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Extra Credit

To all future JRN 225 students, I have a couple tips for you. Multimedia journalism was a great way to learn about the different types of news outlets available to news organizations. You will learn a lot of things about Twitter and Instagram, along with a couple of other social media sites. Not only will you learn how to post effectively about news, you will learn how html coding, linking and blog posting works. 

[The photo above was taken by Meghan Cole]

Here are a few tips on how to be successful:

Tweet A LOT! When you do, make sure its journalism appropriate and hashtag #JRN225.

Do the rewrites right after you get feedback. You will forget to do them, or they will start to add up and with all the snow storms (trust me there will be some) it will pile up and become overwhelming in the end.

This is not an advertising class. It was kind of difficult for me to separate the two. I don't find news writing fun, so I didn't always have the right idea in mind when it came to the assignments.

Don't underestimate any of the assignments. The assignments seem easy but they take a lot of work and preparation. You need to find and communicate with sources, set up interviews and think about what unique angle you want to approach the task in.

Go to class. I missed two days of class and I felt so behind because of it. Usually we go over the next assignment in depth almost every class, and you will need that information if you want a good grade!

Participation is a pretty big deal. Although I had a lot of thoughts during this class, I am an extremely shy person depending on my environment. If you are too, I suggest trying to break out of your shell and add a little of your opinions to the group discussions.

Although I knew I didn't like news writing or writing for social media to begin with, I definitely have grown to respect the journalists who do this type of journalism. It is much harder than most people think. Overall, Professor Gil is a very educated and understanding professor. You will learn a lot of new things and with these tips you should come out with an A...Good luck!

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Reporting Project: Aggregation

The Day of Service Benefits Students

The seventh annual Day of Service was the biggest one yet said Salvatore Rizza, Associate Director of Student Life.

“Last year, we had approximately 600 students participate,” said Rizza. “This year, we had 867 students registered.”

One of the primary goals of the Day of Service is to introduce a large group of students to the value of service and civic engagement said Rizza.

“The hope is that by participating in this one-day service project, students will seek additional service opportunities in their personal lives and at the university,” Rizza said. “Based on the increased participation in all of our service events over the years, we seem to be making an impact on the desire for more service opportunities.”

[The 7th annual Day of Service. Photo Credit to Public Affairs Staff Photographer: Isabel Chenoweth-SCSU website] 

Rizza said students are provided with chances to make a difference, benefit from volunteering and gain experiences that will last a lifetime. 

“Students benefit from the experience of participating in service, networking with their peers and learning how service is a vital part of being a good citizen,” Rizza said.

The Day of Service Benefits SCSU

According to Rizza, Southern Connecticut State University benefits from the Day of Service just as much as the students.

“The university benefits from building relationships with community partners, making a positive impact on the community, having students learn the value of good citizenship and social responsibility, and, ultimately, offering them lessons that will help them become valuable and positive members of the local, national and global community,’ said Rizza.

The Reward

There is a group at Southern Connecticut State University called the service team, which is a group on campus who focuses on community service and coordinates events like the Day of Service. 

According to Annette Hailer, the commissioner of the service team, there were a couple of differences from past Day of Service events.

“We incorporated a few special treats for participants when they came back from volunteering,” Hailer said. “We wanted everyone to know how much his or her help was appreciated.”

Although students don’t get paid for good behavior, Hailer said that many enjoy it.

“Most volunteers say they enjoy it very much,” Hailer said. “It gives them the opportunity to bond with their friends, class, or organization while helping the community at the same time.”

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Analyzing Instagram as an Outlet for News Organizations

Time is Money

After several weeks using Instagram as an outlet for news, I've realized that one of the main reasons people use Instagram to get their news is because it is convenient and fast. 

With the invention of Smartphones and social media sites on the Internet, many people find comfort in knowing they have an easy and fast way to access their news. 

I have noticed that many people rely on their phones for almost everything. 

While sitting in traffic, at work, or lying in bed, clicking on an app such as Instagram, is a much more convenient way to access news than to put life on pause to go out and pay for the local newspaper or magazine. Through my own experiment at SCSU, 8 out of the 10 students I interviewed admitted to accessing their news via social media. The pie chart below shows the results of 10 students interviewed. They were able to pick more than one way they access their news.

[Photo to the right screen shotted and created by Meghan Cole]

Since apps like Instagram are so convenient and easy to access, it may be a wise news outlet to consider.

Although, through my own experience, I've noticed that many people just scroll past videos or don't even recognize the Instagram account at all. 

The Pros of Instagram for News Organizations

Mark Briggs brings up how the daily use of technology can ultimately connect you to a wealth of information and large groups of people in Chapter 9 of Journalism NEXT.

Briggs states, “It is the journalist’s responsibility to tap into technology to increase productivity.”

