tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29092493726801979632024-03-08T00:30:15.857-05:00Student Media TechnologyFocusing on Student Media through the lens of technologyFred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-62980150556979471672010-02-17T08:30:00.004-05:002010-02-17T08:34:34.546-05:00Ours is an Open Source World"The future is open source everything." —Linus Torvalds<br /><a href='http://www.focus.com/fyi/information-technology/open-source-open-world/'><img src='http://media.focus.com/images/uploaded/generic/open-source-open-world/osoworld2.jpg' style='width:400px;' /></a>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-17682548771639719292010-01-28T09:17:00.003-05:002010-01-28T09:31:19.852-05:00The Need for News<p>A post on Slashdot entitled, "<a href="http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/01/28/0422202/Does-Personalized-News-Lead-To-Ignorance">Does Personalized News Lead To Ignorance?</a>" points to <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/01/when-it-comes-to-news-why-wont.html">a discussion between James Turner and Chris Lee</a>:</p><blockquote>I think the really interesting and kind of scary question is so just how much consumption of what we traditionally call news is still a requirement of citizenship [...], of being a productive member of a community.<br /><br />There are those huge investigative things, but the truth is, with very few exceptions, nobody's doing that today. There are, maybe, the big national news organizations and some of this foundation-funded stuff that's starting. I think the bigger worry is the nuts and bolts. As you know, the meat and potatoes of daily journalism is that you've got to ask six people the same question; you've got to go to a council meeting. People get paid to do it for a reason.</blockquote>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-32685025206411846952009-11-01T10:41:00.003-05:002009-11-01T10:49:54.525-05:00Media Must Adapt to Open Source Culture<p>The following article was original published on October 27, 2009 in the <i><a href='http://issuu.com/ncsustudentmedia/docs/20091027-technician' target='_blank'>Technician</a></i>:</p><p>Individuals born in the 1990's make up the most technology savvy generation of all time.<sup><a href='http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/mar2008/ca20080313_241443.htm' target='_blank'>1</a></sup> They have grown up in a world where they are constantly connected, always communicating and sharing information freely. These aspects of our world are strikingly different from the environment in which newspapers, television and radio evolved. As a result, open source culture is undermining the effectiveness and financial stability of the traditional media industry.</p><p>The Internet originally began as a U.S. military project in the late 1960s.<sup><a href='http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/' target='_blank'>2</a></sup> Starting with email, web technology was quickly adopted by public and private institutions. Although a degree of open source culture was present in the scientific and academic fields, it began to grow and flourish among users and developers of web technology. Rather than claiming software code as their own property, developers contributed to projects that solved complex problems. <a href='http://www.apache.org/' target='_blank'>Apache</a>, <a href='http://php.net/' target='_blank'>PHP</a>, <a href='http://www.mysql.com/' target='_blank'>MySQL</a> and <a href='http://wordpress.org/' target='_blank'>WordPress</a> were collaboratively developed and made available for free. Together these packages are enough to begin distributing your own content online. Add <a href='http://www.shoutcast.com/' target='_blank'>Shoutcast</a> and you have an Internet radio station capable of being heard around the globe.</p><p>As a result of open source culture, traditional media companies, previously shaped by an environment of scarce information and expensive production and distribution methods, now find themselves in a new landscape where content is virtually unlimited and automatically disseminated. Explosive growth in user-generated content has put the media in direct competition with its consumers. "Professionally produced" has succumbed to "good enough"<sup><a href='http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/magazine/17-09/ff_goodenough' target='_blank'>3</a></sup> as consumers flock to Facebook to interact with their peers, post pictures of their homemade meals to Tumblr, upload incriminating videos from their phone to YouTube or coordinate protests on Twitter.</p><p>These online activities represent the crux of what traditional media companies must address: consumers of media are not just consumers, they are also producers.<sup><a href='http://www.wired.com/dualperspectives/article/news/2009/06/dp_opensource_wired0616' target='_blank'>4</a></sup> They are experts on their own circumstances and willing to share what they learn for the benefit of their community--just as software developers continue to innovate the very platform that has usurped traditional media models and empowered the average citizen.