Sunday, October 26, 2008

My Washington Post Visit



Above is a slide show of my visit to the Washington Post. Click each picture for captions.
Friday evening, my graduate class ventured to the multimedia offices of Washington Post. It was a great learning experience and the facility was awesome. We met with Chet Rhodes, Assistant Managing Editor for News Video, who explained how the Washington Post will soon be known for its multimedia aspects rather than its newspaper component.


Chet Rhodes
We all know how people are becoming more focused in every aspect of there lives. There are hundreds of television channels but we only watch a select few. And there are thousands of radio station but we listen to less than five stations. And there are hundreds of thousands website but we always find ourselves visiting the same sites everyday. Rhodes emphasized this aspect of the new changing face of technology by answering Jeff Kraus, a VCU graduate student about the value of advertisements in today's world.




































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Rhodes also provided us with terms that are commonly used in the newsroom.

come in from the side = when consumers come to a website via another website such as through Google or New York Times.

top fold = the section of the first page of a newspaper that is seen in the newsstand.

hits = how many times people visit a website.

shot sheet = two to three word description of video that has been shot in the field.
art slot = where a picture is place on a website.

We also talked about different types of video:

Tier 1 - short, single shot that stands alone (interview/scene)

Tier 2 - A vignette ( 2 to 4 shots an interview)

Tier 3 - Longer narratives, documentary style.




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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Barack's Multimedia World

As the days are dwindling down to the presidential election I wanted to explore how each candidate is reaching out to the technology savvy people. As we all know, multimedia is the way of the future. So my next two blogs will be dedicated to each presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain, the two biggest celebrities at this moment. I will only examine the Media pages of each candidate considering their entire websites are very detailed.

On Obama's home page for media, His whole media homepage consists of videos. I think this approach is a good strategy because it is visually and audibly stimulating. He has several icons that are linked to video. The design of his page is very creative but also can be cluttered and overwhelming to the viewer. On the right side of the page their is a toolbar that has several channel including "Meet Joe," "The Issues," "Ads" and more.

If you were to click on "Meet Michelle" below is the clip that would be shown.


Barack also reaches out to other citizens such as the hearing impaired and Hispanics who speak Spanish.

Obama even has an album entitled Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement which you can buy from his website under the media page.

Barack also has four photo slideshows designed by Flickr.

Also under the media, there is a mobile page. With mobile connection, you can receive updates about the campaign and information about upcoming events that support Obama. You can also have ringtones by Obama! What I also found interesting was that Obama has a Twitter account.

Below are some of the updates that Obama has added to his Twitter account.
Barack Obama
In Roanoke, VA at a "Change We Need" rally. Watch it live at http://my/BarackObama.com/Livestream about 3 hours ago from web

At Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. Watch the last presidential debate tonight live at 9pm Eastern. 5:59 PM Oct 15th from web

Launching a tax calculator at http://taxcut.barackobama.com/. See how much of a tax cut you'll receive under my tax plan. 4:30 PM Oct 14th from web

Just finished a major policy address in Toledo, OH. Read my full "Economic Rescue Plan for the Middle Class" at http://tinyurl.com/4nvlyl 11:22 AM Oct 13th from web

In Toledo, OH. Unveiling an "Economic Rescue Plan for the Middle Class" Watch it live at http://my.barackobama.com/livestream 10:46 AM Oct 13th from web

In West Philadelphia, PA. At a "Change We Need" rally. Watch it now at http://my.barackobama.com/Livestream 10:25 AM Oct 11th from web

Watch Michelle Obama address the DNC Women's Leadership Forum from Chicago, IL.. Watch it now at http://my.barackobama.com/Livestream 3:53 PM Oct 10th from web

Under the media page you can also download Obama paraphernalia, anything from buttons, posters, computer wallpapers and slogans.

Obama has really taken advantaged of all facets of technology to reach out to as many people as possible. So I give Obama an A- because I felt like he could have used more print stories on his website.
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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Celebrities in more ways than one

Ok. I was browsing the web looking for new ways for people to access their favorite celebrities. Through my search I visited CBS's website and simply click on the link "Celebrity" on the homepage. It took me to the Insider website, which I could find anything on any of the celebrities who are big in the news. I found this interesting because it was a one stop shop. Everything is on one page. I had access to text stories, photo galleries, videos and a brief biography all related to the celebrity. You can even answer a poll about the celebrity and contact the celebrity's fans. And the most interactive element about it is you get to leave a comment. In today's society, everyone has an opinion and wants to share it.

I mean, it is any celebrity from Holly Madison, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Halle Berry, Lindsay Lohan who has recently been in the news. The celebrities are also ranked by their importance for that week. I am really impressed that all the news was in one spot. Below is a quite from the website:
"Consider each of the celebrity pages below your one-stop shop for the news, gossip, photos, videos, history, sightings and scandals of that person. If you wanted any more info on a celeb than we have here, they'd best serve you a restraining order."

