Time for a change

As nice and simple Blogger has been to me since I started on it a few years ago, I feel it is time for a change, so I am going to stop blogging on this account and do everything on my new one at...

http://madisonmccord.tumblr.com/

Check it out!

How about a code

Just scan this code with your phone's bar code scanner to be driven to this site!

Good times

I've been so busy with these first few weeks of school and work, that I almost forgot about my blog.

But I can safely say that everything is going great right now. Approval has been granted for the launch of the new Argonaut and Blot websites, which will go live sometime next month.

I've also developed a little niche for myself in the college technology area, which I have been writing columns about all year. Some of them are even getting picked up and re-tweeted by other news agencies. Everything from the iPad to Twitter is being covered.

As for what will come next, who knows? But right now, everything is going pretty smooth.

- M

Starting Fresh

After the three best years of my professional life, it is time to move forward and start again.

I love every minute I spent inside the newsroom of The Communicator, but I can already tell that my time here at The Argonaut will prove to be as, if not more successful and beneficial for me.

I can already feel the pressure being put on me and my new colleagues, but we are all up to the task, and ready to prove that our organization is one of the best in the nation.

I will post updates on how my new life at a "real college" is going, as well as how the development of the new uiargonaut.com is progressing.

- M

Happiness leads to creativity

Have you ever had that feeling of extreme happiness?

I've always considered myself a pretty upbeat guy, but lately my smile has been going through the roof. By creating a positive environment thought, I have found myself to be much more productive and creative. I guess you could say it helps me release a different side of me.

Today I will start the largest and longest project i have yet to work on at SFCC, one a students guide to the upcoming Sasquatch! Music festival, which will be an interactive Flash project, and secondly continue to work on and finish my part of the Converge interactive magazine.

I am in the middle of what would be a very hectic time for me, but because of everything and everyone great surrounding me, I am more excited than nervous.

They also say that money doesn't buy happiness, but it does buy an iPad... And iPads make you happy. Just saying.

Playing with flash

Flash is dead.

But it is still something that I am going to take advantage of learning while I can. In the past couple of months I have taken my knowledge of producing quality multimedia pieces into a full interactive experience.

Here are the links to the two projects.

http://faculty.spokanefalls.edu/Communicator/sections/multimedia/multimedia/earth_day/earth_day.html

http://faculty.spokanefalls.edu/Communicator/sections/multimedia/multimedia/madison_jones/everyday_jones.html

Creating a Google newsroom

Google runs the world.

That statement is no longer shocking or surprising for the masses, especially journalists. But knowing that, why is our industry still relying on desktop word processing programs, ancient form of email with outdated features or even the traditional 2 p.m. meetings in the conference room?

Google over the last few years has pumped (and bought) out some of the web's most innovative and interesting tools, all of which can be pieced together to make a perfectly networked Google newsroom.

By simply integrating four Google programs into the newsroom, you can guarantee that every writer, photographer and editor is on the same page, making the stressing over deadlines a thing of the past.

1. Set up a GMail account.

This is not only the portal in which all of the other programs will be accessed through, but the web's best email client.

Offering a huge amount of storage (about 7,500 mb), both text and video chat capabilities and the ability to label messages by category, GMail has taken the needs of every email user and put it to use on one platform.

2. Let your files live online with Google Documents.

This is by far the most useful and powerful tool that Google has ever built, and just by playing with it for a few minutes, you may think they built it just for journalists.

Documents or Docs for short, lets you upload any file to Google's cloud server and store it online. It doesn't matter if it is a .docx or .swf, any file is accepted. The truly amazing part comes in though when you upload an editable document such as a word processing file, you can share the file with your editor and have him edit the copy live online. Eliminating the confusion of mailing edited copy back and forth.

Docs is also a powerful document creation tool. Users can create word files, powerpoints or spreadsheets on Google Docs and have the same editing and creation tools as on any desktop program.

3. Meeting just went surfing on Google Wave.

Note: Wave is still in beta, but a request can be made to get an invitation to start using the tool.

No more meetings... in person. You don't need them anymore with the launch of Google's newest web tool, Wave. Like Docs, Wave is a real-time online calibration tool which allows users to create new conversations in one place.

When you start a new Wave and invite friends to it, everyone is able to post text, pictures, files, video and more, and then converse about them when they want.

Imagine it as a Facebook conversation on a wall, but with the ability to add files to the conversation, make it exclusive to specific people and go back to comment and re-hash an old conversation that may have gotten lost in the mix.

Wave has the power to bring every aspect of a newsroom together into one project even if they are separated by three floors.

And did I mention that all of these tools are free, and you only need the one log-in? That's pretty important too.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @madison_mccord

Posting from my iPad

So...

I realize that I am about two weeks late to the iPad party, but now that I'm here I feel at home.

When you watch Apple's promo video for the iPad for the first time you hear a very intriguing phrase tossed around. They state that, "for the first tine you are able to feel the Internet in your hand." and after owning this bad boy for only a few hours now, I couldn't agree more.

Don't listen to the skeptics... Sure there are some problems such as the lack of flash support, but as my favorite blogger Mark Luckie (@10000words) tweeted... "75% of the web uses flash... Then again, 75% of the web sucks."

Also make sure to check out an iPad, iPod touch, iPhone friendly version of The Communicator Online at faculty.spokanefalls.edu/communicator/iPad.html

All this done on my new iPad.... Man that feels cool to say.

neue journalism wordle

By simply entering the rss feed to "neue journalism" into the site wordle.net, I was able to find out what I am blogging about the most. Make your own today.

Taking the stage

My second piece for my Journalism 225 class. This time we we're asked to tackle a 4 minute, non-narrated, 3 source multimedia story. Hope you enjoy.