According to Andrew Phelps, staff writer at the Nieman Journalism Lab, "The Journal assigned nine reporters to Fashion Week and sent them into the field with iPhones, Instagram accounts, and orders to file as many photos as possible. Posting photos on the two services reached an audience far beyond typical Journal readers." 

[The picture below was taken by Nieman Reports]

Instagram is great way to categorize our stories and keep the reader satisfied.

Instead of flipping through the paper trying to find what he or she wants to read or is interested in reading in our print newspaper, Instagram can provide our readers with a short clip and description so he or she can decide to read it or keep looking.

This gives our news organization the opportunity to keep our readers engaged in our stories and not get overwhelmed or bombarded with too much information at one time.

The Cons of Instagram for News Organizations

During my class experiment using Instagram as a news outlet, nobody from SCSU followed the account, even though it was a public account with a picture that was taken on campus and a bio that explained what the account was. 

[Picture to the right was screen shotted by Meghan Cole]

As you can see from the screen shot on the right, after months of posting campus related news stories on Instagram, only 19 people followed the account. 

Over half of the people who followed the account were students in the class and one was the professor. 

This experiment was disappointing but at least it proves how much people skip past 15 second videos and are uninterested in the stories that are posted. 

My observation proves that many people don't realize Instagram can be used as an outlet to get news. 

Instead, most people view it as an outlet to take personal pictures like "selfies," what they ate for lunch, or their dog. 

According to a Pew Research study, "about eight-in-ten Millennials (81%) know what a selfie is, and 55% have shared a selfie on a photo sharing or social networking site such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat." 

Through my own experience using Instagram as an outlet for news organizations, I’ve realized that there are many reasons why it shouldn’t be used:

It’s easy to get the point across but is not meant to have enough time or space to get people interested in it.

Although Instagram can provide URL’s, it does not allow the submission of direct links to get the full story.

A lot of people just skim by it.

No one follows the site unless you are a very known company or if you advertise it.

Phelps provides the perfect example to support my observation on how no one follows the site unless you are a very known company or if you advertise is.

Fashion staff reporter, Elizabeth Holmes had a different experience using Instagram as an outlet for her news organization, but she increased in followers most while reporting updates at a very popular news topic—New York Fashion Week. 

According to Phelps, “One of the fashion reporters, Elizabeth Holmes — she’s super active on Twitter and Instagram and social media — and what she said is that she’s always gotten a really big boost in followers during Fashion Week, and that people will tell her that they didn’t realize that the Journal covered fashion,” Steel told me. “That’s also kind of the idea with Pinterest…It’s a cool way to expose the Journal’s content to some people who might not know about it.”

The Limitations of Instagram as an outlet for News Organizations

In my opinion and from my own experience first-hand, there are other social media outlets that would better benefit a weekly newspaper rather than Instagram.

I do believe Instagram should be used with some limitations.

I believe the weekly newspaper should consider using Instagram for more of advertising purposes to advertise themselves, get their company more known to the public and to advertise their stories.

It should not be used every hour or for every story. Instead, our news organization should use Instagram to organize and categorize stories to our audience.

For example, our weekly newspaper is made up of several news topics ranging from entertainment to breaking news to sports, etc.

Our organization should pick one story from each topic of the paper each week and post that one story.

These should be stories that seem most appealing and/or unique regarding the type of section the story is a part of.

These Instagram posts should have a compelling and eye-catching photo or clip with a couple short sentences and a link that will let the reader know there is more to the story and more stories per section if he or she is interested in reading more.

Since many people just skim past videos on Instagram, it should always be a picture unless the description is not understandable without a video.

This way, using Instagram will advertise the company and get more publicity. Those who strictly use social media will get the story as well as those who still rely on a conventional way to access their news.

I hope you find my prior knowledge and hands-on experience helpful in deciding whether Instagram is an effective outlet for this news organization. 

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SCSU hopes to attract more students by building new, high-tech and appealing buildings that will encourage students to reach academic success and motivate others to enroll in the school. #JRN225 #hootscoop Video & Photo Credit: Meghan Cole

Background Reporting

The new science building is a state-of-the-art brick and glass structure that will be a centerpiece on campus—a signature—and will inspire students every day, said Steven Breese, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

“Nothing inspires and instructs more profoundly than great art and architecture,” said Breese. “It is a critical addition that will strengthen our University, adding strength to what is already strong and helping us build a more skilled, talented and able workforce for our region, our state and our nation.”

The new science building was not only built to strengthen the University but to attract more undergraduate students as well, particularly students interested in science, according to Breese and Jacquelynn Garofano, a senior engineer and research scientist with United Technologies. 

“I strongly believe that these additions will only strengthen the university enrollment and the caliber of the students graduating,” said Garofano. “I’ve heard many people say that seeing these additions makes them want to go back to school.”

