VirtualJournalism.net - An Online Convergence Media Course

Good Night, and Good Luck

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

To the students of JOUR 475:

Thank you!!!

I had a fantastic time working with you this past semester. It was a pleasure to work with all of you on your various multimedia projects and semester-long blog assignment.

Please have a safe and fun winter break! :)

- Brett

Frontline: "What's Happening to the News?"

2011-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

In 2007, our school honored the PBS show "Frontline" and its executive producer David Fanning as part of the Murrow Symposium..

During that year, "Frontline" aired a multi-part series "News War" that can be viewed in its entirety online here.

Using this online link, please watch "Part 3" (segments 16-25) of the show's recent examination of the news industry.

Part 3 focuses on the effect of the Internet on the traditional news paradigm. Some of the Web sites mentioned include:

Rocketboom

The Daily Kos

BuzzMachine (Jeff Jarvis)

Talking Points Memo (Josh Marshall)

Powerlineblog (Scott Johnson)

CBS Public Eye blog (ceased publishing in early 2009)

ABCNews.com The Blotter

Kevin Sites in the Hotzone (archived)

Google News

Check out this link that discusses the "Frontline" series and some of the unique online extras found on the PBS site.

Please return any checked out equipment ASAP

2011-12-06T07:01:00.000-08:00

Have you checked out a Flipcam, camcorder, or "backpack journalism" kit?

If so, the deadline to return ALL items is NOW! Please bring any items to class NO LATER THAN Wed., Dec. 7 -- or email me to arrange a time to drop them off.

Landing your first journalism or new media job

2011-12-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

Looking for a job in journalism or new media content development? Getting that first gig can be tough. Here are some resources that may help in your search:

Socially network in the following LinkedIn Groups:

How is your online reputation? Enter your name into CVGadget.com and make sure that there are no "compromising" or negative results!
Research the company before you apply!

Team Blog Assignment: CLOSING DATE

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks for your contributions to the team blog semester project.
All contributions may cease as of the end of Wed., Nov. 30. Existing posts will be reviewed and your collective contributions will be scored over the next week. Point values will be assigned through a combination of both quality and quantity of your blog posts up to a maximum of 50 points.

Video Project -- Due Nov. 30

2011-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

DEADLINE EXTENDED!

This assignment is DUE Mon., Nov. 30 and has a high point value for your overall semester grade.

During the next few class sessions, we will be training on video editing before uploading our productions to the Web.

THE ASSIGNMENT:

1. Create a one-minute original news video segment for the Web.
-- This should contain an interview with at least two sources (not including yourself).
-- You can take your own creative approach to telling your story. I don't mind if it is personality-driven or humorous, but it should be intelligent in content and execution!
2. You are preparing this video report for your blog, but it can also be posted to your team blog.
3. You are also going to submit this to an online video sharing site and, thus, it is recommended that you be aware of the following legal criteria:
-- On the far right of this page, you will find templates of release forms that you can use for all featured interview subjects
-- You should refrain from using copyrighted music or content without proper clearance (if you use any)!
-- Consider the use of royalty-free music , if appropriate.
4. Once completed, you will upload it to a video sharing site, such as YouTube, and then embed the video into your personal or team blog.

THIS WILL NOT BE AN EASY ASSIGNMENT TO GET AN "A" ON. Since this will play a critical role in your overall course grade, I highly encourage you to plan accordingly. In other words, do not try to complete this at the last minute. Pay attention to your camerawork, lighting and audio quality.

Here is a link to video production performance rubric that I will be using to assess the quality/grading of the production.

Some Production Tips:

- One helpful approach is to record your audio narration separately and then edit your video footage to it. The pre-recorded audio track might be interspersed with your interview and or on-camera narration.

- Prepare "B-roll" so that you have something to cut away to, when appropriate. "B-roll" is footage that can be used to "mask an edit" or to keep the visual footage interesting if you have a long "talking head" segment.

- Use titles and credits

- Consider using a storyboard to plan your shots before you shoot them
Here are some templates you can print out and use: Template 1 and Template 2

Since this is not a dedicated video production class, there are some production elements that may suffer if you are not aware of them. In particular, pay attention to lighting and sound.

Here are some links that have some production tips:

Some places to go for free, legal music:

Video Blogging & Flip Cams

2011-11-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

The Murrow College has some "Flip Cams" for check out. What is a Flip Cam?

Visit the Flip Cam Web site for a detailed walk-through.
Here is a basic QuickStart Guide (.pdf format) for the Mino model.

Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the Flip Cam KnowledgeBase and Forum to browse through common questions on using your Flip Cam.

How do I extract audio from my video shot on Flip to an external digital audio editing program (such as Audacity or Audition)?

Answer: Our versions of the Flip cameras only record in .mp4 video. Thus, if you use Adobe CS4 or lower, you may need to download and use the free trial version of Flip Video Converter in order to convert the .mp4 into a compatible video file and/or to convert to an .mp3 audio file from your video. Once installed, Flip Video Converter will ask you to locate your original video file in the top search field. To select it, you may need to ensure that "all video file types" is selected in the bottom pull-down menu. Select your file and then you can choose the type of file you would like to export to. For audio, select .mp3 since that is the file type that is compatible with Audacity or Audition.

Equipment Checkout FAQ

2011-11-13T06:57:00.001-08:00

Campus Multimedia Resources

If you do not have your own firewire-equipped camcorder, there are two on-campus options available for free camera check-out.

Option 1: Murrow School

The Murrow School has three "backpack journalism kits" that include laptop computers and Flip Cams, available for student check-out in my office (MURE 213).

If you are interested in checking one of these items out, please be aware of the following:

1) Students are responsible for the safe return (in working order) of the equipment that they check out.
2) For camcorder checkouts, you are responsible for procuring your own video tape.
3) Students are limited to checking out items for one day at a time (unless previous permission has been granted). Typically, equipment is due back by noon the next day. Weekend checkouts are permitted assuming that the cameras are returned promptly on Monday morning.

4) Please return all items fully charged, if possible.

If you are interested in checking out an item from the Murrow School, then you can do so through me by contacting me during class with your request and then arranging for pick-up in MURE 213. There will be a white binder with the appropriate check-out form that you will need to fill out for the equipment.

Currently, our equipment is limited to the laptops, camcorder, battery and battery charger. For supplementary microphones and/or firewire cables, you might want to consider use of Academic Media Services.

Option 2: Academic Media Services

The WSU Academic Media Services department has video cameras, digital voice recorders, microphones and firewire cables that you can check out for use in developing your own audio and video content for the Web.

AMS is located at 150 Holland on campus at the side of the Holland Library facing Terrell Mall. Click here for a map.

As part of this class, you are able to get FREE access to this equipment. Click here for a complete list of equipment available for checkout. Note the rental price list only applies to checkout that is NOT related to a class project. Be sure to reserve/ask for a DV-based camcorder that has firewire output. They also have larger cameras without firewire that are not appropriate for the class project.

Also, please be aware of the following:

- All equipment is due back to the AMS offices by 1 p.m. the following day. No exceptions.

- You will need to show a student ID and identify yourself as part of this class in order to check out equipment.

- You will need to sign a statement of responsibility when checking out equipment. This ensures that you will be responsible for the care and safe return of the item(s) while you are using them.

The Academic Media Services department is open Mon.-Fri. from 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Due to the large demand for equipment (it is used by the entire campus -- not just our class), it might be a good idea to reserve your items ahead of time. You can call the department at 335-7336 or stop by the offices at 150 Holland for advance reservations.

Our lab computers accept firewire connection cables that will allow you to transfer both audio and video from your camcorder directly to the computer hard drive.

For some of our projects, you will need to check out a camcorder, microphone and firewire connection cable.

