Standing Out

Communications job field is growing and there is a demand for Journalist and public relations majors to make themselves stand out from everyone else.  Ask yourself, if you went into an interview today what contributions will you be able to give to that company the next journalist who interviews cant? How is your work better than theirs? Do you have anything that will make you stand out?

Break out of your comfort zone and ask questions and respond to question in an unexpected way. When someone asks you how your day is going, instead of saying “ok, just another day,” give them something to really set yourself apart from everyone else. Saying things like “great, I just covered a huge business meeting downtown and I am on my way to start typing my story.”

As a communications major, while writing my stories or working on projects, I always try to think up topics and ideas that most classmates won’t. If get the feeling someone might cover the same topic I always try to think of what words, phrases and ideas can I take from it to make it stand out.

Personal Branding Helps journalist, Media Professions Stand Out by: Sree Sreenivasian, is an article covering the need for journalist to stand out and promote their brand.  It suggests when writing to make sure your work will always help reflect your personal brand. With more media outlets today than 20 years ago there is a higher competition to get noticed.

“Personal brand” is a name for new ages.  Sreenivasian explains that when teaching the idea about personal branding the older journalist in the crowd tends to get restless with the idea. But the younger journalist knows that their personal brand will have an effect on their future.

Here are the key points Sreenivasian touches

1-      Your brand could be one or more things

2-      Branding will happen if you don’t see it out

3-      Journalist should be crafting and curating their brand on a regular basis

4-      Social Media

Check this article out! I found it very interesting and I think you will too!

http://www.dnainfo.com/20100308/manhattan/personal-branding-helps-journalists-media-professionals-stand-out

Contribute Web Page Final!

Check out this web page that i edited for my final in my Digital Media Class!

C:\Users\581226\Downloads\Contribute Web Page.mht

Final Blog Post- 5 Best Tips For Journalists Use Of Multimedia

  Thanks to Bill Gates the invention of the internet has been a key element for journalists and the journalism industry.  Journalists are now able to report and share their stories in real time and build a name for their selves. 5 media outlets that I think are very useful for journalists are; Facebook and Twitter, Blogs, Photoblogs, Audio, and Video. You don’t have to have to be journalism major to use the multi-media outlets that are available on the internet.  Anyone can create stories and post them on the web for the consumers’ consumption. 

1-    Facebook and Twitter- Having a Facebook and Twitter account is ideal for updating people quickly and efficiently on news, events and trending topics. For those who have a busy schedule this is a way for them to stay caught up on the latest stories.  Facebook and Twitter updates are short, sweet and to the point, just what the viewers’ need. Twitter allows the journalist to give real time updates, normally beating news stations on the latest breaking news. Many news stations have created Facebook and Twitter accounts to keep their views updated as well. For news stations this is ideal because we all know the news only comes on at dedicated times in the morning, afternoon and evening, so this is a way to release news all day long.

·         Here is an article that I found to be helpful, http://mashable.com/2011/07/18/facebook-marketing-journalists/ . In this article it gives journalist helpful hints on how to craft post, and when to post things.  I learned from this article that Facebook has launched “Journalist Pages” to help their brands!

2-  Blogging- Blog stands for “web log”, and is created for share something, which is perfect for a journalist. Think about how journalists reach out to the public, before the internet and blogs, only the best of the best were selected to publish their work onto paper. Now, the aspiring journalist is able to create their own blog to share their information. Blog forums are not limited to anything; someone can create a blog for whatever they wish.  Blogging is like a personal, but public, journal.  

·       In order for a journalist to have a successful blog, they need to bring their skills to the table when creating the blog. Also, they need to make their objective clear and concise. One important element is they must create their blog to stand out from the others. Read this article and it will help you create a top notch blog!

http://ijnet.org/stories/five-tips-blogging-journalism-job-hunters

3-     Photoblogs- These are great for Photo Journalists! They allow journalists to broadcast themselves and their pieces of work (photo’s/photo art). Using Photoblogs allows a journalist to connect and network with other individuals with the same interests and passions. Remember however, a photo is worth a thousand words, and photo journalists can produce a photo that can tell a story without even words. Photoblogs are a great way to get new clients and build a brand online! A great thing about this type of blog is they don’t cost anything to create a photoblog so journalists are the ones profiting in the end!

