My 1st Semester Experience

First semester has been interesting, to say the least. Upon coming here I knew that I would have a lot more freedom and independence, but it still stunned me how in charge and in control i was. I got to choose what I did, when and what I ate, what time I came home, etc. It was new and, most importantly, liberating - I loved it. I'm also really glad I joined a FIG because it let me have people I knew in my classes and we could all help each other. It created for us a bit of a floor family. I've met some wonderful people and interesting characters who I know I won't forget.

I have also managed to keep my grades at a level that I wanted them to be, and since I wasn't always successful with this in high school due to pure laziness and indifference, it is a big deal to me. I am also glad to have been able to learn so much even through FIG class and J1010 about convergence, as it is what I will be doing for the rest of my life. I have not decided to change my major, as many people have told me I will likely do at some point in my college career. I'm sticking with journalism and am currently toying with a few minors in my head.

I'm also glad I was able to get involved in the university outside of class by earning money at the Catalyst Cafe - luckily I got it before the hiring freeze - and being part of your Gillett residential recycling crew with Trupti and Austin. I've also had fun decorating for the Christmas party and being a part of other floor activities. It's been real. Thanks for a good first semester!

A great semester

I just wanted to take a post to thank each and every one of my Figlets for a great semester! I am truly impressed with the discussions we had in class, as well as their thoughts on this blog. This is a very very talented group of students. I look forward to seeing what path they decide to go down in the future. Whether it's Convergence journalism or something completely different, they will succeed without a doubt.

Thanks for a great semester!

Carla

Better late than failing FIG class

Sandy Davidson, a Communications Law professor, spoke to our FIG and other journalism students two months ago (I know, what a timely blog piece, right?) and the issues discussed are still churning around in my brain, ranging from the election to the nature of news.

Davidson shared with us a few stores from Newsweek about Sarah Palin and other key figures in the election that really made me question the nature of news today.

As journalists, it is our duty (or desire/obsession/ life choice) to cover the news.

However, when the stories being reported on become merely gossip about celebrities serving jail time and corrupt politicians, can one really call that news? Sure it is new, entertaining information that satiates that little gossiping monster inside of all of us, but it is certainly not news.

News is relevant information to our lives. News is also whatever the audience wants to read about. But when the audience wants more Britney and Paris, should the news business ignore that, especially when newspapers across the country are dropping like flies?

I believe the answer is no, even though part of me feels like the gossip is tainting the newsy-credibility just a little bit.

Another interesting trend I have noticed is that while various news-media outlets are covering more entertainment stories, girly gossip magazines are covering an occasional issue more pressing than the latest addition to the Jolie-Pitt clan.

Maybe someday there will just be one massive media group: a place where People, Time, CNN, and Cosmo are one and the call their product news. I ,for one, hope that day isn’t tomorrow as I am not sure I could handle that in addition to my biology lab final.

Take Home Message

So, it's that time of year. The first time home. I know exactly how it's going to go.

Going home will be cool for the first couple of days. My family will love me. There'll be hugs, Christmas five days into it and lots and lots of homemade food. Awesome.

And then in that space between the end of the holidays and the time we go back, some cold Saturday morning in January, my Dad will sit down with me on the couch and drop a seemingly innocuous question into the silent room.

"So, what did you learn in your first semester?"

Now, just like any test question, you'll do fine with this if you have an answer ready to roll, like you've thought about it for a while and could sum it up three sentences or less. Old man just wants to know if the tuition dollars are returning on investment.

The problem is that I probably can't do it in three sentences or less. I've learned a lot this semester about journalism, convergence, writing and just being a reporter in society in general.

I learned a lot about convergence journalism through my FIG class. I've learned that technology is hurtling like an asteroid at the sleepy planet that is conventional, Cronkhite/Hearst/Woodward and Bernstein journalism. We're feeling the pebbles raining down as it descends on us through the job layoffs at your local broadsheets and the sudden popping up of news Web sites as the only viable media in a number of markets, but its going to rock our world very shortly here. There will be a day in our lives when newspapers will be as obsolete as typewriters, I now believe.

That said, I'm currently working for a hard copy newspaper, although it has an online version, the increasingly common escape pod. The lessons I've learned on the job there are ones you'll learn regardless of your medium and they are essential. For space, I'll sum it up like this: call everyone as early in the morning as possible, expect that they will take all day to get back to you with comment, be willing to ask stupid questions to verify basic, essential information and be the most friendly, flexible guy in the room. After a couple dozen issues with the Maneater, I can tell you that you have to do these things or the story won't happen. And then someone above you will be mad. When you do them and do them every time, you can pull off stories people need and then other folks are happy. The Maneater, like any paper, is a lot better place when people are happy.

So, the take home message: work hard in FIG, get on the Maneater ASAP and work hard there and make notes for every assignment you do about what you could've done better.

I think that's a pretty good answer for that day on the couch.

Yay for late work!

At long last, a comparison of the Google News website with the CNN website.

My first reaction after looking at both of the sites was the comparative lack of advertisements on Google News. CNN has a substantial amount of screen space devoted to ads and links to partner sites, whereas Google News has no advertisements on the main page. 

That's about the only place I can say that one site is clearly better than the other. From here on out, it's mostly differences of style and personal preference. Whereas CNN has a variety of news media, including video and podcasts, Google is devoted exclusively to printed stories. Naturally, since Google itself isn't a news organization, it has compilations of stories from various sources for each pice of news, while CNN is limited to its own view. However, CNN also offers more than just news stories. It also tracks weather, stocks, and a few blogs. 

Also, CNN uses popularity as a way to organize articles more than Google News does. Google is more topic-centered organization, while CNN has most of its stories organized by popularity. Personally, I prefer Google's topic-based, no-ads setup. 

When I first got to Mizzou, I didn't know anyone, where anything was or even what I was really doing here.  I've wanted to be a journalist for a while now and people had told me this was the place to go if you wanted to do journalism. Now, after just one semester here, I am wondering if journalism is what I actually want to do.  The only reason my parents were willing to pay out of state tuition was because of the reputation of the School of Journalism and now I'm thinking about changing my mind.  Although J1010 is an annoying class, I think I learned so much about what journalism is and what journalists actually do because many of the speakers had real world experience.  I would tell incoming freshmen to be open to change.  College is so different from high school, especially if you are leaving your home, family and friends for an extended period of time for the first time ever.  Even if you think you are positive you know what you want to do after school, at least consider some other options if anything else interests you.  The structure, people and environment might not be similar to what you are used to but change is often good.

Heed My Advice, Figlets

To be honest, the first few weeks that I was at Mizzou, I was utterly convinced that there was not a single cool person here. I missed the familiarity of home, and people whose sense of humor I understood, and the big city feel of Dallas, Texas. So my first piece of advice to you would be to not have preconceived notions about anything or anyone. It totally killed my first weeks here, and let me tell you, your first weeks are extremely valuable for making friends and exploring what sorts of organizations you might be interested in. Be optimistic, and be proactively friendly. If you want to make friendships and connections that will last, you have to actively go out and ask people to go and hang out with you places. Make a plan to stay actively involved in things like clubs and going to the rec 3 times a week and stuff, because if you don't set goals like that in stone, you won't do them after a few weeks of feeling swamped in school and making excuses to sleep in or stay on facebook for hours. 

School takes studying. Well, you may take a few blowoff courses that require no effort outside of class, but in your gen ed classes, if you don't study, you won't pass. The great thing about the academic side of college is that it really is true that it is relevant to your life, much more than the monotonous crap they fed you in high school. And with all of the studying you will be doing, you will suddenly find yourself actually remembering the things that you learned in class all semester, not just until the test. Having knowledge stick is a nice feeling. 

Dorm life is always interesting. Keep your room clean so that your roommate does not hate you, and keep personal boundaries. You do not want to make enemies on your dorm floor, because you cannot avoid them. 

Case and point, your first semester in college will be an awesome experience if you don't slack off of your goals and you are optimistic about the outcome. 

Don't Judge.

So, a semester has come and almost gone, and I have learned a great deal. It was more than I expected, and fantabulous. Advice, right, that is what we are supposed to write about, lessons learned, etc.

Here's my advice: don't judge. I came to MU a tad bit scared of what I was getting into. I had no idea who my room mate was (Trupti) and at the beginning we didn't exactly hit it off very well. We didn't fight or anything, but we weren't best friends or anything like that. Band camp went by, I spent little time in the room, as school started and the first couple weeks nothing changed, all the people on my floor hung out, everyone seemed to like each other and had settled into their cliques, and I felt like the oddball out. Then we went to Sparky's Ice Cream. (Recommendation, and each time you go in ask for Peanut Butter and Jelly and Chocolate Chip Sandwich flavored. They haven't made it yet, but you never know.) We talked and stuff. And we sorta started over, we just got to know each other a little bit more and realized that we weren't as different as we thought we were. We got back and the girl across the hall came in and pretended to yell at us because we were hanging out and didn't invite her - "I liked you better when you hated each other!" and we just cracked up laughing. And from then on we have been friends. It's great. So, don't judge. Things change. And you have to act for them to change - we had to invite each other to do stuff at first, try to get to know each other. It doesn't just fall into your lap magically, but if you try then it probably will work. The end.

