Life in the Newsroom: November 2005 Archives

I'd like to say that I read blogs over newspapers, but that time hasn't come yet.

Just because the online world has advanced technologically doesn't mean that newspapers can't either.

Sure, one could look for a job from one of the hip-sounding Web sites like Craiglist, which prides itself in providing citizens with jobs. But one could go to the New York Times Web site as well.

The online community living off information from old fashioned news coverage will not kill it off -€“ it still relies on it. In fact, these traditional publications are making a big impact in the online community themselves.

The Dallas Morning News, considered one of the best sports publications in the nation, has a SportsSay blog from staff writers.

A recent example in the sports world would be Sports Illustrated on Campus. This publication used to appear in The University Daily Kansan every Thursday. This year, the content will only be available online. They even have a part on the left-hand side that says "welcome to blog central."

Are media outlets falling behind as much as we think?

I'd like to see, for a day, a world where newspapers did not exist. How would bloggers have topics to write about? The media shapes the way American society thinks.

Evidence suggests that bloggers are not credible enough to kill off traditional media outlets yet. According to libertypost.org, eight in 10 journalists said they read blogs -€“ not a bad amount for a survey taken in May of 2005. The same survey found that one in 10 members of the American public read blogs. The blogosphere reaches millions of people, but only one in 10 of them will read the blogs.

When I wake up in the morning, I feel that I'm reading a more authentic publication if I pick up a newspaper as opposed to reading a blog. It's just a matter of time until the Dallas Morning news includes the SportsSay blog in its publication to keep up with the fast-paced world of journalism.

Terence Mann has one of my favorite quotes of all-time in the movie "Field of Dreams."

When trying to convince Ray Kinsella not to sell his farm that hosts magical baseball games, he begins a monologue about the importance of the sport in our time.

Terence Mann, left, (James Earl Jones) talks with Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) in the movie "Field of Dreams."

"The one constant throught the years, Ray," he says, "has been baseball."

And, for a second, one starts to realize that not only is the game significant because it is here now, but also because it has been here for a long time.

"It is a part of our past, Ray," he continues. "It reminds us of all that once was good and could be again."

In a way, these comments also translate for me to 20th century media, especially the traditional and always threatened but always surviving newspapers.

Let's just get this out there right now. I'm a newspaper guy. Have been for six years.

There have been newspaper guys (and gals) like me for a long time now. It truly is a part of our past, and something with that kind of history (like baseball) doesn't just die out over night.

Baseball has survived the times. So has newspaper.

It's going to take a little more than a Web site here and a podcast there to eliminate what has been such an important part of society for such a long time.

Take the Lawrence Journal-World for example. It prides itself as much as any for the steps taken to converge media and give users an interactive Web site with pictures, Web stories, blogs and the beginnings of podcasts.

But still, the lifeblood of the Web site is the newspaper stories. These draw more audience than all the other elements combined.

Though we might post it in more places now, newspaper writing is too much a part of us to simply be taken over by newer media.

Sure, we hear newspapers are struggling to get by. But now, 5 years, 10 years, and 110 years ago they always seemed to find a way through it.

I'm sure in the future we'll continue to keep producing these newspapers.

And, like always, when we build it, the audiences will continue to come.

Blogging has taken off worldwide. Almost everyone with a computer is getting in on the act. According to Technorati there is a new blog started every second.

With blogging, just as in every other community, there are cliques. There are the cool kids and then there's everyone else. The cool kids hang-out at sites such as Gawker a site that says it "sets the agenda for the entertainment weeklies, gossip columns such as Page Six, and the soft sections of newspapers such as the New York Times."

So you want to be on the A-List? The key is to get linked to. That means you have to write about what people want to read about and the hot-topics on Gawker at the moment include such entralling subjects as the most recent exploits Paris Hilton and Tara Reid. To be fair, the list also includes Matt Drudge and the New York Times, but there is a lot of gossip and celebrity crap on the site.

So become one of the 70,000 new bloggers getting on the web today, pick any useless topic, tell your blogger friends to link to you, and you could be on the list of "compulsory reading for New York editors and reporters."

In high school I used to know a guy named Jesse who had a blog. He was very proud of it. He told everyone he met about it. We were all expected to read his daily journal and comment on the inane activities of his every day. If I read one sappy, poorly constructed and nonsensical "poem" I read them all. His jokes weren't funny, his writing wasn't creative and his news was boring. Of course I never told him this, but he left me with a lasting hatred of blogs and a reluctance to consider that reading them might be a worthwhile use of my time.

Before this class Jesse's blog was the only exposure I had to the medium. I hate to admit this after spending weeks in class learning about the new frontier of online journalism and the bloggers who are pushing forward journalistic progress, or rather pushing something, but I have never heard of gawker.com and I could not come up with the name of a single A-list blogger, even under threat of being pounded over the head with a laptop.

I spent some time reading through the postings on gawker.com and all the blogs that it linked to, like Wonkette, Defamer, and Lifehacker in an attempt to decipher exactly what I takes to become an A-list blogger. The subjects of posts were varied. On Gawker, I read about Peter Braunstein, a suspected stalker and physical assailant, and immediately moved on to a posting about pulling a prank on Lindsey Lohan. Every time I look at blogs I can't help but wonder who actually reads these postings regularly. The only blogs that I look at regularly are those of my J-694 classmates. I will admit that I did find some of the things I read on Gawker.com interesting, but nothing I saw would draw me back as a regular reader. Most of the information I learned on the site I would have gleaned from other sources eventually, and all the rest I didn't care about anyway.

From what I have read, it seems to me that a casual but professional writing style, the ability to find unique and timely information or viewpoints, humor, a willingness to explore topics that might not be discussed in traditional news outlets, and the ability to post varied and random information of interest are essential components to the success of A-list bloggers. In order to stay an A-list blogger I think it is probably essential to stay on top of technological innovations, pop-culture shifts, politics and breaking news. It is a constant struggle to remain relevant to readers' lives and offer unique perspectives.

To their credit, none of the blogs that I looked at featured nonsensical poems, attempts at philosophical ramblings about the meaning of life, or rants and tirades. That is a few thousand steps above Jesse. That earns an -€˜A' on my list.

It is hard to put your finger on what makes a cool blogger. Is it the ability to bring down the powerful? Maybe it is the knack for telling me about the coolest gadgets before anybody else. It could be a unique fiction that tickles the reader. Whatever your preference, one thing is for sure, the hipsters that many despise in the physical world have found a footing in the blogosphere, taking the joy out of blogging for many. It is refreshing to see that they still get their comeupance in the real world.

Wonkette wasn't allowed into her own clubhouse in Austin, TX. Source: Austinist

For many bloggers, their writing isn't about making money, being cool, or anything of that nature. Rather, it is catharsis, exhibitionism, or the desire for a simple creative outlet that draws them into the land of blogs. Some people just enjoy putting their thoughts out there for the world to see. For these people, they could care less about being cool. In fact, they actively oppose being cool.

But what about the hipsters that want to reach the top of the technorati? My writing has appeared in the searches on technorati.com, but I didn't do anything purposeful to get there. In an effort to help some blogging poser become tres' chic, I looked and looked for tips on how to become a cool blogger. There just weren't any good tips. The cool kids just don't want the rest of us to know the code to their clubhouse.

