Assignments

February 8th, 2010

The Diamond: Analyzing its use in online news

In his online journalism blog, Paul Bradshaw discusses the revolutionary format of online news: The Diamond. It is certainly a far cry for the “old school” inverted pyramid style. The new model comprises of several layers: alert, draft, article, analysis/reflection, context, interactivity and customization.

It was difficult for me to locate any articles that included all aspects of the news diamond, but CNN’s article about the launch of Apple’s iPad came pretty close.

Alert

The article obviously leads with the most important part of the story: Apple officially announced the release of the iPad, its new gadget.  However, prior to the beginning of the story there is a subhead:

For continuing coverage of the Apple iPad and other breaking tech news, follow@cnntech on Twitter.

Clearly, CNN hopes that this initial “alert” part of the news diamond will come from Twitter first.

Draft/Article

Next, the article quickly covers some of the iPad’s specs about which consumers care most: price, size, capacity, features, etc.  It also includes some quotes from Steve Jobs, Apple CEO. The first twelve or so paragraphs of the article can be considered the draft and article portion of the news diamond.

Analysis/ Reflection

Because I am studying this story about two weeks after it was written, it has likely been cleaned up substantially since its original publishing; the first draft was probably fragmented due to updates via Twitter as the unveiling presentation continued that night. Elapsed time also allows for more analysis and reflection to be added on later.

Context

Technology writers from other media outlets offer their opinions toward the end of the article, providing points of reference and context, another crucial aspect of Bradshaw’s news diamond. Although the audience is mesmerized by all the features touted (and let me assure you, they certainly were) at the beginning of the article, they are brought back to reality by some of the critics of the iPad, a name sparking some childish jokes about its likeness to a certain feminine product.

Interactivity

Interspersed throughout the article are links to iReporters’ opinions about the product, as well as links to other stories and multimedia relating to the “revolutionary” iPad. At the end there is also space for comments as well as several ways to share the article, with sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Customization

Finally, this article also allows for customization. Just below the social networking links, the reader can click a button to “follow this topic,” and stay up-to-date on all stories published on the iPad. CNN requires the reader to create a profile page in order to use this option, solidifying its relationship as the main news source on this particular topic for the reader.

How can I use the news diamond in my story?

This format of story-telling seems to be effective for breaking news stories. It allows reporters to give readers the information they need as they need it. Most of my stories for this blog are more in-depth and feature oriented so they aren’t usually pegged to a particular event like the iPad story; therefore, I’m not certain if this strategy would work for me.

However, my story for this week deals with an event focusing on sexual health on campus. I am using that event to discuss broader issues regarding sexual health on campus. In this entry I might be able to use the suggested format.

One of the things that I really like about the news diamond is its ability to let stories develop. Unlike the strict standards of old, the news diamond allows for much more elaboration, multimedia avenues, and thorough reporting, which after all, is the reason why we journalists write in the first place.

January 27th, 2010

Yes! Magazine Web Analysis

I know that journalists are supposed to strive for objectivity, but I’ll admit that I love this magazine and this website. Maybe I have a bias, but I’d rather be honest about it now so that you have a frame for my following opinions.

I looked at Yes! magazine’s website for this assignment. Everything about this website makes me happy; from its layout to its mission (and its great internship opportunities), there’s a lot to love.

As I browsed the website, perusing articles, blogs and multimedia, I noticed several things:

1. Consistency: The articles all follow the same format–with visual elements in the same places. If there are multiple images in an article or blog they are always flush on the left and right alternately. The photos always have something to do with the content and are not frivolously used in order to spice up a piece. The good journalism is first and the extra elements are second.
2. Links to stories within the magazine: Although I understand the reasoning for doing this (more traffic within the site, more hits for an author’s work), merely linking to other pieces within the same publication can be a little bit suspicious. When referencing an organization or institution, the blogger or writer usually links to the appropriate site, but also tries to give a substantial amount of links that keep the reader on the Yes! website.
3. Multimedia is not overdone: Any extra content is provided in a very tasteful and toned down manner. Instead of inserting video clips right in the middle of the story, Yes! writers provide a linked picture with a caption instead; this addition still draws the reader to the extra content without interrupting the natural flow of the article.
4. The layers make sense: There’s nothing I hate more than a useless link (once I clicked on one that took me to a page full of dancing hamsters…no joke). Yes! certainly knows how use links to provide layers in a way that enhances the reader’s knowledge and interest in the story, while immersing them even further in the magazine’s other content (and sometimes in other media).
5. Journalism that matters= content that matters: The main departments of Yes! are Peace & Justice, Planet, New Economy, People Power and Happiness; not exactly what you would classify as light reading. Yes! has content with evidence of clear, thorough and compelling journalism with writers who live and work in the heart of the content they write. The contributor blurbs at the bottom of the articles provide a brief synopsis of the author and the role he or she plays in the magazine. Yes! has a high amount of accuracy and does little to detract from its credibility. (Did I mention that there are no advertisements from outside companies?)

