For our opening assignment in using social media and writing about breaking news, what I will ask you to do is to pick out anything you observe as part of your daily routine for which to write an online breaking news preview story, an online breaking news follow-up story, and a live tweet stream as the event is unfolding.
When I say I want you to do anything in your daily routine, I do mean anything. Cover your watching your favorite TV show. Or your roommate making breakfast. Or a game on TV you're watching. Really, anything.
(I want these to be observations, not something you're participating in. For example, you can cover your roommate making breakfast, but not a first-person account of you making breakfast yourself. Just like with a news story, don't use first-person references.)
The reason for that is that I simply want you to get used to the technical process, without having to do any real and time-consuming reporting. We will incorporate reporting in latter versions of this assignment.
The parameters of the assignment include:
-- Each breaking news entry being about the SAME topic, being covered as a preview and then a recap of what happened
-- Each breaking news story staying over the 100-word minimum
-- The breaking news stories being written in a journalistic style, as opposed to a first-person blog-like style
-- Each breaking news item containing two working hyperlinks, inserted onto text
-- A minimum of 12 tweets on the same subject as the breaking news topic
-- Each tweet having a consistent unique hash tag, to allow the tweets to be chained together
Now, to give you an idea of what the final product might look like, let's look at breaking news/tweet combos from the first such assignment (cut-and-pasted here; though for this assignment I want you to do it on Twitter and blogspot.com and then send me the links) from a past JRN 200 class, and let's talk about what worked and what can be done better.
And we're off:
Now, here are the blog posts previewing and recapping the event:
Everyday at 11:30am, Kappa Alpha Theta's Chef Ryan has a full meal made and ready for the girls to eat. Each day it's a new meal, plus he will special make certain dishes for girls with allergies. Chef Ryan is a part of Campus Cooks here at Michigan State. Each Sorority and Fraternity have a Campus Cook Chef to cook for them 5 out of the 7 days a week. During lunch you can expect to see plenty of girls throughout all grades who live in the sorority come downstairs to the kitchen for a quick lunch before class.
******
Here's another example:
Now, the blog posts:
When I say I want you to do anything in your daily routine, I do mean anything. Cover your watching your favorite TV show. Or your roommate making breakfast. Or a game on TV you're watching. Really, anything.
(I want these to be observations, not something you're participating in. For example, you can cover your roommate making breakfast, but not a first-person account of you making breakfast yourself. Just like with a news story, don't use first-person references.)
The reason for that is that I simply want you to get used to the technical process, without having to do any real and time-consuming reporting. We will incorporate reporting in latter versions of this assignment.
The parameters of the assignment include:
-- Each breaking news entry being about the SAME topic, being covered as a preview and then a recap of what happened
-- Each breaking news story staying over the 100-word minimum
-- The breaking news stories being written in a journalistic style, as opposed to a first-person blog-like style
-- Each breaking news item containing two working hyperlinks, inserted onto text
-- A minimum of 12 tweets on the same subject as the breaking news topic
-- Each tweet having a consistent unique hash tag, to allow the tweets to be chained together
Now, to give you an idea of what the final product might look like, let's look at breaking news/tweet combos from the first such assignment (cut-and-pasted here; though for this assignment I want you to do it on Twitter and blogspot.com and then send me the links) from a past JRN 200 class, and let's talk about what worked and what can be done better.
And we're off:
- Chef Ryan, a U of M fan, lost a bet to the girls & he has to wear a green and white tutu all week.
#bestcampuscook pic.twitter.com/Kq4xdmAwvc
Chicken gyros, homemade by Chef Ryan, look the best I've ever seen them.#bestcampuscook pic.twitter.com/AJP1dgD5nz
Now, here are the blog posts previewing and recapping the event:
Tuesday, November 5
Post
When it nears time for class, the ladies of Kappa Alpha Theta give their dishes to the bus boys who help clean up while Chef Ryan begins to prepare dinner. The bus boys are men from fraternities on campus who are expected to come by the sorority house at the end of each meal. Chef Ryan has only been with Theta for two years now and they've never been happier about hiring him from Campus Cooks. The girls always leave with their stomachs full and looking forward to dinner. It is rare when the girls have something bad to say about Chef Ryan's masterpieces. Today is was chicken gyros, wonder what it will be tomorrow?
