The Power of Images

News websites have a number of flashy multi-media features that simply cannot be replicated by a traditional newspaper, including video and audio streaming. The Herald Sun streams news from the Sky Network and the top headlines can be viewed just like a television broadcast.

However without even having to capture footage (which can be a lengthy process of script writing, voicing and editing), news websites are able to build stories with still images. Software from free websites such as Picasa, PictureTrail, BubbleShare and Slideflickr can be used to upload pictures, which can then be stored as a file and embedded into a blog or a website. The images can then be viewed much like a digital photo album, and when used in conjunction with a news story, can play a valuable story telling role.

To demonstrate how free photo gallery editors can be used I have decided to create a tribute to St Kilda footballer, Robert Harvey. Although I am an avid Western Bulldogs supporter, Harvey is regarded as one of the best and fairest players to ever play AFL and I have still been able to admire his long career from afar. I have used Slide because after trying out a number of different programs, I felt that this was the most user-friendly.

All picture software programs have different features and people will inevitably have their personal preferences. I chose Picasa because I already had the software package downloaded on my computer and an account with Google. Hence, I had no personal preference relating to the layout or the features.

To see how my slideshow compares to a Herald Sun tribute of Harvey, click here.

You be the judge!

Moblog, vblog, podca...WHAT?

It is very exciting to be involved in journalism during a time when technology is increasing the methods available to news broadcasters. I will always look back with fondness to my first year of study where the focus was newspaper journalism.

However there is just something so thrilling about the fast-paced world of multi-media where you can clip audio and visual elements into the same news item with only a few clicks of a mouse. And if the news story develops technology also allow for the story to be edited with ease.

However, media websites do not create themselves. Likewise, journalists cannot present the news without the aid of software technology. The very sound of the words ‘moblog’, ‘vblog’ and ‘podcasting’ may freak out the less tech-savvy people of our world, but this is how the next generation want to have their news delivered.

Say goodbye to the paper trail, because everything can now be stored on your computer! For example social bookmarking website De.lici.ous allows you to store all of your favourite sites onto an online database so that they can be accessed from anywhere around the world.

Convenience is also a buzz word. Bloggers are now using RSS feeders to collect snapshots of multiple web sources into one place. I have added an RSS feeder on the side toolbar of this blog so that I can conveniently find out what the Herald Sun top news stories are when I access my blog. For a simple explanation of how an RSS feeder can help you manage new information from your favourite sources, view this video:

Oh my gosh, Ohmynews!

From a historical point of view it may come as a surprise that South Korea is the home of the first online newspaper, which is sourced chiefly from volunteer citizen journalists. This is particularly unexpected considering its long history of political and media censorship.

However when restraints were loosened in the 1980s, owing largely to a change in government, South Korea soon transformed itself into a leader of world media and technology.

While it has experimented in mobile tv, online gaming and social networking sites, citizen journalism has reached new heights through news website Ohmynews.com (or for the an English version, visit the international website)

Ohmynews is a website that not only allows, but publicly encourages, ordinary members of the public to report the news in what can be described as an open source style of news reporting.

While the Korean website retains a small staff of professional journalists this is mainly for the purpose of retaining a professional news service. Hence, the majority of content published is obtained from interested members of the public with no such experience or university degree.

This is yet another example of how multi-media platforms are making the news more interactive for the media-hungry public. The website also has the capacity to publish video and audio clips, which is another demonstration of convergence in the modern world.

For more on citizen journalism, click on the video below:

$0, the cost of internet content

An old proverb suggests that when you have given nothing, ask for nothing.

But the same cannot be said for information and software which are now commonly offered to web surfers at no cost.

It is actually expected that media organisations provide news via their website. The Age provides virtually identical content to their website and it is free!

But how does this generate cash flow? While a website may affect newspaper sales, the internet is developing into a three-way market, with advertisers seeking to promote. Hence, The Age would recuperate lost newspaper sales (and some more) with money from advertisers.

A number of other business models are used to encourage a paying audience. Many software companies offer free sample versions, only to charge full price for the full version. ‘Freemium’ works because the cost of serving the majority, who opt for the sample version, is close to zero. Other websites use cross-subsidies where certain products are offered cheaply in the expectation that the consumer will buy something for full price.

In an interesting experiment in 2007, Radiohead offered their album ‘In Rainbows’ for a cost determined by the purchaser. While this affected earnings, it was good publicity and may have contributed to concert and merchandise sales.

Check out this Reuters report on Radiohead’s campaign. Convinced yet?

People Power!

The emergence of technology as everyday essentials (computers, PDAs, mobile phones etc) has had a significant impact on citizen journalism.

No longer just part of the audience, members of the public are frequently invited by media organisations to submit video footage or pictures in an effort to ensure 24 hour coverage.

Only minutes after the bombs ignited in the London Underground, train passengers sent grainy video and photo footage to the BBC, providing instantaneous news for the rest of the world to see (See image).

Wikipedia, an encyclopedia website able to be edited by ordinary internet users, has also emerged as a news source. Earlier this year, it was alleged that Wikipedia had broken the news of the death of popular American journalist, Tim Russert. The story goes that half an hour before official media organisations reported the news, a junior employee of an internet news company changed Russert’s entry, usurping the role of traditional television and radio news services.

While user participation has provided greater news coverage, consideration must be given to the implications. Wikipedia is interactive but this has come under criticism because it has been a cause of inaccuracy. It is also evident that some members of the public, unlike experienced journalists, do not have adequate legal or ethics training.

Hence, while there are many advantages of user-generated news it is clear that it needs to be closely monitored.