This chapter focuses on the importance of building a digital audience for news, which involves many elements in order to have a successful outcome. One of the most important tips that the book mentions is to pay attention to your readers’ responses, because this will help you determine what they like and what they don’t like about the content. The chapter also mentions the importance of using benchmarks to measure success to a goal. It is imperative to have personal goals to set a timeframe in which you want that goal to be achieved. Doing this will educate you about how long it takes you to complete a task, and it can also access the progress that is being made overtime because it can illustrate the improvements you’ve made. Goal setting also helps an individual stay on track more for not only personal benefits, but it can also benefit readers of your material. For instance, if you have a blog a goal could be to post at least once a day, which would be refreshing to readers to be able to have access to new content every time that they visit your page.
The presentation on Google really opened my eyes in a significant way, because I didn’t know that google actually had their own social media platform. Of all of the social media innovations Google’s might be one of my favorites. I love how it allows individuals from all over the world to share content with one another. It’s not just the act of sharing information that I find compelling, it’s the fact that Google allows individuals to share information live with one another. Google has made this possible by providing a video feature that lets people chat and share pictures with one another simultaneously. This is ideal for both professional and personal usages. Individuals can connect with multiple family members who live all over the world. Now that I am aware of this I can use this tool to video chat with all of my family in Barbados since I only get the opportunity to see them once a year. For professional purposes video chat is ideal for things like conference calls and meetings, especially when there are employees that work remotely.
Another cool feature of Google is that it allows for a user to control the circles that they place people they know in so that it allows for the user to have control over their privacy settings in an unconventional manner. With circles certain people (friends or family members) can see the information that you specifically intend for them to see, which minimizes the potential of employers being able to see any content that you didn’t want them to be aware of. Google also allows for users to discover other individuals aside from family members and co- workers by expanding these circles to include things that particularly coincide with your interests. For example, if you’re a photographer, an individual can share their work with other photographers from all over the world, which allow for people to network and to build and establish new relationships. I really like all of the features that Google offers, so I will be making one soon so I can discover how it can make a difference in my profession.
Twitter is one of the fastest ways in my opinion to brand yourself, but it also might be the most difficult ways. I say this because tweeting is somewhat of an art form that involves concisely sharing compelling information within 140 characters. If tweeting is done well then a massive amount of followers could be drawn to your profile, which would signify that people find that what you have to say is interesting, especially since the majority of twitter contains written content. This is particularly important if you are a journalist, because this could correlate to how individuals feel about the written pieces on your blog or website. Of course tweeting is different from writing a full blown article, but it is a quick way to share news or information with people who might not have enough time to read full articles all of the time because of their demanding schedules.
Therefore, a lot of media outlets, especially news companies, take advantage of twitter since it is a fast method to share information. I highly believe that Twitter is beneficial when it comes to revealing breaking news, or news concerning natural disasters. One feature of twitter that helps news or information spread faster is the retweet. Retweeting allows for another user to post what someone else tweeted by simply pressing one button. The trending topics also allow for users to discover what news is receiving the most attention, which might be a topic that someone knows little to nothing about, thus it could provide more insight to an individual about what is going on. I think that Twitter has definitely been an amazing outlet for the entertainment industry to disseminate gossip or news about a celebrity, especially since almost every renown star has their own Twitter profile, which is where a lot of the most controversial reporting on them stems from. Therefore, it is important to be cautious about what is said on your twitter and ensure that nothing is said that could be detrimental to any career or relationship opportunity.
Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Is a question I hear just about every week, but unfortunately I have yet to make myself one. I hear nothing but great reviews about LinkedIn, because it is a completely professional way to promote yourself. It can lead to an array of opportunities that can open doors for you into the field that you desire. LinkedIn can help individuals find things from job openings to internships. It can also be used as a tool to network with individuals in general. A LinkedIn profile will obtain information about an individual that entails what their qualifications and skills are. It will also include information such as: experience, languages, education, and more. An individual could also post recommendations that they have gotten from other professionals on their page, as well as professionals that endorse or vouch for the skill sets that one has. All of these elements aid in building credibility for a person that will further benefit them for coming into contact with professionals that could potentially enhance their career path.