In this information vaccuum, I am forced to tell you what I think about the democratization of the Internet (nay, the world?) via blogs. I think it is fabulous. As I have mentioned in previous posts, any opportunity to give voice to the voiceless is a good thing. This is the solution to the "clubhouse" problem laid out above. Rather than play in someone else's clubhouse, we, the sweaty masses, can just build our own clubhouse. Oh yeah, for the record, my favorite blog (and the only one I read) is engadget. They are the coolest!

The addiction is not as bad as Facebook, but it's becoming a little worse day by day.

Ever since I was introduced to the Shortstat portion of our blogging Web site (by Katie, one of our newsroom goddesses), I have found it hard to not check it at least a few times a week.

It's just such an interesting set of statistics to look at. Part of the problem with writing for newspapers is you lose touch with your audience. There comes a point, no matter how many eyes see your work, that you feel that the hard work you put in is going unrewarded and for the most part unread.

With new technology and the World Wide Web, this will never be the case for bloggers. They never have to wonder how far their message is going. They can see how far right on their computer screens.

From checking the site frequently, I can tell that technorati likes our Web site the most. We have had multiple blogs make it to their site from the class, though oftentimes it takes a specialized search to pull up our individual blogs.

But we're still on there. It's in writing -- and there's no disputing that. Those who visit that popular Web site have the opportunity to hit upon our work as students and eventually be taken to our own KU journalism blogging Web site. For me, that's pretty exciting. This instantaneous spread of information has never been possible in the history of time. Think about it. The work we do in this class -- the work I do in front of my own computer screen here at home in what seems like the most isolated part of my day -- is merely a correct (or errant) search away from anyone with Internet access in the entire world. One click and done. Five seconds and there.

The possibilities really have become endless.

So how important is it to make A-lists? Well, it depends on your focus and on your goal.

In this class, I'd say any linking is good linking. We are not based on profit, so if anyone feels the desire to post up our links, we are pleased that they will do it.

However, if one is looking for real publicity and maybe even a profit, frequent visits to the front pages of major Web sites (such as Drew had earlier this year) would be desired.

All one needs is a voice. Sometimes it's easier if that voice is well-developed and perhaps a bit controversial, but a voice is all that is necessary to have your information linked to all across the Web.

Drew knows this. So does Rylan and also Patrick.

There's been no better time in history for Patrick to be a grumpy, Irish pirate.

In fact, that unique voice might be all he needs to become the next Internet blogging sensation. It's only a few A-list links away

There's nothing like a little ego boost to get you through a day.

Yesterday I checked the ehub blog and noticed that another blogger, cadence90, had commented on my podcast entry twice and provided links to her blog. She also provided some helpful information for my group's final project. Thank you wonderful blogosphere for connecting us.

Today while working on writing this entry, I checked Jesse's blog and found out that a particularly old post of mine was on technorati.com. Wow.

Paris Hilton is listed first on Gawker's Hot Topics.

But in all seriousness, it seems to me like just another popularity contest. Like seeing how many friends you can get on facebook, trying to attain A-List blogger status seems more self-serving than anything. On facebook you can ask everyone listed that you've seen in passing or acknowledged in class, hoping they'll confirm you as a "friend." In the blogging world you can link to, or write about, as many pop culture icons (Paris Hilton and Tara Reid are on Gawker's hot list)

Tara Reid is tenth on the list of hot topics on Gawker.

as possible and touch on any controversial, current hot-button topic (recent hurricanes come to mind here) and you have assured hits.

A quick glance at the top 100 blogs listed on Technorati revealed one common characteristic: about 50 million embedded links in each post. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe just 50,000. Well, that proves my point about popularity - as long as you try to link to everyone and be their "blog friend," you just might sustain and A-list blogging status.

Hopefully there are enough links in this one to bump me up a few notches on the popularity pole.

According to Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, "An A-list blogger is someone who blogs and has a real or imagined large readership, and real or imagined influence upon real or imagined other bloggers."

What the hell does that mean? If I have an imagined readership and an imagined influence then I am an A-list blogger? I guess that I am an A-list blogger then. Woo hoo! Well, maybe not. I don't really have an real or imagined audience or a real or imagined influence.

If being an A-lister were that easy, we would all be bloggers. It seems like some people are shooting for that though. The numbers of bloggers are growing every day. According to technorati.com, there are about 70,000 new blogs created every day.

Click on above image to see larger graph.

With numbers like that, how in the world can a blogger rise to the top of the pile. According to Earl Mardle, in order to be an A-lister you have to "be wise, amusing, informative and get very lucky."

From what I've read on the Web (and, no I don't believe everything on the Internet) the blog world seems to mirror the business world. It's about who you know, who you associate with, and who you suck up to.

Mardle went on to say in his blog that, you have to write a lot and post a lot. Well, that make sense to me. As he puts it, "otherwise why would anyone visit?" Good question. He also says that it is important to contribute to other people's pages. In other words-€¦Network. Comment on other people's blogs, and then link back to your comments in your own blog. (But not just anyone's blog. It needs to be an A-lister.)

Further in my research, I found that having a niche is another key to becoming an A-list blogger. Scott Allen put it eloquently when he said, "First and foremost, as with any market, you first have to define your target, your niche. What do you have to say? And what's your unique angle on it? Figure this out before you start, because the blogosphere doesn't need any more navel-gazers."

I guess it all comes down to marketing yourself. Rub shoulders with the right people and write on the hot topics. With any luck you'll be able to break into the upper echelon and become a blogger with a real following and a real influence.

I watched 'Mean Girls' the other day, mainly because it's rediculously funny but also because it reminds me of people I knew in high school, exagerrated just a little bit.

There were those girls who back-stabbed and did anything they could to climb to the top of the social ladder and it was only high school.

The 'Mean Girls' always seemed to be in the know, and even though some couldn't stand them, there was just something about them that attracted other students to them.

Something similar is happening in the blog world.

Blogs are being watched and consistently tagged, just to see what else they can come up with.

Technorati is the paparazzi of the blogging world, following and "tracking 21.2 million sites and 1.7 billion links."

Gawker reminds me of my friend Megan, cynical with a twisted sense of humor, yet everyone is constantly attracted to her because they never know what she'll come up with next.

Gawker says it best in describing blogs, "We have no pretensions to objectivity -€” no editorial board, no assigning editor, and no delays. We publish in real time. Weblogs are biased, personal, and funky."

No holds barred, that's what makes blogs so popular today.

And what makes a blog the head of the 'blog world clique' today? It has to be the consistency of staying on top of the news and writing about what people are interested in at that exact moment.

No other news source we see offers such a quick turnaround.

Blogging, in itself, is its own mean girl world.

The 'queen bee' is the top blog because she knows what bloggers and web browers are searching for. You adapt and focus on the hot topic of the day. When you conform, the more hits you receive. The more hits you receive, the higher up the ladder you climb until you reach the perch at the top of the clique.

I see it like a high school clique of girls, and Technorati's top hit list is where they fight for the Queen Bee crown.

But I will say, not all bloggers are looking for hits and looking for the popularity of being the Queen Bee blogger.

There are the Bloggers who blog, well, just to blog.

More than likely, those bloggers won't easily be found on sites like Technorati.

For now, the clique members will continue to change and rotate, but the idea of the clique stays the same.

Get the latest buzz first; talk about what's interesting to keep the interest of others. That way you reign.

7.4 seconds. Damn.

According to a Pew Internet Research study, a new Weblog is created every 7.4 seconds. That same study shows that nearly 50 million internet users regularly check blogs.

