The Taste of Matthew Good

I recently had the chance to meet a couple of online folk that have really made an impact on this new type of medium. Billy Reid of Very Tasteful, Dale Mugford of Matthewgood.org, and Tessa Sproule, Executive in charge of Digital Programming at CBC.

Basically, from what I understood, this whole blogging thing may go deeper than I originally thought. See this was my final class. I thought ‘O.K., Been there done that and truthfully not that excited’. Then I met these people. These people whose whole lives are online information and social networking. Could it really be that big of a deal?

Billy, Dale, and Tessa have all seen some form of success by working through and with the internet. I have honestly been so loyal, as a journalism student, to the classical types of media that even if I did have a love for online writing I probably wouldn’t have realized it.

One thing I have realized is the online skills I have obtained over the last 14 weeks don’t just add up to another credit towards my diploma. These skills are an asset that makes me different than other more traditional journalists.

Going into my interview for an internship and saying that I was a multi-platform journalist helped me out a lot. But when I brought up the fact that I had studied on-line journalism as well; the mood got much more exciting.

Dale and Billy both talked about getting noticed and selling their work to other organizations. For this you need to first be recognized. This makes me feel like I have to start now. Like if I don’t get on this fast moving train of technology I’ll be left behind to work somewhere thats probably going to downsize in 5 years anyway.

In conclusion, this isn’t the last of Megan Hall. Enjoy the show. I’m graduating as a journalist in less than 2 weeks, and I’ll up date you on where I end up.

 

Casper and Me (My Ghostbusting Adventure)

My unique location for this week is my houses haunted basement. Many people have seen things in and around it so I’d thought I’d let you guys see it first hand. Enjoy!

 

Sophomore Performance

Ever wonder what it’s like to work at a student newspaper? Well, here’s your chance. Check out my second performance on YouTube where I explain my duties as a News Editor at The Satellite.

 

Debut YouTube Performance

This is my first video ever uploaded to YouTube. It was done while in my Advanced Social Journalism class at Mohawk College.

 

Didn’t Your Mother Ever Teach You How To Share (My blog on Web 2.0)

So far I’ve learned the basics of Web 2.0. From what I understand it’s all about sharing and communicating with others. You can share bookmarks and blogs, or you can communicate tweets and posts. I found this video on YouTube. I thought it was very informative. Check it out before I rant/rave about my experiences with Web 2.0.

First, I’ll talk about Twitter. When I look at Twitter I see bloggers expanding on their social network. Great site for them, not so great for me. Being someone just starting up in the blogging business I don’t understand why this would be of value to me. I know social networks are important but twitter is quite frightening for a new blogger when you receive 300 tweets a day. When the discussion turns to what people are currently watching on t.v. or their favourite foods I can’t help but think that websites like this could be used for something so much better. Still, Twitter is all about sharing. This is the essence of Web 2.0. A blogger sends out a tweet saying “New Blog Post” and now their blog has been expanded to everyone on Twitter.

Here’s a news report on Twitter: “The New Cyber-Drug of Choice”

Next, let’s clear the air by talking about del.icio.us. My favourite Web 2.0 website. Here I can bookmark my favourite site at home on my Mac and then go to school log in there and still check out my bookmarks. This is probably the only site I will continue to use. I think the fact that many news organizations now use it as a research tool will encourage me to use it more effectively. And, of course, you can SHARE on del.icio.us. You collect contacts and then you can check out their bookmarks too. It’s a type of social bookmarking.

I’d like to thank my professor in Advanced Social Journalism, Roz, for showing me this commoncraft video on social bookmarking.

And last but not least, we can’t forget about Digg. Digg is when you digg other blogs or get your blog dug. It’s also probably my least favourite social networking site. I can see why some people can enjoy it though. It gets your blog attention and free publicity. But it just seems so boring. With Twitter and Del.icio.us I can see where the fun is, but with Digg there’s nothing there for me. It, once again, shares. People are able to interact through blogs and check out the top 100. Unfortunately, for me, it lacks that oomph that most Web 2.0 site posses. Of course I’ll include a video on this social networking site as well.

Now you have to understand that I’ve been active on these websites for under a month now. My opinion is based completely on first impressions. Here’s my ratings: 1st- Del.icio.us 2nd- Twitter 3rd- Digg.

Some will last and some won’t. Its like any other kind of social network. Do people still write letters or do they pick up their phones? You could even go as far as saying that Facebook type social networking sites are replacing phone calls. Guaranteed something will come around and replace everyone of these websites. It’s evolution baby!

 

Newsmaker or Heartbreaker

By now everyone has probably heard of Heath Ledger’s untimely death. This blog isn’t meant to focus on the actors death. This blog is meant to focus on how it was treated by the media. The news broke early last night and Internet bloggers were all over it. Information was being spread everywhere before his family even knew about it. We all love the speed of the Internet. We all love the availability of information. But, don’t we all love the idea of respect as well? This young mans family wasn’t even given time to grieve before Internet bloggers were trying to figure out whether it was accidental or a suicide.

One blogger in particular is Perez Hilton. Perez apparently spent his night looking on the Internet trying to find videos of Heath looking ‘drugged-out’. He is currently comparing the young star to Anna Nicole Smith, like it is his place to do so. Luckily, some Internet bloggers do have hearts and there was a major backlash against the famous blogger.

Here’s a report from CNN Headline News shortly after Heath Ledger was found dead.

My favourite part is when the host says, “We don’t know that this was a suicide, we want to be very clear on that, BUT…”

Does anyone else feel like the media is overstepping their ground? I personally believe the news media, not just on the Internet, need to take a step back, stop being so presumptuous, and be more respectful.

It is now clear that the speed of Internet bloggers can be a blessing and a curse. Dying in Hollywood has proved to be more popular than living in Hollywood. As I have listened to the media and checked blogs I can only continue to think ‘Wow, can’t you just give it some time?’ Give it some time before you speculate accidental or suicide. Give it some time before you post videos that YOU think show him on pills. It almost feels like some bloggers are simply looking for reactions instead of respecting people’s lives. Finally, please don’t assume because you should know what it makes both you and me.

 

Journalism’s New Face or A Flash in the Pan

Online journalism; I’ve written this blog before. I’ve also written reflections, assignments, tests, etc. all having to do with this new face of journalism. Does everyone really believe that newspapers, radio, and T.V. are dead? If you think about it, how long have P.C.’s been around for? Compared to the written word its probably only been the blink of an eye. I understand that posting news on the web is very important. We’re a new generation. We want things faster and easier. Shorter and more concise. But, newspapers are changing too. Could it be that newspapers will make a come back? Think about what they’ve been through. Newspapers arrived in the 1400’s and have survived revolutions, world wars, a great depression and much more. Being faced with this new generation they are beginning a complete overhaul of everything they once were. Their stories are becoming shorter and easier to read. There is more colour and photos. They’re even beginning to post audio and video online. So maybe online journalism isn’t a flash in the pan. Maybe online journalism is like a child and its grandfather is the newspaper. As history shows, newspapers aren’t going down without a fight. So instead of battling for audiences maybe these two mediums will learn from each other. Newspapers can discover a new generation of people and online journalists can reflect on their history. I may not think online is the new face of journalism, but the young one is beginning to grow on me.