The idea to build a new library came up over 10 years ago and it was part of the Master Plan for Facilities, according to Christina Baum, director of library services at Buley.

“There will be more study spaces and students will be able to study 24/7,” Baum said. “The Learning Commons will be like a ‘one-stop-shop’ for students with the new combined services.”

Although the equipment will not be part of the construction project, there are several assets to the new library, according to Baum. She mentioned a cafe, 24-hour study area, more group study places, etc.

The parking garage was another way to keep excited about the future advancements at SCSU. Yet, according to five SCSU students and a "Full-parking garage" sign yesterday, SCSU needs to consider a lot more than just one new parking garage.

#jrn225 #hootscoop

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5 shot sequence #hootscoop #jrn225 Video Credit: Meghan Cole

#jrn225 #hootscoop

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Data Visualization

[My embed wasn't working so I took a screenshot. Most times, this shows up for a day or two and then doesn't work. I don't know why.]

My Instagram Post

In the picture above, I chose to interview SCSU students (male and female) to get the average weight gain statistics as a freshman at SCSU.

I hear a lot of students talk about how hard it is to maintain their weight because of the dining services offered here at SCSU and thought it would be interesting to do a data visualization based on the average weight gain as a freshman of students from 2010-2013.

In other words, I interviewed seniors (2010), juniors (2011), sophomores (2012) and freshman (2013) about their freshman weight gain experiences.

The News Hook

According to SCSU students, the average weight gain as a freshman has decreased in 2012 and 2013 for both male and female students.

The Questions

Why was weight gain so high in 2010 and 2011?

Why is the male weight gain average lower than the females weight gain average?

Could the decrease in weight gain in 2012 and 2013 be from the new incorporated healthy food choices at SCSU's dining services?

My Sources

I was able to talk get in contact with the Staff Residential Dining Office and talked to Elaine Cozzi, the controller of Chartwell.

I surveyed various SCSU students along with Larry Luizzi, sous chef for Conn. Hall and Pulse Dining Market.

Lastly, I spoke to Doreen Kordorsky, nutritionist of Health Services about the new "Healthy Picks at Conn. Hall."

The Background on the Data

According to Cozzi, Luizzi and Kordorsky, over the years, all of the dining services on campus have been trying to incorporate more healthy food choices.

Healthy foods hasn't been much of a concern until 2012 and this year "Healthy Picks at Conn. hall was designed by the University Nutritionist in cooperation with the Health and Wellness Center, the Fitness Center and Chartwells, to help you make healthier food choices," according to SCSU's website.

Kordorsky also tried to help students by putting together a healthy guide to lose weight.

When interviewing Christopher Hazelton, a Senior Education major, he said he feels that the male weight gain average is lower because many males tend to gain their weight in muscle, not fat.

Hazelton said, "Many of my friends go to the gym and lift weights. I'm not saying females aren't in tuned with their bodies in that way, but I do think they are less likely to gain muscle."

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Person on the Street

The Transition

The transition between student-athlete and regular student is a tough one that seems to be overlooked by many.

I interviewed five retired student-athletes at Southern Connecticut State University and asked their opinions on how difficult the transition from student-athlete to regular student over the past couple months has been.

Most had agreed that staying in shape and managing their time were two of their most difficult challenges.

According to Life After Sport: Athletic Career Transition and Transferable Skills,"Because athletes spend much of their time dedicated to their sport at an early age, this creates a situation in which time has not been allocated to acquiring interests in other areas," Brewer said.

A lot of the retired student-athletes also believe that playing a sport helped them develop transferable skills that they could apply to their daily lives outside of the sport.

Mayocchi and Hanrahan believed that in athletics, transferable skills are those acquired through sport that can be applied to other areas of an athlete’s life and to other non-sport careers.

Examples of these transferable skills are adaptability, flexibility, dedication, perseverance, patience, self-motivation, the ability to perform well under pressure, meeting deadlines, over coming challenges, and setting goals.

Meet Bailey Brumbach

When asked what the biggest change was regarding the fact she was no longer a student-athlete the 22 year-old journalism major said:

"The freedom-filling time used to never be an issue and now I find myself working out at the gym constantly to fill the void," said Brumbach. "I've also been shifting my focus from balancing school as a collegiate athlete to re-creating myself a a career-driven woman, and soon to be recent graduate."

She mentioned that she has recreated herself, and she's put all her passion and energy into her career.

Meet Christopher Hazelton

When Hazelton, 24, was asked what his biggest transition was he replied:

"I would say that the biggest transition since ending my career as a Southern athlete is having a lot more time to focus on studies and other things in life."

"I don't know if the transition has been hard into non-athletics, but I'll say that the big adjustment I've had to make is to not waste time," Hazelton said.

