The UK based website Journalism.co.uk, is by far the most crucial website for journalists. This website is definitely worth monitoring on a long term basis. I know from now on I will be keeping daily tabs on it.

Covering breaking news by the minute, the website offers in-depth information on all the top stories. Providing RSS feeds, blogs, industry related job advertisements, events, directory assistance, training and all the other must know info in the journalism world. It truly is your one stop shop on journalistic information.

Providing a knowledge based section with how to do tips on RSS and writing on the Web are worth while reads. It gives you a chance to brush up on your skills.

I must admit my favourite section was the forum. Judy Gordon commented on the convergence in the newsroom which really put into perspective a point which many journalists share. ‘A multimedia newsroom to boast about, but costly in terms of job cuts, sickness and stress.’

I cannot get over the depth of information this website provides for a journalist. I am enriched with so much worth while info; imagine if I was actually in the UK how far it could actually drive me. Does Australia provide such a website for journalists? NO! What a shame I know, maybe an idea someone can play around with, now wouldn’t that be great.

Designed to inform newspapers and editors about the ever changing industry this website aims to provide a strong future for the print media. As stated on the website, “Our goal is to make sure that editors everywhere understand the effects that ‘new media’ are having on journalism and to provide practical solutions for your newspaper.”

Reporting and analysing the daily developments world wide in the print industry and providing feedback on innovative features and recent developments make this site popular.

Feedback amongst the 1500 daily readers of the site is encouraged.

The main goal is to equip these editors with new information about convergence and new media so that they can immediately implement it in their own environment and bring innovative ideas into the newsroom.

In my opinion this informative website is a great source for learning and conveying new ideas into the newsroom. The industry is ever changing and staying up to date can mean the difference between success and failure.

This website is a search engine, tracking a wide range of blogs from the death of a Korean Actress to The pleasures and perils of studying abroad. Any topic imaginable has been spoken, written, debated about on this website and the content keeps rolling in.

The website views itself as a non for profit citizen media project, helping to amplify the local conversation globally via the internet. Established at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Global Voices Online aims to provide a voice for all and a chance for citizens to be heard.

Although the website or blog search engine is without its disadvantages as it segregates certain communities such as those from North America and Western Europe deeming them to be ‘over-represented in the global media’.

This view by the organisation in my opinion is jeopardising the blogosphere. Being selective with the voices it represents is actually relinquishing the global voice and important and dimmable opinions therefore may be lost and unsourced.

I can’t just dismiss the website for its segregation of certain communities as it does do a lot of good. Global Voices Online has two main sister websites – ‘Rising Voices’ giving those from under privileged communities a chance to express their thoughts and ‘Lingua Global Voices translation project,’ translating blogs in a dozen languages. There are many other GV websites so jump on and check them out.

A concept that most would be well accustomed too but for one like me who lacks the techno savvy gene it was quite an achievement. Being so time conscious, I hate not being productive, so I decided to make use of mobile internet. The problem was three weeks later I received a phone bill that I could not comprehend. Where am I going with this?

I am appalled at the cost of mobile internet and therefore understand the underdevelopment of mobile journalists (mojo’s) within Australia. Unlike Europe our internet prices along with the quality is disgraceful.

As stated by Steven Quinn, “In the US the fee for unlimited data is about $70 a month, much the same in Europe, cheaper in Africa.” Australia is yet to develop such a system.

Mobile internet has become a way forward for journalists to provide up to date information ASAP. Reuters one of the main distributors of news equip their journalists with mojo toolkits. NRK (Norway’s national broadcast) also follow along the same line.

We are a society that demand convenience, have zero patience and want accessible but affordable technology. With the release of the iphone, I am surprised the Australian market is yet to provide a suitable mobile internet plan.

With technology so readily accessible bloggers are now producing high quality video to express their ideas and tell a story. YouTube a website dedicated wholly to video content has become a hit as anyone can post almost anything, even defamatory footage can be found. The website posts anything from serious viewings, to entertainment, to utter garbage that no one else would remotely understand besides the vlogger themselves.

Then there are vlogs like ‘Live in Baghdad’ which are at such a high standard that they imitate professional journalism. Made by locals living in Iraq this powerful piece is truly citizen journalism at its best. Don’t take my word for it, have a look at it yourself and compare.

In previous blogs, I have used examples of citizen journalism from CNN i-reporter, a site which encourages to ‘tell your story like a pro’. The fascinating page offers an iReporter toolkit, providing you with all the information you may need to go out and make your own production. What are you waiting for? Grab your camera and go capture the moment, I just did.

