The Future of News April 13, 2008

My first thought while reading Dale’s blog post was “What a brilliant idea!”. I can’t count the number of times when I’ve watched the news and heard the same story with the same details over and over again. Especially with big stories that are slow to develop, a way of receiving news updates and tracking the development of a news story easier would be greatly beneficial. I sometimes wonder if journalists and news reporters are actually reporting new details or regurgitating the same information with small tweaks because they don’t have anything new to broadcast. It would be nice to see more of  a “timeline”, like Dale said.

I wonder how a new system of updated, instant reporting online would affect the pace of traditional journalism that is already dying. I would think that because so many Americans are getting their dose of daily news online, that a convenient system like this would only make the end of newspapers come sooner. Essentially, a new system like this would make life far more efficient for everyone – why would anyone continue to read newspapers?

An idea like this could also be really useful to broadcast journalism. If this were linked with a program like Tivo, people who wanted to view their news on the television could get what they wanted to see whenever they wanted. Specific news stories could be downloaded onto their Tivos and special “updates” could be identified, so viewers wouldn’t have to waste their time viewing bits about stories they already knew about. News stories could be categorized and then a “timeline” type program could appear, giving the beginning, middle and current status of a news story. Viewers could then watch the updates as they happen. I think this would really work well and be really popular.

1.) What do you forsee as the pros and cons of this new style of online journalism? How do you think the invention of this would affect other forms of media?

2.) How do you think new systems of reporting like the ones discussed in the article and in my post would be beneficial to people? Are they just enabling Americans to become more lazy and rely on technology to do all the work?

 

Perez Hilton’s Blog April 7, 2008

 Because I am new to the “World of Blogging”, I found the article entitled, 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web to be interesting and useful. In this blog entry, I will highlight the tips that I enjoyed learning about the most. As lame as it may be, I am going to use Perez Hilton’s gossip blog as a good example of how to use these tips.

1. Write for a Reason

“Write honestly. Don’t hide, and don’t stop short. When writing about things that matter, you may be tempted to flee to safe, familiar havens: the familiar, the sentimental, the fashionable. Try to find the strength to be honest…”

Perez, the hottest gossip guru has a blog that is nothing but his brutally honest opinion. Celebrity gossip is the sole purpose of this oh-so popular blog and I believe one the main reasons is because he is not afraid to speak his mind. People enjoy reading his blog because he will tell it how it is (or how he thinks it is) and will say things that are normally too rude for anyone else to share, especially publicly.

2. Write Often

Another reason I believe Perez’s blog has gained so much popularity is because it changes so frequently. He adds new posts so often that his biggest fans feel the need to check the blog multiple times per day! In addition, his humor is consistant and his celebrity gossip is reliable and accurate.

3. Relax!

“Don’t worry too much about correctness: Find a voice and use it. Most readers will overlook, and nearly all will forgive, errors in punctuation and spelling.”

This last tip is probably one of the most important in blog writing. What makes each blog so unique is the style and word choice that each author uses. In my opinion, the style can make or break a blog. In Perez’s blog he uses loads of trendy phrases, makes up his own terms and isn’t afraid to be vulger and very conversational. All of the posts are short and sweet and use a style that makes readers feel he is talking to them. 

1.) What is your personal opinion of the Perez Hilton website, and why?

2.) How do you think Perez Hilton’s website has changed the Hollywood scene? Do you think he has made more friends, or more enemies?