He voiced his opinion about how big the commitment is to play a college sport and how hard it is to fill time with productive things now that he isn't playing a college sport.

Meet Deni Morgan

Morgan, 22, said "Being able to control my schedule is the most drastic change but it's nice not having to make sure I'm at practice on time or make enough time to study at night."

Morgan mentioned that she missed seeing all her teammates everyday and spending time with people that she never would've became so close with without gymnastics.

Meet Brianna Ecklof

Ecklof, a psychology major from Howell, NJ said, "The biggest change is having so much time on my hands."

"I make sure I go to the gym everyday and work the muscles that I would when I did gymnastics," said Ecklof. "Not only do I make sure I go to the gym, but I also watch what I eat and try to eat as healthy as possible."

She added that the transformation wasn't hard for her, but instead creates a struggle with being lazy and putting off schoolwork.

Meet Rebecca Brady

"The transformation has not been that hard. My sport forced me to be a more rounded person and without it I feel that I am sometimes lazy with nothing pushing me to be focused," said Brady, the public health major.

"Now, I think I focus more on how I take care of my body and how I eat because it is not a natural part of my day anymore so I really have to concentrate on it," Brady said.

She ended the interview saying how blessed she was that participating in a college sport has given her friendships she will keep forever.

Why should you care?

It is important for the Southern Connecticut State University community to realize that motivation, hard work and dedication stems from an activity you are passionate about, which doesn't have to be a sport.

Students are the creators of their own destiny and hopefully these interviews will open the eyes of those who are wasting time and will help those who are going through a tough transition.

Journalism NEXT

Journalism is rapidly changing from print to video, from newspaper to app, etc. Instagram is an effective tool that most news organizations use to get their news out to the public.

In Chapter eight, Briggs mentions how a journalists job is to ask questions and that learning effective video interviewing can create all the difference in your stories outcome.

This is why it is important to find the right place, people and lighting before posting your Instagram post. You want everybody to feel comfortable in the situation.

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Journalism On Instagram

Instagram for Social Media Purposes

The use of Instagram by news organizations over the past couple years has entered the millions.

Over the years, Instagram transformed into a visual way of communication between news organization and the public by utilizing pictures/clips and short messages.

This way, an organization can focus a picture or clip on a targeted audience; giving the audience the choice to seek further information on the story. This method seems to be more straightforward and appealing to an audience.

There are five marketing strategies while using Instagram:

Use Instagram profiles to reach a wider audience

Create engagement with contests

Reward followers with promo codes

Feature your customers

Get more interest in your events

Different News Organizations Approaches

Different news organizations take different approaches in which they utilize Instagram.

NBC News is the most popular news organization on Instagram today, with a total of over 387k followers.

The Wall Street Journal happens to be close behind with a total of 109k followers.

[Picture was screen shotted by Meghan Cole] The two organizations have similarities and differences in the way they communicate with their audiences.

For example, The Wall Street Journal uses crowdsourcing by letting them use the hashtag #wsj to share photos with them.

NBC News on the other hand post their own stories that link to stories with more information.

Ultimately, these links send the public to their website, newspaper article and/or blog post.

The two organizations are similar in their format. They post a picture or short clip with a short description, generally summarizing what the visual is about.

Utilizing Instagram in this way allows for frequent daily or even hourly posts on various topics of public interest.

According to Briggs, if you keep your posts short, you can easily add at least five or six a week.

This can be a very efficient and successful way to communicate rapidly with the public.

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Student Survey

Accessing News

There are many ways to access news through different mediums. Some news outlets are known to be modern and some tend to be more old-school.

At Southern, the population of students typically ranges from the ages of 18-24. That could be one of the main reasons why 9 out of 10 students interviewed admitted to accessing their news via social media.

To the right is a pie chart of the most popular ways to access news. The students surveyed were all Southern students.

[Photo taken by Meghan Cole]

As the pie chart shows, 9 out of 10 students prefer to access news through some sort of social media. Radio and television were equally utilized by 4 out of 10 students and Radio was utilized by one student (the students could pick more than one news medium).

This supports Amy Mitchell and Tom Rosentiel's claim that "At the moment, Facebook and, to a lesser extent, Twitter, dominate this intersection of social media and news."

Favorite News Topics

There are many different topics that news reporters can cover. Sometimes this is hard because we want to aim to make the least popular topics more appealing.

Favored Topics:

9 out of 10 students are interested in sports news

5 out of 10 students are interested in entertainment news

3 out of 10 students are interested in local news

2 out of 10 students are interested in political news

2 out of 10 students are interested in national news.

Types of News

According to all students, the most appealing types of news are the types that are easy to access.

What is interesting is the way the different types of media connect to the reasons people choose these types of mediums.

