Readings

Hi class.

This week, please take a look at Wayne's blog at http://wmacphail.typepad.com/breadcrumbs/
Read in and you'll get a feel for what a blog can do and what kinds of things interest our speaker.

I'd also like to say I think it's great that people in the class are getting bylines. Terrific. I saw Armando's piece in the Western News, but I too miss things and would love to hear who has what in what publication. The blog is a good way to keep the class up to speed.

Finally, about fonts. No problem. Which ones work best is a good question.
Yes, there are many, many fonts and more are being designed each day. Online, you can use whatever font you want, but certain ones are better than others for reader ease. Usually, sans serif fonts look cleaner, but most people prefer to read serif fonts (like Times Roman). Classic fonts are good and generally serif fonts (the ones with the little curls) promoted faster reading that sans serif fonts. ( Oddly, though, people prefer the clean look of sans serif fonts).
For all readers, 14 point fonts were preferable to smaller fonts online.
There's a whole world of stuff to know here, but the general rules are the ones to follow. Using an odd or difficult to read font would be very counterproductive to the usability of your online work.
Hope that helps a bit.
Paul

braggin' rights

hello all,

I have seen over the last few weeks that some of us had articles in various publications in London. Good job!

The only way to find out who is doing what at the moment is to read every byline everywhere. How about using the Blog to let everyone know what you are up too? It would be great not to miss any of your gems!

And, if you don't brag about your work, no one else is going to do it for you!

Keep up the good work!
jicé

This week's readings

Class:
Well, we have a little shift in our sked. Our guest speaker, Wayne MacPhail, has asked that his talk be bumped to next week because of work obligations that he cannot change. I told him, no problem.
So, we'll continue our discussion of effective online writing techniques.

Please read:

How Users Read on the Web by Jacob Nielsen

Concise, Scannable and Objective: How to Write for the Web by Jacob Nielsen

Thanks.
Paul

Quoting from blogs

Thanks for the link Don.
I think the question is a good one. It's the same question raised when reporters quote message board postings that have only a first name attached or comments or feedback from sites with only first names or screen names. This may become part of the landscape someday, but one of the most important things in reporting is sourcing the material. When we quote people, the reader wants to know that:
A. This is a real person
B. You really talked to them
C. They really said that
D. They are credible (or if they are not credible, that is somehow made evident...)

All of this gets pretty murky with "Web quotes" from people that we may never actually meet or speak to in any real way.
It's tricky. Like letters to the editor, it is important to have a full name attached to any quote. The reason? Well, how credible is the information if the person providing it will not stand behind it with her or his name?
(Naturally, this does not apply with off-the-record, but that's a whole other story!)
Cheers,
Paul

Jon Stewart Follow-up

New York Times article on the Jon Stewart-CNN exchange:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/weekinreview/24cave.html?8hpib
Discusses whether or not Jon Stewart should be asking tougher questions considering he attracts a larger audience of 18-34 year olds than network news.

In this article they quote a blog, a reoccuring theme in many of the articles in the Times. But, is quoting something someone wrote on a blog a valid source? From a reporter perspective its definitely time saving and cost-effective but is this journalism? I raise this question because of the still potentially anonymous nature of blogging- how do I know that the blog posting I'm quoting is legitimate and from the person it says it is from?

Don

Globe and Mail article

Hey gang:
On the weekend the Globe and Mail ran a terrific piece on special contact lenses that reshape the eye for better vision.
The reporter uncovered several cases where the lenses caused serious damage and even, in one case, blindness.
Please take a look at that special report. It is an excellent example of the kind of story you can pursue in your own work. It is very focussed. It's compelling. It's newsy. It is of interest to virtually everyone who wears contacts, or glasses or has ever considered laser surgery. It's well written and timely.
The stories were in Saturday's paper. If you don't have it around, try to search for it online. Nice work.
Cheers,
Paul

Readings for Oct. 21

Class:
Sorry for the delay. My machine is in the shop which is creating a few problems.
Here is the reading for this week. Please read what Dube has to say and follow the links to see what he's actually talking about. It's only one article, but checking out the links will take some time.
Thanks and see you Thursday.
Paul

Online News Writing Tips by Jonathan Dube

Paul Berton and bloggers

This article from the LFP of Saturday.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/London/Paul_Berton/home.html

Response to this Week's Reading

Well, I did the reading and thought- why not try to start a little debate. For the record, aAll responses are my own and have not been received through a hidden radio device (are you following that new George W conspiracy theory online?).