Title

I'm feeling especially unmotivated as I write this blog. Being unmotivated to do work is something freshman should get used too. At least until they get through gen ed's. But anyway...

College is pretty much what its cracked up to be. Staying up till 3 in the morning is the norm. Whether that is because of homework, video games, or thirsty thursdays, no matter what, you'll be staying up late. Just get used to it. You'll eat a lot of food. Make a lot of friends, that is if you don't act like a complete ass. You'll see/hear things you'd never expect to hear, but those are things you'll only get to experience living in the dorm. Gillet is pretty dingy but its still a place to live and its created many awesome memories for me already. Spell check should become your friend if it isn't already. Spark notes are still useful but reading the actual book is more helpful. Study in groups. Not only do you meet people but you'll learn the material better. Try and find a place where you can get your studies done and not be distracted. 

Please treat your computers/other technological gear with great respect. You're going to need it to last you. Plus i'll hunt you down if you mistreat an Apple computer. 

But the most important thing coming into your freshman year is to just be yourself. Don't worry about people judging you. Find people who have similar interests to you and be yourself. Be kind, generous, and happy. 

P.S Also cheer very very loudly for the Tigers football team. They're going to need the love next year.

My First Semester Experience.

My experience this first semester at Mizzou was the last thing I expected. While I was home, I had grow accustomed to the way things were and to be honest, I wasn't that excited about coming here. The idea of being away from my friends and more-so my family, wasn't a favorite of mine. However, I was very happy to find out that Mizzou was much better then expected and was a place that I would grow to be very fond over the next semester. While I still keep in contact with my old friends, I've made new friends here that I know I'll have the rest of my life. Living in the dorms has been the best part of the whole experience because it's given me an opportunity to meet people from different places and make new friends. Another big reason that I was a bit nervous about coming to Mizzou was the classes. I'm not exactly the brightest person you'll meet and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to do the work. However, again I was proven wrong as my classes have been enjoyable, but challenging at the same time. I've found that I'm learning more in these classes than any other I've taken. I'm actually doing better in my Spanish class here than the one I took at high school, which is saying something. Overall, Mizzou has been a big surprise and a very pleasant one as well.

One semester down, seven to go

I expected college to be the time of my life and everything to just fall into place and be perfect.

What I didn’t expect from college is that it would be difficult and some of the teachers barely speak English. I’ve enjoyed being in a FIG because it allowed me to meet a lot of people and develop many friendships. Whether we are studying for psychology or venting about biology, I am positive that we all enjoy the sense of community that the FIG environment provides.

The biggest piece of advice I can give to incoming freshman and future figlets would be to get involved, but also to know your limits. I was involved in everything in high school and my grades suffered because I never quit any activity. But in college, the second (or maybe a few seconds) after I realized I was in way over my head with commitments to organizations I had joined, I began to eliminate some of my commitments. I’ve never been a quitter and had previously looked down on quitting, but I realized that I wouldn’t be able to achieve my full potential if I was weighed down with so many commitments outside of the classroom.

The thing I enjoy most about college is the variety of new and interesting things available for me. For instance, you can go watch a ballet at Jesse Auditorium or you can go downtown and experience new and exciting thinks like Lollicup and Sparky's.

Not only are the there many opportunities to try new things, but by living in close proximity to so many people, you learn new concepts and ways of viewing them, which I find incredibly fascinating.

At the end of your first semester of college, you’ll look back on your experiences and realize how much you have grown as an individual and you will be truly amazed.

[generic retrospective title]

First semester of freshman year is probably the most looked forward to thing in the entire world except maybe a trip to Amsterdam or the moon or something like that. For the most part, college (at least at a NCAA D1 school) lives up to all the hype. The dorms smell like dudes, every room has at least 3 open packages of food and 2 sweaters on the floor, people draw pictures of dicks on the message boards and throw up on the elevator, etc.

Class work hasn't been overwhelming, but for me the course load here is slightly easier than high school. Then again, I ended up taking 13 credit hours and having classes that aren't exactly work intensive. The work we do here is less of the insipid busy work that made high school so much fun. Academic success lies entirely upon how much work you are willing to do. If you want to skip a ton of classes, feel free. But you'll probably manage to miss getting into the j-school and have to switch majors, appeal for credit, or a host of other things you really don't want to do.

Make sure to enroll early for your classes you want next semester, and have a good idea what you want to be when you grow up before the end of your first semester. If you won a scholarship, prepare to be run all around campus and subjected to academic check ups that you run on yourself. It's just as stupid as it sounds, but the money is just too good to pass up.

Residential life is pretty much all it is cracked up to be. The food will make you sick, the PAs and CAs will be buzzkills, the halls will occasionally smell like a locker room, people will come up from other floors to smoke on your balcony/vomit on your toilets. People will go out and drink on Wednesday night, and if you are really lucky, one night you might hear a sorority girl throwing up at 3:30 on a Tuesday night.

Rooming is fine, being forward with about rules is pretty important, because they will probably all be disregarded within 10 hours of meeting your new roomie. As many people on the floor will tell you, the worst can and will happen. Food will rot, milk will go bad, clothes will go unlaundered, and a seething hatred for all things related to the person who shares your 9 x 9 will develop if you let it. To be successful room mates, you don't have to be friends. Just take care of your things, keep your room tidy, and don't show a flagrant disregard for all rules of social conduct.

Social life is much more prickly pear that you'll really have to crash your own way into. My advice is to be as welcoming and as friendly as possible, grab up as many acquaintances you can, and try to maintain at least 50% of those relationships. Knowing people will help you get out and about and an extensive list of contacts is an asset for any freshman.

Anyway, that's my advice for you incoming freshmen, and if you didn't read any of that:

Take care of yourself, do your work, shower daily, and make friends and things will be fine. Also, you're a college student, which means you get to do pretty much whatever you want, so do your best not to screw that one up.

Nothing's black and white...or even black and gold.

So. I've been through my first semester at college. If you listen to what the media tells you (generally a mistake) you probably picture me as a more or less lazy guy that puts more emphasis on enjoying himself than anything else, and treats his academics like an annoying afterthought, to be taken care of after more important things, like gaming and hanging out with friends, have been taken care of. You more than likely envision piles of unwashed laundry in my room, and never-been-opened textbooks on the shelf gathering dust. If you knew me a bit better, you might anticipate the massive stack of fantasy novels next to those textbooks that have been read and re-read. You, dear reader, fresh from high school graduation and chomping at the cliched bit to spread your wings and fly free of your parents' houses and get out on your own, are likely drooling in anticipation of this slacker's lifestyle. 

The script says that this is the point where I tell you that this is all wrong and that I am actually a hard working, dutiful collegiate learner, and that you will be in for a big shock if you come here looking to spend more than a fraction of your time enjoying yourself.

I hate scripts, and I hate lying even more. Almost as much as I hated doing my parents' dishes, in fact.

To be clear, the things you will hear at Summer Welcome (you are planning on going to Summer Welcome, aren't you?) are completely true. Time management is a must if you don't want to waste all the money you spent on your first and only semester, it is perfectly simple to have fun without drinking, and not doing your homework is the single best way to flunk out. 

That said, there are many other things that are also true. The adjustment from living at home to living in a dorm isn't that much of a shock, unless you had a maid at home, or don't know how to do laundry. Horror stories about roommates driving each other crazy are simply that: horror stories. There's a very good chance your coursework first semester will be of equal or lesser difficulty than the courses you took in high school. That includes tests. It's not hard to get around campus without a car, and there are few places to park it if you do bring one. You will be able to spend quite a lot of time having fun without causing your grades to crash, as long as you know when the appropriate time to have fun is. Two o'clock Monday morning is not the appropriate time to have fun when you have a test at eight.

In short, with simple application of common sense and work ethic, your first semester will not be hard to get through. The thorn among the lilies, however, is that this easy ride won't last. Come second semester, and the other three years of your career, some serious work will be required. This first semester is easy because it's designed to be a transition period from high school to collegiate life. So master the needed skills of time management and so on in your first semester, because you'll need them later. At least, that's my theory. If I'm wrong, I really don't know why everyone says college is so hard.

One last thing, for those of you who like your advice in pill form: Believe the university staff that say they want to help you. They do, and the things they tell you will. I mean, if I had all the answers for you, I wouldn't be an undergrad. I'd be a professional essay writer.

