The Impact of Multimedia on Messaging

The trend in blogging and journalism overall has been to enhance what is being written by adding some form of additional multimedia content.  This multimedia could be a video, a slideshow or even some sort of audio file that is added in to give the reader a visual on the actual content of the story.

After reading the news story Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek that was published in the New York Times and posted online, I can honestly say I was blown away by the impact that the addition of this multimedia content had on the story.  I was initially struck by the wording of the story because it was so descriptive, I could imagine myself being there on the slopes that day, but then I started to wonder if the images and visual content behind the wording played into my feelings.  I have to believe that this multimedia content that showed snow falling on the mountains as the background of the wording, to video clips of the survivors discovering the victims to the slideshow of images of that day all played into the impact that the story had on me.

Images, slideshows and video clips seem to hold the most impact as far as telling a story is concerned.  Words paint a picture in the reader's mind but if there is visual content to back this up or videos showing the actual details of what is being written about then it makes the details that much more crystal clear for the reader.

It seems that overall multimedia added to blogs or online news articles definitely adds some additional impactful content, if it is used in the right capacity.  It is a struggle for new bloggers on how to add the content correctly and make sure it adds to the story as opposed to distracting the reader with multimedia content that does not need to be there.

Many of us have heard of Brittany Maynard, who is a young wife dying of brain cancer.  She moved to Oregon because it is a state that allows a person to end their life legally with medical help, if they are terminally ill.  Basically she is choosing when enough is enough and when to end the suffering.  I found a great article on the Huffington Post which has a video embedded in the article of Brittany in her own words describing her struggle and her decision.  The article also incorporates a slideshow of celebrities who battled cancer before the age of 40.  It uses two visual mediums to add more of an impact to the words.  However, in this case the story is so emotional it doesn't seem necessary but it definitely adds that much more emotion that it takes the story to a whole new level.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/30/brittany-maynard_n_6075800.html

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The Struggle is Real

Have you ever noticed the cute pictures of cats snuggled up together or cleaning each other because they are so bonded?  Well when I adopted my cats I thought for sure this would be the case for my four pawed children...

I guess it's not a perfect world but as long as they tolerate each other then we are one happy family...in my mind anyway.

Betsy Devillier

Blogging Best Practices

The Huffington Post is a website that I visit each day.  I have the site book marked on my laptop and have the mobile app installed on my iPad and iPhone.  I guess the site would be considered a hybrid site because it has news information and also a considerable number of blogs as well.  When I started to view this site it was for news only.  I originally thought The Huffington Post was great because it gives headlines of major stories and links to the stories but it also provides a quick read feature, which is a synopsis of the story, so with limited time a person can catch up on a great deal of news.  I never used the site at first for the blog feature because at that point in time I was not really into reading blogs.  Overtime that has changed for me, now I read the blogs on the site more and scan the news headlines quick for any late-breaking news.

The Huffington Post categorizes the blogs and provides a bio on the author so the reader can get a feel for where the person stands politically and what angle they are approaching their post from.   Every subject is covered from politics, to food, to religion and even issues that students are facing on college campuses these days.  In other words the blogs on this site tend to be all inclusive of any and all issues a reader may be interested in.  The Huffington Post is smart with how and whom they choose to blog on their site.  It is not a traditional blog as I previously mentioned.  An author contributes work for their blog and if it is deemed worthy and credible it will be published on the site.  It takes some bloggers years of submitting work to be published on the site for the first time.   After a writer proves him or her self they tend to become a regular blogger on the site.  Many celebrities post blogs regularly including Alec Baldwin, certain political figures and other popular media journalists, which draws a reader in simply by who is writing the blog post. 

To me the blog portion of the Huffington Post is great because it covers every popular topic happening in the world today.  I can view each blog post, decide if I like the writer and the content and choose to read that writer’s posts in the future or not.  It also saves me time because I can read ten different blog posts on various topics and not have to skip from site to site to read the posts.   If I take a particular interest in a writer’s blog I can fan it in order to receive updates when the writer blogs again and allows me the ability to comment and provide feedback on the blog, which allows the blog to become interactive between reader and writer.  This is something that shows the true credibility of a writer, allowing the reader to provide feedback and comments.  Writer’s who do not give this option on their blogs makes me question their credibility.  In order to write on the Huffington Post this is a must for the writer.  

The fact that The Huffington Post takes the time to vet it's blog writers and makes them accept feedback from the readers are two of the best journalistic practices I think a site can choose to enforce.  Overall for me the ease, convenience and topics covered are what makes The Huffington Post amongst my most popular blog sites that I visit each day.  I do not have a lot of free time to indulge in blogs that often but when I do this site is my first choice each and every time.