EQUIPMENT

AUDIO

If you are interested in recording audio only, you have several options. Many computers have a mic jack that allows you to directly connect a microphone into the computer for recording via Adobe Audition, Audacity and other programs. However, you might also choose to record audio externally and then "import" it into the audio editing programs.

Some students may choose to do this via use of a camcorder. You simply extract the audio from the videotaped footage and import the audio into the editing program. We will be discussing this technique in class.

Another external audio recording option is the Zoom H2 Voice Recorder, which is available for checkout from Academic Media Services. Recorded audio is stored digitally and can be transferred to a computer via a Flash memory card or via a transfer cable. If you need instructions on how to use this device, the manual is available online (.pdf file) at this link:

Zoom H2 Voice Recorder Manual

In some cases, you may be given a different model of digital audio recorder, such as the M-Audio MicroTrack II. If you get this model of recorder, please note that you may need to do the following for your PC before being able to transfer your audio recordings from the device to your computer:

1) Plug in the device's accompanying USB transfer cable to your computer. Make sure the device is "on" and it should detect it. At this point, you can navigate to it as if it were an external hard drive to transfer the files to your local computer.

2) If it does not "detect" your MicroTrack II, then you may need to install the appropriate driver matched to your device and computer model. See drivers at this link. (You'll need to choose your computer type [Mac or PC] and operating system and then it will give you the appropriate .zip file containing the driver.

A full manual for this device is available here:

M-Audio MicroTrack II Recorder Manual

VIDEO

When working with video equipment, there are a few things that you will need to consider. If possible, try to get a Mini-DV or Hi-8 camcorder and a 4-PIN TO 4-PIN FIREWIRE CABLE.

Here is a picture of the firewire connection cable:

If you are checking out equipment from Academic Media Services, you must specify the 4-pin to 4-pin firewire if you are using the class lab computers. They have another type of firewire that is a 6-pin (larger) connector that you might get if you don't specify 4-pin.

If you are editing at home, you might want to check the size of your connector before you check out the cable.

You can find out more about firewire on Wikipedia.

AMS does not provide free blank video tapes. You will need to purchase one from them (about $7.50). Depending on the camera type that you check out, you may need to use either a Mini-DV or Hi-8/8MM type of video tape.

You can also find these tapes at the campus bookstore, Wal-Mart, ShopKo and other local retail outlets.

As a side note, the AMS department also has two dedicated video editing workstations that use Pinnacle Studio software. Although we will be training on Adobe Premiere using our in-class terminals, it is worth noting that this resource is available for you (if you choose to use it). The video editing interface of Adobe Premiere is similar to Pinnacle Studio -- and they have a "how-to" guide there that is useful for beginners.

Computer Lab Hours

2011-11-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

For your class productions, you have the opportunity to work on the school's computers to complete your productions outside of class. Students are also welcome to use their own laptops or computers to complete multimedia projects.

For this semester, there will be open lab hours in CADD 123 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-5 p.m.

Creating a Facebook Landing Page

2011-11-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

Once you have your Facebook fan page set up, you'll want to create a Facebook "landing page."

You can use Wix.com to create a Facebook landing page that is the "default" experience for people who have not yet "Liked" your fan page.

Full instructions are here.

Want to see mine?

Here it is! (seen outside of Facebook)
You can also see how my mini-site looks embedded on Facebook.

Interested in making your new Facebook mini-site the default landing page for your fan page?

Instructions are here.
See great examples of other landing pages here.

Creating a Facebook Fan Page

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

You can nurture a strong community of followers and fans via social networking platforms, such as Facebook.

Creating a Facebook Fan page

1. Your designated social media editor should log in to Facebook and then visit this link to set up your fan page.

2. You'll want to classify your page by Category. Although the choice is yours, you might look at the options under Brand, Product, or Organizations. There are several choices that might be appropriate for your project there.

3. You will also get a chance to "name" your page. Make sure it matches your branded Web property!

4. When ready, check the confirmation box and digitally "sign" the form and select "Create Page."

5. Now you can customize your page. You might want to populate the page with your custom logo, profile information and even any of the many Facebook Apps.

6. Once your page is ready, you can choose to take it public. You can also grab embed code to place a promo box on your Web site. You can get this code by clicking on the link that reads "Add Fan Box to your site" (usually on the lefthand side of the Facebook Fan page). You can also click here for the Like Box creation tool.

7. Use the Facebook Fan site to send alerts and updates about additions to your site. You might also promote it to friends and interested, related communities via Facebook and other social network sites.

Adding a live Twitter feed to your website

2011-11-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Once you have a Twitter account for your client, you can add a dynamic feed that will update in your site!

Here's how:

In your Wix.com template, select Add > Widgets > RSS
Select your preferred layout for the Twitter feed to add it to your site.
Click on it and select Edit RSS URL. Here you will need to add a working RSS link for your branded Twitter feed. Unfortunately, Twitter doesn't make it easy for you to get your RSS link. So, to generate an RSS link from your Twitter feed, you'll need to enter your username in to the TwitterFeed.com site and then use the feed link that is generated.
You may need to Preview to test that it works correctly.

Wikis & Web 2.0

2011-11-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

Wikis, Web 2.0

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: wiki web)

Wikimania!

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

The user-contributed Wiki format has quickly become popular on the Internet. Here are some popular wiki sites worth noting:

Wikipedia (see bottom of this post for information on how to establish a Wiki account)
Wikitionary
Wiikibooks
Wikiveristy
Wikinews
Wikispecies
Wikimedia Commons
Wikiquote
Wikisource
Citizendum
Wikileaks
Wikia
JournaWiki
Wiki.com
Wikispaces
WikiHow

WORKING WITH WIKIPEDIA

Wikipedia.org has become one of the most popular information Web sites – despite the fact that it is a non-profit, user-edited resource. To become familiar with the wiki format, register with the site so that you will have permission to edit and/or create an entry. There is a “Create Account” link at the upper right-hand side of the homepage or you can simply click here .

Once you are registered, you can use the search box to find an existing entry on your selected topic. On that page, you will find an “edit” link that allows you to add your text or image to the existing page.

To create a new entry, there is a page that will help you establish a new entry topic here
If you want to add an image, click here for information on uploading.

Additional resources:

A complete online tutorial to creating your own wiki page is here
There are also some general tips to help you here

Wikipedia cheat sheet

Production Tips

2011-10-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Audio & Video Production Basics

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Video Editing - Adobe Premiere Introduction

2011-10-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Adobe Premiere is a common video editing program that we will be working with in class. This is widely-used software that can be used in online reporting. After a few sessions of training, each student will be using Adobe Premiere (or another video program) to create your own video news report.

It is worth noting that Adobe Premiere works well with the editing program Adobe Audition. For example, you can export audio from the video you capture into Audition for post-production "sweetening" and then re-import it back into Premiere.

You can download a free trial version of the program (PC or Mac) at:

Note that Premiere Elements is a low-cost "light" version of the full-featured Adobe Premiere Pro program. Adobe Premiere Elements typically retails for about $99 new (compared to $849 for the full version of Adobe Premiere Pro).

Due to the high cost of the full version of Premiere, it is worth exploring other accessible free video editing options, such as Microsoft's Movie Maker and Apple's iMovie. Many computers come equipped with either MovieMaker (PC) or iMovie (Mac) already installed.

Finally, there are two additional video editing programs worth noting. A great Mac-based video editing program is Final Cut Pro, while both Mac and PC users might also want to check out the popular Avid Studio program. (Avid is the leading video editing program in the TV and movie industry).

While we will concentrate most of our in-class tutorials on Adobe Premiere, you are free to use any of these (or other) programs to execute your class production. Fortunately, most of these programs use similar interfaces -- so the training in class will make it easy for you to use any of these programs.

