Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Snoop Bloggy-Blog
Last week, I pitched an idea for my final project in Online Magazine. I am going to look into Montreal’s indie music scene and speak to a couple of bands that are trying to independently make a name for themselves. I think it’s pretty interesting because Montreal has very eclectic musical groups.
There is a HUGE pub band scene as well as a number of small venues that open their stages to bands of various musical flavours. Celtic band with a hint of 70’s rock-cool? Got it. Folksy singer-songwriter with brilliant lyrics? Have that one too. All-girl rock group? Yup. Band that keeps increasingly growing with more interesting and diverse talents? Check. Each of these musicians is working to not only build a following within Montreal but through the internet as well. Many have songs available online to either listen to or purchase.
Also, Facebook and Youtube allow for the musicians to make a name for themselves through social media. I think trying to produce something without a label is admirable. For the most part, the members of these bands have day-jobs or go to school as well as performing whenever they can.
But what is my one major concern with the final project? Time! It’s not on my side, Mick Jagger, no it isn’t. With the crunch of the final semester, I have been struggling to keep all my ducks in a row or my juggling balls in the air or my peas in a pod…? I don’t know: I don’t have time to think of clever metaphors. Ok, so I’m being a little melodramatic but I want this project to be successful and well, good. Balancing school, work and interning is hard but manageable. It’s just a series of deadlines which I believe, correct me if I am wrong, is an integral component of journalistic endeavours. So I will suck-it-up-buttercup stylez and hope for the best. And I will work on my clever metaphor for dealing with time-constraints.
There is a HUGE pub band scene as well as a number of small venues that open their stages to bands of various musical flavours. Celtic band with a hint of 70’s rock-cool? Got it. Folksy singer-songwriter with brilliant lyrics? Have that one too. All-girl rock group? Yup. Band that keeps increasingly growing with more interesting and diverse talents? Check. Each of these musicians is working to not only build a following within Montreal but through the internet as well. Many have songs available online to either listen to or purchase.
Also, Facebook and Youtube allow for the musicians to make a name for themselves through social media. I think trying to produce something without a label is admirable. For the most part, the members of these bands have day-jobs or go to school as well as performing whenever they can.
But what is my one major concern with the final project? Time! It’s not on my side, Mick Jagger, no it isn’t. With the crunch of the final semester, I have been struggling to keep all my ducks in a row or my juggling balls in the air or my peas in a pod…? I don’t know: I don’t have time to think of clever metaphors. Ok, so I’m being a little melodramatic but I want this project to be successful and well, good. Balancing school, work and interning is hard but manageable. It’s just a series of deadlines which I believe, correct me if I am wrong, is an integral component of journalistic endeavours. So I will suck-it-up-buttercup stylez and hope for the best. And I will work on my clever metaphor for dealing with time-constraints.
Monday, March 1, 2010
My Tweets are Real
Admittedly, I didn’t coin that title; it was courtesy of a t-shirt that I got for Christmas. Alright, so this is another post about social networking but I promise I have a point. Initially, I was one of the people to mercilessly mock those who used twitter. I thought it was narcissistic and reserved for those without privacy filters. Little did I know at the time, I would eventually jump on that twitter bandwagon.
Interestingly, it was from a lecture that Lisa Lynch gave in fall semester. She told us that creating an online identity was a great way to get your name known as a journalist. As long as you knew how to tweet effectively, (i.e: avoiding the narcissism). So I created an account and started tweeting newsy things. I’ve made it a little more personal since then. Namely, when I was tweeting about the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and my dismay in their choices of representative Canadian musical acts (Nickelback? Avril Lavigne? Simple Plan? Really?) Although I do try fairly hard to keep it news-relevant. And lately I have come to notice the significance of social networking like Twitter.
