February 14th, 2012 — briggs, comm361, ryanglass
This chapter of Journalism next is all about Microblogging, the new online sensation that transforms traditional stories into a single line of text followed by a link to the original article.
Microblogging is most commonly seen in the form of Twitter, where celebrities, journalists, and everyone in between “tweet” a short message (usually a headline or byline); often times a link, picture or video is attached. Not only is it a great tool for advertising and sharing your story, it’s shortens your message to a mere 140 characters, great for getting your message across.
Briggs mentions that Microblogging is also a great tool for breaking news, especially when over 50% of the population has a smartphone these days. Smartphone users can setup their Twitter feed or RSS on their devices, and instantly receive feeds wherever they are; it really is remarkable.
February 10th, 2012 — briggs, comm361, ryanglass
The next chapter in Journalism Next should be seen as a big deal for any aspiring or current professional journalist.
Crowdsourcing, or the power of community to improve a service or imformation base,” is an invaluable tool when it comes to journalism. A popular example of crowdsourcing is our beloved friend Wikipedia, which allows users from all over the world to add, remove, crop and edit various bits of information on a regular basis. The end result? Open-source information: Better and more reliable information (for the most part).
With open-source information, journalists have the ability to bring realism into the story, and provide a realistic point of view for the audience. Not only does it enhance the story, but it allows the journalist to progress in his writing abilities in the future with unobstructed access to information.
While there are few minor downsides to open-source information, they can make themselves present in any opportunity. One of the biggest concerns is reliability; too many times journalists may be searching for a quote or a factoid, only to find it come without a source or disproved claim. Surely, there are work-a-rounds, but it goes to show that nothing is this world is perfect.
February 10th, 2012 — comm361, ryanglass Tagged macworld
iPhone or Android? A timeless question that never quite seems to reveal an answer.
iPhone owners claim the ease of usability of iOS is superior to that of android phones, while Andriod users boast hardware superiority. Despite the fact that both seem to be compelling arguments, there is one fairly noticeable difference between the two brands. Apple products have been flourishing in the market since 1977, and have steadily been able to hold onto their market value even after purchase. Android phones, however, have a different story; new Android-based phones seem to pop-up almost every other month or so, which limits how well each individual phone deals with its value post-purchase.
Why is this important? Apple releases a new phone about every year around the same time, keeping the time-distance between each release about the same. Apple products are so well-made (and frankly expensive to begin with), and in general a new one is released ONCE every year; because of this they tend to hold their value fairly well. A 32gb iPhone 4 initially sold for $599 without a contract, when the iPhone 4s was released, the same iPhone 4 could be sold for roughly $500-500. So as you can see, the ability of apple products to hold onto their value is pretty impressive.
Android phones have an unfortunate situation; because the market is littered with DroidX and Droid RAZR MAXX phones, coupled with a lesser impressive branding name, Android phones generally do not survive so well.
When it comes to resale value, Apple is clearly the obvious winner, leaving Android-based phones in the dust. However, this doesn’t mean one phone is better than the other, but simply offers a better experience for those looking to get the latest and greatest item.
February 7th, 2012 — comm361, ryanglass Tagged iphone 4s, jailbreak, technology
Fairfax, VA – Just a few weeks ago the iPhone Dev team released the official jailbreak for A5 devices (iPad2 and iPhone4s). After 4 months of waiting, the team finally released what turned out to be the most anticipated jailbreak ever.
With the release of the iPhone 4s, many customers found reasons to upgrade their current phone, and many chose Apple’s new gadget. With so many people purchasing the phone, the demand for a jailbreak seemed to increase exponentially overnight.
The task itself was a difficult one, as hackers have virtually had no luck cracking the new core components. As a result, a “dream team” was assembled to bring hope to the jailbreaking community. Luckly, two weeks after this team was formed, the iPhone 4s had finally been cracked.
iPhone users that have since jailbroken their phone are enjoying the fruits of freedom, especially from Apple’s deathgrip control methods.
February 3rd, 2012 — comm361, ryanglass Tagged skillset #1, storify
February 2nd, 2012 — comm361, ryanglass Tagged Achenbach
Fairfax, VA — When I was younger, I remember walking into the kitchen in my parents house only to find my dad sitting at the table reading the morning paper. It was the same routine every morning – wake up, eat, see dad reading, and then off to school — that routine has since been passed to my younger brother.
Wake up, Eat..off to school. Wait, wait a minute. A Newspaper? Whats that?
What happened? Why isn’t dad reading the newspaper anymore? Did he finally read everything there was to read after years sifting through billions of ink-laden paper? Continue reading →
February 1st, 2012 — comm361, ryanglass Tagged basketball, george mason, gmu
Newark, DE — After dominating the Blue Hens nearly two weeks ago at the Patriot Center, University of Delaware turn things around and hands Mason their second demoralizing loss in conference play.
The Patriots started the first period as they normally do: missing key shots and allowing their opponent to drive through the paint. Ryan Pearson was held to just three points during the first 18 minutes of the game and it wasn’t until the 2 minute mark when he started to put up points. Mason allowed Delaware’s Kyle Anderson to shoot 5 for 7 behind the arc and 8 for 11 at the line, boosting Delaware to 32-24 at the half.
Despite the loss, Ryan Pearson had another career high game once he got going. Scoring 25 total points, 3 for 8 behind the arc and 10 for 22 from the field, he continues to be a force.
The Patriots, now sitting in third place, find themselves in a difficult spot as they battle rival VCU twice in the next few weeks. It doesn’t look pretty, and in order to regain sole possession of first place they must win the remainder of their games and hope for a Drexel, VCU and/or ODU loss.
Mason will play ODU this Saturday at the Patriot Center, game time is set for 5:00 pm.
February 1st, 2012 — briggs, comm361, ryanglass
Fairfax, VA — In chapter 1, Briggs talked about RSS feeds and HTML for building and creating websites. In Chapter 2, he begins by discussing the importance of blogs in the journalism field.
Briggs claims that every college journalist should start a blog before they begin their career, and that it’s a great source of practice for whats to come. Not only are blogs simple to use and easy to set-up, they’re ingeniously interactive. Continue reading →
February 1st, 2012 — briggs, comm361, ryanglass
Fairfax, VA — Mark Briggs, author of Journalism Next, begins the book with the very basics in using computers for journalism (or online journalism). As with any profession, there are a great number of tools one can use. Within the writing field, Briggs goes on about how tools such as RSS feeds and HTML are invaluable for aspiring journalists. Continue reading →
February 1st, 2012 — briggs, comm361, ryanglass
Fairfax, VA – Briggs starts off the book claiming that the field and the profession of journalism is everything but dead, but rather changing – dramatically. Technology is the biggest culprit, or benefactor as some may call it, to the resurrection of journalism. It has allowed the profession to bounce back and make progress leaps and bounds over it’s previous self. To support his statement, Briggs gave three reasons as to why journalism is a great profession to invest in:
1. Bright Future – the profession is staying put, and recent changes will prove to be beneficial.
2. Control – Employers are aiming for the younger generation, which bring newer and fresher ideas to the table.
3. Reinvented – Technology has given journalism the ability to do more, and better.
Despite what many have said (and are still saying), Briggs claims that Journalism isn’t dead, and that anyone interested in pursuing a career in the field should go all out.