Here are some sites that may help you learn/understand Adobe Premiere:

Training Videos - Adobe Premiere

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here is an overview video on Adobe Premiere Pro

Here is information on importing your footage into Premiere:

Learn the basics of editing in Premiere:

See a complete series of training videos on Adobe TV for versions CS4 or CS5.

How do I find legal music for my production?

2011-10-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

The video below will tell you about Creative Commons free or low-cost copyright licenses.

Essentially, a Creative Commons license allows the creator to protect his or her creation while simultaneously allowing them to share their work without the usual restrictions of traditional copyright law.

For your audio and video productions, you might want to use Creative Commons-licensed music tracks. This will enable you to enhance your production and avoid copyright complications.

To explore the Creative Commons search engine, click here.

One feature of the search engine worth noting is Owl Search. This is an amazing sound-based search engine that allows you to find Creative Commons music that "sounds" similar to other songs. It's a great free tool to use if you are looking for a "sound alike" track or a song with a particular mood or energy.

There are several types of Creative Commons licenses. For example, some may have restrictions against use in commercials. For a full list of the various licenses, click here.

If you decide to use the Owl search engine, be sure to click on the two "Creative Commons" boxes on the left-hand side of the screen. These options will appear after you hit "Search" and will allow you to restrict your search results to music that is either free or very low-cost.

Here is another link to a Creative Commons search engine:

Creative Commons Search

OTHER ROYALTY-FREE OPTIONS:

IStockAudio

Archive.org Music

Pump Audio ($1.99 for rights to indie music for the Web)

APM Music (pricing varies)

Use Dropbox to Upload Your Completed SoundSlides Production to the Web

2011-10-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

You can use Dropbox to store your completed SoundSlides production on the Web. Then, you'll be able to "embed" the completed production on your blog.

What is Dropbox? Video:

Please see these video tutorials for instructions:
(NOTE: You can enlarge full-screen by clicking on the "Fullscreen View" icon in the bottom right of each video.)

Video Tutorial:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Once you have completed your production, hit Export. In the exported files, click on the publish_to_web folder. These are the files that you will be moving over to the web via Dropbox.

2. Sign up for Dropbox. You do NOT need to download the Dropbox application. We will only use the web-based version of Dropbox for this production.

3. First, click on the "Public" folder. You MUST be inside the "Public" mode for this production to be seen by others. Then, once inside the "Public" folder, you will now create a new folder using the "New Folder" button. Name it publish_to_web. Inside this folder, you will be "moving" all the exported SoundSlides files from your local computer to Dropbox. It will be very important to match the file names and folder names exactly.

4. In Dropbox, click on the new publish_to_web folder you've created so that you are now "inside" the new publish_to_web folder on the web version of Dropbox.

5. You will now begin to upload the exported files over to Dropbox. To start, you will need to create one or more sub-folders inside publish_to_web to "match" those on your local computer (For example, you may see sub-folders called "custom" and "fullscreen"). To start, click on "New Folder" in Dropbox then create the same folder(s) you see (usually one or both of "custom" and "fullscreen" as sub-folders). Make sure that the names match exactly the folder names on your exported SoundSlides production (e.g. "custom" and "fullscreen" -- all lowercase and no quotes). We'll come back to these folders in a bit, but first we must upload the other files that are outside those sub-folders.

6. To upload the files, we need to click on the "Upload" button in Dropbox. Next, select "Choose Files" to navigate your local computer's hard drive -- you need to navigate to the publish_to_web sub-folder on your local computer to find these files in your exported SoundSlides production. Once here, select all the files EXCEPT the sub-folders ("custom" and "fullscreen") to upload those contents. When complete, you'll see the files now hosted on Dropbox.

7. Next, we need to upload the files that are in both the "custom" and "fullscreen" sub-folders (which are currently empty on Dropbox). To start, click on the "custom" subfolder on Dropbox so that you are "inside" it. Now, select "Upload" to once again upload the contents of your local SoundSlides production to Dropbox. When you "Choose Files," make sure that you are only choosing the files that are inside the local computer's "custom" sub-folder in publish_to_web. Once done, go up a level on the Dropbox to return to the publish_to_web master folder and then select the "fullscreen" folder to repeat the process of transferring over the files.

8. Almost done! Now, all your files are hosted on Dropbox...but how do you get it on your blog? Make sure on Dropbox that you are in the publish_to_web folder, then put your cursor over the file "index.html" and select "Copy public link" from the far-right pull-down menu.

9. Copy this URL and then put it in the embed tool provided by SoundSlides at this link. Grab the embed code and paste it into a new blog post -- make sure you are in HTML mode on your new post. Publish and you are done!

Blog Laws Slideshow

2011-10-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

Blog Law

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Blog Laws

2011-10-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

While there is a lot of "hype" about blogging, this new form of media can cause major headaches for media organizations. A comprehensive legal guide is available for free on the Internet at:

Legal Guide for Bloggers (via Electronic Frontier Foundation)

Litigation Risks

I s Your Blog Exposing You To Legal Liability? (via Law.com)
ABC Shuts Down Blogger (via MediaMatters.org)
...and that blogger is now back online at Spocko's Brain

Texas Court Bans "Deep Linking" (via The Register)
"Deep Linking" entry on Wikipedia
Various "Deep Linking" Cases and Analysis (via Southeastern Louisiana University's Center for Faculty Excellence)

Invasion of Privacy

Bloggers' FAQ: Privacy (via Electronic Frontier Foundation)
Steamy D.C. Sex Blog Scandal Heads to Court (via MSNBC)
Blogging Can Get Your Sued: Privacy Tort Suit Against Washingtonienne Blog (via PrawfsBlawg)
Washingtonienne (archived) (via Wonkette)
More information on blogger Jessica Cutler (via Wikipedia)

Defamation

Sexual Harassment & Hostile Work Environment

Security Breaches

Bloggers' FAQ: Intellectual Property (via Electronic Frontier Foundation)
How Apple Lost the iPhone (via Gizmodo)
Apple Dealt Loss in Apple vs. Does Trade Secret Case (via ArsTechnica)
EFF: Apple vs. Does
Apple Pays $700,000 for Bloggers' Legal Fees (from iPodNN)

Soundslides Assignment

2011-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

ASSIGNMENT:
Please finish by Oct. 24

Create your own captioned 60-second audio-narrated photo slideshow using Soundslides.

This is a free downloadable program that is used by several mainstream and independent news organizations, as well as by citizen bloggers.

If you have a digital camera, you can use it to take pictures that document an event or tell a story. If you do not have your own digital camera, you can check one out for free at WSU's Academic Media Services located at 150 Holland on campus.

This project can be completed on your home computer or during lab hours.

The completed project should be about one minute in duration. The content of this project should be focused on the theme of your genre-specific team blog.

After you have completed the assignment, you should upload it to a Web host service, such as Dropbox and then embed it in your Web site. Note: It is important when you start your production to choose the "small-blog embed" option. If you did not do this at the beginning, then you can modify your output size before you "Export" your project. This is important because modifying the output size will ensure that your final production is compatible with the dimensions of your blog.

To do this within SoundSlides, choose MODIFY from the top menu, then select OUTPUT SIZES. A pop up window will appear where you can select SMALL-BLOG EMBED. This will ensure that your export will result in a smaller slideshow for your blog.

I will be reviewing instructions for embedding your completed SoundSlides production on your blog in class. Note that you'll likely want to use an embed code tool to convert your hosted video to embeddable code.

Here is the link to that tool.

