors in the news industry, journalists will need the ability to edit their work thoroughly, efficiently, and swiftly. And what better skill is there to show off on your blog than amazing editing abilities?

Note: image from blog.sherweb.com.

New Media and Journalism Time-line, Student Names

New Media and Journalism Timeline, Shannon Findlay and Pamela Di Pinto

New Media and Journalism Time-line, Robert Smethurst

New Media and Journalism Time-line, Jennifer Carbert, Aden Joy Cruz

New Media and Journalism Time-Line, Katrine Sorensen, Stevzzzen Wagers

New Media and Journalism Time-line, Devon Bowie, Jesse Snyder

Journalism Students and the Digital Era, Shannon Findlay and Pamela Di Pinto

By Shannon_Findlay View this Toon at ToonDoo Create your own Toon

The cartoon above represents how social media has become popular for many uses in our society. Not only as a way to keep in touch, but to deliver news, share pictures, and connect with large audiences quickly. Social media is an effective tool that all journalists should be prepared to work with.

Journalism Students & the Digital Era, Aden Cruz

By AdenCruz View this Toon at ToonDoo Create your own Toon

In Howard Rheingold’s video, he reiterated the idea that “…newspaper people aught to take into account as they move journalism into this new form is the ability to link and thus to create an infinite number of refractions on stories that had to be told only in one dimension previously. Multimedia, the capability of taking audio and video and graphic simulations and add them to the repertoire of text and still images in the same medium.”

My cartoon depicts the fact that journalists now have a lot of baggage (literally, and in their work-load) due to the new multi-media standards of reporting. Not only are journalists writers, they are also the photographer, videographer, and the audio person.

On the last scene the reporter says she needs to tweet and blog; something Rheingold's video also focused on was the importance of adapting to social media and being accessible to audience participation.

Journalism Students and the Digital Era, Kris Hoyt

By KRHoyt View this Toon at ToonDoo Create your own Toon

This one is not meant to be funny. Basically, the reporter managed ot get the story, but because the wi-fi failed, he could not get it up on time. As a result the competitor's got it up first while this paper needed to wait for the print version. I hope it's clear.

Journalism Students and the Digital Era, Katrine Sorensen

By katrinehs View this Toon at ToonDoo Create your own Toon

I got the impression from the video blog that the editors and new organizations are looking for people who have an interest in learning and participating in online media. Whatever the individual journalist's opinion is about journalism 2.0, to be against it is the direct route to unemployment in today's business.

Journalism Students & the Digital Era, Steven Wagers

By SWagers View this Toon at ToonDoo Create your own Toon

In my toodoo I wanted to show what would happen to you, as a journalist, if you were to not follow with the times. The industry is moving increasingly towards using social media as a way to get news out. If you don't adapt to these changes, you will surely be attacked viciously by multiple aliens, so I'd get familiar with social media if I were you.

Journalism Students & the Digital Era, Jennifer Carbert, Devon Bowie

By MechaStalin | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

We decided to create a cartoon about a foolish person (luddite) stuck to the old ways of publishing media. Internet and progress ran over everything in its way including the old school luddite. And now he is in hell. \m/

Journalism Students & the Digital Era, Jayme Hagen and Terra Poole

In this constantly changing social media landscape it is vital you are familiar with all the tools available. By not learning a specific type of media, such as Twitter, you are alienating a potential audience. Even if you don't necessarily like the social media, you never want to narrow your audience by your own ignorance.

By jaymehagen | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon