Hello all,
Today I’d like to take a look at something we’ve gone over in my online journalism class that goes along with the subject of this blog, being “textually active”, and that is Amazon and aggregators. Read the rest of this entry »
Above is my video slideshow that I made for my group project in online journalism. It has photos of the Scripps School of Journalism inside and out.
OOJIKI, or Ohio Online Journalism Wiki, is a wiki database of online journalism programs at Ohio universities. Grant Gallant and Sarah DeCarlo helped me to create the wiki based on the concept of initiating a conversation. In online journalism, we discussed the concept of interactivity and how much it improves a site’s usability and gratifications.
Our goal was to create a place where students thinking about pursuing a degree in online journalism could come to find information about degree programs offered at Ohio’s universities. Faculty and staff, as well as former students could post their testimonials and information about their school, and new students could use that information to make a more educated decision. It could also help raise interest in the various programs and universities, so it creates a mutually beneficial relationship.
I’ll try to post a link to my wiki as soon as it becomes available.
-Tyler 
I came across this report in my News Writing class at Ohio University. Its an annual report on American journalism conducted by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism, entitled “The State of the News Media”.
I focused specifically on newspapers, since they seemed to have the most to gain/lose from this kind of report. The Pew Project hired researchers and analysts to examine data collected through the year 2008. After doing this, they came back with some interesting and sobering statistics.
Here is a particularly insightful excerpt from the report:
“We still do not subscribe to the theory that the death of the industry is imminent. The industry over all in 2008 remained profitable.
But the deep recession already threatens the weakest papers. Nearly all are now cutting so deeply and rapidly that simply coping with the economic downturn has become a major distraction from efforts to reinvent the economics of the business. And even once the downturn ends, growing or stabilized revenues are no sure thing.
If the industry’s death isn’t imminent, the more pertinent question may be this: can newspapers beat the clock? Can they find a way to convert their growing audience online into sufficient revenue to sustain the industry before their shrinking revenues from print fall too far?”
Scary stuff, huh? I guess that this is something that all of us “textually active” folks out there are going to have to face. The report showed that newspapers still make roughly 90% of their revenue from print. Circulation continued to shrink, and advertising declined by 23% or 11.5 billion from just two years ago. Earnings and stock value fell sharply, and have shown no signs of stopping.
If I had the answers to these problems, I would be a CEO right now. Unfortunately, I don’t. So just like everyone else, I’m waiting to see what will happen, and hoping for the best.
-Tyler
By now, if you have figured out how to find this blog post and are currently reading it, then you are probably techno-savvy enough to at least know what Facebook generally is.
However, what you might not have known about are all of the subtle little changes that Facebook has undergone in its development into something more than just a social networking tool.
I remember when Facebook first came out, there was not an option to upload pictures. Once that feature was added, the whole idea really exploded on to the scene and gained widespread use.
Since then, they have added many new features and applications that have made it more than it appears. The first example of this is the Facebook Marketplace. Quite similar to Craig’s List, this market is based on which network you are associated with, so you can find items for sale from people actually in your area. You can also sell your stuff or give things away for free.
Status updates is another new feature, which is quite similar to Twitter. People can give brief updates on what they are doing.
Next is applications, much like the Apple’s iPhone apps, these come in hundreds of different varieties and could be anything made by the programmers, like games or gifts to other Facebook users. Lastly, advertisements on Facebook are sometimes based on preferences and choices you make while using the website. This is both innovative and intrusive at the same time, in my opinion. In any case, Facebook is not just a social networking tool anymore.
-Tyler
Hey there, Everyone
I know I’m a bit late on this, but I wanted to highlight the greatness that is Halloween in Athens, Ohio.
Every year, on Halloween weekend, Ohio University and the city of Athens close off Court Street (uptown Athens’ main street where most of the bookstores and bars are located) and open it up to the masses of people. Attendees dress up in elaborate costumes and walk up and down the street, checking each other out.
There’s also a stage always located at both ends of the street, featuring local and up-and-coming bands with exotic and varying styles of music. Food venders enjoy an increased flux in business for the night, and several buggies can be found serving fair-type and fast food goodies to the drunken crowd.
With this being my fifth year at OU, it was my sixth time attending the annual block party….and I have to say it didn’t disappoint. Check out these photos from my shenanigans that night (I dressed as a mobster with a few of my friends).
-Tyler
Mobsters
Me and a school girl
My brother's mobster costume
Hello again,
Today I’d like to highlight a new project that I recently completed, Athens Anew. Its a blog that functions more like a website, with an introductory blurb on the front page and links to 3 separate pages that contain articles focusing on interesting places, issues and features of Athens, Ohio.
My line of thinking was, in short, that there is often a disconnect between the author/creator and the work they are trying to do when dealing with new or complicated technical mediums, especially coding and html involved with websites. By using a blog, I was able to eliminate those factors but at the same time maintain many of the positive features of a website.
Athens Anew included three articles written by me, and it also included two slideshows. This was a great experience because I had never really uploaded my own videos to the web before. Here was my process: do photography around Athens, make the slideshow using iMovie and background music from creativecommons, upload it to Youtube and then embed it in my blog.