·         In this Article, 3 Reasons Why You Should Keep A Photoblog,   http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/3-reasons-why-you-should-keep-a-photojournalism-blog_b1274 ,Chris Dunn tells journalists how they can use photoblogs to help other photo journalists and how they can use their blog to post the photos that might have not made it into a news story. He gives another great idea, which is journalists can use their photoblogs as a rough draft for their portfolios!

4-  Audio- Audio Journalism can be used for; news casts, live streams, and online meetings, just to name a few. Journalists are able to record and edit a story using audio and upload them to website such as Pod Bean, to share their information. Many journalists use audio for podcasts as well. A podcast is an online program where reports are recorded and posted. It allows journalists to report live events. One great thing about audio is, if a journalist has a blog, it is very easy to upload and share an audio on their blog. This is ideal for people because they can listen to an audio report on their IPods and MP3 players. I would almost bet that many American’s sit and listen to this type of report while they are workingJ.

·       When journalists and reporters use audio reporting’s they need to think of what details and aspects are going to be the most important to their listeners. Many reporters carry an audio recorder when covering stories and the news stations post them on a podcast placed on their website. This article gives the history and benefits for audio reporting’s! Check it out, you will learn a lot! http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/431789.html

5-  Video- What is video used for? Everything! Video is ideal for broadcast journalists. Recorded video allows journalists to edit their stories and tell their stories how they wish to. Think about news stations, they only have a short amount of time to tell the public about an event. Most of the time they pre-shoot a news story, go back to their story board and edit the video to tell the public what they need to know about the event. Today, You-Tube has been the go to website for finding videos. You-Tube is a great way for journalists to share their videos! Remember, when posting a video to You-Tube, make sure it has a detailed title in order for it to be searchable.

·       This article gives you 10 tips for improving video journalism stories. Remember to show and not tell! http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0904/10-tips-for-dramatically-improving-your-videojournalism-stories.html

Creating Photo Animations

Looking at the picture animation above, try to figure out what the article is about that is associated with this photo.

-Thinking time-

The title of this Article is How can I earn more from cash sitting in brokerage account?

(Here is the article if you interested in reading it- http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/columnist/krantz/story/2011-11-17/cash-sitting-in-brokerage-account/51276920/1 ).

Try another one.

-Thinking time-

The title of this article is- 10 Ways To Lose Your Nest Egg

(Here is the article if you are interested in reading it- http://money.msn.com/retirement-investment/10-ways-to-lose-your-nest-egg ).

When reading a newspaper or surfing on the web, the first thing most people do is look at the photos. .  A single photo and tell the whole story and can make a person interested in reading the rest of the article, without reading the title or lede paragraph first.

There are a number of programs that someone can use to make a photo animation. Two if the programs that my Digital media class used were InDesign and Photoshop. In both programs you can Edit Photos and illustrate photo animations.

I personally favor Photoshop to create my photo animations because it gives you many more options than InDesign and allows you to be more creative.  On the other hand when I am editing photos I prefer InDesign, it allows you to edit your photos more in depth than Photoshop.

Here is the Photo animation that I designed in class.

If I were to recreate this photo animation, I would take out the title of the story

(Here is the article if you are interested in reading it- http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/11/brits-go-nuts-over-possible-duchess-kate-pregnancy--/1 ).

Find a story that you feel can be told me a Photo animation and Photoshop or InDesign away!

Writing a News Report

In an earlier blog post I shared Tips to Writing a Catchy Lede Paragraph, now, I want to build onto that post and give you tips on how to write the rest of your news story.

We already know that the lede is the most important part of the news story. It catches the reader’s eye and makes them interested in reading the rest of the story. The body of the report needs to  support and add onto the details that you have already provided. 

There are 5 important steps to fallow when writing your report:

1)      Plan- Think about the information you have, looking for the most important thing in the story. Rank the events from the most information to the least.