Here is an example of a recent creation with a Murrow theme:

In Search of Murrow's England (A Soundslide presentation)

Creating Multimedia: A Novice Shows the Way

And... Interview with the creator of Soundslides

Other examples of Soundslide presentations:

ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM:

If you are feeling adventurous, you can also use Yodio to complete this assignment. Specifically, you can create an audio-narrated "tour" to upload to Yodio Tours and then embed your final production into your blog.

If you choose this option, then please make sure the "tour" you create fits the editorial mission of your team production blog. Please see the Yodio Tours website for more info.

What is your Klout score?

2011-10-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

Klout measures how much influence you or your media property/brand has on Twitter, Facebook and other channels. Here is a summary of how they calculate each score:

Klout: Measuring Online Influence

How do you rate?

YouTube Insights

2011-10-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

YouTube Insights is an analytics tool that enables you to view detailed statistics about the videos you upload.

With YouTube Insights, you can view data that tracks:

Popularity and Number of Views
Demographics
Community Engagement
Discovery
Audience Attention

Did you know that you can pay to promote your videos using YouTube's "Promoted Videos" feature?

Find out more at: https://ads.youtube.com/
Editorial guidelines for YouTube ads can be found here.

Using Google Webmaster Tools

2011-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Google Webmaster Tools enables you to track your pages' visibility on Google.

If you have recently set up a new blog using Blogger, you may already have Google Webmaster Tools enabled. To check, log in to your Google Blogger account then visit the Google Webmaster Tools page.

If this is enabled, you will be able to click on your site name to see the report. If you see a message that says "You are not a verified owner of this site," then you will need to do the following:

SETTING UP YOUR GOOGLE WEBMASTER TOOLS ACCOUNT:

BLOGGER INSTRUCTIONS:
1) To get started, log in to Google Webmaster Tools with your blogger/Google user ID and password.
2) Once logged in, you will either see your site listed or you may be asked to "add a site" to your dashboard. You can add your personal or team blog here. Add the full URL.
3) Next, you'll see the option to "verify your site." To do so, you will need to prove to Google that you are the owner/webmaster of the site. Once you click on the verify link, select the verification option to "add a meta tag to your site's home page." If you don't see this immediately, check under the "Alternate methods" tab.
4) Copy the provided code and then add it to the HTML of your Blogger template AFTER the first <head> section of the page and before the first <body> section. Save your changes by hitting the SAVE button on BLOGGER.
5) Once done, hit "VERIFY." If done correctly, you will soon see your blog added to the dashboard. It may take a day or two for data to trickle in, but check back to see info on how your site is showing up in Google rankings.

For troubleshooting why you might lack data in your Google Webmaster Tools report, visit here.

WORDPRESS.COM INSTRUCTIONS

Wordpress.com has made it easy to add tracking code for Webmaster Tools into your blog.

1) You must first establish a Google Webmaster Tools account.

2) Register and login. Then, select the Add a Site button.

3) Add the URL of the site you'd like to verify.

4) Next, you must verify that you own the site. Select the Alternate Methods tab. Then, select "Add a meta tag to your site's home page."

5) Copy the full meta tag. You'll need to (in a separate browser tab) be logged in to your Wordpress dashboard to paste this tag into the correct spot. In Wordpress, select Tools on the lefthand navigation.

6) Paste the code under the section Webmaster Tools Verification > Google Webmaster Tools. Then, save!

7) Go back to the Google Webmaster Tools tab after you have pasted, then select the Verify button to finish.

8) That's it! You should now have access to Google Webmaster Tools.

Metrics and Measurement

2011-10-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Today, we will be looking at various Web site traffic metrics and measurement tools, including:

There are several YouTube tutorial videos on Google Analytics

Google Analytics - Adding Tracking Code

2011-10-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

Would you like to know more about the Web traffic click-through patterns and keyword referrals on your site?

BLOGGER ANALYTICS

Blogger users automatically get basic analytics under the Stats tab in your Dashboard.

The Stats tab contains useful info about pageviews and traffic sources for your website traffic. However, some bloggers will want even more "in depth" data to better understand their audiences. You can add Google Analytics tracking into the HTML code of your blog to activate advanced data collection of your website traffic.

USING GOOGLE ANALYTICS

Google Analytics is a free Web-based tool that will give you rich data on how people interact with your Web site content.

To get started, visit Google Analytics and follow these instructions to add tracking code to your site.

NOTE: When copying your code into the HTML of your Blogger template, be careful not to overwrite any existing code! You will paste the embed code right before the </head> tag in your template code.

After you add the code, you'll need to wait up to 24 hours before the tracking data will begin to appear. More information about verifying your setup can be found here.

If you see the yellow triangle icon, your code has not yet been identified as being successfully verified. Wait a bit and refresh the page to see if the icon status changes.

If you see the clock icon, this indicates that tracking code is installed correctly and that it is waiting for data during the first 24 hours after installation. You must check back later to see your first report.

A green check mark indicates that the tracking code is recognized and is successfully gathering information. You still may need to wait a bit before actually seeing any data in your Google Analytics report.

Learn more about the various tracking confirmation icons here.

For a complete list of Google Analytics video tutorials, visit the official channel on YouTube.

WORDPRESS ANALYTICS

What about analytics on Wordpress? If you are using Wordpress.com (NOTE: this is different than the more advanced Wordpress.org service), then you can not add Google Analytics code at this time. However, there is an internal analytics feed that you can access.

Visit the Wordpress Stats info page to find out about this option.

Once you are logged in to your Wordpress dashboard, you can find your analytics under the Dashboard option. Look for Site Stats to find your reporting data (see picture, right).

Using Wordpress.org (the advanced version of Wordpress)? If so, you can find out more information on adding Google Analytics to Wordpress.org-hosted sites here.

Understanding Analytics

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

There are several online resources that you can help you better understand and analyze the data that you get from the various Web analytics services.

Google AdWords

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick overview of Google AdWords:

A Beginner's Guide to Google AdWords

Real-life Lessons in Using Google Adwords (NY Times)

Get a coupon for free AdWords money

Other Useful Tools:

Go to AdWords Tools to see several free utilities that can help you shape your ad

Use the Keyword Tool to build a master list of new keywords for your ad groups and review detailed keyword performance statistics like advertiser competition and search volume.
To preview what ads are already displaying for a particular keyword, use the Ad Preview Tool
Use the Ads Diagnostic Tool to further research the performance of your ad.
Use the Traffic Estimator Tool to get a sense of how many potential impressions your ad will have.

How Do You Measure Success in Google AdWords?

Facebook Ads

2011-10-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Facebook Ads is an influential Web ad service that enables you to target specific audiences inside the popular social network.

Example of finished Soundslides presentation

2011-10-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

Here is an example of a finished Soundslides presentation:

You can also see an example on the Web site of The Daily Evergreen.

Slideshare.net Audio "Slidecasts"

2011-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Slideshare.net is a new site that allows you to upload audio-narrated PowerPoint presentations to the Internet. You can then embed them into your blog or Web site. You can use this feature to tell a story by uploading photos and then adding narration.

Here is a quick overview of the "Slidecast" feature on Slideshare.net.

Slidecasting 101

View another webinar from Jonathan Boutelle

Audio Production Workshop and Team Meetings - Sept. 28

2011-09-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

On Wed., Sept. 28, we'll have workshop time in our regular class to complete and upload the audio projects.

REMINDER:
Your audio podcast is due by the end of Wed., Sept. 28 (Deadline extended!).

Host your completed audio file using Soundcloud

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Once you have the correct link, you can upload your completed file to Soundcloud or another free file-hosting service.

Using Soundcloud is easy! You simply register then select Upload to get a web-hosted file that you can embed on your blog. Like this:

Murrow Symposium Promo by virtualjournalism

After you have uploaded your file, look for the Share icon then select the "embed code" to insert into your blog post.