For Example, people who access TV and newspapers to get their news tend to like a more conventional approach (paper and television) and people who access their news through social media tend to like a more digital form of news (websites and apps).

According to Briggs in Chapter 3, newspapers continue to tap the power of the crowd and print can still be a powerful tool.

How Often?

It is important to start utilizing tools around you to access news so you can start or continue to become educated with what is going on around you.

News keeps you updated and witty, but it is up to you how much is enough. Do you want to know what's going on hourly, daily, weekly or just not at all?

Many students are on the right track:

6 out of 10 students receive their news daily

4 out of 10 students receive their news weekly

1 out of 10 students receives his news both hourly and daily

Desires for a News Organization

Out of 10 Southern students, half said they would be interested in my groups news organization and half said they wouldn't be.

This is where there becomes an issue because some people are into conventional types of news and others are interested in digital types of news.

My group agreed to invest some time and effort into making touch-screen monitors located in the tables of the Student Center.

These monitors would have six different news categories and a live twitter feed along side. This way, students could easily access various news topics of their choice that informed them about on campus and local activities.

My group and I thought this would be an updated form of technology that would interest students as they ate or casually with friends at a table.

According to Jennifer Rochefort, more people would be more likely to use those rather than picking up a newspaper and reading it. For example, because our generation prefers electronics and technology over old-fashioned paper items.

Another student claimed that it would be a fast and easy way to find out more about events going on because Southern doesn't do a very good job promoting those types of things.

On the other hand, according to Eric Urbanowitz, while it would facilitate the way people receive news around campus, it could also turn other forms of media obsolete.

Urbanowitz thought there would be no use for the Southern Newspaper as news would be covered by these touch screens. Same with Southern TV, as well as some of the shows on WSIN as most students seem to watch or listen to it for the news and other campus functions.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to please every student on every level, but we can take these factors into consideration while maintaining an obtainable and reachable goal.

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Social Media Manager

Social Media Manager

The Social Media Manager must be available for a full-time position, working 30+ hours a week. This position requires a signed contract for 6-18 months of employment with our company in Bristol, CT. This position also has the potential to become a permanent position.

The Description

The Social Media Manager will be expected and responsible for the daily social media posts that the company utilizes to communicate the news to the public.

Responsibilities

The Social Media Manager must be efficient under pressure and deadlines, have great communication and writing skills, must be familiar with social media firms and be well-educated with different types of computer software (Mac, Microsoft, etc.).

[Picture is from Sean MacEntee from Creative Commons]

Some of these social media firms include:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Wordpress and/or Tumblr

Youtube

Pinterest

Other responsibilities are to:

Manage posting strategies and editorial calendars around daily publishing of content on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and future social platforms.

Drive audience to increased awareness and usage, and develop innovative tactics that increase brand loyalty and content consumption.

Work with Studio and Event Production to create social awareness and engagement and by monitoring and communicating social trends, hash-tags, and relevant metrics to feature on-air.

Play a lead role within the company to provide insights and real-world findings to other brands and lines of business.

Manage an event social media team to support social initiatives and content generation and distribution during various events (sports, news, education, weather, etc.).

Research new social media platforms and technology, report findings, and determine potential use.

Job Requirements

A Social Media Manager must have these basic qualifications:

Minimum 3 years of with demonstrated expertise with social media platforms associated with a well-known brand.

A general understanding of basic communication, writing and computer skills.

An ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.

A growing passion for reporting news truthfully to the public audience.

Ability to present information in front of small and large businesses and share ideas with executives in an effective way.

There are also some preferred qualifications. These qualifications are having the ability to work with MAC devices, photoshop and have a high interest in Pinterest.

The importance of Social Media today

According to Nieman Reports, "bringing our journalistic values to these environments that have captured the imagination of millions is one of the most promising ways we have of serving that interest."

Furthermore, Briggs brings up how the daily use of technology can ultimately connect you to a wealth of information and large groups of people in Chapter 9. He believes that it is the journalists responsibility to tap into technology to increase productivity.

Ready or Not?

At the moment, I feel like I am learning more about journalism everyday. I am in the process of beginning to learn how to utilize the technology quickly and efficiently to my advantage.

I do not feel like I am quite ready for this job description today, but I am working towards it. Although I don't have a minimum of three years experience, I am learning something new and growing along with the industry everyday, which I feel to be a very important piece to the puzzle.

However, I feel I am very close for only having a years experience. I am starting to blog and tweet almost twice every week about something "news-worthy" and have the writing and communication skills I need to succeed in this industry.

For now, it is about getting more familiar with blogging and thinking of creative ways to get news to people on social media. In order to be qualified for this type of position, I see a lot more tweeting, links, pictures, videos, interviews, and photoshop in my future.

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Digital Media Tools

ESPN

The news organization I've been observing over the past week is ESPN. ESPN was launched and founded on July 14, 1978. ESPN's main headquarters is in Bristol, Conn.

[To the right is a screen shot by Meghan Cole]

People can read ESPN stories through various avenues. It is available via Internet, mobile, apps and print.

ESPN provides comprehensive sports coverage and supplies information, scores, pictures, links, recaps and videos.

It also releases stories for national associations, fantasy leagues, college football and basketball and other sports.

National Associated sports coverage consists of:

The NBA

The NFL

The MLB

The NHL

Additional scoring is updated for these sports as well:

College Football

College Basketball

Soccer

NASCAR

Other sports that you can get information on are racing, golf, tennis, boxing, MMA, recruiting and Olympic sports. There are also different polls, chats, profiles and groups along with a plethora of social media sites for the fans to interact and follow along with ESPN.

Format and Layout

ESPN changes its layout frequently. It updates the colors, graphics, links and sports stories on a daily basis.

Through different social media outlets, ESPN gives their fans an opportunity to see what is happening with updated videos. They replace the videos when a new event takes place.

ESPN is available in different editions in numerous countries and cities.

There is editions in the USA, Spanish, Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

There are also editions in these cities:

Boston

Chicago

Dallas

Los Angeles

New York

The editions for the different countries also have editions for their designated cities as well.

Social Media

ESPN has accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

"90% of organizations maintain social media profiles," says Steve Brunette, director of Product Management, Edgewood. "Failing to have a social media presence for your organization can put you at a significant disadvantage."

Luckily, ESPN has tweeted over 8,687 times and has over 56.7 K followers on Twitter.

At the beginning of the week, ESPN's Facebook page had 9,920,537 likes and now has over 10,030,863 likes.

[To the left is a picture via screen shot by Meghan Cole]

ESPN's Instagram posts personal action photos like the one to the left. Posting these action shots via Instagram lets the fans know that there is always somebody present at the events and makes the organization more reliable.

ESPN posts and shares the majority of their stories on all of their social media sites simultaneously. They also provide links to other ESPN social media sites, advertising one another.

ESPN is such a large organization that it can't always communicate with it's followers but they try their best to satisfy them in other ways.

They post hourly updates of different sports highlights. The posts are constant with a humorous or meaningful teaser before the link, picture, video, etc.

According to Briggs in Journalism Next, adding links to social media is important because link journalism becomes readers need to be shown the background material that it being used in reporting a beat or a story.

ESPN uses clever, catchy and relatable teasers to get more fans to "share" their stories.

During the Super Bowl, ESPN told their fans to "share" a picture of either the Seattle Seahawks or Denver Broncos if they felt one was more entitled to win.

[Picture on left and right via screen shot by Meghan Cole]

They also did the same thing on Twitter, telling their fans to "retweet" one of the pictures based on the fans' personal opinions. With each "retweet" ESPN started to become more publicized.

At the beginning of the week, the cover photos on Twitter and Facebook were of the Super Bowl and just recently changed to fans holding up signs.

This shows that the organization updates and pays attention to past and present events and social media on a daily basis.

Overall, ESPN takes full advantage of the technology around them as ways to communicate with their fans. Today, to realize that most of the world revolves around social media is crucial for an organizations success.

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Twitter Scavenger Hunt

Governor Christie Bridge Scandel

Republic Governor for New Jersey, Chris Christie, is allegedly accused of the knowledge of the lane closure of the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 9, 2013.

According to tweets by NJ NYC News, the state legislative committee is investigating whether Christie flew in a State Police helicopter over Fort Lee last year.

The source of this tweet is NJ NYC News, covering news from Northeastern NJ and NYC. The account has tweeted 151K times and has 1,493 followers. Topics range from all different types of breaking news stories in these local areas with photos and links to other news stories, usually posted by the NY Times or NJ.com.

I would not use this account in my story. Although it has links to trustworthy news sources like the NY Times, they seem like they "over-tweet" and are only following 1 person. For an account that posts over 151K times, you'd think they would be following other news organizations or be more active on twitter.

School's Closing in Connecticut

On Feb. 4, there were four universities that closed for the snow storm besides one, Quinnipiac University.

This tweet is from a regular citizen by the name of Ryan Miller. He tweeted this on Feb. 4, 2014 in Hamden, CT. He attends Quinnipiac University and has tweeted 1,268 times.

You could see this story in a news organization. Although it is not a story, it is a good idea for a story. I could check out why Quinnipiac didn't close, how many complaints they got, and how unsafe the university was. I could compare this to times where they didn't close in the past compared to other schools and try to link it to a valid reason.

Restaurant to be on Valentines Day

G-Zen Restaurant in Branford, CT ranks top 10 as one of the most romantic vegan restaurants.

