Month: January 2008

Quick tip: Use RSS

RSS feeds are a great way to get news and updates. I use Google Reader, which I find very easy and clean with plenty of good features. I also check it on my smartphone from time to time. Whatever reader you choose to use, you will find it makes your online life so much easier–no more millions of tabs open with endless news and blog posts to read.

RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary

Here are some good references from Megan Taylor’s blog, SOJo: Student of Online Journalism, for those who are not familiar with RSS. The first post is from today, the others I found under “Most Popular Posts.”

Weigh in: Do you use RSS feeds? If so, what reader do you use?

More words of wisdom from journo-bloggers

As I hope is obvious by now, this blog is intended to be a resource for journalism students, in addition to discussing online journalism and The Miami Hurricane. Here are three links that are very insightful:

paulconley: Three job tips for students (Paul Conley)

Teaching Online Journalism » Getting (and keeping) a job in journalism (Mindy McAdams)

BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » A diploma and a blog (Jeff Jarvis)

A phrase that I’ve seen on various journalism blogs is “if you’re reading this, you’re already doing something right.” I’ll echo that sentiment and emphasize that students need to go further.

Jeff Jarvis‘ post is a compilation of comments about journalism students and blogs. You obviously read blogs. That’s good. Read more. Keep reading. Different j-bloggers give different time periods to read blogs. I think you need to read enough to get a feel for it. That could mean a couple days or a couple weeks. Whatever you feel comfortable with, as long as you do it.

Weigh in: What are you doing to become a better journalist?

Update: I’m putting the finishing touches on my Top Ten List of Tips for Journalism Students. Yes, it’s so close to completion that I’m now capitalizing and italicizing it.

Back in action…sorta

The newsroom was abuzz for the first time in more than a month.

Editors abound. Couches pulled out. Ideas overfloweth.

It was great to see everyone again after break for The Miami Hurricane‘s first staff meeting of the semester. Old faces and new faces, all ready to get back into action (please excuse the cliche).

Here are some of the topics we discussed:

  • Copyediting all possible content before layout, which will begin with first issue
  • Outlook for multimedia this semester and what role the multimedia editor and assistant multimedia editor will play
  • Preview of Web site overhaul, which will be a collaborative, semester-long effort; Art Director/Visuals Editor Will Wooten, Webmaster Brian Schlansky and I will take the lead, working with other staffers and Chris Delboni’s CNJ 442 class
  • New Sunday meeting structure
  • Outline of SG spring election coverage timeline
  • What everyone’s favorite color is
  • Adjustments to process for editorials
  • Emphasizing the importance of blogs and being connected
  • Highlighting that we are not just a newspaper, but a news organization

Weigh in: What would you like to see from the paper this semester?

Putting newspaper stands on their heads

I think the men in white coats are going to lock me up for the idea that somehow came out of my head and onto Ryan Sholin‘s blog post: The one dollar newspaper.

Here’s the craziness I just conjured up in a comment about ideas for a new variety of newspaper box/newsstand:

“We could all use a little change.”
-Smashmouth

I like the general concept because I never carry change either and still enjoy holding a paper in my hands.

Going out on this limb even further (and assuming these boxes are powered), why not have a blank below-the-fold? That way, when you purchase the paper, it prints the latest news in brief while you still have your main day’s news/feature above-the-fold and all the inside content.

Or even a news kiosk that prints tab or 8.5×11 papers on-demand with ALL the latest news. This would be the drunken love-child of an old newsstand and El Pais’ 24 horas (elpais.com/24horas).

Stay with me for a minute. You’d have these strategically placed in high-traffic areas, such as metro and bus stations, government centers, shopping malls, business districts, etc.

It may not the most practical idea, but it’s a good marriage of portability and timeliness. I don’t mind reading news on my smartphone, but I think a lot of people would prefer this kind of product on-the-go. You could print it with at what ever size font you want and even customize what you want to read. Don’t read sports? Double your business section. Like pictures? Print photo stories.

How about the ultimate one-stop-shop: It dispenses coffee or tea for another buck. Heck, throw in a muffin.

I’ll stop these mutterings for now. Any thoughts or suggestions for this hair-brained scheme?

UPDATE, 5:53 P.M.: Just to clarify, this wouldn’t be a go-to source for breaking news, merely a way to get updated news in place of reading a newspaper that is X hours old.

Weigh in: What do you think about this idea? Would you give me the money to try it OR would you say I flew the cuckoo’s nest?

‘Filipino Monkey’ phenomenon

I learned of this story after it was picked up, but this is the first time I’ve heard about this “Filipino Monkey” character:

“Navy Times’: Strait of Hormuz ‘Showdown’ with Iran May Have Been the Work of Prankster

Here’s the original article, ‘Filipino Monkey’ may be behind radio threats, ship drivers say and a couple links it includes:

See the Pentagon’s version of the video

A link to the Iranian version (click the camera icon)