   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-blog/

The Death of Joe Paterno

For Immediate Release:

"JoePa" Hero of Penn State Football Dead at age 85

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania-January 22, 2012-Today Joe Paterno, the hero and father of Penn State Football died from complications of lung cancer at the age of 85.  Paterno is survived by his wife Suzanne and his five children.

Paterno a native of New York, was involved with the coaching program at Penn State University for 62 years, 55 of them as the head coach of one of the most successful college football programs in the United States.  The community grew to love Paterno over the years because of his dedication, hard work and success which is what earned him the nickname "JoePa".  His record as head coach at Penn State was an astonishing 409-136-3 over the course of those 55 years.

In 2011, Paterno's final coaching season, was his 62nd which makes him the record holder as a coach for any college football program as far as longevity is concerned.  His final coaching season in 2011 was cut short by a scandal so horrifying that it caused him to be fired, even after he said he would resign after the season was over.  The Board of Trustee's voted and decided that Paterno should not finish out his final coaching season and was to leave the program immediately.  The love and support of JoePa from students at the University caused a riot when the news of his firing was released to the public.  Thousands of students took to the streets in a rage of violence to protest what had just happened to Paterno.

The scandal did not involve Paterno directly but his defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky.  Sandusky was arrested on 40 counts of child sexual abuse which occurred during his tenure at Penn State.  Before Sandusky's arrest and when Paterno learned of what Sandusky was suspected of doing he followed protocol and notified his immediate supervisor as was required by Pennsylvania law, however it was not enough to save his career.

Whether from complications of lung cancer, or the heartbreak of being fired from his position as head coach at Penn State the death of JoePa has sent a shockwave of emotion through the area of State College, PA that many passionate fans will feel for years to come.  It is unfortunate that his death has the black cloud of this scandal lingering over him and his legacy.  JoePa was a true hero for many and will remain that way in the hearts of thousands forever.

Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Paterno



Facebook Post:
Joe Paterno also known as "JoePa" - Hero of Penn State Football died today at the age of 85.  He was a hero, a father, a coach and an inspiration to many.  JoePa holds the record for the longest college coaching career at 62 seasons.  His dedication to the Penn State program could not be measured in any way.  He bled blue and gave everything he had to his players throughout the course of his career in State College.  Although scandal has shrouded his legacy as of late, he will live on in infamy for thousands of dedicated supporters and fans, after all he always wanted everyone to remember one thing..."WE ARE PENN STATE"!

Social Media Tools

The social media tools that I will be using to impact my research paper on a writer's role in the online mass media environment include the following:

Twitter
LinkedIn
Blogger

The links and rationale behind this are as follows:

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/betsy-devillier/62/4a6/6b9?domainCountryName=&csrfToken=ajax%3A0635503385904038262

I chose LinkedIn because I have used this site before, well I started using it years ago and never really followed up with it once I initially set it up.  I will use this site to promote my paper by directing my contacts to my blog and my twitter site which I will use to promote my research paper, hopefully opening up my work experience to more than just sales which is an area where my career has been stuck in for a long time.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/awritersrole

I chose to use twitter because you can make a point in 140 characters.  This site also allows users to link to certain topics that are trending.  Twitter can also be linked to other social media sites easily which made this an easy choice to promote my research paper.  I believe my connections from LinkedIn will build up my followers on Twitter.

Blogger:  http://awrinmme.blogspot.com

This is where I will post my efforts for my final research paper and even the paper itself.  I believe that my LinkedIn connections will also bring readers to my blog posts.

-Betsy Devillier

The Repercussions of Unrestricted Web Publishing

I read an article today on the Huffington Post of yet another NFL player in trouble for an alleged domestic violence claim involving an assault against his wife.  It is no secret that the NFL has faced quite a bit of controversy lately in regards to it's players and charges of domestic violence and assault.

The headline stated "Arizona Cardinals Running Back Arrested on Aggravated Assault Charges".   The article goes on to detail the information of the incidents that occurred in July of 2014 and what lead to the charges being filed against Jonathan Dwyer, who is a running back for the Arizona Cardinals.  There are many sources listed in this article including a link to a local Arizona news website which has this story listed as the top news story.  The news article was also published across the AP to various news organizations opting to run the story or not.   The CBS Evening news also tweeted information about the story including the charges Dwyer faces.