I first started to think there might be something to this twitter-thing strangely enough, the day after Michael Jackson died. I was interning and my reporter was covering a story on the plethora of commentaries about what an icon Michael Jackson was...and everyone took to twitter, fans and celebrities alike. I searched the trending of Michael Jackson and hundreds of thousands of tweets popped up about the King of Pop. Elizabeth Taylor didn’t release a public statement to the media about his death instead she tweeted about it. Many other celebrities did the same.
The influence of twitter is growing daily. There are rallies organized completely via twitter. Things like impromptu flash-mobs and they even managed to surprise Oprah by teaching thousands of people a flash mob dance [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVQorfIX84w]
I really began to realize that this was a great asset in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake and more recently the earthquake in Chile. Minutes after both earthquakes hit, there were tweets about the devastation. Pictures of destroyed buildings and injured people were being posted within minutes of the earthquakes. People in other countries were trying to contact relatives that they couldn’t reach by phone. Survivors were found in the rubble because of persistent tweets.
It blows my mind the kind of influence that this arena that began as a online diary now has. It is a great asset for distributing breaking news and information. More than ever, people are using social networking sites like twitter and/ or emails to get news. According to a study, [explained here: http://mashable.com/2010/03/01/social-networks-source-news/] 75% of the 2000-something people asked said social networking an email were how they got their news. HUGE!
So despite the predictions that twitter would fizzle out like other fads. I think that it is instead re-focusing itself to be more outward thinking as opposed to inward thinking. Consider me converted...and follow me on twitter if you wish (@kelly_albert)
Interestingly, it was from a lecture that Lisa Lynch gave in fall semester. She told us that creating an online identity was a great way to get your name known as a journalist. As long as you knew how to tweet effectively, (i.e: avoiding the narcissism). So I created an account and started tweeting newsy things. I’ve made it a little more personal since then. Namely, when I was tweeting about the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and my dismay in their choices of representative Canadian musical acts (Nickelback? Avril Lavigne? Simple Plan? Really?) Although I do try fairly hard to keep it news-relevant. And lately I have come to notice the significance of social networking like Twitter.
I first started to think there might be something to this twitter-thing strangely enough, the day after Michael Jackson died. I was interning and my reporter was covering a story on the plethora of commentaries about what an icon Michael Jackson was...and everyone took to twitter, fans and celebrities alike. I searched the trending of Michael Jackson and hundreds of thousands of tweets popped up about the King of Pop. Elizabeth Taylor didn’t release a public statement to the media about his death instead she tweeted about it. Many other celebrities did the same.
The influence of twitter is growing daily. There are rallies organized completely via twitter. Things like impromptu flash-mobs and they even managed to surprise Oprah by teaching thousands of people a flash mob dance [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVQorfIX84w]
I really began to realize that this was a great asset in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake and more recently the earthquake in Chile. Minutes after both earthquakes hit, there were tweets about the devastation. Pictures of destroyed buildings and injured people were being posted within minutes of the earthquakes. People in other countries were trying to contact relatives that they couldn’t reach by phone. Survivors were found in the rubble because of persistent tweets.
It blows my mind the kind of influence that this arena that began as a online diary now has. It is a great asset for distributing breaking news and information. More than ever, people are using social networking sites like twitter and/ or emails to get news. According to a study, [explained here: http://mashable.com/2010/03/01/social-networks-source-news/] 75% of the 2000-something people asked said social networking an email were how they got their news. HUGE!
So despite the predictions that twitter would fizzle out like other fads. I think that it is instead re-focusing itself to be more outward thinking as opposed to inward thinking. Consider me converted...and follow me on twitter if you wish (@kelly_albert)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Multi-Platform Journalism: Higher Ground
Last class, Lisa Lynch gave a lecture about multi-platform journalism. It was definitely enlightening. Particularly, she discussed the changing attitudes of readers in the face of new media. She showed us this great clip of Globe and Mail reporters singing their views of how the internet has changed the news. Here it is for your viewing pleasure: (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/video/singing-about-newspaper-woes/article1433246/).