G-Zen is number 7 out of "The 24 Most Romantic Vegan Restaurants in the US."

This is the official twitter account for G-Zen Vegan Restaurant. It is voted top 10 best vegan restaurant in America by Shape Magazine. They have tweeted 2,334 times and tweet about specials, promotions and different vegan foods.

I would use this tweet in my story because being ranked in the top 10 for the best vegan restaurant in the world is a great accomplishment. This would be news worthy and make people want to try its food. This is also great for "vegans" because it is hard to find a great restaurant that has vegan food.

Car Crash in Connecticut

On Saturday, a drone was found after a fatal car accident in Hartford, Conn.

Police are investigating why the drone was present in the scene of the car accident.

This was a regular citizen reporting about the unusual drone at the scene of a fatal car crash. His name is William Engroff from Trenton, NJ. He has tweeted 4,347 times.

I would not use this tweet in my story because he does not put enough information to provide evidence for this "drone." All he provides is a link to a story by "TheBlaze.com" that also doesn't seem reliable. Although not reliable, it is still interesting information that is worth looking into for a solid story. I just wouldn't trust someone from NJ tweeting about something that happened in Hartford, Conn.

[colem0511]

User Submitted Content

The Policy

Allowing user submitted content could be very dangerous to a business or organization in many ways. Sure, it is nice that your audience has an opinion and is willing to respond to the work you've put into a story, but it's not always good to depend on your audience to be a part in your story.

Some of the risk factors of user submitted content may include:

A copyrighted or unattributed photo or phrase

An irrelevant source or reference

A false story or a misinterpreted story that could cause a rumor

With that being said, the policy I would implement would be one that allows user submitted content in comments underneath the proper and trustworthy document only.

The Comments Section

A comment section would be left underneath the written document for the readers and/or viewers to add their thoughts about the topic being discussed like the picture below. This is an example of how Youtube allows it's viewers to add their own personal comments.

[This picture was screen shotted by Meghan Cole]

The Huffington Post also allows it's readers to comment under it's published stories. This way, there wouldn't be any way my business or organization would be responsible for unreliable information.

Journalists Job

It is a journalists job to provide concise and accurate information to the public. Using user submitted content can alter these goals.

There are guidelines for user-generated content according to RTDNA. RTDNA suggests questions that should be asked before airing or publishing user-generated content.

On the other hand, user submitted content could be very appropriate. According to Briggs in Journalism Next, "these new digital tools bring journalists closer to readers, and readers closer to journalism by removing barriers to conversation."

This is where we have to decide whether or not it is worth the risk, and if it is worth the risk, what actions can we take to make sure the information that is leaked is the most accurate it can be?

Before a journalist submits a document to the public, he or she should do the research on the picture or video. There are some ways to do this with the advanced technology we have today.

"Inside the BBC's Verification Hub"mentions two tools journalists can use to backtrack a picture and/or video to make sure it is attributed accurately and fits well with the story at hand. One of the suggestions was Google advanced picture search, and the other was a website called Tineye.

With the help of these tools and some phone calls, journalists can protect their reliability and ensure their readers they are reading the most up to date and accurate story.

Nieman Reports

"Inside the BBC's Verification Hub" shares some examples of when user submitted content jeopardized different journalists representations. It is important to be a trustworthy journalist because people want to know the truth.

For example, on May 27, 2012, there was a photo uploaded onto BBC's homepage that was supposed to be evidence to a massacre in Houla, Syria. The picture had several deceased bodies lying in rows. It turned out that after they did the proper research, this picture wasn't even taken in Syria. Instead, the picture was taken in Iraq in 2003, said the original source.

Rumors are started everyday with the daily access of technology and sometimes it is almost impossible to keep up with it. It is up to the organization whether they want to do the extra homework, moderate or eliminate user submitted content all together.

[colem0511]

#TwitterlessMeg

I have finally created a Twitter account so I can keep up with all the latest stories, updates and gossip about social media.

[To the left is a picture of my twitter page taken by Meghan Cole]

The world of journalism is changing rapidly, and we must adapt to those changes if we want to succeed in this industry.

"It has been said that technology can become effective only when we start taking it for granted," according to Mark Briggs. "Our society has reached that point with e-mail and Web browsing, which enable us to connect with one another and connect with information easily and constantly."

In creating a Twitter and following five major multimedia accounts, I have taken a baby step towards journalism success.

There are some great social media people to follow on Twitter, and I'm certain I've started to follow some of the best social media twitter accounts out there.

SocialMedia @mashsocialmedia-They post about the latest in social media, plus tips on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Vine, Foursquare and more.

Nielsen SocialGuide @Social_Guide-They are the leading provider of social TV measurement, analytics and audience engagement solutions. 

Social Media Week @socialmediaweek-They make progress in regards to how humanity and technology come together; located in NYC.

