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"Citizen Journalists"

Blogging and journalism are two things that we have discussed in length during class. We have also spent a lot of time discussing whether all bloggers are journalists. The conclusion we came to was “no.”  In Rettberg’s article, “Citizen Journalists”, he discusses the difference and similarities of the two, and when the distinction or lack there of, is important.

Rettberg points out the three ways that blogs approach journalism:

1. First-hand reports
2. Bloggers as independent journalists and opinionists
3. Gatewatching

Rettberg really strived to make the connection that mainstream media and independent blogs really rely on one another. This quote is one of my favorites from the reading, and sums up the chapter well. “Obviously, blogs are many different things. What appears to be clear, however, is the blogs need mainstream media, and that, today, the mainstream media also need blogs.”~ Rettberg

“Blogging Brands”

The combination of blogs and branding is one of the most interesting elements of blogging to me. For example, I enjoy a blog that we have talked about called Atlantic Pacific. With Atlantic Pacific, certain companies have sent her products to wear in her blog. She will then acknowledge that in her blog by putting “c/o” and then the brand name. For example: c/o J.Crew (because lets be real, if I was being sent clothes to feature on my blog, that is where I would want clothes from)!

Another way bloggers can make money blogging is when there blogs become visited enough and a popular enough blog, advertisers will pay to have their advertisements placed on their blogs. Thats right, now there is the chance that those annoying rollover advertisements could invade your favorite blog!

K.I.S.S. and Be Smart!!

Hyperlinks

I have always been amazed by hyperlinks! I've wondered how to get them and how to successfully know when to place a hyperlink. Brian Carroll gives great guidelines to hyperlinks, here is what I found to be most important:

1.  Hyperlinks should be obvious

2. Hyperlinks should be explicit about what they lead to- readers should know exactly what they are going to be redirected to

3. Hyperlinks should be consistent in appearance- all the hyperlinks in an article should be different from the regular text, but should all be the same color and size as other hyperlinks

Headlines

One things that Brian Carroll has made abundantly clear in all his advice about digital media is to live by KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid!!! Carroll directly applies this to headlines and sub-headlines. The readers should be able to look at a headline or sub-headline and get the main point of the following information. This allows for easy scanability in an article, and helps to keep the readers attention engaged. 

Journalism of Verficiation

In the following writing, Journalism of Verification, the author essentially discusses the importance of being objective, transparent, and honest when being a journalist. The author discusses the importance of not assuming and using credible sources. I think this is very important to being a successful and effective journalist. One example right away that I though of is the difference in journalism between a magazine like People Magazine, where the verifiability of the magazine is high and the journalism presented in it is high versus that of a magazine like The Enquirer. Both magazines are reporting on celebrity or popular media stories, but one is more verifiable due to direct interviews and noted sources, and another is sheer speculation and lies.