Technically, what it takes to be "hot" in the blogosphere is simple: Get linked to by other bloggers. Really, the blogosphere is a self-sustaining community. The more you get everyone else to link to you, the cooler you are. It kind of reminds me of fourth grade, when I went from being the dorkiest to the coolest kid in the class. You see, I only had a starter jacket when winter rolled around that year. Of course, those were so third grade. I hadn't gotten the memo that Adidas jackets were the new cool things.

Picture a teal one of these and you'll know just how cool I was.

After a month or so of begging and pleading with my parents, there was my teal adidas jacket waiting for me Christmas morning. Not only was I cool because I had an Adidas jacket, but I had the coolest, most original color as well.

It's the same with these crazy blogs. Technorati says that it displays what's "important" in the blogosphere. Blogosphere importance can really be equated to popularity, just as I was the most "important" fourth grader when the school bell started ringing again that January.

The great part is that if you've got "it" - the Adidas jacket of the blogosphere, if you will - you're given the power to determine what's important. Gawker's got "it." They claim to have the power to mold and change the agenda. They claim to be the spot that other agenda-setters go for inspiration. While they might be tooting their own horn a bit, they have posted a rather convincing quote from the New York Times to help their case. The Times said that Gawker was "the national go-to spot for keeping up with the rich and scandalous, the media elite and the pop-culture trends of the moment."

I remember recesses from the January of fourth grade with more detail than any other time at Ascension Catholic grade school. That's because I got to be one of the captains for picking soccer teams. And I know it's because of that sweet teal jacket.

So the question we face is: How do you get that jacket?

The top site on Technorati right now is Boing Boing, with more than 67,000 links from more than 17,000 different Web sites. Looking around the site, it doesn't seem to be anything more than an Internet version of Larry King's People, News & Views - a light smattering of everything from politics to goofy humor. There are other political and entertainment sites and even a woman from Utah's site called "dooce" on the list. But there isn't a magic solution to "it." We just need to keep our eyes open to the latest trends.

Or we could just make our blogs teal.

Until 24 hours ago, I had never looked at those hyped Web sites Gawker or Technocrati - a fact that to me as a pop-culture addict and A-list expert screamed, "Those Web sites make A-list celebrities? Hell, no." Let's face it: There was no way that a blogger could have made it on any A-List in the world, as blogging has only been this big for a few years.

But I am mistaken.

After thorough research I found a definition for A-list blogger that is rather general, but certainly proves me wrong. According to Salon.com blogger David Pollard, an A-list blogger is someone getting an average of at least 15,000 hits per day, with 150,000 40-second visitors spending 1,700 hours per day reading and commenting on the blog. In other words, what makes a blogger an A-list blogger is intriguing content that attracts and engages a great number of users - just like a good book author or newspaper journalist.

Picture courtesy of http://blogs.salon.com.

Good journalists and A-list bloggers should therefore follow the same guidelines: accuracy, credibility, compelling style and timeliness. This analogy of journalists and bloggers may be getting old, but when you think about it, there is a lot of truth to it. And the best-known bloggers - people whose names even I have heard - have often worked in other branches of journalism. Dan Gillmor and Adam Curry (Who says MTV isn't journalism?) are only two examples.

Another way to make it to the top in Bloggywood are links. Bloggers refer to each other and create a community. And once bloggers have the community's support, they can almost count on links from their friends' sites to their own. Sometimes, a catchy headline, such as "Blog Schmog," can do wonders for your online fame, too.

Of course, as in other areas of the journalism and entertainment businesses, there are the short-term A-listers. When Katrina struck, many in the Web community were raving about the Interdictor. Now that the mass media have shifted their focus to new catastrophes and political scandals, the Interdictor is, best case scenario, on the C-list - similar to former topmodels who now make a living off VH-1 reality show appearances.

Bloggers, however, have to prove themselves. An excellent blogger has to follow journalistic rules as well as entertain, stay in touch with readers and remain very up-to-date. Or maybe someday there will be a reality show for forgotten bloggers.

Epilogue: As an example for the timeliness of this blog check out this story that came out less than an hour ago: Web Site to Blend Journalism With Blogs.

As much as it pains me to admit it, blogging looks like it's here to stay, at least for the next several years. I've made it no secret that I despise the stupid e-diaries, yet people seem to enjoy them. Furthermore, certain people search the web looking for blogs. Enter Technorati and Gawker.com. These sites allow users to search through millions of blog entries to find one that suits or entertains them. You can search by keywords or by title, so how do entries end up as a search result?

Technorati features the top ten blog searches on their home page. I clicked on the fifth most popular search of the day, iPod, half hoping to see my post from last week on there. Unfortunately, my post was titled "The obvious choice," whereas the search results that popped up were more concisely titled posts such as "iSuck" and "iDon't". The majority of the posts that turned up started with a lower-case i. Therefore I think that the title of a post (or headline, although I hate that term for blogging) needs to suggest what the post is about.

However, a look on gawker.com reveals that name recognition doesn't hurt either. Gawker brought up a lot more mainstream publications, like the New York Times and Newsday. This site seems like much less news and much more gossip, so the only searches that I did that actually turned up pertinent posts were of celebrities. Apparently Paris Hilton's perfume smells like teen crack. Did I mention how much I hate blogs?

I guess the best info I can give if you're trying to get your blog seen is to try to do three things. 1) Talk about hot topics in the news. It wouldn't hurt to drop in a celebrity's name. 2) Have a famous name yourself. This might not be too helpful for all, which is why you can also just work for a famous publication. 3) Include a suggestion of what the post is about in the title. See today's title.

Making the A-list for a blogger is not easy-€”I should know. Let me tell you that I have a great deal of experience, not trying to brag or anything, when it comes to making an A blog reference. Look no further than The Doc Searles Weblog. On September 13 of this year, I gained this reference for comments on the credibility of blogs. In fact here is the complete excerpt on Doc Searles Weblog:

'Anyone can have a blog. Hell, my 10-year- old brother could start a blog if he wished. Man, would that be scary. For this reason, these blogs, the future of journalism some say, fail in the credibility department. Promoting the use of blogs for Americans to get their news is also promoting the reporting of false news.'

But really in all reality, I had and still have barely a clue of what it takes to make the A-list. Hell, I had no idea what the A-list was until Katie and Rick notified me of my comments being mentioned by Doc Searles. But what I have learned from my 15 minutes of blogger fame, make comments that gain the attention of other bloggers (Note: -€˜blog' and -€˜blogger' still have red squiggly lines under them in this word document as it continues to fail to recognize these as words found in the Enligsh language).

In addition to appealing to other bloggers, the best way for a blogger to get to the A-list, such as at Gawker.com, is to write about topics that people, especially other bloggers, want to read about. Bloggers must gain an audience through their writings that make readers want to follow their blogs. The best way to do this may be to write about controversial topics or develop a voice that appeals to many.

As I look back at my A list web reference, it was not like I made an attempt to reach the A-list. I had no idea anyone besides Rick even read my personal blog. It happened by chance or luck, whatever you would like to call it. I don't think I could manage to accomplish the same feat if I made an attempt to do so. In saying this, I guess my tip to bloggers would be just to write and maybe you will garner someone like Doc Searles' attention. When you do that, try and run with it, something that I did not wish to do.

But again in all reality, a blogger must catch a break, have the luck of a leprechaun or just bash blogs like I did. These are the best ways, in which, a blogger can reach the A-list.

What's happened to good, old-fashioned journalism?

By that, I mean sourced journalism. In the cyber world, it doesn't exist anymore -€“ and that's unfortunate.

