The other day Molly, my four-year-old daughter, was asking me about Oxford and I was telling her as much as I could remember about the city.
She then said: "But Daddy, how do you know this?"
Me: "Well, as a journalist I often have to find a lot of things out so I can let everyone know and then I just remember them."
Molly: "But how do you find things out?"
Me: "I ask people and they tell me."
Molly: "But why don't they just tell everyone."
Me: "Well people have always come to journalists to find things out because there was no other easy way of doing it. Now though we have the internet [a concept she is familiar with through the CBeebies website] so anyone can tell everyone everything."
Molly: "Oh..... So we don't just need people like you any more then?"
I thought it was amazing. She succinctly summed up what is happening in our industry with one short conversation.
Of course, 'people like me' are quite useful for bundling all this information together but we're not needed to the same extent.
If she can get it why do so many journalists fail to?
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Picking a new Twitter design
Just updated my background image in Twitter.
I felt that as I was now a serious member of the Twitterati (ie completely hooked and spending more time tweeting than I do talking to my wife) I should have some form of personalisation.
Difficult to know what to plump for though.
I thought of a pic of the kids but that seemed so Facebook. After all, the primary function of Twitter for myself is networking on the professional sphere.
So perhaps an image of the University of Gloucestershire where I am employed as a senior lecturer in online journalism? Mmmmm a bit too corporate perhaps, especially when you consider that all views expressed are my own and not representative of the uni (happy now, legal people?)
As I love the internet and most of my Tweets involve it then I should show that but then I needed some kind of image?
Something from War Games with Matthew Broderick or even Terminator came to mind but it seemed way to negative (man they were scared of computers in the 80s). But then this Charles Darwin quote came to me:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
I always use it when explaining the print media's relationship with the internet as it exemplifies why some newspapers are struggling to survive as they failed to adapt to change when the wonderful opportunity called the internet came along.
So I found this wonderful picture:
That's the great thing about the internet - you don't like something then go back and improve it. It's a journey, not a destination.
I felt that as I was now a serious member of the Twitterati (ie completely hooked and spending more time tweeting than I do talking to my wife) I should have some form of personalisation.
Difficult to know what to plump for though.
I thought of a pic of the kids but that seemed so Facebook. After all, the primary function of Twitter for myself is networking on the professional sphere.
So perhaps an image of the University of Gloucestershire where I am employed as a senior lecturer in online journalism? Mmmmm a bit too corporate perhaps, especially when you consider that all views expressed are my own and not representative of the uni (happy now, legal people?)
As I love the internet and most of my Tweets involve it then I should show that but then I needed some kind of image?
Something from War Games with Matthew Broderick or even Terminator came to mind but it seemed way to negative (man they were scared of computers in the 80s). But then this Charles Darwin quote came to me:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
I always use it when explaining the print media's relationship with the internet as it exemplifies why some newspapers are struggling to survive as they failed to adapt to change when the wonderful opportunity called the internet came along.
So I found this wonderful picture:
It shows an image Darwin made from plant and animal life.
Stunning picture and it caught my eye immediately.
Makes me feel slightly pretentious but then you don't have to look people in the eye when you're on Twitter do you?
Mind you, I have opted for the tile design and I think it looks a bit busy and might annoy me quite soon.
That's the great thing about the internet - you don't like something then go back and improve it. It's a journey, not a destination.
The Age of Opinion
One thing the internet has truly enabled people to do is to air an opinion to an audience outside of a (formerly) smoky pub.
Online News is full of opinion - blogs, comments, Tweets, Boos etc etc and most of it is welcome despite the BNP's attempt to ruin it for everyone. This is something I welcome as a vital part of the ongoing democratisation of the media.
But forums are where it starts to fall apart for me. Of course I may still suffer from PTSD from my time managing forums for Newsquest Oxfordshire (hence my hatred of the BNP who repeatedly targeted our boards for spamming/trolling sessions).
Have you ever seen a news or sports forum that doesn't descend into name calling? Have you seen one where people share thoughts and consider others' views?
I'm not sure I have. I have, however, witnessed hundreds of ill-informed, soap-box mounted rants which don't seem to do anyone a favour.
Take the issue of refuse collection in Oxford. Councillor Jean Fooks changed from a weekly collection to an alternate recycling and general waste collection. Some people took umbrage at not being able to create as much waste as they liked and mounted an anti-Fooks campaign.
This focused on the issue of rats in the city and how this new scheme had led to a huge increase. Of course, it hadn't and for those reading the small print on the Oxford Mail (local papers love a protest true or not) would have spotted that the increase was due to Severn Trent ceasing to trap the sewers as they had done for decades.
But on an on this raged on the forums. Any time it was pointed out to the anti-Fooks what Severn Trent had admitted they claimed it was a conspiracy. The whole things became pointless as any discussion was ruled out by the swamping effect of the antis.
I used to be a bit of a 606 addict where I would go to 'discuss' rugby. My suspicions about 606 being, well, crap were first aroused during WC2007 when a sizable number of posters repeatedly called for Matthew Tait to be played at fly half. Matthew Tait had never played fly half at schoolboy level but somehow was expected to do so on the world's biggest stage.
But 606 got worse. It's just a place for whingers and wind-up merchants.
Wales are rubbish - everyone hates England - Martin Johnson was a rubbish player - Chris Robshaw is good enough for the All Blacks etc etc
It's just tirade after tirade. I don't think people even read other posts before wading in which kind of makes the whole things pointless.
