Citizen Journalism… how can it help ag?

Research shows citizen journalism is at an all time high with the popularity of blogging. CNN has taken it a set further with their beta site for user-generated news at ireport.com. They have a disclaimer that nothing posted is verified, but they are pulling from the site for their own newscasts (these are verified). As ag journalists, we need to start posting to these places! What a great story assignment for young journalists in training. Post to one of these sites and see if CNN will pick up your ag story!

Want to network with others?

Recently I developed a social networking site for those in the agricultural communication field. If you are a fellow communicator please check it out: http://agcommunication.ning.com/  I hope that this will be a great way for professionals and scholars to share ideas.

Wired Journalists Unite

I came across this a few weeks ago thanks to a blog I read from Poynter. A lot of discussion is being had in schools of journalism and ag communication about the integration of technology into newsrooms. In fact much of my own research focuses on it. Several journalists have united to share resources and ideas, using the same technology they are trying to learn. Wired Journalists is a social networking site for journalists with a current membership of 1554 individuals in the industry and journalism students. As ag communicators we are part of the journalism field. If you haven’t yet, join the group!

Teaching future communicators

The quarter is wrapping up and I am finally having a few seconds to reflect. This has been a long quarter, as is any quarter when you teach a technology course. There are always computer glitches and tech issues that arise that throw new learners for a tailspin, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. The thing that is most gratifying for me is when their sites are done and how proud they are of what they can do. So as a proud teacher I have to share. I know I posted it before, but my students have been blogging and most recently they have posted podcasts which are interviews and photoshop tutorials. They did a great job! A few of my students also did a YouTube video. It is great!

Magazines meeting a need

I recently read something about how more magazines in 2007 have focused their online presence more than ever before. In the world of communication research it has been found that users want an interactive environment and are looking to online sources for information. Due to this there have been questions about the viability of traditional media.  (This is where my research interest lies and how agriculture is facing this.)

One magazine is doing a great job of finding standings in this new world of media. By allowing users a very interactive experience that is in its own way a social networking site. At FastCompany.com readers can not only read magazine content they can add to it. I really feel this is where we will see mediagoing

Proud Teacher

My students in my Web course are blogging. Check them out: http://agcomm350.wordpress.com/

Does it count?

As any assistant professor the word “tenure” sends shivers down my spine. The old adage “publish or perish” is always floating in the back of my mind. But the other day something hit me… I have always been told don’t do anything that doesn’t count toward your tenure. Such as will that presentation help you, will helping at that contest help you, etc. As I was cleaning my house on Sunday (for the first time in 4 weeks) I realized cleaning doesn’t count toward my tenure, and thus has moved to the bottom of my to-do list.

 This is where the problem comes in. As a new professor the first thing you have to learn is how to balance this world of academia with the world you live in. You can’t forget the other things in your life that make the days good. Outside of our hallowed halls of the university are our families, our homes, our hobbies (yes we must still have hobbies). And maybe it takes a deep wiff of cleaning solution to remind me of that sometimes.  Maybe if I focused on me as much as I do tenure, my house might get cleaned more often. Or maybe not

3 pounds of hevean

It is no hidden fact that I am a Mac fan. As any good designer would be. I am in awe of the new MacBook Air. Only 3 pounds and 1.7inches wide, this is an amazing machine. As with any Mac product it is full of tricks and features. It’s track pad has some of the same features as another Mac favorite of mine, the Iphone. It is a laptop that is fully designed for wireless. A perfect tool for the traveling professional. If I I hadn’t bought a new macbook Pro this summer I would be in line at my local Apple store for this new product.

I’ve been away

Wow, it has been a while. The start of the quarter. Those words breathe fear into every faculty member. Not only does it mean frantic course prep, but students in and out of your office trying to get scheudles lined up and colleauges wanting to start on those projects you put off last qurter. I am happy to report it hasn’t gone bad, just franticly. I have been trying to get some research articles out to our ACE conference. My master’s student and I have done an interesting piece looking at student published agriculture magazines in ag communication curriculum. There are a few out there, and they vary as much as the schools do. I am working on a new professional website. I will share it when it is done.

I have started our first ag comm web design course here at OSU. It is going great! We are not only learning Dreamweaver, but we are jumping full board into exploring best practices of Web 2.0. Students even have an opportunity to do a YouTube promo video for the major. I hope they take me up on it (it is for extra credit).

So True

“The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.”
- AA Milne