New blog idea

So in my last few blog posts this week I touched upon several subjects that have led me to this post. I mentioned that I’ve come (been forced) out of my shell a lot over the past three years as a journalism major. Also, I’ve been discovering some Tumblr pages specifically that have caught my eye and have had a lot of viewership. This leads me to the idea of starting a “firsts” or “lessons” blog. It would be me writing about things that I learned and experienced while writing stories over the years in college and at my internship at New Hampshire Magazine. As I’m nearing the end of my college career, there are plenty of things that come to mind. For example, last week for my digital reporting class, I went to the Freedom Café and learned how to brew coffee with their state of the art equipment. Though this wasn’t the focus of the story, I saw the opportunity and thought that it could add a new dimension of character to the piece. Taking this experience (and the videos I took) to a new blog and expanding more could prove to be a really interesting idea. Hopefully people would be drawn to read it. Fellow journalists could get ideas for stories and anyone else who runs into the site could be entertained by such endeavors and attempts at adding to a story. As a journalist, I’m lucky in that my experiences so far have led me to opportunities and experiences I would not have had if I chose any other major. Out of my box and with a notepad in hand, I have more than a few funny, behind the scenes type stories to share. The bits that didn’t quite make it into the story but are actually stories in themselves is the main idea behind the blog. 

Using what's right in front of you

I recently discovered a Tumblr page called “ONA Issues: Conversations vital to digital journalists”. The page is completely driven by the sharing of resources, original reporting, opinion and more. It is a site founded by the Online News Association, a non-profit membership organization for digital journalists, connecting journalism, technology, and innovation. My first impression is that it’s a great way to discuss new ideas in the field. I think making a Tumblr page was a wise move on behalf of ONA. Tumblr has come to be such a widely used site by people of different studies. For example, I have had a Tumblr for three years now in which I only find and reblog photographs that I enjoy. This site has inspired me to maybe start another blog, one that gets conversation going about some subject that I feel passionately about. It may seem obvious, but embarking on an innovative journalistic endeavor does not have to be so intimidating and profound. Using popular social media and similar platforms to cultivate your own idea can result in some really successful work.

Preparing for Terry William's lecture

Reading Terry’s bio, I’m really looking forward to his guest lecture tomorrow. I guess some questions I have are what his daily jobs consist of. What’s the first thing on his schedule every day and does he get out of the office at a normal hour, or is he late working with the journalist. I know that when I interned at New Hampshire Magazine, I was slightly surprised with how people were in and out of the office at random times. When I left at 5 p.m., it was not rare for employees to show no signs of packing up and heading home for the night. Because his bio says that his work has a focus in advertising, I’m curious to know what changes he has seen directly in the past 5 or so years in his department of work. It should be a great class and I look forward to what a man who has experience so many different publications and positions in the industry has to say to a room full of journalists who haven’t started yet.

Thoughts after Meg Heckman's talk

I haven’t seen Meg Heckman in three years. She was my Newswriting professor freshman year. I’d like to think that I’ve come a long way since then. I left last Monday’s class feeling confident and proud of the ideas that I contributed to class and my progress as a whole in the journalism program. Not only have I come out of my shell, but I'm also more confident and a genuinely more inspired writer. Meg’s talk helped me realize all of this. The innovation required of being a successful journalist today allows you to create a business model that you can really be proud of. Passion has to be the driving force behind starting a business during near economic turmoil. Some of the examples she showed us in class prove that there are no boundaries. I can’t begin to imagine the feeling of success and accomplishment felt by those who found some of the successful web startups of today. One of the things I’m most excited for in graduating and entering the field is that an audience wider than just my professors and maybe a few classmates are going to read my work. The added pressure and competition is going to surely add a new level of pressure and drive to be the best. This holds true for whether I work for a magazine right away, or end up starting the photography site I'm always talking about. These are the thoughts that I was left with after Meg’s fun, eye-opening presentation last Monday.

Recruiting more journalists

Someone recently asked me when I starting caring so much about the news. It made me realize that it was not until high school that I become truly invested and engaged in gathering news. I think there should be a class that begins in elementary or middle schools that teaches kids about the importance of being informed. The younger kids are when they learn that the news is important to the way society functions, the sooner they realize the importance of staying in the known. In this class, students would read lighter news stories that are simplified for understanding. The different sections of a newspaper, journalism ethics, and some of the most well known journalists through history could all be topics of discussion. At most colleges and universities, journalism is a relatively small major. If students were trained to be news consumers at a younger ago, maybe more people would be drawn to the field as a career.

Freelancing thoughts

I’ve recently explored the concept of freelance journalism. Before then, I didn’t know much about it. What I learned is that it is a form of entrepreneurship. Essentially, the writer is working for himself or herself. While speaking with UNH alum Eliza Mackintosh, who now free-lances in London, she tells me “it could be the best job ever or come crashing down.” After a yearlong contract with the Washington Post ended, Mackintosh is set on staying in London, so this month she is attempting to freelance for the first time. I wonder how long this has been an option for journalists. No longer tied down to newsrooms, there is more freedom than ever. Though there is a definite risk in pitching stories to a publication, the opportunity to write for many different organizations is inspiring. Mackintosh told me that while at UNH, her goal was to always to work at Rolling Stone magazine. “You can’t really be a writer for one magazine anymore, it’s all freelance work.” It gave me something to think about, as I’ll be looking for full time work after graduation in May.