Web sites like gawker.com and technorati.com are more like celebrity tabloid magazines one would find at a checkout lane of a supermarket than "the source for daily Manhattan media news and gossip," like gawker.com suggests.

I did a simple search of Paris Hilton on both of the Web sites. The technorati Web site gave me these results. On gawker.com, Ms. Hilton is at the top of the "hot topics" on the right-hand side of the page. Here are the results. It's all gossip.

The unusual and entertaining nature of this content is what drives bloggers to this hot topics list. News Web sites cannot get away with bold, biased statements about the recent Hilton car wreck such as what Gawker said: "There's nothing even slightly suspicious about a car full of professional party monkeys smashing a Bentley into the back of a truck outside of a club at 2:30 a.m. In fact, we're pretty sure the valet service at Element will plow your vehicle into the stationary object of your choice for a ten dollar surcharge. Wrecking your own ride is so five minutes ago."

The cyber world may be heading down the path of an unattributed, pure shock-value style of journalism. So what makes gawker.com credible? It's updated 24 times a day, according to the Web site. It's occasionally been included in the "soft sections" of the New York Times.

People on this hot list have also changed the meaning of news in the cyber world. Included on the list are Hilton, Gawker Stalker, Tara Reid, Tina Brown and Conde Nast -€“ huh? Hilton and Reid are equivalent to news evergreen stories for cyber space -€“ bloggers will always be interested in them.

The sheer image of Hilton here on this blog should attract viewers.

These Web sites are slowly moving away from respected, credible journalism by blogging about lustful individuals with little to no traditional news value.

One of my favorite memories as a child was the long drive to South Fork, Colorado every August for our family vacation. Most kids hate long drives, but I enjoyed them, not because of the anticipation of the impending vacation, but because I would spend eight hours in the middle of the night listening to TalkRadio with my dad. After my mom and brother had both fallen asleep, dad and I would listen to the ramblings and sound economic advice of Bruce Williams.

These moments were often interrupted, however, when we would drive through a "dead spot" (of course right in the middle of a riveting call about whether "Mary" should sign the prenuptial agreement given to her by her fiancé). My dad would then spend what seemed like hours flipping through all the AM channels trying to find another station that carried the show.

Now, thanks to podcasting, my dad and I never have to miss another segment of the program. We can easily download all of Bruce's shows to our iPod and listen at our convenience, static free, pausing the program at every pit stop.

It is become very evident to me that podcasting is going to be big. Drawing from my experiences alone, it is proving to be something that people will find both relevant and practical. Doc Searls said it best when he wrote in his blog, "PODcasting will shift much of our time away from an old medium where we wait for what we might want to hear to a new medium where we choose what we want to hear, when we want to hear it, and how we want to give everybody else the option to listen to it as well."

No kidding. Who wants to sit through an hour of Dr. Laura Schlesinger while waiting for Bruce Williams to come on? Not me.

The other idea that I am fond of is the ability to download podcasts from my hometown, my Alma matter, and other places that I care about. It's all about relevance. This is exactly the reason that I think that tv.ku.edu should implement a podcasting program. When I finally do graduate and leave KU, I will want to check out what my old friends in the Multimedia Newsroom are up to, and podcasting is a great way to do this.

Not only can podcasting service current students and alumni, but it can also be a useful tool in attracting new students to the University. What better way to demonstrate that KU is on the frontlines of journalism than actually being on the cutting edge of technology?

There are some specifications that I have for this podcasting program. I do not want to have to go to the Web site every day and download an mp3. I want a subscription that will automatically download the newscast to my iTunes and sync with my iPod when I plug it in every day. I don't know how difficult it would be to set up a subscription model, but I think this is the direction that we need to take.

After doing some quick searches on Google, I saw several universities that are jumping on the podcast bandwagon. Stanford, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Chicago are just a few. Although some of these universities are using podcasting for reasons other than news, they are ahead of the game. If the University of Kansas wants to be cutting edge, this is one way to start, and in my opinion the School of Journalism needs to pave the way.

Perhaps someday, my children and I will drive to Colorado late at night and listen to podcasts from KUJH TV News (and a little Bruce Williams too).

Podcasting is a new buzzword that people are trying to wrap their heads around. What is bothersome about the word is its connotation with iPods. Granted they are the reason for its popularity and the launching pad for the medium, but any podcast you listen to on your iPod can be downloaded to any mp3 player on the market. The word "podcasting" sounds better than "mp3-casting" and with the iPod now ingrained in popular culture it's probably better to stick with the original term.

This radio station says the best way to listen to previous shows is through podcasts.

With KUJH-TV there is an obvious outlet to release podcasts. First, with all our existing content, we have everything we need to practice and experiment with producing podcast-exclusive content. The entire newscast doesn't appear on the web, so why not make it a podcast, or video podcast? The first show I would propose putting in podcast format and available for download on the website is Sportstalk. Sports talk shows are some of the most popular on both radio and in television. In KUJH"s case, the show doesn't get much exposure. I've only watched it recently and usually only when Jimmy Chavez or Adam Sechrist tell me it was a particularly good show.

That being said, it will still be tough to generate an audience outside J-school sportos. We need to get the word out that this option is even available. That might have to include a little shameless self-promotion both on the show itself, on the website, on the J-school website and even maybe advertising in The University Daily Kansan. That's the first strategic hurdle. We just need to wait until we've jumped over the technological hurdles before we drop the podcast bomb on campus.

Apple's iPod swarmed into America's life like locusts on a field. A year and a half ago Professor Basow surveyed our strategic communications class on who had an iPod and a very small portion of the class had one. Today it seems like every other person on campus has one. Although Lawrence probably has a relatively high ownership rate because of all the students, the fact is that iPods are here to stay, which is obvious with the implementation of podcasting on Web sites across the nation.

So how can our university, specifically our site, benefit from podcasting? Let's examine what we have to work with. Considering our site deals ENTIRELY with television news, we are at a disadvantage. That leaves us without the option of radio broadcasts, since that's KJHK's niche. We could take the audio tracks of our shows or specific stories, but who wants to download an on-campus news broadcast, especially when one could easily click on a story and view the video within a minute? Not me, and I work for the station. I wouldn't even download them if all my stories were available.

So where does that leave us? Well if we wanted to reach out to the community we could have podcasts of local bands, but, again, that's covered by Lawrence.com. And now with video podcasts quickly becoming the norm, why should we settle for audio? It's outdated technology, and we want to be on the cutting edge.

But it doesn't take a genius to see what we need to do. Video is the way to go, and what video would attract more people than anything else at a university like ours? You guessed it: sports. First off, over 50,000 people saw us break a 36-year streak last weekend first-hand, but what about the people who didn't get to witness the glory? If my plan were already in action they could've downloaded it and watched it in its entirety and kept it forever. This especially makes sense because KUJH already plays classic KU football games. Skeptical about football? Then try telling me that people wouldn't download KU basketball games. I would've loved to have last year's KU/Oklahoma State game to keep forever. And it's not just for the fans. Sports writers could download them to view for better accuracy when reporting on a game. I think if we're going to increase hits to the site we definitely to take advantage of this idea.

To make one thing clear right away, you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast. We newly converted and converged online folks know that, but the majority of Web users may not. And while we're at it: A downloadable mp3 version of a radio program is not a podcast. Users receive podcasts via RSS feed, as a subscription.

No one told Yoda he didn't need an iPod to listen to the tv.ku.edu podcast. Picture courtesy of www.yawarakamissile.weblogs.jp.