She discussed the introduction of the IPad, mostly because of the speculation that it will save journalism as a profession. With news applications such as the Globe and Mail and CBC Radio already available for the IPhone and IPod touch, Apple’s new product will just be an extension of those features. That being said, anyone with a WIFI connection could listen to breaking news on CBC Radio while reading the New York Times and until This American Life airs on NPR. If only Apple could find a way for you to boil water for tea or make coffee on your IPad, it would be the ultimate computer (external heat-ray gun/ percolator perhaps?).
Regardless of my constant need for hot caffeinated beverages, the IPad is definitely a product to watch once it is available. I’m not entirely sure as to whether it will live up to the saving journalism-hype, but I do think that making the news more readily available might help. Firstly, it might get those who don’t read hard-copy newspapers to read something the online version and get them to start buying newspapers. By the same token, it may get people who read newspapers to switch over to solely online content. Or people like me who read both…constantly…throughout the day. What can I say; I love newspapers and have since I was a kid. I think that has something to do with them always being readily available for my perusal (parental encouragement of reading win). As much as I love getting breaking news online, I still love a good hardcopy, ink-stained fingers and all (read: crosswords).
Lisa also showed us a segment of a TEDx talk by Matthew Ingram who believed wholeheartedly that new media was a way to save old media. I found his points really insightful, here’s the clip: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Uzs7zkDTU). Namely, he discussed making online media more human. I like this idea. Now I am entirely guilty of occasionally relying on the Google News robot fairies (a.k.a spiders) to tell me the most popular headlines. But Ingram has a point; there should be some human filters on the end of that as opposed to the robot fairies. People choosing important news and headlines is something that I admire about newspapers. I think people are starting to realise and appreciate that more.
And just to tie in what I spoke about in my last post, Lisa said it was an exciting but anxious time for journalism and I could not agree more.
She discussed the introduction of the IPad, mostly because of the speculation that it will save journalism as a profession. With news applications such as the Globe and Mail and CBC Radio already available for the IPhone and IPod touch, Apple’s new product will just be an extension of those features. That being said, anyone with a WIFI connection could listen to breaking news on CBC Radio while reading the New York Times and until This American Life airs on NPR. If only Apple could find a way for you to boil water for tea or make coffee on your IPad, it would be the ultimate computer (external heat-ray gun/ percolator perhaps?).
Regardless of my constant need for hot caffeinated beverages, the IPad is definitely a product to watch once it is available. I’m not entirely sure as to whether it will live up to the saving journalism-hype, but I do think that making the news more readily available might help. Firstly, it might get those who don’t read hard-copy newspapers to read something the online version and get them to start buying newspapers. By the same token, it may get people who read newspapers to switch over to solely online content. Or people like me who read both…constantly…throughout the day. What can I say; I love newspapers and have since I was a kid. I think that has something to do with them always being readily available for my perusal (parental encouragement of reading win). As much as I love getting breaking news online, I still love a good hardcopy, ink-stained fingers and all (read: crosswords).
Lisa also showed us a segment of a TEDx talk by Matthew Ingram who believed wholeheartedly that new media was a way to save old media. I found his points really insightful, here’s the clip: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Uzs7zkDTU). Namely, he discussed making online media more human. I like this idea. Now I am entirely guilty of occasionally relying on the Google News robot fairies (a.k.a spiders) to tell me the most popular headlines. But Ingram has a point; there should be some human filters on the end of that as opposed to the robot fairies. People choosing important news and headlines is something that I admire about newspapers. I think people are starting to realise and appreciate that more.
And just to tie in what I spoke about in my last post, Lisa said it was an exciting but anxious time for journalism and I could not agree more.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Jour Wars: A New Hope
As an English major in my previous academic incarnation, I love a good book –text book or otherwise. Ask my Ikea bookshelf that is bending under the weight of what I would guess to be about 200+ books. Ten of those are Norton anthologies (different ones of course): all this to say, I know a good text book when I see one. For the online magazine class that I am taking, we are using Online News Fundamentals by CBC news. Last week we had to do a chunk of readings from it and it’s not that bad.
