Always Think.

Chapter 9 is all about data. There is something else built around data, oh yeah, life. As the chapter illustrates, data has been around for a very long time. Data s gathered anytime news is gathered. News, then, could be described as ‘new’ data.

Newspapers of old, you know, the paper sort, couldn’t truly take advantage of data because there was simply too much to list on a page. Confined within margins, newspapers just didn’t contain the amount of physical real estate required to put so much information forward at a time.

With the advent of the Internet as a medium in which to disperse information, data has come to the forefront of good journalism. Say there was a fire during a parade, and that a fire had broken out at the parade in the years past. Well, using data in the form of a map, you could plot the points where certain fires had been reported, and even relay other facts that would simply go missing in a traditional newspaper. You can plot a nearly infinite amount of points and never think twice.

The Internet allows for more storage and gathering of data than any other medium, which we have all come to accept.

It is important, however, to not only use data to make our stories or coverage better, but as journalists we are responsible for creating new content and data with which to contribute to the growth of more current data. Our credit as journalists and our responsibilities can stay the same, as long as we treat the collection and dispersion of digital data with the same respect we treated newspapers with.

Quality vs. Quantity.

Video is as good as gold. This chapter does a wonderful job of explaining the importance of videos, and some of the pitfalls related to them. While newspapers started as text-only documents and were run as such for hundreds of years, the introduction of video has changed the realm of news forever. Sure, the medium arrived in the same period of time as the television, but more recently other responsibilities have come along when dealing with video.

The internet, as Briggs explains, offers journalists the chance to upload and disperse video instantly.

Paul Tenorio, sports writer for The Washington Post, stopped by a class of mine earlier in the week and shared some very interesting tips for reporting. In this social media driven news platform, video needs to happen fast. Tenorio explained to us that he will often have three things with him while covering an event. His Smartphone, Video Camera, and his laptop. All three of these things share one major quality. They come together to create the new journalist’s back pack.

Tenorio went on to tell us how a typical breaking news story might occur. First, you have to be ready. Second, the event happens. And third, you put your video online before anyone else.

What is most clear about video in breaking news is that its honest. If you capture video of a breaking story and upload it quickly, you are truly giving your audience what no one else has, the eye-witness point of view. Briggs explains that it is not necessarily the quality of the video, but the quantity, or speed in which the video is dispersed.

Quality does play an important role, however, and if you want to be a credited journalists, you should strive for video that can not be questioned. Many devices that capture video do so with a low resolution camera. This can create a serious problem when uploading the video to a larger screen format because the picture can and will be blurry.

“There deadline is always the same: right now.”

“Journalism Next” was published in 2010. The introduction to this chapter, which focuses on mobile journalism, describes the camera phone as the newest form of immediate news.

Well, two years have gone by, and new innovations in the technical world have truly catered to the idea that news needs to be published: right now.

Take the Apple iPad. In the last couple of semesters I have noticed something truly remarkable about this device. It can be found in the hands of every aspiring journalist and veteran journalist alike. The advent of the iPad brings connectivity to the roaming journalist, and allows its’ user to write the story, add video, edit video, and publish: professionally.

The chapter illustrates what a ‘gearhead’ might take on their journalistic expeditions. A laptop, internet connection, camera, video camera, tripod, audio recorder, headphones, microphone, and of course the cell phone all find their way into the ‘gearhead’s’ pack.

If you add up the costs of these items you’d be well into the thousands (several), however, an iPad with the right amount of memory and connectivity might set you back 800 bucks, and it can do it all.

Reporting on an iPad is only one way in which to take advantage of the new technology. Having the compact notebook size tablet allows you to bring it everywhere, and use it for everything. From blogging, tweeting, and taking notes, the iPad essentially replaces the laptop.

As with any technology, there is always room for improvement, but when it comes to the iPad, theres little space to deal with. The battery lasts for 10 hours, and the device can store hundreds of hours of audio and several dozens of video, and comes with Apple’s very accommodating AppleCare (if you so chose to add the $79.99 feature) which will land you with 2 full years of worry free operation.

The only direction is up for the iPad, which is now in its second generation of production, with a third on the way.

Save your money and consider the iPad your all-in-one.. everything.

Chapter 3 in Journalism Next was extremely eye opening. We have to take a step back to realize the importance of crowd-sourcing or having open-source news, because it truly allows journalists to get the right perspective.

A revolution begins, or someone is harmed, and the people that are there when it happens are the ones that have to react. With crowd and open-source information, we as journalists are able to break the story and give the real point of view of the audience directly involved.

There can be downfalls, too, but the immediacy it places on the spread of information cant go without applaud. So what if we have to check to make sure they’re reliable sources, the process wont take long when one thousand tweets say the same thing.

Chapter 2 was reassuring. This isn’t the first blog I have created, but it will most likely be the one I keep. Briggs’ goal in this section is to keep us engaged in our blogs, and he gives the right advice when he says you have to love it or leave it.

My first blog was about the automotive industry. My car blog, which I had a passion for, was abandoned abruptly when I realized no one was reading it. This chapter provided the direction I was in need of. My old blog was missing live media, RSS feeds, and easily scannable content.

After taking Briggs’ advice I scanned a few credible blogs, you know, to see what my current blog is missing. It’s still missing a lot. The Huffington Post, for example, has a very busy yet easy to scan layout. Mashable‘s content layout is very familiar to that of Facebook, which uses similar colors and fonts. Facebook has attracted over 750 million users, so it seems like a no brainer that a blog using similar techniques might flourish.

I hope Andrew Knight has some time in class to help me solve my blog appearance issues.

Chapter 1 in Journalism Next did something for me that no other technology text has ever done. It made the curiously boring side of coding seem very, easy. Granted, it is a chapter full of shortcuts and tips, but isn’t that where we are at now?

Reading over the text brought me to the understanding that coding and creating web pages has gotten simpler out of necessity. Just like reading, the level of expertise necessary for creating a website has dwindled. We write at a ninth grade reading level, and Mark Briggs’ teachings comes across just as simply. I didn’t actually create a website as I read through the chapter, but I left it feeling like I could have.

RSS feeds. I needed this portion of the chapter. While the idea still decently alludes me, I know I have to subscribe if I want to move on to the next level of information seeking. By the end of the working day, RSS will become an integral part of this blog.

Last but not least, tech innovator, Greg Linch, answers the question we will all undoubtably ask. Are we the future of journalism? Read down his list of traits, apply to self, and the answer has to be yes.