Has anyone else had a problem with their blogs?

Journalism and Freedom (cont,)

I wanted to make a separate post to further discuss The Wall Street Journal article Government assistance is a greater threat to the press than any new technology by Rupert Murdoch.

After taking a break and really thinking about the content Murdoch presents raised many questions in my mind.

-Why would the government want to do this?

-The government have other, more important things to worry about. Why would they want to become directly involved in commercial journalism? Do they have something to hide?

So the newspaper might be changing. Does the taxpayer really have to fund the journalists? Do we really need to make newspapers non-profits? Maybe I am too young and don't understand how the world works, but people will always want news.

I'm not sure if I went about this article in the correct way but my interpretation was the government might be taking over the news industry because the industry is 'going under' due to the new technology.

Americans want and need news. So now they get it a different way. Every industry has to change with the 'times' at some point. Some prosper and some fade out, but news will prosper again.

Journalism and Freedom: An Opinon Piece on a Wall Stree Journal Article

Original Article Journalism and Freedom Government assistance is a greater threat to the press than any new technology By: Rupert Murdoch

**(A note to the reader. I set this post up differently to ensure that the message is easy to understand. After taking an Internet Communications class (which this particular assignment is for) I've learned there are many different ways to get or more importantly not get readers attention when reading Websites. You might like this or may not-just something different.)





"...and the triumph of digital is to blame." Before going into further detail can you determine what this article is about? Here is a hint, Communications Journalism which just happens to be my major.

"From the beginning, newspapers have prospered for one reason: the trust that comes from representing their readers' interests and giving them the news that's important to them." Newspapers sales have declined. If you don't know how to use a computer now, you might want to because everything is digital. Billboards, magazines and now newspapers are all digital and online. The news has not changed in fact, you can receive you news almost as it happens.

Today's news consumers do not want to be chained to a box in their homes or offices to get their favorite news and entertainment and our plan includes the needs of the next wave of TV viewing by going mobile." I am only 21 years old, but I can still remember waking up on a Sunday morning to see both my parents at the kitchen table with the newspaper split into their favorite sections. My brother and I would argue who got the cartoon section even though most of the time the jokes went right over our heads. However, when I wake up now on a Sunday morning both my parents are sitting at the kitchen table each with a laptop and cup of coffee. In each of our lives this 'change' is affecting each of us differently. At one time news traveled around and a person might not even hear about something until they watched the TV, but now with the technology we can receive our news immediately on our cell phones or Internet. Is this positive or negative? In my opinion and from the article's author, it is a good thing. The media, specifically newspapers, will change to match the changes in technology. If they do not-they will not exist anymore. Why have people taken to this new type of news source? No one wants to sit down and watch a news program anymore. The kids have homework, mom and dads working late and going online is the easiest way to get the news is looking up the stories that interest you or relate to you rather than listening to a whole news program.

"In the new business model, we will be charging consumers for the news we provide on our Internet sites." Bluntly, I disagree. We don't pay for TV news, why would we pay for online? There are many different sites and bloggers that also give out information. Are they the NYTimes or Wall Street Journals, no, but the information will get out there.

"The prospect of the U.S. government becoming directly involved in commercial journalism ought to be chilling for anyone who cares about freedom of speech." This scares me. The thought of not having the right to free speech, as many other countries don't have, just makes my stomach churn. The founding fathers created the First Amendment because they had no say when American was ruled by England. To have our government take that away from the American people would cause chaos

Just remember that the American people need their news. The way we get our news is changing and most likely will change again, but there will always be a need for it and its writers. A perfect ending from Rupert Murdoch: "The future of journalism is more promising than ever."

What is it like to create your own podcast?

To create your own podcast is very difficult for anyone. There are programs you need to learn, and must pick a topic that people would want to listen to.

The first time my partner and I worked on our podcast, for a class assignment, it took an hour and a half to create seven seconds simply because we were not familiar with the program Adobe Audition. However, after we got the kinks worked out, it went rather quickly. One thing we both noticed was how many times we say the word 'um' and 'like'. It took some self training, but we pulled through. We used music and sound effects to our advantage. If I was listening I know I would enjoy hearing music in between topics.

Podcasts might be a type of social media or the new radio, but I still don't think the public has fully grasped the concept. They are difficult to create, as I figured out from my previous post research, and are difficult to find good ones worth listening to.