</p><p>Adapting to this new cultural context requires a revamping of the traditional media business model. If news and information are no longer scarce and have less value in the eyes on the consumer,<sup><a href='http://toc.oreilly.com/2009/07/content-is-a-service-business.html'>5</a></sup> where can value now be found? In my opinion, consumer demographics have more value than the content they consume. Advertisers can use this data to target ads more effectively and media can get a clearer view of their customers.</p><p>In addition, redefining the relative importance of privacy, objectivity and intellectual property are also important parts of adaptation. The media can look to many examples of how other industries are embracing the culture: <a href='http://ocw.mit.edu/' target='_blank'>OpenCourseWare</a> in academia, <a href='http://www.futuremelbourne.com.au/wiki/view/FMPlan' target='_blank'>FutureMelbourne</a> in government and <a href='http://creativecommons.org/' target='_blank'>Creative Commons</a> licensing amongst artists and musicians.</p><p>I expect open source culture to continue to spread. Traditional media companies will struggle, and perhaps fail, if they expect to operate as they have in the past. Regardless of the outcome, now is an exciting time to be involved in the media industry.</p>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-69458040538868908392009-10-17T15:28:00.008-04:002009-10-17T16:09:08.496-04:00Why is Journalism a Profession?In Bernard Lunn's recent article, <i><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/journalism_20_dont_throw_out_the_baby.php">Journalism 2.0: Don't Throw Out the Baby</a></i>, he described bloggers as "passionate experts first and journalists second."<br /><br />Lunn then goes on to list the aspects of journalism that he deems important, including a desire for truth, humility, skepticism and independence from commercial interests. His list echoes concepts expressed in the Pew Research Center's <a href="http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles">Principles of Journalism</a>.<br /><br />Why aren't journalism principles, which are essentially synonymous with <a href="http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/define_critical_thinking.cfm">critical thinking</a>, being imbibed by our culture and education system already?<br /><br />Lunn describes an expert that thinks critically. This implies that experts are qualified to be journalists, i.e., authoritative bloggers. Of course, these experts may have to adjust their presentation to accommodate differences in audiences. Still, experts must apply the same, if not a greater degree of critical thinking as journalists, otherwise they would not be experts.<br /><br />Which forces me to ask: why is journalism a profession?Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-6276111292892007262009-10-07T09:04:00.002-04:002009-10-07T09:08:18.933-04:00'Create content for people to love'From <a href="http://xark.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/09/new-media-virtual-interview-no-2.html">New media virtual interview No. 2</a> via <a href="http://twitter.com/macloo">@macloo</a> <blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's the best way for media companies to move from a print first to a web first mentality?</span><br /><br />... when it comes to the print-first vs. web-first shift, it's actually not rocket surgery. <span style="font-weight:bold;">You have to take some of your staff and give it the mission of doing incremental, breaking news on the Web.</span> And then you have to get your key newsroom people, and I'm talking managing editors, city editors, sports editors, and you've got to make the success of the website part of their mission. If you do those two things, you're going to wind up producing news in a different workflow and it's going to work.<br /><br />Most places want to treat this as a training issue and a systems issue, and don't get me wrong. Both are important. But it's really a trust and accountability issue. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Unless your top leaders are actually accountable for the success of your Web efforts, they're going to be sabotaging or at least undermining them.</span> It's just too easy for them to give the Web lip service, and then stick to doing the same old thing. And employees aren't stupid. They see that, and they just wait out most 'web-first' initiatives.<br /><br />... unless your top management is accountable for its success, and by that I mean that their salaries and bonuses are tied to it, it's not going to change. This is a cultural challenge masquerading as a technical problem.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Create content for people to love, not for people to encounter in this zipless, bloodless, view-from-nowhere mass-media fantasy world that we created in the 20th century.</span></blockquote>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-33480415623498133362009-07-27T07:51:00.005-04:002009-07-27T08:10:18.939-04:00More on the Importance of Social Data<a href="http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/now-new-next/2009/05/the-social-data-revolution.html">On the Harvard Business blog, Andreas Weigend writes:</a><br /><blockquote>During the first data revolution, successful companies gained power by collecting, aggregating, and analyzing the customer data they collected. However, most companies did not know what to do and ended up burying their data in tombs.