Expansion of Instertate 49 in Lafayette, Louisiana
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Twitter Homework April 14, 2009
The new age of technological advancements have taken the media world by storm. A new innovative technological text messaging system known as Twitter is making its way to the surface. During the presidential elections, Twitter was a huge hit. Bloggers everywhere were fascinated about being able to know what the presidential candidates were doing practically every minute of the day. Younger students have not yet figured out why the importance of Twitter is so important to them, but what they might not know is that this might be a valuable tool for the business world.
Many professional bloggers and business organizations use this as a way for keeping up with clients and developing strategies to meet the needs of competitors. Right now, it is recognized as knowing what someone had for lunch, or what book someone is reading that day.
Another driver for this business application by an older demographic is the economy. Twitter probably benefits greatly from the fact that everyone is scrambling to survive in this economic mess. As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Since it doesn’t cost anything other than time to be on these social media outlets and people don’t need to leave their house or office to do it the option becomes more attractive particularly to those who have to pay the bills.
Twitter is coming up slowly but surely, and as a journalist it is prevelant that we make ourselves comforatble with this new technology because its not going anywhere its just going to grow more and possibly higher in demand. All multimedia journalists should have one to stay one step ahead of their competition because one thing is for sure…the competition will definitely have it and be aware on how to use it properly. Twitter will continue to grow and as it does we need to be ready for it.
Media Storm: The Ninth Floor April 14, 2009
I watched The Ninth Floor audio slideshow by Jessica Dimmock. This compelling video showcased the story of 4 people who lived in an abandoned apartment in Manhatten, New York. The first person showcased was a man by the name of Joe Smith. He was the orginal owner of the apartment. He invited these 3 people along with many others to live with him and help him pay rent. Before too long, the people he had living with him could not supply the rent, so in return he had them give him drugs and beer for compensation. This turned that apartment building on the ninth floor into a crack house. There were people there who shot up, got high, and drunk. The audio slideshow was amazing and kept my interest to the very end.
The use of the photos really made the story compelling. The photos ranged in drastic and dramatic intervals from a couple having sex with a beer in the woman’s hand to actually seeing someone shoot a needle into their arm. It was almost overbearing and cringing but it made you want to keep looking to see what was going to appear next.
The story was told documentary style and had a beginning, middle and end. Therefore, the beginning was the victims of the apartment shooting up and getting high. The middle was the reformation from addict to cleaning up, and the end was the next step in life, for example, the addict couple had a baby and now are looking into the future of possibilities for their growing family.
The music really made the story come alive. The tempo went from dark and hazy to bright and hopeful. It was very easy to follow and it kept the interest of the viewer throughout the entire documentary. It made the viewer want to know more about the victims even after they gave brief synopsis in the slideshow.
7 Elements of Digital Storytelling April 9, 2009
The seven elements of digital storytelling helps to visually capture a story through more means than one. As a television journalist, I often find myself conforming to one type of media with that being broadcast, but as the web has grown, the need for digital storytelling through online journalism will benefit me as a multimedia journalist of the 21st century. Below, is a description of the seven story elements along with ways to successfully use them for online writing:
1. Point of View: The stories we tell are very important and with that the stories should also make a justified point. If a point in your story does not occur, it is really hard to follow along and viewers/readers will quickly lose interest. Consider your audience when you tell your story.
2. Dramatic Question: This question can make or break a story. It discusses the question that will hopefully grab your reader from the beginning of the story all the way to the end. You want to engulf the reader so that they are practically begging for the answer! You want to make this question very engaging and relatable to your audience/viewers so that they will not just look at your story and keep it moving. Make it juicy without overbearing it because it could possibly turn the reader off and they might get defended by it.
3. Emotional Content: This element kind of goes hand in hand with the dramatic question because within your story there should be some type of emotional, humanizing element that will keep the reader hooked until the end. A good example of this would be if you were covering a fire and you told the story of the woman’s whose firefighter husband died in the house trying to save the life of a young child. You always want to find the human element in your story and aim for the heart of the viewer/listener.
4. Your Voice: Your voice is one of your most powerful weapons in storytelling. How you tell the story sets the tone for the entire piece. Be familiar with your voice and also the voices you use from your interviews for the story.
5. Sound Track: This is the music or sound effects used to tell your story. The best time to use these for online stories would be in slideshows because it makes the photos or video that you upload come alive. It is very effective if its used properly.
6. Economy: To describe the key points in your story, using video or still clips can really grab the viewer. But do not make them too long and drawn out because viewers online are not interested in looking at a story for too long; they normally just scan. Keep them short and sweet and to the point.
7. Pacing: Always make sure the story is paced well. If its too long you might bore your audience, but if its too fast you have a chance of losing your audience in the madness. Keep it at a pace that you can imagine yourself looking at it if you were viewing it on the web. This will help get a feel on how others perceive your story.
