1. Twitter is THE place to be
I have this really nice life goal ... to find someone who understands me, someone whom I can easily spend days with without getting bored or irritated ... a person with whom I can have a close relationship of completely open communication ... one day I aspire to have with someone what Susan Hetherington has with Twitter.
This semester made it pretty clear why Susan loves Twitter so impossibly much, its effectiveness in crowd sourcing, professional networking and story promotion (just to name a few) makes it a partnership no journalist today can afford to scorn.
It’s fascinating in hindsight reflecting on that second week tutorial and the apprehension everyone felt towards Twitter and blogging sites. You might even be able to draw similarities between the Online Journalism students and their acceptance of these technologies with the wider journalism profession itself – one that had to learn to put their distrust aside and take up these technologies to remain relevant and effective.
2. Crowd Sourcing – It's not just being too lazy to do actual research – it’s a thing now
I remember trying to decide whether to do this for news stories – is it a cheap way to get sources? Is it cheating?
But that’s the great thing about this new online world – instead of being just the consumers they are now helping to shape the news and ensuring it's told effectively and accurately.
Tools like (and more platforms to seize this opportunity arise every day) Twitter, Facebook and blogs are becoming incredibly valuable in making these connections and allowing journalists to achieve and report things they would have had no means to just a 20 years ago.
3. Blogging matters
It's not just a way to express my inner torment and impress the ladies with my deep thoughts anymore, (or so I imagine it would have had I had a blog prior to online journalism) now it’s a career investment.
The idea of building your “online persona” and gathering followers and fans via creative, thought provoking (in some cases not so much) blogs was one main point I’ll take away from this unit. While I did originally think this was just more work to do, it's now clear this attitude can be altered – this can be seen as an opportunity, to show prospective employers the quality of your writing as well as your potential to gain a great number of consumers. Not things easy to prove in a face-to-face sit down interview or within the formal constraints of the cover letter/CV.
4. The “online experience” involves more than just word on a web page
You start to notice the “online elements” in news stories – the links to related stories, transcripts, videos etc. – these aren’t just little extra goodies anymore either, it seems now that consumers expect this higher level of storytelling…which optimistically can only be good for journalistic quality and ensuring an informed society.
5. The waves of change must be ridden or one is swept away (one last surfing metaphor)
This was the main resounding message of this unit. We live in a world that continues to develop and change – Fads come and go and technologies are introduced into the public arena every day. As Elaine Ford said the skill is not in being techno savvy (Which came as a relief considering I cant work a microwave) but instead in being able to identify the technologies and fads that are there to stay.
The beautiful thing about the journalism profession is that despite being subjected to the constant proclamations of its death and criticism of its accuracy and effectiveness It never folds and history has shown us that journalists have always plunged right into change – sometimes even leading the charge.
6. Speed and accuracy is the key (to my early death at the hands of stress)
If I was asked about what makes Online Journalism different to any of the news-writing subjects speed and accuracy is what I would say. These skills are where, in my opinion, the online news journalist should be recognised.
The expectations of immediacy and accuracy that comes hand-in-hand with the public's hungry consumption of online news means these journalists need to develop a speed that, as this unit (and the numerous Elaine Ford pen art all over all my assessment) made hurtfully clear, is not an easy skill to have.
7. Code values are needed more than ever - Privacy still matters – just because I can Google maps into your living room…doesn’t mean I should…
Facebook, Twitter and Google maps all provide incredibly east ways to circumvent the death knock or take the morally questionable pictures. But just because it's easier for us doesn’t mean our duties and ethical standards to respect the privacy of the public are also loosened.
With the great advantages of the internet comes further responsibility in using it ethically and accurately.
8. Online Journalism has changed the way we read the news – (how many sneaky swear words can I slip in now?)
One of the more bizarrely accurate and interesting things this course pointed out is that the way people actually read the news has changed with the platform itself. People aren’t reading every word – which makes having the amazing lead and useful headings even more important.
9. A weekly blog and tutorial exercises does not equate to “a 7 easier to get than an episode of Sesame Street.”
After finishing the first in-class assessment I went home and after weeping to sweet sweet opera in a long cold shower and a solid 20 minutes of rocking in the fetal position, researched “near-death” experiences – unsurprisingly the descriptions of said experiences were consistent with the small moment of clarity and peace that enveloped me after Elaine demanded the final submission (following the horror and panic in the preceding hour).
Yes…yes we did think this unit would be a less challenging than usual one – especially with the blogs – gosh were we wrong.
While having to write a blog every week was time consuming and scrambling to find a new fresh topic hard I definitely feel, especially after reading my first blog that the assessment was helpful in improving my writing particularly in this informal style…I even came to enjoy it (this isn’t encouragement to put weekly blogging into the next units however).
While we did spend an alarming amount of time bitching about how different each assessment was – that was the beauty of the unit – the ability to adopt to new styles…I also finally learned how to spell Morcombe properly.
So while the childhood dream of achieving that perfect 7 is very likely dead (prove me wrong and make me the happiest man in the world?) I begrudgingly acknowledge that learning how to write in so many new styles and forms made the disappointment to my family and friends almost worth it.
*Cue “QUT: university for the real world” advertisement. *
10. The online apprehension is over – Integrated newsrooms makes journalism a team sport.
Journalism isn’t west side story…when I do eventually get in there the TV editor will not be aggressively clicking at the Online editor…(no words can describe the hurt and disappointment this realisation hit me with).
It does consequently mean that even if you don’t end up going into online journalism your going to need the skills anyway. Churning out the news is again a collaborative effort.
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