2)      Research- try to find out if any events like the one you’re reporting has happened before or not, if it has what was the impact it produced.

3)      Write- Begin writing your story without making corrections as you go along. Just type.

4)      Read Aloud- Reading aloud will allow you to find the mistakes in your report.  You will also be able to recognize if events needs to be placed in a different order.

5)      Rewrite- With the mistakes that you have found while reading aloud sit down and adjust your story.

6)      Polish- take out any extra words, such as the words that- and correct all typos. It is always helpful to have someone else read your report, or read it aloud to them!

Here is a story that I wrote for my Reporting I class. We were assigned to attend a public meeting and write a news report about it. I attended business session at Kansas City, City Hall over the MLB All-Star game that is scheduled to happen in July 2012. a City Hall meeting in Kansas City.

I have included the report that I turned in, as well as the report that my teacher graded and handed back to me!

Report I turned in - https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzvi_drzIxBkODdhZWQ2NmQtNWE1MS00OWY2LWFhNzEtZDZjYTcxNTFhMzA4

Graded Report - https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzvi_drzIxBkZWZiM2U2NmMtNzliOS00YTQyLWFlZTktMmM3NDYwZTYxYjAy

Photoshop

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzvi_drzIxBkZGI0MGM4ZDctOTVkNi00MDAwLThkMTgtZjJhMDZmZmI4MGQ3

Body Language- Communication Without Words

               Think of a time when you were talking to someone and you could tell by their body language if they are interested in what you were saying, or if they felt like you were wasting their time. Body language someone portrays when they have having a conversation with someone or just simply passing them on the streets often speaks louder than words themselves.

                While interacting with one another we are giving and receiving several wordless signals.  The way you sit, how close you stand to someone, how much eye contact you give each other and the gestures you make play a huge role when you are communicating with someone.  The way someone listens, moves and uses reaction movements like shrugging their shoulders or giving someone a pat on the back, gives off the impression of what kind of person they are. 

               I personally show a lot of non-verbal communication when talking to someone because I talk with my hands. This has gotten me in trouble a time or two. I feel like I can explain things better when I use my hands while communicating.  From time-to-time I catch myself talking with my hands and I pull them down to my lap, which doesn’t last long because I forget about it and start using them again. Recently, I had interview and the day before I was practiced how I was going to explain myself without using my hands. During the interview it didn’t last long because I caught myself multiple times trying to explain something with my hands.

               In order not to get caught up in giving the wrong impression when you are communicating with someone there are a few things you might want to be aware of.  You need to have an emotional self-awareness and an understanding of the cues you are sending. Also, you need to be able to pick up the cues someone is sending you, and how to analyze them so you do not over react to their actions.

                Non Verbal communication needs to be used to reinforce what is being said. While talking to someone take the time to set aside whatever you might be caught up in the moment so those emotions are not showing to the other person and they take it the wrong way.  Let’s say for example a father had just hung up the phone with their teenage daughter and they have fighting with all day. Then a female co-worker comes into his office to talk. His emotions will more than likely be shown through his body language in a bad way because he will be taking out his “female” problem onto this co-worker without even realizing it. When you set aside your emotions just for that quick minute will really help your conversation flow smoothly.

Aveda Journal

 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=12h89WHQpNBcHJuql02cB_VbAC-oGgWuQAdO11QyW4VJQ6snOZAZURkHNVVzr

Tips to writing a catchy lede paragraph

CANCER RESEARCHER AND THE POSIBLE CURE FOR CANCER DIES IN A CAR WRECK

Cancer researcher, Dr. Larry G. Parkville died last in a car wreck on his way to the hospital with what he thought was the cure for cancer. His lifelong research also destroyed in the fiery wreck leaving still no cure for cancer.

CANCER RESEARCHER DIES IN CAR WRECK

Dr. Larry G Parkville died last night in a single car accident.  His wife said he left home in a rush to head to the hospital around 10:30 pm. Parkville dedicated his adult life to researching cancer.

If you walked past news stand and read both of these headlines which one would check your eye and make you more interested in reading the rest of that story?