From Radio Hosts to Self made Podcasts

I am a person who has never listened to a podcast outside of the classroom. I never found the reason to. If I want to know what is going on in the world, I turn on the news or read the paper online. To me, there is no reason to listen to a podcast with someone’s opinion. I just want the facts so I can make my own opinion. A podcast does not seem like the radio to me. Maybe if I found a podcast like one, I might be more intrigued to listen. My high school was 30 minutes away, so I listened to my three New York City stations everyday; Z100, PST and Y100. When a commercial came I changed the station to listen to the hosts or songs they were playing. Z100’s DJs were definitely my favorite. They each had their own stand out personalities like John Bell. He is an older man with a raspy voice. Bell is like the father of the group, who makes sense of every topic.

Podcasting in plain English, for the person like me that didn't know much about them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-MSL42NV3c

So, compared to others, finding a podcast was not so simple. I finally found a website podcast.com, which gave different collections to choose from.

The first one I listened to was Poli Talk. The name says it all, and I love to listen to anything politics. When listening to this, I wasn’t impressed. The music they began with sounded like elevator music. Just because its politics, doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

Episode 57: Pick and Option, Any Option, talked about Afghanistan and healthcare after a long, two minute commercial and some goofing off. Although the content was good, it did not grab my interest.

The second podcast I listened to was a random pick that I chose because I liked the picture. I was curious what it was about but the title and picture had nothing to do with it. The title was Podrunner 132 BPM-Easy Going. After listening for two minutes about donations and commercials it turned out to be a techno workout podcast. All it played was music, which surprised me. I thought podcasts were similar to a talk show, but I guess I was wrong.

The third podcast I began listening to was a bit misleading. The title was Language Lessons, which indicated that they would be teaching you. Instead, it was a man reading in Latin, the play Julius Caesar. It was a basic podcast with no sound effects and no music.

From these three podcasts all from podcast.com taught me what works and what doesn’t work in a podcast. Although this is not going to be my career path, I think I might have figured out the secret ingredients to a podcast.

Ingredients to a podcast:

1. The 30 seconds should be the introduction for the show, not advertisements

2. The hosts should introduce themselves the same way every show to connect the listener to their voice. (Sometimes, two voices can sound similar until you start listening for a few minutes)

3. The meat of the show. Explain the topics for the day and get rolling.

4. Use sound effects and music to balance out the show. Both can also be used to separate topics.

5. Don't talk forever. You will lose your listeners.

6. Finally, remember there are always new listeners so make it appealing to your niche.

To learn how to create a podcast, here is a tutorial. It is very helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrBbczS9I0&feature=related

Social Media is Everywhere!

Social Media in a Video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVXKI506w-E

No, it's not a Disney character.

A small blue bird entered our lives three years ago whether we liked it or not.
"The working name was just "Status" for a while," said Jack Dorsey, Twitter chairman. "It actually didn’t have a name. We were trying to name it, and mobile was a big aspect of the product early on ... We liked the SMS aspect, and how you could update from anywhere and receive from anywhere. We wanted to capture that in the name — we wanted to capture that feeling: the physical sensation that you’re buzzing your friend’s pocket. It’s like buzzing all over the world. So we did a bunch of name the dictionary for words around it, and we came across the word "twitter," and it was just perfect. The definition was "a short burst of inconsequential information," and "chirps -storming, and we came up with the word "twitch," because the phone kind of vibrates when it moves. But "twitch" is not a good product name because it doesn’t bring up the right imagery. So we looked in from birds. And that’s exactly what the product was."

Twitter has took the world by storm just like other social media such as Myspace and Facebook. However Twitter is unique. Myspace and Facebook allows its users to write text, add many pictures as well as movies. Twitter only allows its users 140 characters which means including spaces there can only be 140. It sounds like a lot but isn't. Here is an example from my Twitter page. "Did anyone know Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day comes out October 30???? It is only showing in select theatres. Not good news for me. :( "= 140 Characters.

*Check out this Youtube video about Twitter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

Ashton Kusher, Hugh Hefner, Oprah, Ellen Degeneres all have one, what about you?

