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.
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