Tag Archives: Social Media

NYT: Charging for News

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Posted by Joe on January 20, 2010 – 12:06 pm
Filed under Journalism

The New York Times acknowledges reports of a “metered-model” on their website for 2011. Under the metered model, the newspaper’s website “will offer users free access to a set number of articles per month and then charge users once they exceed that number.”1

The internet has changed media and news as we know it. Social Media websites like Twitter and Facebook have changed the landscape in regards to personal communication but also to mass media. Mass media must adapt to the changing technologies that are being thrown at us. The web is the place to get ahead. Could this be the break newspapers have been looking for?

Another interesting aspect of the internet and social media is how we get the news. We have so many options to get the news today – newspapers, TV, internet, cell phones, iPods, and the Wii. With all of these options to choose from, we don’t have to be in front of the TV or our computer to get the news. Rumors are that the New York Times may try to strike a deal with Apple to get their content on the Apple Tablet. The Apple Tablet is expected to be released sometime in early 2010 (rumor – sometime in March). Apple is expected to release information on the Apple Tablet on January 27th.

The bigger question here is should news be free? Should media companies charge for news regardless of whether or not they are a TV station, newspaper, or radio station?

Thoughts? Vote in the poll and/or leave a comment!

  1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/20/new-york-times-metered-mo_n_429508.html [↩]

Blogging, SEO and Your Business

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Posted by Joe on December 19, 2009 – 4:24 pm
Filed under Rant, Tips

Blogging

Photo by: Bright Meadow

We have all been to websites who have the last updated year of 1995. Don’t be that person. Google and other search engines are constantly looking for websites with fresh and new content. If you own a website you may want to consider creating a blog for yourself. You’ll not only help yourself in the search engine battle but you’ll also be able to show your knowledge.

Some companies fear that by making or creating a blog that they will look less professional. However, I don’t think that will be the case. I think people are looking for blogs and new ways that they can interact with companies and businesses. Business owners should welcome the idea of customer interaction and would benefit from not only blogging but social media.

Blogging can be unprofessional, but so can your website. It doesn’t matter what your website really looks like (as long as you don’t have a white background with light gray text) but the content that your website provides.

START BLOGGING

Organize. Develop an idea of what you want your blog to talk about. If you’re a company that engraves things you may want to talk about the history of the company, how you engrave (and other how to articles) or possibly sales. Don’t talk about things that are unrelated to your website or your personal life as this will draw people away from your blog and your company. It will also make your blog seem unprofessional. Unrelated topics and personal life issues should be left to a personal blog unless it has relevance to your business. Also make a decision on who you want to update your blog – workers, management or just you.

Update. Don’t just update your blog, update it often. The more you update the higher your website will go in the search engines.

Encourage Feedback. One of the many features of blogging is the ability to get feedback on what you write. This is good because as a business owner you want to get feedback for your sales and your company.

Loss of Credibility?

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Posted by Joe on November 23, 2009 – 1:43 pm
Filed under Journalism, Rant

News

Photo by: Now I’m Always Smiling

I posted an article on how good social media is and how it has potential to revolutionize the journalist industry a couple weeks ago. Social media is here and is going to stay and will possibly evolve into something much bigger. Is there a downside to social media?

Online Impressions

I read an article on Poynter Online called Everyday Ethics. I encourage everyone to read it whether or not you’re a journalist or not. There is good points for everyone to read, especially those that are looking for a job. We have to remember that everything we do and post online can be read by anyone – including your employer. Our views and opinions on topics can be liked, commented and retweeted. Sometimes what we post becomes “viral” or spread quickly through the internet. What you post online can damage your reputation online and offline.

I think it’s important for people to realize that your impression online is important and can translate to how people view you in real life. I have seen profiles loaded with thousands of pictures, status updates and more. The problem is when majority of your profile is consumed with pictures and statuses of how drunk you will get or got the night before. What an employer think if they saw this?

Impact on Journalism

This could be devastating for journalists. Bias does not belong in our field. The article points out how just by favoriting, grouping, liking could show bias. Is social media the real problem for news bias? Everyone has an opinion about something – the question is should these views be made public? Is this really a concern for journalism?