The FIG experience

When I first heard about the FIG program at Mizzou, I was a little skeptical. I did not think that it would be as beneficial as the University said it would be. The thought of taking similar classes with people on the floor seemed to have its drawbacks. I thought that it might limit the types of classes that I take, or even the people that I meet. However, joining a FIG was one of the best decisions I made here at Mizzou.
The summer before my Freshman year, I was worried about my experience here at Mizzou. I was the only student from my graduating class to go to Mizzou, and I worried that the transition from Chicago to Columbia would be rough. Not to mention, I would not know a single person at the University. I arrived at Mizzou a week early to go through Sorority Rush Week. This was a great opportunity for me to make friends and join a sorority, and to find my niche in such a large university. While I did make some great friends throughout rush week and within my sorority, the friendships that I built within my FIG are more like a family.
Another great part of the FIG program is that it is very easy to form study groups. You will have a couple of classes with other members of you FIG, and so it is very easy to go over and exchange notes, and stay updated on assignments.
A word of advice that I can give with regards to roommates is that you have to keep lines of communication open, and also you have to be willing to make some compromises. It can be difficult to live with a complete stranger, however you cannot expect that your roommate will tolerate living habits that you or your close friends deem ‘acceptable’. It would be very beneficial to lay down some ground rules before problems erupt. Also, it is very important to get involved in school activities. Whether you prefer activities that require more responsibility such as writing for the Maneater, or just having fun in cheering sections such as Tigers Lair and Zou Crew, getting involved in an organization can greatly improve your experience at Mizzou.

First Semester

As odd as it sounds, I had been looking forward to college since 8th grade. My first semester at Mizzou was all that I expected it to be and more. One of the main suggestions I have for new freshmen is stay on top of your school work. I know it sounds cliché, and I'm sure you've heard it a million times before, but: college is vastly different from high school. No one is here to remind you about your test next week, or your project that's due. Plan things out. Time management skills are a necessity, especially when it comes to studying for 5 or 6 different classes.

Get involved. Joining a FIG was probably one of the best decisions I made when enrolling at Mizzou. It's a great opportunity to meet new people that have similar interests and goals in mind. It makes it less awkward during the first week, as well. Don't be afraid to leave your room and meet new people. 

Accept the fact that going to college means change. You're living on your own. Your parents have no idea what you're doing. You're responsible for your own actions, so act accordingly. And take responsibility. You're paying good $$ to come here, so try and take advantage of every opportunity available. 

Karma Is Very Cruel

This freshman year has pretty much gone the way that I envisioned it would go.  It has been delightfully pleasant and I really wouldn't change a thing about it.  I would like to take this opportunity to compare my year so far to the journey of the great American explorers Louis and Clark.  Much like the two famous and well-respected men I ventured into uncharted college territory and conquered unknown dangers, such as crossing the street to get to Baja Grill, or passing my first test.  Unlike Louis and Clark, however, I had no Sacajawea to guide me to the promised land, I had to do it on my own.  

The only blights on the year so far have been all of the technology problems that I seem to be having.  In the span of three months my ipod, phone, and xbox have broken.  There are a few other things that have gone awry, but they shall not be mentioned here, lest I have to rewrite this blog.  The things that have gone wrong are really based on luck from what I can tell, so I guess I really can't blame college all that much for them.  

If I were to give out some advice on how to get the most out of your college experience, I would first say you should ask someone else.  If you insist on my advice I would tell you to read your books because they help and to just chill out as much as possible.  That advice is about as vague as it gets, but its the best I can give as an unqualified source.  My experiences thus far in the dorms have been absolutely fantastic and really I could not ask for anything better.  We will see how next semester goes but for the most part, college is awesome and all things are good with the world.

FIG Rewind

When I first heard of the Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs) at Mizzou, I was not interested in joining one. I thought I would be limiting myself in the classes I would take and the friends I would make during my first semester in college. I was wrong. Becoming involved in the Convergence FIG was the best decision I could have made as an incoming freshman.

The classes I took with fellow FIG members satisfied some of my general education requirements. FIG also allowed me to co-enroll in classes with students in my FIG for second semester. Having class with people I live with took away the fear of not knowing anyone. It made the transition to college life smoother, especially in the first couple of weeks of school.

I would recommend to future Convergence figlets that they make a sincere effort to get to know the people in their Freshman Interest Group and get involved in extracurricular activities. Whether you hold a part-time job on campus, work for The Maneater or are simply in Tiger’s Liar, becoming involved makes the week go by a little faster and introduces you to new people in the process.

Freshman Year

College is a huge change for a teenager to make.  It is the first time living on my own and being on my schedule only.  I get to pick what time my classes are and I have a whole lot more freedom to do what I want.  The first couple weeks were a little weird for me.  I didn't know what to do with myself.  I didn't have anyone to tell me what to do or that I need to clean up or get my homework done.  I didn't even have to go to class, but for some reason I couldn't let myself not go.  I feel that I started out on the right foot; the only day I missed classes was when I wasn't feeling well.  I feel that you can learn a lot from just going to class.  Most of my teachers gave a good idea of what to study for on the exam during classes and reviews, but if someone wasn't there, then he just missed out.

When I really started to enjoy my first semester was when I started playing rugby.  I really wish I would have joined the team earlier in the season because I only got to have two practices and one game.  I had so much fun and everyone was so welcoming and helpful when I had no idea what was going on.  I think of it like a sorority, with the whole "sisterhood" kind of idea, but without the crazy cost to join.  Someone always gave me a ride to practice and took me with them to get something to eat afterward.  They made me feel more at home.

If I had any suggestions for a newcomer, there are two that pop into my head immediately.  Stay on top of your schoolwork because once you get behind, catching-up is a never ending uphill battle.  School really isn't that bad, just get out of bed and go to class.  The other is to get involved.  College wouldn't be college without the exciting, new social experience.  Whatever your interests are, you can find people who have the same.  Get out, make friends, and have fun!

First Semester Suggestions

As many people would say, college truly is much better than being back at home. The freedom, fun, and all around experience of a college career is something not to be missed. While the experience is great, there a few things freshman must do to keep your self in check to stay successful in the academic realm of things. 

First of all, I am not suggesting you become a hermit and dedicate your life to studying. There comes a limit though on how to manage your time. If you expect to go out and party monday through thursday, the odds of you succeeding are slim to none. Especially if you are a pre-j or even a Journalism student trying to get into or stay in the J-School. You can still go out, but just wait for a Friday or Saturday night. Even Thursday if you are that desperate to go out. You just have to keep reminding yourself that school comes first.

The other important thing is having a passion and motivation for what you choose to with you career. If you expect to get though the pre-j segment of college and not care about what your future is, your care for school will diminish as well. Make sure you choose the right major before you get too far. Also, get involved with what you enjoy to do. No matter what it is, there is some way to expand on just having it as your major. Not only will you find these enjoyable, but also rewarding to you resume in the future.

In all the first semester of college has been one of the best experiences of my life. Not only has it been fun, but also helped me get my shit together in a much better way. Time management is no longer an issue when it comes to finding time to do homework. In turn with that, grades have gone up, and I am now more confidant in my academics. MU has everything here so far, great friends, great fun, and great academics.

First semester of freshman year presents many new circumstances and situations.  Adjusting to college life can be hard, because college is so different from high school- it's like nothing I've ever experienced before.  It can be hard balancing the social aspect of college with the work aspect, but it's important to find this balance.  It's important to keep up with the work load in the beginning of the year to help set the pace for your time management, and it also helps you adjust to college.  College is supposed to be the best four years of your life.  You grow and change a lot, and you're constantly learning both in and out of the classroom.  It's important to stay focused on school and classwork, but to also have fun.  Finding a balance between your school life and social life is important, and it will help you ease into the college life.  My first semester was amazing, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

KTVZ.com - Convergence Journalism at Work in Central Oregon

For local news in my hometown, I always turn to KTVZ, Bend's NBC affliate news station because their website is not only user-friendly, but they also do a great job when it comes to converging media.
For each of the stories featured on KTVZ's broadcasts, users can view the story in both broadcast and article form. This feature is very beneficial in that it caters to both the consumer that would rather read the news and those who prefer to watch/listen to it. Users can also rate and comment all stories on the website. This system is also very beneficial as it allows the consumer to be involved with the news and have their voice heard.
The website also features news highlights from around Oregon and the Pacific Northwest in addition to links to the latest nationwide and global news featured on CNN.
KTVZ's website contains many stories that are relevant to their consumer and also allow the consumer to interact with each other and news.

Rolla Daily News = Convergence?

