Thanks, man. :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
"Social experiment"
Now that I've got him addicted, too, Tait created a fascinating social media Wordle:
Thanks, man. :)
Thanks, man. :)
One step forward
Sometimes it seems that people with disabilities are almost shadows in our society. We hear about them, see them on TV or read about them in various publications, but rarely do we actually see them. Fortunately, I think that may be starting to change.
Due to advances in technology, people with disabilities will most likely have more opportunities to integrate themselves easily into society. Globalization and an increase in the value of technical proficiency mean moving from physical skills to mental ones. As long as the right tools are in place, people with physical disabilities will be able to compete in the job market.
Take T.V. Raman, for instance. Blind since he was 14, he's been working for Google developing new tools for visually impaired users that will make them more marketable and able to enjoy the fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyle of the 21st century.
On a similar note, visually disabled men and women are also currently working in the Georgia State Capitol, manning all of the refreshment rooms without a hitch. As long as you tell your cashier which president is on the bill you hand him, you're in and out with a cup of fresh coffee in mere minutes.
I think it'll be interesting to see the ways that technology will provide for people in the future. No matter your visual or hearing capabilities, your physical limits, your mental capacity, your health, your location, your age, your gender, your race - it's my hope that all people will be able to provide for themselves if they wish to do so.
Due to advances in technology, people with disabilities will most likely have more opportunities to integrate themselves easily into society. Globalization and an increase in the value of technical proficiency mean moving from physical skills to mental ones. As long as the right tools are in place, people with physical disabilities will be able to compete in the job market.
Take T.V. Raman, for instance. Blind since he was 14, he's been working for Google developing new tools for visually impaired users that will make them more marketable and able to enjoy the fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyle of the 21st century.
On a similar note, visually disabled men and women are also currently working in the Georgia State Capitol, manning all of the refreshment rooms without a hitch. As long as you tell your cashier which president is on the bill you hand him, you're in and out with a cup of fresh coffee in mere minutes.
I think it'll be interesting to see the ways that technology will provide for people in the future. No matter your visual or hearing capabilities, your physical limits, your mental capacity, your health, your location, your age, your gender, your race - it's my hope that all people will be able to provide for themselves if they wish to do so.
What's a library without people?
Maybe I've mentioned this before, but both of my parents are librarians.
(I'll wait a few seconds and let all of the jokes filter through your system. Trust me - I've probably heard all of them before...)
Anyway, as a kid I loved going to the library. I played on a carpet that had a maze woven into it. I read Goodnight Moon. I read Frog and Toad. I read Berenstain Bears. The library was fun. Yeah, maybe I was a little biased, but there were other kids there, too. The library was fun for lots of kids.
So what would your reaction be if I told you Congress is thinking about banning children from libraries?
I'm not even kidding.
(I'll wait a few seconds and let all of the jokes filter through your system. Trust me - I've probably heard all of them before...)
Anyway, as a kid I loved going to the library. I played on a carpet that had a maze woven into it. I read Goodnight Moon. I read Frog and Toad. I read Berenstain Bears. The library was fun. Yeah, maybe I was a little biased, but there were other kids there, too. The library was fun for lots of kids.
So what would your reaction be if I told you Congress is thinking about banning children from libraries?
I'm not even kidding.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Plan B: Social media
Another avenue I've decided to pursue is social media. There are so many social networking programs and applications that are steadily being woven into our society. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Ning - the list goes on and on.
All of those companies need employees, right? Why not someone like me?
ReadWriteWeb came up with a list of the 10 ways social media will change in 2009. Its evolution could mean expansion which could mean jobs. And that's music to my ears.
All of those companies need employees, right? Why not someone like me?
ReadWriteWeb came up with a list of the 10 ways social media will change in 2009. Its evolution could mean expansion which could mean jobs. And that's music to my ears.
Bah humbug
There were 15,554 job cuts in newspapers last year, according to a journalist who's been slowly putting all of the pieces together on a web site cleverly coined Paper Cuts. More than 830 jobs have already been lost in 2009, and it's not even February yet.
This is certainly not good news for me and any other graduating journalism majors. Sometimes I'd like to think that I'm special. That my passion and my knowledge and my experience will trump all of those other graduates and that I'll get the one newsroom job left in the country. Unfortunately, I can't sustain that optimism for much longer.
However, I'm no longer just competing with other graduates. I'm competing with those 15,000+ journalists who've lost their jobs in the past year.
So what are they up to now? Here are some stats from Paper Cuts:
- 53% of journalists found a new job, including about 20% who turned to freelancing full-time
- 10% of those journalists took longer than a year to find a job
- only about 6% found other newspaper jobs
- 85% miss working at a newspaper
- 78% enjoy their new jobs
Allow me to be whiny for a second. It's not fair that what thousands of people have been working hard for should be stripped away so quickly and leave so many people (85%) yearning for what they used to have. Yes, I know - it's life, it's growing up, it's the real world. But this isn't what I expected when I fell in love with this industry four years ago. And sometimes it's hard to accept and be okay with that.
