Web publications in an everchanging cyberspace

You always here that advertising and media in general cater to the youth. Why? Because they're young and impressionable and the future of the world. They have the capacity to come up with new ideas and, in turn, appeal to the next generation of rising youth.

So what are online publications and media sources doing about it? They're not just keeping up with the times, but they're trying to stay ahead of the times--using the most innovative technology available while coming up with new ways to market products and ideas to a technology-conscious generation.

Online magazines, like Glamour, Real Simple and Sport Illustrated have added picture slide shows and daily-updated how to columns in order to keep readers' interest. Newspapers, like the Knoxville News Sentinel and New York Times leave reader comment boxes, display multimedia stories, link to blogs and post video clips. Readers can also participate in interactive polls to vote on sports teams, presidential ratings and just about anything else you can think of.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I think online news is fine the way it is. I really can't think of any other possible way sites could convey news. For as amazing as technology has become and for as much as news sites have at their disposal, what they seem to lose sight of is reporting the truth. I love being able to access videos, slide shows and sound bites--but are they really more entertainment than anything else? If technology wasn't a limitation, I would capture news as it was happening and keep the commentary minimal, aside from basic explanations. Let the public decide what the truth is, not the media.

But then, I guess the truth is always in the eye of the beholder.

We are the Web

As I was reading Tim O'Reilly's article on Web 2.0, I found myself pretty confused. Everything online is so interwoven that it's hard to separate the internet into entities.

From what I can tell, Web 1.0 was a simplified version of the internet where everything operated separate from each other. Like with Netscape, sites worked like web browsers and desktop applications. Not so for Web 2.0. This new idea of internet usage makes it entirely more accessible. People are not required to buy updates, but companies like Google are continually improving and offer all different kinds of services independent of desktop applications.

Yes, I'm still a little confused. But what does it all mean? Essentially, we--the users--tell our computers, and therefore the internet, what to do. We establish connections through links and hypertext that connect information all across cyberspace. The media can go crazy with this because the options are almost limitless for collaboration between sites for banner advertisements, multimedia and links to other sites. Readers can access information with one click.

This is great for us. Need the news? Check out the RSS feeds for your local newspaper. Once you've subscribed, you can check them every day as often as you like on your Google account. That very same account allows you to view weather in your area (and anywhere else you choose), check your email, write a blog or search the internet. With information so readily available, we should never be without.

Columbus finds new territory

Christopher Columbus landed in uncharted territory October 12, while he was searching for a route to India. Although the ships had sailed in the opposite direction, Columbus and his crew were convinced they had discovered India, and they set out to explore and evangelize to local natives. Columbus and his men read aloud the "requerimiento,"declaring Spanish rule of the new land in the names of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

Multimedia

*Video of the land from the ships as they reached shore
*Posts of Columbus' journals and letters to the king and queen detailing the voyage
*Interview clips of crew members
*Video tour of the ships
*Mini bios of crew members
*Photo slide show of pictures taken on land
*Area for user comments

Interviews
*With natives (maybe a video clip and translation)
*Crew members
*Crew members' family (wives, kids) still back in Europe
*Christopher Columbus
*King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

My foiled video assignment

So, today was an interesting day in Staci's class. I had been dreading having to upload the video I had recorded on my parents' old camera. (By the way, 1997 was a good year for technology).

The predicament

I have a love/hate relationship with technology. The internet is great when you need to research something immediately, but somehow the computer always crashes when you need it most.

After a little more than an hour of tinkering and positioning my camera to align with another in an attempt to re-record my video, I came out with this---->

Yes, that was my video. But it is now a lovely, blurry still shot of two unidentifiable teams. My story is about UT women's intramural soccer. A friend of mine plays for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry team, and they were up against the women from Vols for Christ.

The script

"UT students faced off on the school's intramural fields Monday, kicking off the third week of intramural soccer. Among the competitors were women's teams from campus organizations Vols for Christ and the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Although the VFC was leading by one at the half, the women from the BCM pulled out a 6-4 win, making them 2 and 0 so far this season. Women's intramural soccer is scheduled through November 20."

What I learned

Even though it was a little weird filming a soccer game and having random people give me funny looks as I awkwardly held the camera, I enjoyed the experience. There's something about being able to go right back and look at what I've filmed--it kind of fulfills the instant gratification mentality of today. And at the end of the day, I can laugh about the whole thing. You had to have been there.

Real Simple story pitch

If I could choose the next topic for a story in Real Simple magazine, I would stick with the fall theme and post an article on finding a pumpkin and deciding on how to carve it. For multimedia, I would pick the following:

•a picture slideshow to display images of pumpkin patches and different types and sizes of pumpkins and

•tips on what pumpkin sizes are best for certain types of designs and stencils

•ideas for easier carving designs as well as more difficult ones

•a video clip of someone carving their own pumpkin

•opportunities across the country for pumpkin carving contests

•sidebar of top locations for finding pumpkins or going on hay rides

•personal quotes from readers with interesting stories about finding and carving pumpkins

•templates for pumpkin carving

I think a story like this one would appeal to Real Simple's readers because it is home oriented. It provides simple, easy-to-follow steps for carving a pumpkin or making a fall outing out of a visit to the pumpkin patch. The readers expect clean, bright images because the magazine and the website both feature those types of images. Readers will also be attracted to short how-to videos and picture slide shows because they are convenient and quick, which is part of the magazine's goal--to make everyday activities easier for its readers and their busy lives.

