AUGUST 30, 2010 Basics of Online Journalism. Advantages Significance Audience Control Nonlinearity Storage, Retrieval, & Unlimited Space Immediacy Multimedia.

AUGUST 30, 2010

Basics of Online Journalism

AdvantagesAdvantages SignificanceSignificance

Audience ControlNonlinearityStorage, Retrieval, &

Unlimited SpaceImmediacyMultimedia CapacityInteractivity & UGC

Stories need to be even more engaging

Stories need to be organized in chunks

You need to triple-check facts

You need to know print, web, audio, video, & photography!

Advantages of Online Journalism

Approaches to Online Journalism

Freestanding Journalism (e.g., Slate.com)Already-associated Journalism (e.g.,

CNN.com)Convergence Sites (e.g., TBO.com)News Aggregators (e.g., Digg.com, Google

News)Hyperlocal Sites (e.g., NewWest.net)Backpack Journalists or Mojos (i.e., YOU!)Legacy Media (e.g., LaramieBoomerang.com)

Shovelware + multimedia, links, UGC, or Web extras

Evaluating the Quality of Online Journalism

Who is the author?What is the content?Is the information accurate?When was it updated?What does it look like?

Online Journalism Terminology

Understanding the Web

ARPANET and “packets”Internet vs. Web (see “The Web is Dead”)Web browsers use the URL (address) to find the

requested information.The URL looks like http://www.klandreville.com

What does http stand for?

The website contains the html files that visually/graphically present the page to you. What does html stand for?

Pull vs. push technology between clients and servers RSS stands for what?

Understanding Digital Media

Why go digital? Analog vs. digitalTypes of digital media from smallest to

largest file size. File size affects bandwidth usage. Text = ASCII Graphics = GIF, BMP, TIFF, EPS, JPEG, PNG PDFs preserve original formatting that may include

both text and graphics Sound = WAV and AIFF are larger than MP3 Video = MPEG, QuickTime, Flash Video, and AVI Rich Content = Java, Flash, AJAX, XML

Understanding the Hardware & Software

Connection Terms Bandwidth FTP Modems and cable

modems ISP Wi-fi

Storage Terms Hard drive CD-ROM DVD USB

Performance Terms Processor Video card Resolution

Software Terms Authoring software Blogging software Feed readers (Web,

stand-alone, browser-based)

Content mgmt systems Editing software

Online Journalism 2.0

Web 2.0 Platforms allow users to

easily post and share content

User-generated content Community and connecting

“The news is a conversation, not a lecture.” Bloggers, CNN’s iReport YouTube, MySpace,

Facebook, Flickr, Twitter Digg, Newsvine, Reddit,

and Slashdot

Mobile 2.0 Cell phones, iPods, and

variations of each now connect to the Internet

Implications for journalism? Be even more aware of

the participant (i.e., the audience)

Use RSS feeds to keep tabs on stories all over the Web

Need content available for these users in “podcasts” and “vodcasts”

Basics of Blogging

Blogging and Online Journalism

Most major newspapers have journalist-authored blogs

Blogging can contribute to journalistic discourse by… Providing commentary for users Filtering and editing information for users Fact checking for users Providing grassroots, eyewitness, or firsthand accounts

to users Providing additional reporting on a current story Allowing a dialogue of story suggestions, critique, and

review by others

Good Blogs

Good blogs Update frequently Write in conversation-style that shows your personality Provide specific headlines Provide links elsewhere to helpful information Allow readers to comment and comment back to readers Are facilitated by you Are ongoing conversations among members of a community Can be your professional notebook, journal, or

brainstorming session Embed photos, video, audio, Flash presentations, and other

multimedia features

Examples

Commentary Blog http://masteringmultimedia.wordpress.com/

Major Newspaper Blog http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/

Professional/Career-Building Blog http://harrylocke4.wordpress.com/ http://daniellehartman.wordpress.com/

Entertainment Blog http://blogs.chron.com/memo

Blog Terminology

PostPermalinkTrackbackBlogrollLinkblogVlogMoblog

For Next Time…

Next time we’ll develop our blogs

Before you come to class, go to an online tutorial on WordPress, please see: http://www.jtoolkit.com/blogging/wp_tips.html