Mashups are a journalist's best friend. Well, only if that journalist takes advantage of such tools. Mashups are websites that combine information from multiple sources; i.e. real-time Tweets from Twitter and a world map; real estate listings from Craigslist and Google maps; or a crime database with a mapping software (example given by Mike, my Online Journalism professor).
According to Wikipedia, there are many types of mashups. Consumer mashups, data mashups, and enterprise mashups are a few of them. Consumer mashups are said to be the most common as they are aimed at the general public.
For those that are into social news, Popurls will keep one up to date on what everyone is reading and talking about on the web at the moment. The layout is not very flashy; just a plain black background with blue and white text. Things may seem like a jumbled mess, but upon a closer look the site is actually well organized. Popurls displays the latest hot topics from Digg, Delicious, Google News, The New York Times, and Twitter.
Popurls is a handy and convenient mashup for journalists to use because there are many sources for popular news items gathered on just one site. There is no need to go to several sites and go through the hassle of searching through different levels of the site to find a hot topic.
EveryBlock is another great site for finding information on news. The great thing about EveryBlock is that it allows visitors to localize their news and information. You just enter an exact address, zip code, or neighborhood in the search bar and you are given endless information on current events and news within that specific area.
A really interesting mashup is PolitiFact.com; I was only made aware of this site recently by my Online Journalism professor. It is such a fascinating site that analyzes the level of truthfulness of a political fact. I love the site's "Obameter" feature. The fact that people have taken the time to develop this type of site which tracks the progress of our nation's president in terms of the promises he has kept is awesome.
Finally, a great mashup a friend told me about is WeatherBonk. It combines Google Maps, the National Weather Service, and WeatherBug. Visitors can view webcams in almost any location on the globe, get a personalized route forecast for a trip, and get traffic updates. This mashup is definitely a must use for those people who are avid road trippers or reporters who are required to travel for their job.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Chicago muggings disrupt seemingly safe neighborhoods
In a span of a few days this past summer, several men were attacked in what are seemingly considered to be safe neighborhoods. According to police, there have been five separate events in Lincoln Park involving men who were robbed and beaten. Police believe all of them to be linked. All the victims were men in their early to mid-20s, walking alone, and confronted on foot from behind by at least four attackers. The attackers are said to also be men in their 20s who asked the victims for their wallets and proceeded to beat them in the head and face. Two of the victims were hospitalized due to the injuries they received.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) devastates Philippines
My parents' home country, the Philippines, was hit by a devastating typhoon this past weekend. Typhoon Ketsana (in the Philippines it is referred to as "Ondoy") hit the country's main island of Luzon on Sept. 26. The storm is said to have affected over 300,00 people leaving many homeless and without food. The storms' winds are said to have been 85 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 100 kph.
According to an article posted on Bloomberg.com by Francisco Alcuaz Jr. and Clarissa Batino about three hours ago, "At least 95 people have died, many of them from drowning, according to government reports. The dead include two soldiers and three militiamen who were killed during rescue operations, and Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang said in a phone interview that more people may die waiting for relief."
My family and I have been glued to my television watching The Filipino Channel (which I get through Direct TV) that has been showing news coverage of the situation nonstop. We are thankful that our family members living in the Philippines are safe, but our hearts our breaking for those who are not as fortunate. Many have lost their homes; their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children; and their lives.
News coverage in the Philippines is not as censored as it is here in America. Video clips of dead bodies have been shown and makes it almost unbearable to watch, but I want and need to stay informed.
Even though I'm feeling sadness right now, I am also very angry. I read an article last night with the headline "GMA [Gloria Macapgal Arroyo, current Philippine president] used P800-million emergency fund for foreign trips". It is no secret that the Philippine government is made up of mostly corrupt individuals led by a woman who lacks morals.
When President Arroyo was in Washington, D.C. and New York this past summer, it was reported in The New York Times that she and other Philippine government officials wined and dined at expensive restaurants. The tab for one single dinner was $20,000 which is nearly P20 million. Arroyo does not seem to understand that she is suppose to uplift the Philippine citizens and help to better the lives. Instead, she is spending millions of pesos that is so desperately needed right now for rescue efforts in Luzon.