STOMP similar to its Korean counterpart OhmyNews relies on CJ to provide written content, images, video and audio. Like OhmyNews, STOMP has editors who overlook the content with the site rejecting any offensive images. STOMP encourages low quality images, to make the online multi-media story raw and not revised and smooth like T.V.

The launch of participation TV on MTV along with Optus has played home to audience generated content here in Australia. The initiative described as a ‘hit’ gives audiences the opportunity to have their 24 seconds of fame. Using mobile phones along with the 3G network, users are advised of the terms and conditions whilst submitting their Vid cast via the automated phone system. Like STOMP, MTV filter through the content rejecting anything that may be seen as offensive, whilst sending an SMS of approval to those whose videos are published. 

Although the concept is quite new in Australia, user generated content is well developed in other countries. Liz Tay quotes Frank Lodewick, sales manager for Gravity-a content management service provider, “The main markets that we are looking at are in the U.K., Italy, Holland, France, Singapore and Malaysia. This is the first show that is launched in Australia; in those countries it has been happening for more than a year.”

The technology can potentially grow in Australia with suggestions that it can be applicable to newspapers, magazines, recruiters and even online dating services, who would streamline the first date via the web.

When it comes to user generated content, Singapore has developed way ahead of Australia with the likes of STOMP. We can only wait for the day when it filters into our society and becomes the norm for most citizens.

Below: Billboard by CNN encouraging citizen journalism. (http://www.cybersoc.com/2006/03/guest_blogger_r.html)

Not only does this tool come in handy for personal use such as Facebook and MySpace, it also serves great purpose to online reporting. Visuals are great aids for story telling and can attract audience attention. Just take into account the Brownlow medal, for example I visit the story on gossip sites and don’t read the content (does it look like I know anything about AFL). Instead I look at the flash style photo galleries that showcase the nights fashion highlights.

As for my best-friend, she is a different kettle of fish altogether when it comes to news. Just the other day whilst conversing about a meaningful subject, she mentioned the fact that she has her daily intake of news online via photo galleries. Astonished by her actions (as news is not her forte) and jealous at the fact that I had not been introduced I dared to ask about the innovative photo gallery that keeps her up to date with all the world news. I quote, “E! News” was her answer. Stumbling for thought, I wasn’t sure whether it was an E-online news service or if she was actually referring to Entertainment News as a legitimate source for current affairs.

As entertainment news moves to photo galleries, perhaps mainstream will follow in order to attract those who are too lazy or time poor to actually read.

The fun new tool is easy to experiment with and I suggest you all have a go!

A recent email brought me to tears, as an avid watcher of All Saints; I was deeply saddened by the shock death of actor Mark Priestly. Monitoring the story for several hours that day, I searched for updates as the story kept building. ‘More details of Priestley death emerge,’ was constantly updated and as the actors suicide linked to depression so too did the story as it created a link to Beyond Blue. The multi-media story contained other links, still images, video of a television news report; which included interviews, video of his onscreen performances and footage of the scene of his death.

Unlike my use for RSS, journalists may use the tool to help them track breaking news and stories that competitors are running with. Technorati’s keeps track of the blogosphere, making it convenient for anyone to search for specific blogs, and track the ever so growing opinions in cyberspace. For the time conscious information needy these tools are perfect, just don’t be fooled, ‘astro-turfing’ is more common then you think. Check out the marketing video-blogging alleged scheme by Sony, the ploy to get consumers to buy PSP, perfect example of non-authenticity found on the web.

Below: News report by NINEMSN on the death of All Saints actor Mark Priestly.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=622095

The free online newspaper, (OhmyNews) is home to approximately 60,000 citizen reporters in Korea (2007) compared with its initial 727 in 2002. It is now rated as one of the most influential sites, attracting approximately 1 million readers daily.

With about 200 daily submissions from citizen reporters ranging from opinions, reviews to eye witness accounts, this powerful media source is influential at a grassroots level and has been linked to the success of President Roh Moo-hyun.

Citizen reporters have been described as bloggers with the two being used interchangeably by the likes of John Burke and many others whom believe it is not a real form of journalism. John states, “amateur citizen journalists (aka bloggers),” have nothing to do with professional journalism and therefore, “bloggers (aka citizen journalists) don’t really report so what’s there to be accurate about?”

Oh Yeon-ho has proved that there is a difference between the two (citizen journalism and bloggers) as his site OhmyNews enforces an authoritarian code of ethics which has citizen journalists agree to harsh ethical standards before joining the website.

Citizen journalists abide by the rules just like any other professional journalist. As Oh Yeon-ho stated, ‘Journalists are not a rare species,’ and we can all play witness to the fact that ordinary citizens are functioning as journalists.