1. Chapter 8
2 Connections
1) All of this is even more familiar to me as a film and digital media major. This is the part that I find fun.
2) Editing is my absolute favorite thing to do and that is actually what I want to do when I get out of college so I am interested to see it from a journalistic viewpoint rather than a moviemaking viewpoint.
2 Questions
1) When the book says “Recording Audio” do they mean recording audio and video separately or only sound?
2) In what case is it appropriate to implement either audio or video alone?
2. VNR Stuff
3 Similarities
1) They were each less than three minutes long.
2) They displayed a balance between showing what was happening on location and what was going on behind the scenes.
3) They gave the who, what, when, where and why plus some extra details on the event/thing.
A VNR is made if it is short, sweet and to the point and provides a brief explanation of the event, similar to the headline at the very beginning of the news on your local cable channel. The interview sound bites are between 10 and 30 seconds long. They also include video footage of the event and where it is taking place. You should format your VNR to go back and forth between your voice over and the interviewees but should never show yourself as a news reporter. They should be between one and three minutes long.
Category: Uncategorized
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A13: my Area of Expertise
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A12: Mary Knows how to Attract kay
a. Written posts and pictures were the most successful on makeup pages because the written posts allow the seller to explain their product, giving examples of when and where it could be worn. The photos allowed the buyer to see the actual color of the makeup and read the labels that come on the front, though they may be small.
b. The excitement coming from the seller made people gain interest in the product being sold and they shared it with their friends and started talking about it and before long, it was all over Facebook. If the seller is excited and has a lot of energy about their product or their organization, it will spread to those who are already interested in the product to begin with.
c. I loved looking at these FB pages because it gave me ideas to continue my page and get my business off the ground and hopefully start making some extra money! With the help of these pages and the articles that we read about writing for social media, I have no choice but to succeed!
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A11: It’s Hard to be Social When you Don’t Understand how to be Social
First 2×2
2 Connections
1) No matter how you write, or what you write, there will always be someone that will not be a fan of your page and they will not agree with what you say. So it is a never ending battle to write to a group as a whole. You may have a general idea of what you want to catch people’s attention with, but someone will always complain.
2) While I agree that there should be variety on social media pages and whatnot, I hate the random photos that show up in your Newsfeed that your friends have liked that come from some page that has a random name that posts random info/photos/posts because that is just pointless to me.
2 Questions
1) I understand the main concept of having a conversation, but how exactly do you have a conversation on Twitter? It seems strange to me because you have to tag everyone with their “@handle”.
2) So if you write for social media, it will be shared. Is there anywhere that you can write for a smaller audience, but still online?
Second 2×2
2 Connections
1) Listening before writing is like thinking before writing. No matter what medium you are writing for. It can save your rear.
2) In regards to EdgeRank, I had no idea that Facebook was that intricate. I thought it was just all about who you are friends with and what they like and comment on.
2 Questions
1) Should you write for Facebook in the same way that you would do an interview? Such as no double barreled questions? Because the link said you want people to like, share, comment, or click your link, so you need to pick one action and stick to it. Is that right?
2) Has anybody actually tried the guidelines for when to post on their Facebook? I’m interested to try this with our business pages!
Third 2×2
2 Connections
1) Honestly, I have never written a Tweet with the hopes that it would get retweeted. I find it amusing that there are rules for how to get the likeliness of a post being retweeted raised higher.
2) To me, it would be harder to write with your audience in mind when writing a Twitter post because it seems more public than Facebook. Some people can name every single one of their Facebook friends but Twitter has a more public realm.
2 Questions
1) Are creative titles always more effective when writing for social media? Because I know for this class, we use fun titles that are sometimes completely NOT related to our posts. In other words, is it better to attract an audience with a creative title that may or may not have anything to do with the post?
2) What are some typical guidelines for writing with excellence for Twitter? I understand the concept of writing something that stands out from everyone else, but is there an idea of what that would be?
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A10: Public Relations Relating to the Public
2 Connections:
1) I’m not sure where you got this from, but I feel like I’ve read it before. I think it might be from the book that I used in the last journalism class. After reading this, possibly for the second time, I remember finally having a grasp of what a public relations major does.
2) Just like anything, public relations can be sugar coated to make people think that it is all fun and games but when you actually dig down into the industry, it is a lot of hard work that tends to be over looked.2 Questions:
1) In the article, it explains how public relations is different from journalism, but my question is: how is it the same?
