1) http://help.hackshackers.com/

     — A place to ask questions about journalism and technology. Much like wikipedia, anyone is able to edit and expound upon previous posts. You can be rated on your question content and frequency on the site.

2) http://www.rollcall.com/issues/55_121/streettalk/45505-1.html

     — Twitter and Lobbying. How are lobbyists using Social Media to their advantage?

3) http://www.gsu.edu/41416.html

     — From Text to Ticker. A Georgia State University professor encourages texting during his class. Seem odd? Maybe not. A perfect tool for shy or international students that may not normally speak up in lecture. Text a question about course content =  Appears as news ticker scrolling across bottom of projector screen. 

4) http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/

     —  Social media focused on oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A site aggregating all the latest information.

Hope you find this information as interesting as we did. It’s always beneficial to continue learning and growing along with the latest and greatest social media trends.

Cheers,

Eliza

“He was a newsman’s newsman,” says Robin Stone, his wife.

On February 18, 2010, Stone visited the University of Missouri campus promoting her husband’s recently published book… Something he never had the opportunity to do.

You see, Boyd began writing his book, “My Times in Black and White: Race and Power at The New York Times“ before getting sick. The book serves as a behind-the-scenes look into his side of an, at one time, very divided story. Boyd had a long and distinguished career until the Jayson Blair scandal. “Since he was the highest ranking African American in the newsroom, he was linked as aiding and abetting Jayson,” said his wife. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Going into great detail, Stone explains: He saw journalism as a way to right wrongs. He wanted to not only be a journalist, but good enough to work somewhere like the New York Times. Max Frankel called Gerald his ‘Jackie Robinson’ of The New York Times, aka The First. He was a newsman’s newsman. He smoked, drank, that was just the era he grew up in. 

However, ‘that era’ ended up lending a hand in his death. On November, 23, 2006, Boyd passed away from lung cancer at the young age of 56. He was not yet done writing his book. But this didn’t stop Stone, Boyd’s wife, from seeing the story’s potential. She knew how important it was to her husband to have his side of the story be told. So… like any good journalist… she took it upon herself to collect his notes, piece them together, and make some phone calls. –Determined to bring an end to his tale. 

“The book has been a success story.” – Robin Stone.

As she continued addressing the students about the triumphs and tribulations of her husband’s career, she urged several key themes about his work ethic to us “up and comers…” in the journalism world:

• He would always strive to exceed even his own expectations. Often asking himself, “What can we give our readers that they cannot get anywhere else?”
• Newsrooms are not superior, they are just honest. What hope is there for a future of a newsroom that is supposed to be superior? “We know newsrooms mirror society. We can find ignorance in the most intellectually enlightened environments.” 
• Bring your whole self to the job. Bring all of your interests. If you’re a chocoholic, Bring It! 
• Be proactive, not reactive.

But above all else…

“Bring all of yourself to the job, but DO NOT leave yourself there.”

I believe this is the one I struggle with most. At the end of the day, you must learn to leave your emotions in the newsroom. In this business we are often on the front lines of unpleasant, difficult, and emotionally taxing situations. It adds up quickly. It weighs you down. And it will eventually take its toll. Take everything in stride… After all, the show must go on. 

Cheers,

Eliza

Ridin‘ the Gravy Train.

Pink Floyd – Have A Cigar

Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar.

You’re gonna go far, fly high,

You’re never gonna die, you’re gonna make it if you try;

they’re gonna love you.

Well I’ve always had a deep respect, and I mean that most sincerely.

The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.

Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?

And did we tell you the name of the game, boy

We call it Riding the Gravy Train.

We’re just knocked out.

We heard about the sell out.

You gotta get an album out,

You owe it to the people. We’re so happy we can hardly count.

Everybody else is just green, have you seen the chart?

It’s a helluva start, it could be made into a monster

If we all pull together as a team.

And did we tell you the name of the game, boy

We call it Riding the Gravy Train.

——————

PRODUCERS CALL IT:

“RIDING THE GRAVY TRAIN”

This is probably the biggest issue I’ve encountered since my days of producing. “Riding the video Gravy Train…” is a bit more complicated than the infamous Pink Floyd let on. It entails looking at the BIGGER PICTURE. Completely soaking in every aspect of the newscast, one detail at a time, locking them together like a fully-loaded pistol. The audience deserves a newscast that delivers the news to them fast, and the only way to keep their attention is delivering it to them like sharp bullets. New. Hard. Fast. They can’t expect what’s coming their way. It didn’t used to be this way. But with the changing, evolving, ever-present growth of online journalism, one must adapt to the media metamorphosis. 

“Riding the video gravy train” is a term producers refer to as something we use for describing our newscast rundown, when national and local stories flow together in one swift glide, with plenty of compelling video and fewer readers and anchor lead-ins. Producers enjoy the creativity. Audiences enjoy the flow. I would like to think that all together, it works for most people. And for me, it makes a great a connection to one of my favorite artists. The lyrics will tell you: By producers “Riding the Gravy Train,” “You’re gonna go far… You’re gonna fly high.”

*News consultant, Nancy Velenta, introduced the phrase “video gravy train” to KOMU 8 as a way to sum up the way producers should showcase as much great video as possible, especially in the late newscast when audiences are headed to bed.