LinkedIn has certain features that will help in discovering certain people or groups of people that have a certain skill set or that are within a certain profession. Through the presentation on this social media platform I have learned that tags are an easy way to come across different people by simply clicking on a tag other people will come up that are related to that particular term or phrase. Another tool that makes finding things easy is the search bar. The search bar can be used to look for jobs or people. Another benefit to finding people and interacting with them in a professional manner is that they can be used as connections that might look out for you when a job opportunity approaches. Overall, LinkedIn is an extremely beneficial way to get connected with professionals within just about every career field from all over the word.
Facebook is a social media platform that has changed lives in many ways. I remember when I was in the 10th grade all of my friends pressured me to make a profile on Facebook. At first I was relentless to make it because of all of the hype behind it, but then I heard that it was a great way to get reacquainted with old friends or family members. So shortly thereafter I made my profile and immediately got hooked to it. With my profile I got the opportunity to get in touch with people that I haven’t seen since kindergarten. It was neat to be able to share information with people that were close to me as well, and tag them in any of the statuses or photos that involved them. However, since high school I have barely logged on to my Facebook page. I haven’t been intrigued by the website enough to log on because of other social media inventions that came along like Twitter and Instagram, but I know that it has many networking purposes that those other social media platforms don’t necessarily have.
Through Facebook individuals can build their own brand and connect with people in their field. Another benefit of having a Facebook page is that you could promote your business or blog, etc. by creating a page for it. By promoting it and getting your name out there people will come across your page and like the service or business that you have which would give you so much exposure. Therefore, it is important to be careful about what content is on your profile, so keeping a professional tone is essential. Also, make posts that will be compelling to other users. Keeping a professional tone doesn’t mean that your page has to be boring, an individual can still have posts that are interesting yet can appeal to a large audience without offending anyone in any manner. This aspect will ensure that your page will get a positive reception.
We have here another alarmingly disinteresting blog that is full of nothing but senseless posts. The “The Most Boring Blog Ever,” blog lacks everything that a reader would look for in an interesting blog. The posts are short and full of misspelled words that were probably written in between shots of vodka. I’m afraid that if someone spends three minutes too long on this site that their brain will fry over like an egg at the nearest Waffle House. Since the blog fails to have any posts, one would think that the author would at least take the time to invest in the appearance of it— absolutely not the case here. The background of the blog is a hue of green that should only be used when trying to scare of intruders from hacking into your computer or something; actually, I’m not entirely sure what the color would be used for. Also, the background color of the page is accompanied by a color that closely resembles Welch’s grape jelly, which is seen in the headers of each post. I would definitely love for the author to possibly educate herself about complimentary colors, for the sake of her readers having the ability to refrain from throwing up as a result of visual displeasure. I hope that down this young author’s journey of writing she learns how to become a better writer, or better yet, journalists like myself will effectively create blogs that are executed properly that can set examples for blogs that are unfortunate as such.
I have encountered some pretty disinteresting blogs before, but I have never encountered a blog as pointless as this one. This blog’s name says it all; it’s called “The Dullest Blog in the World,” which is not at all an exaggeration. The subject matter on this blog in general is non-existent. The blogger, Dave Walker, blogs about the simplest tasks that he’s managed to complete, such as moving his doormat back to its original position or rearranging his pens in the correct order. The blog posts have nothing substantial in them, thus resulting in the possibility of readers damaging their computer’s keyboard from drooling profusely on it in the midst of sleep. It almost seems as if the blog is purposefully this boring to serve as a parody toward blogs that are actually good. Also, the posts are spaced out over long periods of time, so even if someone tried to enjoy this blog they would have to wait a couple of years at a time to see a new post. Nevertheless, I would not shed a tear if this blog were mysteriously deleted overnight. This is not to say that I’m lacking emotion for this blog because I am insensitive to bad writers; I just can’t take it upon myself to understand why a blog was purposefully made to be so horrible. Aside from the absence of interesting content, the layout of “The Dullest Blog in the World” is just as barren as the posts. There is nothing visually compelling to look at on the blog at all: no pictures, no graphics, and no videos. Overall, if I could give an award to this blog it would be “The Most Snooze Worthy Blog in History.”