I was taught that as a journalist you have to be independent from your sources. You should not accept bribes or payments from a source to cover a story. Does friending someone on Facebook, Myspace or any other social network demonstrate the same thing? Does friending someone equate to not being independent from a source? The answer to these questions are not clear and will vary from person to person.

The bigger issue…Balance!

I was also taught that the news piece needed to demonstrate balance. Unbalanced reporting can also show bias. So where is the balanced reporting? Social media can expose journalists as being a Democrat or Republican. It can show that we like ham sandwiches and that we just broke up with our boyfriend or girlfriend. This shows that we are human. Humans have opinions, we all have tastes. The key to journalism is to be unbiased in a sense that we tap into everyone’s tastes and not just our own. Balance is key. Input your taste into the story but counter it with the other tastes. The more tastes you put in the story, the better.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think that journalists should use discretion when posting online?

What Happens to your Facebook when you Die?

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Posted by Joe on October 29, 2009 – 12:00 pm
Filed under Journalism

So what happens to your Facebook profile after you die? Does your account get deleted or are you permanently a member even after you passed away? This is an interesting topic because it raises the question of privacy and what should be done with your personal online accounts. I have to imagine that everything you do and post on the web does get archived somewhere. Everything you do and post on Facebook or any other social media website is getting logged. The question is raised, when you pass away who gets access to your account and should your account remain active? Do social media websites have an obligation to close these accounts or can they just linger in the web forever?

Facebook has decided to keep user profiles on its server even after a user has died. There has been some recent backlash after a new feature has been issued for the website on October 23rd. Some of you may have noticed the “reconnect with recommendation” on the right hand side of your home page. Some people are complaining that some of the users that are being recommended to reconnect with are of people who have passed away. This can be especially painful for those that were close with the individual.

According to Time, Facebook states that it is important for members of the family to contact Facebook to let them know that the user has died so they can remove them from public areas. For example, they will be removed from suggestions, search engines, their status updates will no longer be displayed and other restrictions. Families must provide proof that their loved one has passed away to prevent pranksters from closing accounts of individuals that are still living.

Families do have a choice and can opt out of having their loved ones Facebook page memorialized. The family needs to contact Facebook to have the account closed.

I would have never considered or thought about the subject of what happens to your Facebook or Myspace page after you die until I came across the article on Yahoo. It’s kind of strange to think that some people may actually put in their wills who gets access to their Facebook when they die. A bigger question should be – should people tell a social networking site when someone has passed away – do they have a right to know?

Journalism and Social Media

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Posted by Joe on October 28, 2009 – 3:34 pm
Filed under Journalism, Rant

Social Media, everyone uses it in some fashion today. It’s hard to find someone without a Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. It reminds me of back when I was in elementary school when AOL and AIM were just getting started. Everyone would ask each other, “What’s your SN?” AOL and AIM was another way of communicating and staying in touch with one another. At the time this was revolutionary technology – you no longer had to wait for someone to respond back to your email. That could take days! With AOL and AIM you could receive messages instantly and respond instantly. Just like AOL and AIM we now have a new technology that is behaving just like AOL and AIM. We now have these social networking sites that we can use to keep in touch with one another. We can add our friends, family and even strangers to our profile friend lists. Facebook, Myspace and Twitter allow us to stay connected with one another in a new way.

Since many people are congregating to these social networking websites – you have to imagine that companies and businesses will want to follow suit. The point of advertising is to get your product out there to as many people as you can. The internet is doubt one of the best ways to do this. As a journalism major, this new technology is something that will have to be utilized in order to be successful in the business. Journalists will have to be able to communicate and use these social networking tools. Telling the news is no longer just going on air at selected times during the day. The internet is allowing people to get the news whenever, wherever they want. Not only the news but people are able to watch many of the prime time shows online. Television news CAN NOT and WILL NOT succeed by trying to compete with it. The success of broadcast news will be determined based on how the news industry integrates the internet into their broadcast models.

I know for me, social media is another way to stay in contact. I will use Twitter, Facebook, Myspace to promote my articles to gain readership and viewers. Other companies are recognizing this as well and doing the same. News agencies will post a story on their website and then post a link on Twitter and Facebook for readers to check it out.

If you would like me to join any of your social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook or website leave a comment below!