My hometown news source is The Rolla Daily News (therolladailynews.com), and questioning the convergenceness of the site made me realize how it really isn't very advanced. The purpose was to be a local paper, to give information on things that just matter to our town and county, not to be super hi-tech. People can comment on the articles, but cannot upload photos or anything like that if they are a member. While there are many staff written articles, the majority of the website is consumed by links to articles from bigger news sources, and that is where the broader topics are available - subjects under sports, lifestyle, entertainment, etc... The main newspaper itself is primarily just the written articles and advertisements, nothing too fancy. There are some pictures that go along with the articles, but they are few and far between, poorly placed... I cant find any audio or videos on the site, unless you want to count the moving advertisements, but there are multiple links to sites that contain both. So, I wouldn't say the Rolla Daily News is very convergence friendly... But it has a start with at least giving access to sources that do have audio, video, and more pictures.

stltoday.com

Since we had to do a local news source for this blog I decides to do stltoday.com. This website is the site for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, however the site seems like an entity all it's own. The main focus of the site, as you might guess, is to keep you informed with everything that's happening in St. Louis, as well as the world. I found that the site wasn't trying to be a newspaper, but just a great source of information. If you so desire though, you can get articles from the St. Louis Post Dispatch through the site. The site also features several pictures, audio clips, and videos, which help to broaden the spectrum of news. The site even lets users upload their own pictures and media to the site. This gives the user complete control of what type of media they want their news delivered to them. I think that this website is a perfect example of how a news site can use all aspects of journalism.

Chicago Sun-Times Incorporates Convergence... How?

The most obvious way the Chicago Sun-Times incorporates convergence is by offering both print copies and subscriptions in addition to having all of their news online as well. On this website, they feature articles complete with pictures and links to similar or related stories. Sections also come with their own recent photo galleries that give stories in pictures... after all, a picture is worth a thousand words! The main page also provides links to labeled videos on relative topics and search engines for various things, including how to find parking in Chicago; that can be difficult. Across the page, things are broken up by subject, for example there are headings such as Religion, and Transportation. Along the left side of the page you can find blogs, columns by author, as well as the Classifieds. Everything that can be found in the newspaper, as well as additional pictures and video, are available on the site. There is also a constantly updated weather box, which is not something that can be put in the newspaper, as the weather changes throughout the day, and the paper only comes out once. This is one of the benefits of having a website for a newspaper: you are able to incorporate up-to-date information or breaking news, that may not have been featured in that day's paper, which lives up to the newspaper's goal of keeping its audience informed.

Albuquerque Tribune!

Although they stopped publishing The Albuquerque Tribune in February, their website is still up to give a little glimpse of the past.  In 1933, The Albuquerque Journal, the morning newspaper, and the Albuquerque Tribune, the afternoon one, were the first newspapers to sign a joint operating agreement, even though the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 wasn't around until, well, 1970.  This joint operating agreement meant that the ABQ Journal and the ABQ Tribune would use the same building and the same printing press but still remain completely separate in terms of circulation and content.  The JOA has since disbanded because Albuquerque, like many other cities it's size, did not have enough demand to support two newspapers.

On the main page of the Albuquerque Tribune's website, they have video, photos, stories, polls and links to a podcast.  When the Trib was still being published, they had an option to subscribe to the print and/or the online edition.  Along the top of the page they have the sections News, Sports, Weather, Living, Entertainment, Business, Opinions, Multimedia and Webified.  The Webified section is where they have links to blogs, podcasts, multimedia slideshows and polls.  Webified seems to be the most convergence-like part of the ABQ Trib's website.

The Omaha World-Herald and Convergence.

These two things should probably not be used together in the same sentence. The World-Herald's website makes it very clear that all of this newfangled technology is well and good, but that you should really just go buy a hard copy. There are even links to the subscription page displayed rather prominently at the bottom of the home page. The site, while visually well designed, is virtually indistinguishable from a daily copy of the paper scanned into digital form. The two concessions to the possibilities offered by the online format are a rotating list of video clips on the main page, none of which are truly detailed enough to be called anything but hooks for the written story, and a simple weather forecast in the upper right of the main page. While the World-Herald is a daily newspaper, and as such is truly targeted only at those old enough to be making house and utility payments, the lack of visionary thinking and waste of technological potential on their website is somewhat surprising.

KQED: Convergence in the Silicon Valley

The theme in the Silicon Valley is bringing pieces of technology together to create something better. The people do it in their business and they expect it in their news media and KQED, the local public broadcasting affiliate, has (almost) risen to the challenge.

KQED's radio and television outlets are a lot like they were when I first started listening and watching as a little kid in the Central Valley. But check out KQED on the web, and a lot of the trends of convergence journalism jump right out.

Radio and television being the main parts of KQED's reporting, both of those elements are emphasized on the station's Web site. Two whole columns are set aside below a (somewhat disappointingly) standard print header story for radio stories with audio links, and a video story is also featured. Rounding out the home page is one feature I look for in any radio station Web site bragging about new age technology: a link to listen to radio station live, preferably that listeners can take on an iPod--news wherever you choose.

The station then has a good strategy of giving a page to each it TV and radio arms, with main stories available in full and clips of other stories they're pitching for the day's viewers, complete with a guide to what's on each station (because KQED covers a wide swath of the Golden State).

The only real downside to KQED's pitch for convergence is in the very media we're working in right now--blogs! Sure, a few individual program hosts maintain running journals of what's on their show and there is an Elections '08 discussion board. But there's no running feed of stories that are happening now, no opinions on the myriad of issues simmering in the nation (Hell, even the state has enough happening for at least a couple of blogs!).

And its this last point that makes me say they almost rose to the convergence challenge. KQED has the features. But without the blogs, or really kind of up-to-the-minute news, KQED looks like a "slow" network in a really "fast" news time. It takes KQED a couple of days to get on a hot regional or national story because they have to get it recorded and scripted and edited. All this time kind of defeats all their technological achievements. People want the news to look good, but today they also want it fast.

Evanston Review-ing Their Website, Making It More Convergence Friendly

My local newspaper, The Evanston Review, has been modified to keep up with the fast-changing media.  There is definitely evidence of convergence journalism embedded in the works and stories on the website.  The homepage contains a top story with a picture that goes along with  it to bring the story to life.  On the left side is a list of stories with more pictures that match the stories, and there are also lists of blogs that people can join and read.  On the top right side of the website is where the videos reside.  There is a list of videos, but only three videos show at a time.  After about five seconds, the videos scroll down and the next three pop up.  It is a very interactive and engaging website.  Underneath the scrolling videos lies an outline of more videos readers can view, covering a broad source of topics.  Next to the videos is a photo gallery, where one can find pictures from local events and relevant topics.  

The Evanston Review's use of convergence journalism brings the website to life.  The videos and pictures animate the site and make it more appealing to the viewers.  It's a pretty well organized website and it's easy for users to find what they are looking for.  The use of images and videos makes it more eye-catching, and it's more exciting for users because instead of just reading an article, the story is brought to life and users can both read and view the story.  Convergence journalism allows users to grasp the story in more than one way, and the Evanston Review's website executes this idea in an effective way.

Has anyone even heard of Broomfield?

I always say that there is a place for hippies and hackie sack and that place is Boulder Colorado. Nestled just about 10 miles east of Boulder there is a town that no one has even heard of. This place would be my hometown of Broomfield. Broomfield turns out a pretty respectable paper every week. The reason that I really love this paper is that it is focused specifically on the small things that are going on down the street from my house, which is what a local paper is supposed to focus on I guess. 

The Broomfield Enterprise is keeping up with all the latest trends in the media. It has its own website where readers can go to get their news whenever they feel the need to. The paper also get many of its stories from user generated content, which is very important in convergence journalism. The have a section where users can send in photos and a and videos that they have taken from important events throughout town. The paper also offers podcasts and audio feed for all of you out there that prefer to hear rather than to see. The website also has many blogs where users can voice their opinions on matters that are important to the town. 

Other than the things that I already mentioned above there are not many other things that the Broomfield Enterprise is doing in relevance to convergence. It is a good paper that is very easy to use and their website is very user friendly as well. They rely heavily on the public to give them content to put in their stories. Everything said, the Broomfield Enterprise is a very respectable paper.

Convergence journalism by the Plano Star Courier Newspaper

So during my senior year of high school, I did an internship at a community paper that I had never heard of before called the Plano Star Courier. My internship advisor gave me this particular location when I told her that I wanted something in journalism because she said that students that she had put there had gotten a lot of things published, and she was right- the Plano Star was not the type of establishment that could really justify the kind of ego that would keep the interns down and doing the police blotter every day. To get things straight, I love the Courier like M. Night Shyamalan loves his first crappy video that he made with toy dinosaurs when he was in the sixth grade or whatever- my very beginnings, which were nonetheless crucial to my development as a writer, and were also kind of adorable. It wasn't as fast paced as a lot of more important papers were, but it was fulfilling work, and the editor in chief was a nice man who spoke with me personally on any sort of questions that I might have and gave me good stories. And it was helpful to them too, because it meant that they got more stories written without having to pay anyone. Because like all newspapers nationwide, they were- and are- experiencing steady reader losses. They did, however, try and jazz the joint up with a primitive website.

