The use of multimedia...

I believe using multimedia to get a message across to your audience is very important. Who wants to see a website with just content and nothing else? Multimedia enhances messaging by letting the viewer use all of their senses. If they are visual people, they can watch a video about a topic versus simply reading about it. If the person is visually impaired, there are audio links that they can listen to so they won’t miss the gist of the message being put out there. Podcasts can contain audio, video and pdf’s; however, if a person simply wants to listed to a podcast, they can without worrying about the visual aspect. There are tons of podcasts to choose from, such as an NPR Podcast titled, PopCulture Happy Hour: Rating The Ratings And Whither The Weather Movie. 

Multimedia is also a great way to spread news in a fashion so that the reader truly feels as if they were present. Providing visual and audio aspects to almost any news story will enhance the story so much that the viewer can be pulled in and have more of a connection. The use of video on websites is probably the most effective multimedia tool out there. Most people are visual beings and having the opportunity to see something for themselves is a great way to sell products. Videos are also a good tool to use for teaching someone something without having to be in the same vicinity at the same time. For example, if a person wants to learn more about knitting, they can simply go to YouTube and look up a video on How to Knit: A CompleteIntroduction for Beginners Part 1. Everyone should consider using multimedia in their blogs, websites, and general online correspondence. Let's face it, everything is simply more fun, interactive and entertaining with multimedia!

What makes a blog a success?

The blog I chose to analyze is RealitySteve.com. Steve is a person who makes a living off blogging about different reality shows and publishing the ‘spoilers’ of each show throughout the season. I enjoy reading his blog because he shares his opinion on what’s happening in the show whether a reader likes it or not. He doesn’t hold back. Some may think a blogger like this will probably lose followers quickly, but that’s not the case. Steve’s site brings in “a million and a million-and-a-half unique visitors monthly, and then page view monthly is between 8 to 10 million” (Skinner, 2014). Here is a man who is brutally honest with his readers and this tactic keeps us coming back for more. I can’t say much about his writing style, but I can say that after reading ’12 Steps to Launch a Successful Blog’, Steve follows at least six out of the 12 steps that I’m publically aware of. The steps involving webhosts and plugins are something only the blogger knows about. 

Here are the steps I believe Reality Steve succeeds in:

ü  Decide what you are going to blog about.

ü  Decide for (sic) your blog’s name.

ü  Get a professional blog theme.

ü  Get a professionally designed logo.

ü  Install social media sharing widgets and buttons.

ü  Blog as often as possible but try to have a post at least 3 times a week.

I think that all of the above mentioned steps can be considered “best practices” when creating and publishing a blog. Steve’s blog “started as an innocent email chain among three of his buddies, and turned into a full-time job” (Skinner, 2014). Why is this blog so successful? I can go for the best answers and say it’s a great blog because Steve stays interactive with his readers. He goes through every e-mail and answers/publishes the ones he finds interesting. It could also be because of his dedication to the blog. As I mentioned earlier, this is his full-time job and he takes it seriously. But I think the number one answer to why this blog is so successful is the general topic! Just as it says in ’12 Steps to Launch a Successful Blog’, the first step to writing a successful blog is to ‘decide what you are going to blog about’. I think Steve hit gold when he decided to not only write about reality television shows, mainly the Bachelor and Bachelorette, but when he also chose to spoil reality television shows. As much as people don’t want to admit it, we are naturally noisy creatures. There’s just something about sticking our nose in someone else’s business that provides a certain rush. Steve is taking this ‘human curiosity’ to a new level by providing episode-by-episode spoilers so that the public will know what happens before the show even airs.

For the people who do not like to know the ending of something before they’ve had a chance to watch…don’t visit his site! It’s that simple.  Reality Steve has gotten sued a couple of time by ABC and yes his blog is still up and running. Why? Because in reality, he’s not doing anything wrong. He has the right to publish whatever he wants and there’s obviously a high demand for his information or else he wouldn’t have so many loyal readers. So as far as form and function, Steve is good in that department because his blog/website runs great and is easy to follow. Substance is another thing I think he has. Of course this is just my opinion, but I think it’s nice to read a blog that isn’t about the everyday hardships of life. Do I get any deep emotional connections to the world or my inner being when I log onto his site…no…and that’s exactly how I like it! His blog is entertaining and provides just the information I want to know. As long as there are people like Reality Steve in the world, blogs can continue to be a more interesting way to ‘escape’ from reality.

References

Daily Blog Tips. 12 Steps to Launch a Successful Blog. Retrieved from

            http://www.dailyblogtips.com/steps-to-successful-blog

Skinner, Paige. 2014. Blogger Reality Steve Makes a Living by Spoiling The Bachelor,

The Bachelorette. Dallas Observer.

Joe Paterno Press Release/Facebook Post

Joe Paterno

CONTACT: Desiree Y. Torres
                    813-481-0415
                    desiree.torres@snhu.edu

Joe Paterno is not dead…yet!

What if someone were told they were “dead” before it really happened?