Survivors seethe with anger - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Calls for help flood cyberspace as "Ondoy" pummeled Luzon - GMAnews.tv
Dozens dead as flooding engulfs Manila - CNN.com
Up to the minute news articles about the current situation in the Philippines can be found on Inquirer.net
According to an article posted on Bloomberg.com by Francisco Alcuaz Jr. and Clarissa Batino about three hours ago, "At least 95 people have died, many of them from drowning, according to government reports. The dead include two soldiers and three militiamen who were killed during rescue operations, and Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang said in a phone interview that more people may die waiting for relief."
My family and I have been glued to my television watching The Filipino Channel (which I get through Direct TV) that has been showing news coverage of the situation nonstop. We are thankful that our family members living in the Philippines are safe, but our hearts our breaking for those who are not as fortunate. Many have lost their homes; their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children; and their lives.
News coverage in the Philippines is not as censored as it is here in America. Video clips of dead bodies have been shown and makes it almost unbearable to watch, but I want and need to stay informed.
Even though I'm feeling sadness right now, I am also very angry. I read an article last night with the headline "GMA [Gloria Macapgal Arroyo, current Philippine president] used P800-million emergency fund for foreign trips". It is no secret that the Philippine government is made up of mostly corrupt individuals led by a woman who lacks morals.
When President Arroyo was in Washington, D.C. and New York this past summer, it was reported in The New York Times that she and other Philippine government officials wined and dined at expensive restaurants. The tab for one single dinner was $20,000 which is nearly P20 million. Arroyo does not seem to understand that she is suppose to uplift the Philippine citizens and help to better the lives. Instead, she is spending millions of pesos that is so desperately needed right now for rescue efforts in Luzon.
Survivors seethe with anger - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Calls for help flood cyberspace as "Ondoy" pummeled Luzon - GMAnews.tv
Dozens dead as flooding engulfs Manila - CNN.com
Up to the minute news articles about the current situation in the Philippines can be found on Inquirer.net
Sunday, September 20, 2009
FLYP is the new media
I decided to become a journalist when I was in the 5th grade with the goal of one day becoming a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune. Seeing as how more and more people prefer getting their news online these days I've re-thought my decision to pursue a master's degree in print journalism at USC Annenberg. The men and women at FLYPmedia also understand the way in which the Internet is playing a big role in people's lives and have taken it upon themselves to develop a news media website that is contemporary and on the cutting-edge all at the same time.
FLYPmedia, as a source for news, does not limit itself in any way. It is a one-stop news shop for its visitors. Information about current events, politics, fashion, music, food, and sports can all be found on FLYP. Upon browsing through FLYP's different news articles I discovered that each story is given the same level of importance and effort as the next. FLYP is fabulously interactive and I was so impressed by the presentation of articles when I looked through the music section.
The layout designers for FLYPmedia understand the sophistication of most Internet users. The style of the website is one major factor, I believe, that sets it apart from other media websites. When people arrive at a website they typically don't appreciate simple pages with extremely bright backgrounds and text that were made by using basic HTML. Internet users will generally like websites such as FLYPmedia because of its clean layout. The site is not cluttered and uses appealing colors, fonts, and graphics. There is a lot of information on the homepage, but information is not lost or jumbled because of the very nicely planned layout.
The Chicago Magazine website is trying to go the same route as FLYPmedia, but I feel that it comes up short. Unlike FLYPmedia, they do not do a good job of keeping their homepage uncluttered. There are so many different departments and I can't help but feel irritated as I try to figure out what is a link and what is just regular text.
Other sites that I feel are on the same level of FLYP are CNN.com and the online version of The New Yorker. All these sites make it easy for their visitors to navigate and find what it is they are looking for. They are not immediately overwhelmed by news content when going to the homepage. Furthermore, all three sites utilize the availability of videos and sound clips to accompany their news items.
At this point, news organizations should not be questioning whether to put their content online. Take the plunge! Take some pointers from FLYPmedia. We are living in a world where a majority of children and teenagers don't know how life was before the Internet. There is no use of staying put and set in one's ways because we will not be going back to the way we were.