<br /><br />Today, the online world has shifted to a model of collaboration and explicit data creation. Successful firms develop systematic ways to encourage and reward users who contribute honest data. <span style="font-weight:bold;">A good system does not try to trick customers into revealing demographics or contact information that is useful for the company. Rather, it rewards users with information that is useful to them.</span><br /><br />The center of the universe has shifted from e-business to me-business. Customers are also starting to discover and interact with each other. Knowing that they are not alone has shifted the balance of power from companies back to consumers. And they have begun to demand transparency. Customers are beginning to have a voice. They are realizing that the data they voluntarily contribute can help them and others with making decisions, providing true value. In turn, they want to be treated fairly as individuals by the companies they pay attention and money to.</blockquote><br />See also: <a href="http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2009/07/19/transparency-is-the-new-objectivity/">Transparency is the new objectivity</a>.<br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">As the expectations of users change, firms must spend more time developing incentive systems that will entice more users to participate.</span><br /></blockquote><br />See <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/rtb.php">Techdirt's CwF + RtB.</a><br /><br />These statements by Andreas Weigend relate back to my article entitled <a href="http://studentmediatechnology.blogspot.com/2009/07/user-data-is-currency-of-web.html">User data is the currency of the web</a>.Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-15815960796034124602009-07-24T08:36:00.002-04:002009-07-24T08:39:11.548-04:00'Transparency is the New Objectivity'Some interesting ideas to ponder from <a href="http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2009/07/19/transparency-is-the-new-objectivity/">http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2009/07/19/transparency-is-the-new-objectivity/</a><br /><br /><blockquote>... during a bloggers press conference at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I asked Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Walter Mears whom he was supporting for president. He replied (paraphrasing!), 'If I tell you, how can you trust what I write?,' to which I replied that if he doesn’t tell us, how can we trust what he blogs?<br /><br />... What we used to believe because we thought the author was objective we now believe because we can see through the author’s writings to the sources and values that brought her to that position. Transparency gives the reader information by which she can undo some of the unintended effects of the ever-present biases. Transparency brings us to reliability the way objectivity used to.<br /><br />... credentials and authority work best for vouchsafing commoditized knowledge, the stuff that’s settled and not worth arguing about. At the edges of knowledge — in the analysis and contextualization that journalists nowadays tell us is their real value — we want, need, can have, and expect transparency. Transparency puts within the report itself a way for us to see what assumptions and values may have shaped it, and lets us see the arguments that the report resolved one way and not another. Transparency — the embedded ability to see through the published draft — often gives us more reason to believe a report than the claim of objectivity did."</blockquote>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-14392360628594054812009-07-23T08:27:00.002-04:002009-07-23T08:35:35.143-04:00'Media companies are in the service business, not the content business'From <a href="http://toc.oreilly.com/2009/07/content-is-a-service-business.html">O'Reilly</a>:<br /><blockquote>"... what you're selling as an artist (or an author, or a publisher for that matter) is not content. What you sell is providing something that the customer/reader/fan wants. That may be entertainment, it may be information, it may be a souvenir of an event or of who they were at a particular moment in their life (Kelly describes something similar as his eight 'qualities that can't be copied': Immediacy, Personalization, Interpretation, Authenticity, Accessibility, Embodiment, Patronage, and Findability). Note that that list doesn't include 'content.' The thing that most publishers (and authors) spend most of their time fretting about (making it, selling it, distributing it, 'protecting' it) isn't the thing that their customers are actually buying."</blockquote>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-129145908412141612009-07-10T11:13:00.008-04:002009-07-10T12:22:39.737-04:00User data is the currency of the web<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NWRXlsa2lMs/SldqCSIctvI/AAAAAAAAAF8/OAGc24DEr4I/s1600-h/1153677_27348924.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 106px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NWRXlsa2lMs/SldqCSIctvI/AAAAAAAAAF8/OAGc24DEr4I/s200/1153677_27348924.