AUGUST 30, 2010 Basics of Online Journalism

Advantages Significance Audience Control Nonlinearity Storage, Retrieval, & Unlimited Space Immediacy Multimedia Capacity Interactivity & 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”)The Web is Dead Web browsers use the URL (address) to find the requested information. The URL looks like  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. digital Types 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  Major Newspaper Blog  Professional/Career-Building Blog   Entertainment Blog 

Blog Terminology Post Permalink Trackback Blogroll Linkblog Vlog Moblog

For Next Time… Next time we’ll develop our blogs Before you come to class, go to an online tutorial on WordPress, please see: