Looking back on a semester of multimedia training December 12, 2007

I have learned so much this semester in Journalist’s Toolkit 1: how to record and edit quality audio in an ethical manner; how to take decent, journalistically ethical photographs; how to write a professional-quality blog and get it out there for others to read; how to make soundslides and FusionCharts and web pages.

There’s more to all of these skills than I thought before taking this class. I now appreciate the immense potential of audio, photos, Web packages, databases, soundslides projects and blogs for journalism uses and, while I think I’ll always be a writer at heart, I look forward to telling stories using these new skills. I also find myself evaluating media in ways I didn’t before taking this class. I watch a ‘reality’ TV show, see a photo, or listen to a recording and wonder if the images and sounds I’m taking in are true representations of the situations, people and places they portray, or if some things were staged to gain a desired effect.

While I appreciate all these skills and the knowledge that comes along with them, one of the things I’m most grateful for is the increase in my knowledge about how to use my computer for useful things, beyond just writing papers and news articles. I am more confident about my computer and multimedia journalism skills than I was at the beginning of this course, and that in itself is a wonderful gain.

As I already knew, and have learned even more this semester, computer assisted reporting and multimedia presentation are where journalism IS today and where it will continue to go. I know that I have much to learn about all this, but I also know I have a good base understanding of how to do some very crucial things. And, I’ll add, they’re things that I know many of my reporter friends who work at papers where I’ve worked in the past few years don’t know how to do. I hope this will give me an edge when I graduate in a few semesters and head back into the work world.

Hunger in North Florida – A Story Package December 12, 2007

Hunger in America is a big problem, even here in Alachua County. This story package describes the problem with statistics about the population in several North Florida counties deemed at risk of hunger and the percentage who receive food stamps, as well as a Soundslides presentation telling a more personal story. The presentation, called “Filling in the Gaps,” is about the struggle to keep hungry people fed. It contains photos from Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, St. Francis House and Gainesville Community Ministries, all in Gainesville.

These agencies sometimes struggle to get the food they need to provide for the people who depend on them. The people who receive the food really appreciate it, as you’ll see in the part of the story about Willie Stewart, a very nice man who was able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year thanks to Gainesville Community Ministry. I hope you enjoy the show!

Making data fun – or at least user-friendly November 24, 2007

Last week my multimedia journalism class discussed data handling, charts, infographics, etc., and how they can revamp the way newspapers cover topics. One of our primary readings was a blog post titled “A fundamental way newspaper sites need to change,” by Adrian Holovaty. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. Would big chunks of data really be all that interesting to people? Would they adequately inform and educate people newspaper readers and Web site viewers?

Well, I think the answer to these questions is really…no. Lots of data alone, even in nifty chart forms, won’t do the job, even if you can manipulate it and search it backwards and forwards. But, the beauty of the idea really comes in combination with stories, photo packages or blogs that will grab someone’s interest on a certain topic and make them want to know more. If these banks of data are updated regularly, people will probably start to come to them without being attracted to a new story or photo package first.

I like the idea because it lets people use the data the ways that work best for them. I think this will get people interested in information they might otherwise bypass and hopefully get people a little more engaged in their own communities and in the world at large. One of the cool things about putting data into these malleable forms is that people can have just as much interaction with info that relates to their local community as with data that relates to some far away place. Two examples that we studied in class demonstrate that idea pretty well. The first is an interactive database/map of crime in Chicago (developed, I believe, by the previously mentioned Adrian). The second is an interactive map about Islam in Europe, from MSNBC.

I really like the structure of each of these projects. I’ll admit, my initial response when someone tries to interest me in a big bunch of data is – NO THANKS. But the graphics and cool stuff you can do with the data masks the potential boringness of the information, making it something fun for people to play with. I have to admit, that’s what news writers like myself struggle with sometimes – how can I make this info – which actually is relevant to people’s lives (like the crime data) or maybe it’s just interesting info about the world at large (like the MSNBC map) attractive to people? I think Adrian is right – this user-friendly, manipulation-minded approach to big chunks of information has to be a growing part of newspapers’ approach to news.

Problems with audio equipment November 14, 2007

I was quite happy today when, after nearly two hours at the local food bank working on my Soundslides 3 project about hunger in America, I had several interviews, some nat sot (natural sound on tap), and lots of photos done. It was a good start to the project, I thought, until I got into my car and listened to my audio. Thankfully, my main interview was there, but some secondary ones I did with guys who unload the truck at the food bank were not. Neither was my nat sot. Curse the audio gods!

It was lunch time, I was hungry, and I didn’t want to just do the interviews again only to end up with the same result, so I left, determined to find out the reason for my missing audio before I returned.

