Sep

29

A look into the future

Posted by Vera Haller on Sep 29, 2008 under: community journalism, journalism education, multimedia, online news, social networking, video | 1 Comment

An interesting posting by the Poynter Institute’s Ellyn Agnoletti gives us a peak into the future. Agnoletti attended the recent Online News Association conference and came back with a list of emerging technologies that could have an impact on how the news is delivered.

Take a look here and let me know if you find anything of interest. 

Sep

2

On Gustav

Posted by Vera Haller on Sep 2, 2008 under: blogs, community journalism, multimedia, online news, social networking | 4 Comments

gustav.jpgNew Orleans Times-Picayne, whose staff heroically covered Hurricane Katrina three years ago, was back at it yesterday as Gustav swept onto the Louisiana coast.   The newspaper’s Web site presented a textbook example of how to cover a big event happening under its nose. A red banner across the top, alerted readers of the main links of the coverage — news and hurricane tracker, a resident survival guide with nitty, gritty details about developments community by community and a place for readers to post their photos, videos and comments.  Photos were updated regularly and the site carried information that people affected by the storm could use.

One area of coverage that was slow to develop was user generated content. Usually in weather stories, photos and video uploaded by the reading public are plentiful. Around 7:30 p.m. yesterday, hours after the storm came ashore, very little of this content was available on line. Obviously, this was because most people had evacuated the area so very few people were on hand to witness the event. More of this type of material was available by Tuesday morning. Check out this interactive map on CNN’s iReport.

For more on how the news media tried to harness social media for reporting on Gustav read a column posted today by Al Tompkins at the Poynter Institute. He interviewed NPR’s Andy Carvin about the “Voices of Gustav” Web site he helped create.  These efforts to build community around a news event represent the new ways news outlets are approaching a story.

Aug

13

All a-’Twitter’-ing

Posted by Vera Haller on Aug 13, 2008 under: blogs, multimedia, online news, social networking | 4 Comments

I’ve finally done it — just now — exactly 30 minutes ago — I signed up for Twitter, the social networking phenom that everyone seems to be using. Fortune magazine senior writer Adam Lashinky described it in a recent article like this:

“Twitter, in case you’re over 25 and don’t live in a trendy coastal metropolis, is a ‘micro-blogging’ site. It’s a free service that lets you send the briefest of messages to everyone in your network. It marries the mass appeal of blogging with the rat-a-tat-tat of text messaging. “

 Like a lot of people, I was hesitant to add another mode of communication to the roster. Communication overload is the norm these days, what with cell phones, multiple e-mail accounts, instant messaging and social network pages to keep updated. What use is a service that allows you to send and receive micro-messages of  140 characters or less?

Despite what may seem like an obvious answer to this question (Don’t need it!), Twitter’s appeal is snowballing. It is an application that can’t be ignored by anyone who seeks to keep up with technology.

Its uses by the news world are numerous. For example, Slate is twittering from the Olympics, offering sometimes biting commentary in very small bites. The service is used to alert readers to new postings as a way to build Web traffic. Here’s the Twitter page for The New York Times’ City Room blog. Journalists also have used Twitter to finesse story ideas, seek out sources and get information out fast on breaking news stories. Poynter.com recently posted a story about how newsrooms are using Twitter.

I am a little intimidated by the prospect of finding my place in this online community. I feel it’s important to bring something to the table — and to be clear about what I want to get from this service. Is it updates on news … or the latest thoughts on new technology and the media … or a mine for story ideas? I’ll keep you a-twittered.