This is certainly not good news for me and any other graduating journalism majors. Sometimes I'd like to think that I'm special. That my passion and my knowledge and my experience will trump all of those other graduates and that I'll get the one newsroom job left in the country. Unfortunately, I can't sustain that optimism for much longer.
However, I'm no longer just competing with other graduates. I'm competing with those 15,000+ journalists who've lost their jobs in the past year.
So what are they up to now? Here are some stats from Paper Cuts:
- 53% of journalists found a new job, including about 20% who turned to freelancing full-time
- 10% of those journalists took longer than a year to find a job
- only about 6% found other newspaper jobs
- 85% miss working at a newspaper
- 78% enjoy their new jobs
Allow me to be whiny for a second. It's not fair that what thousands of people have been working hard for should be stripped away so quickly and leave so many people (85%) yearning for what they used to have. Yes, I know - it's life, it's growing up, it's the real world. But this isn't what I expected when I fell in love with this industry four years ago. And sometimes it's hard to accept and be okay with that.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Plinky to the rescue
Got writer's block? Leave it to Plinky to solve your problems.
You're prompted with stimulating questions the second you join. Wanna know what the coolest thing I saw in another country was? Check it out.
You're prompted with stimulating questions the second you join. Wanna know what the coolest thing I saw in another country was? Check it out.
Best birthday present ever! Right?
The worldwide search for the savior of print journalism continues. The newest idea?
France has decided the way to save print media is to give newly-turned 18-year-olds a subscription to a newspaper of their choice.
As for how this would go over in the U.S., I can see it now:
"Awww, you shouldn't have..."
"Gee....thanks."
"But Mom! I wanted a Hummer!"
France has decided the way to save print media is to give newly-turned 18-year-olds a subscription to a newspaper of their choice.
As for how this would go over in the U.S., I can see it now:
"Awww, you shouldn't have..."
"Gee....thanks."
"But Mom! I wanted a Hummer!"
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What reporters are really thinking
I've been enjoying Overheard in the Newsroom gradually throughout the day.
Reporters spend hours choosing the perfect words for their stories. If you've ever wondered what they're really thinking, you should check it out...
Reporters spend hours choosing the perfect words for their stories. If you've ever wondered what they're really thinking, you should check it out...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
State of the State in the State...Capitol
This morning at 10 a.m. Gov. Perdue gave the State of the State address, and this year I didn't watch it from the nearest television set.
I filed in to the top of the House Chamber with a few dozen other spectators to watch the governor give his address to the lawmakers who listened intently below us. All around me were journalists frantically taking notes, photographers snapping shot after shot, and aides anxiously listening to what would be in store for them in the next few months. The energy in the room was palpable.
As I realized where I was and what I was doing, I felt incredibly lucky and sort of like I was in a dream. Who would've thought I'd be listening to the governor's speech only a few hundred feet away from him instead of a few hundred miles?
There's a lot of work to be done in the next 37 days. Let's hope we can stay focused on what really matters - our state, our nation and our people.
I filed in to the top of the House Chamber with a few dozen other spectators to watch the governor give his address to the lawmakers who listened intently below us. All around me were journalists frantically taking notes, photographers snapping shot after shot, and aides anxiously listening to what would be in store for them in the next few months. The energy in the room was palpable.
As I realized where I was and what I was doing, I felt incredibly lucky and sort of like I was in a dream. Who would've thought I'd be listening to the governor's speech only a few hundred feet away from him instead of a few hundred miles?
There's a lot of work to be done in the next 37 days. Let's hope we can stay focused on what really matters - our state, our nation and our people.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The rise of interns
I just rifled through a listserve email of journalism job openings and something occurred to me: this is the age of interns.
Practically every listing was looking for an intern. Multimedia intern. Editorial intern. PR intern. Sales intern. Magazine intern. Intern, intern, intern.
Of course, this is great news for freshmen and sophomores. Where you used to have to pull teeth to get a good internship, now they're abounding in a variety of interesting areas of the country. I predict the resumes of 2012 graduates will be rockin'.
However, for soon-to-be-graduates like me, this is not-so-good news. I'm tired of free labor. As a matter of fact, I can no longer afford free labor. It was great for gaining experience during college - for beefing up my resume. Now? Now I just want a job. And unfortunately, only two of about the thirty listings that I went through today were actual paying jobs. Back to the drawing board. Again.