I personally would keep walking if I saw CANCER RESECHER DIES IN CAR WRECK. In my mind I would think that there are many cancer researches so what made that one so special. On the other hand if I were to glance at CANCER RESEARCHER AND THE POSUBLE CURE FOR CANCER DIES IN A CAR WRECK would make me want to read more. Everyone wants a cure for cancer, and being so close to finding it and then it being taken away is devastating. 

When writing a lede paragraph needs to be short and detailed to grab attention.   It should be NO LONGER THAN 40 WORDS. Also it needs to answer the 5W’s Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Give important details first then smaller details towards the end

Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself when writing a news lede

·         What is most important the thing the reader needs to know

·         What does the reader need to say to tell people what happened/ is happening

Rules to always go by when writing a lede is-> the human damage always comes first, then what happened.

Here is a website that gives ideas about a variety of lede’s for different types of stories! It also includes exercises to sharpen your Lede paragraph skills!

http://cubreporters.org/leads.html

Enjoy!!

OMG where is my Blackberry???

Before e-mailing and texting the only way to communicate with a co-working was by having a telephone conversation or having a face-to-face conversation with them.  Over the years with technology advances personal communication has evolved to electronic communication.  Face-to-face communication was replaced by the telephone, and now telephone communication has been replaced by electronic communication, Via E-mail, Skype, and texting, just to name a few.  

The main electronic communication advance I want to focus on is E-MAIL and TEXTING.

Today I attended Business session, a public meeting in the Kansas City Missouri’s City Hall. I was completely dumbfounded how many people were on their blackberries and Ipads. The mayor of Kansas City was at this meeting and that stopped no one from checking their phones. In this meeting there were 20 people on their blackberries or Ipads and 8 of them were the councilmen/women themselves.  One of them even stood up from the table and answered the phone and stepped out.

Our society is completely wrapped around texting and e-mailing we have lost respect for each others. Why even go to a meeting if the only thing you are going to do is be on your phone.

There are positives and negatives with this communication advancement.

The positives I feel are obvious, it’s easier and fasters.  People are able to have a conversation and receive answers in a matter of minutes. Trying to get ahold of someone in another company might be next to impossible without e-mails.  You don’t have to worry about calling someone until you can get ahold of them, you can just send them an E-mail and wait for them to reply.

The Negative side is what most people choose to ignore, or do not really care about.   The President of Roberts Golden consulting says that “people hide behind their e-mail.”  When sending e-mails you have to be careful of the words that you use in order for it not to be taken out of context. The over use of !!!!! points might mean excitement to you, but come off rude and pushy the e-mail recipient.  

I wonder if for one day NOONE could use their cells phones, how people would function. Think about it!

Here is a great article I found about that goes inside the problem of e-mailing and how is it only hurting communication. http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050901/managing.html

Video communication at its finest

A great way to communicate is to make and post a video. There are many ways videos are used in journalism. Video can be as simple as an interview with the newsmakers or footage of a news event.  There are many different types of videos you can make, just depending on what type of message you are trying to communicate. These videos can be just a simple short film or you can make a documentary video.  What’s great about videos is you can post them on so many different media outlets online and really get your message out to the public

You first need to pick out a video camera. You will want to find a camera that is High Definition; these types of cameras have more megapixels which will give you a better resolution in the detail of your video.  If you are making documentaries for yourself you can purchase a basic point-and-shoot camera.

Next you need to figure out what you want to film and where you want to film it. It’s always good to brain storm ideas of what types of images you want to capture in the clips of your film, make a story board with those images. It will be easier to edit your video once you what message you want to produce with your video.

When shooting a video there are three main rules you should always do!

1.       Ten seconds

ü  Always try to hold the shot you are filming for at least ten seconds, if not more. This is to ensure that you are able to get a good clip out of the ten seconds you shot to put into the video you are making.

2.       Little or NO movement

ü  Let’s face it, no one wants to watch a shaky video. This smallest movement will end up looking like the largest once you watch the video. Always use a tripod while filming. If you don’t have a tripod you can always use the objects around you to balance your camera on. If you have to stand up and film lean against a wall with you arm against it to ensure there will be no movement.