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356866869240051442" /></a>In <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/168202/chrome_os_could_offend_the_open_source_community.html">a recent PC World article</a> analyzing the potential effects of <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html">Google Chrome OS</a>, Keir Thomas states:<blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">Money isn't the currency of the Internet. Data is. Micropayments aren't made in cents or pennies, but in details about your shopping habits, or where you plan to go on vacation.</span></blockquote>Content and information are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_scarcity">no longer scarce</a>, and therefore have little value. Scarcity now exists in the data produced by users in the form of demographics, geo-location and personal interests, all of which are time-sensitive.<br /><br />Collecting and analyzing this data will provide value to businesses who wish to provide services at the right time in the right place.<br /><br />A quick example: You need to leave work at 5 pm, but have a meeting at another location at 6 pm. Where can you get a quick yet nutritious dinner between the two without being late? What routes have both a meal and light traffic? Oh, and you're a vegetarian. Your apartment is on the way to the next appointment, do have have some leftovers in the fridge? <br /><br />This example may seem trivial but play the idea out across multiple situations and time-frames. To anyone who understands the nature of data and the potentials inherit in it's analysis, the possibilities are endless.<br /><br />The hurdle is our culture. Few are willing to provide enough detail about their personal lives to allow data-oriented services to suggest such information. Or are they? "What are you doing?" asks Twitter. "What's on your mind?" asks Facebook.<br /><br />Future generations, who will have grown up in a world where information scarcity no longer exists, will create a culture that strengthens the value of data analysis.Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-49902395250165804882009-01-21T18:06:00.004-05:002009-01-21T18:11:20.065-05:00How Much Does It Cost to Support Web Journalism?<p><a href="http://www.copress.org/">CoPress</a> had <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/copress/browse_thread/thread/4b0644fef4e2a6ae">an excellent discussion</a> on the costs and equipment required to maintain web journalism: <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/copress/browse_thread/thread/4b0644fef4e2a6ae"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Investing in Online & the Future of Journalism</span></a></p>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-5176812411843380712009-01-04T17:10:00.005-05:002009-01-04T17:19:49.073-05:00Data Mining Rescues Investigative Journalism<p>Re-posting <a href="http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/04/2026205">slashdot</a>'s link to <a href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/deep-throat-meets-data-mining"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Deep Throat Meets Data Mining</span></a>:</p><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Now, though, the digital revolution that has been undermining in-depth reportage may be ready to give something back, through a new academic and professional discipline known in some quarters as "computational journalism." <a href="http://fds.duke.edu/db/aas/PublicPolicy/jayth">James Hamilton</a> is director of the <a href="http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/dewitt/">DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy</a> at Duke University and one of the leaders in the emergent field; just now, he's in the process of filling an endowed chair with a professor who will develop sophisticated computing tools that enhance the capabilities — and, perhaps more important in this economic climate, the efficiency — of journalists and other citizens who are trying to hold public officials and institutions accountable.</span></blockquote>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-10717561241880261042008-12-30T09:32:00.004-05:002008-12-30T09:56:30.321-05:00College Radio Stations Must Comply with FCC RulesA post from <a href="http://www.brockport.edu/cmc/people/kozireski.html">Warren Kozireski</a>, General Manager of <a href="http://www.891thepoint.com/">WBSU 89.1 FM</a> at <a href="http://www.brockport.edu/">SUNY College at Brockport</a>, to the <a href="http://www.askcbi.org/">Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc.</a> listerv, mentions the following article:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cnyradio.com/2008/12/01/utica-colleges-wpnr-paying-10k-to-settle-fcc-violations/">Utica College's WPNR Paying $10K to Settle FCC Violations</a><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Students at Utica College’s <a href="http://www.utica.edu/student/activities/organizations/wpnr/">WPNR</a> are learning a lesson they’ll probably never forget: the importance of maintaining a complete and up-to-date<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_file"> Public File</a> for the FCC."