2) What exactly could the public relations plan be used for? I understand how to do it, I just don’t know how it would work out. -
WS3: Life of a Peer
Baylor University is home to a large number of students who receive everything on a silver platter without working for it. Bryan Carter, senior, sets himself apart from the rest of the student body because he worked hard for every thing that he has now, material and nonmaterial.
Carter grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and played soccer since the age of 4 years. He also played tennis for the same amount of time. He excelled in these sports and found himself playing select indoor and outdoor soccer as well as a member of USTA tennis, outside of the regular high school teams. Together, these sports make up the majority of his younger years and he loved playing them both. When he got to his sophomore year of high school, he quit soccer and concentrated on tennis because he always loved it a little more. “Tennis became my passion and focus and I would say that sports were a significant memory from the first part of my life,” Carter said.
Upon graduating high school, Carter came straight to Baylor. He felt okay with this and excited he grew up around Baylor because his grandparents are big Baylor supporters and this serves as his grandfather’s alma mater. “I actually did not apply to any other university because my grandparents already decided that I would be in attendance at Baylor,” Carter said. They finance Carter’s college funding and he feels truly blessed to have such great grandparents. He started in 2004 but failed out and in a nut shell, he has been back for about two years and will graduate in a little over a year.
Two significant milestones come to Carter’s mind when he thinks of milestones. The first would be the struggle of his earlier life with drug addiction and the long struggle to overcome that. “But with the help of a great rehab and family I was able to establish a strong foundation for getting sober even though I relapsed and had more trouble after getting sober the first time,” Carter said. It was definitely a struggle, but I got through it. “I was able to look back on all the knowledge I had gained from treatments plus meeting a wonderful woman helped me look forward and get sober again,” he said.
Getting married takes the trophy of the second milestone. He grew up a lot and learned to look at his life differently. He now finishes what he starts, worries about something other than himself, realizes how great love for another is and what it feels like to be loved as well.
Carter claims that he takes the drive that he used to quit drugs and the will to better himself and applies that on a daily basis, looking forward to his future life. Remembering that no matter what happened in his past, he is who he is now and not who he was back then also helps him continue to push forward. “What happened back then will always be part of me and I must use my past experience to remind me of what I am now compared to what I used to be,” Carter said.
Since Carter got married, he became less about just himself and more about his wife. He stated that he cares more for someone else than himself and the feeling of having someone to care for and vice versa makes him realize what he does means something to himself and her as well. This condition changed him because he wants to better himself for his wife and also everyone else. Today, he strives to work harder at every thing he does.
“Also with being married, I learned that having someone else care about me as much as my wife does has taught me to care more about myself as well. In the past, all I cared about was myself but it was in a different way. It was in a way of fulfilling selfish motives but now it is in a sense of bettering myself for me and my wife too,” Carter said.
Baylor is a widely and well-known school all around the world and sits at the top in both academics and athletics. Carter feels honored to attend school and accomplish the task of getting a degree from Baylor. He thinks having that degree will really open doors for him in the future. He plans to take all the hard work and dedication that he used to get a degree and use it in his every day, future life. He is now planning to open a riverboat, taxi, water taxi and water garden once he graduates from Baylor. This has always been his dream and with the help of his grandparents, he will soon be able to achieve those goals. He plans to stay in Waco for the rest of his life.
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WS2: Cells for Sale
A high school in East Texas banned cell phone use during school hours two years ago. Leaguetown still has trouble with students calling parents and texting friends.
Apparently, Leaguetown is not the only school having this problem. However, they are one of the schools that is trying to create a solution to the problem.
Principal Olympia Rainer is interested in buying a cell phone jammer to keep cell phones from operating during school hours of 8:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.
Tara Dominguez, junior, said “What happens if there is an emergency? No one could use their phones. My mom feels more secure when I have a phone with me. This doesn’t seem right.”
Rainer is backed by Superintendent Roland Weeter, who directed the attorney of the school to ask permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use the jammer, prohibiting all cellular usage during the specified hours. The school cannot enforce something like this without having the okay from the FCC.
District lawyer, Ted Gringot, said “We made the request so we could be ready. If the district moves forward with this proposal, we would like to test the jammer out for a month before we request full approval. We have no idea how effective a jammer would be or the best possible repercussions.”