Being this story was released from the AP and published by CBS news and many other mainstream news sites it can be deemed to be credible.  Also detailed information from the police report was released as well, which was compiled into the news report backing up the claims made in the story.

If this news was reported and released from un-vetted news sources even more significant damage could have been done to Dwyer's character as a person and could end his career.  If the information was published out of speculation from personal websites instead of news and journalistic websites and turned out to be inaccurate lawsuits and defamation of character claims could be made by Dwyer.   This is because if this information and allegations proved to be false the damage done to Dwyer's character could ruin the rest of his life.  However, being that the sources are vetted and firsthand accounts of the story exist this does not seem to be what will happen.

Today is another sad day for the NFL as another account of an alleged assault has surfaced with credible evidence released to back up the story.  It seems that the actions of this player may lead to a suspension or even further punishment from the NFL as the trend in domestic violence continues to be brought to the forefront of what is happening in the lives of some NFL players.

-Betsy Devillier

References:
The Huffington Post
CBS Evening News
AZcentral.com

Social Media and the Truth

Much of what I read on social media I take with a grain of salt, from my "friends" Facebook profiles, to celebrity tweets to news being reported on various social media blogs.  I am not necessarily proud that I am somewhat jaded but I have seen too many times over the years how easy it is to misrepresent the truth and have seen first hand how devastating this misrepresentation can be to people.

I used to be a traditional news girl.  Relying on the television and newspapers to learn the events of the world.  As social media has grown I have adapted a new way of learning what is happening in the world through various avenues of online media.  Today I stay informed using various news sites, blogs and hybrid websites that mix both and rarely use the television for anything other than an escape from the reality of life through my favorite shows.

I have been waiting for September 9th for quite some time now.  I knew that Apple would be releasing the details of the new iPhone yesterday and was so excited to see what this new little miracle of a device would have to offer me.  I have done research for months trying to sort through the rumor mill of what this phone would have to offer.  Being an Apple fanatic I could not wait to finally hear the truth.  I must say that many of the rumors that were put out there over the last few months proved to be pretty accurate.  After reviewing the specs released from Apple I decided to research what the critics thought about what this new phone truly had to offer the public.  I started off at techradar, macrumors and finally ended up at the Huffington Post to determine if I should make the jump and purchase this completely redesigned iPhone.  Even being somewhat jaded, I have found that many times social media sites are accurate in the information they put out to the readers.  Granted the Huffington Post has political undertones to many of it's news stories, it is a source that has been accurate in regards to technology reports and many other news stories that do not involve politics.  It is a hybrid site that has personal blogs and news stories that are linked directly from other credible news websites.  I rely on this site to gain insight on what is happening in the world around me and not always in regards to politics.

"Whatever methods a journalist uses, the resulting story must display sufficient evidence to allow consumers to see the case for themselves and to understand why they should believe the evidence offered" (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010).  I feel this is the best way to summarize how crucial accurate reporting is because many readers will look for accuracy in reporting and use this to determine the sources they use on a regular basis to remain connected with the world around them.

Blur (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010)

Betsy Devillier

The Influence of Social Media

I was late to adapt to the latest technology.  Friends, coworkers and even family members were constantly encouraging me to join Facebook, Twitter and every other social media site to "stay connected" to them.  To me it didn't seem real.  I fought joining Facebook for a long time and never had a MySpace account.  To me it was personal.  I thought it was strange to invite people into my world that I have not had contact with for years.  So after much reluctance I caved and the inevitable happened.  I was bombarded with "friend" requests from people that I have not seen since high school graduation...people that wanted to know what was new with my life.  I swore up and down that when I joined Facebook it would only be for my close friends and family.  Now a few years and a few hundred "friends" later my perspective has shifted.

Today I rely on Facebook daily to see all the new events happening in my "friends" lives.  I look at their pictures on Instagram and even post on there myself.  I also use twitter to stay connected with the lives of my favorite celebrities.  I read various blogs for news and watch videos daily on YouTube.

I guess I am now what you would consider a social media junkie.  I still am a bit jaded when it comes to Facebook and having people involved with my life but it is a way to stay in close contact with the few people who matter to me the most.  I take social media with a grain of salt.  I realize that some of the news blogs I read have a definite shift politically, and form my opinions accordingly.  I can't believe how much my way of life has changed over the last few years.  I sleep with my phone on my nightstand and check social media as soon as I wake up in the morning as I am sipping my morning coffee.  It has become a part of who I am...I try to not let it define my life and relationships but I find that it is a necessary part of life in order to remain connected with the rest of the world.