Jennifer Preston @JenniferPreston-She's a staff reporter for NYT's @thelede and first social media editor for the NYTimes.

David Carr @Carr2n-He works for the Media Equation column, blogs and covers pop culture at NYTimes.

[colem0511]

Teasers

Murder of a NYC Police Officer results in a drunken sailor hanged. http://colem0511.tumblr.com/post/74276121791/sailor-hanged-for-murder-of-innocent-new-york-city New technology and thinking could be a reason to be more creative. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/business/smallbusiness/with-new-thinking-and-technology-some-businesses-get-creative-with-pricing.html?ref=business After injuring an officer, suspect gets caught in Vermont while trying to flee the country. http://www.courant.com/community/new-britain/hc-new-britain-crash-0121-20140120,0,3009864.story Middletown Irish step dancer works excessive hours and takes dedicated measures to maintain her international ranking. http://thesouthernnews.org/2014/01/17/a-southern-students-passion-for-irish-step-dancing/

[colem0511]

Sailor hanged for murder of New York City Police Officer

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Joseph Clark was hanged for the murder of fourth ward policeman George T. Gillespie on Nov. 21, 1851.

Judge J. Mitchell had plans to pursue the hanging of Clark after he convicted Clark of murder in the New City Hall on Sept. 29, 1851.

Along with Clark, Ellen Doyle, Michael Mulvey and James Sullivan were also sentenced.

Clark was nearly opposite 68 Oliver St., along with seven or eight noisy sailors about to fight on July 10, 1851, according to Michael Sullivan.

[To the left is a photo of NYC Police Officer George T. Gillespie]

Two Police Officers, including Gillespie, were on patrol duty at the corner of Cherry and Oliver streets when they heard the noisy sailors.

Witnesses John D. Brown and Sullivan said Clark came up and struck him on the head in a violent blow with a heavy metal piece, of the length of about four feet and a thickness of a man's arm.

According to Judge Mitchell, Clark was drunk during the murders.

"The person whom you slew was a public officer, engaged in preserving the peace, which you, in your drunken madness, was disturbing," said Judge Mitchell. "The sentence of the Court is, that on Friday the 21st day of November next, you be hung by your neck until you be dead, and may God have mercy upon you."

Gillespie received blows and was taken to the Fourth Ward Station House and to the hospital, where he died the same night.

"I don't care so much for being hung as I do about eating a bad breakfast, for I had no intention of killing the man when I struck him," said Clark.

Gillespie had fractures on the left side of his skull and back of his ear at the base, extending from ear to ear.

[colem0511]

Course Goals

Ever since I was younger writing, social media, and taking pictures were things that came very natural to me. I remember taking my first photography class in eighth grade when my teacher told me: "You have an eye for photography."

[Photo taken by Meghan Cole:This photo was taken and used as one of my eighth grade photos for class]

When I got to high school, I happened to have another teacher tell me: "You should pursue some type of graphic design because you are really talented at it." My mother would always tell me how I was a "computer-wiz" at such a young age and I always was updated on the newest and most improved social media frenzy going on at the time. Other than being naturally talented with pictures and computers, I fell in love with the creativity of writing. I always had a diary and my diary eventually became my journal. I became very passionate about writing because it became an outlet for all of my emotions. I don't show my emotions as easily as others do so I would always get lost in my writing, releasing all of whatever it was I needed to get out. This always made my stories realistic and relatable to whoever read it and I like that most about how I write. 

However, since I became more interested in my writing, I kind of lost touch with social media a bit. Don't get me wrong, I still know everything and anything about my Iphone, Macbook Pro, Facebook and Instagram but I've never had the urge to "tweet" or keep up with celebrities, athletes, or the world in any way, shape or form. Since I declared Journalism, I have started to pay more attention to the news and what is going on with the world. This leads me to some goals for this course:

To learn how important social media really is for success in this industry.

TO FINALLY MAKE A TWITTER...which will also be helpful so my friends will stop begging me to make one! 

 To learn how to use various tools to communicate efficiently to the public.

To succeed and be more confident in using different media tools.

To be creative and not get used to one form of journalism...I want to explore outside of writing!

To gain knowledge and be very well-rounded before going to interviews for internships and jobs! 

Although I am passionate about many aspects that journalism has to offer, a great journalist is not afraid to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. He or she needs to be willing to meet new people, meet deadlines under pressure, know what's going on in the world, write, take pictures, and so much more. I am hoping to achieve more than just writing, interviewing and taking pictures in this class because Journalism is changing everyday right before our very eyes.I hope this class gives me the opportunity to become educated in areas I haven't been for a while and to help shape me into the best Journalist I can be. 

[This video is a video I found while browsing on YouTube about what Journalism is today and how it's changed over the years]