The school has the $4,000 to spend on the jammer. Gayle Chen, the president of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) claims that the majority of parents are understanding of Rainer’s frustration with cell phone use but do not approve of the jammer. There will be a meeting April 28 to talk about the plan.
“Principal Rainer is frustrated and rightfully so. The students are ignoring the rules. We don’t have to go to such drastic measures as a cell phone jammer, but we do need a solution,” Chen said. There will be a meeting later in the school year with various PTA members to discuss the situation. Chen thinks that students who break the rules should lose their phones for the remainder of the school year. She claims that this has happened in the past, however, and the school found out that by law, they can only keep a student’s phone for three days.
However, many teachers are also against the movement, complaining that their cell phone use will be disrupted. There are some exceptions though. A few teachers are more interested in the success of their students than they are in their personal comfort and accessibility.
According to science teacher Pauline Petals, “It would definitely be an inconvenience for teachers to lose their cell phones during the day. But the inconvenience might be worth it. Several times a week, I am dealing with a cell phone issue. It takes up too much of my class time. Last month, I even had two students texting answers to each other during a test. Cell phone use has gotten out of control.”
FCC spokeswoman Mira Sorno said the district will likely get a one-month approval.
“Several school districts have inquired about jammer approval. It would be good to have a few districts run a short test period,” Sorno said.
Rainer appears to take it upon herself to do what needs to happen in order to better the school and make sure that the students receive the best education. However, in order to do so, she must rid the environment of any and all distractions that pose a threat to their classes.
“This is not a popular idea. I knew that it wouldn’t be when I suggested it, but frankly I am tired of our students violating the rules. My assistant principal works at least one cell phone referral every day. We’ve tried other solutions—fining students who use phones, confiscating the phones and suspending students after the third cell phone referral. None of these worked,” Rainer said. Eventually, a solution to the cell phone problem will come to the district.
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A9: no fun to be had Here When the Toes go
So normally, I promise, I am a really fun person. But when you accidentally step wrong on a bootjack in a dark closet while throwing dirty clothes in your hamper, and you fracture your two pinky toes on your left foot, there is not much fun to be had when you are trying to get Vicodin out of your system with a bruise that goes all the way down your foot. Luckily my boyfriend is well trained in first aid because of 10 years spent in the military and he is very protective of me, he will not let me even go to the bathroom on my own. Instead, he carries me. So I spent all day Tuesday in bed. Today, (Wednesday), when he went to class, I moved my camp to the living room. He got mad at me when he got home, but we did manage to add a little fun into the unexpected events. We bought the triple feature of Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers the afternoon before I hurt myself. It worked out perfect that we were able to watch the first two on Tuesday while I was high on pain meds and we watched the third one today after a nice breakfast that he made and a bowl of popcorn. No matter how bad my foot may hurt, I am especially blessed to have my man right there to take care of me and love on me and find a way to put a smile on my face, whether that is dancing in the emergency room or carrying me to the bathroom, anything to put a smile on my face.
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A7: Headlines in Time for the Deadline
1. The Child Abuse Prevention Center in Baltimore reported yesterday that child abuse neglect cases rose from 2.5 million to 2.7 million last year, mostly involving children under 5-years-old.
2. Yesterday in Milwaukee, 150 anti-abortion protesters were arrested on disorderly conduct charges after nearly 2,500 anti-abortion protestors spent three days protesting outside an abortion clinic.
3. A Chinese food delivery driver was robbed of his food at gunpoint yesterday at 718 S.W. Western Ave. -
A6: The Common and not so Common Sense of Writing
2×2 for Chapter 5
2 Connections:
1) I remember this chapter to be extremely stressful in my last class and I had a hard time coming up with good headlines and leading paragraphs so I am looking forward to doing it over again and hopefully having a better grasp of it at the end of the semester.
2) I LOVE the inverted pyramid. It makes sense to me and I think it is a very effective way to write that will entice your reader and leave them on the edge of their seat for the entire story.
2 Questions:
1) I don’t know where to find the answer to this, whether it may be in our AP style book or in the text book, but I have always been under the impression that there should be two spaces after a list is introduced by a colon. I know this is something minute and tiny but it has always bothered me so I am curious to know if you have a specific method to this madness.
2) Because news happens so fast nowadays and is typically all online, would it ever be a good idea to write a news story in an outline form, or in bullet points where you just lay out the most important facts and let your reader scan over those and move on to the next story during their 10 minute lunch break instead of playing a game because they don’t have time to read?