The articles were about the process of changes that happen in nature’s seasons, outdoor recreation, and an interview with the Red Cross with outlook on issues facing Athens’ residents during the holiday season. Overall I had a great time doing it and I was really satisfied with the end result, so check it out!
-Tyler
zip lining
Welcome back, Everyone
Over the weekend, I went with my family to a nearby eco-tourism site, Hocking Hills Canopy Tours. Eco-tourism is a not so new concept, but it is being utilized in new and interesting ways around the world recently and Ohio is no exception. Basically, eco-tourism takes advantage of our natural surroundings by creating fun and exciting ways to experience it while still maintaining its natural beauty and cleanliness.
Hocking Hills Canopy Tours is largely staffed by local eco-tourism majors at Hocking College and features zip lines running through the woods surrounding the nearby Hocking River. We had a great time wizzing through the trees and enjoying the natural scenery.
After our canopy tour, we came back to the lodge for some lunch. Inside, they have computer screens open with pictures taken of your group, as well as pictures taken of you by photographers in the woods while you were actually ziplining. You can purchase and print the pictures out right there, as well as just laugh and browse other groups photos.
I found this part to be very innovative, because they can make money charging admission as well as for pictures, and they utilized the web to make it happen. Their website is also very nice, with an intro video in the beginning that can be skipped if you just feel like visiting the main page. So even though they are out in the middle of the woods, this company is still using the web to help make its business run better and smarter. Sweet!
I recommend giving the zip lines a try if you are feeling courageous and are looking for a fun new experience!
-Tyler
Hola,
In this edition of Textually Active, we will be learning about Rebecca Woods, News Editor of DisciplesWorld Magazine.
generic cross picture...feels warm and cozy though.
I recently attended a speech given by Rebecca to the Ohio University Society of Professional Journalists, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on it with all of you. Rebecca is a great example of an online journalist’s career path. She started out working for several newspapers and presses, and eventually started doing freelance writing. After a few years she decided that she wanted to work more closely with the religion beat. She became an ordained minister in order to be a more authoritative figure in her field.
Eventually she landed a job with DisciplesWorld magazine. After moving up through the ranks, she became news editor. Her job duties include updating the website, using social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and finally editing and writing content for the magazine.
Her magazine is able to survive and breath new life into this subject partly because of its ability to adapt to current technological trends. They take advantage of new mediums for delivering information without altering their core message and religious values. I think that in the future, more and more interest groups, religions, organizations etc.. will need to learn from this example in order to reach a larger audience.
Interesting stuff.
-Tyler
Welcome Back,
In this week’s edition of Textually Active, we will be taking a look at a graphic designer’s online entity. His name is Seann Anderson, and he is one of my fellow co-workers and Senior Graphic Designer at The Athens NEWS.
Seann Anderson
In today’s ever evolving world, media professionals must adapt to changing technologies in order to survive in the job market. This often times involves learning new software packages, researching new skills needed to get along in the industry and moving beyond the traditional resume as the only form of expressing or “selling” yourself to the employer.
Students and media professionals alike are being taught that it is becoming increasingly wiser to create an online entity to express themselves. This is usually in the form of a simple website that acts as a more in-depth and easy to update resume. Things like contact information, professional experience, previous work, art, designs, affiliations and more can be uploaded to the website along with your basic resume. A great example of this is Seann Anderson.
Seann Anderson’s website url is actually his name, which is a popular technique that helps to create a sort of branding effect. On it you can find his previous work, his biographical information, his resume, his company and his contact information. Also, you generally get the impression that he knows what he is doing and is technologically savvy because of his sleek and clean website design.
I believe that as time progresses, online entity/resume websites will become the industry standard. I think that this is also probably a good thing, because it allows people and potential employers to have any easy way to access information about you.
That about does it for this week’s edition of Textually Active. See you next time!
-Tyler
Hello Again,
Its been a while since I added a new profile to Textually Active, so I thought I’d highlight one of Cleveland’s finest sports beat writers, Brian Windhorst.
Pic of Brian Windhorst
Cavs Logo
Brian is a great example of a modern day online journalist. He is the Cleveland Cavaliers beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. His job entails going to various cavs functions, meetings, and press releases to cover them and questions like any normal reporter. He attends games, talks with front office types, and analyzes many of the varying facets of the organization and the league.
The medium through which he reports is what makes him an online journalist. Instead of a regular “nine to five” in the newsroom, he can post his articles to the web from anywhere in the world at any time. I have read several of his articles that have been posted past midnight or at insanely early times in the morning, but I think that’s the point. News happens 24/7, not nine to five. When news breaks, he can easily throw it up on the web or his twitter page.
Believe it or not, news organizations have begun to adapt to new technologies and this is yet another example. With intuitive posting software being designed for ease of use, and sites like twitter and wordpress allowing reporters to “dive in head first”, don’t be surprised if we see more and more news organizations follow suit.
-Tyler