An affair with online communication

Three years ago, when I was a freshman, my roommate introduced me to this new site called Facebook. At first, I was uninterested in the idea of creating a profile of myself for anyone from a participating college or university to see. But before I knew it, I was signing up and posting all my hobbies, favorite music and even my class schedule.

Sitting in my creaking desk rocking chair in our tiny dorm, I would get lost in all the connections I could make with Facebook. I found myself checking daily what new schools had been added so I could look for my friends and add them to the growing list of people I knew on Facebook. It was difficult to accomplish anything--much less homework--when the world of Facebook was just a click away.

Now, 516 friends later, I realize that many of the "friends" on my Facebook profile are barely even acquaintances. Sure, some of them are childhood friends or people I've met at UT, but how many of them do I actually talk to? Who would I bother keeping up with (telephones do still exist) if I didn't have the convenient, impersonal means of communication over the internet?

I find the same things true of sites like Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn. They are all great communication tools...if you'd rather sit behind your computer screen all day, physically cut off from the world.

I created a MySpace account a couple summers ago to keep up with my boyfriend's journey through Greece and Bulgaria on a school trip. During my brief affair with MySpace, I spent hours staring at my screen, changing my profile background and prying through my other friend's profiles instead of studying for finals or working out.

Then I realized: Why would anyone want to share their deepest feelings and thoughts with all of cyberspace? Facebook is now open to anyone, regardless of whether or not they are college or high school aged. While MySpace tends to attract younger people, there's still the random creepy 50 year old who can leave comments about any photo you post. Twitter and LinkedIn seem to me perhaps a more "mature" version of the first two--sites that target an older demographic and encourages users to communicate with co-workers or high school classmates.

They are not all negative, though. Each site provides a unique way to quickly communicate with people and exchange information. Sites like MySpace have even given local bands and artists a forum in which to display their work and become known. Facebook and LinkedIn give users the opportunity to reconnect with old friends or classmates.

But where do we draw the line as far as "real" communication goes? Can you call posting back and forth on someone's Facebook wall a meaningful friendship? For me, if it's not a person I would make an effort to keep up with by another means, then the online relationship is superficial. And superficiality is, unfortunately, something that comes with online communication.

Fall colors!

As told by Rick Bragg

When I walked into Dr. Stovall's 200 lecture class Tuesday, I really wasn't sure what to expect from the guest speaker, a 1996 Pulitzer Prize winner of whom I'd never heard. I was really hoping what Rick Bragg had to say was more stimulating than Bob Woodward's speech a few weeks ago, which had almost put me to sleep.

However, an Alabama-raised country boy, Bragg did not let his southern roots down. He said that if you were born in the South, you were inherently a good story teller. He just cultivated that talent and hobby and made it his career.

Bragg had one of those movie stories about his life--the kind that makes you think of "Remember the Titans" or some other story that portrays someone moving up from the bottom and beating all odds. I thought it was interesting, as well as encouraging, that Bragg could go from an aspiring UPS guy to renowned New York Times and St. Petersburg Times writer.

I liked that after all he had accomplished, he still seemed to have a great appreciation for the hard work and teaching of his parents, who had "worked with their hands" cultivating land and literally working for their food. His story as a poor teenager who had to drop out of college because he could only pay one class at a time reflected his desire not only to write, but also to use words to change the way he lived and the way others interpreted things.

He acknowledged the ability of news writing to "set prisoners free" and reveal the truth to the public. Bragg's belief in the power of the written word reminded me of my own love for writing.

This semester

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to talk on the phone with an adjunct professor for class. This online journalism class has been the first that I've had to coordinate with an "assistant" professor in another state, and it's been an interesting experience.

I've liked being able to have two opinions on my stories; I have been critiqued and complimented from different points of view, which has helped me see better what I can improve in my writing. It has also brought to light the things I do well. It has been helpful to learn the opinions and ideas of both a professor and an individual currently working full time in the field of online journalism.

Not only has communicating with our adjunct professor, Peggy, helped with editing and improving, but it has also been an interesting way to teach an online journalism class. It only seems appropriate that Peggy should communicate with the class through Skype as we navigate the internet in search of links for the next blog assignment.

Before this class, I knew very little about blogging or how to write for an online audience. Now I have a better understanding of both, as well as an understanding of how to link sites and create interesting layouts for readers. I'd like to become more comfortable applying those skills and learn how to use video online. Previously, I simply thought online journalism was a convenient way for me to get my daily news, as I read the newspaper less often. Now I can also appreciate its complexities and how it is just as important to appeal to a certain audience as it is in print and broadcast media.