In the past three years you hear about Twitter from celebrities and now companies using social media to gain customers, talk to customers and share new ideas with them. For instance H&R Block uses Facebook to give their customers advice. While some companies try to sell a product through social media, H&R Block gives tax advice. Comcast cable company, is on Twitter giving advice but in a different way then H&R Block. They find tweeters who are talking about Comcast and talk to them offering assistance. I tried an experiment to see if Comcast would answer me back on Twitter, but I never received a response. So what makes them talk to one person over another?

Social Media in Businesses. There are no more pages in the yellow pages. Just watch. It's shocking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I10UGl15nYU

Today, business leaders are teaching other businesses how to use social media and why they should.

Four steps to social media success:
1. Find interested people
2. Deliver quality content
3. Capture information
4. Stay in touch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gza8dvN8Hkc&feature=related

Social Media Marketing-"Get direct traffic to your site."

This is another video featuring Vanessa Cooper who talks about using social media in businesses and gain attention. She suggests YouTube, because people love to watch videos. Also, she says most people believe Facebook and Twitter are what most people think of when they hear social media. However, there are other types of social media such as forums, message boards and blogs to get involved and communicate with your customers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyJ1FGWRtQY&feature=related

Are customers responding? A personal opinion.

From my personal opinion I believe if Comcast tweeted to me on Twitter I might have mixed feelings. I don't like that they can find me because I am talking about Comcast, but also, it might be an advantage to me if I am struggling. However, when I have had issues I just pick up the phone and call. I am still trying to "wrap my head around" social media. We are surrounded by advertising on tv, malls, billboards and now even more when we are searching the web. With companies taking over social media I find it over whelming.

If you're working for a company, they will see you using social media.

When Facebook first came out, it was only for college students. In just a few years, my grandfather is on it. In other words, a large majority of people are on social media sites and can see everything you write, pictures and movies you post. Companies have hired employees to find out if other employees are putting the company in a negative light. That is scary. Where does free speech come into play. That is another blog to write.



Social media has come into our lives in a short amount of time, like the first video said it took 50 years to get radio to everyone, well it didn't work that way with social media. Companies and advertisers can find out what you are doing, and create things just for you. Where is it going? Only time will tell.

Smelly Cat

"Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you?"


Does anyone remember a simplistic song that began with "smelly cat, smelly cat what are they feeding you?"


Recently two stars of the hit tv show Friends reunited. Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow were on stage at the "Rock A Little, Feed A Lot" Benefit Concert at Club Nokia on Tuesday night in LA when fans cheered to have one of their favorite characters Phoebe Buffay play the song that her fans loved to hear. Although it wasn't being played at Central Perk, the friends favorite coffee house, it was unplanned at the event. But, what made fans love the song "Smelly Cat?" What made people love the show Friends and feel like they were one of them?


Recently in my media class we watch a short film shown on TLC called "The Life of a Sitcom." Later that day I went home and couldn't stop talking about the production and behind the scenes secret information. Then on TBS Friends was on syndication, two back to back episodes. When the show began I was only 6 years old and was more interested in Full House, Family Matters and who can forget Power Rangers but now I can watch it whenever I want. It is so funny! Why?
There are some things about the show which was different to others at the time. It was about 20 something year olds, living in NYC while beginning their lives as adults played by unknown actors.


The women...

Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) was the fun loving friend on Monica Geller's from high school. She was a buyer for stores and fell in love with Monica's brother Ross throughout all the shows seasons.
Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) was the friend with the most common sense. She wanted to protect everyone but had a competitiveness in her. The friends made fun of her weight in high school and never let her live it down. Eventually she falls for Chandler and has a child with him.

Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is a free flowing, musician, hippy, masseuse who is somewhat ditzy with the most eccentric ideas of the bunch.


The men…

Ross (David Schwimmer) was the “nerd” paleontologist. At one point he is married to a woman who divorces him because she is gay.

Chandler (Matthew Perry) is the sarcastic one.

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is an actor on Days of Our Lives and loves to eat.

Although my descriptions might not be the best, they just hint at what the show is like. To give a better idea these are some clips


Each episode which was about 22 minutes had the perfect beginning, characters which everyone could relate to and comedy that is roll on the floor laughing kind.

Recently I watched Community in NBC the same station that produced Friends and it was completely different in maybe not a good way. Shows as Friends, Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond were shot in front of a live audience with several different cameras. Shooting in front of a live audience allows the viewer to hear the joke while the multiple cameras give it a casual feeling versus on the Community it looks like a movie. I believe that shows like Friends need to come back on the air with stand out comedy.