What could have happened? There were two audio files full of silence. I know I didn’t fail to push record because the recorder created the files…for some reason, there just wasn’t any sound. My only thought is that perhaps I just held the mic too far away? But I wasn’t standing THAT far away from the interviewees or the sound…I didn’t think I’d end up with nothing.

Anyone have any thoughts/tips? I’m frustrated and feeling a little stupid.

Learning about Search Engine Optimization November 14, 2007

I recently read a blog post by Darren Rowse about search engine optimitzation. Rowse’s suggestions about getting inbound links to my blog are great…but…as I read these, I just kept wondering if anyone, aside from maybe my classmates, will want to link to my blog.

My blog is largely about my experiences and work as a graduate student in journalism. While I like it and I think it might be of interest to other journalism students or people who may want to view my work (ie, potential employers), I feel that perhaps I’m not really writing anything authoritative. I’m writing about my own work and my own questions, etc. Will this really interest other people? How much would other people really learn from my blog? I guess this train of thought leads me to conclude that in order to have other people take my blog more seriously, I need to take it more seriously.

I have to say I’m a bit confused about the directories idea, and that the whole idea of buying links really turns me off. It seems like cheating! Or, at the very least, quite ingenuine. I want others to link to my blog because they like it, not because they’ve been paid. Of course, that whole discussion assumes that I could actually afford to do that….ummm, no.

The part about using keywords in strategic ways makes a lot of sense, I just need to train myself to be in that mindset more. I also like the suggestion about linking to interesting, relevant outside sites – it seems like this would enhance the quality of your reader’s experience and boost your site with search engines at the same time.  Bonus!

Another thing I need to keep in mind: length of my posts – sometimes I think they are too long and maybe a bit rambling.

Getting to know Mr. Goodbike November 7, 2007

This Soundslides project (one of my first!) is about a bicycle shop called Mr. Goodbike (that’s also the name of the Soundslide). Mr. Goodbike grabbed my attention one of the first few times I passed it. You can tell from the outside – with brightly colored walls, goofy looking bikes and lots of rocks and foliage – that this is a place with character.

A trip inside gives the same impression. The place is a bit crowded, but if you look around, you’ll see lots of unusual items that give the place a feel all its own.

In this Soundslides, two employees talk about Mr. Goodbike’s unique personality, the shop’s friendly employees, loyal customers, and fun activities – like weekly night bicycle rides.

It’s definitely a place with a character all its own.

Critiquing a Soundslides: University of Florida Bike Repair Service October 25, 2007

Overall, I liked Matt’s Soundslides, University of Florida Bike Repair Service. I thought the pictures were of good quality, and I found them interesting. The sound bed underneath the interview was great – it added a wonderful dimension to the Soundslides project.

However, I have to say that while I found it interesting, I don’t think it’s a ‘real’ story in terms of a conflict and resolution. It’s very informational, but I can’t really pick out a specific part that’s a conflict and one part that’s a resolution. I like that the student speaking talks about what he likes and dislikes about working for the bike service, though, and that’s probably the closest to these aspects of storytelling.

I like the beginning of the story. The music in the background and the tinkering of the tools really gets my attention and makes me curious as to what’s happening. That question is quickly answered with the first two photos: the opening photo showing the two students fixing bikes, and then the sign that says “student government free bike repair.” The sign also answers another question: when this bike repair service is available. That information is on the sign as well.

It’s a good transition into the student’s more detailed descriptions of the bike repair service: how many employees there are, how much money they make, what’s good and bad about the job, when it’s really busy, etc.

The conclusion of the Soundslides was kind of abrupt, I felt. The closing part of the interview, where the student says “This is UF student government bike repair and we fix bikes,” is just kind of hanging there. I guess before this point, you can’t tell that the project is approaching it’s end.

I think the Soundslides maintains a good proportion between the “campus life” part and the “profile part.” I would say it’s about 75% “campus life” and about 25% “profile” (the profile part being the part where the student talks mostly about his personal experience with bikes, etc). For the most part, he talks about “we” and describes basic things about the job.

The one thing about this story that I would improve is quite basic, but I think it would be pretty valuable. I really wanted the student to tell me who he is. He never introduced himself during the project, and, since I viewed the story with the captions off as we were instructed, I was clueless about who the student is.

The thing that I like best about the project is the audio mix. Like I said earlier, the soundbed with the music and the tools is terrific. I especially liked how at one point, when there was a photo of a bicycle wheel that someone was holding up in there air and the spokes were showing, you could hear the sound of the bicycle wheel spinning. That was neat.