The subscription requirement creates a commitment on part of the users. This makes podcasts very attractive to media outlets, such as tv.ku.edu. It allows tv.ku.edu to deliver its content straight to registered - not random - users. Additionally, it allows users to be passive. They do not have to search for the news stories relevant to them; they automatically and regularly receive them. This gives tv.ku.edu the opportunity to create and maintain a steady listenership. Yes, listenership -€“ pretty remarkable for a Web site supporting a television newscast, right?

But the podcast should not simply be a rehash of the TV newscast, for more than one reason. First, TV packages live off their images, probably more so than their sound. Thus, an audio version of today's news stories may not mean very much to our users. Second, news stories may not be the most attractive program format for a podcast, as they are usually quickly perishable. Finally, delivering a plain audio version of the newscast to users sells short on the journalistic potential of podcasts.

Podcasts can be used as an informative addition to the actual story, similar to a sidebar. They also let producers recycle material that didn't fit into the 2:30 TV package. The tv.ku.edu podcast will give its users additional information, such as interviews, music (if pertinent to the story) or an editorial piece, such as a book review. The content should, however, always be connected to the story.

The work effort will be relatively small. As both Kansas City's main podcaster and founder of podcast411, Robert Walch, and Lawrence.com editor Phil Cauthon said, it often requires only an extra 30 minutes to get an audio piece ready for podcasting. And since most tv.ku.edu producers are proficient Final Cut editors, they shouldn't have many problems with free podcast programs like GarageBand.

There is an apparent need to jump on the bandwagon, as the School of Journalism has a reputation to maintain in this highly converged media environment. But it's not just about joining the club, the main premise is to produce content that will enhance our users' news experience, that will introduce a number of users to the conept of podcasting and that will eventually win us a larger audience.

I am jazzed about the idea of podcasting at KU. I feel giddy at the thought of it. It is the first time since coming to the j-school that I feel able to make a significant impact on the larger University community. Kick back and relax as I scoop my podcasting partners and myself.

Back in February, KUJH-TV news kicked all non-journalism students off the air, shifting the focus of the station exclusively to informational programming. In doing so, film students lost a major resource for showcasing their creativity. Podcasting has the power to right this wrong.

Dan Ryckert from his former sketch comedy show "Foghat Live". Source: Kansan File Photo

I propose the creation of podcast.ku.edu. By providing a venue such as this, the creative forces in the University community will be able to put their productions out there for the world to see. This is something that can work for film students, radio DJs, or political scientists that want to host a weekly talk show. The possibilities are limitless.

Just think of it: a student-run radio talk show that doesn't have to worry about FCC fines if someone drops an F-bomb. For journalists, we can conduct interviews that delve into a depth unheard of in other broadcast media. Think of the truly unique programming of which I cannot conceive, but has been languishing in the back of the mind of a voiceless student. I am all atwitter as I type the thought.

This is the free exchange of ideas that should be at the forefront of every University. This is power to the people. This is where you just might get to hear your favorite Irish pirate discuss the pros and cons of "acoustic bangs" on cruise ships and why it might not be a good idea to sail off the coast of Somalia.

There should be some editorial oversight. I suggest a student position, akin to that of a Kansan editor, which would be based in The Stauffer Multimedia Newsroom. Given that this is a web platform, there is no need for heavy editorial oversight. Rather, only the most egregious of content should be culled, including the twin threats of libel and slander.

This idea is something that can be implemented immediately. We have none of the technological barriers faced by some. We just need the content. Do you have a great idea for a show that the hipsters at KJHK won't want to air? Are you a former KUJH contributor that lost your show? Are you a freshman in the dorm that always wanted to host your version of Letterman from the commons area of your floor? Here is your chance. I am actively pursuing content. The more the merrier.

Everyone loves portability. Apple's newest iPod allows you to take your entire media library (or at least 60 gigs of it) with you wherever you go. Audio, still images, and now even video can be easily carried in your pocket.

The great thing about this technology is that it's creating a new medium. Podcasts provide a new medium for people who previously lacked the technology to broadcast their ideas to a mass-audience. Instead of requiring the resources of radio television or film, podcasting requires a computer, a recording device and compression software. These items are readily available to students at this University. Lawrence.com already offers audio podcasts of music and shows from local sources. One can assume that with the recent unvailing of the video iPod and the introduction this year of video podcasting, that video podcasts will be available on the site as soon as someone in Lawrence decides to produce one.

The J-School has a great opportunity to offer students at the University an alternative to KUJH or KJHK to start their own shows. Airtime on KJHK is limited and so there's a lot of competition for on-air spots. Earlier this year, KUJH decided to cut all student produced content, other than news, from its airwaves. This left students with no way to broadcast their shows or films. If our website decided to host podcasts it could provide interested students a voice they didn't have before and provide us with audio and video content we didn't have before.

I feel old when talking about iPods.

As it stands right now, I am holding out on getting one.

It's not really that I wouldn't like to have one. Or that I wouldn't use it. Or even that I wouldn't like it.

It's just that I don't really have enough time to do things right now. And I feel once technology like that enters my life, it will never, ever leave.

I get the same feelings with iPods as my grandparents do with computers. It's like we're both so used to the way "things have been," we feel there's no need to change to the better "how it is now."

With very little in i-Pod experience, the whole "podcasting" phenomenon has kind of caught me off guard. For me, it's like never owning a television, then being asked to discuss the potential benefits of the VCR on our society.

Not an easy task when you don't feel like you're "in" or like really know exactly what you're talking about.

From the presentation last week, it seems Lawrence.com is at least having some success with posting podcasts to the net.

It seems simple enough, though the audience for KUJH might not be enough to support the additional amount of work that would be necessary to add such a feature.

A really simple podcasting idea that could be posted easily to the site would be the Jayhawk sports talk show each night. If someone simply recorded the show, it could be posted online immediately after and be ready for download that night.

It seems like the sports talk would offer all the popular "podcasting" themes: unique opinions on topics of interest to the public.

This would also add content to a site starved for all the new and unique sports coverage it can get.

Podcasting sports talk would not turn our Web site into a global success overnight. But it could be a good start.

Would people download it? Maybe. Probably at least not for a little while. Word would have to spread some about it first.

By that time there could be a new technology to take its place.

I can only promise I won't be the first in line to buy it.

Sometimes you just have to step back and appreciate how far technology has taken us.

And that's just what I did after my first encounter with Chicagocrime.org.

On the site, the page says it won the grand prize in the Batten awards for innovations in journalism, and I can certainly see why.

With a click, one is able to specify where certain crimes have occurred in the greater Chicago area. Pins mark each location, and also can be clicked on for more information. The maps are also linked with Google Earth to morph the location into a satellite photograph of the data if so desired.

While this technology is useful, it is obvious that a great amount of both data and work are needed to make it a success.

For the same type of technology to work for us at tv.ku.edu, we would need to make it as simple as possible.

For one, I believe we would need to limit the range of the map. A smaller area in a map would be much more manageable than, say, a map of the state of Kansas.

In this case, I believe a campus map (like this one, PDF) would serve our interests best.

We would then need an easy data set that dealt with location of an event that could be easily marked on this map.

One piece of data I believe could be interesting to mark is the location of parking tickets issued on campus in one day.

Because so many tickets are given, and because each is marked by a location or lot on campus, this information could be broken down by hour in one particular day to provide information on how many citations are dispersed and where most are being issued on campus.