Article #1- Eyetrack III

I originally found it surprising that layout continuity is considered so important on internet news sites. Upon reflection, I realized how much I rely on sites being the same in order to navigate easily. To use an example, the UWO library website has been unchanged for at least the last six years. This year, they changed it entirely...I hate it. I don't care if it looks nicer or is "easier" to navigate based on their testing, I was used to the site appearing one way and now find it very difficult to get used to. I can imagine the same would be true for a site like CNN or CBC.

It is a paradigm shift for many people that internet layout differs from newspaper layout. I think the idea is liberating because you can add so much more content (with links) and make the message so much clearer (with multimedia options). The other hopeful thing for young journalists is the fact that the eyetrack study highlights traits for successful news sites that we are good at: good, short leads; text with solid facts (the 5 Ws); and text written in small paragraphs and short sentences. The secret to a successful news site is not just content but presentation- two things journalists bring to the table at a news site.

Article #2- Reading Online News

This study didn't really surprise me. It makes sense people don't like massive blocks of text and that they don't like blindly clicking links either. It would be interesting to see what happens when other factors are introduced into the study such as dead links, slow loading times, need to download a software update (such as with Macromedia), etc. I think they are ignoring the effects such delays have on people's reading habits and desire to keep clicking through a site.

That's all for now.
Feel free to debate or discuss,
Have a good night,
Don

This week's readings

Happy Thanksgiving.
Here are the readings for this week.

Readings for next week:

Eyetrack III: What News Websites Look Like Through Reader’s Eyes
Steve Outing



Reading Online News: A comparison of three presentation formats
Ryan Baker et al.

how blogging ruined my life

I found this essay (Blogging Off, by Whitney Pastorek) reprinted in the July/August edition of Utne. Follow the link below to read it: it's funny.

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0409/essay.php

google news article

The piece on Google news is an interesting one because it raises several key issues.
If you are an aggregator - that is a site that simply collects and lists information or stories from other sites - what is your responsibility to the content producers?
In this case, we've seen that people are okay with Google listing the stories and linking back, but they are NOT okay with them making money from the content produced by other news agencies.
And with good reason.
As the article states, and as we've discussed in class, content production - a fancy term for research, reporting, writing and editing, cost a lot of money. Salaries are the major expense of any news operation. It's easy to collect and repurpose the material other people have carefully produced. It's much harder and more expensive to make it yourself.
I think the other issue raised is one of "fair use." The Net is an open world, but there are rules about taking other people's words and images and simply using them for your own purpose. Private and educatioinal use is generally allowed, but once the use becomes commercial, the "cease and desist" letters start to fly.
This is one of the only ways of ensuring that the people who spend the money to hire reporters and editors are protected from those who love the content, but don't want to spend the money to make it.
Paul

project groups

Class:
So far, only one group has given me names for their project team.
As I recall, I asked that all groups hand in their names last Thursday. Please have your team formed and handed into me by this Thursday.
It is imperative that we begin this process. I have to work with John Fracasso to set up the group areas and he has to work on the content management system to get it ready for class use. Please get together with your classmates and form a group.
Please email or hand in the group names to me.
Thanks very much.
Paul

new readings

Sorry for the delay class.
Here are the readings for next class.
These are the last pieces on the nature of the evolution and revolutioin online. As we move forward, we'll be looking at how to effectively create content for online readers, using the skills of traditional journalism and some new ones.
Cheers,
Paul


Readings for this week:

We the Media, Chapter 4: Newsmakers Turn the Tables
Don Gillmor

Blogging as a Form of Journalism (parts 1 and 2)
J.D. Lasica

change of web site

I will now be looking at this website. http://reseaumedia.info/ for the assignment.

jc