It's really not much. They have some of the same ads that they had on there when I was working there all those months ago. The first section you see is labeled 'news update', so that may be sort of an attempt at a news flash section that is easily accessible. The Plano Star has always had a small magazine that was published beside the newspaper, so they have already branched out in that direction. When I worked there, the vast majority of the office space was for people in advertising- how they made their money. The website is sort of evidence of that, with two rows of ads pushed together on the right side of the screen all the way from top to bottom. It's not a very pretty layout, but it's not confusing at all as to how to find the story that you are looking for. They have a few photo albums of  football games and the like, but I wonder if they have been updated recently. The Plano Star has not of yet branched out into the area of broadcast or even videotaping any breaking news to put onto the site. At least that's what I think until I scroll down to the very bottom of the page and find the not very prominently placed health story video. There are also polls, a news poll and a sports poll. That's an interesting feature for them to have on their site. While I look at this, something so naive and familiar, I feel a sense of pride in seeing that they have this much put together. I saw the very insides of this publication, and I had thought that I knew what it was capable of. They surpassed my expectations, at least. Still, the layout needs some work, even a better color scheme would be a valid endeavor to make the site more visually appealing. Still, they are utilizing convergence journalism to reach their audience from several angles, and for that, I give them credit.

The Good Ol' Daily American Republic

As most of you know I hail from a rather small town in southeast Missouri. I'm fairly certain that our local newspaper the, Daily American Republic, or as we Bluffians like to call it, the DAR. The DAR isn't much of a local newspaper. Sure, it has a daily edition, but the lazy suckers don't even publish a saturday edition. The paper literally takes about 5 minutes to read and thats only if you manage to find even one interesting article. Ads constitute the majority of the information in the newspaper. I sometimes had the feeling that the high school paper had more relevant news in it. 

But anyway I'm supposed to talk about how it converges with todays technology and what not. Well, thats easy. It doesn't. Not at all. Zippo. The paper doesn't have a real website. Sure, it has a URL but all that does is take you to a page where you can literally read the scanned version of the paper. Not very impressive. Plus they have to send you an email daily just so you can log on to read the paper. I had planned on reading it while at CoMo but its to much of a hassle to get that email daily. 

If ever you need an example of what not to do as a journalist just ask me for a copy of the DAR and it'll remind you very quickly of what not to do. I can't even put a picture of their logo on the blog because its not available on their website and I refuse to have to use google images. 

The Tulsa World

I was never a huge fan of Tulsa's newspaper, but after exploring their website, I have to give them props. The Tulsa World's website is very user-friendly and filled with various types of media (a.k.a, "convergence").

The first thing you see on the World's website is the weather and the latest headlines. Being from Oklahoma, I know how important continuous weather updates are, so this is definitely a plus. Beside each headline under the "Latest News" section there is a time, which shows the viewer when this news was posted. I think that's a great idea because it lets the reader know how current and up-to-date your website is. Right beneath the "Latest News" section is a spot that features videos and pictures. It's very user-friendly and allows the viewer to see their news, rather than read it. Just below that section are featured blogs and a calendar that allows you to view different events (i.e.: Sports, entertainment, business, education, government, etc.).

In the Spot section, which is the World's entertainment pull-out, the site could feature more videos. Understandably, this is a newspaper website, but the amount of text becomes overwhelming. One expects an entertainment section to be a little more tech-savvy and up-to-date. The section does feature a pop-out music player though, which is very convenient for those checking out concerts, etc. 

But, the world does offer sections strictly dedicated to both pictures and videos. Each section is incredibly easy to navigate and again, very user-friendly. This again gives users an alternative to written news. Overall, I'm very impressed by the World's website. It's obvious that they are gradually trying to converge their use of media and appeal to various viewers. 

Daily Herald Media Center

One of the local newspapers for the northwest suburbs of Chicago is the Daily Herald. It’s companion website (dailyherald.com) applies convergence journalism via the “Media Center.” Located on the right edge of the Daily Herald homepage, a small teaser for the Media Center links to a larger convergence media website, the Daily Herald’s Multimedia Center (http://www.dailyherald.com/multimedia/?category=9&type=video).

The simple design of the site serves it well. The design is clean and therefore allows the website’s visitors to easily locate what they want to view. Visitors can choose between video, slideshows, photo galleries, and audio. Categories on the right further divide what can be viewed including news on community, food, weather, health & fitness, sports, business, national, world, and travel. To the right of the central screen, the videos, photos and audio links are clearly arranged by date. You can easily choose what you want to see, and the teasers have the appropriate size picture.

The videos are short enough to keep you attention, yet most do not provide you with any helpful information. The slide shows and photo galleries on the other hand provided a better insight on certain stories like the ones for “NIU Shooting” coverage.

Overall I am impressed that my local paper is moving forward by implementing convergence media into their news website. Now the focus needs to be on presenting content that is valuable to the public in quality and relevance.

WCCO: Minnesota's Finest Example of Convergence

When I was looking for an example of convergence in a local station, I had three great choices to look at. KARE, KSTP, and WCCO are all television stations in Minneapolis and St. Paul that are taking steps to converge media into their online affiliate. The one station that stuck out beyond the other two, was WCCO. Not only are they the most popular station in the Twin Cities, but they are the oldest. WCCO has been affiliated with greater metro area for decades, all beginning with their first radio cast in 1922. Since then, WCCO has taken major steps to change the way Minnesotans receive and interpret the news. Their continued connection between the radio and television stations make a seamless connection for any listener/viewer. Not to mention their active role with both of the major newspapers of Twin Cities. Yet, with the change towards online media growing, WCCO is bringing all their outlets together to form a seamless web experience.

At it's beginning WCCO was one of the original radio stations in the state of Minnesota. Providing one of the first sources for many to get a taste of this new form of media. As time went on their reputation of a great news outlet expanded, controlling most of the listening population in the metropolitan area. This trend continued up until the formation of WCCO-TV, that went on air for the first time in 1949. Since then the two stations have worked hand in hand to deliver quality content to the citizens of Minnesota. This connection would be vital in taking the next step. With the birth of the internet age, WCCO had to revolutionize the way they delivered information in this new era of converging media. 

WCCO.com is a one stop source for information to Minnesotans. From this site they can access a world of news, and even get involved with the news process. The top of the screen is dedicated to the latest news that people care to see. If a story is failing, it gets bumped down farther. While either the hottest or most late-breaking stories stay at the top. The stories do not only come from the CBS-WCCO affiliate either. They manage to bring in stories from both of the major local papers, smaller city based papers, and national level publications. At the right of the site, views can see clips of recent stories aired on WCCO news. After viewing a segment, you can choose (If available) to hear the audio clip from the radio affiliate on the same story giving you possibly a different angle of what you just saw. This tradition of work between the radio and television outlets give a great example of how media can make a seamless convergence after years of being apart.

The most innovative part of this site, is the use of user accessible blogs. Here some of the lead anchors and reporters get a chance to comment on stories they have done, or just things in the news in general. If someone feels like they disagree with what the blogger said they can write a response to it. If the anchor or reporter feels like it is a valid response to the problem or question they brought up they will air it on television or on the radio. This is a great way to get the public involved and attract people to their all in one news outlet.

In the future, news stations will have to continue to evolve with the technology that is invented. While many news outlets are yet to even catch up to where it should be at this point, WCCO will most likely stay ahead of this curve. Producing new ways to deliver information, as well as ways to keep the public involved and active within the news process.

The Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune has taken various steps towards media convergence on their website. On their homepage, there of course are pictures that add to the overall value of the story. Also, they have a “Breaking News” slide show that goes through headlines of stories that have recently been released. They also have a video of the protest taking place in Chicago regarding Proposition 8. In sections such as National News, the Tribune has an option for viewers to scroll through videos that have made headlines throughout the week. In the sports section, there are photo galleries of the most recent Chicago athletic games as well as polls regarding whom to blame for the Bears loss against the Packers.

Another interesting part of the web site is under Blog- Editorials page, where you can find a calendar countdown titled “Your sales tax calendar”. The website also has a Video section, where you can watch top videos in Breaking News, Sports, Business, Features, National, and many others. Another great feature of this website is the “News Tools” section. This section allows frequent Tribune readers to receive breaking news, sports updates, or hot restaurant and events through a text message. This section also provides RSS feeds, and allows subscribers to set up their own “MyNews” page specifically designed for their interests.