Practically every listing was looking for an intern. Multimedia intern. Editorial intern. PR intern. Sales intern. Magazine intern. Intern, intern, intern.
Of course, this is great news for freshmen and sophomores. Where you used to have to pull teeth to get a good internship, now they're abounding in a variety of interesting areas of the country. I predict the resumes of 2012 graduates will be rockin'.
However, for soon-to-be-graduates like me, this is not-so-good news. I'm tired of free labor. As a matter of fact, I can no longer afford free labor. It was great for gaining experience during college - for beefing up my resume. Now? Now I just want a job. And unfortunately, only two of about the thirty listings that I went through today were actual paying jobs. Back to the drawing board. Again.
iTunes : Apple :: Kindle : newspapers
Once upon a time, iTunes saved Apple and the music industry from destruction. David Carr's column in the NYT Sunday proposed that we find a similar way to save newspapers.
Some say that we already have the answer: Amazon's Kindle. With the ability to combine paid subscriptions with downloadable MP3s, books, magazines, and audio-books, the Kindle is bound to cause quite a stir. The Kindle makes it easier and more efficient to read a newspaper.
Others of us aren't so excited about a monopoly on newspaper readership. Freedom to listen to whatever music you want is one thing. Freedom of the press is something completely different. Yes, maybe something like the Kindle could help bolster newspapers for a little while, but I don't believe that it's a good idea in the long run.
Newspapers and information are supposed to be available to everyone. Our country and the journalism industry itself have consciously kept prices of newspapers low so that the majority of Americans can afford to be informed. If all Americans are eventually expected to buy a Kindle to read their newspaper, readership is going to go way, way down. People are going to be uninformed and they're going to feel alienated by the press, which is the last thing journalists want. The Kindle needs some healthy competition - other ways to read newspapers electronically that are both more affordable and less affordable, more convenient and less convenient, etc.
Let people make their own choices; don't let Amazon and newspapers make the choices for them.
Some say that we already have the answer: Amazon's Kindle. With the ability to combine paid subscriptions with downloadable MP3s, books, magazines, and audio-books, the Kindle is bound to cause quite a stir. The Kindle makes it easier and more efficient to read a newspaper.
Others of us aren't so excited about a monopoly on newspaper readership. Freedom to listen to whatever music you want is one thing. Freedom of the press is something completely different. Yes, maybe something like the Kindle could help bolster newspapers for a little while, but I don't believe that it's a good idea in the long run.
Newspapers and information are supposed to be available to everyone. Our country and the journalism industry itself have consciously kept prices of newspapers low so that the majority of Americans can afford to be informed. If all Americans are eventually expected to buy a Kindle to read their newspaper, readership is going to go way, way down. People are going to be uninformed and they're going to feel alienated by the press, which is the last thing journalists want. The Kindle needs some healthy competition - other ways to read newspapers electronically that are both more affordable and less affordable, more convenient and less convenient, etc.
Let people make their own choices; don't let Amazon and newspapers make the choices for them.
Let's play nice
I'm always talking about how we - the journalism industry - are all going to have to work together to get through this transition period. Well, here's some cooperation worth commending.
Rival newspapers, the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, have decided to work together and share sports content. Each paper will take a major team and share the coverage. Now that's teamwork. And it's very smart.
Rival newspapers, the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, have decided to work together and share sports content. Each paper will take a major team and share the coverage. Now that's teamwork. And it's very smart.
Blogs, coming soon to a newsstand near you
While most newspapers are trying to ditch their print products and go completely online, The Printed Blog is metaphorically standing in a room of seated people.
The Printed Blog is the first daily newspaper to print only user-generated content. Basically, it's a newspaper comprised completely of blogs. The creators hope to draw advertising dollars from companies or people who can't afford to spend an arm and a leg on a newspaper ad. Ads in the Printed Blog will go for about $15 each.
Unusual? Yes. Successful? We'll have to see...
The Printed Blog is the first daily newspaper to print only user-generated content. Basically, it's a newspaper comprised completely of blogs. The creators hope to draw advertising dollars from companies or people who can't afford to spend an arm and a leg on a newspaper ad. Ads in the Printed Blog will go for about $15 each.
Unusual? Yes. Successful? We'll have to see...
What it feels like to hit a home run
Yesterday was a "power day," according to my parents. Apparently, that's the term they use to describe a day when I knock one out of the park, or "kill it," as my dad put it.
Yesterday was the beginning of the 2009 Legislative Session and consequently my first day on the job. Besides accidentally locking myself out of Rep. McKillip's computer within an hour of sitting down at his desk, everything went extremely smoothly. In one day, I learned more about the legislature and how things under the gold dome really work than I have in nearly 17 years of school. Imagine how much I'm going to know after four months.
