ALJ301

EDITORS WEBLOG (http://www.editorsweblog.org/)

The editors weblog is a site dedicated to newspaper editors worldwide.  Just like Journalism.org which is devoted to journalists, this website helps editors improve, learn from other editors and improve their skills. 

I think this site along with Journalism.org works ‘hand in hand’ in producing quality news.  If there is support and information for the editor and the journalist to help refine their skills and gain more knowledge then the site can only be advantageous to the publication as well as the consumer buying the newspaper.

2) PERSONAL TECH

(http://www.nytimes.com/pages/technology/personaltech/index.html)

Personal Tech has a mixture of blogs along with information on technology.  This site is informative because it updates citizen journalists and qualified journalists about the latest technology that can be for personal use as well as capturing newsworthy events.  It is a good way of keeping the media ‘in touch’ with equipment.

WEEK 12 – Blogs worth monitoring

1) Global Voices (http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/).

Finally, a website that brings the ‘blogs of the world’ together.  Ethan Zuckerman along with a group of international volunteers aim to congregate all kinds of citizen media to create a ‘global blogosphere’.  The site encourages people to understand other countries and how they function in regards to citizen journalism and multi-media. 

If I want to search music blogs in Gambia, for instance, I can select the country and the topic to view all the blogs relating to my search.  This idea is a fantastic creation that enables bloggers, and citizen journalists from all over the world to interact and learn about another country.

2) Project for Excellence in Journalism (http://www.journalism.org/).

Journalism.org is an American website that evaluates how the news is being produced, and helps improve the performance of the journalist.  

I believe that this website is a productive tool because it provides information to journalists, and advice to students wanting to pursue a career in the field.  Quality journalism is what newspapers and other publications strive for, and this site helps journalists improve their standards making it even more beneficial for the journalist as well as the publication. In particular, The State of the News Media 2008, which is an annual report focused on the ‘health and status of American journalism’.

1) Innovations in Newspapers

(http://www.innovationsinnewspapers.com/)

Juan Antonio Giner is the founder of the media consulting company, Innovation International.  His blog revolves around political issues and how politics is represented in the media. 

Giner’s posts have more visuals than words. However, the way he presents these visuals and combines them with his short comments make it very interesting to read, and satirical.

Although the photographs he has posted on his blog are interesting, there are photos placed one after the other, which can make his blog look cluttered.

The issues he covers are related to the issues affecting the world today, such as the debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. 

2) Buzz Machine (http://www.buzzmachine.com)

Jeff Jarvis, an American journalist, is the creator of the weblog, ‘buzz machine’.  Jarvis argues many issues in an informative manner, and his strong arguments can make a reader reflect on his work.

For example, his post, ‘The internet as a right’ personally, was a boring topic.  However, the way Jarvis organised his arguments, and defended his thoughts, made me want to continue reading.

3) Online Journalism news is a British site developed for the journalist.  Most news sites are consumer-oriented in the sense that the sites are focused on presenting the news and other media topics to the people.  Online journalism, however, provides a unique way of reaching out to journalists.  For example, there are tabs on jobs, training, forums, news, and blogs that journalists can navigate. This website is also an incentive for young journalists because it provides helpful research tips to further enhance their writing style and how they approach certain topics.

The question on today’s post is: What does mojo mean in the ‘media world’?  

A mojo is an amalgam for a journalist who only carries mobile phones to capture newsworthy events to stream it online.  Currently throughout the world, Scandinavia, the UK, Europe, the US, and Africa are known for their mojos.

It has helped citizen journalism grow and take a new direction for capturing and broadcasting news.  

In London, a year ago, a Reuters news agency supplied its journalists with a mojo toolkit.  It included a Nokia N95/N82, a Bluetooth keyboard, a digital microphone, and a phone adapted tripod.

Robert Scobel, an American blogger used a service produced by Qik to broadcast live video from his cell phone.  “Qik has put a TV studio in my pocket. I can get live video onto the Internet faster than I can make a phone call,” Scobel said.

A YouTube video on Steve Garfield, a mojo, shows how easy and convenient it is to be able to record information and stream it to the internet straight away. He is able to record important live news before any qualified journalist. He is always ‘in the action’ and the fact that he only needs to hold a mobile phone to do so, is even better.

In many countries, such as Japan, four in five mobile phone users use their mobile phones to connect online instead of using their PC.  A quarter of 18-25 year olds in the UK use their mobile phones to check sites like FaceBook and MySpace.

The ‘media world’ is evolving and people like Frank Barth-Nilsen from Norway are trying to create ideas on how technology will change today’s way of storytelling. He has initiated this by creating a website where people can share their ideas.  Visit MojoEvolution.

REFERENCES

Quinn, S. (2008). “Who found my MoJo”. 

The UpTake 2008, in YouTube, Steve Garfield, Mobile Video Journalist, retrieved 02 October 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIce0Z2gZ7M

YouTube 2008, Reuters Mobile Phone Reporting Part 2 retrieved 02 October 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1kVbvhp4Ik