Preview
Everyday at 11:30am, Kappa Alpha Theta's Chef Ryan has a full meal made and ready for the girls to eat. Each day it's a new meal, plus he will special make certain dishes for girls with allergies. Chef Ryan is a part of Campus Cooks here at Michigan State. Each Sorority and Fraternity have a Campus Cook Chef to cook for them 5 out of the 7 days a week. During lunch you can expect to see plenty of girls throughout all grades who live in the sorority come downstairs to the kitchen for a quick lunch before class.
******
Here's another example:
- Erickson is beyond frustrated that her chances of winning are in jeopardy now.
- The game is getting intense. Erickson is extremely focused.
#NikkiGameCubePro pic.twitter.com/Nw0aayHiPp
Now, the blog posts:
Blog New Media #1 - Review
Michigan State student Nikki Erickson quickly paired up with her GameCube controller when she came home from her class-filled day on Tuesday.
Erickson was going through her normal routine of dominating her favorite game, Kirby Air Ride, in an attempt to win it all as she had done many times in the past.
Just after busting open a crate with a bunch of badges inside to collect in the game, Erickson was interrupted when her friend down the hall, Emily Baker, entered her room unannounced.
Erickson's concentration had been blown and as a result, blew up at Baker. Baker left the room promptly after.
"I really didn't know she was so in the zone," Baker said. "I wouldn't have interrupted her if I knew."
Just when Erickson thought she had lost her chances, it was time for her final race that determined her fate.
After zooming past her computerized opponents as fast as lightning, receiving 3 speed boosts on the way, Erickson took first place and won the game.
Erickson was going through her normal routine of dominating her favorite game, Kirby Air Ride, in an attempt to win it all as she had done many times in the past.
Just after busting open a crate with a bunch of badges inside to collect in the game, Erickson was interrupted when her friend down the hall, Emily Baker, entered her room unannounced.
Erickson's concentration had been blown and as a result, blew up at Baker. Baker left the room promptly after.
"I really didn't know she was so in the zone," Baker said. "I wouldn't have interrupted her if I knew."
Just when Erickson thought she had lost her chances, it was time for her final race that determined her fate.
After zooming past her computerized opponents as fast as lightning, receiving 3 speed boosts on the way, Erickson took first place and won the game.
Blog New Media #1 - Preview
A student at Michigan State University plans to come home from a long day of classes on Tuesday and play her GameCube. Nikki Erickson has always enjoyed video games and playing Kirby Air Ride in her dorm room is something that helps her to unwind at the end of the day.
Erickson is extremely competitive and excels greatly at this game she plays so frequently. However, every time she sits down to begin to play, the excitement is just as great as before.
Erickson knows the game like the back of her hand, yet she strives to perform even better and accomplish more than she did in the game she played previous.
"I love playing my GameCube because it helps me forget my school work for a little while," said Erickson. "Instead of doing college algebra I get to zoom around on a Warpstar. Who wouldn't want to do that?"
Although that's an easily answered question, the one that's not is will Erickson successfully take on several races and mini games once again and win the game?
Erickson is extremely competitive and excels greatly at this game she plays so frequently. However, every time she sits down to begin to play, the excitement is just as great as before.
Erickson knows the game like the back of her hand, yet she strives to perform even better and accomplish more than she did in the game she played previous.
"I love playing my GameCube because it helps me forget my school work for a little while," said Erickson. "Instead of doing college algebra I get to zoom around on a Warpstar. Who wouldn't want to do that?"
Although that's an easily answered question, the one that's not is will Erickson successfully take on several races and mini games once again and win the game?
No comments:
Post a Comment