This website does a great job of combining news, pictures, and video onto the website and it is done in a very convenient way. One thing that they could improve on is possibly providing more videos of interviews. 

Convergence and the Kansas City Star, what do they have in common?

Surprisingly little.

Alright, so we all know our way around convergence here, so there isn't much need to explain how the integration of video, pictures, and other gee whiz web 2.0 bells and whistles into online media constitutes con-ver-gance. Most of these features are still in their infancy and have yet to be used to their full potential. (Grandma can't use youtube.) So it should come as no suprise that many of the smaller market newspapers and tv stations don't have any of those new and shiny things on their websites.

The website I examined was the Kansas City Star's kansascity.com. The front page doesn't get the same treatment as some major paper like the New York Times or Washington Post who have a host of videos, slide shows, and discussion boards dedicated to making the news more accessable. The front page is essentailly the print version of the newspaper put into an electronic format. There are a few ads and a bit of new media content, such as the tracker keeping tabs on the current score of the Chiefs game. The are some video content, but it is hidden down near the bottom, next to section specific links to stories. The website is built on a vertical rather than horizontal style, pushing most of the content toward the bottom, where it is a bit harder to access and easy to miss. The side bars are used primarily for advertising on the right hand side and for newspaper sections on the left side. Oddly enough, the classified and the job search links are on top of links to feature stories and national headlines, perhaps to benefit Knight Ridder's partnership with careerbuilder.com. Overall, it's a kind of poor site with little media content, but Kansas City is a comprably small media market that doesn't get enough papers moving to necessitate spending more moey on hiring professionals that can design and run all the convergence content.

Convergence & The Bull

In St. Louis, MO, 93.7 The Bull is a very well known country radio station.  Whether it's in the car, in my bedroom, or playing throughout my house, I am constantly listening.  One of my favorite parts of the station is the 8 o'clock showdown.  The listener tunes in at 8 and hears two songs, then goes online to vote for his favorite.  The next night, the winner of the previous night will go up against a new artist and new song.

I have been to the website (www.thebullrocks.com) quite frequently.  It is very user friendly and has many different aspects to it.  The homepage resembles a news website.  It has a box with changing photos at the top, directly below the navigation bar.  The pictures link to events and contests usually regarding the country's top favorite artists.  There is an "On Air" link where one can listen on the computer to what 93.7 is playing on the radio and see the past 3 songs that were played.  The site also has links to photos, videos, and live performances.  They have the weather and an "In the News" link also.  It consists of different kinds of news stories, not just about country music.  They have national, sports, politics, entertainment, and many others.

The Bull uses many ways to get the attention of their listeners.  They play music, show videos and photos, and have written articles.  I really like how the website doesn't just focus on their radio station.  They give their listeners a place where they can go to get information on what's going on not just in the country music scene, but also national news regarding other topics.  The station's website caters to the viewer and combines many different types of media to provide their fans with the information they're looking for.

ESPN vs. ETHS- Let the Games Begin!

I am comparing the website of ESPN  to my high school's sports website.  The ESPN website looks more official, because the type is bolder, crisper, and cleaner.  The menu bar is also easier to use because the option are lined up near the top of the page.  The text easily guides the reader to where they want to go.  The stories are also organized well and they fit the space on the page well.  The website has a good mix of text and pictures, and the website overall looks very professional.  It's also nice because the page is not overtaken by advertisements, so the information is easy to focus on.  Sometime advertisements can be distracting, but this page looks clean and sharp. 

The sports website for my high school is not up to par with the ESPN website.  It's organized pretty well, but it doesn't look as clean as the ESPN website.  There are advertisements on both sides of the page, so the text is in a block down the middle of the page.  The site has a menu bar which viewers can scroll through to find the particular sport they're looking for.  There are also team pictures that flash at the top of the page, and there are updates of upcoming events.  Below that information are the "Wildkit Announcements", which are stories written about the teams and their sporting events.  For a high school website, it's a good website.  The information is well presented so it's easy for one to find what they're looking for.  The text and the pictures flow well together.  Although the high school website may not be as high caliber of a website as ESPN, it still serves its purpose.  

National vs. Local

For this blog piece, I’m comparing the websites of a national TV news station and a local TV station.

CNN’s homepage (cnn.com) has lots of options on it. The different options appeal to many different demographics, which is key. There are lots of graphics and nearly 30 stories I can link to. The page also has a really nice layout and the design makes it not feel cluttered; it is very simple and user friendly.

Newschannel21’s homepage (newschannel21.com) is not nearly as wonderful as CNN’s, as it feels very cluttered and has several ads that distract the reader from the news. Although I love the color blue, this homepage is so saturated in it that it is just way too busy. Also, the website displays two different names – Newschannel21 and KTVZ. The site also displays the name “z21”, which is what the news channel was called three years ago before it was changed to Newschannel21. But anyway, the page has too many graphics and I feel that it detracts from the page overall.

When you go to an article on CNN, you immediately see the headline of the story and a few story highlights. The highlights are a great feature because you can just get the facts and go. On the pages with articles, CNN also has a list of the 10 most viewed stories at any given time, which is nice because the average reader will probably only read what others feel is important. These attributes make the page more user friendly.

Even on the pages with stories in them, Newschannel21’s pages are saturated with ads. The page layout is very simple and not impressive. But, I do really like that at the bottom of each story; you have the option to rate the story and comment about it. I find that it is usually very interesting what locals have to say about hometown issues.

It is difficult to compare the content of the two websites as the both have a very different niche in the news world. Newschannel21 is great when I want to see highlights of my sister’s last soccer game or when I feel the need to catch up on news at home. But CNN is great for getting information about world and national events.

Overall, CNN is the better website because of it’s layout and user friendly options and Newschannel21 would be better off if they made their website simpler and more logical.

Hometown News...

I took a look at the websites of papers that my hometown people usually look to for news...

The Rolla Daily News is the paper from where I was born and raised, Rolla, Missouri. At first glance I couldn't tell whether or not I liked it, it is boring, but I could tell it was at least organized, and I'm not gonna lie - it is better than I expected from them...

The homepage is a lot like other papers, with featured articles, a picture or two, ads along the right... I didn't like the advertisement on the left column, it distracted me, and it moved, which was just irritating. I liked the tabs for different topics along the top, and that the weather was always there too. By the weather there was a search bar, which was convenient. If I were them I would make sure to put the title way bigger, instead of having it small and putting an election advertisement next to it. It was very obvious that it was a site for a smaller town, with articles about PCRMC, the highway control, Dollar General, and the Rolla Marching Band.

STLtoday is much more technologically advanced than Rolla's. I liked the layout much better, with a rotating section of featured articles accompanied by big pictures to catch your attention near the top. There are scattered ads, but they don't annoy me like the ones from Rolla's site, and the name of the site is more prominent. There is a similar bar with the different subjects, but here there is a drop down menu when you run your mouse over it to narrow down your interests. There is more information on the site as well, with some local stories, but with more state and national news too. Another thing that I like a lot from this site is that there is more reader input - there are featured photos, a 'most popular' articles section, and you can comment on articles if you are a member. And this one isn't so boring...

For me, I don't mind either of them, I would prefer STLtoday, but it is nice to get more localized news from Rolla's. It works well to get a combination of both, which is what my family always did, but I wouldn't say either of them are bad, just different.

ABQ Journal vs. NY Times

When I was at home, I got basically all of my news from The Albuquerque Journal (abqjournal.com) and local TV stations.  Every once in a while I would visit The New York Times' website (nytimes.com) for a different perspective.  

The Albuquerque Journal website does have some advertisements, but on the first frame of the homepage you see the ABQjournal Video section, Albuquerque weather, a search box and hot search topics, as well as tabs to different sections of the paper.  A little bit below that they have the ABQNews Seeker and an ABQ Arrest Map and a picture of the front page of the paper with a link to the eJournal login on the left side bar.  The layout is simple with three columns and boxes separating the sections within the columns.  The content is very recent, with crime information last updated at 1:17 PM MST.  The main story is about Tony Hillerman who died on Sunday night.  This story is both local and national news because Hillerman taught journalism at the University of New Mexico for more than 20 years and lived in New Mexico for more than half a century.  Although the majority of the news is from the Albuquerque Metro Area and New Mexico in general, they do have national and international news.  

The ABQ Journal has 4 other editions, The Mountain View Telegraph, The Rio Rancho Journal, The Journal North/Santa Fe and The West Side Journal, that has the majority of the same news but some information that is more relevant to the different parts of New Mexico it is delivered to.

The New York Times website is definitely more focused on national news and has less specifically New York news because their audience is so diverse.  Their website looks very clean, but I think it could use some more color.  The main story is about the presidential election and politics, of course.  I like that you can individualize the website by going to My Times so you can choose what kind of content you would like to see.  