ü  DO NOT pan, moving side to side/ Tilt, moving up and down/ Zoom using the T&W button.

ü  When you zoom the camera in and out you can end up with a blurry image because it will be less pixilated and will look grainy. My professor told the class that the best advice he was given about zooming was either step closer to the object or step backwards.

3.       Getting a Varity of shots

ü  There are three types of shots,

                                                                           i.       wide shots- a full body shot of a person.

                                                                         ii.      Medium shot- from the waist up on a person.

                                                                        iii.      Close-up- just the face of a person

ü  Make sure you have a good variety of wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups.

ü  Close shots are a great way transition shot from your wide to medium shots. Let’s say that you are filming a classroom, you can first film a shot of the class as a whole, then focus just on one person, real close. The close the better, if you are making them feel uncomfortable with how close you are, you are doing a good job.

With your video’s you can create video blogs, and have people fallow and watch your videos you are posting!

Now it’s time for you to get out and start filming, Check out this video I make for my Digital Media class!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmJ5s9GPz14

New Media Lab at Park

I just finished my first audio project for my digital media class!

http://karibovard.podbean.com/

Ventajas de ser bilingüe (Advantages of being Bilingual)

Buenos días, bienvenidos al Hotel Casino & Spa Argosy ¿En qué puedo ayudarle, señor?

 Tengo mis reservas para quedarse esta noche en el hotel.

 ¿Cuál es su nombre y número de teléfono y voy a ser capaz de check-in?

Translation

Good morning, welcome to Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa how may i help you sir?

I have reservations to stay in the hotel tonight.

What is your name and phone number and I will be able to check you in?

            Let’s say the conversation above was between a front desk associate who spoke English as their first language and Spanish as their second language, and a guest checking into the hotel that spoke Spanish as their first language and was still learning English. 

            It’s important that a company has an employee that is bilingual is valuable when communicating with guest. Just think, if none of the front desk associates spoke Spanish, there would have been a language barrier between the guest and employee which would have made it uncomfortable for both of them. We have all been in awkward position were there is tension because you were not able to communicate because of the language barrier. There is a way to never be in that type of situation again, become bilingual!

            Being bilingual is important this day and age. There are many ways to communicate, verbally and non-verbally, but being a good verbal communicator is one of the keys to achievement. I understand if at first you are intimidated to learn another language, just think how good it’s going to look on your resume!

Check out this article in Job Journal!
http://www.jobjournal.com/article_full_text.asp?artid=1194
Tiene un gran día.

Interviewing 101

Interviewing 101

When I think of interviewing the first thing that comes to my mind is interviewing for a new job, which shouldn’t be the case. Interviewing is used for much more than just an interview for a job. Newspaper reporters’ interview people to write their stories, and when we communicate with people we are interviewing each other without even knowing it! Here are some things to consider when you are conducting an interview:

Simple questions- Make sure the person that you are interviewing does not have to ‘decode’ your question. Instead of asking multiple questions all at once, try one simple question and you will be amazed how much more information you will gather.

Open-ended questions- These types of questions will allow the person being interviewed to elaborate on their answers. You will not gather as much information if you only ask questions that give you a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

Conversational questions- Instead of a question and answer interview try to ask a question where their response will allow you to make a conversation. This is a way for them to relax and feel like they are the center of attention. You will be surprised how much information you are able to gather about a person while having a laid back conversation.

Notes- Take as many notes as you can! Try to write down everything that the person is saying. Taking good notes ensures that you will have precise quotes that you can use in your story.

Listen- I cannot express how critical listening is. You will miss out on a lot of valuable information if you are not fully consumed in what the person is saying.

Research- Conduct research before and after interviews, it will help you understand the situation or person you are interviewing.

Ready. Set. Interview! Now that you are more confident in interviewing go interview someone, even if it’s a friend!

I have posted a link that will also help improve your interviewing skills.

http://www.metrostate.edu/msweb/resources/academic_ss/cae/writing_center/clues/interview_report.html