So let's visit on celebrity's page - Angelina Jolie - ranked number one for this week.

TEXT STORY

Angelina Jolie And Kids Get Cheetos In New Orleans

Angelina Jolie Pictures: Angelina Jolie And Kids Get Cheetos In New Orleans
Now that Angelina Jolie is in the USA the kids and her probably couldn’t wait to go to their favorite Cheetos store in New Orleans. I guess the twins are too young yet to eat Cheetos. This looks so familiar from the last time they were there! They still look really cute though. They even needed two bodyguards to help them get around.

P.S. Thanks to AmyGrindhouse for pointing me toward the new picture program. These are here because of her. Let’s see if you can top my acceptance speech??

PHOTOS

VIDEO

via The Insider

Recent User Comments These were just examples of what you might find on any celebrity's page. I encourage anyone to go to this page if you are seeking news, gossip or anything about a celebrity.
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Sunday, October 5, 2008

REGISTER, REGISTER!!! VOTE, VOTE!!!

**** Quick Reminder***** Monday, October 6, 2008 is the last day to register to vote in Virginia. You can complete the application on-line, by mail or in person at your local registrar office.

I wanted to take time out and focus on the political race and how celebrities are supporting their pick for President.

Below is a video produced by Voter Video Network. It is a slide show of candidates that are supporting Barack Obama this year.


The Daily Standard has an article listing the celebrities supporters for John McCain.

All over Virginia, celebrities are getting out there to support Obama. Just today at church, actor Blair Underwood spoke to the congregation at St. Paul's Baptist church encouraging people to get registered and get out and VOTE!

And about a month ago, actor Marlon Wayans, actresses Tatyana Ali and Jurnee Smollett came to the Hyperlink Cafe in Richmond to encourage people to vote also.



Celebrities are really getting involved and their celebrity statuses are motivating people to get out and vote. I think this is great because voters are seeing how serious everyone is taking this election.

I thought it was interesting to also see how some celebrities may not be putting out there who they are voting for, but want people to just get out there and vote. I thought that the commercial produced by Leonardo DiCaprio encouraging people not to vote was a great way to get people to actually vote. The commercial is below.


So I think celebrities are perfoming their community duties and leading the way to help America become a better society.
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Graduate Work

Much preparation proves successful for grads

Students at Midlothian High School have been preparing to end one chapter while starting a new one at their graduation commencement.

Christopher Shelton hangs out with friends backstage at the Siegel Center as he awaits his graduation. As Shelton looks back over many years of hard work, he realizes he is spending the last minutes of being a senior at Midlothian High School.

Shelton is nervous, but excited at the same time.

“Since the first day of my senior year I have been looking forward to this day,” said Shelton. “I made sure I did all my work, kept studying, kept good grades and always held on hope.” He will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall majoring in computer engineering.

Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover counties high school graduations are held at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Stuart C. Siegel Center. VCU hosts 26 graduations at its 190,000 square foot facility.

Many behind the scenes preparations help make this day for Shelton and the other 341 seniors at Midlothian High School a day they will never forget. Parking passes are issued, roads are blocked, security is in place and chairs are organized.

There are close interactions between senior class faculty sponsors and officials at VCU. Nate Doughty, associate director of the Siegel Center and Athletic Facilities, said it is great public relations.

“This is a great way for VCU to give back to the community,” said Doughty. “We fit the need and it’s a win-win for everyone.”

Eileen Sunseri, senior class sponsor at Midlothian High School, is already planning for the 2009 commencement ceremony. Preparations for an event that involves students, families, faculty and the community is a year round affair.

Sunseri describes the graduation process as “controlled chaos.”

“We get started in October when the students are measured for their caps and gowns,” said Sunseri. “Most planning really starts in March. VCU sends us the date, time and schedules. In mid-May there is a walk through where we receive maps, parking passes and information to give to the parents.”

Doughty said the biggest headache is parking. Traffic on VCU’s campus is congested and heavy during these times. There are between 300 to 500 graduates for each ceremony. On average, there are three graduations a day during this 11-day period yielding more than 1300 vehicles for each graduation.

VCU Enforcement and Safety Coordinator Lou Ann Jones has overseen this process for the past four years. Each year changes are made to make sure the entire graduation process is a success.

Between 100 to 150 people work during graduations.

“The secret is teamwork,” said Jones. “The school systems, Siegel Center staff, deck staff, enforcement staff and the VCU Police Department work closely to assure that everything run smoothly.”

During graduation regular traffic is not stopped. Jones said that so far they have done a great job with accommodating everyone.

“Our goal for these graduations is to make them as safe and happy as possible for all involved,” said Jones.

Shelton could not be more happier as he hugs his friends and takes pictures to capture last memories. He reunites with his parents.

His mother Debra Shelton said that the entire process leading up to graduation has been a smooth one.

“I thought the graduation was wonderful and well organized,” said Debra. “I was impressed.”