SEO - Optimizing your Blog for Search Engines through Metadata

2011-09-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Add title, keyword and description metadata to your team and personal blogs.

Instructions for Blogger-hosted blogs:

1) Create your metadata. For the following code, replace the INSERTTEXTHERE copy with your preferred text for the title, description and keyword metadata. (NOTE: Do not use any apostrophe characters in your text or it will break the code!)

2) Here is the code to use:

<meta content='INSERTTEXTHERE' name='description'/>
<meta content='INSERTTEXTHERE' name='keywords'/>
<title>INSERTTEXTHERE</title>

3) Log in to your Blogger account.
4) Click on Design
5) Click on Edit HTML.
6) In the Blogger code, you will see HEAD tag in brackets.
7) Paste in your metadata code AFTER that tag.
8) Be very careful not to overwrite or erase any other code in your template. If you do, you might "break" the blog template!
9) You can "Preview" first and then "Save" to complete the process.
10) Return to your blog's front page, where you should be able to see the title info at the top of your browser.
11) You can "see" the invisible metadata by viewing the source code. To do so, select "view" and the "page source" in your browser.

USING WORDPRESS?
If your blog is hosted on wordpress.com, then you can not use the above code and instructions. Unfortunately, you are unable to edit the HTML to add metadata using this blogging platform. However, there are various SEO support plugins on the open source Wordpress.org (which is different than Wordpress.com).

It is recommended that you pay attention to your blog's title and URL path, as well as the individual post names to help with SEO on Wordpress.com. Further, you should make sure to fill out the About page with a two sentence description that would be equivalent to the text used for the meta description text.

SEO Rapper - Rapping Videos on Search Engine Optimization

2011-09-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

The SEO Rapper has posted several YouTube clips that feature search engine optimization tips via rap lyrics!

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Best Practices

2011-09-19T09:03:00.001-07:00

Today in class we will look at ways to improve the search engine rankings of content in our Web blogs.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the practice of refining your Web site content so that it has better visibility in search engines, such as Google.

As you can see in the graphic on the right (click to enlarge), search engines are the primary way that people discover Web content. In the U.S., Google accounts for a vast majority of search engine referrals. Thus, it is hugely important that your content be properly indexed so that new users can discover and explore your creations.

Google Blog Posts About Algorithm

Here is a Google Video about SEO:

Ways to Increase Referrals

On-Page Elements:

The following on-page elements should be reviewed for possible tweaking so that your content is better surfaced in search engines for referral.

Page Title

In the Top bar of your browser
For critical areas of your Web site, does the page title in your browser contain the proper wording?

URL

Does the Web site URL for key areas include text that would contribute to that page being indexed on critical keywords?

"Invisible" Page Content

Description Field text doesn't help rankings, but it does ultimately show up in the search listings
Keywords description fields
- Less is more
  - No more than 5-10 keywords in your metatag

Off-Page Elements

Inbound links

Increase number of Web pages that link to you
- Seen as "vote of confidence" for relevance of your site
- Text in link is also important ("link anchor text")
Increase Google's "Page Rank"
- More links on prominent sites will also increase your page ranking

Best Practices

Does your blog post title contain keywords that concisely capture the blog topic and are known to be relevant to your site?
The very first words should be the most relevant, if possible
- Good Example: Second Life Tutorial: Customize your Avatar
- Bad Example: Want a New Look for your Avatar?
  - In the above example, the words "Second Life Tutorial" will match to keyword searches for people looking for second life tutorials. Further, the inclusion of "customize" and "avatar" will likely help this post show up higher in search results for people looking for help in avatar customization.
To see an example of this in action, do a Google Search on the words: Second Life CEO
- Notice how most of the top results have "CEO" in the first few words of the title

Would your blog post title make sense if it were displayed "out of context" via a RSS feed or on a third-party Web site, such as Digg or Facebook?
- Each post has the potential to be surfaced on third-party sites. Your headline should be constructed so that it compels someone to click on it.

Are there opportunities to mix in blog posts that are not time-sensitive?
- Many blog posts will clearly be connected to a new and timely announcement or development. However, when appropriate, you might want to strategically develop topics that speak to "evergreen" topics that have a longer shelf life.

Consider organizing your narrative with sub-headers and integrating occasional use of bold text and lists.
- These are believed to be minor factors in the algorithm that Google uses in determining relevance.

If appropriate, include links to previous related blog posts within the text of your new post.
- Interlinking increases the odds that your posts will be indexed at a higher level, according to many SEO experts.

Share Links and Network Badges

According to many SEO experts, blogs can play a key role in helping one's overall search rankings. In the case of Google's algorithm, the "newness" and frequency of posts contribute to the perceived "relevance" of a site. However, the key is to get other blogs and sites to link directly to your blog. An increase in third party referral links results in an increased "relevance" for your site.

As expected, a new blog post typically gets a burst of traffic immediately after it is published. In most cases, the traffic declines dramatically after a day or two. However, in some cases, a blog post that is not timely might continue to drive traffic to your site long after its initial publication. This is particularly true if the post is not time-sensitive and becomes indexed and related to key terms by search engines.

Are you pro-actively encouraging other sites to link to your post? What third-party sites should you strategically target as significant potential recipients of your blog post?
- Digg, del.icio.us and Facebook are among those social networking/aggregation sites that may help generate links to our site.
- If you feel that the theme of your post has significance outside of our own site, then submit it! Common sense rules here, but some examples include:
  - Digg.com (submit URL here - requires registration)
  - Reddit.com (Submit URL here - requires registration)
Do you have a network badge on your post?
- As of this writing, there were limitations in WordPress that make this difficult. However, this is functionality that we hope to have in the new blog solution (coming soon)
- Examples include:
  - Facebook Share (button code is here)
  - del.icio.us badge info is here

Research Links

HubSpot has some great tips on getting the most of paid search listings:

Audacity Training

2011-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today in class we will learn basic of audio editing with Audacity. This is a free "open-source" program that can be used on either PC or MAC platforms.

If Audacity is not already on your computer desktop, please download the program and install it for today's tutorial. Once installed, we will review basic recording and editing techniques.

Here are some supplemental links and tutorials:

Audacity Manual

Audacity Wiki Help & Hints Page

More on Audacity (Wikipedia entry)

AUDACITY: Converting your final production to an mp3

2011-09-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

When your Audacity production is complete, you will need to export it to .mp3 format. This is the popular digital music format that is compatible with SoundSlides and various portable media devices.

Audacity requires that you download the external LAME MP3 encoder, which you can download for free:

DOWNLOAD LAME MP3 ENCODER

If you need more info on this encoder, you can find it here.

Once it is downloaded, you need to "unzip" it by opening the folder and double-clicking on the "lame" file. A new folder will appear with the unzipped files that you will need. Remember the location on your computer where this is located because you will need to navigate to it the first time you aim to export a file to MP3.

When your production is ready for exporting to MP3, select:

File & Export as MP3

A pop-up window will appear asking you to name your file. Once you do that, a warning window will appear that asks you to locate the lame_enc.dll encoder file that you just downloaded. Click "Yes" and then navigate to the Lame MP3 folder (where the lame_enc.dll file is located). Then confirm the location by clicking yes and your production will export to an .mp3 file.

You only have to go through this process the first time you export to .mp3. After this, it will remember where your .mp3 encoder is and you will simply be able to "Export to MP3" when you are ready to do so.

Dropbox - Free Online Storage Space

2011-09-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Dropbox is a free file storage space that enables you to easily share and transfer files with others.

This service gives you a limited amount of free storage space that is particularly useful for large file transfers, such as multimedia files.

What is Dropbox? Video:

Looking for Training & Workshops on Digital Content Creation?