In terms of a basic introductory understanding of online fundamentals, the CBC book is an easy read. The book is filled with good anecdotes and helpful blueprints to filing news online as it is breaking. It takes the principles of traditional news reporting and applies it to the new medium. A nice anecdote is on page 2 where a CBC reporter talked about learning about sound reporter online was “talking about deprogramming and reprogramming.” The book’s approach is very commonsensical and clear. Overall, a great read but it makes me think about the Graduate diploma program itself.
There is no real need for reprogramming because we are trying to learn the newest components of every field. I think this is the benefit of the diploma program. Whereas, journalists in the industry must learn about any changing developments, we are getting the information as we learn the basics. I have mixed feelings about this. Namely, this prepares us to go into a strongly competitive field with a lot of skills in our pockets but it also shrinks the field that much more. If the majority of those entering the field know how to shoot, edit, report and work online, there will probably be fewer entry-level positions.
This is telling of the future of journalism as a profession. Technological advancements seem to be shrinking the field. However, I am still hopeful! I will continue to learn as much as I can about this ever-changing field. I think having an open mind to new advancements and possible “reprogramming” is a way to stay afloat. So let’s hope I can ride this wave.
In terms of a basic introductory understanding of online fundamentals, the CBC book is an easy read. The book is filled with good anecdotes and helpful blueprints to filing news online as it is breaking. It takes the principles of traditional news reporting and applies it to the new medium. A nice anecdote is on page 2 where a CBC reporter talked about learning about sound reporter online was “talking about deprogramming and reprogramming.” The book’s approach is very commonsensical and clear. Overall, a great read but it makes me think about the Graduate diploma program itself.
There is no real need for reprogramming because we are trying to learn the newest components of every field. I think this is the benefit of the diploma program. Whereas, journalists in the industry must learn about any changing developments, we are getting the information as we learn the basics. I have mixed feelings about this. Namely, this prepares us to go into a strongly competitive field with a lot of skills in our pockets but it also shrinks the field that much more. If the majority of those entering the field know how to shoot, edit, report and work online, there will probably be fewer entry-level positions.
This is telling of the future of journalism as a profession. Technological advancements seem to be shrinking the field. However, I am still hopeful! I will continue to learn as much as I can about this ever-changing field. I think having an open mind to new advancements and possible “reprogramming” is a way to stay afloat. So let’s hope I can ride this wave.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
HTML isn't all that HARD
See what I did there? Pretty clever, huh? No? Alright then. I have to admit I was initially fairly concerned with the coding portion of the Online Magazine course. I consider myself fairly computer-literate; particularly, when I am approached by my boss or coworkers who point at a monitor and tell me to “make this work”. But HTML coding seemed much more daunting than the usual computer stuff I am used to.
But after a few classes of learning about HTML and how it works, I feel pretty good about it. The codes are logical and despite my fears, I am picking it up easily. One resource from the class that really helps is the W3School website. The website has great, clearly explained information on different aspects of coding. It features a coding reference guide which is a great cheat-sheet for the more obscure codes; for example, it shows how to code an omega symbol. Their online HTML tutorials are handy. They are user-friendly and concisely show how to perform specific tasks.
I have used quite a few of the tutorials and was impressed each time. The instant conversion shows any coding mistakes so you can fix them. I like the tutorials because it lets you discover what works and doesn’t very simply. Also, the instant conversion is great the check small parts of your code if you are actually working on one. If you don’t have programs like Nvu or Dreamweaver handy on all your computers (like my home PC), it’s a fun way to make sure that your code hasn’t wandered off-track.
All in all, the tutorials are a revelation and helpful in dealing with any insecurities about HTML coding. It is a great tool to have on the side of a novice coder.