The Tony Hillerman article that was #1 on the ABQ Journal website is #4 on NY Times, showing that the different audiences want a different kind of news.  I really like both websites, but overall, being an Albuquerque native, I am more interested in the news on ABQ Journal because it seems more relevant to me, even though NY Times is easier to navigate and is less cluttered.

Blogs are just better.

When it comes to news and information updates there's no better way, in my opinion, than a blog. Blogs are easily updated daily and can easily adjust to breaking news stories. 

Engadget is a prime example of a blog that uses simplicity to get technology news out quickly, with a little personal flair to it as well. Its design is clean and simple, using blues, grays, and whites, which is also easy on the eye's. It header is crisp and if your a nerd very clever. It keeps its adds to the side which make's it very easy to avoid having to look at them. It updates relevant technology news. The site steers clear of a lot of rumors that don't have a whole lot of clear sources behind them and posts a lot of interesting stories about technology.  The best feature of the site is its story layout. It has the most recent post on the top of the page and all you have to do is scroll down. Most of the time all you have to do is read the blurb underneath the picture to understand the topic of discussion. 

The Drudge Report is a very popular blog, frequented many times a day. I however, can't stand the layout. When I visit the page to see what the major news stories of the day are, I find it very hard to find anything. There is no continuity to how the posts are laid out. On one side of the page the topics can range from the economy to something about the environment. There is no blurb telling what the story is about. All there is is a headline, giving very little information. I do however like the large headline at the top of the page. It usually has a very important topic and is usually of great interest. However, it is still just a headline sometimes followed by a picture. Not a whole lot of information and I usually lose interest in the article very quickly.

I think that one day blogs and RSS feeds will play a much larger roll in getting information out to the public. Americans like things quickly and immediately. Even the iPhone and its access to a fully functioning web browser isn't as fast as push email or an RSS feed sent directly to your phone. Getting the news out in a simpler format may be the best way to go for us fast paced Americans.

Local vs. National?

So for my blog I decided to see how a local news site would stand up to a national news website, let's say Fox News' site. So for my local news I decided I'd go with Fox 2 News' site, which is the local affiliate of Fox in my hometown of St. Louis (cheap plug). Before I compared the two I thought the sites would be similar, with Fox two being an affiliate of Fox. I found out that I was mistaken, when I looked at both sites.

First, we have my local station Fox 2. When you first open the page your eyes are drawn to the picture of the top news story on the left side of the page. Underneath that story summary are other selections for top news stories. As you scroll down you'll find more news stories and links that have to do with St. Louis and some global news. At the top of the page is a number of buttons; each of which will take you to a different type of news (weather, entertainment, etc). Along with all this there are some adds on the bottom of the page and on the right side. While the site is laid out very nicely, it feels a bit cluttered, as if they we're trying to cram a much news as they could on one page. 

Now we move on to Fox News' site. This one really surprised me. Now I'm no fan of Fox News, and visiting the site didn't help much. The first thing you see is, again, the picture of the main story, dead center of the site. To the left is a number of links to the other stories. However, they are just that, links. There are no pictures, no flashy icons, just a link to the story. As I scrolled down I found that the layout wasn't bad. It had different sections for all the different kinds of news as you might expect. It didn't help the main problem of the whole site to me though, that being that the website was terrible boring.

Overall I actually liked my local news site a lot better than the national. It was more colorful and was laid out a bit better despite being cluttered. In the end, I think I'd go to the local website than the national for my news.

St. Louis Post Dispatch vs. Columbia Tribune

The St. Louis Post Dispatch's website (STLtoday.com) is fairly appealing. It is a little boring with its lack of color, but it is an informational website and fulfills its job well.  The site is well organized and not too cluttered. It has a search box at the top along with list of topics.  I like how the topics stretch horizontally across the screen, but when you move the cursor over them, a drop down box comes and it is a little annoying.  Under the topics is a box that changes pictures between a few hot stories.  To the right of the picture is a box with two tabs, Top headlines and Columns and blogs.  As you scroll down the page, there are more specific stories.  They take the topics from the top of the page and have a little section on each listing top stories, including videos from select stories.  I am most pleased with the fact that the page is not being consumed by ad after ad.  Overall, I like this website a lot.  It is easy to find what you need and looks appealing because it is not overdone.

The Columbia Tribune has no search box at the top and basically consists of four columns.  The first is a navigational list of topics, and the second is of a picture with a ton of top local news stories following.  The third is a long list of AP top stories, and the fourth is today's front page, most visited stories, and Election 2008 information.  In my opinion, this website has way too much information on one page.  It looks very crammed and does not pull out top stories, there are just too many there.  It think the best thing about this website is that the advertisements are not intruding on the information.  They are off to the right or at the bottom of the page.

From evaluating these websites, I have found that the St. Louis Post Dispatch definitely has a better website in comparison to the Columbia Tribune, but when looking for some local Columbia news, this website is the place to go.  It has a lot of information and you can find just about anything that you are looking for.  The St. Louis Post Dispatch is more attractive to viewers and easier to navigate, but they both have information, from local to nation news, so I would say that they both serve their purpose of bringing the news to the people just fine.

SportingNews takes on the BBC sports

When a person calls upon their internet to get some type of news or story, they want it to be a couple of different things. They mostly want it to be convenient to use and easy to look at. That is why they are looking at the internet in the first place, because it is readily available and they can access the information they want to get quicker. That being said, some sites are better at accomplishing this than others are. I am going to look at two sports pages and see exactly how they stack up against one another in their quality and ease to which a person can navigate them.

SportingNews.com is a site that covers specifically sports stories. When you first enter the site there is one large graphic on the left. Next to the large graphic there are the top stories that are really easy to see. I really like the set-up that this website uses as far as the placement of their stories and their graphics. On the right of the screen there is a large advertisement, but it doesn't really get in the way of anything. Another thing that I really like about the site is that they place all of the scores at the top of the screen and they are all there for you to look at. There is an auto refresh as well, which is a nice feature when you are looking at it to see what the live scores are. Then at the bottom of the page they have stories that are divided into categories based on which sport you are interested in. this is a nice feature because it makes navigating to the stories that you specifically want to read that much easier. The last thing about this site that I absolutely am obsessed with, is that they give you access to their radio station as well and you an listen to live feeds any time you want. SportingNews is my first choice when it comes to finding a website that is easy to use and I want to look at. 

BBC sports, however, is a poorly designed site that makes me feel a little queasy whenever I look at it. When you enter the page there is just one picture in the middle of it, with the story right next to it. There are maybe a couple of stories off to the side as well, but there is basically only one one story that may interest you. They only cover a few sports, so if you are looking for something in particular you might as well give up and go look someplace else. It is also not very easy to navigate and not very pleasing to they eye. There is a lot of text, which I normally like, but in this case there is too much of it. Besides the text there is not much else on the page, and you are left wondering if they are always on a slow news day. Whatever the case BBC news is not the place to go if you are looking for an informative sports news website.     

Hometown Quality: The Star Tribune vs. The New York Times

For the longest time I have gotten my news from one main source, that being the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The paper itself has given me every sort of news I have needed in the years I have lived in Minnesota. While their hard copy of their paper is great, the online edition is just as good. Even when putting it up against some of the nations largest papers, the Trib seems to hold up to their content and quality of their online counterparts. One of the biggest papers in the nation, The New York Times, was perfect to compare to the Star Tribune. 

One of the main qualities of the Star Tribune I always enjoyed was it's local feel, and it's ability to still deliver on strong national content. The first thing you see on the site isn't the most breaking international news, but local stories that more of the public can connect to. There is no reference to a national or international story until the bottom of the page. If you do want to find news on a larger scale, it is easy enough to find by using the convenient tabs at the top of the site, outlining almost everything that the Trib has to offer. The site also manages to keep the same feel of the hard copy paper by maintaining it's green and black look that so many connect to the paper.

The Star Tribune also manages to integrate other forms of media into the site better that other sites I have seen. Right below the breaking news stories sits a multimedia player that shows everything ranging from prep sports wins to world economic news. Even an appearance of The Prairie Home Companion radio show on occasion. The one downside to the side of the site is the slight feeling of it being cluttered. Links to the latest news and most popular news fill the right side of the screen while attempting to squeeze in advertisements as well. Other than this flaw, the Star Tribune manages to create a website that engages Minnesotans with local and international news. 

The New York Times other the other hand also creates a site that replicates it's hard copy with its look and feel. Yet, the first thing you see on the site is not information on the latest New York news, but the latest news of what is happening throughout the world. Since it is The New York Times, this content seems to fit with the reader base. People all over the world come to the Times to get their news. Many people may find this site to be more informative do to this sort of content. 