2011-09-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Students at WSU qualify for participation in many website design workshops and tutorial sessions, held in the Avery Microcomputer Lab on campus. Learn Dreamweaver, InDesign, Fireworks, Final Cut Pro, Flash and more! For a complete schedule of workshops, visit this site:

Avery Microcomputer Lab Digital Workshops Schedule and Sign-Up Page

New Assignment - Create a two-minute edited audio news report or podcast

2011-09-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

One of the basic multimedia skills that Web editors/producers use is audio editing. Once you learn the technical skills of audio editing, you can use this knowledge to produce your own audio news segments, podcasts and narrated slide shows. The same skills are also transferable to video editing (which shares a similar "timeline-based" interface).

AUDIO ASSIGNMENT -- DUE Wed., Sept. 28 - DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Write and produce an audio news or podcast production. Duration should be between one and two minutes in length. You may complete this production alone or with one other person.

Tell a news or feature story with a production that includes a narration and/or integration of audio interview segments from at least two sources. THIS PRODUCTION IS NOT A SIMPLE TWO-MINUTE READING OF YOUR SCRIPT/WORDS. You should include music or other production elements to bring the story to life. Some examples of existing productions are at the end of this post.

Using Adobe Audition (or another editing program), edit and "mixdown" this production into a single .mp3 file that will be posted on your genre-specific blog.

See the posts below for information on access to free audio production equipment and editing facilities.

DUE DATE: Sept. 28

Here are some examples of previous class project podcasts:

Digital Audio Training Overview

2011-09-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

Over the next week, will be tackling digital audio editing. This is a great skill to acquire since it is frequently used in Web publishing of podcasts and other multimedia efforts.

We will be learning the basic audio programs Audacity and Adobe Audition.

Audio Editing Programs

2011-09-07T07:00:00.003-07:00

While we are training on Audacity and Adobe Audition in class, there are several alternative audio editing programs that you can also use to complete this production.

For example, many Mac users already have GarageBand installed on their computers.

Other programs of note include:

Sony SoundForge

Saw Studio

AcidPro

Adobe Editing - Sample Project

2011-09-07T07:00:00.002-07:00

Here is a sample promotional clip that I created for the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication:

Click the image above to hear the .mp3 file (or right-click and save it to the desktop).

For the script of this production, click here (.doc file -- you may want to right-click and save)

The files for this today's in-class practice production may already be on the desktop of your computer. If they are not, you can download the individual .mp3 audio files below. Note that that you will want to right-click and save to your desktop.

Unedited recording session

Murrow sound sample 1

Murrow sound sample 2

Music background bed

Create a Facebook Like Box and Twitter Feed Box for your Blog

2011-08-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Add a Like Box to your Facebook page using this link.

Add your Twitter feed to your blog using this link.

INSTRUCTIONS:

For both of the above, you'll need to grab the embed code and place it in one of the Blogger widgets found under: Design > Page Elements > Add a Gadget.

Then, select HTML/Java Script and insert the code and save.

VANITY NAME FOR FACEBOOK:

Once you have 25 friends on your Facebook page, you can add a simple username/vanity name using this link.

Royalty-free and Free Images for your Blog

2011-08-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

Looking for royalty-free and/or free images to add to your blogs? Here are some sites worth checking out:

Creating a Facebook fan page and Twitter feeds for your blog

2011-08-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

As you begin to create your new Web destination site, you'll want to begin to nurture a strong community of followers and fans via social networking platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. Each team may want to designate a social media stakeholder for this responsibility or you might want to share those responsibilities.

Creating a Facebook Fan page

1. Your designated social media editor should log in to Facebook and then visit this link to set up your fan page.

3. You will also get a chance to "name" your page. Make sure it matches your branded Web property!

4. When ready, check the confirmation box and digitally "sign" the form and select "Create Page."

5. Now you can customize your page. You might want to populate the page with a custom logo (see: Istockphoto.com for some royalty-free, cheap images), profile information and Facebook Apps.

Creating a Twitter Feed

1. Visit Twitter, then you can sign up an acount on behalf of your media property. Try to grab the Web property name and your username.

2. Once you create your account, you can use Twitter to post updates and headlines that link to your site.

3. Visit the Best Practices and Getting Started pages for more tips on customizing and using your Twitter account.

4. You can explore further customization of your Twitter background on various sites, such as TwitterBackgrounds.com.

Social Media Persuasion Case Studies: Facebook and Twitter

2011-08-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

In 2010, Procter & Gamble unleashed a new "viral campaign" that generated millions of views for several uploaded clips related to a fading brand Old Spice. The humorous series of videos, which centered around the hyper-masculine "Old Spice Man," captured significant media buzz and (critically) social media activity.

Here is some press coverage of the campaign with more background info:

MSNBC, CBS News, BusinessWeek

On the journalism side, several media organizations are using both Facebook and Twitter as a way to distribute their reporting.

Examples:

The New York Times

On Facebook
On Twitter

The Spokesman-Review

On Facebook
On Twitter

USA Today

On Facebook
On Twitter

Many entrepeneurial bloggers are also using social media to find and discover new audiences. Here are some examples:

Boingboing.net

On Facebook
On Twitter

Engadget

On Facebook
On Twitter

The Huffington Post

On Facebook
On Twitter

BLOG ASSIGNMENT:

Can you find an example of a media outlet or PR campaign that effectively uses Facebook and Twitter?

Find and share your examples on your personal class blog.

Examples of previous "team blogs"

2011-08-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some examples of "team blogs" from recent semesters:

Choosing a Blog Brand Name & Creating a Logo

2011-08-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Igor International has created a great Naming Guide with information that can help you demystify the process of creating a great brand name.

Per Igor's Naming Guide, some things to consider as you review possible brand names include:

Appearance
Distinctive
Depth
Energy
Humanity
Positioning (How well does it support your core positioning for the brand?)
Sound
"33" (As per Igor's guide, "The force of brand magic and the word-of-mouth buzz that a name is likely to generate. Refers to the mysterious "33" printed on the back of Rolling Rock beer bottles...")

To get started, we'll be using a few web-based resources that will help us to:

Identify a Brand Name
Create a Logo

Brand Name Creation

Trademarkia.com is the largest visual search engine for more than 6 million trademarked logos, names, and slogans on the Internet. Use Trademarkia to identify whether or not your proposed brand name is already registered.

Logo Creation

LogoMaker.com is a simple-to-use, web-based logo creation tool. Use LogoMaker to experiment with different branded logos for your fictional product, organization or company.

Here is a quick tutorial video about how to
use LogoMaker.

How To Start Your Blog on Blogger

2011-08-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Check out the above video to get an overview on setting up your new blog.
Once your blog is set up, please send me the URL so that I can access it!

What's a blog? Take this tour to find our more.

DISCLAIMER:
The blogging tool that we are using (Blogger) is undergoing a significant re-design that is being rolled out over the next few months. This means that some people may sign up and see the "old" user interface, while other students will see the "new" interface. The video above shows the "old" interface, but many of the same features are present in the "new" interface -- only in different places.

Additional Resources:

For more information on setting up your blog, you can check out the Blogger help page
There are also many useful video tutorials on the Blogger Help YouTube page.

Team Blog Workshop Project

2011-08-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

In class, we will be developing team blogs that will contain text and multimedia content that you devleop. The class will soon break into blog editorial "teams" for the creation of these separate, collaborative blogs. You will (as a team) determine the blog name and even help design the logo.

HOW TO ADD ANOTHER AUTHOR TO YOUR BLOG

Each student on your editorial team will be able to post to the blog at any time. To enable this feature, select "Blogger Options " (gear icon in the top right) on your Blogger dashboard and then "Blogger Settings." Then, select "Add Authors" under the "Blog Authors" section to "invite" a registered Blogger user to contribute to your blog. At this point, that person will have publishing access rights to the team blog.