StumbleUpon.com is only kinda a time vampire

I recently stumbled upon (no pun intended) this web site, aptly named, StumbleUpon.com from a conversation I was having with our News Editor at The Communicator.

This is a warning... DO NOT GO TO THIS SITE.

Don't get me wrong, it's one of the coolest and most creative concepts I have seen on the web since twitter. The problem though lies in the fact that once you start playing on it... you can't stop.

If you have a ton of time to spare, say over spring break or really anytime in a newsroom, go on here and get lost. It really is worth it. But beware... you will want to do nothing else but surfing this site.

The Afro Blue Experience

In an explosion of color, light and sound, musicians, actors, singers and most importantly audience members came together to create The Afro Blue Experience. I produced and edited this piece along with shooting photos.

New blog to check out

It has been brought to my attention that the Faculty Adviser of The Communicator, Jason Nix has started a new blog called "New Media Workshop."

The idea of this blog is to guide students and professionals alike through the transition that is currently happening in the mass media market. By creating video tutorials, showcasing student work (mine is on there) and linking to useful sites that can add on to his, New Media Workshop will soon become a hot spot for journalism students, instructors and enthusiasts.

Make sure to check out Jason's blog as it will be constantly updated with new and exciting information.

Weekend Warriors

Check out this great multimedia piece I did photography for. Thanks to Joseph Engle who let me work with him on this piece.

A Coffee Culture

A Coffee Culture delves into how the impact and cultural phenomenon of a small bean has changed Spokane. Thanks to Sarah Radmer for helping with photography.

Poynter Online live chats

Thanks again to the amazing Twitter feed of the ACP, I have a new obsession.

The Poynter Institute, the pinnacle in journalism instruction in this country is now starting to push live online chats about topics that are very helpful, especially to me as a college student.

From how to help change journalism curriculum to what the current and future job market for journalists is, theses chats, which are moderated by Poynter faculty are opening up the opportunity to get these questions we have about our industry answered.

For updates on the newest Poynter chats, follow them on Twitter or visit their website. If you are also a journalism student, resister for a free Poynter NewsU account.

National Press Foundation "Why Journalism Matters" essay

Thanks to my friends at the ACP for tweeting the details about the National Press Foundation "Why Journalism Matters" essay. My job... describe what journalism means to me in only 100 words. Here is my response.

Journalism is truth. It does not matter by which medium it is delivered, but that it is presented to the audience in a way that is right, fair and informative. We now transition into a time where the birth and development of social media sharing can allow anyone to generate information and publishers have become overwhelmed with the obsession of their publication's bottom line. Luckily, there are still a few individuals and media outlets are doing it with the singular goal of getting the best content to the masses.

If selected, I will win an all expenses trip to Washington D.C. for to sit at the head table of the 2010 National Press Foundation Awards. My essay would also be read to the group.

The meaning of "neue journalism"

Journalism is evolving.

The tricky part is trying to figure out when it will stop. In the last 2-3 years alone, I have seen the birth and rise of Facebook, Twitter and the smartphone revolution. All tools that have become my primary way of viewing media.

This change, dubbed "new journalism or new media" is making an entire industry re-think everything it has relied on for the last 50 years. So in this change, who will come out on top? The answer is me... the college student.

By learning all of these new tools in the classroom, I will graduate with all of the knowledge and necessary resources to jump right into the "new media" market as within the next 3-4 years it will finally figure out what the meaning of journalism truly is.

As far as the neue part goes, I just love Helvetica and Helvetica Neue.

Late nights = quiet and productive

I may be a little out there in saying this, but I love being able to clock out at my "day job" and come back to the newsroom for another four hour shift.

By the time I get here, the place is practically empty, and by 6ish it's just me, The Communicator Online and my iTunes library.

Now that we have hit Feburary, I know I'm gonna need more nights like this as we are now just a couple of weeks away from judging for the two biggest awards in online collegiate journalism, and I will be damned if we don't win them both.

Now, back to work.

Lessons learned in a college newsroom pt. 4

Step back:

I have always had the ability to step into big situations and handle them under pressure. My problem starts when that situation ends.

I have a good idea of how to avoid stepping on peoples toes and where "the line" is. And I respect that, but up until this quarter, I was also always the one who was ready to spring at any opportunity to step in and help. The thing that I now realize is that I'm not helping them, but hurting.

So I can happily say that When it comes to the print version of my student newspaper, I have made myself disappear, and if there is something that the rest of the staff needs done... They will have to learn it.

This also allows me to give my undivided attention to The Communicator Online, which is being judged this upcoming month for the nation's two most prestigious collegiate journalism awards (ACP Pacemaker & SPJ Mark of Excellence)

Multimedia Journalism 225

For the first time ever at SFCC, a multimedia based journalism class is being offered. The idea of the class is to take our knowledge of good storytelling and implement multimedia aspects.

By looking at any major newspaper around this country, it is easy to tell that this form of storytelling is not only becoming increasingly popular, but anyone who knows how to do it, can get a job.

So, for the classes first assignment, we were given one week to do an audio-only, single source, non-narrated, no ambient or artificial noise profile piece.

Let me just lay this out there... This was one of the more difficult assignments I have ever done. Unlike a print story, there is no narrative or artwork to carry the story. I cannot write my way out of a bad quote. What I recorded is what I had to work with.

Here is the link to the piece, let me know what you think. The profile is on Sara Edlin, Drama teacher and play director at SFCC.

http://faculty.spokanefalls.edu/Communicator/sections/multimedia/multimedia/sara_edlin_multimedia.mp3