Show Me The Video!

Images and videos online are extremely popular in this day and age. People all across America are turning to the web to search for homes for sale, used vehicles, collectible antiques, and possibly even a date for Saturday night...Now ask yourself, which one of those previously mentioned items would you commit to - that is without seeing some sort of visual first. None...I am sure.

So it's no secret that videos play a large role in drawing audiences to online news organizations. So the video must be fresh and relevant. It is most common to go to a news website and find video that accompanies a story.

So if the Atlantic Online is to take the advice of the Media Shift organization (a division of PBS) and "engage in a never-ending conversation with their community," to foster strong relationships with audiences, it must be remember to incorporate video. Since a conversation is not one-sided, the Atlantic Online cannot forget to incorporate video from professional writers as well as the community. There are a few ways to accomplish this goal.

Allowing audiences to post a commentary with video is one. Lets take the Atlantic's recent article entitled "Cheese Balls," an article about an old Italian cheese recipe that has become a hot (not literally) new menu item that is found in select major cities across the country. (So this may be the point that you are wondering why I choose cheese, but stick with me here). So, you get to the bottom of this article and click on the much needed comments section (if we are to encourage a community conversation). The incorporation of videos may convince Mary Morelli from a tiny little town in Upstate New York to create a five-minute video response about how those who don't live in a major city with a trendy cheese shop can make still make homemade cheese with the Morelli family recipe. Sure, of course, Mary could just plainly write the recipe and hope that viewers click on her commentary featuring her own cheese dish, but a visual to more likely to get your mouth watering...Right?

"Interaction gives us more than additional eyeballs," writes according to Media Shift writer Roland Legrand. "It teaches us new aspects of storytelling. For instance, a news website is sometimes more about telling a story in a way to bring the community together rather than about providing 'hard news.'"

So, if the Atlantic Online takes Legrand's advice into account and really drives home this idea of creating community dialogue then vlogging is essential. Allowing audiences to vlog, is basically letting them lead the conversation. They become the professors at the head of the class posing the questions and not just the students on the other end of those pressing topics.

For example let's take Andrew Sullivan's article entitled "Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters," in which Sullivan says that "we may in fact have finally found that bridge to the 21st century that Bill Clinton told us about. Its name is Obama." Okay so, encouraging conversations would allow readers of that article to supplement Sullivan's opinion with vlogs like this....

Got An Idea?

So you don't have to be a "journalist" to be a journalist. And thanks to some cool online tools any one can get their message out.

There is a cool interactive website that guides individuals in creating, mini-newspapers, flyers and brochures. It also allows room fro creativey providing various options for fonts and text color and size. Maybe you shoud try to create your own media.

And here a few various views on ways to jump into the world of vlogging head first... But, please let me say that I would not put all my eggs in one basket, using these guides...





Just for laughs - Maybe these people should think twice about vlogging!

Paperless in 2012???

So there seems to be some buzz circulating around the country about numerous businesses going paperless - leaving paper only necessary in bathrooms and in the hands of those with colds.

So maybe this is why newspaper organizations are down-sizing their paper products and vamping up their online websites. The Christian Science Monitor declared a bold move in the direction of online news after deciding to overwhelmingly cutback paper publications last spring. Eight newspapers in the state of Michigan announced a downsize to allow for "more innovation" on their websites, just last month. The Hartford Courant, the largest daily newspaper in the state of Connecticut, partnered with their broadcast news affiliate to talk about the smaller size of their newly condensed newspaper.



Hold one, just a minute! Patrick Dixon of Global Change, says that businesses should not use their last scraps of paper to write off paper publications just yet. Dixon is a futurist, business consultant who was once listed alongside Bill Gates as one of America's "top 20 most influential thinkers." He says that there is an undeniable emotional appeal to tangible paper publications. Dixon also says that people can more effectively read in paper form than they can online....

So maybe the Atlantic Online should take Dixon's points into mind and remember to keep it's paper product just as strong as it's online component.

So What's The Problem?

So what's the problem with news media today? Is there really a problem? Well...if there is, what can news organizations do about it?

Some average citizens are voicing their opinions about what is wrong with the way news is delivered... So that being said, I think that if the Atlantic Online, is going to move forward into the future of journalism, they must first open their ears to hear the complaints of their audiences....

Scaring Viewers Into Watching Programming



Where's The Positive News?

Celeb Stories Trump Big Stories

Subliminal Messages

So I push for subliminal messages ;)

"The [New] Atlantic" Calling All Vloggers

So "The [New] Atlantic" is looking for a few good vloggers to join our online news website! The goal of "The [New] Atlantic" is report one story two ways: one from the perspective of a professionally-trained journalist and the other from a skilled citizen journalist.

We will be searching for fresh videos daily created by citizen journalists who have a profound interest in bringing truth and enlightenment to the online community. Why continue to just be a sponge for news, soaking up what the media outlets provide? Get out there, find the truth, and shed the light on today's most pressing topics.


Question: Who are Vloggers?

Answer: Vloggers are citizens journalists, who have an interest and talent for reporting current events and human-interest stories in a fair and balanced fashion. Vloggers do not have be educated on the subject of journalism, but must demonstrate solid skills for delivering a report in the form of a video.



Question: What will vloggers be doing?

Answer: Vloggers will hit the streets as reporters covering stories that will be featured on "The [New] Atlantic" website. Vloggers will be sent daily and weekly assignments via email, on which they may report. Some assignments will be distributed locally and some nationally. Vloggers will not be mandated to cover each assignment that comes their way, only those that each vlogger feels passionate about. In addition, vloggers may also take initiative to uncover new stories, that have not been assigned. Compelling vlogging entries will be featured in a special section of "The [New] Atlantic" online called "Citing Citizen Journalists."


Please Note: Each assignment will be sent to about 10 to 15 vloggers. Therefore, each vlogger must cover the story in a manner that is as in depth as possible to enhance the odds of being featured as the supplemental story to go along with "The [New] Atlantic" staff reporter's story.



Question: Why should I become a vlogger?

Answer: Becoming a vlogger gives everyday, average citizens the chance to let their voices be heard. We are seeking the voices of the young, the not-so-young, the middle class, the wealthy, and the list goes on from there. "The [New] Atlantic" online aims to become a honest and dependable news source with the help of citizen journalists who have no hidden agendas and corporate responsibilities that leak into reporting.



Question: How Can I become a vlogger?

Answer: Submit a 200-word description of yourself and tell us what you are passionate about. In addition, please submit a short (90 seconds or less) vlog of a hot topic that really gets you going.

Show us what you've got...The online community needs you!

Internet For Good or Bad

Forget "taking it to the streets", as the once popular song by the Doobie Brothers suggested...Now it's taking to the net, as in Internet. And the net is wide open and ready for one to compile lots of positive and negative bits of info. Here is one example of using popular websites to distribute the good, the bad, and the unconfirmed.