</blockquote>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-89850212916804715652008-12-04T12:28:00.005-05:002008-12-04T12:39:29.677-05:00Three ideas about online media and journalismI just had an excellent discussion with <a href="http://twitter.com/mtdukes">Tyler Dukes</a> about online media and journalism. Here are a few significant points that we discussed:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The most important value that can be added to online publishing is credibility.</span> This especially applies in social networking. Whether or not people follow your website, blog or tweets depends how much they trust you. If you are publishing junk people will pay not attention. So how do we improve our online credibility? One way is to understand our readers. What is relevant to the students, faculty and staff? The web, more than any other medium, provides a way to interact with our audience so we know what is important to them.</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Journalists need to be as tech-savvy as their audience.</span> You will be a better journalist if you are familiar with web/technology trends (and listen to your IT guy's ramblings :p ). Where is our audience going online? We as journalists can't be expected to create social networking sites or online communities, but we need to <span style="font-weight: bold;">be aware of where our users are already going online</span>. They are on Facebook, Twitter, iPhones and who knows what else in the future. Go there to deliver news and solicit their input. This also implies that <span style="font-weight: bold;">our systems of delivering news must as technologically open as possible</span>. It must be possible to pull content from our site, blogs, etc. to be re-published elsewhere. The places where people are going online changes constantly, and we can't meet this moving benchmark without keeping our systems open.</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">There is still no concrete way to monetize online news.</span> At this point, anyone can create content with practically no cost. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The media is competing with it's audience</span> and has no control over the technology used to deliver or receive news. Readers are empowered and can receive information piece-by-piece based on their personal interests and contacts. The definition of "mass media" is evolving. It remains to be seen what business model arises from this evolution, but Tyler and I toyed with the idea that<span style="font-weight: bold;"> the value of news is in its readers</span>. The profiles and personal habits of your readers provides a way to target ads very specifically. The more information you provide in your personal profiles, the more information collected about your browsing and shopping habits, the more valuable you are, and the more coupons you could receive according to your interests (think MVP card at Food Lion). Sound scary? Yes, but it will be much less scary, perhaps natural, to our children and grandchildren.</li></ul>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-52927864990660993332008-11-21T10:05:00.002-05:002008-11-21T10:19:19.284-05:00Why prohibit social networking in the workplace?A colleague recently pointed out that some workplaces are prohibiting the use of social networking tools such as twitter and facebook, and made reference to an article entitled <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/millennials_route_around_it_departments.php">Millenials will Route Around IT departments</a>. She asks:<blockquote>What should we implement, how far should we go to get buy-in from the higher-ups, and what happens if we don't? Are we better off that way?</blockquote>I completely agree that we should be embracing technology that increases the quantity and improves the quality of communication. Of course, there will always be non-work-related communication, but that doesn't occur <span style="font-style: italic;">because</span> of technology. Take walk around the office to rest your eyes, or even while you're working someone will come up and you'll have a personal conversation. These conversations increase the quality of our relationships and, in turn, the quality of our communication. Besides, how can you understand how someone thinks and works without talking to them? In addition, I hope our bosses hired us because they have faith in our ability to adjust our personal communication when it interferes with work.<br /><br />In relation to students, I think it is extremely important that we are familiar with what technologies they are currently comfortable with, rather than expecting them to adhere to a "foreign" user interface with a steep learning curve. As an advisor, my students can take my advice, or leave it. Listen to or ignore me. So that forces me to ask myself, "What can I do to earn their respect and trust?" One way is to participate in their social networks. Not only do I begin to understand how they communicate and what technologies they are comfortable with, but I begin to earn their trust. "He is like us! He is on our side!" This is invaluable and immeasurable. Plus it helps me forget that I'll turn 30 soon :o<br /><br />There is no way I can keep up with technology and trends by myself, so I have to rely on the experts in my social network to keep me informed. If managers and admins feel they can't trust our participation in these social networks then we have to openly question their judgment while making our case with solid evidence. They should recognize our need for flexibility in a tech world that is constantly in flux. If they don't trust our decisions or respect our passion, then why were we hired in the first place?Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-19680459093477846482008-11-15T16:42:00.012-05:002008-11-15T17:29:22.702-05:00Mobile podcasting with utterliI spent the morning finding a way to podcast directly from a mobile phone while covering an event. <a href="http://www.gcast.com/">gcast</a> and <a href="http://www.gabcast.com/">gabcast</a> worked well enough, but both required that I approve the podcasts through the web, which is just not practical.<br /><br />I then found <a href="http://www.utterli.com/">utterli</a> which allowed me to preview, re-record and send pictures from my phone while in the field. During a local <a href="http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/nc-against-h8-to-protest-prop-8-in-raleigh/">Proposition 8 Protest</a>, I managed to make about <a href="http://www.utterli.com/fredeaker">10 short podcasts</a> (~30 seconds), along with 4 pictures. The only problems I encountered were the speed of my phone's menu & dialing, and my lack of journalism skills (had to re-record a couple of times, and was unable to keep up with the names of speakers).<br /><br />I especially liked the fact that <a href="http://www.utterli.com/">utterli</a> will automatically combine your podcast with a picture if you send both within a ten-minute time frame. Knowing this allowed me to plan shots and updates. I was lucky enough to get audio and a picture of a rainbow flag being hoisted at a public building:<br /><br /><object width="450" height="190"><param name="movie" value="http://www.utterli.com/fp/embed_img.swf?1224515937"><param name="flashvars" value="utt_id=ODAzMjgzNg&autoplay=0&wu=NTAxODMxMQ"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.utterli.com/fp/embed_img.swf?1224515937" flashvars="utt_id=ODAzMjgzNg&autoplay=0&wu=NTAxODMxMQ" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="190"></embed></object><br /><br />In addition to the functions I've mentioned, <a href="http://www.utterli.com/">utterli</a> also provides the ability to form <a href="http://www.utterli.com/groups">groups</a> that facilitate ongoing discussions using the system, and <a href="http://www.utterli.com/u/cross_posting">cross-posting</a>, which automatically posts your "utter" to other blogging platforms.<br /><br />I will definitely be recommending this tool to my students. The fact that they could podcast without having to record, convert and upload through a computer gives me hope that they'll be able to embrace this tool and improve their web presence.Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-64646964372541432942008-11-14T13:34:00.005-05:002008-11-14T13:39:24.138-05:00Why use RSS?<p>The following question was posted on the Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc. (<a href="http://www.askcbi.org/">CBI</a>) listserv:</p><blockquote>How do you use RSS feeds? This question has at least two pertinent facets to it: How does your organization use the feeds and how do you expect the feeds to be used on the other end?</blockquote><p><a href="http://wlnc.org/">WKNC</a> uses RSS feeds to promote our Rock Report: <a href="http://wknc.org/rockreport/">http://wknc.org/rockreport/</a></p><p>The Rock Report is a listing of shows at local venues. Many of the bands listed are in rotation at the station. The list is populated by a team of student staff headed by our Promotions Director.</p><p>The purposes of putting this list on the web are to promote local bands and to provide a centralized source of information on local music events. As we fulfill these purposes we provide a service to local bands, venues and listeners.</p><p>By making the Rock Report available through RSS, we allow anyone to subscribe and stayed updated on local events. There is a certain demographic that actually uses RSS feed readers; that demographic is small and has apparently peaked: <a href="http://www.micropersuasion.com/2008/10/rss-adoption-at.html">http://www.micropersuasion.com/2008/10/rss-adoption-at.html</a></p><p>Aside from from this personal use, it is possible for other web sites to republish the Rock Report by parsing our RSS feed and then re-presenting it. Essentially this "opens up" the Rock Report. Someone may ask, "Why would you do this? All your hard work could be republished without credit!" The answer is: it promotes local music, and by doing this we get indirect and intangible benefits.</p><p>Another aspect of RSS feeds is the fact that they can be easily integrated into other applications. For example, we would like to make our play list available through RSS. If other stations did this too, someone could perform an analysis on the aggregate data and identify trends or unique attributes of each station. Or record companies could use it to determine when and where their bands are getting the most air play and promote accordingly. It's actually an interesting way to chart as well. The potential possibilities are limitless. I would argue that this should be the goal: to make your station's information widely available and therefore re-purposable.