Throughout the day, Rep. McKillip didn't hesitate to put me to work, which I greatly appreciated. Adding meetings to his calendar, reorganizing his office, connecting his computer to the network, previewing the local legislation he'll be focusing on - it was enough work to keep me busy but not enough to be stressful. We got to know each other over pizza, and I flanked him at a reception at the Depot, mingling with other legislators and learning about plastics in Georgia.
I even got compliments on my suit AND coat, which pleased me more than I'd like to admit...
Until April, I'll be drafting letters and opinion articles, working with committees, getting up close and personal with legislators, and probably much more than I can fathom on the second day. Stay tuned. It'll be wild.
Yesterday was the beginning of the 2009 Legislative Session and consequently my first day on the job. Besides accidentally locking myself out of Rep. McKillip's computer within an hour of sitting down at his desk, everything went extremely smoothly. In one day, I learned more about the legislature and how things under the gold dome really work than I have in nearly 17 years of school. Imagine how much I'm going to know after four months.
Throughout the day, Rep. McKillip didn't hesitate to put me to work, which I greatly appreciated. Adding meetings to his calendar, reorganizing his office, connecting his computer to the network, previewing the local legislation he'll be focusing on - it was enough work to keep me busy but not enough to be stressful. We got to know each other over pizza, and I flanked him at a reception at the Depot, mingling with other legislators and learning about plastics in Georgia.
I even got compliments on my suit AND coat, which pleased me more than I'd like to admit...
Until April, I'll be drafting letters and opinion articles, working with committees, getting up close and personal with legislators, and probably much more than I can fathom on the second day. Stay tuned. It'll be wild.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Weekend update
Today I finally joined Wired Journalists and LinkedIn. It's about time, right? I'm graduating in four months, and I realized that I need to start networking.
I have a slew of articles that I was going to blog individually about, but it's been a long week so I think I'm just going to list them. Enjoy!
The president-elect wants to postpone the February 17th switch from analog to digital. Good idea? I don't really think so.
How the newspaper industry tried to invent the Web but failed...
Starting tomorrow, U2's Bono will write an occasional op-ed piece for the NYT. Is there anything Bono can't do?
The publisher of Consumer Reports is taking over Consumerist.com
I have a slew of articles that I was going to blog individually about, but it's been a long week so I think I'm just going to list them. Enjoy!
The president-elect wants to postpone the February 17th switch from analog to digital. Good idea? I don't really think so.
How the newspaper industry tried to invent the Web but failed...
Starting tomorrow, U2's Bono will write an occasional op-ed piece for the NYT. Is there anything Bono can't do?
The publisher of Consumer Reports is taking over Consumerist.com
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Ready, set... go!
Yesterday I moved to Atlantic Station to start a four-month adventure in the big city.
It's been so long since I've been on my own that I forgot how much I thrive in this kind of environment. For the past couple weeks, I've been pretty anxious about the internship I'll start on Friday and about leaving all of my friends and the comfort of Athens. I found myself sort of wallowing in doubt and unhappiness last night, completely ignoring my natural impulses to be optimistic and excited about something like this.
But this morning, I woke up at 7:30 determined to change my tune. I showered, put on a professional-looking outfit and my new big-city coat, and headed for Atlantic Station to walk around.
I immediately rediscovered my independence. There were hardly any people around as I made a beeline for a nearby coffee shop, and as I padded across the brick walkways, the wind was whipping around my ankles and my hair. It was so refreshing. When I got to the coffee shop, there was a man waiting in line. "Do you work around here?" he asked me with a smile. "Sort of," I found myself answering. "I work at the Capitol."
After a quick trip to Publix, I safely navigated my way back to my apartment, feeling more and more confident by the second. It looks like this isn't going to be as scary and out of my element as I originally worried it might be.
It's been so long since I've been on my own that I forgot how much I thrive in this kind of environment. For the past couple weeks, I've been pretty anxious about the internship I'll start on Friday and about leaving all of my friends and the comfort of Athens. I found myself sort of wallowing in doubt and unhappiness last night, completely ignoring my natural impulses to be optimistic and excited about something like this.
But this morning, I woke up at 7:30 determined to change my tune. I showered, put on a professional-looking outfit and my new big-city coat, and headed for Atlantic Station to walk around.
I immediately rediscovered my independence. There were hardly any people around as I made a beeline for a nearby coffee shop, and as I padded across the brick walkways, the wind was whipping around my ankles and my hair. It was so refreshing. When I got to the coffee shop, there was a man waiting in line. "Do you work around here?" he asked me with a smile. "Sort of," I found myself answering. "I work at the Capitol."
After a quick trip to Publix, I safely navigated my way back to my apartment, feeling more and more confident by the second. It looks like this isn't going to be as scary and out of my element as I originally worried it might be.
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