FLYPmedia, as a source for news, does not limit itself in any way. It is a one-stop news shop for its visitors. Information about current events, politics, fashion, music, food, and sports can all be found on FLYP. Upon browsing through FLYP's different news articles I discovered that each story is given the same level of importance and effort as the next. FLYP is fabulously interactive and I was so impressed by the presentation of articles when I looked through the music section.
The layout designers for FLYPmedia understand the sophistication of most Internet users. The style of the website is one major factor, I believe, that sets it apart from other media websites. When people arrive at a website they typically don't appreciate simple pages with extremely bright backgrounds and text that were made by using basic HTML. Internet users will generally like websites such as FLYPmedia because of its clean layout. The site is not cluttered and uses appealing colors, fonts, and graphics. There is a lot of information on the homepage, but information is not lost or jumbled because of the very nicely planned layout.
The Chicago Magazine website is trying to go the same route as FLYPmedia, but I feel that it comes up short. Unlike FLYPmedia, they do not do a good job of keeping their homepage uncluttered. There are so many different departments and I can't help but feel irritated as I try to figure out what is a link and what is just regular text.
Other sites that I feel are on the same level of FLYP are CNN.com and the online version of The New Yorker. All these sites make it easy for their visitors to navigate and find what it is they are looking for. They are not immediately overwhelmed by news content when going to the homepage. Furthermore, all three sites utilize the availability of videos and sound clips to accompany their news items.
At this point, news organizations should not be questioning whether to put their content online. Take the plunge! Take some pointers from FLYPmedia. We are living in a world where a majority of children and teenagers don't know how life was before the Internet. There is no use of staying put and set in one's ways because we will not be going back to the way we were.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Kanye West: King of All Douchebags
Immediately after Kanye West's outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards people (celebrities and non-celebrities) took to their Twitter and Facebook statuses to either support West's proclamation or bash him. During Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for winning "Best Female Video", West got out of his seat, got onstage, and took the mic out of Swift's hand.
"Taylor, I'm really happy for ya and I'ma let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!" said West. He then shrugged, handed the mic back to an obviously shocked and seemingly upset Swift, and walked off the stage.
I don't know who Kanye West thinks he is. He has so many young fans who look up to him and idolize him. What kind of example is he setting?
For someone who demands to be respected by the media and his peers in the music industry, West seems to have forgotten that old saying, "Do unto others what you'd have others do unto you." Swift did not deserve to have that special moment of winning her first VMA stolen from her. Furthermore, West should have had the common sense to realize that he would ultimately humiliate her in front of millions of people; it wouldn't matter what point he was trying to make.
What irks me even more about this whole thing is that in a few days people will forget what happened last night at the VMAs and won't be upset with West anymore. That will just encourage West to continue thinking he is above everyone else and that only his feelings matter.
What goes around comes around. Kanye can keep hurting people all he wants, but one day a big pile of hurt will come find him.
Kanye's outburst at the 2009 VMAs
Kanye West's "apology" to Taylor Swift
"Taylor, I'm really happy for ya and I'ma let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!" said West. He then shrugged, handed the mic back to an obviously shocked and seemingly upset Swift, and walked off the stage.
I don't know who Kanye West thinks he is. He has so many young fans who look up to him and idolize him. What kind of example is he setting?
For someone who demands to be respected by the media and his peers in the music industry, West seems to have forgotten that old saying, "Do unto others what you'd have others do unto you." Swift did not deserve to have that special moment of winning her first VMA stolen from her. Furthermore, West should have had the common sense to realize that he would ultimately humiliate her in front of millions of people; it wouldn't matter what point he was trying to make.
What irks me even more about this whole thing is that in a few days people will forget what happened last night at the VMAs and won't be upset with West anymore. That will just encourage West to continue thinking he is above everyone else and that only his feelings matter.
What goes around comes around. Kanye can keep hurting people all he wants, but one day a big pile of hurt will come find him.
Kanye's outburst at the 2009 VMAs
Kanye West's "apology" to Taylor Swift
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