STATE COLLEGE, PA - One of the many people who were fooled by an inaccuracy in Joe Paterno’s death read a tweet sent from Onward State, the student website which covers stories at Penn State University, on Saturday January 21, 2012.  The public was told Paterno passed away a whole day before he actually did. Big time media outlets such as CBSSports.com and the Huffington Post read this tweet from one of the Onward State writers and spread the word on their sites before doing any research about the true story. Essentially, these sites killed Paterno off publicly prior to him really being gone.   

This incident is a perfect example of what not to do when a story breaks. Had each news outlet done their own investigation, they would have known that the original sources of Onward State were considered credible because of an e-mail. An e-mail that anyone could have sent. The writers of this student website did not follow the journalism rules of ethics, but that’s no excuse for professional media companies to follow suit.

With social media growing more each day, errors such as this one are likely to happen more online versus than in print. When printing a newspaper or magazine, the reporters are forced to delve deeper for accurate information because once something has been printed, it is harder to take back. Online content can be deleted just as quickly as it is posted. There are only so many retractions a journalist can publish before their credibility is shot.  

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Facebook Post:  The Tweet heard around the world…the football world that is!

Social Media Tools

The three Social Media Tools I chose to use are Twitter, LinkedIn, and a Blog. Here are the links for each site:

• Twitter: twitter.com (my twitter handle is @Eve210)

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com (find me under Desiree Torres)

• Blog: http://newmediainmymind.blogspot.com  

Out of all of the social media tools listed on the aids.gov website, I believe the following are the best ones to reach audiences most effectively: blogs, mobile, photo sharing sites, podcasts, social network sites, text messaging, twitter, and video sharing sites. Each of these engines can be very successful in reaching the masses because of the speed, accessibility, and simplicity of each tool. Think about it…all of these tools can be created, edited, and used on your smart phone which means a person can have access to the community with one simple device. As with any media site, people need followers and or a group of people with whom they can reach out to and share their tweets, videos, and photos; however, all it really takes is a small group of people to share your information with their friends and families. If the material you want to share is interesting and eye-catching enough, more and more people will share it with their circle of contacts.

I think each tool can be used differently depending on what type of audience you are trying to connect with. For example, I use my Twitter account solely for current events. By signing onto Twitter, I’m able to get updates on my favorite magazines and celebrities, while also staying up-to-date with the happenings of the world through CNN, USA Today, and President Obama’s administration. While completing this assignment, I wondered why on the aids.gov website, Twitter isn’t considered a ‘social networking site’. It’s similar to Facebook in that a person can post their status and people can choose to respond and follow them. I wonder who defines ‘social media’ and if I’m alone in my thinking about Twitter. My LinkedIn account is used for professional reasons. I have over 100 legitimate business connections. These contacts were made through years of managing volunteers, collaborating with co-workers, and building a reliable reputation throughout my career. I truly think a site such as LinkedIn can help people who are trying to relocate to a new state and need to find work or even if they are simply going into a new career where they currently reside. Remember, the more people you know in different professional fields, the better access you can have within these fields. Obviously a person would need the knowledge and experience to get the job they seek, but knowing someone in a company may allow you to get your foot in the door for an opportunity you may not have normally had.

As far as blogging, I’m still very new to it. I only created a blog for this class and I’ve really enjoyed sharing my opinion with others. Will I continue to blog once this class is over? I’m not sure. I’ve never thought of myself as very creative, so I honestly wouldn’t know what to blog about. On the other hand, if you are a person with a lot of knowledge about different hobbies or information you want to share, then blogging is the way to go. I think it’s a very comfortable and informal way to share your thoughts and opinions without crossing over too many professional boundaries. If a person has a blog that others don’t agree with, it’s okay because people who don’t agree do not have to read the blog in question. However, at least the blogger has an outlet to get their thoughts and ideas out there. Sometimes it’s just want a person needs. Either way, all three of the social media tools I use are a great way to get a message across to many people at one time. This definitely beats the old days of having to write individual letters to friends and family. Now, one post/status update says it all! 

Unrestricted Web Publishing

The article I chose to write about is Europe Isn’t Happy About Facebook’s News Feed Experiment, which I found in Time Magazine. There were a few sources I was able to track to authenticate this story. These sources are Facebook themselves, Ireland’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, and The Information Commissioner’s Office of Britain. Following the” Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources” each of these websites are legit. The author who wrote this article is Mirren Gidda and she is a well-known author for Time, as well as, other publications. As far as whether or not the story regarding Facebook is current, I was able to find more articles in the NY Times, USA Today, and CNN, all of which are credible sources. Each of these stories came out within the last week or so.

The only way this story can be involved with unrestricted web publishing is if bloggers or other writers decide to take it out of context and spread false information. By adding opinions in with facts, this article can potentially take a different turn than it was meant to. Facebook is currently under investigation for this event in which some people feel it violated the privacy act. If the public, which right now I consider non-experts on the subject, decide to put their own spin on the story, it will then become an unreliable piece of information. As of today, this information is legit and as long as it’s shared on social media through bona fide sites, I think the impact will be fine.