</p><p>So think of RSS feeds as a way to open up your web site and your station, as a female connector if you will, so that any new web technology that comes along can plug into it and provide unforeseen benefits to your station, listeners and local music scene.</p>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-45204636361934450582008-04-09T10:02:00.004-04:002008-04-09T10:07:11.956-04:00The Online Credibility GapThe Reynolds Journalism Institute and the Associated Press Managing Editors released a report entitled <a href="http://www.apme.com/credibility/online/040808newsrelease.shtml">"Local Readers and the Newsroom: The Online Credibility Gap."</a><br /><br />The report, which is based on a survey given to editors and readers, makes the following conclusions about <i>public reader</i> opinion:<blockquote>... 'verifying information,' 'getting the facts right,' 'correcting mistakes,' and both journalists and users 'taking responsibility for accuracy' should be practiced to support good journalism online.</blockquote><blockquote>... 'journalists joining the conversation online and giving personal views' would be either somewhat or very beneficial to good journalism online...</blockquote><blockquote>... it would be beneficial to good journalism online if journalists (1) 'provide depth by links to content published by other sources,' (2) 'provide depth by providing many layers of content produced by local journalists,' and (3) 'provide depth by providing databases or similar information that users can explore on their own to find answers to their questions' online.</blockquote>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-50447136574178197942008-04-07T10:09:00.006-04:002008-04-07T10:15:27.976-04:00Lukemia Slideshow<a href="http://files.technicianonline.com/Schultz/">http://files.technicianonline.com/Schultz/</a><br /><blockquote>On March 12, one of <a href="http://ncsu.edu/">NCSU</a>'s most prominent student leaders was diagnosed with lukemia. On April 3, 2008, dozens of Nick Shultz's friends showed their support by gathering at a house near campus, bringing food and donations. Some friends even shaved their heads to show their support.</blockquote><a href="http://files.technicianonline.com/Schultz/">http://files.technicianonline.com/Schultz/</a>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-21695147699341139532008-04-04T09:43:00.003-04:002008-04-04T09:52:10.944-04:00Photoshop CS4 will be 64-bit on Windows ONLYJohn Siracusa <a href="http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.ars/2008/04/02/rhapsody-and-blues">writes</a>: "Photoshop CS4 will not be 64-bit on the Mac, but will be 64-bit on Windows."<br /><br />Apparently Apple decided <i>not</i> to continue development of a 64-bit portion of OS X (called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_%28API%29">Carbon</a>) that Photoshop uses. So Adobe will have to develop 64-bit version in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_%28API%29">Cocoa</a>, which is expected to take an extremely long time.<br /><br />"The speed advantage of 64-bit code on Intel's x86_64 processors makes this wait particularly galling. The lack of a 64-bit Photoshop on the Mac doesn't just affect those who work with huge files. It represents a blanket 8-12% speed hit for Mac users when compared with Windows users running Photoshop on the same hardware."<br /><br />How would your student media organization handle this? I think it makes a good case for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallels_Desktop_for_Mac">virtualization</a>, but a real-word test would determine if performance in a virtualized Windows is acceptable.Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-47663392772712979152008-03-17T12:59:00.003-04:002008-03-17T13:07:46.199-04:00Network and Computer Systems AdministrationThe following video was produced by <a href="http://www.futuresinc.com/">Futures Inc.</a>, a company that produces DVDs which feature a brief overview of a particular profession for the benefit of high school seniors. A co-worker and I were interviewed. I am the Systems Adminstrator for <a href="http://ncsu.edu/sma/">NCSU Student Media</a>, while my co-worker is the Chief Engineer for <a href="http://wknc.org/">WKNC 88.1 FM</a>, which operates under Student Media.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvUGcigWKpQ&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvUGcigWKpQ&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-91292978793497353922008-02-27T20:44:00.002-05:002008-02-27T20:51:00.101-05:00A new web paradigm<a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/27/userplane-rebuilds-desktop-product-in-air/">http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/27/userplane-rebuilds-desktop-product-in-air/</a><br /><br />"The Desktop product enables web developers to extend functionality outside of the browser with instant messaging, notifications, advertisements, and other general messages."