By obtaining only the location and time of the tickets for one day from the parking department, this map could be produced. Though not information we could update everyday like the Chicago crime Web site, it would nonetheless be an interesting and useful set of data we could investigate once or twice a month.

I'm oversimplifying a difficult process, but if we did even get a simple local news map on the site I can see the awards rolling in already.

We still wouldn't be a professional Web site. We'd just be acting a whole lot like one.

"Turn right in 300-feet," an annoying robotic female voice echoed. "Now go three-point-three miles and turn left," it continued.

The voice was coming from my grandpa's portable navigation system, also known as a global positioning system (GPS). I got mighty used to this mechanical voice on a 34-hour round trip to Las Vegas this past summer.

As nerve-wracking as this voice was hour after hour, I must admit, it amazed me. The device's direction giving ability was perfect. Not once did it give an error in direction, which is something most passengers serving as navigators can't say. The only trouble it created was forcing my dad to decide how far 200-feet were for his next turn.

It's unbelievable how far technology has come. Nobody could have imagined 10 years ago that GPS systems would come installed in many upper-echelon vehicles. Portable ones, like my grandpa's, can also be purchased at a couple grand. These devices leave drivers with no excuse of, "Sorry I'm late; I got lost."

Hell, these devices allow you to choose from the quickest route to the shortest route to probably the most scenic route.

However, systems like these found in cars aren't the only ones that exist. Take a look at Chicagocrime.org. The precise location abilities these maps have to show where crimes took place are absolutely fascinating. I couldn't even create a map of my hometown similar to maps on this Web site of the entire city of Chicago. I should add my hometown of Minneapolis, KS (yes KANSAS) has a measly population of 2,500-€” counting pets.

Navigational maps like the ones found on Chicagocrimes.org would make the KUJH-TV News Web site a more interactive place. The brains behind a scheme like this unquestionably exist in the newsroom. The creation of a rollover map with street names and the ability to display where exactly in Lawrence a news story took place is not far fetched. It would probably be possible to add some locations of notable places in Lawrence as well.

I know that a site with a cool map to play around with may bring more people's attention to the site, because, to my knowledge, there aren't any sites that contain maps like these of the city of Lawrence. The creation of a map with as much detail to get people to mess around with it may be asking too much and would probably require a great deal of time.

Nonetheless, a simple rollover map to show where news stories took place seems very feasible. As I see it, with a little time and thought, that annoying voice is echoing, "Destination point-two-miles straight ahead."

I usually post Friday stories on tv.ku.edu that have Haley Harrison or Adam Sechrist anchoring them. With podcasting, people wanting to hear these two won't have to tune in to the 5:30 p.m. telecast or check the Web site.

Podcasting would have its advantages and disadvantages to tv.ku.edu, but most of the results would be negative.

I think podcasting would decrease the viewership of tv.ku.edu. Students who go on KUJH-TV News are gaining professional experience they can use in the future. Much like Kansan reporters, these students are learning. We have already discussed how the majority of the people who visit the Web site are people associated with the multimedia newsroom and their families. Do we really want to offer a product that would enable faithful KUJH-TV viewers to stop watching and start listening?

Furthermore, podcasting would take away from what KUJH-TV visually offers. If people chose to listen to podcasting over watching the news, what would happen to the video that the reporters shoot? It'd be lost unless they check the Web site, which would be unlikely after these people get the news the first time from the podcast.

I do acknowledge the advantages of podcasting KUJH-TV News though. It would open up the news to a broader variety of students. This could garner more attention to tv.ku.edu.

Podcasting would make a lot more sense on the sports side though. On Jayhawk Sports Talk, the analyzers don't often use video to elaborate on their points. They use statistics. With news, video plays a huge part in the TV packages. It shouldn't be lost in a podcast.

The future of TV news could develop into the video ipod. Once these devices become less expensive, viewers could be watching Haley and Adam from their ipod, not the Web site.

It's nearly impossible to walk more than 20-feet on campus and not see somebody listening to music on an iPod, easily the most popular MP3 players in the world. I live in a house with nine guys and every single one of us has either an iPod or another MP3 player.

Handheld MP3 players' popularity has grown rapidly in the past couple of years and not just with the younger generation as many adults can be seen walking with these devices as well.

iPods are captivating this nation allowing people access to thousands of songs at the touch of a button. You can choose an iPod Nano, iPod shuffle or just a regular iPod as the devices come in many different sizes and music holding capacities. iPods also have a vast price range from $99 to $399 depending on the type of player.

With iPods enamoring the American population, these electronic devices have single-handedly saved Apple's existence. According to a Macintosh report, Apple will have sold 37 million iPods by the end of this year.

As I think about the number of sales and money that Apple have and will make off of these many different types of iPods, I wonder if any competitors, such as Dell, will make a push in the near future to drastically cut into Apple's sales. Currently I believe that Dell is content with the great deal of money they are making on PC's, but with the constant rise of iPod owners, it would not surprise me a bit if Dell made a large push in advertising their Dell DJ, Dell Pocket DJ and the new Dell DJ Ditty MP3 players.

Because of the popularity of these portable audio devices on campus, a time and place may be ripening for the creation of a podcasting system on the KUJH-TV Web site. It should not be that difficult of a process to tape the nightly news and maybe even the sports talk shows and put them up on the site. It would only take a small portion of the front page of the site as a podcast button would be the only thing needed.

The only real question should be, will the audience level be high enough to put in the time to make the podcasts worthwhile? Maybe podcasting the editorials or thoughts of journalism students would help bring more listeners or users to the site. All it takes is the correct controversial topics to gain the interest of many students. Look no farther than the whole fiasco with the gay rights movement on campus last week. Another direction could be to put the music of some local bands up.

It is possible for podcasting to be a success on the KUJH-TV Web site; the problem will be getting the word out to students and others as well as acquiring content that people will take the time in downloading and listening. But, the most important question should still be is there even be an audience for podcasting or is it just a ploy to say, "We podcast on our site."? I just don't see a large enough audience for podcasting to be worth the time as of right now.

I've come across Craigslist quite a few times when I've been searching the web for work and for pleasure. When I first saw it, I wasn't interested. The page is simple and plain, nothing like the colors on other pages, it just isn't eye catching.

Maybe it isn't eyecatching because it doesn't have the bright ads that some other sites have.

I've come back to Craigslist plenty of times now because those ads are missing. Who cares what the site looks like, as long as those annoying, flashing ads are gone, I'm content.

Craigslist says it is about giving each other a break, getting the word out about everyday, real-world stuff; restoring the human voice to the Internet, in a humane, non-commercial environment; keeping things simple, common-sense, down-to-earth, honest, very real; providing an alternative to impersonal, big-media sites.

Maybe that is why they are against "scraping" and "crawling". Sites like Google and Jobster take excerpts from craigslist in their searches and use them to help their searchers.

John Cook mentioned that not only do Google and Jobster scrape from Craiglist, but plenty of other sites do as well.

The problem with this may be that this "scraping" is taking away from the profit of craigslist and those who "scrape" from the site may reap the benefits without giving credit where credit is due.

Craigslist may be mad that such sites are taking their content, but really, it seems Craigslist isn't losing out on much.

The pageviews listed on Craiglist speak for themselves.

Before jumping on the bandwagon and slapping a newsmap on tv.ku.edu, we should evaluate our motives. Do we want to put up a news map because it's "the thing" to do, because it's looks really cool or because we really feel we can provide better service to our readers by doing so? If the answer is the latter, I think we're heading in the right direction. Next, we need to decide if providing a newsmapping service will actually do the things we hope that it can.

