WEB TRENDS
- Immediacy: Today’s newspaper readers and TV watchers live in the land of immediacy: they want the information/news NOW and don’t want to wait for the 6 o’clock news or tomorrow morning’s newspaper. Media organizations are trying to get news and information to readers as fast as they can using multiple forms of media.
- The keyword is “user-driven content”: Blogs are among the hottest items that are readers/viewers to post their own content, and discuss the articles and hot issues at hand. This form of participatory journalism is changing the traditional method of ‘top down’ journalism where editors and reporters solely dictated what was news. Blogs are online diaries where writers can post their random comments. Many news sites are now incorporating them in their websites, and many news websites are requiring their reporters to host their blogs tied to their beats. The jury is still out how blogs are being received by the 25 – 54 age demo, but they are the hottest thing among the 13 – 25 year old demo… (Check out http://xanga.com to find millions of blogs out there or go to Technorati, http://technorati.com to get stats on bloggers.)
- Podcasting: You, too, can be a broadcaster. If you have a computer, a microphone, you can produce and post your own newscast, commentary, advice column. … Go to http://podcast.net to find a tutorial on how to create and post your own podcasts. These downloadable audio programs can be uploaded via iTunes and posted in the Podcast Directory, allowing users to subscribe to them for free and download them to their iPods or other Mp3 players.
- Mobile mania: Cell phones have become ubiqitious. So now media organizations and cell phone companies are joining forces to provide content – from headlines to mini-newscasts – accessible via your cellphone. e.g. Verizon’s V-cast…. Miami Herald’s ‘5 minute news cast’. Text-based marketing and promotional campaigns are becoming a frequent tool used by reality shows to drive viewers and increase viewers time watching primetime programming.
What Students Need to Know To Succeed in the Digital Age
* The Fundamentals: Strong writing and reporting/researching still prevail.
* Become tech savvy: Beyond just knowing how to be a savvy reporter knowing how to ask the right questions, today’s reporters will have a huge advantage if they are comfortable using a digital a recorder, a digital still and/or video camera and a photo scanner.
* Become a student of the web: Know what the trends are and understand what the hottest new sites are. If you already have a MySpace or Facebook page, you already are in the web publishing business, and you should challenge yourself to learn as much about how to use all of the free web tools to create a very dynamic and interactive page.
* Learn Spanish, Chinese or Farsi.
What Black Colleges (Historically Black Colleges & Universities- HBCUs) Need to Know About Preparing their Students for Careers in Media:
* Hold onto to the foundation, but open your minds to the new world….the digital era is here, and your students needs to become armed if they are going to get employed at a media company. Remember, the days of ‘newspapers’ or ‘television’ stations are over! Its’ all about convergence!
* Invest in your students by investing in upgrading your students’ equipment. Consider corporate sponsorship to revolutionize your academic environment
* Invest in your faculty: Send them to conferences that deal with issues beyond traditional journalism
* Attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas to see what the latest trends are. – Feb 2006