Please note that you should think of this blog as a publication. Don't be afraid to highlight other interesting stories or sites that you encounter online. A large part of "blogging" is referencing (and referring to) other sites.

NOTE: Since this is a PUBLIC blog, be aware that all libel, legal and copyright issues do apply to what you create and publish online. Use caution and common sense in your creations.

Blogging Vs. Reporting - The Distinction and the Debate

2011-08-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Since we are using blogs for some of our projects, I want to make certain that students understand the following:

Please do not confuse the casual nature and language of many blogs with the "traditional" standards of journalism. Blogging is often personal in nature and told from a definite point of view. We will have many writing assignments that allow you to post your casual thoughts to questions posed in class. This, of course, is different from "reporting," where the focus on "objectivity" and storytelling will be more structured. When we have "reporting" assignments in this class, I expect you to uphold the high standards of "traditional" journalism -- even if it is published on your blog. This means that you should not ignore grammar, spelling, punctuation or clarity.

Here is a great article about the differences and debates brewing over "blogging versus journalism":

Blogging vs. Journalists Is Over (via New York University's Pressthink blog)

Class Syllabus

2011-08-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

JOURN 475 – Convergent Media

Fall 2011

Office: Murrow East 213
Office Hours: By arrangement, but I'm usually available before and/or after class in my office
Office phone: (509) 335-0113

The best way to reach me out of class is by e-mail at: BAtwood@wsu.edu

I check e-mail multiple times per day. If you require an immediate response, please put PLEASE RESPOND in the header of your e-mail. Otherwise, I will try to respond in a prompt, but less urgent, manner (usually within 24 hours). However, please note that there will be times that I may wait until class to address your inquiries.

Our JOURN 475 blog (you can link to the blogs of your classmates from here): http://www.virtualjournalism.net/ . You can interact with other students on our Facebook page.

Please be sure I have your current email address, preferably a wsu.edu address, that you check regularly. I may use this e-mail to send some homework feedback, but I will also use it to inform students if there are any class cancellations.

Course Goals

This course is designed to enhance existing journalism skills and to apply reporting techniques to media delivered through the Internet and other new technologies. While this class is not meant to be a substitute for dedicated Web design and content development courses, it will expose you to some of the common online and multimedia publishing utilities.

At the conclusion of this course, each student should have increased his or her knowledge of online content development and storytelling techniques through various tools and techniques.

My teaching mission is to share and propagate the journalistic standards and ethics held by this school’s namesake – Edward R. Murrow. It is my goal to help instill a set of core values, ethics and skills that will help to immunize journalists against the inevitable temptations present in this industry. In journalism, credibility is earned. One poor choice can destroy an entire career. For this reason, you will need to operate at the highest standards of truth, fairness, balance and accuracy.

Required course resources:

• Access to a multimedia-ready computer for digital editing assignments (audio, video, blogging)
• Access to a computer microphone for recording your audio, a photo-taking digital device (camera, phone, camcorder) for digital photos and a camcorder or digital video device with the capacity for output to a computer (firewire or transfer cable, memory card or removable hard drive). There will be limited accessibility to these items for enrolled students in the class, but you may also use your own devices.
• 1 GB or higher flash-drive or portable hard drive for your ongoing work. (Bring to class on multimedia workshop days.)
Note: There is no textbook for this class, but we will be using numerous Web-based resources.

Projects and Scoring:

Item	Points	%
Podcast Project	30	13.5
SoundSlides Project	30	13.5
Video Project	35	17.5
Specialty Blog and Website Project	50	20
Various In-Class Assignments	25	12.5
Participation/Attendance	30	13.5
Exam (near end of semester)	30	13.5
TOTAL	230	100

Grading

Grade	points total	Grade	Points total
A	215 - 230	C+	140 - 154
A-	200 - 214	C	125- 139
B+	185 - 199	C-	110 - 124
B	170 - 184	D+	95 - 109
B-	155 - 169	D	80 - 94
		F	0 - 79

Online reporting portfolio:

Throughout the semester, you will be working on writing and multimedia assignments designed to show off your reporting and online content development skills. You will maintain an online blog for publishing your work that will be accessible by the instructor and classmates. Please be aware that any information posted on this blog will be publicly viewable and, thus, may be held to many of the same legal and ethical standards as writings published in traditional media. Please be prepared to share and discuss your work in class.

While we do plan to have a final in this class, the completion of all assigned writings and/or multimedia projects in your portfolio accounts for a large percentage of your grade. Any missed assignments will impact your final grade in the class.

Tests and quizzes:

We are tentatively planning at least one class test - a written response exam near the end of the semester.

This test may require that you reference the specifics of online publishing and/or technical skills learned in class, so it will be important that you understand how to work with each multimedia technology prior to the end of the semester.

In addition, there is the possibility for unannounced in-class quizzes or assignments that require attendance in order to complete.

Class schedule:

I reserve the right to change the class outline and even class location. If you miss a class, I expect you to find out from your classmates what you must do for the next class. I may give a quiz without prior notification.

At this time, I am not providing a week-by-week calendar for each session. However, here are some notable dates:

Sept. 5 - Holiday
Sept. 14 - Web-based class (subject to change)
Nov. 21 - Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving Break
Late Nov. (date TBD) - Exam

Attendance:

Class attendance is vital, as material will be introduced that is not covered in the text. Poor attendance will be reflected in your grade because of missed assignments or problems with completion. Assignments missed due to absence generally can't be made up. Do not ask unless there are exceptional circumstances for an excused absence. Consideration might be given if there is documented hospitalization, family death, university-sponsored travel (documented in advance) or extended individual sickness. You may lose participation points for every class session missed.

Computer use policy:

Since we are in a multimedia classroom, each student will have access to a computer that can be used to bring up your blog assignments. During some class sessions, there may be time to write in your blog or use the Internet to research a story. However, please do not use the Internet for other purposes during lecture and discussion. Students who use the Internet for any purpose not directly relating to class assignments or discussion may be asked to leave the classroom. In particular, please refrain from using class computers for social networking (i.e. Facebook), instant messaging, downloading or indiscriminate Web surfing.

Grading:

Projects and/or reporting assignments will be graded on a rigorous and fair system. Even though much of your work will be published on the Web, your content creations will still be evaluated according to traditional media reporting standards, including quality of the lead, use of language, economy of expression, readability, organization of material and content.

In evaluating mechanics, I will consider and review spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax and Associated Press style. Do not misspell words or names. Errors can (and will) dramatically reduce your grade on that assignment (possibly less than passing). In evaluating story reporting, consideration will also include news judgment in gathering and selecting information, accuracy, story approach and fairness.

The following will also be considered in grading your multimedia stories:

• Does the lead (in writing or in your production) tell what the story is about? Is it creative, interesting and relevant?
• Is the story well reported? Does it have multiple sources? Is it balanced and objective? Are all of the reader or viewer questions answered? Are direct quotes informative and of high quality? Are all sides of a story represented with a diversity of voices? Is material organized in a logical fashion? Is the writing or production clear and concise?

Since there will be an online component to some of the work you submit, I will also factor in the technical execution of your storytelling.

Extra credit:

Throughout the semester, there may be opportunities for extra credit. We will talk more about any possible opportunities as the semester continues. However, availability of extra credit is subject to change and, thus, you should not rely upon this option to reach a higher grade.

Anonymous sources:

In most cases, do not use anonymous sources. I must approve usage in advance or assignments will not be accepted.

Identification:

You must always identify yourself to sources as a reporting student whose work might be published on the Web. Do not make any pre-publication review promises. You must also double-check to ensure that your interview subjects consent to being included in your Web production prior to publication.