Newsmaps seem to go right along with the general theme of the Internet. Maximum information with minimum effort. But, most importantly, customization. By having a news map, tv.ku.edu visitors could get the information they want without sorting through all the other "mess." Incorporating a map of campus could allow visitors to read stories relevant to their lives. A model like newsQuakes could work well.

Source: http://cremin.com/newsquakes

In this model, consumers are able to roll over each "earthquake." Each ring represents a news headline with a link to the full story. This could easily be converted to work with a map of the KU campus or even Lawrence. When you roll your mouse over Strong Hall, stories about admissions or enrollment would pop up. I have a strong suspicion, however, that there would be a lot of activity around Allen Field House, and little elsewhere. But, maybe that would be a good thing. It would allow us to see what news we are covering, and, better yet, what we are neglecting.

If you take the link to check out the newsQuakes website (this is the third time I've provided the link, so there is no reason why you shouldn't) you will notice the caption below the map. It is something that I think hits at the heart of the matter.

"This is newsQuakes, world news for the lazy."

This statement made me think, and I hope it makes you think too. What are we really doing by providing a newsmap? Are we making our site more navigable, or are we making it easier for our readers to be lazy. After all, we do all the work for them. God forbid they have to actually type a word into the search box! Gasp! And yet, if we don't provide this service, someone else will, (maybe one of our competitors) and we will lose readers.

Such a conundrum. No right answers. I guess the best thing to do is try it out and see what happens. If all else fails, it will look really freaking cool.

To be completely honest, I am horrible with directions. I'm not gonna lie, anyone who puts me in charge of getting anywhere must be senile.

I can get from here to St. Louis just fine, but from here to Wichita, and sometimes parts of Kansas City, that's a different story. When I was posting the breaking news story for the Amber Alert on Monday they said it was in Chase, Rice County Kansas. I'm sorry but excuse me?

Now for me, if I could scroll over that city/county/town/whatever it might be and see just exactly where they are talking about, it would give me a little perspective on the location of the story.

I've visited a few Web sites that when you scroll over a word in a story, a pop-up appears. These are not the annoying SPAM pop-ups, but pictures showing what the product is or an example of what is talked about. I didn't have to search the internet anymore to find what it looked like, the sites had it there for you.

Easier for the readers, that's what I'm talking about.

Readers aren't looking to search for news, the more work we do for them, it seems the more they like the product, or in our case tv.ku.edu.

The scroll over words are just one avenue that we could improve upon, but another example would be to use a NewsMap. Here is an innovative feature I found from NewsIsFree and The Hive Group.

If we were to use that technology and shape it into Kansas, or Lawrence, whatever you choose, we could align our stories geographically. This map would give an interactive touch to the site.

This example is just a plain square, but it gives you a brief glimpse as to how much more KUJH TV online could be. If we had an interactive map, similar to the one on that site, viewers could scroll over a town, or street, or the University and see what stories are being covered and what the most popular ones are.

As the mouse scrolls over the map, summaries pop up about each story. I like that fact that the summary of the story pops up and that pulls me in to wanting to read it. It's easy and interactive and not something that other sites around the area have.

So, my vision for a newsmap for KUJH would be to integrate a regular map with a scroll over map. A map of Lawrence brings viewers closer, visually, with the stories. The scoll over maps and pop-ups make the stories stand out by location to the viewers.

I'm not sure how many people know that Chase, Rice County Kansas is Northwest of Wichita, but if there was an interactive map to show our visitors where our stories are located, I'm sure more people, well at least I know I speak for myself, would be more interested in searching the site and knowing exactly where the news is coming from.

Technology is awesome, but honestly, with every new advancement things get a little scarier. I'm not the paranoid type but after seeing movies like Enemy of the State, and the simple technology it takes to literally stalk someone every inch of their lives, I can't help but feel a little bit like someone's watching my every step.

Obviously this technology has vast benefits. I've almost never taken a road trip without consulting Mapquest and obtaining the quickest route to my destination. Chicagocrime.org puts this technology to good use in alerting citizens of Chicago about the various reported crimes and their exact location. While we don't have the amount of crime a metropolis like Chicago deals with, the same approach could be used on the KUJH-TV website to report the police log in a much more interesting and interactive way.

Source : Poll reported in Tuesday, September 6, 2005 issue of The University Daily Kansan.

There were almost 300 instances of theft reported on campus in 2004, among numerous other crimes. I'm sure students would be interested in seeing where these crimes occured in order to avoid theft or assault. I would propose using a similar method as Chicagocrime, at first with a simple map of campus, then with time and money it could be expanded to the greater Lawrence area with a focus on student neighborhoods.

This stuff is cool and as I said before, scary. I mean it cost the U.S. Department of Defense about $12 billion to develop GPS technology, create and install the satellites that can monitor your every step, or beam down directions to the computerized voice in your Lexus SUV's navigation system. The possibilities are big, but tv.ku.edu has to start small, especially when the budget is more like $12, not $12 billion.

Geocoding and GPS fascinate me. It helps us locate things by 20 yards. One would think that Chicago's Indian neighborhood is safe from crime, but it's not. And thanks to Chicagocrime.org, we know what parts of Devon Street to avoid next time we go to get the best Palak Paneer in the Midwest.

Udupi Palace is my favorite Indian restaurant in Chicago, but it is not located in the safest part of town.

But geocoding isn't cheap. Considering that Mapquest's software starts at $5,000, tv.ku.edu should use a different tool. My research led me to a system called NAC. NAC "stands for Natural Area Code that can be used to represent both areas and locations anywhere in the world."

NAC has several advantages: "Using a NAC instead of a street address can [-€¦] skip the process of geocoding, eliminate errors from address databases, and most importantly, extend the location services to all locations and areas in the world no matter whether there are addresses or not." Certain Web sites offer free NAC services. If it works, tv.ku.edu should go for it.

Instead of going national, tv.ku.edu should focus on a smaller area first. Campus is ideal as it is manageable. It will, therefore, be the subject of tv.ku.edu's first news map concept. The map also won't include all on-campus stories, but rather only one beat. That way, the number of stories is more suitable for a pilot project. According to the tv.ku.edu archive, education stories get the most coverage and thus, will be used for this project.

Every education story will be assigned one or several NACs. The code will be based on key information given in the story. That includes the building(s) covered the story covers, the school(s) or department(s) involved and what classes and professors are mentioned. When users click on buildings on the campus map provided by tv.ku.edu, they will see all the stories related to it. Users will also see general information about the building. This information we will gather from the University of Kansas Web site and original research.

Tv.ku.edu will further create an online poll. There, users will decide what topic will be included next in the news map. The selection will range from other beats -€“ crime and sports rank high, too -€“ to a map that covers the entire city of Lawrence. This could be arranged with the help of the World Company, which is planning its own geocoding project, according to Dan Cox, director of World Online. The World Company's project is expected to work similar to the one proposed here for tv.ku.edu.

What started as an idea for localized news in Epic: 2015 could soon be reality. Google is supposedly working on it, as is Lawrence's World Company. Why not tv.ku.edu?

It's Friday night and I don't know what to do. I wish there were some place where I could get information about local venues, events and driving directions all in one place. Oh wait, why don't I just go to tv.ku.edu and use the brand new newsmap, Hawk's Eye View.

