Take some time to go through your classmates’ blogs – the list is over to the right. Leave a comment on at least two different blogs – on any post that gets your attention, etc. Yes, this let’s me see that you are doing the assignment – but it’s good to see what others are doing, what other kinds of comments they may be getting, etc. Sometimes it gives you ideas, etc.
Your blogs March 12, 2009
Some of you had some interesting spring breaks and wrote about it on your blogs.
Kristie went to Jamaica on an alternative spring break and has some great pics on her blog!
Chris went to Mexico and wrote a spring break food review!
Nate went to Ft. Myers to cover NU baseball playing the Red Sox – here are some of his pics!
Mike covered local high school sports, some for the Boston Globe – here are some pics he took at the Girls Semifinal basketball tournament
Rachel went home to L.A. and wrote about the unique L.A. fashion sense
Nina went shopping for an internship interviewing wardrobe
Creative Commons photos February 24, 2009
So we are all finding photos online with Creative Commons licenses. I tried to find a few newsroom/media images. This one was on Everystockphoto.com
Photo by victoriapeckham/Creative Commons Attribution License
More than a diploma February 23, 2009
This is interesting – a recent post on a blog by a Michigan elementary school teacher who has some ideas on enhancing your standard high school diploma.
“After 13 years of work getting a K-12 education, why is it that all a student has to show for it is (if things go well) a diploma?
It seems to me like our goals should be so much different, such as:
In writing: students should have a very rich blog with hundreds of quality posts on it, as well as several major self-published pieces and several other items that were genuinely published by outside sources (editorials in the local paper, columns for a trade magazine, etc.) …”
and he finishes with …
“Finally: students should be heading to their post-K-12 life with a plan for the future, rather than just heading to college because everyone is doing it. They should have an extensive understanding of a significant number of careers in their preferred field(s) of study as well.”
Well, you guys are already in college, but I think the same idea carries over and you should come out of college with a portfolio of work – a lot of you get this chance with work from your co-op, etc. and I think this will benefit you greatly, particularly in the current job market. I originally saw this post through another blog Buzz Machine, whose author is always thinking “outside of the box” when it comes to the media, journalism education, etc.
Copyright talk February 19, 2009
In class tomorrow we are going to talk a bit about online use of photos/audio, etc. Here are two Websites we’ll look at
Everystock Photo- free photos with Common Licenses
Audio slideshow example February 17, 2009
I’m going to start posting links to various audio slideshows to help you get ideas for your slideshows and also to think about how you are going to approach the project.
Here is a recent one from the New York Times about everyday people in economically depressed Pontiac, Michigan. Notice how you don’t hear the voice of the reporter – it is all voices of the people the story is about. Notice all the background sounds – of the restaurant, etc. Notice how the people introduce themselves – it’s great to get this on tape to use in your piece.
The past catches up February 16, 2009
So I’ve been having you write about living in an age where your every moment can be recorded or snapped and posted online instantaneously and I’ve always bragged how I feel lucky my “younger” days aren’t preserved for all to see. And then this stuff starts showing up. Luckily the quality is so bad so you will never know which feathered hair female is me!
Your blogs February 13, 2009
This week I thought I would highlight some culture/fashion writing on your blogs.
Rachel, who is covering fashion, breaks down the outfits worn by the lead actress in the new movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic”
Nina, who is also writing about fashion, searches for the perfect t-shirt both here and here
And Sam has been doing a nice job following the saga of artist Shepard Fairy, who has an exhibit going on in Boston but was also arrested by Boston police in controversial fashion for old graffitti charges. Fairy is also involved with a lawsuit regarding his Obama image that was based on an Associated Press news photo.
Promoting your blog February 11, 2009
First off, some of you have already drawn some regular followers of your blog – and that is great. Even if it is just friends and family, it’s a start!
Others may be wondering: Where is everybody?
It can be a bit discouraging, when you are writing post after post on your blog, but don’t see anyone commenting on your prolific witty and knowledgeable writings. There are many blogs out there that got off to an enthusiastic start, but slowly fizzle because the writer isn’t sure if anyone is reading and gives up. The best course is to just to keep plugging away. Write and write and write. Obviously you have to because this is for class, but it is also good discipline and you will grow as a writer, even if no one, but your best friends or parents, are reading you.
If you feel you are starting to find a voice, and you are writing regularly, you might want to think about getting your blog “out there” a bit more. There are a few ways to plug in to the blogosphere. One is to link to other blogs on your site and then read them on a regular basis. When you click on the link from your blog into theirs, they may notice you if they are following their referrer links (some blogging programs allow bloggers to see how much traffic they have and where it is coming from). Some of these blogs, may in turn, put up a link back to you, driving their readers over to your site for a visit. To be more involved, start commenting on these other blogs to join the conversation.
Another option is Google. Share your url address with Google and they may add it to their vast index. This means when people type in certain words during a search, your blog may turn up as one of the links. Go to this page to learn more about this.
But the purpose of our assignment is not to become the most popular blog or build high traffic. The point is to be “out there” with your voice, improve your writing, work with some original photography, and possible connect or tap into a community that exists in the blogosphere. Good luck!
