AGE OF THE 'PROSUMER'

CNN has just unleashed ‘iReport’, a user generated website, as an attempt to keep abreast of current consumer trends. The company first embraced the idea of user generated content, or citizen journalism, in August of 2006 (http://ww.mediaweek.com/mw/news/interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003708936)but since then citizen journalism has fast become the way of the future.

The rise in prominence of ‘user contributed’ websites such as YouTube has shown that consumers demand ultimate attention. Trends in marketing and advertising have seen the focus shift from the mass onto what is deemed ‘an audience of one’. Simply, people want to be tailored to. In today’s modern age of instant gratification ‘skim reading’ or quick consumption has become the norm. More so than ever news sites are clambering for the increasingly fleeting attention of their readership. Blogs and hybrid news and entertainment websites are popping up on the internet at an increasing rate and large media corporations such as CNN have to keep ahead of market challenges.

iReport cleverly uses the input of everyday citizens to provide eye-witness accounts and constant feeds of information. The website features a section containing footage shot and stories produced by citizens that have made CNN broadcasts. iReport essentially encapsulates hard news via the involvement of ordinary citizens and as a byproduct it strengthens the relationship between the company and its ‘consumers’. What blogs and user generated content has shown us is that the way of the future is collaboration. Yes, the journalist is still important, but people want stories and information quickly above all else even if that means the story comes from someone next door or an eye witness who has captured the story on an amateur camera.

PEOPLE POWER

Some things never change

Journalism gives people a voice. It can put forth the view of the minority and every day it documents history. The continued practice of journalism, both online and via traditional print media, ensures we remember events and even people after they have passed on. Without documentation, stories are not just forgotten, they essentially pass into folklore. The fight for civil rights in South Florida, which started in the 1940’s, is a testament to journalism’s importance.

A recent media panel held at the University of Miami on Monday February 18 presented a chance for students to hear the tales of yesteryear and be reminded of some of the harsh realities of inequality that still persist today. All the panelists spoke of their courage in the space of adversity to restore a semblance of equal opportunity. Garth Reeves, a distinguished former publicist for Miami Times, remembers growing up in Miami during the civil rights fight:
“We sat at the back of the bus, didn’t go to white places and couldn’t even try on a hat downtown”.

Reeves became a writer during the tumultuous times of the civil rights movement. He says he had to take chances he normally wouldn’t. Reeves likened writing to journalism with your hands tied behind your back, but gradually the black minority gained ‘a voice’ and was able to change the structures that had been put in place. Reeves says that he is now “glad to see that we’ve made strides and that my colleagues now in the field of journalism are free as a bird”.

CT Taylor, radio personality and author of ‘yourdailydoesusa.com’, had some words of wisdom for budding journalists. He proclaimed that it didn’t matter what color or what race a journalist was because you are recording history, it is the facts that are important, so be accurate and be truthful above all.

Juanita Green, a former Miami Herald reporter, used to ring houses in advance to let them know that a photographer was on their way and to for them to make sure their residence was presentable.“Often front page stories were of a Negro who had robbed a 7-11 convenience store. We had to change the way people saw us, change the way people looked at Liberty City (a predominantly black neighborhood) she said.”

Green summed it up best when she declared that the inequality was not a fault of an individual, it was the fault of society at the time. There is power and influence in a collective group. Throughout the 1940’s this was displayed through the racism and ‘mob behavior’ that eventuated. However, each panelist represented the sometimes Utopian ideal that the persistent courage of an individual ‘can overcome’ and make a difference, and they did. A similar opportunity presents journalists today and it can be grasped if accuracy, passion and persistence are exuded; just like that displayed by the esteemed panelists who graced UM with their presence.

FROM BLOGS TO RICHES

Blogging is increasingly becoming the domain of the opportunistic. The recent phenomenon represents a platform for airing one's point of view, but it is now becoming an avenue for exposure and staggering financial success. Elizabeth Spiers, a blogging entrepreneur, says that “blogging is increasingly becoming a survival of the fittest—and that all boils down to who has the best content. The blogs that are going to stand out are the ones who break news and have credibility.” However, it is becoming evident that blogs need to be unique and contain an element of intrigue; a reader needs to be enticed into reading the content. It is this element that will further distinguish an interesting, readily consumed and updated blog- from that of traditional print media.
'Rose' has a blog site (http://roseb44170.blogspot.com/2007/11/blog-turned-into-book.html) which details the process and opportunities for aspiring writers to get noticed and published via initial 'blog exposure'. Just as MySpace has been a way for musicians to air their talents, many authors have been discovered via blogging. In addition, as far back as January 2005 Fortune magazine listed eight bloggers that business people "could not ignore". It is clear the blog is not a fad, in fact it is becoming more relevant every day.

PRODUCERS AND MANAGERS...ARE THEY NOW THE SAME THING?