This chapter further emphasized the importance of social media, and how it can deeply affect your career if you use it to your maximum advantage, both negativity and positively. If utilized properly, an individual can access the tools available on social media networks to build their brand (as I mentioned before) and gain a larger readership. However, if used incorrectly by making inappropriate comments or being too negative, an individual can lose the opportunity to have more of a presence on social media, as well as turn readers away due to disinterest. Both aspects are fairly easy to do, yet since there are various opinions that individuals in society have today, there is a high possibility that journalists will have more in common with their readers, resulting in establishing relationships with each other.
One way that this concept has become more apparent over time is because readers now obtain power that allows them to contribute their comment and criticism. Through their comments readers can express how they feel about a certain topic or the journalist’s post altogether. It is important to take some of the comments from readers into consideration, especially when it pertains to your writing style, however, becoming too fixated on trying to satisfy every reader is extremely difficult— a task that is virtually impossible to take on. Nevertheless, social media is a sure way to jump-start your career in journalism. By practicing the right techniques of how to maneuver through the complexities of social networking websites, an individual will be well on their way to blogging and micro- blogging success.
Journalism is increasingly becoming data- driven to the extent that you can be easily left behind and removed from being “in the know” if you are not constantly feeding yourself with information by reading or watching media outlets that will keep you informed. Staying afloat with up-to-date information is vital in not only writing better for personal purposes, but gaining an audience who want to read your material as well. No one wants to read about last week’s news if there’s something newer and more exciting to talk about present day. Additionally, another important aspect of journalism is digitizing your life. Technology is taking over at such a rapid pace that I might morph into a pixel at any given moment.
At times becoming engulfed in digitalism can be intimidating, because if someone is fairly new to the concept then it may be hard to delve into the intricacies that occur within the digital world. However, knowing about digitalism and being able to maneuver it will be very beneficial to your career, which is advice that I need to use myself. I cringe at the thought of being on a computer unless I absolutely have to. Familiarizing yourself with the aesthetic of digitalism involves more than simply knowing how to send an email, it involves organizational skills too.
Utilizing both digitalism and data go hand and hand, because these two things can be paired together to aid an individual to find relevant information more efficiently as opposed to using other tactics. The power of these tools will lead you to databases that are full of important stories that can be used for researching accurate and newsworthy stories for your own publications.
The power of a crowd is extremely significant, whether it be a crowd picking during a strike or the vibes that a crowd gives a musician while they’re on stage. Crowds are important in journalism as well, because it is an efficient and resourceful method for finding new information. This collaborative journalism can take may shapes and forms, such as: crowdsourcing, open resource reporting, and pro- am journalism. All of these concepts allow for an array of information to flow from one person to another to better construct projects of any kind. However, these tactics may not always be useful in every situation, because projects and people will vary. Although there can be some instances where a project could lack success due to a non- communicative team, there are plenty of success stories of how blogs have started and over time grown to be successful news organizations with thousands of contributors all playing their part to help it all come together.
Without crowdsourcing the large success of the organization may not have been possible at all. That’s why it is vital to utilize all of the resources in front of you, especially as a journalist, in order to increase the probability of your success. It’s easier said than done, however with the right attitude and drive, it can be achieved. The biggest aspect in crowdsourcing is also obtaining great communicative skills, something that a journalist should already have or work on having if they haven’t already. With all of the resources that there are available for us as journalists to use, developing stories should be something that isn’t looked at as a dreadful task, but as something that is an enjoyable and new experience each and every single time.
The Digital Diagnosis 