The multimedia is set up much like the Star Tribune, with a media player right below the main stories. Instead of having sports and other local stories, everything consists of the latest breaking news, as well as fluff regarding entertainment and health. The NYT also manages to allow readers to take the stories they enjoy and share them throughout the web on social networking sites such as Digg and Facebook.

When looking at these two sites, it really comes down to your personal preference of what type of information you like to read. If you are someone who cares more about the news around home and the state, you would defiantly would prefer the content of the Star Tribune. If you enjoying hearing more of the international buzz and more fluff stories, the NYT is for you. Either one is a solid choice for obtaining good news content.

South Bay Smackdown: Weekly vs. Merc

If you’re on the hunt for news in the south end of the California’s Bay Area, you’ll probably see two newspapers fighting for most of the rack space: the hometown paper, the Palo Alto Weekly and the much larger regional broadsheet, the San Jose Mercury News.

The fight is even harder on the Internet, because both papers see an advantage in what is probably a microcosm of the future battle in online journalism: The Weekly figures it can dominate local coverage with up-to-the-moment stories because it is physically close to stories; the Mercury provides fast coverage, with a larger budget to bring readers video and a broader range of columnist blogs.

Ask around about the Weekly’s Web site in town and the favorite feature is their TownSquare Forum. It’s popular for the same reason that letters to the editor used to be: people feel their opinion gets noticed. The difference on the web is that you don’t have to limit the number of letters (typically 2-3 in the print edition) for page space. Instead, a reader can comment on several stories and can do so in brief little blurbs instead of an extended letter, so that debates in the comments really resemble a discussion.

The Weekly’s site, however, has a couple of big problems. Probably the biggest for me is the ad (usually animated) sandwiched between the flag and top story. It’s a big distraction (perhaps a selling point?), since it’s just bigger than any story on the page.

Second is a personal peeve of mine, the lack of section organization. You’ll see this in the sidebar, but I believe that stories from each section should be represented on the front page, think (alert: personal bias) the Maneater, or my old high school paper.

The Merc, as its known casually, does a better job of this. The top of the front page is still dominated by local news, but sections are clear in a bar that is prominent on the page. That paper also does a skillful job of integrating blogs, with a top box that also identifies the authors I like. Ads are also well-managed here: they have a place on the page to pay the bills, but its clear the paper isn’t slave to its advertisers.

Were I to be vested with the power to change the Merc’s webpage, I’d probably tweak it just a little bit. I think they should move up their breaking news box to be right under the blogs in the right-center bar, with paper stories in the left-center where they have the video box. Really, the breaking news features are what seperates a news Web site from the paper.

I don’t know where I’d move the videos; I might just cut the number of ‘paper’ stories to the spotlight and then two more. Really, the site is pretty well-balanced, I just think the priorities could be different.

Sorry this went long, but these are both good papers and deserve a little bit of space.

MTV News versus Australian

OK so the news websites that I picked were mtv.com/news and news.com.au. Both relatively good pages, MTV obviously being more entertainment based, but whatever. First of all on format, both of the websites have their main stories to the left, with the biggest picture and headline. It works well for them, but the main difference that I notice here is that MTV has a picture of the person talked about in the news article- Jennifer Hudson- but the picture has nothing to do with the actual event, which is that she is offering $100,000 to whomever finds her nephew. I'm not hating on this, in fact, this is a normal practice of websites that are more entertainment- related and not directly supported by a news TV station or newspaper. AU, however, has a more news-in-action picture, but the story itself seems to be fluff, a feature piece. It's interesting to me that they would use that as their attention getter- some story about video games and how their fan base is getting older. 

From this point, they kind of use the same format in that they have the rest of their big stories sitting one on top of another in the center of the page, although MTV has little pictures to go with theirs. The MTV site is more flashy, in accordance with the channel on TV, and it has a dark blue patterned background and a few more graphics than does AU, which has a white background. They both feature ads at the top and, scrolling down the page, more ads to the right, but not too many. MTV has their stories in 3 categories, split by parallel vertical lines that are not eye-catching- Music, Movies, and Games news. AU has a better system, which puts each category into a colored box and has a main story for each with a picture.

Both sites have a place to post comments on each story, and a prominent blog section. MTV has a more obvious place for which to view videos, but both of them are generous with their photo galleries. 

The diverse things about them - MTV has a moving graphic which at the top reads 'YOUR OPINION' and scrolls through a few fan comments on the stories. They have a separate video section called 'must see'. Most of their features, in fact, involve viewing videos and pictures. They have an 'ABC' search section at the top of the page, but it's for searching artists, not stories. Again, they are an entertainment based news web page, so whatever. AU, however, has a few interesting things that I don't think that you would find on the NY Times webpage. For example, they offer options to personalize the page by dragging the category boxes around or clicking certain things to expand so that you can see them. They really make this feature obvious. Another thing that I found amusing was their news graphic titled 'WTF (Weird True Freaky)' That had pictures rotating though with headlines on them, a few of which were so interesting sounding that I clicked on them. They refresh every 10 minutes or so, and they have sections like 'breaking news' and 'most popular'. They have their different categories also listed across the top of the page, in case you are too lazy to scroll down. Oh, and they have a section called Stars 'n' Snipes, and guess what country that section is about. Haha. At least they are concerned with affairs outside of their own country. They also feature a horoscope section.

Overall, I'm gonna have to say that personally, AU was the site for me. I just couldn't stop checking out the stories on their page! Crazy Aussies.

The Chicago Tribune vs. The Daily Herald

As a resident of the Chicagoland area for eighteen years, I grew up with two newspapers in my life: The Chicago Tribune and The Daily Herald, a newspaper that focused on the suburbs of Chicago. While both these newspapers report similar news, the designs of their corresponding news websites (chicagotribune.com, dailyherald.com) are vastly different.

The Tribune website has a much cleaner layout than that of the Herald. Its letterhead is simple, and the use of negative space on the Tribune website is appropriate and easier on the eyes. This is the website’s strength. Moreover, the advertising is correctly placed (upper right-hand side of the page and along the edges of the page) and does not disturb the viewer’s consumption of the news. The pictures are the proper size and the crop adds visual interest. For example, the website has a photo story section that displays “25 inspirational pumpkin craving.” The crop on the picture teaser on the website’s homepage focuses on the detail of two carvings that are portraits of President Bush and Senator Obama. Also, I feel that the Chicago Tribune homepage contains a good mix of top news and entertainment (“soft news”)—like “The Lighter Side” and a link to their corresponding entertainment website, chicago.metromix.com.

The Herald website, on the other hand, is crowded. On the letterhead space alone, the designers jammed the name of the paper, an animated teaser, the search bar, and tabs to browse the classified section all along the top of the webpage. The congestion did not end there. As you scroll further down the viewer is bombarded with countless headline links, ridiculously small pictures, and misplaced advertisement. The pictures that accompany the video teasers and some stories are too small to decipher that they have nothing to offer the design or in creating interest in a story.

But I do like how you can post a comment on the articles on the Daily Herald website and view other readers’ comments as well. Also, I like how both the websites have a section reserved for popular stories: most viewed, most emailed etc. that is fairly easy to locate.

CNN vs BBC

Television gives us a ton of valuable information, depending on what channel is on. Even better, we can now have access to this information online! Two triple-letter organizations that pop into mind: CNN and BBC. Both are dedicated to reporting the news, but each chooses a unique layout for their website.

Both include their names on the upper left corner and advertisements on the right, with stories and blurbs mingling in between. The CNN page focuses more on Latest News, which takes up a large part of their front page, and only later are small categories such as Sports and Travel. The BBC page, however, headlines one large feature and then separates other news blurbs into boxes with headings, photos, and blurbs. This highlights the main story under each topic. Farther down, they too have one-line headings for other stories that are relevant to certain topics, displayed as links with main ideas. The CNN site puts more of a focus on videos, keeping them at the top of the page and making them visible with thumbnail images, while the BBC site has links to videos further down on the page.

The CNN site has a lot more content on its front page, including quick stock market information and a poll for users. The BBC site keeps it simple, but offers links to information for other places, as it is a worldly news source. BBC also allows you to Customize your Homepage at the top, while the CNN site features "Hot Topics" and tabs with major topics at the top. Because CNN is more geared toward the US than the globe, it also features a little box about the election, granting quick access to specific topics that users may be looking to read about.

Overall, each site design is geared toward a specific purpose, which is, in turn, revealed by the design. It's possible to determine a news outlet's goal simply by looking at the website. CNN is more geared toward the US; it has "hot" topics right at your fingertips, such as the election, and features videos; it is a television station, after all. BBC is more of a global news source, giving users the option to customize their homepage based on location as well as topics they may be interested in, while also offering general topics on their front page to users who may just be looking to keep up with big news. They choose what is generally newsworthy, but also let their users decide for themselves, since they are coming from all parts of the world. Like anything else, your experience depends upon what the news source is.