Overall I give Yes! a very high score on its content. Not only is it timely, important and interesting, but it has a distinct flavor that translates into the print magazine as well–proof that they do not need the extras to make their site worth visiting. Yes! has strong journalism at its roots, and that is precisely what keeps readers (including myself) consistently coming back.

January 13th, 2010

Newspaper websites: Convergence at its finest?

For this assignment, I decided to look at 3 newspaper websites in the Athens area: The Post, The Athens News, and the Athens Messenger.

The Post

Ah, the Post. The only student-run, “independent” newspaper on campus. As a former staffer, I somewhat understand the woes that went along with acquiring the abysmal layout plagues their website.

That being said, the Post fails by delivering the exact same content on their website as in the newspaper itself. Let me repeat myself: the exact same content. Other than the blogs (which are barely updated) and the multimedia section boasting about six videos, there isn’t much of an incentive to visit the Post’s website. Maybe it’s time to jazz it up and get with the program, Posties.

The Athens News

Well, it’s pretty obvious why the A News can stay in business: advertising. When I opened the site my eyes were distracted by about four different advertisements trying to garner my attention; not exactly a pretty thing. Nevertheless, I was pretty impressed by the coverage and journalism I perused on the site. It was pretty thorough and timely, with space for responses and comments.

The Athens Messenger

Three words to describe this website?

Clutter, clutter, clutter. Someone seriously needs to revamp this site, because as a reader I am so turned off by the messy and unorganized home page, that I’m about to opt for the simplistic yet clean Post layout (and that’s saying something).  As for the content, I can’t really comment because I have to be a subscriber to read most of the stories. Bummer.

January 11th, 2010

The Rundown on Today’s Blog Sites: Who’s got it right?

This post will deviate from the topic of this blog and review some of the top blogging sites on the market today.

Technorati

Technorati is the ultimate site when it comes to organizing the blogs out there. It categorizes them by topic and ranks them so that visitors to the site can easily determine where they should invest their precious time.

Although the layout is a bit cluttered, the advertising rivals with MySpace class, and the page is discombobulated in general, the content is great. If they could make the layout cleaner and more professional, their credibility would definitely increase.

WordPress.com’s top blogs

Although WordPress has definitely won my heart when it comes to personal blogging, I was not very impressed with its “Top Blogs” page. The layout was clean but boring and I was not pleased with the offset listing of the blog snapshots; it made it confusing to match each blog to its snapshot. If WordPress fixed those two things  it would be fantastic.

While perusing this site, I was intrigued by the popularity of reader-submitted content blogs like Lolcatz and Failblog. One of my personal favorites–although not on WordPress– isSketchy Santas. Trust me on this one, it almost made me pee my pants laughing.

Perez Hilton

(Sigh). We all know who Perez Hilton is. Whether it’s from this blog, his Twitter, or some astonishing media appearance, he unfortunately has the attention of many. I visited his blog a year or so ago (strictly out of curiosity and then I clicked over to CNN very fast, I promise!) and I must say that the layout has definitely improved and all of the content isn’t pictures of celebs with words added in “Paint” on them. However, I still have a really tough time bestowing any kind of legitimacy in this garbage.

He’s good at what he does and he’s entertaining, which is why Mr. Hilton has an audience. It’s just unfortunate that this is the kind of content for which we Americans seem to yearn. Oh, society.

This doesn’t mean I won’t click over for a laugh every now and then.

ESPN

Finally we come to ESPN’s blogosphere. As a near-illiterate in the realm of most sports, I can’t attest much to the content in the ESPN blogs. For all I know, they could be blatantly lying to me.

What I do know is that the layout of the site is very organized and easy to use. It is categorized by sport and has a very clean three-column layout. If I liked sports I would definitely be a fan of this site.

So there you have it; the skinny on some of the top blogging aggregate sites of today. Now get off your computer and go outside or something (where you can blog from your iPhone).