At the end of the day – and regardless of what career path you are tracing for yourself – the bottom- line of any workshop is the possibility of adding value to both yourself and the work that you do. If there is any tool (or web of tools) that can improve you and the work you do, it is only wise to embrace such. Let’s spend the next few minutes considering the one tool that has changed the way we live, work, and are remembered…

New Media ‘Gbenga Sesan Information Society Researcher URL: Blog: World Bank/MRA Workshop on Access to Information in Nigeria. Ostra Hall and Hotel, Nigeria. February 6, 2006 New Media Technologies and Journalism Practice

Journalism in Nigeria  What can we do without journalists? Without you, we have only rumors, speculation and info-anarchy…  Journalism as the medium of historical documentation – e.g. varying accounts of the civil war [Cicero: A man who does not know his history will forever remain a child]  Journalism as the bridge between government and the citizenry; between people and democracy…  Journalism is the window of expression for businesses, initiatives, and information for the public domain  Journalism in Nigeria has grown in areas such as data gathering/capture, publishing points, distribution, marketing and feedback  The face of journalism is changing…

The New Economy  The Information Age is revealing a complex convergence that is creating a society driven by ICTs  Every profession is repositioning for improved relevance in the Information Society – from Accounting (New Accounting) to Agriculture (Precision Agriculture), Computing (Information Sciences), and Journalism too!  Africa’s response to the New Economy is responsible for our present situation  The New Economy respects global citizens, not local champions  This new paradigm is also shifting information availability standards – from ASAP Reporting to Instant Reporting (“I don’t want information tomorrow, I want it now – from whoever is able to make it available”)

Journalism and the New Economy  Journalism is responding to the New Economy – through the application of new technologies  Media outfits that do not reposition risk irrelevance, in an age where history begins from the last microsecond  Some of the new technologies being used in journalism practice include: Reduced cost (overall – even though many consider initial equipment cost), faster and reliable communication Newsgroups: Also known as mailing lists, and fast becoming source of information – especially along professional lines – for journalists Websites: Any media house that does not have a website is not in the information business, it only sell historical data. Websites increase reach, improve marketing, scale up revenue and give instant feedback VoIP: Long distance calls have crashed! Skype, Yahoo! and others IM/Chat: Instant messaging from computers and mobile phones Mobile multipurpose devices: All-in-one phones that handle voice/video recording, imaging, voice calls, browsing, and more… Google: Using search engines for information gathering

Here Comes Blogging…  “They are … also compellingly addictive and threatening to emerge as a new brand of journalism” -- Jody Raynsford, describing bloggers  Sometime after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the web became the preferred place for information following an increase in the “public's appetite for information, analysis and news, if only to make sense of the tragedy. Bloggers rose to prominence by feeding this desire”  Blog = weB LOG. A “series of updated posts on a web page in the form of a diary or journal, often including commentary on, and hypertext links to, other web sites. Posts are in chronological order and can contain anything from simple text, to music, images and even streamed video” Blog References:

Wikipedia on Blogging “A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called "blogging". Individual articles on a blog are called "blog posts," "posts" or "entries". A person who posts these entries is called a "blogger". A blog comprises hypertext, images, and links (to other web pages and to video, audio and other files). Blogs use a conversational style of documentation. Often blogs focus on a particular "area of interest", such as Washington, D.C.'s political goings-on. Some blogs discuss personal experiences. Blogs can be hosted by dedicated blog hosting services, or they can be run using blog software on regular web hosting services. In the early 21st Century, blogging has quickly emerged as a popular and important means of communication.”website hypertextimages videoaudioconversationaldocumentationWashington, D.C.'sblog hosting servicesblog softwareweb hosting services21st Century

Blogging 101  The Decision to Blog: Blogging requires commitment, and for journalists (more than mere mortals like me), people want to come back for fresh information  Deciding Which Way To Go: 3 rd party hosting ( Yahoo! 360, etc) or your own blog (installation required)  Choosing Your Blogging Software: WordPress/TypePad  Installing Your Blogging Software: Set up web space (domain name and hosting), download blogging software, create database, follow instructions…  Hello World: Your first blog must be publicized!  Keep Your Blog Going: Be consistent, people need to know that you’re serious about blogging  Link Up To Other Bloggers: Increase your visibility

AfterWord  The increase in the number of blogs and personal websites used to report news reveals a need for Journalism to embrace New Technologies in order to provide leadership in their own domain  Instant news and citizen journalism is enabled by New Technologies, e.g. Omoyele Sowore (formerly of ElenduReports.com and now SaharaReporters.com) and his popular Gbenga Obasanjo interview  I will be available during the next few days of the workshop to discuss new technology applications  Lagos Digital Village will be glad to provide technical expertise towards the hosting of a “Journalists’ Blogging Workshop” or general “Journalism and New Technologies Workshop”  Thank You!

New Media ‘Gbenga Sesan Information Society Researcher URL: Blog: World Bank/MRA Workshop on Access to Information in Nigeria. Ostra Hall and Hotel, Nigeria. February 6, 2006 New Media Technologies and Journalism Practice