We the Media 4

In chapter 10, Gillmor does a good job of scaring any new Internet user, even despite the disclaimer at the beginning. However, he does make a good point that it is important to be aware of the possible implications the things one posts on the Internet can have. It was no surprise that Matt Drudge has been sued. What was surprising was that when the case of libel went to court, Drudge won. Most people probably don’t have as many followers as Drudge, but the world can learn from his mistakes, or lack thereof. I am glad Gillmor mentioned this case because it reinsures writer’s journalistic freedom. In any case, I think I’ll pay a little bit more attention to things I publish online, especially when referencing certain information.

I am not shocked to read that some countries have started to regulate the Internet and the information citizens get from it. I understand that knowledge is power and that the Internet is a powerful thing, but I feel all people should have the right to access information and make decisions for themselves. It all comes down to freedom. In chapter 11, Gillmor discusses how copyrights, government and big businesses are infringing upon our freedoms. I thought it was funny that Gillmor referenced Disney when talking about copyright infringement. Imagine if copyrights were in full force during the 1930s and Mickey Mouse never came to be.

I agree with Gillmor in chapter 12 when he says the Internet is the new and most important medium. For journalists, the Internet is the future. As I write this, journalists are trying to figure out an effective way to combine computers and news. I believe the future of journalism will be niche marketing. Instead of a cover-all approach of newspapers, online news sites will cater information to your interests. As a journalism student, I have always been taught to be critical of information you come across online, but this book just reaffirmed that statement. With the current Internet trends, everyone is taking on the role of journalist, and it’s our job as readers to be aware of what we are reading and if it is credible. That’s not to say there is no truth out in the cyber world, but it is to say that people need to be more aware as readers.

My Website

My Media Blog

My Lunch

We The Media 3

Chapter 7 was interesting. Some of the information was new to me, yet some was old news. Wiki sites are something that I am very familiar with because I often use these sites as a resource. I realize readers must be wary of what they read, but it really can provide a plethora of information. What I found to be new information was how much money a person could make running a public blog. I was shocked to find out Chris Allbritton was able to raise thousands of dollars by asking his readers for money. The readers would send in money in order to fund his trips to Iraq where he would give first-hand reports of what was happening in Iraq. Stories like this show how important and how much of an impact public blogs can have. Although I’m a big fan of blogs, I don’t know that I’d refer to them first before visiting a news site. In the beginning of the chapter some readers said they visit blogs before checking the news. I tend to use blogs more as a supplementary resource and find it risky to rely on blogs the way some readers do.

Chapter 8 starts with Gilmore talking about Moore’s Law, Metcalfe’s Law and Reed’s Law, which support the idea that “the more the Net grows, the more valuable and powerful it becomes.” This point is more fully exemplified by Gilmore’s fax machine comparison. A lone fax machine is not very valuable or useful on its own, but a soon as there is another fax machine out there, it becomes more valuable because it has a purpose and function. Like the fax machine, many of the technological advances of today are only so powerful because they are ubiquitous. Again, Gilmore stresses how regular people are becoming journalists, maybe not in the traditional sense, but in a new form. With the Internet, people are able to publish their thoughts, ideas and opinions to many or few people. However, with all this new information available, it becomes difficult to sort through all the information to get to the trustworthy and credible sources.

Chapter 9 covers more in depth the concerns of having the equipment and resources so readily available  to the common public. People can easily create professional looking websites and blogs from an at home computer or even a cell phone. The new technology, such as Photoshop and video editing, makes it hard to trust what you see. Information is easily altered or misused and its easy for the reader to be misled. For example, GIlmore suggests using satire carefully as some may be too dense to get it. Information can be taken and interpreted in many different, so it’s best to copy the link or provide a link to the original article and allowing people to make decisions for themselves.

From reading these chapters I walked away with a feeling of constantly looking over my shoulder. Today, everyone must be an investigator of sorts in order to find what is truth and what is fabrication.