Other Housekeeping Items:

• Cell phones must be turned off in class.
• Surfing the Internet is not allowed during class unless it is related to a class project.
• Please be on time. Excessive tardiness may result in a lower grade.

Academic Dishonesty, Integrity and Plagiarism:

PLAGIARISM OR CHEATING OF ANY KIND ON ANY ASSIGNMENT OR EXAM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND WILL RESULT IN A FAILING GRADE IN THE COURSE. (Consult the WSU Student Handbook for further details). In other words, do your own work. If using the ideas, work or wording from another source in written assignments you must acknowledge the source.

Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication in the process of completing academic work. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University.

To maintain the academic integrity of the community, the University cannot tolerate acts of academic dishonesty including any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication.

Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty. Please understand the following definitions:

• Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty includes cheating, falsification, fabrication, multiple submission, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, complicity, or misconduct in research, all of which are defined below.

• Cheating: Cheating is the intentional use of, or attempt to use, unauthorized material, information, or study aids in any academic activity to gain advantage. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, communicating improperly with others, especially other students, during tests or the preparation of assignments for classes; copying from books, notes, or other sources during a test when this is not permitted; copying from another student’s work (reports, laboratory work, computer programs, files, etc.); making improper use of calculators or other devices during a test; illegitimately procuring or using copies of current examinations; allowing a substitute to take an examination or write a paper for oneself.

• Falsification: Falsification is the intentional and unauthorized alteration of information in the course of an academic activity. Falsification includes, but is not limited to, altering the record of data, experimental procedures, or results; falsely describing the source of information (e.g., reproducing a quotation from a book review as if it had been obtained from the book itself); altering academic records; altering a returned examination paper and then seeking a higher grade based on the result.

• Fabrication: Fabrication is the intentional invention or counterfeiting of information in the course of an academic activity without proper authorization. Fabrication includes, but is not limited to, counterfeiting data, research results, information, or procedures with inadequate foundation in fact; counterfeiting a record of internship or practicum experiences; submitting a false excuse for absence or tardiness.

• Multiple Submission: Multiple submission includes, but is not limited to, submitting the same paper or oral report for credit in two courses without the responsible instructor’s permission; making minor revisions in a paper or report for which credit has already been received and submitting it again as a new piece of work.

• Plagiarism: Plagiarism is knowingly representing the work of another as one’s own, without proper acknowledgment of the source. The only exceptions to the requirement that sources be acknowledged occur when the information, ideas, etc., are common knowledge. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, submitting as one’s own work the work of a “ghost writer” or work obtained from a commercial writing service; quoting directly or paraphrasing closely from a source without giving proper credit; using figures, graphs, charts, or other such material without identifying the sources. Identified cases of plagiarism will result in a grade of "F" for the work in question or for the whole course. Basically, there are two forms of plagiarism: (1) the unintentional or careless use of other writers' words and ideas as though they were your own, and (2) the intentional submission of another's work as your own. The important issue is that published material, whether in print, electronic, or other media format, must be cited and not presented as your own.

For example, material obtained from the Internet is still subject to academic integrity guidelines, and even may be identified more easily by special online search engines used to evaluate suspect material. If you commit the first type of plagiarism, you might be asked to rewrite part or all of your paper so your sources are properly acknowledged.

If you knowingly turn in a paper written by someone else and claim it as your own, or copy sections of a book or article without proper documentation, even though you understand how to document, you have cheated and thus violated WSU's academic integrity policies. Creating quotes or inventing sources will result in an "F" on the assignment, possibly an "F" in the course.

• Abuse of Academic Materials: Abuse of academic materials occurs when a student intentionally or knowingly destroys, steals, mutilates, or otherwise makes inaccessible library or other academic resource material that does not belong to him or her. Abuse of academic materials includes, but is not limited to, stealing, destroying, or mutilating library materials; stealing or intentionally destroying another student’s notes or laboratory data; hiding resource materials so others may not use them; destroying computer programs or files needed in others’ academic work; copying computer software in ways that violate the terms of the licensing agreement that comes with the software.

• Complicity in Academic Dishonesty. A student is guilty of complicity in academic dishonesty if he or she intentionally or knowingly helps or attempts to help another or others to commit an act of academic dishonesty of any of the types defined herein. Complicity in academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, knowingly allowing another to copy from one’s paper during an examination or test; distributing test questions before the time scheduled for the test; collaborating on academic projects when students are expected to work independently; taking a test for another student; or signing a false name on a piece of academic work.

• Misconduct in Research: Graduate and undergraduate students on research appointments for the University are responsible for compliance with the University’s Policy and Procedural Guidelines for Misconduct in Research and Scholarship found in the Faculty Manual. Misconduct in research is treated as academic dishonesty.

• Responsible Instructor: The responsible instructor in the academic integrity process is the person who assigns the grades, supervises students’ work, or is responsible for teaching operations in the course of study in which the alleged violation occurred. The term “responsible instructor” can include, but is not limited to, instructors, graduate assistants, another instructor, and clinical supervisors. If the conduct does not relate to a particular course, the role of instructor for these procedures may be a department chair or academic advisor.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement:

Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to participate fully in this class, please visit the Access Center (Washington Building, Room 217) to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All accommodations MUST be approved through the Access Center.

Case Study: Content Strategy and Second Life

2011-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Content Strategy and Social Media Campaigns

As a managing editor and web content strategist at the company behind the virtual world Second Life, I work daily to help curate and create multiple media elements that are then used across the Secondlife.com website, email campaigns, social networks and in external paid and non-paid campaigns.

Unlike a traditional "editor" role, I'm thinking about more than just the written word. All text content must be readable and understandable, but also findable, actionable and shareable. Is there a clear call-to-action in our content? What is our objective for each campaign?

Further, I also have to consider how content might be re-distributed and/or re-purposed in other channels of delivery. For example, will it be easily indexed on search engines? Do we make it easy for people to share it via social networks, such as Facebook? Would they even want to? Why or why not?

There's lots to consider, to be sure.

An example of a "landing page" targeted at the steampunk community.

For example, a key mission is to make the website easier to navigate while helping the company to meet critical "key performance indicators" (KPIs), such as acquisition (attracting new users) and retention (keeping existing users happy and engaged). We also want to build and amplify brand loyalty.

For acquisition, a key consideration is how friendly our content is for search engines. What can we do to make sure that our site comes up for key searches on Google and other search engines? This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy becomes critical. This means that you might actually develop targeted promo campaigns centrally themed to specific popular keyword searches and/or interests. For example, we recently did a whole campaign around the emerging machinima artform. The "best practices" and tactics for SEO will be discussed in greater detail in the coming weeks.

A banner from a "landing page" for a machinima-themed campaign.

For retention, the site should have functionality that encourages people to stick around. The Destination Guide project, which is a directory of cool content inside Second Life, perfectly fits that objective.

There's also deep Facebook integration there, which allows for easy sharing of cool spots that people may want to comment on and/or show off to friends. Why is this important? It helps to build engagement and brand loyalty among existing users -- but also lets them help spread the word of how cool Second Life is. This is a critical and cost-effective way to help expand awareness of Second Life to people that might not even be aware of it!

An example of a promo video on the official YouTube channel for Second Life.

The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) has a fantastic blog post with an essential checklist (.pdf file) that is extremely helpful in determine what you will say and how you will say it in your content and campaign creations.

As you think about how you'd develop an online presence for your semester "client," you'll want to review this checklist to make sure you are hitting these critical points for content that is:

Findable
Readable
Understandable
Actionable
Shareable

Today in class, I'll be sharing some more examples of strategies and tactics that you can use to achieve these goals.

An example of a promo shot viewable on the Secondlife.com blog.