Software and hardware; writing for the web
Clickers - make sure you have your clicker and that it is registered properly. Here are the OIT instructions for registering your clicker. Bring it to class. You will need to be on Channel 5 for this course.
Hardware and software review
Journalists need to know their tools and need tobe confident about using them. While this course will not teach you much about hardware and software, it does require a level of knowledge about both. We will review some of the things you need to know.
Hardware
A good laptop with strong wifi capabilities
Mac or PC? You can mostly depend on personal preference here, although if you're into any kind of graphic design, the Mac is probably better.
Camera
Buy the highest quality you can afford.
Have a camera available that shoots digital video and one where photos are easy to download to your computer or easy to upload to a storage site.
Pay attention to batteries and battery life. Always, ALWAYS, carry backup batteries.
If your camera stores photos on a storage card, always carry an extracard.
A tripod.
Audio recorder
Sometimes you can use your camera or smart phone for this, but it's usually better to have one that is dedicated to this purpose. The quality will be better, and it will be more convenient.
Accessories that may be necessary are an external microphone and a telephone mic.
A USB plug-in for your computer is always convenient.
With all hardware, you should
- learn what it will do (read the manual - you might be surprised)
- practice with it in non-reporting situations
- understand its limitations and push those limitations
- know the circumstances in which it works best
Software
Content management system
the engine that runs a multiuser news website
Facebook, Wordpress, Blogger - they all operate with a CMS
know the nuances of its operation
TNJN - Ochs content management system
instructions
HTML and CSS
know and be able to use the basic HTML tags
know everything on this page: HTML tags on JPROFWhy should I have to know HTML? Doesn't a good CMS do all that for me?
Embed codes - and manipulating those codes.
CSS, cascading style sheets. If you are going to design in the web world, you will have to know CSS. And that's just the beginning.
Photo editing, software and storage
Online photo editors: Photoshop.com, Picnik, Picasa, Photobucket, etc. (and don't forget the stuff on your computer such as iPhoto)
Photo storage - select a photo storage site (Flickr, Picasaweb (Google), Photobucket, etc.) and get it organized; the good thing about putting your photos on these sites is that they are always available.
Cloud computing
Audio editing
Audacity - a highly versatile (and free, FREE!) program you can download. Learn it thoroughly.
Video editing
Picasa, iMovie (or its PC equivalents) - begin with the simplest program that will allow you to do the things you need to do. Right now, all you need to do is learn the basic principles:
splitting and cutting
transitions
handling text
Animoto
Graphics and maps
Yes, you need to know and use these (graphics and maps)
Drawing basic graphs (bar, line and pie charts) in Excel; converting those to JPG files
Google maps; embedding Google maps into your pages.
Sometimes the best way to tell a story is through a map, and some online programs make it easier than ever. Check out this video and be prepared for an assignment to do this. Also check out the map at the bottom of this page that was built with Google maps.
Development of journalistic writing
The following a short version of a discussion Dr. Ed Caudill had about the development of newswriting with the JEM 230 class for the Fall 2010..
Development of newswriting from Jim Stovall on Vimeo.
Dr. Ed Caudill of the University of Tennessee gives a short preview of his talk on the development of our current newswriting style (scheduled for Aug. 31, 2010). Caudill uses the news coverage of the wars in which America has fought as examples of the changing style of newswriting that journalists have used. Audience and technology, he says, have been the driving forces in the development of these styles of writing.
An extended version of this preview can be found on Vimeo.
Writing with a difference
Some thoughts about writing news in a converged media environment
- content that is unique, that no one else has
- good journalism: report
- good journalism: write -- well and quickly
- good journalism: edit and distribute wisely and widely
With all this, there should be something different about the way we write. There probably is. We just don’t know what it is yet. What we have to understand is that we are in a period of transition. Our situation, experience and point of view may be entirely different three or five years hence. The increasing use of mobile technology, the development of the tablet, and who know what else is likely to affect our views about writing.
Change our thinking about our writing: we should think less about the form than about what our readers. Does the inverted pyramid, for instance, serve the readers well.
Given that, I would speculate five things about where we should be headed with our teaching and practice of writing for the web:
- The writing should be tighter – more concise.
- Writers should use words and phrases that are information rich.
- Writing should be shorter but with no loss of information.
- Writers must learn to write quickly and with confidence.
- Headlines, as they have always been, are primary.
As writers, we must renew our pledge to ourselves to pay attention to our readers. The web demands it. They demand it.
Principles:
-- words still the most efficient things we have; not pictures, audio or video
-- readers scan more than they read
-- readers are lazy, selfish and ruthless
-- they look for info they want, info that is interesting; they are looking for the words that will make them stop scanning and start reading.
-- if it looks like you’re going to make readers work, they won’t
-- give the readers what they want, and they’ll come back
-- readers want to be engaged; engage them
-- readers want what they want, not necessarily what we want to tell them
-- if I were a reader and I had 20 seconds . . . or thought I had 20 seconds
Techniques:
-- Advertising PRINCIPLES: interesting, information-rich, compelling, you must read this, you’ll miss something if you don’t, this will make you (rich, good-looking, interesting, less annoying, etc.)
-- design to maximize the information, not distract from it CLUTTER OUT!
-- short paragraphs; boldfaced words; white space
-- lists; white space
-- links – but curated links: tell the reader what’s there
-- search engines
-- Twitter is the new form (sorry, but it’s true)
-- good summaries lead to more engagement
View University of Tennessee - Points on campus in a larger map
About JPROF.com | Who is JPROF? | Contact us
All of the words and images on this site are copyrighted and may not be used without the permission.
Copyright © Jim Stovall 2009-2010
FreeFind.com provides search technology for this website.