 

Final Project Plan

Since I love makeup and plan on attending makeup classes once I graduate from SJSU, I thought it would be appropriate to do my final project about cosmetics. The overall theme of my project will be the beauty industry. Specifically, in my three broadcasts I will discuss my three favorite makeup products and why they are my favorite. I am a broadcast journalism student so I plan to use the video camera that I had to purchase for one of my classes, as well as using iMovie to edit my videos. I have made a few broadcast packages this semester, and will have many more to make before I graduate, so it’ll be nice to make some fun videos for this project.

Midterm Newsletter

Midterm Newsletter

We the Media 2

Once again, I would have to say that I agree with Gilmore, in that companies and celebrities should not be afraid of starting their own weblogs. Companies benefit by weblogs by being able to communicate to the public why they are making the choices they are and what they are thinking about. Gilmore mentions former Star Trek celebrity, Wil Wheaton, and his experience with creating his own blog. The media was giving Wheaton a bad image, so he decided to start blogging in order to show the public who he really is. Another important item touched on in chapter four was the idea of niche blogging. In my media classes thus far, it seems the future of media is in the niche audience. Glimore talks about the “Strolllerqueen,” a woman who blogs about strollers. In that underground market, she has become a celebrity. Gilmore also mentions how important RSS feeds are for companies and public relations. Although, I am still not 100 percent clear what exactly RSS feeds do, it seems like a good idea. From what I gather, it enables people to follow information posted by certain groups or persons without having to keep looking up their blog, etc.

Personally, I found chapter five to be quite dry. I am not a fan of politics, but I am sure anyone who is would enjoy this chapter. Glimore stresses how important weblogs can be for politicians. The Internet is becoming an important role in fund-raising for politicians. For instance, Gilmore mentions that John McCain raised around $6.4 million in his campaign against George Bush. Like Gilmore says, although McCain lost, it shows how vital Internet campaigning can be. Apparently we are moving into an era of open-source politics.

Chapter six was more my speed, as a broadcast journalism student, because it looked closely at the future of media. Gilmore stresses that the audience is becoming the news writer, and that journalists should welcome this with open arms instead of recoiling in fear. I agree with Gilmore that the audience knows more than journalists do because they are many and we are few. A perfect example of journalists accepting the public’s feedback and using it constructively is the journal Jane’s Intelligence Review. The journal put a copy of an article on their website before actually publishing it. The public tore it apart and Jane’s ended up completely rewriting the article, as well as giving credit to the public who had input on it. I really like the idea that journalists should include an email address after articles in order to encourage reader feedback. I liked that Gilmore mentions the changing journalism industry is more of an issue for faculty than for students. This means faculty needs to keep up with the times and properly prepare their students for this new media world. I do not have much to compare to, but I feel SJSU is doing an adequate job of this. This class solidifies that point.

Did you know? 2.0

Let me start by saying that was not what I was expecting to see when I pushed play on this YouTube video. Some parts of the video are quite depressing, but I don’t understand why technology has to be negative. The technological advances that are in place today play such an important role in streamlining operations and simplifying our everyday lives.

It’s easy to look at technology as scary because of a “fear of the unknown,” but oppositely it can be looked at in a positive light. Although we have come a long way since the 90s, we have barely begun to scratch the surface.

I agree that we are in a time that is increasing exponentially, and that we need to learn to adapt quickly in order to survive. A good example of that is journalism. We are shifting into a new era where news and information are most commonly accessed online versus the conventional newspaper, magazine or radio. Thus, the journalism world needs to find new and innovative ways to provide content in order to adapt to public demand.

That being said, in order to adapt to changing times, our educational systems must be able to keep up. It is astonishing how far behind our numbers in college graduates are as compared to India and China’s numbers. Granted this video is a few years old, so the numbers aren’t completely accurate for today, but it is still evident that the U.S. is lacking in the education department.

Here is the 2008 version of this video. It is amazing how varied presentation can drastically change the message received by the viewer.

Did you know? 3.0