Hawk's eye is a concept for a news map that will allow students to conveniently plan their schedules. It consolidates the kind of information you can find on Lawrence.com, the KU events calendar and good old-fashioned maps into a one stop catch-all for maximum convenience.

The content would be divided into categories for easier searches. Categories would include nightlife, campus activities, community activities, and the arts. Events would also be searchable by venue and date.

The nightlife subhead would list bars, restaurants and concert venues around town with their locations tabbed on a map like the Google maps used on Chicagocrime.org. Each venue could be clicked on to show its location on the map as well as its nightly drink or food specials or the concerts for the week.

Activities including student group meetings, SUA events, lectures and other events would be listed under the campus activities subhead. Clicking on each activity would give information about time or price.

During mid-terms and finals the maps could be used to track locations and times of exams in each building. No more last minute freak-outs because you have lost your syllabus and can't quite remember where and when you were supposed to go to take the gigantic test that will determine 50% of your class grade. In this case it might be useful to have further mapping capabilities that would display each buildings layout and room numbers. No more running through the halls when you are already 10 minutes late frantically searching for the right room.

The community activities subhead would include parades, festivals, church events, farmers market etc. It would include times and prices of each event along with their mapped location.

The arts category would include theater and art gallery events. Imagine how easy it would have been to attend the recent Red Balloon To-Do art fair if you could have accessed the map right from home.

Maps are some of the most useful visuals on the web. I don't think a week goes by that I don't use MapQuest, and maps are especially helpful in news stories for picturing an obscure street. Although I'm not sure how useful it can be, chicagocrime.org is definitely one of the coolest sites I've ever seen, the novely of which can really increase the number of hits to a site. Take, for instance, a new feature on the site, where one can click points on a map of Chicago, and see all the crimes that have happened on that specific route. The results can appear as a regular map like on MapQuest, as a satellite image, or as a hybrid of the two, like so:

I'm just an ordinary, average Joe, but come on, idiotic, cool content drives hits way up. If our station could do more with maps that would generate hits, we should do it. I'm a big fan of Brian Wacker's idea, which would be easily implemented (although, try not to break your arm while patting your own back, Wacker). Of course a map that shows crime in Lawrence would be great and could generate hits, but Lawrence is too small a town to really need it, since crimes are reported every day in the paper, and most addresses that come up are pretty well-known. What about a map that shows where all the convicted sex offenders in town are? I guarantee that's something that people want to know, it's something people get heated about, and if done right it could definitely generate a lot of hits, especially with women and parents.

When I started out researching news mapping, I didn't think much of it. If you live in Old West Lawrence, for instance, and there is a spate of robberies in the neighborhood, this is newsworthy to you and perhaps even the citizens in other parts of the city. I assume this is the thought process of chicagocrime.org. Aside from a morbid curiosity or researching a neighborhood before moving, why is this necessary?

Isn't the location of the crimes going to be reported in the news story? Aren't you going to be aware that this is happening around you because you saw it on the news? I can't remember the last time that I saw a story on the local news that didn't highlight the area where the crime occurred. I know, this assumes people watch the news. But aren't the same eyeballs looking at chicagocrime.org going to look at local news?

What good comes from having a map that shows the location of local crimes? I really don't see the point for the person on the street. It seems to be yet another reason for people to shutter themselves into their homes at night, leaving the streets to the criminals. It is yet another tool in the arsenal of the fear mongers. To me, and lots of other people, this is exactly the wrong thing to do if we want to make our neighborhoods safer.

Should we all don the red beret, using a news map as our attack plan?

Bear in mind, this is just one element of news mapping. But this is the one that is winning awards. Am I obtuse? I just don't get the fascination. Tell me how I am wrong, because I really do want to understand this.

After about a dozen seconds of thinking about our Web site, it occurred to me that we're really only missing two components of a really kick-ass operation. People reading it and money. Well, luckily for tv.ku.edu, I'm taking 694 this semester and I've come up with an idea to solve both of these problems.

Our target audience has to be KU students. And it seems to me that the best way to reach your target is to know your target. That's why I propose that we develop a map of Lawrence that highlights the town's social scene. Just like Chicago Crime shows a map of the city with every crime that's been committed on a given day, our map should show where every bar, club and venue are and what's going on there on any given night. Picture an interactive map of Mass St. with pop-up bubbles appearing as you move the cursor over each bar telling you the drink specials, the door cover and the band playing there that night.

A really terrible artist's rendition of what it would look like. But they don't pay me the big bucks to draw. They pay me to be a money-making idea machine.

From experience with the Jayplay, I can tell you that the most anticipated part of the magazine each week is the calendar and the weekly specials. The addies even tried to phase out the weekly specials ad on the back page. We got so many complaints from students (and even some from respected Journalism faculty) that we convinced them to bring it back. So the next step has to be to bring this to the web. People could literally check us out as they're getting ready to go out. In between putting showering and putting nice clothes on, just turn to the computer, click on our site, which they will certainly have bookmarked (more hits!) and check out what's cheap that night.

And here's the best part, we could get paid to do it. There have got to be close 60 bars, restaurants and concert venues in Lawrence with some interest in getting their weekly specials and schedules some more exposure. To begin, we could charge a small fee, maybe $10 a week, to put them on our map. Take $40 a month from 60 places in the city and all of a sudden we're $2400 richer at the end of each month.

All the while we're providing a great service to KU students, which in turn, gets more students visiting our site and checking everything else out. Then, combine that with the use of embedded video ads on the site, as I'll propose at the end of the semester, and you'll have tv.ku.edu, the money-making behemoth.

And you'll all have me to thank.

As a senior at the University of Kansas, I don't know where I will work after college. I'm not sure where I'll live or what kind of apartment I will have. I'm single as well. I'm sure many seniors are in the same position as I am.

Fear not -€“ Craigslist will cater to all of these needs and not charge you for it. So how does it stay afloat?

Craigslist makes money from employer job postings. Employers and job recruiters pay $75 per posting in San Francisco and $25 in Los Angeles and New York. All other cities are free of charge.

This would be one of the primary strengths of Craigslist, which, according to the site, is "a local community of classifieds and forums, along with a place to find jobs, housing, goods and services, social activities, a girlfriend or boyfriend, advice, community information and just about anything else all for free in a relatively non-commercial environment." Its strength is it has an extensive scope of opportunities. According to a New York Times article, Craigslist brought 5.3 million visitors to its site last year, up from 3.6 million in 2003.

On the other side of the coin, a weakness of the Web site is the lack of revenue it generates compared to other Web sites that advertise real estate online. Peter Everhard, the self-proclaimed "Anti-Craig," said in his blog that Craigslist will never generate the revenue of a real estate company like Corcoran, the leading residential real estate company in New York City. One could certainly find a home off Corcoran's Web site as well. And who would fault its credibility, being a multi-billion dollar corporation? Craigslist generates about $7 million per year, while Corcoran generated $6.5 billion in sales in the same year.

Another weakness of Cragslist is the possibility of fraud. Cragslist even has a place on its Web site about the threats of fraud.

So is Cragslist worth it? Over 5 million people apparently have enough interest to give it a shot. People searching for jobs are posting their resumes and receiving several inquiries.

I'm about to graduate in May and was not familiar with Craigslist until I researched some articles for this blog. I think I'll give it a shot. It offers job opportunities, which is my main priority after college, a service that Corcoran does not offer. I think the possibility of a job opportunity outweighs the possibility of getting an inquiry from another country on Cragslist. I would likely not want to work outside of the U.S. for my first job anyways.