Evaluating a photo story: is there more to Mia? October 20, 2007

The photo story about Mia, the woman who lives in Copenhagen and is addicted to drugs, impressed me as the most varied of the photo stories posted on the NPPA “Best of Photojournalism 2007″ site (by David Hogsholt of Getty Images). Mia
It shows the conflict in this woman’s life, but not a resolution. Unless you consider it a resolution that she continues to live her life the same way: addicted to drugs, working as a prostitute or stripper, and seemingly separated from her family. Through the captions, the story also conveys details about the conflict – her daughter has been in foster care for years but sometimes sends her letters or pictures, she has attempted rehab at least once and she spends nearly all her money on drugs.

The story’s focus is pretty narrow – her work and her drug habit – so that it seems those things are all this woman does. Maybe that is true, or maybe it is no, although the fact that she can spend $500 before she even reaches home after earning it makes me assume that it is true.

In some ways, this photo story seems like it could be a good representation of life for drug addicts in Copenhagen’s red light district. But, my ability to judge that is limited – since it’s a way of life with which I have no familiarity. Surely, there are other aspects to this slice of reality a photographer could explore: people who make it out of their addictions into healthy lives, for instance.

Mia’s presence in the images and the black and white look provide the continuity for this story.

For those interested in knowing more about Mia, like myself, I think Kobre’s section on page 155 about using ‘existing pictures’ would have been helpful. The photographer could have inserted some photos from Mia’s childhood, happier days, may have given a dramatic contrast to her present life. It’s apparent that the photographer has contact with Mia’s family, since at least one quote from her brother is included in the captions.

I find myself wanting to know more about Mia and wonder if a longer project, like the one on “Motel Dad” that Kobre discusses in chapter 8, would have led to a happy ending. I hope so.

My growth as an interviewer October 10, 2007

I really liked the interview tips offered in “Sound in the Story.” The tips about asking simple questions instead of long, complicated ones was good. The advice not to ask double-barreled questions was totally opposite of what one of our other recent readings said on the topic. But I guess it’s good to get a variety of viewpoints.

I’ve been working in journalism for a while, and I feel like my interview skills have markedly improved since I first started, but there are different things to take into consideration when you’re recording an interview for the purpose of editing it and putting it out there for people to hear.

I found that when I interviewed my subject for the Soundslides 1 assignment last week, it was difficult to get responses that were “self-contained” – that is, the listener could tell from the sound bite what topic the interviewee was discussing. I couldn’t direct her responses, obviously, so I’ll just have to see what I have when I edit.

I remember the kinds of interviews I used to do when I first started reporting. They were awkward, disjointed, repetitive – boring. I’ve gotten much better at it and learned many of these techniques just by working in the field. It’s neat to have a new revelation about interviewing- how to deal with particularly difficult (crabby, quiet, too talkative, obviously media savvy) subjects or just how to conduct a better interview. It just makes the job so much easier and more rewarding – it lets you get to the good stuff you’re really seeking.

I can especially relate to the part about making subjects feel comfortable. Since I interview people all the time, it surprises me how reticent people can be sometimes to talk, even about simple matters. It shouldn’t, but it still does. I know I handle these situations better now than I used to.

Just a few weeks ago I was doing a phone interview with a woman who told me she was quite nervous. I could tell. By the end, she said I made her feel very comfortable. That made me glad. After all, I like the people aspect of journalism just as much as I like the writing aspect.

It made me feel good to read the section about “mopping up” after an interview – speaking with the person later to clarify things, ask other questions, etc. I don’t have to do this as much as I once did, but I still do it and I wasn’t sure if it was something most other journalists regularly did or not.

The tip about recording the room was quite helpful. This reinforces another mantra for journalists: get there early! That way you can capture the ambient/room sound/noise before the subject arrives and your attention switches to him/her. In my opinion, leaving things to be done after the interview is a bad idea – my attention is always focused then on what the subject said/didn’t say, the quality of my recording, the question I just realized I should have asked, the great anecdote he/she told that will make a perfect lead, etc.

The right mix of photos October 3, 2007

I was out of town last weekend – now that I’m back I finally have time to reflect on my Photo 1 assignment. For this assignment, I took photos of a student bowling in the student union on campus. It’s an activity that lots of people do.

Taking the photos was challenging, especially dealing with the motion and lighting. But, considering that I’m just learning how to really take photos correctly, I think I did a pretty good job. The photos actually turned out better than I thought they would.

Selecting the 20 photos I would turn in to my professor was definitely a challenge. There were a lot of things to consider – whether the composition and quality of the photo was good, what part of the story the photo told, whether it was repetitive of another photo I’d already selected, and what kind of photo it was (close-up, detail, overview or medium). Sometimes I had several great photos of a single element of the story – but I couldn’t use more than one, maybe two. Other times I needed a photo of a certain type (close-up, detail, etc.) but all the ones that were the best were too repetitive.

I think I ended up with a good selection of photos that tell the story well and will lend to a good interview, but I guess that remains to be seen…I’m still awaiting the grade.