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">With this type of technology, your web stream listeners should be able to message each other.</span>Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2909249372680197963.post-22357203386909672232008-02-22T09:00:00.001-05:002008-02-22T11:07:29.672-05:00How to Generate Value in the NewsroomKevin Kelly's article entitled, "<a href="http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/01/better_than_fre.php">Better Than Free</a>," lists 8 ways to create value on the Internet. Student newspapers should strive to generate these values in the following ways:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Immediacy</span> - generate value by being the first to publish news. Everything eventually becomes free when distributed on the Internet. However, if your newsroom operation delivers news faster than other sources, that news has more value to readers and decision-makers.</li><p></p><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Personalization</span> - generate value by customizing the reader's experience according to their preferences. A good example of this is <a href="http://news.google.com/">Google News</a> which allows you to completely customize your news reading experience. Readers can decide what news is most important to them (international, national or local; science, business or health) and modify preferences to suit them. Personalization is implemented at the technical level, so it is dependent upon the content management system that powers the newspaper web site.</li><p></p><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Interpretation</span> - generate value by providing a news angle. This may seem to contradict authenticity (see below), but complete objectivity is not absolutely possible. Journalists and their editors should know what is relevant to their audience and provide facts in relation to their interest. <span style="font-style: italic;">In the case of student journalism, this can be one of the most important value generators: <span style="font-weight: bold;">What does the news mean to the students of your campus?</span></span></li><p></p><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Authenticity</span> - generate value by reporting the truth in the most objective way possible. This should be obvious to student journalists. The very <a href="http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles">essence of journalism</a> is truth backed by independence and comprehensive coverage. Applying these principles inherently creates value.</li><p></p><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Accessibility</span> - generate value by allowing your content to be consumed in any format, at any time, on any device. Accessible content is accessed anywhere. A good example of this are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_feed">web feeds</a> such as RSS. In addition, the use of CSS and XML allows uses to view media on different devices by providing alternate layouts for smaller screens, such as the <a href="http://www.iphonehacks.com/2007/08/iphone-websites.html">iPhone</a>.</li><p></p><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Embodiment</span> - generate value by increasing the "richness" of your content. Become continually aware of innovations in technology and how they can be applied to presenting news. An excellent example of this is the recent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_%28web_application_hybrid%29">mashup</a> of Google Maps and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter">Twitter</a>, called <a href="http://twittervision.com/">TwitterVision</a> (don't miss <a href="http://twittervision.com/maps/show_3d">the 3D version</a>!). You could turn this into real-time coverage of your campus during certain events, or just facilitate communication and participation on your campus. What about <a href="http://en.wikinews.org/">WikiNews</a>? Make sure you consult <a href="http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/cheat-sheet-for-multimedia-story-decisions/">Mindy McAdams' multimedia cheat sheet</a> when determining how to cover a story with technology.</li><p></p><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Patronage</span> - generate value by making it easy to pay for your content. If you decide that some portion of your content should be paid for, make it easy for users to do so, but this concept is better applied to advertisers. Ad reps should be familiar enough with your web presence that they can explain options to advertisers to facilitate understanding and a hassle-free exchange.</li><p></p><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Findability</span> - generate value by making your articles easy to find. Look for opportunities and partnerships with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_aggregator">news aggregators</a> and allow your content to be found outside of your own website. Start your own news aggregator for campuses in your area or state.</li></ul>The only constant in web culture is rapid change. Expect these generative values to change over time and be prepared to modify your newsroom work-flow to respond to this change as quickly as possible.Fred Eakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436747828395636097noreply@blogger.com0