But after a few classes of learning about HTML and how it works, I feel pretty good about it. The codes are logical and despite my fears, I am picking it up easily. One resource from the class that really helps is the W3School website. The website has great, clearly explained information on different aspects of coding. It features a coding reference guide which is a great cheat-sheet for the more obscure codes; for example, it shows how to code an omega symbol. Their online HTML tutorials are handy. They are user-friendly and concisely show how to perform specific tasks.
I have used quite a few of the tutorials and was impressed each time. The instant conversion shows any coding mistakes so you can fix them. I like the tutorials because it lets you discover what works and doesn’t very simply. Also, the instant conversion is great the check small parts of your code if you are actually working on one. If you don’t have programs like Nvu or Dreamweaver handy on all your computers (like my home PC), it’s a fun way to make sure that your code hasn’t wandered off-track.
All in all, the tutorials are a revelation and helpful in dealing with any insecurities about HTML coding. It is a great tool to have on the side of a novice coder.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Website Critiques
Web Site Critique: Global Montreal (www.globalmontreal.com)
The Global Montreal website is a valiant effort but would benefit from some simplification. It has a lot of admirable feature but the execution isn’t perfect. It features a (left to right) scrolling window of the evening newscast from the last week. The home page is effective for those who want a quick look at the headlines and weather. But as soon as you scroll down from the first half, it’s like those decorating shows that tell you to put things in boxes and label them with Polaroid pictures of their contents. Everything features a brightly-coloured icon linking to a specific news feature or segment.
The home page is set up with some brief descriptions of top stories and links to click for further information. The top stories are close to the top of the page and do not require much scrolling to read the headlines. The linked related stories maintain similar themes to the home page and the navigation scheme is respectable but not perfect. Some links are text while others are videos: there is little indication as to which is which.
The text of each stories are clear to read. The fault is that the links take a bit too long to load. Also, the stories don’t feature multiple pages; each text is on one page resulting in too much scrolling for my taste. The articles are mostly from Canadian Press newspapers and are straddled by the top stories and related stories tables. This messes with the articles’ format and is a little distracting. The overall design is aesthetically-pleasing. The graphics are not too flashy but provide good visuals to interest the viewer.
Overall, the Global Montreal website isn’t terrible. It gets the job done but with tweaking, it could be even better. Also, from a non-news perspective, I have heard complains about locating where to watch Global television shows online. It does require a few hoops to jump through to find these shows and that was a factor in the website’s ease of use.
Organization: 15
Ease of use: 13
Aesthetics: 14
Content richness: 15
Content style: 13 (The plethora of images contributed to the grade)
Overall: 70 out of 100 Alberts
Website Critique #2: The West Island Gazette (www.westislandgazette.com)
This community newspaper website is an off-shoot of the Montreal Gazette. As a result, the site is oriented towards headlines. The design is simple with task bars that allow for easy navigation. The layout is clean; the graphics are not exciting but they don’t look amateur-ish either. The organization is logical and the tables separating the blogs and news are effective.
The organization remains fairly consistent but the format of the articles is not consistent. The articles are in a fairly small type which is not easy to read for all viewers. The pages load quickly and don’t feature distracting backgrounds. But some texts have wonky formatting. Some texts are separated in paragraphs; others are big blocks of text. There is also a lot of scrolling necessary for this website. Also, there is a lot of scrolling on the home page as well of which the majority is headlines.
Not that it is a bland website but in contrast to the Global Montreal one, it is lacking in aesthetics. It is pleasant to look at mostly because there are no bells and whistles. Although there is a drop-down ad that is very annoying and distracting, I’m not sure if it is always there. There are no real special effects to comment on. The top of the home page features some pictures sent in by readers to look through. This is an endearing feature, mostly because they are pictures of little kids, nature and animals (collective aw!). Aside from this there are a few images that accompany the stories. These images are effective because they are mostly taken by the Gazette photojournalist staff.