Recently I have been seeking out forums about the iPhone thinking they would be more upstanding. But even there we seem to have the Montagues (Jobbites) and Capulets (other smartphones) waging verbal war.
I think there is a book in this: The Forum Effect and the Departure from Reason. Mmmmm I think I'll get on to OUP.
Then of course there is a major issue with defamation on forums. It is almost impossible to proactively monitor these sites and you risk libel and contempt of court every day.
With the Government taking a keener interest in online news every day I am sure some form of over-the-top legislation will be brought in to prevent the open-access to these forums. Attempts have already been made to take action against posters and one failure will not put people off
Anyay, as much as I love Twitter and Facebook and the Internet in general, some of the things I discuss will have to remain in the pub where at least people pretend to listen before ripping me to shreds!
Online News is full of opinion - blogs, comments, Tweets, Boos etc etc and most of it is welcome despite the BNP's attempt to ruin it for everyone. This is something I welcome as a vital part of the ongoing democratisation of the media.
But forums are where it starts to fall apart for me. Of course I may still suffer from PTSD from my time managing forums for Newsquest Oxfordshire (hence my hatred of the BNP who repeatedly targeted our boards for spamming/trolling sessions).
Have you ever seen a news or sports forum that doesn't descend into name calling? Have you seen one where people share thoughts and consider others' views?
I'm not sure I have. I have, however, witnessed hundreds of ill-informed, soap-box mounted rants which don't seem to do anyone a favour.
Take the issue of refuse collection in Oxford. Councillor Jean Fooks changed from a weekly collection to an alternate recycling and general waste collection. Some people took umbrage at not being able to create as much waste as they liked and mounted an anti-Fooks campaign.
This focused on the issue of rats in the city and how this new scheme had led to a huge increase. Of course, it hadn't and for those reading the small print on the Oxford Mail (local papers love a protest true or not) would have spotted that the increase was due to Severn Trent ceasing to trap the sewers as they had done for decades.
But on an on this raged on the forums. Any time it was pointed out to the anti-Fooks what Severn Trent had admitted they claimed it was a conspiracy. The whole things became pointless as any discussion was ruled out by the swamping effect of the antis.
I used to be a bit of a 606 addict where I would go to 'discuss' rugby. My suspicions about 606 being, well, crap were first aroused during WC2007 when a sizable number of posters repeatedly called for Matthew Tait to be played at fly half. Matthew Tait had never played fly half at schoolboy level but somehow was expected to do so on the world's biggest stage.
But 606 got worse. It's just a place for whingers and wind-up merchants.
Wales are rubbish - everyone hates England - Martin Johnson was a rubbish player - Chris Robshaw is good enough for the All Blacks etc etc
It's just tirade after tirade. I don't think people even read other posts before wading in which kind of makes the whole things pointless.
Recently I have been seeking out forums about the iPhone thinking they would be more upstanding. But even there we seem to have the Montagues (Jobbites) and Capulets (other smartphones) waging verbal war.
I think there is a book in this: The Forum Effect and the Departure from Reason. Mmmmm I think I'll get on to OUP.
Then of course there is a major issue with defamation on forums. It is almost impossible to proactively monitor these sites and you risk libel and contempt of court every day.
With the Government taking a keener interest in online news every day I am sure some form of over-the-top legislation will be brought in to prevent the open-access to these forums. Attempts have already been made to take action against posters and one failure will not put people off
Anyay, as much as I love Twitter and Facebook and the Internet in general, some of the things I discuss will have to remain in the pub where at least people pretend to listen before ripping me to shreds!
My eyes, my eyes
God I love the internet.
I went to an optician recently (Vision Express since you ask) just for a wee check up. That in itself has little to do with the internet.
But they did the full on retinal scan/picture of the inside of my eye thing. Which was interesting in itself but then to top it all off, offered me free copies of the pictures if I went on their website.
Of course I did so I did and here they are for you all to enjoy.
Fascinating no?
I panicked slightly when I saw the white cloud on old lefty but nothing to worry about, it's just similar to a birthmark. Phew.
It's only a little thing but I can't help feel that this has made my life richer somehow.
I spend all my time thinking about how news organisations can best use the internet and then something simple comes along and blows me away.
Don't even get me started on my love affair with my iPhone.
I went to an optician recently (Vision Express since you ask) just for a wee check up. That in itself has little to do with the internet.
But they did the full on retinal scan/picture of the inside of my eye thing. Which was interesting in itself but then to top it all off, offered me free copies of the pictures if I went on their website.
Of course I did so I did and here they are for you all to enjoy.
Fascinating no?I panicked slightly when I saw the white cloud on old lefty but nothing to worry about, it's just similar to a birthmark. Phew.
It's only a little thing but I can't help feel that this has made my life richer somehow.
I spend all my time thinking about how news organisations can best use the internet and then something simple comes along and blows me away.
Don't even get me started on my love affair with my iPhone.
Blog Action Day
I have just registered my support for Blog Action Day.
The power of the net and its potential to do good never ceases to amaze me and the more digging I do the more I am convinced that it could become a great tool for positive change.
Of course, it needs a wee bit of tidying up and snagging but the potential is massive.
Anyway, don't just take my word for it, check this out:
and the follow this link wwww.blogactionday.org
The power of the net and its potential to do good never ceases to amaze me and the more digging I do the more I am convinced that it could become a great tool for positive change.
Of course, it needs a wee bit of tidying up and snagging but the potential is massive.
Anyway, don't just take my word for it, check this out:
and the follow this link wwww.blogactionday.org
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