Online journalism has changed the face of the industry. Those working in the field now have to keep abreast with technology and satisfy an ever-demanding readership hungry for new slants and insights to a story. But just how much have the roles and responsibilities of the modernday journalist really changed?

An online survey of people working for online news sites was administered in November and December of 2005. It sought to identify the elements that distinguished the 'new world' of online journalism. In preliminary interviews, online journalists said that rather than a reliance on technical aspects it was the requirement for a different way of thinking that made online journalism different. The online survey sought to identify the requirements and beliefs of both managers and producers of online content. From the survey responses the following was gathered:
- 84.8% of producers of online content reported that an awareness of new technology was important.
-88.4% of producers and 78.4% of managers suggested that news judgement was vital.
-49% of producers said they used photo editing frequently. This response was higher than 'reporting and writing original stories' and 'audio' or 'video production'.
-Both managers and producers were required to, and used, programs such as Photoshop. However, almost 72% of producers reported a daily use of HTML. This was significantly higher than managers.

The survey findings suggest that managers and producers have quite different job requirements. However, online journalism and traditional journalism still share similar traits. Copy-editing skills and knowing what makes a good story remain important for all employed in the industry. The difference between the traditional and modern day journalist seems to lie in the broad competence now required of each professional. Rather than a reliance on expertise in one field, journalists must be capable of utilizing new technologies and have an understanding of the expanding demands of the consuming public.

A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS

Photos represent a snapshot of a certain moment, a certain time, an event. History is littered with photos that evoke memories of radical movements and politically charged events that have in effect changed the course of our times. Photos such as the black power protest of the 1968 Olympic games, Marilyn Monroe's timeless photograph and the young Vietnamese girl running naked down the street during the Vietnam war all tell a story and `freeze´a point in time. Often it is not words that we remember but the pictures; they are windows for the reader to get a view of the present and as day passes into night, they become snapshots into our past. A picture can tell a thousand words.

Writing online allows a journalist to not only to express their own artistic flair but to help 'frame' (pardon the pun) a story in terms of its emotive feel and connection with the reader.
Alison Diaz, a freelance photojournalist who has works published on Miami.com, believes that a key to storytelling is to include pictures that help progress the story. It is vital that each picture chosen has a particular connotative meaning and will provide the reader with a unique insight into what the journalist was trying to convey. Joy, sorrow, excitement; all emotions can be presented or amplified via a photograph. Afterall, it is the emotion and connection of a story that helps attract and keep a reader's interest and the inclusion of specific photos can only help to supplement and sustain this.

THE HEAR AND NOW!

A PARADOX OF IMMEDIACY
I want to expand on the notion that globalization has presented journalists and their audiences with a plethora of options. We know that the internet has opened up global markets and broken down cross-country communication barriers. Yes these new found capabilities and superseding technologies are keys to our newfound abilities to interact in 'real time', but they also have had a profound impact on our behaviour and expectations.

I believe also that the internet, as the poster child for globalization, has enforced a sense of impatience and impulse upon us; a thought that 'it is all about the hear and now'. Similar to the irrational and impuslive buying habits that some people demonstrate, perhaps so too can the bigotry and the posting of derogatory comments be attributed to the need to produce or live in the moment.

Readers now scan and search online and do not read for long periods of time. In addition, a pleothra of multimedia options and features help serve this 'modernized consumer'. Journalists must organize and coordinate the elements or layers of information to grab attention and then guide the viewer through the text. If they don't do this successfully, then perhaps we are better off with the more definitively linear structure of print.

"CONTENT IS KING"

THE SAME...BUT DIFFERENT

Todays marketplace is driven by e-commerce and the capabilities of online communication. The associated demand for constantly superseded technology has inturn opened up opportunities for those publishing and 'trading' online. In short, we now live, trade and communicate in an online world and this is good for journalists, especially those who are willing to learn the techniques that will open up doors to the world of online publishing. But what exactly should online journalists become proficient at and focus on?

Suzanne Levinson believes that "content will always be king", regardless of whether the discussion centres on online or print journalism. The trump card that online publishing has over print, however, are the multitude of design and format options that can be used to present the content. All elements should be used to inform as well as to engage and hold the reader's attention. Links to in-depth content, related topics and personal opinions from other readers can all be used to supplement the article itself. But despite all these options the dichtomy that exists is that there are still boundaries in existence for online journalism. Where as print journalists are confined by space and the finality of print, online journalists have to overcome boundaries of competing elements, navigation simplicity and selective attention. Levinson explains that bells and whistles are all good and well but in the end the content must engage the reader, guide them through via clear heirarchy and be easy to navigate. Direct headlines, key words and clear concise writing are still a must. Finding a balance, and perhaps knowing what elements to leave out, is the challenge of journalism in the 21st century.