The content was meaningful but there was not much difference between the newspaper articles and the website. The website was more of an online version of the hard-copy as opposed to a complementary online resource. It is definitely rich in content and has a calendar of upcoming events that is useful. Also, it features a task-bar that separates the content by borough: a nice feature for those who need specific information.
Overall, this is a good website. Simplistic but for those who want a West Island resource, it is as good as it gets.
Organization: 18
Ease of use: 14 (points lost because there was too much scrolling!)
Aesthetics: 14
Content richness: 16
Content style: 14 (all headlines!)
Overall: 76 out of 100 Alberts
The Global Montreal website is a valiant effort but would benefit from some simplification. It has a lot of admirable feature but the execution isn’t perfect. It features a (left to right) scrolling window of the evening newscast from the last week. The home page is effective for those who want a quick look at the headlines and weather. But as soon as you scroll down from the first half, it’s like those decorating shows that tell you to put things in boxes and label them with Polaroid pictures of their contents. Everything features a brightly-coloured icon linking to a specific news feature or segment.
The home page is set up with some brief descriptions of top stories and links to click for further information. The top stories are close to the top of the page and do not require much scrolling to read the headlines. The linked related stories maintain similar themes to the home page and the navigation scheme is respectable but not perfect. Some links are text while others are videos: there is little indication as to which is which.
The text of each stories are clear to read. The fault is that the links take a bit too long to load. Also, the stories don’t feature multiple pages; each text is on one page resulting in too much scrolling for my taste. The articles are mostly from Canadian Press newspapers and are straddled by the top stories and related stories tables. This messes with the articles’ format and is a little distracting. The overall design is aesthetically-pleasing. The graphics are not too flashy but provide good visuals to interest the viewer.
Overall, the Global Montreal website isn’t terrible. It gets the job done but with tweaking, it could be even better. Also, from a non-news perspective, I have heard complains about locating where to watch Global television shows online. It does require a few hoops to jump through to find these shows and that was a factor in the website’s ease of use.
Organization: 15
Ease of use: 13
Aesthetics: 14
Content richness: 15
Content style: 13 (The plethora of images contributed to the grade)
Overall: 70 out of 100 Alberts
Website Critique #2: The West Island Gazette (www.westislandgazette.com)
This community newspaper website is an off-shoot of the Montreal Gazette. As a result, the site is oriented towards headlines. The design is simple with task bars that allow for easy navigation. The layout is clean; the graphics are not exciting but they don’t look amateur-ish either. The organization is logical and the tables separating the blogs and news are effective.
The organization remains fairly consistent but the format of the articles is not consistent. The articles are in a fairly small type which is not easy to read for all viewers. The pages load quickly and don’t feature distracting backgrounds. But some texts have wonky formatting. Some texts are separated in paragraphs; others are big blocks of text. There is also a lot of scrolling necessary for this website. Also, there is a lot of scrolling on the home page as well of which the majority is headlines.
Not that it is a bland website but in contrast to the Global Montreal one, it is lacking in aesthetics. It is pleasant to look at mostly because there are no bells and whistles. Although there is a drop-down ad that is very annoying and distracting, I’m not sure if it is always there. There are no real special effects to comment on. The top of the home page features some pictures sent in by readers to look through. This is an endearing feature, mostly because they are pictures of little kids, nature and animals (collective aw!). Aside from this there are a few images that accompany the stories. These images are effective because they are mostly taken by the Gazette photojournalist staff.
The content was meaningful but there was not much difference between the newspaper articles and the website. The website was more of an online version of the hard-copy as opposed to a complementary online resource. It is definitely rich in content and has a calendar of upcoming events that is useful. Also, it features a task-bar that separates the content by borough: a nice feature for those who need specific information.
Overall, this is a good website. Simplistic but for those who want a West Island resource, it is as good as it gets.
Organization: 18
Ease of use: 14 (points lost because there was too much scrolling!)
Aesthetics: 14
Content richness: 16
Content style: 14 (all headlines!)
Overall: 76 out of 100 Alberts
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