Reference

Gidda, Mirren. 2014. Europe Isn’t Happy About Facebook’s News Feed Experiment. Retrieved from

            http://time.com/2949137/facebook-news-feed-experiment-europe/

Social Media and Truth

How do I know what I know? This is a really good question that I've never really thought about. I consider myself a pretty trusting person so when I read an article or watch a news program, I usually consider the source and then determine whether it’s real or not. Although some news organizations have made errors while broadcasting a story, it doesn't happen often. So when I’m watching Bay News 9 or CNN, I tend not to do research because I have faith that the reporters know what they are talking about. I can’t say the same with social media. When I read things online or in my Facebook news feed, I don’t automatically think everything is on the up-and-up. Thanks to stories on social media, I am now very proficient at using Google. I will investigate a story until I’m confident it’s true. For example, today I read an article shared on my Facebook page in regards to President Obama and his take on working families. He’s supposed to have a white house summit on the issue of the US not having paid maternity leave, work flexibility, and other basic needs of a working-class family. At first glance, I wasn't sure if this was true because I honestly didn't know the US didn't have paid maternity leave. Not knowing information and then learning it for the first time will make some people skeptical of its validity. I first read about this summit in the Huffington Post via President Obama’s blog. After reading the blog, I then did a Google search and found the story again in the New York Daily News and on the White House website. Obviously, this is really going to happen.

This was an easy story to make credible, but unfortunately, it isn't always. I would say that social media sites fall under the following news models -- Journalism of Assertion and Journalism of Affirmation. The first news model, Journalism of Assertion, “puts the highest value on immediacy and volume and in so doing tends to become a passive conduit of information” and the second news model, Journalism of Affirmation, “builds loyalty less on accuracy, completeness, or verification than on affirming the beliefs of its audiences, and so tends to cherry-pick information that serves that purpose” (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2010). I believe social media was created for exactly that…for media, stories, news, etc. to be shared socially among friends, colleagues, family, and even strangers. Just like the everyday news journalist, social media sites want to be the first to have ‘breaking news’ and in order for stories to be shared right away, the sites will post something without knowing all the facts. This isn't in every case, but it quite a few. Due to this “need to be first” mentality, not all social media sites are dependable for trustworthy information. I think a site can still be the first to break a story as long as they include “story still developing”. With this simple statement, it’s okay for them not to have all the facts, as long as everyone knows they are working to update the public as soon as they can. So as of right now, I take some social media stories with a grain of salt unless I have credible back-up from a news station or newspaper whose reputation is solid.

Influence of the Media

I thought that I used different types of new media a great deal, but knowing the many media outlets that are available, I only use 2-3 on a daily basis. My smartphone is like an extension of me and if I don’t have it on me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week I wouldn’t know what to do. It makes me a bit sad realizing how dependent I am on my phone, but in today’s society, technology runs the world and I jumped on the bandwagon a long time ago like almost everyone else. Facebook, Twitter, and TMZ (sad, but true) are the applications that I use on a daily basis. These sites keep me in touch with the current events, whether they are important like an unfortunate school shooting or frivolous like who’s wearing what on the red carpet. I check each site a few times a day and even after I’m done with my daily ‘sessions’, I may put the phone down for a couple of minutes and without even realizing it, I pick it right back up to go on the internet or type in a note/reminder for myself. I feel a bit scared to get attached to other media, such as, Pinterest and Instagram in fear of me wasting more time on unnecessary information.

Social media has grown so much over the last decade that it’s practically impossible not to participate in one way or another. There are still some people, mostly older, who have chosen not to get a Facebook account or anything of that nature; however, these same people are still a part of social media when they choose to comment on an online article or ‘share’ information they receive via e-mail. As mentioned in Blur, “Communication’s history also suggests that new technologies do not change human nature. They simply allow us to express and satisfy our curiosity about the world beyond our own direct experience in different ways” (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). The older generation will still pick up a newspaper to read about current events, but they may also get on the computer and pass information they’ve learned onto their friends and colleagues. With today’s social media, information is passed from person to person a lot quicker than in the past.

As far as how it’s influenced my perspective on events, I would say social media has made me see some events as less important than I would have seen them in the past. There are so many posting’s out there from small topics to large, important ones; however, since everyone is allowed to share information through social media it’s sometimes hard to distinguish what is major and what isn’t. Obviously, the multiple school shootings around the US are major stories, but what happens when one shooting is bypassed by the next, and then the next, and then the next. Once a new tragedy occurs, the ones directly before it tend to come out of the public’s focus and they’re on to the next. Then we have stories about celebrities that will literally take over social media sites, even if there critical news to discuss. So I may go from reading a piece about growing hunger in third-world countries to becoming engulfed in what Kim and Kanye are going to have for breakfast…it’s a bit absurd. While I like the concept of social media and its availability for the masses to give their two cents and share what they want the world to know, I also think it can be a lot to handle at times.